Harsh. The guy definitely had some name value in the past.
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There will not be a real finish. Thatās WWE. Cool angles and good matches. No finish
So sell me on spending another 30 minutes watching something that will be an inconsequential finishā¦(not intending for this to be harsh, iām just curious what the sales pitch is)
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I likely would watch neither
But here is the pitch
You will see Brock Lesnar confront Paul Heyman and Roman. Will Paul reveal if heās working with Lesnar more than he lets on? An in ring confrontation with explosives
Becky battles Sasha - match is great and hinges on Becky trying to maul her. Finish sheās bank statement with Bianca running in and standing tall at the end taking out both.
ā-
Again this is a non finish and a storyline in the last 30 mins. But itās with 5 huge stars.
Would you rather see CM Punk beat Evan Bourne? Or Jericho jaw Jack with Jorge who sits outside the ring?
Like I said I likely wouldnāt see either. But of all those things the one I want to see the most is Roman and Brock
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I donāt think Iād turn the channel if SD is compelling for the final 45 min. Youāre right itās big stars.
I think AEW is to get crushed here followed by 2 down Saturdays and a spell of poor momentum and rise in naysayers
I just canāt see AEW as the little engine that could, and thatās not a criticism of AEW. If anything I am saying I view them at a similar level to WWE. Of course they do not have the mainstream branding that the WWE has as a wrestling company, that just takes time, but ultimately they have bigger pockets backing them then the WWE could ever dream of and among the hardcore fans, are much more respected as a company.
I understand the TV deal argument, but with that logic you could say that NXT was the little engine that could when it went to USA because it was on its 1st TV deal which obviously is not an honest statement. Like I said, I view all the posturing between the two as a battle between billionaires, one has been in this business A LOT longer, the other is a more successful/richer businessman.
If these two guys were in a bar, Vince is that guy puffing his chest out while trying to intimidate Khan with a giant glare from across the room, and Khan is that with bodyguards doing his best to egg Vince on and laughing at his idiocy while doing it. Its all posturing.
I donāt think you see any of that stuff you described. Itās all being built to Crown Jewel. The Banks match will be a fuck finish, just like everything that happened on RAW tonight.
The Brock stuff will be a tease, nothing of consequence will happen.
Yeah I completely agree. I think what I described is what will happen ā there will be a Sasha and Becky match that ends with a Bianca run in and theyāre will also be a confrontation with Paul, Brock and Roman that will be teased but not reveal anything substantial.
However they will all be in that final 30
Iām sure. And anyway you slice it is:
- A show with a two hour head start
- Commercial free
- Big stars
Now is AEW counter program that with for example CM punk versus Kenny omega or Malachi black or Brian Danielson etc. Iām certain they would have a legitimate shot at beating them.
However they currently have CM punk in what is going to be essentially a job match, a boring asf womenās match, and the big main event with Jericho versus MMA guys although the biggest MMA star and the only one people care about in Jorge isnāt fighting. Iām not sure half the audience even knows who Junior Santos is.
NXT was absolutely the little engine that could in all of WWE. Thatās why selling out Brooklyn was an unbelievable achievement when it happened and why getting to proper cable tv was supposedly a big deal. In typical WWE fashion the train was going just not fast enough or to Vinceās liking so he started changing things mid acceleration til he broke it and started over (2.0). The NXT that went to USA was definitely the underdog within the company. Probably why Vince hated all the stars coming from there to begin win
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I meant the little engine that could when comparing them to Dynamite. I guess internally it was, but my point is that nobody looked at NXT as the underdog compared to Dynamite because it wasnāt Raw or SD. It still had a billion dollar promotion behind it.
AEW just announced a buy-in on YouTube starting at 9 pm with Daniel Bryan and others in action.
I actually think the Rampage card looks decent. A lot of intrigue to the main event and anytime CM Punk wrestles is a big deal. Sydal can still go, not a basic job guy at all.
I donāt think the no commercial thing is a big deal. It hasnāt been made apparent that is even happening.
WWE has also trained their fans to realize TV matches donāt matter. The whole womenās tournament has been a joke. King of the Ring means nothing. Things will happen in Saudi Arabia, not so much on TV.
I also think AEW will do a lot better because the guy running the show doesnāt think itās 1988 still. Khan of today is just a much, much better promoter than Vince of today. Vince doesnāt care
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They really are trying to drag me down to Miami on a Friday Night arenāt there. Damn them!
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I didnāt see the buy in but makes sense. They can counter with big stuff and it will work.
CM Punk vs Evan Bourne Iām not sure is a draw when you know he will win. If it was someone even the level of Malachi Black Iām sure it would be huge. Doesnāt need to be Omega or Bryan. However this is basically a mid card guy at best.
The Jericho angle would have been huge if it was Jorge. But heās got a match coming up and isnāt wrestling. Iām not sure JDS is a big enough name to draw an audience.
Bunny vs Ruby is what it is.
In the end the show has some decent potential if they add some figures in. But countering Brock live with Roman and Becky vs Sasha that is all commercial free isnāt easy
I look at it this way for myself. Rampage is a standard Rampage. Nothing is drawing me to watch that show if I didnāt already want to watch it. If you are invested in the AEW stories/product it will bring you in if youāre not it wonāt. For me the same is true for Smackdown except for me there are things that are happening there that are actively making me disinterested.
1.) I donāt like Brock, and havenāt for some time. I get that people do but I think he has done more harm than good for years. I also know he isnāt beating Roman at Crown Jewel so I donāt care.
2.) Roman has no credible challengers so I donāt really care much about him at this point. WWE has almost no depth built in their roster and hasnāt for a long time.
3.) I hate the Becky heel turn in general, if Bianca wins the title back ok, but I donāt see that happening at which point she has no challengers because again there is no depth in any division. Just look at the king for the ring/queens crown and the booking. It sucks.
For selfish reasons Iām starting a poll (but also curious to see what prevailing sentiment is here from a consumer behavioral aspect
:
Should I drive an hour-ish to Miami this weekend (tickets cost $40 / night after fees; parking + gas figure another $60 making it a $100 evening befre food/drink)
- Yes, Both
- Yes, Rampage Only
- Yes, Dynamite Only
- No, Neither
0 voters
Lmao. Iām landing in Orlando for a conference on Friday and debating the same (in my case the commute is too long)
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Lol now itās Bryan vs Suzuki. I think AEW will do just fine. Vince will counter with Madcap Moss
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Alex, please come this way. I will happily put you up in my place and cover any expenses related to the show and trip down. Please let me know, I would love love love this with you my friend!
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I love how above this I mention if they wanted to turn this around they needed to have a big Daniel Bryan match and they pretty much agave one of the biggest matches they could. Iāll give them credit, they did what they needed to do
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Thanks so much! Would be great to meet up!
I just wish it was closer but Iām coming with a friend and will see if our timings work. If not Iām definitely making a trip in the new year to see a show and hopefully meet you guys.
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