AEW Dynamite - March 24, 2021

[Coffey]

1 hour ago, sek69 said:

It's pronounced wing-ed when it's a reference to Final Fantasy VII 

So they mispronounce it in the game as well?

[Log]

2 minutes ago, MoS said:

The way Darby both delivers and sells offence..just the way he moves, I have never seen anyone do it like that. He's awesome

He’s probably the wrestler that I’ve thought, “Oh god! He’s really injured/knocked out.” the most. Like, if I was a wrestler, I’d want to work with him every night. You know your shit is going to look good against him. 

[MoS]

I hated that Sting spot. He keeps stealing Darby's spotlight and imagine anyone cheering for Sting over the Dark Order. 

That aside though, this was a tremendous match. Match of the night

[MoS]

7 minutes ago, Log said:

He’s probably the wrestler that I’ve thought, “Oh god! He’s really injured/knocked out.” the most. Like, if I was a wrestler, I’d want to work with him every night. You know your shit is going to look good against him. 

If I had a penny for every time I have seen him sell his knee and gone "Fuck, he might legit be injured", I would be able to buy WWE from Vince 

[Badlittlekitten]

Awesome match as expected. Silver is a blast and Darby is something special. 

Fun show this week. There's guys that don't deserve all their tv time and don't fit but things are mostly trotting along nicely.

[Coffey]

There was a lot of good on the show tonight. Love that Tay got the win over Nyla - I like Tay & think the sky is the limit for her. Really dig Darby Allin. That backstage promo from Mox/Kingston was gold. I dig the new Pinnacle stable. Feels like they're building up The Rhodes family to be mega heels. 

[Log]

This wasn’t a show that had a blow away angle or match or anything, but it didn’t have any real stinkers, either. It was cool seeing some fresh faces featured this week. Silver gets a big main event and Conti got a huge win. The Bucks/Lucha Bros six man was fun. There were some good promos in there too. 
 

One thing I wish AEW would learn, though: not every match has to have a post-match beat down or faction brawl. They do it soooo much. Sometimes, it’s ok for a match to just end and go to the next segment. 

[sek69]

I wonder if the win + her appearance in the brawl later means Tay is the new female Dark Order rep since Anna Jay blew her shoulder out.

[C.S.]

1 hour ago, Log said:

Oh fuck me. The Rhodes are either completely clueless or they’re turning heel. A fucking reality series!!?!? God damn. 

1 hour ago, Badlittlekitten said:

Their lack of self awareness is something to behold. The tattoo should have been a massive, ugly warning sign.

1 hour ago, Log said:

I can’t overemphasize how pissed I am about their reality show. I’m a grown man with a job and family to worry about and I shouldn’t let things like that bother me, but fuck does it bother me. I think I just have a visceral hatred for shows like that.  

1 hour ago, MoS said:

It also seems really inappropriate and tone-deaf at a time we are suffering from a worldwide pandemic that has plunged millions into poverty

The rasslin' bubble, ladies and gentlemen.

No one had a problem with Total Divas, Total Bellas, or Miz and Mrs. before or during the pandemic, so why have a problem with this?

I have no idea if this reality show will be a success or even good, but this is absolutely what a small startup company like AEW should be doing  - especially during a pandemic. Cody, Brandi, and Tony K. have absolutely nothing to lose - except maybe their own privacy and dignity, which is their decision - and everything to gain if it gets new eyeballs on AEW. Total Divas/Bellas definitely did that for WWE, and my sister has watched Miz and Mrs. in the past, so these things do attract outside audiences.

At worst, no one watches the show, it gets cancelled, and it becomes a future punchline on BTE before fading away and being completely forgotten. No real harm done. The numerous potential upsides are more than worth the minimal risk. 

[sek69]

I think it's because a Rhodes Family Reality Show is something WWE would (and as noted has) done with their talent and AEW fans are by nature going to  have a negative kneejerk reaction to anything like that. 

None of us are the target market since we're already watching AEW, but if this show gains eyeballs (especially ones who wouldn't normally pay attention to wrestling) it would be a success.

My only concern is I don't think Cody and Brandi will have the same appeal as say Miz and Maryse do, since I'm not sure Cody would be as up for the wacky hijinks the Miz gets into. 

[C.S.]

5 minutes ago, sek69 said:

My only concern is I don't think Cody and Brandi will have the same appeal as say Miz and Maryse do, since I'm not sure Cody would be as up for the wacky hijinks the Miz gets into. 

Cody has taken acting classes and he's a wrestler, so I'm sure he knows how to work it for the cameras.

But even if the show is boring and no one watches it, no real harm done - it will fade away and be forgotten about. The downsides are minimal and the upsides are much bigger. It's easily worth the risk. 

[Dav'oh]

2 hours ago, MoS said:

where would you rank Kingston amongst the greatest promos of all-time?

Up there with whatever Pat Patterson* said in 1988 : "At the end of the day's play, Patterson stormed into the Australian dressing room and threatened to kill all the opposition batsmen on the pitch on the fifth and final day of play. Australia were then dismissed for 114 chasing 400. Patterson finished with five wickets in the innings". 

*PATRICK Patterson, oft-forgotten West Indian death merchant.

[Alucard]

Meltzer mentioned last month that Cody had been studying the Bruno/Larry angle and guessed that was the outlined idea with QT, originally with QT/Lee Johnson I think.

[SirEdger]

2 hours ago, sek69 said:

I wonder if the win + her appearance in the brawl later means Tay is the new female Dark Order rep since Anna Jay blew her shoulder out.

Speaking of which, seems like John Silver dislocated his shoulder during the main event. Rewatched that spot when he took a tumble over the safety rail and that was nasty. The quickness that Alex Reynolds went to check on him told me that something was wrong.

Speaking of Tay, I've been pretty impressed too. I'm paying attention at her selling and I really buy it. She's improving leaps and bounds for the past year.

[joeg]

Kingston might be the most believable promo ever. Everybody knows an Eddie Kingston. Everybody knows THAT GUY, which is why he is so relatable. I don't know many over emotional cowboys, quirky cult members, video game nerds, lazy bums who rock a demin jacket, etc. But I know plenty of blue collar working class stiffs who came up hard, harbor some resentment for their station in life, and aren't afraid to throw down if provoked. An Eddie Kingston can be found at any dive bar or union hall in any town in the northeastern US. 

MJF is also a super believable character. If you've ever golfed a round at an exclusive country club, attended an elite private private school, or been to a rubber chicken fundraiser, you've met an MJF.  Some of his one liners are vicious, I'm surprised he gets away with some of that as he's often burying the other guy, but it makes me laugh. 

For two weeks they tease a Cody vs Pentagon Jr feud, with Pentagon Jr being the BAMF he was in the first season of Lucha Underground. I was so excited, now they have pivoted to Cody vs QT Marshall, massive letdown. While I probably won't watch the Cody reality show, any mainstream programing that draw eyes to wrestling is a good thing in my book, even shitty reality shows. 

I never was able to get behind Kenny Omega as a babyface whatsoever. He's just so dorky and unlikable despite being a freak athlete. But as a smarmy heel, I find myself unable to look away and thoroughly enjoying when he gets what is coming to him.  

The 6 man tag was not my cup of tea. I get why people would be into it as the dives and spots were spectacular. However, I'm not into one big spot after another with no story and sloppy strikes. Also Brandon Cutler is not good, but not as awful as I was expecting. 

Almost every match in AEW seems to have a similar formula- heels jump the babyfaces before the bell to get some heat, babyfaces have a comeback, lots of cool spots, cut off, fluky finish, heels beat down babyface after the bell to get their heat back and set something up for the future that may or may not materialize.   

Darby vs John Silver was fun. What are they doing now with the Dark Order? Other than John Silver and Colt Cabana all of those guys suck. If it was meant to be a vehicle to bring in Brodie Lee it never really worked, and he's gone. So I don't understand why the Dark Order is still a thing, usually if something doesn't work AEW pivots and moves on, buuuut here we are two years later and they are still around. 

 

[El-P]

9 hours ago, sek69 said:

I think it's because a Rhodes Family Reality Show is something WWE would (and as noted has) done with their talent and AEW fans are by nature going to  have a negative kneejerk reaction to anything like that. 

This. It feels like Cody is now WWEing AEW with a stupid reality show., which is the last thing AEW fans wanted. I doubt there will be an actual backlash, but it's clearly not something I'm interested in *at all* and clearly makes AEW a bit more like WWE in term of what they are (we're in the entertainment business damnit !). Funny though, as the perception of Cody went from "He's the biggest star in the company, Kenny Omega & the Bucks ain'ts hit, he should never have done the stips of never challenging for the world title" to "Yawn... Cody and another crappy segment". Not that I think the whole QT thing is crappy myself (mucho respect for QT who seems to be one hell of a trainer), but Cody sure doesn't look *at all* like he did last year.

Still :

_Christian, the huge huge superstar

_Dark Elevation = more Dark JJTS matches

_Cody & Brandi doing a reality show

Time to get La Sombra & Thea Trinidad or something, because the last three big surprises have not been positives.

There, since we're a board of haterz, gota do my part too for once.

(yayyyy Tay Conti !)

[Log]

I honestly don’t give a flying fuck what this new reality show could do for AEW.  I don’t want to see that shit. I don’t want to have to see stupid ass recaps and commercials for it when I watch Dynamite. I just hope it tanks quickly. 

[Stiva]

I really dug this weeks TV. Nothing overly ambitious, just sensible matches and a real sense that this is an interconnected wrestling promotion after some time where everything felt very segmented. Darby and Silver have good chemistry, I wouldn’t be against them running that back again soon and Tay Conti has felt like the next woman they should push for a while now so it’s all good. Fun episode.

Having said that, I have no idea how QT Is the heel in this program. Cody is gallivanting off, trying to be famous, leaving the Nightmare Factory workload solely in QTs hands and QT is the heel?! I’m with him tbh. And another week, another baffling Young Bucks performance. Get the titles on to FTR again or even Moxley and Kingston and send the Bucks to New Japan on a 6 months excursion ASAP

[FMKK]

15 hours ago, MoS said:

It also seems really inappropriate and tone-deaf at a time we are suffering from a worldwide pandemic that has plunged millions into poverty

Why is the existence of reality TV inappropriate when there's a pandemic?

It's obviously going to be shit but it gives the company brand awareness with new people. Wrestling still = WWE to most people so getting Cody and Brandi into the TMZ z-list celeb arena at least gets the name out there. Who gives a fuck if its a dumb show? It's easily avoidable. 

[MoS]

3 hours ago, FMKK said:

Why is the existence of reality TV inappropriate when there's a pandemic?

Not reality TV, but it's sub-genre where rich people talk about how difficult their rich lives are. I am not saying the world will crap on it or give a shit about it, I am just saying I can totally understand why wrestling fans who know Cody and Brandi might not like the show

[C.S.]

8 hours ago, El-P said:

It feels like Cody is now WWEing AEW with a stupid reality show., which is the last thing AEW fans wanted.

You're missing the point of who this show is for...

Rasslin' geeks, fans in the bubble, PWO/GWE posters, ROHbots, "THIS IS AWESOME!" and "YOU DESERVE IT!" types - it's not for any of them. AEW has all of those viewers already.

The goal of this is to generate new fans outside the bubble.

If no one watches it, no real harm done - it gets cancelled, fades away quietly, and becomes a future punchline on BTE. I'm only seeing upsides to this, and clearly so are Cody, Brandi, Tony, and TNT. 

8 hours ago, Log said:

I honestly don’t give a flying fuck what this new reality show could do for AEW.  I don’t want to see that shit. I don’t want to have to see stupid ass recaps and commercials for it when I watch Dynamite. I just hope it tanks quickly. 

Then you don't give a flying fuck about AEW's future survival. 

This post is exactly why AEW needs to grow its audience beyond the toxic geek message board bubble rasslin' fanbase.

But I get the sense that some folks here wouldn't really care if AEW is gasping for breath in ten years on a z-grade network or streaming service, completely irrelevant - just like Impact is - as long a Chris Bey type does cool flips for $25 a night while working a Hot Topic mall kiosk on the side. 

44 minutes ago, MoS said:

Not reality TV, but it's sub-genre where rich people talk about how difficult their rich lives are. I am not saying the world will crap on it or give a shit about it, I am just saying I can totally understand why wrestling fans who know Cody and Brandi might not like the show

It isn't for us though. AEW already has us. This is a stab at attracting outside audiences. Nothing to lose and everything to gain. 

[FMKK]

It’s funny that there’s a 8 page debate on this forum about how wrestling can’t attract new fans and then there’s people going mad in here that AEW is doing something to appeal to a different demographic. Something that proved reasonably successful at making the Bella Twins stars for WWE.

[El-P]

1 hour ago, C.S. said:

You're missing the point of who this show is for...

Rasslin' geeks, fans in the bubble, PWO/GWE posters, ROHbots, "THIS IS AWESOME!" and "YOU DESERVE IT!" types - it's not for any of them. AEW has all of those viewers already.

Not patronizing at all. You could have added a lolMOVEZ or something to boot.

And no, I'm not missing the point. Because I know that

1 hour ago, C.S. said:

The goal of this is to generate new fans outside the bubble.

The issue is : I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT MAINSTREAM FANS. I don't know how to articulate that point better. It seems like an obsession of people on the board lately. Super hardcore niche fans caring about "humm.... what could make those mainstream people watch the stuff I watch" (not to mentions boomer going "humm.... if only pro-wrestling was more like 40 years ago that would hook the younger generations"). I see some people who aren't even enjoying the product as it is arguing how important it is to "get the casual fans". Why do you care to begin with ? I sure don't. Why doesn't mean that :

1 hour ago, C.S. said:

Then you don't give a flying fuck about AEW's future survival. 

AEW's future "survival" (the idea of AEW having to "survive" is comical considering IMPACT is still in business almost 20 years in despite having been a complete business disaster) has nothing to do with them producing a fucking reality TV show. If anything, it can only make the hardcore fanbase groan. And AEW is a hardcore based promotion. If they want to be WWE, they'll go the way of every other promotion trying to be WWE.

AEW should focus on making the best hardcore promotion they can be instead of trying failed experiment to chase the dragon. I mean, the Shaq *match* was fun for what it was, but it did not attract any interested new audience (aka older single guys apparently), and the TV leading to it was *bad*. Having commercials or angles promoting a TV reality show on AEW TV is not what the AEW audience wants, because the AEW core audience was born out of frustration with WWE.

Hey, if that works for them, cool. If that means AEW then becomes more like WWE in the long run : not cool. Because as much as they want this "brand awareness" as they say, they have no chance whatsoever of dethroning WWE on that front. Real TV show reeks of WWE-like programming. 

[El-P]

1 hour ago, C.S. said:

But I get the sense that some folks here wouldn't really care if AEW is gasping for breath in ten years on a z-grade network or streaming service, completely irrelevant - just like Impact is - as long a Chris Bey type does cool flips for $25 a night while working a Hot Topic mall kiosk on the side. 

Again, not patronizing at all BTW. Gotta love the way you're painting the people who indeed don't care and don't like this move as idiotic fans who get off on MOVEZ and irrelevant promotion (who's working with AEW and NJPW btw, but that's beside the point, I have loved irrelevant promotions before).

For fuck's sake. It's not that hard to understand why a part of the AEW audience would not like that announcement at all.

[El-P]

1 hour ago, MoS said:

Not reality TV, but it's sub-genre where rich people talk about how difficult their rich lives are.

Be happy you did not get "lockdown diaries" from rich writers telling their weekly stories of the difficulties of living during those trying times in their vacation homes on the seafront. We sure got those last year.