AEW Scouting Report

[Goodear]

On 11/29/2020 at 7:14 PM, Goodear said:

Brian Cage

Cage's "squash" match on Dark this week is a pretty clear indicator that Cage doesn't get it. The other guy took most of the match and even hit a destroyer at one point. They clearly lost focus on trying to get Cage over and instead tried to have a good match. That should not have been the goal unless they're going to be signing Danny Limelight as their hot new thing. It's one thing for them to have a similar back-and-forth match with Cutler the week prior as Cutler's a underneath babyface who can lose theoretically every time out but the big heel who is supposed to be a threat to the main event shouldn't be having the same back-and-forth.

Sneak Preview: Will Hobbs is a wrestling genius.

[For Great Justice]

Doesn’t help when Wardlow is the best squash guy since Big Daddy V and outclasses Cage in this sort of thing in every way. 

[Craig H]

They don't need Cage. Let Cage go to WWE or something. I normally think guys should learn to cut promos on their own, but I just never see Cage figuring that part out. He would be better off having someone write a script for him.

[Goodear]

Dax Harwood

This will be really short since we can pretty much copy and paste Dash's profile.

He's a good to great tag wrestler who would do better making people wrestle his style than trying to do AEW matches.

I don't like the new name and wish he'd go back to the handlebar mustache instead of the generic stubble. The handlebar was kind of his thing and framed his face. The stubble doesn't do anything for him.

[Goodear]

Dustin Rhodes

Dustin is a legend and an all time great both as a character and a wrestler. I think he'd be better positioned as a face gatekeeper than being stuck in a team with QT Marshall since there is such a glut of tag teams in AEW. I think he'd be more valuable working singles and place setting people for Cody and Moxley feuds as they come up the card. He can also provide valuable ring time for younger guys as they find their footing. Dustin is a guy who has only so many years left and I get that's he's ageless and everything but I would want him to be doing stuff with meaning rather than forgettable tag matches. Having him be Cody's regular tag partner would also be a great role for him as that squad can reasonably beat anyone on the roster. I would like to see him drop some of the destroyer moves as we have now established anyone can do one. Dustin has so many things he does well, he doesn't need to do stuff he's iffy on.

I wish either him or Darby owned the half face paint thing or one went horizonal instead of vertical. No one is going to confuse the two obviously but I'm a stickler for details like that.

[AxB]

1 hour ago, Goodear said:

Cage's "squash" match on Dark this week is a pretty clear indicator that Cage doesn't get it. The other guy took most of the match and even hit a destroyer at one point. They clearly lost focus on trying to get Cage over and instead tried to have a good match. That should not have been the goal unless they're going to be signing Danny Limelight as their hot new thing. It's one thing for them to have a similar back-and-forth match with Cutler the week prior as Cutler's a underneath babyface who can lose theoretically every time out but the big heel who is supposed to be a threat to the main event shouldn't be having the same back-and-forth.

Sneak Preview: Will Hobbs is a wrestling genius.

Cage's whole Mr GMSI thing means he always feels the need to not only get his own shit in, but also let his opponent get their shit in as well. It's just how he works. In his Impact days, Don Callis used to sell it as Cage let's opponents do moves to him as a psychological ploy to prove they can't hurt him. 

[NikoBaltimore]

I remember that and while I didn't care for it I at least saw what they were going for.  But there's been no mention of that in Cage's matches so while we may know that most people just see a big oaf that can't squash fools like the other big men.

[Curt McGirt]

If you haven't seen the Evolve episode of The Wrestlers, Darby is exactly like he seems. 

Doing the half-face paint horizontal sounds completely laughable to me

[zendragon]

Brian Cage  is the epitome of the move spamming/getting your shit it (and I don't completely dislike him, I just wish he'd work differently)  style of modern wrestling.

Going back to the physique talk, Jericho's giant gut kinda works for him as part of his character as he's this past his, prime, delusional, rock star. Maybe the inner circle can find him dead on a toliet seat.

I can see Darby being hugely over with the female audience once crowds return. Similar to how Jeff was over with girls. I could also see Sammy getting turned face by women.  

[John from Cincinnati]

7 hours ago, Craig H said:

I remember thinking that when he did that Coffin Drop to the ring apron around a year ago or so. It was sickening. He just went splat. 

[Goodear]

2 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

If you haven't seen the Evolve episode of The Wrestlers, Darby is exactly like he seems. 

Doing the half-face paint horizontal sounds completely laughable to me

This is kind of what I was thinking if it helps visualize it.

 

[John from Cincinnati]

9 hours ago, Craig H said:

Anyway, this is all starting to remind me of the fucking dumb debate over HHH calling Punk skinny fat and whether if that was a flub by HHH and whether Punk was in good shape (he was). 

It wasn't. Based on the way JR's recounted Hunter talking about Punk ("he's got a soft ass" or something to that effect), I'd say it's very clear Hunter meant it as said. 

Edited December 10, 2020 by Andy in Kansas

[LoneWolf&Subs]

It’s crazy to think about, but I have a feeling Darby will do the Sting ripcord entrance. Darby’s crazy enough to convince management to allow him the honor. He’ll probably sub the bat, with the skateboard, and he’ll probably toss Sting a backup bat during the save. Save it for an arena to do it, and not do it on Owen’s death anniversary.

Cage legit is struggling in the role they put him in. Explains why they’ve been alluding that Hobbs will get the FTW strap from Taz.

Edited December 10, 2020 by LoneWolf&Subs

[Just Dave]

On 12/7/2020 at 3:52 PM, Goodear said:

Chuck Taylor 

Taylor is a bit of a hot topic (okay not really) in terms of people having differing views on his skillset. I'm personally of the opinion that Chuck has the ability to do some moves and some moves I actually like, but is kind of a mishmash of different characteristics that don't congeal.  Let's start with our gimmick that Chuck and Trent are best friends. What does this tell us about them? I would assume that it means that they have a high level of affection for each other and that they would have a high degree of chemistry. In the 80's-90's this would be a heel gimmick as they high five and hug and stooge. But we aren't in those times anymore so it means they hug once a match and the camera zooms out. I would think The Best Friends would be a bit of a fun team but Trent actually wrestles like the angriest man alive and Chuck wrestles like a guy and Orange Cassidy if you count him, acts like he doesn't care. Now people like this can BE best friends obviously. But I'm left wondering why they are best friends because they've been best friends this whole time and I don't know they ever established it. So we are being told and not shown and that's writing 101.

Chuck's look is somewhat controversial so let's put our cards on the table here. Chuck is "out of shape" in a way that doesn't help his character or presentation despite him not being obese or something. Someone like The Sandman being more out of shape does not matter because being a drunken lout is his character. Chuck's character has no such out so him being chubby is more of a problem for his presentation. Overall, Chuck looks like he should be managing a Best Buy and while that could be a character, it's not his.

Moveset is almost jarringly devastating with several piledriver variations for a character who doesn't seem that devastating. Eat Defeat makes sense for me for a babyface midcarder. The Awful Waffle which is a "holy shit, he's dead" move with a silly name that is like giving a hand grenade to a grade schooler. Yes, I made the hand grenade reference on purpose. 

 

 

FWIW, "Awful Waffle" is a REALLY obscure late 80's early 90's Nickelodeon reference...

[John from Cincinnati]

16 minutes ago, just drew said:

FWIW, "Awful Waffle" is a REALLY obscure late 80's early 90's Nickelodeon reference...

So it's like he's still a grade schooler. 

[Curt McGirt]

@Goodear Okay, that's a little better looking than what I had in mind. The other way around would be pretty silly though.

[J.T.]

49 minutes ago, Andy in Kansas said:

So it's like he's still a grade schooler. 

He still rides in his best friend's mom's minivan, but his tights are an advertisement for a brand of bourbon.

Edited December 10, 2020 by J.T.

[LoneWolf&Subs]

1 hour ago, Andy in Kansas said:

So it's like he's still a grade schooler. 

Somebody get me the syrup, and tennis racket. Gotta teach a person a lesson.

Edited December 10, 2020 by LoneWolf&Subs

[Just Dave]

2 minutes ago, LoneWolf&Subs said:

Somebody get me the syrup, and tennis racket. Gotta teach a person a lesson.

One of the many things I learned at Camp Anawanna...

[Goodear]

Eddie Kingston

Eddie has a similar positive to Darby Allin as both are very believable despite being nothing alike. Kingston has an authenticity about him that is hard to replicate or teach. Unlike Darby he looks like someone you could see on any street or in any bar, but don't want to. I spoke about his aura of physical menace in a previous post and that still holds true despite his smaller role on the show not in the main event. He's threatening and there is so much mileage you can get from that if you put him in a position of power. I'm not sure it works so well being matched up with someone huge like Archer. He'd be great as a crucible for a young face like Jungle Boy to have to survive.

It says something about Kingston's talents that he seems very well liked by the AEW audience despite having a minimalist move list. It fits his character that he doesn't do anything fancier than a knee to the stomach. If anyone should just be a brawler, it's Kingston.

Unlike some of the factions in AEW that seem superfluous, I think Eddie having heavies is a good idea to minimize his ring time. Him wrestling should almost be an event even as a upper midcard heel. Orchestrating events and only stepping in when its time to wreck someone or he has an overwhelming advantage is what I would do with him. I don't want to overexpose him by working every week and taking lots of bumps. 

That being said, I do wonder if Butcher and The Blade are good fits in the role as they don't seem to have any sort of reason to be working with Kingston (unless Bunny is also running up his credit card) other than him asking. I get that we don't want to put all the ethnicities together into separate gangs but I think the former LAX might be a better fit than them being the 7-8th wheels in the Inner Circle not doing anything. Santana and Ortiz also have history with Eddie from Impact so obviously they could tie that in now. I don't think Eddie has a lot of chemistry with The Triple B even as they get an improved push. 

[Goodear]

Emi Sakura, Riho, Yuka Sakazaki

I'm not going to cover the Joshi people in depth since they haven't been on the show in almost a year. Here's the short version.

Emi has a face gimmick while being nominally a heel. 

Riho could get the crowd behind her but some of her strikes were pillow puffs and exposing.

I barely remember Yuka. 

[Craig H]

Emi Sakura sucks. The other two I like.

[Goodear]

Evil Uno

Uno is better for me when he's wrestling purely as a heel and doing less super complicated spots like his wacky, flippy singles finish or that tag team spot he does where he shoulder bumps someone onto Grayson's shoulders who then tosses them into a powerbomb. It's needlessly convoluted to be 'neat' and it doesn't feel functional. Give me the Uno who chokes and pokes eyes and does a pretty sweet punch. It's a niche in AEW that Uno could fit in rather than being another guy with lots of moves. Sometimes simple and aggressive are better than fancy.

He's in a bit of an odd spot where he has to play the de facto leader of the Dark Order since Brodie is MIA. He's better to me as a sycophant than a leader which is also a fine role no one else is filling. It would also help if the Dark Order had more individual roles in the organization. Like Stu could be the mean one, Uno the suck up, etc. etc. Instead everyone seems like they are on the same level of the pyramid scheme rather then someone being in charge while Brodie is away.

Don't have a problem with Uno's shape even when he was shirtless as he was supposed to be a bit gross. He's more professional looking with the shirt which is okay as he has to have some appeal in order to serve in his role. Uno's booking has suffered with all the Dark Order stuff around him which isn't his fault. I would like to see AEW focus more on the original Dark Order team as a threat as they tend to get pushed to the background within the overarching organizational angle.

[NikoBaltimore]

I don't know if B+B's past history with Eddie but from a podcast he was on it sounds like they don't feel a need to cover old ground with Santana and Ortiz.  The possibility will always be there but if it happens I can see it being much later on down the line.  I'd throw Diamante and Ivelisse in the group as well.  But I love Eddie to bits and with all that he's been through I just hope the guy has found peace.

The Joshi women were fun to watch.  Of the three I liked Riho the most.  But the only thing I remember about Yuka was her crazy-ass theme.  Wouldn't mind seeing her back once all this clears up.

EDIT:  Just saw the Uno post.  The guy can be shirtless but he's really slimmed down a lot compared to last year.  So not sure how gross he can look now.  But it's going to be interesting to see when Brodie comes back.  He was the guy berating them but on BTE he was taking part in the comedy in his own way.  So without him it's been the inmates running the asylum with Uno trying to maintain some semblance of (dark) order.  So when Brodie comes back for all we know he'll be so pissed and rule with a stronger iron fist that it'll either make them more menacing or cause the group to be divided.  I'm leaning towards the latter.

Edited December 10, 2020 by NikoBaltimore

[The Green Meanie]

4 hours ago, Goodear said:

Emi Sakura, Riho, Yuka Sakazaki

I'm not going to cover the Joshi people in depth since they haven't been on the show in almost a year. Here's the short version.

Emi has a face gimmick while being nominally a heel. 

Riho could get the crowd behind her but some of her strikes were pillow puffs and exposing.

I barely remember Yuka. 

Emi - Female Freddie Mercury. One of my favorite gimmicks from when I first started watching AEW.

Riho - Her character was basically Kenny Omega's waifu. Not a fan of her wrestling style, she's far too small and frail, even smaller then Sasha Banks.

Yuka - I remember her as being the wacky genie lady. Good wrestler, Britt kicking out her tooth was pretty brutal.