sek69

I got the feeling that they are working on the assumption they won't be able to use anyone who isn't already in Japan for a while and decided to go all in on elevating some of the native talent.

2020 continues to hold surprises with DICK TOGO.

That's about as strong as you could possibly put over new tag champs.

BTW, the clear MVP of this show has been Liger's fruit themed tropical shirt.

YO blew out his knee at the worst possible time, poor dude's about to get Marty Jannetty'd at the rate SHO is going.

I can only imagine how messed up Tenzan's legs must be. Dude's basically walking on his ankles and has been for probably years at this point.

Man......watching Dominion with an actual real live (socially distanced) crowd is giving me "this could be us, but you playin" vibes.

Booking in JCP was always going to be a problem. Giving Dusty so much power in retrospect was probably not the best idea since it just led to pissing contests between him and Ric.

Yeah it def. wasn't Vince running roughshod and looting rosters, or the TV model changing from local stations providing TV time free for local territories, it was *checks notes* Ric Flair having excellent matches. Also you can probably make an argument that Crockett monopolizing the NWA title led to the model breaking, as it led to groups like World Class leaving since they couldn't get the champ booked in their territory anymore.

I get that they were scrambling for something to fill time, but holy shit that karaoke segment was BAD.

I wonder if explaining to Corny that Shida's neither a schoolgirl or a geisha, but a cosplay enthusiast who's ring gear is based of Tifa from Final Fantasy VII would make it better or worse.

Also, that's not to say a babyface triumphing in the end isn't one of the most emotional moments wrestling can create. However part of what makes that a strong moment is having a strong heel champ to overcome in the first place.

In my case, before the era where WWE had an antagonistic relationship with fans, the booking was usually done where vice was punished and virtue was rewarded. Even if the hero didn't win the title in the end, he was able to hand some sort of comeuppance to the heel. The key was that the heel champ had to be someone capable of elevating others around him. Look at how Jericho's run as first AEW champ was so crucial. He made everyone around him look like a star, and if they were already a star they looked even better. IHMO, Moxley's run as champ hasn't been as great since he doesn't seem to have that same ability. I totally get someone who grew up through Hun-tor's reign of terror and all the hopelessness of WWE heel champ booking not seeing the appeal of a good heel run, but all I can say is that it wasn't always that way.

Well Ricky's put his money where his mouth is and actually participates in modern wrestling (well at least until covid hit). Terry Funk saw the landscape and adapted to changing times to give himself an entire second career, no reason to not think Morton did the same thing based on available evidence.

Not to mention if he was anywhere near his billed weight (210) at his height, he'd look like Taz.

Wrestling in general is better with a heel champ IMO. It may be from me being raised on a steady diet of Harley and Ric coming to town to make the local hero look good, but there's a lot more that can be done booking wise. Babyface runs tend to quickly turn into "challenger of the month and/or PPV cycle".

I'd be surprised if they didn't at some point. That's one of those "it MUST have happened" things. As far as managers go, there's really several types that have been used in the past that can work today: The Jimmy Hart: annoying pipsqueak who you would pay big money to see get knocked on his ass, can take all sorts of bumps. I could see Kip Sabian in this role, and it would be a twist on the usual expectations if he ended up being the manager for Penelope instead. The Woman: hot lady you first think is just eye candy but is actually a devious mastermind. Selina de la Renta has this role on lock at the moment, but I think it's something Brandi could have pulled off if she wasn't put in that weird Bray Wyatt-ish role. The Paul Ellering: the former wrestler who can still put on the boots if needed, but is primarily concerned with getting his men to the top. MVP is killing this role in WWE, but there's always the fear they'll end up botching it before it can reach the level it could. AEW seems to like this type but so far all the guys they've put in this role are too old to do it effectively. The Bobby Heenan: an elite level talker who either never wrestled or it was so long ago no one remembered it. It's a high bar since there's only been a few people in wrestling history who would even qualify to be in that position. I agree that Larry Sweeney probably would have been at this level if he was around today, but I think Stokely Hathaway could be that guy if he was allowed to do what he does best on TV. I suppose that he managed to get put on WWE TV in a male manager role that isn't complete comedy is a testament to his skills though.

Tony does have that wrestling message board background, he probably can't help himself lol

I mean it's not an accident Ricky understands keeping up with the times and the Rock n Rolls were able to work matches in 2019 and not look completely out of place. He was able to take things that worked in his day and things that work today (albeit adapted so someone his age can do it) and get over with a modern crowd.

Using managers is definitely something AEW should capitalize on, since it's something WWE refuses to do and can be beneficial to the wrestlers if done right. My only issue is Nya isn't someone I would peg as needing a manager. Her promos are usually pretty good (this one was less so, but I would blame that on the material), and having anyone comedic like Vickie would water down her bad ass potential. I could see someone like Missy in the role, or wouldn't it be wild if Tully still had Dark Journey's number on a Rolodex somewhere?

Didn't Kong slap the shit out of him? She'd have got a job for life with me if I ran a wrestling company just for that.

That alarms me. On what planet is Keith F'N Lee still a work in progress unless they mean they haven't completely WWE-ized him yet? Dude is better than nearly everyone on the main roster and the company thinks he still needs some time in the oven?

Chris Jericho has been so valuable to this company making guys look like stars. I know he's past his prime in terms of workrate (and that was never really his strength anyway) but no one is better at professional wrestling in 2020 than him.

Gail Kim?

I mean, in kayfabe they are. They've won tag titles in several promotions all over the world (PWG, ROH, NJPW, AAA) so that should mean they are in the short list for best in the world.