Good article showing all the AEW signings this year. It’s been a big year for AEW and they have grown a lot. It amazes me that all these signings were in 2021. https://itrwrestling.com/features/every-aew-signing-of-2021/

I wonder how long the initial contracts were (for the non EVPs) when AEW started. I know MJF stated his is up in 2024, but you have to figure some of the mid/low/Dark level people might be coming up soon. I don't see Tony doing the WWE style firing sweeps, but I can see him letting some of those deals expire as a way to trim the fat since he doesn't have to feel like AEW is the Home for Wayward Wrestlers During A Pandemic anymore. 

8 minutes ago, sek69 said:

I wonder how long the initial contracts were (for the non EVPs) when AEW started. I know MJF stated his is up in 2024, but you have to figure some of the mid/low/Dark level people might be coming up soon. I don't see Tony doing the WWE style firing sweeps, but I can see him letting some of those deals expire as a way to trim the fat since he doesn't have to feel like AEW is the Home for Wayward Wrestlers During A Pandemic anymore. 

Yeah, I’m pretty sure I read a few of those deals are up early next year. 

JR announced on Twitter tonight he's going to be away until at least the last show of December dealing with his skin cancer treatments. He's getting something like 22 radiation treatments starting Monday so that would have made traveling to shows difficult. 

I hadn't seen this comp posted anywhere on here, but it was made by Brian Mann (a former WWE writer) about the Hangman story.  It's a really fun watch, especially for people who are unfamiliar.  I watched it with my girlfriend this past weekend and she loved it, even though she had hardly seen any AEW previously and isn't exactly a wrestling fan.

 

Coach Tony K clearly loved how well the Thanksgiving eve episode did in the ratings, cuz after a few quiet weeks, he is having one of those days where he is posting triumphant tweets as well as replying to fans without getting tagged. 

 

 

 

This Adam Cole debate happens every third day on Twitter. Twitter is good for the luls and for following vintage wrestling accounts, but it is hell for any kind of logical discussion. 

Cole's shirt sales and pop are among the best in the company if not the best. Ask your fans/trust follows. 

If they had pushed Adam Cole straight into the AEW title pictures, the same dumbfucks would have said "Hey, he was only a top guy in NXT and was not gonna success in the main roster and now AEW is making him a top guy, that's classic TNA".

The level of denial with AEW since day 1 has been something else. Maybe it's just a sign of the time, with the chamber echo effect of social media and such, people are in denial about everything now, the results of an election, the reality of a pandemic, the efficiency of vaccines...

1 minute ago, El-P said:

The level of denial with AEW since day 1 has been something else. Maybe it's just a sign of the time, with the chamber echo effect of social media and such, people are in denial about everything now, the results of an election, the reality of a pandemic, the efficiency of vaccines...

It's a fascinating look into how humans operate, really. We have the most readily available information in history at our fingertips & instead of educating ourselves better, we spread misinformation & distrust things more than ever. In just the last couple of years, I've had to read about or watch people try to explain that the earth is flat, that the moon landing was fake, that 9/11 was an inside job, that the Holocaust never happened & like you mentioned, the election & vaccine shit. I legitimately had a co-worker that refused to get the CoVid-19 vaccine because he thought it was full of microchips that the Democrats (his words) would use to track him. He explained this to me, of course, while on his cell phone. Because of course he did. 

And although those things might not be pro wrestling only, we've seen how it has tied into & effected pro wrestling. Chris Jericho's cruise, apparently people like Nix Jax getting released due to not wanting to get the vaccine, Drake Wuertz lunatic rants, etc.

31 minutes ago, Coffey said:

It's a fascinating look into how humans operate, really. We have the most readily available information in history at our fingertips & instead of educating ourselves better, we spread misinformation & distrust things more than ever.

Yeah. It is completely disheartening and maddening though. Access to knowledge was supposed to make humanity better. Apparently human nature completely screwed this one up too.

31 minutes ago, Coffey said:

I legitimately had a co-worker that refused to get the CoVid-19 vaccine because he thought it was full of microchips that the Democrats (his words) would use to track him. He explained this to me, of course, while on his cell phone. Because of course he did. 

I'm getting my third dose after Christmas, so I should finally be able to get my own Bluetooth apparently. Well, hopefully, because the 5G stuff didn't work out after all, that was disappointing.

Rhodes to the Top got a second season, so I suppose if it's only purpose is to make TNT happy with more content that's at least something positive. 

So with Rhodes to the Top getting renewed due to decent demo numbers, despite terrible overall viewership numbers, do you think this finally shuts up all the fed fans who are convinced that key demos are a Meltzer invention to make AEW look good? Or are they too far gone by this point to see reason?

2 hours ago, MoS said:

So with Rhodes to the Top getting renewed due to decent demo numbers, despite terrible overall viewership numbers, do you think this finally shuts up all the fed fans who are convinced that key demos are a Meltzer invention to make AEW look good? Or are they too far gone by this point to see reason?

Way too far gone. Anything that shows a competitor to WWE as viable is 100% an invention by Dave to them and nothing with change that mindset.

11 hours ago, Coffey said:

I legitimately had a co-worker that refused to get the CoVid-19 vaccine because he thought it was full of microchips that the Democrats (his words) would use to track him. He explained this to me, of course, while on his cell phone. Because of course he did. 

Our health minister had to make a public address to ensure the folks here that the vaccine does not, in fact, turn you into a cannibal.

 

8 hours ago, sek69 said:

Rhodes to the Top got a second season, so I suppose if it's only purpose is to make TNT happy with more content that's at least something positive. 

Great.

Now give these "key demos" reason to stick around. Let's push more women and characters they can relate with. That was the reason for the success of Total Divas and the surge of female viewers in WWE when numbers were collapsing. Women watching for pretty boys is an antiquated idea.

AEW has so much potential. I'm really hoping they can put the final pieces together.

1 hour ago, Rah said:

Now give these "key demos" reason to stick around. Let's push more women and characters they can relate with. That was the reason for the success of Total Divas and the surge of female viewers in WWE when numbers were collapsing. Women watching for pretty boys is an antiquated idea.

K-Pop disagrees.

Also, the push of quality women wrestling by WWE and the surge of the 4 Horsewomen did not  translate into more female viewers, quite the opposite. On the other hand, sure, the Total Diva era got a female viewership to watch WWE stuff, but what were the women feuds at the time ? Awful, stupid, catty bullshit with terrible 5 minutes matches. Women like Gail Kim and Victoria (and Mickie James, although I don't remember how she left then) who actually wanted more for women ended up leaving for (or going back to) TNA (not that they got that much better served over there in the 10's). There was no correlation between quality and vierwership (there never is honestly, but that's another matter). I'm not sure the whole relatability issue is that important. I mean, did women watching WWE in the Total Divas days actually related to *those* characters ? Then again, I never got why anyone would watch real-TV shows anyway (apart from Wrestle House, obviously). I mean, I do watch Koh-Lanta, French version of Survivor, but it's still way more of a game than a Real-TV show as it's mostly done (and has been for what now, 15 years ?).

Hey, good for Cody & Brandi I guess. Bad for Aubrey who will receive more weight belts in the face...

Punk vs Moriarty set for Dynamite.

And Danielson as Infinito airs tonight on Dark.

Big Swole just announced on Twitter that she decided not to renew her contract and that today was her last day in AEW, so I guess those early non EVP deals are coming up soon. Will be interesting to see who's allowed to go on with their life's work elsewhere. 

Not very surprising. There will be people who will complain, but she did receive a push last year, and imo she didn't get over. I know she is having some illness issues, but it isn't as if her in-ring work was improving. Plus, it's a bit difficult for her to call herself Big Swole when Jade Cargill is RIGHT THERE. 

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/amanda-jon-huber-wrestling-aew

What an incredible article. I can't recommend it enough, words don't do it justice 

3 hours ago, MoS said:

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/amanda-jon-huber-wrestling-aew

What an incredible article. I can't recommend it enough, words don't do it justice 

Came here hoping this was posted.

A very tough read at times, but a must-read.

This is the same site that published last month's incredible Eddie Kingston article.

8 hours ago, MoS said:

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/amanda-jon-huber-wrestling-aew

What an incredible article. I can't recommend it enough, words don't do it justice 

Awesome read. Thanks for sharing. The last part is pretty damn hard though, with some really striking parts.

 

Same happened with Omega vs Danielson. So much for the "wrestling matches don't help ratings" old narrative.

WWE stans everywhere trying to trumpet a signing of some woman who did job duty on Dark as some kind of "hah, see! this proves the state of AEW's women's division" and wondering if they realize it isn't the own they think it is. 

More fun times on Twitter, some random fan tweeted about Darby and Cora Jade from NXT doing a skateboard match, Darby replied (kind of condescendingly) that skating is a big part of his life and not a gimmick for TV.....then she responded by saying being a good person with no abuse allegations is a big part of *her* life and not a gimmick on TV.

 

Saw the latest Rampage spoilers and by god they are hilarious