Laz

So putting out a product nobody watches is more important than putting out a product a sizable portion of the audience listens to? Good to know. Numbers and audience size are absolutely relevant when it pertains to a business whose primary focal point is about attracting an audience.

So Corny pulls 300,000 downloads of his weekly show and isn't relevant, but Impact is on a network where the largest audience isn't even half of that and they are relevant? Corny has the first interview with the hottest new signings to AEW and isn't relevant, but Don Callis struggles to find an audience even 1/5th the size of Corny's and is? It's not even like Impact is offering some cutting edge product that is turning heads and gets people talking, they're just putting on a competent product for the first time in many, many years. I get it. You don't like Cornette. Hell, I don't even like Cornette. This is some backwards logic, though, considering the audience size for the former dwarfs the latter by a considerable margin, and the former is also seen by a good chunk of the remaining fanbase as a worthwhile voice. Relevance to the industry at large is not determined by personal preference, but by influence.

It'll come down to Bryan and AJ, really. Styles always gets overlooked when compared to Bryan but, for my money's worth, his average match was better than Bryan's, but Bryan's best stuff was genre-defining.

The only good thing about the DX Reunion Tour was the segment when HBK superkicked the random guy backstage because he was pouty.

Didn't Ortiz stop trying to drown Hardy because Matt Facts appeared on the screen's border? I know goofy stuff like that is why I've hated anything Matt Hardy's been involved in for years.

On point. Especially the incel dig.

It's kinda like how mythical CBGB's was made out to be when it was really a dive bar, or how Space Mountain is a top 5 rollercoaster despite it being the most tame of Disney's coasters.

Agree wholly on this part. I've no issue with talent making jokes or having goofy promos or gimmicks, but when the match itself becomes one big gag then I tune out. That's why I can watch Hoodslam, PWG, and other "silly" companies and be fine, but then hate that the match that follows a crazed brawl where blood is shed feels like a lame mid-career Jim Carrey flick. This, though, is also how Corny defended his own tomfoolery. He'd make jokes and show ass and be the butt of the gag, but he wouldn't do it at the expense of wrestling as a whole. I also agree with that approach in almost all art forms, as even a band like Gwar understood the music had to still be of a certain quality and filmmakers like Lloyd Kaufman take the actual artform seriously.

Neither do I. Not when he praises guys like Rock, Ron Simmons, D'Lo Brown, Shelton Benjamin, and others. He's definitely got some outdated and backwards views, but I think most of the heat he has with King is because of how King left ROH and his general attitude.

Isn't the stage bigger now? Zoning codes may have also been changed following various disasters, as even nightclub capacities in the state of Rhode Island went down after the Station fire of 1999.

I think it probably has more to do with her wanting to be in active women's division where she can ply her trade regularly, but it wouldn't surprise me if this weighed in on some level.

Understatement of the year?

To say Rhett Titus did more work than Kenny King is enough to disqualify Corny from ever having a say in a promotion ever again. Titus is on a shortlist of talent who never, ever should have moved beyond prelim/jobber status.

You say "again" as if that hasn't been the case for the last year already.

Nope. I have seen maybe 2 matches of Brodie Lee's that I've enjoyed. Not a guy whose work sticks out to me, and before the "we watched Taz/Bigelow" spot at the end it felt like your generic plodding "wE'rE hArDcOrE" match that WWE popularized. Lots of obvious spots being set up, weak brawling that was barely sold, obvious transitions from setpiece to setpiece...not my thing, really. As for better AEW World title matches, the only one I've really liked, overall, was the Jericho/Jungle Boy match before the Christmas break. Every other one that I can think of has either exposed Jericho's shortcomings from age or involved talent that I have no interest in ever watching again (Brodie, Hager, Omega).

I like how your instinctive reaction is "he must be stuck in the past" and not "he prefers grit and doesn't like bad comedy." I'm glad you enjoy the show, though, but not everyone has to like what you like. I've still got my indies.

He was a Kevin Steen before there was Kevin Steen. One hell of a worker that understood how to get heat, at least in ECW, but his addictions got the better of him. An underrated midcard hand, for damn sure.

I thought the only parts of the show that delivered were MJF/Jungle Boy and Nyla/Shida. Everything else was just a solid reminder, at least to me, why WCW and TNA are both out of business. Cinematic crap is not pro wrestling in the same way that Blink 182 was not punk rock. All the more power to the rest of you, glad you enjoyed it. Modern wrestling, at least on major levels, isn't for me.

It certainly says something when so many of the bigger names of the last decade who've worked with Corny all call him out on his shit. Though I'm sure Corny would've preferred some sort of "if I see him again I'll kick his ass" tough guy rant.

I don't mean "regardless of COVID" as if to say it hasn't had an effect, I mean it in the sense that the Dynamite ratings have been in a decline since the first show of 2020, outside of a handful of spikes in February. It would have been ridiculous to expect the company to continue hitting its 1.4 million numbers of its debut, but it hung around the 850,000-980,000 range until mid-January 2020, barring the holiday shows. And I do think a comparison to WWE is apt as it's not like TNT hasn't been advertising the program, pushing the show, or the company hasn't had an incredible amount of positive press in/out of "da business." Their merchandise is carried in a major retailer geared towards nerd culture, which, despite any personal opinions, is a major deal. If you're priming the general public for a new take on a known medium, giving it major television hours and setting it up for success, but it continues to struggle to crack a larger audience that is even half of the competition's? There's a sign you're doing something wrong. I don't even necessarily think Omega is the wrong move, but I will say that acting like he's a big star because a handful of diehards love him, especially when there's a growing vocal continent of that same base who cannot stand him, is a little presumptuous. He's not moving the needle in any legitimately measurable way and, if we're being honest, there are other talents whose star power is greater than his by virtue of having worked, on a major level, for the largest company in the medium's history. Mox is a bigger star. Cody is a bigger star. As much as I may hate his act, Matt Hardy is a bigger star. Jericho is, without a doubt, a bigger star. This puts Omega at #5 in terms of star power for his own company. ...why are we doing this in the Corny thread? This definitely warrants its own separate discussion.

How much of DoN 2019 was legitimate interest in Kenny Omega or wanting to see the first big show under a new banner in the States, though? It stands to reason that, with further exposure as a talent, his drawing power has decreased, which might point more to the aura of "hot New Japan star working in the States" than it does Omega in general.

AEW's ratings have consistently dropped, regardless of COVID-19, despite Omega being featured regularly (often times taking up a full quarter of the program between bell-to-bell and pre/post match interviews/segments). Their PPV business hasn't been anything to write home about, but that's more on the medium than it is on him, and the ~$55 price tag doesn't help. He's not "Diesel as WWF Champ" terrible as a draw, but to act like he's a big star when AEW's total audience is just over a quarter of WWE's is a bit naive. The promotion as a whole is a success, as they expected Dynamite to only draw 500,000 weekly (and its lowest has been 654,000 for last week's show), but there are a ton of glaring issues. That more and more fans are vocalizing negative opinions on Omega's act, regardless of your personal enjoyment, is very telling of how good he is as a draw in the States.

Nah, I'd rather not.

I want you to find that quote from me, and the look up what a strawman argument actually is. Until such a time, I will continue ignoring your feeble attempts at trolling. Aye to this. Brandi paired with Dustin is just fine, and I've no problem with her being involved in Cody's programs, or even going off and doing her own thing. It just so happens that she's regularly attached to one of the worst parts of the show, week after week.

Why are we not talking about the chemistry and timing between Jungle Boy and Chuck Taylor? There were a few exchanges between them that were so beautifully on point, let alone the excellent timing of JB's appearance in the ring as Chuck/Trent did their hug gimmick that JB interrupted with a dive, and it's not getting enough love. If Ford is a star then I'm blind, because I've seen nothing from her in AEW, Beyond, GCW, etc. that makes me think she's worthwhile outside of the "trashy girl from Jersey" routine. Little moment from the women's match that made me really enjoy it: Baker going to stomp Shida's teeth out and Statlander, her partner/friendly rival, making the save and dumping Baker down. Statlander is going to be the star of the women's division sooner than later. JR was right to shit on the Vanguard 1 stuff. This schlocky garbage is why I won't pay for an AEW show and, according to social media feedback, is a big turnoff for a sizable portion of the audience. It doesn't help that Matt Hardy walks like the Iron Sheik these days. I had to explain to my girlfriend that Christopher Daniels was, for many years, a talent that it was impossible to have a bad match with. He needs to hang it up and Brodie Lee needs to get away from the Dark Order cancer gimmick. The Dungeon of Doom was shit 25 years ago, it's even shitter now that it's filled with career indie jobbers.