General Election drama, Brexit chaos, and the general idiocy of most world leaders does not give much reason to be cheerful this week. However, there is a bastion of hope to be found in the world of wrestling.
It hasn’t been the busiest of weeks in terms of good news (Plenty of racism though), but those of you who have watched all of the wrestling action available throughout the last seven days will know that there have been plenty of amazing matches and moments.
These are just five such moments to be glad about.
5. Women in Saudi Arabia
Let’s start with a contentious entry. the Saudi Arabia shows have been a beacon for controversy since the first one ran in 2014 and that hasn’t let up in the years since. One of the biggest sources of anger has been the country’s refusal to include female talent on the card.
Regardless of whether the match is any good or not, what matters is that this is a first and marks a big step forward to women in the country. The hope has to be that more rights are granted and progress continues.
This is all set to change as, at the time of writing, Lacey Evans and Nattie Neidhart are scheduled to lock up at Crown Jewel. Now it is true that they are going to have to cover up and it is even truer that the Saudi’s are still horrendous in their treatment of women and indeed anyone they do not agree with. This doesn’t change any of that, but it does some that there is some movement in the right direction happening at long last.
4. Progress Chapter 97
Sex Robots Will Eventually Be Capable Of Murder.
Not only is that a prophetic statement, it is also the full title of Progress Chapter 97 which was one hell of a show.
Progress are entering a new era with the exit of former driving force Jim Smallman. They needed to prove that losing him was not going to slow them down and they did just that with Chapter 97.
From the opening match with Connor Mills taking on Mandrews to the epic main event of David Starr versus The OJMO, this was an event worth checking out.
It showed that, even with NXT UK taking a great deal of talent off the board, British wrestling is still capable of thriving. Progress are continuing to impress with each new Chapter and the next one is already looking to be an amazing show.
Do yourself a favour and check this fantastic company out if you haven’t already.
3. Eddie Kingston – Give The Man A Hand
For the second week in a row Eddie Kingston has made his way onto our list. Such is the exquisite talent of this brutal brawler.
Eddie has an amazing ability to convey realism in his work. Usually it is through his venom fuelled promos but this week he got people to buy into his match in a different way, and one that may seem foreign to some modern fans. He sold an injury in a believable way.
Shocking, I know, but once Kingston chopped the ring post on NWA Power he began to act as though his hand was broken. When he tried to punch one of The Dawsons he was unable to put any muster on the strike. After that, his hand hung limply by his side as he valiantly struggled on.
This is why Power is considered by many to be the best hour of wrestling available each week. It’s also something that young wrestlers should be made to study in order to make sure that the next generation is capable of bringing back the nearly lost art of selling.
2. AEW Crowns Their First World Tag Team Champions
This week saw AEW’s best episode of Dynamite so far as it delivered from top to bottom with only a few sour notes.
One of the biggest reasons for the success of this episode was the main event which saw SCU take on The Lucha Bros to crown the promotion’s first Tag Team Champions.
The build to this final has been excellent as Fenix and Pentagon Jr took out Christopher Daniels to get an advantage over SCU by robbing them of their most experienced performer. It seemed clear that The Lucha Bros were going to win the whole tournament but AEW decided to go the slightly less expected route of having SCU pick up the monumental victory.
It is nice to see that they are willing to subvert audience expectations. It’s also a match that is worth checking out to see some fast-paced action.
1. A Contract Signing And No Flipped Table?
The biggest reason for AEW’s success this week? A contract signing that wasn’t the exact same as every other one that’s ever happened.
The WWE has always stuck to a relatively basic formula for these events to the point where when one is announced everyone expects a few harsh words to be exchanged and somebody to go through a table.
Jericho nodded to this as he twice threatened to flip the table onto Cody before backing off, looking every bit the cocky egomaniac that he is meant to be. Instead of going through with the expected violence, the two delivered an intense segment that built to the upcoming match perfectly without giving away the visual of the two coming to blows just before the big match.
The addition of The Inner Circle beating down Dustin Runnels afterward was perfect. It made for a more explosive segment without doing something that the crowd had seen plenty of times before.
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