MoS

I don't disagree, given recent ticket pre-sales in Chicago. Punk definitely isn't a Hogan/Austin/Rock/Cena-esque difference maker, I think we all agree on that

Punk v. Bucks shootfight sounds like a fight even the Texas athletic commission wouldn't sanction for MMA amateur cards in its jurisdiction. I miss Punk's angles but honestly, not having the Elite around doing corny comedy and melodrama is a bonus. Tony should let all the nxt 1.0 alumni go as well. Never understood his obsession with them, given they got their asses kicked going against his show and his wrestlers.

He made AEW consistently be number one for the day in ratings, and top 5 in the week. Yes, AEW has not approached its debut show rating. By this logic, Roman's entire run is a dud because SD has never come close to the numbers it got for its debut on Fox. Except that is patently ridiculous, and so is pretending that Punk was not a difference maker. And it's cute how ticket sales are a great positive for WWE, but AEW doing multiple $1 million gates and regularly beating WWE in ticket sales when they would run the same areas around the same period of time, including NYC, after Punk came (the first non-WWE company to ever do so) is just an "RoH-level" niche difference. And since we are so focused on business, let's not forget that WWE's business has turned around and been the hottest it's been in years precisely from the time Roman decided to be a part-timer and an AEW midcarder returned at Wrestlemania and immediately made Raw extremely hot. Not once has announcing Roman for a particular show made a tangible difference in ratings or ticket sales. That's one of the main reasons why AEW was beating WWE in ticket sales for TV tapings regularly after Punk showed up. So clearly his run is a dud and the McMahons, Cena and Cody should only be the main eventers. Except no one says that. Nor should they. Oh, and Hall and Nash didn't have a particularly significant impact on business. WCW went on a streak, but WCW was regularly beating WWF in the ratings even prior to that. House show attendance had rebounded and increased prior to their debut, with the Flair-Savage feud. It was Hogan's return and turn that got business to a new level.

And in 1000 days he hasn't had one match that comes close to Punk v. Kingston

This is not Twitter. He had some excellent matches, great feuds with Kingston, MJF and Mox, got AEW to start hitting 1 million viewers on a regular basis, cut numerous great promos, and made Chicago an AEW city. Roman Reigns would sacrifice his firstborn to have a year as great as this one.

The pre-sale for the next Chicago show is actually doing better than their last few ones, despite it being known that Punk isn't going to be there. This might be temporary, but right now, somehow, the suspension of Punk and the Elite lads have had no negative effect on their business at all. In fact, it's actually been up across the board, better than in months.

Excellent match, better than their first one, which I had also loved, but I disagree with the result. Mox is my guy, love him, but the belt should have gone to Danielson.

I am loving this match

Man, Danielson is SO SO SO good. He really is the GOAT

Cuz she rocks

She very obviously is. Why would you do all your big angles on one show. It makes sense to delay it a bit

Paige/Saraya blew the roof off with her debut, so great to see her

And Athena's power. The women's match has had better agenting in the last few weeks

It certainly worked here

MUCH better promo from MJF compared to last week. I think we will get MJF v. Yuta, and Cass will interfere and help MJF win

Lol Billy's kids have grown on me. Ass Boys v. FTR sounds like a good way to start building FTR for the tag championship

I wish I was in that crowd, this feels like a special moment

Yeah the Acclaimed need to win tonight

Some rough spots but overall I thought the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. Good pacing, Claudio had some great power spots.

It looks really good. This might be the best set/stage AEW has ever put up

Excellent match, Jericho's best since the King match. Result is being sold as a surprise on commentary but I was expecting that. Imagining Claudio and Bianca being a mixed tag and just doing power spots on fools and trying to hard to manifest that into existence

Yup. Thankfully he always has his crazy superman strength to wow you. Deadlifting Jericho on the top rope is ridiculous

During the break right now, Exaclibur said "Claudio has the same dressing room as Roger Federer, the two greatest Swiss athletes of the past 25 years" Martina Hingis gonna kill him

Probably hoping for a big first quarter with the TBBT lead-in by putting on Jericho, who is one of their biggest draws. Speaking of, "he wants to be ocho" huh. Jericho has been catching up on Better Call Saul

Some good news for TK after many weeks of bullshit