As I look at the calendar, I see that Thanksgiving is upon us once again.
It’s a holiday that means a lot of things to a lot of people, but in this aspect of my life, it means that it’s time to do just what the name of the holiday suggests. This is when I give thanks to the things in the world of pro wrestling that are making me love the sport more than anything this year. It could be a particular match, a promo, a moment, or a storyline… no matter what, though, it’s something I feel is deserving of my thanks in 2023.
It won’t be a list of everything I’ve enjoyed during the year, as that would be an insanely long column with how wordy I can be. Another thing it won’t be is necessarily listing all of the best things of the year. That’s what my year-end Hussy Awards column is for, and that comes your way next month.
These things will be listed in no particular order, but they’re all things I’m thankful for. Let’s rock.
World Travel: Backlash in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Money In The Bank in London, England. All In(nit) in a completely different part of London, England. WWE’s shows in Saudi Arabia, if you’re okay with that stuff. I’ve always been a fan of wrestling companies working at different venues in different cities, and even different countries, than the “usual” fare. WWE has really tried to make that a goal of theirs recently, and AEW is now branching out, as well.
It isn’t stopping here, either. WWE has already announced Elimination Chamber in Western Australia for next year, as well as the Bash In Berlin event in Germany, and now, it was just announced that Backlash is going to take place in France. AEW is returning to England for All In(nit) again, and there are always rumors that a show in Japan or Mexico could be in the pipeline.
It’s a beautiful thing. New venues in new televised places, and it gives fans of these countries the chance to show off how vocal and passionate they can be. I dig it.
Trick Williams: I’m not sure that Trick was ever supposed to become a big star on his own. He was charismatic as all hell, but he was tied up in the “manager” type role for Carmelo Hayes, and it was Melo who was clearly positioned to eventually become one of the biggest names in NXT. Trick stood by and watched his friend reach the top of the NXT mountain, but he wasn’t all that active as a wrestler. Even today, Trick has wrestled a total of 26 times on television or pay-per-view. Of those matches, almost a quarter of them have come in recent months, with the storyline being that Trick wanted to step out and do things on his own. With 26 total televised matches, only 16 of them were of the non-tag variety. He’s still a baby in the business.
The aforementioned charisma and the mic skills were always there for Trick Willy. He simply needed the in-ring reps to get that part of the overall package up to par, and now, those reps are showing in how improved he looks during his matches. There aren’t the tag matches with Melo anymore, where he could hide, for lack of a better term, behind the better performer. Now, he’s all on his own, and he looks great. The NXT crowds are falling in love with him, and more than just about any performer in the business right now, he seems to feed off of those crowd reactions. They motivate him, and he performs better, which makes them more excited, and that makes him perform even better. It’s a great circle to witness.
Now, even with Carmelo Hayes becoming one of the more successful wrestlers in NXT history, Trick has grown to become someone who looks primed to become the NXT Champion sooner than later. It was an organic rise to stardom, and he deserves everything that comes his way.
Rhea Ripley: Everyone reading this as a “type” when it comes to what they’re attracted to. Maybe you like your significant other to be a particular height, or have a certain level of musculature. Perhaps you think a certain race or ethnic background creates the most attractive people. Whatever it is, that’s the “type” that you have.
Rhea Ripley is not who I would usually consider my “type.” I know a bunch of people who love taller women, and a bunch more people who love the “goth” look, or whatever it is you want to call how Rhea dresses and wears her makeup. That has never really been my thing. I don’t hate it. It’s just not for me.
With that said… holy shit, there’s just something magical about Rhea. When she’s on your screen, she makes you pay attention to her. WWE knows what they have with her, too, as they’re one step away from having her bat her eyes and smile at men to put them in a trance.
As an added bonus, she is more than just an attractive woman. She is one of the better women on the roster when it comes to her in-ring work, and has looked like a completely dominant champion for months.
Before anyone mentions it, you know I don’t usually write about how attractive or unattractive the women of wrestling are. That’s not my thing, so if I DO mention the way a woman looks, it’s for good reason. Rhea Ripley is a very good reason.
Orange Cassidy: If you’ve been reading my work for a while, you know that I’ve been hard on the booking of the AEW All-Atlantic/International Title. Like a lot of things in AEW, there were just random matches with no stories, no explanations, and nothing to really sink our teeth into as fans.
That’s a knock on Tony Khan, though, and not on Orange Cassidy. OC simply went out and did what he was asked to do, and that was deliver great matches on a weekly basis against all comers. He became one of the most consistently impressive performers in the entire business.
When he finally dropped the title, would I have preferred that he be elevated on the card? Of course. Again, though, that’s a knock on Tony Khan, not Orange Cassidy. We’re back to the same thing in his second title reign, as he continues to have entertaining matches whenever he steps in the ring. It has been a lot of fun to sit back and watch.
John Cena: A lot of you have been reading my columns since I first started doing this back in late-2007. First of all, I appreciate the hell out of you for riding with me all this time. For the context of this column, though, you fine folks will remember that I was one of the biggest advocates for Cena back then. That was the time when people were all aboard the “Cena can’t wrestle” and “five moves of doom” bandwagons, but there I was, defending him regularly, both in columns and on the message board of this very site.
My fandom has never wavered. When I returned to this site a couple years back, I made the case that he was WWE’s all-time greatest performer, based on longevity at the top, money made, championships won, great matches participated in, and so on. I stand by that opinion, even now.
Now that the actor’s strike is over, it appears Cena’s most recent in-ring run has come to an end. He’s a few months away from his 47th birthday, and he has been spending more and more time in Hollywood, staying busy with television and movie projects. We very well could have seen the final match of his career at Crown Jewel, where he was on the receiving end of 2,144 Samoan Spikes from Solo Sikoa.
If this is it… and, frankly, even if it isn’t… I remain eternally thankful to John Cena for the two decades of entertainment that he has provided me.
MJF: There was a time, not all that long ago, when MJF was viewed as something of a one-dimensional performer. He was, arguably, the best “talker” in the business, but many fans felt that he wasn’t able to have his matches reach the same level as his promos did.
You don’t see that opinion too often anymore.
He got himself into the best physical condition of his career, and then he seemed to make it a personal mission of his to shut his critics up. He was wrestling in more matches, in longer matches, and in better matches. You would see him using moves that you never saw him use before, or at least not in a long time. Now, he is one of the better, and most consistent, wrestlers in all of wrestling, let alone in AEW.
Even with all that, I still don’t think he’s getting the proper amount of credit right now. Perhaps it’s from people who don’t really watch AEW right now, and who still view him as more character than wrestler, but whatever it is, it’s not fair to him. He deserves his flowers for what he has accomplished.
Vince McMahon’s Fingerprints Being Removed: Not literally, of course, although I wouldn’t complain if we found out it was literally happening to him via a hot stove or something along those lines.
Not only has he seemingly been removed from any sort of creative role with WWE, but now, it seems like he’s being pushed away from having any sort of power whatsoever. Of course, no matter what happens, I believe Vince will have some sort of power until the day he dies, and even then, he would probably find a way to annoy us. For the time being, at least I can take solace in knowing that I’m at least able to personally enjoy the overall WWE product more now than I did when he was involved in every minuscule aspect of things.
Free Agent Mystery: We are currently a little over a month away from MJF’s contract with AEW coming to an end. There are so many rumors and bits of speculation floating around, but nobody really knows what’s going to happen with his future. Hell, there’s a good possibility that Max himself doesn’t know what’s going to happen with his future. As a fan of both AEW and WWE, this is yet another exciting time for me. Will MJF be the latest big name talent to leave AEW? Could he end up sticking around and attempting to take AEW to the next level? It’s exciting to think about the crowd pop he would get if he revealed that he’s staying “home” and not leaving. However, it’s also exciting to think about the crowd pop he would get as, say, a surprise entrant in the 2024 Royal Rumble.
Then, there’s the case of one Will Ospreay. Conventional wisdom would’ve said that AEW ws the favorite to sign him to a deal all along, as he seems to be a much better “fit” for what it is they do there. Not that long ago, WWE wouldn’t even be in the equation, even if they threw a ton of money at Ospreay’s doorstep. Some people were underestimating how much it means to not have Vince McMahon around anymore, though. In a Vince-led WWE, it’s easy to see Ospreay not doing much of anything. Sure, he’d probably be a star in NXT, where Vince isn’t hands-on, but if he ever got called up to Raw or Smackdown, he’d be lucky to find himself in contention for a midcard title, and that’s it. Of course, the mystery was solved here pretty quickly, with Ospreay announced as AEW’s newest signing at Full Gear, but it was still fun to speculate for a few months.
Drew McIntyre is another huge name that could cause a shift if he were to head elsewhere. He’s in a great spot, because he’s still a big enough star, and still good enough in the ring, that he knows he can be a major player if he stays in WWE, goes to AEW, goes to TNA, goes to New Japan, or whatever else his heart tells him to do.
Exciting times.
Bryan Danielson: I’m pretty sure I give thanks for Bryan Danielson every year, but it’s a little different this year, now that he has announced his in-ring days are quickly coming to an end. A lot of people already feel this way, myself included, but when all is said and done, I think he’s going to go down as the greatest in-ring performer in the history of pro wrestling.
It has been an honor and a privilege to watch his career grow and expand through the years, and I’m looking forward to his Magical Mystery Dream Match Retirement Tour, where he gets to face a bunch of people he has either never faced before, or at least hasn’t faced in years. Here’s to hoping that the tour ends with a match between Danielson and A BEAR.
You: Yup… I do this every year, but I’m still thankful for all of you. If you’ve clicked a link to read my columns, if you’ve left me a comment, if you’ve shared my posts, if you’ve messaged me about anything… I want you to know that I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart.
Like I said earlier, I’ve been doing this since late-2007, and we got through yet another year together. Keep rocking with me, and we’ll hit 2024 harder than ever.
Your turn, folks. What in the world of wrestling are you thankful for this year? As always, hit me up in the comments section below, or on Twitter (@HustleTheSavage), and let me know what’s on your mind.
Now, it’s time for my Weekly Power Rankings, as per usual, followed by the playlist of what music I was listening to as I crafted this very column.
Weekly Power Rankings
“Hangman” Adam Page vs Swerve Strickland: I’ve seen my fair share of true “deathmatch” wrestling, but I won’t pretend to be an expert on the topic. Japanese stuff, CZW, GCW, XPW, and things of that nature. Of course, I’ve also seen a lot of bloody, violent battles through the years from WWE, WCW, ECW, AEW, TNA, and promotions like that. When it comes to “mainstream” wrestling, though, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more violent, gruesome, bloody, bordering-on-too-much match than this. A lot of people are going to hate this match, and I get why, but as I said in my Full Gear review column… for what it was, this was about as picture perfect a match as it gets. On top of the brutality, there was actually a story being told, which is somewhat rare for these things. Swerve wanted to bring something out of Hangman, and he may have crossed a line in an attempt to do so, so Hangman was looking to get revenge, and the lengths he decided to go for that revenge pissed Swerve off, who decided to fire back with his own rage and hostility. Simple, yet very effective.
Ricky Starks & Big Bill vs Rush & Dralistico vs FTR vs Malakai Black & Brody King: The wild, bell-to-bell spotfest that you expect out of these matches. What made this especially fun is that the competitors feature different strengths and wrestling styles, which meant different types of “spots” to enjoy, and not just being beaten over the head with the same thing again and again.
MJF vs “Switchblade” Jay White: If you can separate the match itself from the insultingly stupid story surrounding it that was being told all night long, you can appreciate what MJF and Switchblade were able to deliver. It was overbooked to a crazy degree, yes, but both men worked their asses off to pull this out of the depths that they were starting in.
Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho vs The Young Bucks: It was a really good match, as evidenced by its spot in my rankings, but it was hurt a lot by having to follow Hangman vs Swerve. The live crowd was exhausted. I was exhausted. On a bunch of other nights, this could’ve been in contention for Match Of The Night.
Will Ospreay: Everyone knew Ospreay would be AEW’s newest signing, and sure enough, he was. I wouldn’t have complained if he signed with WWE, simply based on some of the matches he could’ve had there, but this was expected, and it’s a big move for both Ospreay and for AEW.
Santos Escobar: He is already putting in some really good work in this heel run, starting with the turn itself, and now, with his promo where he basically became Chance The Rapper from Action Bronson’s song, “Baby Blue.” If you know, you know.
Drew McIntyre: We’ve known that his heel turn was coming for a while, and it finally happened. This is a chance for Drew to have more to work with, as it seems like he’s been jogging in place for a long time as a face. Is this enough to keep him in WWE? Was this done to keep him in WWE? Time will tell, but so far, so good when it comes to how well it has worked out for him.
Finn Balor & Damian Priest vs Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso: In the grand scheme of things, the match itself probably won’t be remembered for anything more than when the aforementioned Drew McIntyre heel turn took place. For now, I’ll just appreciate how good the match was.
Orange Cassidy vs Jon Moxley: It told the necessary story for both men, with Mox determined to muscle his way back to being a champion, and with OC being resilient and fighting back against everything thrown at him. OC really needed a win here, and he got it. Is he going to have another crazy title reign now?
Otis vs Shinsuke Nakamura: A pretty wild matchup, but it ended up being a lot of fun. Otis is doing so much good work recently, and Nakamura seems more motivated than he has in a long time.
Further World Domination: It was already a rumor, but we’ve received the official word that WWE will be heading to France in 2024 for a pay-per-view. Backlash, the memorable event held in Puerto Rico this year, heads to Lyon on May 4th, 2024, which is a month after WrestleMania 40. It’s so cool to see major events from both WWE and AEW taking place in places that have either never had big shows like this, or at least haven’t had them in a long time.
Wes Lee vs Baron Corbin: Corbin is having a really good run in NXT right now. This seems like the most he’s been motivated in forever, and it shows, both in his matches and in his promos. Wes Lee, of course, is a future NXT main event talent capable of something entertaining, no matter who he’s facing.
“Hangman” Adam Page: He went scorched earth on Swerve Strickland in a promo during the build to Full Gear. It was exactly the type of promo you’re supposed to cut on someone after they’ve broken into your home and teased coming in contact with his toddler son. Well, in wrestling, anyway. Obviously, if someone did that to you in real life, you’d do a lot more than cut a promo on them, but you get my point.
Hikaru Shida vs “Timeless” Toni Storm: I dig the physicality here. Both women really went after each other with some stiff strikes, and that was appreciated by this particular viewer. Toni is the hot act right now, so the title change makes a lot of sense. It’s not a knock on Shida at all, but when you’ve got the hot hand, you go with it.
Dragon Lee vs Axiom: It would be nice if we got more out of Dragon Lee than just putting him in random ten-minute matches with cruiserweights on Smackdown, but I guess I’ll just have to settle for seeing some fun matches. For now, at least.
Wheeler Yuta vs Buddy Matthews: Hey, AEW… do more with Buddy Matthews. Give him more to do. Place him in the ring with new opponents. Push him. Something. Anything. He deserves it.
Dax Harwood vs Rush: I’m pretty convinced that Dax Harwood could have a good match against me at this point. I wouldn’t know what the fuck I was doing in the ring, but he could help carry me to something worth checking out.
Roderick Strong: He narrowly avoided disaster after a bad landing in his match against Action Andretti. It was something that could’ve easily broken his neck, or even worse, but by all accounts, he’s fine. I don’t know how, but that’s the word we’ve heard from people in AEW. He earned a spot here simply by avoiding what could’ve been tragic.
Penta El Zero Miedo & Komander vs The Young Bucks: I say this as a fan of the Bucks, but they’re really easy to dislike as characters on-screen. It makes sense to see them turning to the dark side again, as it should be a better fit for them.
Trick Williams vs Joe Coffey: The rise of Trick Williams continues on. I’m really blown away at how quickly things are improving for him, and with how completely natural the entire process has been. It doesn’t seem forced at all. Crowds are really getting behind him, and it sure looks like he’s got NXT Champion written all over him.
Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Kota Ibushi & Paul Wight vs Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Powerhouse Hobbs & Brian Cage: I really wish a lot of the corny stuff could’ve been removed, or at least toned down, as I feel it hurt the match a bit. Not a lot, since it’s still on this list, but the match definitely could’ve been better if it didn’t have all that campy stuff.
Butch & Ridge Holland vs Pretty Deadly vs The Street Profits: It is absolutely, positively time for the Profits to be back in the Tag Team Title picture. Business has just picked up.
Julia Hart: The match itself just barely missed the cut here, but congratulations to the brand new AEW TBS Champion. She has really improved, both in the ring and as a character, over the last several months, and she’s seeing the rewards for that now.
The Miz vs Ivar: Not that long ago, I don’t think people would’ve believed you if you said Miz was going to have another face run that was well received by live crowds. Right now, he’s having another face run that is well received by live crowds. Not that long ago, I don’t think people would’ve believed you if you said Ivar would have a singles run that has fans calling for him to get a push. Right now, he’s having a singles run that has fans calling for him to get a push. Wrestling can be a wild ride sometimes.
Tony D’Angelo & Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo: I don’t think they should’ve become the NXT Tag Team Champions for the second time, and I don’t like the way it happened, but that’s just it… it happened. There’s nothing I can do about it. Congratulations to the new champions.
This Week’s Playlist: “G6” by 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne… “Long Story Short” by 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne… “Covered In Ice” by Paul Wall & That Mexican OT… “Mmhmm” by BigXthaPlug… “Paper Tigers” by Nonpoint… “Golden Gloves” by Nonpoint… “A Million Watts” by Nonpoint… “Not Another Lovesong (REQUIEM)” by Hell Boulevard… “Chambea” by Bad Bunny… “Livin’ On The Edge” by Aerosmith… “Cryin” by Aerosmith… “Crazy” by Aerosmith… “Girl All The Bad Guys Want” by Bowling For Soup… “Murder One” by Bone Thugs N Harmony… “Bone, Bone, Bone” by Bone Thugs N Harmony… “Pump, Pump” by Bone Thugs N Harmony… “Shoot Em Up” by Bone Thugs N Harmony… “Hold Ya Head” by Notorious BIG & Bob Marley… “Rebel Music” by Bob Marley & Krayzie Bone… “Turn Your Lights Down Low” by Bob Marley & Lauryn Hill