Jackpot

55 minutes ago, RedRooster said:

See, this is where it started to go wrong for me. His reign did bring us Eddie Kingston and Ricky Starks, so perhaps overall it’s a net positive, but the open challenges generally didn’t work for me. They took him away from what he was doing well, angles and storylines, and he’s not really been able to find his groove since.

I enjoyed the open challenges because I felt like it was going somewhere storyline. I felt eventually he'd lose to some relative upstart or Arn would finally have enough of him taking the opponents lightly. Instead we got Brodie Lee squashing him in what I still think is one of AEW's greatest matches. And then his return was where it went downhill for me, even though the dog collar match was outstanding, I don't feel he needed to win the TNT Title back that soon. Another loss to Brodie and Cody trying to rebuild himself up would have been for a better story. Whether they knew Brodie's health was in such a bad way at the time, I don't know. And maybe they did give Cody the win back for that reason. 

But since his return, and certainly since the dog-collar match, he has become a real drag to watch. Maybe the fact he was Brodie's last opponent before his untimely death has something to do with that. Maybe it's put into perspective that there's more important things in the world than a wrestling ring. 

Cody's run in AEW started off boss. The feuds that have been mentioned were all spot on, although the never competing for the World Title stipulation has held him back and it's becoming even more obvious now. He doesn't even need to feud with Kenny over the World Title but he should be somehow involved with the Bullet Club reunion. Maybe eventually we'll get Cody & The Bucks against Kenny/Gallows/Anderson. 

And Cody was the right man to win the TNT Title first. His reign with that was also cracking. The open challenges to anyone and everyone were a highlight of almost every Dynamite around the time. And the story was progressing with him getting closer and closer to losing the title due to overconfidence. Then he loses the title to Brodie in one of the greatest matches AEW has ever had. And since then it's gone downhill for him. 

Losing the TNT Title should have been the catalyst for a change. But instead he returns, reclaims the title, loses it to Darby, overshadows Darby (and the TNT Title) by hanging around with him and taking the limelight and now he's having the same routine of matches but without any drama attached to them. Arn is still getting pissed off that Cody isn't getting the job done quickly, he still showboats unnecessarily as a babyface. And, like a lot of AEW's storylines, it's gone on too long and makes no real sense. Like the Bucks, Cody wants to be a babyface but acts heel. Either turn them heel or have them act as a babyface. And that's where Cody is failing for me. He's doing the same shit he was 12 months ago without any development to himself or the storyline.

A run with Dustin as a legit tag team should be enjoyable - especially as AEW really wants to put over "actual brothers not wrestling brothers" every time the Bucks are on screen. They can do the same for Rhodes. Fucking hell they can even do a brothers tag team tournament of Rhodes/Bucks/Lucha Bros/Top Flight/Gunns/Sydals and one or two indie brother teams or sign Jeff Hardy up for a surprise. Something, anything, that isn't the same routine of Cody having a twenty minute match and Arn getting a cob on half way through. Cody as Arn's son's coach, while Arn is Cody's coach is another line they could go down. 

Mox is on The Misery Index - another one for fans of The Tenderloins/Impractical Jokers.

https://www.instagram.com/thetenderloinsofficial/?hl=en

21 hours ago, BrodyGraham said:

Nope, you didn't. Sydal was on Unrestricted this week talking up his own tag credentials and mentioned that he wanted a decent run with his brother.

Do they really need another tag team though? And given the quality of the top teams in AEW, Matt & Mick Sydal are going to need to be exceptional to get close to a title winning run. 

Did I imagine it or did they announce that Matt Syadal's brother, Mike, will be on next week's show?

The Rock v Triple H at Summerslam 98.

I think that match confirmed to the WWF higher-ups that they had two main event level wrestlers on their hands. Two people who could enter the main event picture over the next few months to a year. Taker and Foley had done ok to fill the void left by Bret and HBK. They both, along with Kane, gave Austin obstacles to overcome while the WWF found their next top stars. And within 12 months of their ladder match at SummerSlam, both Rock and Triple H had challenged for the WWF Title. (the ppv before SummerSlam 99, saw them face off against each other to determine the number one contender for the WWF Title)

If the match at 98 is a flop who knows where the WWF goes from there. Rocky might not conquer Hollywood and Vince might tell his future son-in-law, family or not mate you're just not good enough to main event. 

It might have helped WWE 10 years ago when Cena, their biggest babyface, was getting half boos/half cheers. And I think at present it's helping Omega become an even better heel because in a full arena the crowd would be doing the "North Carolina" thing and the best heel in the company would have the fans doing his entrance with him. It's why I don't get why they've got their wrestlers singing Jericho's theme. But in the same theme, the New Age Outlaws wouldn't have got as over if they didn't have a crowd doing their speech with them. 

Feel good moments like Foley winning the title or breath taking moments like Lesnar breaking The Streak probably don't hold the same weight without fans. 

So overall I think it'd be like it is now. Some things would benefit more from an empty arena, some things would suffer more from an empty arena no matter what the era.

It looked as if Santana & Ortiz were possibly going to split around the time MJF joined the Inner Circle because one sided with Sammy whereas one sided with Jericho. But nothing really materialised out of that. Maybe now with Sammy gone, they will revisit that in some capacity once MJF pisses them off.

MJF becomes new leader of the Dark Order, bullying the biggest babyfaces in the company until they can't take it any more. Imagine the pop John Silver will get when he finally snaps and lays MJF out.

Silver stuttering in front of Page on Dynamite was another quality little segment between them.

On 2/9/2021 at 5:43 PM, The Cutting Edge said:

From what he said on the Austin network show, that was always the plan that the apple pie straight laced American hero gimmick would get booed during the height of the attitude era, weather that's wwe revised history or not is another matter, but I believe it to be true because his vingettes were so ott cheesy face and during that time they had more clue what the fans wanted and to expect.

Fair enough, didn't know that. 

Maybe not the match itself as it's widely considered a dull match but certainly the outcome and how it came about means the Montreal Screwjob has to be in the conversation for matches that changed wrestling.

Miro probably wins the next Casino Battle Royal for a shot at the TNT Title as both he and Darby need to move on from their current feuds. 

HBK v Undertaker Hell in a Cell at Badd Blood 97 because that started the falling from the cage phenomenon that Foley and Rikishi tried to one up over the next few cell matches. And while Michaels only fell from the wall of the cage onto the commentary table, it was the precursor to what was going to follow.

Angle?

From being booed on debut to a Hall of Fame career.

Jimmy Hart for being Jimmy Hart in Liverpool

Kurt as the American Badass

For any Impractical Jokers fans. I've only ever seen the shows version, rather than the full "match" between Tommy Dreamer & Q, whose punishment for losing the Impratical Jokers episode was to have a wrestling match.

Impractical Jokers version

Full "match"

Battle Royal was a belter. It'll be interesting to see how the resulting match between Jericho/MJF & The Bucks works out. Can the Bucks tone it down for Jericho or is he going to try and keep up with them. John Silver still reminds me of Rocket off Soccer AM. The singing of Jungle Boy's music during matches will become tiresome very quickly - bit like Schiavone doing the "it's Stiiiiiiing" which has already lost it's appeal. It no longer feels genuine but forced.

And speaking of Sting, another pointless showing of him, Darby and Team Taz. 

Britt Baker/Thunder Rosa was alright.

Hardy/Hangman against Chaos Project was alright. I'm still going for a Bullet Club v Hardy/Page/Private Party match somewhere down the line, especially as they reminded us that Private Party and the Good Brothers are squaring off against each other for the Impact Tag Titles.

The wedding was shit but wrestling weddings normally are. When James Mitchell was officiating it, I was expecting Abyss to be inside the cake to eventually end the whole Miro/Kip/Best Friends feud. On the plus side Penelope looked fucking gorgeous.

Did the Shaq bit actually air on TNT during the basketball? Ernie and Kenny pissing themselves at his moves and references to "cupcake" Cody was the highlight of the whole segment. At least there's now some reason to the match, even if nobody still wants to see it happen. They also tried giving us some insight into Jade during the show with her workout routine.

Archer and Kingston was a belter. Agree with what's been said regarding Kingston needing a win. I know he's that good on the mic that he can pick up his next feud and make us interested in him again but he does need to start winning. Also who the fuck were that fat bastard team who got involved? 

Main event was a cracker. Rey Fenix is gonna kill himself one of these days. Moxley and Omega are the best two things in AEW. Kenta's arrival gives Moxley something else to keep him busy, while Kenny takes on Archer, PAC and others.

Much more enjoyable than the last couple of weeks.

Kenny and Hangman are bound to collide again at some point.

Kenny and Impact wrestling have teamed up together.

Impact's tag team champions happen to be Kenny's best mates, Anderson & Gallows.

Gallows & Anderson are set to defend their Impact tag team titles against AEW's Private Party.

Private Party just happen to now be managed by Matt Hardy.

Matt Hardy now wants to get Hangman into his circle.

But because of Omega, Gallows and Anderson having their other mates, the Young Bucks onside, Hardy's firm is always outnumbered leading us to Stampede Stampede II.

Bullet Club v Matt Hardy/Adam Page/Private Party and the debuting Jeff Hardy with the stipulation being if Bullet Club lose, Hangman gets his shot at the World Title five years from now because it's long-term booking. And we'll still be none-the-wiser if the Bucks are meant to be heels or faces.

I know his match with Booker T on RAW is wrestling folklore for all the wrong reasons but it amazes me that was the only match Bagwell had in the WWF.

Might be they're hoping Biden allows more fans into arenas come March.

1 hour ago, Liam O'Rourke said:

This is the argument I want someone to make - and not for me to shit on it, but hear it out. Looking objectively, he drew well with Warrior in 91, did well at Summerslam 98 (a good opponent for a real star in Austin), did a couple of massive ratings (also with Austin) in 99, then really wasn't a big difference maker until he had success in the match with Shane at Mania 32 (which was honestly more about Shane and the cell). He wasn't a consistent house show draw above the norm for all those years by any stretch. He also has many bad numbers to his name as well as good ones in the headline position. But when you break down averages, while he had successes for sure, its situational like anybody else, not some Andre-like consistency that deserves this mythical special attraction title. 

Taker was great at being a number 2 or 3 guy you can cycle in to a top program on occasion, and depending on circumstance, it might draw well, or it might not. 

Again, what period can you say that if Taker wasn't there, the WWF/E would be noticably different in terms of success?

Truthfully I couldn't give a toss about what people draw or what they're like as people. I watch wrestling to be entertained, the same way I do with all entertainment avenues. But when you talk about house show numbers and buy rates and all the other business side of things, are you comparing that to people at the time (Hogan then Austin then Rock) or is it in a whole scale comparison against everybody they've had as champion?

Because if his numbers don't stack up against the likes of Hogan/Austin/Rock - is that really a surprise given they're probably three of the biggest names they've ever had? And when compared to others, are his numbers aren't that much worse or better? For example, I've read and heard many times that Diesel didn't draw anything. How are Taker's numbers in comparison to him?

I don't know one way or the other. Like I said, I genuinely don't care about the finances of any wrestling company and probably never will. I'm just trying to look at the argument in a balanced way.

Is it really that big a deal or surprise what's been said? 

He liked the locker room better when he first got into the business. Well a lot of people in all walks of life preferred things back in their day or what they grew up experiencing. Souness and Keane have both had a go at modern day central midfielders because they don't do what they did. Noel Gallagher doesn't have a good word for current musicians. 

I don't necessarily agree that having a knife or gun on you makes you a man, I personally think it makes you a shit house in all honesty but it doesn't surprise me that The Undertaker thinks things were better back then. The making themselves pretty argument is something I've said myself about modern football - they spend more time doing their hair than they do practicing how to play. David James was known for having an addiction to consoles, no fucking wonder he was such a shit keeper.

All it is, is a perfect example of somebody who hasn't moved with the times. He's not alone in that and as somebody said earlier in the discussion, today's crop of wrestlers will be having the same concerns when they retire and the next lot are doing things they weren't.

Before Cargill made her debut and interrupted Cody's promo, he said he wanted to avenge his loss to MJF. Given the loss was at last year's Revolution, could they build towards that rematch? Even if it still has to involve Shaq asking The Inner Circle for help. Cody can bring Snoop with him to garner some more media attention.