The AEW Thread

[Bert Raccoon]

Think they need a complete reset tbh. The PPVs are still fantastic but everything else feels weak. 

[DA Baracus]

Rampage is a pointless show that needs binned.

[djchapsticks]

8 hours ago, DA Baracus said:

They ran Punk out of AEW? That's quite the take.

Not really mate when everything we have been told is considered.

The entire situation started with folk who are EVPs insinuating that Colt Cabana wasn't getting on TV because of Punk's presence which Punk refuted was the case.

I'd argue the case that Colt doesn't get on telly as he had a good podcast and is clever with Pro Wrestling Tees (and was a major factor in the Bucks making a lot of money on the indies through this stream) but is neither an interesting character nor a very good wrestler. When you have the quite incredible Roster that AEW has, is anyone honestly missing someone like Colt or the Dark Order?

Everything that happened, all frustrations apparently stemmed from this, something that Bucks and Page triggered. Punk is as much to blame for not rising above their shite but think it's pretty clear and obvious that they didn't want him there from the get go and wanted him out ASAP. All dirtsheet nonsense coming from Meltzer etc in the aftermath of the locker room fight, was constantly skewed and giving a single narrative to everything that went on but we already know that Dave loves the Bucks and the Bucks love Dave.

By time TK smoothed the issue over and Punk came back on his own show, it genuinely only was a matter of time before he went off on one again as that egg had already been cracked. Punk, according to reports at least, was the one who wanted to sit down and talk the issue out, clear the air and put all cards on the table to move forward and the EVPs were simply not willing to play ball and engage. It was always going to be a case of the first person to annoy Punk would get the full brunt of that and Jack Perry was the one stupid enough to do that when he got pissy over what I think is a very reasonable request to not risk fucking yourself up with real glass in a show that's trying to present itself as mainstream rather than a wacky alternative to the mainstream.

The post All Out episode of Collision with Nick Jackson running victory laps in the ring to a half empty arena chanting 'CM Punk' sums the situation up pretty clearly in my eyes at least. They got him out, they ran him out of town and won.

 

End of the day, HHH has worked extensively with Punk in the past and knows what he was like. I'm in no doubt at all he's had the full story of what went down in AEW from start to finish throughout the course of negotiations, even if it's only one side of the story, I'd also bet with my bottom dollar a lot of what Punk told him about the situation in AEW, echoes what Regal and Cody Rhodes have told him independently. 

[djchapsticks]

50 minutes ago, Bert Raccoon said:

Think they need a complete reset tbh. The PPVs are still fantastic but everything else feels weak. 

They need to strap a rocket to Strickland ASAP.

They've won a watch with him - someone that if he was in charge at the time, HHH would have never let go as evidenced by him rehiring his entire group but missing getting him back as he was already in AEW by that point.

They've also hit the perfect note. His wee lackey does the funny gimmicky comedy piece, Strickland meanwhile, lets it happen but carries himself as above all that nonsense and it works perfectly.

[Lukovic]

41 minutes ago, DA Baracus said:

Rampage is a pointless show that needs binned.

Never found Rampage to be must watch but whenever I do bother to watch I find it enjoyable as an hour of wrestling.

Definitely at a C show level thoughm

[Jeff Venom]

11 hours ago, djchapsticks said:

I can't take to them either as faces or as heels. They aren't likeable at all as faces and can't actually commit to being heels as they constantly want to do the wee winks and nods despite not even being the slightest bit cool or edgy even though they think they are.

I get Omega is marmite as f**k but at least he commits to whatever he is portraying himself as and he can both go and knows the psychology of a wrestling match. The Bucks are just completely uninteresting spot monkeys, devoid of any personality and who are intent on coming across as too cool for school despite one having the charisma of a bag of vomit and the other being so cool he has to wear a massive headband to disguise his hairline which by now starts halfway down his neck

This is where I am with the Bucks though it took me a while to realise it. I was waiting, waiting, waiting for them to make me go ahhhh, yes I get you now. But it just hasn't happened (maybe an age thing) and regardless of their being heels or faces they scream pair of absolute twerps to me. I think the only thing I've found interesting they've been involved in was the Hangman/Elite redemption arc but even then that was way more about Hangman (and Omega) for me. Obnoxiously chewing gum like Shawn Michaels, 30 superkicks, 6 Canadian destroyers and move that's a wink and a nod to are Dave doesn't interest me in the slightest. 

Given the likes of Jarret, Sting, Christian, Jericho etc being around I don't think there's really any excuse to not be drowning in the knowledge and experience these guys bring to the table. 

[djchapsticks]

2 hours ago, Jeff Venom said:

Obnoxiously chewing gum like Shawn Michaels, 30 superkicks, 6 Canadian destroyers and move that's a wink and a nod to are Dave doesn't interest me in the slightest. 

Compare it to the Gunns who more or less do a similar cocky, too cool for school schtick (at least in their promos and entrance) but are absolutely tremendous at it.

[forameus]

7 hours ago, djchapsticks said:

Everything that happened, all frustrations apparently stemmed from this, something that Bucks and Page triggered. Punk is as much to blame for not rising above their shite but think it's pretty clear and obvious that they didn't want him there from the get go and wanted him out ASAP.

It's generally accepted that the Bucks reached out to Punk when AEW was being formed and made it clear they wanted him.  He got the hump immediately, something about them not doing it in "the right way".  Punk has been almost solely responsible for everything that happened, and if anyone's as equally to blame, it's Tony Khan for basically doing nothing while everyone acted like children.

5 hours ago, Jeff Venom said:

This is where I am with the Bucks though it took me a while to realise it. I was waiting, waiting, waiting for them to make me go ahhhh, yes I get you now. But it just hasn't happened (maybe an age thing) and regardless of their being heels or faces they scream pair of absolute twerps to me. I think the only thing I've found interesting they've been involved in was the Hangman/Elite redemption arc but even then that was way more about Hangman (and Omega) for me. Obnoxiously chewing gum like Shawn Michaels, 30 superkicks, 6 Canadian destroyers and move that's a wink and a nod to are Dave doesn't interest me in the slightest. 

Given the likes of Jarret, Sting, Christian, Jericho etc being around I don't think there's really any excuse to not be drowning in the knowledge and experience these guys bring to the table. 

My pet hate is the shouts for the camera they'll do as they hit moves.  Not sure what it is about it, as MJF also likes to do similar, but for him it's more about extra selling of whatever's happening, rather than try-harding and being smart.  

But fully admit that most people likely still think they're brilliant, and it's likely me in a minority group being a grumpy shit.

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

Wrestlers Court lives on 

 

Edited November 28, 2023 by Sherrif John Bunnell

[Bert Raccoon]

Surely is Danielson thinks you're that much of a dick you have to go then it must be pretty bad

[FairWeatherFan]

16 hours ago, forameus said:

It's generally accepted that the Bucks reached out to Punk when AEW was being formed and made it clear they wanted him.  He got the hump immediately, something about them not doing it in "the right way".  Punk has been almost solely responsible for everything that happened, and if anyone's as equally to blame, it's Tony Khan for basically doing nothing while everyone acted like children.

I don't think nothing was done. Punk was handed the keys to Collision is it would become obvious working with everyone on Dynamite wouldn't work. Should have just cut bait after All Out. Chasing that TV deal and keeping WBD happy has been costly in other ways.

The Bucks/Elite were fans of Punk. There's some BTE live streams and Q&As on their channel where they talk about him in positive terms and wanted him back in wrestling. I don't know if the "not getting in touch the right way" was about AEW, but perhaps All In. He was sounded out about doing basically anything he wanted to do. In the end he did his own ProWrestlingTees signing if I remember right.

The 2018-19 talks about bringing him into the startup were very real and a major what if?

https://wrestletalk.com/news/cm-punk-talks-aew-tony-khan-2019/

Quote

Yeah, I talked to Tony. You know, my perception on this, and I said this to Tony, to his face at that time… I’m a guy who has constantly heard, ‘Hey I got a money guy, hey I got TV’. I’ve heard that at least once or twice a year for 15-20 years of my wrestling career. I’ve gotten bounced checks from those gentlemen. You watched it happen, especially after ECW folded, it was everybody was re-starting ECW, everybody was going to be the ECW guys.

“There was a dude named John Collins, who did time in prison for bouncing checks, and it always seems like somebody’s gonna, ‘Oh we’re going to start up and we’re going to compete with Vince (McMahon)’, and I always thought that came from a bad spot because if you want to start up a pro-wrestling company, I think you should always just focus on yourself.

“So, I more or less took a wait-and-see approach. And I wasn’t, or I am not, interested in pro-wrestling, in that respect. We’re here, we’re talking about ‘Heels’ and it just so happened, maybe it could be luck that the next role I got is set in the world of professional wrestling, but you know, that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

“I’m focused on bring an actor, and just like I was when I was a wrestler, focused on being the best I could be, I’m focused on being the best actor I could be.

https://www.ringsidenews.com/2019/11/13/cm-punk-met-with-tony-khan-personally-about-big-money-aew-contract/

From Tony Khan:

https://tjrwrestling.net/news/tony-khan-on-signing-cm-punk/

Quote

Well, we had to run a great business, keep it running, and really prove to ‘The Best in the World’ that this is a viable entity. I had a really good meeting with him Boxing Day 2018. We had a good chat and he seemed like a really, really high integrity person—I liked him a lot immediately. But he also was very open and honest with me and said that he wouldn’t feel comfortable coming back and being a guinea pig for a start-up company. He wanted to follow us and see how it went, but he was interested.”

 

[GNU_Linux]

NJPW not doing storytelling is an awful take. Someone else can comment if AEW is more WWE than NJPW but from what I've read it's very much the former.


Also
 

 

Gates Of Agony have joined House Of Torture which by proxy makes them part of Bullet Club. Possibility this is a fake out by one side as Gates of Agony face House of Torture in World Tag League on Friday.

Edited November 29, 2023 by GNU_Linux

[honestly united]

9 hours ago, GNU_Linux said:

NJPW not doing storytelling is an awful take. Someone else can comment if AEW is more WWE than NJPW but from what I've read it's very much the former.


Also
 

  Reveal hidden contents

Gates Of Agony have joined House Of Torture which by proxy makes them part of Bullet Club. Possibility this is a fake out by one side as Gates of Agony face House of Torture in World Tag League on Friday.

I would say the opposite is true, my take is at the start it was all about the matches, and only in the last year or so have they been focusing more on storylines

[Jeff Venom]

MJF taking shots at CM Punk (subtle) and WWE (not so subtle) in the first part of his promo last night. I mean he wasn't wrong about Joe in WWE but I just don't know if people care enough that one side keeps mentioning the other while the other does a big Partridge shrug. 

[forameus]

I do find the mentions a little bit wee-guy, and it does always seem to be in one direction.  I don't think WWE don't mention them because they don't care, quite the opposite in fact, but the silence seems a bit more dignified than "this company wasted this guy".  Aye, Joe has carved out a great wee niche and didn't deserve the treatment he got, but WWE are about to make a huge amount of money from someone AEW couldn't control, and I expect there are a lot of wrestlers currently residing in AEW that WWE could just go and tempt over at will.  AEW have an often great product, and a terrific alternative (or addition to, for a lot of people) to WWE.  Just get on with making your product the best it can be.  It also might show some of the tribalists who will defend either side to the death that they should reign it in a wee bit and realise that having both of them is fucking great for wrestling.

Anyway, Dynamite was...alright I suppose.  I assume FITE had issues during the MJF promo, everything blacked out just before the tag team challenge, so not entirely sure what went on.  I assume he's facing two goons next week?  Assume they'll unmask and it'll be Taven and Bennet or something, and Adam Cole will be like whaaaaaaaat, making it obvious that it's him behind it all.

Ric Flair remains a really questionable hire.  Sting looks like he's visibly cringing whenever the auld duffer gets to speak.  I get him coming in around the actual retirement match, but to have him as Sting's mascot when there's a decent chance he'll either die or get into hot water before March is certainly a decision.  It's like they saw that Darby Allin would be away and pencilled in a replacement pal.  Who's a creepy boy with a questionable past?  Gie Ric a call!

 

[forameus]

Away from Dynamite, anyone got their All In tickets yet?  I missed the pre-sale on Monday but got in on the Ticketmaster one. Had a few re-rolls for tickets as seems like all the 100 level tickets went pretty quickly.  Went up to the next price bracket and got block 209, so in one of the corners.  Also interesting that they seem to have completely changed the setup from last year with the stage taking up one end rather than being at halfway.  Be nice to actually see the entranceway this year, if it isn't blocked by whatever canopy they chuck up over the ring.

[FairWeatherFan]

21 minutes ago, forameus said:

Ric Flair remains a really questionable hire. 

Just wait until you hear his Rampage promo going by what's online.

21 minutes ago, forameus said:

It's like they saw that Darby Allin would be away and pencilled in a replacement pal. 

This should have been fairly easy. The motley crew of Best Friends: OC, HOOK, Danhausen, and Trent. Didn't even need to be matches just coming out with the bat to aid against interference. These Texas shows coming up Dustin Rhodes and Keith Lee as a Trios.

The association with Ric Flair's put a real downer on the retirement run. I'm half expecting Ric Flair to turn on him and Revolution becomes a joint retirement match with them wrestling in a tag against each other.

[forameus]

24 minutes ago, FairWeatherFan said:

Just wait until you hear his Rampage promo going by what's online.

 

That's...quite something.  

For anyone not caring about being spoiled for Rampage, quote below

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

Hopefully they are able to get shot of Flair sharpish. I doubt Sting wants to spend the last few months of his career hanging around an alky sex pest.

[Ludo*1]

5 hours ago, Jeff Venom said:

MJF taking shots at CM Punk (subtle) and WWE (not so subtle) in the first part of his promo last night. I mean he wasn't wrong about Joe in WWE but I just don't know if people care enough that one side keeps mentioning the other while the other does a big Partridge shrug. 

It very much reminds me of the VKM team Road Dogg and Billy Gunn set up in TNA.

WWE just continually treats them like they don't exist whereas I think Tony Khan encourages that sort of behaviour because it appeals to the Internet fanbase which Khan seems to think are a massive factor.