Da Rules in AEW (or Problems With Refereeing)

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

I'm about to give this thread a DQ for whatever the hell it's turning into lmfao

[smokinvokoun86]

Personally, I’d rather this route than a show full of DQs and count outs. Maybe they can pull back on the interference, but I absolutely despise non finishes in big matches. Draws make sense and AEW has made those work very well. But I would assume the vast majority of fans don’t want to see big matches end in count outs and disqualifications. Again, they can find a balance of having interference or not. And if I only see two Dqs a year, I am very happy.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Jan 9, 2022 10:20:16 GMT -5 smokinvokoun86 said:

Personally, I’d rather this route than a show full of DQs and count outs. Maybe they can pull back on the interference, but I absolutely despise non finishes in big matches. Draws make sense and AEW has made those work very well. But I would assume the vast majority of fans don’t want to see big matches end in count outs and disqualifications. Again, they can find a balance of having interference or not. And if I only see two Dqs a year, I am very happy.

It's another thing about DQs mattering a shit ton in AEW. You lose, you get a loss in the record column, DQ or not. I assume this has always factored into refs letting things go. Who wants to see a big match end that way? Who wants to see wrestlers get a loss that matters in a big match without actually taking a pin? I'd way rather a dirty pin that can add more to a feud than a complete air out of the sails DQ.

Now is more balance a fine proposition? Yes. In fact I LOVED how Punk got one up on MJF who was trying to go through Tomato Cans to get to a title shot. DQ Shawn Dean, give MJF a loss, and potentially set up Dean for a promising year because the DQ win matters. It's a way to set a precident going forward that this can happen, and if they play it sparingly, it'll get good reception. They have a whole year to play it out, so I guess time will tell if we see it more often.

[Kalmia]

I wish AEW would implement NJPW's 20 count. I also think that title matches should be given more leniency than regular matches as long as the champion's advantage of titles not changing on a count-out and DQ remains. Interference in front of the ref (in a regular match) should either result in a DQ or the person being thrown out though, depending on the severity and whether a title is on the line, IMO.

Basically, I want the rules to be adhered to but not to the detriment of the story and the match. It's not like legit sports where rules being ignored or a ref missing something will genuinely cost someone a match. If a rule needs to be bent for the match, then bend it.

[Fade is a CodyCryBaby]

Jan 9, 2022 9:44:38 GMT -5 dbrussel said:

Jan 8, 2022 22:04:47 GMT -5 asuka007 said:

I’m getting increasingly annoyed with how AEW does interference spots and post match beatings in general. Like it’s not just that they do it in way too many matches. But it is suffocating. Either it’s so blatant, there’s so many people interfering, or there’s so many times they interfere, or some unholy combination of those.

It makes the faces look dumb for not being prepared, it makes the referees look dumb for letting it go so much, it makes AEW staff at ringside look inept for not being able to stop it. And it makes AEW managements/Tony Khan in story look incompetent for just letting it go on and on with no consequences.

It reminds me of how absurd WCW got with this sort of thing after awhile and I hated that as well.

Did you watch the Attitude era?

I think that’s why I’m so desensitized to it all lol I’m an attitude era baby. That being said, referee incompetence is annoying and it’s widespread. I get it cause it’s a crutch but gun to my head I’d have AEW overhaul the whole thing, it’d be difficult AF though I’d imagine.

[smokinvokoun86]

The way I see refs in wrestling is that they are a parody of real sports referees and umpires. And believe me, those guys are almost as dumb as the ones in wrestling.

[asuka007]

Jan 9, 2022 11:09:58 GMT -5 Fade is a CodyCryBaby said:

Jan 9, 2022 9:44:38 GMT -5 dbrussel said:

Did you watch the Attitude era?

I think that’s why I’m so desensitized to it all lol I’m an attitude era baby. That being said, referee incompetence is annoying and it’s widespread. I get it cause it’s a crutch but gun to my head I’d have AEW overhaul the whole thing, it’d be difficult AF though I’d imagine.

See I don’t subscribe to the notion that “it work in a specific era 20 years ago, so it automatically works now.”

I did watch WCW back in the late 90’s and this constant nonsense go insufferable there after awhile.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

I used to be less bothered by it but there are just so many weapon spots that don't lead to q DQ.

[dbrussel]

Imagine Stone Cold with the actual WWE PG refereeing....lmao

One of the "insufferable" things during the attitude era was Earl Hebner being knocked out in almost every single title match, crazy things happening while he's sleeping and then waking up to make the slow count.

And almost no one complianed about that in the few online wrestling forums running by then

[kingoftheindies]

maybe I'm making this up in my head, but in early AEW shows and in early interviews didn't they push that DQs especially in title matches would be up to the ref's discretion? It's a cop out but for some reason I get the impression that they really pushed early that they wanted to avoid people intentionally getting DQ'd

[Sponsored by Groose Wipes]

AEW refs have kind of been a problem but not enough for it to be a major issue. I notice it during tag matches were a team like The Young Bucks will just team up on someone and have them do their spots and the ref does nothing about it. If you are going to have that many spots like that, then just make it a no DQ match.

[clifford]

I must be conditioned to idiot refs cause of how much New Japan I watch; the refs in AEW look like Einsteins compared to their dumbass NJPW counterparts.

The post match beatdowns are more egregious to me than the cheating through interference, by the way. I've been wanting AEW to dial that shit back for months now.

[The Ichi]

It only really bothers me when there's a group of heels interfering and Bryce Remsburg (it's nearly always this doofus) just stands there with his back turned to it the whole time and apparently can't hear anything. The best refs can at least make it look like they were too distracted, he just stands there frozen.

[polarbearpete]

Jan 9, 2022 12:22:53 GMT -5 dbrussel said:

Imagine Stone Cold with the actual WWE PG refereeing....lmao

One of the "insufferable" things during the attitude era was Earl Hebner being knocked out in almost every single title match, crazy things happening while he's sleeping and then waking up to make the slow count.

And almost no one complianed about that in the few online wrestling forums running by then

There were most definitely complaints about that back then.

And that also at least makes kayfabe sense because technically the ref is knocked out. Cheating over and over directly in front of the ref makes the whole thing pointless. It’s barely even cheating at that point.

[petef3]

Jan 9, 2022 8:35:49 GMT -5 dbrussel said:

Jan 9, 2022 0:41:04 GMT -5 petef3 said:

There really is no logical sense to Hayter and Rebel constantly being allowed to be at ringside, though. It only makes all of Britt's babyface opponents and AEW itself look dumb for continuing to put up with it.

That's the same with Roman and the Usos. And nobody call that act dumb.

Don't watch WWE, don't care, when I do watch I've found Roman to have become a bore. "WWE does it, too" is like the worst possible defense.

[Bo Rida]

Jan 9, 2022 10:32:36 GMT -5 Kalmia said:

I wish AEW would implement NJPW's 20 count. I also think that title matches should be given more leniency than regular matches as long as the champion's advantage of titles not changing on a count-out and DQ remains. Interference in front of the ref (in a regular match) should either result in a DQ or the person being thrown out though, depending on the severity and whether a title is on the line, IMO.

Basically, I want the rules to be adhered to but not to the detriment of the story and the match. It's not like legit sports where rules being ignored or a ref missing something will genuinely cost someone a match. If a rule needs to be bent for the match, then bend it.

Officially making it a 20 count make so much sense I'm surprised they haven't already.

That said I've always thought a count out is a perfectly legit way to wins match and should be aimed for more often. OC winning by casually rolling into the ring would suit him perfectly.

[One-Armed Drummer of Defrebel]

Jan 9, 2022 13:19:21 GMT -5 The Ichi said:

It only really bothers me when there's a group of heels interfering and Bryce Remsburg (it's nearly always this doofus) just stands there with his back turned to it the whole time and apparently can't hear anything. The best refs can at least make it look like they were too distracted, he just stands there frozen.

The Bucks in the ring: beating the hell out of everyone, making hella noise, stompy stompin

Bryce Remsburg: bran cutler...your coat is So fuzzy....damn...

[Ludwig Kaiser’s Walk]

Jan 8, 2022 21:55:57 GMT -5 Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) said:

Jan 8, 2022 21:52:26 GMT -5 @mattyphatty said:

Yeah, AEW is heavily NJPW-inspired in nearly every way. A lot of criticism it draws seems to be from people who are either unfamiliar with or dislike the Japanese style. The number of factions is another area where that pops up, too.

Copying the EVIL/Dick Togo model should not be the way to go lol

I don’t care if it’s a low hanging fruit, but I’ll always take Dick To-go

[dbrussel]

Jan 9, 2022 13:48:13 GMT -5 petef3 said:

Jan 9, 2022 8:35:49 GMT -5 dbrussel said:

That's the same with Roman and the Usos. And nobody call that act dumb.

Don't watch WWE, don't care, when I do watch I've found Roman to have become a bore. "WWE does it, too" is like the worst possible defense.

"Everybody does it" is actually the best defense, since it's a fact. Heel factions doing heel things with almost no consequences is the older act of them all.

And i watch everything

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

Jan 9, 2022 13:19:21 GMT -5 The Ichi said:

It only really bothers me when there's a group of heels interfering and Bryce Remsburg (it's nearly always this doofus) just stands there with his back turned to it the whole time and apparently can't hear anything. The best refs can at least make it look like they were too distracted, he just stands there frozen.

Representation of Bucks beat downs: