Pro Wrestling Contract Season

[LaGoosh]

45 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Draganov reminds me of Rush but if he didn’t appear to be an unstable lunatic or someone supports domestic abusers

Being an unstable lunatic is what makes Rush so compelling to watch. Where is he these days anyway? Had a decent push then disappeared off telly. He's another guy I'd like to see consistently on TV before hiring anyone else.

[HarmonicGenerator]

9 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

Being an unstable lunatic is what makes Rush so compelling to watch. Where is he these days anyway? Had a decent push then disappeared off telly. He's another guy I'd like to see consistently on TV before hiring anyone else.

That’s Rush in AEW in a nutshell. Decent push, disappears for a few months, repeat. He’ll be back for another in the autumn.

Dragunov strikes me as someone who nobody ever told wrestling wasn’t real. You don’t have to actually hit them all the time, Ilja!

[TheBurningRed]

I think Dragunov would suit a bit of time in New Japan. They need new names. Could see him do well in a G1. As much as I’d like to see him in AEW, do they need him?

[AshC]

I think he'd be brilliant in New Japan, an ideal signing if they could get him.

[westlondonmist]

4 hours ago, mim731 said:

It's probably a whole new thread entirely, but this being another release/contract expiry and with the number of releases this year, plus the bloated nature of both WWE and AEW's rosters, I do wonder if maybe there is room for a third big promotion?

I'm not factoring in TNA, because their relationship with WWE makes it feel like that would be the same as including ROH in it's current incarnation. There's a lot of talent either languishing, in catering or being underused/not used at all. I don't know if there's necessarily the fan appetite for another promotion (probably not), but it definitely feels like there's a glut of talent at a high level and not enough spots for them. 

With the amount of hours of TV WWE and AEW put together, what room really is there for a third promotion? Raw on a Monday, NXT on a Tuesday, Dynamite on Wednesday, Smackdown on Friday and Collision on Saturdays. Then you have the specials. 

[RedTwoster]

Johnny Gargano has removed all WWE references from his social media profiles, and there's a bit of speculation now that his contract has expired. I'm not against a DIY reunion to bolster the tag division in AEW - there are so many exciting matches they could have. Ciampa has been great as a singles wrestler, but he has a ceiling. In the tag division, they could easily become one of the top teams, with multiple dream matches at their disposal. 

What I don't want to see is Gargano as a singles wrestler or - God forbid - Gargano in The Conglomeration. 

[tiger_rick]

Fuck me, about the only person who could turn up and make me wish Strong and O'Reilly were on TV instead.

[RedTwoster]

33 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

Fuck me, about the only person who could turn up and make me wish Strong and O'Reilly were on TV instead.

I think his arrival is probably inevitable given that he’ll likely have Bryan Danielson pushing to bring him in, so I’m going to try look at it positively. A DIY reunion could be a good thing. A Gargano singles run could be…something that they do. 

[TheScarlettChad]

They'll absolutely make them feud for a year which will feel like ten. 

[DavidB6937]

Seen a few posts saying he never had WWE in his bio? So who knows.

[RedTwoster]

25 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

Seen a few posts saying he never had WWE in his bio? So who knows.

Either way, I’m kind of surprised they’ve stuck with him for as long as they have. As far as releases go, the guy with the depressed/planking gimmick who, at best, gets a 30-second cameo on any given Smackdown seems like an obvious choice. 

[DavidB6937]

3 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

Either way, I’m kind of surprised they’ve stuck with him for as long as they have. As far as releases go, the guy with the depressed/planking gimmick who, at best, gets a 30-second cameo on any given Smackdown seems like an obvious choice. 

It's definitely an odd one. When I got a photo with him planking at Mania I thought it was kinda cool.. but definitely didn't think he'd still be doing it now!

[Supremo]

This was already some of the saddest, cringiest behaviour of all time. It’ll be even more tragic if they get sacked.

I have less than zero interest in Gargano in AEW. He completely missed his window.

The only positive will be whether he reveals what the endgame was supposed to be for all the planking. Did they even have a plan? Or was this just a way to ride out the contract? Hunter saving his bumps as a thank you for all the bum licking?

[d-d-d-dAz]

I saw something on Instagram (so likely horse shit) saying Gargano, Damian Priest, Carmelo Hayes and Bayley were all for the chop.

Hayes going would be a real damning indictment of their current booking, given they made a fuss of him being Smackdown's #1 pick.

[DavidB6937]

6 minutes ago, Supremo said:

The only positive will be whether he reveals what the endgame was supposed to be for all the planking. Did they even have a plan? Or was this just a way to ride out the contract? Hunter saving his bumps as a thank you for all the bum licking?

See, you just haven't picked up on the subtle creative that Hunter has been doing.

Planking.

PLAN. KING.

He's just been making Johnny behave like him.