“Mine says something different…”

[eJm]

5 years ago, AEW was announced and formed in a hell of a BTE ending.

The company itself has been through a lot (I’m looking at you, the last 3 pages of this board alone) but it can’t be said the business hasn’t been better for it existing. I mean, we can probably ask Andrade about that later tonight.

[ASYLUMHAUSEN]

A landmark day no matter how you slice it

[Mozenrath]

I love that they let Hangman do it. It really is a testament to how much the rest of them believed in him and that he was basically wrestling's best kept secret in their mind, which tracks with how I remember the Bucks, Kenny, and Cody putting him over huge any chance they got in that time period in shoots.

[Mid-Carder]

Jan 1, 2024 11:51:38 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

I love that they let Hangman do it. It really is a testament to how much the rest of them believed in him and that he was basically wrestling's best kept secret in their mind, which tracks with how I remember the Bucks, Kenny, and Cody putting him over huge any chance they got in that time period in shoots.

And cements him as AEW's main character, which in my opinion he still is

[Facetious]

If it wasn't for AEW, I would have stopped watching wrestling during the pandemic. I stopped watching Raw by 2015 and SD in 2017 and was largely losing interest in WWE PPVs by 2018.

AEW is by no means perfect and I have my issues with it, but I'm ultimately happy it was made and has succeeded despite some lows in the past few years.

[daaave]

AEW has been a huge success no matter how you wanna swing it. I can't imagine what the wrestling landscape would look like if they never existed.

[Kalmia]

I don't think Hangman's push worked out exactly how they planned (they clearly had plans to push him from day one but the crowd didn't agree) but it ended up being better in the long run.

[MrElijah]

Jan 1, 2024 11:39:47 GMT -5 eJm said:

5 years ago, AEW was announced and formed in a hell of a BTE ending.

The company itself has been through a lot (I’m looking at you, the last 3 pages of this board alone) but it can’t be said the business hasn’t been better for it existing. I mean, we can probably ask Andrade about that later tonight.

It's honestly crazy to consider all the factors leading to AEW Forming
-Okada's friendship with the Bucks in TNA
-TNA's various f*** ups
-Jericho being allowed to wrestle against Kenny Omega in the Tokyo Dome
-The Success of the First All In
-Cody getting released, betting on himself and possibly Dusty's Death pushing him

I'm sure I'm missing a bunch but yeah, talk about a storm of events

[Dr. Bolty, Disaster Enby]

Jan 1, 2024 12:42:27 GMT -5 Kalmia said:

I don't think Hangman's push worked out exactly how they planned (they clearly had plans to push him from day one but the crowd didn't agree) but it ended up being better in the long run.

Even the pivot had to be rethought, because it looked like they were going to turn him heel going into the Revolution tag title match only for him to get WAY over as a face faster than the initial negative response would have suggested.

[Fade is a CodyCryBaby]

*time traveling*

Cody. ay dawg. this is gonna be a trip but.. they gon turn the f*** out of you after youre lauded as the next big thing. Don’t bring pharaoh out. Do-Not-O-Go-Go-With-Ogogo. I know the thought of you going back to WWE seems incomprehensible rn but it’s ok. Just take it easy on the heavy lifting and watch for the rubber chicken

Young bucks, don’t , I repeat, don’t go to the locker room with Megha. You’ll know. Trust me. I’m just curious to see what happens.

Hangman - You’re perfect

[eJm]

Jan 1, 2024 12:55:45 GMT -5 MrElijah said:

It's honestly crazy to consider all the factors leading to AEW Forming
-Okada's friendship with the Bucks in TNA
-TNA's various f*** ups
-Jericho being allowed to wrestle against Kenny Omega in the Tokyo Dome
-The Success of the First All In
-Cody getting released, betting on himself and possibly Dusty's Death pushing him

I'm sure I'm missing a bunch but yeah, talk about a storm of events

- The Bullet Club shirt becoming THE wrestling shirt to the point Hot Topic asked WWE why they weren’t getting it in stores
- The Elite getting booked all over the place, including first time bookings in Ireland and the UK for Kenny.
- Colt Cabana basically becoming the poster child of promoting yourself everywhere that lead to stuff like Z True Long Island Story and BTE after that.

Jan 1, 2024 12:32:58 GMT -5 daaave said:

AEW has been a huge success no matter how you wanna swing it. I can't imagine what the wrestling landscape would look like if they never existed.

Also, so many What If scenarios that came from it.

- Would WWE have signed Piper Niven after the end of her WOS contract if AEW wasn’t around to bid for her?

- Would the speech the McMahons made in December where they all but thought the Elite were going to WWE actually lead to them going to WWE?

- Would Dean Ambrose accept a new WWE deal or go for his idea of Jon Moxley roaming the indies and Japan killing people as he went?

- Would WWE have turned Roman heel during the pandemic if there was no real reason for them to do so financially?

[Cyno]

Jan 1, 2024 12:59:02 GMT -5 Fade is a CodyCryBaby said:

*time traveling*

Cody. ay dawg. this is gonna be a trip but.. they gon turn the f*** out of you after youre lauded as the next big thing. Don’t bring pharaoh out. Do-Not-O-Go-Go-With-Ogogo. I know the thought of you going back to WWE seems incomprehensible rn but it’s ok. Just take it easy on the heavy lifting and watch for the rubber chicken

Young bucks, don’t , I repeat, don’t go to the locker room with Megha. You’ll know. Trust me. I’m just curious to see what happens.

Hangman - You’re perfect

Kenny - Watch out for Ace's chompers.

[Muskrat]

Jan 1, 2024 12:32:46 GMT -5 Facetious said:

If it wasn't for AEW, I would have stopped watching wrestling during the pandemic. I stopped watching Raw by 2015 and SD in 2017 and was largely losing interest in WWE PPVs by 2018.

AEW is by no means perfect and I have my issues with it, but I'm ultimately happy it was made and has succeeded despite some lows in the past few years.

I was burning out hard on WWE, had mostly stopped watching other than PPV’s as well. Was watching a tonne of New Japan, and basically any alternative I could get to WWE. AEW more than likely kept me a wrestling fan, they were exactly the promotion I needed. And while I don’t get quite as amped up for Dynamite as I used to, for a long time I was getting “Monday in 1998” levels of excited as soon as I woke up on Wednesdays. My whole f***ing day would build up to Dynamite

[daaave]

Yeah I was the same. WWE was great when I was a kid but as an adult it was never really for me even at its peaks. I even remember prefering TNA for large chunks of my adult life.

Pre AEW I was pretty much done with wrestling. When AEW really kicked on post pandemic I then had this realisation that 'shit, this is the type of tv wrestling I've wanted'. AEW doesn't always do it right but still, tuning into Dynamite and seeing stuff like Hangman vs Danielson kill it for an hour blew my mind. They've also introduced to me other companies and workers I'd never had seen. I love that they aren't in their own universe, they are part of the pro wrestling ecosystem

[AKIMan64]

It's hard to believe we're already half a decade in since the promotion's launch on New Years Day 2019. While there were companies like TNA/Impact and ROH around, to see another North American wrestling promotion stepping up the plate in a major way since WCW was incredible. Next thing you know, AEW struck a TV deal with the networks that showcased WCW programming.

[King Devitt]

Jan 1, 2024 11:39:47 GMT -5 eJm said:

5 years ago, AEW was announced and formed in a hell of a BTE ending.

The company itself has been through a lot (I’m looking at you, the last 3 pages of this board alone) but it can’t be said the business hasn’t been better for it existing. I mean, we can probably ask Andrade about that later tonight.

I remember how absolutely psyched I was at that reveal. So much hype. So much intrigue. So much momentum.

[kidkamikaze10]

Jan 1, 2024 12:59:02 GMT -5 Fade is a CodyCryBaby said:

*time traveling*

Cody. ay dawg. this is gonna be a trip but.. they gon turn the f*** out of you after youre lauded as the next big thing. Don’t bring pharaoh out. Do-Not-O-Go-Go-With-Ogogo. I know the thought of you going back to WWE seems incomprehensible rn but it’s ok. Just take it easy on the heavy lifting and watch for the rubber chicken

Young bucks, don’t , I repeat, don’t go to the locker room with Megha. You’ll know. Trust me. I’m just curious to see what happens.

Hangman - You’re perfect

Cody - Whatever you do, DO NOT lock yourself out of the world title.

[Mozenrath]

Does anyone have a link to the initial thread about AEW? I'd really love to re-read first impressions.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Wrestling changed forever

And whatever you'd argue, I'd say for the better of almost every wrestling company

[Mozenrath]

Jan 1, 2024 22:57:22 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

Wrestling changed forever

And whatever you'd argue, I'd say for the better of almost every wrestling company

Probably, though I know maybe MLW could cry foul to some extent due to losing a lot of their top guys to AEW. Then again, they'd have lost most of them to WWE or Impact, otherwise.

I know one could also argue ROH, but I think the pandemic was going to do severe damage to them regardless, and they were already having troubles.