I know. It’s like their product fits you well as a Wrestling fan on a smart Wrestling forum 
I’m just happy I made Alex pop. Tribalism Rulez! (how’s that for a PPV name?)
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Anytime you bring in an outside performer – whether it’s a Logan Paul or Bad Bunny, or a part-timer like Brock Lesnar or Goldberg, or one of the best wrestlers in the world like Bandido or Ospreay – you are taking a spot from your signed, full-time talent.
It’s a “chicken or egg” proposition. Company A needs a guy who is over for a big time match. Part Timer A is more over (bigger draw, etc.) than any of your full-time options. It’s in Company A’s best interest to use Part Timer A in the short-term, but also in their best interest to make sure that they’re signing and pushing full-timers who can fill that spot going forward.
WWE, for example, is very good at identifying a part-timer that will draw and using them until they don’t. However, they’ve gone through a very long stretch where a guy like Goldberg was a bigger draw than any of the younger, more talented, full-time midcarders… who seemed destined to become older, more talented, full-time midcarders.
I think AEW is doing a pretty good job of using part-timers effectively thus far, though I’m sure some of the full-time talent doesn’t agree. The trick is going to be, when they’re ready to push some of these midcarders into the main event, will they still be “special” or will they be seen as career midcarders a la Dolph or Kofi who have just traded meaningless wins and losses in “good matches” for years and done jobs to everybody passing over them on their way up?
I do think the AEW full-timers have to be a little more understanding than WWE (doesn’t mean they will be…), because I’ll bet they don’t expect to do an outside date as a featured guy and get jobbed out clean in the second match. So they can’t really complain when a bigger name than them comes in and gets put in a bigger spot.
God that womens segment was pathetic and never ended. The only positive is they should know now to push Jamie Hayter (but they won’t).
I think sometimes Tony is too caught up in chasing ratings. I think that if anything is the problem more than specifically the outside talent. He wants to have Mox and Jericho on most shows, doesn’t want to run through all their matchups so he brings in outside guys. We didn’t need both the Mox match and Jericho match on the same show, we could have given some time to developing a program between some of the under used guys. However ratings probably are better if he has the top guys wrestling even if it is against outside talent.
I also think buying ROH has hurt AEW there are so many titles going that some are falling off from feeling important.
As for the women yeah that was awful. Especially given the criticism of the women’s division acting like running the whole division out for a single segment was an accomplishment in some positive manner is a yikes.
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I’m not saying they should have tried to be less successful, but I think there are certain areas where AEW could have benefited from a slower start rather than being the #2 promotion in North America from the moment they existed. They had a TV deal and the resources and interest to sign established, main event stars before they ever ran a show.
And while I doubt Tony would trade any of that if he could do it again, it may have been beneficial to have things like an established corporate structure and a set roster of experienced and homegrown talent before being thrust into direct competition (both in reality and perception, because you know TK reads all of that shit) with the most successful organization in the history of the business.
I hear what you are saying, and in a perfect world sure. The thing is, business is so often about timing and when AEW first started it was like the perfect storm at the perfect time. If he goes slow, they may never get to where they got. I’ll call out AEW for their bad moves, but their launch was essentially flawless.
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To me the problem is more that TK cares about what he reads and feels the need to respond, and the need to make ratings. This effects WWE too where they at times over expose stars to keep ratings up. AEW has also been plagued with injuries which doesn’t help when they set up stories and then those stories fall apart due to someone getting injured.
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Saraya is a desperately needed talent to help spotlight Women’s wrestling on their shows. Tony Khan did overstock the roster with male talent though. I’d love to see the Iconics/Inspiration show up though, I think they could add to the Women’s roster. Willow Nightingale could be used more, she’s been great in the time they’ve given her and is a compelling baby face in a division that needs more strong faces.
Saraya as a wrestler would help. Not as a GM or announcer.
Honestly they need to either get Riho and Kairi and just make it a stardom lite or close the division. Making it WWE lite isn’t working.
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The Saraya segment was one of the worst in AEW history, and company history. Bringing in an act like the IIconics is not what it needed.
The entire Saraya segment was an example of giving into bad faith takes like all of the people making arguments that the women’s division will be fixed by a stopwatch rather than great matches. She’s not what the company needed.
They’ve had a bunch of very good to great women’s matches over that last three years, but to a certain audience it’ll never be enough.
It’s incredibly annoying as a fan to see a great show, and simply because the show isn’t split for time 50/50 with the male talent. And to say that outloud is apparently a hot take that can’t be said?
Keep giving matches and time to the roster they have with the women they’ve got.
Everybody criticizes the women having matches on Dark and developing them on there, yet praises NXT’s building of women over the last decade.
Keep building on who they’ve got, and don’t give in to bad faith takes and bad suggestions online.
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Great take. No need for 50/50 time.
You aren’t going to get anywhere trying to be a cheaper version of the WWE women’s division. You just don’t have th talent to match them in that regard. They should focus on what they were doing. Trying to put on good women’s matches which they were doing when they had thunder Rosa and Riho. Less trying to have a authoritative GM etc.
I mean the fans are clamouring for Jamie hayer and they need to strike with that. Not put her back with Britt. At least give them something to get behind.
Like they don’t need to be bringing in people like Athena, and Ruby and trying to pawn them off as he huge stars when nobody really cares. Even Toni storm gets virtually no reaction although they could build her.
Like the goal here shouldn’t be to take WWE talent and present a reject version of WWE women’s division. Unless they’re getting some high-grade talent, like an Asuka or a four horsewomen or something they should focus on the talent they have, and try to go after some of the stardom talent that are really good wrestlers and make their division all about great matches as opposed to trying to be a knock off of WWE is doing
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I agree with a lot of what you said, except the NXT comparison to Dark. NXT if anything would be like AEW developing the women in ROH (assuming they had a TV show), the woman being on Dark is like WWE putting the Women on Main Event. The Women headlining NXT shows is not the same as them being on Dark.
I get your overall point though.
I fully expect with additional focus whenever ROH breaks off, and with the presumed launch of whatever All Elite Women is.
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I look forward to when ROH breaks off, I don’t like two promotions operating on the same show, at the same time I get why they are doing it right now.
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For the most part, AEW is giving their women’s division the time it deserves based on how over they are, how much they draw, how good the matches are, etc. but they seem to be neglecting the part where it is their job to help get the division and the wrestlers over so they can move up from that spot.
WWE tends to go a bit overboard in the other direction, pretending that some of their women’s wrestlers are way more over or more talented than they are (they do this with men too, they just don’t pat themselves on the back about it). But at the end of the day, they do have a solid roster of women that can main event shows, including pay-per-views, because they have the hottest program and/or potential to have the best match.
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They don’t need 50% of the time, WWE doesn’t do 50-50, but I’m not sure they even get 20% of the time most shows they get one segment Yes they should focus on what they have but they need to invest in those talents and stories that matter. The problem with Dark for women is the same as it is for men. It also isn’t NXT it isn’t filled with up and coming talent in a separate group than their “main roster” it is the same group. So when women are on there and brought over and we are supposed to care about what they have done previously or why they get a title shot it is hard to care. You cannot establish characters on their and just bring the story over. The also made the same mistake they have with the men with too many titles. Their division isn’t strong enough yet to support two titles especially with their limited TV time.
I’ve thought about this as well.
But using a sensible head, which I don’t do often, I think bringing in outside talent (who are wrestler) is actually great.
I’m behind (as always) but I’ve heard great stuff about the Bandido match and I’m sure it will bring in a few fans. It’ll maybe make a few AEW fans seek out more of his matches as well which is good for wrestling on the whole.
I think it’s all a slow burn which can be frustrating when we want to see MJF win the belt or Wardlow to keep steamrolling the roster but then what…?
I think brining people in is a great tool to use, maybe it’s used slightly too much but I’m sure in a few years time when we still get fresh matches we won’t resent Juice Robinson being brought in for a random episode of Dynamite
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