AEW 2025: Who will save us from the Deathriders?

[Big Papa Paegan]

I guess there might be a market for an AEW game based on the LJN 16-bit games. I know there's that RetroMania thing but that's modeled on WrestleFest. I'm talking about a game explicitly patterned on Royal Rumble and Raw. Brawl Mode, Mega Moves, MIDI entrance themes.

I'd buy a retro-style AEW game if it played similar to WrestleMania: Arcade.

 

[skullman80]

Nothing can be worse than Fight Forever was honestly. I was gifted that game from my wife and I feel bad she paid money for it.

 

[Tino Standard]

FF was one of the more disappointing games I’ve ever bought. The gameplay itself in the matches was fine (it’s really hard to screw up a wrestling game with the No Mercy control scheme), but the lack of depth in just about every facet of the game was appalling, as was the lack of communication from everyone involved.

If/when AEW comes out with another video game, I think the bones are there to build from, but my guess is they go in a completely different direction to distance themselves from a very expensive product that left a lot of customers unhappy.

 

[geniusMoment]

I would want them to go in a totally different direction. Wrestlemania The Arcade Game was my favorite wrestling game as a kid. I never got why we haven't gotten another game like that since.

 

[One Epic Winter (OEW)]

There was WWE All Stars in 2011 that played sort of arcade style like Wrestlemania or In Your House.

 

[Hawk 34]

For those wondering how to watch the PPV this weekend

AEW signs PPV deal with Prime Video

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Prime Video have announced a multi-year agreement to offer AEW pay-per-view (PPV) events for purchase to fans across the UK, US an

www.advanced-television.com

 

[Brocklock]

There was WWE All Stars in 2011 that played sort of arcade style like Wrestlemania or In Your House.

I remember that being really really fun, but kind of bare bones in terms of modes and match types.

 

[geniusMoment]

Nobody messes with the bad guy.

Wrestling games meets Mortal Kombat seems like such a natural combination. We need another one.

 

[Valeyard]

Just partner with Fire Pro for DLC like NJPW did.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

...or don't, because Fire Pro has amazing customization but an outdated gameplay system.

 

[Brocklock]

...or don't, because Fire Pro has amazing customization but an outdated gameplay system.

I actually agree, but I'm just bitter because I suck ass at Fire Pro and could never figure it out.

 

[The Thread Killer]

For those wondering how to watch the PPV this weekend

AEW signs PPV deal with Prime Video

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Prime Video have announced a multi-year agreement to offer AEW pay-per-view (PPV) events for purchase to fans across the UK, US an

www.advanced-television.com

I just saw that come up when I opened my Prime Video app. The price for the PPV (in Canada at least) is $56.99. Yeah okay, absolutely…I’m going to pay almost $60 to watch Jon Moxley vs Edge.

That’s fucking insane.

 

[claydude14]

I played the shit out of Fight Forever, sadly all single player. Even grabbed a couple DLC packs to get Hook, Danhousen, Jay White. But you can only play Road to the Elite’s shitty barely branching story mode so many times. Still haven’t unlocked Owen. Plus the online was non existent being that I got it on Switch.

 

[Valeyard]

Fire Pro is a blast still, though, and has a significantly high reputation. Fight Forever is a moblie game masking as a credible wrestling title. Gimme the option I know will be solid and can modify at will.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

If Fire Pro could fix the hitbox issues and add a button to initiate grapples as opposed to just "uhhh, stand near them at very specific angles," then I'd be on board.

I'm actually surprised there hasn't been an indie studio to try this.

 

[Tino Standard]

I’m intrigued by this wrestling game that is supposed to come out later this year: https://www.ultraprowrestling.com/

 

[Valeyard]

Never gonna pre purchase a wrestling game. It's a hard genre to be get right.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

I’m intrigued by this wrestling game that is supposed to come out later this year: https://www.ultraprowrestling.com/

While it remains to be seen, there's the fun fact that UPW's developer, HyperFocus Games, now owns the trademarks for the AKI Group. While this doesn't necessarily mean the gameplay will be of the same quality, it's certainly a step in the right direction.

 

[Valeyard]

Trademarks as in engines or in name only?

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Judging by some of the animations, I'd wager maybe a little bit of both.

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

i know its been said before but these smaller arenas are so much better. every crowd is so loud.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

i know its been said before but these smaller arenas are so much better. every crowd is so loud.

I know I've said it before, but there should have been an attempt to cast an aura of the company actually being "elite" early on. Smaller venues, maybe do it "secret show" style so only the hardest of hardcore fans can find it, get real pretentious and gatekeep-y about it. Build the idea that the company is for elite talents and elite fans.

...but I also think Zombie Apocalypse is one of the greatest bands ever, so the fuck do I know

 

[claydude14]

While it remains to be seen, there's the fun fact that UPW's developer, HyperFocus Games, now owns the trademarks for the AKI Group. While this doesn't necessarily mean the gameplay will be of the same quality, it's certainly a step in the right direction.

Not to derail this into a video game thread but look up the N64 rom hacks- WWF WrestleMania X, WCW Saturday Night and the recently released ECW House Party. I played em on an emulator with an Xbox controller but the buttons didn’t feel right so I got a SummerCart from AliExpress and easily loaded them onto the micro sd card and play this shit on my og N64.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

In truth, turning an AEW thread into discussions about wrestling games might be the real elite.

 

[Valeyard]

More AKIshita and less Young Yukes.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I remember being incredulous when people were saying that this Moxley/Deathriders shit could go on for another year, and that it still had legs as long as they didn't do [bullshit that they're currently doing]. And I realized that I was outnumbered, and I didn't feel like arguing about it, but I remember thinking to myself, "What would have to happen for it to not end with them doing [bullshit that they're currently doing]?" Like, maybe it seemed cool at the time, but the nWo was cool, at first... the Bloodline was cool, at first. They're like DX v.1.0, complete with Temu Chyna. From a macro view it felt like same soup, just re-heated to me, only difference being that this time it involved... better workers, I guess? But also, they've been feuding with guys that haven't been booked as credible threats to Moxley (or hell, even Claudio). I'm just not clear on how this could have possibly ended up anywhere other than where it has?

 

[Gary]

I remember being incredulous when people were saying that this Moxley/Deathriders shit could go on for another year, and that it still had legs as long as they didn't do [bullshit that they're currently doing]. And I realized that I was outnumbered, and I didn't feel like arguing about it, but I remember thinking to myself, "What would have to happen for it to not end with them doing [bullshit that they're currently doing]?" Like, maybe it seemed cool at the time, but the nWo was cool, at first... the Bloodline was cool, at first. They're like DX v.1.0, complete with Temu Chyna. From a macro view it felt like same soup, just re-heated to me, only difference being that this time it involved... better workers, I guess? But also, they've been feuding with guys that haven't been booked as credible threats to Moxley (or hell, even Claudio). I'm just not clear on how this could have possibly ended up anywhere other than where it has?

The problem is some heel factions (or factions in general) end up growing stale in general. Like I didn't start watching until 95, but I'm pretty sure even the Horsemen got tiresome at some point. You can only go so far. I actually was fine with the Deathriders in the beginning, and when you look at the people involved it seems like a great idea in theory. Then you see it and the booking involved and whoops, it sucks.

 

[Valeyard]

When it started, the storyline was huge and had implications up and down the card. It had an air of importance which they hadn't had in a long time, and best of all it had an ending point already in mind with Darby. You can get away with a lot when you can have an ending already in mind and are able to rest on laurels here and there, especially when you have this kind of company and roster. Once Darby was not an option, everything was scaled back to where it just became an evil faction of evil dominating everyone with no point, Mox stopped being able to give a fuck (I'm not gonna be one of those "Mox sucks now" guys but he is absolutely not motivated right now and hasn't been in months), and they panicked. So either they're assuming they can still wait for Darby (which they can't whatsoever) or they just don't know what to do. It would have absolutely hit a stale zone, but with the story they clearly had in mind, that would have been significantly minimized. The entire story they began with got away from them when they couldn't think of an out.

 

[One Epic Winter (OEW)]

Just have Mox drop it to Swerve next month at Dynasty (one year after Swerve's first title win) and all will be forgiven. That's all they need to do. And give Cope and Christian one last run as a heel team.

 

[909]

Well Deathriders started with them choking people to death with plastic bags and complaining that the company wasn't serious enough anymore. Then some fat old man showed up and WE BRING THE BOOM and they did literally nothing to that person or any other comedy act like him. So it's ending with them beating up old men, with their version of Disqo ruining every single main event, and the champion is carrying around a stupid briefcase everywhere while showing a lack of charisma, lack of character, and lack of give a fuck that resembles Rick Steiner in 1999-2000. In my section last night we were comparing how this run turned out to Jinder Mahal. I think you can figure out exactly how this went wrong. To me, very clearly Mox did not have the charisma to pull this off and is inherently the kind of person that makes for a boring top heel in 2025.

I also think that he got hurt because other heel acts came into play and got pushed during this run (Fletcher, Hurt Syndicate, Takeshita, Ricochet) and all of them are just plain more interesting than him.

I think the main thing in AEW right now is that every main event booking decision should be oriented towards 'how do we get to Swerve vs. Omega?' How do we get to having the two most over guys in the company face each other for the title and how do we make it mean the most any title match in AEW has meant.