strobogo

The transitioning to the younger group is going to take years because that's just the booking style in Japan generally, and Gedo specifically. All that hype about the new generation over the summer and fall played out to: 9 years into Naito's "can't win the big one" arc with 4 world titles, 5 or 6 IC, couple of G1 wins, I think 4 WK main events under his belt in that time. On top of that, we're now into year 3 of "his time is running out for him to get back to WK main event/win the G1". We're 8 years into broken down Tana whose time is running out, body completely shot, sacrificing it all to hit what might be his last HFF. He also won a G1, had a WK main event, and I believe literally every active title NJ has had since 2015 outside of juniors. 11 years into Bullet Club, and the nWo B Team comparison is actually worse, because now it's like all the members of the B team got their own spin off groups, all of them worse than ever aside from the Bang Bang Gang. How many years in a row of Sanada looking like a chump against Okada before finally winning past the point people cared and having an ice cold reign? How many years in a row of Goto doing the same but never pulling it out and no one taking him seriously in even a secondary title role anymore? How many years of Ishii putting on banger after banger after banger, being the G1 MVP, and never getting a shot beyond NEVER? I think he's had a grand total of 2 IWGP challenges in the 20 years he's been with NJ. David Finlay having the exact same storyline as Switchblade, which itself was basically the same as Kenny's. Okada's been the juggernaut for a decade+ now, demolished every record there was to have, and still is only 35 They already have Tsuji on his "all the charisma and talent, doesn't win the big one when it counts" track, already have Shota on "all the charisma and passion, could be the ace, can't pull out the big one" track, Uemura as Sanada 2.0 track. Narita going from next Shibata to next EVIL. All this new generation is going to take forever to actually produce. The idea that it's gotta be AEW elitists or people don't actually pay attention to NJ that think it is stale or cold is hilarious. People that watch NJ have been saying it was stale or cold for a few years now, people who just get turned on to NJ for the first time are the ones that most think it is the best shit they've ever seen. Like....Gedo's non-stop repeated angles and stories for years on end has been a talking point here and any other wrestling message board for YEARS. The only things that were keeping NJ popping the last couple of years was Shingo's surprise main event run and heavyweight Ospreay going supernova for 2 years. And now that they're going to be losing Ospreay, with Finlay being pegged as the next top gaijin, bringing in Dolph fucking Ziggler to feud with him :dead

Am I seeing right that Finlay vs fucking Dolph Ziggler is the plan for the Global championship? Lmao. Unbelievable.

He's looked bad in all of his AEW matches, both general in ring stuff and physically ( by his standards, which are not normal standards of course). The Ibushi of 2023 didn't look like the Ibushi of 2015-2021 at all. Whatever it was that kept him out of the ring in 2022 changed him completely.

I don't think he's actually under contract with AEW, so I don't think TK could have any kind of say in what he's doing elsewhere, but everything caught up to Ibushi all at once and it sucks to see.

Lol at the crowd doing the Judas singing but then quite audibly booing when Jericho tagged in

Jericho being a creeper would be one of the least surprising things

CC ruled so much. All the negativity online about AEW the past few months, all the talk about TK being burned out and just playing with his action figures, and then the CC comes along. Better than any G1 in quite a number of years, literally every single talent involved, even the ones with 0 points, are in a better position they were before with the exception of maybe Bryan and Mox since it is hard to get in a better position than they've been in the whole time. A ton of truly great matches with tons of different dynamics and bridging storylines, where in the same tournament you can have Bryan as full on YES era underdog getting brutalized by someone who the fans were rooting on to win the week before and after, then you can have Bryan being the biggest dickhead possible and never trying to hide how much he enjoys it against a guy every crowd loves so much, but a week before were rooting Daniel Garcia to pull it out against Eddie without rooting against Eddie. Jay Lethal and Mark Briscoe were in very strong to very good matches despite being the obvious guys to drop falls, making great showings every week. Certainly the best Rush and Andrade have been booked in AEW. Brody King looking like an absolute killer. Honestly I think the weakest match the whole tournament was weirdly Bryan vs Claudio, which very much felt like a couple of WWE guys working for a TV time limit, especially noticeable with the PIP stuff where they were clearly stalling on spots waiting for the cue that they were back on TV. That's usually not very noticeable, although it was a few other times, but it seemed to be extra noticeable they were saving stuff for the last 2-3 mins and to hit commercial breaks.

Two day WM was the best choice they've made in years. Two 3 1/2 hour shows vs one 5+ hour show is absolutely the right call.

Dying that Punk did the "I came back for all of you fans" thing AGAIN in his promo after his first match back

Imagine the watchlists for this company a decade from now :vincefaint

Britt Baker as the devil would kind of be an interesting twist tbh, especially as she's been seemingly missing for months.

What a fucking year for Eddie Kingston. By far the highlight of the G1, every match in the CC, the two ROH title matches with Claudio, the match with Shibata, the match with MiSu

Isn't it wild that at the end of 2023, an Eddie Kingston vs Bryan Danielson match on a Turner network is a thing at all? AEW really astounds me quite often at how many matches and feuds on not just cable but specifically the NWA/WCW network with Tony Schiavone calling them are on a top 3 cable station in almost 2024 that would have been something I'd have popped for on czwfans message board nearly 20 years ago.

Joe's momentum has really been impacted by his outside work and the length of the devil shit. It is what it is, but I really wouldn't have expected MJF to drop the belt to him regardless, and especially not in LI. Swerve is the most clearly has next guy since Hanger's peak.

The devil stuff has def gone on too long, there's no way the reveal can be anything but a disappointment unless Adam Cole is actually 100% healthy and ready to go and the devil. Swerve has all the momentum. Every crowd is on his side even with the darkly heel shit he did with Hanger. Swerve is who the people want. Considering how frequently AEW plans have to change due to injuries and whatnot, it's hard to argue against putting the belt on Swerve ASAP. MJF is busted up, already has all the accolades as the top champ AEW has ever had. The momentum is clearly on Swerve's side both online and actual in arena crowds. Seems silly to not put the title on him between now and Revolution.

Swerve is def TMF right now. I assume there is a ppv between World's End and Revolution, and not putting the title on Swerve in that time would be bonkers. Especially as MJF is injured and already broke all the records for a title reign. Extra especially with the MJF/Swerve interaction on Dynamite. Imo, it doesn't matter what long term plans are. Long term plans in AEW haven't meant shit considering the injury rate of top talent in the past 2 years. Just go with what's hot, and the streets want Swerve as champ.

Would love for there to be an accurate counter of lights out surprises on AEW TV since 2019. It's gotta be around 50 at least at this point rightr.

I'm not saying she wouldn't be a big signing for TNA, especially now, but also it wouldn't be that much of a surprise or "you'd never though they'd be here" after Trinity went there and won the title. It's certainly a big get if they could get Mercedes over her picking AEW or going back to WWE, but also TNA is a company that has signed basically every top tier talent over the past 15 years from Angle to Steiner to Hogan to Flair to Foley to Mickie James to Christian to Booker to etc etc. Heading into 2024 I'm definitely interested in the rebrand back to TNA and the push for bigger venues and media presence, but I also don't think Sasha Banks is a "you'd never think they'd be here, worlds collide" type talent when not only is Trinity there, but also 75% of the roster is former recent ex-WWE talent. I'm sure Mercedes would have good output in TNA, which seems to have been doing the best with female talent the past couple of years even if actual in ring skill was higher elsewhere. I just don't think now 2 years after her WWE exit where she only had a couple of matches in Japan and NJPW Strong (which no one watches) shows, is a "one of our biggest ever signings" type of deal. At this point is feels like she's much more likely to return to a very hot WWE with HHH instead of Vince in charge than anything else.

The only one on the market right now that could match up to the kind of hype is Sasha, but that also doesn't really seem like a "you'd never have thought they'd be here" "world's colliding", "one of the biggest signings we've ever had" signing, either. Getting Okada to actually sign away from NJ would be something like that. But not Sasha or anyone released in the past year. Can't think of any big time free agents or shocking retired star returns.

CC is why AEW fucking rules even with all the negativity online recently. You can have weeks where Andrade is absolutely vicious and violent trying to re-injure Bryan to win, and a week later the crowd is fully into him against Claudio. You get matches like Garcia vs Eddie where the crowd is begging for Garcia to pull it out against perhaps the most beloved dude in the company. There's such a fluidity to match types and stories that don't box the wrestlers or crowds into heel, face, or tweener roles, and that's something WWE just doesn't provide.

That man ain't retiring, full time or part time

Mandy's pre and post WWE career would lead me to believe her ring gear main roster and NXT was her own choices considering she got fired for the kind of pictures she was posting online.

I remember Athena Ember Moon making a comment about not wearing booty shorts likes Mandy Rose and yet every time I see her in AEW/ROH, she's wearing trunks that are much skimpier than what any dude or Mandy Rose ever wore and it makes me lol.

You can always tell the guys who are on the top shelf shit (Hogan, Savage, Warrior, Rock, Cena, Orton) vs the level or two below (Hercules, Juicy Jinder, MJF, Rush) based on back and shoulder acne