BY JEFF KNAPP
Before anything, I’d like to take the time to give my condolences and say RIP to Paul “Butcher” Vachon, the father of the late Luna Vachon. Paul was a multi time World Tag team champion in the AWA, JCP and GCW with his brother Maurice Vachon.
In a bitter-sweet moment, Sting and Darby Allin retained their AEW World Tag Team championships in what was Sting’s final match at Revolution. One of the greatests to lace up a pair of boots. From Continental to the UWF to JPC’s NWA and WCW where he went from surfer Sting to the Crow Sting and became the Franchise, The Icon. He then went onto TNA/Impact and then onto the WWE and finally to AEW.
After the Revolution PPV, Tony Khan announced that the Tag Titles will be vacated and there will be a tournament to crown new AEW World Tag Team Champions.
Speaking of Revolution, congrats to Samoa Joe in retaining his AEW World Championship and Christian Cage doing what he had to do in order to retain his AEW TNT Championship.
Congratulations to Roderick Strong on becoming the new AEW International Champion.
It seems that after Revolution that PAC and Kyle O’Reilly are on their way back to AEW after some time off.
In what should be a great match, AEW announced that at Big Business on 3/13 in Boston that Darby Allin will go 1 on 1 against “Switchblade” Jay White. I’m very excited for this match because I know what both men are capable of and I’ve never seen this match up before.
Despite rumors that would have been absolutely amazing, Hikaru Shida isn’t married to LA Dodgers all-star Shohei Ohtani.
Congratulations are in order for one of my favorite people in all of wrestling, Paul Heyman who was announced as an inductee in the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2024. If it wasn’t for Paul and everybody involved with ECW, there is no attitude era and the famous Monday Night Wars between WCW and the WWF never happens.
Speaking of the WWE Hall of Fame, congrats are in order for former WWF Women’s Champion Bull Nakano. Bull was not only the women’s champion in the WWF but in All Japan and CMLL as well.
The 3rd WWE Hall of Fame announcement came Friday afternoon as the WWE announced that the team of Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda, collectively known as the US Express, who are former WWF Tag team champions will be inducted this year. This will be Barry’s 2nd entry since he’s in as a member of the 4 Horsemen and this will be Mike’s 1st time in. Congratulations to both men.
Mike Santana, one of half of the tag team Proud & Powerful and at times LAX with Ortiz appears to be no longer with AEW. As a fan of his, I wish we could have seen them win tag gold there but never say never in wrestling. If or when he turns back up in AEW, TNA or the WWE, we’ll have it here.
This past Wednesday on AEW Dynamite we saw the official debut of former NJPW star “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada. Okada is one of the most decorated wrestlers in New Japan history. Okada is a 2x IWGP World Heavyweight Champion a 5x IWGP Heavyweight Champion, a NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii, a 4x G1 Climax winner (2012, 2014, 2021, 2022) and a 2x New Japan Cup winner (2013, 2019)
This week on Dynamite Darby Allen announced he’s taking time off to climb Mount Everest. Best of luck to him and God speed (as they say)
Kevin Kelly, who was up until recently one of the voices of AEW Collision, has confirmed that he has been released by AEW this week on X
As of this writing, TNA Sacrifice will emanate tonight at 8pm on TNA+ from the St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The card is as follows: (I will highlight my predictions of who will win)
TNA World Championship
Moose (c) vs. Eric Young
TNA Knockouts World Championship 3-Way Match
Jordynne Grace (c) vs. Tasha Steelz vs. Xia Brookside
TNA World Tag Team Championship
ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (c) vs. The System (Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers)
Nic Nemeth vs. Steve Maclin
Josh Alexander vs. Hammerstone
Time Machine (Chris Sabin, KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight) vs. Mustafa Ali & The Good Hands (John Skyler & Jason Hotch)
Countdown to TNA Sacrifice match:
The Rascalz (Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel) vs. Speedball Mountain (Trent Seven & Mike Bailey)
Rollcall of current Champions across the wrestling world
WWE
WWE Universal Championship – Roman Reigns
World Heavyweight Champion – Seth Rollins
WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions – Judgement Day
WWE Women’s Champion – Iyo Sky
Women’s World Champion – Rhea Ripley
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions – The Kabuki Warriors
WWE US Champion – Logan Paul
WWE Intercontinental Champion – Gunther
NXT
NXT Championship- Ilja Dragunov
NXT Women’s Champion – Lyra Valkyria
North American Champion – Oba Femi
Tag Team Champions – The Wolf Dogs (Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin)
Heritage Cup – Charlie Dempsey
AEW
AEW World Champion – Samoa Joe
TNT Champion – Christian
Women’s Champion – Toni Storm
TBS Champion – Julia Hart
Tag Team Champions – VACANT
Trios Champions – The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn
AEW International Champion – Roderick Strong
AEW Continental Champion – Eddie Kingston
TNA Wrestling
World Champion – Moose
X Division – Mustafa Ali
Tag Team Champions – ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey)
Digital Media Champion – Crazzy Steve
Knockouts Champion – Jordynne Grace
Knockouts Tag Champions – MK Ultra (Killer Kelly & Masha Slamovich)
ROH
ROH World Champion – Eddie Kingston
ROH TV Champion – Kyle Fletcher
ROH Pure Champion – Wheeler Yuta
ROH Tag Champions – The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)
ROH Women’s Champion – Athena
ROH Six Man Tag Champions – Bullet Club Gold (Jay White & Austin & Colton Gunn)
NJPW
IWGP World Champion – Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Global Heavyweight – Nick Nemeth
IWGP Junior Heavyweight – Sho
Strong Openweight Champion – Eddie Kingston
IWGP Television Champion – Matt Riddle
IWGP Tag Team Champions – Bullet Club (Kenta & Chase Owens)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions – Bullet Club War Dogs (Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors)
Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions – Guerrillas of Destiny (Hikuleo and El Phantasmo)
NEVER Openweight Champion – Evil
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Champions – Vacant
KOPW 2023 – Great O Khan
IWGP Women’s Champion – Maya Iwatani (Shared with Stardom)
Strong Women’s Champion – Guillia (Shared with Stardom)
NWA
NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion – EC3
NWA World TV Champion – Max The Impaler (unified men’s and women’s)
NWA World Jr Heavyweight Champion – Colby Corino
NWA National Champion – “Thrillbilly Silas Mason
NWA World Tag Team Champions – Blunt Force Trauma – (Carnage & Damage)
NWA US Tag Team Champions – The Immortals (Kratos & Odinson)
NWA World Women’s Champion – Kenzie Paige
NWA World Women’s TV Champion – Max The Impaler
NWA World Women’s Tag Team Champions – The King Bees (Charity King & Danni Bee)
AAA – Triple A Worldwide
AAA Mega Champion – El Hijo Del Vikingo
AAA Latin American Champion – Octagon Jr
AAA World Cruiserweight Champion – Komander
AAA World Tag Team Champions – Nueva Generacion Dinamita (Sanson & Forastero)
AAA World Trios Champions – Los Vipers (Abismo Negro Jr, Psicosis & Toxin)
AAA Reina de Reinas Champion – Flammer
CMLL – Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
CMLL World Heavyweight Champion – Gran Guerrero
CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champion – Niebla Roja
CMLL World Middleweight Champion – Templario
CMLL World Welterweight Champion – Titan
CMLL World Lightweight Champion – Stigma
CMLL World Tag Team Champions – Los Nuevos Ingobernables (Ángel de Oro & Niebla Roja)
CMLL World Trios Champions – Los Bárbaros (Dragon Rojo Jr., Bárbaro Cavernario & El Terrible)
CMLL World Women’s Champion – Stephanie Vaquer
CMLL World Women’s Tag Team Champions – Stephanie Vaquer and Zeuxis
Stardom
World of Stardom Champion (main title) – Maika
Wonder of Stardom Champion (secondary title ie IC tite) – Saori Anou
Goddess of Stardom Champions (tag) – AphroditE – (Saya Kamitani & Utami Hayashishita)
Artist of Stardom Champions (trios) – Abarenbo GE (Syuri, Mirai and Ami Sohrei)
High Speed Champion (lightweight or x type of title) Mei Seira
The Sports Insanity Network 