Love Wrestling

Spencer Love Interviews: Matt Taven

by Spencer Love March 20, 2021

written by Spencer Love

Matt Taven joins Spencer Love to discuss being discovered by Ring of Honor, his time in Alberta, the ‘prove it’ mentality of the ROH locker room, Sexual Taven, the intricacies of a hair-versus-hair match, being a part of so many ROH firsts, and more!

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Defending the ROH Title outside of Ring of Honor:

“I think of it as how – because I’ve been a fan my entire life, so I always look at the guys who traveled the world and did all these things. When you hear those cool NWA stories about, like, Flair coming here and there and defending the title. To me, that’s what the World Championship is all about. I had some great experiences going to England with it. But like being the first-ever Ring of Honor World Champion to go to Arena Mexico was crazy. Being able to go up to Canada, and like, I had such an incredible experience winning the World Title in Madison Square Garden. For me, I mean, could there be a bigger moment for a wrestling fan? I can literally remember as a kid, you know, destroying all my parent’s furniture and being like ‘in Madison Square Garden, I’m the Champion!’ For it to actually come to fruition one day is just a dream come true. And so, that energy that kind of that gave me, I wanted to keep it going. To go and travel – and I started cutting a crazy schedule. It ended up biting me literally in the foot in the end, because I had to have surgery. But I wanted that because I felt like that’s what wrestling was all about. After achieving that dream. I was like ‘I know how to keep this feeling going, and it’s by going out there and showing everyone why I’m the Ring of Honor World Champion.”

The prove-it mentality of the ROH locker room:

“That’s always – and that’s what made Ring of Honor and still makes Ring of Honor so good, is that we look around the locker room, and I go, ‘damn, he’s really good. I got to step my game up.’ You know what I mean? It was that way when I first got in there, and I probably wasn’t ready for that. But, you know, you’ve got the Kevin Steens and the Roderick Strongs, and the Briscoes that are still there, and Jay Lethal, and Adam Cole, and it’s like, ‘oh, man, I gotta – these are thick, these are rough waters to swim in, and I’ve got to stay afloat.’ I think that that has always been a feeling: a competitive, a good competitiveness in the Ring of Honor locker room has always been there. I think if there’s anything that’s different now, it’s more of a team competitive. It’s ‘alright. Maybe if people doubt us, let’s show them if they tune in that they’re looking very foolish for ever doubting us.’ And we’re very supportive of one another now, but at the same time, man, I was watching the episode last night and it’s like, you got Shane Taylor and Dragon Lee and Gresham and Lethal and Kenny and Rush and you’re like, you start doing push-ups. You’re like, ‘I gotta do something to keep up with everyone!’ That’s a competitive spirit that I think has always been in Ring of Honor, and I think it’s always been the reason why Ring of Honor has been such an innovative force in the wrestling world.”

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March 20, 2021 2 comments

TJ Wilson on Sasha Banks, Bayley, and WWE’s Women’s Division

by Spencer Love March 19, 2021

written by Spencer Love

It’s impossible to argue that WWE’s women’s division has been at the forefront of this era of pandemic wrestling. From top to bottom, the division has excelled during this unique time in the industry, with many seizing the opportunity at hand to create some of the most memorable moments of an otherwise downtime in pro wrestling.

One person closely working with the women of WWE throughout the pandemic has been current producer and former in-ring talent TJ Wilson. The former Tyson Kidd has been instrumental in producing some of the pandemic’s premier matches, including the 2021 Royal Rumble match and the critically-acclaimed Sasha Banks versus Bayley “Hell in a Cell” match where Banks claimed the Smackdown Women’s Championship.

Wilson recently joined us to chat about WWE’s women’s division as a whole, as well as some of the Superstars who have stood out to him over the past few months since we’d last chatted.

Of course, when talking about the Women’s Division throughout 2020 and early 2021, it’s impossible to start with anyone but Sasha Banks and Bayley. The two have routinely been recognized as two of, if not the, top stars in professional wrestling throughout the course of the pandemic.

It’s a sentiment that Wilson wholeheartedly agrees with.

“I mean, I don’t know [who] it’d be. Maybe I’ll be – I don’t know if I’m biased, but I do work with [Sasha and Bayley] a lot. I don’t know – if they weren’t the MVP’s of this pandemic wrestling, then I honestly don’t know who are [or] who is.”

However, he continues, it’s not just the former Golden Role Models that have been at the forefront of pandemic wrestling. It’s the entire women’s division that have taken their on-screen performances to another level.

“But, the truth is if you watch, a lot of our talent have stepped up and especially a lot of the women,” beams Wilson. “I was very proud of the battle royale on RAW maybe three weeks ago, right before the draft or the day of the draft during the draft. I was very proud of that match. I thought it was very well done. I thought all the talent were great. It’s cool to see them – I worded that wrong, but like the Triple Threat this past week on RAW – on Smackdown, sorry – with Natty and Ruby and Zelina and the Triple Threat the week before I thought was very good as well with Billie, Natty, and Bianca.”

“Natty, obviously, her works speaks for itself. She’s the longest – you know, I don’t know that there’s been a woman that’s wrestled in WWE as long as her without a break. Actually, I take it back. I know there hasn’t. And then secondly she has the most matches in WWE for a woman and the most wins. So her career speaks for itself. But, you got someone like Bianca who has a ton of potential and you know, the sky’s the limit.”

“And,” he finishes, “I think Billie Kay is gonna surprise a lot of people as well. Like I think that Triple Threat opened a lot of eyes that maybe hadn’t seen Billie in a certain light before. We already know that she has personality for days. We already know that. So, it’s good to show that she also has some ring prowess as well.”

Of course, throughout the pandemic, it hasn’t just been WWE’s women’s division that’s come to the forefront of the professional wrestling scene. IMPACT has earned well-deserved accolades for their presentation of the Knockouts division, while All Elite Wrestling has earned headlines recently with their #1 contenders tournament and the highly-regarded Britt Baker/Thunder Rosa Lights Out match on Wednesday.

However, Wilson is quick to go to bat for WWE’s women as the top division in pro wrestling.

“I just think, honestly, across all three brands – and I’m sure to you know it obviously extends further even than that – is just this wave of wanting to prove themselves,” he states. “I did it as an individual. I was smaller in WWE and in wrestling, and I wanted to prove myself. I understand that as an individual, what’s really cool is they’re not only doing it as an individual, but they’re doing it as a collective group. I’ve never come across someone to phone it in or just kind of get by.

They, if you have an idea for them and they don’t – you know, if it works, it works, but if it’s not like the – if they think that there’s maybe even a little bit better idea, that they want to keep searching until we find something even a little bit better. Something may kind of work, but they want it even to – they always go out with the mindset of making it better, better, better and, of course, going out with the goal of making [the idea] the best and then come back and kind of dissect what maybe could be better. They take it all to heart. I don’t know why, but in this last eight months of – I don’t know if it’s maybe just because my travels so easy – I just drive to Orlando and back, so I’m able to focus on things – I don’t know, I don’t understand. But, I’ve really seen it a lot the last eight months.”

“Obviously, Sasha and Bayley have had a big spotlight on them during this whole time, [with] whole time being during this last six, eight months. So, of course, them, too, but not just only them. Everybody else on that woman’s roster has really stepped up and it’s so cool to see. It’s cool to see that the ones in the lead are stepping up and the ones that you would maybe consider at the back are also stepping up. So everybody’s stepping up, and it just keeps growing and growing and growing.”

Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any transcriptions used.

March 19, 2021 14 comments

Turnbuckle Rewind: Episode Eleven | Aldis vs. Cody, ALL IN 2018

by Staff March 18, 2021

written by Staff

On the latest edition of Turnbuckle Rewind, Joe and Karl turn back the clocks to the legendary All In event from 2018 and that night’s NWA Championship match between Nick Aldis and Cody Rhodes!

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March 18, 2021 0 comments

Spencer Love Interviews: Ian Abel of the Ian Abel Band

by Spencer Love March 16, 2021

written by Spencer Love

Musician Ian Abel of the Ian Abel Band joins me to discuss his work with All Elite Wrestling, creating music for Cody vs Dustin, what makes this lineup of the Ian Abel Band unique, the process of moving the band to Nashville mid-pandemic, and more!

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A background on the band:

“What are we? A band of misfits, really! Who are we? We’re still trying to figure that out. No – so, currently moving to Nashville, because of everything is going on. The band’s kind of spread out right now. But we’ll be based out of Nashville starting out. And it kind of makes sense. I mean, we’re more of that, like, I call it modern-day outlaw country, which outlaw country think like Waylon [Jennings] and people. If someone hears us, they’ll be like, ‘I don’t know about that,’ but we’re just a bunch of musicians just trying to write about what I guess we go through.”

“I try to keep it all pretty personal. I never sit down and think ‘this is exactly how things are going to be.’ You know, I would have never imagined that I would have a song used in such an awesome way. Two songs used, but especially with ‘Shoes’ for the brother-versus-brother match. I don’t know if that answered your question, but as far as who we are, I’m still trying to figure that out, I think.”

Who he would like to write entrance music for:

“Three. Okay. Anna Jay because she’s awesome! Yeah, different. Anna Jay. I think she’s incredible. She’s also super gorgeous, and she’s – I follow her on Twitter, she seems awesome, and I think she’s going to be huge. I think she’s gonna be a household name sooner than later. Also, let’s see Orange Cassidy. I’m a huge Cassidy guy. Big time Orange Cassidy fan. I think I could write a sick one for him. And another one. Let’s go – screw it! Let’s go MJF! I can write some real real obnoxious I think.”

SL: “I was gonna say, you know, to go back to that outlaw comparison. He’s an outlaw in a very interesting way I suppose in a lot of ways, right?”

IA: “I guess Hangman would be the smartest one. Besides Anna Jay, Hangman, probably the smartest as far as music that we write. Hangman for sure.”