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Old 06-07-2020, 07:19 PM   #2081
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Some thoughts so far


Blackheart, Nox, Yim def Kai, LeRae, Gonzalez


I think this was a pretty good opener, it was pretty high speed with a lot of dive spots. It goes to show how small the woman are when Gonzalez looked like Big Show at 6 feet tall. This was a fun match with a lot of dives over the rope and they really played up Nox as the gutsy competitor, but I still cringe whenever she lands hard. They teased a split when Kai accidentally booted Gonzalez in the face allowing Nox to finish Kai with the Lady Kane. Loved that LeRae basically played a bit of cowardly heel and her and Yim brawled into the garage never to be seen again. Blackheart is pretty dynamic but she's a bit herky jerky in her timing


7/10


Finn Balor def Damien Priest


Finn Balor is really good at what he does, if I have a complaint its that he's almost sliding back into his baby face character from the end of his main roster days instead of being the killer Prince. Damian is very good and will see a bump from this match.


6/10


Keith Lee def Johnny Gargano


I don't know, I didn't love this match, it just seemed flat. Some nice psychology in Lee selling his hand injury which should have balanced the matchup against his much smaller heel. Keith Lee is physically awesome, but I didn't like the booked ending of the powerbomb into the the powerslam. It just seemed too easy, and booking wise it didn't make sense to turn Johnny heel and feed him to Lee


5/10


Adam Cole Baybee def Velveteen dream


I'm not a fan of movie style matches, and I was glad that they avoided a gimmicky backlot brawl like the WWE and AEW offerings. I loved the intros with Cole showing up in a monster truck and Dream coming in a Lamborghini. I also loved the salute to the walking dead. This was an pretty good brawl and I got a laugh at the Uber appearance, I thought that was brilliant. Cole was victorious ending this feud as Dream gave up his right to another fight. Cole is one of the best in the business right now. If I had one complaint it was that the spotlight and headlights made things hard to see at times


7/10


Karrion Kross vs Ciampa


I'm a big fan in building up big men monster wrestlers and they've done a great job of this with Kross, Scarlett is awesome even with her close to mic dialogue with Kross. They've now made Kross the unbeatable monster by having him roll through Cimapa. If you watch carefully Kross was very careful in protecting Ciampa in this match.


8/10
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Old 06-07-2020, 07:37 PM   #2082
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Io Shirai def Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair to win the NXT Woman's championship.


I really love IO, and the best thing that happened to her was giving her a more heelish persona to go along with her offense. This was a great match with the woman leaving it all in the ring, though I think that Rhea was dead after Io undershot her finisher from the top and it looked brutal. What made this match great was that it outdid the other matches on the card which were all main event caliber matches.


8/10


This was a really fun PPV where they found a way to really emphasize wrestling instead of mini movies, and I welcomed that return. The other thing is that this was fun, there were no bad matches or performances that dragged it down. The crowd of un used wrestlers did a great job of acting as an audience and added a bunch of energy. This was the best wrestling card that I've seen in a while. But I do wonder if Yim and LaRae are still brawling in the garage.


8/10
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Old 06-11-2020, 02:05 AM   #2083
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I'm still enjoying AEW but something that really struck me tonight is that they're struggling to develop young babyfaces. I think they have two guys in MJF and Sammy who are going to be two of the best heels in the business when all is said and done but I don't really see any equivalents on the face side of things.

I like Darby and Jungle Boy but neither strike me as main event players. Hangman could still get there but beyond him it's not very deep. All of their big name faces are well into their 30s.
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Old 06-11-2020, 06:02 AM   #2084
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Sammy's laying the good heel ground work now so he'll be a fantastic babyface down the road.
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Old 06-11-2020, 08:52 AM   #2085
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Originally Posted by rubecube View Post

I like Darby and Jungle Boy but neither strike me as main event players. Hangman could still get there but beyond him it's not very deep. All of their big name faces are well into their 30s.
In professional wrestling early 30's and getting better is still rookie status. Finn Balor didn't really even take off until he was 34-35.

Although wrestling is becoming a young man's game, guys in their 30's are still capable and athletic, and have that veteran know-how of the industry. This is a generation of wrestlers that don't hit the hard drugs and personal life vices as much as Hogan's era, and take care of their bodies far better.

MJF and Sammy are awesome, but there will be other talents that come along through the indies. AEW seems more than happy to profile young, unknown talent on Dark.
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Old 06-11-2020, 09:47 AM   #2086
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I still feel like they are wasting Kenny Omega.

He's just kinda there...nothing he's done in AEW has really stood out so far, and they haven't really featured him in a high profile singles fued yet.
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Old 06-11-2020, 10:03 AM   #2087
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I still feel like they are wasting Kenny Omega.

He's just kinda there...nothing he's done in AEW has really stood out so far, and they haven't really featured him in a high profile singles fued yet.
His stuff with PAC was really good and any time he's had the main event spot on Dynamite, it's been really good, but I agree.

I do think part of this is a holding pattern until they get live audiences back, because I think the smart move would be to have The Elite turn heel and kick Hangman out, but it's not going to have the desired effect if they don't have a crowd.
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Old 06-11-2020, 11:56 AM   #2088
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Yeah, regarding Omega - he's done kinda, well, nothing of significance in AEW to date (aside from targeting Sammy Terminator-style for Matt Hardy to run over, which will never get old). I wish he'd go back to NJPW and become the main event force he was before. NJPW is really his best fit, IMO. I get why he's in AEW though, and if that's what he wants, that's what he wants.
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Old 06-11-2020, 04:18 PM   #2089
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Right now Omega is just there, kinda letting everybody else develop, letting the company develop. Sometime after things start to get back to normal you'll see him start to get a big push as top face in the company.
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Old 06-11-2020, 04:44 PM   #2090
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I still feel like they are wasting Kenny Omega.

He's just kinda there...nothing he's done in AEW has really stood out so far, and they haven't really featured him in a high profile singles fued yet.

I think that people are getting lost because of all of these faction things that they're trying to do. But Omega has really gotten lost in the dust.


Also Jake Hager is just bleah.


I also hate the way they're booking Nyla Rose, its stupid that they've made her into a bump machine for everyone else, it makes her look weak.
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Old 06-11-2020, 05:08 PM   #2091
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I think that WWE and AEW have to do something as the numbers are dropping and they're losing audience in a noncompetitive market


https://wrestlingheadlines.com/aew-d...medium=twitter


Quote:
Week 35 of the Wednesday Night War saw AEW Dynamite top WWE NXT in viewership and ratings once again, but not by much.


Wednesday’s Dynamite episode drew 677,000 viewers on TNT, while the post-“Takeover: In Your House” edition of NXT drew 673,000 viewers on the USA Network, according to Showbuzz Daily.


AEW ranked #14 in the Cable Top 150, while NXT ranked #35. AEW ranked #64 in viewership, while NXT ranked #65 in viewership.


Last week’s Dynamite go-home episode drew 730,000 viewers and ranked #27 in the Cable Top 150, and #71 in viewership. Last week’s NXT episode drew 715,000 viewers and ranked #45 in the Cable Top 150, and #72 in viewership.

Quote:
This is the second-lowest AEW viewership of the year and the third-lowest in the history of the show. The 0.23 rating in the key demo is tied with the May 13 episode for the lowest ever in that 18-49 demographic. This week’s NXT viewership topped a lot of their 2020 audiences but the 0.16 rating in the key demographic is on the lower end of what the show has been drawing.

Meanwhile on Raw and Smackdown


Quote:
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.737 million viewers, which is up from the 1.728 million viewers last week.
Here is the hourly viewership breakdown:
  • Hour 1: 1.827 million, 0.55 in the 18-49 Demo
  • Hour 2: 1.790 million, 0.55 in the 18-49 Demo
  • Hour 3: 1.595 million, 0.48 in the 18-49 Demo

Raw fans tuned out enmasse for the Charlotte vs Asuka match and the MVP vs Viking Raiders match. Companies should always be massively concerned when fans shut off their TV's before the main event. This happened a lot with WCW in their last year where fans would tune in to watch the mid card but couldn't give a crap about the big money players.






Quote:
mackDown averaged 1.984 million viewers on FOX in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. This is down from the 2.170 million viewers that the show did for the previous week’s episode of SmackDown. The show averaged 1.935 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was down from the 2.150 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 1.962 million viewers while the second hour did 1.908 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.143 million viewers while the second hour did 2.157 million viewers.

Smack down didn't get a bump for their woman's main event either.
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Old 06-11-2020, 05:14 PM   #2092
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Jake Hager... just a black hole of interesting character. Hate that they're shoving his boring ass in our faces. Not sure why WWE and AEW are so gung-ho in pushing him, he's literally the last guy I want to see as a fan.

I do give AEW credit though for pushing some new storylines and new guys right now; Marq Quen showing his abilities against Cody last night (and Jungle Boy last week), QT Marshall getting played and used by Allie (formerly the Bunny), Colt Cabana turning to the Dark Order to solve his losing problem, Butcher and Blade coming back as a strong team, Orange Cassidy getting a huge singles push, Joey Janela being tormented with his lack of attention, Sammy being teased with Jericho not being there for him....

...and this is without top names like Archer, Omega, Jericho, etc. doing anything significant right now. They're really trying.
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Old 06-11-2020, 05:16 PM   #2093
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I think that WWE and AEW have to do something as the numbers are dropping and they're losing audience in a noncompetitive market

Meanwhile on Raw and Smackdown
Pretty crazy that the combined AEW/NXT ratings aren't far off from Raw and Smackdown numbers.

I do think the lack of a live audience really hurts. I still watch Dynamite almost every week, but I sometimes wait until the weekend or split it out over a few days.
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Old 06-11-2020, 05:19 PM   #2094
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Heyman removed from creative again, and the Raw and Smackdown writing teams are consolidated


https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/20...rector-671307/
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Old 06-12-2020, 01:35 AM   #2095
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I get why you guys feel this way since Omega let Jericho go over so Jericho can be champ
Then he let Mox go over to set up Mox’s feud with Jericho

However, I don’t think they’re wasting Omega. Right now him and Hangman, two main eventers, are elevating the tag titles. Inevitably there’ll be an implosion between the two of them and we’ll get our singles match. The question now will then be, which one of the two do you put over?
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Old 06-12-2020, 09:45 AM   #2096
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https://twitter.com/user/status/1271462282942275585


God no, I had enough problems with Charlotte as NXT Woman's Champion. She didn't really bump the ratings at all.



NXT has always been a bit of a ratings sink, and a money loser. Though I'm a bigger fan of it then the main roster stuff right now and even AEW.



At the same time, NXT might be getting a little stale in terms of the top of the card guys not really moving on like they should. Gargano and Tomasso and even IO and a bunch of others should be moved to the main roster to open up new main event players. Its still supposed to be developmental at the end of the day.


But the ratings sink and money losses might explain HHH's demotion
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Old 06-12-2020, 09:54 AM   #2097
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Orton and Ciampa were having a bit of Twitter war after In Your House so I wouldn't be surprised to see Ciampa move up or Orton go to NXT and have a short feud. It could end with Edge costing Orton and then they continue their feud.
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Old 06-12-2020, 09:58 AM   #2098
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To be fair, Gargano and Ciampa already were debuted on the main rosters but were pulled back. Even the Undisputed Era has made appears on main rosters and PPV's now and then (and the UE has enough reaction to definitely go to the main roster at this point).

If you look at NXT, their main stars don't stick around for a long time. If that was being followed now, we'd have Keith Lee / Dijakovic / Preist / Kross as the stars of NXT. The women's roster is also fantastic but a couple of them need to go to other brands.

I agree Cap, there has to be a bit of movement for NXT.

As for AEW, I think they would benefit from a second show. Apparently TNT has agreed to this as well, although I would love to see their 2nd show as a completely different type of show. Perhaps more of a Lucha Underground-style of production where it's more of a drama series with wrestling intertwined.
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Old 06-12-2020, 10:23 AM   #2099
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As for AEW, I think they would benefit from a second show. Apparently TNT has agreed to this as well, although I would love to see their 2nd show as a completely different type of show. Perhaps more of a Lucha Underground-style of production where it's more of a drama series with wrestling intertwined.
I wouldn't mind a WCW Thunder or WWF Sunday Night Heat style show. I suppose AEW Dark sort of fills that niche but I always liked Heat and to a lesser extent Thunder because they showcased the midcard stuff while also having enough storyline advancement of the main event stuff to make it worth tuning into.
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Old 06-12-2020, 10:27 AM   #2100
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To be fair, Gargano and Ciampa already were debuted on the main rosters but were pulled back. Even the Undisputed Era has made appears on main rosters and PPV's now and then (and the UE has enough reaction to definitely go to the main roster at this point).

If you look at NXT, their main stars don't stick around for a long time. If that was being followed now, we'd have Keith Lee / Dijakovic / Preist / Kross as the stars of NXT. The women's roster is also fantastic but a couple of them need to go to other brands.

I agree Cap, there has to be a bit of movement for NXT.

As for AEW, I think they would benefit from a second show. Apparently TNT has agreed to this as well, although I would love to see their 2nd show as a completely different type of show. Perhaps more of a Lucha Underground-style of production where it's more of a drama series with wrestling intertwined.
Ciampa stated that he had no interest in going to the main roster. I do respect that with his family situation etc, but how do you use him going forward.

When I look at the the roster of NXT, the guys that have really done all they can do there. I look at UE (Who are a fantastic heel faction), Lee, Gargano and Candice. Kai and Yim and IO, Rhea, and (God she's such a great story Nox).

When you look at the upcoming workers, Kross (Great already) Priest, Dijakovic, Dream (Kind of gets forgotten, but the whole phone thing was gross). and others and on the female side, Aliyah is really sneaky good, Green, Catanzaro, Garrett and Blackheard, you could rebuild the NXT main event quick fast and in a hurry.

When I look at the main rosters for Smackdown and Raw, its really time for even more trimming to make room. I honestly think its really time for a youth movement on botht he Smackdown and Raw Rosters, and maybe a roster shrinkage.

I like what Joe is doing on commentary, he's brilliant, as much as it pains me I'd leave him there. Release some of the guys that aren't doing anything.

On the Raw woman's side, I'd transition Natty to be a trainer, Ruby is done there, I have a bias, but I'd waive bye to Nia and let her go to AEW. Liv Morgan deserves a hard push, she's put on some really good matches and works her butt off.

On smackdown, Its time to break up what's left of the new day and push Big E as a major threat. but they could cut about 10 wrestlers who are basically pretty much enhancement guys. On the woman's side. Sonya needs to be pushed to the moon as the next big thing. I take back what I've said about Bayley, she's been fantastic lately as a heel. Wrestlers like Brooke and Naomi and Tamina could be cut to make room

On the main roster, its time to get away from the over produced matches and the nonsensical story line. Lets get back to the concept of I hate you, you hate me, lets fight, screw the fun house and the bone yards and all of that other stuff, these guys can all produce.

BTW turn Bliss heel, Drew is trying to be too cute and funny in his promos. Ramp up Owens and get him back to being a heel fighter. Make the woman tag belts relevant again.

On AEW even with two shows, that roster is way over bloated. they need to really trim things down on the men's side. And as much as I lover Jericho, its time to transition him away from the ring.

On the woman's side its time to repackage Nyla Rose, with her side, and athletism, she takes too much of a beating and bumps too much, her character should be selfish in that its unbelievable if she goes off her feat. Create the small versus big cutting down the tree dynamic.

Oh and if AEW doesn't sign Conti, they're foolish. AEW's woman's division is just frankly too green and blunderific. Conti ca flat out work. Oh and find a proper trainer. Awesome Kong is doing the training and not a good job of it.

Don't sign anymore AEW castoffs. Hire someone that can professionally filter what's going on in the writing department with guys like the Bucks and Rhodes and Omega. Start cutting back on the factions, simplify the storylines and don't do goofy gimmicky insider joke stuff that they think is funny for 6 months.

Oh and its time to change the commentary team up, its just no good, and pray that Heyman gets released.

On the WWE side, take Gargano, LeRae, UE and Keith Lee and invade Smackdown and Raw its time to properly bring Nexus back.

Just my two cents.
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