Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
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Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on Mar 2, 2021 1:26:13 GMT -5
The Japan side feels like KOTR 1995. Seems like a really weird choice to win in a tournament with Emi Sakura, Yuka Sakazaki and Aja Kong. When you're in a pandemic restricted era of wrestling, the one who is likely moving to the states very soon is probably the one you want to win on the Japanese side of the bracket since you have to fly her to the US and then use her, especially if she has the potential to win your main title as well.
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Post by "Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik on Mar 2, 2021 1:31:32 GMT -5
I also think Ryo is someone who will do a lot better with crowd interaction. Her and Nyla should tear the house down Wednesday.
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Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
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Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on Mar 2, 2021 1:34:32 GMT -5
It was as I said ,every talent was a good talent to win,be it Britt,Riho<Rosa,Yuka,Ryo. Just great talent all around Plus Riho beat the NWA Champ building a feud,Nyla looks like a monster again and you have a new monster killer in Ryo Statlander's coming back real soon too Like I'd much rather have a division where it feels like we have a huge pool of talent to dig from for matches and feuds. Shida, Nyla, Baker, Deeb, Rosa, Riho, Statlander, Ryo, that's just the upper card, then ya got Conti, Ivelisse, Diamante, Hirsch, Swole, Ford, Abadon, Red Velvet, Jade Cargill, and then Alex Gracia, KiLynn King, Dani Jordyn, Madi Wrenkowski, Leva Bates and some other DARK Girls as an undercard base. That's not counting the pandemic restricted Joshi potential, Anna Jay and Brooke Havok's recent injuries, and Allie and Mel also exist. Who knows who else they could also potentially sign too. I remember the first half of AEW's Pandemic, I remember the women's division basically being Shida, Ford, Swole, Nyla, Injured Britt Baker, Extreme Rookie Anna Jay, Brandi, and Allie... it was a f***ing nightmare... I am so proud that the division has pieced itself together, gotten a foundation they continue to positively build upon, and have put on some of the best bangers in all of women's wrestling to start the year so far. I'm happy with the progress, and I only hope it continues.
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Post by Mozenrath on Mar 2, 2021 2:35:32 GMT -5
I loved the Special. The 6 woman tag and the main event were both 4+ star matches for me. I really hope they just start showing more AEW branded matches from Japan. And Rosa versus Riho was just special. As far as Ryo goes, I'm not feeling her at all, but she's moving to the US and she seems to be cared about by Shida. In the end, its just a story to get a title match for someone Shida probably respects, wants to have a big match with, and had the stroke to do it. Nyla is friends with alot of Joshis and worked with them. Her getting to the final may also be about her eventually working in Japan for a bit, when it's possible. I like Baker, Rio and Thunder Rosa more, but Nyla needed the win as more then any of them to stay relevant. And her matches have been better. Shida, yeah, though Ryo is also apparently one of Kenny Omega's favorite current wrestlers, bar-none. There's also a hell of a story they can tell in that Ryo was apparently considering retiring before her first AEW appearance, since her career had I guess stalled out a bit. That reinvigorated her, and I think that's the kind of thing they can really tell a feel-good story with.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2021 14:05:58 GMT -5
Sad to see a bunch of people complaining that Ryo and Nyla winning their brackets is "bad booking". I'm really sick of the old WWE-viewing mindset of "my favorite winning is good booking, my favorite losing is bad booking", because people conflate a loss with a de-push or something. Either way, the match was damn good, and Nyla gets some credibility back after laying low for a little while and likely has a bruising match with Ryo this Wednesday. Whatever the outcome in all of this I'm confident they're telling a story, here, so even if this does end with Shida beating the winner it's still likely going somewhere. Sometimes the best story to tell is easiest one. I dont think anyone had Ryo or Rose in the finals. Hell every round I thought they would be losing. Its not so much about favorites I just think Rosa, Riho, Yuka, Baker, etc. had much better story arcs. But if Ryo is moving to american than I guess thats the one you push. Might has well have her beat Shida otherwise the tourament seems kinda moot.
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Post by HMARK Center on Mar 2, 2021 17:08:33 GMT -5
Sad to see a bunch of people complaining that Ryo and Nyla winning their brackets is "bad booking". I'm really sick of the old WWE-viewing mindset of "my favorite winning is good booking, my favorite losing is bad booking", because people conflate a loss with a de-push or something. Either way, the match was damn good, and Nyla gets some credibility back after laying low for a little while and likely has a bruising match with Ryo this Wednesday. Whatever the outcome in all of this I'm confident they're telling a story, here, so even if this does end with Shida beating the winner it's still likely going somewhere. Sometimes the best story to tell is easiest one. I dont think anyone had Ryo or Rose in the finals. Hell every round I thought they would be losing. Its not so much about favorites I just think Rosa, Riho, Yuka, Baker, etc. had much better story arcs. But if Ryo is moving to american than I guess thats the one you push. Might has well have her beat Shida otherwise the tourament seems kinda moot. Honestly I didn't really see what the arcs were at this point, just seemed more of a chance to showcase a revitalized division. Beyond that, I think the only domestic matches we've got left for Shida now are Baker and Riho; Baker's occupied with her feud wiht Rosa for the moment, and while I'd be 100% down for Shida/Riho I think they might be saving that a bit, but that's just a guess on my part.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Mar 2, 2021 17:41:45 GMT -5
The Japan side feels like KOTR 1995. Seems like a really weird choice to win in a tournament with Emi Sakura, Yuka Sakazaki and Aja Kong. Kong was never going to win it. She was there to give the tournament a rub.
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Post by This Player Hating Mothman on Mar 2, 2021 18:01:03 GMT -5
The Japan side feels like KOTR 1995. Seems like a really weird choice to win in a tournament with Emi Sakura, Yuka Sakazaki and Aja Kong. Kong was never going to win it. She was there to give the tournament a rub. Aja Kong is cool as a showcase appearance, the way she came in very early into AEW's lifespan and was an interesting presence as this fearsome veteran who hadn't been on American television in two and a half decades. She's not someone a company like AEW should ever put on PPV and give major title shots to. She's not going to operate in the kind of environment that major AEW matches want and she's clearly not the kind of future star the company can build around. A really fun spectacle and an absolute legend, but absolutely not the kind of pick for winning this tournament. Or really any tournament for AEW even if travel was more open and she could get herself stateside more fluidly.
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Post by carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army) on Mar 3, 2021 14:57:48 GMT -5
Kong was never going to win it. She was there to give the tournament a rub. Aja Kong is cool as a showcase appearance, the way she came in very early into AEW's lifespan and was an interesting presence as this fearsome veteran who hadn't been on American television in two and a half decades. She's not someone a company like AEW should ever put on PPV and give major title shots to. She's not going to operate in the kind of environment that major AEW matches want and she's clearly not the kind of future star the company can build around. A really fun spectacle and an absolute legend, but absolutely not the kind of pick for winning this tournament. Or really any tournament for AEW even if travel was more open and she could get herself stateside more fluidly. I gotta disagree with this, because Kong wrestles unusually well for someone as physically limited as she is. She builds in big spots very well, which keeps her matches from seeming as slow-paced as they actually are. And good announcers make a big difference here, getting over the wrestlers' distinct strengths and weaknesses. It's kinda cool to have a wrestler who's top-tier in strength and resilience, but low in conditioning, so her opponents have to withstand her offense.
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Post by This Player Hating Mothman on Mar 3, 2021 15:15:03 GMT -5
Aja Kong is cool as a showcase appearance, the way she came in very early into AEW's lifespan and was an interesting presence as this fearsome veteran who hadn't been on American television in two and a half decades. She's not someone a company like AEW should ever put on PPV and give major title shots to. She's not going to operate in the kind of environment that major AEW matches want and she's clearly not the kind of future star the company can build around. A really fun spectacle and an absolute legend, but absolutely not the kind of pick for winning this tournament. Or really any tournament for AEW even if travel was more open and she could get herself stateside more fluidly. I gotta disagree with this, because Kong wrestles unusually well for someone as physically limited as she is. She builds in big spots very well, which keeps her matches from seeming as slow-paced as they actually are. And good announcers make a big difference here, getting over the wrestlers' distinct strengths and weaknesses. It's kinda cool to have a wrestler who's top-tier in strength and resilience, but low in conditioning, so her opponents have to withstand her offense. Oh don't get me wrong I think Kong's matches are a work of art. What she can do with so little is masterful, and it's a testament to her talent that she can put on such compelling matches with how far along she is, in ways a lot of her monster peers hitting a similar age couldn't. I just think that for AEW, she has a more reasonable ceiling of 'high profile TV match' at most. She works really well as both a veteran and as a monster, but I greatly prefer her in this context as a special attraction rather than someone getting a considerable push. Their decision in this tournament to let her resume speak for itself and lose by count-out to the winner of her bracket is just about the right way I'd book her in that same position.
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Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
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Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on Mar 3, 2021 15:38:46 GMT -5
I gotta disagree with this, because Kong wrestles unusually well for someone as physically limited as she is. She builds in big spots very well, which keeps her matches from seeming as slow-paced as they actually are. And good announcers make a big difference here, getting over the wrestlers' distinct strengths and weaknesses. It's kinda cool to have a wrestler who's top-tier in strength and resilience, but low in conditioning, so her opponents have to withstand her offense. Oh don't get me wrong I think Kong's matches are a work of art. What she can do with so little is masterful, and it's a testament to her talent that she can put on such compelling matches with how far along she is, in ways a lot of her monster peers hitting a similar age couldn't. I just think that for AEW, she has a more reasonable ceiling of 'high profile TV match' at most. She works really well as both a veteran and as a monster, but I greatly prefer her in this context as a special attraction rather than someone getting a considerable push. Their decision in this tournament to let her resume speak for itself and lose by count-out to the winner of her bracket is just about the right way I'd book her in that same position. Personally, I was watching Aja and Ryo and feeling like I was watching a WrestleKingdom match. Just the pace and the story being told, a masterclass.
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Post by AwamoriRock on Mar 3, 2021 17:58:48 GMT -5
Kong is awesome but her matches require almost special booking. A reason her main promotion is OZ is because her losses can more easily be explained by exploding bat death matches and huge tags.
For clean losses, Crappler can correct me on this, but only Yoshiko,Sareee, and Shida have done it in the last couple years. Yoshiko is a top level ace and had to skewer her own head, Sareee is about as close to a modern day goat Joshi you’re getting and she had to go through maybe the most bloody violent and uncomfortable beating I’ve seen in a while before pinning Aja and even then it was a contested pin, Shida basically had to nuke Kong to put her down.
Aja is not easy to book around but AEW only being able to do it sparingly is maybe a blessing in disguise. She’s kinda a great obstacle for making people, even knocking her down in a match gets hyped up.
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Post by chrom on Mar 3, 2021 18:00:11 GMT -5
The match with Ryo was the perfect way for Kong to lose, getting too caught up in being outside and Ryo taking advantage of it to get the countout.
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Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
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Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on Mar 3, 2021 18:16:55 GMT -5
Kong is awesome but her matches require almost special booking. A reason her main promotion is OZ is because her losses can more easily be explained by exploding bat death matches and huge tags. For clean losses, Crappler can correct me on this, but only Yoshiko,Sareee, and Shida have done it in the last couple years. Yoshiko is a top level ace and had to skewer her own head, Sareee is about as close to a modern day goat Joshi you’re getting and she had to go through maybe the most bloody violent and uncomfortable beating I’ve seen in a while before pinning Aja and even then it was a contested pin, Shida basically had to nuke Kong to put her down. Aja is not easy to book around but AEW only being able to do it sparingly is maybe a blessing in disguise. She’s kinda a great obstacle for making people, even knocking her down in a match gets hyped up. The best part about AEW is countout wins and losses matter on records so matches like that and even DQs will matter in records and rankings meaning if they ever booked Kong to lose she wouldn't have to be pinned. Same for multi person matches if her team were to lose.
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Post by AwamoriRock on Mar 3, 2021 18:23:43 GMT -5
Kong is awesome but her matches require almost special booking. A reason her main promotion is OZ is because her losses can more easily be explained by exploding bat death matches and huge tags. For clean losses, Crappler can correct me on this, but only Yoshiko,Sareee, and Shida have done it in the last couple years. Yoshiko is a top level ace and had to skewer her own head, Sareee is about as close to a modern day goat Joshi you’re getting and she had to go through maybe the most bloody violent and uncomfortable beating I’ve seen in a while before pinning Aja and even then it was a contested pin, Shida basically had to nuke Kong to put her down. Aja is not easy to book around but AEW only being able to do it sparingly is maybe a blessing in disguise. She’s kinda a great obstacle for making people, even knocking her down in a match gets hyped up. The best part about AEW is countout wins and losses matter on records so matches like that and even DQs will matter in records and rankings meaning if they ever booked Kong to lose she wouldn't have to be pinned. Same for multi person matches if her team were to lose. Right, and say someone like Hirsch loses but has a spot where she lariats her into falling down etc you get a star making moment without even having to pin.
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Post by "Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik on Mar 3, 2021 22:18:22 GMT -5
I think everything they've done will make sense if you book backwards from the decision that Ryo is winning. If you're going to do that, you need her to beat some good talent on the Japan side (a popular Maki Itoh, a legend in Aja Kong, and a talent prominently featured on AEW TV in Yuka). And then you decide who she should face in the finals. Could she have better matches with a Rosa or a Riho? Probably! But I like the Nyla pick since it will be a cleaner face/heel dynamic, she'll be able to overcome a size disadvantage, and she'll beat a former champion who literally almost never loses. If Nyla wins, well throw all of that out the window. But if Ryo is the choice, it all makes sense to me. Now if they had full control of who could come over from Japan, I might have picked someone else. But there definitely seems to be forces beyond that at play and I think Ryo is ultimately a good choice regardless.
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Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
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Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on Mar 3, 2021 22:21:59 GMT -5
One of the best Tournaments top to bottom of recent memory
Compare this to their Tag Tourney, seriously, it doesn't even feel like the same company
The division is recovering splendidly into 2021 and I'm so happy for it!
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