One of the common narratives is that AEW is full of WWE rejects.
A lot of the time these ex-WWE guys left WWE when WWE wanted them: CM Punk, Christian, Chris Jericho, Matt Hardy, Andrade, Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson, the Revival, John Moxley/Dean Ambrose, Cody Rhodes, Goldust, and Adam Cole.

Serena Deeb and Tay Conti are two of the WWE rejects, and they're THRIVING in AEW.

I love AEW because it has the edge of the WWE Attitude era but with actual good wrestling and intelligent writing. It's pretty much exactly what I want to see. It's got traditional stuff, modern stuff, hardcore stuff, silly stuff, and everything in between.

I gave up on WWE a few years ago when it became clear they either had no idea what they were doing or didn't give a fuck about the fans. But in AEW, talent is being used well, they actually respect the tag team division, and...it's jsut GOOD. Like, all-around good.

Oh, and CM Punk literally heard the crowd chanting 'yes, yes, yes' and said 'that's someone else's schtick, you might have to be a little more patient, though'. so that's basically confirmation that Daniel Bryan is coming to AEW as well. This is the place guys go who can wrestle but also care about stories. I love it. Honestly, the 'it's just WWE rejects' clause is dumb, becuase WWE actually does have great wrestlers, just shitty, atrocious, terrible writers. The talent is just as good in both promotions, but AEW is more mature. weird to say, but absolutely true.

I feel like it’s completely fitting and just right that CM Punk is now in AEW. Because the Pipebomb promo in 2011 was the very first seed that was planted which led to AEW. That was the very first thing that set things in motion.

Everything that has happened which led to AEW:

- The rise of Daniel Bryan.

- WWE signing up every notable indie talent or guys who were stars in other promotions under the sun: Kevin Steen (Kevin Owens), El Generico (Sami Zayn), Prince Devitt (Finn Balor), Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Kenta, Asuka, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, etc. Which led to the indies and those other companies getting more awareness or attention. Especially Styles and Nakamura for New Japan.

- Cody Rhodes leaving and making a name for himself in NJPW and ROH and befriending the Elite. And creating All In (which was very coincidentally held in Chicago!) and meeting Tony Khan.

- The Okada/Omega match at Wrestle Kingdom 11. Yes, THAT match. The one where Meltzer creams in his pants every time he thinks about it. Omega was in that position and got the push thanks in large part to Styles and Nakamura leaving. 

- And that match caught Chris Jericho’s attention. Because for the longest time up to that point, Jericho would always say he would never work for any other company besides WWE, because it was the only big game in town. Then, here comes Kenny Omega, another Winnipeg boy. And clearly Jericho was impressed enough by him that he ultimately reconsidered and they did the match at Wrestle Kingdom the following year. And THAT’S when things REALLY got interesting.

All the things I just listed, all the factors that led to AEW, it all goes back to CM Punk and that promo in 2011.

That Pipebomb promo will go down as one of the single most important promos in wrestling history. Right up there with “The New World Order of wrestling, brother!” and “Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass!”

Now that I'm a few shows in, including Dark, these are my favourites - and it's definitely not going to be anywhere near the list of anyone else :D
And I'm leaving CM Punk off the list because he hasn't had a match yet. Anyway, these are the ones who I find the most entertaining/who I want to see, and this will probably change in time as I haven't seen a lot of the roster yet:

1. The Bunny
2. Christian
3. Tay Conti
4. MJF
5. Luchasaurus
6. Malakai Black
7. Evil Uno
8. Jungle Boy
9. Kenny Omega
10. Dr. Britt Baker
11. Kazarian

* The Bunny is like AJ Lee, except Blonde. And she's fucking awesome with the character.
* Jungle Boy is Luke "Dylan" Perry's son, holy shit!
* Christian has really grown in AEW, he's the man right now.
* Kazarian I recall from WWE Velocity, he had long hair back then, and showed loads of potential.
* MJF is incredible on the mic, reminds me a lot of a young Chris Jericho
* Tay Conti made an immediate impression on me back when she was in the Mae Young Challenge and on NXT, she's grown A TON since then. Lots of personality, * before she was very shy, it was in the second Mae Young Classic (she was in both) that the personality began to come out, I really wanted her to win!

Other notes:

* Don Callis, if you watched WWE in the early Attitude Era, is the Jackyl - a cult leader who is a bit like a Jim Jones type character, he was originally supposed to be the "Higher Power" which IMO, is one of the most anti-climactic over-hyped storyline in WWE history when it turned out to be Vince McMahon... maybe that was the joke, but there are people who unironically think it was awesome. Would have been interesting if it was The Jackyl.

If you have some time to listen, there's a short conversation with The Bunny - these sorts of segments seem a really good way to get to know the characters:

It's almost like AEW knows how to utilize and respect its performers. There's not a lof in AEW that aren't living up to their potential or otherwise doing a damn good job. Christian in AEW has been more compelling than Edge in WWE since their returns, which is weird because I - like most people - always liked Edge more. I bet CM Punk and Daniel Bryan and Kenny omega will also all continue to be megastars. 

Oh, and AEW seems to know how to properly utilize aging talent. Jericho isn't the spry young fox he once was, but try telling him or his fans that. He can still go at 50, and he's not overdoing it by being forced to do a dozen things at once. Christian, CM Punk, and others are in their 40s and still likey to be kicking ass. 

The talent is there, but a huge factor in all that is that...well, AEW and Tony Khan seems to actually respect his people and get the most out of his performers. I haven't felt like 'man, they're really wasting that guy' in AEW like they have with like 90% of the roster in WWE. 

So, we have a grand total of 10 matches on the card for All Out. Written below are my predictions for each one:

(P) 1. 10-man tag team match: Best Friends (Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, and Wheeler Yuta) and Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus w/ Marco Stunt) vs. Hardy Family Office (Matt Hardy and Private Party)(Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) and The Hybrid 2 (Angelico and Jack Evans)

- Prediction: The Babyfaces win (Best Friends and Jurassic Express); It's a shame that with so many matches and the amount of talent on this card, and in this match in particular, someone had to be bumped to the pre-show. But outside of the talent in this match, which should make for a high-flying quick thriller, there isn't much going for it outside of it. Private Party feels like they're lost in the shuffle. I mean, can you honestly say they're better now than they were a few months ago when Matt Hardy approached them? Unfortunately, in a company where the Tag Team division is absolutely STACKED, one or two teams are going to sadly be lost in the shuffle, and Private Party, thus far, has sadly been that team. A damn shame since they started out so hot, defeating the Young Bucks (IN THE 1ST ROUND) in the first Tag Team eliminator to crown the very first AEW Tag Team Champions. But, after that big win, it seems like they've just steadily gone downhill.

2. 21-woman Casino Battle Royale for an AEW Women's World Championship match

- Prediction: Riho wins the Battle Royale; Obviously, the odds-on-favorite and the money match to do here would be Thunder Rosa and have her and Britt go at it again for the title. But I think it's still a bit too early to go back to that. I think they need more time to give Rosa more momentum and wins, build her up, while giving Britt a longer, more established reign. THEN, come next year, I think it'll be ready by then. Meanwhile, you have Riho who is coming back after being gone for a while and she WAS the very first Women's Champion, and there's a little bit of history between her and Britt Baker. Unless I'm mistaken, Britt has never beaten Riho one-on-one. She challenged her for the title back when Riho was still the champion and she lost. So, this could be a great way to help establish her reign even further by finally having her beat Riho to retain the title. The time will eventually come to go back to Rosa/Baker for the title, but not just yet. Rosa needs more momentum and wins, and Baker needs a longer more established reign, and Riho is the ideal candidate to help do just that.

3. Jon Moxley vs. Satoshi Kojima

- Prediction: Jon Moxley wins; Not the first opponent from New Japan that immediately comes to mind for Jon Moxley (COUGHTanahashiCOUGH) But since The Ace can't make it for now (G1 is coming up!), Kojima is the back up. Kojima is obviously a legend, one of the greatest to ever do it. Very much in the same ways as Chris Jericho... But he's not beating Moxley, let's be real. This should be a pretty good match, with a decent length. But Moxley gets the win in the end and then sets his sights on his next New Japan opponent. (Since there doesn't seem to be anything else for him to do ATM.)

4. Paul Wight vs. QT Marshall

- Prediction: Paul Wight wins; WELLLLLLLLLLLLLL, IT'S THE BIG SH- oops, sorry, wrong company. So, we've got Paul Wight, in his first match outside of WWE in over 22 years! Live on PPV!!! AND HIS OPPONENT IS.... QT Marshall.... Yeah, this should be an obvious win for Paul Wight unless they want to go the shocking route and have QT win. But why would you beat the Big Show in his first match with the company? He needs a win, and QT won't be effected or hurt by a loss here to Paul Wight. Furthermore, my surprise senses are tingling... I think we may be seeing another giant make an appearance in the post match. Possibly to save Paul Wight from a post match beatdown... A giant who teamed up with Jade Cargill earlier this year. Wink. Wink. Nudge. Nudge.

5. Chris Jericho vs. MJF, if Jericho loses, he must retire from in-ring competition in AEW and go to commentary full-time.

- Prediction: Jericho wins; After all the shit he has gone through with the labors of Jericho, only to lose to MJF, not only to lose, but the tap out too. Plus, with adding the retirement stipulation, I don't see how this is leading to anything OTHER than a Jericho win. You think Jericho is going to call it quits NOW?!? With guys like CM Punk, Bryan Danielson (more on him later), and possibly Adam Cole coming in?!? You're out of your damn mind! Even if he's not as light or as mobile as he used to be, at 50 years old, he can still go. So, I don't think this is the end. I think he gets the win here and MJF will still have 3 wins to 1 over Jericho, so it won't effect him. He'll move on to the next feud while Jericho possibly takes some time off. And we won't see him again until the Jericho cruise.

6. TNT Championship: Miro vs. Eddie Kingston.

- Prediction: Miro retains; It's FAR too early to take the title off Miro right now. He's firing on all cylinders as the dominant champion. Eddie will give him everything he can handle and come close at many points for dramatic nearfalls. But he's going to come up short in the end. This is one match that has the potential to steel the show, a real, hard-hitting fight!

7. Steel Cage match for the AEW Tag Team Championships: The Young Bucks vs. the Lucha Brothers.

- Predicition: Lucha Bros win the titles with the help from a debuting Adam Cole; Yep! You heard it here! Not only do I think the Lucha Bros capture their first AEW tag team gold, they will do so with Adam Cole making his AEW debut, screwing over his former Elite brothers who turned on him when he left Ring of Honor for NXT 4 years ago! (LONG TERM BOOKING!) Before I get into what I think will happen, I will say I think THIS will be the match that steals the show. Almost 3 years to the day since the All In show where the Bucks main evented with Rey Fenix, the landmark show that led to AEW, it will be like coming full circle here and they are going to tear the house down inside that cage! Obviously, the Steel Cage was meant to keep the Elite from interfering (But when has the cage ever done that?) Somehow, someway, Brandon Cutler, the Good Brothers, and other Elite flunkies will find a way to get involved just when it looks like the Lucha Bros. are about to win the gold. Frankie Kazarian will try to even the odds, but come up short, and when it looks like the Bucks are about to steal it and retain their titles... Lights go out... They come back on... BAY-BAY! Adam Cole is in the ring! The Bucks and the Elite are shocked! They can't believe what they're seeing, Cole stares holes into the Bucks, he attacks them, Kazarian and the Lucha Bros. recover to join in. Cole and Kazarian take Cutler and the Good Brothers out of the picture, the Lucha Bros. finish off the Bucks, AND NEWWWWWWW AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS!!!

8. AEW Women's Championship: Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. vs. Kris Statlander.

- Prediction: Britt Baker retains; Pretty straight forward with this one. Statlander will give it all she can, and they'll have a few nearfalls here and there that makes think maybe, just maaaaaybe they'll do the title change. But with Rebel and Jamie Hayter at ringside, most likely, the numbers game and odds will be too much and Britt Baker will retain the AEW Women's Championship. Don't think this will be given much time, 10-15 minutes I can see this getting. But this unfortunately will be another instance where the women are sandwiched in between some incredible matches and they sadly get overlooked. The Women's division is slowly but surely improving, but still has a long way to go before it can truly be a strong division that can give the men a run for their money (having feuds OUTSIDE of the title would help, for one. But we'll see.)

9. AEW Championship: Kenny Omega w/ Don Callis vs. Christian Cage.

- Prediction: Kenny Omega retains: In what is obviously the most predictable outcome on that card, Kenny Omega will retain the AEW Title and hand Christian his very first loss in AEW. They had Christian win the Impact title to sell you on the idea that he could win here (But we all know he's not.) Christian will make it competitive and there will be 1-2 moments where you think "Oh my God, Christian is actually going to do it!) But the outcome is not in doubt, Omega retains. The REAL fun will come in the post-match. With Omega and Callis celebrating in the ring being as cocky, brash, and arrogant as ever. The Elite (Good Brothers, Cutler, and the Bucks) will probably come out to celebrate with him, including the Bucks. And it'll be the Bucks, still fuming from their loss earlier, will be the ones who start the attack on Christian as a way to vent. Kenny and the others say "What the hell? Why not?" And jump in to attack. The Lucha Bros, Kazarian, and Adam Cole will come out to help even the odds, but the numbers still favor the Elite and the babyfaces get overwhelmed. And when it looks like Kenny is about to finish off Christian once and for all with one more One-Winged Angel...

Final Countdown plays! AND OUT COMES BRYAN DANIELSON! Making his official AEW Debut! The crowd is going absolutely nuts at this point, as Bryan comes down stares down the Elite, then he storms in, with the babyfaces all recovered and they make a successful rally, capped off with Bryan hitting the running knee on Omega to send him packing as he and the babyfaces stand tall. And the crowd will be riding high as we go straight into the Main Event! (Or what should be the Main Event.)

10. CM Punk vs. Darby Allin.

- Prediction: Time Limit Draw: This is it. The moment 7 1/2 years in the making. CM Punk's official in ring return! His first match since leaving WWE after the Royal Rumble in 2014, and what an opponent he has! One of the biggest and brightest young stars in AEW, Darby Allin! Facing CM Punk in Chicago in his first match in over 7 years, this is clearly the biggest match in Darby's life! So, Darby has to make a HUGE impression here to make the people tuning in because of Punk go (WOW, this guy's a real star!) And I think beating him would do the opposite. So, I think beating Darby would be a huge mistake, but you also don't want to beat Punk in his big in ring return match. So what do you do? You do a time limit draw! And there's a very good way to go about it. Give them 30 minutes, or however much time they have left for the PPV, and have them just go to war! Have an absolute thriller of a match and the finish will be: Punk locks in the Anaconda Vice, he's pulling, ripping, and wretching back for what feels like an eternity... But Darby. Does. Not. Tap. You go the Bret Hart/Steve Austin route at WrestleMania 13. Have Darby nearly pass out from the pain and then the bell rings. Punk can get up thinking he's won, but the referee (most likely Aubrey Edwards) never called for the bell because time expired! So the match ends in a draw. That way, you protect both men. Punk looks strong and amazing wrestling his first match in 7 1/2 years, like he never missed a beat. And Darby looks strong and amazing because he gave Punk everything he could handle, and then some, and he went the distance with 'the Best in the World' and looked tough and badass while doing so. Punk picks Darby up, he shakes his hand, and they both pose and celebrate with the crowd to go off the air.

And those are my predictions for AEW All Out.

Errr... have you been... watching AEW?

Not wasting talent... Here are some of the people who won't be wrestling at All Out. Adam Page, Andrade, Brian Cage, Brian Pilman Junior, FTR, Joey Janela (for the best in that case), Lance Archer, Malakai Black (because why would you want to push these recent signings on PPVs), PAC (who honestly should have been fired for that match with Orange Cassidy), All of the Inner Circle guys besides Jericho, all of the Pinnacle besides MJF, Sonny Kiss (which I'm fine with, but apparently Cody was trying to make him a star), and so on. 

And of course not everyone could be on a PPV, but some of these really stick out. Malakai Black was supposedly a big signing, but couldn't make it on the card. Andrade signed three months ago and is already lost in the shuffle. There are a ton of people who are not being used while QT Marshall gets a a spot (Big Show is a legend who could be useful in getting a young big guy over and Cody's little buddy is the one you're going to book him against? FFS), and they have guys coming in from New Japan (no offense to them, but get your build your own guys first. Aside from that, the people on the card are at least mostly decent (aside from Statlander who I initially she liked because hot, but she is going to hurt someone, Jericho who is getting sad to watch, and Orange Cassidy who is literally a joke), but most of those guys were treated as big deals when they came in, and now are doing nothing but being in the background in one of AEW's 15 different factions. Tony's daddy needs to tell him he won't buy him any new toys till he plays with the ones he has.

Speaking of Jericho, yeah someone should tell that. His match with Juventud was a reminder that time comes for us all. Almost as embarrassing as his epic fall onto a pile of pillows with cardboard on top of them. The Inner Circle looked like a way to get some young guys over, but it turns out it was actually a vehicle to prop up Jericho, which becomes a taller task each week as the Covid God is enjoying a little bit too much of the bubbly. 

And, I'd have to ask who is really significantly more over in in AEW than when they came in? Darby Allin for sure, maybe Jungle Boy, Britt Baker, and that's probably about it. Omega and the Young Bucks are still over with the people who already liked them, the ex WWE guys are more or less at the same level they were (Moxley was doing well at first but has cooled down significantly), and so on. 

For the great writing... you'll have to explain that one to me. I watch sporadically. In the time I have watched I've seen a feud start because one person broke another's arcade machine (which they were playing at ringside for some reason..?) which led to Miro being leg cuffed during a promo without noticing (wtf?), then a match where Kris Statlander coming out of a claw machine (cause it's a UFO catcher get it? Haha...), and Miro hitting someone with a clearly fake arcade cabinet (it didn't even have a screen or buttons).

The story with MJF and Jericho is that the Inner Circle were being total dicks, then MJF was added to the group, and then he was a bigger dick, and then while he was trying to take over that group he was secretly building another group (what was he going to do if he succeeded? Just be like "Hey Inner Circle, now that I'm your leader, here's the guys I was also forming a group with to kick your ass if this didn't work!"), and now I'm supposed to like Jericho because after he was being an asshole and jumping people and beating them down, the same thing happened to him? Didn't he just beat the fuck out of an old man a few weeks ago? Why the fuck am I supposed to be rooting for him? 

Cody was beat up by some British guy. Then he cuts a promo about how great America is because he had a half black baby with Brandi so racism was over I guess? Although the guy he was fighting was mixed race? So... ummm... huh?

And then there was the story with Don Callis and Kenny Omega. According to them they spent months preparing their dastardly plan to help Kenny Omega overcome Jon Moxley. Their plan was that Callis distracted the ref and passed a microphone to Kenny. So he could hit Moxley with it, which would create an audible THUNK that the ref somehow didn't notice. As good of a plan as George's Twix set up (IYKYK).

If there are some really good stories, you'll have to explain which ones those were, because I must have just been really unlucky and only seen the bad one.

And I completely don't get Kenny Omega. Like, I don't mean I don't like him (I don't), I mean I don't get why I'm supposed to like him, or dislike him, or feel any particular way about him. He's like a create a wrestler in a video game and the game asked "What traits should this character have?" and the Player said "Yes". He's supposed to be a threat, but he's also goofy and making crayon drawings of Wile Coyote Plans, and he's sometimes tough but also sometimes gets knocked on his ass by a little person... I really don't know what he's supposed to be.

And the wrestling is... kind of bad. It's a sequence of spots with little rhyme or reason. I tuned in for Punk and tuned out when Luchasaurus helped perform a double team Canadian destroyer on his own partner, which in addition to breaking all suspension of disbelief and being stupid unsafe, did not even end the match. This is typical of an AEW match, I'll watch and start getting into it, and something will happen to completely ruin the illusion (like Riho doing a snap suplex on Nyla rose for instance). 

As for building talent, idk. Pretty much everyone on the all out card got over elsewhere and are at the same level as they were at best. On the card, the only people who really got over in AEW are Darby, Britt Baker, and maybe Orange Cassidy. The rest of the people were about as over wherever they were as they were now.

AEW has what I will dub the Tem-tem effect. Where people are so upset with a franchise/company that they will completely ignore that the alternative sucks. 99% of the time when I hear praise about AEW, it's always in relation to WWE. I'll just grant for argument's sake that AEW is better than WWE. That doesn't mean it's any good, that just means there are two very sucky wrestling promotions. And as much as I love Daniel Bryan and CM Punk and think they'll do well there (I think they're smart enough to lay out their feuds and matches properly) I can't stomach 2 hours of Dynamite to see them, much less pay $50. AEW has foundational problems to work out that even signing guys like that won't help.

/rant

1. (These guys don't have to be featured every. Single. Week. They can rotate and help keep them fresh and not overexpose them. That's one of the things that made NXT so awesome when it was on the Network for 1 hour. You were given just enough to where you still wanted more. Plus, they're giving some of these guys proper time off and willing to meet them in the middle when they need it, because unlike another promotion, they actually give a damn about their talent. That's why CM Punk signed there in the first place.) 

I don't like Orange Cassidy's schtick, but not what I was talking about with Pac. I was talking about when Pac knocked Orange Cassidy the fuck out, he was clearly out of it, and then Pac dragged him up to powerbomb his half conscious body. Totally unsafe and ridiculous. If they give a damn about their talent, they should be putting an end to that kind of shit, which actually happens fairly regularly. Matt Hardy wrestling after he was concussed by having his head slammed into concrete for instance. Britt Baker being so concussed in a match she tried to tag the wrong teammate. Allowing Jade Cargill in the ring in general.

But, obviously I don't know the backstage reason for everyone not being on the show, but even talking out the people who were out for travel reasons, that's a ton of people who should be on the card that aren't. And this is supposed to be their biggest card. They just signed CM Punk and are going to have the biggest audience they will have for a PPV in the foreseeable future likely. That's when you want to have the people you view as your future stars on the show the most. But, a lot of guys just aren't there that should be. 

2.(Big Show needs a win to establish himself in AEW and QT is an ideal opponent for him to beat and build some momentum that can help give the rub to another young guy. Are you going to put him in there with Miro, or Archer, or Powerhouse Hobbs, or Brian Cage, and have them lose? Let's be real here. And you can't have Big Show lose EVERY match or else after a while, beating him won't feel special anymore. So he needs opponents to beat like QT Marshall, or Dustin and Cody Rhodes, or Sting. Guys who can take the losses and won't be effected by it.)

Lol, Big Show does not have to establish himself in AEW. He's a bigger name than just about everyone there and he's fucking massive. I'm sorry, but a literal giant beating QT Marshall does not in any way help either party. Big Show could lose and he'd be fine, or someone like Jungle Boy can lose to Big Show but still look good in the process standing up to a giant. 

(He's freaking Chris Jericho and he was in there with Nick Gage not too long ago, how many 50 year old guys can do that? He may not be what he used to be, but he can still go.)

I'd say a lot of 50 year old guys can have a hardcore death style match where they get their face cut up with a pizza cutter. That's exactly the kind of match they can do, because you could take a pizza cutter to the face at any age. But, I don't think 50 year old men (or any men really) should be doing that. Jericho is sluggish, gets winded quickly into a match, and really needs to come to terms with his body and buy bigger pants because it's unsightly. Watching him just kind of makes me sad now. 

As for the Juventud match, I'm putting most of the blame on Jericho because he was the one gassed a minute into the match, and telegraphing spots 10 minutes before they happen. But, sure, Juve can have half the blame, which leaves plenty for Jericho. And, it begs the question of why they were putting on the match in the first place, instead of putting in someone that could carry an older wrestler. I'm guessing it's because Wish it were still Y2J wanted to relive his glory days and no is not in AEW's vocabulary.  The rest of Jericho's one on one matches haven't been much better. At this point he should only be in team matches where he can be protected.

(Yes, they do. And it's fucking AWESOME! Sooner or late, we're going to have Hiroshi Tanahashi coming in and they're already building towards a match with Jon Moxley. (You don't think Moxley is pumped for that match? It's fucking Tanahashi, of course he is.) We could get Okada vs. Omega again. Omega vs. Ibushi. Darby vs. Naito. Miro vs. Ishii. Punk vs. Ospreay. Bryan vs. JUST ABOUT ANYBODY! When you have inter-promotional programs and storylines like this, which creates buzz for both promotions, that's good for EVERYONE. And they ARE building their own guys first. Jericho made Tanahashi tap out at Wrestle Kingdom, now he's on the losing end of the feud with MJF. Moxley beat Kenta in Japan and Yuji Nagata on Dynamite, and will most likely beat Kojima tomorrow night to set up his match with Tanahashi. Moxley ALSO lost to Omega, who will eventually lose to the title to Hangman when HE comes back. And it's not like these New Japan guys are main eventing the shows, and when they are, it's to put over the AEW guys. At the end of the day, the faces on the billboards, the guys who are promoted to sell the PPVs, and advertised for Rampage and Dynamite are still their own guys.)

I'm sure Moxley is pumped to get to do what he wants, but that doesn't mean it's best for the company. Tbh, none of those names mean anything to me, and I'm at least moderately into wrestling. Unless I watch AEW and NJPW, this means nothing to me. There's an audience for it, but it's not really mainstream. If Jon Moxley is theoretically one of your biggest stars, you don't need a rub from working with someone from NJPW. You should be using him to get over your own guys.

I have no idea what the financials of AEW are. If this is actually making money, I'd need to see a source confirming that. Getting TV deals doesn't necessarily mean you're making money, it means the TV station is, which would be the case for instance if you're a billionare's son who is willing to take a financial hit to put on a vanity project. Personally, it seems doubtful that this would be profitable, because they keep signing bigger names, presumably for about as much or more as WWE would pay, and the ratings are staying around where they are. But, I don't know their financial situation. 

Either way though, making money doesn't mean it's a good product. WWE is making more money than they ever have, and that does not mean that is the best product.

(That one was on the production crew, not Jericho. What was he supposed to do? Fall on to concrete straight from the top of the cage? You want him to end up crippled or dead? You could have put Darby Allin in that spot and it would've been just as bad.) 

This is the kind of thing I mean. People doing weird mental gymnastics to justify something that was objectively shitty. No I didn't want him crippled or dead. I want them to not do the fucking spot if they can't make it look halfway convincing. They didn't have to throw anyone off a cage. This is the kind of bending over backwards people do to defend this stuff, ignoring the obvious logical solution. Do a spot you could actually do. This is a concept that seems to elude most of AEW, but don't do shit you don't know how to do right.

I mean come on. 

(Considering how everyone sings along to his theme song even when there's no music, doesn't seem like the task is very tall at all, is it? And Sammy Guevara just won his feud with Shawn Spears (I know it's Shawn Spears, but still, a win is a win.) And before long, HE'LL be the one feuding with MJF. Which makes sense, since he was the one who actually was smart enough not to trust him when he was in the Inner Circle, and it turned out he was right! And PnP are even with FTR at 1 win a piece. And there's a good chance that once they're done with FTR, they're next in line for a shot at the Tag Team titles, assuming the Bucks retain - And if they do, PnP could very well be the ones who take the belts off them. The Inner Circle HAS gotten the young guys over. It's also gotten Jericho to a higher level as well. Who says it couldn't do both?)

The tall task thing was a knock on Jericho's increasing weight. But it's not exceptionally hard to get the diehard fans to sing a song when you specifically tell them to. The question is whether Jericovid is bringing in anyone besides those diehard fans at this point, which I'd suggest he isn't. As for the rest of them, this thing has been running for two years, and you're telling me "Well Sammy's about to get a bit feud! And PnP maybe might have a match against a team who could potentially win the tag titles." Seriously, it's been two years in this group and you're telling me that maybe they'll have something big in the future. That kind of shows how much being in this group has helped them. But, AEW sure is getting the best out of their talent.

(Question: How many people knew who MJF, Wardlow, Rey Fenix, Penta, OC, Sammy Guevara, and PnP were before AEW? These guys are being featured in major storylines and being promoted on a major TV network in front of a mainstream audience, which is FAR more exposure and more chances to be over than they were wherever they were previously, AND they're being presented as great wrestlers, some of whom can be great stars one day, if they aren't already in the cases of MJF, Britt Baker, Darby Allin, and Hangman Page. They're significantly more over by default.)

I was careful with the phrasing to specify when they came into AEW. So, they come in, get that exposure. A year or however long its been later, are they that really better off than they'd been around their debut? It's really easy to tell this isn't the case with people who had been in WWE before (hence why none of them are on your list), but I don't think any of the others (aside from probably MJF, Darby, and Brit) are much better off than they were after their initial couple of weeks. Basically, what has the creative team done to get them over aside from just putting them on TV?

(And what's Miro doing now? Kicking ass and looking dominant. After that feud, he realized Kip and Penelope were holding him back and he dropped the dead weight. Now he's on an unstoppable monster.)

I was talking about writing so what Miro's doing now is a bit irrelevant to the point. But, I came in to watch because I liked Miro and thought he had potential, then saw that stupidity and stopped. 

(Because he's fucking Chris Jericho. Steve Austin used to do the exact same shit you just described back in '96-'97, when he was still a Heel, before he REALLY took off. He beat the shit out of a man in crutches in '96, multiple backstage personnel in late '96-early '97, beat the shit out of Lita - who was beloved - in 2001. That entire Stone Cold character was a colossal jackass. He was a HEEL right to his very core, yet he went on to become the biggest Babyface in the history of the business. Why? Because he was motherfucking Stone Cold Steve Austin!!! With the beer, the middle fingers, the catchphrases, the "I don't give a fuck" attitude, the Stone Cold Stunner. He was fucking cool! Jericho - With the music, the jackets, the promos, the bubbly, and the way he carries himself, is fucking cool! Even when he's a giant asshole, just like with Austin, he does it in a way that's so entertaining and fun to watch, you can't help but cheer for him. Same with The Rock. The NWO. Eddie Guerrero. Shawn Michaels. The Undertaker. CM Punk. That's pro wrestling in its purest form, dude.)

That is quite the reach. If you think dadbod Jericho trying to hang out with the cool kids is cool... well that's your business. But, the presentation is not the same. Jericho was not being portrayed as a badass renegade babyface who was willing to eliminate anyone in his path. And they didn't make Austin a face by simply having another heel kick his ass. Jericho was portrayed as a cowardly heel who needed his group to fight his battles. His portrayal was in no way similar to what was being done with any of those other factions (except maybe a little with the NWO). 

(Moxley/Kingston; MJF/Cody; Baker/Rosa; The Bucks/Kenny and Hangman; And most recently, Punk/Darby.)

Not really familiar with the Moxley Kingston one. The only part I saw was Kingston getting killed by some sparklers XD. MJF and Cody was everyone being "Hey Cody, that guy is a total dick and he's going to betray you." Then Cody getting betrayed like a dumbass (which really begs the question on why anyone in the inner circle would have believed him even a tiny bit). The Bucks Kenny and Hangman thing is something I can't keep track of. Like I said, I watch it sporadically and every time I did a different person was the face or the heel in the situation. Punk Darby... That's not really a story. It's Punk came in and said "I think that guys a good wrestler and I want to wrestle him". Which is fine, I'm not knocking it, and it's a great way for Punk to start. But it's not long term storytelling. It's just booking a match. Maybe it will lead into a good story, but it's not there yet

(So you completely missed the spot where Marq Quin did an enziguri kick right on Luchasaurus's head, stunning him, which set up the Canadian Destroyer spot for Isiah Kassidy? And when Luchasaurus regained enough of his bearings, he broke up what would've easily been a 3 count. You make it sound like Luchasaurus was in it with Private Party saying "Hey guys, I'll set up my own partner for the Destroyer so you can almost beat us, but I'll break up the count at the last sec, Ok?! TEEHEE!)

Yes, I make it sound like Luchasaurus was in on it because he was in on it. Duh. It's wrestling, it's fake. Of course he was. The point is they're supposed to do it in such a way where I can suspend my disbelief. When you can see Luchasaurus signaling to private party beforehand and you can see Luchasaurus push up on Jungle Boy's thighs to make the flip happen, then I can't suspend my disbelief. But when they do it like this, they might as well have Luchasaurus say "Hey guys, I'll set up my own partner for the Destroyer so you can almost beat us, but I'll break up the count at the last sec, Ok?! TEEHEE!)" 

Also the whole point of the Canadian destroyer is that it looks dangerous but is actually pretty safe because the guy taking it does all the work. Doing it like this, Where Jungle Boy has no control over his body, is stupid. Caring about your talent means sometimes saying no when they want to do stupid thing. 

(That's how the business is now. That's not just an AEW problem, that's a WRESTLING problem. It was 11 years ago John Cena got DDT'd on fucking concrete and came back and beat both men, made Wade Barrett tap out, effectively burying the Nexus. Or Big Show and Braun Strowman moving around like cruiserweights in their match in 2017. We just saw Bad Bunny do a Canadian Destroyer at WrestleMania. Back in the 70s and 80s, Rocky Johnson's (The Rock's dad, RIP) finisher was a drop kick. Hulk Hogan - One of the biggest stars in the history of the business, maybe even THE biggest. His finisher was a fucking leg drop. Jake Roberts' finisher was the DDT. Now EVERYONE does a DDT. Arn Anderson's spinebuster. Randy Savage's elbow. Curt Hennig's Perfect Plex. The superkick (Good God, the superkick.) The list goes on. That's just how it is now.)

It's an AEW problem because it's happening in AEW. If it happens elsewhere, then it sucks there too. But I wasn't really talking about people kicking out of things. I can buy that someone's super tough and determined. That's a necessary part of the show, even if it is sometimes overdone.

What I'm talking about is moves that defy the laws of physics to the point where I can't suspend my disbelief because the cooperation is too obvious. The Canadian destroyer spot above is an example. Matt Sydal doing a double hurricanrana (one is already pushing the limits). Or one of the Young Bucks doing northern lights suplexes on two guys at once. It's like if you see someone flying in a movie, but you can see the wire that's holding them up. Just ruins the illusion and makes it impossible for me to care.

(Maybe? I've lost count how many times in an arena with 5-10-12k people, the crowd was chanting "FRESHLY SQUEEZED! FRESHLY SQUEEZED!" Clearly you didn't watch Double or Nothing earlier this year when he was in the Triple Threat with Omega and Pac for the AEW title and the crowd was RED HOT for him, thinking he might actually win the title.)

I said maybe, because I don't know if the novelty has worn off yet. That tends to happen quickly with comedy acts. Maybe he's still over, but I haven't seen him in months so I just don't know.

(The flat-out best wrestler on the planet. That's what he's supposed to be. Did you get Kurt Angle in 2000? Shawn Michaels in '97 when he was drugged up, formed DX, and playing strip poker in the ring with Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Chyna? Despite their goofy, bizarre, and even controversial mannerisms, you still took them seriously. Why? Because despite all the comedy crap, the oddities, and the humiliating stuff they were doing outside the ring... INSIDE the ring, once that bell rang, and it was 'GO' time, they were the REAL DEAL and I dare you to find anyone, in the ring, who was better. Omega is the same thing. He's the Otaku of pro wrestling, right down to his finishing move. A stereotypical anime villain, who acts odd, does funny or weird crap that sometimes makes you go "Really?" But when that bell rings, and it's 'GO' time, he is THE MAN. (Becky Lynch, change your catchphrase.) He's in a league all on his own and nobody can touch him. (Which can sometimes lead to him letting his guard down and get too cocky which ends up being his downfall - Like a certain white and purple tyrant from Dragon Ball Z.)

He's not the best wrestler on the planet. Or close really. Kurt Angle at least had a legitimate claim.

But with Kurt Angle, he had a character. When he came in he was goofy and painfully earnest and wholesome. Sacchrine to a fault. It was endearing, and contrasted with what he could do in the ring. And, he was a face, so it was ok for him not to be menacing and dominant. Then when he was the wrestling machine he was completely determined, focused, brutal, and intimidating. He wasn't trying to do that while also spraying milk at people. Or being intimidated and scared by Hornswoggle. Or whine and cry when he had to actually have a match. Yeah, gotta say I don't know where you're getting that "too cocky" thing when he tries to actively avoid competition at every opportunity. 

DX's appeal was that they were counterculture. They were doing things you weren't supposed to on TV to stick it to the authority. That's why you were supposed to like them, because they were renegades. And the things they were doing were to get under the skin of people not just random moments of stupidity. They were stirring the pot and challenging authority not making crayon drawings like they're literally mentally challenged. Oh and DX were in their late 20s/early 30s their first run. And sorry, but some things that work for the youngins don't work when you're 50. It's more like DX's 2009 or so run where middle aged people were trying to relive their youth and it was cringe as fuck.

With Kenny Omega, I'm not sure what the pitch is. If you're claiming he is just that good at wrestling, I'm not seeing it. Especially on a roster where everyone is doing crazy spots every match, he doesn't stand out. And, he's supposed to be a heel. Whereas if I was supposed to be in awe of his wrestling prowess, I should be cheering him no? If he's that damn good he shouldn't be whining and throwing tantrums when he's booked in matches (nothing wrong with that for a heel in general, but not if your thing is supposed to be you're just too good and cocky). There are really very few people who got over on a big level purely because they were good wrestlers, and without a clear compelling character behind it. Honestly, Bret Hart is the only one that really comes to mind, and he's no Bret Hart in the ring (few are). 

(The reason why people in general are more accepting, forgiving, and well receptive towards AEW in relation to WWE is because they actually have plans with their talent that prioritize trying to get the best out of ALL of them, and not just a few chosen ones, even if the crowd isn't behind said chosen ones. But because they have so much talent and so little programming, they sometimes have to cut or leave stuff out for the next show or for Dark or Elevation. But at the very least, they try to do right by them. Tony Khan is actually trying to put on a show that the fans will like. Is every show a home run? No, of course not. There are going to be stinkers and whiffs. But at least he tries to do right by the fans. Whereas Vince either has no idea what the fans want or just clearly doesn't give a shit and at times seems to put on a bad show to SPITE the fans. And you may not be willing to invest in the product despite the arrivals of Bryan and Punk, but there are A LOT of other people that will. Their foundation is perfectly fine. A few hiccups here and there, but nothing significant that will hinder the growth of the company, which they've steadily been doing since they've gotten out of Daily's Place and gone back to live crowds again. If you're not sold on it or don't like it. Then, maybe pro wrestling is just not your thing anymore. Because many of the issues you have with AEW are issues that span across the entire industry.)

That's something you're saying, but it's not something I'm seeing. The best you're coming up with is telling me about guys who have been in a program for two years that their push is coming. 

But, we will just assume that Tony Kahn wants everyone to be happy. I don't give a fuck. I mean, I want everyone to be happy on an abstract level, but as a fan, I want a good wrestling product. I'm sure the people backstage are very happy to be working with someone with a nearly bottomless pocketbook and who is motivated more by his personal desires than by money. Sounds like a great environment. I'm sure guys are happy that they can basically book their own matches. I'm sure they're happy to have nobody telling them "no that's fucking stupid, don't do that". I'm sure Jericho is happy to be able to be presented as a top guy 10 years past his sell by date. I'm sure guys like Luther or Janella are happy to collect a paycheck despite bringing nothing to the product. I'm sure the Big Show and Mark Henry are happy to be presented as stars instead of being humiliated by Randy Orton. It seems like a really fun place for them to work. 

But, as a result, the show is a mess. If you say yes to everyone then you wind up with a bloated roster where you can't feature everyone. If you want to try to get all of those people on the show somehow, you wind up with a million factions, and nobody knows who any of the individuals in them are. If you want to make sure everyone looks good, then you wind up with no way to distinguish the actual stars (some people's job is to lose).  If you say yes to everyone's ideas whether or not you can implement them properly, then you have Eddie Kingston being killed by pop rocks. 

Your last line pretty much reinforced my point. If these are industry wide issues, then I don't have to watch any promotion. If they all suck, they all suck. If every restaurant is serving shit and yours is the best, I'm still just going to make a sandwich at home.

Seems like you're saying an awful lot (between this post and the others) about something you claim to only watch sporadically. You sound much more like a jilted ex-employee on the production staff than a fan of pro-wrestling.

Anyway, if the behind the scenes is as bad as you're claiming, then I like the show all the more. I like that they're doing this all without some rigid corporate production pipeline that takes itself WAY too seriously. It's sort of the "casual Fridays Attitude era" feeling of the show that I like.

And the reason why people compare AEW to WWE should be pretty fucking obvious, WWE has been synonymous with pro wrestling since it was called WWF. Speaking for myself, I didn't start watching AEW because I was frustrated with WWE. Last I watched WWE was two and a half or three and a half years ago -- I was bored with the product and the WWE network authentication was buggy. I started watching AEW because CM Punk showed up on Rampage... it really had nothing to do with some kind of reaction against WWE.

I watched a few shows, some interviews with those who made an impression on me, and liked what I saw. I'm going to keep watching.