AEW - Non-Wrestling (Business, Money, Ratings etc.)

[Oliver]

ECW wasn't bankrolled by a billionaire (the Vince support isn't nearly the same), fuck outta here with that contrarianism.

That doesn't change the fact that the answer is Lucha Underground, though.

Khan should have bankrolled season 5 of LU. Or the LU film I've scripted, where The Order are set on destroying the seven Aztec tribes while the rest of the LU roster are split more than ever. Can Dario Cueto bring them together and unite the tribes to repel the Order? Can anybody save Fenix from a walk on the darkside? Or will Jake Strong, Bade Warret, and everyone else in The Order bring about worldwide destruction?

I miss LU

[Cult Icon]

We're going to have to go to the LU thread and trade stories on how we'd do season five Ollie. All of which is to say I MISS IT TOO!

[Oliver]

To the thread!

[mizfan]

It'd make sense to me if that Cody window breaking segment captured some viewership. Possibly the hottest segment they've done yet.

[Prime Time]

I wouldn't be surprised either. Jericho and Cody are the elements that have had overwhelmingly positive responses and that's probably the point of maximum tension, prior to the match at least. So it might be just that numbers do go up and down a bit, but I wouldn't be shocked if that week was tied to the content.

Funny in a sense because I've heard good things about the match and the angle and I think I might like it. But it's the only thing that it applies to and... it's kinda already over.

[mizfan]

I'd be shocked if we didn't revisit Cody/Jericho down the line in some form... whether they find a compelling way to overturn the stip eventually or they meet again after Jericho loses the title, either way there's gonna be some great stuff. Hell, Elite vs. Inner Circle is bound to continue so you know they're gonna keep butting heads, and I think AEW has already shown they're capable of continuing a rivalry without relying on a constant stream of rematches.

[Prime Time]

I guess what I mean is, if you are on the outside and that is the thing that would bring you in, it's already gone. Not that the feud is over exactly, so much as you have to wait for it to build up to something again.

I guess I'm just wondering if they went to their most bankable card a bit fast. Not sure what they try and lure a new fan in with next.

Moxley, maybe?

[mizfan]

I would have thought the potential for a slower build would be up your alley, Pete! Though concern over how it might effect the draw towards new fans is a valid one.

I think it's telling that if you go back 3 months (maybe a bit more), I don't think Jericho/Cody would have been seen as a hot hand at all. Both guys did a lot of legwork to make it into a marquee event that fans would consider paying to see. So now AEW can continue with Cody/Jericho right away in other forms, especially if MJF aligns with the Inner Circle, or they can split Cody and MJF for a bit and explore the next potential hot hand. Moxley does seem like a guy with a whole lot of buzz right now, so he could very easily be the next big name that challenges and I think it would get people's attention.

Amazing that Jericho vs. Moxley was a feud WWE ran in 2016 and it was so bad that both guys basically dropped off my hype list entirely. 3 years later and it's actually a match I'd be really interested to see. Neither guy feels remotely the same, goes to show what happens when you change the narrative.

[Prime Time]

Absolutely up my alley in principle - provided you're already in. From the outside, I'm just wondering where the actual hook is going to come.

Though let's be honest in my particular case the problem has nothing to do with how they are handling that feud.

[PEN15v2]

I guess I'm just wondering if they went to their most bankable card a bit fast. Not sure what they try and lure a new fan in with next.

Moxley, maybe?

It's a little too similar to Stone Cold Jon Moxley right now, but there's no doubt he's the best breakout star in all of English speaking american wrestling.

[Cult Icon]

There's no doubt in my mind that Moxley is the guy to beat Jericho. The question is when do you do it. If I'm booking, and I understand it's playing with fire here, I hold off until Double or Nothing in May. The show is in Vegas, Moxley's current hometown, so the pop would be enormous and you'd be giving Jericho, who I think has been a tremendous champion, a proper enough first reign. After that I'd have Moxley hold the title till Full Gear when Omega, after a year long path of redemption, finally gets the victory over Moxley and the title he seemed destined to win from the start. I think that works great in a full circle way. It just comes down to whether AEW can hold off from doing that and what do they do with Moxley, Jericho and Omega in the meantime. At least with Jericho there will still be the Inner Circle/Elite feud to occupy his time and I think AEW would be wise to do what they did with Darby Allin where they give some of the lower card guys a shot to hang with Jericho in title matches on Dynamite. It's trickier with Moxley and Omega; I suppose you could do Moxley and Pac seeing as there was no clean winner but that still leaves Omega with a question mark. I wonder if maybe there's a big surprise coming for him, given that video that played on Halloween a few weeks ago and what that featured.

[Kleckamania]

Cult, I respectfully disagree.

Nowhere in your fantasy booking did you include OC taking his hands out of his pockets, and winning the AEW title. Just to put his hands back in and lose his next match cause he doesnt give af

[Oliver]

But what you've forgotten, Kleck, is that The OC will have installed a wedge inside his jacket that prevents his shoulders ever being on the mat. So begins his six year reign.

[Prime Time]

I knew fans of this sort of thing were secretly longing for the days of Jim Herd....

[Oliver]

All I'm saying is that if there's a team of gay bell ringers called The Campanologists I wouldn't be surprised. I'd also be super into it.

I'd be shocked if we didn't revisit Cody/Jericho down the line in some form... whether they find a compelling way to overturn the stip eventually

I mean, the stipulation is that Cody won't challenge for the title again, right? So the ways of overturning that are numerous and the storytelling could be really fantastic around it - having Cody not challenge but be called out by the champion at the time, for example. You could probably only pull that sort of card once, though, and then perhaps you need to give Cody the title in the bout to not waste it as a storytelling device.

I suppose as well, Cody could not 'challenge' for the title but win an opportunity in a tournament or similar - that would be absolutely superb from a storytelling arc perspective, if he is in a situation like that. Heck, it's a great story to tell if Cody has to earn a chance rather than actively challenge a champion, but just can't get over the hurdles in front of him to win it.