AEW - AUGUST 2022

[Just Dave]

5 hours ago, Casey said:

Imagine the balls of Andrade, Rush & Dragon Lee if they refuse to take a loss to the EVPs of the company. I don't think it'll happen, and I fully expect the finals to be The Elite versus The Best Friends (or Elite/Dark Order final, with Hangman being conflicted - and doubly so, since Omega is involved with the Bucks again and he hasn't had his piece of reconciliation with Omega and all that).

I'm saying the Best Friends because it seems like TK is finally rewarding all of the OGs, what with people like Lucha Bros, Jurassic Express and PAC getting title runs.

They'd be my fucking heroes. I do wonder how you book around Andrade eating another loss. I also wonder why it's so important for Omega and the Bucks to be the first trios champions. It's not like not participating in the tournament means you can't ever challenge for the titles. I'm trying very hard not to assume the worst about Kenny & the Bucks and backstage machinations, mostly because my meds got adjusted and I'm not the conspiracy theorist I once was. I just think that given what's been happening lately the Elite are about the fourth or fifth most interesting team in that tournament and HOB, IG, Dark Order and Best Friends would all make more sense.

[Big Z]

7 minutes ago, just drew said:

They'd be my fucking heroes. I do wonder how you book around Andrade eating another loss. I also wonder why it's so important for Omega and the Bucks to be the first trios champions. It's not like not participating in the tournament means you can't ever challenge for the titles. I'm trying very hard not to assume the worst about Kenny & the Bucks and backstage machinations, mostly because my meds got adjusted and I'm not the conspiracy theorist I once was. I just think that given what's been happening lately the Elite are about the fourth or fifth most interesting team in that tournament and HOB, IG, Dark Order and Best Friends would all make more sense.

I'm a huge fan of The Elite, but I think the best story is Young Bucks winning the titles with Hangman, not Omega, so there would have to be different inaugural champions. I'd probably still bet on Omega and Bucks to win (and Dragon Lee takes falls for Ingobernobles in opening round), but personally would go with either HOB or Best Friends winning.

[zendragon]

7 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

Meanwhile, Kreator just released a new album, Tom G. Warrior is touring AS HELLHAMMER, and Mercyful Fate just rose from the grave again. 

Seen Kreator twice, saw Tom G. do hellhammer and celtic frost sets, next week checking Mercyful Fate off the list

[Dog]

Where were you guys two days ago in the Wrestling Discussion thread????

Edited August 11, 2022 by Dog

[StuntmanCrowley]

Storylines be damned, no one deserves it more than Best Friends IMO

[Curt McGirt]

1 hour ago, Dog said:

Where were you guys two days ago in the Wrestling Discussion thread????

In the Flair's last match thread talking about music there instead

[NoFistsJustFlips]

On 8/10/2022 at 10:04 AM, JohnnyJ said:

What I never really understood (and this goes for WWE too) is if you have access to a low-cost facility to film programming you can produce all sorts of shows for next to nothing. Why not produce a womens only show with unique storylines, etc. instead of trying to squeeze a sizeable women's roster into a small programming block. 

I can't speak to the financials in AEW because we're not 100% privy to how their contracts are structured yet. But I can tell you the reason WWE doesn't do this, money. Women filming in front of 200 people make less money than sitting backstage at catering for a Raw. Their contracts are not a straight salary. They make x per year no matter what. But they also make y for every event they are brought to. The number for y is dependent on attendance / gate / what event they are working.

A house show that draws 5,000 pays them maybe $200 extra for the night. A Raw / Smackdown that draws 5,000 pays them $500 extra for the night. A PPV that draws 10,000 might get you a bump of $1,000. (Those numbers are made up and not accurate, just demonstrating the value of event sizes). Making a studio show for women only would certainly pay them less bonus income, ala working an NXT taping vs a Raw or Smackdown.

So now while they're getting their own show and more air time, it's actually a demotion in pay the way it's structured.

[Hail Sabin]

I could see Cutler being the Young Bucks partner next week they get bounced & Omega returns at the PPV to team with them to face Cole/ReDragon in #1 contenders match. 

[Phantom Lord]

26 minutes ago, Hail Sabin said:

I could see Cutler being the Young Bucks partner next week they get bounced & Omega returns at the PPV to team with them to face Cole/ReDragon in #1 contenders match. 

It would be pretty funny if that happens and the whole match The Bucks tell him to stand on the apron and don't move only for him in the heat of the moment to tag himself in and end up costing them.

[Shartnado]

Just re-watched the MJF vs Jericho match from All Out '21 and just realized how much the false finish and the restart ended up helping the first Punk-MJF match, where MJF actually won despite the restart!

I had not seen this match at the time and didn't also pay enough attention to it when I watched it the first time.

Anyway, that was very nice bit of booking. I'd like to think that it wasn't a happy accident, either!

Using my unexpected day off to watch all of the matches that I haven't watched or haven't watched properly from the PPV's I've purchased. So I got to see Omega vs Christian Cage from All Out, Omega vs PAC vs OC from Double or Nothing'21 (an amazing match) and now the second Stadium Stampede. Still have Hangman vs Punk and Mox vs Tanahashi to go after this.

Edited August 12, 2022 by Shartnado
Not '22, I meant '21

[Rev Ray]

 

[AxB]

 

[Zimbra]

3 minutes ago, AxB said:

 

Cinnabon managers across the country standing at their doors crying for him like it's the end of Shane

[Pete]

27 minutes ago, Zimbra said:

Cinnabon managers across the country standing at their doors crying for him like it's the end of Shane

[matt925]

They need to do an ad campaign featuring him. 

[zendragon]

I'd like to see Ruby and John Silver be the winners next years Owen (If the concept sticks around). Two popular babyface who aren't really in singles title content to send the fans home happy/

Also one of Hangman's big moves needs to be called Big Iron 

 

[Craig H]

Fuck EVERYTHING. Torn ACL and miniscus for Kris. Fucking sucks.

[Craig H]

What an absolute beast. Get well soon.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChLgn0NDHaD/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

 

[porksweats]

3 hours ago, zendragon said:

I'd like to see Ruby and John Silver be the winners next years Owen (If the concept sticks around). Two popular babyface who aren't really in singles title content to send the fans home happy/

Also one of Hangman's big moves needs to be called Big Iron 

 

Ruby made it all the way to the finals of the first one, can't find a better competitor to win next year in my mind

[Matt D]

Swerve implied on Unrestricted that someone else was going to be in his spot with Keith Lee but an injury happened. I kind of wonder who that is now.

[Guest Stefanie Without Stefanie]

11 hours ago, Craig H said:

Fuck EVERYTHING. Torn ACL and miniscus for Kris. Fucking sucks.

This pretty much plummets my interest in AEW until she comes back. I had already been losing interest gradually, but knowing that my favorite member of the roster is gone for a year or so means I'll be putting AEW in the "will watch if I hear something interesting to me happens but otherwise I'll be moving onto something else".

To clarify, it's perfectly fine wrestling, it just hasn't been hitting my interest the same way it used to. I don't know. Maybe it's because my other favorites (Jamie Hayter, Powerhouse Hobbs, Hikaru Shida) have been so inconsistently booked that it's hard to maintain interest. But I've always said my interests are niche. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Octopus]

9 hours ago, Stefanie the Human said:

This pretty much plummets my interest in AEW until she comes back. I had already been losing interest gradually, but knowing that my favorite member of the roster is gone for a year or so means I'll be putting AEW in the "will watch if I hear something interesting to me happens but otherwise I'll be moving onto something else".

To clarify, it's perfectly fine wrestling, it just hasn't been hitting my interest the same way it used to. I don't know. Maybe it's because my other favorites (Jamie Hayter, Powerhouse Hobbs, Hikaru Shida) have been so inconsistently booked that it's hard to maintain interest. But I've always said my interests are niche. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

May your journey bring you joy and fist pump fulfilling wrestling. We’ll tag you when she returns.

[Technico Support]

Watching BOLA 2022 and Excalibur just mentioned Jack Cartwheel’s college football experience (he’s apparently currently a junior at a school in Orange County and is a running back).  He topped it off with, “and I have fulfilled my Jim Ross quota for this broadcast.”  

[Craig H]

11 hours ago, Stefanie the Human said:

This pretty much plummets my interest in AEW until she comes back. I had already been losing interest gradually, but knowing that my favorite member of the roster is gone for a year or so means I'll be putting AEW in the "will watch if I hear something interesting to me happens but otherwise I'll be moving onto something else".

To clarify, it's perfectly fine wrestling, it just hasn't been hitting my interest the same way it used to. I don't know. Maybe it's because my other favorites (Jamie Hayter, Powerhouse Hobbs, Hikaru Shida) have been so inconsistently booked that it's hard to maintain interest. But I've always said my interests are niche. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’m super bummed. She’s been my favorite in AEW on the women’s side since she probably debuted. I was really stoked to see her get a run with the title and now it’s another 9 to 12 months on the shelf.

I really, really hope this isn’t a situation where her knees are just totally shot.

In the meanwhile, I do hope TK reads the room and sees how much Hayter has been getting over. Same for Hobbs. Hobbs even has the Cody/Jade entrance now.

[John E. Dynamite]

Alright, here are the fucking theses.

HOW TO FIX THE AEW WOMEN'S DIVISION

1. Have Two Women's Matches on Dynamite Every Other Week - This is Number One with a whole case of shells. There simply needs to be more time devoted to it. One match can be a squash. One can be a storyline-pushing clusterfuck or a match-as-angle kind of thing, whatever. I theorize that AEW's reticence toward booking more women's segments comes from looking at quarter-hour ratings and realizing women's matches usually lose viewers, but it's a fucking self-fulfilling prophecy at this point. This has to do with a broader matter of conditioning the audience to believe that the division matters.

2. Develop a Smackdown Six - Every time they run a Britt + Jamie vs. Babyface match, it works. So start there. Toni makes everybody look better. You've got Athena, use her. Serena Deeb is a machine and Hikaru Shida is the only Joshi import who can both work at a high level and cut an promo in English. Make their storylines and purposes revolve around each other and book them in interlocking configurations.

3. Identify The Middle of the Pack and Book to Their Strengths - This includes Ruby, Nyla, Riho, Tay, Skye Blue, Anna Jay, maybe Allie, and if we're being honest, Thunder Rosa. Plus Britt on a purely in-ring level (Statlander should have her spot in the aforementioned Smackdown Six but it's a cruel world).  There is a ton of talent in this group but they don't have consistent chemistry with each other and often get booked weird. Why does Nyla have a mouthpiece while Deeb doesn't? Why has Ruby been booked as a choke artist? Why doesn't Riho exclusively wrestle bigger heels on DARK?  How has nobody told Anna to stop doing that spinning kick thing? If we know Britt's gonna get cheered is it OK to book her to squash a heel sometimes?

4. Be Honest With The Joshi Situation - The early plan of padding out the roster with joshi talent would have made sense if AEW pulled half the ratings it does and COVID never happened. Whatever Kenny Omega's Day One strategy was is irrelevant now. There is a place on the roster for established talent like Shida and Riho, there is a place for gimmicks like Maki Itoh who draw legit social media attention, but as much as I love the idea of bringing in Miyu Yamashita for a one-off, it doesn't draw any news eyes to the product, takes away a TV spot from a real roster member, and exists entirely in a vacuum story-wise. If there is a real STARDOM crossover story to tell I'll hear it out but only if Point #1 manages to happen.

5. Find Better "Producers" - You hear so much from the WWE side about Finlay, Sara Del Rey, Tyson Kidd, etc. being these gargantuan, unheralded parts of WWE's Women's Revolution. Whoever AEW has in those roles maybe aren't cutting the mustard. Kenny? Dustin? Try somebody else just for the sake of trying. Shit man, see if Claudio can get a little involved. He's got a pretty good connection to the names first listed. Or just poach SDR? Maybe this is what Madison Rayne was brought in to do.

No thesis on Jade Cargill. Just stay the fuckin' course, it is working. And uuuuh poach Masha Slamovich whenever possible and actually try to outbid WWE for Giulia.

Edited August 14, 2022 by John E. Dynamite