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Post by eJm on May 26, 2019 5:02:42 GMT -5
Honestly, the more I think about it, HHH called them a “pissant company” at one of WWE’s marquee events with no real provocation on their end so you know what, I’m completely fine with the shot Cody took.
Now do I want it to be a constant thing? Absolutely not but he had it coming. So that allowance is gone from this point forward.
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Moppy
Samurai Cop
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Post by Moppy on May 26, 2019 6:23:39 GMT -5
Really promising start so far
BUT
Their success will come from being a viable *Alternative* to WWE and it's too early to tell whether they can deliver that.
This isn't the days of TNA and ROH's emergence where great workrate is an alternative. WWE's in-ring product is already great, and NXT's is even better. For AEW to become a genuine alternative to WWE they'll have to do the things WWE are bad at - logical, compelling, evolving storylines. Character-driven motivations. Grown-up humour. And not over-producing and micromanaging talent with buzzwords and such.
That's the direction I'd like to see AEW go in. I'm not criticising them, it's way too early to have put these measures in place so far. I think the seeds of good longer-term storytelling are already in place though just from this show. Exciting times.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2019 7:03:37 GMT -5
I thought it was a fantastic show. Great matches, great characters and some very nice surprises.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2019 7:09:26 GMT -5
Very, very promising start. Most of my praise and criticisms have already been mentioned so I wanted to bring up something else that hasn't been touched on: bringing in ex-WWE guys.
I'm bringing this up mainly because my best friend, who I watched the show with, was super-pissed that they brought in Moxley, since in his words "you can't claim to be a revolutionary force in wrestling while bringing in all the usual assholes we saw on Raw for years." Now I personally think they'd have been dumb not to bring in Moxley, since not only did he main event a WWE PPV three months ago, but he's incredibly talented when given creative freedom. But I do hope this isn't gonna start a trend of bringing in any ex-WWE guy that needs a paycheck, because all that's gonna' do is turn AEW into the new TNA.
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Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
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Post by Mozenrath on May 26, 2019 7:18:10 GMT -5
Very, very promising start. Most of my praise and criticisms have already been mentioned so I wanted to bring up something else that hasn't been touched on: bringing in ex-WWE guys. I'm bringing this up mainly because my best friend, who I watched the show with, was super-pissed that they brought in Moxley, since in his words "you can't claim to be a revolutionary force in wrestling while bringing in all the usual assholes we saw on Raw for years." Now I personally think they'd have been dumb not to bring in Moxley, since not only did he main event a WWE PPV three months ago, but he's incredibly talented when given creative freedom. But I do hope this isn't gonna start a trend of bringing in any ex-WWE guy that needs a paycheck, because all that's gonna' do is turn AEW into the new TNA. With all due respect to your friend, did he miss the shitload of guys and girls on the show who haven't been in a WWE ring recently, if not ever? Like you said, it'd have been dumb not to bring him in given the chance, but really, if someone still has something to offer and new talents are still being showcased and promoted, I don't really think it is a problem. This is definitely not a Junior Fatu/Andrew Punisher Test kind of thing.
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Post by eJm on May 26, 2019 7:49:36 GMT -5
Very, very promising start. Most of my praise and criticisms have already been mentioned so I wanted to bring up something else that hasn't been touched on: bringing in ex-WWE guys. I'm bringing this up mainly because my best friend, who I watched the show with, was super-pissed that they brought in Moxley, since in his words "you can't claim to be a revolutionary force in wrestling while bringing in all the usual assholes we saw on Raw for years." Now I personally think they'd have been dumb not to bring in Moxley, since not only did he main event a WWE PPV three months ago, but he's incredibly talented when given creative freedom. But I do hope this isn't gonna start a trend of bringing in any ex-WWE guy that needs a paycheck, because all that's gonna' do is turn AEW into the new TNA. With all due respect to your friend, did he miss the shitload of guys and girls on the show who haven't been in a WWE ring recently, if not ever? Like you said, it'd have been dumb not to bring him in given the chance, but really, if someone still has something to offer and new talents are still being showcased and promoted, I don't really think it is a problem. This is definitely not a Junior Fatu/Andrew Punisher Test kind of thing. It’s sort of like saying “You can’t claim to be different from the MCU if you’re going to hire the same directors for your film universe”. Like, if James Gunn is available for The Suicide Squad or whatever it is, regardless of if he’s known for GOTG or not, you f***ing get James Gunn.
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Post by SparkyPlugg on May 26, 2019 8:29:56 GMT -5
Jericho going over gives me great hope. If Omega is going to be their number one guy he needs to chase the title, not just win it off the bat. I’m really looking forward to Moxley vs Omega.
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EyeofTyr
Hank Scorpio
Strange and Mystical
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Post by EyeofTyr on May 26, 2019 8:34:04 GMT -5
Jericho going over gives me great hope. If Omega is going to be their number one guy he needs to chase the title, not just win it off the bat. I’m really looking forward to Moxley vs Omega. Yeah, if their main event scene is roughly going to be Page, Omega, Jericho, Mox and MJF, they went a long way of establishing all five of them as being on relatively even footing with each other from the offset. Which is important if you're not doing the Roman Reigns/John Cena formula for your main event.
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Post by Raskovnik on May 26, 2019 8:41:15 GMT -5
This was the first wrestling show I've watched in a couple years as a lapsed fan. I stopped watching WWE regularly about 5 years ago, and stopped watching entirely after WrestleMania 31. I did keep up with Lucha Underground for a few seasons but stopped around 2016. I followed NJPW until 2017, and even went to go see Sakura Genesis in person, but after Shibata's career-ending injury I was really bummed out and took a break from all wrestling. It wasn't necessarily solely the fault of the injury, though Shibata is one of my favorite wrestlers, just a lot of stuff about the industry in general was wearing on me and that put it over the top. It wasn't the first time I've taken a break and it probably won't be the last. However, some of my friends who are also lapsed fans but who have kept more of their fingers on the pulse than I have were telling me about AEW, and it sounded like exactly what I've been waiting for. That combined with my girlfriend showing some interest in trying to get into wrestling and asking me about it kind of gave me the bug again, so I looked into what was going on and started to get pretty excited. So that was my mindset going into this show.
There were some production hiccups, somewhat odd pacing at first (Whose brilliant idea was it to have two unknowns in a singles match AFTER the battle royale that everyone was tuning in for?), and the commentary team took some time to gel, but those are really my only complaints. I think they'll figure it all out. It still feels like the big leagues.
I'm really stoked for their roster. Without mentioning the obvious dudes like Jon Moxley and Ken Omega, MJF, Jimmy Havok, and Adam Page have serious star potential. I'm familiar with Page and Havok's work, though they've really upped their game since the last time I've seen them. MJF was completely new to me but I was sold immediately. I want to see that dude get his ass kicked. Add Orange Cassidy himself to this mix and you got a stew going. The women were also great. Awesome Kong showing up was hype as the dickens. I also hope they bring in the joshi on a regular basis, those women can GO; for any of you who weren't familiar with them but enjoyed what you saw, you were only getting a teaser. I think they'll legitimately be a game changer if they're regularly given a spotlight and allowed to do what they do best. They need to package them better, though. Get out of town with these Japanese flags and give them some real music. Give EVERYONE real music, their theme game is hella whack at the moment.
I thought it was a fantastic show overall. I haven't felt this optimistic watching an American promotion in a very long time. AEW is exactly what the Western landscape has been missing for ages and the time is right. The time has BEEN right. I hope they can keep this momentum going.
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Post by Society of the Spectacle on May 26, 2019 8:46:29 GMT -5
I went in with my WWE bias, but I did enjoy the show. I'm of the opinion that AEW doing well is good for wrestling,(especially WWE/NXT) as a whole, so I was happy to see them do well last night.
I thought that the show shined when it needed to, particularly at the end. A strong visual to leave the viewers with is so important, and they knocked it out of the park. Moxley knew that he had to come off like a big star and he did. You could really sense his catharsis that he was finally able to show the potential that WWE obviously fumbled so badly.
Commentary wise, I really think they could shine with Ross and Excalibur as the unlikely duo (2019, I tell ya). Not to crap on Marvez, but he sounded (and looked) out of place the whole show. His audio being mixed lower than the other two didn't help either. The shot of the three of them standing together before Omega/Jericho was brutal. Maybe my Los Angeles/PWG localism is showing but I thought Excalibur made a great account of himself as the night went on. He was clever and knowledgeable without coming off as pretentious like a Matt Striker type sometimes can. Ross also sounded a lot more comfortable calling the action here than he does in New Japan. And when it came time to give the Moxley moment what it needed, he excelled. Even this deep in his career Ross can still make a moment feel special.
The production itself was good. At times the feel felt like when WCW was at its best. I mean that in a complimentary sense. I felt serious prime Nitro vibes at points. The entrance music could have been clearer, but the stage looked great and the overall atmosphere felt important. I was not really digging the "cut to the crowd" shots though. I feel like that would have been one of the things that Cody and the Bucks would have flagged as a "Kevin Dunn thing" and thus elected to avoid at all costs.
It's hard to view the flow of the show in a vacuum since WWE has created so many tropes and expectations of a big time wrestling show, which inevitably forces people to compare AEW in an apples to apples situation, but I hope going forward that they push themselves more and more to think outside the box. The pieces are there, and they definitely have the talent and tools to succeed in a really meaningful way. I hope they continue to build on the momentum so that we can get an honest to goodness wrestling war again.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2019 8:51:09 GMT -5
So I got to see some of the bigger matches and the pre-show stuff and it was a great wrestling show but also there wasn't anything distinctly unique about this show that coming out of it I can really praise anything more than it being a great wrestling show.
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Post by THE FVNKER on May 26, 2019 8:52:41 GMT -5
I wasnt able to order the PPV so I'm catching highlights on YouTube.
One of the biggest highlights so far is that MJF is the best heel I've seen in decades, and is probably close to Bubba Dudley on his ability to make a heel promo flow and get heat. Very impressed.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on May 26, 2019 8:53:36 GMT -5
If blading is a regular feature of their shows it may be a deal breaker for me. Outside that, their values and ethics, the presentation, the willingness to be a wrestling show, the way they were able to cover for mistakes by improvising because they weren't micromanaged to a fault... I am funnily enough, all in. You’re not going to see it on TV. That's cool bruh but I don't want to see it ever
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Post by Kayfabe on May 26, 2019 8:56:42 GMT -5
You’re not going to see it on TV. That's cool bruh but I don't want to see it ever Cool. brentrambo.gif I’m actually not into deathmatch wrestling and extreme violence, but I thought the blood is this match was extremely powerful. I was more bothered by the staple gun from Jimmy.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on May 26, 2019 8:58:27 GMT -5
That's cool bruh but I don't want to see it ever Cool. brentrambo.gif I’m actually not into deathmatch wrestling and extreme violence, but I thought the blood is this match was extremely powerful. I was more bothered by the staple gun from Jimmy. The staple gun barely even scratched the skin, Dustin's blood made that basically unwatchable. I could deal with an occasional blade job, stupid though they are, had that one not demonstrated how hideously wrong that can go.
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Post by Kayfabe on May 26, 2019 9:02:52 GMT -5
Cool. brentrambo.gif I’m actually not into deathmatch wrestling and extreme violence, but I thought the blood is this match was extremely powerful. I was more bothered by the staple gun from Jimmy. The staple gun barely even scratched the skin, Dustin's blood made that basically unwatchable. I could deal with an occasional blade job, stupid though they are, had that one not demonstrated how hideously wrong that can go. Dustin’s a big boy and he’s fine. It’s pro-wrestling. Go lay down for a bit and take an Aspirin; you’ll be better in a few hours.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on May 26, 2019 9:07:18 GMT -5
The staple gun barely even scratched the skin, Dustin's blood made that basically unwatchable. I could deal with an occasional blade job, stupid though they are, had that one not demonstrated how hideously wrong that can go. Dustin’s a big boy and he’s fine. It’s pro-wrestling. Go lay down for a bit and take an Aspirin; you’ll be better in a few hours. Cool, that was totally necessary, ttyl
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Post by Kayfabe on May 26, 2019 9:10:19 GMT -5
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2019 9:21:40 GMT -5
With all due respect to your friend, did he miss the shitload of guys and girls on the show who haven't been in a WWE ring recently, if not ever? Like you said, it'd have been dumb not to bring him in given the chance, but really, if someone still has something to offer and new talents are still being showcased and promoted, I don't really think it is a problem. This is definitely not a Junior Fatu/Andrew Punisher Test kind of thing. He's very much the sort where certain negatives will outweigh any positives. After the show had ended he was legit pissed, going on about how they're starting with Moxley, and before you know it they'll be bringing in Ryback, Darren Young, and anyone else who comes knocking. He's...a pessimist, even by my standards.
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Post by abjordans on May 26, 2019 9:37:14 GMT -5
I said in one of the other threads that I was a little put off with the price and didn’t think this was a $50 card, so I think to call me blown away would be an understatement. I loved this show, I had such a good time watching it.
I really liked their stage set up. It looked big time, but was a rip off of WWE or give WWE vibes. I did not like their crowd lighting, that did give WWE vibes. I think they have to work on that. You couldn’t really hear the entrance music that well, that will need some improvement. And they missed some shots and got some weird angles, that was to be expected. Still, all in all, the show looked great and the production blew All In out of the water.
I do question why they went with yellow and black as their signature colors, as NXT is so closely identified with those.
Commentary I thought was a mixed bag. Excalibur is pretty damn good. JR was also pretty good to great, but damn just learn people’s names. He had plenty of time to learn everyone on this cards names. That other guy is god awful and should be dropped. Sorry buddy, a wrestling commentator you aren’t.
The matches themselves were pretty great. I loved the SCU/OWE match and the Best Friends tag. Who were those dudes who ran in at the end though? Commentary didn’t say their name much. The Cody/Dustin match blew me away and was my favorite match on the show. Didn’t think Cody had that in them. I keep up with what the Bucks are up to and have heard them talk a lot and stuff, but this might have been only my second time watching an actual match of theirs. I get it now, they are incredibly fun to watch. They made me a fan. And just to wrap up my rambling, loved the Moxley appearance.
Pretty damn good way to start things off, they definitely now have my attention.
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