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AEW Scouting Report


Goodear

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Adam Page

Last Time: Of all the AEW guys with no WWE experience or exposure, I would pick Page as the one with the most mainstream appeal and the best chance to cross over into big draw territory. Page has great strikes in particular his boots and clotheslines which always seem to hit in a satisfying flesh to flesh manner. We seemed to be on the verge of something major when Page and Omega faced the Young Bucks at Revolution but to be honest, it feels as though not pulling the trigger on someone turning caused the angle to sputter.  I'm still baffled by them taking their potential breakout star and making him a sad drunk. The belief seems to be we're taking a guy at a 7 of being over, intentionally dropping him to a 5 so he can rebound to a 10. This idea ignores that sometimes people don't recover from their heat diminishing when they go to reheat.

Since Last Time: Page has spent a lot of time in the background and has recently began to reemerge winning a decisive feud over Matt Hardy (although I don't think they got a lot out of the quarter's earnings stipulation) and currently rolling over Team Taz. While it's good that there is now some noise about at least having something to do with the World Title, I don't think AEW did a great job of keeping Page hot during the pandemic due to inactivity. 

What Now?: Going from Cowboy Shit to Sad Drunk to Anxious Millennial Cowboy seems like taking something that was working, going to something that absolutely didn't work and then transitioning to something that works better than the second thing but not as well as the first. While I think it's a more nuanced character to not have Adam be a kick ass cowboy who pounds beers, I think the simpler character would prove to be more popular to a live audience. I don't know that the association with the rudderless Dark Order really helps him either as they have yet to figure out their role post Brodie. Both The Dark Order and Page seem to have spent the last six months without solid directions and neither helped the other get over their hurdles. I think we all have Page penciled in as the next World Champion and we've had that in our minds since before Omega ever got the strap. I really can't decide if we can call this all long term storytelling or just long gaps between story beats. It feels like there should have been something between Page and his former partners in the Elite before now (one could say the same about Cody and I will make that point in his write up) but time has just been going forward with no real steps being taken.

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18 hours ago, just drew said:

Abadon might do well to get involved with like a Lance Archer or something. Just a way to keep her involved.

 

If Archer works with anyone, it will be Itoh-chan.

I so want to see Itoh replace Jake as Archer's manager.

 

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Alan Angels ("5" of the Dark Order)

Last Time:  He seems competent enough but there's no stand out quality that makes him more than a member of the third string tag team on a too large stable.  He's not someone memorable. I can't see Angels really making any sort of impact going forward. Angels seems like just a guy and I don't see the need for a guy to have meaningless technically proficient matches that serve no purpose.

Since Last Time: More of the same really. Angels hasn't done much of anything to break out and The Dark Order has really become less important to the show, its really done a number on the guys on the squad who already weren't getting any steam. They've somewhat elevated 10 in the last six months and that tag team is a lot less active and we've gotten a lot more random tag team combinations to do jobs in Dark main events. 

What Now?: I can't see them doing anything more with Angels. He's pretty locked in as a hand at this point and doesn't have the tools to break out of that box. He's in that hanging on position where he could be let go at any time or he could be with the promotion for the next ten years and never get a push out of the effort.

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AEW not following the WWE policy of having both members of a Tag Team disappear because one of them is injured is a really good thing. I don't think I'd ever seen Bronson have a singles match before he got signed. But he's sneakily a really good singles wrestler.

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Guest Jimbo_Tsuruta
On 6/23/2021 at 7:28 PM, J.T. said:

This Bear Bronson guy is pretty good.

Can you recommend your favourite Bear Country tags/singles? The only BC match I've seen is v TIAB that segundacaida had on their 2020 MOTY list.

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I've was really impressed with Bear Bronson's singles matches with Brian Cage and Jungle Boy in particular.   Bear has become my favorite Jobber to the Stars lately

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Alex Reynolds 

Last Time: Reynolds is pretty much captain average as a performer. He doesn't really flash a lot and can fade into the woodwork a lot if he's allowed to do so. So we need to find a way to feature him if we are going to have him on the roster so he serves a purpose beyond the second tier Dark Order tag team or the Marty Jannetty of the pairing with Silver. Reynolds as is doesn't really engender a lot of attention as he's kind of the other guy in a tag team right now. He needs something to latch onto or he's going to be an afterthought.

Since Last Time: Reynolds has been solidified as the other guy in the Silver team even as Silver has been off television with a shoulder injury. Alex has been relegated to losing in Dark main events in some of the more random Dark Order pairings or as a single. If anything, I've grown more appreciative of Reynolds as time has gone on and have favorably compared him to Christian as a guy without a stand out physical feature but still can put together solid outings.

What Now?: Reynolds has really not stepped out of the Dark Order shadow and needs to either find a hook or get out of AEW before he has loser stink on him for the rest of his career. He's like the Health Slater or Bo Dallas of AEW who worked there for a lot of years but never got to do a lot except be in a group now and again and do jobs on secondary shows. He's likely to stick around, but he's so far down the pecking order, he's not likely to get a shot anytime soon except as Silver's Robin. I actually think he could do more in the business but needs a repackage and something to hook audiences.

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  • 1 month later...

Allie (aka Bunny on the Roster Page but still alphabetically under A)

Last Time: Brandi Rhodes booking vortex. Needs expanded role in the Butcher and The Blade act beyond generic second during matches. Bunny mask does a good job hiding her cute features to extenuate her hotness which is the purpose.

Since Last Time: Allie got out of that relationship with QT Marshall and Brandi that no one understood so she could go back to The Blade pairing which is better fit for her. While I'm not a big fan of the Hardy Family Office as a concept, I do think having the women be part of the factions in AEW is a good idea assuming they don't always take the backseat role to the men which is a danger. Bunny has taken on a more important in ring role as a midcarder for the women's division which is good because the individual divisions should have things going on beyond the titles (aka there should be a tag team midcard, a women's midcard and so on). Those things should exist so you don't get stuck in a position where workers disappear and only resurface for title matches and then go away again. Bunny does a good job of being 'the crazy one' in the women's division without treading the same ground as say Abadon who is a different flavor of crazy.

What Now?: More of the same I'd say. Allie probably doesn't justify a larger role which is okay because you need people to put over your stars on the rise who people don't really want to see pushed. She's not likely to break out but she's present enough on the shows that she's neither over or under exposed. Her role with the HFO is suitable to her talent level. She's probably got another 2-3 years of a run at this level at AEW before she'll have to move on or become too much a fixture that no one cares about anymore.

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I watched Dark this week which is very rare for me (David Crockett was the draw). My biggest takeaway is that no one leans into anything except for Darby. That's almost his gimmick, but he really does make most things look good and credible. I get that there are more trainees and inexperienced people on this show, but there's a lot of obvious telegraphing of spots across the board. I wouldn't say things feel choreographed so much as a lot of the wrestlers don't know how to more organically bridge the moments between spots or set up the entry point for their next spot. I noticed it the most with the women but it was there up and down the board, save for the Darby match.

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Andrade El Idolo

Last Time: New Signing

Since Last Time: Came in with an association with Vickie Guerrero which was transitioned to Chavo Guerrero Jr. and an unnamed assistant. Has worked one match against Matt Sydal and started an angle with the Death Triangle attempting to start an association with Rey Fenix and Penta. Has had numerous opportunities to cut promos that are subtitled because people seem to have trouble understanding him in both languages.

What Now?: Having Andrade cut promos is extremely counter productive as it is the one part of the wrestling game he's terrible at. Chavo has managed to improve the presentation and has served much better than Vicki as a mouthpiece who was an extremely bad fit for Andrade. Andrade's presentation requires a level of professionalism Vicki's annoying character doesn't fit. One match in 2 months seems like a waste of a really good in ring talent who would improve his standing with good outings (assuming there isn't some injury or some other reason we aren't being made aware of). I love Andrade's suit and mask look but we've only seen it once. Matches with The Death Triangle should actually be good when we eventually get there but I would have liked to see them hammer Andrade over before having him work competitive matches. I would have liked to see a last name added to the branding and having "El Idolo" be more of a nickname than a title.

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  • 1 month later...
On 12/4/2020 at 12:46 PM, Goodear said:

Dr. Britt Baker, She's a Dentist

Baker actually is a pretty good example of a wresting gimmick that works in that 1) most people don't care for Dentists and 2) she wrestles like you would imagine a dentist would. The work she's done to focus a lot of her offense on the jaw has been effective and her wrestling in general has improved as she's learned to be more aggressive. The slingblade still sucks and really, there aren't a lot of people who should be using that move at all. But the fisherman's neckbreaker has ton of torque to it and the lockjaw is an effective take on the mandible claw. I think the Seth Rollins stomp is an effective addition to her move set as well. 

She's got a good act going personally. I think Reba/Rebel is a bit of an odd addition really. Are we supposed to feel bad for her because she's being abused by Baker or are is she supposed to be getting heat as a flunky? It's a bit murky and could be a little more clear for the audience. Britt herself has her gimmick more locked in as a pompous blowhard and looks like she's got a lot more upward mobility than she did a year ago. She's made lots of positive choices.

I'm glad the Big Swole feud is over as I don't think Swole is any good. The whole match in a dentist's office wasn't a very good idea even if we are in Covids time and the period of cinematic matches. The Thunder Rosa feud should be better and Baker is going to have to step up again to keep up. I could see Baker stepping up in the championship picture in the coming year and stepping into the championship role. As it stands, she's one of the women who are actually watchable and draws heat. 

Just working through your VERY awesome thread and not sure if you have an update for Dr. Britt Baker DMD. But she's probably my favorite act in AEW -- what an awesome heel and overall performer. Her match against Thunder Rosa lived up to its billing, and then some. I've watched her Brittsburgh conquering hero promo so many times. It was pretty perfect in how to slightly shift a heel that you know is going to get a huge hometown welcome and is already getting cheers for being awesome. The Terrible Towels and her holding up the belt offering the entire city renewed hope was an awesome visual and line.

But everything I've watched her do has been really great. Her relationship with Tony is so unique and really stands out.

I'm pumped for her feud with Ruby Soho. Ruby should be an actress in how good she is as a face promo. I described her to someone over the weekend as "If our friend Megan was a pro wrestler." She just feels that real of a persona. Britt's a bit hammier since she's a heel and has lackeys, but there's enough of her in the conceited "I have two Plan A's and you all failed at life" stuff to make anything she does work. 

But Britt rules so so so so much. 

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On 12/26/2020 at 2:23 PM, Goodear said:

Orange Cassidy

Somewhere between a sloth and The Fonz is Orange Cassidy. And depending on who you ask or the story you are telling, Cassidy is either so cool he can't be bothered to move or so lazy he can't or some combination of the two that has lead to putting his hands in his pockets. Whatever the case may be, we can all agree that such a concept can work and I think was at its best when Cassidy would just appear in random places like the bathroom and people would react. I'm not as thrilled with the hands in the pockets thing as it fails the 'why has no one figured out what to do yet?' test when he does it as often as he does. Having everyone go for a clothesline so they can get into a rope running spot stretches believability to me. I'm okay with some wrestlers having jokey parts of their repertoire but I've never liked having to force people to react in a certain way for the spots to work and Cassidy does that too much for my taste.

Finish wise, I much prefer the Orange punch to the Mouse Trap. I've never really been a fan of pinning combination finishes going back to Tim Horner's bridging O'Connor roll. I think its fine to bust it out in bigger matches as a finish assuming that the guy can actually touch their toes. Cassidy's ability to sell in AEW is really hard to judge because its hard to tell from his character if he's hurt or bored or what he's doing. 

Booking wise, Orange should be riding high after winning a feud with Chris Jericho but I'm not sure he actually was able to get the rub out of it. Either Chris is unable to give the rub anymore or Cassidy couldn't carry it to the following feud with Miro. Cassidy feels no bigger than he was and that's not a good forecast for him going forward. If he's going to be the same regardless of the push, what's the point of pushing him?

 

 

 

The ONE thing that I regret in not getting into AEW until lately is missing OC's rise. He's such a fun character. He's obviously just so completely different than anyone else in the history of wrestling. His commitment to the character in-ring is unworldly. But what's even more impressive with him is that he can fit on so many places on the roster -- a main event person to a comedy act to a tag pairing to etc. One of the reasons why The New Day became what they are is because of that versatility on the roster. You don't have that versatility without being in the upper echelon of talented performers. 

Also, "Where Is My Mind" is just such awesome theme music for him. Most theme music for faces is obviously over-the-top upbeat to pop the crowd. But him going out to something that's so slow-tempo'd (and is about Frank Black swimming in the Caribbean) works for him magically. 

Just a joy to watch and my favorite person to dig into so far in the backstories. 

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1 hour ago, Greggulator said:

The ONE thing that I regret in not getting into AEW until lately is missing OC's rise. He's such a fun character. He's obviously just so completely different than anyone else in the history of wrestling. His commitment to the character in-ring is unworldly. But what's even more impressive with him is that he can fit on so many places on the roster -- a main event person to a comedy act to a tag pairing to etc. One of the reasons why The New Day became what they are is because of that versatility on the roster. You don't have that versatility without being in the upper echelon of talented performers. 

Also, "Where Is My Mind" is just such awesome theme music for him. Most theme music for faces is obviously over-the-top upbeat to pop the crowd. But him going out to something that's so slow-tempo'd (and is about Frank Black swimming in the Caribbean) works for him magically. 

Just a joy to watch and my favorite person to dig into so far in the backstories. 

I think with Orange he's one of those guys where backstory is great but is still quite approachable no matter when one starts watching.  The idea of somebody not giving a shit until he has to is tricky to balance yet I think he's done a great job with it.  And because he tends to apparently not give a shit when he screamed at Kris at All Out to get in that really meant something.  As for stuff he's done I would recommend the feud with Jericho.  That had lots of fun moments and I was particularly amused by the Mimosa Mayhem match.

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1 hour ago, Greggulator said:

The ONE thing that I regret in not getting into AEW until lately is missing OC's rise. He's such a fun character. He's obviously just so completely different than anyone else in the history of wrestling. His commitment to the character in-ring is unworldly. But what's even more impressive with him is that he can fit on so many places on the roster -- a main event person to a comedy act to a tag pairing to etc. One of the reasons why The New Day became what they are is because of that versatility on the roster. You don't have that versatility without being in the upper echelon of talented performers. 

Also, "Where Is My Mind" is just such awesome theme music for him. Most theme music for faces is obviously over-the-top upbeat to pop the crowd. But him going out to something that's so slow-tempo'd (and is about Frank Black swimming in the Caribbean) works for him magically. 

Just a joy to watch and my favorite person to dig into so far in the backstories. 

in the leadup to his Revolution '20 match with Pac, OC was out with Best Friends and cuts a promo. you know what, in trying to explain it, it just sounds lame. here's the YT vid. starts about 1:45 in. the crowd reaction is just hilarious to me.

 

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