Memory match thoughts!!! Going off the noodle here so hopefully I am accurate and upon eventual rewatch don’t have egg on my face. It was a fantastic show that flowed so well through the night (AEW usually have amazing big shows but can cause exhaustion) which is a big improvement. Having the Iron Man match lead to improvement elsewhere, which is neat.
Few notes on said Iron Man Match:
I found it very smart to overly show Danielson’s call backs to the “I Have Until 5” bits. At first it was like, we get it you need a moment inserted that you just did to fill time. But then with the ending of a visibly exhausted Maxwell grabbing the ropes and fake tap out leading to the only hold where Danielson let’s go right away. Maybe another second and MJF would fall apart. It gives the obvious moment of a false hope celebration for MJF to get away, but we have a reasonable reason that sets up a full on release of being in the moment. Well thought out, gentlemen.
Also, how they were surviving the match was fun to watch. Dragon going off of his former long match persona by doing the jumping jacks to show he’s always ready to move and fight. MJF needs to constantly hydrate. He’s very much out of his element (as a character) and it showed. What is interesting is he survived to the end, which was his goal. They end the match portion with MJF needing oxygen(I don’t think Danielson did but I’m fussy on that), which of course sets up the finish but also shows how much Friedman took to make it to the end. Then as the match continues and they strike until they both collapse against each us. MJF’s terrified and exhausted face heavily breaths on Dragon’s shoulder. Danielson, the sadist, smiles like a sick fuck. Bryan is just as tired and beat up but he’s here for the long battle of pain. It makes MJF’s victory (even after the cheating) that much more impressive.
Bryce was phenomenal. All his spots added so much to the drama and never felt like too much.
Danielson evening the score with a Regal Stretch was a nice touch. He avenged his mentor but ultimately still came up short. They did make me believe. In the end I was standing up and so excited. I knew MJF was winning. Just like I knew Roman was winning. Comparatively, I do prefer this ending though. The overtime negates the crowds BS chant. We still didn’t get what we wanted but the loss was beautiful. The last hope of Danielson raising his arm triumphantly defiant of all that is possible, only to succumb to the truth of the situation. Maxwell Jacob Friedman is our champion. He didn’t pass out, he gave up.
48 stars!
Hangman vs Bloodman.
I agree with @Matt D on the concepts of the character that is Adam Page. At his best and highest potential, he could be able to connect with an audience in an unique way that could be a modern spin on sympathy for an emotionally vulnerable and/or self-destructive protagonist. At his mid, an athletic go-go-go type with a handsome good frame that does stuff. So much is up in the air for him and with the right booking and opponents he could be AEW’s hometown Sting. He maybe already is, but I like looking at grand picture and adjusting my thoughts accordingly to the context of both the world of wrestling and the kayfabe universe. I will do that here:
I loved this match. It was such a jolt to my system like the first time a child takes a big gulp of Mountain Dew. It was a wild ECW-like showing. My legs were wigglin and I was enjoying myself.
What was the story being told up until this point? For better or worse, the current stream of events flowed in a way that Mox took him out of action and then was a dick about it. The injury is obviously the difference, but we can parallel this with the American Dragon feud (ironically another BCC member) where the tweener was a prick and pulled the anger out of Page. Dragon did it by mauling his friends until a doubtful Hangman stood up. I like that Page has grown enough to step up to the challenge sooner. Cowboy Shit is about being willing to be vulnerable and honest with how you feel and when you need help with your mental health, but it’s also about having that Fighting Spirit and power to achieve an honest days work and fuck up some bullies. Is Hangman an American modern Kobashi? Too many literal differences but sure, why not?
If Hangman and Moxley was a rehash of Sabu vs Cactus Jack’s Of Mice and Men tribute match, it might have been a let down. Hangman could have been less than eager to fight and after ten minutes of being brutalized finally pull out the chainsaw. But with the story that was told on tv, a roll up or non-violent finish wouldn’t work. The roll up win was looked at as a desperation fluke in their previous encounter. If the build up was different, then very much yes, they could have pulled something off. But with the story that was told, I think they did good. Especially building off the previous encounters. Hangman attacking Mox during his entrance very much was a call back to the previous match where Mox did the same. It was good hardcore fun until Mox was Abdullah the Butchering Page’s face with a fork. Then the Death part of the match spiked up. Bricks are icky but it did pump me up. The win by chain is an interesting choice that I think was pulled off well. Moxley can reasonably tap out to a ridiculous set of circumstances, put over his opponent clean, and not be TKO’ed.
Page is now top dawg, had a clean win, and won in a reactionary way of taking control of the situation.
The story going from their knockout encounter to the final match was very much an arc that I did enjoy, but again, could have been different and it’d still likely have been pulled off well. The way I will view this all will be adding this context of events and developments into the stories presented going forward. Specifically with Page. You can go a number of ways that will work or you can book a fart. Here are some options going forward:
Elite drama. If we go from that violence to a Bloodline style melodrama, it will likely turn me off. It can be presented well and always work. Maybe a psychological battle against Don Callis? It all is doable, but could also be an unnecessary step in the wrong direction. I oddly do trust that group of people when they are working specifically within their own group to tell a tale.
Maybe the Mox violence and goading was a way to mentally prepare for the evils of Satan himself, MJF. It would make sense that Moxley is a steppingstone to the champion. In kayfabe logic, who else deserves the shot. You can have Max manipulate and play off the insecurities of Hangman, but with Page’s new combustible rage is dangerous to both himself and Maxwell. By Hangman even losing that feud, you can now have a Hangman that turned dark and has to live with himself as once again a failure.
You could have a stupid placeholder feud with like Mark Sterling and we all lose.
In terms of the match itself, I praise the fun. How they played everything out, I think it all fit but I’m fearful for everything Matt said being screwed up going forward. Ask me how I feel in four months and then again in a year. Kofimania was great. I didn’t even mind the Brock loss, it’s just that nothing happened afterwards to build off the excitement and then disappointment. Heartbreak can be a great narrative, but you have to do something with it. Punk comes back from injury and then gets squashed. Then they build off of it to something wonderful (sadly bad decisions and drama killed it). That’s why I don’t feel the plane ticket rumors derailed Wardlow. He still had a satisfying victory over his nemesis and was crazy over. Then he did nothing with a dumb Mark Sterling feud immediately after. Toni Storm’s interim title run shouldn’t have derailed her. Book something captivating instead of her saying she thinks it’s almost like a real belt and she deserves respect. Treat her like a big deal and her reign would have been. I’m not asking “What’s Next” the same way we see with people using that as a way to nullify a potential result. I am excitedly wondering how the creative powers at be can maintain momentum of a character. AEW sometimes falls short.
