AEW WrestleDream 2024

[Hannibal Scorch]

1 hour ago, RedTwoster said:

I didn’t watch the show because…I mean, look at the card - but I don’t mind the ending, for the most part. The babyfaces looking on defeated as Moxley’s crew succeeds at what they set out to do isn’t in itself a bad ending - I kinda like it, actually. But as with apparently every AEW PPV recently, they go to excesses and I question the wisdom of that, as it seems to be a contributing factor in what’s putting some people off AEW. It’s a shame too as a lot of the actual stories right now are as good as they were during the company’s early years - heel Moxley, Hangman’s descent into madness, Toni Storm’s story arc, Swerve’s journey from heel to babyface, anything to do with Christian Cage…there’s so much good that is being negated to some by off-putting angles and extreme violence. 

Danielson was wrestling what was hyped as potentially being his last match as a full-timer, yet an arena that could hold more than 20,000 sold just 8,000 tickets. It’s a bit of a shame, really. Good storytelling isn’t being rewarded by attendance or the product feeling hot, and it’s probably - in part, at least - their own fault. 

I mean it was almost double what WWE sold there last time, and was an increase on the tickets sold for Wrestledream 2023, 

However I’ve been criticised (fairly) for committing on shows I haven’t watched. Seems a few of you today are guilty of the same.

it’s a cliche now to so how great an AEW PPV is, but this absolutely over delivered. Yes, I skipped the Jericho match because I’m not a glutton for punishment, but everything else was good to excellent. Jay White beating Hangers was a great bit of business. He gets a nice win and Hangman gets even more deranged. Shibatta being beaten by Perry using the submission into pinning him was a great idea. He was out wrestled and yet still out wrestled The Wrestler! The DG/MJF/Cole section is nicely sowing the seeds 
 

For years the 3 way of Aj/Joe/Daniels was the gold standard. Takeshita/Ricochet/Ospreay may have equaled it, maybe bettered (but I need to revisit said match). And delighted for the  result.

really thought Private Party might win. Good match regardless. 
 

Main event was what I expected but without a screwy finish. Yuta’s turn post match was coming with a few things on tv alluding to it. Danielson has gone out on his terms as he wanted. Shouldn’t we be happy for him?

All in all well worth the £15. Intrigued to see what’s next for Mox and his crew.

[Infinity Land]

45 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

Danielson was wrestling what was hyped as potentially being his last match as a full-timer, yet an arena that could hold more than 20,000 sold just 8,000 tickets. It’s a bit of a shame, really. Good storytelling isn’t being rewarded by attendance or the product feeling hot, and it’s probably - in part, at least - their own fault. 

There's no doubting that AEW isn't hot right now, but "just 8,000 tickets" is a little unfair. Its going to be a Top 40 attendance for the company, and bettered last year's WrestleDream despite moving out of Seattle proper into the suburbs of Tacoma. The company's only had 20+ shows to even cross the 10k threshold. 8,000 is a lot for AEW whether they are hot or not.

[ReturnOfTheMack]

So AEW had 2 young guys getting great babyface reactions in both Yuta and Fletcher, and to capitalise they turned both heel. That's very irritating to me. 

[Jesse]

I don't think Rooster's saying it's a bad attendance in context, more that it's a shame that their attendances haven't grown further, especially for someone like Danielson's last full-time match. Even as someone incredibly high on things right now (and as another defense, Rooster comes across as feeling pretty similar) I can't deny it wouldn't hit more if they could turn their financial success into big, hot crowds.

[d-d-d-dAz]

Attendance discussions are like condiments, utterly pointless. 

Show was good, ending was horrible, nasty and uncomfortable. I love Danielson, but I hate how much of a death pervert he is.

I hope, if he is going to eventually come back and work intermittently (which seems to be the word, that he needs surgery but hopes to eventually be able to wrestle part time), then I hope he does so with a big beard, a lovely smile and a high five for all his young fans. Make BD PG again.

Ospreay is a phenomenal talent. In the fullness of time, he'll look like Khan's best ever signing I think. I really want to see him mix it up with some of the old heads, the Christians and Copelands. I think they'd have some really interesting matches, given time.

Edited October 13, 2024 by d-d-d-dAz

[SuperBacon]

49 minutes ago, Jesse said:

He's the absolute best in the world at this, and seeing him go out this way is exactly what you know he wanted. Get the feeling this is the kind of thing you'd have to agree to just to convince him to win the belt in the first place and with this being the end of his full-time in-ring career I'm glad to know it's happening on his terms in the way he'd want it to.

Completely agree with this. I really only watch the Bryan matches in AEW, but have zero interest in watching Moxley, but I appreciate that this would likely have been his call and I'm happy he's happy, even though I think it was the wrong call.

He's just brilliant isn't he? I could do without some of the worked injury stuff most of the time but I get it as well.

[RedTwoster]

6 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

I mean it was almost double what WWE sold there last time, and was an increase on the tickets sold for Wrestledream 2023

Which was in 2019, when the company was colder than death itself. That simply isn’t a comparison worth making. Ultimately though, I’m not even making a point that is anything to do with WWE, or attendances they had. Ultimately, they were marketing what could have been Danielson’s final match as a full-time wrestler at a venue in his home state, yet still had a lot of empty seats. It’s a shame, and I don’t think they should view that as ‘good enough’ for a match of that magnitude.

AEW is telling good stories right now, and that should lead to better attendances - my point was that they’re getting in their own way.

[SuperBacon]

3 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Attendance discussions utterly pointless. 

I've made it slightly more palatable @d-d-d-dAz 

[d-d-d-dAz]

2 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

I've made it slightly more palatable @d-d-d-dAz 

You saucy beggar.

[The King Of Swing]

My only gripe with the ending was repeating the plastic bag spot.

One thing I really love is how they've gone out of their way to make fans actually hate Mox. Right down to dropping Wild Thing as his entrance music, going with his generic New Japan theme.

[DavidB6937]

I know there's a temptation to defend AEW regardless if you're a die hard fan and to look for random stats or whatever to prove that something is great. Plenty of WWE die hards do the same.

BUT

It's actually okay to admit once in a while that things aren't as good as they could be.

The build up for this was generally pretty shit. It's something they fall into quite often. It's definitely not the first time. And while it's great that they end up doing a solid show for the people that actually attend or buy the PPV, surely there's an obvious logic that MORE people would want to go or purchase if their builds were better and more enticing? It's not rocket science and it can be incredibly frustrating.

[RedTwoster]

19 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Attendance discussions are like condiments, utterly pointless. 

Hang on, when you have a link sausage on a roll, you mean to say you don’t slather it in brown sauce? Utter depravity. 

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

Which was in 2019, when the company was colder than death itself. That simply isn’t a comparison worth making. Ultimately though, I’m not even making a point that is anything to do with WWE, or attendances they had. Ultimately, they were marketing what could have been Danielson’s final match as a full-time wrestler at a venue in his home state, yet still had a lot of empty seats. It’s a shame, and I don’t think they should view that as ‘good enough’ for a match of that magnitude.

AEW is telling good stories right now, and that should lead to better attendances - my point was that they’re getting in their own way.

Alvarez (who, for all his faults, is a Washington native) said the arena they used is an absolute dump and it's a weird one to book in the first place, so there's definitely a question about their back office on these things. 

Equally, I'm reasonably certain that when Bryan won the belt, this wasn't the plan.  Lthe bait and switch with Derby, the random Okada match on free TV all speaks to a man who needed to stop earlier than they'd initially planned. 

[Hannibal Scorch]

19 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

Which was in 2019, when the company was colder than death itself. That simply isn’t a comparison worth making. Ultimately though, I’m not even making a point that is anything to do with WWE, or attendances they had. Ultimately, they were marketing what could have been Danielson’s final match as a full-time wrestler at a venue in his home state, yet still had a lot of empty seats. It’s a shame, and I don’t think they should view that as ‘good enough’ for a match of that magnitude.

AEW is telling good stories right now, and that should lead to better attendances - my point was that they’re getting in their own way.

the venue may have a capacity of 20k, but not for wrestling. People need to stop looking at the venue capacity and actually the capacity for different events. 
 

More importantly did the crowd sound hot and did it look good on tv and the answer was yes.

and @DavidB6937 you are right. I wish viewing numbers were better and so were weekly TV attendance. I think the product has been pretty damn good the last few months, but that hasn’t shifted the perception of those who stopped watching. 

Edited October 13, 2024 by Hannibal Scorch

[d-d-d-dAz]

2 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

Hang on, when you have a link sausage on a roll, you mean to say you don’t slather it in brown sauce? Utter depravity. 

I can't derail two threads. Head to the sauce thread to see my (correct) thoughts.

Back to the show a bit, is Jim Ross just rubbish or did he really hate that final segment? His 'not Jeff Jarret' call sounded sarcastic.