The King Of Swing Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 Even by his usual standards JR was shockingly bad this week. One the matches I was most looking forward to when I joined AEW was the Young Bucks and................. Exalibur then had to jump in and save his arse. I'm almost tempted to say sack JR off and bring Mauro in. Fucking hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted March 13, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted March 13, 2021 the thing with Christian is that Jon Moxley came in with a sense of being Dean Ambrose with the filter taken off, Matt Hardy was able to argue that WWE hadn't let him do everything he wanted creatively - they both had an argument that AEW could let them be themselves in a way that WWE didn't. So far - and admittedly we've not seen a lot of him - Christian has come in, and he's "Christian, from WWE". He barely even has the "WWE wouldn't let me wrestle" angle any more, as he was just in the Royal Rumble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Supremo Posted March 13, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted March 13, 2021 (edited) Now that there’s been a suggestion of Mauro Ranallo commentating on Dynamite I’d like to categorically state that Jim Ross is doing an excellent job and they should keep him around forever. Edited March 13, 2021 by Supremo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members quote the raven Posted March 13, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted March 13, 2021 Omega and Don played the dud off perfectly. Im nearly willing to bet Mox gets blown up next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CavemanLynn Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 (edited) Both Christian and Ethan Page have had the worst kind of debut. Hey, look! It's... this... guy! You know him, right? Well, yeah, but so what? Why are either of them in AEW? What are they going to do, that they couldn't do anywhere else? Why is AEW important to them? Ethan's debut was especially nonsensical. If anyone knew about his Impact work, it instantly made him a non-threat. He wasn't synonymous with the ladder match, so whereas if RVD or Jeff Hardy had come through the entrance, you'd've thought "Oh, these guys know what they're doing here and the other entrants are going to have to step up now", Ethan was just another jobs-for-the-boys signing. Christian is more of a name, but hasn't said a word yet, and the last time he went by Cage, he was in Impact, the current enemy of AEW. It's all just kind of off. Love me some suited Penta, and can't wait for him to go taking arms. Lee Johnson is likely bricking it. I object to people saying he throw the zero miedo hand gesture too much; in big matches, he also takes 5 minutes taking his glove off for a chop. The fact he coasts when he's given nothing to do is totally understandable. Hopefully this leads to a solid story match and Cody being written off TV and not a Cody WWE NXT move fest. I watched the Kingston Mox promo four times and it doesn't get boring. They are absolutely amazing, serious, funny, utterly believable. Lounging on that sofa tired, aching and pissed off like they were on a bench on a roundabout in Clapham. I'd be well up for Omega facing a bunch of challengers trying to avoid Kingston, but Eddie being a constant thorn in his side until finally getting the big match. Coinkidink this with Mox's return and take my money. Maki Itoh is brilliant and I won't hear it any other way. Carrying on with her song because she had headphones on, the silly little punch she gave Thunder Rosa from down on the apron, and the kokeshi headbutt might be my favourite move ever. I'm actually going to blame Shida for the mic shots looking shit - there's no way they should've been sold at all. Itoh's a deluded failed pop star playing at wrestling, and should be sold as such. Page on his lawn mower throne, saying how he bought that, a ton of whiskey, and gave the rest to the Jacksonville Education Fund, is why he's one of the greatest faces. He posted the pic of him and the DO on the mower with the quote "Why would anyone do drugs when you could just mow a lawn?" Hero. Closing angle would've been slightly better if there'd been hints of MJF working on something outside the Inner Circle, but otherwise it was a perfect chain of twists to set up a new landscape post-Revolution. Wardlow is a magnificent unit. Fucking Spears though. You watch him on behind-the-scenes stuff or on Peyton's IG and he's clearly a dopey goof, but he insists on being this cookie cutter slow walking SERIOUS HEEL. It doesn't fucking work. And his dye job makes him look like Judge Doom. Edited March 13, 2021 by CavemanLynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Supremo Posted March 13, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted March 13, 2021 I’m seeing reports of Andrade asking WWE for his release. On one hand, AEW have absolutely reached the TNA tipping point with Big Show and Christian and they need to stop signing everyone that leaves WWE. But on the other hand, Andrade and Zelina showing up on Dynamite together? Sign me up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 14 minutes ago, Supremo said: I’m seeing reports of Andrade asking WWE for his release. On one hand, AEW have absolutely reached the TNA tipping point with Big Show and Christian and they need to stop signing everyone that leaves WWE. But on the other hand, Andrade and Zelina showing up on Dynamite together? Sign me up! Right? I know I've moaned about AEW being bloated roster-wise on occasion and I really don't want them to sign every free agent up, but Andrade and Zelina are an incredible on-screen duo and just imagine some of the matches he could have with who they've got already. I need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Chris B Posted March 13, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted March 13, 2021 Andrade vs Rey Fennix or Omega? Holy shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsfromlee Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 WWE have denied his release request though apparently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TildeGuy~! Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 (edited) Wouldn’t surprise me if he went back to New Japan to rejoin LIJ Edited March 13, 2021 by TildeGuy~! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsurutagun Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 Ring of Honor would be an interesting shout with Rush, Dragon Lee and their dad there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted March 13, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted March 13, 2021 55 minutes ago, CavemanLynn said: Both Christian and Ethan Page have had the worst kind of debut. Hey, look! It's... this... guy! You know him, right? Well, yeah, but so what? Why are either of them in AEW? What are they going to do, that they couldn't do anywhere else? Why is AEW important to them? This is the thing - aside from what I said earlier, I'm getting sick of "new signing is going to explain why they're in AEW". I know they're a young company and need to get/keep their brand over, but I don't want to hear Christian say "I came to AEW because..." and then list his grievances with WWE, or allude to them not letting him wrestle, or ever seeing his full potential, or anything like that. I want people to debut because they're going to be involved in a storyline with someone already in AEW, or even just because they want to win the AEW Title - I want kayfabe explanations for why a wrestler is there, not inside baseball stuff. That works for a Jon Moxley, I don't think it works for a Christian Cage - is there really any sense that Christian has any untapped well of potential or ability? Because he feels to me like someone we've already seen all he has to offer - that's not necessarily a bad thing, because it makes it hard to see him as a selling point in his own right. But Christian with the right opponent, or with the right story, is what people will get excited about, not just "Christian is here now". He's not the kind of star who can turn things around by his presence alone - we've been through all this already with TNA, after all - but he's a solid utility player. 54 minutes ago, Supremo said: I’m seeing reports of Andrade asking WWE for his release. On one hand, AEW have absolutely reached the TNA tipping point with Big Show and Christian and they need to stop signing everyone that leaves WWE. But on the other hand, Andrade and Zelina showing up on Dynamite together? Sign me up! I don't think the issue is with ex-WWE, so much as it's "does this person fit the bill?" and "what do they bring to the table?". Andrade really fits the "untapped potential" category - he won't feel like a WWE cast-off, he'll feel like someone that WWE never truly recognised what they had with. Bring him either against the Lucha Brothers, or against PAC and taking the Lucha Brothers from PAC, and there's potential for magic there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted March 13, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted March 13, 2021 (edited) 22 minutes ago, BomberPat said: This is the thing - aside from what I said earlier, I'm getting sick of "new signing is going to explain why they're in AEW". I know they're a young company and need to get/keep their brand over, but I don't want to hear Christian say "I came to AEW because..." and then list his grievances with WWE, or allude to them not letting him wrestle, or ever seeing his full potential, or anything like that. I want people to debut because they're going to be involved in a storyline with someone already in AEW, or even just because they want to win the AEW Title - I want kayfabe explanations for why a wrestler is there, not inside baseball stuff. That works for a Jon Moxley, I don't think it works for a Christian Cage - is there really any sense that Christian has any untapped well of potential or ability? Because he feels to me like someone we've already seen all he has to offer - that's not necessarily a bad thing, because it makes it hard to see him as a selling point in his own right. But Christian with the right opponent, or with the right story, is what people will get excited about, not just "Christian is here now". He's not the kind of star who can turn things around by his presence alone - we've been through all this already with TNA, after all - but he's a solid utility player. It shouldn't be too difficult for any creative-enough booker. There are all sorts of ways. He comes in as a heel, saying he was just playing AEW and WWE off each other to get a better deal, and AEW won. Bang - instant mercenary wanker. Maybe gradually reveal he's got some ridiculous stips on his contract as a result - like he can't be fired for a year, Test-style, or he's guaranteed a title shot at each of the eligible belts, or he gets an entourage, or he gets a reality TV or interview segment of his own every week or something. Or he comes in as a motivated new signing, saying he realised he'd done everything there was to do in the business, having won the world title in WWE, TNA, and ECW, (if he's working heel he can really wind up the fans with that one) not to mention numerous tag titles and ground-breaking matches, and now he's here to win titles in the new, big company. WWE's old news, and AEW's the fresh new thing, blah blah blah. Edited March 13, 2021 by Carbomb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CavemanLynn Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 (edited) To give them their due, they have done an okay job doing the show-don't-tell with Christian. It makes sense for a major signing with industry stroke to play straight for the top table. The problem is, it's Christian. Ethan Page cut a promo on Dynamite, saying he went to Tony Khan and "demanded" a Dynamite match. Why is Karate Man so important that he gets to strong arm his way onto a card, kayfabe in someone else's place? Why does he even call himself All Ego? Is it because he gets to turn his first initial on its side to spell AEW when he gets a t shirt made? It's not just the new faces. Last time we saw Lee Johnson on Dynamite, he got helped to a tag title win by Cody. Has he been winning on Dark, so he's earned his Dynamite match, making Ethan Page just asking for a spot even more unfair and Johnson even more sympathetic? If so, show some clips of him winning on Dark. Just edit them into his entrance, an insert in the corner of the screen that the commentators can play up. Private Party paired with BB&B should be ripe for this. Like someone earlier said, two surly middle aged metal heads teamed with some preppy party boy jocks. They should give them a camera and a night club for a day. Say Hardy has organised a team building exercise. But it all devolves into Private Party splashing all Hardy's cash on DJs, girls and Bacardi breezers, while Butcher and Blade stand on the edge of the dance floor with pints in their hands. Utterly motionless. Then Butcher starts nodding his head to the trap beat. Blade (in full Slipknot gear) turns very very slowly to look at him, and Butcher stops. Then they both start nodding their heads to the beat. Just something silly like that, 2 or 3 two-minute bits they can cut into Dynamite for a couple of weeks to keep them in the loop before actually getting in the ring with anyone. I'd love Andrade (would he go back to La Sombra?) to mix it up at all levels on Dynamite, but it can't be Look! It's him from the other company! Even if he does bring Zelina/Thea with him. My dream would be him reverting to his suited masked gangster look and coming in full Los Ingobernables, but that dream includes the NJPW connection meaning we get Los Ingobernables International vs AEW in Blood and Guts. Edited March 13, 2021 by CavemanLynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Project Nim Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 Felt Kingston and Mox did the best they could considering. They’re better leaving it at that now though. Ben should have translated; “Penta thinks you’re a right wanker” Nobody gets to do a full promo without getting interrupted do they? JR seems to have trouble recognising names for people now and you could tell he despised that 6 woman tag match, I wasn’t fond of some of it myself. Good show closing angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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