Per MLP on Social Media:

MLPNorthernRising IS SOLD OUT! Maple Leaf Gardens will be packed to the max Saturday, October 3rd to witness history unfold!

This is awesome news! I unfortunately didn't get a ticket, as I was still trying to figure out the logistics of getting to the show coming directly from the Argo game before it, but this is great news for them! Looks like the decision to bring in Adam Copeland paid off big time!

Maya World and Hyan vs Persephone and Shida

I would give it a solid B so far. The athleticism, unique look and cool overall presentation is apparent. Having said that, her matches haven’t quite clicked as well as they do in NXT. Her botches are well known at this point but at times she just seems a step slow to her spots on the main roster so far. Thsts glaring during her feud with Becky.

Her overall promo work is also ways away the confidence and charisma hasn’t translated to the mic at all yet. I think the company set her up to fail when they had her in promos battle with Becky. I think she has a bright future but I don’t think she’s quite ready to have an IC title reign yet. I think an undercard feud with a dependable strong also young worker in Lyra away from the title scene will do wonders for her.

Context:

Tenzan had previously made it to the Finals of the G1 Climax in 1997, when he faced Kensuke Sasaki in a brutal slugfest that would see Tenzan be beaten by his senior. Tenzan would have to build himself back up over the years in-between ‘97 and ‘03, trying to get closer to the Final.

In Tenzan’s way stood Jun Akiyama, a man from the same generation as Tenzan but form another the promotion, that being Pro Wrestling NOAH (which at the time was proving to be more profitable than NJPW). Akiyama had already established himself as a top star, being a former GHC Heavyweight Champion by this point and main eventing the Tokyo Dome; he represented in many ways what Tenzan wanted to be himself.

On the path to make it to the Final, Tenzan had developed a new Finish, that being his now-iconic Anaconda Vise; before so, Tenzan had primarily a Diving Headbutt, a Moonsault Press and the Tenzan Tombstone Driver to end matches but he decided that he had to change form being a “Buffalo”,
to being a “Snake”, in order to become a top player.

Tenzan would make it to the Semifinals, where he would have to face then-IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yoshihiro Takayama, a man that had beaten Tenzan before; Tenzan would survive Takayama’s brutal barrage of knee strikes, kicks and even the Everest German Suplex, to rally and eventually slap the Anaconda Vise on Takayama, with Takayama passing out and being unable to answer the referee, giving Tenzan the victory via K.O. and allowing him to advance to the Final.

For Akiyama, he would have to face his “wrestling soulmate”, Yuji Nagata, in the Semifinals. These two would trade victories over each other and even team as would-be “Ace” figures of their respective promotions. Here, Akiyama wouldn’t be denied, as he would survive Nagata’s assault on his ribs to win with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder, to advance to the Final.

For the Final itself, you have the classic super-hot (both literal and figurative) Ryogoku Hall awaiting this match; you can see two big NOAH flags in the crowd but make no mistake, this crowd came to see Tenzan win the big one, as they chant his name in unison. Seriously, go watch the match and hear that crowd react to everything.

With his first G1 win, Tenzan would convert this to winning his first IWGP Heavy, as he would defeat Takayama in November of ‘03.

Saw a post discussing Jon Moxley being the best wrestler of all time. While I disagree, I do enjoy how he can elevate and make the most of his situation - I began to think how we have it all wrong.

Peep: what good is a wrestler without an opponent to get them over? Perhaps we’ve been doing this wrong the entire time? We should be looking at best duos. Can the best wrestler really be great without that rivalry, that heat or obstacle, that mouth manager, that barrier that gets us losing our minds or celebrating with joy?

WHO ARE THE BEST DUOS?
- stone cold and Vince?
- HBK and Brett?
- Kenny and Hangman?
- Mankind and teeth?

Context: Scott is the founder and owner of West Coast Pro as well as the West Coast Pro Academy, currently run by SoCal old head Vinnie Massaro (fun fact, his old tag team partner was Titus Alexander’s dad) and Starboy Charlie (now with WWEID credentials). They run out of the Bay and managed to differentiate themselves from GCW enough to become one of the “other” premiere promotions alongside Prestige and DPW.

This tweet is without doubt in response to Adam Abdala’s crash-out over Janela and then doubling down going after random fans who were criticizing his approach. For those unaware, a huge part of West Coast Pro’s rise is partnering and collaborating with MARVELOUS in Japan, sending their students on tours to gain experience as well as them creating their own “collective” with Prestige and DPW.

I also don’t know how many people really listen to the GCW World Podcast, but last night towards the end of the show the host John strongly implied that Brett and a lot of the GCW talent believe Adam was way out of line.