AEW TV 2025 Discussion

[DavidB6937]

52 minutes ago, Chili said:

It's less on indictment on how AEW is in 2025 but I rewatched some 2021 recently when AEW was pissing must see '97 style TV every week when they went back to the live crowds and this still might be one of my favourite match openings in years. That incredible shit eating grin to camera that Kingston pulls is an all-timer. Top class sell from Punk. Absolutely incredible this was at a push a two and bit week feud and yet I felt completely satisfied by it. Proper big fight feel. God I cannot wait for Eddie Kingston to come marching back out on TV bellowing all sorts of obscenities. 

 

And the key thing being you felt there was genuine animosity there. Too many feuds settle in to the routine of a wrestling match or your typical promos despite them apparently hating each other. These guys just felt like two blokes that wanted to twat each other.

[tiger_rick]

12 hours ago, Chili said:

It's less on indictment on how AEW is in 2025 but I rewatched some 2021 recently when AEW was pissing must see '97 style TV every week when they went back to the live crowds and this still might be one of my favourite match openings in years. That incredible shit eating grin to camera that Kingston pulls is an all-timer. Top class sell from Punk. Absolutely incredible this was at a push a two and bit week feud and yet I felt completely satisfied by it. Proper big fight feel. God I cannot wait for Eddie Kingston to come marching back out on TV bellowing all sorts of obscenities. 

 

Imagine Eddie wanders out while Moxley is cutting one of his promos, tells him "Jon, what the fuck are you doing mate? Let's sort your head out." Six weeks of skits. Eddie takes Jon drinking. Eddie takes Jon to Alcatraz. Eddie takes Jon for NY pizza. Eddie takes Jon hiking in the desert. Eddie takes Jon to Disney. Eddie takes Jon bowling. They're fucking great at it. Fred Flintstone great.

Next week, out they wander. Eddie says the mission is to be tag champs. Eddie & Jon beat every tag team in the promotion. End result Hurt Syndicate vs. Eddie & Mox. 7 million buys.

[Lorne Malvo]

The Timeless Toni reveal was so shit that it soured me on the show, but the rest was actually pretty good looking back.

If I was 10 years old the Hounds of Hell would instantly become my favourite wrestlers. Just two take-no-shit bad-arses who look the part. Infinitely better than the House of Black already. Between Murder Machines, Hurt Syndicate and Hounds of Hell, the tag division has some real bruisers in it right now.

Was great to see Samoa Joe back. Just think, we could have a Trios division consisting of Rated FTR feuding with Shibata, Hook and Joe with The Patriarchy and Undisputed Kingdom in the mix if Tony Khan wasn't intent on keeping the belt on teams that don't wrestle Trios matches.

Everything involving Big Bill vs Powerhouse Hobbs was brilliant.

Yuka Sakazaki is this months recipient of the 'here, have a title shot before we forget about you again' award. Congratulations Yuka!

The most overwhelming feeling coming out of this weeks show was frustration. When AEW get it right they are my favourite pro-wrestling ever. But they don't half like to make it bloody difficult.

[FUM]

4 hours ago, Lorne Malvo said:

The Timeless Toni reveal was so shit that it soured me on the show, but the rest was actually pretty good looking back.

Thought it was very good and the only thing they got wrong with it, for me, was the camera work. Should have got themselves some iconic video shots there and instead they put the camera on Mariah or to Toni’s back.

I’ve been enjoying AEW of late. I generally don’t stick round this long when I come back to it and it’s had me continuing to watch since the start of the year. Hopefully it keeps firing.

Edited January 29, 2025 by FUM
Need spelling lessons

[Supremo]

It’s the greatest tragedy of our time. Moxley in the best shape of his life, more locked in and passionate than ever, but for a deeply flawed, completely unsalvageable, shit idea.

Me, shutting the fuck up and enjoying the ride.

[DavidB6937]

Yeah he really doesn't give a shit does he. Just doing whatever the fuck he wants at this point.

[Daaaaaad!]

It's a real rollercoaster ride.

 

[Guest]

Main eventing with an ice cold Mercedes Main was certainly a choice. 

[tiger_rick]

I thought that was another ridiculously fun show. Hangman walking into Swerve's dressing room just for a second was 7 stars. Hanger bumping into Max again was no coincidence. They going Max v Hanger or is Hanger putting his band together? I dunno but I like it.

I like how much more emphasis they are putting on stuff. They're not dumbing it down but ensuring that Kenny & Ospreay's incredible dives were shown again, the Callis beat down was repeated and emphasised, the match in Australia was emphasised several times. Just much better focus on what they want to matter on the shows. Death Riders, Kenny & Ospreay vs. Callis Family, Mariah vs. Toni, Hurt Syndicate, Jarrett's title chase. It's much better. Max's shit-eating "Ain't I great?" was bloody hilarious.

Is Hobbs genuinely hurt? That would suck. And on the same show as we get a teaser for the Gunns coming back. Man, this roster often feels cursed.

I like the decision to main event with Mercedes. There was nothing riding on the match, which is often a problem, because no-one believes these belts are switching, but it's the right thing to do. It's the complete opposite of telling us that losers like Kommander are stars. Mercedes always wins, she's main eventing, she's got all the gold, she's the last thing you see on this show. It's absolutely right. If it doesn't work, that's on her, but they're giving it the best chance to come over.

Crowd wasn't great. They said a hundred times where they were and I've still forgotten. Get them on the skip list anyway.

[RedTwoster]

It’s a real shame that they followed a strong Collision with that. It was a show rammed with that AEW habit of running overly long, predictable matches. Literally every match had a foreseeable outcome. I find matches like that boring, even if the actual wrestling is good. It wasn't a show that catered to my tastes, to be honest.

Edited January 30, 2025 by RedTwoster

[Hannibal Scorch]

@BomberPati read he received a cut on Collision so wasn’t cleared but Hobbs is expected back next week.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, tiger_rick said:

I thought that was another ridiculously fun show. Hangman walking into Swerve's dressing room just for a second was 7 stars. Hanger bumping into Max again was no coincidence. They going Max v Hanger or is Hanger putting his band together? I dunno but I like it.

I like how much more emphasis they are putting on stuff. They're not dumbing it down but ensuring that Kenny & Ospreay's incredible dives were shown again, the Callis beat down was repeated and emphasised, the match in Australia was emphasised several times. Just much better focus on what they want to matter on the shows. Death Riders, Kenny & Ospreay vs. Callis Family, Mariah vs. Toni, Hurt Syndicate, Jarrett's title chase. It's much better. Max's shit-eating "Ain't I great?" was bloody hilarious.

Is Hobbs genuinely hurt? That would suck. And on the same show as we get a teaser for the Gunns coming back. Man, this roster often feels cursed.

I like the decision to main event with Mercedes. There was nothing riding on the match, which is often a problem, because no-one believes these belts are switching, but it's the right thing to do. It's the complete opposite of telling us that losers like Kommander are stars. Mercedes always wins, she's main eventing, she's got all the gold, she's the last thing you see on this show. It's absolutely right. If it doesn't work, that's on her, but they're giving it the best chance to come over.

Crowd wasn't great. They said a hundred times where they were and I've still forgotten. Get them on the skip list anyway.

The problem wasn't so much that Mercedes main evented, it's that she main evented against someone who got the match from a random four way on Collision that we never see, and never wins anything. It was classic middle of the show fodder. 

Hobbs wasn't properly cleared because some stitches need to heal a bit more.  Annoying, but I'll live with it.

That said, I otherwise really enjoyed a lot of the show. I think my favourite bit was MJF being gotten to just at the existence of Hangman. "No matter what he does, the people love him, but I so much as breathe wrong...." Excellent stuff, and far better from him.

Hangman looking for Swerve, dropping the growl from his voice. It's happening. The Fallen Angel sacrificed himself to bring Adam Page back from Hell. I don't want the Swerve Hangman feud to resolve, to the extent that I actually hope we don't see any more teases of them interacting for a bit, but just that, Hangman letting go of revenge and feuding with Max? Yes please.

 

[ReturnOfTheMack]

Brian Cage just standing there while Omega chaired Archer was lovely. I know people have to wait for moves, but that was so poorly done that I loved it, like Cages brain had just shut off for a second (I can relate).

[tiger_rick]

3 minutes ago, ReturnOfTheMack said:

Brian Cage just standing there while Omega chaired Archer was lovely. I know people have to wait for moves, but that was so poorly done that I loved it, like Cages brain had just shut off for a second (I can relate).

Cage running into Archer off the frankensteiner was pretty poor too. Keep it simple. There's a reason he looks incredible and has never been a proper star.

[HarmonicGenerator]

“I don’t hate how you operate…”

I muted the rest of the Dax promo after that. For fuck’s sake Dax, they operate by trying to murder people they even tried to murder you and still you go on about how you don’t mind it . I despair at the whole Death Riders angle. I’ve watched AEW since the beginning and don’t ever skip anything but I might have to start fast forwarding through Death Riders stuff. It’s just so shit.

I also take back my benefit of the doubt with Swerve and AR Fox going 50-50 last week, because they had him do the same with Ricochet this week. I guess AR Fox is just on the top stars’ level.

There was plenty of stuff to enjoy on this show. I can’t remember what, but I’m sure there was. I’ll have to go back and rewatch the Hangman bit.