Vegeta Posted December 28, 2023 Share Posted December 28, 2023 The continental classic sounds like it should be in the fry ups thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gaffer Posted December 28, 2023 Share Posted December 28, 2023 (edited) 37 minutes ago, RedRooster said: What is 'sports entertainment', though? I find the term very nebulous. People tend to use it as a disparaging term for the wilder aspects of Vince McMahon's booking; but surely almost everything that happens outside of the ring contains elements of sports entertainment? La Dinner Debonair was very well received, that's surely sports entertainment. The Kenny Omega/Hangman Page saga could have been plucked right out of a TV drama - it was high level storytelling, but absolutely sports entertainment. The Stadium Stampede matches during the pandemic and Sting's cinematic matches from that time period were great, but also surely could be classed as sports entertainment. Toni Storm has been arguably the most successful women's gimmick in AEW history, and what is that but sports entertainment? The MJF/Adam Cole saga - the good bits - were certainly sports entertainment. Mr Brodie Lee and The Dark Order - great fun, and great sports entertainment. Sports entertainment doesn't have to be a bad thing, and I'd go as far as to say it's been a huge part of AEW throughout its history. I'd also say, to me at least, the majority of AEW's best storylines have been...well, sports entertainment. The Continental Classic seems to have gone well, but if they focus more on ring work and less on out-of-ring storytelling, I'm not convinced it will work. It really depends on what Tony Khan means by 'sports-like' presentation. Great post, I agree with all of this. I definitely do want AEW to lean more into its obvious alternative niche with a more sports-like presentation, but there should be a balance. Personally I'll always enjoy characters where no particular element of their characterisation theoretically helps with being better in a fight, and stories where there would be a thousand better civic or legal recourses to solving a personal issue instead of meeting up in some building and having a wrestle. That inherent lunacy of it is probably the primary reason I watch. I wouldn't be arsed if it was entirely "The commentators mentioned two weeks ago his dorsal interossei muscle was sprained which is why he wasn't as good this week DO YOU SEE?" Basically, something that's not real being played and presented like its completely real isn't my kind of disco. I'm trash, though, when it comes to wrestling tastes. Edited December 28, 2023 by Gay as FOOK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Danger Posted December 28, 2023 Share Posted December 28, 2023 1 hour ago, Hannibal Scorch said: The most recent best things have been the Texas Death Match and the continental classic. Neither are Sports Entertainment. U wot m8? Hangman drank Swerves blood. The TDM is pure sports entertainment. It’s about as far removed from pure wrestling as you can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted December 28, 2023 Share Posted December 28, 2023 My favourite thing this year was MJF and Cole hitting the double clothesline. Pure wrestling is boring. It’s been tried over the years and has never worked, because it’s the storylines and characters that keep us all coming back. To its credit, AEW has managed to balance “serious” wrestling matches with plenty of traditional sports entertainment for the non-hardcore fan, and been very successful with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted December 28, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted December 28, 2023 Sports entertainment is a meaningless term made up by Vince McMahon because he thinks it sounds more show business than "wrestling". The Continental Classic is sports entertainment. Everything and nothing on a pro wrestling show is sports entertainment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merzbow Posted December 28, 2023 Share Posted December 28, 2023 1 hour ago, Mr_Danger said: U wot m8? Hangman drank Swerves blood. The TDM is pure sports entertainment. It’s about as far removed from pure wrestling as you can get. Let's not forget it all starting with a home invasion angle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinity Land Posted December 28, 2023 Share Posted December 28, 2023 Started with Swerve interrupting Hangman's charity donation announcement after All Out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted December 28, 2023 Author Share Posted December 28, 2023 Yeah we're probably just a bit blinded by what's going on lately. It's not that people don't want "sports entertainment" per se. It's just we don't want shit sports entertainment. AEW would be dull as fuck if it was just constant match after match. It needs the balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Butternut Squash Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 AEW at its best is a promo promotion. Eddie and Moxley was a reminder of that as was the MJF and Hangman interaction a few weeks ago. This 'pro rasslin vs entertainment' bollocks is just noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Duke Posted December 29, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted December 29, 2023 I think the sports entertainment bit isn't "do we want storylines" but rather "do we want a show about wrestling, or a show that has wrestling in it?". Orange Cassidy has potential to be a classic sports entertainment goofy character thats all about skits, and he has been in the past, but his first international title reign was grounded around matches with a compelling story built in. What it wasn't was a debate segment with Chris Jericho. The CC has had really good stories throughout, whether it's Eddie Kingston s redemption, switchblade cheating his way through, or Daniel Garcia looking for that one big win. It's all still "sports based presentation", but has stories baked in. I'd argue that all their best stories fit that model. Hangman's descent started because he lost big matches and was built around the title as much as Kenny specifically. It was built around Hangman as a wrestler and became about Hangman as a man. By comparison, Sammy had a match with Roman because of their interpersonal conflict. It was still great, just constructed differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted December 29, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted December 29, 2023 The thing with Samoa Joe betraying and intentionally costing MJF his tag titles he promised to hold for his best friend out of spite is that its actually a pretty decent angle which could have added real heat to this feud. Unfortunately the whole convoluted stupid Devil angle being tied up in it has made it dumb and shit. Kingston vs Danielson was EPIC. This story has been built from the very start, even before the tournament started where Kingston and Danielson promos on confidence played back to back on Dynamite. The story of this was excellent: Danielson is so extremely overconfident that he cruelly revels in bullying and humiliating Kingston. However this time is different. Eddie is focused, determined and keeps his emotions in check. Danielson realises this too late. He's taken his eye of the ball, hasn't hurt Kingston enough and now Kingston is unstoppable. The following Mox/Eddie promos were excellent ofcourse. Sad to think Eddie almost quit AEW at one point though. 1 womens match, 2 segments and about 5 different stories featuring 9 wrestlers throughout them is probably a Dynamite record. Mox/Swerve/White was ok but too long. If they cut off the 5 minutes of shitty crowd brawling at the start it would have been better. I fucking hate the no dq thing of triple threats. When did this start? I think WWE started it in the 2010s but unsure. It makes no sense. Just disqualify the person cheating from the match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted December 29, 2023 Author Share Posted December 29, 2023 Found this quite interesting yesterday. Don't get that many opportunities to listen to someone at that level discuss their booking strategy. Most insight you get is usually once they've left a company or something. You can tell he does think about what he's doing. It's just something we've all said before - that if something goes wrong or something changes, he absolutely bottles it and it all goes to shit. But there's some clear strategy there, especially with experimenting and trying to understand what their audience wants, so it's actually quite nice to hear that there's that thought being put into it. It'll be interesting to see where 2024 takes them and whether they're able to be consistent in who they want to be and deliver that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members FLips Posted December 29, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted December 29, 2023 12 hours ago, Gay as FOOK said: Great to see Spears get some love. Him and Brian Cage are like two generic Streets of Rage end of level bosses for me. Wrestling needs its big supergoons. Same reason I like Lance Archer who yet again is someone who got given the whole presentation and then vanishes for months on end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted December 29, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted December 29, 2023 28 minutes ago, FelatioLips said: Same reason I like Lance Archer who yet again is someone who got given the whole presentation and then vanishes for months on end. I love Lance Archer, Shawn Spears, Butcher & Blade and any other great midcard heel goons. With so much TV time it's criminal they're not regularly featured. Those acts are so valuable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Healys Chutney Spoon Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 Butcher and Blade I love too, but I feel they've run their course without a bit of a 'repackage' or consistent run in the title picture. Now they've lost Bunny I think it'll be hard for them to find their feet. Think I might start a 'Wrestlers you inexplicably like' thread...give the mid/lower card some love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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