AEW TV - 10/25 - 10/31/2023 - A Lethal Lottery

[Curt McGirt]

3 hours ago, The Natural said:

The Undertaker wore a mask

*insert quote here*

[Gordi the former AEW fan]

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.

[J.T.]

22 minutes ago, Curt McGirt said:

Well fuck, couldn't they gimmick the pumpkin? Or -- here's an idea -- use a fake one that breaks? Jeez.

Between shitty exploding barbed wire, poorly concealed collapsing ramps, or un-gimmicked pumpkins, AEW is definitely the fed that needs some sort of prop manager or FX guy. 

Edited October 29, 2023 by J.T.

[Curt McGirt]

Along with an audio team... 

And I'll do the favors this time

GODDAMMIT GORDI!!!

[Casey]

You know you’re a smark when you’re complaining about spots involving a pumpkin that breaks the immersion of a Halloween match that featured a female zombie taking a bump onto pieces of candy.

Also Toni Storm is, and has been, the best thing about their women’s division since she debuted. Well, maybe a close second to Hayter before she was injured. But those two run the division workrate wise. And now Toni has an actual character, so she’s got both. Sorry, Shida. Three time champ incoming.

Omega/MJF was good, which is no surprise, but given that nobody at all bought into the possibility that Omega would actually win the title… it’s just a good match for the sake of having a good, marquee match on a Saturday night wrestling show. Which I know is TK’s modus operandi, but it was particularly noticeable for this match. I have a feeling Wardlow is going to play a role in the Full Gear match with Jay White, since every other challenger for MJF’s title was featured tonight except him (unless I missed another video package).

[BrianS81177]

How has nobody mentioned Shida's Ada Wong dress? Am I the only Resident Evil nerd around here?

[Casey]

34 minutes ago, BrianS81177 said:

How has nobody mentioned Shida's Ada Wong dress? Am I the only Resident Evil nerd around here?

This is me, but replace Shida and the Ada Wong cosplay with Abadon and the Spawn cosplay.

[Curt McGirt]

7 hours ago, Casey said:

You know you’re a smark when you’re complaining about spots involving a pumpkin that breaks the immersion of a Halloween match that featured a female zombie taking a bump onto pieces of candy.

In all truth I was just mad that it was a Shida match, pumpkin or no pumpkin 

[HarryArchieGus]

12 hours ago, Matt D said:

Ultimately a match needs to both be coherent and resonant AND physically exciting or compelling to be considered good, but which of the two elements are more important? For me the meaning and consequence need to be there as a bare minimum. Alone, they don’t make the match good, but without them, a match doesn’t clear the bare minimum to be good. 

All true, but Wrestling requires a bit of open mindedness at the best of times. Omega v MJF was easily both coherent/resonant and physically exciting/compelling. It was a beautifully worked match showcasing a pair of hard working and wide ranging skillsets. The idea that this wasn't on a scale of 'really good to special' feels incredibly narrow-minded, and best saved for those with delusional personal hate for one or both of the performers. Er, oh, right. But, of course, all this chatter sets up your opportunity to explain. Tho, that would require you to actually watch the match you're making a pretty lame stand against. 

[Matt D]

14 minutes ago, HarryArchieGus said:

All true, but Wrestling requires a bit of open mindedness at the best of times. Omega v MJF was easily both coherent/resonant and physically exciting/compelling. It was a beautifully worked match showcasing a pair of hard working and wide ranging skillsets. The idea that this wasn't on a scale of 'really good to special' feels incredibly narrow-minded, and best saved for those with delusional personal hate for one or both of the performers. Er, oh, right. But, of course, all this chatter sets up your opportunity to explain. Tho, that would require you to actually watch the match you're making a pretty lame stand against. 

I'm standing against Takeshita vs Fletcher, good sir.

I can voice no opinion about MJF vs Omega except for that I don't really want to watch it.

[Godfrey]

I only had a chance to catch Omega/MJF and boy it's an interesting one. Max might be the best wrestler I don't want to see ever wrestle in Japan

 

[HarryArchieGus]

3 minutes ago, Matt D said:

I'm standing against Takeshita vs Fletcher, good sir.

I can voice no opinion about MJF vs Omega except for that I don't really want to watch it.

Right. But still to the point. The rancor feels a bit hollow and does a disservice to your often thoughtful approach to reviews. Acceptance Matt D, acceptance will set you free.

[Matt D]

5 minutes ago, HarryArchieGus said:

Right. But still to the point. The rancor feels a bit hollow and does a disservice to your often thoughtful approach to reviews. Acceptance Matt D, acceptance will set you free.

More carefully avoiding Takeshita matches against wrestlers that can’t or won’t rein him in even when they happen to be on Rampage will do the trick too.

[Octopus]

As long as everyone likes the Cinnabon posts I’m cool with all other opinions. 

[Zimbra]

I was just sure that Shida was going to pull Danhausen out from under the ring at some point in that match.

Solid B+ Collision for me.  The big matches were all at least decent, the squashes were effective, and they moved some angles forward.  LFI/HoB should be fun.  We'll definitely get Brody and Rush beating the shit out of each other at least.  And I think that might be my favorite Omega singles match?

[HarryArchieGus]

Goddamn it where's my Collision Promo Montage!?! Can we all get together on this and WILL the Collision Promo Montage back into weekly existence?

Jay White v AR Fox was a nice opener. More dumb BCG cheating in front of the ref. Update the AEW rulebook to include pulling the rope in front of a referee as an ejectable offense. AR Fox gets himself over again and again with his thrilling offense. Jay's in ring movement is incredbile. I took in the Dalton Castle entrance and skimmed the Boys v Gunns. I was happy to watch the MJF-Omega video package again. The Ryan Nemeth/Miro segment was good. I skimmed Shida v Abadon to the end and was happy to see such crowd involvement. I feel excited about the idea of moving onto Toni Storm as Champion. Her act needs and deserves that prestige. Keith Lee/Shane Taylor video package was good. I’d love to see this somehow turn into a return of the Lee/Taylor tag team. With a slight refinement of the earlier presentation. Samoa Joe v Rhett was enjoyable. Everybody should be watching these Joe matches as examples of how to execute an ‘In Action’ segment. Great to see QTV! Harley, QT, Solo and Johnny – I love them. Nice jacket on Johnny.  Claudio promo was a bit corny, but also just fine. Starks v Harwood was a solid TV match. House of Black’s lights out stuff would be more effective if done more sparingly. Oh phewww, at long last, Rush returns! Great to see him and the LFI team. Looking forward to the inevitable Rush v Andrade showdown. I could also enjoy more of them as a team. Speaking of which Andrade promo was not a... great... segment. Stat/Willow/Skye drama continues. Stat with a fashion choice there. Claudio v Tracy Williams was absolutely heartbreaking. Williams was an MVP on the earlier and far better Universal ROH shows. At that time he would have wrestled Claudio for 10 minutes plus. Not saying I expected that here, but if you’re going to book Claudio v Williams do it when you can allow them 5 at the minimum. I thoroughly enjoyed Omega v MJF. ‘An embarrassment of riches’. I was hoping for the draw, but I’m fully down with the decision. Really hoping they find a way to come back to this. AEWTV Trademark Dean Closing.

[porksweats]

Just caught up on Rampage/Collision, alot of fun stuff but there was a moment in the Omega/MJF match that JR said it was for the AWA World Heavyweight championship and it got me thinking

 

What would be the best hypothetical intergenerational and promotional Champ vs Champ match be?

My money would be Omega vs Jumbo.

[Technico Support]

I’m kind of tired of the McMahonization of play by play.  You know, where actually calling moves is too “pro rasslin’.”  Instead, the impact of a move is called.  Like it’s not a brain buster.  It’s “Kenny got dropped right on his head.”  Excalibur used to call actual moves most of the time.  Now it’s 50/50 and I assume he learned that from working with JR.  

This is a Kayfabe sport and the moves being done matter.  Imagine boxing where every strike is just called a “punch.”  No hooks or uppercuts, just punches or “X got hit with that one!”  Imagine football where the QB lines up in shotgun and it’s called as “the thrower is a few feet behind the guy who hikes it!”  Fuck all that.  Anyway, that shit was so glaring during the main event.  Hell no.  I want nerds out there calling actual moves by their names.  

All that said, I don’t think Schiavone is guilty of this.  I legit think he can’t remember the names of moves.  He’s so much better as a color commentator old head who is just delighted with the current state of wrestling.  He didn’t call the Made in Japan despite being in the booth on Dynamite for Penta doing it and Excalibur calling it in every match.  He said it was “like a Blue Thunder Bomb!”

I’m just saying this shit matters.  Calling actual wrestling moves means something.  

One more thing.  I did legit lol when crusty old JR went dead silent with disapproval when MJF hit the kangaroo kick, to the point where one of the other announcers called him out.  What a joyless old schmuck he is.

Edited October 29, 2023 by Technico Support

[HarryArchieGus]

1 hour ago, porksweats said:

Just caught up on Rampage/Collision, alot of fun stuff but there was a moment in the Omega/MJF match that JR said it was for the AWA World Heavyweight championship and it got me thinking

 

What would be the best hypothetical intergenerational and promotional Champ vs Champ match be?

My money would be Omega vs Jumbo.

I'd like to have a look at Stan Hansen v Rush. I'm also compelled by what MJF and 'Living Legend' Larry Zbyszko might have in store. Or how about 'Cool' Curt Henning v Bryan Danielson?

[HarryArchieGus]

Or how about a tag team battle pitting FTR v Mean Mike Enos and Wayne the Train Bloom aka the Destruction Crew? Bad Company v the Young Bucks!? Rose and Sommers v The Outrunners!? Commentary by Larry Nelson, Verne Gagne, Greg Gagne and Daddy Magic Matt Menard.

[NoFistsJustFlips]

1 hour ago, Technico Support said:

I’m kind of tired of the McMahonization of play by play.  You know, where actually calling moves is too “pro rasslin’.”  Instead, the impact of a move is called.  Like it’s not a brain buster.  It’s “Kenny got dropped right on his head.”  Excalibur used to call actual moves most of the time.  Now it’s 50/50 and I assume he learned that from working with JR.  

This is a Kayfabe sport and the moves being done matter.  Imagine boxing where every strike is just called a “punch.”  No hooks or uppercuts, just punches or “X got hit with that one!”  Imagine football where the QB lines up in shotgun and it’s called as “the thrower is a few feet behind the guy who hikes it!”  Fuck all that.  Anyway, that shit was so glaring during the main event.  Hell no.  I want nerds out there calling actual moves by their names.  

All that said, I don’t think Schiavone is guilty of this.  I legit think he can’t remember the names of moves.  He’s so much better as a color commentator old head who is just delighted with the current state of wrestling.  He didn’t call the Made in Japan despite being in the booth on Dynamite for Penta doing it and Excalibur calling it in every match.  He said it was “like a Blue Thunder Bomb!”

I’m just saying this shit matters.  Calling actual wrestling moves means something.  

One more thing.  I did legit lol when crusty old JR went dead silent with disapproval when MJF hit the kangaroo kick, to the point where one of the other announcers called him out.  What a joyless old schmuck he is.

I've noticed a move towards more sports entertainment language too. But I disagree that the name matters more than the outcome of the move. Calling a Brainbuster by name doesn't tell a story or accentuate the psychology of why a move was done or what part of the body was hurt. I'd liken it to NFL announcers just deadpan rattling off the names of plays instead of describing what just happened or how that impacts the game.

What tells more of the story? Saying Saquon Barkley with a trap play to the right. Saquon Barkley with a draw up the middle. Saquon Barkley with a counter to the left side. Or saying look at Saquon Barkley spinning away from defenders and exploding though the hole with incredible speed. Think this is one of those too in the bubble takes.

In a perfect world you blend the two together. But describing what happened and why is a lot more important than just listing off move names. Especially since that would get old over the course of an entire show. How many times should they say he hit a Canadian Destroyer in the same broadcast? Throwing in explanations like he spiked him right on his head or oh god the impact on his neck is going to make it hard for him to kick out is story telling. Saying he hit a Canadian Destroyer eventually loses it's effectiveness and it just becomes listing off move names like a top ten list, which isn't very engaging.

[BrianS81177]

1 hour ago, HarryArchieGus said:

I'd like to have a look at Stan Hansen v Rush. I'm also compelled by what MJF and 'Living Legend' Larry Zbyszko might have in store. Or how about 'Cool' Curt Henning v Bryan Danielson?

MJF vs Zbyszko would be a 1 hour draw where neither one touches the other. And it would have insane crowd heat. 

[Curt McGirt]

Here's another thing you can glean from reading the list of what went down on Collision: It reads like a two-hour Rampage. And that's exactly what it felt like.

[GuerrillaMonsoon]

I enjoyed MJF/Omega, and I say that as someone who doesn't generally enjoy what they bring to the table individually.

In the broader picture though, I don't think I can give them the benefit of the doubt to say that this feels like part of, or consistent to the bigger story being told for either guy, it just feels like putting out the biggest match they can think of because they want to compete with WWE.

A schmozz finish would have been fine here, as you have so many different parts coming together that wouldn't otherwise, and you're not sure as a viewer how that will play out.

"Oh fuck, Wardlow hasn't made good on his promise yet, you know it's going to be good when he finally does. Nope, he's standing around watching a monitor in the back like a dork".

"Can Joe be trusted here? What if he's the one that sticks to his word when Cole fucks him over. Nope watching a monitor".

"Is there a way they can add anything more to an otherwise dead in the water Omega/Callis Family feud? Nope, Callis fucks him over again and gets all the heat, and we're going to continue with this generation's Jimmy Valiant/Paul Jones Army feud."

"Good opportunity for the Bang Bang Gang to get heat on MJF, or build to the big 4 on 4 match. Nope, nothing".

"How will Roddy and co play into this match? Nope, nothing".

I feel like they not only shafted about 10 different guys of some much needed character development, and possibly robbed themselves of a PPV main event rematch down the track, in order to try and pop a rating in a one sided ratings war, and continue to pretend that exclusively clean finishes are the be all and end all here. 

[Kev]

10 hours ago, Technico Support said:

One more thing.  I did legit lol when crusty old JR went dead silent with disapproval when MJF hit the kangaroo kick, to the point where one of the other announcers called him out.  What a joyless old schmuck he is.

I noticed that. I think Nigel was actually trying to rein him in. He’s quite good at actually engaging with JR’s grumpiness and forcing some storytelling explanation from it. And it would have made perfect sense here as MJF lost the advantage as he took too long playing to the crowd. But JR just refused to take the bait and quietly seethed instead. 

Speaking of Nigel, he’s a massive hit and miss for me. Doing straight colour, I think he’s excellent at adding to the in-ring narrative. But I hate his heel commentator schtick, it feels extremely dated and very WWE. As a Brit, I think I’m extra conscious of other Brits doing what feels like very Americanised character work, it comes off completely inauthentic.