The ESSENTIAL Thursday Night Thread: May 21, 2020

Man, I hope by the time this is over I can tell the difference between Covid symptoms and allergies, for my own sake.

Wednesday ratings are in, and the winner between AEW and NXT is… NASCAR, which beat their combined score. But hey, both networks are happy and so on.

Thanks again to everyone who read my comments on Shad Gaspard’s final, heroic act. It was especially moving hearing from all the parents out here who have said that they wouldn’t have hesitated to do the same thing he did. It’s a wonderful sign, especially in times when all you get bombarded with are the horrible exceptions to the rule, that family is still a binding and powerful element, and that almost all children remain in good, safe hands. Take a bow, one and all. (Or a curtsy. I see you, Princess.)

And now, some under-the-radar love with good matches YOU can enjoy from before they were stars and when they were kings.

Let’s kick off with a banger: an entire Dragon Gate show from 2010! Your main event is Shingo facing the in-limbo Bryan Danielson (this was during the time when he was on tie-related hiatus from the WWE system)!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLlzKPfcGn4&feature=emb_title

Wanna catch more of Sugar Dunkerton aka Pineapple Pete? Here he is in Beyond squaring off against the modern day king of the death match, Matt Tremont! Two guys I’ve seen fight in person and enjoyed both of them! And yes, that appears to be a barbed-wire Garfield plush toy with a baseball bat shoved up its ass. Why do you ask? 🙂

From +LuchaTV, let’s get Penta and Fenix on the horn as they take on the team of ROH star Rush and Mistico II!

Hopefully the WWE comes back with a higher value offer for him, but if not, Drew Gulak will be free to roam the country and put on grappling classics like this one — a Submission match against NXT leader Tommasso Ciampa!

MJF and Marko Stunt met on Dynamite, and it was clear MJF was the higher-positioned star. But what if they were in a promotion with equal footing? Glory Pro gives you the answer, and maybe some insight into Stunt’s popularity rise that got him the AEW deal!

And finally, for you EVE fans out there — INCOMING!

Bring the insanity!