All Elite Wrestling

[Zoo Enthusiast]

The punchline to one of the most successful independent companies in the US for practically its entire run.

[Jmare007]

I'd love for Excalibur to get the announcing gig for AEW, he's fucking awesome. I do wonder how he'll do without cursing though, he's pretty good at that and works for what he does in PWG.

12 minutes ago, C.S. said:

I have no idea who or what Excalibur is, but holy fuck, what a dumb, credibility-killing name. For all the flack Vince and co. get for changing names and gimmicks, it makes sense in certain cases. "Their main commentator's name is...Excalibur" would be an instant punchline. 

 

What's wrong with Excalibur? What's the difference from having "Booker T" or "JBL" on commentary? Legit question, English is not my first language and Excalibur being the name of a famed sword does not strike me as worse than other wrestling names.

[C.S.]

Just now, Zoo Enthusiast said:

The punchline to one of the most successful independent companies in the US for practically its entire run.

I just looked Excalibur up. Assuming he's talented, if he came in as Marc Letzmann or whatever, I see no issue with that. Leave the hokey name to the bingo halls.

A successful indy is still an indy.

If AEW only wants indy fans, they may as well have just tried to buy ROH or Impact. (Rumor has it that Impact was actually on the table.) I'm assuming they want more than that though. 

[Zoo Enthusiast]

You’re definitely going to just bury everything this company does no matter what, so I don’t think you’re going to be the target audience here.

[C.S.]

7 minutes ago, Jmare007 said:

I'd love for Excalibur to get the announcing gig for AEW, he's fucking awesome. I do wonder how he'll do without cursing though, he's pretty good at that and works for what he does in PWG.

What's wrong with Excalibur? What's the difference from having "Booker T" or "JBL" on commentary? Legit question, English is not my first language and Excalibur being the name of a famed sword does not strike me as worse than other wrestling names.

Sorry for the second post in a row, but editing in a quote into a previous post is way too difficult on this board.

I have no objections to the guy's talent. If he's talented, by all means, consider him.

The name is really lame though, IMO. To answer your question, JBL is an abbreviation for John Bradshaw Layfield, just as J.R. is an abbreviation for Jim Ross. Those names don't sound cheesy and hokey as hell. The name Booker T is not as good, but at least there's credibility attached to it because it belongs to a five-time (five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time) World Champion, and it also has American historical significance, whether intentional or not (Booker T. Washington, although to be fair, that probably goes over most wrestling fans' heads). Excalibur used to wrestle too, but I guarantee you most fans won't know that (I didn't until a google search five minutes ago).  

[C.S.]

1 minute ago, Zoo Enthusiast said:

You’re definitely going to just bury everything this company does no matter what, so I don’t think you’re going to be the target audience here.

Not even remotely true. I'm very hopeful for this company because we desperately need a viable alternative. Not sure whose posts you have mine confused with. That doesn't mean I'm not going to point out the obvious: Excalibur is a pretty dumb fucking name for a commentator and an instant joke to any new fan AEW hopes to attract.  

[Zoo Enthusiast]

He’s an established name and character for their core audience.  Jim Ross is a very dumb fucking choice for any company wanting to have credibility as being cool.  The dude is pure trash.  In real life and behind the mic.

[C.S.]

Just now, Zoo Enthusiast said:

He’s an established name and character for their core audience.  Jim Ross is a very dumb fucking choice for any company wanting to have credibility as being cool.  The dude is pure trash.  In real life and behind the mic.

They need to expand beyond their core audience though. Otherwise, they may as well have just bought Impact. 

Most people absolutely do not feel the same way you do about Jim Ross, BTW, including me. He's the best of his generation, period, and his face and voice would bring AEW instant credibility.

I'm not saying I'd mind Tony Schiavone, but there's nothing "cool" about him either. I think that's a pipe dream anyway. Ditto for Excalibur. 

If they go with anyone "new," my guess is they'll try to get Ian Riccaboni from ROH. Just a wild guess though. 

[Zoo Enthusiast]

Excalibur called All In.  Along with Riccaboni.

[TheDuke]

I watched the most recent episode Being the Elite that rovert posted above and enjoyed it. It was a fun bit of silliness, not exactly what I was expecting. It reminds me a bit of the little skits wwf used to do on Primetime or Coliseum Home Video. The ones with Heenan and Monsoon or whoever. Not as good as what The Brain used to do, but I think it is a lot better than what they do on Raw with the neverending promos about nothing. I do think the audio quality needs to be improved but maybe AEW will use more expensive microphones. I went back and watched the first episode but its quite different. It seems more like a video blog where they talk about where they have been flying to recently and it is just the 2 Bucks. It really didn't seem too interesting or relevant so I don't think I'll be watching it from the beginning. I went back instead and watched last weeks episode and that was fun. I don't think it's something I would want to sit and binge watch though, but watching a half hour once a week would be okay. I do agree that moving forward for other promotions to stand out they need to break away from the stale Raw formula, and doing an internet show that looks like it's shot with cell phone cameras does give it a sense of immediacy that Raw lacks. I think I prefer the format of Lucha Undergound as far as that goes. I do think having some short matches or maybe some clips of match highlights would help break it up.

[C.S.]

6 minutes ago, Zoo Enthusiast said:

Excalibur called All In.  Along with Riccaboni.

As did Don Callis. Doesn't mean he's coming in. (I'd like him to, but I'm assuming he won't because of Impact. Who knows though.)

If they can get Callis, my prediction is J.R. and Callis. Ian if not J.R. (Or three-man booth? *Shudder*)

I'm probably completely wrong, which is fine. Pure guesswork here.

[WrestlingFan]

Whether you like it or not, figures like Jim Ross and Chris Jericho can help AEW to catch casual fans attention. I know AEW is seen as a cool and modern alternative to WWE but I truly believe the presence of Omega and the Bucks is enough to maintain this idea.

[SomethingSavage]

Ian is alright, but he's no Excalibur. Shit on the guy's name if you like, but the guy is fucking aces as an announcer. He has a way of expressing excitement, genuine joy, and even concern on commentary that you just aren't hearing from anyone else anywhere at the moment.

Don Callis does a damn fine job of emphasizing risks and DANGER involved in wrestling, which is something I appreciate a great deal as well.

But Excalibur is a super knowledgeable cat when it comes to every aspect of the business. The guy's got every angle cornered.

Blasting a guy based on his name alone seems super shallow and silly, honestly. It's pro wrestling, where the top star on the planet can be called "The Rock." Their headliner is likely going to be called "Kenny Omega", which sounds dumb & fake as fuck to anyone who doesn't already know the guy.

Fans can warm up to things like that as they familiarize themselves with the product. It isn't like the sound of the name Excalibur is going to have a repellant or repulsive effect on ANYBODY. Conversely, for the diehard fans waiting to jump ALL OVER this, they're already well aware of who Excalibur is.

It would be so stupid (and perceived as such a WWE sellout move to do) to even suggest Excalibur to change his name.

... Unless it was a total tongue-in-cheek deal, like them referencing Generico and Sami Zayn as two different people all the time.

Even so, Excalibur is a known commodity to the people who will be waiting to watch everything AEW. A silly sounding name isn't going to turn away the same people who watch 3 hours of Bane Ambrose or whateverthefuck every week.

[PeteF3]

Excalibur is not a known commodity with me in the slightest, and I'm with CS here. The name is dumb for an announcer. AEW should be striving to be above doing stupid shit we saw on Raw and on indy shows.

[El-P]

30 minutes ago, C.S. said:

The name Booker T is not as good, but at least there's credibility attached to it because it belongs to a five-time (five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time) World Champion

Well, Booker T. was a famous name way before Booker T. came around in pro-wrestling. Booker T. and the MG's...

Jim Ross has always been a tad bit overrated to say the least. His highs are very high, but he had tons of lows including in his prime : UWF, some periods in WCW, post 2000 WWE. 

[Zoo Enthusiast]

Just now, PeteF3 said:

Excalibur is not a known commodity with me in the slightest, and I'm with CS here. The name is dumb for an announcer. AEW should be striving to be above doing stupid shit we saw on Raw and on indy shows.

They would be.  He also called NJPW last year, at the end of tag league.  

[SomethingSavage]

I'll just say I'm glad this thing is in the hands of Cody and the Bucks & absolutely not some of you guys.

I can't even comprehend how the name "Excalibur" sounds too stupid for some of you, but the DREAM TEAM of Jim Ross and Tony fucking Schiavone calling 2019 PWG-style wrestling sounds like some smart shit.

[C.S.]

13 minutes ago, SomethingSavage said:

Shit on the guy's name if you like, but the guy is fucking aces as an announcer.  

I'm only shitting on the name, NOT the guy.

[C.S.]

2 minutes ago, SomethingSavage said:

I'll just say I'm glad this thing is in the hands of Cody and the Bucks & absolutely not some of you guys.

I can't even comprehend how the name "Excalibur" sounds too stupid for some of you, but the DREAM TEAM of Jim Ross and Tony fucking Schiavone calling 2019 PWG-style wrestling sounds like some smart shit.

Hope you aren't lumping me in as someone who wants that duo.

Absolutely not.

With that said, If they can get Jim Ross, they absolutely should - for many, many reasons.

 

[Zoo Enthusiast]

1 minute ago, C.S. said:

Hope you aren't lumping me in as someone who wants that duo.

Absolutely not.

With that said, If they can get Jim Ross, they absolutely should - for many, many reasons.

 

Have you heard his commentary on NJPW?  If you have and still think he should be calling any wrestling in 2019, I don’t know what to say.

[sek69]

JR would be an asset in the office and a liability on camera. Anyone who would be drawn in on the appeal of hearing the guy who voiced their childhood would just get pushed away by seeing how bad he is today. It would be like when an expansion team signs a big name that's past their prime to get buzz, only for it to just expose them. 

[PeteF3]

I feel like Ross has too much name value to be dismissed entirely, but keep him in some sort of Gordon Solie-in-1990-WCW type role, doing "Ross Reports" or sitting in on certain matches, instead of making him the face of the broadcast.

[C.S.]

8 minutes ago, PeteF3 said:

I feel like Ross has too much name value to be dismissed entirely, but keep him in some sort of Gordon Solie-in-1990-WCW type role, doing "Ross Reports" or sitting in on certain matches, instead of making him the face of the broadcast.

Then he may as well keep taking sporadic WWE gigs and making a hell of a lot more money + continuing with his NJPW commitments.

To me, he's like a fish out of water a little bit in NJPW, but I think he'd be more comfortable in AEW if he's there week after week, gets invested in the characters, and knows the storylines in a way someone can only know them when they're actually there in the thick of things.

Gordon Solie doing those WCW Control Centers in the '90s was a sad sight and such a slap in the face to a legend like that. I would never want J.R. to be that diminished.

[Grimmas]

I think people need to step back and realize JR is a really shitty announcer now and has been for years. Also, not one single person is watching a wrestling show because they have an announcer from the past. That's a weird notion.

Also in a world where Mankind was one of the biggest stars ever and Booker T was an announcer for the biggest company for a long time, Excalibur as a name doesn't matter.

[Laz]

Excalibur being shit talked? Fuck right off. He's the best PBP guy going and has been for nearly a decade. Thinking that the name is going to be an issue when there's an executive in WWE best known as "Triple H" in a business where an Italian guy was billed as a blonde Irishman is ridiculous.

If he's the one they go with, and I firmly believe they will so long as he's interested (seeing as the Bucks called PWG home for years), then he needs to keep the mask and the DONE THE DEAL gimmick.