Pro Wrestling Contract Season

[d-d-d-dAz]

A high proportion of wrestlers who couldn't give a shit about wrestling end up being the best wrestlers. 

[Chili]

Chris Benoit should be a shining beacon that more wrestlers should actually give less of a shit whilst still obviously giving a shit. Baron Corbin didn't LOVE the wrestling business I guess, but it wasn't like he was insulting it. Very silly that whole 'you got to love this business' in 2024 when in general it's a grotty biz, as much as we enjoy the silly bollocks.

[SaitoRyo]

Mike Bailey has left TNA after his deal expired is reportedly AEW-bound, according to reports. 

I'd say he's a good fit for them and will do well there, but given how these signings tend to end go I'd say there's every chance he ends up wrestling a match on Collision once a month as he quickly gets lost in the shuffle. 

I hope I'm wrong, as Speedball is a talent and has something unique about him, but I'm not holding my breath.

[DavidB6937]

On the surface he's the perfect fit for them. But yeah, depends how they book him and if he manages to make himself stand out, because the competition in that roster for high flyers and all that is massive. Good luck to him as he's a great talent but could easily end up wasted.

[BomberPat]

Speedball has more to him than being a high-flyer, though - he has some impressive high spots, but he's not a flippy guy first and foremost. There's nobody else in AEW doing the stylised flashy martial arts stuff he does, and while that doesn't guarantee him not getting lost in the shuffle, it means he's got something that the Action Andrettis and AR Foxes of the world don't bring to the table. 

[RedTwoster]

I’m not sure what he adds that they don’t already have in abundance. Frankly, I think he’d have a better chance at standing out in WWE. I’d rather AEW focus on the underutilised talents that they already have and on giving their women’s division more television time rather than sign more of the same - although I fully accept that ‘the same’ in this case is an extremely talented male wrestler. 

(And fair point from Pat on his ring style - I just don’t look at what he does as being something AEW is missing)

Edited November 15, 2024 by RedTwoster

[DavidB6937]

51 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

Speedball has more to him than being a high-flyer, though - he has some impressive high spots, but he's not a flippy guy first and foremost. There's nobody else in AEW doing the stylised flashy martial arts stuff he does, and while that doesn't guarantee him not getting lost in the shuffle, it means he's got something that the Action Andrettis and AR Foxes of the world don't bring to the table. 

Absolutely, and certainly not just labelling him as a one-dimensional guy, but when you're on a roster when a lot of guys can do 'wow' moves and get the audience's attention, it's difficult to ensure you don't get lost in the shuffle. I'd certainly hope he wouldn't as he's been performing at a really high level lately and has a lot to offer but it's more of an AEW problem than a Speedball one.

[LaGoosh]

53 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

I’d rather AEW focus on the underutilised talents that they already have and on giving their women’s division more television time rather than sign more of the same

I'd rather they think of ways to sack off the dead weight. Less TV time for the Chris Jericho's, Adam Cole's and Britt Baker's of the world leaves plenty of time to utilise talents they're not currently and to sign up exciting new guys like Speedball. But unfortunately I doubt that'll happen.

[Devon Malcolm]

Is he bringing Veda Scott with him?

[RedTwoster]

2 hours ago, LaGoosh said:

I'd rather they think of ways to sack off the dead weight. Less TV time for the Chris Jericho's, Adam Cole's and Britt Baker's of the world leaves plenty of time to utilise talents they're not currently and to sign up exciting new guys like Speedball. But unfortunately I doubt that'll happen.

Even if they were to leave - you’ve got wrestlers like Athena, Billie Starkz, Rush, Bandido, Anthony Bowens, Mortos, The Gunns and others - people I’d like to see more of. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s a bad idea to sign Bailey, I just envision the guy ending up in the same position as all of the above.  

[SaitoRyo]

Josh Alexander has confirmed he will be a free agent from February 15. 

He's wanted out for a while, but they extended his deal and in a recent interview basically said he hasn't been enjoying it much since Scott D'Amore was forced out. 

Wonder where he'll go next, since he announced his retirement from doing indies a week or two ago. WWE? AEW? Japan maybe? 

[Hannibal Scorch]

3 minutes ago, SaitoRyo said:

Josh Alexander has confirmed he will be a free agent from February 15. 

He's wanted out for a while, but they extended his deal and in a recent interview basically said he hasn't been enjoying it much since Scott D'Amore was forced out. 

Wonder where he'll go next, since he announced his retirement from doing indies a week or two ago. WWE? AEW? Japan maybe? 

I’d be shocked if he announced a retirement from the indies and go to AEW as they are much more flexible. I think he’s NXT bound and I hope the first thing Shawn does is to tell him to stop calling himself a Walking Weapon.

[SaitoRyo]

3 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

I’d be shocked if he announced a retirement from the indies and go to AEW as they are much more flexible. I think he’s NXT bound and I hope the first thing Shawn does is to tell him to stop calling himself a Walking Weapon.

Would 'The Absolute Weapon' be better? 

NXT could be a good shout. He's a very talented performer and could probably have some good matches with the top guys there before moving to the main roster. 

[mim731]

Isn't Alexander ex-tag partners (and I'm sure I remember hearing is also mates) with Ethan Page too? Imagine that might swing his thought process somewhat if his buddy has had more positive experiences in one company than the other either way. 

[RedTwoster]

I’d actually like to see WWE snap up a few big indie names now, AEW has dominated the market in that respect, and I don’t think it’s been a positive thing for the company or some of the talent - I think they’d benefit from not adding as much talent to the men’s roster in 2025. Josh Alexander would be better off in NXT than AEW, but I can’t see him getting a big push in either company once he’s left the NXT brand; outside of in a tag team.

Edited December 3, 2024 by RedTwoster