Belleville, NJ host/producer Action Figure 973 is celebrating the holidays a few days early with his 10th EP. At this point, each of Act-Lo’s first 2 mixtapes, as well as his last 9 EPs and his full-length debut DOOM Was Right just 7 months ago (a tribute to one of my personal favorite albums, Madvillainy), has established himself as a promising, skilled wrestler who just happens to know how to rap. It’s been a few months since The Funniest Man in the World went on a sophomore effort with Machacha and prepared to dish out the game to Lucha Libra over Christmas, as former PWG World Champion, record-breaking two-time World Heavyweight Champion and longest-running WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther retires former 17-time WWE World Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion and 4-time WWE Tag Team Champion John Cena on Saturday night’s Main Event XLII.
After the intro, “Noche Buena” begins with this drumless chipmunk soul intro, referencing WWE Hall of Famer and 4-time WWE Tag Team Champion The Chief Jay Strongbow, while “DOOM’s Christmas Special” [adult swim]” worked on the piano so he could take a moment to address the ongoing feud between Westside Gunn and WWE. “Christmas Coal” fondly refers to the boa constrictor sidekick popularized by 8-time WWE World Champion CM Punk, while “Turbo Man” talks about being chased like he was the fictional Jingle All the Way superhero starring WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Christmas Day Wrestling continued to sample the late WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE United States Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion and WCW World Tag Team Champion Rick Rude near the end, while Bad Santa, starring Lord Juco, compared himself to the title character in the holiday comedy crime movie of the same name. “Batman Smells,” performed by Malcolm Sef, later included a reference to WWE Hall of Famer and two-time WWE Women’s World Champion Nikki Bella, but before the end of “Yule Log,” the last song performed by Hound, “Chinese Turkey,” ended it all with a drumless outro that talked about not fighting so hard to stay the same.
After the beat tape of “Thank God for Fania” wrapped up on Black Friday last month, Action Figure 973 returned to the mic and linked up with Circa ’97 for a holiday-themed sequel to “Lucha Libre for the Soul,” roughly 48 hours before the summer solstice. It will certainly be a treat for those looking forward to Carmelo Hayes ending the WWE United States Championship reign, or payback for the longest reigning AEW World Champion MJF defeating current two-time champion Samoa Joe at World’s End III, while the inaugural AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions the Babes of Wrath will also compete for the titles. In the World’s End III match, the opponents are the longest reigning ROH Women’s World Champion Athena and the longest reigning AEW tbs champion and current CMLL Mundial Femenil Campeon Mercedes Moné.
Score: 7/10
