Tim Healys Chutney Spoon Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 Seems Storm/Soho are much better without Saraya around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted June 18, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted June 18, 2023 Maybe I watched a different episode from you lot because I thought that was a very bad show. Punk coming out at the start looking like the world's oldest, illest pro wrestler then proceeding to cut a depressingly dull and predictable "edgy" promo. And genuinely embarrassing hearing him brag about selling out arenas when his return that night failed to sell out the arena...and ticket sales for his show Collision are in the toilet. Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness are just unbelievably boring to listen to. JR joining later and sounding like he was literally about to fucking DIE on live TV. The first match in Collision history and it's Luchasaurus and Wardlow stinking it up. And Luchasaurus, a man who can still barely wrestle a singles match, as a singles Champion is as ludicrous as cutting Wardlow's title reign short again. Mind boggling. I couldn't remotely care about Murphy/Andrade, was waiting for it to finish and the inevitable House of Black attack ending which lo and behold... Womens match was fine, same as the million other throwaway womens matches on Dynamite. Complete nothing of an Acclaimed segment. Miro squash was perfectly fine but couldn't they think of literally anything else to do with him on his return to build excitement or a spark of interest or a new direction? A hype video for Scorpio Sky, the man who had one of the lamest singles runs in AEW so far? Oh fucking great. Just put him back with Ethan Page already. Main event in-ring wise was perfectly fine (and forgettable) but did nothing to generate any interest in an FTR/Bullet Club or Joe/Punk feud so what was the point? And no big angle or stories to hook us in for the next episode either... Amazing crowd though. Shame the show didn't deserve the crowd reaction it got. The highlight for me was Jeff Jarrett's bit. Ain't he great? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gaffer Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 I thought Punk's promo was great. For all the preemptive worry and irritability over him doing worked shoot bollocks, he basically just played the wrestling character CM Punk. A guy based on Phil Brooks turned up to eleven. Sniped at the past, hinted at the future and made himself out to be the biggest deal going. That's the idea, isn't it? Even if it's not always true. Not sure what else you could expect from that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
69MeDon Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 It is really weird that, given they need this Saturday show to be a success to help them in TV re-negotiations, not to mention justifying whatever they're paying Punk, they'd not put on a better show when the audience is likely to be the highest it'll ever be for this show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The King Of Swing Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 Thought the show was fine but it definitely lacked a big moment to take things forward. Also Punk hyping up his red bag only for him not to bother bringing it out for the main event was an odd decision. Kevin Kelly needs someone like Don to bounce off of on commentary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Lion_of_the_Midlands Posted June 18, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted June 18, 2023 Starting a new show a week before a PPV is tricky. You can't just come on and give away 4-5 PPV matches when you want people to pay next week. As others have said, it did lack a big moment or angle to keep you tuning in next week if you were just a casual viewer, if such a thing exists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The King Of Swing Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 Even as a non-casual I would have hoped for something to hype me up for next week. This surely has to be it for Wardlow as a babyface. He's been kneecapped way too much to be taken seriously. I used to be really opposed to the idea but now I would be totally on board with MJF reforming The Pinnacle. Especially if Punk is going to go down the real AEW champion route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinity Land Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 9 minutes ago, 69MeDon said: It is really weird that, given they need this Saturday show to be a success to help them in TV re-negotiations, not to mention justifying whatever they're paying Punk, they'd not put on a better show when the audience is likely to be the highest it'll ever be for this show. On that front I'm not sure it will be. It's already into the summer lull ratings wise and being the 3rd weekly show to debut from AEW will have diminshing returns in terms of pulling in casuals for that 1st look bump. It's not going to be like Dynamite's debut number that's barely been at risk. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRooster Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 2 minutes ago, The King Of Swing said: Even as a non-casual I would have hoped for something to hype me up for next week. This surely has to be it for Wardlow as a babyface. He's been kneecapped way too much to be taken seriously. I used to be really opposed to the idea but now I would be totally on board with MJF reforming The Pinnacle. Especially if Punk is going to go down the real AEW champion route. Or stick FTR and Wardlow with Punk rather than MJF, and make that the heel group. At this point, MJF I might actually be best-placed being the company’s top babyface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Hannibal Scorch Posted June 18, 2023 Author Paid Members Share Posted June 18, 2023 @FelatioLips I completely agree with you about Buddy/Andrade. However as I watched this live there was no skipping and it is legitimately one of my favourite TV matches this year. They really had a stonker, especially after the TNT match before it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 35 minutes ago, Gay as FOOK said: I thought Punk's promo was great. For all the preemptive worry and irritability over him doing worked shoot bollocks, he basically just played the wrestling character CM Punk. A guy based on Phil Brooks turned up to eleven. Sniped at the past, hinted at the future and made himself out to be the biggest deal going. That's the idea, isn't it? Even if it's not always true. Not sure what else you could expect from that. I didn’t expect anything else, but I hoped for something else. How you can say that wasn’t a “worked shoot bollocks” promo?  That’s exactly what it was, that’s his only promo nowadays, and we all know that these things only serve himself.  How many wrestlers did he help elevate in his last run?  None, but he ran down a fair few. It was a promo that only works if he’s a heel and will show his arse and do the job for the faces.  But that isn’t the case as we know.  Awful, dated, negative bullshit promo that will kickstart another period of miserable inward looking AEW until Punk’s inevitable self destruction. AEW before and after Punk’s last run has a joy to it, a feeling that everyone in the company is pulling together to deliver the best pro wrestling show they can.  In his first segment back, Punk shows he’s going to mess that up again. As Graham Norton said to Kevin Pietersen, “It strikes me team sport is not for you” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slapnut Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 (edited) 5 hours ago, Jonny Vegas said: He is almost a total parody of himself where for someone who down to his own moniker is supposedly "punk" is nothing but a grumpy old moany bastard who throws out the threats of law suits or tries to cost the jobs of anyone who he doesn't like. Is there any evidence of this actually happening? Isn’t it fairly accepted that this didn’t happen with Colt Cabana based on everything we’ve since heard? Anyway, I thought his promo was fine but I’m not as offended by “shooty bollocks” as some on here. I thought he looked like utter shit in the match itself though. Not necessarily his in-ring work, but everything else. The shaved head, the long trunks and the unimpressive physique, it’s all a far cry from the days of the MJF/Eddie Kingston feuds where he looked like a star. The Bucks have updated their Twitter bio following the counterfeit bucks comment. I know I’m setting myself up for disappointment but I’ve still got a glimmer of hope they can all work together at some point. Edited June 18, 2023 by Slapnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUM Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 Not really sure what people expect from CM Punk. His entire popularity was based around the worked shoot stuff. One of his catchphrase for years was calling the mic a “pipe bomb” because you were to expect a shoot so to speak. It’s literally his wrestling character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gaffer Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 (edited) 34 minutes ago, Loki said: How you can say that wasn’t a “worked shoot bollocks” promo? Because it wasn't. At least in that negative implication vein most people were expecting. It was 90% "I'm the fucking best, and if you think you're better then step up to the plate and prove it" which is about as bread and butter wrestling as you can get. The only difference is the guy that was doing it elicits really strong reactions and emotions from people, to the point where even when most of what he's saying is typical promo fare it'll get interpreted as "Jeez, check out the big head on him." I mean if you consider worked shoot to be "He's working you based on his real feelings" then sure, I guess it was a worked shoot. But I'd argue almost every top star ever has done that. To me worked shoot bollocks would have been him coming out going "And as for you, Stephen Blake Woltz, you wouldn't have been able to keep up with the script back when I was running Ring of Honor, and you know it!" The other 10% was about as quick and safe a way to address the elephant in the room that you could about get away with, without disappointing the people who were hoping for a bit of that. Wrestling storylines are built on animosity. I really don't think any of us should be getting bothered if he's perceived to be putting people down. Promos are putting people down. Now whether he shows a bit of arse to actually get his comeuppance in the ring's another story but I'm willing to see it play out. Ditto on how it will affect the rest of the product. I do agree AEW wasn't quite as good when he was on his last run there but I also wouldn't blame it squarely on him. It also really wasn't that bad. He had some killer high profile feuds and was routinely having long, competitive TV matches with comparable nobodies.  Edited June 18, 2023 by Gay as FOOK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted June 18, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted June 18, 2023 19 minutes ago, Gay as FOOK said: Not sure what else you could expect from that. Something interesting or new, perhaps? 9 minutes ago, Slapnut said: I’m not as offended by “shooty bollocks” as some on here No one's offended, we're just really bored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.