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Post by Duke Mongoose on Dec 20, 2019 12:55:08 GMT -5
When I heard that All Elite Wrestling was starting this year and was going to have a weekly TV show on TNT starting in the fall, I was excited for the possibilities. Another wrestling company with national exposure can only improve the business as a whole. Then I got real mad when NXT got moved to USA and broadcast live, because we just can't have nice things, can we?
And now, here we are.
I wasn't super familiar or a big fan of most of the AEW roster. I feel like Kenny Omega is a tad overrated and is a bit too theatrical for my tastes, and his AEW work hasn't changed my opinion. I've never liked the Young Bucks. I think Cody has always been a great worker in all aspects and I'm glad to see him getting to do his thing without the WWE creative constraints. I didn't know who Adam Page was but I've become a fan. Chris Jericho as the first AEW Champion made sense from a business standpoint as he is the most known and recognized member of the roster.
But as their year came to a close, I have some major concerns. The TNT broadcast is a bit of a mess, with the picture-in-picture being used during EVERYTHING instead of just during matches. I understand that if you have a subscription to FITE.TV you can watch it all without the commercials, but there shouldn't be backstage segments or promos happening in picture-in-picture where we can't hear it. That's just a foolish production mistake. I also feel like for all of the good, serious, wrestling stuff they've done (mostly Cody, Jericho, MJF) they've done an equal or larger amount of silly things (I consider the Omega/Moxley Lights Out Match in this category). They've also created too many similar heel factions (Dark Order, Nightmare Collective, Blade/Butcher/Bunny) all with unclear motivations.
And their weekly format is also a point of contention, as their Dark show "airs" on Tuesdays but is taped on Wednesday and the weekly rankings come out between the two and reflect things that will happen on Dark. Of all of their issues, I feel like this is one of the easiest to fix, if they were to move around the Dark air date and the rankings release.
All in all, I'm glad AEW is around and offer a different product from WWE's Raw and Smackdown. But unfortunately, as Brian Alvarez put it: "NXT has quietly become what AEW promised they were going to be, and without anyone noticing." In my opinion thus far NXT has been the better show on Wednesday nights, but it's a marthon not a sprint and AEW is still learning on the job.
Anyway, that's my rant. Feel free to disagree/agree/discuss/etc. below.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2019 14:39:05 GMT -5
As a casual fan who became sick of the WWE and completely quit watching around 5yrs ago I was more than willing to give AEW a try! I went into it open minded and really really wanted to like it but I have already missed about 3 or 4 episodes, don’t seem to care and have no desire to attempt catching up. The undersized indie guys, the 20 million flips and flops to the outside, the 500 false finishes and the overbearing marks in the audience have killed it for me.
NWA on the other hand ... completely different story. Came in late to it but quickly caught up. Can’t miss an episode, I love it.
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Post by Duke Mongoose on Dec 20, 2019 15:29:09 GMT -5
NWA on the other hand ... completely different story. Came in late to it but quickly caught up. Can’t miss an episode, I love it. My only gripe with NWA's first episodes were the fake commercials. Sure, they were funny, but this is the National Wrestling Alliance not Southpaw Regional Wrestling. Aside from that the product has been top notch old school style professional wrestling. 45 minutes to an hour well spent per week. |
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Post by Slashmaster on Dec 20, 2019 16:37:43 GMT -5
AEW is currently my favorite show to watch. I agree with Yuppie's criticism though, but I'm willing to forgive quite a lot of this, as they are only 12 episodes in.
- Chris Jericho, Inner Circle, MJF, Cody, Darby Allin, Moxley, Lucha Brothers, SCU and PAC are very entertaining whenever they are on screen.
- I've seen plenty of Omega and the Bucks on the indies and in NJPW and actually think it's quite admirable that they are currently holding back to give others a chance to shine.
- Dark Order bombed on arrival, but what we are seeing now is a slight deviation of the same gimmick and it is working for me. Britt Baker and Nyla Rose didn't connect with the crowd as they were hoping and now the focus has shifted to Shida, Riho and Statlander. This makes me hopeful that they will tweak things like the Nightmare Collective as well.
Before AEW's launch NXT used to be my favorite wrestling program and I still like it very much. The wrestling is excellent, but I feel like they haven't done as good a job developing characters.
I still watch RAW and Smackdown against my better judgment, hoping for a return to form. I keep telling myself: maybe after the Draft, maybe after Survivor Series, maybe in the new year. (Speaking of which: Has anyone seen what they are going to do on the New Year's show? FFS.)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2019 18:34:15 GMT -5
NWA on the other hand ... completely different story. Came in late to it but quickly caught up. Can’t miss an episode, I love it. My only gripe with NWA's first episodes were the fake commercials. Sure, they were funny, but this is the National Wrestling Alliance not Southpaw Regional Wrestling. Aside from that the product has been top notch old school style professional wrestling. 45 minutes to an hour well spent per week. I completely agree about the goofy commercials I thought exactly the same thing as I want it to be played seriously. |
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Post by Pierre The Enormous on Dec 20, 2019 18:43:11 GMT -5
AEW is currently my favorite show to watch. I agree with Yuppie's criticism though, but I'm willing to forgive quite a lot of this, as they are only 12 episodes in. - Chris Jericho, Inner Circle, MJF, Cody, Darby Allin, Moxley, Lucha Brothers, SCU and PAC are very entertaining whenever they are on screen. - I've seen plenty of Omega and the Bucks on the indies and in NJPW and actually think it's quite admirable that they are currently holding back to give others a chance to shine. - Dark Order bombed on arrival, but what we are seeing now is a slight deviation of the same gimmick and it is working for me. Britt Baker and Nyla Rose didn't connect with the crowd as they were hoping and now the focus has shifted to Shida, Riho and Statlander. This makes me hopeful that they will tweak things like the Nightmare Collective as well. Before AEW's launch NXT used to be my favorite wrestling program and I still like it very much. The wrestling is excellent, but I feel like they haven't done as good a job developing characters. I still watch RAW and Smackdown against my better judgment, hoping for a return to form. I keep telling myself: maybe after the Draft, maybe after Survivor Series, maybe in the new year. (Speaking of which: Has anyone seen what they are going to do on the New Year's show? FFS.) Stop while you still can Slash |
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Post by themadness on Dec 21, 2019 15:30:52 GMT -5
gave up after the first couple of big shows and the debut on tv. Everyone is entitled to like what they want but I personally feel it's just glorified indy wrestling on cable.
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Post by Thumper Moore III on Dec 26, 2019 23:34:36 GMT -5
I like feats of athleticism. I like cheesy humor. I love me some Jericho, and they’ve given me new guys to love and to hate. So, yeah, I’m in.
Are the criticisms valid? Of course. The lead announcer can’t tell the difference between the two guys feuding with the top babyface. The camera cuts to the crowd at just the wrong time. The audio issues were terrible (thank God they’re getting better). It at times looks like a gymnastics competition rather than wrestling. The women’s division has been hit and miss.
But here’s what they’re doing right:
Moxley.
The Inner Circle.
Cody.
Darby Allin, Private Party, Jurassic Express, Sammy Guevara, and Joey Janela have become legit mid- to upper-midcard acts on national TV who many people, myself included, look forward to seeing each week.
Have the Elite suffered? Yep, but at their expense look who they’ve built. And that’s the genius of it. Omega and PAC can pull 4* matches out of thin air, but the Bucks got a legit 4* match out of Private Party, who nobody knew— and now they’re my 16yo son’s favorite.
I think that’s going to be their true mark— they’re creating new fans, much like NWA Power(rr) is bringing back old ones. And yeah, NXT is still great. But I’m excited for wrestling for the first time in ages, and the competition is making it all better.
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Post by Dyno on Dec 27, 2019 17:31:53 GMT -5
It's still too early IMO as this isn't an established company suddenly going onto live TV, everything is new.
AEW has had it's moments...of course pretty much everything Jericho touches turns to gold...but NXT has been my number one show for years now and that's not changed.
I'm also failing to see the love for Omega. No doubt he's a talent but all his Street Fighter-esque nonsense is irritating.
Young Bucks are just high spot merchants, I've yet to see a match with them where they've actually told a story.
Adam Page is a star waiting to be born however, he's got it all and I was hoping his split from The Elite would allow him to develop more of his character.
AEW's biggest drawback, aside from the technical aspects in previous posts, is it's womens division. Aside from one or two on the roster, the rest aren't up to much at the mo.
Tony Schiavone also needs to remember he's not in WCW anymore, but he's made a positive difference to the announce team as I'm not a great fan of Excalibur.
Regardless of it all however it's great to have more choices to watch as a wrestling fan. But at the mo, while I refuse to miss an episode of NXT, I find myself skipping through more and more on AEW as the weeks go on. Plenty of time to change though!
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Post by Another 8MWR Tag Champion on Dec 28, 2019 2:16:38 GMT -5
WWE on FOX? Woohoo!
New Year's Eve with Steve Harvey?
woohoo. (Just imagine that in a very sarcastic tone)
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qamike
Main Eventer
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Post by qamike on Dec 28, 2019 20:50:56 GMT -5
Definitely time to sit back and say
This worked
This didnt
This is what pops
This is what flops
They definitely need some polish but it’s practically everything I’ve asked for in a wrestling show. I laugh, I mark out, and at times the obligatory “those dirty mother fu-“
It’s far from perfect but as an alternative to wwe it’s hit it’s mark. They still have plenty to work on but in the fans eyes even wwe die hards will agree that wwe has just as much to work on.. the only difference is that AEWs survival depends on those issues being taken seriously and accounted for
But AEW is right where it needs to be ratings wise. They have a great core of talent. They have everything they need to progress and grow as a company and anyone that says different is tripping. AEW has already changed the industry and that’s not an exaggerated statement of an AEW mark. It is what it is and I’ll continue to vest my interest into this wrestling company until wwe is back on track which it inevitably will.. wwe just goes in cycles
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Post by Thumper Moore III on Dec 31, 2019 10:46:55 GMT -5
I’m actually headed to the show in Jacksonville tomorrow night. You guys can look for me— I’ll be the one that looks like an overweight Jake Hager in my Inner Circle shirt.
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Post by Slashmaster on Jan 2, 2020 3:44:35 GMT -5
I’m actually headed to the show in Jacksonville tomorrow night. You guys can look for me— I’ll be the one that looks like an overweight Jake Hager in my Inner Circle shirt.
This episode was great! How was it, being there live?
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Post by Thumper Moore III on Jan 2, 2020 15:34:12 GMT -5
I’m actually headed to the show in Jacksonville tomorrow night. You guys can look for me— I’ll be the one that looks like an overweight Jake Hager in my Inner Circle shirt.
This episode was great! How was it, being there live?
Better than watching it on TV. Elite v Lucha Bros and PAC was absolutely rocking, and Dustin v Guevara came across strong, as did Mox v Trent. How did the crowd come across on TV? I thought that it was pretty solid. The only things that were minor complaints live was that they played the TV feed on the Jumbotron while the action was at ringside (when no one could see it), but when they returned to the ring they cut the feed (which led to the people in the cheap seats chanting T-V (clap-clap)). Also, we missed the Riho promo because we didn’t have the feed until the very end. When you see Dark on Tuesday (minor spoilers I guess?), I’ll be surprised if they don’t cut the Shawn Spears promo he cut before the match against Gunn Club. It was the opener, and Spears partner was (possibly) a local talent, and the crowd chanted “We don’t know you” at the guy until Spears explained it was a tryout to be his partner. Still very funny. |
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Post by cjyoung433 on Jan 9, 2020 10:41:30 GMT -5
I like AEW and I'm glad they're around to give people an option to watch something else. All in all I think they have done a good job so far, however the biggest problem for me is that about half of their roster just does nothing for me. I must say I'm not an indy wrestling fan at all, so guys like Janela and Havoc I really have interest in watching. I think the inner circle is cool but I also feel that they are a bunch of random guys thrown together that Jericho mostly carries through promos. I also feel the initial hype has considerably died down. This rant might sound a little negative but again I really am enjoying AEW for the most part. I thought Full Gear was a top 3 or 4 ppv of 2019. I hope they can stay for a while and actually get some people to sign with them in the coming years
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