Body Slam Brigade # 59 – The Most Hysterical Thing I Saw This Week

June 25, 2021

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We’re so close to getting live crowds back, and I’m so curious to know what it will look like.

Wrestling wasn’t exactly drawing huge crowds when the pandemic started, and interest in wrestling has only gone down over the last 18 months.

BUT the return of live audiences might be a snowball effect that sends the whole industry upward. We can only hope that’s what happens!

MLW sold out the 2300 arena this week, which is a great sign for them.

Things are starting to feel like they did before with the excitement surrounding AEW’s debut in New York and just today WWE announced a four city tour in the UK!

If the Double or Nothing crowd is any indication, we’ll be on fire as soon as those fans get a chance to cheer, boo, and chant.

On to this week’s top 5 wrestling topics including number 4, which is the most hysterical thing I saw this week!

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1. Money in the Bank Season.

The first WWE PPV (aside from WrestleMania) to have fans will be Money in the Bank (MITB) on July 18th from Fort Worth, Texas.

By nature of the MITB concept, this show automatically creates an extra buzz.

The Raw side of the house has already selected the majority of their Money in the Bank competitors.

On the Men’s side, we have Riddle, Ricochet, and John Morrison.

On the women’s side, Raw has Nikki Cross, Alexa Bliss, Naomi, and Asuka.

Here’s some data about the current participant list.

• This will mark John Morrison’s third MITB match, but his first in 11 years. Ricochet is making his second appearance and this marks Riddle’s first time competing in a MITB match.
• Asuka enters as last year’s winner, while Alexa Bliss won the match in 2018.
• Every female MITB winner has gone on to secure the championship (Carmella, Alexa Bliss, Bayley, Asuka).

So who wins this year’s MITB matches?

I hope for Nikki Cross and Jey Uso (Jey hasn’t qualified yet).

Based on what I know today though, I would bet on Drew McIntyre and Asuka.

Do you have any early predictions?  Drop a comment on this post in the Body Slam Brigade Private Facebook Group.

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2. Low Blow for American Fans of New Japan

New Japan Pro Wrestling announced a major U.S. based show.

NJPW advertised a lot of the core New Japan Strong wrestlers plus big names like Jon Moxley, The Good Brothers, Tom Lawlor, and Jay White.

The show titled Resurgence takes place on August 14th at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and it marks the first New Japan event in America with a live crowd in 19 months.

Resurgence will air on the New Japan Streaming Service (New Japan World) with Japanese commentary only. If you wish to watch the show with English Commentary, then you will need to buy Resurgence on PPV through FITE TV (that’s the low blow).

Anyone that kept their New Japan subscription during the pandemic (despite New Japan shut downs and delayed English commentary) should feel a little betrayed by the company’s decision to charge extra for English Commentary.

For more on this subject as well as the history of New Japan’s overall expansion into the United States, listen to episode 119 of the Daily Wrestling News Show.

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3. Looking Forward to Jungle Boy’s Title Match
On this weekend’s special Saturday episode of AEW Dynamite, Jungle Boy gets a world championship match against Kenny Omega.

In wrestling, we often talk about people being the “future of the business,” but whenever I hear that I end up in an internal debate about what “the future” means. Are we talking a year from now or ten years from now?

Jungle Boy is great today, which is why he’s referred to as “the future.”

What needs to change for him to reach his futuristic potential? What gets us to that moment where we think, “Jungle Boy is a top guy capable of winning the world championship?”

Is it two years of consistent wins on Dynamite? is it a TNT championship run?

Or are we already there? Could Jungle Boy take down Omega on this weekend’s Dynamite?

With live fans back at full strength, a Jungle Boy win this weekend would certainly be special.

The problem is that we don’t seem to be anywhere near the end of our Kenny Omega story, so that brings me to my next question.

What if Kenny lost to Jungle Boy this weekend and then regained the belt in a rematch a couple of weeks from now? That wouldn’t really hurt Kenny Omega, but maybe that’s the way Jungle Boy transitions from “the future” to a “top guy.”

It might be a little far fetched, but it gives me something to think about as we head into this weekend’s show.

If this topic interests you, drop a comment on this post in the Private Body Slam Brigade Facebook Group and let everyone know your thoughts on Jungle Boy’s best case scenario for this Saturday.

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4. The Most Hysterical Thing I Saw This Week
Wrestling legend and current AEW commentator Taz posted a simple video of himself jamming to music in the car.

That by itself is pretty normal and not all that funny. What came next was outstanding. Someone created a “Taz Vibes to Songs” account. They use the one video of Taz jamming in the car, but they keep changing the song in the background.

The account already has over 5,000 followers, and you can feel free to mention the account for music requests.

Here’s a link to the account.

And here’s a link to my personal favorite, which was Taz jamming to a recording of himself singing Tarzan Boy on AEW Dark.

I don’t know why this struck me as so funny, but the internet is a special place. We might as well enjoy the simplest things that bring us joy.

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5. The Weekly News, Results, and Upcoming Matches

Here are the links to my Round-ups on all the week’s top news stories, results, and upcoming matches.

• The WWE News includes all the results from the last week plus information on WWE’s return to MSG and the UK.
• In the AEW News, we have the details on Yuka Sakazaki’s return plus the city hosting the first Rampage.
• The Impact News which includes some information (admittedly vague) regarding surprises for Slammiversary.
• The ROH News which includes information on their upcoming live events and the latest ticket to gold winner.
• In the General News, we cover down on everything from NWA, MLW, CCW, MCW, and Ignite!
• Our New Japan coverage gets you the details on their upcoming live shows with fans out in Los Angeles.

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This is the 60th issue of the Body Slam Brigade Newsletter. It’s constantly changing to better meet the needs of you! Everyone gets a topic request, so feel free to submit one to me via email at [email protected].

Also – if you need or want clarification on a rumor or news story that you’ve heard, feel free to contact me at the same email or on twitter.

If you have a question, everyone else probably does too, so I’ll respond to you and talk about it on the Daily Wrestling News Show.

Have A Great Weekend!

Ryan

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