AEW TV 2025 Discussion

[digforvictory]

1 hour ago, LaGoosh said:

Yeah other than Toa Liona throwing himself around like a maniac that was a dud show. Collision seems to have fallen off a bit the past few weeks and turned back into the scrub show.

Yeah bit of a shame this.

There was a good few months where Collision was presented almost as strongly as Dynamite and the shows were great but the last 2 or 3 weeks it's fallen back into the scrub show as you said. I think the double tapings, when they tape Collision after Dynamite, tend to be the crappier shows.

And seeing as though they're taping Collision tonight and they've announced absolutely nothing for it as far as I can see I wouldn't be expecting much from this week's show either.  

[RedTwoster]

They kind of arsed up the ordering again - nothing was going to follow that Hangman/Ospreay face-off and it made everything else feel lesser in comparison. I enjoyed the show on the whole, but I suspect I’d have enjoyed it more if they’d closed with that promo battle.

Whatever the case - the MJF/Hurt Syndicate segment was a bit pointless. I assumed they were having the contract signing to build to a double cross, rather than for it to effectively be a repeat of what they did last week. It was utterly pointless, and Dustin Rhodes was particularly bad. As happens so frequently with MJF, I feel like we’ve seen it all before. He worked his way in to The Inner Circle, he’s done the same here except he’s not the hot commodity he was back then. He seems to be going full heel again, but they’d be better off turning him. 

Mercedes continues to struggle on the mic, and I feel like they missed a trick by not adding her to MVP’s roster of clients instead, after briefly hinting at it. She could really do with a manager, her matches are phenomenal but I don’t think she’ll ever be a good talker. Still, I’m really looking forward to her bout with Hayter, which should be fantastic. 

Ricochet continues to be a blast, and I like the idea that Billy Gunn is holding Bowens back. At this point, I think they’d be wise to reform The Acclaimed as a heel tag team, with Bowens betraying Billy. The Hurt Syndicate vs The Acclaimed is a match I’d love to see.

[LaGoosh]

The go-home episodes before a PPV are usually dull and pointless so it was a nice surprise that this was a pretty banging show all round.

- Opening promo segment was really great and they set out the story so perfectly and logically. for Ospreay this is about him achieving his professional goals but for Hangman it's all personal. Ospreay setting out that he will wrestle straight down the line, nice and clean but that leaves open the possibility for Hangman to absolutely lose his shit and do something mental. Hangman is fighting for redemption but he's still a broken man who could snap at any minute which opens up all kinds of avenues for the match to go down. It's a really interesting story for a match and a unique to present a babyface vs babyface match. Ospreay's promos are a double edged sword because he's rough around the edges which gives the benefit of his promos sounding genuine and real but also he can verge into cringe and silliness sometimes which he would probably avoid if he was a bit more polished.

- Hangman/Ospreay being announced as the PPV main event was a really clever move I didn't see coming. Immediately raised the stakes and makes it feel like the most important match ever. It deserves the spot too.

- Could have done without the perfectly synchronised walk to the Owen Trophy. Felt very scripted and over produced, the type of shit you'd see in WWE. No time for stuff like that.

- Trios match was a bit too long but really, really fun for the most part. Mox has been very hit and miss for the past year but he was on top form here. All nasty clawing, biting and ripping at his opponents. Top heeling from all three men throughout this one. The fans were on their feet throughout and were fully behind the babyface team rather than doing "This is awesome" chants. AEW is bringing back shit house heel behaviour and blending it perfectly with high octane action and it's been working wonders. These trios matches with experienced top performers are doing a world of good for Powerhouse Hobbs too who seems to be improving every week. Everyone came out of this one looking good and I liked that the post match brawl set up for more story for later in the evening. 

- Samoa Joe is just so goddamn good at everything pro wrestling. One of the best of all time no doubt.

- Thought the MJF/Hurt Syndicate stuff was fine. Obviously there's big stuff coming down the road and I don't think just before a PPV was the right time do whatever big angle they've got planned. 

- Sons of Texas. Yeesh. Sammy is such a dweeb. He feels so out of place in AEW now. The whole time this promo was going on I just couldn't stop thinking about if they replaced Sammy with Jeff Jarrett and were running a Jarrett/Rhodes vs Hurt Syndicate story that would be really incredible and the resulting match would be a classic. Alas.

- I really don't care for Anthony Bowens right now. They really didn't do him any favours by essentially skipping a proper story/feud with Max Caster - it would have given him the chance to flesh out his new act and have something to sink his teeth into. Now he's just a guy with too many gimmicks and none of them are good. Billy Gunn being in his corner is doing him no favours. Couldn't care less about this guy. Ricochet was typically brilliant and the post match with Mark Briscoe was exactly the type of thing they needed to do to hype up the stretcher match. I think that one might be a minor classic. Can't wait for it.

- Renee looked smoking hot tonight. It was very distracting.

- Okada is so goddamn funny, I love him. 

- Decent womens promo battle. Hayter's promos are a bit wooden and generic at times but she shined when she she started shit talking Mone at the end. I thought Mercedes was tremendous in this segment. She's such a vapid, empty and cruel character but I like when she snaps into absolute violence whenever her massive ego is even slightly dented. Should be a cracking match.

- Having Mina attack Toni's knee was a smart move and adds an additional layer of story to the PPV match. Smart booking that.

- the Young Bucks calling Samoa Joe a pathological liar and then getting immediately creamed with a trash can got a big laugh out of me. Perfectly decent go home segment. Omega, Joe etc are now outnumbered, I wonder if Hook will be back for the PPV. Surely it's too soon for Darby? In the best scenario it would be Eddie Kingston but I don't think he's healthy yet. But that would be the best outcome.

- Kinda' weird they didn't have any mention of Darby CLIMBING MOUNT EVEREST AND PLANTING AN AEW FLAG AT THE TOP. You'd think that would be something they would want to promote the shit out of.

- That lineup for Collision is brutal. They really couldn't be arsed with that.

Double or Nothing is looking very bloody tasty now. I'm excited!

Edited May 22, 2025 by LaGoosh

[thatvinylgeek]

Enjoyed the promo but I still struggle with Osprey sometimes and his grasp of his mother tongue, he stumbles over phrasing and commonalities and was quite noticeable here. For example "I've got your back and I wonder if..(pause and think)...the same goes back to you", he was obviously going for "the same applies" but couldn't bring it to mind, it seems to be something he does a lot.

Nitpicking I know, but it pulls me out of the moment.

Also, give up on trying to grow your hair Will, even when it is done it is going to look wrong...if you must, try again in a few months, but don't have your big crowning moment looking like bloody Kevin

[Guest]

Tony Khan knows writers that use subtext, and they're all cowards.

Having Osprey and Hangman explicitly state their underlying motivations is classic pro-wrestling, but these guys absolutely smashed it. I particularly liked Hangman's whole thing about having to win so he can respect himself again. That's why he has to lose. Hanger needs to learn that the only one who doesn't respect him is himself, and titles won't change that. 

Relatedly, I heard a podcast recently where they were bemoaning Hangman's character, and how he should just be this ass kicking cowboy instead of...a person, I guess. Whole thing made me furious, and I turned it off. Best character in wrestling. 

Osprey did well too, I thought. He managed to stay on the right side of agitated without sounding like a prick, kept it about Moxley, and the line about only doing his best, but his best is the best in the fucking world was brilliant.

The other end of the spectrum was Dustin and his sister's nephew on work experience. He tried, but he was all over the place and not remotely credible, and felt completely out of place in whatever is going on with MJF and the Hurts. Imagine they'll run straight through them on Sunday, and maybe we'll get an angle off the back of it.

[RedTwoster]

1 hour ago, LaGoosh said:

Sons of Texas. Yeesh. Sammy is such a dweeb. He feels so out of place in AEW now. The whole time this promo was going on I just couldn't stop thinking about if they replaced Sammy with Jeff Jarrett and were running a Jarrett/Rhodes vs Hurt Syndicate story that would be really incredible and the resulting match would be a classic. Alas.

That’s a really great idea that I hadn’t considered, and what a way to have them both get their dues before they retire - a banging run as a tag team, culminating in a tag title win. Not necessarily versus the hurts - but on the back of a decent run as a team with several near misses as far as title matches go. FTR vs Rhodes/Jarrett would be right up my street.

[Guest]

When Sammy goes back to college after getting his DofE service signed off, I'd love a Last Outlaws tag run. The tag division could do with it, they could do a trio with Mark Brisco, it'd all be aces.

[tiger_rick]

I probably should have skipped this after Collision left a horrible taste in my mouth. I didn't enjoy much of it, and almost nothing after the opening segment.

Ospreay's mic work was superb. Showed incredible range and really sold his half. Hangman was then bloody brilliant in response and they ramped it up nicely. Just a fantastic segments between two of the biggest stars, best characters and best promos out there. Announcing it as the main event was smart. If anything can follow an all over the arena brawl, it's this.

Six-man was fine. Ending brawl was fine. Putting the heat on the heels was correct. Was all a bit gimmick match build 101 for my liking.

Hurt Syndicate stuff was shit. MVP being a complete dickhead was completely out of the blue. MJF looked great in the suit and the hat. Dustin has been turning up every 6 months and doing the same boring promo for years now. Fuck that. Fuck Sammy too. An absolute roadblock in a fun week-to-week angle just for this garbage. I like that they want to put the tag belts on the PPV so they mean something but this is two in a row where the match is absolutely not a PPV match. 

Jamie Hayter's promo was fucking brutal. You'd have been forgiven for thinking Renee introduced a pre-recorded interview. Thank god, Mercedes saved that segment. A shame because Jamie is a great talent. Was definitely better as the silent assassin behind Britt Baker.

Some other stuff happened that I wasn't particularly into. Toni delivering a brutal suplex in a nightgown was peak Timeless though.

[Supremo]

Promo of the year from Ospreay and Hangman. Unbelievable stuff. This match feels humongous now. Everything Wrestlemania lacked.

It was mad enough when Will Ospreay became a promo guy. That he’s became the promo guy is absolutely mental. Is this real life?

Fucking hell, Will. You were already the best wrestler in the ring. No need to also be the best on the mic, too! Give everyone else a chance! Even the stunted pauses and mispronunciations. It just adds to this crazy level of authenticity and passion. The man is undeniable. The ace. Hunter fumbled.

The new biggest tragedy of CM Punk leaving AEW is that we’ll never see Punk and Ospreay cutting promos on each other.

Hangman remains the best actor and character in the game, too. That bit about Christmas morning, with his son looking over to see him staring out the window? Incredible. There is no-one in pro-wrestling better than Hangman at making you feel like this is a real person, existing outside of the two hours of TV each week.

Will beats Hangman. When all feels lost, Swerve Strickland is the man who finally brings him peace. Hangman and Swerve team up to help Ospreay win at All In. By late December, the Christmas-themed episode of Dynamite shows clips of Swerve Strickland bringing a turkey to Hangman’s house. God bless us. Everyone.

[NeverYield]

I have to say I wasn't into Will Ospreay at all on the mic, he was cringe as it got, but just lately he's smashing it out the park and that segment with Hangman was quality.

He's come on leaps and bounds, fair play to him.

[The King Of Swing]

The only things I didn't enjoy this week were the MJF/Syndicate/Dustin segment and Anthony Bowens. 

Really enjoyed everything else. I think they did a good job at making DoN, feel a little less predictable.

[Lorne Malvo]

12 hours ago, LaGoosh said:

 

- Kinda' weird they didn't have any mention of Darby CLIMBING MOUNT EVEREST AND PLANTING AN AEW FLAG AT THE TOP. You'd think that would be something they would want to promote the shit out of.

I was wondering about this too, but I genuinely think it might be them waiting until he actually gets to the bottom with his feet firmly on terra firma without dying before they publicise it. Would look awful if they gave it the 'Darby has climbed Mount Everest!' treatment then the mad bastard gets crushed in an avalanche on the way down.

Anyway, I thought that was a really great episode for the most part. Ospreay/Hangman was one of my favourite promo exchanges in ages, all of the Anarchy in the Arena stuff was great, the women were reliably strong and the whole show just had a good pace and momentum to it.

I even quite liked Dustin doing his absolute best to inject some much-needed heat into the tag title match. At least making it a little about Day Oners vs newcomers adds a bit of texture to the match.

I've no idea whats happened with Anthony Bowens. I was over the moon when he returned and thought him squashing Caster was a great choice, but the constant five-tool player stuff, Billy Gunn's camera-hogging and them still doing the scissoring thing has all combined to make him a pretty unlikeable face. Hopefully he can turn it around.

[Doog]

So according to Meltzer Triller is in a really bad state financially and it's potentially going to be delisted soon.

Would be devastated if it goes under, the thought of having to keep up with AEW via ITV 3 years after each show airs is horrendous. AEW+ is an absolute godsend and makes watching AEW so easy, I don't mind paying 5.99 at all, it's so worthwhile, would pay more.

Fingers crossed it sorts itself out.

[RedTwoster]

14 minutes ago, Lorne Malvo said:

I've no idea whats happened with Anthony Bowens. I was over the moon when he returned and thought him squashing Caster was a great choice, but the constant five-tool player stuff, Billy Gunn's camera-hogging and them still doing the scissoring thing has all combined to make him a pretty unlikeable face. Hopefully he can turn it around.

He could probably transition it into a strong heel character - the five tool player stuff is obnoxious as a babyface, but as a heel it might work, maybe gradually creeping the number up to become a six, seven or eight tool player.

[Chili]

11 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

He could probably transition it into a strong heel character - the five tool player stuff is obnoxious as a babyface, but as a heel it might work, maybe gradually creeping the number up to become a six, seven or eight tool player.

My theory is already that when Max Caster finally has the fans gagging to see him get the winners purse again, it's going to defeating Anthony Bowens. In a way it's a brilliant possibility. We all saw Bowens as this big future star with his heat magnet tag partner holding him back, then it actually turns out that Bowens is just far too cocky for his own good and it's actually the silly trolling prat with a trademark stating how good he is, actually being the one we misunderstood the whole time. Go on Max you funny gobshite!!!