AEW TV 8/31-9/6 Punctuation still breaks threads like Haaland is gonna break records

[The Thread Killer]

So let me get this straight, they gave away the match for free last week and now they want people to pay for it on Sunday.

How WWE of them.

[Blehschmidt]

Did Ace Steel drop an F Bomb?

[Perfectly Straightedge]

What an awesome promo. Absolutely loved it. I was going to purchase anyways. So this is just icing on the cake. 

[The Thread Killer]

1 minute ago, Blehschmidt said:

Did Ace Steel drop an F Bomb?

Yes, yes he did.

[Blehschmidt]

Great nights work for Silas Young there

[strobogo]

6 minutes ago, The Thread Killer said:

So let me get this straight, they gave away the match for free last week and now they want people to pay for it on Sunday.

How WWE of them.

Yeah kind of but the first match was more of an angle than a match and definitely gave the whole thing a lot more juice, although this is not something AEW should do on a regular basis. The WWE version would be having a full 15-20 minute TV match the Raw before a PPV, then at the PPV, and then a rematch the next night on Raw.

[The Thread Killer]

1 minute ago, strobogo said:

The WWE version would be having a full 15-20 minute TV match the Raw before a PPV, then at the PPV, and then a rematch the next night on Raw.

Point well taken.

[The Thread Killer]

Thankfully the sound guy cut Moxley off. I feel two rambling Moxley promos on one show are enough.

[Coffey]

This episode has done absolutely nothing for me. It hasn't sold me on the PPV at all... and the ROH/AEW merger/relationship whatever-the-fuck sucks. 

[The Thread Killer]

I am a bit nervous about the “confrontation” scheduled for Rampage on Friday between Swerve/Lee and The Acclaimed. They are scheduled for a normal two on two match on Sunday. TK seems unwilling to book traditional tag team matches on PPV. He’s going to insert the Gunn Club and maybe even more teams. I know it. He won’t be able to stop himself.

[Embrodak]

22 minutes ago, strobogo said:

Yeah kind of but the first match was more of an angle than a match and definitely gave the whole thing a lot more juice, although this is not something AEW should do on a regular basis. The WWE version would be having a full 15-20 minute TV match the Raw before a PPV, then at the PPV, and then a rematch the next night on Raw.

It has more juice this way, but it’s hard for me to be hyped for a main event between two of the sloppiest top guys in the history of the business, with both guys as babyfaces. It’s a weird way to heat up a match that, on paper, seems ill-conceived, but I guess it’s better than just running the match cold.

[sek69]

2 minutes ago, Embrodak said:

It has more juice this way, but it’s hard for me to be hyped for a main event between two of the sloppiest top guys in the history of the business, with both guys as babyfaces. It’s a weird way to heat up a match that, on paper, seems ill-conceived, but I guess it’s better than just running the match cold.

Both guys aren't going to be babyfaces in Chicago I'm sure.

Plus sloppy or not, these are the two biggest names in AEW (at least until Kenny gets back up to speed) so it's a money match to make. 

[sek69]

Ospreay and Omega at Wrestle Kingdom is going to be absolutely banana.

[The Thread Killer]

2 hours ago, sek69 said:

Ospreay and Omega at Wrestle Kingdom is going to be absolutely banana.

Bleh. I don’t watch New Japan and in my opinion both of those guys come across as geeks.

Also…and I don’t mean to be channeling Jim Cornette here…but what the hell is the deal with The Elite? I thought the whole point of that angle where The Undisputed Era turned on them, was to turn them babyface? Remember the traumatized crying children?

So why do the Bucks still come out with Brandon Cutler, and Omega with Nakazawa and especially Don Callis? We are not supposed to buy all of those guys and their entourage as supposed babyfaces, are we? Callis is great as a heel manager but if Kenny isn’t a heel then I would think the presence of Don Callis is counterintuitive, no?

[sek69]

Well for Brandon Cutler it's established he's the camera man for the Bucks' vlog/Youtube channel so there's a legit storyline for him to be there, but you got a point for the rest. I suppose they could just say Nakazawa is just Kenny's Brandon Cutler, but there's no way to make Don fit.

[The Thread Killer]

26 minutes ago, sek69 said:

Well for Brandon Cutler it's established he's the camera man for the Bucks' vlog/Youtube channel so there's a legit storyline for him to be there, but you got a point for the rest. I suppose they could just say Nakazawa is just Kenny's Brandon Cutler, but there's no way to make Don fit.

Let’s ignore the fact that it’s pretty much established that Don Callis is a sex pest IRL, and that’s why he quietly withdrew from Impact. I don’t get what function he serves in AEW. I get that if you’re creepy and you’re friends with Kenny, you get a free pass until the bad publicity gets so overwhelming that there is no choice but to address it. (See Rance, Chasyn and Ryan, Joey)

I am talking from a purely on screen perspective. Every backstage segment Don Callis is in, every guest commentary spot he does, every tweet he sends…the guy comes across as a pure heel manager. A wannabe Bobby Heenan. I don’t get what he brings to the table that AEW could possibly need. And I used to really like the guy and thought it was unfair that he never got a real shake in the business, but come on now.

[Alucard]

6 minutes ago, The Thread Killer said:

Let’s ignore the fact that it’s pretty much established that Don Callis is a sex pest IRL, and that’s why he quietly withdrew from Impact.

I somehow missed this or never heard this? Always thought he left Impact to do more AEW w/ Kenny. Trying to look it up, all I'm seeing is vague references to Scarlett?

[The Thread Killer]

27 minutes ago, Alucard said:

I somehow missed this or never heard this? Always thought he left Impact to do more AEW w/ Kenny. Trying to look it up, all I'm seeing is vague references to Scarlett?

It is pretty much an open secret at this point. The story is out there, especially in Toronto where Impact is based. Killer Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux both asked for their releases from Impact. Impact refused.

Scarlett tells a bunch of people she was sexually harassed by a very highly ranking executive in Impact, who offered her a lucrative new contract in exchange for some sex. She refused, but somebody makes a complaint to Impact.

The owners of Impact (Anthem Entertainment) publicly announce an internal investigation. Scarlett (and Kross) get their releases, but Scarlett supposedly signs an NDA.

These are all verified facts.

Very shortly thereafter, Don Callis very quietly steps down as Executive Vice President of Impact, and switches to an on air talent role, which he also eventually quietly steps away from. A lot of people, including Bix, Rovert and even Brian Last have either alluded to it or outright reported it.

After Kross and Scarlett get released by WWE, she tells anybody who will listen that she will never go back to Impact, and alludes to there being a very definite reason why she can’t or won’t.

For some strange reason, Dave Meltzer never reported on it, which I am sure has nothing to do with his friendship with Kenny Omega.

 

[subatomic_elbow]

I've purchased every AEW PPV from the start, even the RoH and Forbidden Door. I've been to live events. I have a wall of action figures on my wall. 
I'm not buying this PPV. Punk no-selling an injury to get his win back over Moxley and get crowned in Chicago, leading to months of a face champ Punk ruining AEW TV, is not worth my money. I'm not paying to watch him blow a Paradigm Shift and slowly crawl over to pin Mox. When Ace Freaking Steele is an important part of you main event angle, things have fallen apart.

Signing Punk was a less successful WCW signing Hogan. 

[Matt D]

Lots of big definitive statements. Here's mine. I think Punk, in ring, as a face, is the most outstanding and most important wrestler of the year. I think he's done more to try to retake moves and reestablish the meaning of every action than anyone in wrestling in years. I hope that what he's doing has influence for years to come. I think if he turned heel, the matches wouldn't be as good because a lot of what he's doing involves the pace and tenor of the selling and even though he'd control the match more, he'd be in there with some unreliable opponents.

But then I think Adam Page is one of the worst wrestlers on the roster and I have a hard time getting through Omega matches. I do think that Mox has had a great year, but more with implicit storytelling than explicit, so there's a different sort of benefit to it and one that tends to appeal to me less. I think Kingston's had more misses where he gives into his excess and fandom and I think that Danielson's had a good year but in interfacing more with his opponents, he's had less of an overall vision other than "Wrestle as hard as possible."

I've written up every match his year if you want to see me show my work: http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/search/label/CM Punk

So I hope he wins. I hope he stays a babyface. I hope he has a long run.

I get that people, especially people who were drawn in by early AEW have good reason to feel otherwise.

[subatomic_elbow]

4 minutes ago, Matt D said:

Lots of big definitive statements. Here's mine. I think Punk, in ring, as a face, is the most outstanding and most important wrestler of the year. I think he's done more to try to retake moves and reestablish the meaning of every action than anyone in wrestling in years. I hope that what he's doing has influence for years to come. I think if he turned heel, the matches wouldn't be as good because a lot of what he's doing involves the pace and tenor of the selling and even though he'd control the match more, he'd be in there with some unreliable opponents.

But then I think Adam Page is one of the worst wrestlers on the roster and I have a hard time getting through Omega matches. I do think that Mox has had a great year, but more with implicit storytelling than explicit, so there's a different sort of benefit to it and one that tends to appeal to me less. I think Kingston's had more misses where he gives into his excess and fandom and I think that Danielson's had a good year but in interfacing more with his opponents, he's had less of an overall vision other than "Wrestle as hard as possible."

I've written up every match his year if you want to see me show my work: http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/search/label/CM Punk

So I hope he wins. I hope he stays a babyface. I hope he has a long run.

I get that people, especially people who were drawn in by early AEW have good reason to feel otherwise.

Looks like you are going to get exactly what you want. 
My love for AEW is likely dead and I'm probably just going to walk away, now.

[Matt D]

25 minutes ago, subatomic_elbow said:

Looks like you are going to get exactly what you want. 
My love for AEW is likely dead and I'm probably just going to walk away, now.

And I am sympathetic to you. You had something you were enjoying. You're not enjoying it anymore. Way I see it, if things go a different direction, maybe you'll get to be happy at least, and I'll be happy for you, even if I won't enjoy it as much. I'm pretty good at finding things in AEW (especially the web shows) to enjoy even when things on top aren't for me, so I'll be ok either way.

  

11 hours ago, Coffey said:

This episode has done absolutely nothing for me. It hasn't sold me on the PPV at all... and the ROH/AEW merger/relationship whatever-the-fuck sucks. 

Also, let me cross post something I just wrote at DVDVR:

I think people are really overinflating the impact of the ROH stuff. It's given them a couple of prop belts to use on shows to add some extra stakes at times. It helped cement Yuta being over. It gave FTR something on top of the AAA and NJPW belts as they're kept out of the top top of the scene due to whatever else Tony wants to do there. They spent something like 2-3 weeks building up a PPV after Forbidden door, with a lot of that on Dark (Pure title stuff) or Elevation (Martinez/Deeb). Almost no talent has come in from ROH specifically (Gresham had what, two matches on Rampage? Blake Christian gets some Dark matches. Cheeseburger was on Elevation once? Some other enhancement work here and there from others like last night where the Wingmen or Bears might be used otherwise). Martinez had a bunch of defenses on Elevation.

The footprint has been absolutely tiny. Minuscule. It's not Jim Crockett overextending himself with dead territories that were geographically far away from his core and adding an extra ten wrestlers and salaries and a bunch of TV he had to cover. It's been one PPV with two weeks build and a way for him to sprinkle some extra stakes on things he'd probably want to do anyway. The biggest issue is that the PPV (which everyone seemed to really like!) came right after Forbidden Door so even though most of the build was limited to Rampage/Dark/Elevation, it was a month, month and a half with less focus. BUT! That was right at the moment where they had the worst injuries so it was a good way to paper over things with some extra/outside talent for a little bit. It actually helped to put a bandaid on things.

Sorry, but what is anyone even talking about here?

 

[Coffey]

My issue is it's convoluted. Even if it led to an OK ROH PPV. It shouldn't be involved with the AEW stuff at all. Dynamite having shit like Wheeler Yuta - ROH Pure Champion, Jay Lethal the Sex Pest getting a stable & TV time (even after the Samoa Joe match) & Dustin Rhodes talking about never being a World Champion when he's going after Claudio's ROH belt... on an AEW show. It doesn't work. There's already too many belts & too many shows & too many people that don't get to make Dynamite. 

[Matt D]

3 minutes ago, Coffey said:

My issue is it's convoluted. Even if it led to an OK ROH PPV. It shouldn't be involved with the AEW stuff at all. Dynamite having shit like Wheeler Yuta - ROH Pure Champion, Jay Lethal the Sex Pest getting a stable & TV time (even after the Samoa Joe match) & Dustin Rhodes talking about never being a World Champion when he's going after Claudio's ROH belt... on an AEW show. It doesn't work. There's already too many belts & too many shows & too many people that don't get to make Dynamite. 

I don’t think Claudio should be in the ladder match. That’s dumb to me (though him independently hunting for another title wouldn’t be, just not in a multi man for a shot), but Tony spent all of 2021 hiring guys. Lethal would have been hired. Joe would have been hired. Claudio would have been hired. He’d keep introducing belts. Whatever the issue is, it’s not ROH. That’s just decoration. 

[NotJayTabb]

Where IS Samoa Joe, by the way? He's the ROH TV champion, and he's getting less screen time than Lethal, who he beat on PPV. Is he injured or just on the sidelines?