WORLDS END - 12/30/2023

[AxB]

There was that time Impact hyped up a match for "M. Jackson, he's a real Young Buck."  And it turned out to be Action Mike Jackson, aged 70.

(He's still a really good worker though)

[odessasteps]

1 hour ago, Cobra Commander said:

if there's any promotion that would do a worked "our people accidentally emailed the wrong person and revealed information" angle.. it would be Impact/TNA..

but AEW could pay tribute to when TNA accidentally emailed Mike Johnson instead of Mike Tenay by having someone email the devil only to accidentally email a person who shared a first name with the devil

Would Tony sending info to Dave count, since Dave’s on the payroll?

[Craig H]

The mention of a dragon made me think of how hilarious it would be if Super Dragon was the Devil just to come full circle on this being larger PWG.

Or maybe I have that backwards and PWG would run a tournament to determine who gets to be the Devil. But Super Dragon as the Devil and Ex trying to explain who Super Dragon is would be the ultimate in Wrestlecrap.

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

I have been slightly surprised not to have seen some kind of Super Dragon appearance in AEW and doing a Mount Rushmore could maybe work ...but yeah the explanation it would need feels too tedious.

[Gordi the former AEW fan]

7 hours ago, Craig H said:

Oh no…

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/maxwell-jacob-friedman-aew-wrestling

I’m probably wrong, maybe, hopefully, but reading this made me think one thing: TK is the Devil and he’s going to try and make Long Island the new Montreal with the storyline reason being that he couldn’t let MJF take the title into 2024 and potentially leave AEW while still being champion. No need to be forced into a bidding war of 2024 if MJF isn’t champion.

THAT'S your take-away!!?!? Why? Friedman doesn't even MENTION "the bidding war of 2024" in that article. 

(Edit: you still get a thank you trophy for posting the article, though).

 It's a superb article. I am astonished after reading it that I either 100% agreed with or completely understood why he was making EVERY SINGLE POINT that he made. It legit seems to be coming straight from the heart. I like MJF quite a bit more, having read thst. It's a long article, but it is an EXCELLENT read and Friedman makes a TON of excellent points. 

The one that REALLY got me thinking was the bit near the end about "MJF fatigue." 

 Can't speak for anyone else but for me it's certainly not about "the Jewish stuff." (Big hint: take a good look at my face. The nose in particular). I was adopted as an infant by Sotttish-Canadian Presbyterians, so I wasn't raised Jewish. But I met my biological mother when I was in my 30s (she and her family had spent years searching for me) and was warmly welcomed into her big, warm-hearted, eccentric Calgary Jewish family. Still close with them. Only my mother is left from the family that raised me. (And some uncles and cousins in Scotland). And my (adoptive) mom has dementia pretty bad now. So the Calgary Jews are a big part of the family I have left back in Canada. And, yeah, they had ties to the Hart family back in the day. Too bad they didn't find me when I was still a prize fighter! I might have been given an opportunity to become well known. Or, maybe I'm lucky in the sense I am alive and not an addict and my body functions really well for a 58 year old with a very high BMI.

 

Anyway, I DO have a bit of MJF fatigue. But it isn't the Jew stuff. And that article took a hell of a lot of the edge off that fatigue...

 

i think it's two things:

1) MJF is GREAT on the mic when he's being vulnerable. Like, say, that promo where he told Punk how it broke his heart when Punk retired. He's maybe the third best guy in AEW at speaking "from the heart" either honestly or in character. (Bryan and Eddie are better, but it's pretty close). 

And he is clever and witty enough to sometimes make me laugh right out loud or, even better, make me think, "damn, that's a good one" because I am too impressed by the cleverness to laugh.

However, in my opinion, he's the absolute dirt worst when he tries to be edgy. Particularly when he talks about, let's say, getting BJs while driving. 

2) I tend to get REALLY tired REALLY quickly when dudes are in a position to book themselves, and they choose to  book themselves like peak Stone Cold. Hence, my intractable dislike of Jeff Jarrett, who pulled that shit when his daddy had the book. Riding an ambulance back to the arena to heroically overcome impossible odds is not a way to impress this old half-a-Jew. (My biological father was an extra-goyish English poet and a straight up egomaniac. I only met him once. It was once too often). Booking yourself like Stone Cold is, I'm afraid, a way to make me feel a little bit sad and disappointed.

 

So, for what it's worth, that's MY take-away from the genuinely excellent article. 

 

And I am super-stoked to see how the PPV Main Event plays out now. And also I think it's very likely to be a great fight, too. 

Between this and Eddie Kingston Has No Business Being Here (or whatever it was called) The Athletic is THE go-to for top shelf AEW articles. Dang.

Edited December 30, 2023 by Gordi the former AEW fan

[John from Cincinnati]

34 minutes ago, Gordi the former AEW fan said:

THAT'S your take-away!!?!? Why? Friedman doesn't even MENTION "the bidding war of 2024" 

At the onset, he alludes to news about his contract in the coming days. But the article certainly isn’t primarily interested in the issue. 
 

I have a bit of MJF fatigue, but I mostly attribute it to this Devil foolishness and previously the Adam Cole stuff which ran into a problem AEW has where something is funny once so they do it every week and overdo it and run it into the ground. He’s fine, but some of what he’s tasked with is head scratching. And I’m sure some changing of plans (on account of injuries and firings) lead to this, so it’s not all on him. 

[Matt D]

Fightful is about to post something on Mercedes Mone so this is my last chance to get in the pitch that she's the masked man with Holliday and Hammerstone and Wardlow and it's all about her being jealous that her appearance at All In was overshadowed by something as silly as the main event.

(My other pitch has it being Kip Sabian leading to goading Max into a title defense only to have Swerve ambush him on the way to the ring and take the shot. It's amazing how there are just no good possible ideas for this thing)

[DreamBroken]

19 minutes ago, Matt D said:

Fightful is about to post something on Mercedes Mone so this is my last chance to get in the pitch that she's the masked man with Holliday and Hammerstone and Wardlow and it's all about her being jealous that her appearance at All In was overshadowed by something as silly as the main event.

(My other pitch has it being Kip Sabian leading to goading Max into a title defense only to have Swerve ambush him on the way to the ring and take the shot. It's amazing how there are just no good possible ideas for this thing)

@SeanRossSapp
"Mercedes Mone aka Sasha Banks and WWE were recently in talks for a return that fell apart, Fightful Select has learned. WWE sources we spoke to expect her to appear elsewhere imminently. Full story, and a lot more details on Fightful Select for subscribers."

[John from Cincinnati]

Third time’s the charm for TNA landing the big fish for the rebrand. This is the way. 

[Cobra Commander]

27 minutes ago, John from Cincinnati said:

At the onset, he alludes to news about his contract in the coming days.

Wardlow attacking MJF before he's able to "sign" the contract (that he's likely already under) and putting him out of action would be one way to do things

and then act like MJF wouldn't be able to just sign that contract during his time out so that Wardlow can claim that he put MJF out of AEW until MJF comes back whenever to stop the endless spree of boring Wardlow squashes

[odessasteps]

I heard someone say today that they thought WWE should try to sign Sasha since Charlotte will be out for months. Which does beg the question about her own injury status. 

[sabremike]

The devil should be either Cole or Wardlow precisely because it would make perfect sense in the storyline. I hope they don't have something lined up that's just shock value.

[Cobra Commander]

4 minutes ago, sabremike said:

The devil should be either Cole or Wardlow precisely because it would make perfect sense in the storyline. I hope they don't have something lined up that's just shock value.

Wardlow spending weeks openly talking about wanting to beat MJF's ass only to hide under a mask as a ringleader of others to go after MJF would be sort of a shift

if this whole angle is being booked like an assortment of people all aiming to finish off the Blues Brothers, Wardlow should be sort of a lone wolf that ends up aligned with the rest of them

also.. not sure Cole being the devil would make perfect sense but is there anybody that would make perfect sense by now

[Craig H]

Wardlow is overseas and on Dynamite he was in full JAG mode trying to keep Edge and Christian apart.

[Matt D]

MJF's mom makes as much sense as anyone else.

[Kevin Wilson]

Most signs still point to it being Adam Cole, both with on screen hints (Cole encouraging MJF to keep his deal with Joe and some other smaller things) and general wrestling logic. I think if its anyone but Cole I'd consider that the swerve, and hopefully not a Russo "swerve for the sake of having a swerve" which TK generally has avoided doing in AEW's run. Either way it needs to end Saturday, I've generally found it to be fine TV but for better or worse we need a conclusion.

[TheVileOne]

The problem with the devil angle is that it's gone on so long with very little payoff. 

[Octopus]

For me it all depends on the reveal. I haven’t been as into it early until Samoa Joe and Roddy got involved. Recently I’ve found it fun with the interpretation that it’s ending at World’s End. Whoever it is, I hope it’s presented into a way that is exciting and leads to a new era/ storyline I can sink my teeth into.

—

I’m back and forth on Max’s run. A lot of the angles involving him as a face haven’t been for me, but I actually like it as an idea that it’s happening to differentiate it as a whole separate run from everything else. The super friends with Adam Cole was hilarious but could be hit and miss with me, the belt theft by Jay was cool for giving Switchblade the opportunity but I didn’t like the storyline and the payoff was disjointed and unnecessarily divisive for a lot of people, and this Devil stuff has been what it’s been. The All In match with Cole was really not for me, but it was a special moment that really executed the sports entertainment “wrestling is cinema” well. The Jay White match I wrote enough about when it happened as funny and unnecessary. The Joe match will likely use a bunch of smoke and mirrors IF MJF is hurt. The Samoa Joe stuff was great though and Samoa Joe is great. 

I really liked his heel work on the early end though. The short Starks program was really exciting. The Danielson feud was great and his promo work in that was good. The Four Pillars feud was awkward in how it was booked and Jungle Boy’s ability to both not be ready for the big time but be ready to be the singlehanded reason that Punk left was both clearly visible for the time and disgustingly apparent, HOWEVER, Max shined in it. He was also the best possible opponent for Tanahashi at this point in his career. 

It was a run that will be a big part of how we define AEW in 2023. Hopefully the Samoa Joe era is filled with bangers and intense Joe promos. *assuming we get a Joe win. 
 

it’s late and I’m rambling. Hopefully this makes sense. Was super tired and fell asleep early and woke up groggy at midnight. 

[Johnny Sorrow]

5 hours ago, StretchMediatedHypertrophy said:

I have been slightly surprised not to have seen some kind of Super Dragon appearance in AEW and doing a Mount Rushmore could maybe work ...but yeah the explanation it would need feels too tedious.

I'm waiting for my pal TARO to get  the call from TK via Excalibur to join AEW so I can get a toehold in wrestling.

[Casey]

Super Dragon has been to AEW shows when they’re in California, but apparently never asked for a ticket, paid for it himself, and didn’t tell anyone he was there until after it was over. I think the Bucks said that on Swerve’s podcast?

And Super Dragon’s girlfriend has an aggressive form of cancer, which is why PWG has ran very sparingly the last few years and probably a clue as to why he’s never had an appearance in AEW too.

That, plus Dragon being really low key about even being at an AEW event as just himself, kind of makes me think he’s perfectly content running one of the few real “tastemaker” indie promotions left. I mean, the 2010s felt like every person PWG would book would eventually get gobbled up by New Japan, or TNA, or WWE. Meanwhile ROH around that time - especially towards the end - was just trying to be the cool little brother to New Japan and just exist.

[Matt D]

Ok my actual final guesses on this, on the idea that Cole is way too injured after two surgeries..

Kyle O'Riley (with the Kingdom/Roddy - I'd actually make Griff/Cole Karter the ROH tag champs in this scenario and loop in Maria)

or

Britt (Just so weird she's been off TV)

[zendragon]

doesn't Britt still have a messed up back?

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

11 minutes ago, zendragon said:

doesn't Britt still have a messed up back?

THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO BELIEVE, MAAAAAAAN

[Matt D]

9 minutes ago, zendragon said:

doesn't Britt still have a messed up back?

Looks like Khan listed her as injured on the media call yesterday.  I had missed that. Kyle it is then? Bobby Fish has only had one match since September and it was for a random Indy.

[Godfrey]

Stay the course, TK! Jack Perry as The Cure For Locker Room Cancer!