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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Jan 9, 2022 11:40:33 GMT -5
The top champion of the division is rapidly becoming its least interesting character.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2022 11:48:11 GMT -5
The difference between Kenny Omega and Britt Baker's title reigns are
A) Kenny had zero problem putting over his opponents and looking like an utter doofus, whereas Britt just basically no-sells everything because she's a cool heel, and
B) Kenny was the best wrestler in North America during his title reign, whereas Britt hasn't ever even been the best wrestler in the AEW women's division.
That's what makes one reign bearable and another reign unbearable. Britt's matches have largely been fine - she hasn't become a workrate goddess but she also hasn't gotten lazy and reverted to her awful 2019 self. But you need more than "fine" to support an 8+ month title reign, especially when Britt's matches all end in one of two ways (interference leading to the finish, or the interference backfires but Britt wins clean anyway). I'd hoped that Britt so obviously being TK's pet project basically from AEW's inception would help lift up the division as a whole once she got the belt. But instead it's just been a lot of wheel-spinning.
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ASYLUMHAUSEN
Fry's dog Seymour
GIFs | Shitposts | Fun
Posts: 24,372
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Post by ASYLUMHAUSEN on Jan 9, 2022 11:58:31 GMT -5
I’ve said it once, I’ll say a thousand more times…
f***in Yinzer 🤦🏼♂️
(Don’t mind me, just sitting here watching the world burn with my coffee 🤷🏼♂️)
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clifford
King Koopa
Shingo Takagi stan
Posts: 10,680
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Post by clifford on Jan 9, 2022 12:37:34 GMT -5
I'm sick to death of her character, her matches and her title reign, but there's no denying that she is the most over female wrestler AEW has. So, I get why they are sticking with her as champ.
But she's over inspite of the crappy way she's booked in my opinion, not because of it.
I saw a post in another thread throw up a great point- no one who has feuded with Britt as champ has come out of it looking good or better, save maybe for Tay. Compare with Kenny's title reign, where everyone he came up against before Hangman came out of their feud looking better, even in defeat.
I never want to see a 'well, we know who takes the title from them, but we want the reign to last 6 more months, so let's just do filler for half a year' title reign again though, please.
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Post by kingoftheindies on Jan 9, 2022 12:42:34 GMT -5
I think some are still being a bit harsh on the reign right now in that the crowd still does care about her. But again the big issue is they are clearly holding off for Rosa... and I get the feeling that's the main event for Revolution... at the earliest. And while Riho is good, I think she clearly didn't have a lot of momentum with the crowd.
Even if they're doing MJF/Wardlow right now I almost feel like they have to start the Hayter turn to freshen up the reign
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2022 12:46:52 GMT -5
It does seem like an instance where sticking to a long term booking plan has hurt Britt/the women's division more than helped. There was a random rumor months back that we wouldn’t get Britt/Rosa till 2022. And now here we are and… it didn’t turn out right. It seemed all of AEW went into a bit of auto-booking mode as they waited for the TBS shift which combined with the TBS tournament taking the center stage just hurt Britt’s run for months. Should have called an audible for Riho to win Saturday.
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Post by lavelleuk22 on Jan 9, 2022 13:05:47 GMT -5
I'm still enjoying it, probably their only women's wrestler who's impressed me tbh. I know people like soho but she's a bit nothingy, Kris Statlander probably the only one on Bakers level in the ring but guessing she's not great at promos as I can't think of one she's done?
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petef3
Don Corleone
Posts: 1,783
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Post by petef3 on Jan 9, 2022 14:09:52 GMT -5
The top champion of the division is rapidly becoming its least interesting character. I actually don't think this is a problem in and of itself. It worked better in the traveling-champion days, but it's okay to be more invested in the challenger than the champion.
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Post by Mid-Carder on Jan 9, 2022 14:33:54 GMT -5
I'd be happy for them to postpone Rosa's win and put the title on Hayter sooner than later after the split.
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petef3
Don Corleone
Posts: 1,783
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Post by petef3 on Jan 9, 2022 14:36:45 GMT -5
Hayter hasn't really done anything kayfabe-wise to be considered a top contender. It'd be more effective and personal of a feud if Baker lost the title and *then* they split up over that.
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Dub H
Crow T. Robot
Captain Pixel: the Game Master
I ❤ Aniki
Posts: 47,850
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Post by Dub H on Jan 9, 2022 14:37:09 GMT -5
The difference between Kenny Omega and Britt Baker's title reigns are A) Kenny had zero problem putting over his opponents and looking like an utter doofus, whereas Britt just basically no-sells everything because she's a cool heel, and B) Kenny was the best wrestler in North America during his title reign, whereas Britt hasn't ever even been the best wrestler in the AEW women's division. That's what makes one reign bearable and another reign unbearable. Britt's matches have largely been fine - she hasn't become a workrate goddess but she also hasn't gotten lazy and reverted to her awful 2019 self. But you need more than "fine" to support an 8+ month title reign, especially when Britt's matches all end in one of two ways (interference leading to the finish, or the interference backfires but Britt wins clean anyway). I'd hoped that Britt so obviously being TK's pet project basically from AEW's inception would help lift up the division as a whole once she got the belt. But instead it's just been a lot of wheel-spinning. And honestly it wa smore than that While Kenny was a constant in the shows and division, he always had the Elite but The Elite actively were part of their own storylines and helped build more storyline with and without Kenny so in the end it didnt revolve EVERYTHING around Kenny and even when it was around Kenny many times it was also more about,the Elite kept crossing storylines between people
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asuka007
Fry's dog Seymour
Posts: 20,444
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Post by asuka007 on Jan 9, 2022 15:07:24 GMT -5
The difference between Kenny Omega and Britt Baker's title reigns are A) Kenny had zero problem putting over his opponents and looking like an utter doofus, whereas Britt just basically no-sells everything because she's a cool heel, and B) Kenny was the best wrestler in North America during his title reign, whereas Britt hasn't ever even been the best wrestler in the AEW women's division. That's what makes one reign bearable and another reign unbearable. Britt's matches have largely been fine - she hasn't become a workrate goddess but she also hasn't gotten lazy and reverted to her awful 2019 self. But you need more than "fine" to support an 8+ month title reign, especially when Britt's matches all end in one of two ways (interference leading to the finish, or the interference backfires but Britt wins clean anyway). I'd hoped that Britt so obviously being TK's pet project basically from AEW's inception would help lift up the division as a whole once she got the belt. But instead it's just been a lot of wheel-spinning. Also, and this is not so much an issue with Britt herself, but you went from a year long Shida title reign, to an 8+ month Britt title reign. I don’t think the division is at a point where having the better part of TWO YEARS devoted to just two champions is the best option. I get that AEW wants their title to mean something. But if too many people have long reigns, then having a longer reign doesn’t mean nearly as much. And I don’t think either reign will be looked back on as all that great either.
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Post by Cyno on Jan 9, 2022 15:07:45 GMT -5
I like Jamie Hayter, but I don't think her being the next champion is the right call at all when she's not in the top 5 or otherwise done anything to earn it. I think there's a much better way to use her as a face.
AEW's worst weakness in the women's booking is not having more feuds and angles that don't involve the championships at the same time. I think it works best that you have a very frustrated Hayter not come to help cheat or even cost Baker the championship in the usual interference/distraction spot. Or even if Hayter helps Baker, she still loses and takes out her frustrations on Hayter.Then you immediately turn that into a non-title blood feud between her and Baker that Britt should lose, elevating Hayter and creating a strong new face in the division.
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Post by Clutchhausen on Jan 9, 2022 15:13:00 GMT -5
#ReignOfTerror
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asuka007
Fry's dog Seymour
Posts: 20,444
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Post by asuka007 on Jan 9, 2022 15:22:51 GMT -5
Thunder Rosa is the right choice. In terms of overall talent (in ring work, promos, charisma, cool look, getting over with fans, etc), Rosa is the best woman they have right now imo.
And they signed her full time in the summer, but haven’t done much of note with her since strangely? Yet she remains really over.
Time to finally pull the trigger with her imo.
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Post by Cyno on Jan 9, 2022 15:35:07 GMT -5
The current Top 5 (which doesn't account for yesterday's match mind you) is this:
1. Riho 2. Kris Statlander 3. Thunder Rosa 4. Tay Conti 5. Ruby Soho
Riho had her chance so she's about to be bumped from that top spot. Whether she stays in the top 5 like Danielson did or gets bumped entirely in favor of, say the winner of the Serena Deeb vs. Hikaru Shida match remains to be seen, And I can't see Statlander and Conti challenging for it again so soon because they already had their shots. That leaves Rosa and Ruby, and I'd be fine with either being the next champ.
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Post by ThankGodForSidJustice on Jan 9, 2022 16:18:49 GMT -5
I like Jamie Hayter, but I don't think her being the next champion is the right call at all when she's not in the top 5 or otherwise done anything to earn it. I think there's a much better way to use her as a face. AEW's worst weakness in the women's booking is not having more feuds and angles that don't involve the championships at the same time. I think it works best that you have a very frustrated Hayter not come to help cheat or even cost Baker the championship in the usual interference/distraction spot. Or even if Hayter helps Baker, she still loses and takes out her frustrations on Hayter.Then you immediately turn that into a non-title blood feud between her and Baker that Britt should lose, elevating Hayter and creating a strong new face in the division. Having them feud after Baker loses the title would definitely be the right way to go about. Having them feud over the title would be a big mistake because either outcome would be bad. Hayter has potential and is getting over but isn't ready to be champion both in kayfabe as they've done really nothing to build her up as a contender and in reality. However if you have her lose to Britt then that pretty much instantly kills her dead as a babyface and put her in hole that would be very hard to dig out of. However if you have her cost Britt the title and then have them feud afterwards that's perfect in that Hayter needs to win that feud when it happens and she could without putting either of them in a bad spot in that Britt is super made so it wouldn't hurt her and it would put Jamie over big without putting her in a spot she wouldn't be ready for that being the champion.
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Blade
Don Corleone
Posts: 1,943
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Post by Blade on Jan 9, 2022 18:11:59 GMT -5
Britt's still good, but it really is Kenny redux, and Britt lacks some of the factors that let Kenny pull it off, as people have said. That being said, I think people have already forgotten how long Kenny was faffing around doing nothing against obviously throwaway challengers (remember Kenny vs Orange vs PAC?), or how sick many on the board were of him before he lost.
This is, again, speaking to the hazards inherent in one person doing the booking - you get the same patterns and blind spots showing up again and again.
With that being said, as I come close to the one year mark of watching AEW (thanks, Christian!), people are really underselling how much the women's division has rapidly improved in a short time. We have multiple plotlines, multiple matches a week, and people who are not the champ and/or Britt Baker actually *doing things*. The division isn't "there yet" in being fully equal, but it is night and day compared to where it was ten months ago and that will lift up everything no matter who's champion.
Like, a big part of the problem with the Riho match is despite her back history, she had really done nothing in ages beyond coming out of nowhere to beat and challenge Britt - ergo, it was hard to see her as the deadly threat to the DMD Throne that kayfabe had her as. But with the rest of the division having feuds and matches and getting built up when they're not challenging the champ, you can have challengers with actual momentum behind them. Both Ruby and Rosa, the most likely to be the next champ, are doing things now even though they're not currently feuding with Britt. People like Tay, Penelope and the Bunny have gotten more spotlight so that we have a reason to care about them. And of course Jade had a huge, lengthy build that has paid off in her big title win, even if some people disliked it. AEW needed that, and hopefully they'll keep this going to be even better in 2022.
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Post by holyshida on Jan 9, 2022 19:16:21 GMT -5
The Women's division is fine for talent, just some decision making like making Jade TBS champion is mind-boggling to me. Hopefully we see Tay and Statlander with gold in 2022 and Anna Jay getting a bigger push. Oh and Jamie Hayter too, at least they're building to her and Britt, but that should come after Britt loses to Thunder Rosa.
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Post by Dave the Dave on Jan 9, 2022 21:00:19 GMT -5
The difference between Kenny Omega and Britt Baker's title reigns are A) Kenny had zero problem putting over his opponents and looking like an utter doofus, whereas Britt just basically no-sells everything because she's a cool heel, and B) Kenny was the best wrestler in North America during his title reign, whereas Britt hasn't ever even been the best wrestler in the AEW women's division. That's what makes one reign bearable and another reign unbearable. Britt's matches have largely been fine - she hasn't become a workrate goddess but she also hasn't gotten lazy and reverted to her awful 2019 self. But you need more than "fine" to support an 8+ month title reign, especially when Britt's matches all end in one of two ways (interference leading to the finish, or the interference backfires but Britt wins clean anyway). I'd hoped that Britt so obviously being TK's pet project basically from AEW's inception would help lift up the division as a whole once she got the belt. But instead it's just been a lot of wheel-spinning. Also, and this is not so much an issue with Britt herself, but you went from a year long Shida title reign, to an 8+ month Britt title reign. I don’t think the division is at a point where having the better part of TWO YEARS devoted to just two champions is the best option. I get that AEW wants their title to mean something. But if too many people have long reigns, then having a longer reign doesn’t mean nearly as much. And I don’t think either reign will be looked back on as all that great either. Well, based on tv time, Shida’s reign was dedicated to Baker as well.
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