AEW in Fall 2022- Spreading lies and bullshit to the media.

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1572773991819128832

Caster was destined to be a TSM favorite since he debuted insulting Chuck Taylor.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

Rampage spoiler that fans of WCW/NWA will like:

Great Muta

I went to the show last night, and it was insane fun. This was a huge moment and it was awesome being there live for it.

Dynamite was fantastic, and everything delivered, or over delivered. The 4 way women's match was really, really good and I liked that they went away from the typical trope of 2 people roll out and leave the other 2 to work. Most of the match was worked by all 4 women. Anyone worried about The Acclaimed not being crowned until last night and how the heat would be, there was NOTHING to worry about. The place was going insane for them. Lee got a mixed reaction, but Swerve got tons of heat, and leaned into it. I can see a third match at Full Gear since the series is tied at 1 and The Acclaimed won with help from Gunn, who might be more over now than at any time in his career.

Most of the fans left after the Battle Royal, which started bad but got good later on. I'm not sure if people remembered the Starks vs Hobbs match, but it started at 12:20am. I had to leave before the match since I had to be up at 6am. This show, while fun and had great heat even up to the Battle Royal, but it was way too long. Doing 1 hour of Rampage prior to Dynamite and 1 hour after would have been better. They only taped 2 Dark Elevation matches, so there was no point in Dark.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1572751190391427072

Wrestling references in unexpected places crosspost.

I know who is going to be the Acclaimed’s special celebrity cornerman will be next time AEW is in Atlanta.

SCISSOR ME, HUMAN HIGHLIGHT FILM!

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Wade Keller is reporting that while things 100% aren't set in stone, all signs currently point to AEW buying out CM Punk's contract and him never wrestling for them again.


(75 to 99% of TSM weeping)

 

[Fall of Epic]

The year of Punk in AEW will be a nice, little footnote in wrestling history.

 

[Fall of Epic]

It begs repeating that Colt Cabana was the catalyst for (one of) the biggest wrestling dramas of 2022.

 

[RedJed]

Excellent stuff last night all around, god damn that pop for Paige/Saraya was incredible, I got goosebumps watching it unfold. And that was one of the better women's title matches they have done all this year frankly.

I am a bit bummed Danielson didn't go over, it seemed that the story being told was Danielson beating all of the guys he lost to in AEW through this tournament (except Garcia obv) so not sure what to say about a bit of a missed opportunity there. But Moxley jobbing to MJF does make the most sense in the long term and its been built up that way clearly since the Punk situation. Hopefully once the MJF run ends, they consider a Danielson title run on top.

The way they ended the show, made ya think Danielson was pissed and was maybe foreshadowing a turn, I can't say I would agree with that idea if that was the intention. Unless you turn Danielson in a rematch with Moxley, he THEN gets the title in a rematch (you COULD do this in Cincinatti even) and then you have a heel Danielson against MJF, who does go more straight face leading into his title match?

So where do you go with Jericho as ROH champ? Are they going to try to do more of a sports entertainment vs "honorable" wrestling direction thing? I honestly wonder if we just get to Garcia vs Jericho title vs title quicker than expected. Claudio regaining the title back seems like something that could happen too. While it created a huge pop to start the show, and maybe Jericho as champ is a better look in trying to get a TV deal, I just don't know the long term direction with this.

I thought for some moments that Max Caster actually legit got hurt in that first top rope elbow spot. Everything got clunky and awkward for awhile after that but they got the crowd back in a big way. While I still question a bit on not pulling the trigger in an audible at All Out, I'm glad they got their moment here.

 

[Hawk 34]

Winning the world title in your hometown as your final match is still a heck of a much better closing call than getting hurt in a shitty royal rumble and getting chokeslammed by slack pants Kane.

 

[Fall of Epic]

I want at least one ROH show where Jericho main events as champ.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

It begs repeating that Colt Cabana was the catalyst for (one of) the biggest wrestling dramas of 2022.

And I also think it isn't brought up enough that CM Punk's Colt Cabana diatribe wasn't really triggered by anything. Dude just had been letting it build up inside and blew up at the literal worst time.

As for Danielson having a long AEW World Title run, I'd love to see it as much as anyone but Idk if he's physically capable of 6-12 months of being a top guy at this stage of his career. Maybe if it's a Roman Reigns run where he mostly works six man tags with a big title defense every 2-3 months but do you see Dragon going for that?

 

[Fall of Epic]

Yeah, same. I would love Danielson as champ but you run the risk of him getting hurt a few months in, having to vacate, and rushing to put the title on someone else. I say test the waters again for 8-9 months then assess if he's healthy enough long-term.

 

[RedJed]

So after reading Rampage spoilers, the next world title match is

Spoiler

Page vs Moxley

I can't say I'm thrilled about that one, but we know the obvious result at least, and that's for the Cincinatti Tuesday Dynamite on 10/18

 

[Hawk 34]

I want at least one ROH show where Jericho main events as champ.

It has to be at a legitimate ROH venue, give us Jericho at the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge

 

[RedJed]

Yeah, same. I would love Danielson as champ but you run the risk of him getting hurt a few months in, having to vacate, and rushing to put the title on someone else. I say test the waters again for 8-9 months then assess if he's healthy enough long-term.

That's something I didn't think of til mentioned. There has to be some thought in that direction of risk vs reward with him, especially after Punk getting hurt so much this year. I can understand the logic in not putting him on top in that aspect.

If anything they need someone, be it Moxley or MJF, that can have a long run here to kinda get back on track

 

[Hawk 34]

So after reading Rampage spoilers, the next world title match is

Spoiler

Page vs Moxley

I can't say I'm thrilled about that one, but we know the obvious result at least, and that's for the Cincinatti Tuesday Dynamite on 10/18

Wait, which one. I’ll be pissed if I have to watch the shitty one in a title match

 

[Hawk 34]

That's something I didn't think of til mentioned. There has to be some thought in that direction of risk vs reward with him, especially after Punk getting hurt so much this year. I can understand the logic in not putting him on top in that aspect.

If anything they need someone, be it Moxley or MJF, that can have a long run here to kinda get back on track

If that’s a concern then you have to tell Mox no more garbage matches in barns in Iowa, too valuable to the franchise to have drug addicts slicing your world champ up for 59 people.

 

[RedJed]

Wait, which one. I’ll be pissed if I have to watch the shitty one in a title match

I would guess there is no fucking way

Spoiler

Page goes over, especially in Cincinatti (Mox hometown) and it's getting kinda stale having him mixed in with the main event title scene. But perhaps he's doing the jobs to the main guys as some sort of reprimand for the BS comments he was spouting off on right before the scrum melee went down.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Here's a thought that sat with me for last few weeks. Yes, it is weird and perhaps slightly unfair that Hangman Page has skated by unpunished when he probably triggered the CM Punk-Elite beef. However, in some sense, I think Tony Khan standing by young talent and going with the long term investment Vs the veteran names is something we've been waiting to see from wrestling promoters for the past 30 years.

 

[RedJed]

If that’s a concern then you have to tell Mox no more garbage matches in barns in Iowa, too valuable to the franchise to have drug addicts slicing your world champ up for 59 people.

On that note, how do you do the GCW title match with Gage next month? Not so much the execution of it (GCW matches he's involved in aren't really THAT dangerous as long as he's not taking crazy risky bumps) but the finish? I can't see them letting Gage defeat him as he's AEW champ, so does this mean Gage is legit retiring (which may be possible)?

 

[Hawk 34]

You say “my world champion isn’t coming to this drug infested hellscape but as a makeup I’ll send chuck Taylor and he can get sliced up or maybe even die and everyone will be happy”

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

Bryan Alvarez came up with a really good booking idea, but it was on the idea that Bryan won last night. Bryan wins, he holds the title into next year. MJF wins it from him and they play the story of him still taking it to WWE if they give him the best offer. Moxley, being the Ace of AEW can't allow that and chases the title until he beats MJF before the new year. MJF needs that title back, so he announces that he's signed a new contract in order do that. I guess you can have Moxley in the Bryan role, and Bryan chasing the title to save AEW.

Also, Full Gear tickets went on pre-sale this morning. I didn't know until about15 minutes ago, but I got tickets in the upper deck. I'm taking my daughter to her first AEW show, and it's a PPV. I promised her that if they ran a weekend show, since she has school and can't go to Grand Slam, that I'd get them. I love being the dad that doesn't lie about these things.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

You say “my world champion isn’t coming to this drug infested hellscape but as a makeup I’ll send chuck Taylor and he can get sliced up or maybe even die and everyone will be happy”

Tony Khan would have to threaten terminating Mox's contract to get Jon Moxley to not do GCW shows and even that might not work.

Everyone but @Big Beard Booty Daddy : DO IT!

 

[909]

Apparently Omega did say all that stuff in the talent meeting that he was alleged to have said and it wasn’t a joke. So you can see why so many people are saying the locker room is better now than it was before because tbh it sounds like it would be better for morale if everyone involved in the fight was gone.

Reports from Voices of Wrestling and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated that Omega told talent he would not have hired eight out of 10 people in the room, a comment which generated a mixed reaction. Some viewed Omega's words as comedic and were said just to mess with Will Ospreay but others did not react positively to the line and thought the former AEW World Champion was being serious.

In an update, a source close to Cultaholic Wrestling confirmed Omega made the eight out of 10 people comment before the AEW EVP turned to Will Ospreay and said the NJPW star didn't even work in AEW yet he could wrestle circles around everyone in the room.

Omega's comments were also viewed by the source as the former world champion expressing his unhappiness with what the company had turned into and him voicing his opinion about those who don't respect AEW or Tony Khan.

I don't see how it could be claimed this was a joke.

 

[geniusMoment]

I think the most important part of all of it is:

"Omega's comments were also viewed by the source as the former world champion expressing his unhappiness with what the company had turned into".

That is something I've noticed growing more and more among fans of the original AEW (and figured it existed to some degree with the original crew). It also plays a huge part in what was truly at the heart of the Punk/Elite stuff. Let's be honest, Colt was just that last little bit of gasoline on the fire. The real issue was the change in AEW over the last 18 months or so, and the transfer of perceived power. If you think Hangman didn't do that stupid shoot on Punk without talking to The Elite first you're nuts.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

It looks like Tony has finally heard the criticisms about the reffing and how it can be bad at times, allowing too many distractions, wonky finishes, etc. According to Dave on the WOR recap show this morning, this is the reason for the 3 finishes last night. Paul Turner, as senior official, has been told to tighten the ship with the refs, and on Rampage there's a match where he does this. Tony also brought this up on Twitter about giving Paul Turner more power to right the ref ship. I like that this is finally being addressed. Refs should never be made to look stupid. They don't do the spot to knock out the ref too often, but they do other dumb things.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1573010761500479488

 

[Hawk 34]

If he means this and truly means it, that means the corpse ref has to go. The children will have to find another way to do their tumbling routine.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

the locker room is better now than it was before because tbh it sounds like it would be better for morale if everyone involved in the fight was gone.

Yeah those are my thoughts as well. I don't think this is the type of thing that the time off from Punk's injury will heal. I think they'll just have more time to stew on the fact that Punk had a mostly unprovoked full scale meltdown on the most public stage right next to the owner then punched out an executive (while his BFF bit another executive). I think Young Bucks & Elite are equally to blame for creating a culture where CM Punk thought it'd be OK to do something like that (and for being so insufferable that at least half of us think they deserved to get punched and/or bitten).

All of them are big enough stars and/or integral to the company that Idk if I would want to burn those bridges entirely but I'd be extremely wary of bringing them back without some restrictions.

Idk if perception is reality but among casual fans right now, that incident really made AEW SEEM like 1998 WCW.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

I think the most important part of all of it is:

"Omega's comments were also viewed by the source as the former world champion expressing his unhappiness with what the company had turned into".

That is something I've noticed growing more and more among fans of the original AEW (and figured it existed to some degree with the original crew). It also plays a huge part in what was truly at the heart of the Punk/Elite stuff. Let's be honest, Colt was just that last little bit of gasoline on the fire. The real issue was the change in AEW over the last 18 months or so, and the transfer of perceived power. If you think Hangman didn't do that stupid shoot on Punk without talking to The Elite first you're nuts.

Ah, so Omega was the one who wanted his own personal live-action e-fed? That makes sense.

Fuck Omega.

 

[Valeyard]

Let Omega be the guy who runs ROH then.

 

[Super Leather]

I'd be sad to see Punk go if AEW bought out his contract, but fine if it's the best solution for both parties.

Tony Khan can send the Young Bucks and Omega to ROH and see how they do playing with their select group of friends. Of course, that also depends on ROH getting back on TV as well. I don't hate the Bucks & Omega nearly as much as some people do, but these guys are clearly douchebags. Fuck it, let 'em go run the promotion that currently only exists in name. AEW has evolved past the early days of All Friends Wrestling and they can't seem to grasp that. Fine. So long.

Or bench them for the remainder of their contract with more of the same as what's going on right now; no mentions or BTE or anything. That hits them where they live.

My point is that if I'm Tony Khan, I don't want those three going to WWE, so I try to think of ways to keep them under contract while also keeping them out of the AEW locker room. AEW's product seems just fine without them.