Gordlow
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Posts posted by Gordlow
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Man. This sounds so great. All of the stuff I love about AEW and none of the current stuff that rubs me, personally, the wrong way. I literally do not have sufficient free time to watch all of Dynamite, Rampage, Dark, Elevation, the big important New Japan shows, big important "other Japan" shows, random old matches on YouTube, and the insane stuff that shows up on my YouTube feed every week. Making room for ROH would REQUIRE cancelling time for something else +wrestling, books, video games, exercise?) The main reason I am sticking to Dynamite and Rampage as my appointment viewing is the enjoyable live chat with an international group of wrestling nerds that I enjoy during Dynamite, and the discussion here in the AEW thread.
Maybe if more people get into watching the new ROH and there's more discussion of it here, I will have to consider spending my 1000 yen a month and 4 hours a week on ROH rather than AEW.
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So, I'm over here completely BAFFLED by the near-universal love that Orange vs Jarrett is receiving on these boards.
Possibly, my dislike of all things Jarrett is just irrational. If so - even if not - it's probably useful in the sense that it gives me greater empathy for people who have seemingly-irrational hatred for (lets say) The Bucks, Kenny, and/or Adam Cole, regardless of what those wrestlers actually do or say in a given week.
Jarrett taking the fewest possible bumps, doing his little strut, having a half-dozen run-ins every match, saying "Slap nuts" like it's a clever insult... None of that appeals to me. quite the opposite. I have zero nostalgia for that shit.
But I don't think that's my issue.
What brought it into focus for me was Nicole Matthews being used to troll the crowd before Taya showed up.
I, personally, would prefer the version of AEW that doesn't treat a very good but relatively unknown pro wrestler like Nicole Matthews as a joke. I think a huge part of the reason that I loved AEW deeply, madly, unconditionally for the first three years or so was that they were constantly bringing in so many really good but relatively unknown professional wrestlers and allowing them the space to get over (or to fall flat) on their own merits on (inter)national TV. Exposing new talent to a wide audience and largely letting the crowd decide who would get a rocket strapped to them.
Occasionally bringing in someone like Miro or FTR or Ruby who maybe wasn't booked to their best advantage elsewhere and giving them a chance to shine (or not) in a new environment was also fun and interesting, and having wrestlers like Arn in a mentor role seemed a good way to scratch people's nostalgia itch without overshadowing the young wrestlers on the rise, but to me it was watching new-to-me wrestlers being given the chance to get themselves over that was the real magic.
So I think what I resent about Jarrett and Saraya in particular is that they are wrestlers who had their run at the top being brought in not as mentors, not to get a fair chance to shine that they hadn't received elsewhere... But to be treated as bigger stars than the wrestlers I had grown to love, to take up loads of TV time that I personally would prefer be given to, say, Abadon or Sonny Kiss, or Angelico, or Yuka Sakazaki... And to give a polished, professional vibe to a show that I would vastly prefer remain weirdand rough around the edges.
I am not necessarily saying that actually bringing in and pushing Nicole would be better than bringing in and pushing Taya... I am saying that, for me personally, it would be a LOT more interesting.
(Nothing against Taya. She surely belongs in the "deserves a chance to shine" group).
I am also, please note, not DEMANDING change or forecasting doom for AEW because they are no longer pandering directly to my specific tastes. Even though this week's Dynamite devoted plenty of time to Jarrett and Saraya, I still watched and enjoyed it.
On one hand, I see zero evidence that the new reliance on "established stars" is cranking up ratings or selling more tickets than the previous model of building around unique indie wrestlers and random Japanese guests...
On the other hand, obviously lots of people here are pretty happy with the current direction.
So I guess I'm just sorting out my own current dissatisfaction in my head by musing about it online. Navel gazing, as it were.
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4 minutes ago, Belgian_Waffle said:
So much talent in this company and they're making tv time for two of the only people who seem to get genuine go-away heat.
Jeff Jarrett and Saraya?
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Turns out it's... Taya. Quite a twist, eh? Bet you didn't see that one coming!
To be honest, the way they used Nicole Matthews to Willy Wonka the crowd was my favourite thing in the show today. I also appreciated Orange wearing his Canadian tuxedo just for Winnipeg.
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Every time I see this ad on the train, I think of Kazarian and smile.
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17 hours ago, LF2 said:
... women are going to bleed buckets.
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4 hours ago, Matt D said:
Man, I’m pretty tired. No, no, more wrestling. Always a good thing.
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I met my friend Ji-sama, who is my friend because we're both (Asian) Kuuga's friends, in Osaka for drinks (and also food) and she took me to possibly the MOST hole-in-the-wall prowrestling bar in Japan. The sign "advertising" the bar is one of the funnier things I have ever seen. CLEARLY it's the kind of place where the only people who go there are regulars. I would be ASTONISHED to learn that I was not the first gaijin to ever visit the place. But everyone was EXTREMELY welcoming. They all yelled out "Ji-sama!" when we came in, like she was Norm going up to the bar in Cheers. And every person in the bar was a major pro wrestling maniac. It's run by the somewhat unlikely "couple" of almost-my-age Bull Power Takuya (whom I first met at a Kuinshinbou Kamen Produced show in April of 2011) and 19 y.o. cute-as-a-button indie joshi wrestler Miyu. The walls are covered with indie wrestling posters, there is a rack of wrestling magazines and programs to leaf through, everyone brings snacks to share, and Takuya mixed my whiskey sodas hilariously STRONG. We had such a nice relaxing time hanging out there that I almost missed the last train home. What a privilege to be invited, and welcomed, into a self-contained little world like that!
(Ji-Sama, it's the sign on the right, of course it was DVDs of indie wrestling playing on the TV but also sometimes baseball for whatever reason, a SECRET BASE poster! The guy in the purple shirt helps set up the ring, Miyu and Bull,I also met Emi Sakura at that show in April 2011)!
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I honestly would have preferred a straight-up hoss fight between Hobbs and Wardlow. Just Big Meaty Men Slapping Meat. With a relatively clean finish. The bells and whistles really detracted from the main event, for me personally.
There are still a lot of really good and great and fun and entertaining wrestlers getting to wrestle long matches so I am still a fan, but I am nostalgic for the days when the wrestlers were booking their own programmes and doing all kinds of weird indie shit. I dig the current WWE-lite style booking and storytelling and bells-and-whistles heavy style with plenty of fuck finishes WAY less. They are catering more and more to a very specific " Attitude Era " and ECW type of nostalgia that doesn't really hit with me, personally. But it does seem like plenty of folks here are happier with this "Burger King" version of AEW, so I'll try not to constantly piss on that particular parade moving forward.
And I already miss making "All Atlantic" jokes!
On the plus side, it was like they booked this show specifically to allow me to make the MAXIMUM number of terrible dad jokes. o
For example: I was joking that Toni Storm should marry Ricky Starks and then exclusively wrestle in iron man matches (because she'd be "Toni Starks") and then JUICE ROBINSON came out to attack Starks after his match and I got to yell, "Dude! I was just kidding!"
Also: Absolut and Juice is a natural match-up.
I also think Skye Blue should marry AR Fox. Or Scorpio Sky.
LOVED the crowd reactions for FTR and the Takeshita vs Vance announcement.
Lufisto, maybe? That would be cool.
i wonder who Don was thinking of as the BEST wrestler from Winnipeg? Roddy Piper? Chi Chi Cruz? Moose Morowski?
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It's the 6th here in Japan, so allow me to be the first(of many) to wish a very happy birthday to an all-around jam-up guy and everybody's friend: Paul E. "The Natural" Clay! Wishing you nothing but the best! Devote this year to getting into the healthiest condition of your life, buddy! We are all pulling for you.
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On 3/1/2023 at 2:05 PM, The Natural said:
Last week I stepped into the gym for the first time in 15 years. I joined a year long scheme in January of this year which gives people with long term mental/physical conditions reduced gym/swimming/exercise classes like Yoga/Pilates which I've fancied trying before. I was hoping to have my induction at the place 15 minutes away from where I live but I've to go further away - two buses there and back. I'm still not happy about that and I wasn't going to because travel is quite difficult with my Cerebral Palsy even before I get there/after I finish. The instructor who did my induction agreed with me that I shouldn't have to as I haven't had this health issue in over a decade which means I've got to go there to be monitored. In a couple of weeks I have a further induction there on different equipment. Right now it's cardio machines only which was my favourite thing to do when I went to the gym in 2003-2008. The machines are mainly the same, biggest difference is touchscreen TV/screens connected to the internet embedded into them. My trainer there has given me: 5 minutes bike warmup, 5 minutes treadmill, 5 minutes hand bike, 5 minutes on a different bike, 5 minutes hand bike, 5 minutes rowing machine and 3 minutes (Did I hear someone say...three minutes?!) on the first bike to cool down.
I think after the year is up, you can still get it at a reduced rate or a little more than the first year. Need to check. I went to the gym yesterday afternoon. Glad I did as I was in two minds whether to. I do ache the day after. My neurologist said my body works four times harder doing the same task as somebody who doesn't. That shocked me. I need to lose weight, this is the most unfit I've been in a long time through deterioration in the CP as I'm older, Depression kicking my ass, bad food choices and weight gain through antidepressants. I went really low, Christian Bale in The Machinist (2004). Need the right balance.
Thanks for reading.
Good on ya, mate! Keep it up. Stick to it. Seriously, consistent,persistent effort is the absolute key. Going to the closer gym is definitely the right call. The best exercise is, always, the exercise that you actually do.
As a friend, please let me suggest that you also pay attention to what you eat. For most people, it is impossible to out-exercise a bad diet. Do the cardio for better health (heart and lungs) and the machines for muscle and strength. Diet for fat loss.
I personally ballooned way up in weight while training hard 3 or 4 times a week. I had to start counting calories to get my weight under control. Fat Secret or Fitness Pal, for example, are free and easy to use. Makes a HUGE difference to actually keep track of what you eat, in my experience.
Don't hesitate to ask for advice about diet or training! I am sure everyone here is pulling for you to succeed.
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I can understand if I am alone in feeling this way, but this show was WAY more what I want out of AEW than what Revolution seems like it's going to be.
An all-action Go! Go! Go! extravaganza. A straight up really good Joshi match. A complete squash. A train wreck main event with a big green tattooed football guy looking kinda lost in there and three pretty great wrestlers working around him. JR going FULL JR (Do you think he maybe actually had difficulty distinguishing between Riho and Emi)?
I am not being facetious in any way. That was full on weird/indie/Japanese/amusing/enjoyable pro wrestling, warts and all.
Loved it!
ROH sounds like literally TOO MUCH good wrestling.
Too much good wrestling to watch it all is my favourite problem to have!
Enjoy the PPV!
That crazy hour was my fix for this week. It totally hit the spot.
Oh! And I am happy that Fenix and Mark Briscoe now both more or less have a match on the PPV. I might even get to watch that one before I have to head out to work.
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Oh hell yeah! Top Flight vs Dark Order vs BCC vs Aussie Open! RIHO VS EMI! And, according to the FITE app, Swerve & Boudreaux vs KEITH LEE & DUSTIN! OH BABY! That is more up my personal alley (phrasing) than most of the matches on the PPV!
LET'S GO!
Perfect card for me, after the rough week or so I have just gone through. (Everything is pretty good now, and trending better).
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12 hours ago, Matt D said:
Double posting, but I want to write up my thoughts on the card. I'll warn you. It's pretty bleak overall. I think with almost every one of these matches, there's something I would have rather done or seen differently.
Danielson vs MJF: Given how my life is set up, I almost never see these things live. With this match, it's almost a blessing. Who wants to watch an hour long match in 2023? The story here is the purity and love of pro wrestling vs selling out and cashing in. At some point, every MJF story is about his own shallowness and hypocrisy. The story behind the story is how they're going to fill the time, but we've seen Danielson fill time in AEW. We know that MJF can go. I hope that he leans into the 80s heel shtick he's been doing in ring as much as possible here, but the simple fact of the matter is that to fill an hour. he's going to have to lean into that and a whole lot more. I would have much rather seen this at 45 minutes or especially 30. You could still get the same idea across but it wouldn't be such a foreboding chore to imagine watching.
Page vs Mox: Mox is pretty much the ideal Page opponent because he has to take it to him and brawl and not just hit his early match death valley driver or whatever other bullshit he does as part of his typical match structure. That said, we've seen it three times. Again, I get the story. Mox knocked him out and then in their rubber match, rolled him up. Now Page needs to prove he's a man by knocking Mox out so he can't answer the call. That's the only way to win. I just don't really care. The gimmick is going to slow things down when we've seen them go at one another for three matches already. Ultimately, I think I would have liked to see a different gimmick, maybe a bullrope, maybe retaking the idea of a cage, most especially an I Quit match. We've seen them try to knock each other out. Let's see something else?
Joe vs Wardlow: I don't want to see Joe lose the title. I don't want to see Wardlow win the title. I don't want to see this match.
Elite vs House of Black: I think this is one of the most interesting matches on the card, and that's coming from me who usually skips the Elite trios matches. House of Black can act as bases and add some real contrast to the Elite's act. There will be clearer face/heel lines than usual (hypothetically) and the Elite should be able to draw sympathy. That said, House of Black is capable of doing a lot of stuff despite their size and presence and I hope the match doesn't devolve to that immediately. They can build to it with real heat on the Elite and then pay off the fireworks in an amazing 5 minute finishing stretch. So this could be really good or it could be the usual bullshit.
Gunns vs Acclaimed vs Triple J vs Best Friends*: Probably the match I'm looking forward to seeing the most, but it'll be a lot of bodies and a lot of masters to serve. Putting OC and Danhausen in there is clever and ties up a bunch of stories over the last few months. I'll be honest though. I would have much rather seen a Gunns vs Acclaimed: Titles vs Custody of Billy Gunn straight tag and OC defending the All-Atlantic Title against Jarrett in a singles. Tag matches this big are kind of a mess even when you have guys good at directing traffic in there. I'd be interested in seeing the Acclaimed interact with OC and Danhausen though.
Hayter vs Saraya vs Ruby: What an absolute disaster.
Jericho vs Starks: No one wants to see this! At least it makes no sense for Andretti to interfere after the JAS took him out last night. Maybe Paul Wight does? Who knows? In an ideal world, Starks wins decisively in the middle of the ring and everyone moves on.
Christian vs Jungle Boy: Speaking of moving on, these guys need to move on! Christian is the most useful heel in the company and only has so much of a shelf life. They need to get usage out of him. I've always preferred him as a babyface though. His offense leans more into it and the best part of Christian is how he can work his stuff in creatively from week to week. Granted, the second best part of him in 2023 is that he's one of the only guys who can get heat, but the streetfight stip here makes me think that we're going to get a bunch of weapon shots and complicated set ups on bumps or whatever and that doesn't really play to Christian's strengths.
Ultimately, there are a few things I'm looking forward to seeing on the card, like more Jarrett/OC interaction, but no actual matches.That said, I'm very positive on both the ROH taping and the upcoming ROH PPV. Like I said before, given the talent and Tony's penchant to book good matches, if you don't like AEW, just wait a few weeks. But I'm not liking this PPV at all on paper.
I am absolutely not looking for a sympathy pop, but I had to rush over to Canada to deal with a family emergency and I haven't had time to watch, read about, or discuss much AEW or any pro wrestling for a week or so. I am back in Japan now but very busy as a result of having to rush off. I might have time to watch, and discuss, Rampage tomorrow morning (J-time), but I'll be working Monday AM (can't afford to cancel any more lessons) and will not be able to watch the Revolution as it is being televised. (That's a Gil Scott-Heron reference. I am sure a lot of you got that). I
I looked at the PPV card on the airplane coming home. The flight from Tokyo to Osaka had free WiFi.
It bummed me out.
As we stand now, Eddie Kingston ain't got no match on the PPV. Takeshita ain't got no match on the PPV. Claudio ain't got no match on the PPV. Wheeler ain't got no match on the PPV. Garcia ain't got no match on the PPV. Ortiz ain't got no match on the PPV. Top Flight ain't got no match on the PPV. Darby ain't got no match on the PPV. Rush ain't got no match on the PPV. Fenix ain't got no match on the PPV. Bandido ain't got no match on the PPV. FTR ain't got no match on the PPV. HOOK ain't got no match on the PPV. Keith Lee ain't got no match on the PPV. Sonny Kiss ain't got no match on the PPV. Lance Archer ain't got no match on the PPV. Of course JD and Boulder and Toa and Nicky Boy and Pretty Peter and Fuego and Dustin and Hungie ain't got no match on the PPV.
MJF is headlining the PPV.
Jeff Jarrett has a major role in a title match on the PPV.
Athena ain't got no match on the PPV. Toni Storm ain't got no match on the PPV. Willow ain't got no match on the PPV. Emi ain't got no match on the PPV. Shida ain't got no match on the PPV. Riho ain't got no match on the PPV. The Magical Girl ain't got no match on the PPV. Deeb ain't got no match on the PPV. Of course Kiera and Abadon and Mercedes ain't got no match on the PPV.
Saraya has a major role in a title match on the PPV.
I GET IT! I did a whole fantasy booking thing to help me understand that it's not really feasible to book all my favourites on every PPV.
And maybe they'll squeeze some of the people I really wanna see onto the buy-in or something.
And maybe some of those people are "more ROH than AEW now" or something. Possibly some of them are injured or busy or whatever. FTR are a whole other thing right now...
But Jarrett and Saraya getting clear priority over all of them just kind of confirms my worries about the direction that MY SECOND FAVOURITE PRO WRESTLING PROMOTION IN THE ENTIRE WORLD (After Osaka Pro) is heading in.
And I don't wanna complain about a one-hour American Dragon match.
BUT
There are SO MANY wrestlers on the roster I would MUCH rather see him fight for an hour. So many.
Still: Bryan has a match on the PPV. An hour-long match! Orange Cassidy has a match on the PPV. Potentially an Osaka/Chikara Pro type comedy match! Mox has a match on the PPV. Hanger has a match on the PPV. Joe has a match on the PPV. Wardlow has a match on the PPV. Hayter has a match on the PPV. Jungle Boy has a match on the PPV. And so on. So it's not like there's NO reason to watch. It's not like there won't be a ton of fun-to-great in-ring action tomorrow.
But I think I'm just gonna skip this one, and not just because of everything else going on in my life at the moment.
if Bryan actually WINS the title, I'll probably regret that decision. Otherwise I imagine I'll be fine with it.
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Gorilla Press Slam
Overhead Press Slam
Reverse Press Slam
Double Press Slam
Lariat
One-handed Press Slam
Warrior Press
Shoot-style Gordlow:
Guillotine
Open-handed slap
Roundhouse kick
Double wrist lock
Leg lock
Omoplata
Wishbone
Japanese-influenced Gordlow:
Gamngiri
Octopus hold
Rolling Elbow
Dragon suplex
Lariat
Overhead chop
Wheelbarrow suplex
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I disagreed with JR when he said it was "ironic" that all 6 guys in the match are basketball fans,but - ironically - I agreed with Ex when he said "Nakazawa played football... Ironically" after JR disrespected Nakazawa. Jericho's Stryper shout-out made me lol, too. Orange vs Wheeler should be great. Jericho got a second lol outa me with "undertaking" because I understood that reference .
I like matches based around bodypart selling! I am maybe getting jaded by all those short Cargill squashes. Swerve vs Dustin gets the main event slot! Is Keith Lee coming back to make the save and the full face turn? More chain wrestling! Cinder block! Lee is DEFINITELY coming back! Hooray! Looking like a 400-pound Captain Holt. I love it!
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Dang. Hats off to Jarrett for going out there and working a fun match today. I didn't take a bathroom break this time. Dude gets a day off from me... But not from Caster! If I ever have to fight Mox I'm definitely gonna request a first blood match. It was refreshing to see so much classic chain wrestling in that tag match. (I hope I'm the first one to make that joke). Was that Jungle Boy's second best Cage match in AEW? Looks like he is gonna have another one soon. I was more stoked for Dark than for Dynamite this week (TAKESHITA vs BRONSON!!) but this show was an absolute blast. Uno's suit might have been THE highlight. Just fun match after fun match capped off by a VERY fun main event with CREATIVE use of the spray paint. I LOVE that the story is that we don't know where Ruby will end up. Like, as if her destination is yet to be determined.
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RIP Eric Froelich. He was probably the first technical/European-style wrestler I ever saw, at the Vancouver All Star showsxtaped at BCTV studios when I was a little kid. By all accounts he was a guy with legit skills and an even better person than he was a wrestler
. https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2023/02/11/eric-froelich-dead-at-85/
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Hey do you think Wheeler's emerald green and white/silver gear is meant as a tip of the hat to someone or something from pro wrestling's past? Like how Eddie Kingston's black and yellow gear is a nod to Toshiaki Kawada? I think It might be. Not sure who, though. Ooooo. Darby & Ortiz vs Mad King & ? YEAH! LET'S GO! I think the Impractical Jokers were actually talking about Jericho's penis. You might have missed that because it was so subt!e and clever. Swerve vs Dustin should be great. I think if I HAD TO choose one, I'd rather watch Dana White Presents Slapfighting over Impractical Jokers. Fortunately, I do not have to watch either. I CHOOSE PRO WRESTLING! I enjoyed Ruby's confused/conflicted facial expressions. Josh Woods vs Mark Briscoe should be great. "Swoleverine" is pretty funny, in my opinion. But so is "Gordlow" in my opinion. So, my opinion about what's funny might not count for much. Speaking of: "I ate his ass..." - Hangman Page. Nice pop for The AEW All Atlantic Champion. VERY fun main event with a couple of ROUGH-looking bumps. As always, hats off to Satnam's tailor.
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Dynamite keeps dishing out PPV-level bouts while Rampage goes kinda indie and weird and unpredictable and I am LOVING IT!!
Mox, Claudio, and Wheeler vs Butcher,Blade, & Kip! Sure! Why not! Mox and Butcher gonna LAY IT IN on one another for sure.
Marina vs Ruby! Should be violent!
Orangey Boy defends the All Atlantic Championship Title Belt against Tiga Style! Yes! This is the kind of match that I personally watch AEW for. This, Emi vs Hayter, Eddie Kingston vs QT Marshall... Just two folks who are very very good at pro wrestling going out there and having some fun beating each other up. Nothing better, in my way of looking at things.
Reportedly also: Jungle Boy vs Hollywood Hunk! Random enough matchup for me. Can Perry pull a fun match outa Nemeth? Probably!
JAS come out to confront The Impractical Jokers w/r/t the rightful ownership of Floyd The Bat in a segment I simply cannot imagine anyone I know giving half a runny shit about but who knows maybe it will be entertaining.
We'll hear from Mark Briscoe! That is a positive development! Will he announce a new tag team partner? Will it be the start of the tastefully executed non-"I did it for Eddie" style Mark Briscoe face run I wished for on Dean's thread? Will Terry Funk be name-dropped? I'm actually stoked for a "We'll hear from" segment!
About 24.5 hours to go! I like having stuff to look forward to every week.
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Dragon and Hanger, obviously. Strap either of them up at any time and nobody is going to complain. No reasonable person, anyway.
You could pretty easily heat Wardlow or Mad King up again. People want to cheer for them.
I cannot think of ANYBODY I'd rather they bring in or push right now over seeing Bryan or Kingston on top.
With a bit more build:
You could turn Fenix full good guy, give him a mouthpiece.
Keith Lee, when he returns, could EASILY be made into a top guy.
Speaking of which: Either Dax or Cash would work for me, though I wouldn't want to break up the team. They can both go, they can both talk, and they are both naturally likable.
Darby, Orange, Starks ,Jungle Boy, Claudio...
Garcia after he turns on Sammy.
Bowens single run with Caster by his side, rapping him to the ring?
My current top choice: Imagine the potential of a tastefully-handled Mark Bricoe face singles run.
They've got a TON of options.
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Don't have time for a full write-up, but:
I LOVE that Dragon and Takeshita are friends.
Last week, DEAN's poll was a near-impossible choice between Joe vs Darby, Mox vs Hanger, and Bryan vs Thatcher. This week we need to try and choose between Dragon vs Roosh and Takeshita vs MJF! I am in favour of Dynamite just WRECKING the poll every week.
In my opinion: MJF as a wrestler > MJF as a promo guy > MJF on commentary. YMMV, obviously.
There is TOO MUCH great wrestling, and I am LOVING IT!
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Dang! Almost everything that has been announced so far for this week's Dynamite feels like a showcase for that unique way AEW has of mixing ridiculous horseshit with truly excellent professional wrestling. And doing so in a variety of ways.
Kenny and the Bucks are the all time masters and innovators when it comes to mixing ridiculous horseshit with truly excellent professional wrestling! And AEW stands for All ELITE Wrestling. So maybe THAT is the house style. Top Flight & AR Fox are IDEAL dance partners who can match Kenny, Matt, and Nick's creativity and athleticism. This match should be NUTS.
Jamie Hayter is the hardest-hitting wrestler in AEW. Maybe third or fourth in the world (the competition being: MiSu, Ishii, WALTER in my opinion) The Bunny is GREAT but she's often primarily shtick in the ring. Will Hayter drag out Bunny's violent side? (We know it's there. She probably will) BUT: It's an Eliminator Match. We cannot completely dismiss the possibility that Bunny will steal a horseshit win so we can get a second (much more violent) match between the two! It's possible!
The Acclaimed (C) vs The Gunns for the AEW World Tag Team Championship is LIKELY to lean more toward the horseshit side of things, for storytelling reasons, and the storytelling has been good enough that the outcome is actually in doubt! Plus, these guys can go, they keep improving, and they have developed great chemistry.
MJF brings the old school heel horseshit and Konosuke Takeshita brings the athletic, hard-hitting wrestling to their AEW World Championship Eliminator Match. I hope either Soup or Bun Bun wins their Eliminator! I wouldn't mind a repeat of either match.
The Garcia-Guevara Gauntlet is ABSOLUTELY gonna be showcase-level horseshit/wrestling mixture! With the first stage mostly the former and the second stage mostly (entirely?) the latter, I am assuming.
Rush and Bryan Danielson bring the professional wrestling. TRENCH and Boudreaux bring the horseshit!
It's gonna be TOO MUCH FUN!
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AEW Navel-Gazing Thread Number Two
in ALL ELITE WRESTLING
Posted
Great question.
And: No. Not really.
I like to navel-gaze about Lawler because to me he's like Springsteen or Dylan in that the talent is OBVIOUS, I get why people really dig them (both fans and critics) I know people who are wildly passionate about them, count then among their absolute favourites, but I personally have never been able to get into Jerry Lawler, Bruce Springsteen, or Bob Dylan at all. Just not to my personal taste.
I like to navel-gaze about the matter of personal taste. It's mostly inexplicable. The best explanation I ever heard, and one which I paraphrase often: maybe when you were a little little kid you were running to get a hotdog and you fell and skinned your knee (which, because you were really little, was kind of traumatic). Now, as an adult, you cannot understand why anyone would want a hotdog. They are greasy! And loaded with nitrates! But really the reason you hate them is subconscious association with a childhood trauma.
So I enjoy engaging in arguments about personal taste, and feel there is real value in such discussion as long as we steer clear of tribalism (e.g. as brain exercise, as a way of expanding and refining our opinions...)
But it's mostly bullshit. Particularly so when people treat matters of personal taste as unassailable fact.