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Post by thewaykokid on Mar 19, 2020 21:22:47 GMT -5
I am 33 years old and have been a fan pretty much all this time. For the past I don't know 15 years it has basically been something I kept up with but haven't really enjoyed for the most part. AEW Has completely turned that around where I am excited to see a show again. Last night just cemented it. I just had to say how Damn grateful I am to have a actual good wrestling show that makes me happy.
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Post by Fade is a CodyCryBaby on Mar 19, 2020 23:30:03 GMT -5
31 here and I feel exactly the same. To be fair, I got snippets of this feeling from Lucha Underground and NJPW over the last few years.
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Laces
Bubba Ho-Tep
Munkus(Thirst)Trap
...they'll reunite one day...
Posts: 575
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Post by Laces on Mar 19, 2020 23:40:06 GMT -5
34, gave up wrestling in high school after growing up with the attittude Era. Came back last year to check out AEW and I'm glad I did
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Dr. Bolty, Disaster Enby
Grimlock
Blanket burrito season is back, and I never left the blankets
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Post by Dr. Bolty, Disaster Enby on Mar 20, 2020 0:05:38 GMT -5
Man. 32 myself, and seeing the age range in this thread...any of the rest of y'all have that feeling like WWE was really good for just long enough to be a fan for life, but then frustrated for the 14-18 years ever since?
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Post by madness50 on Mar 20, 2020 2:39:01 GMT -5
I just turned 31 last month, been watching wrestling pretty much non-stop since late 1994. I feel such apathy and indifference towards WWE now with their stale ass product. I’m so thankful to have promotions like AEW and New Japan to turn towards. AEW isn’t perfect, but it’s just what I’ve been looking for as a long-time wrestling fan.
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Post by héad.casé on Mar 20, 2020 5:56:31 GMT -5
37 and feeling the same way. Been watching most of my life, grew up with Hogan, Sting & Bret Hart as my heroes, WWF Wrestling Challenge, WWF All-American and WCW Worldwide and never truly got disillusioned with WWE until 2002/2003.
I always watched out of habit though - wrestling has been in my life for 30 something years and it’s hard to walk away from. Now that there’s actually a good alternative in AEW, I actually enjoy watching wrestling again.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2020 10:09:21 GMT -5
I’m 30, and in a lot of ways I was a Lapsed fan prior to AEW. I’ve never gotten to the point of outright disliking WWE, but by about 2016 it had just been presenting a product that wasn’t my cup of tea. Brock Lesnar was on top for way too long, nothing felt like it mattered, the announcers were annoying, overproduced shills, and everything felt so polished to the point that it felt like I was watching a variety show more than a wrestling show. I don’t hate WWE or even think there necessarily needs to be a “war” with AEW in the modern era of instant access and streaming, but I just find the product horrendously offputting right now.
So, I canceled the network, and started following NJPW and ROH more closely. I loved NJPW, but even with a World membership found it kind of hard to follow. ROH I enjoyed the matches and the overall feel, but there weren’t quite enough storylines or interesting characters for my tastes.
There’s never really been anything quite like AEW on American wrestling television - it’s equal parts 1991 WCW, modern NJPW, and attitude era WWF. It draws inspiration from the good parts of all of its predecessors and just puts on a great, entertaining, easy to follow wrestling show. It’s not only my favorite wrestling promotion going right now, but Dynamite is probably my favorite overall television show. I look forward to Wednesday nights now at 30 in the same way I looked forward to Mondays as an 8 year old, and it’s really such a good feeling.
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Post by leanmeangene on Mar 20, 2020 10:24:29 GMT -5
34. As far as weekly televised wrestling. I feel the same way. Early ROH kept me into wrestling, during the Cornette era I jumped into PWG and dabbled in NJPW. Now NJPW is still my preferred choice, but AEW has got me watching regularly again. So refreshing and even the wives of wrestling friends look forward to AEW pay per views.
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Post by The Dark Order Inferno on Mar 20, 2020 10:31:27 GMT -5
I'm loving being able to give a promotion the benefit of the doubt again. Even if I don't always like where an angle goes, I trust AEW aren't doing it out of spite.
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Zone Was Wrong
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Currently living off the high that AEW brings every Wednesday and Friday
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Post by Zone Was Wrong on Mar 20, 2020 11:03:09 GMT -5
33 going on 34, have been watching wrestling , at a consistent rate, since the late '90s. In the last ten or so years my interest in wrestling has faced peaks and valleys. NJPW had a huge part in reigniting my interests and AEW has become something to look forward to the second it ends on Wednesdays. While not everything clicks all the time, more times that not it has me loudly exclaiming during matches or promos. I haven't been like that unless I was watching a Takeover in forever.
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Lupin the Third
Patti Mayonnaise
I'm sorry.....I love you. *boot to the head*--3rd most culpable in the jixing of NXT, D'oh!
Join the Dark Order....
Posts: 36,299
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Post by Lupin the Third on Mar 20, 2020 18:05:52 GMT -5
The last 5 years have been really frustrating. I followed Chikara for a while, for probably the last 10 years or so, and while it was good, it just felt....there.
And then the WWE, while I would watch it all the time, especially after WrestleMania XXX with Daniel Bryan finally getting his fun in the sun, just started to eat away at my enjoyment of wrestling. Hell, I don't think I've watched WWE episodically for about 2 1/2 years now.
Then AEW comes in, and brings that spark back that made me enjoy pro wrestling. The characters, the action, the comedy, the drama, the fresh feel to it.
Thank you, AEW.
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Post by Yacht Persona on Mar 20, 2020 20:17:31 GMT -5
I've been watching wrestling on and off again since 1990, mostly due to feeling beaten down by WWE. AEW doesn't feel like something inevitable when I watch, if that makes sense.
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Post by Can you afford to pay me, Gah on Mar 20, 2020 20:18:50 GMT -5
AEW has really has jump start my love for wrestling again For the last few years WWE just felt like a chore to watch. It gotten to the point of hardly watching it. I watch a PPV here and there and follow the results. But watching it I have not, mainly I have hardly seen anything that made me think, ok I got to watch it. Raw and Smackdown just come off boring. I watched the Royal Rumble since I always loved the Rumble match. I watched the Raw after because of Edge. That was the first time in a while I watched WWE fully.
Before AEW I was like ok, I'm losing my enjoyment of wrestling. AEW for sure renewed my love for wrestling. Just but having great action that is different. Storylines that you can feel it and not a bunch of stupid stuff like Dog food.
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Post by Cyno on Mar 21, 2020 18:48:18 GMT -5
35 here and AEW feels like a love letter to what made me like wrestling in the first place along with a lot of new exciting styles and talent. Last time I was this enthusiastic about a wrestling product was 2000 WWF.
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Post by THE FVNKER on Mar 21, 2020 20:50:08 GMT -5
28 years old. Became a fan around 96-97 after figuring out who Hulk Hogan was. Continued to watch both WCW and WWF (back then I didnt understand the differences in production and booking style and shit). Entirely quit watching just about all wrestling after the Invasion angle flopped. Since then, I've still always kept up with most of the behind the scenes shit. Checked out TNA when Hogan debuted and stuck with it until it got really dumb. The only other timed I literally watched was AJ's Rumble debut. Gave it up again after that.
Upon AEW's first press conference or whatever, I've been hooked on em. I watch live every Wednesday unless I have to DVR it if I'm workin.
It's nice to have a WWE alternative. It's nice to enjoy wrestling again.
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Mar 21, 2020 20:58:56 GMT -5
32 here, and WWE just kind of got more and more insulated from fans, and seemed not so much like they were actively trying to spite them, which implies a certain level of awareness, and more like they just didn't understand their fanbase anymore.
NJPW grabbed more of my any attention bit by bit, then AEW captured my imagination in a big way from its inception, since All In was already a big demonstration that what was deemed impossible wasn't so.
I feel like the best case scenario for a world with AEW in it is that wrestlers have more bargaining power, some of them do jump from one place to the next to combat the stagnation WWE cultivated, and fans get more options. A lot of this has already begun.
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Bo Rida
Fry's dog Seymour
Pulled one over on everyone. Got away with it, this time.
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Post by Bo Rida on Mar 22, 2020 3:52:39 GMT -5
I remember back in 2000 we'd go into school and talk about our favourite moments, quotes, matches etc.
I feels like that again for the first time in ages. Things standing out on a weekly basis rather than never-ending sameness.
This week alone had the gambling, social distancing best friends, Sammy singing, Jericho's commentary and two big debuts. That doesn't even cover everything.
Having consistent characters driving those moments helps a lot, they're not just random.
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Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
FANatic
Writer, Lover of all things Wrestling. Analytical, Critical, Lovable (hopefully). Lets all have fun!
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Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on Mar 22, 2020 4:38:44 GMT -5
AEW said they wanted to appeal to that lapsed fan, those fans who may have left, the ones who were seeking the alternative
Judging by this thread they are absolutely succeeding in some form and then some.
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Mar 22, 2020 6:31:01 GMT -5
I remember back in 2000 we'd go into school and talk about our favourite moments, quotes, matches etc. I feels like that again the first time in ages. Things standing out on a weekly basis rather than never-ending sameness. This week alone had the gambling, social distancing best friends, Sammy singing, Jericho's commentary and two big debuts. That doesn't even cover everything. Having consistent characters driving those moments helps a lot, they're not just random. Bryan Alvarez summed it up nicely by saying that if you follow AEW, you get that much more out of it, that something already good will be great, and your investment in the characters, angles, etc, is rewarded. Not like this is always not the case or something with WWE, some stuff pays off, but given their last-minute rewarites, continuity and long-term planning takes a shellacking very often.
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Post by Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast on Mar 22, 2020 8:17:33 GMT -5
AEW is the only show I don't just watch later on DVR anymore (unless I'm tired and need to sleep early, so I'll have to catch up the next day)
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