AEW Dynamite - 1/8/2020

[Technico Support]

7 hours ago, Ace said:

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.

 

 

 

I'd just have her work backstage.  Why have a heater when you can't have a payoff?  Big Bubba and Diesel eventually had to get in the ring.

 

6 hours ago, Niners Fan in CT said:

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. 

 

It definitely speaks to something someone here posted a while back.  They asked a casual viewer friend if they would watch NXT and they replied something to the effect of, "no, I don't care about the minor leagues."

 

10 hours 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. 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.

 

 

Holy shit yes, that handstand legdrop.  The show took place on Wednesday and Riho appeared to have dodged the move on Tuesday.

Britt's look of pure disdain is tremendous.  Great role for her.

Edited January 10, 2020 by Technico Support

[paintedbynumbers]

SCU is a team that would probably function better as a heel. Their whole schtick  is campy and overplayed. Daniels at his age trying to act cool isn't working and he is 100X better as a heel.  

Brit's not impressed face> Mackayla Moroney's

Arn will end up turning on the Rhodes sooner than later I hope so we can end that angle. 

Really looking forward to Darby-Pac  but I can't see either taking the loss. 

DDP wrestling in 2020-  why?

I saw the tweets to Tony Khan about fixing the women's division and honestly I don't know who he can bring in as free agents. People want established workers and I sincerely hope this doesn't mean he courts Angelina and Velvet to come into AEW.  

Big no to Enzo and Cass.  I would put the $$$ out to Lance Archer before Cass, and Enzo isn't needed when you already have MJF doing a great job and you don't have to put him on a leash.

I would however look into more tag teams.  Matt Cross and Josh Prohibition would be a good start.   Butcher and the Blade are a good team but haven't had the chance to show their worth yet in AEW.  I think people will come around to them once they are seen as more than jobbers.

Tony has been the MVP of the booth.  JR is always hit or miss. I wouldn't mind them bringing in a guest commentator each week to work with Excaliber and Tony once JR decides to call it quits.        

[MORELOCK]

JR is in that chair until he dies or is physically unable to show up to events. What does he have to retire to? He chokes up talking about his dead wife on almost every podcast.

[paintedbynumbers]

51 minutes ago, MORELOCK said:

JR is in that chair until he dies or is physically unable to show up to events. What does he have to retire to? He chokes up talking about his dead wife on almost every podcast.

he tweeted out that he got some blue chew and was going to have a great night the other day. Maybe he found someone else? Although I felt horrible hearing of Jan's death. He always mentioned and spoke so highly of her. It's obvious it had a huge effect on him. 

[Bryan]

2 hours ago, paintedbynumbers said:

SCU is a team that would probably function better as a heel. Their whole schtick  is campy and overplayed. Daniels at his age trying to act cool isn't working and he is 100X better as a heel.  

Brit's not impressed face> Mackayla Moroney's

Arn will end up turning on the Rhodes sooner than later I hope so we can end that angle. 

Really looking forward to Darby-Pac  but I can't see either taking the loss. 

DDP wrestling in 2020-  why?

I saw the tweets to Tony Khan about fixing the women's division and honestly I don't know who he can bring in as free agents. People want established workers and I sincerely hope this doesn't mean he courts Angelina and Velvet to come into AEW.  

Big no to Enzo and Cass.  I would put the $$$ out to Lance Archer before Cass, and Enzo isn't needed when you already have MJF doing a great job and you don't have to put him on a leash.

I would however look into more tag teams.  Matt Cross and Josh Prohibition would be a good start.   Butcher and the Blade are a good team but haven't had the chance to show their worth yet in AEW.  I think people will come around to them once they are seen as more than jobbers.

Tony has been the MVP of the booth.  JR is always hit or miss. I wouldn't mind them bringing in a guest commentator each week to work with Excaliber and Tony once JR decides to call it quits.        

I really don’t think they need to worry about the tag division, it’s probably their strongest division. If the Revival wants to jump, sure. But I think they should focus on the weaker parts  of the roster.

JR is great and should remain the announcer as long as he wants. I don’t understand the enmity of some fans. Every time he makes a mistake, people attack him on Twitter. It’s ridiculous since every announcer will make errors while calling live action. It’s a shame it appeared to be getting to him too.

 

[Technico Support]

JR's doing better, I like Tony's deal of being so enthusiastic about what these kids are doing, and Excalibur is my favorite announcer.  But the three man booth is sometimes pretty bad because Tony and JR, as contemporaries and friends, tend to get sidetracked.  They take up all the commentary time and it starts to sound like a podcast instead of guys calling an actual sporting event that is happening in front of them.  If it simply must be a three man booth, I liked Excalibur, JR, and Taz better.

[SirSmUgly]

@Ace's post just made me realize that the amount of time between Awesome Kong killing Gail Kim and Taylor Wilde on TNA television and now is the same as the amount of time between Bret Hart and John Cena's first WWF/E title wins, which, uh, I've got to go lie down now. 

[Hagan]

I'm sure these thoughts have been chimed in but I will never understand how Cody and Brandi gave up what was a perfect act that made them both come across like the biggest stars in the world so she could do a DOA goth gimmick.

Arn with Cody is kind of fine but babyface managers don't really work, it historically seems off because Arn by law wants to destroy every Rhodes he sees and it gives off a little bit of an HBK/Jose Lothario vibe. 

As has been said by all, Brandi on commentary was the worst thing this company has ever done and is probably as bad as anything Raw did in 2019. 

[HarryArchieGus]

1 hour ago, Hagan said:

I'm sure these thoughts have been chimed in but I will never understand how Cody and Brandi gave up what was a perfect act that made them both come across like the biggest stars in the world so she could do a DOA goth gimmick.

Arn with Cody is kind of fine but babyface managers don't really work, it historically seems off because Arn by law wants to destroy every Rhodes he sees and it gives off a little bit of an HBK/Jose Lothario vibe. 

As has been said by all, Brandi on commentary was the worst thing this company has ever done and is probably as bad as anything Raw did in 2019. 

Lothario was a forgettable sideman.  Arn is redefining the modern role of the manager as coach.  I absolutely loved the call for the knees against Darby.

I agree that Brandi was a fantastic valet and I too wish she’d stayed in the role.  I do think the board contributors overlook her heel valet work in New Japan.  She was a fantastic heel valet as well as a babyface.  

She has ambition to do other things.  It isn’t working very well but I feel no reason to fault her for giving something new a try.  Let’s have some patience and see how they all respond to the misfire.  Further her commentary was completely fine.  Kinda funny even. I didn’t like the bored act at the start, but calling that passing commentary join as worse than anything on Raw sounds like a gross overstatement.  That said, I haven’t seen an episode of Raw in 15 or so years.  

Edited January 10, 2020 by HarryArchieGus

[GuerrillaMonsoon]

I hope they just drop the Nightmare Collective and Welfare Queen shows up without explanation.

[Hagan]

Yeah, I may have veered into a bit of hyperbole but you know what her commentary reminded me of - Bischoff on 1/4/99 (Fingerpoke night). I hate that disaffected heel burying the shit out of everything commentary. 

[BEN!]

On 1/9/2020 at 9:03 AM, RolandTHTG said:

Years of Ben booking has me convinced the Dark Order is going to be led by Colonel Parker.

I did pitch The Stable Of Studology to TNA.  Reverend Robert Fuller and Dr. James Golden teaching losers how to become studs by purchasing Dr. Jimmy's Golden Elixir to nourish their body and the Reverend's teachings to nourish their minds and souls.  They'd debut with a black gospel choir and Fuller banging a tambourine and telling the people to stand up and clap for the Reverend one time if they feel good.  Clap two times for the Reverend if you want to feel good.  Stand up straight, boy.  Suck in your gut.  Keep sucking, fella.  Puff out your chest and act like somebody.  Some of you pathetic excuses for men look like the only place you got to take a date is up to your clock tower.  I got up one morning and looked in the mirror and thanked the good lord for giving me so much.  Tall as a tree, strong as an ox, fast as a stallion, and as handsome and debonair as can be.  And then I look out at the masses and wonder why the lord has forsaken so many of you.  So I've turned over a new leaf.  No longer are The Stud Stable a bunch of hell-raising ruffians.  From now on we're devoting our lives to helping you sad sacks help yourself.  So please, empty out those pockets and donate to the Stable and begin your journey to becoming a real man, baby!

Then Eric Young on a losing streak buys in despite ODB's protestations.  The Reverend takes his money and the Stable start helping him win matches.  Then after a few months, EY runs out of money so the Stable lays him out and tosses him out into the street.  ODB tries to help him up but he pushes her away and wanders off into the night.  [INSERT Lonely Hulk music]  The morning comes and we see EY digging through the trash where he finds an old donut but before he can take a bite, a hand snatches it away.  It is Cody Deaner who appears to have fallen on hard times since getting dumped by ODB.  He tells EY that he's in the wrong territory and if he wants to eat he has to fight.  EY asks him , "You and what army?"  EY is suddenly surrounded by hobos.  An army of hobos.  THE HOBO ARMY!  They glom him and Deaner tells them to take EY to the queen.  We see an old toilet sitting in an alley.  A tall, skinny yak wearing an old bathrobe and a crown made of tin foil sits upon it.  It's CLAIRE LYNCH!  She raises a toilet plunger and declares that EY is trespassing in Hobo Army territory and if he bests her general Cody Deaner then he can sit beside her as the Hobo King.  EY and Deaner do hobo combat in a dumpster match and EY dumps Deaner in the dumpster to become Hobo King.  Now more crazed than ever, Hobo King Eric Young declares that the Hobo Army is expanding their territory into the Impact Zone!

ODB continues searching the streets, under bridges, and hanging up posters looking for Eric Young.  She encounters the returning Pope D'Angelo Dinero who tells her that the streets are talking and it's bad news for TNA, daddy.  The Hobo Army invades the Impact Zone.  ODB and Pope try to reason with EY.  Young screams that Pope's got lust in his eyes for ODB and tries to take Pope's eye out which leads to a blindfold match between the two.  Jeff Jarrett would return to tell Fuller to cut the Studology crap and give EY his money back and the Stud Stable would revert to their old hell-raising roughhousing ways and lay him out leading to a feud with Jarrett/Angle/Sting vs. The Stud Stable where if the Stable won, Karen Jarrett would become Fuller's maid for a month but if the faces won then Fuller would become Jarrett's butler for a month.  The faces win and we'd get vignettes of Fuller having to deal with Karen and Jarrett's Brady Bunch-ass gaggle of kids until Bunkhouse Buck on a jetski leads a Stud Stable rescue mission outside the Jarrett's house.

In conclusion, The Dark Order is too lame for Robert Fuller.

[Dewar]

We all need some of HAG's AEW Kool-Aid. I'm thinking it's just vodka and the powder mixed together.

[HarryArchieGus]

7 hours ago, Dewar said:

We all need some of HAG's AEW Kool-Aid. I'm thinking it's just vodka and the powder mixed together.

Ha, it's simply thankfulness for a wrestling promotion that does so many things right.  And further patience and understanding to a group that hasn't even had six months under their belt doing tv.  I started a new job in July and feel pretty good about my work, but I'm like everybody - prone to mistakes and still learning - maybe that's where the understanding comes from.  Further, as I said previous, I've never known a wrestling promotion to bat a 1000.  I expect mistakes, blunders, miscues.  The amount does not exceed my expectations, it's much less.  Thankfulness and empathy for a promotion that gives an ear to their audience and produces a fun show week to week.  That's my kool aid.  And maybe a little bit of the bud-ly.  

Edited January 11, 2020 by HarryArchieGus

[John from Cincinnati]

*looks 18 months into the future with crystal ball*

Quote

Ha, it's simply thankfulness for a wrestling promotion that does so many things right.  And further patience and understanding to a group that hasn't even had two years under their belt doing tv.  

 

Edited January 11, 2020 by West Newbury Bad Boy

[Jiji]

They have made a lot of adjustments after failing and listening to the audience. They've also had two of their worst shows in the last three episodes.

[caley]

3 hours ago, HarryArchieGus said:

Lothario was a forgettable sideman.  Arn is redefining the modern role of the manager as coach.  I absolutely loved the call for the knees against Darby.

 

I dunno.  Everyone praised the knees moment because AEW absolutely showcased it, discussed it, and showed a replay of it.  Prior to that, though, Arn just kind of wandered around, didn't really react to what was going on, didn't look concerned when Cody was in trouble.  Maybe he was so focused on hitting his big spot that he didn't really get into the match, or had some nerves being back on TV for so long, so I'll give him time to grow into the role.

But as for redefining the role, he's not Zelina Vega.  There is a manager who accentuates everything about the match she's involved in, whether it be reacting to Andrade's offence, fearing for her charge when he's getting hit with moves, calling out the referee for "slow-counts", reacting in disbelief at near-falls, or celebrating victories.  I think she's the best manager in a long, long time.

Edited January 11, 2020 by caley

[Bryan]

1 hour ago, Oyaji said:

They have made a lot of adjustments after failing and listening to the audience. They've also had two of their worst shows in the last three episodes.

They also had their best show in that timeframe.

[Krone]

I think the problem with AEW right now is just a litany of just small issues that are easily correctable. Whether the announcers sound too quiet, the entrance music is too loud, maybe missing a certain spot on the feed - those are things that you'd have to imagine would get squared away at some point.

One small thing that bothers me is the fact that all of the backstage interviews, angles ect. look pretaped. I don't know why they have that certain look to them, but if they are pre-tapes I'd like to see them switch over to live sooner rather than later. The in-ring action is there, but I think some of the angles need a little more meat to them akin to a time when stories would be told over the course of the night throughout multiple segments.

[Ziggy]

10 hours ago, Technico Support said:

JR's doing better, I like Tony's deal of being so enthusiastic about what these kids are doing, and Excalibur is my favorite announcer.  But the three man booth is sometimes pretty bad because Tony and JR, as contemporaries and friends, tend to get sidetracked.  They take up all the commentary time and it starts to sound like a podcast instead of guys calling an actual sporting event that is happening in front of them.  If it simply must be a three man booth, I liked Excalibur, JR, and Taz better.

I think being away from Wrestling for so long helped Tony, He know he wasn't really feeling WCW those last few years on top of him doing office work for them. He been away for long enough that he's rediscovered his excitement for Wrestling. Honestly I wish JR was allowed himself just a couple of years away from Wrestling after he was let go  sfrom WWE in 09. Wrestling fans give people like JR and Cornette a hard time for their old school Wrestling philosophies, I dont understand that. JR obviously still loves the business and he's willing to give his input. Even in that regard that's an asset to their lockeroom

[Nice Guy Eddie]

44 minutes ago, Ziggy said:

I think being away from Wrestling for so long helped Tony, He know he wasn't really feeling WCW those last few years on top of him doing office work for them. He been away for long enough that he's rediscovered his excitement for Wrestling. Honestly I wish JR was allowed himself just a couple of years away from Wrestling after he was let go  sfrom WWE in 09. Wrestling fans give people like JR and Cornette a hard time for their old school Wrestling philosophies, I dont understand that. JR obviously still loves the business and he's willing to give his input. Even in that regard that's an asset to their lockeroom

I'll gladly take this version of JR over New Japan JR. At least he sounds like he's into what he's calling in AEW.

I love Tony's enthusiasm for the product. It's easy to be excited for what you're watching when the announcers calling it are into it.

Edited January 11, 2020 by Nice Guy Eddie

[MORELOCK]

6 hours ago, HarryArchieGus said:

Arn is redefining the modern role of the manager as coach.

Being positive about the product is fine, but this is ridiculous. 

[elizium]

Especially since John Tolos had that on lock.

[Niners Fan in CT]

I think Brandi broke away from Cody because she simply wanted to do her own thing. I don't think it's anything more than that.  Agreed that her and Cody together are awesome but Brandi might have viewed being a valet as boring or putting a cap on what she can do as a performer. 

I'm all for Brandi going out on her own and creating her own wave but this Nightmare Collective thing is not off to a great start.  

AEW NEEDS to stop debuting people who less than 5% of the audience knows and having Ex yelling "OH..that's THIS guy..!"  You would have thought they'd learn from the Butcher & Blade thing. 

[Brian Fowler]

That's Excalibur's role. He's the guy that knows modern wrestling, indie wrestling, etc. Similar to Mike Tenay in the early days of Nitro being the guy that knew the luchadors and Joshis.