DavidB6937

TNA/Impact has been one of the best places for people to reach higher levels. Although when Lashley came back I'd heard a lot of good things about him and it took WWE a fair while to really figure something out with him, so it's not always plain sailing. But yeah I think a lot of the time it is the ones that get lost in the shuffle and either get more focus or freedom and something suddenly clicks. Tale as old as time really - Taker, Austin, Rock, Cena etc.. all it takes is one moment or a gimmick shift and the whole game changes.

I definitely think a lot of it will come down to where people are in their careers and in their personal lives too. If they're young and not too tied down then they may well be more open to WWE's style of the grind. But if AEW offers more opportunity to see family etc then it's all about different priorities really isn't it. The WWE machine isn't for everyone and it's great that there are other viable alternatives whether that's AEW or TNA or indies in general. I've said it before but I love the excitement of people jumping from one company to the other. That was always one of the best things about WCW being around back in the day. And as much as WWE wouldn't want to admit it, having AEW around has definitely forced them to become better. I don't have too many specifics as I think anyone getting a new opportunity somewhere else can be exciting. Who would've thought Toni Storm would be doing what she's doing now? I wasn't that bothered about Christian or Adam Copeland. And in the other direction Brian Pillman Jr is setting the world on fire! A dumpster fire but still. Genuinely sometimes all it takes is a new place and a different perspective and everything clicks in a way it never did before. I'm definitely a lot more open minded to all of it now after seeing the work guys like Rhodes and Cardona have put in and how the ones like Storm commit to something completely different.

What does LA Knight have to do to stop getting the Fandango comparison?

NO. NOT MAMI.

A very good example of something to aim for, much like Cody Rhodes. Get out there, find yourself, reinvent yourself etc. It's always interesting to see who thrives with the freedom vs who does better with the massive machine behind them.

I think I agree with Kingston. The genuine authenticity he has.. I'm just not sure WWE is the place for that. Sure, you get it from Cody occasionally in his post-match stuff, but he couldn't be more robotic/WWE-esque on screen if he tried. Plus I just don't buy Kingston as a guy who wants to succeed in a place like WWE. Mox is a difficult one. I think he likes the freedom too much to go back. At least for now anyway. Sure, he'd absolutely slot into a top spot in WWE, but is that what he wants? If he loses that freedom, do we lose Mox as he is now? And if we do, is that what anyone wants? I guess there's no way of telling - especially considering how Punk has been since he's been back, despite all the previous challenges he had with the company. But then he has them with everyone everywhere so.. bit different to Mox.

See, I think they've got more 'over' people on their roster now than in years. Not everyone has to be the champ or the main event to be a star surely? In fact I'd argue it's really important not to be too top heavy and to actually have a roster where there's 'over' acts beginning, middle and end of shows. And I think that's something they've done very well recently - focus on acts like Judgment Day, Gunther, Alpha Academy, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, Pretty Deadly, LA Knight, DIY, Dunne/Bate etc. There's definite effort and time spent there to try and find a spot for people and see what works. Absolutely you can argue that some aren't as over as perhaps they could/should be - Ricochet for example - and there's time wasted on people like Kross. BUT I do think they're trying a lot more than they were.

I was hoping from the title that you were just going to put Scott Steiner in there somewhere.

And they got all that from a guy pointing at a sign? Amazing. Dread to think how they react to HHH's regular pointy photos.

Are they angry because the guy would like to enjoy a drink without listening to screaming kids? I mean hardly crime of the century is it. Sometimes I wish that and I have three of them.

Fair play to you. The hard work has paid off and you seem to have found some consistency and success so well done.

But do we finally get Too Many Limes and Lobster Head back?!

Absolutely no spoilers whatsoever but oh my heart.

There's definitely a benefit to opportunity and roster depth. But it does also mean that TK's booking often jumps all over the place depending on who he's into that week and there's so many you could argue are capable but never capitalised on. Or ones that have breakout performances but either get forgotten about or there's no room for them to move up. Having too many is arguably a good problem to have but it does also mean you get a lot of sitting around and waiting for something. Treading water will lead to a lot of unrest, especially with the more ambitious ones. If they're just in it for the money and they're happy for any role then it's not such a problem.

Tony doesn't really know what he wants AEW to be. He doesnt seem to have a single focus. It's very much trying to please the talent across the board plus being liked by other companies too and the fans. And there will always be issues with trying to please that many people and giving them everything they all want. Mostly the fact that it's just not possible. I'm not sure if that'll ever change because he's just a fanboy with a shit ton of money who is able to do whatever he wants. And what he wants is to be everything to everyone. So we'll keep coming round to these issues like inconsistent booking and bloated rosters and random crossover distractions. Spinning that many plates at the same time will never allow the cohesion to be any more than what they are. And he sounds happy with what they're doing anyway so that's that really.

Can't see anything on there? Did see some quotes floating around social media but they were old ones.

Depends what they do really. You can cut back in some areas and put the focus on the different camera shots etc and the overall feel of the show differs so it's something you just get used to really. I doubt they'll ever cut back to the point where it feels too small or minimalist. That goes against everything they are.

I never did finish that. Guess I'm better off keeping it that way. Although sounds like they might do something else to finish it off.

Good news.

Happy late birthday! Watched some Disney movies in your honour.

Yeah surely they should ALL be entertaining. Whether you love to watch them or love to hate them. But as has already been said, not everyone's going to like the same stuff. And that's okay.

That's probably how Tony justified it to himself I imagine.

Isn't she meant to be? She's a cocky arrogant mean girl heel. I always assumed she should be irritating. I enjoy it and I think she's great in that role.

Blah blah Bloodline blah blah NO. TIFFY TIME. Sorry. KO definitely deserved a mention too.

Would make a pretty solid Chris Jericho 2024 head.