mrbananagrabber
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Paul Heyman's unofficial joke writer
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Post by mrbananagrabber on Apr 6, 2024 4:41:30 GMT -5
I don’t see AEW ever beating WWE (whatever that means) but I do see a change in structure happening when it comes to potential free agents. Be on TV, work less, probably get paid more, with a much more personable and approachable boss? I know which one I’d pick.
So I can see WWE losing the “absolute place to be” appeal because here’s a company, still on TV, still on PPV, not “minor league” or indie in the slightest, paying more and asking less. That could be a big problem for HHH going forward.
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Post by hyperstorm on Apr 6, 2024 4:56:39 GMT -5
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Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
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Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on Apr 6, 2024 5:11:08 GMT -5
I don't think him spending to get "Gimme Back My Bullets" as a tribute to a wrestler used by his brother lead to any wrestlers being released nor do I think it correlates to the parts they're trying to cut back on I think in that instance you splurge because of the moment it represents, and it doesn't mean it's tone deaf to also cut talent for year round cost measures. That being said, he barely cut talent as it is, Henry isn't even going to be released very long, it sucks and I wish he could have kept everyone but it's not like he cut a ton of talent that were even being used on programming for much of one reason or another and likely could be better serviced on the Indies anyway Only one that still doesn't make a lot of sense to me is Dasha, wish they could have found something else for her to do if you're gonna let Cruise handle announcing Rampage and Collision now. I also really hope people start booking Slim J, GCW could use someone like him, hell even Impact's X Division
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Post by stoptheclocks on Apr 6, 2024 6:22:47 GMT -5
I don’t see AEW ever beating WWE (whatever that means) but I do see a change in structure happening when it comes to potential free agents. Be on TV, work less, probably get paid more, with a much more personable and approachable boss? I know which one I’d pick. So I can see WWE losing the “absolute place to be” appeal because here’s a company, still on TV, still on PPV, not “minor league” or indie in the slightest, paying more and asking less. That could be a big problem for HHH going forward. How big of a problem that is, is an interesting question I suppose. If anything, the last couple of months (and to be honest, most of AEW's history) suggest throwing millions upon millions at 'big names' actually doesn't do a huge amount in terms of moving the needle. Reality is, there are far more brilliantly talented wrestlers in the world than there are prominent spots on TV. AEW proved that when they formed and made stars of the likes of MJF, Hangman, Darby and Orange Cassidy. I think it's a reasonable question to wonder if they stripped their roster back to those homegrown talents (plus your stalwarts like Moxley) whether they'd be doing the exact same business as they are now with one of the most bloated and expensive rosters in history. So yeah, I can totally see ego's taking over and TKO/AEW throwing record breaking contracts at people like Seth and Becky. And that's great for them, they deserve it. But these free agent 'wins' are largely just vanity. Whoever wins will still have to bump incredibly talented people down the pecking order to make room on TV, and those talented people will then be available to be picked up and turned into stars by the other side.
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Allie Kitsune
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Post by Allie Kitsune on Apr 6, 2024 6:48:37 GMT -5
I don’t see AEW ever beating WWE (whatever that means) but I do see a change in structure happening when it comes to potential free agents. Be on TV, work less, probably get paid more, with a much more personable and approachable boss? I know which one I’d pick. So I can see WWE losing the “absolute place to be” appeal because here’s a company, still on TV, still on PPV, not “minor league” or indie in the slightest, paying more and asking less. That could be a big problem for HHH going forward. How big of a problem that is, is an interesting question I suppose. If anything, the last couple of months (and to be honest, most of AEW's history) suggest throwing millions upon millions at 'big names' actually doesn't do a huge amount in terms of moving the needle. Reality is, there are far more brilliantly talented wrestlers in the world than there are prominent spots on TV. AEW proved that when they formed and made stars of the likes of MJF, Hangman, Darby and Orange Cassidy. I think it's a reasonable question to wonder if they stripped their roster back to those homegrown talents (plus your stalwarts like Moxley) whether they'd be doing the exact same business as they are now with one of the most bloated and expensive rosters in history. So yeah, I can totally see ego's taking over and TKO/AEW throwing record breaking contracts at people like Seth and Becky. And that's great for them, they deserve it. But these free agent 'wins' are largely just vanity. Whoever wins will still have to bump incredibly talented people down the pecking order to make room on TV, and those talented people will then be available to be picked up and turned into stars by the other side. I don't know how much of a problem it is, but in the near term (if TKO doesn't loosen the purse strings), WWE is likely to become more of a "backup plan" or a "fallback" for talent that just falls out of focus in AEW, or don't necessarily see themselves leapfrogging others to get TV time. Though, since nobody knows what Silver Lake is gonna do when it comes to TKO, AEW seems like the safer bet (on top of not having to work as many dates) for most talent right now, IMO.
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Post by stoptheclocks on Apr 6, 2024 6:50:02 GMT -5
I don't think him spending to get "Gimme Back My Bullets" as a tribute to a wrestler used by his brother lead to any wrestlers being released nor do I think it correlates to the parts they're trying to cut back on I think in that instance you splurge because of the moment it represents, and it doesn't mean it's tone deaf to also cut talent for year round cost measures. That being said, he barely cut talent as it is, Henry isn't even going to be released very long, it sucks and I wish he could have kept everyone but it's not like he cut a ton of talent that were even being used on programming for much of one reason or another and likely could be better serviced on the Indies anyway Only one that still doesn't make a lot of sense to me is Dasha, wish they could have found something else for her to do if you're gonna let Cruise handle announcing Rampage and Collision now. I also really hope people start booking Slim J, GCW could use someone like him, hell even Impact's X Division Making the specific boast that he spent more than a wrestlers yearly salary on a song at the same time of trying to justify firing people for budget reasons is totally wild.
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chrom
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Post by chrom on Apr 6, 2024 6:55:06 GMT -5
What the heck was the song did he spend on that cost an average person's salary. And what is that, 200 grand perhaps?
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Post by stoptheclocks on Apr 6, 2024 7:11:44 GMT -5
How big of a problem that is, is an interesting question I suppose. If anything, the last couple of months (and to be honest, most of AEW's history) suggest throwing millions upon millions at 'big names' actually doesn't do a huge amount in terms of moving the needle. Reality is, there are far more brilliantly talented wrestlers in the world than there are prominent spots on TV. AEW proved that when they formed and made stars of the likes of MJF, Hangman, Darby and Orange Cassidy. I think it's a reasonable question to wonder if they stripped their roster back to those homegrown talents (plus your stalwarts like Moxley) whether they'd be doing the exact same business as they are now with one of the most bloated and expensive rosters in history. So yeah, I can totally see ego's taking over and TKO/AEW throwing record breaking contracts at people like Seth and Becky. And that's great for them, they deserve it. But these free agent 'wins' are largely just vanity. Whoever wins will still have to bump incredibly talented people down the pecking order to make room on TV, and those talented people will then be available to be picked up and turned into stars by the other side. I don't know how much of a problem it is, but in the near term (if TKO doesn't loosen the purse strings), WWE is likely to become more of a "backup plan" or a "fallback" for talent that just falls out of focus in AEW, or don't necessarily see themselves leapfrogging others to get TV time. Though, since nobody knows what Silver Lake is gonna do when it comes to TKO, AEW seems like the safer bet (on top of not having to work as many dates) for most talent right now, IMO. But even in that scenario... what does that actually practically mean beyond ego? The 'back-up plan' talent are still exceptional wrestlers who would be more than capable of being stars in WWE. When AEW was at it's hottest, it was built off a group of people who had been overlooked by WWE at one point or another. Essentially, there's a large pool of brilliant talent that are - to some degree - interchangeable by the looks of recent evidence. No company will ever be able to accumulate enough of them to seriously hurt the other. WWE missed out on bringing Mone back and getting Okada. Instead they'll probably push Tiffany Stratton and Carmelo Hayes and if they book them well, any difference in pure talent isn't really going to matter.
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Post by kingoftheindies on Apr 6, 2024 7:50:11 GMT -5
Just a few thoughts on the WWE vs AEW topic.
1)THere are absolutely going to be people to choose AEW over WWE, but to a lot of people the freedom both creatively and for external projects will give AEW the advantage in a lot of cases. WWE's presentation of wrestlers is going to give them the edge in others
2)For a lot of wrestlers the Mania moment is a big thing and should not be discounted however.
3)While there will likely be AEW guys and girls that go to WWE, I question how many will do there. 2 companies that look for 2 different things.
4) I saw people say this a few pages ago, while the Boys have a right to give their side of the story of the release, I still maintain that them basically teasing going scorched earth would be a poor decision. But that's the "don't burn a bridge" side of me talking.
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Post by THE FVNKER on Apr 6, 2024 8:10:54 GMT -5
I don’t see AEW ever beating WWE (whatever that means) but I do see a change in structure happening when it comes to potential free agents. Be on TV, work less, probably get paid more, with a much more personable and approachable boss? I know which one I’d pick. So I can see WWE losing the “absolute place to be” appeal because here’s a company, still on TV, still on PPV, not “minor league” or indie in the slightest, paying more and asking less. That could be a big problem for HHH going forward. When I say “beating” I mean the usual metrics like live gates, attendance, ratings, merch sales and/or other peripheral things like talent preferring to work for AEW. I think the edge WWE has from a talent perspective simply comes down to just having more eyes on the product and distribution, which may not even be as big of a deal anymore because you don’t really see too many guys using wrestling as a gateway into Hollywood anymore. Like someone said above me, certain things like “WrestleMania moments” might carry some weight, I suppose. AEW has the edge on schedule, (sometimes) pay, and creative freedom both in their matches and their angles.
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dpg
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Post by dpg on Apr 6, 2024 9:39:44 GMT -5
WWE has become the default entity when the majority of people think about wrestling. It's outdrawing AEW week in and week out in terms of ticket sales and ratings by an even larger degree than a year or two ago. The gap hasn't narrowed, it's widened. If TK wants to spend out on Becky and Seth, it'll mean excellent paydays for them. But AEW won't get any closer with them signed.
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Post by crazydom on Apr 6, 2024 10:49:10 GMT -5
No offense, but Tony spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a one time use of a song for a “moment” for a mid card wrestler kind of backs up Punk’s point.
He’s a “nice guy” not a boss.
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Kalmia
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Post by Kalmia on Apr 6, 2024 10:59:29 GMT -5
It's Khan's money. He can spend it however he pleases and if that includes a stupid amount on a song, then go ahead.
It just rings hollow when he's talking about budgets. You can find money for one song for one time but not to keep wrestler X signed?
It might be that the budget for talent is on the AEW spreadsheet and the money for a song used in ROH came out of Khan's pocket and that would be fair, but it's not a good look.
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Post by Andy Martin on Apr 6, 2024 11:00:30 GMT -5
Tony should trash talk all released wrestlers Big Swole: wrestling isn't good enough The boys: they no showed Stu Grayson: is a no good son of a bitch Stu Grayson: HE’SSSSSS FREEEEENNCCCHHHH *spits*
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lucas_lee
Hank Scorpio
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Post by lucas_lee on Apr 6, 2024 11:29:17 GMT -5
Just a few thoughts on the WWE vs AEW topic. 1)THere are absolutely going to be people to choose AEW over WWE, but to a lot of people the freedom both creatively and for external projects will give AEW the advantage in a lot of cases. WWE's presentation of wrestlers is going to give them the edge in others 2)For a lot of wrestlers the Mania moment is a big thing and should not be discounted however. 3)While there will likely be AEW guys and girls that go to WWE, I question how many will do there. 2 companies that look for 2 different things. 4) I saw people say this a few pages ago, while the Boys have a right to give their side of the story of the release, I still maintain that them basically teasing going scorched earth would be a poor decision. But that's the "don't burn a bridge" side of me talking. I mean the Boys would've stayed quiet if TK didn't open his mouth and said they no-showed. If there's receipts then that's on them. If they no-showed they're burying themselves. TK is still human and has flaws. Just because he's a nice guy doesn't mean he doesn't have character flaws.
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Post by Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!! on Apr 6, 2024 11:35:56 GMT -5
You can always shit on HHH It is always morally correct Vince: oh really? *Begins opening his belt*
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Post by kingoftheindies on Apr 6, 2024 11:42:56 GMT -5
Just a few thoughts on the WWE vs AEW topic. 1)THere are absolutely going to be people to choose AEW over WWE, but to a lot of people the freedom both creatively and for external projects will give AEW the advantage in a lot of cases. WWE's presentation of wrestlers is going to give them the edge in others 2)For a lot of wrestlers the Mania moment is a big thing and should not be discounted however. 3)While there will likely be AEW guys and girls that go to WWE, I question how many will do there. 2 companies that look for 2 different things. 4) I saw people say this a few pages ago, while the Boys have a right to give their side of the story of the release, I still maintain that them basically teasing going scorched earth would be a poor decision. But that's the "don't burn a bridge" side of me talking. I mean the Boys would've stayed quiet if TK didn't open his mouth and said they no-showed. If there's receipts then that's on them. If they no-showed they're burying themselves. TK is still human and has flaws. Just because he's a nice guy doesn't mean he doesn't have character flaws. Never said he did I'm a firm believer that in life you do not burn a bridge. I dunno if TK should have said what he said even if true, but you don't burn bridges
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Post by eJm on Apr 6, 2024 12:36:34 GMT -5
It’s not a good look. But getting copyright music is and will always will be as expensive as it is if they kept Slim J and others on the roster or not so it feels weird using that as a stick when, like, it’s way easier to say “He went back on the words he said before about contracts” because that means more and is something we can pick at.
If WWE said we’re going to cut the pyro on all our shows, that doesn’t automatically mean the money was going to be there to keep Dolph Ziggler on the roster but if HHH said “We’re happy with our roster and don’t need to cut anyone” before cutting Ziggler and others, that would be something to call him out on.
Also, as an aside, I don’t care if TK’s a good boss or not. He’s not my boss. If people are being paid on time and he’s not Paul Heyman-ing things to affect me as a fan, then that’s what matters to me personally.
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Post by The anti-ratings Luddite on Apr 6, 2024 12:46:17 GMT -5
No offense, but Tony spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a one time use of a song for a “moment” for a mid card wrestler kind of backs up Punk’s point. He’s a “nice guy” not a boss. I'm willing to argue that "Yeah, you're fired. Also, can we get legal on the phone? I need a Skynyrd song cleared by Friday" is unfortunately the most corporate boss thing that Tony Khan has ever done.
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r.
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Post by r. on Apr 6, 2024 12:54:41 GMT -5
WWE has become the default entity when the majority of people think about wrestling. It's outdrawing AEW week in and week out in terms of ticket sales and ratings by an even larger degree than a year or two ago. The gap hasn't narrowed, it's widened. If TK wants to spend out on Becky and Seth, it'll mean excellent paydays for them. But AEW won't get any closer with them signed. This.
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