For anyone critical of Tony Khan’s pettiness, after UFC 300 overperformed as a card, Dana White put out a supercut of media criticizing the card beforehand and talked shit about them. Hunter, Tony, and Dana are all petty men.
Becky winning the Women's Battle Royale in youtube now more dislikes than likes. Youtube is the casual audience. People now are calling her Becky Hogan.
I said Becky shouldn't win the Women's Battle Royale cause she will get heat with the online fans and people will turn on her. I was correct. Even, I knew why Becky winning would be a likely decision. Most likely she is putting Liv over in a PLE, but many fans won't be able to see this.
I just don't think... Becky deserves this. This is why I didn't want her to win. This just shows how weak the RAW women's roster is, that there is no other over babyface there that can put over Liv.
I got downvoted for me saying Becky shouldn't win, but ultimately it is probably a fine decision if she can put over Liv before Rhea comes back, and Liv wins by cheating in a memorable moment. But it sucks she has to get heat, just cause the roster is weak and shes the woman for the job. People will say she will still get cheered live, but she was already getting lesser reactions than before. I guarantee you she won't be booed probably, but she is not going to be half as over as someone like Jey Uso. It is just not a good trajectory for someone who people constantly said was more over than her incredibly over husband.
If Brock wasn’t implicated in the McMahon lawsuit, what would Brock’s role have been in the main event?
The last we saw Brock, he had endorsed Cody. There’s no doubt he probably would’ve been involved. Does he take over the Taker/Austin spot? Do they add a spot where Heyman tries to get involved and Brock’s music hits?
He probably would’ve been involved.
FTC has banned non-compete agreements for American workers, set to go into affect in 120 days, but will likely get held up due to lawsuits.
How does everyone see this affecting the wrestling industry if/when it goes through? I keep trying to make a thread about it, but it won't go through for some reason.
My first instinct is in a case with Drew where he hasn't re-signed yet, WWE would be less likely to feature him considering he could appear on AEW television the day after his contract ends.
he already can appear the day after his contract ends, the non-compete is for releases.
And even then there's a big debate whether these are actually non-compete clauses or actually 90-day notices because if they were non-competes, theoretically people who would go on to make a lot of money in AEW after their release for example could have broken the non-compete and seemingly no one does.
Basically the releases are "we're ending your contract in 90 days." It's essentially an incentive to keep them from competing by continuing to pay them vs. a true noncompete.
I'd hazard to guess that the legal hassle that would follow if someone said "I'm going to break my contract before those 90 days end" is not worth the cost -- including potential legal action to whatever promotion starts paying you -- vs. just waiting the 90 days out with money in your pocket.
Oh interesting, did not realize it was only for releases. So theoretically it could be the opposite I would assume, where some talents just get put in the shelf and stuck in a contract if one promotion doesn't want another to scoop them up and have them debut instantly
Everyone all up in arms over Liv not winning the title last night, can we talk about how shinsuke nakamura has been reduced to a jobber now? Need to fill in a gap between storylines? Book shinsuke. Need to fill in a week? Book shinsuke. Commerical break? book shinsuke. Like wtf is this. there is putting talent over in your sunset years and then there is sacrificing nakamura. I'm sure when CM punk comes back he is gonna GTS shinsuke nakamura at some point
start blockin. the UX for that is not the best on mobile though, unfortunately. most effective for daily where it's the same people commenting usually. in another forum I would look at the daily and half the posts were blocked lol.
Watching old clips of Akira Hokuto and can’t help but think of Becky Lynch for some reason. Long hair going everywhere, daredevil nature, slimmer frame but tends to go after larger opponents, etc.
Has anyone heard anything about priority passes for clash at the castle? They told me earlier they’d “be in touch once they got the green light to go” but now it looks like they’ll go on sale after the presale which I feel like defeats the purpose??
How long are entrance walks generally? 30 seconds, a minute?
Feeling bored, want to experiment with "fantasy" WWE entrance music assigning, give people more appropriate songs.
Lot more difficult than I thought since it needs to be short but have a distinctive moment that gives off a specific instantly recognizable vibe
The way I had I described to me by a wrestler who has worked on TV, is that if you have a 6 minute segment that's a match, you have a 4 minute match and then 2 minutes is for the entrance/exits. So if you say you've got 15-30 seconds before they cut to the next segment after your match, you've got about 45 seconds to a minute for your entrance.
The rise of interest in women's sports mean there can be a rise in interest in women wrestling. Its up to men in the positions of power to show whether they are willing to capitalize on it.
As of now backlash only has 2 matches. The world title matches and it’s next weekend lol. So we have 1 raw and 2 SD left to make this card and I’m sure they’ll do it but what matches do you think they can have? Are we gonna do Sami and gable again this soon? Becky just won the title last night so idk we’ll do anything with her yet. Just wondering what the rest of the card could be.
What exactly is their plan for Logan Paul and the US title? Is he supposed to drop it to Theory?
Cause it would have been much better to have dropped it at Mania, and have Logan constantly be in the middle of Theory and Waller because he's jealous they have a title and he doesn't. Then Waller turns on Theory to become tag team champ with Logan (could do the whole 2 v Logan + mystery opponent, Waller turns on Theory immediately, Theory survives and hangs in there for a long time before finally losing). Logan and Waller are tag teams for a bit but Waller realizes he made a mistake because Logan only cares about himself. Logan turns on Waller, and they have a triple threat at SummerSlam.
Theory and Waller become inseparable
I know you have your suspend your disbelief watching wrestling however when you think about it, the finish to the Mania event was kind of goofy. There was the cinematic irony with Roman hitting Seth instead of Cody. Roman didn’t have to throw away the chair. He could have hit Seth then also kill Cody with it. Nothing stopped him from not having the chair.
Double unpopular opinion:
Not only am I more than okay with Becky as champion, I also don't really get the complaints about "winning a title through a battle royal".
"It should be by pinfall or submission!" Why exclusively those? Who decided that rule? Should there also never be a triple threat or four-way for a title again, since only one person gets pinned or submitted in those?
Also how, in kayfabe, is it unimpressive to beat 13 (or however many others) for a title?
Finally, however long ago it happened, *Kurt fucking Angle* won the WHC this way. I don't remember thinking "NOOOOOO THIS DOESN'T COUNT!" at the time.
The women’s division isn’t deep enough for that across both brands.
Maybe what would be better would be to make both women’s titles defendable across both brands and make the Women’s World Championship a midcard title.
Something I noticed after watching some old AJPW matches, and then seeing Danielson-Ospreay: it feels like one of the things that makes the difference between a good match and a great match are changes in tempo. There's slow periods where the wrestlers are feeling each other out, and then there are big flurries of moves and counters exchanged in rapid succession.
Why don't we see this more? Is it just really hard to synch up with an opponent like that?
> Is it just really hard to synch up with an opponent like that?
Honestly yeah it can be, I've wrestled on the independents and if you're put with a guy you've not worked with before/a lot your job when putting the match together is often to find a nice median between how you as performers like to put your matches together. And sometimes it just doesn't quite gel the way you want it to.
The influences have changed. The AJPW guys were trained by a generation that actually didn't put much importance in the finishing stretch when they were starting out, so their match structure influences were wildly different.
Meanwhile today, there's been so much saturation of cool moves and interactions that one of the most popular ideas to build suspense is essentially elongate the finishing stretch and hit more moves for more nearfalls in different stretches.
People fantasy booking Chelsea Green with the world title as if it was the 24/7 title. This is why I think WWE needs a womens mid-card title. I like Chelsea but WWE needs to properly build up their new titles
I thought this when people were complaining about Tiffany beating Naomi some weeks ago.
I like Naomi, but personally I see Tiffany as more top-title calibre right now and IMO Naomi shouldn't be beating her clean.
But for popular female midcarders there's really nothing for them to do if they're not chasing the World or WWE championships. So a women's midcard belt would solve that problem.
I unsubscribed a while ago. But it's still useful for daily discussion and to see clips of things you may have missed.
The key is to never go into the comment sections outside of the rare one that's actually about wrestling.
This isn't explicitly what you asked but I know there are also people wondering how it affects Vince's 1-year noncompete, now that he's flush with stock sales cash.
From the FTC:
"Existing noncompetes for senior executives - who represent less than 0.75% of workers - can remain in force under the FTC’s final rule, but employers are banned from entering into or attempting to enforce any new noncompetes, even if they involve senior executives."
So Vince's is likely still enforceable unless he'd want to actively challenge it.
It won't for the most part. Modern WWE releases are 90-day notices. They're still under contract and still being paid, so it's not a "non-compete." Once a contract expires, or the 90-day notice expires, they can wrestle for anybody anywhere.
The non-competes they tried to enforce in the past, like with Brock Lesnar, were bullshit to begin with.
Although I'm sure it has no effect, I'd *love* for them to stop being able to tack on time where someone was injured while performing for them. Baby steps.
Guess Trevor Lee is making his return.
While we're on the subject, didn't Fifghtful or oen of the other sheets say that the releases were "complete" last week. Were the releases that have since come out actually done back then, or were they just straight up wrong? I guess without WWE announcing them anymore, they have to do a little more digging to find out about them.
I'm a fan of the direction wwe is going in ATM but it really annoys me how anytime something bad happens, according to some fans it has to have somehow been Vince and triple h wouldn't do such a thing.
I guess that "papa h" stuff really manifested itself because people forget triple h is also business first
After Vince’s first comeback, if the crowd didn’t like someone within 12 hours there were backstage reports it was Vince’s fault and Triple H wanted to do something different
Really hard to figure out how that happened
Bro, heel serious Gable is amazing on the stick. How tf did they sleep on this guy for so long?
Shorty G was embarrassing, Shoosh Man was less bad but still doesn't hold a candle to this. Hopefully he'll get more tv time going forward.
Becky haters are trending "Becky Hogan" but they're not even creative enough to think of "Too Many Belts Becks." The Liv Crybabies wear the same makeup as her so Slamtown and Suplex City are flooded with glitter tears right now. Becky Lynch is the Lass Kicker, the Man, Two Belts Becks for a reason she's been putting everyone over since Wresltemania 38 two WrestleManias ago so now is her turn. What are these Becky haters going on about, shaking my head.
Genuine question. What has Liv Morgan done to deserve a World Title? Look and charisma are important in pro wrestling, and shes got both in spades.. But to my knowledge, she hasn't had a match, promo or feud to warrant her winning a title. Nia Jax deserves a run before Liv.
So like who *is* Def Rebel? Are they contracted to WWE for a certain number of years so we're stuck with them until then?
The music they make presumably has to be okayed by HHH and the rest of corporate. So does that mean they think the music's decent? Surely they could tell them to make something better if they didn't like it.
[WHO ARE DEF REBEL? WWE’S NEW MUSIC TEAM EXPLAINED](https://arenataping.wordpress.com/2020/06/11/who-are-def-rebel-wwes-new-music-team-explained/)
[EXCLUSIVE: TIGHT-LIPPED WWE’S NEW MUSIC TEAM REVEALED](https://arenataping.wordpress.com/2020/01/23/exclusive-tight-lipped-wwes-new-music-team-revealed/)
With the recent outcry against them, I've seen it said that their contract ran through sometime this year.
Looking back at it, I was disappointed that Becky won less out of love for Liv but more because I thought the Royal Rumble was *meant* for something unpredictable. Think I worked myself into a shoot.
Although if it's going to be a short reign until Rhea comes back, why not give it to someone new? Feel like that'd be the time for a weird run
I'm worried about the Scottish witches getting cut 😓
Also Gigi Dolin but it feels like if she goes, that'd be her choice. Considering her motivation for being a wrestler, that'd be pretty sad
They had Kay Lee Ray for like 5 years and hid her best work in a warehouse in England that nobody watched.
She's WAAAYYYYY too talented to have been given nothing of substance to really work with since coming to the States.
If we don't get to see the Scottish witches bring some double trouble boil and bubble to the main roster then that would be a major missed opportunity. I was so hyped when they did the "Now who would do a thing like that?" promo about putting a curse on the tag titles.
Don't put that evil on us. Unfortunately, I don't think it's necessarily unlikely, but they're so good. Well, Alba is very good, Isla is solid. And the gimmick is so well done.
Saw an Indian (from Haryana State) Instagram page posting edits of local bodybuilders, wrestlers etc. In every edit there was Roman Reigns among local bodybuilders. Don't even know how to react
I don't recall him talking badly about Gargano's wrestling before, but he has been consistently negative about his character (or "lack thereof"), usually referring to him as "Johnny Same Face."
Moxley comes back from vacation early to become AEW world title because of injury to champion 
Becky Lynch comes back from vacation early to become WWE women’s champion because of injury to champion 
Danielson was right wrestling fans are fickle
> Danielson was right wrestling fans are fickle
At this point I think it's just a universal truth that the most vocal wrestling fans on the internet will, eventually, end up hating every single top star.
They want constant turnover and they constantly want their new "favorite midcarder" to be the top champion and willfully ignore decades of history of how the business works in terms of actual top stars remaining in those positions for YEARS. They want something "new" at all times and get upset whenever anyone stays relevant for years because they're the top paid people and will always get the most opportunities.
AEW fans haven’t really turned on anyone on top except Cody and now Jericho is in progress.
I guess you could argue MJF but that was more turning on the storyline.
(Well and punk buy obviously that doesn’t really count)
AEW fans are definitely guilty of the “new favorite midcarder” thing though. People are talking about Jay white the same way they were talking about Swerve.
it might just be sort of natural human psychology that you just start hating the person who wins all the time. and the idea that the winner is predetermined kind of makes it into "oh so someone CHOSE you to win a million times in a row"
Tbf I think a lot of people complained about Moxley winning that tournament. People appreciated him coming back but the consensus was that Danielson should have probably won. Plus, everyone KNEW he was dropping the belt to MJF at Full Gear. I think if people could guarantee Liv was winning the belt at Backlash people wouldn't care. If Liv had a MITB briefcase (remember that MJF had the guaranteed title shot with the chip), people would be a lot higher on Becky winning.
Been watching some old ROH, and there's something so charming about it (and indies in general). The mics, the lighting, the stage and the camera work aren't *great* , but there's something sweet and down to earth about it, compared to the bombasticy of larger promotions.
I say it all the time, but that was a magical time to be a fan. Nothing compares to how those shows felt. We just knew that we were seeing future legends in the prime of their youth.
That's why Kobashi vs. Joe on YouTube is one of my favorite matches ever -- there is no commentary, no fancy camera angles, no LEDs, nothing.
It's literally just like two camera men standing ringside, a crude hardcam that is VERY sparingly used, and that's it. From the angles that the cameramen are it, it almost feels like you are ringside watching the match.
I legit feel crazy watching some of the reactions to Becky winning. Winning a battle royal on an episode of Raw doesn’t do much for Liv, and Becky in her time with the belt will be able to elevate others.
But the story they’re telling is so simple.
Liv is always the runner-up. It has happened so many times before.
This loss is the one that will inevitably lead to her snapping. Whilst her assault on Rhea was justified, whatever she does to Becky, won’t be. Let her build that heel character, turn Dom against Rhea, have her dethrone Becky at a PLE, and finally have her moment under the big lights. When Rhea comes back, Liv’ll be the champ—with credibility—that took everything from her.
Folks are so not normal about Becky Lynch right now, it's kind of amazing to see, especially with this obviously being the story being told right in front of them. As always, fans are fickle.
Please don't interpret this as hating Becky, but... how do you even book her reign?
Yes, Becky is the biggest female star in WWE, no questions about it. The problem is that I don't see anyone who could be a credible challenger against her. Try fantasybooking Money in the Bank for example. You can select anyone who's currently on Raw and isn't injured. Who do you put on the card against Becky so that people believe that the title might actually change hands? It doesn't even have to be 50/50, it can be 66/33 in Becky's favour. Any ideas?
If Jade wasn't with Bianca.....you build up Jade to beat her. Becky mean while does stuff with Liv, Candice, and maybe Maxine. Roxanne coming in to beat her ala Paige and AJ would be kind of cool.
You elevate people and make them look like a threat. She went down to NXT and made Xia Li look at least relatively threatening despite Xia being non-existent on WWE programming. If WWE knows what's good for their women's division, this is the chance to pull some women up out of the midcard and show that they have upper card potential.
I would have had Liv win, and go with the "I took her out and I took her title" type of reign. The issue I had is throughout the year Rhea had the belt, they failed to build anyone else up of consequence. So when they had to pivot due to injury, they broke glass in case of emergency and put the belt on Becky instead of belting someone they've been hyping up for the last year.
I'm really interested in how the AEW World Title picture goes from now till All In. People are convinced it's just gonna be "Swerve vs Ospreay, Will Wins" but that sounds honestly really boring and anti-climatic. Yes, Cole vs MJF was face vs face but they told a very specific and intricate story to get there. In the presser Will talked about his history with Swerve in England but I didn't get the feeling that's his big match moving forward. IF it's Swerve vs Ospreay I think they gotta turn Swerve heel again and give him back his edge (or at least let him play situational heel for that match). Now that he has the belt he should be just as obsessed with keeping it, probably letting his obsession corrupt him.
I don’t understand how you could consider Swerve Strickland vs. Will Ospreay in front of 50k+ with the Briton winning boring or anti-climactic. And yeah Swerve would be playing heel in the match even if his overall character is babyface.
I feel like I'm going crazy with all the "Sheamus is fat" stuff.
He's...maybe not as cut as he used to be, I guess? But he still seems in excellent shape to me, especially for being 46. Calling him "fat" is preposterously OTT.
He's in a bulk and got called back early, so he came back looking "fat" by WWE standards and was also not at in-ring fitness standards. Go back and watch his return, he is absolutely blown out his arse in a way you don't usually see. It's crazier to act like he was in "TV shape" when we all saw that he wasnt.
I think people leaping to defend Sheamus and make this a social issue have blown it out of proportion. At worst, Sheamus knows his body and his progress and is not going to be broken by a bunch of marks commenting on it. At best, he's probably glad it happened because it gave him some twitter material and gave Drew promo material.
He has an overall look (skimpy gear, flaming red hair cut and styled in a way that would look dumb on average people, super extra pale skin) that stops working the second he's not in incredible shape.
I agree that the issue isn't that he's fat, because he's not. It's that his look depends on him being totally jacked.
I suspect that nearly none of the people that are complaining actually go to the gym. And that isn't even an insult or anything inflammatory against them -- I straight up just don't think they know how hard it is to maintain a physique like that, and how much muscle he still has.
Most average people are blinded by Hollywood and male models anyways, so they don't know what a real "good" physique looks like; they just see super cut and muscular people so much, they think that a physique like that is attainable without some types of supplements or supraphysiological amounts of testosterone.
I think it's perhaps more noticeable because of how pale he is, black is slimming and Sheamus is literally, polar bear white. He's got a little burger belly there but he's not King Kong Bundy.
Honestly this. Being white and flabby is incredibly different than even being tan, becuase depending on your shade of pale you could make it look so much worse just by existing. Because looking out of shape is one thing, but when you also look 'washed out' by lights it'll make you look like you're on an episode of Biggest Loser or something all of a sudden
While I think they are doing a bit too many turns and group breakups in quick succession, I think it is smart to keep things fresh. It makes me more interested in the draft to see who lands where and how new factions emerge.
Now I'm sad after seeing Lee be devastated he got released. But really, if he can refocus his energy, I'm betting on that guy. His 2015ish work is transcendent. Has a match vs future Best In America contender Adam Page where he's carrying his ass and they're both youngings. Incredibly impressive talent.
I think WWE for PR purposes after seeing how mad people got about Anthony Henry being released while injured in AEW wouldn't do that, even if they were considering it. That's not me saying a corporation is good, they'd just probably wait until after he healed up to do it because they have the money and don't want the bad PR right now.
That being said, they wouldn't release Wes. I think they're SUPER high on him. He had an incredible NA run and his matches got incredible reactions before the injuries. He was honestly one of the most over guys in NXT imo.
On one hand, he's been pigeonholed as a midcard comedy guy in a bunch of places, on the other hand getting to show he can talk in the WWE is pretty important for his future prospects.
I am frustrated by the fact so many of the world's best are in AEW in spot roles but even there I think... there's a chance for him to stand out even in that stacked roster.
But I'd prefer to get that indy run first and foremost as you said. Lee vs Priest, Lee vs Tankman etc.
New wrestling fan here, I've noticed that there seems to be a big split between the approach WWE and AEW (and other promotions such as NJPW) have to their product. It seems like WWE has a preference for building up larger-than-life characters and situations with a lot of mic work and in-ring promos while the wrestling itself tends to not as lengthy, intense, or technical as its competition. Meanwhile, AEW still builds storylines and characters but seems to take itself a bit more seriously, spend less time with in-ring promos, mic work, and character-building, but has longer, more intense, and more technical wrestling.
Apologies if this seems like an oversimplication or a troll, I assure you it's not. I know there's a lot of in-fighting over the community about which brand or approach is better and I'm sure many would disagree with my breakdown of the approaches entirely but I think both have value. However, after getting caught-up to the build up of WM 40, I found Roman and Cody to both be extremely compelling characters with great stories and their main event match, to me, was the best one I've seen so far as a result of that build-up.
My question is: what are some of the best storylines and characters in AEW? Can be current or past. I would love to watch a match with the in-ring spectacle of an AEW match but with the storytelling of the best WWE has to offer. And please note when I say character I'm specifically referring to their personas. For example, Will Ospreay is probably my favorite wrestler to watch in-ring but I don't find him very compelling outside the ring. Also, I'm aware Cody was in AEW for a while but it's obvious he wasn't as well-liked there as he currently is in WWE.
Bonus question: what are some WWE matches that rival the wrestling displayed in the best of AEW? I would be interested in seeing those as well.
Again, I apologize if any of this comes off as ignorant or inflammatory. It isn't intended to be. Thanks!
Doesn't really come of as ignorant of inflammatory just some pretty solid observations.
For me WWE makes for a great television experience, production values are absolutely top notch but with that comes a less enjoyable live experience.
AEW is a top notch live experience because of the in ring action, but watching on tv provides a disconnect because they aren't as focused on the storytelling so it's easy to get distracted by the things around you.
That being said I cannot stand AEW stans, they suffer from little brother syndrome and are incredibly obnoxious online. There are clear issues with the product that they refuse to acknowledge. WWE also has it's issues (for instance a sexual pest as a former owner/operator/booker) but they can acknowledge those issues in a constructive way.
> in-ring spectacle of an AEW match but with the storytelling of the best WWE has to offer.
It won't be a popular answer to some, but one of your best bets is the feud MJF and CM Punk had in AEW.
Seconded, and [this video](https://youtu.be/7CbZQpmacJI?si=glQvGnx_YphLZUol) is a great primer on the feud that actually helped get me into wrestling to begin with!
Hangman's rise to become AEW World Champ is a great early example, lot of good storytelling between him, the Bucks and Kenny Omega, both in-ring and out. Also his friendship with the Dark Order is really heartwarming imo.
I don't. What I typed up is the result of about five weeks of watching wrestling content and going on forums. But yes, I am literally asking people to educate me. You don't have to if you don't want to.
I think it's cool that she has so many people that believe in her but at what point does support become obsession?
All things considered, she's good looking and she's got an infectious personality. The ring-work and the promos are ehh, the character is decent. The story with her and Rhea is intriguing but I don't buy her as someone that can carry a brand or main event shows like a Rhea or a Becky or a Bayley.
I think Tiffany has a higher ceiling than Liv does if I'm honest.
>I think it's cool that she has so many people that believe in her but at what point does support become obsession?
Seriously, I've always liked her, but her fans are kinda nuts. Like making jokes about Becky's kid is super weird.
>All things considered, she's good looking and she's got an infectious personality. The ring-work and the promos are ehh, the character is decent. The story with her and Rhea is intriguing but I don't buy her as someone that can carry a brand or main event shows like a Rhea or a Becky or a Bayley
I think her story is pretty god also, it really sucks Rhea was injured, because I think the story would have played better with her around, but I'm optimistic about it turning out good for her. Tiffany is definitely their next big star tho.
Will never understand it. Mediocre in the ring, terrible on the mic, doesn't move ratings, doesn't get much of a crowd reaction. Most overrated wrestler going today.
Kinda crazy when you stop and think about it that right now the World champions in WWE & AEW were both in the opposite company 3 years ago and both seemingly needed the change of scenery to click into that next gear.
The difference is Swerve was released while Cody actively boxed himself into the AEW mid-card and couldn't agree to a new contract. There's a whole lot that Cody could have done in AEW that he left on the table.
I’m aware. Hell, could just as easily say there’s a whole lot Swerve could have possibly done on the main roster if he had Hunter in his corner and not just Shawn. Neither was trending towards the trajectory they both reached 2-3 years later in the other company is all I’m getting at. Fresh slate seemingly benefited both.
True, but in Cody's case the need for a change in scenery was self-inflicted whereas WWE simply didn't believe in Swerve. Cody could've easily been World Champ and top of the card in AEW if he wanted.
I get he could have just booked himself there. He was never getting the reaction and fan embrace he’s currently getting now though — go back and watch [that final (weird ass) promo](https://youtu.be/h4Ue6pON9yY?si=F9_0S6lAojfra1Lu) Cody cut in AEW. He’s getting sporadic “shut the fuck up” chants that break into louder “Cody sucks” chants after a couple minutes and a split reaction throughout.
Well yeah, but those reactions were a result of him putting himself in a corner. Normally, any match or feud has the potential to help a wrestler move up the card and closer to the world title, except for Cody in AEW. He was the only one on the roster with a hard ceiling on his ambitions. He compensated for that a bit with TNT title runs but he could only do that for so long, so he ended up booking himself in weird esoteric feuds where he was defending America by cutting promos about racism to a black man and having some weird dark night of the soul with Malakai Black and a fake retirement. It was extremely bad and cheesy shit and it would've bombed just as bad in WWE.
He could've easily gotten babyface reactions as a world champion in AEW if he didn't place handcuffs on himself. The dude was over as fuck with fans and it took a lot of bad ideas on his end to mess that up.
I feel like the difference is Cody was much more in charge of his destiny before going to WWE than Swerve was. Cody actively kept himself out of the main-event scene in AEW so we got none of the matches against the following: Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley, Hangman Adam Page (no singles).
We missed out on matches with the influx of new guys in 2021 like Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson, and CM Punk, and got Chris Jericho and MJF matches very early in the company's history. He could have easily went to Tony and been booked against the bigger names or change up his character to suit the audience but he didn't.
Totally, objectively had more control — he was an EVP in charge of his own creative. And he could have pivoted into a top heel with higher stakes opponents. I still don’t think even in this wouldcouldashoulda scenario that’s the same heights as being THE guy and a nearly universally embraced babyface world champ. I love AEW, but Cody was never going to be received like this in that environment.
They’re way more valuable to WWE than AEW. I just can’t see it. And Seth is such a simpering company man I would think he would be upset at signing with AEW if Hunter/Nick didn’t match a high offer and be one of those guys who thinks he’s better than everyone.
Considering everything that Seth went through to get through Wrestlemania? Absolutely not. He's a company man now.
As for McIntryre, you don't host a PLE in Scotland, you don't long term book a feud with CM Punk and you don't make the guy a World Champion (even for a minute) if he's going to be going anywhere.
The more I hear about McIntyre (apparently) not re-signed with WWE yet. The more I'm thinking, is Drew or WWE keeping quiet about the contract situation?
I mean, there were people who genuinely believed MJF or Jon Moxley would interfere at Wrestlemania
Never underestimate just how dumb people can let their fandom take them
TIL that Kevin Steen and Akira Tozawa were briefly a tag team at the start of the 2010s.
I'm curious now, are there any equally random pairs of WWE wrestlers that have never interacted with each other on WWE TV that have history as a tag team pre-WWE?
Hey is Cagematch's listings fucked up or does Re-CEE-dub fuck up the dates on purpose to keep the IP dogs off them?
I spent all last weekend trying to watch Mike Awesome's ECW run and every time I clicked on a ep that supposedly had Mike on it, he was never there.
I fucking hate the no sell of finishers in an indierific fashion, whether it’s an AEW match, a WWE match, or whatever. That’s not storytelling. That’s getting your shit in.
Spamming finishers itself isnt great, but at least that results in something if the guy attempts a cover or they sell a move. I just dont think it makes for great wrestling.
With their 3rd tag title win last Sunday, the Young Bucks set the aew record not only for most tag title reigns, but also for most reigns with AEW sanctioned titles in general, with 5 (3 tag, 2 trios).
Closest to them are Kenny and Moxley with 4 each.
To me, Swerve is like a Razor Ramon without the drug issues. I don't think there is a guy at the top, in any promotion, that is cooler than that man at this point.
Me with Main Roster Wolf Dogs
https://preview.redd.it/8simgekdy8wc1.png?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c09e179e0351bce3df14b778c9399a4084b55ed6
(Please I need it)
I was pretty bummed about Dom's injury but I have to believe it's pretty minor if they let him go to the ring and actually interfere in a match. I thought there was an unspoken rule in WWE that you can't be on the show if you're hurt. At least it's that way on concussion protocol. Looks like maybe a hyper-extension on the elbow
Going to go to a local indie show for my birthday. I have no earthly idea who anyone on the card is, but there's a woman's match on the card and maybe some big dudes slapping meat matches. It looks pretty interesting.
The first indie show I went to after moving to Atlanta eleven years ago had two people I had heard of before(Jimmy Rave and Gallows). I became a fan of the promotion and kept going and over the years saw Drew on his indie run along with Gigi Dolin, Swerve Strickland, MJF, Darby Allin, and many others years before I'd see them on tv.
For anyone critical of Tony Khan’s pettiness, after UFC 300 overperformed as a card, Dana White put out a supercut of media criticizing the card beforehand and talked shit about them. Hunter, Tony, and Dana are all petty men.
Becky winning the Women's Battle Royale in youtube now more dislikes than likes. Youtube is the casual audience. People now are calling her Becky Hogan. I said Becky shouldn't win the Women's Battle Royale cause she will get heat with the online fans and people will turn on her. I was correct. Even, I knew why Becky winning would be a likely decision. Most likely she is putting Liv over in a PLE, but many fans won't be able to see this. I just don't think... Becky deserves this. This is why I didn't want her to win. This just shows how weak the RAW women's roster is, that there is no other over babyface there that can put over Liv. I got downvoted for me saying Becky shouldn't win, but ultimately it is probably a fine decision if she can put over Liv before Rhea comes back, and Liv wins by cheating in a memorable moment. But it sucks she has to get heat, just cause the roster is weak and shes the woman for the job. People will say she will still get cheered live, but she was already getting lesser reactions than before. I guarantee you she won't be booed probably, but she is not going to be half as over as someone like Jey Uso. It is just not a good trajectory for someone who people constantly said was more over than her incredibly over husband.
Chronically online internet losers are not real people.
The Becky Hogan stuff is the wildest shit considering she just lost clean to Rhea 2 weeks ago at WRESTLEMANIA.
She put Nia Jax over clean on an episode of Raw. And Lyra Valkyria a couple months before that. This whole “Becky actually sucks” thing is wild to me.
People haven't turned on anything.
If Brock wasn’t implicated in the McMahon lawsuit, what would Brock’s role have been in the main event? The last we saw Brock, he had endorsed Cody. There’s no doubt he probably would’ve been involved. Does he take over the Taker/Austin spot? Do they add a spot where Heyman tries to get involved and Brock’s music hits? He probably would’ve been involved.
I really dislike Gunther/Imperium having to interact with the clowns that are New Day. I wish New Day would go away.
Where's Nikki Cross?
FTC has banned non-compete agreements for American workers, set to go into affect in 120 days, but will likely get held up due to lawsuits. How does everyone see this affecting the wrestling industry if/when it goes through? I keep trying to make a thread about it, but it won't go through for some reason. My first instinct is in a case with Drew where he hasn't re-signed yet, WWE would be less likely to feature him considering he could appear on AEW television the day after his contract ends.
he already can appear the day after his contract ends, the non-compete is for releases. And even then there's a big debate whether these are actually non-compete clauses or actually 90-day notices because if they were non-competes, theoretically people who would go on to make a lot of money in AEW after their release for example could have broken the non-compete and seemingly no one does.
Basically the releases are "we're ending your contract in 90 days." It's essentially an incentive to keep them from competing by continuing to pay them vs. a true noncompete. I'd hazard to guess that the legal hassle that would follow if someone said "I'm going to break my contract before those 90 days end" is not worth the cost -- including potential legal action to whatever promotion starts paying you -- vs. just waiting the 90 days out with money in your pocket.
Oh interesting, did not realize it was only for releases. So theoretically it could be the opposite I would assume, where some talents just get put in the shelf and stuck in a contract if one promotion doesn't want another to scoop them up and have them debut instantly
What contracts?
Everyone all up in arms over Liv not winning the title last night, can we talk about how shinsuke nakamura has been reduced to a jobber now? Need to fill in a gap between storylines? Book shinsuke. Need to fill in a week? Book shinsuke. Commerical break? book shinsuke. Like wtf is this. there is putting talent over in your sunset years and then there is sacrificing nakamura. I'm sure when CM punk comes back he is gonna GTS shinsuke nakamura at some point
Nakamura being WWE's Matt Sydal is pretty hilarious to me, no gonna lie.
speculation is the Nak push was to entice Okada, now that free agency period is over.
A lot of people on this sub suck
start blockin. the UX for that is not the best on mobile though, unfortunately. most effective for daily where it's the same people commenting usually. in another forum I would look at the daily and half the posts were blocked lol.
Watching old clips of Akira Hokuto and can’t help but think of Becky Lynch for some reason. Long hair going everywhere, daredevil nature, slimmer frame but tends to go after larger opponents, etc.
Has anyone heard anything about priority passes for clash at the castle? They told me earlier they’d “be in touch once they got the green light to go” but now it looks like they’ll go on sale after the presale which I feel like defeats the purpose??
How long are entrance walks generally? 30 seconds, a minute? Feeling bored, want to experiment with "fantasy" WWE entrance music assigning, give people more appropriate songs. Lot more difficult than I thought since it needs to be short but have a distinctive moment that gives off a specific instantly recognizable vibe
The way I had I described to me by a wrestler who has worked on TV, is that if you have a 6 minute segment that's a match, you have a 4 minute match and then 2 minutes is for the entrance/exits. So if you say you've got 15-30 seconds before they cut to the next segment after your match, you've got about 45 seconds to a minute for your entrance.
The rise of interest in women's sports mean there can be a rise in interest in women wrestling. Its up to men in the positions of power to show whether they are willing to capitalize on it.
It's pretty high rn. More people are talking about Liv not winning a title than they are Swerve winning one.
As of now backlash only has 2 matches. The world title matches and it’s next weekend lol. So we have 1 raw and 2 SD left to make this card and I’m sure they’ll do it but what matches do you think they can have? Are we gonna do Sami and gable again this soon? Becky just won the title last night so idk we’ll do anything with her yet. Just wondering what the rest of the card could be.
I haven't watched every episode but it seems like they're setting up a 3 way between Bayley, Naomi and Tiffany.
Anyone got a link to a megathread of the Bo Dallas Uncle Howdy teasers? I seen a post of it somewhere just can’t find it
https://www.reddit.com/r/WWE/s/EmlQdxyb7C
Good man, much appreciated
What exactly is their plan for Logan Paul and the US title? Is he supposed to drop it to Theory? Cause it would have been much better to have dropped it at Mania, and have Logan constantly be in the middle of Theory and Waller because he's jealous they have a title and he doesn't. Then Waller turns on Theory to become tag team champ with Logan (could do the whole 2 v Logan + mystery opponent, Waller turns on Theory immediately, Theory survives and hangs in there for a long time before finally losing). Logan and Waller are tag teams for a bit but Waller realizes he made a mistake because Logan only cares about himself. Logan turns on Waller, and they have a triple threat at SummerSlam. Theory and Waller become inseparable
I know you have your suspend your disbelief watching wrestling however when you think about it, the finish to the Mania event was kind of goofy. There was the cinematic irony with Roman hitting Seth instead of Cody. Roman didn’t have to throw away the chair. He could have hit Seth then also kill Cody with it. Nothing stopped him from not having the chair.
If he had tried to hit Cody with the chair but Cody had just enough time to recover his hubris would still be his downfall!
Story would still been the same, should have just done that.
Double unpopular opinion: Not only am I more than okay with Becky as champion, I also don't really get the complaints about "winning a title through a battle royal". "It should be by pinfall or submission!" Why exclusively those? Who decided that rule? Should there also never be a triple threat or four-way for a title again, since only one person gets pinned or submitted in those? Also how, in kayfabe, is it unimpressive to beat 13 (or however many others) for a title? Finally, however long ago it happened, *Kurt fucking Angle* won the WHC this way. I don't remember thinking "NOOOOOO THIS DOESN'T COUNT!" at the time.
I actually would prefer New Japan style where the world title is mostly defended in singles matches with no stips so yeah.
Ric Flair did it too, albeit in a Royal Rumble PPV.
Hunter won the title off Roman in a Royal Rumble
Man the promo after that win fucking ruled
becky wining the title again makes it clear that they need womens us title, intercontinental title or both.
The women’s division isn’t deep enough for that across both brands. Maybe what would be better would be to make both women’s titles defendable across both brands and make the Women’s World Championship a midcard title.
Something I noticed after watching some old AJPW matches, and then seeing Danielson-Ospreay: it feels like one of the things that makes the difference between a good match and a great match are changes in tempo. There's slow periods where the wrestlers are feeling each other out, and then there are big flurries of moves and counters exchanged in rapid succession. Why don't we see this more? Is it just really hard to synch up with an opponent like that?
> Is it just really hard to synch up with an opponent like that? Honestly yeah it can be, I've wrestled on the independents and if you're put with a guy you've not worked with before/a lot your job when putting the match together is often to find a nice median between how you as performers like to put your matches together. And sometimes it just doesn't quite gel the way you want it to.
The influences have changed. The AJPW guys were trained by a generation that actually didn't put much importance in the finishing stretch when they were starting out, so their match structure influences were wildly different. Meanwhile today, there's been so much saturation of cool moves and interactions that one of the most popular ideas to build suspense is essentially elongate the finishing stretch and hit more moves for more nearfalls in different stretches.
People fantasy booking Chelsea Green with the world title as if it was the 24/7 title. This is why I think WWE needs a womens mid-card title. I like Chelsea but WWE needs to properly build up their new titles
I thought this when people were complaining about Tiffany beating Naomi some weeks ago. I like Naomi, but personally I see Tiffany as more top-title calibre right now and IMO Naomi shouldn't be beating her clean. But for popular female midcarders there's really nothing for them to do if they're not chasing the World or WWE championships. So a women's midcard belt would solve that problem.
1000%
I’m starting to really dislike this subreddit
I unsubscribed a while ago. But it's still useful for daily discussion and to see clips of things you may have missed. The key is to never go into the comment sections outside of the rare one that's actually about wrestling.
The FTC just banned Non-compete clauses for ALL workers. How will this impact wrestling?
This isn't explicitly what you asked but I know there are also people wondering how it affects Vince's 1-year noncompete, now that he's flush with stock sales cash. From the FTC: "Existing noncompetes for senior executives - who represent less than 0.75% of workers - can remain in force under the FTC’s final rule, but employers are banned from entering into or attempting to enforce any new noncompetes, even if they involve senior executives." So Vince's is likely still enforceable unless he'd want to actively challenge it.
It won't for the most part. Modern WWE releases are 90-day notices. They're still under contract and still being paid, so it's not a "non-compete." Once a contract expires, or the 90-day notice expires, they can wrestle for anybody anywhere. The non-competes they tried to enforce in the past, like with Brock Lesnar, were bullshit to begin with.
Although I'm sure it has no effect, I'd *love* for them to stop being able to tack on time where someone was injured while performing for them. Baby steps.
Guess Trevor Lee is making his return. While we're on the subject, didn't Fifghtful or oen of the other sheets say that the releases were "complete" last week. Were the releases that have since come out actually done back then, or were they just straight up wrong? I guess without WWE announcing them anymore, they have to do a little more digging to find out about them.
I'm a fan of the direction wwe is going in ATM but it really annoys me how anytime something bad happens, according to some fans it has to have somehow been Vince and triple h wouldn't do such a thing. I guess that "papa h" stuff really manifested itself because people forget triple h is also business first
In 2016 people pretended SmackDown was a beloved indie promotion while Raw was bad because Vince
Could you give an example please?
After Vince’s first comeback, if the crowd didn’t like someone within 12 hours there were backstage reports it was Vince’s fault and Triple H wanted to do something different Really hard to figure out how that happened
Lmao people still insist that Vince is feeding instructions to Bruce Prichard I bet you Vince is not even watching
Bro, heel serious Gable is amazing on the stick. How tf did they sleep on this guy for so long? Shorty G was embarrassing, Shoosh Man was less bad but still doesn't hold a candle to this. Hopefully he'll get more tv time going forward.
For real. After that promo on Monday, I hate that sonofabitch.
Becky haters are trending "Becky Hogan" but they're not even creative enough to think of "Too Many Belts Becks." The Liv Crybabies wear the same makeup as her so Slamtown and Suplex City are flooded with glitter tears right now. Becky Lynch is the Lass Kicker, the Man, Two Belts Becks for a reason she's been putting everyone over since Wresltemania 38 two WrestleManias ago so now is her turn. What are these Becky haters going on about, shaking my head.
Genuine question. What has Liv Morgan done to deserve a World Title? Look and charisma are important in pro wrestling, and shes got both in spades.. But to my knowledge, she hasn't had a match, promo or feud to warrant her winning a title. Nia Jax deserves a run before Liv.
Are you one of the announcer's alts?
So like who *is* Def Rebel? Are they contracted to WWE for a certain number of years so we're stuck with them until then? The music they make presumably has to be okayed by HHH and the rest of corporate. So does that mean they think the music's decent? Surely they could tell them to make something better if they didn't like it.
[WHO ARE DEF REBEL? WWE’S NEW MUSIC TEAM EXPLAINED](https://arenataping.wordpress.com/2020/06/11/who-are-def-rebel-wwes-new-music-team-explained/) [EXCLUSIVE: TIGHT-LIPPED WWE’S NEW MUSIC TEAM REVEALED](https://arenataping.wordpress.com/2020/01/23/exclusive-tight-lipped-wwes-new-music-team-revealed/) With the recent outcry against them, I've seen it said that their contract ran through sometime this year.
Im sorry CFO i didn't know your greatness until def rebel.
Looking back at it, I was disappointed that Becky won less out of love for Liv but more because I thought the Royal Rumble was *meant* for something unpredictable. Think I worked myself into a shoot. Although if it's going to be a short reign until Rhea comes back, why not give it to someone new? Feel like that'd be the time for a weird run
I'm worried about the Scottish witches getting cut 😓 Also Gigi Dolin but it feels like if she goes, that'd be her choice. Considering her motivation for being a wrestler, that'd be pretty sad
They had Kay Lee Ray for like 5 years and hid her best work in a warehouse in England that nobody watched. She's WAAAYYYYY too talented to have been given nothing of substance to really work with since coming to the States.
Gigi would be safe because she was never called up, right?
If we don't get to see the Scottish witches bring some double trouble boil and bubble to the main roster then that would be a major missed opportunity. I was so hyped when they did the "Now who would do a thing like that?" promo about putting a curse on the tag titles.
Don't put that evil on us. Unfortunately, I don't think it's necessarily unlikely, but they're so good. Well, Alba is very good, Isla is solid. And the gimmick is so well done.
The worst part of Swerve being so over is the number of signs asking *Who is House*?
I’m gonna get extra meta and bring a fat head of Hugh Laurie.
Don't you dare tempt me into getting this in time for Collision at Daily's.
I heard other people say you won’t do it. You should prove them wrong.
Saw an Indian (from Haryana State) Instagram page posting edits of local bodybuilders, wrestlers etc. In every edit there was Roman Reigns among local bodybuilders. Don't even know how to react
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I don't recall him talking badly about Gargano's wrestling before, but he has been consistently negative about his character (or "lack thereof"), usually referring to him as "Johnny Same Face."
I believe he was complementary of them in their match vs. The Revival but I believe is he is generally negative on Gargano especially regarding size.
Cornette really liked ciampa especially in nxt I've always thought ciampa has the higher ceiling
Yes for Gargano No for Ciampa
Iirc he was unhappy with Ciampa for participating in the invisible hand grenade spot (pre-WWE)
Oh, didn't know that. I stand corrected.
https://youtu.be/Mi_eAjFCoU4?si=cBe5sUpIS-uoEfjF
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better safe than sorry 👍
WrestleMania hopefully is in Las Vegas. That'll be a nice little four day vacation. I'm leaving before night 2 though.
Moxley comes back from vacation early to become AEW world title because of injury to champion  Becky Lynch comes back from vacation early to become WWE women’s champion because of injury to champion  Danielson was right wrestling fans are fickle
i feel like I'm missing the becky hate since I'm off twitter and avoid live threads like the plague
wrestling fans like one wrestler more than another how fickle!
> Danielson was right wrestling fans are fickle At this point I think it's just a universal truth that the most vocal wrestling fans on the internet will, eventually, end up hating every single top star. They want constant turnover and they constantly want their new "favorite midcarder" to be the top champion and willfully ignore decades of history of how the business works in terms of actual top stars remaining in those positions for YEARS. They want something "new" at all times and get upset whenever anyone stays relevant for years because they're the top paid people and will always get the most opportunities.
AEW fans haven’t really turned on anyone on top except Cody and now Jericho is in progress. I guess you could argue MJF but that was more turning on the storyline. (Well and punk buy obviously that doesn’t really count)
AEW fans are definitely guilty of the “new favorite midcarder” thing though. People are talking about Jay white the same way they were talking about Swerve.
it might just be sort of natural human psychology that you just start hating the person who wins all the time. and the idea that the winner is predetermined kind of makes it into "oh so someone CHOSE you to win a million times in a row"
Tbf I think a lot of people complained about Moxley winning that tournament. People appreciated him coming back but the consensus was that Danielson should have probably won. Plus, everyone KNEW he was dropping the belt to MJF at Full Gear. I think if people could guarantee Liv was winning the belt at Backlash people wouldn't care. If Liv had a MITB briefcase (remember that MJF had the guaranteed title shot with the chip), people would be a lot higher on Becky winning.
Been watching some old ROH, and there's something so charming about it (and indies in general). The mics, the lighting, the stage and the camera work aren't *great* , but there's something sweet and down to earth about it, compared to the bombasticy of larger promotions.
I say it all the time, but that was a magical time to be a fan. Nothing compares to how those shows felt. We just knew that we were seeing future legends in the prime of their youth.
That's why Kobashi vs. Joe on YouTube is one of my favorite matches ever -- there is no commentary, no fancy camera angles, no LEDs, nothing. It's literally just like two camera men standing ringside, a crude hardcam that is VERY sparingly used, and that's it. From the angles that the cameramen are it, it almost feels like you are ringside watching the match.
I legit feel crazy watching some of the reactions to Becky winning. Winning a battle royal on an episode of Raw doesn’t do much for Liv, and Becky in her time with the belt will be able to elevate others. But the story they’re telling is so simple. Liv is always the runner-up. It has happened so many times before. This loss is the one that will inevitably lead to her snapping. Whilst her assault on Rhea was justified, whatever she does to Becky, won’t be. Let her build that heel character, turn Dom against Rhea, have her dethrone Becky at a PLE, and finally have her moment under the big lights. When Rhea comes back, Liv’ll be the champ—with credibility—that took everything from her.
This, plus every PLE it would be obvious that Liv retains because all of her opponents would just be placeholders until Rhea's return.
Folks are so not normal about Becky Lynch right now, it's kind of amazing to see, especially with this obviously being the story being told right in front of them. As always, fans are fickle.
Please don't interpret this as hating Becky, but... how do you even book her reign? Yes, Becky is the biggest female star in WWE, no questions about it. The problem is that I don't see anyone who could be a credible challenger against her. Try fantasybooking Money in the Bank for example. You can select anyone who's currently on Raw and isn't injured. Who do you put on the card against Becky so that people believe that the title might actually change hands? It doesn't even have to be 50/50, it can be 66/33 in Becky's favour. Any ideas?
Move people over from SmackDown
If Jade wasn't with Bianca.....you build up Jade to beat her. Becky mean while does stuff with Liv, Candice, and maybe Maxine. Roxanne coming in to beat her ala Paige and AJ would be kind of cool.
You elevate people and make them look like a threat. She went down to NXT and made Xia Li look at least relatively threatening despite Xia being non-existent on WWE programming. If WWE knows what's good for their women's division, this is the chance to pull some women up out of the midcard and show that they have upper card potential.
I would have had Liv win, and go with the "I took her out and I took her title" type of reign. The issue I had is throughout the year Rhea had the belt, they failed to build anyone else up of consequence. So when they had to pivot due to injury, they broke glass in case of emergency and put the belt on Becky instead of belting someone they've been hyping up for the last year.
I don't see it being long... I don't know if Liv was taking it from Rhea, but with it being on Becky now I see it as more likely.
I'm really interested in how the AEW World Title picture goes from now till All In. People are convinced it's just gonna be "Swerve vs Ospreay, Will Wins" but that sounds honestly really boring and anti-climatic. Yes, Cole vs MJF was face vs face but they told a very specific and intricate story to get there. In the presser Will talked about his history with Swerve in England but I didn't get the feeling that's his big match moving forward. IF it's Swerve vs Ospreay I think they gotta turn Swerve heel again and give him back his edge (or at least let him play situational heel for that match). Now that he has the belt he should be just as obsessed with keeping it, probably letting his obsession corrupt him.
I don’t understand how you could consider Swerve Strickland vs. Will Ospreay in front of 50k+ with the Briton winning boring or anti-climactic. And yeah Swerve would be playing heel in the match even if his overall character is babyface.
Adam Page still has a gripe with Swerve so that can be used to fill some of the time until All In.
I feel like I'm going crazy with all the "Sheamus is fat" stuff. He's...maybe not as cut as he used to be, I guess? But he still seems in excellent shape to me, especially for being 46. Calling him "fat" is preposterously OTT.
He's in a bulk and got called back early, so he came back looking "fat" by WWE standards and was also not at in-ring fitness standards. Go back and watch his return, he is absolutely blown out his arse in a way you don't usually see. It's crazier to act like he was in "TV shape" when we all saw that he wasnt. I think people leaping to defend Sheamus and make this a social issue have blown it out of proportion. At worst, Sheamus knows his body and his progress and is not going to be broken by a bunch of marks commenting on it. At best, he's probably glad it happened because it gave him some twitter material and gave Drew promo material.
He has an overall look (skimpy gear, flaming red hair cut and styled in a way that would look dumb on average people, super extra pale skin) that stops working the second he's not in incredible shape. I agree that the issue isn't that he's fat, because he's not. It's that his look depends on him being totally jacked.
I suspect that nearly none of the people that are complaining actually go to the gym. And that isn't even an insult or anything inflammatory against them -- I straight up just don't think they know how hard it is to maintain a physique like that, and how much muscle he still has. Most average people are blinded by Hollywood and male models anyways, so they don't know what a real "good" physique looks like; they just see super cut and muscular people so much, they think that a physique like that is attainable without some types of supplements or supraphysiological amounts of testosterone.
I think it's perhaps more noticeable because of how pale he is, black is slimming and Sheamus is literally, polar bear white. He's got a little burger belly there but he's not King Kong Bundy.
Honestly this. Being white and flabby is incredibly different than even being tan, becuase depending on your shade of pale you could make it look so much worse just by existing. Because looking out of shape is one thing, but when you also look 'washed out' by lights it'll make you look like you're on an episode of Biggest Loser or something all of a sudden
While I think they are doing a bit too many turns and group breakups in quick succession, I think it is smart to keep things fresh. It makes me more interested in the draft to see who lands where and how new factions emerge.
Now I'm sad after seeing Lee be devastated he got released. But really, if he can refocus his energy, I'm betting on that guy. His 2015ish work is transcendent. Has a match vs future Best In America contender Adam Page where he's carrying his ass and they're both youngings. Incredibly impressive talent.
For anyone reading who doesn't know who he's talking about; the recently released Cameron Grimes is known as Trevor Lee outside of WWE.
Yeah, I figured that out after trying to find news Wes Lee was let go. (He hasn't yet.)
I think WWE for PR purposes after seeing how mad people got about Anthony Henry being released while injured in AEW wouldn't do that, even if they were considering it. That's not me saying a corporation is good, they'd just probably wait until after he healed up to do it because they have the money and don't want the bad PR right now. That being said, they wouldn't release Wes. I think they're SUPER high on him. He had an incredible NA run and his matches got incredible reactions before the injuries. He was honestly one of the most over guys in NXT imo.
Yeah, which is why I was extra confused. Until I saw someone mention Trevor Lee in the Grime release thread.
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On one hand, he's been pigeonholed as a midcard comedy guy in a bunch of places, on the other hand getting to show he can talk in the WWE is pretty important for his future prospects. I am frustrated by the fact so many of the world's best are in AEW in spot roles but even there I think... there's a chance for him to stand out even in that stacked roster. But I'd prefer to get that indy run first and foremost as you said. Lee vs Priest, Lee vs Tankman etc.
Sheamus calling that running knee the "Kneecap" amuses me having just come back from a weekend in Belfast.
I played a lot of WWE 2K23 and especially the Rumble. I got so sick of hearing Cameron Grimes' theme, completely turned me off him as a talent lmao.
“Alright everyone! Give me five laps and hit the showers! Oh [Cameron Grimes], you don’t have to. You’re cut.”
Smoke and Mirrors would make a great theme for Logan Paul as much as i hate the guy
Bron Breaker Just spearing guys out of the company.
New wrestling fan here, I've noticed that there seems to be a big split between the approach WWE and AEW (and other promotions such as NJPW) have to their product. It seems like WWE has a preference for building up larger-than-life characters and situations with a lot of mic work and in-ring promos while the wrestling itself tends to not as lengthy, intense, or technical as its competition. Meanwhile, AEW still builds storylines and characters but seems to take itself a bit more seriously, spend less time with in-ring promos, mic work, and character-building, but has longer, more intense, and more technical wrestling. Apologies if this seems like an oversimplication or a troll, I assure you it's not. I know there's a lot of in-fighting over the community about which brand or approach is better and I'm sure many would disagree with my breakdown of the approaches entirely but I think both have value. However, after getting caught-up to the build up of WM 40, I found Roman and Cody to both be extremely compelling characters with great stories and their main event match, to me, was the best one I've seen so far as a result of that build-up. My question is: what are some of the best storylines and characters in AEW? Can be current or past. I would love to watch a match with the in-ring spectacle of an AEW match but with the storytelling of the best WWE has to offer. And please note when I say character I'm specifically referring to their personas. For example, Will Ospreay is probably my favorite wrestler to watch in-ring but I don't find him very compelling outside the ring. Also, I'm aware Cody was in AEW for a while but it's obvious he wasn't as well-liked there as he currently is in WWE. Bonus question: what are some WWE matches that rival the wrestling displayed in the best of AEW? I would be interested in seeing those as well. Again, I apologize if any of this comes off as ignorant or inflammatory. It isn't intended to be. Thanks!
Doesn't really come of as ignorant of inflammatory just some pretty solid observations. For me WWE makes for a great television experience, production values are absolutely top notch but with that comes a less enjoyable live experience. AEW is a top notch live experience because of the in ring action, but watching on tv provides a disconnect because they aren't as focused on the storytelling so it's easy to get distracted by the things around you. That being said I cannot stand AEW stans, they suffer from little brother syndrome and are incredibly obnoxious online. There are clear issues with the product that they refuse to acknowledge. WWE also has it's issues (for instance a sexual pest as a former owner/operator/booker) but they can acknowledge those issues in a constructive way.
> in-ring spectacle of an AEW match but with the storytelling of the best WWE has to offer. It won't be a popular answer to some, but one of your best bets is the feud MJF and CM Punk had in AEW.
Seconded, and [this video](https://youtu.be/7CbZQpmacJI?si=glQvGnx_YphLZUol) is a great primer on the feud that actually helped get me into wrestling to begin with!
Hangman's rise to become AEW World Champ is a great early example, lot of good storytelling between him, the Bucks and Kenny Omega, both in-ring and out. Also his friendship with the Dark Order is really heartwarming imo.
If you know that much about the different companies you probably know more than you're letting on and just asking people to educate you.
I don't. What I typed up is the result of about five weeks of watching wrestling content and going on forums. But yes, I am literally asking people to educate me. You don't have to if you don't want to.
Over/under on dirtsheets running another story tomorrow on how sensitive WWE was in releasing talents?
Damn Liv might have some ofbthe craziest fans
I think it's cool that she has so many people that believe in her but at what point does support become obsession? All things considered, she's good looking and she's got an infectious personality. The ring-work and the promos are ehh, the character is decent. The story with her and Rhea is intriguing but I don't buy her as someone that can carry a brand or main event shows like a Rhea or a Becky or a Bayley. I think Tiffany has a higher ceiling than Liv does if I'm honest.
>I think it's cool that she has so many people that believe in her but at what point does support become obsession? Seriously, I've always liked her, but her fans are kinda nuts. Like making jokes about Becky's kid is super weird. >All things considered, she's good looking and she's got an infectious personality. The ring-work and the promos are ehh, the character is decent. The story with her and Rhea is intriguing but I don't buy her as someone that can carry a brand or main event shows like a Rhea or a Becky or a Bayley I think her story is pretty god also, it really sucks Rhea was injured, because I think the story would have played better with her around, but I'm optimistic about it turning out good for her. Tiffany is definitely their next big star tho.
Less than 10 hours until Trick Willy finally FINISHES THE STORY
Don't answer the phone, Odyssey Jones!
The wrestling gods saw NJPW fans (mainly western fans) crying about Hobbs getting a title shot and gave them Jake Lee. Deserved imo
Why are fans championing for Liv Morgan of all people?
Because she’s a pretty blonde
Because Tiffany isn't on RAW.
Will never understand it. Mediocre in the ring, terrible on the mic, doesn't move ratings, doesn't get much of a crowd reaction. Most overrated wrestler going today.
Becky fatigue, maybe
Is Liv just over on the internet? Because she definitely doesn't get that much live crowd reaction.
Kinda crazy when you stop and think about it that right now the World champions in WWE & AEW were both in the opposite company 3 years ago and both seemingly needed the change of scenery to click into that next gear.
The difference is Swerve was released while Cody actively boxed himself into the AEW mid-card and couldn't agree to a new contract. There's a whole lot that Cody could have done in AEW that he left on the table.
I’m aware. Hell, could just as easily say there’s a whole lot Swerve could have possibly done on the main roster if he had Hunter in his corner and not just Shawn. Neither was trending towards the trajectory they both reached 2-3 years later in the other company is all I’m getting at. Fresh slate seemingly benefited both.
True, but in Cody's case the need for a change in scenery was self-inflicted whereas WWE simply didn't believe in Swerve. Cody could've easily been World Champ and top of the card in AEW if he wanted.
I get he could have just booked himself there. He was never getting the reaction and fan embrace he’s currently getting now though — go back and watch [that final (weird ass) promo](https://youtu.be/h4Ue6pON9yY?si=F9_0S6lAojfra1Lu) Cody cut in AEW. He’s getting sporadic “shut the fuck up” chants that break into louder “Cody sucks” chants after a couple minutes and a split reaction throughout.
Well yeah, but those reactions were a result of him putting himself in a corner. Normally, any match or feud has the potential to help a wrestler move up the card and closer to the world title, except for Cody in AEW. He was the only one on the roster with a hard ceiling on his ambitions. He compensated for that a bit with TNT title runs but he could only do that for so long, so he ended up booking himself in weird esoteric feuds where he was defending America by cutting promos about racism to a black man and having some weird dark night of the soul with Malakai Black and a fake retirement. It was extremely bad and cheesy shit and it would've bombed just as bad in WWE. He could've easily gotten babyface reactions as a world champion in AEW if he didn't place handcuffs on himself. The dude was over as fuck with fans and it took a lot of bad ideas on his end to mess that up.
I feel like the difference is Cody was much more in charge of his destiny before going to WWE than Swerve was. Cody actively kept himself out of the main-event scene in AEW so we got none of the matches against the following: Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley, Hangman Adam Page (no singles). We missed out on matches with the influx of new guys in 2021 like Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson, and CM Punk, and got Chris Jericho and MJF matches very early in the company's history. He could have easily went to Tony and been booked against the bigger names or change up his character to suit the audience but he didn't.
Totally, objectively had more control — he was an EVP in charge of his own creative. And he could have pivoted into a top heel with higher stakes opponents. I still don’t think even in this wouldcouldashoulda scenario that’s the same heights as being THE guy and a nearly universally embraced babyface world champ. I love AEW, but Cody was never going to be received like this in that environment.
Do people genuinely believe Rollins and McIntyre are gonna sign with AEW?
They’re way more valuable to WWE than AEW. I just can’t see it. And Seth is such a simpering company man I would think he would be upset at signing with AEW if Hunter/Nick didn’t match a high offer and be one of those guys who thinks he’s better than everyone.
Considering everything that Seth went through to get through Wrestlemania? Absolutely not. He's a company man now. As for McIntryre, you don't host a PLE in Scotland, you don't long term book a feud with CM Punk and you don't make the guy a World Champion (even for a minute) if he's going to be going anywhere.
Seems incredibly unlikely but can't fully rule out much in this industry
The more I hear about McIntyre (apparently) not re-signed with WWE yet. The more I'm thinking, is Drew or WWE keeping quiet about the contract situation?
Dirtsheets getting worked
I would lol if this was true.
I mean, there were people who genuinely believed MJF or Jon Moxley would interfere at Wrestlemania Never underestimate just how dumb people can let their fandom take them
No I don't. If one of them does it will be McIntyre but I don't think either will.
TIL that Kevin Steen and Akira Tozawa were briefly a tag team at the start of the 2010s. I'm curious now, are there any equally random pairs of WWE wrestlers that have never interacted with each other on WWE TV that have history as a tag team pre-WWE?
Within WWE but Roman and Tyler Breeze were a tag-team in OSW
Got Forbidden Door tix. Hope it's better than Worlds End, which I attended live. Anything close to the last two PPV and i'd be very happy.
Hey is Cagematch's listings fucked up or does Re-CEE-dub fuck up the dates on purpose to keep the IP dogs off them? I spent all last weekend trying to watch Mike Awesome's ECW run and every time I clicked on a ep that supposedly had Mike on it, he was never there.
date of taping vs date of airing maybe?
Maybe but I tried that and I didn't have much luck. I'll keep trying, but it was a little annoying
I fucking hate the no sell of finishers in an indierific fashion, whether it’s an AEW match, a WWE match, or whatever. That’s not storytelling. That’s getting your shit in. Spamming finishers itself isnt great, but at least that results in something if the guy attempts a cover or they sell a move. I just dont think it makes for great wrestling.
Are Clash at the castle tickets only available as a combo with smackdown? Ideally just want catc
With their 3rd tag title win last Sunday, the Young Bucks set the aew record not only for most tag title reigns, but also for most reigns with AEW sanctioned titles in general, with 5 (3 tag, 2 trios). Closest to them are Kenny and Moxley with 4 each.
To me, Swerve is like a Razor Ramon without the drug issues. I don't think there is a guy at the top, in any promotion, that is cooler than that man at this point.
Me with Main Roster Wolf Dogs https://preview.redd.it/8simgekdy8wc1.png?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c09e179e0351bce3df14b778c9399a4084b55ed6 (Please I need it)
Fellow delusion-haver checking in, we sending big prayers for the draft 🙏
We'll manifest it, I believe in us o7 🙏🙏
I was pretty bummed about Dom's injury but I have to believe it's pretty minor if they let him go to the ring and actually interfere in a match. I thought there was an unspoken rule in WWE that you can't be on the show if you're hurt. At least it's that way on concussion protocol. Looks like maybe a hyper-extension on the elbow
Going to go to a local indie show for my birthday. I have no earthly idea who anyone on the card is, but there's a woman's match on the card and maybe some big dudes slapping meat matches. It looks pretty interesting.
The first indie show I went to after moving to Atlanta eleven years ago had two people I had heard of before(Jimmy Rave and Gallows). I became a fan of the promotion and kept going and over the years saw Drew on his indie run along with Gigi Dolin, Swerve Strickland, MJF, Darby Allin, and many others years before I'd see them on tv.
That's how every indy show I've been to has been. The best part is when I found out later I saw Mia Yim, Jordynn Grace, and Sonjay Dutt.