The All Elite Wrestling Discussion Thread

[guyver3]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Jaysin" data-cite="Jaysin" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46243" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>That Christopher Daniels anti Dark Order vignette was amazing. <p> </p><p> How has no one referred to them as the Dork Order? It just popped in my head</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Cornette has been calling them that since they first showed up.</p>

[Jaysin]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Self" data-cite="Self" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46243" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Bit repetitive this week. Trios. Dives. Superplexes. <p> </p><p> Not a very strong debut for Death Triangle, getting their asses kicked for 90% of the match against guys who barely get on the main show any more.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Yeah I had the same thought. Death Triangle should have dominated in their debut as a unit. Don't like the name, but I'm a huge fan of all three workers so I'm hoping the name grows on me. I keep referring to AEW as the Geometry Wars Promotion since they have two shaped themed stables. </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="guyver3" data-cite="guyver3" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46243" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Cornette has been calling them that since they first showed up.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I ignore Cornette so I'm not shocked I missed that. I missed him on NWA when he first left, but Stu Bennett has been an absolute treat so I'm more than ok with ignoring Corny again.</p>

[Self]

<p>I really liked Cabana vs Avalon on Dark. It was goofy comedy, but everything was solid, they didn't do moves they could pull off, their timing and positioning was good. I loved the finish.</p><p> </p><p>

Conversely... TH2 vs Nakazawa and Cutler was really sloppy. Evans & Angelico looked like they were having a nightmare getting Nakazawa into position for every double team. Cutler had some nice moves in the comeback, but zero fire, rushed into everything, and was attempting stuff like 10% more advanced than he can pull off. Comparing it to Jungle Boy/Adam Page's comebacks, which are 90% clotheslines but ALL fire and it's no surprise why they're on Dynamite and he's losing on Dark every week. </p><p> </p><p>

I like the baby oil gimmick though. Going to watch the rest of the show later. Might not get any in-front-of-a-crowd matches for a while after.</p><p> </p><p>

EDIT: Ford vs Rhio was meh. Riho's strikes looked a lot better than usual. I really liked Grayson vs Daniels. Two guys who know what they're doing, and reflect each other well. Crafty veteran against a younger, more physically impressive, version of himself.</p>

[milamber]

The last Dark with an audience was good. Really enjoyed all the matches.

[20LEgend]

The lack of crowd has taken less away from the show than I expected. Pleasantly surprised, its actually been a nice change.

[Mr T Jobs To Me]

Another great Dynamite, happy they kept the content pouring out instead of just twiddling their thumbs for 2 hours. The Elite's opening promo with the lights down and nobody ringside was money, and then bringing MJF, Spears et al out from there added both to the matches and their own characters. I hardly know Spears but him rocking out with the chicken wing while Sammy Guevara sang Judas might have been my favorite moment of the show.

 

The women's match had a few botches as usual but Hikaru Shida still managed to come out of it looking good and strong. Penelope Ford was involved with most of them but that springboard reverse rana on Statlander was nice.

 

I like Tazz on commentary and Schiavone doing interviews, even Brandi Rhodes impressed me filling in on ring announcing. They noted how much Jungle Boy is rapidly improving and I definitely agree. Then adding Jericho for the main event, perfection.

 

Not going to spoil the debuts, but I'm glad the Exalted One is finally here to lead his stable of undercarders and the other guy is a timely addition to Blood & Guts. I would hope that's it for the time being though, roster is already pretty packed and they haven't even debuted Lance Archer beyond the video of him beating up some jabronis in a backyard while Jake hangs out in a lawn chair.

[milamber]

- Opening with a dark arena Elite promo was the right call. Good use of the roster with a few babyfaces and heels either side of the ring making noise. MJF and Spears gambling LOL.

- Best Friends vs Lucha Bros was good. Enjoying the new camera angles. OC was very insightful on commentary. Parking Lot Match!

- Ford vs Riho vs Statlander vs Shida was good aside from one botched spot. Shida's new ring gear is fire. Sabian got his ass kicked a few times LOL. Another good use of the ringside setup to start a feud between Sabian and Colt.

- Butcher & Blade vs Jurassic Express was solid but sloppy towards the end.

- Brodie Lee is the Exalted One! I got my wish. Would have been interesting to hear a crowd reaction, although with most people expecting Matt Hardy maybe it was better this way.

- Roberts and Archer have my attention. That hype video was awesome.

- Inner Circle vs The Elite was good. Jericho's theme works just as well in a nearly empty arena. "Social Distancing since November" LOL. I was expecting Mox to replace Nick not Matt Hardy. I hope he's physically ready for a Blood and Guts match... if it still goes ahead.

 

AEW did an incredible job putting on an entertaining show. Miles better than what WWE are doing.

[Derek B]

Dynamite was a LOT of fun this week, easily the best of the shows in the virus era so far. They had the time to put together some ideas that made sense by using everyone they had as much as they could. It was great to see the characters acting as they would in the circumstances instead of having everyone hiding in the back. I hope they keep doing what they can with this format going forward.

 

I also legit snorted at the "Social Distancing Since November" line on Page's entrance graphic. Among the debuts and other good things it was the funniest thing all night.

[milamber]

Dynamite was a LOT of fun this week, easily the best of the shows in the virus era so far. They had the time to put together some ideas that made sense by using everyone they had as much as they could. It was great to see the characters acting as they would in the circumstances instead of having everyone hiding in the back. I hope they keep doing what they can with this format going forward.

 

I also legit snorted at the "Social Distancing Since November" line on Page's entrance graphic. Among the debuts and other good things it was the funniest thing all night.

 

That was hilarious. Also JR had a rare zinger with the America's Got Talent line while Sammy was singing Judas.

[DAVEFAN95]

<p>So, after a long time of me not really treating AEW seriously, (TBH I don't treat wwe that way either) I decided to give them a go and watch one match to see if i'd actually like to tune into their shows on a more consistent basis. I decided to watch Cody v Dustin from last year. I decided on this because it was from their first ever PPV and I always liked Goldust so decided why not.</p><p> </p><p>

I've heard good things about it but I thought this was just an alright match. Let's start with the good. It had decent drama, it was great to see somebody get colour, the crowd were excellent and the post match was great but that's where the positives end for me.</p><p> </p><p>

Negatives were the announcing was a bit meh, although JR is amazing and I love him, he isn't the same as he was in WWE and that makes me sad, that being said he's still better than Michael Cole. Dustin was gassed pretty much right after he bladed (he also cut a bit deep too it seems, but it didn't take away from the match). I don't know if Dustin was just selling excellently or the fact the blood caused issues but it felt like it did and there was some sloppy exchanges (superplex in particular looked dangerous), psychology was really bad at times, Cody would hit a move and Dustin would be up first and vice versa, pretty sure when they hit the cross roads both times the guy who received the move got to their feet first and the finish was out of nowhere.</p><p> </p><p>

It hasn't turned me off AEW but also hasn't turned me into an AEW fan either. I want to watch another match, but I dunno what I should watch. Any suggestions?</p>

[Jaysin]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="DAVEFAN95" data-cite="DAVEFAN95" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46243" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>So, after a long time of me not really treating AEW seriously, (TBH I don't treat wwe that way either) I decided to give them a go and watch one match to see if i'd actually like to tune into their shows on a more consistent basis. I decided to watch Cody v Dustin from last year. I decided on this because it was from their first ever PPV and I always liked Goldust so decided why not.<p> </p><p> I've heard good things about it but I thought this was just an alright match. Let's start with the good. It had decent drama, it was great to see somebody get colour, the crowd were excellent and the post match was great but that's where the positives end for me.</p><p> </p><p> Negatives were the announcing was a bit meh, although JR is amazing and I love him, he isn't the same as he was in WWE and that makes me sad, that being said he's still better than Michael Cole. Dustin was gassed pretty much right after he bladed (he also cut a bit deep too it seems, but it didn't take away from the match). I don't know if Dustin was just selling excellently or the fact the blood caused issues but it felt like it did and there was some sloppy exchanges (superplex in particular looked dangerous), psychology was really bad at times, Cody would hit a move and Dustin would be up first and vice versa, pretty sure when they hit the cross roads both times the guy who received the move got to their feet first and the finish was out of nowhere.</p><p> </p><p> It hasn't turned me off AEW but also hasn't turned me into an AEW fan either. I want to watch another match, but I dunno what I should watch. Any suggestions?</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I thought Dustin/Cody was a genius match, but that's just my opinion.</p><p> </p><p> I'm a huge fan of the PAC/Omega iron match as well. It's only 30 minutes, but it was really solid.</p><p> </p><p> The tag team battle royal from a few weeks ago was pretty good as well.</p>

[Kijar]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Jaysin" data-cite="Jaysin" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46243" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I thought Dustin/Cody was a genius match, but that's just my opinion.<p> </p><p> I'm a huge fan of the PAC/Omega iron match as well. It's only 30 minutes, but it was really solid.</p><p> </p><p> The tag team battle royal from a few weeks ago was pretty good as well.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I agree with those sentiments.</p><p> </p><p> I like the talent being loaded with wrestling machines, because random matches like Omega defending the Mega Championship against Jack Evans on Dark come out as hidden gems. They hit those kind of nails on the head. <img alt=":)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> I'll also iterate that I think Excalibur is just unparalleled as a storyteller most of the time. He and Mauro are the ones to listen to, imo, and he just has a good way of keeping the indy wrestling fan interested, I suppose. <img alt=":)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

[milamber]

So, after a long time of me not really treating AEW seriously, (TBH I don't treat wwe that way either) I decided to give them a go and watch one match to see if i'd actually like to tune into their shows on a more consistent basis. I decided to watch Cody v Dustin from last year. I decided on this because it was from their first ever PPV and I always liked Goldust so decided why not.

 

I've heard good things about it but I thought this was just an alright match. Let's start with the good. It had decent drama, it was great to see somebody get colour, the crowd were excellent and the post match was great but that's where the positives end for me.

 

Negatives were the announcing was a bit meh, although JR is amazing and I love him, he isn't the same as he was in WWE and that makes me sad, that being said he's still better than Michael Cole. Dustin was gassed pretty much right after he bladed (he also cut a bit deep too it seems, but it didn't take away from the match). I don't know if Dustin was just selling excellently or the fact the blood caused issues but it felt like it did and there was some sloppy exchanges (superplex in particular looked dangerous), psychology was really bad at times, Cody would hit a move and Dustin would be up first and vice versa, pretty sure when they hit the cross roads both times the guy who received the move got to their feet first and the finish was out of nowhere.

 

It hasn't turned me off AEW but also hasn't turned me into an AEW fan either. I want to watch another match, but I dunno what I should watch. Any suggestions?

 

Omega vs Janela from Dark #2:

Omega vs Evans (AAA Title match) from Dark #8:

 

Dynamite 02/19/20 - Moxley vs Cobb, Page & Omega vs Lucha Bros (Tag Title match), Cody vs Wardlow (Steel Cage match)

Dynamite 02/26/20 - Omega vs PAC (Iron Man match)

AEW Revolution - Watch the whole PPV

[milamber]

FITE is now doing 7 day free trials of AEW Plus for anyone who needs to catch up or is on the fence about watching AEW.

[Self]

Saw the show. A lot of fun. I really enjoyed the women's match, although I wish Shida and Statlander had slowed down a bit and acted more.

 

Exalted One reveal was the right guy, but lame execution. Needed a crowd that one. Main Event reveal worked a lot better in the context.

 

Ringside shenanigans were great fun. Maybe too many. I wouldn't have put Archer out there, like a regular guy. His vignette was goofy too. Hopefully going forward they do more video packages, and interviews. More character. Fewer movez.

 

Speaking of. Is Luchasaurus getting worse? He keeps trying things be can 'kinda' do at it mostly looks phony or awkward or both. Conversely, Jungle Boy has simplified his offense and focused on passion and he's so much better than he used to be.

 

It hasn't turned me off AEW but also hasn't turned me into an AEW fan either. I want to watch another match, but I dunno what I should watch. Any suggestions?

 

I have some favorites, but I don't think any of them stand up to watching in a vacuum. I loved Young Bucks vs Omega & Page at Revolution, but I wouldn't have cared if I hadn't watched the story develop over the weeks, and didn't have a guy I really wanted to win it. I'm sure Cody vs Dustin worked a lot better for those that got caught up in the build and became emotionally invested. Even the Iron Man. Very good on its own, but boosted by PAC's promos and the weeks of anticipation and me really wanting PAC to win.

 

There was an MJF vs Jungle Boy match that I thought was very solid and not too long, no build required. But I wouldn't watch a match, I'd watch an episode. See if you make it through it (it usually takes me 3 sittings) and see if anything catches your eye.

[Kijar]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Self" data-cite="Self" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46243" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Speaking of. Is Luchasaurus getting worse? He keeps trying things be can 'kinda' do at it mostly looks phony or awkward or both. Conversely, Jungle Boy has simplified his offense and focused on passion and he's so much better than he used to be. </div></blockquote><p> </p><p> As someone who became a fan of Luchasaurus via Big Brother 17 finding the Austin Matelson/Judas situation (that he developed for his Judas Devlin developmental character) I'll say this.. he has never been exceptional. I am a big fan of the guy, but what we saw to turn us onto the character were spurts of athleticism and spots that he used to make himself look like a million bucks. In reality, he has been plagued with injuries his entire career (hips, knees) and was slowing down before his appearance on Big Brother in 2015. It is because of that taste of fame that he returned to the Indies in 2016, debuted with Lucha Underground past whatever would've been considered his prime. I think he had that bit of resurgence when AEW brought him in, but he hasn't really shown much outside of the first few times he wowed us on screen. Jungle Boy keeps Austin alive. <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> Just my opinion.</p>

[Peppermint Rage]

Ringside shenanigans were great fun. Maybe too many. I wouldn't have put Archer out there, like a regular guy. His vignette was goofy too. Hopefully going forward they do more video packages, and interviews. More character. Fewer movez.

 

 

I loved that vignette myself, made him seem like anything but a regular guy.

[BHK1978]

As someone who became a fan of Luchasaurus via Big Brother 17 finding the Austin Matelson/Judas situation (that he developed for his Judas Devlin developmental character) I'll say this.. he has never been exceptional. I am a big fan of the guy, but what we saw to turn us onto the character were spurts of athleticism and spots that he used to make himself look like a million bucks. In reality, he has been plagued with injuries his entire career (hips, knees) and was slowing down before his appearance on Big Brother in 2015. It is because of that taste of fame that he returned to the Indies in 2016, debuted with Lucha Underground past whatever would've been considered his prime. I think he had that bit of resurgence when AEW brought him in, but he hasn't really shown much outside of the first few times he wowed us on screen. Jungle Boy keeps Austin alive.

Just my opinion.

 

Wait a second Austin actually had fans? The dude was a scrub who did not wash his hands after going to the bathroom and did not shower.

 

As I said previously in this thread finding out Luchasaurus was Austin killed the character for me. He was such a tool on Big Brother. Though him getting voted out was great. I love how he was so confident he was going to stay only to get voted out without anything on his feet. I also loved how he pleaded with Vanessa, almost on the verge of tears, to keep him only to have her vote him out.

 

I only saw the Matt Hardy segment, I hope they use him right and do not waste him like they did in the WWE. I will say I am not keen on them doing a Jericho vs. Matt match as quickly as they are doing it though.

 

Also, great to see Brodie Lee back to being Brodie Lee. I hope they use him correctly as well because when I use to see him prior to his WWE stint he was very good.

 

Hate to see them wasting Allie as the Bunny. She was one of the few high spots in TNA before I stopped watching them.

[Kijar]

Wait a second Austin actually had fans? The dude was a scrub who did not wash his hands after going to the bathroom and did not shower.

 

As I said previously in this thread finding out Luchasaurus was Austin killed the character for me. He was such a tool on Big Brother. Though him getting voted out was great. I love how he was so confident he was going to stay only to get voted out without anything on his feet. I also loved how he pleaded with Vanessa, almost on the verge of tears, to keep him only to have her vote him out.

 

Yeah, I'm a sucker for villains honestly. When he first convinced Vanessa to keep him by straight up whining, I was sold. The dude is the most imposing-looking weasel I've ever seen Legit liked his look, the fact that he was a wrestler, and the fact that he was trying to play a split personality in the DR. Him whiffing it as a person and a character was a blessing in disguise haha

His blindside was awesome.

 

Gotta agree about Brodie Lee at this stage.

[milamber]

- Cody vs Havoc was solid. Kenny was too quiet but I enjoyed the Konami shoutout. The new ring announcer making out with talent SMH Jake's promo was a bit rambling but his delivery always makes me pay attention.

- Sabian vs Darby was good. Last Supper finisher was neat. Loved the Darby vignette. Disappointed he didn't kick flip off the stage during his entrance.

- Hager squash was worth it to see Mox.

- I think the Brodie vignette came across more comical than intended... but it was a rib on Vince so maybe not. They need to have him snap and go nuts at some point when the Dark Order start losing. The match against QT was OK.

- Sammy vs Omega © was MOTN. Nice shoutouts to 2 of AAA's hottest talents Black Taurus and El Hijo del Vikingo. Cody loves his Star Trek.

- There always has to be someone singing Judas LOL. Jericho's promo on Vanguard 1 (who feels like a legit member of the roster) was hilarious. The editing on Matt's entrance LOL. The rest of the segment was silly fun. Obviously it would have worked better with a hot crowd.

 

Not as good as last week but still entertaining. Enjoyed Cody on commentary. A bit quiet without wrestlers in the crowd but I didn't really notice most of the time.

[Self]

Not as fun as last week, but I still enjoyed it. Not as lifeless as it could have felt. The inset stuff was stupid. Billy Gunn's kid and the girl were way too amped and wacky. You can look interested and make realistic noise without just screaming constantly. Dorks. At least Kip had a dog with him.

 

I've been a Matt Hardy fan since pre-Brood Hardy Boys, so I'm glad I didn't hate the confrontation with Jericho as much as I expected. There's a fine like between mystical and goofy, and while the 3000 year Damascus stuff is dumb, the subtext of a career-midcarder-gone-insane who believes it can be fun. Especially with a magical question mark along with it. I want to like it, and I hope Matt can tweak the gimmick to fit in with the world AEW have created. Hard to do without a crowd though.

 

Brodie Lee I'm less into. I hope this is more than a Vince parody. Based on Jericho's podcast, I'm assuming Brodie wasn't the original choice for the Exalted One. Let's see if he has creativity beyond smark jokes and "we do what we want, when we want". Which Moxley is also doing.

[Jaysin]

<p>Watching last week's Dynamite. I hate Jimmy Havoc. He looks stupid. He moves like a goof. Easily one of the least interesting people on the roster.</p><p> </p><p>

Jake's pre recorded promo was great though.</p><p> </p><p>

*Edit*</p><p> </p><p>

I love Jericho and I love Broken Matt, but the final segment went far too long. It just dragged on and on and on.</p>

[milamber]

Dark: Not much to say other than they made a bunch of squash matches entertaining.

 

Dynamite:

 

- Trent vs Omega was great. I almost wish they had given Trent the draw but I understand they are rare on purpose.

- Shida vs Jayy was good. Jayy impressed but her surname spelling irks me. Nice of Cody to recognize Shida's social media popularity. Enjoyed him ribbing Tony about Britt.

- Nice hype video for Moxley vs Hager.

- Keep the Jake Roberts promos coming. Marko vs Archer was unique with the size difference. I was almost legit afraid for Marko bumping like that.

- Brodie's 2nd video was better because he was more threatening. Dark Order Goons vs Natural Nightmares was OK.

- Jericho LOL. The Young Bucks get real.

- Sammy & Spears vs Darby & Cody was great. Gambling during the match LOL. Spears finally has some momentum. Darby is a madman. Not keen on him decking Cody but it should add spice to their inevitable tournament match.

 

Fine show. Promo heavy which is the right way to go because they do them so well. They did a good transplanting the Dynamite stage to The Nightmare Factory.

[Jaysin]

Huge fan of Brodie Lee but I'm just not feeling these promos so far.

[BHK1978]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Jaysin" data-cite="Jaysin" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46243" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Watching last week's Dynamite. I hate Jimmy Havoc. He looks stupid. He moves like a goof. Easily one of the least interesting people on the roster.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Jim Cornette is that you?<img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> Seriously I do not disagree with you. He does have a bad look to him. I will say this though, his interviews in MLW are usually pretty good and I really enjoyed his feud with Mance Warner over there. So I can't rag on him too much.</p>