If any of the quotes from the following podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and provide an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
** Heading into AEW All Out 2022, Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) were brought into the company to team with Jay Lethal and they took on Wardlow and FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler). Sabin shared during a virtual signing with Captain’s Corner that he thought M.C.M.G. were going to get a traditional tag match against FTR in AEW. He thinks it could still happen in the future.
Sabin: I think it’s possible one day (MCMG vs. FTR). Obviously, we thought it was gonna happen in AEW. It turned into a six-man tag which was fine. But, I think it’s possible one day. I’d love to have a match with those guys. I think they’re insanely talented and they have such a cool style because they like old school in today’s atmosphere and I think that’s really cool, makes them stand out. They’re both cool guys, great wrestlers. I think it’d be awesome.
There was a point in the conversation when Shelley heaped praise onto Jeff Jarrett. He called Jarrett a genius and feels wrestling would look a lot different if Jarrett wouldn’t have been in the business. Shelley isn’t sure if he and Chris Sabin would have the careers they have if it wasn’t for Jeff. He added that he feels Jarrett stole the show during Ric Flair’s Last Match.
Shelley: He’s (Jeff Jarrett) probably the smartest man in wrestling, isn’t he? He’s probably the smartest guy I’ve ever met. He’s just a genius. He survived in different eras of wrestling and he’s just had so many different experiences and just wrestled everybody. F*ck, how can you not be a genius at that point? Coming up in Memphis like that and then to transition that to WWF style, that’s totally different, right? That’s a totally different ballgame so from a wrestler’s standpoint, the things that you were doing that worked there aren’t necessarily gonna work up north but they did and then to go from there to WCW at the right time and then go back to WWF and to have a gimmick given to him or he decided, I don’t know which but it wasn’t necessarily all that great with the NWA stuff. Remember when he had the Miami — the Dolphins colors kind of? And then to transition that into cutting his hair off in a match with X-Pac and then becoming a top tier heel, it’s just incredible, and starting a company. Without Jeff Jarrett, the wrestling business as we know it would be totally different. I mean totally different. I don’t know if we (Motor City Machine Guns) would have had careers in all honesty so, utmost respect for Jeff.
I thought he kind of stole the show on (Ric) Flair’s Last Match too. When I was watching, like man, everybody’s doing great but, I can’t take my eyes off Jeff. I don’t know what it is.
He also spoke highly of IWA Mid-South and what the promotion did for him. He does not know where he’d be without the promotion. Shelley said he met CM Punk there and Punk is who brought him to Ring of Honor.
Shelley: If it weren’t for that company (IWA Mid-South), I don’t know where I’d be honestly. They were the first ones who really gave me a platform to really wrestle and if I hadn’t met (CM) Punk and (Colt) Cabana and (Chris) Hero, especially Punk because he was the one that took me to Ring of Honor, then I don’t know how my career would have turned out. But, it was just such a great platform for exposure and experience too because how many places are you gonna get to go that are gonna let you wrestle for 30 minutes and then have the reach at the time to really infiltrate all these hardcore fans’ peripherals, right? The Smart Mark Video deal at the time was paramount to everybody’s success so that was really, really cool.
Elsewhere during the signing, Shelley recounted Amazing Red telling M.C.M.G. that he was going to debut in ECW as a part of the F.B.I. (Full Blooded Italians).
Shelley: Our friends, a lot of people don’t know this, that we’re gonna debut for ECW, right? Amazing Red was gonna be in the FBI. It’s what he told us. It would’ve been cool, right? This little, tiny Puerto Rican kid then you see him fly around. It’s like, oh my God man.
** Q.T.V. (Q.T. Marshall, Harley Cameron & Aaron Solo) were the featured guests on the newest Talk Is Jericho podcast. Marshall was asked about Cody Rhodes no longer being in AEW. Marshall said when Rhodes was with the company, he was adamant about Marshall helping not just him, but being of assistance to Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho and The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson). Marshall and Rhodes have a great relationship and he said it’s incredible to see what Rhodes has gone on to do post-AEW. Q.T. added that by the time Cody was gone, he was already in the position of Tony Khan’s right-hand man.
So that’s something he (Cody Rhodes) was really good about in the beginning was like, ‘Hey, Matt, Nick, Kenny and Chris especially, whatever they need, please don’t just be my guy. It’ll be the worst thing you could do’ and so that’s why from the beginning, I was always — it sucks not having him at work with us, right? Because of course, he’s one of my best friends, he’s the closest thing to a brother besides my actual brother. But, the end of the day, we still talk every day and he still gives me great advice and to see what he’s been able to do is incredible. So I think it’s just one of those things, you know, it was weird at first. But I think I had already developed into something different by the time he was leaving. By the time he left, I had already graduated into Tony’s right-hand man. So it wasn’t like a huge, huge thing but again, it sucks not having — he had his own room, you know? (Marshall laughed) It was fun. He had a place to go. Got to have my own room, you know? And then I was working and I was like, wait a minute guys. I’ve never been a male talent because I was always his guy and I don’t have my own room so now I’m just changing in Tony’s locker room… I was like, I can’t go in there (the men’s locker room). No one’s gonna want to talk around me and stuff and of course I’m overthinking it but then I’m just getting changed in Tony’s — so we finally got a Vice President room in some arenas depending on who’s here or not so, this way, Tony’s dad doesn’t walk in and I’m getting changed for a match or something like that.
Elsewhere during the chat, he said he’s been trying to rid of the ‘Q.T’ name. He enjoys going by the shortened version of his first name, ‘Mike’.
I like ‘Mike’ believe it or not. I’ve been trying to get rid of ‘Q.T.’ forever, forever and it was a name I came up with when I was 20 years old because I was a good-looking — I was cutely irresistible and WWE said, ‘You need a name’ and I said, ‘Man, what kind of name?’ So I came up with QT. Everywhere I go, they’re like, ‘Nah, we’re not gonna let you use that’ and then they’re like, ‘Oh, QT.’ I don’t know, whatever.
There was one occasion when Marshall messaged Tony Khan about winning a championship outside of AEW. Khan responded by saying AEW is unfortunately not doing business with either the champion or promotion Q.T. was referring to.
I remember texting Tony (Khan), asking him about winning a championship once. Not in AEW, like another person’s title and he was just like, ‘Unfortunately, we’re not doing business with them but, man, I can’t believe you just asked me that.’ I was like, ‘Well yeah, I just wanna ask…’ If you say no, no problem. But if I never ask, I’ll never know, right? So what’s the worst that’s gonna happen? I could get fired (he laughed). But realistically, this is the way I look at it, what is the worst that’s gonna happen? I’ve been broke, I’ve been working other jobs so this is a dream and like I said, we just don’t take anything for granted.
** Joining Mark Andrews’ My Love Letter to Wrestling podcast was newly crowned RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion Michael Oku and he opened up about his title win:
Oh, it’s huge, it’s an honor would be the first thing (I’d say about winning RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title). Again, just purely based off those names that have held it in the past. It only hit me, there was like a reel that came out to promote the Copper Box show and it just showed a few, a selection of those former British Heavyweight Champions and it was (Katsuyori) Shibata, it was Zack Sabre Jr., Will Ospreay, A.J. Styles and then there’s me and I’m like, ouuu, ouuu, there it is. Oh, this is real now and it’s just a thing where people held that title, it’s been defended in the Tokyo Dome, it’s been defended in Madison Square Garden and so there is this thing where eyes have been on this championship and it is seen as one of the biggest titles to hold in independent wrestling so, it’s an honor, it’s a challenge in terms of yeah, I’m now officially flying the flag of RevPro and just indie wrestling in this country as a whole. But, that’s what I wanted, so here we go.
** As Vix Crow a.k.a. Alicia Fox was speaking to MuscleManMalcolm, she reacted to the moment from WWE Tough Enough when Ariane Andrew said her favorite match is Fox versus Melina and Stone Cold Steve Austin not taking her seriously. Fox said she feels bad that Austin got pushback for his response.
It’s funny, because I think my sister was on that season (of Tough Enough) so I was watching it I think pretty close to it being live. When Cameron said that, I was like, oh! That’s nice of her. That’s really nice and then I’m thinking, I agree with her because one of my favorite opponents to have matches with were Melina. But there were a lot of women, but some way, y’all all know, storylines change, change, change but, I didn’t think any shade about it. I feel bad that Stone Cold gets the heat sometimes. I think some people go, ‘Did you mean anything like that?’ We’re all just conversating, you know? But yeah, I feel bad Stone Cold gets heat from that.
During the conversation, she was informed that Trinity Fatu captured the IMPACT Knockouts World Championship. Fox expressed how proud she is of Trinity and added that she’d like to share the ring with Fatu’s Slammiversary opponent, Deonna Purrazzo.
Oh my gosh! This is crazy (Fox responded to hearing that Trinity Fatu won IMPACT Knockouts Title). I’m so proud of her. I was wondering because I saw her Instagram and everything was really firing up then, you know, what I love about it is she gets to wrestle that Deonna Purrazzo. I wanna work her and yeah, it seems like she’s having a really fun time, you know?
** Captain’s Corner hosted a virtual signing with Rhino as the featured guest. The former ECW World Heavyweight Champion recalled witnessing Ronda Rousey’s work ethic when he was still in WWE. He added that she would get reps in before shows with Dustin Rhodes.
Ronda Rousey, she’s cool. Yeah (she’s cool). I’ll be honest with you, she wasn’t one of those coming in and collecting a payday. She would work out before the shows… She’d go in there and she’d really put 150 percent in. Not 110 percent, 150. She would work with — I wanna say Goldust worked with her a lot and she really wanted to be there, because it wasn’t like, oh, she had no other choice or no other option. She wanted to be there and she wanted to excel at it. So, I give her all the props and I always say that.
** STARDOM 5Star Grand Prix Results (7/23/23) Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
– Pre-Show – Six-Woman Tag Gauntlet Match: Mei Siera, Thekla & Mai Sakurai def. Saki Kashima, Yuna Mizumori & HANAKO in final round (Other teams: Lady C, Miyu Amasaki & Hina and Koguma, Momo Kohgo & Saya Iida)
– 5Star Grand Prix Blue Stars: Maika (2) def. Hanan (0)
– 5Star Grand Prix Blue Stars: Mariah May (2) def. AZM (0)
– 5Star Grand Prix Red Stars: Natsuko Tora (2) def. Ami Sourei (0)
– 5Star Grand Prix Red Stars: Natsupoi (2) def. Starlight Kid (0)
– 5Star Grand Prix Blue Stars: Utami Hayashishita (2) def. Mina Shirakawa (0)
– 5Star Grand Prix Blue Stars: Momo Watanabe (2) def. MIRAI (0)
– 5Star Grand Prix Red Stars: Syuri (c) def. Suzu Suzuki (0)
– 5Star Grand Prix Red Stars: Mayu Iwatani (2) def. Hazuki
– 5Star Grand Prix Blue Stars: Giulia (1) vs. Saori Anou (1) — (15-minute Time Limit Draw)
– 5Star Grand Prix Red Stars: Tam Nakano (2) def. Saya Kamitani (0) via referee stoppage
** Pro Wrestling NOAH ‘Sunny Voyage’ Results (7/23/23) G Messe Gunma in Takasaki, Japan
– Yoshiki Inamura def. Yu Owada
– Shuhei Taniguchi def. Daishi Ozawa
– AMAKUSA, Super Crazy & Junta Miyawaki def. Yoshinari Ogawa, LEONA & Kai Fujimura
– Masa Kitamiya, Manabu Soya & Daiki Inaba def. Lance Anoa’i, Naomichi Marufuji & Mohammed Yone
– Ninja Mack & Hajime Ohara def. Alejandro & Seiki Yoshioka
– Kenoh, Adam Brooks, Stallion Rogers, Eita & HAYATA def. G.L.G. (Jake Lee, Jack Morris, Tadasuke, YO-HEY & Anthony Greene)
– Go Shiozaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima def. Atsushi Kotoge & Hi69
** South Wales Argus has a feature story about independent wrestler Tilly Rose.
** July 23rd birthdays: El Zorro & Nathan Frazer.
** Seth Rollins, Johnny Gargano, Chelsea Green, Mick Foley, John Cone and his son, former Raw Tag Team Champion Nicholas, were a part of Mattel’s San Diego Comic Con panel. Comicbook.com caught up with Green, Foley and Rollins as well.
** An interview with Willow Nightingale is up on Jim Varsallone’s YouTube channel.
If any of the quotes from the following podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and provide an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
