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AEW
Jul 1, 2019 19:26:48 GMT -5
Post by Cap on Jul 1, 2019 19:26:48 GMT -5
So how are people around here feeling about AEW after Fyter Fest and Double or Nothing.
Personally I am pretty high on where they are at right now. I like the little things that they do to set themselves apart. I like the pacing of their shows and the variety show mentality they clearly have.
What has been really surprising to me is that Cody has been the hands down stand out performer to me. I am not sure I would have called myself a huge Cody fan before this summer. I always liked some of his work, but was never a stand out. I was more or less with the masses as I understand it with regard to Cody. Yet, here we are and Cody has put on a MOTN two shows in a row and I think was honestly the best wrestler in both matches.
And then there is the issue of the chair shot, which I think is getting blown up in a really unfortunate way. My take on these things is that Cody is an adult who knew exactly what he was doing and made his own decisions. I wouldn't say I hope they feature a lot of those chair shots in the future, but Cody making the choice to do it in this spot to spark a feud is not something I personally have a problem with, mostly because I don't think its my place to get too upset about it.
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AEW
Jul 7, 2019 23:05:42 GMT -5
Post by bossrock on Jul 7, 2019 23:05:42 GMT -5
Have been pretty high on AEW and they've proven they can deliver on a big stage. I do have my concerns though, especially when they make the move to weekly television. The Librarian stuff comes off as "worst angle of the year"-level WWE stuff. BTE can be funny but I'm concerned stuff like this will seep too much into the product.
That being said, they have a very clear vision of who they are going to push and I agree with a lot of their choices. MJF is clearly being positioned as a top heel and he pretty much has it all. Page, while not my first pick as a potential first champ for them, is popular, has a good look, and has shown some flashes of being very good although I think he's rather inconsistent. Jericho is also a no-brainer given his name recognition as well as the fact that he's proven he can adapt his style to work with the younger and more athletic dudes. Kenny needs to reign in the goofiness but he's another no-brainer to push and I'm actually a bit surprised he's not getting belted first. But the feud with Mox is absolutely the way to go and the angles they've run to build this match have been great. Speaking of Mox, good Lord is he so much better than when he was in WWE. Nyla Rose seems like someone else they've got big plans for and I think she has a ton of potential.
I still think Cody is a rather limited wrestler but I do think he's found himself a nice niche as the "special attraction" midcarder. He knows he's not on the level of guys like Kenny in the ring, so he's the semi-main event. I think he's acquitted himself well in these last two matches but I don't think he was the star either. Dustin gushing blood and being such a great bumper and seller as well as Darby's work on Cody's hand and natural underdog charm made those matches as good as they were. Still, Cody complemented them well and understood his role perfectly. His self-awareness will definitely be a strength going forward.
As for the chairshot, mixed feelings. On the one hand, knowing what we know about CTE I don't ever want to see unprotected chairshots to the head again. On the other hand, it seems like they tried to gimmick the spot and you could tell Cody was trying to turn his head. So it seems like they wanted to make it as safe as possible while still having such a stunning visual. And it absolutely was a stunning visual. Still, it also felt like it came at the expense of Darby as all the focus on the chairshot took away from what was a pretty big moment for him (which I also found ironic considering Tony said in an interview he thought the Joey Ryan thing at All In took away from Page's victory).
Very excited for Fight for the Fallen and All Out. Hope they can keep the momentum going.
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AEW
Jul 9, 2019 7:53:48 GMT -5
Post by Cap on Jul 9, 2019 7:53:48 GMT -5
I completely agree that the biggest issues with the chair shot - for me at least - is that it took the shine off Darby. People should have been buzzing about Darby's future in AEW after, but instead we were talking about Cody, and that would have been the same even if he didn't get busted open.
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AEW
Feb 25, 2020 9:17:18 GMT -5
Post by Cap on Feb 25, 2020 9:17:18 GMT -5
I don't know how many others have been watching AEW, but I have really been enjoying it on a week-to-week basis. They have me really fired up for Revolution. The Cody/MJF stuff has produced some of the best segments in recent memory. Every match on the card has my attention. I can't believe I am going to say this, but I am likely going to buy a ppv this weekend. Granted, I am going to split it with a buddy, but still.
As a side note, my earlier concerns about Darby were unfounded. He came back last week on Dynamite to a massive pop. That guy is a future superstar in AEW and I am here for it.
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AEW
Feb 25, 2020 16:56:13 GMT -5
Post by bossrock on Feb 25, 2020 16:56:13 GMT -5
Things were looking a bit rough end of last year/beginning of this year with the Dark Order, Nightmare Collective, and a lack of cohesive storytelling outside of the main angles, but they've done a fantastic job righting the ship. The MJF-Cody and Jericho-Mox builds have been terrific, Page becoming a drunk cowboy has made him one of the hottest stars in the company, and nixing the Nightmare Collective has opened up some new opportunities for the women's division.
And yeah, love that Darby has been pushed as and received as the star he was always capable of being.
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AEW
Feb 25, 2020 20:33:56 GMT -5
Post by Cap on Feb 25, 2020 20:33:56 GMT -5
Honestly, The Dark Order has never bothered me. They always felt like a group that was going to take time to get its legs to me and I was patient. The Nightmare Collective has been - to me - the only major misstep and putting it in the bin was the right move. Drunk Page is fantastic, its really turned him around as a character and made the tag titles really interesting going into the PPV
I also think the Hager/Dustin build has been a bit underrated. I am ready for that match.
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AEW
Mar 3, 2020 5:19:52 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by tetsujin on Mar 3, 2020 5:19:52 GMT -5
Revolution had three very strong matches (Darby/Sammy, PAC/Orange and the main event), each one of them with its own identity and purpose.
Allin vs Guevara felt like the prologue of a rivalry of a generation, their chemistry was so satisfying. The key was the intensity and ruthlessness behind everything they did, mixed with the amazing crowd. Right guy won this time, but I hope both of them become big stars in the future. Darby has been great for a long time by now, but Sammy has improved a lot since working with Jericho. MOTN for me.
PAC/Orange was amazing, they're perfect for each other. The match speaks very well for itself, it's a very clever use of comedy in a (kind of) big match. Orange is HUGE.
The main event delivered, obviously Jericho's ringwork isn't going to be the same, but his character work carries everything he does. Moxley's victory felt like a big deal, the crowd was on fire, and I'm honestly interested in AEW's product from now on. A very satisfying PPV ending.
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AEW
Mar 3, 2020 21:31:50 GMT -5
Post by kas on Mar 3, 2020 21:31:50 GMT -5
What did you guys think of the tag match? Personally I could have done without some of the more melodramatic moments, but I have to say it's the best tag match I've seen since maybe 2018
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AEW
Mar 3, 2020 22:36:22 GMT -5
Post by Cap on Mar 3, 2020 22:36:22 GMT -5
I thought the tag match was pretty great. I completely get that it isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I really enjoyed the layers of the story and how it was combined with the action. Its probably my second or third MOTY at this point.
I also really enjoyed Darby v Sammy. Great chemistry. Lots of action and lots on the table. Really strong.
Orange Cassidy vs Pac was a great coming out party for Cassidy for the mainstream audience. It was really well put together and did everything it needed to do. I was watching with a a few more casual fans and they all enjoyed this, Darby/Sammy, and the tag match most.
The main wasn't my favorite, but it was perfectly good. It also accomplished all it needed to. It felt sort sort of like a hybrid of an old attitude era brawls and a modern Jericho match. Good way to end the show.
Cody vs MJF was another perfectly serviceable match, but it just paled next tot he build. Cody's entrance with that new tattoo, the terrible band, and his crew coming out with him almost felt like a jump the shark moment. Things calmed back down. I think they had lots of ideas for spots and stuff in the match and they just used too many of them. It felt sort of aimless wand wandering. It wasn't bad, but just didn't stick with me.
The women's title match was actually pretty solid I thought. they just put it in the death slot with no build. Its some diva's era wwe style booking of a women's title match. Not a fan of that part.
Dustin v Hager was disappointing. I had sort of high hopes for it. They weird Dustin kissing Hager's wife spot was... well... weird. It was a fine opener because the crowd was on fire, but eh...
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AEW
Mar 4, 2020 17:45:01 GMT -5
Post by bossrock on Mar 4, 2020 17:45:01 GMT -5
Loved Revolution. Sammy-Darby, the tag titles, Orange-Pac, and Mox-Jericho all delivered. The tag title match in particular was one of the best U.S. tag matches I've ever seen. Very much like Golden Lovers-Young Bucks, the narrative really made all the spots and kick-outs as meaningful as they were. Not to mention there was a very clear sense of escalation and they gave most of the spots time to breathe.
Overall it felt like a show where everything just made sense, even if there were some matches that underwhelmed (Hager-Dustin, Nyla-Kris, and Cody-MJF to an extent). It really made me realize how much I don't need there to be a ppv build every month. It makes everything feel all the more important.
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AEW
Mar 4, 2020 17:52:11 GMT -5
Post by kas on Mar 4, 2020 17:52:11 GMT -5
AEW has been generally good at taking feedback and improving on things, but one thing that has constantly disappointed is how they're handling the women's division. They were put in a death spot following the tag match, and their matches generally lack any sort of coherent build. It's not like the talent isn't there either, they have a pretty stacked roster. If they could step their game up in that department then they'd be firing on all cylinders.
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AEW
Mar 7, 2020 11:20:06 GMT -5
Post by Cap on Mar 7, 2020 11:20:06 GMT -5
I agree completely with Kas. It looked like things were picking up with and then they realized it was the only division that was completely out of sync with the build to the ppv so they dealt with it in the worst possible way. I also feel like they sort of wasted the Statlander/Rose match here. That should have been built to a little longer. Someone like Swole getting the Darby treatment - giving Rose a much better match than expected and looking tough as nails in defeat - could have set her up for a climb back to the top and made more of the match here. I'm hoping now that they have a more consistent full time in house champ that they can right the ship a bit. It feels like they are figuring it out... but can't get the execution quite right.
That said, Brit Baker is fantastic right now. As a face she was bland. As a heel she has really found her footing. She can be part of building a feud around something that isn't the title.
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AEW
May 24, 2020 9:35:49 GMT -5
Post by Cap on May 24, 2020 9:35:49 GMT -5
Don't know if anyone else saw it, but I really enjoyed Double or Nothing last night. Fun show top to bottom, a couple surprises, a couple of quality matches, and a massive banter spectical in the main event.
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AEW
May 24, 2020 15:24:24 GMT -5
Post by bossrock on May 24, 2020 15:24:24 GMT -5
Don't know if anyone else saw it, but I really enjoyed Double or Nothing last night. Fun show top to bottom, a couple surprises, a couple of quality matches, and a massive banter spectical in the main event. I enjoyed it. Some of the matches like Cody-Archer, MJF-Jungle Boy, and the Casino ladder match ran too long, but was overall a good show. And Stadium Stampede is one of the greatest things I've ever seen.
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AEW
May 24, 2020 17:35:57 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by kas on May 24, 2020 17:35:57 GMT -5
Moxley Vs Lee was my MOTN, but the whole card from top to bottom was so dang fun
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