Wrestling Thread

[GeraldV]

Dragon is the one that said they shouldn’t have signed him - it’s hand a 40 year old the belt and put him in purgatory.

Where’s lashley? Shelton? Edge? Christian? Jericho?

Sigh. The same place rusev, and Hobbes, and the MCMGs, and all the luchidors other than penta are in WWE right now.

i still don’t get your point about him. He won a belt, has the best entrance in the company, was the last person introduced after FTR, Briscoe and the Bucks in the main event last week, got the win and killed briscoe after and like I said, was made to look like a million bucks. So he’s not in the main PPV…he’s going to be feeding with ricochet for another belt in the next month.

 

[Laparkafan]

Sigh. The same place rusev, and Hobbes, and the MCMGs, and all the luchidors other than penta are in WWE right now.

i still don’t get your point about him. He won a belt, has the best entrance in the company, was the last person introduced after FTR, Briscoe and the Bucks in the main event last week, got the win and killed briscoe after and like I said, was made to look like a million bucks. So he’s not in the main PPV…he’s going to be feeding with ricochet for another belt in the next month.

Rusev is his own worst enemy he refused to job in AEW and was cold as ice - Wwe tried giving him a push but the crowd didn’t engage him like the rusev day gimmick so he did that to himself

I don’t disagree about mcmg bc of the mft/w6 feud basically ruined the tag division but if they had gone to AEW would they be better off? It’s clear FTR were getting the belts eventually and prior to that it was Hurt Syndicate and the Bucks.

 

[Laparkafan]

Danhsusen curse doesn’t work in Mexico?

 

[Nightwish]

Rusev looks like a million bucks but is 40 and the 'bad guy from foreign land' thing doesn't work anymore. I agree with a streamer who once said that Rusev and Sheamus are friends and neighbors in Nashville and should just be a tag team. Yeah it's a couple older "brutes" but I think that would connect with an audience and creative can let them carry tag titles off and on until they retire. Rusev was brought back as a hand, that's it. Doesn't mean he's not cold right now which is why I love the idea with Sheamus.

 

[Laparkafan]

Rusev looks like a million bucks but is 40 and the 'bad guy from foreign land' thing doesn't work anymore. I agree with a streamer who once said that Rusev and Sheamus are friends and neighbors in Nashville and should just be a tag team. Yeah it's a couple older "brutes" but I think that would connect with an audience and creative can let them carry tag titles off and on until they retire. Rusev was brought back as a hand, that's it. Doesn't mean he's not cold right now which is why I love the idea with Sheamus.

Didn’t Sheamus do that with someone and it worked pretty well? Pete Dunne?

 

[Nightwish]

Didn’t Sheamus do that with someone and it worked pretty well? Pete Dunne?

I think but the overall gimmicked group sucked. Vince is an idiot who thought if you're Irish/Scottish/English it means you're either Braveheart or a drunk in 1912 who lives in a pub surrounded by barrels. They can just be a couple dudes who love beating the crap out of people and Sheamus can get Rusev over with crowds.

 

[Laparkafan]

Dave must have spent too much time at Dynamite Wednesday

 

[Laparkafan]

 

[Laparkafan]

 

[American Dragon]

So Ciampa already been demoted to mid card good hand on the pre show - hope the check is good!

He was never more than midcard from the second he debuted, which is better than he ever was on the WWE main roster. What titles did he ever hold on the WWE main roster? Two tag titles in a company that doesn't care about tag team wrestling. What was his best singles win on the main roster? AJ Styles like 4 years ago. Next best is like Mia and Finn Balor when they were glorified jobber status because they were losing nearly every single match.

 

[American Dragon]

Yup I agree social media and iwc has created tribalism -back in the wwf/wcw wars everyone watched both and we talked “in person” about how much fun both shows were. Social media thrives on division because it creates clicks and etc.

WCW vs. WWF was a tribalist war from the second I started watching wrestling in the 90s. The companies themselves were doing it and encouraging it from day one of my wrestling viewing experience.

 

[Laparkafan]

WCW vs. WWF was a tribalist war from the second I started watching wrestling in the 90s. The companies themselves were doing it and encouraging it from day one of my wrestling viewing experience.

Nah man I never saw this tribalism you spoke of - all my friends just enjoyed all 3 products (wwf/wcw/ecw) b/c Austin/rock/nwo were entertaining and cool - guys like Meltzer and forums like Reddit have made it so much worse with obsession over 5 star ratings and whatever else they want to prove one product is better.

 

[Laparkafan]

Anyways the aew show is a sellout so that’s good - what it like 12k?

 

[GeraldV]

The Outrunners and Dalton Castle have action figures on the way!

 

[Laparkafan]

 

[GeraldV]

HBO Max is pooping the bed tonight. Zero hour didn’t work. Main show has screwed up sound. Sound is not synched at all. The announcers are at least a couple seconds behind the action.

 

[Laparkafan]

 

[billCgmx_]

I've watched AEW fans only **** all over Rousey in the past.

So this should be fun!

 

[GeraldV]

I've watched AEW fans only **** all over Rousey in the past.

So this should be fun!

I doubt you will find many aew fans who are excited about Rousey.

 

[Laparkafan]

I doubt you will find many aew fans who are excited about Rousey.

Unless they are doing tag team I don’t get it - rousey and shafir are the same wrestler basically

 

[GeraldV]

Unless they are doing tag team I don’t get it - rousey and shafir are the same wrestler basically

And they have really pushed Shaffir these last six months or so. I don’t get it either.

 

[Nightwish]

We're in the 'we're going to do whatever it takes to boost ratings and get mainstream appeal' phase of AEW's existence, esp. since the Paramount deal will likely go through next year. Meltzer and others can hype the shows and roster up as much as they want but ratings are more or less the same and the audience hasn't grown. I know some are okay with that but if you're TK, don't you want Dynamite with 5,000, 6,000, 7,000 in attendance? I mean, at some point?

Rousey has flaws and will go scorched earth if she doesn't get her way but she's the only needle mover AEW has so it is what it is. Maybe now fans understand both companies have the same goals in mind and are going to do whatever it takes to reach them. One company isn't morally superior over the other, which has been a dumb talking point for years. It's like Louisville fans calling UK fans rednecks as if the city of Louisville is Beverly Hills or something.

 

[American Dragon]

HBO Max is pooping the bed tonight. Zero hour didn’t work. Main show has screwed up sound. Sound is not synched at all. The announcers are at least a couple seconds behind the action.

Fightful said it was apparently a problem limited to Apple devices and HBO Max only. I never had any problems with MyAEW on my Apple TV, thankfully.

 

[American Dragon]

We're in the 'we're going to do whatever it takes to boost ratings and get mainstream appeal' phase of AEW's existence, esp. since the Paramount deal will likely go through next year. Meltzer and others can hype the shows and roster up as much as they want but ratings are more or less the same and the audience hasn't grown. I know some are okay with that but if you're TK, don't you want Dynamite with 5,000, 6,000, 7,000 in attendance? I mean, at some point?

You’re always good for a hearty laugh here and there.

 

[American Dragon]

 

[American Dragon]

Not a fan of Rousey in AEW because of her stuff outside the ring. And boy do all the people I follow on social media wrestling not like it either, and they spared no words in expressing their displeasure.

 

[MegaBlue05]

I watched most of Revolution last night on the trusty pirate stream. Good show. Ran a little long for my liking. For the folks who have to get up and go to work Monday morning, can we not end the damn thing before midnight?

As usual AEW delivered on the wrestling aspect, but if being honest, they could’ve cut a couple matches from the card.

I didn’t like Rousey in WWE, and if she thinks WWE fans weren’t nice, she’s in for a rude awakening from AEW fans.

As Mania approaches, I am just not feeling what WWE is selling me. For all the good storytelling they did from 2021-24, 2025 and 2026 have been stale, predictable and boring. The best description I can come up with is “safe.”

I am at the point where I am watching Dynamite, and reading results for Raw, Smackdown and Collision and going back to watch anything I find interesting. Three hour Smackdowns feel like work, just like three hour RAW did for all those years. Being able to fast forward the commercials and all the “earlier tonight” and “moments ago” rehashes is the only way it’s remotely watchable.

 

[American Dragon]

Catching up on news from the post show presser. Doesn’t sound like Rousey is actually signed, just made an appearance because TK said she is always welcome. Not typically how you would phrase that for someone who you just signed, especially someone of Rousey’s notoriety.

 

[American Dragon]

Happy 3:16 Day, and that’s the bottom line because I said so.

 

[Laparkafan]

Rousey should probably stay off social media.

How much talent has TK signed this year? It’s crazy unless you got a bunch on the way out it’s a bloated roster.

Don Callis family had 14 people?

 

[GeraldV]

Rousey should probably stay off social media.

How much talent has TK signed this year? It’s crazy unless you got a bunch on the way out it’s a bloated roster.

Don Callis family had 14 people?

I think Callis is putting together a 53 man roster like an NFL team.

Oh have to mention, everyone needs to find the clip of Ospreay’s return last night. That corkscrew-y floppy kick off the ropes to both guys was one of the just plain ole coolest looking spots ever.

 

[American Dragon]

Apparently the Ronda vs. Gina Carano fight in May has already sold 12K tickets so if she can draw like that still then I can’t blame TK if she is brought in for something else.

 

[American Dragon]

I love how when AEW decides to go extreme extreme that they basically channel New French Extremity horror and 2000’s extreme J-Horror

 

[GeraldV]

I love how when AEW decides to go extreme extreme that they basically channel New French Extremity horror and 2000’s extreme J-Horror

I am so old that I don’t understand any of the words in that sentence, lol.

 

[Nightwish]

I do! I love Martyrs and Inside.

I saw the move Ospreay did. Besides positioning himself a bit too long (which is what all these guys do so it's whatever) some were pearl-clutching because it's a high risk move and he just got back. It's like, c'mon. I know there's been a lot of close calls in AEW but if you're going to whine that a high flyer is doing a high flying move, maybe just watch amateur mat wrestling or something. I don't recall anyone parenting JD McDonagh after he got back from that awful table spot injury.

 

[American Dragon]

I do! I love Martyrs and Inside.

Those are two good ones

 

[Nightwish]

Someone on X said that Ricochet's acting hasn't improved and he responded to that person by saying he's glad they've got MS.

Something something generational heel work. Something something all the cancer is gone from the company. Yeah.

He and Samantha are two I don't get. Neither were held down by WWE but both claimed they were. Rico leaves and becomes this 'proud to be' prick on social media including straight up arguing with fans and Samantha was talking up this music career that WWE stopped her from having and she's barely released anything.

 

[American Dragon]

Someone on X said that Ricochet's acting hasn't improved and he responded to that person by saying he's glad they've got MS.

Something something generational heel work. Something something all the cancer is gone from the company. Yeah.

He and Samantha are two I don't get. Neither were held down by WWE but both claimed they were. Rico leaves and becomes this 'proud to be' prick on social media including straight up arguing with fans and Samantha was talking up this music career that WWE stopped her from having and she's barely released anything.

She wanted to do more than just ring announcing in WWE and they didn't want her to do anything more than that.

 

[American Dragon]

I am so old that I don’t understand any of the words in that sentence, lol.

New French Extremity is a late 20th/early 21st century subgenre of horror films. Meanwhile 2000's extreme J-Horror was the Japanese version. They are movies that are pretty frequently banned for their extreme graphic content and can often be found on "most disturbing movies" lists.

 

[American Dragon]

I will say that was quite the statement making PPV for AEW last night.

Arguably the best overall PPV AEW has had. In my opinion the best overall at least in terms of match quality.

Cope and Cage return, setting up what I assume will be them ebating FTR for the tag titles at Dynasty in Canada. And then teasing them vs. The Young Bucks. And perhaps all three teams together in a TLC match? It's basically tag team dream match territory.

Ronda Rousey, controversy aside, is a big deal. I assume she'll do no real physicality until after her fight with Gina Carano in May, but her vs. Toni Storm at All In is a money match on paper.

Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega back (though he wasn't out long mind you), those names speak for themselves at this point.

Mistico officially signed to AEW on a dual contract could be massive for AEW's growth in Mexico as he is one of the biggest stars in all of lucha libre history.

Hangman took the L and can't compete for the title. Will it end up being a good decision? Maybe, maybe not, but it's a pretty big statement to have one of your most popular baby faces lose with that on the line.

Divine Dominion beat the Babes of Wrath is what was a glorified squash.