FMKK

Did they actually do a 45 minute gauntlet match that ended with a non-finish?

The Reigns match seemed so set up to have the Usos return for the save and yet he just kept getting killed forever. Similar to his everlasting feud with Shane earlier in the year. They really have no idea how to book this guy. He came back from cancer in February and he's been spinning his wheels ever since. And really, this Corbin feud is almost a direct rerun of the Shane stuff.

If they can convince Cena to show up for it, let alone Vin Diesel or whoever else is in those movies, then Finlay is getting bumped for the bigger star.

How could you forget about such a Viking Experience?

It's amazing that I'm trying to take a few days break off Twitter and it means I basically had no idea this show existed

This seems like an odd talking point on Dave's part. Surely if AEW is a sustainable long-term project then the likes of Cody and The Bucks have to be considered. If All Japan returns to prominence in the way that New Japan managed to less than a decade ago, that puts their top line acts in the discussion. Same with Stardom if their acquisition helps them reach new levels of popularity. In a business that now seems so variable and in flux, that's a harder argument to make than it would have been ten years ago. Like you said, the historical candidates might dry up. But that doesn't mean the whole thing is dead. I can even see a world where an uptick in lucha popularity for fans outside of Mexico could lead to greater evaluation of historical candidates in that region.

I can't see them rushing to have a celebrity inductee who can't actually show up so they can get their shitty TMZ coverage or whatever

Talking All Japan, Miyahara Vs KAI from January 3rd and Miyahara Vs Lee Champion Carnival finals are also great matches worth checking out for a list like this.

They might not have double sell outs but this passage from the Observer suggests its selling well, unless I'm misinterpreting Dave language

With the tickets already sold, I think they'd be tempted to do Naito vs Ibushi on the 5th and save the Okada and Naito for when it's needed to draw. I think holding it off possibly sets up more stories going forward too.

There's also a big hole in the Indies for star names right now since WWE and then AEW started signing everyone up. Harper could easily ride the wave and get great bookings through Mania weekend and into the summer without even needing to sign with a national promotion. I'd love to see him do something random like work a Champion Carnival but it wouldn't surprise me if he showed up on Dynamite in the new year.

I would love if AEW would give Archer a proper shot at US stardom. Guy has been awesome this year.

The most highly mutated of the belt mutants

Is the diamond ring thing going to be a one off gimmick or take the place of a secondary title do we think?

Agree, but there is also a contingency of people I've noticed online who are waiting to scream WHY DID THIS HAPPEN? WHY WAS THERE NO EXPLANATION FOR THIS? if Cody wears a blue suit instead of pink or whatever.

I find this really odd because if you watch his matches with, for example, Naito, I don't see how you can come away with "40 minutes of mediocrity followed by 5 minutes of above average" as a description of them.

It seems pretty obviously kayfabe. Why would he refuse to go to the show because a heel he's feuding with cheated him out of a match?

Apparently Mauro will not be on commentary tonight

I'm expecting Omega to go all out against PAC on Wednesday. It'll be interesting to see who the next big challenger to Jericho is after the Scorpio stuff is done.

I think narratives sometimes overtake reality. I can understand being a bit underwhelmed by Omega if you had heard his name and his reputation but hadn't really watched him until AEW. So he's a work in progress there. And he needs some serious promos to get himself over. But the matches have all been at least good, some borderline great. And if he does a straight singles with Mox down the line, it'll be exceptional. Similar situation with Britt Baker. She's a green worker who's still finding her feet and is probably being pushed too hard because the depth of talent isn't there. But people are making out as if she's been a complete disaster in-ring. She's been perfectly fine. This is her first national TV gig and she's having to learn on the job so her matches are probably going longer than they otherwise should but she'll improve. It isn't like she's Eva Marie.

Tbf, has he had a bad match in AEW? The character/booking hasn't necessarily been ideal but all of his matches have been really good in my opinion. People are talking a bit like he's been shitting the bed.

Greatest actress in wrestling history

Also, that's HHH or Vince's place to say that to Mauro, not Corey Graves.

Corey is a prick but I do think Mauro is a bit thin skinned too. I don't remember the details of the whole JBL nonsense but the on air stuff didn't seem to be particularly out of the ordinary from a heel commentary routine. In fact, I sometimes think it's a bit of a problem that the heel announced run roughshod too much because the faces aren't as good at standing up for themselves as Jim Ross or Gorrila Monsoon were.

When all else fails, make it about Dave