The Main Event Racial Diversity Is Getting Better In AEW

[cjb01: Limited Edition Item!]

Sept 28, 2024 17:45:27 GMT -5 clifford said:

Having trouble embedding but here's an interesting tweet
x.com/sarahgraps/status/1840064226569621581?t=lNDh3dADzQvJSV6kLrvbgA&s=19

Yeah Bobby leaving kind of left a gaping hole in this regard that WWE has seemed in zero rush to fill. Hayes and Trick are there but they haven't been in any rush to actually push them to a top program yet (Or call up Trick at all).

[lionheart21]

Sept 28, 2024 17:56:12 GMT -5 cjb01: Limited Edition Item! said:

Sept 28, 2024 17:45:27 GMT -5 clifford said:

Having trouble embedding but here's an interesting tweet
x.com/sarahgraps/status/1840064226569621581?t=lNDh3dADzQvJSV6kLrvbgA&s=19

Yeah Bobby leaving kind of left a gaping hole in this regard that WWE has seemed in zero rush to fill. Hayes and Trick are there but they haven't been in any rush to actually push them to a top program yet (Or call up Trick at all).

If I'm Trick and I'm seeing how Hayes is currently being utilized, I wouldn't wanna be in much of a rush to get to the main roster.

[Kalmia]

I don't watch WWE so I can't comment on what they're doing over there with the talent they have available.

But the number of replies saying "well, who is in a good enough storyline to get on a PPV?" are so close to understanding the problem while still completely missing it.

[cjb01: Limited Edition Item!]

Sept 28, 2024 18:51:38 GMT -5 Kalmia said:

I don't watch WWE so I can't comment on what they're doing over there with the talent they have available.

But the number of replies saying "well, who is in a good enough storyline to get on a PPV?" are so close to understanding the problem while still completely missing it.

They absolutely have the talent, WWE just seems very content to not book it to a top level of the card right now, maybe they want to build people like Hayes up, though I hate this purgatory series with Andrade personally, think he's above it.

[kidkamikaze10]

Sept 28, 2024 18:51:38 GMT -5 Kalmia said:

I don't watch WWE so I can't comment on what they're doing over there with the talent they have available.

But the number of replies saying "well, who is in a good enough storyline to get on a PPV?" are so close to understanding the problem while still completely missing it.

Straight up reminded me of earlier on in this thread.

WWE has even less of an excuse to be in that position.

[The Captain]

This is WWE's problem to deal with and doesn't have anything to do with AEW, but I think it's pretty telling how well Black men's talent is booked on NXT by HBK compared to Raw and Smackdown.

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

WWE is in a rebuild of main event black talent but let's not ignore minorities in general

Priest was just champiom

Also I hate those ESPN level stats

[cjb01: Limited Edition Item!]

Sept 28, 2024 22:30:03 GMT -5 Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) said:

WWE is in a rebuild of main event black talent but let's not ignore minorities in general

Priest was just champiom

Also I hate those ESPN level stats

Priest was good, definitely won't ignore that

The Mexican Talent's Booking and the current void for the black talent in a main event is noticeable though on the main roster

While it's improved with Iyo on the women's side and Giulia in NXT being presented like a huge deal, they have also booked Asian talents EXTREMELY suspect as well for a long time. The men's side has seen zero improvement there still, as they push the "SHINSUKE LOSES" button again I'm sure...

[EoE: Workin On My Night Cheese]

Let me preface this by saying that I'm whiter than week-old dog shit in the sun, so I don't have any true perspective on racial matters because I'll almost certainly never be on the other side of it.

All I know in this specific subject is that, in this fanbase, what constitutes a push in WWE is entirely different to what constitutes a push in AEW. I feel like AEW talents seemingly can just be midcarders, they don't have to win every match, they don't have to be on every PPV, they don't even have to be on TV every week, and it's OK, because being given the platform is what matters. I don't believe this is true for WWE even after Vince. There's a specific rocket push that a talent still has to get before people truly buy into them where they're on TV EVERY week, they win EVERY match, they get put on a pedestal above everybody else, because with how ruthless they can be with budget cuts and renewing contracts, if you're not on that rocket, you can almost be seen as surplus to requirements already. And I don't know what they do to fix this, because they ARE doing midcard storylines, but because they're not being treated with main event gravitas, and being put on these streamlined PPVs, it basically doesn't count.

[Final Countdown Jones]

Sept 29, 2024 2:26:05 GMT -5 EoE: Workin On My Night Cheese said:

Let me preface this by saying that I'm whiter than week-old dog shit in the sun, so I don't have any true perspective on racial matters because I'll almost certainly never be on the other side of it.

All I know in this specific subject is that, in this fanbase, what constitutes a push in WWE is entirely different to what constitutes a push in AEW. I feel like AEW talents seemingly can just be midcarders, they don't have to win every match, they don't have to be on every PPV, they don't even have to be on TV every week, and it's OK, because being given the platform is what matters. I don't believe this is true for WWE even after Vince. There's a specific rocket push that a talent still has to get before people truly buy into them where they're on TV EVERY week, they win EVERY match, they get put on a pedestal above everybody else, because with how ruthless they can be with budget cuts and renewing contracts, if you're not on that rocket, you can almost be seen as surplus to requirements already. And I don't know what they do to fix this, because they ARE doing midcard storylines, but because they're not being treated with main event gravitas, and being put on these streamlined PPVs, it basically doesn't count.

Counterpoint: everything people were saying about Swerve in the time he was an aimless midcarder in AEW

[cjb01: Limited Edition Item!]

Sept 29, 2024 2:53:02 GMT -5 Final Countdown Jones said:

Sept 29, 2024 2:26:05 GMT -5 EoE: Workin On My Night Cheese said:

Let me preface this by saying that I'm whiter than week-old dog shit in the sun, so I don't have any true perspective on racial matters because I'll almost certainly never be on the other side of it.

All I know in this specific subject is that, in this fanbase, what constitutes a push in WWE is entirely different to what constitutes a push in AEW. I feel like AEW talents seemingly can just be midcarders, they don't have to win every match, they don't have to be on every PPV, they don't even have to be on TV every week, and it's OK, because being given the platform is what matters. I don't believe this is true for WWE even after Vince. There's a specific rocket push that a talent still has to get before people truly buy into them where they're on TV EVERY week, they win EVERY match, they get put on a pedestal above everybody else, because with how ruthless they can be with budget cuts and renewing contracts, if you're not on that rocket, you can almost be seen as surplus to requirements already. And I don't know what they do to fix this, because they ARE doing midcard storylines, but because they're not being treated with main event gravitas, and being put on these streamlined PPVs, it basically doesn't count.

Counterpoint: everything people were saying about Swerve in the time he was an aimless midcarder in AEW

Yeah no people are NOT always ok with AEW talents being in holdover periods or in purgatory

I remember when Swerve lost to Tanahashi, people weren't thrilled, the initial Mogul Affiliates iteration also didn't land and rise him up the card at first (Though some of that also had to be aborting the Keith Lee feud due to his health which sucked, but yeah)

People want Takeshita to move up the card and win a title

Same with Hobbs (He's a former TNT Champion but a more statement making reign)

Both still very possible and seem to be in that direction but if people see that star power in a wrestler they don't want them in holdover stuff forever when it seems clear you need to strap the rocket in AEW, and far as I saw, Swerve was no different, they just strapped the rocket and did so very well when they did it.

[Final Countdown Jones]

Sept 29, 2024 3:37:13 GMT -5 cjb01: Limited Edition Item! said:

Sept 29, 2024 2:53:02 GMT -5 Final Countdown Jones said:

Counterpoint: everything people were saying about Swerve in the time he was an aimless midcarder in AEW

Yeah no people are NOT always ok with AEW talents being in holdover periods or in purgatory

I remember when Swerve lost to Tanahashi, people weren't thrilled, the initial Mogul Affiliates iteration also didn't land ad rise him up the card at first (Though some of that also had to be aborting the Keith Lee feud due to his health which sucked, but yeah)

People want Takeshita to move up the card and win a title

Same with Hobbs (He's a former TNT Champion but a more statement making reign)

Both still very possible and seem to be in that direction but if people see that star power in a wrestler they don't want them in holdover stuff forever when it seems clear you need to strap the rocket in AEW, and far as I saw, Swerve was no different, they just strapped the rocket and did so very well when they did it.

AEW tells its stories differently, what it does with midcarders is often different, but there are way too many cases of the audience very loudly wanting people to ascend up the card for me to think the idea holds any weight that the fanbase is just kinda fine with whoever being in the midcard versus in WWE. Hell, this year has been marked by a decently loud contingent arguing they're wasting Okada and/or Ospreay with midcard titles, and even some who have said Swerve isn't the main event guy over them and it's wasteful to have the world title on him while Ospreay slums it with the belt he has, to the point it influenced how Ospreay approached his match with Swerve to try and shut that up and put shine on Swerve.

I mean, hell, even a lot of the earlier days of this thread have included shit like "Tag/trio titles are not enough, the main event of AEW is too white" specifically. In this three year long thread, I think plenty has been said that dispels that notion it's somehow different for AEW.

[CeilingFan]

AEW All Out had 3 Black Wrestlers on the PPV.

WWE Bad Blood will have ZERO Black Wrestlers on their PPV.

[polarbearpete]

Sept 29, 2024 6:22:50 GMT -5 CeilingFan said:

AEW All Out had 3 Black Wrestlers on the PPV.

WWE Bad Blood will have ZERO Black Wrestlers on their PPV.

Hosted by Bianca and Jade!

I think it’s pretty obvious the WWE PPV stats are being hurt just by way of them cutting PPVs down to 5 matches. Otherwise you’d have these matches like the great (imo) Hayes-Andrade feud getting a PPV match or the triple threat tag ladder match being on the PPV with the Profits rather than on Smackdown the night before . They do need black male talent though. Woods is starting to get a push and Hayes on Smackdown too but more can be done there now that Lashley is gone.

[daaave]

WWE's lack of pushed black wrestlers does suck and does seem a bit weird, and AEW have been a lot better then they were but I wouldn't, as an AEW fan, start doing victory laps just yet. AEW have made a lot of progress, but it's still a fragile thing, and no guarantee they don't regress. It just needs a big injury to a Swerve or somebody like Willow or Mercedes to leave, and you could easily be looking at zero black representation on an AEW ppv.

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

Lashley reportedly on his way soon

Shelton, MVP, and Lashley signed a few weeks ago

[Dub H]

And seemingly a private party push under way

And Takeshita(I know he is not black,but still falls unto racial diversity )

[lionheart21]

Oct 3, 2024 9:13:25 GMT -5 Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) said:

Lashley reportedly on his way soon

Shelton, MVP, and Lashley signed a few weeks ago

Get Hobbs into that group once he returns.

Having him have a TNA Lashley run where he just destroys everyone in his path with MVP as his hypeman, that feels like a can't-miss opportunity right there.

[SneakMan]

There’s still a ways to go for AEW, but say what you will about TK, at least he never said “I don’t see color” when asked about lack of diversity at a press conference.

[Final Countdown Jones]

Oct 6, 2024 7:40:27 GMT -5 SneakMan said:

There’s still a ways to go for AEW, but say what you will about TK, at least he never said “I don’t see color” when asked about lack of diversity at a press conference.

Oh. Oh god don't tell me Trips