Timbo Slice

Hammerstone didn’t really get eaten up; it just wasn’t as big a showcase as you would think. Also, hilariously, Femi looked much more polished as Hammerstone looked a bit timid. He got some good chances to shine, but Femi just looked better. He’s very good for someone so young.

This was probably top to bottom the best produced show AEW has ever done. They went for a lot of stuff tonight and basically all of it hit. They also made some amazing production choices, especially in the main event (the House Call into the cage, the wide shot on the final chair shot in an unsanctioned match) that put it over the top. For a show with basically no build, they put on a show people who missed it will be scrambling to buy after the fact. Have to imagine this was a success.

The way they cut the trailer makes it look like they got all their footage of the puff piece stuff up front, but the entire second half is voiceover with few interview cutaways. I know there’s stuff out there about the interviews, but I’d wager all the folks who were willing to talk about him in more glowing terms are front loaded. Which more than likely means a lot of Shoemaker on the backend. Which seems lose-lose to me.

The answer is that it was high profile, cost a lot of money, and Netflix wants to recoup its production costs.

The quick pivot to All Out is always interesting because you just had the big show and now you’re back on your Chicago kick, with a lot of things you can throw out there. Have to imagine some kind of combination of Dragon/Cage, Jarrett/Page, Bucks/Acclaimed (maybe?), MJF/Garcia, an Okada defense, some other things possibly. I do find it hilarious that they don’t do Ospreay/PAC in London, but they do it in Chicago literally a week after the London show. I know you had to wrap up MJF/Ospreay, but it’s still funny to me.

Welp. This means we WILL get Nigel/Bryan at some point.

It sure looks like they didn’t get to 80k based on crowd shots. They keep going back to wide shots and it’s not looking nearly as full in the top levels like last year. Interesting. The show has a meandering pace after the opener. Hoping the tag title match picks things up a bit.

BR actually does well. I think you can do it through the Max app.

Seriously, good work on getting done big shows there the last couple years.

That was an awesome Dunne/Sheamus finish. Dunne does seem like he won’t be much on the main roster for the time being, which is why he’s in the NXT Title picture, but I hope they find some time to get him something to sink his teeth into.

I know it won’t happen because of the match type, and it would be overloading the face side, but I would lose my shit if the fourth spot in War Games went to Rocky.

Roman’s selling was fantastic. He’s so used to being on top, he was the dude who overcame the odds in those Shield tags, and he felt he could overcome a dude he made and his crony, but then Jacob shows up and obliterates him in a walking boot, not even with his most explosive offense. The looks on his face when Jacob went off was the good shit. When the Usos come back by his side, it’s gonna somehow be more electric than Roman’s return.

TK did another Le Batard Show appearance and was wearing a WBD hat so I think the cat will soon be out of the bag for the upcoming TV contract.

I’m sorry, but I just keep hearing “Boats ‘n Hoes” now once the cadence stuck in my head.

I was wondering if they were gonna let Jacob use the BME with it being Tiffy Time and then he not only does it but then adds in the split-legged finish variation. He’s on another level entirely.

There’s a chasm between him and every other wrestler for getting across intent. Just incredible stuff.

I think Vaquer being WWE bound has as much to do with Cuatrero’s defenders being prominent on AEW TV and that she probably doesn’t want to be in that environment. She won’t be in NXT for long. Absolute boss.

A banana peel finish, certainly a choice.

I can’t remember a time a heel got beaten for his title, was given time off, and then comes back as maybe even a bigger babyface than as a heel. Heyman assembling the Bloodline Avengers is gonna be incredible. And yes. Sami as the obvious fourth is going to make it one of the great moments ever. It’s so funny that people talked about this running its course a while back, but they are revving it up in an absolutely HUGE way right now.

Let’s see if there’s another alarming TV rating that comes out of the go-home show, shall we?

Let’s start another streak, eh, boys?

So Roman back as a babyface and getting the Usos back together, but they need a fourth. Gonna be an amazing Survivor Series. My boy Fatu officially has the rocket strapped to him. Couldn’t be happier for that guy.

Okada going all llaves against UG is gonna be fun.

Shingo and Bryan gonna bang, too. Interesting that they set up MJF/Ospreay for something down the line when supposedly you’d think MJF would try and finish off Cole once and for all. There’s some weirdness here, which is what you want out of the card. It’s just so much of it is a Cliff’s Notes-ass way to get there.

Takeshita in the tourney has interesting political implications given he’s been vocal about his perceived misuse in AEW and this could be considered a bit of a tryout for a contract when his time is up in the US. Jake Lee has a chance to really show out too. But I think this has Umino/Tsuji written all over it for the final.