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2022 WRESTLERS LEAVING COMPANIES THREAD (Releases, FAs, etc...)


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We can debate all we want whether Cody drew numbers or not.  In my mind AEW is much different than WWE, AEW as a whole seems to have steady ratings for the full 2 hrs or 1 hr (depending on show)   WWE Raw will see ratings fluctuate (maybe during MNF more than anything) but AEW shows are pretty steady and I would equate that to the talent on each show. When you have stacked cards each week and a loaded roster that we hadn't seen since Fire Pro wrestling Returns it makes it hard to want to change the channel. 

Long, stupid rant aside. I don't believe any one person draws ratings when it comes to AEW. No disrespect to Cody or any of the talent.  I just think the product as that good that when I watch I watch it for AEW not for "insert wrestler name here"   where if I watch Raw it might be to see what  AJ is doing and then I turn it off.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Bryan said:

Yeah, Cody was still drawing numbers, I’m pretty sure his ladder match with Sammy drew better ratings than Sammy and Darby.

If the EVP title had become largely superfluous as Tony Khan took more control, I could see how money could become an issue. Cody was the top baby face in the beginning, his open challenge was one of the best parts of the pandemic era, and that got a lot of popular guys hired, and just a few months ago he literally set up himself on fire.

If the reports of him wanting Jericho/Punk money were true, I could see how he could feel slighted for not getting it. Considering he was there in the beginning and a part of the reason guys like CM Punk (who Tony Khan approached in the beginning but who was unwilling to join a start up) were willing to sign, I could see how that could sting him and lead to this.

 

Cody got Woody'ed from Toy Story to CM Punk and Bryan Danielson's Buzz Lightyear? Tony Khan playing Andy?

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23 minutes ago, TheVileOne said:

Cody got Woody'ed from Toy Story to CM Punk and Bryan Danielson's Buzz Lightyear? Tony Khan playing Andy?

Sounds like they need an existential threat in order to bond, in that case. A certain next door neighbor of Tony Khans that likes to blow his toys up. A master and ruler of the world, as it were. 

Edited by For Great Justice
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This may have been said already, but...

Cody gets an immediate main even push, loses to Roman at Backlash, drops down the card and is just another dude by Summerslam. 

That's certainly the most likely scenario, and I'd be shocked if it's not the case.

Also, having witnessed what turned out to be Cody's last AEW match live, he definitely got the loudest crowd reactions, and it was way more 50/50 than it comes across on TV. Punk was a close second, and Darby, Hangman, and Bryan weren't on the show, but you can't argue the dude wasn't over as fuck.

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17 hours ago, Zakk_Sabbath said:

My speculative guess is simple guilt by association - we also don't know to what degree Cody was pushing for her to continue appearing, if at all. I'm with you, it's a lot

I feel Brandi is the one person who you can point to as evidence of nepotism. Now way does she get this much TV time if she isn't married to Cody, I don't know what her backstage duties where or how qualified she was for them

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Brandi seems to love wrestling. She’s a good ring announcer. By most accounts she was great at her office job even if the girl boss stuff rubbed some people the wrong way. She wasn’t a good wrestler, but it wasn’t like they were building the Women's division around her. Her recent television appearances were awful, but it played like it was part of Cody’s strategy to polarize the audience as much as possible. 

The BOLA where she introduced Cody shortly after he left WWE is one of my favorite moments in wrestling in the past decade. It turned out to be part of the foundation of what we spend a lot of our time discussing on here. I hope she ends up  doing something that makes her happy even if it’s screaming at Stephanie during tv segments I would never watch under any circumstances. 

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You wouldn't take a chance on Arn Anderson's son at a prelim level and see how could good he can get with experience? I mean, if he turns out as 75 percent as good as his dad in time you have a helluva of a professional wrestler. 

Edited by Hagan
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I mean, it seems like in a lot of athletic endeavors that it helps to have a parent who did it first. I can't remember what the exact percentage is off the top of my head, but Major League Baseball is lousy with guys whos dad played in the big leagues. Some pretty great players, too. Acuna, Tatis Jr, Vlad Jr, Dee Gordon, et al. I understand the appeal of hiring the kids of wrestlers. They understand the demand on their schedule and the toll it takes on your body. If Hijos de Ass and Brock Enforcer were coming in and taking top spots, I could see being irritated. This might be another reason why AEW could use a formal developmental program. Brock Anderson could use the reps and it would negate the nepotism criticism.

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It would be interesting to study the numbers if there are more 2nd/3rd gen wrestlers these days than during the territory era, despite there theoretically being less jobs than 30/40 years ago. Or it just seems that way due to the media saturation of the business.

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I guess I’ve never really had as big of a problem with nepotism in wrestling, because I’ve always thought of wrestling as being more like a trade. And trades being passed down through generations is pretty normal.

Like, your HVAC guy may have had an easier time getting started because he inherited the family business or caught on with one of his dad’s friends, but if he knows what the fuck he’s doing, who cares?

Edited by EVA
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2 minutes ago, EVA said:

I guess I’ve never really had as big of a problem with nepotism in wrestling, because I’ve always thought of wrestling as being more like a trade. And trades being passed down through generations is pretty normal.

Certainly in the territory era, just about every promotion was a mom and pop operation with the children either working behind the scenes, as announcers or as workers. 

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Guest Jimbo_Tsuruta

Funks, Harts, Bockwinkels, Anoais, Adkinssons, DiBiases, Runnelses, Guerreros, Guzmans, Faulkners, Poffos, Ortons and on and on...as a fan I've got no problem with nepotism in rasslin. I might feel differently if I were a rassler but "who you know" is in every part of life. 

Edited by Jimbo_Tsuruta
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Guest Stefanie Without Stefanie
23 minutes ago, EVA said:

I guess I’ve never really had as big of a problem with nepotism in wrestling, because I’ve always thought of wrestling as being more like a trade. And trades being passed down through generations is pretty normal.

Like, your HVAC guy may have had an easier time getting started because he inherited the family business or caught on with one of his dad’s friends, but if he knows what the fuck he’s doing, who cares?

Considering the issues surrounding cultural problems such as race and gender in many facets of life, nepotism might be a bit of an issue.

For example, Brock Anderson having a contract with a major promotion and being allowed to learn on the job, and getting a chance to main event a TV show far before he's ready (as he did vs Malakai Black) is kind of a slap in the face when you've got a talent like AJ Gray who should have a job and has been pretty much ignored until the last couple of years.

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9 minutes ago, Jimbo_Tsuruta said:

Funks, Harts, Bockwinkels, Anoais, Adkinssons, DiBiases, Runnelses, Guerreros, Guzmans, Faulkners, Poffos, Ortons and on and on...as a fan I've got no problem with nepotism in rasslin. I might feel differently if I were a rassler but "who you know" is in every part of life. 

It all depends on if your kid is more Terry/Dory or George Gulas. 

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Guest Jimbo_Tsuruta
16 minutes ago, odessasteps said:

It all depends on if your kid is more Terry/Dory or George Gulas. 

True but I've seen enough to decide that the pros outweigh the cons. And now with AEW giving some kind of payday to as many wrestlers as they possibly can through all the different shows, not coming from a rasslin family is less hinderance than it's ever been. 

Edited by Jimbo_Tsuruta
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6 hours ago, Dog said:

Brock Anderson? The Ass Boys (though they've gotten better)?

Those three are all in their 20's and are primarily featured on the youtube shows. They are developmental projects, Brandi is 38. has not gotten better and would regularly get featured segments on the television shows. Guys like Luther are barley on tv. Brandon Cutler has a role of stooge. Its apples and oranges

Edited by zendragon
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