Paid Members Lorne Malvo Posted January 9 Paid Members Posted January 9 A decent show on the whole this week, even if this company feels massively in stasis at the moment and needs a huge shakeup. Felt like I was in Bizarro World™ this week as I thought the Moxley match was shit and boring but really enjoyed Sammy Guevara. A real throwback to his 2020 little shit peak where you just wanted the smug prick to get battered. The 21-Plex is awful and the one thing holding Bandido back from being a genuine top guy in my eyes. That GTS-esque move he does is a much better finisher. Good main event despite JR having a sulk on for most of it. Harley Cameron in that dress specifically is my wrestler of the year so far. Glad to hear I wasn't the only one puzzled by Excalibur's FTR/Andrade comments. I wouldn't mind Excalibur having a bit of an extended holiday to be honest, I really like him but more and more mistakes keep creeping into his commentary to the point it feels like he might need a bit of a break. The problem is who replaces him? Quote
Paid Members Statto Posted January 9 Paid Members Posted January 9 It crossed my mind during the show that I think I'd quite like AEW to really break the cycle of wrestling shows having a fixed announce team - Dynamite has been pretty changeable of late but it's still tended to be Excalibur & Schiavone plus A.N. Other. They've got a huge roster of potential announcers: Lead/PBP : Excalibur, Riccaboni, Schiavone, JR, maybe even Paul Wight Analyst/colour : Taz, Danielson, Nigel, Menard, Caprice, Schiavone, JR, Wight + any number of guest active wrestlers/managers/backstage folks who could be interesting I guess there's a lot to be said for chemistry etc but I think it'd be fresh to tune into a show and hear a new set of voices each week. If it were up to me I'd probably anchor any team with Excalibur or Riccaboni (prefer Schiavone in the secondary role & don't think JR's up to it anymore, even leaving aside health concerns & the fact he seems to hate the product a lot of the time) but without fixing them to a particular weekly show, then completely rotate who they're with. Quote
Paid Members BomberPat Posted January 9 Paid Members Posted January 9 it definitely feels like Excalibur might be a bit burned out. I wouldn't be against Riccaboni stepping in to replace him for a little while, or taking some of Excalibur's "frantically run down the card for the next three shows" responsibilities away from him so he can focus on actual commentary; put RJ City in the Control Centre to do that stuff. Quote
Paid Members RedTwoster Posted January 9 Author Paid Members Posted January 9 (edited) I thought Paul Wight was good on Elevation, I don’t know what the heck they have him doing in his day-to-day, but it’s weird that they’ve not given him a run-out on any of their shows. As pointless at ROH is, they have a great announce team and I’d like to see both men used more. Excalibur is clearly - and understandably - burned out, and could do with a bit of time off to recharge his batteries a little. As large as their announcer roster is, it’s kinda mad that they’ve don’t have a female voice on any of their shows. There absolutely must be an overlooked talent out there who would make a show feel fresh and different by the very fact she’s not a middle-aged white man. Shaking up the commentary desk would go some way towards making shows feel refreshed, I think. Edited January 9 by RedTwoster Quote
Paid Members Supremo Posted January 9 Paid Members Posted January 9 54 minutes ago, Lorne Malvo said: I wouldn't mind Excalibur having a bit of an extended holiday to be honest, I really like him but more and more mistakes keep creeping into his commentary to the point it feels like he might need a bit of a break. The problem is who replaces him? That lad in the Raw thread would hit the roof! Quote
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted January 9 Awards Moderator Posted January 9 I didn't mind Jericho on commentary during the pandemic shows! 21 minutes ago, RedTwoster said: As large as their announcer roster is, it’s kinda mad that they’ve don’t have a female voice on any of their shows. There absolutely must be an overlooked talent out there who would make a show feel fresh and different by the very fact she’s not a middle-aged white man. Shaking up the commentary desk would go some way towards making shows feel refreshed, I think. Did Renee not give it a try briefly when she was in WWE? I can't imagine she'd be anything less than good, and she can still do interviews as well - Schiavone sometimes does both after all. Quote
Chili Posted January 9 Posted January 9 Renee wasn't very good if I recall when she did NXT. She was similar to when Gene Okerlund did commentary and would just make 'arghh' or 'oww' noises when people took bumps. Quote
Infinity Land Posted January 9 Posted January 9 If the announce teams get changed up. Bring back Team Taz. Brian Cage, Ricky Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs, Hook, Dante Martin have rarely been more interesting than when they were in the Team Taz colours. Quote
Paid Members BomberPat Posted January 9 Paid Members Posted January 9 Renee apparently really disliked doing commentary too, and has rejected suggestions of doing it again. I can't think of any women in AEW that I think would translate into being good full-time commentators, but that's not always the best way to find a commentator anyway, there might be someone who's a great broadcaster out there with no prior wrestling experience. Quote
Paid Members RedTwoster Posted January 9 Author Paid Members Posted January 9 59 minutes ago, HarmonicGenerator said: Did Renee not give it a try briefly when she was in WWE? I can't imagine she'd be anything less than good, and she can still do interviews as well - Schiavone sometimes does both after all. She did, and she was awful at it. It’s weirdly reassuring that even someone as talented as she is can’t do everything. Nyla Rose does commentary for Mystery Wrestling, and having watched some clips online, she’s really fucking good. If they’re not going to use her as a wrestler - which they absolutely should - they could do worse than to add her to the announce roster on a trial basis. She’s got the kind of wit about her that has made the best AEW commentators shine. Quote
Paid Members Supremo Posted January 9 Paid Members Posted January 9 (edited) I love Renee and think she’s one of the most valuable non-wrestlers in the industry. She was dreadful at commentary in WWE. Every now and then when I hear it back, she’s even worse than I remember. I’m sure half of it was commentating on one of the worst products of all time - 2018 WWE - as well as having Vince at his most insane shouting in your ears, but it was crazy how uncomfortable and awkward Renee was at the desk. The complete opposite to how effortlessly charming and switched on she is at presenting and interviewing. I don’t mind Excalibur, but agree the product would improve if he was phased out a little. First thing they need to abandon is that thing at the start of a show where he runs down the card and always gets mixed up with the graphics displayed. Absolute torture every time. I wouldn’t mind them doing on the regular Dynamites what they do on the big three-hour blocks, where they swap Excalibur out for Nigel McGuinness half way through. And then just bring Jim Ross out for the stuff he likes. It was great listening to him pop his tits off for the Gates of Agony this week. Triple Somaon Drop?! Bah Gawd! Jim was buzzing! Edited January 9 by Supremo Quote
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted January 9 Paid Members Posted January 9 3 hours ago, HarmonicGenerator said: I didn't mind Jericho on commentary during the pandemic shows! He was really good. He was a bit of a nuisance when they shoehorned him in at other times, a bit like Don Callis now but, he was great at that time. He was absolutely vital through that whole period. It's easy to forget that the biggest challenge to wrestling broadcasting ever came in the company's first half a year producing TV and having Jericho on board in that first year was incredibly helpful. You can understand why TK felt such loyalty towards him. I've barely enjoyed him since 2021 and have been at the stage were I never want to see him work again for the last year or two but, I'd never re-write history. Quote
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted January 9 Paid Members Posted January 9 (edited) Renee's hair was beautiful this week. Have there ever been four more incredible women in a ring at the same time? I love how completely different and yet utterly stunning they all are. Imagine turning down the lights on this segment? Fuck sake, Tone. Edited January 9 by tiger_rick Quote
Paid Members Kamran Posted January 10 Paid Members Posted January 10 (edited) We're back at the ESports arena for Collision tonight: Edited January 10 by Kamran Quote
Paid Members RedTwoster Posted January 11 Author Paid Members Posted January 11 I really hope Collision doesn’t go back to being a show consisting of entirely predictable matches, because that’s what this show was, for the second week in a row. The wrestling was good, but the it’s hard to feel invested when the outcomes are so obvious. Firstly, Sky Flight. Never mind having a glass of water, have a glass of Sky Flight instead. Bland and flavourless, I’m not even sure why they exist. Top Flight are still spectacular though, and I think they could do worse than to break them off and push them as a top tag team. A credible Top Flight vs Jetspeed could have brain-busting levels of athleticism. Hechicero Is one of the most wasted talents on AEW television. He’s so unique, and if he was pushed and made to look more credible, he has real ‘final boss’ vibes about him. He’s menacing, and brilliant. He may be older, but he’s worth pushing. Don Callis is on excursion to NJPW. Great. Here’s hoping he’s sent on a trip to the depths of space next. In spite of this, the fucker still found a way to appear on Collision more than once. Fucking hell. I’ve not seen a huge amount of Lady Frost, but I thought she looked decent. Well worth signing if she isn’t already. The Brodie King squash matches are fun. I’d love to see them make both halves of Brodido main even players in 2026. El Clon dropped the C outfit, good choice. Given that he looks nothing like Hologram, I’m not sure what exactly he’s a ‘clone’ of. But I do know that it’s one of the worst AEW gimmicks ever, not least because the man under the mask is genuinely interesting and memorable when he is actually unmasked. It’s such a waste of the guy. I hope they unmask him sooner rather than later. Quote
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