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Welcome to FANTASY BOOKING WARFARE! Our esteemed panel of judges Dave Bradshaw, and special guests Michael Oku and Nina Samuels will cast their votes to determine who among our contestants is the least terrible booker of fantasy wrestling in the land! This time, it is Oli Davis and Luke Owen in the Semi-Final round booking The Ring of Honor Invasion of AEW!
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Welcome to FANTASY BOOKING WARFARE! Our esteemed panel of judges Dave Bradshaw, and special guests Michael Oku and Nina Samuels will cast their votes to determine who among our contestants is the least terrible booker of fantasy wrestling in the land! This time, it is Oli Davis and Luke Owen in the Semi-Final round booking The Ring of Honor Invasion of AEW!
Logo designed by: Lee Wildgoose
https://www.instagram.com/leewildgoose/
https://goosecreativedesign.com/
SUBSCRIBE TO partsFUNknown: https://bit.ly/2J2Hl6q
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/partsfunknown
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/partsfunknown/
Buy wrestling merchandise here: https://www.wrestleshop.com/
Read more Feature content here on WrestleTalk.com: https://wrestletalk.com/features/
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SportsTranscript
00:00 - What are the win conditions of Blood and Guts matches?
00:02 (laughing)
00:04 - For pin or submission?
00:05 - That's a war games match.
00:10 - Yeah, you win by submission or surrendering.
00:13 - Wow.
00:17 - Wow.
00:18 - So what errors are making?
00:18 - Well, this is so awkward.
00:19 - It is once again time for fantasy booking warfare.
00:24 The field has been whittled down
00:27 from the elite eight to the final four
00:29 as last week Laurie Blake topped poor old Pete Quinnell
00:33 with a reluctant reign of Logan Paul.
00:35 But now the semi-final round begins.
00:38 Our panel of experienced judges will cast their votes
00:42 as we all find out whether it be Oli Davis
00:45 or Luke Owen who invades the tournament final
00:48 as they book the ring of honor, Invasion of AEW.
00:53 I'm Dave Bradshaw and for the past 15 years
00:57 I have been a play-by-play commentator in British
00:59 and European wrestling.
01:00 - Off the top, missile drop kick.
01:02 Did he get it?
01:03 Yes, he can.
01:04 He's the champion of the world.
01:06 - I am the master of the half crab,
01:08 the current reigning undisputed
01:09 British heavyweight champion, Michael Oku.
01:12 And who better to tell you how bad things are booked than me.
01:15 - I'm Nina Samuels, star of the Nina Samuels Show
01:23 and here on WrestleTalk because of course
01:25 WrestleTalk needs more Nina.
01:27 - Welcome back everybody.
01:34 These are the semi-finals of Fantasy Booking Warfare.
01:38 Guys, we've made it to the semi-finals.
01:41 Mike, how are you feeling?
01:42 - The quarter-finals had a lot of interesting ideas.
01:45 I also had a lot of trash.
01:46 So I'm hoping that we get an improvement from the semis
01:50 and then some real well thought out stories.
01:54 This is the judging panel that let through the NWA Nexus.
01:57 - Wow, you two did.
01:59 - I like being entertained
02:00 and I'm hoping to be thoroughly entertained
02:03 in the semi-final as well.
02:04 And anyone that said that we were wrong
02:05 in who we put through, you are wrong.
02:08 - I'm not gonna listen to people
02:10 who've never taken a bump in their life.
02:12 This is gonna be interesting.
02:14 Oli versus Luke.
02:17 And it's gonna be the ring of honor invasion of AEW.
02:22 It's Oli up first.
02:22 You guys ready?
02:23 - So ready.
02:24 - All right, let's take a look.
02:25 - On February 23rd, 2024,
02:28 citing a crowded wrestling market
02:30 and difficulties securing broadcast deals,
02:33 Ring of Honor sadly announces
02:35 it will be closing after 24 years.
02:39 To celebrate its history,
02:40 AEW Dynamite will be airing the special ROH farewell show,
02:45 the final handshake.
02:47 The card is full of Ring of Honor nostalgia.
02:50 Claudio Castagnoli reunites the Kings of Wrestling
02:52 with Chris Hero for a dream match against FTR.
02:55 Bryan Danielson, Christopher Daniels and Loki
02:58 have a three-way, replicating the main event
03:00 of the first ever ROH show in 2001.
03:04 There are even special video messages
03:06 from the likes of Tyler Black, Kevin Steen and El Generico.
03:11 Following the main event,
03:12 a hard hitting match of ROH World Champion,
03:15 Eddie Kingston, retaining against one
03:17 of the greatest ROH champions ever,
03:20 Samoa Joe, an emotional Kingston, grabs the microphone.
03:24 "I wasn't one of the original ROH guys.
03:27 I was always CZW or Shakara, but wrestling is my life.
03:32 And anyone who's enjoyed this sport
03:34 over the last 25 years owes that life to Ring of Honor.
03:39 I do.
03:41 I always wanted this belt.
03:43 And I'm gonna go out as its last ever ROH World Champion."
03:47 He pauses.
03:49 He rubs the sweat.
03:51 Or is it tears from his eyes?
03:53 It's bullshit.
03:56 This place isn't a collectible or an old ECW wrestler
03:59 you're bringing in for a cheap pop.
04:01 This is people's livelihood.
04:03 He turns to the crowd now.
04:04 "Ooh, Sami Zayn sent a cameo.
04:07 I don't give a shit because I know Dutch
04:09 doesn't have a job anymore.
04:10 Caprice doesn't have a job anymore.
04:13 Maria don't have a job anymore."
04:15 Ring of Honor isn't just a way of wrestling life.
04:18 It is people's lives.
04:20 And me or ROH ain't going anywhere.
04:23 I get it.
04:24 You got bored of your latest toy, Tony.
04:26 Omega, Bucks, you only ever used ROH to get yourselves over.
04:31 There's a lot of people out there
04:32 who still love this promotion.
04:34 And we're coming for everything you've got.
04:37 At this point, the mic cuts off.
04:38 And Dynamite suddenly ends with several minutes
04:41 left of the show, no copyright logo in the corner.
04:44 Over the next month, Ring of Honor talent
04:46 start appearing in the crowd.
04:47 Fans start to bring in ROH signs.
04:50 It's reported that Kingston's suspension has ended
04:53 and he's agreed to return to AEW.
04:56 Kingston makes his entrance,
04:57 still carrying the ROH World Championship.
05:00 He says Tony Khan gave him a live mic because,
05:03 and this is in a mocking voice,
05:05 "He's such a great boss.
05:07 He's such a nice guy.
05:09 Him and the Bucks and Omega have got the interests
05:12 of all the wrestlers he just made."
05:13 Lose their jobs at their heart.
05:16 He let me have this segment as a professional courtesy
05:19 to tell you all this.
05:20 As of right now, this second, I'm no longer All Elite.
05:25 I'm gone, which means I can say whatever the (beep) I want.
05:28 Where am I going now?
05:30 WWE, NXT, New Japan?
05:32 I'm not holding their championship belts, am I?
05:35 I said we're coming for you, AEW.
05:37 And when I say we're, you're not gonna believe
05:40 who's got a bone to pick with you.
05:41 Kingston can't get the mic to work,
05:43 so he draws R-O-H in the air like Bret Hart
05:48 at Survivor Series 1997.
05:50 It's the face versus face main event of Double or Nothing.
05:53 MJF defending his AEW World title against Hangman Page.
05:58 Hangman is on the ring apron,
05:59 coiled to hit the Buckshot Lariat.
06:01 He flips over into the ring,
06:03 but is instead decapitated by a leaping lariat
06:06 from a masked man in an ROH hoodie.
06:09 The downed referee recovers to count the pin,
06:11 and MJF retains.
06:13 Max is stretched to the back with a neck injury,
06:16 whom Kingston passes hopping over the barricade
06:18 from the crowd to join the hooded masked man in the ring.
06:21 Kingston handcuffs Page to the bottom rope.
06:24 Both men beat Hangman Page down while Eddie screams
06:26 that Page let this all happen,
06:28 and that's why this guy decided to become
06:31 the new owner of Ring of Honor.
06:35 The man pulls back his hood.
06:37 He rolls up his sleeves,
06:40 removes his gloves to reveal taped up forearms
06:44 with X's etched onto the backs of his hands.
06:47 The crowd starts to gasp as the mask is removed
06:50 to confirm what many were already fearing.
06:53 The new owner of Ring of Honor is CM Punk.
06:58 In the weeks that follow,
07:01 ROH wrestlers keep interfering in AEW matches.
07:05 Several high profile AEW wrestlers defect
07:08 to the Ring of Honor invading force,
07:10 notably ROH originals Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe,
07:14 the Kings of Wrestling, and Nigel McGuinness
07:16 as a newly heeled commentator,
07:18 along with AEW talent FTR,
07:21 and the new Radicals-esque group of powerhouse Hobbs,
07:24 Ricky Starks, Daniel Garcia, and Wheeler Uter.
07:27 And finally, after not seeing him
07:29 since his Double or Nothing return,
07:31 amidst rumors he keeps canceling appearances
07:33 on TV last minute, Punk is announced for a pipe bomb
07:38 on an episode of Collision.
07:40 He comes down alone
07:42 and sits in the middle of the ring cross-legged.
07:45 After soaking in the cheers and the boos
07:48 for what feels like minutes,
07:50 he looks right down the camera lens and says,
07:53 "I have a lot of things I want to get off my chest."
07:57 Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Hangman Page, The Elite.
08:04 You've created this narrative
08:06 about how you all saved wrestling.
08:09 You got over on your indies and the New Japan,
08:12 hell, even on Ring of Honor,
08:14 and then you got some money, Mark,
08:15 to launch this new company.
08:17 Well, I'm here to tell you, you're wrong.
08:20 You didn't create anything.
08:22 You stole.
08:24 You stole from Ring of Honor.
08:26 You stole from New Japan.
08:28 You stole from me.
08:30 I was the one who broke first ground.
08:32 It was my pipe bomb.
08:34 Me holding the belt for 434 days
08:38 that proved people like you, Hangman,
08:40 people like you, Manon Nick Jackson,
08:43 could be stars in this business.
08:46 I was this era's first main eventer, me.
08:49 And it was me who made the ROH style mainstream.
08:53 Not Rollins, not Omega, certainly not Hangman.
08:57 So what did you do, Elite?
08:59 You put on your all-in show,
09:01 working with Ring of Honor and New Japan,
09:04 using their wrestlers, their production, their staff,
09:08 and then you stole it all.
09:11 You left them high and dry and started your own promotion.
09:14 Yeah, there is a reason New Japan
09:17 wouldn't work with you for two years.
09:18 It's because you stole half their top stars.
09:21 And then your pettiness, your self-centered egos
09:24 took everything away from me too,
09:27 which is why I'm going to steal something back.
09:31 This show, Collision, my show,
09:35 I'm gonna take it and make it Ring of Honor.
09:40 CM Punk's pipe bomb starts to build
09:42 towards the biggest wrestling double header in history.
09:45 Firstly, in place of all-in,
09:48 there will be AEW Ring of Honor All-Invasion
09:53 at Wembley Stadium,
09:55 where all champions will fight to unify
09:57 both promotions' titles.
09:59 This will be followed the week after
10:01 in CM Punk's hometown of Chicago
10:04 by AEW Ring of Honor All Out War,
10:09 main evented by the War Games match Blood & Guts.
10:12 The Elite of Kenny Omega, Hangman Page,
10:15 Matt Jackson, Jon Moxley, and Adam Cole
10:18 will take on Ring of Honor of CM Punk,
10:21 Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, Eddie Kingston,
10:25 and Roderick Strong to decide the fate of Collision.
10:29 If Ring of Honor win, the weekly show becomes theirs,
10:32 and a hard brand split is introduced with AEW.
10:36 The stakes are high.
10:38 So the Elite agree a truce
10:39 with the other Bullet Club members in AEW.
10:42 J White and Co now have their backs at ringside,
10:45 and Adam Cole rejoins them too,
10:47 sending Roderick Strong into the arms of Punk.
10:50 While in camp Elite, Cole does all he can
10:52 to convince them MJF is a changed man,
10:55 and he can be the deciding factor in this war.
10:59 He wants to make Max a member of their faction,
11:01 but the rest of the Elite have their doubts,
11:04 and MJF, who can barely sustain one friendship,
11:07 might not have enough trust in himself.
11:09 But that all changes when Punk and Danielson,
11:12 two of MJF's famous AEW opponents,
11:15 brutally attack Cole backstage,
11:17 trying to give him another concussion.
11:19 Cole is out of the Blood and Guts match,
11:22 so a vengeful Max takes his place,
11:24 even though he's struggling
11:26 with letting his new Elite friends in.
11:28 The card for all Invasion sees.
11:31 Jon Moxley beat Samoa Joe,
11:33 unifying the AEW TNT and ROH TV titles.
11:37 Moxley had split from the now entirely ROH
11:40 Blackpool Combat Club,
11:41 saying he was never Ring of Honor, he's CZW and AEW.
11:45 The Kings of Wrestling beat the Young Bucks,
11:47 uniting the tag belts.
11:49 Bryan Danielson unifies the Pure and International titles
11:52 against Orange Cassidy.
11:54 Athena beats Jamie Hayter to unify the women's belts.
11:57 CM Punk defeats Kenny Omega,
12:00 giving Ring of Honor the advantage
12:02 going into the following week's Blood and Guts.
12:04 And MJF beats Eddie Kingston,
12:07 creating one undisputed World Championship.
12:11 Although Hangman Page nearly cost Max
12:13 after accidentally hitting him
12:15 during a big interference brawl.
12:16 Adam Cole emotionally raises MJF's arm to close the show,
12:20 while Max stares daggers at Hangman.
12:23 All Out War takes place in Chicago the next week,
12:26 the main event deciding the fate of Collision.
12:29 The crowd is split into home and away fans.
12:32 Chicago for Punk's ROH,
12:34 and the traveling fans for AEW,
12:37 creating a uniquely intense atmosphere for a wrestling show.
12:41 Ring of Honor have the advantage going in,
12:43 frequently getting on top.
12:44 We get Punk versus Hangman.
12:46 Danielson versus Omega.
12:47 Kingston versus Mox.
12:49 There are decades of conflict and history behind every blow.
12:53 MJF is the final man in,
12:55 but FTR, his former pinnacle faction mates,
12:58 wipe out the referees and deadlock the cage door
13:01 before he can enter.
13:03 Max goes to the back for help
13:05 as Ring of Honor decimates the Elite.
13:07 But the Elite make a comeback.
13:09 Omega hits a one-winged Angel on Punk.
13:11 Danielson breaks it up at 2.999.
13:14 MJF makes his return with Wardlow to a huge pop.
13:17 He's screaming at him to rip the cage door from its hinges.
13:21 Wardlow bends actual metal,
13:23 wrenching open a gap through which Max enters.
13:26 He gets in Punk's face.
13:28 The two men having had one of the greatest feuds
13:31 in wrestling history,
13:32 we're finally going to get full on babyface Max
13:34 kicking Punk's ass.
13:36 When he turns around and knocks out Hangman Page
13:40 with his diamond ring,
13:41 Punk's face breaks into an enormous smile.
13:44 Max directs Joe, Danielson and Kingston
13:46 to hold back the rest of the Elite.
13:48 He steps to one side and lets Punk make the pin.
13:51 One, two, three.
13:56 The injured Adam Cole comes down from back in disbelief.
13:59 Max won't meet his gaze.
14:00 He only stares down the camera
14:02 as FTR and Wardlow lift him onto their shoulders
14:05 with Punk, Joe, Danielson and Kingston
14:08 celebrating alongside him.
14:10 Collision is no more.
14:12 Saturday night's all right for Ring of Honor.
14:17 All right.
14:18 A lot to unpack there.
14:19 A lot to unpack.
14:20 A lot of good stuff in that one though.
14:22 I feel like a lot of positives.
14:24 I saw you nodding.
14:25 Reunion of the Kings of Wrestling as well.
14:26 Like right off the bat, I'm like,
14:27 okay, we're starting strong.
14:30 A lot of fan service there.
14:32 A lot of easter eggs.
14:32 A lot of fan service there.
14:34 And it's with a lot of modern wrestlers as well.
14:36 It's like, it's not like you're bringing someone
14:38 from like 30 years ago,
14:39 which isn't always the worst thing, by the way.
14:41 I just gotta say, I think I just liked it.
14:44 I liked it.
14:44 I think there's some logic holes.
14:47 Like for example, so Ring of Honor closes down.
14:51 Yeah.
14:52 Right, right.
14:53 And then CM Punk has bought Ring of Honor.
14:56 Yes.
14:57 So then he arrives and then demands all these,
15:01 basically demands all these matches against AEW.
15:04 Why does Tony Khan say yes?
15:07 Why would he compete with?
15:08 Because I think that's what he does.
15:12 You could crush that opponent before it even gets started.
15:14 But instead, another War Games match,
15:16 which seems to be in every single booking scenario we do.
15:19 And it's like, so if we win, we get collision.
15:23 Right.
15:25 Why is Tony Khan agreeing to that?
15:26 What if they win?
15:28 I noticed that there was no, what if they win?
15:30 If they're gone forever?
15:31 Or if there's just, you know,
15:32 they have to try and do some Ring of Honor show there.
15:34 It's a really tricky thing too though,
15:35 because when you're trying to have the line of realism,
15:39 like they already had certain things where, you know,
15:40 the microphone's getting cut
15:42 and even Dynamite going off air seven minutes early.
15:45 That's a long time.
15:46 I mean, I don't know what the network
15:47 are going to say about that.
15:48 Like at the end of the day, this is for a television show.
15:50 There has to be some bend.
15:52 It's like, it's fixable.
15:53 As in, you could say, oh, Tony Khan just had,
15:56 he's had enough of CM Punk being a constant thorn in his side.
15:58 He just wants done with Ring of Honor.
16:00 So he's like, right, we'll do it one time only.
16:02 It wasn't really explained.
16:03 And I think especially that he could have explained it.
16:05 Cause he, I mean, in the middle of that,
16:07 he cut his own,
16:08 Oli cut his own five minute CM Punk promo.
16:11 Which is him living out,
16:12 which by the way, fantasy, I assume.
16:15 Where he could have said,
16:16 - I get a feeling he's a fan of CM Punk.
16:17 - There's a chance.
16:18 - Oh he is.
16:19 - Just get his lights into that.
16:20 - There's a chance.
16:20 But if you do the thing where, you know,
16:22 he can just throw in, oh, the TV deal wasn't done.
16:25 You know, there's something where like, you know,
16:26 the consortium that you sold it to was me secretly.
16:31 Da da da da.
16:31 You know, there's things that you could take from
16:33 that had happened in history.
16:34 - Like Shane buying WCW.
16:36 - Yes.
16:36 - Was done, like tricked Vince into it.
16:38 But none of that's explained here.
16:39 It's just, oh yeah, CM Punk's.
16:41 - Just says.
16:41 - Just bought it, unmask, oh well.
16:43 - There's a mistrick with some kind of
16:44 blackmail situation, I think.
16:47 - Right, right.
16:48 - That would explain so much of recent history.
16:52 If CM Punk had blackmail material on Tony Connors.
16:54 - A lockbox, a lockbox.
16:55 - A lock.
16:56 - I will say though,
16:58 if you think about Ollie in the quarterfinals,
17:00 with Fat Lashley.
17:02 - Yes.
17:02 - And the body suit.
17:03 - Right.
17:04 - This does strike me as a step up.
17:05 - This is a step up.
17:06 - In terms of realism.
17:08 - Yes.
17:09 - Plausibility.
17:10 - However.
17:10 - Is he putting another War Games,
17:13 Blood and Guts match to appease us?
17:15 Because he knows that that's what got him through
17:18 to the next round.
17:18 - I don't like it.
17:19 - You're saying you're not open to a bit of appeasing.
17:21 - Hey.
17:22 - Hey.
17:23 - We like what we like.
17:25 - Well, so, broadly positive.
17:27 I think we've got some questions.
17:28 But it was really good from Ollie.
17:29 - Yeah.
17:30 - And as I say, vaguely plausible.
17:32 Which could be in stark contrast
17:34 if quarterfinal form is anything to go by.
17:37 Because up next is Luke.
17:39 And this could be something.
17:40 So, buckle up.
17:42 Here we go.
17:42 - We actually start where we are now in the timeline.
17:45 AEW have just signed Adam Copeland
17:47 and hosted Wrestle Dream.
17:48 MJF is the world champion.
17:50 Adam Cole has revealed he is out injured.
17:52 And AEW are on the road to Full Gear.
17:55 But without the Jay White bit.
17:57 Adam Cole, even though injured,
17:58 is being forced to defend the ROH tag titles
18:01 against the Kingdom at Full Gear.
18:03 Also on that show, Christian Cage will defend
18:05 the TNT Championship against Adam Copeland and Keith Lee.
18:09 At Full Gear, Keith Lee wins the TNT Championship.
18:12 But in the main event, MJF and Adam Cole defend
18:15 their ROH Tag Team Championships against the Kingdom
18:18 with Roderick Strong in their corner.
18:20 Cole comes down to the ring on crutches.
18:22 With MJF telling Cole to stay on the apron,
18:24 to not get involved.
18:25 But the numbers game gets too much.
18:27 And MJF needs to make the tag.
18:30 He crawls, and he crawls, and Adam Cole jumps off the apron.
18:34 Roderick Strong stands up from his chair
18:36 and removes his neck brace.
18:38 Adam Cole throws down his crutches.
18:40 He was never injured.
18:43 Confused, MJF gets pinned by the Kingdom.
18:46 And it was like he didn't even try to kick out.
18:48 His best friend has just stabbed him in the back.
18:52 And as Cole celebrates on the ramp with the Kingdom,
18:54 fully reunited, Tony Khan comes out onto the ramp
18:58 to ask what the hell is going on here.
19:00 And Adam Cole super kicks him.
19:03 The Kingdom reveal that Ring of Honor is their new home.
19:05 Showing graphics saying Adam Cole is All Honor.
19:08 Roderick Strong is All Honor.
19:11 TK comes out, confused as the rest of us.
19:13 And Cole reveals that he's been working with smart Mark
19:16 Sterling.
19:17 And there's now a new owner of Ring of Honor, Jim Cornette.
19:22 Cornette cuts a prong about how much he hates AEW,
19:26 how much he hates Tony Khan, and how much he cannot wait
19:29 to crush All Elite Wrestling.
19:32 And the first thing he wants to correct is that Eddie Kingston
19:35 is the ROH champion?
19:36 Tut tut, Tony.
19:37 How could you let this happen to a title that was once
19:40 held by Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels,
19:43 Nigel McGuinness, and Adam Cole?
19:46 As the new controlling owner of ROH,
19:49 I am demanding that Kingston defend that title
19:52 against Adam Cole at Winter is Coming.
19:55 MJF is not seen for all of this period of time.
19:58 Alex Marvez is trying to get interviews outside of his house,
20:01 but he gets no reply.
20:03 On Dynamite, the Kingdom have a trios match
20:05 against The Acclaimed and win the match.
20:07 And they're beating them down afterwards
20:08 when Keith Lee jumps through the crowd,
20:10 and he also joins the beatdown.
20:12 Just what the hell is going on here?
20:15 Some members of the AEW locker room
20:17 come out to help The Acclaimed, but they're
20:18 beaten down by ROH's newest recruits, Samoa Joe
20:22 and Christopher Daniels.
20:24 Old name from ROH's past are all coming together,
20:27 and they all get their own graphics.
20:29 Keith Lee is All Honor.
20:31 Samoa Joe is All Honor.
20:34 The following week, it's an ROH versus AEW battle royal
20:37 to earn the number one contendership to MJF
20:40 at Winter is Coming, who still has not been seen.
20:42 And Samoa Joe wins, last eliminating Kenny Omega.
20:46 The week before Winter is Coming,
20:47 Tony Khan goes to MJF's house and pleads with him
20:50 to show up at Winter is Coming, or else he'll
20:52 have to vacate the belt and will let
20:54 it fall into the hands of Ring of Honor and Jim Cornette.
20:58 At Winter is Coming, Adam Cole beats Eddie Kingston
21:00 to win the ROH Championship, and Mox and Danielson
21:04 win the AEW tag titles.
21:06 In the main event, Samoa Joe beats MJF,
21:08 who did not feel like the MJF of old,
21:11 to win the AEW World Title.
21:15 This will be the last MJF match under his current AEW
21:20 contract.
21:21 On the final dynamite of the year,
21:23 Jim Cornette tries to recruit Blackpool Combat Club,
21:25 the current tag champs, into Ring of Honor.
21:28 Danielson respectfully declines his offer.
21:31 Moxley tells him to f*** off.
21:33 Corny smiles.
21:34 He knew this was coming, which is why he had a backup plan.
21:37 Claudio Castagnoli blindsides Mox and Danielson
21:40 and lays the boots into them.
21:42 Cornette throws up a graphic saying Claudio Castagnoli
21:45 is all honor.
21:47 But that's not all, because he's got another new signing.
21:50 Chris Hero comes out and joins the beat down
21:54 of Mox and Danielson.
21:55 The final shot of Dynamite 2023 is MJF walking up
22:00 to Tony Khan's door and then walking away, leaving AEW.
22:05 Phase 2.
22:07 On the first Dynamite of 2024, the Elite
22:09 come out to talk about MJF leaving and someone
22:11 needing to step up to take on Ring of Honor,
22:14 with the Blackpool Combat Club backing them up.
22:16 The first pay-per-view of 2024 sees Keith Lee defend
22:19 the TNT Championship against Kenny Omega,
22:21 The Young Bucks challenging the Kingdom for the ROH Tag
22:24 Titles, Samoa Joe defend the AEW Championship
22:27 against Kota Ibushi, and a trios match of Hangman Page, Jon
22:30 Moxley, and Bryan Danielson taking on Adam Cole,
22:33 Claudio Castagnoli, and Chris Hero.
22:35 While all of the action is unsurprisingly great,
22:38 there's a bigger story in the night.
22:40 Christopher Daniels costs the Kingdom the ROH Tag Team
22:45 Championships.
22:45 Excalibur is ecstatic by this news,
22:48 delighted that Daniels has returned to Team AEW.
22:52 Or has he?
22:53 In the semi-main event, Samoa Joe
22:55 retains the AEW Championship with the help
22:58 of Christopher Daniels.
22:59 Just what is happening here?
23:01 Has he turned twice in one night?
23:03 Or is something else afoot?
23:05 In the main event, the trios match
23:06 of Team AEW versus Team ROH, Samoa Joe and Christopher
23:10 Daniels run down and show their allegiances
23:13 by beating up Team ROH to cause a no contest.
23:16 But then they also attack Team AEW.
23:20 From out of the crowd, Jay Lethal, Sanjay Dutt,
23:23 Christian Cage, and Jeff Jarrett storm the ring
23:26 and beat everyone down.
23:28 Jim Cornette and Tony Khan come out to the stage
23:30 looking confused.
23:31 What is happening?
23:32 Jeff Jarrett grabs the mic and says that this invasion just
23:36 received an impact.
23:38 And out onto the stage between TK and Cornette
23:41 walks Dixie Carter.
23:43 The final shot of the night is Joe spray painting
23:46 the letters TNA over the AEW World Championship
23:50 and holding it aloft.
23:52 On Dynamite, AEW and ROH are trying
23:54 to recruit new names to their ranks to take on TNA.
23:57 But the one name who won't pick a side is Adam Copeland.
24:00 Elsewhere in this timeline, The Young Bucks
24:02 announced they're going to defend the ROH tag
24:04 titles against any team from Ring of Honor history.
24:06 And a graphic appears on the screen saying,
24:08 "Steen and Generico return next week."
24:10 Turns out it's just Michael Nakazawa and Brandon Culler
24:13 dressed as Steen and Generico.
24:14 But it's a bit of fun.
24:15 And I just wanted to include that bit in.
24:17 Anyway, Revolution sees Joe retain the AEW Championship
24:21 over Kenny Omega.
24:22 Adam Cole retain the ROH Championship over Darby Allin.
24:26 The Kings of Wrestling retain the AEW tag
24:29 titles over Mox and Danielson.
24:30 And Keith Lee retain the TNT Championship
24:33 over Hangman Page.
24:34 Not only that, but Jay Lethal and Christopher Daniels
24:37 win the ROH tag titles from The Young Bucks
24:39 when Adam Copeland helps Christian Cage cheat the TNA.
24:43 A graphic is shown on the screen that Adam Copeland
24:46 makes an impact.
24:48 On Collision, Edge and Christian reunite as a team
24:51 to win the ROH tag titles from their TNA comrade.
24:54 And due to interference from TNA,
24:56 Jeff Jarrett wins the TNT Championship
24:59 in the first ever AEW King of the Mountain match.
25:04 At Double or Nothing, Kenny Omega
25:05 fails to capture the ROH Championship from Adam Cole
25:08 due to interference from the Kingdom.
25:09 The Bucks fail to beat Copeland and Christian
25:11 for the ROH tag titles.
25:13 Mox and Kingston couldn't win the AEW tag titles
25:16 from the Kings of Wrestling.
25:17 And Kingston failed to get the TNT title from Jeff Jarrett.
25:21 And if things couldn't be bleaker for AEW,
25:25 the main event of Double or Nothing for the first time
25:28 ever sees the AEW World Championship contested
25:32 by a TNA wrestler in Samoa Joe against an ROH wrestler
25:36 in Keith Lee inside an AEW ring.
25:39 This is a dark time for AEW.
25:42 The Blackpool Combat Club and the Elite are holding their own
25:45 but they've lost all their titles.
25:47 They need a leader.
25:48 They need a figurehead.
25:50 They need a devil.
25:52 It's the go-home edition of Dynamite before Forbidden Door
25:54 and it takes place in Long Island, New York.
25:57 Tony Khan finds MJF drinking alone in a bar.
26:00 He pleads with him to re-sign with AEW.
26:04 He's got Ring of Honor winning all their titles.
26:06 Adam Copeland, his last big signing has defected to TNA.
26:10 I need MJF.
26:13 I need the old MJF.
26:16 I need my scumbag back.
26:19 MJF says nothing and just looks away.
26:21 The final moment of that show sees a three-way trios match
26:24 of AEW versus TNA versus ROH end in a major brawl.
26:28 All over the building, people are fighting,
26:31 representing their brand.
26:32 We cut back to the bar and Max snaps a Paul Q
26:35 over the table and he leaves.
26:37 Back in the arena, things are getting out of control
26:39 but a fast sports car approaches the building
26:41 and MJF gets out brawling with everyone he sees
26:44 associated with ROH or TNA.
26:47 He stands tall with the Elite and Blackpool Combat Club
26:50 and he grabs a microphone.
26:51 Adam Cole, I just want you to know that I'm coming for you.
26:54 But first, Samoa Joe, I will see you at Forbidden Door
26:58 and I'm winning back the Triple B
27:00 and I'm renaming it back to the AEW World Championship.
27:05 Phase three.
27:07 At Forbidden Door, Hangman Page beats Jeff Jarrett
27:09 to win the TNT Championship.
27:11 The Young Bucks beat Copeland and Christian
27:13 to win the ROH Tag Titles.
27:14 And MJF beats Samoa Joe to win back the AEW World Title.
27:19 They're turning the tide in this war.
27:23 Team TNA retaliate on Dynamite with a big brawl
27:26 with the Elite and BCC until an unlikely savior
27:29 makes an appearance.
27:30 The Kings of Wrestling, ROH just saved AEW.
27:34 Jim Cornette asks for a ceasefire and challenges TNA
27:38 to a 10-man tag match at All In.
27:40 And if TNA loses, they must disband,
27:43 blood and guts and all.
27:46 On top of that, Adam Cole and MJF will go one on one
27:49 in the main event of All In again.
27:52 Champion versus champion, no titles on the line,
27:54 just MJF looking for revenge.
27:57 Elsewhere in our story, Will Ospreay
27:59 and the rest of his United Empire
28:01 have signed with Ring of Honor
28:02 and are looking to take out as much of the Elite
28:04 as possible.
28:05 Ospreay even wins the AEW International Championship.
28:10 At All In at Wembley Stadium,
28:12 it's Hangman Page losing the TNT Championship
28:15 against Callum Newman,
28:16 the Young Bucks retaining the ROH Tag Titles
28:19 over Aussie Open,
28:20 and Kenny Omega versus Will Ospreay
28:22 for the AEW International Championship,
28:25 which Will wins with the help of ROH's newest signing,
28:30 Michael Oakley.
28:31 (laughing)
28:32 Team AEW and Ring of Honor,
28:34 Moxley, Danielson, Kingston, Claudio and Hero
28:36 take on Team TNA of Jarrett, Christian,
28:38 Copeland, Jay Lethal and Samoa Joe
28:41 in a blood and guts match.
28:42 Team AEW gets the win when Copeland spears Christian
28:46 and reveals he's wearing an AEW t-shirt.
28:49 Adam Copeland is All Elite once again.
28:52 But in the main event, Adam Cole,
28:54 with the help of the kingdom, beats MJF.
28:58 Adam Copeland and Christian have an all out war
29:00 at All Out and Callum Newman defends
29:03 the TNT Championship against Darby Allin.
29:05 The main event sees MJF retain his AEW Championship
29:08 in a triple threat with Will Ospreay and Michael Oku
29:11 after miscommunication between the ROH teammates.
29:14 MJF demands that this all ends at full gear,
29:18 one year from when all of this started.
29:21 The Young Bucks beat the Kings of Wrestling
29:23 to unify the AEW and ROH Tag Titles.
29:26 Samoa Joe beats Darby Allin to unify the TNT
29:29 and Ring of Honor TV Titles.
29:31 And Tony Khan beats Jim Cornette in a street fight
29:35 with Dixie Carter as the special guest referee.
29:38 The winner takes all match sees Team AEW of Jon Moxley,
29:42 Bryan Danielson, Kenny Omega, Adam Copeland,
29:44 Hangman Page and Eddie Kingston take on Team ROH
29:48 of Will Ospreay, Karl Fletcher, Mark Davis,
29:50 Callum Newman, Michael Oku and Keith Lee.
29:53 Whoever wins, the other must dissolve.
29:56 It's Elimination Rules and it comes down
29:58 to Omega and Ospreay with Omega getting the win
30:01 when Oku turns on ROH to set up
30:03 an international championship program into 2025.
30:07 AEW has won the war, but who will be its champion?
30:12 That will be determined in the main event
30:13 of MJF versus Adam Cole.
30:15 AEW champion versus ROH champion, winner takes all.
30:20 Cole kicks out of the Heat Seeker,
30:21 MJF kicks out of The Last Call,
30:23 they both kick out of the double clothesline false finish
30:26 that we saw at All In 2023.
30:28 Cole kicks out of one final Heat Seeker,
30:31 but he knows he's beaten.
30:32 He looks at Max and asks him to finish the job.
30:35 MJF says, "I love you."
30:38 And he hits his half of the double clothesline for the win.
30:41 Cornette is beside himself, so are the Kingdom.
30:45 They get in the ring and berate Cole
30:47 while MJF celebrates with Blackpool Combat Club
30:49 and The Elite and Tony Khan.
30:51 MJF offers a handshake and Cole accepts
30:55 as they're leaving up the ramp.
30:56 ROH starts to push Cole around and Strong knocks him down.
31:00 MJF runs back to the ring to protect Cole
31:03 and better than you, baby, reform and take out the Kingdom
31:07 and send them packing.
31:09 Any questions?
31:11 - Oh.
31:15 - This is taking brownizing to a new level.
31:17 - Yeah, yeah.
31:18 - We have questions.
31:19 - Woo!
31:20 - Congratulations, Michael.
31:21 - Wow.
31:22 - Congratulations. - I'm all honor.
31:23 - Yeah.
31:24 - Well, you were.
31:25 - All honor.
31:25 - I mean, most people were on at least two
31:27 of those three teams at one point or another.
31:31 Edge, Adam Copeland joins Impact at one point
31:34 to be with Christian.
31:35 - Yeah.
31:36 - Then he turns back to AEW.
31:38 Jim Cornette, who takes over ROH
31:41 because of his hatred of AEW,
31:43 later calls a ceasefire with AEW.
31:45 - No, I like that.
31:46 - I guess so.
31:47 - It's like, I hate TNA so much
31:48 (laughing)
31:50 I will T with Tony.
31:52 - I just don't know where to begin.
31:54 Nina, what are your thoughts?
31:55 - There is a lot.
31:57 Like saying there is a lot to unpack
31:59 is understatement of the century.
32:01 Jim Cornette, his involvement, love that.
32:05 Love that for this.
32:06 - Can you imagine pitching that to him though?
32:08 Can you go, yeah, so you're gonna be anti-AEW for a bit
32:10 and then you'll like him for a bit.
32:13 - You know how you get to sell this to him.
32:16 You get to have a street fight with Tony Khan.
32:19 - Okay.
32:20 - It leads to that.
32:21 - Yeah, Dixie Carter.
32:22 - Dixie Carter as the ref.
32:24 I mean, if that's not a selling point,
32:27 I don't know what is.
32:28 - Right, right.
32:29 All I'm saying is if he was pitching this to me,
32:31 I'd be like, that's cool.
32:32 - So you're in?
32:32 - I'm just, I'm all in.
32:34 Apparently at some point.
32:35 - I think he's all on.
32:36 - I think Luke's mission here has been a success.
32:39 - No, no, no, no, no, no.
32:40 There's no foregone conclusion.
32:42 I have questions.
32:44 There was a lot of rehashing that he did.
32:45 - But it's endeared him to you a little bit.
32:48 - I'm not, I'm not gonna lie.
32:49 - He's got you a pretty high profile job.
32:50 - With Luke, we praised his wildness
32:53 and we popped so hard for NWO Nexus
32:56 that he said, you like that?
32:58 Well, have Tony Khan versus Jim Cornette in a street fight
33:00 with Dixie Carter as a special guest ref.
33:02 - I wanna emphasize it's YouTube's fault.
33:04 - I'm gonna take an eight and a half.
33:05 - I did not vote for this.
33:07 It is entirely on YouTube that we're still here
33:11 with this situation.
33:13 - Were you not entertained, Steve?
33:15 Were you not entertained?
33:16 You're welcome.
33:17 You're welcome that we sent the madman down a madder route.
33:20 - Like watching one of Luke's things is like,
33:22 it's like watching something really entertaining
33:24 that also gives you a migraine.
33:26 - Yes, that is 100% 100.
33:28 If you're presenting this to fans,
33:30 I feel like they'd need like a table to be like,
33:32 okay, who's really where right now?
33:33 Because this person is with this company,
33:35 but they've got this other company's belts.
33:37 So there is legitimately a thing
33:39 where you'll be confusing the issue of like,
33:41 well, who's where and who do I cheer for?
33:43 - No, between us, between us, between us.
33:46 - Just saying, so maybe that's the thing.
33:47 - You've got a strong view on that, have you?
33:49 - I just have.
33:50 - Okay.
33:52 - I don't know what to, let's bring them in.
33:54 - Yeah, sure.
33:55 - And we'll see if we can possibly make sense
33:57 of some of this.
33:58 Gentlemen, welcome to the semifinal
34:00 of Fantasy Booking Warfare.
34:03 I'm sure you both agree,
34:04 competitions are built on a fabric of rules.
34:07 There was a 10 minute time limit
34:09 to producing your scenarios.
34:10 I think you went 11 and a half minutes.
34:12 - The performance aspects of it, the dramatic pauses,
34:15 the, you know, the dramatic, all the great twists and turns.
34:19 - The five minute CM Punk promo.
34:20 - Yeah, yeah, that was, it was necessary.
34:23 And the delivery was a bit slower.
34:25 - Well, I can understand that better
34:28 than I can understand going 13 and a half minutes.
34:30 - So, it's an invasion.
34:33 And you gotta book in a lot of,
34:35 you gotta say a lot of names.
34:37 I probably would have gone 10 minutes
34:38 just saying the matches.
34:39 You must remember that I booked the biggest stars
34:42 in my story, so.
34:44 - And that takes longer to say.
34:45 - That takes longer to say.
34:46 - All right, well, let's hear what you think.
34:48 - You know, and when I was looking at my booking,
34:50 I was like, pfft, 10 out of 10, no notes.
34:52 There's nothing that could be excised.
34:53 - Arguably 13 out of 10.
34:55 (laughing)
34:56 - I mean, do you wanna say anything
34:57 about our level of expertise now to even this up?
35:00 - Yeah, I'm actually, do you know what?
35:01 I mean, I'm actually in a bit, sorry,
35:03 I was a bit unprofessional, but I'm actually in a bit warm.
35:04 So, I'm just gonna have to take my t-shirt off, I'm afraid.
35:07 - Okay.
35:07 - I am sorry, I appreciate it, sorry.
35:09 (groaning)
35:11 - Oh, well, this changes everything.
35:14 Wait, Nia Samuel is great and--
35:17 - Is great, and so is Dave.
35:19 - So, I--
35:20 - I think it has to make up for--
35:20 - Is that a copyright issue?
35:23 Because he's made his own merch on your line?
35:26 - If anyone is looking to buy this excellent t-shirt
35:27 that I made.
35:28 - With the proceeds going to--
35:30 - Let's refocus, let's refocus.
35:32 - Okay, okay.
35:34 - But I like it.
35:35 Ollie, CM Punk is the, perhaps unsurprisingly
35:41 in your version, the new owner of Ring of Honor.
35:45 - Well, you know, obviously a controversial figure,
35:47 but I think there's some names that are way more
35:49 controversial to put there.
35:51 I was trying to tell not just a interpromotional story,
35:55 but one that is ultimately boils down to a human conflict
35:59 and a conflict of ideologies.
36:01 And I always thought that Punk and the Elite, of course,
36:05 have a very intense, real rivalry, it seems.
36:09 And there is somewhat a difference
36:11 of wrestling ideologies there.
36:13 - Through the months and we get towards All In
36:15 and the big climax of this.
36:17 - All Invasion.
36:18 - All Invasion, sorry, All Out War.
36:19 Yeah, and the main event, shockingly for you,
36:24 is a War Games match.
36:26 (laughing)
36:26 A blood and guts match.
36:29 I just want to role play this with you.
36:31 I'll be Tony Khan, you be CM Punk, right?
36:34 - That's what--
36:35 - You tell me which I know is a dream.
36:36 Which is a dream for you.
36:37 - We're getting some theater here.
36:38 - So, we're having a conversation backstage,
36:40 but we're in character.
36:41 - Okay.
36:42 - Explain the stakes you want.
36:43 - What I want is, I'm gonna get,
36:46 if we win, if Team Ring of Honor win,
36:48 we get the collision show and,
36:52 but, you know, overall it'll be,
36:54 yeah, we get the collision show and if you win--
36:59 - Yeah, what if I win?
37:00 - We'll go away.
37:02 - You didn't say that.
37:03 - I didn't say that.
37:04 - You didn't say that.
37:05 - I didn't say that.
37:05 - No, it wasn't actually in the booking.
37:06 It was just a one way bet.
37:08 - Well, I played 13 and a half minutes,
37:09 so I could probably snuck it in there.
37:11 - Shots fired.
37:14 - This finish, what was it?
37:15 It was MJF, Diamond Ring?
37:19 - On hangman page, yeah.
37:20 - Right, and then what happens?
37:21 - Then CM Punk makes the pin.
37:23 - What are the win conditions of Blood and Guts matches?
37:28 - Pin or submission?
37:31 - That's a war games match.
37:35 - Yeah, you win by submission or surrendering.
37:39 - Wow, wow, wow.
37:42 - So, what error did I make?
37:44 - Well, this is awkward.
37:45 - Yeah, do you know what?
37:46 - So, you just seem to not have the spark,
37:48 the creative spark on finishes.
37:51 Are you using the War Games Blood and Guts match as a crutch?
37:55 - I actually didn't want to.
37:56 - Is it lazy booking?
37:57 'Cause that's something that Jim Cornette would say.
37:59 - I didn't want to do Blood and Guts,
38:01 but then I wanted to finish
38:02 with a title unification pay-per-view,
38:04 but then I, just the way All In and All Out,
38:06 and I like the names so much,
38:08 I was like, "Ah, I'll have to finish with All Out War."
38:12 That just played too well into War Games.
38:14 - That's not my point, I don't know.
38:16 - You picked your entire main event
38:17 based on what a good name it was.
38:20 - It sounds like you just spent two minutes
38:24 thinking about it.
38:25 - I spent weeks thinking about it,
38:27 and then it came to me in an instant.
38:28 So, yeah, the actual two minutes of riding.
38:31 - To be fair, if you had spent two minutes
38:33 thinking about it,
38:33 I think it would have been two minutes longer
38:36 than Luke possibly spent.
38:37 Luke, this is a mess.
38:39 - Is it?
38:40 - Isn't it?
38:41 - Isn't it?
38:42 - Defend it.
38:43 Defend.
38:44 - I can't even pick out individual bits
38:46 because my brain started to melt about five minutes in.
38:50 Can you just explain what on earth you were thinking?
38:53 - The 2001 invasion is--
38:54 - Yeah, I wrote 2001, that's what my notes,
38:56 I wrote that down.
38:57 - Yeah, it's a bit of a mess, I would say.
38:59 - And you took so much from it.
39:01 - Well, yeah, and what I did was did it better.
39:03 Any other questions?
39:06 - I think you're quite sympathetic towards Luke
39:09 'cause he's booked you.
39:10 - I think he explained that fairly well just right there.
39:12 - Well, yeah, on that note, actually,
39:14 you obviously booked Michael Okoo heavily in this
39:16 for a bit of judge appeasing.
39:18 - Well, no, I was looking for a star-picking.
39:20 - But, t-shirt aside,
39:23 did we not feel that this booking needs more Nina?
39:27 - Well, I would agree, and I was trying,
39:29 but I was limited by 10 minutes,
39:31 and as you can see, I didn't even manage to do that.
39:34 So I--
39:35 - I mean, in terms of the featuring of the women
39:37 in this angle, we got a banger of Athena
39:40 versus Jamie Haver.
39:41 - I was gonna say that.
39:42 - I must say, in terms of crowd-pleaser matches,
39:45 give me that on a platter.
39:46 So I think there could have been.
39:48 - I know--
39:49 - Luke, do you respect women?
39:50 - I 100% do and agree with your point,
39:53 but I only had--
39:54 - Not enough to buy their legitimate merchandise.
39:57 - It was all sold out, Nina, I didn't try.
40:00 And I did write down, funny enough,
40:02 Jamie Haver versus Athena on that full card event,
40:06 but I thought, well, that would just be lip service
40:10 and actually is just like,
40:11 that just feels like it's pandering at that point.
40:13 So just throw those in at the end there.
40:16 - Also, neither of you have mentioned any point
40:17 who's commentating any of this,
40:18 so obviously you think that's an afterthought.
40:20 - I actually did.
40:22 Nigel McGuinness was a ring of honor.
40:25 - Oh, yeah.
40:25 - He was a commentator.
40:26 - That's it, yeah.
40:27 - Sorry, Dave, no disrespect,
40:28 but I think Nigel McGuinness, thank you very much.
40:31 - So no commentary on women.
40:32 - No commentary on women.
40:33 - Yeah, but yeah, that's good.
40:34 - Commentators and women on the T-shirt.
40:37 - It's like his booking's still going on on his T-shirt.
40:40 - He can't, not even in 13 and a half minutes.
40:42 - You did win me over with booking Jim Cornette versus
40:46 Tony Khan in a street fight with Dixie Carter
40:49 as a special guest referee.
40:50 - Dixie Carter being the ref,
40:52 wasn't there a situation where Jim Cornette wanted to side
40:56 with Tony Khan saying, "Cease fire, cease fire.
40:58 We need to take on TNA."
41:00 - She was probably signed to a deal
41:01 that went through till November.
41:03 So, you know, got to use her somehow, I guess.
41:05 - Even in your fantasy booking.
41:08 - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
41:09 - You've got contract work money, Dan.
41:10 - Contractual obstacles.
41:11 - Contractual obligations.
41:13 - Well, I think you've done the best you can
41:14 in answering those questions.
41:16 - And as we say, we did kind of create a monster.
41:18 - You two created a monster.
41:19 - Yeah, we kind of created a monster when we praised someone
41:23 who booked the NWO Nexus.
41:25 So I don't know why we're surprised.
41:27 - The 2001 invasion is a mess of an invasion.
41:29 ECW come in with WCW and they form the alliance, right?
41:32 It's like, it should have been a really big moment,
41:34 but that was done in 20 minutes.
41:36 So I wanted to look at the invasion
41:37 and spread that over six months instead,
41:41 where you can tell that story properly and good.
41:44 And in my-
41:45 - In 13 and a half minutes.
41:46 - Yes.
41:47 And in my world, the ECW of my story is TNA,
41:51 by Dixie Carter and Jeff Jarrett.
41:53 - What a world you live in.
41:54 - Yeah.
41:55 - I think we've heard enough pretty much,
41:57 but we'll just give you one last chance each
41:59 to give us your pitch in less than a minute,
42:02 ideally 30 seconds, certainly not 13 and a half minutes,
42:06 for why we should vote for you, Oli first.
42:08 - I think the biggest money match you can do in wrestling
42:11 is CM Punk versus some version of the Elite,
42:14 whether it be Omega or Hangman Page.
42:16 I think my booking could re,
42:19 it's like hard reset collision
42:21 to make that a distinctly different show
42:23 as opposed to a crossover show with the main stuff.
42:25 And I'm hopeful after that event,
42:30 we would then have sort of two houses,
42:34 Ring of Honor, AEW, where Punk and MJF are in one,
42:38 Adam Cole's in the other,
42:39 and it's kind of like these star-crossed lovers
42:41 of Cole and MJF, 'cause MJF never turned on Cole.
42:44 That would have been the storyline heading out of it.
42:46 - You wanna have big matches,
42:48 Tony Khan versus Jim Clement in a street fight,
42:52 point number one.
42:53 Point number two, I would say that my storyline ends
42:55 with a nice, neat bow of one of the companies
42:58 being disbanded as opposed to two companies ending up,
43:02 but with only one world champion
43:04 between those two companies, like somebody else's story.
43:08 - All right, well, so Nina and Michael,
43:12 if you'd like to sit and have a think,
43:15 and we will each cast our vote.
43:17 One of you two is going to the finals
43:19 of Fantasy Booking Warfare.
43:21 Happy birthday, by the way.
43:22 - Thank you.
43:25 At the time of being filmed, yes.
43:27 - I'll say happy birthday.
43:28 - You said it first.
43:31 (dramatic music)
43:33 - All right, we have reached our conclusions.
43:56 All three of us have decided who we think
43:58 should go through to the final.
43:59 First to give his verdict, Michael O'Keefe.
44:02 - This was a difficult decision
44:03 'cause I thought that these were very well thought out.
44:07 It's almost like you learn from your quarterfinal booking,
44:12 decisions, mistakes, positives.
44:15 And even though it was hard for me to think
44:18 about who to choose, I've gone with Luke.
44:21 I can't really, it's just a hunch, it's just a feeling.
44:24 But for some reason, I feel like Luke's was the best.
44:27 - I have never had my own merchandise before.
44:31 And now I do, albeit in brackets at the bottom.
44:36 And so I respect that.
44:39 I do respect that.
44:40 Thank you, Luke.
44:41 However, your booking is batshit crazy.
44:44 (laughing)
44:46 And Ollie's is all right, so I'm voting for Ollie.
44:48 (dramatic music)
44:51 I totally respect that.
44:53 - Both of you took on our feedback from last time.
44:57 With our consistent judging, Ollie,
45:00 we criticized your realism.
45:02 She went down the more real route
45:03 and Luke, we praised your batshit craziness
45:07 and you went more batshit crazy.
45:09 So, but this was really, really tough.
45:14 But one that I went with, which actually,
45:17 I love the concept of the home and away for the crowd.
45:21 And I'd love to see how that would play out.
45:23 So with that being said, I went for Ollie.
45:25 (dramatic music)
45:27 - Which means, Ollie Davis, you are in the finals
45:31 of Fantasy Booking Warfare.
45:33 We'll hear from you in a second,
45:34 but first of all, Luke, any thoughts?
45:35 - I mean, it all makes sense.
45:37 Thank you so much for your time.
45:38 Thank you for your expertise
45:40 and thank you for your excellent feedback,
45:42 and both positive and negative.
45:44 And congratulations to a very worthy, worthy winner.
45:48 - A gentleman in defeat.
45:50 Ollie Davis, congratulations.
45:52 - You suck!
45:53 You overbooked it!
45:54 You tried to pander to the judges.
45:57 You didn't know anything.
45:59 And that's why you're not in the final.
46:00 - I think you're great, man.
46:01 - Thank you very much.
46:02 - That's what I actually wanted to say.
46:03 - No, I said, when I watched your booking,
46:06 while we watched it together, and I was yelping.
46:09 I was audibly yelping.
46:11 Two minute, from two minutes in.
46:13 - Yeah.
46:14 - So well done, that was great.
46:15 - So with that, the lunacy of Luke Owen has met its end
46:19 as Ollie Davis has become the first to etch his name
46:22 on the tournament final marquee.
46:24 But now, he needs an opponent worthy of the main event.
46:28 Tune in next week to find out whether it will be Tempest
46:31 or Laurie Blake, who will advance to the final
46:34 of Fantasy Booking Warfare.
46:37 - He has a sympathetic edge.
46:40 - Yes, but he's not a baby face.
46:42 - Is he a tweener?
46:44 - You could say that.
46:44 - Ooh.
46:45 (laughing)
46:48 - He said it.
46:51 He said it.
46:52 No further questions.
46:54 Okay, move.