I could listen to you guys all day every day. I recently started watching wrestling again. I use to watch it religiously from 99-09ish. It’s fun hearing all the stuff I completely agree and relate from the attitude era and I also love being informed about all the new stuff I missed out on from you.
If you like MJF I highly recommend "BETTER THAN YOU - Complete CM Punk vs MJF Feud" by Outside Interference here on RU-vid. One of my favourite RU-vid wrestling edits.
When it comes to titles in AEW, their relationships with other promotions and trying to carry on Ring of Honor means there are championships all over. I do think that RoH and AEW should have unified everything within a year of the two companies becoming one company. I have to imagine that is the long-term, but it is not fast enough for my liking and i can understand why it is annoying. I still see the AEW world title as the best belt in wrestling. It has so many good matches for it and the people who have had it and those who want it are all really good at wrestling.
Lesson two . Wwe hired Sting when he was past his best and wcw had closed down. They staged a wwe vs wcw main event at wrestlemania featuring tripple h and his cronies and sting and the nwo representing wcw. Wwe obviously decided the massive audience wanted wwe to win but it back fired because the crowd wanted sting to win. It was a pointless exercise rahashing monday night wars years and years and years after it was over.
Violence like blood and use of weapons in wrestling will never become stall to me. It’s the same as using a move that use to be a finisher but is now a transitional spot.
WWE definitely had a smear campaign during WrestleMania's pre show scrum thing. Triple H basically being bitter that he missed out on the top free agents, pat making fun of AEWs attendence, punk has made a few shots about AEW, Ethan page had a shot at AEW just a few days ago. It happens on both sides, but AEWs references to WWE are usually from the talents mouth as AEW doesn't script promos, WWE on the hand scripts all promos.
As someone who leans more on the WWE side but has no ill will towards AEW. I think both have their pros and cons. I think AEW allows their wrestlers to express themselves more, their matches are Wild. AEW seems more match driven. WWE is more regimented in their matches. However, they excel at spectacle. It's grand and big. They will definitely have a few more dud matches than AEW. However, they will also have some downright classics. Enjoy what you like there is no perfect wrestling promotion. 😊
History of wrestling lesson if your thinking about the current scene ,watch the Monday night wars between wcw and wwe. As wcw had loads of cash like AEW, they attracted the main stars of wwe to move to them leaving only a relatively few stars in wwe that either didn't want to move or were not given the chance. At one stage wwe stars drove a army vehicle to the stadium where wcw was doing a show as a stunt to challenge the wcw promotion. When wcw eventually closed down it was bought by wwe and some stars went to wwe but the wwe stars acted as if they didn't know who they were. 😅😅 If you think you don't like the current conflict between companies, it's nothing compared to the Monday night wars. By the way AEW hired Tony Schiavone because he had commentated on wcw.
I agree there are two many belts. Now the trios belts are different. While they each carry three belts it's actually for one title. They carry the old AEW trios belts, the old ROH trios belts and the new united AEW trios belts. So yeah one title, 9 belts
For me, AEW is unmatched in quality. While it’s not where it was in say 2021 (but also way better than a lot of 2023), I’ve never experienced a run like this and it feels like it’s ramping up again. To answer some of your questions, outside of TV I don’t really mind shots taken at WWE. It’s punching up. Who cares? But on the shows, I want AEW to focus on themselves. Acknowledging WWE is fine, AEW is the company that acknowledges the wider wrestling world. I’m definitely in favor of more PPVs. 4-5 a year worked when it was just Dynamite but now it paces better with more. I don’t want 12 tho. 8-9 feels right. I’m fine with paying for them but understand not everyone is in the same financial position. So I hope AEW’s next deal includes putting the PPVs on Max. We’ll see.
WWE do make AEW jabs but they are a lot more subtle. AEW is very explicit with it as youve seen but theres a few snide jokes (Drew saying "cry me a river" is a Punk in AEW jab). As for the violence, i have noticed its a lot but i dont watch either show week to week so it isnt too much for me. Ive watched every PPV for AEW and it costs me $30 AUD per PPV but I would love if it was on streaming. I absolutely want the older wrestlers to retire. Matt and Jeff Hardy have had so many concussions and other injuries so far, Sting terrified me every match he was in, and it drives me insane that Adam Copeland did a move like that that caused his injury. I would love for AEW and WWE to work together but I think Tony Khan's attacks are making it less likely but if it did happen, i want to see a Shield Triple Threat or an Elite vs Team WWE match
I'll try to give my take as someone who watched since the beginning. 1. I think only the terminally online fans care, to me it's mostly "Hey he mention X or whatever, cool" and then I move on 2. If you watch wrestling long enough you basically see everything and become numb,for the most part, to a lot of it. Table spots are almost always cool. As for blood, AEW sometimes uses it too much but 80% of the time(the lol mox bleeds meme is very real) it feels right and adds to the match. Wwe has gone away from it so much so that a few matches could really use it to up the intensity. 3. I sail the high seas brother 🏴☠️ the network and then peacock is great in comparison and I can justify the cost 4. Varies from wrestler to wrestler and how they can go in the ring. Like I don't need any more hardyz but I'm fine with edge and the way sting was used was great. It only becomes a problem when the take the place of young talent or don't put anyone over. 5. They will never work together, just doesn't make sense for either. But I need a Will Ospreay v. Seth Rollins match
DAE you don't enjoy heatless bangers and Fun™️? j/k very insightful video and you have yourself a subscriber. Now go study Cagematch and get back to me.
on tony khan talking smack about the wwe or such vis versa, i wish they just stayed in their lane, the products are similar yet different, competition is king but one of the worse things WCW did back in the day was mention what was on WWE tv, because everyone ran to the other show... Also I think TK needs a PR person that is not himself... --- AEW (and probably soon enough WWE) don't do blood and gore every week or even every PPV class show, though you'll see blood definately on the PPV of an aew show depending on which wrestlers are on it... They do have storylines and the stories get escalated to that point for the PPV match. *** on the note tho, as an oldskool ECW fan, yes things could get to the numb point... unfortunately Peacock has santized any shows ECW did back in the day --- on cost, I can't afford to watch anything right now, I did have peacock so access to the PPV shows, I'll be honest, AEW does do a better job of telling the stories when PPV happen, but you kinda need to know the people at least. I do go to local shows in the NY/NJ area for AEW for about the price of the PPV itself (still great seats). I used to go to WWE shows too but they priced me out of being able to see them live... Another boon for AEW is some of their TV shows are PPV classed in that they have a theme since as Grand Slam (at authur ashe Tennis stadium each year) which is 'free' save for cable or however you view normal TV. ---- On the elder aged wrestlers, yes and no. Since accidents and injuries such as happened to Adam C. (edge) could have happened to anyone reguardless of age. That said, I have no issue with wrestlers scaling it back or ending their career on a high note like Sting did recently in AEW. I do have issues with some like Rick Flair whom you can tell shouldn't be in the ring and still tries cause they like the high of it. (how many times has he retired?). The WWE tends to force older wrestlers to slow down or just plain stop even if they don't want to do so, so it's not seen. They will curb a career that could still be awesome due to age, hence a lot of them going to AEW or back on the independants. ----- I won't rule out a WWE x AEW thing but more likely it's when WWE just buys out the other... which isn't happening anytime soon... ----- I became a fan of MJF when he was in MLW, so he's awesome anywhere and yes I want to see that feud even if it's all talk lol ----- I follow the wrestlers over which promotion they are in, so I honestly can't be tribalist if my fav just ends up moving to the other, but for a lot of people, WWE is a way of life... AEW is pretty much the closest competition the WWE has, (they have Ring of Honor). NJPW, MLW, TNA are all close to the same footing and if they get to work with either bigger company I'm happy :)
Ok so hear me out- I’ve created a universe based around something I call algorithmic wrestling.. #JordanPeterson calls it computational epistemology .. Using the AI tendencies and the AI sliders combined Dungeons & Dragons style comment section !! I would love for you to upload your character with the #SSU as it’s almost like one big ChatGPT brain research facility…. But it’s wrapped in the form of a full length wrestling show. Thank you for this video really helped a lot. Hope to see you soon. Stay seasoned.😊
You seem like a nice enough guy and your questions are valid. That being said, you expressed being a wrestling fan, but then you said you only have time to watch WWE. While that is and has been the U.S. standard of what wrestling is, it is only one representation. It is like saying you love soda, but the first one you tried is Coca Cola and that's the only soda you have time to drink. The WWE has labeled themselves sports entertainment. While companies like AEW, NJPW, AJPW, Rev Pro, GPW, AAA, CMLL, PWG, Stardom and many others cater to pro wrestling and pro wrestling fans all over the world. I am not trying to insult you, but there is a distinction between sports entertainment and pro wrestling. I am not trying to criticize your judgement, only to let you know that WWE has their way of telling a story, and it's not the blueprint or the only way to tell a story in wrestling. I can tell you from personal experience that the 2019 finals for NJPW best of the super juniors Will Ospreay vs Shingo Takagi, is one of the better matches you will ever see. All the promos in the world, don't live up to the story told in the ring( for me). Another classic is Omega vs Okada 2 out 3 falls match at Dominion from 2018. One of the best matches you will ever see. While I am not trying to be rude, I was raised on the WWF in the 80's. I saw some of the best go at it. I actually got turned off from the WWE by the attitude era. I came back around in 2014-15. On 1/4/17 I was introduced to NJPW and similar to how you saw the WWE and just got wrapped up in it, I took to New Japan the same way. I got to see phenomenal wrestlers telling incredible stories in the ring. The action was intense and the characters were interesting. Which is where I was introduced to the Bucks and Kenny. When Cody and the bucks decided, with Tony Khan, to start a wrestling company for wrestlers run by wrestlers, it was truly a special day. The thing that made AEW so special is it wasn't a one note pony. It catered to bloody hardcore extreme match fans, high flying luchador fans, highly technical mat specialist fans, big meaty men throwing down, young hungry indie guys leaving it all out there just for an opportunity to get signed. Interestingly with the rise in popularity and the bigger names starting to arrive, also came a larger budget, and AEW has a lot more sports entertainment stories. As a whole, AEW's popularity has in essence watered down what made it so appealing. I am a die hard AEW guy, but if you go back and watch some of the early stuff like Omega vs Pac, Lucha bros vs Bucks ladder match, you will see how the in ring quality, especially at that time, could not be touched. Again I am not trying to insult you or your taste, just to say that there is a whole world of pro wrestling out there for you to discover, if you want.
To clarify, when say I only have time for the wwe, I mean on a regular basis. I've absolutely been taking in other promotions and am scheduled to check out two different local indi shows in the next two months. I don't have enough time to enjoy all forms of pro wrestling every week and keep up with all of them, obviously. I don't see any world where I am not a pro wrestling fan just because my favorite to keep up with is the WWE.
As a wrestling fan everything you said is spot on. AEW tries to give you your money's worth on ppv but can end up wearing you out sometimes. You honestly can just watch dynamite on Wed if you wanna try getting in to it, very little plot progression happens on rampage and collision.
I didn't have any wrestling friends either but I actually really liked that. Wrestling was my thing that I got to immerse myself in and didn't have to share it or explain it to other people around me. I did go to WrestleMania 26 with my grandpa and brother (both didn't like wrestling but went for me) and my brother ended up chanting for HBK by the end of it.
What was also great about Rick Rude showing up on Nitro was that he was also on Raw the same night as Raw was prepared, so it really caught people off-guard.
Wish more people would make fun of Solo. It’s just so obvious no one’s actually afraid of him, would be good to have that implemented into the story more
One thing that i would change on one currunt storyline "turn cm punk heel and give him full freedom unleash him let him bury iwc and everyone on wwe roster"
I thought I'd answer these too as a newer, but also not really newer wrestling fan. Note: I wrote out all of my answers before listening Josh and Matt's answers. 1. What was the "aha moment" where you finally understood what wrestling was? A. I never really had that moment. I've always known I liked wrestling ever since I was a kid. I grew out of it, but later eventually came back into it around 2016. My closest moment was just seeing Undertaker and getting his aura. 2. If you could make one change to any storyline currently, what would it be? A. I don't really have many issues with any of the storylines currently, except one. And that's the Rock and Cody story. They are booking a match towards Rock and Cody to wrestle at some point and it seems likely they're gonna have Rock win the title. I don't want to see that. I'd have Cody drop the title to Randy Orton at Summerslam to avoid Rock winning the title. 3. If you could repackage a talent with a new gimmick what would it be? A. Kairi Sane. Bring back the Pirate Princess and treat her correctly. 4. What is your favorite chant/what chant do you want to bring back? A. I don't remember if they actually chanted this or not. I know it was on a sign, but I really like "You're a wank pheasant." I think they should bring that back or introduce it. It doesn't even have to be on Roman Reigns specifically. 5. What's your opinion on how wrestling has evolved? A. I have gone back and watched some old matches and while some of them were good, I am just not a big fan of the older style of wrestling. Newer wrestling is more fast-paced and and exciting to watch. 6. What is something you miss from the older era of wrestling?/What is something that the modern era does better. A. Wrestling did feel a lot more real back in the day. Like it was an actual fight and not as choreographed. I am also a big fan of titantron movies that felt like a highlight package instead of the wrestler's name on a slightly fitting background. Also fireworks. Newer wrestling does have the best production value. And better wrestling.. of course. 7. What are your opinions on MITB? Do you feel like someone who cashed-in deserves it less than one who won it naturally? A. MITB for the past few years just hasn't felt that important. That changed with Iyo Sky winning in particular. It still needs a lot of work, but over the next few years, I feel like HHH can bring back the aura of the MITB champion. A MITB cash-in may not be as deserved as one who won in naturally, but that's the point. It can allow for anyone of any size or any position on the card to become champion and potentially turn them into a main event star. 8. Biggest difference older fans see vs. biggest different newer fans see. A. I guess I'll answer as a newer fan. I notice the matches felt more real. It looks like every punch, every kick, every slam felt harder. The matches felt like they were an actual match instead of one guy waiting for the other person to jump just to get hit. I appreciate that about older matches and wish newer matches would do their best to hide things like that as much as possible. 9. Why do you love wrestling? A. To me, wrestling is just pure fun. It's fun to watch people (safely) beat each other up. You can connect to the characters. CM Punk is one of my heroes and favorite people of all time. Sami Zayn feels like a friend. Having other people watch wrestling with you and having someone to talk to really helps keep me interested in the show. 10. Longer or shorter title reigns. A. It's funny because back in the Vince days, I wanted longer title reigns. Now that HHH is in charge and there are a ton of long title reigns, I want shorter reigns because I'm tired of long reigns. I want to see people get a chance with the title that often don't get them and there's no way they'd get them if everyone had long reigns. 11. What are some of your favorite PPV/PLE Stages. A. My favorite is TLC when they have all the ladders set up at the stage and around the ring. It really gives a unique flair to it. 12. If you could go back in time and attend a match live, what would it be? A. Iyo Sky vs Bianca Belair at Summerslam 13. Is there a line a heel should not cross? A. To me, there is no line as long as everyone involved is okay with it. Dead relatives, bringing up past substance abuse, go ahead. Just make sure there's consent to bring it up. 14. What advice would have you to new wrestling fans? A. I suppose just enjoy it at your own pace. Find someone who is crazy enough to let you talk to them about wrestling to them and hopefully even crazier to talk to you about it. Don't let anyone's opinions persuade you to stop watching or to not enjoy it how you want to enjoy it. 15. What is your favorite signature move or spot you can never get tired of watching? A. Cop out, but it's highfliers doing a bunch of spinny things. Tiffany Stratton doing cartwheels all over the ring, Ricochet hitting his 720s, or even Keith Lee (a big guy) doing both hurricanranas to Dijak or throwing Adam Cole halfway into the crowd. 16. As an older wrestling fan, what was it like watching with the stigma? A. I have experienced both old and new, so I feel like I can answer as well. I watched wrestling as a kid and wrestling was definitely one of the many things people picked on me for. I felt like that if that was the one thing that was "quirky" about me, then it really wouldn't have been a problem. As I picked wrestling back up in high school, people really didn't care as much. They might've been a little judgmental, but not to my face. I actually had people come up to me and asked me why I liked it. I turned one of my friends into a fan, and even found two more wrestling fan friends in high school.
To add onto the Ludwig thing, the way Samantha announces him is my ear worm! I also enjoy Chelsea's anouncment, and I've really been bopping to Dragonov's conducting!
Gotta remember that those bra & pantie matches evolved from Tuxedo matches, not that I'm excusing it, it was egregious in the attitude era but the Tuxedo match came first where two managers would get in the ring with full tuxedos and the goal was to strip the opponent down to his boxers. Mr. Fuji did a lot of Tuxedo matches. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KwYlWJMz0Qc.htmlsi=u7422KeEOz_HshWa
So here's a controversial take: there are things about his tenure presentation-wise that were decent. There was a focus on quality of presentation that he pushed for. He was good at framing specific scenes abs stuff But he was way too long in the tooth and somewhere got it in his head that he had to micromanage and it was awful. That zooming and cutting bs was absolutely terrible and he'd ruin his own cool scenes!
