MoS

I don't even like Omega and the YB that much, but are they really worth losing your shit over again and again, about hundreds of times, on Twitter, and getting into pissing contests with basically everyone who disagrees? And please don't give me the "Corny is working you marks" thing, cuz if this ever was a work, Cornette worked himself into a shoot a long time ago.

The Shayna-Becky angle with Becky getting bitten, deciding for some reason to drive herself to the hospital minutes after insisting that she does not need medical attention, and then driving back and cutting a promo was pro wrestling at its nonsensical, glorious best and I loved every second of it. People trying to say it does not make "logical sense" or whatever are missing the fact that often, awesome pro wrestling makes no logical sense. I also happen to think Becky is the best promo in the company, so I was going to like it more than others anyway. But for my money it was awesome.

He is also just 23. Plenty of time for him to develop a more vicious ring-style. Hell, maybe we see that in the Cody match. It's the first red-hot angle he has been involved in, to my knowledge. Much like gordi, I have been pleasantly surprised by AEW often enough that I am optimistic.

MJF is 5'11'', about 215 pounds, and looks jacked and fit. By no means does he look like Joey Janela - someone who does not look as if he can do any damage in the ring. Cody himself is about 6 feet and 220 pounds. We live in an age where we know for a fact that smaller, more skilled fighters can beat bigger, stronger opponents. If MJF's physical stature makes you think he is not credible enough, then we might as well go back to the John Laurinaitis decree of every recruit being 6'4'' and 250 pounds.

Matt Riddle has ridiculous charisma. I know this comparison is a bit premature, but watching him cut his promo on this show made me think of The Rock: had anyone else cut that promo, it would have been ridiculous. But with Riddle, it just works and gets the crowd involved. He has a connection with fans that's rare in wrestling.

- I hope this means the Nightmare Collective is over. This has to be Brandi's face turn, right? - I am loving the Mox-Jericho build. Jericho being a complete hypocrite was expected but funny. I hope they don't blind Mox's other eye next week though; that would be way too much. What does an "eye for an eye" match mean exactly? Like, does it carry any stipulations beyond the fact that both are blinded in one eye? - People shit on Janela but Sabian is worse imo. Bland, no charisma, completely uninteresting. - The 10 lashes was masterfully done. When MJF first came out, there were nearly 20 minutes left, so I knew it would go long, and my gut instinct was to be wary, cuz I hate too much melodrama in wrestling. But they really hit it out of the stadium with this entire angle. MJF did not crack an incest joke, which slightly disappointed me, but he was amazing. To use a cliche, it was old-school heat. I loved everything about it. - You just can't turn a guy who loves drinking beer into a heel. It's just not how it works. This is like a universal thing - as I said last week, even Bollywood has been using this trope for decades. I think Omega turns heel. It would make him more palatable to me, cuz all his annoying motions would come off better when he is being portrayed as a douche. - Overall, another excellent episode imo. AEW has been in excellent form since the new year started. I hope it continues.

Also, what is the #FUCK hashtag thing about

The dementia diagnosis was absolutely unnecessary and C.S has himself accepted that. Cornette might be a lifer who is amazing at working the marks, but he is also someone whose opinion on modern wrestling is looking increasingly out-of-touch and out-dated. Which is fine - I don't like Omega or the Young Bucks. But when the only defence for ranting is "He's just working the marks", then you are basically being Vince Russo on the internet, another person Corny famously despises. Getting into fights with everyone who does not think Omega wrestling a 9-year old is the end of wrestling is immature and juvenile. Saying that he wishes that wrestling would die if this is what it has become makes him look sad. To be fair to Cornette though, while him saying "People in Japan like weird shit, that would never draw here" is ludicrous and palpably stupid, Meltzer acting like anyone who does not realise that Okada-Omega matches are high works of art is just not smart enough to understand psychology or storytelling and is obviously wrong is also annoying. It is still possible to think Hashimoto was a better ace than either Tanahashi or Okada and not be completely wrong or out of touch or blinded in hatred or whatever Dave says whenever someone disses on the NJPW guys. ......especially cuz it is true.. Hash is awesome and NJPW hasn't found anyone close to his level yet.

Becky reverting more to her original tweener character instead of the out-and-out babyface is great imo. This way she can feud with both faces and heels and keeping her fresh.

I watch one American football game a year - the Superbowl - so I am the opposite of an expert, but I thought that Damien Williams guy should really have been the MVP. Even I could make out that he was great throughout the game, even when they were trailing.

You guys make great points about Shane not having the resume to appease Wall Street and Steph not doing creative and being a corporate figurehead. It makes it even more surprising (alarming?) that they fired Barrios and Wilson - both of whom would have had no issues appeasing Wall Street - so suddenly, with seemingly no succession plan.

I think there will be a wrestling person and a business person. Triple H will probably be the wrestling person and Shane the corporate guy to appease Wall Street. Stephanie will be doing both, so I think she will be the most powerful person in wrestling whenever Vince passes on.

Can somebody help me with the last part of her tweet? I think it's cool AEW are honouring Missy.

Would you say it is fair to state that while Orton has charisma and personality and, on occasions when he shows both, he is exciting to watch, more often than not, he does not display any - maybe cuz he does not give a shit - he is not just boring to watch, but often drags down his peers and the angles he is involved in? I mean, I certainly agree that one does not need to be great on the mic to show charisma. Jeff Hardy was terrible on the mic and yet he had tremendous charisma. Brock in his first run cut bad promos but had undeniable charisma. But I don't think calling Randy Orton Blandy Orton for most stretches of his career is unjustified.

I don't know if there is any credence to these whispers but If at all true, it would mean Vince put NXT on USA just to hurt AEW. Which, I mean I know it's Vince and that's just who he has been most of his life, but WWE is basically top 1-10 on its own right now. He will certainly die as the owner of the biggest, most profitable wrestling promotion ever. It just seems so unnecessary.

Yeah, this. He has displayed charisma and excellence a few times while being on top for 17 years. He was getting ridiculously over as a babyface in 2010 as well and then he won the title and all his charisma seemingly dissipated.

Just to be a total mark, here, enjoy:

They are doing better numbers than they were in December, and they have settled into a nice pattern. I am really enjoying following it week to week. I think they will become more must-see as we get closer to their PPV. Next week MJF will lash Cody, and he will be in Alabama, so there's probably an over/under on whether he makes an incest joke.

I really liked the show. Solid storyline progression and again, no Nightmare Collective, which is always a positive. - There's no way they are turning Page heel, is there? I mean he came out ddrinking, handed his drink to his friend, kicked ass, and then finished his drink. That is as close to a universally effective babyface trope as it gets. I mean, Bollywood and other Indian film industries have been using it for the last 50 years. And a heel turn might make Omega interesting. - Nyla Rose is really getting over. - I liked Baker's promo this week. Maybe it's cuz taking shots at JR works better for me haha. - The Cody match was good, and that was because Cody is so over. Absolutely no one in this world thought he would get over and stay over at this level 2 years ago. Sabian was mediocre as a stalling heel and I don't give a shit about the Janela story, but Cody ending the match with an emphatic stretch of multiple finishers just to beat Sabian up was the best way to end the match. Also, I am not close to being the kind of "looks" guy that someone like Cornette is, but Sabian pushing Arn made me laugh, cuz I genuinely believed that Arn, at that age, pot belly and all, would fuck Sabian up. - I am loving the Mox-Jericho build. Mox was massively over in his hometown. I know I sound like a complete Jericho fanboy every time I talk about him these days, but I was actually not much of a Jericho fan before. My comments about him during the GWE were not very flattering. But he has gone up several levels since he started his NJPW run, and he has reached a point where I am finding everything he is doing great, because he is so great. - The PAC promo was a bit corny for me. On the other hand, MJF on commentary was gold.

I used to laugh when Meltzer would call Edge a good actor with good facial expressions, cuz I found his expressions the absolute corniest in the world. But he was out of this world brilliant on Monday, and this is the most interesting thing Orton has done in years and years. Raw is so much better than SD right now, even with SD having Bryan and Roman.

Meltzer also said that he thinks the Rhea Ripley match might be a placeholder and they might be trying to get Charlotte-Ronda done. That sounds much more exciting honestly. He did make it clear that it is not something he has heard from anyone, just something he thought of.

Now I want to see Brock beating someone while chewing popcorn.

No way they have Fiend main event Wrestlemania. Had Ronda come back in the Rumble, I would have thought Becky-Ronda would be the main event, but she didn't, and I don't see them giving Becky-Charlotte, if it happens, the main event cuz that has happened like a million times already. I am guessing it will be either Brock-Mcintyre or some celebrity they will make a deal with during the season.

THEY GOT FUCKING CORBIN TO ELIMINATE RIDDLE IN ABOUT 1 MINUTE. Fuck this company.

THEY GOT FUCKING CORBIN TO ELIMINATE RIDDLE IN ABOUT 1 MINUTE. Fuck this company.