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Post by HMARK Center on Aug 5, 2021 13:43:51 GMT -5
...aren't those matches that don't need the AEW title involved? Omega didn't cross Danielson's or Punk's paths when all of the involved people were at their peaks, fans are going to be positively tumescent at those matches happening no matter the stakes. It'd be like running Bret Hart vs. Hulk Hogan at Starrcade '97. Yeah, technically, it's the biggest possible match to run, but there had been ages of build for Sting, specifically. It's a promoter mindset, which I think Meltzer buys into, that a match's bigness is quantified by the measured star power of both participants, and a belt is always a plus to that equation. What AEW has done is present a narrative in which the belt is a macguffin with specific meaning to a specific wrestler, who also has a specific emotional dynamic with the current champion - and the intensity of that narrative has been brought to a boil by a pair of long title reigns by World and Tag champions who are, in fact, really good at being intensely despicable, with their most loathsome behavior directed to the hero who wants the belt and emotional vindication for how they have treated him. At that point, it's a bad idea to treat any of the figures in that drama as replaceable. To be fair, it'd be like running Hart vs. Hogan at Starrcade '97 if that Starrcade just so happened to have already been booked to happen in Calgary...
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Kalmia
King Koopa
Happy to be here
Posts: 11,663
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Post by Kalmia on Aug 5, 2021 13:50:10 GMT -5
And he also said they should run Omega vs. Danielson and Omega vs. Punk before Kenny drops the title... ...aren't those matches that don't need the AEW title involved? Omega didn't cross Danielson's or Punk's paths when all of the involved people were at their peaks, fans are going to be positively tumescent at those matches happening no matter the stakes. I'd argue that not having the belt involved would make them better. No need to worry about figuring out the rankings or how Bryan or Punk gets a title shot. You can just do the matches for the sake of doing them. Plus, without the title involved, it leaves the winner more in doubt. Kenny can't defend the title against both of them unless he wins the first match. Without the title there, it doesn't matter if Kenny wins the first match of not. Why not get a hot Kenny vs. Punk/Bryan match AND a hot title match on the same card?
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Post by drjayphd (feat. Pitbull) on Aug 5, 2021 13:57:39 GMT -5
...aren't those matches that don't need the AEW title involved? Omega didn't cross Danielson's or Punk's paths when all of the involved people were at their peaks, fans are going to be positively tumescent at those matches happening no matter the stakes. I'd argue that not having the belt involved would make them better. No need to worry about figuring out the rankings or how Bryan or Punk gets a title shot. You can just do the matches for the sake of doing them. Plus, without the title involved, it leaves the winner more in doubt. Kenny can't defend the title against both of them unless he wins the first match. Without the title there, it doesn't matter if Kenny wins the first match of not. Why not get a hot Kenny vs. Punk/Bryan match AND a hot title match on the same card? Pretty much my thought process. AEW doesn't hot-shot new signings to the AEW title so you'd have to build up Punk and Bryan to get that right, now you're presumably pushing back Page's win at least two more PPVs, then you're guaranteeing AEW drops the ball on him being hot like WCW did with Sting.
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Post by Dr. Bolty, Disaster Enby on Aug 5, 2021 13:58:34 GMT -5
It'd be like running Bret Hart vs. Hulk Hogan at Starrcade '97. Yeah, technically, it's the biggest possible match to run, but there had been ages of build for Sting, specifically. It's a promoter mindset, which I think Meltzer buys into, that a match's bigness is quantified by the measured star power of both participants, and a belt is always a plus to that equation. What AEW has done is present a narrative in which the belt is a macguffin with specific meaning to a specific wrestler, who also has a specific emotional dynamic with the current champion - and the intensity of that narrative has been brought to a boil by a pair of long title reigns by World and Tag champions who are, in fact, really good at being intensely despicable, with their most loathsome behavior directed to the hero who wants the belt and emotional vindication for how they have treated him. At that point, it's a bad idea to treat any of the figures in that drama as replaceable. To be fair, it'd be like running Hart vs. Hogan at Starrcade '97 if that Starrcade just so happened to have already been booked to happen in Calgary... Fair point...but a Calgary crowd that's already a sellout isn't going to pay more money at that point and is not going to be significantly hotter than they would be for Bret Hart dismantling an upper-midcard heel instead. I think that's an important consideration: they have the ticket sales already. They can't actually sell more unless they are betting that they can run Hangman/Omega in two months in an even bigger arena, and that's a dangerous bet when there are other options (such as, say, Bryan or Punk challenging Hangman for the title at that show, or taking out Omega in a non-title match).
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Post by Muskrat on Aug 5, 2021 15:17:16 GMT -5
And he also said they should run Omega vs. Danielson and Omega vs. Punk before Kenny drops the title... ...aren't those matches that don't need the AEW title involved? Omega didn't cross Danielson's or Punk's paths when all of the involved people were at their peaks, fans are going to be positively tumescent at those matches happening no matter the stakes. Yeah, running BOTH Punk and Danielson first could push this back way too far. Do those matches next year without the belt,
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