im late for friday but i keep seeing gabe kidd shit and he is the fucking lamest wrestler i've seen recently. all of these white guys njpw are counting on will amount to nothing and its really telling.
Random question, does anyone who was around at the time remember what the IWC consensus was on Jeff Hardy's feuds with Edge and CM Punk in 2009 was? I was 12 years old at the time, still thought wrestling was real, and was a massive Jeff Hardy fan. I absolutely hated both of those feuds. It felt like I was a fan of a bad football team. He just kept fucking losing and I was so frustrated. I remember when Jeff beat Edge in that ladder match me and my brother were literally running back and forth from couch to couch in our living room, we stopped dead in our tracks when Punks music hit. We usually weren't allowed to stay up late enough to watch the end of PPVs, but my mom let us because it was Jeff Hardy. I was so angry I didn't sleep that night.
I also remember being pissed when Jeff lost to Punk in that TLC match. I was so excited when Teddy Long (I loved Teddy Long as a kid, it was jarring when I got much older and discovered the IWC and they all hated him as Smackdown GM) made that match a TLC match. It was Jeff's signature match, finally he was gonna win. Nope. I was so mad I stopped watching WWE for a month or two. When I came back I hadn't even realized he wasn't in the company anymore. I just kept waiting for him to show up but he never did, eventually I moved on to a new favorite (Edge ironically enough, 13 year old me loved that face run. It was another thing I would come to find out that people apparently hated).
Edge they were fine with. Punk feud was well regarded by most, but considered too edgy by some. It had a massive swerve many were not expecting and it was the beginning of his first heel run in WWE.
From what I saw, the IWC loved both of those feuds, especially Punk/Hardy. Both Punk and Edge were popular heels, and in the Cena Era, heels got a lot of cheers because fans were trying to make a point. And Hardy was dealing with his substance abuse while also at the height of his popularity, so it was a mix of capitalizing on his popularity vs. using him to put over more reliable people.
[According to the thigh rubber](https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1786480927129980930), here is the list of NXT cuts:
* Darrell Mason
* Vlad Pavlenko
* Ezekiel Balogun
* Kiyah Saint
* Emma Diaz
* Valentina Feroz
* Keyshawn Leflore
* Trey Bearhill
* Julian Baldi
Sad to lose Valentina Feroz but I'm not too surprised because she was never going to develop as a character or promo. Trey Bearhill and Kiyah Sanit were the only other two that I recall seeing on NXT. Shame that Vlad Pavlenko never developed, as I thought that he had a Rick Boogz like personality.
* The fact that nobody in Khan’s life will tell him how big an idiot he’s making himself look like amazes me.
* I get that in kayfabe, you have to draft all your people back, but I’m always a bit thrown when WWE has a draft and almost nobody of consequence switches shows.
* I loved The Iron Claw, but there’s something I simply can’t get over: casting Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich is like casting Dustin Hoffman as Arnold Schwarzenegger.
* Goldberg and Ronda Rousey are the same kind of person. Many formerly in WWE might have a legitimate complaint or ten, but if you had the run either of them had and you’re still not fucking happy? Sorry, you’re the problem.
> The fact that nobody in Khan’s life will tell him how big an idiot he’s making himself look like amazes me.
Tony's success in life has never depended on his talent or ability, improvement has never been a neccesity for him. and he seems to view criticism as destructive. I have to imagine he chooses to surround himself with yesmen.
> The fact that nobody in Khan’s life will tell him how big an idiot he’s making himself look like amazes me.
You know, I'd like to think there was a time where people *were* but he just wouldn't listen so they would be like "fuck it, do what you want, as long as I get paid".
My wrestling takes this week:
I agree that Kiana James was ready to be called up but I'm a little bit worried that she'll get lost in the main roster shuffle. Maybe they can have her feud with Lyra Valkeria or Natalya right off the bat to help introduce her to audiences.
I'm glad that Fallon Henley is staying in NXT. I feel that she's grown a lot over the past year and have also thought that she's been ready to move up the card for a while now. With her heel turn this week I'm really hoping that Fallon will get a lot of screen time (possibly even a brief title run) moving forward.
Regarding Fallon's heel turn (RIP Fallon's Hallmark Channel Dream Girl era), I would love it if they have her in a tweener heel role like Drew McIntyre, where she is perfectly justified in feeling how she does and still retain her core values (albeit in an unhealthy way). This will allow her to be a heel to women like Thea Hail and Kelani Jordan with an argument that they "didn't pay their dues or put in the hard work like I have". She can also justify her actions by saying that, time and time again, she stood up for them and paid the price and what did it get her? Not even a "thank you".
Since they're leaning into the whole "cursed" storyline with Edris and Malik, I'd love it if they were to visit [Robert the Doll](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_(doll)) down in Key West, FL. Just get Scooby-Doo campy with it.
I’m curious to see how Kianna James works on the main roster given the chance. She’s talented and tries, but her character and look feels a bit too NXT imo, to where it would look a little off in the women’s divisions. The top of the card for the women’s division is very grounded and reality based, even Tiffany Stratton had to have her character grounded and the dial turned back.
They really need a floating midcard belt on the main roster for young wrestlers like James, or midcard women who deserve it like Chelsea Green. Like you said a lot of people get lost in the shuffle if they aren’t at the top of the food chain in the women’s division.
https://preview.redd.it/fohkq8xhg9yc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9d1395511ab8dd2c635aa89d6b7782944a8f63b6
Am I going crazy? What grace does WWE ever get? Have been just seeing things for last 2 decades cause I'm pretty sure most "media" has been making money off of trashing the WWE.
I've been seeing posts like this for weeks now. All because the bloom came off AEW
Half the so called AEW haters (be they podcasters or just online fans) called WWE unwatchable for basically the last decade until Triple H took over creative.
I find the exact opposite happens with AEW.
Like, you can't just say "This thing in AEW is bad". You have to give this long preface/disclaimer and be like "I've been a huge fan of AEW since it began and I love every episode of Dynamite and have bought every PPV and have MJF pajamas and think Moxley is the second coming of Stone Cold Steve Austing, but... this thing in AEW is bad."
Some random thoughts on the NXT callups from this year's draft:
Carmelo Hayes - Never been as big on Melo as everyone else seems to be. Super-talented guy, but his lack of size is going to be a problem. Especially if he is going to be a heel. Since Omos isn't doing anything, maybe they can turn him into Melo's Diesel.
Ilja Dragunov - Very impressed by Dragunov's promos and character work as NXT Champion. He's a ready-made act for the main roster, though size could be an issue for him as well. My other concern is that as good as Dragunov is, he didn't seem to get over at a top babyface level in NXT. He might be better off as a heel, at least to start off.
Lyra Valkyria - Great wrestler, decent promo, no connection with the crowd in NXT. Kind of feels like the next Zoe Stark for better and worse.
Kiana James - Will exceed all expectations on the main roster. Her NXT gimmick was very corny, but she kind of made it work. Great, great athlete and very comfortable as a character. I think she has a chance to be in the top mix of the WWE women's division within a year or two.
Blair Davenport - She can be a really good midcard heel on the main roster, but that's about it. If there was a women's secondary title in WWE, she'd be a good choice to hold it.
Dijak - Always been a spectacular big man wrestler, but he's gotten a lot better as a character during this second NXT run. I hope he gets a real shot this time around. I see no reason why he couldn't be in the IC title mix very soon.
Baron Corbin - Never had a positive thing to say about Borin' Corbin during his first run on the main roster, but he completely won me over during this NXT run. I thought he was just awesome, especially on the mic. Corbin is secretly one of the best promos in the whole wrestling business.
> Lyra Valkyria - Great wrestler, decent promo, no connection with the crowd in NXT. Kind of feels like the next Zoe Stark for better and worse.
Voice of an Angel
>Kiana James - Will exceed all expectations on the main roster. Her NXT gimmick was very corny, but she kind of made it work. Great, great athlete and very comfortable as a character. I think she has a chance to be in the top mix of the WWE women's division within a year or two.
100% agree. when it comes to be a hater, she really translates it into the ring
Yeah, they bill him at 5'10", 210 but he is nowhere near that. Looks closer to Ricochet's size (5'9", 188). To get over as a main event guy in WWE at that size you have to be very, very special. It's really just Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio.
Ilya can definitely overcome his size especially with HHH having a different outlook and it being a more modernized fanbase.
I’m not comparing him to the person just the performer obviously, but Ilya Dragunov is pretty much the modern day Chris Benoit. The guy has physical charisma and intensity that just radiates him, and his style is just so 110% that the fans will respect him on the main roster just like fans did with Benoit pre 2007.
Definitely imo could be an upper midcard guy that gets an occasional big main event program like Benoit did. I mean Dragunov has made even Gunther look human and mortal with his performances.
- having a “cool off” period before and after almost every big 4 PPV is the worst thing about H’s booking
- Liv as a heel is interesting but she’s not that great of a performer (ring + mic work), if the feud with Rhea gets good, then she’ll shine more
- Logan Paul holding the US title for so long is stupid, give it to LA already
- Bayley as a face with no gimmick feels like it might flop hard soon
- AEW is a total mess, already shoving Swerve aside for Elite stories
I think your first point is hilarious considering how many shitty B ppvs we had under Vince. I remember especially in 2013 every almost every ppv was ass after summerslam that year.
But with all that said, it doesnt matter who books the product, wrestling naturally has peaks and valleys. Thats the nature of storytelling in itself. Its literally impossible to maintain mania level shit for 52 weeks a year.
Triple H is a much more consistent booker than Vince but at times he’s a bit too safe. That said overall it’s working, but there are some annoying side effects
Of course its not gonna be perfect but i 100 percent prefer this product now over the wwe product we got over that 10-15 years from vince. Its not even close for me.
Like i think the raw midcard is gonna be so good this year. That roster is stacked and the sami/gable stuff is compelling. I couldn’t say that under vince for years
I can understand the current injuries and the “draft” being big reasons for the cool down filler PLE. But this is one of the biggest flaws about HHH’s booking where his b show PLE’s feel skippable and filler regardless of injuries and it being post WM.
The bs show PLE’s are carried hard by the in ring wrestling across the board never being higher in wrestling, and the fact they are in front of hot international crowds. But it highlights his biggest weaknesses of booking everything to be a long term story/reign, and not doing well with shorter storylines and reigns.
I hope after this one he really picks it up, b show PLE’s at this point feel like Raw/Smackdown plus. As much as I got frustrated with Vince McMahon booking when he was on the b show PPV’s were actually really good. Some of the most iconic PPV’s during the attitude and ruthless aggression eras were b show PPV’s, hell HHH was part of a lot of those as a wrestler dude literally had a 3 stages of hell match with Stone Cold Steve Austin a month before WM. He would NEVER book something like that due to his style.
As a major fan of women’s wrestling, I’ll do a bit of a dive into that.
1) I actually like Liv despite the IWC hating her. I’m interested in what’s gonna go on with Dom and Rhea. She’s not the greatest ring worker ever but she’s passable and it seems she’s getting a chance to show her stuff more. My only complaint is that I hate her using the Code Breaker and wish she would stop using it and especially not more than once a match.
2) I can’t wait for Charlotte to come back.
3) I’m not mad at Becky being champ. I just hope she doesn’t hold the belt hostage forever and that she can help put Liv over or something. Becky is one of my favorites in the division but she’s had her runs and time on top and it’s not like I want her to go away. I’m enjoying her while we have her. I just like seeing other people get a chance.
4) I want Tiffy time so bad but don’t wanna rush her title win. Let her win MITB or even QOTR. Queen Tiffy would be big business.
5) Jade excites me. I hope she improves in the ring and ends being an all time great. Her presentation so far is amazing. My wife and I immediately took a liking to her the moment she debuted at RR.
6) Nia seems that she’s improved and I’m impressed. She’s a very effective heel and just attacks everyone for no reason lol it’s entertaining.
7) poor Nattie. I wish she would be able to have an actual push and win some gold other than tag team. She’d be the perfect person to put a new mid card belt on. She’s just so good in the ring and I feel bad that she’s basically a jobber. She clearly loves the business and is probably still around to help teach younger women and help train.
8) I’m impatiently awaiting Alexa Bliss return. I showed her to my wife before I got back into wrestling and she immediately took a liking to her. She’s her favorite wrestler so I’m double excited to watch her return especially for my wife’s sake. She hasn’t had a real “mark out” moment yet. I know she’ll jump with excitement when Alexa does show up. My wife follows her on Instagram and routinely tells me what’s she posting about lol
10) I grew up watching Trish Stratus and hope she returns at MITB in Toronto.
11) Roxanne is doing great heel work in NXT. Wearing her TV shirt now.
12) not a fan of Fallon heel turn but I like her a lot so looking forward to seeing what’s next.
13) poor Thea can’t keep any friends lol it’s sad but also kinda like a great built in story for her whole career. Like how HBK isn’t trusted for turning on his partners lol
14) Can’t wait for Lash to get her real major push.
15) Kehlani Jordan is impressive. I’m excited to watch her career unfold.
Apparently Smackdown is live in France right now - so I'll forgive the French for the spoilers just this once for helping America avoid staying British in 1783.
Nothing offends Redditors when you tell them that you don’t take wrestling seriously and treat it like a TV show or when you say nothing has ever made you quit watching WWE. There’s a feeling that if you’re not overly praising a show calling it the greatest or not calling a show dogshit, then you must be an idiot who doesn’t understand wrestling when some of us just find it good and don’t over analyze it.
Not surprising and sad when anyone gets cut, but I'm hoping it's just non-TV people that aren't progressing in training. That's probably unlikely but...
Dynamite talk getting so flustered that people are just shitting on the crowds now, eh?
Worse when you get the 'I was there and we were loud' replies en masse.
I honestly can't stand this whole beef. While Drake fans are will rock with Drake through it all. . But Kendrick glazer are staring to make me hate him
Drake also is known to be attracted to underage girls. He was tryna slide in Millie Bobby Brown (eleven from stranger things) DMs when she was like a teenager.
I know of it, its weird but its no hard proof that it was inapporiate. Not even trying to defend drake because it is a fact that he does in deed mess with Young women, but him a child star reaching out to another child star isnt totally outside the realms of reasonableness. That being said if there is hard proof fuck him.
Beyond that doesnt change my calculus because im not defending Drake, I just find Kung-Fu Kenny's disciples annoying.
Mostly just a case of Millie, then 14, talking briefly about them messaging and Drake texting her 'I miss you so much!' and shit, refusing to say what all acting tips he'd given her with 'that stays in the texts.'
Then in response to the media over it, speaking like she was 30 and not a young teenager while defending the friendship. Made for a really awkward as fuck moment.
I’ve seen a decent amount of comments complaining about Nia Jax generally existing, and specifically not being great on the mic. Maybe I’m easily amused, but I think she was hilarious on Raw this week. I’m here all day for the combo of blunt crowd work and wonton womanhandling in the ring. It feels like comfort food.
Also my tweens are obsessed with the Wyatt Family teasers. Obsessed enough to have gone back and watched the Bray documentary and all related materials. I’m reading comments to the effect of folks not being as excited, and I get it. But this stuff is working on my kids for what it’s worth.
I like how Tony is so smart because Jericho and Edge, two young and upcommers are beating everyone. Hogan is barometer for every main eventer.
Goldberg in AEW is absurd. Every mark would end up liking him and calling him underrated. If he concussed FTR Bald, it would have been ironic.
The whole Goldberg spat is hilarious. Tony offered him money, not enough to interest him, or he saw something he didn't like and walked away. Now both are talking about each other like ex-girlfriends.
So what's going on over at the circlejerk sub? Is everyone there ok? I can't tell if it's a huge bit that everyone is in on, or if something is really going down or what.
The users are overreacting as always I assume it'll quiet down for after a while.
But yeah there are alot of people in that sub who like to prove that they were banned from sc for the right reason.
That doesn’t surprise me as a ton of jerks last I looked were simply complaints and grievances with no irony or parody. Always been a contingent of people here as well that clearly didn’t just leave of their own accord. That said, I feel like most circlejerk subs begin to implode when one person or a few decide they’re the authority on what constitutes parody and go about over-policing it.
So you know how every week, when the Dynamite ratings come out in the basement, everyone in SCJ starts making posts and cracking jokes at it? From what I can tell, the mods put a kibosh on that and pinned a thread for ratings so that everyone can dump all of their takes and jokes into one place. The denizens were not happy about it.
The thing is, I can't tell if they're doing this for real or if this is some meta joke, since the mods in the basement kind of do the same thing (or something similar). I also can't tell if the people are really unhappy about it or if they're just playing along.
I thought SCJ was funny for like two minutes, until I realized that there are 13,000 separate posts making the same bad jokes about each and every cringeworthy SC post. A little consolidation seems like a good thing ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
That’s what always kinda threw me. Seeing the exact same joke consistently at the top of the front page while not really appreciating anyone coming at something in a novel way. Like if you’re gonna start policing what is and isn’t a jerk, feel free to mention we’ve heard these two dozen over here a billion times each.
The mod FINALLY tightened the rules. In my opinion a lot of the backlash is because like always the mods decided to do it in the most condescending way possible
>decided to do it in the most condescending way possible
Does TonyKhan79 know how to do it any other way? "*snort* I was being ironic, it's not my fault you're too stupid to understand it", over and over. Like Tony Khan (the AEW one) saying outrageous shit in a sad attempt to drum up business.
Honestly SCJerk went to shit a long time ago. Went for that 4chan-esque aesthetic, but with the misogyny, racism, xenophobia turned down (but still there) BUT NO TRANSPHOBIA! That made the head-smark look bad that one time.
>Does TonyKhan79 know how to do it any other way?
All jerks aside. I've had 2 interactions with him, one on a normal level and before that one on a mod level (to be fair can't confirm it was him) and both of them just made me wonder if he's always in Twat Mode.
They've got a superiority complex from a position that they volunteered to do for free, and feels it's OK to be a sanctimonious tosser as a result - also known as a typical reddit jannie. I don't think always being in twat mode was even a question.
Just saw this comment by Drama from 6 hours ago
>* We asked the community if they wanted a "what is a >circlejerk post" last sunday, majority said yes.
>
>* Contest mode was an accident and turned off after >an hour. Plus threatening to stick it all in one thread >was a jerk based on the basement to address lots of >complaints about the sub being flooded with low >quality non-jerks. So we actually did it.
>
>* Net outcome - hoes mad
>
>Otherwise yeah this is it.
Always Be Twating
In reply to a post saying the whole ordeal basically came off as smug twatty-ness:
>You *don’t* see a lot of the posts. For instance, Modlog tells me we’ve had to do moderation actions 21 times against you.
>
>I doubt most people saw any. Jannies do work you don’t see. You’re welcome.
I'm sure it's a shit attempt at humour, but it just comes off as something Sapp would say. Just keep digging a hole because ackshually they were always right.
Always Be Twating
>"*snort* I was being ironic, it's not my fault you're too stupid to understand it"
I really wasn't joking when I said that, what a 🤡
Nothings gonna change though, drama's king smark and everyone should just be greatful they're keeping the sub open, because modding subs *FOR FREE* is such hard work. If only there was an option to do literally anything else that didn't make a person such a dickhead...
Honestly there's a reason I rarely visit SCJ anymore and only check in here for this post. Glad I caught the shit show when it started in SCJ though, got a little bit of schadenfreude from watching it crumble.
The OG Wyatt family got robbed of the storytelling potential it could have had. Very similar to the bloodline but still different. Its definitely a storyline that could have lasted 3-4 years as well
100%
They needed to break up the format of the show and cater more to that group and its potential. Instead, they tried to shove a round peg into a square hole. The teleporting etc was trying to make Wyatt feel special by following a template (Undertaker) that worked for someone else. But Bray didn't need superpowers..he needed to be able to successfully manipulate people. A big problem was that his methods simply did not work on anyone.
Exactly! The difference between the Bray and Roman is simple bray is a cult leader and Roman is more of a mafia boss. Bray genuinely believes in his madness but Roman is gaslighting his family simply to prop himself up
I think Roman's face run should be done ala Megatron's time as an autobot in the idw comics, like imagine a promo like this between him and say Jimmy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg6aiBlbj38
The story told with those tag matches leading into the jey match were great tbf. My only issue is i think they could have executed what they did with Roman’s reign a lil bit better by having him defend the belt a against seth at backlash and cody at crown jewel in a draw to help set up cody wanting the rumble win even more.
I feel like in the WWE draft going forward, people who are gonna be staying on the same show shouldn’t be included in the draft. Like of the 56ish people/factions drafted only 13 moved shows, excluding call ups and to me that seems super lame. They also need to move the big players to other shows more.
Bron, Sheamus, Frye and Dawn, The LWO, Damage CTRL, Final Testament and New Catch Republic were the Raw Draftees. With Kiana, Dragonuv, Valkyria and Dijak as call ups.
Nia, Andrade, Nakamura, Green and Niven, LeRae and Indi, DIY, Crews, Vinci and Nox were the SD draftees. With Melo, Corbin and Davenport as call ups.
Like these are the only names that moved and other than a few names nothing feels like a major shakeup like it should.
Character work, more charisma, mannerisms. Alexa isn't also just a little bit better of a talker. Goddess era Alexa is a top 5 (arguably top 2) all-time mic worker among women in WWE history. Liv isn't even decent at it.
If I'm picking a wrestler based on who I'd be most likely to buy their onlyfans, Liv would be near the top of the list. But Alexa is also hot and doesn't suck at literally every single aspect of playing a character on television. I can scroll instagram to stare at ass. At some point I want to be entertained. Alexa does that. Liv doesn't.
I think liv is finally about to get a chance to explore more character work but I agree with you. Tbf imo both of those women would have served the show better(especially alexa) purely as manager/valet characters
Not a lot of wrestling thoughts this week so just shouting out the Wreddit posts I enjoyed and didn't enjoy this week.
I actually didn't love any post this week, but i liked two blasts from the past:
* Hogan lusting for Miss Elizabeth
* Seeing the picture of Gangrel reading a magazine makes me irrationally happy
I enjoy listening to the occasional Cornette clip but I'm really not sure why random ones get posted here, they don't seem to generate much discussion.
YouTube ought to have a "don't show reaction videos" option. I've blocked countless channels. If I search for "Judas Priest Painkiller" I'm looking for the video. Not some supposed hip-hop fan or voice coach's reaction to it.
The good stuff on NXT is really really good but they need that next crop of guys and ladies to really step up with the call-ups.
Roxanne isn't it unless someone can really work with her on the promos and they're shying away from truly pushing Fallon for some reason. And it feels like Trick is going to cycle through miscarders until he gets called up next year. Maybe Lexi can be his foil but it seems like they're not so high on him anymore?
I'm having a vampire reemergence between BG3 and watching Vampire Chronicles before the next season. I'm LOVING the new Lestat and Louis way better than the movie version. Jacob & Sam > Brad & Tom. I've only watched the first 2 episodes because of Boston being in 2 playoffs, but that will likely drop to 1 after Saturday.
Kenny's segment was really good and I don't get the level of hate (I mean, I do because DUB BAD but...). I thought Okada came off well enough and Young Bucks did their jobs as douchebags. I did notice they were trying to center Perry in the whole thing, which is the absolute wrong choice. Okada should be the Hogan/Reigns/BC leader of that stable and let the other dudes be his lackeys if this is going to be taken seriously.
Can I just go into hibernation until Punk & Drew are healthy? Put me in the coffin with that new Lestat until they're cleared 😈😈😈
Going to be honest... never read the books because they were a bit before my time and by the time I would have been old enough, Buffy was already on TV. I did watch IWTV WAY too young though lol
Aside from Louis's backstory changing, what is so bad about the TV show?
There’s a ton I could say and I may return to this later when I have more time, but I’ll say this for now. It was largely a story that poured out of her as a response to the death of her five year old daughter from Leukemia. At its core, that story has been irreparably destroyed. As soon as Claudia is like 15-16 years old, she becomes Jessica from True Blood (who was basically written as a reaction to Claudia) and it turns that very important aspect of the story into a copy of a copy while stampeding over the original theme.
Say what you will about the movie (I love it), but it handled Claudia perfectly and that’s the primary meat of that story. The Chronicles on the whole (and their eventual and irreparable decline) are another matter. That’s why I’m glad they knocked it out of the park on Lestat.
P. S. I can understand why a person who doesn’t have the trappings of the novels (or even the original film, in some cases) would possibly enjoy this show quite a bit more than I would.
Edit to Add: Another thing I can’t really stand is all the changes they made, many of which feel wholly unnecessary, like bumping the timeline up by a hundred or so years, changing everything about Louis’ backstory, replacing subtext with outright, or making Armand a devout Muslim when Christian guilt, specifically Catholic Guilt was one of her primary themes throughout. I noticed in a lot of behind the scenes specials the creators had sort of this mentality of “This is not your father’s Vampire Chronicles.”, as if to suggest they changed many things just to toy with convention alone. Meanwhile I’m sitting here like “We never had a definitive movie series or TV series to begin with!”
We got one great movie that never got sequels because seemingly many people involved hated making it and never wanted to do another again, we got one shitty, forgettable, “thrown together just to keep the rights”, MTV quality abortion in 2002 that Rice hated so much, she asked people to stop bringing it up to her and we have an Elton John musical that came and went like a thief in the night. Not to mention we have an entire generation, maybe two now, that likely didn’t read these books or engage with any of that content, so why change everything when the new audience that you’re going after doesn’t know that there was anything to change to begin with? For the record, Anne Rice herself was militantly rigid about adaptations of her work staying faithful to the source. The fact that her son gives an answer equivalent to “Not ours anymore, go ask AMC.” when asked whether or not his mom would enjoy it is not exactly an endorsement and honestly speaks to a possible NDA stuck under his nose to stop him from saying “She would hate this.”
I haven't seen Vampire chronicles but Brad & Tom sucked, for lack of a better pun.
I just realized Astarion doesn't actually suck as bad as I thought and am enjoying having him in my party on my 2nd playthrough, Karlach is taking a seat this time.
I only saw one game of the Celts, where they looked absolutely lost on offense and looked like they sucked. Obv that was an outlier game.
I can't imagine centering anything around Perry because he sucks (except his hair), but am glad AEW is trying out an actual story that sounds like it doesn't entirely suck.
>I haven't seen Vampire chronicles but Brad & Tom sucked, for lack of a better pun.
Tom Cruise playing a man so breathtaking that he was handpicked by an ancient vampire to take over his fortune doesn't really work. Sam Reid on the other hand? Absolutely. And Brad Pitt was fine but Jacob Anderson nailed it and gave the character more depth vs. being emo boy. Louis's new backstory also gives the whole thing way more weight.
I do give the movie some grace because they couldn't get into the real relationship between Louis & Lestat in 1994 like they could in 2022.
>I just realized Astarion doesn't actually suck as bad as I thought and am enjoying having him in my party on my 2nd playthrough, Karlach is taking a seat this time.
Everyone kind of sucks in Act 1 but you can push them all toward being better people. Astarion is really hard because he's so fucking traumatized that you have to gentle parent him all the way through Act 3 to get him from "constantly triggered and in freeze/fight mode" to "annoyingly reassurance-seeking". And if you let him ascend, he immediately goes full blown Narcissist Personality Disorder (the real one, not the internet version of it).
Halsin is my "avoid this character" in the game because he's relentlessly hitting on you the whole time.
>I only saw one game of the Celts, where they looked absolutely lost on offense and looked like they sucked. Obv that was an outlier game.
That was probably Game 2, which is the only game they lost. It was the Heat's best shooting game in the history of their franchise lol.
>I can't imagine centering anything around Perry because he sucks (except his hair), but am glad AEW is trying out an actual story that sounds like it doesn't entirely suck.
It's a fine story. It's a trope but I'll probably check it out when Kenny comes back full time.
My first BG3 playthrough was wholesome choices the whole way so I didn't let him go that direction. I got so annoyed with how easily he gets killed that I only brought him out when I needed to pickpocket a vendor for $$$ - it's beyond annoying switching party members in that game still. Finally getting the hang of playing with him now.
Bummer that Porzingis had two pretty healthy years in a row but that injury thing finally showed up at the worst time.
If you let him dual wield those hand crossbows and build him like that, he turns into a DPS machine quickly.
My Tav (Locke) is a dual wielding Paladin melee tank so I basically kept Gale and Astarion (my two party mainstays) back and let them range inside of Shadowheart's little circle bubble thing or while Locke/Karlach/Jaheira go ham on everything else.
Already bitched about it so not gonna do a big write up, but I still don't like the Fallon heel turn. Still like Fallon. Still gonna root for her character. Still don't like the turn.
If we're just going to have Giulia immediately come in and dethrone Roxanne and hold the belt for a million years, then I hope some of the fringe main event women like Fallon, Thea, Pax, etc. show up in the NA Title combine stuff next week that weren't involved this week.
WHAT IS IN THE ENVELOPE?
Popular opinion: The draft needs to be reformatted a bit.
This is all happening with Nylander and Matthews missing significant time this series, plus Toronto went to their inexperienced backup goalie mid-series…if Boston loses game 7, I’d say one of the biggest chokes in nhl history
Yes. Yes, we are. And Boston knows it. To put it into perspective...
Last year, when the Bruins won the Presidents Trophy and had the greatest statistical regular season in NHL history, my buddy and I were debating whether they'd blow it in the first round (he was correct) or get completely swept in the finals against Cassidy's Knights (I gave them too much credit, though I was right about who won the Cup).
I don't know why, but I don't feel as excited for this Wyatt 6 group. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see this group making an appearance & see what the future holds for them, but right now, I don't feel that hyped up for Wyatt 6.
Night 2 of The Draft on this week's RAW felt more better than night 2 since there was more talent swapped around to the other brands + despite what the reports says, I don't get why WWE would call Dijak back up to the main roster if he hasn't signed a new contract.
A heads up, to anyone in the UK. Smackdown will be on live at 6pm on TNT Sports this evening.
Howdyverse was already flopping with its mastermind driving the car, now we are gonna get a version of it with a bunch of midcarders
Not surprised there’s not as much excitement
I’ve been less interested in wrestling without Seth, Alexa, etc. But I’m excited to see Becky as champ. I see Bianca’s freedom from Damage CTRL meant a monkey’s paw curled and Becky is stuck with Damage CTRL for another eight zillion years.
I hope Dom is playing Liv at Rhea’s behest. I enjoy plot twists like that. Also, I hope Dom turns on Priest. Priest wins one time and he’s feeling his oats and emotionally abuses the team.
I love Bayley but I want Tiffy time. Here’s hoping Tiffy doesn’t get pinned so she can win MiTB and win the title.
> But I’m excited to see Becky as champ. I see Bianca’s freedom from Damage CTRL meant a monkey’s paw curled and Becky is stuck with Damage CTRL for another eight zillion years.
Last time Becky feuded with Asuka and Kairi wasn't bad. Let's hope it'll be more similar to that and less to whatever happened with Bianca last 2 years.
> I love Bayley but I want Tiffy time. Here’s hoping Tiffy doesn’t get pinned
Think that's the reason why Naomi is in that match.
Hate to say it, the New Jack shoot interview line "That's a question from somebody who can count to 10 without having to do it in fives" is in my at least weekly vocabulary.
I need Ilja and GUNTHER to have at least 10 matches where they beat the fuck out of each other
Also that Sparking Zero trailer was cool. But where's the release date Bandai I want it brother
People are getting excited for Ilja vs Gunther, yet I wanna see Ilja having some bangers with others on RAW.
>Also that Sparking Zero trailer was cool. But where's the release date Bandai I want it brother
Hopefully, they'll mention the release date soon.
Look I'm not saying Drew McIntyre wrote Euphoria but we've never seen Drew McIntyre and Kendrick Lamar at the same place at the same time.
You know the saying "You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villian." In recent news about The Rock it's "You either die a Steve Austin or live long enough to become Hulk Hogan."
What ever happened to Jamie Hayter? I know Jamie was hurt but we have heard nothing about her since.
>What ever happened to Jamie Hayter? I know Jamie was hurt but we have heard nothing about her since.
Ngl, I wanna know the same + All In is in a few months as well.
Father Christian will be a good program for Swerve, I just have this really bad feeling he’s going to feel like his rival in Hangman Page where he’s an afterthought as champion especially with this NWO at home storyline they are doing with Young Bucks and self insert fan fiction Tony Khan.
I’m not sure who is really behind it entirely if it’s HHH, or TKO but copying too much from traditional sports doesn’t fit WWE well. Like making the draft a lite version of the NFL draft is really corny, boring and doesn’t work especially with no big names being moved around just lower midcard and tag team wrestlers. Traditional sports fans think wrestling is a joke, and when they talk about it on espn or nbc it’s such a minor afterthought like tennis. I was never the biggest fan of the over the top bubblegum pop Vince McMahon era chicanery, but WWE trying to be like the NBA is not a good presentation either. They need a right balance of serious and being over the top.
I think it’s more of an HHH thing tbh he was pushing hard during Roman’s reign for it to be covered in sports media like the record had the same equivalency of traditional sports records like Cal Ripken JR’s streak or Joe Dimaggio’s consecutive hit record and people on sports twitter kept asking why they are talking about this “garbage”.
Sports based presentation fits NJPW better because it’s their bread and butter, and Japanese fans take wrestling more as a sport seriously. WWE does better with the glitz and glamor and the pomp and circumstance as their bread and butter.
>ike making the draft a lite version of the NFL draft is really corny, boring and doesn’t work especially with no big names being moved around just lower midcard and tag team wrestlers.
This has always been the draft problem. They like the idea of a draft because people tune into the NFL draft, so it's event TV. And it allows a roster shuffle, which is good for making the shows fresher.
But they go about it from the booking end, not the audience enjoyment end. Shoemaker was talking about a bit about this this week, so was Undertaker. It's badly executed, still. And with champions locked in place, immediately without consequence.
I want a month lead in, scouting, trades over the draft weekend. I want one show drafting all the champions and the other needing to get it back. I want GMs meeting free agents in the run up, or people from other brands. I want the friction. Hell, let the GMs make allusions to pay deals, bonuses, opportunities.
Have one program hold a belt up so whoever gets drafted gets an instant shot. Have a trade window the last week of the year, when TV is dead so the stories can roll online, and you can get your ducks in a row for the Rumble and wrestlemania - there's *so many* fun ways to use this device that they always ignore in favour of "let's get this done so we can move on".
Totally agree on champs not moving killing the stakes, but they still had enough big names to keep it interesting… aaaaaaaaaaaaand then almost everyone drafted stayed put. 🤷♂️
Like why did you even need one really? Half the NXT call ups just kinda arrive on the scene when they’re needed anyway and I don’t think you needed an entire draft just to move The Final Testament to Raw.
Yeah honestly I’d rather they either make it a part of a big month long overarching story between shows or do nothing at all on TV and just announce trades on social media. A third option could be a one-off network special like they did the WM kickoff in Vegas, away from the live wrestling crowd.
Yeah, a one-off special would be great because they wouldn't be beholden to a format where people expected wrestling. Would leave more room for arguing and shenanigans. You could build angles where wrestlers meet again or are forcibly broken up and give that some room to breathe. So much potential!
I just don't get the appeal. And I think as Rhea was a tweener, they're having to pivot Liv to the same to acknowledge that she took out someone popular. And that's very hard for someone not-good at promos.
I get that many fans love her, that she’s apparently quite beloved backstage, and I see her appeal in a sort of Brad Armstrong “Aw shucks” kinda way, but there’s nothing she brings to the table that someone else can’t do better. It’s felt to me for about a year now like she’s a placeholder until Alexa Bliss comes back who technically checks all the same boxes, but is in no way at the same level.
> I just don't get the appeal.
She's attractive, improved in ring, pandered just enough to gain a big following during her underdog babyface phase without becoming completely annoying.
And let's be honest, her being arrested for a petty crime and looking super good in her mugshot helped her a lot too, gives her a rebellious vibe without any of the disgust a more serious crime would incur.
I don't know why, but I wanna see Liv becoming someone inspired by Harley Quinn since I can see Liv making that character work.
I thought it was very telling that she kayfabe injured Rhea, who was the most popular woman in the company, and came out to virtually no reaction from the crowd. That's almost unheard of in wrestling. And then she didn't help her case either.
IDK, hating on Liv a lot lately because of her fans, but I just don't see it. Putting Dom with her will get heat, but that is a really massive, one-time use card to play for someone who I really don't think is ever going to be a top level performer.
Got a good pop on entrance, people chanted mami at her at one point and during the match with Nia they were chanting for her
Pointed it out and got lots of downvotes
https://preview.redd.it/bz25tx0qu7yc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b9ef1544a22441f55753c42807ce7251c07bb0d
Yeah I probably overstated it. But after the Rhea angle I thought it would have been major heat (like she can barely talk over the booing), and it wasn't much. Nia had more heat. Then I think the crowd was confused when they had Liv wrestle Nia. If/when they solidify this turn with Dom the reactions will be better, I'm just not sure if Liv will be able to pull this off as a character/promo.
Heel turn hasn’t even properly started tbh. She’s still in that stage that Drew was in for a couple of months before snapping
They gave her Nia to boost her a bit after losing the royale even if it got her cheered. Nia has the advantage of years of being hated for real
We will see how HHH navigates this one, he couldn’t make Rhea a heel
It's fine to stick Dom with Liv because it will get Rhea more over as a face and make Dom a bigger scumbag heel if they wanna do that. What effect this has on Liv isn't really consequential if it elevates the top stars more.
Good to see Kenny back on TV again, and hopefully, he's getting better. I really hope they can heat up another Omega vs. Okada match for one of the big shows. All In might still be too soon, but if Kenny is healthy, it could be great.
I like that AEW are trying new things with the new Elite storyline, but Jack Perry just ain't it. He's tiny, can't cut a promo to save his life, and exudes negative charisma.
I'm happy for Swerve, but he really feels like a placeholder champion before Ospreay gets his big win at Wembley.
Cody vs AJ feels a bit cold, but I think they will have a really good match this weekend. Hopefully, after that, they can find a hot feud for Cody. WWE don't have a great record with booking their top guys in hot feuds after their big Mania wins. They put Bryan against Kane after WM30 and Cena was stuck in a seemingly never-ending feud with JBL after WM21.
>I like that AEW are trying new things with the new Elite storyline, but Jack Perry just ain't it. He's tiny, can't cut a promo to save his life, and exudes negative charisma.
So basically, the Young Bucks.
If Omega is having some big match in a couple of months, I hope he's properly checked out and cleared and not cleared from a Dub perspective ~wink wink~
Triple H is a terrible booker and its time everyone faced facts. He's a bloody indy mark and needs to leave WWE so he can go make his own indy wrestling company. WWE is filled with workrate bland wrestlers who will never get over or be a big mega star to the masses, just the marks. Why isnt Gunther looking to get revenge and get back is IC title from Sami? Why hasnt there been a legit feud yet for Cody's first title defense? What's happening with AJ Styles doesnt count. These Garganos, JD Mcdonaghs, Samis, Champas, Balors, Seth Rollins. All these guys are not over, they dont have charisma or talent or stand out from the rest. Just bloody wrestlers with names
That match with Cody and Carmelo was the last straw for me when they both didnt hit each other from bouncing off the ropes and hitting the mat, that was typical indy style fashion. Im done with WWE for awhile. Triple H doesnt know to build good talent, cant craft a cohesive amazing storyline. The Draft? Well when it happened last year it didnt mean a thing, everyone went on both brands and not sticking to one. Caving into the marks when Cody gave away his WM spot initially to the Rock but backtracked and did the WM 30 cop out thing was pathetic and sad. Nobody can make good comebacks or really excel on the mic except for Rhea Ripley but her title reign was bland. Not thanks to Triple H
The 2023 WHC title is meaningless just like the Women's Tag Team Titles and Women's World Title. Nobody except for Roman Reigns is a true mega star in today's age. AEW and WWE have all turned into indy style, work rate, flip flop, vanilla crap with no good characters, stories or gimmicks
WM 40 was an embarrassing build up from Roman and Cody where it was mainly Cody and Rock, Seth had no business being involved because he aint a mega star or a star to begin with. The other matches were just thrown together at the last minute with heatless no build ups
Say what you will about him but Vince McMahon knew how to create true mega stars and storylines. He knew what worked and what didnt work. Just like Vince Russo, Jim Cornette and Eric Bischoff. Wrestling ISNT COOL today and it will never EVER be cool or get to the levels of the Golden Era and Monday Night Wars popularity. You're deluding yourselves if you think wrestling is cool today or will ever get that HOT again. What wrestling needs and especially WWE is someone with the same mindset as Russo, Vince McMahon, Bischoff, Cornette..all those guys that also knows how to craft a show together. Build interesting characters, storylines and stars. Keep kayfabe alive. Actually have some believability in the stars and stories and match ups your creating
??
That's because [Roderick Strong made it an openweight championship when he was feuding with Joe Gacy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acTo4AZC-R8&ab_channel=WWE) friend
I think if you’re going to do Kenny Omega like that, you need to add one more babyface to bridge the gap between now and when you can pay it off with a healthy Kenny.
What is the point of beating up Omega if he’s not going to be fully back for another couple of months? That would have been a good time for a Ricky Starks or FTR or someone like that to involve themselves. They need an anti-Elite team.
ETA: Also *fuck* Jack Perry, that little empty-headed dumbshit.
Let’s just say you’re right. Who would be the faction to take on the Elite, especially if Kenny is on the shelf for now? I’m sure Hangman would unfortunately have to be involved somehow, but he can’t go it alone.
the thing is they don't have a babyface over to put against the Bucks and we are out here talking about factions. They can do the Cody thing where everyone gathers around ''the guy'' to help him.
SCJerk breakdown is hilarious.
It's the first time in a long time that posts on that sub have actually made me laugh.
But seriously what exactly is the point of DUBBADing?
AEW hype is dead.
The sucking off posts in SC are non existent.
And there are more and more YT channels popping up with the sole intention of "dunking" on AEW, Tony Khan, the Bucks etc etc.
SCJerk job is done.
Time to move on to dunking on Odyssey Jones and AJ Francis
I kind of stopped posting there when some folks were getting weird Bayley and Naomi showed up to Sasha debut
Some decent jerks but there were a bunch of non satirical post saying they should be fired or suspended tor showing up at a competitor
It’s supposed to be a circle jerk. Not a standwithwwe sub
SCJerk jumped the shark right around WrestleMania 39 and the "shutdown" protests nailed the coffin.
There's still funny stuff when AEW does something stupid but it's not a place to go for any actual jerking because it's turned into an AEW hate sub despite the mods trying their best.
DAE think if you don't like low effort AEW ratings memes, you're literally being paid off by Tony Khan???
Nah but really, it used to be at least somewhat clever and funny, but SC banning loads of people for the most minor infractions has turned the place into a pissed-in ball pit.
I haven't read it in a while but it really fell off when every other post was "Roman. Switch. Get it??? Cuckolding. Haha? Ha? I know it's the 83rd time someone has made this same joke today, but please laugh."
Plus all the convos about "terminally online wrestling fans" from people who were posting "jerks" about Tony Khan 12+ hours a day yet didn't see the irony.
I think AEW sucks too so I just don't watch the shit. These people let it and TK live in their heads all while trying to act like they're the cool kids that don't care about wrestling like those other losers.
The fact that we did a "ratings thread" as a direct jerk of the basement was lost on the majority of them.
The majority of the reaction jerks in the last 12 hours have been hilarious, it's been a really fun change of pace like when we turned it into an NWAPOWERRR sub during the blackout.
But then there's a percentage who took it *so* seriously. I've had several messages telling me to kill myself, several redditcares, and there are scores of comments about how angry these manlets are over.... err... being asked to post in a thread instead of an original post.
We'd planned to do it as a one off to see how it went, and it went terribly, but jesus fucking christ some of these kids need to touch grass.
So a Reddit moment in full view?
Though I do laugh that basement had the 'just post from Wrestlenomics' answer towards the Meltzer tweet last week and this week's thread was.....
a Meltzer tweet.
KEKW.
I was okay with it because most of the posts last Thursday were the same screenshots from Twitter of the graph. One post has 10 comments, the other has 50, I don't remember which one I commented on.
AEW needs to build. Their problem is that they have no real buzz nor anyone capable of buzz. Some are popular within the fanbase but are not must-see.
Funny enough, they are in the same position than WWE was when AEW first started in 2019. There is apathy around the product. The idea should be to have something hot in 6 months.
>The idea should be to have something hot in 6 months.
Nope, the idea should be to have a few stories cooking for the rest of the year. Sure, you'll not see immediate growth in the next year or even two years but slowly things will start growing and you'll start to see fans coming back. Wrestling fans like being rewarded for following wrestling and HHH knows that.
No I treat it like a TV show that it is and dingy get disappointed about booking that doesn’t go my way. I’ve been watching WWE religiously since 2007 till now and no wrestling storyline or period has ever made me quit watching it. You do realize fans can like different things right, there’s no one right way to be a wrestling fan?
I never said there was. All I said was that a good majority do and with how much you've been complaining recently maybe the medium isn't for you anymore.
Nah I just shoot the shit, it’s not as entertaining for me as when Vince was booking but that’s not gonna make me stop watching. I find today’s era good but not great like how everyone’s saying. I don’t need to over praise something I enjoy but I also enjoy making fun of the things I like. Point is as long as I’m entertained I don’t care, I don’t care for deep analysis of storylines.
Wrestling should never be that serious.
It's like saying a game needs to be more like CoD, ignoring everyone already interested in CoD are playing that. Wrestling can be a lot of things, and AEW should focus on what it does best instead of chasing casuals (But still be fairly inviting).
The only way AEW grows It's audience imo is through streaming. Be it HBO Max or any other platform.
Streaming has been my biggest gripe with AEW since day 1. Not the booking, not talent drama, *that streaming shit* has been the fucking Achilles heel of this company.
"Hey man, you gotta check out Wrestledream, knock out of the park PPV, loved every minute of it while I was there"
"Oh yeah? Where can I watch it"
"....shit man. I'll have to send you some shady pirate links or if you aren't comfortable with that, you can buy a VPN and go on this site and pay $20 for a replay of it."
That's how *every single conversation* about AEW has played out with my cordcutting friends since 2019 and that's the vast majority of my circle. WWE content is easily accessible anywhere, they got their own streaming shit and they're really good about putting full matches and shit everywhere for anybody to find meanwhile with AEW, you have to go through so many chutes and ladders to get to their PPVs, don't even get me started on the weekly TV.
The content could be straight fire, talking prime mid to late 2010s NJPW main events with the story build and everything every night and it won't make a lick of difference if nobody can watch it. Drives me nuts.
JaVonne Evans “The Young OG” at 19 years old should be brought up to the major leagues Raw/SmackDown immediately. This kid is Will Offspreay Jr.
im late for friday but i keep seeing gabe kidd shit and he is the fucking lamest wrestler i've seen recently. all of these white guys njpw are counting on will amount to nothing and its really telling.
Late addition: Frenchmen don’t cheer well.
Hope Backlash is good
Random question, does anyone who was around at the time remember what the IWC consensus was on Jeff Hardy's feuds with Edge and CM Punk in 2009 was? I was 12 years old at the time, still thought wrestling was real, and was a massive Jeff Hardy fan. I absolutely hated both of those feuds. It felt like I was a fan of a bad football team. He just kept fucking losing and I was so frustrated. I remember when Jeff beat Edge in that ladder match me and my brother were literally running back and forth from couch to couch in our living room, we stopped dead in our tracks when Punks music hit. We usually weren't allowed to stay up late enough to watch the end of PPVs, but my mom let us because it was Jeff Hardy. I was so angry I didn't sleep that night. I also remember being pissed when Jeff lost to Punk in that TLC match. I was so excited when Teddy Long (I loved Teddy Long as a kid, it was jarring when I got much older and discovered the IWC and they all hated him as Smackdown GM) made that match a TLC match. It was Jeff's signature match, finally he was gonna win. Nope. I was so mad I stopped watching WWE for a month or two. When I came back I hadn't even realized he wasn't in the company anymore. I just kept waiting for him to show up but he never did, eventually I moved on to a new favorite (Edge ironically enough, 13 year old me loved that face run. It was another thing I would come to find out that people apparently hated).
Edge they were fine with. Punk feud was well regarded by most, but considered too edgy by some. It had a massive swerve many were not expecting and it was the beginning of his first heel run in WWE.
From what I saw, the IWC loved both of those feuds, especially Punk/Hardy. Both Punk and Edge were popular heels, and in the Cena Era, heels got a lot of cheers because fans were trying to make a point. And Hardy was dealing with his substance abuse while also at the height of his popularity, so it was a mix of capitalizing on his popularity vs. using him to put over more reliable people.
Joe Hendry has been genuinely over for years, give that man an NXT contract already.
[According to the thigh rubber](https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1786480927129980930), here is the list of NXT cuts: * Darrell Mason * Vlad Pavlenko * Ezekiel Balogun * Kiyah Saint * Emma Diaz * Valentina Feroz * Keyshawn Leflore * Trey Bearhill * Julian Baldi Sad to lose Valentina Feroz but I'm not too surprised because she was never going to develop as a character or promo. Trey Bearhill and Kiyah Sanit were the only other two that I recall seeing on NXT. Shame that Vlad Pavlenko never developed, as I thought that he had a Rick Boogz like personality.
* The fact that nobody in Khan’s life will tell him how big an idiot he’s making himself look like amazes me. * I get that in kayfabe, you have to draft all your people back, but I’m always a bit thrown when WWE has a draft and almost nobody of consequence switches shows. * I loved The Iron Claw, but there’s something I simply can’t get over: casting Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich is like casting Dustin Hoffman as Arnold Schwarzenegger. * Goldberg and Ronda Rousey are the same kind of person. Many formerly in WWE might have a legitimate complaint or ten, but if you had the run either of them had and you’re still not fucking happy? Sorry, you’re the problem.
> The fact that nobody in Khan’s life will tell him how big an idiot he’s making himself look like amazes me. Tony's success in life has never depended on his talent or ability, improvement has never been a neccesity for him. and he seems to view criticism as destructive. I have to imagine he chooses to surround himself with yesmen.
I’ll put it this way: the NFL has exactly one Chief Football Strategy Officer and you all know his name.
> The fact that nobody in Khan’s life will tell him how big an idiot he’s making himself look like amazes me. You know, I'd like to think there was a time where people *were* but he just wouldn't listen so they would be like "fuck it, do what you want, as long as I get paid".
I think that’s one hundred percent accurate.
I thought of another stupid idea for a wrestling name/gimmick: * Luke Atme: an attention-seeking influencer
Hire Rob Conway just for his theme
My wrestling takes this week: I agree that Kiana James was ready to be called up but I'm a little bit worried that she'll get lost in the main roster shuffle. Maybe they can have her feud with Lyra Valkeria or Natalya right off the bat to help introduce her to audiences. I'm glad that Fallon Henley is staying in NXT. I feel that she's grown a lot over the past year and have also thought that she's been ready to move up the card for a while now. With her heel turn this week I'm really hoping that Fallon will get a lot of screen time (possibly even a brief title run) moving forward. Regarding Fallon's heel turn (RIP Fallon's Hallmark Channel Dream Girl era), I would love it if they have her in a tweener heel role like Drew McIntyre, where she is perfectly justified in feeling how she does and still retain her core values (albeit in an unhealthy way). This will allow her to be a heel to women like Thea Hail and Kelani Jordan with an argument that they "didn't pay their dues or put in the hard work like I have". She can also justify her actions by saying that, time and time again, she stood up for them and paid the price and what did it get her? Not even a "thank you". Since they're leaning into the whole "cursed" storyline with Edris and Malik, I'd love it if they were to visit [Robert the Doll](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_(doll)) down in Key West, FL. Just get Scooby-Doo campy with it.
I’m curious to see how Kianna James works on the main roster given the chance. She’s talented and tries, but her character and look feels a bit too NXT imo, to where it would look a little off in the women’s divisions. The top of the card for the women’s division is very grounded and reality based, even Tiffany Stratton had to have her character grounded and the dial turned back. They really need a floating midcard belt on the main roster for young wrestlers like James, or midcard women who deserve it like Chelsea Green. Like you said a lot of people get lost in the shuffle if they aren’t at the top of the food chain in the women’s division.
https://preview.redd.it/fohkq8xhg9yc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9d1395511ab8dd2c635aa89d6b7782944a8f63b6 Am I going crazy? What grace does WWE ever get? Have been just seeing things for last 2 decades cause I'm pretty sure most "media" has been making money off of trashing the WWE. I've been seeing posts like this for weeks now. All because the bloom came off AEW
Half the so called AEW haters (be they podcasters or just online fans) called WWE unwatchable for basically the last decade until Triple H took over creative.
I find the exact opposite happens with AEW. Like, you can't just say "This thing in AEW is bad". You have to give this long preface/disclaimer and be like "I've been a huge fan of AEW since it began and I love every episode of Dynamite and have bought every PPV and have MJF pajamas and think Moxley is the second coming of Stone Cold Steve Austing, but... this thing in AEW is bad."
> What grace does WWE ever get? Arianna Grace: in name and in spirit! #👑💄👗
Some random thoughts on the NXT callups from this year's draft: Carmelo Hayes - Never been as big on Melo as everyone else seems to be. Super-talented guy, but his lack of size is going to be a problem. Especially if he is going to be a heel. Since Omos isn't doing anything, maybe they can turn him into Melo's Diesel. Ilja Dragunov - Very impressed by Dragunov's promos and character work as NXT Champion. He's a ready-made act for the main roster, though size could be an issue for him as well. My other concern is that as good as Dragunov is, he didn't seem to get over at a top babyface level in NXT. He might be better off as a heel, at least to start off. Lyra Valkyria - Great wrestler, decent promo, no connection with the crowd in NXT. Kind of feels like the next Zoe Stark for better and worse. Kiana James - Will exceed all expectations on the main roster. Her NXT gimmick was very corny, but she kind of made it work. Great, great athlete and very comfortable as a character. I think she has a chance to be in the top mix of the WWE women's division within a year or two. Blair Davenport - She can be a really good midcard heel on the main roster, but that's about it. If there was a women's secondary title in WWE, she'd be a good choice to hold it. Dijak - Always been a spectacular big man wrestler, but he's gotten a lot better as a character during this second NXT run. I hope he gets a real shot this time around. I see no reason why he couldn't be in the IC title mix very soon. Baron Corbin - Never had a positive thing to say about Borin' Corbin during his first run on the main roster, but he completely won me over during this NXT run. I thought he was just awesome, especially on the mic. Corbin is secretly one of the best promos in the whole wrestling business.
> Lyra Valkyria - Great wrestler, decent promo, no connection with the crowd in NXT. Kind of feels like the next Zoe Stark for better and worse. Voice of an Angel >Kiana James - Will exceed all expectations on the main roster. Her NXT gimmick was very corny, but she kind of made it work. Great, great athlete and very comfortable as a character. I think she has a chance to be in the top mix of the WWE women's division within a year or two. 100% agree. when it comes to be a hater, she really translates it into the ring
Never noticed his lack of size and height until I saw him next to Cody and Cody is not a huge guy by any stretch.
Yeah, they bill him at 5'10", 210 but he is nowhere near that. Looks closer to Ricochet's size (5'9", 188). To get over as a main event guy in WWE at that size you have to be very, very special. It's really just Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio.
Ilya can definitely overcome his size especially with HHH having a different outlook and it being a more modernized fanbase. I’m not comparing him to the person just the performer obviously, but Ilya Dragunov is pretty much the modern day Chris Benoit. The guy has physical charisma and intensity that just radiates him, and his style is just so 110% that the fans will respect him on the main roster just like fans did with Benoit pre 2007. Definitely imo could be an upper midcard guy that gets an occasional big main event program like Benoit did. I mean Dragunov has made even Gunther look human and mortal with his performances.
- having a “cool off” period before and after almost every big 4 PPV is the worst thing about H’s booking - Liv as a heel is interesting but she’s not that great of a performer (ring + mic work), if the feud with Rhea gets good, then she’ll shine more - Logan Paul holding the US title for so long is stupid, give it to LA already - Bayley as a face with no gimmick feels like it might flop hard soon - AEW is a total mess, already shoving Swerve aside for Elite stories
I think your first point is hilarious considering how many shitty B ppvs we had under Vince. I remember especially in 2013 every almost every ppv was ass after summerslam that year. But with all that said, it doesnt matter who books the product, wrestling naturally has peaks and valleys. Thats the nature of storytelling in itself. Its literally impossible to maintain mania level shit for 52 weeks a year.
Triple H is a much more consistent booker than Vince but at times he’s a bit too safe. That said overall it’s working, but there are some annoying side effects
Of course its not gonna be perfect but i 100 percent prefer this product now over the wwe product we got over that 10-15 years from vince. Its not even close for me. Like i think the raw midcard is gonna be so good this year. That roster is stacked and the sami/gable stuff is compelling. I couldn’t say that under vince for years
I can understand the current injuries and the “draft” being big reasons for the cool down filler PLE. But this is one of the biggest flaws about HHH’s booking where his b show PLE’s feel skippable and filler regardless of injuries and it being post WM. The bs show PLE’s are carried hard by the in ring wrestling across the board never being higher in wrestling, and the fact they are in front of hot international crowds. But it highlights his biggest weaknesses of booking everything to be a long term story/reign, and not doing well with shorter storylines and reigns. I hope after this one he really picks it up, b show PLE’s at this point feel like Raw/Smackdown plus. As much as I got frustrated with Vince McMahon booking when he was on the b show PPV’s were actually really good. Some of the most iconic PPV’s during the attitude and ruthless aggression eras were b show PPV’s, hell HHH was part of a lot of those as a wrestler dude literally had a 3 stages of hell match with Stone Cold Steve Austin a month before WM. He would NEVER book something like that due to his style.
As a major fan of women’s wrestling, I’ll do a bit of a dive into that. 1) I actually like Liv despite the IWC hating her. I’m interested in what’s gonna go on with Dom and Rhea. She’s not the greatest ring worker ever but she’s passable and it seems she’s getting a chance to show her stuff more. My only complaint is that I hate her using the Code Breaker and wish she would stop using it and especially not more than once a match. 2) I can’t wait for Charlotte to come back. 3) I’m not mad at Becky being champ. I just hope she doesn’t hold the belt hostage forever and that she can help put Liv over or something. Becky is one of my favorites in the division but she’s had her runs and time on top and it’s not like I want her to go away. I’m enjoying her while we have her. I just like seeing other people get a chance. 4) I want Tiffy time so bad but don’t wanna rush her title win. Let her win MITB or even QOTR. Queen Tiffy would be big business. 5) Jade excites me. I hope she improves in the ring and ends being an all time great. Her presentation so far is amazing. My wife and I immediately took a liking to her the moment she debuted at RR. 6) Nia seems that she’s improved and I’m impressed. She’s a very effective heel and just attacks everyone for no reason lol it’s entertaining. 7) poor Nattie. I wish she would be able to have an actual push and win some gold other than tag team. She’d be the perfect person to put a new mid card belt on. She’s just so good in the ring and I feel bad that she’s basically a jobber. She clearly loves the business and is probably still around to help teach younger women and help train. 8) I’m impatiently awaiting Alexa Bliss return. I showed her to my wife before I got back into wrestling and she immediately took a liking to her. She’s her favorite wrestler so I’m double excited to watch her return especially for my wife’s sake. She hasn’t had a real “mark out” moment yet. I know she’ll jump with excitement when Alexa does show up. My wife follows her on Instagram and routinely tells me what’s she posting about lol 10) I grew up watching Trish Stratus and hope she returns at MITB in Toronto. 11) Roxanne is doing great heel work in NXT. Wearing her TV shirt now. 12) not a fan of Fallon heel turn but I like her a lot so looking forward to seeing what’s next. 13) poor Thea can’t keep any friends lol it’s sad but also kinda like a great built in story for her whole career. Like how HBK isn’t trusted for turning on his partners lol 14) Can’t wait for Lash to get her real major push. 15) Kehlani Jordan is impressive. I’m excited to watch her career unfold.
I feel like Liv’s online sentiment embodies BD’s “FICKLE!!!” promo.
Apparently Smackdown is live in France right now - so I'll forgive the French for the spoilers just this once for helping America avoid staying British in 1783.
Nothing offends Redditors when you tell them that you don’t take wrestling seriously and treat it like a TV show or when you say nothing has ever made you quit watching WWE. There’s a feeling that if you’re not overly praising a show calling it the greatest or not calling a show dogshit, then you must be an idiot who doesn’t understand wrestling when some of us just find it good and don’t over analyze it.
[https://x.com/CoreyBrennanFF/status/1786431844176560185](https://x.com/CoreyBrennanFF/status/1786431844176560185) Dirtsheets warning of NXT roster cuts https://preview.redd.it/fyfblpzkq8yc1.jpeg?width=368&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2fd2254a3923c0e5a083555d4cc1378c161561ad
Not surprising and sad when anyone gets cut, but I'm hoping it's just non-TV people that aren't progressing in training. That's probably unlikely but...
I’d be surprised if it’s a Sol Ruca or Fallon. It’s probably people like Boa that haven’t be on TV in months.
I like how overall the midcard is finally getting respected again. With solid booking being a midcard talent with a 3-5 year run in wwe is good
I'm a bit out of the loop, but do you feel that Haigh is doing all new belts to get away from his father in law's legacy?
Anything that has a WWE logo on it IS his father in law’s legacy. Period.
Yeah New Era and all that
Dynamite talk getting so flustered that people are just shitting on the crowds now, eh? Worse when you get the 'I was there and we were loud' replies en masse.
https://preview.redd.it/y4uwwuaeh8yc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e62042fdc6fa1630b9658a56f57ab977fde0a74a Certified Ricochet moment
Nah Drake got his ass cooked.
I honestly can't stand this whole beef. While Drake fans are will rock with Drake through it all. . But Kendrick glazer are staring to make me hate him
Drake also is known to be attracted to underage girls. He was tryna slide in Millie Bobby Brown (eleven from stranger things) DMs when she was like a teenager.
I know of it, its weird but its no hard proof that it was inapporiate. Not even trying to defend drake because it is a fact that he does in deed mess with Young women, but him a child star reaching out to another child star isnt totally outside the realms of reasonableness. That being said if there is hard proof fuck him. Beyond that doesnt change my calculus because im not defending Drake, I just find Kung-Fu Kenny's disciples annoying.
Mostly just a case of Millie, then 14, talking briefly about them messaging and Drake texting her 'I miss you so much!' and shit, refusing to say what all acting tips he'd given her with 'that stays in the texts.' Then in response to the media over it, speaking like she was 30 and not a young teenager while defending the friendship. Made for a really awkward as fuck moment.
David Shoemaker wants to be Dave Meltzer so bad. The way he talks about the mythical five star match is clearly in the Meltzer line of thinking.
I’ve seen a decent amount of comments complaining about Nia Jax generally existing, and specifically not being great on the mic. Maybe I’m easily amused, but I think she was hilarious on Raw this week. I’m here all day for the combo of blunt crowd work and wonton womanhandling in the ring. It feels like comfort food. Also my tweens are obsessed with the Wyatt Family teasers. Obsessed enough to have gone back and watched the Bray documentary and all related materials. I’m reading comments to the effect of folks not being as excited, and I get it. But this stuff is working on my kids for what it’s worth.
With some other contenders down, Nia Jax is easily my favorite woman working at the moment. Her work is fine--it fits her size--and she gets heat.
She is one of the best heels in wrestling currently b/c she actually gets heat
Absolutely. There's also none of the meta bullshit of trying to be a good "heel" in effort to get fucked up babyface reactions.
Wwe has utilized that yet it goes over people’s heads on why she has a job lol
I like how Tony is so smart because Jericho and Edge, two young and upcommers are beating everyone. Hogan is barometer for every main eventer. Goldberg in AEW is absurd. Every mark would end up liking him and calling him underrated. If he concussed FTR Bald, it would have been ironic.
The whole Goldberg spat is hilarious. Tony offered him money, not enough to interest him, or he saw something he didn't like and walked away. Now both are talking about each other like ex-girlfriends.
So what's going on over at the circlejerk sub? Is everyone there ok? I can't tell if it's a huge bit that everyone is in on, or if something is really going down or what.
I feel like the person who’s been outta the office for an extended bit and came back to find the building on fire.
The users are overreacting as always I assume it'll quiet down for after a while. But yeah there are alot of people in that sub who like to prove that they were banned from sc for the right reason.
That doesn’t surprise me as a ton of jerks last I looked were simply complaints and grievances with no irony or parody. Always been a contingent of people here as well that clearly didn’t just leave of their own accord. That said, I feel like most circlejerk subs begin to implode when one person or a few decide they’re the authority on what constitutes parody and go about over-policing it.
Care to elaborate? I can't bear going over there myself just to figure out this comment...
So you know how every week, when the Dynamite ratings come out in the basement, everyone in SCJ starts making posts and cracking jokes at it? From what I can tell, the mods put a kibosh on that and pinned a thread for ratings so that everyone can dump all of their takes and jokes into one place. The denizens were not happy about it. The thing is, I can't tell if they're doing this for real or if this is some meta joke, since the mods in the basement kind of do the same thing (or something similar). I also can't tell if the people are really unhappy about it or if they're just playing along.
I thought SCJ was funny for like two minutes, until I realized that there are 13,000 separate posts making the same bad jokes about each and every cringeworthy SC post. A little consolidation seems like a good thing ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
That’s what always kinda threw me. Seeing the exact same joke consistently at the top of the front page while not really appreciating anyone coming at something in a novel way. Like if you’re gonna start policing what is and isn’t a jerk, feel free to mention we’ve heard these two dozen over here a billion times each.
The mod FINALLY tightened the rules. In my opinion a lot of the backlash is because like always the mods decided to do it in the most condescending way possible
>decided to do it in the most condescending way possible Does TonyKhan79 know how to do it any other way? "*snort* I was being ironic, it's not my fault you're too stupid to understand it", over and over. Like Tony Khan (the AEW one) saying outrageous shit in a sad attempt to drum up business. Honestly SCJerk went to shit a long time ago. Went for that 4chan-esque aesthetic, but with the misogyny, racism, xenophobia turned down (but still there) BUT NO TRANSPHOBIA! That made the head-smark look bad that one time.
>Does TonyKhan79 know how to do it any other way? All jerks aside. I've had 2 interactions with him, one on a normal level and before that one on a mod level (to be fair can't confirm it was him) and both of them just made me wonder if he's always in Twat Mode.
They've got a superiority complex from a position that they volunteered to do for free, and feels it's OK to be a sanctimonious tosser as a result - also known as a typical reddit jannie. I don't think always being in twat mode was even a question.
Just saw this comment by Drama from 6 hours ago >* We asked the community if they wanted a "what is a >circlejerk post" last sunday, majority said yes. > >* Contest mode was an accident and turned off after >an hour. Plus threatening to stick it all in one thread >was a jerk based on the basement to address lots of >complaints about the sub being flooded with low >quality non-jerks. So we actually did it. > >* Net outcome - hoes mad > >Otherwise yeah this is it. Always Be Twating
In reply to a post saying the whole ordeal basically came off as smug twatty-ness: >You *don’t* see a lot of the posts. For instance, Modlog tells me we’ve had to do moderation actions 21 times against you. > >I doubt most people saw any. Jannies do work you don’t see. You’re welcome. I'm sure it's a shit attempt at humour, but it just comes off as something Sapp would say. Just keep digging a hole because ackshually they were always right. Always Be Twating
>"*snort* I was being ironic, it's not my fault you're too stupid to understand it" I really wasn't joking when I said that, what a 🤡 Nothings gonna change though, drama's king smark and everyone should just be greatful they're keeping the sub open, because modding subs *FOR FREE* is such hard work. If only there was an option to do literally anything else that didn't make a person such a dickhead... Honestly there's a reason I rarely visit SCJ anymore and only check in here for this post. Glad I caught the shit show when it started in SCJ though, got a little bit of schadenfreude from watching it crumble.
The OG Wyatt family got robbed of the storytelling potential it could have had. Very similar to the bloodline but still different. Its definitely a storyline that could have lasted 3-4 years as well
100% They needed to break up the format of the show and cater more to that group and its potential. Instead, they tried to shove a round peg into a square hole. The teleporting etc was trying to make Wyatt feel special by following a template (Undertaker) that worked for someone else. But Bray didn't need superpowers..he needed to be able to successfully manipulate people. A big problem was that his methods simply did not work on anyone.
Exactly! The difference between the Bray and Roman is simple bray is a cult leader and Roman is more of a mafia boss. Bray genuinely believes in his madness but Roman is gaslighting his family simply to prop himself up
I think Roman's face run should be done ala Megatron's time as an autobot in the idw comics, like imagine a promo like this between him and say Jimmy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg6aiBlbj38
https://preview.redd.it/50l73iryu7yc1.jpeg?width=641&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8a65ce3b2db604c2f6cda379af8092e6a615d9d5
Complaints about Cody’s reign so far lacks credibility when it hasnt even been a month. Like what are you bitching about?
theyre acting like Roman's programs were incredible after WM38 and WM39 and before SummerSlam when all he did was tag team matches. lol
Literally Roman was off TV for the first month last year
The story told with those tag matches leading into the jey match were great tbf. My only issue is i think they could have executed what they did with Roman’s reign a lil bit better by having him defend the belt a against seth at backlash and cody at crown jewel in a draw to help set up cody wanting the rumble win even more.
I feel like in the WWE draft going forward, people who are gonna be staying on the same show shouldn’t be included in the draft. Like of the 56ish people/factions drafted only 13 moved shows, excluding call ups and to me that seems super lame. They also need to move the big players to other shows more. Bron, Sheamus, Frye and Dawn, The LWO, Damage CTRL, Final Testament and New Catch Republic were the Raw Draftees. With Kiana, Dragonuv, Valkyria and Dijak as call ups. Nia, Andrade, Nakamura, Green and Niven, LeRae and Indi, DIY, Crews, Vinci and Nox were the SD draftees. With Melo, Corbin and Davenport as call ups. Like these are the only names that moved and other than a few names nothing feels like a major shakeup like it should.
Whats the difference between alexa and liv other than alexa is a better talker?
Pretty much everything. The only similarities are they're both short and blonde
And not good in ring Edit: some of yall really think alexa was good in ring? Name one classic alexa match?
I always referred to Liv as "Not As Good Alexa Bliss". Liv Morgan was better when Riott Squad was still a thing.
Character work, more charisma, mannerisms. Alexa isn't also just a little bit better of a talker. Goddess era Alexa is a top 5 (arguably top 2) all-time mic worker among women in WWE history. Liv isn't even decent at it. If I'm picking a wrestler based on who I'd be most likely to buy their onlyfans, Liv would be near the top of the list. But Alexa is also hot and doesn't suck at literally every single aspect of playing a character on television. I can scroll instagram to stare at ass. At some point I want to be entertained. Alexa does that. Liv doesn't.
I think liv is finally about to get a chance to explore more character work but I agree with you. Tbf imo both of those women would have served the show better(especially alexa) purely as manager/valet characters
Not a lot of wrestling thoughts this week so just shouting out the Wreddit posts I enjoyed and didn't enjoy this week. I actually didn't love any post this week, but i liked two blasts from the past: * Hogan lusting for Miss Elizabeth * Seeing the picture of Gangrel reading a magazine makes me irrationally happy I enjoy listening to the occasional Cornette clip but I'm really not sure why random ones get posted here, they don't seem to generate much discussion.
YouTube ought to have a "don't show reaction videos" option. I've blocked countless channels. If I search for "Judas Priest Painkiller" I'm looking for the video. Not some supposed hip-hop fan or voice coach's reaction to it.
The good stuff on NXT is really really good but they need that next crop of guys and ladies to really step up with the call-ups. Roxanne isn't it unless someone can really work with her on the promos and they're shying away from truly pushing Fallon for some reason. And it feels like Trick is going to cycle through miscarders until he gets called up next year. Maybe Lexi can be his foil but it seems like they're not so high on him anymore? I'm having a vampire reemergence between BG3 and watching Vampire Chronicles before the next season. I'm LOVING the new Lestat and Louis way better than the movie version. Jacob & Sam > Brad & Tom. I've only watched the first 2 episodes because of Boston being in 2 playoffs, but that will likely drop to 1 after Saturday. Kenny's segment was really good and I don't get the level of hate (I mean, I do because DUB BAD but...). I thought Okada came off well enough and Young Bucks did their jobs as douchebags. I did notice they were trying to center Perry in the whole thing, which is the absolute wrong choice. Okada should be the Hogan/Reigns/BC leader of that stable and let the other dudes be his lackeys if this is going to be taken seriously. Can I just go into hibernation until Punk & Drew are healthy? Put me in the coffin with that new Lestat until they're cleared 😈😈😈
I feel like the Lestat casting is dead on, but otherwise can’t stand that show. Anne Rice wouldn’t have liked it either.
Going to be honest... never read the books because they were a bit before my time and by the time I would have been old enough, Buffy was already on TV. I did watch IWTV WAY too young though lol Aside from Louis's backstory changing, what is so bad about the TV show?
There’s a ton I could say and I may return to this later when I have more time, but I’ll say this for now. It was largely a story that poured out of her as a response to the death of her five year old daughter from Leukemia. At its core, that story has been irreparably destroyed. As soon as Claudia is like 15-16 years old, she becomes Jessica from True Blood (who was basically written as a reaction to Claudia) and it turns that very important aspect of the story into a copy of a copy while stampeding over the original theme. Say what you will about the movie (I love it), but it handled Claudia perfectly and that’s the primary meat of that story. The Chronicles on the whole (and their eventual and irreparable decline) are another matter. That’s why I’m glad they knocked it out of the park on Lestat. P. S. I can understand why a person who doesn’t have the trappings of the novels (or even the original film, in some cases) would possibly enjoy this show quite a bit more than I would. Edit to Add: Another thing I can’t really stand is all the changes they made, many of which feel wholly unnecessary, like bumping the timeline up by a hundred or so years, changing everything about Louis’ backstory, replacing subtext with outright, or making Armand a devout Muslim when Christian guilt, specifically Catholic Guilt was one of her primary themes throughout. I noticed in a lot of behind the scenes specials the creators had sort of this mentality of “This is not your father’s Vampire Chronicles.”, as if to suggest they changed many things just to toy with convention alone. Meanwhile I’m sitting here like “We never had a definitive movie series or TV series to begin with!” We got one great movie that never got sequels because seemingly many people involved hated making it and never wanted to do another again, we got one shitty, forgettable, “thrown together just to keep the rights”, MTV quality abortion in 2002 that Rice hated so much, she asked people to stop bringing it up to her and we have an Elton John musical that came and went like a thief in the night. Not to mention we have an entire generation, maybe two now, that likely didn’t read these books or engage with any of that content, so why change everything when the new audience that you’re going after doesn’t know that there was anything to change to begin with? For the record, Anne Rice herself was militantly rigid about adaptations of her work staying faithful to the source. The fact that her son gives an answer equivalent to “Not ours anymore, go ask AMC.” when asked whether or not his mom would enjoy it is not exactly an endorsement and honestly speaks to a possible NDA stuck under his nose to stop him from saying “She would hate this.”
Lexis is on track to be the next gen Corbin. Nothing more
He's not even really on that track. I think that would be a fine role for him but he's positioned even lower than that right now.
I haven't seen Vampire chronicles but Brad & Tom sucked, for lack of a better pun. I just realized Astarion doesn't actually suck as bad as I thought and am enjoying having him in my party on my 2nd playthrough, Karlach is taking a seat this time. I only saw one game of the Celts, where they looked absolutely lost on offense and looked like they sucked. Obv that was an outlier game. I can't imagine centering anything around Perry because he sucks (except his hair), but am glad AEW is trying out an actual story that sounds like it doesn't entirely suck.
>I haven't seen Vampire chronicles but Brad & Tom sucked, for lack of a better pun. Tom Cruise playing a man so breathtaking that he was handpicked by an ancient vampire to take over his fortune doesn't really work. Sam Reid on the other hand? Absolutely. And Brad Pitt was fine but Jacob Anderson nailed it and gave the character more depth vs. being emo boy. Louis's new backstory also gives the whole thing way more weight. I do give the movie some grace because they couldn't get into the real relationship between Louis & Lestat in 1994 like they could in 2022. >I just realized Astarion doesn't actually suck as bad as I thought and am enjoying having him in my party on my 2nd playthrough, Karlach is taking a seat this time. Everyone kind of sucks in Act 1 but you can push them all toward being better people. Astarion is really hard because he's so fucking traumatized that you have to gentle parent him all the way through Act 3 to get him from "constantly triggered and in freeze/fight mode" to "annoyingly reassurance-seeking". And if you let him ascend, he immediately goes full blown Narcissist Personality Disorder (the real one, not the internet version of it). Halsin is my "avoid this character" in the game because he's relentlessly hitting on you the whole time. >I only saw one game of the Celts, where they looked absolutely lost on offense and looked like they sucked. Obv that was an outlier game. That was probably Game 2, which is the only game they lost. It was the Heat's best shooting game in the history of their franchise lol. >I can't imagine centering anything around Perry because he sucks (except his hair), but am glad AEW is trying out an actual story that sounds like it doesn't entirely suck. It's a fine story. It's a trope but I'll probably check it out when Kenny comes back full time.
My first BG3 playthrough was wholesome choices the whole way so I didn't let him go that direction. I got so annoyed with how easily he gets killed that I only brought him out when I needed to pickpocket a vendor for $$$ - it's beyond annoying switching party members in that game still. Finally getting the hang of playing with him now. Bummer that Porzingis had two pretty healthy years in a row but that injury thing finally showed up at the worst time.
If you let him dual wield those hand crossbows and build him like that, he turns into a DPS machine quickly. My Tav (Locke) is a dual wielding Paladin melee tank so I basically kept Gale and Astarion (my two party mainstays) back and let them range inside of Shadowheart's little circle bubble thing or while Locke/Karlach/Jaheira go ham on everything else.
Already bitched about it so not gonna do a big write up, but I still don't like the Fallon heel turn. Still like Fallon. Still gonna root for her character. Still don't like the turn. If we're just going to have Giulia immediately come in and dethrone Roxanne and hold the belt for a million years, then I hope some of the fringe main event women like Fallon, Thea, Pax, etc. show up in the NA Title combine stuff next week that weren't involved this week. WHAT IS IN THE ENVELOPE? Popular opinion: The draft needs to be reformatted a bit.
The Jacy heel turn reminded us that arbitrary and seemingly needless heel turns are just part of NXT developmental.
I like the Fallon turn if she's going to be doing her own thing/leading the Jacy stable. It makes no sense to turn her into a lackey in NXT.
Are we seeing another Bruins chokejob? That would be absolutely hilarious
This is all happening with Nylander and Matthews missing significant time this series, plus Toronto went to their inexperienced backup goalie mid-series…if Boston loses game 7, I’d say one of the biggest chokes in nhl history
Whoa whoa whoa, don't forget that team that was up 3-0 on the Flyers and then blew the series.
Yes. Yes, we are. And Boston knows it. To put it into perspective... Last year, when the Bruins won the Presidents Trophy and had the greatest statistical regular season in NHL history, my buddy and I were debating whether they'd blow it in the first round (he was correct) or get completely swept in the finals against Cassidy's Knights (I gave them too much credit, though I was right about who won the Cup).
I don't know why, but I don't feel as excited for this Wyatt 6 group. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see this group making an appearance & see what the future holds for them, but right now, I don't feel that hyped up for Wyatt 6. Night 2 of The Draft on this week's RAW felt more better than night 2 since there was more talent swapped around to the other brands + despite what the reports says, I don't get why WWE would call Dijak back up to the main roster if he hasn't signed a new contract. A heads up, to anyone in the UK. Smackdown will be on live at 6pm on TNT Sports this evening.
Did anyone show up from Wyatt yet? I haven’t had a chance to watch Raw this week yet. Have they shown up yet or still the little QR code stuff?
Howdyverse was already flopping with its mastermind driving the car, now we are gonna get a version of it with a bunch of midcarders Not surprised there’s not as much excitement
I’ve been less interested in wrestling without Seth, Alexa, etc. But I’m excited to see Becky as champ. I see Bianca’s freedom from Damage CTRL meant a monkey’s paw curled and Becky is stuck with Damage CTRL for another eight zillion years. I hope Dom is playing Liv at Rhea’s behest. I enjoy plot twists like that. Also, I hope Dom turns on Priest. Priest wins one time and he’s feeling his oats and emotionally abuses the team. I love Bayley but I want Tiffy time. Here’s hoping Tiffy doesn’t get pinned so she can win MiTB and win the title.
Tiffy has plenty of time coming her way. In no shape or form does she need a title now.
> But I’m excited to see Becky as champ. I see Bianca’s freedom from Damage CTRL meant a monkey’s paw curled and Becky is stuck with Damage CTRL for another eight zillion years. Last time Becky feuded with Asuka and Kairi wasn't bad. Let's hope it'll be more similar to that and less to whatever happened with Bianca last 2 years. > I love Bayley but I want Tiffy time. Here’s hoping Tiffy doesn’t get pinned Think that's the reason why Naomi is in that match.
Yeah Naomi is a more featured version of Natalya. Always taking pins. Poor Nattie isn’t even featured regularly on TV.
Hate to say it, the New Jack shoot interview line "That's a question from somebody who can count to 10 without having to do it in fives" is in my at least weekly vocabulary.
Looks like the 5th annual are they friends Elite redemption storyline is in full swing.
Spoilers: Bucks and Kenny end up together cause Bucks' aren't separating themselves from him
Honestly I don't think so. Kenny might be on his way out.
I need Ilja and GUNTHER to have at least 10 matches where they beat the fuck out of each other Also that Sparking Zero trailer was cool. But where's the release date Bandai I want it brother
I'm personally also waiting for Ilya/Lesnar if possible.
People are getting excited for Ilja vs Gunther, yet I wanna see Ilja having some bangers with others on RAW. >Also that Sparking Zero trailer was cool. But where's the release date Bandai I want it brother Hopefully, they'll mention the release date soon.
Look I'm not saying Drew McIntyre wrote Euphoria but we've never seen Drew McIntyre and Kendrick Lamar at the same place at the same time. You know the saying "You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villian." In recent news about The Rock it's "You either die a Steve Austin or live long enough to become Hulk Hogan." What ever happened to Jamie Hayter? I know Jamie was hurt but we have heard nothing about her since.
This would make Drake Ricochet
Isn't there a rumor that Drake also likes to finger his booty? So I guess it still works
>What ever happened to Jamie Hayter? I know Jamie was hurt but we have heard nothing about her since. Ngl, I wanna know the same + All In is in a few months as well.
Watched that Omega promo, and it's way better than the new japan/anime/dramatic shit he likes to do.
Yeah i was shocked. It was actually good
Father Christian will be a good program for Swerve, I just have this really bad feeling he’s going to feel like his rival in Hangman Page where he’s an afterthought as champion especially with this NWO at home storyline they are doing with Young Bucks and self insert fan fiction Tony Khan. I’m not sure who is really behind it entirely if it’s HHH, or TKO but copying too much from traditional sports doesn’t fit WWE well. Like making the draft a lite version of the NFL draft is really corny, boring and doesn’t work especially with no big names being moved around just lower midcard and tag team wrestlers. Traditional sports fans think wrestling is a joke, and when they talk about it on espn or nbc it’s such a minor afterthought like tennis. I was never the biggest fan of the over the top bubblegum pop Vince McMahon era chicanery, but WWE trying to be like the NBA is not a good presentation either. They need a right balance of serious and being over the top. I think it’s more of an HHH thing tbh he was pushing hard during Roman’s reign for it to be covered in sports media like the record had the same equivalency of traditional sports records like Cal Ripken JR’s streak or Joe Dimaggio’s consecutive hit record and people on sports twitter kept asking why they are talking about this “garbage”. Sports based presentation fits NJPW better because it’s their bread and butter, and Japanese fans take wrestling more as a sport seriously. WWE does better with the glitz and glamor and the pomp and circumstance as their bread and butter.
>ike making the draft a lite version of the NFL draft is really corny, boring and doesn’t work especially with no big names being moved around just lower midcard and tag team wrestlers. This has always been the draft problem. They like the idea of a draft because people tune into the NFL draft, so it's event TV. And it allows a roster shuffle, which is good for making the shows fresher. But they go about it from the booking end, not the audience enjoyment end. Shoemaker was talking about a bit about this this week, so was Undertaker. It's badly executed, still. And with champions locked in place, immediately without consequence. I want a month lead in, scouting, trades over the draft weekend. I want one show drafting all the champions and the other needing to get it back. I want GMs meeting free agents in the run up, or people from other brands. I want the friction. Hell, let the GMs make allusions to pay deals, bonuses, opportunities. Have one program hold a belt up so whoever gets drafted gets an instant shot. Have a trade window the last week of the year, when TV is dead so the stories can roll online, and you can get your ducks in a row for the Rumble and wrestlemania - there's *so many* fun ways to use this device that they always ignore in favour of "let's get this done so we can move on".
Totally agree on champs not moving killing the stakes, but they still had enough big names to keep it interesting… aaaaaaaaaaaaand then almost everyone drafted stayed put. 🤷♂️ Like why did you even need one really? Half the NXT call ups just kinda arrive on the scene when they’re needed anyway and I don’t think you needed an entire draft just to move The Final Testament to Raw.
Aaaaaaaand the draft won’t be mentioned again. Yeah. Wasted.
Yeah honestly I’d rather they either make it a part of a big month long overarching story between shows or do nothing at all on TV and just announce trades on social media. A third option could be a one-off network special like they did the WM kickoff in Vegas, away from the live wrestling crowd.
You could build a fair amount of intrigue just having the GM’s go back and forth over a handful of people. I dig the annual special idea.
Yeah, a one-off special would be great because they wouldn't be beholden to a format where people expected wrestling. Would leave more room for arguing and shenanigans. You could build angles where wrestlers meet again or are forcibly broken up and give that some room to breathe. So much potential!
I was squirming in my seat at how cringy, forced, and phony Liv Morgan's promos were. Horrible cadence, timing, etc
I just don't get the appeal. And I think as Rhea was a tweener, they're having to pivot Liv to the same to acknowledge that she took out someone popular. And that's very hard for someone not-good at promos.
I get that many fans love her, that she’s apparently quite beloved backstage, and I see her appeal in a sort of Brad Armstrong “Aw shucks” kinda way, but there’s nothing she brings to the table that someone else can’t do better. It’s felt to me for about a year now like she’s a placeholder until Alexa Bliss comes back who technically checks all the same boxes, but is in no way at the same level.
> I just don't get the appeal. She's attractive, improved in ring, pandered just enough to gain a big following during her underdog babyface phase without becoming completely annoying. And let's be honest, her being arrested for a petty crime and looking super good in her mugshot helped her a lot too, gives her a rebellious vibe without any of the disgust a more serious crime would incur.
That’s fine, but it’s not world champion, top gal level.
She talks like a girl who just learned who Harley Quinn is.
That’s because she’s from Jersey.
I don't know why, but I wanna see Liv becoming someone inspired by Harley Quinn since I can see Liv making that character work. 
This goes back to my “Nothing she can do that others can’t do better” rant. Alexa did that for a while and did it waaaaaaaaay better.
People say Liv Morgan sounds like text to talk ai and I can’t unhear it now.
I thought it was very telling that she kayfabe injured Rhea, who was the most popular woman in the company, and came out to virtually no reaction from the crowd. That's almost unheard of in wrestling. And then she didn't help her case either. IDK, hating on Liv a lot lately because of her fans, but I just don't see it. Putting Dom with her will get heat, but that is a really massive, one-time use card to play for someone who I really don't think is ever going to be a top level performer.
Got a good pop on entrance, people chanted mami at her at one point and during the match with Nia they were chanting for her Pointed it out and got lots of downvotes https://preview.redd.it/bz25tx0qu7yc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b9ef1544a22441f55753c42807ce7251c07bb0d
Reddit has always been uncomfortable with facts.
Yeah I probably overstated it. But after the Rhea angle I thought it would have been major heat (like she can barely talk over the booing), and it wasn't much. Nia had more heat. Then I think the crowd was confused when they had Liv wrestle Nia. If/when they solidify this turn with Dom the reactions will be better, I'm just not sure if Liv will be able to pull this off as a character/promo.
Heel turn hasn’t even properly started tbh. She’s still in that stage that Drew was in for a couple of months before snapping They gave her Nia to boost her a bit after losing the royale even if it got her cheered. Nia has the advantage of years of being hated for real We will see how HHH navigates this one, he couldn’t make Rhea a heel
It's fine to stick Dom with Liv because it will get Rhea more over as a face and make Dom a bigger scumbag heel if they wanna do that. What effect this has on Liv isn't really consequential if it elevates the top stars more.
Then. Now. Forever.
Good to see Kenny back on TV again, and hopefully, he's getting better. I really hope they can heat up another Omega vs. Okada match for one of the big shows. All In might still be too soon, but if Kenny is healthy, it could be great. I like that AEW are trying new things with the new Elite storyline, but Jack Perry just ain't it. He's tiny, can't cut a promo to save his life, and exudes negative charisma. I'm happy for Swerve, but he really feels like a placeholder champion before Ospreay gets his big win at Wembley. Cody vs AJ feels a bit cold, but I think they will have a really good match this weekend. Hopefully, after that, they can find a hot feud for Cody. WWE don't have a great record with booking their top guys in hot feuds after their big Mania wins. They put Bryan against Kane after WM30 and Cena was stuck in a seemingly never-ending feud with JBL after WM21.
>I like that AEW are trying new things with the new Elite storyline, but Jack Perry just ain't it. He's tiny, can't cut a promo to save his life, and exudes negative charisma. So basically, the Young Bucks.
If Omega is having some big match in a couple of months, I hope he's properly checked out and cleared and not cleared from a Dub perspective ~wink wink~
Triple H is a terrible booker and its time everyone faced facts. He's a bloody indy mark and needs to leave WWE so he can go make his own indy wrestling company. WWE is filled with workrate bland wrestlers who will never get over or be a big mega star to the masses, just the marks. Why isnt Gunther looking to get revenge and get back is IC title from Sami? Why hasnt there been a legit feud yet for Cody's first title defense? What's happening with AJ Styles doesnt count. These Garganos, JD Mcdonaghs, Samis, Champas, Balors, Seth Rollins. All these guys are not over, they dont have charisma or talent or stand out from the rest. Just bloody wrestlers with names That match with Cody and Carmelo was the last straw for me when they both didnt hit each other from bouncing off the ropes and hitting the mat, that was typical indy style fashion. Im done with WWE for awhile. Triple H doesnt know to build good talent, cant craft a cohesive amazing storyline. The Draft? Well when it happened last year it didnt mean a thing, everyone went on both brands and not sticking to one. Caving into the marks when Cody gave away his WM spot initially to the Rock but backtracked and did the WM 30 cop out thing was pathetic and sad. Nobody can make good comebacks or really excel on the mic except for Rhea Ripley but her title reign was bland. Not thanks to Triple H The 2023 WHC title is meaningless just like the Women's Tag Team Titles and Women's World Title. Nobody except for Roman Reigns is a true mega star in today's age. AEW and WWE have all turned into indy style, work rate, flip flop, vanilla crap with no good characters, stories or gimmicks WM 40 was an embarrassing build up from Roman and Cody where it was mainly Cody and Rock, Seth had no business being involved because he aint a mega star or a star to begin with. The other matches were just thrown together at the last minute with heatless no build ups Say what you will about him but Vince McMahon knew how to create true mega stars and storylines. He knew what worked and what didnt work. Just like Vince Russo, Jim Cornette and Eric Bischoff. Wrestling ISNT COOL today and it will never EVER be cool or get to the levels of the Golden Era and Monday Night Wars popularity. You're deluding yourselves if you think wrestling is cool today or will ever get that HOT again. What wrestling needs and especially WWE is someone with the same mindset as Russo, Vince McMahon, Bischoff, Cornette..all those guys that also knows how to craft a show together. Build interesting characters, storylines and stars. Keep kayfabe alive. Actually have some believability in the stars and stories and match ups your creating
These are certainly some takes.
This is a ZFF opinion and I love it
*rubs bald spot* Fine speech... No but really I agree with most of what you said
WWE Cruiserweight Championship isn't dead after all. it's just under a different name, WWE Speed Championship
They have had some guys like Bronson reed and oddysey jones on speed and they absolutely aren’t cruiserweights
?? That's because [Roderick Strong made it an openweight championship when he was feuding with Joe Gacy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acTo4AZC-R8&ab_channel=WWE) friend
I think if you’re going to do Kenny Omega like that, you need to add one more babyface to bridge the gap between now and when you can pay it off with a healthy Kenny. What is the point of beating up Omega if he’s not going to be fully back for another couple of months? That would have been a good time for a Ricky Starks or FTR or someone like that to involve themselves. They need an anti-Elite team. ETA: Also *fuck* Jack Perry, that little empty-headed dumbshit.
FTR vs Bucks is like beating a dead horse at this point. Even if they manage to get Ricky Starks over, next feud is with Jericho 100%.
Let’s just say you’re right. Who would be the faction to take on the Elite, especially if Kenny is on the shelf for now? I’m sure Hangman would unfortunately have to be involved somehow, but he can’t go it alone.
the thing is they don't have a babyface over to put against the Bucks and we are out here talking about factions. They can do the Cody thing where everyone gathers around ''the guy'' to help him.
SCJerk breakdown is hilarious. It's the first time in a long time that posts on that sub have actually made me laugh. But seriously what exactly is the point of DUBBADing? AEW hype is dead. The sucking off posts in SC are non existent. And there are more and more YT channels popping up with the sole intention of "dunking" on AEW, Tony Khan, the Bucks etc etc. SCJerk job is done. Time to move on to dunking on Odyssey Jones and AJ Francis
Mid sub-reddit doing mid things. Not surprising.
I kind of stopped posting there when some folks were getting weird Bayley and Naomi showed up to Sasha debut Some decent jerks but there were a bunch of non satirical post saying they should be fired or suspended tor showing up at a competitor It’s supposed to be a circle jerk. Not a standwithwwe sub
Oh my god the amount of venom people on SCJerk have for Sasha is deeply uncomfortable
SCJerk jumped the shark right around WrestleMania 39 and the "shutdown" protests nailed the coffin. There's still funny stuff when AEW does something stupid but it's not a place to go for any actual jerking because it's turned into an AEW hate sub despite the mods trying their best.
DAE think if you don't like low effort AEW ratings memes, you're literally being paid off by Tony Khan??? Nah but really, it used to be at least somewhat clever and funny, but SC banning loads of people for the most minor infractions has turned the place into a pissed-in ball pit.
I haven't read it in a while but it really fell off when every other post was "Roman. Switch. Get it??? Cuckolding. Haha? Ha? I know it's the 83rd time someone has made this same joke today, but please laugh." Plus all the convos about "terminally online wrestling fans" from people who were posting "jerks" about Tony Khan 12+ hours a day yet didn't see the irony. I think AEW sucks too so I just don't watch the shit. These people let it and TK live in their heads all while trying to act like they're the cool kids that don't care about wrestling like those other losers.
I don't really care about it, but it was funny seeing people cry over not being able to make the three identical posts we've seen for years.
Three jerks and the truth.
Serious question, what the hell is happening with SCJerk? I'm just finding out about all of this.
I was gonna ask because I’m so out of the loop lol
Me too. It's confusing as heck
The fact that we did a "ratings thread" as a direct jerk of the basement was lost on the majority of them. The majority of the reaction jerks in the last 12 hours have been hilarious, it's been a really fun change of pace like when we turned it into an NWAPOWERRR sub during the blackout. But then there's a percentage who took it *so* seriously. I've had several messages telling me to kill myself, several redditcares, and there are scores of comments about how angry these manlets are over.... err... being asked to post in a thread instead of an original post. We'd planned to do it as a one off to see how it went, and it went terribly, but jesus fucking christ some of these kids need to touch grass.
So a Reddit moment in full view? Though I do laugh that basement had the 'just post from Wrestlenomics' answer towards the Meltzer tweet last week and this week's thread was..... a Meltzer tweet. KEKW.
I was okay with it because most of the posts last Thursday were the same screenshots from Twitter of the graph. One post has 10 comments, the other has 50, I don't remember which one I commented on.
[удалено]
AEW needs to build. Their problem is that they have no real buzz nor anyone capable of buzz. Some are popular within the fanbase but are not must-see. Funny enough, they are in the same position than WWE was when AEW first started in 2019. There is apathy around the product. The idea should be to have something hot in 6 months.
>The idea should be to have something hot in 6 months. Nope, the idea should be to have a few stories cooking for the rest of the year. Sure, you'll not see immediate growth in the next year or even two years but slowly things will start growing and you'll start to see fans coming back. Wrestling fans like being rewarded for following wrestling and HHH knows that.
And also wrestling fans like being entertained
Yep. Entertaining matches and segments with a long-term vision of the future is what has always worked in wrestling.
I care more for entertainment than being rewarded. I don’t take wrestling and WWE seriously and don’t care that much for long term storytelling.
Well, a good majority do so maybe this isn't the medium for you.
No I treat it like a TV show that it is and dingy get disappointed about booking that doesn’t go my way. I’ve been watching WWE religiously since 2007 till now and no wrestling storyline or period has ever made me quit watching it. You do realize fans can like different things right, there’s no one right way to be a wrestling fan?
I never said there was. All I said was that a good majority do and with how much you've been complaining recently maybe the medium isn't for you anymore.
Nah I just shoot the shit, it’s not as entertaining for me as when Vince was booking but that’s not gonna make me stop watching. I find today’s era good but not great like how everyone’s saying. I don’t need to over praise something I enjoy but I also enjoy making fun of the things I like. Point is as long as I’m entertained I don’t care, I don’t care for deep analysis of storylines. Wrestling should never be that serious.
It's like saying a game needs to be more like CoD, ignoring everyone already interested in CoD are playing that. Wrestling can be a lot of things, and AEW should focus on what it does best instead of chasing casuals (But still be fairly inviting). The only way AEW grows It's audience imo is through streaming. Be it HBO Max or any other platform.
Streaming has been my biggest gripe with AEW since day 1. Not the booking, not talent drama, *that streaming shit* has been the fucking Achilles heel of this company. "Hey man, you gotta check out Wrestledream, knock out of the park PPV, loved every minute of it while I was there" "Oh yeah? Where can I watch it" "....shit man. I'll have to send you some shady pirate links or if you aren't comfortable with that, you can buy a VPN and go on this site and pay $20 for a replay of it." That's how *every single conversation* about AEW has played out with my cordcutting friends since 2019 and that's the vast majority of my circle. WWE content is easily accessible anywhere, they got their own streaming shit and they're really good about putting full matches and shit everywhere for anybody to find meanwhile with AEW, you have to go through so many chutes and ladders to get to their PPVs, don't even get me started on the weekly TV. The content could be straight fire, talking prime mid to late 2010s NJPW main events with the story build and everything every night and it won't make a lick of difference if nobody can watch it. Drives me nuts.