Don Callis always gets fantastic heat in the building and this was assured as Sammy Guevara has looked in any role for some time, but another good-on-paper idea failed badly in execution when 'The Invisible Hand' and Konosuke Takeshita paid a visit to Kota Ibushi's dojo.
'The Alpha' looked - by design - like a garbage human bullying a trainee, and a kettlebell shot to Ibushi's head was effectively nasty. But the wrestling/rolling/fighting exchange between the two was excruciating. Fought in treacle, this was everything Takeshita's not as a wrestler, and has raised yet more unneeded questions about what the former IWGP Champion still has to offer in the ring.
He will at least have a kayfabe reason for not quite looking and feeling 100%, but the pressure is mounting for the legendary figure to provide a reminder of why he's placed on such a high pedestal.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
