He did not look big next to Jeff though which makes me rethink my prior stance on him being a hoss. Jeff is an inch taller than me and I'm 5 lbs heavier but I ain't no hoss. Kross was clearly bigger...but barely. Makes me think they lie about his height/weight.

Curious to see Kross stand next to Drew or Bobby though for comparison sake because he should be similar size to them if the numbers listed are legit.

Rock vs Roman is the plan for WM per Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Podcast. Rock is also expected to be at Survivor Series.

I think that’s why he puts it at the end of his show. You can listen to the rest of the podcast and then just switch it off when it comes to that review portion. Sometimes I am in the mood for it, other times I am not. I wouldn’t care if he stopped doing them, because I think he props them up more than anything.

I just cannot buy the “wrestling changes” excuse though. None of that is a lie, but it doesn’t mean that change is inherently good. Patterson & Stevens being different doesn’t mean that The Young Bucks are good. And AEW’s success is all relative.

Bingo.

I saw someone whining about Keith Lee losing to Bobby Lashley too. They said “that could have been someone else.” But then that person would have whinged about that person losing too. Not everybody can be a giant mega-star. Not everybody should be undefeated and kicking everybody’s ass. Not everybody can do that.

Is there a problem between the synergy of WWE and NXT? Probably. You hear lots of people cry about how NXT can’t keep them because WWE does something different with the talent. I’m not 100% sure WWE booking things the same helps out those shows either though. A big problem with NXT, in my opinion, is that you’ve already seen it. I don’t think the WWE WANTS there to be similarities between Raw and NXT. That may actually be the wiser strategy. I dunno, I kind of just wish NXT didn’t exist as it does so guys can debut completely fresh.

I wish he'd time stamp it.

And in ring wrestling is all subjective. I have a mostly terrible taste in wrestling. Can't argue with the financial success they've become as much as it's "not my cup of tea".

The thing where Brian Last reads the card of an old wrestling show and Jim tries to guess the year and location is fun. I enjoy playing along.

I love that! I've only gotten a couple right but it's still fun as hell

I’d like to do something similar here but everyone would just be dirty cheaters.

Stage of venue set to co-host SD on Friday


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ummm part of the stage set to host Rolling Loud has collapsed in Miami Gardens. The festival was set to begin tomorrow <a href="https://t.co/dYE6eGuOoi">pic.twitter.com/dYE6eGuOoi</a></p>&mdash; philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/1418329325905096708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In case you see it on the news, a screen fell down at one of our stages. Nobody was hurt and it will be fixed before doors open tomorrow. The show goes on!</p>&mdash; Rolling Loud (@RollingLoud) <a href="https://twitter.com/RollingLoud/status/1418327764751486983?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I’m really surprised they haven’t time-stamped that show yet. It’s usually always at the end though.

I dunno man, their financial situation is largely a bought position. Shad Khan has literally said that he has given his son money to burn. They got their TV slot without producing any content first. Their TV deals are either a glass half-full or half-empty thing depending on how you look at it. Is $45 million a lot of money? For you and me, sure. For a TV show? Not at all. I’m just not impressed by anything they’ve “achieved.” They postured their way onto basic cable and are barely doing alright in terms of overall viewership. Their demo is good, but advertisers moved past that specific analytic ages ago, plus they are wrestling fans.

You can see them getting 1 million on Wednesdays as this amazing number, especially when compared to NXT, or you can see it as underwhelming as shit. Especially when compared to Monday Night Raw.

Plus, we know they are running at a loss now, which might not always be the case, but it depends on how their video games do and whether or not they see returns on their programming. But even if they don’t, they won’t go away, because the Khans will keep them up and running. So their scope just doesn’t impress me.

They’re finally doing what I thought they should have done at the start. But I’m not going to watch a show that poorly books Bryan Danielson and Christian Cage and have to wade through Joey Janela and The Young Bucks to do it.

It's alot for a company not named the WWE. There have been quite a few start ups with money behind it that failed miserably. AEW had the benefit of having a built in niche audience to begin with. The Big issue still going forward is brand recognition. WWE has a MASSIVE edge.

He's tall and all, but not sure if I'd call him MASSIVE

Impact has the MASSIVE Edge. He used to be called Big Cass. He is now known as W. Morrisey.

This has been a problem for the longest time, I think I used Bailey as an example years ago; on NXT you saw her full story told. You saw her grow as a performer and a personality and people “fell in love” with her. She either debuts on the main roster as a finished article or you tell the same story again. The former is less compelling, the latter an issue for the audience that watch both shows.

Remember when Charolette Flair (kayfabe) made fun of Bailey for being a wrestling fan.... lol dumb company.

I’ve never been with you on the brand recognition thing myself. I mean, I see the point and it’s salient, but I just don’t see the marketplace as being so locked off by WWE’s presence. A lot of people I know would still call it the WWF. The difference between AEW and other start-ups is the sheer amount of capital. I don’t think there has ever been a more expensive start-up promotion in history.

When you’ve got a certain amount of money, and you’re guaranteed access to at least some of the stars, you’re going to hit a base level of popularity. That’s where AEW is, in my opinion. This is what that money buys you. They haven’t built on that (yet), and it isn’t something earned. It’s been bought.

Which is fine. That’s the best approach to doing this. But it’s just annoying people saying stuff like “Wow! It’s only been 2 years and they’re already doing (x)!” Yeah, no shit. The Khans have enough money to buy their own cable network and put on free shows in arenas until the end of everyone here’s natural life. This isn’t some grassroots promotion that needed to grow an audience and mind their P’s and Q’s.

They should be bigger, in my opinion. And I consider that a reflection on their so-so business practices and lack of promotion, and their actual quality.

If AEW had happened another way. Or another billionaire comes along — I guarantee that version of AEW could be both bigger and better than AEW. Not as big as WWE (to your point), but maybe more popular in terms of weekly viewership.

I remember Howard Stern's reaction to TNA when it first came up on the show and it was the same reaction that I've heard from a lot of casuals: that if it's not the WWE then it must be minor league and if they were good they'd be wrestling for the WWE.

Remember all the reaction from all the Ex Wrestling fans on Twitter when Jericho showed up fat and looking like shit. "Wow, he must be down in the dumps, and not even with the WWE anymore"

Yeah, that’s valid, hahaha. And that’s a citable source right there. And look, you’ve been demonstrable correct when you talk about how the audience is so big and not getting any bigger between Dynamite and NXT. You’re probably right and I’m just not seeing it.

It might even be an NA vs. Australia thing and I don’t fully appreciate the power of the branding. I sometimes wonder if ex-fans think in terms of promotion and just think “wrestling.” Like, are there casual fans out there that have no idea that Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan never happened? Or Austin vs. Goldberg never happened. And do they just think The Rock, Austin, Hogan and Goldberg were all hanging around each other every week in “the wrestling.”

But I don’t think it’s impossible for a wrestling promotion to just come along and be a massive hit with “the kids.” I just can’t see it being AEW. But they could have done it with their resources.

Chris Jericho looking like shit is an entirely separate issue to me, haha. But it was really telling to hear the almost universal response of “He looks like shit”/“This is knock-off WWE.”

Yeah, I guess you have a point, haha.

I think they were talking about Goldust who caught Howard’s attention during the tourettes gimmick. He’d gone to TNA and Howard asked what that was and she said something along the lines of “I think he’s wrestling in backyards now.” And Robin used to actually watch wrestling in the early 90s.

WWE ate up all the competition and has become synonymous with wrestling. And most people find WWE to be shitty fake fighting for dumb rednecks and their kids. Which means that’s how they see wrestling. Some OTHER wrestling company they’ve never heard of must be even WORSE. That’s an uphill battle.

That doesn’t make proving them right a good idea though.

No. And I don’t think anyone is gonna argue that AEW couldn’t be bigger or better. I’m backing up Gertner’s statement that WWE has a stranglehold on the word “wrestling” in most people’s minds and changing that is a tall order.

That’s the whole reason I was surprised that they even beat NXT in a ratings “war” after WWE spent months using Raw, Smackdown and a major PPV to promote it as an “equal” brand.

That's what it was. Good memory.

People do argue that all the time. They’re in love with this thing. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s nice to keep some perspective. I’m saying that if you did want to take a bigger slice of the marketplace, being something that doesn’t immediately make ex-fans roll their eyes is probably a good start.

AEW beating NXT wasn’t surprising at all. They had the fresh advantage. The “war” was mistakenly read by people as WWE trying to crush AEW out the gate with sheer shock and awe, which is obviously not what they were trying to do. This is when I started getting called a cocksucker and a Vince apologist for daring to point out that they could be doing so much more to stamp out AEW. It was a very, very soft approach.

I’m surprised NXT didn’t turn it around on them. It was about the time Scarlett came in and was boring and a far cry from the spark of life she could have been for that show that I realized WWE doesn’t give two shits about them.

And now they’re beating the champs of the show barely losing the closest race in wrestling and no longer acknowledging those belts. I don’t think that route is the smartest. I don’t see why they just don’t make NXT good, and do their best to make Raw better. But they want to have their cake and eat it too, I guess — which is having an “evergreen” product that doesn’t rely on fair weather. A little bit of excitement wouldn’t hurt them at all.

NXT got on the air because USA wanted to replace the 2 hours they lost to Fox (NXT is now on during Smackdown Live's Tuesday spot). Considering NXT cost USA 5 time less than Smackdown would have, it is a good deal for USA.

Vince agreed to $40 million for NXT because he why wouldn't he.

Timing wise it's a great rallying cry for AEW, that bad WWE was only trying to hurt us, but in reality that was just a byproduct of timing, USA losing Smackdown, and Vince wanting to make money.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I met health Slater. I didnt charge him for a photo OP, since he has kids to feed <a href="https://t.co/DpoaTtgj90">pic.twitter.com/DpoaTtgj90</a></p>&mdash; Missy Hyatt (@missyhyatt) <a href="https://twitter.com/missyhyatt/status/1418692781585883139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Hyatt's hand looks gigantic and gangly.

Hellish.

Did not notice that before but will always notice now


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Got my photo with magnum ta. I had him autograph me a wwe legends figure in nyc <a href="https://twitter.com/wrestlecon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wrestlecon</a> in 2019 that's in at my home office <a href="https://t.co/6I0VUJAlX8">pic.twitter.com/6I0VUJAlX8</a></p>&mdash; Missy Hyatt (@missyhyatt) <a href="https://twitter.com/missyhyatt/status/1418972977522151424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Saw mr Hughes today. Trainer of one of my favorite aaa luchadors in pagano. <a href="https://t.co/JvmXVGE2tk">pic.twitter.com/JvmXVGE2tk</a></p>&mdash; Missy Hyatt (@missyhyatt) <a href="https://twitter.com/missyhyatt/status/1418691711547682823?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Gertner, you should suggest a good rasslin book to Missy, she tweets about reading rasslin books a lot

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I should be done with the pat patterson book by tomorrow. Any rasslin book reccomendations?</p>&mdash; Missy Hyatt (@missyhyatt) <a href="https://twitter.com/missyhyatt/status/1415437547174498311?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Zoom in on her left hand in that Mr. Hughes pic.

It appears to be webbed.

Lol I don't have Twitter.

Tell her Bob Backlund

Missy is great. She really knows her stuff.

Olympics did a number on SD, opening ceremonies clocked in with over 17 million viewers at one point. SD had 2.04 million for the night.

Christ almighty at this finish. About 2:20 if you want to skip to it.

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Not everyone is into flippy shit, but if you're gonna do it...do it likr ricochet.

Ricochet should be a main guy, he's incredible.

I don't understand why Ricochet (and Liv Morgan) have disappeared from RAW/SD again post MITB after being big crowd favorites

It's just so counter productive

Is Liv Morgan good? I have seen some guys fapping over her and stuff but is a good worker? She was in MITB wasn't she? To me she's too much like Alexa Bliss, very similar Harley Quinn type look. I think Bliss is terrible, kinda like Lana. Too fragile and hot too be a good wrestler.

Where's the criticism for Britt Baker? She's equally sloppy in the ring..did you see her match against Rose?

Kris Statlander is notorious for injuring people and still gets a pass.