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AEW - AUGUST 2022


The Natural

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25 minutes ago, Tarheel Moneghetti said:

Now that WWE probably wants some of its cut talent back and is seemingly interested in AEW talent beyond the usual suspects, it would be dumb for Tony Khan to just let guys out of contracts because they are unhappy and think the grass will be greener in Stamford.  If worse comes to worse, take a page out of Vince’s book and pay malcontents to stay home.

I am legit curious how much of the MJF thing is a work and how much is legit.  There’s been zero follow-up.  I tend to think everything since no-showing the fanfest is part of an angle, but the lack of follow-up has created a little doubt.

The line of thinking I've seen online is that the Stokely Hathaway story of him collecting a little roster of frustrated "non-WWE" guys is a cover for MJF building a stable. MJF and Stokely do have a history of working together in, I think, Beyond Wrestling.

But I'd be fine if MJF fucked off to WWE.

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34 minutes ago, A_K said:

Andrade has been booked plenty. Way over exposed in fact. His angles absolutely suck. Whether that’s his fault or another’s, who knows. Dynamite ratings now down 15% YOY while Rampage plumbs new depths; even Carny Dave will be hard pressed to sell the “constant growth” narrative now. Wasted the Danielson/Punk signings momentum in the autumn - is what it is. 

This is total speculation, and I know no more than anyone else here, but my personal theory has always been that they had originally planned to do Flair/Andrade vs Sting/Darby and the DSOTR episode fallout on Ric derailed the whole thing.

As for the rest of your post, it's accurate but doesn't tell the whole story. Ratings are down across the  board for every single cable network except Fox News (I'll save my jokes) because everyone's starting to leave the house again

Edit: You know what I think the coolest thing to do with Andrade is? When Pac's AA title run is over, he should be the next champ and take it to Mexico. I have been loving these defenses on Dark.

Edited by Zakk_Sabbath
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14 hours ago, Casey said:

according to Malakai Black on his TikTok (lol) - up until about 3 months ago, he was dealing with a back injury that he thought might cause him to retire. For basically the past year he’s been rehabbing it and doing treatments, but it sounds like a “dry needling” session fixed it and he’s better now, I guess?

Might explain the start and stop stuff with Malakai/HoB related stories.

I don't buy that from Black at all. I know that's the line he's towing, but it's almost a situation that's worse than Bryan Danielson's. I mean, we talk about how painful it is to watch Dalton Castle even walk, but it's getting painful to watch Black wrestle, which is fucking sad. That dude had everything going for him and it's going to be a back issue of all things that derails him from being in a top spot in AEW. At the very least we're seeing King doing what Black probably would have been doing, but I really wish it was Black doing them. I just like him more even if I like King a ton.

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1 hour ago, Zakk_Sabbath said:

This is total speculation, and I know no more than anyone else here, but my personal theory has always been that they had originally planned to do Flair/Andrade vs Sting/Darby and the DSOTR episode fallout on Ric derailed the whole thing.

As for the rest of your post, it's accurate but doesn't tell the whole story. Ratings are down across the  board for every single cable network except Fox News (I'll save my jokes) because everyone's starting to leave the house again

Edit: You know what I think the coolest thing to do with Andrade is? When Pac's AA title run is over, he should be the next champ and take it to Mexico. I have been loving these defenses on Dark.

Agreed. Mexico, Puerto Rico, the places he hits normally. Andrade’s awesome. I hope bringing in RUSH and (allegedly) Dragon Lee tamp down his anger, if there is any.

 

Ill be interested to see what wwe’s programming looks like in 6 months. There’s a lot of huge changes right now, and excitement around their product, but it sounds like USA, Fox, and Nick Khan still have a lot of influence over the in ring talent & stories. Triple H has historically had blinders for “his” talent, ie Gargano, Ciampa, Rhea et al. I also wonder if being one of Cody’s friends carries the weight it did four months ago. It sounds like Cody & hhh are cordial, but I don’t think it’s as sure a thing as it was that Starks, Wardlow, Jade Cargill, and the other folks Cody gave a look to in AEW are gonna get serious looks now. Jade & Wardlow almost certainly will, but Jade doesn’t want to travel that much & Wardlow has such a shitty experience at the PC (when Trips was in charge)that he almost quit the business. AEW might lose one or two talents to wwe, but I also anticipate some more talent from wwe being available. We’re headed for a fun time in wrestling…

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2 minutes ago, The Natural said:

Opinion here and on the internet has soured on Thunder Rosa since beating Dr. Britt Baker for the AEW Women's World Championship. I can see why, it's interesting seeing how views have changed since then.

To be fair, there’s a tangible downturn in her performance since then. I care less about in ring work than just about anyone here, and even I’m like “damn. This is getting bad…”

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6 minutes ago, just drew said:

To be fair, there’s a tangible downturn in her performance since then. I care less about in ring work than just about anyone here, and even I’m like “damn. This is getting bad…”

It's why I said "I can see why" in regards to changing opinions on Thunder Rosa since becoming AEW Women's World Champion. Just not taken off.

Edited by The Natural
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1 hour ago, just drew said:

To be fair, there’s a tangible downturn in her performance since then. I care less about in ring work than just about anyone here, and even I’m like “damn. This is getting bad…”

At this point looking back at Britt's reign (of Terror to some), the best bet to get it off of her would've been Riho at Battle of The Belts I.

Riho would be the one wrestler that Baker just can't beat (her only win against Riho was at the BOTB) and could've taken the title overseas for a hot second while they kept the focus on Jade and the TBS title.

 

Edit: Looking at Cagematch, Riho actually didnt wrestle another match after until the Owen Cup, so nevermind about taking it back to Japan.

Edited by porksweats
cagematch history/fixed riho's name
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This might be unpopular but I enjoyed Dr. Britt Baker's reign as AEW Women's World Champion.

Speaking of unpopular, I really like Claudio Castagnoli's Ricola Bomb but I think I prefer the Neutralizer as a finisher.

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26 minutes ago, The Natural said:

It's why I said "I can see why" in regards to changing opinions on Thunder Rosa since becoming AEW Women's World Champion. Just not taken off.

That’s what get for skimming…

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4 minutes ago, SprintingFromAmerica said:

I don't think the Neutralizer really works in a federation where people actually hit piledrivers reasonably frequently.

Britt's reign was fine, though it did need to end. Rosa's now needs to end too.

I think the Neutralizer still could work but it's synonymous with his WWE run. Seen it the once in the opening minute of his AEW debut match vs. Zack Sabre Jr at AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door.

I thought Jamie Hayter should have won the AEW Women's World Championship then you could do tensions between her and Dr Britt Baker with Hayter doing what Baker couldn't.

Kris Statlander or Jade Cargill should win the AEW Women's World Championship next when Cargill drops the AEW TBS Championship.

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3 hours ago, A_K said:

Andrade has been booked plenty. Way over exposed in fact. His angles absolutely suck. Whether that’s his fault or another’s, who knows. Dynamite ratings now down 15% YOY while Rampage plumbs new depths; even Carny Dave will be hard pressed to sell the “constant growth” narrative now. Wasted the Danielson/Punk signings momentum in the autumn - is what it is. 

Fwiw, Meltzer thinks AEW is now in a tough spot and losing ground to WWE.  He said on WOR that Vince’s retirement was terrible for AEW.  Lol, never mind that Vince is 77 and was going to step back sometime soon no matter what.

anyway, Dave thinks the plan is to get people healthy and load up Dynamite for a big fall around the time tv contract negotiations start.  I’m not looking forward to that.  It seems likely to mean more Danielson and Punk and other names fans and network execs might recognize from their WWE runs.  Nothing against those guys but i’d much prefer to see Hangman, Wardlow, Jungle Boy and Darby in those spots.

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1 hour ago, porksweats said:

At this point looking back at Britt's reign (of Terror to some), the best bet to get it off of her would've been Rhio at Battle of The Belts I.

Rhio would be the one wrestler that Baker just can't beat (her only win against Rhio was at the BOTB) and could've taken the title overseas for a hot second while they kept the focus on Jade and the TBS title.

 

Edit: Looking at Cagematch, Rhio actually didnt wrestle another match after until the Owen Cup, so nevermind about taking it back to Japan.

At the time, Rosa did make sense as the next champ. I thought she was a great choice, personally. She just hasn't delivered since winning the belt (IMO, of course). So, I think she was a good choice to dethrone Britt, it's just not worked out so great since then.

I don't put it all on her, either. She just hasn't had a compelling story since getting the belt, really.

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Gotta admit, I find it hilarious that any time there's a story about wrestler X or Y maybe not being wholly content with their position within AEW, there's a reliable chorus of "AEW is fine, they can leave and I'll be just perfectly happy with wrestlers A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, and P. And they're so great at creating new stars, just look wrestlers Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, and Z. AEW's fine!" Nobody's saying AEW's not fine based on there predictably being stories and rumours about people who could be happier. The Tony defense force could really afford to turn down the energy sometimes. 

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9 minutes ago, John from Cincinnati said:

Gotta admit, I find it hilarious that any time there's a story about wrestler X or Y maybe not being wholly content with their position within AEW, there's a reliable chorus of "AEW is fine, they can leave and I'll be just perfectly happy with wrestlers A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, and P. And they're so great at creating new stars, just look wrestlers Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, and Z. AEW's fine!" Nobody's saying AEW's not fine based on there predictably being stories and rumours about people who could be happier. The Tony defense force could really afford to turn down the energy sometimes. 

But I mean they are. Wardlow has basically taken Miro’s spot, and if it came down to it you keep Wardlow. Brody King is actually looking to be the breakout star from HoB and long-term won’t really need that faction if Malakai decides to leave. They’ve never really found anything for Andrade so how could losing him really hurt? I like all those guys (but not Black’s gimmick) but if they went back to WWE I just don’t think much would change storyline or viewership wise.

Losing someone like Ricky Starks would hurt. Adam Page would hurt. Jade Cargill would hurt. FTR would hurt.

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Regarding Malachi's back, Is "dry needling" one of those new age treatments like cupping and what have you, where it's pretty obvious the dude should get an actual MRI and see an real doctor instead of this voodoo shit?

Edited by Technico Support
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5 minutes ago, Technico Support said:

Regarding Malachi's back, Is "dry needling" one of those new age treatments like cupping and what have you, where it's pretty obvious the dude should get an actual MRI and see an real doctor instead of this voodoo shit?

Yes. To al of that, yes. It's just quackery, voodoo shit that's non-invasive and MAY help. If a couple months down the line Black got an MRI and found out he had a herniated disc or a pinched nerve or worse, I wouldn't be surprised. He's taken way too many dangerous bumps on his spine or back or head or neck over the years to escape unscathed.

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1 hour ago, Tarheel Moneghetti said:

Fwiw, Meltzer thinks AEW is now in a tough spot and losing ground to WWE.  He said on WOR that Vince’s retirement was terrible for AEW.  Lol, never mind that Vince is 77 and was going to step back sometime soon no matter what.

anyway, Dave thinks the plan is to get people healthy and load up Dynamite for a big fall around the time tv contract negotiations start.  I’m not looking forward to that.  It seems likely to mean more Danielson and Punk and other names fans and network execs might recognize from their WWE runs.  Nothing against those guys but i’d much prefer to see Hangman, Wardlow, Jungle Boy and Darby in those spots.

Carny Dave will be Carny Dave. Hasn’t got a clue. WWE have been gaining traction for months .. even before the Vince debacle and subsequent “refresh”. Laws of diminishing returns on those names now .. as you say, they’re better going back to the youth to some extent. In a bit of a bind for mid-long-term plan but that has ever been the case in ‘22. The fact Jericho is still front and centre tells you all you need to know.

Edited by A_K
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4 minutes ago, A_K said:

Carny Dave will be Carny Dave. Hasn’t got a clue. WWE have been gaining traction for months .. even before the Vince debacle and subsequent “refresh”. Laws of diminishing returns on those names now .. as you say, they’re better going back to the youth to some extent. In a bit of a bind for mid-long-term plan but that has ever been the case in ‘22. The fact Jericho is still front and centre tells you all you need to know.

For what it's worth, Jericho and Fozzy have got tours coming up September-Dec so hopefully post All Out, we'll be free of Jericho for at least a quarter.

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9 minutes ago, porksweats said:

For what it's worth, Jericho and Fozzy have got tours coming up September-Dec so hopefully post All Out, we'll be free of Jericho for at least a quarter.

Hopefully. Feels like some weird time warp because they needed rid of him 2H 2020 and suddenly we’re rounding 2H 2022 and he’s still a front & centre talent 

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