Pro Wrestling Contract Season

[Hannibal Scorch]

5 hours ago, Callum1993 said:

Essentially if you’re @Hannibal Scorch anything AEW does is fine but if WWE does it it’s bad. Would save a lot of time with these debates. 

17 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

CM Punk said Tony wasn’t a real boss because he just wanted to friends with the talent.

WELL LOOK WHAT YOU MADE HIM DO!

It’s a dick move on one hand and something he said they wouldn’t do. On the other, WWE clearly reached out before their contracts were up, apparently have been making merchandise in preparation (including masks which the Luchas wouldn’t give AEW the rights to) so it’s also hilarious.

Edited September 28, 2024 by Hannibal Scorch
Just a fuck you

[Hannibal Scorch]

17 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

CM Punk said Tony wasn’t a real boss because he just wanted to friends with the talent.

WELL LOOK WHAT YOU MADE HIM DO!

It’s a dick move on one hand and something he said they wouldn’t do. On the other, WWE clearly reached out before their contracts were up, apparently have been making merchandise in preparation (including masks which the Luchas wouldn’t give AEW the rights to) so it’s also hilarious.

 

[TheScarlettChad]

11 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

 

He isn't wrong though. Is he?

[Hannibal Scorch]

4 minutes ago, TheScarlettChad said:

He isn't wrong though. Is he?

What have they done wrong recently that I’ve called out? Not liking the product isn’t wrong, that’s an opinion.
 

Getting rid of Vince was a great thing they did recently. Getting talent to sign contracts whilst still under contract is a bad look. Is it illegal? Absolutely no idea. Is it funny they made a load of merch they won’t be able to sell for a while? Yes.

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

15 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Is it funny they made a load of merch they won’t be able to sell for a while? Yes.

What's even funnier is that when they sell that merch they will probably sell more in the first 3 months than they sold in AEW in the 5 years they were there. I suppose that the big difference will be that the WWE is a remorseless merchandising machine that would market sand to Saudi's if they thought they could make a dollar on it, whereas AEW merch was run by Matt Jackson's wife until the end of 2023 and in all the time that the Lucha Bros have been there AEW has never had their masks for sale. To the best of my knowledge anyway. All that money AEW have left on the table, now that is funny. 

[LaGoosh]

19 minutes ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

the time that the Lucha Bros have been there AEW has never had their masks for sale

Apparently the Lucha Bros refused to sign over the rights to their masks to AEW so they actually legally couldn't sell replica masks. AEW's merch department is terrible but sounds like this one perhaps isn't on them.

But I've promised my kid a Beast Mortos mask for Christmas so they better fucking get to it. (It's for me)

19 minutes ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

All that money AEW have left on the table, now that is funny. 

Edited September 28, 2024 by LaGoosh

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

2 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

Apparently the Lucha Bros refused to sign over the rights to their masks to AEW so they actually legally couldn't sell replica masks. AEW's merch department is terrible but sounds like this one is on them.

That's mad isn't it. Konnan probably negotiated that deal. 

[Infinity Land]

4 minutes ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

That's mad isn't it. Konnan probably negotiated that deal. 

The thing to remember about merch with Penta and Fenix is that its tied up in the relationship with AAA. That's why they've gone through so many name variations. When they returned to CMLL this year it was as "King" and "Lucha Brother". Pentagon and Fenix are not their gimmicks and something they don't seem to think they can get away with owning the trademark on.

This was one of the first signs they were really leaving, or at least that the split from all ties with AAA was finally happening. They both put in trademarks for the new names of "Rey Fuego", "King Fuego", and "Fuego" for Fenix. "Cero Miedo", "Zero Miedo", and "AN1MO" for Penta.

Which is why i've wondered what gimmick this WWE merch is meant to be for? A Sin Cara/Kalisto type situation where they can say it was just for any luchador, or one of these new gimmicks the Lucha Bros would have to sign off to for licensing purposes. A level of co-ordination with contracted talent WWE has typically avoided.

 

[Devon Malcolm]

It's quite comforting to see that so many people dislike Konnan now, I've always hated the Uncle Fester fucker since I saw him throwing shoes in WCW.

[TheScarlettChad]

Prichard's a cunt but his story about Konnan calling him out of the blue and only calling himself "K Dawg" is hilarious. Bruce didn't know who the fuck he was, and when he kept asking, he just doubled down on it, What a strange fella.

[BomberPat]

21 hours ago, Infinity Land said:

The thing to remember about merch with Penta and Fenix is that its tied up in the relationship with AAA. That's why they've gone through so many name variations. When they returned to CMLL this year it was as "King" and "Lucha Brother". Pentagon and Fenix are not their gimmicks and something they don't seem to think they can get away with owning the trademark on.

This was one of the first signs they were really leaving, or at least that the split from all ties with AAA was finally happening. They both put in trademarks for the new names of "Rey Fuego", "King Fuego", and "Fuego" for Fenix. "Cero Miedo", "Zero Miedo", and "AN1MO" for Penta.

Couple of things here - "Animo" is Fenix's thing, not Penta's

On the gimmicks, yeah, they are Penta El Cero Miedo and Rey Fenix because AAA own Pentagon Jr and Fenix in Mexico, but also I think the old holding company for Lucha Underground still technically owns them in the US.

I think they've tweaked things enough name-wise as Penta and Rey Fenix that they've been able to get away with it, but the weird names they used in CMLL definitely suggest that AAA are prepared to get a little more aggressive about their trademarks when things are hitting closer to home.

That's just the names - the mask designs would be harder for AAA to exert any control over; the Pentagon mask is a simple black and white design, that Penta's has long since moved away from, but Fenix's maybe hasn't made enough changes.

 

In terms of not allowing AEW to merchandise them, though, the other factor is that the Lucha Bros own Republic of Lucha, and sell replica masks (their own and others) through that shop. It might be that they didn't want to sign away that exclusivity, but I expect for WWE it would be a dealbreaker.

[Infinity Land]

10 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

Couple of things here - "Animo" is Fenix's thing, not Penta's

It might be Fenix's thing but it is Penta's company (ZERO MIEDO CORP) put in the trademark for an1mo.

All Fenix's are under THE MEXA KING BRAND

 

[Hannibal Scorch]

47 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

r for AAA to exert any control over; the Pentagon mask is a simple black and white design, that Penta's has long since moved away from, but Fenix's maybe hasn't made enough changes.

I assume there isn’t, but I know that if you are a clown you need to register your clown make up design by painting it on an egg and that allows your design to not be used by anyone else. I’m sure there isn’t one for Lucha Libre, but would have be cool if there was.

[tiger_rick]

On 9/28/2024 at 11:40 AM, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

That's not the accusation though is it. The accusation is that when AEW was set up TK was clearly trying to portray the whole set up to  be morally superior to WWE because they treat the guys better, yet when it comes down to it they do exactly the same things. Not just in this case, but in other things as well. Nothing to do with seriousness.

I think this might be my biggest disappointment with the way AEW has dropped off in the last 2 years. They did feel like a genuine alternative. They delivered what the other guys didn't and satiated a big portion of the audience who didn't want Vince's product. Even just on-screen, a lot of stuff that has crept in with the actual presentation was off-putting. The matches that were just adverts. Shooting half an arena in the dark. Oversaturation of TV. Money in the fucking bank. Too many ladder matches and battle royals. Hiring WWE jabronis. Just loads of stuff that watered down the alternative feel.

Then off-screen, it's even worse. The reaction (or lack of) to accusations, the attempts to pacify both Punk and the Bucks, the second Punk fiasco, hiring Ric Flair, being a bitch about contracts. There's loads more. It's all shite. It may be miniscule compared to the decades of horrors on the other side but it's all horribly disappointing.

I haven't forgiven them for getting rid of Dark and Elevation either, they were my favourite "TV" shows around.

Just clear the decks. Let people go. Don't worry about their future employment, just move on. There's so much good stuff in AEW from a TV viewers perspective that it just doesn't need all the noise. In an industry where there is a clear handbook on how to behave, which just says "Don't be the other guys", it's all inexcusable.

On 9/28/2024 at 7:37 PM, Devon Malcolm said:

It's quite comforting to see that so many people dislike Konnan now, I've always hated the Uncle Fester fucker since I saw him throwing shoes in WCW.

One of those people who everyone thought was shit and gave a pasting regularly for years, then made a babyface turn as some sort of wise old sage. The guy's trash. Was trash in the ring. Is trash out of the ring. Heart-warming to see it recognised.

[BomberPat]

20 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

I assume there isn’t, but I know that if you are a clown you need to register your clown make up design by painting it on an egg and that allows your design to not be used by anyone else. I’m sure there isn’t one for Lucha Libre, but would have be cool if there was.

I was going to reference the clown egg registry!

In theory, Lucha Libre commissions are supposed to oversee the rights to people's masks, but they have no jurisdiction outside of Mexico, and are largely toothless within Mexico.