Wrestling Mayhem Show 1019: Turn Safe Search Off

New Chapters, Weird Wrestling and Turning Safe Search Off

Professional wrestling has a funny way of making endings and beginnings happen at the same time.

That became the unofficial theme of Wrestling Mayhem Show 1019 as Sorg, Mad Mike and Rizz were joined by longtime Mayhem supporter and special guest co-host Tina Keys.

At Wembley Stadium, AEW created one of those moments that immediately feels like the beginning of something bigger. Will Ospreay defeated Kenny Omega, completing a journey that was woven directly into the presentation of the match.

Ospreay's entrance revisited pieces of his career and even included an emotional contribution from his mother. Omega's presentation leaned into the Japanese wrestling and anime influences that have followed him throughout his career. Once the bell rang, the two were able to pull from years of shared history.

It wasn't simply another championship change. It felt like AEW declaring that the Will Ospreay era had begun.

New Level Has Arrived

Another new chapter began with the arrival of Kofi Kingston and Austin Creed as New Level, joining Swerve Strickland.

The Wembley crowd barely needed an introduction. Fans quickly adapted the familiar New Day chant into one for New Level, and suddenly AEW had another major team in an already deep tag-team ecosystem.

Their arrival also fueled one of the show's larger discussions: wrestlers aren't automatically “fumbled” simply because they become more successful somewhere else.

Sometimes the fit changes.

Tommaso Ciampa and Penta were among the examples discussed. A wrestler may have all the talent in the world, but the right presentation, creative direction, environment or opportunity can completely change how audiences perceive them.

New Level now gets the opportunity to discover what a different environment can unlock.

Sorgstock Somehow Happened

If Wembley represented wrestling on its grandest scale, Wrestling Mayhem Show Presents: Sorgstock represented wrestling after somebody opened the toy box and stopped reading the instructions.

The third Wrestling Mayhem Show-produced event combined legitimate wrestling with ideas that probably shouldn't have worked.

There was a video game match in which wrestlers attempted to behave like poorly controlled characters from a wrestling game.

There was a back-to-school match involving increasingly questionable school supplies.

There were aliens.

There were bites.

There was live music.

There was live artwork from Facade.

There was Some Guy Named John causing trouble until Eamon decided he'd had enough.

There was an emergency Instacart order for concessions.

And, most importantly, there was a recorder that apparently has mysterious psychological power over Rizz.

Underneath the insanity, however, was something important.

Sorgstock still had good wrestling.

Brianna and Reese delivered one of the night's strongest traditional matches. Championship wrestling bookended the event. The unusual stipulations weren't replacements for wrestling — they were opportunities for performers to show another side of themselves.

That's becoming the identity of these Wrestling Mayhem Show events. They aren't trying to become another weekly promotion. They're occasional opportunities to let talented people try something strange.

Sometimes that means a great wrestling match.

Sometimes that means an alien biting somebody.

Both belong.

WWE Goes Very Atlanta

The conversation eventually moved toward WWE's Sunday Night's Main Event in Atlanta.

Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton are set to meet again. Oba Femi and Bron Breakker collide. The women's division gets a prominent multi-person match, and the presentation is being wrapped in Atlanta culture.

Then Tina Keys introduced everyone to WWE's Magic City merchandise.

We'll simply say Google can provide additional context.

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The Atlanta discussion also expanded into what's coming next for WWE and Triple A, including upcoming events in Mexico and the possibilities surrounding stars such as Penta performing in front of those crowds.

Saying Goodbye to Enjoy Wrestling

The funniest Wrestling Mayhem Shows often end up finding an unexpectedly emotional subject.

This week, it was Enjoy Wrestling.

The Pittsburgh promotion has announced that its run is coming to an end, and the news hits especially hard for people who have worked on, wrestled for or simply attended the shows.

Enjoy became more than another independent wrestling promotion.

Its production looked different.

Its atmosphere felt different.

It created a space where LGBTQ+ wrestlers and fans could feel welcome without that inclusivity being treated as a novelty. It brought wrestlers to Pittsburgh who may not otherwise have had that platform and gave established performers an environment they genuinely enjoyed working in.

Its influence can also be seen elsewhere in the Pittsburgh wrestling scene.

The closing leaves a real hole.

But wrestling rarely leaves empty space untouched for long.

As Tina pointed out, while one chapter closes in Pittsburgh, DEFY Wrestling is beginning new chapters of its own, including expansion into Detroit and new opportunities in the Pacific Northwest.

Somebody will see what Enjoy created.

Somebody will be inspired.

And eventually, somebody will build the next thing.

That's wrestling.

The shows end.

The people move.

The ideas survive.

And occasionally, someone gets hit with a recorder along the way.

Watch and listen to Wrestling Mayhem Show 1019 at www.WrestlingMayhemShow.com.