I’ll be back with a bonus show tonight for POST Wrestling Café members with a review of AEW Battle of the Belts III.
Post your questions and feedback to Battle of the Belts, and any other news items from the past week and I’ll cover all of them at the end.
The show will be posted late tonight on the Café feed.
Robbie from London, Ontario,
Well we won’t be able to watch live tonight but we did watch both nights of Dragongate’s Kobe World in the last day, have you had a chance to see any of the shows? Does Dragongate often make its way into your watching schedule? Also the Twin gate title match is a must watch for everyone! Absolute banger!
Haven’t left feedback in a minute. I love a good Pollock-solo show, I’ve always thought it is some of your best work considering the level of difficulty involved and how seamless you make them.
Feel free to pick and choose or ignore any of these topics. My only feedback on Battle of the Betls is that I am grateful for AEW to present many wrestling cards, whether on PPV or Cable that are usually high quality shows in presentation + in-ring. It feels sometimes taken for granted that this company exists, and while many will focus on what comes next and how it stacks up to a Hunter-led WWE, AEW has been a quality product which would be hard enough as a start-up much less one in a monopolistic industry. As a business case study, it’s a prime example of a Founder identifying a product-market fit and consistently delivering for that target market. I hope it remains on Cable TV as it has earned its place.
Also increasing the use of Taz has been one of the best things AEW has done in 2022. Thoughts / where would you place him in the current scene of announcers (based on current work, not historical work)
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Some of my own thoughts and want to get your opinion and thoughts on the subject:
Removed from a WWE event night, I am thinking of the “hype” surrounding Hunter’s first few weeks in charge. I do not mean to imply any negatives here as I’ve enjoyed what he’s done so far and find keeping up with WWE product as interesting as I have in years. However, my interest is mostly rooted in What Hunter will be doing. It feels very much a honeymoon period where a lot of interest and praise will be bestowed on anything that signals different.
Take the Karrian Kross debut. Kross himself is not new to WWE. He (with Scarlet) was a heavily pushed main event act on USA Network during a period in which NXT was battling for Wednesday nights, and ultimately had to move nights before a total re-brand. Not the most positive indication that Kross drives business or has that kind of appeal (correct me if I’m wrong but this was under Hunter’s direction at that time, pre2.0).
That he is now thrust into the main event of the Main Roster (which Main Roster only fans will have a different memory of him altogether) feels exciting for fans who I think WWE was trying to cater to back in the Kross-NXT run. It’s obviously too early to say whether this will be good or not, and my interest in in seeing how this all plays out is directed at just that. Not in Kross. It’s totally on the behind the scenes, what will Hunter do next, and will it work. Now I represent one type of fan, but I also am the kind of fan WWE lost for weekly viewing.
I have heard people say the heat should be on the talent not the company, and right now the excitement seems to emulate from “Hunter’s changes”, and not the talent. You are much closer to actual sentiment, so wanted to get your thoughts…
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on another topic: I love WWE socials leaning in to the fanbase asking who they want to see in the Women’s Tag Tournament, as if they don’t know what the overwhelming response will be. With that, they can bring back Sasha & Naomi and I can just hear in Steph obnoxiously celebrating this in a media hit as “listening to the WWE Fans” as a sign of changes coming. That they worked things out because they are focused on giving fans what they want (true, though such tactical PR). If Sasha and Naomi do return to WWE, what is your opinion on their willingness to overlook what had transpired, considering the way it got carried into the public by Corporate & On Air. Also, why do you think every time it feels like their is an undercurrent for talent empowerment it gets snuffed out and feels more ick as an onlooker; does it feel more ick to you.
I really enjoyed the last two matches especially the main event. I think it would have been a better show if the crowd could be heard. Dont know if it was my tv but that crowd volume was way low.
John whats your take on the decision making by Ferrari and the all the drama surrounding driver signings this week?
Good morning John happy Sunday he has risen. By the time you read this the show will be over and you will be done podcasting and such but I just wanted to get this out there. This question is of dire importance and must be addressed so please humor me with this answer, in the show title battle of the belts what type of Hyde do they use? I know weird right but it’s been eating at me like a mosquito bite in the summer. Also what type of hair conditioner does the lord almighty Bruce use. The man has a great flow. Anywho thanks man mad love
Brandon Frm NJ
I appreciate the extra content from AEW. But, Battle of the Belts is just Rampage+.
One of the things we can say about WWE is that they’re marketing leads you to feel like every show is at least somewhat special.
This show didn’t suggest anything like that.
@johnpollock thank you for taking the time to read through and answer the topics I had. Always enjoy your thoughts whether through writing or long-winded solo responses where it is not in the cadence of a conversation with somebody about said topic.