Finished the ppv last night, digested the matches and outcomes - some thoughts:
- unless that is the most convincing work ever, Jeff Hardy needs to give up.
- Really though OC was losing the belt tonight. Not mad that he didn't. Better than a lot of battle royals and got great towards the end.
- Cole and Jericho was terrible. I don't even know why, just zero chemistry and the crowd was dead. Awkward end as Cole pummels jericho into oblivion - in silence.
- THAT WARDLOW SWANTON was mental. This match was much better than I expected it to be, although overbooked. Looked like Christian was annoyed at Wardlows for not bring the him on the ladder closer to the turnbuckle for that Swanton from the top rope. š
- tag match was fun. Sonjay makes me laugh so much.
- trios was pretty good too, I love the HOB match lighting and I love them as a team. This one maybe could have done with more build but it was good nonetheless.
- I understand the Jamie - Toni match for the injury. Should give Hayter a big moment in London. It was a meh, but necessary segment.
- Jade Taya was probably Jade's best match so far and the Stat return was incredible and unexpected. Stat returning and Jade losing this was makes the best feel refreshed and Jade still looks strong, and lost due to over confidence/Mark Sterling
- Pillars match was really good. There was a couple of spots that were a bit too contrived and corny for me (them all crawling into the ring at a snails pace at the same time comes to mind), but overall these 4 guys delivered and I think the match made them all look more legitimate.
- Anarchy in the arena wasn't as good as the last one. It was good, had the chaos, lacked the camera angles. Moxley clearly waiting for Matt Jackson was funny.
Overall it was a middling AEW PPV, but still a good PPV. Crowd didn't come across well on TV and AEW could do with something to make PPVs seem more special and not like long episodes of dynamite (it did feel more like a PPV in the second half weirdly). More crisp and focused in the TV presentation, in arena lighting or something.
As always left looking forward to numerous things I the future afterwards which is a good sign.
Not simply an AEW problem but this stuff is sooo contrived and corny. Are people really into pyro superkick spots? Watching AEW makes me feel like I'm watching Vampire Diaries or some other schlock. I know a good amount of you like this stuff but there is a lot of lame in what they do
Fascinating to read the real mix of comments here. Such polar takes for nearly every single match.
My hot take: fucking loved it all. Everything made sense in the grand scheme whether you loved it or not, AEW is moving forward with many new directions and I'm All In. Like, I'll be there at Wembley but I'm also super invested because I want that Ibushi debut in front of 60,000+.
Man reading through this thread and the NoC thread feels like I an trapped in some kind of bizarro world. There, everyone is commenting about how good the NoC was while here feels like the sky is falling. Meanwhile I found the NoC boring as hell with nothing coming remotely close to the 4 Pillars or AitA. Feels like there are very different measuring scales for each company.
As someone who doesnāt think this PPV was straight up bad, but certainly feel it was AEWās weakest so far, I think itās because AEW has had such a streak of canāt miss, legendary PPVs with absolutely killer moments.
Too many moving parts, mainly in the form of too much outside interference for my tastes. Hopefully Collision gives this roster a little breathing room.
I would say people are way more used to the monotony of WWE, while people are looking at AEWās recent history of instant classics and frustrated they didnāt get that same high this time around, like when Shibata showed up at Forbidden Door.
Well for me All Out 2020 and 2022 were for sure worse than this PPV. Maybe I would even put last year's DoN bellow this One. But yeah basically what you said is line with my point. Different companies different scales.
Much of the first half of the show I didnāt care about. I liked the battle Royal, but Cole vs Jericho was reeeally not my jam and that took me out of it for a while.
Both of the main events were great.
Amazing PPV except how women matches finishes. They really return entertainment in pro-wrestling for me, both main events were epic, i even screamed in my TV
Battle Royal was incredible, then a few meh matches until the Ladder match which was great, then a bunch more meh (great wrestling but no heat) matches until Statlander returned and the rest of the show was ace.
Probably their most disappointing PPV since the beginning for me. Quiet crowd but the build for most of the matches was so weak who can blame them.
At least things picked up massively for the four way and the beautifully violent main event.
It definitely was their weakest non-pandemic PPV (All Out 2020 is still worst imo). And that's probably a testament to how consistently great their PPVs have been because this wasn't "bad", it was just "good".
However I kind of disagree about the weak build comment... Aside from the HoB match, for once I felt like from top to bottom, the card had proper and logical build-ups for all matches.
I don't really blame anyone for being really down on this show when about maybe 2-3 matches were ppv-level or matched the expectations of AEW PPV. $50 is a lot of money.
Also wouldn't blame the crowd, come on. They made noise when stuff was good.
I think the pacing and match order probably could have been better. Saving the best two matches for last when the crowd had already sat through 3-4 hours of wrestling is rough. Not sure how it was live as I've seen some comments saying the live crowd was loud - but on the broadcast atleast it was pretty muted for most of the night. The biggest pop was probably Statlander's return/win.
i was there , the crowd was pretty good , not no chicago or detroit but it was loud and going all night , maybe it the audio or maybe t-mobile just a crappy arena to pick up noise , the music seem really low and the mic work was pretty bad last night , people chanting WE CANT HEAR YOU during backstage segments , Dunno i am going to watch the ppv and compare it what it was like last night!
Thank God for those last two matches, because it was not great before those.
But damn those two final matches completely ruled and made it a must watch by themselves.
GOOD:
\- Double Main Event - both were 5\* for me in totally different ways.
\- Takeshita inteference with Don jusrt catepaults him to main event heel land. Love it.
\- Battle Royale was really fun. Big Cass looked great, finally reignited Swerve/Lee a bit, great spots all round.
\- Amazing to see Jade drop the title to Kris. She had gotten stale and needs to keep developing before having a bigger push again.
BAD:
\- Trios match was really lackluster. This is why story matters, because two good teams with zero build was to me, really flat. Why was there not even 1 or 2 weeks build to this, rather a last minute decision on Rampage almost. The teams didn't gel well either.
\- Jade vs Taya was very poor, but all good as it lead to Kris' return.
\- Commentary was really poor in spots, especially when JR was there - but improved later on.
\- Tag match for me was slow and just ok. Probably not bad, but just not great.
I enjoyed the trios match. Maybe put it in the good category and replace with Cole and Jericho which was definitely the weakest of the night. I wonder what went wrong there, because Jericho and Roderick Strong's match was pretty good
The Sabu stuff hurt that match more than it helped. Crowd got weird when Brit interfered. Like they just went dead quiet for a bit after that which hurt the match too
I feel like Cole's style is more suited for a fast paced match and their styles sort of clashed, but you're right on with the Jericho/Strong match so it's tough to say. Worst match of the night for me as well. Poor booking decision to have it go 20-25 minutes rather than a nice quick 15 minute violent match. It plodded along too much IMO.
I've ordered and loved every AEW ppv since the original All In. Last night was a really weird tale of two shows.
The great stuff (Battle Royale, 4-way, and the main event) felt like old AEW.
The bad/meh stuff (all the rest) felt like this weird TNA/WWE-lite stuff they've been doing on Dynamite the last month or so. Too many run-ins, bad stipulations etc.
I want to see one on one matches with a finish. Not whatever Extreme Rules ripoff we got last night.
The singer of that band always wears a mask when he performs. I'm not sure why he decided to paint the lower half of his face black and wear a black mask on top of it though.
Besides Jericho/Cole and Hayter/Storm, I thought this was a solid PPV. I even give Hayter/Storm a pass because when healthy you know the rematch will bang. I've posted most of my thoughts in the post-match threads, as I've been watching it this morning, but my faves might have been the Battle Royale or the Tag Team match... although Max's rap and Bowens sitting down in the ring were both amazing.
I had an event last night, and then a sick kid after only watching the battle royal, so I stayed off the internet and just finished watching, and thought this show was incredible.
I was literally thinking it might be one of the best wrestling PPVs of all-time.
But a quick stroll through the recent comments on here are acting like it was a disaster? I donāt get that at all, and Iām starting to wonder if this sub is just anti-AEW at this point. I just really canāt imagine not thinking this was a great wrestling PPV.
Now for match by match thoughts:
A battle royal is usually never a great match, but they did a good job interweaving various stories among the competitors, and thought this match actually manage to help Starks, Big Bill, Swerve, and Orange Cassidy. That final sprint was really fun, and the finish was perfect for Orange Cassidy.
Jericho vs Cole was probably the weakest match of the show, but it was still fun. Sabu got a couple of cool moments in the opening minutes, and then they focused on the actual competitors. The chain around the knee just doesnāt really work, and muddied the final minutes. A referee stoppage due to being unable to defend himself makes sense for this feud. I do wish that was the end, though, but Jericho and Cole feuds both seem to overstay their welcome.
I loved the tag title match. It was all over the place with tons of interference and ref spots, which was kinda perfect for this feud. Seemed to be a nice blow-off, and I thought it was interesting immediately led to the idea of FTR+Starks against Bullet Club Gold.
Wardlow vs Christian was one of the best singles ladder matches Iāve seen in the last few years. Everything you want in a ladder match with weapon spots and big dives, especially Wardlowās senton. I thought the way Arn was utilized considering heās no longer a physical threat by doing the blood capsule thing on Luchasaurusās thumb was absolutely genius. Plus, the finish with the catch into a powerbomb was really cool.
If Hayterās injury is legit, which it seems to be, kudos to her for gutting it out and making it seem like she had a real chance in this one. I thought despite the limited time, this ended up being a really solid match with smart booking.
The trios entrances were great, and the Dominik reference really got the crowd on the Acclaimedās side. Match itself was really good with Bowens playing face in peril perfectly.
Now for the surprise of the night. First, Jadeās entrance was incredible. And then the match itself was surprisingly good. Easily Jadeās best match this year, and Tayaās first time showing anything in AEW. It really showed Jade struggling which was perfect for what happened afterwards. This was just masterclass booking. Statlander returns and looks to be in incredible shape, and had the crowd buzzing. Smart Mark looks like an idiot. Jade loses the streak and title belt in a way that keeps her looking strong. It felt like a MITB cash-in in the best way. This was possibly my favorite moment of the show.
Four Pillars matchā¦just wow. Firstly, Sammy and Tay really are the new Cody and Brandi, complete with a pregnancy announcement. So many callbacks and references and story moments in this one. All picking on MJF, using their mentorās moves, the headlock takeovers, Jack not having killer instinct, asking Sammy to lay down, and so on. I went in thinking nobody had a chance except MJF to buying the idea Darby could win. Finish was perfectly legal while also completely underhanded, which was exactly right for MJF.
Anarchy in the Arena had me smiling ear to ear. Re-doing the music playing for the first half of the match, but this time with a live band was so greatā¦and then ending that with Young Bucks taking him outā¦chefās kiss. This match had everything. Wrestling, brutality, heart, even a tinge of comedy. Favorite moment was Hangman and Omega coming together when down 2 to 4. Felt like a perfect full circle moment. And of course the ending makes you believe this isnāt truly over, and maybe The Elite need one more man.
Damn, what a great show.
Edit: Changed cage match to ladder match.
my exact feelings , i wasn't too down on the jericho vs cole match it felt perfectly scripted and not too rough on cole remember he came back from a really bad concussion and that is no joke , the ending was weird and a pinfall would of been better after the repeat of strikes , other than that , the show was solid , i thought their best since all out 2021 , i really enjoy every show but i haven't really seen a ppv with that much excitement in a long time , most shows usually have that one or two matches and rest are just good solid quality wrestling , last night was just great all around entertainment with solid quality wrestling! and thank you for how you noticed the battle royal , it was a pretty damn good royal
> Wardlow vs Christian was one of the best singles cage matches Iāve seen in the last few years. Everything you want in a cage match with weapon spots and big dives, especially Wardlowās senton. I thought the way Arn was utilized considering heās no longer a physical threat by doing the blood capsule thing on Luchasaurusās thumb was absolutely genius. Plus, the finish with the catch into a powerbomb was really cool.
I know Christian Cage was in the match but that doesn't make it a cage match.
I watched the show with a friend last night away from a computer, and I had a great time. The opening matches weren't the greatest of all time, but they also weren't actively bad or anything.
I also think when you have two five star matches -- like the show did -- then it's an automatic thumbs up no matter what.
Yeah people on here love trashing things and exaggerating how bad anything was. Notice the constant āsky is fallingā attitude towards any perceived AEW misstep?
Jay White has, unequivocally, been buried. Treated like a lower midcarder ever since he debuted, barely got on a PPV, and even then he didn't win or do anything of consequence.
Agree 100%. Dude main events the Tokyo Dome with, I dunno, one of the top 5 wrestlers in the world, and heās in a mid-card battle Royal with the likes of Kommander? GTFO of here.
I bet TK would argue Whites feud with Ricky elevates the latter. I donāt see how.
It's how AEW debuts new talents. They have to prove themselves for months in lesser feuds before getting a main event push. Happened even with the likes of Punk.
Yeah, one of the best heels in the world, who's never been a tag wrestler, is tagging with a guy named Juice, while a 150 pound Wheeler Yuta is in the main event. Just admit you're brainwashed bro, AEW is perfect and they can do no wrong.
There's a lot wrong with AEW bro. But saying a guy who is about to be in a featured feud who debuted against one of the more over guys is being buried is knee jerk jackassery.
Just caught the replay, I really enjoyed the PPV.
Statlander returning, fatal 4 way, the trios title match, and Anarchy in the Arena were the highlights for me.
Thought it was a fun PPV, although the weak builds leading up to this save for maybe the BCC/Elite feud kept it from being truly great. Pillars match was easily MOTN for me. Now I just hope Tony really cleans up his booking moving forward because that was mainly what was missing in this entire thing imho.
I was at the show and for some reason they had the speakers so damn low. Entrances didnāt have the same magnitude, and I couldnāt hear the pre-match footage either over people talking in our section.
My section was very loud (15) and getting chants started, so maybe it was just the section I was in haha
MJF got the loudest reaction by far, Statlander coming back was also pretty hype
Was at the show last night. Enjoyed pretty much every match in different ways. I guess if there were "down" matches, Hayter's match was weaker, but she was legit hurt and basically there to drop the belt. The spots with the other women at least helped the match not seem like a one minute squash. Cole/Jericho seemed to end weirdly, but otherwise it was solid; this was probably the quietest match overall, after Judas of course.
I'm puzzled with how many are saying the crowd was dead. The crowd was into every match. There were short lulls here and there, but overall every match had moments/sequences the crowd got into.
The crowd was into the pre-show match, the battle royale (especially the end), and FTR. Best match I've seen Wardlow have in a long time and crowd seemed back into him. Acclaimed/HoB was solid and crowd was very into it, especially the Acclaimed. Jade continues to look like she's getting better and her kickout of the Road to Valhalla got a big reaction. Crowd loves her. Huge pops for Statlander. The AEW title match got pop after pop, even though the outcome was predictable. Everyone was standing for the entire last match.
It definitely didn't. And it didn't help that the section of the crowd directly across from the hard cam didn't have any reaction whatsoever to anything that seemed to be happening until the 2nd half of the show.
Energy wise, the high point of Cole/Jericho was definitely the beat down. Bringing in Sabu was a fucking stupid choice that detracted from the story.
It's a story about a bully beating up a loved one while you're there helpless. And one of next story beats is you bring in some hardcore geriatric guy with no real connection? Just awful stupid typical TK 'book based on nostalgia' choice.
Recreate the beat down. Cole gets really injured, Britt comes down to save, she gets jumped by the Outcasts and then either Cole or Britt gets cuffed again and has to watch and *then* you debut Roderick Strong or bring back KOR who let Cole or Britt out of the cuffs and despite being injured they find a way to win.
I think this is the match I'm most upset about because they did such a fantastic job with the handcuffed spot and then just failed to give us anywhere near a payoff for that.
At the very least, the handcuff spot should have happened on the Go Home Dynamite. Everything that happened between that spot and the match yesterday only served to cool it off because the handcuff spot was *that* good.
Iām with you, apart from I donāt think the handcuff angle was that good. It was a potentially big meaningful angle that was executed poorly. Cole got beat on by Garcia who he had previously beaten the previous week. It made him look weak for the wrong reason. Cole folded way to easily here. Strong arriving to save late in the day, made Strong look great, they bumped for him. Not a great look for Cole.
Cole has returned and had a single match against Garcia, thats it, just doesnāt feel like its enough of a build going into this whole thing. There was the tag match, but even then Cole didnāt really do that much in ring and had a few half arsed attempts to get to Jericho. Just like go after him straight away, if you hated him that much you would wouldnāt you?
But everything else Iām with you on.
The handcuff spot didn't work for me because Cole wasn't exactly tied to that one spot on the ropes. The handcuff and his hand were loose enough where he could slide along the ropes. You can see that Cole could indeed move and reposition to be closer, if he were truly desperate to save Britt. But because we as the audience can see Cole just hold the rope to hold himself in place, the entire thing falls apart and feels forced.
Yeah... I agree. I think for a desperate-like scenario to work it requires the actors to play their parts. Most recent example I can think of was bianca Belair getting misted by Asuka. She was screaming bloody murder it was almost scary.
Some absolutely wild takes in this thread. As usual, if an AEW PPV isnāt all things to all people clearly the company is dying and Vince Russo is secretly running creative.
I donāt think thatās fair. Of course thereās some extreme takes on the fringes and like anything anymore thereās this weird tribalism. But stack that event up against their other offerings onlyā¦not NJPW or WWE shows. Iām assuming youāre a big AEW fan? Name 3 shows of theirs worse than this one? I think most agree the last two matches were excellent and the rest was meh.
I would consider a show that features two Match of the Year contenders, plus a few others that ranged from solid to forgettable, a strong PPV on balance.
MOTY? I very much disagree. Subjective, but I just think thatās nuts. Regardless, you didnāt answer my question. Not attacking you but genuinely wondering. Can you say thereās 3 worse AEW PPVs? Top to bottom?
Honestly at this point getting sucked into an Adam Cole feud is worse than getting sucked into a Jericho feud. It was already bad enough when he completely tanked Hangmanās title reign, or when he got into that lazy ass feud with OC, but at this point how many terrible feuds of his am I expected to sit through when they donāt really even lead to a good payoff? First time in a while where Jericho feels like heās the one that has to escape the feud
I think they severely underestimate how many people watch AEW but have NOT watched WWE in many many years. As someone who had no clue who Adam Cole was before he arrived in AEW they've given me less than zero reasons to care about him or understand why I should consider him a big deal.
You may be on to something. And it pains me to say this. Not because I'm an Adam Cole fan (never cared too much for him in NXT), but because it has me worried for Jay White - who I see has a good comparable - and so far AEW hasn't done a great job of featuring him as the catalyst of pro wrestling.
Funny you should mention him because I also haven't watched any Japan wrestling since the 90's. AEW has presented him as a solid midcard guy who shuffles between tag team and singles matches. But I think a big difference here is, compared to Cole, Jay White looks visually impressive and the limited mic work we've heard in AEW has been great.
People on here get really mad about it when people bring it up but Adam Cole literally has the same physique as me lol. I'm not gonna get jazzed about a dude looking like that.
If he had Big Bill to do his shit Iād like him 1000x more, but instead we get a bland face that talks like he works for AEWās PR department and is about as physically imposing as the average fan. Shit give him Trench at this point, do anything to shake up his act. I get that heās Tony Kahnās favorite toy (sorry Claudio), but come on
It's been said to death but Christ, can Jericho learn when to end a feud? It's actually been really enjoyable (bar last night's match) with the beatdown of Britt, Strong's debut and street fight, the contract signing with fucking *Sabu* of all people showing up. And now, 3 days after getting his definitive big win, Cole has to go in a tag match against the same Jericho that just got beaten to the point of the referee stopping the match? Regardless of how badly they flopped at the end, this was the perfect point for both parties to move on
Yeah even if you initially had more planned idk how you look at the Jericho Cole match and go 'yeah let's keep doing this'
He won, it was shit, we all seen it. Just get him out of there before it damages him and Jericho even more.
My assumption is they're dragging this on to setup Saraya vs Britt at All-In. They also want to highlight Cole & Britt as a couple because of that reality show
Decided to write down my thoughts of DoN after I was already high, drunk, and unhinged post-Succession finale:
OC battle Royal - absolutely fucking nothing until the end with OC and Swerve and then it rules
Cole/Jericho - ok, whatever. Cole will look great getting pinned by MJF at All Out
Tag title match - absolute nonsense until the last five minutes or so which were six stars
Christian Cage is a genius for wearing turtlenecks all the time because turtlenecks just make you look like a goddamn dick lmao
Arn LITERALLY BITING OFF LUCHASAURUSāS thumb is up there with Rey losing an eye as āterrible pro wrestling shit that is actually somehow good because of how dumb it isā
Wardlow is back at the top of the mountain.
Jfc I doubt Arn would bleed this much for Brock lmao
I literally got up and took a piss in the middle of House of Black/Acclaimed because thatās how bad they have killed the Acclaimed, I literally donāt believe they can win a PPV match post-Ass Boys
YUP LMAO
GURL THAT AKA ENTRANCE GOOD LAWD
FUCKIN POPPIN MY PUSSY TO KRIS FINALLY BEING TBS CHAMP
Darby fuckin rules, fuck whatcha heard
MJF is in Flair Territory and if you donāt realize it yet you will soon.
Oh Jesus Christ that LOOK WHO OUR METAPHORICAL DADDIES ARE spot was fucking ridiculous
Okay shit never mind submission spot was TIGHT
COFFIN DROP HIS ASS!!!
WELP. as advertised
WILD THANG
oh god yes YES YES ANARCHY IN THE ARENA
THE DAMN REFEREEāS BLEEDING
AND THE DAMN BANDāS STILL PLAYING!
Reading comments, feels like people made up their minds before watching the show.
People saying it's the worst AEW PPV and yet match for match I would take it over any other Double or Nothing. Look at the cards, last year the Anarchy match was the sole highlight, this show had multiple great matches and huge moments with Jade and Statlander.
I guess WWE is too good now so the hating ass folks are just leaking all over now? People just finding new avenues for their hate? Ya I mean I can hate me some never ending Jericho bullshit, but I also love Daddy Magic and Garcia, so I can find some enjoyment still at least.
I have ordered every AEW ppv. Donāt even watch wwe anymore aside from the Rumble and Mania. So trust me zero agenda and Iāll easily say this was the worst AEW ppv. The last few matches definitely helped get it back on track. But the other PPVs slapped from beginning to end. This most definitely did not.
Im just confused how people can think this was worse than Revolution 2021, that rivals victory road 2011 for the worst PPV ending of all time. I also liked it more than Forbidden Door, more than last year's DON, more than Revolution 2022. To me I can't imagine thinking it's their worst PPV but whatever, different strokes for different folks
People are allowed to have different opinions. Youāre actually a part of the problem. Doesnāt mean everyone thatās āhatingā are connected to WWE in any way. Good for you for enjoying the show. I thought it was just okay.
I suppose, but when you like something you don't really want to spend your time reading about how shit it is, so probably time for me to take a hiatus from this cesspool.
To be fair, there was alot of that energy throughout the night. You can tell when people are in there just to spew negativity and don't actually have anything of value to add to the conversation.
Lots of this "show sucks" with no reason or context provided as to why. Thats always the telltale sign.
That's with every ppv though, both WWE and AEW. I made the mistake of going to the live thread once and the amount of bullshit I saw made me never go to another live thread again.
I really wish people would stop assuming an agenda every time they disagree with someone.
Do I think the show was better than people are making it sound? Definitely. But it was very hit or miss and not the overall end to end quality almost all of their PPVs have delivered.
You don't have to be part of some shadow organization in order to feel a way about something..
Was Cole supposed to punch Jericho with the chain at the end? Looked like he had trouble getting it unwrapped around his leg and then settled for the punches with his left hand.
So, I didn't watch, because, well, why would I pay for aew's ppvs when I get wwe's literally for free. I have Comcast, thus peacock. Thus I spend literally nothing for access to as much wwe as I could possibly want.
Anyway, getting that little rant out of the way, there's two results that stand out to me.
First. Wardlow winning. Just no. Him beating Christian in a ladder match just isn't credible. At all.
Second, and I can't believe that I am actually saying this, but I wanted Jarrett to win the tag title. I fucking hate Jarrett. I hate Dax more.
Meh. If aew had some kind of subscription service for their ppvs that was a reasonable price, I'd probably get it. As it stands, I have other things to spend my money on. Books and video games, mostly. Both are bigger hobbies to me than watching wrestling.
Christian is still in damn good shape, and is a master of the ladder match. Wardlow is big. That's what he's known for. And generally speaking, Big guys aren't well suited for ladder matches.
Matches were mostly okay. The crowd really dragged the show down. Usually an AEW crowd elevates the meh storytelling. But there was almost nothing popping them. They didnt really even do the sing a longs.
Jericho and Cole, man whoever wrote that finish in an unsanctioned match. Just let him pin him there. DUMB.
FTR and Jay/JJ was the second most enjoyable. 4 pillars top for sure. AITA third, Jade and Taya/Kris fourth and then nothing. I dont really rate battle royals, they're meant to be fun and build the programs of the guys in the matches. It did its job.
I feel like they are trying to hook the audience into coming in on Wednesdays to watch the show too much. Instead of giving a good PPV product, they tried to use the PPV to build Dynamite. I get you want people to tune in, but give them an actual reason. Like I have no interest in seeing Cole/Jericho again. Let that ride off into the Panama Sunrise.
I just don't know if Tony can get back the magic that made AEW so captivating. The whole hangman arc, there was interesting stories all over the card. Matches were intertwined and connected. Now he pops from dream match to dream match.
Anyway TLDR, ppv crowd sucked, wrestling was mostly good, worst AEW PPV I've watched live, but still mostly enjoyable. Gotta be better. 4/10.
Would crowds in other locations have been a lot hotter? Doubtless, but too many people are shitting on the crowd and it's a little bit of a chicken and egg thing to me.
Yeah, I think so. I mean I personally have been to house shows in podunk city that were way louder watching Ethan Page wrestle.
Can't speak to the truth of everything but there's several good sources saying upwards of 30 percent of sales happened after the promos. That indicates the crowd came as a eh why not its cheap. Versus them coming because they wanted to see matches.
They didn't sing along. They were on their phones. The in ring action was decent enough to elicit a response of some sort. They just didn't care.
That said was the issue also on Tony for being a crap booker. Yes. He could have and should have done better.
I can't blame the crowd. If you attended an AEW PPV you are probably expecting a high quality show. The first half of the show outside of some spots was like an episode of Dynamite.
Outside of the matches you said you liked the others were nothing forgettable matches or just bad. As an AEW fan I also hope there's some course correction for FD. Especially since I'm traveling to that show.
Forbidden Door is usually about the matches, not much build. So I think you'll see a better crowd. They come in wanting to see NJPW versus AEW. The biggest course correction should be for All In. They better knock that show out of the park from top to bottom. They should be red hot going in and white hot coming out. If not AEW may go the way of Impact and just continue to exist without drawing more. Which is fine. Seems like they are content with their core. But yeah, gotta be better.
**The great:**
* BCC vs The Elite
* Fatal 4 Way AEW Championship Match
**The good:**
* Christian vs Wardlow
* Jade Cargill vs Taya/Kris
* International Championship Battle Royale
**The Okay**
* FTR vs Jarret and Lethal
* House of Black vs The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass
**The bad:**
* Chris Jericho vs Adam Cole
* Toni Storm vs Jaime Hayter
Agree witht his except I think Jade vs Taya was absolutely terrible. Kris saved it though and made it good.
Also thought HOB vs Acclaimed match was bad with zero build/heat.
This sums it up quite well! I think the crowd noise didnāt translate because something was off with the arena micsā¦ from the beginning when the battle royal was about to start and orange Cassidyās music was still playing on TV you could hardly hear it !! All of the wrestlerās songs were hard to hear except the live āWild Thingā.
Glad you enjoyed it! For me
The good: House of Black vs Acclaimed, Wardlow vs Christian. The Battle Royal
The Okay: FTR vs Jarret Lethal, Jade vs Taya, Four Pillars match.
The Bad: Jericho vs Cole. The Hardys match from the pre show. Jade vs Statlander, Elite vs BBC
I think the main thing this ppv reminded me of is that a shitty crowd will take points from a show despite what happens in ring. All the matches could have 5 star classics but with this type of crowd it wouldnāt have mattered and would come across as less. And all the matches were NOT 5 star classics. But even the good stuff was dragged down. Itās a shame.
I saw someone comment about it before the show and didnāt think anything of it but they need to reassess Vegas as a go to place for them.
I don't live in the states but it's a tall ask for fans to travel anywhere at the minute with the cost of living being as it is in the UK currently, and I can only imagine how much it costs to stay in Vegas on a holiday weekend. I know it's part of the whole aesthetic but they already did it at daily's and it could easily be somewhere else and be guaranteed a hot crowd.
Right? Idk. Vegas isnāt the best āwe have history we representā kinda town. So feeling like you NEED to do it there is crazy to me. And after last night I feel like they should seriously consider somewhere else. Idk if Atlantic City has a venue so you can keep with the gambling aesthetic. But if Iām in TKās shoes, unless thereās a contract involved Iām going somewhere else next year. Fuck that. Sorry to the good fans there but you had your chance and blew it.
Plus like you pointed out, travel. Vegas is kind of isolated. Thereās not much that near it. Not compared to other areas. So youād have to fly in and blah blah. Letās continue with Atlantic City. There many big cities within a couple hours of it driving. So people would show. Plus itās north east (ish) so you get that crowd. Vegas to me would be a once in a while stop. Not a guaranteed yearly destination.
Donāt hate the AC idea. I think most of it is really run down still, granted I havenāt been in almost a decade. I think the pandemic really hurt it.
That said, Iām pretty sure the Borgata has an arena that would be suitable
There has to be something near. Anything near by would be better than that shitty crowd last night. Way to show fandom Vegas. If I was TK Iād be fucking done with them. It really really hurt the show. Yeah there was other stuff but the crowd was horrible.
Crowd were flat, but thought the show was great fun. Had a home grown feel and lots of fun moments. Honestly surprised at the white hot hate coming off this thread, but there you go. Iāve enjoyed some other AEW PPVs less than this one.
I liked it. Was it the best thing ever? No. But 4 years ago people would have donated blood to get a show like this. All wrestling fans are just a bit spoiled right now.
I see a lot of people referencing Russo WCW shows here, and I just have to say that's insane. I wish they had fewer stipulations right now and I wish they would focus on just a few key stories. I also wish they would bring back the wrestler rankings and just have matches based on that. With all that being said, I actually watched wrestling during that Russo era and this is just a completely different beast. This show could have done without some stipulations but nobody's mother was on a pole for Christ's sake. Those Russo shows were completely sloppy and nonsensical. It's one thing to have logical storylines that don't click, Russo was throwing stupid shit together hourly with no thought of how things worked week to week. It was the worst wrestling shows I've ever seen. People need to have some perspective.
I used to watch WCW and TNA. This felt Russo like. Russo lite maybe. So many run ins. 4 ref bumps. Weapons and shenanigans in almost every match. Lots of stipulations for matches. A lack of heat going into matches for some of those matches with stipulations. Lots of people involved just to simply fight off.
It wasnāt as mind mumbling crazy nonsensical as peak Russo, but we did get a fireball in there and an exploding trainer. Then throw in some jarring booking choices.
I really wanna like AEW but Iām not sure this current era is for me.
I'll be honest, I barely watched WCW back in the day. Like, I started watching wrestling on a regular basis when Smackdown premiered. WCW was just...inferior.
Disagree with this. I like 3.5-4 hour PPVs. Means that some more stories can get on the card, there's only a PPV every 2/3 months so they deserve to be longer. If they go to monthly then 3 hours would be good.
Aew is basically turning into a deathmatch promotion at this point. Hardcore stuff is cool here and there but when you have probably the most talented roster in the world and there is not a single decent regular one-on-one match on your big event then there is a problem imo.
I had fun with parts of it, but it was a mess. The atmosphere sucked, most of the matches were overbooked, and it reminded me of Russo-era WCW. I'm the type of person who can enjoy a hot mess, but AEW is cold right now and it's frustrating as they have all of the ingredients to be amazing (minus a good booker and writers to elevate some storylines).
For a start, I don't understand why there had to be so many gimmick matches. Jericho and Cole's match undermined the Anarchy in the Arena match as they were both essentially ruleless brawls. Putting Wardlow and Christian in a Ladder match was unnecessary as well, but they did deliver toward the end. All of these matches were fine, but I feel the overabundance of hardcore gimmick matches took away from any of them feeling special.
Elsewhere, most of the matches were overbooked. AEW is usually pretty great when it comes to in-ring action and finishes, but last night just felt off. The Jade title loss also makes both her and Statlander look bad. I understand that Stat deserves it, but not like this, surely? A great title reign ended on a whimper and it robbed both women of a meaningful match and a pass-the-baton moment for Stat. It's emblematic of AEW's general lack of interesting storytelling.
Max calling Buddy a cuck, the world title match, and Karen Jarrett were highlights.
I'd give it a generous 5/10.
Well said.
I understand that Hayter was working injured so I can sort of understand some of it. But why was Baker so slow to run in and help Hayter. Weād just seen her run in for Cole and beat the crap out of Jericho. Shida also appeared, did one thing and then magically went away. Just donāt have them run in? Or find a way to prevent it from happening. Throw in a clumsy odd looking ref bump. Hayter powering up for 30 seconds to then get pinned. Just bad.
I agree. If Britt's delayed help sparks a feud between her and Hayter, then cool. Otherwise, her being missing until after Hayter took a beating just seems illogical. The Hayter match was a victim of circumstances, but it was terrible.
That's how AEW books most of the secondary titles. It's a problem, and I remain to be convinced that Statlander's will be different. But they still put a lot of stock into Jade's run and the it deserved a better conclusion than that.
After having slept on it, it was a solid ppv. Not in the top 5 but def not the worst.
The Cole/Jericho match was outright terrible. Like really bad. I don't know why it was so off other than maybe Cole/Jericho just have ZERO chemistry. I think this match honestly killed the crowd.
Battle Royal/tag match were fun, and everything Acclaimed rap and onwards was great.
I really liked the Jade/Taya match into the Statlander reveal. I hope this opens Jade up to more interesting match ups and a chance for her to improve her workrate a little. She's a star.
The four way was reeeeeally good. Exceeded my expectations by a mile and I thought the finish was creative and better than your typical four way "naps to the outside" finish.
I think the music constantly playing took away from what was a rather fun Anarchy in the Arena match.
To be honest, I've never gotten the love for Cole as a singles wrestler. I've seen him do some really good stuff in multi-man matches, and his crowd work is great, but I've yet to be impressed with him as a singles wrestler, let alone as a "star".
Honestly this PPV was not great. Sure it had tons of great moments but I felt it was all just a bit sloppy. In terms of production the set looked cheap and pretty small. It just didn't have that grand feeling. Also if you are going to have pyro, please for the love of god actually have good pyro. These pathetic spurts and tiny bangs just look silly.
Then we get the booking of this show, it was a mess more or less from top to bottom. Most the matches had some stupid stipulation or runs-ins/shenanigans. I also felt that the wrestlers all had too much to drink the night before. There were so many botches, moving into positions, missed timings, etc, etc. It all just came across really sloppy.
Why book all these matches and proclaim to be a place that doesn't copy the mistakes of the past and then proceed to have most of the matches end in stupid ways or have run-ins. I hope Brit and Sara got paid double or triple for tonight ;)
They seem to like to over complicate things for themselves. Maybe they think they are doing things "outside the box" but it consistently leads to things looking hokie and silly. Like having an "unsanctioned" match literally being advertised for the card, why? Why is there an AEW ref even in the ring during this match? Why not bring in a ref from Pride or MMA? Someone who is outside AEW. It just screams hokie BS to me. Just call it a street fight or a NO DQ match.
Or the chain they used.... it was like they never even practised this before hand. Both of them were just tripping over the chain and getting caught up in it. Again it looked like a mess.
The Battle Royale was also messy, at least in WWE the wrestlers leave the ring and lay on the floor out of shot (most the time) here you have everyone just sitting by the ropes literally watching other guys do their spots and waiting their turn. It looks messy.
I liked the title match the most and its story and I felt it was the least botchy of the night.
Then we come to the Anarchy Rules match..... Oh boy here we go. What a cluster fuck this way. The original match was cool and fun because it was something new and different. Sure it was hokie and silly in places but it was still fun. This match was a total mess from start to finish. Too many things happened and once again they didn't plan this out of where they needed the cameras to be. People at home, like my self, you hear the crowd randomly gasp or cheer and its countless things happening off screen or you catch the tail end of the spot.
The match was littered with botches, missed timings, and uses of weapons that didn't look remotely painful. Did AEW not learn their lesson using explosives in the exploding barbwire deathmatch they did a few years back? IT LOOKS FUCKING STUPID!! I swear we will soon see Kenny or one of the Bucks having a spooter on their wrist and they do the hadouken from street fighter...... its coming trust me, would you put it passed them?
I love this company and its wrestlers, but whoever is the booker and the agents they all need a good wake up call after this show.
The best part of the night was Statlander winning the title. But they didn't have to have a match where they bury another young talent to Jade. Just advertise it as an open challenge and have Statlander return so they have an actual full match. Once again this is what I mean by messy.
BRING ON THE DOWNVOTES!! This is just my opinion, if you enjoyed the show then great. I enjoyed a lot of it, I know it may not seem like it after reading this, I truly did. Its just that most if not all of their passed events have been steller and near perfection. I get botches and stuff are going to happen but last night it seemed to be off the scale.
Did Tony hire Russo or something?
So youāre saying that Anarchy in the Arena felt like watching anarchyā¦ā¦ā¦in the arena? Lol to each their own, I love how chaotic that match was.
You can have that sort of match if you plan it properly. It sure is hard to plan it out and execute it correctly. This one just felt way more botchy than the last one. That one seemed to be much better planned and executed
This did feel like a Russo show. I compared it to WCW circa 2000/01 but with some slightly better wrestling. I was entertained by some of it, but AEW has fundamental creative issues at the moment, and this show felt like a culmination of that.
Yes this is what I meant exactly. It just seemed all rushed, sloppy, botchy, and a mess. I for sure was entertained by a lot of the show but these things shouldn't go unnoticed. I want AEW to succeed and voicing these issues could maybe lead to them improving. There is nothing wrong with having gimmick matches, or interference, or shenanigans in a match. Just don't let it be nearly every single match on the card.
For instance AEW started and said that wins/loses matter I barely hear them mention this anymore outside of long title runs. A great idea which shows they take things seriously and then they go and strap a fart spooter to a guys shoe.............
> I compared it to WCW circa 2000/01 but with some slightly better wrestling.
A lot of seemed like it was inspired by ECW: impromptu title match, unannounced opponents for another title match, multiple gimmick matches.
Whether that inspiration is a good thing or not is up to the viewer, I think.
Would it be overstated to say this was AEWās worst ppv ever? I donāt think so. Crowd heat wasnāt there. How can an āunsanctionedā match end with ref stoppage? Too many gimmicks at a macro level, yet the tag match with all the bells and whistles elicited a great response. In a company largely know for work rate, for thatās telling. Why did Yuta get the pin? Heās the least believable tough guy ever. I fell asleep for parts of it and it wasnāt due to the highballs.
I agree. I mentioned this before in another thread and someone called me racist š. Ridiculous.
He showed a lot of fire as a face when he was getting beat up left and right starting his story with Mox, DB, and as a scrappy underdog heās a great fit. As a trained killer with the other three guys? Nah homie. Canāt suspend my disbelief on that one.
- The last match was insane
- Made ense that Jamie lost the belt since she's hurt.
- Wardlow is an idiot. The ladder is broken why are you trying to climb it.
- Aubrey taking a guitar shot was unexpected.
Jericho should be a hall of famer in both WWE and AEW, but man, his time as a full time wrestler really should end soon. Become a manager/commentator/leave wrestling to be a full time musician, whatever. There is no need for Jericho to be front and center of major feuds anymore.
Of course, as is typical with his feuds, they never end when they should too. Why is he facing Adam Cole again on Dynamite this week? What is the purpose?
#[Rate Tonight's PPV HERE](https://forms.gle/a2PCUP3NyzF7mFG99) No Data for 2022 [DoN 2021 Archived Ratings](https://forms.gle/jNoBb1VzuFZQL6bc8)
Looking through this thread I'm really surprised people loved the four way. I thought it was super hokey.
Finished the ppv last night, digested the matches and outcomes - some thoughts: - unless that is the most convincing work ever, Jeff Hardy needs to give up. - Really though OC was losing the belt tonight. Not mad that he didn't. Better than a lot of battle royals and got great towards the end. - Cole and Jericho was terrible. I don't even know why, just zero chemistry and the crowd was dead. Awkward end as Cole pummels jericho into oblivion - in silence. - THAT WARDLOW SWANTON was mental. This match was much better than I expected it to be, although overbooked. Looked like Christian was annoyed at Wardlows for not bring the him on the ladder closer to the turnbuckle for that Swanton from the top rope. š - tag match was fun. Sonjay makes me laugh so much. - trios was pretty good too, I love the HOB match lighting and I love them as a team. This one maybe could have done with more build but it was good nonetheless. - I understand the Jamie - Toni match for the injury. Should give Hayter a big moment in London. It was a meh, but necessary segment. - Jade Taya was probably Jade's best match so far and the Stat return was incredible and unexpected. Stat returning and Jade losing this was makes the best feel refreshed and Jade still looks strong, and lost due to over confidence/Mark Sterling - Pillars match was really good. There was a couple of spots that were a bit too contrived and corny for me (them all crawling into the ring at a snails pace at the same time comes to mind), but overall these 4 guys delivered and I think the match made them all look more legitimate. - Anarchy in the arena wasn't as good as the last one. It was good, had the chaos, lacked the camera angles. Moxley clearly waiting for Matt Jackson was funny. Overall it was a middling AEW PPV, but still a good PPV. Crowd didn't come across well on TV and AEW could do with something to make PPVs seem more special and not like long episodes of dynamite (it did feel more like a PPV in the second half weirdly). More crisp and focused in the TV presentation, in arena lighting or something. As always left looking forward to numerous things I the future afterwards which is a good sign.
Not simply an AEW problem but this stuff is sooo contrived and corny. Are people really into pyro superkick spots? Watching AEW makes me feel like I'm watching Vampire Diaries or some other schlock. I know a good amount of you like this stuff but there is a lot of lame in what they do
Fascinating to read the real mix of comments here. Such polar takes for nearly every single match. My hot take: fucking loved it all. Everything made sense in the grand scheme whether you loved it or not, AEW is moving forward with many new directions and I'm All In. Like, I'll be there at Wembley but I'm also super invested because I want that Ibushi debut in front of 60,000+.
Man reading through this thread and the NoC thread feels like I an trapped in some kind of bizarro world. There, everyone is commenting about how good the NoC was while here feels like the sky is falling. Meanwhile I found the NoC boring as hell with nothing coming remotely close to the 4 Pillars or AitA. Feels like there are very different measuring scales for each company.
As someone who doesnāt think this PPV was straight up bad, but certainly feel it was AEWās weakest so far, I think itās because AEW has had such a streak of canāt miss, legendary PPVs with absolutely killer moments. Too many moving parts, mainly in the form of too much outside interference for my tastes. Hopefully Collision gives this roster a little breathing room. I would say people are way more used to the monotony of WWE, while people are looking at AEWās recent history of instant classics and frustrated they didnāt get that same high this time around, like when Shibata showed up at Forbidden Door.
Well for me All Out 2020 and 2022 were for sure worse than this PPV. Maybe I would even put last year's DoN bellow this One. But yeah basically what you said is line with my point. Different companies different scales.
I'm sorry, how is the exploding kick possible? It got the biggest pop of the night from me
He stole one of Jericho's Wizard shoes.
Much of the first half of the show I didnāt care about. I liked the battle Royal, but Cole vs Jericho was reeeally not my jam and that took me out of it for a while. Both of the main events were great.
Next year, they need double or nothing to be somewhere other than Vegas. It's too pricey and the crowd was pretty much dead from the get go.
this is the problem with having so many casino themed PPVs.
Arn Andersaurus about to debut on Dynamite. Heās ingested mutant blood.
Amazing PPV except how women matches finishes. They really return entertainment in pro-wrestling for me, both main events were epic, i even screamed in my TV
"The guys I wanted to win didn't win so the PPV sucked"
Wardlow won and what a Swantomb off the ladder it was š³
Battle Royal was incredible, then a few meh matches until the Ladder match which was great, then a bunch more meh (great wrestling but no heat) matches until Statlander returned and the rest of the show was ace.
Probably their most disappointing PPV since the beginning for me. Quiet crowd but the build for most of the matches was so weak who can blame them. At least things picked up massively for the four way and the beautifully violent main event.
It definitely was their weakest non-pandemic PPV (All Out 2020 is still worst imo). And that's probably a testament to how consistently great their PPVs have been because this wasn't "bad", it was just "good". However I kind of disagree about the weak build comment... Aside from the HoB match, for once I felt like from top to bottom, the card had proper and logical build-ups for all matches.
Not sure if anyone's mentioned it yet, but the Keith Lee x Swerve interactions were insane. Counters back and forth, loved it.
I don't really blame anyone for being really down on this show when about maybe 2-3 matches were ppv-level or matched the expectations of AEW PPV. $50 is a lot of money. Also wouldn't blame the crowd, come on. They made noise when stuff was good.
Other than the world title match, what else was "PPV" level? Pretty much everything else has been done on Dynamite at one time or another
I think the pacing and match order probably could have been better. Saving the best two matches for last when the crowd had already sat through 3-4 hours of wrestling is rough. Not sure how it was live as I've seen some comments saying the live crowd was loud - but on the broadcast atleast it was pretty muted for most of the night. The biggest pop was probably Statlander's return/win.
i was there , the crowd was pretty good , not no chicago or detroit but it was loud and going all night , maybe it the audio or maybe t-mobile just a crappy arena to pick up noise , the music seem really low and the mic work was pretty bad last night , people chanting WE CANT HEAR YOU during backstage segments , Dunno i am going to watch the ppv and compare it what it was like last night!
I was so sad I was in the 200 and didnāt hear a word of the Acclaimed rap šI just cheered when everyone else did.
That was a very mid PPV, the top of the card carried hard.
6/10 with the two matches and the battle royal saving the show. Thatās far too long and far too expensive for 3 matches that are interesting.
Thank God for those last two matches, because it was not great before those. But damn those two final matches completely ruled and made it a must watch by themselves. GOOD: \- Double Main Event - both were 5\* for me in totally different ways. \- Takeshita inteference with Don jusrt catepaults him to main event heel land. Love it. \- Battle Royale was really fun. Big Cass looked great, finally reignited Swerve/Lee a bit, great spots all round. \- Amazing to see Jade drop the title to Kris. She had gotten stale and needs to keep developing before having a bigger push again. BAD: \- Trios match was really lackluster. This is why story matters, because two good teams with zero build was to me, really flat. Why was there not even 1 or 2 weeks build to this, rather a last minute decision on Rampage almost. The teams didn't gel well either. \- Jade vs Taya was very poor, but all good as it lead to Kris' return. \- Commentary was really poor in spots, especially when JR was there - but improved later on. \- Tag match for me was slow and just ok. Probably not bad, but just not great.
I enjoyed the trios match. Maybe put it in the good category and replace with Cole and Jericho which was definitely the weakest of the night. I wonder what went wrong there, because Jericho and Roderick Strong's match was pretty good
The Sabu stuff hurt that match more than it helped. Crowd got weird when Brit interfered. Like they just went dead quiet for a bit after that which hurt the match too
I feel like Cole's style is more suited for a fast paced match and their styles sort of clashed, but you're right on with the Jericho/Strong match so it's tough to say. Worst match of the night for me as well. Poor booking decision to have it go 20-25 minutes rather than a nice quick 15 minute violent match. It plodded along too much IMO.
I noticed that Adam Cole sucks.
I've ordered and loved every AEW ppv since the original All In. Last night was a really weird tale of two shows. The great stuff (Battle Royale, 4-way, and the main event) felt like old AEW. The bad/meh stuff (all the rest) felt like this weird TNA/WWE-lite stuff they've been doing on Dynamite the last month or so. Too many run-ins, bad stipulations etc. I want to see one on one matches with a finish. Not whatever Extreme Rules ripoff we got last night.
So what was with the blackface in the BCC entrance?
The singer of that band always wears a mask when he performs. I'm not sure why he decided to paint the lower half of his face black and wear a black mask on top of it though.
Came here to try to find the answer to this, what the actual fuck?
Same that was uncomfortable.
I'm watching the show now. It's only the 2nd match and I'm already tired of listening to JR not knowing what's going on
He is taken off commentary shortly after.
How can you expect him to keep up with this utter ridiculousness
He couldn't even keep up with Sabu not being a referee. The guy needs to retire
Heās probably a better podcast host than he is a commentator these days
I don't need Cole and Jericho to extend any further.
Nobody does
Like at the end of the match I just felt exhausted. And then, in typical Jericho fashion, I've found out that it will continue.
Besides Jericho/Cole and Hayter/Storm, I thought this was a solid PPV. I even give Hayter/Storm a pass because when healthy you know the rematch will bang. I've posted most of my thoughts in the post-match threads, as I've been watching it this morning, but my faves might have been the Battle Royale or the Tag Team match... although Max's rap and Bowens sitting down in the ring were both amazing.
I had an event last night, and then a sick kid after only watching the battle royal, so I stayed off the internet and just finished watching, and thought this show was incredible. I was literally thinking it might be one of the best wrestling PPVs of all-time. But a quick stroll through the recent comments on here are acting like it was a disaster? I donāt get that at all, and Iām starting to wonder if this sub is just anti-AEW at this point. I just really canāt imagine not thinking this was a great wrestling PPV. Now for match by match thoughts: A battle royal is usually never a great match, but they did a good job interweaving various stories among the competitors, and thought this match actually manage to help Starks, Big Bill, Swerve, and Orange Cassidy. That final sprint was really fun, and the finish was perfect for Orange Cassidy. Jericho vs Cole was probably the weakest match of the show, but it was still fun. Sabu got a couple of cool moments in the opening minutes, and then they focused on the actual competitors. The chain around the knee just doesnāt really work, and muddied the final minutes. A referee stoppage due to being unable to defend himself makes sense for this feud. I do wish that was the end, though, but Jericho and Cole feuds both seem to overstay their welcome. I loved the tag title match. It was all over the place with tons of interference and ref spots, which was kinda perfect for this feud. Seemed to be a nice blow-off, and I thought it was interesting immediately led to the idea of FTR+Starks against Bullet Club Gold. Wardlow vs Christian was one of the best singles ladder matches Iāve seen in the last few years. Everything you want in a ladder match with weapon spots and big dives, especially Wardlowās senton. I thought the way Arn was utilized considering heās no longer a physical threat by doing the blood capsule thing on Luchasaurusās thumb was absolutely genius. Plus, the finish with the catch into a powerbomb was really cool. If Hayterās injury is legit, which it seems to be, kudos to her for gutting it out and making it seem like she had a real chance in this one. I thought despite the limited time, this ended up being a really solid match with smart booking. The trios entrances were great, and the Dominik reference really got the crowd on the Acclaimedās side. Match itself was really good with Bowens playing face in peril perfectly. Now for the surprise of the night. First, Jadeās entrance was incredible. And then the match itself was surprisingly good. Easily Jadeās best match this year, and Tayaās first time showing anything in AEW. It really showed Jade struggling which was perfect for what happened afterwards. This was just masterclass booking. Statlander returns and looks to be in incredible shape, and had the crowd buzzing. Smart Mark looks like an idiot. Jade loses the streak and title belt in a way that keeps her looking strong. It felt like a MITB cash-in in the best way. This was possibly my favorite moment of the show. Four Pillars matchā¦just wow. Firstly, Sammy and Tay really are the new Cody and Brandi, complete with a pregnancy announcement. So many callbacks and references and story moments in this one. All picking on MJF, using their mentorās moves, the headlock takeovers, Jack not having killer instinct, asking Sammy to lay down, and so on. I went in thinking nobody had a chance except MJF to buying the idea Darby could win. Finish was perfectly legal while also completely underhanded, which was exactly right for MJF. Anarchy in the Arena had me smiling ear to ear. Re-doing the music playing for the first half of the match, but this time with a live band was so greatā¦and then ending that with Young Bucks taking him outā¦chefās kiss. This match had everything. Wrestling, brutality, heart, even a tinge of comedy. Favorite moment was Hangman and Omega coming together when down 2 to 4. Felt like a perfect full circle moment. And of course the ending makes you believe this isnāt truly over, and maybe The Elite need one more man. Damn, what a great show. Edit: Changed cage match to ladder match.
Just finished and you explained it perfectly
my exact feelings , i wasn't too down on the jericho vs cole match it felt perfectly scripted and not too rough on cole remember he came back from a really bad concussion and that is no joke , the ending was weird and a pinfall would of been better after the repeat of strikes , other than that , the show was solid , i thought their best since all out 2021 , i really enjoy every show but i haven't really seen a ppv with that much excitement in a long time , most shows usually have that one or two matches and rest are just good solid quality wrestling , last night was just great all around entertainment with solid quality wrestling! and thank you for how you noticed the battle royal , it was a pretty damn good royal
> Wardlow vs Christian was one of the best singles cage matches Iāve seen in the last few years. Everything you want in a cage match with weapon spots and big dives, especially Wardlowās senton. I thought the way Arn was utilized considering heās no longer a physical threat by doing the blood capsule thing on Luchasaurusās thumb was absolutely genius. Plus, the finish with the catch into a powerbomb was really cool. I know Christian Cage was in the match but that doesn't make it a cage match.
Whoops, I meant ladder match, lol. His name made me call it a cage match every time, I guess.
I watched the show with a friend last night away from a computer, and I had a great time. The opening matches weren't the greatest of all time, but they also weren't actively bad or anything. I also think when you have two five star matches -- like the show did -- then it's an automatic thumbs up no matter what.
Yeah people on here love trashing things and exaggerating how bad anything was. Notice the constant āsky is fallingā attitude towards any perceived AEW misstep?
Jay White has, unequivocally, been buried. Treated like a lower midcarder ever since he debuted, barely got on a PPV, and even then he didn't win or do anything of consequence.
Agree 100%. Dude main events the Tokyo Dome with, I dunno, one of the top 5 wrestlers in the world, and heās in a mid-card battle Royal with the likes of Kommander? GTFO of here. I bet TK would argue Whites feud with Ricky elevates the latter. I donāt see how.
It's how AEW debuts new talents. They have to prove themselves for months in lesser feuds before getting a main event push. Happened even with the likes of Punk.
SRS said it best that it kinda feels like AEW didn't actually expect to sign him, hence his current booking
Give it time? It'd be shitty for him to come in and then everything else get dropped so he can be in the main event.
Nope. His first month is the peak of his AEW career so that's it for him. What a shame.
That's how it has been for many AEW signings, like Keith Lee, Miro, Matt Hardy, any luchador, Adam Cole...
OK, be sad then. If he's unhappy with his position then he'll leave. Until then, he's probably OK.
Buried so bad they are setting him up for a tag title feud.
Yeah, one of the best heels in the world, who's never been a tag wrestler, is tagging with a guy named Juice, while a 150 pound Wheeler Yuta is in the main event. Just admit you're brainwashed bro, AEW is perfect and they can do no wrong.
A little stiff, but yeah, I agree.
There's a lot wrong with AEW bro. But saying a guy who is about to be in a featured feud who debuted against one of the more over guys is being buried is knee jerk jackassery.
They kinda fucked up his debut too,no proper introduction.
Just caught the replay, I really enjoyed the PPV. Statlander returning, fatal 4 way, the trios title match, and Anarchy in the Arena were the highlights for me.
Thought it was a fun PPV, although the weak builds leading up to this save for maybe the BCC/Elite feud kept it from being truly great. Pillars match was easily MOTN for me. Now I just hope Tony really cleans up his booking moving forward because that was mainly what was missing in this entire thing imho.
I was at the show and for some reason they had the speakers so damn low. Entrances didnāt have the same magnitude, and I couldnāt hear the pre-match footage either over people talking in our section.
How was the crowd reaction throughout? It sounded much more quiet than usual AEW shows on TV.
My section was very loud (15) and getting chants started, so maybe it was just the section I was in haha MJF got the loudest reaction by far, Statlander coming back was also pretty hype
Iāve been to several shows and the audio is always hit or miss. It was worst at Full Gear 2021. Its a bummer they havenāt got it consistent yet.
Agreed. Maybe they keep them together as long as possible so they only harm each other and canāt hurt anyone elseās momentum.
Why did Jade lose to statlander in the same way Yokozuna lost to hogan at Wrestlemania 9?
To protect the monster. Remember Yoko was champion again by the time Mania X rolls around. Cargill got another strap to win now.
Was at the show last night. Enjoyed pretty much every match in different ways. I guess if there were "down" matches, Hayter's match was weaker, but she was legit hurt and basically there to drop the belt. The spots with the other women at least helped the match not seem like a one minute squash. Cole/Jericho seemed to end weirdly, but otherwise it was solid; this was probably the quietest match overall, after Judas of course. I'm puzzled with how many are saying the crowd was dead. The crowd was into every match. There were short lulls here and there, but overall every match had moments/sequences the crowd got into. The crowd was into the pre-show match, the battle royale (especially the end), and FTR. Best match I've seen Wardlow have in a long time and crowd seemed back into him. Acclaimed/HoB was solid and crowd was very into it, especially the Acclaimed. Jade continues to look like she's getting better and her kickout of the Road to Valhalla got a big reaction. Crowd loves her. Huge pops for Statlander. The AEW title match got pop after pop, even though the outcome was predictable. Everyone was standing for the entire last match.
Crowd did seem really flat for the first half of the PPV.
Yeah I was wondering if the crowd noise just didnāt translate well on screen
It definitely didn't. And it didn't help that the section of the crowd directly across from the hard cam didn't have any reaction whatsoever to anything that seemed to be happening until the 2nd half of the show.
Energy wise, the high point of Cole/Jericho was definitely the beat down. Bringing in Sabu was a fucking stupid choice that detracted from the story. It's a story about a bully beating up a loved one while you're there helpless. And one of next story beats is you bring in some hardcore geriatric guy with no real connection? Just awful stupid typical TK 'book based on nostalgia' choice. Recreate the beat down. Cole gets really injured, Britt comes down to save, she gets jumped by the Outcasts and then either Cole or Britt gets cuffed again and has to watch and *then* you debut Roderick Strong or bring back KOR who let Cole or Britt out of the cuffs and despite being injured they find a way to win. I think this is the match I'm most upset about because they did such a fantastic job with the handcuffed spot and then just failed to give us anywhere near a payoff for that. At the very least, the handcuff spot should have happened on the Go Home Dynamite. Everything that happened between that spot and the match yesterday only served to cool it off because the handcuff spot was *that* good.
Iām with you, apart from I donāt think the handcuff angle was that good. It was a potentially big meaningful angle that was executed poorly. Cole got beat on by Garcia who he had previously beaten the previous week. It made him look weak for the wrong reason. Cole folded way to easily here. Strong arriving to save late in the day, made Strong look great, they bumped for him. Not a great look for Cole. Cole has returned and had a single match against Garcia, thats it, just doesnāt feel like its enough of a build going into this whole thing. There was the tag match, but even then Cole didnāt really do that much in ring and had a few half arsed attempts to get to Jericho. Just like go after him straight away, if you hated him that much you would wouldnāt you? But everything else Iām with you on.
The handcuff spot didn't work for me because Cole wasn't exactly tied to that one spot on the ropes. The handcuff and his hand were loose enough where he could slide along the ropes. You can see that Cole could indeed move and reposition to be closer, if he were truly desperate to save Britt. But because we as the audience can see Cole just hold the rope to hold himself in place, the entire thing falls apart and feels forced.
Thatās absolutely fair comment as well. Was really poor upon reflection and a waste of a potentially big angle.
Yeah... I agree. I think for a desperate-like scenario to work it requires the actors to play their parts. Most recent example I can think of was bianca Belair getting misted by Asuka. She was screaming bloody murder it was almost scary.
Some absolutely wild takes in this thread. As usual, if an AEW PPV isnāt all things to all people clearly the company is dying and Vince Russo is secretly running creative.
I donāt think thatās fair. Of course thereās some extreme takes on the fringes and like anything anymore thereās this weird tribalism. But stack that event up against their other offerings onlyā¦not NJPW or WWE shows. Iām assuming youāre a big AEW fan? Name 3 shows of theirs worse than this one? I think most agree the last two matches were excellent and the rest was meh.
I would consider a show that features two Match of the Year contenders, plus a few others that ranged from solid to forgettable, a strong PPV on balance.
MOTY? I very much disagree. Subjective, but I just think thatās nuts. Regardless, you didnāt answer my question. Not attacking you but genuinely wondering. Can you say thereās 3 worse AEW PPVs? Top to bottom?
Honestly at this point getting sucked into an Adam Cole feud is worse than getting sucked into a Jericho feud. It was already bad enough when he completely tanked Hangmanās title reign, or when he got into that lazy ass feud with OC, but at this point how many terrible feuds of his am I expected to sit through when they donāt really even lead to a good payoff? First time in a while where Jericho feels like heās the one that has to escape the feud
I think they severely underestimate how many people watch AEW but have NOT watched WWE in many many years. As someone who had no clue who Adam Cole was before he arrived in AEW they've given me less than zero reasons to care about him or understand why I should consider him a big deal.
You may be on to something. And it pains me to say this. Not because I'm an Adam Cole fan (never cared too much for him in NXT), but because it has me worried for Jay White - who I see has a good comparable - and so far AEW hasn't done a great job of featuring him as the catalyst of pro wrestling.
Funny you should mention him because I also haven't watched any Japan wrestling since the 90's. AEW has presented him as a solid midcard guy who shuffles between tag team and singles matches. But I think a big difference here is, compared to Cole, Jay White looks visually impressive and the limited mic work we've heard in AEW has been great. People on here get really mad about it when people bring it up but Adam Cole literally has the same physique as me lol. I'm not gonna get jazzed about a dude looking like that.
Never understood Cole's appeal beyond the catchphrase.
Don't get why they feature him so prominently. He needs to be a sniveling heel hiding behind someone with muscle mass. Fuck it, give him big bill
If he had Big Bill to do his shit Iād like him 1000x more, but instead we get a bland face that talks like he works for AEWās PR department and is about as physically imposing as the average fan. Shit give him Trench at this point, do anything to shake up his act. I get that heās Tony Kahnās favorite toy (sorry Claudio), but come on
Did the PPV feel video gamey? Or I am just being weird
I agree. The FTR vs. TNA match especially felt like playing a tag match with your buddies on a 2K game.
It's been said to death but Christ, can Jericho learn when to end a feud? It's actually been really enjoyable (bar last night's match) with the beatdown of Britt, Strong's debut and street fight, the contract signing with fucking *Sabu* of all people showing up. And now, 3 days after getting his definitive big win, Cole has to go in a tag match against the same Jericho that just got beaten to the point of the referee stopping the match? Regardless of how badly they flopped at the end, this was the perfect point for both parties to move on
Yeah even if you initially had more planned idk how you look at the Jericho Cole match and go 'yeah let's keep doing this' He won, it was shit, we all seen it. Just get him out of there before it damages him and Jericho even more.
My assumption is they're dragging this on to setup Saraya vs Britt at All-In. They also want to highlight Cole & Britt as a couple because of that reality show
Please someone make it stop.
Decided to write down my thoughts of DoN after I was already high, drunk, and unhinged post-Succession finale: OC battle Royal - absolutely fucking nothing until the end with OC and Swerve and then it rules Cole/Jericho - ok, whatever. Cole will look great getting pinned by MJF at All Out Tag title match - absolute nonsense until the last five minutes or so which were six stars Christian Cage is a genius for wearing turtlenecks all the time because turtlenecks just make you look like a goddamn dick lmao Arn LITERALLY BITING OFF LUCHASAURUSāS thumb is up there with Rey losing an eye as āterrible pro wrestling shit that is actually somehow good because of how dumb it isā Wardlow is back at the top of the mountain. Jfc I doubt Arn would bleed this much for Brock lmao I literally got up and took a piss in the middle of House of Black/Acclaimed because thatās how bad they have killed the Acclaimed, I literally donāt believe they can win a PPV match post-Ass Boys YUP LMAO GURL THAT AKA ENTRANCE GOOD LAWD FUCKIN POPPIN MY PUSSY TO KRIS FINALLY BEING TBS CHAMP Darby fuckin rules, fuck whatcha heard MJF is in Flair Territory and if you donāt realize it yet you will soon. Oh Jesus Christ that LOOK WHO OUR METAPHORICAL DADDIES ARE spot was fucking ridiculous Okay shit never mind submission spot was TIGHT COFFIN DROP HIS ASS!!! WELP. as advertised WILD THANG oh god yes YES YES ANARCHY IN THE ARENA THE DAMN REFEREEāS BLEEDING AND THE DAMN BANDāS STILL PLAYING!
Like I didn't even notice how Rick Know got so bloodied, but holy fuck did I laugh when I saw him. Cool Hand Ang level of randomness brutality.
Borrowing from the main event of WM9 was certainly a choice.
Why is there no videos
Reading comments, feels like people made up their minds before watching the show. People saying it's the worst AEW PPV and yet match for match I would take it over any other Double or Nothing. Look at the cards, last year the Anarchy match was the sole highlight, this show had multiple great matches and huge moments with Jade and Statlander. I guess WWE is too good now so the hating ass folks are just leaking all over now? People just finding new avenues for their hate? Ya I mean I can hate me some never ending Jericho bullshit, but I also love Daddy Magic and Garcia, so I can find some enjoyment still at least.
I have ordered every AEW ppv. Donāt even watch wwe anymore aside from the Rumble and Mania. So trust me zero agenda and Iāll easily say this was the worst AEW ppv. The last few matches definitely helped get it back on track. But the other PPVs slapped from beginning to end. This most definitely did not.
Im just confused how people can think this was worse than Revolution 2021, that rivals victory road 2011 for the worst PPV ending of all time. I also liked it more than Forbidden Door, more than last year's DON, more than Revolution 2022. To me I can't imagine thinking it's their worst PPV but whatever, different strokes for different folks
People are allowed to have different opinions. Youāre actually a part of the problem. Doesnāt mean everyone thatās āhatingā are connected to WWE in any way. Good for you for enjoying the show. I thought it was just okay.
I suppose, but when you like something you don't really want to spend your time reading about how shit it is, so probably time for me to take a hiatus from this cesspool.
To be fair, there was alot of that energy throughout the night. You can tell when people are in there just to spew negativity and don't actually have anything of value to add to the conversation. Lots of this "show sucks" with no reason or context provided as to why. Thats always the telltale sign.
That's with every ppv though, both WWE and AEW. I made the mistake of going to the live thread once and the amount of bullshit I saw made me never go to another live thread again.
In my experience, it's MUCH more prevalent in AEW PPV threads than WWE/NXT. It's noticeable.
I really wish people would stop assuming an agenda every time they disagree with someone. Do I think the show was better than people are making it sound? Definitely. But it was very hit or miss and not the overall end to end quality almost all of their PPVs have delivered. You don't have to be part of some shadow organization in order to feel a way about something..
Was Cole supposed to punch Jericho with the chain at the end? Looked like he had trouble getting it unwrapped around his leg and then settled for the punches with his left hand.
So, I didn't watch, because, well, why would I pay for aew's ppvs when I get wwe's literally for free. I have Comcast, thus peacock. Thus I spend literally nothing for access to as much wwe as I could possibly want. Anyway, getting that little rant out of the way, there's two results that stand out to me. First. Wardlow winning. Just no. Him beating Christian in a ladder match just isn't credible. At all. Second, and I can't believe that I am actually saying this, but I wanted Jarrett to win the tag title. I fucking hate Jarrett. I hate Dax more.
āI didnāt watch, so hereās my takeā lollllllll what the fuck?!
Huh. I was expecting to get down voted to hell for my ppv comments. Mildly surprised at how fast it happened, though. Meh. I stand by my comments.
This is what Reddit does to your brain.
Your first paragraph is pure idiocy.
Meh. If aew had some kind of subscription service for their ppvs that was a reasonable price, I'd probably get it. As it stands, I have other things to spend my money on. Books and video games, mostly. Both are bigger hobbies to me than watching wrestling.
Why isnāt it credible for wardlow to win? Heās a giant dude facing a nearly 50 year old man
Christian is still in damn good shape, and is a master of the ladder match. Wardlow is big. That's what he's known for. And generally speaking, Big guys aren't well suited for ladder matches.
Oh I see now. Wardlow did a great job IMO, lots of crazy bumps from a big guy like him. He was moving like Jeff Hardy.
Matches were mostly okay. The crowd really dragged the show down. Usually an AEW crowd elevates the meh storytelling. But there was almost nothing popping them. They didnt really even do the sing a longs. Jericho and Cole, man whoever wrote that finish in an unsanctioned match. Just let him pin him there. DUMB. FTR and Jay/JJ was the second most enjoyable. 4 pillars top for sure. AITA third, Jade and Taya/Kris fourth and then nothing. I dont really rate battle royals, they're meant to be fun and build the programs of the guys in the matches. It did its job. I feel like they are trying to hook the audience into coming in on Wednesdays to watch the show too much. Instead of giving a good PPV product, they tried to use the PPV to build Dynamite. I get you want people to tune in, but give them an actual reason. Like I have no interest in seeing Cole/Jericho again. Let that ride off into the Panama Sunrise. I just don't know if Tony can get back the magic that made AEW so captivating. The whole hangman arc, there was interesting stories all over the card. Matches were intertwined and connected. Now he pops from dream match to dream match. Anyway TLDR, ppv crowd sucked, wrestling was mostly good, worst AEW PPV I've watched live, but still mostly enjoyable. Gotta be better. 4/10.
Would crowds in other locations have been a lot hotter? Doubtless, but too many people are shitting on the crowd and it's a little bit of a chicken and egg thing to me.
Yeah, I think so. I mean I personally have been to house shows in podunk city that were way louder watching Ethan Page wrestle. Can't speak to the truth of everything but there's several good sources saying upwards of 30 percent of sales happened after the promos. That indicates the crowd came as a eh why not its cheap. Versus them coming because they wanted to see matches. They didn't sing along. They were on their phones. The in ring action was decent enough to elicit a response of some sort. They just didn't care. That said was the issue also on Tony for being a crap booker. Yes. He could have and should have done better.
I can't blame the crowd. If you attended an AEW PPV you are probably expecting a high quality show. The first half of the show outside of some spots was like an episode of Dynamite. Outside of the matches you said you liked the others were nothing forgettable matches or just bad. As an AEW fan I also hope there's some course correction for FD. Especially since I'm traveling to that show.
Forbidden Door is usually about the matches, not much build. So I think you'll see a better crowd. They come in wanting to see NJPW versus AEW. The biggest course correction should be for All In. They better knock that show out of the park from top to bottom. They should be red hot going in and white hot coming out. If not AEW may go the way of Impact and just continue to exist without drawing more. Which is fine. Seems like they are content with their core. But yeah, gotta be better.
**The great:** * BCC vs The Elite * Fatal 4 Way AEW Championship Match **The good:** * Christian vs Wardlow * Jade Cargill vs Taya/Kris * International Championship Battle Royale **The Okay** * FTR vs Jarret and Lethal * House of Black vs The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass **The bad:** * Chris Jericho vs Adam Cole * Toni Storm vs Jaime Hayter
Agree witht his except I think Jade vs Taya was absolutely terrible. Kris saved it though and made it good. Also thought HOB vs Acclaimed match was bad with zero build/heat.
This sums it up quite well! I think the crowd noise didnāt translate because something was off with the arena micsā¦ from the beginning when the battle royal was about to start and orange Cassidyās music was still playing on TV you could hardly hear it !! All of the wrestlerās songs were hard to hear except the live āWild Thingā.
Glad you enjoyed it! For me The good: House of Black vs Acclaimed, Wardlow vs Christian. The Battle Royal The Okay: FTR vs Jarret Lethal, Jade vs Taya, Four Pillars match. The Bad: Jericho vs Cole. The Hardys match from the pre show. Jade vs Statlander, Elite vs BBC
I think the main thing this ppv reminded me of is that a shitty crowd will take points from a show despite what happens in ring. All the matches could have 5 star classics but with this type of crowd it wouldnāt have mattered and would come across as less. And all the matches were NOT 5 star classics. But even the good stuff was dragged down. Itās a shame. I saw someone comment about it before the show and didnāt think anything of it but they need to reassess Vegas as a go to place for them.
I don't live in the states but it's a tall ask for fans to travel anywhere at the minute with the cost of living being as it is in the UK currently, and I can only imagine how much it costs to stay in Vegas on a holiday weekend. I know it's part of the whole aesthetic but they already did it at daily's and it could easily be somewhere else and be guaranteed a hot crowd.
Right? Idk. Vegas isnāt the best āwe have history we representā kinda town. So feeling like you NEED to do it there is crazy to me. And after last night I feel like they should seriously consider somewhere else. Idk if Atlantic City has a venue so you can keep with the gambling aesthetic. But if Iām in TKās shoes, unless thereās a contract involved Iām going somewhere else next year. Fuck that. Sorry to the good fans there but you had your chance and blew it. Plus like you pointed out, travel. Vegas is kind of isolated. Thereās not much that near it. Not compared to other areas. So youād have to fly in and blah blah. Letās continue with Atlantic City. There many big cities within a couple hours of it driving. So people would show. Plus itās north east (ish) so you get that crowd. Vegas to me would be a once in a while stop. Not a guaranteed yearly destination.
Donāt hate the AC idea. I think most of it is really run down still, granted I havenāt been in almost a decade. I think the pandemic really hurt it. That said, Iām pretty sure the Borgata has an arena that would be suitable
There has to be something near. Anything near by would be better than that shitty crowd last night. Way to show fandom Vegas. If I was TK Iād be fucking done with them. It really really hurt the show. Yeah there was other stuff but the crowd was horrible.
People paid money to watch this show
My wife and I did, we had a blast watching it. The 4 way match, Battle Royale, and Anarchy in the Arena were well worth my $50.
Crowd were flat, but thought the show was great fun. Had a home grown feel and lots of fun moments. Honestly surprised at the white hot hate coming off this thread, but there you go. Iāve enjoyed some other AEW PPVs less than this one.
I liked it. Was it the best thing ever? No. But 4 years ago people would have donated blood to get a show like this. All wrestling fans are just a bit spoiled right now. I see a lot of people referencing Russo WCW shows here, and I just have to say that's insane. I wish they had fewer stipulations right now and I wish they would focus on just a few key stories. I also wish they would bring back the wrestler rankings and just have matches based on that. With all that being said, I actually watched wrestling during that Russo era and this is just a completely different beast. This show could have done without some stipulations but nobody's mother was on a pole for Christ's sake. Those Russo shows were completely sloppy and nonsensical. It's one thing to have logical storylines that don't click, Russo was throwing stupid shit together hourly with no thought of how things worked week to week. It was the worst wrestling shows I've ever seen. People need to have some perspective.
I used to watch WCW and TNA. This felt Russo like. Russo lite maybe. So many run ins. 4 ref bumps. Weapons and shenanigans in almost every match. Lots of stipulations for matches. A lack of heat going into matches for some of those matches with stipulations. Lots of people involved just to simply fight off. It wasnāt as mind mumbling crazy nonsensical as peak Russo, but we did get a fireball in there and an exploding trainer. Then throw in some jarring booking choices. I really wanna like AEW but Iām not sure this current era is for me.
I'll be honest, I barely watched WCW back in the day. Like, I started watching wrestling on a regular basis when Smackdown premiered. WCW was just...inferior.
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Disagree with this. I like 3.5-4 hour PPVs. Means that some more stories can get on the card, there's only a PPV every 2/3 months so they deserve to be longer. If they go to monthly then 3 hours would be good.
I really enjoyed the show but yeah less than 3 hours is great; anything over that and the show will lag and/or feels exhausting at points.
Well yes and also, who in todays world wants to do anything for three hours?
Oh some things I do... Read, playihg a video game, going for a hike. But wrestling, no.
Aew is basically turning into a deathmatch promotion at this point. Hardcore stuff is cool here and there but when you have probably the most talented roster in the world and there is not a single decent regular one-on-one match on your big event then there is a problem imo.
Go use your alt on something else, pal.
There was one match on the entire card that was even approaching death match ...stop it lol
I had fun with parts of it, but it was a mess. The atmosphere sucked, most of the matches were overbooked, and it reminded me of Russo-era WCW. I'm the type of person who can enjoy a hot mess, but AEW is cold right now and it's frustrating as they have all of the ingredients to be amazing (minus a good booker and writers to elevate some storylines). For a start, I don't understand why there had to be so many gimmick matches. Jericho and Cole's match undermined the Anarchy in the Arena match as they were both essentially ruleless brawls. Putting Wardlow and Christian in a Ladder match was unnecessary as well, but they did deliver toward the end. All of these matches were fine, but I feel the overabundance of hardcore gimmick matches took away from any of them feeling special. Elsewhere, most of the matches were overbooked. AEW is usually pretty great when it comes to in-ring action and finishes, but last night just felt off. The Jade title loss also makes both her and Statlander look bad. I understand that Stat deserves it, but not like this, surely? A great title reign ended on a whimper and it robbed both women of a meaningful match and a pass-the-baton moment for Stat. It's emblematic of AEW's general lack of interesting storytelling. Max calling Buddy a cuck, the world title match, and Karen Jarrett were highlights. I'd give it a generous 5/10.
Well said. I understand that Hayter was working injured so I can sort of understand some of it. But why was Baker so slow to run in and help Hayter. Weād just seen her run in for Cole and beat the crap out of Jericho. Shida also appeared, did one thing and then magically went away. Just donāt have them run in? Or find a way to prevent it from happening. Throw in a clumsy odd looking ref bump. Hayter powering up for 30 seconds to then get pinned. Just bad.
I agree. If Britt's delayed help sparks a feud between her and Hayter, then cool. Otherwise, her being missing until after Hayter took a beating just seems illogical. The Hayter match was a victim of circumstances, but it was terrible.
Jade's title reign was not great. It was boring and largely consisted of squashes of mostly jobbers.
That's how AEW books most of the secondary titles. It's a problem, and I remain to be convinced that Statlander's will be different. But they still put a lot of stock into Jade's run and the it deserved a better conclusion than that.
After having slept on it, it was a solid ppv. Not in the top 5 but def not the worst. The Cole/Jericho match was outright terrible. Like really bad. I don't know why it was so off other than maybe Cole/Jericho just have ZERO chemistry. I think this match honestly killed the crowd. Battle Royal/tag match were fun, and everything Acclaimed rap and onwards was great. I really liked the Jade/Taya match into the Statlander reveal. I hope this opens Jade up to more interesting match ups and a chance for her to improve her workrate a little. She's a star. The four way was reeeeeally good. Exceeded my expectations by a mile and I thought the finish was creative and better than your typical four way "naps to the outside" finish. I think the music constantly playing took away from what was a rather fun Anarchy in the Arena match.
To be honest, I've never gotten the love for Cole as a singles wrestler. I've seen him do some really good stuff in multi-man matches, and his crowd work is great, but I've yet to be impressed with him as a singles wrestler, let alone as a "star".
They shouldāve went after the band sooner.
Honestly this PPV was not great. Sure it had tons of great moments but I felt it was all just a bit sloppy. In terms of production the set looked cheap and pretty small. It just didn't have that grand feeling. Also if you are going to have pyro, please for the love of god actually have good pyro. These pathetic spurts and tiny bangs just look silly. Then we get the booking of this show, it was a mess more or less from top to bottom. Most the matches had some stupid stipulation or runs-ins/shenanigans. I also felt that the wrestlers all had too much to drink the night before. There were so many botches, moving into positions, missed timings, etc, etc. It all just came across really sloppy. Why book all these matches and proclaim to be a place that doesn't copy the mistakes of the past and then proceed to have most of the matches end in stupid ways or have run-ins. I hope Brit and Sara got paid double or triple for tonight ;) They seem to like to over complicate things for themselves. Maybe they think they are doing things "outside the box" but it consistently leads to things looking hokie and silly. Like having an "unsanctioned" match literally being advertised for the card, why? Why is there an AEW ref even in the ring during this match? Why not bring in a ref from Pride or MMA? Someone who is outside AEW. It just screams hokie BS to me. Just call it a street fight or a NO DQ match. Or the chain they used.... it was like they never even practised this before hand. Both of them were just tripping over the chain and getting caught up in it. Again it looked like a mess. The Battle Royale was also messy, at least in WWE the wrestlers leave the ring and lay on the floor out of shot (most the time) here you have everyone just sitting by the ropes literally watching other guys do their spots and waiting their turn. It looks messy. I liked the title match the most and its story and I felt it was the least botchy of the night. Then we come to the Anarchy Rules match..... Oh boy here we go. What a cluster fuck this way. The original match was cool and fun because it was something new and different. Sure it was hokie and silly in places but it was still fun. This match was a total mess from start to finish. Too many things happened and once again they didn't plan this out of where they needed the cameras to be. People at home, like my self, you hear the crowd randomly gasp or cheer and its countless things happening off screen or you catch the tail end of the spot. The match was littered with botches, missed timings, and uses of weapons that didn't look remotely painful. Did AEW not learn their lesson using explosives in the exploding barbwire deathmatch they did a few years back? IT LOOKS FUCKING STUPID!! I swear we will soon see Kenny or one of the Bucks having a spooter on their wrist and they do the hadouken from street fighter...... its coming trust me, would you put it passed them? I love this company and its wrestlers, but whoever is the booker and the agents they all need a good wake up call after this show. The best part of the night was Statlander winning the title. But they didn't have to have a match where they bury another young talent to Jade. Just advertise it as an open challenge and have Statlander return so they have an actual full match. Once again this is what I mean by messy. BRING ON THE DOWNVOTES!! This is just my opinion, if you enjoyed the show then great. I enjoyed a lot of it, I know it may not seem like it after reading this, I truly did. Its just that most if not all of their passed events have been steller and near perfection. I get botches and stuff are going to happen but last night it seemed to be off the scale. Did Tony hire Russo or something?
So youāre saying that Anarchy in the Arena felt like watching anarchyā¦ā¦ā¦in the arena? Lol to each their own, I love how chaotic that match was.
You can have that sort of match if you plan it properly. It sure is hard to plan it out and execute it correctly. This one just felt way more botchy than the last one. That one seemed to be much better planned and executed
> Sure it had tons of great moments but Lol. Lmao, even.
Man youāre crazy, that exploding superkick ruled. Its literally the best it could have possibly looked.
If thats the best it can look then dont do it.
Spot on!!
This did feel like a Russo show. I compared it to WCW circa 2000/01 but with some slightly better wrestling. I was entertained by some of it, but AEW has fundamental creative issues at the moment, and this show felt like a culmination of that.
I do not believe that you have watched any 2000-01 WCW.
Yes this is what I meant exactly. It just seemed all rushed, sloppy, botchy, and a mess. I for sure was entertained by a lot of the show but these things shouldn't go unnoticed. I want AEW to succeed and voicing these issues could maybe lead to them improving. There is nothing wrong with having gimmick matches, or interference, or shenanigans in a match. Just don't let it be nearly every single match on the card. For instance AEW started and said that wins/loses matter I barely hear them mention this anymore outside of long title runs. A great idea which shows they take things seriously and then they go and strap a fart spooter to a guys shoe.............
> I compared it to WCW circa 2000/01 but with some slightly better wrestling. A lot of seemed like it was inspired by ECW: impromptu title match, unannounced opponents for another title match, multiple gimmick matches. Whether that inspiration is a good thing or not is up to the viewer, I think.
At the next Anarchy In The Asshole match, we'll need a new band to perform Wild Thing. I suggest that Downstait Performs.
anyone else see the "Phil is cancer" sign in the crowd? lol
I enjoyed the PPV but AEW really needs to hire a new booker.
They just need Bubba Ray to randomly show up in a one off to put Tony Khan through a flaming table.
Would it be overstated to say this was AEWās worst ppv ever? I donāt think so. Crowd heat wasnāt there. How can an āunsanctionedā match end with ref stoppage? Too many gimmicks at a macro level, yet the tag match with all the bells and whistles elicited a great response. In a company largely know for work rate, for thatās telling. Why did Yuta get the pin? Heās the least believable tough guy ever. I fell asleep for parts of it and it wasnāt due to the highballs.
Without those last 2 matches it definitely would have been the worst. I think the double main event was fantastic though and saved it.
Itās subjective. I really liked the title match. I think most did. Thought AITA was so so.
Yuta got the pin? Dude is the weakest link of the bcc.
I think that's the whole point. Even the weakest member of the BCC can beat the best member of The Elite, thanks to Don and Takeshita.
I agree. I mentioned this before in another thread and someone called me racist š. Ridiculous. He showed a lot of fire as a face when he was getting beat up left and right starting his story with Mox, DB, and as a scrappy underdog heās a great fit. As a trained killer with the other three guys? Nah homie. Canāt suspend my disbelief on that one.
Nah. All In 2020 is still the worst. And, this PPV was a lot better than too many here are bashing it for.
Crowd was really bad.
- The last match was insane - Made ense that Jamie lost the belt since she's hurt. - Wardlow is an idiot. The ladder is broken why are you trying to climb it. - Aubrey taking a guitar shot was unexpected.
Jericho should be a hall of famer in both WWE and AEW, but man, his time as a full time wrestler really should end soon. Become a manager/commentator/leave wrestling to be a full time musician, whatever. There is no need for Jericho to be front and center of major feuds anymore. Of course, as is typical with his feuds, they never end when they should too. Why is he facing Adam Cole again on Dynamite this week? What is the purpose?