Paid Members Supremo Posted July 1, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) Glad I’m not the only one who fails to see what Jimmy Havoc brings the table. He already has the shittest look in wrestling, but now Darby Allin is in it makes Havoc look like his dorky older brother trying to be as cool as him. Stupid apron bump aside, I thought Allin showed potential. Whilst Havoc looks like a guy in a costume, Darby legitimately felt like a nutter. Hopefully seeing him a few more times will help me get over how outrageously thin he was though. My god, he’s skinny. I used to think the Undisputed Era guys were thin but Darby Allin makes them look like Brock Lesnar. It reminded me of when we were kids, every time a new WWE video game came out my mate would make his character, “The Pebble.” It was just The Rock but with all his physical attributes put to zero, making him as thin and small as possible. That’s exactly what Allin looked like when he first came out. Regarding the inconsistent tone of the show and how both pre-shows now have felt like they’re produced by a different company; in the lead up to All In and the launch of AEW Cody mentioned numerous times that a big positive was how each of the guys had such a different vision for pro-wrestling. What Cody loved and wanted for the company wasn’t necessarily what The Young Bucks or Kenny Omega had in mind. The problem I think we’re seeing is how those visions are clashing in terms of the bigger picture. A show itself will benefit from having a little bit of everything for everyone, an old school time limit draw with Cody, a spot-fest involving the Bucks and a crazy hardcore match involving Janela, but you’ve got to have a clear, consistent vision when it comes to tone and presentation. The big picture can’t be everything for everyone. You can’t have goofy comedy or insider references one minute and then serious, high-stakes stuff later. I suspect that’s why all the AEW YouTube content is all over the place. The Bucks are producing the goofy Being the Elite stuff on their channel, Cody’s got all the serious, well-produced build up on his channel, and then everything else is on the AEW channel itself. Hopefully they manage to figure it out by the time the regular TV show launches. I mentioned the other day that WWE have given them an open goal recently and all it needed was for them to tap it in. Unfortunately, they somehow managed to hit the post here, despite everyone willing them on to score. Edited July 1, 2019 by Supremo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 As an outsider perspective on two guys I've not seen a huge amount from, I thought Darby came across far better than Joey. He just seemed to have a more well rounded character and idea of what he wanted to be. What's Janela's deal? I didn't really get much from him from the show other than he's a crazy bastard. Which one of them is generally seen as the stand out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boytoy Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 I've enjoyed enough of what I have seen so far to give them the benefit of the doubt after running just 2.5 shows. For now it still has a very DIY 'everyone do something' feel which isn't the most coherent and it will be interesting to see how this sits alongside the need for more long term booking. The criticisms based on what we have seen so far are fair - the real test is going to be whether they can listen and act on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Just now, DavidB6937 said: As an outsider perspective on two guys I've not seen a huge amount from, I thought Darby came across far better than Joey. He just seemed to have a more well rounded character and idea of what he wanted to be. What's Janela's deal? I didn't really get much from him from the show other than he's a crazy bastard. Which one of them is generally seen as the stand out? They're very different guys, but Darby is on a different level. I like Joey but he's just a good bumper and a complete moron. There's not too much to analyze apart from that he's really fucking good at bumping on chairs. Darby is altogether more captivating, his pace and his bumps are a key draw but he also has something extremely rare. An 'edgy' wrestling character that feels organic, and not hokey or e-feddy. The presentation in AEW could use some work, but I have little doubt Darby will end up the bigger star assuming they both stay healthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Accident Prone Posted July 1, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted July 1, 2019 Joey has more of a following than Darby does; he's a bigger name, he's got a bigger reputation and he's got a great mind for modern marketing in the wrestling business. He's the brainchild behind those insanely popular Spring Break 'Mania-Weekend shows and is a huge creative influence on the scene. He also lives the gimmick of this retro 24/7, party-hard wrestler so he's real easy to get into, as you don't know where the character ends and the real person begins (if there is any separation at all). Darby has a more well-established character, and that's going to take him far. He's a lot more three dimensional. He is a lot more fluid in-ring too, with more of an emphasis lucha and innovative offence. Despite doing some incredibly nutty stuff in his career, he doesn't have the same name value that Janela does as most of his career has taken place in and around EVOLVE. Unlike Matt Riddle, who managed to break out of that cold barren wasteland, Darby hasn't really been able to shake off that stigma until recently. Both guys have a lot to offer and both guys are incredibly different despite sharing the same willingness to put their bodies through hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merzbow Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) Jimmy looks like he fiddles chubby girls in Slipknot hoodies after plying them with white lightening. If he was from Cov he'd still be hanging around the statue a decade after everyone has left. He should play it up and just be this dirty little scumbag character trying to get off with Riho or someone. Edited July 1, 2019 by Merzbow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elisarcabrera Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 The mainstream hype begins.... https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/wwe-mma-wrestling/all-elite-wrestling-itv-the-young-bucks-cody-rhodes-schedule-how-to-watch-a8981176.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Will be interesting to see how 'important' the UK market ends up being. TNA said exactly the same thing, and to be honest for a while they did a really decent job of making us seem way more important than WWE did, but that was mostly Borash's work getting in on the ground and actually giving us something good. Fan meets etc. It's not like the Bucks etc are shy of fan-related things so it should be a no brainer for those guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elisarcabrera Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 25 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said: Will be interesting to see how 'important' the UK market ends up being. TNA said exactly the same thing, and to be honest for a while they did a really decent job of making us seem way more important than WWE did, but that was mostly Borash's work getting in on the ground and actually giving us something good. Fan meets etc. It's not like the Bucks etc are shy of fan-related things so it should be a no brainer for those guys. Difference to TNA is AEW will have the ITV TV PR machine behind it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members WeeAl Posted July 1, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted July 1, 2019 I don't know guys, maybe I don't get it but Kenny Omega doesn't feel like he's for me at all. He's a complete geek, and there's nothing wrong with that of you're an underdog baby-face. But he's the top guy. I don't think I should be feeling that the top star is somebody that if he went to school ten or fifteen years ago, would have been getting a daily wedgie or stuffed inside a locker by some of the bigger lads. For what I want from wrestling, I don't see what the fuss is about, but I can understand why he appeals to his current following. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dart Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Here's something I don't get and it's a minor criticism and I'm sure it's partly them not having the TV show yet and partly me only casually following it, but... Moxley attacks Jericho and Omega last time. Now I get they've saved the Omega match for the next PPV, but other than "dream match wank", why was he facing Janela on this show and in the main event nonetheless, when at the last show Janela was just another guy who didn't win the pre show battle royal. How'd he manage to get in the main event of this show? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted July 1, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) 16 minutes ago, WeeAl said: I don't know guys, maybe I don't get it but Kenny Omega doesn't feel like he's for me at all. He's a complete geek, and there's nothing wrong with that of you're an underdog baby-face. But he's the top guy. I don't think I should be feeling that the top star is somebody that if he went to school ten or fifteen years ago, would have been getting a daily wedgie or stuffed inside a locker by some of the bigger lads. For what I want from wrestling, I don't see what the fuss is about, but I can understand why he appeals to his current following. He's a gamer, not one of those lads off Saved By The bell who played chess at lunchtime. With his size, physique and agility, he's not standing around getting his dinner money stolen. Think it was Supremo who pointed out what a star he looked after the match. Completely agree with that. Walking around putting smiles on people's faces, slapping hands with kids, etc. He looked the business. Pete Dunne did it after the NXT:UK tapings I went to and it does embelish the aura. Well done to them for not rushing off to some pre-tape or backstage skit. That was superb direction. Edited July 1, 2019 by tiger_rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted July 1, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) 5 minutes ago, The Dart said: Here's something I don't get and it's a minor criticism and I'm sure it's partly them not having the TV show yet and partly me only casually following it, but... Moxley attacks Jericho and Omega last time. Now I get they've saved the Omega match for the next PPV, but other than "dream match wank", why was he facing Janela on this show and in the main event nonetheless, when at the last show Janela was just another guy who didn't win the pre show battle royal. How'd he manage to get in the main event of this show? They did a bit backstage (at DoN) where Moxley stole his cigarette. Was pretty cool. Then the build up videos since. Edit: Moxley talked about it in his interview with Keller. An example of stuff in WWE that takes them a week to write, a load of takes to film, goes off to the writers and Vince for approval, etc. In AEW, they had an idea, shot it one take and then used it. Edited July 1, 2019 by tiger_rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Supremo Posted July 1, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) It goes back to their biggest problem at the moment; they think everyone is watching everything they’re putting online. Until the TNT show starts they should be doing hype videos before each match to get everyone up to speed, as well as using the pre-shows to explain and build up the stories for anyone who isn’t a YouTube subscriber. The videos they produce for Cody’s channel are some of the best stuff out there. It’s absolute insanity that they’re not putting that out for the masses to see, deciding to go with non-wrestlers selling for inflatable toys and Blue Pants saying, “shush,” instead. I think there’s definitely a point to be made that Omega doesn’t know how to book himself. In New Japan, at least by the time I started watching, he came across as a huge deal. In AEW so far though he’s a fucking geek, emulating memes and running a show that falls apart and gets buried by the announcers. I said it after Double or Nothing but it’s even more apt now - Stone Cold didn’t put the cowboy hat on until long after he’d become a superstar. Kenny has wore it from the get go and worse still he’s the one scripting it. Edited July 1, 2019 by Supremo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 (edited) I have to say, to run their main event with no promo package actually making air is really so bad. Seeing that well done package before the match would've really got me hyped up, like I say it was a well done video but it's just not the same viewing it after I've already seen the match. It's weird for a company that claims to be trying to appeal to the lapsed/casual fan, they sure do expect you to watch a lot of material in your own free time. They also don't appear to know what a pre-show is supposed to be there for. Edited July 1, 2019 by sj5522 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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