John from Cincinnati Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 2 minutes ago, Oyaji said: Pillman Jr. in the crowd Thought that was him. He and Harry would be a decent pick-up, but the tag division is already stacked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 (edited) First hour had "fuck you" energy aimed directly at NXT with those first two matches pulling out all of the stops in great sprint fashion. Slowed down in the second hour for sure. PP still putting together the bits between their spots. Some of their spots are still works in progress but there is significant potential with those two. Ortiz/Santana are really good and I do think they should get featured more than they have been (I mean Santana was in a "main event' against Matt Hardy recently) but you can only push so many tag teams at once. Omega and Page aren't long for this world as a team, so that's one less team to worry about on the pecking order. The match kind of fell apart in the last 5 minutes. Edited July 2, 2020 by Oyaji 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice Guy Eddie Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 6 minutes ago, Oyaji said: Pillman Jr. in the crowd and was that Faye Jackson beside Kiss? I thought I saw Pillmancito in the crowd. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caley Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 5 minutes ago, odessasteps said: I’d guess they are better off financially than had they not been there. True but for a team that came in with such pomp in the main event of the first Dynamite, they have done nothing but job since. I cant help but wonder what the perception of them would be right now if they had gone elsewhere. I bet they’d be huge in Japan. In AEW, they went from looking like top guys to not even in the Top 5 teams list, fed to Ambrose to build that title match. I don’t really know where they go in AEW, honestly. Even if they turn face, there’s no way they’d go over Jericho and they’re still at the bottom of the ladder. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caley Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 (edited) I also thought it was kinda crappy that they subtitled Shida’s near perfect English. I will contrast that critique with a plus that I’m glad they re-taped Taz’s voiceover on Cage’s entrance so it sounds less like a WWE2K entrance and now fairly badass. Also thought that was a great asshole promo by Tazz Edited July 2, 2020 by caley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 5 minutes ago, Oyaji said: Omega and Page aren't long for this world as a team, so that's one less team to worry about on the pecking order. My preferences being what they are, I’d free up more space by transitioning Penta and Fenix to mostly singles. But I don’t think that’s in the cards. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 Santana & Ortiz were never going to Japan. They had an offer from WWE they were about to take but AEW came in last minute and they went with that. Now think of what they’d be doing on WWE programming. Playing tennis with the Viking Raiders? Yeah, that’s good shit, pal. 5 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 4 minutes ago, Andy in Kansas said: My preferences being what they are, I’d free up more space by transitioning Penta and Fenix to mostly singles. But I don’t think that’s in the cards. I think further down the road you gotta turn Penta on Fenix and the matches will be nuts. They'd be silly if they don't give us Pentagon vs. Fenix and big singles runs with the both of them. They have a lot of guys that you'd traditionally feature as co-main eventers but not a lot of true main event talents. I hope they start to transition some of those guys into proper main event wrestlers. They kinda almost did with the Pac/Omega feud but I don't think they fully committed to a Pac run, not yet anyway. But, yes, that will be two teams ahead of Santana & Ortiz out of the way leaving them in the mix with FTR and the Bucks long term. As for alternatives, New Japan's tag division is a few steps ahead of WWE's but not that many. I doubt they've hated their year with Jericho and once the Inner Circle breaks up or pushes Jericho out (likelier), you'll probably see them get a renewed bit of steam. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavsFan77 Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 5 minutes ago, Casey said: Santana & Ortiz were never going to Japan. They had an offer from WWE they were about to take but AEW came in last minute and they went with that. Now think of what they’d be doing on WWE programming. Playing tennis with the Viking Raiders? Yeah, that’s good shit, pal. Wait you think they’d be out of NXT by now? Look how long Fish/O’Reilly have been stuck there. I don’t see any way LAX would’ve sniffed the main roster by now (not that they’re not totally deserving of a spot there though). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 I do like that we all quietly agree Impact sucks so much that none of us consider it a viable alternative for them to stay there. They had a great run there, but they couldn’t afford to keep them once it was clear there would be real interest elsewhere. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 Hangmin Adam may be the best "subtle" actor in wrestling. So many small little reactions that I miss on first viewing or just catch like his slightly irritated facial reaction to Kenny's sign-off deal at the end of their interview w/ Dasha. WHO IS NYLA ROSE'S SURPRISE Y'ALL????? (I kid) @Andy in Kansasthey had their run in Impact. Even if it was a more viable promotion, I think they had done all they were going to do there. Time to move on. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Oyaji said: @Andy in Kansasthey had their run in Impact. Even if it was a more viable promotion, I think they had done all they were going to do there. Time to move on. Yes and no. Some promotions are considered destinations and aren’t commonly spoken about in this way. Impact in 2020 is very clearly not a destination. Nobody is looking to stake out a place as a longterm cornerstone of their show. Edited July 2, 2020 by Andy in Kansas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVileOne Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 The opener I think was my favorite match of the night. Luchasaurus is awesome. I say just give him the TNT title right now. I'm all in for Luchasaurus. Delaying Moxley vs. Cage was the right decision. Jericho commentary was on point. I especially liked him calling Arn Anderson "Wilford Brimley." Hager vs. Cody was alright. Finish seemed a bit off, but I guess they probably want to run this back again, or at least want to protect Hager a little bit more. Main event was solid, and hey, I was really pulling for Best Friends. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E. Dynamite Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 (edited) Opener was the best match on the card. This MJF/Jungle Boy chemistry is getting to be so good that I don't want to see it on TV until they're both at a main event level. Shida's going to end up being the other half of everybody's best match of their career. Put her in there with Kenny and see if they don't hit 8 stars. Cody/Hager had some issues with the tweenerness of the interference. I don't mind it by itself but it's not consistent with where the storylines are right now. If there's some big break in the Elite where Adam Page is the babyface, the Bucks are the heels, and whatever Cody's doing is in the middle, that's fine. I think that's where they're going. It just didn't make sense here. Liked the referenced to Piper/Hart WMVIII when the finish revealed itself to be a sleeper counter. Private Party/LAX sucked the life out of me. There isn't an act in AEW I would rather be done with than Private Party. I saw all their spots on the second episode of Dynamite when they upset the Bucks. I have seen no upside or improvement since. They are botch machines. The content they provided for BTE over the past 2 months was so amateur and incomprehensible that I believe they have no idea how to tell a story in any capacity. They have terrible diction and negative microphone charisma. I find no joy in typing this, it just is what it is. Santana and Ortiz need a serious apology push within the next year. Who could have guessed that having Taz, all-time great tough-guy promo, would be able to produce must-see promos every week? Who could have guessed that Brian Cage, who has every upside in the world but mic skills, could benefit? This double act smells like main event stuff to me. I don't need to tell you that the bit with Trent's mom was money. Page & Omega/Best Friends has the potential to tear a roof or two down, but it was always going to have a ***1/2 ceiling without a live crowd biting on Best Friends nearfalls. I don't' know if FTR read as a big deal to any casual fans yet, they need to have one stupidly good match on a PPV level first, and I'd like to see that happen before their inevitable title win. Obviously there's a stable situation brewing with them as long as Arn's in the company. Hopefully that gets progressed with next week's clusterfuck tag match, which should really go on last and be a Meltzerian high spot fantasia Main Event ala PWG in 201X. Edited July 2, 2020 by John E. Dynamite 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MavsFan77 Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 6 minutes ago, Andy in Kansas said: Yes and no. Some promotions are considered destinations and aren’t commonly spoken about in this way. Impact in 2020 is very clearly not a destination. Nobody is looking to stake out a place as a longterm cornerstone of their show. I know they’re both older, and one has baggage too but Eddie Edwards and Moose both have staked out places as long term cornerstones of Impact, and seem to be quite happy in their roles. Actually both of The North seem to want to fill similar roles too. So it’s not a totally undesirable place to work either. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 2 minutes ago, TheVileOne said: The opener I think was my favorite match of the night. Luchasaurus is awesome. I say just give him the TNT title right now. I'm all in for Luchasaurus. I’m not a big fan, but a friend texted me from a bar asking who the masked guy with tattoos in AEW is. He’s got something with his look. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 (edited) Yeah, that clusterfuck tag should be the All In main event spot (with actual time) following Jericho/Orange but it won't be. Not the end of the world. That Best Friends entrance is my favourite thing in wrestling. I love both of those guys to bits, even if everything in my body is telling me not to after the past two weeks, but I can't help it. Edited July 2, 2020 by Oyaji 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 3 minutes ago, MavsFan77 said: I know they’re both older, and one has baggage too but Eddie Edwards and Moose both have staked out places as long term cornerstones of Impact, and seem to be quite happy in their roles. Actually both of The North seem to want to fill similar roles too. So it’s not a totally undesirable place to work either. Fair play on Eddie Edwards. But I’ve got The North pegged as an act that’s too good to be ignored once they’re free to make a move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Conn Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 8 hours ago, Curt McGirt said: 1. If it really was Aja Kong, which it won't be, we would all collectively become turgid (what a word for an erection... using that one is new to me) 2. I want David Flair in AEW now, just to get beat up by Cage and Archer EDIT: Hey David Flair is a cop these days. Now I want him to get beat up even more. Officer Fliehr. Be a good jobber name, dress a guy up like Arquette at the end of Ready to Rumble put him on Dark 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 Main event was great. That Crunchy into the pin just before the end was a beautiful nearfall. One of the better Best Friends matches I've seen and their best in AEW despite no crowd. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 Dude David Arquette is still wrestling, just slot him in there. It just struck me that Luchasaurus wrestles like a slow-motion Rob Van Dam. That is not a compliment. Jake cracking up over Janela not being able to get his shirt off is priceless. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Death From Above Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 Luchasaurus reminds me of John Kronus, but he knows how to actually not kick people in the face so that's nice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Townsend Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 6 minutes ago, Curt McGirt said: It just struck me that Luchasaurus wrestles like a slow-motion Rob Van Dam. That is not a compliment. . Last time I saw him, RVD was wrestling like a slo-motion RVD. Private Party is my least favorite tag team in a while. I'd cut and paste everything John E. Dynamite said above, but he probably likes them more than I do. I kinda like the gimmick, but nothing about these two's look or charisma makes me think they could get into a private party that wasn't on a porn set or in a public bathroom. And as much as I like a good indie spotfest, I'm not much for the overly choreographed stuff PP does. Ballet is less rehearsed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVA Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 SHIDA just continues to over-deliver. Embracing her inner Nakamura is working for her. She could’ve given Penelope less, but it was fine. Given the state of the division, Penelope probably needed the rub of having a “great” match and being competitive more than Shida needed to look dominant. She still very much looked like the boss in there. Penelope could be real good, too, if she keeps developing. Just needs to keep tightening things up between the flashy bits. No idea who’s next for Shida with Statlander and Britt out. Hopefully not a run back of Nyla just yet. Maybe Nyla’s mystery opponent next week scores the win and gets hotshotted into the next title shot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVileOne Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Andy in Kansas said: I’m not a big fan, but a friend texted me from a bar asking who the masked guy with tattoos in AEW is. He’s got something with his look. It's money man. They got to exploit this. Yeah Pillman was there. Not sure if he's going to do some AEW shows or if he was just there as a guest. Edited July 2, 2020 by TheVileOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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