AEW TV 2025 Discussion

[Devon Malcolm]

MJF is clearly at his strongest when he has a personal connection to whoever he's feuding with. He had that with Punk, he had it with Danielson, and that stuff he did with Regal. But when he hasn't got personal stuff to refer in to, he struggles and he tries to paper over the gaps with really basic 'controversial' comments. Being produced by someone who's good with promos as a heel would help him hugely. Being given free reign to say whatever he wants is proving to be counter-productive.

And I don't know if WWE would be a good fit. Obviously they are handling incoming talent a lot more professionally and patiently since McMahon fucked off and I'm sure they would have a meticulous plan in place for him. But he's also not shown at any point in AEW that he would be able to tone his act down, and that would be a concern for them. They'd need to see something that he would fit in there.

I think he's in the best place for him but they need to rethink what they're doing with him. Potentially he's the biggest star in the company and whether or not he's shit right now, it would be a huge loss for AEW because of what he's clearly capable of.

[tiger_rick]

9 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

All this talk of going to WWE is moot, he's signed a new long term deal with them and will be around for awhile.

Yes, a good point. This is clearly a lot of fantasy. 

He is another very frustrating case, like the Mox discussion, because the guy has bags of ability, can talk, can work, looks good, has an interesting IRL backstory, has a name and brand that means something. He's an open goal and they're Ronny Rosenthal.

[Supremo]

Max's character's regressed, when I wanted it to grow.

His Edgelord gimmick's reached a natural plateau.

I just want him to hear him sing, "With My Baby Tonight."

Edited January 16, 2025 by Supremo

[LaGoosh]

I'd be on board for an MJF/Hangman feud. I think with Hangman's current character and MJF going back to a more layered and complex version of himself they could probably do something special together.

And it'd be better use of both men than Jeff Jarrett and Christopher Daniels. 

[ReturnOfTheMack]

Yeah, proper done with the whole Death Riders thing in general, and Mox specifically. I know he can wrestle, I know he can cut a promo, I know he works his ass off. But it's more misses than hits for me.

 

Megan Bayne, did her cloak have a cock and balls on the back? Great Casino match though.

[HarmonicGenerator]

I’m happy for Toni Storm, getting a title shot this soon into her AEW career, but it hasn’t been said enough in this thread - Willow Nightingale is the absolute best.

[LaGoosh]

It can never be said enough. What a woman.

[Chili]

Yeah that pic that @Supremoposted when I saw it in real time I just broke out in a smile. She's just lovely. 

[Supremo]

This is what I was expecting from MJF vs. Double J. Playing into Max’s talents as a singer and showman. Imagine him coming out in an outfit similar to that, with the big,  “MJF,” on his hat, banging out a parody of, “With my Baby Tonight.” All the bells and whistles. Full band. It had all the potential to be a brilliant, old-school bit of business, only for Max to take it in the absolute worst direction imaginable. I fucking hated that promo battle between Max and Jeff. Just the worst, nastiest, cheapest rubbish. Killed my excitement dead. “LOL your mate is dead.” LOL, your feud is dead.

MJF is similar to Jon Moxley. They’re both suffering from a severe case of Cody Rhodes Syndrome. Objectively talented. Ridiculously valuable to AEW. A proven track record of delivering gold. But in AEW, that can end up being a curse. You become untouchable, Tony Khan gives you free rein to book your own shit, and the potential is always there for you to write yourself into a corner and look like a complete idiot. 

Cody did it with all the shades of grey rubbish, eventually having to jump ship. Max is now doing it with the crap 4Chan, “OFFENDED, ARE YOU?” stuff and Moxley’s turned into a complete joke. Thinks he’s Walter White. Is actually Harry and Marv from Home Alone.

The problem seems crystal clear. Being a good promo does not always mean you’re a good writer. Being a good wrestler does not always mean you’re a good booker. Grow some fucking balls and tell these morons, “no”!

You can see Tony Khan’s Internet Wrestling Community badge showing. He so obviously grew up reading and consuming the same SMART media as the rest of us. We were all told that the best characters were real life personalities turned up to eleven. The best wrestling stories were LONG TERM. And whilst that might be the case sometimes, it’s demonstrably not the case here. Knobheads with bad ideas need to have their volume turned down. And bad angles that are killing momentum need to be concluded earlier, rather than just ploughing on for the sake of LONG TERM STORYTELLING.

I don’t want so many guys to go to WWE just because it’s the hot product. I want them to go somewhere that might actually dictate how to get the best out of them. Stop them booking themselves into a corner. Cody went from worthless in AEW, to the biggest star in the sport.

What a business. I now trust that Dean Ambrose would be booked and portrayed better in WWE than Jon Moxley in AEW. This guy! 

Rest of the show was a mixed bag. Some good stuff, definitely, but MJF and Moxley stunk up the joint to where it was all I could remember afterwards.

Quick thoughts to hopefully end on a positive though…

- Phenomenal venue. Like they were fighting on a futuristic spaceship.

- Good opener. I love Kenny Omega. The only man in the business confident enough in his work that he does the subtle, “mistakes,” when he comes back, to make you question whether he’s returned too early. Proper artist, our Kenneth.

- It speaks to how quietly the Don Callis Family has improved that I’m bang up for all the potential upcoming matches. Any combination of Ospreay,  Omega, Cage, Archer, Fletcher and Takeshita will likely rule. You could run with that for at least a few months. A potential Australian Grand Slam Tag between Ospreay and Omega vs. Takeshita and Fletcher? Fucking hell. Seven star potential.

- More good stuff with Ricochet and Swerve. Swerve remains the coolest man in the business. Looked unbelievable walking out with that chain.

- Hurt Business looked good. It’s crazy how many Trios they have in this company, yet nobody seems to remember they have a Trios division, with Titles to be won. Hurt Business, Undisputed Era, Conglomeration, Rated FTR, The Patriarchy, to name but a few. Any of these teams would be preferable Champions to the Death Riders. Imagine an actual division, with matches to determine who wears the belts, rather than Pac and the belts taking constant holidays inside Moxley’s magical, Fantastic-Beasts-style briefcase.

Casino Gauntlet was good, and I’m excited to see where the Toni thing goes. Does a knock on her head fix her? Or was the whole thing a ruse all along? That was my main takeaway. I think they might have missed a trick. The moment Toni won the Gauntlet, they should have done a repeat of when Mariah won the Own Tournament. Immediately drop the act, immediately murder her. As soon as the ref’s hand counter to three, securing her the title shot, her Timeless music should have hit, the daft smirk should have returned, and she should have smashed Mariah’s skull in with a shoe!

Edited January 17, 2025 by Supremo

[Hannibal Scorch]

Personally @Supremo I want Luther turning up to the venue in a Delorean and telling Toni she has to go back. 

[Chili]

Now LUTHER... There's someone who could benefit from being in WWE.

[Infinity Land]

That's the lesson I learned from last year ? Certainly wasn't the idea that you put tickets on sale when you announce a show.

[Chili]

1 hour ago, Infinity Land said:

That's the lesson I learned from last year ? Certainly wasn't the idea that you put tickets on sale when you announce a show.

In their minor defence as bad they are for that, it's a dirty little trick WWF/E has been pulling for over 30 years. Still the point does stand.

[RedTwoster]

10 hours ago, Supremo said:

“LOL your mate is dead.” LOL, your feud is dead.

Genuinely the best line I’ve ever read on here. 

[Mr_Danger]

I felt for poor Jeff trying to do the shit lad banter with MJF. It just didn’t suit him at all. I sometimes worry that if MJF went to WWE he’d be billed as the new Miz. I’d love to see him try one day but he might have more to gain from being Mr AEW just so long as they can keep it interesting.

Now Omega, there’s a guy who should never go to WWE. Just the best at the l Indy big time wrestling style. Surely as far as contemporaries go he’s in with a shout for being the best to never do it (in the big leagues).