In case you have been stranded on a deserted island for a while, just got back, and aren’t aware of what time it is…
Thanksgiving is here.
Even if you don’t celebrate it where you’re from, you know that it has arrived.
There is so much to love about this time of year. Maybe you love the food, the shopping, the time with family, or even the bridge to Christmas. What should be the best part of the year is exactly what the name suggests… it’s a time to give thanks to what means the most to you and what makes you the most appreciative.
Every year, I put out a column where I want to do just that. We can complain about a lot of things in wrestling, and Lord knows we often do, but why not talk about what we love? That’s exactly what I’m here to do. It could be a wrestler, a match, a storyline… anything pro wrestling related that I’m thankful for in 2021. Simple enough, right? It won’t be everything, because that would end up being far too long of a column for everyone involved, but it’s some of the more important things I felt that I had to mention.
These will be in no particular order. Obviously, the things that I’m thankful for might not be what you’re thankful for. That’s fine. I want to hear from you, though. As always, hit me up in the comments section below, or on Twitter (@HustleTheSavage), and let me know what’s on your mind.
The Return Of Bryan Danielson: I say this as a huge fan of Daniel Bryan, but… I’m so happy that Bryan Danielson is back. The man had some great matches during his time in WWE, but he clearly has so much more freedom to do the things that he wants now. This is a man who has a legitimate claim to being the greatest in-ring performer in pro wrestling history, and he’s performing with a level of joy, confidence and swagger that we haven’t seen in a long time. He’s also working with opponents that he has either never faced before, or hasn’t faced since his pre-WWE days, so his matches are all fresh and exciting. Now, as the cherry on top, he’s in the main event scene as he goes after the AEW World Title, so I’m fully expecting him to take things to another level. I’m thankful to have an opportunity to witness greatness, whether it’s in wrestling, music, football, food, architecture, television or any other aspect of life.
AEW Commentary: Okay, okay… not all of it. Jim Ross has clearly gone beyond his expiration date and the milk is spoiled. CHRIS JERICHO NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE’S NO NEED TO YELL EVERYTHING HE SAYS WHILE HE’S ON COMMENTARY.
Other than that, though, I really enjoy AEW’s commentary squad. Excalibur is fantastic in the lead role, showing a vast knowledge of moves and stories, but as a former wrestler himself, he is also able to convey the psychology of why things happen. Tony Schiavone sounds like he actually likes wrestling again, which is nice. Taz is always good for some sort of entertainment. Throw in various guest commentators, and you have yourself a really well-rounded presentation on AEW programming. It’s just the right mix of smart, insightful play-by-play and funny, entertaining color work. The type of commentary that we have no idea if WWE can pull off because those folks are too busy being yelled at by Vince McMahon to regurgitate the same bullshit every few seconds.
The Head Of The Table: I know what a lot of you are going to say… Roman Reigns is looking too unstoppable. I can’t argue with you there. When this column goes live, Reigns will be on his 451st day as the Universal Champion. In that span, he has 17 successful title defenses. Those 17 defenses have him beating ten different opponents. Throw in non-title victories over Drew McIntyre, Big E, Bobby Lashley, Montez Ford and Shinsuke Nakamura, and you’re starting to wonder who the hell is supposed to defeat him.
That’s a bridge that will need to be crossed down the road. For now, though, I am greatly appreciating his work. He is so fucking good at what he does, from the actual in-ring performances to the promos to the facial expressions to the psychology and everything in between. There’s a “big fight” feel when he’s involved in a match, and you can’t say that about many people in WWE right now.
I don’t know how long he’ll keep a grip on the Universal Title. At this point, WrestleMania seems like the earliest that he’ll lose it. Until it happens, I will continue to be a fan of one of the greatest single runs that pro wrestling has seen in a long, long time.
Shingo Takagi: In last year’s version of this column, I included Shingo, making mention of how I became a fan of his in 2005, when he made his debut for Ring Of Honor. I praised him and how he was able to stand out on the Dragon Gate (and, to a lesser extent, Ring Of Honor) roster. He wasn’t a mountain of a man (basically the same height and weight as WCW-era Chris Jericho), but he has the strength to throw around opponents that are much bigger than he is.
At this point last year, he was in the middle of an incredible run with New Japan Pro Wrestling, participating in match after match after match that were qualifying for year-end Match Of The Year lists all over Anna Taylor-Joy’s internet. He had seen all sorts of success in the company, but had yet to really be elevated to the main event scene. I ended the column by saying I was going to wait and see if he would get involved in the IWGP Heavyweight Title picture.
Here we are, one year later, and not only did he become a main event player in New Japan, but he is the current, reigning, defending IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in his 170th day as champion as of the moment this column is posted. His reign has been different than what many North American wrestling fans are used to with their World Champions, as he has only defended the title three times in the nearly six months that he has been the champion. That is mainly due to New Japan’s show schedule, and all of the large “series” that they do. The week after he won the title, New Japan started their Kizuna Road series, where he participated in 11 matches over the span of 18 days, mostly six and eight-man tags. As soon as Kizuna Road ended, it was time for the Summer Struggle series, where Shingo wrestled 17 times in 35 days, again almost exclusively in tag matches of different varieties. A month after Summer Struggle ended, it was time for the G1 Climax Tournament. Over 33 days, he wrestled ten times, and while nine of those matches were singles contests, they weren’t title matches. As soon as the G1 Climax ended, New Japan went right into their Road To Power Struggle series, culminating in the Power Struggle event itself. That was another ten matches in 13 days for Shingo, with the only singles match being his successful title defense against Zack Sabre Jr. at Power Struggle.
You get the point.
He continues to shine as the company builds to their huge three-day (!!!) Wrestle Kingdom event on January 4th, 5th, and 8th. On night one, he defends the IWGP World Heavyweight Title against Kazuchika Okada. The next night, the winner of the Takagi vs Okada match will defend the title against Will Ospreay. On the final night, New Japan and Pro Wrestling NOAH will be co-producing the show, giving us inter-promotional matches, which is a huge deal.
I’m so happy to see Shingo reach this level of success. He’s had a long, entertaining journey, but a lot of it was in the shadows. Now, he has been given an opportunity to become one of the biggest acts in all of puroresu, and he is running with it. Shit, who knows… we might even see him show up in AEW before all is said and done.
Eddie Kingston’s Player’s Tribune Article: Rarely do you get the chance to see a pro wrestler be so open and so honest about the struggles they deal with in their lives. They’re always these larger-than-life superheroes and supervillains, and as corny as it sounds, it can be easy to forget that they’re regular people like you and I are.
Mental health has become such an important issue in the last several years. People are learning that it’s okay not to be okay. More and more folks are finding the courage to seek help, or at least to share their stories with the world, in hopes that their struggles can motivate someone else to muster up that courage to ask for help. Not a day goes by that I don’t see someone, somewhere, on social media coming forward with their own story. With the world turning upside down in the last two years, those stories have become more and more prevalent as we figure out how to maneuver through a global pandemic, an absolute breakdown in civility and common sense, as well as the loss of any sort of normalcy that we were used to.
In the history of professional wrestling, there haven’t been many people who are more genuine and authentic than Eddie Kingston. He isn’t portraying a character. Everything you see and hear is exactly who he is. That is, perhaps, the main reason that fans around the world have flocked to him. He is a beloved figure. His own mental health battles have been documented in the past. Watch any number of his promos in companies like CHIKARA and you’ll hear him talk about his demons without shame or embarrassment.
That Player’s Tribune article, though… man, oh, man… it took us on a trip into the mind, heart and soul of a man. Not of Eddie Kingston. It let us into the psyche of Edward Moore. I don’t like being one of those columnists who randomly drop a wrestler’s real name, but I feel it fits perfectly here. There is no telling just how important the article is going to be when all is said and done. It was easily one of my favorite wrestling-related pieces of media that I’ve ever read.
“Well, I Guess This Is Growing Up” aka “The Randy Orton Story”: More often than not, wrestlers tend to remain who they are. The wrestlers that are great human beings tend to remain great human beings. On the other end of the scale, wrestlers that are assholes tend to be assholes until the very end.
Every now and then, you’ll have situations like Shawn Michaels, who was a completely different person when he returned in 2002 than he was when he left in 1998. This change was due to him dealing with his major substance abuse issues, finding love, becoming a father and finding religion. Those instances are few and far between, though.
Randy Orton has been very open about what kind of person he was at the beginning of his WWE career. He was young, immature, and simply wasn’t ready for what came with being a world famous celebrity at such a young age. We’ve all read the accusations of substance abuse issues, and have certainly read the more scandalous rumors of him defecating in the bag of Rochelle Loewen, who was employed by WWE from 2003 to 2005. Orton has had minor legal issues, been sent to anger management and has also been accused of using his backstage “stroke” to snuff out pushes for the likes of Mr. Kennedy and Kofi Kingston. Plenty of rumors and gossip have seemed to follow him around year after year.
Here we are on the verge of calendars turning to 2022. Orton will celebrate his 42nd birthday on the day before WrestleMania 38 next year. He has turned into one of the locker room leaders in WWE, and not just because he’s a veteran. A lot of the aforementioned issues that people have had with him through the years have been dealt with, squashed or outright shot down as untrue. Randy has been very open about his past, agreeing with the names that people have called him in those years, but he has changed a lot. You can see it in his media appearances or on his social media. It’s even something you can see in his on-screen persona. He seems to be a lot more relaxed, having a lot more fun and enjoying things.
We’ve been able to see Randy Orton, the husband, and Randy Orton, the father, a lot more in recent years. His first marriage, starting in 2007 and ending in 2013, produced a daughter. Those relationships were kept more private, and we weren’t privy to a lot of what was happening then. His second marriage came in 2015, with a second daughter born a year later. Maybe it’s Randy’s maturity, or maybe it’s just that his current wife is more open with social media, but we’re able to witness this “new Randy Orton” on a regular basis.
In a sport where personal growth isn’t exactly common, I’m happy to see it with Randy Orton. Maybe I’m just softened up these days because I have a wife and a daughter of my own now, but I love that shit.
Independent Wrestling Boost: If there’s any sort of “positive” that can be found with WWE releasing approximately 528 wrestlers over the last two years, it’s that those wrestlers are now able to go elsewhere to ply their craft. I’m not just talking about AEW, either. Promotions big and small, all over the world, are now able to have new talent come in and boost their rosters, even if it’s just for a show or two. Say what you want, but seeing “Former WWE Superstar” next to someone’s name on a show poster or social media post still goes a long way.
A lot of these WWE releases have already landed on their feet in promotions of all sizes. Even more of them are set to do so soon, once they are legally able to do so. I saw someone on Twitter make mention that you could make a major wrestling promotion out of nothing but the names that WWE has released since COVID changed the world. It sounds silly, but it’s the truth. WWE has released main event players, midcard talent, tag teams, women, big (size-wise) wrestlers, small (size-wise) wrestlers, manager-types and everything else you need to fill out a competitive roster. That’s crazy.
Whether it’s a major company like AEW, something overseas like New Japan, a “big” independent like PWG or the local promotion that wrestles in the high school gymnasium down the road from your place, I want to see wrestling thrive. They have more of a chance to do so now.
Well, except Ring Of Honor.
Sigh.
You: I do this column every year, and every year, I close it by praising you.
No, not you.
You.
Yes, you.
I’ve been writing columns for 14 years now. Those columns have been featured on several different sites. In those 14 years, I’ve posted a couple thousand overall columns, racking up a total number of views well into the eight figures. That’s not even counting all of the podcast appearances I’ve been a part of (shout out to the Lords Of Podcast Roundtable).
I don’t say all of that to toot my own horn. My point is that I’ve been around for a long time, and there are so, so many of you who have been there by my side from the beginning. You remember the Hustle Is Posting Right Now days, and then the days of Hustle Is Posting Everyday. The controversies, the interviews, the signs that you’d bring to shows for me… all of it. The love that you have shown me has been incredible. I love hearing the wild stories that some of you have told me through the years. Military members reading my work while on deployment as a way to keep up with what’s going on. People that read my columns back in 2007 and 2008 and who have children that are reading my columns in 2021. That type of thing. It’s humbling.
I’m not forgetting about those of you who are new to my work, either. I’m eternally thankful for everyone that has every read my work, no matter when you hopped aboard the train. Thank you. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
Now, let’s get ready to continue our journey together in 2022.
Weekly Power Rankings
- The Promo Battle Between “Hangman” Adam Page & Bryan Danielson: In my last column, I said that the upcoming program between Adam Page and Bryan Danielson didn’t need any sort of heel turn to be successful. It sure seems like we’re going in that direction, though. Danielson did a tremendous job acting like a heel, all while not really changing anything about his presentation. For someone as loved and cherished as Danielson is, he sure does a great job of being an insufferable dick. Really good stuff from both men here, building to their upcoming AEW World Title match.
- Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair: It was everything it needed to be. As I’ve said, I don’t care if their story is a work, a shoot or some combination of the two. It has made for some very entertaining promos, and now, it has given us a match that was stiff and ugly in the best possible way.
- Carmelo Hayes vs Pete Dunne vs Johnny Gargano: A really good mix of the “old” NXT and the “new” NXT here. Carmelo Hayes continues to look like a huge star, defending the NXT North American Title and building its prestige with each defense.
- Sammy Guevara vs Jay Lethal: You just had to have a feeling that Sammy’s title reign wouldn’t end so soon after he won the TNT Championship, but there was still plenty of doubt. Jay Lethal is a big signing for AEW, so there were a lot of people who predicted a win for him here. I’m glad that Sammy won, but Lethal looked like someone who will definitely be involved in title pictures moving forward.
- Big E vs Roman Reigns: These “brand supremacy” stipulations for Survivor Series have to go. E vs Roman was good, but nothing mattered, and that was clear from the start. I’m not saying we should’ve had a title unification here, but damn, something should’ve been on the line. A new pair of sneakers. The right to pick the next person who WWE fires. Something. Anything.
- Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus vs Adam Cole & Bobby Fish: Is it just me, or does it feel like Adam Cole has been feuding with Jurassic Express since 2010? Everything in the feud has been fun, but maybe it’s time for everyone to go their separate ways.
- RK-Bro vs The Usos: My comments here are pretty much the same as my comments for Big E vs Roman Reigns. There just isn’t enough for people to care about at Survivor Series now. The last time it was exciting was 2019, when NXT was thrown into the mix, giving us six matches that featured Raw vs Smackdown vs NXT. There wasn’t much on the line then, either, but at least it was something different. The first thing WWE needs to do is stop having the fucking Draft a few weeks before Survivor Series. You can’t promote brand supremacy and have matches featuring people who have only been on their current brand for a few weeks. Either have the draft after WrestleMania, or do the draft in the immediate aftermath of Survivor Series. Start there.
- Sasha Banks vs Shotzi: At first, it looked like Shotzi was going to be a big deal on Smackdown. Then, it looked like she would be just another talent from NXT that got wasted on the main roster. Now, things seem to be swinging back to the “big deal” side of things. If she keeps having fun matches with the likes of Sasha Banks, her future is as bright as her hair.
- Big E vs Austin Theory: At face value, there’s no way you should expect Big E to drop the WWE Title to Austin Theory in November 2021. That’s exactly what a lot of people were predicting as they watched the insanely stupid “stolen egg” story play out at Survivor Series and on Raw. Before Theory ever signed with WWE, I put him in my “30 Under 30” column and said that he is everything Vince McMahon could and would want in a wrestler. Don’t be surprised if he makes it to the top a lot sooner than you think. He had a good performance here, getting a lot of offense in.
- Carmella & Queen Zelina: They’re the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, so… there’s that. Hooray! Unfortunately, the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles are worth less than the toy title belts you can buy at Walmart for $20, so… there’s that, too.
This Week’s Playlist: “Easy On Me” by Adele… “My Little Love” by Adele… “Cry Your Heart Out” by Adele… “Woman Like Me” by Adele… “Human” by Tom Morello & Barns Courtney… “Hard Times” by Tom Morello, Jim Jones, Nathaniel Rateliff & Chipotle Joe… “Raising Hell” by Tom Morello & Ben Harper… “Highway To Hell” by Tom Morello, Bruce Springsteen & Eddie Vedder… “Let’s Get The Party Started” by Tom Morello & Bring Me The Horizon… “The War Inside” by Tom Morello & Chris Stapleton… “The Achilles List” by Tom Morello & Damian Marley… “Never Fail” by Morray & Benny The Butcher… “Pretty Brown Eyes” by Frankie J & Mellow Man Ace… “Summer Rain” by Leon Bridges & Jazmine Sullivan… “Applying Pressure” by Snoop Dogg & YK Osiris… “Murder Music” by Snoop Dogg, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes & Benny The Butcher… “OFF” by Maxwell… “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston… “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Fall Out Boy… “Two Tickets To Paradise” by Eddie Money