Log Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 The tag tourney ended up making new stars out of Private Party and establishing Scorpio Sky as a top-tier guy in waiting. Good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoS Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 I do like how they are trying to get non-finisher endings over, first with Cody-Guevera, and now this. Hopefully they start scaling back on overuse of finishers. On that note, did anyone catch J.R saying "If you cannot win after so many superkicks, then maybe you need to rethink your strategy" during the Elite match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 I didn't catch that but it's a great line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmartMark15 Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 So after the first two weeks with the blowaway closers, it seems AEW have settled into a default groove where we have a general sense for the rhythm of their shows. That being said, I'm a fan. Is it a perfect show? Of course not. But I've enjoyed what we've been getting. I really liked this week's episode with the big promos especially with Mox. SCU winning was a nice way to end the night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slasher Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 Am I the only one that's still not sold on Adam Page? To me, he feels too "just there" and it is obvious they are trying to position him well on the card but I just can't buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirEdger Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 I think Hangman is starting to get his groove since the TV started. He's back to working the style he was working with NJPW and RoH rather than trying the main event-type stuff. I'll take Hangman the brawler any day. That match vs Sammy Guevara was exactly the type of match he needs to work going forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoS Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 3 hours ago, Slasher said: Am I the only one that's still not sold on Adam Page? To me, he feels too "just there" and it is obvious they are trying to position him well on the card but I just can't buy it. I'm with you. I am glad they have depushed him from the world title scene at least. I am guessing he is beaten by Jake Hager in the latter's first AEW match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoS Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 4 hours ago, SmartMark15 said: So after the first two weeks with the blowaway closers, it seems AEW have settled into a default groove where we have a general sense for the rhythm of their shows. That being said, I'm a fan. Is it a perfect show? Of course not. But I've enjoyed what we've been getting. I really liked this week's episode with the big promos especially with Mox. SCU winning was a nice way to end the night. I liked this episode more than the debut episode and even last week's. This week had more promos and segments, and not every match went too long with multiple false finishers. I liked the balance and the pacing of this episode a lot. It was so easy to sit through. The only time I really groaned was when the Librarian came to the ring, and that quickly turned into awesomeness when Mox beat him up and cut a brilliant promo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slasher Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 Another thing I want to mention is it is taking me a little time to get used to AEW's apparent loose rules when it comes to tag team wrestling. After watching so many WWE matches where double teams only comes at a certain point in the match, it is interesting to see how AEW refs allows guys to just run in whenever they feel like it. Not complaining though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blehschmidt Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 11 hours ago, C.S. said: Is the Scorpio Sky name supposed to be a tribute to 2 Cold Scorpio? He started out as a masked dude on the SoCal scene, and the name made a lot more sense when he was a young skinny masked flippy guy. He's just never changed it since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migs Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 10 hours ago, Slasher said: Am I the only one that's still not sold on Adam Page? To me, he feels too "just there" and it is obvious they are trying to position him well on the card but I just can't buy it. AEW I think actually came at a very poor time for Page. He was improving through all of 2017 and 2018, but he was still just a step away from really being a top guy with his work. The last thing he needed was basically 9 months off. I think they took their shot with him in the main event spot and realized he needed more seasoning and are easing off the push the right amount to let him find his footing. (Also, if they're going to Cody-Page eventually, they will tear the roof off a joint.) On the Librarians... I think they're probably where they expected with them, which is that they're a low card gimmick that gets okay heat, enough that a crowd will pop when a babyface beats Avalon. It's more amusing than Avalon would have been on his own, and I'd wager they'll mostly be on Dark. Great use tonight, as the little bit of heat they got really set up a giant pop for Mox and a more satisfying payoff than if Mox had DDTed a pure jobber. I thought Shida and Shanna had one of the better AEW women's matches so far, really crisp. I hadn't seen Shida before, she's great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clintthecrippler Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 To me this seemed like this was the most "WCW Nitro" that AEW has been yet, from the Cody limousine angle, to Shanna vs Shida essentially being the "throw them out there and let them work up the crowd" like the Lucha six-man tags were in WCW, to the Kenny/Bucks match being self-indulgent to the point of being their version of a 10-minute Hollywood Hogan promo during the Nitro era. I am enjoying AEW overall and I thought the first hour was great, but I still cant help but see a lot of missed opportunities that shouldnt be missed. I was actually disappointed in Moxley's first live prime-time promo essentially being "say a bunch of stuff", especially since his opponent for the PPV was literally out in the ring one segment before. I had been loving the slow burn for Orange Cassidy so far and think it's a shame they wasted his first actual in-ring match on the Rick & Morty promo. And its been two full episodes now since Darby hung with Jericho in the main event and there hasnt been a single peep about him on the main show, not even a token 30-second sizzle reel. That's the type of thing that WWE would get savaged for - and rightfully so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 I am fine with guys not being mentioned every show. It's ok if a guy disappears every couple of weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stiva Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 Guys working a good match and then disappearing for a couple of weeks happened a lot on early Nitro too. Granted, they also had Saturday Night to focus guys but I’m sure when Darby is next on Dynamite, he’ll have something new and crazy that keeps him over. I’d rather that than having them burn through all his potential match-ups within 6 months. Also, co-signed on the women’s match. I thought it did a great job of getting them both over and everything looked roughly ten times more accomplished than that sloppy 4-way on Dark. I also really liked the Tony/Cody Limo segment; it came across like a family friend trying to comfort and encourage his younger comrade ahead of the biggest match of his life. Their willingness to lean into history without battering you on the head with it is really refreshing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clintthecrippler Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 1 hour ago, goodhelmet said: I am fine with guys not being mentioned every show. It's ok if a guy disappears every couple of weeks. I agree for the most part, but one of those guys that disappears for a couple of weeks shouldnt be the guy that was positioned to have what was on the surface a "star-making performance" against the World Champion/mainstream name. EDIT: and I wasnt saying he had to have a match the very next week. But even a short pre-tape promo where he indicates that he isnt going to go away, or a short promo reel with J.R. putting over how much of a daredevil he is and that Jericho needed outside help to finally put him away could have done a lot of good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 Tony has been so low-key fantastic in his role. It's so refreshing to have a guy who hadn't been around for a while enjoying what wrestling is now and learning all the new stuff along with the audience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stiva Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 Also, Megalovania should be Kenny Omega's entrance music from now on. It's better than every other theme in every wrestling company imaginable. Omegalovania. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Schneider Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 Here is my Workrate report for this show, I am clearly a low voter on this show. What Worked: -The non-wrestling stuff in this show worked for me. I thought the Tony Schiavone limo ride with Cody was great old school stuff. The Dusty and Willie Nelson story was great and the whole presentation made the contract signing seem like a big deal. Jericho is pretty great as a bloated creep leading a pack of wolves, heel Rock of Love era Brett Michaels is a great fucking gimmick, I can just see him faking an OD mid ring only to roll up his opponent when he tries CPR. Dustin's broken arm is a great way to heat up the PPV main event, although that might mean we don't see in ring Dustin for a while, and this show could desperately use him. -Similarly Santana and Ortiz beating down the Rock and Roll Express was simple pro-wrestling storytelling. Ricky Morton is an all timer at taking a beating and Santana and Ortiz are really great as out of control thugs, you can tell they are from that JAPW family tree (speaking of which, sign Homicide and Eddie Kingston already AEW, what are you waiting for). I liked them jumping the Bucks too, nice use of the Rick and Morty gimmick which actually gave that goofy thing some purpose. - Moxley's promo was fine, and he is undoubtedly over. I miss the old Moxley promos where he was talking about his mom turning tricks where he came off like a real unhinged psycho, but he is clearly in a different place in his career. Don't love Tony Khan showing up as an on air character. AEW should stay far away from Authority Figure angles, it has been a stain on wrestling for two decades now, and no one is ever going to approach Vince as a performer. If you need a Jack Tunney for an angle, give it to Arn or Bob Armstrong or something and just have them make pronouncements and don't have them do anything else. -The six man tag was the best of the car crash matches on this show. It isn't really my thing, but the Bucks have clearly mastered that formula, and Jack Evans is still breathtaking to watch. If they did one of these matches a show it would work great, unfortunately that isn't what is going on. What Didn't Work -God, is the ringwork on this show one note. Every match is worked at the same pace, with the same headdrops, 2.9 counts, dives and near falls. They need some fat guys, some mat workers, a couple of guys with good punches, anything to break this up. -Why is Adam Page doing flips and dives? Isn't he your tough Cowboy character? A lariat does not need a fucking front flip. I liked Sammy faking a dive and instead slapping Page, but outside of that this was just white noise -Why does your undercard women's match go 15 minutes with the same dramatic near falls as every other match. Is Shanna even part of the roster? If you have plans for Shida, why is her debut undercard squash worked like a main event title match. Outside of a couple of nice knees by Shida (and there were a bunch that looked bad too) the work didn't particularly move me, and there needs to be an agent telling people that they can't use up all of the tricks in every match. -Why in god's name does your comedy squash have an insane headdrop finish? If your comedy guys are doing moves that look like they should lead to a stretcher job and six month hiatus what does that mean for your main eventers? Just insane escalation which is going to lead to someone breaking their neck trying to outdo the undercard. On the plus side, I think they may have tweaked the Orange Cassidy character enough to make it work for me, having those kicks be a taunt as opposed to something their opponent has to play along with, makes a big difference. The hands in the pocket tope stands out in a show with dozens of crazy dives. Shoot the Best Friends into the sun though. - Fenix is really special to watch, on a show where everyone is working as some variation of his style, he still outshines them. I almost feel sorry for Kazarian and Scorpio, those guys are old, and they are still trying to work a gogo highspot style. Cut off the ring or something. No wonder Kazarian almost broke his neck on that rana to the floor, Vince Carter isn't still trying to thunder dunk every time he gets the ball. You guys are almost 40, work on a midrange jumper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodear Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 18 hours ago, Phil Schneider said: Here is my Workrate report for this show, I am clearly a low voter on this show. What Worked: - Moxley's promo was fine, and he is undoubtedly over. I miss the old Moxley promos where he was talking about his mom turning tricks where he came off like a real unhinged psycho, but he is clearly in a different place in his career. What Didn't Work -God, is the ringwork on this show one note. Every match is worked at the same pace, with the same headdrops, 2.9 counts, dives and near falls. They need some fat guys, some mat workers, a couple of guys with good punches, anything to break this up. I clipped out stuff so pardon that. I think the real issue with the Moxley promo was its placement right after the Omega car crash. Why is this unhinged lunatic waiting? Wouldn't it have made more sense for him to jump Omega when Santana and Ortiz hit the Bucks? It could lead to a possible Inner Circle connection and that wouldn't hurt to build some stakes and 'will he, won't he' to the program. As it stands, he seems more worried that the internal consistency of the promotion doesn't make sense. For a promotion where there seems to be a hardcore match every week, I'm not sure why they wouldn't count. Why does anyone want to be in them? The ring work point feeds almost every one of your other points. The tough guy cowboy, the undercard women, the comedy workers and the veterans ALL work the same and its more of the same. I just wonder if this can work in six months. The stuff they do that works (which has been Jericho and Cody specific) is the only stuff that feels different. Everything else seems like bomb throwing and kick outs and its already merging into a mass of stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 11 minutes ago, Goodear said: The ring work point feeds almost every one of your other points. The tough guy cowboy, the undercard women, the comedy workers and the veterans ALL work the same and its more of the same. I just wonder if this can work in six months. The stuff they do that works (which has been Jericho and Cody specific) is the only stuff that feels different. Everything else seems like bomb throwing and kick outs and its already merging into a mass of stuff. I think they're in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation when it comes to the go-go-go ring work. On the one hand, that kind of stuff is what created a buzz around acts like Omega and the Bucks. You stop, and maybe you lose those core fans. On the other hand, you have what you talked about. If everything is epic and super-intense, then none of it is. They're going to have to strike the right balance sometime soon, or the show is going to suffer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted November 2, 2019 Report Share Posted November 2, 2019 On 10/31/2019 at 11:42 PM, sek69 said: Tony has been so low-key fantastic in his role. It's so refreshing to have a guy who hadn't been around for a while enjoying what wrestling is now and learning all the new stuff along with the audience. This. Schiavone is making the comebacks of all comebacks, really. I love it so much. And really, I love everything so much. Getting close to @Jimmy Redman mode, especially with this succession of events : _so wait, AEW has a French girl who's actually from Lisbon (which I love for different reasons) ? And she's GOOD too, showed a lot of character and charisma and seems quite solid in the ring and had one of the better the best women's match in AEW thus far with Shida, who's awesome. And she's full time ? Ok, I'm not a sport fan and I don't pull for the home team, but as far as pro-wrestling goes, different story. This is my girl ! NIQUE TOUT SHANNA !!! (got a kick at of Excalibur trying his best to pronounce her name the most French way possible as he does with Le champion. JR is not there at all BTW) _then, Brandi is apparently a bruja now and she's summoning Kong to murder some bitches ? This is straight out of Salina a few weeks ago on MLW which was straight out of LU. AEW just wants to please me now. _then, the fucking heat angle with the Rock'n'Roll Express, and Ricky Morton is still terrific at 65 years old. This guy, they should have a relationship with his school for sure. (also, that short-circuit their first appearance on NWA quite a bit, having an entire AEW arena chanting "Rock'n'roll" and making them more relevant than they've been in... dunno, 30 years ?... right before an actual cosplay match. Somewhere, I think I heard Corny's head implode) And then of course the great contract signing with Hager & Dustin working a Limo angle like it's WCW 1991 (speaking of selling, Dustin's was classic here), a great six men match with more awesome cosplay costume (bang again, somewhere), an intriguing video package in pixelarts and Jack Evans looking godlike, another heat angle (damn, Ortiz & Santana are doing great already), and a really cool main event with a result I did not see coming, including a pinfall by counter small package like Bret Hart is agenting and Scorpio Sky looking godlike. Yeah. Total and utter mark for all this shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordi Posted November 2, 2019 Report Share Posted November 2, 2019 AEW has finaly learned the lesson that 1 hour ago, El-P said: _so wait, AEW has a French girl who's actually from Lisbon (which I love for different reasons) ? AEW has finally learned the lesson that Eric Bischoff was trying to teach us back in 2002: The way to draw eyes to your product is by presenting HLA (Hot Lisbon Action). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted November 2, 2019 Report Share Posted November 2, 2019 7 hours ago, gordi said: AEW has finally learned the lesson that Eric Bischoff was trying to teach us back in 2002: The way to draw eyes to your product is by presenting HLA (Hot Lisbon Action). Even as a lover and daily purveyor of terrible jokes, may I show you the door, sir. With Meltz bitching about a whole lot about this week's show (the lights out stip, Halloween cosplay, women match going too long and whatnot), I wonder if idiots on Twitter are gonna keep on calling him an AEW shill... Also, people complaining about Adam Page doing too much moves in 2019 is comical to me. Look Marty, we're in 1986 ! "Hey, that big ole cowboy looking dude is working way too fast. Cowboys are supposed to be bruisers doing the Claw, not fancy stuff like that dangerous second rope suplex or flying lariats, it's movez for the sake of movez, it's not good workin' like back in the days of his father." Anyway, the Buckshot lariat is one of the best move today, it looks awesome when the timing is right, you can work teases around it, it's spectacular and stiff at the same time. Cowboy shit is my new favourite chant of the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMKK Posted November 2, 2019 Report Share Posted November 2, 2019 I really don't think they did too much in Page vs Guevara. It seemed like a 2019 version of a Nitro match or something. The only thing is that Page should probably not do that moonsault in every match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted November 2, 2019 Report Share Posted November 2, 2019 6 hours ago, FMKK said: I really don't think they did too much in Page vs Guevara. It seemed like a 2019 version of a Nitro match or something. The only thing is that Page should probably not do that moonsault in every match. Yeah, he gotta cut out the Shooting Star too, not because it's too flippy but because his looks like the shits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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