EXACTLY! IT wasn’t a problem. How many times did we praise the roster as the most talented roster ever. It’s that they did nothing with them and now we have a company that is showing us they will do stuff with them and make matches and let them work a style that is satisfying to the audience.
And that doesn’t mean they won’t have misteps - Miro wasn’t an instant hit and Andrade is lost - but Miro now is better than Rusev ever was at his peak and Black is finally getting to do something with his dark character and somebody mentioned FTR…and that says noting about the transformation from Ambrose to Moxley, or Cody as a mega face of a company babyface. It’s not even wishful thinking, we have evidence that suggests the same talent can be presented better; there is more evidence that backs up the fanfare of AEW right now than that supports dissenting views. I’m probably bias but curious if others view it as objectively.
First off, a LOT can change in 5 months. Owen’s could re-sign, or the Fed could strap the rocket to his back, or AEW could build a new star that negates needing to spend on a free agent.
Second, Owens is a luxury, not a necessity. KO is great, but there are more immediate concerns on the roster (fully committing to making the women’s division the best it can be, integrating their monochromatic main event scene, continuing to build out the mid-card, etc.). Kevin doesn’t fix any of those issues. It’s like having a basketball team that has 3 great wing players, drafting a SF instead of the big man that they need.
Finally, stop being so damn greedy…Lol! Not directing this at any one in particular, but to fans in general. We JUST got Punk, Cole, & DBD in rapid succession, let’s enjoy that for awhile before turning into a bunch of Hip-Hop Harry’s saying “Who’s Next???”. Owens could be a good signing down the road, and it’s fun to fantasy book…But tomorrow is not promised. Plan for the future, but live in the now.
I can see anyone not named Brock or Roman jumping or getting cut. There are very few untouchables on this WWE roster and the women’s divisions, in particular, have taken a huge hit in quality.
Creative on the RAW women’s division is embarrassing and anything to do with the women’s tag is even worse. There are zero long term stories involving any of the women so I can see any of them let go. They also have a ton of depth so losing a few won’t matter.
It’s not even a WWE vs AEW thing - it’s a WWE vs everything else. Khan has shown he allows wrestlers flexibility and you can get whatever you can negotiate with him.
Owens and Zayn have both been in the WWE system for the better part of the last decade - great runs and they have made a lot of money. Not everyone is going to be a Ziggler or Kofi and waste their entire career doing the same stuff.
Not only that, having 15 year plus runs in the same spot with the same company is an entirely new and bizarre phenomenon. Owens and Zayn have got as high as they will get on the card right now. No harm in going somewhere else and possibly even increasing your value if you want to go back sometime
To be fair, it was Kevin who started the conversation himself with his Mount Rushmore tweets yesterday. He knew what he was doing. And if it turns out he was just doing it to build leverage for WWE or for the sheer fun of it - then great. I don’t think it’s entirely fair to paint this as fans starting the discussion or acting greedy.
People are more excited to see what Bryan and Cole, and Punk are all up to next.
People are excited because wrestling on a mainstream level is fun for the first time in forever. And fantasy booking a promotion that actually lets wrestlers wrestle free of lots of silly restrictions - is exciting.
Second, Owens is a luxury, not a necessity. KO is great, but there are more immediate concerns on the roster (fully committing to making the women’s division the best it can be, integrating their monochromatic main event scene, continuing to build out the mid-card, etc.). Kevin doesn’t fix any of those issues. It’s like having a basketball team that has 3 great wing players, drafting a SF instead of the big man that they need.
No, the potential of Kevin signing doesn’t change certain issues that need to be improved upon - but anything that brings more eyeballs and attention to the promotion helps raise the tide for all talents.
Ruby Soho is likely the first of several female acquisitions - and they are clearly trying to strive to build up that division. If she seems like she’s succeeding and enjoying herself - I’m sure others will follow.
In terms of diversity in their main event scene - I’d like to think and hope we will see much more of it soon. Much like the way there have been many Latinx performers showcased over the last year in main event scene / upper card (Santana, Ortiz, Penta, Fenix, Kingston), I’m hoping that we will see a spotlight move towards Black talents as well.
Hobbs seems to be one big match away from breaking through. They clearly have big plans for Jade Cargill. Ricky Starks is ready for the main event scene and I’d absolutely love to see him mixing it up with anybody in that mix. I am hoping Lee Moriarty is signed too - and I definitely see him as a long-term project within the company. Lee Johnson also seems pegged for bigger things in the next while.
I’d love to see the likes of Trish Adora, Jonathan Gresham, Fred Yehi, Brian Keith, AJ Grey and countless others get opportunities - and that’s why to me I am rooting for an AEW to succeed. I want to see these talents having a promotion and platform exist that is on close to equal footing to the other “big time promotion” out there, and let them be who they are want to be and not filtered through a 75 year old rich white guy.
I don’t want to sound like I’m suggesting a trickle-down theory. But I do believe that more eyeballs on the product means more opportunities for all. And more opportunities for people being who they are and not playing somebody else’s caricature equals a platform for impactful representation. I fully believe the #BlackWrestlingMatters movement will be impacting the main event scene sooner than later.
He won’t go to the indies, pretty sure he made a comment a few years back when he resigned where he said something along the lines of “I don’t ever want to work the indies again”.
To respond to what you said though, I get that your saying he likely wouldn’t want to go to ROH or NJPw, but my question wasn’t so much asking you to predict, it was asking you as a fan what would entertain you.
That’s true, very similar to what Orton did. This is one thing that I love about AEW, it definitely creates leverage for the performer even if they choose to stay. It’s like in the NBA when a guy is a UFA and uses teams to leverage a better contract. Owens is definitely a smart guy.
I actually agree with 90% of this (100% agree with the bold), while I’m not really a fan of Mox or Cody, I cant argue that they have been booked significantly better. I have no doubt that Owens would be presented better in AEW as long as Vince is booking in WWE. My point was never that AEW wouldn’t do anything with him, it was that AEW can’t sign everyone because payroll does matter, but also I look at a wrestling roster similar to the way I look at a hockey team. The best teams in the world have a great balance between players in their prime, vets, and kids and right now I think AEW has that down perfectly. What I dont want to see from AEW is a shift to where they have more guys close to 40 then 30, this is something WWE is fucking horrible with.
Well, by “people” you obviously mean me lol. Maybe First off, I agree with all the bold 100%. WWE is a shit show right now, and to be honest I would like to see many changes there but this isnt the thread for that.
As for AEW, maybe I’m bias as I was a fan of WCW back in the day and I saw it go from being the hottest wrestling product on TV to a roster of mostly WWE guys that were north of 30/40. I guess I just think that AEW roster is perfect right now, and I dont want to see too many more vets come in because one thing I feel people just don’t get is that there is only so much TV time. Even in a world where you cycle talent in and out (which I love), between the tag division, mens division, and womans division, I feel that certain guys (probably younger guys) are at some point going to get lost in the shuffle.
As for the “They aren’t spending your money” comment. If AEW just signed a billion dollar contract and I was sure they were financially sound for years and years to come, ya I wouldn’t care at all. The truth is I dont know what their financials look like because from my understanding they dont release them. I just want them to be a little cautious because I just witnessed for the past 20 years what happens to this business when one of the big two pretty much go bankrupt in WCW. Then when TNA started spending, I watched them go from kind of being competition, to a joke (sorry TNA fans, still bitter about the treatment of the LAW). Now I dont think that will happen to AEW as like I said above they seem to have the Midas Touch at the moment and no doubt are killing it, but I have seen how quickly a promotion can go from killing it to bleeding money. I dont think I am crazy for saying they need to watch their spending.
Also, this is what I do for a living. I run a small business where it is my job to go over financials. I can’t help but look at things this way.
