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The AEW Discussion Thread


jackmadrox

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I think it's about time someone made this thread. Double or Nothing PPV is happening on the 25th, and I guess AEW is officially starting sometime in October? Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, PAC (formally known as Neville) are already announced on the roster. And now it would seem Jon Moxley (formally known as Dean Ambrose) will also be on the roster. Who else is excited for the possibilities that might be All Elite Wrestling?

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Haven't really watched wrestling since like 2008 but I'll definitely check AEW out, at least for a while. They have a pretty good roster so far, I just hope they avoid some of the things that makes the WWE so shitty sometimes. Stop having a team of writers neuter the personality of the wrestlers and allow them to cut their own promos.

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AEW NEEDS to accomplish two very specific (and obvious) things if they hope to survive. 

 

1 -  This is, in my opinion, the most important thing.  Create a weekly TV show that airs on Monday nights on an accessible channel ASAP.  Especially if WWE programming stays as incoherent as it's been lately.  Take advantage of RAW's all time low ratings and give people something else to watch during RAW, ala Nitro.  

 

2 -  Poach as much disgruntled talent as you can and let them go for broke.  Give 'em a mic and let' em pipe-bomb the hell outta Vince.  Not every week, mind you, but in more of a "lemme get this off my chest" way.  Then book 'em properly and let 'em show what they can do under competent leadership.  Obsessing over their former issues would become a sign of desperation but as a one time deal, it would draw some serious curiosity.  

 

Vince is running his company into the ground.  I know that sounds ridiculous given the huge money contracts they just signed with Saudi Arabia and FOX but when your talent is refusing huge contracts because of how much they hate working for you and your TV numbers are hitting record lows, only to break said record a week later, there's a problem afoot. 

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I, for one, whole-heartedly support them and what they stand for. Wrestlers shouldn't have to cater to the mercurial whims of a psychotic old man and his calcified brain to make a good living from sacrificing their bodies for our entertainment. Some will attain greatness, some will not; they all deserve fair compensation regardless of their place in the greater hierarchy of things. And of course there's the arguably greater matter of just being happy with what you're doing; being able to express yourself and your unique artistry in a way that feels fulfilling.

 

I'll certainly be watching DON; if they can stay away from some of the less savory mud show indulgences of last year's event, they may well be on to something.

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Someone told me they gonna wait to do a weekly TV Show until fall.

SmackDown moves to Friday then, maybe they aim for that empty TV Spot, because people are familiar with wrestling on Tuesday.

Going to do a monthly show after Double or Nothing, afaik

And I don´t know how I feel about this.

 

It creates some time to evolve the roster and make the fans familiar with most faces.

But it also creates this empty space between shows until then, and maybe I´ll forget them in this time.

It´s hard enough to get shows other than WWE in Germany without paying subscribtions or buying iPPV.

Only thing I´m paying for atm is WWE Network, not because the Main Roster, but both NXTs and 205Live are amazing imho.

 

Just from looking at their roster and their financial backup it´s gonna be fine, I´m pretty sure of that.

They have to come up with something creative tho, we all know how it goes when you have a stacked roster and no creative direction. Looking at you Vince.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I really enjoyed Double or Nothing. Jericho vs Omega was great, The Young Bucks vs The Lucha Brothers tore the house down, and Cody vs Dustin was storytelling at its finest. The overall presentation was also very good and Jim Ross was on fire. Especially during the main event and when Moxley finally showed up (Good god, almighty! The referee's down…). He is still the best commentator out there.

 

It can be so simple sometimes. None of those matches needed complex storylines with twists and turns to be exciting. Basic booking, let the characters do their thing, and enjoy the chants from a more than thankful wrestling crowd.

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Having now seen it, I'm pretty lukewarm about Double or Nothing and consequently, the AEW product itself. It was just one show, granted, but if they were trying to create a genuine alternative to the WWE product I can't quite call it a rousing success. They made many of the same mistakes, only manifest differently. And the less said about the toxic and unimaginative cult audience they've already amassed, the better. They even bury the NXT product, such are the depths of their delusional zeal.

 

The Battle Royal was fun, even if the camera crew failed to keep up with the action sometimes. But it was a strange and niche way to open your show, pre-show or no. And having the prize be a title shot for your most prestigious prize when you have a double amputee, a bunch of comedy/garbage wrestlers, and Billy Bitchcakes in the ring is just... well, just read that sentence again. Page, MJF, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus were the only guys who looked like they ever had a chance of winning in there, making the end result of such a chaotic bout unnecessarily predictable. Indie overbooking that lives and dies by charm alone; they got lucky this time.

 

I was gonna do a review of the entire thing but apart from the women's matches and the Game of Rhodes (and parts of Omega v. Jericho) there isn't much I'll bother commenting on because it was either forgettable or just not for me. Kylie Rae is a genuine joy who deserves way better than unoriginal and disrespectful comparisons to Bayley, not to mention jobbing to a dentist.

 

The Rhodes boys stole the show: one of the best pieces of wrestling storytelling I've seen in years. Dustin's copious amounts of blood is the mortar that held this entire show together. It felt more real and earned than anything they might've done in WWE. Pure wrestling magic. I may not be 100% sold on AEW yet, but they do show a penchant for telling more organic stories than the "safe" WWE machine allows; this could be their very X-factor. Cody destroying the throne was exactly the kind of petty iconoclasm I came to see! More of this, less of NO SELL PAHTAAAAAYS. As someone who remembers Cody back from when he was getting bitchslapped by Hardcore Holly on a weekly basis, I'm mighty proud of how far he's come. Dusty'd be proud, too, baby.

 

I'm not sold on Omega and at this rate I'll never be. Something about his work comes off as cold and clinical. And even if I were a fan, I'd never cheer for him over Jericho, who is still better than Omega could ever be. Biggest pop all night was Y2J knocking him clean out... well, until Moxley appeared that is. I couldn't be happier for him, as not only am I a fan of his work but I feel a personal connection to his struggles in life. He deserves better than to have an old delusional fool or hack writers tell him what the hell to say or so. He's crawled through the sewer tunnels of Shawshank prison and emerged a truly free man. The world is his and he deserves it.

 

Still, I am worried that these points of criticism aren't something AEW itself views as problems. Not only are they a detriment to me as a viewer, but they may well hinder their audience growth as well. A stagnant viewer base, especially considering how fickle and unforgiving hardcore wrestling fans can be--just look at what's happened to ROH-- will ultimately spell death for an alternative the wrestling business sorely needs. Cody and the gang really need to get back to the drawing board and take stock of their mistakes before TV tapings begin.

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  • 2 months later...
3 minutes ago, skidmarkgn said:

DISASTER averted, Pac vs. Omega has replaced Moxley/Omega *phew* losing Moxley with nothing to replace the match would have been a huge blow to All Out.

Well maybe AEW will learn and not let their big stars compete on other programs right before their giant PPV.

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4 minutes ago, Dr_Mayus said:

Well maybe AEW will learn and not let their big stars compete on other programs right before their giant PPV.

 

It was MRSA that took Moxley out, it has apparently been an issue since the end of his WWE days, he's having a flareup and needs a surgery to be done with it for good:

 

https://www.wrestlingnewsworld.com/wwe/moxley-injury-forces-all-out-matchup-cancellation

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