Craig H Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 Part of me wants the Jeopardy GOAT thing to go on forever, like it's keeping Trebek alive. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenalysis Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 1 hour ago, Eivion said: She actually isn't working more than her time in Stardom and we have no idea if she is getting paid less still or not. I actually have no idea why Meltzer thought the former was true. Stardom has quite a few shows a year. EDIT: I am curious though why everyone thinks fantasy booking WWE jumps will somehow fix AEW's women's division. The problems from what I've seen and heard have little to do with the actual talent of the women and more to do with the booking itself. Until that changes new talent coming in won;t do much no matter how good they are. I think the booking has been fine outside of the stuff around Brandi, and Britt not being good enough to get over, which they seem to have handled well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kang Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 (edited) I hope Riho never loses the title. Edited January 9, 2020 by D.Z 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVileOne Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 Good marketing of the show this week by AEW paid off. http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-wednesday-cable-originals-network-finals-1-8-2020.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryArchieGus Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 Sorta surprised to see and hear (WOR) so much negativity surrounding this episode. I took it in over breakfast and very much dug what they had to offer. Page/Omega-PP, Rhodes-Luchas, Jurassix/Besties (Orange Cassidy pop!), and the finale all worked for me. Nightmare Collective running amok was a misfire for sure, but I don't remember a wrestling promotion ever batting a 1000. Is Melanie Cruise a decent worker? If yes, how bout Brandi plays Gedo to Kong's Bad Luck Fale and Cruise can be their Switchblade. I thought Brandi made a mistake suggesting she didn't care about the match, but she was fine on commentary otherwise. Luther is a goofy lacky - not sure why there's so much concern over him. I don't really get Meltzer criticizing Statlander for being green over this clearly overbooked match? I didn't really like that segment, but I also didn't find it offensively bad. Just a misfire. Other than the NC misfire, my only very minor issue was with DDP's lengthy (or what seemed to be lengthy) shilling and then killing Butcher and Blade with cutters so quick. But whatever. Also not the sharpest logic to have MJF calling out Cody moments after he left the ringside area, and then him not coming down (commentary did not help the logic any). Anyway, not their best, but still a good show. They're producing a fun show week to week. The effort is consistently excellent. WIth good faith I trust this company to learn from their mistakes and improve upon them. OH, and great to hear Dave Brown - even if it was brief. Lance Russell is my favorite, or amongst my favorite 3-5 wrestling personalities of all time, and I think because of this I've slightly overlooked the greatness of Weatherman Dave. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 3 hours ago, Eivion said: She actually isn't working more than her time in Stardom and we have no idea if she is getting paid less still or not. I actually have no idea why Meltzer thought the former was true. Stardom has quite a few shows a year. EDIT: I am curious though why everyone thinks fantasy booking WWE jumps will somehow fix AEW's women's division. The problems from what I've seen and heard have little to do with the actual talent of the women and more to do with the booking itself. Until that changes new talent coming in won;t do much no matter how good they are. No one in the Women’s division is an established name besides Kong (who is way past her prime) and the majority of the women are pretty green. Hiring some established WWE women would not only provide the division with some recognizable faces but give the other girls people they could learn from by actually working for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice Guy Eddie Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 4 hours ago, Oyaji said: Twenty-two?! Sid truly was the master and ruler of the world. You want to play 21? Sid has 22. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Dave Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 4 hours ago, paintedbynumbers said: All do respect, yes I do think Janella brings more to the table. I was there live for his match with Omega and it was great. Give him time and a decent opponent and he will deliver. Look at his matches with Lio Rush for further proof. I've known Matt Cross for 15 yrs and yes I'd love to see him on a bigger stage. Tough Enough dropped the ball when they could have had him. “Give a guy a match with one of the five best wrestlers on earth and time and he’ll deliver.” Nah. The dude looks like someone shrunk Jimmy Jam Garvin in the dryer, only without the charisma. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eivion Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 3 minutes ago, Bryan said: No one in the Women’s division is an established name besides Kong (who is way past her prime) and the majority of the women are pretty green. Hiring some established WWE women would not only provide the division with some recognizable faces but give the other girls people they could learn from by actually working for them. The majority of them have 5+ years wrestling. They aren't green. If they really need to help some of the women further train, then maybe they should use one of their regular performers who is known as a trainer (Sakura) to actually help train them. Having recognizable faces is good. I wasn't saying they shouldn't look to find established women to hire. I'm just saying its going to take more than that to get to where people seemingly want things. Its also maybe best to not fantasy book some of them joining up when the chances aren't as likely as people are thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyld Samurai Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 I am head over heels in love with Hikaru Shida... but that said, I think even the NWA has a stronger cast of women's wrestlers as a whole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrKothoga Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 I really don't get why Shida isn't pushed to the moon already and also why WWE didn't sign her when they had the chance. She is a great wrestler, has a great look and speaks english. Plus she play's keyboard, sings, cosplays and she can fix up a cupboard. I can't think of one reason not to push Shida. I like Riho but especially with her gone for what felt like an eternity, why didn't they just give Shida the belt? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxB Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 2 hours ago, West Newbury Bad Boy said: Not sure what Corbin's done wrong. When was the last time you watched a Baron Corbin match, and thought "What a strong performance from Baron Corbin! I can't wait to see his next match, if it's going to be close to being as good as that one!"? Having said that, I'm a British guy who grew up on World of Sport. What I consider to be 'Wrestling fundamentals' is probably a little different to what the WWE thinks (even though Regal and Brookside are there). 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 18 minutes ago, AxB said: When was the last time you watched a Baron Corbin match, and thought "What a strong performance from Baron Corbin! I can't wait to see his next match, if it's going to be close to being as good as that one!"? Probably some of the Gable matches, though I don't watch him every week. Not that fundamentals have anything to do with a strong desire to watch his stuff, at least not the way I define the word. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 1 hour ago, Eivion said: The majority of them have 5+ years wrestling. They aren't green. If they really need to help some of the women further train, then maybe they should use one of their regular performers who is known as a trainer (Sakura) to actually help train them. Having recognizable faces is good. I wasn't saying they shouldn't look to find established women to hire. I'm just saying its going to take more than that to get to where people seemingly want things. Its also maybe best to not fantasy book some of them joining up when the chances aren't as likely as people are thinking. There’s a difference between working auditoriums, and bingo halls on the indies, and in an arena on live tv. Last night, Kris Statlander walking across the ring, so Kong could grab her feet is a prime example. There’s been a lot of telegraphing and a lack of smoothness in the Women’s matches, which to me is an indication of being green. I don’t believe Sakura works full time with AEW and I’m not sure how much English she speaks. They also don’t have a performance center, so the only place they can really make strides is in the ring but the Women’s division doesn’t have a Jericho or Moxley that has gotten over on tv that can help them. They should jump on the chance to bring in an established WWE woman for this reason, imo. Most of the fantasy booking won’t come to fruition but that’s part of the fun of a rival company existing. And it’s exciting when someone does jump ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 Statlander had to walk across the ring so Kong could grab her RIGHT at the ropes, because Kong is so broken down she can't even reach into the ring like a normal spot like that would call for. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuerrillaMonsoon Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 Dark Order sucks because there's so many guys on the roster still establishing their identities, where no-one that matters will join them to make them worth a pinch of shit. Nightmare Collective not only has this issue, but then they end up being paired with no-one else worth a pinch of shit either. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodear Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 Riho vs Statlander Riho has some really bad strikes. Everything she does looks light and soft and like scared she might accidentally make contact. Statlander still does the thing where when she's going to miss something, she REALLY misses it. Riho moved too early on that handstanding legdrop and the moonsault would have barely grazed the champ if she would have stayed in place. Lost in the 'what the heck was the referee doing the whole time' is 'what was Kong looking at so Kris could dive on her?' I don't know fam, this felt so amateur everywhere that it failed everyone. You know who performed well? Britt Goddamned Baker sitting in the crowd making faces. Best Friends vs Jurassic Express I'm glad they didn't bounce Cassidy against Marko here, I don't think that would have worked and I'm not sure why. Chuck Taylor hasn't really impressed me very much so if anyone was going to eat the fall, I'm glad it was him. I don't know that putting this over as Jungle Boy's first win on commentary was a good idea if you're not going to make that a story point during the match. Luchasaurus, JB, Trent and Cassidy al looked good here so 4 out of 6 ain't bad. Rhodes Family vs Lucha Bros Arn is again announced as the coach of the Nightmare Family and no, I'm not dropping it. who is in the Nightmare Family? Is it Cody and the dog? Stop naming shit the same shit. Maybe next Arn can coach the Inner Layer. Anyway, I like Lucha Bros the best when they are using leg kicks and I wish we got that more than spot fest, taunt button luchadores. They were SO CLOSE to a proper hot tag and face fire and Pentagon instead climbed to his own middle rope instead of stopping Dustin. So close. I feel like this was a match burned for no reason personally, I would have saved this for a storyline match. Omega & Page vs Private Party Page continues to dumb down his moveset for the best. More clubber, less flippy and it makes him a lot more entertaining and special in this promotion. This is what I don't get. Page starts off and works a long time and then tags in Kenny and the crowd pops. They're excited. They're primed. They're ready. And Kenny... shushes them. I was stunned. Just ride the pop genius. Good lord his instincts stink. Rest of the match is about what you'd expect. I liked the buckshot V trigger combo. Christopher Daniels v Sammy Guevara Daniels proves that not anyone can be Road Dogg. And he looks out of shape. Match was blech. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuerrillaMonsoon Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 Yeah, Daniels still trying to be a cool babyface has probably hit mid 90's Rock N Roll Express levels. Or 2005 Chris Jericho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Dave Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 8 hours ago, Technico Support said: Picking up Enzo and Cass is a horrible idea. Cass is not a good wrestler and beat up a midget when he was specifically told not to. Enzo is a complete mess and nearly killed himself a few times taking a simple bumps because he's that untalented. Who could they work with in AEW who wouldn't expose them? I know Private Party have room for improvement, but they're worlds ahead of Enzo and Cass, who care so much about getting better at being wrestlers that they're barely taking bookings. Also, "Enzo is a good promo" is a myth. Enzo can spout creative catchphrases. AEW needs something but these guys aren't it. Wouldn't signing Charlotte, who has never known anything except the WWE system and style be a risk? As far as getting people ring time goes, why not throw some money at PWG to get some of the more green talent maybe one match per show there? I don't think the fans there would shit on it and lord knows they're going to need talent to fill out cards. Regardless of how you feel about Enzo the human being, this is objectively untrue. Go back and watch some of the stuff he did on Raw. The President's Day promo, for example. Enzo can talk in a way very few others can. And Cass had a really good match with Mox over the summer, so the ability is there. AEW needs guys who hold people's attention. Enzo and Cass, no matter their personal situations, can do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt925 Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 59 minutes ago, Goodear said: Riho vs Statlander Riho has some really bad strikes. Everything she does looks light and soft and like scared she might accidentally make contact. She really needs to strike harder. At her size it’s not going to hurt that much any way and it would go a long distance in making up for her stature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSmUgly Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 Man, that Nightmare Collective shit is hot garbage. It's so bad that it takes away any joy that I have of seeing Awesome Kong on screen. I hope she gets more acting roles post-GLOW and can do something other than this. Brandi's Michael Cole-ing of the commentary was fucking terrible, like I truly hated it. I was really looking forward to Riho/Statlander, too. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 Pretty sure Kong is a full time Backstage/office worker, so I doubt she’s going anywhere. She’s an agent, so presumably she has health insurance and gets paid decently, etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSmUgly Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 (edited) That's great news, but I don't want to see her out here shuffling through matches unable to move. Re: The rest of this show, I'm of two minds here at this point on AEW. One mind says, hey, ditch this show because it's not very good. On the other hand, they have workers that I like and there is promise there. I'll probably at least keep this on in the background, but they need a hot angle because the wrestling isn't really doing it for me on the weekly shows and the undercard angles are pretty weak. They have very good individual performers; they just need to find a way to get them all together in great angles. Edited January 10, 2020 by Smelly McUgly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 1 hour ago, Casey said: Pretty sure Kong is a full time Backstage/office worker, so I doubt she’s going anywhere. She’s an agent, so presumably she has health insurance and gets paid decently, etc. She's been on multiple seasons of GLOW. She'd already have gotten health insurance through SAG/AFTRA. She's in her early 40s and has needed back surgery for most of the past decade. I've got loads of respect for Kong, and was a big fan of her TNA run, but that was years ago. Let her be a heater and keep her asskicker aura. Let her uraken folks. Do not let her wrestle. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 That's a great number for AEW. So after a few weeks where the case could be made that they were struggling a bit (though still way above TNT projections), they have gotten up close to the million mark where they began outside of the debut episode which did about 1.4 million. They've been able to retain most of their audience, they are doing great in the 18-49 demo and they were able to withstand the main roster influx and promo for NXT. NXT on the other hand is doing solid numbers but it's sad how WWE loyalists are more into main roster dudes appearing than Rhea Ripley and Adam Cole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts