The Thread Killer

This episode of Collision has been a tough watch so far. And these Lucha guys throw strikes that look like they couldn’t crack an egg.

I think in the WWE office for sure that is pretty much guaranteed. Once the companies have merged, there is going to be a lot of duplicated positions, two companies with people doing the exact same job. As far as talent, that is an interesting question, but I don’t know if there is any indicator one way or the other yet.

I could not agree more. He’s one of those guys where I sometimes wonder why other people do not see what I am seeing. He gets so much praise from some people, but a lot of his execution just looks so sloppy, fake and downright bad. I really don’t get that guy.

That Aussie Open/“Sex Gods” match was a lot better than I expected but I hate to see Aussie Open used to basically further someone else’s storyline. They’re awesome and deserve better.

I only discovered the difference when AEW Dynamite came to Toronto for the first time. The ticket prices for the cheapest seats were $325. I couldn’t believe it was that much for a single seat, so I checked, because WWE Raw had been in town not that long before and I wanted to compare. I discovered that the same seat had been $60 for WWE. I guess you could make the argument that Dynamite sold out and WWE did not, so it was “peak demand pricing” but still.

The Ticket broker fees are also insane. I thought Pearl Jam was going to solve this problem but I guess it didn’t work. But WWE factors that in when setting their prices for tickets. At this point - at least here - AEW does not.

AEW ticket prices are ridiculous. Here in Canada you can get great seats for a WWE live show, or Raw or Smackdown for around $100 per ticket. Depending on the seat, you can pay as little as $50-$60. AEW tickets were going for $325 per seat for Dynamite/Rampage/Collision and don’t even get me started on how much those PPV tickets were going for. Small wonder that they couldn’t sell out any arenas on the recent Canadian tour. They ended up cutting their prices at the last minute and desperately trying to give away tickets for dirt cheap, but it was too late.

I agree. I’m not sure about the legality of this, but I think it would be best for the entire Pro Wrestling business…and indeed for all mankind…if somehow we just lock this maniac up, before he almost strikes again. The man is clearly a dangerous psychotic and he must be stopped.

Gotta be honest, I was kind of hoping after the match, Honky was going to come out and blast Gunther over the head with a guitar for breaking his record.

Miro is still pissed at Lana about the Lashley thing.

Is it true Kawada is in attendance?

Agreed. That would be an epic clash of egos. Not to mention, Corgan is not going to overextend himself financially for the NWA. He has made it pretty clear. He is only willing to invest so much of his personal fortune in this project, he’s not going to bankrupt himself. He wouldn’t pay Punk anywhere near what he would want. Plus, I don’t think Punk’s ego would allow him to go somewhere that is pretty much viewed as the bottom rung on the Pro Wrestling ladder. Let’s be honest. MLW and Impact have more credibility and cache with fans than Corgan’s NWA does. It’s a joke YouTube show.

Based on his reputation for shooting his mouth off, and not being afraid to burn bridges and upset people, if CM Punk did a podcast where he gave his opinions about the product and reviewed the weekly shows, he could make six figures easily. Cornette makes a small fortune from his podcasts. Cornette has repeatedly claimed that he makes more money now between his memorabilia business and podcasting than he ever did working in the actual “wrestling business.” Even the Conrad Thompson shows that can get more than 300,000 weekly downloads are guaranteed moneymakers. It’s basic business. If you can guarantee X number of downloads, the advertising agencies will guarantee a set weekly income. Especially if you get on with a platform like Westwood One. The podcasting bubble is going to burst eventually, and I’m sure any initial interest in a CM Punk podcast would die off at some point, but between podcasting and autograph shows and signings, he could make a good living easily.

Glad you mentioned that. I was going to ask you, having been there live, what the crowd reaction felt like for LA Knight. On TV it sure comes across like he is crazy over. But I know WWE has been sweetening crowd reactions on TV for sometime now. Then again, I don’t think they would boost his crowd reactions deliberately, because this was not something they planned. This whole deal with Knight has been happening kind of organically.

I have to be honest, I watched Payback basically just to see LA Knight (YEAH!) vs. The Miz and I am not going to lie, I was pleasantly surprised at how great that show was. I don’t know if it’s because creepy old Vince is not around due to his “medical leave” or what the reason is, but WWE has really tightened up on their creative. They actually managed to make a match with two guys who have been around forever, in Nak and Rollins compelling. That is no small feat. That Tag Title match especially blew me away. Good shit, pal.

This match has hugely overdelivered, IMO. These guys must have studied Cactus Jack & Max Payne vs. The Nasty Boys or something.

How did Owens not break his tailbone on that swanton through the table?

Yeah…why couldn’t they do these kind of video packages for Nakamura all along? They’ve actually made him interesting, finally!

AEW has a “Discipline Committee?!” They are clearly doing a bang up job.

Wait until you see who won the tag team Battle Royal on Rampage and are now getting the ROH Tag title shot at All Out. Like I said earlier in this thread, it would have made perfect sense from a storyline standpoint for The Kingdom to win the Battle Royale and get the shot…especially after the promo they cut on Adam Cole on Wednesday. It seemed like the perfect set up. Instead, The Kingdom weren’t even in the running, and we get MJF and Cole fighting enhancement talent on the pay-per-view. Just brilliant booking.

And if that preview graphic is to be believed…The Kingdom aren’t actually IN the Battle Royale because of course not, why would they be?

If The Kingdom win the Battle Royale on Rampage and get the shot at the PPV against Cole & MJF for the ROH Tag Titles, that could actually be pretty good. I marked out for Bennett name dropping Ted Reeve arena in Toronto…the dumpiest arena in the entire Greater Toronto Area.

You mean you don’t want to pay to see an 8 Man Tag with FTR & The Bucks vs. Bullet Club Gold? But that’s a dream match and not at all like a random match you could see any week on free TV!

I figured there would be a problem as soon as Perry basically called Punk out during his match with Hook with that whole “Real glass…cry me a river” shot. I didn’t think it would happen right away, of course.

Anyone remember a few years ago when the snarky consensus on Joe was that he was washed up, all done and needed to retire? Yeeeaaahhh.