WWE/NXT/AEW/NJPW Thread

[LennoxLewis]

As bad a look as possible letting Sammy pin Garcia to end the show after what went down

Fans were chanting El Eldolo any time Sammy got offense in, Khan gave the fans what they wanted!

 

[pr26]

As bad a look as possible letting Sammy pin Garcia to end the show after what went down

I mean we don’t really know what happened yet. If they both played an equal role in the physical altercation, I agree with you. What if Andrade sucker punched Sammy?

We may never truly know either. Wrestling journalism sucks.

 

[MattyFos.]

I mean we don’t really know what happened yet. If they both played an equal role in the physical altercation, I agree with you. What if Andrade sucker punched Sammy?

We may never truly know either. Wrestling journalism sucks.

Because the journalists like Meltzer are marks and get their info from their buddies.. they do a terrible job hiding their bias

 

[ticon12389]

I mean we don’t really know what happened yet. If they both played an equal role in the physical altercation, I agree with you. What if Andrade sucker punched Sammy?

We may never truly know either. Wrestling journalism sucks.

I thought I read Sammy threw the first punch but I could be mistaken

 

[pr26]

I thought I read Sammy threw the first punch but I could be mistaken

Wrestling “journalists” on Twitter already saying many in AEW disputing the TMZ depiction of events. I really doubt TK gives Sammy that pin if he threw the first punch. Who the hell really knows.

Also, gotta say that women’s trio match slapped and made everyone look good. More of this moving forward please.

 

[MattyFos.]

I thought I read Sammy threw the first punch but I could be mistaken

Yeah I think the initial report was they exchanged words, Sammy swung first.

Then it changed to Sammy confronted and Andrade swung.

Who the hell knows

 

[Derek]

Eric Bischoff catching some deserved heat on twitter for complaining that there was no storyline reason behind the MJF/Yuta match.

Turns out he just hadn’t been watching the show.

 

[CBBI]

This is one of AEW’s biggest problems IMO and it entirely falls on Khan.

He books his product for a much smaller chunk of his audience than he realizes.

 

[MattyFos.]

This is one of AEW’s biggest problems IMO and it entirely falls on Khan.

He books his product for a much smaller chunk of his audience than he realizes.

He books for Meltzer

 

[kookoo]

This is one of AEW’s biggest problems IMO and it entirely falls on Khan.

He books his product for a much smaller chunk of his audience than he realizes.

Yeah. As much as I personally like those types of storylines, the WWE is doing a better job with it right now and building actual storylines during the show but then having a few subtle things (all the Riddle vs Seth stuff and the Bray song playing at the breaks, ect).

I don't mind paying off the hardcore fans, but I think he'll eventually get a better middle ground. It's still an incredibly young company. And I do think the audience right now is filled with a lot more people who know the backstage drama. However, a quick fix could be commentary kind of alluding to some of the drama. But to grow, he needs to build storylines more consistently.

 

[Derek]

With more info coming out, it basically sounds like Andrade jumped Sammy when he got to the show after both guys promised management they would squash the beef and not fight.

 

[Kbiz]

If AEW had their actual shit together creatively, they wouldn't have to rely on all these shoot work shoot angles often conjured by wrestlers themselves on social media. It is becoming more and more apparent to me that TK put all his eggs in the Punk basket and likely had storylines set up around his title reign that would've lasted throughout the year, inevitably leading to MJF taking the title off of him. There is little doubt in my mind that those story beats would've likely been excellent but the reality is, shit happens and you need to be adaptable on the fly and this is where TK is failing and it's only made more apparent by the elite's absence.

If it wasn't for Moxley and Jericho, AEW would've floundered the last 6 months. That speaks volumes to their ability but also further illustrates TK's booking issues. You have such a stacked roster. You shouldn't have to lean on your top guys all the time and you shouldn't book too far into the future around one guy because shit hits the fan, the product suffers.

I feel like the wrestlers in AEW are falling into 3 buckets lately: You have established vets (and MJF because he's just on another level) that are totally comfortable with their character, put in the hours to craft their feuds backed by sound knowledge of wrestling lore, and go out with little instruction and deliver. You have your system guys that are used to having some creative direction (ex WWEs) that seem to get frustrated with no structure and their storylines / angles meander. Then you have younger guys that have to figure it out themselves in a sink or swim fashion. You either get over on sheer natural ability or end up on Dark or Elevation. It leads to a disjointed product overall.

Get William Regal and Jericho teaching some promo classes. Get a writer to help the talent that isn't comfortable with crafting their own identity yet. You don't need to go to full on WWE and have every single beat scripted but this isn't the 80s territory era anymore. Providing some basic support and actually bake it into the hierarchy of the company - not just "my door is always open if you want advice" from other wrestlers because that doesn't land for everyone and frankly, I'd be a little intimidated just starting out to go and approach Jerigoat about a promo, especially considering the talent likely only sees itself regularly on taping days. If there was an actual professional process where those interactions are not only encouraged but presented as a resource / workshop for professional development, it will lift the locker room as a whole.

Seems so simple for TK to get some professional structure to handle both creative and HR. I used to find his frantic tweeting and shit talking on twitter endearing but the more headlines that come out about locker room drama and unhappy wrestlers, the more I realize he's in over his head so surround yourself with some people that excel in areas you fail. Don't just pass on fun titles to the likes of older wrestlers and announcers. Hire some fucking professionals that have the experience.

 

[pr26]

With more info coming out, it basically sounds like Andrade jumped Sammy when he got to the show after both guys promised management they would squash the beef and not fight.

Yup. If true, TK did the right thing here despite the knee jerk Twitter reactions.

 

[pr26]

Another strong TV rating for Dynamite, over a million viewers again. Despite many in the IWC saying AEW is falling apart, tv ratings have been stronger after All Out then they were this summer before All Out.

Also shows the value of the large roster. You can have Punk/Elite/Cole out and still draw ratings with MJF, BCC, JAS, and the Acclaimed.

 

[CBBI]

Another strong TV rating for Dynamite, over a million viewers again. Despite many in the IWC saying AEW is falling apart, tv ratings have been stronger after All Out then they were this summer before All Out.

Also shows the value of the large roster. You can have Punk/Elite/Cole out and still draw ratings with MJF, BCC, JAS, and the Acclaimed.

I don't want to get too caught up in the semantics here, but AEW's "increase" has been almost entirely with people older than the 18-49 demo, which is the least valuable audience for their advertisers.

They only did a 0.33 in the demo which is the lowest they've done in the demo in 7 weeks.

This week also marked the 13th consecutive week of year-over-year declines for Dynamite in the 18-49 demo as well.

More people have been watching recently, but fewer people of value if that make sense.