Paid Members BomberPat Posted August 29, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted August 29, 2023 I had a similar experience of London on my first visit - didn't understand Oyster cards yet, so wanted to buy a weekend ticket, and having no clue what Zones I was travelling in or anything like that, always getting lost, getting on buses and trains going the wrong way, or just being overwhelmed by public transport in general, with a sense of being rushed around with no control over where I was being shunted, and always trying to fit too much in to a short stay. It was a revelation the first time I went there for a few days with only one thing really planned - realising that so much of central London is walkable, that what might be two or three stops on the Tube is actually only a fifteen minute walk, and just being able to approach it at my own pace, figuring out which bits I like, and what I don't need to worry about, it all completely changed how I felt about the place. I've been living here two and a half years now, and honestly struggle to see myself living anywhere else. I was really lucky with the seats we got - back row, section 143 - because it meant aside from the press there was nobody behind us, so standing up never blocked anyone else's view, I didn't have to clamber over people to get in and out, and there was a pleasing amount of familiar faces in my section. Nobody around us was obnoxiously drunk - a guy a couple of seats over looked like he could pass out any minute, but he wasn't causing any trouble - and the only annoyance was a guy who tried to start a "You Fucked Up" chant at the slightest provocation; stuff like the ladder buckling under Pentagon, and one point in the coffin match where they didn't manage to get the coffin through the ropes. I think enough people shouted something back at him by the third or fourth time that he gave up on it after that. The whole vibe was great - no obvious dickheads at any point during the day, only a couple of short conversations with fans on the train that I'd rather not be talking to, and I was in high enough spirits after the fact to not be annoyed by the replica belt wankers and catchphrase-shouters all the way out of the stadium, and I was bumping into people I knew every time I got up to go anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted August 29, 2023 Awards Moderator Share Posted August 29, 2023 1 hour ago, TildeGuy~! said: In regards to merch people were wearing there were tons of AEW brand shirts but the Acclaimed foam fingers were all over the place. A surprising number of kids wearing "Scissor Me" t-shirts in our section. Not surprising because The Acclaimed are so popular; more the fact parents are totally cool having their pre-teen daughters wear t-shirts that say "Scissor Me"... 1 hour ago, Supremo said: the amount of knowledgable chatter and big reactions for characters like Sue Another wife anecdote incoming... she was laughing to herself for ages last night after we got home because "I just remembered Sue arriving in her van". Sue is OVER in our household. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TobyK Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Yeah in our section (115) majority were fine, but there were some who were clearly just there and shouting crap most of the time. One lad was doing football scores on his phone and announcing them to everyone, which was also annoying. Think might enjoy it more next time where we know what to expect better and pay £50ish for seats closer or at least a clearer view. I do kinda want to go back and do it again now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Supremo Posted August 29, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted August 29, 2023 11 minutes ago, HarmonicGenerator said: Another wife anecdote incoming... she was laughing to herself for ages last night after we got home because "I just remembered Sue arriving in her van". Sue is OVER in our household. A mate I went with only started watching AEW a few weeks ago, just so he had an idea of what’s going on. The biggest thing he mentioned was the Parking Lot Brawl, how amazing it was and how dastardly it was to smash up someone’s mum’s van. To him, when Sue came out on this show, it was like Stone Cold coming out to help Mankind win the WWE Title. 81,000. Thanks for the house, Sue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Gus Mears Posted August 29, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted August 29, 2023 (edited) We were in the Uecker seats without anyone behind. Lot of families about and two lads next to us were quiet throughout and evidently had iron bladders, managing to get through from 4PM to 10 without moving once. Edited August 29, 2023 by Gus Mears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Houchen Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 I wonder if some of the bellends had comps? I was at the baseball the other month and there were a couple of lads sat nearby who had clearly never watched baseball before. As the game progressed, and they drank more, one of them was shouting stuff like “Yay, go baseball” and “We love you baseball, we do” quite often. Eventually they fucked off though, it was probably too exciting for them if they’re used to watching West Ham play every week AMIRITE LADS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Interesting to hear the muted reaction in the arena for Saraya - I thought it came across well on tv. I really liked the match/storyline if I'm completely honest! Perhaps it was lost on the arena monitors but the whole breakdown in communication between her and Storm was well done and her Mum took a nasty bump and made the heat feel legit. Even if she's only face for a night, giving a female British star (especially one whose career seemed done by her mid-20s) a big moment was a nice touch. It should have been Hayter, but I enjoyed the moment. Next year Saraya v Hayter please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JLM Posted August 29, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted August 29, 2023 We had a really friendly couple sat next to us. After the first match on the pre show they introduced themselves and shook our hands, and they were nothing but pleasant and the right amount of enthusiastic throughout. Feel quite lucky after some of the accounts I’m reading about dickheads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Jazzy G Posted August 29, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted August 29, 2023 I thought she got booed on her way to the ring. Biggest response was for Britt Baker. For some reason Toni Storm lamping her mum in the face by accident and then apologising for it was supposed to turn her babyface? Made no sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theringmaster Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 4 minutes ago, jazzygeofferz said: I thought she got booed on her way to the ring. Biggest response was for Britt Baker. For some reason Toni Storm lamping her mum in the face by accident and then apologising for it was supposed to turn her babyface? Made no sense. Baker was definitely the most over in my area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Jazzy G Posted August 29, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted August 29, 2023 Everybody joined in with the "D. M. D" bit. Mind you a lot joined in with CM Punk's "It's Clobberin' Time" as well, but that didn't stop them booing him out if the building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted August 29, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted August 29, 2023 It felt like Punk got a genuinely mixed reaction at first, though the boos being slightly louder. As the match went on it seemed as much that people remembered how much they love Joe as that they turned on Punk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted August 29, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted August 29, 2023 30 minutes ago, BomberPat said: It felt like Punk got a genuinely mixed reaction at first, though the boos being slightly louder. As the match went on it seemed as much that people remembered how much they love Joe as that they turned on Punk! There are few things in wrestling as wonderful to watch as Joe beating someone up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Supremo Posted August 29, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted August 29, 2023 (edited) Loads of people in our section didn’t even know it was Saraya’s mum. People had to explain what was happening, as they just thought she was a fan who got a bit too involved. It’s why everything involving Saraya was probably the low point of the show. On every level beyond SHE’S ENGLISH, it was just a weird, messy direction to go in. On a basic kayfabe level, if all you know is what they present on TV, Saraya has been a horrible bully for the longest time. The last thing you’d want is to see her celebrating her victory like it’s a big, heroic comeback story. And then on the meta, performance-based level, which AEW often exists in, she’s proven herself to be a one of the worst signings in AEW history. A complete wash out, filled with rubbish storylines and bad performances. And then on a personal level, she’s proven herself to be a bit of an idiot, who’s always dropping clangers and keeping terrible company. Didn’t her weird, creepy family get outed during Speaking Out? As if she didn’t have enough baggage already, she literally came out carrying it! I dunno. Maybe I’m the problem, because it clearly got over in the building. Perhaps I’m over-thinking it and home town pop really does conquer all. Ultimately though, now what? Are there any specific dream matches people want to see, where Saraya defends the belt? Fuck no. They should go full Zack Ryder and have Toni Storm win back the belt on this week’s Dynamite. Don’t even wait for the pay per view at the weekend. Whilst I’m touching on the negatives, the only other thing to mention is those bloody pillars around the ring. I guess it just comes with the territory when you attend a stadium show, but I imagine it would have pissed a lot of people off. The only reason I think more complaints haven’t been made is because the show itself was so great. We were in the lower bowl, slightly to the right, so had one pillar blocking one corner of the ring. It was jarring at first, and we actually discussed whether it was worth asking to be moved, but we concluded a lot of people will have had it a lot worse, and the big screens more than made up for it. It’s definitely something I’ll be considering when buying tickets next year though. I’ll be avoiding anything nearing the corners at all costs. How pillar’d did everyone else end up being? Edited August 29, 2023 by Supremo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organizedkaos Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 I did genuinely enjoy Toni Storm's whole schtick around the Saraya interactions. The way it started with a fairly genuine mistake (and obviously wrestlers cannot tell the difference between mistakes and intentional actions) her reactions to that and then the escalation with her continuing frustration at everything that was happening (even decisions she was making, like hitting Ruby) actually made the whole "tag team has issues because the match needs them to" genuinely feel like good character work. Saraya did play a small part in making that whole thing work (although it was mostly coming from Toni Storm's new ability to convey a character) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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