Lets Discuss All Things Wrestling - Even The T-Shirt Company AEW!

[Mox]

41 minutes ago, Dr LBC said:

Were he not tied up still in the stuff with Jericho - who should be (and he knows it too) kept as far away from the title as possible - Kingston really is who makes the most sense.  He's the most organically over with the crowd and any heel the put up against him to try and take it from him can very easily work the "ruining the everyman's fantasy" angle.  Honestly if/when Omega comes back, if it's as a heel (and it should be - despite the fact that the crowd is going to pop for him because he's been out for so long... and because the crowd is full of smarks) having him be the one to re-take the title off of Eddie would be great writing.

That said, setting the title aside, and going back to Max; if they're willing to slow-burn this, which Max has shown he's more than content to do, his next loss needs to come courtesy of another former WWE guy newly arriving just to add more twist to the tension.  Not sure I'd, assuming they bring him in, make that Claudio (Cesaro) because Claudio is going to get mega-babyface heat as soon as an AEW audience sees him.  But if they could manage to bring in Bray, even on a limited arc (still allowing him to do his horror movie thing on the side), that could work.

Thing is, I don't think AEW can afford to make Tony another Vince.  For one, Tony hasn't got the acting chops or gravitas.  For another, Vince was pretty damn unique in being able to pull off the evil owner character, but even then he suffered the obvious outcome in the long-term which was he poisoned his own well - when the promotion books its "head" as the heel, it makes "the promotion" the heel and thus the subconscious suggestion is that whatever the promotion wants or wants the viewer to think is bad.  Max can play aggrieved, even righteously-aggrieved, but he's gotta remain aligned as the heel.  Honestly, if this all is a semi-work, I'd have Max (who even if he's not a billionaire, his gimmick still presents as someone who would have a number of well-connected rich friends) worked into an angle whereby he "finds a loophole" in Tony's acquisition of ROH and brings in backers of his own to launch a worked hostile takeover of ROH.

Eddie's first title win shouldn't be the interim title with little to no build.

[StLunatic88]

On 6/4/2022 at 11:16 AM, FinneasGage said:

have cole win battle royal. cole v. mox at forbidden door. omega returns and aids cole in winning the belt. omega/cole/bucks/reddragon start kicking mox's *** after. kingston/danielson/yuta/proud powerful come out to help. brawl for a bit w/ elite getting better of them. hangman come out to save the day. hangman heel turn/ rejoin the super elite faction.

 

With losing Punk, it does feel like the right opportunity to push the Super Elite. And if you’re not going to kick it off at Forbidden Door, where would be better than that?

[StLunatic88]

On 6/4/2022 at 5:30 PM, Dr LBC said:

Thing is, I don't think AEW can afford to make Tony another Vince.  For one, Tony hasn't got the acting chops or gravitas. 

I feel like the way that they have framed this, calling Tony a “F’n mark”, set it up immediately as something very different from Vince.

Calling him out for that, inherently paints him as lesser than in any physical type of threat. It’s why using Punk as the proxy made the most sense (why they had Punk come out after the promo) so it will now be tricky going forward. It’s hard to see anyone established enough in the E as well as “Tony’s guy”.

Could they go with Danielson? Might work, but with him being so tied into the BCC might eliminate him. But if they would spin off Mox into the Interim Champ, the combo of Regal as a Mouthpiece and BD as the combatant, preaching how they have paid their dues, and that includes in the WWE, might work.

5 years ago you coulda done it with the Hardy’s. But they are washed now. But they could be part of the “Establishment” gauntlet, he goes through on a more weekly basis. same could be said for Mark Henry and Paul Wight, but more as on screen mouthpieces than in ring.

You could do a similar “pay your dues” thing with Samoa Joe as the proxy for Tony since he just bought ROH, but not sure how much permanent crossover there will be at this point. I feel like this could be a great angle, as Joe would probably Have a lot to say here

And the other obvious one would be with Jericho, especially with his “sports entertainer” gimmick. But would we want to rehash a lot of this feud?

[Daboyle]

The absolute state of Cody's chest🤢

[wgbeethree]

On 6/4/2022 at 6:18 AM, bcb1213 said:

If you think rey mysterio could beat a braun strowman in a legit fight where I'm not even sure he could reach his chin, I can't help you

I don't care about this enough to actually argue  but here I am 🤷‍♂️....

If you don't think Marty Usman would run through 99% of the NBA or Jon Jones would run through 99% of the NFL despite the size differences, "I can't help you".

 

[sdrawkcab321]

8 hours ago, Daboyle said:

The absolute state of Cody's chest🤢

I’ve never seen anyone have an injury like that going into a match. There’s been guys who have finished a match after tearing a pec but I can’t think of anything like this. 

[Fresh Prince]

Just read the last few pages and here’s a couple of thoughts.

1. I love MJF and as much as I want to see him in WWE, I think Vince would ruin him when it comes to his promos, where he does his best work.

 

2. Punks return was cool to see, but I never cared for the guy and, I agree putting the belt on him so soon was the wrong decision.

 

3. Sammy Guevara sucks 

[sdrawkcab321]

53 minutes ago, Fresh Prince said:

Just read the last few pages and here’s a couple of thoughts.

1. I love MJF and as much as I want to see him in WWE, I think Vince would ruin him when it comes to his promos, where he does his best work.

 

2. Punks return was cool to see, but I never cared for the guy and, I agree putting the belt on him so soon was the wrong decision.

 

3. Sammy Guevara sucks 

You think punk getting the belt was too early? I disagree on that. We see top level guys go into company’s and get the title a lot sooner than that. Punk is their biggest attraction he should have it. 

[Texansfan713]

the cody/seth match last night was better than any AEW match in their history.

 

dont @ me

[Mox]

5 minutes ago, Texansfan713 said:

the cody/seth match last night was better than any AEW match in their history.

 

dont @ me

Haven't seen it yet but I'm guessing this is hyperbole.

[Jeezla]

If they aren't going to put a belt on Sami or KO, then put them in a tag team together.

[Dr LBC]

11 hours ago, wgbeethree said:

I don't care about this enough to actually argue  but here I am 🤷‍♂️....

If you don't think Marty Usman would run through 99% of the NBA or Jon Jones would run through 99% of the NFL despite the size differences, "I can't help you".

 

Apples to oranges comparisons don't help you argument.  You realize that right?  A guy who is a professional fighter, much less a professional fighter who has been among the best in the world at his trade, would run through guys who have, at best, maybe been in a street fight or two in their lives against other layman fighters?  That's not really saying a ton like you seem to think it is.

The entire point of pro wrestling is (not unlike it's damn roots in the carnivals) that you shouldn't have to do a lot of thinking to enjoy it; it's like the circus.  It's like the freakin' cheesy 80's action movies that made Arnold and Sly so much money.  Yes, if you were to sit down and look for them you would find all manner of plot-holes, but you don't because unless it's something glaringly obvious that insults your intelligence, it would defeat your overall enjoyment.  And I use that example for a reason... because you never saw the guy that was smaller than Arnold or Sly be able to stand with them for more than a couple blow exchanges, much less make them bleed, unless it was in some sort of gang tactic or the guy had a weapon.

The Garcia hype train may go somewhere meaningful in the future, but if it happens before he actually fills out his frame some, he's not going to be taken seriously by any mainstream audience outside of the strict AEW loyalists - I'd wager to say hardly even in Japan, because we saw them need to build up (quite literally) Ospreay and similar junior heavyweights before they were given serious feature as a heavyweight main eventer.

[Dr LBC]

57 minutes ago, Bullet Club said:

Haven't seen it yet but I'm guessing this is hyperbole.

Not really.  It was as good as the Punk/Hangman match.  Every bit as much drama.  Well worked, great psychology, great selling.  Should Cody have been allowed to work with that injury?  Probably not.  Did it gild him in at this point, probably as much with Vince as with fans, and create a classic that will be referenced in company annals for years to come in large part because of the injury and how visible it was?  Absolutely.

And honestly, more credit needs to go Seth's way because you could see (without it being totally obvious) that he was largely the one leading that match and doing so in such a way that protected Cody's pec as much as possible from extenuating damage, while still allowing the legit injury itself to help get Cody over even more.  Honestly, the only thing I'd have left out would have been the sledgehammer stuff - in part because it wasn't necessary, in large part because I think if, at some point, you're going to address the elephant (and this isn't just a nose joke) in the room that is HHH, that hammer is emblematic of Haytch.

Great (or great-by-WWE-standards) booking would be to have Cody go on to do what he's set out to do, win the title, finish a PPV with him in the Dusty pose with the title.  Then his next appearance, Seth lays him out from behind with a sledgehammer - off the rails obsessed that Cody succeeded where he failed - and you stretcher Cody out.  This may have been the only reason I wouldn't have booked last night as a HIAC match, because HIAC is and should be a blowoff gimmick match.  But long story short, I guess Stairway to Hell match (?) and harken back to Haytch and Shawn when they did it... have Hunter at ringside, on-commentary to give Seth another foil to play to and taunt during the match.  And you legit go kinda cheesy 80's movie ending with it (legit Karate Kid II/Best of the Best kind of stuff).  Cody gets the everylovin' piss beaten out of him, manages a staggering comeback, and picks up the sledge that Seth had introduced.  Big buildup and Seth is on his knees, looking totally out of it, Hunter is up on his feet with the headset still on, and Cody chucks the sledge down and out of ring, plants a boot on Seth's chest, and pushes him over backwards into a pin.*  (knowing WWE booking and having to account for it some, that boot on the chest would likely be either (Curb)stomp or Avada Kedavra Superkick by Cody to Seth, because... well... overkill before good storytelling is their motto)

[Mox]

16 minutes ago, Dr LBC said:

Not really.  It was as good as the Punk/Hangman match.  Every bit as much drama.  Well worked, great psychology, great selling.  Should Cody have been allowed to work with that injury?  Probably not.  Did it gild him in at this point, probably as much with Vince as with fans, and create a classic that will be referenced in company annals for years to come in large part because of the injury and how visible it was?  Absolutely.

And honestly, more credit needs to go Seth's way because you could see (without it being totally obvious) that he was largely the one leading that match and doing so in such a way that protected Cody's pec as much as possible from extenuating damage, while still allowing the legit injury itself to help get Cody over even more.  Honestly, the only thing I'd have left out would have been the sledgehammer stuff - in part because it wasn't necessary, in large part because I think if, at some point, you're going to address the elephant (and this isn't just a nose joke) in the room that is HHH, that hammer is emblematic of Haytch.

Great (or great-by-WWE-standards) booking would be to have Cody go on to do what he's set out to do, win the title, finish a PPV with him in the Dusty pose with the title.  Then his next appearance, Seth lays him out from behind with a sledgehammer - off the rails obsessed that Cody succeeded where he failed - and you stretcher Cody out.  This may have been the only reason I wouldn't have booked last night as a HIAC match, because HIAC is and should be a blowoff gimmick match.  But long story short, I guess Stairway to Hell match (?) and harken back to Haytch and Shawn when they did it... have Hunter at ringside, on-commentary to give Seth another foil to play to and taunt during the match.  And you legit go kinda cheesy 80's movie ending with it (legit Karate Kid II/Best of the Best kind of stuff).  Cody gets the everylovin' piss beaten out of him, manages a staggering comeback, and picks up the sledge that Seth had introduced.  Big buildup and Seth is on his knees, looking totally out of it, Hunter is up on his feet with the headset still on, and Cody chucks the sledge down and out of ring, plants a boot on Seth's chest, and pushes him over backwards into a pin.*  (knowing WWE booking and having to account for it some, that boot on the chest would likely be either (Curb)stomp or Avada Kedavra Superkick by Cody to Seth, because... well... overkill before good storytelling is their motto)

If it was as good Hangman/Punk, which probably isn't a top 10 match in AEW history, then it's probably not better than any AEW match ever.

[Dr LBC]

16 hours ago, StLunatic88 said:

I feel like the way that they have framed this, calling Tony a “F’n mark”, set it up immediately as something very different from Vince.

Calling him out for that, inherently paints him as lesser than in any physical type of threat. It’s why using Punk as the proxy made the most sense (why they had Punk come out after the promo) so it will now be tricky going forward. It’s hard to see anyone established enough in the E as well as “Tony’s guy”.

Could they go with Danielson? Might work, but with him being so tied into the BCC might eliminate him. But if they would spin off Mox into the Interim Champ, the combo of Regal as a Mouthpiece and BD as the combatant, preaching how they have paid their dues, and that includes in the WWE, might work.

5 years ago you coulda done it with the Hardy’s. But they are washed now. But they could be part of the “Establishment” gauntlet, he goes through on a more weekly basis. same could be said for Mark Henry and Paul Wight, but more as on screen mouthpieces than in ring.

You could do a similar “pay your dues” thing with Samoa Joe as the proxy for Tony since he just bought ROH, but not sure how much permanent crossover there will be at this point. I feel like this could be a great angle, as Joe would probably Have a lot to say here

And the other obvious one would be with Jericho, especially with his “sports entertainer” gimmick. But would we want to rehash a lot of this feud?

The issue become when the opposite side is Max.  Max's big thing is that he doesn't have a problem calling out the fans for being smarks (Uncle Dave doesn't like it, but Uncle Dave is kind of King Smark at this point, too).  And in that respect "Tony's guys" aren't Danielson or even Mox.  Tony's guys are the Bucks and Orange Cassidy (probably a saving grace for him that he's injured right now because if he were being featured, he could/should be fodder for Max to blister - and it should be allowed for the greater whole-picture of the company).

I agree with you, I want no part of revisiting that Jericho/Max feud, but dear god should Jericho be fodder for Max (at best, he should be anti-hero) to rip into and also complement for "milking the money mark" for everything he can.  Like I said, I very much feel like Punk has a heavy hand in designing how this story goes (not that it necessarily involves him directly, but in allusions to him), and in a way him being out on a legit injury helps because he and Max can bounce ideas off one-another backstage, and not that Max really needs to be told this, but Punk would be one to tell him not to give a crap if saying one thing or another ruffles this guy or that guy's feathers.

Honestly, what could be an interesting twist is Max finding some way to win the battle royale, cheat to beat Mox at Forbidden Door, and then literally hold the title hostage demanding not to return it unless he's granted his release.  You've got Smart Mark as his attorney (though I'd bring in outside plants to make it look a bit more official), and you set it up to where "legally" Tony can't strip him of the title without cause.  Book Max in a title match, he immediately kicks his opponent in the balls and gets himself disqualified, "Oh well... *shrug*"  Point is, you're buying time for Punk to heal and rehab.