It doesn’t matter if I’m a fan or not, that is the current creative environment. People don’t have a chance to become stars. The only people that have the best chance to succeed in WWE are people with the right look and/or size.
MJF could be the best heel ever but then sneeze one day and Vince would job him forever.
I am very clear what your opinion is on this, you think he’s too small and that Vince wouldn’t push him. Cool. I disagree, but I dont want to go in circles with you.
Apart from ripping out eyeballs
Maybe Jack Perry(?) The son of a B-level TV star is exactly the type of mainstream appeal that would make WWE salivate. If only he was tall…
Yes Miz is 2” taller and still not a big guy and hasn’t been really pushed in years. Also is that what you want for MJF to be Miz? They aren’t really similar characters. I don’t trust MJF doing well with scripted promos. Now if things change in 5 years who knows. But you seem to be projecting that in 5 years that the main roster will look like NXT. I’d love that but I’m not sure I agree. I also think that as a public “PG” company that MJFs style may not work. Swearing at fans at a WWE meet and greet isn’t going to fly.
Again, I’m not saying what I “want”, I’m just saying that I think he would do well in WWE.
I’ll answer your question anyways comparing him to the Miz, my exact comparison was the miz in 2010 but with a better push, and if he got that yes I would be happy. Now if we are talking the miz in 2012 or 2013 etc, different story.
Got to give credit where credit is due, you nailed it!
Back to today’s hot topic…looking back, not a single person chose Cody. Now, he hasn’t officially “jumped” yet, but the writing seems to be on the wall. I never would have chose him first, I really didn’t think any of the VP’s would go to WWE any time soon, especially Cody with all the stuff he’s said. I always figured the types of guys jumping would be Jericho, Mox, MJF etc.
I think this is one of the worst case scenarios for AEW. If someone like Cody, who has WWE history of being booked shit, helped start he company and still go back, i think it is very likely for dome of heir younger talent, who grew up on WWE.
Ultimately i see MJF, Sammy, Wardlow, Jade, Starks all leaving. You also gotta think the Bucks and Kenny might want to at least have one run in WWE. You know guys like Danielson and Jericho will head back eventually.
Also, TNT cant be happy about this either. I see a big trickle down from this and i hope i am wrong.
I really thought it was a very safe bet for it to be Bryan. The guy clearly had a passion for wrestling - and it wasn’t being satisfied within WWE. He got to the top of the promotion, and also knew that he wasn’t going to be utilized. He could also see what was being valued within AEW - and he fits the bill perfectly.
Thanks for the kudos! haha
Two thoughts…
First off - AEW has the most absolutely stacked male roster I can think of since WWE in 2002/2003 in terms of proven star power and draws. The roster depth is insane… Punk, Bryan, Omega, Bucks, Sting, Moxley, Jericho, Hangman, Keith Lee, Cole, Andrede, Black, MJF, Sammy, Darby, Starks, PAC, Miro, FTR, Lucha Bros, Orange Cassidy. There’s a dozen more ready to step up. The female roster is slowly building into a terrific division as well.
Cody isn’t needed. Removing him doesn’t hurt the rest of the show. And while his matches were usually excellent, 80-90% of the non in-ring stuff he was doing, was usually panned by nearly everybody, and booed by fans.
I think it’s also very fair to say that Cody’s programs for the last year (more or less since his second TNT Championship reign), have felt very shoehorned in at the expense of everybody else. His QT Marshall feud. His Anthony Ogogo feud. His Shaq match. Rhodes to the Top. The rivalry with Black and Andrede did nothing for him, and most people saw it as a negative for all of them.
He puts on amazing performances match after match (which he won’t be able to really do in WWE)… but he’s earned the right to enjoy a payday and work some chinlocks with Randy Orton.)
“You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain” - that defines Cody’s run in AEW.
Secondly - the idea of talents jumping between promotions is very welcome and a great reason why the 90’s was such a fun time to be a fan! People who weren’t working in one place went to another place and got a shot. Undervalued talents had options. AEW has added so many people (and I fully expect to see the Jeff Hardy and others soon to pop up), just like I’m sure some people will end up in WWE who have spent time in AEW.
Off the top of my head, you could cut Cody, Jericho, Hagger, Brian Cage all tomorrow and there wouldn’t be a dip in quality or fan interest.
Cody won’t be the last - but there are tons of people elsewhere ready to jump into his spot as well a dozens already there willing to step up.
I agree with this. I dont think the on-air quality of the show will be affected at all. Even though there are programs I still want to see him do. It is the behind the scenes stuff I am more worried about.
That’s the wrestling business, guys come and go. This isn’t going to be WWE where Ziggler, Cesaro, Kofi, etc are in the midcard for 20 years.
You have to keep in mind that the only way those people will sign is if Vince wants them. I can’t see him wanting a lot of those people.
But even if he does sign all of them, others will leave WWE. Again, that’s the wrestling business. Talent shouldn’t stay in one place forever anyways
I feel like a generation of fans (not necessarily people in this thread), who only really have lived and watched in a WWE-dominated era, are conditioned to the idea of people being “lifers” if you will.
In any other era, a roster filled with the same people for 10-15+ years was crazy.
Look at the difference between WWF in 1983-1993. Now look at the difference between 2012-2022. Probably way more of the same faces in the last ten years, than 30-40 years ago.
No problem with job stability, but fans don’t want to see The Miz, Cesaro, Kofi, Dolph, etc all filling roles with no upward mobility.
I mean, Cody only left WWE in the first place to raise his star - because he couldn’t do it within WWE.
People always cite MJF as someone who will go to WWE and I just don’t see it. I mean maybe if he wants money but it would be worse for him than just about anyone. The guy is small and his biggest upside is his promos but he cannot do what he does in the WWE. In the WWE I think he is a smaller version of the Miz.
I mean honestly Starks and Sammy are in the same boat. If WWE had gone full NXT 1.0 I think those guys fit. But with the move to 2.0 with larger guys I think only Wardlow and Jade fit the bill from the guys listed. I mean if they were going to use someone like Starks or Sammy or MJF, wouldn’t they have used Cole?
Unless they are going to bring back 205 live I just don’t see a place for those guys. So unless WWE goes into talent horsing mode I just don’t see it.
I think prior to yesterday, there was a false narrative out there that nobody wanted to go to or stay in WWE. When Owens and Zayn re-signed, that squashed the “stay in” part, but there was still the false narrative of “nobody wants to leave AEW to go to WWE”. I think a lot of AEW fans got cold water thrown in their face yesterday and realized that guys are going to jump the other way.
I agree with you though, if Cody was willing to jump, that essentially means anyone can jump and I do see someone like MJF leaving when his contract is up.
I’m not saying AEW is in trouble or that even creatively they will be hurt (I actually think this is a good thing creatively), but this does set a precedent that once you are creatively fulfilled, take that payday.
Count me as one of those people. You make good points, but I also think who’s booking is a huge factor. If its Vince, then you’re right and he shouldnt go. If its Hunter (which seems unlikely now), I’d say hes a lock, if its a third party (say Heyman) I think there is a good chance. Too many variables at play here when your head booker is 76.
For me it largely depends on if they are keeping scripted PG promos. I just don’t seem him thriving in that environment. Especially as a heel on the smaller side for that company. He works much better in AEW where he is average sized for the roster and isn’t being scripted. Now maybe that changes, but the current trajectory seems to be double down on larger guys and scripted promos. I just think if you put him in the WWE you remove basically everything that makes him special.
Sure, but at the end of the day that all comes from the head Booker. If it’s Vince, I 100% agree with you. If it’s not, who knows.
It depends on the whole company and the PG thing might not be up to the booker.
You can still book good wrestling while having a PG product. It’s not the PG that makes stuff bad, it’s simply bad writing that makes things bad. Sure adult themed stuff will likely be better, but a good writer/Booker can make anything work.