Chiral
Salacious Crumb
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Post by Chiral on Dec 8, 2022 3:31:30 GMT -5
Also love MJF having shoes in hindsight specifically so Starks could spear him out of them.
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Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
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Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on Dec 8, 2022 3:59:18 GMT -5
Also love MJF having shoes in hindsight specifically so Starks could spear him out of them. The bright pink socks specifically to highlight how much out of them he was lol
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Post by This Player Hating Mothman on Dec 8, 2022 4:27:11 GMT -5
Something something fans won't care because he's not 6'14" or whatever
Dude is amazing and that promo was huge. I doubt he takes the belt, but this is still a huge elevation for him and a promo like that to lock it in can only help cement that fact.
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Post by eJm on Dec 8, 2022 4:35:35 GMT -5
Minor touch I liked was when the crowd was chanting "STFU" and Excalibur says quietly "Tony, stop chanting".
I love this commentary team so much.
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Post by Mid-Carder on Dec 8, 2022 5:39:27 GMT -5
Just love this guy. I don't want Max dropping the title, ever, but Starks would certainly soften the blow
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lucas_lee
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Post by lucas_lee on Dec 8, 2022 6:40:14 GMT -5
That was a God-Tier promo. I seriously doubt MJF's dropping the belt so soon. But I hope they don't squander what they have with Ricky right now.. Thats my fear with his neck injury and after his great promos against Hobbs they put him on the back burner
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deezy
Don Corleone
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Post by deezy on Dec 8, 2022 6:52:04 GMT -5
Best AEW promo this year ! Dude absolutely brought it.
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Post by HMARK Center on Dec 8, 2022 7:12:55 GMT -5
I'm normally not a huge fan of leaning too much on in-ring promos as a means of generating a crowd reaction, getting someone over to whatever level, etc. It's why I was never a big fan of babyface Rock back in the late 90s, I'd kind of turn into Milhouse and want to know when everyone was going to get to the fireworks factory.
That said, this one from Starks was different, dude came fully prepared and knocked it out of the park and spoke in a way that made sure the crowd would absolutely (no pun intended) rally around him, and did so without having to resort to any typical tropes to get them excited. There were a couple moments where if I was an editor and this was all scripted I'd have said "trim a bit here or there", but the beauty of it is that this promo likely wouldn't have worked if it was scripted, as Ricky managed to sound both dynamic and larger than life in his delivery but also genuine and human in the content of what he was presenting, which is so @#$%ing difficult to do.
I doubt he's winning the title next week, but whatever happens he's likely coming out of it super protected; I won't be shocked if, say, Ethan Page costs him the match, it still takes a ton to keep Ricky down, and then we get Starks in a longer chase for the title. Whether he ends up being the one to beat MJF? I have no idea, but he's 100% viable now.
They say "talk 'em into the building", and dude did just that. Fantastic job.
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lucas_lee
Hank Scorpio
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Post by lucas_lee on Dec 8, 2022 7:15:16 GMT -5
I'm normally not a huge fan of leaning too much on in-ring promos as a means of generating a crowd reaction, getting someone over to whatever level, etc. It's why I was never a big fan of babyface Rock back in the late 90s, I'd kind of turn into Milhouse and want to know when everyone was going to get to the fireworks factory. That said, this one from Starks was different, dude came fully prepared and knocked it out of the park and spoke in a way that made sure the crowd would absolutely (no pun intended) rally around him, and did so without having to resort to any typical tropes to get them excited. There were a couple moments where if I was an editor and this was all scripted I'd have said "trim a bit here or there", but the beauty of it is that this promo likely wouldn't have worked if it was scripted, as Ricky managed to sound both dynamic and larger than life in his delivery but also genuine and human in the content of what he was presenting, which is so @#$%ing difficult to do.I doubt he's winning the title next week, but whatever happens he's likely coming out of it super protected; I won't be shocked if, say, Ethan Page costs him the match, it still takes a ton to keep Ricky down, and then we get Starks in a longer chase for the title. Whether he ends up being the one to beat MJF? I have no idea, but he's 100% viable now. They say "talk 'em into the building", and dude did just that. Fantastic job. If I was booking I'd have them adapt the storyline from Mid-South when Mr.Wrestling II was so infuriated he didn't get Ted DiBiase s title shot against Flair that he beat him senseless and bloody. Flair then thinks Ted isn't showing up but he does covering his head in bandages and really selling that injury.
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coleslaw
Don Corleone
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Post by coleslaw on Dec 8, 2022 7:40:32 GMT -5
I'm stoked as hell to see Starks finally make a leap towards the main event scene
Now just waiting on Swerve
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Dec 8, 2022 8:30:09 GMT -5
Ricky annihilating MJF on the mic tonight in a late contender for promo of the year (and got kicked in the balls for his efforts but still he raised his stock significantly tonight) Although I think better promos are in Ricky's future, I loved this one for being a very modern babyface promo The focus on how Max can let people down because everyone hating you makes it easy to shirk responsibility That being a babyface is about taking responsibility for the fans who love you Great stuff
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Post by Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story on Dec 8, 2022 8:53:55 GMT -5
I think there were moments where he was so worked up that he kind of lost his train of thought, but the key babyface message and fire were there. MJF also hasn't been taken down to that level - it honestly exposed him to a degree where I hope it causes him to up his game, too.
I still think the endgame for this reign is Eddie unseating MJF at Grand Slam 2023, but I think Ricky/MJF could be a big, big rivalry for the company if done right.
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Kalmia
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Post by Kalmia on Dec 8, 2022 9:27:15 GMT -5
I'm very glad that they gave Ricky that space to talk and that they let it settle by having MJF respond with a kick to the dick instead of verbally. Like even MJF knew he had no verbal comeback for that fire, passion, and the truth of it all.
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Post by polarbearpete on Dec 8, 2022 10:04:52 GMT -5
That was so good that I would consider changing plans and strapping Ricky up to capitalize on the momentum and ensure he’s a main event fixture. Also adds an unpredictable nature to the world title, which hasn’t really been the case yet.
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CMWaters
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Post by CMWaters on Dec 8, 2022 10:10:16 GMT -5
That was so good that I would consider changing plans and strapping Ricky up to capitalize on the momentum and ensure he’s a main event fixture. Also adds an unpredictable nature to the world title, which hasn’t really been the case yet. Agreed. Whatever plans they had the night that MJF won that chip were put away when Punk did his thing at the media scrum. They've had to improvise since then, and the moment was lessened a bit when MJF won. He could rebuild and try again, but giving Starks a moment to show what he can do would IMO be the better choice this time around. That, and I think his entrance pose could be enhanced by having the Dynamite Diamond Ring, even if it's a short term thing like how the Million Dollar Championship was used in NXT in the LA Knight/Cameron Grimes feud.
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Dub H
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Post by Dub H on Dec 8, 2022 10:16:28 GMT -5
That was so good that I would consider changing plans and strapping Ricky up to capitalize on the momentum and ensure he’s a main event fixture. Also adds an unpredictable nature to the world title, which hasn’t really been the case yet. I would do it if it wasnt MJF first title defense. The Title needs some stability
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pinja
Unicron
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Post by pinja on Dec 8, 2022 10:32:19 GMT -5
There is a pattern to these promos on MJF. He gets destroyed every time. Part of it is the great, great work his opponent put in (so Ricky in this instance). Part of it is the easy to destroy nature of MJF. Ricky was right. MJF went for the low hanging fruit again, his content was as cheap as his appearance. He is a grateful punching bag for everyone verbally abled and I always enjoy watching him get owned.
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Post by Clash, Never a Meter Maid on Dec 8, 2022 11:08:33 GMT -5
He does take influence from Dwayne, but like Starks pointed out, there’s a lot of Piper in Maxwell, and neither guy is a straight copy of their inspirations. That was not a Rock promo at all, and thank goodness because Ricky is getting better and more passionate with his Ricky Starks promos.
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sfvega
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Post by sfvega on Dec 8, 2022 11:08:45 GMT -5
Ricky said "Give me a break!" twice. And that's really all he needed. They gave Ricky one giant chance to be on par with the talent that AEW has spent their short lifetime building around, and Starks completely outclassed him. I'm normally not a huge fan of leaning too much on in-ring promos as a means of generating a crowd reaction, getting someone over to whatever level, etc. It's why I was never a big fan of babyface Rock back in the late 90s, I'd kind of turn into Milhouse and want to know when everyone was going to get to the fireworks factory. That said, this one from Starks was different, dude came fully prepared and knocked it out of the park and spoke in a way that made sure the crowd would absolutely (no pun intended) rally around him, and did so without having to resort to any typical tropes to get them excited. There were a couple moments where if I was an editor and this was all scripted I'd have said "trim a bit here or there", but the beauty of it is that this promo likely wouldn't have worked if it was scripted, as Ricky managed to sound both dynamic and larger than life in his delivery but also genuine and human in the content of what he was presenting, which is so @#$%ing difficult to do.I doubt he's winning the title next week, but whatever happens he's likely coming out of it super protected; I won't be shocked if, say, Ethan Page costs him the match, it still takes a ton to keep Ricky down, and then we get Starks in a longer chase for the title. Whether he ends up being the one to beat MJF? I have no idea, but he's 100% viable now. They say "talk 'em into the building", and dude did just that. Fantastic job. That is what made it work. That Starks hates everything about MJF, but for time constraints here's the 300 things he hates the most. The fact that it was written and performed like it was pent up hatred, even after a battle royal.
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Kalmia
King Koopa
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Post by Kalmia on Dec 8, 2022 11:25:11 GMT -5
MJF is on Twitter right now working hard to get maxi-pad over as a regular chant against him. Hopefully, the crowd is red-hot for Starks next week and he can still win in defeat.
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