DMJ

There's no way around it - it was a bad segment and a bad decision, as everyone predicted. But I think last night's Dynamite was actually proof that the company is really dying not from a single bad segment, but from a thousand cuts. I didn't finish the show, so maybe the second hour was miraculously great and, if so, I'll admit I'm wrong but I thought the first 60 minutes were among the worst the company has had in a long time. - Edge/Penta did not click with me and certainly didn't need 20 minutes. I respect Edge for wanting to go out and put on hard-hitting wrestling matches that showcase his passion...but his strength has never been to go out and do 20-minute, straight-up babyface vs. babyface matches. If you made a top 20 Edge matches list, there wouldn't be a single one with that formula. If you made a top 50, I don't think you'd find one there. He's just not that guy. - I have no idea what Jericho is doing or thinking, but I'd put not telling Jericho to ditch the Lionheart Revisited gimmick as another mistake by TK. Jericho at least used to have an entrance that was over. Now he doesn't even have that. And the partnership with HOOK has got to be the 3rd or 4th time now that we've seen Jericho do this sort of storyline (with Sammy, with MJF kinda, with Omega sorta). If Jericho wants to do a retread of a bad gimmick from his past, he should do the corny one from 2007 when he wore the cheap sparkly vest, had the short hair, and looked like a wedding DJ. That would be somewhat funny. - AEW gets shit on for having too many good wrestling matches, but the audience that is tuning in - a not-so-small 700k fans - is tuning in for that. This show kicked off with a 4-5 minute beatdown segment, followed by an Edge/Penta match that overstayed its welcome, and then we didn't get another wrestling match for 30+ minutes. At some point, TK needs to realize that a good wrestling match doesn't necessarily mean it needs to go 2 commercial breaks and that it doesn't need to be a squash either. For someone with an "encyclopedic knowledge" of pro-wrestling, this guy has seemingly never heard of an 8-minute match.

- Not sure if someone else mentioned this in the thread but...no big introduction for CM Punk during the PPV seems like an ego check from ol' Papa H. Basically, "Yeah, we know that 'Cult of Personality' would blow the roof off the place and be an incredible opening moment for Night 2...but we're going to go with Stephanie and then right into Drew and Seth and you'll already be at the table. Be happy that you're here at all." They had plenty of time. They gave Snoop Dogg an entrance as guest commentator for the next match. They gave Bubba Ray an entrance. They gave Snoop Dogg essentially a second entrance when he announced the attendance. This was a humbling from Paul to Phil. - Bayley/IYO wasn't just my pick for Match of the Weekend, it might be on my shortlist of best Mania matches of the past decade. Just an incredible match with a variety of good spots, great selling by Bayley (someone needs to sit Seth down and have him watch what Bayley did here), wonderful execution by IYO, some great counters and pin attempts...I thought it absolutely smoked the Becky/Rhea match. - Have to believe there was a reason Austin wasn't the guy to save the day. I'm curious what the story is there. Triple H low-balled him? Austin demanded too much? The offer was never really made? - Anyone else think that the two people Cody was going to thank were his dad and Dustin? Bruce Prichard and Triple H getting celebrated at the end was not something I wanted to see or hear. You've just won a wrestling match, don't thank the stunt coordinators. - God, I hate Seth Rollins.

I think people are being a bit harsh on the main event. Had "Big Fight Feel." Crowd was generally into it and much louder than they'd been for some of the other matches despite the temperature, which I'm guessing was close to 40 by that point and maybe lower? Of course, it is going to start slow and build to the big interactions. That's been every Roman Reigns match for the past couple years (to varying success) and, considering The Rock's age and endurance, you had to know the match was going to feature lengthy stretches where he'd be on the outside catching his breath with equally lengthy segments where they'd do the exact same "shit"* that helped him stretch out his matches back then (namely brawling in the crowd and jawing with referees/commentators). All in all, it checked all the boxes. Now, if that's not your thing, fine, but its kinda like going to Pizza Hut and being upset that pad thai isn't on the menu. Or expecting a big Marvel summer blockbuster to wrap up in a tight and efficient 88 minutes instead of needlessly going 150. Great false finish with the double pedigrees in a match with a conclusion that everybody predicted going in too. Yes, there was some "holding back"...but, again, they have to leave something for tonight and, to be honest, without The Rock's star power and aura, I'm not sure tonight's match is going to actually be as good as this. We'll see... I'm as anti-Rollins as they get most times, but I thought his selling was better than usual in that he's usual a D- but, in this match, he was closer to a C. Yes, its silly that a guy who is selling a severely damaged knee is also going for top rope splashes and Curb Stomps and whatnot, but at least he's doing it in the context of the biggest match of his career. I find it much more egregious when he's doing it in run-of-the-mill TV matches on Raw against JD McDonaugh or Baron Corbin. Or maybe I'm getting softer in my old age. Zayn/GUNTHER was the clear MOTN, but I still wouldn't consider it an all-time classic. Needed a little more time and, maybe its just me, but GUNTHER losing because he lost focus and was going back-and-forth with Sami's wife just seemed...I dunno...a little out of character? I don't watch the weekly TV, but I thought GUNTHER's thing was that he was almost an emotionless Terminator who could be boastful at times, but was generally laser-focused when the bell rang. I dunno. Just felt like they went too far with the Rocky III idea and turned GUNTHER into Clubber Lang when he's never before been that.

This definitely reeks of Bischoff challenging Vince to a street fight on PPV. Was that in 98' or 99'? I won't bother looking it up as it wouldn't have mattered if he'd done it in 97' or 2000 or 94' - it was a bad idea and only drew attention to how much the people in charge were obsessed with "the competition." Plus, you don't get a single match out of it. There's no potential payoff. Or, for that matter, when JR promised to bring back Razor and Diesel (not putting the blame on JR either, it was obviously a Vince idea) which was equally lame and a terrible idea that had no chance of leading to any sort of payoff anyway. Just a horrendous, horrendous decision that I predict will have minimal positive impact on a rating while further giving AEW haters something to dunk on.

Seems to me like they might try to do Ospreay/Swerve at Wembley and do Callis' big heel turn on Ospreay at the show. At least that's how I'd figure your typical booker would do it. It would put a ton of heat on Callis, but I'm not sure who you have step up as the top heel for the Don Callis Family at that point. Takeshita, Fletcher, and Hobbs have all lost to Ospreay clean already. Maybe Callis finds a new ace? I can think of one guy specifically that might work and hasn't been up to much and also would probably get a big reaction (he's from Newcastle and a match against Ospreay would probably bang hard), but I'm not going to throw out the exact name... Swerve keeps the strap and Ospreay has a couple-month feud and then you revisit later down the line?

I liked Copeland's promo. Though, I still think in one of those weird "Big Show" ways, they should call him "Rated R" Adam Copeland with "Rated R" being his go-to name and the more used name on commentary. Yes, calling someone "Rated R" a dumb name. Its an adjective, not a noun. Its like calling someone Delirious. Or Super Crazy. Or Precious. So...kinda not a big deal in pro-wrestling? "The Big Show" did not roll off the tongue in 1998 compared to The Giant and I'm sure people can come up with a ton more names that were verbs, adjectives, or just plain awkward and not even bad puns (Bron Breakker, Dolph Ziggler), but ended up being alright given enough time. I mean, my best friend in elementary school was named Aaron Maggied and most of us called him by his last name, which sounds like a past-tense verb. (As in, "Aaron maggied his way to the door" or "Aaron wanted to go to the movies, but he was too maggied after football practice"). The point is - Adam Copeland is too plain, can't be chanted, and doesn't even have the benefit of being established on the indies like Danielson and Moxley and Claudio. In fact, I think there was another kid in my school whose name was Adam Copeland...but everyone thought Maggied was way cooler. I apologize for the rest of this because it is definitely a massive rant, but...why not? Its been a long week...feel free to scroll on by if you don't want to read a lengthy defense of Copeland's (and Dax's) pro-AEW promos:

Not to yuck anyone's yum because I'm a fan of the storyline but I just wanted to note... The Rock is being named on commentary as the literal boss, with more backstage power than even Triple H, and I think that element is kinda still catnip to some of us, even if we don't want to admit it. I bring this up because I haven't really seen anyone mention that what we're getting is actually not all that different from the same ol' Authority Angle storyline that the company has leaned on heavily for the past 25+ years. What I think is making it work better than every other derivation since the original Austin/McMahon saga is that: (a) The Rock is much more physically imposing and has much more in-ring credibility than Vince McMahon did as Austin's rival, which is why Roman being the Corporate Surrogate is kind of unnecessary. At the same time, this alteration - where Roman's status as being the chosen "Corporate Champion" is not guaranteed because The Rock views himself as the true Final Boss in a way that the non-wrestler Vince could never be - of the "traditional" Boss vs. Held Down Employee narrative actually makes for a more intriguing storyline. Though it is still not a wholly original one because... (b) 10 years ago, a similar dynamic was playing out with then-Authority Figure Triple H and his surrogate, Randy Orton, against Held Down Employee #2 (Daniel Bryan). In that story, Triple H inserted himself into the fray when his own greed for the Championship and disappointment in his "Corporate Champion" Randy Orton failing to stop Bryan's rise boiled over. The Triple H/Orton tension built over time, just like The Rock and Roman's is now. But, again, The Rock and Roman - and arguably Cody Rhodes - have made this a much, much better story because, frankly, they're far better characters with more charisma and better sports-entertainment chops than Triple H and Orton were ever capable of. I'm a huge Bryan fan too, but at this point, Cody has also proven to be the true heir to Cena in a way that Bryan, as much as I love him, was really never going to be. Plus, and this goes without saying, The Bloodline saga of the previous 2+ years has given this current storyline a context and background that set the stage in a way the WWE were never able to manufacture before. I mean, as good as Bryan's rise was in 2013, tagging with Kane and wrestling gauntlet matches just doesn't compare to the stage that has been set here. If the Vince/Austin storyline was the organic result of the months leading up to the Montreal Screwjob and the creation of the Mr. McMahon character in late 97', the current Rock storyline feels very much like it could really only have existed after Roman Reign's historic Head of the Table run, Cody Rhodes managing to maintain his top babyface status after a controversial loss at last year's Mania main event, and the non-kayfabe appointment of Dwayne Johnson onto the TKO Board of Directors. TLDR - The Rock/Cody storyline is hitting lots of familiar notes, but it doesn't matter: the song slaps and it is being played by a crack band.

While not a good thing, this show's ratings decline over the course of the night was basically me, the perfect encapsulation of my own preferences when watching AEW. - I was psyched for Mercedes' debut. I didn't necessarily love the promo, but whatever. It felt like a big deal to me and I tuned in for it. - I'm a Samoa Joe mark. Love him as champion. Was hoping for and did get a Swerve appearance to continue their feud. Again, no complaints really. I'm going to tune in for a Joe match whether his opponent is Wardlow or some jobber. - Okada wasn't just the missing ingredient in the Young Bucks' new act, he's the star of it now. I'm here for it. - Ospreay/Danielson hype? Yessir. - Jay White vs. Darby Allin. Again - I'm pretty much game for anything that Jay White does these days and Darby Allin always brings the goods. I'm not changing the channel at this point. And then.... Jericho is just so, so, so overexposed. I'm not nearly as down on him as others, or, maybe a better way of saying it is that I haven't been off the bandwagon as long. There were still times in the past 3 years where I've found him interesting or enjoyed his stories and promos. But he's been cold for a long time now and really needed to disappear at least 6 months ago. In fact, had he disappeared 6 months ago, him returning on a show like this would've probably been a pretty cool moment. He is moldy. He is wrestling mold. He has just been in the environment too long for anyone to not only miss him, but to feel excited to see him. No aura. No momentum. And, personally, I think HOOK has been overexposed a bit too and clearly needs to be working with very, very good workers to make him look better than he is - which is HOOK vs. Joe worked and HOOK vs. Brian Cage didn't, at least for me. Willow vs. Riho probably wouldn't main event an episode of Rampage, let alone Collision, let alone one of the biggest TV shows you've put on all year. That match was going to tank the rating because it is not a legitimate offering as a main event. Also, even if you're teasing Mercedes' appearance all night, I don't think a Mercedes/Willow showdown is "must see." Now, had this been a Toni Storm vs. Willow match, for example, you'd have had the title on the line leading to Mercedes showing up - with appearances by Julia Hart, Statlander, Thunder Rosa, Deonna, Deeb, etc. - and that could've been a cool closing segment where you basically have all your top women in the ring together, the champion (and maybe the audience too) now realizing that the AEW women's division landscape has changed and that you're cooking with gas. But that wasn't it.

That Maxxine angle might've been the fastest Bingo! in the history of WrestleCrap Bingo Cards. I mean, it just had it all and it had it all in under 60 seconds... - Awful use of insider jargon (Candice LeRae screaming "You think we're going to take that?" as in "take that move") - Blatant use of the phrase "the internet" - Blatant use of the phrase "the locker room" as a reference to "backstage heat" - Everyone being a bad actor, using bad facial expressions, delivering lines poorly - Wrestler "not following the script" by attempting to walk out on the match - The wrestler whose gimmick it is to be "bad at wrestling" not being noticeable worse than other competitors in the match (Indi Hartwell didn't exactly look like the second coming of Bobby Eaton in there)

The company line is going to be that Vince made a victim out of everyone - we're already seeing John Laurenaitis using that exact play. Nick Khan, Brad Blum, and Stephanie McMahon (also "outed" in this article, as if we didn't know it was her before her name was revealed) are only guilty of hiring who Vince told them to hire, even if they weren't qualified and there was gossip that he was sleeping with them. Vince told them to find a fake job for her, so they did. Vince told them to move her from legal to talent relations, so they did. How were they to know that she was being trafficked and forced to participate in degrading sex acts or lose her job? How were they to know Vince was using company money to cover massive payoffs to women for "consensual sex of an embarrassing nature"? It was Vince! It was Vince all along! A lone villain in a company full of virtuous, honest people who were just following orders and would never willingly be bystanders for such heinous and inhumane acts. Except that is exactly 1000% what they did. They enabled. They stood by and did nothing. They actively helped Vince try to evade detection and steer clear of potential legal landmines (if you believe the lawsuit, which I do, Grant being shuffled around the office and kept at arm's length from certain figures seems purposeful). They knew Vince was using power and influence to harass and proposition women - even if we won't go as far as to say "assault" - and they let it go because that is, historically, the corporate culture at many major entertainment/media companies and they let it happen. Miramax. FOX News. WWE and the list goes on.

Only halfway through last week's Dynamite, but had two thoughts... - Love Swerve. Love Joe. Love Swerve vs. Joe being on the horizon. Didn't like Joe choking out Swerve without first doing something - a forearm to the back, some stomps, maybe strike him with the AEW Championship. Or, have Joe nearly apply the hold but then Swerve somehow snakes out of it using the ropes, and now Joe can be all, like, "I was this close! Next time it'll be in the center of the ring!" Ending segments with Swerve "knocked-the-fucked-out" is just not what I would want the final image of Swerve being right now. For some babyfaces, sure, there is sympathy to draw from, but Swerve is not that sympathetic underdog babyface character. - At first I thought the EVP's theme music was a take on Roman Reign's. It took me a couple weeks, but now I get it - its a take on the theme from Succession.

Speaking of copyrights... I know its just your run-of-the-mill "Fuck WWE" comment, but supposedly (I could be wrong, we'll see) the WWE didn't grant permission for AEW to use any of the footage they own for tonight's Sting send-off. I'm not surprised, but assuming that AEW reached out and asked, its still a dick move and one that I don't understand. The WWE permitting AEW to make a video package about Sting that includes all of his WCW highlights is basically having AEW produce and air a commericlal for the WWE-on-Peacock on one of their biggest shows of the year. I mean, if your rival business wants to start advertising your brand for you, let them.

I had Christian as my number #22 when we did our Top 100s last time around.* I'm most likely not going to submit a ballot this time around (though, maybe I will just because why not?**), but even just looking at my old list, unless he were to be bumped by a bunch of wrestlers I didn't rank before (very possible), there's a decent chance he moves up at least 3-5 spots and maybe even lands at #15. I think what puts him over the edge (yeah, yeah) is that unlike his kayfabe brother or Chris Jericho or Angle or some of his other contemporaries, he really has a low rate of cringe. Which is saying something for a guy who spent so much time in TNA. That's not to say Christian hasn't been in some silly angles or done his fair share of comedy and cornball stuff - in fact, he's done a ton of it - but that his performance has always made it work whether it was the Trish/Jericho/Christian love triangle stuff or the Christian Coalition stuff with Tomko and AJ (better than you remember it) or now teaming up with a dinosaur and getting heat by going after dead fathers. When Jericho strikes out in a segment, it is painful to watch. Some of Angle's comedy stuff, to me, was too silly. I could go on with other wrestlers who are really hit-or-miss for me with their characters and promos, before we even talk in-ring stuff (Dustin Rhodes, Booker T, etc.). Christian just has a knack for finding the right space for his character in every situation/setting. * As I explained when we did the previous GWE, I'm an admittedly ignorant wrestling viewer who has really only watched the major US promotions of the past 35 years - most everything WWE and WCW, followed by ECW and AEW and comparatively much less TNA or ROH - so my list skews heavily (99%) towards American wrestling. I'm not proud of the ethnocentricity of it, but I've also not really got the time or drive to watch 100s of hours of international or pre-80s wrestling, as terrific as it might be, as "homework." ** On one hand, if everyone voting were like me, you'd have zero votes for Misawa or Kobashi and even my ignorant ass knows that's silly. On the other hand, gatekeeping a fan vote about pro-wrestling just because a person is uneducated seems (for lack of a better term) elitist.

I don't hate #DIY, but I do think they're victims of NXT being vague "pseudo" canon. They don't deny their backstory, but, remember, their backstory involves legit attempts at maiming each other so its a little jarring to see them doing a full-blown updated version of The Rockers, two happy-go-lucky best friends that are undersized but technically skilled. Bringing most anyone from NXT to the main roster requires some version of a "soft reboot," but with them, its kinda difficult for me as a viewer to get excited about them when we got a very good, organic story of their rise to tag team glory (and nasty break-up and feud) already. Instead of feeling excited about what will undoubtedly be great matches ahead for #DIY, I'm more excited about a team like The Creeds, who still have a ceiling they haven't yet reached. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like #DIY peaked creatively, even if they didn't peak professionally (Gargano, in particular, could have years of great work ahead of him as compared to Ciampa, who has obviously had more serious injuries).

Oh, I know that. I was speaking in kayfabe terms. If you were trying to follow the character motivations over the past 7 days, you'd be so thoroughly confused because nobody - save for Roman (and, arguably, Seth, who has consistently been portrayed as being a "pick me"-type and clearly jealous of Roman) - is acting like the characters they've established. Cody gave up his spot for no kayfabe reason, after spending the past 12 months trying to "finish his story," including entering and winning the Royal Rumble - which should be treated like a Herculean feat with a huge, undeniable prize, but that Cody handed over willingly. The Rock, a popular babyface for the past few decades who was seemingly ready to lay the smackdown on his cousin Roman last week, turned heel in an interview on The Pat McAfee Show and was all buddy-buddy with Roman at the Peacock-exclusive Kickoff Show. And then you insert Triple H because no "working the marks," "wink*wink," "breaking the 4th wall" storyline can happen without an Authority Figure...which, in kayfabe terms, would be Nick Aldis, right? Nope. Because this is such a "smart" storyline, it has to be Triple H...the guy most associated with the sex trafficker who once ran the place. Its just shitty writing. Russo-at-his-worst-level garbage where the thought process is, "We need you to be a heel and we need you to be a face right this moment, so let's just do that as quickly and messily as possible, motivations and character-building be damned, because the pay-off will be worth it, bro, I swear."