Coletti Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 4 hours ago, HarryArchieGus said: That said, I don't really know Mercedes Mone outside of the NXT Bayley match and some New Japan highlights. So you're equating your own personal unfamiliarity with somebody, to a whole company not advertising them correctly? I can assure you, anybody who's been aware of the former Sasha Banks - which is a very large portion of the US wrestling viewing population - can see the extremely obvious branding for what it is. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RazorbladeKiss87 Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 10 hours ago, The Natural said: Dave Meltzer: Bryan Danielson has said he's looking for matches against Hiromu Takahashi, El Desperado, Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shingo Takagi and Tomohiro Ishii from New Japan. Yes, please. I don't see Yano on this list. I need some epic bullshit encounter. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 5 hours ago, HarryArchieGus said: I'm not disagreeing, but with Punk they had Darby mention in a promo 'the best in the world' which is a pretty direct reference. I get how Big Business could relate to somebody whose changed their popular known name to 'Mone', but that doesn't seem as blatant to me. It also seems like something that could be missed by anybody who isn't aware of her name change. I sense I've missed something else? That said, I don't really know Mercedes Mone outside of the NXT Bayley match and some New Japan highlights. If you want Sasha Banks recommendations, let us know. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuntmanCrowley Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 I look at Sasha the same way I look at the Youg bucks(up until this heel run). I enjoy her matches, but outside of it, she doesn't really do anything for me one way or other. That being said, I'm definitely excited to see her go up against Hayter/Rosa/Stalander/Riho/Shida/Purazzo/Abadon/Hart/Skye Blue. I think her matching up with almost anyone in AEW's women division is exciting. Hayter v Banks though, that's where my top tier interest is. How far away is Hayter from returning? I feel like she's been out a long time. Same with Britt Baker 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryArchieGus Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 2 hours ago, Coletti said: So you're equating your own personal unfamiliarity with somebody, to a whole company not advertising them correctly? I can assure you, anybody who's been aware of the former Sasha Banks - which is a very large portion of the US wrestling viewing population - can see the extremely obvious branding for what it is. Easy, easy, I said I agree with you. I'm also not suggesting anything wasn't done 'correctly'. I was offering my personal unfamiliarity with 'Sasha Banks' or 'Mercedes Mone' to say it's quite possible I missed something blatant. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryArchieGus Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 1 hour ago, The Natural said: If you want Sasha Banks recommendations, let us know. Absolutely! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 5 minutes ago, HarryArchieGus said: Absolutely! I'll get on it now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryArchieGus Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 Natural-ly. ( for the love of @gordi ) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 1 hour ago, The Natural said: If you want Sasha Banks recommendations, let us know. 10 minutes ago, HarryArchieGus said: Absolutely! 4 minutes ago, The Natural said: I'll get on it now. Just now, HarryArchieGus said: Natural-ly. ( for the love of @gordi ) As promised: 10. Mercedes Mone vs. KAIRI. NJPW Battle in the Valley, 18th February 2023. 9. Sasha Banks vs. Asuka. WWE RAW, 29th January 2018. 8. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair. NXT TakeOver: Rival. 7. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch. WWE Hell in a Cell 2019. 6. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley. WWE Hell in a Cell 2020. 5. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch. NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable. 4. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair. WWE RAW, 28th November 2016. 3. Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair. WWE WrestleMania XXXVII. 2. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley. NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. *****. 1. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley. NXT TakeOver: Respect. *****. I honestly think Bayley, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch had their best match ever with Sasha Banks. I've always preferred Banks/Bayley Iron Woman to the Brooklyn match. If you can only watch four of my ten, the top four. Niners Fan in CT is one to ask for best Sasha Banks matches as he's a big fan. Hope this helps! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 Sasha Banks was my 2015 WOTY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coletti Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 41 minutes ago, HarryArchieGus said: Easy, easy, I said I agree with you. I'm also not suggesting anything wasn't done 'correctly'. I was offering my personal unfamiliarity with 'Sasha Banks' or 'Mercedes Mone' to say it's quite possible I missed something blatant. I wasn't trying to come in hot, we're all good. It's just an odd trend on here lately with some people who seem to suggest that AEW are the ones doing a bad job when it's actually the poster who wasn't paying attention. We all view the world through our own lenses, but we shouldn't think that our perception is a blanket fact for the rest of the world. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuntmanCrowley Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 Since we're throwing out recommendations, I am criminally unfamiliar with CMLL as whole. I wouldn't even know where to start with getting myself semi up to speed, is there is a good place to dive in? specific people to check out. I've seen a few names thrown in here with some timeframes, but i would appreciate any and all "hand holding" in regards to getting at least a small working knowledge. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVileOne Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 We will see how Mercedes does in AEW. The key is not the debut. The key is the follow-up. Tony Khan got way too comfortable signing as many former WWE guys as he could so he could say, "Look who we have now!" Only to promptly forget about them or stop booking them for weeks if not months, or guys will fuck off to ROH after a notable win or loss. Not bringing in any of the guys cut by WWE last year was smart, even though the rumor was that people were pushing for AEW to sign Nic Nemeth. Nic Nemeth brings nothing of actual value to AEW right now that they don't have with a dozen other people. Not to mention he's 43. Meanwhile, Nemeth is someone New Japan and TNA can actually use at the moment. Same with Mustafa Ali. AEW's roster is bloated enough as it is and could stand to lose more guys. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinit Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 I think that with the proper promotion and support, Mercedes could be a phenomenal asset for AEW, moreso than alot of/most of the former WWE talent they have signed. I'm really looking forward to seeing if they can capitalize on her fully. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVileOne Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Infinit said: I think that with the proper promotion and support, Mercedes could be a phenomenal asset for AEW, moreso than alot of/most of the former WWE talent they have signed. I'm really looking forward to seeing if they can capitalize on her fully. Same for CM Punk, and look how that turned out. Did the short-term gains with CM Punk outweigh the long-term damage? I think you can make an argument they did. I mean I think with the proper promotion and support Miro could've been a phenomenal asset for AEW, and he does when he was operating on full cylinders as the Redeemer. But he had no idea what to do with Miro after he lost the TNT title. I think a lot of guys have that potential. But they also need that sustained creative push. Edited March 9 by TheVileOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Death From Above Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 I was a huge proponent of Miro to AEW but even I'd admit, it just didn't feel right almost from the start. Sometimes we're wrong. I think AEW needs another charismatic top woman more than it needs another top male star so in this case I can definitely see good things. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVileOne Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 (edited) 1 hour ago, Death From Above said: I was a huge proponent of Miro to AEW but even I'd admit, it just didn't feel right almost from the start. Sometimes we're wrong. I think AEW needs another charismatic top woman more than it needs another top male star so in this case I can definitely see good things. It didn't feel right because they were struggling to figure out what his niche was post-WWE when he couldn't do Rusev Day anymore and there were no fans in the arena. Then they pivoted to the Redeemer and that worked much better for a while. At first, they tried to make him the Best Man and be a cool big guy who likes anime and video games and stuff. Edited March 10 by TheVileOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLowe Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 Mercedes already has a built-in feud with Willow they can start with. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technico Support Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 (edited) 1 hour ago, TheVileOne said: Same for CM Punk, and look how that turned out. Did the short-term gains with CM Punk outweigh the long-term damage? I think you can make an argument they did. I mean I think with the proper promotion and support Miro could've been a phenomenal asset for AEW, and he does when he was operating on full cylinders as the Redeemer. But he had no idea what to do with Miro after he lost the TNT title. I think a lot of guys have that potential. But they also need that sustained creative push. Those are Punk and Miro problems, not AEW problems. You can’t cherry pick two malcontents as your examples of AEW poorly booking former WWE talent. Edited March 9 by Technico Support 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SovietShooter Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 6 hours ago, StuntmanCrowley said: Since we're throwing out recommendations, I am criminally unfamiliar with CMLL as whole. I wouldn't even know where to start with getting myself semi up to speed, is there is a good place to dive in? Most of CMLL's current stuff is behind a paywall. The easiest way to catch up on things would be to go back to the 2023 Gran Prix, and watch the Friday shows from there. To do that you may need to find a fan of the Cubs, and see if they have any of that saved anywhere in a publicly accessible shared drive. *Nudgenudgewinkwink* A quick (very quick) primer... Mistico is the top draw, and Volador Jr is the ace of the company. Both are tecnicos by default, but Volador will work rudo opposite Mistico or when needed. Mascara Dorada 2, Soberano Jr, and Atlantis Jr are being positioned to be the cornerstones of the promotion in the near future. Ultimo Guerrero is the former ace of the company that is starting to slow down a bit, but he is consistently positioned as the top rudo in the company. A lot of things revolve around him. His brother Gran Guerrero is nowhere near as good, but gets a huge push by proxy. Niebla Roja & Angel del Oro, the Chavez Bros, are the CMLL tag champs, and dominate that division. There are a ton of great workers in the upper midcard, like Stuka Jr, Templario, Valiente, Barbaro Cabernario, Titan, Neon, Futuro, Averno, Mephesto, Blue Panther's kids, Guerrero Maya Jr, Rey Cometa... these guys are the life blood of the promotion because they just get thrown out there to have matches. Probably the biggest "angle" over the past couple years has been Rocky Romero periodically showing up to start shit and stir things up. Awhile back he beat Volador for the NWA Middleweight Title, and then Volador took his hair. Over the past year, CMLL has really out a focus on women... in fact they ran an all-women's show last night. A lot of the veteran women are oft injured, so they've really been giving young girls an opportunity. Many are green as grass, but the level of work has stepped up quite a bit. Steph Vaquer is probably the cream of these new girls, but Jarochita and Lady Isis are pretty good too. When Amapola and some of the veteran luchadors can and want to go, they can have some real good matches. 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zendragon Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 Is CMLL no longer considered the old timey promotion compared to AAA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVileOne Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 1 hour ago, Technico Support said: Those are Punk and Miro problems, not AEW problems. You can’t cherry pick two malcontents as your examples of AEW poorly booking former WWE talent. Those are very much AEW problems. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiztor Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 Mercedes will not be as big a deal as she could be as long as AEW sticks to its "one women's match per show" mandate. i hope this is the incentive they need to get rid of the rigidity and be able to mix things up. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SovietShooter Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 2 hours ago, zendragon said: Is CMLL no longer considered the old timey promotion compared to AAA? Yes, they are. They are still very conservative in their presentation and how matches are worked. But CMLL business really went in the shitter during the no-fans covid era, and a number of their top guys (Rush, Dragon Lee, Dinimatas, etc) left the company. CMLL was forced to push their younger talent, and with a recent change in their "programming department", that decision is just paying off in a big way. AAA is the exact opposite... theyve really focused on "guest wrestlers" rather than their full-time talent. They do the wild brawls and cartoonish attitude era presentation. And they're struggling outside of their big Triplemania shows. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuntmanCrowley Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 2 hours ago, TheVileOne said: Those are very much AEW problems. Yeah, I don't think so. My feelings on Punk are well known and not worth rehashing, but he was a malcontent and miserable prick and Miro seemingly doesn't want anything to do with what creative wants to do with him. 2 people are not indicative of an "AEW problem" 2 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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