sek69

I remember when pro and college sports teams were doing the YES deal after winning championships and WWE would steadfastly refuse to acknowledge it since god forbid an actual wrestler be seen as a bigger star than the all encompassing BRAND.

I mean, just because AEW hasn't really released people unless they were being shitheads or couldn't come to the US for covid reasons doesn't mean they can't or won't. I still think they will just let a lot of contracts expire when the time comes if it's people not really being uses and/or not playing a role. Hell, I could even see Tony making sure they land with Impact or someone else they are working with too.

WWE is having the chickens come home to roost after relying on names from the past to artificially pump up numbers. Edge is pretty much the last one from their last boom period that can still enter a ring without looking like they need Life Alert (I don't see Rock ever coming back for anything in ring again), and despite hoarding talent for years the cupboard is bare since they spent so much effort educating the fans that anyone who came up through the system is a geek not worth getting behind. As weird as it sounds, they need a Vince Russo type again. Not the actual Vince Russo of course, but the reason why Russo was so successful was that his ideas were so different from what the WWF was doing at the time. Sure it all looks like shit in retrospect now but someone used to late 80s to mid 90s WWF tuning in to see Russo's ideas would have been blown away. He was also the perfect fit for the "edginess" of the 90s, and WWE needs someone who's in tune with modern trends. Vince/Bruce/Dunn ain't that someone. Unless they can find that person, we're going to just keep seeing them trying to combat the newer, hotter, competition by rehashing 20+ year old ideas.

The way I understood it is Elevation is there place to show off unsigned guys and/or give reps to QT and Dustin's students. Tony was on record saying the point of Dark was to give people a show to work on who couldn't get a spot on Dynamite.Logic would state the one hour show at 10pm on Fridays would have to be the B show, but if AEW has taught us anything anything is possible.

I actually love the twist on the tired WWE trope of "tag partners who don't like each other" by having them actually end up liking each other (kinda).

Randy beating Omos with a scooter had me rolling.

Randy's constant "wtf is this bullshit" face he has around Riddle will never not crack me up.

Came off like Vince using her to vent about Ric leaving.

I love that Charlotte when not in gear has to be in high heels at all times, when she already towers over every other woman they have (except Rhea maybe?).

Miz is only doing what everyone wanted to do to Morrison since he started doing all the dumb "moist" stuff.

Logan Paul getting booed out of the building restores a sliver of my tattered faith in humanity.

Sheamus and Bob SLAPPING MEAT? I would be down for that.

Scarlett didn't even show up on Takeover, she's been sent to the Phantom Zone.

Demolition at least looked like leather daddies from the S&M club that would beat your ass, this geek is one week away from a tinfoil Farooq hat.

The only person who could ever pull that look off was Sid and that was because he's fuckin SID and this geek is no Sid.

Just when you think Kross couldn't be any more of a geek, Vince is like "hold my beer, pal"

LOL WTF

Hey, WWE found a way to make "Moist TV" sound even less appealing: put Logan Paul on it!

Yeah I'm glad to see it, but it's weird to me that he's the one WWE has spared from 50/50 hell. I thought for sure he'd be done for in Vince's eyes after the back injury and here he is out here banging with Big Bob.

Bobby Lashley needs to teach a class on how to dress like a boss.

After Nikki went off on the bullshit that happened at Summerslam to Bianca, I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see her show up at some point. At this point AEW is where WCW was where from a perception standpoint it was the place the wrestlers you like to watch wanted to be, which made them look like they were winning against the WWF before the numbers actually backed it up. WWE already looks super overproduced and sterile as it is, if people like Bray Wyatt and Adam Cole start showing up it will make AEW look like the cool place to be and WWE as the sinking ship everyone is fleeing from.

Yeah anyone trying to dismiss this number is either a blind WWE stan, trolling, or being contrarian for the sake of it. Some people have made WWE such a part of their identity the idea another successful national company can exist is terrifying to them, as if it invalidates their existence as people.

1.7 in the demo in Chicago, which even considering it's his home town is fucking nuts. Dude just jacked Jericho's Demo God gimmick.

Dom didn't even have a match in front of of an actual crowd until a month or so ago so it's not fair to state that he sucks yet. He's the type of person who *should* be in an actual developmental fed to learn but of course he gets fast tracked because he's probably the only reason Rey isn't in AEW right now.

1.129 million viewers for Rampage, a show that airs at 10pm on Friday nights. Holy shit.