Pro Wrestling - Aew/wwe

Not a bad innings for a wrestler

 

TK is a lunatic, part of me is convinced he’s unwell.

Similar thing happened with Cargill too.

 

Wardlow will be next, and he'll be a huge star for WWE. Had all the momentum in the world last year, massively over with the fans, arguably the best look in the industry and supremely marketable - their own Lesnar/Goldberg/Batista there on a plate for him - and he almost seemed to purposely derail him and piss it all away.

AEW was promising for the first few years but it's on its arse right now. Terrible booking, loads of injuries, lack of interesting stories, and now they're a complete laughing stock because of what's happened with Punk.

 

And with MJF supposedly injured and out for 6 months, it could be the death knell. I’ve stopped watching already, it’s been beyond awful since All In.

Their infantile tweeting about the company after Punk was on Raw was hilarious. They sacrificed the biggest name they’ll ever sign and the only guy to draw a million dollar gate for them for nobodies like Jungle Boy and the Young Bucks. That’s what happens when you let a mark book a promotion.

 

Punk is a liability, they're better without, but AEW is suffering at the moment and I think it's because the roster is too large and title picture confused.
Imho the only reason Wembley did well is because it's the only free unedited wrestling on UK TV.

 

Anyone watching Wrestlemania?

This has the potential to be one of the best shows ever. The build has been top draw, and there are some great matches.

I feel for Bayley though. After carrying the company on her back (with Drew) through the pandemic I think she deserved a bit more of a spotlight.

 

I only watched some fan footage of the final match. Looked awesome. The pop when 'Taker's first bell tolled took me back to being a 13 year old super fan again.

 

It was delightful b*llocks, delivered in the very best way.

 

WWE on Netflix now.

Has anybody been watching? Thought the Rumble was good, but was a bit gutted that they didn’t have Punk win it.

 

Yep.

Rumble was decent. Charlotte winning was a mistake though. It must really piss people off that have be working their arses off for her to swan in and take all the airtime.
First time I've ever watchedsome of a PPV live (Only managed the women's RR)

I think it's time they increased the number of entrants though given the size if the rosta and their working relationship with TNA. Certainly in the men's there was very little in the way of surprises or legend entrants and not one from NXT. Who the hell gives a crap about IShowSpeed either. If you've got to explain who the bloke is then what's he doing there.

 

That ending to Elimination chamber was jaw-dropping. Actually amazing.

 

his stare said more than a thousand words.

 

WWE are on a massive hot streak. I don’t know how regularly you’re watching but it’s been brilliant for the last 18 months or so at least.

 

ive been in and out since Cody returned, enjoyed the bloodline stuff as well. have been watching more with it on netflix again.

 

I watched all through the Attidude era (which I think is like our GT era) but I fell away in following years.
FFWD a few years and my lad is 10 and massively into it which I love.. took him to Clash at the Caste last year which was a brilliant experience. Loved watching him go nuts when Cody came out!
Would like to got the O2 too but the tickets prices are so much - it’s a lot of dough for one night.

 

The Bloodline story was superb. They gave it the care and attention it deserved and it paid off spectacularly at WM40, although since then it's been fair to middling.

I think WWE moving to Netflix was a genius move. I'd estimate 80-90% of households have Netflix so they're in a huge number of homes that perhaps they weren't before. It also allows for a slightly edgier product which is good.

I've been keeping an eye out as well hoping the prices drop - it may be worth checking resale tickets in the days leading up to it as people who can no longer make it will take a loss. That's what I'm hoping for anyway.

 

I'm back watching Raw and the fact that we can now watch PPVs for free is ace!

I watched the RR and EC. I thought the Rumble was a bit meh. The EC was great though. The Viper's return and feud with KO back on was a nice set up, but of course, Cena's turn has been probably the biggest shock in the sport for more than a decade. It's been talked about outside of the Wrestling fanbase.

RR losing on a random episode of Raw - I didn't see that coming TBH, nor do I understand the rationale. She should be top woman right now. She's selling the merch, getting the pop etc. They shouldn't be pushing her into some pointless, non title feud storyline when there aren't really many credible female wrestlers for her to go up against.

 

I think it is solely for the sake of unpredictability. The rumour seems to be it'll be a triple threat at Mania with RR included.

 

The bloodline thing is old hat and needs to stop. When 1/3 of your roster are Samoan/Fijian/Tongan descent, and all sons/nephews of Rikishi, Haku and the Rock, it doesn't make sense for half of them to be feuding over a necklace made out of peppers whilst the rest are seemingly actually headlining events.

It had its time but it's over now.

 

I'm still watching AEW as I got into that when WWE was still on a subscription only channel, before Netflix, but by god their creative is awful.

I watch Dynamite every week and most episodes of Collision, but I can't follow who's feuding with whom? It's ludicrous. I actually think, talentwise, AEW has better talent than the WWE, but they're all used in terrible storylines which come out of nowhere and disappear just as fast which make it impossible for fans to get invested beyond match to match.

Tony Khan really needs to get an old style wrassling promoter from one of the old territories in to run the creative and step back into his cocaine fuelled decadence.

 

I have to say, like @wimbornet I have come back to watching wrestling after 15-20 years and despite the obvious positivity from a welfare standpoint and as much as I hate Kevin Nash, he does have a point. Watching a load of guys who are 5'10 and 180lbs fight each other, just isn't the same.

I don't think I appreciated during the 90s and early 00s just how big some of the wrestlers were. Of course we had Big Show and a few other absolute giants, but even outside of them, the roster was littered with guys (billed as) 6'5"+ and >300lb

Nowadays 285lb guys are booked as monsters (Powerhouse Hobbs for example).

I weigh around 235-240lb. I can't pay money to see Orange Cassidy and Daniel Garcia slap each other.

 

Rumours she's carrying an injury I think?

 

Did you see Christopher Daniels blade himself on telly the other day. Medical team scarpered as they cut to him then were mysteriously called in.
There's lot to like about AEW but some of it is just a well funded indy show.

 

There's still some larger chaps about but it has changed and even recently the Lucha style is staking off again. Rumours of Rey Fenix joining his brother Penta at WWE shortly. I can sort of appreciate all styles. They do tend to overblow the weights/heights. I think with the punishing schedules the heavier wrestlers just can't cut it.

I am lucky enough to have see the Undertaker live back in his American Badass days and he certainly didn't look his billed 6'11". Dustin Rhodes is deceptively tall though.

 

Yeah I did see that. It was so basic.

 

I do love Lucha and it's its own thing. I like watching the athleticism and gymnastics of those matches, but it's hard to fit it in alongside the completely different storylines of American style wrestling. There's a whole mystique/mythology about LL that doesn't work well when overlapping with other storylines. Rey Mysterio worked, because although he was a Lucha, he just came in and acted like a normal wrestler.

There's also a big influx of wreslters in both WWE and AEW from the NJPW and other big Japanese promotions. Some of them like Okada and Takeshita fit in seamlessly IMO but others just seem to be filler.

Penta has a great presence and look, but he's made a lot of botches in the handful of matches he's had in the WWE already.

 

Agreed not really a Penta fan and I think a lot of it is just hype because he's new. I think he'll get lost in the midcard eventually although I hope fenix does come in and they spark a bit of life into the tag division.

I'm liking the NXT - TNA link up though. I was lucky enough to see a TNA Genesis when they were doing free shows in Orlando. Some undervalued talent there that is getting some good exposure given they were youtube only at one point.

I was relying on the network for a tenner a month it was decent value but had to watch PPVs a month in arrears so that the time delayed RAW & Smackdowns weren't spoiled. Enjoying it in real time on Netfix since the new year though. I couldn't justfy paying for BT sport.

 

I misssed the heyday of TNA - probably the 2010s?

Is there much left now? TBH, following 2 wrestling promotions (albeit I watch most of the programmes on ffwd) is enough.

 

Penta has a really great look but agree with both of you. I think he'll have a programme with Mysterio which will be really good, but I see his limit as a US title guy at best.

 

I think they're bigging him up as a big win from AEW, which is a bit stupid. It's the same way that WWE seems to book some of its events to coincide with AEW's PPVs. It's corporate bullying to some extent, although maybe AEW are just paying stupid money to tempt some AEW stars to cross the other way (Mercedes Mone etc.) and that has pissed WWE off.

 

Just to let you know, the cheapest ticket now is £271 compared to £340 last week so they do seem to be dropping. There could be a bargain to be had in the days leading up to it.

Smackdown! Has also been announced for Birmingham later this year.

 

Ticket prices across the board for live is just mental now. A good concert could be enjoyed for £30/40. Now it’s just like £150-200 for everything, it’s madness.

In comparison; football prices aren’t too bad!

 

This is true. I appreciate if it's a smaller gig, they are giving you an intimate show, but charging 150 quid a ticket to get a seat in a stadium, 100m from the stage is just greedy. I know Ticketmaster takes some of the responsibility too.

I can't understand how 15 year old girls were affording to go to Eras Tour or Harry Styles. I had to tell my kids, sorry, but no. 600 for a family of four is very nearly a small holiday.
.

 

What were tickets like for All In? That can't have been more than 50 quid, surely?