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That goes both ways. Can we get an "I hate AEW and it's dying!" thread, so everyone who wants to come on here and be a complete cunt about things can talk to each other there, and people who actually like watching wrestling can talk about it without this whole slough of despond trying to drag the mood down?

I agree with your point that the name calling doesn’t help matters. That said…I see that you’re relatively new here (unless you’re an old poster who’s back under a new account), so you’re probably not aware that this is A_K’s bit. He pretty much exclusively shows up after AEW has posted a down rating, or some other bad news on AEW has dropped, to post wildly negative, arguably often bad faith, doom-and-gloom takes in hopes of starting these kind of arguments. It’s a pattern that’s been going on for years now (probably, who’s counting?), and people who’ve been here for a while are understandably tired of it. So some might have a shorter fuse for his posts than benevolent new members like yourself.

Would arguably make the most sense. That's not to say I don't want a 90 minute explanation of Regal assisting MJF with his Ancestry.com results and turns out he was the grandson of Big Daddy, which leads to a few months of Big Daddy Friedman rediscovering his British roots on top of the card doing World of Sport tag matches, and a response to critics of his promo style being given re-takes of The Young Ones or Monty Python sketches instead.

Eddie Kingston vs Samoa Joe would be a good match, wouldn’t it?

He's either Jim Cornette or my brother who listens to Jim Cornette.

Only one topic can steer this thread in the right direction: Brandi Rhodes wasn’t that bad.

If we’re being civil please do not quote my original posts before I edit them so people don’t know I mixed up reaping and sowing, revealing me to be dumb as hell.

It's not the sentiments being expressed. It's the transparent bad-faith I can live without.

“AEW’s gross = their TV deal + the Khan’s operating costs” has to be a new all-time low in AEW financial discourse. Like, all discourse around AEW’s financials requires some degree of assumption and talking out of one’s ass, because it’s a private company and there’s a LOT we don’t know about what’s going in and what’s going out…But that one comment alone screams “I don’t even understand how business works, let alone how AEW’s business works.”

i honestly never knew so many wrestling fans were financial analysts. Crazy. I feel like I'm in a Facebook wrestling group

Let's finish up the PPV! Samoa Joe vs Wardlow vs Hobbs: I'll be honest. This was a bit of a blur but it was a blur where everything looked pretty great. Just guys absolutely smashing into each other. Hobbs looked like he more than belonged with these guys and my only regret is that there aren't more matches immediately booked. Go back and tell Samoa Joe that he'd be the King of TV when he was wearing that poncho in the rain. I have no idea what he'll be doing at the ROH PPV at this point. Does Wardlow go back after the TNT title? Does Hobbs challenge him for the TV title? Is it more of an ROH babyface going after him? Lots of good choices really. BEST OF 9: Match 1: Nick Bockwinkel (c) vs Jumbo Tsuruta 12/13/78 AJPW: This was for Bock's AWA belt. It's basically in three acts. Bockwinkel controls the arm for one third, Jumbo controls the arm for one third, and then there's a finishing stretch as they work towards the draw. I can't even begin to express how hard they were working the holds. There are shots mid-match and you can just see the sweat pouring off of Jumbo just off of armbars and hammerlocks and in and out exchanges. In the middle of December. He created a ton of motion with Bockwinkel when he was working from underneath. Of course, the greatest strength of Bock is his reactions, the way he's always constantly in the moment and his pure elation of hurting someone. When Jumbo took over, it was all about Bockwinkel trying to escape and getting reversed back into it. With Bock on top, it was about Jumbo's different attempts at escaping. With Jumbo on top, it was about Jumbo using varied techniques to stretch Bockwinklel, switching things up after each escape attempt. There was a clear moment where he shifted to hammering Bockwinkel and going for the win. He knew time was against him and Bockwinkel had the champion's advantage. Some people might find this transition stilted or awkward or ignoring what came before, but it was really all about Jumbo trying to pick the exact moment where he'd worn down Bock just enough that he'd be able to hit his stuff and try to beat him. If he went too soon, Bockwinkel would reverse it. If he went too late, he wouldn't have enough time to put him away. And maybe there wasn't a perfect moment because the champ was just that good. Judging by the fact this went to a draw after they threw everything they had at one another, that was probably the case. We'll see how these matches develop from here, but the wrestling that took up at least two thirds of it was just so good. Lethal/Jarrett vs Sting/Darby: Loved Jarrett's reactions early to Sting. He looked great in there though I was glad he was mostly paired with Darby as it was more interesting than seeing the old guys up against one another. Likewise all the ways Lethal got beat up early. The Singh spots were so impressive. I know the finish was a bit botched but it actually just made Darby look better for being the one to hulk/Sting up and go nuts on the heels, which is something we do have to transition to at some point in the years to come. Darby came off as a bigger star than Sting here I think. The big in the middle where they pretended it was a standard tag match for a minute was weird but I did love the visual of Sonjay running around the ring celebrating in his red suit. Acclaimed vs SIOG: So much to like here. Great heat on Bowens. I loved how both Swerve and Lee worked over the arm. Lee is so great at giving just enough and then doing something hugely impressive to punish the insolence who took even that much from him. I think they cracked a certain sort of structure here as things were not at all back and forth after they broke down but instead turned into another bit of heat on Bowens when he just had to survive and survive. It managed to keep narrative cohesion throughout the broken down period instead of just being spot after spot and nearfall after nearfall but still allowed for that sort of chaotic action.

I'm absolutely honored I got to see that live. It was just something else to see someone realize 20 years of hard work into one moment. It's 100% my top moment of the year and probably my all time favorite live moment. Incredible.

Just watched the match on the YouTube PPV. I was tearing up at the end especially with Kingston doing the face on the mat bow to Akiyama. I want to see Kingston's end of the road run involve him being AEW World champion and defending the title in Japan.

I’m pretty sure that bottom one is a spelling error and he trademarked Meltzer-san.

Lord. Give me Joe and Eddie going at it on the mic for 30 minutes every week.

Fucking stoked. I get to see Ishii live.

I am always happy to see that Bruno/Hansen match get posted. It somehow both redeems WWF/E doing "leave the cage" rules but also exposes why just about every one of them comes off hollow in the years since. Bruno cage matches weren't about a race to be first out of the cage. Bruno cage matches were about Bruno finally getting the heel locked into a situation that they can't get out of, getting his revenge by beating the piss out of them and leaving them bloody, and then casually walking out of the cage once his thirst for revenge is satiated. ELEVENTY BILLION STARS.

Damn. I dozed off for a minute during Full Gear. It must've been when the Bockwinkel/Jumbo match aired.

The best example of that is this. Pat told Backlund before the match "if you don't catch me I'm gonna win this one" so everything is an absolute mad scramble. Probably the best Escape the Cage match ever. WWWF 1979 - Bob Backlund Vs. Pat Patterson - video Dailymotion

Believe it or not, I'm actually studying business in college right now - so half of this stuff is right up my alley. Hey Tony, if you're reading the message board right now - I am available.

As far as I'm concerned, Kingston is the best worker in AEW. I agree with the sentiment that he deserves a World Title run more than anyone and I'll be honest, i initially wanted him to have a short-ish, fluke win just for the pop, but i think he deserves more. Whether he wants more is another story all together, but no one is more deserving.

The promos would be fantastic

All in all I thought this was a really good show that narrowly missed being “great.” I’ll try to keep it brief; -I really like Jungle Boy and think he’s a world champion in the future. I thought this match was exactly what it needed to be. What I hope they don’t do is draw this feud out until Christian is healthy enough to wrestle. Jungle Boy should take out Luchasaurus and give Christian a con-chair-to on Dynamite and let that be the end of it. I did like that this showed Jungle Boy’s more vicious side, like that excellent singles match with Dax from a couple years back. -If you’re a fan of what the Bucks & Omega do, then this was a fantastic opener. This style isn’t for me, but if it’s for you, then this match was state of the art. I think running this back 6 more times is overkill, but I think the Bucks being on more than 4 times a year is overkill, so I will concede that that is a matter of opinion. -this ROH 4 way was pretty great, and all 4 guys got really cool moments. I’m just not sure this is the best use of Danielson or Claudio. I feel like Danielson has to be on the short list of guys to take the title off of MJF, and I don’t think that reign can be super long, so you’ve got a lot of rehabbing of Danielson to do. -Jade Cargill is a star that does star shit. I’m just not sure Nyla is the kind of matchup to bring it out of her. I’m all in on Jade, though, so it’s all good. Let’s maybe move her on to a fresh matchup. -I’m sure I’m forgetting matches. -Acclaimed/SioG was fantastic, as always with this bunch. I know a lot of folks thought FTR should’ve been in this, but the Swerve/Lee breakup deserved this spotlight. What a thing Acclaimed has turned into. Whenever I get frustrated with the booking of AEW, I remind myself that TK was the only person who had the idea to stick Bowens & Caster together. Moving on, after the inevitable Swerve/Lee match, I’d seriously consider Keith Lee being the guy to take the title off of MJF. Book it similarly to his thing with adam Cole in nXt. Turn Keith into the monster that just walks through anything MJF can throw at him. It’s a direction I’d consider. -Britt/Saraya was very meh. I just don’t think Britt Baker is any good, and Saraya needs someone who can nursemaid her through matches. I hope for Saraya’s sake she’s selective of her matches moving forward. -Hobbs/Wardlow/Joe was dope. Just big dudes being big. And dudes. Im assuming Joe holding both belts will lead to something -Hayter winning was the right call, but I really like Toni Storm and hope she isn’t shuffled back into the deck. AEW could really use a womens tag division for this reason. More to do. -This main was fine, from a ring work standpoint. Im just not as high on MJF as some others and I don’t think his title reign is gonna go the way TK thinks it is. Mox deserves his vacay, though, so I hope he comes back in a couple months and gets his payback. like I said, very good show that landed short of “great,” but probably exactly what AEW needed rn. Just getting back to great matches. They mostly accomplished that.

WHOA!

I think Swerve has really helped AEW with that considerably. I believe he has actually really networked with people in hip-hop as his has made a serious attempt to pursue his own ventures as an artist outside of wrestling. WWE has really missed the boat with tapping in with that market because most mainstream artists they work with are past their social relevancy or when they get someone that is. They are put in a role that the non wrestling fan can't take seriously. You got people like Wale and to a lesser extent Peter Rosenberg try to bridge that gap by having guts on his platform. AEW does a much better job featuring people like Ross and Trina and people like that who are actual wrestling fans. It was cool seeing Fabolous come out with Swerve and Keith Lee to the ring. Outside of thar one time with Snoop AEW doesn't have those forced "SportsCenter" "Extra" type moments WWE likes to have to get some outside attention.

She doesn’t want to go there. I think they really rubbed her the wrong way with the “were your new family” schtick.

He is more pseudo celebrity now. At this point, a lot of the top hip hop and R&B acts from the mid to late 2000s are going on the "everyone scrape some money together so we can all perform on one bill" concert tours that the hair metal bands use to and probably continue to do. He is one of the acts that are usually are on the bill. I mean I guess they still do okay with the 30+ crowd cause they been doing those things for years now. However, to at least a lot of the black audience on social media, he's more famous for being clowned on social media for being thirsty (just like the Jade Cargill thing) and attention seeking. See this for example.

I just watched Flair/Race from starrcade 83 and Kiniski really ruins the match by constantly interjecting himself and doing things like pulling Harley by the hair to break a hold.

I was 12 when I read this back in November/December 1997. 1997 is my #1 year in wrestling history.

Bwahaha, Todd Chrisley sentenced to 12 years in prison and his wife was sentenced to 7. Maybe they'll do a new series from their respective prisons.

It's negotiating through the media. They don't want to pay the NBA but they WILL end up paying the NBA. TNT cannot survive without the NBA. Without the NBA and AEW, that channel is a goner.

It would be great if Regal’s actions were because he thinks the BCC is losing their way (Yuta lost the Pure title, Dragon and Claudio couldn’t beat Jericho for the ROH title, Moxley didn’t even know what day the show was and couldn’t finish MJF off when it mattered) and he helped MJF win to light a fire under the group’s asses to make them killers again. I don’t think that’s what we’ll get, but it would be pretty cool if we did.

Yes please.

But do you drive a Dodge Stratus?

AEW definitely has some star power with Jade Cargill. I saw that Cargill/Bow Wow thing on another site entirely, and I saw a link to the story from Blavity, too. She looks like she should be a star.

A few years ago, Naomi’s Royal Rumble entrance and “Battle Royal entrance house afire” segment went super-viral on black twitter. WWE failed to capitalise.

Wouldn’t it be great if Leather Strap matches ended with one wrestler bloody, exhausted and destroyed as their opponent easily dragged them around the ring slapping turnbuckles? But no, every time it has to “Ha ha I followed you and you didn’t notice!”

The Magnum/Tully "I quit" match is my platonic ideal of a cage match. To me, the point should be that these two people need to get this settled without anyone else getting involved. I'm tired of every damn cage match these days having a point where either one or both of the competitors leaving the cage or someone else coming in. I'd love to just see one cage match that's just the two competitors beating the ever-loving crap out of each other in a cage.

I love the look of disgust Bruno gives Hansen as he strolls out of the cage. Full-on Isiah Whitlock Jr. vibes.

I've been dying for more Eddie vs Monster matches since the Lance Archer mini-feud. He's so goddamned good at selling and working from underneath.

There would be chops, and then some.

The ignore function makes this thread immensely more tolerable.

Excellent stuff in the 10 Man (yeah, loved that Factory hug), Cage-Starks and the emotional Kingston-Akiyama bouts. No surprise to see Luchasaurus v Jungle Boy put on a helluva deal! Christian provided some great comedy with the key steal and toss out. And then fuckin’ Kansas plays. Wrestling has a way of taking the most tired, never-wanna-hear-it-again-songs, and making them seem fun or funny. Death Triangle v the Elite was as spectacular as expected. I bet a few of those salty posters who feel the need to express their hate of the Elite secretly loved this. A Best of 7 sounds like a fucking lot of wrestling from the same 6 guys, but I have a feeling they’re going to find a way to make it work. Nyla v Jade was fine. Sammy-Jericho-Danielson-Claudio proved the right people can make 4 ways work just fine. Beautifully in fact. Pleased to see Jericho escape with the title. Saraya v Baker was fine. I liked Alvarez’s suggestion on WOR about how they should have done a ‘she’s not quite ready’ type loss for Saraya in quicker fashion and come back with a stronger rematch. Wardlow-Hobbs-Joe was fun and again exceeded my expectations for a multi-man bout. Double Champion ‘Joe-sus is just alright with me!’ Jarrett-Lethal v Darby-Sting was wonderfully fucking fun like every Darby-Sting match! The visual of Sting holding Satnam in the death drop and calling for Darby was wild! Jarrett was fantastic in this match. Toni Storm v Jamie Hayter really built strongly to that finish. They woke up the joint and so happy they did for that big title win pop! Such big blows! Loved the visual of Toni Storm with the messed up lipstick and bloody nose. Does Storm need a heel turn? Whereas the crowd thankfully sees and applauds the great work/efforts of Hayter, they seem oblivious to how fucking great Toni Storm is. Acclaimed v Swerve/Lee was really good. I'm not gonna complain, but I really wanted Big Keith to find his way to the dark side there. Throughout the last few matches the crowd is clearly exhausted and more in need of sleep than more wrestling. MJF v Mox was a fun little match. Kind of a bummer finish. I have the same question as was similarly posed earlier ‘what the fuck, so William Regal has a preference of Max’s ‘International Object’?’ ‘Explain this one to me, Bill!’ Perhaps it only appeals to a certain sense of humour, but I thought Max’s scrum promo was a fantastic piece of business! If nothing else it suggests Max will be up for the task of being a true heel. In a sorta related note I just listened to the Gentleman Villain episode ‘Mr. Regal becomes an Unamerican’, in which Regal proudly discusses his ability to do what is necessary to inspire hate. Speaking of which, I liked seeing Moxley heeling it up out there. He looked really excited to do so. It would not have been clear to me on a live marathon viewing, but in multiple parts this was an excellent show.