Rather than doing a full nerd review of last Saturday's PPV, we thought we would bring you a much more concise takeaway article from the WSBF crew. What was good, what was bad and most importantly - what was FUN.
1. SHAFI
Stadium Stampede was fantastic!
2. MATT CONNOLLY
I'm really glad Brian Cage was the mystery man. Not just because he is great but because he's huge and every wrestling company should be stocking up on 300 plus pound men. Gimme him vs Luchasaurus yesterday.
3. DANIEL WILDASH
Stadium Stampede was the most ridiculous, stupidly fun match I have seen in years.
4. NINETIES MIKE
With the week commencing Monday 18th May being one of the most trying for a wrestling fan, we needed something to pull us out of the dumps.
I'm not saying that the Stadium Stampede match erases all memory of the tragic deaths of Hana Kimura and Shad Gaspard or the bitter fallout of the hard-to-watch Owen Hart episode of Dark Side of the Ring, far from it, but we all needed an outlet, something to distract us from the horror.
From the outlandish setup, the huge talent involved, and the little moments for us fans, it was a real love letter to the farther reaches of professional wrestling.
With the more cinematic adventures we've all witnessed over the past few months at Wrestlemania, Money in the Bank and now Double Or Nothing, maybe this is a watershed moment? Not everything has to be settled in the ring, or within the rules. Or even in this dimension. I, for one, cannot wait to see what they come up with next.
5. BRUM
The hidden gem on this card was MJF vs Jungle Boy.
The finish was a thing of beauty. It looked like MJF was getting a tight-grabbing heel win but then Jungle Boy reversed it and tried to out-MJF MJF with a tight grab of his own.
But you can't out-cheat Maxwell. MJF grabs Perry's wrists to reverse it into a modified European clutch for the 3. It was absolutely gorgeous.
What's great about all this is MJF was still cheating in the first place (because he's a bastard), but the actual finish itself was clean, establishing him as a credible wrestler too.
You also have the dynamic of Jungle Boy going for the subterfuge himself and failing because it's not his shtick.
Well done all.
6. JOSH HEADEY
OK, having thought about this; I've decided that MJF needs to beat Mox for the title at All Out (I’m presuming) in September.
7. ASHLEY COX
AEWs "Big Match Jon" strikes again! I was a big fan of the build up for Mox v Lee. The puppet master mystique of Brodie Lee I feel was in the head of Moxley from the start.
The back and forth from these two had me captivated. The classic "how dark do I need to be to beat this monster" shone through. Mox tapping into his sadistic side, biting the already bloodied head of Brodie Lee was the icing on the cake to an already physical encounter, especially after the disappointment to Mox after he tried to murder a man with the entrance ramp and a follow up paradigm shift.
The notable absence of The Dark Order followers was one that I felt helped Lee. Leading by example at its finest! It has left it wide open now for a rematch with the inclusion of the distraction of their members and for Brodie Lee to really work his magic.
Great story telling from AEW and I can't wait for the next chapter!
8. BRUM
For the first time since the AEW title began, it has been on a PPV which it hasn't main evented.
This surprised me a bit as I didn't think this was AEW's style. Whichever way you look at it, this is to the title's detriment.
We've been conditioned as wrestling fans to just accept this but it's not OK. If you don't want to have that match main event the show, either don't put the match on at all, or have it to be non-title.
9. DOM VAN DAM
“Jungle Boy has a lot of potential. MJF is ready.”
10. ROSS CASEY
It is easy to say learn from other people's mistakes, but it can sometimes be hard to put those learnings into practice. If the past few weeks have proved anything for me, it is not Mox, not Jericho, not Cody, but Hangman Page is THE guy that AEW need to make their star player.
TNA were guilty of pushing WWE guys over their stars and I really hope that they realise the potential that Hangman has as the babyface champion. I also fully agree with the nerds who are pushing for MJF in this article - the thought of those two in a feud for the title would be something. #AEW #WSBF #TAKEAWAYS
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