AEW TV - 11/15 - 11/21/2023 - Gears of War

[Curt McGirt]

I'd rather be slammed on the top. There are mechanics under the hood, and of course the windshield is REAL GLASS.

[Cobra Commander]

Yeah you’d think they would gimmick a windshield and slam him through it unless they somehow missed the real target

then again it’s a match where duct tape stopped Hobbs while Paul Wight couldn’t

[Leonidas]

It was really dumb. If someone pitched it to Wight it was dumb. Even if Wight came up with it it was dumb. AEW needs someone whose job it is to say no to talent for bumps like that. A backstage spinebuster through a load of cardboard boxes with a drape over it would have sufficed.

[Cobra Commander]

Who appears to be the AEW talent that is the best at booking their own stuff? asking this knowing we don’t know who does and doesn’t book their own stuff

If Jericho’s not the worst at booking his own stuff then the worst has to be real bad

[Just Dave]

Moxley books his own stuff, presumably. Can't remember him doing anything that stupid. 

Yeah, parts of this show were great. The EVPs (?) getting to book themselves as Bruiser and the Brodie's wasn't one of those parts. That street fight really needed Ospreay or Guevara to bring something different. That Hangman/Swerve segment is an example of shit you won't get anywhere but AEW in a good way. I dug the opener and that Mariah May segment, too.

[Cobra Commander]

Brian Cage being the “Ray Traylor as War Machine” (fill-in job guy) for the match was a decision. Let’s have this big Jericho/Omega vs Callis Family blow off and the guy eating the fall isn’t in the Callis Family. In a way, it makes sense. In another way, it’s kinda dumb.

[Zakk_Sabbath]

6 minutes ago, Just Dave said:

That Hangman/Swerve segment is an example of shit you won't get anywhere but AEW in a good way.

100% agree. Felonies notwithstanding, I've warmed to their feud based almost entirely on that promo last night. Taking the story out for a moment (which, of course, everyone's mileage may vary on) there were just so many great little elements of contrast: cowboy leather vs. grillz, apoplectic yelling vs. chill smugness, 'you don't have what it takes' vs. 'it should be me' - I expect a similar contrast in fighting styles during the actual match itself, too, with Hanger's wild brawling vs Swerve's more methodical, almost 'slithering' offense. Just great stuff all around and I'm really looking forward to it. Both guys needed something like this badly. It sucks you kinda can't go anywhere from 'home invasion' because this feud could've had legs all winter if they wanted it to IMO. Maybe Hangman needs to be freed up for whatever's next with Kenny and the Bucks as relating to the Jericho stuff.

[Casey]

Since Dynamite started, we’ve had one year - I THINK - where there wasn’t stupid Elite melodrama storylines.

Keep Hangman away from this stupid shit. Turn the Bucks heel and have them join the Callis Family, that would be way more interesting.

[Cobra Commander]

9 minutes ago, Zakk_Sabbath said:

It sucks you kinda can't go anywhere from 'home invasion'

Which feels like a pretty big problem with doing a home invasion segment

It feels like some of the Swerve storytelling is trying to get heel heat on Swerve in some lazy ways. Like they're aiming to make Swerve scary to people who lock their car doors when they drive into an urban area

[Casey]

Yeah I don’t get that feeling at all. It’s not like Hangman’s family was brought up just out of the blue, it’s pretty established he’s a new(ish) father. His entire reasoning for being gone right before the Full Gear 2021 match was because he was on maternity leave. They mention his son when he wins the World title.

Swerve had already crossed that line of going to someone’s home, with the Nick Wayne thing. Hangman’s family is lore in AEW, why not do it again and continue the idea that Swerve is a piece of shit who will do anything to get into his opponent’s headspace?

I really don’t think there’s any sinister racial undertones to that angle. I’ve never even seen that idea brought up, even on Reddit, until literally just now.

[Cobra Commander]

I've read some people mentioning how they found it peculiar that Hangman was bringing up Nana spending Swerve's money on weed last night. I guess some of the Swerve-verse stuff plays different if it's Swerve doing his own story lines. But it's also a bit of Swerve being 6 feet/220 and thinking he has to try hard to scare somebody.

I guess that home invasion was helpful because it means Hangman could cut a promo like that without it being an obvious heel promo.

One part of the whole angle that just gets glossed over... does Swerve Strickland just know where everybody lives and how to get into their houses?

[Zakk_Sabbath]

3 minutes ago, Cobra Commander said:

ve read some people mentioning how they found it peculiar that Hangman was bringing up Nana spending Swerve's money on weed last night.

I won't get any further into it outside this one comment, for reasons that should be obvious (Discord is that a way!) but it's really only peculiar if you don't know that Hangman donated $4.20 of every payday in 2019-20 to the Sanders campaign

[Cobra Commander]

Some people think it can be really difficult to get 'heat' on heels if fans are beat over the head with 'this stuff isn't real'... it's also possible that the backstage AEW stuff that got people fired doesn't actually help any of their on-screen heat angles get over as being personal issues.

I've heard people (Zellner on Between the Sheets) mention how badly booked/weird it would be that Hangman just went into that trios title match and then a switch flipped as soon as he saw Swerve and he went "oh yeah, I hate this dude"

The whole "heels and babyfaces can't be in the same public places" approach is what it is.. but the various parts of this Swerve/Hangman feud over the last month seem to be trying to do a heated angle without really knowing how to do a heated angle 'right' for 2023.

[HarryArchieGus]

3 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

Here's another thing: it had to be tough for Hobbs too, because he was having to judge and regulate the fall of a treasured guy in the business, who also is big and heavy as shit and likely to be injured. Kind of like "how do I break the egg but not break it", you know? Everyone's life and safety is always in everyone's hands all the time in wrestling but that's still some extra pressure. It could be either "Paul Wight hip surgery #4" or "Paul Wight walks off with a sore ass". 

The funny thing to me with Ibushi this time was those light little touches he gave everybody with the roll of wrapping paper lead pipe as he was riding the bike around the ring. That was more business exposing than fighting a blow-up doll. 

Sonofabitch Paul Wight got what he deserved! Just kidding. Best wishes to Big Paul.

Quote

Swerve being strapped to a rocket brings up the question of "who would you strap the rocket to if you had your say" or basically, who do you want to win the tournament? I'm going with Ricky 100%. He deserves it, and it might keep him from jumping ship. Tag straps aren't enough I think.

Willow Fucking Nightingale! Willow's connection to the audience, along with her pretty decent skillset, would deserve a rocket even if the Division were strong. Clearly it's incredibly weak right now which makes her 500 record seem even stranger. What the fuck is going on with her? Is there heat? It's hard to believe anybody watching this show believes Skye Green or Julia Green or even middling Champion Shida deserve a PPV match while Willow sits in catering. I like Stat, but so too her. 

Edited November 16, 2023 by HarryArchieGus

[Cobra Commander]

it wouldn't have been a good finish for the street fight to finish with a pinfall somewhere in the back while the rest of the wrestlers fought on oblivious to what happened.. but it would have been a hiliarious finish.

having elimination rules for a street fight is probably a little inconsistent because are you gonna tell these people in a street fight to stop fighting once they get pinned, but it probably would have made some of the people in the match seem less like idiots if the field could narrow down a little to be like 2 on 2 instead of 4 on 4. Okay they would have had to actually beat Hobbs and that would have been a bad idea even if they had Jericho and Omega and Ibushi dogpile Hobbs or some real nonsense.

[Curt McGirt]

1 hour ago, Leonidas said:

It was really dumb.

Well I mean if you are looking for logic, even wrestling logic, it would be that Wight knocks every single opponent out in a row with the big punch, they stack 'em up like cordwood and he puts one boot on top of the pile to pin em and win the match. But that's no fun. (Actually, I think it would be really fun. Then Tony comes out looking all flipped out on uppers saying he put together a special backup match and it is X.)

Just now, HarryArchieGus said:

Willow Fucking Nightingale! 

(Fucked this up so I'm writing inside the box) I mean in the tournament, and you know they don't 'cross the streams'. It should be Willow and Athena beating the shit out of each other over a dual women's title but oh well. 

[Infinit]

 

[HarryArchieGus]

The Hook/OC v Mox/Yuta opener was fine. I need to go back and see this punch Mox threw to the back of OC’s head. They should’ve slowed down that Golden Jets Team arrival and licensed ‘Little Green Bag’. Too bad they didn’t all wear the suits for the shitty Street Fight. Swerve/Hangman promo was fucking awesome! Having Swerve in silence and Nana take a beating was perfect. A Perfect segment! Cowboy shit indeed. Give ‘Aaadam’ a mic more often please. Roddy Strong/Kingdom/Cole promo was good. I saw your match on Saturday Roddy, it was excellent! I ffwd passed Skye Blue v Red Velvet. Doesn't sound like I missed a goddamn thing. Miro promo was fine, but they really oughtta put a little more emphasis on Garcia doing his dance to CJ.  Toni Storm/Mariah May segment was good. I like all the Toni touches. The role Luther's been waiting for all of his career! I need to seek out some Mariah May ‘In action’. Samoa Joe squash, *fart sound. Young Bucks v Kommander/Penta was action packed fun. I love love love the Jacksons embracing evil yet again. Bucks/Kenny/Jericho promo follows, and was all the gas I need for what I suspect will be a helluva bout. Gunns squash, stinky *fart sound. These squashes aren’t even remotely fun. And then bring on the catchphrases! I like the Gunns, but enough of these Road Warrior squashes. Wardlow video was his usual ‘I’m tough, I’m angry’ bullshit that too few give a 'flying fuck' about. Send him to Honorclub to work a brother gimmick with Ethan Page, and figure out a compelling character. Street Fight was a fucking snooze save for the violent brutal spots. Even when these are 'good' matches the requirement of camera switches to the various parts of the building always feel clumsy. Still, that beat having a shitty butt rock band with a singer in blackface playing a rotten cover of ‘Wild Thing’ for ¾ of the match. Ya know, for looking like a total turd out there, Ibushi bumped like a maniac in two of the best spots – the ridiculous piledriver from Fletcher and Cage’s awesome clothesline off the bike. Yeah, the goodwill is gone, Ibushi needs to get his act together pronto. Poor Big Paul. Ouch! MJF/Jay White promo segment was clearly ‘MID’. Jay badly needs a mouthpiece. He’s not horrible, but he needs the assistance. I’m yet to be convinced Stokely can actually garner any kind of serious heat, but he mmmmight be an option. Not a great go home show, but go home shows have never been this company’s strength. Regardless, nobody needs to be surprised come Saturday when Full Gear feels like the show of the year. This was certainly not a great show, but I had a bit of fun. Thank you Tape Delay!

[Octopus]

2 hours ago, Cobra Commander said:

Brian Cage being the “Ray Traylor as War Machine” (fill-in job guy) for the match was a decision. Let’s have this big Jericho/Omega vs Callis Family blow off and the guy eating the fall isn’t in the Callis Family. In a way, it makes sense. In another way, it’s kinda dumb.

On top of that, a month or so ago it was the feud loudest reaction and it’s not leading to a PPV match. The heat from Takeshita beating Omega and Hobbs beating Jericho and the once Omega can’t win without Callis (which got pitched so he could beat Fletcher so he could lose to MJF) all is swept away or put on back burners for a JeriMega super team put on the line against the Bucks for a return of Elite in-fighting. 

 

[Zakk_Sabbath]

I can certainly understand the POV of those who have not been missing the Elite 'melodrama' lately, but I'm of the opinion that it's warranted - one of the things sorely missing from the show IMO is having that one, overarching angle that everything else branches off of, like in the early days when everything was built around Hangman's eventual coronation. Unless those guys are somehow going to be shoe-horned into the MJF/Cole/BC issue, which is probably the current closest thing we have a 'main' story like Hangman's tale, I think this is actually probably the best use of the Elite.

Wait... is Kenny the devil?

[Cobra Commander]

1 minute ago, Zakk_Sabbath said:

one of the things sorely missing from the show IMO is having that one, overarching angle that everything else branches off

you'd think MJF feuding with 10 different people at the same time could fill that void

[Zakk_Sabbath]

1 minute ago, Cobra Commander said:

you'd think MJF feuding with 10 different people at the same time could fill that void

Oh yeah no argument here, I even said, I think that's the closest thing we've got - the reason I say 'closest thing' is because we're in a holding pattern with Cole's injury - I guess the analogue would be Hangman's paternity leave during that story, where it's just a little bit of wheel spinning to 'buy time.' Then again, maybe that's not entirely accurate, because I am definitely excited to see where we go with MJF and Joe in the interim, though. I still maintain Joe's gonna get a 'thanks for saving Wembley' quickie run.

[worldcupfever]

The Dusty bicycle clip is timeless, but the apology for losing his train of thought at the end is the absolute cherry on top.  Pure comedy genius.

[Raziel]

6 minutes ago, Zakk_Sabbath said:

I can certainly understand the POV of those who have not been missing the Elite 'melodrama' lately, but I'm of the opinion that it's warranted - one of the things sorely missing from the show IMO is having that one, overarching angle that everything else branches off of, like in the early days when everything was built around Hangman's eventual coronation. Unless those guys are somehow going to be shoe-horned into the MJF/Cole/BC issue, which is probably the current closest thing we have a 'main' story like Hangman's tale, I think this is actually probably the best use of the Elite.

Wait... is Kenny the devil?

What's funny, is that given the Bucks/Kenny promo segment last night of Kenny giving the Bucks shit for cheating and Matt flat out saying "Whatever, your biggest successes came when you were a cheating bastard" would be the right kid of subtle setup that "Kenny can't win big matches on his own" that makes him actually being the Devil and being the one to dethrone MJF work.  Even possibly him reuniting with Calis in a "you were right Don, I needed you all along" kinda thing.

 

Of course, it would've worked MUCH better if Kenny lost last night and his team didn't win super clean while having a man disadvantage.  That and if anyone in the promotion did subtle.

[Zakk_Sabbath]

@RazielExcellent call and exactly the sort of thing I had in mind.

Another idea I had while reading your post: you could get away with using Callis in a similar spot even without involvement from Kenny - say the devil were Will Ospreay (if they're able to come to terms IRL).

 

On that note: the wording of this mystery contract signing at FG make me think they want to false flag it as Ospreay, but will end up being Mercedes Monet - I think the scuttlebutt before she got hurt was they were looking to debut her at Revolution which was another CA show at the Chase Center.