AEW During the Pandemic (3/11/20 till ?????)

[King Kamala]

And it takes less than one week for WWE's THUNDERDOME "momentum" to be cut.

 

[snuffbox]

Complying with Florida guidelines isn't good.

 

[King Kamala]

I am assuming the Florida guidelines are "Please don't spit in anyone's mouth".

 

[Broward83]

I am assuming the Florida guidelines are "Please don't spit in anyone's mouth".

Didn't think Florida would be the first state to kink shame someone

 

[Valeyard]

Think of the heat the Bushwhackers would get for licking people these days.

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

When every major sports league was unwilling to run this risk and even WWE isn't doing this (yet!) AEW deserves to be called out for putting people at risk. Can't wait for someone to get COVID at a show and a Dama to tweet about it being an honor.

 

[Broward83]

When every major sports league was unwilling to run this risk and even WWE isn't doing this (yet!) AEW deserves to be called out for putting people at risk. Can't wait for someone to get COVID at a show and a Dama to tweet about it being an honor.

I had tickets for the Houston show that was originally scheduled for May, then rescheduled for November. I just recently decided to get a refund because there's no way I'm about to possibly catch Covid in the hotspot that is Houston while attending a fucking wrestling show.

 

[BruiserBrody]

No comment on Brodie Lee ending Cody's run of trying to make stars out of indy darlings? Cody doing a stretcher job from a power bomb and lariat seems silly in the age of wrestlers no selling shotgun blasts to the face each week only to lose to a cradle.

Cody says he's not a heel or a face, but then did some ultimate babyface beat down booking here. Dusty would be proud.

 

[Valeyard]

They've gone from being aloof to full awareness of how they're a joke promotion, based on the recaps. But what do I know? I didn't come up with Evil Darby.

 

[BruiserBrody]

They've gone from being aloof to full awareness of how they're a joke promotion, based on the recaps. But what do I know? I didn't come up with Evil Darby.

You don't remember Harley Race and Terry Funk's "Mimosa death match"?

 

[Valeyard]

Dusty and Ivan Koloff had a great one in Chicago in '81.

 

[King Kamala]

AEW just seems like they assume they can adapt their niche indy wrestling promotion booking to a mainstream major promotion and Joe from Burger King and Andrew from Wal Mart will dig it. Everyone knows that me and @Big Beard Booty Daddy 's tastes are NOT mainstream!

 

[Epic Springs]

Haven't watched Dynamite yet but there's going to be a Jericho/Cassidy rubber match at All Out dubbed the "Mimosa Mayhem Match". I don't know if he meant this as a rib but apparently the only way to win is by throwing your opponent in a huge vat of mimosa. I wish I was joking.

 

[tekcop]

Thank god for all that creative freedom.

 

[Epic Springs]

Nope. Not joking.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1297312718983172097

 

[King Kamala]

Again I reiterate. AEW creative are numbskulls who can't adapt to mainstream audience. A Mimosa Mayhem Match is cute as a mid-card match on an episode of Uncharted Territory from the White Eagle Polish American Hall in Worcester but as semi-main event for the #2 promotion in North America? Do they really think Joe Casual Fan thinks this is cool, funny or interesting? Look I love Orange Cassidy and I try really hard not to be a Cornette type but DO BETTER, AEW CREATIVE!

 

[Valeyard]

I feel like they absolutely draw in the casuals with Elite infighting, Cody promos about Cody, and Jericho trying to meme himself.

 

[Epic Springs]

Ok so just watched Dynamite:

Mimosa Mayhem Match aside, I mostly enjoyed everything else. Ricky Starks is a good promo and I enjoyed Brodie destroying Cody. How long has Veda Scott been with the company? Don't recall her before last night.

Thunder Rosa is a good signing but is this just some cross-promotion with NWA?

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

Ok so just watched Dynamite:

Mimosa Mayhem Match aside, I mostly enjoyed everything else. Ricky Starks is a good promo and I enjoyed Brodie destroying Cody. How long has Veda Scott been with the company? Don't recall her before last night.

Thunder Rosa is a good signing but is this just some cross-promotion with NWA?

Veda was doing commentary for the women's tag tournament, so they brought her, and Shul (doing ring announcing), to TV for the final.

The show was pretty solid over all. I'm on the fence with Mimosa thing. They've done stuff that sounded bad on paper (Cody/Jericho contract signing, Orange/Jericho debate, MJF politacl press conference), and they've all delivered very well.

Ricky Starks is amazing. I love that signing. He's so good.

I don't think Thunder Rosa is signed, just bringing her in for the match. I'd actually like to see her win the match to make it interesting.

Cody being squashed was pretty great. It really got Dark Order over. I think if Covid didn't screw things up and thrust Brodie into a World Title match, this would have been the perfect payoff for him and looking like a beast. I'm very interested to see where this goes.

The tag title scene is solid right now. I like the story of FTR and Tully. They explained why they were together, which is good. Their match with Private Party was very good. They forced PP to slow down, which they needed to do. A much better match from PP than we've seen since their match with The Bucks.

 

[geniusMoment]

Some NBA-TNT crossover (also probably a good sign AEW isn't going anywhere even with the regime change):

Shaquille O'Neal Wants To Wrestle Cody In AEW

NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal has signed a multi-year extension with WarnerMedia to stay with TNT's Inside the NBA, according to The Athletic.The report…

www.wrestlinginc.com

 

[King Kamala]

It'd be nice if AEW postponed their show tonight in solidarity with NBA and NHL but like THAT is going to happen. I'd be happy if we got anything more than a "RACISM IS WRONG, EVERYONE! My WIFE IS BLACK!" speech from Cody! I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't even get that and it was just a normal episode of Dynamite.

 

[Valeyard]

Inner Circle being hockey scabs would rule, I must say.

 

[geniusMoment]

I really wish Tony Kahn didn't discover multi-person tags. I don't get it. They didn't hardly ever do them in the first 8 months of the promotion. For the last month there is at least one on every show. And every damn time they suck. And there are more coming next week and at the ppv.

He's like a kid who just discovered something and now has to do it all the time.

 

[Tino Standard]

It seems like that’s their only solution for getting more people on every week while they only have one real TV show. I guess it’s better than a bunch of 90-second matches, but it would be nice to mix it up at least a little bit.

Unrelated... Was anybody else completely underwhelmed by having fans there? Other than the contract signing, I barely noticed a difference from what AEW had been doing. The lower-card talent at ringside has been making enough noise to provide an atmosphere to the point that I don’t think it’s worth the risk to add a few hundred fans, especially sitting 200 feet from the ring.

 

[geniusMoment]

There were a few times I thought it made the show better:

Mox's entrance was a lot better with even the limited fans.
During the contract signing there were 2 or 3 moments enhanced by some crowd chants.
During the tag match there were a few spots enhanced by some "young bucks" chants and some heat on FTR.


Overall, I would say it was a slight improvement to the atmosphere, but nothing major. But, this was just 10%. If it went well I think they are going to 15% next week. It wouldn't shock me to see them try and get to 20% for All Out. I think it will make quite a bit more difference if you get up to a little over 1,000 fans.

 

[Epic Springs]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1298823018777587714

So I guess we have the Blue Meanie to blame for the Mimosa Mayhem Match.

 

[geniusMoment]

Really bad show tonight by normal standards. But, inexcusably bad when you consider it is the go home show to a ppv where they are alone on Wednesday night. This promotion really needs a different booker.

 

[Epic Springs]

There are too many gimmick matches at the PPV with stipulations that aren't explained. In addition to the "Mimosa Mayhem Match", we're getting a "Broken Rules" match and a "Tooth & Nail" match. I have a feeling they're going thr TNA (Russo) route of giving stupid names to basic gimmick matches (No DQ, Street Fight etc.)

At least they explained the rules in the former.

 

[Gert]

Yeah this PPV just isn't it for me. It seems like it's Mox-MJF and Kenny/Hangman-FTR are the only PPV caliber matches and I don't really love the buildup for the tag title match. Everything else looks like something they would advertise around 9:40est for next week's Dynamite.

 

[geniusMoment]

My hope is the promotion will be in a much better place when they get to wherever they are going with Page/Omega/FTR/Bucks/Cody/Tully.

I'm hoping 2 of them (preferably Cody and Omega) turn strong heel. Page becomes a loner face and the Bucks face off with heel FTR.

But, right now it's a mess.