Who will the masked devil be?

[KME]

Oct 6, 2023 18:43:44 GMT -5 carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army) said:

Oct 6, 2023 18:07:05 GMT -5 KME said:

I hate handicap matches generally but I wouldn't go that far, Cena was booked that way very deliberately, the plan clearly wasn't for MJF to face both on his own, Cole got injured on the same night The Righteous won the right to face them, at that point they didn't know how seriously he'd injured himself. It wasn't an ideal situation but the World Champion should be able to beat a team who've had a handful of AEW matches, it's not like he went out there and beat FTR or the Bucks.

On the mask, he wore it last year when he came back which I'm guessing is what you're referring to as the "ONCE, a long time ago" but he wore it during his entrances this year at Revolution against Danielson, at Double or Nothing in the Pillars Match and at All In as well. Don't see how it's bad writing that he'd take it around with him personally.

Oh well, fair enough on that second point, then. I didn't remember that.

And no, one guy should absolutely never be able to beat any non-jobber tag team, at least in the way MJF did it. It's absolutely entirely unnecessary. He didn't use cunning or luck. He just absorbed their finishers and beat them clean (with a pathetic foot-on-ropes pin that was clearly unnecessary). He gave a Rock-like promo about bodyslams that wasn't funny, and then he just grr roar beat them. He SuperCenaed. That's SuperCenaing.

I think you make your World Champion look very weak if he uses luck to beat The Righteous to be honest. He played to his schtick that's been very over with the crowd, if he was going to win I think that's the way they'd have wanted him to. The nature of his win, maybe that's Super Cena, I guess? But the reason Super Cenaing annoyed so many in the first place is they didn't want the f***er to win and were sick to death of his routine, despite your personal taste Max has got things like the body slam, kangaroo kick and whatnot crazy over, it was always likely to follow that pattern and would have been the same if Cole was there, but with a double clothesline included, to start the show off hot.

I will say however I hope they don't keep doing it, MJF blowing through a tag division solo isn't going to do anything for anyone so hopefully they find a better solution but their hands were relatively tied for WrestleDream

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Oct 6, 2023 19:10:57 GMT -5 KME said:

Oct 6, 2023 18:43:44 GMT -5 carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army) said:

Oh well, fair enough on that second point, then. I didn't remember that.

And no, one guy should absolutely never be able to beat any non-jobber tag team, at least in the way MJF did it. It's absolutely entirely unnecessary. He didn't use cunning or luck. He just absorbed their finishers and beat them clean (with a pathetic foot-on-ropes pin that was clearly unnecessary). He gave a Rock-like promo about bodyslams that wasn't funny, and then he just grr roar beat them. He SuperCenaed. That's SuperCenaing.

I think you make your World Champion look very weak if he uses luck to beat The Righteous to be honest. He played to his schtick that's been very over with the crowd, if he was going to win I think that's the way they'd have wanted him to. The nature of his win, maybe that's Super Cena, I guess? But the reason Super Cenaing annoyed so many in the first place is they didn't want the f***er to win and were sick to death of his routine, despite your personal taste Max has got things like the body slam, kangaroo kick and whatnot crazy over, it was always likely to follow that pattern and would have been the same if Cole was there, but with a double clothesline included, to start the show off hot.

I will say however I hope they don't keep doing it, MJF blowing through a tag division solo isn't going to do anything for anyone so hopefully they find a better solution but their hands were relatively tied for WrestleDream

Curious if they do, because MJF said he's gonna keep defending the tag titles, but ideally, you don't want the guy to defend the belts by himself against multiple teams, you'll really put a damper on your tag division

It's a matter of doing a storyline where MJF trusts anyone else to help him. Maybe the Acclaimed thing will pan out that way? I wouldn't mind a Max and Max Caster fill in team for ROH Shows.

[carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army)]

Oct 6, 2023 19:10:57 GMT -5 KME said:

Oct 6, 2023 18:43:44 GMT -5 carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army) said:

Oh well, fair enough on that second point, then. I didn't remember that.

And no, one guy should absolutely never be able to beat any non-jobber tag team, at least in the way MJF did it. It's absolutely entirely unnecessary. He didn't use cunning or luck. He just absorbed their finishers and beat them clean (with a pathetic foot-on-ropes pin that was clearly unnecessary). He gave a Rock-like promo about bodyslams that wasn't funny, and then he just grr roar beat them. He SuperCenaed. That's SuperCenaing.

I think you make your World Champion look very weak if he uses luck to beat The Righteous to be honest. He played to his schtick that's been very over with the crowd, if he was going to win I think that's the way they'd have wanted him to. The nature of his win, maybe that's Super Cena, I guess? But the reason Super Cenaing annoyed so many in the first place is they didn't want the f***er to win and were sick to death of his routine, despite your personal taste Max has got things like the body slam, kangaroo kick and whatnot crazy over, it was always likely to follow that pattern and would have been the same if Cole was there, but with a double clothesline included, to start the show off hot.

I will say however I hope they don't keep doing it, MJF blowing through a tag division solo isn't going to do anything for anyone so hopefully they find a better solution but their hands were relatively tied for WrestleDream

I mean, they absolutely didn't have to have this match at all; it's very easy to say "officials decided with Cole unable to participate the match will be postponed," or whatever. You can also book it where MJF is beaten up but maybe scrounges the upper hand but at that moment is attacked by someone from the outside (like the Devil, or someone else who has a beef with him). You can actually remember that MJF's entire character is this cunning sneaky genius and have him actually use cunning to trick his opponents and so he wins that way. You can do ANYTHING but have him win because he kicks out of their finishers and they don't kick out of his. (This is a general problem with AEW top faces... like, I don't even know why heels in AEW even USE submissions, seeing as how top faces just endure them for eternity 99% of the time... but it's worse with MJF whose established character doesn't fit this at all.)

Everyone in AEW looks good if EVERYONE LOOKS GOOD. Putting a singles guy over a tag team is never, ever necessary, and if you do it, you can do it in ways that don't make guys you're giving a paycheck to look like schmucks.

And like, if people were into MJF's extremely lame bodyslam thing, it doesn't change anything. Dude still tried to be The Rock in a weak-ass promo and then steamrolled over a tag team. SuperCenaing that lots of fans are okay with is still SuperCenaing.

[The Ichi]

I didn't think of Perry and now I'm 85% convinced it's him. Looked about his body size too.

[rajaah]

Perry doesn't have a goon squad though...that we know of. DUN DUN DUN

[thirteen3]

Main event Jack Perry? Ugh.

[johncasey]

Sept 28, 2023 16:54:13 GMT -5 yokohamacpfc said:

I saw some Britt Baker speculation with the Devil being slimmer and shorter than the male wrestlers who were playing the ninjas (doubtless the Kingdom) and of course, Maria is also an option then but I must admit my first thought on that was Tony Khan himself.

I know that people don't like the Heel Owners gimmick anymore and I get why but Tony Khan actually makes sense.

You've got him wanting revenge for all the crap MJF put him through and there is all this Bidding War Of 2024.

Plus MJF mentioned Tony Khan in his recent promo on Dynamite.

I'm not wanting this but I feel that there's legitimate storyline reasoning for TK being the Devil

[The Captain]

I don't think it will be Jack Perry. Though I'd be very amused if he said "I shattered a REAL GLASS CEILING. Cry me a river!"

[yokohamacpfc]

Oct 7, 2023 12:51:39 GMT -5 johncasey said:

Sept 28, 2023 16:54:13 GMT -5 yokohamacpfc said:

I saw some Britt Baker speculation with the Devil being slimmer and shorter than the male wrestlers who were playing the ninjas (doubtless the Kingdom) and of course, Maria is also an option then but I must admit my first thought on that was Tony Khan himself.

I know that people don't like the Heel Owners gimmick anymore and I get why but Tony Khan actually makes sense.

You've got him wanting revenge for all the crap MJF put him through and there is all this Bidding War Of 2024.

Plus MJF mentioned Tony Khan in his recent promo on Dynamite.

I'm not wanting this but I feel that there's legitimate storyline reasoning for TK being the Devil

I don't think he's ready yet but I wouldn't be adverse for TK to take acting classes for something a few years up the road.

Nepo baby coke head on a power trip vs "Our scumbag" Salt of the Earth Long Island boy made good would be a cool reboot of Mr McMahon v Austin.

[The Captain]

Tony Khan had his moments when he was heeling it up a bit in pre-taped segments on Impact. But the live promo scares me lol. Dude's just so awkward.

[rajaah]

Looks like the Masked Devil appeared on this week's shows (Collision and Dynamite? I've seen two clips making the rounds).

MJF Vs Kenny on Collision is a match that I really can't see having a conclusive winner. Devil-ference may be on the agenda.

Going off of the new clips, any insights? Looking at his head shape or whatnot? It looks like he has very short hair, which would seem to rule out Adam Cole (or this week's joke candidate on twitter, Jack Perry) unless of course they cleverly buried a ponytail.

[Nosnorb]

Has anyone mentioned Stokely Hathaway? Another case of the history of MJF coming back to bite him in the ass?

[Viking Hall]

I genuinely don't know, and I love that.

For the record my fiancée thinks it's Danhausen which would be amazing in a full on fat lines of Coke while playing EWR sort of way.

[Mid-Carder]

It would be a good twist for it to be Wardlow, especially after the promo on Dynamite, but the guy in the mask was far too small to be him

[Kalmia]

I'm glad they've put a little more emphasis on this again. I know Jay White has referenced it in virtually every promo but it's a good mystery for fans to try and get involved with.

I have no idea who it is though. The person in the mask looks pretty slim so that narrows it down a bit.

[rajaah]

Oct 26, 2023 14:31:50 GMT -5 Nosnorb said:

Has anyone mentioned Stokely Hathaway? Another case of the history of MJF coming back to bite him in the ass?

That would basically be The Firm 2.0.

I liked The Firm but it didn't work or go anywhere, probably because Punk messed up all of the storylines at the time and they had to rework everything.

[rajaah]

Oct 26, 2023 16:33:30 GMT -5 Kalmia said:

The person in the mask looks pretty slim so that narrows it down a bit.

If I'm right that this guy is going to be on Collision and ruin the title match somehow, we might get a better look at his profile and can run some screenshots through here analyzing it like the Zapruder film.

[KME]

Oct 26, 2023 16:33:30 GMT -5 Kalmia said:

I'm glad they've put a little more emphasis on this again. I know Jay White has referenced it in virtually every promo but it's a good mystery for fans to try and get involved with.

I have no idea who it is though. The person in the mask looks pretty slim so that narrows it down a bit.

I get the feeling Tony reads a lot of stuff online and has probably seen a few people going "so have they dropped the devil stuff?!?!". They haven't exactly done anything with the devil the last couple of times we've seen him/her, literally just shown the face, so can only think it's just meant to reassure people they haven't forgotten about it.

My money was on Britt for a while, would certainly fit with the image of it being a smaller person, and Taz mentioned MJF being hated by a lot of both the men's and women's locker rooms last night which I thought was interesting, but I guess they could have just used anyone in that first attack on Jay. If the build of the person isn't anything to go by I think Caster feels like a candidate right now, was around MJFs locker room so had the opportunity, is a bit obsessed with wanting to be his partner and whatnot so has the motive, and has been a bit more heel-ish in some of his raps lately and Daddy Magic alluded to The Acclaimed going a bit stale, so could easily be heading in a new direction.

This stuff combined with all the people coming after Max's title is a fantastic way to recover from the blow of Cole's injury halting the Better Than You Bay Bay stuff, all just as intriguing in its own totally different way.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

People have thrown out Jack Perry as well, and online reaction to that has been surprisingly negative, but I guess the CM Punk contingent will just forever hate that guy now.

[Lizuka #BLM]

Oct 26, 2023 17:37:24 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

People have thrown out Jack Perry as well, and online reaction to that has been surprisingly negative, but I guess the CM Punk contingent will just forever hate that guy now.

Honestly even as someone who seems him as having not even done anything wrong in that situation I still think it's a terrible idea just because dude isn't remotely a main event level performer at this point in time and narratively it'd be coming right the hell out of nowhere because he was last seen losing to someone who is effectively a lower midcard novelty act.