Cheapheat Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 3 hours ago, Arch Stanton said: More Japanese girls won't be the answer either. Â Â Ummm... Why?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Nick James Posted October 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted October 20, 2019 Watched the majority of this show last night, I must say, Marko Stunt wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. If anything, he made Jungle Boy look ten times better. My only criticism was that when he came out shaking his hips etc in an annoying fashion, I was hoping Pentagon was going to smack him around. He took the beating very well. Santana and Ortiz look brilliant, they have an aura about them, although, Ortiz needs to lose the footwear with individual toes in them. Jericho is brilliant right now, really enjoying his output, but he needs to stop it with he ‘painmaker’ gimmick and continue with his ageing rockstar look. Jericho is at his best when giving the rub to the young up and comers. I still think there is way too much emphasis on Cody as a whole. I get that he’s the challenger, however there only seems to be video packages for him in particular, other than one or two. Although that being said, it was a brilliant video package with him being in ‘The Zone’. JR is terrible and I think if he was putting this performance in on Raw / Smackdown / NXT, it would be Vince getting the blame. Schiavone and Excalibur would be better as a duo. I said earlier in the week I felt burnt out by the amount of wrestling I’ve been watching, however this week, I watched NXT Thursday morning and AEW last night and I must say, it was a lot better just for dropping Raw and Smackdown (well, the 45 mins I took me to skip through them). The tweet Rick mentioned above was absolutely spot on, once you stop comparing both AEW and NXT and just enjoy each show on their own, it is a lot more fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 They definitely need more pure heels. I know it's a rare art form these days and many companies are moving away from that these days, but half the fun is having someone to genuinely shit on and boo the hell out of. I love being purely invested in one person that I want them to win, rather than having both sides being cool and playing up to the crowd etc. It used to be so rare that you would have two strong faces go against each other, but now it's all so grey. The AEW crowds have been so enthusiastic and on fire for most of the shows. It'd be nice to have some more old school clear cut heel characters for them to sink their teeth into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Arch Stanton Posted October 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted October 20, 2019 4 hours ago, Cheapheat said: Ummm... Why?? The point I was hinting toward there applies to the women's and men's divisions and to WWE just as much as it does to AEW too. If they are to expand their viewership beyond the little wrestling bubble that exists today, they need to be drawing fresh eyes to their show and for that you need big characters and hot angles. Wrestling matches aren't the draw and never have been. Very few casual TV viewers are going to tune in because of an interest in the fake fighting aspect of the show, especially now that it looks tonnes more fake than it ever has done. Bringing over stars from Japan generally only appeases the type of work rate perverts that are already watching the shows anyway, or maybe some other type of perverts in Riho's case. They can help to embellish your roster, but you can't build it around them, especially if the presentation of their character only extends as far as 'wrestler from Japan'. That's why I've been frustrated by what I've seen from AEW so far, the shows have been so heavily focused on in-ring action rather than properly introducing characters and angles. We get hours upon hours of matches for the sake of matches already over on WWE's TV shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted October 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted October 20, 2019 Don't completely agree with @Arch Stanton's original post because I think the structure of wrestling TV shows from WCW, WWF, WWE and TNA has been so similar for so long, it's unrealistic to expect it to be drastically different. They can do far more to develop characters than they are doing on the main show. Their work on the "Road to" videos was far better. Completely agree on the women though. It's been poor and shipping in ready made acts from Japan won't help. Nothing wrong with the work of the girls (or guys) themselves but I don't think they connect without promo and character work. They'll have better matches for now but they'll still eist in a vacuum. If the aim is to be a better ROH long term then it's fine. If it's to be a genuine player, they need to make their own characters who have mass appeal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted October 20, 2019 Awards Moderator Share Posted October 20, 2019 (edited) Finally caught up with this week's output. I used to have a Thursday wrestling routine and it's all out of whack now with NWA and Dark and Dynamite and NXT later in the week... On the points people were making about Dark and YouTube content a few pages ago, I think it's absolutely right to put big/good matches on that show. We are old and still watch things on TV. If they want to grow new audiences they're much more likely to do that on YouTube than on a Wednesday night on TNT or on the ITV Hub. It'd feel all backward from my personal POV but I don't think it would be counter-productive to focus more on their YouTube show. Get some ads in, grab a couple of influencers, and you've got a shot at some new fans. Dynamite was fine this week, it had its good points and its irritations. Ultimately, as people have said, it is more of the same. It's 'a wrestling show that's not WWE' and for a lot of people that would be enough - as I've mentioned in the NWA thread, I've never been closer to binning off the Network because I can easily get my wrestling fix elsewhere. But there's nothing to make it truly stand apart yet - it's very much still the standard mid-90s-onwards Wrestling TV model.  I had a couple of logic issues with the Lucha Bros stuff. 1) From a kayfabe point of view, they came out and viciously attacked Christopher Daniels before his match. Then came out for their own match later in the show, with no hint of repercussions or any kind of dissatisfaction from the company that they maybe shouldn't have done that. So ... you can get away with that kind of attack in AEW? I know they're not doing authority figures, but if I was Jericho or the Inner Circle or PAC I'd be laying out everyone left right and centre because there are no consequences. And they won as well - so they've been rewarded for it! (From a storyline point of view, yes, I know they did the angle to build to SCU vs Lucha Bros in the final of the tournament.) 2) From a reality point of view, they're planning an angle where the Lucha Bros attack one member of a three-man team before their tag team match, causing the third member of that team to have to sub in, thereby giving an advantage to the Lucha Bros. Then, in real life, one member of a three-man team is unable to compete in their tag team match, causing the third member of that team to have to sub in. Logically ... why could they not have had the Lucha Bros take out Luchasaurus before their own match with Jurassic Express, knowing that the latter would either have to forfeit or sub in Marko Stunt? It provides a storyline reason to write out Luchasaurus (rather than happening to mention it on commentary when everyone's wondering where he is), makes the Lucha Bros look like nasty tough bastards for taking out the big guy, puts sympathy on JE for underdog-ness, and avoids them doing the same substitute angle twice in one show. (And yes, again, I know they did the angle to build to SCU vs Lucha Bros in the final of the tournament. But still. It didn't work for me.)  One of AEW's biggest issues right now is its women's division. I'm with Arch on Riho, I can't take anything she does seriously, and selling has never looked more pretend than when she's the one being sold for. Britt Baker doesn't appear to be very good. And these are the two they've focused on every week so far. I got up to the women's match on the Hub, thought to myself 'I can't be bothered with this right now' and switched over to the Network to watch NXT for a bit. They're in danger of the women's division becoming the piss break for me and I don't want that to be the case.  Logic aside, I really enjoyed the Lucha Bros vs. Jurassic Express match. Unlike Riho, they used Stunt's tinyness to great advantage here, i.e. he gets pummeled but very occasionally finds an opening to hit something. As I think Pat said, he's Spike Dudley, and that worked for me here. First time I've properly seen Rey Fenix - wow, that guy has some agility! Incredible flying moves. Lovely lovely lovely. Jungle Boy is going to be a star and they need to hang on to him. I'm 100% with JR on referring to him as Jack Perry though. 'Jungle Boy' Jack Perry, next gen Hollywood royalty, yes, put him in the main event. 'Jungle Boy' by itself, no ta.  Loved the Omega & Page vs Moxley & Pac match. It felt big time, every one of them felt like stars. A perfect top-level TV match, in that you've got four big names in there but it wasn't a match you should be saving for PPV. They all looked great in there too. The problem came when one of them had to lose. I was a little downhearted when Pac got pinned, especially since they've made that fuss about him being undefeated for two years. Then I thought, maybe they've done this to set up a Moxley vs Pac feud after the Omega match at the PPV. But no, they're doing that next week. So now I'm not sure what to think. As long as they can get Pac some heat back it should be okay, and I still have enough faith in AEW that I think they'll do that. But this is one of those times where having DQs isn't necessarily a bad thing. Anyway, great match.  Has every episode of Dynamite so far ended with Jericho and his buds hanging out in the ring with a babyface or several laying prone beneath them? It feels like every episode. Edited October 20, 2019 by HarmonicGenerator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_3165 Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 11 hours ago, Merzbow said: Nah, Riho was laying some shit in against Britt by the end. More of that please. That needs to be a thing, grizzled vet Riho who may be small but will slap the taste outta your green gob. Vet? She is 22! Whoever thinks a 10 yo can be a pro needs a labotomy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_Doctor Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 I do really like AEW, but Cornette's burial of Marko Stunt on his podcast this week had me in stitches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merzbow Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, Michael_3165 said: Vet? She is 22! Whoever thinks a 10 yo can be a pro needs a labotomy It's called a gimmick, bro. The whole point is the absurdity of a 22 year old looking like a child being a grizzled vet. Edited October 20, 2019 by Merzbow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The King Of Swing Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 Enjoyed Riho from what I saw of her in TJPW but as much as I like her don't think she's someone I would build a division around in AEW. Suspect she'll probably drop the belt at the PPV. Shida will probably fill the top Japanese woman spot once she moves to the US. Riho was probably a feel good win to counter a heel being world champion. Still take Riho over Britt and Bea though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_3165 Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 1 hour ago, Merzbow said: It's called a gimmick, bro. The whole point is the absurdity of a 22 year old looking like a child being a grizzled vet. Hardly a gimmick though is it. Really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted October 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted October 20, 2019 She's been wrestling for 13 years, and in that time has wrestled the likes of Kenny Omega, Minoru Suzuki, Tajiri, Asuka, Piper Niven, and Emi Sakura about a hundred times, and has worked a full schedule pretty much the entire time, there's not really any definition by which she's not a veteran, even at her age. I also don't really buy the criticism that she doesn't look impactful - it's not like she's being presented as a hard-hitting striker, she's a plucky underdog who manages to win through tenacity and never giving up, not through big impressive moves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_Doctor Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 43 minutes ago, BomberPat said: She's been wrestling for 13 years, and in that time has wrestled the likes of Kenny Omega, Minoru Suzuki, Tajiri, Asuka, Piper Niven, and Emi Sakura about a hundred times, and has worked a full schedule pretty much the entire time, there's not really any definition by which she's not a veteran, even at her age. I also don't really buy the criticism that she doesn't look impactful - it's not like she's being presented as a hard-hitting striker, she's a plucky underdog who manages to win through tenacity and never giving up, not through big impressive moves. She worked a full schedule....when she was 9?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_3165 Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 Thought her stuff would look better in that case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merzbow Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 AAA Spoilers that could mean something for AEW Kenny Omega is now their world champion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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