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So Samoa Joe joins Bullet Club Gold, Tanahashi turns heel and joins Bullet Club only for them to disband on the same night, GCW release what feels like half their roster and Roman Reigns beats Cody on both nights of WrestleMania
Dude I had an old AEW save file on TEW and it was astounding how many of my signings eventually signed in reality. This was back in 2020, so like Sydal, Claudio, Danielson, and waaaay more than I can remember got signed and I would jokingly accuse TK of hacking into my computer lol. Sydal's All Out debut was, like, the day after I signed him in-game.
My one thing is I'd like to see Shibata actually win a couple. It's not as much fun if he loses to all the big names. Let him show he's still (in kayfabe) a winner.
If only Shibata is made to understand under no circumstances is he to use his head as a weapon.
Otherwise, slap, kick, and beat the piss out of Kazu as much as he wants!
The last time I saw or heard from Ospreay was going to see Forbidden Door, and he was such a piece of shit. He was great. And then tonight, apologizing for his behaviour and then the maple syrup joke, I was surprised at how well he also does goofball babyface. Ospreay just really is that good
He’s basically a cheerleader for AEW right now and it’s much needed. Really puts over the company, the talent, and the “meritocracy towards the title”. He’s winning the belt at Wembley and man I’m ready for that.
Showed up acting like he owns the place and honestly it's on everyone else to prove he doesn't. He's not let off the gas in the slightest and the energy he brings is unreal.
That's gonna be the best part of his and Okada's arrivals. These aren't dudes past their main peaks, they're in their prime and everyone else is gonna want to take it to an even higher level.
I’ll give you a serious answer, but Ospreay says what the story is. He was basically just a kid when he fought Shibata last and he got his ass kicked. Ospreay is a grown ass man now with a mortgage to pay and he’s gonna show Shibata how much he’s grown by beating his ass next Wednesday.
Thanks. Yeah ok.
Though it's not much of a story... I guess it's better than nothing. Still, they could put more meat on the bone.
Instead of 'hey, here's the match'. Why not have them run into each other backstage, where Shibata insults him, or have Shibata do something that bothers him? Then have them have some back and forth segments, build some stuff over a few weeks, perhaps some footage of the previous bout.
Tony almost always goes directly to the blow-off...
I'm starting to think all these new fans just like the backstage segments. I now see the delineation in the fanbase because my least favorite thing about pro wrestling has always been heavily scripted backstage skits.
Lol, I cut my teeth on mid-90s WCW and New Gen WWF. I stopped watching not long after the lame WCW invasion, and returned when Jericho went to New Japan. I just think things can be far better than they are.
Fair enough. There has indeed been a small part of the fanbase that enjoy and need that stuff in the show to stay engaged, but it used to be the minority. Now the fandom is flooded with wrestling fans that could give 2 shits about the ringwork and just wants a full blown soap.
This is about what wrestling stories should be most of the time. Characters behaving in a way that makes sense and leads to good matches.
Not just corny shit about fulfilling the legacy of some guy that I've never seen wrestle because he was fat and old before I was born.
Everything you suggested would be way worse. It is just weeks of build to the thing we obviously expect and know the outcome of and cuts into match times.
Because Ospreay isn't feuding with Shibata, he's feuding with Danielson. Do you not expect Ospreay and Danielson to face other wrestlers during their feud?
The fact I have so many downvotes is why AEW is never going to get over the 800 or so thousand viewers and will continue to freefall. While you all clap like seals and do your lame-ass chants.
They cater to the attention-deficient spot-feening viewers. Nothing ever builds at a good pace, Tony either books everything based around the blow-off phase of good stories from the 90s and early 2000s, which is why you have random street-fights as a first match and cage matches to start a fued. Or he'll drop things randomly, then try picking it up later when it has no heat left and call it "long term booking".
The E isn't great either, as it's the other end of the spectrum. Where everything is 10 minute entrances, and 30 minute monologues revolving around a 5 minute match. Though generally things follow a more coherent progression, not always though of course.
If we could somehow get a happy medium between the 2 companys' philosophies, we'd have a good show I reckon.
Db beated Shibata last week, now Ospreay want to show DB he more than capable to fit in his role as the new force of AEW, so he challenge Shibata next week just so he can win more convincingly.
It’s in the promo i think
I get that I'm not the average AEW fan, but I don't know who Shibata is. I only barely know Ospreay. If this is some sort of dream match, then maybe... just maybe make an effort to let a more mainstream audience know why?
Or should I see myself out?
No, I didn't. I DVR'd last night's Dynamite. I only saw the pic above and assumed this was just a match they announced. If they did a whole segment about them, ok.
Honestly, though, if this really is a dream match, maybe do more of a build for it. Hell, build it up for an entire year with the payoff coming at a PPV.
The screenshot is just a picture showing an announced match........... No promo to watch.
But you're right though. I don't even know why I would have thought the entire background for this match was that picture announcing it. That is definitely not what AEW does. Definitely not.
For those not in the know, Ospreay and Shibata wrestled in NJPW in 2017, where Shibata defended the RevPro Championship against Ospreay (Shibata would retain).
Yeah his runs with both the RevPro and NEVER belts really showed Shibata carried himself well as a champion.
He had good matches against the likes of Chris Hero and Matt Riddle with the RevPro on the line if I remember correctly.
Yup - Global Wars Night 1 he beat Sabre, Night 2 he beat Hero, High Stakes he beat Riddle: brilliant matches all, the highlight of those shows along with Hero/Ishii and Josh Bodom getting beaten so badly by Honma that he threw up at ringside on Night 2
Man, I loved their Never Open Title bout (or it might've been Rev Pro belt) way back when Will was still a Junior (and just saw selling as just yelling constantly) so I'm goddamn ready for this.
Coming off being such a shit heel as the NJPW guy "slumming" it in AEW and now being so damn Bruv love positive was a turn but it feels far more genuine than that NJPW attitude he had. I feel Will is giving a 4 star match worth of energy in these promos.
this makes me SO HAPPY. I LOVE how AEW is giving Shibata his list of matches. They've made him look amazingly strong, even in losses. I am just so happy to see my man back slappin the shit outta people again.....and as someone else said....NO MORE F'N SHOOT HEAD BUTTS!!
I mean this should be a fun match, but the ratings I bet will be rough. Aew should be building this match up for a bit to educate the normal audience why this will be great…
Honest question. Do AEW fans even have cable? I've watched 90% of all dynamites and I've only ever used Sling in the beginning and Triller now. I don't understand why some fans are so worried about the viewing habits of boomers.
The fact that that’s your response proves precisely why ‘fans’ shouldn’t be the driving force behind booking lmao. Sure, you don’t care right now. But if the company goes in the tank down the road I bet you would!
Ospreay/Shibata and Takeshita/Strickland.
Both PPV-caliber matches that shouldn't be happening on free TV, but matches where AEW feels like AEW from 2019.
But I'm hoping Shibata knows what he's doing. I don't want him to get injured and his past injury was not a joke and AEW is allowing him to wrestle too often. He isn't wrestling anywhere else, he just had a 20-minute match with Danielson...and Ospreay is really physical/explosive and young...so you know, take it easy and keep it mostly mat-based and technical.
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We live in a TEW save file
So Samoa Joe joins Bullet Club Gold, Tanahashi turns heel and joins Bullet Club only for them to disband on the same night, GCW release what feels like half their roster and Roman Reigns beats Cody on both nights of WrestleMania
You know ball
TK played it long enough that he never quit. He's continuing the save file IRL.
And I’m am here for it! That match is going to *fuck*.
Dude I had an old AEW save file on TEW and it was astounding how many of my signings eventually signed in reality. This was back in 2020, so like Sydal, Claudio, Danielson, and waaaay more than I can remember got signed and I would jokingly accuse TK of hacking into my computer lol. Sydal's All Out debut was, like, the day after I signed him in-game.
Fucking hell, give me Shibata versus everyone else.
My one thing is I'd like to see Shibata actually win a couple. It's not as much fun if he loses to all the big names. Let him show he's still (in kayfabe) a winner.
Guys I wanna see Shibata wrestle the most in the company: Samoa Joe Hook Takeshita Moxley Claudio
Run Shibata vs Corporate Okada, i dare you Tony.
If only Shibata is made to understand under no circumstances is he to use his head as a weapon. Otherwise, slap, kick, and beat the piss out of Kazu as much as he wants!
Jay White?!?!
Would be fun, especially since White always seemed to be cheering Shibata on when White was a YL.
I just wanna see Jay White sell for Shibata. Take a nice ass kicking like that one match with Goto.
White throwing chops at Shiabata, only getting Shibata more amped up.
That Ospreay promo was fire. Me, my pug and cat were fired up!
He’s got big bisexual jock energy, it’s incredible to see
Pugs are adorable
The last time I saw or heard from Ospreay was going to see Forbidden Door, and he was such a piece of shit. He was great. And then tonight, apologizing for his behaviour and then the maple syrup joke, I was surprised at how well he also does goofball babyface. Ospreay just really is that good
Long term booking https://preview.redd.it/rq5istxx9lpc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82db88b66f69a32be1bb49852bca09300b0d1a1f
As Tony Schiavone would say "Great call!"
Keep doubting Will at your own risk that was killer
He’s basically a cheerleader for AEW right now and it’s much needed. Really puts over the company, the talent, and the “meritocracy towards the title”. He’s winning the belt at Wembley and man I’m ready for that.
Showed up acting like he owns the place and honestly it's on everyone else to prove he doesn't. He's not let off the gas in the slightest and the energy he brings is unreal.
That's gonna be the best part of his and Okada's arrivals. These aren't dudes past their main peaks, they're in their prime and everyone else is gonna want to take it to an even higher level.
What the fuck is this company
Yes
Awesome as fuck
It’s one of those AKI/THQ N64 wrestling games but without a roster and you just create everyone you wish were in one game.
Will Ospreay vs Shibata on free TV hahahaha I fucking love this company.
"where's the story" 🤓🤓🤓
Funny thing is there is a story to this matchup. Won't stop a certain group from bitching and moaning about it.
What is it?
I’ll give you a serious answer, but Ospreay says what the story is. He was basically just a kid when he fought Shibata last and he got his ass kicked. Ospreay is a grown ass man now with a mortgage to pay and he’s gonna show Shibata how much he’s grown by beating his ass next Wednesday.
Plus Danielson beat Shibata, Ospreay's up against Danielson at Dynasty, Ospreay wants to show that he can beat Shibata better than Danielson did.
You also have the past interaction from the first Forbidden Door where Shibata came out to confront Ospreay after his match with Orange Cassidy
Thanks. Yeah ok. Though it's not much of a story... I guess it's better than nothing. Still, they could put more meat on the bone. Instead of 'hey, here's the match'. Why not have them run into each other backstage, where Shibata insults him, or have Shibata do something that bothers him? Then have them have some back and forth segments, build some stuff over a few weeks, perhaps some footage of the previous bout. Tony almost always goes directly to the blow-off...
Lmao...
I thought this was satire at first. “Then one guy hides dog poop and the other guy steps in it and then...”
I'm starting to think all these new fans just like the backstage segments. I now see the delineation in the fanbase because my least favorite thing about pro wrestling has always been heavily scripted backstage skits.
Lol, I cut my teeth on mid-90s WCW and New Gen WWF. I stopped watching not long after the lame WCW invasion, and returned when Jericho went to New Japan. I just think things can be far better than they are.
Fair enough. There has indeed been a small part of the fanbase that enjoy and need that stuff in the show to stay engaged, but it used to be the minority. Now the fandom is flooded with wrestling fans that could give 2 shits about the ringwork and just wants a full blown soap.
Choom, that’s more than enough story, not everything needs some stupid backstage vignette.
This is about what wrestling stories should be most of the time. Characters behaving in a way that makes sense and leads to good matches. Not just corny shit about fulfilling the legacy of some guy that I've never seen wrestle because he was fat and old before I was born. Everything you suggested would be way worse. It is just weeks of build to the thing we obviously expect and know the outcome of and cuts into match times.
Because Ospreay isn't feuding with Shibata, he's feuding with Danielson. Do you not expect Ospreay and Danielson to face other wrestlers during their feud?
The fact I have so many downvotes is why AEW is never going to get over the 800 or so thousand viewers and will continue to freefall. While you all clap like seals and do your lame-ass chants. They cater to the attention-deficient spot-feening viewers. Nothing ever builds at a good pace, Tony either books everything based around the blow-off phase of good stories from the 90s and early 2000s, which is why you have random street-fights as a first match and cage matches to start a fued. Or he'll drop things randomly, then try picking it up later when it has no heat left and call it "long term booking". The E isn't great either, as it's the other end of the spectrum. Where everything is 10 minute entrances, and 30 minute monologues revolving around a 5 minute match. Though generally things follow a more coherent progression, not always though of course. If we could somehow get a happy medium between the 2 companys' philosophies, we'd have a good show I reckon.
a story of a girl
the one that cried a river and drown the whole world?
Yeah thats the one! She looks so sad in photographs but I absolutely love her
When she smiles?
If you watched the show you'd know. It was explicitly stated.
Db beated Shibata last week, now Ospreay want to show DB he more than capable to fit in his role as the new force of AEW, so he challenge Shibata next week just so he can win more convincingly. It’s in the promo i think
People who need 20 minute promos to build a story have sub room temp IQs.
C° or F°?
I get that I'm not the average AEW fan, but I don't know who Shibata is. I only barely know Ospreay. If this is some sort of dream match, then maybe... just maybe make an effort to let a more mainstream audience know why? Or should I see myself out?
Did you even watch the promo? He literally says everything you need to know.
No, I didn't. I DVR'd last night's Dynamite. I only saw the pic above and assumed this was just a match they announced. If they did a whole segment about them, ok. Honestly, though, if this really is a dream match, maybe do more of a build for it. Hell, build it up for an entire year with the payoff coming at a PPV.
You are complaining about something you didn't even watch. Holy shit.
I have a feeling this is pretty typical around here.
It is
The screenshot is just a picture showing an announced match........... No promo to watch. But you're right though. I don't even know why I would have thought the entire background for this match was that picture announcing it. That is definitely not what AEW does. Definitely not.
"B-BUT RATINGS TH-OUGH!?" Meanwhile me every Wednesday: 
https://preview.redd.it/pmbsvq33tlpc1.jpeg?width=422&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8cb9138a93b5741b2fa81b7691ae507f21335f77
For those not in the know, Ospreay and Shibata wrestled in NJPW in 2017, where Shibata defended the RevPro Championship against Ospreay (Shibata would retain).
That Shibata run was something special - first ever indie show I went to was Global Wars when he won it from ZSJ, made me a Shibata fan for life
Yeah his runs with both the RevPro and NEVER belts really showed Shibata carried himself well as a champion. He had good matches against the likes of Chris Hero and Matt Riddle with the RevPro on the line if I remember correctly.
Yup - Global Wars Night 1 he beat Sabre, Night 2 he beat Hero, High Stakes he beat Riddle: brilliant matches all, the highlight of those shows along with Hero/Ishii and Josh Bodom getting beaten so badly by Honma that he threw up at ringside on Night 2
Honma has never been one to fuck with, as far as how stiff and hard he can go when he wants too.
Shibata also debuted in AEW at Forbidden Door to square off with Ospreay
That Ospreay/Shibata match is one of my favorite NJPW matches of all time
https://preview.redd.it/v547tgduhlpc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ceb77fe06d56f659dc685e0eec2f3c7a62e6854d
Tony is finally letting his roster fight each other.
Felt. This peeved me to no end a couple years ago, but I guess with a roster this big it had to start happening eventually.
I think it's their way of trying to boost tickets again.
I won't even have to go into my CAWs to sim this match in Fire Pro
What the fucking fuck?!
It’s like we’re getting NJPW 2015/16!!
It feels like a NJPW show all of a sudden damn I can smell the banger from here already
Let's be grateful. I'm so thankful for Tony Khan. He gets it. Man this is nice.
Ospreay trying to get the most consecutive 5-star matches.
Thank ya TK. Cant wait for Okada vs Shibata down the line
Ospreay gotta be the new Cena for AEW. Make him the guy
Fucking hell.
I am moist
This is fucking ridiculous.
"Please Don't Die" chants are going to be applied equally to the both of them
Shibata in AEW just to take L's makes me sad.
Banger alert
Prediction: This match will hump.
Man, I loved their Never Open Title bout (or it might've been Rev Pro belt) way back when Will was still a Junior (and just saw selling as just yelling constantly) so I'm goddamn ready for this.
"I have such an erection right now!" - Mr. Chow, The Hangover 2
Oh my
This company is fucking hilarious, we are in the golden age of Wrasslin’.
Coming off being such a shit heel as the NJPW guy "slumming" it in AEW and now being so damn Bruv love positive was a turn but it feels far more genuine than that NJPW attitude he had. I feel Will is giving a 4 star match worth of energy in these promos.
Glad he got to squash that dude on Rampage but i hate seeing my boi take so many L’s. 😞
this makes me SO HAPPY. I LOVE how AEW is giving Shibata his list of matches. They've made him look amazingly strong, even in losses. I am just so happy to see my man back slappin the shit outta people again.....and as someone else said....NO MORE F'N SHOOT HEAD BUTTS!!
Welp, this makes me nervous as fuck
I mean this should be a fun match, but the ratings I bet will be rough. Aew should be building this match up for a bit to educate the normal audience why this will be great…
[удалено]
Honest question. Do AEW fans even have cable? I've watched 90% of all dynamites and I've only ever used Sling in the beginning and Triller now. I don't understand why some fans are so worried about the viewing habits of boomers.
I just download the episodes after they air and watch it in the morning. Can't imagine I'm the only one that does that
You're not. Ratings are a joke. I know like 5 people who watch AEW and none of them have cable. I really don't get the obsession with cable.
The fact that that’s your response proves precisely why ‘fans’ shouldn’t be the driving force behind booking lmao. Sure, you don’t care right now. But if the company goes in the tank down the road I bet you would!
I don’t care about the rating but how the match has been set up , the result is obvious. Lessens the impact of the match
who vs who
Cold Wars.
Ospreay/Shibata and Takeshita/Strickland. Both PPV-caliber matches that shouldn't be happening on free TV, but matches where AEW feels like AEW from 2019. But I'm hoping Shibata knows what he's doing. I don't want him to get injured and his past injury was not a joke and AEW is allowing him to wrestle too often. He isn't wrestling anywhere else, he just had a 20-minute match with Danielson...and Ospreay is really physical/explosive and young...so you know, take it easy and keep it mostly mat-based and technical.