AEW - 2019

[Octopus]

I guess I'm missing the point of how them showing up at Indy shows is a bad thing. Everyone said it better than I can, but cater to the fans that got them to where they are now. A casual (we'll name him Tommy) that sees all this viral marketing will probably think it is what it is: viral marketing. Maybe Tommy feels cool like he's one of the gang. Gets pumped up about the flips. 

We constantly see bigger comedians doing open mics to work on material and musicians showing up at smaller shows to advertise a new album. It usually appears they're closer to their fanbase and is not looked down apon. How come wrestling should be different?

Plus, they're not going to get on Conan or anything like that until they're on the same network. Or even any network.

[Thibs]

11 minutes ago, West Newbury Bad Boy said:

But it wasn't like that at all. People were gradually leaving while nuts were still getting strapped to car batteries. 

They had a couple hot stars in the late 90s but they were gone pretty quickly and people just started growing up and moving on. A lot of the edgy garbage stayed in the product for a few years afterward, but it became clear that the secret sauce just wasn't that appealing anymore. The cycle ended. That window closed.  We're the morons who stayed when the party was long over. 

Now give me the business about smark culture or workrate or vanilla midgets or whatever so I can move on. 

The last line in your first paragraph made me LOL. I think there’s a misconception that it was just the edgy stuff. I think it was more of the episodic storytelling along with the edgy stuff. It wasn’t the same in the mid 2000’s, despite the Katie Vick and whatever else. 

2 minutes ago, OctopusCinema said:

I guess I'm missing the point of how them showing up at Indy shows is a bad thing. Everyone said it better than I can, but cater to the fans that got them to where they are now. A casual (we'll name him Tommy) that sees all this viral marketing will probably think it is what it is: viral marketing. Maybe Tommy feels cool like he's one of the gang. Gets pumped up about the flips. 

We constantly see bigger comedians doing open mics to work on material and musicians showing up at smaller shows to advertise a new album. It usually appears they're closer to their fanbase and is not looked down apon. How come wrestling should be different?

Plus, they're not going to get on Conan or anything like that until they're on the same network. Or even any network.

I don’t think its a bad thing and I even understand why they’re doing. Just saying that Cody walking around acting like a big shot in a high school gym is eye roll inducing for me. I appreciate your point though and can see how other people won’t see it that way. 

[SorceressKnight]

I just don't see why it's a problem if the Elite show up at all these indy shows.

Shouldn't we WANT the Elite wrestlers to be leaving no stone unturned in an attempt to find the next big stars in wrestling before the WWE can take notice of them?

If that's the case, The Elite still working at smaller indy shows all around the country in between AEW shows is a great thing, because they're looking EVERYWHERE to find people with AEW potential, all the way from national promotions down to flea markets and VFW halls to find people who might have some potential.

[John from Cincinnati]

2 minutes ago, Thibs said:

 episodic storytelling 

[Brian Fowler]

The fans left when Austin turned heel and Rock left to make movies. They got a slight boost back up and a huge buyrate teasing Austin as a face and the Invasion starting. Then Austin doubled down on the turn and the audiences dropped steadily for years.

[Thibs]

10 minutes ago, Brian Fowler said:

The fans left when Austin turned heel and Rock left to make movies. They got a slight boost back up and a huge buyrate teasing Austin as a face and the Invasion starting. Then Austin doubled down on the turn and the audiences dropped steadily for years.

Invasion angle should have shot them back to 1999-like highs. 

[Brian Fowler]

Just now, Thibs said:

Invasion angle should have shot them back to 1999-like highs. 

Not with Austin as the heel.

[Thibs]

1 minute ago, Brian Fowler said:

Not with Austin as the heel.

Agree. It still amazes me that after that pop he got on the go home show prior to Invasion, where he spent all show contemplating his loyalties at a dive bar, and then showed up and took out the entire Alliance, they still insisted on turning him right back. 

[Thibs]

So Starrcast is indeed a thing and will be happening in conjunction with Double or Nothing.

First name announced for Starrcast.... Sting.

Would be cool if he made an appearance on the PPV as well.

[Brian Fowler]

Does he have a Legends deal?

[Thibs]

Just now, Brian Fowler said:

Does he have a Legends deal?

Not sure.

[Jiji]

9 minutes ago, Thibs said:

So Starrcast is indeed a thing and will be happening in conjecture with Double or Nothing.

First name announced for Starrcast.... Sting.

Would be cool if he made an appearance on the PPV as well.

Is this based on rumours and innuendo?

I kid... and I also make all of the typos/brain farts as well.

[Thibs]

3 minutes ago, Oyaji said:

Is this based on rumours and innuendo?

I kid... and I also make all of the typos/brain farts as well.

Lol thanks. I’m tired and stoned. 

[Casey]

Man that explains so much.

[John from Cincinnati]

It’s a fair typo. Starrcast is basically a conjecture convention. 

[Thibs]

23 minutes ago, Casey said:

Man that explains so much.

[Elsalvajeloco]

3 hours ago, AxB said:

The WCW audience left because the WWE's booking of the InVasion angle was so shit and squashy. And they didn't come back for ROH, or TNA, or any of the money mark start-up promotions. 

But I disagree that Wrestling (meaning WWE) books for the smarks. Most smarks think WWE booking is a load of shite and they just push their favourites regardless of what the fans want.

 

3 hours ago, West Newbury Bad Boy said:

But it wasn't like that at all. People were gradually leaving while nuts were still getting strapped to car batteries. 

They had a couple hot stars in the late 90s but they were gone pretty quickly and people just started growing up and moving on. A lot of the edgy garbage stayed in the product for a few years afterward, but it became clear that the secret sauce just wasn't that appealing anymore. The cycle ended. That window closed.  We're the morons who stayed when the party was long over. 

Now give me the business about smark culture or workrate or vanilla midgets or whatever so I can move on. 

I stayed with WCW til the bitter end, and I don't think the InVasion angle booking convinced me to stop watching (there were plenty of personalities and great workers still around FWIW) because I had a hunch they would screw it up.

Why I stopped watching WWE in 2012 or 2013 cold turkey and probably won't ever start back is I felt WWE hadn't really moved on from that post Russo era where you have long talking segments and repetitive storylines/angles where there was no reason to invest in it. For me, it was stale because they were doing stuff from 1999-2005 with people who were not Mick Foley, Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, and the Rock. You know how desperate we are? Lets drag these dudes back off a movie set or from retirement or rehab or w/e because we can't create stars to save our life. You know how we can be more out of touch? Let's stick it to the fans and somehow out-Russo Vince Russo.

Also, the concussions, a lot of my favorite childhood heroes being dead or near death, a murder-suicide, and one of my favorite wrestlers of all time dying in a Minnesota hotel because his heart exploded from rampant steroid use instead of saying fuck the standards of what wrestlers should look like and being a regular in shape person for his body size. There is no way WWE or any company for that matter can unring those bells.

[Beech27]

The President says they *can* form an alliance, which could be a joke in the way your grade school teacher would respond when you asked if you could go to the bathroom, or it could be news. Who knows? But while I'm speculating, the mix of straightforward wrestling and gonzo/comedy bullshit would seem to fit with what the Bucks/Cody like. (To say nothing of the Kenny connection.)

[BobbyWhioux]

9 hours ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

 

I stayed with WCW til the bitter end, and I don't think the InVasion angle booking convinced me to stop watching (there were plenty of personalities and great workers still around FWIW) because I had a hunch they would screw it up.

Why I stopped watching WWE in 2012 or 2013 cold turkey and probably won't ever start back is I felt WWE hadn't really moved on from that post Russo era where you have long talking segments and repetitive storylines/angles where there was no reason to invest in it. For me, it was stale because they were doing stuff from 1999-2005 with people who were not Mick Foley, Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, and the Rock. You know how desperate we are? Lets drag these dudes back off a movie set or from retirement or rehab or w/e because we can't create stars to save our life. You know how we can be more out of touch? Let's stick it to the fans and somehow out-Russo Vince Russo.

Also, the concussions, a lot of my favorite childhood heroes being dead or near death, a murder-suicide, and one of my favorite wrestlers of all time dying in a Minnesota hotel because his heart exploded from rampant steroid use instead of saying fuck the standards of what wrestlers should look like and being a regular in shape person for his body size. There is no way WWE or any company for that matter can unring those bells.

the fact that the 20 Minute Opening Soliloquy has endured for 20+ years bemuses me even more than the Meddling Heel Authority Figure enduring for 20+ years. 

These guys and gals ain't Ian McKellan.  Stop trying to stage Shakespeare in the Park.

[Thibs]

45 minutes ago, BobbyWhioux said:

the fact that the 20 Minute Opening Soliloquy has endured for 20+ years bemuses me even more than the Meddling Heel Authority Figure enduring for 20+ years. 

These guys and gals ain't Ian McKellan.  Stop trying to stage Shakespeare in the Park.

They try to stage Cirque du Soleil way more than  they do Shakespeare in the Park. 

[S.K.o.S.]

I checked, and this isn't a Photoshop job (i.e. the Instagram comment is really there, and Cody really did recently start following Sasha on Twitter).  Could be nothing, could be something.

[LoneWolf&Subs]

I’ve said it several times already. It’d be the right move by her. She goes to AEW, and she would get exactly what she wants. She wants to be the top star. AEW is the place she need to be for that to happen. At least until Tessa arrives. When that happens one of them will be the #1 heel, or #1 face.

[Dewar]

Imagine the pouty face when she has to job to Brandi.

[LoneWolf&Subs]

5 minutes ago, Dewar said:

Imagine the pouty face when she has to job to Brandi.

That’d be one dumb move by Cody to put his wife in that spot. But we’ve seen that happen several times already in the past, so that’s a real possibility.

[Beech27]

Finally, the perpetual debate cycles of "what is wrestling supposed to be and how can a blank-slate promotion reflect all of our desires?" and "how good is Sasha?" can converge like two intertwined Ouroboros. 

But since I've written dozens of dumb quasi-essays on the former already, I'll just say I think Sasha is very good and would be a massively valuable piece. She's a better promo and way more compelling self-presenter when not scripted (good talker, bad actress), and there will at least be a few gonzo spot-enthusiasts to tell her what not to do, or tell her how to do it best if she insists.