HarryArchieGus

Saturday Morning Superstars of Rampage! Bucks/Perry v Shibata/Party was pretty strong. The heelside were poetry in motion. Color me curious what Jack v Shibata might look like. I like the Jacksons determination to make the Privates players, but this is a hard sell. Throwing Stoke into the mix is interesting. The Stat promo indicates a babyface turn, and that is greatly disappointing. Born Again Kristin is a pretty awesome nickname tho. I liked the new finisher for Kamille. I did not like how the Anna Jay promo went a lil shoot-y with terms, but I loved the flow of an all Women's Division show between the quarter hours. The Queen v Harley match was a lot more fun than the ice cold Pittsburgh crowd would have the home viewer believe. I thought both worked hard and told a nice little story. More hilarity from Harley's promo pre-match. The OC/OR v Bill/Keith bout was house show silly to begin, but rebounded in the latter half. Trying to recall the match, all I got is the Big Bill bossman slam. Jericho was good on commentary. I liked the middle portion Women's Division focus. Fair Rampage.

I love seeing AEW add that Overhead shot to the camera selections this week. Said camera needed to be color corrected, but regardless it's a great additional view, and a nice prospect that they're putting some of this WBD money where its most needed.

I loved this show. The Ospreay v Ricochet opener was outstanding. As I've said, my first viewing of Ricochet was 2019 NXT, and I've enjoyed watching him since starting back with HHHversionWWETV. I thought both guys looked smooth as silk. I bought the competitiveness and thought they fought each other plenty hard enough to buy any flights of fancy. My thoughts on the finish have been expressed already. I hate first fall 3 ways, especially for title matches, but I kinda like this story. I presume Takeshita wins this and v Okada becomes a feud for the Inter-Continental Title. Or that's what I hope. TV Time with Briscoe was a solid piece of business. I kinda think Mark will get a good match out of Jericho. Oh man, that Darby Allin promo was excellent. Darby has come a long way with his mic work. Hanger v Juice was an excellent TV match. Juice has found himself a good position. The post match Jay White return was excellent. Greasy Jay White as a babyface seems to work, but does feel absurd. I loved Deeb v Baker. I thought both worked hard and provided a nice solid 'Wrestling' match. Aminata's run-in would have been better served more organically without music. Schiavone goofing on Nigel for the 'Thank You' was terribly funny. The Hook promo was very good. He draws some laughs for the melodrama, but it feels like he's figuring some things out. The Mariah May-Willow confrontation was excellent. As was Mariah during the Deeb-Baker match tho we should have seen her more (or had her hilarity on commentary). She's the true excellence of execution. Willow pairing off with Mariah for the top prize is exactly where I want this division to be. Stan Hansen says 'Youth!!!!' Private Party squash was pretty weak. Cassidy did fine with the mic. The Bucks heeling was tremendous. Please, like Brandi's nightmare collective before him, end this embarrassing Chris Daniels 'Interim EVP' run. Why on earth did they have Private Party play cannon fodder to the BCC to then move them into a tag title shot? All the while the Outrunners are on ROHTV. I find this creative strategy problematic. MVP promos were again excellent. I like Mone running with P. WIld hearing the massive pop for Shelton Benjamin. I hope they find him a Charlie Haas to tag with. I bet Moriarty would look great in a suit. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I kinda love this signing. Okada v Danielson was such a treat. I'm very much with @JLowe... I didn't love the backslide. For me this pin needed that little extra that Darby's or Yuta's pin finishes have. I did like the post match angle. The mic work was fine if a bit hammy, but they all played their parts well. I love heel Moggsley. 5! 5! 5!

I'm seeing enough of this sentiment to know it's valid, but this also presumes that the majority of viewers are comparative Ospreay v Ricochet shoppers. I think they've done a very good job introducing Ricochet. Break down the Guevara and Beast matches when you get a chance. I always find Ric to be an engaging hard worker with incredible footwork. I'm curious to see an example of what ppl were expecting? Is there a NJPW or PWG bout I could watch to then be able to see what a half speed scrub he's become? I thought exactly Shane McMahon. Part of me always welcomes big debuts and stories, but AEW doesn't have a great track record with BIG stories. I welcome the enthuisasm or interest Shane McMahon appearing might bring, but I'm really fucking wary. Like most here I imagine, was never much of a Shane-o-Mac fan. The worst of his runs I've only really ever read about, but they frighten me.

Absolutely. I totally agree on the finish. I did think the competitiveness was conveyed strong enough prior. Please do whatever you did here to get over your high flying hang-ups and write on these kind of matches more. The finish needed a bit better modern day double noggin knocker to be sure, but also Takeshita should have murdered them both either before the bell of the restart or right at the point of conclusion.

The Aminata save has gotten a bit blown out of purportion for the sake of comedy. They're telling a story, and Britt was pissed about the post-match not the Queen. I thought Britt worked very hard and the result was a really great and totally underrated match. Deeb has struggled lately too, but gelled well with the Doctor. I get the strikes criticism on Baker, but that's always been a weakness. Is there a psychological thing going on, or... is she miscast as a babyface? Britt was completely lost in the early days of Dynamite playing a face before finding her place as the heel DMD that everyone loved. Also, what would Swerve Strickland be without Nana, I think it's overlooked what Rebel/Reba brought to Britt's act. I assume the thinking is she's a babyface now as opposed to heel, but Britt should have always maintained her 'mean girl' edge. I thought the exchanges between Baker-Deeb, the mat work, and flow of action were all excellent. Maybe I'm missing something tho, I thought Mercedes v Britt from Wembley was criminally underappreciated. In the early days of this division when it was truly awful there was a demand for more TV time, now it's full of talented ladies having nice matches, but shit upon constantly. It is a real tall task to work in AEW after your name has been sullied by talk of an attitude problem. Whatever happened to get Baker suspended feels like it needs to be spoken about (or manipulated) in a promo to help clear the air.

Reading this comment makes me feel privileged to have seen so little of his pre-WWE run. I thought this match with Ospreay was excellent. I saw an Ospreay-Ricochet match from pre-WWE, and it was definitely faster, but also with the far more challenging logic. I'm sure there's something lost in those 7 years performing standard WWE style, but I also think he may have gained something in the psychology department. I thoroughly loved the pace and most everything about this Ospreay match - less so the restart finish. I also thought his previous matches with Guevara and Beast were nice 'building' showcases. The WWE to AEW jump does generally take a little time of adjustment, but I'd say he's ahead of many of those that tried before him.

Just reading over the ROH tapings, I'd love to know thinking behind the Outrunners continuing to work Honorclub over AEWTV?

I thought it was much more subtle than WWE.

So very true, and a good reason why it would benefit everyone to devote a modicum of time highlighting anything that needs to be reiterated on the 'A' show. Or giving somebody highlighted on those shows like Aminata some promo time with some weekend highlights leading in or as part of a package. Not unlike how they used all the Dynamite highlights throughout this episode. It's been a great 5 year run with plenty of room to improve - better narrative development, timing, promotion, production, etc. I'm not sure environmental ignorance is an age thing. The thoughtlessness is shared from teens to seniors. Along with a lot more exhaust fumes, I'd like to see a bit more consistency with Jack littering as he comes out of his (Very, very scary) bus. I'd also like to see him paired with a nutty mechanic sidekick who looks after the bus while Jack makes his bookings.

What a 5 year run! Heavily scrutinized at every turn, but I couldn't name a better (US) 5 year run in longer than I can remember. I am very grateful for the thrills and spills. And.... What an incredbile Double Main Event!

I would agree that Okada isn't winning the title, but I'm not so tied to the finish. I have a suspicion that Okada-Danielson 3 will be their best. I don't think it's a stretch to expect nothing short of magic. Further, a look at Okada's AEW reel would reveal a pretty outstanding set of highlights in and out of the ring. I do see the 'Another' sentiment tho. It can be accumulated as fast as: an inevitably forgettable (if perfectly fine for television) first fall 4 Way on the last 5 plus hour PPV, an excellent match with Claudio - maybe forgotten because of it's draw finish and the PPV days later, and lastly an underrated Grand Slam match against freezing cold Sammy regulated to Collision. I think Okada is also in a semi-TK holding pod awaiting an Omega return. The timing on the inevitable Takeshita match feels very slow, but it will be magical.

It's especially true of this company's forthcoming riches. I'm not of the opinion that AEW needs to do such an extreme shift in venue size to gain hotter crowds. Here in Toronto they ran the larger Scotiabank arena for a Collision (half full) and (near full) PPV. Before and after AEW booked the smaller Coca Cola Coliseum. Watch back any of those shows and you'll see a super hot crowd. The same can be said of a number of cities. Maybe it's not feasible, but it feels like they should be running in said hotter places more often. I'm pretty certain they could run two TVs a year in Toronto, and sell out Coca Cola. Feels like the same may also be true of some of there other hot spots. Recent legal matters involving TKO suggests that kind of Monopoly play is far less likely going forth.

Are they a thing of the past? Wasn't AEW running that size of building during the early days of Dynamite? I understand their value on 'Video'. It seems to be a wrestling-bubble thing. I suppose it works well enough for AEWTV, but (and sorta to your point) far less appealing for smaller companies like Impact, MLW, and countless Indies. For them it looks cheap, second rate, and a bit garish. Trons are overrated, simple entrance ways underrated.

They all go hand in hand. The big arenas for production theory is totally fair, and may be true. ECW forward, I've always been far more drawn to louder, more intimate venues - to which I believe AEW would benefit (especially now) from. I don't mean Universal Studios or free tickets for curious spectator settings. AEW's venture into E Sports Stadium felt similar to that. It was also a poor decision to fit the regular big screen stage set-up (which looked gaudy in the smaller environs), and to then hardcam towards it (like the often lifeless Impact Zone). The Arlington crowds weren't without their moments, but at other times they felt rushed in from waiting lines for sugary snacks and Rollercoasters. If Grand Slam had been held at the Hammerstein Ballroom (for example) rather than Arthur Ashe, I sense a lot more of the roster would've seemed over. I'm not quite sure, with logistics in mind, that the answer is to simply downsize the buildings and stay clear of poor markets (and more prominent in better markets), but I hope it's part of the company's conversation. Hot crowds are a lot more hit and miss in these half to 3/4 empty buildings. An engaged hot crowd is a greater production boon than going wide to show the size of a darkened building.