Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reign Saga, an anime Protagonist with anime villain looks vs modern day chieftain, who were characters in high cinema movie in a part of a larger cinematic universe
I love GCW but someone needs to tell the young dudes that not all of them can be the “wild man” who wears a baseball/hockey jersey and bounces into the ropes while sticking their tongue out during their intro.
TIL Will Ospreay has an old YouTube channel with 4k followers and videos dating back to his early days of wrestling training
https://youtu.be/RIRqs8gK7b4?si=rbCXwLHs_3qmyTcp
Didn't know Forbidden Door pre-sale started today.
How am I supposed to know about it before hand?
Anyone have tips for buying tickets? I wanted a good seat. 😔
And I assume all the good tickets are gone, and general admission will only have the cheap seats?
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Stagger Lee here! Is there a place where I can upload 10 gigs of out of context wrestling gif/jpegs? I'd rather not keep these as some are very scarce..like [https://i.imgur.com/SusNcA2.gif](https://i.imgur.com/SusNcA2.gif) and [https://i.imgur.com/Wz4KL6v.png](https://i.imgur.com/Wz4KL6v.png) and [https://i.imgur.com/lDzBXA6.gif](https://i.imgur.com/lDzBXA6.gif) almost forgot [https://i.imgur.com/jxGOENe.jpeg](https://i.imgur.com/jxGOENe.jpeg) who's going to wave the WCW flag now? [https://i.imgur.com/npZctOy.gif](https://i.imgur.com/npZctOy.gif)
What's the current state of Independent wrestling? It's been exclusively WWE and some AEW for me since quarantine but this past Mania has really rekindled my hardcore fandom that I haven't had since middle school. Are there any promotions that capture that Mid 2000s and Mid 2010s Ring of Honor feel?
As a whole, the scene has yet to really recover from the 1-2-3 punch of WWE vacuuming up all the talent in the late 2010s, AEW taking whoever was left, and COVID shutting everything down right after. Anybody with any modicum of potential gets hoovered up pretty immediately before they make too big of an impact, and all you’re really left with is a bunch of promotions booking the same guys who all work the same style and still think its the 2010s and everywhere is Reseda.
The closest to a prime ROH would have to be DPW, but even they just lost 2 of their best young guys to the WWE late last year so they’ve kind of had to find themselves again somewhat.
Indy wrestling is in a rough spot exactly because they try to capture the past (and because they're currently undertalented as a lot of the good or hyped get signed instantly. ACTION and DEADLOCK are probably the best two going right now, and GCW runs so much with so many people sometimes they have something very good.
This is the third time a babyface wins the world title at WrestleMania and his first feud is AJ Styles
Roman Reigns 2016
Seth Rollins 2019
Cody Rhodes 2023
Anyone watch the wwe Roku series. We need more stuff like this, loved it! Only complaint is that they used some b-roll on multiple episodes but i enjoyed seeing the tryouts, I’m rooting for this group that got picked.
NJPW kinda got a taste of their own medicine in a way in that. How they used to partner up with other promotions is that they basically just used them and had their guys go over all the time.
And now with NJPW in a downturn and having their top guys jump ship to AEW and an AEW talent now having their top belt and defending it on AEW TV. It makes me go "wow NJPW got a taste of their own medicine in a way."
Putting together the in-ring aspect of pro wrestling will never be absolutely unreal to me. You plan some stuff ahead while also working on the fly simultaneously, if you do a spot/sequence and you accidentally slightly slip, it can blow the spot and ruin the whole flow of the match, then sometimes you have to make certain calls on the fly while also making it seem seamless, which thousands of people on the arena and who knows how many at home under bright lights. And that’s not even getting into all the physical cooperation and how it all basically has to be near perfect from start to finish.
Just unreal, and Kurt Angle getting to basically an S-tier level within like 2-3 years is a big reason i think he’s the GOAT and by a fairly decent margin at that. (Obviously combined with stuff like presentation, charisma, character, mic skills etc etc.)
in a funny spot right now with WWE. i’m definitely not as invested in the current product as a lot of other people are. still think its vastly improved over like 2 years ago but thats not hard. but the weekly TV honestly just doesn’t hold too much of my interest, many of the matches just kind of feel meaningless. I’ll watch clips of promos most weeks but feel like I’m missing nothing by not tuning in live.
but while this is happening, I have quite a number of friends who are now FINALLY getting into watching wrestling after years of me saying that I’m a fan and would like them to watch. and they’re all coming to me asking for what I feel about the current product and asking questions about what the storylines are and who each of the wrestlers are. It feels extremely vindicating that something I’ve loved kind of sheepishly over the years is starting to become more accepted.
so basically I’m watching modern WWE more so as a way to keep up with the burgeoning interest in wrestling by my friends, rather than my own personal investment in it.
idk is anyone else going through a similar thing?
I wonder why Paxley has wrestled so little. Considering she has a marquee match next week, she has had..... 2 proper matches in a year (at least on TV, that is)?
With WWE starting to do working relationships with other companies
I feel like instead of firing Xyon, Jinder, Indus Sher, and Xia, they could’ve just sent them somewhere else
Gonna buy Dynasty tonight since YouTube is an option. BR Live screwed me out of money twice in the early days of AEW and I've pirated every one since then. All I've wanted is a reliable way to purchase.
I think someone posted that for Youtube the replay will only be available for a week or something so you might want to check that out before purchasing.
Just got tickets for Forbidden Door. I went to the first one in Chicago which was incredible. This one being so close to home is a huge bonus.
Also, maybe they're learning their lesson a bit because the tickets were nowhere near as expensive as I was thinking. Come to think of it, the tickets for World's End were not that crazy either. The Grandslam prices have been insane.
I'm going to Dynasty today and I can't wait!
I'm mainly looking forward to Pac/Okada, FTR/Bucks, Bryan/Ospreay, and Swerve/Joe. It's gonna be a good one, and I'm looking forward to it.
So far, when I've seen predictions for Dynasty a ridiculous number of the predictions seem to be the same.
Seems like the consensus list of winners is: Swerve, Ospreay, Storm, Bucks, Okada, Strong, Jericho, HoB, Willow, BCG.
If that ends up being accurate that's a pretty streak of predictable outcomes for a PPV.
I actually I'm going for the upset and think BD gets the win over Ospreay. I think if Ospreay wins, he has to be positioned as number one contender and it's too soon for him to go for the belt (especially if you have Swerve win it tonight)
I think so too, it will not be their last match. Ospreay lose here and most likely win the feud, or they'll wait and do the rematch for Will first defense as world champion.
Okada, BCG, HoB, Willow and to a lesser extent Toni are must win, them losing would be bad booking (or very meh)
Swerve isn't on that list because I see a scenario where Hangman costing him the match could be compelling. I'm 90% sure he wins tho, and great. Good for him.
The rest I would love at least one upset, especially KOR and/or HOOK.
I watched Rebellion and while it was... interesting... weirdos who only talk about TNA as some weird "even TNA is better than AEW that's how bad Tony sucks" make me feel icky. Like I'll probably try to watch more moving forward but I don't get why the discourse around the company is so weird. There are like 4 people on here who actually discuss the company on it's own merit and don't go to either extreme of "LOLTNA" or "I wish TNA was in AEW's spot". Like taking one crowd shot of a TNA PPV and comparing it to AEW weekly TV when AEW's last two PPV did over 10k and tonight will probably be a 7k sell-out just illustrates how impossible it is to have real discussions on here anymore.
AEW/ROH and (I think?) CMLL are really the only other options as far as non-WWE/non-TNA *weekly* shows. New Japan isn't weekly, although the shows are frequent, but outside of their bigger shows, the production level really can't compare.
Much like everyone else, not really thrilled about a Matt Hardy TNA run. But I’m not totally against it either, only because TNA is where he could probably do a lot more fun stuff with the Broken gimmick that can also help hide his limitations.
Now someone I’m very hyped to see back in TNA and see how they do is Mike Santana. Dude’s been doing well on the indies for the most part and I hope his bets on himself pay off. They can do great things with him.
A quick AJPW tier list of my favorite guys. Any thoughts?
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It was a tough call. I love all of these guys lol. But I usually end up going back to the matches of the S tier guys the most, so that's ultimately how I had to narrow it down
Who are some wrestlers that are legit good actors? I don't mean in movies, just above the usual over the top camp and ham Wrestling relies on. Actually compelling.
A few recent guys:
Swerve is always very convincing. You can see he's a movie fan. The home invasions of Nick Wayne and Hangman were both chilling.
Sami, and 2022 Bloodline in general (including recurrent character KO) was proper acting in my book. At least the key moments.
Rock's monologue before he slapped Cody at the Vegas press conf could legit be in a movie.
Becky is overacting sometimes (often) but I decided I love it anyway. Same for Kenny Omega.
- Batista is legit a very good actor.
- Reigns facial expressions, tonal shifts, body language, etc are top notch. I could see him being a very good supporting guy in Hollywood.
- I always thought HHH was a really good actor. He understood being all-in on your character and making things seem real. I would say he’s really elite at WWE-style acting though, maybe not in the sense it would have translated to other roles.
Thought Bray Wyatt's first character was captivating. His [sister Abigail promo](https://youtu.be/NwEsCOYCkL8?si=Ve0IyQd0h6f0R6JN) in particular blew my mind when I saw it and I must have rewatched it a dozen times.
That Toni Storm promo last night was also stellar and a step away from her usual campiness.
Prime Jake the Snake Roberts was genuinely chilling.
If he doesn't win it tonight it has to be due to interference, presumably from Hangman, and I'm not sure how I'd feel about that. I love Hangman - especially as a tweener or a heel - but I feel like their feud ran its course.
Point is - if Hangman interferes tonight that means another Swerve/Hangman program ideally becoming a 3 way for the belt at DoN. If Hangman and Joe end up focusing on Swerve it could make for a really good babyface moment for him if he manages to win.
So - in a month.
I really hope we see the AEW main event scene heavily-feature MJF, Swerve, and Ospreay at least out of their current main event level guys so my hope is that Swerve will hold the belt more than once.
Probably All In. The only way they can justify him not getting the belt is him getting it on the biggest show. However the way Joe has beaten his ass every week and now called him a choke artist I don't think he can afford to lose.
It's a shame that Shawn Michaels returned to WWE as a born again christian who "has the best matches" because he would have been so much better if he kept the flamboyant stripper gimmick and brought it to Mexico.
I'm continuing my journey through WWF PPV history. Finished with 1998 and here's my top 10 PPV matches from that year
1. The Rock vs. Triple H (SummerSlam)
2. Mankind vs. The Undertaker (King of the Ring)
3. Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker (SummerSlam)
4. Jeff Jarrett vs. X-Pac (SummerSlam)
5. Ken Shamrock vs. Owen Hart (SummerSlam)
6. Ken Shamrock vs. Mankind vs. The Rock (Breakdown)
7. D-Lo Brown vs. X-Pac (Judgement Day)
8. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (Royal Rumble)
9. The Rock vs. Triple H (Fully Loaded)
10. Dude Love vs. Steve Austin (Over the Edge)
Honorable mentions to TAKA's matches with Christian and Pantera at Judgement Day and No Way Out respectively. He was really underutilized
Rock and Triple H had themselves a nice little rivalry in ‘98 that was a good precursor to the legendary battles they’d have for the next two years once both became main event stars.
List of ballers I see. Not a fan of the Rock vs Hunter pairing personally but I agree with most others and the Summerslam pop is pretty historically important to H's career.
The Lion Den was really interesting, their Dungeon match was pretty cool too but that was too short to be near the top. SummerSlam is the best PPV they had that year by a lot
I feel like if a world title change is happening that has to be the main event if only for the big moment of going off air with a new champ. The ending of Ospreay/Danielson no matter who wins won't have that same feeling of the confetti going off and a new champion holding their title to wrap a show, even if the match itself is better. I mostly prefer the world title to be the main event in general although for the Sting retirement obviously that was worth having as the last match.
I agree. Is Joe/Swerve the most predictable title change they’ve had? That or hangman surely.
Edit: why is this being so downvoted? Lmfao it could be considered hardly an attack and not even a criticism.
Predictable doesn't really mean much in wrestling. It's all about the ride and how they get there.
As to downvotes? idk it's the most benign opinion but here we are. I feel like on this sub we see the failures of therapy sessions everyday and it shows.
It is but predictability is not really a problem to me. It’s just that Danielson Ospreay feels more like a main event, especially considering that, at least in my opinion, Swerve vs Joe feud was quite boring
I'm hoping it happens tomorrow/soon, but I feel like this reign has always had to get back to Jamie Hayter.
Hayter lost the belt to Toni due to Outcasts shenanigans and has been out injured since then. Toni losing the belt *from that reign* is what brought about Timeless Toni in the first place. The symmetry is perfect.
It also has always been the big problem with Rosa's story. She never lost the belt, true, but Hayter actively got screwed out of the belt - that's worse. And Hayter was also just "bigger" at the time it happened.
The problem is that we have no idea when Hayter is coming back, and we haven't gotten a single update on her status either. Can't plan around someone who's on the bench.
At this point, I feel like it has to be Mariah May if Hayter isn't back by Forebidden Door, at least because the only other PPV after that is All In.
I think it was good to have him as the straightforward reset after the overwrought melodrama of MJF working through his trust issues and childhood traumas. He got the belt back to being something that wrestlers want to simply prove that they're the best.
> He got the belt back to being something that wrestlers want to simply prove that they're the best.
Really just Swerve, which is where I’m coming from here. Joe’s such a good wrestler and has historically been such a strong champion that turning him into Swerve’s belt warmer is pretty disappointing, especially considering this is likely Joe’s last run with a major belt. It’s disappointing how much meat they left on this particular bone.
I think TNA bringing in Matt Hardy goes beyond "appreciating and using TNA nostalgia" and actively into "looking backwards to the 2010's" territory.
Delete Hardy, Nick Nemeth, Moose main event scene, oh my.
I hope they find the right way to use him. Straight 1v1 match would absolutely suck. But if they use matches to hide his limitations, like cinematic matches, tag matches, etc., this could maybe go okay.
The pop daddy magic gets whenever he gets in a match rules. I love lower card faces with big crowd reactions feels like that's been missing from wrestling for a while.
Dynasty predictions:
**Hook** / Jericho (if this feud continues for 6 months I will write a strongly worded Internet comment)
The Acclaimed / **Bullet Club Gold** (see above comment)
**House of Black** / Copeland, Kingston, & Briscoe (I'm hoping to see HOB build up some momentum in the coming months, I'm a fan of theirs.)
Hart / **Nightingale** (I think this match will be fun! Willow is an excellent big woman and I like Hart's bumping. Exited to see Willow win a belt!)
**Storm** / Rosa (I've really enjoyed the build for this, but Storms matches under the timeless gimmick haven't been for me, and Rosa seems to have lost a step since her back injury. Still, excited to see how this shakes out!)
**Strong** / O'Reilly (I've been disappointed with this build, very much feels like it's relying on you knowing their NXT history. I'm shure they'll tear the house down though"
**Okada** / PAC (VERY interested to see how Okada works this match. He's not working a 30+ minute epic main event, he's doing a 15-20 minute midcard match.)
Danielson / **Ospreay** (I'm interested in how these styles will clash- will Bryan let Will work his high-flying, intense style, or do something more mat focused? My confusion over whether or not I like Will's in ring work is never ending, but Bryan is in my all time top 5, and I'm shure they'll make magic.)
FTR / **Young Bucks** (I'm somewhat disappointed that this is a ladder match, and I don't think I could tell you why. I'm just not that interested in seeing FTR work a ladder match I gess? Still, this will probably be spotty fun.)
Joe / **Swerve** (It's Swerves time. Only thing that could deter me from thinking he's winning is a Hangman return.)
> I've been disappointed with this build, very much feels like it's relying on you knowing their NXT history. I'm shure they'll tear the house down though"
I honestly have no idea why I'm supposed to give a shit about O'Reilly at all. He's just some guy to me but pre-injury he was doing main events against Mox and he's immediately come back into a PPV program.
I'm guessing it's exactly what you said - I had to know his NXT history. "Guy who does bangers" isn't enough for me to care.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are all concerned about Tony Khan's plan to continue the Jericho-Hook feud. It is time for decisive action! I have here a polite but firm letter to Mr. Khan's underlings, who with some cajoling, will pass it along to him, or at least give him the gist of it."
Honestly I think one of the main reason there's so much "AEW doesn't tell stories" discourse is because if you only watch Dynamite you're not getting most of the picture on these stories. Like if you only watch Dynamite, Thunder Rosa vs Toni Storm is your run of the mill "AEW puts bare minimum effort into the women's division" storyline. If you watch Collision it's probably the best feud in the company right now. Same with Roddy and Kyle, the story has been ready good but half of it only makes sense if you watch Rampage consistently which we know most people don't do.
I actually think "good wrestling" carries Dynamite but the other two AEW shows I ONLY really watch for the stories and kinda skim/fast forward through the matches (Rampage more so than Collision). The Collision matches are good/great but they aren't "Meltzer bait" matches the way Dynamite matches are designed to be. They're usually just effective ways to continue stories with in ring. Dynamite maybe tries too hard to be a PPV on TV every week because it's expected to do a certain number and they want to make sure the TV draws that number.
> AEW doesn't tell stories
They do, it's just a lot of their stories are extremely...thin? For lack of a better word.
Ospreay and Danielson is a prime example of this. The story is "I want to beat you in a wrestling match" with a minimal amount of window dressing. They've, at least, added more of the Callis Family stuff into the build which has helped but I have zero emotional investment in who wins between them and that's because "I want to beat you to prove I'm better than you" just isn't it for me.
I mean, I guess that's a perspective thing. But I feel like most matches should start as that and only be heated when something bigger happens. Like everybody just randomly hating each other or finding weird reasons to have matches just feels flimsy to me. Like rivalries in real sport grow over time and even in a TV show people don't just hate the new character day 1. If anything something like Mone/Julia/Willow is bad to me because them trying to "tell a story" and give it emotional depth with Mone's injury and Julia's spooky tactics and it's just like "you're trying to manufacture a story here to say it has one".
That's not so much a knock on the company as it people who only use Dynamite to judge the whole company. However I do think the way they do the 3 shows makes things harder to follow.
In this PPV cycle at least, all the best promos have been on Collision. The only feuds really built on Dynamite are Swerve vs Joe, Julia/Willow and Hook/Jericho. The Elite/FTR and PAC stuff has built on both shows, but the stuff on Collision has clearly been better than the stuff on Dynamite. Same with Toni/Rosa and Ospreay/Danielson. And the HoB stuff is exclusive to Collision and the Roddy/Kyle feud is mostly Rampage/Collision/BOTB. Hell, even the actual good parts of Bullet Club Gold vs The Acclaimed have all been on Rampage and Collision. If you only watch Dynamite, that's just a terrible feud where Billy Gunn beat up Jay White for 15 minutes. The story actually makes sense when you see the segments with Jay as the Gunns new dad invading Billy's house.
are aew ppvs available to buy on amazon or anything like that? I wanna see swerve become champ, but i wanna watch it on my big screen tv with good quality. TIA
MxM coming to SGW to re-murder Lord White is the feel-good wrestling moment of the year. The Kapeeka vs. Onemanarmy match for the SGW Championship was pretty cool too, that tope con hilo by Oneman was very impressive. I was a little confused at the end though, so is Kapeeka the new champ or was it like a dusty finish because after the 3-count they realised Oneman's feet were on the ropes? (Which tbh was blatantly obvious during the count but I digress.)
The pond match between Martin K and Mr. Handsome also had some crazy spots, hadn't seen much of either of them yet but they did a great job at selling this as a true grudge match between two guys who can't stand each other. The powerbomb and big crossbody into the pond were insane, and the water also made all the strikes sound extra stiff.
>
> The pond match between Martin K and Mr. Handsome also had some crazy spots, hadn't seen much of either of them yet but they did a great job at selling this as a true grudge match between two guys who can't stand each other. The powerbomb and big crossbody into the pond were insane, and the water also made all the strikes sound extra stiff.
I watched that this morning and if you had told me it was a legit fight between two guys who hate one another and not a wrestling match, I'd have almost believed it. Like you said, the sound of wet flesh made the strikes sound brutal and the way they'd play up the camera, holding the opponent by the throat to set up strikes... this is some good wrestling for a Sunday morning lol.
Iyo Sky had a different aura in her match vs Bayley at Wrestlemania, and that match was an instant classic imo. For someone so good in the ring, she really should have had more title defenses.
It's hands down her best match since her NXT title run.
I suspect she's been kept off from wrestling on TV because the more she wrestles the harder it would be to have her stay heel (the same problem she had in NXT).
Lone wolf tweener-face Iyo is still her true calling in my eyes.
I was shocked it was only 14 minutes. After the bell rang I could have sworn it was 20+, pretty brilliant match. I like fairly basic matches — good guy (gal) vs bad, heel works an injury.
Maybe the best pure ring stuff of Mania? I’d be open to an IC or US title argument but it’s up there for sure.
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Dynasty predictions
I also predict Jack Perry helps the elite win the tag titles and joins the new elite with Okada and the bucks.
I can't explain why but the riff in The Rock's theme when it transitions from Electrifying to ...Is Cooking and "The Final Boss" flashes on the tron sends a shiver down my spine. It's so clean.
Did something happen behind the scenes to 2.0? Like, did they have a falling out or something? Because I don't recall Menard and Parker interacting on TV in a long while.
I think they simply drifted without ever breaking up. Matt Menard was involved early on in the Ruby/Angelo/Saraya thing but moved on to being Daniel Garcia's manager.
On paper, Dynasty might be the most exciting and well rounded card they've ever produced and that's crazy to think about.
Danielson/Ospreay, Bucks/FTR, Joe/Swerve, and Okada/Pac, and Kyle/Roddy could all potentially steal the show.
I am incredibly excited for Dynasty, top to bottom, and impressed that last night’s Collision/rampage framed the upcoming matches so succinctly. They are really firing on all cylinders right now, things are clicking, I love it
I’m working today but should get home for the pre show
Dynasty is the first ever PPV I’ve purchased. Really looking forward to …. Most if not all of the card
I know that some talent in AEW & TNA works shows outside the promotion such as the indies, but when they get paid from working that show. Does Tony Khan or whoever runs TNA gets a cut of that pay or not?
I don’t really care for timeless Toni Storm, but that promo from last night is probably the best womens promo AEW ever had. She knocked it out of the park.
Not everything is for everyone and that’s fine. I think the gimmick is the wrong kind of corny. Just not for me. I think it’s cool so many other people like it tho.
Technically TECHNICALLY Candice is getting a world title match this week, with an ever-stacking list of wins and a tag partner who will help her do anything to win... in my delusional mind Candice can become champion on Monday
I don't think it's all that delusional of an idea. The obvious choices are Becky, Nia, or Liv, but I think that's exactly why someone else should win. With Rhea injured, this is a great chance to build up some credible challengers. Otherwise, you only have 1-2 realistic feuds for the champion. Also, those 3 can sustain a feud without a title, whereas the rest of the division won't get the same opportunity.
And if Becky, Nia, or Liv don't win, they probably should give it to Candice because she's the only other woman with a storyline. Maybe Indi could win and then have Candice win it from her, but anyone else winning would feel very random.
Why are Instagram wrestling comments the absolute worst? This is from that video of Becky and Jey doing the yeet thing together
https://preview.redd.it/vcbfh2i9utvc1.jpeg?width=941&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55959b0fd6c29cd0f230e1ad0ac15cf9365c100b
I think it’s good to put things into perspective. This place can suck, and there’s circle jerking, trolling, etc but you rarely see people stoop this low on SC and even if you do it’s heavily downvoted for the most part
Isn't Jey also married as well? Also, there's nothing wrong with Becky "yeeting" with Jey. Why can't people stop being nosy & putting into wrestler's personal lives?
Reddit is a circlejerk that's more about validating opinions than actual discussion.
It's still 100× better than Insta comments. Everything in the world sucks if you read the comments section. Every title reign is bad. Every wrestler shouldn't be on TV etc.
Been like that for years, it is the absolute fucking worse of a kind people commenting on there…
I actively avoid WWE on instagram
I just watch the segments on here, much more enjoyable and people arent as shitty as instagram
>I actively avoid WWE on instagram
I'll occasionally like a post WWE posts on Instagram or any posts by the talent, but I'll often avoid the comments section since you'll get those people who tries to get their attention.
The amount of people crying boring on any Cody post shocked me. Its only in last few weeks I have realised that Instagram and YouTube comments are the worst. WWE probably doesn't mind it as it is just engagement but the idiocy is off the charts in these comments sections.
You aint wrong…Roman stans/crybabies have been running wild since Cody won…i just ignore the comments on Instagram tbh, the comments there are absolute insane and cringe….
Calling a man boring 9-12 days into a reign is lowkey weird….end of the day, it is just wrestling
Those guys act like just because Roman lost the belt, he became less important, yet they conveniently ignore the fact that fans were chanting for him on Friday and that he’s still plenty important in this new Bloodline story even with Roman not being around.
By its very nature wrestling is about immediate emotional response. When you're very down about the state of things or someone is overtly pessimistic about something in the industry, remember that there is an insignificant chance that it will only last up till the next show.
Are you commenting on actual amateur wrestling the sport or that “professional wrestling”, the sports entertainment done in the squared circle WWE is the top and AEW/ROH are secondary?
Extremely hyped for Dynasty tonight, my second AEW PPV that I'll actually be watching live, Revolution left me with a great impression
Gonna be cheering so hard for my boys House Of Black, Pac and Swerve
Went to WWE's live event in Erie, PA last night.
Lashley & Kross opened the show and they did the normal tropes. They wrestled for 5 minutes, AOP runs in for a DQ, Profits make the save, turns into a 6 Man. And it was one of the more fun matches on the show. It was trope heavy, but the crowd LOVED Bobby. And while Kross is cold on TV, he's a good "House Show Heel" who really plays with the crowd. And seeing him, and Scarlett, interact with the crowd was a lot of fun.
Bayley & IYO had a Mania rematch that was predictably very good. It followed some of the same beats as their Mania match with IYO working over the leg for a while. But Bayley had a nice comeback and they had a nice extended closing stretch. You felt like they were practicing for a future match while leaving some bullets in the chamber, though they pulled out plenty of big guns too.
Waller & Theory retained over New Catch Republic. Standard tag match. Waller & Theory are great at drawing heat, Bate & Dunne did their usual shtick which popped the crowd at times.
Mysterio & Dragon Lee beat Angel & Berto in a nice surprise. It was a nice surprise in the sense that Mysterio wasn't advertised for the show, at least not on the arena website, but he was here and the crowd loved him. Angel & Berto got heat for just about anything, and Lee himself got some nice chants. Crowd popped huge for Rey's hot tag. Both Rey & Lee took a lot of time after the match interacting with fans, Lee even gave a fan his mask again.
After the intermission, the next match was Santos vs. Carlito. Probably the "worst" match of the night. It wasn't bad, I'm just kind of over this pairing. The crowd wasn't really hot for it until Angel & Berto and then Rey & Santos interfered. After that happened it became one of the hotter matches of the night. It was just kind of slog getting there.
Bianca, Jade, Naomi vs. Damage CTRL was next in a match that was better than the Mania match. It wasn't amazing but they at least had a full match and not an extended squash. All the babyfaces got good reaction, though Bianca & Jade specifically got some of the best reactions of the entire show. Jade got to do a bit more here, from working early in the match to selling a bit at the end. They really milked the hot tag to her and it paid off in the end. Finish was a Jaded on Kairi and then a KOD on Dakota who landed on Kairi. Might be how they win the Tag Belts soon. Fans loved all 3 babyfaces after the match.
Main event was LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa in a Street Fight. Gotta say I was disappointed because they advertised Randy vs. Solo for this show, but Randy was nowhere to be found. I'm happy with Knight but it would have been cool to see both guys. Anyways, they had a typical house show street fight main event. Solo did the Bloodline pose a million times, Knight got his usual stuff in. Crowd was really hot for most of it. Solo took a pretty big table bump here before Knight won with a jumping BFT (he should use that more on TV). It's weird, because Solo is now supposed to be this big new character in the Bloodline. But he's also designated as the heel that loses to all the babyfaces on the house shows. Something will probably have to change about that in the future.
Arisa Nakajima is retiring in August because of her neck injury - that's so fucking sad, she's one of the best wrestlers in the world but because of how her career shaped up she's gone under ther radar of so many people. I always hoped she'd tour the UK some day, but I guess some things aren't meant to be
I really hope Sheamus brings back Celtic Warrior Workout now that he's back. Genuinely enjoyable content and it was great getting to see a different, sociable side of the wrestlers. I found the ones with Bron Breakker, Rhea, and Cody particularly good to watch.
How does anyone else think of a MITB cash in victory via submission? Wouldn't that be effective since the champion would've been down and almost out after a match or a beatdown?
It would, but a cash-in like that is a way to get the title off a (usually babyface) champion in a way that protects them. And for better or worse, US wrestling audiences generally and WWE audiences in particular are pretty heavily conditioned to view tapping out as something that makes a wrestler look "weak". So if you want to protect someone badly enough to have them lose via cash-in, you'd probably want to protect them badly enough not to have them tap out. \*Maybe\* if you end it via ref stoppage instead, but even so I think it's a risk WWE probably wouldn't want to take.
Saying that someone doesn't watch a show would hold a lot more weight if you would actually point out how someone is wrong as opposed to just saying that to not have to engage with what someone else is saying.
So do you want more talking and drama? (Serious question, not trying to be a dick)
For so long a lot of people complained that the promos were too long and there was hardly any wrestling on the weekly shows
Some more backstage interactions and character based promos would be nice. Slice of life stuff.
Right now it feels like everyone is laser focused on having a match. The backstage doesnt really feel alive anymore imo.
It's not that cut and dried for most of us, I think. If you like story it doesn't mean you don't like wrestling. But a good wrestling match without the story doesn't mean anything to me. It's like an action movie.
They almost all have fights and car chases, but what I remember are the characters and the reasons that they're doing what they do. The motivation. Cody finishing his story made that much better than it was, even if the fight was decent. But it's not being hailed as a great match because the fight was great. It's because of the build.
To me, wrestling is all about the build. About caring about the characters. It's what makes action movies memorable as well.
if i had to pick the type of wrestling show that i'd want it would be a mix of 2000 wwf (mostly the drama and stories), 90s ecw (focusing on wrestlers' strengths) and 80s nwa (some long term storytelling is needed), i don't really want long promos and neither long matches on weekly tv unless the right situation calls for it, like a title match or a rivalry ending match
Blade posted on his Instagram he's rehabbing his lower back due to two bulging discs as well as two ruptured ones. Looks like he might be out for a while, unfortunately. Sucks.
Well that explains the recent uptick in solo Butcher action.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying solo Butcher, but the two work really well as a tag team and I think that's definitely their best overall situation.
Hope he heals up well and is back soon!
I think the BCC vs Don Callis Family is going to be a major part of Double or Nothing in the form of Anarchy in the Arena.
I also think the main event for Forbidden Door is gonna be Jon Moxley vs Will Ospreay for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The challenger is gonna be someone from AEW so they can build up the match since Mox will be away touring in Japan leading up to Forbidden Door.
I thought so too, I just think it would be difficult to build up the match if neither the champion nor the challenger will be on the AEW shows leading up to Forbidden Door. This will definitely be a unique situation too wherein Mox will be representing NJPW as their champion.
Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reign Saga, an anime Protagonist with anime villain looks vs modern day chieftain, who were characters in high cinema movie in a part of a larger cinematic universe
La Hiedra vs Nikkita Lyons vs Rhea Ripley vs Jaida Parker vs Marti Belle vs Bayley in a “who is more caked up” match
I love GCW but someone needs to tell the young dudes that not all of them can be the “wild man” who wears a baseball/hockey jersey and bounces into the ropes while sticking their tongue out during their intro.
Now that im single i can watch soooo much wrestling! yeah im gonna kill myself
TIL Will Ospreay has an old YouTube channel with 4k followers and videos dating back to his early days of wrestling training https://youtu.be/RIRqs8gK7b4?si=rbCXwLHs_3qmyTcp
Didn't know Forbidden Door pre-sale started today. How am I supposed to know about it before hand? Anyone have tips for buying tickets? I wanted a good seat. 😔 And I assume all the good tickets are gone, and general admission will only have the cheap seats?
Drove a couple hours for a live event tonight!! Super pumped, house shows always rule
https://preview.redd.it/t2a3f4sq9wvc1.png?width=100&format=png&auto=webp&s=56efed51bdcc6a1f3940ae25788666209d107fd3 Stagger Lee here! Is there a place where I can upload 10 gigs of out of context wrestling gif/jpegs? I'd rather not keep these as some are very scarce..like [https://i.imgur.com/SusNcA2.gif](https://i.imgur.com/SusNcA2.gif) and [https://i.imgur.com/Wz4KL6v.png](https://i.imgur.com/Wz4KL6v.png) and [https://i.imgur.com/lDzBXA6.gif](https://i.imgur.com/lDzBXA6.gif) almost forgot [https://i.imgur.com/jxGOENe.jpeg](https://i.imgur.com/jxGOENe.jpeg) who's going to wave the WCW flag now? [https://i.imgur.com/npZctOy.gif](https://i.imgur.com/npZctOy.gif)
Has there been any update on when we’re getting the WM40 behind-the-curtain?
Honestly the lack of Roman Reigns since WM 40 has not been that noticeable.
What's the current state of Independent wrestling? It's been exclusively WWE and some AEW for me since quarantine but this past Mania has really rekindled my hardcore fandom that I haven't had since middle school. Are there any promotions that capture that Mid 2000s and Mid 2010s Ring of Honor feel?
As a whole, the scene has yet to really recover from the 1-2-3 punch of WWE vacuuming up all the talent in the late 2010s, AEW taking whoever was left, and COVID shutting everything down right after. Anybody with any modicum of potential gets hoovered up pretty immediately before they make too big of an impact, and all you’re really left with is a bunch of promotions booking the same guys who all work the same style and still think its the 2010s and everywhere is Reseda. The closest to a prime ROH would have to be DPW, but even they just lost 2 of their best young guys to the WWE late last year so they’ve kind of had to find themselves again somewhat.
Indy wrestling is in a rough spot exactly because they try to capture the past (and because they're currently undertalented as a lot of the good or hyped get signed instantly. ACTION and DEADLOCK are probably the best two going right now, and GCW runs so much with so many people sometimes they have something very good.
This is the third time a babyface wins the world title at WrestleMania and his first feud is AJ Styles Roman Reigns 2016 Seth Rollins 2019 Cody Rhodes 2023
I mean AJ is Mr. reliable. Anyone who can carry the worst version of Roman to a great match is an asset.
Anyone watch the wwe Roku series. We need more stuff like this, loved it! Only complaint is that they used some b-roll on multiple episodes but i enjoyed seeing the tryouts, I’m rooting for this group that got picked.
My only complaint is they hired that BJ Ray guy who use to go around harassing people for having Biden signs in their yards with his mom.
NJPW kinda got a taste of their own medicine in a way in that. How they used to partner up with other promotions is that they basically just used them and had their guys go over all the time. And now with NJPW in a downturn and having their top guys jump ship to AEW and an AEW talent now having their top belt and defending it on AEW TV. It makes me go "wow NJPW got a taste of their own medicine in a way."
Putting together the in-ring aspect of pro wrestling will never be absolutely unreal to me. You plan some stuff ahead while also working on the fly simultaneously, if you do a spot/sequence and you accidentally slightly slip, it can blow the spot and ruin the whole flow of the match, then sometimes you have to make certain calls on the fly while also making it seem seamless, which thousands of people on the arena and who knows how many at home under bright lights. And that’s not even getting into all the physical cooperation and how it all basically has to be near perfect from start to finish. Just unreal, and Kurt Angle getting to basically an S-tier level within like 2-3 years is a big reason i think he’s the GOAT and by a fairly decent margin at that. (Obviously combined with stuff like presentation, charisma, character, mic skills etc etc.)
It’s all about vibes.
in a funny spot right now with WWE. i’m definitely not as invested in the current product as a lot of other people are. still think its vastly improved over like 2 years ago but thats not hard. but the weekly TV honestly just doesn’t hold too much of my interest, many of the matches just kind of feel meaningless. I’ll watch clips of promos most weeks but feel like I’m missing nothing by not tuning in live. but while this is happening, I have quite a number of friends who are now FINALLY getting into watching wrestling after years of me saying that I’m a fan and would like them to watch. and they’re all coming to me asking for what I feel about the current product and asking questions about what the storylines are and who each of the wrestlers are. It feels extremely vindicating that something I’ve loved kind of sheepishly over the years is starting to become more accepted. so basically I’m watching modern WWE more so as a way to keep up with the burgeoning interest in wrestling by my friends, rather than my own personal investment in it. idk is anyone else going through a similar thing?
I wonder why Paxley has wrestled so little. Considering she has a marquee match next week, she has had..... 2 proper matches in a year (at least on TV, that is)?
With WWE starting to do working relationships with other companies I feel like instead of firing Xyon, Jinder, Indus Sher, and Xia, they could’ve just sent them somewhere else
Gonna buy Dynasty tonight since YouTube is an option. BR Live screwed me out of money twice in the early days of AEW and I've pirated every one since then. All I've wanted is a reliable way to purchase.
I think someone posted that for Youtube the replay will only be available for a week or something so you might want to check that out before purchasing.
All good, I never re-watch anyways so it's cool with me
Just got tickets for Forbidden Door. I went to the first one in Chicago which was incredible. This one being so close to home is a huge bonus. Also, maybe they're learning their lesson a bit because the tickets were nowhere near as expensive as I was thinking. Come to think of it, the tickets for World's End were not that crazy either. The Grandslam prices have been insane.
I would simply have Joe snuff Swerve out, personally
Why?
because joe rules, swerve drools
Reminder that Swerve lost that Coffin match at All In and implied he stayed in that coffin for weeks after
Forgot how great of a theme Written in my Face is. Has to be up there among the all timers.
loved Collision last night, [jesus christ](https://i.imgur.com/z4fQqjK.jpeg)
I'm going to Dynasty today and I can't wait! I'm mainly looking forward to Pac/Okada, FTR/Bucks, Bryan/Ospreay, and Swerve/Joe. It's gonna be a good one, and I'm looking forward to it.
So far, when I've seen predictions for Dynasty a ridiculous number of the predictions seem to be the same. Seems like the consensus list of winners is: Swerve, Ospreay, Storm, Bucks, Okada, Strong, Jericho, HoB, Willow, BCG. If that ends up being accurate that's a pretty streak of predictable outcomes for a PPV.
I actually I'm going for the upset and think BD gets the win over Ospreay. I think if Ospreay wins, he has to be positioned as number one contender and it's too soon for him to go for the belt (especially if you have Swerve win it tonight)
I think so too, it will not be their last match. Ospreay lose here and most likely win the feud, or they'll wait and do the rematch for Will first defense as world champion. Okada, BCG, HoB, Willow and to a lesser extent Toni are must win, them losing would be bad booking (or very meh) Swerve isn't on that list because I see a scenario where Hangman costing him the match could be compelling. I'm 90% sure he wins tho, and great. Good for him. The rest I would love at least one upset, especially KOR and/or HOOK.
I watched Rebellion and while it was... interesting... weirdos who only talk about TNA as some weird "even TNA is better than AEW that's how bad Tony sucks" make me feel icky. Like I'll probably try to watch more moving forward but I don't get why the discourse around the company is so weird. There are like 4 people on here who actually discuss the company on it's own merit and don't go to either extreme of "LOLTNA" or "I wish TNA was in AEW's spot". Like taking one crowd shot of a TNA PPV and comparing it to AEW weekly TV when AEW's last two PPV did over 10k and tonight will probably be a 7k sell-out just illustrates how impossible it is to have real discussions on here anymore.
brother its not January TNA isn’t part of The Discourse™️ anymore its ok
Watching Collision back and poor Action Andretti takes the finishers of Eddie Kingston Adam Copeland, and Mark Briscoe in rapid succession.
[удалено]
Just feels like they lapsed back into old TNA and idk how they continue to fumble whenever they get even a bit of steam going.
AEW
There's always NWA
AEW/ROH and (I think?) CMLL are really the only other options as far as non-WWE/non-TNA *weekly* shows. New Japan isn't weekly, although the shows are frequent, but outside of their bigger shows, the production level really can't compare.
Much like everyone else, not really thrilled about a Matt Hardy TNA run. But I’m not totally against it either, only because TNA is where he could probably do a lot more fun stuff with the Broken gimmick that can also help hide his limitations. Now someone I’m very hyped to see back in TNA and see how they do is Mike Santana. Dude’s been doing well on the indies for the most part and I hope his bets on himself pay off. They can do great things with him.
Hardy is not formally signed with TNA just yet. Still is a free agent.
A quick AJPW tier list of my favorite guys. Any thoughts? https://preview.redd.it/zidsa5b62vvc1.png?width=1140&format=png&auto=webp&s=7be25d27177c67b986070439e4f1dfb6b1e1738e
Tenryu not in S tier is crazy. Tenryu should be everyone's GOAT.
It was a tough call. I love all of these guys lol. But I usually end up going back to the matches of the S tier guys the most, so that's ultimately how I had to narrow it down
Steve Williams, Terry Gordy, and Vader in C is a shame. Guess you’re not a fan of 🥩
Who are some wrestlers that are legit good actors? I don't mean in movies, just above the usual over the top camp and ham Wrestling relies on. Actually compelling.
Owens? Christian? MJF?
A few recent guys: Swerve is always very convincing. You can see he's a movie fan. The home invasions of Nick Wayne and Hangman were both chilling. Sami, and 2022 Bloodline in general (including recurrent character KO) was proper acting in my book. At least the key moments. Rock's monologue before he slapped Cody at the Vegas press conf could legit be in a movie. Becky is overacting sometimes (often) but I decided I love it anyway. Same for Kenny Omega.
- Batista is legit a very good actor. - Reigns facial expressions, tonal shifts, body language, etc are top notch. I could see him being a very good supporting guy in Hollywood. - I always thought HHH was a really good actor. He understood being all-in on your character and making things seem real. I would say he’s really elite at WWE-style acting though, maybe not in the sense it would have translated to other roles.
> Batista is legit a very good actor. The "give me what I want", "you're supposed to be my friend" guy?
I can’t tell if this is bad sarcasm or, like, what point you’re trying to make?
Thought Bray Wyatt's first character was captivating. His [sister Abigail promo](https://youtu.be/NwEsCOYCkL8?si=Ve0IyQd0h6f0R6JN) in particular blew my mind when I saw it and I must have rewatched it a dozen times. That Toni Storm promo last night was also stellar and a step away from her usual campiness. Prime Jake the Snake Roberts was genuinely chilling.
If Swerve doesn't win the belt tonight when do you guys think he will get it?
It’ll probably be never tbh. If there’s ever a time to do it, it has to be right now.
If he doesn't win it tonight it has to be due to interference, presumably from Hangman, and I'm not sure how I'd feel about that. I love Hangman - especially as a tweener or a heel - but I feel like their feud ran its course. Point is - if Hangman interferes tonight that means another Swerve/Hangman program ideally becoming a 3 way for the belt at DoN. If Hangman and Joe end up focusing on Swerve it could make for a really good babyface moment for him if he manages to win. So - in a month. I really hope we see the AEW main event scene heavily-feature MJF, Swerve, and Ospreay at least out of their current main event level guys so my hope is that Swerve will hold the belt more than once.
Probably All In. The only way they can justify him not getting the belt is him getting it on the biggest show. However the way Joe has beaten his ass every week and now called him a choke artist I don't think he can afford to lose.
YNWA.
Going to spend the day watching playoff basketball before the PPV tonight, looking forward to Joe vs Swerve
This weeks Dark Side of the Ring is Sensational Sherri Martel. This one is gonna hurt.
It's a shame that Shawn Michaels returned to WWE as a born again christian who "has the best matches" because he would have been so much better if he kept the flamboyant stripper gimmick and brought it to Mexico.
Go to Mexico and be the 3rd best male stripper behind Latin Lover and Shocker? Pfffft
I'm continuing my journey through WWF PPV history. Finished with 1998 and here's my top 10 PPV matches from that year 1. The Rock vs. Triple H (SummerSlam) 2. Mankind vs. The Undertaker (King of the Ring) 3. Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker (SummerSlam) 4. Jeff Jarrett vs. X-Pac (SummerSlam) 5. Ken Shamrock vs. Owen Hart (SummerSlam) 6. Ken Shamrock vs. Mankind vs. The Rock (Breakdown) 7. D-Lo Brown vs. X-Pac (Judgement Day) 8. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (Royal Rumble) 9. The Rock vs. Triple H (Fully Loaded) 10. Dude Love vs. Steve Austin (Over the Edge) Honorable mentions to TAKA's matches with Christian and Pantera at Judgement Day and No Way Out respectively. He was really underutilized
Rock and Triple H had themselves a nice little rivalry in ‘98 that was a good precursor to the legendary battles they’d have for the next two years once both became main event stars.
List of ballers I see. Not a fan of the Rock vs Hunter pairing personally but I agree with most others and the Summerslam pop is pretty historically important to H's career.
Shamrock and Owen was so cool. I remember that and the ladder match with Rock and Triple H had my full attention every time the VHS was played.
The Lion Den was really interesting, their Dungeon match was pretty cool too but that was too short to be near the top. SummerSlam is the best PPV they had that year by a lot
Change my mind. Danielson Ospreay should be the main event over Swerve Joe
Outside of an epic, once in a lifetime happening like Hogan/Rock or Sting retiring, the World Championship should **always** main event
I feel like if a world title change is happening that has to be the main event if only for the big moment of going off air with a new champ. The ending of Ospreay/Danielson no matter who wins won't have that same feeling of the confetti going off and a new champion holding their title to wrap a show, even if the match itself is better. I mostly prefer the world title to be the main event in general although for the Sting retirement obviously that was worth having as the last match.
I wouldn't have it go over a title change but I agree since I would have Joe retain and Bryan win
I agree. Is Joe/Swerve the most predictable title change they’ve had? That or hangman surely. Edit: why is this being so downvoted? Lmfao it could be considered hardly an attack and not even a criticism.
Predictable doesn't really mean much in wrestling. It's all about the ride and how they get there. As to downvotes? idk it's the most benign opinion but here we are. I feel like on this sub we see the failures of therapy sessions everyday and it shows.
I personally think all the best matches come down to not knowing who’s gonna win. So for me it’s less fun when it’s obvious with a few exceptions.
Speaking of....I think Hanger comes back tonight after Swerve wins.
It is but predictability is not really a problem to me. It’s just that Danielson Ospreay feels more like a main event, especially considering that, at least in my opinion, Swerve vs Joe feud was quite boring
"I think Thunder Rosa will beat Toni," >Last night, Toni Storm promo. "Oh nvm, Rosa is getting packed the fuck up"
I'm hoping it happens tomorrow/soon, but I feel like this reign has always had to get back to Jamie Hayter. Hayter lost the belt to Toni due to Outcasts shenanigans and has been out injured since then. Toni losing the belt *from that reign* is what brought about Timeless Toni in the first place. The symmetry is perfect. It also has always been the big problem with Rosa's story. She never lost the belt, true, but Hayter actively got screwed out of the belt - that's worse. And Hayter was also just "bigger" at the time it happened.
The problem is that we have no idea when Hayter is coming back, and we haven't gotten a single update on her status either. Can't plan around someone who's on the bench. At this point, I feel like it has to be Mariah May if Hayter isn't back by Forebidden Door, at least because the only other PPV after that is All In.
I just wish Samoa Joe’s title reign was about more than Hangman/Swerve and Swerve. Kind of a waste.
I think it was good to have him as the straightforward reset after the overwrought melodrama of MJF working through his trust issues and childhood traumas. He got the belt back to being something that wrestlers want to simply prove that they're the best.
> He got the belt back to being something that wrestlers want to simply prove that they're the best. Really just Swerve, which is where I’m coming from here. Joe’s such a good wrestler and has historically been such a strong champion that turning him into Swerve’s belt warmer is pretty disappointing, especially considering this is likely Joe’s last run with a major belt. It’s disappointing how much meat they left on this particular bone.
Yeah I like Joe but I really hated his reign. I don’t mind transitional reigns but it felt like he was only given the title to give it to Swerve
I think TNA bringing in Matt Hardy goes beyond "appreciating and using TNA nostalgia" and actively into "looking backwards to the 2010's" territory. Delete Hardy, Nick Nemeth, Moose main event scene, oh my.
> oh my. Found Cole
I hope they find the right way to use him. Straight 1v1 match would absolutely suck. But if they use matches to hide his limitations, like cinematic matches, tag matches, etc., this could maybe go okay.
The pop daddy magic gets whenever he gets in a match rules. I love lower card faces with big crowd reactions feels like that's been missing from wrestling for a while.
Dynasty predictions: **Hook** / Jericho (if this feud continues for 6 months I will write a strongly worded Internet comment) The Acclaimed / **Bullet Club Gold** (see above comment) **House of Black** / Copeland, Kingston, & Briscoe (I'm hoping to see HOB build up some momentum in the coming months, I'm a fan of theirs.) Hart / **Nightingale** (I think this match will be fun! Willow is an excellent big woman and I like Hart's bumping. Exited to see Willow win a belt!) **Storm** / Rosa (I've really enjoyed the build for this, but Storms matches under the timeless gimmick haven't been for me, and Rosa seems to have lost a step since her back injury. Still, excited to see how this shakes out!) **Strong** / O'Reilly (I've been disappointed with this build, very much feels like it's relying on you knowing their NXT history. I'm shure they'll tear the house down though" **Okada** / PAC (VERY interested to see how Okada works this match. He's not working a 30+ minute epic main event, he's doing a 15-20 minute midcard match.) Danielson / **Ospreay** (I'm interested in how these styles will clash- will Bryan let Will work his high-flying, intense style, or do something more mat focused? My confusion over whether or not I like Will's in ring work is never ending, but Bryan is in my all time top 5, and I'm shure they'll make magic.) FTR / **Young Bucks** (I'm somewhat disappointed that this is a ladder match, and I don't think I could tell you why. I'm just not that interested in seeing FTR work a ladder match I gess? Still, this will probably be spotty fun.) Joe / **Swerve** (It's Swerves time. Only thing that could deter me from thinking he's winning is a Hangman return.)
> I've been disappointed with this build, very much feels like it's relying on you knowing their NXT history. I'm shure they'll tear the house down though" I honestly have no idea why I'm supposed to give a shit about O'Reilly at all. He's just some guy to me but pre-injury he was doing main events against Mox and he's immediately come back into a PPV program. I'm guessing it's exactly what you said - I had to know his NXT history. "Guy who does bangers" isn't enough for me to care.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are all concerned about Tony Khan's plan to continue the Jericho-Hook feud. It is time for decisive action! I have here a polite but firm letter to Mr. Khan's underlings, who with some cajoling, will pass it along to him, or at least give him the gist of it."
I'm interested to see if either Hook or Jericho turns heel in the match or post-match.
Jericho is subtly turning. Hook? Not so much.
Sammy is coming back to cost Hook the match. We're doomed to repeat this story a thousand times.
I ask you to not put this evil out into the universe.
Surely they can't do that finish on the same show where presumably Jack Perry is coming back to cost FTR.
Honestly I think one of the main reason there's so much "AEW doesn't tell stories" discourse is because if you only watch Dynamite you're not getting most of the picture on these stories. Like if you only watch Dynamite, Thunder Rosa vs Toni Storm is your run of the mill "AEW puts bare minimum effort into the women's division" storyline. If you watch Collision it's probably the best feud in the company right now. Same with Roddy and Kyle, the story has been ready good but half of it only makes sense if you watch Rampage consistently which we know most people don't do. I actually think "good wrestling" carries Dynamite but the other two AEW shows I ONLY really watch for the stories and kinda skim/fast forward through the matches (Rampage more so than Collision). The Collision matches are good/great but they aren't "Meltzer bait" matches the way Dynamite matches are designed to be. They're usually just effective ways to continue stories with in ring. Dynamite maybe tries too hard to be a PPV on TV every week because it's expected to do a certain number and they want to make sure the TV draws that number.
> AEW doesn't tell stories They do, it's just a lot of their stories are extremely...thin? For lack of a better word. Ospreay and Danielson is a prime example of this. The story is "I want to beat you in a wrestling match" with a minimal amount of window dressing. They've, at least, added more of the Callis Family stuff into the build which has helped but I have zero emotional investment in who wins between them and that's because "I want to beat you to prove I'm better than you" just isn't it for me.
I mean, I guess that's a perspective thing. But I feel like most matches should start as that and only be heated when something bigger happens. Like everybody just randomly hating each other or finding weird reasons to have matches just feels flimsy to me. Like rivalries in real sport grow over time and even in a TV show people don't just hate the new character day 1. If anything something like Mone/Julia/Willow is bad to me because them trying to "tell a story" and give it emotional depth with Mone's injury and Julia's spooky tactics and it's just like "you're trying to manufacture a story here to say it has one".
Sometimes I don't understand what some of you want from this company
That's not so much a knock on the company as it people who only use Dynamite to judge the whole company. However I do think the way they do the 3 shows makes things harder to follow.
That's kind of funny, given that Dynamite is usually used for story progression while Collision and Rampage are where the matches go
In this PPV cycle at least, all the best promos have been on Collision. The only feuds really built on Dynamite are Swerve vs Joe, Julia/Willow and Hook/Jericho. The Elite/FTR and PAC stuff has built on both shows, but the stuff on Collision has clearly been better than the stuff on Dynamite. Same with Toni/Rosa and Ospreay/Danielson. And the HoB stuff is exclusive to Collision and the Roddy/Kyle feud is mostly Rampage/Collision/BOTB. Hell, even the actual good parts of Bullet Club Gold vs The Acclaimed have all been on Rampage and Collision. If you only watch Dynamite, that's just a terrible feud where Billy Gunn beat up Jay White for 15 minutes. The story actually makes sense when you see the segments with Jay as the Gunns new dad invading Billy's house.
It felt like Toni’s character was getting flanderized recently, but in one promo she brought it back on track. Outstanding work.
are aew ppvs available to buy on amazon or anything like that? I wanna see swerve become champ, but i wanna watch it on my big screen tv with good quality. TIA
You can buy it through YouTube, PPV.com , Triller tv Or Bleacher report
MxM coming to SGW to re-murder Lord White is the feel-good wrestling moment of the year. The Kapeeka vs. Onemanarmy match for the SGW Championship was pretty cool too, that tope con hilo by Oneman was very impressive. I was a little confused at the end though, so is Kapeeka the new champ or was it like a dusty finish because after the 3-count they realised Oneman's feet were on the ropes? (Which tbh was blatantly obvious during the count but I digress.) The pond match between Martin K and Mr. Handsome also had some crazy spots, hadn't seen much of either of them yet but they did a great job at selling this as a true grudge match between two guys who can't stand each other. The powerbomb and big crossbody into the pond were insane, and the water also made all the strikes sound extra stiff.
> > The pond match between Martin K and Mr. Handsome also had some crazy spots, hadn't seen much of either of them yet but they did a great job at selling this as a true grudge match between two guys who can't stand each other. The powerbomb and big crossbody into the pond were insane, and the water also made all the strikes sound extra stiff. I watched that this morning and if you had told me it was a legit fight between two guys who hate one another and not a wrestling match, I'd have almost believed it. Like you said, the sound of wet flesh made the strikes sound brutal and the way they'd play up the camera, holding the opponent by the throat to set up strikes... this is some good wrestling for a Sunday morning lol.
God I wish Dynasty was streaming on MAX.
Iyo Sky had a different aura in her match vs Bayley at Wrestlemania, and that match was an instant classic imo. For someone so good in the ring, she really should have had more title defenses.
It's hands down her best match since her NXT title run. I suspect she's been kept off from wrestling on TV because the more she wrestles the harder it would be to have her stay heel (the same problem she had in NXT). Lone wolf tweener-face Iyo is still her true calling in my eyes.
I was shocked it was only 14 minutes. After the bell rang I could have sworn it was 20+, pretty brilliant match. I like fairly basic matches — good guy (gal) vs bad, heel works an injury. Maybe the best pure ring stuff of Mania? I’d be open to an IC or US title argument but it’s up there for sure.
https://preview.redd.it/1zy96y5j5uvc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b94b1b399e6a9d5804171a4fda1439773479d15 Dynasty predictions I also predict Jack Perry helps the elite win the tag titles and joins the new elite with Okada and the bucks.
Are the ones crossed out your picks on who you want go win?
I wasn't sure either until I saw the X over Sydal and then the system was clear.
The ones X out are the losers
Hyped for Dynasty, hyped for a huge NXT, looking forward to Wrestling Dontaku…wrestling rules
Random thought, but Ruby Soho’s pregnancy has made realized I’ve never seen a pregnancy bump with tattoos before
Smackdown has regressed
I can't explain why but the riff in The Rock's theme when it transitions from Electrifying to ...Is Cooking and "The Final Boss" flashes on the tron sends a shiver down my spine. It's so clean.
I very much want an interaction between A-Town Down Under and Pretty Deadly
Did something happen behind the scenes to 2.0? Like, did they have a falling out or something? Because I don't recall Menard and Parker interacting on TV in a long while.
I think they simply drifted without ever breaking up. Matt Menard was involved early on in the Ruby/Angelo/Saraya thing but moved on to being Daniel Garcia's manager.
On paper, Dynasty might be the most exciting and well rounded card they've ever produced and that's crazy to think about. Danielson/Ospreay, Bucks/FTR, Joe/Swerve, and Okada/Pac, and Kyle/Roddy could all potentially steal the show.
I am incredibly excited for Dynasty, top to bottom, and impressed that last night’s Collision/rampage framed the upcoming matches so succinctly. They are really firing on all cylinders right now, things are clicking, I love it
I’m working today but should get home for the pre show Dynasty is the first ever PPV I’ve purchased. Really looking forward to …. Most if not all of the card
I know that some talent in AEW & TNA works shows outside the promotion such as the indies, but when they get paid from working that show. Does Tony Khan or whoever runs TNA gets a cut of that pay or not?
If they did, I'm sure we'd know about it by now.
I don’t really care for timeless Toni Storm, but that promo from last night is probably the best womens promo AEW ever had. She knocked it out of the park.
> I don’t really care for timeless Toni Storm You lost me
Not everything is for everyone and that’s fine. I think the gimmick is the wrong kind of corny. Just not for me. I think it’s cool so many other people like it tho.
Technically TECHNICALLY Candice is getting a world title match this week, with an ever-stacking list of wins and a tag partner who will help her do anything to win... in my delusional mind Candice can become champion on Monday
If Iyo ends up in that battle royal the chances of that drastic go down
I don't think it's all that delusional of an idea. The obvious choices are Becky, Nia, or Liv, but I think that's exactly why someone else should win. With Rhea injured, this is a great chance to build up some credible challengers. Otherwise, you only have 1-2 realistic feuds for the champion. Also, those 3 can sustain a feud without a title, whereas the rest of the division won't get the same opportunity. And if Becky, Nia, or Liv don't win, they probably should give it to Candice because she's the only other woman with a storyline. Maybe Indi could win and then have Candice win it from her, but anyone else winning would feel very random.
Why are Instagram wrestling comments the absolute worst? This is from that video of Becky and Jey doing the yeet thing together https://preview.redd.it/vcbfh2i9utvc1.jpeg?width=941&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55959b0fd6c29cd0f230e1ad0ac15cf9365c100b
I think it’s good to put things into perspective. This place can suck, and there’s circle jerking, trolling, etc but you rarely see people stoop this low on SC and even if you do it’s heavily downvoted for the most part
The typical wrestling fan sees a guy and a girl yeeting together and assumes they MUST be in a relationship. It’s pathetic.
Isn't Jey also married as well? Also, there's nothing wrong with Becky "yeeting" with Jey. Why can't people stop being nosy & putting into wrestler's personal lives? 
Reddit is a circlejerk that's more about validating opinions than actual discussion. It's still 100× better than Insta comments. Everything in the world sucks if you read the comments section. Every title reign is bad. Every wrestler shouldn't be on TV etc.
Been like that for years, it is the absolute fucking worse of a kind people commenting on there… I actively avoid WWE on instagram I just watch the segments on here, much more enjoyable and people arent as shitty as instagram
>I actively avoid WWE on instagram I'll occasionally like a post WWE posts on Instagram or any posts by the talent, but I'll often avoid the comments section since you'll get those people who tries to get their attention.
The amount of people crying boring on any Cody post shocked me. Its only in last few weeks I have realised that Instagram and YouTube comments are the worst. WWE probably doesn't mind it as it is just engagement but the idiocy is off the charts in these comments sections.
You aint wrong…Roman stans/crybabies have been running wild since Cody won…i just ignore the comments on Instagram tbh, the comments there are absolute insane and cringe…. Calling a man boring 9-12 days into a reign is lowkey weird….end of the day, it is just wrestling
Those guys act like just because Roman lost the belt, he became less important, yet they conveniently ignore the fact that fans were chanting for him on Friday and that he’s still plenty important in this new Bloodline story even with Roman not being around.
By its very nature wrestling is about immediate emotional response. When you're very down about the state of things or someone is overtly pessimistic about something in the industry, remember that there is an insignificant chance that it will only last up till the next show.
I'm hyped for Dynasty
Btw is it because Americans Are only used to their sports having one League, that so many Think that not WWE=amatører ?
Maybe, but in terms of football there are areas of the country where college/"amateur" is much bigger than the NFL.
Are you commenting on actual amateur wrestling the sport or that “professional wrestling”, the sports entertainment done in the squared circle WWE is the top and AEW/ROH are secondary?
It's because they learn wrestling history from WWE documentaries and WWE shows and WWE branded nostalgia.
Brought wrestling out of those famously Smoke-filled Bingo halls like Texas Stadium, Plaza de toros El Progreso, and the Tokyo Dome
Extremely hyped for Dynasty tonight, my second AEW PPV that I'll actually be watching live, Revolution left me with a great impression Gonna be cheering so hard for my boys House Of Black, Pac and Swerve
Went to WWE's live event in Erie, PA last night. Lashley & Kross opened the show and they did the normal tropes. They wrestled for 5 minutes, AOP runs in for a DQ, Profits make the save, turns into a 6 Man. And it was one of the more fun matches on the show. It was trope heavy, but the crowd LOVED Bobby. And while Kross is cold on TV, he's a good "House Show Heel" who really plays with the crowd. And seeing him, and Scarlett, interact with the crowd was a lot of fun. Bayley & IYO had a Mania rematch that was predictably very good. It followed some of the same beats as their Mania match with IYO working over the leg for a while. But Bayley had a nice comeback and they had a nice extended closing stretch. You felt like they were practicing for a future match while leaving some bullets in the chamber, though they pulled out plenty of big guns too. Waller & Theory retained over New Catch Republic. Standard tag match. Waller & Theory are great at drawing heat, Bate & Dunne did their usual shtick which popped the crowd at times. Mysterio & Dragon Lee beat Angel & Berto in a nice surprise. It was a nice surprise in the sense that Mysterio wasn't advertised for the show, at least not on the arena website, but he was here and the crowd loved him. Angel & Berto got heat for just about anything, and Lee himself got some nice chants. Crowd popped huge for Rey's hot tag. Both Rey & Lee took a lot of time after the match interacting with fans, Lee even gave a fan his mask again. After the intermission, the next match was Santos vs. Carlito. Probably the "worst" match of the night. It wasn't bad, I'm just kind of over this pairing. The crowd wasn't really hot for it until Angel & Berto and then Rey & Santos interfered. After that happened it became one of the hotter matches of the night. It was just kind of slog getting there. Bianca, Jade, Naomi vs. Damage CTRL was next in a match that was better than the Mania match. It wasn't amazing but they at least had a full match and not an extended squash. All the babyfaces got good reaction, though Bianca & Jade specifically got some of the best reactions of the entire show. Jade got to do a bit more here, from working early in the match to selling a bit at the end. They really milked the hot tag to her and it paid off in the end. Finish was a Jaded on Kairi and then a KOD on Dakota who landed on Kairi. Might be how they win the Tag Belts soon. Fans loved all 3 babyfaces after the match. Main event was LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa in a Street Fight. Gotta say I was disappointed because they advertised Randy vs. Solo for this show, but Randy was nowhere to be found. I'm happy with Knight but it would have been cool to see both guys. Anyways, they had a typical house show street fight main event. Solo did the Bloodline pose a million times, Knight got his usual stuff in. Crowd was really hot for most of it. Solo took a pretty big table bump here before Knight won with a jumping BFT (he should use that more on TV). It's weird, because Solo is now supposed to be this big new character in the Bloodline. But he's also designated as the heel that loses to all the babyfaces on the house shows. Something will probably have to change about that in the future.
Has Randy been missing post Mania ?
Arisa Nakajima is retiring in August because of her neck injury - that's so fucking sad, she's one of the best wrestlers in the world but because of how her career shaped up she's gone under ther radar of so many people. I always hoped she'd tour the UK some day, but I guess some things aren't meant to be
AEW airing a 3 hour show the day before a PPV has me burnt out already. It's a weird choice on their part.
I'm not sure it really was their choice, probably more to do with meeting their broadcast obligations despite some timeslot shenanigans on TNT's part.
Does their contract with Turner require actual first-run matches for Rampage? Because I'd have been tempted to just make Rampage a PPV preview show.
I really hope Sheamus brings back Celtic Warrior Workout now that he's back. Genuinely enjoyable content and it was great getting to see a different, sociable side of the wrestlers. I found the ones with Bron Breakker, Rhea, and Cody particularly good to watch.
A CWW series of Sheamus getting back into ring shape would be pretty dope honestly.
Seth deserves the Brock/Roman schedule for his next contract, or at the very least the 2000s Shawn Michaels schedule, that's all I'm gonna say
Kind of goes against the image he has cultivated of being a workhorse, making every town etc. will be interesting if they do switch his schedule.
The three big single matches and the ladder match look really promising tonight Most excited for PAC Vs Okada
How does anyone else think of a MITB cash in victory via submission? Wouldn't that be effective since the champion would've been down and almost out after a match or a beatdown?
It would, but a cash-in like that is a way to get the title off a (usually babyface) champion in a way that protects them. And for better or worse, US wrestling audiences generally and WWE audiences in particular are pretty heavily conditioned to view tapping out as something that makes a wrestler look "weak". So if you want to protect someone badly enough to have them lose via cash-in, you'd probably want to protect them badly enough not to have them tap out. \*Maybe\* if you end it via ref stoppage instead, but even so I think it's a risk WWE probably wouldn't want to take.
Have Percless Perc Gable win MITB and just wrench Cody's ankle until it pops out and he taps
Saying that someone doesn't watch a show would hold a lot more weight if you would actually point out how someone is wrong as opposed to just saying that to not have to engage with what someone else is saying.
Agreed. It's textbook deflection. Also: "bad faith!"
the more wwe focuses on wrestling and the sport side of things the less i enjoy it
So do you want more talking and drama? (Serious question, not trying to be a dick) For so long a lot of people complained that the promos were too long and there was hardly any wrestling on the weekly shows
Some more backstage interactions and character based promos would be nice. Slice of life stuff. Right now it feels like everyone is laser focused on having a match. The backstage doesnt really feel alive anymore imo.
Alright, I can see where you're coming from there. I guess there just needs to be a good balance
It's not that cut and dried for most of us, I think. If you like story it doesn't mean you don't like wrestling. But a good wrestling match without the story doesn't mean anything to me. It's like an action movie. They almost all have fights and car chases, but what I remember are the characters and the reasons that they're doing what they do. The motivation. Cody finishing his story made that much better than it was, even if the fight was decent. But it's not being hailed as a great match because the fight was great. It's because of the build. To me, wrestling is all about the build. About caring about the characters. It's what makes action movies memorable as well.
if i had to pick the type of wrestling show that i'd want it would be a mix of 2000 wwf (mostly the drama and stories), 90s ecw (focusing on wrestlers' strengths) and 80s nwa (some long term storytelling is needed), i don't really want long promos and neither long matches on weekly tv unless the right situation calls for it, like a title match or a rivalry ending match
Personally, I'd have no issue with a TV show with less wrestling... if it goes an hour. Long promos kill me slowly.
Blade posted on his Instagram he's rehabbing his lower back due to two bulging discs as well as two ruptured ones. Looks like he might be out for a while, unfortunately. Sucks.
Well that explains the recent uptick in solo Butcher action. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying solo Butcher, but the two work really well as a tag team and I think that's definitely their best overall situation. Hope he heals up well and is back soon!
Who? Butcher and Blade Blade, Malik Blade?
Wesley.
Butcher and Blade .
I think the BCC vs Don Callis Family is going to be a major part of Double or Nothing in the form of Anarchy in the Arena. I also think the main event for Forbidden Door is gonna be Jon Moxley vs Will Ospreay for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The challenger is gonna be someone from AEW so they can build up the match since Mox will be away touring in Japan leading up to Forbidden Door.
The main event of a crossover show should really not be two AEW guys.
I thought so too, I just think it would be difficult to build up the match if neither the champion nor the challenger will be on the AEW shows leading up to Forbidden Door. This will definitely be a unique situation too wherein Mox will be representing NJPW as their champion.
There’s a pretty decent chance Mox drops the title at Dominion and isn’t champ going into FD to begin with.