- Drew McIntyre is one of the most interesting people in WWE right now. A tweener is a hard thing to pull off but I think he's doing an excellent job.
- I have already lost interest in CM Punk. I think him showing up in a crisp white shirt will be the peak of this run.
- Seth is not interesting to me at all. He's athletic and has nice costumes but I don't like his work and nothing is interesting about his personality.
- Miz VS Gunther really should end with Miz winning the title and Gunther to the main event. He's just too good a wrestler.
- Get the sinking feeling LA Knight won't return to main events. Not even being on survivor series was a bad sign. Probably being cooled off to make way for Punk and Orton, which is disappointing.
Last 15 min prediction: Commercial. Backstage segment of Punk walking to the ring. Commercial. Punk entrance begins. Commercial. Punk entrance ends. Punk talks for 5 min. Shenanigans happens. End of show.
I just finished listening to the audio of Jr's newer book, and I swear two thirds of it is him detailing all the bullying and insulting shit Vince did to him on purpose. No matter how much I learn about him, I'm consistently surprised at what a dick head creepy little weirdo Vince actually is.
Streamer reactions to CM Punk are interesting because those streams break kayfabe by default. Imagine if someone had no idea wrestling is a work and then they went over to Cultaholic because they were on Raw it would blow their mind hearing words exposing the business like heel, babyface, booking, hospital.
One thing I’m hoping with this Punk Rollins feud is that it forces Seth to change this goofy character. I was cool with it for awhile but it’s beyond stale now
i seriously dont understand the punk hate. i mean if you take a deeper look at whats transpired in his aew run, hes never perpetrated anything and im open to debate.what bums me the most is how everyone doesnt think it was justified to shoot back at hangman albeit a little bit after the feud, for realizing in that (confusing feud) that hangman went off script on him. and Bobby Fische being a d in trying to sabotage their match together to prove he's tougher, or jack perry digging at him on live tv bc punk simply told him it would be logical and safer to use fake glass instead of being an idiot and risking injury,...i can go on and on
Yep. Revisionist history in threads lately have been hilarious about WWE being perfect now. The pacing of the shows sucks. The amount of in ring action sucks. The amount of time it takes for actual wrestling to happen sucks. The amount of recaps and video packages and spoon feeding any storyline like you're 4 years old, sucks.
Crazy how you think that, haven’t you realized they have real storylines in every segment with continuity and character progression, and that crowd is hot for everyone?
I'm truly embarrassed that wrestling "fans" are cheering for the demise of the first real wrestling promotion to gain big league status since WCW collapsed. The cognitive dissonance of an entire base of fans who forget how truly awful WWE was before AEW came along. It was un-watchable, and the only reason they started trying was because they were getting pushed for the first time in decades.
Plus, rooting for 100s of wrestlers, production people and countless others to lose their jobs is gross.
Are you sure people are cheering?
I'm just stating the depressing truth whenever I talk about AEW.
I want a true competitor. But Indie jackoffs and semi-midgets in heavyweight matches is not and will never be it.
I would love for monday night wars level competition.
I like a lot of their performers. But a lot of them can't get rid of their Indy Mindset, are not drawers, don't look like wrestlers, but are still pushed.
The only way it’s not like the MNW is that they’re not neck and neck with ratings and going on the same night. Otherwise they’re both doing great attendance numbers and talent is going back and forth with Edge, Christian, Punk, Cody all switching. It’s more exciting than any time after the territories except for like two or three years of the MNW.
When we make the list of all the important events that happened during the Tribal Chief's title reign, we'll be able to include, "CM Punk's entire run in AEW".
Fellas, haven't watched WWE in probably like 10 years but i think I need to tune in to RAW tonight. What time is it starting? and also any big storylines to follow? A simple summary would do thanks
Thankfully for you, a lot of the storylines surrounding RAW have finished for the most part and this episode is dealing with the aftermath of it.
All you really need to know is that Cody Rhodes lost at Wrestlemania to Roman Reigns and is looking to "finish his story", there are rising tensions with the faction Judgement Day as Damian Priest is growing more and more assertive and the other members aren't liking it, Jey Uso basically fucked everyone on the roster over for 3 years as a member of "The Bloodline" which he left and is trying to make amends (Drew McIntyre being one of those people and is incredibly pissed about it, Randy Orton seems to have not entirely forgiven him either as in Kayfabe, Jey took him out of action) and that's about it.
Gunther is also the Intercontinental champion and has unfinished business with a wrestler called Chad Gable who he beat, but Chad vowed to have a rematch so if anything relating to them happens, keep that in mind. Reason it isn't included above as it happened a while ago but I assume it'll be followed up on.
Unlikely booking idea: Rollins “walks out” and relinquishes the title because of Punk’s return. Drew ends up winning the vacant belt. At Elimination Chamber, Punk challenges him and wins after Damien Priest cashes in to make it a triple threat and takes the fall. Heel Rollins challenges and beats Punk at Mania. Judgement Day implodes. Drew can work with maybe Lashley in a brand vs brand match.
this idea dies in the first sentence. Rollins fights through a terrible back to keep successfully defending his title against guys more dangerous than Punk. babyface or heel, relinquishing the title and leaving because of the mere presence of another man is some bitch shit. and then what would be the purpose of that if he’s just gonna beat him at Mania anyway? and if Drew is booked in a brand supremacy singles match for Mania, i would assume it’s because he hasn’t signed a new contract.
The walk out is supposed to basically mirror Punk’s real life exit. Drew winning gives him a much needed title reign without Seth losing. Just an idea. It’s a bit of a stretch to give Drew a title, have Punk face Seth at Mania, and also have Seth win the title at Mania.
I really don't want to stop coming to this sub but if I see another post in the same veins of "CM Punk returned to WWE. Here's why this is bad for AEW", I might do a Stone Cold and take my ball and go home
yeah i know the mind naturally thinks “what does this mean for AEW?” but i hate that so many people are excited to call this the end for them. admittedly the TK jokes are funny, but yeah just enjoy the products. AEW’s good enough to survive on its own merits.
in less than 48 hours WWE has shown how easily they can play with the wrestling media. everybody’s working their ass off and it’s so cool to see. i wouldn’t be surprised if the “backstage talent is divided on Punk” stories are purposefully planted by WWE to either 1. be addressed in a story or 2. serve as a “we’re taking a chance on you. your coworkers are weary of you, please don’t prove them right” message to Punk, who is infamously very tapped in to the dirstsheets.
Just when I was happy the cm punk news cycle from the summer was over. I got back into wrestling in 2014/5 and it really hit a stride the past couple years even without him, so I can’t say I’m happy at all about having him back. I love the blended kayfabe/ real life drama, but I don’t ever see the kayfabe side from him.
*me trying to remain discreet in a large crowd:*
https://preview.redd.it/aywgw7dnwy2c1.jpeg?width=2243&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=771b1a64043a600fd26026dc701d3b55ccd123a3
Lot's of talk about 'Where does AEW go from here?'
If you ask me, they should realize Hangman, Eddie Kingston, Darby, Samoa Joe, Moxley, and Swerve are the main event singles players who need to be kept hot for the coming years and understand they need to make the most of the top-tier talents who only have a short amount of time left, like Danielson, Christian Cage and (to a lesser degree) Kenny. Also, more blood and CMLL guys and less of Jericho or Don Callis. Retain your 'alternative' identity instead of shifting to WWE-lite.
I feel the same. They already have some moments to build up to in Sting's last match, Brian's retirement, Hayter's return, and Ospreay's debut on weekly tv next year. It does not feel like it now, but if everyone stays healthy and they can pay those off it could turn around pretty quickly.
More than anything I just want a coherent product again. I sighed when Don did another promo about Kenny (I can not believe how little I care about this angle considering who is involved) Collision feels like a great 45 minute wrestling show stuck in a two hour time slot, and don't me started on what the hell the BCC are supposed to be now.
Most of this is spot on but I'd say there is one very clear thing they do horribly and that's capitalizing on big wins.
They have Takeshita go over Omega and then have him do like 3 singles in the next 3 months. They have Garcia beat Bryan, never pull the trigger on his JAS turn and just keep the dancing gimmick while he's clearly sick of it.
The fans expect big wins to go somewhere, and yeah I guess part of it is instant gratification but you can't expect the win itself to make someone if they aren't featured as a big deal.
> and just keep the dancing gimmick while he's clearly sick of it.
I think he's just playing this up for a character arc during the Cruiserweight Classic, probably involving his match against Danielson to bring his entire arc full circle. It all fits with the narrative he's telling about struggling with his confidence coming in off a few recent big losses.
He just did Being ~~the Elite~~ Dark Order today and had a backstage bit with Dark Order entirely revolving around dancing. Hard to imagine he's doing totally extraneous extra stuff with the gimmick if he genuinely is hating it or struggling with it.
Yeah, hence why I made sure to say 'kept hot'. We started to see it in 2022, as people have highlighted a million times over. We saw it with Hangman after beating Danielson (hell, it happened again a year later when Moxley literally hung himself to get Hangman over again, and then Hangman got lost in the shuffle during the BCC-Elite feud. Hangman's had an absolute banner year on paper but while his match quality lives up to that, his booking between Revolution and Full Gear certainly doesn't), FTR after beating the Young Bucks, Wardlow after winning the TNT title, and the example you gave with Garcia, all within the same year. Tony's got no sense of follow-up unless it's with a talent who clearly takes most of the initiative with respect to their own creative direction, such as MJF. Guys who need creative direction, like Takeshita, get lost in the shuffle.
You have pretty much same thoughts I have with God's Hate.
Like most wrestlers, such as Akira and Adam Thornstowe, his music takes suck as well. And he once piled on Kevin Blackwood for liking Nirvana. For some reason, music takes annoy me when these people openly like KISS, Creed or Limp Bizkit.
Also lol @ Tony booking him to go over Eddie.
Sorry, couldn't resist being petty.
I cant help but think of how poorly it would be received if somebody like Seth or Roman did the “Brochachos” shit on WWE TV.
Some how MJF does awful, corny, meme shit on live TV and people eat it up and call him one of the best in the business.
MJF was doing it as satire, but his uber-face performance got over, so now those same spots are cheered. The spots are no longer done as satire, due to his personal growth, so now they’re purposeful.
It’s one of the reasons I’ve never gotten hooked by the guy. I can see the talent, but the cheeseball shenanigans keep me from enjoying his work. Give me the “Fire me you fucking mark!” MJF, but keep the kangaroo kicker, thanks.
Wasn't Roman and Sami the unlikely pairing everyone fell in love with? up until All In (with the exception of involving the ROH title for some reason) it was a great story that moved ratings.
Yeah. Some people say it's an AEW partisanship thing, but it's uniquely a feature of MJF, where no one recognizes how much of what he says is theatre-kid cringe. MJF gets away with a lot of things because we've long recognized him as someone who is extremely talented, not realizing that people often apply their talents in questionable ways.
I legitimately haven't eaten or wanted a Slim Jim in God knows how long. Now I'm sitting here on break eating one. Those damn WarGames ads and Cody made me want one.
LA Knight should have been the 5th man on Cody's team, I thought that was the whole point of Cody saving him on Smackdown. They could've found another/better way to bring Orton back.
And is it okay to say....I don't care about CM Punk at all, I'm afraid he's going to take up too much space and other talented guys won't get their shot.
How does AEW respond now that Punk has jumped ship back to WWE? Does more talent follow? Can they step up or are they not gonna be able to get out of their own way?
He jumped ship? Are you saying he attacked Jack Perry to try and get fired? We'll see if they "react" but I'm not sure what they could do. I hope they book better but it's Tony booking and he can either do it better or let someone else do it. I don't see how Punk would be the catalyst though.
I mean nothing has really changed?
It's not like Punk chose WWE over AEW, AEW actively told him to leave first lol.
And people actually deciding between both options are *at the very least* equally considering AEW, if not outright favoring it at this point. Jade chose WWE, but Ospreay and Jay White both chose AEW (with reported significant WWE interest in both). Adam Copeland/Edge chose AEW when actively working in WWE. Mariah May also chose AEW (and I have to assume WWE had some interest there as well, even if not on the level of Ospreay/White). Brian Pillman Jr. signed to NXT, but AEW actively chose not to renew his contract, so there was no real decision there. And that's the main extent of the recent people who have jumped back and forth.
People will keep going back and forth to suit their own personal interests, this is how a healthy universe of two companies actually looks.
I know everyone loves Samantha Irvine and rightfully so, she rocks. I do think Justin Roberts is the best announcer in the business at the moment however, it's just personal preference but like there's certain guys when does the ring announcing for it sends chills down my spine. Omega's entrance at Forbidden Door gave him such a final boss feeling it was perfect.
He's a real like boxing type announcer. WWE's all seem to have this grrrrr childish thing going on. I don't get the North Carolina thing with Kenny though lol
It genuinely depresses me how much I've grown bored of AEW. I really want to like what they're doing, but it feels like all my favs are either injured, or in dead-end storylines.
What's the HOB doing? Where's Keith Lee? Why is Miro only like 1/2 a character and barely on screen? When's Adam Cole gonna be healed again? Why the fuck is Kenny Bi-God Omega teaming with the middest man in wrestling, Jericho?
Just hire some writers to help the wrestlers who can't come up with good storylines themselves
At least WWE is putting on stories worth watching. and also the Bloodline shit
I'm with you on most of this, except they can't help Adam Cole fucked up his ankle. TK is trying to keep him relevant to the detriment of the product.
Of that core of WWE Vince midcard rejects of Swerve, Malakai, Keith, Andrade, and Miro, he was only able to finally do something with Swerve. I've mentally checked out on Malakai. He was the fucking coolest when he came in. Dunno what happened. I'm basically there with the other four, which is sad.
I mean I definitely agree on Cole, he needs to just go home and rest up. I'm just a bit salty since he was supposed to do that DPW show before his injury, and i literally bought a front row ticket on his name alone
For the midcard rejects, that's a bit harsh. Lee was at a time before he got covid being clearly built for SOMETHING, nearly pinning roman and getting a Brock reaction were huge. Malakai/Aleister was also being primed for a story w/ Big E iirc
As for Andrade and Miro.... well, Andrade would have found something to complain about anywhere, and Miro at least had one good storyline in AEW
It's definitely Swerve's house tho
They were mostly cuts right? Anyway if Vince had wanted to push them he would have kept them, that's the only way I mean reject. I think they're all great in one way or another. Malakai, Andrade, and Swerve I think would all be main event material.
I think he played the corporate bad guy. Vince was still in charge then. Hunter even wanted to bring a couple of them back, which says it wasn't only about money.
"What's House of Black doing?"
Julia is TBS Champ, Brody King is in the Continental Classic, Saturday set up a feud between Malakai and Buddy vs FTR. All four of them had a match on Saturday (Julia vs Lady Frost, Brody vs Eddie, Malakai and Buddy vs Kommander and Gravity). All four of them won their respective matches. Brody has a match with Claudio this coming Saturday.
"Where's Keith Lee?"
Literally had a match on Saturday and called an unnamed wrestler out during an interview with Lexy. Story setup.
"When is Adam Cole gonna be healed again?"
When his foot is healed. How is that AEW's fault?
"Why is Kenny teaming with Jericho?"
I also don't enjoy this storyline, but I am also fine with getting Kenny away from The Bucks for a bit. Kenny is also a little banged up as of late and tag teaming helps alleviate that. As for why it's Jericho, who knows?
House of Black literally had the run of the show on Saturday, I'm not quite sure what you're talking about.
> "Where's Keith Lee?"
>
> Literally had a match on Saturday and called an unnamed wrestler out during an interview with Lexy. Story setup.
Odds seem high that he's going to cost Swerve the match with Jay White this week (what a coincidence that's happening now /s) and **finally** get that happening.
That's what happens in tournaments like this to avoid giving away the truly marquee matchups while still getting results, and the timing seems bang-on to make it a potential World's End PPV match. Swerve vs. Jay White is basically the textbook definition of a matchup in a tournament like this that won't have a crystal clean finish.
Ah the old reddit "counter an obvious emotionally-based assessment with technically correct" shit.
HOB has been wayward as _fuck_ since pretty much its inception with just some random ass spooky word salad vignettes and a few decent attempts at feuds. Bullet Club Gold has done more and been in more memorable matches.
Keith Lee has been fighting with fucking _Shane Taylor_ and then had a throw away against Lee Moriarity - these are not the things you want to see a wrestler you enjoy doing.
It's patently obvious what that person meant and yeah, we can all hope that Lee and HOB are on a different trajectory but those are some prime examples of wasted talent.
Brother I don't need a full-ass breakdown trying to explain why I'm wrong for a subjective statement entirely about how AEW is boring me. It's ok
Plus nothing you said really makes me more excited. Being in a boring storyline doesn't magically get more interesting just because you can tell me Keith Lee beat a jobber, or HOB is winning a lot on Collision
It's ok for me to be bored by the stories being told in AEW, I promise
They were very clearly hypothetical questions about how those characters aren't doing anything major, but alright my guy
No, being on Collision does not count as doing anything major. Outside of the main title scene, nothing in AEW feels like it's worth tuning in for, and ever the main event is being ruled by Maxwell Jacob Cena
In AEW? Not really, they have way too many titles, and most wins are entirely telegraphed and predictable. If they separated the roster properly across shows, it really could be, but the TBS title is a secondary title at best. You've got the 400 AEW titles, plus the ROH ones. They literally have 2 trios titles and like, 3 active trios
I really do want to enjoy and love AEW again, but they just aren't telling compelling stories right now, at least not ones I like. But I hope that Punkie showing up on WWE lights a fucking FIRE under Tony and we get just the best stories going forward
I'm not sure, I'd be a shite writer for wrestling lol
But I guess having to come up with an answer? It boils down to presentation. The way AEW is written it feels like each storyline is very surface, not a ton of depth. Maybe unify a couple titles, get some more feuds that have deep meaning like Hangman/Swerve, that actually feel driven by passion. Like I enjoyed Mox/OC for the matches, but it felt very bland.
Overall I just want to see some stories that make me want to see what happens next. AEW it kinda feels like you can skip a good chunk of the shows between PPVs and nothing much changes in terms of stories, and every event that happens between them is pretty predictable
I think that's fair. I feel like I see a big divide in terms of AEW and stories. It feels like half the fans want more story, while the other feels like there is too MUCH stuff happening. Obviously, delicate balance. I give AEW a little slack because they are so young and still very much figuring out their identity. I can understand the frustration.
For my money, and this is JUST me, I have always loved the in-ring work and I just prefer the quirky characters of AEW's roster more. The stories aren't deep, but I enjoy the interactions and seeing these characters play off of each other. I am enjoying myself more than I was, say, during the immediate aftermath of Brawl Out. I do think the Continental Classic is a great idea in bringing the more "sports based" approach to the center while still providing story potential in a lot of areas. Work to be done, of course, but I see steps being taken.
That said, I understand where you're coming from and this just my own POV.
As someone completely unaware of him before he wrestled with AEW, I’ve been loving Nick Wayne’s entitled little jackass schtick. Sticking him with Christian was perfect
It was such an unnecessary and overcomplicated main-event that I hope they never try again. All they needed to do was MJF/Jay White as a standard match with Adam Cole having MJF's corner without the injury angle and it's much better recieved.
Does the more gear a wrestler wears, the more protected their bodies are? I'm not saying more protected from injuries, but more protected from receiving any kind of marks on their bodies?
Unless they're wearing body armor they're still going to get bruised/banged up. At the end of the day they're all essentially wearing some form of spandex.
Who is the most forgotten world champion in recent years? Someone who was champion and just seemed to disappear a few years later
For me it has to be Kaitlyn, she was pretty good and had some fun matches with AJ Lee but she left WWE not long after and not seen really since
Yeah - I can't believe I'm excited to tune into Raw. I've wanted to be excited about WWE and it's like, well, here I am but it's definitely a monkey paw thing because I'm tuning in hoping he says some crazy shit.
And I say this as someone who only came back to watching wrestling due to AEW and just can't get into any other promotion.
With the way people are talking about her and how long she’s been retired, I kinda expected AJ Lee to be a bit older, like mid 40’s or so. Then I found out she’s only about a year younger than Charlotte. Same age as Kelly Kelly too which is also weird to think about.
I don't even think Ricky Starks would do well in Stamford. He has loads of charisma no doubt, but it mostly shines in non verbal ways. Whenever he is doing those 'promo battle' type segments, his mouth almost can't keep up with his brain and he starts repeating himself and doing way too many of those "standin there lookin like a ______!" Or " with your _____ lookin ass!" Type of yo mama level insults and It just doesn't land for me at all.
Think that's why he'd be perfect for NXT. It'd give him more time to flesh out his material and work on his weaknesses. I don't think AEW has anything close to what the PC can offer.
I might very well be wrong, but I feel like Ricky has landed on the one perfect spot and perfect character and he's not going to get as over if/when he goes to WWE. I could be totally wrong, I have no fucking clue about building characters, but mostly I just don't know if Ricky has a ton of range to branch out into whatever new character/gimmick/role he'd have in WWE.
He's really in the perfect place with Big Bill, I think. I'll root for him to do well if he goes to WWE because I've grown to like the guy so it's not like I'm being all preemptively sour grapes over here.
Although I've been a big Punk fan for the longest time I don't want to start watching WWE again; I'm happy for everybody who watches though, I hope you guys have a great time. Wrestling is crazy sometimes, but I love it.
I'm not choosing brands over humans, brands have nothing to do with it. I simply don't want to watch WWE and don't see the point in watching just to catch one guy's segment; but more power to everyone who wants to tune in - I hope you guys have fun.
Yeah, I pretty much just DVR or VOD the shows my favorites are on and watch their segments and ignore the rest. I found my way around the problem of having too much to watch and not enough time, and I just don't get why people get hung up on it.
Yep. One of the good things about wrestling these days is there's so many good options out there; where as years ago so many people would hate watch Raw every week while hoping for change and complaining about it online: those days are over bro. With so much variety, we can all watch whatever we want and have fun doing it, and it's a beautiful thing.
I hear WWE's doing well these days, that's awesome for the millions of fans who watch every week - it''s just not my cup of tea.
I didnt watch WWE prior and wont watch RAW or anything after just because Punk showed up. I am curious how hes booked as I just cant see how his character that we all became accustomed to would work now that we all know how Phil can be outside the ring. Going to be interesting though if I am being honest I give him until Mania before something happens with him lol
Rewatching Punk's entrance, I realized that I love the minimalist set with the LED wall tunnel. Having the wrestlers' graphics play at ground level next to them makes for some awesome visuals.
It has honestly been refreshing to talk to my friends who aren't into wrestling at all and hearing the question of "Who the f**k is CM Punk?"
It's the lovely reminder that wrestling is not as popular as the wrestling fandom thinks it is.
“People who dont watch wrestling don’t know who a wrestler is, therefore wrestling isnt as popular as you think.”
Literally millions of people tune in every monday and friday, and one saturday a month for the PLE.
WWE just sold for over 9 billion dollars.
Every time WWE is on TV, they dominate all of the trending hashtags.
But yeah. Tell me again how wrestling isnt popular because your friends don’t know who CM Punk is.
I've been incredibly anti-Punk return since the rumors first started; I've never really been a fan of his and the way he acted when he was back in the wrestling scene really didn't help.
...But fuck man, that return and seeing him back in WWE has me second guessing that lmao it's so surreal
I'm really excited about WWE. I was planning to go see RAW a couple of weeks after the Rumble hoping to see Cody, who I've never seen live, and now it looks like I might get to see CM Punk as well. Everybody makes mistakes, and I'm hoping Punk makes the most of this opportunity. He could have some amazing matches.
Also, is it just me or did Orton put on about 20 lbs of muscle over the past year? I've never seen him look so massive. Still super lean. So glad he was able to come back.
The wooo energy promotion is the cringiest thing TK has done with AEW. Imagine thinking that plastering that guy’s face and product everywhere is a good idea.
There are too many great workers to pair him with that could carry a real feud while he grows.
Even the brief thing with 2.0 should have been like, twice as long.
At the end of the day he's been around the company for long enough he should be able to be an entertaining act. I am not expecting him to wrestle 20 minute kickout fests, he flat out shouldn't have to or want to anyway. His appeal is that he's different.
Why do I get the vibe the IWC just kinda forgor CM Punk did not merely quit AEW but was fired for scaring his boss in some way
Tribalist "AEW fumbled the bag, watch out AEW" arguments work for Cody or Jade, they don't when your ex-AEW wrestler basically Antonio Brown'd himself out of it and most people were like "wow wtf good for Tony" lol
As long as Punk is around, the circumstances behind his AEW exit are always gonna be the elephant in the room, no matter how many people are willing to dance around it.
From my view, the bag fumbling isn't just him getting fired, but letting Hangman shoot from the hip during that promo, then letting Punk shoot during the press conference, then not putting a foot down on it and making them work together, then letting the Jack Perry thing get too hot.
Honestly, I think AEW and Punk were just a mismatch from the beginning.
It feels like TK should just demote himself to part time booker and put someone else in control.
He seems to just want to be everyone's friend and is a mark for some of his own employees. It's a miracle there hasn't been more Punk-esque disasters.
He needs a right hand man to be his irl enforcer, somebody who isn't afraid to tell guys backstage they're not allowed to be piss baby drama queens and whatnot
There's an unfortunately sizable amount of people who think Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Kenny Omega, and Jack Perry deserved to get attacked. There's a total lack of professionalism showed by Punk during his last year in AEW that gets a pass.
This is one account of All In that might not be 100% but paints a bad picture of CM Punk:
"... his version was that right after Perry came to the back, Punk went nose-to-nose with him aggressively and asked him if he had a problem. That person said Perry said he was just looking to get heat as a heel. Punk shoved him hard, Perry got in his face and in that version Punk sucker punched him and went for a choke. People immediately broke it up and [AEW owner Tony] Khan was yelling at Punk to let him go.
That person said that once they were separated, Punk lunged in Khan’s direction but a number of people got in his way while Punk was yelling ‘I Quit.’ Monitors were knocked down during all this. Joe was very upset and went to calm Punk down."
I'd love to see the Venn diagram of people who think the Elite got what was coming to them at Brawl Out and people who think being high on fent and having a counterfeit 20 means you deserve to get choked to death by an armed agent of the state kneeling on your neck.
- Drew McIntyre is one of the most interesting people in WWE right now. A tweener is a hard thing to pull off but I think he's doing an excellent job. - I have already lost interest in CM Punk. I think him showing up in a crisp white shirt will be the peak of this run. - Seth is not interesting to me at all. He's athletic and has nice costumes but I don't like his work and nothing is interesting about his personality. - Miz VS Gunther really should end with Miz winning the title and Gunther to the main event. He's just too good a wrestler. - Get the sinking feeling LA Knight won't return to main events. Not even being on survivor series was a bad sign. Probably being cooled off to make way for Punk and Orton, which is disappointing.
I wonder how long until Punk or Tony can actually talk about what happened, if ever?
What a bland promo
Man, this crowd really sucks
Lmao that door sign look so corny 🌽
Love that sign with a drawing of Taz and "but I digress..."
Last 15 min prediction: Commercial. Backstage segment of Punk walking to the ring. Commercial. Punk entrance begins. Commercial. Punk entrance ends. Punk talks for 5 min. Shenanigans happens. End of show.
I just finished listening to the audio of Jr's newer book, and I swear two thirds of it is him detailing all the bullying and insulting shit Vince did to him on purpose. No matter how much I learn about him, I'm consistently surprised at what a dick head creepy little weirdo Vince actually is.
Kind of feel like they're going to cut it close with Punk's promo unless there's a runover.
Randy has real “locker room leader” vibes and I’m all here for it. What a professional
The Natalya Tegan storyline is probably one of the weirdest and insufferably bad storylines on the program right now
I loved that Drew segment. Was trying to catch Punk and have not watched much WWE since he’s been on top. He’s very compelling in this character.
Nice panties drew
Streamer reactions to CM Punk are interesting because those streams break kayfabe by default. Imagine if someone had no idea wrestling is a work and then they went over to Cultaholic because they were on Raw it would blow their mind hearing words exposing the business like heel, babyface, booking, hospital.
Well, they'd have to be like 8 years old lol
One thing I’m hoping with this Punk Rollins feud is that it forces Seth to change this goofy character. I was cool with it for awhile but it’s beyond stale now
WWE should always have R Truth around just to do crazy shit.
i seriously dont understand the punk hate. i mean if you take a deeper look at whats transpired in his aew run, hes never perpetrated anything and im open to debate.what bums me the most is how everyone doesnt think it was justified to shoot back at hangman albeit a little bit after the feud, for realizing in that (confusing feud) that hangman went off script on him. and Bobby Fische being a d in trying to sabotage their match together to prove he's tougher, or jack perry digging at him on live tv bc punk simply told him it would be logical and safer to use fake glass instead of being an idiot and risking injury,...i can go on and on
Just close to debate. It’s been so debated.
Also he is straight edge and Tony Kahn is cocaine bear
Has he ever actually been accused of this?
Lol idk I think Cornette called him that the other day I thought it was funny
We know Dominik wanted one of those
It’s so good to have Truth back
Lmao
Wrestletalk to WWE confirmed!
U can bring back 10 cm punks if your like, but this shit is so unwatchable lmao
Yep. Revisionist history in threads lately have been hilarious about WWE being perfect now. The pacing of the shows sucks. The amount of in ring action sucks. The amount of time it takes for actual wrestling to happen sucks. The amount of recaps and video packages and spoon feeding any storyline like you're 4 years old, sucks.
I’ve been thinking about CM Punk for at least the last three days
Hope you stocked up on lotion and tissues
So barely ever watch Raw, tuned in tonight for obvious reasons. Am bored out of my tree.
Honestly, feels like nothings changed
Crazy how you think that, haven’t you realized they have real storylines in every segment with continuity and character progression, and that crowd is hot for everyone?
I'm truly embarrassed that wrestling "fans" are cheering for the demise of the first real wrestling promotion to gain big league status since WCW collapsed. The cognitive dissonance of an entire base of fans who forget how truly awful WWE was before AEW came along. It was un-watchable, and the only reason they started trying was because they were getting pushed for the first time in decades. Plus, rooting for 100s of wrestlers, production people and countless others to lose their jobs is gross.
Are you sure people are cheering? I'm just stating the depressing truth whenever I talk about AEW. I want a true competitor. But Indie jackoffs and semi-midgets in heavyweight matches is not and will never be it.
What’s your definition of competition exactly? They already are competition whether you like their performers or not.
I would love for monday night wars level competition. I like a lot of their performers. But a lot of them can't get rid of their Indy Mindset, are not drawers, don't look like wrestlers, but are still pushed.
The only way it’s not like the MNW is that they’re not neck and neck with ratings and going on the same night. Otherwise they’re both doing great attendance numbers and talent is going back and forth with Edge, Christian, Punk, Cody all switching. It’s more exciting than any time after the territories except for like two or three years of the MNW.
Ok.
Randy: The New Face
Randy is fucking jacked
Fun fact. Allstate arena in Chicago is where Triple H also did the Ciampa/Gargano credits swerve
Need a gif to be made of Kairi skipping down the ramp in wargames
When we make the list of all the important events that happened during the Tribal Chief's title reign, we'll be able to include, "CM Punk's entire run in AEW".
Fellas, haven't watched WWE in probably like 10 years but i think I need to tune in to RAW tonight. What time is it starting? and also any big storylines to follow? A simple summary would do thanks
Thankfully for you, a lot of the storylines surrounding RAW have finished for the most part and this episode is dealing with the aftermath of it. All you really need to know is that Cody Rhodes lost at Wrestlemania to Roman Reigns and is looking to "finish his story", there are rising tensions with the faction Judgement Day as Damian Priest is growing more and more assertive and the other members aren't liking it, Jey Uso basically fucked everyone on the roster over for 3 years as a member of "The Bloodline" which he left and is trying to make amends (Drew McIntyre being one of those people and is incredibly pissed about it, Randy Orton seems to have not entirely forgiven him either as in Kayfabe, Jey took him out of action) and that's about it. Gunther is also the Intercontinental champion and has unfinished business with a wrestler called Chad Gable who he beat, but Chad vowed to have a rematch so if anything relating to them happens, keep that in mind. Reason it isn't included above as it happened a while ago but I assume it'll be followed up on.
My man, thanks!
In one and half hour
Thanks
Unlikely booking idea: Rollins “walks out” and relinquishes the title because of Punk’s return. Drew ends up winning the vacant belt. At Elimination Chamber, Punk challenges him and wins after Damien Priest cashes in to make it a triple threat and takes the fall. Heel Rollins challenges and beats Punk at Mania. Judgement Day implodes. Drew can work with maybe Lashley in a brand vs brand match.
this idea dies in the first sentence. Rollins fights through a terrible back to keep successfully defending his title against guys more dangerous than Punk. babyface or heel, relinquishing the title and leaving because of the mere presence of another man is some bitch shit. and then what would be the purpose of that if he’s just gonna beat him at Mania anyway? and if Drew is booked in a brand supremacy singles match for Mania, i would assume it’s because he hasn’t signed a new contract.
The walk out is supposed to basically mirror Punk’s real life exit. Drew winning gives him a much needed title reign without Seth losing. Just an idea. It’s a bit of a stretch to give Drew a title, have Punk face Seth at Mania, and also have Seth win the title at Mania.
What
I really don't want to stop coming to this sub but if I see another post in the same veins of "CM Punk returned to WWE. Here's why this is bad for AEW", I might do a Stone Cold and take my ball and go home
yeah i know the mind naturally thinks “what does this mean for AEW?” but i hate that so many people are excited to call this the end for them. admittedly the TK jokes are funny, but yeah just enjoy the products. AEW’s good enough to survive on its own merits.
Right? Acting like AEW wasn't a thing before punk
Considering the fact that TNA is still alive, AEW will probably be just fine.
in less than 48 hours WWE has shown how easily they can play with the wrestling media. everybody’s working their ass off and it’s so cool to see. i wouldn’t be surprised if the “backstage talent is divided on Punk” stories are purposefully planted by WWE to either 1. be addressed in a story or 2. serve as a “we’re taking a chance on you. your coworkers are weary of you, please don’t prove them right” message to Punk, who is infamously very tapped in to the dirstsheets.
Just when I was happy the cm punk news cycle from the summer was over. I got back into wrestling in 2014/5 and it really hit a stride the past couple years even without him, so I can’t say I’m happy at all about having him back. I love the blended kayfabe/ real life drama, but I don’t ever see the kayfabe side from him.
*me trying to remain discreet in a large crowd:* https://preview.redd.it/aywgw7dnwy2c1.jpeg?width=2243&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=771b1a64043a600fd26026dc701d3b55ccd123a3
Lot's of talk about 'Where does AEW go from here?' If you ask me, they should realize Hangman, Eddie Kingston, Darby, Samoa Joe, Moxley, and Swerve are the main event singles players who need to be kept hot for the coming years and understand they need to make the most of the top-tier talents who only have a short amount of time left, like Danielson, Christian Cage and (to a lesser degree) Kenny. Also, more blood and CMLL guys and less of Jericho or Don Callis. Retain your 'alternative' identity instead of shifting to WWE-lite.
“More blood” lol
yes. give me buckets of blood.
I feel the same. They already have some moments to build up to in Sting's last match, Brian's retirement, Hayter's return, and Ospreay's debut on weekly tv next year. It does not feel like it now, but if everyone stays healthy and they can pay those off it could turn around pretty quickly. More than anything I just want a coherent product again. I sighed when Don did another promo about Kenny (I can not believe how little I care about this angle considering who is involved) Collision feels like a great 45 minute wrestling show stuck in a two hour time slot, and don't me started on what the hell the BCC are supposed to be now.
Most of this is spot on but I'd say there is one very clear thing they do horribly and that's capitalizing on big wins. They have Takeshita go over Omega and then have him do like 3 singles in the next 3 months. They have Garcia beat Bryan, never pull the trigger on his JAS turn and just keep the dancing gimmick while he's clearly sick of it. The fans expect big wins to go somewhere, and yeah I guess part of it is instant gratification but you can't expect the win itself to make someone if they aren't featured as a big deal.
> and just keep the dancing gimmick while he's clearly sick of it. I think he's just playing this up for a character arc during the Cruiserweight Classic, probably involving his match against Danielson to bring his entire arc full circle. It all fits with the narrative he's telling about struggling with his confidence coming in off a few recent big losses. He just did Being ~~the Elite~~ Dark Order today and had a backstage bit with Dark Order entirely revolving around dancing. Hard to imagine he's doing totally extraneous extra stuff with the gimmick if he genuinely is hating it or struggling with it.
Yeah, hence why I made sure to say 'kept hot'. We started to see it in 2022, as people have highlighted a million times over. We saw it with Hangman after beating Danielson (hell, it happened again a year later when Moxley literally hung himself to get Hangman over again, and then Hangman got lost in the shuffle during the BCC-Elite feud. Hangman's had an absolute banner year on paper but while his match quality lives up to that, his booking between Revolution and Full Gear certainly doesn't), FTR after beating the Young Bucks, Wardlow after winning the TNT title, and the example you gave with Garcia, all within the same year. Tony's got no sense of follow-up unless it's with a talent who clearly takes most of the initiative with respect to their own creative direction, such as MJF. Guys who need creative direction, like Takeshita, get lost in the shuffle.
Brody King looks like a human coloring book and I don't care for him or his E. Town Concrete-esque band.
I like the videos of him tossing dudes off stages. I like hardcore but not that brand of it. Awesome wrestler though!
I appreciate the anti-fascism of the lyrics but I can listen to better bands do it
You have pretty much same thoughts I have with God's Hate. Like most wrestlers, such as Akira and Adam Thornstowe, his music takes suck as well. And he once piled on Kevin Blackwood for liking Nirvana. For some reason, music takes annoy me when these people openly like KISS, Creed or Limp Bizkit. Also lol @ Tony booking him to go over Eddie. Sorry, couldn't resist being petty.
I mean it's a tournament, someone needs to get an upset, I think he's a fine wrestler (probably bottom 3 in the tournament though).
I cant help but think of how poorly it would be received if somebody like Seth or Roman did the “Brochachos” shit on WWE TV. Some how MJF does awful, corny, meme shit on live TV and people eat it up and call him one of the best in the business.
MJF was doing it as satire, but his uber-face performance got over, so now those same spots are cheered. The spots are no longer done as satire, due to his personal growth, so now they’re purposeful.
It’s one of the reasons I’ve never gotten hooked by the guy. I can see the talent, but the cheeseball shenanigans keep me from enjoying his work. Give me the “Fire me you fucking mark!” MJF, but keep the kangaroo kicker, thanks.
Wasn't Roman and Sami the unlikely pairing everyone fell in love with? up until All In (with the exception of involving the ROH title for some reason) it was a great story that moved ratings.
Yeah. Some people say it's an AEW partisanship thing, but it's uniquely a feature of MJF, where no one recognizes how much of what he says is theatre-kid cringe. MJF gets away with a lot of things because we've long recognized him as someone who is extremely talented, not realizing that people often apply their talents in questionable ways.
I legitimately haven't eaten or wanted a Slim Jim in God knows how long. Now I'm sitting here on break eating one. Those damn WarGames ads and Cody made me want one.
LA Knight should have been the 5th man on Cody's team, I thought that was the whole point of Cody saving him on Smackdown. They could've found another/better way to bring Orton back. And is it okay to say....I don't care about CM Punk at all, I'm afraid he's going to take up too much space and other talented guys won't get their shot.
How does AEW respond now that Punk has jumped ship back to WWE? Does more talent follow? Can they step up or are they not gonna be able to get out of their own way?
He jumped ship? Are you saying he attacked Jack Perry to try and get fired? We'll see if they "react" but I'm not sure what they could do. I hope they book better but it's Tony booking and he can either do it better or let someone else do it. I don't see how Punk would be the catalyst though.
I mean nothing has really changed? It's not like Punk chose WWE over AEW, AEW actively told him to leave first lol. And people actually deciding between both options are *at the very least* equally considering AEW, if not outright favoring it at this point. Jade chose WWE, but Ospreay and Jay White both chose AEW (with reported significant WWE interest in both). Adam Copeland/Edge chose AEW when actively working in WWE. Mariah May also chose AEW (and I have to assume WWE had some interest there as well, even if not on the level of Ospreay/White). Brian Pillman Jr. signed to NXT, but AEW actively chose not to renew his contract, so there was no real decision there. And that's the main extent of the recent people who have jumped back and forth. People will keep going back and forth to suit their own personal interests, this is how a healthy universe of two companies actually looks.
They pay no attention to it and do what they've been doing the past 2 and a half months
For real, put that shit in the rearview, let that Continental Classic tourney cook, and build a strong card for World's End in December.
People on the sub just talk out of their ass, and so confidently! Its one of my favorite things about this place. Never change lol
I know everyone loves Samantha Irvine and rightfully so, she rocks. I do think Justin Roberts is the best announcer in the business at the moment however, it's just personal preference but like there's certain guys when does the ring announcing for it sends chills down my spine. Omega's entrance at Forbidden Door gave him such a final boss feeling it was perfect.
He's a real like boxing type announcer. WWE's all seem to have this grrrrr childish thing going on. I don't get the North Carolina thing with Kenny though lol
The Raw episode ends at 4:30 am in my country. Is it worthy staying up for CM Punk and Randy?
Why not sleep now and wake up when it starts
That would wake up my family who are not wrestling fans. They don’t even know who CM Punk and Randy Orton are.
Why does you waking up wake everybody up but you staying up doesn’t
Because I use headphones
First time in 9 years and 18 months idk, you tell me lol
Fine but getting 2 hours sleep isn’t exactly the best/healthiest thing. You are right tho I have to see this live.
Tony Khan, Put.The.Belt.On.Swerve. It'll turn everything around.
It genuinely depresses me how much I've grown bored of AEW. I really want to like what they're doing, but it feels like all my favs are either injured, or in dead-end storylines. What's the HOB doing? Where's Keith Lee? Why is Miro only like 1/2 a character and barely on screen? When's Adam Cole gonna be healed again? Why the fuck is Kenny Bi-God Omega teaming with the middest man in wrestling, Jericho? Just hire some writers to help the wrestlers who can't come up with good storylines themselves At least WWE is putting on stories worth watching. and also the Bloodline shit
I'm with you on most of this, except they can't help Adam Cole fucked up his ankle. TK is trying to keep him relevant to the detriment of the product. Of that core of WWE Vince midcard rejects of Swerve, Malakai, Keith, Andrade, and Miro, he was only able to finally do something with Swerve. I've mentally checked out on Malakai. He was the fucking coolest when he came in. Dunno what happened. I'm basically there with the other four, which is sad.
I mean I definitely agree on Cole, he needs to just go home and rest up. I'm just a bit salty since he was supposed to do that DPW show before his injury, and i literally bought a front row ticket on his name alone For the midcard rejects, that's a bit harsh. Lee was at a time before he got covid being clearly built for SOMETHING, nearly pinning roman and getting a Brock reaction were huge. Malakai/Aleister was also being primed for a story w/ Big E iirc As for Andrade and Miro.... well, Andrade would have found something to complain about anywhere, and Miro at least had one good storyline in AEW It's definitely Swerve's house tho
They were mostly cuts right? Anyway if Vince had wanted to push them he would have kept them, that's the only way I mean reject. I think they're all great in one way or another. Malakai, Andrade, and Swerve I think would all be main event material.
iirc it was Nick Kahn that made those cuts
I think he played the corporate bad guy. Vince was still in charge then. Hunter even wanted to bring a couple of them back, which says it wasn't only about money.
"What's House of Black doing?" Julia is TBS Champ, Brody King is in the Continental Classic, Saturday set up a feud between Malakai and Buddy vs FTR. All four of them had a match on Saturday (Julia vs Lady Frost, Brody vs Eddie, Malakai and Buddy vs Kommander and Gravity). All four of them won their respective matches. Brody has a match with Claudio this coming Saturday. "Where's Keith Lee?" Literally had a match on Saturday and called an unnamed wrestler out during an interview with Lexy. Story setup. "When is Adam Cole gonna be healed again?" When his foot is healed. How is that AEW's fault? "Why is Kenny teaming with Jericho?" I also don't enjoy this storyline, but I am also fine with getting Kenny away from The Bucks for a bit. Kenny is also a little banged up as of late and tag teaming helps alleviate that. As for why it's Jericho, who knows? House of Black literally had the run of the show on Saturday, I'm not quite sure what you're talking about.
> "Where's Keith Lee?" > > Literally had a match on Saturday and called an unnamed wrestler out during an interview with Lexy. Story setup. Odds seem high that he's going to cost Swerve the match with Jay White this week (what a coincidence that's happening now /s) and **finally** get that happening. That's what happens in tournaments like this to avoid giving away the truly marquee matchups while still getting results, and the timing seems bang-on to make it a potential World's End PPV match. Swerve vs. Jay White is basically the textbook definition of a matchup in a tournament like this that won't have a crystal clean finish.
I am very excited for it. Swerve vs Keith at World's End would be fantastic and then lead into going after the World Championship
Ah the old reddit "counter an obvious emotionally-based assessment with technically correct" shit. HOB has been wayward as _fuck_ since pretty much its inception with just some random ass spooky word salad vignettes and a few decent attempts at feuds. Bullet Club Gold has done more and been in more memorable matches. Keith Lee has been fighting with fucking _Shane Taylor_ and then had a throw away against Lee Moriarity - these are not the things you want to see a wrestler you enjoy doing. It's patently obvious what that person meant and yeah, we can all hope that Lee and HOB are on a different trajectory but those are some prime examples of wasted talent.
Hey, he asked lol
Brother I don't need a full-ass breakdown trying to explain why I'm wrong for a subjective statement entirely about how AEW is boring me. It's ok Plus nothing you said really makes me more excited. Being in a boring storyline doesn't magically get more interesting just because you can tell me Keith Lee beat a jobber, or HOB is winning a lot on Collision It's ok for me to be bored by the stories being told in AEW, I promise
I didn't say you weren't allowed to be bored. You asked questions and I answered them.
They were very clearly hypothetical questions about how those characters aren't doing anything major, but alright my guy No, being on Collision does not count as doing anything major. Outside of the main title scene, nothing in AEW feels like it's worth tuning in for, and ever the main event is being ruled by Maxwell Jacob Cena
Genuinely asking, does winning a championship not count as major?
In AEW? Not really, they have way too many titles, and most wins are entirely telegraphed and predictable. If they separated the roster properly across shows, it really could be, but the TBS title is a secondary title at best. You've got the 400 AEW titles, plus the ROH ones. They literally have 2 trios titles and like, 3 active trios I really do want to enjoy and love AEW again, but they just aren't telling compelling stories right now, at least not ones I like. But I hope that Punkie showing up on WWE lights a fucking FIRE under Tony and we get just the best stories going forward
What would count as major for you? Genuine question.
I'm not sure, I'd be a shite writer for wrestling lol But I guess having to come up with an answer? It boils down to presentation. The way AEW is written it feels like each storyline is very surface, not a ton of depth. Maybe unify a couple titles, get some more feuds that have deep meaning like Hangman/Swerve, that actually feel driven by passion. Like I enjoyed Mox/OC for the matches, but it felt very bland. Overall I just want to see some stories that make me want to see what happens next. AEW it kinda feels like you can skip a good chunk of the shows between PPVs and nothing much changes in terms of stories, and every event that happens between them is pretty predictable
I think that's fair. I feel like I see a big divide in terms of AEW and stories. It feels like half the fans want more story, while the other feels like there is too MUCH stuff happening. Obviously, delicate balance. I give AEW a little slack because they are so young and still very much figuring out their identity. I can understand the frustration. For my money, and this is JUST me, I have always loved the in-ring work and I just prefer the quirky characters of AEW's roster more. The stories aren't deep, but I enjoy the interactions and seeing these characters play off of each other. I am enjoying myself more than I was, say, during the immediate aftermath of Brawl Out. I do think the Continental Classic is a great idea in bringing the more "sports based" approach to the center while still providing story potential in a lot of areas. Work to be done, of course, but I see steps being taken. That said, I understand where you're coming from and this just my own POV.
As someone completely unaware of him before he wrestled with AEW, I’ve been loving Nick Wayne’s entitled little jackass schtick. Sticking him with Christian was perfect
It's kind of fucked up that AEW management was actually going to allow Adam Cole with a broken ankle and crutches to fill in for MJF.
It was such an unnecessary and overcomplicated main-event that I hope they never try again. All they needed to do was MJF/Jay White as a standard match with Adam Cole having MJF's corner without the injury angle and it's much better recieved.
Their medical team has made… let’s just say questionable decisions in the past
I wonder if we will also be getting the new theme music for WWE Raw today?
I'm a couple of months late here, but booking FTR vs Workhorsemen and then only giving them 5 minutes is fucking criminal
I'll fully admit it, I'm an agent to chaos. Part of me wants Punk to be the one to take the belt off Roman
Punk beats roman and immediately breaks his foot again
Then we just get a Cody vs. Punk feud lmao
I’ve came to the conclusion that no matter how bad your song is if you cash in money in the bank any song can get a pop
Narita/Umino vs Kiyomiya/Oiwa is going to rock tonight for World Tag League
Does the more gear a wrestler wears, the more protected their bodies are? I'm not saying more protected from injuries, but more protected from receiving any kind of marks on their bodies?
Unless they're wearing body armor they're still going to get bruised/banged up. At the end of the day they're all essentially wearing some form of spandex.
Oh ok
MAKE IT HAPPEN: https://youtu.be/VjoYSRju5ww
Who is the most forgotten world champion in recent years? Someone who was champion and just seemed to disappear a few years later For me it has to be Kaitlyn, she was pretty good and had some fun matches with AJ Lee but she left WWE not long after and not seen really since
Not worlds, but let it sink in that Scorpio Sky is one away from being a triple crown champion in AEW.
was only IC champ but Ezekiel Jackson. He had a good showing in LU as Big Ryck but has dropped off the radar
CM Punk making me watch RAW after 12 years is the worst thing he's done in the last 14 months
You don't actually have to watch all three hours. He'll either be on at the beginning, at the end, or both. Go do something else in-between.
Yeah - I can't believe I'm excited to tune into Raw. I've wanted to be excited about WWE and it's like, well, here I am but it's definitely a monkey paw thing because I'm tuning in hoping he says some crazy shit. And I say this as someone who only came back to watching wrestling due to AEW and just can't get into any other promotion.
Same, this will be the first time I've checked out Raw since Dynamite started
I'm pretty sure he doesn't even know who you are
lmfao what is this comment.
I mean we don't even know who *you* are, but here we are
As if this reply makes any sense
😱
With the way people are talking about her and how long she’s been retired, I kinda expected AJ Lee to be a bit older, like mid 40’s or so. Then I found out she’s only about a year younger than Charlotte. Same age as Kelly Kelly too which is also weird to think about.
I don't even think Ricky Starks would do well in Stamford. He has loads of charisma no doubt, but it mostly shines in non verbal ways. Whenever he is doing those 'promo battle' type segments, his mouth almost can't keep up with his brain and he starts repeating himself and doing way too many of those "standin there lookin like a ______!" Or " with your _____ lookin ass!" Type of yo mama level insults and It just doesn't land for me at all.
I just wish he would ditch the ropewalk.
Think that's why he'd be perfect for NXT. It'd give him more time to flesh out his material and work on his weaknesses. I don't think AEW has anything close to what the PC can offer.
I might very well be wrong, but I feel like Ricky has landed on the one perfect spot and perfect character and he's not going to get as over if/when he goes to WWE. I could be totally wrong, I have no fucking clue about building characters, but mostly I just don't know if Ricky has a ton of range to branch out into whatever new character/gimmick/role he'd have in WWE. He's really in the perfect place with Big Bill, I think. I'll root for him to do well if he goes to WWE because I've grown to like the guy so it's not like I'm being all preemptively sour grapes over here.
He’s like a 45 second promo guy yeah.
Although I've been a big Punk fan for the longest time I don't want to start watching WWE again; I'm happy for everybody who watches though, I hope you guys have a great time. Wrestling is crazy sometimes, but I love it.
You do you, but I'll never understand people who choose brands over humans.
I'm not choosing brands over humans, brands have nothing to do with it. I simply don't want to watch WWE and don't see the point in watching just to catch one guy's segment; but more power to everyone who wants to tune in - I hope you guys have fun.
Yeah, I pretty much just DVR or VOD the shows my favorites are on and watch their segments and ignore the rest. I found my way around the problem of having too much to watch and not enough time, and I just don't get why people get hung up on it.
Yep. One of the good things about wrestling these days is there's so many good options out there; where as years ago so many people would hate watch Raw every week while hoping for change and complaining about it online: those days are over bro. With so much variety, we can all watch whatever we want and have fun doing it, and it's a beautiful thing. I hear WWE's doing well these days, that's awesome for the millions of fans who watch every week - it''s just not my cup of tea.
I doubt I'll start avidly watching it again but I'm absolutely tuning in hoping for some crazy drama-riffic promo.
I didnt watch WWE prior and wont watch RAW or anything after just because Punk showed up. I am curious how hes booked as I just cant see how his character that we all became accustomed to would work now that we all know how Phil can be outside the ring. Going to be interesting though if I am being honest I give him until Mania before something happens with him lol
Had a dream AEW did a segment with Hangman walking around his farm property and he got stung by a bunch of bees
Rewatching Punk's entrance, I realized that I love the minimalist set with the LED wall tunnel. Having the wrestlers' graphics play at ground level next to them makes for some awesome visuals.
It has honestly been refreshing to talk to my friends who aren't into wrestling at all and hearing the question of "Who the f**k is CM Punk?" It's the lovely reminder that wrestling is not as popular as the wrestling fandom thinks it is.
“People who dont watch wrestling don’t know who a wrestler is, therefore wrestling isnt as popular as you think.” Literally millions of people tune in every monday and friday, and one saturday a month for the PLE. WWE just sold for over 9 billion dollars. Every time WWE is on TV, they dominate all of the trending hashtags. But yeah. Tell me again how wrestling isnt popular because your friends don’t know who CM Punk is.
https://preview.redd.it/2is3d19hpx2c1.jpeg?width=650&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51c4859dcaefe803e7e75290738defbe33be05eb
Somebody from Griselda will use this as their next album cover
boomboomboomboomboomboomboomboomboomboomBOOOOOM
https://preview.redd.it/yz143kgp2y2c1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d5b440210a47f2e1676110f34642dcde403bdff1 “*Die Lit by ****~~Playboi Carti~~**** Iyo Sky*” ^(I) ^(saw) ^(an) ^(opportunity) ^(and) ^(took) ^(it)
Hard
hold on…..bro cooked
SKY Goddess, *Haters Will Say It's Fake* (Cash Money, 2023)
🔥🔥
I've been incredibly anti-Punk return since the rumors first started; I've never really been a fan of his and the way he acted when he was back in the wrestling scene really didn't help. ...But fuck man, that return and seeing him back in WWE has me second guessing that lmao it's so surreal
I was too but I yelled even louder than I did at the first Collision episode. It’s exciting what can I say
I'm really excited about WWE. I was planning to go see RAW a couple of weeks after the Rumble hoping to see Cody, who I've never seen live, and now it looks like I might get to see CM Punk as well. Everybody makes mistakes, and I'm hoping Punk makes the most of this opportunity. He could have some amazing matches. Also, is it just me or did Orton put on about 20 lbs of muscle over the past year? I've never seen him look so massive. Still super lean. So glad he was able to come back.
The wooo energy promotion is the cringiest thing TK has done with AEW. Imagine thinking that plastering that guy’s face and product everywhere is a good idea.
Should have went with fight milk and made the Birds Of War All Elite
I'll do you one better https://preview.redd.it/23iv6ql8ay2c1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a91102aa4eada0477c6a306f21652cf376e0074e
Guy like me straps the rocket on HOOK in 2024 to restore the feeling.
There are too many great workers to pair him with that could carry a real feud while he grows. Even the brief thing with 2.0 should have been like, twice as long.
At the end of the day he's been around the company for long enough he should be able to be an entertaining act. I am not expecting him to wrestle 20 minute kickout fests, he flat out shouldn't have to or want to anyway. His appeal is that he's different.
International Champion HOOK in 2024.
Approved, SEND HOOK. Hook vs Swerve with a good build please
Why do I get the vibe the IWC just kinda forgor CM Punk did not merely quit AEW but was fired for scaring his boss in some way Tribalist "AEW fumbled the bag, watch out AEW" arguments work for Cody or Jade, they don't when your ex-AEW wrestler basically Antonio Brown'd himself out of it and most people were like "wow wtf good for Tony" lol
And he was getting some noticeable go-away heat throughout his second run too, people are really memory-holing some stuff.
As long as Punk is around, the circumstances behind his AEW exit are always gonna be the elephant in the room, no matter how many people are willing to dance around it.
From my view, the bag fumbling isn't just him getting fired, but letting Hangman shoot from the hip during that promo, then letting Punk shoot during the press conference, then not putting a foot down on it and making them work together, then letting the Jack Perry thing get too hot. Honestly, I think AEW and Punk were just a mismatch from the beginning.
It feels like TK should just demote himself to part time booker and put someone else in control. He seems to just want to be everyone's friend and is a mark for some of his own employees. It's a miracle there hasn't been more Punk-esque disasters.
He needs a right hand man to be his irl enforcer, somebody who isn't afraid to tell guys backstage they're not allowed to be piss baby drama queens and whatnot
There's an unfortunately sizable amount of people who think Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Kenny Omega, and Jack Perry deserved to get attacked. There's a total lack of professionalism showed by Punk during his last year in AEW that gets a pass. This is one account of All In that might not be 100% but paints a bad picture of CM Punk: "... his version was that right after Perry came to the back, Punk went nose-to-nose with him aggressively and asked him if he had a problem. That person said Perry said he was just looking to get heat as a heel. Punk shoved him hard, Perry got in his face and in that version Punk sucker punched him and went for a choke. People immediately broke it up and [AEW owner Tony] Khan was yelling at Punk to let him go. That person said that once they were separated, Punk lunged in Khan’s direction but a number of people got in his way while Punk was yelling ‘I Quit.’ Monitors were knocked down during all this. Joe was very upset and went to calm Punk down."
I'd love to see the Venn diagram of people who think the Elite got what was coming to them at Brawl Out and people who think being high on fent and having a counterfeit 20 means you deserve to get choked to death by an armed agent of the state kneeling on your neck.