Welcome to the Squared Circle Podcast! I am your host Marie Shadows!

Hey friends,
Dos Evil and I break down the full match card for MLW’s Summer of the Beasts!
We were both there live — I was working the event, and Dos was soaking it all in as a fan. This episode captures everything we saw, felt, and questioned.

Main takeaway?
MJF crashed MLW and shocked the entire wrestling world.

Yeah. That happened.

His surprise appearance is already up on MLW’s and the Squared Circle Podcast YouTube Shorts, but we were in the building when it went down — and it was electric.

MJF crashes MLW Summer of the Beasts Shorts

But we’re not just here to mark out.
Both of us raised real concerns about what this move means — especially if MJF is bringing his masked crusade storyline over from AEW.

• AEW tends to ruin everything it touches. Harsh? Maybe. But we said what we said.

• MLW’s on a hot streak right now, and honestly, an AEW x MLW partnership could do more harm than good.

That said...I’ll give MJF a pass…for now

I’m willing to see where it goes.

Here are my thoughts on Instagram Reels: My thoughts on MJF at MLW

Concerns we talk about:

Welcome to the Squared Circle Podcast! I am your host Marie Shadows!

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Marie Shadows recaps MLW's Summer of the Beast and her emotional encounter with NJPW legends. She responds to backlash over saying “I’m hoping MLW to save NJPW,” explains the difference between wishing and claiming, and breaks down why AEW has done more harm than help. From internet drama to real wrestling industry insights, this is a bold episode calling out misinformation, hypocrisy, and fantasy booking gone wrong.

📍 Topics Covered:

• MLW and NJPW partnership

• Backstage confirmations from the event

• AEW’s track record with partner promotions

• Debunking wrestling monopoly fears

• Social media etiquette and fake outrage

• Wrestling Twitter drama dissected

Welcome to the Squared Circle Podcast! I am your host Marie Shadows!

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***

Marie Shadows returns with a fiery, no-holds-barred podcast tackling the state of professional wrestling across AEW, NJPW, and more. From critiquing Mercedes Moné’s “belt collector” run to questioning AEW’s inconsistent storytelling and NJPW’s baffling booking at Dominion and G1 Climax 35, Marie holds nothing back.

She explores the toxic fan gatekeeping culture plaguing AEW, questions Tony Khan’s public media behavior, and challenges both promotions on their failure to prioritize storytelling. Marie also offers passionate insight into how NJPW Strong could’ve succeeded with better leadership, and why New Japan feels like it’s on “life support.”

This is more than a rant—it's a reality check for the industry.

Timestamps:

• (00:00) – Welcome and creator update

• (00:14) – AEW fandom gatekeeping + brand stagnation

• (03:00) – AEW's metrics, privacy, and delusions of growth

• (07:50) – AEW x CMLL criticism, bad presentation of partners

• (08:45) – Mercedes Moné’s belt collection: harmful, not helpful

• (11:20) – Lack of women’s promos or storyline retaliation

• (13:30) – AEW creative laziness with Monet vs Toni Storm

• (17:00) – Asking the real AEW storytelling question

• (22:00) – New Japan Strong mismanagement + opportunities lost

• (30:00) – Dominion fallout: DOUKI, Bullet Club, War Dogs

• (35:00) – Gabe Kidd’s confusing direction + Moxley ties

• (42:00) – G1 35 blocks feel underwhelming and rushed

• (46:00) – Why NJPW must elevate new talent and stop relying on AEW