AEW - AUGUST 2023

[Elsalvajeloco]

1 minute ago, keith_h said:

Exactly. 2005-2011 Punk says the exact same thing. 2023 Punk is 1996 Hogan, but Hogan was smart enough not to actually fight people. No fists, just politics brother.

The issue is Perry brought into public. If you have an issue at work and it eventually gets resolved, whether you like the resolution or not, the last thing you need to do is try to get the last word. For example, people try to do that here all the time and sometimes it ends up with them getting Johnny Cash as their avatar not of their own doing. Whether or not Punk would have did this at Jack Perry's age is ultimately irrelevant. Yes, hopefully, you do less dumb shit like this when you're older. I would hope so.

[Go2Sleep]

Punk is more 90s Shawn than 90s Hogan. Except Punk is presumably sober the entire time, so I don't know if that makes it better or worse.

[Elsalvajeloco]

2 minutes ago, Go2Sleep said:

Punk is more 90s Shawn than 90s Hogan. Except Punk is presumably sober the entire time, so I don't know if that makes it better or worse.

1990s Shawn Michaels was on his own planet. That kinda guy couldn't exist in this world of pro wrestling. Moreover, at the height of his craziness, WWF was probably at their worst both financially and sparse when it came to actual talent. It got better towards the end when his back was shot, but Shawn used the fact that he was a supreme talent against WWF to be an absolute menace. It was a story about Shawn at every week. For example, if Punk did what Shawn did at those house shows in Memphis and Little Rock, he would have been fired. Punk's issue is being thin skinned and a walking contradiction. Shawn had a LITANY issues that ranged from backstage politics, extramarital affairs, and the aforementioned drug issues. On top of that, his grip on Vince divided a lot of the backstage to the point where the overall product suffered even though Shawn was always a net positive in the ring. Shit, Shawn Michaels wouldn't be on just one show if WWF had three different weekly TV shows. That definitely wouldn't happen. 

[caley]

5 minutes ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

1990s Shawn Michaels was on his own planet. That kinda guy couldn't exist in this world of pro wrestling. Moreover, at the height of his craziness, WWF was probably at their worst both financially and sparse when it came to actual talent. It got better towards the end when his back was shot, but Shawn used the fact that he was a supreme talent against WWF to be an absolute menace. It was a story about Shawn at every week. For example, if Punk did what Shawn did at those house shows in Memphis and Little Rock, he would have been fired. Punk's issue is being thin skinned and a walking contradiction. Shawn had a LITANY issues that ranged from backstage politics, extramarital affairs, and the aforementioned drug issues. On top of that, his grip on Vince divided a lot of the backstage to the point where the overall product suffered even though Shawn was always a net positive in the ring. Shit, Shawn Michaels wouldn't be on just one show if WWF had three different weekly TV shows. That definitely wouldn't happen. 

I just have to say I was Googling Shawn Michaels Little Rock because I'd somehow never heard that before and Google autocompleted it to "Shawn Michaels Little Drummer Boy" and now I'm terrified to follow that up.

Edit: I did, I couldn't find something, but did find this absolute HBK nonsense

https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/xnsp42/shawn_michaels_as_a_local_news_reporter_when_he/

Apparently he was a..."Reporter" while on hiatus from WWE. So bizarre.

[Elsalvajeloco]

6 minutes ago, caley said:

Edit: I did, I couldn't find something

Talking about this (from Reddit via the Wrestling Observer)

Quote

From the 12/22 edition: Speaking of trouble with Michaels, there were 2 house shows this week, in Memphis and Little Rock, that both almost ended in riots. At the first show in Memphis, Shawn came out for the main event and was pelted by so much garbage that he refused to wrestle and the main event didn't take place. In fairness to Shawn, the crowd was said to be unruly and after both Shawn and HHH were hit with drinks and HHH hit in the face with a cup of tobacco juice, Shawn got on the mic and said, "Well that just cost you your main event" and walked out. When the crowd realized what happened, they got even crazier. Jerry Lawler got on the mic to try to calm them and they even pelted Lawler with garbage. Then the arena refused to offer refunds when people asked for them and it led to many fans vowing to never come to a WWF show in Memphis again. WWF officials have come to Shawn's defense, saying they chose to end the show early due to safety concerns.

---

In Little Rock, it was a similar situation that got even worse. Shawn and HHH came out and began riling up the crowd, basically encouraging them to throw stuff. When they did, Shawn got hit with something and once again told the crowd that they had just lost their main event and they left. At first the crowd thought it was part of the show until the announcer informed the fans the show was over, at which point a full blown riot broke out, with chairs and bottles being thrown and police plowing through the crowd to try to calm them down. Eventually, tear gas was sprayed to get fans outside. There were some arrests and one fan taken to the hospital and the story made the local news. Dave says on one hand, this is obviously fans being out of control and they need to behave better. But on the other hand, both WWF and WCW have essentially encouraged this sort of behavior in the past, so it's not a surprise when it happens. In the past, Shawn has directly encouraged it ("I hear fans in ______ have bad aim!"). In WCW, they had 6 different people at different points during the recent Nitro jump the rail and try to get in the ring and at least 3 of them made it. Dave hopes all this is a wake up call because one of these days, the drunk fan who hops the barricade or the fan throwing a bottle is going to seriously hurt somebody.

---

From the 12/29 edition: At the Little Rock show, the problems started early. Legendary wrestler Danny Hodge was there to receive an award (no reason, WWF just felt like honoring him that night and he was available) and Shawn Michaels talked the agents into letting him present the award, despite being the most hated heel in the company. They went out to the ring and Shawn became target practice for the crowd (with Hodge standing next to him), and it was a total embarrassment for the company. Later in the show, when DX came out, they all got pelted with stuff to the point Chyna was hurt and HHH got hit in the eye with something, which led to Shawn calling off the match and DX going backstage and refusing to come back out. It eventually led to a riot inside and outside the building with police using tear gas to quell it. Fans also surrounded a car with Flash Funk and Kama in it and began pounding on the car. Funk and Kama got out, ready to fight but some other wrestlers broke it up and everybody got back in their cars and left. Shawn, HHH and Chyna needed a police escort to get out of the parking lot. All total, police arrested 13 people on various charges. As for Memphis, WWF blamed the incident on fans not being searched when entering the building, and a lot of people were able to sneak in alcohol in glass bottles, which they later threw at the ring.

Also, I believe at one of those shows (Memphis?), Shawn made some off color racial remarks about black people that didn't go over well. 

[zendragon]

I look forward to Rampage being the “Jack Perry “ show

[just drew]

13 hours ago, Go2Sleep said:

Might wanna check out UFC 203.

Please believe I’ve broken down that footage like Costner did the Zapruder film…

[Log]

5 hours ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

Talking about this (from Reddit via the Wrestling Observer)

Also, I believe at one of those shows (Memphis?), Shawn made some off color racial remarks about black people that didn't go over well. 

Lawler pleading with the Memphis crowd to stop throwing stuff instantly made me think of this:

 

[Curt McGirt]

7 hours ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

HHH hit in the face with a cup of tobacco juice

That is ridiculously funny. And god, did he deserve it. 

You gotta be stupid to attack a car with Scorp and Godfather in it. 

[Zakk_Sabbath]

11 hours ago, Kevin Wilson said:

feel like Tony just wanted Punk to behave long enough for them to get a new TV deal but Punk is hellbent on being Punk. If anything it seems he feels even more empowered since he is getting to say who and who can't show up at Collision, even though he's just a wrestler. I'm sure TK is frustrated as hell about this overshadowing the event but he gets no pity from me, he knew the deal he was making.

I get that impression too, and I said it from jump: at least get us to the new TV deal and the video game (boy, did the monkey's paw curl on that last one). At this point if I were TK I'd just take whatever I paid Calvin Ridley, give it to Batista, and call it a day

[Casey]

Sports Illustrated confirms that Jack Perry and CM Punk have both been suspended. I’m sure this week won’t be terrible!

[Matt D]

22 minutes ago, Casey said:

Sports Illustrated confirms that Jack Perry and CM Punk have both been suspended. I’m sure this week won’t be terrible!

I'm ALMOST getting to the point that I'm numb to all this. Almost. If Punk really does want out (and you can certainly look at the travel stuff along that line) can we start to wonder what a Bryan Danielson helmed Collision might look like?

[Casey]

3 minutes ago, Matt D said:

I'm ALMOST getting to the point that I'm numb to all this. Almost. If Punk really does want out (and you can certainly look at the travel stuff along that line) can we start to wonder what a Bryan Danielson helmed Collision might look like?

Yeah I’m just gonna try and enjoy the last bit of Punk (or was that it?) that we’re gonna get.  Probably buy the blu-ray set on Etsy that one of my saved stores will (re)make of his run and just reminisce on what was. Because it was a fantastic run, even this very brief return was pretty great. And Collision is crazy good, and I don’t know that ALL of that can be attributed to Punk. I’m sure Chris Hero has a lot to do with it as well.

Oh god, oh fuck. Hero/Danielson running things on Saturday nights. Oh my god.

[For Great Justice]

I’ve really enjoyed Punk’s Collision, even if I’m completely over and worn out on Punk himself

If he’s gone, I vote giving the Collision book to Chuck and Trent 

[Zimbra]

1 minute ago, Casey said:

Probably buy the blu-ray set on Etsy that one of my saved stores will (re)make of his run and just reminisce on what was.

Lmao, Due to an unclear product description I accidentally bought one of these that has everything he's done through Brawl Out.  I kinda forgot that they had him doing like two segments every Dynamite for nine months.  So many goddamned interviews.

At least I can finally see the Darby and Kingston matches that I missed.

[Casey]

3 minutes ago, Zimbra said:

Lmao, Due to an unclear product description I accidentally bought one of these that has everything he's done through Brawl Out.  I kinda forgot that they had him doing like two segments every Dynamite for nine months.  So many goddamned interviews.

At least I can finally see the Darby and Kingston matches that I missed.

Was it a certain shop that’s on vacation right now? I don’t want to name them since they sell copyrighted material and I love their store (got a top 100 AJPW 1990s and 4+ star 1993-1995 Observer set from them that’s insane).

He also sent me a duplicate of the AJPW set on accident and didn’t even care when I told him about it  

[Zakk_Sabbath]

23 minutes ago, Matt D said:

I'm ALMOST getting to the point that I'm numb to all this. Almost. If Punk really does want out (and you can certainly look at the travel stuff along that line) can we start to wonder what a Bryan Danielson helmed Collision might look like?

Part of me is beyond over it, and wants them to lean into it and cut their losses with MJF cutting a 'Took his ball and went home'-style promo this week (adapted for the circumstances, naturally).

The other part of me wants to just put all these motherfuckers in a room with someone - an arbitrator, the Undertaker, the sweater guy from the Metallica movie, I don't care - and just say "Yo, do you like money? Do you like the art? What IS your major malfunction??"

I just hate the months-long limbo of bullshit and 'Will he or won't he?' and really, really hope to avoid it on this go 'round of the Charmin M Punk Experience

[EVA]

I’m trying to avoid commenting on this Punk stuff, because as much as I love mess in wrestling, this particular mess has begun actively stealing my joy, but…Yeah, this situation has reached the point where I’d have to mandate that everybody sit down and work their shit out.

But then I understand that you’d be kinda rewarding Punk’s behavior by giving him the sit-down that he’s wanted all along.

[odessasteps]

https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/005/378/worldburn-top.jpg

[Curt McGirt]

So Hero's helping on Collision... I guess that means we're never getting Eddie over there, are we? At this point with all the BS with Punk I wouldn't be surprised if TK made sure they weren't working the same venues. 

[Matt D]

To the best of my knowledge, which is mainly reading the same stuff you guys do, Hero is just agenting matches. 

[Craig H]

I don't look at it as rewarding Punk by getting everyone in the same room, but this is practically a must at this point. If you don't get all of these guys in a room, it's just going to happen again when it isn't Punk. I think Punk just highlights that there are problems in that locker room even if you have a bunch of people saying the locker room is great. Punk was just the first person to get fed up by, well, a lot. He's not going to be the last person to feel that way. Long after Punk is gone, if whatever issues are present today don't get addressed then it's going to piss someone else off in the future and that locker room doesn't have anyone like the Undertaker or anyone close to that to make sure shit doesn't get out of hand.

Jack Perry in particular has started to sound more and more like a little shit that needs be dealt with because he's probably going to be there longer than Punk is. Or maybe not. I remember Perry saying he would only sign shorter contracts because that was his dad's advice or something to that effect.

[Log]

16 minutes ago, Curt McGirt said:

So Hero's helping on Collision... I guess that means we're never getting Eddie over there, are we? At this point with all the BS with Punk I wouldn't be surprised if TK made sure they weren't working the same venues. 

Eddie was on Collision this past week.

[Phil Schneider]

Eddie is a pro, he and Hero beat each others brains in when the beef between them was a lot rawer then it is now, I am confident he wouldn't have any issue working for or with him. He basically said as much in the Ringer interview I did with him

https://www.theringer.com/2023/4/1/23666008/eddie-kingston-roh-supercard-of-honor-claudio-castagnoli-feud-interview

 

[Casey]

35 minutes ago, Matt D said:

To the best of my knowledge, which is mainly reading the same stuff you guys do, Hero is just agenting matches. 

The way I understand it is that agents in AEW aren’t just there for the matches, they’re also coaches and lend a hand/ear for creative stuff as well. Pat Buck and Jerry Lynn are two examples who TK leans on for creative stuff as well as coaching and producing matches.

I mean you obviously have people like Will Washington who are explicitly the lore keeper/creative side of things, so maybe all Hero does is produce matches. He’s already booking West Coast Pro as well, but he seems like the type to love wrestling (in a positive way, not the eventual “I love it too much” semi-toxic Punk way) that he’d want to do both.

I also think Eddie and Hero’s beef is extremely exaggerated, at least these days. They were still working against each other right before Hero went to NXT the first time. At the very least they can swallow their pride and put the beef to the side for in-ring stuff.