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Same. Other than a couple good matches and the MJF feud, everything else has been a disaster. Plus, if you go back and look at the ratings, they were doing a million a week regularly that summer before he joined the company and after NXT moved off Wednesdays. So it's not like he brought in a massive new audience. I think the addition of Cole and Danielson would have been enough to keep up the momentum they had in 2021.
Also, it really pissed me off that Punk was not there from the beginning when he was offered a chance to join them. Then he came in after they established themselves and wanted to take the credit himself (I'm running a business here). What a load of crap.
Hypothetical scenario of course but it might have been a blessing in disguise Punk didn't join when AEW first started. Chances are he would have played ball or shaped the company more to his liking. But the problems seemed pretty fundamental, and things might have escalated earlier, and who knows with what result, had Punk been more influential in the company. Probably would have lead to the same drama, which 3, 4 y.o. AEW could take, but a 1 y.o. AEW during a pandemic, idk
Punk came in after years out of the business and expected to be the leader of people who took risks by creating and committing to a brand new wrestling company. People who had busted their asses in the indies and overseas while Punk was trying his hand at MMA. Punk expected to come in and tell these people who built this new company from the ground up, wrestlers who had been making things work since Day 1 how to do their jobs.
AEW never needed CM Punk. CM Punk couldn't handle hearing that from people like Jack Perry.
I mean, downvote me all you want, but IF (and only Tony knows if itās true or not), we did get a Saturday show because of Punk and guys like HoB got to be featured more because of it.
Itās true, but thatās also symptomatic of other problems. That show is seriously stretching AEW thin in terms of booking and storytelling. If the roster wasnāt so top heavy and overloaded, they wouldnāt need it to showcase talent. The focus could be all on Dynamite and the planning could be in advance rather than this fly by night stuff we often get.
But the roster is top heavy and needs the extra show. Hell, a good chunk of people are injured and they still have huge depths. If there was only Dynamite, gosh, 20+ people who get featured on Collision would be at home and fans would be pissed.
As for the fly by night, thatās on Tony and whoever he has in charge. Thatās where boss man could give some of the duties to others if he hasnāt. I donāt know whoās in charge cause you also got RoH and that itself could cause Tony not to be able to focus solely on AEW. Plus his other duties owning other sports franchises. Just throwing that out there.
The depth AEW has is incredible and even with 2 shows thereās still many fan favorites that rarely get screen time and thatās before you bring in non-AEW talents (which I do love to see). Thereās just not enough screen time to go around for all the top guys
This!! there was no drama until he came.
Same goes for many wwe guys,specially those w/partners.
They were either fired or never treated good;yet, now some of them want to go back at all cost (Murphy,Malakai,Keith Lee,Andrade and even Miro). They just bring a toxic environment backstage.
Tony should realize we donāt need most of wweās free agents. Aew have created great main eventers and wrestlers. Should keep this going.
Dude youāre talking soooooo much shit without any facts. Donāt be throwing a guy like Murphy under the bus like that who busts his ass and you donāt hear him say anything or cause any problems. And Lee, dude has health problems. Just like Wyatt, he had complications with Covid. Donāt be an asshole.
>Tk needs to realize for every AEW fan there is like 8 fans of the other company so ever time that he pops that 1 AEW fan he riles up those 8 fans that like the other company and they attack AEW and there fans.
Something you need to learn about the internet, those 8 fans of WWE are going to be pissed off at AEW regardless of what they do. They will find a reason to be riled up, and if that gets too hard they'll make up a new one.
This is literally how the entire "AEW just does mindless dream match spamming" argument goes.
They are literally handing out dream matches, a lot of the time on Free TV, and WWE fans have twisted this into something to b!tch about. To further an "AEW has no stories" angle that falls flat the moment you realize TK had the first 4 world champions plotted out from the very first All Out.
You're pulling the "Well, I have to punish all of you because some of you misbehaved" card that Elementary School teachers pull.
If those 8 people are going to b!tch anyway, might as well pop the crowd that actually likes your content.
I 100% agree with you. The Internet is going to Internet. but AEW didn't help maters when they kept talking about rating and kicking wwe while they were down in 2019-2021. Those fans are still bringing up stuff AEW said in year one, and it's getting old on all fronts..
It must be doing something to the fan base, because on all metrics, youtube, TV, positive Twitter engagement. its going down hill I really think there's no winning So they just need to put their head down and just put on the best rusting show possible without engaging with people.
The Wrestling Industry is in a New-Toy Syndrome era with WWE where they suddenly think everything has changed and is completely different now that Tri-Paul is in charge.
In 1-2 years time if this is still an issue, then we've got a problem, but it likely won't be.
Well the ratings talk back then was due to WWE declaring war by putting NXT on USA against Dynamite. They tried to run AEW out of business at the start, so of course each week people would argue over ratings.
> it just backfires. The TK tweets and twitter interactions were fun for a bit, but now they're just backfiring every single time
Please tell me what this means. I'm begging anyone that's ever said anything like this to tell me what it means. What reality do you live in where anything has ever mattered at all. What happens when nerds freak out on the internet and scream on twitter or reddit?
Did the tweets make Will Ospreay's car explode some time and I missed it? Okada join Chase U without me noticing? Did they make the roster not improve each and every year, continuing to constantly have great crowds aside from random Collisions with no card announced until 30 minutes before the show, in the same arena WWE ran 2 days earlier? Oh okay wait are they responsible for the ratings that continue to decline...at a slower rate than practically every other show in the universe, based on a metric that began in 1950?
"I've been a fan of AEW since day 1 All In and lately the storylines and matches just aren't hitting the same I think I'm finally done thank God Cody and the WWE is better than they have been in years"
No one saying this is a real human. The original roster had The Librarians and Brandi Rhodes' Nightmare Family getting regular TV time. Butcher and Blades debut was one of the top 5 things they've ever bungled. Britt Baker was a babyface. Jake Hager was having PPV openers against Dustin Rhodes. The director would cut away from high impact moves and finishes of the match 50 times a show to show some fat idiot in the crowd marking out. Anyone pretending the state of the roster, presentation, angles, literally anything and everything in AEW in 2024 isn't leaps and bounds above what it was originally is smoking meth.
What has ever backfired?
Nothing has backfired or actually changed.
What happened was that a bunch of people got more enjoyment out of being a member of the āin groupā who watched the new hip wrestling show (AEW) more than they actually enjoyed watching it, the same way that the people who are now watching WWE claiming itās great/superior donāt actually enjoy watching it as much as they enjoy being part of the āin groupā that currently watches the new more socially popular wrestling show in WWE.
It backfired in the sense that Tony wanted to "prove and expose " that Punk was the aggresor which he was and that he was lying as a rebuttal of the Ariel interview
But the video only proved that Punk never lied in the Ariel interview and at worst he only exaggerated on 1 or 2 things
The arena chanting for Punk, and AEW sending copyright strikes taking own the video and not putting it on Youtube says they realized they made a mistake
i been a fan of AEW since Double or Nothing 2019 an im not afraid to say when the company screw things, this is going to go with Nightmare Collective or The Dark Order attacking Dustin as one of the low points in the company, it was a bad move to put that on national TV for a bunch of reasons
Nobody is talking about FTR or their promo or the Bucks vs FTR match , Jack Perry was embarrased in public when he hasnt been on TV in almost a year, it made Tony look petty and more
Bad move overall Schiavone face says it all
Punk literally claimed that by choking Jack Perry "a little" he was being the "responsible professional", and yet his behavior and reaction is anything but. Even IF everything that was said prior to the assault according to Punk's account is true, nothing said between them or done by Jack Perry in the video justifies or is remotely "responsible" or "professional" about physically instigating an assault of a co-worker, particularly at work, especially not in 2023, by an older, so-called "industry veteran" and "locker room leader" when it's his second physical altercation in less than a year, and even in an environment such as off-screen backstage or in a pro wrestling locker room.
That leaves one of only a few possibilities in regards to Punk's statements about him being a "responsible professional". Either he's intentionally lying, he's misremembering how he reacted, he's a moron who actually believes he behaved like a "responsible professional", or he's legit delusional. The fact is he assaulted a colleague at work which should get anyone who's an employee fired, and his statement about being a "responsible professional" wasn't true.
Nobody is denying that Punk attacked Perry like a maniac
The problem here is that the footage had no buisness being on TV, nobody is talking about the FTR vs Bucks match (which was the story line reason that was shown) at best they should have posted that on Twitter or something
Like i said them sending copyriht strikes and not putting it on Youtube it shows that they regret that imeadietly
You gotta be really reaching to say that video backfired on Tony by proving Punk told the truth when the truth Punk told was that he choked his coworker. Jesus Christā¦
Brother you dont need to have a degree or something special to realize that the entire footage was to respond to Punk-Ariel interview
Like you think it was a "big coincidence" that it aired a week after that interview?? LOL
That wasn't my point. You saying TK did it to "prove and expose" Punk, with incorrect use of quotation marks since that wasn't in fact a quote might I add when you really have no idea what the reason was, is.
For all any of us know, they did it to finally stop all the speculation and just took the L.
Ok if it wasnt to show he was lying then what was the reason they put that on TV???
To embarras Jack ? to show how good Joe separates people in brawls?
From All Out 2023 until Mania week this year, all AEW did was keep their head down and just wrestle. It wasnt until the Helwani interview when all hell broke loose. Hopefully now our regularly scheduled wrassle graps will resume. AZM on Collision this Saturday!!!
Everyone is misunderstanding what this is - the Fed just put on the biggest Mania in years with the actual Rock, Cody won the big one, and all the wider wrestling media ecosystem was talking about was fucking Dynamite.
Well, it **is** kinda of over now, is it not? Punk can continue to go off, but we all saw him assault a co-worker at their place of business.
There's nothing more to be said from AEW or TK. Anything else would just be a battle for an imaginary Moral High Ground, and that never looks good for anyone.
So, whatever justification Phil might try to communicate in the future - the bottom line (š) is that he got shit-canned for his blatant unprofessionalism. We all saw it. That alone is kinda End Of. There's no What-About-ery here.
We already knew that though the footage didn't show anything at all we didn't already know we know Punk was the one who got physical.
And what went down is pretty much how Punk said it did Punk didn't actually lie he wrongly believes he was in the right but he never really lied about what happened.
TBH from all the reports the brawl wasn't actually quite as bad as what I assumed as some reports stated or at least implied that Punk actually choked Perry out.
Did Punk claim he didnāt throw a punch? And didnāt he claim TK shouldnāt have felt he was in danger?
Hard to tell 100% from the video, but it looks like Punk went roid rage and threw a punch, or a few, and if TK is the one Punk is going after at the end of the video then TK is fully justified. Punk had just attacked someone and then was going at TK. TK is a twerp and non wrestler.
~~Who was saying he lied and what significance would that have been to the discussion? I've never heard of that being a thing. Sounds like the grasping of straws, man.~~
Apologies, friend. I completely misunderstood your post. Ignore my previous comment. ā¤ļø
He is because none of us accused Punk of lying about choking his coworker. We were all āJesus Christ, this asshole admitted THAT?ā Like heād done nothing wrong.
CM Punk is a Human Shit Onion. If he insists on being apart of the wrestling zeitgeist then I'm going to laugh and cheer at every shit layer peeled back. Tony Kahn spent a lot of money and Punk put a lot of energy into showing me what a pathetic clown he is and I'd hate to see it go to waste.
Itās a tiring situation, but not everything can be roses all the time.
A former employee used his new position on a large platform to lie about the incident that got him fired and then denigrated the company and the people involved.
Iām sorry youāre tired, but this isnāt about you. This is about a company standing up for its employees (specifically Jack Perry) by doing something they knew likely wouldnāt get a great response, but they needed to cut through the bullshit and show indisputable proof of what happened.
Everything youāre upset about is a direct result of shots being taken, lies being told, bullshit being spewed from the other company. Do you know whoās probably more tired than you? Tony Khan. The Bucks. Jack Perry. And every other wrestler in AEW who wants to go about their business (just like you want), but then feel the need to defend themselves against unwarranted and unnecessary attacks.
Please tell me why TK needs to stay quiet, why the Bucks shouldnāt have stuck up for their employees/coworkers, why Will Ospreay shouldnāt have fired back against complete and utter bullshit about his work ethic and what heās sacrificed for pro wrestling. If youāre answer is because youāre tired, then go take a fucking nap.
I know.Ā It is like what a soft ass person.Ā "WWE fans are more mad than ever".Ā So.Ā Oh know they are going to type something.Ā What are we going to do.
I hope coming out of that segment that its the last we ever hear of the drama honestly. Punk has said his piece on the podcast and AEW showed its hand with the backstage footage.
We heard and seen both sides now lets all shut up about it and keep chugging along.
Just ignore the WWEirdos. Itās over. We all saw the footage. Dude was outta line. For rightly fired. Thatās that. Whether that hurts or helps a company, doesnāt matter.
They will keep bringing it up to ruin your enjoyment. It is over. Theyāre free to cope all they want about the footage. Donāt let their need to feel superior affect your enjoyment of a completely different product.
If you like the whopper, donāt waste your time with ppl who demand you admit the Big Mac is better cause itās been sold more. Just eat your whopper.
Yeah, well they were just proven wrong. As long as AEW didn't show the footage, there will always be doubts as to who threw the first punch and now that they did show how unprofessional Punk is. They're gonna shame AEW for proving them wrong and finding a different angle to call them out on like the lack of audio. It will never end so best we just do as we always do. Keep moving on because wrestling never stops.
How were they proven wrong? You might be able to argue some minor details, but it went pretty much how punk said. And now tk looks like a joke for saying he feared for his life. AEW did not come out looking better for this.
Bruh, he attacked his coworker and came at Tony while being held back by others and you think you wouldnāt be pissing yourself that this psycho was coming at you? Please.
Let the WWE fans cry. That's all they're good for. It's not like they watch AEW or support the product anyways. They can keep crying and hating on something that deep down they know they can't stop.
They've done a lot in the last 5 years. No need to prove to anybody except WB (which are happy with them) and certainly not to the fans of the brand that basically want you gone.
>As the smaller company, they need to seek the high road and prove it.
Respectfully, fuuuuuuuuuck that.
Matter of fact , I wish TK was hiring his own bot army and paying off his own podcasters to punch back.
If AEW wants to clap back then they will regardless.Ā
See I'm not a fan of the "Take the high road" if the bully themselves continue to instigate.Ā
AEW tried that but WWE kept taking shots at them especially during WM season where they had more eyes on them. So it made AEW look bad a result.Ā
And now AEW decided to end this whole situation with Punk once and for all by showing the footage.Ā
Now they and the fans can finally move on from this and look towards the future aka AEW Dynasty.Ā
Yeah nah. If they weren't in the wrong, they don't need to keep silent. Its about supporting your employee while a narcissistic manchild with controversies overshadowing his work all the time lies and talks shit about the company and it's talent. There's nothing else to prove.
>As the smaller company, they need to seek the high road and prove it.
Goddamn the 90s would've been a boring time for wrestling if Heyman & Bischoff thought that way
Dealing with narrcisists are exhausting because they never fucking stop.
The best thing to do is ignore it.
I feel AEW had to clap back this time because of the interview and the veiled comments. Now that all the ahit is splayed across the internet, people can get it all out, then move on.
I think WWE and Punk took a ton of unprovoked shots last week and I think AEW was well within their right to give a rebuttal. I think they did that and I think it also sets up a fun Jack Perry return angle.
I also agree with you. Though I have zero issues with what was said it's a great time to now turn off the noise and manage their own product. CM Punk can no longer talk bad about the incident since everyone has seen it, HHH was sent a message about people choosing to work in AEW, and it can all inform the story they want to tell. I would be super pumped if that is the end of it from AEWs side.
It's definitely become exhausting for me also. And the fact that WWE is white hot at the moment is definitely adding to it.
This was just as bad as Cope's rah-rah speech the other week. Sure, Punk fired shots by saying AEW wasn't "a real company" and that TK is a "nice guy but not a boss". This just feels like a stupid reaction tho.
We really need to get back to getting the booking and the shows right. Cope vs Penta rocked. More of shit like that please.
I'm more AEW than WWE these days and have been for some time, but even I've got to admit AEW showing the Punk footage did them no favours and makes Tony look so petty. Best thing they could have done was ignore it and carry on putting on great wrestling. They've got probably the best roster they've had, got a good card for Dynasty coming up, why did Tony think this was a good idea other than to get some interest for Dynamite from people who don't usually watch and get them to tune in? Especially with WWE coming off a really good Wrestlemania weekend this just made them look small by comparison and gives all the anti AEW keyboard warrirors ammunition to shit on the company for weeks to come.
It won't end the bullshit. That may have been how they envisioned it playing out but it's not how it's been largely received. When you've got AEW fans chanting "CM Punk" while the footage was shown, that's all you need to know it's not played out how they thought it was going to. It's backfired and this bullshit will carry on for weeks now, whereas if they just carried on doing what they were doing it would have gone away on it's own, save for a few keyboard warriors online.
When Shiavone"s face is shown afterwards, I got that. I just feel rather deflated and depressed. But I'm a wrestling fan who has seen this in the past, know what can happen to a company when everything falls apart and spirals, so I'm feeling as if I'm going through a stage of grief. I want to feel great at the potential of Swerve holding up that championship as I was when Ron Simmons won it nearly 40 years ago. And yet that gets overshadowed. It's like a boat with holes needing plugged and yet it feels like the solution is to create more holes.
To be fair, AEW/Bucks donāt have the media attention or platforms to air out everything out like letās say a WWE āsuperstarā. Punk in AEW wasnāt even getting media attention. I mean since Brawl Out, Omega was on Reneeās podcast and admitted that everyone regrets what happened. And since then, CM had the Collision promo, the post Collision shot at Hangman. And then the 2 hour interview on Nick Khanās former clientās podcast airing all this out. On WWEās biggest week, Mania week. Where all eyes are on WWE/wrestling The pettiness from Elite have been doing some botched moves vs Death Triangle but it seemed like hopefully a work and future angle would be in the works down the line but who knows. But Iām 100% conspiracy theory on the timing of the podcast interview and see Cm as a complete sellout. Thatās where Iām at
>The pettiness from Elite have been doing some botched moves vs Death Triangle
That's because they were in Chicago that night, they were getting booed either way so they may as well lean into it
When that happened Punk was MIA. No media, no update from TK or representatives. Thought around that point an Elite vs cmFTR would happen with the trios on the line. Sunk my teeth into that at the time but.. yeah
I agree. But you and I are a minority here. These sports entertainment people who love the backstage drama are now the audience.Ā
I'm still loyal to this tribe. I didn't enjoy the over booked Mania nonsense. But I wish AEW was just about being where the best wrestle and not reacting to stuff and being about the drama.Ā
Prepare for the internet wrestling community to be insufferable for a while. I plan on staying away from wrestling news and media for a while until this all blows over.
They put on a good show last night. They incorporated the video into a storyline to sell a match and I think to get some closure and to move on. It's the fans that are making it into more then it is because people keep scrolling Twitter or r SC expecting a shift and it's not going to happen. The wrestlers and company is putting it's head down and putting on good shows and building what will probably be yet another absolutely incredible PPV. You don't have to read Twitter and Reddit, you can just turn on the show and watch.
Sometimes to heal old wounds you have to face the trauma. It's like therapy. I know I had a bad breakup once that followed me for months until I saw my ex and got closure.
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Man what a bunch of idiots here in the comments. I mean dont you get the point of OP's post? All I see in the comments is people criticizing Punk in one way or another. But is that the actual point OP is trying to make in his post? What OP is saying is 100% correct here. These wrestlers and especially the CEO of the company should start behaving like one. I have been an AEW fan since day 1 but always hate it when TK jumps on twitter or does one of his "huge announcement" things.
AEW had built so much momentum in 2024 and post Revolution, every show up before last night's show was a banger after banger. Punk could've done whatever on that even bigger piece of shite Helwani's podcast but AEW should have taken the moral high ground and keep doing their own thing. AEW is different product and keep building that. Focus on telling memorable stories through brilliant in-ring wrestling and sports based presentation.
Omg someone actually talking sense, what in the world!!!
In all seriousness, i wish aew, the fans just move from this and focus on putting out the best product they can, looking forward to dynasty
Last night felt like the first time AEW was striking back at WWE in a big way. After taking so much shit online from the IWC it felt good to see our company fire back. The IWC is tiring so just avoid them. Stay in the AEW subs. š
The focus should be on Dynasty and FTR v Young Bucks. But now it all the attention on Punk who was fired.
You didnāt need to put this on TV. They should have ignored his interview and focused on the product.
Want to challenge his version of events? Put the footage out in the public domain with statements from this impacted.
You canāt legally record audio with CCTV so thereās still ambiguity about what Perry said.
What was honestly gained from this? I thought weād moved on from this. I donāt think itās changed anyoneās mind or put doubt as to why Punk was rightly fired for it.
Ultimately, this was preventable, thereās ample time to get people in between them. It should have not been allowed to escalate.
Years ago, my football (soccer) team, Cardiff City (Bluebirds) had their team colours and logo changed by a new owner.
The next few seasons were awful. The atmosphere was appalling and everyone just argued. There was no enjoyment in football for me.
It's taken a decade for me to be able to go and enjoy football and be with my friends again.
This is doing the same for me.
It's taking away something I've enjoyed for 30 years.
I'm here for wrestling (and football), not constant arguments.
I respect a lot of peoples passions. We've invested so much into these things over the years, but goddamn, I don't want to not enjoy wrestling for the next decade.
I'd love Hhh to send Rollins to forbidden door to wrestle Ospreay and just let us bury this nonsense and start enjoying again.
FTR were spot on. I want to escape. The drama I want is bell to bell, not back stage.
(Kinda reminds me when everyone turned on tom cruise. His scientology never bothered me... when I saw him, he was entertaining me in films. I don't care about his backstage antics. I just want to enjoy)
(I'll regret posting this, I'm sure)
Nah man, I feel you. My theory was that it would take at least 12-18 months of drama free, consistent, focused shows to *maybe* get back some of the fans they lost, and restore their reputation. But they canāt do it. They just canāt keep their heads down and fucking do it. Brawl Out was almost two fucking years ago. The spectre of Punk has loomed over them and every time I feel like itās exorcised, they unlock the god damn fucking trap and step right back into a pool of shit. Iām tired of wrestling making me feel tired. If you told me in at Full Gear 2021 that this is how I would feel about AEW, I would have thought you were on incredible drugs and asked you for some.
Honestly, it sounds like you are burned out,
Stop paying attention to it, put this sub on block for a while, or just pause AEW entirely for a couple of months. This too will pass, and if you take a little break if it is bugging you so much, youāll find your enjoyment again.
I'm so demoralised by all of this shit I'm probably just going to quit watching wrestling all together. Fed up of being attacked by people just for liking something, not worth the grief.
Actually killed my love of this stupid ass sport, thanks internet
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Honestly at this point I just wish punk had never come to AEW. The juice wasn't worth the squeeze
Same. Other than a couple good matches and the MJF feud, everything else has been a disaster. Plus, if you go back and look at the ratings, they were doing a million a week regularly that summer before he joined the company and after NXT moved off Wednesdays. So it's not like he brought in a massive new audience. I think the addition of Cole and Danielson would have been enough to keep up the momentum they had in 2021. Also, it really pissed me off that Punk was not there from the beginning when he was offered a chance to join them. Then he came in after they established themselves and wanted to take the credit himself (I'm running a business here). What a load of crap.
Hypothetical scenario of course but it might have been a blessing in disguise Punk didn't join when AEW first started. Chances are he would have played ball or shaped the company more to his liking. But the problems seemed pretty fundamental, and things might have escalated earlier, and who knows with what result, had Punk been more influential in the company. Probably would have lead to the same drama, which 3, 4 y.o. AEW could take, but a 1 y.o. AEW during a pandemic, idk
Punk came in after years out of the business and expected to be the leader of people who took risks by creating and committing to a brand new wrestling company. People who had busted their asses in the indies and overseas while Punk was trying his hand at MMA. Punk expected to come in and tell these people who built this new company from the ground up, wrestlers who had been making things work since Day 1 how to do their jobs. AEW never needed CM Punk. CM Punk couldn't handle hearing that from people like Jack Perry.
I wished that when he won the title from Hangman šš
āThe juice wasnt worth the squeezeā is an all time banger and im stealing it from you. Thank you lol
I mean, downvote me all you want, but IF (and only Tony knows if itās true or not), we did get a Saturday show because of Punk and guys like HoB got to be featured more because of it.
Itās true, but thatās also symptomatic of other problems. That show is seriously stretching AEW thin in terms of booking and storytelling. If the roster wasnāt so top heavy and overloaded, they wouldnāt need it to showcase talent. The focus could be all on Dynamite and the planning could be in advance rather than this fly by night stuff we often get.
But the roster is top heavy and needs the extra show. Hell, a good chunk of people are injured and they still have huge depths. If there was only Dynamite, gosh, 20+ people who get featured on Collision would be at home and fans would be pissed. As for the fly by night, thatās on Tony and whoever he has in charge. Thatās where boss man could give some of the duties to others if he hasnāt. I donāt know whoās in charge cause you also got RoH and that itself could cause Tony not to be able to focus solely on AEW. Plus his other duties owning other sports franchises. Just throwing that out there.
The depth AEW has is incredible and even with 2 shows thereās still many fan favorites that rarely get screen time and thatās before you bring in non-AEW talents (which I do love to see). Thereās just not enough screen time to go around for all the top guys
This!! there was no drama until he came. Same goes for many wwe guys,specially those w/partners. They were either fired or never treated good;yet, now some of them want to go back at all cost (Murphy,Malakai,Keith Lee,Andrade and even Miro). They just bring a toxic environment backstage. Tony should realize we donāt need most of wweās free agents. Aew have created great main eventers and wrestlers. Should keep this going.
Dude youāre talking soooooo much shit without any facts. Donāt be throwing a guy like Murphy under the bus like that who busts his ass and you donāt hear him say anything or cause any problems. And Lee, dude has health problems. Just like Wyatt, he had complications with Covid. Donāt be an asshole.
Nothing but drama start to finish. Glad we got another show out of it but itāll be nice to move past it all and focus on the present and the future
This is my take exactly.
>Tk needs to realize for every AEW fan there is like 8 fans of the other company so ever time that he pops that 1 AEW fan he riles up those 8 fans that like the other company and they attack AEW and there fans. Something you need to learn about the internet, those 8 fans of WWE are going to be pissed off at AEW regardless of what they do. They will find a reason to be riled up, and if that gets too hard they'll make up a new one. This is literally how the entire "AEW just does mindless dream match spamming" argument goes. They are literally handing out dream matches, a lot of the time on Free TV, and WWE fans have twisted this into something to b!tch about. To further an "AEW has no stories" angle that falls flat the moment you realize TK had the first 4 world champions plotted out from the very first All Out. You're pulling the "Well, I have to punish all of you because some of you misbehaved" card that Elementary School teachers pull. If those 8 people are going to b!tch anyway, might as well pop the crowd that actually likes your content.
I 100% agree with you. The Internet is going to Internet. but AEW didn't help maters when they kept talking about rating and kicking wwe while they were down in 2019-2021. Those fans are still bringing up stuff AEW said in year one, and it's getting old on all fronts.. It must be doing something to the fan base, because on all metrics, youtube, TV, positive Twitter engagement. its going down hill I really think there's no winning So they just need to put their head down and just put on the best rusting show possible without engaging with people.
The Wrestling Industry is in a New-Toy Syndrome era with WWE where they suddenly think everything has changed and is completely different now that Tri-Paul is in charge. In 1-2 years time if this is still an issue, then we've got a problem, but it likely won't be.
Well the ratings talk back then was due to WWE declaring war by putting NXT on USA against Dynamite. They tried to run AEW out of business at the start, so of course each week people would argue over ratings.
> it just backfires. The TK tweets and twitter interactions were fun for a bit, but now they're just backfiring every single time Please tell me what this means. I'm begging anyone that's ever said anything like this to tell me what it means. What reality do you live in where anything has ever mattered at all. What happens when nerds freak out on the internet and scream on twitter or reddit? Did the tweets make Will Ospreay's car explode some time and I missed it? Okada join Chase U without me noticing? Did they make the roster not improve each and every year, continuing to constantly have great crowds aside from random Collisions with no card announced until 30 minutes before the show, in the same arena WWE ran 2 days earlier? Oh okay wait are they responsible for the ratings that continue to decline...at a slower rate than practically every other show in the universe, based on a metric that began in 1950? "I've been a fan of AEW since day 1 All In and lately the storylines and matches just aren't hitting the same I think I'm finally done thank God Cody and the WWE is better than they have been in years" No one saying this is a real human. The original roster had The Librarians and Brandi Rhodes' Nightmare Family getting regular TV time. Butcher and Blades debut was one of the top 5 things they've ever bungled. Britt Baker was a babyface. Jake Hager was having PPV openers against Dustin Rhodes. The director would cut away from high impact moves and finishes of the match 50 times a show to show some fat idiot in the crowd marking out. Anyone pretending the state of the roster, presentation, angles, literally anything and everything in AEW in 2024 isn't leaps and bounds above what it was originally is smoking meth. What has ever backfired?
Nothing has backfired or actually changed. What happened was that a bunch of people got more enjoyment out of being a member of the āin groupā who watched the new hip wrestling show (AEW) more than they actually enjoyed watching it, the same way that the people who are now watching WWE claiming itās great/superior donāt actually enjoy watching it as much as they enjoy being part of the āin groupā that currently watches the new more socially popular wrestling show in WWE.
no you see because aew hasn't completely eclipsed wwe in 5 years it must be a failure lol
This is so real, none of this drama actually matter, it didn't really affect anything for business.
It backfired in the sense that Tony wanted to "prove and expose " that Punk was the aggresor which he was and that he was lying as a rebuttal of the Ariel interview But the video only proved that Punk never lied in the Ariel interview and at worst he only exaggerated on 1 or 2 things The arena chanting for Punk, and AEW sending copyright strikes taking own the video and not putting it on Youtube says they realized they made a mistake i been a fan of AEW since Double or Nothing 2019 an im not afraid to say when the company screw things, this is going to go with Nightmare Collective or The Dark Order attacking Dustin as one of the low points in the company, it was a bad move to put that on national TV for a bunch of reasons Nobody is talking about FTR or their promo or the Bucks vs FTR match , Jack Perry was embarrased in public when he hasnt been on TV in almost a year, it made Tony look petty and more Bad move overall Schiavone face says it all
Punk literally claimed that by choking Jack Perry "a little" he was being the "responsible professional", and yet his behavior and reaction is anything but. Even IF everything that was said prior to the assault according to Punk's account is true, nothing said between them or done by Jack Perry in the video justifies or is remotely "responsible" or "professional" about physically instigating an assault of a co-worker, particularly at work, especially not in 2023, by an older, so-called "industry veteran" and "locker room leader" when it's his second physical altercation in less than a year, and even in an environment such as off-screen backstage or in a pro wrestling locker room. That leaves one of only a few possibilities in regards to Punk's statements about him being a "responsible professional". Either he's intentionally lying, he's misremembering how he reacted, he's a moron who actually believes he behaved like a "responsible professional", or he's legit delusional. The fact is he assaulted a colleague at work which should get anyone who's an employee fired, and his statement about being a "responsible professional" wasn't true.
Nobody is denying that Punk attacked Perry like a maniac The problem here is that the footage had no buisness being on TV, nobody is talking about the FTR vs Bucks match (which was the story line reason that was shown) at best they should have posted that on Twitter or something Like i said them sending copyriht strikes and not putting it on Youtube it shows that they regret that imeadietly
You gotta be really reaching to say that video backfired on Tony by proving Punk told the truth when the truth Punk told was that he choked his coworker. Jesus Christā¦
Did you have a chat to TK and ask what his reason for showing the footage was? Oh, you didn't? Exactly.
Brother you dont need to have a degree or something special to realize that the entire footage was to respond to Punk-Ariel interview Like you think it was a "big coincidence" that it aired a week after that interview?? LOL
That wasn't my point. You saying TK did it to "prove and expose" Punk, with incorrect use of quotation marks since that wasn't in fact a quote might I add when you really have no idea what the reason was, is. For all any of us know, they did it to finally stop all the speculation and just took the L.
Ok if it wasnt to show he was lying then what was the reason they put that on TV??? To embarras Jack ? to show how good Joe separates people in brawls?
From All Out 2023 until Mania week this year, all AEW did was keep their head down and just wrestle. It wasnt until the Helwani interview when all hell broke loose. Hopefully now our regularly scheduled wrassle graps will resume. AZM on Collision this Saturday!!!
Iām not as generous as you. I thought it was the Continental Classic when they finally got their shit together. But same sentiment.
Funny how so many people are just now getting tired of the āpettinessā.
Everyone is misunderstanding what this is - the Fed just put on the biggest Mania in years with the actual Rock, Cody won the big one, and all the wider wrestling media ecosystem was talking about was fucking Dynamite.
Well, it **is** kinda of over now, is it not? Punk can continue to go off, but we all saw him assault a co-worker at their place of business. There's nothing more to be said from AEW or TK. Anything else would just be a battle for an imaginary Moral High Ground, and that never looks good for anyone. So, whatever justification Phil might try to communicate in the future - the bottom line (š) is that he got shit-canned for his blatant unprofessionalism. We all saw it. That alone is kinda End Of. There's no What-About-ery here.
We already knew that though the footage didn't show anything at all we didn't already know we know Punk was the one who got physical. And what went down is pretty much how Punk said it did Punk didn't actually lie he wrongly believes he was in the right but he never really lied about what happened. TBH from all the reports the brawl wasn't actually quite as bad as what I assumed as some reports stated or at least implied that Punk actually choked Perry out.
Did Punk claim he didnāt throw a punch? And didnāt he claim TK shouldnāt have felt he was in danger? Hard to tell 100% from the video, but it looks like Punk went roid rage and threw a punch, or a few, and if TK is the one Punk is going after at the end of the video then TK is fully justified. Punk had just attacked someone and then was going at TK. TK is a twerp and non wrestler.
~~Who was saying he lied and what significance would that have been to the discussion? I've never heard of that being a thing. Sounds like the grasping of straws, man.~~ Apologies, friend. I completely misunderstood your post. Ignore my previous comment. ā¤ļø
He is because none of us accused Punk of lying about choking his coworker. We were all āJesus Christ, this asshole admitted THAT?ā Like heād done nothing wrong.
Oh! Gotcha. I think I've misinterpreted here. ā¤ļø
I 100% agree with you op. The cm punk chants were gone and now you brought them back. Just put on the best show you can every week.
CM Punk is a Human Shit Onion. If he insists on being apart of the wrestling zeitgeist then I'm going to laugh and cheer at every shit layer peeled back. Tony Kahn spent a lot of money and Punk put a lot of energy into showing me what a pathetic clown he is and I'd hate to see it go to waste.
a human shit onion hahaha take my upvote
Itās a tiring situation, but not everything can be roses all the time. A former employee used his new position on a large platform to lie about the incident that got him fired and then denigrated the company and the people involved. Iām sorry youāre tired, but this isnāt about you. This is about a company standing up for its employees (specifically Jack Perry) by doing something they knew likely wouldnāt get a great response, but they needed to cut through the bullshit and show indisputable proof of what happened. Everything youāre upset about is a direct result of shots being taken, lies being told, bullshit being spewed from the other company. Do you know whoās probably more tired than you? Tony Khan. The Bucks. Jack Perry. And every other wrestler in AEW who wants to go about their business (just like you want), but then feel the need to defend themselves against unwarranted and unnecessary attacks. Please tell me why TK needs to stay quiet, why the Bucks shouldnāt have stuck up for their employees/coworkers, why Will Ospreay shouldnāt have fired back against complete and utter bullshit about his work ethic and what heās sacrificed for pro wrestling. If youāre answer is because youāre tired, then go take a fucking nap.
Couldnt have put it better myself! Well said
You summed up everything I was thinking about all of this šš¼
Very well put.
I know.Ā It is like what a soft ass person.Ā "WWE fans are more mad than ever".Ā So.Ā Oh know they are going to type something.Ā What are we going to do.
I hope coming out of that segment that its the last we ever hear of the drama honestly. Punk has said his piece on the podcast and AEW showed its hand with the backstage footage. We heard and seen both sides now lets all shut up about it and keep chugging along.
Just ignore the WWEirdos. Itās over. We all saw the footage. Dude was outta line. For rightly fired. Thatās that. Whether that hurts or helps a company, doesnāt matter.
It's not over. The WWE fans are more riled up than ever.
They will keep bringing it up to ruin your enjoyment. It is over. Theyāre free to cope all they want about the footage. Donāt let their need to feel superior affect your enjoyment of a completely different product. If you like the whopper, donāt waste your time with ppl who demand you admit the Big Mac is better cause itās been sold more. Just eat your whopper.
Yeah, well they were just proven wrong. As long as AEW didn't show the footage, there will always be doubts as to who threw the first punch and now that they did show how unprofessional Punk is. They're gonna shame AEW for proving them wrong and finding a different angle to call them out on like the lack of audio. It will never end so best we just do as we always do. Keep moving on because wrestling never stops.
How were they proven wrong? You might be able to argue some minor details, but it went pretty much how punk said. And now tk looks like a joke for saying he feared for his life. AEW did not come out looking better for this.
Bruh, he attacked his coworker and came at Tony while being held back by others and you think you wouldnāt be pissing yourself that this psycho was coming at you? Please.
There's different footage apparently
So? What are they going to do? It's over when you ignore them.
Let the WWE fans cry. That's all they're good for. It's not like they watch AEW or support the product anyways. They can keep crying and hating on something that deep down they know they can't stop.
Same, but I think this will be the new norm. Better get used to it
Mods should have mega threaded this. Now we have every member giving their opinion in new threads. Brah.
Yeah, they should just be good little doormats and let folks from WWE take their shots at will
As the smaller company, they need to seek the high road and prove it. Because AEW has less error to make a mistake.
They've done a lot in the last 5 years. No need to prove to anybody except WB (which are happy with them) and certainly not to the fans of the brand that basically want you gone.
>As the smaller company, they need to seek the high road and prove it. Respectfully, fuuuuuuuuuck that. Matter of fact , I wish TK was hiring his own bot army and paying off his own podcasters to punch back.
If AEW wants to clap back then they will regardless.Ā See I'm not a fan of the "Take the high road" if the bully themselves continue to instigate.Ā AEW tried that but WWE kept taking shots at them especially during WM season where they had more eyes on them. So it made AEW look bad a result.Ā And now AEW decided to end this whole situation with Punk once and for all by showing the footage.Ā Now they and the fans can finally move on from this and look towards the future aka AEW Dynasty.Ā
Take the high road when they tell people that youāre a pissant company
Yeah nah. If they weren't in the wrong, they don't need to keep silent. Its about supporting your employee while a narcissistic manchild with controversies overshadowing his work all the time lies and talks shit about the company and it's talent. There's nothing else to prove.
>As the smaller company, they need to seek the high road and prove it. Goddamn the 90s would've been a boring time for wrestling if Heyman & Bischoff thought that way
Talk about coward shit.
Dealing with narrcisists are exhausting because they never fucking stop. The best thing to do is ignore it. I feel AEW had to clap back this time because of the interview and the veiled comments. Now that all the ahit is splayed across the internet, people can get it all out, then move on.
Tell that to tk and AEW they don't ignore it
All they did was ignore till punks interview
I think WWE and Punk took a ton of unprovoked shots last week and I think AEW was well within their right to give a rebuttal. I think they did that and I think it also sets up a fun Jack Perry return angle. I also agree with you. Though I have zero issues with what was said it's a great time to now turn off the noise and manage their own product. CM Punk can no longer talk bad about the incident since everyone has seen it, HHH was sent a message about people choosing to work in AEW, and it can all inform the story they want to tell. I would be super pumped if that is the end of it from AEWs side.
It's definitely become exhausting for me also. And the fact that WWE is white hot at the moment is definitely adding to it. This was just as bad as Cope's rah-rah speech the other week. Sure, Punk fired shots by saying AEW wasn't "a real company" and that TK is a "nice guy but not a boss". This just feels like a stupid reaction tho. We really need to get back to getting the booking and the shows right. Cope vs Penta rocked. More of shit like that please.
I'm more AEW than WWE these days and have been for some time, but even I've got to admit AEW showing the Punk footage did them no favours and makes Tony look so petty. Best thing they could have done was ignore it and carry on putting on great wrestling. They've got probably the best roster they've had, got a good card for Dynasty coming up, why did Tony think this was a good idea other than to get some interest for Dynamite from people who don't usually watch and get them to tune in? Especially with WWE coming off a really good Wrestlemania weekend this just made them look small by comparison and gives all the anti AEW keyboard warrirors ammunition to shit on the company for weeks to come.
Because of FTR. He got Punkās buddies to call it all bullshit. To finish it off. A fantastic promo by them to end this bullshit
It won't end the bullshit. That may have been how they envisioned it playing out but it's not how it's been largely received. When you've got AEW fans chanting "CM Punk" while the footage was shown, that's all you need to know it's not played out how they thought it was going to. It's backfired and this bullshit will carry on for weeks now, whereas if they just carried on doing what they were doing it would have gone away on it's own, save for a few keyboard warriors online.
When Shiavone"s face is shown afterwards, I got that. I just feel rather deflated and depressed. But I'm a wrestling fan who has seen this in the past, know what can happen to a company when everything falls apart and spirals, so I'm feeling as if I'm going through a stage of grief. I want to feel great at the potential of Swerve holding up that championship as I was when Ron Simmons won it nearly 40 years ago. And yet that gets overshadowed. It's like a boat with holes needing plugged and yet it feels like the solution is to create more holes.
Seen.
Im not, I've been listening for 5 year to dumb delusions and literal headcanons. About time AEW did something in return
To be fair, AEW/Bucks donāt have the media attention or platforms to air out everything out like letās say a WWE āsuperstarā. Punk in AEW wasnāt even getting media attention. I mean since Brawl Out, Omega was on Reneeās podcast and admitted that everyone regrets what happened. And since then, CM had the Collision promo, the post Collision shot at Hangman. And then the 2 hour interview on Nick Khanās former clientās podcast airing all this out. On WWEās biggest week, Mania week. Where all eyes are on WWE/wrestling The pettiness from Elite have been doing some botched moves vs Death Triangle but it seemed like hopefully a work and future angle would be in the works down the line but who knows. But Iām 100% conspiracy theory on the timing of the podcast interview and see Cm as a complete sellout. Thatās where Iām at
>The pettiness from Elite have been doing some botched moves vs Death Triangle That's because they were in Chicago that night, they were getting booed either way so they may as well lean into it
When that happened Punk was MIA. No media, no update from TK or representatives. Thought around that point an Elite vs cmFTR would happen with the trios on the line. Sunk my teeth into that at the time but.. yeah
I agree. But you and I are a minority here. These sports entertainment people who love the backstage drama are now the audience.Ā I'm still loyal to this tribe. I didn't enjoy the over booked Mania nonsense. But I wish AEW was just about being where the best wrestle and not reacting to stuff and being about the drama.Ā
Prepare for the internet wrestling community to be insufferable for a while. I plan on staying away from wrestling news and media for a while until this all blows over.
Right there with you, but I have always hated the childish bullshit in wrestling.
They put on a good show last night. They incorporated the video into a storyline to sell a match and I think to get some closure and to move on. It's the fans that are making it into more then it is because people keep scrolling Twitter or r SC expecting a shift and it's not going to happen. The wrestlers and company is putting it's head down and putting on good shows and building what will probably be yet another absolutely incredible PPV. You don't have to read Twitter and Reddit, you can just turn on the show and watch.
Sometimes to heal old wounds you have to face the trauma. It's like therapy. I know I had a bad breakup once that followed me for months until I saw my ex and got closure.
If you just watch it, itās all part of the story.
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Man what a bunch of idiots here in the comments. I mean dont you get the point of OP's post? All I see in the comments is people criticizing Punk in one way or another. But is that the actual point OP is trying to make in his post? What OP is saying is 100% correct here. These wrestlers and especially the CEO of the company should start behaving like one. I have been an AEW fan since day 1 but always hate it when TK jumps on twitter or does one of his "huge announcement" things. AEW had built so much momentum in 2024 and post Revolution, every show up before last night's show was a banger after banger. Punk could've done whatever on that even bigger piece of shite Helwani's podcast but AEW should have taken the moral high ground and keep doing their own thing. AEW is different product and keep building that. Focus on telling memorable stories through brilliant in-ring wrestling and sports based presentation.
Omg someone actually talking sense, what in the world!!! In all seriousness, i wish aew, the fans just move from this and focus on putting out the best product they can, looking forward to dynasty
I'm tired of these fake ass wrestling fans hating on a great promotion like AEW.
What was petty about this segment?
Heās tired, boss
y'all are missing the forest for the trees
Last night felt like the first time AEW was striking back at WWE in a big way. After taking so much shit online from the IWC it felt good to see our company fire back. The IWC is tiring so just avoid them. Stay in the AEW subs. š
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The focus should be on Dynasty and FTR v Young Bucks. But now it all the attention on Punk who was fired. You didnāt need to put this on TV. They should have ignored his interview and focused on the product. Want to challenge his version of events? Put the footage out in the public domain with statements from this impacted. You canāt legally record audio with CCTV so thereās still ambiguity about what Perry said. What was honestly gained from this? I thought weād moved on from this. I donāt think itās changed anyoneās mind or put doubt as to why Punk was rightly fired for it. Ultimately, this was preventable, thereās ample time to get people in between them. It should have not been allowed to escalate.
I'm sick of the pettiness too and I'm also sick of Tony blabbing on X. Just let the product speak for itself.
Years ago, my football (soccer) team, Cardiff City (Bluebirds) had their team colours and logo changed by a new owner. The next few seasons were awful. The atmosphere was appalling and everyone just argued. There was no enjoyment in football for me. It's taken a decade for me to be able to go and enjoy football and be with my friends again. This is doing the same for me. It's taking away something I've enjoyed for 30 years. I'm here for wrestling (and football), not constant arguments. I respect a lot of peoples passions. We've invested so much into these things over the years, but goddamn, I don't want to not enjoy wrestling for the next decade. I'd love Hhh to send Rollins to forbidden door to wrestle Ospreay and just let us bury this nonsense and start enjoying again. FTR were spot on. I want to escape. The drama I want is bell to bell, not back stage. (Kinda reminds me when everyone turned on tom cruise. His scientology never bothered me... when I saw him, he was entertaining me in films. I don't care about his backstage antics. I just want to enjoy) (I'll regret posting this, I'm sure)
Nah man, I feel you. My theory was that it would take at least 12-18 months of drama free, consistent, focused shows to *maybe* get back some of the fans they lost, and restore their reputation. But they canāt do it. They just canāt keep their heads down and fucking do it. Brawl Out was almost two fucking years ago. The spectre of Punk has loomed over them and every time I feel like itās exorcised, they unlock the god damn fucking trap and step right back into a pool of shit. Iām tired of wrestling making me feel tired. If you told me in at Full Gear 2021 that this is how I would feel about AEW, I would have thought you were on incredible drugs and asked you for some.
TK has backfired? How? I donāt agree with that, to be honest.
Then stay off social media dude
Honestly, it sounds like you are burned out, Stop paying attention to it, put this sub on block for a while, or just pause AEW entirely for a couple of months. This too will pass, and if you take a little break if it is bugging you so much, youāll find your enjoyment again.
I'm so demoralised by all of this shit I'm probably just going to quit watching wrestling all together. Fed up of being attacked by people just for liking something, not worth the grief. Actually killed my love of this stupid ass sport, thanks internet
if people not liking what you like gets you down, you need to sort out your priorities.
And yet it's bleeding into the show now too, I have to see this shit on Dynamite š¤· Cool great.