All Elite Wrestling

[Nash Diesel]

jericho just did what it seems like no one in wrestling history has ever been able to do: shut down an annoying, outdated chant that people wish would go away but just doesnt.

Kevin Owens did it in NXT and it was brilliant.

Maybe if Swagger didn't milk the We the People gimmick peeps wouldn't chant it. He can't even stand without standing like he did with Zeb and Cesaro.

[Tainted Eclipse]

they're killing me with a jimmy havoc match followed by a womens match

[Spudz Mackenzie]

A goth chick, an elderly Japanese lady, a Women’s Champion who’s smaller than my dog, and a dentist walk into a bar...

... and then that match happened.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Dr. Britt Baker’s mandible claw - more effective than The Fiend’s.

[VHS]

Crowd sounded barely happy it ended.

[Tainted Eclipse]

shawn "la parka" spears

[Tainted Eclipse]

i like PAC complaining about darby and havoc getting a chance at the title

[Spudz Mackenzie]

PAC/Mox on TV? Maybe a future pay-per-view match?

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Jim Cornette compared Adam Page to Barry Whendam on his podcast.

Now Jim Ross does the same thing.

They’re listening.

[VHS]

Cody's the Undertaker now?

[VHS]

How many run ins are they going to have here? Crikey.

[Tainted Eclipse]

loved the ending. great show. cody vs. mjf is going to be so good.

[Beer-Belly]

Really fun show.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Almost seems like AEW is trying to pick up that WCW nostalgia, by having The Inner Circle play the part of the NWO and Cody and his pals playing the role of the 4-Horsemen or the various WCW baby faces.

[BGMaverick]

Hot crowd for most of the evening.

It was smart of Jericho to snuff out the chant for the one fka Swagger but seems a little dubious to knock it as creatively stifling, considering that was the most over Swagger was.

They definitely are leaning into the chaos to close the show. The opening tag match was the best thing of the night to me and everything else was just alright or had potential but kind of was just there.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

The opening tag and the main event tag were good for different reasons.

Dustin Rhodes still has it. Not saying they should make him a World Champion, but when AEW introduces another singles belt for the midcard guys to wrestle for, he'd be a great choice.

[JP]

Two shows in, two huge successes.

[Supernovametalstar]

Dr. Britt Baker’s mandible claw - more effective than The Fiend’s.

JR said a real dentist using a manible claw. I can hardly believe it, or something like that. I love the digs they got in on the competition without being too over the top with it. Well, aside from Jericho, but he is G.O.A.T. so he is allowed.

[Donald]

JR said a real dentist using a manible claw. I can hardly believe it, or something like that. I love the digs they got in on the competition without being too over the top with it. Well, aside from Jericho, but he is G.O.A.T. so he is allowed.

More like B.L.O.A.T. these days

[Spudz Mackenzie]

JR said a real dentist using a manible claw. I can hardly believe it, or something like that. I love the digs they got in on the competition without being too over the top with it. Well, aside from Jericho, but he is G.O.A.T. so he is allowed.

Mauro dropped a “Dynamite in the distaff division” line about Rhea Ripley on NXT that had me pretty amused.

[Nash Diesel]

Good show. I missed the opener but saw highlights.

Trying to explain to my best friend who Orange Cassidy is, a lot more difficult verbally than just showing him clips on youtube lol.

I'm 110% soaked in to Omega v. Moxley. Personally, I would have had Omega as my first champion and have these 2 scrap for the belt but regardless, it's solid. Kenny coming out with the barbed-wire broom and tossing Mox the Sting bat in the wire, dope shit. These 2 are the main reason, by a mile, why I am tuning in.

[Peter Griffin]

https://twitter.com/ITVWrestling/status/1182339035810926593

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Murphy

[BGMaverick]

Week one ratings: 1,409,000 viewers
Week two ratings: 1,018,000 viewers (plus 122,000 on TruTV)

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Not sure if this is a Spoiler or not, but Kenny Omega was in the dark match main event last night against Jelly... err... Joey Janela.

What a waste of your Kenny Omega.

[Tainted Eclipse]

reports say it was a very good match

[Nash Diesel]

Not sure if this is a Spoiler or not, but Kenny Omega was in the dark match main event last night against Jelly... err... Joey Janela.

What a waste of your Kenny Omega.

They have 2 hours a week so they're going to have to spread everything out. That's why I laugh when people act like there's all these wrestlers who will be coming from WWE to AEW. The platform for AEW talent is nowhere near WWE's.

[Bagel]

Right, it's just 2 hours a week that doesn't have 100+ people to manage TV time about. Same with Impact, but I think their roster is still smaller than AEW.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

reports say it was a very good match

I don’t mind Omega. Except for his damn jazz hands.

But good Christ, Joey Janela is the drizzling shits.

Must have been a Hell of a carry job.

[Gampo]

I feel like the "Inner Circle" would be better without K-Mart TJP. Hell of a promo for the stable though.. I just got the chance to watch it.

[Nash Diesel]

I don't mind the Inner Circle sans Jack Swagger. It's even worse when as I said earlier, Jericho shits on the crowd for chanting "WE THE PEOPLE" but there's Swagger, standing at attention like he did during that whole gimmick. And as someone else said, it was the most over Swagger had ever bean (Jericho style)

[chatty]

Decent enough show. Improvement on weeknone for me.

Tag opener was very good and glad the Street Prophets err... Private Party got the win, great way to establish them and now they look a legit threat for the tag titles out of nowhere.

Enjoyed the Inner Circle promo. Set up a nice stable and everyone on it will benefit from Jericho. Probably a good idea for them to use Swagger as muscle for a while, let them slow build him whilst the stink of WWE gets washed out of him. Sammy Guevara could be a great dick heel. Santana needs to stop sticking his tongue out every half second, makes him look like he has mental problems and not in an intimidating way though.

Cant get into Allen or Havok tbh. Dont think either are good in the ring, both have weak as hell offence, they look like indie jobbers, gimmicks are crap and are the vanilla midgets to the vanilla midgets of the 90s. Just cant buy into either.

Womens match was terrible, was an utter mess and very poor wrestling filled with botches. Womens division is in dire need of help.

Moxley v Spears was a good match if nothing great, nice set up of a three way feud with Neville, Mox and Omega at the end. Hope they do something with Spears from here, he got some good heat in the Cody feud but needs to keep that momentum going.

Main event was fun enough, good way to build up Cody v Jericho but get over others each week. Nice to see multiple feuds intertwining as well.

Solid enough and improving, still stuff to iton out but enjoying it thus far.

[Murphy]

Ha. What time did it drop? I watched it at 8ish and it was up.

[Peter Griffin]

Just before 8 on SOME platforms. It still wasnt showing on my sky box at 1130 :mad:

[Ringo]

Great show in week two. Matches were fun, presentation was on point, booking was terrific. The promo from Jericho to introduce the Inner Circle was fantastic and I loved the brawl to end the show. Very good decision to have Private Party go over the Bucks to start the tag tournament. I wonder if Jurassic Express could upset the Lucha Bros as well. I'd still go with a Lucha Bros/SCU final I think.


I feel like the "Inner Circle" would be better without K-Mart TJP.

:nono:

[Mackdadday]

Thought it was far superior to Raw and Nxt. They are making me a believer. Has a real best days of nitro feel to it.

[TooCool]

Week one ratings: 1,409,000 viewers
Week two ratings: 1,018,000 viewers (plus 122,000 on TruTV)

1,140,000 is pretty damn good considering it was going up against Nationals/Dodgers Game 5.

Excited to see if those numbers can rise more once the NBA Regular Season starts and TNT can get more eyes on it through advertisement.

[Murphy]

No matter how often it happens, I’m always surprised when wrestlers say “shit” on TV.

Even on a TV-14 program, I didn’t think they used to be able to do that.

It was being thrown around a lot in the Russo WCW era. A lot.

Eurgh, I'd rather not think about that.

As to this week's Dynamite, loved the opener, obviously, and I loved the Jericho promo. The rest was ok. Havoc and Allin took a while to get going, but was half decent in the end. Crowd struggled to get into it. Glad Allin got the win. Quite enjoyed the main event and shenanigans.

I agree that Omega and Mox is going to be great. PAC being in the mix too. :yes:

Oh, and it appeared to be uncut in the UK on the ITV Hub this week...

[Murphy]

ITV Hub on Sky sucks.

Catchphrase was well late the other week. Yes, I just read that sentence back, but Amanda Abbington was on and I love her, so.

11.30 though? Jesus. I used the Hub via ipad.

[Tainted Eclipse]

sammy guevara instantly became a hundred times better by turning heel. arrogant pretty boy works for him much better than random flippy babyface.

[Murphy]

Yeah, Guevara screams heel. :yes:

[lotjx]

I have no idea why the main page has the story being AEW dropping from 1.4 to 1.01 being world ending while only bringing up the pre-empt at the end. The real story is NXT has your cancelled next week, because PSYCH reruns can do a better rating.

[Nash Diesel]

I have no idea why the main page has the story being AEW dropping from 1.4 to 1.01 being world ending while only bringing up the pre-empt at the end. The real story is NXT has your cancelled next week, because PSYCH reruns can do a better rating.

They're not saying it's world ending. What does your last sentence mean? "NXT has your cancelled next week" ?

[lotjx]

.075 is a borderline death number. They have cheap advertising as well as continuing to decline. If it didn't have the WWE logo on it, I would give it another month until it was canned.

[Nash Diesel]

.075 is a borderline death number. They have cheap advertising as well as continuing to decline. If it didn't have the WWE logo on it, I would give it another month until it was canned.

Based on what though? Have you looked at the average numbers for non-WWE shows on that channel? NXT gets better ratings than practically everything but Raw. And unless you work for the network, you can't really speak on what is or isn't a "death number", especially in 2019. Ratings are not the end all be all like they were 20+ years ago. Especially for the USA Network.

[BGMaverick]

USA probably isn't thrilled with the idea that the number is going down but the number is still pretty reasonable compared to their original content.

[Horatio]

Not sure if this is a Spoiler or not, but Kenny Omega was in the dark match main event last night against Jelly... err... Joey Janela.

What a waste of your Kenny Omega.

Their dark matches are going to youtube

[Nash Diesel]

USA probably isn't thrilled with the idea that the number is going down but the number is still pretty reasonable compared to their original content.

They had no issue giving WWE a shit ton of money when the tv deal renewed even though ratings have been going down since 2001.

NXT, just like AEW, needs time for the fans to get familiar with the product, the time it's on, etc. I can't say if USA are thrilled or not. They've wanted NXT on their channel for a couple years so I think they're willing to ride this out.

[Donald]

Based on what though? Have you looked at the average numbers for non-WWE shows on that channel? NXT gets better ratings than practically everything but Raw. And unless you work for the network, you can't really speak on what is or isn't a "death number", especially in 2019. Ratings are not the end all be all like they were 20+ years ago. Especially for the USA Network.

Don't mind lotjx. He hates WWE but continues to watch for some resson

[Nash Diesel]

Don't mind lotjx. He hates WWE but continues to watch for some resson

It's weird. Be critical, but damn when it's all just negative, why bother?

[Donald]

It's like these dudes who say "I'm gonna cancel my WWE Network" because a match outcome didn't go the way they wanted, but a month later they are commenting on the next ppv. Makes no sense.

[BGMaverick]

They had no issue giving WWE a shit ton of money when the tv deal renewed even though ratings have been going down since 2001.

NXT, just like AEW, needs time for the fans to get familiar with the product, the time it's on, etc. I can't say if USA are thrilled or not. They've wanted NXT on their channel for a couple years so I think they're willing to ride this out.

I was just saying in terms of look at raw numbers of ratings of NXT programming versus their own original programming. If they were expecting Raw/Smackdown numbers, I'm sure they're not happy. That'd be pretty silly to project that if they were. If they're looking at outsourcing and building, they're getting numbers that are on the level or slightly higher compared to what they originally produce. That's something to work with.

[Nash Diesel]

I was just saying in terms of look at raw numbers of ratings of NXT programming versus their own original programming. If they were expecting Raw/Smackdown numbers, I'm sure they're not happy. That'd be pretty silly to project that if they were. If they're looking at outsourcing and building, they're getting numbers that are on the level or slightly higher compared to what they originally produce. That's something to work with.

If they were expecting numbers like Raw and SD then they're clueless about the NXT brand. But yeah man, compared to what little original programming they have these days, NXT is right up there.

[Morrison]

omega and hangman vs mox and pac announced for next week. so excited to be going to this show. the two tag tourney matches, the grudge tag and the two title matches; absolutely stacked card, plus whatever dark matches they throw on. no clue how they're going to fit this all into two hours. i wouldnt be surprised if the world title match is on the shorter side, like sub 10 minutes, just to push the story of cody not being able to beat darby in 20, and it taking jericho less than 10 to put him down

[NWo4LifeOr2Years]

So I've been watching....There's some good, some bad and some ugly things

But to do a rational review not based on spewing venom at 'the other guys' might be more productive than just subconsciously venting my life's frustrations online....

Anyhow, here goes:

It seems to me the greatest challenge in any tv show is building characters that connect with the audience.
This is what keeps viewers tuned in and more importantly, gets that connection to tug on folks to want to tune back in to see how Sherriff Jones out in Jerkwater is doing in dealing with the latest cattle rustlers, gunslingers and gamblers floating through town and causing the fair citizens of Jerkwater distress, etc.

So do as much gun tricks (flippy shit) as Sherriff Jones is capable of, nobody is tuning in week after week if Jones doesn't touch and connect with the hearts of viewers.

Same thing with wrestling. The weekly show is not the be all, end all of your promotion
, but it is built (tradionally) to promote your wrestlers so you would pay to go to the show and see 'the really big show'. Same thing now, even in this changing world of money, although 'talking them into the house' has morphed into our own houses as the ppv model has taken over for many years now. Whether this is now running the course to be replaced by the current WWE subscription model shall be seen.

You may ask what all this has to do with reviewing a wrestling show, but it has a lot. The way the money is raised currently leads WWE to do very little to create stars or take chances (although pressure from FOX may well change that soon)

On the other hand, AEW needs stars. They need name wrestlers.

So what to do?
Try builing some names on tv of course.

I thought they've done a good job of it.

Personally, enough with the Japanese Women wrestlers screaming like banshees from bell to bell, but it was bad timing with those Kabuki 'Warriors' on ppv a few days earlier, I was just Banshee Screamed out I guess. For life I'm guessing there.....

Having their darlings (The Middle Aged Bucks) lose in the first round of their own tournament was a stroke of genius. Few wrestlers out there with the foresight to squash their own egos like that. Very nice and shocking. That's the stuff that keeps folks comin' back. Cody losing to Jericho on ppv and continuing to chase the belt would be sound business too imo.

Im liking Jericho as champ, but dude, hit the freaking gym once a month or try eating a salad a week at lunch, something.
Before Jack Hader arrived, I said to my daughter "These guys are all so small, they're all under 230?.... Except Jericho and that is not necessarily a good thing." Obviously that's why he's doing that lame elbow instead of his other 3-4 cool finishers.
Oh well the guy is still a treasure and great to have him out there every week doing his routines, too many too List.

Im loving that SJF guy, sure hope he turns on Cody and stays bad.

And the announcing.
First, the guy in the mask, lose the mask, its bush league. But you are good at your job, keep it up.
Tony Schiavane, he's also good. I'd forgotten what a competent announcer he is just calling the action when not saddled with his producer's (Eric Biscoff) agenda to get across and drag him down.
Then there's Jim Ross. There's always hope that he'll improve in time and actually know the moves and the wrestlers names....

So all in all I think things are going well. The small roster is a problem, so they need to develop name stars. One problem there is so many wrestlers are foreign and obviously English is not their first language or even a second one for many.
Like Santana and Ortiz? Do they speak or just mug silly each week for the camera when they come out? Not a good look imo in any case.

Regardless of whatever your politics are, this is not a political comment, nor meant as one, so please don't steer the conversation in to a place it's not meant to go. My comments are simply meant to refer to the problems in connecting with an English speaking audience on an American television program in need of ratings. And as such, they need folks with certain looks, facial expressions (heck, I heard one person said 'a funny face is needed for wrestling' - since then I have watched and I agree for men). But the best weapon of all has always been the ability to talk, 'connect with the fans', 'fire them up', how many cliches can we name that fit?

Because in the end, can you end every episode in the middle of the ring with a beat down with a babyface/heel flip and a kick save (and a beauty!) thrown in or a new monster heel come down to destroy the heroes in peril?

I guess we find out Weds after the Draft ends.
I sure hope Smackdown somehow manages to procure the services of BROOOOOOOOOOOOOCK LESNER

[Tainted Eclipse]

yuge card tonight. excited for the tv debut of luchasaurus and jungle boy.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Not that I'm an especially huge fan of them, but I'm kind of hoping So Cal Uncensored goes the distance and becomes AEW's first tag-team champions. I mean, Private Party are fun, but they need some experience. Beverly Hills 9021-Dinosaur is a fine team, but I wouldn't make them my first tag-team champions. The Young Bucks are out. Invisible Hand Grenade cunt and Trent? Baretta? suck. The Lucha Bros are good, but they can't cut promos.

Put the belts on Christopher Daniels and Kazarian and you can get a good 6 months of them feuding with Jungle Jack and Dino-Man, Private Party, The Young Bucks, The Lucha Bros, and *sighs* even Invisible Hand Grenade turd and his unrequited gay lover.

Hell, SCU vs. The Rhodes Brothers would sell a damn pay-per-view on its own.

AEW even had Kota Ibushi on their first show, before they were even officially a company. Imagine SCU vs. Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi. Shit yeah.

After a few months, Private Party can finally beat SCU for the belts in a big, feel good moment and everybody can be happy. But the belts need to be on some guys who are pros, who can have good matches with anybody, and who won't do anything stupid or dangerous, first. Build up the belts' credibility before they're swapped around.

[Ringo]

Jurassic Express are gonna be big I reckon. Too early for them atm imo. I'd go SCU/Lucha Bros for the final with the hope that Private Party and JE come out of it with some momentum behind them. Fairly confident that Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus will win the belts at some point soon though and it'll be great.

[Ringo]

credit reddit washed_scumbag

https://i.redd.it/mqrcjtq2nws31.jpg

[mth]

Just read Luchasaurus is injured and won't be in action tonight.

[Murphy]

That sucks.

Just watched both episodes of Dark. Some decent action. Kenny and Janella was pretty mad. Good, but I have to question it somewhat. I mean, they were killing each other out there for a free YouTube match.

[Defrost]

Fun match shit finish

[Tainted Eclipse]

Just read Luchasaurus is injured and won't be in action tonight.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Fun match shit finish

I thought Kaz intentionally botched that power bomb to sell his back.

[rom7878]

Lol this Cody Rhodes promo with Brandi is bad lol

[VHS]

Brandi is so bad.

[Defrost]

I thought the video was great

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Riho’s offense might look slightly more effective against someone Britt Baker’s relative size, compared to Nyla Rose.

[Tainted Eclipse]

this division is not good

[Spudz Mackenzie]

On NXT, Io Shirai is Wrestling some jobber chick. Io isn’t that much bigger than Riho, but why can I buy Io as a physical threat but not Riho?

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Riho won that match using a “move” my dog does when he won’t spit out the thing he shouldn’t be chewing on.

[Defrost]

That match was fun. Thank god the dentist lost.

[Tainted Eclipse]

lucha bros should brutalize marco stunt to win, go on and win the tournament, grudge match set up when luchasaurus is healthy

[VHS]

Riho still sucks and Britt has no spark to her.

[Beer-Belly]

I mean, Lucha Bros. kind of have to squash these guys, right? Nothing against Jungle Boy, but I don't buy Marko Stunt.

[Honey_Badger]

The Cody vintage was cool. I liked the “UFC” feel to it. I’m loving the show so far.

[Tainted Eclipse]

I mean, Lucha Bros. kind of have to squash these guys, right? Nothing against Jungle Boy, but I don't buy Marko Stunt.

it would be a bad idea to have a match longer than 5 minutes

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Marko Stunt needs to be taken to the waiting room, given a balloon and a soda, and wait for his parents to come pick him up.

He looks like a lost child wandering around a Wal-Mart.

[VHS]

This is a joke.

[Beer-Belly]

It's definitely going too long.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

I wish Pentagon still had that habit of breaking guy’s arms.

Marko Stunt could use a broken arm or two.

[VHS]

This match should not need a commercial break.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Meanwhile, on NXT: Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijackovic.

Keith Lee’s head weighs more than Marko Stunt.

[Tainted Eclipse]

the bastard PAC


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loIYBd1k3kU

[Defrost]

Pac's hand is bleeding. That's real barbed wire.

[Beer-Belly]

That was a lot of fun.

[TooCool]

What a really fun match from Hangman Adam Page & Kenny Omega vs PAC & Moxley.

One thing I really like about AEW so far is that when they cut to commercial with the picture in picture, it's not obvious that they're going to go to commercial. They still pull off the big moves for the live audience.

[Beer-Belly]

Mox vs. PAC sounds awesome, but they need to take it easy with putting PPV quality matches on TV.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Chris “Angry Mime” Jericho vs. Darby “Annoying Kid Who Spends All Day In Hot Topic Talking About Fall Out Boy And Never Buying Anything” Allin.

[VHS]

I really don't get Jericho's spiky clown look.

[Beer-Belly]

I really don't get Jericho's spiky clown look.

Well, he's a dickhead heel, so you don't need to think he's cool. I'm assuming it's partially inspired by A Clockwork Orange.

[VHS]

I think he's cool, I just think he looks stupid.

[Honey_Badger]

It’s amazing how critical everyone is of a product that’s 3 weeks young and already fucking rocks!

[Defrost]

That match ruled

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Jake Busey helps The Angry Mime beat the weird emo kid who eats by himself at lunch.

I joke, but that was good fun.

[VHS]

Darby's a goddamn gem.

[TooCool]

What a great match. Darby Allin is something else. Way to book him to look strong with Jericho retaining because of Hager. Love it.

[Defrost]

I am stunned how much I like this show given how annoying I find all of the Elite guys

[Beer-Belly]

Fun show again. Boo on the Marko Stunt shit, though.

[Horatio]

I can't believe Marko Stunt was on cable. Mad props to AEW on that

[BGMaverick]

AEW hyped its tag division as this was getting started and the tournament is absolutely delivering. The second tournament match of the night didn't work for me in a variety of ways but it was a nice showing for everyone involved.

I'm still needing to see more from the women's division. It's just feeling second-rate at the moment. Not to say it's doomed to fail, but it's still got some work to do in order to get a higher level of credibility. That said, they've got a champion who is over with the crowd so that's a plus.

Seemed like a blatantly obvious finish for the main event with the stipulation but still a good enough showing for Allin.

Overall look and feel for the show is solid. Really hot crowds for each of their shows to this point.

[Morrison]

That sucks.

Just watched both episodes of Dark. Some decent action. Kenny and Janella was pretty mad. Good, but I have to question it somewhat. I mean, they were killing each other out there for a free YouTube match.

these guys arent wrestling house shows multiple times a week. this youtube show also got 614k views in a single day. they're getting eyes on the product using multiple avenues.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

these guys arent wrestling house shows multiple times a week. this youtube show also got 614k views in a single day. they're getting eyes on the product using multiple avenues.

Exposure for the product is great. I just wish it would have come from anyone except Joey Janella. That piece of shit.

Take Joey, stick him in that triple threat with the librarian and Sonny Kiss and have Kip Sabian go twenty-five minutes with Kenny Omega.

AEW is so new, they need to put their best foot forward. Even in the meaningless dark matches.

[Murphy]

these guys arent wrestling house shows multiple times a week. this youtube show also got 614k views in a single day. they're getting eyes on the product using multiple avenues.

Yes, but folk moan when WWE have a Hell in a Cell match just because it's October. This is very much the same. Worse, actually, because there was absolutely no reason for the match or the violence. There was no story here, no reason to care.

By all means have Kenny on the show. I'm well aware that they can reach a hell of a lot of people on that platform and this 'Dark' show can be great for the company. But this seemed pretty daft to me. This built over a few weeks on Dynamite would have been good.

And I'm not just in here to have a moan. AEW I'm very much enjoying, overall.

[Ringo]

Opener was a blast. Once again it's all about the little things with Scorpio Sky not dressed to compete, getting out the tape for his wrists and then having his shoes taken off during the match, because as JR said he didn't have his wrestling boots on. Then CIMA coming out to check on Daniels, continuing that alliance. The Daniels attack left the result in doubt. I wondered if we'd end up seeing a tournament of upsets to help build the teams who have had less exposure. Finish seemed a bit off unfortunately. Best showing from the Best Friends so far. SCU look on course to become the first champions which would be the right booking decision imo.

Enjoyed the LAX squash and Jericho doing the talking for them is a good move.

That Cody video package was cheesy and GREAT.

The women's division has been a bit of a mess so far. The good will from the rest of the show means people have probably been a bit more willing to wait to see it come to life but I don't think it'll be too long until the fans turn on it if it doesn't markedly improve. Not sure where from though if Riho and Baker are the best they've got at the moment. They probably should just go with one dominant woman to take the belt and go on a long run whilst the rest of the division gets built up/new signings are made. Was ready to come around to Riho as the little underdog champion who always just escapes with the win but I'm not sure she's good enough to make it work. And doesn't help that most of the women she's been working with aren't exactly great either.

Lucha Bros/JE went too long and Stunt got too much in for me. Jungle Boy and Stunt are a different beast to Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus. Was weird because Pentagon and Fenix were just toying with Stunt in the picture in picture commercial break, then when it came back he made an unnecessary comeback. I guess I can accept Stunt getting to show a bit of fight against someone rather than just constantly being obliterated but probably not against one of your top tag teams. Preference would be for him to be constantly obliterated though.

The big tag team match was good with all four guys still coming off like big stars. Moxley's booking is on point as the tweener who doesn't give a fuck about anyone.

Main event was class, loved it. Great decision to have Darby do all that with his hands tied behind his back. It's all about the sympathy with him. Some of the other small talent in this promotion could learn a lot from Darby. He's small but throws everything but the kitchen sink at you to try and make up for it and uses his speed well to avoid the bigger stronger opponents. Some of the other small talent seem to wrestle far too much like they're normal sized and then the offence can just come across as weak.

Another real enjoyable show with a couple of missteps.

The 3 big reasons I'm enjoying this show more than WWE right now:
1. The announce team. They're not perfect and JR still regularly goes from being really quite good to really quite bad but my God is it refreshing to have an announce team that don't come across as completely unlikeable and disingenuous like they do in WWE. I love Tony Schiavone.
2. The logic. Just the little things that wrestling promotions have always done (Sky wrestling in street clothes for example, "TV time remaining") but WWE at some point decided to do away with.
3. The look of the show. Looks like a wrestling show should do imo. The lights and set provide a nice backdrop rather than distracting from what's going on in the ring like it does in WWE.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

The SCU/Best Friends match was good, except for the ending. But it confused the Hell out of me.

SCU are heels, right? And the Lucha Bros are too?

So they jumpstart the match by having Daniels stretchered out, Kaz has to fight from underneath with a jacked up back, and Scorpio Sky has to play hero by wrestling in his street clothes and sneakers.

But The Best Friends worked the entire match like a couple of opportunistic pricks. They hit the ring and were more than ready to pick up the pieces. But they’ve been babyfaces. That’s an asshole heel move to me.

So, SCU are heels who are working face and The BFs are faces that are working like asshole heels.

Yet when The Best Friends do their dumb ass hug spot and SCU cuts them off, SCU gets booed. And when Invisible Hand Grenade Cunt and guy who doesn’t know his first name hug, the crowd pops. When they’ve been cheering for SCU and throwing babies in the air every time they’d made a comeback so far.

So, coming out of this... who’s the heels and who’s babyface? Are SCU still heels even though they worked a fantastic babyface match? Are The Best Friends still babyfaces even though they wrestled like vultures, picking bones?

Are The Lucha Bros. faces, even though Pentagon snapped a small child’s arm in their match?

To quote Lex Luger — I DON’T KNOW!!!!

[Matthew]

you try too hard to sound like jim cornette and it shows

[Matthew]

overall, pretty good show. everything building up decently, except for the women. at least their match finished strong, but damn, it pales in comparison to wwe.

i like the video packages they run, building up the ppv matches, they fit each guy pretty well.

[BGMaverick]

That sucks.

Just watched both episodes of Dark. Some decent action. Kenny and Janella was pretty mad. Good, but I have to question it somewhat. I mean, they were killing each other out there for a free YouTube match.


these guys arent wrestling house shows multiple times a week. this youtube show also got 614k views in a single day. they're getting eyes on the product using multiple avenues.

It's such a simple fix that it's almost worth not mentioning it but they're undercutting that view count potential by not even acknowledging it on their actual program. That's such an easy adjustment by rolling a 30 or 60-second promo about what was on the show.

The idea of no house shows is definitely promising from a performer's standpoint but it does have me a little apprehensive about this mid-to-lower level talents actually improving. I mean, yeah, they'll improve but it might not be as fast as they need from a long-term perspective.

[Supernovametalstar]

T
So, SCU are heels who are working face and The BFs are faces that are working like asshole heels.

Yet when The Best Friends do their dumb ass hug spot and SCU cuts them off, SCU gets booed. And when Invisible Hand Grenade Cunt and guy who doesn’t know his first name hug, the crowd pops. When they’ve been cheering for SCU and throwing babies in the air every time they’d made a comeback so far.



As JR said "you gotta give the fans what they want!" As a person that is still relatively new to the awe of AEW, I don't know most of the "new" guys. But from watching that match, I'm guessing that hug spot is a signature for them and it makes the crowd laugh, so that isn't a terrible thing.

Also, props to the crowd for the "he's got no shoes" spontaneous chant. I love that shit.

Another good show from AEW. I've established two things. The opening match is going to be high paced and exciting to watch. The main event, even if you know there is going to be a dusty finish, is still going to feel consequential.

True, the women's division looks like it may need padding. I said before people like Riho because she's scrappy and slippery, but that can only go for so long. You could NOT have had her lose in her first defense, and third show on tv. I like Brit, but as someone said earlier, she seems...to not emote enough? No spark for her yet. But they also said she's relatively new to the game. I love how they zoomed in on Brit trying to get the mandible claw portion of the hold on Riho, but she was clamping her mouth shut. Hold on shots for a while to let us see what's happening instead of that damn annoying zoom in/out or cut five times in two seconds like WWE does (I was trying to compare, but it's inevitable).

Few more notes, that piledriver to Daniels at the beginning was cringing. Especially later when they replayed it in slow mo. Yesh. Also, Jericho seems to be a bit slower now. I know the guy's been doing this longer than the other guy has been alive, so that is the obvious reason. But it's surreal to watch when, I've seen him zipping around like the young guys and it feels like only a few days ago. Damn you march of time!!!!

[Morrison]

Yes, but folk moan when WWE have a Hell in a Cell match just because it's October. This is very much the same. Worse, actually, because there was absolutely no reason for the match or the violence. There was no story here, no reason to care.

By all means have Kenny on the show. I'm well aware that they can reach a hell of a lot of people on that platform and this 'Dark' show can be great for the company. But this seemed pretty daft to me. This built over a few weeks on Dynamite would have been good.

And I'm not just in here to have a moan. AEW I'm very much enjoying, overall.

the story was moxley said he went to japan and competed in the g1 to get a look into omega's world in the lead up to all out. this was kenny peeking into moxley's world by having an unsanctioned hardcore match with janela, which moxley had a few months ago. they said as much on conmentary during the match. this is the story. kenny going hardcore, taking the punishment, trolling mox with the rebound lariat and paradigm shift, and coming out the victor, showing he can play just as hard as moxley.

[BGMaverick]

the story was moxley said he went to japan and competed in the g1 to get a look into omega's world in the lead up to all out. this was kenny peeking into moxley's world by having an unsanctioned hardcore match with janela, which moxley had a few months ago. they said as much on conmentary during the match. this is the story. kenny going hardcore, taking the punishment, trolling mox with the rebound lariat and paradigm shift, and coming out the victor, showing he can play just as hard as moxley.

I will say, there feels like a disconnect of sorts for someone who is trying to give this company a chance absolutely cold. That's not me, but I'm trying to look at it from the perspective who is just trying to give this show a try. That story you outlined makes sense for someone who knows NJPW but it's relatively tough to connect those dots for someone who is jumping on board. It does hurt that AEW and NJPW aren't fully simpatico and they can't just outright explain the history Omega has....maybe even Moxley in some ways.

To show a different example: Santana and Ortiz. I think they (mainly Jericho) have done an adequate job of explaining who they are and why you need to make note of them. If a cold watcher saw them, I think you understand.

[Nash Diesel]

I will say, there feels like a disconnect of sorts for someone who is trying to give this company a chance absolutely cold. That's not me, but I'm trying to look at it from the perspective who is just trying to give this show a try. That story you outlined makes sense for someone who knows NJPW but it's relatively tough to connect those dots for someone who is jumping on board. It does hurt that AEW and NJPW aren't fully simpatico and they can't just outright explain the history Omega has....maybe even Moxley in some ways.

To show a different example: Santana and Ortiz. I think they (mainly Jericho) have done an adequate job of explaining who they are and why you need to make note of them. If a cold watcher saw them, I think you understand.

In a very very generic, basic way they've explained who LAX 6.0 are. Jericho basically just touts them as one of the best tag-teams today. That's literally it. Last night he was like "Young Bucks, you're one of the best ever, but you've never faced a team like LAX, they are pitbulls among pitbulls..."

Side note: Anyone catch that Kevin Smith/Chris Jericho interview where Smith talked about how they were supposed to be on the debut Fox show for SD and due to being on the AEW show Wednesday, the WWE called and cancelled their appearance.....? Fucked up.

Imagine if Jimmy Fallon did that to them for showing up on Jimmy Kimmell? Lol.

[BGMaverick]

In a very very generic, basic way they've explained who LAX 6.0 are. Jericho basically just touts them as one of the best tag-teams today. That's literally it. Last night he was like "Young Bucks, you're one of the best ever, but you've never faced a team like LAX, they are pitbulls among pitbulls..."

Side note: Anyone catch that Kevin Smith/Chris Jericho interview where Smith talked about how they were supposed to be on the debut Fox show for SD and due to being on the AEW show Wednesday, the WWE called and cancelled their appearance.....? Fucked up.

Imagine if Jimmy Fallon did that to them for showing up on Jimmy Kimmell? Lol.

Pitbulls amongst pitbulls is a weird one for me but nonetheless, I think Jericho has adequately informed the audience who these people are.

To be fair, there's a much more nuanced perspective with Moxley and Omega that Morrison was detailing. But if there's more layers, I would think you need to do more in terms of explaining it.

[BGMaverick]

Week one ratings: 1,409,000 viewers
Week two ratings: 1,018,000 viewers (plus 122,000 on TruTV)
Week three ratings: 1,014,000 viewers

[Nash Diesel]

Pitbulls amongst pitbulls is a weird one for me but nonetheless, I think Jericho has adequately informed the audience who these people are.

To be fair, there's a much more nuanced perspective with Moxley and Omega that Morrison was detailing. But if there's more layers, I would think you need to do more in terms of explaining it.

Well yeah he's adequately informed us because there's nothing much to them. They're a spin off of a spin off TNA tag-team so Jericho can't really go into depth because they're practically nobodies. So trying to compare them to the Moxley-Omega storyline is like night and day. One has literally no substance outside of someone saying they're a good tag-team, the other is a story that's been going on for about 4 months now.

I mean, when Nitro hit, they didn't hit the restart button. The idea shouldn't be to try and guess who is watching for the first time.

[3puppies]

Week one ratings: 1,409,000 viewers
Week two ratings: 1,018,000 viewers (plus 122,000 on TruTV)
Week three ratings: 1,014,000 viewers


The fact that the Yankees/Astros game was rained out probably contributed to a healthier audience for both AEW and NXT.

[Nash Diesel]

The fact that the Yankees/Astros game was rained out probably contributed to a healthier audience for both AEW and NXT.

Is there that much crossover with all these other sports? People like to blame other sports for increase/decrease in ratings, I don't buy it. I just think some shit looks more appealing. Jericho defending his title was a bigger match than anything they had last week so naturally people are going to tune in. And the drop is about 14,000 viewers, maybe those people watched NXT instead?

[3puppies]

Sports fans like to see what's on, so sure it has an impact.

When WWE is up against a compelling MNF close game, the WWE ratings drop. Same as if they are against a college basketball championship game, etc.

If some shit is more appealing, fans will watch it, and the ratings follow

Jericho is helping to make new stars

[Nash Diesel]

Sports fans like to see what's on, so sure it has an impact.

When WWE is up against a compelling MNF close game, the WWE ratings drop. Same as if they are against a college basketball championship game, etc.

If some shit is more appealing, fans will watch it, and the ratings follow

Jericho is helping to make new stars

Ratings have been dropping with or without a MNF game or an NBA playoff game. I don't think a 14,000 fan drop off means much.

[chatty]

Solid enough show again but again theres nothing that really stands out spectacularly to draw me in if Im a casual viewer.

Tag match was the match of the night for me. Loving all. Of Omega, Neville, Moxley and Page feuds intertwining but not taking away from the main feud. Good match, good ending, made the team that needed the win get the win without taking away from the losers. Well booked.

Not a fan of Allin at all tbh, I think his offence is incredibly weak and I can get past how poor he looks, like a twelve year old girl, hot pants and all. That said they put a good match together and Jericho went out his way to make Allin look strong so fair play to them.

Lucha Bros v Jurassic Inc was OK but they missed Luchasaurus whonis the star of their team and again I cant really buy into Stunt. Hes fine as a valet and the odd spot but as an actual wrestler its just looks like they are tryibg to carry him cause hes not big enough to make his offence look near effective. Size matters unfortunately, younhave to suspend belief but I just cant buy into a guy who I could probably beat up myself quite easily hurting guys twice his size (and yeah Im aware the rest of the tag is filled with short guys as well).

SCU v Best Friends was a solid match. Nice way to build the feud with Lucha Bros without taking away from the match.

The women need a lot of work.

7/10

[Murphy]

the story was moxley said he went to japan and competed in the g1 to get a look into omega's world in the lead up to all out. this was kenny peeking into moxley's world by having an unsanctioned hardcore match with janela, which moxley had a few months ago. they said as much on conmentary during the match. this is the story. kenny going hardcore, taking the punishment, trolling mox with the rebound lariat and paradigm shift, and coming out the victor, showing he can play just as hard as moxley.

But was any of that even mentioned on Dynamite? It's like the match didn't even happen.

Perhaps it will come up later? :dunno:

[Murphy]

Small, small point. Kazarian was attacked before the bell, but obviously Scorpio Sky saved him from worse and replaced Daniels. I thought it was then odd that Kazarian started the match. I get that Scorpio wasn't 'ready' but it still would have made more sense for him to start.

As to the show, loved it. Opener, Mox/Pac/Kenny/Page and the main event were super. I think Allin needs better attire, but he's great.

Cody promo was hit and miss for me, but I do love how important Full Gear is feeling. And I bloody love that they're on Saturday nights. Helps us UKers out a lot with being able to watch it live.

[3puppies]

Ratings have been dropping with or without a MNF game or an NBA playoff game. I don't think a 14,000 fan drop off means much.

But the 14,000 fan drop off wasn't my point. My point was that the baseball rainout likely contributed to A LOT more eyes on this and NXT. Since both shows delivered, those casual fans should be more willing to watch again. Maybe not against a World Series game or other special event, but the execs still have to be pleased.

[Defrost]

Fun match where Kenny Omega beats Fenix for the AAA World Title


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za89LWkVQm4

Interested to see how AEW acknowledges this

[Tainted Eclipse]

i like the instrumental only version of kennys theme better

[lotjx]

obviously AEW should be talking trash to WWE. the little guy has to actively fight the big guy. but, no, right now AEW does not have the better wrestlers up and down the roster, not by a long shot. they do have probably the top two wrestlers in kenny omega and dustin rhodes, though who knows how often they'll use dustin. if they were smart, they'd use him as much as he can handle physically.
I would take Jericho, Kenny, Cody and Moxley over Brock, Seth, Roman and Kofi. I think even their tag team division is better. WWE just has a giantic mid card.

[Murphy]

And a much better women's division.

[chatty]

I would take Jericho, Kenny, Cody and Moxley over Brock, Seth, Roman and Kofi. I think even their tag team division is better. WWE just has a giantic mid card.

Well AEW is literally WWEs mid card and some indy wrestlers tbf. Long way for them to go to catch up.

The likes of Allin, Havok, Janella etx wouldnt even make 205 live but they have to start somewhere.

I was reading some posts where people had tuned in to check AEW out and their comments where that they lookwd like a bunch of nerds who had took up wrestling and it rings true. They dont have any big guys in it and whilst that isnt always a bad thing I can see why a lot would be put off seeing a bunch of midgets wrestling.

Itll take a fee years before they can really compete with WWE. As bad as WWE can be at times they are still miles ahead of the rest.

[Donald]

When I hear the name Inner Circle, I think of Bad Boys. And when I think of Bad Boys, I think of Martin Lawrence. And when I think of Martin Lawrence, I think of Big Momma's House.

I suppose it's a better name than the Corre. Or Donald.


Saw Randy Orton tweet or instagram or whatever it's called with a picture of Elite and tagged Elias, Revival, Jericho, Cody and someone else. Not many people who could leave WWE for AEW and turn heads but Randy is certainly one of them. Elias and Revival wouldn't budge anyone.

[Donald]

Ratings have been dropping with or without a MNF game or an NBA playoff game. I don't think a 14,000 fan drop off means much.

Isn't it 14,000 + 122,000 from people who watched on TruTV?

[Nash Diesel]

Isn't it 14,000 + 122,000 from people who watched on TruTV?

No the TruTV stuff was only that one show prior.

[Donald]

No the TruTV stuff was only that one show prior.

Yeah, but the week prior was 1,018,000 + 122,000 = 1,140,000 total viewers.

If this weeks' was 1,014,000, then surely they've lost 126,000 viewers and not 14,000?

[Nash Diesel]

Yeah, but the week prior was 1,018,000 + 122,000 = 1,140,000 total viewers.

If this weeks' was 1,014,000, then surely they've lost 126,000 viewers and not 14,000?

Oh my bad and yeah you're right. A lot bigger drop off .

[Donald]

Oh my bad and yeah you're right. A lot bigger drop off .

These days do ratings really matter? NXT people probably wait for it to be on the Network, AEW people probably watch their sports and then watch AEW later in the week anyway.

[Nash Diesel]

These days do ratings really matter? NXT people probably wait for it to be on the Network, AEW people probably watch their sports and then watch AEW later in the week anyway.

I think they still do even if we watch tv differently than 20 years ago. Even as fans, so many fans IMO will gravitate toward a show if the ratings are better than the other. Even within WWE, I bet more people would have been watching Smackdown if they were posting ratings like Raw all these years.

[chatty]

When I hear the name Inner Circle, I think of Bad Boys. And when I think of Bad Boys, I think of Martin Lawrence. And when I think of Martin Lawrence, I think of Big Momma's House.

I suppose it's a better name than the Corre. Or Donald.


Saw Randy Orton tweet or instagram or whatever it's called with a picture of Elite and tagged Elias, Revival, Jericho, Cody and someone else. Not many people who could leave WWE for AEW and turn heads but Randy is certainly one of them. Elias and Revival wouldn't budge anyone.

Was Harper as well.

[Donald]

I hope Orton jumps to AEW. That would send shockwaves a lot more than Dean Ambrose.

[3puppies]

I hope Orton jumps to AEW. That would send shockwaves a lot more than Dean Ambrose.

Hey Donald - I know you're a huge fan of the WWE only, and you generally don't watch the other stuff. Does the above comment mean you aren't a huge fan of RKO, and you'd like to see him leave Vinceworld? Or that you're considering tuning in to AEW and you want better competition?

[3puppies]

.. Even within WWE, I bet more people would have been watching Smackdown if they were posting ratings like Raw all these years.

Isn't that the definition of ratings? :)


It's like that Yogi Berra quote about a fancy restaurant - Nobody goes there anymore, its too crowded?

[Donald]

Hey Donald - I know you're a huge fan of the WWE only, and you generally don't watch the other stuff. Does the above comment mean you aren't a huge fan of RKO, and you'd like to see him leave Vinceworld? Or that you're considering tuning in to AEW and you want better competition?

I like Randy Orton, I'd hate to see him leave. But I recognize his importance and I think he could gives this war more steam

[NWo4LifeOr2Years]

Orton bores me to death.

Perhaps that's because he really IS bored and wants a change himself?

Just my $.02

[Spudz Mackenzie]

If Orton ever went to AEW, he probably couldn't use the Orton name.

WWE blocked Cody from calling himself "Rhodes".

Maybe Randy could drop the Orton surname, use "Randy Kennedy", and call the RKO the "Kennedy Bullet". Its the shot from out of nowhere, that always hits its target.

[Donald]

If Orton ever went to AEW, he probably couldn't use the Orton name.

WWE blocked Cody from calling himself "Rhodes".

Maybe Randy could drop the Orton surname, use "Randy Kennedy", and call the RKO the "Kennedy Bullet". Its the shot from out of nowhere, that always hits its target.

Only difference is Orton is his actual last name, Rhodes is not Cody's real last name. While Dusty Rhodes probably owned the rights to his name, WWE probably copyrighted Cody Rhodes

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Only difference is Orton is his actual last name, Rhodes is not Cody's real last name. While Dusty Rhodes probably owned the rights to his name, WWE probably copyrighted Cody Rhodes

Fair.

Frankly, I think Orton needs a change of scenery. Just switching him from brand to brand isn't enough. He'd be a huge needle mover for AEW.

Hell, he could go to Japan and make a fortune if he wanted to.

[Morrison]

Only difference is Orton is his actual last name, Rhodes is not Cody's real last name. While Dusty Rhodes probably owned the rights to his name, WWE probably copyrighted Cody Rhodes

he knows this, he was just setting himself up for his unfunny, incredibly topical and relevant 1963 joke reference.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

he knows this, he was just setting himself up for his unfunny, incredibly topical and relevant 1963 joke reference.

His middle name is Kennedy, isn't it?

[mth]

No, it's Keith.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

No, it's Keith.

Well never mind then.

[Morrison]

Well never mind then.

this should be your first thought before most of your posts.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

this should be your first thought before most of your posts.

Would you just fuck off?

I don’t know what you have against me, but your constant needling of me is really fucking annoying.

[Morrison]

Would you just fuck off?

I don’t know what you have against me, but your constant needling of me is really fucking annoying.

good.

[Donald]

If you ate bugs, would you dine a mite?

[Matthew]

I don’t know what you have against me

my guess would be your shitty posts

[Nash Diesel]

Yay the matthew and morrison show.

When you 2 are done 69ing each other while playing Madden can you finally post a pic of the 2 of you in the same place at the same time so we can put this theory to rest?

PS-Randy Orton can troll like no other. Dude knows how to work people. He's never leaving the WWE.

[Donald]

He's not as good at trolling as Matthew and Morrison!

[Bagel]

While this site has not moved around like Impact broadcasts, there's probably less people watching than their audience.



Yay the matthew and morrison show.

When you 2 are done 69ing each other while playing Madden can you finally post a pic of the 2 of you in the same place at the same time so we can put this theory to rest?

PS-Randy Orton can troll like no other. Dude knows how to work people. He's never leaving the WWE.

[Tainted Eclipse]

this nyla rose vs. leva bates match on dark is so bad.

[Morrison]

this nyla rose vs. leva bates match on dark is so bad.

i got up during nyla's entrance and wandered around the arena until the match ended.

[Tainted Eclipse]

strangely abrupt start to tonights episode. but it is a packed show.

[Tainted Eclipse]

strangely abrupt start to tonights episode. but it is a packed show.

[Tainted Eclipse]

i really, really hate tag team spots where they make one partner hit the other with a DDT, or in this case the reverse hurricanarana. just always look totally silly.

[Defrost]

People are losing their minds for that match on twitter, but I thought it was sloppy as fuck

[Peter Griffin]

Ya Mas sloppy.

[Morrison]

People are losing their minds for that match on twitter, but I thought it was sloppy as fuck

it was anjoyable, but i think private party are a big sloppy, in general. they always feel slightly slower than their opponents, so some of the timing for things is off or they don't have the right momentum for some of the solo shit they hit.

[Beer-Belly]

I still don't understand what the fuck the Dark Order are supposed to be.

[Tainted Eclipse]

People are losing their minds for that match on twitter, but I thought it was sloppy as fuck

it was. i enjoyed the match but a lot of stuff looked bad. a lot of these spotfest wrestlers have ideas beyond what they can pull off in a way that looks good, and they try to cram way too many of them into a match. and they don't seem to learn from that either.


they should not have brought the dark order shirtless geeks onto TV

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Great opener.

The Dark Order blows.

Dark Order bald dude should paint himself white and paint some red war paint on his bald head and body. Like Kratos from God Of War.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Dark Order fat dude should go back to manning the register at 7-11.

[Beer-Belly]

they should not have brought the dark order shirtless geeks onto TVThey look like the gimp from Pulp Fiction.

[Beer-Belly]

Would it hurt to have SCU get a quick win here? This episode is stacked and the Dark Order look like jabronis.

[Tainted Eclipse]

i wish they'd stop the wwe style crowd shots

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Joey Janela is what a Crash Test Dummy crossbred with a backyard wrestler would look and wrestle like.

[VHS]

Janela pretending to wrestle, that's a barrel of laughs.

[Tainted Eclipse]

i dont know what it is but kenny just doesnt have the feeling of a star in america like he did in new japan.

[VHS]

Joey's running is so bizarre.

Kenny telegraphing everything and pointing at stuff as per usual.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Kenny Omega wrestles like a silent film actor acts. Big, overly exaggerated movements and lots of signaling his intentions. Pointing and bugging his eyes out like The Ultimate Warrior.

He’s a good wrestler, but he’s goofy as Hell.

[VHS]

Kenny looks like it's really dawning on him that maybe this isn't as exciting as he thought it was going to be.

[Morrison]

Kenny looks like it's really dawning on him that maybe this isn't as exciting as he thought it was going to be.

what in the wild hell are you talking about?

incredibly fun match. that sell of the final v-trigger by janela was great.

[Tainted Eclipse]

that was a great segment

[Defrost]

That was an awesome angle

[Spudz Mackenzie]

“The Best Friends shouldn’t be off your radar.” - Tony Schiavone.

”I want them off my TV.” - Me.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

I can’t believe AEW ran a show in Philly, had a street fight main event their show, and nobody mentioned ECW once. At least from what I can remember.

Jamie Hayter looks remarkably like Ash Millman from What Culture.

[Tainted Eclipse]

brit baker's slingblades are terrible

- - - Updated - - -

seth rollins level bad

[Spudz Mackenzie]

brit baker's slingblades are terrible

- - - Updated - - -

seth rollins level bad

Not everybody can be Finn Balor.

[TooCool]

Really digging AEW but some of these matches are going way longer than they need to. Like Britt Baker being on the defensive in that match like 3-4 minutes too long or Joey Janela getting in way too much offense on Kenny Omega.

That Inner Circle and Cody, Dustin, MJF, and DDP was great though.

[Beer-Belly]

Kinda wondering if they're angling towards adding PAC to Omega vs. Moxley.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

That was the best execution and bump I’ve ever seen of that move.

Moxley is so good in AEW.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

“Alacrity” is Excalibur’s “Word Of The Day Calendar” word, isn’t it?

[ckauffman28]

Pretty sure this gonna end in a draw

[Spudz Mackenzie]

They’re going Broadway.

[Beer-Belly]

Time limits are great.

[TooCool]

TV time minute remaining meant the match really only had like 15 minutes instead of the usual 20 they seem to get. But that's one way to give both of these guys a draw. I'm okay with that.

[Beer-Belly]

That was pretty killer for a TV main event.

[Defrost]

brit baker's slingblades are terrible

- - - Updated - - -

seth rollins level bad

I kinda cringe when anyone other than Tanahashi does that move

[BGMaverick]

I don't really have an interest in watching Jericho in a match but he's ridiculously entertaining in all the other necessary segments he can be in. The cutaway shot of him whining and holding up his ticket was hilarious.

The top of the tag division is arguably the best thing they've got going in the company. Private Party and Dark Order are misses right now for different reasons. Private Party just feels like a spot show tag team and they struggle when it comes time to get technical and actually wrestle. Dark Order is just a shitty gimmick.

Thought the Omega/Janela match was fine.

No real issue with the result of the main event. Makes sense and you have to show you're willing to go the time limit draw route in order for it to mean something.

I've got a few friends who have been watching this since it started and they've been saying they started that they were looking forward to see what the fuss was about Omega and Moxley in a new environment. None of them have been impressed with what they've seen with them to this point. Can't say I disagree with that broad assessment.

[Sasori]

Excellent main event. I wasn't sure if Pac and Moxley would have chemistry, but they tore it up.

[Murphy]

Anything worth checking out from Dark last week? Or am I best off going straight in to Dynamite?

[Tainted Eclipse]

The eight man tag main event was really good

[Murphy]

Ta.

:yes:

[Nash Diesel]

I've got a few friends who have been watching this since it started and they've been saying they started that they were looking forward to see what the fuss was about Omega and Moxley in a new environment. None of them have been impressed with what they've seen with them to this point. Can't say I disagree with that broad assessment.

Your few friends are shitty friends. lol. JK.

Omega and Moxley, and moreso their feud, is what keeps me tuned in. I can appreciate some of my other favorites like Pentagon Jr and the quality of wrestling that we see which is no doubt top notch for the most part.....but yeah, Moxley and Omega are dope. Your friends need to stop watching wrestling if they aren't impressed or maybe their expectations being in the shadows is why I'm having a hard time understanding how you couldn't be impressed.

[BGMaverick]

I think AEW still has NXT beat in terms of overall look but I think NXT, especially this week, beats AEW with actual wrestling. I would buy either side of the argument in terms of commentary.


Your few friends are shitty friends. lol. JK.

Omega and Moxley, and moreso their feud, is what keeps me tuned in. I can appreciate some of my other favorites like Pentagon Jr and the quality of wrestling that we see which is no doubt top notch for the most part.....but yeah, Moxley and Omega are dope. Your friends need to stop watching wrestling if they aren't impressed or maybe their expectations being in the shadows is why I'm having a hard time understanding how you couldn't be impressed.

Two, in specific, were interested to see Moxley without shackles in WWE and they're not impressed because it's just him wrestling and not a lot of talking. For Omega, they heard about he was absolutely amazing and top guy in Japan and they felt he just came across as a midcard guy who has promise or isn't being projected as a big deal. I guess it sounds like they think it's a misallocation of utilization. I'd say you can make a point about Moxley and the promos but you'd have a hard time believing Omega is an extremely charismatic promo guy because he's barely talked.

[Nash Diesel]

I think AEW still has NXT beat in terms of overall look but I think NXT, especially this week, beats AEW with actual wrestling. I would buy either side of the argument in terms of commentary.



Two, in specific, were interested to see Moxley without shackles in WWE and they're not impressed because it's just him wrestling and not a lot of talking. For Omega, they heard about he was absolutely amazing and top guy in Japan and they felt he just came across as a midcard guy who has promise or isn't being projected as a big deal. I guess it sounds like they think it's a misallocation of utilization. I'd say you can make a point about Moxley and the promos but you'd have a hard time believing Omega is an extremely charismatic promo guy because he's barely talked.

I'll say this about Omega. Nobody really goes around praising his promos. That's not because he can't talk it's just that he's from a place that doesn't follow the same exact model as the WWE for example. New Japan and DDT are not promo heavy they're wrestling heavy and what makes Omega special isn't the promos, it's his look, his style, and what he does in that ring.

If your homeys watch him and don't respect that he's one of the absolute best going today in the ring, give them time. As far as Moxley goes, the promos he's turned in have been dope as fuck. But I think with him it's also not just about being unshackled on the mic but in the ring as well. He's more of a hardcore type guy and in the WWE he wasn't doing much of it, but when he did he turned out some of the best performances of the year.

So yeah man I get it to an extent but your clique is obviously a lot like you where if everything magical doesn't happen within the first 10 seconds it's going to cause anxiety lol.

[Nash Diesel]

strangely abrupt start to tonights episode. but it is a packed show.

My best friend DVR's the replay so we started watching it out about 10 minutes after it started last night. He kept thinking that his DVR must have cut out the entrance, he couldn't get over the fact they didn't show these mugs walking down with music.

My boy is struggling to realize that not everything is going to look and sound like the WWE despite half the roster being former WWE talent, you have the voice of the WWE on commentary, so I get it. But yeah I thought it was dope, just cut out the bullshit and get to the wrestling.

[Peter Griffin]

Anything worth checking out from Dark last week? Or am I best off going straight in to Dynamite?

Only just gone up on the hub so only 14 hours this week.

[Murphy]

I gave up at midnight last night, Pete. Even on the app it wasn't up. Fucking hell.

I watched my Samoe Joe part 2 DVD instead. 4 way with BJ, Maff and Low Ki and a sickening cage match with Mark Briscoe. :barf:

[Peter Griffin]

Aha they didnt put it up till 9am full stop this week :no:

[Murphy]

What an utter shambles. It's not even like I could have watched NXT instead. We don't get that until the early hours of Friday. It's like being back in the fucking 90s. ITV didn't even bother with their usual running late tweet last night.

I won't get to watch Dynamite until Sunday night now and NXT will have to wait until Monday night.

Ha, in the grand scheme of things though, I suppose...

[The Law]

I've rewatched the brawl segment multiple times already. That was such an awesome angle, best I've seen in awhile. Cody is such a great babyface, he's brilliant at playing the crowd. I loved the reference to there being no invisible wall around the ring. The build of Cody's friends progressively coming out. The glass door, Cody smashing it, and then it's fucking on. Brawling out in the concourse, security desperately trying to get things under control. Just electric stuff, and nothing super fancy. Just an organic, out of control brawl. Exactly what I love about wrestling.

Main event was awesome too. Loved the draw, can't wait for a rematch. Moxley needs to get some mic time stat, it's crazy he hasn't had a live promo yet. They're being really judicious with interviews, I'd say maybe a little too much.

Overall I'm enjoying the product. They're absolutely putting WWE to shame.

[Beer-Belly]

They're hyping up Moxley cutting a promo on next week's show.

[Tainted Eclipse]

I've rewatched the brawl segment multiple times already. That was such an awesome angle, best I've seen in awhile. Cody is such a great babyface, he's brilliant at playing the crowd. I loved the reference to there being no invisible wall around the ring. The build of Cody's friends progressively coming out. The glass door, Cody smashing it, and then it's fucking on. Brawling out in the concourse, security desperately trying to get things under control. Just electric stuff, and nothing super fancy. Just an organic, out of control brawl. Exactly what I love about wrestling.

Main event was awesome too. Loved the draw, can't wait for a rematch. Moxley needs to get some mic time stat, it's crazy he hasn't had a live promo yet. They're being really judicious with interviews, I'd say maybe a little too much.

Overall I'm enjoying the product. They're absolutely putting WWE to shame.

just re-watched the brawl. MJF's sell of the trashcan shot is overlooked.

[Peter Griffin]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EH17PXBWwAA3R7b?format=jpg&name=large

[Rancid_Planet]

just re-watched the brawl. MJF's sell of the trashcan shot is overlooked.

Jericho continuously holding up his ticket was the single best thing I've ever seen. I could not stop laughing.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

I have no idea who that is.

Also, I read his name as "Anthony Agogo" and laughed a little.

[Beer-Belly]

He's an Olympic boxer, so that's pretty cool. I'd imagine it will take a while for him to properly train.

[Nash Diesel]

AEW's counter to Tyson Fury is a boxer nobody has ever heard of. Makes sense.

[ckauffman28]

seen Ogogo ko MJF last weekend,, other than that never heard of him

[Nash Diesel]

I guess he's been training, debuted in Feb of this year. It'll be interesting but he has the right people to help sink or swim. Just having Jericho, Goldust, Arn Anderson, and Dean Malenko is great but then the younger guys like Omega, Cody, etc. Yeah I don't see how this could turn bad unless he just flat out doesn't catch on, which isn't out of the ordinary.

[Donald]

AEW's counter to Tyson Fury is a boxer nobody has ever heard of. Makes sense.


Is Tyson Fury a well known boxer? I had never heard of him before the Smackdown on FOX debut :lol: I had heard of Tyson, Mayweather, and even Butterbean before they ever did anything with WWE.

[Nash Diesel]

Is Tyson Fury a well known boxer? I had never heard of him before the Smackdown on FOX debut :lol: I had heard of Tyson, Mayweather, and even Butterbean before they ever did anything with WWE.

Yes he's a well known boxer. I'm sure a lot of pro wrestling fans who only watch the WWE had no clue who he was.

[Donald]

Nice dig :)

[Bagel]

Yes he's a well known boxer. I'm sure a lot of pro wrestling fans who only watch the WWE had no clue who he was.

Was never interested enough to look him up but for some reason I thought he was black.

[Beer-Belly]

AEW's counter to Tyson Fury is a boxer nobody has ever heard of. Makes sense.

Except Tyson Fury is just coming in for a Saudi payday and then fucking off. I don't think the situations are comparable.

[Donald]

Except Tyson Fury is just coming in for a Saudi payday and then fucking off. I don't think the situations are comparable.

I thought it was one time deal for now, but after his next fight he may retire from boxing and come to WWE full time?

[Nash Diesel]

Nice dig :)

Honestly it wasn't even a dig until after I posted it and thought, fuck, he's going to think I'm knocking him. When in reality it was just a general term because there were several people in the Smackdown thread who were like "Who the fuck is this guy he's not even famous WWE made him now!" But yeah after I posted it I was like, fuck, he's going to think I took a shot at him and it was just really way of saying I get why people wouldn't know he was compared to some of the crossover boxers like Tyson, Butterbean, Ali, etc.


Was never interested enough to look him up but for some reason I thought he was black.

haha, because his name sounds like he's black. Tyson Fury sounds like a black comic book character or character in Street Fighter.


Except Tyson Fury is just coming in for a Saudi payday and then fucking off. I don't think the situations are comparable.

Naw I was just busting the balls of AEW. WWE snags Tyson Fury, AEW feels like they need a boxer too. Only this time their boxer is a legally blind retired boxer who's already been wrestling here and there.

[Donald]

Honestly it wasn't even a dig until after I posted it and thought, fuck, he's going to think I'm knocking him. When in reality it was just a general term because there were several people in the Smackdown thread who were like "Who the fuck is this guy he's not even famous WWE made him now!" But yeah after I posted it I was like, fuck, he's going to think I took a shot at him and it was just really way of saying I get why people wouldn't know he was compared to some of the crossover boxers like Tyson, Butterbean, Ali, etc.


You can knock me, I know I'm a very much pro WWE guy. Look, I gave AEW a shot this past week. It's just not for me. Everything from the commentary, to the in ring action, to the weird sound that's made whenever someone hits the mat. Just screams WCW. And I didn't like WCW. Not knocking anyone who likes AEW, fine by me. The more wrestling, the more competition, the better. Maybe after 30 years I'm just programmed and conditioned to WWE that anything else just isn't going to click with me.

Also, this is entirely my opinion, I think Cody just started the company so he can win a world title, because he wasn't good enough to ever win it in the WWE. He's gonna lose the match at whatever the PPV is called, due to interference from Inner Circle - Bad Boys.mp3. Then he'll get a rematch with Jericho in a steel cage or their Hell in a Cell rip off Fire Surrounded by Wire, and get his big championship celebration moment.

And Jack Swagger, please come back to WWE, if you're reading this. I love you.

[chatty]

Is Tyson Fury a well known boxer? I had never heard of him before the Smackdown on FOX debut :lol: I had heard of Tyson, Mayweather, and even Butterbean before they ever did anything with WWE.

Hes a world ubified heavyweight champion who dethroned Wladimir Klitschko who had rules the division for ten years.

Problem is the heavy division has been dominated by Europeans in europe for the last two decades so they arent really known that well outside of there.

It didnt help Fury that he was banned for taking Peds for two years just after he won the title and retired for a while, blew uo to about 25 stone and had a lide crisis but hes been doing well at building his star power since he returned and hs based himself in the USA with a US promoter.

Youll probably see a lit more of them all soon because with Fury, Wilder and Ruiz all based in the US and likely Joshua returning there if he beats Ruiz its gonna be all the hyoe in boxing fir the next few years.

[chatty]

And tbf to Ogogo he is an Olympic medalist. He just didnt transfer to the pros very well and then had a bad eye injury that retired him.

[Murphy]

AEW's official Twitter is a touch annoying. Jimmy Havoc is making his 'long awaited' return to AEW on Dark tonight. :dunno:

They were also running a countdown yesterday to a 'major announcement'. All day, every hour. Ended up being announcing the next town Dynamite is going to be in. :blah:

And I'm now getting porn on my timeline because AEW follows the porn site Brazzers.

OK, that last one is kinda funny.

[Donald]

I find all of Twitter annoying, to be honest.

[Murphy]

I use it more than any other social media site. I do need to keep my 'following' to a minimum though, or it can get annoying and repetitive.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Watching AEW Dark. QT Marshall looks decent, Peter Avalon looks like a tube of toothpaste that’s been squeezed empty except for his head.

Sonny Kiss... *farts*. Fucking dork. How can any gay person see this guy flouncing and bouncing around like a sweet transvestite from Transylvania and actually like his shit? He’s a walking, talking gay stereotype who sexually harasses men by slamming his ass into their heads.

Dustin Rhodes deserves better than this bullshit.

Somehow, in a match with Sonny Kiss playing a gay gimmick as subtle as a punch to the face and dressed like a gay pride parade float, the queerest looking thing in this match is Peter Avalon’s man bun.

Leva Bates is wicked hot, but she needs a gimmick change. This librarian thing is grim death.

[Tainted Eclipse]

Sonny kiss is playing an exotico, a common gimmick in Mexican wrestling but not really attested in America wrestling. He does it well and I like him. He and Dustin were a fun team and I liked that tag match a lot

[Donald]

I use it more than any other social media site. I do need to keep my 'following' to a minimum though, or it can get annoying and repetitive.

Might sound hypocritical, being on a message board and all, but I wish commenting on Twitter posts, YouTube videos, news articles, etc. was banned, as I'd say 75% of them are hate filled, antagonizing filth. Ever read a Rajah.com article, then read the comments? It's a bit ridiculous how people act towards each other when it's mostly anonymous.


Back to AEW, and this is a question I've been thinking a lot. What makes that sound in the ring? How come it doesn't happen in a WWE ring?

[Murphy]

Might sound hypocritical, being on a message board and all, but I wish commenting on Twitter posts, YouTube videos, news articles, etc. was banned, as I'd say 75% of them are hate filled, antagonizing filth. Ever read a Rajah.com article, then read the comments? It's a bit ridiculous how people act towards each other when it's mostly anonymous.

Oh God, I don't read the comments! Yeah, that's some toxic shit right there. I'd rather insert wasps up my arse.

[Bagel]

Might sound hypocritical, being on a message board and all, but I wish commenting on Twitter posts, YouTube videos, news articles, etc. was banned, as I'd say 75% of them are hate filled, antagonizing filth. Ever read a Rajah.com article, then read the comments? It's a bit ridiculous how people act towards each other when it's mostly anonymous.


Back to AEW, and this is a question I've been thinking a lot. What makes that sound in the ring? How come it doesn't happen in a WWE ring?

True. It's probably some of the same people who pop in the weekly show threads and are sick of WWE programming yet continue to watch....

[Nash Diesel]

Might sound hypocritical, being on a message board and all, but I wish commenting on Twitter posts, YouTube videos, news articles, etc. was banned, as I'd say 75% of them are hate filled, antagonizing filth. Ever read a Rajah.com article, then read the comments? It's a bit ridiculous how people act towards each other when it's mostly anonymous.


Back to AEW, and this is a question I've been thinking a lot. What makes that sound in the ring? How come it doesn't happen in a WWE ring?

I bet it's how they have it mic'd up underneath. ECW was loud as fuck too.

[Tainted Eclipse]

was that a new theme?

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Time for AEW...

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1154465197312106497/z8GD0Lw3_400x400.jpg

[Tainted Eclipse]

was it a new opening theme tonight?

sammy getting real heat is cool.

[Tainted Eclipse]

i like establishing the buckshot as something that can end a match. good opener.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

That Buckshot is a better finisher than that dangerous and kinda complicated looking reverse package piledriver thing. Its easier to pull off and he can do it to more guys, easier. Hell, he can do it two guys at once. Its a good, dynamic finish.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Did they really just have Private Party talking to The Rock N' Roll Express in the picture-in-picture window?

I can hear Jim Cornette's aneurysm from here.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Why couldn't this Japanese school girl be AEW's Women's Champion instead of Riho.

She looks like an eighth grader at least. Riho looks like she's still in kindergarten.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Poor Rock 'N' Roll Express.

They're NWA Powerrrrrrr's tag-team champions, but they get punked out by Not LAX in AEW.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Are Not LAX AEW exclusive?

Bring them in for a shot on NWA Powerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr and have The Rock 'N' Roll work with them.

[Tainted Eclipse]

ok this interview is going too long

[Tainted Eclipse]

as the kids say, cringe.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

Well gee, Rick, that fucking sucked.

[VHS]

This is a goddamn joke.

[Spudz Mackenzie]

This is a goddamn joke.

They're programming this Rick and Morty bullshit against Asuka's return to NXT and a Women's Tag-Team Title match.

Not smart.

Also, I'm sure it was just a coincidence, but Maruo just said "no hugs tonight".