AEW Rampage Thread 2023

[RedRooster]

39 minutes ago, Merzbow said:

He was given a match with Akiyama not long after, pretty much his personal goal in wrestling. So it's sending mixed messages if so.

I'm not sure it does. Perhaps the match was arranged before the Guevara incident, but even if it wasn't, while it might have been a personal goal of his, it didn't receive prominent promotion on Dynamite, and neither has he. Given his fall from being a Dynamite regular, to being part of a bizarrely structured feud with HOB (and the timing of it) you'd have to assume what happened had something to do with the incident in question. I'd love to see him get back to where he once was, but nothing feels imminent. 

[Arch Stanton]

The main appeal of Kingston is that he feels real. There's an authenticity about his act which almost nobody else in mainstream wrestling can match. That's what makes him relatable. Which makes it all the more stupid to book him in an angle like this, it kills his USP and makes him look like an idiot. Although anybody selling for spooky boy shenanigans in modern times comes out of it looking like a fucking idiot. Nobody relates to that behaviour.

[LaGoosh]

What makes it frustrating on both sides is that the House of Black doesn't really need to be anymore than cool looking tough goths who murder people. It's a great gimmick. The second you start with that Bray Wyatt speak in riddles promo the people lose interest. 

[Merzbow]

Having so many themes for the group is a little annoying, just have that awesome Amenra track that Black started with.

[TobyK]

I have always thought Julia Hart is a very weak link in the group. With Black and Brody, you can buy into it..they both have a non-wrestling background with interest in culty/alternative niches. No idea about Matthews, but Julia feels like a prop that generically ticking boxes, but not all that authentic

[Statto]

22 minutes ago, TobyK said:

I  With Black and Brody, you can buy into it..they both have a non-wrestling background with interest in culty/alternative niches. No idea about Matthews

Nah, he's in the group because he's Black's mate in real life. King did an interview a while back where he said Matthews really didn't "get it" when it came to the aesthetic they are aiming for - he was suggesting stuff but it didn't really fit, in King/Black's opinion.

I love Buddy and I'm glad he's in AEW, but the only time he's ever felt like he's even vaguely fit with the group has been the couple of occasions where they all did the black & white facepaint. He particularly sticks out like a sore thumb in the shadowy pretape promos, IMO.

[Nick James]

I could see Buddy returning to WWE when his contract ends, especially with him being with Rhea now. It would be no great loss to AEW, although Buddy can be brilliant when he turns it on, but they already have one Kenny Omega, they don't need another.

[Infinity Land]

I really only remember Buddy from the Grand Slam tag. He's always felt like a spare part because he's not doing anything as a singles, and tag wise it looks like Brody & Malakai are preferred.

Julia eventually at least changed her look to fit in. Seemed like months of her working matches in a top that had 'Julia' written in blue sparkly lettering. Still green as grass as she's lucky to get a 2 minute squash match here and there.

[Guest]

I see Buddy mentioned as Omega lite, to me he’s more of a Brian Myers, solid low mid card hand to have matches, but see nothing that you’d want to invest in in him 

[Merzbow]

5 minutes ago, Louch said:

I see Buddy mentioned as Omega lite, to me he’s more of a Brian Myers, solid low mid card hand to have matches, but see nothing that you’d want to invest in in him 

He's Myers using Omega's moves.

[The King Of Swing]

3 hours ago, Louch said:

he’s more of a Brian Myers, solid low mid card hand to have matches, but see nothing that you’d want to invest in in him 

Harsh. 

Myers has at least shown some personality. 

[Chunk]

The street fight last week was everything I dislike about pro wrestling. Four people awkwardly moving from set piece to set piece, little to no realism, dangerous spots that aren't even the finish of the match, terrible selling and goofy facial expressions ...

And all on a B show for a feud that has basically no heat or history behind it.

Utter shit.

[BrodyGraham]

3 hours ago, Chunk said:

The street fight last week was everything I dislike about pro wrestling. Four people awkwardly moving from set piece to set piece, little to no realism, dangerous spots that aren't even the finish of the match, terrible selling and goofy facial expressions ...

And all on a B show for a feud that has basically no heat or history behind it.

Utter shit.

There's plenty of history behind it. Soho was out for about 4 months directly because of Tay Conti after being dragged into the Kingston/Jericho feud. She'd been involved with Conti for what seemed like forever in tags with Ortiz Vs Conti and Sammy and was out for weeks in kayfabe before that after getting car doored by Conti/ The JAS. That 'injury' being one of the contributing factors for the god awful Barbed Wire Everywhere match between Kingston and Jericho.

I'm not saying it was a hot feud, with 3 of the 4 participants being proper eye roll material for me, or indeed a good match, but the history of the match kind of dictated a big blow off and I'd rather it be on the B show than stinking up Dynamite. 

Conti and Jay also had a consensus good match with The Bunny and Ford under the same stip, so it makes some sense that that's the blow off they'd book. 

I've not seen the match, it seems like a waste of a perfectly good Willow Nightingale, but how they got there makes more sense than not blowing off the feud.

[TobyK]

I gotta say that when Tay first came into AEW she looked the part and could move about in the ring excellently, using her martial arts background well, which was refreshing.
I think it was one of her title shots, which kinda felt outta nowhere, when she kept pulling these really crap & forced nervous facial expressions. She completely underperformed. I’m thinking it wasn’t long before she got with Sammy (I’m a Sammy fan btw, Inner Circle/arena stampede circa fan, anyway). Since then it feels she’s lost track a bit.
Ana Jay has always been awkward and not very entertaining. Ruby Soho feels desperate and by the looks of it she should stay clear of wrestling all together. I like Willow, I think she has a pretty cool niche and from what I have seen, she is a fluid performer. 

[Loki]

Tay Conti has absolutely gone backwards, for all her bitching about NXT and the Performance Centre they had honed her into an interesting act.  She looks much less confident now.

With all the female talent out there, it might be time for a bit of a spring clean in AEW.  Ruby, Conti, that lady who come out with Britt but never wrestles, the Bunny,  There's a lot of pretty poor performers getting time on tv.  Willow I agree looks sound, and despite myself I think Toni Storm has been a good addition.