El-P

Or maybe Tana is just losing to Jericho. Tana is at the end of the road, so it's also a way of keeping Jericho strong for a big IWGP title match later on against Naito or whoever, once he's not the AEW champ anymore.

This. Despite all the hype about it, NWAP Powerr for instance was kind of a chore to get through to me because there was jackshit in term of actual good wrestling and tons of time devoted to terrible acts like Aron Stevens and the Question Mark, or the Dawsons. With a super quick pacing that goes from one empty segment to another, 50 minutes can be a hell of a long time. Same thing for some MLW shows which have just the worst pacing. IMPACT always flies by. Some long NJPW shows are super easy to watch too despite the length. So yeah, perception of time is subjective and the length in itself matters less that what constitutes the show. (of course I still say that 90 mn is the perfect time for a weekly show and 3 hours should be the max for a usual PPV).

Actually, the short lenght is also part of why this is so great, because not only does it flies by, but when the podcast is over I just can't wait until the following week to earn more from Arn. Yeah, this podcast is the best thing Conrad ever did (and man was I a doubter at first when it was announced).

I can definitely relate to that. Plus, really bad can be funny, while mediocre means just there and boring more often than not. Awful but mercifully short always beats mediocre going long.

This podcast is the gift that keeps on giving. The Arn goes back to WCW sheds quite a light on the business practices of Vince McMahon. The more you learn, the more of a dishonest power hungry con-man he comes off like.

Wasn't he taking part in the body building-thingy they were doing a few weeks ago ? I never got the whole veins sticking out from everywhere appeal...

The episode with Pat Laprade is a must-listen, on many levels.

This is so interesting on so many levels. It really seem like they still consider their NJPW stint as the peek of their career, despite not making a lot of money there. And yet the biterness of the break-up really sheds a light on why NJ and AEW really haven't cooperate at all and probably won't until something drastically changes. It's also striking how much the whole Kenny Omega not coming off like a star thing is an echo of real-life issue, as Omega really did seem heartbroken about the Japanese situation and looks like he's not that interested that much (for now ?) as making himself like a bigger than life star. The teasing at the end is interesting too, and this is something I hope will eventually happen in AEW.

One reason why this whole win/loss record isn't always a good thing, when Sami Gueverra, a featured member of the Inner Circle, whose nickname is the Spanish God, has a match with Brandon Cutler, who's basically a competitive jobber, and both their single records is 0-4, it kinda makes Sami looks like crap. So yeah, win/loss mattering is good, but keeping track of every record can be counter productive. A guy like the Sandman in ECW was losing all the time, but it did not matter. If you show the graphic of a pitiful record, with the idea that win/loss matters and perception being reality, I'm not sure it will help some of these acts get over. Joey Janela as Santa Claus was the most pro-wrestling thing ever. The Hipster Jesus in the crowd was quite funny. Fun match with Spears, who showed versatility working a rather comedic match. Not sure about Janela doing the Steve Austin bit at the end though. I realize Austin is bigger than just WWE-branded stuff in term of pro-wrestling legacy and it a call back to 20 years before, but still... That stuff works great on an indie show, not crazy about it on AEW TV. I guess the self-conscious aspect of AEW, especially on Dark, makes it irrelevant anyway, it's just a fun salute to the biggest star of the last 30 years.

Second week of the Opera cup was more of the same, although no match was nearly as good as Thatcher vs Holliday. Hammerstone vs MJF was a cool old-school match with the usual heel vs heel teammates dynamics. I guess Aria Blake is gone. The suck-ass giant wasn't there either. Low-Ki vs DBS Jr. I strangely couldn't get into. Maybe I was burned out, but it seems they were trying a more Bloodsport like approach without really getting going. Dunno. The Warner vs Havoc match sucked but it was more of an angle and I guess with Kelly going with havoc and no woman match on either show thus far, it looks like the vaunted woman division is an afterthought. Totally wasting Salina's comeback with a lame bidding on a wrestler angle. The stuff in the streets of NYC ending up in the subway was kinda funny but I really don't look forward any Von Erich match. I enjoy the fact MLW does those outdoor stuff, but apart from the Warner vs Havoc GTA brawl, it doesn't always deliver something notable.

Agreed. Instead of a new boom, it seems everyone is gonna suffer from having so many companies around. Scratch NXT and put AEW there and that would be me. Although I admit right now, the most fun promotion for me to follow remains IMPACT. And a billion times the bolded part. It's too bad LU did not get the audience it deserved, especially after the first three seasons. I have no idea what my pro-wrestling mix will be in 2020, but probably less than in 2019.

That is seriously the most random reference on this board, ever ! Ulysse 31 ? Wtf ?!

Well, if I can say anything about AEW after this first "year", is that they need to work on follow-up hot stuff. And as much as I said before that there was time to focus on Omega and the Bucks in the future, I am feeling that they have indeed done damage to themselves, especially the Bucks, by losing too much at this point. The Dark Order angle was nowhere near as catastrophic as I heard it was. Not good either though, I was fine with them as a mid-card act. The focus on Inner Circle vs Elite was super promising, they should focus on that again. No MJF at all ? Was it because of MLW tapings again ? Ok, so now I can also say that Britt Baker doesn't work for me right now. She just isn't compelling on any level to me (I guess I'm late to the party but I wanted to give her some time). Needs more work. Not a fan at all of doing backstage stuff like the search for Nakazawa, that was WWE level bad. Watch IMPACT, that's how you do stuff. Statlander doing the Alien poke to Schiavone cracked me up. Just like his interaction with Jericho. Tony is great. Really enjoying Butcher & Blade & Bunny work/presentation/everything. The Jericho vs Jungle Boy match was clearly the highlight of the show. Tremendous stuff. So yeah, what AEW needs is more focus in the booking. Also, let's not get into more WWE-like stuff, I was perfectly happy with zero backstage segment.

That Britt Baker match was bad. As in, bad. She doesn't benefit from working so few matches a week, at this rate I don't see her improving very quickly. That multicolored jobber looked pretty terrible, on all front. Statlander vs Priestley on the other hand was quite the cool little Youtube match. That promo... Ok, so she's an alien. Sports-based approach baby ! I honestly can't wait to se more of Brandi's stuff. It has a bit of a Raven's Nest feel with the signs and such. Main event was very good, Orange Cassidy has been quite the success thus far. I wonder how long he will be seen as special the more he does stuff though. But yeah, amazing pop for his "hot" tag. PAC truly is a wonderful worker on every level. Janela was quite funny too, making fun of himself and his jelly belly. Next time I hope he mentions he has no basics, just for the sake of it. Give that guy something cool to do instead of a feud with Shawn Spears...

There's probably also something to be said about current society of social media and echo chambers and such good shit that makes everything über polarized, you have to be on one side or another and there's no middle or common ground, everything is either the greatest thing ever and legendary and such (billion likes, luv emoticons galore and constant self-validation) or the worst thing ever (the early reactions to the Librarians was batshit insane to me). People have no patience, people have no tolerance (which is ironic in a society which constantly reaches for tolerance as a value, but only tolerance for people who think the same as you because if that's not the case, then you feelings are hurt and the world has to apologize to *you*). Yeah, of course there is gonna be bad stuff on AEW TV. There already has been. So what ? They are a pro-wrestling company, of course you're gonna get bad stuff too. WWE is at an all time worst in term or booking per talent ration (never had so much talent, never booked as poorly), yet every time there's something that is questionable on AEW TV, or someone who doesn't get over (guess what, people not getting over happen all the time, everywhere), people act like it's the end of the world, like changes have to be made NOW, like the company is all of a sudden doomed. It's crazy.

Meltz mentionned last week that AEW had pretty much as much viewers on DVR as they had live viewers, so there, they have not lost that much, people are just not watching it live anymore. He also said they were slowly losing the key demos though. Still, I'm amazed people are talking about this like it would put the entire company in jeopardy or something. I mean… IMPACT… (now, if IMPACT outlived a short AEW, then IMPACT really would look like the unkillable promotion of the universe). I'm also amazed that this "war" is talked about like both company are on equal footing. I mean, really ? In a real world that would make sense, NXT should have squashed AEW every week since day 1. They are a WWE brand. Not that I care one way or another really, I'm happy with whatever good stuff I can find outside of WWE. And becoming too successful is never a recipe for delivering good stuff for long (WCW past 97, WWF Attitude Era). I'm saying the same thing over and over again, I'm just glad AEW exists.

I totally trust WWE to not understand Scarlett's act at all and make her another dumb/catty blonde (or redhead, whatever). And they have fucked over every great duo/couple act they ever had. Also, Scarlett shines at doing intergender stuff, which they won't do, so that goes out the window. Yeah, that's me speaking sad because I just wanted them so bad in AEW...

Damn, I wonder what the WWE sycophants on Twitter are gonna do with their time now, with Meltz bashing AEW's booking this week. I guess he's not on the payroll anymore or something. Haven't watched the show yet. The last angle doesn't strike me as a good idea at all on paper, but we'll see if the execution can make it ok. Oh, I know what WWE sycophants are gonna spend their time with now. "AEW is dead !" and such...

He's not that big by WWE standarts. And yeah, they are an hell of an act. Like Rusev & Lana. Like Andrade & Zelina. The precedent set by the company is godawful. Very selfishly, I wish they had gone pretty much anywhere else, as even those two together can't make me watch a show announced by Mauro.

Hey, good for them if that happens, and by them I mean Kross & Scarlett for staying together. But Kross has no chance in hell in WWE, because as much as he looks like a monster in AAA or IMPACT or the indies, next to guys like Roman Reigns or Randy Orton or the Fiend, Kross is gonna look average size at best. When I see what they did to Ricochet, who looked like a can't miss prospect and has been reduced to a goof in a stupid outfit talking about superheroes, a guy like Kross is gonna be lost instantly. Maybe in NXT he can shine, and it's not even a given. Plus there's always the "let's humiliate this guy because his gf is too hot for him" aspect of working for these sociopaths… Yeah, good luck with that. IMPACT fucked up royally by not keeping these two for a while at least. AEW should have jumped on them too.

They sound even lamer when you write them. Crazy that when this whole Wednesday deal started, I was interested in checking out NXT and Mauro drove me the fuck away in like two weeks. And that's with people I really like on the roster (as opposed to say, NWA which I watched for a whole 9 weeks). BTW, has Scarlett Bordeaux done anything yet ?

Plus the fact it's not actually funny is what makes it even better and smarter, and thus funny in the end. Because the original joke ain't funny either. I don't care about his lack of fundamentals or crappy punches, I can't help but love Janela.

They had no audience to kill.

But Baron Corbin gets heat people. He's a good worker, really. People wants to see him get his c… Nevermind. Is this guy the longest, hardest pushed, confirmed audience killer ever ?

You realize Marko looking twelve is his whole appeal, right ? So it's an advantage for his role ? So, yeah, it is a bit comparable actually from the point of view of the quality of looking like twelve being a positive for the act/character that is played. And yeah, I am and will make fun of people being irrationnal about things and taking this pro-wrestling stuff and themselves too seriously, I've been reading so many absurd things lately. And really, my first statement was "*cough* Marko Stunt *cough*" which if you are translating into "It's exactly the same !", well, you're just projecting and creating a strawman. I have never said nor even infered it was exactly the same thing at all, I even said everything was extremely different in term of context, audience, overall business dynamics. But the fact Arn said Morton looked like twelve was both funny and interesting because there is absolutely an obvious comparison to be made (much like with Meltz talking about watching Rey Rey in Tijuana looking like he was a ten years old, again in a totally different context). I can't really say more about that one because it doesn't go further than this.