The All Elite Wrestling Discussion Thread

[Jaysin]

1 hour ago, Matt_Black said:

You know, as not good as QTV segments have been (they make me nostalgic for a Dan Lambert Old Man Yelling At Clouds promo), Harley Cameron as managed to get herself on TV pretty much every week, which is hard if you're not Britt or feuding with Britt.

It's been reported that she just signed a full time contract. 

[Matt_Black]

5 hours ago, Jaysin said:

It's been reported that she just signed a full time contract. 

Which in an of itself doesn't mean anything, as there are a lot of women on the roster with full time contracts who we haven't seen on TV in FOREVER.

[Jaysin]

Nigel on commentary makes me smile so big. Man, I love him so much. 

[milamber]

- MJF (c) vs Page was solid. MJF's USA gear lol. Ethan with the fire promo. I hope he stays babyface.
- Dustin vs Hobbs was solid.
- Miro vs Henry was an OK squash. Need to get him into a feud soon.
- Jay with the golden puns. Lots of energy in this stable.
- Juice vs Starks was good.
- Christian lol.
- Frost vs Statlander (c) was solid. Bad choice putting an ad break during a short women's match.
- Roddy vs Joe was my MOTN. Made Joe look like a killer. I predict BCG will help him beat Punk.

[Matt_Black]

Nigel- "Juice is married to Toni Storm."
Me, thinking about how both bore me to tears- "Yeah, that tracks."

[Wrestling Machine]

Am I the only one who didn't like Mox vs. Ishii at all?

[Matt_Black]

I can't speak for everyone else, but I enjoyed the hell out of it.

[Jaysin]

Mox and Ishii was the bee's knees

[Wrestling Machine]

k

I guess we have different tastes, but maybe that's the beauty of pro wrestling

[Jaysin]

5 hours ago, Wrestling Machine said:

k

I guess we have different tastes, but maybe that's the beauty of pro wrestling

Oh for sure! Everyone has different tastes. I'm a huge fan of Ishii and his style. He was one of the talents that helped me get really absorbed in New Japan when I first started getting into the company, so there's some bias there. I thought it was one of Mox's better singles matches in recent memory. 

[Mootinie]

On 7/4/2023 at 6:26 PM, Wrestling Machine said:

Am I the only one who didn't like Mox vs. Ishii at all?

I could have done without the headbutts.

[Jaysin]

6 minutes ago, Mootinie said:

I could have done without the headbutts.

I agree. That stuff scares me. I've had a few concussions and they can be scary as hell. I hate that so many talents risk it. 

[aXminster]

Besides the main event, which was great, none of the other matches interested me. Lol at the Nitro ending when the feed is cut off during the run ins.
I love Don Callis just being a heat magnet. MJF is just amazing. Swerve vs Nick Wayne next week! Takeshita has such a great look now.

Cool use of more vignettes this week. They are trying to mix up the format a bit.

[Matt_Black]

Cole/ MJF match was good, though Menard was criminally underused (he's consistently one of the most entertaining acts on AEW when they give him time), but the post-match segment was GLORIOUS. The look on Adam Cole's face when Max was trying to put the birthday hat on...

Then there was the Ruby Soho/ Britt Baker match, which was the same Outcasts match we've been seeing for months. I should have known something was up when they trotted out the tournament belt, because they haven't shown that in over a year. It would be slightly more tolerable if there was an apparent endgame, like a clear person who is going to challenge (and beat) Toni Storm for the title. Are they waiting for Thunder Rosa or Hayter to get medically cleared? Are they still hoping to sign Mercedes? Are they letting enough time pass so that when Jade Cargill comes back she gets a HUGE babyface pop? (Having her be the Joker in the Women's Casino Battle Royal, if they do that this year, would be an ideal spot for this).

 

As it stands, this storyline has gotten incredibly monotonous and repetitive as the nWoutcasts do their tired, boring heel act.

[John Lions]

10 hours ago, Matt_Black said:

Cole/ MJF match was good, though Menard was criminally underused (he's consistently one of the most entertaining acts on AEW when they give him time), but the post-match segment was GLORIOUS. The look on Adam Cole's face when Max was trying to put the birthday hat on...

Then there was the Ruby Soho/ Britt Baker match, which was the same Outcasts match we've been seeing for months. I should have known something was up when they trotted out the tournament belt, because they haven't shown that in over a year. It would be slightly more tolerable if there was an apparent endgame, like a clear person who is going to challenge (and beat) Toni Storm for the title. Are they waiting for Thunder Rosa or Hayter to get medically cleared? Are they still hoping to sign Mercedes? Are they letting enough time pass so that when Jade Cargill comes back she gets a HUGE babyface pop? (Having her be the Joker in the Women's Casino Battle Royal, if they do that this year, would be an ideal spot for this).

 

As it stands, this storyline has gotten incredibly monotonous and repetitive as the nWoutcasts do their tired, boring heel act.

I feel like they are rerunning the Rocky storyline with Jamie and Toni, and Jamie will be back for Wembley. An injured champion gets squashed in a short non-match, leading to the triumphant babyface return and victory in front of her hometown crowd on PPV. All banking on Hayter not still being out by then, but I'm optimistic considering she was still able to take some bumps in her DoN match.

[milamber]

- OC & Darby vs Swerve & Lee was great.
- Nick Wayne hype. Jack jumping into cars is almost a running gag. MJF & Cole gym buddies.
- Acclaimed vs Blade & B-Boyz was solid. Harley being pushed.
- Nails on a Chalkboard level theme. Callis still getting mega heat.
- Good promos from Mox, Yuta, Punk & Joe.
- MJF & Cole vs Magic Meat was solid. Birthday celebration lol. Charlie on TV.
- Britt talking a big game. Please break up JAS.
- DMD vs Ruby was solid. Green vs Blue next round.
- Yuta vs Omega was my MOTN. Kenny playing up Tiger Driver damage. Takeshita looking like a boss. Long overrun on FITE.

[ColdBloodedSausageMaker]

Should be a great match. Hope we see some build on either Collision or on Dynamite. Mark Briscoe is great, win or lose hope to see him more. Mark Briscoe would be the perfect opponent for MJF. The matches would be great, and MJF has a "rich kid" quality to his gimmick that makes a "good 'ol boy" like Mark Briscoe a perfect foil. I hope Tony Khan books it at some point. Edited July 7, 2023 by ColdBloodedSausageMaker

[Wrestling Machine]

MJF is the best thing that ever happened to AEW hands down.

That Omega neck landing scared me, but thank God it seems like it was a work, right??

Edited July 7, 2023 by Wrestling Machine

[milamber]

On 7/7/2023 at 3:14 PM, Wrestling Machine said:

MJF is the best thing that ever happened to AEW hands down.

That Omega neck landing scared me, but thank God it seems like it was a work, right??

https://uproxx.com/sports/kenny-omega-interview-aew-forbidden-door-tiger-driver-91-fight-forever/

 

 

[Matt_Black]

I'll say it- FTR vs. Bullet Club was too long. They could have cut some of that and given Julia Hart an actual opponent from the roster, or maybe have set up a feud or storyline in a post-match segmen. One women's match per show, we need more than a squash match over a local jobber, especially when there are so many women on the roster who haven't been on TV in months.

[milamber]

- Straight into the promos... I like it.
- Hobbs vs Ricky was good. Hobbs finally going solo.
- Miro the Loveless. I'm glad Willow & Athena got a segment.
- Hart vs Hall was a solid squash.
- Good Black promo. Andrade did well. Can't be easy cutting promos in a 2nd language.
- BCG vs FTR was my MOTN. PPV quality match.
- Good Spears promo.
- Andretti vs Scorpio was solid.
- Joe vs Punk was good. I don't mind Punk winning if he puts over Ricky in the Final.

Best Collision so far even without a full women's match. Crowd was small but loud. Nigel & Kevin are starting to gel but they need a 3rd announcer with more personality.

[aXminster]

The tag match was very good but it did have too many false finishes and the actual finish was just flat.

[Blackman]

Wow. They feature Joe vs Punk somewhere in some tournament. I already knew Punk would win, though I refused to believe it. The ending to that match was average at best. They put the ending on youtube with the all-caps "18 YEARS IN THE MAKING". How dare they even reference it and proceed to crap all over the history.

They could've went for this and make something meaningful - potentially even legendary - but it's all just short-term booking. I guess that's what I don't like about AEW. Granted, I only watched the youtube segment and didn't watch the full match, let alone show, but somehow I don't believe there's much quality to be found in AEW. Still haven't gotten a single of their PPV's because I just don't get hyped for any of it. Seeing this wasted opportunity just strenghtens my opinion on this company.

edit: nvm. I watched the promo before and it appears it's an Owen Hart tribute. I guess putting on this match could be interpreted as respect towards Owen, but there were alternatives. Anyhow I probably shouldn't be this harsh.

I should probably just let AEW be and stop being frustrated about the way they handle the industry. Example: Julia Hart had a match with a local, which is introduced as "tough as a buck". Yet she finched with every weak-looking strike Julia threw at her. The size difference is also handled poorly, as Julia nearly got dropped while performing an offensive move herself. And this was a match less than 2 minutes long... Why do they put W-L records on like it's some legitimite company and then proceed to use an insane amount of jobbers to raise these up? It doesn't make sense. It's a joke. This is the same card as the Punk vs Joe match ffs! The worst thing is the other girl is made to look like an idiot. They probably feel great to be featured in a main show, but doesn't this damage her credibility a lot? She did a good job however, and that's what matters, but these... fans probably don't see it that way.

As for the fans: I thought AEW was populated by disgruntled WWE fans that were disillusioned by the product, but it appears they are just... "new" fans? They post "Julia's so awesome", "Her psychology has improved so much", "What a winning streak: give her the title!"... What? Either she got build up from a skill-less manager to a halfway decent worker (I'm guessing this is the case, and props to her for that, but couldn't you improve in training first?), or their standards really are low. At least they are screaming "JULIA! JULIA!" even though she's clearly a heel, which again, just alienates the product imo.

[Eternal Phoenix]

Julia Hart was never quite a skill less manager. She's very young at 21 (AEW's youngest until Nick Wayne officially debuts next week, I'm pretty sure), and she is noticeably better than she was in her initial babyface cheerleader semi-valet days a couple of years ago. Her character work has especially improved by leaps and bounds with the House of Black. She's arguably still in a semi-valet role, as she doesn't wrestle on TV that often. More often simply escorting HoB. As for cheering for heels and all the rest, I mean...welcome to the post kayfabe/smart mark era, my brother. People root for their favorites regardless of alignment or skill level just because they like 'em. I dunno what to tell you. I mean, you've been here longer than me. I'm sure you know the lay of land of this front better than I do. I mean that as respectfully as possible.

[The Blonde Bomber]

5 hours ago, Blackman said:

Wow. They feature Joe vs Punk somewhere in some tournament. I already knew Punk would win, though I refused to believe it. The ending to that match was average at best. They put the ending on youtube with the all-caps "18 YEARS IN THE MAKING". How dare they even reference it and proceed to crap all over the history.

They could've went for this and make something meaningful - potentially even legendary - but it's all just short-term booking. I guess that's what I don't like about AEW. Granted, I only watched the youtube segment and didn't watch the full match, let alone show, but somehow I don't believe there's much quality to be found in AEW. Still haven't gotten a single of their PPV's because I just don't get hyped for any of it. Seeing this wasted opportunity just strenghtens my opinion on this company.

edit: nvm. I watched the promo before and it appears it's an Owen Hart tribute. I guess putting on this match could be interpreted as respect towards Owen, but there were alternatives. Anyhow I probably shouldn't be this harsh.

I should probably just let AEW be and stop being frustrated about the way they handle the industry. Example: Julia Hart had a match with a local, which is introduced as "tough as a buck". Yet she finched with every weak-looking strike Julia threw at her. The size difference is also handled poorly, as Julia nearly got dropped while performing an offensive move herself. And this was a match less than 2 minutes long... Why do they put W-L records on like it's some legitimite company and then proceed to use an insane amount of jobbers to raise these up? It doesn't make sense. It's a joke. This is the same card as the Punk vs Joe match ffs! The worst thing is the other girl is made to look like an idiot. They probably feel great to be featured in a main show, but doesn't this damage her credibility a lot? She did a good job however, and that's what matters, but these... fans probably don't see it that way.

As for the fans: I thought AEW was populated by disgruntled WWE fans that were disillusioned by the product, but it appears they are just... "new" fans? They post "Julia's so awesome", "Her psychology has improved so much", "What a winning streak: give her the title!"... What? Either she got build up from a skill-less manager to a halfway decent worker (I'm guessing this is the case, and props to her for that, but couldn't you improve in training first?), or their standards really are low. At least they are screaming "JULIA! JULIA!" even though she's clearly a heel, which again, just alienates the product imo.

I feel this, AEW has had a lot of missed opportunities. I liked the first episode of collision but since haven’t been enjoying it. Though I have enjoyed anything punk has done watching on YouTube. AEW is just WWE with more mature content at this point with wrestlers like Jericho, The Elite, and BBC populating a lot of the card.