Timbo Slice Posted February 20 Report Share Posted February 20 Yeah, that’s overbooking to a T. An unforced error if there ever was one. I’m glad they’re going back to Phoenix because that crowd ate it up last night. Not everything hit, but the things they did were big. I think in addition to the overbooking, there’s a tone problem up and down. It’s one thing to be able to eat things up a la carte, but watching it within the flow of a show, there were a few times where things just did not feel impactful because of pacing, production choices, etc. It’s not a new phenomenon, either, so I’m curious as to what they’re looking at when trying to put the show together and figuring how things should be ordered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted February 20 Report Share Posted February 20 Also, Kenny. Pick a theme already, man. The new one probably ain’t working, it’s okay to shelve it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted February 25 Author Report Share Posted February 25 After a very shaky start of the year to say the least, last month or so as been the best batch of AEW weekly shows in forever. Really loving the pacing and the mood of the shows lately. And next PPV looks ridiculous on paper. This is how you "restore the feeling" without having to hammer it. Also, I'm getting Mike Bailey and Josh Alexander aka half the reason TNA had been fun to watch the last few years. Hopefully they don't get *too* lost in the shuffle (which they might), but whatever I can get from them, I'm gladly having. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 Oh man, COPE/Jay/FTR/Willow vs the Death Riders in an Anarchy in the Arena match is gonna bang so gd hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoS Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 Another tremendous Dynamite episode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stiva Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 Whole company has been on a run since late last year, I’d say. Not sure if it’s sharpened creative minds, shedding some people who didn’t want to be there or just renewed enthusiasm following the bumper TV deal but long may it continue. I’m very bullish about them getting Josh Alexander too. I think, if they handle him well, he could be a big star on the major stages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 I cringed at how Orange took the Raging Fire. Just dumped right on the shoulder. They are definitely figuring things out and I hope folks show up to TV more because of it. I imagine tickets are moving for Revolution, but feel like they have momentum going for the first time in a while. Sucks I’ll miss Collision in Oakland on Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted February 28 Report Share Posted February 28 I just can't get into Mox/Cope at all and when the title and main event are that much of a drag it brings down the entire show. Cope looks, sounds, acts and moves OLD. He can still deliver in the ring with the right bells & whistles and setting, but he comes across not only as too old to serve as a credible threat to the company's ace and world title, but as so out of his league that I don't even want to see him get destroyed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeCampbell Posted March 9 Report Share Posted March 9 Now that the whole unedited episode of Dynamite from 2/26 made it to Max, I gave the Takeshita/OC title match a second look. It's nothing amazing, but they do a pretty good job of working a simple match where they mostly do things that make sense within the confines of it. The only things that really pushed it were the double ring out tease after the beach break on the table, when they both just stopped selling and rushed in, which obviously made sense for OC. And the sequence where Takeshita spikes him with the wheelbarrow driver and then picks him for the suplex and OC counters into a rolling cradle for a near fall. But outside of those couple of instances, they were pretty much dead on. I'm not a Kenny Omega hater or anything, but I'll be surprised if their title match tomorrow night is anywhere near as sensible as this was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted March 9 Author Report Share Posted March 9 The last few weeks really have been terrific TV, and apart from the tag-team championship match every match on the show has been built really well (Mercedes vs Momo is what it is in term of build, but with an outsider working in Japan you can do so much) and every match (apart from, well, the tag team match) should be a banger, including a bunch of legit MOTYC level shit on paper. There really has been a distinct change after the few worrying week-to-week shows chockfull with awfully long promos and old guys after old guys. Made a better job at "restoring the feeling" than they have in eons. Really a tremendous winter season after a (very) shaky start. Hopefully they keep that focus train going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stiva Posted March 12 Report Share Posted March 12 The International No 1 Contender matches announced for this week look absolutely insane. OC/Hechicero and, I presume, Speedball/Mortos on Dynamite. Shibata/Ricochet and Davis/Briscoe on Collision. TKs gigantic list of potential matches coming up trumps again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted March 12 Author Report Share Posted March 12 Fuck yes. Either Speedball or Alexander. Gimme one or the other, then the other the following week. Billie Starkz going after Mone is *all* about building Mercedes vs Athena at All In Texas, and Athena winning the title in the stadium, right ? RIGHT ? (hear me well Coach TK) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 13 Report Share Posted March 13 The lucha guys are great and all, but this opener got me wanting a 100% all beef match with Hobbes and Cage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blehschmidt Posted March 13 Report Share Posted March 13 Speedball/Mortos was awesome. I love Hechicero and I love OC, but that match was a let down. Really looking forward to Mercedes/Billie, and if it is leading to Mercedes/Athena, consider that PPV purchased. and good god I hope that Swerve beats Mox and we put this Death Riders thing to bed, but since TK loves keeping things going well past there expiration dates (see anything Jericho related) I have a bad feeling that it's going until at least All In Texas, if not longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMJ Posted March 13 Report Share Posted March 13 Keeping the title on Mox any longer is just TK falling for sunk-cost fallacy. Put the title on Swerve. There's a whole bunch of matches that TK can run in various formations that would get over huge with the audience before they even consider putting Mox or Cope in the title picture again. And pull Jay White out of this mix and let him cook with the good workers again. Swerve/MJF Swerve/Ospreay Swerve/Darby Swerve/Kenny The aforementioned Swerve/Page (though, I'd hold off on that). Meanwhile, you've still got Kenny/Ospreay in the works, Kenny/Darby, another Kenny/Page match, plus Kenny/Ricochet, Darby/Ricochet rematch, Jay White should be in the mix, Fletcher needs to continue to be utilized and booked strongly... And what do you do with Mox? To be honest, I think you pull him off TV for a minute. I know Mox does not have many fans here as a worker or as a "wrestling personality" or whatever. I think where they went wrong was venturing too far from what it was that *did* work with Moxley. I think fans want to cheer the guy. Yes, his promos are corny. Yes, the work is loose and sometimes flat out poorly-executed. Yes, he blades too much and his brain seems to be a bad idea factory set to 12 at times...but I think there's a "He's Our Idiot" element to it, a "Say what you will about Moxley, but he did come to AEW and go to Japan and show up at indie shows because he absolutely loves the ugly, messy, crazy side of pro-wrestling and wants to live and do ALL OF IT." And that part of Moxley is the endearing part. He is earnest. And because that's the one element of Jon Moxley that comes across on TV and is actually weirdly enjoyable and engaging, we're deprived of interacting and connecting with him when he comes out and bashes the company as his gimmick. And so he basically has "go away heat" with a significant portion of the audience who hate this storyline, hate this gimmick, and just want good ol' ass-kicking, blade-jobbing Mox to do his shtick somewhere on the card every night and try to top himself with a staple gun or a shard of glass or whatever. Stale bread is edible, dogshit isn't. Get him off TV, let him do some international wrestling if that's what he wants to do or take a vacation, and then, down the line, find a time to re-introduce him as the baby-face and don't overthink an "explanation" for the turn. You don't need to. It's wrestling. And, in this fantasy-booked scenario, I'd push PAC as the new leader and actually give him some serious, high-profile wins. He's not a PPV main eventer and probably never will be, but when your company is built around guys like Omega, Ospreay, Swerve, Darby, OC, Page, etc...PAC is, like, right there, 1000% capable of raining stars on your Observer review (and I'm not trying to be glib). The big hits of the show this weekend were the matches that were just straight-up bonkers with sequences and high-spots and craziness and PAC is very good at that athletic style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blehschmidt Posted March 13 Report Share Posted March 13 The Death Riders just don't need to be a thing anymore. You are absolutely correct about Moxley, you pull him off TV for a while and when he comes back, all will be forgiven. I think the same thing will hold true for Claudio. He comes back, hits a Giant Swing and all will be forgiven. Yuta can stay on TV and just be an angry young man, I think he is the only one that benefits from this whole thing. PAC as you said can just continue his gimmick as is, and I agree that they should just run with him in high profile matches against a bunch of good people. Shafir really is the only person who gets the short end of the stick as this was the first thing that was actually working for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blehschmidt Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 So Thunder Rosa got a promo about Bayne, got jumped backstage by Bayne, got another promo about Bayne, got a lengthy match with Bayne, took Bayne's finisher on the ramp (half assed it as well) and crawled back into the ring.... Then, Finally... after taking her finish again! Rosa put Bayne over. Toni Storm, you know, the world champion, came in and ate the finish once, and had to be carried out. I seriously wish I knew what the fuck AEW saw in Thunder Rosa and Kris Statlander. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strobogo Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 I'd rather Yuta get taken off TV. More than anyone in AEW, he's the one that I just can not figure out why he has gotten so much TV time for 5 years. The most non descript dude they have. Literally nothing sets him apart. I have to assume he's a nice guy that people really like being around backstage or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 He’s over with the crowd big time and they’re aching for him to turn face? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strobogo Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 No he's not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strobogo Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 Oh wow the suplex onto the nail board was some C level late 90s Japan deathmatch shit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blehschmidt Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 At least it got Moxley to sell something. I am so sick of his lumbering around like Frankenstein, slightly flinching at things, whatever this angle is supposed to be bullshit at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoS Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 That was an awesome spot. Match did well in the ratings too. Hopefully Swerve beats Mox at Dynasty and Swerve, Hangman and Ospreay feud for the title all year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 I think Swerve wins at Dynasty, it would be booking malpractice not to put the title on him at this point. No one is currently anywhere near the level he is at "top guy" -ness and as stated Mox is past his expiration date in this angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted March 23 Author Report Share Posted March 23 On 3/21/2025 at 9:11 AM, MoS said: Hopefully Swerve beats Mox at Dynasty and Swerve, Hangman and Ospreay feud for the title all year. Pretty much this. And Mercedes Moné vs Athena. Maybe they'll do it sooner than All In, since maybe it'll be hard to keep them apart until July, but this match is absolutely happening and this is everything I ever wanted. It's possible they do Mercedes vs Toni at All In for all the marbles. The best worker vs the biggest star. Would make sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.