Tag: JNPO

JNPO: Grading Hangman Page’s AEW title run, Rampage announcement botch

Posted on by Josh Nason

The following is a free podcast. Just scroll to the bottom to listen for free.

On this week’s Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, we talk three topics that caught my interest this past week for three different reasons.

Joining me is returning guest Jesse Collings, columnist for Wrestling Inc. and Voices of Wrestling and co-host of the Gentlemen’s Wrestling Podcast.

We kick off with the buzzworthy Hell in a Cell match from Sunday that saw Cody Rhodes wrestle with a torn pectoral muscle. Should he have or should we not worry about this stuff?

From there, I air my confusions and frustrations with the botched announcement and situation from last Friday’s AEW Rampage that saw CM Punk announce he was injured but without much clarity, Chris Jericho say he relinquished the title when he didn’t (twice!) and  Excalibur later speed read through what actually was happening while a match was going on — all while Twitter was completely confused as to what was happening.

Then, we arrive at our main event topic: the AEW World title run of Hangman Page. What worked? What didn’t? Did it accomplish its goals and what happens with Page now? 

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JNPO: Swerve Strickland’s breakthrough moment has arrived

Posted on by Josh Nason

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When he was released by WWE near the end of 2021, Swerve Strickland had a lot of options in wrestling — especially given the true independent contractor status most non-WWE talents have now.

But he didn’t want to just limit himself to what you see in the ring as his interests are much broader like music, acting and podcasting. 

On this new edition of Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, learn all about who I feel is pro wrestling’s next breakout star in a 40+ minute interview.

Here’s some of what we talked about:

  • What drove his decision to sign with AEW vs. other promotions that came calling
  • How he chooses what outside promotions to work with
  • What inspires his character from look to attitude to his promos
  • His AEW Rampage match with fellow Pacific Northwest wrestler Darby Allin
  • That Will Ospreay tweet that got people talking
  • The impending short horror film he recently shot scenes for and touring this summer to support his music

Click below to listen for free or search for ‘Wrestling Observer’ wherever you listen to your podcasts to get our free feed.

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JNPO: Inside the rise of Seattle’s DEFY Wrestling

Posted on by Josh Nason

As always, this is a free show. Just click below to listen.

In January 2017, a new indie promotion launched in Seattle, Washington, headlined by Cody Rhodes vs. Shane Strickland competing for the now-defunct GFW NexGen Championship.

In current day, DEFY Wrestling just celebrated their fifth anniversary, has a rabid and loyal fanbase, their own on-demand video service, and has helped further along the careers of Strickland, Darby Allin and prodigy Nick Wayne.

In this look at the history and future of the promotion, co-owner and co-founder Matt Farmer talks with me about everything DEFY in a fascinating look at how an indie promotion has fought to make it in a region that needed a modern wrestling infusion.

In our talk, we discuss Allin, Strickland, the rise of Wayne and the night he was given his AEW contract, balancing cards with local vs. fly-in talent, and plenty more.

If you’re in the Portland, Oregon, area Saturday, check out their event headlined by DEFY Interim World Champion Christopher Daniels, 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Nick Wayne, a no DQ match between Joey Janela and Schaff, and more.

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JNPO: Cody Rhodes leaves AEW breaking news audio with Andrew Zarian

Posted on by Josh Nason

On a new (and free) Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, Mat Men co-host and wrestling insider Andrew Zarian joins me on a breaking news edition of the podcast to talk about Cody and Brandi Rhodes leaving AEW.

Just click below to listen. As always, this show is free.

We talk about the announcement, what Andrew heard and when he knew something was going down, the speculation as to what happened, what this means for the second season of Rhodes to the Top, and if this means Rhodes is definitely returning to WWE as many assume.

We also talked about what a Rhodes signing would mean for WWE and if recent big-name returns (and speculated returns) have awakened a sleeping giant in terms of taking it to AEW.

Also, considering Rhodes hasn’t been complimentary of WWE since leaving, how would that play out?

You can hear Andrew every week on Mat Men, We’re Live Pal, and the Sunday edition of Wrestling Observer Live on this very website.

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JNPO: Let’s talk about comic book movies and TV

Posted on by Josh Nason

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On a new Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, I wanted/needed to divert from the world of pro wrestling and MMA for a week and focus on another passion of mine instead: comic book movies/TV and the culture as a whole.

I enlisted past guest and comic book aficionado Rich Stambolian from Mat Men and the new Film Class Zeros podcast to geek out for over an hour.

After explaining our backgrounds with comics and what got us into them to begin with, we recap everything that was released in 2021 from Marvel, DC and others on both the small screen and the big screen.

Then, we look ahead to the 2022 slate of movies and TV shows and what we’re looking forward to the most. 

Spider Man: No Way Home? We talk about it. The Suicide Squad? Yep, here. Gushing over John Cena’s The Peacemaker? We checked that box too.

Just click below to listen and nerd out with us for a while. 

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JNPO: Pro wrestling year in review – December 2021

Posted on by Josh Nason

As always, this is a free show. Just click the red button below to listen.

My first-ever pro wrestling year in review series on Josh Nason’s Punch-Out wraps up with a look back at December 2021, a month that saw several interesting names get released by WWE, AEW’s first-ever 60-minute draw, Tony Khan’s tweet in response to Big Swole, plenty of GCW news and more.

Helping me out is returning guest Jesse Collings, a columnist for Voices of Wrestling and Wrestling Inc. and the co-host of the Gentlemen’s Wrestling podcast.

A few of the topics we delve into:

  • AEW’s first-ever 60-minute draw between Hangman Page and Bryan Danielson and whether we liked how things turned out
  • WWE losing Jeff Hardy, Toni Storm and Kairi Sane in different circumstances while retaining Kevin Owens
  • GCW making a slew of announcements as they prep for another buzzworthy year
  • That Tony Khan tweet on December 31st in response to Big Swole’s company criticisms
  • A look at what we are most interested in for the year ahead…and plenty more.

Just click below to listen and please check out the other pods in the series.

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JNPO: MMA year in review – Q4 2021

Posted on by Josh Nason

As always, this is a free show. Just click the red button below to listen.

The annual Josh Nason’s Punch-Out four-part series looking back at the year in MMA comes to an end with October, November and December 2021.

In the finale, Wrestling Observer/Fight Game Media podcaster and writer Paul Fontaine and I recap all the news, results and happenings including:

  • The UFC wrapping up an incredibly successful financial year with three straight months of sold-out pay-per-views which did big business at the ESPN+ box office
  • Glover Teixeira and Jose Aldo continuing to flip off Father Time as the former won his first UFC light heavyweight title while the latter continued his run toward another title shot with a dominant win over Rob Font
  • Kamaru Usman’s march toward being crowned the best welterweight of all-time continued with another win over rival Colby Covington at a memorable UFC return to MSG
  • Charles Oliveira continuing his run toward the lightweight GOAT conversation with a UFC title defense against Dustin Poirier at another memorable PPV that also saw Julianna Pena dethrone all-time great Amanda Nunes and much more
  • We look ahead to some potentially big storylines and points of interest for 2022.

All that and more awaits. Just click below to listen.

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JNPO: Pro wrestling year in review – November 2021

Posted on by Josh Nason

As always, this is a free show. Just click the red button below to listen.

My first-ever pro wrestling year in review series on Josh Nason’s Punch-Out continues with a look at November 2021, a month that saw Hangman Page win the AEW World title, WWE make two big rounds of talent cuts, the wheels put into motion for Wrestle Kingdom, plenty of GCW news and more.

Helping me out is first-time guest in POST Wrestling writer and podcaster Andrew Thompson.

A few of the topics we delve into:

  • Hangman Page finishing what Andrew called “chapter 1” in AEW’s history with his World title win over Kenny Omega at Full Gear
  • WWE cut more than 20 talents from the main roster and NXT including Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Hit Row, Tegan Nox, John Morrison, Nia Jax, Frankie Monet and others
  • A Rock-less WWE Survivor Series
  • The UpUpDownDown controversy
  • Jon Moxley enters alcohol rehab
  • News from MLW, GCW, Japan, ROH, Impact and more.

Just click below to listen and please check out the other pods in the series.

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JNPO: Pro wrestling year in review – October 2021

Posted on by Josh Nason

As always, this is a free show. Just click the red button below to listen.

My first-ever pro wrestling year in review series on Josh Nason’s Punch-Out continues with a look at October 2021, a month that saw WWE return to Saudi Arabia, the end of Ring of Honor as we currently know it, the build to AEW Full Gear and more.

Helping me out is first-time guest and co-host of Mat Men on this very website, Rich Stambolian.

A few of the topics we delve into:

  • The surprise announcement that Ring of Honor was going to regroup and reassess their future in the first three months of ’22
  • WWE returning to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel with a show that fans seemed to like
  • The build to AEW Full Gear in November with Hangman Page set to challenge Kenny Omega for the World title
  • The awkward belt exchange and backstage confrontation between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch
  • The random Friday head-to-head battle between SmackDown and Rampage
  • Impact, Japan, GCW happenings and more.

Just click below to listen and please check out the other pods in the series.

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JNPO: Pro wrestling year in review – September 2021

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: AEW

As always, this is a free show. Just click the red button below to listen.

My first-ever pro wrestling year in review series on Josh Nason’s Punch-Out continues with a look at September 2021, a month that saw AEW come out strong with a newsworthy All Out followed by the Grand Slam stadium show, Big E winning the WWE Championship, an NXT relaunch and more.

Helping me out is returning guest Rich Kraetsch of Voices of Wrestling.

A few of the topics we delve into:

  • AEW putting on one of the biggest PPVs of the year in All Out which saw great in-ring action and the back-to-back debuts of Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson
  • AEW running their first-ever stadium show in Queens, NY, featuring Kenny Omega vs. Danielson in a 30-minute draw
  • Big E winning the WWE title after saying he was cashing in his MITB briefcase the day before
  • The relaunch of NXT which included a new look, a litany of new debuts and Samoa Joe relinquishing the title
  • ROH, Impact, Japan…and more!

Just click below to listen and please check out the other pods in the series.

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JNPO: MMA year in review – Q3 2021

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: Gary A. Vasquez | USA Today

As always, this is a free show. Just click the red button below to listen.

The annual Josh Nason’s Punch-Out four-part series looking back at the year in MMA continues on with part three covering July through September 2021.

In this three installment, Wrestling Observer/Fight Game Media podcaster and writer Paul Fontaine returns for an hour to cover the following and much more:

  • Dustin Poirier defeated Conor McGregor once again in their trilogy fight that saw McGregor leave with his leg broken
  • Emerging boxing PPV star Jake Paul became a fast-growing thorn in the side of both Dana, the UFC and MMA
  • A new UFC interim heavyweight champion was crowned out of stubborness
  • The return of Nick Diaz
  • Tito Ortiz’s forgettable 2021 ending at the hands of Anderson Silva in a boxing match at a Triller show that had former President Trump on commentary…and more.

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JNPO: Pro wrestling year in review – August 2021 with Lance Storm

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: AEW

As always, this is a free show. Just click the red button below to listen.

My first-ever pro wrestling year in review series on Josh Nason’s Punch-Out continues with a look at August 2021, a month that saw CM Punk’s return to pro wrestling, Brock Lesnar’s return to WWE which was preceded by John Cena’s return to WWE SummerSlam, big NXT cuts, and more.

Helping me out is first time guest, author, weekly Figure Four Daily guest, and former WWE, ECW and WCW star Lance Storm — aka “The Calgary Comptroller.”

A few of the topics we delve into:

  • CM Punk making his AEW debut appearance in front of a sold-out Chicago crowd — a directly unadvertised appearance
  • Brock Lesnar returning at WWE SummerSlam moments after Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeated John Cena in the main event
  • The passing of Bobby Eaton and Lance’s chance conversation he had with Eaton during a bus ride
  • NXT cutting Bronson Reed and a slew of other talents
  • Ric Flair getting released by WWE…and more.

Just click below to listen and please check out the other pods in the series.

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JNPO: Pro wrestling year in review – July 2021

Posted on by Josh Nason

As always, this is a free show. Just click the red button below to listen.

My first-ever pro wrestling year in review series on Josh Nason’s Punch-Out continues with a look at July 2021, a month that saw a somewhat surprising big name cut from WWE, a major AEW tease for August as two free agents were thinking about making their over, “Big Game John” coming back to WWE and more.

Helping me out is returning guest, co-host of Wrestling Observer Live & Big Audio Nightmare on this site and the Mid-Atlantic Pod as part of Arcadian Vanguard: Mike Sempervive.

A few of the topics we delve into:

  • WWE releasing “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, someone that they never really got
  • AEW announcing “The First Dance” for Chicago amid rumors both CM Punk and Bryan Danielson were interesting in coming in
  • John Cena making his surprise return at the end of Money in the Bank to Michael Cole’s delight
  • Japan, MLW, ROH, Impact, and more.

Just click below to listen and please check out the other pods in the series. They’re good!

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JNPO: Pro wrestling year in review – June 2021

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: NY Post

As always, this is a free show. Just click the red button below to listen.

My first-ever pro wrestling year in review series on Josh Nason’s Punch-Out continues with a look at June 2021, a month that saw WWE begin to make serious cuts in their talent roster, Andrade El Idolo debuting with AEW, a new IWGP World Champion crowned and more.

Helping me out is returning guest and longtime wrestling media member Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net.

A few of the topics we delve into:

  • WWE making two rounds of cuts that saw Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Ruby Riott and a slew of 205 Live talents hitting free agency
  • More NXT talents getting dark matches in anticipation of a call-up
  • The return of Samoa Joe to NXT
  • Andrade El Idolo signing with AEW
  • AEW announcing their first-ever stadium show
  • Tony Khan appearing on Impact Wrestling in the ring
  • ROH, Japan, MLW and more

Just click below to listen and please check out the other pods in the series.

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JNPO: MMA year in review – Q2 2021

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

As always, this is a free show. Just click the red button below to listen.

The annual Josh Nason’s Punch-Out four-part series looking back at the year in MMA continues on with part two covering April through June 2021.

In this second installment, Wrestling Observer/Fight Game Media podcaster and writer Paul Fontaine returns for an hour to cover the following and much more:

  • The UFC returned to packed arenas for the first time since early-2020 with UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida, amidst much discussion from what Dana White coined “a COVID crazy” media
  • A new UFC lightweight champion was crowned despite White still not letting go of the old champion
  • Tito Ortiz’s tenure with the Huntington Beach City Council finally came to a fiery, burning end
  • Rose Namajunas and Brandon Moreno had some of the feeliest feel-good moments of the year
  • Ben Askren got KTFO’d by YouTube star Jake Paul, opening up a new avenue of combat sports business
  • Diego Sanchez had a whole lotta drama with coach/mentor Joshua Fabia that took the MMA world by storm

Just click below to listen.

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