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Angelico should be out there doing seven minutes of weirdo llave shit every week on Dark as a palate cleanser between squashes.

"Fire The Jobbers" is easily one of the Four Pillars of Bad Takes, along with "It's A Work", "Eddie Loses Too Much", and "Meme Wrestler Bad" EDIT: Please do not mistake this as a pro-Luigi Primo statement.

Seriously, why do people always include Chaos Project on these “to be fired” lists? Who are they hurting by having fun undercard matches on Dark? Nobody. In fact, they actively help their opponents look great.

You make a point and then lose it immediately by including three of their finest. Both Luther and Serpentico have been coaching in AEW and Strickland just put em both over. Angelico is a god.

Listens to Fleetwood Mac once....

Send Buddy’s ass packing. It’s not really a stable without Malakai, anyway. Recalibrate around Brody and Julia as a pair.

If I’m being honest Brody King is the only one of them I care about and I think he can be a huge star without the HoB.

No.

Damn. That was a really fast milkshake ducking.

Bad take. The tippy top and the very bottom is not what needs to go. I'm not a giant fan of Serpentico or Luther. But they serve a purpose, take up ZERO main roster TV time, and have extremely cost effective contracts (we can assume). There's no need to clear out the contracted enhancement guys. They aren't taking TV time or pay or opportunities away from any of your favorites. Because it's not like Miro & Andrade would be working enhancement matches putting over 2.0 on Dark if Sepentico & Luther were released. But again, this talking point comes up far too much. Especially from you. TK isn't like some idiot that accidentally signed too many guys in this awww schucks I wanna collect them all sense. He is making a conscious decision to have a lot of cards in the deck to shuffle around. The big WWE talking point used to be why do they run so many house shows? How come guys have to work so much? Can they work in an off season? All because we'd like to see performers healthier and getting less injuries. AEW has instituted a structure that is paying their athletes as much or more as WWE for significantly less work. This is exactly what we had all been clamoring for. They aren't bloated. They are structured different than you're used to. There is a difference. I'm glad the internet wasn't a thing when I was a young kid first starting out watching. Hearing people constantly whine that Hogan doesn't wrestle enough on TV, or how you like Koko B Ware and he needs to be on TV more, or how Roddy Piper is getting wasted on by not being on TV enough and they're fucking him up would have drained allllllllll my joy.

How dare you.

Goth Phase vs HoB was a phenomenal brawl marked by 3 nasty bad bumps and an all time mark out moment ending. Action Hook vs. The Cool Daddies was better than I expected, Menard and Parker did great work shepherding that match. Hook sold well. They used Bronson wisely, giving him simple fat guy offense without having him try to sell any moves. I think WarJoe vs Abs and Woods was next? The Woods parts were the best. Nese was fine in his “dude who is going to take a beating and eat the pin” role, that’s the only place I want to see him. Wardlow-Woods is a match I want to see. Kingston didn’t quite lay in the all-time hellacious beating that I wanted to see, but the ending was good. Agreed with whoever said that Tay is a great heel when she once was such a natural baby face. Jade matches are a waste of time at this point. Please tell me they’re not just going to keep her streak against randos going until Stat returns. Jungle Boy is a very good wrestler in a company full of great to all time great wrestlers. They’re working hard to get rid of that moniker and use his real name, which might help him grow as a character, I don’t know. Fenix is always going to sell hard and do some crazy shit. The crowd loves Jack Perry, I don’t, and that’s ok. Battle Royal was fine, some nice touches with the Boys and Satnam, establishing some new rivalries, tying up some old stories, some comedy moments. Rush and Mox had a good match, I like Rush. I like Page too, and that will also be a good match, but it’s probably not who I would’ve picked. Starks took some nasty bumps, but when you open with a wild No DQ match, closing with an unsanctioned match like that is a bit of a let-down. The most impressive part was how effortlessly Starks had Hobbs on his shoulder for the Rochambeaux. Next week is going to have a lot of talking. I’m going to be watching in a hotel again so won’t be able to lean on that sweet FFWD button.

That’s one way to avoid having to have your checks signed by Daniel Snyder

Also, I still can’t decide if I think those guys are actually leaving or not. I think both guys should look at wwe’s creative right now and ask themselves who’s spot they think they’re filling. Aleister can be really intriguing and a great worker w the right partner, but I don’t see where he fits if Kross, Judgement Day & (allegedly) Bray Wyatt are all on tv. Buddy is a tremendously gifted worker but is limited by his size & promo ability. Who’s midcard title is he challenging for? Gunther? Lashley? I don’t see him being in a better spot there. I hope for their sakes it is just a mental health break, because it seems like a miscalculation for them to believe they’re just going to waltz into top spots…

This man gets it…

All problems really stem from having hired Cole and O’Reilly, of course.

Literally nothing has come out in the years of AEW's existence regarding financial strain, budget issues, etc. and yet there's always somebody saying such and such talent should be let go for what I can only assume is freeing up money. Baffling.

I agree on Brody being the breakout star but I also think that Julia Hart and her spooky pilgrim hat do add to the act, so maybe keep her.

That's why they had Diamante in that role.

What is House of Black if not a group of three people who, uh, hold on here... represent the words House and Black? Replace Buddy with Powerhouse Hobbes. New leader? Obvious. Negro Casas.

Very nice, very wholesome.

I think the question of what fat there is to cut that isn’t a jobber is a very interesting one, because it gets very divisive very quickly. Like if I had a say, I’m thrilled that Adam Cole, CM Punk, Thunder Rosa and the Bucks are off my TV, as those are kind of the guys I wanted off anyway if they were active and I was asked this question. And as for whose left, I guess of the non-Dark crew a top (bottom) five of Jay Lethal, Matt Hardy, Luchasaurus, Tony Neese and 10 can go. Still all JTTS for the most part. I guess I’m saying that I’m pretty happy with the upper tier roster construction, the lack of Miro notwithstanding. Build the roster around Hobbs, Hayter, Darby, The Acclaimed, Garcia, Butcher and Blade and 2.0 tho

Is it possible that Malakai's "unfulfilled promises" are related to Cody? When Cody left, things changed? HOB have certainly been featured as prominently in AEW as 90% of the roster, so it isn't like they have been buried. It also might have just been unrealistic to put a title on someone held together with baling twine and gumption. I support people taking a step back, if needed, to recalibrate and recharge. However, if this turns out to be a ruse on Black and Buddy's part to rejoin WWE, that would be low. At any rate, I am all for Brody King and Julia Hart remaining together. Brody is an absolute delight, and it is fun watching Julia get more comfortable with her character with every appearance. .

Maybe I was in the minority but, when Black mentioned unfulfilled promises, I immediately thought of WWE telling Thea they'd put her and Tommy on the same brand if she came back, which ended up being total bullshit. He didn't seem to be talking only about his AEW time. You're right about perhaps too many folks signed but the names mentioned were mostly enhancement talent so I was mainly thinking of them when I posted. Meanwhile we live in a world where Miro is sitting on his hands so yeah, there's clearly SOMETHING wrong.

Cutting Chaos Project, the Varsity Blonds, and half the Wingmen is probably not going to alleviate the problem of not enough main event slots, though. Unless you think someone like Malakai would be happy taking their spots.

Are we still talking about Luther?

WOW is muscling in on my non-wrestling time! Hey! It's Fury! That's Harlow O'Hara and she looks great. Miami Sweet Heat is such a David McLane concept. The Heavy Metal Sisters look like they would dig Accept. The twins seem pretty good. Oh, Razor is Christina Von Eerie according to cagematch.net. Actually, HMS would be more Vixen fans. This match is good. They edit the hell out of Miami Sweet Heat 2's hot tag. They hit the Lucha Bros move for the finish on Razor! That was good. I think. The NXT editing is confusing. I have to wait for cagematch.net to identify these gals to figure out if I have seen these gals before. WOW does their first wacky booking move! Jessie Jones takes on Ice Cold and Foxy Fierce alone to have her be in the tagteam tournament by herself? Jessie Jones is good. I love how WOW isn't afraid to have a very elaborate video build-up to a SUPERHERO to have her lose in a two on one handicap match. It's Reka Tehaka! She signed with the WWE this week. She has definitely wrestled everywhere- AEW, CWFH, WOW and soon NXT. Glitch the Gamer! Ah, David McLane. HEY! That's VertVixen! I'm glad they signed her. I notice that they aren't editing this every quarter second. This is good, but it should be. Princess Aussie! She last wrestled last year in CWFH as Cece Chanel and I vaguely remember her. I definitely remember her the last time WOW was on TV. I'm sorry I need a few weeks to adjust to new WOW. It's Reina Del Rey. She's a good heel who is good beating the babyface Princess Aussie to the point that the crowd gets behind her STRUGGLE to escape the 1970s heel beatdown of Reina Del Rey. This is really good. Reina Del Rey is my new favorite wrestler on WOW. That was good. They only had to edit the hell out of one match.

I hated the last two battle royals they did for a title shot, as most of the top guys opted out of it for no reason, and kills your vibe about how what a huge opportunity for a title shot this would be, when it's just also-rans, mid card guys and an obvious winner. This one was worse, as you literally had guys at ringside in Satnam and W Morrissey that would be credible contenders to win instead just standing around not doing much.

HOLY FUCK! We have our MATCH OF THE YEAR. It involves Chihiro Hashimoto and Ryo Mizunami going completely MID-SOUTH. Unfuckingbelievably great.

My "best possible scenario" shifts all the time as we get new info. First, it was Punk doing business with Omega/Bucks. Then it was Punk just putting over young guys after he comes back until he's done. Then it was just the Elite leaving AS WELL as Punk. Now it's Punk coming back in November for a promo in Chicago where he apologies, admits that he dishonored himself and the company and the fans and pledges that he's going to restore his honor by getting better, coming back as strong as he can, and saving ROH from Jericho. This is now my new "best possible scenario." It's extremely unlikely.

Am I late for the Hoss worship or Action Bronson? He really impressed like if he wanted to work indy shows I'd be okay with that. Is Julia Hart Alive? It looked like her head hit the concrete? Jungle Boy has awesome physical charisma. Its kinda a shame how this Christian feud has exposed his lack of anyother form of charisma I assume that Kriss Strat was the plan for Jade but now she's just spinning her wheels. JAKE HAGER IS MAD AS A WET HEN!!! Ricky Starks vs Monstar Hobbs. Okay both these guys look like stars, NO HONOR IN A LOW BLOW BUT THIS IS LIGHTS OUT. Starks uses Chevoks table to set up for the win! Fun two hours, split it into two evenings after the Sabaton/Rammstein concerts cause thats what the DVR record it as, two ceperat shows

I don't know anyone that's heard of that lady and I still have no idea who she is. She was at ringside during the match, she just did literally nothing. Then, she turned on the person that brought her out after mentioning her like three times previously. Diamante looked like a huge idiot.

I’m not in favor of people losing their jobs, outside of disciplinary reasons. I hope that a company can honor their contracts or at the very least work towards agreed upon buyouts.

Last night I spent 45 minutes looking for the source of a humming noise coming from either the pipes or the vents, fearing the worst, looking up numbers for my HVAC servicer and my plumber. Then I went in my bathroom and I realized I left my electric toothbrush on and it fell in the sink so it was humming through the pipes. So everything’s great over here besides my brain.

Cleveland has clinched the AL Central

We engaged with this battle royal in very different ways.

... where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain

Definitely fun having this back regularly, for me it's Saturday at 11 PM just like it was when randomly discovering the original back in 2000. the Psycho Sisters are now the Heavy Metal Sisters. Also sad to see them lose, Razor is one of my absolute favorites in this, her look is awesome. Fury looked good here as well. Glad to see Jessie Jones back, was not expecting her to destroy both opponents. "I am the tag team champion!" Absolutely loving "Glitch the Gamer". Perfect character to match her real personality and her latest all blue look with the hair and gear is the best. After that long video for Leia Makoa, I figured there was no way she could lose but Glitch did dominate most of the match. Kicking out of the samoan drop was a legit surprise. Good match with Leia having the somewhat underdog win while Glitch shines in defeat. Thought Princess Aussie looked great in the main, her video package felt like a Tekken intro. Despite her video, figured she was destined to lose with Reina being the new top heel now. Solid match. Epic spear from Beast to end the show!

Some bad table falls in this match.

TBH, before everything kicked off at the press conference, the Trios Finals match kind of felt like they might be inching in that direction, since he seemed more focused on protecting the Bucks and Kenny than trying to win the match for his supposed partners - and then in the end cost his team the match. Now normally that angle probably would have led to a DO/Hangman split with DO as the heels for daring to want to win a match. But it felt to me at least like it was being treated as an actual flaw in Hangman's character - and it wouldn't be that hard to pivot that into full blown heeldom if they need to. Dark Order was always there for him while the Elite treated him like garbage, but in the end he valued the Elite more because they were cool and he's too preoccupied with his own low self worth. This is one of the downsides of long-form narrative in the professional wrestling world. Page's character arc was neatly wrapped up when he finally overcame his doubts and won the big one... but unlike a movie or a novel where that would have been The End, he still has to stick around after his journey was resolved. And so you wind up retreading the same ground with diminishing results.

One of my favorite finishes ever is the Best Hart vs Jerry Lawler epic bloodfeud DQ from SummerSlam 93, so seeing it revitalized for Eddie and Sammy (perfect 2022 avatars for Bret and Jerry in terms of the feud dynamic) was an unexpected but very welcome surprise.

I think HHH just really likes the idea that "One pill makes you larger."