AEW Dynamite Thread 2023

[Guest]

1 hour ago, RedRooster said:

Do I really need to do this again?

Here's what I said: 

I shouldn't need to explain this, but "not being around in its current form" is very different from dying. Impact Wrestling is not around in the same form that it was in 2012. It's not dead. In the States, the WWE Network exists in a different form than it did five years ago. Neither of these things are dead. 

Some real false equivalence here - losing Danielson, Moxley and Jericho isn't quite the same as losing Omega, MJF and The Bucks - and this is on the back of AEW losing Cody (and, potentially, Punk). We both, I hope, know that AEW does not have an Austin, Rock or Foley waiting in the wings. But even if they did, the way that Dynamite is formatted and, sometimes, booked, often makes it difficult for exciting programmes and acts to feel hot, or achieve their full potential. It happens a lot - they stumble upon something that works, and fumble it. Wardlow, Miro, Malaki Black as a face and Daniel Garcia, for example; and it now looks like the same thing might be happening to Ricky Starks. 

Nothing that I've said implies that AEW is awful - but it's missing so many opportunities to be more than "just fine". What I find disappointing mostly, is that AEW could very easily feel like the hottest wrestling company in the world, but easily avoidable and identifiable mistakes are holding it back. 

I'm not sure there's much point in saying any of this, because you appear to be watching AEW through a very tribalistic lens. I don't quite understand why you'd want to do that, but hey, if you're enjoying the straws that you're clutching, grip away. Who am I to stop you?

You seem to think I’m some aew super fan which I’m not, I watch shows most weeks while doing other things and find it perfectly fine. I don’t think it’s the best thing that’s ever existed, it’s a perfectly watchable wrestling tv show. most tv shows in any series on tv are just fine most weeks. There’s no scripted tv series that does a 2hr episode each week that’s riveting either for a reason as it’s a long time to fill with quality.  You seem to have some high standard you think wrestling is or can be that aew are massively missing and you know better.  In coming up 30 years of weekly raw/nitro/impact /dynamite / smackdown when has such a show existed? Looking back most of the Monday night wars shows had a load of crap carried by hot headline stories. It’s never existed to start now. And as such it comes across every week that you just want to take shots and hide it in the guise of constructive criticism, than just being open and honest like Keith and co and just say you don’t like aew or who runs it and take open shots than veiled ones. Now you are just trying to twist your own words, talking about the network etc like that was at all what your originally meant by not existing in current guise. 

Tribalistic is a very weird word choice here as well as I haven’t compared aew to anyone else and said in my reply I’m happy both companies get new talent in and out. I want both thriving as it’s better for everyone and gives everyone the option to find fresh wrestling to watch. No one wants the orton vs cena or ziggler vs Kofi repeat feuds when we can have guys jumping back and forth and new stories opening. Omega and the bucks will have to leave some day, I don’t see it with the same doom scenario you are now denying you implied. They haven’t led anything in aew for over a year. 

I’ve bolded that section as no one seen those 3 driving a massive upturn in business until they did. All 3 where seen as failures and filler and even close to being on their way out until They caught fire. So neither of us know that for sure, it’s terribly arrogant to make that as a definite claim 

the section in italics,” Tony Khan is a bad head booker” you started this off with, what’s that implying then if it isn’t saying the show he writes isn’t bad? He badly writes good shows? Make it make sense please. 

[SuperBacon]

32 minutes ago, Louch said:

Make it make sense please.

[Hannibal Scorch]

I thought Tony Sniff would be the most annoying thing in this thread, but now it’s like two Pats arguing with themselves.

 

[Supremo]

Average show. Nothing terrible, but coming off the momentum of the pay per view I was hoping for one of those crazy, high-energy episodes. This didn’t come close.

Fun opener. I think someone already mentioned it recently, but Orange Cassidy is low-key one of the best wrestlers in the world right now. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather open a show with. Guaranteed good time. 

However, Orange’s time with that belt has sadly come to an end. Double J, International Champion. My body is ready. Let’s go!

My initial reaction is that Ricky Starks deserves far better than a feud with Juice Robinson, a disgustingly dull man, seemingly on a World tour of giving everyone their worst match in forever, but the Bullet Club stuff makes me wonder if this is leading to Jay White coming in, in which case I’ll allow it.

The House of Black managing to undermine that Trios Title segment was the most House of Black thing ever. They just can’t help themselves.

Everything was going so great! Top acts all vying for the belts, building up what will likely be an amazing match, with an awesome reaction in Winnipeg, Jericho feeling fresher than he has done in months, the novelty of The Elite and Inner Circle being in each other’s orbit, and then House of Black ruin it with spookiness. Either they magically knew ahead of time that these two teams would be arguing for the number one contendership in order to film that pre-tape, or they can magically teleport between backstage and in the arena instantaneously. It’s not 1993 anymore. Fuck off, you awful bunch of shit goths.

Moxley wrestling on the very first TV show after being murdered in a Texas Death match. Maniac. He’s never going on that vacation, is he?

The Bryan Danielson promo was incredible. He’s the greatest. I hope there’s no reality to him being that physically fucked up. Come back soon, Dragon! I’m still hoping we get the whole of Blackpool Combat Club becoming a bunch of horrible, violent heels. There’s huge potential in the inevitable Elite vs. BCC feud. Imagine the pop when Hangman brings out THE LADS.

Speaking of imagining the pop, I’ve concluded the only way this rubbish Outsiders vs. Homegrown women’s angle can be saved is if Jade Cargill eventually gets involved. She’d make an amazing mystery partner for Hayter and Baker. Absolute superstar aura. It’s time she actually mixes it up with proper storylines rather than existing as the female Cody Rhodes, in her own weird, little universe.

Fun main event. I love an Attitude Era  brawl around the arena and Powerhouse Hobbs looked the absolute business scrapping in jeans and Timberlands. That should be his gear full time. I’ll wait and see how the QT thing goes. It wouldn’t be my first choice for Hobbs, but it’s certainly better than when Hobbs was walking around with a literal book, like an absolute wally. Plus, it’ll be funny if they make it canon that the real reason Wardlow lost was because QT blinded him with his new, bright, neon Turkey Teeth! Roman Reigns approved!

Poor Wardlow though. Just when you think he’s building some new momentum, he’s back to square one, lying dead in the same water bed Chris Jericho fell in at Blood and Guts. Where do you go with him at this point? A real life Samson. Go grow your ponytail back because you’re not the same man with it!

 

[Infinity Land]

It's Stu! Turns out the best way to wrestle on Dynamite maybe to just leave the company.

 

[Supremo]

Love the idea of Hangman going through his phone looking for help, stopping at “Grayson.”

He’s eventually going to get to, “Omega,” and, “Jackson,” and I’m going to lose my fucking mind.

[Merzbow]

When he gets to "Ibushi" before that, the lad did say he wanted to team with Hangman after all.

[Supremo]

Has Ibushi ever wrestled a Blood & Guts / Wargames style match? I would have concerns.

[Lorne Malvo]

I'll preface this by saying I'm a big AEW fan, I rarely think they have a bad show and I think a lot of people can be overly harsh on what is still a relatively new company. But even so I think this was a duff Dyno.

I know they like to do their own thing and not take any pointers from WWE, but coming out of a show like Revolution you have to start the show with MJF, or Danielson, or even something like FTR or Wardlow. Just going into another All-Atlantic title defense like its business as usual makes it look like the PPV wasn't newsworthy.

Ricky Starks doing the 'where am I going?' was tiresome and him going from Chris Jericho to Juice Robinson, a man who has done nothing in AEW so far except underwhelm in the dullest TV matches of the last year, is crazy.

QT Marshall is one of my favourite guys in the company, he's the undisputed king of Dark/Elevation. But that is absolutely his level. Showing arse for younger lower-rung guys and getting the crowd warmed up for the main show. He shouldn't be intefering in Dyno main events and mixing it up with the likes of Hobbs/Wardlow.

Hangman vs Moxley was done at the PPV, it doesn't need to carry on. I would welcome a BCC heel turn but I'm not even sure if that's where they're going, it just seems like more muddy shades of grey shit where they're faces one week then heels the next. (On a very minor note, Danielson still coming out of the heel tunnel and Saraya/Ruby/Toni coming out of the face tunnel this week completely wrecks my head. Sort it out!)

It wasn't all bad. The Homegrown vs Outsiders thing finally seems to be clicking now Ruby has chose a side, and her promo was well done and moved things on logically. Jeff Jarrett is feuding with OC in a candidate for 'dream matches you didn't know you needed'. And The Elite are finally feuding with other people! That 3-way will be insane.

So yeah, a couple of bright spots on the show but coming out of Dyno and Revolution last week which I thought were both excellent, this just seemed like a damp squib of a show.

[Merzbow]

19 minutes ago, Supremo said:

Has Ibushi ever wrestled a Blood & Guts / Wargames style match? I would have concerns.

From what I've gathered he's not going to be doing as much batshit stuff from now on, he's heavily into a more grounded style now that he's getting on. Even if he still looks like he's in better shape that 99% of wrestlers.

[RedRooster]

9 hours ago, Louch said:

And as such it comes across every week that you just want to take shots and hide it in the guise of constructive criticism, than just being open and honest like Keith and co and just say you don’t like aew or who runs it and take open shots than veiled ones. Now you are just trying to twist your own words, talking about the network etc like that was at all what your originally meant by not existing in current guise.

This is pretty boring, but I'm going to address this by pointing you to what I said once again. I clearly said in my original post "I'm not saying it'll die". You have a tendency to infer meaning on other people's words that just isn't there, to fit whatever you're trying to say. It's not the first time you've misrepresented people, and I'm sure it won't be the last. I actually don't think it's intentional or malicious, so I'm not particularly annoyed at it. But if you're going to disagree with someone, try to disagree with what is actually being said, as opposed to what you want to have been said. 

1 hour ago, Supremo said:

He’s eventually going to get to, “Omega,” and, “Jackson,” and I’m going to lose my fucking mind.

See, I have REALLY mixed feeling about this. I think this is going to transition into the BCC vs The Elite, while Hangman goes on to feud with someone else - perhaps MJF. Ordinarily I'd be completely OK with this, but if Omega really is at risk of leaving the company, I'd like to see him cram in as many big singles feuds as possible during that time. I'm particularly keen to see him face MJF; they've interacted so little that the thought of them standing across the ring from one another feels a little surreal. I'd also like to see him face Jeff Jarrett and Sting at some point, for similar reasons. 

[Nick James]

[Devon Malcolm]

RedRooster vs Louch is the pat vs Mike Castle of our times.

[RedRooster]

4 minutes ago, Nick James said:

Ha, fair enough. A combination of norovirus and Covid has had me feeling particularly irritable these past few days! I'd not been planning to say anything more about this, but I'll wrap up with this - I really do appreciate @Louch's enthusiasm for AEW, and it frequently adds to my enjoyment of a show rather than detracts from it. The forum is a better place for having him on it. 

[poetofthedeed]

8 hours ago, Supremo said:

Speaking of imagining the pop, I’ve concluded the only way this rubbish Outsiders vs. Homegrown women’s angle can be saved is if Jade Cargill eventually gets involved. She’d make an amazing mystery partner for Hayter and Baker. Absolute superstar aura. It’s time she actually mixes it up with proper storylines rather than existing as the female Cody Rhodes, in her own weird, little universe

I have it in my head that if this goes to blood and guts they're going to basically rip off the czw Vs roh cage of death with Britt as Danielson and Jade as Homicide.