Infinity Land Posted January 11 Posted January 11 (edited) 6 hours ago, RedTwoster said: I’ve not seen a huge amount of Lady Frost, but I thought she looked decent. Well worth signing if she isn’t already. One of those that's been signed for years but more of an ROH person and designated job guy for AEW. ___________ Really only skimmed last week so I wasn't paying the best attention to notice or it was the contrast with having Dynamite back in a 20k arena with 2k there. I really liked the handful of production improvements that have been made compared to the first residency at the eSports Arena. First time it was just floor seating which just empty black walls with some barely visible posters the crowd in relative darkness. There's now the raised bleachers and the screens up top when viewing from the hard cam. The brightness it all allows for is a vast improvement. Collision itself was pretty decent with nothing too special. It's not a surprise that with the residency TK has slipped back into the comfort of low stakes B show maintenance booking. Edited January 11 by Infinity Land Quote
Paid Members RedTwoster Posted January 11 Author Paid Members Posted January 11 4 hours ago, Infinity Land said: Collision itself was pretty decent with nothing too special. It's not a surprise that with the residency TK has slipped back into the comfort of low stakes B show maintenance booking. They didn’t do that last time they had a residency - in fact, they barely did it at all on Collision last year, it was by far the most consistent wrestling TV show. I don’t really know why Khan slips into these habits, but I suspect burnout has something to do with it - booking Dynamite, Collision and ROH each week can surely only lead to diminishing returns. He should hand ROH over to someone else, and focus on the programming that actually matters. Quote
Paid Members Lorne Malvo Posted January 11 Paid Members Posted January 11 I thought it was a much better show than last week, even if most of the matches were low-stakes predictable affairs. Briscoe vs Hechicero was great. I don't know if Hechicero will ever be presented above 'henchman for a faction' but when he's on form he's one of my favourites to watch, so fun in the ring. The main event and Komander vs El Clon were both really good too, and they've wisely got rid of El Clon's big C. I even enjoyed SkyFlight here! The only disappointment on this show was Mercedes announcing she's going away for a while, but phasing people in and out isn't the worst idea and helps keep the roster/division fresh I guess. The whole company does need something big to happen soon though as I don't think there's been a single notable storyline development since Worlds End. Hopefully they've got something in the bag for Maximum Carnage. Quote
Paid Members RedTwoster Posted January 12 Author Paid Members Posted January 12 2 hours ago, Lorne Malvo said: Briscoe vs Hechicero was great. I don't know if Hechicero will ever be presented above 'henchman for a faction' but when he's on form he's one of my favourites to watch, so fun in the ring. I feel the same, he’s so built that he feels very different from the kind of Lucha wrestlers we’ve seen in American companies, and he’s pretty menacing - he reminds me of Mil Muertes in that sense. I know he’s on the older side, but you wouldn’t know it and I think they could be getting much more out of him than they are. 2 hours ago, Lorne Malvo said: The only disappointment on this show was Mercedes announcing she's going away for a while, but phasing people in and out isn't the worst idea and helps keep the roster/division fresh I guess. Yeah, after a rough start, she has become one of the best AEW signings ever, and arguably one of the most important given the difference she’s made to the perception of their women’s division. Without her and Toni Storm, who knows where they’d be. Quote
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted January 12 Paid Members Posted January 12 (edited) 8 hours ago, RedTwoster said: I think they could be getting much more out of him than they are. Sadly, I think you could say this about 99% of the roster right now. I also love me some Hechicero and would love to see more of him in ring. His unique style makes him an interesting opponent for pretty much anyone. I'm hoping Bandido beats MJF on Wednesday. Anything to give this company a shot in the arm at this point would be most welcome. And MJF is rubbish and Bandido is fantastic. Edited January 12 by LaGoosh Quote
Paid Members Lorne Malvo Posted January 12 Paid Members Posted January 12 I've been making the mistake of watching some 2019 through to 2021 AEW lately, and it's just served to highlight how drab the shows are currently. It used to be so much better. Mid-card storylines which seem to have all but disappeared, almost everyone on the roster being over, even little things like the staging and lighting being much more colourful. One of the biggest changes I noticed was the demographic of the crowd. It used to be a much more diverse crowd with almost as many women as men, and more families/young lads dressed like Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin. Now it's 90% neckbeards, I still love AEW but I don't think they'll ever get the magic of those early years back. Quote
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted January 12 Paid Members Posted January 12 3 minutes ago, Lorne Malvo said: even little things like the staging and lighting being much more colourful. The general TV presentation is something I'd love for them to change up pretty drastically this year. It's so generic now. Big screens, wide shots with loads of empty space, entrances with no colour. They really need to freshen the look of the show and start being more creative, colourful and experimental. They will never have the budget to compete with WWE's production so they shouldn't even be trying - they should be doing all they can to be different from it rather than looking like WWE-lite. Quote
Paid Members RedTwoster Posted January 12 Author Paid Members Posted January 12 43 minutes ago, Lorne Malvo said: I still love AEW but I don't think they'll ever get the magic of those early years back. I think the decision to push harder on AEW being ‘for the sickos’ is an underrated mistake. While there’s not, in theory, anything wrong with having a company that does that, it narrows your audience in a way that AEW doesn’t need to do by being a bit off-putting. AEW’s best storylines are just good storylines. You don’t have to be a ‘sicko’ to enjoy their best characters - in fact, many of them are more contemporary than anything WWE has to offer. Similarly, you don’t have to be a ‘sicko’ to enjoy their style of wrestling. Bloodbath-match aside, I’d argue that it’s a more punter-friendly style of wrestling than the so-called ‘WWE-style’. The main thing, as far as I can think, that makes it ‘for sickos’ are the marathon-length PPVs and TV tapings, and I think most of us would agree that they’d be better off cutting the length of those. The ‘for the sickos’ tagline is going to be a barrier to attracting the diverse audience you’re talking about, and very little of what they’re doing isn’t something that could be enjoyed by a broad audience. Good is good at the end of the day, no matter your level of fandom. ’Where the best wrestle’ is much better, but I still think they could be better at getting across this isn’t a niche product; at its best, it can be as good as any wrestling or non-wrestling TV show out there. Quote
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted January 12 Paid Members Posted January 12 (edited) Has the "For the sickos" actually been said on TV? I've seen Tony say it on Twitter a few times but I assumed it was tongue in cheek. I don't think it's an official slogan by any means, "Where the best wrestle" is actually a good tagline and should be dropped at the opening of every show and mentioned at least 3 times each episode. It's that type of branding that they aren't very good at putting out there and drilling home and need to get better at. It needs to be side by side with the company name in all promotion material. Edited January 12 by LaGoosh Quote
Paid Members RedTwoster Posted January 12 Author Paid Members Posted January 12 25 minutes ago, LaGoosh said: Has the "For the sickos" actually been said on TV? I've seen Tony say it on Twitter a few times but I assumed it was tongue in cheek. I don't think it's an official slogan by any means It has, although it’s more its use on social media etc that I think is an issue. If someone has already decided to watch the TV show, a reference to ‘sickos’ isn’t likely to make them turn over. Selling t-shirts with ‘For the sickos’ on it, on the other hand, feels a bit gate keepery. Bloodbath matches aside, I think AEW offers a more punter-friendly show than WWE does. Imagine taking a non-wrestling fan along to a streamlined AEW PPV, or to a Dynamite taping that wasn’t overly long - they’d have a great time. One of AEW’s weaknesses is, in a weird way, very inclusive to new fans - its tendency to run inconsequential shows that are perfectly enjoyable as a standalone episode. If a non-fan went along to Saturday’s Collision and that’s all they saw rather than unnecessary padding, they’d really enjoy themselves. AEW has a live product that should feel unmissable, but they make it unappealing through running tapings that turn into endurance tests. Quote
Daddymagic Posted January 12 Posted January 12 Watched my first full episode of AEW in 18 months + yesterday (this weeks Dynamite) My main takeaway was how little has changed in terms of structure , lack of feuds, still having lots of very talented people standing around not doing much. Young Bucks back to being the Young Bucks except this time they looked fed up. Jack Perry has his old theme back, but is dressed like OutBack Jack. Sammy Guevarra in the main event? In 2026? Really? Commentary wasn't great still, set and look was the same, and there was a hint that MJF is still Doing the Edgelord gimmick that was stale years ago. I'll give Collisson a chance tomorrow but have to say nothing gripped me Quote
Paid Members BomberPat Posted January 12 Paid Members Posted January 12 1 minute ago, Daddymagic said: Sammy Guevarra in the main event? In 2026? Really? He wasn't, there were two matches after Sammy's. Quote
Daddymagic Posted January 12 Posted January 12 Just now, BomberPat said: He wasn't, there were two matches after Sammy's. It was promoted as the main event throughout the first half Quote
Paid Members Hannibal Scorch Posted January 12 Paid Members Posted January 12 1 hour ago, Daddymagic said: It was promoted as the main event throughout the first half He was not Quote
Paid Members RedTwoster Posted January 12 Author Paid Members Posted January 12 (edited) 2 hours ago, Daddymagic said: It was promoted as the main event throughout the first half Are you sure you actually watched this and not some sort of YouTube highlights package? I don’t recall that at all, and the main event was the lights out match between Swerve/Page and The Opps (although if that was technically an ‘unsanctioned’ match, I guess technically it was Storm and Shafir? I’ve no idea how these things are supposed to work from a Mayfair POV…) Edited January 12 by RedTwoster Quote
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