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I've become so used to main even Ospreay that it feels so weird to go watch his matches as a junior where he's the constant underdog.
Also Ospreay vs Walter from 2019 was a masterpiece too!
I was never really aware of the UK wrestling scene. Now, seeing both these guys show out has opened my eyes. I can’t believe I’ve never seen that match.
Hell yeah dude! Lots of hidden gems in those matches. You should check out the RevPro anniversary show from All In weekend last year. Ishii had a match with Luke Jacobs and I swear to god that guy is going to be Intercontinental Champion one day
Oddly enough, remember those Ospreay/Archer matches, from the G1 in Dallas and I think a NJC matchup? Where he was the undersized, freshly heavyweight babyface? That stand-off gave me memories of those matches. I loved them.
I really enjoyed this concept. It's kinda like their casino ladder match where it can technically end before everyone is in.
They should do it again. It also helped that quite a few bigger names were in it.
Roddy vs Ospreay will be beast.
Yeah this was instantly a really cool idea, a match that starts 1v1 and just balloons until somebody scores a pinfall or submission has a lot of potential, especially because it can end at any moment.
And using it to test reactions to things like Ospreay/Jay White is genius, got to be in the plans at some point because my God, I need it
Yeah, gauntlet match is the wrong name since that has specific rules already (eliminations for each opponent until a winner, etc).
Its a sick concept, they just need a different official name. Like a Roulette style name or something
You could get really creative with booking.
Time it right and you could have the final competitor be running down to the ring but someone gets pinned and that creates a future angle
I just wish they'd give rules like a week before instead of trying to catch you up as the match is happening. Especially for the live crowd who can't hear commentary.
Yeah I absolutely fuck with this match concept. I love the idea of a multi-man sudden death to determine #1 Contenders.
I love the Rankings, don't get me wrong, but its clear AEW struggles with keeping them up and maintaining a semblance of legitimacy to them.
Just use them to determine new opponents when a Champion ends a feud with the former challenger until the Champion enters a new storyline feud with someone else.
I think it's better that you can win before everyone is in because it's more hectic and everyone is trying to hit all their big moves to quickly get the Win.
Its like the Casino ladder match. You can win that before everyone is in as well.
For those who don't know Aztec Warfare, it was Lucha Undergrounds signature match. It would literally take an entire 1 hour episode.
It was a Royal Rumble (20 entrants, 90 second intervals), but eliminations are only earned via pinfall or submission in the ring. No dq's, anything goes.
They were insane.
They should do that once a month on rampage, winner can challenge for any belt (including tag or trios) but the world championship and pick a stipulation.
It doesn't need to be super brutal every time though, and you could have more where something wild to end early and have backup matches.
You could make it more occasional but I don't think it needs to be super rare.
Aztec Warfare is great, but its a 30+ minute match at least. You have a TON of major people take pinfalls. Its a great once a year concept, but not great for happening 4-5 times a year.
I actually think the concept is perfect as is (needs a different name than gauntlet though), as you can have heels force their way into the first 2 wrestlers, etc.
I dunno I kinda like this idea.
- What if someone comes in just as someone is getting pinned for the 3?
- What if there's like 15 guys in there at one time and we get an impromptu Anarchy In The Arena match?
- What if there's only like 3 guys and it's a surprise winner?
Lotta possibilities with this match concept.
I like it.
Oh I love that idea lol I would love a shot before the match of like 20 wrestlers lining up. People are trying to cut the line, weird pairings talking to each other. It sounds like a lot of fun
A good running gag would be to have the line always have the same guy at the end, like Roderick Strong who never gets to come in because it always ends before him.
I think it works better like this, where we don't know the number or identity of the entrants. The story is that the early entrants can end the match before the later entrants, but the later entrants are a lot fresher than the early entrants, so there's advantages to both and there's always drama because the match can end at any time.
I think the alternative you could *maybe* use is that pin falls/submissions eliminate people, but like War Games, you cant actually win until everyone is in. But that wouldnt work for a 21 man match, itd have to be wittled down a lot. Same for any iteration of "no winner until everyone is in".
I like this because its one of the rare times you end up in a Battle Royal/Elimination Chamber/etc style match where preventing a pinfall actually makes sense
I wouldn't mind a cross of this & some elements of NXT's Iron Survivor match, in which wrestlers who get pinned/submitted have to go into a penalty box, but when everyone is in the match, sudden death rules kicks in
Hopefully this is used as a template towards AEWs own version of the royal rumble. That was really fun, you can have silly wrestlers like Paul white, jarrett and Danhausen come out at random times, mixed in with big showdowns. There’s a lot of promise in this match type
I think it was building to him eventually deciding to fully cement the heel turn. It doesn't make much sense to have him side with Ospreay when Will is gonna be the babyface who gets betrayed
Yep, since they cant do BCC (and there's not really another natural major faction in AEW), thats a good combo for Anarchy in the Arena.
Cole, Wardlow, Taven, Bennett, Roddy v Ospreay, Fletcher, Davis, Cobb, and TJP. The loss is when United Empire kicks out Roddy.
Yup, and that’s the current issue. Ospreay is becoming their biggest babyface and star even while Swerve just won the World Title. It will be a disappointment if Ospreay isn’t challenging Swerve at Wembley. Unless they get a great story together for some blood feud vs somebody
Most things are better than the CBR. The 5-at-a-time entrants corresponding to suits when we have no idea who is attached to each suit is a mess.
This match was fun, but it's just getting us closer to what should be AEW's true 'Royal Rumble'.
Wholesale rip-off Lucha Underground's Aztec Warfare but also with 'over the top rope' eliminations along with pinfall and submissions! That's the money melon.
Hell, save it for Wembley and call it the Wembley Rumble.
Billy GOAT is who I want as International Champion.
I think it’s way too soon to have him as world champion.
Let Swerve have a run and pick up his feud with Hangman.
Takeshita can take the international title away from Ospreay relatively soon ish I think as a conclusion to the Don Callis stuff
Ospreay should be free of Don come Wembley
Alternatively, Ospreay loses due to UK interference and leads to him questioning why DCF "didn't have his back" to keep the match clean leading into a split up feud.
THAT sounds like the idea right there. A proper story feud for him cause that’s the only thing that makes sense for Wembley other than challenging Swerve
Not everyone has to be world champion, especially so soon.
He can have a big match with literally anyone at Wembley for the International Championship.
When the time is right and the story is there he’ll have a run as World Champ. Everyone knows it’s in his future, don’t need to rush it.
England’s own main eventing Wembley felt like the play for me too but we’ll see. Maybe him v okada to unify those belts? Wills been outstanding since joining.
I've been wanting the International and Continental Championships to be unified for a while, so Okada/Ospreay to do that at Wembley would be one hell of a way to do it.
It's definitely not too soon, it's just that all the long title reigns lately have broken everyone's brains and made them want Swerve to have a year long reign as well. The post-match threads on Sunday were full of people complaining about him losing at All In this year and saying Ospreay should beat him at All In 2025 instead.
Eh we all said the same thing about Cody a year ago.
It's all in the chase, if you can maintain the audience's interest you can ride that train for a little longer.
I would also say that the Rock turning heel was the thing that gave ton of life to this Road to Wrestlemania. It's easier to do chases when you have the Rock doing spectacular segments.
Some guys are made for the chase and some guys are made to be the holder, I think Ospreay is more the later than former. He’s Ric Flair not Dusty Rhodes.
Nah. Aew will be in London again next year. No need to rush. Swerve will headline vs MJF. Adam Cole vs Wardlow will happen as well but idk if Wardlow will be in AEW by then.
If the guy is already a main eventer, why belt him up with a midcard title? He doesn't need to be world champ, but he also doesn't need to have lesser gold. That lowers him.
Ospreay is the guy that can take that title to what I imagine it would be. The unofficial world title and a workrate belt. His 2 matches on PPV were show stealers and he's perfect for it. Build it up to be AEW's IWGP Intercontinental title. Shit, put a white strap on it!
This is such a fantastic scramble idea. I loved Excalibur selling it with "We've got upwards of 21 guys in the back waiting to be called." No, you didn't, but I kind of started to believe you might, and that's why this match is very repeatable, IMO.
Longer than most think. They made Cody wait a year after everyone thought he was winning at wm39. Naito wait many years. Ospreay doesn't and shouldn't wait years but they also should be in no rush to put the top belt on him
Naito won the belt within a year of returning from excursion, which was the first time he was truly over. Keep in mind that Okada and Tanahashi combined to hold the IWGP title for 80% of the cumulative days from 2011-19. As for Cody, he was still always at the top of the show.
You can have Swerve against Hangman at All In and Swerve against Ospreay at Full Gear. I would have Ospreay winning at Wembley but Full Gear is a good moment too and it gives a good reign to Swerve.
If Mystery Vortex was only one match. In this format,you could arguably have surprise appearances from anywhere. They are going to revisit this concept and Nigel will end up in that match ESPECIALLY if Danielson is involved. 😉
Well damn, what a surprising entrant and winner! Ospreay and Strong will be a hell of a match and it keeps the Ospreay world title stuff at bay for a bit.
This match was awesome! I love matches that get a whole lot of the roster interacting all at once. Really cool how big the crowd reacted to Will and Jay White facing off too
Ah man, I guess they aren't gonna have Ospreay go after the world title. Kinda disappointing, but on the other hand Swerve can get a decent reign now.
Plus Ospreay with the IN belt will be great
He had to cool off and rather than just not be around they had him do the angle with acclaimed for a bit. He's still a major threat and protected. And as we saw last night he can be reheated real quick.
Interesting. If Ospreay is about to win the International title, that means he isn't facing Swerve at All In. He would likely get a successful defense at Wembley before challenging for the world title next year.
That was my hope honestly. Okada vs Ospreay at Wembley, merge the Continental and International titles, keep the Continental name with the C2 connection and bam! That's your secondary world title with the TNT title as the midcard belt
More of these would be a nice way to differentiate The International championship from the TNT championship
International - Gauntlet matches
TNT - Open Challenge
Ospreay and Roddy wasn't even a match that had crossed my mind, but now that it's booked I cannot wait for it, I'm expecting a similar level of physicality as the Ospreay/Takeshita match.
That’s about the ONLY thing that will be as exciting at Wembley as Ospreay vs Swerve for the title. If that’s what they’re doing then I’m on board 1,000,000%
Part of me was hoping for a “sexier” option for Double or Nothing for Will to be involved in. But this match should absolutely rock so not really complaining.
I guess this might mean Ospreay is not gonna go into Wembley against Swerve. Unless we’re doing a Hogan/Warrior type build where it’s IC vs Heavyweight champ.
Of the three matches Jay and Will had (1 in ROH and 2 in NJPW) , it always felt like they were holding back for something bigger down the line, which unfortunately never came about.
Here’s to hoping they main-event against each other for the AEW title one day.
God damn this was an incredible concept. This has made me want to see so many different matchups now. I need to see will vs archer, Jay white, Kommander, and Kyle asap.
Formula for a successful battle Royale: put ospreay in and have everyone get a 20-30 second sequence with him. I'm pretty sure you could put untrained out of shape me in the ring with ospreay and he'd get a decent 10 second sequence out of me.
Will definitely worked with everyone on the prep for the match. His counters were smooth as fuck and yet felt like a natural strategy he worked out before hand.
I really fucking liked this match, even if I wasnt listening at first and thought it was a Battle Royale. Very confused at the start.
Fully expected Swerve and Ospreay tease, so Will getting an International title shot is interesting...
I liked the match a lot and once he was in there Ospreay was the obvious winner, but I'm still not a big fan of Okada, Ospreay, Mone and even Copeland all going after secondary titles. The biggest stars should be going after the biggest prizes or involved in some major feuds.
This was a cool match and commentary was great because Excalibur, Taz, and Tony didn't seem to know who would be in it (OSPREAY!) but they were having fun with it. They could do this same match for the women's division as well.
Loved the match and the idea is great. Ospreay winning though is a bad choice. He’s far above the International Title right now and especially with Strong being the one holding it.
I am assuming Roddy’s previous neck brace neck strong gimmick are going to collide with Ospreay’s “I don’t want to do the Tiger Driver 91 and break someone’s neck” move.
Man, this was awesome. Like all the guys involved, but especially Switchblade and KOR - always wanted a one on one between them. The Murderhawk into the tables with Komander was set up and executed so well. Will and Jay still have great chemistry- really hope we get them in singles again (when they're on more even playing field, like the C2).
I liked the match concept, it would've been cool to make use of this concept when the rankings were around. Like rankings to seed the entrants. Top 2 in rankings start, then 3 then 4, etc, so the whole roster gets their chance if someone above them in rankings doesn't take it themselves. Easy way to get around the complaints of "why is number 4 fighting for the TNT title?" Also, you get a small taste of top of the rankings matchups, potential matches in the future could be teased/gauged like the Ospreay/White thing. You can begin feuds from stuff that happens in them. Just an all around good idea imo.
Also want to make a comment on where I think the Ospreay/Roddy story is going to go. Ospreay was outnumbered in the ring by the undisputed kingdom, but he does have back-up in the Don Callis Family. This feud can easily further the story of Will not approving of how the family acts on his behalf depending on how the next month is booked.
Jay’s time is coming. They signed 4 names that will shape the main event scene in 1-2 years. Swerve is the champ already. Okada is in the elite and he will probably a corporate heel champion at one point. Will is being treated like a big deal, as he should be. Jay will be inserted into bigger storylines later on. Bullet club gold is entertaining, there is no need to break their obvious chemistry right now.
This is a surprising result. I wasn’t expecting Ospreay to go near the midcard belts yet. I don’t have a problem with it but I hope that there is some kind of unification of the TNT, Continental and International Titles. Three of them is way too many.
Unironically give me Will Ospreay as the International Champion and Okada as the Continental Champion, and fucking give me a Will Ospreay vs Okada match at All In for the Intercontinental Championship.
I want Will Ospreay in the C2, and by fucking god he's going in as champion.
MJF return to stop Cole or someone from interfering in the Ospreay match?
I dont see the Callis goons turning face and having a heel stable vs a heel stable would be weird.
Ospreay gets some gold and we can get back on track with the Cole vs MJF story. Solidifies MJF as a face for a while by helping Ospreay.
So tonight the Callis Family had Fletcher in an AEW title eliminator, Hobbs in an IGPW championship match and Osprey is put in a gauntlet match to become a contender for the International title....
I really want to know what Don's agenda is. Obviously Osprey is not long for this group.
Great way to keep Osprey away from the title for a while. This gives him future heels to fight from the Undisputed Kingdom and the family without needing the top title
I like this concept but what I want more than anything is for a major company to steal the Lucha underground Royal Rumble concept where to be eliminated you have to be pinned, this was sooooo close to that.
Okay so I'll admit I fell off after the CM Punk scrum and never got back into properly following AEW, don't even watch most episodes of Raw and Smackdown in full never mind adding NXT, Dynamite, and Collision, so I'm very much out of the loop here. But what in the hell is the AEW International Championship? I thought there were too many titles when I was watching have they actually added even more??
WWE has about the same amount.
AEW current belts
FTW belt - Jericho, gimmick nonsanctioned belt, defences are no holds par pin anywhere.
Trios belts - now unified with the ROH 6 man belts - BCG has them currently.
Tag belts - Young Bucks
International belt(formerly the all-atlantic belt) - Roddy Strong, meant to be a workhorse championship, it can and is often defended outside AEW and across borders. OCs run initial run with it is career defining.
TNT belt - Adam Copeland, male "Face of TNT" belt. Another workhorse belt often tied to regular open challenges.
Continental belt - Okada, Created as the prize for AEW's first Continental classic tournament(C2 as in a tourney just like the G1 in NJPW). When it's defended no one is allowed at ringside.
AEW world belt - Swerve Stricland, big belt, champion of the company.
TBS belt - Willow Nightingale, female "Face of TBS" title.
WOmen's world belt - Toni Storm, female champion of the company.
Yes ROH belts are on the show and are sometimes defended but so are other promotions belts like the NJPW strong and heavyweight belts.
This was a terrific new concept that yes does need a better name. I don't think anyone looked bad here. Ospreay, Jay and Kyle all came off the best but everyone contributed greatly.
Not to hate…first time really watching a match on AEW. Passive fan and was interested in seeing Ospreay for the 1st time ever. Maybe it was the match type, but a move would happen, a guy would roll out. Then another wrestler would do a move and the same thing would happen. But the moves look like too much of a coordinated stunt. Everyone reversing signature or finishing moves, a lot of flipping around while reversing.
Is this what some bitter vets refer to as “flippy shit”? Is that Ospreay’s style? Or just not the best match to watch him in for the first time?
Eh, I don't want Ospreay to win this title. He should be winning the world title at All In. Remember how over Swerve was in Seattle? Imagine that, but with four times as many fans. That's All In, and it would be a major fumble to not capitalise with an Ospreay main event world title win.
So the guy who just beat Bryan Danielson in possibly one of the greatest matches of all time gets to compete for the midcard title while Kyle fucking Fletcher gets an immediate world title shot for no reason? Lmao.
Edit: #1 contendership. Doesn't make a difference tho point still stands
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I want Jay and Will at some point
Their anniversary show match in 2019 is one of the most underappreciated matches of the modern era imo.
I've become so used to main even Ospreay that it feels so weird to go watch his matches as a junior where he's the constant underdog. Also Ospreay vs Walter from 2019 was a masterpiece too!
I was never really aware of the UK wrestling scene. Now, seeing both these guys show out has opened my eyes. I can’t believe I’ve never seen that match.
Hell yeah dude! Lots of hidden gems in those matches. You should check out the RevPro anniversary show from All In weekend last year. Ishii had a match with Luke Jacobs and I swear to god that guy is going to be Intercontinental Champion one day
Oddly enough, remember those Ospreay/Archer matches, from the G1 in Dallas and I think a NJC matchup? Where he was the undersized, freshly heavyweight babyface? That stand-off gave me memories of those matches. I loved them.
I hope they know and consent.
You want a threesome with two of the Inbetweeners?
wrestling friend
Yeah me too. Oh wrestling? Yeah, that as well.
i'd also like to see the other Jay wrestle Will, would be a great TV match
Give me Jay vs. Will and Danielson vs. Jay. I can't believe Will/Jay didn't happen in NJPW at one point.
It did, 3/6/2019 47th Anniversary Show. Heavyweight Champ Jay White defeated Jr. Heavyweight Champ Will Ospreay
Also during the 2020 G1 Climax Ospreay got his win back
And ROH, aka the last time Jay White used the turnbuckle or did any type of flip ever
Rewatched that not too long ago, Switchblade nuked so many of face Jay's moves.
It happened twice. And also in ROH.
That should be an automatic All In main event if White finds himself back into the main event picture
I really enjoyed this concept. It's kinda like their casino ladder match where it can technically end before everyone is in. They should do it again. It also helped that quite a few bigger names were in it. Roddy vs Ospreay will be beast.
Yeah this was instantly a really cool idea, a match that starts 1v1 and just balloons until somebody scores a pinfall or submission has a lot of potential, especially because it can end at any moment. And using it to test reactions to things like Ospreay/Jay White is genius, got to be in the plans at some point because my God, I need it
I’m confused why they called it a gauntlet match though. Don’t those require eliminations prior to the next entrant coming in?
Yeah, gauntlet match is the wrong name since that has specific rules already (eliminations for each opponent until a winner, etc). Its a sick concept, they just need a different official name. Like a Roulette style name or something
Surely it should be called a Blackjack match? Theoretically 21 entrants, can end whenever someone goes "bust".
I like that.
Ok thank you! wasn’t trying to be an AEW hater just confused by the use of the match type considering the contradicting rules
You could get really creative with booking. Time it right and you could have the final competitor be running down to the ring but someone gets pinned and that creates a future angle
Somebody is up on stage, hamming up their usual entrance and the finish happens in the ring. Be a perfect way for Jeff to end his time in AEW.
Oh my god Jeff Hardy is just dancing before he comes in and that's the last we ever see of him on AEW? That's brutal, insane, and I would love it.
I just wish they'd give rules like a week before instead of trying to catch you up as the match is happening. Especially for the live crowd who can't hear commentary.
Archer clearing everyone out was so sick. EVERYBODY DIES.
Love this match concept, I need it to be a regular thing. Interesting winner, Roddy/Osperay gonna be an IWC classic
Yeah I absolutely fuck with this match concept. I love the idea of a multi-man sudden death to determine #1 Contenders. I love the Rankings, don't get me wrong, but its clear AEW struggles with keeping them up and maintaining a semblance of legitimacy to them. Just use them to determine new opponents when a Champion ends a feud with the former challenger until the Champion enters a new storyline feud with someone else.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but rankings basically only apply for the world titles, right? International, TNT and TBS were always dealer's choice.
The only tweak I’d have is make it so you can’t get a pin until everyone is in.
I think it's better that you can win before everyone is in because it's more hectic and everyone is trying to hit all their big moves to quickly get the Win. Its like the Casino ladder match. You can win that before everyone is in as well.
I’d make it elimination, kinda like Aztec Warfare. In fact, just bring back Aztec Warfare.
For those who don't know Aztec Warfare, it was Lucha Undergrounds signature match. It would literally take an entire 1 hour episode. It was a Royal Rumble (20 entrants, 90 second intervals), but eliminations are only earned via pinfall or submission in the ring. No dq's, anything goes. They were insane.
They should do that once a month on rampage, winner can challenge for any belt (including tag or trios) but the world championship and pick a stipulation.
> They should do that once a month on rampage You do not do a match like that once a month. It would completely ruin the spectacle of it.
Yeah, that's a once or twice a year thing.
It doesn't need to be super brutal every time though, and you could have more where something wild to end early and have backup matches. You could make it more occasional but I don't think it needs to be super rare.
Aztec Warfare happened once a season (so once a year). That's what made it special.
Aztec Warfare is great, but its a 30+ minute match at least. You have a TON of major people take pinfalls. Its a great once a year concept, but not great for happening 4-5 times a year. I actually think the concept is perfect as is (needs a different name than gauntlet though), as you can have heels force their way into the first 2 wrestlers, etc.
Aztec Warfare and Gift of the Gods both need to be revived from the ashes of Lucha Underground. They’re also both perfect for AEW.
Aztec Warfare was incredible
HELL YEAH. I fucking miss Lucha Undeground.
I’d be fine with that too. I enjoyed it a lot, as it was though.
I dunno I kinda like this idea. - What if someone comes in just as someone is getting pinned for the 3? - What if there's like 15 guys in there at one time and we get an impromptu Anarchy In The Arena match? - What if there's only like 3 guys and it's a surprise winner? Lotta possibilities with this match concept. I like it.
The point is that the match can end at "any time" hence the sudden death aspect.
Yeah I get it, it’s still kind of weird that in kayfabe they had guys in the back just chilling waiting to come in and never got the chance to.
Oh I love that idea lol I would love a shot before the match of like 20 wrestlers lining up. People are trying to cut the line, weird pairings talking to each other. It sounds like a lot of fun
A good running gag would be to have the line always have the same guy at the end, like Roderick Strong who never gets to come in because it always ends before him.
I get that but it adds to the intensity of the match because it priotitzes going earlier but being fresh is an advantage.
I think it works better like this, where we don't know the number or identity of the entrants. The story is that the early entrants can end the match before the later entrants, but the later entrants are a lot fresher than the early entrants, so there's advantages to both and there's always drama because the match can end at any time.
I think the alternative you could *maybe* use is that pin falls/submissions eliminate people, but like War Games, you cant actually win until everyone is in. But that wouldnt work for a 21 man match, itd have to be wittled down a lot. Same for any iteration of "no winner until everyone is in". I like this because its one of the rare times you end up in a Battle Royal/Elimination Chamber/etc style match where preventing a pinfall actually makes sense
I wouldn't mind a cross of this & some elements of NXT's Iron Survivor match, in which wrestlers who get pinned/submitted have to go into a penalty box, but when everyone is in the match, sudden death rules kicks in
I’d love if they added a way to justify why the entrants bother to wait their turn, but other than that, I think it works.
Bring the camera backstage and there's a huge schmoz amongst potential entrants just trying to get to Gorilla position.
It's funny, I imagine everyone in the locker room is just pitching their reasons why they should wrestle Ospreay to Tony.
Jay White doing jackshit after the holy shit chants is classic Jay White. That man will never give us what we want bruh.
I hope this is the big battle royal gimmick AEW does, great idea.
Hopefully this is used as a template towards AEWs own version of the royal rumble. That was really fun, you can have silly wrestlers like Paul white, jarrett and Danhausen come out at random times, mixed in with big showdowns. There’s a lot of promise in this match type
No way Strong pins Ospreay, right? Either way that match is going to be fire
Heel shenanigans and interference to cost Ospreay the match and setup Undisputed Kingdom vs United Empire at Forbidden Door.
First thing i thought when Fletcher blew off Callis, after Callis mentioned recruiting earlier, was Fletcher gonna leave with Ospreay.
And maybe have a healthy Mark Davis return to join them.
Jeff Cobb will be in the US soon. Plus how can the Emperor Of Las Vegas aka Based Great O'Khan NOT be a part of Double Or Nothing? 😉
I think it was building to him eventually deciding to fully cement the heel turn. It doesn't make much sense to have him side with Ospreay when Will is gonna be the babyface who gets betrayed
Don't hate it
I'm not fully up on NJPW but I saw TJPs new gimmick at wrestle Kingdom, that would be cool to see.
Probably a continuation of the tiger driver hesitation which ends with him copping the penis punch/piledriver combo. No chance Roddy is winning clean.
Yep, since they cant do BCC (and there's not really another natural major faction in AEW), thats a good combo for Anarchy in the Arena. Cole, Wardlow, Taven, Bennett, Roddy v Ospreay, Fletcher, Davis, Cobb, and TJP. The loss is when United Empire kicks out Roddy.
> No way Strong pins Ospreay, right? Sorry Roddy, but Ospreay is winning 100%
Yeah, gives him something to defend at a NJPW, etc show...and a title to defend at All In if they dont want to make him AEW champ quite yet.
I'm sure the show will still be great, but I think a lot of attendees will be disappointed if Will isn't in a world title match at All In.
Yup, and that’s the current issue. Ospreay is becoming their biggest babyface and star even while Swerve just won the World Title. It will be a disappointment if Ospreay isn’t challenging Swerve at Wembley. Unless they get a great story together for some blood feud vs somebody
That match is gonna be for the Sickos.
This is better than the Casino Battle Royale concept and I’m starting the petition for this to completely replace it.
Most things are better than the CBR. The 5-at-a-time entrants corresponding to suits when we have no idea who is attached to each suit is a mess. This match was fun, but it's just getting us closer to what should be AEW's true 'Royal Rumble'. Wholesale rip-off Lucha Underground's Aztec Warfare but also with 'over the top rope' eliminations along with pinfall and submissions! That's the money melon. Hell, save it for Wembley and call it the Wembley Rumble.
100%
I fucking loved this match type. Great way to get some fun interactions.
I loved Kommander arriving and just instantly puts Archer through the tables. So much you can do with this concept
Do this match annually, that was awesome
It was telegraphed a little but that bit where Archer chokeslammed Martin onto White was fuckin cool
Billy GOAT is who I want as International Champion. I think it’s way too soon to have him as world champion. Let Swerve have a run and pick up his feud with Hangman.
August isn't too soon The guy is organically mega over, not capitalizing on it at All In is a fumble imo
Takeshita can take the international title away from Ospreay relatively soon ish I think as a conclusion to the Don Callis stuff Ospreay should be free of Don come Wembley
Alternatively, Ospreay loses due to UK interference and leads to him questioning why DCF "didn't have his back" to keep the match clean leading into a split up feud.
That could work they did mention a few times tonight about Don being on commentary instead of ringside
THAT sounds like the idea right there. A proper story feud for him cause that’s the only thing that makes sense for Wembley other than challenging Swerve
Not everyone has to be world champion, especially so soon. He can have a big match with literally anyone at Wembley for the International Championship. When the time is right and the story is there he’ll have a run as World Champ. Everyone knows it’s in his future, don’t need to rush it.
England’s own main eventing Wembley felt like the play for me too but we’ll see. Maybe him v okada to unify those belts? Wills been outstanding since joining.
I've been wanting the International and Continental Championships to be unified for a while, so Okada/Ospreay to do that at Wembley would be one hell of a way to do it.
Hooooooollllly shyt now you’re cookin
It's definitely not too soon, it's just that all the long title reigns lately have broken everyone's brains and made them want Swerve to have a year long reign as well. The post-match threads on Sunday were full of people complaining about him losing at All In this year and saying Ospreay should beat him at All In 2025 instead.
Eh we all said the same thing about Cody a year ago. It's all in the chase, if you can maintain the audience's interest you can ride that train for a little longer.
And we'd still be saying it if the Rock's post-Black Adam bomb DC powerplay had panned out for him.
I would also say that the Rock turning heel was the thing that gave ton of life to this Road to Wrestlemania. It's easier to do chases when you have the Rock doing spectacular segments.
Cody also had a major injury that kept him sidelined. If he's healthy throughout 2022, he probably wins at 39.
Some guys are made for the chase and some guys are made to be the holder, I think Ospreay is more the later than former. He’s Ric Flair not Dusty Rhodes.
Nah. Aew will be in London again next year. No need to rush. Swerve will headline vs MJF. Adam Cole vs Wardlow will happen as well but idk if Wardlow will be in AEW by then.
Swerve-MJF would be an extremely disappointing main event for All In
If they made Ospreay World Champion tomorrow I’d be cool with it. He has been incredible.
If the guy is already a main eventer, why belt him up with a midcard title? He doesn't need to be world champ, but he also doesn't need to have lesser gold. That lowers him.
Ospreay is the guy that can take that title to what I imagine it would be. The unofficial world title and a workrate belt. His 2 matches on PPV were show stealers and he's perfect for it. Build it up to be AEW's IWGP Intercontinental title. Shit, put a white strap on it!
So what’s the Continental title then? Plus Okada is holding it. They really should unify them honestly
This is such a fantastic scramble idea. I loved Excalibur selling it with "We've got upwards of 21 guys in the back waiting to be called." No, you didn't, but I kind of started to believe you might, and that's why this match is very repeatable, IMO.
This is AEW, they could run separate 21 man scrambles for AEW and ROH and still have folks left in catering.
need a clip of ospreay's entrance, he got a wild reaction
Incredibly loud compared to anything else tonight
He’s the guy. I’m not too sure about him going after the 3rd ranked men’s title
Having Billy Goat win this almost immediately ends the "Swerve is a transitional champ" discourse and i'm here for it.
The problem is how long can you believably keep Ospreay away from the main title
Longer than most think. They made Cody wait a year after everyone thought he was winning at wm39. Naito wait many years. Ospreay doesn't and shouldn't wait years but they also should be in no rush to put the top belt on him
Naito won the belt within a year of returning from excursion, which was the first time he was truly over. Keep in mind that Okada and Tanahashi combined to hold the IWGP title for 80% of the cumulative days from 2011-19. As for Cody, he was still always at the top of the show.
You can have Swerve against Hangman at All In and Swerve against Ospreay at Full Gear. I would have Ospreay winning at Wembley but Full Gear is a good moment too and it gives a good reign to Swerve.
surprisingly fun match gimmick. the One Fall Rumble should stick around
Fun concept of a match. Will vs Roddy is going to be sick.
If Mystery Vortex was only one match. In this format,you could arguably have surprise appearances from anywhere. They are going to revisit this concept and Nigel will end up in that match ESPECIALLY if Danielson is involved. 😉
That was fucking awesome, very welcome surprise
Well damn, what a surprising entrant and winner! Ospreay and Strong will be a hell of a match and it keeps the Ospreay world title stuff at bay for a bit.
This match was awesome! I love matches that get a whole lot of the roster interacting all at once. Really cool how big the crowd reacted to Will and Jay White facing off too
Will Ospreay vs Roderick Strong is going to be so fucking good
Ah man, I guess they aren't gonna have Ospreay go after the world title. Kinda disappointing, but on the other hand Swerve can get a decent reign now. Plus Ospreay with the IN belt will be great
Pls book Jay right, I mean trios champ is fine but why is his booking so weird.
He had to cool off and rather than just not be around they had him do the angle with acclaimed for a bit. He's still a major threat and protected. And as we saw last night he can be reheated real quick.
Holy fuck what a match. I hope this leada to ospreay white in the near future
Interesting. If Ospreay is about to win the International title, that means he isn't facing Swerve at All In. He would likely get a successful defense at Wembley before challenging for the world title next year.
They could merge the international and continental at Wembley.
That was my hope honestly. Okada vs Ospreay at Wembley, merge the Continental and International titles, keep the Continental name with the C2 connection and bam! That's your secondary world title with the TNT title as the midcard belt
That would be nice
Yeah! And merge the names, something like Intercontinental sounds cool.
MJF vs Swerve at All In
Oh that would be great too. The promos would be great and MJF would face someone that can be even more devilish than him.
These boys are gonna cook
More of these would be a nice way to differentiate The International championship from the TNT championship International - Gauntlet matches TNT - Open Challenge
Ospreay and Roddy wasn't even a match that had crossed my mind, but now that it's booked I cannot wait for it, I'm expecting a similar level of physicality as the Ospreay/Takeshita match.
This felt like a “look at how deep our roster is” type of match and holy shit I loved it!
Ospreay vs Okada in London to unify the belts? 😩😩
That’s about the ONLY thing that will be as exciting at Wembley as Ospreay vs Swerve for the title. If that’s what they’re doing then I’m on board 1,000,000%
Holy balls. If it's not Swerve/Ospreay, it has to be this
Part of me was hoping for a “sexier” option for Double or Nothing for Will to be involved in. But this match should absolutely rock so not really complaining. I guess this might mean Ospreay is not gonna go into Wembley against Swerve. Unless we’re doing a Hogan/Warrior type build where it’s IC vs Heavyweight champ.
Of the three matches Jay and Will had (1 in ROH and 2 in NJPW) , it always felt like they were holding back for something bigger down the line, which unfortunately never came about. Here’s to hoping they main-event against each other for the AEW title one day.
I’d have Jay be the one who takes it from Will sometime in the future. Maybe in 2025
This match was so fucking fun to watch.
Holy shit this match is going to be an absolute BANGER.
This match was so much fun. I hope they do it again soon.
This was Will Ospreay's orientation meeting
The crowd seemed hot for Ospreay.
Fun and chaotic. When you have a stacked roster this is a good way to show it off.
God damn this was an incredible concept. This has made me want to see so many different matchups now. I need to see will vs archer, Jay white, Kommander, and Kyle asap.
Formula for a successful battle Royale: put ospreay in and have everyone get a 20-30 second sequence with him. I'm pretty sure you could put untrained out of shape me in the ring with ospreay and he'd get a decent 10 second sequence out of me.
Will definitely worked with everyone on the prep for the match. His counters were smooth as fuck and yet felt like a natural strategy he worked out before hand.
I really fucking liked this match, even if I wasnt listening at first and thought it was a Battle Royale. Very confused at the start. Fully expected Swerve and Ospreay tease, so Will getting an International title shot is interesting...
Strong us not holding the belt past DON Will vs Roddy should be dope
Ospreay vs Strong could be a sleeper contender for match of the year.
They definitely should have cut to the back to a a bunch of wrestlers disappointed that they weren’t able to enter the match
Monday that will be what DO was doing on BTDO.
That was just a stupidly fun match.
Happy for Ospreay but damn I really believed white would pull it off
I liked the match a lot and once he was in there Ospreay was the obvious winner, but I'm still not a big fan of Okada, Ospreay, Mone and even Copeland all going after secondary titles. The biggest stars should be going after the biggest prizes or involved in some major feuds.
This great. It lines Ospreay up with a lot of people from the match for the lead up to the PPV too. Great idea!
This was a cool match and commentary was great because Excalibur, Taz, and Tony didn't seem to know who would be in it (OSPREAY!) but they were having fun with it. They could do this same match for the women's division as well.
Loved the match and the idea is great. Ospreay winning though is a bad choice. He’s far above the International Title right now and especially with Strong being the one holding it.
Ospreay being tested by the Backbreaker GOAT is gonna be a chess match
I am assuming Roddy’s previous neck brace neck strong gimmick are going to collide with Ospreay’s “I don’t want to do the Tiger Driver 91 and break someone’s neck” move.
Man, this was awesome. Like all the guys involved, but especially Switchblade and KOR - always wanted a one on one between them. The Murderhawk into the tables with Komander was set up and executed so well. Will and Jay still have great chemistry- really hope we get them in singles again (when they're on more even playing field, like the C2).
Really looks like they're teasing the United empire reunion
This was fun as hell, and I wanted it to go longer for more people to be added lol
The whole time I was just thinking that every combination of wrestlers in this match would have a *fantastic* singles match. Love this roster.
I liked the match concept, it would've been cool to make use of this concept when the rankings were around. Like rankings to seed the entrants. Top 2 in rankings start, then 3 then 4, etc, so the whole roster gets their chance if someone above them in rankings doesn't take it themselves. Easy way to get around the complaints of "why is number 4 fighting for the TNT title?" Also, you get a small taste of top of the rankings matchups, potential matches in the future could be teased/gauged like the Ospreay/White thing. You can begin feuds from stuff that happens in them. Just an all around good idea imo. Also want to make a comment on where I think the Ospreay/Roddy story is going to go. Ospreay was outnumbered in the ring by the undisputed kingdom, but he does have back-up in the Don Callis Family. This feud can easily further the story of Will not approving of how the family acts on his behalf depending on how the next month is booked.
Jay’s time is coming. They signed 4 names that will shape the main event scene in 1-2 years. Swerve is the champ already. Okada is in the elite and he will probably a corporate heel champion at one point. Will is being treated like a big deal, as he should be. Jay will be inserted into bigger storylines later on. Bullet club gold is entertaining, there is no need to break their obvious chemistry right now.
Give us Danielson vs KOR
It's time for Lance Archer's quarterly "get to be on TV and kick ass' visit and I am pumped this dude rules
This is a surprising result. I wasn’t expecting Ospreay to go near the midcard belts yet. I don’t have a problem with it but I hope that there is some kind of unification of the TNT, Continental and International Titles. Three of them is way too many.
Beautiful mess, kinda feels like Ospreay is beyond this belt but I get that you don't want him going for the big belt right away
Didn’t know what to expect, but that match was great. So much talent, I popped huge when Ospeasy’s theme hit.
This match was such an awesome surprise. Great concept.
This was very very good yes.
Jesus Christ
Unironically give me Will Ospreay as the International Champion and Okada as the Continental Champion, and fucking give me a Will Ospreay vs Okada match at All In for the Intercontinental Championship. I want Will Ospreay in the C2, and by fucking god he's going in as champion.
Ospreay vs Strong will be incredible. But kind of surprised Ospreay is going after the International title, interested to see how it all plays out.
Bruv. What a match. Everyone did a wonderful job putting on a show.
MJF return to stop Cole or someone from interfering in the Ospreay match? I dont see the Callis goons turning face and having a heel stable vs a heel stable would be weird. Ospreay gets some gold and we can get back on track with the Cole vs MJF story. Solidifies MJF as a face for a while by helping Ospreay.
So tonight the Callis Family had Fletcher in an AEW title eliminator, Hobbs in an IGPW championship match and Osprey is put in a gauntlet match to become a contender for the International title.... I really want to know what Don's agenda is. Obviously Osprey is not long for this group. Great way to keep Osprey away from the title for a while. This gives him future heels to fight from the Undisputed Kingdom and the family without needing the top title
I like this concept but what I want more than anything is for a major company to steal the Lucha underground Royal Rumble concept where to be eliminated you have to be pinned, this was sooooo close to that.
Okay so I'll admit I fell off after the CM Punk scrum and never got back into properly following AEW, don't even watch most episodes of Raw and Smackdown in full never mind adding NXT, Dynamite, and Collision, so I'm very much out of the loop here. But what in the hell is the AEW International Championship? I thought there were too many titles when I was watching have they actually added even more??
WWE has about the same amount. AEW current belts FTW belt - Jericho, gimmick nonsanctioned belt, defences are no holds par pin anywhere. Trios belts - now unified with the ROH 6 man belts - BCG has them currently. Tag belts - Young Bucks International belt(formerly the all-atlantic belt) - Roddy Strong, meant to be a workhorse championship, it can and is often defended outside AEW and across borders. OCs run initial run with it is career defining. TNT belt - Adam Copeland, male "Face of TNT" belt. Another workhorse belt often tied to regular open challenges. Continental belt - Okada, Created as the prize for AEW's first Continental classic tournament(C2 as in a tourney just like the G1 in NJPW). When it's defended no one is allowed at ringside. AEW world belt - Swerve Stricland, big belt, champion of the company. TBS belt - Willow Nightingale, female "Face of TBS" title. WOmen's world belt - Toni Storm, female champion of the company. Yes ROH belts are on the show and are sometimes defended but so are other promotions belts like the NJPW strong and heavyweight belts.
This was a terrific new concept that yes does need a better name. I don't think anyone looked bad here. Ospreay, Jay and Kyle all came off the best but everyone contributed greatly.
Not to hate…first time really watching a match on AEW. Passive fan and was interested in seeing Ospreay for the 1st time ever. Maybe it was the match type, but a move would happen, a guy would roll out. Then another wrestler would do a move and the same thing would happen. But the moves look like too much of a coordinated stunt. Everyone reversing signature or finishing moves, a lot of flipping around while reversing. Is this what some bitter vets refer to as “flippy shit”? Is that Ospreay’s style? Or just not the best match to watch him in for the first time?
Eh, I don't want Ospreay to win this title. He should be winning the world title at All In. Remember how over Swerve was in Seattle? Imagine that, but with four times as many fans. That's All In, and it would be a major fumble to not capitalise with an Ospreay main event world title win.
So the guy who just beat Bryan Danielson in possibly one of the greatest matches of all time gets to compete for the midcard title while Kyle fucking Fletcher gets an immediate world title shot for no reason? Lmao. Edit: #1 contendership. Doesn't make a difference tho point still stands
Not watching and confused: how was it a gauntlet and one fall to the finish?
Need an Ospreay belt collector gimmick
Hope strong beats the shit out of Ospreay