Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
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Writer, Lover of all things Wrestling. Analytical, Critical, Lovable (hopefully). Lets all have fun!
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Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on Apr 10, 2023 4:19:49 GMT -5
CM Punk was in AEW for a year, had his first matches in seven years, held the world title and main evented PPVs. How is him coming back to team with some guys nobody has ever heard of (outside of hardcore wrestling fans) going to push 'AEW to the next level'? FTR weren't pushed amazingly on WWE's main roster, but they were there for quite awhile as The Revival and won tag titles there, and were in prominent storylines with the Usos and Randy Orton... more than just "Hardcore fans" know who FTR are even outside of their NXT run, and to insinuate that to me is a bit disingenuous to them as a whole That being said, the "This match will push AEW to the next level" thing is hyperbolic shit from Dax obviously, he wants to oversell the possibilities lol
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Post by Lizuka #BLM on Apr 10, 2023 4:37:16 GMT -5
I'd say that a lot of non-AEW fans probably know who FTR are, but I really doubt they care. NXT had a pretty small audience during their time there that's likely largely overlapping with AEW's existing audience anyway and on the main roster they were just some team that won a few belts but never did anything remotely memorable and weren't at all over. Punk might as well be teaming with the Ascension for the difference it'd make.
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Post by Mid-Carder on Apr 10, 2023 4:55:31 GMT -5
FTR Bald - "taking AEW to the next level should absolutely involve me"
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Post by Lizuka #BLM on Apr 10, 2023 5:05:04 GMT -5
Also just seems weird for Dax to be flexing about what a draw he is after coming off his months-in-the-making title win being in the main event and absolutely bombing in the ratings.
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ssdrivin
ALF
Claims to be squishy, has yet to be proven.
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Post by ssdrivin on Apr 10, 2023 5:10:29 GMT -5
I'd say that a lot of non-AEW fans probably know who FTR are, but I really doubt they care. NXT had a pretty small audience during their time there that's likely largely overlapping with AEW's existing audience anyway and on the main roster they were just some team that won a few belts but never did anything remotely memorable and weren't at all over. Punk might as well be teaming with the Ascension for the difference it'd make. I'm a wrestling fan, even if I haven't paid nearly as much attention (particularly to WWE, which was my main source of wrestling) in recent years, and I only barely know who they are. That's partly on me, because I haven't been watching much, but casual "oh, wrestling is on" fans would likely know even less about them than I do. But your last line is exactly it: doesn't really matter who Punk teams with, because the draw would be Punk, who people might know something about, the other two are just there to make up the numbers as "Punk's team". Am I personally that fussed about Punk? Not really. Found him quite annoying in his earlier WWE incarnation as the straight edge guy, then was mildly interested when he was the pipebomb guy, then he sort of went crazy and became infamous more than famous for being kind of an unstable asshole. But I sure as hell know who he is and if he's on the card I'm going to consider that a big deal, because it's Punk, that guy who was in ROH, WWE, AEW, UFC (briefly, lol), who for better or worse made quite the name for himself.
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KME
Team Rocket
Posts: 978
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Post by KME on Apr 10, 2023 6:10:37 GMT -5
Also just seems weird for Dax to be flexing about what a draw he is after coming off his months-in-the-making title win being in the main event and absolutely bombing in the ratings. To give him a little bit of credit I'm sure he thinks Punk/The Elite is the draw and FTR are just Punk's only really logical partners. Having such a big event at Wembley does increase the likelihood of Punk returning I think, going to be a lot of people in that crowd that haven't seen him for like a decade and he's still something of a draw, but I'd be very, very wary about bringing him and the baggage he comes with during what feels like a really positive period for the company. Similar with Jeff Hardy, albeit for very different reasons, think they'd love to have a Hardy Boyz moment of some kind in front of their biggest crowd, the sort of thing they bought him in for (believe they were about to become tag champions at the moment he fell off the wagon again), but it's very debatable whether it's worth the taking the risk of him bringing negative attention onto them again.
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Kalmia
King Koopa
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Post by Kalmia on Apr 10, 2023 6:19:05 GMT -5
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khali
Dennis Stamp
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Post by khali on Apr 10, 2023 11:26:45 GMT -5
Is it seriously going to be five months of people debating how many people need to attend the show for it to be a success? And then five months of debating if the actual attendance was a success.
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Post by rajaah on Apr 10, 2023 11:31:28 GMT -5
A couple thoughts. First off, just a couple weeks ago AEW's event planners were looking at the feasibility of switching from the NOW Arena to the United Center for All Out (which they should have done already, 2021 at least would have sold it out easily). Then suddenly this Wembley announcement, the name change, and no mention of All Out. Got a few people by surprise I'm sure.
Second, AEW's lack of a big-time British super-babyface to challenge for the title at the event is really glaring at the moment. They need a Drew-type guy who is a draw there to challenge MJF, who doesn't have any particular visible challenger at this moment in time for a show like this. Would Hangman really cut it? Maybe after months of buildup.
Closest thing they have is PAC and he's been nowhere near the title scene for a while, and usually a heel, and really just not that level of draw / believable challenger. Perhaps heat him back up by having him win a Summer tournament to decide who challenges for the International Title at the event, with him doing vignettes about how he has to win the tournament to "get to Wembley". I think that would do a great job boosting him back up for the event. If it ends up being PAC winning the INT title from Orange Cassidy, that would be some nice synergy considering he was OC's first match and lost there.
I don't know Drew's contract status, maybe TK does and has something up his sleeve there. However, if Drew jumps over to main event this show, he basically has to win (to rectify Clash at the Castle) and that wouldn't do any favors for MJF / would upset the current plan.
Jamie Hayter vs Saraya for the women's title is a given and there's a (small) chance it could actually main event which would be pretty cool.
My first thought was Punk vs Omega with special referee Bret Hart. But I keep getting conflicting things on Bret's availability (he may or may not be on the WWE payroll to keep him away from AEW, nobody seems to know 100%). And Punk is Punk so not exactly reliable to lock in for future plans. But I do think Omega/Punk with Bret reffing ("I know a thing or two about having backstage enemies") would be the best possible thing that could be booked. Add in Drew vs MJF, the women's title match, Bryan/Ospreay, FTR/Bucks, etc and you've got something. Maybe throw in Goldberg vs Wardlow or Hobbs for the TNT title. Goldberg is a draw and it'd be a chance to pass a torch.
How much of Wembley they fill is gonna be a real measuring stick of success. It's the first wrestling show there since Summerslam '92, which for a loooooong time (until WM32) was WWE's highest-attended show. Yeah, actual highest-attended show. Shame it never got credit for that because of the WM3 inflated number they couldn't walk back.
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Post by kingoftheindies on Apr 10, 2023 11:35:59 GMT -5
Is it seriously going to be five months of people debating how many people need to attend the show for it to be a success? Yep, there's a huge contingent of people that want this to fail. Of course, Meltzer answering every question on twitter including one where he says to him anything under 40k is a failure and everything over 40k is a success adds fuel to the fire. Will Washington is someone I reference a lot recently. I even posted what he showed' WCW's biggest show was and it was 41k in a venue that sits 80k for concerts. He even pointed out on Grapsody that last Summerslam WWE didn't come close to filling out the entire stadium but they still made it look amazing, and said not getting to 90k would not be a big deal. Unless something catastrophic happens this is going to be AEW's biggest show ever by far, and I honestly think that a lot of people may be surprised with how many tickets do sell... I dunno if I'd be so brazen to say it'll sell out or come close, but I think it'll be an eye opener for a portion of the fandom that hates on AEW.
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Post by stoptheclocks on Apr 10, 2023 11:52:06 GMT -5
A couple thoughts. First off, just a couple weeks ago AEW's event planners were looking at the feasibility of switching from the NOW Arena to the United Center for All Out (which they should have done already, 2021 at least would have sold it out easily). Then suddenly this Wembley announcement, the name change, and no mention of All Out. Got a few people by surprise I'm sure. Second, AEW's lack of a big-time British super-babyface to challenge for the title at the event is really glaring at the moment. They need a Drew-type guy who is a draw there to challenge MJF, who doesn't have any particular visible challenger at this moment in time for a show like this. Would Hangman really cut it? Maybe after months of buildup. Closest thing they have is PAC and he's been nowhere near the title scene for a while, and usually a heel, and really just not that level of draw / believable challenger. Perhaps heat him back up by having him win a Summer tournament to decide who challenges for the International Title at the event, with him doing vignettes about how he has to win the tournament to "get to Wembley". I think that would do a great job boosting him back up for the event. If it ends up being PAC winning the INT title from Orange Cassidy, that would be some nice synergy considering he was OC's first match and lost there. I don't know Drew's contract status, maybe TK does and has something up his sleeve there. However, if Drew jumps over to main event this show, he basically has to win (to rectify Clash at the Castle) and that wouldn't do any favors for MJF / would upset the current plan. Jamie Hayter vs Saraya for the women's title is a given and there's a (small) chance it could actually main event which would be pretty cool. My first thought was Punk vs Omega with special referee Bret Hart. But I keep getting conflicting things on Bret's availability (he may or may not be on the WWE payroll to keep him away from AEW, nobody seems to know 100%). And Punk is Punk so not exactly reliable to lock in for future plans. But I do think Omega/Punk with Bret reffing ("I know a thing or two about having backstage enemies") would be the best possible thing that could be booked. Add in Drew vs MJF, the women's title match, Bryan/Ospreay, FTR/Bucks, etc and you've got something. Maybe throw in Goldberg vs Wardlow or Hobbs for the TNT title. Goldberg is a draw and it'd be a chance to pass a torch. How much of Wembley they fill is gonna be a real measuring stick of success. It's the first wrestling show there since Summerslam '92, which for a loooooong time (until WM32) was WWE's highest-attended show. Yeah, actual highest-attended show. Shame it never got credit for that because of the WM3 inflated number they couldn't walk back. I think the idea that they need Brits in high profile positions on the card is somewhat overblown. The people buying tickets for this are AEW fans, they want to see the best AEW wrestlers, not just people who they share a nationality with.
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ssdrivin
ALF
Claims to be squishy, has yet to be proven.
Posts: 1,042
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Post by ssdrivin on Apr 10, 2023 12:48:35 GMT -5
Is it seriously going to be five months of people debating how many people need to attend the show for it to be a success? Yep, there's a huge contingent of people that want this to fail. Of course, Meltzer answering every question on twitter including one where he says to him anything under 40k is a failure and everything over 40k is a success adds fuel to the fire. Will Washington is someone I reference a lot recently. I even posted what he showed' WCW's biggest show was and it was 41k in a venue that sits 80k for concerts. He even pointed out on Grapsody that last Summerslam WWE didn't come close to filling out the entire stadium but they still made it look amazing, and said not getting to 90k would not be a big deal. Unless something catastrophic happens this is going to be AEW's biggest show ever by far, and I honestly think that a lot of people may be surprised with how many tickets do sell... I dunno if I'd be so brazen to say it'll sell out or come close, but I think it'll be an eye opener for a portion of the fandom that hates on AEW. Clash had a huge section tarped off behind the hard cam, which I can't see any reasonable purpose for, other than to concentrate all the fans who were in attendance into sections where the camera would see them.
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Post by Gerard Gerard on Apr 10, 2023 20:08:04 GMT -5
Is it seriously going to be five months of people debating how many people need to attend the show for it to be a success? And then five months of debating if the actual attendance was a success. And there's going to be conspiracists as to legitimacy of the final attendance figure no matter whether it be high or low.
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Post by "Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik on Apr 11, 2023 8:06:25 GMT -5
It looks like the price range for tickets will be £30-£500.
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Post by Feargus McReddit on Apr 11, 2023 8:08:31 GMT -5
It looks like the price range for tickets will be £30-£500. If £30 is the lowest, then yeah, this thing is going to do gangbusters opening day.
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ssdrivin
ALF
Claims to be squishy, has yet to be proven.
Posts: 1,042
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Post by ssdrivin on Apr 11, 2023 8:56:58 GMT -5
It looks like the price range for tickets will be £30-£500. Assuming that's ringside for the £500, it's about where I thought pricing might be. I won't be buying top whack tickets, but I think I'll end up paying about what I expected to pay, so I'm pretty OK with the prospect of paying for moderately decent seats. Just no nosebleeds, thanks, especially at Wembley. Cardiff was terrifying enough, took me 3 attempts to edge my way to a seat, even with a few preparatory drinks inside me, and I couldn't move for the whole show. Wembley's even bigger. This time I'm prepared, money-wise, which is great, because I'd rather enjoy the show than spend several hours trying not to panic.
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Post by Feargus McReddit on Apr 11, 2023 8:59:24 GMT -5
Just no nosebleeds, thanks, especially at Wembley. Cardiff was terrifying enough, took me 3 attempts to edge my way to a seat, even with a few preparatory drinks inside me, and I couldn't move for the whole show. Wembley's even bigger. I will say to you that sitting higher at Wembley, having had to do it a few times for stuff, is nowhere near as bad as it is in other places. Like, sitting high at the O2 I think gave me vertigo? Like, it's insane how those things feel like you're going to fall down a roller-coaster track when you sit down.
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Moppy
Samurai Cop
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Post by Moppy on Apr 11, 2023 8:59:57 GMT -5
It looks like the price range for tickets will be £30-£500. Have the ticket price brackets been published anywhere? Will be buying for other people and, I'd quite like to get a vibe of how much my group is willing to spend without having to figure that out during the ticketmaster waiting room bollocks.
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Kalmia
King Koopa
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Post by Kalmia on Apr 11, 2023 9:01:42 GMT -5
It looks like the price range for tickets will be £30-£500. Hopefully they have a fair chunk of the tickets at £30 (or close) and don't do that thing where there are £30 tickets, but it's just the back row. If AEW can do a fan fest on Saturday as well to get more money from autographs, photos, and merch, they could really make some money from this.
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ssdrivin
ALF
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Post by ssdrivin on Apr 11, 2023 9:02:48 GMT -5
It looks like the price range for tickets will be £30-£500. Have the ticket price brackets been published anywhere? Will be buying for other people and, I'd quite like to get a vibe of how much my group is willing to spend without having to figure that out during the ticketmaster waiting room bollocks. Nothing yet, AFAIK. That range seems to have come from someone on r/squaredcircle having enquired to Ticketmaster/Live Nation, but no further details available yet.
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