Episode 244 is very heavy on reviews and also touches on the latest huge news in the world of pro wrestling.
Big Dave leads you on this journey with his Weekly Recap as only he can do it. We cover the big stories from Raw, Smackdown, 205 Live, NXT, and NXT UK for the week of January 7, 2019. Included in this are topics such as Hulk Hogan’s return and emotional tribute to Mean Gene Okerlund on Raw, Becky “The Man” Lynch earning her Smackdown Women’s Title rematch against Asuka at the Royal Rumble, Hideo Itami gaining the respect he has yearned for, Johnny Gargano super kicking Ricochet to set up a possible weekend stealer at NXT Takeover: Phoenix, and the latest events that led up to NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool, including Zack Gibson and James Drake punching their ticket to Blackpool for a shot at being the first ever NXT UK Tag Champs.
From there, Big Dave reviews NKT UK Takeover: Blackpool. The new brand held its first Takeover and, boy, did it ever deliver. From the crowning of the first ever NXT UK Tag Champs, surprise appearances, and two other title matches, NXT UK boldly announced their arrival to the world and set a standard by which all other PPV events this year might have difficulty topping.
Speaking of epic PPV events, Big Dave then begins to review Wrestle Kingdom 13. On this Episode, we take a look at Cody Rhodes v Juice Robinson, Chris Jericho v Tetsuya Naito, and Kenny Omega v Hiroshi Tanahashi. Arguably the three most important matches on the card, with the titles being held by individuals who have signed with AEW, or might be on their way to doing so, not surprisingly saw three title changes. How were the matches themselves and what might this all mean for NJPW. Tune in to Episode 244 and get Big Dave’s thoughts.
Speaking of AEW, no, we did not forget about them. A huge week for the hottest thing going in pro wrestling saw a rally in Jacksonville reveal that PAC (Neville) had signed with AEW, as had Chris Jericho, and the likelihood that Kenny Omega was heading there as well has got the wrestling world talking about AEW as being a true competitor to WWE. Big Dave closes out this Episode by offering his thoughts on AEW, whether they can truly compete with WWE, whether they even should, and what aspects of WWE that AEW should, perhaps, be most concerned about.
It is all here on a loaded Episode 244.