Announcement

mizfan · 10-01-2019, 03:56 PM

I'm feeling excited for this! Definitely going to be a big night. My only concern is how to watch, since my cable isn't hooked up. Still haven't figured that one out. I heard other TNT usually has their stuff on Hulu so maybe that'll be my avenue, I'd sure love to watch the first episode live though.

I don't think I agree that Page has the potential to stand out the way AJ Styles did in his early career. The benefit AJ had was not only was he pushing the boundaries of a new style, he was also able to execute that style of jaw dropping athletics better than virtually anyone at the time or since. Page is alright but I don't think he has that same appeal, plus he's already got a bit of pushback after getting put in the first title match without a lot of heat behind him (though losing that match might have actually helped him in that regard).

Definitely want more "Road To" style stuff on the show itself. A good number of fans will probably be watching for the first time, and characters are going to be at least as important as matches if not more so.

The Hogan comparison is interesting. As I'm sure you know, Hogan of course was wrestling constantly, but only on live events since that was where they drew the majority of their money at the time. So I don't know if it can work the same way in 2019, when TV is kind. BUT I do agree with the premise, if they can find a way to keep their top guys fresh by not featuring them wrestling 52 weeks a year, it'll be a benefit for su all.

I think they've quietly done a good job of making wins and losses matter but they could do a better job of articulating it (example: Sammy Guevara is coming off a win in a six man tag, so it makes sense he gets a shot at #1 contender Cody rather than somebody on a losing streak). I also like the title reign measured by defenses thing.

The TV product is definitely going to tell us a lot. Unless they shit the bed I'll probably be a weekly viewer as long as I can swing it, but if they can really come out swinging they could potentially build their following a lot in short order. Curious what surprises will be on the first show too, between Jericho's mystery partners and some hints about a "Lex Luger" moment, we could get some super exciting stuff out of the gate.

PEN15v2 · 10-03-2019, 01:06 AM

So... I guess there was a no DQ stipulation in that trios main event?

Solid, but unspectacular show. Best match was once again Cody's

Cult Icon · 10-03-2019, 02:27 AM

BZZZZZ! WRONG! Sorry, had to do it.

Just got back from the show. Amazing live experience, easily the best show I've ever been to, beating out the AAA show in New York show I saw a few weeks ago. As the party I was with was in a luxury suite we got to have the show broadcast on TV but I barely heard any of the commentary and didn't see any of the production (I heard it was good but I'll see for myself tomorrow). The low points were MJF vs. Brandon Cutler, where Cutler unfortunately had one of the worst performances of his career, the weird Jay and Silent Bob segment and the crowd being burnt out for the final two dark matches (SCU vs. Jurassic Express, Bea Priestley/Penelope Ford vs. Allie/Britt Baker). Beyond that it was money. The opening dark match between Darby Allin and CIMA (!) was really good with Allin winning. Cody/Guevera was off the charts and the follow up Jericho angle was well done. Hangman vs. Pac was really good, although Hangman Page is definitely having trouble connecting with fans (he got respectful cheers but he was easily the least over "big name" on the show). The main event was really fun, the Moxley angle was awesome (for those wondering why no DQ, referees in AEW have discretion on whether to call for DQ's or not; this occurred at Fight for the Fallen as well when Christopher Daniels and Marko Stunt interfered in matches) and the post match angle was so electric that it got a standing ovation after it went off air. I know the Jake Hager/Jake Strong/Jack Swagger appearance will be controversial but he came off like a mega star to the audience, and as a heater for Jericho and this new group (and this was definitely set up as Guevara/Jericho/LAX/Swagger being a unit) he fits well. The first post show dark match, Angelico/Jack Evans/Lucha Brothers vs. Best Friends/Private Party (with an Orange Cassidy appearance) was also really good and it allowed me to see four of my favorites team up.

The highlight though, by a vast margin for me, was Nyla Rose vs. Riho. This match was unbelievable; I was nervous about it going in because the AEW Women's Division has struggled to get over but by the mid point of this match those two got the entire building and never let us go. There were two near falls in particular that were so close that on one of them I legit thought the match was over and began marking out for Riho, only to then realize Nyla had kicked out. And I wasn't the only one. There was a sloppy moment or two, one in particular when Riho tried to backdrop Nyla but they played it off well (Riho would have trouble doing that) and you can have slight issues like that in matches when a) the match as a whole is so strong and b) the crowd is so into it. This was the best match on the show, a star making performance for both Riho and Nyla Rose and exactly what the AEW Women's Division needed. There were a lot of things this show did right from a live audience perspective but that and elevating Guevara, who between his performance and the main event angle came off looking like a real player, were the two things AEW nailed.

Benjamin Button · 10-03-2019, 03:27 AM

Mostly, the show looked good from the hi-lights...hearing tony/Ross together would be good enough for me. i liked the brawl with Mox and Omega but that should be a dq for sure. Really undermines all the good work they've done with refs to have this guy let the match go.

Swagger is always an underwhelming surprise.

Glad Riho won.

Powder · 10-03-2019, 08:27 AM

I am re-posting this here, as this was my reply to Pen in the NXT thread on why the AEW show was better than NXT.

Originally posted by Powder View Post

Really? I felt the opposite. Yes the AEW show wasn't as polished, but it was show #1. But it felt distinctly non-WWE, and fresh.

Dynamite had many things that were brought back to wrestling:

Separate entrances for heels/faces
Time limits on matches
Match will end with TV time left - JR even commented on this
Announcers calling moves and the match - not just pandering
Talking about how the referees had control of the match
Wins and losses matter, with records shown on name graphics - the announcers talked about this nonstop
Post match interviews
TV-14. It makes a difference, there was only one time I can think of that this came into play, when Tony called MJF a prick, and JR said TV-14.

I am sure that others will find more things, but these are just some that made AEW feel much different.

PEN15v2 · 10-03-2019, 09:49 AM

Powder, if all those things are what make a better show for you, then we'll never agree on what was good or not. To me, some of those factors can be used to put on a better show when used right. But most of those things weren't a factor last night.

Separate entrances don't matter in the slightest.
Time limits and TV time remaining are non factors, and they've already established time limits with Cody VS Darby. I'm a fan of it for sure, but I can't see why that made AEW better last night if none of the matches took advantage of it.
Announcers call moves in NXT. Always have. If you're comparing AEW to Raw, then you'd be onto something. But not when comparing to NXT.
Referees control is a nice announcer addition, but doesn't charge the quality of the match or show.
Post match interviews happen in WWE quite often.
Does Tony calling MJF a Prick really make it a better show? I caught it, but it felt forced. Almost like he was told to say that to purposely show off the TV14.

I think a better example of that was the Moxley and Omega break, with the glass table spot. That's something NXT or WWE would not do due to pressure to be family friendly. That moment was one thing AEW definitely stood out with, and it fit. As a fan who's been watching for over 30 years, it wasn't special overall, but it was a really smart move to highlight what AEW will get away with, but WWE won't even try.

But, that doesn't make it a better show. I don't care that the crowd was bigger than NXT. I don't care about most of what you pointed out,or they weren't better than NXT.

As for Cult, I love you buddy, but I would never expect you to give a fair chance to anything WWE, and I know you didn't watch NXT. So I'm ok if you think I'm wrong. That said, I never ever used that for someone's opinion, only when someone used incorrect facts to base their opinion.

I feel a lot more fair minded than you and powder. I was looking forward to NXT, and I never hid that. But I don't understand the mentality of watching something with the purpose of not liking it the way many do. There was a lot of good stuff on Dynamite, but the flaws were big and obvious.

I've been waiting for the tv show to use their solid storytelling from the Road to shows. The only match that got this treatment was Cody VS Sammy. A match that didn't have a deep story in the first place. There was no history there. But, had they had that for Jericho VS Omega, or Bucks VS LAX, or the women's title match... It would have been better. To me it looked like the main event was rushed, and that's why they didn't get any prematch treatment of that level. I know they recapped the debut of LAX, but it would have helped to try to find out why they attacked the Bucks.

I also didn't like how they didn't try to connect to next week's show, other than the tag title tournament. I understand that's a huge aspect, but there are title matches in 2 weeks, and no contenders. They've had 4 women on tv, including Brandi as a valet, and Britt doing a weak job at the booth (very few wrestlers are good at the booth, so this isn't a knock, more about how it didn't make me care for her more than a promo or vignette would).

The women's title match was better than expected, but the tv showed more flaws than was likely caught live. It had some rough patches.

The trios main being cut short was a good thing for my tastes, because it cut down on Bucks nonsense. There was still too much choreography, but it was vastly reduced, and they had to sell for once since they were down a partner.

AEW dynamite was a very good tv wrestling show. On par with an above average WWE raw, but tighter at 2 hours. I felt like it was missing something, but I never felt like they were wasting time, and nothing dragged (though I didn't like the tag team confrontation, at least I understand the importance of it).

But none of the matches were great or stood out. NXT had 3 matches better than anything on dynamite, and the others were on the same level. So, I give the NXT the better show. I'm also judging without including the surprises, because those aren't fair. AEW doesn't have access to the WWE roster, so Hager isn't as big a deal as Finn or Ciampa. But I also know these surprises aren't weekly occurrences, so aren't fair to really judge a programs worth. So, keeping in mind what each show can do regularly, NXT delivered an 8/10, while dynamite was 6.5 ish. Better than most WWE TV, but NXT had always been an exception.

Prime Time · 10-03-2019, 10:06 AM

I haven't seen the show, but I don't think you necessarily need to use time limits, referee control, and some of those things that Powder was mentioning in order for them to benefit a show. I've long felt that creating an atmosphere in which those things are factors, expected, and could play a role, is actually more important in whether or not you use them on a particular show.

Now, with that said - those things only go so far. They do improve a show, but they don't make up for any major drawbacks elsewhere. And not having seen it, I don't *actually* have an opinion on where AEW would sit in all this, or NXT for that matter.

Kleckamania · 10-03-2019, 10:09 AM

I havent watched NXT yet. I will today. I was up at 8pm, so I chose to watch AEW knowing now that I can still watch NXT episodes on the network whenever I want.

My impressions were that Hangman Page vs Pac was the match of the night. Followed up by Cody's match (Sammy is pretty polished! Impressed by him in ring). I was impressed with Page, and can see him being a World Champ with a little polish. Pac seems to be wrestling smarter now (somewhat safer moveset), which is good, cause the moveset he ran in WWE created a lot of timing issues. He should hover around title scenes nicely in AEW.

I was very much disappointed by MJF. I heard he was a good talker, but part of being a good talker is knowing when to stop, his promo as he walked down to the ring was waaaaay too long. He was just saying the same thing over and over again. Honestly off my first impression he came off as a poor man's ECIII- nowhere near as good as the real thing. Both he and his opponent were sloppy in their match.

My least favorite match of the night was honestly the women's match. I'm sorry, there is just zero suspension of disbelief in Riho. She's about 90 lbs soaking wet. Watching Nyla put in that much effort to sell Riho's offense killed the match for me (multiple times you could easily see Nyla jumping in spots where Riho was "lifting her"). At least when Little Spike used to do his thing ECW kept it realistic. Riho is just too small to make me believe her offense is a genuine threat honestly. The outcome seemed silly to me.

The closing match was fun, though for a company that prides itself in wins and losses, rankings, etc, it seems absurd that there was no DQ there. Refs enforce the rules everytime in pro sports.

The Jack Swagger reveal was a bit of a let down. Seems like maybe that spot was intended for someone else, but maybe that person signed with Fox to do Smackdown's announcing? The Young Bucks were the highlight of the main event for me. They did great.

It was cool seeing Tony Schiavone doing the announcing. I was a bit stunned to see him look younger than he did in WCW decades ago. Their announcing team is infinitely better than any group WWE has on any brand. They added to the product instead of detracting from it (though I still think Nigel Mcguiness and Corey Graves are gems- they are just surrounded by duds).

The production was solid. Camera work was great. Overall a good show, but I expected a bit more from a premiere. Only 2 bad matches though. I am very much looking forward to that tag tournament however. I'm guessing their 2nd show will be much better.

My first impression is that AEW needs to step their game up if they plan on competing with NXT.

Powder · 10-03-2019, 10:13 AM

I am not knocking NXT, as it was my third time actually watching the show. I thought that it was good, but I thought that AEW was better. The Women in NXT, outside of Baszler are who??? Exactly. No one. Now they can and will be stars, but currently they are not anyone of recognition. The Women's match last night was 2 of the 4 from last week's fatal 4 way. Why not highlight other women?

Riddle vs Cole was good, but nothing to write home about. The Baszler match was solid and enjoyable.

But as I said, the NXT show, felt exactly like a typical WWE show. If they want to be different, then be different. Do not give us the same stuff the "main roster" does. With Balor returning, I hope there are more people who go back or debut after the draft, but keep the main stars on NXT.

Also Velveteen Dream? I turned him off. Awful. He may be a good in ring performer, I don't know, but his character is awful.

Again, I liked the show overall, but I felt that AEW was bringing back actual Professional Wrestling and some less Sports Entertainment. The time limits, the refs, wins and losses, etc are all part of the history of ProWrestling and not sports entertainment. When the announcers kept saying that if Cody loses, it could cost him his title shot, that mans something. How many times in WWE do we see champions lose matches, or #1 contenders lose and they just get their shot anyway? Little things like that will make the overall product better. The beauty is in the details.

NXT was good, but a WWE product, which is what we all have complained about for years on these forums, and AEW was something different, and it won the night. it may not always, but last night it did.

Oliver · 10-03-2019, 10:50 AM

I thought...to be honest I thought it was pretty average.

The Cody match was a Cody match - he's still a decidedly average wrestler. Sammy popped it a couple of times, a far more interesting performer, but it was tied down by Cody being Cody.

MJF vs Cutler doesn't even merit talking about. A nothing match.

PAC vs Page was overly reliant on PAC being a superhuman flying machine to hold my interest. I checked out after the springboard 450 about 5 minutes in, they'd already done too much and I just didn't have interest in watching more of it. And you know, I'm not 'No Flips Just Fists' or whatever, but at least build to these things. It felt like they'd gone out there to have a 20 minute match in 13 minutes so cut the build up parts.

Riho vs Nyla was the only match that will get the official Oliver 'Dope' rating on the night, I thought that was the only bout on the card that really told a story that was easy and accessible, simple to follow, and built through the course of the 15 minute run time into having a satisfying pay off.

The main event tag was fun but nothingy, and clearly just a part of the bigger story(ies) they are telling - nothing is less interesting to me than the Young Bucks phoning it in, and I felt they did that a little here, but it was the second best match of the night.

I mean, it was fine, I'll watch next week, but it wasn't demonstrably amazing or anything. But it's a new promotion finding it's feet - people will give it leeway as a result, and rightly so. I personally think they need to make some major strides on how they use wrestling on the show, and how they approach wrestling on the show, in order to have a show that gels together comfortably for the viewer. It'll probably come with time.

It's not about whether it was 'worse' or 'better' than NXT - it's just a case of whether it was a good show, that I as a wrestling fan could enjoy. For me, it wasn't a good one, but neither was it bad. They just need to get comfortable with the format of a weekly TV show.

PEN15v2 · 10-03-2019, 11:55 AM

Originally posted by Powder View Post

I am not knocking NXT, as it was my third time actually watching the show. I thought that it was good, but I thought that AEW was better. The Women in NXT, outside of Baszler are who??? Exactly. No one. Now they can and will be stars, but currently they are not anyone of recognition. The Women's match last night was 2 of the 4 from last week's fatal 4 way. Why not highlight other women?
Riddle vs Cole was good, but nothing to write home about. The Baszler match was solid and enjoyable.
But as I said, the NXT show, felt exactly like a typical WWE show. If they want to be different, then be different. Do not give us the same stuff the "main roster" does. With Balor returning, I hope there are more people who go back or debut after the draft, but keep the main stars on NXT.
Also Velveteen Dream? I turned him off. Awful. He may be a good in ring performer, I don't know, but his character is awful.
Again, I liked the show overall, but I felt that AEW was bringing back actual Professional Wrestling and some less Sports Entertainment. The time limits, the refs, wins and losses, etc are all part of the history of ProWrestling and not sports entertainment. When the announcers kept saying that if Cody loses, it could cost him his title shot, that mans something. How many times in WWE do we see champions lose matches, or #1 contenders lose and they just get their shot anyway? Little things like that will make the overall product better. The beauty is in the details.
NXT was good, but a WWE product, which is what we all have complained about for years on these forums, and AEW was something different, and it won the night. it may not always, but last night it did.

Your ignorance of the women in NXT notwithstanding, we actually got to see more women wrestle on NXT last night than AEW showed. So that’s a terrible argument. And if NXT had a title match booked in 2 weeks, then they set up the challenger on this show with Io getting the victory. So if you’re judging based on how the women are used, NXT wins.

Agreed on Riddle vs Cole being good. I thought it was amazing under the “no-selling” part, and it dropped to somewhere between good and great, but I’ll acquiesce to saying it was only good. Same with Bayzler.

Velveteen Dream had a pretty bad segment. I love the character, but last night was not the best usage of it, so I understand you not enjoying it.

I don’t know how you can’t see the difference between NXT and Raw/SD, but if you feel it was the same, I can’t say anything to change your mind. Just keep in mind that your opinion on that is not widely shared. This doesn’t mean you’re wrong, but there are many anti-WWE wrestling fans who enjoy NXT because of how different it is. I like all WWE programming, but I feel NXT is superior in many ways due to how it is different. If you don’t see it, then you don’t see it. Nothing right or wrong about it, but it’s a minority opinion.

Where you are wrong about the facts is that NXT does use a lot of those staples you mentioned. The refs do get involved and commentary highlights their strengths. You talked about how in WWE you’re used to seeing champions lose or contenders lose, and still get their shots. Well, that wasn’t on NXT at all. Everyone who got a title shot earned it. You’re holding Raw and SD against NXT, which to each their own, but those things you praise about AEW are in NXT. You’re just choosing to ignore it to make your opinion seemed factually based. It’s not. You can prefer AEW, no one should ever fault you for that. But don’t make up reasons for it that are blatant and pathetic lies. NXT is the wrestling show, while Raw+SD are the sports entertainment shows. It doesn’t mean Raw/SD don’t have wrestling, and NXT doesn’t have Sports Entertainment, but they have different main focuses.

As for AEW winning over NXT, I visit 2 other sites, including one who involved with AEW sponsorship in some way (either they sponsor AEW, or AEW sponsors their podcast, I don’t know all the details – but they are involved with each other). And all other sites have fans picking sides, but it’s soundly NXT had the better night. This doesn’t mean AEW sucked, or that many people thought Dynamtie was awful. In fact, it’s been getting great reviews. Just that NXT was a step above. I think everyone overrates everything. I said NXT was an 8, but I’m judging based on wrestling TV, not a PPV. NXT did a better job with matches, hyping the coming weeks, establishing rivalries…etc. AEW did an above average job, which is what I would rate 5, so 6.5 for Dynamite I feel works. I didn’t think they did enough to make me care for next week, and I didn’t think the matches were as good.

Originally posted by Kleckamania View Post

I was very much disappointed by MJF. I heard he was a good talker, but part of being a good talker is knowing when to stop, his promo as he walked down to the ring was waaaaay too long. He was just saying the same thing over and over again. Honestly off my first impression he came off as a poor man's ECIII- nowhere near as good as the real thing. Both he and his opponent were sloppy in their match.
My least favorite match of the night was honestly the women's match. I'm sorry, there is just zero suspension of disbelief in Riho. She's about 90 lbs soaking wet. Watching Nyla put in that much effort to sell Riho's offense killed the match for me (multiple times you could easily see Nyla jumping in spots where Riho was "lifting her"). At least when Little Spike used to do his thing ECW kept it realistic. Riho is just too small to make me believe her offense is a genuine threat honestly. The outcome seemed silly to me.
The closing match was fun, though for a company that prides itself in wins and losses, rankings, etc, it seems absurd that there was no DQ there. Refs enforce the rules everytime in pro sports.
The Jack Swagger reveal was a bit of a let down. Seems like maybe that spot was intended for someone else, but maybe that person signed with Fox to do Smackdown's announcing? The Young Bucks were the highlight of the main event for me. They did great.
It was cool seeing Tony Schiavone doing the announcing. I was a bit stunned to see him look younger than he did in WCW decades ago. Their announcing team is infinitely better than any group WWE has on any brand. They added to the product instead of detracting from it (though I still think Nigel Mcguiness and Corey Graves are gems- they are just surrounded by duds).
The production was solid. Camera work was great. Overall a good show, but I expected a bit more from a premiere. Only 2 bad matches though. I am very much looking forward to that tag tournament however. I'm guessing their 2nd show will be much better.
My first impression is that AEW needs to step their game up if they plan on competing with NXT.

I liked the MJF thing, but like a lot of AEW production, they’ll learn what to tighten up and shorten as they go. I think what hurts MJF is how they compare him to the Miz or the Rock, or whoever. He’s only 23 (I think) so he’s nowhere near as polished as they are, but he shows such natural comfort on the mic that you can how he can become like those guys in time. But no, he didn’t show it last night. That said, it was way better than 75% of solo mic promos.

Good point on the women’s title match. The one spot I noticed was the top turnbuckle counter into a slam by Riho. It was all Nyla just throwing herself and bumping. That instance I noticed and it bugged me. But I wasn’t as bothered as you overall. Your comparison to Spike Dudley is apt though, as he would have moments like that, but never won a title over a hoss. In fact, I think he’s got a terrible win/loss record outside of the tag and cruiserweight divisions in ECW and WWE. That said, Riho is about 1000 times better than Spike in the ring, and she brings more to the table than he ever did in terms of being competitive with a larger opponent like Nyla.

1000% agreed on the no DQ in the main event. I forgive these things in WWE, so I’ll forgive it here too. BUT, to all the fans who complain that there’s no consistency in WWE’s rules (looking at you, Powder), then this is a huge flaw. The main event of your debut show, when you’ve been pushing how sports oriented you will be compared to WWE… and then you have that!?!? The hypocrisy is palpable. But AEW fans will find an excuse and defend it. It is especially odd since it happened so early in the match that they could have arranged it without it being a broken logic rule. Have the 2 teams brawl before the bell, and then when Kenny is getting ready to fly (again, before the bell) that’s when Moxley could strike. It then leads to Bucks accepting to change it to a handicap match, and do the exact same thing. If AEW want to stay away from handicap matches as they defy logic, I understand and agree. But in that case you can’t have an attack midmatch and it not end in a DQ. It’s a catch 22.

I don’t think it’s fair to judge the Jake Hager surprise. All the promotions are locking up their talent, so it’s REALLY tough to have a surprise like Luger in 95. And it sounds like Punk just doesn’t want to wrestle. So Hager is still a great get for AEW, as he adds something that the whole promotion is lacking: size and legitimacy. I don’t mean he’s known or a star. But his MMA association, and his true amateur wrestling background, is a major asset to a promotion who is pushing sports credibility above other promotions. And he is literally head and shoulders above most of the roster. Solid choice by AEW.

Other than Jim Ross and Alex Marvez, AEW have a fantastic announce crew. Ross still adds something, so I’m not saying he shouldn’t be in the booth, but maybe not as the lead announcer. And Marvez has been moved out of that role, so I don’t think that’s a concern. But I love Excalibur and Tony. Tony needs to work out some “ringrust” it seems, and get caught into the weekly schedule, but he’s obviously better than Michael Cole, Tom Phillips, or Vic Joseph. I like Mauro better still, but I am bothered by his pop culture stuff. But as a pure wrestling announcer, he’s the best in terms of calling moves and showing emotion. He also directs traffic amazingly for Nigel and Beth. They wouldn’t be as good without him. They are very good, obviously, but most of what stands out for them is how they bounce off what Mauro is doing. Maybe it’s the broadcaster background in me, but his skills are beyond reproach.

Originally posted by Prime Time View Post

I haven't seen the show, but I don't think you necessarily need to use time limits, referee control, and some of those things that Powder was mentioning in order for them to benefit a show. I've long felt that creating an atmosphere in which those things are factors, expected, and could play a role, is actually more important in whether or not you use them on a particular show.

Now, with that said - those things only go so far. They do improve a show, but they don't make up for any major drawbacks elsewhere. And not having seen it, I don't *actually* have an opinion on where AEW would sit in all this, or NXT for that matter.

That’s what I meant about how they can be a factor, but they weren’t last night. I think if we see over time that they can be factors, it’ll mean more on the nights they aren’t involved. But just saying “referee is losing or gaining control” when you haven’t set a standard of what that ref control should be, then it’s just a non-factor.

Originally posted by Oliver View Post

I mean, it was fine, I'll watch next week, but it wasn't demonstrably amazing or anything. But it's a new promotion finding it's feet - people will give it leeway as a result, and rightly so. I personally think they need to make some major strides on how they use wrestling on the show, and how they approach wrestling on the show, in order to have a show that gels together comfortably for the viewer. It'll probably come with time.
It's not about whether it was 'worse' or 'better' than NXT - it's just a case of whether it was a good show, that I as a wrestling fan could enjoy. For me, it wasn't a good one, but neither was it bad. They just need to get comfortable with the format of a weekly TV show.

I think this is the best explanation for it so far. I love this statement.

Team Farrell · 10-03-2019, 12:33 PM

Of all the wrestling on last night, all I've seen is the first hour of Dynamite. I think that it's okay.

I like Cody, but I thought that going what felt like 15 minutes with Sammy Guevara and having him win with a counter is maybe not the best way to get over your number one contender. Nothing against Guevara but he's not a top guy. Maybe they want him to be, maybe he will be, but as of this moment he's not. He needs some definitive wins. It's the same argument people made about Page vs Sabien at Fight for the Fallen, but I felt that Page looked more dominant in that match and Sabien only got the advantage when Page was selling a knee injury.

I appreciate that wins and losses matter, and maybe it's something that'll be explored later, but at no point did I feel that one of their three name value stars who has been announced in the main event of their next Pay Per View was in any danger of losing that match and thus his title shot. Sammy needs bigger trunks.

It felt a little disjointed at times. I also couldn't figure out why they were running a major angle with no commentary in a picture-in-picture commercial. The commercials were distracting from what was happening as Jericho went after Cody, and the fact that US commercial breaks are so damn long meant that Jericho had to beat the shit out of Cody for what felt like an eternity. That was confusing to me.

The show kind of felt like TNA. Not current day Impact, but TNA. Maybe Nitro? Not in a bad way or meant as an insult, but the production and the way things just kind of went from one thing to the next. It didn't feel like it had the polish of a WWE (not necessarily a bad thing) or even New Japan.

From what I've seen it wasn't bad. It wasn't offensive. It didn't make me shake my head or want to turn it off. Maybe the second hour really picks up?

From what I've heard of the main with what should have been a DQ but wasn't, I remember JR mentioning earlier in the night that you weren't going to see cheap, cop out DQ's "because wins and losses matter". Maybe AEW is running relaxed, or no disqualification rules?

I dunno. I'll finish the show, I'll probably check it out next week, too.

I'm really not a fan of the interviews on the ramp. I completely get that especially with your first show you want to get those people in front of the audience that paid to be there, and maybe in-ring interviews or promos feel too "WWE" to them. But even Nitro had Gene interview people in the ring where they're centred in the building and the most of the live crowd has the best view. But my problem is that the interviews on the ramp feel cheap. You don't have a billion dollar LED wall set that you're trying to showcase like WWE and you can transform into the "Moment of Bliss" set graphically, so being on the ramp in between the two tunnels feels, to me, like an indy that doesn't have (or can't afford) a backstage set to do interviews in front of.

Again, I know that's not the case, and I know why they'd want to get people in front of the paying audience, but it just feels kind of bush league to be doing interviews on the stage.

On a plus, though, I did appreciate the UFC-style camera in the locker room where they cut to the audio for a moment or two.

EDIT: As far as a promotion with a "sports presentation" is concerned, my preference is still New Japan. I'd love to see an American promotion steal from them a little.

PEN15v2 · 10-03-2019, 12:43 PM

Originally posted by Team Farrell View Post

I'm really not a fan of the interviews on the ramp. I completely get that especially with your first show you want to get those people in front of the audience that paid to be there, and maybe in-ring interviews or promos feel too "WWE" to them. But even Nitro had Gene interview people in the ring where they're centred in the building and the most of the live crowd has the best view. But my problem is that the interviews on the ramp feel cheap. You don't have a billion dollar LED wall set that you're trying to showcase like WWE and you can transform into the "Moment of Bliss" set graphically, so being on the ramp in between the two tunnels feels, to me, like an indy that doesn't have (or can't afford) a backstage set to do interviews in front of.

I remember Gene shilling his 1-900 number on the stage/ramp, and then calling out whoever he was interviewing right then and there. I remember more of those than I do interviews in the ring. No special entrance graphics either. So I really can't agree with this complaint.

Oliver · 10-03-2019, 12:48 PM

I think the one thing I really, really love from NJPW and would like to see them do more in the US promotions is the post-match 'press conference' style interviews. I don't know if that's weird, but I really enjoy them.

Agreed on the TNA/Nitro thing, Coach - now that you mention it I can see it in the show and how it was. I always picture Mean Gene doing those ramp interviews on Nitro, too.

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