MLB

Rev Pro is the biggest promotion in the UK? What do they draw? From what I've seen it's in the ballpark of 300-1000. WWE pulls the plug on NXT UK, so it would not seem hugely popular over there. AEW is drawing a big house for this Wembley show, maybe it is under served or a lot of fans are flying in?

Seems like there is a budding rivalry happening between XPW/GCW. I feel like it's been downhill for GCW since their very disappointing Manhattan Center show. They've scaled back the deathmatches for more pretty boy high flyers (Jordan Oliver, Nick Wayne, Blake Christian, Starboy Charlie) and luchadores. They stopped booking SHLAK, RSP and G-Raver. Gage ballooned overnight but seems to have a grip on it now. Mox sat on the title for months. Janela having random midcard matches. Masha won the title out of nowhere.

It's crazy in spite of his debut as guest referee for Bret/Austin at WM13 that Ken didn't get a match with either guy. And we didn't get a program with Angle that could've been great. They should've pushed Ken more.

Super bummed to hear this, Drake's a legend and really got himself into great shape recently. Likely the minority here, but I love XPW. I enjoy the sleaze, I like outlaw shit. Somebody has to do it. Makes the promotion seem shocking and dangerous. Dirty Ron is a total lunatic, their whole roster top to bottom is 5150. I get a kick out of Rob Black, his New York attitude on wrestling is a lot like Vince Russo's (yet oddly enough Russo's views are closer to Cornette's in terms of hating XPW/deathmatch wrestling). I am from New York so perhaps things don't offend me in the same way as a lot of fans. The commentary is great and Larry Legend is a great announcer. I prefer XPW over GCW.

Rick Rubin is another link. I saw a report of HHH and Steph at his house not too long ago, so I assume he is still into it. The topic reminds me of a lot of rock gimmicks over the years. Shawn Michaels very similar to Bret Michaels from Poison. Van Hammer. Honky Tonk Man, Elvis spinoff. Demon Dale Torborg, KISS spinoff. More recently, Rick Boogs with his guitar.

I feel like the Triple B is a wasted custom title. It doesn't really draw any heat and it's hard to see the strap design under MJF's scarf when it's around his waist. Even when visible it just looks brown from a distance. Not sure how else they could've done it to make it more obnoxious, but the design could've had a more distinct look. Maybe replace the letters AEW with MJF on the front plate. Edit: I realized Jake Paul did the belt gimmick better with his "500k" title:

AEW ought to find some airtime for RJ City on the televised broadcast. Not exactly sure how to optimize it but he's doing great numbers on Youtube with Hey! (EW). Some of his interviews do more traffic than segments on Rampage. He's very quick witted and a natural talker. Don't know much about his wrestling history but they should find a way to put him on as a manager or some other role.

I'll echo the praise here for Darby, he's amazing to watch. The way he hits the ropes, his rolls and dives are awesome. "Tarzan Boy" is a great song and all, but Jack should consider dropping the "Jungle" moniker at this point. There's nothing jungle about him, he's away from Luchasaurus, and it doesn't really fit. He's from LA from good looking and wealthy parents. I get that he has long hair and climbs the ropes but a jungle character should work more like Sabu or someone like that .

Riddle's shady and got into some hot water, they seem to be dealing with it. Ronda's a headache for them, too.

With the Endeavor deal completed, how much do you guys think Conor McGregor could impact WWE? We will likely see Colby, Izzy and some others show up at some point, or maybe a hybrid show with Ronda, Brock, Riddle, etc.?

I don't see the point of ROH if not a brand split, just give the keys to Punk and FTR. Give them Miro, Joe, Andrade (if he sticks around), RUSH, Claudio, Nigel, Shibata, Starks, Moriarty, Hook, and Hobbs. AEW keeps the Elite, the Pillars, Mox, and Jericho.

I mean, wow. 15 to 3 currently, I can't believe how lopsided this poll turned out. I do think there is some recency bias in play here. Bear in mind, I like Punk. Yeah, Punk got more out of Cena but Jericho had better chemistry with The Rock. Jericho's WCW Cruiserweight run was epic and still talked about today (feuds with Juvi, Rey Jr, Malenko). Chris elevated a mid-card division with guys who weren't strong promos (and foreign) and got them over. Who has Punk ever gotten over? (I'll give him MJF). Punk dropped the ROH title in a 4-way and nobody remembers his final ROH match with Cabana, if anything he ruined Ryback's career. "I'm leaving with the title" was done by RVD years prior to Punk ripping it off. People still talk about Jericho's beef with Goldberg. Jericho didn't get a Brock or Taker PPV match which are two of Punk's greatest hits. Jericho never had Heyman as a mouthpiece or any manager at all. Jericho was the first in WWE with a "viral marketing campaign" with various clues and codes that WWE is still using today with Wyatt. Jericho came up with the Money in the Bank concept that's been around for almost 20 years.

I'll concede that maybe Jericho's reinventions are overstated in my case, but in 2008 he purged the entire Spinal Tap gimmick and became a dramatically different performer as the top heel on the brand. Completely different look and style. I thought Punk's UFC career was a disaster, not sure how he was considered a draw. Remember Dana's reaction after the Jackson fight? Punk still had another fight on his UFC deal and they told him to scram. If watching Punk awkwardly get his ass kicked was a draw they would've had him honor the third fight on his contract. And surprise, surprise...Punk got hurt during training. Took almost two years between fights. We don't know what kind of numbers Jericho would do in UFC.

Really enjoyed your write up, @DMJ I'll elaborate here on why I went with Jericho because it is a close call. I agree Jericho is more famous but at their most over, I'd grant Punk's peak was higher. The Pipebomb is more memorable than any promo Jericho ever did, although Jericho's WWF debut with The Rock on the mic ranks up there in famous moments. And yeah, SES > JAS. Punk has a better moveset. Also as Cena rivals, Punk got a lot more out of JC and their feud. Jericho is much more of a comedy wrestler. They are both similar in how they elevated themselves despite their critics in the back. Both had their issues with Hunter. It is a bit like comparing Shawn to Bret. It is Jericho's longevity and durability that I think gives him the better career overall. Jericho never got injured, but with Punk it seems constant. I watched a shoot with Perry Saturn (former Marine) and he said Jericho was the toughest wrestler he faced, I believe it. That counts in my book. Jericho has been around longer, to a lot more places (Mexico/SMW/WAR/ECW) than Punk, and in a lot more great matches. Jericho has reinvented himself and adapted through a lot of different gimmicks and catchphrases whereas Punk has been the same persona talking about ice cream bars with a long break in between. I think you can see Jericho's influence (Kenny Omega, "BAY BAY" and aspects of MJF's character) on today's wrestling. And "Judas" is more over than "Cult of Personality" as an entrance.

With all of the recent buzz of CM Punk's return and the heat Jericho seems to get on PWO, I thought I'd ask this one. Somebody on here says Punk is a bigger star, which I am not totally convinced is a fact, so I started a poll.

Finlay is outside of the BC leader mold, that is true. That stable has been remarkably successful in making over gaijins I think some fans perceived as too pretty. Giving them a leather jacket and a more edgy look (AJ, Kenny, Cody, Finn, Cole, YB, Jay) did wonders for all those guys.

It's too bad AEW doesn't have any prominent UK talents on their roster that could capitalize on the venue like Punk in Chicago or Sami in Montreal. WWE has McIntyre (for now), Balor and Sheamus to represent the UK, but I'm struggling to come up with an active English star in wrestling right now. Only names I've got are Saraya, Pac, Zack Sabre, Pete Dunne, Big F'n Joe or Marty Scurll (RIP). That could give Nigel a lot of shine on that show if he does have a match.

You are right, they did a good number in Seattle (almost 10k). But WWE runs Seattle *once* a year. That show was originally scheduled for February and got pushed back to September. A few nights later, they did around 7900 in Portland at the Moda Arena for RAW, which holds about 19,000, still a decent number (this show was also postponed from February). In 2019, WWE drew really badly for a PPV in Seattle (see: https://411mania.com/wrestling/more-details-on-low-attendance-for-wwe-stomping-grounds-paid-attendance-reportedly-between-4000-to-4500/) I'm not too aware of Defy, but it looks cool, they're doing in the ballpark of 600 fans at their shows. Hopefully AEW is successful in Seattle. Looks like they have upcoming shows in Colorado as well, but right now they're running Chicago/Boston over and over and over. When was the last time AEW went to places like Phoenix, Arizona or San Francisco, California? The answer is zero.

Was amused to read this on a blind gossip site that I frequent, must have been a slow news week:

Pro Wrestling/WWE is *dead* on the west coast. We're back to the 90's where it is the east coast keeping the industry alive (Chicago, Philly, Boston, NY/NJ). I live in Oregon and *nobody* likes rasslin here AT ALL. WWE cancelled a show in Eugene a few months ago where they couldn't even sell 2,000 tickets in a 12,000 seat building. LA has a bit of a scene (GCW/PWG/XPW/GLOW and some lucha crossover), but that's it.

It's worth noting "sex addict" Rusev occurred during Heyman's run as creative director of RAW.

It's a stretch, but I wonder if the Elite/Punk are unable to co-exist, maybe Punk would be open to anchoring ROH.

Speaking of MMA crossovers, is Paddy Pimblett coming in to wrestle MJF?

The fact that HBO got entirely out of the boxing game should've given them a clue.

I don't think anybody has a chain gimmick atm, it could work for Miro. There is a long history of chains looking badass in wrestling: Brody, JYD, Rampage Jackson, Hercules Hernandez, Rukkus, The Pitbulls, Nikita, Cena's "chain gang" necklace, HHH/Steiner in chain mail. Seems safe to say by now that TK is not interested in Lana/CJ Perry.