AEW TV - 10/4 - 10/10/2023 - On This Day, I. P. Freely

[Curt McGirt]

2 hours ago, Zakk_Sabbath said:

Lol with their literal hate crime shirts on - I guess that's a new take on 'delusional heel'

It'll be like American History X! Reformed racists going to school saying "don't get shot like my brother" or something. 

And I think by "shirts" you meant "tattoos"? "You see this, kid? You know how much it hurts to get these erased? That's why I just made it into another one."

[odessasteps]

17 minutes ago, Curt McGirt said:

It'll be like American History X! Reformed racists going to school saying "don't get shot like my brother" or something. 

And I think by "shirts" you meant "tattoos"? "You see this, kid? You know how much it hurts to get these erased? That's why I just made it into another one."

That could be a gig for Taker. “Kids, don’t get your wife’s name tattooed on your throat.” 

[Cobra Commander]

I've thought that the whole gimmick of a guy who is an obvious-hanger-on for his women's wrestler girlfriend would be one way to flip the script on the whole "getting your girlfriend on TV as a valet" thing or the whole thing of the WWE trying to break up relationships if they think the girl is too hot for the guy. Of course "unqualified goof who is riding coattails" would end up being a massive face with some fans

That just came to mind because that Taker "don't get your wife's name tattooed on your throat" thing could be a larger "Wrestler who feuds with people who got their girlfriends/wives on TV" gimmick. Probably can't have that overlap with Christian's Dead Dads gimmick?

[NoFistsJustFlips]

5 hours ago, Log said:

The ref tells the wrestlers when they are in a commercial/PIP/etc. 

The WWE way which I assume has been adapted by AEW is to script out the PIP spots. You get told by the agent that you have one and how soon into the match, and you and the agent lock in what the commercial go to spot is. The ref will communicate when it's time and they you go to it.

That way the director and production can be clued in on it as well.

[Cobra Commander]

AEW does PIP so often that you'd have to think/hope that they have figured out how to go to commercial 'right'

[Matt D]

It was pretty obvious that this show was all over the place due to Tony jousting with the cable systems all Wednesday. You could kind of tell from his social media what was on his mind and it wasn't booking the show.

Edited October 6, 2023 by Matt D

[Cobra Commander]

I didn't get to see this week's Dynamite but when I read a description of the Toni Storm cut to break, I envisioned it being her just popping onto the corner of the screen in a prerecord like on a TV show instead of her saying it to the camera live. I prefer what they did over what I was envisioning from the description.

"AEW On Parade" feels like the right name for spending 15-30 minutes making reference to a type of movie genre from the 1930s that pops once every few months on TCM. Just came to mind with the current Toni Storm gimmick and all.

[porksweats]

5 hours ago, Zakk_Sabbath said:

I wouldn't mind seeing AEW eventually revisit the Lince/Metallik team from the 205 Live days. They could probably have some real crazy matches with Kommander/Vikingo, the Bucks, Lucha Bros, and a million others.

Lince/Metallik vs Tony Nese/Ari Daivari is more than enough for me.

[odessasteps]

If WBD will do the kind of cross promotion that Turner would not do for WCW, they should definitely try to get Toni Storm to guest program a night on TCM. 

[Nice Guy Eddie]

4 hours ago, Cobra Commander said:

Of all the gimmicks they tried with the Harris Brothers, they never tried a team of dudes who are supposed to scare the fans into not committing crimes

WCW should have tried to package the Harris Twins as reformed Nazis who have seen the error of their ways after a prison sentence where they befriend a black inmate who they share laundry duty with and are also raped by fellow Aryan inmates when the Harris Brothers take offense to other white inmates selling drugs to the Hispanic and African American inmates. 

 

God damnit, I see I was beat to the punch on an American History X gimmick for the Harris Twins. That's what I get for not reading the whole thread. 

Edited October 6, 2023 by Nice Guy Eddie

[Firebreaker Chip]

AEW's PIP breaks are super regimented in that the heel's control segment is often the exact length of the commercial break and you can guarantee the face will regain control within seconds of Excalibur speaking. He's even lampshaded it a couple of times recently like "ah and as soon as I say the heel was in control..." as if it doesn't happen really often

All of the YOU WON'T MISS A SECIND!! stuff is kind of tiring sometimes! I like getting long PPV matches that can have a totally different structure

[Cobra Commander]

at least having PIP means that commercial breaks aren't gonna be leaning on a headlock for exactly 3 minutes... although having PIP breaks for taped shows is sorta puzzling at times (it's helpful if you want people to think the show isn't in the can). In theory, couldn't you just jump ahead 30 seconds during a break if it's not too obvious to people watching at home?

The main problem in regards to Toni Classic Movies crosspromotion is that there's a group of TCM superfans who are suspicious of WBD management undercutting TCM. Sorta like the classic movie version of wrestling fans?

[Matt D]

I'm a firm believer that the house style would be far worse without the PiP. It's unfortunate that most of the audience misses the most important part of the match (the heat), but the live audience doesn't, and I'm pretty sure most matches would have been 50/50 Your Move/My Move Get Our Shit In if it didn't exist.

[zendragon]

8 hours ago, Log said:

The ref tells the wrestlers when they are in a commercial/PIP/etc. 

I meant in a Kayfabe sense 

My DVR cut off about the last ten minutes of this, pretty good high note to end the program on

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

4 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

It'll be like American History X! Reformed racists going to school saying "don't get shot like my brother" or something. 

And I think by "shirts" you meant "tattoos"? "You see this, kid? You know how much it hurts to get these erased? That's why I just made it into another one."

Well, they had SS tattoos, which they got changed/covered up, but then they proceeded to wear the exact symbols they got covered up on shirts in TNA which defeated the whole purpose of getting the tattoo coverups to start with.

[zendragon]

Oh TNA the little promotion that could never get out of its own way

[Go2Sleep]

1 hour ago, Matt D said:

I'm a firm believer that the house style would be far worse without the PiP. It's unfortunate that most of the audience misses the most important part of the match (the heat), but the live audience doesn't, and I'm pretty sure most matches would have been 50/50 Your Move/My Move Get Our Shit In if it didn't exist.

It's amazing how much better AEW TV matches look on the international feed, especially Dynamite when Taz drags the whole team into DGAF mode on commentary.

[AxB]

2 hours ago, Cobra Commander said:

at least having PIP means that commercial breaks aren't gonna be leaning on a headlock for exactly 3 minutes... although having PIP breaks for taped shows is sorta puzzling at times (it's helpful if you want people to think the show isn't in the can). In theory, couldn't you just jump ahead 30 seconds during a break if it's not too obvious to people watching at home?

When Impact would cut to a mid-match break,it was very obvious that the end of the break was exactly one second after the break started. The wrestlers would be in almost exactly the same position as the break ended, as they were when it started. But commentary would still tell you about how the action during the break went. Which wrestler had been in control and so on.

[Cobra Commander]

1 minute ago, AxB said:

When Impact would cut to a mid-match break,it was very obvious that the end of the break was exactly one second after the break started. The wrestlers would be in almost exactly the same position as the break ended, as they were when it started. But commentary would still tell you about how the action during the break went. Which wrestler had been in control and so on.

feels like if you're gonna do the wrestling version of freezing the shot as the Duke Boys drive the General Lee over a ramp, you need to lean into "we're pausing this because it's taped" instead of making people think Impact is broadcasting live.

[zendragon]

On 10/5/2023 at 9:40 AM, Matt D said:

I didn't love the "Jay" bit out of Copeland. I think it was unnecessary even if he could get away with it. It just raises too many questions, like... why does Jay Reso call himself Christian Cage in the first place, etc.? The other thing I didn't love was him saying that Sting entertained people for 40 years. It should have been that Sting fought for them, etc. It's like watching a robot try to escape it's programming. 

 

I agree with the "entertained" bit sounding like a Vince-ism, but I don't really have a problem with the "Uncle Jay" bit. Stage names have existed in music and acting probably for as long as we've had those mediums. even as a kid I was aware that Hulk Hogan was really Terry Bollea due to his billing in his movies. 

[Curt McGirt]

3 hours ago, Sparkleface said:

then they proceeded to wear the exact symbols they got covered up on shirts in TNA

AH, I was unaware of this part, thus my comment. What a bunch of boneheads (literally! https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bonehead&page=4).

[Gordi the former AEW fan]

My take on the whole "Toni Storm would like us to enjoy pitcherinpitcher, Adam Copeland used Christians 'shoot name' etc etc" debate is that I, personally, prefer it when AEW subtly-by-wrestling-standards breaks the sacred walls of kayfabe.

I absolutely do not mean it as a repudiation of Matt and J.T's take. I can understand preferring that your willing suspension of disbelief not be deliberately disturbed.

(I do mean it as a repudiation of the angry grandpa "THAT'S NOT HOW IT WAS DONE IN MY DAY!" - and therefore it should never, ever be done that way- take, however. If that is your take on this or any other subject please feel free to be mad at me).

It's the same way I used to feel about Stat being an alien, Orange just doing the lazy kicks because that's how he is (as opposed to it being "mind games"), wrestlers being terrified of Abadon, etc etc etc

For me personally, the great secrets of kayfabe have been out of the bag for a long time indeed, and in my opinion it's a tiny percentage of current and potential pro wrestling fans who 1) ) haven't heard the news and 2) who might, for example, see that a member of the commentary team is wearing a mask and thereby grow disillusioned.

On the other hand, I have argued, long and loud, for the high value of "inside jokes" when it comes to forming a sense of community and the EXTREMELY high value of said sense in creating a passionately loyal fanbase (in the postmodern and fractured media landscape) ((lets say)

O how I lament that Stat is no longer an Alien, Orange is playing mind games, and Abadon is now invisible.

I don't think AEW should be looking to hire more big names and get more catchphrases over and try to pretend that they are The Big Time.  I personally think they need to lean, heavily, back into the cute little in jokes and sense of AEW being "our" little special thing. **

But that ship has sailed. And the Wembley crowd in general certainly seemed to get the Hulk Hogan reference a LOT better than they got the references to indie and Japanese things, for example, so maybe there is value in playing to the LCD.

But anyway I personally was happy that Edge used a secret shoot name and Timeless Toni  broke the fourth wall and I personally hope we get more of that.

 

i personally don't bother suspending disbelief while watching pro wrestling. Even something highly realistic and believable like the Gruff and Violent but Still Very Loveable Dragon vs Snide Technician from Kent fight, I am gonna be all "Oh! Excellent selling there!" while live-chatting with my wrestling watching internet messaging mates. *

And I kind of assumed that was how everyone watches pro wrestling these days.

it would be interesting to try and suspend my disbelief (or try to watch as if my disbelief were suspended, maybe?) and see how that feels. 

Today's Rampage is probably not the best time to try that, though.

** Catchphrases are relatively witless and lack subtlety compared to in-jokes, in my opinion. "To-fuu" and so on are the LCD version of the nose boop etc etc. In my opinion.I think "WHAT?!?!" kind of killed the catchphrase for me (personally).

* (I don't think that match in particular would have benefited from any nod and a wink "in jokes" however. There's a time and place. Also, I frequently get caught up in and even emotional about who is gonna win and who is gonna lose, and how they will win and/or lose, even with my disbelief fully engaged).

Edit one: possibly should have posted this in the Navel Gazing thread.

Edit two: Hats off to Dolfan for the title of this thread! Gets a "Dammit, Dolfan!" from me.

Edited October 7, 2023 by Gordlow

[Cobra Commander]

I just saw a commercial for the Tuesday AEW show (which is in my area)  on ESPN featuring (the wrestler FKA) Edge prominently.. if that gives you any hints about the ticket sale approach for late deciders

[zendragon]

My only thing about "inside jokes" is I don't like the "where shootin' bro" stuff that Eddie Kingston trys to work in (his gimmick seems to be "guy who has heat with everyone") don't stop the movie and to tell me its fake

[HarryArchieGus]

3 hours ago, Matt D said:

I'm a firm believer that the house style would be far worse without the PiP. It's unfortunate that most of the audience misses the most important part of the match (the heat), but the live audience doesn't, and I'm pretty sure most matches would have been 50/50 Your Move/My Move Get Our Shit In if it didn't exist.

I'm firmly on the side of the commercial free viewing being far superior. I believe it's why I often like the show better than most. That and I generally watch on tape delay with the ability to skip passed the non PiP breaks. I say this in part because I often don't enjoy the show live nearly as much as early Thursday/Saturday/Sunday and sometimes Monday morning. Having said that, I don't have complaints about the quite varied 'house style'. That term is a generalization that doesn't seem fair, but I suppose it's personal.

4 hours ago, Matt D said:

It was pretty obvious that this show was all over the place due to Tony jousting with the cable systems all Wednesday. You could kind of tell from his social media what was on his mind and it wasn't booking the show.

116 votes cast on cagematch reveals a favourable consensus score of 7.3. I personally think that's a fair number, but that's not to say it makes this week's definitively a 'good' show. Perhaps it's just a good reminder that 'good show, bad show, good match, bad match' it's very much personal taste. Obviously there were some tech issues, but it's pretty safe to assume 'Booker T' Khan, wearing as many hats as he does, faces similar mounting pressures on a near weekly basis. A consideration regularly overlooked. I'd actually say 'All over the place' is kinda (truly) the 'house style' no? I think it's kind of a nice feature of the product. Tho I dug both, last week's programming of MJF/Jay White's promo followed directly by the Christian/Darby sitdown felt more clumsy than any rundown issues this week. I mean, outside of the arguable choice of replaying the Cole/Roddy segment. For me that was a FFWD=problem solved, but I shouldn't be telling a fellow tape delay viewer (that.