Wrestling Thread
- Thread starter Laparkafan
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Ya I know ppl do those dress up things but dang she was spot on for real except maybe a tad shorter
Truly, he’s my least favorite person in wrestling.
Apparently WWE was over the moon with the Brunson segment.
Obviously it went over great in the arena, but I wonder how the segment played out at home for people who aren’t Knicks/Brunson fans. Especially people who don’t watch the NBA.
Obviously it went over great in the arena, but I wonder how the segment played out at home for people who aren’t Knicks/Brunson fans. Especially people who don’t watch the NBA.
You gotta try pretty hard to turn that last segment into a negative for WWE. It was for MSG weeks after the Knicks won and their MVP is a huge WWE fan. Like it or not, WWE is a business and one of their goals is to continue to grow and continue to stay mainstream. They've loved celeb involvement since the 80s so let's not pretend this is something that began with TKO. Those first few Mania's were littered with celebs and the Austin Era begin with the help of Mike Tyson. Alvarez didn't like it because it's his job to watch every second of every show every week so he saw it as a waste of time...while also admitting it worked in the arena with the 15,000 fans. So it worked...but he's saying it sucked. I don't know why he brought AEW up either. They've never been in MSG and they've already tried bringing in celebs as well.
It's. A. Business. Before the WC happened, Reigns and Brunson were front and center on ESPN's app. Please Alvarez, I'm begging you to tell Triple H and TKO how that's a horrible look for business lol. Please.
It's. A. Business. Before the WC happened, Reigns and Brunson were front and center on ESPN's app. Please Alvarez, I'm begging you to tell Triple H and TKO how that's a horrible look for business lol. Please.
Dragon when Alvarez criticizes wwe “he’s spot on wwe sucks”
Dragon when Alvarez criticizes AEW “he’s a clown he’s full of it he’s an idiot…”
I never said he was spot on or sucked. I’m just wondering how it went over with people who don’t care about the Knicks, the NBA, or Brunson. It was an effective spot if the intent of it was to get on ESPN. As with any celebrity involvement spot in anything, I question what it accomplishes in selling tickets and getting people to watch the shows though.Dragon when Alvarez criticizes wwe “he’s spot on wwe sucks”
Dragon when Alvarez criticizes AEW “he’s a clown he’s full of it he’s an idiot…”
Like who decided to watch AEW on a regular or semi-regular basis or buy a ticket because Giannis appeared on it one week a few years ago, for example? How many fans of the Costco Guys decided to buy a ticket or start watching AEw because they wrestled/appeared on a PPV preshow? How many people kept watching or buying tickets to AEW because Shaq had a match?
For the record, WWE distributed barely 1K more for SNME with all that Knicks involvement than AEW did for Double or Nothing in New York. They also did 2500 less than they did for an episode of Raw on March 30 which likely had zero Knicks involvement since that would have taken place on the day between two western conference road games.
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The only problem with this level of celebrity involvement is that it’s booking for the people in the arena instead of the people at home. Basically, it’s house show style booking.
Isn’t AJ on an employee contract there now? Why is he going on a podcast criticizing the creative like this?
You’re really good at stretching these arguments - comparing essentially a house show on peacock that’s a cheap sub requirement to an AEW top tier ppv that costs 50 bucks is def a choice.
I am just catching up with this thread and really enjoy this comparison.
I was going to respond something similar where WWE is an established pop act with a 12 album discography signed to a major label playing arenas and stadiums, where AEW is a metal band on an indie label with a loyal following who has released two albums and plays dive bars and theaters. I’d rather watch the metal show, but that doesn’t mean the people who go to the pop concert are morons. It’s just two entirely different genres or styles of music, like WWE and AEW are two different styles of wrestling.
AEW will never top WWE in terms of market share, but its existence is vital for those of us who don’t like the direction WWE is going under TKO, both on and off camera.
The wrestling monopoly years saw some of the laziest, uninspiring and worst big-budget televised pro wrestling ever created. All wrestling fans should want AEW to thrive if not for anything other than to keep WWE somewhat honest so it doesn’t get to 2018-19 levels of unwatchable.
And WWE’s SummerSlam attendance woes should be at least at little alarming. It would be like Taylor Swift giving out free and reduced tickets to a stadium show to mask lack of tickets sold at regular price. “Papering” (free local tickets) is a practice WWE always used to make their crowds look better when an even doesn’t sell as anticipated. I love it for TKO that papering has returned. I hope soon they have to paper 50% of the audience because the greed has bitten their asses.
And don’t look now, but AEW is starting to fill their small venues with regularity while the great tarp monster keeps showing up at WWE events in large venues not named MSG.
Here's a wild coincidence: The two wrestlers who ended AJ Styles' run in his two biggest promotions are now facing each other at SummerSlam.
Nick Aldis (then Magnus) defeated AJ Styles in his final TNA match.
Gunther retired AJ Styles in WWE.
Now those two are facing each other at SummerSlam.
Wrestling has a funny way of coming full circle.
Nick Aldis (then Magnus) defeated AJ Styles in his final TNA match.
Gunther retired AJ Styles in WWE.
Now those two are facing each other at SummerSlam.
Wrestling has a funny way of coming full circle.
It's a SNME in a WWE "home" with a franchise the city adores, a championship they just won, a character who 'cursed' the other teams they played and it 'worked', and two starters on that championship team who wanted to participant in the proceedings. You're damn right they're gonna book that for that crowd and that arena lol. What company wouldn't? I said in the Beshear/Mitch thread where Beshear went after Mitch for getting all that money after retiring that it was an easy PR win for Beshear. WWE doing a Knicks "one for you guys" celebration in MSG is an easy PR win for WWE. I get what Alvarez is saying but any company would do the same, esp. if starters on that team want to be involved.
WWE is in with ESPN, meaning you'll occasionally see sports stars on the show. WWE doesn't want to be this tiny venue, niche, almost indie thing. It wants to be what it was in the 80s and late 90s - a mainstream giant.
They are concerned which is why some tickets are now $25 and thousands have now moved. Go figure - if you're not trying to price fans out, tickets move. I get your overall frustration with TKO but I think you hate TKO more than you love AEW. I said similar about some UofL fans who would post more about their hatred for UK than their love for Louisville on their boards.
On AEW, filling small venues is fine but it's not something anyone should brag about. Again, it's 2500-3000 fans at these shows. It's not something I'm going to crush but it's not that impressive. If AEW went back to larger venues, they too would need to move cameras around and paper off entire sections. As you celebrate All In in Wembley, remember that lol. You're mocking WWE for something AEW has to do every year because they believe they have the crowd for their version of WrestleMania when they don't. It's still big, it's still impressive. But Wembley is still going to be what, 60% empty?
And the Swift comparison isn't a great one. She sold out stadiums all over the world instantly. Even during Cody's chase/The Rock's return, they couldn't do anything like that. On a 1-10 hot scale, Swift and her Eras thing was at a 12, WWE probably a 7.5-8.
I solved the Brunson thing the same way I solve all WWE stories involving celebrities. I didn't even consider watching it.
It can be both. I hate TKO more than almost anything. But I have legitimately been enjoying AEW for the better part of the last year and look forward to their TV every week, even if I don’t love every segment, every performer or every match.
AEW still does some indie-riffic stuff I don’t like at times (hitting every move on earth and always kicking out at 2), Omega with a mic is nails on a chalkboard to my ears, and the Bucks are still instant fast forward for me in any scenario. But I am invested in Ospreay winning his first world title, and have generally been enjoying the bell-to-bell and the product feels fresher to me while this bloodline redux has NWO gold vibes to me.
The Swift comparison was a hypothetical centered around an IF.
IF the No. 1 pop star in the world (WWE No. 1 wrestling company by miles) had to give away tickets to her stadium shows due to widespread fan backlash and/or apathy and/or feeling gouged, it should be cause for alarm for her team.
WWE having to heavily paper their second biggest show of the year less than 2 years removed from a time they jam packed every venue, should be at least mildly concerning. But instead of fixing the issues, they’ll just cut costs (workers) and raise prices like any other good venture capitalist.
There’s a clear fan disconnect somewhere. I know I am not the only one who stopped supporting them in April 2026 after a sorry *** Mania, massive talent cuts while bean counters get paid more than NFL players, and booking that’s just downright bad at worst and predictable at best.
I am not celebrating AEW’s attendance. Just noting it’s consistent now and growing slightly. As much as I liked to jokingly rag on Dragon in the last for being on AEW’s payroll, you seem to take issue with recent WWE criticism in a similar manner.
All metrics other than “world record gates” aka fleecing their fans would show WWE is cooling and has alienated a portion of their audience with their on and off camera decisions. The product isn’t very good right now, but if I say that the booker is like “relax, guy, it’s all silly fun!”
For those who don’t think I ever criticize AEW, here is my thread of current dislikes.
1. I’ve been tired of The Death Riders for about 18 months now and still am. They should have turned on Mox last year. Now they are heels about 75% of the time and face with Ospreay the rest of the time. Don’t like that.
2. Don’t like that the best wrestler in the world needs help from a group to get even better. No one wants to see Ospreay bust out submission moves. He’s amazing. Let him be amazing on his own and forget about a random armbar
3. I don’t like the timing of this current PPV at all. Everyone knows Kenny is going to win. Why waste a match and give a possibility of injury to Kenny or Ospreay? Next month is all anyone cares about, at least for me. I’m considering not getting the PPV and that would only be the second one I’ve ever missed.
4. Toni, Mercedes and Thekla are awesome, but I hate that none of the other women have stepped up to be on their level. I guess Willow is closest, but she just isn’t there for me yet.
Other than those things, I’m pretty happy with AEW recently.
1. I’ve been tired of The Death Riders for about 18 months now and still am. They should have turned on Mox last year. Now they are heels about 75% of the time and face with Ospreay the rest of the time. Don’t like that.
2. Don’t like that the best wrestler in the world needs help from a group to get even better. No one wants to see Ospreay bust out submission moves. He’s amazing. Let him be amazing on his own and forget about a random armbar
3. I don’t like the timing of this current PPV at all. Everyone knows Kenny is going to win. Why waste a match and give a possibility of injury to Kenny or Ospreay? Next month is all anyone cares about, at least for me. I’m considering not getting the PPV and that would only be the second one I’ve ever missed.
4. Toni, Mercedes and Thekla are awesome, but I hate that none of the other women have stepped up to be on their level. I guess Willow is closest, but she just isn’t there for me yet.
Other than those things, I’m pretty happy with AEW recently.
Omega needs to just sell the diverticulitis for a bit, spam the triggers, OWA and go home. No need to risk anything with the big passing of the torch coming soon.
Same thing for Ospreay.
I agree with most of what you said.
Im just big on wrestling fans enjoying what they like. I’m not big into NWA or TNA these days, but if someone likes those promotions I think it’s pretty cool. WWE hasnt been my thing for a while, much further back than 2026 (2017 was when I stopped watching regularly). I don’t hate WWE though — I just don’t like their brand of pro wrestling, personally. There’s nothing wrong with it — it isn’t for me. Same thing for my comparison of Nickelback to Dream Theater. There’s nothing wrong with Nickelback. I even like about 3-4 songs. Can I listen to them regularly? No. Can I listen to a full album? No. It isn’t that there’s anything wrong with Nickelback — it just isn’t for me. If someone likes Nickelback, cool. I’ll show them one or two songs I like. My friends that like WWE? I share the stuff with them I like. Simple as that.
It’s weird b/c with Rhea and Steph being out no one on WWE’s women roster has really stepped up either - they hang their hat on Rhea/Steph/Liv and don’t vary from that formula (obv gave tiff/jade a shot but gave up on it)