ROOKIES EVERYWHERE!

Some scattered thoughts not sure I’ll cover everything though. If I miss something it’s because I don’t have particular thoughts for it, I just enjoyed it and that’s it. 

 

The Kassidy x Bolek promo felt very prowrasslin, something I could’ve seen on wwe programming. In general, I think this is a win for Bolek regardless of the outcome as its status as a heel has been maintained rather high despite the title loss. It felt as if losing the title didn’t impact his momentum at all which doesn’t happen every day. 

 

I don’t know who I’m supposed to cheer for between Jynx and C-Note… I guess C-Note is the least psychotic of the two so maybe it’s him? DNS being involved in so many stories really makes it feel like an OCW civil war, DNS against the world. It would be a fun idea for a PPV. 

 

Very solid writing for Junko. I dig the character a lot. She stands out to me from the rest of the division. 

 

I think the Dragana Holly story drifted towards an interesting direction as its now more clear (to me at least) who we are supposed to cheer and who we are supposed to boo. It also helped depict dragana as a more complex and multifaceted character with some weaknesses. On the competitive side, the match already sells itself and now with added stakes it’s definitely one of the top feuds going at the moment in my opinion. 

 

I enjoyed the Belle Perl match quite a bit, both in terms of the movesets and the characters. Perl’s finisher looks very impactful (the super kick), it’s a really nice animation. I’d say it looks even better than the sweet chin music visually. This loss doesn’t hurt Belle in my eyes, if anything it cements her as a unique all around character, with great attires and unique movesets that help her stand out. 

 

Star making performance from Gabriel Vincent, nothing else to say. Props to Gonzalo for constantly putting on bangers. 

 

I think the Flojo / Ashley story took a turn in the right direction this week, as the two now have a somewhat solid reason to fight one another. With Flojo and Ashley involved you know the match is gonna be fun to watch so personally I’m sold. This is something that I think was lacking in previous RPs from the two as sometimes they felt like they were lacking direction, but now the direction is clear and I look forward to the resolution. 

 

First of all ACCENDI ITALIA sounds like a political party name, and I’m all for it. There’s one called FORZA ITALIA irl. I’d vote for Matteo and Carter all the way. I’m saddened to see them lose but in kayfabe it’s the best outcome as it gives Marto and Harris momentum, and keeps the Jordan Horse feud going. I hope it won’t be the last time we see them together though. I vote for “Italian Stallions” to be their tag name. 

 

It’s interesting to see Blaine back. I think her presence helps deepen the division and provide more unique match ups in terms of weight differences. Granted both Sue and Holly are doing their thing, having an additional big woman helps provide more variety if that makes any sense. 

 

Speaking of women, I’m interested in seeing what this new character Skadi brings to the table. We don’t know much yet but we will see soon I suppose. 

 

Still on the topic of women, I think the Pride title did a full 180 in just a matter of two weeks. While sure, it has been absent from Lution, the title will now be defended back to back and there’s no telling who will emerge as champion which is exciting. However personally I am enjoying Sue’s shtick and I think the Pride title is what the TBS title was to Jade in AEW, almost the embodiment of the champion. Not sure if that makes any sense but yeah. So I wouldn’t mind her retaining back to back and keeping the title for a little while longer. 

 

I often read “this should’ve been a text RP, not a video” but in the case of the Nate Rust Pugh Mugen segment my sentiment would be the opposite as I wonder how it would have looked had it been a video segment. Granted it wouldn’t be possible due to the lack of a backstage office-like arena (thanks 2K!), so it’s really nobody’s fault. It still drove its point across with words so I feel it was effective nonetheless. I imagine the camera panning to show Mugen from behind and then dramatically revealing its him. But yeah text drove the point across just fine, it was very cinematic to read if that makes any sense. I was not expecting this turn of events at all. 

 

Full honesty, I wasn’t a huge fan of the B17 x Bash segment at first because I felt it was not “epic” enough for a world title feud and a bit to the goofy side. But the second part definitely helped restore that drama and ultimately I enjoyed it overall. It’s strange because Bash to me is almost monster heel territory, due to the ominous DNS presence and his wins over notable roster members, but at the same time he does look like a nerd who isn’t supposed to come off as a monster heel. It’s a balance that I understand it’s difficult to get across effectively and in that regard I think this feud nailed it by doing a little bit of both. A bit of seriousness, a bit of over the top. 

 

I truly believe Shianne would make for a formidable champion but I’ll stop saying it because comp is comp and I don’t wanna jinx it. That said, it would feel like a good coronation of not only her story arc but also Deborah’s arc. Additionally, it would open up several trajectories for future feuds with former TOG members. Overall it would be very exciting, but again no jinx. Mouth shut. 

 

Overall it was a fun show. I think the MOTN should go to Gonzalo and Vincent. The segment of the night is probably a tie between Dragana Holly and the cinematic office shenanigans, with Junko being a notable mention. 

Thank you for the review Valk its rare to see one of these now a days.  

 

As an addition to valks input.  I wanted to speak on the Main event. Valk vs Shianne was great match. Honestly Valk put up more of a fight than I was really expecting considering the time off.  For someone who's bone should have been brittle and broken from the last time we saw here surprised she was able to move around. But I digress she put up a decent fight and I applauded her for that.  Someone said it in the stream of the show but seeing Valk do some of the moves we have known her fun is oddly satisfying. But Shianne is still able to get those hands on her which I always love the combo such as the one at the end of the fight very nice. 

It was a great match from two people looking to have a great match not just win. Keep up the amazing work. 

 

Hey, Valk since shianne feels we are in her way. Have your people call my people. Maybe we can work something out. TOG is all about that girl power after all. 

 

Edited August 14, 20241 yr by EMP