AEW TV 2025 Discussion

[Merzbow]

I think if you leave MJF to his own devices he'll always fall back on the tired edgelord-ness but I also think there's still a lot of greatness there, you just have to coax it out from him with some proper direction, he needs that filter.

Oh and thanks for listening to me personally, Kenny. The hype music is back.

Edited January 24, 2025 by Merzbow

[BomberPat]

The Jarrett/MJF segment last week reminded me of MJF's stuff with Ospreay; it's not just that he's always falling back on the edgelord stuff, it's that he seems to bring ten ideas to every promo, so he never lets any of them land. You could have got a whole promo out of bringing up Jarrett's past addiction problems and insecurities, or using Karen to get under his skin, or the "Grim Reaper of Wrestling" stuff (which doesn't make sense anyway, but fuck it, with focus it might have worked), or the Owen Hart stuff, or the competing edgelord stuff, or forcing Jarrett to come down to his level, but instead you got a few seconds dedicated to each of them. Karen Jarrett acting as Jeff's conscience this week and pointing out that stooping to MJF's level was something they should never do again added more actual heart to that story than MJF ever managed. 

He should have either focused on one or two of those things, or it should have been like the Terry Funk/Cactus Jack thing from ECW - "you're a whore, your wife is a whore, your children are whores", saying the worst stuff you can think of to find the one thing that makes the other guy snap, which in Jarrett's case was bringing up Owen, but make it clear that's what MJF was doing. Instead, every promo is never quite one thing or the other, just a smattering of reaction lines with no depth, and Max thinking that if he slows down at the right points it adds gravitas without actually going any deeper into the context.

That, and to keep bringing up Jeff "starting his own company" and his history at "his own company", without ever being able to actually say TNA. You can't have a gimmick of being the guy who pushes boundaries and says the unsayable when, within your own promo, there are clear corporate-mandated lines that you're not crossing. So come up with better material instead of going for the teen soap opera "Ooooooh!" reaction.

[DavidB6937]

14 minutes ago, Snitsky's back acne said:

Has MJF been exposed as a one trick pony or has he always been like this because he has gone from a "100% future WWE megastar" to "go-away, it's the same old schtick" heat with me in just the past couple of years. 

He's absolutely not a one trick pony. That's fairly obvious to show over the past couple of years with his character development etc.

Sadly they made a terrible decision to regress and go back. I don't think that makes him a one trick pony though by any means. As with anyone, he just needs decent and sensible booking.

[burchybabi]

15 minutes ago, WyattSheepMask said:

Mox/Edge has to happen in Australia too. I’m sure the crowd are still behind Edge, but they just seemed relieved that the match with PAC was finished, and so was I quite frankly. It started OK but the second d half seemed to drag really badly. Ni way has the feud got the legs to last all the way into mid March.

Why were the Rock n Roll Express there exactly? I know that they’re linked with Tennessee and everything, but show them as being there earlier in the show, or at the very least have one of the commentary mention having seen them “earlier in the day” during the Tag Team title match. I’ll admit it’s probably very minor, but it’s basic story telling.

I’m assuming they are going with Jay White /Mox for the Australian show then keeping Edge/Mox for Revolution.

On a side note, I was reading they were planning on showing Grand Slam on a delay at 8pm Saturday night US time but there’s an NBA All Stars game so this is likely why there was confusion as to where it was to be shown & still don’t think they have confirmed the airing details.

There was a quick line from commentary of the Rock n Roll Express doing promotion or something but this was only as they went backstage to show the attack.

 

[tiger_rick]

52 minutes ago, Snitsky's back acne said:

Has MJF been exposed as a one trick pony or has he always been like this because he has gone from a "100% future WWE megastar" to "go-away, it's the same old schtick" heat with me in just the past couple of years. 

There was a very good debate on this a week or two ago. If you go back and find it, probably save us all making the same post again. (Page 26)

Edited January 24, 2025 by tiger_rick

[Supremo]

A mostly fantastic show, completely undermined by such a rubbish ending.

Incredible venue. Even by current standards since they downsized, where most venues have been brilliant, this was easily the best one yet. Looked phenomenal.

Amazing opening segment. Everything clicked. Ospreay’s 90s haircut. Omega looking like a megastar coming out to, “Battle Cry,” with Cody-levels of pyro. Good promo. Crazy, wild, super-creative brawl. All building towards that ridiculous tag match, with genuine Match of the Year potential. Even at the end, when Omega’s music hit too soon, he still managed to pull it back and close on that great ad-lib about being scared of heights. Absolute home run segment. This is it. This is AEW. This felt like something straight out of 2021. Energy and pace that leaves you with a stitch.

Watching them fight four-on-two, doing all those crazy spots around the arena, I wonder if this leads to an eventual Ararchy in the Arena? Callis Family against Ospreay, Omega, Cassidy and a freshly turned babyface Hangman, maybe? Save him, Kenny!

Tag Title match was fantastic. Again, this is it. Peak AEW. No fucking about. Don’t try and placate everyone. Just do the brilliant thing that everyone knows is best for business. Loved all of this. All the credit in the world to Private Party. Their reign obviously amounted to fuck all, and the Randy Orton Sulky Face suggested they weren’t thrilled about losing, but they put an absolute shift in here and made Shelton and Lashley look amazing. Great bit of business. Seriously funny though that Private Party have now both won and lost the Tag Titles and Moxley has yet to even mention them.

Speaking of which, a surprisingly good promo from Moxley. That’s another frustration about this Death Rider angle. When it’s just played as a straight heel faction and they tie it back to them murdering Danielson, it shows some promise. But then every single time, without fail, they commit some dumb, goofy, cartoon crime and the whole thing turns to shit again. Mox talks like he’s in a Tarantino film, but then every backstage attack feels more like, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”

On the plus side, nice little nod to the Traitors from Wheeler Yuta, with the Claudia Winkleman fringe. I hope he found the time to catch up on last night’s episode between filming dumb skits with his goofy mates.

Them scripting Karen Jarrett to essentially apologise for last week’s MJF/Double J dreadful promo battle was cool. “I don’t want to see that again.” None of us do, Karen. Yet again, this felt like AEW at its best. Acknowledging something was shit, doing their best to not repeat it going forward.

You wonder what you even do with MJF at this point. Maybe there’s something there if they build on that tease with Hangman, but after last week I’ve lost all faith in him. Whatever he does and whoever he’s paired with, it’ll almost always be more rubbish promo battles, designed to make people go, “oooooooh!” Remember when Vince told Bret to go back to WCW and see if he can still get his old offer? Tony should tell Max to give Cody a ring and see if anything’s still on the table. MJF in WWE is better for everyone involved.

Harley Cameron being all over the show, being brilliant. Death of Rampage has blessed us all.

Great video package for Maria and Toni Storm. I can’t wait for Saturday’s angle. Does Timeless Toni reveal herself? Or do we stretch it out and she loses in Australia?

Spectacular bit of business from Christopher Daniels and Hangman Adam Page. Fair play to Daniels. I’ve hated his run as Interim EVP but he’s done wonders heating Page back up. This was amazing. Hangman’s, “….what?!” under his breath when Daniels announced he’d never wrestle again. The softening of his eyes and look of regret. Fucking amazing. Hangman is the best actor in the game and this Redemption Arc has limitless potential.

Really funny that the House of Black vignette made it look like Malakai had transformed into a dog. That should have been his gimmick from the start. Him doing the pro-wrestling version of CITV’s, “Woof,” would have been so much better than the boring goth, mumbling in riddles.

Boring main event. Whether it’s ring rust or the injury, this was the first time Cope really showed his age out there. He looked knackered. Another terrible backstage angle, too. Goofy, stupid nonsense. It genuinely fills me with dread assuming that Jay White will get the Title shot at Grand Slam, then Cope at Revolution, so on and so forth. Are we really going to still be doing this in March? April? The fucking Summer? Surely not.

The more The Golden Bruvvas, the Hurt Syndicate and Hangman Adam Page keep delivering, the worse The Death Riders look by contrast. With each passing week the chasm between the good and bad stuff on this show becomes wider. It’s embarrassing. Turn the plastic bags on yourselves.

Edited January 24, 2025 by Supremo

[Infinity Land]

14 minutes ago, Supremo said:

Really funny that the House or Black vignette made it look like Malakai had transformed into a dog.

Soon find out

Sit ✅

Paw ✅

Lie down ❌

[BrodyGraham]

40 minutes ago, Infinity Land said:

Soon find out

Sit ✅

Paw ✅

Lie down ❌

'Bark once for yes and twice for no, Malakai!'

(Dog barks constantly for 5 minutes and no one understands what it's talking about)

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Supremo said:

You wonder what you even do with MJF at this point. Maybe there’s something there if they build on that tease with Hangman, but after last week I’ve lost all faith in him. Whatever he does and whoever he’s paired with, it’ll almost always be more rubbish promo battles, designed to make people go, “oooooooh!” 

This is why I'm yearning for the Hangman feud, because Max wouldn't be able to do that with Hanger. MJF would go all "oooh, Swerve invaded your house, maybe I should invade your wife" and then Page would cave his skull in with a cowbell, pierce his heels with hooks, tie them to his horse and drag him around the arena like Achilles. He would hang him from the rafters by his Burberry scarf. He would brand him with his logo using real cattle brand. The feud can just be Max constantly writing cheques his body can't cash. It'd be great.

 

Wow, Hangman is everything Jon Moxley wishes he was, isn't he?

[BomberPat]

MJF is better when not stuck in Wrestling Promo mode - he has the same cadence all the time, leaves the same pauses, builds to his lines the same way, slows down for the serious bit, turns to talk into the camera at all the same points - but stick him in there with a Hangman or an Eddie Kingston, and they'll just shout over him rather than waiting for a pause to take their turn and say their bit. Those Kingston/Punk promo segments have broken all other wrestling mic segments for me, because people who hate each other don't just stand around waiting for an opening to make a rebuttal or say their piece, politely letting the other guy finish their line first, they shout over each other and argue. MJF is more believable when he's pushed into that space, and Jarrett's not the guy to do that, but Hangman could be.

And, yeah, if MJF's thing is finding people's weaknesses and insecurities and needling at them, finding the things they hate about themselves and exploiting them? Good luck doing that to Hangman Page - he's been doing that to himself for the last five years, there's nothing left to work with. "That's my secret Cap, I'm always anxious".

[Carbomb]

It struck me that all Jarrett had to do at the end of that cringey segment of MJF going after everything about him, then finishing on the big "zinger" about his friend, Owen Hart, was simply to say: "Yup, I had a friend - and you wouldn't know anything about that". 

(Assuming it's still "canon" that MJF is massively insecure about not having any friends.)

[Supremo]

I can’t let it go. As much as I thought most of MJF’s, “slams,” in that promo battle were tragically shit, the whole thing would have worked if delivered as a mad production, where he incorporated them into a country song, decked out in daft clobber inspired by Double J in the 90s.

Just add promo battles to the list. Something I never want to see again. Similarly, you know that thing where two guys start brawling, then the security breaks them up, the crowd chant, “let them fight,” and then one of them keeps breaking out to get a few more shots in? Yeah, chuck that in the bin, too. I’ve had my fill.

That’s half of the reason why the opening segment on Dynamite was so refreshing. It wasn’t every single brawl angle you’ve seen over the past few years. Security didn’t immediately run down to break them up. It was a wild, creative, insanely fun scrap with guys hitting wrestling moves in their street clothes, sliding their opponents across a long table like they’re in a Western (always brilliant) and diving off balconies. Fuckin’ A!

[LaGoosh]

4 minutes ago, Supremo said:

guys hitting wrestling moves in their street clothes

This is always the absolute coolest thing a wrestler can do.

[Supremo]

Everything about Ospreay’s look added to it. The hair. The clothes. He genuinely looked like a school kid who’s been attacked  by some bullies during lunch, only to reveal he’s a fucking Ninja.

I think that was the one saving grace about The Death Riders on this show; the throwaway comment from Ospreay about trying to address them as soon as he can. Abandon the Darby plan. Fast forward to that. Ospreay batters them all. In trackies and trainers.

If not Ospreay, I can think of some other lads who are primed and ready to put a stop to this Death Riders bullshit.

Edited January 24, 2025 by Supremo

[Gus Mears]

Give @Supremo the book. I've never wanted to see anything more than M Double J F.