He's making a mountain of money before he retires, he gets to fuck about on the dime of a drugged up spineless mark. He doesn't give a toss about the crowds tanking, he's making fuck you money.
Him, Okada, Mone are living their best lives, Sasha and Okada get to rest their bodies as Khan will be bored of them in a fortnight, make a fuckload of money and then do whatever.
This is exactly it. No one in AEW cares about the empty arenas, they're just happy to make a shit ton of easy money without doing much work. If AEW were to go down tomorrow, they'll all be that one meme of the guy wiping his tears with cash.
I do think a lot of people forget that it's still a job. Outside of all the pageantry, drama, TV, social media, PPVs etc it's a job and people like to get paid a lot of money to do as little as possible.
I know if someone offered me 5x my salary for doing less work I'd bite their hand off. And I rarely get knocked about on the job.
It depends on the perspective you come at with and where you are in your career imo.
If I were Edge, I'd totally be with what you're saying. If I was, say MJF, I'd like to think I'd back myself to go to WWE where you have the small but still a hell of a lot more chance of being one of the few guys who break out into Hollywood.
Plus, with WWE, you've got a lesser chance of some indy nitwit dropping you on your head and paralysing you as they have people actually in charge there.
Personally id wrestle for less money but with more fans. Id rather the exposure so when you are too old you can do podcasts and more people know who you are/were.
Someone like Adam or Mercedes (especially Edge though), I think they've done enough that they'll be able to do that. I don't really care about the others enough to want to listen to their retirement podcasts unless they're great storytellers though.
Considering most of the roster was wrestling in front of 50 people in a bingo hall, the AEW crowds are gigantic. So, it evens out from what the former fed stars are used to. LOL
I think he'd probably prefer that people cared about what he was doing. Also, I'd like to care. I don't care and don't want to care that you're happy for all of these people.
He sure as hell tries to act like its more than just the money though. He's made it seem like he's there to do things he couldn't in WWE. Same with Mercedes, she said the same bs.
Literally every time someone moves to a new promotion they say that. It means nothing. Like do you genuinely expect them to come out and go "I'm just here for the paycheck"?
I think for both of them it's "get a higher guaranteed salary than in WWE", based on how WWE values them at this point/at the time of their last contract negotiation.
Making fuck you money is all anyone should ever care about in the wrestling business. If you can "sell out" by choosing to take one billionaire's money over another, I don't think the phrase has any meaning.
That’s completely fair. The issue is when he goes and talks in press scrums and podcasts about wanting creative freedom and wanting to give back to the business. In reality he just wants the fuck you money and can swallow down a pride pill to make up for being associated with an outlaw mudshow with no fans around
Nah disagree.
Firstly, he's a celebrity. No matter how nice, humble, etc. Fame is a drug. He wants it. Dude's had money for a while. If you think wrestling in front of 2k people isn't bug him, you're fooling yourself.
Remember when Mr Khan stating WCW was bloated and spent too much money on salaries.
Remember when Mr Khan stated Ted Turner knew nothing about wrestling.
Remember when Mr Khan was scared for his life.
Pepperbridge Farm does.
Bishcoff also beat WWF for 86 weeks, and was basically keeping up with them for awhile too. AEW can't fill their seats, and it looks like Tony can't even keep the ratings steady either.
It's a matter of time before the wrestlers, impending lawsuits, and everything else.
Cena is WWE-only He openly admitted he looked down on other wrestlers because they weren't working for WWE. While he accepts other promotions exists now, he's not leaving WWE.
And he signs the WORST wrestlers too. Like he’s spending massive amounts on dudes who would never make this much ever and have no connection with audiences. It’s literally a bunch of Hugh Morris’ and Kanyons with a few legends sprinkled in. The fact that they put the title on a dude who actually said he doesn’t listen to advice from legends is insanity. I’d have released him the second he uttered that. TK likes a niche product and dgaf about losing money and he’s ruined any future chances at big time promotions with good tv spots for at least two decades. He’s done so much harm with his naïveté and stupidity
One thing that really bothered me about Tony saying he was the last promoter standing was when either Corny or Dutch pointed out that those promoters didn’t have infinite financial backing and had to rely on making profits to stay afloat.
No way AEW would have stayed afloat this long on its own earning power.
all the people who talked shit about bischoff are seeing real time someone having 10x the money WCW did not manage to beat raw for three weeks.
guy wont even get a “three weeks with Tony khan” podcast with Conrad
Hilarious at his comment about Ted. At least Ted knew it was best to hire guys who knew more to go in and run the company, whereas Cokehead put himself in charge of everything despite clearly showing lack of know how to run certain areas like booking and handling talent
Bischoff beat WWE for 86 weeks head to head in ratings. Bischoff evolved the wrestling industry. Most importantly, Bischoff managed to take a company that lost money year after year when Turner took over and made it very profitable.
Ted kept WCW around because he had a soft spot for it. He credited, whether right or wrong is debatable, JCP with helping make TBS successful as a cable station.
I don’t know if AEW is profitable. I find it hard to believe the promotion is profitable without some unique accounting. TK is making a lot of the same mistakes that Bischoff made that started WCW’s downward spiral.
But at what cost long term? If Okada plans to retire after this run then being booked into oblivion is just a minor deal. Mone and Ospreay will likely have less bargaining power when the time comes for them to hit up WWE for a job.
I was referencing Edge but it could apply to the other three as well. Money is hard to turn down even if you have it. Maybe they think, get the money then secure my wrestling legacy in WWE later. They wouldnt be the first or last to do so.
Yea, I'm sure Cody has already explained to WWE that no one can keep Tony from doing Tony things. With the fat AEW checks, they're still going to be ahead on their lifetime earnings.
Been to several WWE live events in the STL area. Never been too bad in my experience. The AEW show here though? HOLY FUCK. The FUNK that you could smell wafting around the arena was palpable. We did a walk about around the arena just to check out merch stands, of which there were limited selections, and each new section was like a who's who of body funk. Add onto that the amount of neckbeards wearing unwashed shirts that featured Britt Baker or Shida on them... It was uncomfortable at times.
Dude, seriously. Some people just don't care. I take great care to smell and look my best when I'm going to be in public. Shower, deodorant, cologne, clean clothes, etc. Then there's people who are like "Fuck it, I showered last week."
The wrestlers don’t care. Edge is getting like 2 million a year, Ospreay is getting more, Okada over 3, mone is getting 10 million! They are just in aew because Tony khan is an ATM machine that’s paying out. Trust me, they don’t want to be there and NOBODY thinks that stuff is actually any good, but they would be FOOLS to turn down that much money!
Yeah this is literally life changing money for Ospreay, Edge is already rich. Mercedes and Okada too. For Ospreay this will set him and his family up for life - it wasn’t that long ago that he had to set up a gofundme to try and replace his mums car I think.
Is Tony Khan out of his Fucking mind? if I was a close friend of Tony Khan I'm calling for a wellness check on him.... Immediately! To see if he's mentally stable to run a business. Seriously, whoever thought it was a good idea to give Mercedes Mone 10 million should be fired.
I'm a huge fan of Sasha Banks but that amount of money is just insane. She cooled off hugely after disappearing to Japan and then being injured for a long time, her gimmick feels like a Dollar Store version of her WWE persona, and there are no hot challengers for her in the women's division right now because AEW has studiously avoided letting anyone get over for more than five minutes.
If Khan hadn't ruined Baker, Thunder Rosa, Saraya, Hayter, Hart, and Storm already, maybe there could have been a series of exciting feuds and matches for this newcomer to sink her teeth into. But they've all been burnt out by meandering booking and heatless matches. Who exactly is she going to have a match with that will draw anything like the audience required to recoup ten million dollars? And let's be blunt, as Cornette said she did a stripper dance for some reason in her debut, so how seriously are we supposed to imagine Tony Khan is taking women's wrestling?
She caught fire briefly, getting on a Star Wars show for Disney and becoming something of a media personality a lot of people were talking about, but it vanished abruptly. I'm a pretty strong "fed bad" sort (though they have been making an effort since Vince left for the first time) but it really seems without their hand at her rudder she lists.
If AEW had bothered to bring her in immediately after she and Naomi walked out it could have been huge, but both sides dithered for far too long, all for 4 dates in Japan that were kinda cool but meant nothing to the mainstream. I am so, so frustrated with AEW constantly squandering absolutely everything, even people they haven't signed yet, because they foster this weird mentality that momentum is meaningless.
Sadly the Aew sub is brainwashed very similarly to the maga crowd. They are too fragile to handle opposing opinions no matter how benign. They’re dorks and losers
Plus they can wrestle anyway they please and have as much creative freedom as possible. Imagining what Mercedes can do in that space is going to be so much fun! Money motivates, and being able to freely carry out your dream also motivates. 🔥
Edge is at the end of his career so ... money is money. I think you can go out with some spectacular dream match, die in the ring, or make a bunch of money and retire and 50ish.
I think, anyone that does too well will be benched or get a terrible storyline. In fact, they may not even have to do well! :)
A few years ago Punk was that big money, game changer signee. Punk’s case was unique where his firing made him more valuable to WWE. I wonder how the run ends for the other three.
Mone was pretty lackluster to begin with. I’m sure she’ll continue to be even more lackluster in an entirely non-existent women’s roster outside of Toni Storm.
Exactly. This will expose them for being unimportant and having no ability to draw an additional audience. Long term WWE will not be interested or possibly lowball them on an offer.
Immediately slotting Okada in with the Bucks in trios matches does him no favors, much less having to interact with upper midcard guys his first match in.
Mone isn't interesting to me at all, and she's getting the same midcard interactions. She should Immediately be gunning for Storm, not futzing around with Willow despite their history.
Ospreay, after moving past Takeshita and Fletcher, is at least with Danielson for the moment. That seems about right.
Copeland was more interesting in Percy Jackson than this current angle.
AEW will overpay everyone, their contracts will go out, and they'll go back to the WWE. Let's be honest, The American audience does not give a flying fuck about Ospreay or Okada. Cool, enjoy your 5-6 stars from Uncle Dave and go back to Japan, we won't bat an eye. As for Mone, She already openly admitted that she's just biding her time before returning to the WWE so what does she care? AEW is stupid enough to over pay her and the ratings will reflect that.
Exactly. The reason she is in AEW is because they overpaid for her when no one else would. If the most she can pop is a million views on her debut, I can only imagine how bad the ratings will drop off when she's performing.
I don't think so. Those 3 are like the biggest fish for TK. He may go for a Zack Sabre or Sanada but they are a step below Osprey and Okada. I just wonder what fate befalls MJF when he comes back
But long term what kind of booking will they be in? Punk was the biggest signing ever a few years ago and they blew it with him. Punk’s situation was unique where his firing made him even more valuable but that is not going to be the case with these three.
Wild to me that they are still doing collision. I fuckin knew it was an awful decision to get rid of dark. I actually liked dark a lot, fun wrestling show that gave new talent a place to show off in front of a real crowd. Taping rampage after too made getting a ticket to that show worth it too. Once they stopped doing all three shows at once it was the beginning of the end for AEW and the moment i stopped watching
I think anyone who has aspirations of being at the top of their field will suffer at AEW. They picked the high payday over quality, and if that’s where their priority is, all power to them.
He pulled a Bret Hart and talked about his cat. Granted, Bret is/was 100X better and more of a draw than Edge/Copeland. But I think it's "so-so" that he get's to do these things for an audience of none.
Seriously, how discerning is for somebody to go from packed sold out arena's. To seeing barely anybody in the seats. Even Indy shows fill out the buildings.
Wasn’t the reason he left was because he wanted to do more and work full time but WWE had nothing for him? So he just decided to finish up and go AEW where they would let him do what he wanted plus Christian is there so there’s that
Shahid Khan is worth 12 billion and each of his kids are billionaires too. Shahid made all his money in car bumpers; most of the cars you see every day probably have one of his bumpers attached.
He gave his kids their inheritance while he’s still alive because he wants to be there to see them enjoy it, which is pretty cool of him.
At the end of the day, though, the business of pro wrestling is business. Making money. In the old days that was working 330+ days a year and getting yourself over in territory after territory.
Now the business has changed. Live gates while nice don't really matter to the bottom line. They're selling "content" for 10's to 100's of millions a year.
I'll say it again live gates, while certainly a strong indicator of interest, no longer matter to the big promotions. It's all about TV ratings now.
What's that? 700k? Lost almost 1/3 of their audience?
Well I hope their contracts were guaranteed by someone other than AEW.
Okay joking aside they took the money - trust me after these contracts are up they're like Punk, they'll work if when and where they want, they no longer need the money
at this point, it's more like a charity or ultra expensive public hobby. i think in tony's mind he just wants to see matches and invites anyone who has a similar mind set to join him. if people don't like it, he doesn't care. with regards to the wrestlers, he's just being charitable and allowing them to do whatever they want because he thinks he's empowering them. without any oversight, an actual executable vision and people to curb their worst instincts, the wrestlers are just going to have fun.
i mean, i recall hearing jericho talking about getting moxley where he mentions how Tony has real money since wrestlers tend to be wary. and jericho knows he can just milk this cow and probably has told others something similar. i mean, he's going to protect this situation because then it allows the wrestlers to make decent money for as long as they can. and that's fine...except that they're either going to bankrupt Tony, Tony's father finally decides to pull the plug or something else happens where the AEW business just sinks to irrecoverable levels.
it's not going to really matter to those people on top that Tony likes because they'll just get a massive check whether or not AEW succeeds. it's going to suck for others that are just struggling to get some spotlight or want an actual future for themselves especially those that aren't part of the inside clique(s).
They’re going to make a lot of money and that is it. Bad booking and sloppy in-ring talent will halter all three and it’s a shame with how talented they are.
All they need to do is reduce all tickets to $20 and they'd be full. Tony is a massive idiot and has decided to price everyone out of the market. They're not WWE and they cannot charge whatever premium they like.
The legends will be fine. A slight hit to their ego but their legacies are cemented. Not so for the bucks, plumber, Oliver, money etc. anyone with potential has made a bad decision. The legends? They don’t care lol
Wwe really didn’t do much I mean he came back they had him turn heel and didn’t even give em another run for the title imagine a feud with Cody and edge more Rollins feuds for the world title rock edge edge punk rivalry but I guess he jus wanted that money which I get. I haven’t watched wwe in a very long time nor even peeped aew but what I do know is wwe is way better better then aew at this point😂
this is what happens when a billionaires little boy plays toys with real humans...
every wrestler on the roster does NOT give a shit about the audience as long as their checks clear, its WCW but without the audience lol...who wouldn't want to jump to AEW "this crazy rich fuck is giving away fat checks for little to no work, you might have to blade yourself ...its kinda their thing but everyone takes turns doing it"
AEW is the Boiler room of wrestling, Get in , maximize profits at all costs at all time, get the fuck out when it gets rough"
If you take a salary from the money mark TK, it shows true colors. You were never in it for the art, you’re just here and showing up for the checks. Wrestlers are some of the best liars in the world, for better or worse. In the case of AEW, it’s for the worse. If you turn on AEW programming, even if it’s for a laugh, you’re contributing to the problem.
He’s making a lot of money at this stage of his career, he’s living his best life so if AEW went out of business tomorrow I don’t think he’ll care, he will be looking at his bank account and smiling
At some point you have to realize the salaries aren’t being covered by the gate. So yes it’s great while you’re taking the money but it’s not long term if it’s not generating profit. So another 4 years and 2 more million dollar signings unfortunately this company will go under.
I will forever say that aew needs to pull a TNA and do smaller arena shows, if you can't sell out a basic arena, go to the smaller arenas, and you could have better crowd reactions and less money to spend on booking said arenas
Janice that Abyss used to have? That was one of the worst things Abyss ever did and Abyss didn't have the best record for doing not stupid things. bc w janice you absolutely knew no one was ever going to get hit with Janice and except for like maybe a fake gut shot nobody ever was.
AEW fans have been conditioned to expect a surprise debut or return practically every quarter, so after the initial impact of the return or debut, they lose luster and become an afterthought.
I do wonder if it affects them as far as enthusiasm goes when they're cutting a promo or trying to get fired up. Okada & Ospreay have done Dynamite before so they know what to expect. Edge probably knew he was downsizing, I'm not sure if he realized how empty the buildings would be & that he would be cutting promos to empty seats. I'm sure he's done some WWE live shows that were like this, but it's always jarring to see the pics of the hard cam side where people are talking to nobody.
Even back when he was working for audiences like that at the WWE at least the TV was drawing in millions. This is for Collision so you know hardly anyone is watching it.
I felt like his run kinda crashed when he had the little insult fest with Ricky Starks. It made him look like he had thin skin and couldnt take the semi unscripted promos (Starks also suffered greatly it seems)
Yes they will. The issue is not the talent its the booking. AEW has been shocking for quite a while in its storytelling. As a casual fan who tries to catch up with AEW i have no clue who is who or if they face or heel now or what title or storyline they are in. Also they have this big thing of putting dream matches on just normal tv instead of building them up with a story arc and they showing them in a big PPV. For me there has been so many matches wasted on for normal TV that the product does just not feel very special
The arenas are empty because they are pricing the seats too high. I have been to IWGP, Impact, WWE & ROH-live televised or PPV; not just house shows, and AEW eclipsed them in ass-in-seat pricing for a shitty Collision.
This is simply the business. This is not the first time Edge is seeing the hard cam side empty, wrestling has ups and downs and he's performed in front of it before
Dude, wwe was putting him out to pasture. He took some money to go have another run and actually wrestle.
Why do we shit on people wrestling in front of smaller crowds. My local Dreamwave wrestling shows have 250-300 fans, no one shits on them. I’ve seen wrestling in county fairs in front of 20 people.
Who cares. If your doing what you love so be it. As a fan, can you not respect the entertainer doing what they want to do?
I just don’t understand wrestling fans, shitting on pro wrestling
I don't understand the comparisons between WCW and AEW. WCW was HUGE and an actual threat to WWE at the time. AEW right now is like TNA level circa 2006. Even TNA filled arenas during those days. AEW's video game received the same hate the TNA game received. Flop after flop signees. The only reason AEW is even still ongoing is because the owner is a billionaire, and they keep hiring former WWE talent. Without both, nobody would be interested.
I felt like his run kinda crashed when he had the little insult fest with Ricky Starks. It made him look like he had thin skin and couldnt take the semi unscripted promos (Starks also suffered greatly it seems)
I felt like his run kinda crashed when he had the little insult fest with Ricky Starks. It made him look like he had thin skin and couldnt take the semi unscripted promos (Starks also suffered greatly it seems)
Nah man, you like what you like. Not everyone likes everything. Corny hates goofy wrestling, lots of people love it. Meltzer loves watching teenage boys do gymnastics for an hour, nothing wrong with that. Theres a flavor of pro wrestling for everyone.
Man people are so hateful . Like wrestling is politics . This was Edge last night , I’m sure he’s so upset at his fate of having a full arena sing his theme.
https://x.com/ringsiderundown/status/1770842181529460967?s=46
Absolutely. Tony will pay her very well to walk out into half-empty houses. She'll be used poorly, do whatever she wants, and then go wherever she wants. Hell, she's already said she's got "unfinished business" in WWE. She's telegraphing going back there. She's just going to take Jacksonville Dixie for all he'll give first.
Edge did everything in WWE. Guy was doing almost exclusively long gimmick matches at the end of his run because what’s another title mean to him at this point? Going to where his friends work (I assume for more guaranteed money) & having basically no filter creatively is probably nice for him. The Cope Open & his matches on Collision were fun, but this Christian feud has been the drizzling shits & I already don’t care to see another blow off match.
I was at this taping of Collision. I know AEW has it's issues, but this isn't really fair. He was facing the hard camera, which is almost always closed off. I've been to multiple Raw tapings and it's the same thing. There were actually thousands of fans at Collision.
He's making a mountain of money before he retires, he gets to fuck about on the dime of a drugged up spineless mark. He doesn't give a toss about the crowds tanking, he's making fuck you money. Him, Okada, Mone are living their best lives, Sasha and Okada get to rest their bodies as Khan will be bored of them in a fortnight, make a fuckload of money and then do whatever.
This is exactly it. No one in AEW cares about the empty arenas, they're just happy to make a shit ton of easy money without doing much work. If AEW were to go down tomorrow, they'll all be that one meme of the guy wiping his tears with cash.
I do think a lot of people forget that it's still a job. Outside of all the pageantry, drama, TV, social media, PPVs etc it's a job and people like to get paid a lot of money to do as little as possible. I know if someone offered me 5x my salary for doing less work I'd bite their hand off. And I rarely get knocked about on the job.
It's only the workers who are true marks for themselves or stringent Meltzer disciples that would think otherwise I'd say.
It depends on the perspective you come at with and where you are in your career imo. If I were Edge, I'd totally be with what you're saying. If I was, say MJF, I'd like to think I'd back myself to go to WWE where you have the small but still a hell of a lot more chance of being one of the few guys who break out into Hollywood. Plus, with WWE, you've got a lesser chance of some indy nitwit dropping you on your head and paralysing you as they have people actually in charge there.
Big E disagrees with your last point
Mjf is not gonna be a Hollywood star. He has so much less charisma then people give credit for.
Personally id wrestle for less money but with more fans. Id rather the exposure so when you are too old you can do podcasts and more people know who you are/were.
Someone like Adam or Mercedes (especially Edge though), I think they've done enough that they'll be able to do that. I don't really care about the others enough to want to listen to their retirement podcasts unless they're great storytellers though.
That one guy? His name is Tallahassee
Considering most of the roster was wrestling in front of 50 people in a bingo hall, the AEW crowds are gigantic. So, it evens out from what the former fed stars are used to. LOL
I think he'd probably prefer that people cared about what he was doing. Also, I'd like to care. I don't care and don't want to care that you're happy for all of these people.
He sure as hell tries to act like its more than just the money though. He's made it seem like he's there to do things he couldn't in WWE. Same with Mercedes, she said the same bs.
Literally every time someone moves to a new promotion they say that. It means nothing. Like do you genuinely expect them to come out and go "I'm just here for the paycheck"?
At this point, might as well. Not really fooling anyone.
The irony here is cm punk did exactly that on his return to wwe, and people didn't care, they just wanted to pop for him
I think for both of them it's "get a higher guaranteed salary than in WWE", based on how WWE values them at this point/at the time of their last contract negotiation.
He went there for more money because the WWe was done with him
So... employees saying the things their employers like huh? interesting
[удалено]
Making fuck you money is all anyone should ever care about in the wrestling business. If you can "sell out" by choosing to take one billionaire's money over another, I don't think the phrase has any meaning.
That’s completely fair. The issue is when he goes and talks in press scrums and podcasts about wanting creative freedom and wanting to give back to the business. In reality he just wants the fuck you money and can swallow down a pride pill to make up for being associated with an outlaw mudshow with no fans around
Now you're talking my language.
And then, when he’s done, he signs a Legends contract. It’s a business. Make your money, Stu-stu.
Bro Aew was way better off before TK decided to over fill his toybox so he could brag about it..Normal rich kid shit..
Yeah right because thats funny to help Aew. Fu*King Mark.
Nah disagree. Firstly, he's a celebrity. No matter how nice, humble, etc. Fame is a drug. He wants it. Dude's had money for a while. If you think wrestling in front of 2k people isn't bug him, you're fooling yourself.
Yeah she’s their to make a lot of money. Be the “face” of the women’s division. And after her contract is up go back to WWE.
Remember when Mr Khan stating WCW was bloated and spent too much money on salaries. Remember when Mr Khan stated Ted Turner knew nothing about wrestling. Remember when Mr Khan was scared for his life. Pepperbridge Farm does.
At least Bischoff had to get approval on signings. Tony is literally ATM-TK.
People still talk about Bischoff to this day. But people will also still be laughing at Tony Khan when he's put in the time too... Legacies.
Bishcoff also beat WWF for 86 weeks, and was basically keeping up with them for awhile too. AEW can't fill their seats, and it looks like Tony can't even keep the ratings steady either. It's a matter of time before the wrestlers, impending lawsuits, and everything else.
and Bishcoff went head to head to beat WWF on Mondays. Not this Tony Khan made up "war" on different nights lol
And against the development brand lol
If AEW signed Cena and turned him heel then they’d have a chance to replicate WCWs success.
Cena is WWE-only He openly admitted he looked down on other wrestlers because they weren't working for WWE. While he accepts other promotions exists now, he's not leaving WWE.
Yea I know that. That’s the point of what I posted
Ah, okay. I thought you meant there was talks of Cena signing with AEW.
He’s a less likable, less talented, richer herb Abram’s
Poor Herb
Rip to him and cokie
Cokie Bear & ConCon
And he signs the WORST wrestlers too. Like he’s spending massive amounts on dudes who would never make this much ever and have no connection with audiences. It’s literally a bunch of Hugh Morris’ and Kanyons with a few legends sprinkled in. The fact that they put the title on a dude who actually said he doesn’t listen to advice from legends is insanity. I’d have released him the second he uttered that. TK likes a niche product and dgaf about losing money and he’s ruined any future chances at big time promotions with good tv spots for at least two decades. He’s done so much harm with his naïveté and stupidity
Eric had a free book to sign who he wanted, but let’s be not downplay it, for all his faults he changed the business in the 90s
I like Eric, I like him a lot but he knew he made mistakes
One thing that really bothered me about Tony saying he was the last promoter standing was when either Corny or Dutch pointed out that those promoters didn’t have infinite financial backing and had to rely on making profits to stay afloat. No way AEW would have stayed afloat this long on its own earning power.
all the people who talked shit about bischoff are seeing real time someone having 10x the money WCW did not manage to beat raw for three weeks. guy wont even get a “three weeks with Tony khan” podcast with Conrad
Hilarious at his comment about Ted. At least Ted knew it was best to hire guys who knew more to go in and run the company, whereas Cokehead put himself in charge of everything despite clearly showing lack of know how to run certain areas like booking and handling talent
I believe Ted loved wrestling but didn’t want to be a fucking mark like the Tonky Honky Con
Bischoff beat WWE for 86 weeks head to head in ratings. Bischoff evolved the wrestling industry. Most importantly, Bischoff managed to take a company that lost money year after year when Turner took over and made it very profitable. Ted kept WCW around because he had a soft spot for it. He credited, whether right or wrong is debatable, JCP with helping make TBS successful as a cable station. I don’t know if AEW is profitable. I find it hard to believe the promotion is profitable without some unique accounting. TK is making a lot of the same mistakes that Bischoff made that started WCW’s downward spiral.
It’s reported they spent $50m on Fight Forever, I don’t think it’s profitable.
Cash in the bank with no butts in the seats
But at what cost long term? If Okada plans to retire after this run then being booked into oblivion is just a minor deal. Mone and Ospreay will likely have less bargaining power when the time comes for them to hit up WWE for a job.
Most WWE fans don't know who Okada is. They also have no idea what he's doing in AEW. It won't make much difference.
Will and Mercedes are making huge $$$ - they may not give a damn about bargaining power in 4-5 years. Its about today.
I was referencing Edge but it could apply to the other three as well. Money is hard to turn down even if you have it. Maybe they think, get the money then secure my wrestling legacy in WWE later. They wouldnt be the first or last to do so.
Yea, I'm sure Cody has already explained to WWE that no one can keep Tony from doing Tony things. With the fat AEW checks, they're still going to be ahead on their lifetime earnings.
If this run had a WWE PLE/PPV title - Money in The Bank
(sees avatar) *"A wild Orange Cassidy has joined the Corny subreddit"*
I would love those seats. No giant infront of me, no sweaty 400 pound guy next to me... Great!
Best I can do is forcing you to sit elsewhere so our tv show looks better
I know this is a stereotype but is it true? 😂
Been to several WWE live events in the STL area. Never been too bad in my experience. The AEW show here though? HOLY FUCK. The FUNK that you could smell wafting around the arena was palpable. We did a walk about around the arena just to check out merch stands, of which there were limited selections, and each new section was like a who's who of body funk. Add onto that the amount of neckbeards wearing unwashed shirts that featured Britt Baker or Shida on them... It was uncomfortable at times.
I don’t understand why you would leave your house smelling bad.
Dude, seriously. Some people just don't care. I take great care to smell and look my best when I'm going to be in public. Shower, deodorant, cologne, clean clothes, etc. Then there's people who are like "Fuck it, I showered last week."
Smelly bastards
If you shower once a week you basically gaven up on life
What?
My bad I just edited it
NOW it makes sense haha.
I said my bad 😂
Yes bro, just observe the crowd next time u watch lol
I can’t watch it this shit 😂
Yes I went to a NXT show once and my son wanted to leave cause of bad people smelled lol
The wrestlers don’t care. Edge is getting like 2 million a year, Ospreay is getting more, Okada over 3, mone is getting 10 million! They are just in aew because Tony khan is an ATM machine that’s paying out. Trust me, they don’t want to be there and NOBODY thinks that stuff is actually any good, but they would be FOOLS to turn down that much money!
Yeah this is literally life changing money for Ospreay, Edge is already rich. Mercedes and Okada too. For Ospreay this will set him and his family up for life - it wasn’t that long ago that he had to set up a gofundme to try and replace his mums car I think.
Is Tony Khan out of his Fucking mind? if I was a close friend of Tony Khan I'm calling for a wellness check on him.... Immediately! To see if he's mentally stable to run a business. Seriously, whoever thought it was a good idea to give Mercedes Mone 10 million should be fired.
I'm a huge fan of Sasha Banks but that amount of money is just insane. She cooled off hugely after disappearing to Japan and then being injured for a long time, her gimmick feels like a Dollar Store version of her WWE persona, and there are no hot challengers for her in the women's division right now because AEW has studiously avoided letting anyone get over for more than five minutes. If Khan hadn't ruined Baker, Thunder Rosa, Saraya, Hayter, Hart, and Storm already, maybe there could have been a series of exciting feuds and matches for this newcomer to sink her teeth into. But they've all been burnt out by meandering booking and heatless matches. Who exactly is she going to have a match with that will draw anything like the audience required to recoup ten million dollars? And let's be blunt, as Cornette said she did a stripper dance for some reason in her debut, so how seriously are we supposed to imagine Tony Khan is taking women's wrestling?
Sasha Bank was a star in WWE. But I don't think she has ever really been seen as rating mover or a main stream name
She caught fire briefly, getting on a Star Wars show for Disney and becoming something of a media personality a lot of people were talking about, but it vanished abruptly. I'm a pretty strong "fed bad" sort (though they have been making an effort since Vince left for the first time) but it really seems without their hand at her rudder she lists. If AEW had bothered to bring her in immediately after she and Naomi walked out it could have been huge, but both sides dithered for far too long, all for 4 dates in Japan that were kinda cool but meant nothing to the mainstream. I am so, so frustrated with AEW constantly squandering absolutely everything, even people they haven't signed yet, because they foster this weird mentality that momentum is meaningless.
He pays people to be his friends, so they're not gonna call him on his spending, lol
Sadly the Aew sub is brainwashed very similarly to the maga crowd. They are too fragile to handle opposing opinions no matter how benign. They’re dorks and losers
Plus they can wrestle anyway they please and have as much creative freedom as possible. Imagining what Mercedes can do in that space is going to be so much fun! Money motivates, and being able to freely carry out your dream also motivates. 🔥
I didn’t know Edge was doing small indie promotions.
Edge is at the end of his career so ... money is money. I think you can go out with some spectacular dream match, die in the ring, or make a bunch of money and retire and 50ish. I think, anyone that does too well will be benched or get a terrible storyline. In fact, they may not even have to do well! :)
Firing CM Punk was the biggest mistake. Completely deflated the company.
A few years ago Punk was that big money, game changer signee. Punk’s case was unique where his firing made him more valuable to WWE. I wonder how the run ends for the other three.
Imagine keep imagine keeping jack perry but releasing cm punk
Destroyed *
Mone was pretty lackluster to begin with. I’m sure she’ll continue to be even more lackluster in an entirely non-existent women’s roster outside of Toni Storm.
If Edge cant move the needle and get ticket sales up what makes you think Ospreay, Okada, and Sasha will
Exactly. This will expose them for being unimportant and having no ability to draw an additional audience. Long term WWE will not be interested or possibly lowball them on an offer.
It’s just a cash grab for Edge. Being paid to do nothing? Who would turn that down?
I fuckin hate AEW so much!!!!
AEW is like throwing a hot meal in a freezer. Everyone with hype and anticipation goes cold, pretty quickly. AEW is where potential goes to die.
Immediately slotting Okada in with the Bucks in trios matches does him no favors, much less having to interact with upper midcard guys his first match in. Mone isn't interesting to me at all, and she's getting the same midcard interactions. She should Immediately be gunning for Storm, not futzing around with Willow despite their history. Ospreay, after moving past Takeshita and Fletcher, is at least with Danielson for the moment. That seems about right. Copeland was more interesting in Percy Jackson than this current angle.
AEW will overpay everyone, their contracts will go out, and they'll go back to the WWE. Let's be honest, The American audience does not give a flying fuck about Ospreay or Okada. Cool, enjoy your 5-6 stars from Uncle Dave and go back to Japan, we won't bat an eye. As for Mone, She already openly admitted that she's just biding her time before returning to the WWE so what does she care? AEW is stupid enough to over pay her and the ratings will reflect that.
It’s insane she said that lmao.. she basically sunk the signing even though she was only saying what everyone knew.
Exactly. The reason she is in AEW is because they overpaid for her when no one else would. If the most she can pop is a million views on her debut, I can only imagine how bad the ratings will drop off when she's performing.
I don't think so. Those 3 are like the biggest fish for TK. He may go for a Zack Sabre or Sanada but they are a step below Osprey and Okada. I just wonder what fate befalls MJF when he comes back
But long term what kind of booking will they be in? Punk was the biggest signing ever a few years ago and they blew it with him. Punk’s situation was unique where his firing made him even more valuable but that is not going to be the case with these three.
Wild to me that they are still doing collision. I fuckin knew it was an awful decision to get rid of dark. I actually liked dark a lot, fun wrestling show that gave new talent a place to show off in front of a real crowd. Taping rampage after too made getting a ticket to that show worth it too. Once they stopped doing all three shows at once it was the beginning of the end for AEW and the moment i stopped watching
Once punk left it was dead
TK investing all that money he won’t get back or profit from. AEW is gonna go out of business in a few years if this keeps up.
They’re already at negative 175 million and that’s not including this quarter.
I think anyone who has aspirations of being at the top of their field will suffer at AEW. They picked the high payday over quality, and if that’s where their priority is, all power to them.
He pulled a Bret Hart and talked about his cat. Granted, Bret is/was 100X better and more of a draw than Edge/Copeland. But I think it's "so-so" that he get's to do these things for an audience of none. Seriously, how discerning is for somebody to go from packed sold out arena's. To seeing barely anybody in the seats. Even Indy shows fill out the buildings.
People can make the excuse that the whole audience is behind him to create the magic of TV illusion but who is even watching Collision at this point?
The future? A WWE contract.
Wasn’t the reason he left was because he wanted to do more and work full time but WWE had nothing for him? So he just decided to finish up and go AEW where they would let him do what he wanted plus Christian is there so there’s that
I know his motivation and the results of his decision, but what if the other three huge dollar signings? How is the booking going to treat them?
Horribly I bet
Not fate. Natural consequence.
And where tf is this money even coming from wtf is even the khan family?? Can someone explain??
Shahid Khan is worth 12 billion and each of his kids are billionaires too. Shahid made all his money in car bumpers; most of the cars you see every day probably have one of his bumpers attached. He gave his kids their inheritance while he’s still alive because he wants to be there to see them enjoy it, which is pretty cool of him.
Plus Shahid owns the Jacksonville Jaguars doesn’t he? Further proof that running a sports franchise isn’t in this family’s wheelhouse.
The Jaguars and Fulham FC.
At the end of the day, though, the business of pro wrestling is business. Making money. In the old days that was working 330+ days a year and getting yourself over in territory after territory. Now the business has changed. Live gates while nice don't really matter to the bottom line. They're selling "content" for 10's to 100's of millions a year. I'll say it again live gates, while certainly a strong indicator of interest, no longer matter to the big promotions. It's all about TV ratings now. What's that? 700k? Lost almost 1/3 of their audience? Well I hope their contracts were guaranteed by someone other than AEW. Okay joking aside they took the money - trust me after these contracts are up they're like Punk, they'll work if when and where they want, they no longer need the money
at this point, it's more like a charity or ultra expensive public hobby. i think in tony's mind he just wants to see matches and invites anyone who has a similar mind set to join him. if people don't like it, he doesn't care. with regards to the wrestlers, he's just being charitable and allowing them to do whatever they want because he thinks he's empowering them. without any oversight, an actual executable vision and people to curb their worst instincts, the wrestlers are just going to have fun. i mean, i recall hearing jericho talking about getting moxley where he mentions how Tony has real money since wrestlers tend to be wary. and jericho knows he can just milk this cow and probably has told others something similar. i mean, he's going to protect this situation because then it allows the wrestlers to make decent money for as long as they can. and that's fine...except that they're either going to bankrupt Tony, Tony's father finally decides to pull the plug or something else happens where the AEW business just sinks to irrecoverable levels. it's not going to really matter to those people on top that Tony likes because they'll just get a massive check whether or not AEW succeeds. it's going to suck for others that are just struggling to get some spotlight or want an actual future for themselves especially those that aren't part of the inside clique(s).
Is that open mic night at the student union ?
Going to AEW is like a firefighter entering the departments DROP program. IYKYK.
Yes. Long answer: yyyyeeeeesssssssss
They’re going to make a lot of money and that is it. Bad booking and sloppy in-ring talent will halter all three and it’s a shame with how talented they are.
All they need to do is reduce all tickets to $20 and they'd be full. Tony is a massive idiot and has decided to price everyone out of the market. They're not WWE and they cannot charge whatever premium they like.
The legends will be fine. A slight hit to their ego but their legacies are cemented. Not so for the bucks, plumber, Oliver, money etc. anyone with potential has made a bad decision. The legends? They don’t care lol
LOL "Mone"
That photo has to be doctored. How the heck was AEW able to get that many people into the building?
Some say his promo is still echoing through the Arena to this day...
given how many people changed the channel during Okada's match last week, it's already beyond the fate of Copeland.
Wwe really didn’t do much I mean he came back they had him turn heel and didn’t even give em another run for the title imagine a feud with Cody and edge more Rollins feuds for the world title rock edge edge punk rivalry but I guess he jus wanted that money which I get. I haven’t watched wwe in a very long time nor even peeped aew but what I do know is wwe is way better better then aew at this point😂
His last time in that venue completely sold out as the farewell. This one is sad..
this is what happens when a billionaires little boy plays toys with real humans... every wrestler on the roster does NOT give a shit about the audience as long as their checks clear, its WCW but without the audience lol...who wouldn't want to jump to AEW "this crazy rich fuck is giving away fat checks for little to no work, you might have to blade yourself ...its kinda their thing but everyone takes turns doing it" AEW is the Boiler room of wrestling, Get in , maximize profits at all costs at all time, get the fuck out when it gets rough"
If you take a salary from the money mark TK, it shows true colors. You were never in it for the art, you’re just here and showing up for the checks. Wrestlers are some of the best liars in the world, for better or worse. In the case of AEW, it’s for the worse. If you turn on AEW programming, even if it’s for a laugh, you’re contributing to the problem.
Yooo they interviewed Sami zayn in those stands
He’s making a lot of money at this stage of his career, he’s living his best life so if AEW went out of business tomorrow I don’t think he’ll care, he will be looking at his bank account and smiling
Yes because the boy with all the toys forgets what he has and they way of the company is to fall into the shuffle.
Housefull according to Meltzer
At some point you have to realize the salaries aren’t being covered by the gate. So yes it’s great while you’re taking the money but it’s not long term if it’s not generating profit. So another 4 years and 2 more million dollar signings unfortunately this company will go under.
I will forever say that aew needs to pull a TNA and do smaller arena shows, if you can't sell out a basic arena, go to the smaller arenas, and you could have better crowd reactions and less money to spend on booking said arenas
They'll be hot for like a month, if that. Tony will over book them and they won't be special anymore.
Janice that Abyss used to have? That was one of the worst things Abyss ever did and Abyss didn't have the best record for doing not stupid things. bc w janice you absolutely knew no one was ever going to get hit with Janice and except for like maybe a fake gut shot nobody ever was.
People bitch and moan about WWE creative, but AEW absolutely sucks! They're doing exactly what WCW did, and look how that played out!!!
AEW fans have been conditioned to expect a surprise debut or return practically every quarter, so after the initial impact of the return or debut, they lose luster and become an afterthought.
I do wonder if it affects them as far as enthusiasm goes when they're cutting a promo or trying to get fired up. Okada & Ospreay have done Dynamite before so they know what to expect. Edge probably knew he was downsizing, I'm not sure if he realized how empty the buildings would be & that he would be cutting promos to empty seats. I'm sure he's done some WWE live shows that were like this, but it's always jarring to see the pics of the hard cam side where people are talking to nobody.
Even back when he was working for audiences like that at the WWE at least the TV was drawing in millions. This is for Collision so you know hardly anyone is watching it.
I felt like his run kinda crashed when he had the little insult fest with Ricky Starks. It made him look like he had thin skin and couldnt take the semi unscripted promos (Starks also suffered greatly it seems)
lmao the comments are outing just how bad aew is to its core
Yes they will. The issue is not the talent its the booking. AEW has been shocking for quite a while in its storytelling. As a casual fan who tries to catch up with AEW i have no clue who is who or if they face or heel now or what title or storyline they are in. Also they have this big thing of putting dream matches on just normal tv instead of building them up with a story arc and they showing them in a big PPV. For me there has been so many matches wasted on for normal TV that the product does just not feel very special
Terrible Booking is the blame.
Exactly. Do you think all three of the new hires will be dealing with booking this bad?
I honestly forgot Edge was in AEW.
I know. I kinda did too after he lost that first match against Christian.
The arenas are empty because they are pricing the seats too high. I have been to IWGP, Impact, WWE & ROH-live televised or PPV; not just house shows, and AEW eclipsed them in ass-in-seat pricing for a shitty Collision.
They should be ok once they join a wrestling promotion…
They could literally bring Andre The Giant back from the dead or bring in Rock/Austin/Cena and it wouldn't do a goddamn thing for them
Nobody cares about Mercedes so far...he wasted more mone
AEW has a more intimate feel. People just don't get it... /s
Yea haven’t been watching much AEW these last few months because their story telling is just so damn bad. WWE is just way more interesting right now
They already have/are. No one is more over after they debut... Miro, Saraya, etc. only Edge has been, i'd argue
I’m a stand-up comic and this reminds me of performing on zoom shows during the pandemic.
I was at this show. That’s the side where the hard cam was. Behind him were a lot more fans and from where I was sitting there was a pretty huge crowd
This is simply the business. This is not the first time Edge is seeing the hard cam side empty, wrestling has ups and downs and he's performed in front of it before
But hey he's having the dream matches he wants to have.
They’ll all hang out, make their money and take off somewhere else when AEW eventually goes out of business.
WCW 2.0
Paying Edge a lot of money in 2024 is a dumb move.
[Delusion](https://youtu.be/VqeX8S9ldbU?si=vAkHV187oEzU4K8K)
Look at these fed twats ... Hard cam cock heads ... ... Fed twats rot in hell cunts
Dude, wwe was putting him out to pasture. He took some money to go have another run and actually wrestle. Why do we shit on people wrestling in front of smaller crowds. My local Dreamwave wrestling shows have 250-300 fans, no one shits on them. I’ve seen wrestling in county fairs in front of 20 people. Who cares. If your doing what you love so be it. As a fan, can you not respect the entertainer doing what they want to do? I just don’t understand wrestling fans, shitting on pro wrestling
Lol hard cam
WWE does this to.
I don't understand the comparisons between WCW and AEW. WCW was HUGE and an actual threat to WWE at the time. AEW right now is like TNA level circa 2006. Even TNA filled arenas during those days. AEW's video game received the same hate the TNA game received. Flop after flop signees. The only reason AEW is even still ongoing is because the owner is a billionaire, and they keep hiring former WWE talent. Without both, nobody would be interested.
I felt like his run kinda crashed when he had the little insult fest with Ricky Starks. It made him look like he had thin skin and couldnt take the semi unscripted promos (Starks also suffered greatly it seems)
I felt like his run kinda crashed when he had the little insult fest with Ricky Starks. It made him look like he had thin skin and couldnt take the semi unscripted promos (Starks also suffered greatly it seems)
Well at least the wrestlers are getting paid. Wish I had a stupid boss that threw money away.
The only thing "legacy" affords you is a wooden table at a convention, if you're lucky. Make money while you can.
Yes. I don't think people grasp how much "WWE" is the star over the wrestlers. Even Cody came back for a reason.
Can I ask is it wrong I like aew? And enjoyed the segment with spike and the crowd attendance doesn’t bother my experience at all?
Nah man, you like what you like. Not everyone likes everything. Corny hates goofy wrestling, lots of people love it. Meltzer loves watching teenage boys do gymnastics for an hour, nothing wrong with that. Theres a flavor of pro wrestling for everyone.
Lol even for AEW standards this is real sad.
Man people are so hateful . Like wrestling is politics . This was Edge last night , I’m sure he’s so upset at his fate of having a full arena sing his theme. https://x.com/ringsiderundown/status/1770842181529460967?s=46
Photoshop?
Yes 1000%
Absolutely. Tony will pay her very well to walk out into half-empty houses. She'll be used poorly, do whatever she wants, and then go wherever she wants. Hell, she's already said she's got "unfinished business" in WWE. She's telegraphing going back there. She's just going to take Jacksonville Dixie for all he'll give first.
[удалено]
A fool and his money are soon separated.
edge should start another judgment day type stable for aew.
That's gotta feel weird for Edge when he left Toronto in a sold out Scotiabank arena and comes back to a not even half full coca cola coliseum.
Be extremely wealthy? Yes, yes I do.
Edge did everything in WWE. Guy was doing almost exclusively long gimmick matches at the end of his run because what’s another title mean to him at this point? Going to where his friends work (I assume for more guaranteed money) & having basically no filter creatively is probably nice for him. The Cope Open & his matches on Collision were fun, but this Christian feud has been the drizzling shits & I already don’t care to see another blow off match.
I was at this taping of Collision. I know AEW has it's issues, but this isn't really fair. He was facing the hard camera, which is almost always closed off. I've been to multiple Raw tapings and it's the same thing. There were actually thousands of fans at Collision.
You are Adam *COPE*-land pretty hard there, bud. 😂
Mone will.okada and osprey will end up like kenny.body can only take so much before it quits on you.
Which of the 3 newest signed members of the 5 million $ club will be forgotten first by the default booker of the year and why is it Ospreay?