2019 Pro Wrestling thread

I think AEW did a good job, but NXT just felt stronger because they pulled out the stops, and they were under their comfort blanket of Full Sail. Those pops for Finn and Ciampa were deafening.

 

Haven't used the Recall button on my remote that much since March 26, 2001.

Fun night. Both shows were solid (except for the Jay and Silent Bob appearance ... that was some straight-up WCW 2000 shit).

AEW's presentation was crisp and JR, Tony and Excalibur were rock solid, playing off each other and telling the story in the ring. Mauro, while really good, should throttle his exuberance so it has more impact when he does show it.

AEW also needs to turn up the volume on the entrance music. Could barely hear Judas playing for Jericho.

Do we know if Ciampa is cleared for action yet?

 

I haven't seen any of AEW's pay per views leading up to this, but have followed its evolution as a wrestling fan, so this was my first real exposure to the product.
Not too bad. Its first show is already better than anything TNA ever did on a weekly basis.

Some thoughts:
• The opening match between Cody and Guevara was really good. A great tone-setter. I have no idea who Guevara is, or whether he was supposed to be a face or heel (I wasn't paying close attention to the intro videos that might have set it up; which one Guevara was, was evident by the finish), but Cody made him look like a future star. Good job to build someone up by giving them an opportunity in a crucial match for the card and the company.

• I liked the spot with Cody hitting his wife, and how it turned out to not be a big deal. That's always used as a major plot point in a match, a set up for the finish, or to signal some sort of turn, and here she was like, "No, I'm fine. Go kick his ass." Got a great crowd reaction, too, and some major heel heat on Guevara. Very effective use of a tired spot on a number of levels.

• I know he's pushing 50 and bulked up a lot for this latest incarnation, but Chris Jericho looks fat. He looked like a third member of the Nasty Boys.

• Since I haven't seen his matches but know his reputation, it would've been nice to see Kenny Omega get a little bit of ring time in the main event. Showcase the company's best talent a bit more.

•Speaking of which, the Moxley-Omega brawl was fun but the main event was generally a clusterfuck. A little too much going on. Again, as someone only passingly familiar with AEW's wrestlers and brand -- and I suspect most of the viewing audience is like me -- it would have been nice to see Omega and the Young Bucks get a little more time in the ring to show why they're such a big deal, and the guys teaming with Jericho a chance to elevate themselves like Guevara did in the opening match. The way the finish played out, it felt like they kept trying to one-up what they did 10 seconds earlier. It was hard to keep up with who's who and the three or four different feuds they were introducing at once.

• Jericho mentioned a while back that one of AEW's big issues early on will be the weekly production schedule. Storylines, getting guys used to the grind, teaching them to cut promos, put on TV matches, etc., considering most of the roster has never had to do it before. Given that, I thought they did a smart thing by turning the debut show into more of a straightforward wrestling show. It hid their biggest weakness and played up their biggest strength (the in-ring product).

• Focusing on wrestling, as well as the large amped-up crowd, gave it the feel of a PPV instead of a run of the mill weekly show. Again, a smart move. It made it feel like a big deal and not a second-rate operation. The crowd was amazing and helped the show a ton.

• Is that the biggest pop Jack Swagger Hagger has ever gotten in his life? He looked nervous as hell out there, though.

• All in all, a great beginning for the company. The challenge will come toward the beginning of 2020, when the novelty wears off, they settle into a routine, and have to start pumping out shows every week. Or when they have their first C-plus show. This first one was an event with a great sellout crowd, but can they maintain the momentum if the arena is only half full or dead because it's Show No. 41 instead of No. 1? Or if the crowd starts shitting on a bad match or promo? Or if a star gets injured, disgruntled, or takes a couple of weeks off?
I'm optimistic and hope they can make a go of it. It feels like the leaders (the Bucks, Jericho, Cody) are starting this thing up for the right reasons and it'd be great if they can have success and pump a shot of adrenaline into the American wrestling scene. It'll just be interesting to see if they can keep up this level of energy for the long-term.

 

Havent watched AEW yet. Looking forward to it.

If we’re sending people back to NXT, we need Asuska vs Bayzler at Mania Takeover.

 

AEW did 1.4 million to NXT’s 891k.

Kind of a crushing for starters.

 

Agree with a lot of this. The Omega-Moxley stuff should have come at the end of the match, not the beginning. I was looking forward to an insane six-man tag. It was still good, but not insane.

Also, bonus points to Schiavone for throwing “prick” into his commentary.

 

Here’s my issue with Balor returning. He got pretty much squashed by The Fiend. And he just shows up at the “developmental” show, without ever getting revenge.

It’s almost like he’s running away from The Fiend.

 

i think, well hope, that as the fox deal puts up walls between the shows, itll run more like an old territory system. For all intents and purposes, Balor lost a loser leaves town match

 

Listening back to the AEW highlights, I noticed they're really pushing the TV-14. Tony Schiavone called MJF a prick, and JR referred to Hager's run-in as a holy shit moment.

 

JERICHO CRUSHED THAT MAN'S WIENER!!!

 

That reminds me of an old kayfabe-era story about a wrestler (can’t recall who) who had lost a loser leave town match. They were seen by fans at a restaurant a week later. The fans asked him what he was doing there since he was supposed to leave town.

The wrestler replied that he did leave town, and came back.

 

That wiener just made The List!