The Wrestling Thread

[Raging Justice]

Thing is, how we feel about wrestlers does factor into how we feel about a match or whether we even want to watch it. I don't care if Mercedes and Athena have a match that is objectively a 10 star banger, I still won't watch it and I won't care. Mercedes is boring and has a stupid gimmick (though not nearly as dumb as Storm's). Her title reign has been sleep inducing. Athena is some nobody who has held a title for three years on a show that nobody watches. The few times I DO see her I don't find her character particularly interesting.

I'd rather watch a 3 star match with Harley Cameron and Mina Shirakawa, BECAUSE THEY ARE ACTUALLY LIKABLE AND INTERESTING AND NOT STALE AND BORING.

Iyo's fun, she's over, and though the build to her Mania three way match was a bit of a mess, it still sort of worked in the sense that they got it over as a story about Iyo getting respect. It got fans to rally behind her. Stephanie looks like a goddamn movie star and is great in the ring and has been booked really well. She also has that new car smell unlike stale as fuck Mercedes and stale as fuck Toni Storm. I'd watch 10 Iyo/Stephanie matches before I'd even consider going out of my way to watch that Mercedes/Athena match from last week because I DON'T CARE. The Steph/Iyo match was awesome because it was a cool, unexpected surprise that got a "This is awesome" chant before it even started, and the match itself ended up being really good with an interesting surprise finish that protected both girls. I have criticized WWE for a lot, but this was good, and it was also a smart way to entice people to tune into NXT.

For all the reasons stated, Steph/Iyo > Mercedes/Athena in my opinion. Literally everything WWE does with their women, even the bad stuff, is still better than AEW's pathetic joke of a women's division.

There's a reason why AEW's ratings suck, because five star bangers aren't enough to make people care no matter what people like Meltzer may think

On an unrelated note, I feel good about myself for unknowingly predicting Dominick winning the IC title

[Raging Justice]

EDIT:

Double posted somehow

[Reprise]

You're not wrong. Having a "great" match is not the only way to have a great match.

Still, I do care about Mercedes and Athena and have been enjoying the story they are telling between the two. I am enjoying Athena and Billie Starkz being brought into AEW. Mercedes and Harley Cameron together is also gold.

I wish AEW would kill ROH. It's just pointless under AEW. They don't know how to use it properly. They should sign the best guys to AEW, cut the rest and kill off the brand like WWE killed off WCW. There is no point to it. Three years Tony has been talking about getting a television deal. It isn't happening. Just get rid of it. They had the chance to make it their own NXT and they blew it. Even their PPVs have been pointless as of late. It used to be that I would still check out their PPVs sporadically and enjoy them for what they were, but it's not worth it these days as there isn't anything interesting going on there. They haven't even held a PPV this year yet, because they keep rearranging and messing with the dates and venues.

[Raging Justice]

You're not wrong. Having a "great" match is not the only way to have a great match.

Still, I do care about Mercedes and Athena and have been enjoying the story they are telling between the two. I am enjoying Athena and Billie Starkz being brought into AEW. Mercedes and Harley Cameron together is also gold.

I wish AEW would kill ROH. It's just pointless under AEW. They don't know how to use it properly. They should sign the best guys to AEW, cut the rest and kill off the brand like WWE killed off WCW. There is no point to it. Three years Tony has been talking about getting a television deal. It isn't happening. Just get rid of it. They had the chance to make it their own NXT and they blew it. Even their PPVs have been pointless as of late. It used to be that I would still check out their PPVs sporadically and enjoy them for what they were, but it's not worth it these days as there isn't anything interesting going on there. They haven't even held a PPV this year yet, because they keep rearranging and messing with the dates and venues.

I just can't get into anything Tony Kahn does lately. I don't care about ROH and AEW just feels stuck in a never ending boring holding pattern. Nothing happens. Nothing changes. Oh, look Mox and his riders attacking people. Yawn. Toni Storm being...Toni Storm. Yawn. MJF tries to get into the Hurt Syndicate for like the thousandth time. Yawn. Don Callis talks up his dumb faction despite the fact that other than Takeshita's recent title run they never actually accomplish anything. Yawn. Mercedes comes out and says, "Say hello to your CEO" then shakes her ass a bit. Yawn.

WWE has had a lot of creative problems lately and one of the worst Manias of all time. Yet it STILL feels like more is actually happening there than in AEW. Title changes, Cena heel turn, other heel turns, returns, etc. and a roster full of women who actually get to do stuff while every woman in AEW just gets buried under Mercedes and Toni Storm. NXT is WWE's C level brand and it's putting out a better product than AEW. The ONLY area where I feel like AEW still has an edge over WWE is the matches, but the problem is that while the ringwork is generally better, I just care so much less about most AEW matches than I do WWE. AEW is juggling so many talents, but it feels like they are all going nowhere. AEW's titles feel worthless. The Owen tournament feels meaningless. The tag division is dead. The women's division is smothered by two over pushed and overbooked women. Talents are leaving the company because they are sick of it. And I can't remember the last time AEW had a great Dynamite OR Collision and their last two back to back pay per views sucked. AEW feels like TNA. It just a company that exists, but there's no spark. There's no fire. It's just sort of there. It's a shame, because there are people in AEW that I really like, but I feel like they deserve better than what this company is currently giving them.

I can barely even find any positive talk online regarding AEW. WWE has gotten a lot of criticism of late, but it still gets lots of attention. I'm noticing apathy towards AEW. I've been critical of AEW in the past, but it just feels REALLY bad right now. I'm not even willing to defend the company anymore from the online criticism because I've reached a point now where I agree with it. I don't think Tony Kahn even realizes how much AEW's stock has fallen because I sense no urgency in his creative or his booking.

AEW feels like it's in the same creative slump that we used to complain about in WWE, right before AEW came into existence. Irony. We need an AEW...to replace AEW

[Reprise]

it. And I can't remember the last time AEW had a great Dynamite OR Collision

Last week. It was just last week lol. It was one of the best in a long time in my opinion. But will have to agree to disagree with you there.

But I do tend to favour the in-ring product over stories/presentation these days.

[Raging Justice]

Tonight's Smackdown was a fairly average show I was ready to write off as completely missable...until that mind-blowing main event that was better than most of the matches we saw at Wresltemania.

[Raging Justice]

Zelina Vega is one of the most useless talents on the WWE roster, a roster that is PACKED with talented women, and WWE just gave her a title.

Was this just to make WWE's latest hire happy?

It's all about who you know I guess.

[Reprise]

The main event is an early match of the year candidate in my opinion. Just casually putting on a match on television that is better than every single Wrestlemania match is certainly weird. The rest of the episode was fine, but not particularly great. Hopefully Aleister Black's return goes a lot better than his AEW run. It's cool to see him back.

[Raging Justice]

That match and the women's triple threat on Wrestlemania Night 2 are for sure MOTY contenders. I've seen some people give both of those matches five stars and call them classics. I've watched both of them twice because they were so good.

We had other good matches too this month like the Stand and Deliver main event and Stephanie/Iyo from Monday Night Raw, but nothing tops Iyo/Bianca/Ripley from Mania and the tag team TLC from Smackdown

What I really like about the women's triple threat from Mania and the Smackdown TLC match was the uncertainty of who would win. We don't get enough of that in pro wrestling. The TLC match had some great false finishes, and Iyo was kind of the underdog in her match at Mania.

[Raging Justice]

Lot of big news

The women's wrestling scene just got interesting as Stardom just had a historically significant show with apparently its highest attendance ever.

Tam Nakano just retired.

Mayu Iwatani dropped the IWGP title and has announced she's leaving Stardom

Slightly less important, Thekla has also announced she's leaving Stardom

Stardom has now lost its big three. Giulia, Tam, and Mayu. Damn. End of an era. Plus, with the new management in place this is a different company.




If Tony Kahn could get his head out of his ass and stop obsessing over Toni Storm and Mercedes, Mayu is a big free agent. I don't know if she's interested in working in the US though, or even if she wants to continue wrestling. Honestly, if she's not going to Marigold she should go to WWE. Women's wrestling is dead in AEW.

Also, I'm only just now hearing of Naito leaving NJPW



I think Tanahashi is done as an in ring competitor, and Okada left long ago for AEW. Lot of things changing.

TNA just had a pay per view, and Trick Williams showed up to attack champ Joe Hendry. Indi Hartwell also debuted.



Even though there's lots to complain about (as I often do), pro wrestling is going through a fascinating period right now. Things are shifting in every company. Even WWE with losing Vince McMahon and Cena on his retirement tour. Roman probably won't be around for much longer as he's already part time.

AAA got bought out, TNA may be next. Crazy times