The Gaffer Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 I can't help but think of how easy it is to adapt your cadence to minimise those chants, most of the time they happen. Not all the time, but it should really be something that's on the performer to adapt to. It's no coincidence that they're always at their most prevalent in WWE when people trained in-house to do those line-for-line dramatic pause promos stick to the script. You'll generally have a trickier time drawing a mental image of someone like Punk or Jericho getting hit with them over the years. Two guys famous for being handed scripts and tossing them in the bin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedTwoster Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 1 hour ago, BomberPat said: Completely disagree with this, I thought it was an appalling promo and got the "What?" treatments precisely because it was a bad promo. She repeatedly left long pauses for a reaction that wasn't there, and that's all but inviting those chants. It makes the whole promo seem mechanical, and like she's just remembering a script rather than speaking her mind. That’s fair - I’ll need to watch it again to reassess. I enjoyed it, and I enjoy Mariah May - and obviously, in the moment, that’s probably all that matters. But maybe I’ll feel differently on a rewatch. I’m into the feud, so I may well have judged it less harshly because of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted July 21 Paid Members Share Posted July 21 On 7/18/2024 at 5:07 PM, RedTwoster said: I really wish he was the one facing Strickland at All In, that feud deserved to have a match take place in a setting as grand as Wembley. I can definitely appreciate this viewpoint and somewhat share it myself but I think Danielson in the main event is the right choice for 2 reasons: 1) Danielson's last full year and one of the greatest of all time absolutely deserves a big stadium show main event before he steps back. 2) Hangman has only just come back and the second chapter of this feud has only just begun, there's no need to rush it and it's hopefully going to be a long ongoing story. Plenty of time for the big main event matches ahead. On 7/18/2024 at 5:07 PM, RedTwoster said: but I would love to see Storm/May close All In. Maybe I’m in a minority in feeling this way, but I think this is the right match to close the show with, in the absence of a Swerve/Hangman match. It's a great feud but it's not on that level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinity Land Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 49 minutes ago, LaGoosh said: It's a great feud but it's not on that level. This week highlighted one of the reasons it would fail as a main event. Especially for Wembley. Not for the first time Mariah May comes out in Toni Storm cosplay, and its so convincing, the crowd initially think it is Toni. Mariah May doesn't have an identity of her own yet. Hometown hero or not, her winning would be easily superseded by Jamie Hayter's music hitting. Danielson v. Swerve might not be everyone's ideal main, but there's a story to tell. Two Washington state boys that dared to dream. Danielson 1-0 and his last chance on this stage. Danielson will rope in the casuals. If it ends in 'Yes' chants and Final Countdown people will go home happy. Swerve should be fine win or lose as he's got Hangman up next. Which would be a rarity for a defeated champion to have a meaningful follow-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedTwoster Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 1 hour ago, LaGoosh said: It's a great feud but it's not on that level. That’s fair - I really liked them having a ‘story’ end last year’s show, it led to a powerful, emotional match - the kind you can only really have through great storytelling. As it stands, Storm/May is the only match on this card that could feasible achieve that, and could realistically close the show. That’s also why I wanted Swerve/Hangman as ‘the match’. Although I take your points, I’d say that MJF/Cole really showed the danger of not striking while the iron is hot; through delaying Swerve/Hangman, that could happen again. If Swerve was still a heel, I’d definitely be up for a match with Danielson, but as it stands, I don’t feel massively invested in it. It’s partly because I don’t want Bryan to win, as it takes away the next logical elevation of Hangman/Swerve. Demented Hangman beating Swerve, then defending against Danielson could have been magical. But hey, maybe they’ll win me over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulf ist Gut Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 The Mariah promo might have worked better as a pre-recorded bit where they could have played on the cinematic-type skits Toni's done with Mariah still cosplaying current Toni and delivered the same thing with without the awkward crowd interaction. I get why they wanted the bit where she came out dressed as Toni to fool the crowd but, as Pat said, she didn't really say anything to warrent the audience reacting after the entrance. Having her just lean on the ropes and talk to the hardcam, basically ignoring most of the crowd, can't have helped matters. The other little thing I liked was Hangman seeming to disappear down the side of the ramp after the first pull apart before Darby arrived as Swerve wasn't out there anymore (I'm pretty sure that happened - I couldn't see him after that and Team AEW seemed to have the numbers advantage). Otherwise felt like a bit of a letdown for a 250th special show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Hannibal Scorch Posted July 21 Paid Members Share Posted July 21 3 hours ago, Infinity Land said: This week highlighted one of the reasons it would fail as a main event. Especially for Wembley. Not for the first time Mariah May comes out in Toni Storm cosplay, and its so convincing, the crowd initially think it is Toni. Mariah May doesn't have an identity of her own yet. They’re on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedTwoster Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 21 hours ago, BomberPat said: Completely disagree with this, I thought it was an appalling promo and got the "What?" treatments precisely because it was a bad promo. She repeatedly left long pauses for a reaction that wasn't there, and that's all but inviting those chants. It makes the whole promo seem mechanical, and like she's just remembering a script rather than speaking her mind. Having rewatched it, I still feel the same way as I did before. I took her cadence and style as a deliberate imitation of Storm, given how she was dressed, and with that in mind I thought it worked. I can absolutely see why you didn’t though, but I suspect we’ll see May’s promo style evolve as her new character becomes clear. If she can inject the personality she showed on Hey EW into a character, she’ll be a massive babyface one day, but I’ve seen enough to feel positively about her chances as a top heel. I think the sky’s the limit for Mariah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Supremo Posted July 22 Paid Members Share Posted July 22 (edited) Quick aside; I’m obviously an idiot, because it was only the other day that I connected the dots and realised that after spending months saying, “watch out for the shoe,” Toni Storm ended up getting murdered by said shoe. Love clever touches like that. But yeah, in retrospect, I think Mariah May’s promo proved in real-time how unnecessary it was. The previous week’s angle was so wild, and the storyline as a whole has been so fucking great, that it didn’t need a, “DASTARDLY HEEL EXPLAINS THEIR ACTIONS,” follow-up. It ended up taking away from it, rather than adding. The whole thing felt really outdated and out of place. Both companies - but AEW in particular - have become so much better at the, “show don’t tell,” stuff. The audience is encouraged to infer things, connect dots and contemplate character motivations. It’s like those writing the show itself haven’t caught up with the idea that simultaneously we should also be seeing less and less monologues where you’re drowned in recaps and exposition. Plus, given Mariah’s character, I’m not convinced a long…drawn out…soliloquy…with massive gaps…for reactions…was required anyway. She’s supposed to be a crazed, obsessed, jealous fan, trying to murder and replace her idol. That clip they released online in the immediate aftermath of the angle, where Mariah just stared blankly and silently into the camera, covered in Toni’s blood? That said more and was a thousand times more effective. Way better than doing the tired old trope, justifying your actions in the exact same cadence and rhythm as every other fucker who’s ever turned heel. The only thing missing was her saying, “you fans don’t deserve an explanation!” Considering the theme, they should have aired a, “silent movie,” of what happened the week prior. Black and white footage of Toni getting decapitated. Anything they wanted Mariah’s character to say could have been interspersed with Inter-tiles between the clips of violence. Or, failing that, they should have just stolen this off Twitter. Fucking brilliant. Edited July 22 by Supremo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted July 23 Paid Members Share Posted July 23 the follow-up should be more on Toni than on Mariah anyway; "recently turned heel explains their actions" promos are almost always dismal "you people" stuff anyway. Let her actions speak for themselves. I don't want to see Mariah explaining how she waited for the moment and then took Toni out to take her place, because we saw that. I want to see the effect it's had on Toni. One of the things that made that angle was that Toni wasn't just selling the beating, she was selling how completely emotionally destroyed she was by it in a way that reminded me of Terry Funk as a heel, how he'd do this horrible animalistic crying when he got hurt. It was visceral and as believable and real as a character defined by its artificiality can get, just light-years away from the usual staring at your hands over-acting. I want to see how Toni is now. But I want to see it in unhinged on-location video packages. We've done All About Eve, now do Greta Garbo, and do Sunset Boulevard, or Whatever Happened To Baby Jane. Show me Toni Storm locked away in her hotel suite, refusing to face the world. Show me "I want to be alone" Toni Storm in scarf and dark glasses. Give me RJ City as the reporter from Citizen Kane having to interview people close to her to find out where she's been since the heel turn. Give me Toni making Luther dress a mannequin up with a blonde wig, and talking to it as if it's Mariah May. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted July 23 Paid Members Share Posted July 23 20 minutes ago, BomberPat said: the follow-up should be more on Toni than on Mariah anyway; "recently turned heel explains their actions" promos are almost always dismal "you people" stuff anyway. Let her actions speak for themselves. Especially in this case when it's entirely obvious why Mariah turned on her. No explanation is needed at this point. They can get to that if they want but it should be in a face to face interaction with Toni, not an in-ring soliloquy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted July 23 Paid Members Share Posted July 23 it's especially mad given who they're not giving in-ring mic time to! They've had Mark Briscoe doing amazing promos for weeks, but never give him a live mic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organizedkaos Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 19 hours ago, Supremo said: Quick aside; I’m obviously an idiot, because it was only the other day that I connected the dots and realised that after spending months saying, “watch out for the shoe,” Toni Storm ended up getting murdered by said shoe. Love clever touches like that. Pretty sure during the attack Mariah May also literally did a heel (in) face turn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Lorne Malvo Posted July 23 Paid Members Share Posted July 23 'Road To...' is back! Airing on their Youtube channel tonight. It's probably a one-off for Blood And Guts but I loved their 'Road to' series back in the day, it made every Dynamite feel special. One of the things I'll always associate with peak AEW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Chris B Posted July 23 Paid Members Share Posted July 23 Quick prediction - I suspect we're going to get Hangman/Darby as a feud coming out of Blood and Guts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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