Flyin' Brian Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 22 minutes ago, MoS said: Isn't that pretty much exactly what Punk has been doing? I thought after his interview last week it was clear he was building wins so he could challenge the world champ, whether Hangman or Cole. Seemed like he was just throwing out open challenges to whomever without rhyme or reason. His tweet said everyone but Eddie Kingston when he was looking for matches. They are picking good matchups (Penta, Dustin Rhodes) but if he said specifically it was for the championship I must have missed that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 Rampage was great, Yuta getting the monster reactions was an amazing thing to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 It being Good Friday, a crown of thorny barb wire on Jesus Cole's head was placed. And then they put him through a table for our sins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 My favorite bad part of Rampage every week is scripted and stilted Mark Henry in a little box delivering his " It's the Main Event!" catch phrase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strobogo Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 I don't think the Texas death match was good at all. Idk what it was, something just felt off and the crowd was weirdly dead for most of it. I think Hangman should drop or modify the Dead Eye. There's just so much space between head and mat and no camera cuts can hide it. Must look terrible to live crowds, not unlike about 90% of inverted atomic drops. The only time it's looked good is the ones off the apron or ladder where he goes at an angle to hit the table. Anyway, glad Page can move on. Punk vs Page could get real interesting storywise and reaction wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 14 hours ago, Flyin' Brian said: Seemed like he was just throwing out open challenges to whomever without rhyme or reason. His tweet said everyone but Eddie Kingston when he was looking for matches. They are picking good matchups (Penta, Dustin Rhodes) but if he said specifically it was for the championship I must have missed that. He said after beating Caster 2 weeks ago in the post-match interview with Tony that he was going for the title. So the idea seems to be that he's building up wins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmare007 Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 And Punk's been hinting going for a belt since before the MJF feud. He'es been more explicit after the dog collar match, obviously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 I was just joking about Jesus Cole but apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed. Bischoff is complaining about AEW "mocking people's religion" with the thorny barb wire crown spot on a guy who looks like Jesus. Hahaha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 As we always said, the last segment is what people leave with in mind. And although Dynamite was mostly excellent (so many really good matches), that debut was the wimper of all wimpers At this point the "trying to get the Indian market" argument is gonna become a meme for shitty booking. Newsflash : NO ONE WANTS TO SEE A FUCKING BUMBLING GIANT FOOL IN AEW. That's 100% WWE shit. Also, at some point it's getting kinda insulting toward That Indian Market that it's always about big guys who can't work. Maybe you could try and find some actual good Indian pro-wrestler with charisma or something instead ? Fuck, Rohit Raju in IMPACT was tons of fun. Sure, he isn't gonna catch the eye as some giant dude or steroid injected freak will and he's also Canadian (like, well ya know), but he's actually super talented in a Chris Candido way. Instead of having him do jobs on Dark, get him some quality TV time, I'm totally up for more Rohit Raju in my pro-wrestling weekly dose. I kinda miss him. Speaking of people I really enjoyed in IMPACT that I kinda miss, I have no fucking idea what the Baddies are supposed to be apart from entitled annoying girls who think they are some hot shit, but Kiera Hogan is perfect for the role. I was super glad to see her up there, here's hoping she gets some quality TV time too teaming with Red Velvet, as she was super annoying in a good way in IMPACT and she & Velvet could be the new Fire & Flava or something. Really, put them on TV NOW instead of booking stupid-ass angles with cakes and idiotic beatings. Poor Rosa, this first feud has to be a rib, it's been awful. I also feel for Marina Shafir, because I really like what I've seen of her, but she hasn't been built AT ALL (no, 20 seconds montage for one week and a half don't count) and here's the result. Hopefully she gets built properly in the future, she should not have been put in that spot. Apart from that, yeah, tons of really good to great wrestling again this week, and damn Joe vs Suzuki even exceeded my expectations ! Also, Cole vs Page was terrific. Cole is such a trooper in these kind of matches, this is where he reminds me of Raven, he's not afraid to fucking die. I kinda wanted those Renegade Doink sisters to get the win over Soho, who is doing very little for me sadly (I say sadly because she appears to be a cool girl and I'd want to like her work more). I enjoyed the heel work here and did not see the switcheroo coming. Hopefully we see more of them. Oh, and Toni Storm vs Jaimie Hayter ? Ok, now we're talking. Battle of the Belts kinda look weak though. Rosa vs Nyla's build has been awful and Nyla has zero chance to win (I mean, nothing against her per say, but Vickie is unbearable and the booking has been shit). The ROH match is a cold ROH match, although anytime Gresham is in the ring I'm there because he's terrific. I'm most interested in Sammy vs Scorpio to see where they go with the hopeful incoming Sammy heel turn and maybe PVZ and Tay getting it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyin' Brian Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 1 hour ago, Johnny Sorrow said: I was just joking about Jesus Cole but apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed. Bischoff is complaining about AEW "mocking people's religion" with the thorny barb wire crown spot on a guy who looks like Jesus. Hahaha. Just curious, did Bischoff say anything when Vince McMahon booked himself in a match against God and won? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stiva Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 Only just watching Rampage but Austin Gunn strikes me as someone that could have been great as a stooging, comedy Memphis heel. Someone get him PG-13 tapes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 2 hours ago, Johnny Sorrow said: I was just joking about Jesus Cole but apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed. Bischoff is complaining about AEW "mocking people's religion" with the thorny barb wire crown spot on a guy who looks like Jesus. Hahaha. Of course he did, being anti-AEW is the new grift it seems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoS Posted April 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 Didn't like Hangman's own personal "Why am I so violent" version in the middle of a death match he asked for in kayfabe (and then told Cole to have his affairs in order) but I did get a pop out of them using a crown of thorns on Good Friday. I get what people who praise Cole say, but in my opinion this feud has exposed him as being a solid upper mid-carder at best. The one time Page was allowed to cut a promo the way Cole had been getting to cut almost every week, imo he made Cole look like Cole didn't belong in the ring with him. Even yesterday he came off as such a bigger star. I would also rather the in-match melodrama be kept away from main events. Thankfully, Hangman is moving on to Punk now, and that should be a really intriguing build. Danhausen has also done absolutely nothing for me at all. Unlike someone like Orange Cassidy, whose shtick I did not like immediately but also right away saw some presence and charisma, it has been weeks since Danhausen keeps popping up, and his shtick I just have zero time for. Like, he "curses" people, selling for which has to be some of the corniest shit anyone can do in wrestling, and he adds "hausen" at the end of sentences. It's not cringe or channel-changing for me, but it is also something I do not get. I find it quite boring, and mostly keep hoping HOOK suplexes him into a dumpster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 Sammy/Scorpio was good, not sure Sammy needed the title back again, but there seems to be a plan in place. Gresham is so effortlessly good at wrestling, TK needs to book a match vs Danielson ASAP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 Man, Satnam looked to be at least nine feet tall next to Gresham. That was an amazing visual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migs Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 Really liked Gresham-Castle, hope that earned Dalton an AEW role. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 2 hours ago, sek69 said: Sammy/Scorpio was good, not sure Sammy needed the title back again, but there seems to be a plan in place. Surprised there's not more backlash to this here. Scorpio got a throwaway token reign, and we're back to Sammy again after two underwhelming reigns when he could've easily turned heel without regaining the title. In fact, not regaining it would've been a fine impetus for a heel turn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 MJF gonna get wiped out two feuds in a row, but Sammy keeps on getting title victories. I guess we can't win them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 Dalton Castle sure got himself over. Gotta hope he's in the plans somewhere. Really good match. Gresham is such a pure joy to watch, always. Nyla vs Rosa was pretty good but sloppy at times, I was gonna say as always with Nyla. Hopefully we get an *interesting* feud for Thunder Rosa now and not some lame stuff built on lame segments. We need some deeper shit than this for the women's title. And, hate to say it, better matches too, because the standards are so high in that company right now. The last legit great woman match in AEW was Bunny & Ford vs Conti & Jay (and yeah, the gimmick helped). People are just getting silly with Sammy now. They went with the flow pretty quickly as this was a clear cut heel turn (basically stealing a belt, even from another heel, is the easiest signal to send), so now finally we're getting the best Sammy Guevarra, with the added heat of Tighs Conti (yeah, respectfully, whatever the gimmick is). It's one thing to not enjoy Sammy as a babyface when he's been obnoxious as hell, but now that he's doing what Cody never wanted to do, everything is fine, more than fine really, as this heel couple has all the potential in the world to be a main act, the kind of thing Miro (when is he coming back already ?) & Lana could have been in WWE. And as I said months ago, making out in public is heel heat, and they went the extra way with making sure they stuck those tongues out. They know their shit. So yeah, Scorpio got a transitional reign. He's a 39 old veteran, his role is to help build the company and guys like Sammy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 Satnam Singh looked awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 One of my major pet peeves is misuse of the term "transitional champion." If a wrestler beats someone for the title and then drops it back to the same person, that's not a transitional reign because no transition has taken place. Anyway, no tears need be shed for Scorpio because he's a dweeb who is completely unremarkable in every way. Coming out to complete silence week after week while being paired with a heat magnet like Dan Lambert is quite the feat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoS Posted April 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 The TNT title has dropped off a cliff since Miro lost it. No idea what his comeback timeline is, but hopefully it's sooner than later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 1 hour ago, NintendoLogic said: One of my major pet peeves is misuse of the term "transitional champion." If a wrestler beats someone for the title and then drops it back to the same person, that's not a transitional reign because no transition has taken place. In this case, it actually is, because Sammy lost it as a face and won it back by turning heel. Quickie switches back and forth, I agree, aren't transitional. 1 hour ago, MoS said: The TNT title has dropped off a cliff since Miro lost it. No idea what his comeback timeline is, but hopefully it's sooner than later The Sammy babyface reigns had some really good matches but no arc at all and no memorable feuds. And honestly, despite Cody's effort at the beginning and the strong Miro's reign, the TNT Title is effectively a secondary title at this point. Which is not an issue for me. I like a secondary titles in a super crowded roster as long as it doesn't become a WWE post 00's case. Two top title that are "equivalent" (which they never are) is confusing to me, I never cared for the whole IC title/IWGP title scene in NJPW where both were top titles but the IC not really but still it was except not all the time... Just streamline the fucking thing already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetsujin Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 Don't get the Sammy heat. He was becoming a natural heel during his babyface title reign, so they made the right move and turned him heel to regain the championship and start what should be a very enjoyable heel title reign. And he's a very good young wrestler so, again, why the hate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 Battle of the Belts was a pretty good show. Probably the "worst" of the AEW shows this week and didn't have anything truly "must-watch", but still a pretty good hour of TV. Understandable that for a quarterly special you would want better than "pretty good", but I would say it was an improvement over the last Battle of the Belts. Booking and interference aside, Scorpio-Sammy was pretty good. So was Gresham-Dalton. And while I would definitely like to see Gresham on TV more, Dalton came off like the bigger star. The guy is definitely slower and more broken down compared to his prime, but he was still made for TV. Nyla-Thunder was also a good main event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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