A_K
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Posts posted by A_K
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On 5/18/2022 at 2:26 AM, NoFistsJustFlips said:
Show me anywhere that any pro wrestler ever has signed up for any specific segment. Like Trish didn't sign up to bark like a dog. She happened to be okay with doing it. But if she wasn't is it your contention barking like a dog and being humiliated in public is part of the deal they signed up to? Sasha & Naomi had promises made to them by their boss. That boss then changed course and didn't hold up his end of the promise. You expect people to just swallow that shit? No way. Any person is well within their rights to say the stress and anxiety of dealing with this lying tyrant is too much on my mental health and I'm out.
No one owns your life but you. I don't care what your job is. It doesn't own you. You can walk at any time during any circumstances if that's what you need to do for your own happiness.
I'm curious what you do for a living. You don't have to answer if you're uncomfortable answering. But I think it would explain some context to why you are so pro heartless billion dollar corporation. It's gonna be hilarious if you're like an HR manager for Amazon warehouses or something like that.Sorry I missed this: its completely off-topic and I won't comment further so as to not derail conversation, but I own my own businesses, which required me to take significant personal & financial risk to establish having once worked in corporate roles. I am not in any way "pro heartless billion dollar corporation": I retained close to 100 staff through the covid lows at significant loss because it was the right thing to do .. many companies did similarly, and so to tar companies with the same brush or take an "I always support the decisions of the worker - no matter what!" approach as has been echoed here is - in my view - completely off kilter. What I said on this topic is that if they have a grievance that is not extraordinary to the role they have accepted, then by all means look for an exit, but an unstructured walk-out exit is imo disrespectful to audience, colleagues and - yes - the company that you have contractually agreed to work for and ultimately been enriched by over an extended period.
The agreements go two ways: it is very rare for talent to walk-out (and many talent have been put in infinitely more awkward circumstances than have been reported here), and I'm glad therefore at the amount of press circulating on lack of support by other talent internally for the actions taken (AEW guys can holla and shout all they want .. they have a vested interest). It suggests the issue here lay more with the individual than the company, ultimately, as it is an exceptionally rare event to have occured. Anyway, final word on the matter from me, all are welcome to their own views.
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Exciting to see how many aspiring entrepreneurs & creators there are in this thread, just itching to go out and create their own ventures & opportunities as opposed to being ensnared by generic Evil E Corp on a deal they signed up to. Walk-out central. Phew - we're going to be in for some interesting times domestically pretty soon.
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1 hour ago, NoFistsJustFlips said:
I take issue with this. Remember they are not employees. They are independent contractors. They are 100% in the right legally due to their classification. If WWE want employees that will listen to every command, then hire and classify your talent as fucking employees you shady fucking tax dodging tax cheats.
If I hire a plumber and tell him I want him to do all of his work while wearing a romper, he doesn't have to do it. He's an independent contractor. He's allowed to pick and choose how and why he does his work the way he wants to. And by definition that's why WWE wrestlers are. Independent contractors.
So I get reallllllll annoyed when I see the corporate boot licking stance of 'do yer jobbb you unprofessional fuck' when the legal definition of their job says they don't have to do anything they don't want to. That's not on them, that's on WWE trying to save money not matching benefits pay ins and insurance and taxes and shit.See above. Yes they can legally. If WWE wants employees then hire employees.
This is utter gibberish. Do they, or do they not, have contracts for a set duration of time for an agreed amount of money? Or maybe I'm crazy, and you also pay your plumber upwards of a six-figure 'retainer' with a contract that they have chosen to sign with you for a set duration of time and set number of appearances for him to then pick and choose when he wants to work, and that if having paid for that duration of time you, too, would be happy for him to walk off the job? Obscuring talent simply walking out of a situation that they have contractually signed up to perform in is weak, weak, weak. If they don't want to be there, don't sign the contract - simple - and likening being asked to perform usual acting-duties in a televised main event in a role they were hired to do to "hiring a plumber and then telling him to wear a romper while he works" is simply ridiculous.
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1 minute ago, Niners Fan in CT said:
Well you weren't there for the discussions that led to the decision and neither was I.
Its basically irrelevant. Unless the meeting had a discriminatory tinge to it or the contractual terms were broken (e.g. salary; contractually agreed presentation), you cannot simply walk out of your job -- or rather you can, but you can't dress it up under any form of 'professionalism' thereafter. Do the work you're paid to do, give the fans the respect they deserve, settle the grievance afterwards and if you need to part ways you part ways. The alternative is simply immature anarchy.
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4 hours ago, Niners Fan in CT said:
You didn't read that correctly. I said I was reading what you wrote. But anyway, what was "unprofessional" that occurred here? Let's say the sheets are right.. they handled a situation internally and then WWE decided to make it public on-air mind you and then also release a BS statement.
You have no words for WWE management but you have plenty for the talent so how could anyone e interpret that you don't have an agenda?
I'm usually going to side with all talent when it comes to WWE creative.. they are a mess and I have no use for Bruce or John so fuck yeah.. match their energy ladies.
Ha. They walked out of a television show they are paid to perform in, at the arena, on the day, where they had been booked as the signature attraction. I'd say that's pretty unprofessional as far as having a profession goes.
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Bossman had a bigger impact on the late-90s AE run then he's probably given credit for. Was presented as being able to go toe-to-toe with Austin on numerous occasions .. obv. in that infamous sketch with 'Taker. Really good worker to have around and hold things together during a chiefly "entertainment" era for them.
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32 minutes ago, zendragon said:
People say AEW looks like PWG with money which reminds me of how people would say TNA should try to be ROH with money instead of poor mans WWE
I don't know what PWG is, but just checked some stuff out and that's pretty harsh on AEW. AEW production values aren't that far from WWE's now in my opinion (some of the virtual/augmented reality stuff aside). Everything about TNA production was awful, not least the grainy quality of the image. TNA at the time was the equivalent of taking some well known DJs who can still sell tickets and putting them in a field with a shit sound system then trying to compete on a like-for-like basis with a Vegas superclub. It was just ruinous for everyone involved in that project, except those who limped back to WWE and could be rehabilitated.
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3 hours ago, zendragon said:
TNA/Impact feels like a pyramid scheme for how long its been around without being profitable
Eh - that's a lot of companies through the past decade. That culture isn't going to last for much longer (quite literally possibly in the months).
TNA's biggest problem -- I mean biggest problem -- is their production looked like shit. If they'd had RVD, Angle, Sting etc. working in a WWE-level production environment (which AEW has basically achieved) it could have been quite different. But it looked like the kind of carny a carny would turn their nose up at.
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Danhausen is great and Danhausen getting squashed is great. The purpose of the team is to communicate Danhausen as a great comic character, and Hook as a great force of power who can cover for the deficiencies of his partner. Win/win. For far too long the promotion had the issue of low carders going toe-to-toe with their opponents: it doesn't need to be that way. Squashes should be more prevalent. Hell, Masvidal beat Askren (undefeated at the time in 19 bouts) faster than Danhausen lost .. shit happens in combat-related events!
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No reason why Singh would be the joker. That doesn't make any sense. He's already debuted.
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2 hours ago, NoFistsJustFlips said:
The same reason why The WCW Invasion failed, they don't have a big enough roster under contract for it to happen.
You'd have to have a bunch of AEW people defect to ROH to even make a basis for ROH having a roster. Or else it's Gresham & Samoa Joe vs 118 AEW guys basically. If you have a bunch of AEW guys turn and defect to AEW is just feels inauthentic. Punk & Danielson are two of the most solidified guys in AEW (they are on almost every week). If you have them turn it makes sense in the context they started in ROH, but it also doesn't make sense because neither of them have been in ROH for like 15 years now.
Only way an actual invasion works is if there are two separate full and legitimate rosters to compete against each other. 24 younger unknown WCW plus Booker & DDP wasn't enough in 2001... and Samoa Joe & Gresham alone just isn't enough in 2022.Oh yeah the idea totally presumes that Punk & Danielson fall on the ROH side. Certainly not enough star power with existing ROH to make it happen. Its basically an amping up of the sports entertainment vs. PW angle they're already pursuing elsewhere in the promotion. Coming back to "pro wrestling" to find Bucks running around in Dior, Jericho doing his shtick etc. Basically I think there are interesting ways to incorporate ROH and what ROH stood for narratively on a temporary basis, but as a stand-alone permanent promotion it won't be it.
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9 minutes ago, Zakk_Sabbath said:
I know it hasn't been very long at all, but the longer they go without separate ROH TV the more I'm leaning toward this as well. Ive been waiting to see which of these matches becomes Buff vs Booker in Tacoma.
It arguably already happened last week with the women's match. I've harkened back to this a few times, but given they flirted with an Impact "invasion" angle some time back, I don't for the life of me understand why they haven't veered in that direction with ROH, which has far more legitimacy and way bigger names behind it. The elite ROH group who never had the infrastructure/money behind them to succeed in the underground & therefore had to compromise their values/morals to succeed in the big E, raising up against the 'nouveau riche' AEW built on the principles they created in the underground on the backing of a lucky billionaire they never had. The story basically writes itself & would have given the big arc AEW are desperately missing at the moment in the narrative.
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Eating my words on Cody so far! He's been really good in WWE: being without that whole faction element makes a world of difference for him, and his stuff with Rollins has been great in the ring. Maybe he just needed a strong editor after all.
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Removing tag titles works in the context that they have enormous amounts of factions, and a trios title is more befitting a faction than tag titles are. That said, the tag titles have had eminence there, although they do have a ton of titles (including alternative tag titles). The scenario that doesn’t seem to work is tag and trios title - difficult to see where the hierarchy in belts is, and there should always be some sort of definable hierarchy.
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Thought that Ferguson pic above was a photoshop but apparently it’s real. What the fuck? Retire now
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Klopp should have rested both full backs then LFC may have won. Tottenham aren't a spectacular football team, but you can't give Son & Kulu opportunity to run against tired legs. TAA looked like he could barely stand come final whistle.
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Canelo looked tiny out there next to Bivol. Victim of his own ambitions. I thought he'd win on the basis that he wouldn't take a fight he'd lose at this stage but, boy, when the bell went he looked completely out of his element. Full respect to Canelo for even being in that division.
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2 hours ago, tbarrie said:
They existed off and on for decade or two. '91 was their last gasp, yes.
And I agree they were never a big deal in either of the big two; I was just pointing out that it wasn't accurate to say they had "never even flirted" with them.
Yeah should have clarified as “major” being in commercial heyday.
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25 minutes ago, tbarrie said:
Whom are you considering the historic major North American promotions? JCP/WCW had six-man titles.
WCW had it for, what, about a year in the backwater early 90s? That’s kind of my point.
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Unless trios titles are defended super-sparingly like the FTW title, that novelty will wear thin extremely quickly. Also detrimental to the tag titles. While innovation is good, there’s a reason why neither of the historic major North America promotions ever even flirted with trios titles.
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Watching that Hangman promo back wouldn’t be opposed to him going broken-Hangman WMX7. Pissed off at being overlooked and having finally tasted success, absolutely desperate to keep at any cost. They need a little more moodyness on the show & push back to what his promo turned “masturbatory tributes”.
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24 minutes ago, StuntmanCrowley said:
My personal opinion is one of that if they take the belt off of Hangman and put it onto Punk, it will be the first time I genuinely disliked an AEW booking decision. I'm not sure if im in the minority, but while Punk being back has been great, i feel like it's just the same thing over and over. I enjoy the matches, everything he's in, but it really has stopped "moving the needle for me" at all.
For an at-times chaotic TV show, everything narrative wise takes too long to play out. It’s like a bizarro ADHD world at times that varies from intense hyperfocus to events taking absolutely forever to materialise (see: J Hart). Punk’s been a victim of this too as they’ve had him stuck with that cheesy “aren’t I a lucky guy to be back!” schtick variously for too long. But the great stuff with Kingston showed his depth, and there are a lot of ways to go with Punk as champ. He without doubt will have a big enough ego to impress his own decisions upon them too & not get caught in the same trap as champ.
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Danhausens fun. I get more confused when Santana & Ortiz are running around dressed like mimes than Danhausen. He’s in the Tajiri or Santino vein. Could probably do with some exposition but hey, he’s just a performance artist.
RE Page: Page is great. Which is why it’s extra amusing to read people fall over themselves to try and justify a couple of bouts with mid card Dante + Archer spared from his usual hangout on Dark or wherever he is, a vacuous “feud” with Adam Cole and some multi man’s with the job squad in 5 months as good booking. It’s all been enormously down hill since the Danielson stuff, and that was like the first couple of weeks of his reign. 15 months to get him to some unremarkable episodes with a bunch of mid carders. Yeah, They’ve done him dirty no doubt; there were tons of interesting ways to go.
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11 minutes ago, Dog said:
That everyone isn't seeing this argument as pure insanity baffles me. Hangman is IMMENSELY over with the live crowds, to the point that the disappointment with his heel promo was audible.
Alvarez said something smart (I know, I know) about this. When Bret and Hennig had to fight at King of the Ring, and they were both babyfaces, they found a reason for Curt to work heel that night, and then everyone reset and moved on. Punk worked heel against Kingston and came back, now Page is working heel against Punk. If the argument is that Punk should be taking the heel role again, instead, I probably agree. If the argument is that Page will remain heel in the aftermath -- dare I invoke the terrible words -- let's wait and see. I think and hope he'll come back to us.
Whether it’s insanity or not hinges on whether he drops the belt. If he drops the belt after bouts against Lance Archer, Adam Cole, Dante Martin and a couple of multi man tags in 5 months I graciously invite the assessments that it was not a mega failure of booking for the poor fellow. If he wins and becomes a valued narrative stalwart I bow deeply.
MAY 2022 Pro Wrestling Discussion
in The PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING
Posted · Edited by A_K
Henry/Punk can have their own Main Event on who can ascend to biggest hypocrite status. From Henry's comments on bullying-culture & the weakness of talent to report what is tantamount to assault to management, through to Punk's own historic comments which Miro aptly and simply replied to .. yeah, these guys have got some gall weighing in here on 'respect' or 'solidarity'.