My rant about current AEW product

and that’s fair enough. I don’t think we really had a disagreement to begin with, but I didn’t specify context in my original post so my bad.

If you watch and follow all kinds of wrestling then you would know that New Japan DOES draw in the US. They sold out MSG in one day and have held a ton of shows in California. They draw here, not just in Japan. And to say that it isn't enough to just draw in Japan is silly. There is no evidence to show that AEW would draw anywhere outside the US right now so the US is technically the only spot that they draw as well. AND, it is a fact that New Japan draws more in Japan than AEW draws in the US.

Also, I don't know why you think I was referring to you in my previous post. I don't even know who you are. I was just saying that there are many people that will defend AEW without acknowledging its flaws. Every company will have flaws. Simple as that.

Colorful, engaging characters, hard-hitting action, consistent booking, cool merch, some eye candy for the ladies. IDK, it sounds like a strong base formula.

I'd rather watch Matt Hardy do his thing than whatever boring stuff Brodi Lee's been doing. The Dark Order gimmick is death no matter how many people they've tried to cram in there. It's a lost cause.

That is not the equivalent of being a mainstay draw.  Not even close. They sold out MSG because that was a huge thing for New Japan to be doing a big show in America, meaning people would travel from around the country to go see it. Also they were partnered with RoH then.  Much like All In was. It's a whole different ball game when you are touring and doing weekly shows. Capitalizing a word will not make the point any more valid. Show me the "fact" that new japan draws more than AEW in the US? AEW sold out PPV's in 4 minutes flat, sold out multiple TV episode shows in 10'000 + buildings, and signed a 4 year TV deal within 6 months of being on TV. How has New Japan done more than that in the US? 

We aren't talking about AEW drawing anywhere but the USA right now? They are an American based company touring in America. Why in the world would I be talking about their ability to draw in Japan? You are clearly misunderstanding why I'm pointing out that New Japan is not the same draw in America as it is in Japan. The point is that the promotions cater to their audiences. NJPW is made for a Japanese cultured audience. AEW (& WWE) are made for American based audiences . 

Not a single person here has ever said AEW didn't have flaws. We disagreed with your flaws and pointed out why we disagreed. Simple as that.  I posted tons in that thread with long, well thought out and well reasoned posts. You ignored the overwhelming majority of it. 

voicesinmyhead as much as you generalize all of us as being AEW marks when we openly critique the very product we all like, you sound like a hell of a New Japan mark yourself. "Wrestling/Wrasslin" fell off the marquee a long long time ago, maybe catch-as-catch-can wrestling and fisty cuffs rocks your boat - you do you. A 100% pure wrestling weekly show will never be successful in a north american market.

I didn't even call anyone a mark specifically. I told the OP to be careful of the marks that will rip him apart. You didn't rip him apart so you are not one of the "marks" I am talking about. All of you need to calm down. The fact that you are getting so defensive over that word, even when I didn't say you were one, is pathetic.

Also, I guess you don't have anything to say about New Japan doing well in other countries? I am not a New Japan mark. I just don't like when people speak flat-out lies.

I'm so glad I discovered the block button....and beer. I'd buy that t-shirt and be up for some cowboy s***.

Steering back to the original thing regarding staleness, I think there's been a shift after the first few weeks of Matt Hardy/Brodie. Brodie went to the title shot, which as far as building up non WWE stars was probably a good thing to have it be a WWE guy eat the pin to Mox there. Now he's focused more on leading the Dark Order and playing that character, which could do a lot to help young guys get over. (I'm thinking further ahead on that one when members eventually start leaving or turning on him, or perhaps the group falls apart all together, who knows). Matt mentoring Private Party. They're starting to shift that WWE talent over to roles where they can keep helping boost younger guys. Jericho's been doing it from the start, but that's because Jericho is so damn good he can literally be a great old school heel world champion while simultaneously boosting up a ton of younger talent in the company without losing any credibility. Those first few weeks after those two debuted I definitely get what you mean, though it was also when they had a super limited roster and most of the Elite wasn't available, none of the New York crew, etc. I feel like we're starting to see how those two fit in with a fuller roster, and it's still leaving room for the younger guys to grow.


I kinda put FTR into a different category, since they are a very rare exception for WWE talent coming over and being big players, but that's something that's been hyped long before AEW started, and FTR special enough for that. If we start seeing all those random releases showing up and taking over, things could definitely go south. I really don't see it happening though. The Fyter Fest card is pretty big on boosting non-WWE talent, TNT match aside. That Jericho match will do every bit as much for OC as the PAC match did, which was a heck of a lot.

I agree with almost everything you said there. I do think they have done well for themselves, but like you said, they need to be careful because they are really starting to get into that parody territory.

The only thing I do not agree with is that if AEW was the "extreme alternative," then it would fold in six months. People are following and tuning into AEW because of their roster and for solid matches. The same fans would be watching if it was a pure wrestling company as well.

i don't watch wwe anymore but sort of keep up with it from dirtsheets and what i read here, i guess? i'm assuming the title deal was the main event for nxt tho. so comparing that to santana vs matt hardy is a no brainer as far as ratings go. and even if it wasn't, i still wouldn't be surprised. matt hardy does not = ratings in 2020. the main event segments were that match and jericho/orange on aew. i'd bet that whatever nxt had was just one thing until the end of the show, so whoever was watching stuck around instead of flipping over to try and catch the last bit of dynamite.

either way, i don't really care about the ratings. pick one, watch both, whatever. enjoy what you want, just dont bash others for liking something more. btw, not calling you out for this, dude. just saying in general. no need to be toxic to each other over a tv show.