Other WWE releases – Dana Brooke, Dolph Ziggler, Top Dolla
Backstage issues with Matt Riddle leading to release
AEW news and rumors
Tony Khan denies rumors of buying New Japan Pro Wrestling
Speculation on AEW pay-per-views moving to HBO Max
Eddie Kingston pulled from indie bookings leading to frustration
Preview of upcoming shows
NXT No Mercy card and matches
WrestleDream lineup including Danielson vs Zack Sabre Jr.
Full Gear AEW pay-per-view card and analysis
Streaming/TV deals
WWE Smackdown moving to NBC in 2024
Speculation on what a potential AEW streaming service could look like
Guest host Ronnie Starks returns
Discuss becoming a father soon
Tries questionable “Woo” energy drink
Miscellaneous
Christian Cage’s history of insulting wrestlers’ parents
Mike learning Tony Khan passed on buying Lucha Underground tape library
Missy’s experience as medic at indie show
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**A special shout out to our Manager Level Patreon supporter Bradley Ruthers (@HeelBradley)
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Thanks to Basick Sickness (@basicksickness) for the awesome intro for the show
Our Favorite Matches Of The Pandemic Era
July 2021 is a big month for professional wrestling. WWE and AEW are returning to live touring. Impact Wrestling and Ring Of Honor are welcoming back live fans for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Somehow, professional wrestling survived more than a year of uncertainty, lockdowns and empty arenas.
Every year, we bring together fans, wrestlers and other folks. Our goal is to construct the BEST WrestleMania card that’s currently possible. Everyone under a WWE contract is eligible to use, as are those who are within the orbit of WWE’s influence. If Vince McMahon can do it, we can do it!
Not every WWE wrestler is eligible to use. Under the rules of Mayhem Mania, everyone comes in their current physical, emotional and contractual state. That means anyone out with an injury is NOT eligible to use. (We are ignoring COVID-19 diagnoses because this is supposed to be a fun diversion, not a reminder of the terrible things happening around us.)
Others are not eligible to use for a different reason. Some of them are locked in SPACE JAIL.
* “Cell numbers” correspond with the numbers on our prize wheel
SPACE JAIL is not a life sentence. A lucky spin of our prize wheel can free one of them, and that’s exactly what happened before Round 3. The prize wheel freed Ric Flair.
There’s no “double jeopardy” so anyone who escapes can not be locked up again during Mayhem Mania 2021.
5 players were invited onto the Wrestling Mayhem Show for Round 2 of Mayhem Mania 2021. Each can make ONE of the following changes to our card:
– SWAP one wrestler or team with one in another match on the card or replace them with a wrestler or team not currently on the card – ADD a wrestler or team to an existing match – DELETE a match in its entirety and replace it with a new match using entirely new wrestlers – MATCH SWAP: This year, we have a designated “cinematic match” slot on our card. A player can choose to swap an existing match on the card for the match currently in that “cinematic match” slot.
With all that business out of the way, let’s take a look at the changes made during Round THREE of Mayhem Mania 2021!
Move #1 (by Sorgatron) DELETE Walter vs. Goldberg and CREATE Elias & Drew McIntyre & Jinder Mahal vs. Damien Priest & Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
Move #2 (by Bobbyfjtown) DELETE Bray Wyatt & Alexa Bliss vs. Daniel Bryan & Nikki Cross and CREATE Io Shirai vs. Rey Mysterio
Move #3 (by Alex Kahrs) ADD Roman Reigns to Keith Lee vs. Pete Dunne
Move #4 (by “The Rev” Ron Hunt) SWAP Samoa Joe and Finn Balor
Move #5 (by Dave Podnar) DELETE Xavier Woods & AJ Styles & Kofi Kingston vs. Tyler Breeze & Adam Cole & Cesaro and CREATE Mercedes Martinez vs. Sasha Banks
With Round 3 in the books, we now have SIX new matches on our card.
Elias & Drew McIntyre & Jinder Mahal vs. Damien Priest & Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch (Created by Sorgatron) (*Designated as “cinematic match”)
Io Shirai vs. Rey Mysterio (Created by Bobbyfjtown)
Mercedes Martinez vs. Sasha Banks (Created by Dave Podnar)
Samoa Joe vs. Karrion Kross vs. Aleister Black (Created by “The Rev” Ron Hunt)
Keith Lee vs. Pete Dunne vs. Roman Reigns (Created by Alex Kahrs)
Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Timothy Thatcher vs. Ilja Dragunov (Created by “The Rev” Ron Hunt)
Here are the two matches that survived Round 3 without being changed.
Raquel Gonzalez vs. Beth Phoenix (Created by Tina Keys)
The IIconics vs. Riott Squad (Created by Mad Mike)
If a match survives THREE rounds without being altered in any way, it will GRADUATE to our SUPERCARD. The creator of the match will receive rewards, including creating a new match to fill the open slot on our “undercard”. Our goal is to GRADUATE eight matches to our SUPERCARD by the time Mayhem Mania 2021 comes to an end.
One final note: Following Round 3 Mad Mike used one of the SPACE JAIL tickets he earned in our Royal Rumble contest to send Austin Theory to SPACE JAIL.
What will happen next? The only way to find out is to keep following Mayhem Mania 2021!
Mayhem Mania 2021: Round 2
It must be Mayhem Mania season!
Every year, we bring together fans, wrestlers and other folks. Our goal is to construct the BEST WrestleMania card that’s currently possible. Everyone under a WWE contract is eligible to use, as are those who are within the orbit of WWE’s influence. If Vince McMahon can do it, we can do it!
Not every WWE wrestler is eligible to us. Under the rules of Mayhem Mania, everyone comes in their current physical, emotional and contractual state. That means anyone out with an injury is NOT eligible to use. (We are ignoring COVID-19 diagnoses because this is supposed to be a fun diversion, not a reminder of the terrible things happening around us.)
Others are not eligible to use for a different reason. Some of them are locked in SPACE JAIL. We added to our inmate population before Round 2 of Mayhem Mania 2021. Winners of our Royal Rumble contest got “tickets” to lock away individuals they don’t want to see.
Mad Mike sent Goldberg to SPACE JAIL Tina Keys sent Randy Orton to SPACE JAIL Dave Podnar sent Charlotte Flair to SPACE JAIL
SPACE JAIL is not a life sentence. A lucky spin of our prize wheel can free one of them, and that’s exactly what happened before Round 2. The prize wheel freed Goldberg moments after he was put in SPACE JAIL. There’s no “double jeopardy” so Goldberg can not be locked up again during Mayhem Mania 2021.
Here’s who is still in SPACE JAIL and not eligible to be use, at least for now.
* “Cell numbers” correspond with the numbers on our prize wheel
5 players were invited onto the Wrestling Mayhem Show for Round 2 of Mayhem Mania 2021. Each can make ONE of the following changes to our card:
– SWAP one wrestler or team with one in another match on the card or replace them with a wrestler or team not currently on the card – ADD a wrestler or team to an existing match – DELETE a match in its entirety and replace it with a new match using entirely new wrestlers – MATCH SWAP: This year, we have a designated “cinematic match” slot on our card. A player can choose to swap an existing match on the card for the match currently in that “cinematic match” slot.
With all that business out of the way, let’s take a look at the changes made during Round TWO of Mayhem Mania 2021!
Move #1 (by Ronnie Starks) SWAP Mercedes Martinez for Goldberg
Move #2 (by Tina Keys) DELETE Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner & Alexander Wolfe) vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch & Pat McAfee and CREATE Raquel Gonzalez vs. Beth Phoenix
Move #3 (by Dave Podnar) SWAP Drew McIntyre & Jinder Mahal for Daniel Bryan & Nikki Cross
Move #4 (by Chad The Shad) ADD Ilja Dragunov to Samoa Joe vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Timothy Thatcher
Move #5 (by The Rizz) SWAP Walter vs. Goldberg into the “cinematic match” slot
With Round 2 in the books, we now have FOUR new matches on our card.
Walter vs. Goldberg (Created by ???) (*Designated as “cinematic match”)
Raquel Gonzalez vs. Beth Phoenix (Created by Tina Keys)
Bray Wyatt & Alexa Bliss vs. Daniel Bryan & Nikki Cross (Created by ???)
Samoa Joe vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Timothy Thatcher vs. Ilja Dragunov (Created by Chad The Shad)
The “???” after two of the matches listed above is because there is debate currently underway over who is the rightful creator of the matches that Rizz swapped in and out of the “cinematic match” slot. Should Rizz get credit for both matches (that would mean the Alex Kahrs Rule would be applied to Dave Podnar and Ronnie Starks because their move did not survive the round), or should the credit remain with the original creators of those matches? Please send us your feedback if you have any.
Here are the four matches that survived Round 2 without being changed.
Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston & AJ Styles vs. Tyler Breeze & Adam Cole & Cesaro (Created by The Rizz)
The IIconics vs. Riott Squad (Created by Mad Mike)
Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross vs. Aleister Black (Created by Bobbyfjtown)
Pete Dunne vs. Keith Lee (Created by Brandon)
If a match survives THREE rounds without being altered in any way, it will GRADUATE to our SUPERCARD. The creator of the match will receive rewards, including creating a new match to fill the open slot on our “undercard”. Our goal is to GRADUATE eight matches to our SUPERCARD by the time Mayhem Mania 2021 comes to an end.
What will happen next? The only way to find out is to keep following Mayhem Mania 2021!
