2 years ago I was super bummed about this product

[Lance Uppercut]

I mean, all these great talents fired left and right. Some in the middle of storylines and pushes. Nxt gutted changed to 2.0. Hhh kicked out of power. Guys like road dog and Bryce Pritchard doing creative work. Damn it felt like all hope was lost. Thank for for AEW at the time.

Damn, it’s amazing, like a Christmas miracle it’s been since June 2021. This tko merger I’ve been dreading has been even better. Vince forced his way back in, meddled with the product, and now the new owners stepped him, reigned in his power, and now his no2 is gone

[jivesoulbrah]

What a drastic difference the 2022 and 2023 rumbles were.

[schizo]

2021 was one of the first worst years ever, I barely followed the product at the time. a lot of big names and fan favorites were fired, one of the worst storylines ever (the cleopatra egg), the roster looked really thin at the time, it was Vince at his absolute worse. 2022/2023 was a HUGE step up in terms of quality

[Fade]

It’s always darkest before the dawn I guess.

The late 2010s were dreadful in a way only fans can really fathom. The last year has been some of the best in the product in 20/21 years. It’s crazy.

[CMWaters]

The real darkness that makes this all look brighter is we got out of the empty arena/Thunderdome era. For any of the good that were there with it (the two cinematic Mania matches at 36, Drew as Champion, the modification for Money in the Bank), a lot of the rest of the shows of the time were dismal with the lack of people. One major hit being Christian's return to the ring at the 2021 Rumble.

[theironyuppie]

It is pretty wild, really. It's still barely two years since we had Vince on screen weekly with stupid tie-ins like EGG.

[Natural Born Farmer]

The turnaround in terms of quality really has been pretty astonishing, and that looks like it's been reflected in their results.

Who would've thought delivering sensical storylines, continuity, and balancing the workrate with the more gimmicky aspects of the product might attract viewers?

Hurts because I love AEW and they seemed like the place to be for awhile there, but if I were an indie wrestler now, WWE is 100% where I'd want to end up.

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

I still just can’t get into the main roster shows. It’s almost like a Pavlovian don’t give a shit response after so many years of suck

Haven’t bothered even trying to watch Smackdown since the FOX app stopped carrying it

Loyal NXT watcher though

[Watch AEW Magnitude]

It’s just great to feel optimism again.

[KingPooper]

I still every weekly show feels like a rerun and Seth should have dropped the title to Finn or Nikamura, and Roman should have dropped the title to Cody.

But I will admit things do feel like they’re in an upswing.

[Fade]

Awesome video some dude made on Twitter

x.com/altmox/status/1741531907047715010?s=46&t=CUsu7b6wOLh6CGCnBLJZkw

[Venti]

Wrestlemania 38 felt like the turning point for me.

It was like a lightswitch got flipped, and the company has been firing on all cylinders ever since.

That's all I've been wanting for years was to be able to enjoy WWE again.

It was frustrating for so long, because there would be moments that were really good that would pull me back in, but then things would just settle in to being mediocre again.

It's really nice to see how things have turned out, and I'm really enjoying WWE with Triple H in charge of booking. I feel like he has a much fresher vision than Vince had towards the end there.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Jan 1, 2024 0:18:16 GMT -5 KingPooper said:

I still every weekly show feels like a rerun and Seth should have dropped the title to Finn or Nikamura, and Roman should have dropped the title to Cody.

But I will admit things do feel like they’re in an upswing.

They just need to figure out how to make the TV shows draws in their own right without leaving nowhere upwards to go for the PPVs in terms of stakes and match combinations. Going the AEW/NXT route of branded specials might be a good decision going forward, but you can't do THOSE every week.

[Venti]

Dec 31, 2023 22:59:42 GMT -5 theironyuppie said:

It is pretty wild, really. It's still barely two years since we had Vince on screen weekly with stupid tie-ins like EGG.

It was pretty dismal seeing Vince every week in backstage segments, mumbling incoherently. He was one of the best on screen talkers 20+ years ago, but dude had just completely lost it as he got older.

[Fade]

Jan 1, 2024 2:16:22 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

Jan 1, 2024 0:18:16 GMT -5 KingPooper said:

I still every weekly show feels like a rerun and Seth should have dropped the title to Finn or Nikamura, and Roman should have dropped the title to Cody.

But I will admit things do feel like they’re in an upswing.

They just need to figure out how to make the TV shows draws in their own right without leaving nowhere upwards to go for the PPVs in terms of stakes and match combinations. Going the AEW/NXT route of branded specials might be a good decision going forward, but you can't do THOSE every week.

I don’t think it’s feasible. Not with raw being three hours. Maybe Smackdown one day will be ..consistently quality but I think this system of the shows mainly being fodder for the PLE’s remains.

[HMARK Center]

Jan 1, 2024 0:02:32 GMT -5 Watch AEW Magnitude said:

It’s just great to feel optimism again.

That's the vibe I get that's the biggest difference of all; I admittedly don't watch much WWE, but what I have seen since the change still has flaws, issues that I feel would likely get scrutinzed more in most other promotions (plus WWE's overall approach/style/philosophy just doesn't really appeal to my personal tastes, is what it is)...but when you think of just how screwed up things were before the change, I can't imagine how refreshing it has to be for long time fans to not feel like the show/promotion actively fighting against its audience is the real biggest ongoing feud.

Like, I still think the Cody/Roman match going the way it did last year was silly; for all the talk of "stories" and whatnot, that match outcome just didn't mesh at all with what came later, and it's led to Roman mostly not being around and Cody often spinning his wheels. The catch, though? When Vince was still booking things, that all might've come with a big fear that Cody would slide right down to the midcard, and that has decidedly not happened. Hell, expand that to include guys like Sami Zayn or Jey Uso; they're both over right now, and I think a big reason why is sheer relief much of the audience has that, no, this time the booker isn't going to take the guys who lost to the dominant champion and shuffle them off into purgatory. It means you can see a match outcome you think is poorly thought out, or a show that just doesn't click, but you can still walk away giving the show the benefit of the doubt after that.

This probably comes off like a backhanded compliment or saying "the bar was just that low" or whatever, but when you combine that improvement in vibes with changes to many of the worst Vince-isms of modern history (improving the commentary, scripts not feeling like they were changed just before airtime, etc.), plus the fact that the promotion's been around forever and its audience is largely made up of people who grew up with it and want to like it, even small positive changes can make people more forgiving of remaining flaws and issues.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Really, I may not agree with all the booking decisions, but if more positive things keep happening like this, there will genuinely be less to complain about with the overall product and that's just good for everyone and wrestling as a whole