Was this before or after he went to rehab in order to save his life?

Well shit man, his time in WWE may have been what started his alcohol abuse.

Even Dave is reporting that the Warner Bros/Discovery merger may not be the best thing for AEW. Do I think Dave is a reliable source? Not anymore. However, if you are going to believe him or anything, it would be the things that *even* he’s got to confront.

TK has his chance to entrench this thing. It was my complaint from the start. I was actually more optimistic for this than most people, and didn’t see why it couldn’t be more successful than <1 million viewers each week. What are the excuses going to be if/when renegotiations come up for talent contracts and TV contracts and TK hasn’t secured enough of a presence — domestically or internationally — to be able to promise exposure and growth? Why would Warner Bros Discovery not take WWE programming for their networks in 2023/2024 over a promotion they have to split ad rates with and has got a fraction of the global popularity and appeal to sponsors? I’m not being snarky or cynical — can someone actually answer the question?

Sure. He did show up to the WWE Hall of Fame toasted that time. It’s more likely that it’s the result of some sort of unaddressed trauma from prior to his wrestling career even starting. W. Morrissey — another wrestler who has had to get themselves clean — spoke about rooming with Moxley in developmental days and what a wild party it constantly was.

I’m just saying that when it comes to what an addict says they love and what ends up actually being good for them is not always a 1:1 scenario.

AEW will survive through any turbulent water the Warner Discovery deal may present! AEW forever! AEW could have big deals with a multitude of networks because they are usually number one on Wednesday nights for cable! Also they could just have their own streaming service and put all their events on there and still be a huge company!

What happens when the discovery lady wants all shows to be PG? WCW couldn't adjust to toning it down. ECW couldn't adjust to toning it down.

Tony already has no idea on how book a show without those crutches, he really believes Wheeler bleeding made him a star. He also does not have the mentality to take criticism, and has anybody told him no in his entire life?

What happens when AEW refuses to conform to PG coupled with their already decreasing ratings? If Discovery Warner does offer them a renewal, will it be the giant windfall that has been promised? Considering the sell job Tony has made this entire time is that AEW is gonna make so much money when their TV renewals come up, that losing a bunch of money at the start doesn't matter, what does the business model become if that doesn't happen?

This is not an antagonist question, it can absolutely throw a wrench into everything they have built.

Because WWE lands elsewhere?

Did Warner/Discovery bid for WWE the last time they came up? What’s their line up on a Monday? Is it something they could shuffle out of prime time? Would WWE be willing to give up Mondays - the slot they’ve been in for nearly 30 years?

I appreciate the logic is “they have wrestling now so why wouldn’t they want the most popular <s>wrestling</s> Sports Entertainment brand out there on their network”.

If Dr. Pimple Popper is any indication, Discover isn't really going to care about blood.

Totally different situation though. That's key.

Meant it somewhat facetiously but still. I'm actually cracking up at the potential cross-promotion.

Aw fuck they're gonna send Sammy and Tay on 90 Day Fiance aren't they?

Does 90-Day Fiance want to have go away heat?

Can they change the rules so I can be Tay's fiance for 90 days?

I’m not suggesting they lose Raw or SmackDown slots, just that they could take other ones. NXT and Level Up could fill those Dynamite and Rampage slots. Lower ratings, more global exposure, PG, better for sponsors, WWE supported, no ad split. Cody could have talked Vince into using the WCW IP so they can retain use of the trademarks and could bring back Nitro and Thunder for those slots (that’s more of a pipe-dream).

WWE can afford to offer low-ball original programming that they can justify to their other networks by providing more content when their deals get upped. Things like Talking Smack, another show being taped at SmackDown, NXT UK, etc. can be thrown into these deals and be used on Fox Sports, streaming services, etc.

AEW has nothing to offer but Dynamite, Rampage and ramping up the number of PPVs it can do for HBO Max. But are those going to be significant movers for Max? With basic cable as a platform they do, what? 100k, at best, in the US? So is Discovery going to move heaven and earth to be throwing those up every month or every two months for a couple of thousand people?

WWE and Discovery do have some sort of business relationship. Discovery owns an OTT app that WWE airs its content on over in Italy. Things like that can definitely come into play too.

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Fuck Tony Khan is a cunt.

pretty fucked Ngakoue would air that shit on twitter. khan handled that pretty well

lol it was very "WWE superstar trying to get released from his contract" of him

and we all know how stupid noid thinks that is!

Mustafa Ali was very unprofessional. Why fans support him after that stunt is beyond me. He was presented with opportunities and he failed to capitalize.

Its like Tony Khan doesn't know how to interact with anybody that isnt a Mark :rofl:

Andrade's AEW run has been terrible. His presentation is egregious.

But why didn't Wheeler Yuta come out?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We’re teasing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wrestlemania?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wrestlemania</a> main events on network sit coms now! <a href="https://t.co/fgbCtNDBOK">pic.twitter.com/fgbCtNDBOK</a></p>&mdash; Sam Roberts (@notsam) <a href="https://twitter.com/notsam/status/1514065548375646208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

CM PUNK vs PENTA OSCURO announced for Dynamite. Calling this now: this will be the greatest match in AEW history, bar none.

calm down Dave "Tony Schiavonne" Wadding

This man should be locked up in an insane asylum.

Whoa Really?? Which Bret Hart match is Phil going to ripoff move for mo, I mean which Bret Hart match is Phil going to pay tribute to, move for move?

XRod I'm all for you ripping on AEW because it's funny. But there's nothing wrong with stealing from bret hart.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">AEW will have an overrun tomorrow. Set DVR accordingly for an extra 30 minutes.</p>&mdash; Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) <a href="https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON/status/1514035896617558017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

THANKS DAVE.

So Meltzer doesn't want people to watch live? :rofl:

Good lord...

Like, how is it a burn to insult a guy for using Bret Hart as your match template lol

No no, and I already even repped ODD's reply. That was a sarcastic dig at Phil saying it is "paying tribute" after the fact once fans starting posting about it.

Nothing wrong at all with Bret Hart as a template, obviously!

is it not paying tribute? why the quotes? it's not like he hasn't been long vocal about his bret love and was trying to keep it a secret.

The guy took “set your DVRs for an overrun” as “Meltzer doesn’t want people to watch live.”

Understanding human language is a tough ask for cumdorxbot.

Of course it's a tribute. Being someone who speaks the English language, I'm sure Roddy has heard that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

XRod is just fueled by AEW fan hate that blinds him from the truth but admittedly leads to hilarity. It's a delicate balance.

SMH, not whay my point was. He clearly knew what he was doing, he just waited until after people noticed before he said it. By doing it that way, that is what led to people initially pointing out he ripped off a Bret match.

That was the joke, "oh he ripped off Bret, oh no I mean he "paid tribute" to Bret".

Not a knock on Bret, not a knock on emulating a Bret match, JUST a knock on how Phil waited until he got a little negative feedback before he brought it up.

Giving Punk any negative feedback for using a Bret Hart template is fucking idiotic in and of itself and speaks to how annoying a lot of wrestling fans are.