El-P

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.

Wow, really ? Arn said Ricky Morton looked like he was twelve. It doesn't matter that he said it pertaining to guys in the audience not getting jealous, because it doesn't change the fact that Ricky Morton looked like he was twelve, as in, that's how he actually looked. He didn't look like he was twelve only in the context of how he was perceived by guys in the audience not getting jealous. What Arn is saying is that guys in the audience were not getting jealous because he looked twelve even outside a context of only being perceived by guys who could get jealous if he did not look twelve. Hence, Ricky Morton looked like he was twelve years old. There's no way anyone can twist it into a matter of "context" in the sentence that was enunciated by Arn, as he did not construct a sentence in which he would have said the guys in the audience *perceived Morton as looking like he was twelve* hence them not getting jealous. He very clearly enunciated that Morton *looked like he was twelve*, which is the reason why guys in the audience did not get jealous. "Looking like he is(was) twelve years old" is exactly what you heard about Marko Stunt. That's basically it and it's a pretty clear thing.

It's odd they are airing the ACH stuff considering how well this turned out. I guess they got what they paid for. This guy was a real good pro-wrestlers, but whatever. Don't get the appeal of King Mo thus far. Not impressed. Thatcher vs Holliday was really good and Holliday looked the best he ever did. Thatcher is so much fun to watch. Good stuff. Salina's comeback was such a letdown. So that's her big comeback on TV ? A aborted interview segment ? I was waiting for a grand return, evil bruja style. That how Catrina would have done it. Glad she's back though. BTW, MJF, Alicia Atout and now CIMA and the Stronghearts, this company is full of AEW people now. Is Alicia still gonna show up in AEW eventually ? This Von Erich segment had way too many bare feet on the screen. And it was framed that way intentionally too. I can't stand rich hippies. Pillman vs TJP was another good little match. So this Opera Cut thingy has been cool thus far and the brackets promises other interesting matches. Solid episode indeed, apart from the first segment.

He's like Pillman in early 96. Few dates more in ROH so he can make good for his old friend Aldis in NWA, then sign the big-ass contract with whoever. You can quote me on that one.

The fact is Ricky Morton looked like a kid. That's the main point. And really, considering the Rock'n'Roll were a blowjob tag team, maybe the men should have been jealous. Is there even a point asking such a question ? The contexts are entirely different. The audience is entirely different. The business is entirely different. I guess the closest point of reference would be Jungle Boy actually. But really, everything is so different. I was just making fun of the crowd of people saying Marko Stunt had no business in wrestling when infact, in the old-sKool context of the golden age of the greatest purest pro-wrestling form evah, Ricky Morton looked like a kid, as said Arn Anderson.

I see WWE is still the safest style on the planet apparently...

No, what is the most interesting in the latest Arn podcast, apart from the Buddy Landell story, is when he said that Ricky Morton back then looked like he was 12 years old. *cough* Marko Stunt *cough*

I was thinking the same thing the other night watching Dark. Cassidy = smartest guy in wrestling today. Guys like him or Joey Ryan get what it is all about : getting over to whatever audience you can. The ways are yours. Cassidy and Ryan are smart. Janella & Allin are crazy. I enjoy both, myself, but if I were to be one of those (or work against one of those), I'd totally be Cassidy or Ryan.

I feel you're only talking about WWE. Nothing on IMPACT nor AEW seems like killing time for the sake of it. No match on Dynamite is a 20-30 minute epic (main events are usually longer, maybe reaching toward 20 minutes yes, but nowhere close to what a PPV main event would look like either). Unless a good competitive 10-15 minutes match on TV is now considered too much (and really, come on now), I feel like the "everything has to be epic" talking point is a complete overstatement mostly from people who don't actually watch the shows or simply are so biased against modern wrestling that their view is totally tainted. You have shorter matches, you have matches with a clear feel of hierarchy (Kenny Omega vs Kip Sabian on Dark was competitive, but it was also nowhere close to an Omega epic main event style match, neither in lenghts nor feel), you even have pure squashes. Nothing at all screams "forced classic" on either company's weekly shows (not even talking about MLW, because they lack actual really good matches too often). NXT, I dunno, I don't watch it, I've given up quickly. Mauro sure makes the announcing like a forced classic for two straigt hours, which is unbearable.

Yeah. I gave that promotion all the time I could, really. Unlike MLW, which totally renewed my interest with what ended up being one of my favourite and most fun event of the year, NWA just did not deliver at all with their PPV. On the positive side : _if you steal, might as well steal from the best : total Lucha Underground rip-off presentation with the wrestlers coming down the steps, complete with their portraits on the wall ! Gave a much more dynamic presentation to the whole thing. _the announcing was really good. Stu Bennett did a tremendous job. _Eli Drake vs Mr. Anderson was way better than I thought it would. Drake in particular looked like a star here, and honestly I thought Anderson wasn't bad at all. Quite ok in a older version of himself trying to keep it up with the young jacked up guy who works fast. Surprisingly good hot opener. _Thunder Rosa vs Tasha Steels was a good little TV match. Rosa is explosive and Steels seems to be quite ok with some actual character. And... that would be it for me. Only went south from there. I love how NWA is supposed to be this more serious old-school promotion yet two out of seven matches featured wins by comedy workers, one of which being a complete meta-gimmick, the other one actually winning the secondary title. That's way too much silly shit in spot that actually matters, as opposed to them being jobbers as they should (I mean, Question Mark is basically Hack Myers). Remember when watching the Rock'n'Roll Express having a good match in 2019 was a cool novelty ? That was before the NWA made them their actual tag-team champs and exposed them as 65 years old dinosaurs. But, hey, Marko Stunt is unrealistic and killing da business, people... That women tag match was awful. Cool to see ODB though. Belle is just that, but she's not any good, and she still looked like Gail Kim in her prime next to Melina, who still does the split and that's her highspot. The main event was what I'd call an Aldis Special : it reminds me some of the bad overbooked TNA main events of the early days. Work was kinda shoddy to me at points, it's obvious Storm is passed his prime, Aldis was never very good and still isn't, and when Kamille isn't there to add flavour to his presentation and take a few spectacular bumps, he comes off dull as fuck to me. It was ok I guess, but the 2/3 falls and useless referee fuckery gimmick just made everything more complicated than it should and gave a sense of forced drama (especially in this studio setting with a controlled audience). But the worse part to me was how they used Kamille. After she was a central part of the intrigue, hey, let's throw her ringside after only two minutes for no reason so it kills any sense of expectation to see her show up at the end or at a critical time. The quick fall came off lame and totally anticlimatic because of it too. Complete dumb fuck booking. What a waste. Plus she was there like ten seconds on the screen, while Question Mark and Aaron Stevens got seemingly half an hour between the two... Way to feature one of the only character who actually come off like a star... I guess Scurll is doing a favor to his old pal before signing a big time money deal with either WWE or AEW (hell, he could go to NJPW if he cared, this guy can do whatever he wants), but even though I really like him, he could not make me care to watch ROH this year, and will certainly not make me care enough to keep NWA on my rotation. Especially as I'll have less time to watch pro-wrestling next year as my life is gonna drastically change (in a good way, hopefully).

Too bad it comes at a point where ROH is at its most irrelevant, but yeah, crazy career arc. Anything else from Final Battle worth mentionning/watching ?

I don't agree with everything that is been said here (and agree with some of it), but I'm glad people seem to realize Flair was a total go-go-go worker and had piss-poor psychology in the grand scheme of things. I've been saying that for years now. Flair/Angle/Toyota = the same. (and I do think they were great for their own reasons)

Other thoughts from the show. I'm surprised no one mentioned the awful Tully Blanchard/Janela angle. I've been a fanboy since this show started, but to me this is the first time I can point out a spot where I thought "Well, this is really bad". It looked goofy as fuck, Tully was barely tied to the chair. Also, they are clearly overdoing the "lights go out" gimmick. Once every blue moon, why not, but when it's every two weeks, it's like every one has a remote control to the light system of the show ! As far as overdoing things, yeah, they clearly are overdoing the "recruit" gimmick. Jericho trying to recruit Mox was very nWo like, ok, but Dark Angle is recruiting jobbers, Brandi is recruiting people too. Everybody is recruiting on this show. Stop recruiting already ! BTW, speaking of Brandi, loved her vignette, which to me had a bit of a Basic Instinct taste to it, not sure why (the music ? the setting ?). I wonder who the bald guy is... I like vignette with mystery. How did the Dark Order (a complete miss of a gimmick at first) vignettes became a weekly highlight of this show ? I thought JR was better than usual. Him poking fun at his own fuck up of the names was refreshing. Tony has some great lines again. Penelope Ford in her best role, be a hot valet who does great spots. This is gonna help Sabian get over and help her too in the process. Good deal. I'm liking the dynamic of Page having split up with the Elite. Really good match too, Omega is totally the Benoit/Guerrero of this promotion now. Blade & Butcher are gonna be a refreshing change of look and pace in the tag team division. I do hope the Bunny gets to work though, she's too good a worker to only do valet work. Damn, Cody, that scar is there for life... Gotta love "Cody's partner" chant. That's how over this guy is. Maybe the idea behind not challenging for the title ever again comes from the idea he can be the guy who doesn't need the belt, like Piper or Taker was. It's good to always have a guy like this in your promotion.

Oh, yeah, I enjoyed the hell out of those too. Good reminder.