This past week was an absolute whirlwind in the world of professional wrestling. Some ups namely being the biggest event and largest gate in AEW company history, All In, took place over this last weekend at Wembley Stadium in London, more on that in a bit. This week also has experienced some downs with the news of the death of wrestling legend and innovator of hardcore, Terry Funk, and the shocking and untimely death of a long-time personal favorite of mine, Bray Wyatt. I don’t know what to say man, it’s been days, and it still doesn’t feel real or right that the creative mastermind that was Bray Wyatt has been taken away from us forever. It’s hard to believe in the last updatez post I made I was talking about how I could hardly contain my excitement for Wyatt’s eventual and imminent return and in the very next update I’m commemorating his life and career, but I guess that is just life man. So unpredictable and so sudden.
I am forever grateful that we got to experience what we did of Bray Wyatt and that I was a fan watching live throughout his in-ring career. The man was a never emptying glass of creativity, it oozed from him effortlessly and the way he could captivate an audience was a sight to behold. His vignettes, his promos, the moment his entrance music hit, his weird and almost creepy in ring style, all of it. The man was a genius who truly got the business and the fans, and he loved what he did, and that was tell a bomb ass story, always. Part of me still expects and gets excited for that imminent return but deep down I know, it just hasn’t truly set in that he is gone forever, RIP to one of my forever faves, Windham Rotunda. Now, I didn’t live through or witness first-hand the career of Terry Funk like Bray, but if you’re a wrestling fan you’ve unavoidably heard about his influence on the current crop of wrestlers and the ones even before them, and his overall influence on the company and what it is today. The man wrestled all over the world through multiple decades, he rubbed shoulders with countless talent, beat his body up far more than one human body should be able to take (especially for as long as he did), and left behind an extensive legacy that won’t soon be repeated or forgotten in the world of wrestling. He is TRULY a legend that will be referenced for decades to come, RIP Terry Funk.
Now onto something more positive, AEW All In. I didn’t get to personally purchase it or watch it live so I cannot get too in depth on the actual action that took place during the show but I did see the results and read up on the event overall and it sounded like a success, despite backstage drama that seems to be an almost constant for some people involved in that company, so kudos to them for delivering. My boy Hook was reportedly wearing Clockwork Orange gear in London so that’s a big kudos to him, my girl Mercedes Mone FKA Sasha Banks was in attendance and got plenty of camera attention through the night, the Best Friends beat Blackpool Combat Club in what seemed like a wild Stadium Stampede match, Darby Allin and Sting won a coffin match over Swerve and Christian in a match that will likely live on in wrestling lore for the sheer fact that Sting is in his 60s still doing the damn thing, Will Ospreay and Chris Jericho put on a wrestling clinic with one another, the Acclaimed picked up Trios championship gold over House of Black, and MJF retained his belt after a hard fought contest with his good buddy Adam Cole. But the biggest match and moment for me personally was my girl and one of my all-time favorite women’s wrestlers, Saraya FKA Paige, picking up the AEW Women’s championship against Shida, Storm, and Baker in front of her hometown and her family just 5 years after announcing her unplanned and untimely retirement from the wrestling business. Such a full circle chef’s kiss moment and I couldn’t be happier or prouder of that girl, especially with the amount of BS she’s had to endure throughout the years of her career, both in and out of the ring.
Now onto another one of my girls, the captivating and controversial Ronda Rousey. Ronda seems to have hung up the boots and gloves for at least the imminent future and she’s back home enjoying her husband and baby daughter. Ronda was a figure who seemed to divide the wrestling audience, to me it felt like the crowd kind of started to turn their back on her the longer she was in the business (gee, imagine that) and I don’t think she really understood why at first and it kind of hurt her. I remember being there live at Survivor Series 2018 in front of her home crowd and hearing the rain of boo’s she received from the audience that night, that felt like the turning point in her career from beloved babyface to the “John Cena treatment”. I also remember cheering her even louder until my voice went and my throat hurt, due to the reception she received. That seemed to carry with me throughout the rest of her WWE run, the more hate she received the louder I became about my fandom. I’ve always done that with my wrestlers though, once you become one of the men or women I truly am a fan of and support, I will ride with you through the thick and thin, for better or worse. Wrestling fans are some of the most fickle, hard to please fans in the universe and it gets truly frustrating or upsetting at times but that’s just what happens when you grow an interest and investment into something, the other fans of that thing tend to piss you off at times. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions though, I can admit and agree that Ronda maybe wasn’t as invested her 2nd run with the company as she was her first and it wasn’t as fun or enjoyable. But she also had a new baby at home and a lot more on her plate that she was contending with, not making excuses, just stating facts. Regardless, she still helped elevate the current women’s division and brought attention to it from people who normally wouldn’t care, she brought her own sort of style and tactics into her in ring work that you do not see from anyone else in the business especially the women, and is undoubtably a first ballot hall of famer. So, with all that said cheers to Ronda and her pro wrestling career, it was truly a great time and I for one will miss you dearly. Enjoy your baby and your “retired life” for a while.
