Thanksgiving is right around the corner once again, and when it comes to me and my columns, that means one thing and one thing only…
It’s time to write about what I’m currently thankful for in the world of professional wrestling. It might be a storyline going on at the moment, a match I recently watched, the work of a particular wrestler, and so on, but it always has to do with this wonderful sport and it makes me glad to be a fan of it all.
Even if it’s just for a brief period of time, this is where I like to leave any negativity and cynicism at the door.
Let’s have some fun and give thanks.
John Cena: The earliest fossil evidence of human beings indicate that the species is approximately 300,000 years. 300,000 years, and I just so happen to be blessed enough to be alive for the entire career of John Cena. Life is good.
I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating again… John is every single bit of the GOAT that WWE has been making him out to be. When it comes to almost every measurable criteria that there is, John is either the statistical best in the history of the company, or he’s right there in the mix for the top spot. It has been an honor and a privilege to witness his rise from Ohio Valley Wrestling to becoming one of the biggest celebrities of any type on the planet.
With his career quickly reaching its final day, I often find myself giving thanks for the matches, promos, and overall moments that John has given me… given us… through the years. I’m not emotionally ready to see him go, but as the famed philosopher James Alan Hetfield once said, the memory remains.
I’ll save more of my thoughts for my official column on his career and retirement, coming soon.
WWE & AEW Doing World Takeovers: I’ve been very clear about this in the past… pro wrestling crowds in the United States have their occasional moments, but almost across the board, they are bested by crowds from outside of the country. Recently, they have been bested by crowds from outside of the entire continent of North America.
Whether it’s England, Belgium, Scotland, France, Western Australia, and on and on, the fans around the world continue to prove that they’re passionate, knowledgeable, energetic, and always ready to yell, sing, chant, dance, and do whatever it takes to take a wrestling event to the next level.
Outside of a few cities (New York City, Chicago, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal, etc.), I don’t even like seeing North America hosting WWE and AEW shows these days. Obviously, I’m well aware that the most shows will be taking place in North America, especially for AEW, but I’m still holding out hope to see more of the world takeover. There are still tons of places around the globe that would make for excellent hosts, whether it’s for a pay-per-view, an episode or two of television, or both.
Bandido: If you’ve read my work over the last few years, you already know that Will Ospreay is who I feel has been the best pro wrestler on the planet during that time period. It seems like it is physically impossible for him to have a bad match of any sort.
With Ospreay currently on the shelf after having neck surgery, I think the “title” of best wrestler in the game right now goes to Bandido. The reigning and defending RoH World Champion and one-half (with Brody King) of the reigning and defending AEW Tag Team Champions, Bandido has always been great, but the roll he has been on is insane to witness. Singles main events in RoH, tag matches up and down the card in AEW, working everything and everywhere in CMLL… all he does is deliver consistently high quality performances, participating in a handful of matches that are on Match Of The Year lists all over the place.
I appreciate wrestling, but I appreciate great wrestling even more. Bandido provides that whenever he steps foot inside of a ring, and I am thankful for him because of it.
Stephanie Vaquer: It still blows my mind that she wrestled at AEW’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view last June. After signing with WWE soon after Forbidden Door, she has made a meteoric rise to the top, becoming one of the most popular acts in the business. While it wasn’t a true “rookie” year, she had an amazing first year-plus with the company. An NXT Women’s North American Title reign, an NXT Women’s Title reign, winning the Battle Royal at Evolution, winning the Crown Jewel Championship, and she currently holds the Women’s World Title. She has worked herself up to a level that people are already discussing a match between her and Rhea Ripley being a WrestleMania main event next year. I could see that happening.
I’ve said this about Stephanie before, but there’s a hypnotic quality about her that draws your attention to her and doesn’t let it go. It isn’t just as simple as “she’s hot,” either. There are a lot of extremely beautiful women in the world of wrestling. Stephanie is certainly one of them, but it’s the way she carries herself… the way she walks, the facial expressions she uses, the way she wrestles, how she looks at the camera, and so on… that has me mesmerized.
It would be one thing if she was an ugly woman who was a great wrestler. It would be one thing if she was a beautiful woman who couldn’t wrestle to save her life. The fact that she looks the way she does and wrestles the way she does…
How can I not be thankful for that?
Tatum Paxley: She has had some weird luck during her run in NXT. Her partnership, and then feud, with Lyra Valkyria was cut short when Lyra was sent to Raw in the 2024 WWE Draft. Not too long after that, she formed a group with Gigi Dolin and Shotzi, but then that was cut short when Gigi was released from her contract and when Shotzi’s contract expired.
Her character remained popular with NXT crowds, even when she was a heel. As a face, she became involved with Shawn Spears’ heel stable, The Culling, and it seemed like a weird creative decision. Then it led to the biggest moment of her still brief career, as she won the NXT Women’s Title. Of course, the title reign lasted a grand total of 24 days before The Culling turned their backs on her and cost her the title, adding even more sympathy to her character.
She has become very easy to root for, and I’m glad that she has been able to overcome a lot of that weird luck to reach the heights she’s currently at.
JBL: Like many of you, I am included on the lengthy list of people to be blocked by JBL on Twitter. I don’t remember the exact reason why I was blocked, but I do know that it was one of those situations where I didn’t make a tweet, but because I was tagged in something, he just went ahead and blocked everyone involved. It’s fine. I’ve never been somebody who gets upset over being blocked, no matter what the reasoning is behind the block.
Also like many of you, I have heard the numerous stories through the years about John Layfield as a person. I’ve heard stories that have him labeled as a bully and as an overall asshole of a human being. I’ve never met the man, and I don’t think I know anyone who has, so I can’t “verify” any of the stories.
When JBL was revealed as the guest host for the “Something To Wrestle” podcast, taking over for Bruce Prichard, who had a ton on his plate with his work and medical issues, I wasn’t sure what to expect. JBL has always had charisma, and has been a good “talker” in his career, but cutting a promo on Smackdown is one thing, while being on a two-hour podcast is something different entirely. I went into it blindly, as I hadn’t listened to any of JBL’s “Stories With Brisco and Bradshaw” podcast series that he does with Gerald Brisco.
JBL has now been on Something To Wrestle for over a year now, and in that time, he has me completely hooked as a listener and as a fan. He is charismatic, engaging, a fantastic storyteller, hilarious, and has proven to be incredibly knowledgeable about pro wrestling and its long history as a sport. There was instant chemistry with co-host Conrad Thompson, and that only made things even more enjoyable.
I’m someone who found Bruce Prichard’s work on Something To Wrestle pretty hit-or-miss. He has a ton of good stories, as well, but he often comes across as smug and unlikeable, and he is pretty infamous for his inability to say anything remotely negative about Vince McMahon or any idea that Vince ever had. Needless to say, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the year that he has been gone, and I wouldn’t complain in the slightest if JBL became the permanent co-host.
I’ve even gone back and checked out a few of the Stories With Brisco and Bradshaw episodes, and found myself enjoying them, too. I have to give the man his flowers for all the hours of entertainment he has provided me over the past 12 months.
RJ City: On a similar note, I have to give thanks for the host of the Hey! (EW) YouTube series. Every week, I look forward to when the AEW YouTube channel posts the newest episode of the series, and every week, no matter who the guest is, I find myself being entertained from beginning to end.
RJ’s comedic timing is superb, making him able to “break” every guest, even if they’re trying their absolute hardest to stay in character. Even when his guests are people who don’t speak English very well, or even who don’t speak at all, his sense of humor and creativity allow him to carry the interviews in ways that most other hosts would fail at.
With the size of the AEW roster, plus the employees and peripheral names, there will never be a shortage of guests for RJ to interview, and that’s great news for people like me who continue tuning in.
WWE Supercard: Whatever the number of active Supercard players is, as the game just started its 12th season, count me in as one of them. I’ve been playing the game since the day it was released, all the way back on August 14th, 2014. I still play the game all the time, and it has become an almost peaceful, therapeutic thing for me.
That’s me with any sort of video game, really. I don’t play super difficult games that are inevitably going to frustrate me and fill me with rage. I’m playing games to calm down, relax, and take my mind away from the nonsense that is always going on in the world. Even when you need to “grind” and play Supercard for more than a couple minutes at a time, it’s still something that isn’t asking for a ton of effort unless you’re someone that needs to be the best at everything you do.
Over the last few years, the game has caught my daughter’s attention. She still doesn’t know much about wrestling, but if she sees me playing Supercard, she might watch over my arm for a bit. The graphics and the animations are fun for her, and I enjoy getting to teach her about who this wrestler is and what that wrestler is all about. That means a lot to me as a father, and also as a pro wrestling fan.
Adam Copeland: I’ve mentioned being thankful for this in the past, but I really enjoy that the Artist-Formerly-Known-As Edge is still around and wrestling, even if it isn’t on a full-time basis.
His initial retirement in 2011 was so very sad, not only for me, but for so many pro wrestling fans. His story had been told a million times… growing up as a massive fan of the sport, and finding his way to the top of the business… and to see him forced out of wrestling due to a neck injury didn’t seem fair.
His return at the 2020 Royal Rumble remains one of my favorite wrestling returns ever, and also as one of my favorite Royal Rumble moments ever. For as long as I live, I will never forget the look on his face as he stepped through the fog in Houston that night, soaking in the crowd reaction. It was beautiful, and we were all emotional right along with him.
If it would’ve been a one-time thing, I honestly would’ve been satisfied, just to see him lace up his boots one more time. Here we are, though, nearly six years later, and he’s still going. He still wrestles a decent amount, working around his television and movie filming schedule, and for someone who still vividly remembers his retirement speech back in 2011, that makes me very happy. I hate seeing any athlete not being able to walk away when they want to, so to see him potentially have a second chance to do just that is a satisfying feeling.
You: I do this column every year, and every year, I close it out with the same thing. I’ve been doing this column writing thing for a long time… we’re coming up on 19 years since my first one… but there wouldn’t be any of it without you.
Thank you to everyone who is on this ride with me, no matter where you began. I’ve had people who have been readers of mine from the very beginning, and others that are just discovering my work today. Thank you to anyone who has clicked a link to read my thoughts on things, to anyone who has left any sort of feedback on what I say, anyone who has requested particular topics, sent me messages, liked any of my posts, and so on. Your support is amazing, and you will never truly understand just how much it means to me.
Here’s to another year of talking about this wild, wacky sport we all love so much.
What are YOU thankful for this year? Is there a particular wrestler, storyline, or other wrestling-related thing that you’re happy to be around for these days? As always, feel free to hit me up in the comments section below, on Twitter (@HustleTheSavage), or on Bluesky (@aaronhyden.bsky.social), and let me know what’s on your mind.
Now, let’s switch it over to my Weekly Power Rankings before closing things out with the list of songs I was listening to as I put this column together.
Weekly Power Rankings
Brodido vs FTR: An incredible tag match that built and built as it went on, featuring multiple different styles of in-ring work coming together and forming a nice stew. I’m sad to see the title reign of Brodido come to an end, but the door is still open for them to continue this current story. The door is also open for both Brody King and Bandido to get big singles pushes coming out of this, and that also excites me.
Je’Von Evans vs Gunther: A report recently came out that several people backstage in WWE are very high on Je’Von Evans and what he brings to the table. That same report also said that Je’Von has earned himself a big fan in none other than John Cena. It’s pretty clear that the company sees something in his future, simply based on how he gets used on the main roster. This match was another instance of that. I’m not sure why, but some people were predicting this match would be a bit of a squash, allowing for the returning Gunther to look like a monster. Instead, Je’Von looked really good, and felt like he belonged in a spot like that. The sky is the limit for him.
Kris Statlander vs Mercedes Moné: These two have a lot of in-ring chemistry together. I enjoyed the script getting flipped in this one, with the much larger and stronger woman being hampered by an injury and having to fight from underneath, as the saying goes, while the much smaller woman tried to bully her way to a victory. It was well done, and everything was put together just right.
Ilja Dragunov vs JD McDonagh: Oh, hey, it’s another great match in the United States Title Open Challenge series. I love this stuff, and I hope it goes on for a really long time.
Samoa Joe: Congratulations to the brand new AEW World Champion, becoming the fourth man (after Jon Moxley, CM Punk, and “Hangman” Adam Page) to win the title on more than one occasion. Sure, the match in which Joe became a two-time champion wasn’t very good, and that’s really unfortunate, but he’s the champion nonetheless. Now, he has to worry about a pissed off Hangman and the return of the man who ended his first World Title reign last year. More on that later.
Kenny Omega & Jurassic Express vs The Young Bucks & Josh Alexander: While he definitely isn’t on the same level as some of his peers like Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi, it seems pretty clear that all the mileage on Kenny Omega’s tires is starting to take its toll. He has dealt with a ton over the last few years (some of which having nothing to do with the in-ring grind), and I do like that he hasn’t been wrestling as much recently, allowing his body to recharge more between matches. I just don’t like that Father Time is undefeated. It’s a sad reality. Kenny is clearly capable of so much, and he appears on my Power Rankings whenever he does wrestle, but yes… a sad reality.
Kyle Fletcher vs Mark Briscoe: Did this violent bloodfest need to take place immediately after the violent bloodfest that was Kyle O’Reilly vs Jon Moxley? Not at all. It did, though. What set this match apart from KOR vs Mox for me was that this one featured more actual wrestling, instead of just going from one hardcore spot to the next. KOR and Mox did what they did well, but Fletcher and Briscoe also did it well, and then added more that they also succeeded at.
Darby Allin vs Pac: I like the story told here, with Darby trying to work more of a technical style, looking to save his body after the grueling Blood & Guts match that he had ten days prior, while Pac was the sadistic prick that he always is, trying to find new ways to injure Darby further. Fun way to start Full Gear off (officially, anyway).
Tatum Paxley vs Jacy Jayne: We knew Izzi Dame and The Culling were going to betray Tatum Paxley, but we probably expected it to happen further down the road. I’m not a fan of it happening so soon, causing Tatum’s NXT Women’s Title reign to last just a shade over three weeks long, but I enjoyed the match here at least. That counts for something.
Shelton Benjamin vs “Speedball” Mike Bailey: As much as I enjoy the tag work that Shelton and Bobby Lashley have done in AEW, I think I’m ready for a Shelton singles push. Initially, I was like many others, thinking that perhaps AEW would bring Cedric Alexander or someone like Lio Rush in to pair with Shelton while Lashley handled the singles work, but with the group laid out the way it is, I think there’s time and space available for both Bobby and Shelton to be singles stars. Shelton turned 50 (!!!) this year, and he still looks and wrestles like a million bucks. He deserves it.
Kyle O’Reilly vs Jon Moxley: As I said earlier, KOR and Mox did a bunch of violent, gory things, and they did them well. Mox continues to prove that he might be clinically insane. Fatherhood hasn’t slowed him down one bit.
Swerve Strickland: After being on the shelf for the last three months following surgery to repair a nagging knee injury that he had been dealing with for years, the former AEW World Champion is back, and he has his sights set on Samoa Joe, who he defeated for the World Title last year. As the great philosopher James William Ross said, business has just picked up.
Becky Lynch vs Maxxine Dupri: Maxxine gets credit for her clear improvements in the ring. Becky gets credit for her selflessness, not afraid to make anyone she works with look great. They’ve had some fun matches against each other, and now, Maxxine becomes one of the more unlikely female singles champions in company history. I don’t mind that the match finish came because of an outside distraction by AJ Lee, as that helps to advance the story heading to War Games. We’e already seen fun backstage reactions to Maxxine’s title win by Akira Tozawa, Otis, and CM Punk. That shows how much the roster is rooting for her.
Blake Monroe vs Sol Ruca: We’re building and building to the inevitable split between Sol and Zaria, and this was the next layer in that story. It was a fun and logical storyline advancement. Blake Monroe, to her credit, is doing really good things recently, becoming one of the better overall characters under the WWE umbrella.
Carmelo Hayes vs Bronson Reed: We’ve seen the rumor and innuendo about who is supposed to be the winner of the tournament to name John Cena’s final opponent. Carmelo Hayes is not the name mentioned in those reports. Should he be, though? He is on fire in the ring, and his character has been picking up steam with live crowds since turning face. Would he have a really good match with Cena? I fail to see any reason why he wouldn’t. Of everyone remaining in the tournament, though, there is nobody that has more to gain by being Cena’s final opponent, and perhaps the person who defeats Cena in his final match, than Melo. There’s the possibility for a true blue star making performance here. I’m not saying… I’m just saying.
John Cena, Rey Mysterio & Sheamus vs Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor & JD McDonagh: I’ve seen a lot of complaints that this match wasn’t “big” enough for John Cena’s final ever match on Monday Night Raw. Was it a match that could headline WrestleMania? No. Why did it need to be, though? One, it was a crowd pleaser. Madison Square Garden loved seeing Cena team up with Rey (teaming on television for the first time in over 14 years) and Sheamus (teaming for the first time in over 11 years) to face off against the Judgment Day squad. Two, it was a “safe” spot, allowing Cena to get a match in where he didn’t need to be balls to the wall for 20 minutes, running the risk of potentially injuring himself and completely ruining his retirement tour. Finally, don’t you think Cena had a say in this? If he wanted to work with Rey and Sheamus here, why in the world wouldn’t you let it happen if you’re WWE? This was fun, and we keep it moving to Survivor Series, where Cena will face Dominik Mysterio, closing the chapter on his pay-per-view career.
Orange Cassidy & Roderick Strong vs Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli: A fun preview, of sorts, for Full Gear. Not every match needs to be a game changer, nor do they all need to have something major attached to them. Sometimes, you just get talented veterans going out there and having really good matches. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Dion Lennox & Osiris Griffin vs Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater: Putting Je’Von and Leon together has been so much fun to witness, even if they aren’t going to be a long-term duo. The future is so insanely bright for both of them, and the same can be said about DarkState, for that matter. Everyone in the group is coming along nicely, and they’re working very well together.
“All Ego” Ethan Page & Chelsea Green vs Joe Hendry & Thea Hail: I wish NXT would do more with Thea Hail. She doesn’t get the proverbial ball very often, but when it does get handed to her, she has proven she can do a lot with it. This was a good spot for her, but I’d still like to see her get more, and bigger, opportunities.
Dolph Ziggler: Another “surprise” return in the Last Time Is Now tournament. Dolph didn’t win his match, nor did he get a ton of time to work with, but do you know what he did get? The chance to deliver the gnarliest looking and sounding Irish Whip spot I’ve ever seen in all my years of watching professional wrestling. Seriously, the fact that he wasn’t seriously injured in that violent collision is damn near a minor miracle. Dolph continues to be one of the most selfless workers ever. There was no reason to do that, but he did, helping to put Solo Sikoa over.
Penta vs Finn Balor: It isn’t getting a ton of publicity, but this was another good match in the Last Time Is Now tournament, with both men working extra hard to earn the right to be John Cena’s final opponent. I don’t know how many times I’ve said it in the past, but it’s amazing what can happen when you dangle a bit of a carrot in front of wrestlers and give them something to work for. It doesn’t need to happen every single time, but do it and watch what happens.
Ricochet: He is now the 294th person on the AEW roster to currently own a title of some sort, so that’s pretty cool, I suppose.
This Week’s Playlist: “Specter” by Bad Omens… “Dying To Love” by Bad Omens… “Sunny Storms” by De La Soul… “Good Health” by De La Soul… “Will Be” by De La Soul & Yummy Bingham… “Day In The Sun (Gettin’ Wit U)” by De La Soul, Q-Tip & Yummy Bingham… “Run It Back!!” by De La Soul & Nas… “Yours” by De La Soul, Common & Slick Rick… “Palm Of His Hands” by De La Soul & Bilal… “Fire On The Hillside” by Kameron Marlowe… “Farewell” by As The Structure Fails… “What If” by Darnel Alexander & Jordan Johnston… “Where My Heart Is” by Randy Travis… “It’s Not Over” by Daughtry… “Home” by Daughtry… “Life After You” by Daughtry… “Allison Road” by Gin Blossoms… “Follow You Down” by Gin Blossoms… “Hey Jealousy” by Gin Blossoms… “Found Out About You” by Gin Blossoms… “Til I Hear It From You” by Gin Blossoms… “Sucka Free” by Tyler, The Creator… “squabble up” by Kendrick Lamar… “luther” by Kendrick Lamar & SZA… “tv off” by Kendrick Lamar & Lefty Gunplay
