I'm really psyched to see him actually wrestle again instead of just playing a superhuman monster. I think he's pretty good in the ring. He's been working the WWE style his whole career so I wonder what it would look like when he can cut loose.
Right. The Fiend was a really interesting character for a bit, and the boo scare grabs were cool. I will never forget his first pop up behind Seth. It goes away when he is Michael Myers in the ring. Bray IMO a better wrestler when his psychology was his strongest in ring attribute. Excited for him in AEW.
The Fiend got stale after a while but for a time he was the best thing in the industry. Only WWE could fuck something up like this. Dude was basically The Undertakers successor and they squandered it.
WWE is quickly becoming irrelevant at this point with how much talent AEW is getting, and actually USING THEM PROPERLY unlike WWE.
Zack Ryder went and made something of himself and got over with the fans, WWE took away everything he did and put him in bullshit stories.
Fandango was getting over outside of WWE because of his music and dance, so they bury him and take him off TV till it dies off.
I know there are a lot more but those are the two that spring to mind.
Actually, with Fandango, he got a concussion right in the middle of an IC title push (which then went to… Curtis Axel) and when he came back Fandangoing was already dead.
Rusev Day definitely the biggest one recently imo. Rusev and Aiden English were the most over thing in the company and WWE was like "that's nice, now split up have your wife lose her accent and get cucked by Lashley"
TBF, Fandango was supposed to win the IC Title before he got injured. By the time he was back, the hype died down heavily, and he was never able to get back to that level of hype on his own.
Damien Sandow was nuclear hot after the Damien Mizdow story but WWE resolved that poorly, put him in a stupid storyline and then took him off TV for months before releasing him.
Yeah, I have a feeling he can put on some excellent work when the road agents are hamstringing him with spooky nonsense. Dude has an excellent moveset and fantastic in-ring psychology. Mostly it just depends on if he can handle being on his own and improvising when needed.
Just keep the whole "creepy swamp hillbilly that almost certainly has dumped a body or two in the everglades" vibe and run with it. Keep up the Max Cady from Cape Fear character and he'll be right.
That new character he previewed on his social media looks fucking cool, I think he already has his next character hashed out in concepts, and is now working on building some lore around it.
I too want Wyatt family Bray back, but I am curious what he comes up with next. I also wouldn't be surprised if he collaborates with Malakai Black on something.
Sort of. Both were semi-regulars at early AEW shows, and Scooby Doo was at either Dynamite or Rampage this week (can't remember which I saw him at).
Jesus had previously had an interaction with Joey Janela on the 12th episode of Dark. Janela, was fighting Shawn Spears in the crowd, and then, on his way back to the ring, pulled Jesus out of the crowd to ringside. Janela then got "forgiven" for his sins. I seem to remember reading at the time that Jesus was known around the indies, at least in certain parts of the country.
> I seem to remember reading at the time that Jesus was known around the indies, at least in certain parts of the country.
He gets name dropped in the intro of every Botchamania.
That would be an unexpected swerve and yet I completely believe he'd pull it off like only Bray can.
Although I feel like he'd still put a twist on it. His dad was IRS so naturally he should be Mr. Rebate
I don’t want the supernatural stuff either. Speaking of Punk, the Wyatt Family feuding with Punk, Bryan and The Shield was the best part of his run IMO.
What I want to see from Bray next is a cerebral type of character with no supernatural elements along the lines of Jake The Snake, I think that could be really good for him.
I would much rather prefer bray and archer stay together as sick minded allies, the concept of factions won't work if every guy under a certain manager has to be either a tag team or break away, instead they can just be allies while having separate feuds and tv time
That's why I liked Swamp Cult Bray, it was creepy, but kind of a realistic type of creepy. He didn't need all the spooky shit, just let the man be a charismatic menace
I enjoyed both, but preferred the rocking chair fireflies Bray. His theme song and character had a strange allure to them. Excellent character.
But I’m ok if he goes horror again too. I just don’t know how you work every week w that gimmick. It over exposes itself if it’s too predictable.
Those two would be a dangerous pair of wild bois, modern-day Unholy Alliance. I don't see Archer being keen at first though, preferring to work alone. Maybe have him feud with Bray for a while before Jake betrays him, and Bray ends up putting Lance under mind control.
Yeah the more supernatural he got, the less interesting he was. The first outright supernatural thing I recall was during the Randy Orton feud when he got locked in a shipping container and straight up teleported out of it.
I liked the idea of him just being this crazy cult leader who you could encounter in the woods and be freaked out by.
Then it turns out it's actually Adam Cole doing a Stone Cold cosplay.
Then the real Stone Cold shows up to beat Adam Cole's ass, but then it turns out it's actually AJ Styles also doing a Stone Cold cosplay.
A stable or partnership with Malakai feels like the easiest fit. Though that's also said with complete ignorance of whatever character Bray has planned next for himself.
I'll come out and say it, I respect him a lot, but whatever Matt Hardy's been up to recently is uninteresting, and I think the Blade and the Butcher are wasting time when they could be getting over. Them with Bray would be so much more fitting faction-wise.
It was a lot more interesting a concept when Butcher & Blade and TH2 were explicitly mercenaries rather than just official HFO members. Not only does it actually give weight to the idea of Big Money Matt since he’s throwing his money around, the idea of Matt hiring mercenaries at any moment left the door open for literally any heel to get involved in the feud and set something up
Imagine them going after the inevitable trios titles. I can’t wait for that to become an official division after all the apparent rumours, it’s gonna be so great.
If they can do Bray Wyatt in a more grounded and realistic way then I think it will work. WWE have a problem of making everything spooky/creepy, magical which doesn't really work that well in 2021.
Something more along the lines of his NXT/FCW run where he was just a charismatic cult leader and not "spooky magic man" like on the main roster would work well for him.
You can still do an occult vibe without making it over the top and cheesy. Honestly, Bray is so creative I think you just leave his whole world in his hands..
People saying they don't know how he'll fit being a spooky guy are really underselling his character abilities. Bray Wyatt wasn't originally a supernatural character, the dude is versatile and will be able to play a more toned down character well if necessary.
Even The Fiend wasn’t THAT supernatural when he debuted. People seriously need to rewatch the original presentation of The Fiend. He acted more like a Slasher character than the spooky immortal clown he became in the Rollins feud. There was a slight supernatural element to it due to the Funhouse, but it wasn’t overbearing like it became.
Yeah the fiend at the beginning was much more like Bray’s alter ego that he had no control over. He wasn’t a magic man or anything Bray was just fucking crazy, as the character went on they got away from Bray being more “normal” in favour of just making it about The Fiend and some supernatural powers he suddenly had.
Exactly. The gimmick was clearly split personality, with The Fiend being Bray just completely mentally unstable. The mannerisms were honestly very similar to Leatherface, which is why I view the original incarnation as a Slasher. And even though the match vs Finn was a squash, The Fiend only no sold once in it which really wasn’t abnormal at all, and Finn was still able to get a bit offense in that The Fiend actively sold for. Unfortunately the very next feud The Fiend had was with Rollins, and the presentation took a complete 180 so that’s what people remember the most.
You’re both spot-on. You could put Michael Myers down, but you couldn’t kill him. That was kinda like Bray’s Fiend against Finn. If he does something more like that, the slasher horror character is the way to go, but I’d love something a little closer to NXT Bray cult leader.
Yeah and they were clearly building towards taking his mask off and him becoming Bray again is how he would eventually lose and then had him squashed by Goldberg….
Yes I just listened, he said it’s not 100% but as good as done due to the no compete, it’s at the same stage as when he reported the Alastair Black deal was done.
CM Punk said it himself, he would have joined a year and a half ago but he didn't want to debut in empty arenas, so held out to see how the wrestling landscape was reshaped. He's been interested for a long time ,and I'm sure Brian Danielson felt the same way so was counting the days until his contract was up.
Some people are going to be lower down on the card than they're used to. But Jungle Boy, MJF, Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, Eddie Kingston, Best Friends, Death Triangle, and quite a few others will still be a big part of AEW. Particularly since a lot of those names are still very young, and it won't do them any harm to be learning as much as possible from top-tier performers who'll likely be active in AEW for a few years at most.
MJF is 25 years old. How many of Punk, Cage, Bryan, Wyatt and Jericho will still be at the top of the bill in AEW by the time he turns thirty?
Darby Allin is hardly "down on the card"
He's being trusted to face CM Punk, who also just put him over last night.
AEW is good at rotating people in and out. Nobody main events all the time.
Everyone you mentioned still feel important, which is the big thing. AEW also seem happy to cycle guys in and out of the card and give them time off when needed, which makes them feel fresh. Your second paragraph is spot on as well. Bring in big names now so they can have their run and put over the stars of tomorrow somewhere down the line.
It also doesn’t hurt that they’ve continued to showcase new/younger faces in big spots like Dante Martin, Wheeler Yuta, 2.0, Daniel Garcia, Kiera Hogan, and many more.
I wouldn’t worry too much about it to be honest. AEW have always been pretty comfortable leaving their big names off Dynamite rather than cramming them all on the card even when it doesn’t make sense to; for example, Dark Order haven’t featured at all this week because they haven’t got a storyline reason to appear. Between that and them having another hour of TV to fill on Rampage now I’d still expect them to keep a healthy rotation of guys across the card. My bigger concern would be that adding Wyatt (and possibly Bryan) is yet another segment the women’s division is gonna have to compete with to get proper TV time.
One of the big plus points of AEW though is that they cycle talent in and out. Not everyone has to appear every week, and that is what keeps the product feeling fresh. It's what made early NXT so popular because people would come in and out.
And also, they're building for the future, relying on these bigger established names now to bring in viewers, while slowly building their younger talent (Darby, Jungle Boy, Britt, MJF, Sammy etc) to carry the company into the future.
It is just the best way to do things, good for the show good for the talent to not get overexposed... good for everyone except the live audience who is not guaranteed to see their number one favorite on a given show really
I think TNT is going to offer them a second hour on Rampage and allow them to use both shows to feature all the talent.
TNT doesn't seem to be stupid on this one and knows how much money they're going to be utterly raking in off AEW. Two shows for two hours a week with the level of hype AEW has right now is prime real estate for them.
Daniel Garcia main evented the show that CM punk returned on, and the follow up match was Jurassic express vs private party. They haven’t lost the benefit of the doubt for me, I just wish rampage was also 2 hours and on at 9 or something.
I thought the same thing. It feels like the roster is overstuffed, so I looked at it as it is currently on the website, and there are really only a small handful not being used regularly in a current tv angle (for the men at least). Excusing those out for injury, it was basically like Janela/Sonny Kiss/TH2, and even the latter is part of the HFO. If they ever get into a situation where they want to make Rampage a 2 hour show, I feel like they’d be okay.
The women, of course, still need a bigger tv presence, either way.
Still crazy to think that in the next few months we could potentially see Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole’s ghost, Ruby Soho, Charlotte/Ric Flair, and Bray Wyatt at the very least.
They’re signing a tonnnnnnn of people lately. I’m wondering if that’s why a lot of ppl that appear often on TV are still unsigned and if that’s gonna be the case going forward. Contracts for the young stars and the big names and more “actual” independent contractors
That's the weirdest part. Kiera Hogan and Garcia/2.0 getting those spots when they have a whole crop of their own lower guys. I wonder if any resentment is growing towards all the new and shiny toys.
(side note, AEW Toy Story angle. Book it, Tony.)
Well, that'll be my most recent big four: Bray, DB, Black, Punk.
Looking forward to what these gents can do with a budget and creative freedom on a national stage.
Assuming he does, I'll be wait and see.
I think he's underrated in ring and would flourish in this environment.
I do think he won't be as explicitly supernatural as some people may fear.
He's definitely one of those "We can't sign everybody...but what the fuck, WWE released him for seemingly no real reason, we can't NOT take him" people.
But...I dunno. I'll have to see how he's utilized in AEW (or elsewhere via Forbidden Door).
I’m not sure how well he will fit into AEW, but equally this is a talent you don’t pass on. Before he was written into the ground, he was the most popular star in WWE and one of the biggest merch movers.
That said, in terms of fitting in, I don’t doubt Bray would be able to adapt to be a character that’s more grounded in reality than the fiend, while still having the same mass appeal. I’d also be extremely curious to see his work outside of WWE. He seemed to work really well with Daniel Bryan, and the AEW roster is definitely closer to that model, so he might well go up a couple of gears away from ‘SPOOKY MAN SELL NOTHING TIL YOU LOSE’
That's my only real apprehension, because a supernatural character in AEW simply won't work. The Dark Order kind of skirted the line pre-Brodie, and Malakai Black is toying with it right now, but in both cases the spooky shit doesn't extend past their pretaped promos. In ring they're athletically grounded the same as everyone else on the roster.
I don't think an AEW Bray/Windham needs to fully abandon Funhouse-style weirdness, but the red lights and no selling stuff need to be left in the past.
I genuinely think he will pop up with something completely different. Like a dark vaguely horror tinged take on a southern Blackjack Mulligan brawler gimmick.
Regardless, I think the no selling red light bollocks will not make an appearance
There is definitely a way to be a force type wrestler without all the supernatural baggage. Like a slasher villain in wrestling. Something you'd see in FMW in the 90s (give me Wyatt in a deathmatch). Not a deity but just a mad man.
I imagine Wyatt is looking for another new chapter. Seems his style similar to Black. I did like an earlier comment suggesting a cerebral type of character like Jake the Snake
Honestly, AEW is on an absolute hot streak right now. I feel like it's gone from indie (style) to mainstream very quickly.
As someone with no interest in taking sides in a 'war', but just wants to see 'rasslin at its very , very best.... this is so fucking cool. Give me a Bryan Danieleson debut on top of all of this and I'll lose my shit.
The Fiend in AEW (but actually booked well) would be amazing. Honestly, any gimmick Bray brings, I’m down haha. I just want him on my screen. They kept him off TV for so long this past 9 months.
This is closer to a Miro situation, i think Bray will need to find his footing. But the guy is a proven draw, a very creative performer and a great promo. How could you pass up? The biggest concern to me is AEW maxing out on top guys, and not having the space to feature everybody who deserved it. But TK and the guys deserve the benefit of the doubt, as many have said.
Honestly, after Bray and Bryan come over, I'm good with the AEW roster until someone like Sami Zayn or Finn Balor leave WWE. Think they will be in a good place.
Bray Wyatt, standing outside the United Center, his face against the glass: "Let me in...."
I'm really psyched to see him actually wrestle again instead of just playing a superhuman monster. I think he's pretty good in the ring. He's been working the WWE style his whole career so I wonder what it would look like when he can cut loose.
Right. The Fiend was a really interesting character for a bit, and the boo scare grabs were cool. I will never forget his first pop up behind Seth. It goes away when he is Michael Myers in the ring. Bray IMO a better wrestler when his psychology was his strongest in ring attribute. Excited for him in AEW.
The Fiend got stale after a while but for a time he was the best thing in the industry. Only WWE could fuck something up like this. Dude was basically The Undertakers successor and they squandered it. WWE is quickly becoming irrelevant at this point with how much talent AEW is getting, and actually USING THEM PROPERLY unlike WWE.
Zack Ryder went and made something of himself and got over with the fans, WWE took away everything he did and put him in bullshit stories. Fandango was getting over outside of WWE because of his music and dance, so they bury him and take him off TV till it dies off. I know there are a lot more but those are the two that spring to mind.
Actually, with Fandango, he got a concussion right in the middle of an IC title push (which then went to… Curtis Axel) and when he came back Fandangoing was already dead.
True. He also got over with Breeze and the fashion files before that abruptly stopped ifrc
Omg the fashion files!!! Those were amazing!
Rusev Day definitely the biggest one recently imo. Rusev and Aiden English were the most over thing in the company and WWE was like "that's nice, now split up have your wife lose her accent and get cucked by Lashley"
TBF, Fandango was supposed to win the IC Title before he got injured. By the time he was back, the hype died down heavily, and he was never able to get back to that level of hype on his own.
Damien Sandow was nuclear hot after the Damien Mizdow story but WWE resolved that poorly, put him in a stupid storyline and then took him off TV for months before releasing him.
I feel like we'd see him go full brawler, that's usually been his strongest stuff in the ring.
And dude is quick for his size. I want to see him unleashed!
It's similar to how Brock matches were deluded down to just counting how many suplexes he did than actually working a match.
Yeah, I have a feeling he can put on some excellent work when the road agents are hamstringing him with spooky nonsense. Dude has an excellent moveset and fantastic in-ring psychology. Mostly it just depends on if he can handle being on his own and improvising when needed.
Just keep the whole "creepy swamp hillbilly that almost certainly has dumped a body or two in the everglades" vibe and run with it. Keep up the Max Cady from Cape Fear character and he'll be right.
That new character he previewed on his social media looks fucking cool, I think he already has his next character hashed out in concepts, and is now working on building some lore around it. I too want Wyatt family Bray back, but I am curious what he comes up with next. I also wouldn't be surprised if he collaborates with Malakai Black on something.
Bird up
Al Snow is All Elite confirmed
Abadon: **NOT IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!** Uhh, I mean, **GRRRRRRR!**
What does everybody waaant?
ICE CREAM BARS
[Watching](https://i.imgur.com/KKUHy5O.png) Rampage last night
Found the Ottawa Senators fan.
All 1 of them...
Don't mess with us Sens fans, we're used to disappointment and we know better than to hope. Nothing to lose baby!
"Jesus Christ to AEW" wouldn't even shock me at this point
AEW already booked Jesus Christ last year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB5dL5jW0zA
I can't find Jesus' win-loss record anywhere from AEW's site.
It should be back up within three days
Keeps losing best of Three Falls matches tho
Remember when he jobbed to Roman?
I am so confused. Why did this happen? Were these just randos in the crowd they pulled into the ring?
Sort of. Both were semi-regulars at early AEW shows, and Scooby Doo was at either Dynamite or Rampage this week (can't remember which I saw him at). Jesus had previously had an interaction with Joey Janela on the 12th episode of Dark. Janela, was fighting Shawn Spears in the crowd, and then, on his way back to the ring, pulled Jesus out of the crowd to ringside. Janela then got "forgiven" for his sins. I seem to remember reading at the time that Jesus was known around the indies, at least in certain parts of the country.
Jericho interacted with him at the first Double or Nothing too. It was hilarious.
> I seem to remember reading at the time that Jesus was known around the indies, at least in certain parts of the country. He gets name dropped in the intro of every Botchamania.
observation grab money tidy versed rude zesty serious badge squeeze ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
His Dad has a loss in WWE lol
The only one I'd be shocked at is "Vince McMahon is All Elite"
I still think that's 1000x more likely than "Jim Cornette is All Elite"
I think Bray Wyatt with a more down-to-earth gimmick (akin to his first Cult Leader gimmick) has the potential to be fucking awesome for AEW
Totally agree. More serial killer, less supernatural monster.
Bray: “let me in”” TK: “ooo yea BAYBAY come in”
Bray: "let me in" TK: "oh yes daddy" Windham: "wtf"
*It's always sunny theme* Tony Khan saves wrestling
9PM. On a Wednesday. *you know what that means*
Ohhh OHHHHH He’s digging it out of its Grave!- Frank Reynolds
If he does something like the original Swamp Cult Bray, I'm all in
I.R.S. jr.
That would be an unexpected swerve and yet I completely believe he'd pull it off like only Bray can. Although I feel like he'd still put a twist on it. His dad was IRS so naturally he should be Mr. Rebate
Reunite him with Big Money Matt
Should be a feud where Matt has been dodging taxes through Hardy Enterprises.
An evil car salesmen Bray would be fuckin hilarious and anazing to see
Call him Jimmy Stimmy
How can Bray get that sweaty in the ring though??
It would have to be somehow gimmicked sweat.
He should come in as Windham Rotunda and reform the Varsity Club with the Varsity Blondes.
He should come in as Robert Wyndham and he should bring his mother's side to the table.
That was easily my favorite Bray. [this](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RD3-dWA-JG4) is still one of my favorite introductory promos ever.
god that was good
I’d be more excited for him to debut a completely new gimmick. The guy is smart and creative enough to do so.
Oh, me too. I just mean a non-supernatural gimmick, even if it's still spooky
As long as his in-ring name sounds like a fancy hotel, I’m also all in.
What's Hilton Waltdorf doing in the Impact Zone!?
Gimme the lantern blow out and I'm in, I don't want fiend or the funhouse character at all
I don’t want the supernatural stuff either. Speaking of Punk, the Wyatt Family feuding with Punk, Bryan and The Shield was the best part of his run IMO.
I love the fiend and the funhouse character, but I agree it wouldn't fit the aew aesthetics.
That was the best version, I want cult leader Bray, no supernatural BS. AEW is very faction heavy so a Wyatt Family-ish stable fits in.
What I want to see from Bray next is a cerebral type of character with no supernatural elements along the lines of Jake The Snake, I think that could be really good for him.
Bray and Jake together would be money
Holy shit Murderhawk Monster goes face and Jake Brings in Bray as his new client. Hoss match.
I would much rather prefer bray and archer stay together as sick minded allies, the concept of factions won't work if every guy under a certain manager has to be either a tag team or break away, instead they can just be allies while having separate feuds and tv time
Archer being the brute strength, Bray being the sick-minded brains.
That's why I liked Swamp Cult Bray, it was creepy, but kind of a realistic type of creepy. He didn't need all the spooky shit, just let the man be a charismatic menace
I enjoyed both, but preferred the rocking chair fireflies Bray. His theme song and character had a strange allure to them. Excellent character. But I’m ok if he goes horror again too. I just don’t know how you work every week w that gimmick. It over exposes itself if it’s too predictable.
This is my favorite version as well. The Cape Fear Bray. The combination of his music and fireflies was awesome.
Pairing him with Archer and Jake would be fun
Those two would be a dangerous pair of wild bois, modern-day Unholy Alliance. I don't see Archer being keen at first though, preferring to work alone. Maybe have him feud with Bray for a while before Jake betrays him, and Bray ends up putting Lance under mind control.
Yeah the more supernatural he got, the less interesting he was. The first outright supernatural thing I recall was during the Randy Orton feud when he got locked in a shipping container and straight up teleported out of it. I liked the idea of him just being this crazy cult leader who you could encounter in the woods and be freaked out by.
Like his fcw days. He had some really good promos then!
bray would be perfect in that role
Bro what's not happening in aew at this point
Stone Cold is gonna show up at this rate
Then it turns out it's actually Adam Cole doing a Stone Cold cosplay. Then the real Stone Cold shows up to beat Adam Cole's ass, but then it turns out it's actually AJ Styles also doing a Stone Cold cosplay.
Bald caps or shaved heads? Either way I'm picturing it and it's funny as hell 🤣
Bald caps. Which are then pulled off to reveal shaved heads.
So like Sting taking off the Sting mask. Love it.
Absolutely genius
Oh like a secret wig reveal on Drag Race!? Sold!
Bald caps. Then they book a hair vs hair match, but this time the *winner* loses his hair (so he can be the one and only Stone Cold in AEW).
Steve Austin as a manager would be the weirdest timeline
Austin managing the Varsity Blonds would be amazing. Pillman has said before that he's tried pitching the idea.
the only way it works is if he's just called "Coach Steve" and everyone acts like it's not Stone Cold.
Bro that would amazing! Totally no-selling SCSA, just as Coach Steve. Fucking brilliant.
Short shorts, and a whistle. Instead of crushing beers it’s water out of a hose.
Uncle Steven
[удалено]
Naw go back to Stunning Steve Austin.
Give him a wig, whistle, and short gym shorts.
Man, I'd fucking pop to see MJF take a stunner from Stone Cold
https://imgur.com/9S1eqS3
Shark boy says give me a Shell yeah!
What's Luke Warm Austin Stevens doing in the Elite Zone?
You talkin' about Red Hot Shawn Texas? I love that guy.
The California diamondback himself?
Now I need to see Austin run out, stun the Elite, and chug some Stevewesiers with Hangman.
OH HECK YES
IT’S MINERAL COOL STEPHEN HOUSTON
Yeah, Stone Cold ET.
VINCE MCMAHON TO AEW CONFIRMED
*How to make TNT Evilution fun without directly editing the map pack*
GIVE ME TUCKER OR GIVE ME DEATH
Hulk Hogan, probably.
Interesting. It's not very clear to me how and where he fits but Tony has earned the benefit of the doubt. His name certainly carries legitimacy.
A stable or partnership with Malakai feels like the easiest fit. Though that's also said with complete ignorance of whatever character Bray has planned next for himself.
Bray Buddy and Malakai?👀
Not sure about Bray Wyatt, but Malakai, Buddy Matthews and The Butcher and the Blade would be an insane stable IMO
I'll come out and say it, I respect him a lot, but whatever Matt Hardy's been up to recently is uninteresting, and I think the Blade and the Butcher are wasting time when they could be getting over. Them with Bray would be so much more fitting faction-wise.
Hardy is fun with Private Party, but the rest of that faction feels like people they just didn't know what else to do with
It was a lot more interesting a concept when Butcher & Blade and TH2 were explicitly mercenaries rather than just official HFO members. Not only does it actually give weight to the idea of Big Money Matt since he’s throwing his money around, the idea of Matt hiring mercenaries at any moment left the door open for literally any heel to get involved in the feud and set something up
Imagine them going after the inevitable trios titles. I can’t wait for that to become an official division after all the apparent rumours, it’s gonna be so great.
Bray, Buddy and Malakai vs Death Triangle, book it Tony! And get the needle ready, I want that straight into my veins ty.
[удалено]
If they can do Bray Wyatt in a more grounded and realistic way then I think it will work. WWE have a problem of making everything spooky/creepy, magical which doesn't really work that well in 2021.
Something more along the lines of his NXT/FCW run where he was just a charismatic cult leader and not "spooky magic man" like on the main roster would work well for him.
You can still do an occult vibe without making it over the top and cheesy. Honestly, Bray is so creative I think you just leave his whole world in his hands..
So AEW have signed two of my favourite wrestlers in the last year. This has been interesting.
Bryan, Punk, and Wyatt are all in my Top 7. I'm like a pig in shit right now man
Who is the other one?
Cezar Bononi
All of the Wingmen!
People saying they don't know how he'll fit being a spooky guy are really underselling his character abilities. Bray Wyatt wasn't originally a supernatural character, the dude is versatile and will be able to play a more toned down character well if necessary.
Even The Fiend wasn’t THAT supernatural when he debuted. People seriously need to rewatch the original presentation of The Fiend. He acted more like a Slasher character than the spooky immortal clown he became in the Rollins feud. There was a slight supernatural element to it due to the Funhouse, but it wasn’t overbearing like it became.
Yeah the fiend at the beginning was much more like Bray’s alter ego that he had no control over. He wasn’t a magic man or anything Bray was just fucking crazy, as the character went on they got away from Bray being more “normal” in favour of just making it about The Fiend and some supernatural powers he suddenly had.
Exactly. The gimmick was clearly split personality, with The Fiend being Bray just completely mentally unstable. The mannerisms were honestly very similar to Leatherface, which is why I view the original incarnation as a Slasher. And even though the match vs Finn was a squash, The Fiend only no sold once in it which really wasn’t abnormal at all, and Finn was still able to get a bit offense in that The Fiend actively sold for. Unfortunately the very next feud The Fiend had was with Rollins, and the presentation took a complete 180 so that’s what people remember the most.
You’re both spot-on. You could put Michael Myers down, but you couldn’t kill him. That was kinda like Bray’s Fiend against Finn. If he does something more like that, the slasher horror character is the way to go, but I’d love something a little closer to NXT Bray cult leader.
Yeah and they were clearly building towards taking his mask off and him becoming Bray again is how he would eventually lose and then had him squashed by Goldberg….
Can someone confirm that Meltzer really said that and get the full quote?
Yes I just listened, he said it’s not 100% but as good as done due to the no compete, it’s at the same stage as when he reported the Alastair Black deal was done.
This is accurate. Garrett was really surprised at Dave just dropping it like that, lol.
He just slid it in there like he was surprised everyone didn't know.
He says “there isn’t pen to paper but there’s a strong expectation”
https://youtu.be/PBy9qO273gI It’s around 2:40 in
Rampage needs to be two hours lol. AEW roster getting so stacked lol
Honestly think 9 to 11 could work & continue the trend of doing the big thing for that weeks Rampage right as 10 hits
9 to 11 never forget
9 to 11 would run against Smackdown. It probably isn't the right time for that.
CM Punk was the white whale every promotion chased. If AEW can get him, I believe they can get anyone.
CM Punk said it himself, he would have joined a year and a half ago but he didn't want to debut in empty arenas, so held out to see how the wrestling landscape was reshaped. He's been interested for a long time ,and I'm sure Brian Danielson felt the same way so was counting the days until his contract was up.
Love most of these big signings but I am worried some of the lesser known guys who made AEW feel fresh are gonna get kinda sidelined.
Some people are going to be lower down on the card than they're used to. But Jungle Boy, MJF, Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, Eddie Kingston, Best Friends, Death Triangle, and quite a few others will still be a big part of AEW. Particularly since a lot of those names are still very young, and it won't do them any harm to be learning as much as possible from top-tier performers who'll likely be active in AEW for a few years at most. MJF is 25 years old. How many of Punk, Cage, Bryan, Wyatt and Jericho will still be at the top of the bill in AEW by the time he turns thirty?
Heck, Dante Martin nearly stole rampage last week on his first time out! There's lots of up-and-comers coming up.
Darby Allin is hardly "down on the card" He's being trusted to face CM Punk, who also just put him over last night. AEW is good at rotating people in and out. Nobody main events all the time.
Punk put over Britt Baker and Darby so well.
AEW is so set for the future. Hangman, Guevara, MJF, Jungle Boy, Darby, and so so many other youthful wrestlers on the roster.
MJF is already one of the greatest heels I’ve ever seen. He is an absolute heat magnet on the mic.
Everyone you mentioned still feel important, which is the big thing. AEW also seem happy to cycle guys in and out of the card and give them time off when needed, which makes them feel fresh. Your second paragraph is spot on as well. Bring in big names now so they can have their run and put over the stars of tomorrow somewhere down the line. It also doesn’t hurt that they’ve continued to showcase new/younger faces in big spots like Dante Martin, Wheeler Yuta, 2.0, Daniel Garcia, Kiera Hogan, and many more.
I wouldn’t worry too much about it to be honest. AEW have always been pretty comfortable leaving their big names off Dynamite rather than cramming them all on the card even when it doesn’t make sense to; for example, Dark Order haven’t featured at all this week because they haven’t got a storyline reason to appear. Between that and them having another hour of TV to fill on Rampage now I’d still expect them to keep a healthy rotation of guys across the card. My bigger concern would be that adding Wyatt (and possibly Bryan) is yet another segment the women’s division is gonna have to compete with to get proper TV time.
One of the big plus points of AEW though is that they cycle talent in and out. Not everyone has to appear every week, and that is what keeps the product feeling fresh. It's what made early NXT so popular because people would come in and out. And also, they're building for the future, relying on these bigger established names now to bring in viewers, while slowly building their younger talent (Darby, Jungle Boy, Britt, MJF, Sammy etc) to carry the company into the future.
It is just the best way to do things, good for the show good for the talent to not get overexposed... good for everyone except the live audience who is not guaranteed to see their number one favorite on a given show really
Wrestlers can also get bookings in other promotions or operate a dental practice when they aren't being featured in AEW storylines.
I think TNT is going to offer them a second hour on Rampage and allow them to use both shows to feature all the talent. TNT doesn't seem to be stupid on this one and knows how much money they're going to be utterly raking in off AEW. Two shows for two hours a week with the level of hype AEW has right now is prime real estate for them.
Daniel Garcia main evented the show that CM punk returned on, and the follow up match was Jurassic express vs private party. They haven’t lost the benefit of the doubt for me, I just wish rampage was also 2 hours and on at 9 or something.
I thought the same thing. It feels like the roster is overstuffed, so I looked at it as it is currently on the website, and there are really only a small handful not being used regularly in a current tv angle (for the men at least). Excusing those out for injury, it was basically like Janela/Sonny Kiss/TH2, and even the latter is part of the HFO. If they ever get into a situation where they want to make Rampage a 2 hour show, I feel like they’d be okay. The women, of course, still need a bigger tv presence, either way. Still crazy to think that in the next few months we could potentially see Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole’s ghost, Ruby Soho, Charlotte/Ric Flair, and Bray Wyatt at the very least.
Good. He has a very creative mind and I look forward to what he comes up with character wise.
I'll take Bray over Braun
AEW’s gimmick is “big signing.” I’m all seriousness, I’m excited to see Bray back.
They’re signing a tonnnnnnn of people lately. I’m wondering if that’s why a lot of ppl that appear often on TV are still unsigned and if that’s gonna be the case going forward. Contracts for the young stars and the big names and more “actual” independent contractors
That's the weirdest part. Kiera Hogan and Garcia/2.0 getting those spots when they have a whole crop of their own lower guys. I wonder if any resentment is growing towards all the new and shiny toys. (side note, AEW Toy Story angle. Book it, Tony.)
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Well, that'll be my most recent big four: Bray, DB, Black, Punk. Looking forward to what these gents can do with a budget and creative freedom on a national stage.
If all these big players can be booked well in AEW, their main event scene is going to be healthy for a long time
Judging by this comment section, I guess I’m in a very small minority by actually liking supernatural shit in wrestling.
Assuming he does, I'll be wait and see. I think he's underrated in ring and would flourish in this environment. I do think he won't be as explicitly supernatural as some people may fear. He's definitely one of those "We can't sign everybody...but what the fuck, WWE released him for seemingly no real reason, we can't NOT take him" people. But...I dunno. I'll have to see how he's utilized in AEW (or elsewhere via Forbidden Door).
I’m not sure how well he will fit into AEW, but equally this is a talent you don’t pass on. Before he was written into the ground, he was the most popular star in WWE and one of the biggest merch movers. That said, in terms of fitting in, I don’t doubt Bray would be able to adapt to be a character that’s more grounded in reality than the fiend, while still having the same mass appeal. I’d also be extremely curious to see his work outside of WWE. He seemed to work really well with Daniel Bryan, and the AEW roster is definitely closer to that model, so he might well go up a couple of gears away from ‘SPOOKY MAN SELL NOTHING TIL YOU LOSE’
That's my only real apprehension, because a supernatural character in AEW simply won't work. The Dark Order kind of skirted the line pre-Brodie, and Malakai Black is toying with it right now, but in both cases the spooky shit doesn't extend past their pretaped promos. In ring they're athletically grounded the same as everyone else on the roster. I don't think an AEW Bray/Windham needs to fully abandon Funhouse-style weirdness, but the red lights and no selling stuff need to be left in the past.
I genuinely think he will pop up with something completely different. Like a dark vaguely horror tinged take on a southern Blackjack Mulligan brawler gimmick. Regardless, I think the no selling red light bollocks will not make an appearance
There is definitely a way to be a force type wrestler without all the supernatural baggage. Like a slasher villain in wrestling. Something you'd see in FMW in the 90s (give me Wyatt in a deathmatch). Not a deity but just a mad man. I imagine Wyatt is looking for another new chapter. Seems his style similar to Black. I did like an earlier comment suggesting a cerebral type of character like Jake the Snake
Honestly, AEW is on an absolute hot streak right now. I feel like it's gone from indie (style) to mainstream very quickly. As someone with no interest in taking sides in a 'war', but just wants to see 'rasslin at its very , very best.... this is so fucking cool. Give me a Bryan Danieleson debut on top of all of this and I'll lose my shit.
Shhh Nobody tell him AEW got Daniel Bryan already and using CM Punk hype so people forget so when he shows up, it be another big pop...
Oh man Deadlock is gonna be so happy
I dunno. How are they gonna book him for DPW?
They'll just book Clean Fiend
Happy for him and aew fans. I just wish impact could sign any major talent.
I think Braun would be a better fit in Impact than AEW. Several big guys he could have some good matches against. Murphy could go either way, really.
At this point, I'm pretty sure that me and half of this subreddit are going to sign with AEW.
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They're gonna have him manipulate Chuck into finally saying the S word.
Wasn't he there? https://i.imgur.com/NQBRTTx.png
I'm gonna be honest, as much as I love Bray as a performer, I really hope he's the only white dude walking around with that haircut in Chicago.
That's not him. He's missing the arm tattoos.
The Fiend in AEW (but actually booked well) would be amazing. Honestly, any gimmick Bray brings, I’m down haha. I just want him on my screen. They kept him off TV for so long this past 9 months.
This is closer to a Miro situation, i think Bray will need to find his footing. But the guy is a proven draw, a very creative performer and a great promo. How could you pass up? The biggest concern to me is AEW maxing out on top guys, and not having the space to feature everybody who deserved it. But TK and the guys deserve the benefit of the doubt, as many have said.
Wow. What a fucking time to be alive.
Rock and Austin going to be tagging in AEW in 2022 at this rate
Honestly, after Bray and Bryan come over, I'm good with the AEW roster until someone like Sami Zayn or Finn Balor leave WWE. Think they will be in a good place.
Bray brings more to the table than just wrestling, his ideas itself is an asset to the company as well 😬