Timbo Slice

The calls for ex-WWE guys coming in are because AEW guys want to work with them, but time has gone on New Day/Bucks being a draw. Woods and Kofi have banked a ton of money, so they’ll be fine. Jeff worked with the indie I did commentary for a bunch before he went global and he’s a great dude, and was happy he got a chance to make money on the main roster, but they fumbled him bad, not really knowing what to do with him. Say what you will about his ability, but they weren’t sure how to position him and kinda stuck him with a middling group. That’s gonna affect effort, desire, etc. Could see him going back to New Japan for a bit longer, but he’s on the older side and I imagine would be trying to wind down.

Fuck that disease. That’s absolutely devastating.

I’m really stoked that they’re telling that story with Ospreay. It plays into all the narratives about him being reckless, it shows self-awareness on his part coming back from injury like that to actually show some type of evolution, it’s compelling! It’s something I’ve wanted from him for a long time! But I also like that there’s a tinge of him learning a bit of the Dark Arts to find that control to reach his full potential. This has my full attention.

A lot of AEW fans are showing ass right now around the Darby reign and it’s aggravating. This idea that he’s not a Top Guy or some shit or whatever subjective gatekeeping they come with is nonsense. He’s had a ton of title shots over the years, he’s one of the AEW Four Pillars, he is one of the few names with legit crossover appeal given what he’s done outside the ring, and folks want to say this is the Foley reign or whatever lazy comparison. These types of title changes and reigns have happened for decades. There’s not a damn thing wrong with the decision, and Darby is more than good enough to have the title. Not everyone in the company needs to work 30 minute Epic Main Events to be World Champion. Enjoy the fact you truly have variety that can work at the top of the company when the competition can only offer anodyne, highly sanitized folks at the top.

I love that Punk finally got to main event Mania, then actually got to truly main event Mania, and lost both times, cementing him as the guy used to prop up guys they feel bring more to the table. Some things never change. The thing that really bugs me is there are plenty of folks I’d love to see wrestling on the regular on this roster for various reasons, either having worked with them on the indies or really liking their pre-WWE work, but the machinations of the company make their presence basically anodyne. I can’t understate how difficult it is to take basically any talent on a broad scale like that and make them all look subpar. That they’re run by a bunch of shifty authoritarian-adjacent types who are stealing money both out from under the workers and the fans who support them, like most right-tinged companies, will only go so far because what they’re “good” at isn’t sustainable. They don’t have too much money to fail; when the midterms hit and they are blown out to the point of impotence, Saudi WM is gonna be such a wet fart (with Vince getting his HOF nod more than likely in the midst of the trial) that the hypocrisy might finally be too much. And good riddance if that’s the case.

Cody’s entrance alone was longer than the women’s title match. A company so far up their own ass it can’t even see it get kissed goodbye.

So, to recap: -Dude who basically got carnied into being the brown-nosing bag carrier for the Kliq -Dude who let Flair carny him into what the territories were REALLY like while failing as cosplaying him while both Batista and Orton got more over than he did in Evolution -Dude who was openly contempted by Dusty, got essentially shot on with his wife in his final televised angle, only to take over his brand after Dusty’s passing to aura farm said brand’s ascent with the talent Dusty cultivated …has now both pissed away NXT’s glory days handing it off to the dude whose bags he carried AND can’t carry the ball without creative that was helmed by his antichrist of a father in law and one of the actual best minds (carny or not) in the business in Heyman, AND doesn’t understand how to hand the baton off BECAUSE he can’t take it himself. I mean, it checks out.

So some things I fear coming out of this: 1. Ospreay will be more of a focal point for New Japan rest of year than AEW. Meaning Tony never had him in mind for All In given his neck injury and is playing out the story he always had. 2. It’s gonna be Page somehow coming back and goading or loopholing himself the title shot at All In, which will not help fill that stadium even to the 50k they had with Danielson. Ospreay being in the main event should be a slam dunk; I don’t like his style but his star power in England is unquestioned, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t be there. I like how Tony has booked Max as champ, and the multiple challengers gunning for him is great, but it seems odd not to lean on the obvious plays in favor of the long game he always plays?

I wasn’t saying Newman/Ospreay at Wembley; it’s widely believed that Ospreay will main event Wembley against whoever is champ (my money is on an Omega rubber match where Ospreay goes over; don’t see MJF losing twice on Wembley shows to him like that). It was that if that was the plan, I’m curious as to what the eventual turn timeline looks like. Is it before Dominion? Is it at Forbidden Door? Is it post-Wembley? Is this a setup for WK21? There’s parallel booking that means more trade-offs than you’d expect at the top of the card like that. Again, Gedo going this route when the idea with Tsuji winning was about returning the company to a more homegrown focus and short term thinking himself into a Top English Guy succession angle because he feels like it has to be now given Ospreay’s health and AEW focus going forward is really telling. He has no patience; you wonder if Tana might be looking to hand it over to someone else much sooner than later.

They’re own goals; Gedo specialties. You go with Newman because Tsuji hasn’t had the juice post-WK. Wolf is still far from ready to be the guy. They do not have a native in-house guy to go with that leads them on a true post-Tana track. I don’t get why they think now is the time with Ospreay to build something up with Newman, though. If the goal is he’s the challenger at Wembley, then you’re gonna have him go down to Newman probably at Dominion? When he’d be just about ready to ramp up for All In? I also believe Newman is now the youngest IWGP Champ in history? There’s a ton here to unravel. Between TKO’s meddling and nobody meddling with Gedo, AEW doing the absolute bare minimum is making them look WAY better than either company by comparison.

It was a 4.6 and Campbell is a few miles from his spot on the same fault line where the big 89 quake happened that stopped the World Series. Also love he was podcasting at 2 am. Imagine if he had done it during the big one.

So with flailing sales and folks being disinterested in a vast majority of the card, the juice they think would help push Orton/Rhodes over the top is…Pat McAfee. The post-WM cuts when they lose millions on this is gonna be something else.

Cody reverting to end stage AEW run status because he can’t be booked as a convincing heel would be hilarious. This show is gonna be a misfire on several levels. And this is with All In not looking promising for Wembley III, too. Folks are strapped for cash, man.

Oba Femi eviscerating Brock is satisfying on multiple levels.

Or, you know, that charisma only worked because of Toni.