Escape the Undertaker and all the images you see in this review are owned by Netflix and WWE

Directed by Ben Simms

WWE has fallen PRETTY far in the last few years which can be attributed to a lot of things, but the most obvious of them is the arrival of AEW who have been killing it in the ratings recently to the consternation of Vince and crew.  That said, if there’s ONE area where they are still the undisputed rulers of in this business, making fun things only tangentially related to wrestling!  AEW doesn’t have a movie studio, and while they may have one reality show, half of WWE’s programming these days seems to have zeroed in on that market with pretty significant success!  Being the established brand CLEARLY has its benefits, and while we probably won’t be getting another season of the Big Show Show, their relationship with Netflix has given us THIS little gem just in time for the Halloween season!  Does this interactive movie pack enough chills and thrills to delight even the most jaded horror fan, or does this fall even flatter than Seth Rollins’ Monday Night Messiah gimmick?  Let’s find out!!

You may have always wondered what a guy like The Undertaker did on his days off, and apparently the answer is to live in a dilapidated mansion with security cameras all over the place much like the terrifying hotel in The Collection!  All of this seems to be to protect his precious urn that gives him his dark powers and glows bright purple when you get close to it, but on this fateful Halloween night, he is greeted by some unexpected guests!  The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods) want to “borrow” the urn to see if they mix its dark magic with the Power of Positivity (it’s a wrestling thing; don’t worry about it) and so they start knock-knock-knocking on his front door asking to see it.  Now The Undertaker, under normal circumstances, would have just given them all Tomb Stone Piledrivers, but the urn seems to be reacting to their presence so perhaps he can use their souls to add to the urn’s already impressive power!  He unlocks the door from his secret security room and the New Day enter to find spooky fog, mysterious voices, and a morgue in the basement, all in their quest to find the urn and use its powers for good!  Can you guide the New Day through whatever perilous traps and soul crushing trials the Undertaker has in store for them?  What happens if you make mistakes that drain our heroes of their positive attitudes?  Do you think this is what The Undertaker does every Halloween; just stare at his computer all day and hope that someone will try to mess with him?

AEW Rampage is owned by All Elite Wrestling, Tony Khan, Shahid Khan, and TNT

We’re back with another week of concentrated AEW goodness as they are still running shows on Friday and Saturday instead of the usual Wednesday and Friday.  DARN YOU HOCKEY FOR MAKING MY WEEK SLIGHTLY MORE INCONVENIENT!  In any case, does AEW still put on a great show even if it’s now leading with Rampage instead of Dynamite?  Let’s find out!!

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Orange Cassidy Vs. Powerhouse Hobbs – AEW World Title Tournament Match

Cassidy is accompanied to the ring by Chuck Taylor while Hobbs is accompanied by Hook

As great as Hobbs is, you’d expect this match to handily end in Cassidy’s favor, but there are two things that make this interesting.  First, Cassidy is having issues with his ribs due to the Leg Drop that Matt Hardy gave him through a table during the ladder match, so Hobbs has something to target.  Second, Hobbs is proving himself to be a VERY smart wrestler who can definitely rely on his size most of the time but can out strategize his opponent when the need arises, and arise it does because Hobbs is reading Cassidy like a book and anticipating all of his signature moves.  Cassidy starts the match going for an Orange Punch, but Hobbs scouts it, dodges it, and lands one of his HELLACIOUS Spine Busters to get things going and he gets the heat for quite a while on Cassidy; including one spot where Cassidy is thrown into the rope and tries to land a Swinging DDT, but Hobbs catches him and lays him out with a giant clothesline.  Cassidy finally starts to fight back when he gets a few shots in while on the apron before going for the Cross Body off the top rope, but once again Hobbs’ power comes into play as he catches him and puts him in the Torture Rack.  It seems hopeless for Orange Cassidy who can’t get a move in edgewise, whether it’s another attempt at a Swinging DDT or another shot at the Orange Punch that Hobbs dodges once again drives him into the turnbuckle.  It’s all great stuff from Hobbs even if it’s a bit TOO one-sided for my taste, but here’s where things start to get odd.  Hobbs is continually pressing him in the corner and Ref Remsberg has to remind him over and over to break the hold before the five count.  This is SO irritating to Hobbs that he ACTUALLY picks up Remsberg so they can talk in the other corner.  Hook gets on the apron to calm Hobbs down which ends up working as Hobbs takes a deep breath and is ready to continue the match properly.  These shenanigans however have given Cassidy enough time to get back up and roll him up in the Mouse Trap to get the pin and win the match.  Hobbs is out of the tournament which is a shame because this was a REALLY good match that did a lot to show how great of a wrestler he is!  I don’t always like it when Cassidy spends most of the match eating offense, but Hobbs knowing Cassidy’s moves and countering them at every turn was a fantastic strategy for him to use in this match.  Ultimately though it seems to have been SUCH a good strategy that they wrote themselves into a corner and had to settle for ref shenanigans to get themselves out of it which is disappointing, but this once again affirms that Powerhouse Hobbs is an indispensable talent at AEW and as always I can’t wait to see even more of him!