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More and more people are going to speak up to try and break the seal. He can’t punish everyone. But there seems to be an unwillingness to spill the beans in AEW because of either fan or internal backlash.

LOL Mike Jackson is a savage!!!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If someone needs me, let me know. <a href="https://t.co/WETlirUEFJ">pic.twitter.com/WETlirUEFJ</a></p>&mdash; Mike Jackson, Esq. (@TheTruthJackson) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTruthJackson/status/1560387702696058885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

https://www.wrestlinginc.com/971634/...their-booking/

You called it, Varsity Blondes sick of Tiny!

Brian Pillman, Jr. could have been a project. Instead he’s been left to fend for himself because Tony is a hoarder. It’s been 3 years. I can imagine a lot of younger talent feel they should have gotten way more reps in and would progress farther elsewhere.

If TK put someone else in control, you would probably have two better functioning wrestling promotions. AEW would work better under someone disciplined’s vision, and there could be a viable third featuring talented guys that don’t fit the AEW vision.

I’m not convinced personally on Pillman Jr. I think I can’t get past the look.

I’ve heard a lot of people say that about Pillman. I’ve seen tons of potential every time I’ve seen him. Personally, I’d rather see someone with that potential than someone that’s a little crisper but with nowhere to go.

Pillman needs to go to NXT when his deal his up and go full Loose Cannon.

Punk is clearly becoming the man that is writing checks he can't cash.

I mean the ego of this damn man.

Hear me out…

Punk slowly leans more and more into the role of a selfish veteran who is here to hold down the young guys. It eventually becomes crystal clear when he starts subtly cheating to win matches.

He remains champion for a year, slowly devolving into the selfish shithead marks want him to be while they also fantasy book MJF’s WWE debut. (Because him being gone this long is CLEARLY not a work)

Turns out MJF was getting paid big money for months to just sit at home for the sake of long-term storytelling. He makes a “shocking” return to call out Punk on his bullshit and becomes the definition of an anti-hero. He’s still the silver-tongued asshole devil from before but you’ve all finally caught up to him.

Now a world title match is set up… and every sleazy attempt by Punk to cheat his way to victory is thwarted. Because he’s facing the king of that shit. Punk’s lackeys come out but they’re met by guys MJF had ready for them. Punk goes to use a chair and MJF falls to the ground, selling it early. When the ref wants to call for the bell for a DQ, MJF stops him and tells him he’ll “tough it out”. Finally Punk grabs his title, gets a mic and says “Fuck this company” as he climbs over the barricade with a cocky grin while blowing MJF a kiss.

He makes it halfway through the crowd and then stops, looking forward in shock. Wardlow chases him back into the ring where MJF beats him and takes the title.

After MJF establishes himself as the hero you hate to admit you need for a while by cheating and outsmarting a bunch of heels, Wardlow challenges for the title. MJF promises not to cheat and no one REALLY buys it. He turns down every opportunity by past allies to help him out and ultimately falls after a valiant effort. He shakes hands with Wardlow and you have your mega face built as well as your secondary face who is loyal to his friends but is still a natural asshole.

Damn, I miss playing TEW.

Wrestling at its core to me operates like magic shows, or I guess more broadly the circus. There's parts of it that wow you with the skill of the performers (the ability to execute a moonsault in wrestling or the high-wire acts or juggling at the circus). Then there's where the crowd gets invested in something they know isn't "real" (the results of the match or a magician pulling a rabbit out from their hat).

And thanks to TV, internet, etc. both have embraced a bit of a meta-narrative as necessary. I am paraphrasing a Penn & Teller late night appearance I saw once, but basically Penn juggled to little applause (an acknowledgement that he had skill) whereas the place loudly cheered for Teller doing magic despite knowing he was fooling them since magic isn't real.

So at its core I think we, the audience, just like to go along with it if it's good and entertaining. It would cheapen a magic show if after pulling off a great trick the magician immediately went "and here's how I did it".

Based on that, digging in the crates for ways to work the fans with "real storylines" is a bit of a zero-sum game. Keep us on our toes once in a while, but don't make us feel like we've been had. Because while wrestling isn't real, our time and emotional investment in it is.

I think I agree completely with the core of what you said but I don’t know that we agree completely on what constitutes “embracing a meta-narrative” and what constitutes just having your intelligence insulted.

That being said, I’m quite comfortable believing MJF is actually kind of an asshole either way and they should take full advantage of that “reality”.

Punk is also an asshole and him playing the bitter veteran who’s in the company to tank everybody from reaching the top is a perfect role for him

You would think a guy who got his ass beat so badly and failed at everything else he tried in his life would be a bit more humble, but not oldman Phil! :rofl:

Public embarrassment hasn’t seemed to stop you from trying. Why do you expect so much more from Punk?

Haha. Burn.

Because he knows the man well enough to be on a first name basis, unlike the rest of you. So he is more invested in him because of that personal connection they have.

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Somebody tell Fan to leave Kat Dennings alone!

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Not a good comeback. Oof.

Dave is suggesting that things aren’t good under the hood in AEW. Could be a work, since there’s no business upside to faking that but they’re all idiots.

Can anyone tell me what the benefits are to this “AEW is working the sheets” stuff with Punk and MJF? A lot of people are claiming that it is obviously a work. To what end? Is it just the idea that this is allegedly “interesting?” They’re “building interest?” Because I just can’t see the sense in this approach.

Take MJF: As soon as that music hits, or he comes through the crowd, and he cuts that promo — he’s back. I don’t get what the “drama” of his absence achieved at all. The discourse between real/fake only exists for as long as it’s in this state of perceived flux.

Punk: Why is it worth faking that he’s a selfish asshole? If it turns out they’re all just pretending, that becomes obvious in the work. Wouldn’t it be better to just have him cut out and be a heel?

Feels like a kind of rebirth of Keyfabe going on atm, whether the issues in AEW are real or exaggerated there’s certainly an air of unpredictability to things kind of Since Cody went back to WWE.

I like it. I like the uncertainty it creates and I like how much it upsets a certain portion of fans.

It’s the opposite of kayfabe.

It's so true guys

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Backstage Issues in WWE - Hahaha this company sucks this company is going to fail, Screw Vince, Fed Ded<br><br>Backstage Issues in AEW - This is a work and you are all getting worked, Tony is our saviour, Dub Good</p>&mdash; Lancelot (@Lancelot_97) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lancelot_97/status/1560859500097064960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

No lies detected.

When guys start asking for their releases we’ll know it’s really a work. Especially if they start showing up on WWE TV.

Would Tony Khan let a guy like Samoa Joe jump back to the WWE because of his age? Joe is playing the physical role of Sweet Tooth in the Twisted Metal adaptation for USA Network and Peacock. But he’s also lending a voice for King Shark in the Suicide Squad game. But they might prefer to work with WWE too because of exposure/a potential John Cena tie-in.

Clash at the Castle is probably going to upstage All Out. The card for AO looks like shit so far.

Also, why would they try and “work” people into thinking CM Punk is a conceited piece of shit as they are about to head into a PPV in Chicago?

Because it is not a work, Phil sucks

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Everything bad that happens in AEW is a work though. :(

lol that's definitely not because HHH is still butthurt about someone finally telling him he's shit.

Sheets are biased bullshit and not to be trusted.

Now here’s a screenshot of some words with no source from r/SCJerk and re-posted here by a guy who posted a video last week, lied about the content and refused to give a time stamp in hopes of not getting caught.

Let the good faith conversation begin.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bear Country Renamed 'Iron Savages' At 8/21 AEW Dark Tapings<br><br>~ Fightful<a href="https://t.co/Z6zUtLYCoL">https://t.co/Z6zUtLYCoL</a> <a href="https://t.co/TX5wZVh0uJ">pic.twitter.com/TX5wZVh0uJ</a></p>&mdash; The Daily Smark (@thedailysmark) <a href="https://twitter.com/thedailysmark/status/1561536151009239041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I don't think Kahn would ever do it but Gabe Sapolsky should be brought in to book. HHH gets the street cred but the "golden era" of NXT was Gabe as much as anyone and early ROH is the most consistently well-booked wrestling in the last 20 years. With the AEW roster, Gabe could put together something that REALLY works.

Tony could absolutely use some help. The roster is way too heavy for just one man booking.

Surprised he hasn’t been picked up already. Triple H has probably already called him.

I know that some will say AEW was never "cool" but, you know to it's fans that it is/was as a lot cooler than WWE.

AEW really has lost a lot of cool points as of late, and WWE gained them by Triple Haitch.

Interesting times.

Also, the cool AEW fans :lol:

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It’s certainly going to give WWE a chance with the internet crowd. I don’t know how you can watch someone like Gunther wrestle and then be like “Yeah, but AEW has the better wrestling.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Eddie Kingston says working with Chris Jericho was a “headache” and he hated their matches <a href="https://t.co/j3V5GN30ur">https://t.co/j3V5GN30ur</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEW</a> <a href="https://t.co/PSpCaI1dEp">pic.twitter.com/PSpCaI1dEp</a></p>&mdash; NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW news (@nodqdotcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/nodqdotcom/status/1561756744040304641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

lol

Yeah he is clearly working.

Joking. Working would be treating it like it isn’t all completely fucking fake.

AEW is a joke.

Alright.

Eddie is never out of character

Say it with me everybody, well everybody but Fan...

CREATIVE FREEDOM!!!

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It's actually crazy how AEW seemingly went off the rails as soon as MJF disappeared from TV. The booking has been all over the place, so many unused guys, so many titles, backstage drama, and no matter what Tony has up his sleeve on Wednesday, there's a PPV in 2 weeks with no main event and a hot shot title match on TV.

AEW has sucked since day one. Eventually people are going to catch on and realize lolAEW.

MEGAGAMECHANGINGSTARS!!! :rofl::rofl::rofl:

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I don’t think hardcore fans appreciate how little people care about AEW

LOL so apparently No Way Jose got booked by some right-wing Anti-Vaxxers Canadian indie promotion...then exchanged the plane ticket the promoter paid for, for one to Orlando, and used that to appear on AEW Dark all while telling the antivax guy that he was gonna make it.

Excellent.

:rofl:

That's hilarious and probably the coolest think I've ever heard about No Way Jose.

Well... I don't know if I am a hardcore AEW fan any more but I do want them to do well so that I enjoy the show more like I used to when Cody was there.
Tony has soured everything by being such a weirdo, that trickles down and has affected everything.

I don't need AEW to compete with WWE but I hope they can get the good TV deals they need to thrive.

We’ll see. I’m of the mind that losing bad wrestling isn’t a shame. And I consider AEW bad wrestling. If they get shafted in the negotiations, it’s their own fault. Tony has the money to keep AEW open on public access forever. Well, he used to — who knows how much he has sunk into this thing by now.

grade a scum bag right there
Should be a really short court case at least

Yeah, I’m pro-science as much as the next guy, but ripping off morons isn’t exactly something I applaud. Just tell him you’re not going to work his show.

I applaud fucking with morons. Just as long as they’re also assholes.

It is ALWAYS the same thing for 3+ years...



How Bout It?
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I’m glad momentum is shifting and more and more people are seeing through the AEW bullshit. It’s not good, folks.

We should probably just use this thread for Dynamite since nobody is watching anymore.

Evil Uno and Colt Cabana did a stream playing a full match in Fight Forever, here is the match video.

It absolutely looks like they've delivered on No Mercy-style gameplay, which means this is currently looking like a day one buy for me.

Nice.


Still wanna see more.... but it is looking good so far.

Lol at people still being optimistic about the AEW video game. It’s going to try and be No Mercy, but you’re going to be better off whipping the N64 out.

Talent meeting before Dynamite tonight to address the dumpster fire it’s become. Hopefully TK lets talent who want their releases go.

(I know Tony’s not going to have the balls to let people go.)

I also have a feeling that Tony is going to make these situations worse.

Punk probably isn’t looking to smooth things over with Page (and I don’t blame him). It’s been revealed that Page doesn’t have much there in terms of intellect or instincts. If I were a veteran, I’d be like “Fuck this guy.” I wouldn’t want to work with him and I certainly wouldn’t want to put him over. I can understand why guys would stick to that flex.

Tony is also paying the guys enough that they can take a walk and retire on whatever they’ve already got.

I bet Tony ends his meetings by forcing everyone to hug him on the way out of the meeting room!!

I want a photo of him hugging Moxley, who has a crimson mask after blading taking his seat for the meeting.

I wonder if Samoa Joe has been told where it is?

Will Miro be there, or can’t he even get booked for this thing?

The locker-room is divided into a Punk side and an Omega side. Every two minutes Luchasaurus gets up and crosses over to the other side for no reason.

Bryan Danielson takes the floor and says all he really wants to do is put young guys over. He wants to start with “that guy” and points across the room. Tony let’s Bryan know that he’s pointing to the janitor and he doesn’t have a talent contract…yet.

Warner Bros Discovery is $55 billion in debt and looking to cut costs where they can. AEW is going to have to start making more sensible business decisions. On an unrelated note, in order to appease them, Tony Khan has signed Lana to be in Miro’s corner, Ric Flair to be in Andrade’s and John Williams will be performing a score to the new entrance for the Varsity Blonds.

Vickie Guerrero has been gracious enough to move on from her on-air talent role to taking her years of experience in the business behind the scenes as a coach for the burgeoning Women’s Division.

Dynamite will be moving to 10pm with the second hour airing exclusively on YouTube. Tony wants it to be known that there is definitely not an A-hour and a D-hour though.

SHEETZ GUD AGAIN!

Mark it on your DerpDorx bingo cards!

Brandon Cutler takes out a gun and shoots CM Punk in the foot during the meeting. The Bucks and Omega pretend to know nothing about it. AEW fans block the ambulance and police from entering the building because it’s just a work.

Tony Khan will answer all questions other than “When is MJF coming back?” and “Has CM Punk actually been a net gain?”

A vote as to what refreshments will be provided at the next meeting is being taken. Fenix pulls his shoulder out raising his hand for White Claws.

In order to boost sales for AEW Fight Forever, every talent is getting a raise to cover their purchase of 4 copies the game. This makes up the 10 million units they need to sell to break even.

Game looks fine. Controls seem easy enough, which is all I really want from rasslin games

Minor gripe: hate the referee being a "character" in the ring.

I think I prefer that to the disembodied voice ref.

Gotta bring back the cartoon ref for sure

I prefer my refs to have world class perms and amazing mustaches.

THEN WE’LL SEE YOU TOMORROW NIGHT!!!

Mike Tyson's punchout had the best ref, ITSAHHHH MARRRRREEEEEO

Don Stevens was going to have it no other way.

Look, if its No Mercy v2022 with a fairly deep roster, all the bells and whistles like different arenas, good looking entrances and various game/match modes, I really liked what was shown today. So will alot of other people.

Hearing that the talent meeting took place in the arena and once everybody was in position, Tony did a full entrance with music and pyro.

Just trying to find someone to corroborate.

At first I assumed this was a joke, but then I thought more about it…you could be serious.

I don't care if it's not true I 100p believe it because that's fuckin hilarious

His daddytron video is a montage of him hugging wrestlers and dancing at their weddings.

If everyone under contract was there, they’d probably need to use the arena.

I hope CM Punks foot is okay.