Classy.

Thats funny, nobody complains about my posting style until I take a step back from Tony Khan's dick, then i'm obnoxious and boring. Got it

Nah, I couldn't care less about Tony. I'm just peeved by your dull posting style. It's the same old regurgitated shit. Has zero value and doesn't add to the discussion.

Sorry bro, we dont all have time to run multiple accounts to keep things fresh and exciting.

Eh, your ammo is to stir shit and feed off the reaction. None of your takes are remotely interesting.

Mr. Nerfect, while frustrated, is more palatable because he cares and often makes decent arguments in his favor.

Which is different from this sock account of yours how?

I'll take xrod any day he's way more chill

xrod just likes to have fun. He's just happy to be here.

Ah yes, two wrongs don't make a yet. During the lifespan of this account, I've given in to my most heinous of tendencies which were motivated by a poster's departure. More recently, I've used it to find common ground while still calling out blokes when I see fit. I will not be defending my past transgressions.

Get a load a' Cactus Jack over here

This is you describing your main account.

its not even a good dig since neither of those things apply to me.

That's funny because the main account has been on your "ignore list" for quite a while now.

It's quite evident that this account ran its course mere minutes after its inception. But I kept chugging on, probably out of anger and some pride. It's not adding to the conversation since posters have already expressed how they feel about certain individuals. Over time, I've become more accepting of polarizing viewpoints since some have merit. They just want to feel special or believe that they can see what others can't. It's a coping mechanism to associate worth with what they're doing here. This account probably falls in a similar category. Sadly, it doesn't serve a purpose anymore.

https://c.tenor.com/aOTTMTRppIwAAAAC...ic-sarcasm.gif

And why do you think that is?

This board is hitting my last nerve. The live show threads are largely fun but the rest of the time it's just unbearable cesspool of negative energy. Nobody is really even having a discussion - just endless arguing among people whose positions are entrenched. Not worth it.

May I recommend you watch the clip of Triple H breaking JR's arm and any of his heel run from 99-2001 to bring your spirits back up?

I apologize for my role in it.

I'm really looking forward to all the wrestling tonight. Especially Bryan Danielson versus Minoru Suzuki on the Buy-in. Smackdown looks promising as well.

Slipping the bosses daughter a roofie always brings my spirits up :y:

My $1,000,000 question on that was whether or not Mae Young was an accomplice based on the segments from her bachelorette party. Untapped storyline there.

Guessing the 'Buy In' show will be available after it airs, as it's a 2am UK start time?

AEW usually keeps their live streams up on YouTube after they air, so it should still be on their YouTube channel unless they purposefully remove it for some reason

And you contribute to discussion how? You’re one of the worst offenders when it comes to petty little dogpiles against people who don’t like what you like. What sort of positivity do you genuinely think you bring?

It's a trap

Evil Vito rules imo

Agreed. Vito's awesome.

So I'm the CM Punk of TPWW? :rofl:

Vito’s fine when you’re saying stuff he likes. When you don’t like something he likes he becomes petulant and just makes stuff up. It’s very weird to hear him talking about negative energy like he’s a source of positivity.

shut up ,

That’s some funky negative energy coming from you.

"There’s no bigger star in all of pro wrestling right now than CM Punk. And I’m really excited about his match with Matt Sydal tonight.” ~ Tony Khan...

Just burying his entire roster for a guy that drew 500,000 viewers for his last match :rofl:

I still don’t put the primary blame on Punk himself. I think the criticisms are valid. That people are willing to cut a bad actor/failed MMA fighter slack might be my own misgiving there. But I think it’s still more the show around him.

If you like CM Punk, you probably like that he takes his craft pretty seriously and makes his performances as realistic as possible (sloppy MMA shit aside). I don’t know how this is congruent with a product that presents a grudge feud between Matt Hardy and Orange Cassidy. You’ve got the piss-take existing alongside the actual thing.

I don’t even think he needs to be in feuds just yet or anything. The show should just be meatier around him. I think a lot of the drop-off AEW is experiencing is because people get lured in by the potential for good, then are let down. It can be even more jarring if a show is all “what if” potential. Now they have the stars but don’t really know what to do with them.

But yeah, Tony crowing about how big a star he is instead of SHOWING people what a star he is doesn’t do anyone any favors.

YOOOOOOOO now Tony Khan is burying Ted Turner lol. This dude is spiraling.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’ve never met Ted Turner. It’s very possible Ted Turner is smarter than me, but he didn’t know 1% of what I know about professional wrestling or WCW would still be on TNT/TBS. <a href="https://twitter.com/AEW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AEW</a> is here to stay, watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEWRampage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEWRampage</a> LIVE tonight on TNT or WatchTNT app on your phone or any device <a href="https://t.co/eYLCzCiMiQ">https://t.co/eYLCzCiMiQ</a></p>&mdash; Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) <a href="https://twitter.com/TonyKhan/status/1449066298286264320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Muting people helps but a lot of the time their dumb shit gets quoted anyway.

Okay, it’s now crossed over to the point where this has to be shtick. He has to know why this is a ridiculous thing to say. I don’t see the benefit though. My guess is that he’s talked up a game so long, said some things that if taken seriously could bite him/AEW, so he’s doing a Jericho where he just masks this by pretending it’s an intentional work.

I guess it could be some misguided (in my opinion) marketing strategy to try and galvanize AEW fans into some sort of weird frenzy? Like, “We don’t give a fuck! Rah! Look at us! Push back reality!” Or he’s just actually cracking and having too many drinks before he posts.

I don’t understand why Tony Khan is front and center of all this promotion. He’s not an active on-air personality all the time, but he’s more Dixie than Carter at this point.

i take offense to this. i may not like what you like but i always try to engage in the highest resolution discussion thats available

Destor, if I can just throw this out...

I remember seeing you post something along the lines of “If you think Noid is a casual fan, you might be an idiot.” I agree 100%. But I also thought “There’s probably a better way to say that that would spark conversation. No one wants to converse with that.” And that’s not coming from a place of sensitivity. I think we should soften our words until someone tries to arrogantly make a bad point. THEN let’s call them a retard and match their negative energy.

no you right. i wad def noy trying to converse wirh guru daves sock

you right tho

Oh, I didn’t realze that was a direct knock on noid. Maybe it was warranted then. I don’t know.

You should be more active in the watch-along thread though. Even if you can’t make the live shows. This idea was born for your kind.

i can never manage to be free when its "live" but i love the era...i should try for next week

Oh after that awful post about from "Noid" about Destor that is quoted at the top of the last page I would have to say it was absolutely warranted. In fact Destors response was tame af in comparison.

Would love to have you there Destor. It's a really good time. Wish we'd have been doing this for years and that I would have joined in sooner. Probably the best time I've had at TPWW in my 2 decades here.

i dont even know what he meant by it. i think he has me confused with someone else

im going to try and be free next thursday night though


TRY its hard for me to garuntee anything

Not gonna lie, Destor has been my #1 "want" for our live watches.

It got what it deserved. Slide back on that iceberg, pal.

Destor and Gertner are the reasons to come to this board. No one else says anything worth hearing.

Noid. You’re not nearly as smart as you think you are. Either work on that or tone down the smugness. The combination is gross. You are gross.

Still working on a Triple A appearance. Seph got my hopes up last week. I have yet to forgive him.

Oh, the fucking irony.

i love you both. please make up

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/WWERomanReigns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WWERomanReigns</a> I heard your interview. Please send the address of this club you will throw me and my little brothers out of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEW</a> <a href="https://t.co/6QIO5337AI">pic.twitter.com/6QIO5337AI</a></p>&mdash; Junior Dos Santos ��️➕ (@junior_cigano) <a href="https://twitter.com/junior_cigano/status/1449516747317551104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

#fan’s fine with me.

Maybe he should go to the WWE and try and be a real star in professional wrestling?

LOL this dude JUST had his first match, yet he is already sticking up for his "AEW Brothers", the ones that his group's entire gimmick is to bash, basically saying exactly what Roman said! Fuck man, you cant make this shit up :rofl:

Still funny though! Big Roman is a star in the worst era of pro wrestling with no one else watching, and all it took was 6 years of consistent mega pushes (blame creative all you want, but the guy was completely unconvincing in any face role he was given)

He has one good heel run in a dormant era and acts like he is Stone Cold.

I don’t think AEW have a long term future with their insane boss thinking he can write shows and their midcard EVPs, but at least their show is fun and people seem to be enjoying themselves.

WWE is the worst. Between a lack of stars, totally played out characters, 50/50 booking, horrendous camera work and boring, boring TV, it’s basically unwatchable.

I like this post and also want to see it again so it gets a #POTY Post Of The Year nomination

I can deal with bad booking to a point. It's the horrendous camera work for me.

Watching AEW is refreshing [maybe the wrong word but fuck it] in that I don't have to see 47 cuts a minute because someone decides we need a zoom shot of every single move.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Last Friday's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEW</a> Rampage drew 578,000 total viewers, above 502K prior week. Smackdown drew 866,000 on FS1. AEW and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWE</a> tied in 18-49 demo (0.24), 18-34 male demo (0.20). AEW *beat* WWE in 18-49 male demo 0.34 to 0.32</p>&mdash; Pro Wrestling Torch (@PWTorch) <a href="https://twitter.com/PWTorch/status/1450195273246990338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 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">Just got quarters, will have more later, head-to-head even though WWE was commercial free with big guns which is a 20K advantage (0.015), it was 0.25 for Rampage and 0.22 for Smackdown.</p>&mdash; Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) <a href="https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON/status/1450212803642413056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 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">Punk vs. Becks was 0.28 to 0.21.</p>&mdash; Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) <a href="https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON/status/1450213297744084994?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 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">Ruby Soho vs. Bunny tied Roman &amp; Lesnar, both at 0.23.</p>&mdash; Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) <a href="https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON/status/1450213965070360576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 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">We're obtained a new key ratings detail on Friday: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEW</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rampage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rampage</a> beat <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWESmackdown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWESmackdown</a> in head-to-head 30 minutes in the most coveted 18-49 demo - 328,000 to 285,000. Rampage led with Punk match, Smackdown featured Becky-Sasha and Lesnar. More details here:<a href="https://t.co/5b4ch7vmLW">https://t.co/5b4ch7vmLW</a></p>&mdash; Pro Wrestling Torch (@PWTorch) <a href="https://twitter.com/PWTorch/status/1450206349250506752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Meltzer/Alvarez have become unhinged. WWE was on a station with 100k less viewers than standard Cable TNT. A station is different from cable.

Ratings don’t work that way in 2021. Way too many variables. The 18-49 demo used to be key to getting into people’s wallets, but women have become increasingly important consumers (considered more important than men in many cases), and technological advancements make focusing on individual demos through targeted aims more realistic, driving down the competitive ad rate.

The “key demo” is an archaic term. Your best bet to reach people 18-49 is not through cable, and they are not always in the same position as Gen Xers were when it comes to disposable income.

Never mind the ad revenue split AEW has with WarnerMedia, and they’d need to double WWE’s ratings to be half-way as profitable in a 1:1 interpretation of the ratings. But then you have to factor in AEW’s explicit content, WWE’s global brand reach and AEW, frankly, being revolting to women. They don’t have the selling power of the WWE, which is why ratings matter AT ALL.

Celebrating a 0.02 win in one specific demo is disingenuous at best. And if this were just about popularity, not their value to their networks, overall popularity would matter more and AEW fans shouldn’t be forgetting that this was TNT vs. Fox Sports 1. Somehow I don’t think Rampage next week is going to get compared to SmackDown on FOX.

They’ve got no credibility left. It’s fine to have opinions, but their takes don’t have any evidentiary basis. Meltzer has tried to spread the myth that Kenny Omega means more at the box office than Randy Orton. When and how has he even been on a show that has been watched by more than 1.5 million people? But there’s no shame attached to that statement.

I heard him calling The Young Bucks the greatest tag team of all-time the other day, because they don’t have “bad matches.” Lots of people think The Bucks’ style is horrid. They’ve never been draws. But no shame.

You can feel him doing the mental gymnastics as he tries to spin everything into a win for AEW. Just surviving the big mean WWE machine is a win for poor little grassroots AEW.

He hasn’t broken a news story in AGES. Sean Ross Sapp broke the recent AEaw signings. Meltz was chasing his tail in the aftermath saying “I heard there were two big names and two giant names.” Well why didn’t he report that then?

AEW treats him like a fan they want to make mark out. WWE guys are probably a little annoyed he disrespects their work to try and further a narrative to sell his newsletter. Just like The Young Bucks don’t understand what “killing the business” meant. It wasn’t talking about your business, but the potential others can do after you. Meltzer will chew up anything and everything to monetise the shrinking number of hardcore fans there are out there.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A wrestling show beating WWE head to head on cable has not happened since 1998. It's a huge deal. <a href="https://twitter.com/WrestlingInc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WrestlingInc</a></p>&mdash; Raj Giri (@RajGiri_303) <a href="https://twitter.com/RajGiri_303/status/1450216671285682179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 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">All I’ll say is that the numbers news is a HOT topic right now backstage.</p>&mdash; WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) <a href="https://twitter.com/WrestleVotes/status/1450217038354522113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 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">Here’s a story nobody leaked to you over the weekend but I’ll give you rn, dog: <a href="https://twitter.com/AEW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AEW</a> got a big victory over WWE after WWE aggressively extended their Friday show 30 minutes &amp; loaded it up head-to-head 10-10:30pm vs <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEWRampage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEWRampage</a>, with AEW Rampage winning 328k to 285k (+15% margin).</p>&mdash; Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) <a href="https://twitter.com/TonyKhan/status/1450211491580420104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Meltzer talking about “big guns” on Fox Sports 1, lol. Watch Dynamite move to Boomerang and see how it does.

AEW did not beat SmackDown, guys. SmackDown got 900k viewers. AEW got 600k. Fox Sports 1 vs. TNT. Advertisers do not care about head-to-head single >40 male demos. The race between Axe Body Spray and Domino’s Pizza is not going to put Vince McMahon out of business.

Is Tony Khan seriously bragging about getting 328k viewers lol? This dude is worse at Twitter than Trump was :rofl:

So far from what I have seen, TNA was putting on a better show than AEW is now back in 2005-2008ish..... but it didn't have the same "perfect storm" of events surrounding it that AEW has had... where it has become "cool" to hate on WWE and love the ragtag alternative.... and not just from the hardcore fan point of view but from the wrestling "journalists" and "IWC".... it has become like a "self-fulfilling prophecy".

Which I personally don't really have much of an issue with... the "journalists" gotta go with and cater to the population who is going to give them money... and the fans are rightfully hungry for an alternative right now.... but AEW is having success very much because of the environment it was born in and the sheer willpower of people WANTING it to happen than them actually being a significantly better product.... as I said, TNA cerca 2005-2008 was a better show than AEW is right now but didn't get credit because it wasn't really the "cool thing" to really hate WWE yet. For some portion of the hardcore fans sure, but nowhere near the amount today.

Very well said.

And while AEW has become a better show, they have become more insufferable as well. I just laughed that Tony Khan is using 328,000 viewers as some amazing stat to brag about. There is nothing they do as a company/brand outside of the 3 hours of television that is good in anyway. Cody found a stray dog like 2 years ago, and I cant remember a single thing since then that has been positive.

Its just whining "oh why us" and "its not fair" and bragging about nothing. They just arent likable people, even if their wrestling characters can be entertaining.

I am putting SD and Rampage ratings in a match as tag team partners, can they coexist!?

Imagine how insufferable the Attitude Era would have been if everyone talked about the Demos back then?

"Well, Raw beat Nitro's rating, but Nitro won the 18-34 Christian's who masturbate on odd days Demo."

LOL right!

At least back then cable was a growing industry and wrestling was at the forefront of it as a primary entertainment medium. There was also the real chance that one could genuinely go belly-up. There was actual tension there with WCW acquiring legitimately giant stars and Vince needing to create his own.

This is like the Monday Night Wars if only both shows failed to gain any traction in 1998.

Very salient post. And look — I totally get the anti-WWE stuff. I’ve been there. And that’s part of the work. If you can make people think you’re some cool alternative when you’re not — you’re doing *something* right there.

I get stroppy because people actually fall for the work and get upset when it is pointed out, haha. I don’t think AEW is an appreciably good show. I do not think it is appreciably better than even WWE. If you think so, cool. But there is so much underwhelming about it that I do still think it is going to hurt long-term. People are going to think this is the best that can be done.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shut up and wrestle.<br><br>I have a few things to get off my chest today on <a href="https://twitter.com/83Weeks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@83Weeks</a>. Catch it now over at <a href="https://t.co/NGhpdGVUFd">https://t.co/NGhpdGVUFd</a> <a href="https://t.co/8cBuUfvhCL">pic.twitter.com/8cBuUfvhCL</a></p>&mdash; Eric Bischoff (@EBischoff) <a href="https://twitter.com/EBischoff/status/1450110046734626820?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

And more that I think about it, the Demo thing is dumber. It is the 18-34 male demographic. Like they are proud of catering to a bunch of dudes who look like them. And they are doing slightly better in that little speck of the viewing population. You know what they AREN'T talking about? How many women are watching the show. That Demo is a massacre, in favor of WWE.

And again, it isn't like WWE was on Fox. They were on a station with viewer eyeballs on it than TNT. And WWE still got more eyeballs on them than AEW.

Sage words.

its a high profit demo. or was. better than 60+ for instance

and i agree gloating about beating them on fs1 is bushleague and only hypes your, heavily bias, base. its like if doanld trump ran a wrestling show.

I've wondered about that 18-34 demo. I remember hearing what t was more valuable than the older demo was because the older demo is more set in their ways and not as easily influenced but is that the case now? The older demo grew up when pop culture was starting to impact society. People age differently nowadays.

young people will always be easier to influence. you dont know what you like until youve lived and taken chances. i dont think thats generational HOWEVER if you convert a customer in their 20s you might be getting 60 years of business. you convert an 80 year old... well its not as lucrative to say the least.

Don't wanna quote Lock Jaw's long post, but TNA was really good from 2005-2008. Maybe even to 2009 - right before Hogan came into play.

Semi-related: I liked that not every match was a bunch of flippy stuff since they had the X Division. I think rasslin is well past separating flippy stuff from other stuff now though.

At this point the demos have basically become the participation trophies of ratings. But they are also accurate, so I get it.

Ignore the fact that we lost every other category and the overall guys because we won this one little segment! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WWE is a trainwreck of a company.

I actually like AEW for what it is btw. But the way they, and by they I mean mostly Tony Khan, are so full of themselves is kinda off putting in a weird way. He sounds less like the guy in charge and more like a teenage mark every day.

Lots of really good posts here, to be honest. It’s refreshing, because I expected a lot of chest-thumping for AEW. It really is silly.

With the demos, you can tell the reporting is biased because AEW getting killed in women, which is important, is completely brushed over. Vastardikai pointed that out.

It’s great if you can get 18 year old influencers on-board with your content. But do we even have evidence of this? The average age of the AEW fan is something like 47, isn’t it? Plus, I’m fairly certain that when it comes to people with disposable income, the balance has changed since the period where 18-49 men ruled the day. It’s not COMPLETELY different, or different in all cases. But the zeroing in on this demo just suits the story.

If AEW were doing better in viewership, that would be the story. Guaranteed.

Apparently the first and third largest markets in the US weren’t counted for WWE either.

lol I think Cornette referred to Tony Khan as a Millionaire Mark and he was not wrong.

Khan is definitely a mark, and whilst I get bored of talk of ratings or demos or whatever, I definitely appreciate the boundless enthusiasm. I’d be the same way if I had access to deep pockets and could run my own promotion.

We have been telling you for the longest time that most people here have balanaced opinions on AEW.

This. I wonder if Khan had a vivacious EWR discussion group when he was younger. :lol:

He's playing to his base and trying to drum up enthusiasm for the "alternative brand". I get it. It's all peacocking and smoke and mirrors. He's also trying to come off as "one of us" despite being a 2nd generation billionaire. He is clearly a socially awkward guy based off the post-PPV media scrums. I thought he was going to lick CM Punk's penis in front of Dave Meltzer.

At the end of the day though I find their overall show more entertaining than WWE. That's all that matters to me. AEW has me considering paying $50 for a PPV and I haven't done that since WrestleMania XXVIII.

This is all it is, really. I've bought 3 of their PPV's at that price. The last time I paid for a WWE PPV was probably the mania before everything went to the network.

I wish Tony would stop talking about WWE. It doesn't make anything better in any way. I don't really care about demos in ratings personally. Claiming a victory while still losing in total viewers seems really petty to me.

AEW definitely is better since Tony took over booking completely but I don't need to have the curtain raised on everything that happens backstage. I prefer a little more kayfabe than say having shoot interviews at a press conference after a big show or ppv.

WWE also has a decades long history, so it makes sense that they would have a lot of "die hard" older fans who have been watching for a long time

Sorry, I disagree with that. Something has changed. It’s hard to put a finger on it, but I think the general disappointment after the hype Punk and Danielson brought, or being unable to capitalize on All Out has altered people’s perception. Even if you don’t see through the entire product, per se, more people just haven’t been tickled in a sustained way after these biggish moments, and they realize that.

It could just be timing and the product cooling. Their ratings have reflected a more widespread malaise with the product. Dynamite has been cooling off from 1.2 million to 1 million, Rampage down from 1 million to 500k, etc. People have been effected by the product somehow.

And that’s fair enough. It really is. If you feel great spending $150 on this stuff, then I’m glad you’ve gotten the chance to do that. I can’t say the same thing though, and the reason I think it is relevant is because I think for everybody who is stoked to spend $150 on AEW, there are people who would rather not even get paid that amount of money to watch it.

It’s not a sure-fire hit — it’s hit-and-miss.

Imagine how much cooler Tony would look if instead of getting overly excited about specific demos, he took a way more laid-back approach and was like “Hey, it’s cool people look for patterns and stuff. I’m always trying to be better though. I’d love to get more older people watching, earn the respect of more entrenched fans, make believers out of children and really endear ourselves to women. Most of all, I want the people who check us out one week come back the next.”

Like, there’s a way of appearing humble and not pissing on every fan you don’t get.

Tony being a mark is definitely kinda lame but it's double edged sword. Because he is the mark that he is, we get a very fan friendly product that pleases the fan base big time. Sure there are nit picky things we can critique but overall I really enjoy AEW, especially since he began booking and they brought the show back on tour with fans.

I give him some grace because he has no experience with booking but with that said he's been doing a great job.

My biggest critique for AEW is not the booking but the lack of care taken by the agents to prevent spots being repeated throughout a show. Too many guys wrestling like The Bucks essentially. Too many dive spots, leg slaps and super kicks. I would appreciate some care taken to not repeat certain moves in more than one match. That's probably my biggest pet peeve on AEW.

I also really don't like dive spots that don't look painful. When the diver barely touches the guy/guys on the ground and yet the sell it like getting hit by a brick that really makes me roll my eyes.

This is definitely a fair point. It's especially bad when somebody does, say, a throwaway table spot early in the show that is meant to be a major part of the finish to the main.

I realize that most/all matches on Dynamite have their own agent, they usually only have about 5 matches per show so it's good to have an agent dedicated to each match instead of spreading themselves thin. But some sort of pre-show meeting amongst the agents and Tony/Cody or whoever where they can lay out a few key spots to reserve for one match would help tidy things up a bit.

Tony Khan is definitely still playing EWR.