AEW vs NXT

General
21

That is something that I expected, production wrinkles, throws to and from commercial, pacing of matches…It’s not like they have a performance center and 5 years of history to figure that stuff out. So the fact it came off as well as it did was good.

I’m going to try and make this point on the Cafe later today…WWE is a billion dollar TV Content Production Company. AEW is a Wrestling Company. There are aspects of WWE that AEW will NEVER come close to touching. That said, if AEW can produce a modern looking wrestling show that features great in-ring and people give it a chance long enough for them to get into story telling, it’s playing a different game than WWE

1 Like
22

I mean I’ll give you Schiavonne but Ross is 100% a WWE guy.

23

So you can’t explain the difference. Cool.

24

“Schiavone was in WWE one year, the rest with NWA/WCW. Ross also spent years in WCW…so yeah not WWE guys at all.” - except they are WWE guys because they did work for WWE, Ross was head of talent for a while. And since WWE bought WCW all of the latter shows and clips are now shown by, and incorporated by (including the stories) WWE.

I was never a fan of WCW and did not watch WWE during that era. To me (especially as WWE absorbed WCW) it is all one scene, one era now long gone.

And it should stay gone.

25

So explain how Schiavone is a WWE guy.

26

Except for the six years in WCW and all the years in Mid-South before…

27

“So explain how Schiavone is a WWE guy.”

  • He worked for WWE.
  • The majority of his well known on-screen time is owned by WWE, shown by WWE, incorporated by WWE.

He’s been WWE-ified.

And my critique of the old buys applies to WCW as well. Would you have objected less if I initially wrote that I hope that AEW moves away from WWE/WCW?

28

ok, the match isn’t the same move on repeat over and over with all the same spots. it is typically longer than 5 min, has better transitions, fewer rest holds, doesn’t have an awful finish…seriously did I need to spell it out? Main roster has been a bit better lately using the former 205 guys as jobbers but typically it isn’t great.

29

WCW was a completely different brand that had millions of fans. Why not bring in a guy that all those people that walked away when Vince brought his circus to town.

Tony isn’t WWE-ified at all. Ridiculous.

30

And so that “style” wasn’t on display during AEW? Dude, the in-ring difference is miniscule. NXT just blew their load last night, their in-ring isn’t a difference maker. If it was they would be in bigger arenas, but they have zero real stars on the brand right now.

31

So when you think Jim Ross the first thing that comes to mind are his calls in WCW? Not the 20+ years on national TV with WWE?

32

He hasn’t been on WWE TV regularly for like seven years, so not really. There is so much product nowadays from WWE that it gets forgotten very quickly. It’s disposable

33

Hard to make huge stars before anyone has really seen them. They also likely could be in bigger arenas the fullsail, (not AEW level though). AEW had way more botches in almost every match and generally worse flow in a lot of matches. The difference last night was not that small, I’ve already said I’m not sure it can be maintained week to week and AEW came across as a more typical episode of their show, then an all out push.

34

One could not appreciate one of the shows without seeing the other.

While I was watching AEW I was thinking “I’t’s OK, nothing offensive and nothing really, really special, easy to watch for a first show, maybe a bit confusing in some parts, maybe even a bit meh at times, maybe too many heels prevailing for the casuals… an OK show”.

Than I watched NXT and boy… I know it was in a slump the last half a year, really stale, but this head to head was telling - first of - they do not have the roster and second - the Full Sail (crowd) is just instant DEATH. It did looked and sounded like a minor league by a country mile. Maybe a light year.

After watching both shows, AEW actually came out… fresh to me. Not the wrestling, but the commentating team was so… in with the times. And it had the older guys commentating. I love Mauro and Nigel, but the WWE umbrella’s shadow is just brutal. Even the small hiccups of Excalibur on AEW had its charm, it was NATURAL, something me or anyone else could stuck with. But I could also see/hear him and those around him learning how to react on those hiccups.

AEW was different. NXT was not WWE, but still so familiar and so WWE like, especially in the announcing team calling the show.

Maybe it is me wanting a change and liking it right at the start, but as a long life WWE fan/supporter (exclude the last three years, where they disgusted me with their product) - I did needed this. I knew the WWE product was stale and washed, but never expected the NXT product to feel like that as well, when compared head to head with another product. It is really weird of a feeling, but AEW brought me a different vibe. It was not a perfect show, it was clumsy in some parts, but it flew by (while I had to skip NXT at some points) and felt DIFFERENT. I might not have seen some characters I would like to see (on AEW), but you know what? They may show up next week, and some of the guys from this week might not. I actually like that. Just keep me posted on your TV week to week with short vignettes, don’t let me forget about characters, while introducing me to new ones (cause we are not close to see your entire roster).

One more thing about commentators: without taking anything away from JR and Excalibur or Vic and Dio (which I think actually did pretty good job on Monday), I think MVP’s of the week so far were King and Tony. And I’m pretty sure knowing who the announcers tonight on SD are, both will stay on top.

2 Likes
35

got it so you are just anti-WWE. He was their main guy in the largest era of wrestling ever, it is what he is most known for. Just like people (right now) associate Moxley as a former WWE guy, or Bret Hart, or Hogan. All have done other things but that is largely what they are known for.

36

The NXT wrestlers will get called up
And then their wrestling will become bad.
Thanks Vince.
Lol

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37

Not at all. Just I don’t think it’s fair to discount Ross or Schiavone as WWE guys.

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38

I see Ross as a WWE guy likely always will. But it doesn’t bother me that he is and is now working else where because I don’t view the WWE tag as a negative.

2 Likes
39

Ross is WWE guy. He was never on TNT

40

OUCH!

Numbers are out for AEW. 1.6 million.

Not going to beat RAW