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Gordi the former AEW fan

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Posts posted by Gordi the former AEW fan

  1. giphy.gif

    Please no WWE or NXT.

    WWWF or interesting semi-obscure WWF is OK, though.

    If you want to make me happy gimme a wild brawl or something with a giant or an angry enormous person in it. Or a wild brawl featuring angry enormous giants.

    But, really, I'm up to review anything. Other than WWE or NXT. 

    I prefer interesting/unusual to "great."

    Unless you specifically demand only *****+ epics, expect BMMSM or BML or violent Joshi or something more than 50 years old and/or a relatively obscure Tenryu or Funk match from me. Or an indie match with a now-famous wrestler in it, maybe. I like all of those things! Feel free to give me something along those lines. Or whatever. If you find it interesting, maybe I will as well.

    (Edit: of course, if you'd prefer not to be given any of those things, particularly, just let me know. I'll try to find something else for you).

     

    Looking forward to participating, after sitting out last time.

     

    Edit: looking through previous editions of the Santo-verse, I found this, my request from winter 2022/23:

    NO "GREAT" MATCHES FOR ME, PLEASE! No ***** Meltzer/Keith-style epics that go long, have tons of (empty) flash and multiple finisher kick-outs. I have seen too much of that. I am here for interesting/weird matches. I love Kenny. I love Okada. I loved Kenny vs Okada at Dominion. I DO NOT WANNA WATCH THAT KIND OF MATCH HERE. I wanna watch Kenny vs Little Girl. Gimme weird. Gimme crazy. Gimme violent. Please don't gimme self-consciously epic and flashy. Also do not give me Sports Entertainment. No WWE. WWWF is fine, if it's weird and/or involves Andre. Also, unless you specifically ask, I won't be giving out great matches, but rather weird or interesting or nostalgic ones. 

     

    So my feelings haven't changed much in the last year. Also, I was given two WWWF Andre trios matches in the 2020/21 Holiday Santo and they were certainly fun enough but I almost edited that bit out because WWWF Andre trios matches definitely follow a formula, so I'd prefer to review something else this time. Maybe Andre in France or Japan? Or a non-obvious Hashimoto match?

    • Like 3
  2. 49 minutes ago, Casey said:

    Yeah just because I love Punk doesn’t negate my love for AEW. Obviously there are things I’m not too hyped for currently within the promotion, mainly the World champion, but the rise of Swerve and this tournament (even though the mere existence of points for a draw makes me think there’s gonna be more than a few) still has me excited. If Omega could get away from Jericho & Ibushi and just do top tier matches again I’d be stoked. I’ve been the board’s biggest Toni Storm in AEW fan since she debuted.

    I don’t know where this bizarre narrative came from that I’m “jumping ship”. Oh no, I’m watching Raw, that must mean I’m not an AEW fan anymore. Get the fuck outta here.

    I'm operating under the assumption that most people have limited free time and energy. 

    To me, being an AEW fan is a 4+ hour/week investment, WWE 5+ hours... Plus various YouTube shows, PPV/PLEs etc. 

    I have to make choices where to spend my time & energy during G1 season, for example. And I am ALWAYS burned out when it's over, even though I enjoy myself tremendously while it's going on.

    If you have time and energy to follow both companies closely, more power to you!

     

    Also, w/r/t QT leaving hitting me hard, the other reason is because he has a big role in working with and developing younger wrestlers. I LOVED watching Darby and Orange and Hobbs and Hayter and etc etc grow and develop and what hits me hard is that QT leaving feels like a VERY clear sign that the shift is away from home-growing fresh talent and hard into bringing in New Toys to play with. 

    Doesn't mean that Ospreay in AEW won't be amazing, or that I am suddenly not stoked for Saturday's matches. 

    Does mean that it's going to be WAY harder for the potential next Orange Cassidy or Willow Nightingale to break through. Because the FOCUS is elsewhere, now.

     

    Edit: To be clear, though, AEW remains my favourite American pro wrestling company, even if my hardcore fan  passion is gone. 

    Edit: Upside is it clears out some extra free time for me to train for the Chikara no Ishi Soja stone-lifting competition next summer, in Okayama!

    • Like 3
  3. 1 hour ago, Casey said:

    @TheVileOne was right. This really is the beginning of the end.

    It is for me! 

    This is the final straw w/r/t AEW moving hard away from being a great big loveable indie promotion and shifting full on into a granda-pandering nostalgia generator and Burger King second-tier mainstream corporate content generator.

    Good luck to them.

    Congratulations to everyone who complained whenever AEW did anything non-standard and quirky.

    Really. Good luck, and congrats!

    Obviously I am going to enjoy the rest of the tournament and continue to watch casually thereafter (and passionately during Forbidden Door Season)

    But as far as obsessively watching every week and commenting/discussing regularly? 

    Given that Edge and Paige and Jarrett and other nostalgia acts are in and QT and Sonny Kiss and The Librarians and other charming/quirky indie folk are out... Given that this is the direction... Given how AEW are treating their loyal fans w/r/t Fight Forever...

    In terms of being a passionate fan?

     

    giphy.gif

    Edit1: Also, Bull Nakano, shouldn't you just be a WWE guy now, anyway? I kind of feel bad for Andy from Kansas probably having to Join The Universe as well, with Cody AND Punk over there now. I get the sense, though, that you (Casey) will be just fine making the switch. I'll be just fine, too. There's plenty of indie wrestling in Osaka, much of it involving my friends. I'll miss the discussion with AEW. That was fun. But there's not much point in me continuing to discuss why AEW should stick with what made them hot in 2019-2021. That's not what they are any more. 

    Edit2: My LAST word on that specific topic, possibly: Shifting hard toward the WWE-esque mainstream sure doesn't seem to be helping ticket sales or viewer numbers in any significant way. I simply can't buy in to the "This is what they have to do if they want to grow" narrative. I really believe that AEW could have done every bit as well while continuing to be quirky and indie and different.

     

    (Edit3: Probably seems like an overreaction. Fair enough. But to me this is like Metallica headlining Lollapalooza and Perry Farrell leaving. Just a clear sign that a thing I loved and enjoyed is changing into something else. Nothing against Metallica. Or Edge. I would just prefer my fun weird thing to stay weird. My perspective is also, to be clear, WAY more "that was fun while it lasted" than "fuck them for changing.")

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  4. Just to be clear: The bald guy flexing for the camera during Lady Frost vs Julia Hat was NOT me. 

    I have a ton of thoughts and a zillion crappy dad jokes. For example: ALWAYS great to see Rocky! SO much *WRESTLING* on this show! (Hook, Shibata, Garcia, Wheerler...) And so many good big meaty men (Dutch, Brody King, Big Bill, Limitless...)

    The return of Malakai's perfect sing-a-long theme!!! Yes!!! GNARGNFRZT!!! BLARGENFRSAT!!!

    or

    Now we know what killed off the dinosaurs! It was CHAIRS!

    The Two Knee Storm! (From Buddy & Black, the new Killer Bs)

    etc etc etc

    BUT

    I am just SO HAPPY we got our Week One Upset. I was SURE Garcia was going to get it, because they were learning so hard into him being the underdog (and because Claudio is very giving) and when Garcia lost I felt like, "I guess we are just going chalk all the way. Oh well, at least we'll get a bunch of excellent fights." 

    But, of course, Mad King is also Bryan-level giving in the ring. And him having to claw back from being one down is PERFECT booking. And Brody King getting the first upset win is also perfect, because Brody King is awesome.

     

    Way to go, AEW! Way to respect tradition. It's like Ned Stark getting killed at the end of season one. Now we KNOW anyone can go down for three at any time.

     

    Oh boy am I ever STOKED now!!!!!

     

    BRYAN vs KINGSTON!!! SWERVE vs SWITCHBLADE!!! CLAUDIO vs BRODY KING!!!! CHICKEN vs ROOOOOSH!!!!!

    F'n BRYAN DANIELSON vs EDDIE KINGSTON!!! And Kingston almost HAS TO win to stay in contention!!!         

     .                                                        giphy.gif

    Edit: Speaking of freaking out:

    I just checked and there isn't one single match from today's three-hour show or Thanksgiving Dynamite that we can play on Fight Forever using the in-game roster!

    We can, however, do:

    Spoiler

    CM Punk vs Cody 😀

    And at least Orange vs Mox and Jericho & Kenny vs The Young Bucks are possible!

    • Like 3
  5. 3-hour Rampllision again today!

    Far as I know, only Wheeler Yuta vs Shibata Pure Title Match has been announced for Rampage (going on first, in an hour).

    That's enough for me! Two guys on my "Dream 12" who didn't make the Tournament list, beating the semi shoot style hell out ofvone another. Yes, please!

     Two Tournament matches announced for Collision:

    Claudio vs Garcia! 

    Eddie Kingston vs Brody King!!!!!!! 

    Also yes, please. For both of those. The Dance vs The Giant Swing. King on King violence! Potential regicide! 

    Also apparently these were added as I slept:

    * FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) vs. The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch)
    * Keith Lee vs. Lee Moriarty
    * Tony Schiavone interviews Ricky Starks & Big Bill
    * We’ll hear from Adam Copeland
    * The House of Black (Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black) vs. Komander & Gravity

    Sure, why not? To most of that.

    Lee on Lee violence! You could never get that match in WWE, because the names would confuse The Universe overmuch.

    (Speaking of Wrestking Vincents who are not my cup of tea): Looking forward to watching Dutch fighting Cash & Dax. 

    Zero women's matches announced so far? Will we get Skye Blue again? Julia Hart? 

    Yuka Sakazaki vs Abadon, please!

    Deeb and/or Willow vs Emi and/or Athena?

    Edit 1: Oh! Willow and Sakazaki should form The World's Happiest and Friendliest Team after Willow's story with Hart and Skye is concluded. Then win the Woman's Tag Title  Tournament! Or lose in the finals to Athena and Billie Starkz. The main thing is: More belts, and more tournaments.

    Edit 2: See Bull Nakano's post below.

    Unnecessary Edit #3: half an hour now. 

    • Like 2
  6. Dear All Elite Wrestling,

     

    All of us here at the DVDVR strongly suspect that people from AEW at least occasionally lurk on these boards. Many of us kind of suspect that Tony Khan himself still looks in from time to time.

    It's my genuine hope that this thread will gain the attention of someone at AEW who has the power to do something about this. I am not kidding about that. I hope I have earned enough goodwill here that the mods will allow this thread and my fellow posters will respond here in good faith (even if they strongly disagree with me)

     

    Anyway:

    I am a fan. I have been a fan since day one. I love your wrestling shows, I love your video game, I proudly wear your t-shirts and hoodies.

    I want AEW to live forever. 

    I mean this sincerely, and I intend it not as a complaint but as genuine advice:

    Please stop spitting in the face of your true fans and hardcore supporters.

    I am specifically talking about AEW Fight Forever, and the current debacle of overcharging for low-value DLC.

    It's a legit debacle. People are FURIOUS. And, the people who are most upset are those of us who love AEW and love Fight Forever the most. Those of us who bought in on day 1 and support you wholeheartedly and very much want your pro wrestling promotion and your video game to succeed.

    We all happily paid full price for what is clearly an unfinished game, trusting you when we were told that there would be a lot more game to come.

    Specifically, every person I know who plays Fight Forever has been hoping for: More match types, and a far more robust creation suite for making CAWs. 

    I personally am very much hoping that we will eventually get a GM mode. That seems like a no-brainer. Tony Khan is OBVIOUSLY a fan of EWR-type pro wrestling booking sim games. As am I. As are all of my friends who play wrestling games. PLEASE give us a booking sim mode on Fight Forever. We don't even have a way to book cards/shows in the game, as things stand now. It sure would be fun to book a tournament in the game!

    We would all love more wrestlers, and continued updates to the wrestlers we have. Only a third of the wrestlers in the Continental Classic are available in the game now. Bryan, Kingston, Mox, and Andrade. No Claudio, Swerve, Garcia, Lethal, Briscoe, Jay, or Brody King. Keith Lee is available for download at an extra charge.  That's two thirds of the wrestlers in the tournament not available unless you paid for the Limitless Bunny download. (I have made a decent Claudio CAW, with the very very very limited resources available). You'll probably want to charge us for Garcia, Swerve, Switchblade, etc... I don't agree with that, but it is what it is. It's standard "screw the customers" stuff rather than spitting in our faces. But...as far as I know, there isn't even any sign that most of them are even on the way. 

    You gave us updated costumes for Jericho, Mox, Kenny, Luchasaurus, Britt... and a new hairdo for Trent. For free! And that was much appreciated. More of that, if possible, please and thank you.

    Instead of what we have been begging for: You gave us a Fortnight-type game. You are reportedly going to give us a Mortal Combat type ladder mode.

    Nice. Thank you. Nobody I know was ASKING for that, but it's (somewhat) better than nothing.

    But the current wide-spread impression is that the new mode, the new Dynamite arena, (and the new CAW Santa hat and reindeer horns that LITERALLY NOBODY was asking for) are ALL going to be behind a pay-wall. That we will have to purchase the (WILDLY overpriced) season pass or at least pay for more downloadable wrestlers to get at even that meagre extra content.

    And there is zero hint that anyone is working to give us any of the things we have been asking for since launch. 

    Again, this is after we PAID FULL PRICE FOR AN UNFINISHED GAME, trusting that you'd fill it out for us.

    And again, people are FURIOUS about this. Not just any people. Hard core fans. The YouTube guys who have been promoting and defending this game for months are all making angry videos now. The comment sections are unanimous in agreement with them. All of my friends who play this game (a small group, but we are all passionate AEW fans) are in stunned disbelief that we are being screwed over by the company we have loved and supported from Day One and had been waiting for and dreaming of, for years.

    THOSE OF US COMPLAINING NOW ARE NOT THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN BELLYACHING ABOUT EVERY LITTLE THING SINCE THE GAME WAS RELEASED. We have been happily enjoying the half-a-game we were given at launch while patiently waiting for you to deliver the rest of the premium-priced experience that we paid for. And repeatedly telling the bellyachers to just be patient.

    Your company has so much good will. The impression you are giving here is that you are eager to burn through that good will as fast as possible. When good will is dwindling, as it is now, it can be built back up.

    Once the good will is gone, however, it's gone for good.

     

    I am sure people are willing and happy to pay for The Acclaimed. Everyone loves them, after all. I don't agree with that model, but I can accept it. Just, please don't hide basic gaming content behind that same paywall. 

     

    Look at No Man's Sky, for example. Like Fight Forever, it was a victim of very high expectations at launch and people were disappointed by what they got out of the box. But, they kept adding content and updates FOR FREE and now they have a massively successful game and and endless supply of customer good will! It's a good example! Please consider following it.

     

    Please consider making a Huge Announcement about how there will be more content coming that is not behind a paywall. Please go back to being the company that listens to and respects and communicates with its fans.

    Even if AEW and AEW Games are separate corporate entities (I don't know what the actual case is, here) the VERY bad impression currently being generated by the latter is certainly going to have an affect on the former.

    Please put out this fire. 

     

    Thank you, 

    In all sincerity,

     

    Gordi Whitelaw,

    AEW fan.

     

     

    • Like 1
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  7. I'm a little upset that there was no Night One Upset. 

    Maybe we'll get a Week One Upset. They were leaning pretty heavy into Garcia being a Dark Horse Underdog etc etc. I love Claudio, but I would pop pretty damned hard if he did the honours during the three-hour RampLision.

    Most boring and disappointing possible way to book the tournament, by a mile, would be to go chalk the whole way. Upper card guys and "big names" beating guys lower on the card, and fighting to a draw when they face one another.

    Please. No.

    That being said, I enjoyed every match on the show. Orange and Hook and Shibata is SUCH a nifty trios team!

    The Ruby Romance storyline is (surprisingly?) entertaining.

    Danhausen having THE HAT popped me. Everyone knows I love traditional hat-based psychology. "Where's your hat?" chant popped me... and paid off!

    Swerve's long-term selling was a highlight.

    For a second, I thought Tyrannosaurus Flex's new name was going to be "Unprettier"

    is Nick Wayne going to start fires now?

     While I really want a G1 type surprise upset, I am mostly just happy we are finally getting the E1/Super E Cup. 

    I figure either Eddie or Bryan vs Jay or Swerve or Mox is the most likely final. Hard to be unhappy with any of those possible match-ups or possible AEW/NJPW Tertiary Triple Crown champions.

    I guess Lethal vs Garcia is the least likely finals match-up, and it's not like that would stink.

    (Insert graphics here later)

    RJ38KqZ.jpg

    TmydDLc.jpg

    fXG8Koa.jpg

    I am thinking of printing those out and filling them in just for the nostalgia.

    Also: three people in a row quoting me without giving me a like has to be some kind of record 😀

    • Like 7
  8. 2 hours ago, Matt D said:

    I'm sure we're going to have 3-4 great looking matches tomorrow but it's hilarious in a moment of everyone being frustrated and hypercritical about the booking that the only thing they've announced so far is this:

    That's how we start off a tournament, folks.

    Here's hoping he goes with "A Boy and His Dinosaur" for the team name. 

    Perhaps "Tropical Rainforest Lad" or "Wilderness Youth" for Young Nick?

     I hope they DON'T go with (for example) "Muslim" and "Hindu" to team with Christian as, say,  "World Religions"

    Edit: riffing off of Matt's post below: Tyrannosaurus Plex, or maybe Tyrannosaurus Flex?

    Change it to T-Plex when he turns back into a good dinosaur again. Buy the rights to "Bang a Gong" as his entrance theme.

    Or 20th Century (BCE) Boy.

    (Googles T Rex) 700,000th Century BC Boy?  Maybe Rukus could do something with that?

    • Like 1
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  9. I think I have already fantasy-booked this twice on these boards. But at that time I was thinking of it as the E1 Tournament. Or, considering it's the Continental Classic, maybe the Champions Carnival (CC). Don't think that's entirely coincidental, considering the man booking it is One Of Us.

    Eddie Kingston's announcement, however, makes this more like the Super E Cup, since we're using it to create an AEW/NJPW Secondary (Tertiary?) Belt Triple Crown.

    Which is awesome. 

    Like southofheavy, I am as excited for this as a little kid is excited for Christmas, knowing they are very likely to get a longed-for Switch (or whatever the young person equivalent is in 2023).

    Like Phantom, I presume Kingston's announcement is very likely to factor into the booking plans. Most likely, in my opinion, is that he goes undefeated in his block, then loses in the finals.

    Like Log, and Matt, I am really happy with the first four wrestlers who have been announced. Great choices. Every potential match-up is exciting.

    My dream finals has always been Eddie vs Bryan. That could still happen! And it would be great. And Bryan would deserve it and also he could beat Eddie without the crowd turning on him or make Kingston look like The Best in the World if the plan is to put Mad King over. 

    Alternatively, you could have Bryan and Kingston in the same block, meet on the last day, and have one of them in the final. Against... I will get to that.

    So. My fantasy blocks want to:

    Keep the "every potential match-up is legitimately exciting" vibes going.

    Have Bryan's block be loaded with guys I wanna see wrestle Bryan, and Eddie's block filled with guys I wanna see him fight.

    So: Bryan, Yuta, Shibata, Dustin, Keith Lee, Roosh

    Eddie, Briscoe, Andrade, Claudio, Hobbs, Brody King. (Maybe Chris Hero as a surprise entrant) 

    There are literally 40+ good alternates for both of those lists, but Bandido and (sorry, Matt) Takeshita probably top my list. Guys like Orange and Swerve seem to have too much other stuff on their plates right now.

    If Bryan and Eddie are in the same block:

    Bryan, Eddie, Dustin, Yuta, Shibata, Brody King

    Briscoe, Hobbs, Andrade, Limitless, Claudio, Rush

    If Eddie wins, he meets Claudio in the finals. Or Briscoe.

    If Bryan wins, then vs Lee or Powerhouse to overcome a size/power obstacle (or put them over as The Best) in the finals. Or Claudio. Or Briscoe, if you want the finals to be a crazy fight rather than a chess match.

    Andrade would maybe be the most disappointing Triple Crown winner for me out of my field of 12. Because he still has too much " WWE Stink" on him for my delicate sensibilities. And if Andrade is your "disappointing" option then you are doing something right, in my opinion.

    Speaking of WWE stink and potential disappointment, my PLEASE NO! list is pretty much:

    Edge

    Jeff Hardy

    Malakai (assuming they would book HOB like HOT, which would kill me) (Meaning constant blatant interference, in case one of the millions of "casual" fans stumbles into this thread, somehow, and doesn't get the House of Torture reference 😀) For whatever reason, I feel they'd book Malaiai like that, but not Brody King.

    Stone Cold Max Friedman beating both the odds and injury to run through the tournament undefeated and create the BBQC (Big Burberry Quadruple Crown) 

     

    OhIpQTJ.jpg

     

    Because it's the Tertiary Super E Crown rather than the E1, the world heavyweight champion doesn't need to be in it, and you don't NEED a guy to play the Yano role, in my opinion.

    Oh boy am I stoked for this. (Almost) regardless of how it goes. 

    The trap to avoid is getting mad if AEW books this differently from what I want.

    The goal is to enjoy it as it plays out. I have been waiting YEARS for this.

     

    So... It's Continental, then?

    Next thing I want is a Tournament of Battles Royale. 20 Battle Royals, with the 20 winners all meeting in a Battle Royal to determine who gets to wear the Battle Royal Championship Belt. (On their shoulder, because their waist is too big).

    Definitely want Hobbs, Limitless, Claudio, Brody King among the final 20 there. Maybe Dustin, too. And JD Drake, Toa Liona, Archer, Bears Boulder and Bronson, Samoa Joe, Miro, Nicky Boy, Preston Vance, Jeff Cobb, maybe Athena...

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  10. I am only aware of two matches for Dynamite this week. Per the FITE app. 

    Jericho, Golden Lovers, and Big Paul (not the Natural, the other Big Paul) vs Callis Family. (Takeshita, Sammy, Fletch, and Hobbs?) I am kind of worried about the giant's hips and knees based on how he looked just standing there. Count me very much among the "I hope they are smart enough to use him like latter-day Andre" crowd. On the other hand, I am stoked for Takeshita/Ibushi interaction, and kind of sort of think maybe Hobbs should get to bust some giant spine just once. 

    Also Mox & Yuta vs Orange & Hook. Which: Yowza! Dang! Pretty strong odds of that being a VERY good and fun and hard-hitting tag team match.

    I looked for more info but one site had "Dynamite Results" for 11/15 so I stopped looking just on the chance that there might somehow be spoilers. Oh boy, do I ever NOT want to know what's going to happen in those two matches!

    Also, forgive me, but I am going to be obsessing over this like a little kid before Christmas until we get the actual brackets. But. Yeah. Shibata.

    Current Dream Block A: Bryan, Shibata, Dustin, Keith Lee, Rush, Yuta.

    Current Dream Block B: Kingston, Hobbs, Claudio, Bandido, Brody King, Mark Briscoe

    I would mark out for every single one of those match-ups.

    Also, I somehow forgot about Colt Cabana when thinking of guys who could play the Yano role! Cabana,with Cutler in his corner.

    Cold Spray:Cabana::Tape:Yano

    • Like 2
  11. Obviously, I am pretty stoked about this tournament. Announcing Dragon and only Dragon as the first and only announced entrant is pretty genius, in terms of getting us all to think about it excitedly. 

    My dream finals: Bryan vs Kingston.

    My dream 12: Something like Bryan, Kingston, Hobbs, Keith Lee, Claudio, Bandido, Dustin, Brody King, Briscoe, Rush, another younger guy (maybe Starks) or a guy to play the Yano role, and also squeeze in one outsider to add spice (Suzuki, Ishii, Ospreay, Cobb...) even though it's a small field, because it's a G1 tradition.

    There are at least 30 AEW wrestlers whom I'd be utterly stoked to see in a mini G1, and only a tiny handful I hope are kept away from it.

     

    I am also curious how much of a G1 clone it will be, other than the way it's structured. Three key questions there:

    1) What about MJF?

    The G1 is to determine who is The Strongest, so the champ has to step up... 

    But Friedman already has a TON of stuff going on. Doesn't really need to set up more challengers right at this moment.

    2) Will you have crazy upsets?

    It's absolutely a feature of the G1. One of the best things about it. ANYONE can, and will, lose to ANYONE at any time. There are ALWAYS some utterly unpredictable results, but never TOO many. 

    I feel like Punk spread the disease of "giving a shit about wins and losses" in the AEW dressing room, and a G1 style tournament provides a lovely opportunity to re-set that bullshit. Particularly, because you are starting with Bryan and hopefully building around Bryan. Be like Byran! Err on the side of being TOO giving. 

    I will be bummed if it plays out 100% predictably.

    Also, if you book it NJPW style, but scaled down, you maybe don't NEED guys who are there to eat losses. The guys who are there to eat losses can be ANYONE at any time. 

    But I would also be more than OK with Nicky Boy or JD Drake or Bear Boulder in that role, particularly if they get at least one juicy upset.

    3) Do you want a guy to play the Yano role?

    (A guy to do off the wall, creative, comedic stuff so that not every match is two guys killing one another).

    Obviously, I hope they do. I LOVE Yano in the G1.

    And who could play that role? I don't think you want Orange doing that, at this point, (and more on Orange later), but you could slot in Danhausen, Evil Uno, Serpentico, QT...

    But you kind of need someone credible enough to get a believable upset or two over a top-level guy...

    ...So I am.kind of thinking Jarrett might be the best guy for that slot!

     

    Also: 6 wrestlers times 5 matches times 2 blocks, plus finals. Nine towns. From 11/22 through 12/27.

    So I am kind of expecting AEW TV to be like the COVID-era G1 shows where it's just one tournament match after another. Which: Awesome!

    Presumably squeeze in one woman's match per show and some angle advancement toward the PPV.

    I am also assuming that dudes who kind of have PPV matches/angles building up already (Orange, Mox, Kenny, Jericho, Takeshita, Joe, MJF, Acclaimed, etc etc) will be left out of the tournament. But that might be way off. You can use the tournament to build to stuff, through upsets and controversial finishes and so on, but hopefully they keep that to a bare minimum. 

     

    Final thought: I figure they are actually better off booking this straight for the hardcore maniac fans. Because we exist, and we actually watch AEW wrestling. Rather than the "casual" fanbase. Which does not exist and even if it did they wouldn't watch AEW anyway. 

    So go all out! Give us match after match after match of your best available guys going as hard as it's possible to go. Leave us drained and on the edge of being burned out! We all have experienced that with the G1, and/or other "projects" and we are  still here, eager for more.

    Don't hold back! Don't stop when we say, "WHEN! "

    Also: The NJPW tag league looks sick this year! Ishii & Yano! Suzuki & Nagata!! Archer & Zayne!! A NOAH team!! GATES OF F'N AGONY!!!!!

     

    I am going to be doing too much tournament watching over the next couple of months. 

    AJPW RWTL going on, too. Won't have enough time to follow that, sadly.

     

    But mainly I am stoked for E1. It's been a running joke with some of my friends for years, and now that it's really happening we couldn't be happier. I, personally, can never get enough tournaments or battles royal. And I am stoked to see who Tony K's Dream 12 are... And I am always stoked to see Bryan Dragon fight ANYONE so it's already a success as far as I'm concerned.

    • Like 6
    • Haha 1
  12. Rampage has, recently, been my favourite AEW show because it's been the show that hews most closely to the goofy old school AEW that I loved so much and miss so dearly. Particularly in the sense of just throwing wrestlers together to have fun or great matches.

    This weeks show felt VERY Sports Entertain-y to me. To a disconcerting degree. The focus seems to be shifting hard toward "why are they fighting" and away from the fights (ahem) per se.

    I was massively bummed out to see that Nigel was on commentary today. I think I need a whole big Navel Gazing post to explain why. I'll do one, eventually, when I have the time and inclination.

    (Basically, I like my characters to be more honest, my bullshit to be more *obviously* bullshit and I am not looking to satisfy my nostalgia cravings when I am watching current wrestling. It might make sense if and when I go on and on about it).

    As it turned out, though, Nigel was mostly fine. His refusal to pronounce "Vikingo" correctly aside.

    The main event was predictably great, but I really really wish they had ended on the wonderful show of respect and allowed at least one match to just exist as a fine match, rather than making *everything* into angle advancement.

    Probably today I am predisposed to be a bit negative, though. 

    Personal stuff... FEEL FREE TO SKIP IT: 

    Spoiler

    My younger brother passed away yesterday. He "struggled with personal demons." We drifted apart. Hadn't spoken in years. Heard from my nephew yesterday. My brother was found unconscious in a hotel and taken to hospital. They revived him briefly, but his heart gave out. As I said, we were no longer close. But I am pretty sure the last thing we said to each other (about 5 years ago) was "Love ya." Which is true. 

     Probably not a bad idea to say that, if it's true, when you have the chance. Never know if it will be your last opportunity to do so.

    PLEASE don't post condolences on this thread. I don't want to derail it or make it about me, I will feel like an asshole if that happens, and I already know I have a lot of friendly and sympathetic ears here. And I appreciate that. also: Please don't give me a crying emoji.

    On the upside: Happy Birthday to Dump Matsumoto, The Greatest Heel Ever!

    d72HuwP.jpg


    Also: Metalik, HBK, and Hulk Hogan don't do jobs, brother. Everyone knows that!

    Maybe I'll post an amusing/ historical picture of Giant Baba here later..

    bwxkJQn.jpg

    • Like 15
  13. 49 minutes ago, Matt D said:

    Naturaling it up with a list. My top 15 favorite AEW wrestlers  (in-ring, in some loose order)

    1. Christian
    2. Athena
    3. Danielson
    4. RUSH
    5. FTR (Cash is higher but I didn't want to rank both)
    6. Orange Cassidy
    7. Dustin Rhodes
    8. Darby Allin
    9. Samoa Joe
    10. Serpentico
    11. Daniel Garcia
    12. Eddie Kingston
    13. Toni Storm
    14. MJF
    15. Anthony Bowens

    Hon Mentions (10): Andrade, Hobbs, Menard, Starks, Jarrett, Mark Briscoe, Miro, Comoroto, Shida, Mercedes Martinez.

    What a deep promotion. I could go on as i still like wrestlers like Angelico and Nese and Willow and HOB and Sting and Bennett, etc.

    My least favorite 10 (in-ring, no order)

      Hide contents
    • Takeshita
    • Adam Page
    • Swerve
    • AR Fox
    • Bucks
    • Omega
    • Trent (I like him less every time I see him lately)
    • Lucha Bros (as a tag unit)

    Pretty solid company over all, that AEW.

    Great idea. Great list.

    I'll totally take the bait!

    I am sure I forgot someone OBVIOUS.

    My criteria: How much joy do they spark in me? How much do I miss them when they are off TV? How happy and excited do I get when they have a match announced?

    Interestingly, it broke down pretty evenly into round numbers:

    THE TEN I GO INTO FULL ON FROTHING AT THE MOUTH MARK-OUT MODE FOR EVERY TIME:

    Bryan 

    Kingston

    Orange

    Darby

    Hobbs

    Athena

    Willow

    Emi

    Hayter

    Yuka Sakazaki the Magical Girl

     

    THE TEN I AM ALWAYS STOKED TO SEE FIGHTING ANYONE

    Dustin

    Keith Lee

    Lance Archer

    Wheeler Yuta

    Legit Leyla

    Bear Boulder

    JD Drake

    Toa Liona 

    Fenix

    Claudio

     

    THE TWENTY (PLUS?) THAT NEVER FAIL TO SPARK JOY

    Stat

    Abadon

    Billie Starkz

    Timeless Toni (w/Luther)

    Skye Blue

    Deeb

    Outrunners

    Bucks

    Shibata

    Claudio

    Kenny

    Ibushi

    Hook

    Vikingo

    Bandido

    Joe

    Nicky Boy

    Roosh

    Komander

    Takeshita

    Garcia

    Brody King

    Edit: Briscoe, Shida

     

    The Ten Where, sorry, but I personally would just as soon never see them on AEW TV ever again

    Spoiler

    Jarrett (he's often entertaining, but it's just not for me)

    Ric Flair

    Edge

    Johnny TV

    Malakai Black

    Jeff Hardy

    Vincent

    Saraya

    Taya

    Disingenuous forced heel Nigel

     

     

    And I could probably do another "ten where once they figure it out/get more reps they certainly have the talent to be great."

     And another ten where, "I don't like them as much as others do, but I get it and I certainly wouldn't prefer them to leave AEW..."

     

     So, Matt: disagree on certain particulars, but definitely agree with the overall "pretty solid roster" take.

     

     

     

    • Like 5
    • Thanks 1
  14. If I am not missing something (and it's certainly possible I am missing something), the only match that has been announced for Rampage (which starts in 15.5 hours, roughly) is: 

     

    FTR vs Vikingo & Komander.

     

    And, you know what? That's plenty. I'll be watching. I can hardly wait. I literally bought popcorn. 

    There are all kinds of crazy-good unexpected match-ups happening all the time in all kinds of promotions all over the world. Like, say, Maki Ito vs Speedball, or whatever. (That's reportedly an actual match that has been announced for GCW, by the way)  It is IMPOSSIBLE to keep up with everything. It's overwhelming.

     

    And yet, AEW manages to come up with stuff every week, like FTR vs Vikingo & Komander, which hits (me, personally, at least) as both: "I have to see this" *and* "This could only happen in AEW."

    So: let's get hyped for Rampage!

    Also: I like not knowing what else we're getting. Sometimes. Probably they'll announce something else good or fun or both before I wake up tomorrow. Possibly, before I go to bed. It's not even 9 pm here.

    Maybe they'll go two outa three falls and leave just enough time for a couple of promos and a solitary women's match!

     

    edit: 11.5 hours later. Four hours from showtime. Still nothing else announced. Awesome! Here's hoping they show restraint and let FTR vs Vikingo & Komander be the lone selling point. I am legit curious now!

    • Like 4
  15. I did NOT expect the show to start out with Max vs Garcia! 

    Figured that meant a big MJF angle to close the show. Friedman opening and closing shows works pretty well.

    Max did the dance better than Garcia, in my opinion. 

    Body part psychology! These young guys have learned from fighting Bryan Danielson.

    That old footage of Jay White!

    OUTRUNNERS! Great squash.

    Luther looks great in black and white. I LOVED Timeless calling Shida "Hick-ah-roo"

    Nana added a spin to his dance!

    91-55 record for Penta. According to the chyron.

    Penta's gear looked great. Probably not his intention, but BC Lions colours. Go Lions!

    Penta and Swerve tried to legit kill each other and I was entertained.

    GOLDEN JETS vs YOUNG BUCKS!! I am excited about that, and also amused because I know people (on these very boards) who are the opposite of excited (either bummed out or angry) about it. It will be crazy.

    Also the video game street fight. EXACT same notes for that one.

    The Portland crowd absolutely RULED during the Limitless vs Joe Match. "MEAT!" " Holy Meat! " Meat Forever! " and "Slap That Meat!" chants. Nice work there, Portland crowd. Also, Gordlow agrees with you in all four cases.

    Why. Joe. Serious-ah??? (That one's for you, Natur-Paul).

    Serious Orange, too. Orange you glad he didn't say Cabana?

    BOLLYWOOD BOYS!

    Damn. They drove all the way to Portland for THAT. Hope it was a decent pay day, at least. 

    The gurv of some people. Harv you ever seen such a thing?

    HAT vs CAKE! Then the ex-alien/spooky witch/nice colour/tree bird standoff. All good. As was Switchblade vs Kung Foo Chicken. 

    I am getting tired of thumb-typing on my cheap tablet. Are you getting tired of reading?

    FTR vs VIKINGO & KOMANDER!!! I LOVE RAMPAGE!!! I LOVE AWESOME RANDOM MATCH-UPS!!!!

    MOX & YUTA vs ORANGE & HOOK next week. Yowza.

     

     

    • Like 14
  16. 9 hours ago, Eivion said:

    He apparently is Hirata's son. I haven't watched DG in years. How do Strong Machine J & Mochizuki Jr compare to their fathers?

    Wow! That's pretty cool. I knew Mochizuki Junior was Masaaki Mochizuki's son, but I hasn't heard that Strong Machine J was Junji Hirata's son. Super Strong Machine retired in 2018. Strong Machine J started his career in 2019. I had to look it up, but the third guy on their team was Yoshiki Kato, who is "barely a year into his career." As far as I can find, he's not, like, Kato Kung Lee's son or anything like that.

    I also found this explanation on F4W: "In Frontier Zone matches, wrestlers from outside of NJPW get the chance to face off against NJPW competition. The Frontier Zone match debuted at Destruction in Ryogoku earlier this month."

     

    It's a cool concept. Hope they keep it up.

     

    As to your question: It was a pretty short match. I also haven't watched any DG in years, even though I have a great time every time I go to one of their shows. So this was my first exposure to all three wrestlers. Mochizuki, who also debuted last year, throws some pretty stiff kicks so in that respect he is like his dad. Small sample size, though. Machine certainly seems smaller than his dad, but he wears the single-shoulder/mask combo really well and absolutely uses some of his old man's trademark moves. He went for a machine suplex but it got broken up. It got a pop welling up which collapsed into a disappointed "oh!" out of a few people, including myself. Presumably, most of us reacting  that way were over 40 years old. Probably my new friend Kazu was among the group reacting. That was the highlight of the match for me. 

    Strong Machine J also does a LOT of snazzy breakdancing, which in my opinion is not something his dad did in the ring.

    Edit: Just for fun, one more clip from the show:

     

    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1
  17. Just on my way back from Power Struggle in Osaka. It was one of the very best pro wrestling shows I have been to live, both in terms of match quality and atmosphere. My only complaint was it was a.very long show. The Frontier match, featuring Mochizuki's kid, Mochizuki Jr. started at 4:30. Meanwhile, the Japan World Series Tigers vs Orix game started at 6:30. The baseball game was finished before the wrestling show was! I love Hiromu, but I was burned out by the time the semi-main started. Main event 100% brought me back into it, though. It was a GREAT match, certainly for everyone there live. You can hear how hawt the crowd was. Hope the microphones picked that up well. Hope the energy and drama come across watching it on a screen. At the start of the match, the crowd was at least 80% pro-Ospreay, which genuinely surprised me. There were several little Japanese kids who screamed "AWE-SOO-POO-REYYYYY!!!" over and over again for the ENTIRE 40 minute and sixteen seconds. To the point where I was literally laughing out loud. But for the last third of the match the crowd was SOLIDLY behind young Shota. So, to me, that is GREAT crowd work, from both guys. And that table spot was far from the #1 highlight. There was a double cut-off spot that got the greatest double-pop that I have ever been a part of. The trios match was also excellent, in that "everyone slotted into the perfect role" way New Japan sometimes nails. Mox vs  O-Khan made me lose my mind! I ran down to the railing and sat on the floor to watch it.

    Spoiler

    They battled to a quick DCO, which was legit surprising. Then they restarted it as a "Falls Count Anywhere in Osaka" match and just brawled through the crowd, doing a full lap of the floor while the crowd went NUTS.    

    OK. Home now. What else? 

    Naito gets so much more love than Sanada, in Osaka. It is funny in a kind of cruel way. Even Tsuji gets WAY more love than the champ.

    Mochizuki Junior looks like a blonde Japanese Hook-style dangerous cutie and...

    Spoiler

    He kicks REAL HARD 😮

    There were a TON of cool and good things set up for Wrestle Kingdom. The best of which was an AEW favourite doing a video to challenge Okada after which the crowd...

    Spoiler

    Did a HUGE. "YES! YES! YES!" chant! !!

    But... THE ATMOSPHERE was even better.

    It was my friend - who, a few years back, got me to pull my head out of my ass w/r/t Kenny & The Bucks & Modern New Japan, thus opening the door for me to get right into early AEW - who got me the ticket. More specifically, his new girlfriend got three tickets and suggested he invite me. She is really nice! My good friend has a really nice girlfriend who likes wrestling! I am happy for him. Also, I am happy for her because he is a great guy.

    On the train there I saw a guy around my age wearing a Desperado t-shirt. We got to talking. Ended up walking to the arena together and drinking beer outside the venue together, while waiting for my friends (and his son) to show up.

    I like getting there early. Soak up THE ATMOSPHERE.

    SO MANY people wearing New Japan gear. Particularly LIJ, but by no means exclusively. (Almost) Everyone is friendly, because we all have the same weird hobby. 

    Best was a very tall and muscular Japanese guy wearing a BCC t-shirt. I said "Nice t-shirt!" at the same time he said " Nice jacket! " while pointing at my AEW hoodie. We laughed and fist bumped.

    Also met up with an internet friend of a friend who is touring Japan. We went for yakitori after the show.

    Pretty good day.

    yPCZB2k.jpg

    That's Kazu, the nice guy from the train.

    (I'll post a buncha pictures now)

    Zwvp5yy.jpg

    By showtime, Edion Arena/Furitsu was PACKED. It was a GREAT crowd, even by Osaka standards. Reacted to EVERYTHING for FIVE HOURS.

    MTYHnOn.jpg

    Friend of a friend. So, basically, a friend.

    t8EIuim.jpg

    IC9OCpc.jpg

     

    LXuvOfB.jpg

    Losing my mind during Mox vs O-Khan

    juIuJ6e.jpg

    Mochizuku Junior. He seems like a super nice young man. One of his tag partners was dressed like a Machine. Like Super Strong Machine, I mean.

    • Like 12
    • Thanks 8
  18. Obviously, Vikingo vs Komander vs Penta was going to have some spectacular and creative spots. But that match had some SPECTACULARLY creative spots. 

    Guns vs X Division Legends was fun.

    Skye vs Shafir was stiff and nasty.

    Garcia vs Trent managed to combine stiff, nasty, AND fun. Effectively.

    The giant funny guy on commentary is named Paul, right?

    • Like 4
  19. Timeless Toni gave Tony S an orange. While eating it, he got some juice in his eye...

    It... STIIIIIIIIINGS!

     

    Hey, Tony S, what is that thing Darby Allin is wearing around his neck to support his injured shoulder?

    It's (a)... SSSSLLLLLLIIIIIINNNNNGGGG!

     

    Hey Tony S, what sound does your penis make when you see Britt Baker?

    It's...

    giphy.gif

     

    I have zero notes about the actual wrestling.

    • Like 3
    • Haha 6
    • Sad 1
  20. 2 hours ago, J.T. said:

    Pumpkins are gourds that have zero give.  They'd have had to ripen it for days before Shida could break it with a knee strike.

    Abadon may as well have been wearing a batting helmet.

    Someone had been watching too many cartoons if they thought the pumpkin would just shatter into a million bits.  I'm sure that plan looked good on paper.

     

    It's a little known fact that pumpkins ripen from the bottom up. Shida's mistake was that she hit the pumpkin too high.

    Shida! Shida! Next time hit the... gourd low.

    • Like 2
    • Haha 15
    • Sad 1
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