Chris B

Absolutely tremendous show. In terms of booking, the right people went over in the right places, but pretty much everyone came out looking great - which so rarely happens.

With Punk gone and all the hoo-ha, they needed to build some of their stars. This wasn't the time for Mox or Danielson to lose - but Orange and Starks both looked so good in defeat. Cassidy in particular looked like he took Mox to the limit while injured and beaten up. That main event was thrilling, even knowing the outcome. Must have been amazing not knowing it.

And yeah, even Nigel McGuinness was decent on this one - and I hated him recently. 

What a PPV though. Didn't feel like the spectacle of All In, but felt like a better wrestling show, and both are valid. This felt like AEW's Canadian Stampede 97.

On 8/30/2023 at 2:39 PM, FelatioLips said:

Aside from that I've been playing a lot of Texas Chainsaw Massacre with my wife and mates and that's a really fun game with a lot of unique and interesting ideas. The balance seems quite fair on both sides and there's plenty of customisation and skill trees to mess about with. Probably the best game of this type since Dead by Daylight.

I'm enjoying this so far, although I'm disappointed there's no single-player option - I'd like to get to grips with it a little more before getting into games with others. The single-player mode of Friday the 13th was really quite good - it's a real shame that game is basically dead.

But yeah, with that aside, I'm enjoying the game. I honestly don't know if it'll get more or less fun the more I get used to it, as the sense of getting lost so easily at the start is really quite compelling. It's much more balanced than Dead by Daylight so far, and I actually like that it's less cooperative - makes me feel less like I'm letting others down.

People aren't talking enough about CM Punk trying to figure out the tube journey between Heathrow and Wembley. I want a minute-by-minute breakdown of this.

I desperately want him to have changed at Baker St, getting increasingly annoyed as he went up the stairs to the ticket hall, then down to the Met line, thinking that was it, then having to go down more stairs to get the escalator down to the Bakeoo line, getting more annoyed at Jack Perry with every step.

8 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

The problem is, there’s 2 very different conversations to be had.

Could the women’s division be booked better so that next time they hold a huge show more talented female athletes can feature? Absolutely.

Should they chuck a load of talented female athletes on the Wembley card regardless of how they’ve been booked in recent months? Absolutely not.

Might featuring them on the biggest show they've ever done be a way of booking and presenting them better?

3 hours ago, BomberPat said:

 a Dandelion & Burdock sour that I'm going to have to find out the name of because it tasted exactly like D&B. I'm normally not a fan of fruity booze that doesn't taste like it has any alcohol in it, but this was lovely. 

If you find it, please share the name - I like Dandelion & Burdock, and a sour version sounds fun.

My recent find has been Exale brewery's tropical IPA, 'Skoosh'. Which is just a name that's really enjoyable to say when you're ordering, and I have to stop myself doing it in a proper California stoner kind of 'skoooooosh' kind of way. 

On 8/23/2023 at 5:52 PM, Tommy! said:

I'm a bit confused by all that TBH, because I'd understood the criticism of Apu is that the character is a stereotype of Asian Americans, regardless of who it's voiced by.

I've not really understood why then recasting Carl mattered. I'm sure there is a reason, I've just never heard it because I'm too sheltered.

I think it was Azaria's choice. While the representation point around Apu wasn't the same with Carl (after all Apu is one of the most well-known Asian-American characters on US TV), once he stepped away from one, it was kind of an obvious next step to go 'you know what, maybe I shouldn't play that character either', especially when they had a predominantly white cast.

3 hours ago, Statto said:

If you're on Switch you've been very lucky to get a go at it at all, I'd say! Mad that they've made it all online when there's seemingly so few players out there, I've not even been able to get a 1-on-1 opponent for weeks!

It's frustrating it's not cross-platform. I've been struggling with the same thing on Steam Deck. Can never find opponents.

If we're talking 'anything could get a game' back then, the first issue of Commodore Format I ever got had a cover tape with a demo of the Viz game. A side-scrolling race with Johnny Fartpants, Biffa Bacon and Buster Gonad (and his unfeasibly large testicles).

Is it possible that this is why they suddenly pivoted to Bucks/FTR? To get this match before he was in jail? Maybe assuming he wouldn't be up in court this early?

21 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

On balance, I think the majority of "mystery partner/opponent" matches are promotions setting themselves up to fail, because fans will always speculate way beyond the level of what the promotion is prepared or able to deliver on.

I tend to remember Deadly Games, where there was a mystery opponent to go up against Mankind. The crowd were chanting 'HBK'! which would have been the most exciting thing possible in 1998, and out came... Gillberg.

4 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

No, but I think you do a silhouette poster when you have something to reveal that people will like.

Generally, I tend to think if you have someone to promote, you promote them. If you have something disappointing, make them the mystery person. But then the job is to make the match fun enough that nobody minds.

8 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

It's weird, and as much as I hate to lean into CM Punk politicking stories, that they were doing a Samoa Joe/Zack Sabre Jr story for quite some time on ROH, and then Wembley comes along and Joe's got a match with CM Punk instead, that presumably isn't for the ROH TV Title, and Zack is nowhere to be seen. 

I've seen a lot of people suggesting that it will be some NJPW names, given that some will be in town for RevPro, and that Shota Umino in particular has history with Moxley. No offence to Shota, but that would feel a bit like just making up the numbers, though if they get Minoru Suzuki, it'll be worth it for Wembley singing Kaze Ni Nare. 

Part of the reason I was thinking Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr was their history as Murder Grandpa and Pretzel Boy. Then just adding in whoever the third is - Danielson, Wardlow, Murderhawk... could be anyone there. But Kip and the Double-B's turning up on Dynamite felt a bit like a reminder that they're around.

1 minute ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Surely you don’t do the silhouette poster for Butcher and the Blade??

You think they'd shift more tickets/PPV buys by being on the poster?

I reckon it'll be closer to the Anarchy in the Arena match. Plenty going on in the ring, some comedy stuff going on elsewhere. I doubt they'll be going 'let's not do the match in front of 80,000 people'.

I also now reckon the other three will be Kip, Butcher and the Blade. And, oddly, I hope so. Gets Kip onto the show (and I'd be happy for him if that happens). That way, you split out the more comedic stuff in one section, and the more violent stuff elsewhere.

1 hour ago, Snitsky's back acne said:

He had the same level of experience running a wrestling company as Dixie Carter had prior to her running TNA (i.e none).

Vince McMahon hadn't run a wrestling company before WWE, the money mark.

11 minutes ago, Louch said:

That’s fine if you prefer a megamix, and not a properly played greatest hits that showcase the best things of AEW. Having the likes of omega, hangman etc in a six man is a lesser experience than seeing them in a heated single, isn’t that the aew you want to experience live? 

Omega and Hangman teaming together is pretty great, tbh - I enjoyed them vs the Young Bucks more than I enjoyed their singles match. I'm up for Ibushi getting a second chance too. We'll get some Takeshita storyline stuff, and Bullet Club Gold have been on serious form recently. I'm really down for this match. 

37 minutes ago, Louch said:

It’s a road to new Japan show when it should be a Dome show. All muiltiman tags when we want 1 on 1s that matter 

Eh, I kind of want to see as many of the wrestlers I haven't had a chance to see before, and it being a fun atmosphere. The World and Tag Team title matches are both big matches, Jericho vs Ospreay is a big match (that, admittedly, I don't care for) and, other than that, I'm good with seeing a bit of chaos.

1 hour ago, LaGoosh said:

2) three mystery men for Stadium Stampede is hilariously insane. I can't really think of 3 natural candidates for this. The only people who would get me excited for this that I can think of are Santana and Ortiz. 

Danielson isn't a bad shout - as said, he might be able to work around the injury in something like this. Zack Sabre Jr makes sense as well, as he fits into the BCC style, and he's British, which will help. And if it is those two, I'd guess the third person would be Minoru Suzuki. Although that could be just me wanting to hear Wembley Stadium singing Kaze Ni Nare.

12 hours ago, Rule One said:

Also FUCK BIX. I hate to denigrate anyone but that low level Meltzer wannabe is a bottom feeder of the lowest common denominator.

I've got time for Bix, and more than most wrestling 'journalists'. When the Ashley Massaro thing kicked off, he was the only one to go into it, share it, and try to find out more information. Nobody else touched it until it was unavoidable.

Re: the whole Punk thing - I'm not ruling it out that it might be a work, because blocking anyone on BTE from being in the building is a great meta way to lean into the whole thing involving smaller-level guys. It also leans into Punk as this controlling hypocrite character, which would be fun to actually get.

However, the entire thing is predicated on it being easy to believe that Punk is a slightly deluded dickhead. And that's just a bit *too* easy to believe. And if it's not a work, then that's all he is.

Fucking hell, I've got Hasbro with more points of articulation than Matt Hardy. I'll give credit to the Bucks to clearly doing everything they could, but eesh. That was painful and not fun to watch.

The JAS segment to open, though? That was much, much better than I expected. Angelo Parker and Sammy Guevara both, unexpectedly, came out of it really well.

Last week: "Oh no, it's going to be a meaningless house show. This'll be pointless."

This week: "Okay, so it might have the hottest storyline that they've built up for the last month, but it might not also have all the biggest matches AEW can possibly put on. This'll be pointless."

22 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

@Merzbow - there's an interview floating around with LuFisto that basically comes down to thinking Ruby Soho and Dustin Rhodes were gossiping about her behind her back, and that nobody in the locker room stood up for her, after her one match at Dark. I haven't read it, it's the kind of playground drama I hate in wrestling, but I have a hard time buying any version of events where Ruby is the bad guy.

I also saw someone mention that she laid into Blue Skye as well, so I suspect that's what the 'Divas division' bit was about.

I actually love the set-up for a face-vs-face world title match, where there's loads of anticipation of one turning on the other (including from each other), but in the end, good faith wins out and they have a clean finish, with them hugging afterwards, both proud of having main evented Wembley. Weirdly, that's fresh. Two friends live the dream.

Then have Swerve murder both of them the next week. Good god, that man is money.

15 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Fun fact, his character dying in the film Buddy the Vampire Slayer was used as the sound of the production company at the end of every episode of Buffy the TV show.

Not meaning to be a dick here, but I don't think this is true - I was like 'oh wow, that's cool, I had no idea' and looked into it, and it looks like the Mutant Enemy thing was done by Whedon.

But here's one to put in its place - the wig he wore in that was based on his own mugshot. Amazing stuff. And considering the scandal over his arrest, he did pretty well for himself afterwards. First thing I remember seeing him in was playing the Penguin's Dad in Batman Returns, so looks like a few people rallied around him at the time to help him do some different stuff.

According to a quick Google, Kevin Spacey is worth at least $30 million, btw. I'm not sure what he'll do if he can't get acting work.