garynysmon

Just now, MungoChutney said:

AEW hasn't fully connected in the UK yet. Their action figures for example routinely end up in bargain buckets. WWE is a vastly bigger brand with much more recognition. That said, I do think they'll do well here and it's certainly one way to up your profile. 

I’d argue that’s more down to WWE appearing to explicity market itself to kids (from what I saw of Wrestlemania it most certainly felt that way), while nothing I’ve seen of AEW suggests that. 

As I’ve said, very different fanbases.

I think this will sell out.

People underestimate the fact that AEW is on ITV/ITV4 and until very recently was on ITV at 11pm on Mondays. Its visibility has to be way and above WWE’s, which is tucked away on BT Sport and lost its Channel 5 showings due to poor ratings.

The AEW product isn’t at its height but its a very different fanbase to WWE’s. The buzz will carry them through.

Look at the blockbuster business TNA did in the UK when it was on Challenge TV, compared to the arenas it was booking in the US.

I didn't expect UFC, which I first heard of in 1997 when Ken Shamrock was doing 'shoot' demos on Vernon White as a throwaway segement on Raw, would end up owning the whole show one day.

On 4/1/2023 at 10:58 AM, Keith Houchen said:

It’s whether those impact wrestlers give a shit though. They may have just seen it as ribbing and grassing wouldn’t be well received with their peers. 

I did enjoy Moose's reaction it must be said.

58 minutes ago, Tsurutagun said:

 

Peacock are not spending 200 million a year on old episodes of Nitro

....... must not say that Monday Nitros are better than WWE's big shows these days.

I've caught up with most of night one now not having a clue what the lineup was or any of the storylines going in.

My main observation would be that there's no doubt what a massive and impressive showcase Wrestlemania is, and that no one else can even come close to that kind of spectacle in the wrestling world. The pure scale of it all and particularly that shot of John Cena looking down the aisle at that massive stadium before running down?

Wow.

That said, at the age I am now, it is also a gazillion miles away from my tastes and what I seek from my wrestling in 2023. Just overproduced, too many adverts and, worst of all for me, that repetition. There's no nuance and everything has to be rammed down your throat.

More than happy for another 12 months of WWE debuts, returns and matches to totally pass me by tbh.

On the plus side, at least the hard cam is actually facing the crowd now!

The Knockouts champ, Mickie James, is out injured too. Talk about cursed!

They’re selling out shows quite regularly now. Time to book slightly bigger venues I’d have thought?

11 hours ago, Butch2000 said:

Why is Callihanwrapped up in this quite frankly fucking awful The Design deal. Hopefully he soon hits them all with bats and it ends. It’s fucking terrible.

Yeah, I’m bored with it too. Its so predictable.

Mind you, I’m bored with Callihan in general by now. 

£10 a month for DAZN is a ballache but given I pay £5 for Impact Insiders on Youtube anyway, I don’t mind canning that and paying the extra fiver to have it on Sky  Q and on my planner.

They already have some big boxing matches and sounds  like they’re lining up more big sports rights. Makes it just about worthwhile for me.

11 minutes ago, Lorne Malvo said:

This is turning into a really good wrestling show. It reminds me of NXT 2015/16, just strong in-ring action with simple storylines. It's a shame nobody seems to be watching it.

You'd fucking love the Impact thread then.

Makes sense.

Seems that Impact will be back on Sky TV soon.

It mentions AEW too but I'd have thought their ITV deal would put paid to that?

https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcasting/dazn-launches-uk-and-ireland-linear-channel-on-sky/5180269.article

He deserves it too. 

The most poignant announcement is Sign Guy Dudley as the new marketing guru though!

This popped up on my feed and I couldn’t help but think that wrestling has taken a massive turn for the worst if his claims are considered to be a good thing

I realise that tenure is a good thing in many fields, but when I think back to most runs during my childhood, they were 6-7 years at most (although they often felt much longer).

Hulk Hogan’s main run was less than a decade and a big thing was made of Tito Santana wrestling at the first 9 Wrestlemanias.

Hell, my favourite and most vivid run ever was Jake’s second heel run in the WWF and that was 9 months long!

So while Randy Orton’s career was hurt from having substantially fewer options re: alternative places to go after WCW’s 1999 downturn and Hollywood not wanting him, is it just me or is sticking around for 20 years doing basically the same act not exactly a positive thing?

I thought it was the weakest special they’ve done in quite some time, yet still not terrible by any means.

Its not often that I feel this way, but as much as I love Moose he probably has achieved all he will in Impact and could do with a change of scene. He’s a top tier talent in the company but with such a small roster and divisions to compete in, what’s there for him other than continuing to fall down the card? (I hope he takes Sami Callihan with him too…)

With Bully Ray being such a good talker and natural heel I’m enjoying his run, although people who don’t watch the product seem to hate the idea of him being there at all.

But that’s a common thread tbh. I see on Twitter all the time people finding the idea of Barry Horowitz or Kiss Demon appearing on Impact ridiculous and a knock on the company,  like they’re main eventers rather than lower card one-off cameos. 

Like anything (I’m looking at you Danhausen and Orange Cassidy on AEW), if you don’t watch the show semi-regularly and without context then a lot of things won’t make sense.

2 hours ago, Snitsky's back acne said:

We are at the 'It's Pacman Jones!!!' level of 'major announcements' at this point.

Dixie Carter still has more twitter followers than him..

Johnny Swinger v Roman Reigns

15 hours ago, Wretch said:

Two heart attacks before this too, right? Stop wrestling you stupid old fuck.

I doubt that a 2023 Jerry Lawler match is much of a spotfest. Christ, even a 1995 Jerry Lawler match was a lot of stalling and heat gathering. 
 

Get well soon King.

How many wrestlers can say they have a nationally televised win over golden era Hulk Hogan on their CV?

The Monday night ITV replay seems to have been bumped into 1994 WCW Worldwide territory as Football League Highlights are on now.

The DAZN deal is very similar to the one they signed with Impact a few weeks ago.

You've got to love Big Sexy. Poor bastard.

What he says about the card game is right though, and the DX lot backing down? Shite. Don't blame him.

Says he got the call to be at Raw XXX:

I was generously…Mr. Prichard [Bruce Prichard] reached out and asked if I would like to come. I just said…it’s a really long day to go to TV when you’re doing something, actually on the active roster or have a match or segment, it’s like building the pyramids if you’re playing a hand of cards.

Doesn’t think he would have fit in with the show:

I can’t be out there with DX because I’m too much of a dick. They all said they were too old, I would have headbutted that motherfucker in the forehead. No, I’m not backing down, so send me home, I’m not doing that. I’m glad I didn’t go because I didn’t see where the fuck I could have been used.

Says he didn’t want anyone asking him about his son:

On top of that, I don’t know anybody on the crew anymore or any of the workers or anything else. I really don’t want people who I don’t know coming up to me and saying, ‘I’m sorry to hear about your son.’ Why would I put myself….and I know what the payday is going to be. The payday is going to be [not worth it].

Joe Hendry is the best.

I’d watched most of the Sopranos a couple of years ago but never actually got round to the last series.

Last year, after a few attempts, I finally persuaded the mrs to give it a go and we ended up watching the entire show over the course of 3-4 months.

I did spoil things for her a bit though by going to watch The Many Saints of Newark at the cinema before we’d even reached season 5!

Easily the best written TV series of all time, I’d happily start the entire run again given half the chance.

As others have said, these are complex characters, you can go from feeling sorry for them to feeling they’re the vilest cunts on earth within the span of an episode.

(AJ is just an annoying little brat though).

My favourite scene was a drunk Bobby Baccala punching out Tony, but the best death has to be this one….