Doubt Daniel Bryan wins this one. MJF is too early in his reign. Perhaps a returning Punk could be the one to dethrone MJF.
Doubt Daniel Bryan wins this one. MJF is too early in his reign. Perhaps a returning Punk could be the one to dethrone MJF.
There's a part of me that thinks he could possibly lose. He's been champ about 3-4 months. That Von Erich movie doesn't come out for awhile so he could drop it and then win it back in time to promote that movie.Originally Posted by Donald
The other part of me thinks that the time to get Danielson the belt was against Page and we could've had Punk take the strap off him instead. That shipped sailed, and I think so has Danielson being AEW World champion. But as we know with many promoters, when something seems too obvious they flip it up. If they're so high on having a million viewers a week (WOO HOO!) maybe keeping it on MJF would be smart. Do the fans really want him to lose? IDK.
I'd like to see MJF get heat without resorting to personal attacks and edgy material. Oh no, he mentioned Daniel Bryan's children. The devil.
Yeah it feels very forced but dude I just saw a video last night of MJF backing down from some fat dude with a finger pistol..........
Thanks man this helps. I was a pretty regular follower about their first six months on TV, a little less, then a little less. Now it's mostly catching things in passing. Just happened to put it on last night for a few minutes but looked online at the PPV lineup and I had so many questions. I feel like the only things I know without watching are that Moxley will bleed every week and MJF will tell us he's better than us and we know it, and we'll get some "Cowboy shit" chants too.
Matches: Quite good
Build/Stories: Questionable (some make sense, a fair amount don't)
I want Danielson to win so bad but I don't think it happens because again we are early into MJF's reign much like we were early in Page's reign when Danielson challenged him. Kind of frustrating knowing he probably should go over but won't.
Here's my question and I'm torn on the answer: Does Bryan win gold in AEW? I feel like he will, but it'll be on some bullshit where he wants to elevate a title so it'd be like the All Pacific or whatever that shit is called. Or some random tag title run with Daniel Garcia later this year.
It's frustrating knowing that Adam Page shouldn't have been champion to begin with. I think when he pulled out of the ppv and they pivoted to Christian was the beginning of the end for AEW getting any bigger than they are. Adam Page is a mega forced main eventer, if this were WWE the audience would've turned on him being booked this way but since it's AEW we let it slide because they're a fucking pampered promotion by smarks. You can't say anything bad or they dicks go back in their shells.
kenny's visa situation probably got in the way of some of the build for the trios match, which is unfortunate. that moment with the entrance last night was great and certainly has me feeling better about the match, but some more build like that would have been very welcome. the elite just got the titles back and it feels a bit early to switch them off to the HOB, even though they probably 'deserve' or 'need' them more than kenny and the bucks. i'd be happy with a HOB win and maybe a few follow up matches to flesh out the feud where the elite can't gain the titles back.
also feels like they may once again be attempting to move forward with the elite and hangman reunion that got kneecapped after all out. the elite and bcc have been kept away from each other, and they reintroduced the dark order and hangman friendship and tension recently, plus doing the easter egg stuff like the bucks sneakers being on a locker shelf behind hangman as he's doing a backstage promo. with bryan likely losing against mjf, a stable feud between the elite and bcc would be nice heading into the summer.
i'm looking forward to this ppv, some of the builds are whatever, but i know the matches will deliver. i really enjoy the mox/hangman stuff cause i'm not at all sick of blood and it's simple enough premise and they've both delivered great promos along the way. that tag title situation is just fucking weird. i was absolutely fine with the gunns beating the acclaimed. some of these titles could do with moving between opponents during feuds more often, and i think the tag titles are a good set to do that with. why these other teams are being shoehorned in, i don't understand.
I didn't mind Page being champ but the time off he took cooled off his run and yeah I agree when he came back it seemed more forced to get him to the title and then yeah the reign just wasn't much.
I think Danielson will win the world title at some point. Just not sure when. Wouldn't be surprised to see him end up in a tag title reign as well before it is all said and done.
If they had put the belt on Page when they wanted to by the time Danielson arrived you could've put it on him. There's also the fact that Tony Khan, by his own admission, books so far in advance and doesn't really stray from the path until recently. But we see the results. The hotshotting of the World title, it wasn't that great but what can you do? I still think that the loss of CM Punk has completely derailed their momentum. Mox isn't a guy who can take the company to the next level but he at least made it enjoyable.
Surely they had injuries/childbirth/people quitting scenarios in the e-feds Tony used. He should expect that.
Yeah had Page gotten the title sooner then when Danielson comes in then you can totally make the switch. I like that they don't move the title around a lot until injuries and such caused some hotshotting last summer. That is what it is. You work with what you are dealt. It wasn't all bad. Not all good but not all bad either. lol
What made it bad is that Punk got hurt again so there was no continuation to justify these weak short reigns.
I knew you were Spudz!
ew god no
The plot thickens as well as Jon Morley’s blood!
I wonder how the pro blood fans would feel about the long stretch where like every Raw, Smackdown, and ppv main event had blood. Ruthless Aggression Era. I wonder if Moxley was like, I want to be the RA Era Triple H in AEW!! The Attitude Era, not really any better. It's funny how sour I was toward WWE going out of their way to talk about no more blood like it was 1990 all over again. But then you start to realize how you know what, even though every match should probably have blood if we're trying to be "real" but it's not needed as much as we thought.
Speaking of "real"...Any update on Anna Jay?
He wasn’t a good fit for WWE, never was despite his success in the Shield and all that. He probably felt restrained that WWE wouldn’t let him go out and be all lunatic and bleeding for years (and iirc there was a possible Foley angle that was shut down). AEW though lets him bleed like one presses a button for hot water. He could have been an even bigger success and over in WWE if he wanted but he just seems to be one of those “purists” (if that’s the right term) that wants no filter, complete control, bleed all over the place like he’s an indy wrestler. He is a success but I think he could have been even bigger if he toned it down/had a filter maybe. But he wants to go all out and do his own shit with blood which seems fine for him but not everyone likes that. Maybe just stubborn I guess.
No idea on Anna Jay.
As it happens I'm currently listening to the Mox audio book.
The Foley angle wasn't shot down , it ended because Mick couldn't get cleared. And his issues with WWE never had anything to do with wanting to bleed all the time, rather the over production and scripted promos.
Fair enough about the Foley angle, that can’t be helped if that was the case. Still though I think he could’ve been a bigger success and can be if he could work restricted without bleeding all the time. The overproduction/scripted angle isn’t a new complaint and he can cut a promo but he still could do much better if he toned down. Promo-wise maybe more freedom now but could still work better matches instead of making everything a bloody struggle.
Foley himself put his body on the line but he made it epic and he admits he could’ve toned it down. Moxley bleeds for the sake of it and probably could work within the confines but chooses not to.
The bigger question I suppose here really is…despite more freedom, longer title reigns and being able to bleed and do what he wants now is…is he a bigger success now than what he could’ve been? WWE confines and all, I think he could have been bigger with more exposure to a worldwide audience if he worked with the confines. He could have been the Sami working against the Bloodline now for example.
Last edited by Badger; March 5th, 2023 at 7:42 PM.
Anyone else watching Revolution?
I'm watching fast and furious: Tokyo drift
Holy shit that match was amazing
if it wasn't for will/kenny, easily would be match of the year.
The quality of wrestling this year has been absurd. I have four 5 star matches already this year. Will and Kenny is the best match, but now this match. Okada vs Shingo was amazing, and Okada vs Kaito might be my favorite match this year.
that has to be my absolute favorite hour long iron man match. this ppv was ridiculous.
That show was up there with any PPV ever really
Wrestling has been insanely good this year.
Great show. Trios, Texas Death match and the Iron Man match in particular delivered. Clever ending to that one too.
What a show. That hour flew by in the main event. Guessed it was going overtime though, as I watched the next day and there was an hour and 10 left at bell time.
Going in, not too bothered by storylines or programmes, but what a card. Jericho and Starks, for example, couldn't really care less going in, but they delivered and the right man won. Big win for Ricky. Would like to see the TNT Title in his future.
Trios, Page and Mox and the main were excellent. The end to the women's triple threat was a little flat, but still a fun match. And Joe and Wardlow was mildly disappointing, but I'm nitpicking! Top, top show.
Did I miss something pertaining to Wardlow and his relationship with Tony Khan? Dude has not been the same since he squashed MJF.
I thought we may be getting back on track with him regaining the belt but yeah nope.
This has been the mindset of a lotta folks. Even some of the roster and crew are scratching their heads about it.
felt like they booked themselves into a corner with having hobbs win the ladder match and having wardlow beat joe, and having the hobbs/wardlow match immediately after that win. you either beat hobbs clean, which feels like a waste, or you beat wardlow clean, which feels like another speed bump for the guy fucking with his momentum. if you add in shenanigans to keep the title on wardlow, why not just wait to have the match and build a storyline? i will say, the only worthwhile option is the one they went with, which is wardlow losing the title thanks to shenanigans. it's possible it gets him some sympathy and can avoid looking like he's an absolute chump. we'll see if it manages to do that. it was a rando ass finish, but i also didn't hate it. the whole 'belt and gear stolen out of wardlow's rental car,' whether legit or an angle from the get go, helps the story. they're setting it up as QT breaking in and stealing the title and his gear, wardlow during his promo mentions he was ready to beat some respect into hobbs in the ring but given he's now dressed for it, gets the match changed to no dq, falls count anywhere, which plays right into QT's hands. they were mentioning on commentary how QT was a man of his word and hobbs called in the favor QT owed him, so that makes it less random, whether it was hobbs setting up an insurance policy or QT doing this on his own cause he saw the opportunity.
given the length most of the title reigns in AEW tend to be, I'm kinda all for a title that changes hands a bit more often and within feuds. not every reign needs to be long and dominant or prestigious.
He's already been having an uphill battle with that stupid ass name. Then Braun Strowman returns and snakes part of his gimmick (the powerbombing of jabronis). Joe beats him for no good reason and then he wins it back only to job 3 days later to Ice Train II.
And I like Hobbs, but that guy is another damaged good. It's like when they threw the title on Scorpio Sky, for what reason? It did nothing for him and he was already a jabroni when he won it despite a long tag title run a few years prior.
Wardlow should be on deck for a feud with MJF unless CM Punk is coming back. Maybe that's why he lost the title....They wanted Hobbs to win it from a babyface so they took it off Joe and then had a guy who is set for a World title push drop it to the up and comer Hobbs.
Juice Robinson seems like a guy that's going to be ROH instead of AEW so if Starks presumably heads that way, that feels like that cools him off a little.
They really forced their hand by rushing through because it was a feud where the loser was in trouble because momentum was desperately needed for both guys. You control things so anything is possible, but I'm highly skeptical this will work out well for Wardlow, especially as a face.
I can see Jungle Boy eventually being next in line for the title.
ROH feels like WWECW now.
Are we all 100 that he doesn't interrupt MJF's bar mitzvah?
Or should I just assume that's going to be Adam Cole?
I swear to God if Adam Cole is next up for MJF I'm done. It's the same fuckin guys in the same scenarios. Tony is getting lazy, or complacent.
I'm not sure that we've discussed enough the weird decisions that were made to follow-up a tremendous PPV with whatever the plan was for this week's Dynamite.
There was a LOT of JJ for a follow-up to one of their best PPVs.
Related to this, the Tony Khan All-Atlantic Shazam announcement scored in the 90s on the Unintentional Comedy Scale.
I mean, you wanna do WB a solid and help get Shazam to good box-office? There's an obvious answer. You book Jeff Jarrett in a title match. You're welcome Zachary Levi.
Well considering this is probably the last we'll ever see of that Shazam, seems fitting. I still think the promo Hogan cut on Jarrett in TNA about Jarrett basically doing to guys like AJ Styles what Jarrett always claimed was being done to him by Hogan and others was spot on. Jeff Jarrett was a very good midcard IC champion type guy. People can blame Bischoff, Hogan, but TNA sucked before they showed up when Jeff kept putting the belt on himself. WCW was doing pretty good until Jeff came over in 1999 and Russo made him a main eventer. WCW was gone in a year. So mayyyyyybe the suits at TNT haven't forgotten what killed half the audience, it wasn't Arquette, it was this goof.
Honestly I didn't think this ppv was any better or worse than the last 10 or so. I didn't really care what happened next. I mean fuck, I thought were FINALLY done with Hangman v. Moxley...and now we have some weird feud with Dork Order and the Bullshit Combat Cucks. Are we to believe the BBC's are now heels? Dude I'll still boo the fuck out of Yuta but I'm not booing Mox and Cesaro for beating up Page.
It does kind of have that feel.
I am going with Cole and Wardlow continues to feud with Hobbs
Just the way they're piecing the roster together. I haven't watched anything yet, they might only be 1-2 shows in under the new regime. But just from the past couple shows where it was basically AEW production with supposed ROH talent and it looked odd. ROH doesn't need that bright ass lighting and fancy stages. Kills the vibe. We have Dalton Castle, he can light up the arena with his cape.
I haven't watched any ROH stuff because I am tapped on on paying for streaming services at the moment. If Khan would put AEW and ROH and ppvs on the streaming service then I would probably work it into the budget.
I haven't watched anything beyond the clips on Youtube or social media and that's all I need to know that it's not something I'm going out of the way to see. Even when they were on HDNet they had that grimey look. Khan might think people have wanted to see ROH with a real budget but again it just feels like what Vince was trying to do with WWECW. Drape the ECW logo over, and then when it's time to start Smackdown remove it lol.
I thought last PPV was one of the better ones. Reignited my interest in a few things.
And then....I have no idea why Jeff Jarrett is getting this much time. Nobody asked for this. There's not nostalgia. He's not compelling in ring or mic. And now he's part of "levelling up" after being a big part of a feud that should have helped establish the Tag Team Champs' place. I don't get it.
And just looking at the end. You have Wardlow lose, and part of who it puts over is QT Marshall?
These are your bookends?
And completely agree with ECWWE comparison.
For the ROH brand to have value again, they need to eventually find a way for it to stand on it's own. Understand that it might have to have had a transition period. But you have to get there eventually.
Yeah not sure what is going on with Jeff Jarrett. I don't need to see him as much as I am seeing him on tv.
They need to get to the point that wrestlers are only one one brand or the other. Maybe a cross over here and there but the majority of the time ROH people are on the ROH programing and the AEW people are on the AEW programming. You have a lot of people do both right now even as they transition to their own show for ROH. Unless you are like Serpentico and wrestling under a different gimmick on each brand.
The problem is ROH has been dying a slow death for years. It shouldn't even exist. The essence is gone because what made ROH ROH were the talent, and those guys are staples of the WWE and other major organizations for damn near 20 years. That style doesn't stand out anymore. Thank God ECW died. They lost the talent that made that show what it was. And they made piss poor decisions like instead of putting the World title on RVD, you put it on Steve Corino, Jerry Lynn, guys who can't draw shit on a diaper. By 2000 everyone was having ECW style matches. Not just the hardcore chairs and tables, but the WRESTLING.
ROH, same thing man. They had a little resurgence with the New Japan partnership but by the time they put the fuckin belt on Adam Cole, WWE was already putting the belt on guys like Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, plus you had NXT turning into basically ROH with a budget-yet still not in front of 10-20,000 people in a big ass arena but maybe 2-3 times a year if that.
It's not that I don't think ROH can't exist. There are more ways for a product to exist than there have ever been. Web Shows, obscure streaming services (ROH on Roku? Why the fuck not), and proliferation of "channels" to the point where I'm not sure that phrase even has a meaning anymore. If WWE and AEW are the Walmart and Costco of American Wrestling Feds, no reason there can't be some Fred Meyers, Targets, and Dollar Generals.
But there isn't really an ROH brand right now. It's basically AEW people with different belts. I think there might be a nice market for something that's a little more underground. They can take some different risks, etc. But there needs to be some level of differentiation.
Forbidden Door confirmed and going to be in Canada this time around.
Boo
Hopefully they get Naito.
So my brother is watching this last night, MJF comes out with all the ladies and he says 'looks like he got over the breakup real quick' so I say 'anyone can put on a fake smile he could be heartbroken for all we know' and the next thing he goes and sticks his tongue down one of their throats ffs.
the show must go on
Digging the 4 pillars getting some shine. I was honestly about to turn in my AEW card if Adam Cole v. MJF was on deck.
Cole vs MJF is probably coming though
I will say this. A match is one thing. I could see a match on Dynamite coming together after a week build, #1 cont battle royal type thing. I can stomach that. Cole can go in the ring, but so can everyone in wrestling sans Vince McMahon. The voice, the promo, the way he looks, it's well documented how I feel about him. I also acknowledge that I'm obviously "wrong" because ROH, NXT, and AEW disagree with me lol.
Back to the pillars. It does feel like this could be a way to see how much people care about these young talents. I'm digging 3 of the 4. Jungle Boy bores me. There has to be something more than what we've seen. I wasn't a fan of his gimmick to begin with, I also didn't grow up on that weird PBS show about the kids and the dragons. Maybe that was the demo?
Darby, Sammy....Serious potential they're proven upper midcarders in AEW. If the argument is we need to see less WWE main eventers and more of the up and coming talent, I'm here for it. If last night was a statement, that these are the 4 guys we're going with the same way WWE looked at Cena, Orton, Batista, and Edge and said these are our next Austin, Rock, Taker, and Triple H I'm here for it. Obviously there are a couple names that will slide in there as well. Wardlow, if they're serious about that guy yeah he's mid 30's but damn so was Batista. So was Nash when they finally pulled the trigger.
Also--Let's prop up the women's division getting some momentum with Taya Valkrie signing. The biggest issue with the women's division aside from some pretty bad botches is that they sign people or level up some people and then boom, gone. Or they push the wrong people. They strikeout way more than they get on base let's put it that way. I'm not a fan of The Outcasts. I want to be. I think in the perfect setting those 3 especially Paige has nWo written all over them. Paige, Sasha Banks, I always felt like they could've been leaders and/or members of some reincarnation of the nWo. An all female nWo with Kevn Nash as the manager would've been insanity.
I am a fan of Cole. I am not going to say you are wrong but you are wrong. lol Just kidding.
As far as the pillars go. I am a fan of all of them even Jungle Boy. I like that he is moving away from the Jungle Boy thing more into Jack Perry and I think he picked up stuff with all the time with Christian. He has come along with this personality and character. Is he quite there yet for a main event run. No. But he will be there I feel like. Darby and Sammy are like you said the upper midcard and have really proven themselves. I am for seeing any of these three challenge MJF or some kind of program with all of them trying to prove they deserve the shot while MJF sits back and watches them jump through the hoops of each other and just making promos because come on that formula seems to be working for him. lol
I am with you. I want them to really start pushing the younger home grown talent. Throw Wardlow into the mix as well.
I am fan of the Outcasts individually but not a fan of this group. I get trying the whole them vs the homegrown talent thing and Ruby in the middle to start but at the end of the day I am already bored and want to just move on. I don't think that it really ends up going anywhere or elevating anyone. Ruby just continues to be the person to put people over and never getting a run. At least let her give a run with with the TBS title once you take it off Jade.
So much potential in the women's division and yet comes off lack luster so much of the time the way they are booked and what not. I feel for Statlander and her injuries because she would was and probably will be pushed as a star of this division.
I like the Taya signing. Maybe we can give Jade a good program with this feud. I was hoping Athena was going to be it but they have just dropped her to Dark and Dark Elevation and ROH. Like the only ROH champion not on Dynamite and Rampage each week. lol
Lots of really good talent that just needs to be booked better and better angles. I don't think this Outcast thing is going to work. Just my view. Maybe it will.
I liked the opening segment but there definitely could have been fat trimmed off the segment. Darby was the most genuine of the challengers, which was a welcomed surprise. I just think they get too inside baseball too much and it ultimately doesn't help the general look/feel of the company.
The Outcast stuff feels extremely forced. Were people actually booing Toni and Paige before they turned? Dude I follow Paige on Twitter, the AEW fanbase were willing to walk through fire for her any time anyone even a fellow AEW fan would question her being in the ring for example. It would've worked 1000x better if Toni and Paige debuted together in a Hall/Nash sort of a way if they really want to steal this shit. Both were beloved, probably 2 of the most popular babyfaces.
It reminds me of them turning the BCC. Take my hate toward Yuta out of this, what was the point of turning your top babyface heel? Why try to force this one? Moxley as a heel so Hangman can be the top babyface is like booking Roman Reigns in 2014/2015. If the majority of the fanbase prefer Page over Mox as the top babyface then God Help Us. The Elite should be heels-including Page. The Elite should Voltron this shit and turn on the Dark Order, destroy that stable for good. Then you can do Elite v. BCC. They won't do Elite v. Dark Order because it's a jobber feud. Elite are not going to book themselves into a feud with turds.
Athena is just a prime example of what happens when you're someone like Tony Khan and you're simply about giving people a platform. That's why I think we need to appreciate Vince and his formula more than we do. WWE gives us a mix. They're not afraid to sign someone and continue that gimmick but they're also not afraid to strip someone down and see what they mold i.e. Sami Zayn. Sometimes it works sometimes it flops. But simply giving people a bigger platform, I think that's proven to be harder to maintain-look at Bischoff and Dixie Carter. They had a couple original ideas, some were groundbreaking, but alot of it was just continuing someone else's story.
I've decided my dream match for Forbidden Door is King of TV Samoa Joe vs NJPW TV Champion ZSJ.
You miss a week and the All Atlantic is the International Championship now lol. How did that come about?
Blink and you miss it.
They realized putting the Japanese flag on an All-Atlantic title was like putting Iowa on the European championship. The dumbest shit an AEW fan has defended is no doubt the way that belt looked. It surpassed defending the signing of Dr Luther.
Shazam Fury of the Gods is in theaters this Friday
It was a lot more about Jeff Jarrett and Shazam than most people would have seen coming.
I first thought the text in the ring said 'Shalom' in the opening segment
Did anyone apart from Jericho defend signing Luther? (I see he's still picking up a paycheck)
I don't specifically remember names but I could safely assume there were some AEW die hards out there wanting us to give Luther a chance or the one I know I heard was at least he's not in major role....
Shalom: Fury of the Gods would be very confusingI first thought the text in the ring said 'Shalom' in the opening segment
Anyone see that Twitter link going about to the Britt Baker/Anna Jay match from AEW House Rules? Holy shit this is horrendous:
https://twitter.com/kennyolivier69/s...jCvSEXf3iCm10w
I had not seen that. Ouch that is bad. Both are better than that. Wonder what was going on there.
i dunno about anna, but this does not surprise me in the least with britt. she is one of the clunkiest people in the ring. awful timing, seemingly inconsistent athletic ability and no idea how to adlib if something goes askew. outside of a couple matches, she tends to be dire in the ring, and the thing propping her up was character work.
I'm shocked Anna Jay is back after that powerbomb she took from Nyla Rose where 99% of her head bounced off the concrete.
It's a double-edged sword. On one hand, this is the purpose of these house shows, but it's not going to look good in today's world of recording everything.
What do you mean the purpose of house shows? To put on a bad match? Neither of them are rookies. They may not be great wrestlers but they are not bad wrestlers. I wouldn't be happy to spend money to see that. I expect a different level of performance from a WWE or AEW show than I do an indie show that I spend money to go to.
Shit matches happen regardless the promotion but I feel where you're coming from. I wouldn't have been happy as a Britt Baker fan seeing that match.
I'm not going to speak for BG but I assume the house show part might be more about working the kinks out of matches you're going to put on television. That's how it's been forever. But the downside is everything is recorded, put out on social media. I mean, does that look like quality footage? The flipside to the downside is that there are a lot of botches going on in AEW and for a company that promotes themselves as "elite"...compared to what? My old backyard promotion in 99?
Yeah I know that house shows have been used to work on kinks and stuff for upcoming matches or current feuds etc but I don't think AEW is really doing that. Just looked like a set of random matches. Then again look who is booking AEW. Anyway.
Yeah shit matches do happen no matter the promotion and maybe they just don't have good chemistry because the both looked out of sync and everything. Which is why I first said I wonder what was going on because they are both better than that. So maybe bad chemistry. Maybe both had a bad day. who knows but yeah in today's world everything is recorded and things like that just look bad.
It's a case-by-case scenario. It can be for talent that is green to get live experience versus an experienced person. It can be to work through matches and try different things. In their case (two talents that are a bit more seasoned but still need work), it can be utilized to work through issues and to be ready to adapt on the fly. They clearly struggled there but now they have something to build off of, for better or worse.
These house shows aren't like WWE ones, where pretty much everyone knows what they're doing and they're just refining ideas.
The problem is that many on the AEW roster are not very good. When I hear a talent has been on the indies for 5-10 years I wonder what bad habits they've picked up. Who trained some of these people? Who have they been working with? Iron sharpens iron, we have a lot of broomsticks sharpening broomsticks.
Maybe it’s just me but maybe a part of the problem is that AEW just have never had that woman that’s been the all-round package of great on the mic and in the ring (tbf Jamie Hayter is probably the closest to it right now). They’re good at sourcing out talent from elsewhere who can work but not great on the mic. On the flipside you have Jade who ticks all the boxes except memorable matches. She’s got the look and definitely improved but still not got the overall presence to connect with the crowd. Hard time deciding myself if she’s playing tough face or shitty heel. 50-odd matches in a row without defeat yet it’s all flat because they’ve made her look nigh invincible and dragged on so long to the point it’s like “Who cares who now? As long as it’s done.”
Anyway that was a bit of a diatribe but the general point is that their women’s division booking/handling has overall been a bit faeces. Feel shit saying that but I would say women’s booking has/is a major blind spot for AEW.
AEW is doing their dangedest to get that house show match off the internet, and by gawd they're putting up a good fight. Sloppy doesn't even describe it, it just came off as two inexperienced wrestlers aimlessly flailing towards the finish. Britt nearly snapped her own arm backwards trying to do a sling blade, and Anna Jay couldn't even get Britt up for a suplex. Constant leg slapping and punches missing by a mile.
House shows are so important when it comes to talent getting better, but somebody like Anna Jay just isn't progressing at all as a wrestler.
I imagine nothing but congratulations and handshakes in the back though. Good match, great match, when they should both be chewed out for that schlock.
Yeah I see it’s off Twitter now.
It was like watching two drunks go at a pub fight yet drunks generally get the odd hit in. I don’t think there’s any one of them more at blame for the other here…they were both off.
If they had a female in The Elite the women's division would be better.
I've seen some heat about AEW promoting Kenny Omega vs El Hijo Del Vikingo as a "Dream Match". Also criticized no build-up, etc.
Here's where I'll defend AEW a bit on this. This is who AEW is. The fans of AEW either know who he is, will be curious enough to look him up, or just be cool with the match. That's who the fanbase is. According to konnan, it came together quickly and with a small window. No reason why AEW shouldn't just do that shit with their brand.
On a side note, I have tickets to Dynamite. On Thursday, with only HOOK vs. Hathaway announced, was a little worried. Now, I'm convinced that the random internet critiques will have Omega determined to put on the best free tv match he's done.
You're right, it is who they are and what they do. Instead of saying it's just a match, it feels blah but if you add "Dream Match" it's going to draw more attention. That is part of the job: draw more attention.
re: side note - always a personal agenda for you
I think we can all agree that if you're a fan of AEW you probably already know who this guy is. Or it doesn't even matter. Ultimately I think to the AEW fanbase when we hear this is a dream match even if you're not familiar with Viking you're going to take their word for it, maybe research him.
People that are complaining, I didn't do a survey but I imagine they're thinking of the WWE and/or they want to slight AEW for calling this a dream match. I will say we've had quite a few AEW matches randomly labeled as dream matches, usually during commentary as opposed to advertising. Maybe that's the idea, every match is a dream match to someone. Edge v. Randy Orton being called the greatest match of all time was arguably the dumbest promotional tactic the WWE have used so at least we're not getting a pre-Melzter 8 star review.
Who would be in your top 5 "busts" in AEW over the last couple years? Who hasn't been delivering, booked, whatever to your liking?
Miro and Andrade for sure. I am a fan but things have not panned out for them.
Ruby basically pushed to put people over.
Statlander only because of the injury problems.
Those are off the top of my head.
Definitely Miro and Andrade.
Eddie Kingston’s lost a lot of momentum since the Jericho feud.
Santana and Ortiz. They should’ve had a run with the titles.
Last edited by Badger; March 22nd, 2023 at 3:12 PM.
I agree with everyone you mentioned but do they not stick out the most? It's almost embarrassing when you remember how hot they were not just as a team but when they did that vignette for Santana that's when I started thinking ok AEW might have something here. There was that resurgence they had where it felt like they were finally going to get to the next level and it just didn't happen.
Take out Eddie and my top 5 would look almost identical. I'd replace Eddie with Lance Archer. I will admit I'm not a huge fan but he has a place in the company. I can take myself out of personal preference and see where someone can be beneficial and this guy had Jake the Snake ffs. Did it feel thrown together? Yes 100% but they could've done more and stayed consistent with it. He just randomly shows up. I'm not sure if he was World title worthy but my issue is more about the lack of usage.
Miro and Andrade....Again 2 guys I'm not fainting over but they were talent that everyone was just so fucking sure they'd be used better than anywhere else and what did we get? Hey, I'm a fan of King of Kongs, Billy Mitchell is a weird dude but he didn't get put in the camel clutch. The best man thing was stupid, the soldier of God stuff was odd....Andrade...Holy shit that guy was not only buried by the company he did himself zero favors backstage. Many were so sure Charlotte would follow him there, she knew better.
Yeah I don't think I would say Eddie. He has had some good programs.
Totally wasn't thinking about Santana and Ortiz but they totally should have had a run at some point and they missed the boat with it.
Archer is another one. Totally could have been used better. He seems to be a start and stop kind of guy with this pushes and what not.
Too early to throw Adam Cole's name in the mix?
Probably since you know he is about to get another shot at the title.
Bad enough he already had one that did nothing for everyone. That's why I'm thinking he might be a bust. He came in, the needle didn't move. He got a title program, nobody cared. He wins the Owen, gets hurt, feels like he's lost all that momentum. AEW is booked like a kid with ADD. You blink and we've moved on.Probably since you know he is about to get another shot at the title.
Forbidden Door basically sold out in the presale
Reply With Quote
