Raging Justice wrote:Punk being fired (and could potentially even return to WWE, though that would make Punk the ultimate hypocrite).
Dave Meltzer claims WWE have said no to a return. He also claims that Punk contacted WWE about a return 10 months ago, during his first suspension when there were talks of AEW buying out his contract, and they said no then too.
Raging Justice wrote:I think AEW fans are desperate to find something to praise in AEW's women's division. So they're latching on to this stupid Toni Storm thing. It's desperation. Unless I missed something, she's not getting massive pops from the crowds.
Maybe. I haven't watched any AEW since she debuted the "Timeless" Toni Storm gimmick (I am still half way through Wrestledream), but I did enjoy some of her skits in the build up to it when she was getting crazier. It's definitely getting a positive reaction online anyways, from what I have seen, which I appreciate is anecdotal.
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I don't understand why wrestling shows are held to a different standard from any other scripted production. This is silly. Imagine suggesting that racism being told as part of a story in a movie or television programme was off limits? You can't, because it would be silly. There would be no American History X. There would be no This Is England. There would be no soap operas. And that's what wrestling is; fundamentally it is a soap opera.
Edit: I would concede it is bad timing though, but still, it is a story MJF has told before and it's one he wants to tell. I feel it's an important one for him to tell. This is his story.
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Reprise wrote:Bryan Danielson has gone on record saying he doesn't want championships in AEW at this point in his career and that he went there to help new talent and basically do the kind of matches and work with the people he just couldn't do in WWE.
Yeah, he wanted to fight people outside the WWE. At one point, he wanted to do the G1, but I think he has realized his body can't hold up to that kind of constant punishment in a short amount of time. But, he is there right now just to have matches with people that he has always wanted to face. Omega, Okada, Sabre Jr. That is what he cares about.
Also, he is basically second in command at AEW. There was a report going out recently that Tony Kahn told his father that if Tony is ever incapacitated that he should let Bryan Danielson run the shows until he comes back. I don't know if Bryan will do that full time after he retires, but that is how much trust and faith Tony has put in Bryan. Bryan cares so much and understands so much about professional wrestling that he has become their most valuable asset.
Yeah, I don't know. I get that the Toni Storm thing is supposed to be funny, but my funny bone is not being tickled.
Reprise wrote:I don't understand why wrestling shows are held to a different standard from any other scripted production. This is silly. Imagine suggesting that racism being told as part of a story in a movie or television programme was off limits? You can't, because it would be silly. There would be no American History X. There would be no This Is England. There would be no soap operas. And that's what wrestling is; fundamentally it is a soap opera.
Edit: I would concede it is bad timing though, but still, it is a story MJF has told before and it's one he wants to tell. I feel it's an important one for him to tell. This is his story.
Yeah, I'm not touching that hornet's nest
Markies wrote:
Reprise wrote:Bryan Danielson has gone on record saying he doesn't want championships in AEW at this point in his career and that he went there to help new talent and basically do the kind of matches and work with the people he just couldn't do in WWE.
Yeah, he wanted to fight people outside the WWE. At one point, he wanted to do the G1, but I think he has realized his body can't hold up to that kind of constant punishment in a short amount of time. But, he is there right now just to have matches with people that he has always wanted to face. Omega, Okada, Sabre Jr. That is what he cares about.
Also, he is basically second in command at AEW. There was a report going out recently that Tony Kahn told his father that if Tony is ever incapacitated that he should let Bryan Danielson run the shows until he comes back. I don't know if Bryan will do that full time after he retires, but that is how much trust and faith Tony has put in Bryan. Bryan cares so much and understands so much about professional wrestling that he has become their most valuable asset.
I'd find Toni Storm's gimmick way more funny if she was actually poking fun at the scripted nature of wrestling instead of just playing this film actress thing completely straight. She's cutting a scathing promo on some baby face backstage and then says,
"Damnit! I messed up my line! Cut the camera!"
Renee - "Um, we can't just cut the camera. We're in the middle of a live interview."
Toni - "Oh for god sakes, where is Brandon Cutler when you need him? You know I never liked working with you Renee. I told the director to recast you"
Renee - "Recast...what are you talking about? Who the hell is "The Director"?
Toni - "Oh don't play dumb, Mr. Tony Kahn you silly harlot!"
-I saw that NXT opening, is Cody Rhodes supposed to be a big shot in prowrestling today? I couldn't care less for him. I even almost chuckled seeing how "excited" those adults to see him in WWE. I mean sure enjoy the show, but those are acting like 13 year olds.
-I thought Bryan had an injury and maybe came back to AEW as a stint. If he can perform I am sure WWE has a guaranteed spot for him.
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Reprise wrote:I don't understand why wrestling shows are held to a different standard from any other scripted production. This is silly. Imagine suggesting that racism being told as part of a story in a movie or television programme was off limits? You can't, because it would be silly. There would be no American History X. There would be no This Is England. There would be no soap operas. And that's what wrestling is; fundamentally it is a soap opera.
Edit: I would concede it is bad timing though, but still, it is a story MJF has told before and it's one he wants to tell. I feel it's an important one for him to tell. This is his story.
If you consider pro-wrestling as an on stage play you are attending I see your point but pro-wrestling is supposed to be "real" life. That is why in a movie, where an actor would be a racist "he is just acting a story" and in pro wrestling if a wrestler is racist "he is racist for real"
Wrestling is a performance. These on-screen characters are not real. They are playing a part. Yes, many (probably the most successful ones) are exaggerated versions of each wrestler's own personalities, but that doesn't stop these storylines, promos and the writing from being any less scripted or planned. They are producing drama.
The amount of time I see people online conflate a wrestler's on-screen character and the individual who portrays that wrestler is staggering to he honest. It's like people don't understand they are two seperate entities, despite kayfabe being dead for a billion years. Hell, half the time when I start talking about a wrestler and I am referring to their on-screen character, you get somebody who starts mouthing off about their real life personality and not understanding that I am literally just talking about a particular storyline or the character(s) that a wrestler portrays.
In any case, Juice Robinson has used a roll of quarters as gimmick for years. He did it in New Japan. Juice Robinson the character and the real life person is not antisemitic, but what he (the character) did to torment and get inside MJF's head certainly came very close. People are overly sensitive today and the ironic thing is they can't even grasp how portraying an angle like this actually does a lot of good to combat racism, by highlighting how more subtle forms of antisemitism can permeate and grow, but demonstrating the evil of it. This isn't the 80s and 90s with racial stereotypes and offensive characters. It's pretty nuanced and MJF's story is one that has a real emotional hook that is enabling people to connect with him. Contrast his portrayal of his neurodiversity with that of a character like Eugene from WWE. Or his story of how he suffered antisemitic abuse as a child and now Juice using that to torment him, to the gross racial stereotypes WWE has used.
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Wrestling is weird man. I know people who KNOW it's not real, and yet I see them get legitimately fucking ANGRY when they see heels do or say certain things on TV. It's like when they are watching the show, they FORGET that it's not real. They'll call a heel a fucking asshole as if he is sitting in their living room and can hear them, or scream at the TV when people interfere in a match, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT STUPID FUCKING REFEREE! SENT THEM TO THE BACK ALREADY! I'M SO SICK OF WRESTLERS CHEATING ALL THE TIME!!!"
Sometimes they'll remember that it's all just a show but then starting bitching about the booking. "FUCK TONY KAHN! I'M NOT WATCHING THIS SHIT ANYMORE!"
I only see this with wrestling. Those same people don't act that way when watching a movie or TV show. Wrestling has a way of really fucking pissing people off. You've no doubt seen this on wrestling forums or other online spaces. Maybe sports has that effect on people too. I wouldn't know. I don't watch sports. Or maybe it's just because wrestling always plays with reality in a way no other form of entertainment does. It's presented like something that is real even though it isn't. Years ago when people DIDN'T know wrestling was fake, certain heels had to fear for their lives because fans would attack them at shows.
I also think that some people just legitimately hate the way cheating just runs rampant in wrestling with absolutely zero consequences. I've said before that it logically makes no sense to be a face in the kayfabe world of wrestling. I know one person who loves watching Stardom shows with me and it's partly because you rarely see that shit in Stardom. 90% of Stardom matches feature a wrestler's allies at ringside and they rarely ever interfere in a match, which is unheard of in the world of WWE/AEW. You also rarely see people throwing fucking temper tantrums or attacking their opponents after a match. Don't get me wrong, that stuff DOES happen, particularly with a group like Oedo Tai, which is Stardom's de facto heel group, but it's much less common. I know some people even love the idea of "pure rules" wrestling because it's devoid of heel shenanigans, and I've heard some people claim that NJPW was a better product before they started bringing in foreigners and adopting a lot more heelish elements into the product years ago. I remember someone talking about the corrupting influence of Western wrestling on NJPW, which you especially see with Bullet Club.
WWE is a company that has embarrassed itself in numerous ways over the years. However, between his social media antics and everything that happened when CM Punk was around (like that press conference), I feel like Tony Kahn has found entirely new ways to embarrass a pro wrestling company
Somehow this psycho is finding a connection between his mother's near death experience and his personal vendetta against WWE, and he called Triple H and Vince McMahon "Bald assholes"
There's a reason why people think he's on drugs all the time
The one thing you could never accuse Vince McMahon of is making an ass of himself on social media
So there are some people who still think Cody will dethrone Roman Reigns one day. There was a stare down between the two tonight so I suppose it's still possible. However, the show ended with Roman spearing LA Knight and holding up the title. Seems like LA Knight is gonna be Roman's next challenger.
Jade Cargill and Charlotte Flair was teased. Mega push confirmed.
Nick Aldis is the new Smackdown general manager. That's cool. He's a former NWA champion and the husband of Mickey James. I think Cody fought him for the NWA title way back at All In, the show where the seeds of AEW were planted.
Dominick Mysterio continues to be the most booed wrestler in the industry today and Triple H was having a lot of fun messing with him tonight, even breaking kayfabe a bit in the process. "I thought they were piping that in, but you really do get booed that loudly" I don't know if I have ever seen someone booed so heavily on a week to week basis that he has to practically scream into the microphone to be heard, and even when he does that we often can't hear what he is saying. Did anyone get that much heat even back in the Attitude Era? I think the problem with Dom is that he doesn't have a naturally deep voice, so it's hard for him to speak over the audience. He looks legit frustrated some times, which is fucking hilarious.
