Wrestling: Probs mostly about AEW TNT debut and Smackdown on Fox

[Mobius]

Seth sucks so bad. His new gimmick is boring. All that time feuding with Brock just to lose the belt immediately and turn heel. Good job.

[Moribunderast]

Dynamite RULED this week!

Sammy Guevara took the best Superkick I've ever seen. MOX and Cobb had a good match that led to a great angle. Darby Allin is a fucking superstar. Omega and Hangman/Lucha Bros. was insane and Cody decided to die for our sins again. I am just loving this show week in, week out.

[Gurke and Hare]

What is point Raw? A succession of indistiguishable men with long hair and beards come out and say and do the same things every week. And I know there has to be some promo stuff, but in Raw it seems like it's about 80% of the show.

(I do like the women's division on Raw, mostly for Asuka - who doesn't like a Japanese Danielle Ward? Although that bit with Becky Lynch paying her fine in advance seems strangely familiar...)

AEW Dark was very funny this week.

[hummingofevil]

Dynamite RULED this week!

Sammy Guevara took the best Superkick I've ever seen. MOX and Cobb had a good match that led to a great angle. Darby Allin is a fucking superstar. Omega and Hangman/Lucha Bros. was insane and Cody decided to die for our sins again. I am just loving this show week in, week out.

Aye. A combination of being on holiday and a bad cough meant I stayed up to watch. Brilliant show. Personally, my only issue is I think they might be rushing the tag title stuff as the story is good but if feels like it's got a lot more legs in it yet but everything was ace. The finish to show was amazing and the dark promo doing rounds on Twitter is A* stuff.

[Ja'moke]

I loved how Cody didn't fuck around at all with that moonsault. He just got up there and did it. I don't even think he looked back? Maybe it would have freaked him out if he spent too much time thinking about it. And hats off to Wardlow too. That's the first time I've seen him wrestle and this was a big match with a big stipulation and he more than held his own and caught Cody perfectly for the moonsault.

[Old Thrashbarg]

Yeah, Wardlow performed as well as possible there. Not that I've watched many, but it was by far the safest top-of-the-cage moonsault I've seen, largely due to Wardlow's perfect positioning (Cody definitely didn't look back) and catch. And his senton was great too, shame that didn't get a replay.

I've never stuck with a weekly wrestling show for very long previously, WWE between the Rumble and Mania +/- a few weeks is probably the longest. But I've watched every Dynamite since it started and have no desire to stop any time soon. That vast majority have been great and those that haven't been have still contained plenty of good moments.

I do love the crowd continuing to sing Jericho's theme long after the music has stopped as well, even if it's not the reaction they should give to a heel's theme.

[Spode]

The Lucha lads really need to learn to count to ten, though.

[Gurke and Hare]

The storylining in the run-up to the PPV has been superb. I'll be gutted if either Moxley, Cody, Darby or Dustin lose, which is exactly as it should be. Is there a women's title match scheduled for Revolution?

[Ja'moke]

Is there a women's title match scheduled for Revolution?

Based on last night, I assume we'll get Swole vs Statlander next week to determine the no. 1 contender.

[amateur]

Absolutely sensational cage match. Didn't over use the gimmick, made it clear that escaping the cage isn't a win (as is correct when the storyline doesn't including a cowardly heel), Wardlow looked great for his role, senton and moonsault. Perfect TV main event.

The booking on this show has been overall pretty decent and they're lining up the PPV in good style, a proper build to so many matches.

With the Nightmare Collective seemingly dead and the women's division getting a bit clearer it's a great show to watch at the moment. Well worth the FITE TV sub.

[Timothy]

First 2 episodes of the Ruthless Agression documentary series is up on Network. Great so far.

[Spode]

First 2 episodes of the Ruthless Agression documentary series is up on Network. Great so far.

I can't get enough of stuff like this, I must have watched the Monday night wars ones about a hundred times. I mean, it's demented how the portray stuff, and the talking heads are as badly done as their promos, but I love them. Already a corking re-write of how WWF became WWE

[BeardFaceMan]

Based on last night, I assume we'll get Swole vs Statlander next week to determine the no. 1 contender.

Was it just me, or did I hear Swole have a little dig at Rose by calling her "brother" during their pull-apart?

[Ja'moke]

Was it just me, or did I hear Swole have a little dig at Rose by calling her "brother" during their pull-apart?

She did say brother, but I doubt it was a dig. She's probably one of those people that calls everyone brother. Like Hulk Hogan...

[Deanjam]

Already a corking re-write of how WWF became WWE

I'm not watching them for this very reason. I can have a good laugh at Vince's bullshit view of the world, but that Monday night war series killed me off any WWE historical peerspectives.

[amateur]

I'm not watching them for this very reason. I can have a good laugh at Vince's bullshit view of the world, but that Monday night war series killed me off any WWE historical peerspectives.

I watched this so long ago that I can't remember any of this revisionist history - what were the main elements?

[Deanjam]

I watched this so long ago that I can't remember any of this revisionist history - what were the main elements?

That WWE was a plucky little company, bullied by WCW, who had no stars of there own (tell that to Goldberg, Sting, Dallas Page etc) and only got successful because they stole (STOLE!) WWF's top stars. Also WCW used underhand tactics while WWF were as pure as the driven snow. The usual.

[hummingofevil]

That WWE was a plucky little company, bullied by WCW, who had no stars of there own (tell that to Goldberg, Sting, Dallas Page etc) and only got successful because they stole (STOLE!) WWF's top stars. Also WCW used underhand tactics while WWF were as pure as the driven snow. The usual.

That is the problem with a lot of wrestling docs for me, even those made outside of WWE. I loved the HBO Andre doc but watching the Hogan bits were literally a huge waste of time as he was just talking utter tripe. It MIGHT have some value if you want to work out whether Hogan is either full of shit or actually has convinced himself his shite is true but beyond that it's utter garbage. The rest of the HBO one was so good it didn't really ruin it but in other docs the lack of quality control just makes me think the whole things aren't worth bothering with.

That said I watched back the Louis Theroux Weird Weekends and can't for life of me work out how much of the WCW Powerplant stuff was a work that they all planned together. I suspect it was more the case that everyone knew their roles and played along tacetly rather than it being planned out. Also option that the trainer guy was just an utter cunt (secondary sources suggest that is a likely option).

[peanutbutter]

Jericho is maybe my favourite wrestler of all-time, but he's a fucking stupid idiot.

I think you've kinda gotta expect stuff like this from a guy like him. He's super likeable and seems to give everyone a chance, but there isn't a whole lot of critical thinking going on with it all, he's very likely to be roped into some dumb shit.






Gonna watch the Ruthless Aggression doc if only because it's a relief to get one not about the attitude era

[hummingofevil]

Might stay up to watch to Fury but there is another AAA show on. I know none of you reply to any of my AAA messages but its so great. It's the best wrestling in the world IMO. Vikingo is so much better than any other wrestler in the world at the moment and it's silly arguing other wise.

[Osmium]

^I enjoy reading them.

WWE signing Sareee (best women's wrestler in Japan last year) has been confirmed. Pretty much been known to be happening for months now and she has been linked to them since early 2017.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgzJLbDWPXg

[peanutbutter]

I'm sure I've said this before but for some reason I just love that Dustin Rhodes despite the makeup and shit brands himself The Natural in AEW. It's like... this really strong reminder that he was pretty great pre-WWF and still is and does loads to mentally separate him from the Goldust character in a way he never seemed to manage in any other excursions beyond WWE.

How have AEW not lined up a show in the UK yet? Just that they don't need to so they're holding off?

[Ja'moke]

Cody said them doing a show, preferably a PPV, in the UK in 2020 is a priority. I'm guessing it'll be towards the end of the year, perhaps in the Full Gear spot.

[hummingofevil]

^I enjoy reading them.

WWE signing Sareee (best women's wrestler in Japan last year) has been confirmed. Pretty much been known to be happening for months now and she has been linked to them since early 2017.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgzJLbDWPXg

*BLUSH*

:)

I might be very wrong but I think NXT Japan won't be a wrestling company but only a  dojo. Meiko Satomura is definitely the director of the dojo and the idea will be for he to train Japanese talent, sign them to management/agent contracts and then when they ready WWE gets them first choice. There is so much negativity about an NXT Japan promotion "brand" (but I am sure they could still fill 500 at Korakuen for example) but the smart thing to do would be to have working relationships with Stardom, DDT, AJPW, etc and then just syphon off the talent (like Kushida) who want to work in US NXT. It's actually pretty smart.

[amateur]

That WWE was a plucky little company, bullied by WCW, who had no stars of there own (tell that to Goldberg, Sting, Dallas Page etc) and only got successful because they stole (STOLE!) WWF's top stars. Also WCW used underhand tactics while WWF were as pure as the driven snow. The usual.

Ah yes. That sounds like a familiar narrative.

A lot of the talk on WOR has been about Vince continuing to fight a war he's already won with his approach to AEW - and yet the most baffling thing was letting Jericho escape for the same reasons as he let all those WCW guys go. He's had arguably a greater impact on AEW in 2019/2020 (if you look at how quickly he managed it) than Nash and Hall did at the beginning of the Monday Night Wars.

[Timothy]

Starting to enjoy AEW. Last few shows have been great. Looking forward to the PPV and hope they are gonna tour UK this year.

Although one minor annoyance are the refs. Don't really like it when they react or overreact or pop for every single move.
Best example is in the tag match with Page and Omega last week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzBcz6u4BgM

Guy is drawing too much attention to himself. Distracting.

[Deanjam]

I have the same issue with New Japan refs (esp. Red Shoes). A ref is like a butler, the less you notice them the better they are.

[Deanjam]

New Japan cup draw. Okada/White, Ibushi/Sabre, Ospreay/Takagi and Takahashi/Goto all in round one.

[Deanjam]

WWE went ages without any drug failures and now we've had 3 in a short space of time.

[Deanjam]

Raw 2.21m viewers. Still shite.