# What is the biggest booking mistake AEW has made so far?



## Joe Gill (Jun 29, 2019)

Pac beating Omega clean on ppv was the biggest mistake AEW has made so far. It killed Kenny as a true main eventer and did little to elevate Pac to that level. Ruined the momentum for the Moxley vs Omega match and Kenny never quite recovered.

Cody adding the "will never get another title shot again" stipulation was pointless...everyone knew jericho was going to win regardless. Its cool that Cody doesnt want to abuse his powers and make himself world champion... I respect that.... but he could have just decided behind the scenes not to become world champ instead of declaring it to the world. Right now AEW is very weak at the top...not many legit world title contenders for Moxley to face... and removing the threat/possibility of a cody vs moxley main event is stupid.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

I don't want to come across as overly critical but lets face it, a lot of what they do in the booking room are mistakes ranging from enhancement talents lasting over 5 minutes with main event guys and midcard guys going 15-20 with main event guys to the way guys are booked and what stories they're given.

They don't have a booker or a writer in the company with them. Cody was the son of a great booker and probably learned a bit from his dad but probably not enough to write compelling television every week of the year. Kenny and The Bucks are somehow bookers now and are learning on the job despite never having booked anything bar maybe a few one off independent shows in their time. Tony Khan gets his ideas from the WWE Network and old episodes of Nitro/RAW and ECW.

The random stipulations, the stupid gimmicks, the comedy matches, the flip flopping of characters, the poorly booked matches, the insistence on every match being ridiculously long. It all just points to a creative and booking team that don't know what they're doing.

I think a better question would be to ask what they've done well so far.


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## RiverFenix (Dec 10, 2011)

Given they retconned Hardy teleporting to a hologram trick I'll say SCU winning Tag Tournament.


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## validreasoning (Jul 4, 2012)

Not making Omega top guy off the bat. He was hottest wrestler outside WWE since the fall of WCW, most sought after free agent in 2 decades and he has been essentially turned into an opening card tag guy.


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## ReekOfAwesomenesss (Apr 6, 2012)

Not being aggressive and smart enough in recoupment.


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## Prosper (Mar 25, 2015)

PAC beating Omega was awesome. It didn't hurt his image at all. It established PAC right out of the gate as a main event level threat.

I would say though that not booking himself as a mega-star in a general sense was the biggest mistake. But that can easily be rectified, this is pro wrestling and his past booking doesn't really matter. No one remembers that shit or really gives a damn except for the IWC, and we are a very, very small minority compared to the rest of the hardcore fan base. What's happening in the moment is the only thing that matters. How else would you explain how Becky and Kofi were able to get so over despite their previous booking, ya know? Its sports entertainment. And Kenny is the f'n best at it. Once the Hangman Page storyline picks back up, Omega will be back on top of the world.

Not pushing Moxley as the mega-star first would have been a bigger mistake though. The guy was over AF and was already established in the states. Omega can honestly get as over as he wants whenever he wants. The guy is untouchable. After not booking himself as a mega star for a stretch in 2019, he went on to get some of the greatest crowd reactions in the business when he fought PAC in the Ironman and in what I would call, the greatest tag match of all time at Revolution with Page and the Bucks. The crowd was freaking out when he kicked out at 1 towards the end of that match. Pure excitement and entertainment at its finest. Then the pandemic happened in the middle of his rise from the ashes.

Kenny Omega will be a celebrity mega-star and the top pro-wrestler in the world within 8-12 months after things get back to normal, mark my words. And I can't fuckin wait.

Giving Marko Stunt so much air time is also a mistake. They also need to cut down on some of the match lengths. No reason jobbers should be getting 15 minutes with your actual stars. 

Other than that though, AEW has been doing great. Everything else has been awesome. I love the way Cody has pushed himself, building himself as a star but not hogging the gold while putting others over, the mid-card scene is good, MJF is being protected and is still undefeated, big men are booked how big men should be booked, the tag division is good, the comedy hasn't been overbearing, and the women's division is starting to get an identity.


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## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

I agree AEW doesn't feel aggressive. Why start a new promotion to act like its this cute comedy family so happy. If I have to hear Audrey the referees say one more time how much a aew is like a happy family and how it feels so good. What the hell does she know about a big time wrestling promotion.

The reality of the real decisions have not sunk in yet or of course happened.

Now I do think this is a great thing but it's the fact that a aew focuses more on things like hearing sensitive rooms for people instead of focusing on the fucking direction.

And they want cute publicity for it. But that's Brandi and Cody for you


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## bdon (Nov 12, 2019)

prosperwithdeen said:


> PAC beating Omega was awesome. It didn't hurt his image at all. It established PAC right out of the gate as a main event level threat.
> 
> I would say though that not booking himself as a mega-star in a general sense was the biggest mistake. But that can easily be rectified, this is pro wrestling and his past booking doesn't really matter. No one remembers that shit or really gives a damn except for the IWC, and we are a very, very small minority compared to the rest of the hardcore fan base. What's happening in the moment is the only thing that matters. How else would you explain how Becky and Kofi were able to get so over despite their previous booking, ya know? Its sports entertainment. And Kenny is the f'n best at it. Once the Hangman Page storyline picks back up, Omega will be back on top of the world.
> 
> ...


Be prepared. This post just made you public enemy #1.


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## the_flock (Nov 23, 2016)

I don't know where to start as they've made so many in such a short time. 

So I'm going to say calling it (All Elite) Wrestling, but then hiring anybody and everybody. 

Making Cody, The Bucks, Kenny and Brandi the bookers of the promotion. 

Having a win/loss record with weekly standings. Which are never adhered to. 

Not having enough title divisions from the start. Which meant that there was nothing for the wrestlers to fight for and glorified jobbers being booked as equals to the main stars. 

Storylines being played out on YouTube rather than on TV. Which meant that people who were only watching Dynamite had no idea what was even happening. 

Pushing the wrong stars which were usually friends of the Elite guysand giving them more tv time over more capable stars. 

Not being more Ruthless. 

Being obsessed with WWE.


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## TKO Wrestling (Jun 26, 2018)

Nothing. The fact that I have a wrestling show that makes me want to watch weekly again is all I need.

Really the only major mistake they’ve made thus far is stripping Cody’s ability to win the strap.


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## Prosper (Mar 25, 2015)

TKO Wrestling said:


> Nothing. The fact that I have a wrestling show that makes me want to watch weekly again is all I need.
> 
> Really the only major mistake they’ve made thus far is stripping Cody’s ability to win the strap.


Agreed. It’s really hard to not like the show for me when the alternative is WWE. AEW hasn’t really done anything to make me despise them like RAW and SD do on a weekly basis. I look forward to every Wednesday night now. Great job by all those guys so far.


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## TD Stinger (May 9, 2012)

The entirety of the Nightmare Collective and the majority of the Dark Order storylines.


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## The Phantom (Jan 12, 2018)

Not giving Shida every belt.


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## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

Riho winning the belt instead of Shida.
Lucha Bros not winning the tag titles.
Moxley beating Jericho for the belt.

Just from their PPV results so far. I think PAC should have beaten Page at Full Gear though. 

Shida should have absolutely been the first women's champion. Most charismatic and carries herself like a star. 

Lucha Bros not only should have been the first champions, they should have won the triple tag team match at Full Gear too. 

Moxley should have been used as the catalyst to turn Cody heel. He isn't granted a match with Jericho at Revolution and it leads to Moxley feel like he's being held down etc. And ends up feuding with Cody before going for the belt later in the year.


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## JBLGOAT (Mar 24, 2014)

Debuting a second singles championship. It doesn't make any sense with a ranking system and unlike other booking disagreements it can't really be reverted.


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## The Wood (Nov 7, 2003)

There are so many booking mistakes, but I think the biggest is who they’ve put in charge of booking and their underlying philosophy behind booking. The comedy made it very unlikely that major stars like CM Punk, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar and Bryan Danielson would ever sign with them, which was important to their perception as an entity that can actually put up a promotional fight.


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## Cult03 (Oct 31, 2016)

prosperwithdeen said:


> *PAC beating Omega was awesome. It didn't hurt his image at all. It established PAC right out of the gate as a main event level threat.*


Then he lost to a guy with one eye and went straight back to being a mid carder.


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## La Parka (Oct 28, 2008)

- Presenting the Lucha Bros in the main event of the early PPV's only to have them lose to teams like the best friends on TV and then having them be in the background of almost every show they're on.

- Having Pac brag about being undefeated since his WWE release only to then have a record just above .500 weeks later. 

- Anything with the dork order, stunt, sunny kiss, best friends or the librarians. 

- Thinking that Omega is already an established main eventer so its fine to have him put guys over despite most of the casuals not knowing who he is. 

- Having MJF go missing after beating Cody. 

- Turning Jericho into a comedy act.


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## Joe Gill (Jun 29, 2019)

TheAppler said:


> - Presenting the Lucha Bros in the main event of the early PPV's only to have them lose to teams like the best friends on TV and then having them be in the background of almost every show they're on.
> 
> - Having Pac brag about being undefeated since his WWE release only to then have a record just above .500 weeks later.
> 
> ...


jericho comedy act was probably his own idea... jericho is old now...so he is piling on the dad jokes. 

another huge mistake was hiring excalibur for commentating


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## 304418 (Jul 2, 2014)

Pre-coronavirus – booking Jurassic Express vs Best Friends as a main event match over Riho Vs Statlander for the Women`s Championship, especially when AEW is all about claiming that women`s wrestling matters. They basically suggested that the Women's Championship - and all associated storylines, including the much maligned Nightmare Collective - is secondary to comedy characters and to not to take that division seriously. Which is a huge problem in an era where women are main eventing PPVs in WWE and UFC, are winning and defending the men's world title in Impact, and even have their own Netflix wrestling series. 

During coronavirus – Moxley`s DoN opponent. Regardless if it was Hager, Omega, Jericho, or MJF, there were better choices for Moxley to face than Brodie Lee, who is going to end up taking an L for absolutely no reason. Hager' and Omega's respective W/L records in particular should have been better protected going into DoN. In the meantime, Moxley should have faced either Guevara or Wardlow instead of an empty arena match with Hager.

Honourable mentions:

Leaving awesome promos by Darby Allin and PAC on Youtube and Dark respectively when they should have been put on tv to help promote the adult feel of the promotion during the early days of Dynamite.

Production - focusing on the crowd in the middle of matches too much to get the audience over, even during their six star classic at Revolution earlier this year, instead of their roster who are largely unknown to many viewers. Not to mention how it takes away from the supposed serious sporting event atmosphere that AEW was trying to foster. UFC doesn't do that, and NJPW only does that during epic matches. And even then, its usually when both opponents are down on the ground and NJPW pans over the _entire_ crowd, instead of focusing on just one person to see their reaction like AEW does.


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## NondescriptWWEfan (May 9, 2017)

having an overall weak/poorly booked womens division


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

The biggest mistake was not setting themselves an identity that was truly different from WWE. They marketed themselves as if they were going to be very different than the competition, but that's not true. They just feel like another modern North American promotion. 



prosperwithdeen said:


> Kenny Omega will be a *celebrity mega-star* and the top pro-wrestler in the world within 8-12 months after things get back to normal, mark my words. And I can't fuckin wait.


Kenny's cool and all, but you have to be using hyperbole.


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## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

RapShepard said:


> The biggest mistake was not setting themselves an identity that was truly different from WWE. They marketed themselves as if they were going to be very different than the competition, but that's not true. They just feel like another modern North American promotion.


Whilst I agree. What would you have done differently? 

Maybe they see being TV14, loose on the mic and no restriction of ring work (i.e being held back) as a different alternative to wrestlers?

Id love for the EVPs to sit down or do like a fan forum or AMA so fans can ask them stuff or give them suggestions to see how they feel on things or how they perceive a difference.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

Erik. said:


> Whilst I agree. What would you have done differently?
> 
> Maybe they see being TV14, loose on the mic and no restriction of ring work (i.e being held back) as a different alternative to wrestlers?
> 
> Id love for the EVPs to sit down or do like a fan forum or AMA so fans can ask them stuff or give them suggestions to see how they feel on things or how they perceive a difference.


See that's a tougher thing to say as idk how they'd go about. All I know is that when I first watched LU, Chikara, and ROH that didn't feel like the WWE, WCW, and TNA I was used to. The way they marketed themselves made it seem like fans could expect something new, but for me it feels like most other promotions. A lot where hoping it would be more American NJPW maybe leaning more into that would've been a good choice. I only check out NJPW for Wrestle Kingdom, but those shows don't remind of anything I'm used to feel wise.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

I know I wasn't asked but allow me to give my view anyway. AEW seems very much like WWE because it's big arena wrestling with great lighting, pyro, neat entrance videos and even the music sounds kind of WWEish. All the angles they do, the stories usually seem the same and many of the characters are from there which is why it feels very similar. The only real difference between the two is AEW is more into giving their wrestlers time in the ring whilst the WWE isn't really so much into that. If AEW did a show this coming week that did a heap of angles and had minimal wrestling there'd be very few differences between the two.

Eric Bischoff talks about watching WWE when he was told he was going up against them and doing everything he could to be different. He says WWF was very cartoonish so he was serious, WWF didn't have that much in terms of exciting matches so he brought in guys who could go in the ring, their stories were insulting his were real and gritty.

All AEW had to do is go with that method. If it was me:

- We kill the big arena vibe. Yes I understand it's income so you still run the big arena but you make it seem smaller and more intimate to give that "underground" type feeling. Turn off the lights on the crowd and only show the first few rows and the ring, you have a big smoke machine giving that smokey vibe throughout the arena, you get rid of your pyro you give the complete opposite vibe of "big time wrestling" which kind of suits AEW and it's narrative of "We're just a band of misfits that Vince doesn't want brought together to beat him"

- Much like WWF in 1995 when Bischoff did the same thing the characters in WWE today are often quite cartoonish or simple and don't have much in the way of depth. AEW does a totally 180 and tells you why you should care about their guys. Jericho the rock star and celebrity of the company taking his Inner Circle buddies out to the finest club in town to share a little bit of the bubbly, we catch up with MJF at home/at work and get some insight into what he is and how he is rich, we go and talk to Darby Allin at a concert or a skate park about why he is the way he is, ask him about his straight edge lifestyle and if there is a reason he is that way, maybe we get into an emotional story with Darby who talks about his parents being drug addicts and him living on the streets and the only thing he's good at it is wrestling.

Side note: I live a "clean" lifestyle (I don't label myself straight edge) and have never drank, smoked or done drugs in my life. When new people hear this they are always super curious as to why, what the reasoning is and often respect that I abstain from that kind of thing. It's ridiculous that AEW has a legitimate straight edge guy in Darby who has never so much as explained why he follows that lifestyle. I'd make up a story that people can relate to that gets him over and earns peoples respect. Might get him over.

Unfortunately for all of these guys it's kind of too late now but that would've been my segments in my first 4 weeks introducing these guys who aren't known and giving them valid back stories. JR always calls Jungle Boy "Jack Perry" the son of a celebrity but we don't know why he's dressed in jungle gear, same for Luchasaurus who is well spoken but dresses up as a dinosaur on TV. Why? You could even give Marko Stunt a back story and try to get the fans behind him.

I feel AEW really dropped the ball on this one. We know nobodies story which is why the AEW homegrown guys seem so far behind everyone else on the roster. Doesn't it add something a bit extra if we had Jungle Boy say "I dress up like a jungle boy because I don't want to use my dad's name to be successful I want to be my own man" and meanwhile on the other side of the ring ths coming Sunday we have MJF who has a back story of being a rich kid who is more than happy to use his dad's name to get money and perks that are unearned.

- I would've avoided all the WWE guys as well and just focused on the very best. Jericho? Yes. Moxley? Yes. PAC? Yes. Dustin? Yeah, okay as the token veteran but Matt Hardy, Brodie Lee, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Shawn Spears and the rest of them aren't really needed and they give off the vibe that it's where the released WWE guys go to end their careers.

- With your music instead of it clearly being music made in a studio customised for your wrestlers go with real songs even if they're indy songs. Give the majority of your wrestlers songs that they could believably be into and that fighters would be into (Like UFC).

- I'd go more serious with the content of the show also. Brodie Lee Vs Jon Moxley for example doesn't need the lame cult and belt stealing angle. Brodie hops the rail to make his debut, he attacks Moxley, throws him into the empty crowd and repeatedly piledrives him on the concrete floor leaving him a bloody mess. Show ends with Moxley bleeding and injured being loaded onto a stretcher to get medical aid. The week after you get a promo of him from the hospital bed swearing revenge on Brodie even if he isn't 100%.

Chris Jericho gets pissed at The Elite for attempting to steal his spot light when him and his Inner Circle buddies are the true stars of the shows. Jericho wants to eliminate The Elite because if he does so he becomes even more important to the company and therefore makes more money. The Elite obviously have reason to defend themselves.

Cody's current angle is pretty realistic so I wouldn't change that but imagine AEW were into pushing the envelope just that tiny little bit further and Brandi is cool with being bitten by the snake. Snake biting a chunk out of Brandi's arm as Archer dry humps her and Jake looks on enjoying the mayhem. Jake gets control of the snake and goes to the back with Archer but we return from commercial to Cody in the ring calling for assistance and dropping F Bombs about how badly he's going to fuck Archer AND Jake up at the PPV. Then the next week Cody turns up in the car but some effort is made to make him look like a bad ass and he charges down to the ring with a baseball bat wildly swinging it at both Archer and Jake.

MJF and Jungle Boy as I mentioned above could have completely different back stories leading into their feud, we could've built the 8 guys for the past month or two as guys who had actually earned a shot at the title and maybe even a feud between some of the guys involved. An 8 match card on a PPV should have 8 reasons as to why the guys are fighting.

- As much as I love JR and Schiavone I'd go with a new announce team also. People hear JR and they think WWE and those older guys sitting ringside calling the action makes the show less "young". I don't know who the good young announcers of wrestling are today but WWE has an older and more experienced announce team so go in the complete opposite direction and pair a great play by play man with a great colour guy who can make some pop culture references and connect with people aged 18-30.

- No comedy either. WWE does it as does AEW. You're the fed that doesn't do comedy but instead just has guys kick the shit out of one another.

Unfortunately most of these ideas can't come to fruition because AEW has already come out of the gate and told the world what they are.


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## Prosper (Mar 25, 2015)

RapShepard said:


> The biggest mistake was not setting themselves an identity that was truly different from WWE. They marketed themselves as if they were going to be very different than the competition, but that's not true. They just feel like another modern North American promotion.
> 
> 
> 
> *Kenny's cool and all, but you have to be using hyperbole.*


Yeah I was a little haha


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## Cult03 (Oct 31, 2016)

Chip Chipperson said:


> Side note: I live a "clean" lifestyle (I don't label myself straight edge) and have never drank, smoked or done drugs in my life. When new people hear this they are always super curious as to why, what the reasoning is and often respect that I abstain from that kind of thing. It's ridiculous that AEW has a legitimate straight edge guy in Darby who has never so much as explained why he follows that lifestyle. I'd make up a story that people can relate to that gets him over and earns peoples respect. Might get him over.


Because he sees drug addicts as below him and objects of his own entertainment. You wouldn't want a face admitting that on TV. Not that his fan base would give a shit to be fair.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

Cult03 said:


> Because he sees drug addicts as below him and objects of his own entertainment. You wouldn't want a face admitting that on TV. Not that his fan base would give a shit to be fair.


Ah well if that's the case I think I'd save that information for a heel turn but the rest of my points remain. Give us a reason to care about these guys.


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## Botchy SinCara (Apr 24, 2013)

Chip Chipperson said:


> I know I wasn't asked but allow me to give my view anyway. AEW seems very much like WWE because it's big arena wrestling with great lighting, pyro, neat entrance videos and even the music sounds kind of WWEish. All the angles they do, the stories usually seem the same and many of the characters are from there which is why it feels very similar. The only real difference between the two is AEW is more into giving their wrestlers time in the ring whilst the WWE isn't really so much into that. If AEW did a show this coming week that did a heap of angles and had minimal wrestling there'd be very few differences between the two.
> 
> Eric Bischoff talks about watching WWE when he was told he was going up against them and doing everything he could to be different. He says WWF was very cartoonish so he was serious, WWF didn't have that much in terms of exciting matches so he brought in guys who could go in the ring, their stories were insulting his were real and gritty.
> 
> ...


Hey Hunter 👋


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

Botchy SinCara said:


> Hey Hunter 👋


You probably mean that as an insult but it's a massive compliment to me. Triple H knows his shit.


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## MaseMan (Mar 22, 2020)

I'd go with the already mentioned Nightmare Collective. A terribly forced gimmick that made a large portion of the female roster seem like a joke. Brandi Rhodes generated negative heat from it, and they were forced to kill the whole thing off unceremoniously on Dark with a throwaway angle.


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## MontyCora (Aug 31, 2016)

Woman's division. I'm not sexist, I love the NXT division. It's just not holding my interest in AEW. Piss break matches.


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## The Masked Avenger (Apr 18, 2018)

Because it's a new company that is trying different things it's going to have hit and misses. I don't dwell too much on the negatives but I will point out it's faults. I also understand why they booked some things the way they did.

*Alex Marvez on commentary* - way to bland as a booth guy. Plus he sounded too much like Excalibur to tell the two apart.
*Big debuts of no names* - Dark Order, Butcher and Blade, Wardlow. All completely unknown indy guys debut like big name stars. 
*Nightmare Collective* - not gonna lie the vignettes had me excited. Unfortunately, Kong can't go anymore and the addition of Mel and Luther were pointless.
*50/50 booking* - this really hasn't been a problem. However Hangman winning at Full Gear then to lose in a rematch days later was questionable.
*Women's title* - giving the title to Riho without having her be under full contract was a mistake. I'm a fan and I know why they put the belt on her but having her not be at the show for weeks at a time is not smart.
*Taking the title off of Jericho too soon* - Mox had great momentum and I get striking while the irons hot but I think they could have made a great story out of a Mox DQ win. Plus Jericho would have actually been on TV during the shutdown unlike Mox.


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## domotime2 (Apr 28, 2014)

Chip Chipperson said:


> I don't want to come across as overly critical but lets face it, a lot of what they do in the booking room are mistakes ranging from enhancement talents lasting over 5 minutes with main event guys and midcard guys going 15-20 with main event guys to the way guys are booked and what stories they're given.
> 
> They don't have a booker or a writer in the company with them. Cody was the son of a great booker and probably learned a bit from his dad but probably not enough to write compelling television every week of the year. Kenny and The Bucks are somehow bookers now and are learning on the job despite never having booked anything bar maybe a few one off independent shows in their time. Tony Khan gets his ideas from the WWE Network and old episodes of Nitro/RAW and ECW.
> 
> ...


"doesnt want to come across as overly critical"

Yet legitmately critiques AEW non-stop, in every AEW thread, on almost a daily basis. That's some new level overly critical if you ask me.


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## domotime2 (Apr 28, 2014)

Hmm i remember when it happened but i thought the only legit "wins/loss" decision that AEW made that i didn't like was SCU beating Lucha Brothers to be 1st champions. I didn't like that they won and especially HOW they won (with a roll up/inside cradle). It left a bad taste in my mouth about how the tournament win and i think it soured SCU as champions as faces. 

Otherwise, i dont really care about wins/losses as much as story telling and AEW does an amazing job at that


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

domotime2 said:


> "doesnt want to come across as overly critical"
> 
> Yet legitmately critiques AEW non-stop, in every AEW thread, on almost a daily basis. That's some new level overly critical if you ask me.


If you read my posts I'm actually quite fair to AEW and call a spade a spade. If they do a show I like I say so if they do bad I say so. Sorry if that upsets you.


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## domotime2 (Apr 28, 2014)

Chip Chipperson said:


> If you read my posts I'm actually quite fair to AEW and call a spade a spade. If they do a show I like I say so if they do bad I say so. Sorry if that upsets you.


No you don't lmao. I can see your past posts and they're 90% negative, negative to a point where you obvioulsy dont like what AEW is doing now or ever, so i just dont understand. 

Your posts are just a waste of time man. I dont "know" many people on this forum. I cant tell you how certain people feel about certain things cause i dont pay attention. it has to be REALLY blatant and REALLY over the top for me to notice a posters trends and you're definitely one of them.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

domotime2 said:


> No you don't lmao. I can see your past posts and they're 90% negative, negative to a point where you obvioulsy dont like what AEW is doing now or ever, so i just dont understand.
> 
> Your posts are just a waste of time man. I dont "know" many people on this forum. I cant tell you how certain people feel about certain things cause i dont pay attention. it has to be REALLY blatant and REALLY over the top for me to notice a posters trends and you're definitely one of them.


Go back to the AEW thread from not last week but the week before. I put the show over and said it was good and will have no issue in doing so if their PPV or TV does well this week either.


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## bdon (Nov 12, 2019)

The biggest booking mistake they make is just ending feuds as if they never happened. To piggy-back that, the booking decisions to never have a storyline for the backend of these feuds/angles is awful. You make people look like fucking losers.


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## bdon (Nov 12, 2019)

Delete


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## SteveC484 (May 17, 2020)

two pretty bad shows in a row. they had momentum the first quarter of the year.


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## NathanMayberry (Oct 11, 2019)

AEW for some reason or another always seems to blow their load on the first chance they get regardless of having any reason to do so.

The biggest example of this was MJF and Cody. There was no reason for him to turn on him on their very first PPV after going on TV. Especially when we barely even got to see why they were even "friends" in the first place. They could have just as easily spent the next few months building a proper story of how Cody is passive aggressive towards MJF for costing him his one and only shot at the title. Instead it happened right away and we got a forgettable feud that had several months of filler, 10 lashes, a moonsault and an average match, that MJF cheated to win, but Cody doesn't even bother to get his revenge or get back at him, cuz Cody is busy getting involved with 16 other feuds as well.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

NathanMayberry said:


> Especially when we barely even got to see why they were even "friends" in the first place.


This is a pretty major issue. These guys have pretty unique characters at times (For example Darby is interesting to me as are Jungle Boy and MJF) but AEW doesn't capitalise on it by telling us these guys stories.

Seems like a good way to get some interesting content out there even if it is just a 2-3 minute "up close and personal" type clip.


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## The Wood (Nov 7, 2003)

The Cody/MJF stuff was really rushed and could have used a lot more fleshing out. The two probably could have even been AEW Tag Champs for a cuppa. I also don’t understand why they had Cody put his eligibility for future World Title shots on the line.


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## Hangman (Feb 3, 2017)

Bringing in Matt Hardy and putting pockets on tv. 

The god awful cringe has now turned many viewers away which I doubt they will get back.


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## theblasterkid (Jul 23, 2018)

Chip Chipperson said:


> I know I wasn't asked but allow me to give my view anyway. AEW seems very much like WWE because it's big arena wrestling with great lighting, pyro, neat entrance videos and even the music sounds kind of WWEish. All the angles they do, the stories usually seem the same and many of the characters are from there which is why it feels very similar. The only real difference between the two is AEW is more into giving their wrestlers time in the ring whilst the WWE isn't really so much into that. If AEW did a show this coming week that did a heap of angles and had minimal wrestling there'd be very few differences between the two.
> 
> Eric Bischoff talks about watching WWE when he was told he was going up against them and doing everything he could to be different. He says WWF was very cartoonish so he was serious, WWF didn't have that much in terms of exciting matches so he brought in guys who could go in the ring, their stories were insulting his were real and gritty.
> 
> ...


This guy gets it! Such brilliance!


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## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

Cody does tend to respond to guys who question booking or way the company is run. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1263263965087502336

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1262142691996991489

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1261667450631991296

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1259358934449696775

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1261696470174117889
https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/1261860029990342658?s=19


Some of you guys should probably tweet him next time he asks for you feedback.


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## Geeee (Aug 9, 2010)

Cody is one of the most "pro wrestling" characters on the show, so I definitely disagree that his stuff is sports-based.

He literally has a stipulation preventing him from being champion, even if he has the best win/loss record in AEW


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## bugsysig (May 23, 2020)

The TNT Champ tourney was botched pretty badly. I know it was rushed to put together and tape over a couple days when the virus shut downs hit, but they could have done much better with the story telling. 

Cody and Lance didn’t need the championship stakes to build heat for their matchup. They’re proving that right now with everything they’ve done around their feud and you wouldn’t even know a championship was at stake until AA mentioned it to Jake. 

Plus Archer with the belt, assuming he goes over Cody (which he should or he becomes a waste), quickly gets stale because who’s gonna legit beat this guy outside of Mox, Omega or Page—Other guys with gold who aren’t facing him anytime soon?

They should have had Darby go clean over Cody and then had Archer flip out on Dustin because he wouldn’t get Cody in the tourney. He could have beat him senseless, gotten DQd and forced Cody to take a match with him. Or flip it, Archer gets DQd and goes on a rampage saying Cody, the EVP, screwed him so he wouldn’t have to face him. Maybe he distracts Cody in his semifinals match by cornering Brandi or murdering QT and Darby gets the win. Either way you’re good. 

Then you get Darby v Dustin in the final. That’s perfect for this TNT belt. Darby the future v Dustin the tradition. The belt on the line ads extra weight to the match up with Darby ultimately getting the win and becoming the face of TNT & the midcard. He can go on to feud with guys like Sammy, MJF, Jungle Boy, PAC, Fenix, etc. 

IDK, maybe TNT network is pushing for a bigger name to hold their belt...but seems like AEW really dropped the ball on this one. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## AEWMoxley (May 26, 2019)

Not putting MJF in the world title match tonight. I get that they changed plans due to the pandemic, and that they probably want MJF's big moment to come in front of an audience, but who is to say there will be an audience at All Out, or even Full Gear? MJF was hot coming off the win vs Cody, and even though he was unable to attend Dynamite for several weeks, he could have filmed promos on Moxley from home. This could have kicked off a long feud between the two that could have lasted several PPVs. It would have been great, and AEW would have built another star.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

AEWMoxley said:


> Not putting MJF in the world title match tonight. I get that they changed plans due to the pandemic, and that they probably want MJF's big moment to come in front of an audience, but who is to say there will be an audience at All Out, or even Full Gear? MJF was hot coming off the win vs Cody, and even though he was unable to attend Dynamite for several weeks, he could have filmed promos on Moxley from home. This could have kicked off a long feud between the two that could have lasted several PPVs. It would have been great, and AEW would have built another star.


I was of this thought process also. MJF Vs Moxley is a much better story on paper and I don't think Moxley pinning MJF would do any damage to him at all. MJF slinks away a little until AEW decide he's ready to enter a main event program again.


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## AEWMoxley (May 26, 2019)

Chip Chipperson said:


> I was of this thought process also. MJF Vs Moxley is a much better story on paper and I don't think Moxley pinning MJF would do any damage to him at all. MJF slinks away a little until AEW decide he's ready to enter a main event program again.


I disagree. I would have had MJF win tonight, and then have them trade the title back and forth over the rest of the year. Having MJF come up short in his first big world title match would just paint him as a loser. If you have him be the first guy in AEW to beat Moxley, it would have made him a star. Imagine the heat he would have gotten.


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## JBLGOAT (Mar 24, 2014)

NathanMayberry said:


> AEW for some reason or another always seems to blow their load on the first chance they get regardless of having any reason to do so.
> 
> The biggest example of this was MJF and Cody. There was no reason for him to turn on him on their very first PPV after going on TV. Especially when we barely even got to see why they were even "friends" in the first place. They could have just as easily spent the next few months building a proper story of how Cody is passive aggressive towards MJF for costing him his one and only shot at the title. Instead it happened right away and we got a forgettable feud that had several months of filler, 10 lashes, a moonsault and an average match, that MJF cheated to win, but Cody doesn't even bother to get his revenge or get back at him, cuz Cody is busy getting involved with 16 other feuds as well.


There's still a chance if MJF screws Cody against Archer.


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## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

theblasterkid said:


> This guy gets it! Such brilliance!


yep agree


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## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

bugsysig said:


> The TNT Champ tourney was botched pretty badly. I know it was rushed to put together and tape over a couple days when the virus shut downs hit, but they could have done much better with the story telling.
> 
> Cody and Lance didn’t need the championship stakes to build heat for their matchup. They’re proving that right now with everything they’ve done around their feud and you wouldn’t even know a championship was at stake until AA mentioned it to Jake.
> 
> ...



I agree it should have been one of the younger guys that are actually more over than pretty much all the NAMED guys. It would have benefit. Lance what rushes into the product and jumps to the top ? its boring and the stupid thing is no one even knows if hes over because there is no crowd,Just like Lee 

Its hard to say who should win because it could really go both ways even for Cody alone. Either way i will be happy with the winner


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## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

JBLGOAT said:


> There's still a chance if MJF screws Cody against Archer.



Good point i didnt think about that. That would be pretty fucking good actually. Still have Lance and Jake piss all over Cody. Cody does not need a belt and the longer he holds off he better for when he wins


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## The Wood (Nov 7, 2003)

Erik. said:


> Cody does tend to respond to guys who question booking or way the company is run.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1263263965087502336
> ...


Holy shit, those responses are so bad. 

* #1 and #2 are in the TNT Title tournament? _Why?_ Why the fuck are you doing a TNT Title tournament in the first place? "We would have two World Title contenders ahead of Brodie Lee, but they are doing this over here because raisins."

* No, Orange Cassidy does not have "wild skills." He puts his hands in his pockets and is a parody of the genre he is supposed to exist in. It's bullshit. 

* Yes, what _you_ do is sports-based. Why isn't anything else? Is it because you're too insecure to let too much pro-wrestling exist around you in case you get upstaged?


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## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

The Wood said:


> Holy shit, those responses are so bad.
> 
> * #1 and #2 are in the TNT Title tournament? _Why?_ Why the fuck are you doing a TNT Title tournament in the first place? "We would have two World Title contenders ahead of Brodie Lee, but they are doing this over here because raisins."
> 
> ...


Yeah bro, I'm not Cody Rhodes. 

Go and sniff up his Twitter feed.


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## The Wood (Nov 7, 2003)

Erik. said:


> Yeah bro, I'm not Cody Rhodes.
> 
> Go and sniff up his Twitter feed.


You shared that bullshit here so it's being discussed here.


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## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

The Wood said:


> You shared that bullshit here so it's being discussed here.


Then go and discuss with the guy who tweeted it.


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## The Wood (Nov 7, 2003)

Erik. said:


> Then go and discuss with the guy who tweeted it.


No, I will discuss here where it was posted, thank you very much.


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## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

The Wood said:


> No, I will discuss here where it was posted, thank you very much.


I'm not sure Cody posts here much, buddy. 

Could try your luck though.


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## The Wood (Nov 7, 2003)

Erik. said:


> I'm not sure Cody posts here much, buddy.
> 
> Could try your luck though.


What a weird hill to die on. You shared his tweet, dude. If you don't want people discussing his tweets, don't post them.


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## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

The Wood said:


> What a weird hill to die on. You shared his tweet, dude. If you don't want people discussing his tweets, don't post them.


You can discuss it. 

Just not sure why quoted me as if I'd care. I didn't post it for his views to be discussed. I posted it to tell the experts on here to let him know how to improve the wrestling business next time he puts up a Q and A.


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## The Wood (Nov 7, 2003)

Erik. said:


> You can discuss it.
> 
> Just not sure why quoted me as if I'd care. I didn't post it for his views to be discussed. I posted it to tell the experts on here to let him know how to improve the wrestling business next time he puts up a Q and A.


I quoted you because the tweets were embedded in your post.


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## Cult03 (Oct 31, 2016)

Erik. said:


> You can discuss it.
> 
> Just not sure why quoted me as if I'd care. I didn't post it for his views to be discussed. I posted it to tell the experts on here to let him know how to improve the wrestling business next time he puts up a Q and A.


I remember the first time I used a discussion forum. Why do AEW super fans think they just get to dictate terms like they run the place?


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## 304418 (Jul 2, 2014)

The Wood said:


> Holy shit, those responses are so bad.
> 
> * #1 and #2 are in the TNT Title tournament? _Why?_ Why the fuck are you doing a TNT Title tournament in the first place? "We would have two World Title contenders ahead of Brodie Lee, but they are doing this over here because raisins."
> 
> ...


I think most of his answers are in kayfabe. But anyways...

*That’s the way they booked it. Plus Archer wasn’t ranked #2 immediately when he arrived. MJF, Hager, Jericho and Omega were initially ranked higher than him, and fell either because they haven't wrestled or the lost matches. Archer's been wrestling frequently and winning all of his matches on Dynamite. And Cody has always been in the top five rankings. Which it ridiculous in itself if he’s never getting another shot at the AEW title again. There should be an asterisk besides his name noting that he's ineligible for a title shot.

*Orange Cassidy exceeded expectations, even though he's not a serious wrestling character. Since he doesn't try and puts in low effort.

*That’s a problem with AEW in general. I was going to make a thread on the type of characters/personalities I wanted to see in AEW, and realized that such a thread was pointless. Since its all dependent upon booking. If AEW wanted Michael Nakazawa to be taken seriously as a trickster character along the lines of a Toru Yano, all they`ve have to do is remove Nakazawa's underwear to the face spot, let him hawk Elite merch, and use the baby oil only to get out of holds. He's be taken more seriously that he currently is now, while still retaining his comedic aspects.

AEW's just not interested in going hard right now, in either booking or presentation. Probably the same reason the canvas logo got removed.


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## dan the marino (Oct 22, 2006)

Things may have changed but I'm pretty sure Lucha Bros would not sign on an exclusive contract so I understand why they've been used as an uppercard enhancement talent team. You don't want them beating teams that matter if they'll disappear next week. That said I hope they have or will work something out as they are fantastic.


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## DOTL (Jan 3, 2012)

Honestly, choosing Riho over Shida. I like Riho quite a bit, but she wasn’t there enough to build the division.


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## dan the marino (Oct 22, 2006)

Chip Chipperson said:


> - I would've avoided all the WWE guys as well and just focused on the very best. Jericho? Yes. Moxley? Yes. PAC? Yes. Dustin? Yeah, okay as the token veteran but Matt Hardy, Brodie Lee, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Shawn Spears and the rest of them aren't really needed and they give off the vibe that it's where the released WWE guys go to end their careers.


Noooo I don't disagree with most of what you said but that's a big no. If next week they hire Micheal McGuillicutty then yeah I agree with you. Arn and Tully and Jake are legends used as managers. Matt Hardy is using a weirdo gimmick that got big in TNA; in fact I don't think anything he has done has been a reference to his time in WWE. And he's definitely got a niche weirdo character going but I love it. Brodie Lee is a super talented guy and deserves to be used to his full potential. Only one I might give you is Shawn Spears but his character is basically admitting he's just there to be a 'good hand' so I give him a pass only as long as he's a low card/dark guy there to help others.


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## RiverFenix (Dec 10, 2011)

I change my submission to "Hiring Matt Hardy".


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