Big Z

Another crazy night of wrestling, and AEW still keeping the momentum going. Surprised by the ending of the Dark Order/Elite match, and going with that result I would have had Hangman eliminate both Bucks before Omega wins with his chicanery. I still think that they are going with Hangman-Omega at All Out (with Hangman winning). It is too late for them to pivot from that, even for Bryan Danielson (it wouldn't be quite as bad as having Hangman lose at All Out, but still the wrong move and a major letdown for me at a far bigger level than the ending to Revolution or Blood and Guts). Not going to even think about Punk in that spot, even if I've come around on him coming to AEW. There will be one more move/swerve to get Hangman back in the title match, even if it's Hangman risking his AEW career or doing a Cody/Bucks permanent out of title scene stipulation. Also, in a company with tons of guys that are white hot, you cannot run a mildly over Christian against Omega at All Out in place of Hangman. I'm a huge Christian fan (though he's better as a heel), and would enjoy Christian-Omega title match as a TV main event, but not as a pay-per view main event. Cody's heel turn needs to happen soon, as the crowd has clearly picked sides in his current feud and it's definitely not with him. Great first program for Black though, and glad that he's now with a company that will utilize his skills properly. The Jericho-Nick Gage match was quite something, and this is the best Jericho has been in AEW (and I mostly enjoyed his title run). The Juve match will be something, but I'd keep that one shorter and not in the main event spot (great choice to put it there tonight though, as fans leave happy instead of depressed after the elimination match ending).

I've been advocating for trios/six-man titles for a few months now, especially with the quality depth added towards the top of the card recently (Andrade, End/Black, and it sounds like Punk and Danielson are likely coming soon). You could easily do a 12 or 16 team tournament with quality depth, and I think would be a prefect addition as a Rampage anchor. In a perfect world, Rampage could be 1980's JCP Worldwide (which had a few big matches per year). I realistically expect that it will be a small step down from Dynamite, but still a very worthwhile venture to have another hour of AEW on regular TV (now I just wish that it also had a better time slot).

Super pumped that the current rumors have Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson likely headed to AEW. Not quite as excited about the CM Punk rumors at this point. Think that Bryan is a better short term and medium/long-term addition for both the buzz he would bring and what he would add to the company. Punk feels more like a WCW adding a well past his prime Roddy Piper.

Two major issues with that: 1. Nowhere near ready to turn Omega back face yet. He just turned heel last winter, and think he's really finding his groove as a heel the last few months (and his last two title defenses were easily his two best matches as heel champ). Yes, he should lose the title to Hangman at All Out, but there's a lot more left to his heel run (unless he has to take some time off after the title run to let his injuries heal). 2. For as much as the AEW crowd generally cheers the faces and boos the heels, not a chance in hell they want to boo Bryan Danielson, especially as he would be the biggest name to sign with them (at least with the modern audience, still have a soft spot for Sting's debut myself). Now, maybe he turns after a year or two in AEW once the shock and nostalgia factor wears off a bit, but he's not going to be a heel from the jump.

Besides this being a great pro wrestling show, it was done without tons of bells and whistles (just the main event gimmick match). Dynamite may not have quite as good of a main event every week (though there have been many memorable ones already), but on the whole, it's very replicable and could start a standard with shows back on the road in front of full houses.

The dream would be Kairi Sane, but she wants to stay in Japan and also looks to be still contracted with WWE in some fashion. A bit surprised that they never signed Tenille Dashwood when she was a free agent, as she could fit alongside Serena Deeb as the vet that can still go. I like how the AEW women's division has evolved and people like Tay Conti and the good doctor have improved exponentially, but agree with the thought that the division can still use a solid vet or two.

I'm cool with all of those, as long as they add to the overall product. I was referring more to the planned explosion going wrong at Revolution (though admittedly thought that match idea itself is a hair extreme, especially when it also doubled as a world title match) or Jericho's giant bump off the cage (which I have less of an issue with, but still unnecessary on the whole).

I do not think that AEW needs to do these giant stunts, and cool if they put the kibosh on them for the foreseeable future. In fact, for the next Blood and Guts match, I'd add the stipulation that leaving the cage is an automatic loss).

Giving you credit for being a serious poster and not a troll/shitstirrer, I'm honestly not sure if modern wrestling (at least AEW) is for you. That does not mean that modern wrestling is not very healthy outside of WWE (and New Japan is a bit stagnant, and likely needs AEW more than AEW needs it about now). AEW has a strong product that is already making money on its main wrestling investment (and the big investment in AEW gaming seems like a solid long-term move, even though I'll freely admit to not being up on the modern gaming scene). AEW has been successful because it does a good job of giving its hardcore fans like myself what they want most of the time. While I'd love for AEW to eventually get 2 or 3 million viewers a week, it should not be chased in lieu of the strong base that shows up to events and buys PPV's (and basically loves the product). That is the mistake that TNA made, chasing big growth and big names and not organically growing with their popular home-grown guys and having a strong foundation of long-term storytelling in place. For the show itself, enjoyed most of it (favorites matches were the six-man and the main), but agree that Andrade's match with Sydal did not quite click (and his modified finisher does not look great, especially since his finisher was awesome during his NXT run). However, agree that this will be a blip, as everything save the match showcased Andrade as a big star. Also, while I'd read about Malakai Black Instagram, agree that his debut was not handled smoothly (at least at the announce desk, actually loved in-ring presentation). That being said, super happy to have him in AEW, and also think that the fans will side with him versus Cody (and I'm one of Cody's biggest fans here, but he's not getting cheered against Malakai Black/Tommy End). This should be a good vehicle to start and maybe even cement the Cody heel turn. Rare AEW show where the out of the ring action far surpassed the in-ring action (though American Top Team bit dragged a touch, and could have been done just as well in about half the time).

Tough call to who dethrones Bucks between Santana and Ortiz and Mox and Kingston. I'm torn myself, as I want Kingston to be part of the team that dethrones them, but also totally respect the argument of a true team like Santana and Ortiz beating them. One argument for Kingston/Mox is that they can quickly flip them to FTR, and then FTR enjoys a good run before Santana/Ortiz or returning Trent with Best Friends defeats them (as long Trent can come back in say a year or so).

I personally do not take issue with Guevara-Gino Hernandez comparison along racial lines, and while I do not see the comparison myself, fair points to those that can. My bigger issue with that is Guevara is an emerging big babyface, and unfortunately there was not a whole lot likable about Gino. The Eddie Guerrero comparison is much more flattering, and also a bit more applicable.

Yes, Gino Hernandez was very well featured on the first part of the World Class set from the 80's project here and is very well known amongst older wrestling fans. Guevara is basically the opposite of him, great in the ring, but mediocre on the mic (whereas Gino was an excellent promo/character, but so-so as a worker).

Very much enjoyed this show. I can see the main event being polarizing, and while I agree with not loving the finish, I quite liked the match on the whole. Agree with the person that pointed that pointed out that this a good litmus test for MJF working the house style, as I expect Guevara and similar type workers to be at the top of the card in AEW for awhile. Even with a hiccup or two (like the missed leapfrog early and if he shoot hurt himself on the tombstone), MJF held his own wrestling a super-athletic pace and style of match. Intrigued what the endgame will be with the Bucks-Kingston story, and starting to think there could be a Double or Nothing re-match at All Out in a big gimmick match (like NO DQ and Kingston's career on the line). Now, they would need to cool it down for a bit before All Out because of burn out of the pairing, but think there's a big PPV match left where Eddie/Mox take the titles. Also, I love how they started the road towards Hangman and Omega at All Out. Dark Order are the supportive friends that Hangman never truly had in The Elite, and they will give him the confidence to de-throne Omega. Finally, if JR does not get the pink slip after that horrific botch at the end of the night, there at least needs to be a come to Jesus meeting to prevent botches like that (and I think that JR is still with it enough to not accept giant mistakes like that). Edit: Just saw JR tweet right after I finished my post. At least he is taking some blame for it, and hopefully it can be a wake-up call to get his ass in gear. While he's not my first choice as lead AEW announces (and shouts to my Mauro), I also think he can add value to the product and is not totally out of touch with today's product (though not quite as enthusiastic as Schiavone about the evolution of the product from the 80's to today).

Re-watched the opener, tag title and world title match from Double or Nothing before Dynamite last Saturday, and actually prefer the three-way match to the tag title match now (and rate Hangman-Cage the same, a really fun opener that's probably a touch above four stars). Think the tag title match is a step or two behind the amazing Bucks-Omega/Hangman match at Revolution and the Bucks/FTR match at Full Gear in 2020. Loved the psychology of working over Kingston's bad leg to basically eliminate him from the match (an personally would have played that as the finish), but the Bucks-Moxley finishing sequence did not quite hit for me in execution even though it makes sense on paper (Moxley could not overcome the double team). No issue with the Bucks winning (especially since Moxley needed time off in real-life), but unfortunately watching the match again dampened my thoughts on it a bit. On the flip-side, the world title match is sneaky awesome (probably not five stars, but not too far off). Great story with Orange trying to capitalize in opportunistic situations, Pac looking a badass that would win in a straight up match, and the champion Omega trying to escape what turned out to be a sticky situation with two very capable challengers (and while I was intrigued by an Orange-Omega match going in, glad that Pac added that extra layer in hindsight). This looks like the start of Omega having a strong end sequence to his title run, and expect this match to age really well. I'd have this match now somewhere in the middle of the top 20 best AEW matches.

Sucks about Trent's injury, as Best Friends were some of the unsung heroes of AEW in the first year or so of TV before Trent's pec injury. Was hoping for them to get a tag title run at some point, but that may be well down the line now. While I disagree with The Elite being anywhere near as bad as NWO 1997-1998, I would say that both Omega and the Bucks should be in the latter half of their title runs. Not sure if I would go with them both losing at All Out, but I would have Hangman beating Omega then (and great to see that Hangman was one of the most popular guys with a big audience again since he should start the title chase soon).

I'd love Hangman back in the G1, as his run in 2018 was one of the few highlights of that G1 and got me aboard his bandwagon as a future major star (and pretty damn good already). The others are a good call, and hell just about anyone in the upper card or above would be cool (save Jericho). It would be a little harder to get someone in BOSJ just cause a lot of the best candidates like Darby, Jungle Boy, and Silver (at least in the near future) are being presented as threats for the top AEW titles and mainly facing bigger guys.

I've enjoyed the Don Callis/Kenny Omega characters and generally have liked their promos. Also, very much enjoying the Young Bucks/Brandon Cutler dynamic (with the Bucks forcing him to turn to the dark side with them). My issue with their matches, especially with Omega, in finding the right formula between heel chicanery and blatant, elongated interference with multiple men (like the ending of the Omega-Moxley match at Revolution). Well timed, occasional interference from a manager/second still works in any era of wrestling. To reference New Japan, I think that Jay White and Gedo have it down well whereas Evil singles matches are almost unwatchable these days with Dick Togo's way too liberal participation. It should where the heels show enough skill to where you think they do not necessarily need the help. yet still rely on the help in key moments to mostly push them over the top (at least for the top of the card guys like Omega and the Bucks). I think that Omega's title match at Double or Nothing was much improved because the interference was contained to select moments that helped advance the story, yet he snuck out in the end thanks to just his physical actions.

Now, for a positive potential comparison for Braun, I'd look at what Lex Luger brought WCW for a few years after joining as a big-name free agent with a questionable reputation on the first Nitro. Now, Lex came to WCW eager to prove doubters wrong after his time in WWE flamed out and also took a pay cut to prove himself again (and was a big asset for the company for his first few years back before his body started to break down and also being one of many caught up in the NWO storylines that went way past its expiration date). However, from the sounds of it, you are not getting Braun on the remotely cheap. Also, I would have my doubts about how motivated that Braun actually is to prove himself on a new stage. AEW has been great at signing guys who have been hungry to prove something (there have been a couple of exceptions to that, but even in the case of say Matt Hardy, he should be bringing legitimate value to the company outside of the ring as a smart, seasoned veteran working with a fairly young roster). In general, I would not be in favor of bringing Braun in and think the that risks outweigh the potential reward. However, I would be open minded enough to give it a little time to play out, and can see how it works out positively (and even very positively).

I'm also torn on Braun, as I actually liked him back when I was still watching WWE and thought that they dropped the ball on completing big pushes with him multiple times (he should have come out of SummerSlam 2018 as champion as most notable missed opportunity). That said, I'm not sure if he would be fully committed to AEW (and even if everything does not connect 100 percent, there's very little half-assing it in AEW), and of course there would be some backlash from his comments following the massive 2020 WWE layoffs. For what it cost to sign Braun, I'm saving that money for someone like a Jay White down the road (And of course still dream of Bryan Danielson, but not sure if that's realistic at this point if it ever was). From the recent WWE layoffs these past few months, the only people I am really hoping for AEW to sign are Tommy End (untapped potential on biggest stage, very over with core AEW audience, and still think he could bring some new eyeballs in if packaged right), Thea Trinidad (great versatility as a manager and wrestler), and Ruby Riott/Heidi Lovelace (similar characteristics to Tommy End from the female side, and also thought to be a great person by most of the people that she's worked with)).

To add to that, I think a cool way for a lot of these factions in AEW to evolve would be adding women to them (Kris Statlander has definitely added to Best Friends, agree that Leyla Hirsch joining Team Taz is a good shout, Anna Jay is awesome with The Dark Order when healthy, The Pinnacle would be a soft landing spot for Tessa Blanchard if AEW signs her). Now, just like the men, not every woman has to join a faction (The Good Doctor definitely should be on her own with Rebel), but it would help both some women and the groups with strategic placements. A fun show, and adding Eddie Kingston and Brandon Cutler definitely helped tie things together with the Bucks and Penta/Pac (this match was definitely better then last week's match). My thought is that the Inner Circle segment will play better with the general AEW fan compared to this board, and in general think that the face Inner Circle is still pretty over with the live crowd (and we can test theory on 6-26 show and back full-time on the road on July 7th). I think these last few shows at Daily's Place will help tie up some of the current storylines towards the end of their road, and the build for All Out will start in earnest on the July 7th show. Assuming that AEW is running Hangman-Omega at All Out, having Hangman as a partner (maybe even mystery partner) in a multi-man match with Kenny and The Bucks would be a great way to get that kickstarted again.

I was a bit worried about AEW's momentum a few weeks ago, but an awesome Double or Nothing show with a full, very hot crowd quelled those concerns for me. Once they are back touring in front of crowds and back airing on their normal Wednesday night time slot, things will be rolling again. However, after being ambivalent towards AEW moving off of TNT, I now strongly favor the move to TBS. Having to move shows to a bad timeslot for over a month is not conducive to building and maintaining your product. Now they just need to move Rampage to 6:05 Eastern on Saturday night (in all seriousness, while maybe not that timeslot, trial and error is showing that live ratings will likely be rough in that 10 P.M Eastern Friday night slot).

I have not seen their tweets, but my political leanings (at least through voting) are similar to most on this board, as I have voted Democratic for every federal office since being eligible to vote save Alexi Giannoulias in 2010 (blame that one on Blago), for governor save Blago in 2006 (was correctly onto his chicanery by then), and my House rep Jan Schakowsky every time. Now, I'm much more of a Biden Democrat than the far left of the party, and still very much like Obama (though hindsight being 20/20, I would have wanted Hillary to be president in 2008, then Obama win in 2016). That said, I've always worked in sales and customer service basically my entire professional career, so I need to have some skill at separating the person from their possible political stance (and while I did not now exactly where Bucks stood politically, I would have assumed conservative given their religious beliefs and where they grew up). That said, as Chris Jericho consistently proves, it is hard to put a blanket around a person based on certain actions or behavior (acting foolishly politically and with Covid, especially in today's heightened age of attention and reaction, but also doing many incredibly kind things to wrestlers and people in need). As far as the formation of AEW goes, think you have the roles of Cody and Bucks mixed up, at a minimum with the Bucks being far more committed to the project. They needed TK's money and connections to pull AEW off, but Bucks efforts in putting on All In and commitment to form AEW after that are the backbone of the company in my eyes

We will wildly disagree about them in the ring, and I can accept the whole different strokes for different strokes things (I think they are a fresh, 21 century version of the Midnight Express, and no doubt Hall of Famers for any objective Halls of Fame). Away from the ring though, they are by most reports really good guys who are nothing like their current TV characters. Also, they had the guts to eschew big money and an easy schedule joining Vince and played a big part in revolutionizing 21st Century American pro wrestling by helping put AEW together. Even if they did nothing else after that, I'd always be grateful to them for that. They have clearly done far more since forming AEW (I'd call them the overall in-ring MVP's of the promotion), but glad that they bet on themselves and tapped into the fervor for something different in modern American wrestling.

I agree that the first couple of Jericho promos after the Inner Circle face turn were not great (highlighting some of Jericho's worst tendencies as a face), but I think that they have really sharpened up since then, with last night being no different. Last night's Jericho promo was a fairly textbook babyface promo (in 2021 at least), but there's nothing wrong with being fairly textbook when the promo conveys intended message (the war with MJF and The Pinnacle is not over). Honestly, the Inner Circle are some of the best babyfaces on the current AEW roster, especially after Jericho stopped trying to be too cute and clever and just rode the natural hate and revenge after MJF and The Pinnacle initially assaulted them (and then tried to totally eliminate Jericho at Blood and Guts). Now, I would agree that Sammy has not found his footing as a face promo (though his in-ring style is very well suited as a face), but on the whole the group is very likable while retaining their element of coolness and danger (and Santana and Ortiz in particular are still cool badasses).

Nothing I would terribly disagree with there, and basically reflects how much I enjoyed each match (and in the case of the battle royal, both the right person won and it was a good finish, which is just about all that matters in the match).