All Elite Wrestling (AEW) thread

[Asim_khan]

By the looks of things Punk is definitely coming, they've booked the United Centre in Chicago for Rampage, "Living Colour" have followed AEW, and Punk has followed Tony Khan. It's such an exciting time to be an AEW fan. We had Tanahashi, Gage, Haku and Juventud Guerrera involved, 4 wrestlers I'd never imagine sharing anything despite being pro wrestlers.

Not surprised they're getting Darby to drop the "Best in the World" line, cos he's one of the 5 Punk mentioned as the standouts at AEW alongside Hobbs, Jungle Boy, Pullman Jr, and Starks. Starks Vs Punk on the mic is gonna be something truly special.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Its funny that he's called a money mark, cos he's shown himself to be a really shrewd businessman, he's basically strong armed WarnerMedia into fronting the money for Punk and Bryan. TNT have won the rights to the Wednesday NHL games, AEW's contract dictated that they'd have the regular Wednesday slot except during NBA play offs, so they've paid AEW an 8 figure amount to move to TBS, aside from 4 major shows on TNT on Saturdays which are call backs to the classic Clash of Champions that were on the Superstation in the GCW/NWA/WCW days. That money's gone towards the new signings. Alot of the analysts were surprised how little fight AEW put up to having to move, cos although TBS is available in more homes, TNT is seens as the hip & happening channel, but I guess it's no coincidence that they're then linked so heavily with Bryan & Punk, especially after they invested so heavily in the Video game, which they're self publishing.

Bryan has come for the chance to work with AAA and especially NJPW, and working for AEW allows that. WWE tried getting an exclusive deal with NJPW so they could keep Bryan and pie face AEW, but Vince has got a terrible reputation when it comes to working with others (), whereas AEW have rolled the red carpet out for Kenta, Rocky Romero, Haku's son etc and also allowed Moxley/Jericho to work the big NJPW shows, especially since Meij has left. Also the way to put over Yuji Nagata, and his return to TNT after 20 years got alot of traction in Japan and impressed the NJPW office.

CM Punk it seems is gonna be more of a WarnerMedia signing than an AEW one, do not be surprised to see him doing lots of media work for the NHL games, he's a huge hockey mark, and there's rumors that him and Renee Paquette nee Young aka Moxley's wife will be heading up the NHL's version of "NBA on TNT", which is probably why CM Punk has decided to sign with AEW, and also why WarnerMedia have paid the money to Tony, cos Punk is mainstream and he would be a big get for NHL, as he would bring in the casuals as well as the hardcore Hockey fans.

There's a certain excitement that comes with being an AEW fan cos of the likelihood of big signings, it's something WWE no longer has since every newcomer generally ends up in NXT. You get Cena/Edge returning, and maybe in the future The Rock, but it's not the same. There's been people on twitter tracking Tony Khan's private plane to Chicago and all sorts, which is madness lmao. The last time WWE fans were like this was when Kenny Omega was meant to Debut at the 2019 Royal Rumble, and instead you got Nia Jaxx.

And WWE fans aren't taking the fact Bryan maybe leaving too well. I Also wonder how much of these comments are from Desi's

This had me rolling

Tbh he's both. On one hand you can't deny that he is a smart businessman otherwise his business wouldn't be growing and he wouldn't have made these deals with TNT for the second show or the specials.

On the other hand, you can't deny he's a money mark either. Because some of the signings he has made in the past deserve to be questioned. As do, his decision to make those 4 the EVPs. And let's not forget, none of this would have been possible without daddy's money.

But all that aside, undoubtedly it is an incredibly exciting time to be a wrestling fan. Punk and Bryan are easily the most over guys of the last decade. And these signings are going to be an incredible game-changer for AEW. I agree with you that WWE's big names returning just doesn't have the same feel anymore. There's a certain sameness to the product whereas, AEW offers more unpredictability and surprises. Let's see what happens, should be fun.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

[MENTION=147292]RedwoodOriginal[/MENTION]

Had you thought of these dream matches:

Sting vs CM Punk
Sting vs Daniel Bryan

Kurt Angle vs Daniel Bryan

baah gawwd almighty )

Kurt hated his final opponent, if he could improve his ring activity and get in shape maybe it’s possible, Bryan has always been his dream opponent, and Sting still has a bit of gas left it seems.

Also to add to the Sting/Punk possibility, Sting’s little female dog may have potentially hyped that up or *pukes’ an interaction between Sting’s female dog and Punk, that would be horrid.

I dunno about these matches man. Sting seems like he's at that dangerous point of his career where even a single bad bump could go seriously side-ways. The best way to use him would be in a cinematic match imo. And even if he works a farewell match it would have to be against a very young guy who can carry him through out the match. Bryan could be that guy but my guess is that AEW would probably want to use it as an opportunity to elevate someone young. Likely, Darby.

As for Angle, AEW made various offers to him but he was adamant on the fact that he couldn't wrestle anymore. And if he turned down AEW you can be sure that they likely offered him alot of money and the potential to have a much better farewell match. And with Kurt's well-known history of neck problems I can't say that I blame him.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

By the looks of things Punk is definitely coming, they've booked the United Centre in Chicago for Rampage, "Living Colour" have followed AEW, and Punk has followed Tony Khan. It's such an exciting time to be an AEW fan. We had Tanahashi, Gage, Haku and Juventud Guerrera involved, 4 wrestlers I'd never imagine sharing anything despite being pro wrestlers.

Not surprised they're getting Darby to drop the "Best in the World" line, cos he's one of the 5 Punk mentioned as the standouts at AEW alongside Hobbs, Jungle Boy, Pullman Jr, and Starks. Starks Vs Punk on the mic is gonna be something truly special.

Yeah. Couldn't be any more obvious. But I especially loved how they dropped hints and references through out the episode. The Darby promo was the best part. But earlier Nick Jackson did Punk's signature running knee into the bulldog during his match. And then at the end of the show MJF started his promo in the same way as Punk's iconic pimebomb promo. It makes sense that they are debuting Punk on Rampage because that would go a long way in establishing their new show and help in setting up his match for All Out.

I would add Punk vs. MJF to that list and possibly even to the top of the list. That and Punk v Starks will be incredible from a promo stand-point.

Tbh, I don't know if I would call Nick Gage a pro wrestler, because frankly he's not. There's no skill involved in what he does. And though AEW did this one-shot deal with him and even got a decent rating out of it, they should seriously think twice about doing something like this because alot of their viewers just don't want to see a guy cutting another guy with a pizza-cutter on TV.

 

[shaz619]

I said this about a year ago and earlier this year around mania, I genuinly hope and pray Bray Wyatt leaves that company and thankfully they have finally released him, there was no justification for the horrific booking over the years and personally I’d love to see him as a monster heel in NJPW, but AEW wont be a bad place to sign at this point either

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I said this about a year ago and earlier this year around mania, I genuinly hope and pray Bray Wyatt leaves that company and thankfully they have finally released him, there was no justification for the horrific booking over the years and personally I’d love to see him as a monster heel in NJPW, but AEW wont be a bad place to sign at this point either

Was pretty shocked by this. He's been underutilized since day one but he's still a multi-time World Champion, a big merchandise mover and my thinking was that he was one of their top guys. But that's WWE for you. Bray's career was done in 2017 and he had essentially become a parody of himself, so for him to reinvent himself the way that he did with The Fiend was a remarkable achievement on its own. The Fiend could have been the modern day version of the Undertaker. But instead he was booked badly, squashed and buried by 50 year old Oldberg and put in idiotic, nonsensical feuds with Braun Strowman and Randy Orton. And the rest as they say, is history. If WWE can't make a gimmick like that work, I can't say I have hope for much else.

Wish the best for Bray though. He is naturally gifted on the mic, he can work incredibly well for a big man and he is very creative when it comes to coming up with stuff. He has the potential to be successful anywhere and he will certainly thrive in an environment like AEW where he will be allowed to be creative.

But question is, will AEW pick him up? They are likely already breaking the bank for Punk and Bryan. And they have had other high-profile signings like Tommy End and Andrade too. They simply have to drop guys if they are to continue signing high-profile stars.

I personally feel Bray would be a great guy to have on your roster. Just because of his look, natural flair for creativity and in-ring ability. But whether AEW feels the same way, I don't know. Who knows though in 90 days they could just pick him up when they need another surprise.

 

[Asim_khan]

Indian fans, how big is Eurosport India?? Allegedly AEW have passed on a deal with Sony (who broadcast WWE, it became real political and dirty cos of PPV's being on the WWE network etc,), who they'd been negotiating with for nearly a year, to sign this deal with Eurosport India, which is owned by Discovery, and cos of the WarnerMedia/Discovery merger there's a connection there. I hoenstly think at this point WarnerMedia Discovery have brought a share of AEW.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/aew/news-aew-inks-massive-indian-tv-deal-dynamite-rampage

AEW inks a massive Indian TV deal for Dynamite and Rampage
An absolute treat is in the works for AEW fans An absolute treat is in the works for AEW fans

Riju Dasgupta

AEW's flagship television shows - Dynamite and Rampage - will be broadcast on Eurosport starting 15th August 2021.

Eurosport will also be broadcasting AEW's pay-per-view events, including All Out in September, as part of the deal. The press release mentions that 4 wrestling specials will be broadcast annually.

India celebrates the 15th of August as Independence Day, which is why the date was earmarked for the launch.


It must be noted that Eurosport also broadcasts IMPACT Wrestling specials and NJPW content in India. With this partnership, they own the broadcasting rights to 3 major pro wrestling promotions. The other major player in this space is SONY Sports India, which broadcasts WWE content.

Tony Khan is elated about AEW's expansion plans
A press release that was sent out had the following quote from Tony Khan about the partnership:

“In less then two years since launching AEW DYNAMITE, we’ve started a professional wrestling revolution,” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW. “Through our partnership with Eurosport India, we’re looking forward to showcasing the best professional wrestling that fans in India demand and deserve. We were an instant success in the U.S., and now fans across the world are discovering AEW, feeling refreshed and excited about professional wrestling again. We can’t wait for fans in India to experience our dynamic storytelling, high-flying action and incredible roster of global stars and homegrown talent on a weekly basis.”


Vijay Rajput from Eurosport added the following:

“Pro-wrestling is a sport that every kid in India has grown up watching, and its popularity is on the rise." Vijay Rajput, Senior Vice President – Affiliate Sales and Product Distribution, Asia - India Sales & Distribution at Discovery Inc. and Head of Eurosport India said. "Eurosport has always believed in building communities and bringing quality content for passionate fans. AEW, in a short period, has grown rapidly and this partnering with AEW allows us to bring to our fans some of the biggest names in the pro-wrestling world—thus strengthening our commitment of bringing world-class action to fans.”
AEW is making big moves at the moment, especially if the rumors of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan joining the roster are indeed true. This broadcasting partnership allows AEW an inroad into what is arguably the biggest pro wrestling market in the world.

Also, word is that Adam Cole is out of contract after Summerslam, and hasn't re-signed, which would explain how he's been booked since he lost the title, and cos of his size, I can't see anything for him on the main roster, Vince would turn him into a character called "The Flea" who is chased after by Reginald and Truth with a giant fly swatter. If he was to come to AEW, he could be resurrected as the US based Bullet Club leader. Alternatively he could headline Wrestlemania, his reign as NXT was the last great one imo, maybe best ever, better than Sami/Neville/Drew, so who know's what he's gonna do.

As far as Bray, can't see TK letting him do the Fiend stuff in AEW, he made Matt drop alot of the hokey Broken universe stuff after the teleportation angle went down like a lead balloon. Looking from the outside in, it seems Bray has had some hideous booking over the years, the Wyatt family should've overcome Cena, that would've truly made them, instead it was Hogan vs the Dungeon of Doom, and then after the Fiend debuted, that Seth match in HITC almost killed him as a character and threat, he managed to redeem himself, but then losing to Goldberg pretty much ended him, he never recovered. I'd love for him to come in under a southern gothic swamp monster type, but never been impressed with his in ring work, so don't know how he'll get on in NJPW.

Finally, also Raj Giri, twitter's resident desi dirt sheet guy claims a 'legend' has asked for his release from WWE and got it, and it will be made public tomorrow, rumors are that it's Ric Flair, although Jeff Hardy has also been mentioned. Flair coming in will mean the 3 most important and original horsemen are with AEW, and with Conrad owning the trademark, I can see something happening with that. If it's Jeff, then alternatively we get the Young Bucks vs Hardy Boys.

 

[shaz619]

Was pretty shocked by this. He's been underutilized since day one but he's still a multi-time World Champion, a big merchandise mover and my thinking was that he was one of their top guys. But that's WWE for you. Bray's career was done in 2017 and he had essentially become a parody of himself, so for him to reinvent himself the way that he did with The Fiend was a remarkable achievement on its own. The Fiend could have been the modern day version of the Undertaker. But instead he was booked badly, squashed and buried by 50 year old Oldberg and put in idiotic, nonsensical feuds with Braun Strowman and Randy Orton. And the rest as they say, is history. If WWE can't make a gimmick like that work, I can't say I have hope for much else.

Wish the best for Bray though. He is naturally gifted on the mic, he can work incredibly well for a big man and he is very creative when it comes to coming up with stuff. He has the potential to be successful anywhere and he will certainly thrive in an environment like AEW where he will be allowed to be creative.

But question is, will AEW pick him up? They are likely already breaking the bank for Punk and Bryan. And they have had other high-profile signings like Tommy End and Andrade too. They simply have to drop guys if they are to continue signing high-profile stars.

I personally feel Bray would be a great guy to have on your roster. Just because of his look, natural flair for creativity and in-ring ability. But whether AEW feels the same way, I don't know. Who knows though in 90 days they could just pick him up when they need another surprise.

Budget cuts is hard to believe when he was a big merch mover, there could be more going on behind the scenes I don’t know, maybe am reading into it a bit too much but Foley in his tweet alluded to the fact that Bray might have some personal issues to. Maybe WWE are punishing Bray for getting JoJo pregnant every time they want to fire her Speaking of JoJo, I felt she was one fine replacement for Lilian. Other reports suggest Nick Khan has been treating the company like a sports franchise, is it just a US thing, with Khan’s being so dumb as muck? they also bend over backwards big time for their white masters, even with all the dough they change their identity, jesus christ.

AEW were signing everyone on their dog, first it started with the nepotism and stupid decision to make numb nut Omega an EVP who bought in his retardedd friends and school children from Japan, waste of payroll the whole lot and then they broke the bank for some WWE mercenaries, off course Wyatt is worth his weight in gold in comparison, but am not sure if the company are going to break even anytime soon like this. It’s good to boost their momentum but you need to keep an eye on the financials to.

Speaking of Bray whatever he decided, I hope he doesn’t re-sign with the company but beyond the WWE the sky is the limit, I can easily see him having success in Hollywood to in a variety of positions, he is one of the most creative minds in wrestling history and definitely an ATG on the mic, I also think he is under rated as worker; most don’t understand he works to his character and gimmick, same people will probably say Brock can’t work either not having seen that he is more then capable of working the modern style which is the easiest to do, sometimes less is a lot more and when your character is strong you don’t need to take so many bumps either because the ring psychology takes over, but I’ve seen Bray work close to a 5* classic live during a house show with Cena, and he had numerous encounters with the likes of Bryan, Reigns and The Shield which were all great. Japan would not remotely be a challenge, Jericho past his prime had success there with the top workers, they’re not going to book Bray at the top of a card in a 10 minute match with all the bells and whistle’s, in fact there is footage of Hogan holding his own in the ring with the Great Muta lol you get the opportunity to work without limitations, you have all the freedom and flexibility to succeed.

Dave and his bi-polar / hypocritical ratings hold little merit. He didn’t enjoy Jericho/Gage but gave them something like 4* due to the crowd lol he is a stooge for the company, in that case Warrior and Honky Tonk Man at SS should have been a 4* to, he has lost his marbles and lacks complete objectivity.

 

[shaz619]

If I were AEW I’d certainly hire Bray he would be a refreshing signing for them, they could make cuts elsewhere and avoid signing more big names who are past it. But I don’t think they will be the only shop in town, maybe WWE could still attempt to re-sign and there is IMPACT to, an exclusive deal with Japan would be a left field choice and there will be Hollywood to.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Budget cuts is hard to believe when he was a big merch mover, there could be more going on behind the scenes I don’t know, maybe am reading into it a bit too much but Foley in his tweet alluded to the fact that Bray might have some personal issues to. Maybe WWE are punishing Bray for getting JoJo pregnant every time they want to fire her Speaking of JoJo, I felt she was one fine replacement for Lilian. Other reports suggest Nick Khan has been treating the company like a sports franchise, is it just a US thing, with Khan’s being so dumb as muck? they also bend over backwards big time for their white masters, even with all the dough they change their identity, jesus christ.

AEW were signing everyone on their dog, first it started with the nepotism and stupid decision to make numb nut Omega an EVP who bought in his retardedd friends and school children from Japan, waste of payroll the whole lot and then they broke the bank for some WWE mercenaries, off course Wyatt is worth his weight in gold in comparison, but am not sure if the company are going to break even anytime soon like this. It’s good to boost their momentum but you need to keep an eye on the financials to.

Speaking of Bray whatever he decided, I hope he doesn’t re-sign with the company but beyond the WWE the sky is the limit, I can easily see him having success in Hollywood to in a variety of positions, he is one of the most creative minds in wrestling history and definitely an ATG on the mic, I also think he is under rated as worker; most don’t understand he works to his character and gimmick, same people will probably say Brock can’t work either not having seen that he is more then capable of working the modern style which is the easiest to do, sometimes less is a lot more and when your character is strong you don’t need to take so many bumps either because the ring psychology takes over, but I’ve seen Bray work close to a 5* classic live during a house show with Cena, and he had numerous encounters with the likes of Bryan, Reigns and The Shield which were all great. Japan would not remotely be a challenge, Jericho past his prime had success there with the top workers, they’re not going to book Bray at the top of a card in a 10 minute match with all the bells and whistle’s, in fact there is footage of Hogan holding his own in the ring with the Great Muta lol you get the opportunity to work without limitations, you have all the freedom and flexibility to succeed.

Dave and his bi-polar / hypocritical ratings hold little merit. He didn’t enjoy Jericho/Gage but gave them something like 4* due to the crowd lol he is a stooge for the company, in that case Warrior and Honky Tonk Man at SS should have been a 4* to, he has lost his marbles and lacks complete objectivity.

Yeah Bray is definitely very underrated as an in-ring talent. He was booked so horrifically for so long that people have forgotten that he can actually work. His Last Man Standing match against Cena is one of my favorite matches of the modern era. He had a very good match against Reigns in HIAC years ago too, and an amazing strap match against Bryan too just a couple of years ago. On top of that he is a big name, a multiple time world champion and someone who was over like gangbusters not too long. I just don't see why you wouldn't want a talent like that on your roster...in any wrestling company.

I have heard that he was struggling with mental health issues in the wake of Brodie Lee's death. Many were shocked to see how thin he had gotten at WrestleMania. I hope he's alright. At any rate, you're right, a guy as creative as that is going to end up somewhere worthwhile. The WWE environment is full of so many limitations that guys just can't be who they are anymore. It's impossible. Everything is scripted and mapped out and the product does not have the same spontaneity as it used to. Punk and Bryan were probably the last two guys who were fully able to embrace who they were which is why people are still clamoring to see them.

Yeah that was just sad to see from Dave. I mean he is discrediting himself and his own decades old ratings system just because he doesn't want to offend his friends. And the funniest thing is that he even admitted that he hated the match.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Indian fans, how big is Eurosport India?? Allegedly AEW have passed on a deal with Sony (who broadcast WWE, it became real political and dirty cos of PPV's being on the WWE network etc,), who they'd been negotiating with for nearly a year, to sign this deal with Eurosport India, which is owned by Discovery, and cos of the WarnerMedia/Discovery merger there's a connection there. I hoenstly think at this point WarnerMedia Discovery have brought a share of AEW.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/aew/news-aew-inks-massive-indian-tv-deal-dynamite-rampage



Also, word is that Adam Cole is out of contract after Summerslam, and hasn't re-signed, which would explain how he's been booked since he lost the title, and cos of his size, I can't see anything for him on the main roster, Vince would turn him into a character called "The Flea" who is chased after by Reginald and Truth with a giant fly swatter. If he was to come to AEW, he could be resurrected as the US based Bullet Club leader. Alternatively he could headline Wrestlemania, his reign as NXT was the last great one imo, maybe best ever, better than Sami/Neville/Drew, so who know's what he's gonna do.

As far as Bray, can't see TK letting him do the Fiend stuff in AEW, he made Matt drop alot of the hokey Broken universe stuff after the teleportation angle went down like a lead balloon. Looking from the outside in, it seems Bray has had some hideous booking over the years, the Wyatt family should've overcome Cena, that would've truly made them, instead it was Hogan vs the Dungeon of Doom, and then after the Fiend debuted, that Seth match in HITC almost killed him as a character and threat, he managed to redeem himself, but then losing to Goldberg pretty much ended him, he never recovered. I'd love for him to come in under a southern gothic swamp monster type, but never been impressed with his in ring work, so don't know how he'll get on in NJPW.

Finally, also Raj Giri, twitter's resident desi dirt sheet guy claims a 'legend' has asked for his release from WWE and got it, and it will be made public tomorrow, rumors are that it's Ric Flair, although Jeff Hardy has also been mentioned. Flair coming in will mean the 3 most important and original horsemen are with AEW, and with Conrad owning the trademark, I can see something happening with that. If it's Jeff, then alternatively we get the Young Bucks vs Hardy Boys.

Adam Cole is someone who I feel would be the perfect fit for AEW. Everything he does looks slick, he can work the modern wrestling style, high work-rate matches and obviously he's outstanding on promos. Also helps that he is good friends with the Bucks and his girlfriend is Women's Champion. If he gets called up to the main roster, I am almost certain that he will be destroyed completely because Vince doesn't get modern wrestling and unless you're Daniel Bryan, you're going to be nothing more than a midcarder if you're a smaller guy. So he much like his Undisputed Era cohorts would be a perfect fit for AEW.

He doesn't have to. A guy like Bray who can work, understands in-ring psychology, is incredibly creative...I don't see how he can't just come up with something new from time to time. I also don't see how having him on your roster is anything less than a slam dunk. If you give him the creative freedom I bet he can come up with alot of great stuff that won't be ruined by rubbish WWE writers either. I listened to an interview he did on Steve Austin's podcast once and from what I understood he essentially came up with everything from the music of the original Bray Wyatt character to his look in-ring attire. Then they kept beating him and turned his gimmick into a parody of itself by doing typical WWE silliness. Though this is not gospel, I'm fairly certain he came up with The Fiend gimmick too. Because the character is essentially a fully developed version of a masked character he did while he was in developmental down in FCW.

If Tony is as smart as AEW fans say he is, he will sign Bray. And I know alot of fans are saying that AEW shouldn't be picking up ex-WWE talents. But thing is AEW has a chance show everyone how WWE wasted these guys when they could have been so much more. And if they reinvent themselves instead of being the exact same guys they were in WWE than I don't see how that argument holds any weight in the first place.

Vince probably has the biggest hand in burying The Fiend. Not only was that horrific cop-out finish at HIAC 2019 his idea, but he was the one who wanted Oldberg to squash him. Just goes to show out of touch the guy is and why he should just go home and let and his 'idiotic daughter' or his 'doofus son in law' take over.

Ehh, I'd probably take anything Raj Giri says with a grain of salt. He's known for spreading lies and not taken seriously by most in the dirtsheet community. I'd wait to hear from Meltzer or Mike Johnson.

 

[shaz619]

Adam Cole is someone who I feel would be the perfect fit for AEW. Everything he does looks slick, he can work the modern wrestling style, high work-rate matches and obviously he's outstanding on promos. Also helps that he is good friends with the Bucks and his girlfriend is Women's Champion. If he gets called up to the main roster, I am almost certain that he will be destroyed completely because Vince doesn't get modern wrestling and unless you're Daniel Bryan, you're going to be nothing more than a midcarder if you're a smaller guy. So he much like his Undisputed Era cohorts would be a perfect fit for AEW.

He doesn't have to. A guy like Bray who can work, understands in-ring psychology, is incredibly creative...I don't see how he can't just come up with something new from time to time. I also don't see how having him on your roster is anything less than a slam dunk. If you give him the creative freedom I bet he can come up with alot of great stuff that won't be ruined by rubbish WWE writers either. I listened to an interview he did on Steve Austin's podcast once and from what I understood he essentially came up with everything from the music of the original Bray Wyatt character to his look in-ring attire. Then they kept beating him and turned his gimmick into a parody of itself by doing typical WWE silliness. Though this is not gospel, I'm fairly certain he came up with The Fiend gimmick too. Because the character is essentially a fully developed version of a masked character he did while he was in developmental down in FCW.

If Tony is as smart as AEW fans say he is, he will sign Bray. And I know alot of fans are saying that AEW shouldn't be picking up ex-WWE talents. But thing is AEW has a chance show everyone how WWE wasted these guys when they could have been so much more. And if they reinvent themselves instead of being the exact same guys they were in WWE than I don't see how that argument holds any weight in the first place.

Vince probably has the biggest hand in burying The Fiend. Not only was that horrific cop-out finish at HIAC 2019 his idea, but he was the one who wanted Oldberg to squash him. Just goes to show out of touch the guy is and why he should just go home and let and his 'idiotic daughter' or his 'doofus son in law' take over.

Ehh, I'd probably take anything Raj Giri says with a grain of salt. He's known for spreading lies and not taken seriously by most in the dirtsheet community. I'd wait to hear from Meltzer or Mike Johnson.

When Bryan made his debut the style hadn’t become overly reliant on high spots, am not going to deny how tough the WWE system can be but cream does rise to the top in some form, guys like Bray, Punk and Bryan did exceptionally well despite the system. Bray could have been booked better but he had so much success despite the 50/50 booking, its a big testament to his talent and ability; yes it should have been more though. Am glad you mentioned both Bryan and Adam Cole because am afraid it’s a night and day comparison, Bryan is arguably the greatest technical wrestler of all time and a personified all time great who broke through all barriers, became a grand slam champion and had success as a heel, face, tag team wrestler, he’s done all sorts of personas and characters, wrestled a variety of opponents and different match situations, he truly belongs on mount rushmore. So I agree that Adam Cole would not have as much success on the main roster, for one Vince wouldn’t take his look seriously, he needs to seriously bulk up, even Bryan improved his physique significantly during his WWE run look at how much muscle mass he put on, but I do think Adam Cole would be perfect for AEW, he is fantastic at spamming the Canadian destroyer and excessive high spots, he is more capable then what I’ve seen from him, but am not a massive fan, his stuff looks good at least though, but I don’t think he is Bryan in the ring or Punk on the mic which many of his fans seem to think, he is solid at bits of everything. But to his credit he looked good from whenever he did get the main roster chance, it’s all about a wrestlers mentality, Bryan’s mentality was that of an Olympians, he had a similar intensity and belief system as Angle.

With all the firing spree though talent will be sceptical about wanting to be there long term and there have been rumours the old man wants to sell.

Speaking of the AEW hipsters doing a bhangra over their Indian brothers, it’s like they are personal spokesman for Dave, he will bang on about this deal and that deal, so and so ticket sold etc whatever he can grip and his followers will do the same, outside those few who are more focussed on the actual product and quality they post this none sense non-stop, when did this even become a thing before Dave made a big deal out of it? not even a significant mile stone having a deal with a third world country who have facist regime which will now be worshipped religiously by AEW fans

 

[Asim_khan]

Agree on Adam Cole, he's got everything except size, he's a ring wizard, he's won World titles in every promotion he's ever been, defacto leader of any faction he's in, and his promo's and charisma are off the charts, absolutely loved his face to face with Kross, "To build you up they give you the music, the smoke machine, the girl, with me, they just ring the bell". Plus he's been spotted in nearly every AEW after party, resulting in pictures having to be reposted, cropping him out lol.

I was never a huge fan of Kane and the Undertaker, so my opinion probably doesn't matter at all when it comes to out there Wrestling characters, but personally I'm not sold on Bray to be honest, granted I've not seen loads of him, but from what I have seen his promo's are certainly good to great, he really gets into character, but his in ring work for me has been dreadful, I've literally never seen him have a decent match. Then again I've only seen him in about 10 matches, and his best was easily the one against Daniel Bryan at Survivor Series a few years ago, but then again Bryan can have a great match against a broom, but recent series of matches I've seen with Orton, Seth, Braun, The Miz, Goldberg and Matt Hardy have been nothing short of terrible, ask for your money back bad. These are all on PPV, so unless he lowers his work rate from TV and house show matches, I don't know. Maybe I just don't see it, but I know Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho and Cody are huge on him and their opinion hold weight with TK, so maybe we'll see him and I'll be happy to be proven wrong. He certainly doesn't excite me like Brodie, Andrade, Black and Miro did, who I felt were under utlilised as in ring workers.

Yes Raj is the laziest and worst of the traditional early internet dirtsheets, he literally copies what all the others have put and is the most sensationalist, but he was credited with breaking the Adam Cole story so it looks like he's got a hot source, we'll see.

Also AEW have just sold out the United Centre within 20 mins of going for sale. I hope they deliver CM Punk, or Tony will be having to park his private plane on the roof and make a quick getaway.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

When Bryan made his debut the style hadn’t become overly reliant on high spots, am not going to deny how tough the WWE system can be but cream does rise to the top in some form, guys like Bray, Punk and Bryan did exceptionally well despite the system. Bray could have been booked better but he had so much success despite the 50/50 booking, its a big testament to his talent and ability; yes it should have been more though. Am glad you mentioned both Bryan and Adam Cole because am afraid it’s a night and day comparison, Bryan is arguably the greatest technical wrestler of all time and a personified all time great who broke through all barriers, became a grand slam champion and had success as a heel, face, tag team wrestler, he’s done all sorts of personas and characters, wrestled a variety of opponents and different match situations, he truly belongs on mount rushmore. So I agree that Adam Cole would not have as much success on the main roster, for one Vince wouldn’t take his look seriously, he needs to seriously bulk up, even Bryan improved his physique significantly during his WWE run look at how much muscle mass he put on, but I do think Adam Cole would be perfect for AEW, he is fantastic at spamming the Canadian destroyer and excessive high spots, he is more capable then what I’ve seen from him, but am not a massive fan, his stuff looks good at least though, but I don’t think he is Bryan in the ring or Punk on the mic which many of his fans seem to think, he is solid at bits of everything. But to his credit he looked good from whenever he did get the main roster chance, it’s all about a wrestlers mentality, Bryan’s mentality was that of an Olympians, he had a similar intensity and belief system as Angle.

With all the firing spree though talent will be sceptical about wanting to be there long term and there have been rumours the old man wants to sell.

Speaking of the AEW hipsters doing a bhangra over their Indian brothers, it’s like they are personal spokesman for Dave, he will bang on about this deal and that deal, so and so ticket sold etc whatever he can grip and his followers will do the same, outside those few who are more focussed on the actual product and quality they post this none sense non-stop, when did this even become a thing before Dave made a big deal out of it? not even a significant mile stone having a deal with a third world country who have facist regime which will now be worshipped religiously by AEW fans

[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION]

So apparently the latest news is that Ric Flair asked for his WWE release and received it. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out what is going to happen next...

And if there's one thing AEW deserves credit for, its that atleast they treat the legends with respect which is more than you can say about WWE who treat their legends like absolute schlubs.

Although Naitch might gasp for a second when he sees some of these guys doing 50 dives in a match, I don't see how he won't be an incredibly positive influence on the young guys. Might even teach some of them a thing or two. On top of that, Tony Khan being the WCW mark that he is will treat Flair like the legend that he is. We're almost guaranteed to get a Horseman reunion and on the plus side, Ric won't be involved in idiotic pregnancy angles with Lacy Evans that are frankly a blot on his name just like most of that TNA run.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Agree on Adam Cole, he's got everything except size, he's a ring wizard, he's won World titles in every promotion he's ever been, defacto leader of any faction he's in, and his promo's and charisma are off the charts, absolutely loved his face to face with Kross, "To build you up they give you the music, the smoke machine, the girl, with me, they just ring the bell". Plus he's been spotted in nearly every AEW after party, resulting in pictures having to be reposted, cropping him out lol.

I was never a huge fan of Kane and the Undertaker, so my opinion probably doesn't matter at all when it comes to out there Wrestling characters, but personally I'm not sold on Bray to be honest, granted I've not seen loads of him, but from what I have seen his promo's are certainly good to great, he really gets into character, but his in ring work for me has been dreadful, I've literally never seen him have a decent match. Then again I've only seen him in about 10 matches, and his best was easily the one against Daniel Bryan at Survivor Series a few years ago, but then again Bryan can have a great match against a broom, but recent series of matches I've seen with Orton, Seth, Braun, The Miz, Goldberg and Matt Hardy have been nothing short of terrible, ask for your money back bad. These are all on PPV, so unless he lowers his work rate from TV and house show matches, I don't know. Maybe I just don't see it, but I know Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho and Cody are huge on him and their opinion hold weight with TK, so maybe we'll see him and I'll be happy to be proven wrong. He certainly doesn't excite me like Brodie, Andrade, Black and Miro did, who I felt were under utlilised as in ring workers.

Yes Raj is the laziest and worst of the traditional early internet dirtsheets, he literally copies what all the others have put and is the most sensationalist, but he was credited with breaking the Adam Cole story so it looks like he's got a hot source, we'll see.

Also AEW have just sold out the United Centre within 20 mins of going for sale. I hope they deliver CM Punk, or Tony will be having to park his private plane on the roof and make a quick getaway.

He had a barn-burner Last Man Standing match against Cena at Payback 2014. Easily his best match. And shows how talented he is in the ring if the match is booked well and he is allowed to be himself. His match against Roman Reigns at HIAC was also very good and obviously pretty much every match he and the Wyatt Family had with The Shield was a slam-dunk. There are other examples too that I can't remember right now. But I feel he should not be blamed for the matches he has had in the last few years because that in my eyes was bad booking and creative rather than anything else. I would say he excites me more than all those guys because I was huge on The Fiend gimmick and everything it could have been, and the prospect of him being given creative freedom especially excites me.

Haha yeah. I mean if Punk isn't there you can pretty much guarantee the building will be burned down. But kudos to them for taking this risk and succeeding in such a big way. It shows perhaps most of all that Punk is a bigger draw than he ever was because they sold these tickets without even announcing he will be there. If AEW use him and Bryan right, both can easily sky-rocket them to the next level.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

When Bryan made his debut the style hadn’t become overly reliant on high spots, am not going to deny how tough the WWE system can be but cream does rise to the top in some form, guys like Bray, Punk and Bryan did exceptionally well despite the system. Bray could have been booked better but he had so much success despite the 50/50 booking, its a big testament to his talent and ability; yes it should have been more though. Am glad you mentioned both Bryan and Adam Cole because am afraid it’s a night and day comparison, Bryan is arguably the greatest technical wrestler of all time and a personified all time great who broke through all barriers, became a grand slam champion and had success as a heel, face, tag team wrestler, he’s done all sorts of personas and characters, wrestled a variety of opponents and different match situations, he truly belongs on mount rushmore. So I agree that Adam Cole would not have as much success on the main roster, for one Vince wouldn’t take his look seriously, he needs to seriously bulk up, even Bryan improved his physique significantly during his WWE run look at how much muscle mass he put on, but I do think Adam Cole would be perfect for AEW, he is fantastic at spamming the Canadian destroyer and excessive high spots, he is more capable then what I’ve seen from him, but am not a massive fan, his stuff looks good at least though, but I don’t think he is Bryan in the ring or Punk on the mic which many of his fans seem to think, he is solid at bits of everything. But to his credit he looked good from whenever he did get the main roster chance, it’s all about a wrestlers mentality, Bryan’s mentality was that of an Olympians, he had a similar intensity and belief system as Angle.

With all the firing spree though talent will be sceptical about wanting to be there long term and there have been rumours the old man wants to sell.

Speaking of the AEW hipsters doing a bhangra over their Indian brothers, it’s like they are personal spokesman for Dave, he will bang on about this deal and that deal, so and so ticket sold etc whatever he can grip and his followers will do the same, outside those few who are more focussed on the actual product and quality they post this none sense non-stop, when did this even become a thing before Dave made a big deal out of it? not even a significant mile stone having a deal with a third world country who have facist regime which will now be worshipped religiously by AEW fans

He isn't Punk or Bryan but than again how many guys are? But I still feel he's incredibly talented in all facets. And honestly, I don't mind his look, I can't say it has ever bothered me. What does stand-out for me is his ability to have whopper matches on a consistent basis, promos that make you believe what he is saying and the fact that he understands psychology and actually knows how to work like a heel.

Lol yeah I don't get why AEW fans have to celebrate every TV rating, ticket sale and corporate deal. I mean I get we live in the 21st century and fans know about the inner-workings of the business but I don't recall any fans celebrating WWF selling out WrestleMania or even TV ratings during the Attitude Era. And that's back when millions upon millions were watching wrestling weekly. As opposed to now when its not even a million watching Dynamite on most weeks. This is something I've always found to be quite weird about AEW fans.

 

[shaz619]

Agree on Adam Cole, he's got everything except size, he's a ring wizard, he's won World titles in every promotion he's ever been, defacto leader of any faction he's in, and his promo's and charisma are off the charts, absolutely loved his face to face with Kross, "To build you up they give you the music, the smoke machine, the girl, with me, they just ring the bell". Plus he's been spotted in nearly every AEW after party, resulting in pictures having to be reposted, cropping him out lol.

I was never a huge fan of Kane and the Undertaker, so my opinion probably doesn't matter at all when it comes to out there Wrestling characters, but personally I'm not sold on Bray to be honest, granted I've not seen loads of him, but from what I have seen his promo's are certainly good to great, he really gets into character, but his in ring work for me has been dreadful, I've literally never seen him have a decent match. Then again I've only seen him in about 10 matches, and his best was easily the one against Daniel Bryan at Survivor Series a few years ago, but then again Bryan can have a great match against a broom, but recent series of matches I've seen with Orton, Seth, Braun, The Miz, Goldberg and Matt Hardy have been nothing short of terrible, ask for your money back bad. These are all on PPV, so unless he lowers his work rate from TV and house show matches, I don't know. Maybe I just don't see it, but I know Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho and Cody are huge on him and their opinion hold weight with TK, so maybe we'll see him and I'll be happy to be proven wrong. He certainly doesn't excite me like Brodie, Andrade, Black and Miro did, who I felt were under utlilised as in ring workers.

Yes Raj is the laziest and worst of the traditional early internet dirtsheets, he literally copies what all the others have put and is the most sensationalist, but he was credited with breaking the Adam Cole story so it looks like he's got a hot source, we'll see.

Also AEW have just sold out the United Centre within 20 mins of going for sale. I hope they deliver CM Punk, or Tony will be having to park his private plane on the roof and make a quick getaway.

Adam Cole is our GOAT because he was seen at an AEW hipster circle jerk party and because his gf works for the company.

Mark Henry is the strongest man of all time and was most certain to win Olympic Gold in Tokyo, a tragedy he wasn’t a part of Team USA

Big Show what a joke he was until he made Bobby Heenan proud during his award winning stint on commentary

Bray who? what an over rated overweight dung of crap, but if he signs on the dotted line mah gawd somebody get the baby oil because I can’t wait to see him reincarnate as Bret the hitman Hart

I hate India so bad and their facist regime, so sad what’s happening in Kashmir….wait, Uncle Tony personally bent over backward for Modi to get AEW a India TV deal?? maaah gawwd may god bless the shining and ethical peace loving nation of India and all their people

Uncle Dave has now rated all these mercenaries after in excess of his scale after their back flips on AEW TV, I must get my prayer mat out immediately and embrace Malakai Malai

Undertaker and Kane both suck never got dark characters, but wait Sting has signed with AEW? bah gawd somebody pass me the vaseline

 

[shaz619]

He isn't Punk or Bryan but than again how many guys are? But I still feel he's incredibly talented in all facets. And honestly, I don't mind his look, I can't say it has ever bothered me. What does stand-out for me is his ability to have whopper matches on a consistent basis, promos that make you believe what he is saying and the fact that he understands psychology and actually knows how to work like a heel.

Lol yeah I don't get why AEW fans have to celebrate every TV rating, ticket sale and corporate deal. I mean I get we live in the 21st century and fans know about the inner-workings of the business but I don't recall any fans celebrating WWF selling out WrestleMania or even TV ratings during the Attitude Era. And that's back when millions upon millions were watching wrestling weekly. As opposed to now when its not even a million watching Dynamite on most weeks. This is something I've always found to be quite weird about AEW fans.

He does have great matches for this era but it’s nothing truly creative or something which I would go back to watch again, I saw his greatest match according to Uncle Dave live and it was dramatic and incredibly athletic but I haven’t even re-watched it, maybe he hasn’t worked his best match yet so am interested to see what more he can do but I’ve not been blown away by his ring or mic work, but he is much better and more professional then most on the AEW roster and someone with potential as an all rounder

It is quiet bizarre behaviour, they are trying to hold on to every single inch to make themselves feel better I don’t recall any group of fans brag about that, its embarrassing and childish, they are an insult to the industry

 

[Asim_khan]

He had a barn-burner Last Man Standing match against Cena at Payback 2014. Easily his best match. And shows how talented he is in the ring if the match is booked well and he is allowed to be himself. His match against Roman Reigns at HIAC was also very good and obviously pretty much every match he and the Wyatt Family had with The Shield was a slam-dunk. There are other examples too that I can't remember right now. But I feel he should not be blamed for the matches he has had in the last few years because that in my eyes was bad booking and creative rather than anything else. I would say he excites me more than all those guys because I was huge on The Fiend gimmick and everything it could have been, and the prospect of him being given creative freedom especially excites me.

Haha yeah. I mean if Punk isn't there you can pretty much guarantee the building will be burned down. But kudos to them for taking this risk and succeeding in such a big way. It shows perhaps most of all that Punk is a bigger draw than he ever was because they sold these tickets without even announcing he will be there. If AEW use him and Bryan right, both can easily sky-rocket them to the next level.

Raj Giri has a hot source, I can't believe it. Shame on all those who hated on him, I never doubted him for one moment, despite what I may have written above. I was hacked Raj.

Ric Flair is a free agent. Honestly I've not been as excited as I am about pro wrestling since maybe Sting confronting the NWO, the thought of Flair going one on one on the mic with the son of Dusty Rhodes on TNT is insane. Plus him sparring with Jericho, MJF, Starks, Moxley, Eddie Kingston etc and even a proper reunion of the Horsemen, pro wrestling is back for me, and who'd have thought it all came from a single tweet back in 2017. The reason why I celebrate every AEW success is cos the longer they are a success, the longer I know I'm gonna get a product I absolutely love. For 20 years it was thought this wasn't possible, and even to this day there's bitter 'vincels' upset that there's a second show in town, like god forbid someone you don't like is on TV and making money.

I do remember Wyatt as the chubby guy from the original syfy version of NXT, the gameshow with EC3 etc, and didn't recognise him as the swamp monster Waylon Mercy type when he came to the main roster, I'll check some of his older work out, especially since it will probably involve the late Brodie Lee. But it's gonna take alot for me to enjoy a #LOLCENAWINS match.

At this rate AEW's probably gonna need a third show. Tony Khan's gonna have his work cut out booking all this, this is what killed Easy E Bischoff when they forced Thunder on him.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Looks like WWE's ship is sinking slowly. Firing Bray Wyatt because of budget cuts lol. Vince still thinks bringing back oldberg and cena will excite fans. AEW is going to sign Bray too. He is perfect for leading their Dark Order faction created by his close friend Brodie Lee.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Indian fans, how big is Eurosport India?? Allegedly AEW have passed on a deal with Sony (who broadcast WWE, it became real political and dirty cos of PPV's being on the WWE network etc,), who they'd been negotiating with for nearly a year, to sign this deal with Eurosport India, which is owned by Discovery, and cos of the WarnerMedia/Discovery merger there's a connection there. I hoenstly think at this point WarnerMedia Discovery have brought a share of AEW.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/aew/news-aew-inks-massive-indian-tv-deal-dynamite-rampage



Also, word is that Adam Cole is out of contract after Summerslam, and hasn't re-signed, which would explain how he's been booked since he lost the title, and cos of his size, I can't see anything for him on the main roster, Vince would turn him into a character called "The Flea" who is chased after by Reginald and Truth with a giant fly swatter. If he was to come to AEW, he could be resurrected as the US based Bullet Club leader. Alternatively he could headline Wrestlemania, his reign as NXT was the last great one imo, maybe best ever, better than Sami/Neville/Drew, so who know's what he's gonna do.

As far as Bray, can't see TK letting him do the Fiend stuff in AEW, he made Matt drop alot of the hokey Broken universe stuff after the teleportation angle went down like a lead balloon. Looking from the outside in, it seems Bray has had some hideous booking over the years, the Wyatt family should've overcome Cena, that would've truly made them, instead it was Hogan vs the Dungeon of Doom, and then after the Fiend debuted, that Seth match in HITC almost killed him as a character and threat, he managed to redeem himself, but then losing to Goldberg pretty much ended him, he never recovered. I'd love for him to come in under a southern gothic swamp monster type, but never been impressed with his in ring work, so don't know how he'll get on in NJPW.

Finally, also Raj Giri, twitter's resident desi dirt sheet guy claims a 'legend' has asked for his release from WWE and got it, and it will be made public tomorrow, rumors are that it's Ric Flair, although Jeff Hardy has also been mentioned. Flair coming in will mean the 3 most important and original horsemen are with AEW, and with Conrad owning the trademark, I can see something happening with that. If it's Jeff, then alternatively we get the Young Bucks vs Hardy Boys.

Eurosports was formerly known as DSports. This is the same channel who showed your PSL. They had to stop showing it because of some anti pakistani protests in India.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Raj Giri has a hot source, I can't believe it. Shame on all those who hated on him, I never doubted him for one moment, despite what I may have written above. I was hacked Raj.

Ric Flair is a free agent. Honestly I've not been as excited as I am about pro wrestling since maybe Sting confronting the NWO, the thought of Flair going one on one on the mic with the son of Dusty Rhodes on TNT is insane. Plus him sparring with Jericho, MJF, Starks, Moxley, Eddie Kingston etc and even a proper reunion of the Horsemen, pro wrestling is back for me, and who'd have thought it all came from a single tweet back in 2017. The reason why I celebrate every AEW success is cos the longer they are a success, the longer I know I'm gonna get a product I absolutely love. For 20 years it was thought this wasn't possible, and even to this day there's bitter 'vincels' upset that there's a second show in town, like god forbid someone you don't like is on TV and making money.

I do remember Wyatt as the chubby guy from the original syfy version of NXT, the gameshow with EC3 etc, and didn't recognise him as the swamp monster Waylon Mercy type when he came to the main roster, I'll check some of his older work out, especially since it will probably involve the late Brodie Lee. But it's gonna take alot for me to enjoy a #LOLCENAWINS match.

At this rate AEW's probably gonna need a third show. Tony Khan's gonna have his work cut out booking all this, this is what killed Easy E Bischoff when they forced Thunder on him.

I'd still hold up on the praises of Raj Giri. He still runs the number one click-bait wrestling side, still has the reputation of being a liar and still gives space to Vince Russo which is actually the worst of all his crimes.

Yeah Flair to AEW excites me ALOT. Mainly because you have a feeling they're gonna let Naich be himself. And unlike WWE, the WCW history wouldn't be treated like it never happened. Already spoke about the Horseman reunion above but his sparring with all these guys you mentioned and so many others would be so entertaining to watch. Naich still loves the business as much as he ever did and spoke to Randy recently about how he just loves being backstage in that wrestling environment. And then ofcourse he will be such a positive influence on the younger guys who could learn so much from the GOAT.

Yeah those were very early days when he used to be in CM Punk's version of Nexus. He established himself maybe a year later and immediately got over like gangbusters. When he used to come out the lights would go out and the entire crowd would be flashing their phones with their flashlights on. It always looked cool. Bray is actually Mike Rotunda's (IRS/Vinny Wall Street) son so he understands the business better than most people like to think.

Lol no I can understand that. Even during that awesome mid-card run Cena rarely lost a feud. But that really was a great match that showed Wyatt's range as a wrestler. The Shield vs. Wyatt Family matches were almost all great, although the best one they had was ironically enough on Main Event which is like their D Show.

Yeah but Easy E was an idiot who didn't understand a damn thing about psychology or frankly wrestling in general. He had one good idea that he coasted on for as long as he possibly could and then the wheels came off. I have many criticisms of Tony Khan but him being an actual fan of wrestling has a lot of positives too. And to his credit, the guy is a good match-maker and not a bad booker either. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because I do feel he can learn and get better and isn't set on his ways like Vinny Mac. That said, I'm not so sure about a third show. That would be overkill and veering dangerously close to WWE's territory of a painfully overstaturated product. Focus should be on delivering quality over quantity. And if anything, they should start increasing their PPVs. 4 per year is way too less. It was okay at the start but I feel they should start increasing them now.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Looks like WWE's ship is sinking slowly. Firing Bray Wyatt because of budget cuts lol. Vince still thinks bringing back oldberg and cena will excite fans. AEW is going to sign Bray too. He is perfect for leading their Dark Order faction created by his close friend Brodie Lee.

Said this before and gonna say it again, WWE is like the Disney of wrestling. They're bullet-proof and can't be touched from a financial stand-point. But that also means that they have an assembly line feel to their entire product where everything feels similar, scripted, staged and micro-managed, without any spontaneity. AEW has many pitfalls but they atleast feel like a wrestling company and don't use nonsensical terms like sports entertainment to appeal to a mainstream crowd.

They'd be stupid if they didn't sign him. Although pairing him up with those job guys, I'm not sure if that is the best idea even if it may seem so. Somehow though I feel like that is exactly what they will do if they sign him.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Said this before and gonna say it again, WWE is like the Disney of wrestling. They're bullet-proof and can't be touched from a financial stand-point. But that also means that they have an assembly line feel to their entire product where everything feels similar, scripted, staged and micro-managed, without any spontaneity. AEW has many pitfalls but they atleast feel like a wrestling company and don't use nonsensical terms like sports entertainment to appeal to a mainstream crowd.

They'd be stupid if they didn't sign him. Although pairing him up with those job guys, I'm not sure if that is the best idea even if it may seem so. Somehow though I feel like that is exactly what they will do if they sign him.

The way its going I won't be surprised if Triple H also signs with AEW. All his NXT guys are getting buried one after another by Vince. As far as Bray is concerned, he has changed his instagram bio to ‘Kult of Windham coming soon’.

 

[Asim_khan]

The way its going I won't be surprised if Triple H also signs with AEW. All his NXT guys are getting buried one after another by Vince. As far as Bray is concerned, he has changed his instagram bio to ‘Kult of Windham coming soon’.

Triple H singing with AEW so he can bury CM Punk one last time

 

[Asim_khan]

Eurosports was formerly known as DSports. This is the same channel who showed your PSL. They had to stop showing it because of some anti pakistani protests in India.

The Indian fans aren't happy, they wanted Sony or StarSports or nothing.

Oh well, PSL is an alternative to the established IPL, AEW fits in well with the mould. Now we've just gotta ensure the chaddi brigade don't find out Tony is half Pakistani

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

The way its going I won't be surprised if Triple H also signs with AEW. All his NXT guys are getting buried one after another by Vince. As far as Bray is concerned, he has changed his instagram bio to ‘Kult of Windham coming soon’.

LOL HHH might just do it if he is allowed to bury Punk again

As for the NXT guys, that's a recurring theme with Vince. He doesn't get (most of) them and then just ends up burying them. I can think of very few guys who made a successful transition to the WWE roster. Those that did (Joe, McIntyre) were already established wrestlers even if they weren't established stars.

A guy like Bray, I'm sure he will land somewhere worthwhile. He has to. Interesting you mention that because I guess now he will go back to his original name too: Windham Rotunda.

 

[shaz619]

[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION]

So apparently the latest news is that Ric Flair asked for his WWE release and received it. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out what is going to happen next...

And if there's one thing AEW deserves credit for, its that atleast they treat the legends with respect which is more than you can say about WWE who treat their legends like absolute schlubs.

Although Naitch might gasp for a second when he sees some of these guys doing 50 dives in a match, I don't see how he won't be an incredibly positive influence on the young guys. Might even teach some of them a thing or two. On top of that, Tony Khan being the WCW mark that he is will treat Flair like the legend that he is. We're almost guaranteed to get a Horseman reunion and on the plus side, Ric won't be involved in idiotic pregnancy angles with Lacy Evans that are frankly a blot on his name just like most of that TNA run.

It has been 50/50 with the E because if you want to sentence Edge as a legend which I would then I’ve massively enjoyed his run, it might help though that for me am not sure about others but as a character and his promo, they are better then ever in my view, am a big fan of the Vikings TV series and I can tell you his experiences in numerous acting projects outside wrestling have elevated his ring psychology to another level and the mannerisms he depicts. Berg, for his age he shouldn’t be there but lets be frank, outside a few, who can compare to his freakish shape ? they are finally using him how they should have to begin with, the likes of Fiend paid the price but they did have him put over Drew. Cena perhaps could be utilised better in the sense of elevating the fresh roster, I think Big E needs to stop goofing around but Cena/Big-E match up would be refreshing, they treat the legends who still work matches reasonably well (maybe too well sometimes) but I agree that they should ultimately be judged by how you treat the single greatest wrestler of all time, Flair should never be in that angle and Sting shouldn’t have been forced to read out eulogies in tribute of HHH.

Flair is good mates with Khan so that seems like the logical move and perhaps he wants to renew his friendship with Arn who had stopped speaking to him. Personally, I would mark out if I see Flair in the studio format of NWA ‘powerr’ one more time, I watched the show regularly before the pandemic, AEW did well to steal the likes of Kingston, Ricky Starks and Thunder Rosa from them, but was it a good move for their individual development am not sure, we”ll have to see

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

It has been 50/50 with the E because if you want to sentence Edge as a legend which I would then I’ve massively enjoyed his run, it might help though that for me am not sure about others but as a character and his promo, they are better then ever in my view, am a big fan of the Vikings TV series and I can tell you his experiences in numerous acting projects outside wrestling have elevated his ring psychology to another level and the mannerisms he depicts. Berg, for his age he shouldn’t be there but lets be frank, outside a few, who can compare to his freakish shape ? they are finally using him how they should have to begin with, the likes of Fiend paid the price but they did have him put over Drew. Cena perhaps could be utilised better in the sense of elevating the fresh roster, I think Big E needs to stop goofing around but Cena/Big-E match up would be refreshing, they treat the legends who still work matches reasonably well (maybe too well sometimes) but I agree that they should ultimately be judged by how you treat the single greatest wrestler of all time, Flair should never be in that angle and Sting shouldn’t have been forced to read out eulogies in tribute of HHH.

Flair is good mates with Khan so that seems like the logical move and perhaps he wants to renew his friendship with Arn who had stopped speaking to him. Personally, I would mark out if I see Flair in the studio format of NWA ‘powerr’ one more time, I watched the show regularly before the pandemic, AEW did well to steal the likes of Kingston, Ricky Starks and Thunder Rosa from them, but was it a good move for their individual development am not sure, we”ll have to see

I wasn't speaking to the part-timers, who are if anything, treated like the biggest stars of the company. I was speaking about the retired guys who are almost always treated like schlubs or idiots whenever they are involved in any sort of angle. The Legends Night from earlier this year was probably the best example of that where you had the 'legends' sitting on the ramp like senior citizens. Big Show even said that he left for AEW because of the way he was treated in that non-wrestling role. Christian just last year was completely buried by Orton on RAW, same for Mark Henry & Big Show on Legends Night. While Ric was involved in that atrocious angle with Lacey Evans. And there are plenty of other examples of this too that I have noticed.

So I've read. And going to AEW might allow him to do that, which in all honesty seems like a pretty cool idea now that I think about it. AEW already have a relationship with NWA, and after stealing all their their talent, allowing Flair on would be the least they could do.

 

[Asim_khan]

Eddie and Ricky were no longer with NWA, so it's factually incorrect to say AEW stole either one from NWA.

Eddie Kingston was never signed to NWA, he came in as a favour for Homicide in 2019, had 6 matches, lost 5 and then went back to Europe to work in England and Germany, so basically was a jobber. After the shutdown he was about to retire and instead did this promo calling out Cody, Zack Sabre Jr and Aldis, got his chance, which he killed and got himself his first major contract.

Ricky Starks' 2 year contract came to an end with NWA in early 2020 and he refused to re-sign, dropped the belt to Zicky Dice, he bet on himself and was a free agent when he came into AEW as a one off match against Cody, having done a previous try out with the PC at NXT, and chose AEW. He also self produced this promo video trying to gain some attention, incredible.

Thunder Rosa on the other hand is someone who's been poached from NWA, and in many ways has saved the AEW womens division. What's funny is she was available in 2019 and was recommended to AEW, but they never followed up and she signed with NWA and put on bangers with Allysin Kay.

 

[shaz619]

I wasn't speaking to the part-timers, who are if anything, treated like the biggest stars of the company. I was speaking about the retired guys who are almost always treated like schlubs or idiots whenever they are involved in any sort of angle. The Legends Night from earlier this year was probably the best example of that where you had the 'legends' sitting on the ramp like senior citizens. Big Show even said that he left for AEW because of the way he was treated in that non-wrestling role. Christian just last year was completely buried by Orton on RAW, same for Mark Henry & Big Show on Legends Night. While Ric was involved in that atrocious angle with Lacey Evans. And there are plenty of other examples of this too that I have noticed.

So I've read. And going to AEW might allow him to do that, which in all honesty seems like a pretty cool idea now that I think about it. AEW already have a relationship with NWA, and after stealing all their their talent, allowing Flair on would be the least they could do.

I agree with that, they do sometimes go a bit too far, they do it so whoever they want to put over gets a rub but perhaps it could be executed better. Big Show has been under utilised throughout his career. I have loved how Jake has been used though and the chance he was given to succeed.

Wouldn’t mind Flair and Bischoff in the same ring just like old times on TNT, the horseman are bound to reform, a shame they wont be able to use the classic theme which the E have the rights to.

Going back to Bray, would he be a right fit in a Fiend type persona in AEW ? am not sure, in theory yes to diversify but otherwise I don’t know, either way it’s a good hiring because there’s no limit on the creativity which Bray is capable of. I always saw him as a cross between Mick and Jake, a segment with Jake would be surreal to, you’d find it hard to find two guys who can control an audience from the moment they make their walk down the ramp.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I agree with that, they do sometimes go a bit too far, they do it so whoever they want to put over gets a rub but perhaps it could be executed better. Big Show has been under utilised throughout his career. I have loved how Jake has been used though and the chance he was given to succeed.

Wouldn’t mind Flair and Bischoff in the same ring just like old times on TNT, the horseman are bound to reform, a shame they wont be able to use the classic theme which the E have the rights to.

Going back to Bray, would he be a right fit in a Fiend type persona in AEW ? am not sure, in theory yes to diversify but otherwise I don’t know, either way it’s a good hiring because there’s no limit on the creativity which Bray is capable of. I always saw him as a cross between Mick and Jake, a segment with Jake would be surreal to, you’d find it hard to find two guys who can control an audience from the moment they make their walk down the ramp.

I honestly can't remember the last time a legend was treated with respect in WWE or had an actual role to play in a storyline. For some reason they are never used as managers and whenever they show up on RAW its either to take someone's finisher or for one of those nostalgia trip reunion shows.

Not just Jake but I would say Konnan and Tully too. And Bischoff has made some appearances aswell that I liked. The thing I have noticed about AEW is that they are able to give the legends a bit of spotlight from time to time where they'll be involved in a callback segment or a cool promo (Cody and Jake being the best example), or just in an angle as managers. But they won't take away the attention from the main stars and they certainly won't be buried completely which tends to be a recurring theme in WWE.

Hypothetically, if he does end up in AEW, I think there will be a certain eagerness to go back to that character for a plethora of reasons. And though I love that gimmick and would love nothing more than to see it again, I don't think that would be a good idea because it would remind everyone too much of WWE. And that is not productive for Bray or AEW. Plus, as you already mentioned the guy is seriously creative. It's not like he can't just come up with something new. Heck, he can come up with a new masked character too that isn't The Fiend. But all that happens only happens if AEW signs him, which would be an incredibly stupid thing to not do because how many guys in the business these days are as young and as big stars as Bray?

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Eddie and Ricky were no longer with NWA, so it's factually incorrect to say AEW stole either one from NWA.

Eddie Kingston was never signed to NWA, he came in as a favour for Homicide in 2019, had 6 matches, lost 5 and then went back to Europe to work in England and Germany, so basically was a jobber. After the shutdown he was about to retire and instead did this promo calling out Cody, Zack Sabre Jr and Aldis, got his chance, which he killed and got himself his first major contract.

Ricky Starks' 2 year contract came to an end with NWA in early 2020 and he refused to re-sign, dropped the belt to Zicky Dice, he bet on himself and was a free agent when he came into AEW as a one off match against Cody, having done a previous try out with the PC at NXT, and chose AEW. He also self produced this promo video trying to gain some attention, incredible.

Thunder Rosa on the other hand is someone who's been poached from NWA, and in many ways has saved the AEW womens division. What's funny is she was available in 2019 and was recommended to AEW, but they never followed up and she signed with NWA and put on bangers with Allysin Kay.

Hahah wow. What a great promo. I hate making these kind of comparisons but Ricky Starks reminds me so much of The Rock when he first turned heel with The Nation of Domination. Just pure magnetism and charisma. What a talent! He's destined to be a star.

 

[shaz619]

Hahah wow. What a great promo. I hate making these kind of comparisons but Ricky Starks reminds me so much of The Rock when he first turned heel with The Nation of Domination. Just pure magnetism and charisma. What a talent! He's destined to be a star.

He has cut promos way better on NWA Powerr and there’s a special feel to it in the studio without the bells and whistle, look at these AEW hipsters trying desperately to take credit for their skills, NWA did more for the development of Rosa and Starks, AEW clearly stole them but to their credit they had some brain cells to recognise their ability oppose to constantly bringing in Japanese school children and transexuals which Asim is a big mark for. And at the same time they haven’t figured out how to develop their own roster properly or talent with potential which is green, safe to say most are left to do what they feel is best which has its pros and cons.

 

[shaz619]

I honestly can't remember the last time a legend was treated with respect in WWE or had an actual role to play in a storyline. For some reason they are never used as managers and whenever they show up on RAW its either to take someone's finisher or for one of those nostalgia trip reunion shows.

Not just Jake but I would say Konnan and Tully too. And Bischoff has made some appearances aswell that I liked. The thing I have noticed about AEW is that they are able to give the legends a bit of spotlight from time to time where they'll be involved in a callback segment or a cool promo (Cody and Jake being the best example), or just in an angle as managers. But they won't take away the attention from the main stars and they certainly won't be buried completely which tends to be a recurring theme in WWE.

Hypothetically, if he does end up in AEW, I think there will be a certain eagerness to go back to that character for a plethora of reasons. And though I love that gimmick and would love nothing more than to see it again, I don't think that would be a good idea because it would remind everyone too much of WWE. And that is not productive for Bray or AEW. Plus, as you already mentioned the guy is seriously creative. It's not like he can't just come up with something new. Heck, he can come up with a new masked character too that isn't The Fiend. But all that happens only happens if AEW signs him, which would be an incredibly stupid thing to not do because how many guys in the business these days are as young and as big stars as Bray?

This is why I feel the hipsters should be more into signing a Wyatt opposed to a Flair, both can add value in different ways but you rather invest the money in a performer that is at their absolute peak, good point, despite the mixed results Wyatt is a young guy, for comparison - Shawn won his first World title at 32, Wyatt has loads to offer with time on his hands to, I agree he could do another masked character or even something more stripped and use his rich family’s heritage for inspiration, for all he has achieved he has made all forget he is a third gen wrestler and the grandson of the legendary Blackjack Mulligan

 

[Asim_khan]

Hahah wow. What a great promo. I hate making these kind of comparisons but Ricky Starks reminds me so much of The Rock when he first turned heel with The Nation of Domination. Just pure magnetism and charisma. What a talent! He's destined to be a star.

He's incredible, and has been since his indy days, he works a totally different style from most the other AEW youngster beauties, he also reminds me of The Rock, but he's got a hell of a lot more of that mardi gras New Orleans sauce, his promo on Cage this past week was incredible, brutal, he absolutely buried him and made Cage coming in and smashing the band that much more satisfying. What you probably don't know is how much The Undertaker has got to do with his development, both him and Aaron Solow were a tag team and Undertaker took both of them under his wing, so both did loads of extra work for WWE (Getting bullied in the back by Ryback and chokeslammed through a table, also tag match, Solow & Starks vs FTR/The Revival), but never got signed cos WWE at the time were high on developing non wrestlers. He took offense to that and that's why he chose AEW rather than NXT when he left NWA.

Thunder Rosa was dreadful in Lucha Underground as Kobra Moon, not even Ricky Marvin could carry her to a good match, but she went over to Stardom & then TJPW in Japan and the improvement was massive, it's crazy AEW didn't pick her up cos of the relatiosnhip with TJPW through Kenny, but NWA made the most of her abilities and whereas Ricky Starks stagnated as mid card, she was booked really well, I guess that's the issue with someone like Aldis being champion, he won't allow anyone to outshine him, despite it being ridiculously stale at this point, cosplay Flair without the ringwork or promo's.

Bit of a strange AEW Dynamite episode today, aside from Jericho/Juice and Cody/Malakai, which are huge matches, there's no other big match ups. They've just announced Danny Garcia/2.0 (Everrise from WWE) to take on Darby/Eddie/Moxley, which just sounds insane, no idea where Everrise have come from or what Tony's plans are there, there's surely something happening, a big reveal or something.

 

[PakLFC]

Does "The Undertaker" wrestle in the AEW?

 

[Asim_khan]

No, the Undertaker is retired and only works with WWE.

AEW looks like it's part of the WarnerMedia family, have a look at this job posting on their https://www.warnerbroscareers.com/find-jobs/?188047

And was super impressed with Black's debut match yesterday, whatever this storyline is that's playing out, is what he asked for in WWE with Big E, and then was promptly fired lmao, so it's either gonna be incredible or an absolute **** stain, whichever it is it got off with a bang.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

No, the Undertaker is retired and only works with WWE.

AEW looks like it's part of the WarnerMedia family, have a look at this job posting on their https://www.warnerbroscareers.com/find-jobs/?188047

And was super impressed with Black's debut match yesterday, whatever this storyline is that's playing out, is what he asked for in WWE with Big E, and then was promptly fired lmao, so it's either gonna be incredible or an absolute **** stain, whichever it is it got off with a bang.

Everything they've done with Black thus far has been outstanding. They've presented him like a star and booked him like one too. I was expecting a competitive match but in retrospect this is exactly the kind of match that was needed to get him over. Also he is so much better and more natural as a heel than he was as a babyface. Another thing he wanted to do a long time ago, but WWE didn't.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

This is why I feel the hipsters should be more into signing a Wyatt opposed to a Flair, both can add value in different ways but you rather invest the money in a performer that is at their absolute peak, good point, despite the mixed results Wyatt is a young guy, for comparison - Shawn won his first World title at 32, Wyatt has loads to offer with time on his hands to, I agree he could do another masked character or even something more stripped and use his rich family’s heritage for inspiration, for all he has achieved he has made all forget he is a third gen wrestler and the grandson of the legendary Blackjack Mulligan

Exactly. Not only has the pedigree that comes with being a third generation wrestler and growing up in the business, but is also incredibly successful and accomplished for his age. Despite the fact that he was regularly underutilized or just poorly used. Imagine what a properly utilized Bray Wyatt who has the creative freedom do be creative can do.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

He's incredible, and has been since his indy days, he works a totally different style from most the other AEW youngster beauties, he also reminds me of The Rock, but he's got a hell of a lot more of that mardi gras New Orleans sauce, his promo on Cage this past week was incredible, brutal, he absolutely buried him and made Cage coming in and smashing the band that much more satisfying. What you probably don't know is how much The Undertaker has got to do with his development, both him and Aaron Solow were a tag team and Undertaker took both of them under his wing, so both did loads of extra work for WWE (Getting bullied in the back by Ryback and chokeslammed through a table, also tag match, Solow & Starks vs FTR/The Revival), but never got signed cos WWE at the time were high on developing non wrestlers. He took offense to that and that's why he chose AEW rather than NXT when he left NWA.

Thunder Rosa was dreadful in Lucha Underground as Kobra Moon, not even Ricky Marvin could carry her to a good match, but she went over to Stardom & then TJPW in Japan and the improvement was massive, it's crazy AEW didn't pick her up cos of the relatiosnhip with TJPW through Kenny, but NWA made the most of her abilities and whereas Ricky Starks stagnated as mid card, she was booked really well, I guess that's the issue with someone like Aldis being champion, he won't allow anyone to outshine him, despite it being ridiculously stale at this point, cosplay Flair without the ringwork or promo's.

Bit of a strange AEW Dynamite episode today, aside from Jericho/Juice and Cody/Malakai, which are huge matches, there's no other big match ups. They've just announced Danny Garcia/2.0 (Everrise from WWE) to take on Darby/Eddie/Moxley, which just sounds insane, no idea where Everrise have come from or what Tony's plans are there, there's surely something happening, a big reveal or something.

That much was obvious to me. Because you just can't teach charisma...you either have it or you don't. And ironically enough no one is a better example of that fact than Brian Cage. I can only imagine the kind of amazing feuds Starks will have with certain wrestlers down the line. Especially now that AEW's roster is bigger and better than it has ever been with an abundance of great talent.

This week's Dynamite was pretty alright. Nothing to write home about in-terms of match quality. Jericho vs. Juvie was fun from a nostalgia POV but as a match it was sloppy and not very good. Mox/Kingston/Darby vs. the three new guys was basically the feel-good squash match for the Jacksonville crowd. What really angered me about the show (and this is a recurring problem with AEW's booking in general) is how long Miro/Lee Johnson and Christian/Blade went. Miro vs. Lee Johnson was always going to be a squash match so I didn't get why it went on so long when the whole point is to get the monster heel over. Christian vs. Blade had a similar problem...went on way too long and the booking didn't make Christain look dominant enough because he gave Blade way too much offence. if the whole point is to present Christain as a legitimate No.1 Contender who possesses the ability to beat Omega, shouldn't he be making short work of freakin' Blade? I get the Out Work Everyone gimmick but its just stupid for him to be having competitive matches with guys who are just a notch above that job guy level.

But still I loved Christian becoming the No.1 Contender. I always mark out when he wins because I was always the biggest fan of his, and that TNA run where he was a main-eventer really stands-out for me personally. Hopefully he will have a great match with Omega at All Out. I can almost guarantee he will bury Omega on promos since Omega is utter garbage on the mic.

 

[Asim_khan]

Agree with your assessment, that trio's match was a straight up house show match, really impressed with Garcia though. And those 2 matches definitely went on too long, my only guess is Christian trying to build up match fitness cos the Kenny match is gonna go long, and he doesn't wanna end up looking like Rich Swann.

Also Big Shotty is highly thought of by Tony, he's been signed to a 6 year contract, so that's maybe why they let that go long, but was a mistake in my eyes.

WWE have just announced a load of releases from NXT, biggest names being Bronson Reed, Leon Ruff, Bobby Fish, Jake Atlas and Mercedes Martinez. Absolutely shocked by them all, particularly Bronson who is seen by many as the next big thing.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

CM Punk Returns

 

[SangasCoverDrive]

He was a flop in UFC. He is gonna be all mouth there too and tbh professional wrestling is just dead now. Punk is like 45 himself. There are hardly any new stars coming

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

He was a flop in UFC. He is gonna be all mouth there too and tbh professional wrestling is just dead now. Punk is like 45 himself. There are hardly any new stars coming

Professional wrestling is dead? And there are no stars coming? You look like a part time fan lol. CM Punk received the loudest pop in the history of professional wrestling.

 

[Firebat]

That CM Punk pop was unreal. You could barely hear the entrance music. Can’t believe that he’s back after 7 long years! I hope he’s still got it, because early 2010s CM Punk was the reason I got into wrestling.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

That CM Punk pop was unreal. You could barely hear the entrance music. Can’t believe that he’s back after 7 long years! I hope he’s still got it, because early 2010s CM Punk was the reason I got into wrestling.

And he returned with his 'Cult of Personality' theme. That was surprising as well.

 

[sweep_shot]

CM Punk in AEW!

AEW is getting better and better.

 

[Firebat]

And he returned with his 'Cult of Personality' theme. That was surprising as well.

I imagine it was to ensure the loudest possible pop, as that’s the theme I immediately think of for CM Punk.

 

[Firebat]

And he returned with his 'Cult of Personality' theme. That was surprising as well.

The theme, the sitting on the floor like he did during the Pipebomb promo, how he said he “left professional wrestling” when he joined WWE. Perhaps a bit petty, but very entertaining.

 

[Rajdeep]

I am always aprehensive about stars returing after long hiatus as they tend to lose their mojo.

Rock was never the same when he returned in 2011 and actually looked weak against Cena.

Goldberg is a total farce lol and a shadow of what he was in his hay days.

Bret Hart's return in 2010 was awful.

Even next big thing lesnar was much better than the current suplex city lesnar.

There is a reason Steve Austin retired in 2003 and stayed retired. People still remember him from his attitude era days.

Hope CM Punk is still as good as he was 7 years ago.

 

[Rajdeep]

The theme, the sitting on the floor like he did during the Pipebomb promo, how he said he “left professional wrestling” when he joined WWE. Perhaps a bit petty, but very entertaining.

I am very surprised he kept the same theme. Aren't the themes owned by WWE and cant be used in other promotions?

 

[Firebat]

I am very surprised he kept the same theme. Aren't the themes owned by WWE and cant be used in other promotions?

Well Cult of Personality is an actual rock song from the band Living Colour from 1988. It’s not a song produced by WWE like the other themes, so they probably don’t own it.

 

[MenInG]

Saturday night in Las Vegas will be a massive occasion for World Wrestling Entertainment. The promotion expects to host its biggest crowd since the start of the pandemic, with more than 40,000 fans set to pack Allegiant Stadium.

The event will also see the much-anticipated return of wrestler turned Hollywood superstar, 16 times world champion John Cena.

But moreover, SummerSlam will be a landmark moment for racial diversity. The event is set to feature title defences by one of WWE’s most ethnically mixed selection of champions, on a single night.

There will be three Samoan Americans, two African Americans, and a wrestler of Nigerian origin primed to walk into SummerSlam with title belts; while a Latino superstar will receive a title shot, and a Canadian of Indian origin is involved a marquee match.

That man is former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. The “Modern Day Maharaja”, as he’s known, told Al Jazeera it was an “awesome feeling” to be part of such a monumental show.

“You look at the whole landscape of WWE, we have superstars from all over the world. I think that’s what makes us a very unique entertainment entity.

“Our characters are from a wide range of backgrounds. We have wrestlers from different parts of the world going at it. It makes the matches really cool.”

Issues of race

In recent years the level of diversity in the WWE locker room has grown significantly, along with its positioning of non-white wrestlers as main event stars.

Previously, however, the company received a sizeable amount of criticism concerning issues of race.

For instance, since the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, which later transformed into WWE, came into existence in 1953, there had only been three Black world champions heading into 2019.

Since then, however, two more names have been added to that list. Kofi Kingston and reigning WWE champion Bobby Lashley.

Furthermore, the American-based promotion also faced criticism for its portrayal of a number of wrestlers with foreign roots, sometimes framing them as the enemy.

A famous example of this was General Adnan, a character who appeared during the first Gulf War. He was cast as a sworn adversary of the US and dressed in military regalia, he would pledge his allegiance to God in Arabic and regularly goad the American crowd.

From 2003 onwards, there was French Canadian tag team La Resistance. The pairing of Sylvain Grenier and René Duprée would regularly criticise US foreign policy in an attempt to provoke hostile reactions from the audience.

WWE, however, has realised such characters are becoming outdated. That is the view of one of the performers on the SummerSlam card, Damian Priest.

The American of Puerto Rican origin, who himself is challenging for a title on Saturday, told Al Jazeera “back then it worked. It doesn’t work now.

“At that time that’s what got emotion out of people. Today you don’t need to do that. So why should we? Let’s get the emotion out of people through realism,” said Priest.

Forbes pro-wrestling columnist Alfred Konuwa said WWE’s positive approach to diversity is very much in line with its global business strategy, which has seen the company make its programming available in more than 180 countries and 28 languages.

“WWE thrived with Mexican audiences when it really got behind Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero, and there are countless examples of WWE pushing a wide variety of talent in various territories due to their drawing power in a certain demographic,” Konuwa said.

“It should always be a priority simply to offer as much variety as possible”.

This variety is something Irish star Sheamus believes is of high importance.

Ahead of his US title defence against Priest, he told Al Jazeera: “There’s someone in WWE for fans watching from anywhere. There are superstars, male and female, that our fans can look up to and attach themselves to.”

WWE’s diversity push is particularly significant given the current pro-wrestling landscape in the US, with its main competitor All Elite Wrestling seemingly choosing so far not to capitalise on the wealth of racially diverse talent at its disposal.

“It’s pretty much night and day,” said Konuwa, speaking of the promotion founded in 2019.

“In recent years WWE learned and adapted to naturally incorporating diversity in a way that does not at all seem forced, while AEW has a lot of work to do in fostering an environment where it seems like the biggest opportunities can happen among more than simply the predominately white talent that they push as top stars.”

WWE has indeed done a lot of work in recent years on the diversity front. The question is how far the drive can go?

For now, however, pro-wrestling fans from across the world can look forward to a Las Vegas spectacle that has already pushed the boundaries – even before the first bell has rung.

AL Jazeera

 

[shaz619]

I am always aprehensive about stars returing after long hiatus as they tend to lose their mojo.

Rock was never the same when he returned in 2011 and actually looked weak against Cena.

Goldberg is a total farce lol and a shadow of what he was in his hay days.

Bret Hart's return in 2010 was awful.

Even next big thing lesnar was much better than the current suplex city lesnar.

There is a reason Steve Austin retired in 2003 and stayed retired. People still remember him from his attitude era days.

Hope CM Punk is still as good as he was 7 years ago.

The Rock delivered on the mic and in the ring mostly, it was hugely successful return and I recall the company breaking all sorts of box office records.

Goldberg did well enough until the ill fated match with Taker, he continues to be a draw for them and is being used a bit better.

I don’t get the Bret criticism considering he was never going to work like before or take bumps after suffering a stroke

Lesnar was the superstar of the last decade, post UFC he changed his style especially after ending Taker’s streak, they protected him more but only he could work the way he did as a special attraction

Punk even if he can’t go in the ring, his character work and mic ability will carry him, there is no in wrestling right now who can capture an audience like he can

 

[shaz619]

And he returned with his 'Cult of Personality' theme. That was surprising as well.

CM Punk in AEW!

AEW is getting better and better.

The best bit about Rampage was Punk’s debut / comeback it was mental, I haven’t felt goosebumps like that before and even after the segment ended!

But please explain how AEW is getting better, I can’t fathom how horrible the booking was after the Punk segment, it was worse then watching an episode of sunday night heat!

You have so many eye balls on the product and you follow up with some lucha saurus and jungle retarrd crap ? and then the main event was Moxley vs a no name bum, I also don’t know how I feel about Punk facing Darby Allin at this stage, he’s not a big enough star / nor is he worthy in any shape or form to share a ring with Punk.

Am not a fan of some of AEW’s top stars like Omega et al but where were they ?

Where was Ricky Starks ?

Why did Private Party not face Bucks or the AAA tag team from mexico, why not showcase your world champion, MJF etc

Dynamite is next Wednesday and they can improve but this was seriously poor from AEW I don’t think anyone sane can defend what a horrible show Rampage was.

 

[sweep_shot]

The best bit about Rampage was Punk’s debut / comeback it was mental, I haven’t felt goosebumps like that before and even after the segment ended!

But please explain how AEW is getting better, I can’t fathom how horrible the booking was after the Punk segment, it was worse then watching an episode of sunday night heat!

You have so many eye balls on the product and you follow up with some lucha saurus and jungle retarrd crap ? and then the main event was Moxley vs a no name bum, I also don’t know how I feel about Punk facing Darby Allin at this stage, he’s not a big enough star / nor is he worthy in any shape or form to share a ring with Punk.

Am not a fan of some of AEW’s top stars like Omega et al but where were they ?

Where was Ricky Starks ?

Why did Private Party not face Bucks or the AAA tag team from mexico, why not showcase your world champion, MJF etc

Dynamite is next Wednesday and they can improve but this was seriously poor from AEW I don’t think anyone sane can defend what a horrible show Rampage was.

Listen to the speech Punk gave and you may understand why some fans are liking AEW.

Punk mentioned how his professional wrestling ended in 2005 (when he joined WWE) and how he is back again in 2021 (back with AEW). In other words, he rated AEW higher than WWE.

AEW now has Chris Jericho, Sting, Tazz, Dustin Rhodes, Mark Henry, Christian, Big Show, JR, CM Punk, Matt Hardy etc. They are all big names. I expect more WWE oldies to come to AEW.

I am not saying that AEW is perfect. But, I think they are heading toward right direction (more so with the arrival of someone like CM Punk).

 

[shaz619]

Listen to the speech Punk gave and you may understand why some fans are liking AEW.

Punk mentioned how his professional wrestling ended in 2005 (when he joined WWE) and how he is back again in 2021 (back with AEW). In other words, he rated AEW higher than WWE.

AEW now has Chris Jericho, Sting, Tazz, Dustin Rhodes, Mark Henry, Christian, Big Show, JR, CM Punk, Matt Hardy etc. They are all big names. I expect more WWE oldies to come to AEW.

I am not saying that AEW is perfect. But, I think they are heading toward right direction (more so with the arrival of someone like CM Punk).

So you are going by a televised promo to convince me why they are good, what a joke; I watched the entire show and I can tell you it was a pile of dung, in fact you should listen to some of Punk’s interviews prior to being hired by AEW to see what he actually thinks of the industry today, this is simply a cash grab for him - AEW is a good place to work for the employees as they are in their early stages and break the bank to bring you in and let you do what you like, as for actual quality there is loads to do evidently unless you already enjoy watching this fake crap which is more goofy then ever.

 

[Asim_khan]

Incredible debut, one of if not the greatest pops in pro Wrestling history, no crowd sweetening required, what an event, and what a show to follow up with. Not only a great pop to begin with, but then the sustained nature of it. When he jumped into the the crowd will live with me forever. I hate that I wasn't there, cos from the fan video's it seems the pop was even louder than it came across on tv

AEW in such a short time has given pro wrestling some of the absolute great moments, but I think this one has topped even Moxley turning up unannounced at the first double or nothing, I honestly can't wait for what happens next. The first thing he did was put over DMD, and then taking on Darby Allin straight out of the gate, who was up in the rafters with Sting, took me back to my childhood.

And I'm so glad they went with showcasing the young talent after that, Private Party, JungleBoy, Jade and Daniel Garcia. Luchasaurus and Jungleboy had 2 incredible matches back to back, the Young Bucks match on Wednesday was an all timer, and then this one with Private Party was equally good, told a great story, Isaiah going full Ric flair with the feet on the rope and a handful of tights killed me. The eyes of the world were on them and they absolutely killed it. Private Party's character work since turning heel has really pushed them over the edge, Matt Hardy has worked wonders with them, I love how Tony's got so much confidence in just throwing the youngsters out there, he could have easily thrown on Jericho and Miro or the Elite, but instead he's trying to create new stars, which some people could learn from. Jade had pretty much a squash, but she's got the most striking look on a Pro Wrestler I've ever seen. She's literally Storm from the X-men in the flesh.

Finally Daniel Garcia, let me tell you about him. When he was 19 and on the indies, he was in a career threatening car crash, he broke so many major bones in his body that Dr's said it was over, 2 years later and he's main eventing against Mox on a show Punk has just debuted on. Anyway back in 2019 when it happened, a gofundme was set up, here's the link, see who the top 3 donators are. RIP Brodie. https://www.gofundme.com/f/buffalo-brothers-car-accident-recovery-fund

Tying in with that, the next debut is most likely to be Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan at the New York show, where they've sold like 20k tickets, and early rumors are he's gonna come in under his American Dragon guise and build a stable of young shooters, Wheeler Yuta, Lee Moriarty & Daniel Garcia etc have been mentioned, and it's giving me Team Angle vibes.

 

[Rana]

well done to AEW for signing CM Punk. Now WWE will really be sweating

 

[shaz619]

Incredible debut, one of if not the greatest pops in pro Wrestling history, no crowd sweetening required, what an event, and what a show to follow up with. Not only a great pop to begin with, but then the sustained nature of it. When he jumped into the the crowd will live with me forever. I hate that I wasn't there, cos from the fan video's it seems the pop was even louder than it came across on tv

AEW in such a short time has given pro wrestling some of the absolute great moments, but I think this one has topped even Moxley turning up unannounced at the first double or nothing, I honestly can't wait for what happens next. The first thing he did was put over DMD, and then taking on Darby Allin straight out of the gate, who was up in the rafters with Sting, took me back to my childhood.

And I'm so glad they went with showcasing the young talent after that, Private Party, JungleBoy, Jade and Daniel Garcia. Luchasaurus and Jungleboy had 2 incredible matches back to back, the Young Bucks match on Wednesday was an all timer, and then this one with Private Party was equally good, told a great story, Isaiah going full Ric flair with the feet on the rope and a handful of tights killed me. The eyes of the world were on them and they absolutely killed it. Private Party's character work since turning heel has really pushed them over the edge, Matt Hardy has worked wonders with them, I love how Tony's got so much confidence in just throwing the youngsters out there, he could have easily thrown on Jericho and Miro or the Elite, but instead he's trying to create new stars, which some people could learn from. Jade had pretty much a squash, but she's got the most striking look on a Pro Wrestler I've ever seen. She's literally Storm from the X-men in the flesh.

Finally Daniel Garcia, let me tell you about him. When he was 19 and on the indies, he was in a career threatening car crash, he broke so many major bones in his body that Dr's said it was over, 2 years later and he's main eventing against Mox on a show Punk has just debuted on. Anyway back in 2019 when it happened, a gofundme was set up, here's the link, see who the top 3 donators are. RIP Brodie. https://www.gofundme.com/f/buffalo-brothers-car-accident-recovery-fund

Tying in with that, the next debut is most likely to be Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan at the New York show, where they've sold like 20k tickets, and early rumors are he's gonna come in under his American Dragon guise and build a stable of young shooters, Wheeler Yuta, Lee Moriarty & Daniel Garcia etc have been mentioned, and it's giving me Team Angle vibes.

These AEW hipsters are calling Punk their daddy now after criticising him for the past few years when he was burying the company for how they tried to hire him - oh we don’t need him he lost in the UFC etc damaged goods and what not, now he is your papa. Luchasaurus and Jungleboy , jesus christ how old are you ) show that to casuals or combat fans and you weasels would get bullied for supporting such none sense. It was a show worth puking all over outside the Punk segment and also the fans who enjoyed that, Darby Allin looks like a rat, no wonder so many of AEW hipsters relate to him, shocking how Punk had belittled himself to put over that chuwah, anything for the almighty dolla sign

 

[Asim_khan]

Jurassic Express are ridiculously over, their theme hits and the people go wild. Plus they've got the best tag team finisher I've ever seen. Road Warrior's eat your heart out.

Sure, it's not the wrestling you love like having a fistful of baby oil and watching a man being stuck smelling the armpit of Trevor Murdoch whilst in a chinlock for 15 mins, or having Tyrus sat on someone with his unwashed tights, but pro wrestling is so much more than one out of touch old man's idea of what it is.

Like getting Roman to attack Punk in the media, rushing the Becky and Brock return, sweetening the crowd noise, and still not being able to match the moment that was.

Anyway

 

[shaz619]

Jurassic Express are ridiculously over, their theme hits and the people go wild. Plus they've got the best tag team finisher I've ever seen. Road Warrior's eat your heart out.

Sure, it's not the wrestling you love like having a fistful of baby oil and watching a man being stuck smelling the armpit of Trevor Murdoch whilst in a chinlock for 15 mins, or having Tyrus sat on someone with his unwashed tights, but pro wrestling is so much more than one out of touch old man's idea of what it is.

Like getting Roman to attack Punk in the media, rushing the Becky and Brock return, sweetening the crowd noise, and still not being able to match the moment that was.

Anyway

View attachment 111448

Jurassic Express, Jungle Boys and Transexuals are mainly over with individuals who are autistic and have down syndrome - they can’t comprehend the absurdity of what they are watching so get off on it and enjoy it, provides that much needed release as it would for 5 year old children who enjoy watching looney toons, and then there are also those who mistake the product for depraved fantasies they enjoy from Japanese anime. How pathetic, ‘Jurassic Express’ and ‘Jungle Boy’ - I get how appealing this must be for the LGBT community and no offence given how you may swing but this is just beyond childish even if you are an unemployed, depraved, overweight and autistic mark for a form of entertainment which is fake and an insult to your existence.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Never thought I'd see Punk wrestle again. So the fact that AEW has made it possible is incredible. My hats off to them. They've made a believer out of me.

I still feel AEW has many areas it needs to improve in, but with a talent roster like that, how can you not be confident that they will?

This is the most exciting time to be a wrestling fan since arguably the Attitude Era. It may not be the Monday Night Wars, but it definitely is competition. And I have to say, AEW is killing WWE right now in terms of quality of product, whereas WWE are going with the exact same strategy that they have had in maybe the last decade.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Jurassic Express are ridiculously over, their theme hits and the people go wild. Plus they've got the best tag team finisher I've ever seen. Road Warrior's eat your heart out.

Sure, it's not the wrestling you love like having a fistful of baby oil and watching a man being stuck smelling the armpit of Trevor Murdoch whilst in a chinlock for 15 mins, or having Tyrus sat on someone with his unwashed tights, but pro wrestling is so much more than one out of touch old man's idea of what it is.

Like getting Roman to attack Punk in the media, rushing the Becky and Brock return, sweetening the crowd noise, and still not being able to match the moment that was.

Anyway

View attachment 111448

Oh come on bro. Jungle Boy may be good, but Luchasaurus is utter garbage in the ring. It's painful to watch him work because of how immobile and awkward he looks while working. Put him in the ring in a 10 minute single match and then you will see how over he actually is.

There's only so long he can latch onto Jungle Boy. Sooner or later he will have to become a low-rent version of Kane.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Incredible debut, one of if not the greatest pops in pro Wrestling history, no crowd sweetening required, what an event, and what a show to follow up with. Not only a great pop to begin with, but then the sustained nature of it. When he jumped into the the crowd will live with me forever. I hate that I wasn't there, cos from the fan video's it seems the pop was even louder than it came across on tv

AEW in such a short time has given pro wrestling some of the absolute great moments, but I think this one has topped even Moxley turning up unannounced at the first double or nothing, I honestly can't wait for what happens next. The first thing he did was put over DMD, and then taking on Darby Allin straight out of the gate, who was up in the rafters with Sting, took me back to my childhood.

And I'm so glad they went with showcasing the young talent after that, Private Party, JungleBoy, Jade and Daniel Garcia. Luchasaurus and Jungleboy had 2 incredible matches back to back, the Young Bucks match on Wednesday was an all timer, and then this one with Private Party was equally good, told a great story, Isaiah going full Ric flair with the feet on the rope and a handful of tights killed me. The eyes of the world were on them and they absolutely killed it. Private Party's character work since turning heel has really pushed them over the edge, Matt Hardy has worked wonders with them, I love how Tony's got so much confidence in just throwing the youngsters out there, he could have easily thrown on Jericho and Miro or the Elite, but instead he's trying to create new stars, which some people could learn from. Jade had pretty much a squash, but she's got the most striking look on a Pro Wrestler I've ever seen. She's literally Storm from the X-men in the flesh.

Finally Daniel Garcia, let me tell you about him. When he was 19 and on the indies, he was in a career threatening car crash, he broke so many major bones in his body that Dr's said it was over, 2 years later and he's main eventing against Mox on a show Punk has just debuted on. Anyway back in 2019 when it happened, a gofundme was set up, here's the link, see who the top 3 donators are. RIP Brodie. https://www.gofundme.com/f/buffalo-brothers-car-accident-recovery-fund

Tying in with that, the next debut is most likely to be Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan at the New York show, where they've sold like 20k tickets, and early rumors are he's gonna come in under his American Dragon guise and build a stable of young shooters, Wheeler Yuta, Lee Moriarty & Daniel Garcia etc have been mentioned, and it's giving me Team Angle vibes.

That sounds like an awesome idea. That's the kind of stable I would like to see Chad Gable in too. As a sort of the second in command to Bryan. Yet another guy who could be an amazing addition to the AEW roster.

At any rate, I quite dig AEW's strategy of putting these legends with younger guys. They did it with Sting, they're going to do with Punk and if this rumor is to be believed, Bryan too. Elevating younger guys and making new stars should always be your goal.

That said, I do hope Punk (and possibly Bryan) become champion at some point. I know they are older guys, but it would be great to see them become world champion and I think it would add to the prestige and lineage of their world title too.

 

[andy0204]

Punks return was great but if Aew really wants to beat Wwe they have to move Dynamite on Mondays.

 

[Asim_khan]

Not happening, NFL runs on Mondays and there's no way Shahid Khan would sign off on that.

Anyway Friday night Smackdown is the A show, they've got Becky, Brock, Roman, Sasha & Seth etc on there, if anything Friday would be the night to move to, however it's stupid to do that, you'll automatically split the audience in 2, and Smackdown would beat AEW, but their ratings would take a hit, and so would AEW's. A fox executive paying a $$Billion plus won't care that Smvkadown beat AEW, he's asking why is Smackdown losing to MacGuyver/Dateline/Magnum PI, and barely drawing a million viewers (0.3 demo) on network TV when they were doing 2-3 million (0.9 demo) on cable.

Even Vince isn't that stupid, after all despite NXT hamstringing AEW's ratings, USA didn't pay a premium when they renewed cos they were bleeding viewers, and also it didn't look good when Chris Jericho is in every major trade paper saying AEW is kicking NXTs ***.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Not happening, NFL runs on Mondays and there's no way Shahid Khan would sign off on that.

Anyway Friday night Smackdown is the A show, they've got Becky, Brock, Roman, Sasha & Seth etc on there, if anything Friday would be the night to move to, however it's stupid to do that, you'll automatically split the audience in 2, and Smackdown would beat AEW, but their ratings would take a hit, and so would AEW's. A fox executive paying a $$Billion plus won't care that Smvkadown beat AEW, he's asking why is Smackdown losing to MacGuyver/Dateline/Magnum PI, and barely drawing a million viewers (0.3 demo) on network TV when they were doing 2-3 million (0.9 demo) on cable.

Even Vince isn't that stupid, after all despite NXT hamstringing AEW's ratings, USA didn't pay a premium when they renewed cos they were bleeding viewers, and also it didn't look good when Chris Jericho is in every major trade paper saying AEW is kicking NXTs ***.

Yeah. TNA tried this ludicrous strategy years ago. And regardless of what Bischoff tells you, TNA had serious delusions of grandeur. Where they thought they could compete with WWE because they stole a couple of ex-WWE guys and brought Hulk Hogan on. We all know how that turned out...

AEW knows they don't have to compete with WWE in the ratings because they don't need to. If they provide quality television their audience will grow organically.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Punks return was great but if Aew really wants to beat Wwe they have to move Dynamite on Mondays.

You can't beat WWE. WWE is like the Disney of wrestling. They are a multi-billion dollar corporation that is now planning to expand worldwide. In my eyes, this competition is more about quality of product rather than ratings.

RAW or SmackDown are always going to draw a higher rating than Dynamite even if they have Eva Marie wrestling in a 60 minute gauntlet match. That's just how big their audience is.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Also, has anyone seen Ricky Starks recently? I swear on the last episode of Dynamite it was llike he was cosplaying The Rock when he first turned heel with the Nation of Domination. He had everything from those glasses to the flamboyant shirt with the buttons open, a title on one shoulder and a mic in one hand. And ofcourse above all, he had the charisma to pull that look off.

 

[sweep_shot]

 

[shaz619]

Also, has anyone seen Ricky Starks recently? I swear on the last episode of Dynamite it was llike he was cosplaying The Rock when he first turned heel with the Nation of Domination. He had everything from those glasses to the flamboyant shirt with the buttons open, a title on one shoulder and a mic in one hand. And ofcourse above all, he had the charisma to pull that look off.

I don’t know about last weeks episode but I watched this weeks episode seeing I wanted to hear from Punk.

They started out with Cassidy and Hardy with new fans tuning into the show and those who are not regulars, straight away we get into some clowning around of epic proportions which was an insult to the business with them fake shin kicks, over the course of the match Cassidy displayed his unprofessionalism by busting Hardy open after a botched dive and the spots involving his hands in his pockets drastically affected his ability to execute moves properly, it was very pre-meditated, looked horrible and that couldn’t be more adamant if you watched the finish. An awful way to open a landmark episode of Dynamite.

Jericho recovered things with a fantastic segment which sold the PPV and also showcased the talent and skill of MJF, fantastic I enjoyed that.

Then we move onto Lucha Bros vs Varsity blondes, Lucha Bros have some talent but simplicity is the key, I think they are good enough not to have to throw everything but the kitchen sink every time…ESPECIALLY when you are working with a team as green as the blondes, it was a cagey match, there were at least a couple of botches and it made everyone involved look bad, the least you expect is professionalism in the ring

Hayter vs Velvet - AEW are bringing in some decent names to expand the depth in their womens roster and Hayter has potential, I like her look and appeal but again, affair was slightly cagey and Velvet botched that springboard moonsault which just kills my enjoyment seeing all these botches, thankfully a lariat ended things immediately after that.

I skipped through the trip matches, I don’t really expect much on the match quality side; despite my reservations on Allin’s look, thankfully he didn’t botch any of his shtick, never really paid much attention to the others.

The segment involving Kenny and Cage, straight away Christian looked like a legit world champion - serious, looked the part and his promo execution was brilliant, he meant business and I liked that. Kenny on the other hand and the entire booking of his faction was an absolute joke, I can’t remotely take any of them seriously, there’s one thing being a chicken sh!t heel but then there’s this, their top champion is a personified clown, this goes back to what I said to you about no script, it works for some but clearly not when you don’t know what you are doing, I don’t like Kenny but Gado booked him much better and had the idiot under control.

Punk’s segment, don’t need to comment on it much. He’s still the best in the world even today, I just hope his signing brings a major turning point for the company but as it stands am not seeing any major changes, maybe Punk will bring order ? that’s my take on the show, am I really seeing it all in a completely different way, what am I missing ? what did you think ? It was a let down considering how they could have better executed their show with so many new eye balls

 

[shaz619]

I forgot to add that tales of the dark father was in the main event in a squash, you can forgive me for forgetting it because the whole thing wasn’t memorable, I was expecting more in the main event. The squash itself was fine and Brock Anderson has some decent tools to work with but this match was on the wrong spot on the card

 

[sweep_shot]

I generally just check news. I don't watch AEW regularly.

However, I think I may now start to watch AEW regularly after the arrival of Punk. I am liking the vibe.

 

[Asim_khan]

“That's someone else's schtick and you might need to be a little more patient" - Still the absolute GOAT on the mic! The promo's on this episode were absolutely incredible, Jericho, MJF, Punk, Moxley, Miro, Black, Callis, Omega, Christian, absolutely every single one was goosebump inducing.

Unfortunately in ring, I must admit that was probably the worst episode of Dynamite I've seen, the crowd was absolutely dead aside from a few pops here and there, it felt like a WWE crowd, It was a bit of a drag to get through, like sitting through an episode of Raw. There was alot of stuff that shouldn't be on tv, basically AEW Dark, without Taz and Excalibur having a ball on commentary.

Can't imagine anyone watching a Lucha Bros match and wanting simplicity, the last thing you want to do is turn them into Gran Metalik lmao, who although less talented, has still been hamstrung so badly by the meat and potatoe style of WWE. Let your guys go for petes sake! Fenix is the GOAT high flyer and Penta is supreme, the issue was that Pillman/Griff started off great, but couldn't keep up, I'd rather others lift their game when facing them, so it legit feels like a team is in there with the best in the world, and not someone phoning it in. As for the Blondes, it's a steep learning curve, and whereas Top Flight, Jurassic Express, the Acclaimed and Private Party etc have stepped up when they've had a match against the top teams, this time the Blondes were found a bit wanting. But that's what happens, you live and learn and move forward. Word is the Jurassic Express vs Lucha Bros. match is a classic on Rampage, can't wait for that. Infact there's vids of NBA finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo losing his mind watching it.

The real Belt Collector



Similarly Red Velvet, that ended being a terrible botch at a terrible time, the match itself was fine, her sell on the ring post was incredible, she's been thrust into 2 high profile matches and absolutely hit it out of the park both times, vs Jade/Shaq and then Britt Baker on the Rampage debut, but here she messed up the finish, But kudos to Hayter, I had to go back and rewatch it cos she took the botch and ran with it, she was on it like a flash. I thought the botched moonsault was part of the finish. She looks very good and can't wait for the inevitable feud with Dr Britt.

I'm loving Kenny on the mic, the "you think you know me" line got a huge pop from me, the fact he's a geek will always mean his opponent comes off strong, and that's what you need when you're seen as the best to ever do it in ring, especially when opposide you is someone who's been out for 7 years. They've really built Christian up well, that first match was incredible and Christian is suddenly a threat whereas first he was another contender. A bonafide genuine champion, I hope he comes out with the red Ming the Merciless robe for the PPV. Also, absolutely love the way they've included the IWA backstory, and popped to see Lance Storm wrestling on AEW. Expect to see some more Sexton Hardcastle references.

Can understand Tony wanting to keep the guys fresh for All Out, and maybe wanting CM Punk to get all the headlines coming out of it, and wanting to test your bench strength, but some of these guys aren't ready but atleast it's something to work towards for them, you won't get that withouth trying.

 

[shaz619]

“That's someone else's schtick and you might need to be a little more patient" - Still the absolute GOAT on the mic! The promo's on this episode were absolutely incredible, Jericho, MJF, Punk, Moxley, Miro, Black, Callis, Omega, Christian, absolutely every single one was goosebump inducing.

Unfortunately in ring, I must admit that was probably the worst episode of Dynamite I've seen, the crowd was absolutely dead aside from a few pops here and there, it felt like a WWE crowd, It was a bit of a drag to get through, like sitting through an episode of Raw. There was alot of stuff that shouldn't be on tv, basically AEW Dark, without Taz and Excalibur having a ball on commentary.

Can't imagine anyone watching a Lucha Bros match and wanting simplicity, the last thing you want to do is turn them into Gran Metalik lmao, who although less talented, has still been hamstrung so badly by the meat and potatoe style of WWE. Let your guys go for petes sake! Fenix is the GOAT high flyer and Penta is supreme, the issue was that Pillman/Griff started off great, but couldn't keep up, I'd rather others lift their game when facing them, so it legit feels like a team is in there with the best in the world, and not someone phoning it in. As for the Blondes, it's a steep learning curve, and whereas Top Flight, Jurassic Express, the Acclaimed and Private Party etc have stepped up when they've had a match against the top teams, this time the Blondes were found a bit wanting. But that's what happens, you live and learn and move forward. Word is the Jurassic Express vs Lucha Bros. match is a classic on Rampage, can't wait for that. Infact there's vids of NBA finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo losing his mind watching it.

The real Belt Collector

View attachment 111527

Similarly Red Velvet, that ended being a terrible botch at a terrible time, the match itself was fine, her sell on the ring post was incredible, she's been thrust into 2 high profile matches and absolutely hit it out of the park both times, vs Jade/Shaq and then Britt Baker on the Rampage debut, but here she messed up the finish, But kudos to Hayter, I had to go back and rewatch it cos she took the botch and ran with it, she was on it like a flash. I thought the botched moonsault was part of the finish. She looks very good and can't wait for the inevitable feud with Dr Britt.

I'm loving Kenny on the mic, the "you think you know me" line got a huge pop from me, the fact he's a geek will always mean his opponent comes off strong, and that's what you need when you're seen as the best to ever do it in ring, especially when opposide you is someone who's been out for 7 years. They've really built Christian up well, that first match was incredible and Christian is suddenly a threat whereas first he was another contender. A bonafide genuine champion, I hope he comes out with the red Ming the Merciless robe for the PPV. Also, absolutely love the way they've included the IWA backstory, and popped to see Lance Storm wrestling on AEW. Expect to see some more Sexton Hardcastle references.

Can understand Tony wanting to keep the guys fresh for All Out, and maybe wanting CM Punk to get all the headlines coming out of it, and wanting to test your bench strength, but some of these guys aren't ready but atleast it's something to work towards for them, you won't get that withouth trying.

Those were his only lines of note, Kenny sounded like an absolute desperate goof, he came across as a nerd who probably was up all week trying to come up with something so un-original. He has no command over the mic, zero presence and no aura at all, his faction is a joke - you can’t take any of them seriously, again Gado knew how to book Kenny within his weaknesses and being in Japan protected him, in NA territory he can’t cut a decent promo to save his life, Christian came across as the bigger star in the segment. Like I said, those who rate Kenny on the mic most likely have some special needs.

Also, looks like Moxley has been on the booze. What a shame, this is what he wanted to do outside the restrictions from his previous employer, I hope he doesn’t end up like Benoit or Kurt over there.

Horrible horrible episode, pure aids - when Punk was going to bring all those record numbers for the company that’s what they put out there, botch after botch, goof after goof and programming designed for 5 year olds. Change may not happen over night but they been on air for a while now and some of shtick was beyond unprofessional

 

[Asim_khan]

It seems AEW had 2 covid tests (no word on who), a baby being born (Congrats to Matt Lee from Everrise/2.0) and with WWE/Edge/Seth stealing the brood splatter angle, cos that was the original plan for this episode for Christian Cage Gangrel was meant to show up, anyway he still got paid. But that was the reason for the last minute card. Live tv.

Despite that dreadful episode, they still did their highest ever rating since their debut, and finished number one for the night! Wonders never cease. They beat The Challenge (who have ruled wednesday nights for 11 years, this is their first loss in 3 years) and Real Housewives. Maybe that's the secret, put on a crap show and finish number one for the night, it's worked for RAW.



Quality wise, they can turn it around quick, Rampage tonight/tomorrow should be a good show. The tag team final is said to be an all timer.

 

[shaz619]

Wrestling all round is horrible right now and AEW is not a breath of fresh air based on the latest Dynamite episode.

However, I do have faith in Punk and Bryan; then again who wouldn’t, they are in a league of their own, the rest simply don’t compare, while it may be another case of Tony Khan relying heavily on the E’s used goods these are two great signings.

 

[Asim_khan]

Wow, AEW beat Smackdown if you count in 3 day DVR numbers by 4% in the money demo, which is absolutely insane cos

1) Smackdown on Fox is available in 100million more homes,network tv and not Cable like AEW on TNT is
2) Smackdown started at 8pm, peak hours, AEW was 10pm, off peak, which is usually the graveyard slot

Fox must be thinking they've massively over spent on Smackdown, barely beating a start up despite being on network tv. They already cancelled WWE backstage on FS1, for Pro Wrestlings sake, I hope that doesn't happen. But it would explain why Nick Khan is talking of selling, Vince is in a quandry. However RAW is still doing well on cable, and with AEW being number one on it's night of Wednesday, it's not all doom and gloom, it's actually very healthy, the healthiest it's been since peak WCW.

Off the back of this you can see why WWE hurried up and brought in Brock despite him looking slightly rotund, and Becky when she's 2 months off being in ring shape and now they've potentially ruined 2 careers. Brock is some business man, let's hope for Vince's sake he's more of a money spinner than the XFL was. Both times. Tony Khan has got him over the barrel at the moment.

Anyway Lucha Bros vs Jurassic Express tonight, Jack Perry is gonna be a star. I can see him going to Hollywood, those looks and that Luke Perry 90210 DNA is probably gonna lead to him being the next Pro Wrestler to become mainstream. It's all good news for AEW.