Godfrey

Gordi, I like you and respect your opinion, but I think you're way off on this. If this were a Seinfeld board more than it already is and we were discussing the shows as they happen, and Seinfeld was pitched to us as a show about stand up and it was a show about stand up for the first season but then wasn't in the second season, people would have a right to ask where the stand up was. And then it might come back in season 3 if enough people made noise, and if it doesn't and it continues to be the only talking point then sure, make a statement about it. Accepting a disappointing situation just because it's what's presented to you doesn't work for me. I'm happy to adapt with the presentation as it happens while still holding them to some standards, that's the beauty of being able to watch something critically and still be a fan. The difference is I'm not invalidating your opinion because I think you fundamentally misunderstand how the show works. We don't see eye to eye on this so let's both enjoy the show on our own levels and leave it at that.

The pairing of Darby and Sting is odd because they aren't really similar as wrestlers outside of the facepaint. I suppose they're both mysterious but Sting is out here WOOing and fist bumping Schiavone, he isn't really the brooding Sting from 1997 that matches Allin's energy. So their relationship is more along the lines of, 'Hey, man. I've been there, you're in a bad place, you're going through a divorce, you're sitting in the rafters a lot. Hang in there, hoodlum. It'll get better. Eventually you can get cheated out of a proper blow off to your feud with, I assume, Cody.'

I'm saying if they lost the titles next week, then their first reign would be shorter and against less spectacular opponents than we may have thought they would but I think that's a good thing, it gives them even more reason for their feud with the Good Bros if they interfere and even more heat when they try to win the titles again. It is not a comment on the matches or the Bucks abilities, I'm not sure why you think this is a dig. Besides, they'll have multiple reigns as champ, losing the first one so soon after struggling for so long to get the titles in the first place is a natural next chapter.

Compared to Page and Omega? They've defended against the Acclaimed and beat Hybrid 2 and Top Flight in non-title matches. I'm not arguing their run of matches, just the recent ones.

Hey, they’ve been more serious on Dark the past couple of weeks, that’s not enough set up for you? Honestly, I like Santana and Ortiz winning the titles given who the challengers are. It would mean the Bucks first reign was a bit of a fizzle but that just gives them reason enough to go on the hunt again.

I thought Darby/Janella was really good, best Joey's looked in a while. Code Red off the top was nice. Not sure what to do with Joey, he seems to have found his level as a guy who earned his stripes in death matches and now trades off that tough reputation to put better guys over. He's AEW's Tomoaki Honma, that's a fine job to have. Lee Johnson has a lot going for him, after his match on Dark and this one I think he's shown a significant amount of growth from last year. And oh shit, a new Anderson? That turn IS coming. PAC destroying Nick Nemeth was rad. Not sure if Nemeth has a future in AEW, I've heard he's a really good heel but I thought his promo on the Road To had more of a earnest Tim Storm feel. Not that they need another bland white dude still figuring things out on the roster but he seems nice. MJF and Max Caster working the abdominal stretch reversal spot like it's '88 made me smile. I like the Acclaimed, they do have a New Age Outlaws feel but better because at least Caster switches it up each week. Sammy leaving the Inner Circle like that is intriguing enough to keep me interested another week. Kind of hope this all ends with Jericho getting kicked out of the group to go on tour with Fozzy, if only so I don't have to hear Judas again for a while. Main event ruled and it's still surreal seeing reps from three promotions in one ring on TNT. Another fun night of wrestling and next week looks just as good. AEW's been on a solid roll for a while now and the inclusion of KENTA and the possibilities that implies are very exciting. The only thing that's not landing with me these days is the Sting/Taz feud and I think that's been a little too drawn out due to circumstances outside of their control.

That looks like an awesome card. Interested to see Royce Isaacs in this and a few new faces, especially Superbeast. Dickinson/Cobb sounds like it should be especially fun.

I was about to write the same thing. He looked really good working with Dustin on Dark and I wouldn't mind if he takes over for QT as Dustin's partner. I can get into Aaron Solow and Lee Johnson as a tag team, Lee especially had a great hot tag. And did Solow dye his hair to match his new stable? That shows commitment. I'm also into the Acclaimed's weekly raps. Caster is much better when he's not off the cuff and he legit gets me at least once each time out. Tay Conti rules.

I'd be very interested to see some AEW crossover for the G1. I think Mox is a good one and Adam Page and maybe Archer since they have some experience. Not sure what Wardlow's conditioning is like but he would make a good impression and I'm sure he could use the experience. I'd really like to see MJF work a New Japan crowd too, Switchblade has made an art out of it and Max could find that level too. Yano/MJF has a high chance of comedy match of the year.

Fine, greatly de-emphasized and not used as a metric for determining challengers unless they want it to.

Free will and self-expression? You make it sound like every other promotion is a gulag like WWE and that's just not true. Nobody is criticizing how they run their company backstage or that they like to have their friends around, we criticize when that fact gets in the way of an enjoyable product. If you are fine with Luther bumbling around the ring on Wednesday nights more power to you, I would much prefer to see almost any other wrestler and the fact he's getting this payday and TV time when other talented wrestlers aren't is annoying to me and it takes me out of the show. And not for nothing but I bet Hogan was having fun when he brought in Beefcake and the Nasty Boys to WCW, doesn't mean I have to like them on my TV. In regards to the sports centric talk, they said that not us. They abandoned the win-loss records when they found out how hard it is to book that way, which is fine but they talked my into the arena with a whole bunch of promises they didn't keep and now I'm told that's on me? No, sir. And it's not a nostalgia brand too? Sting vs Taz for months and they aren't trading on nostalgia? AEW is sports-centric AND nostalgic AND it's own thing too. I appreciate this argument, but the undertone that if you criticize AEW then you are watching it wrong is insulting. I love watching this company already so I know that I'm doing something right.

I think it's fair to criticize the long-term booking in AEW because often it's a journey that is getting figured out as they go and it's going to have some bumps along in the way. The hope is that it will come together, AEW's track record with that has been pretty good so far but not impeccable. I don't think Page has been cooled off, I think he's in danger of getting cooled off if they don't give him something important to deal with and Hardy isn't it. He needs to face down someone like Hager next. My issue with Jungle Boy's booking is that it never seems to go anywhere. The longview is he is gradually getting better at wrestling on his own but the connecting points are few and far between so it's easy to see him as stagnant. In terms of recent singles matches, he lost to Wardlow but beat Nick Comoroto, KTB, and Dax Harwood. Before that it's the losses to Cody and MJF months before. I don't see much progress there and that was all of his 2020 outside of mostly meaningless tag matches. His contract is up this year, right? Anyone feel like they got the most of him for half of that? And just to give you a for instance, what if JB had been in the match with Eddie Kingston instead of Matt Sydal a few months ago? Same role in the match and he could show us progress by hanging with a wily vet like Eddie. Instead we got a match that did nothing for Sydal and not that much for Kingston tbh. My point is that it's fine that they are slow playing some people but they can do it with a little more attention than they are with him.

I definitely had to hold myself back from excitedly boring my partner with the New Japan news. The promo for Jade was also really good, could’ve used it a few weeks ago but better late than never.

Tony was so funny during the Baker/Rosa match, sticking up for Britt every chance he gets. Good match too, the finish works for me and I hope it's leading to a gimmick match now at Revolution. Sterile Glove on a Pole Match maybe. Hangman and Hardy are fun together. The women's tournament announcement was rad, first time the AEW women's title seemed like a big deal in a while. Miro was great during the wedding segment. Ending looked a little botched. I was hoping for more Mr Charles the Butler, to be honest. The one time this angle could've taken a beat and they sped past it, oh well. Kingston/Archer was really fun. I loved Eddie busting out an Exploder. Tully is one of the best promos on the show and still menacing at his age. Main event was all good stuff and KENTA showing up made my night. Great episode again. Lots of bad camera work though, they missed all kinds of spots.

I saw what Alexa is doing now for the first time at the Rumble, it was a lot to take in. I appreciate the effort, she's definitely giving it her all, it's just so awful to me. I enjoyed the Fiend when he was just an entrance, everything after that has been pretty bad. I'd count the Hell in a Cell with Rollins as a turning point in my WWE viewing, it was the first time since I was a teenager I was embarrassed to be watching wrestling. I really enjoyed the Funhouse match with Cena but it was a one time deal and I don't think it will ever be recreated. It's not that it's supernatural either, I was into Lucha Underground and the Undertaker and the movie Underworld, this is on another level entirely. Glad it works for other people though.

I'm into Edge winning, he's a home province guy, he seems like a genuinely nice dude these days, and he's got a great comeback story. I don't think he warrants a Mania main event, I'm not sure he has that much nostalgia value, but he's going to give it his all and I'm pulling for the guy. First time seeing Goldberg in a while and he looks decidedly old now. At least his matches are always short, the most dangerous two minutes of any wrestler's life. Belair winnings was fantastic. Great moment and position for one of their top prospects for a long term draw imo. If WWE can figure out how to market her properly, which is one of your bigger Ifs.

Gotta get Luther on TV! Watching Dark. Nick Comoroto teaming with QT and Dustin is a good sign for him and he showed some nice moves in there. I enjoyed Max Caster's dis track too.

Chills, everytime.

I can hear what JR was saying with the tough guy comment, he's saying guys like Kingston and Archer enjoy the challenge of the physicality so while other wrestlers may be more focussed on avoiding damage to win they lean into it head on. Still not a great comment but at least it was within the realm of the ring. Cody/Shaq is a monkey's paw angle. Great crossover potential with a huge star (finger creeks down) but you have no control over your access to one of the participants so it will be slipshod and another one will go on the shelf with child so you will use two untested performers as proxies and the results will look... okay. Not quite ready for prime time. The whole thing is doomed because neither Shaq nor Cody want to be the heel so they're trying for a David/Goliath showdown only everyone's the good guy. If egos had been put aside, running Shaq against an actual heel might have given the feud more direction and maybe they wouldn't have to resort to calling people 'girls' like its an insult in 2021. Archer and Kingston tore it up and the right guy went over. Eddie can lose every week but he needs two big wins a year to crow about.

I missed Archer/Kingston too, going to have to track that down. Really good, high energy show after that. Jungleboy, Britt Baker, and Adam Page all had great nights and Jericho's FU moonsault was funny

Could they do all their TV from one location and go bare bones to tour and clear enough to make it well worth it? I feel like most of the expense is on the talent anyway and people will be jonesing for live entertainment for a few years after things open up at least.

"Hollywood" Jack Perry is coming, daddy. Can't wait. Vertvixen is my new favorite awful name. Congrats Red Velvet, Green Fox has taken the top spot. Agreed with Santana and Ortiz getting serious again. I think the wrestlers who will survive the best in AEW will be those that can shift from comedy to brutal and back again with ease, PnP can do that. There's so many tag teams that they almost need secondary tag belts like the US Tag Titles or TV Tag Titles or the long theorised Trios Title. Too many titles is also a problem, so it's more that they have so many teams they need something for them all to do besides hunting the tag belts. Time for a tag league tournament imo.

It's interesting to view it as a promotional tactic, a billion dollars for a 5 year full court press. Will they also save a fortune by laying off everyone who took care of the accounts and other parts of the Network that Peacock will now take care of for them? I don't know much about business but that sounds like a WWE thing to do. Then the Network can wander from service to service for increasingly bigger figures somehow.

These are always great. Kingston and Archer are having a great feud in my opinion, Eddie is rad on the promo as always and Lance is no slouch either. Kills me to say it but I think Eddie has to win on Wednesday. Archer can be beat and recover, he's done it a few times now, and Kingston needs to always be featured and to do that he needs a win once in a while. Doesn't have to be clean or anything.

Great approach by Roman. Vince finally has a great leading man so he can make movies, pal.