WORLDS END III - 12/27/2025

[southofheavy]

2 hours ago, NoFistsJustFlips said:

Man Stat had so much steam before the heel turn. I wish they never did that. Shes great but I think the crowd still hasn't full re-embraced her.

Hayter by all accounts changed her look deliberately and says this is closer to who she is. But the Scooby Doo gimmick has tanked her aura.

Think its just a case of two great performers being matched up at not a great time. This match with the a pre heel turn Stat vs a pre 70s gal gimmick for Hayter would have set the world on fire.

Reason I say that she should be a heel is that, to me, her promos are heel in tone. She's always kinda had that. And if she's a face now, I don't think she's done all that great a job at it outside of flipping off the Death Riders. For as good as she can be in the ring, I don't think she's really put it together on the mic/gimmick. 

Completely agreed with you on Jamie. It sucks, because she's one of my favorites and the fan base adored her before she came back with this gimmick. Maybe a little more Black Sabbath than The Doors? I've seen her in a Rollins Band shirt. Just sayin'. 

Still, they were clubberin'. And that Fisherman Buster/Michinoku Driver off the top was fucking BONKERS. 
 

[Matt D]

I don't think Statlander is a well developed character in the least. I don't get who or what she is. My big takeaway from her arc over the last couple of years is that she's afraid to actually confront that question and instead is chasing success as a means to avoid it. She never had a proper turn, not really. She never got accepted by a chunk of her peers. She just won and keeps winning. Is she an alien? Is she the strongest? is she a dodgeball like bully? I have no idea and I don't get the sense she does either, except for that if ever pressed on it, she says she's past it all and she's found herself. There's nothing to latch on to though. 

[southofheavy]

That's exactly it, @Matt D

1 hour ago, southofheavy said:

 Maybe a little more Black Sabbath than The Doors? 

Scratch that. Less Doors, more THIN LIZZY. 

[RazorbladeKiss87]

Mercedes is so good at having a meltdown. 

Also, majorly agree on Stat not really feeling like a baby face with her promos. She gives off heavy "motivational bro on a podcast" energy and that's heel shit for sure. 

Mixed Nuts Challenge was fun and Yuta is such an unlikable shit. Absolutely perfect at it. 

[username]

10 hours ago, JLSigman said:

That was such a cool outfit and entrance. His ring actually lit up, too! He can do John Stewart Lantern anytime.

I'm sorry I've been around wrestling way too long, you can't wear a Green Lantern shirt and expect me not to roll my eyes at you >_>

[NikoBaltimore]

Imagine my shock watching '98 ECW to find that he for once wore a Batman shirt instead of Green Lantern.  I had to make sure it was the same guy but I'm kinda glad he didn't end up being Batman fan.

[The Natural]

4 minutes ago, NikoBaltimore said:

Imagine my shock watching '98 ECW to find that he for once wore a Batman shirt instead of Green Lantern.  I had to make sure it was the same guy but I'm kinda glad he didn't end up being Batman fan.

Agreed ;).

[HarryArchieGus]

15 hours ago, southofheavy said:

Reason I say that she should be a heel is that, to me, her promos are heel in tone. She's always kinda had that. And if she's a face now, I don't think she's done all that great a job at it outside of flipping off the Death Riders. For as good as she can be in the ring, I don't think she's really put it together on the mic/gimmick. 

Completely agreed with you on Jamie. It sucks, because she's one of my favorites and the fan base adored her before she came back with this gimmick. Maybe a little more Black Sabbath than The Doors? I've seen her in a Rollins Band shirt. Just sayin'. 

Still, they were clubberin'. And that Fisherman Buster/Michinoku Driver off the top was fucking BONKERS. 

Hayter's post return and booking has been marred by stop/start injuries. I've never had any issue with her (okay, agreed, gaudy at times) retro apparel - especially considering how tacky most of her contemporaries not named Toni present themselves. Her look isn't perfect, but it's pretty distinct. She's still second to none in ring, but she badly needs some direction. I really liked the Aminata/Hayter tag team, and would welcome a push for them. I totally agree with you (and @Matt D) on Stat. I think the starting point for getting her on track is a proper mouthpiece. I also thought the ppv match was mostly excellent. 

[Iron Moose]

17 hours ago, Matt D said:

I don't think Statlander is a well developed character in the least. I don't get who or what she is. My big takeaway from her arc over the last couple of years is that she's afraid to actually confront that question and instead is chasing success as a means to avoid it. She never had a proper turn, not really. She never got accepted by a chunk of her peers. She just won and keeps winning. Is she an alien? Is she the strongest? is she a dodgeball like bully? I have no idea and I don't get the sense she does either, except for that if ever pressed on it, she says she's past it all and she's found herself. There's nothing to latch on to though. 

She also gets *real mean* when pressed. I know it was basically a lifetime ago, but her comments to Leyla Hirsch about being adopted - and her recent shading of Hayter on being able to get back up after adversity - were abrupt and harsh. And then it's like ... you beat her, or you don't beat her, but the audience still has a sense that she makes people uncomfortable when she lashes out and doesn't change as a person after the match. Although she does change her attire. 

 

Hayter, on the other hand, suffers by comparison to Toni doing a different Of A Different Time gimmick, and also due to not having a televised social circle to bounce off of. 

Edited December 31, 2025 by Iron Moose

[NoFistsJustFlips]

17 hours ago, Matt D said:

I don't think Statlander is a well developed character in the least. I don't get who or what she is. My big takeaway from her arc over the last couple of years is that she's afraid to actually confront that question and instead is chasing success as a means to avoid it. She never had a proper turn, not really. She never got accepted by a chunk of her peers. She just won and keeps winning. Is she an alien? Is she the strongest? is she a dodgeball like bully? I have no idea and I don't get the sense she does either, except for that if ever pressed on it, she says she's past it all and she's found herself. There's nothing to latch on to though. 

Excellent points. I think, and this is just me guessing based off what we've seen, she's most comfortable being a goofy borderline comedy character with the original I am an alien gimmick. And she was probably told they dont want that. So she tried the heel turn and it never really clicked. And now shes done the face turn but without the comedy and that's also not clicking.

She's clearly not super comfortable in the presentation she has. But I think AEW doesnt want that goofy alien aspect as a character trait. Its one thing for Toni to do this old timey thing. But a literal alien played for laughs just isnt what TK wants on top of the division.

I lived here original I am an alien gimmick with the nose boops and intentional awkwardness in promos. Thought it was unique & fun but more importantly more authentic to her true personality.

 

[stuntmanc]

3 hours ago, HarryArchieGus said:

Hayter's post return and booking has been marred by stop/start injuries. I've never had any issue with her (okay, agreed, gaudy at times) retro apparel - especially considering how tacky most of her contemporaries not named Toni present themselves. Her look isn't perfect, but it's pretty distinct. She's still second to none in ring, but she badly needs some direction. I really liked the Aminata/Hayter tag team, and would welcome a push for them. I totally agree with you (and @Matt D) on Stat. I think the starting point for getting her on track is a proper mouthpiece. I also thought the ppv match was mostly excellent. 

Aminata/Hayter was such a fun, if short lived pairing and their finisher was simple and so damn badass.

[HarryArchieGus]

2 hours ago, Iron Moose said:

She also gets *real mean* when pressed. I know it was basically a lifetime ago, but her comments to Leyla Hirsch about being adopted - and her recent shading of Hayter on being able to get back up after adversity - were abrupt and harsh. And then it's like ... you beat her, or you don't beat her, but the audience still has a sense that she makes people uncomfortable when she lashes out and doesn't change as a person after the match. Although she does change her attire. 

Hayter, on the other hand, suffers by comparison to Toni doing a different Of A Different Time gimmick, and also due to not having a televised social circle to bounce off of. 

What about Jamie’s wardrobe choices are we calling a gimmick? I don’t see any actual character differences from her early cheeky days to the current vintage apparel. When she was hot she had a modicum of direction - that’s the difference. She’s great, she just needs to be treated as such - eg. given a goddamn purpose. 

Very much with you on Stat. Ya know, this underwhelming world title run is actually going better than the far worse TBS title run she had. I also agree with much of the other comments here, but don’t agree that the Stat heel turn didn’t work - the Willow feud was some of her best work. On the other hand, the fallout and sudden babyface switchback with absolutely no reason was what led her to this current lull.

[Shartnado]

The tournament took a weird turn in the semis, with the finals (or what I expected, but other people called what actually happened) being already in the opener. Both matches were crazy, but Moxley getting to the finals was a shocker and while Takeshita losing WAS surprising, Okada making it to the finals at the same time wasn't.

Tag title street fight was maybe a bit too long, but it got really good by the end, as often is the case. BBG is now done as challengers, with such a strong win by FTR. On the bright side, though, Stokley is DEAD!

Babes of Wrath made it and Mercedes is one step closer to flipping out completely. Athena didn't take kindly to Mone losing, but the pinning combination was absolutely beautiful. There was also some really nifty tag team moves throughout the match by both teams, but surprisingly even more by Mercedes and Athena, with their cohesion starting to be at 57%.

I did NOT expect Kidd vs Darby to be that kind of a bloodbath and was wondering how a standard rules match possibly live up to the short but violent build up (actually, not even that short) but it certainly did and even got deliciously uncomfortable at times. The missile dropkick to the floor and the slingshot through the stairs were beautiful stretching of the standard rules, although the slingshot should probably have been a DQ. The ending was sudden but kept Gabe strong, which was still probably imperative. This was top notch stuff. But I had to take a break after this, will continue soon enough.

Alright, Suck My Nuts Mayhem and Women’s title match were both awesome, and Statlander and Hayter were off the charts! CC finals next!

Edited December 31, 2025 by Shartnado
caught some more!

[HarryArchieGus]

9 minutes ago, Shartnado said:

Tag title street fight was maybe a bit too long, but it got really good by the end, as often is the case. BBG is now done as challengers, with such a strong win by FTR. On the bright side, though, Stokley is DEAD!

This did go too long. I'm generally very much with FTR going as long as they want - as they generally get results. That said, this may have been the weakest outing in what has been a banner 2025 year for the Top Guys. This had some of the worst psychology I've ever seen in an FTR match. What were they collectively thinking in working over Juice's leg with a chair and then having him sit in submissions? That was mindbogglingly stupid. And dare I say (maybe) worse than the embarrassing Takeshita-Okada finish. 

[Shartnado]

1 minute ago, HarryArchieGus said:

This did go too long. I'm generally very much with FTR going as long as they want - as they generally get results. That said, this may have been the weakest outing in what has been a banner 2025 year for the Top Guys. This had some of the worst psychology I've ever seen in an FTR match. What were they collectively thinking in working over Juice's leg with a chair and then having him sit in submissions? That was mindbogglingly stupid. And dare I say (maybe) worse than the embarrassing Takeshita-Okada finish. 

I thought that was the case. Also, as you pointed out, yeah the screwdriver coming into play in the opener was quite terrible, but I just chalk it up keeping Takeshita strong, which is also imperative.

[Niners Fan in CT]

Stat has been whatever the opposite is of "and then the bell rang."  She's great in the ring but her promo style is not good and her current character work is nonexistent. But I do like her a lot and hope for the best. 

[HarryArchieGus]

5 minutes ago, Shartnado said:

I thought that was the case. Also, as you pointed out, yeah the screwdriver coming into play in the opener was quite terrible, but I just chalk it up keeping Takeshita strong, which is also imperative.

I could totally accept that finish if they'd properly gotten the ref out of position. As was - embarrassingly bad. 

[Shartnado]

Just now, Niners Fan in CT said:

Stat has been whatever the opposite is of "and then the bell rang."  She's great in the ring but her promo style is not good and her current character work is nonexistent. But I do like her a lot and hope for the best. 

"and then the promo started?" Yeah, some of the build up (along with Jamie's promo work) was pretty cringe, but those two will go like a mofo, so I will try and forgive them for that.

[Shartnado]

5 minutes ago, HarryArchieGus said:

I could totally accept that finish if they'd properly gotten the ref out of position. As was - embarrassingly bad. 

I was starting to be pretty much wasted when the finish happened, so I didn't mind/notice that so bad, but even I was aware of the screwdriver (which I was having at the time, coincidentally) and if Okada couldn't hide it from me, it's a f'n miracle he could hide it from the incompetent referee.

[AxB]

I think the plan was for Don Callis to distract the ref while Okada got the screwdriver, but Don missed his cue. So the ref missed Okada taking the weapon because he was reacting to nothing happening.

[Shartnado]

1 minute ago, AxB said:

I think the plan was for Don Callis to distract the ref while Okada got the screwdriver, but Don missed his cue. So the ref missed Okada taking the weapon because he was reacting to nothing happening.

That's pretty much what I was able to figure out, even in my drunken state. But yeah, it seemed as if something went slightly wrong just like that NXT North Amerixan Women's title match, but Thea Hale just was thousand times better at improvising than Okada, eventhough he did try, as well!

[HarryArchieGus]

2 hours ago, AxB said:

I think the plan was for Don Callis to distract the ref while Okada got the screwdriver, but Don missed his cue. So the ref missed Okada taking the weapon because he was reacting to nothing happening.

I don't think Don distracting the ref complies with the C2 rules. Further, I don't see an old pro like Callis missing a cue. That said, I can't explain the miscue. 

[Johnny Sorrow]

8 hours ago, HarryArchieGus said:

I don't think Don distracting the ref complies with the C2 rules. Further, I don't see an old pro like Callis missing a cue. That said, I can't explain the miscue. 

I think a lot can be blamed on the fact that the screwdriver gimmick just stinks to begin with. As a weapon, it's as dumb as a sledgehammer and it's also a terrible foreign object. TK loves old wrestling, just use knucks or a roll of coins.

[Cleavy]

2 hours ago, Johnny Sorrow said:

I think a lot can be blamed on the fact that the screwdriver gimmick just stinks to begin with. As a weapon, it's as dumb as a sledgehammer and it's also a terrible foreign object. TK loves old wrestling, just use knucks or a roll of coins.

you can't get that visual effect of a screwdriver accidentally being stabbed into the turnbuckle pad, with knucks or a roll of coins though.

[RazorbladeKiss87]

The screwdriver is a good weapon for sicko matches where you get the visual, much like a classic fork or spike. Normal matches, naa, not really that great.