MoS

That main event in hindsight needed to go last and it really redeemed the show. It was several steps down from last week's episode. It almost doesn't seem to matter right now, because the Omega-Page angle is as hot as ever (just please no more Good Brothers crap) and AEW really has a lot of buzz, albeit a lot of it is due to unconfirmed reports about Bryan having signed a contract and Punk being in talks. There is momentum and a sense of growth and progression, which is exactly what has been missing from the sterile and stagnant WWE product of the last 6 years or so

Lance Archer's finish should be bodyslamming JR on his opponent after using random fans as weapons all match

That Andrade segment tanked. As far as I am concerned, that was a sink or swim segment for Andrade and he sank. Wearing suits and glasses does not give you star power. It was a bad segment

I just realized Chavo does business with Alberto Patron. Fuck him

Why bring another ex-WWE guy when Konan is right there ffs. Nothing against Chavo but there already are a million managers here

Yeah this back and forth was gold. Bald FTR is a great promo too but Santana is seriously next level. He is just so good

I will never not mark out for that Eddy tribute but Nyla didn't sell it like Eddy used to. You have to really roll on the floor screaming as if someone hit you in the head with a hammer

Really surprised she is not the main event. Love Mox but she is the star right now. She deserves it

Sting just exchanged shin kicks with Orange Cassidy and this is exactly what AEW was formed for

That Kazarian beatdown was tanking hard until Hangman came out, and he saved the segment simply by drinking on the job and being mega-over as (cowboy) shit. God I hope he beats Omega at All Out, because I cannot take many more weeks of Omega and the Good Brothers being unbearable dweebs on TV

This is certainly the best time to be a US wrestling fan in at least 8 years The Good Brothers suck especially Gallows. Frankie losing to Gallows is WWE Raw-level bullshit

What the fuck.

Jericho looks like I did after one month of partying and feasting after graduating right as NYC reopened

It's honestly the Colt thing that would be the biggest worry. From what I understand, both fell out hard. I don't know the details beyond both suing each other for legal fees, but both have IIRC accused each other of hurting them financially. We don't really hear a lot about backstage issues in the AEW locker room beyond some Cody-Elite rumours, but having a toxic backstage atmosphere is the last thing a young upstart promotion needs

I definitely hope there is some motion and churning in the next 6 months or so as far as the main event scene is concerned. Having Bryan and Punk if they are available is a no-brainer, but AEW also has a crop of extremely talented bright young guys and girls, all of whom should be in the main event scene this time next year. So when big-time legends like Bryan and Punk come, they are utilized in a process where they help this elevation, and not delay it or keep the young stars in limbo because of how crowded the main event scene is. There's no point having 15 All-Stars when only 5 can be on the floor. There are only so many open slots. It is why I was nonplussed when I saw people talk about how the Varsity Blonds have the potential to be main eventers soon. Yeah, but like, in place of whom? They already have so many "potential main eventers" on their roster. Whose spot is Griff Garrison is going to take? That's the reality of wrestling. Some really talented ones never make it to the very top. Regardless, this is more of a cautionary note than an epitaph. I think AEW has done a good job elevating some of its wrestlers definitely. Darby and Britt, MJF is clearly a bigger star than he was when the promotion started (and even a year back), Miro has been rehabbed and elevated with the TNT title and God's Favourite Champ gimmick, which is right now my favourite in wrestling. They also did an excellent job saving Hangman after a meh first few months, and then making him a main event star. Hopefully they pull the trigger and make him one of the absolute top guys at All Out. So they do have a good track record. What they should be careful about imo is to not get carried away with "surprises" and new signings and "changing the landscape of wrestling" because all of that is short-term thinking. Instead, just focus on continuing to develop their new stars. Have an idea of which 5-6 wrestlers they want as headliners and faces of the promotion in 1-2 years, and then focus everything on getting them to that position. And when these wrestlers get there, they should be the *only* ones in the main event scene, not sharing the scene with the Elite and Cody and Mox and Jericho. The current faces of the promotion can't be clogging the space. Again, only so many available slots on the floor

I have no idea why they still use this dorkass theme name. Anyway, today's show should be a banger. Mox v. Archer, Britt v. Nyla, Darby v. Yuta should all be great

Probably the name of Ryan Satin's next backstage Fox show

They are no longer shooting Total Bellas, which I imagine has to be a major factor if Bryan has not re-signed with WWE. I don't give a shit about Kross but what message?!?! Vince owns NXT!! It's his property!!

I am willing to give it a chance and see where she is in a couple of months. She is extremely likeable and can make the gimmick work, but it's a gimmick that is designed to be ultimately squashed and fall flat on the ground after crashing hard on the ceiling. Hopefully I am wrong. This, otoh, is 10000% correct:

Imo it devalues the title (to the extent titles on Raw can be devalued) more than elevates Nikki

Since when has fluke title reigns off fluke MitB wins helped elevate a wrestler? Are we just entirely forgetting the history of MitB? Don't get me wrong, I am happy for Nikki and I am glad she is being featured and having fun, but there is no reason she couldn't have done it without this gimmick. We can talk about Mighty Molly, but let's not forget that the shining spot of the 2000s for the women's division, when Trish, Molly Holly, Victoria, Lita, Gail Kim, Mickie James etc were there, involved Molly ditching that gimmick

Yeah I am not saying he was treated like a jobber. But someone with his upside should be protected more than that. I used to say this all the time here, but he is like the Incredible Hulk come to life. Just incredible charisma and presence. Making him look like a midcard guy on his comeback is absolutely not the decision I would have made. Nothing against Lashley but he can beat so many others.

Didn't he lose in 7-8 minutes purely as a setup for Goldberg tho. That doesn't tell me they think he can hang with the top guys. More like a solidly midcard guy like Kofi. That can change subsequently of course. He definitely has the size, and Vince will always like that

Kross being jobbed to Jeff like the dork that he is is the first WWE booking I have completely supported in forever. I can't wait to look at the photos or twitter clips and see how much this supposedly scary menacing giant of a man towers over the guy who got over being a tiny scrawny scrappy kid who was amongst the big boys

If it leads to Becky squashing Charlotte in her big comeback match I am all for it