just drew

I'm not sure I'd openly call ROH my "developmental" territory, but I'd sure book it like the last year or so of WWECW. Put the title on a veteran, rotate young and veteran challengers, and pair off vets and young guys you have plans for in tv feuds. Mark Briscoe's got Rod Strong as his next challenger. After him, have Takeshita come over and work heel against Briscoe and win the title. Run the rematch back, then bring in another veteran babyface to work Takeshita. Build up to Eddie/Takeshita, then start a new cycle. Same with tag teams. Bring in the Von Erichs to work Taven & Bennett, and so on.

Carlito was killing me tonight.

My old roommate, who is a Fayette County (Ga) Sheriff's Deputy, says they still get a few calls a month from people who insist Chris Benoit was framed.

I thought Mercedes finally sounded comfortable on the mic. She was radiant, tbh. Good for her.

Is it? TK comes off as a guy who if anything, loves wrestling a little too much. Carlos comes off like a lying carny...

I’m biased because I was there, but the first Atl Dynamite with Cody/Wardlow in a cage was fucking stout. The only thing lacking was the womens segment.

So, maybe this needs its own thread, but when WCW did "When Worlds Collide," was that with AAA or CMLL? I vaguely remember hearing about luchadores in the Saks Magazines and having that be a completely different set than anyone I was seeing on tv. Idk what I'm trying to ask. Would that split have affected any of that?

Someone fill me in; what's the source of the bad blood between AAA and CMLL? I had assumed AAA would've been okay with AEW bringing in CMLL folks, since that's what happened at FD.

There's some buzz on the twitter-sphere that there have been "lines drawn" and that Hijo del Vikingo and some others might not be on AEW TV for a while, even if medically cleared. IDK what it means, or if there's anything to it, but I found it interesting...

The cynic in me thinks nXt putting the title on Ethan Page is a message to some AEW guy who aren't being used. One Richard Starks, in particular. I like the Spears/Page pairing. At this point, Spears is just a vet that lives 10 minutes from the PC. I doubt he does anything on the main roster. And that's fine. Guy has his own wrestling school and a young kid with another on the way. Lexis King. Ooof. His look is top shelf. No disagreement there. Someone said it above me. He's so thoroughly average in-ring that he's gonna have a hard time separating himself. He needs a heater. At minimum. It's a shame WWE doesn't seem interested in employing managers, as King could use one of those too.

Fuck CM Punk. You know how big an asshole you have to be for me to side with Seth Rollins?

Looked like Aerostar lol.

That cash in & angle felt hella lazy to me. Like, folks continue to gush over hhh’s booking like it’s brilliant. If TK had booked something this obvious and uninteresting, the online discourse would be deafening. It wasn’t good, and Summerslam looks pretty lackluster so far.

As far as the rest of the show; this is the type shit AEW needs to keep doing. I was ALL THE WAY in on Hanger/JJ. Idk if that's my match of the year, but it's certainly top 5. One thing I've learned about my own tastes in wrestling over the past few years is that I'm a sucker for pacing. I thought that match was structured perfectly. Jarrett's hope spots and comebacks were spaced out brilliantly. Whoever laid that match out needs a raise. I never REALLY thought JJ would win, but there was those handful of moments where I was like "well damn, maybe." Also, I really dug the bit of business with MJF at the end of the show. My favorite heels are the ones who's actions are understandable, if not justifiable. MJF, in his mind, has gotten screwed over by everyone he's tried to be friends with. Wardlow, Cole, et al. So he reaches out to this kid, Garcia, who he sees something in. He offers to be in his corner. He genuinely wants Garcia to beat Ospreay. Then Garcia refuses his advice. Doesn't use the ring. Immediately loses. To a guy who's been through as much friendship related trauma as MJF, that feels like rejection. And he just snaps. Or maybe he always planned on turning on Garcia. Either way, great shit. PAC and Danielson delivered, as always, though that could've been the final. Matchups like these are why I think the Own should be at least 16 competitors. You could've gotten another match from Pac before him and Danielson meeting in the Semis. Maybe I was too harsh in my assessment of Baker/Mone earlier. Tbh, I don't have much use for either. I'm genuinely happy for Britt Baker the human being. Sounds like she's been through a lot from an injury standpoint and I'm glad she gets to ply her chosen trade again. I just find her completely uninteresting as a television character, and I think she's vastly overrated as a performer. My feelings on Mone are well documented, so I'll spare you all a second portion today. All in all, a good show. The storytelling aspect of AEW has really stepped up lately.

I mean, I'm 41, but I didn't get much into chatrooms until my late 20's, and this is really the only wrestling board i frequent. Everything else is SABRmetrics and guitar forums...