GDT: AEW Double or Nothing | May 25th 2019 - 8pm - Las Vegas

[Jussi]

 

[MAHJ71]

Another amazing take on it for Dustin.

Legit at his mention of wanting to get a 6 star from Meltzer in a match against the Bucks

EDIT: also quite the statements regarding life outside of the WWE, "I'm so happy to be out of prison" ... strong words

 

[MAHJ71]

Jericho's interview was pretty good as well.

 

[ColePens]

^ Jericho stays in character the most. I love how honest those guys are after the show. Bucks interview about being producers AND wrestling being so difficult.

 

[MAHJ71]

^ Jericho stays in character the most. I love how honest those guys are after the show. Bucks interview about being producers AND wrestling being so difficult.

I'm enjoying that there are legitimate interviews after the card. Its a nice touch that makes it seem like a big time sporting event.

 

[MAHJ71]

Jericho said he purposely gained more weight for his current heel gimmick. Kinda like a reinvention of himself again. I assume some people will like it some people won’t.

I gained weight this winter and spring I need to say it's for my new gimmick too.

You're right.

I just caught his Busted Open interview from earlier this week and he mentioned he deliberately added 10 pounds. Talked about how in Japan the added weight builds into his character and he feels the crowd respects the huskier guys a tad more because of it.

 

[GarbageGoal]

“What’s Finity Tatu doing in the Elite Dome???”

 

[ColePens]

Something simple about weigh-ins, pre-ppv press conferences, and real post-match interviews that make me fall in love. I absolutely LOVE that style. Wrestlers blend a nice mix of real/kayfabe without going too far. Really nice stuff. The interviews have been fantastic.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

I'm sorry, but I can't buy a 48 year old saying, "I intentionally gained weight for the gimmick."

He's 48. He's getting old. Staying in shape isn't as easy as it used to be and not everybody's genetic freak like Cena or Brock.

 

[The Gongshow]

I watched a bit of the PPV, one thing I wasn't a fan of was the theme music. I think WWE/NXT does a really good job with the audio cues for the big pop factor.

Glass shatter, gong, guitar, static.
a lot of the themes we here have those intro/instrumentals that the audience knows and pops for. I felt like a lot of the themes I heard were super boring and flat.

THAT SAID, maybe these are themes from other companies or something, I'm not familiar with a lot of the wrestlers who were on the card so maybe majority of those who watched already knew these people from their themes or w.e. just my thoughts from someone who wasn't familiar with many of the people

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

I watched a bit of the PPV, one thing I wasn't a fan of was the theme music. I think WWE/NXT does a really good job with the audio cues for the big pop factor.

Glass shatter, gong, guitar, static.
a lot of the themes we here have those intro/instrumentals that the audience knows and pops for. I felt like a lot of the themes I heard were super boring and flat.

THAT SAID, maybe these are themes from other companies or something, I'm not familiar with a lot of the wrestlers who were on the card so maybe majority of those who watched already knew these people from their themes or w.e. just my thoughts from someone who wasn't familiar with many of the people

Yeah I’m saving my judgement until tnt is involved

 

[WingsMJN2965]

I will say that while I thought Jericho's new look was kinda shitty at first, the entrance made it.

He's got an old gunslinger look. Like Ed Harris in Westworld.

 

[ColePens]

I agreed with @The Gongshow until I watched Cody and the Bucks interview. Now i 10000000% agree with @PeterSidorkiewicz . Those guys are going to watch film like NFL coaches. They seemed to know some areas to improve on already. I think they will 100% have this down after a year.

Remember to become great, it's a 2-5 year plan. This is not a sprint to become a great company. Build the foundation. I think those guys have a true understanding of where they need to be.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

I will say that while I thought Jericho's new look was kinda ****ty at first, the entrance made it.

He's got an old gunslinger look. Like Ed Harris in Westworld.

I absolutely love his look just as you described. I feel like it’s perfect for an aging guy especially with a rockstar style gimmick.

It’s hard to put my finger on it but he’s doing it right IMO.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

people on Twitter already think hes a WWE plant

This is all about avenging Mitch

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

I agreed with @The Gongshow until I watched Cody and the Bucks interview. Now i 10000000% agree with @PeterSidorkiewicz . Those guys are going to watch film like NFL coaches. They seemed to know some areas to improve on already. I think they will 100% have this down after a year.

Remember to become great, it's a 2-5 year plan. This is not a sprint to become a great company. Build the foundation. I think those guys have a true understanding of where they need to be.

Yeah the 2-5 year plan seems ideal IMO.

All I really have to say is I haven’t been this excited for wrestling in a long time. So that’s good.

Also off topic you mentioned the pro wrestling tees are very soft. I am very picky about my shirts aka I hate heavy rough cotton and almost anything Gilden brand. Is it certain shirts on there that are soft or all of em?

 

[KIRK]

Twitter... is ****ing stupid.

And getting dumber by the day . . .

You know, thinking it over, if you're going to have 'kinks', AEW has the best (or least bad) kind. You can fix the announcers with JR. You can improve the production quality.

And, they definitely have to figure out the value proposition for the paid stuff (because $50 a month for PPV might turn people off over time).

That said, the one thing they've got right that's the hardest thing to get right is the talent/quality of the in ring product, and that's the foundation ANY new promotion has to have right if they're to survive/thrive.

I agreed with @The Gongshow until I watched Cody and the Bucks interview. Now i 10000000% agree with @PeterSidorkiewicz . Those guys are going to watch film like NFL coaches. They seemed to know some areas to improve on already. I think they will 100% have this down after a year.

Remember to become great, it's a 2-5 year plan. This is not a sprint to become a great company. Build the foundation. I think those guys have a true understanding of where they need to be.

100%

 

[KaseMeOutside]

I'm surprised people are really speaking out about the HHH stuff. It was just a tad bit of fan service. Nothing more, eh? It seems to be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much of the talk.

Cody was simply playing to an audience that he knew would like that. Also trolling in wrestling is fun

 

[JackSlater]

I've now watched all the parts of the show that I'm going to watch. Overall I'd give it a positive grade. Certainly it wasn't a great show but it was good enough, and that's all that I really hoped for.

Pre-show - I thought that both matches were bad, the battle royale in particular. I hate the way battle royales are booked now where it's mainly just a bunch of wrestlers lying on the periphery of the ring while some spot takes place in the middle. Reminded me of WWE. I don't hold pre-shows against the card though since I view it as a purely optional part of the experience.

Match 1: I was underwhelmed. It wasn't bad to start the show but it wasn't good either and I don't think it set any kind of tone for the show. Length was good.

Match 2: Not particularly good, but I enjoyed that Awesome Kong was included. That was a good surprise.

Match 3: I thought that this one was bad. I have no time for Taylor and Beretta. I started to focus more on the basketball game during this match.

Match 4: Not bad, but quite repetitive after three consecutive tag matches. I enjoyed seeing Aja Kong. Would have enjoyed it more had it not been preceded by the first three matches.

Title segment: Good segment. I enjoyed seeing Hart, and made me think of the possibilities if everyone who has a grievance with WWE eventually uses AEW as a vehicle to take shots. The star here was MJF however. Good stuff as an Eddie Gilbert style heel. It may be bad for AEW that he has a lot more charisma than Page does, but as a fan that's fine.

Match 5: Best match of the night for me by a fair margin. I was optimistic going into this match, but mainly just thought that it could be good. This was very good. Cody never really adapted to non-WWE wrestling and sticks out in a bad way in those matches, but he is good at WWE style matches. This is his best stuff since leaving WWE. Dustin was also surprisingly good in terms of mobility. I would have enjoyed this more had there been TV to build to it (and in that case I prefer the older brother to win at first) but given the context of them needing a match just for a PPV, I have to give it pretty much full marks. A pleasant surprise.

Match 6: I was watching basketball and missed it completely. I really dislike the Young Bucks so I'm not going to bother. Given the opposition I'm sure that it was a quality edition of a Young Bucks match.

Match 7: A bit of a disappointment for me, but still good. Jericho in particular looked a lot worse than he did in NJPW, physically and much more importantly in ring. Omega is the best in ring performer in the company and will be sorely needed. Bonus points because the Moxley run in at the end was really good.

Overall there is good and bad. As everyone knows, the production side of things wasn't good on this show. The camera work was bad, the music was bad. I'm not really concerned about this however as it is just the beginning. I've also seen enough quality wrestling with bad production (pretty much anything before 1996 outside of WWF) to know that it's only one factor. AEW will only get better on this front. The look of the show was good though.

The roster is very thin. This is where you can see the damage that WWE does just by holding so many good wrestlers hostage. AEW really, really needs an influx of talent. That undercard is bad.

They took some bad parts of WWE, indys and NJPW that I hope get ironed out. The camera cuts were straight from the bad Dunn. Those need to be dropped, but they can feel free to take the good elements of Dunn when he keeps it simple and gets the key shots at the right moments. Copying NJPW's camera style would also be fine. Banging on about the "AEW is for everyone" thing is also beyond tedious and reeks of WWE. I'm sure it plays well on twitter but no show has become better just by being self righteous and moralistic. Get the best wrestlers and put on the best product, even if all the best wrestlers happen to be black Jewish lesbian Sagittariuses, and that's all that is required. The three man booth is bad and should be eliminated. It was bad in WCW, it is bad in WWE, it was bad in AEW. Some of the match layouts, particularly the battle royale, reminded me of bad WWE. There were elements that also sampled from bad indy wrestlers where it descends to needless spots, but this element wasn't horrible. I really disliked the lack of ref authority, which reminded me of a negative aspect of NJPW. The "ref's discretion" during the Jericho-Omega match that allowed them to brawl outside of the ring to their heart's content just because needs to go. I appreciate that they at least tried to give a reason for why there was no countout but the reason was not good enough.

The structure of the card was odd. Too many multi-man matches, especially consecutively. Even worse when they happen at the same pace. It may have been somewhat necessary given the roster. I think that they will learn from this.

Jim Ross was better than I expected. He's the best ever but his recent stuff has been bad. Perhaps he's motivated now as he carried the booth big time. They should drop both of those guys and give JR someone decent. I remember reading Cody Rhodes say that he likes a three man booth better than a two man booth so I hope that he gets overruled.

I really like the presentation after the show. The interviews and whatnot. This is a good thing to take from NJPW and it stands out from the other English language alternatives.

The way they did the Moxley reveal was very good. WWE would have had him come down the ramp with theme music and a video package and it would have looked like crap. Have him come out of the crowd and go after everyone. Good stuff. I don't think that Moxley is a big difference maker as things stand right now, but the guy has potential. He can talk, and talkers draw attention. AEW also needs him for depth purposes.

The blood was a nice addition, particularly in the Rhodes match. It wasn't excessive but it added a lot visually and made the story, which due to lack of TV had relatively minor build, seem bigger. Even just not stopping matches (like in Omega's case) adds a lot.

To me the show was good enough. I don't think that it was great by any stretch but there were enough good bits to satisfy me and a lot of the problems can be rectified over time. I will give their TV a fair chance, and I think that the first PPV after TV could be significantly better. Looking forward to it.

 

[ColePens]

Yeah the 2-5 year plan seems ideal IMO.

All I really have to say is I haven’t been this excited for wrestling in a long time. So that’s good.

Also off topic you mentioned the pro wrestling tees are very soft. I am very picky about my shirts aka I hate heavy rough cotton and almost anything Gilden brand. Is it certain shirts on there that are soft or all of em?

Under where you purchase the shirt, it's typically like 3.99 for the premium soft. It's worth every penny. It's so f***ing soft and looks great.

The only time I wear wrestling t-shirts is if i'm going for a dope street style and i get stopped all the time to get complimented.

 

[WingsMJN2965]

Also, I think Jericho's win last night is an example that they think properly and with foresight. (As opposed to another company that has a guy win for no reason and then get squashed the next week because they're bi-polar with their pushes)

Jericho is still the biggest draw in the company, even over Moxley. Jericho winning puts Hangman in that spotlight with him, which likely results in Hangman going over. If and when Hangman goes over, it protects Jericho from having two big losses in a row and losing his effectiveness. (Bray Wyatt effect)

It leaves the door open for a Jericho/Omega rubber match, whereas that rivalry would be all but dead with Kenny going 2-0. Plus, it keeps them from blowing their load on Omega vs. Hangman before they even debut on TV.

It also opened the door for co-main events on the Chicago show. Omega vs. Hangman, frankly, will be a bigger match once Hangman goes over Jericho. Jericho vs. Moxley just doesn't have a lot of a selling point considering we've already see it. But Hangman vs. Jericho and Moxley vs. Omega is something totally different.

 

[GKJ]

I think Jericho beats him

 

[Cor]

Also, I think Jericho's win last night is an example that they think properly and with foresight. (As opposed to another company that has a guy win for no reason and then get squashed the next week because they're bi-polar with their pushes)

Jericho is still the biggest draw in the company, even over Moxley. Jericho winning puts Hangman in that spotlight with him, which likely results in Hangman going over. If and when Hangman goes over, it protects Jericho from having two big losses in a row and losing his effectiveness. (Bray Wyatt effect)

It leaves the door open for a Jericho/Omega rubber match, whereas that rivalry would be all but dead with Kenny going 2-0. Plus, it keeps them from blowing their load on Omega vs. Hangman before they even debut on TV.

It also opened the door for co-main events on the Chicago show. Omega vs. Hangman, frankly, will be a bigger match once Hangman goes over Jericho. Jericho vs. Moxley just doesn't have a lot of a selling point considering we've already see it. But Hangman vs. Jericho and Moxley vs. Omega is something totally different.

They said they have the next 6 to 12 months planned out. I assume they know where they want to go for the next 6 months, and then have the next 6 months after that generally planned out.

Which is nice, because WWE doesn't know what they are doing tomorrow right now most likely lol

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Day after AEW debut they send out this email. Petty.

 

[JackSlater]

Also, I think Jericho's win last night is an example that they think properly and with foresight. (As opposed to another company that has a guy win for no reason and then get squashed the next week because they're bi-polar with their pushes)

Jericho is still the biggest draw in the company, even over Moxley. Jericho winning puts Hangman in that spotlight with him, which likely results in Hangman going over. If and when Hangman goes over, it protects Jericho from having two big losses in a row and losing his effectiveness. (Bray Wyatt effect)

It leaves the door open for a Jericho/Omega rubber match, whereas that rivalry would be all but dead with Kenny going 2-0. Plus, it keeps them from blowing their load on Omega vs. Hangman before they even debut on TV.

It also opened the door for co-main events on the Chicago show. Omega vs. Hangman, frankly, will be a bigger match once Hangman goes over Jericho. Jericho vs. Moxley just doesn't have a lot of a selling point considering we've already see it. But Hangman vs. Jericho and Moxley vs. Omega is something totally different.

They seem very high on Page but Jericho should win, for the reasons outlined. Let the others chase. You build with the chase, not the title win. I think that they will go with Jericho.