Let's have fun with this. Complete this sentence. "I may be the only person in the world who thinks this but..."

[Big Red Machine]

Not even anything to do with that so much as they don't speak perfect fluent English...

Neither do Southerners according to Vince, but he loosened up for AJ.

I was shocked Nakamura saw some spotlight, regardless of resume, I figured they would have sent him the way of Itami based on their principals.

Not just southerners, by the way. Before putting her on the air with the Tamara Murphy news reporter gimmick, Vince sent Tammy Sytch to accent school to try to get rid of her New Jersey accent.

[NWK2000]

Not even anything to do with that so much as they don't speak perfect fluent English...

Neither do Southerners according to Vince, but he loosened up for AJ.

I was shocked Nakamura saw some spotlight, regardless of resume, I figured they would have sent him the way of Itami based on their principals.

Not just southerners, by the way. Before putting her on the air with the Tamara Murphy news reporter gimmick, Vince sent Tammy Sytch to accent school to try to get rid of her New Jersey accent.

Is that true? She didn't have a super thick accent in SMW or anything

[Big Red Machine]

Neither do Southerners according to Vince, but he loosened up for AJ.

I was shocked Nakamura saw some spotlight, regardless of resume, I figured they would have sent him the way of Itami based on their principals.

Not just southerners, by the way. Before putting her on the air with the Tamara Murphy news reporter gimmick, Vince sent Tammy Sytch to accent school to try to get rid of her New Jersey accent.

Is that true? She didn't have a super thick accent in SMW or anything

Heard it on a podcast, but the guys in question seem pretty reliable (one of them is David Bixenspan, who is a lawyer, so he tends to avoid making false statements).

[NWK2000]

I may be the only person who thinks this BUT, I think a Young Boy should either win or have a strong standing in Best of the Super Juniors at least once.

I get that it's all about tradition and taking your lumps, but you know when a Young Boy is in a BOSJ that's one guy you don't have to think about winning, and aren't come from behind, out of nowhere big wins a part of real sports?

[Big Red Machine]

I may be the only person who thinks this BUT, I think a Young Boy should either win or have a strong standing in Best of the Super Juniors at least once.

I get that it's all about tradition and taking your lumps, but you know when a Young Boy is in a BOSJ that's one guy you don't have to think about winning, and aren't come from behind, out of nowhere big wins a part of real sports?

I agree in part. The general rule should be no young-boys allowed, but at the same time, if one is stuck in there, you need to at least let him look really strong in all of his losses just so that the tournament doesn't appear unfair because one block got a tomato can and the other didn't.

But picking a random kid off the indies to go 1-8 would have been better, IMO.

[NWK2000]

I may be the only one who thinks this, BUT....Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre are one of the most enjoyable characters on WWE TV at the moment.

Should Shane McMahon be in the spotlight? No. Is he any good in the ring? Also no. But does he understand how to be a heel? Yes. He is the most believable heel they have at the moment, and I find him immensely entertaining, mostly the "bully the ring announcer into giving me a special introduction". I also think Drew McIntyre being "Test Mark 2.0" is a pretty solid use of an intimidating looking guy like him.

[Big Red Machine]

I also think Drew McIntyre being "Test Mark 2.0" is a pretty solid use of an intimidating looking guy like him.

For someone with Test's level of talent this would be fine. For Drew... he should be the f*cking world champion.

[NWK2000]

I also think Drew McIntyre being "Test Mark 2.0" is a pretty solid use of an intimidating looking guy like him.

For someone with Test's level of talent this would be fine. For Drew... he should be the f*cking world champion.

Fair, but I don't think anyone on the modern roster with the equivalent of Test's talent would also have the mind for the business to pull it off as well as Drew does.

[Bob-O]

I also think Drew McIntyre being "Test Mark 2.0" is a pretty solid use of an intimidating looking guy like him.

For someone with Test's level of talent this would be fine. For Drew... he should be the f*cking world champion.

Fair, but I don't think anyone on the modern roster with the equivalent of Test's talent would also have the mind for the business to pull it off as well as Drew does.

From what I gather, it was supposed to be a Diesel/HBK thing when he was with Ziggler where he eventually broke off and won titles and things. I get the same vibe again here with Shane.

My only issue with Shane is that by the amount they're feeding us that somebody back there thinks it's better than what it is. We didn't get Stone Cold segments more than once or twice a night... I'm having trouble coming up with ANYONE that was featured so heavily and consistently...

[KILLdozer]

For someone with Test's level of talent this would be fine. For Drew... he should be the f*cking world champion.

Fair, but I don't think anyone on the modern roster with the equivalent of Test's talent would also have the mind for the business to pull it off as well as Drew does.

From what I gather, it was supposed to be a Diesel/HBK thing when he was with Ziggler where he eventually broke off and won titles and things. I get the same vibe again here with Shane.

My only issue with Shane is that by the amount they're feeding us that somebody back there thinks it's better than what it is. We didn't get Stone Cold segments more than once or twice a night... I'm having trouble coming up with ANYONE that was featured so heavily and consistently...

He's literally the whole show and involved with every aspect of it from top to bottom: Reigns, McIntyre, Elias, The Revival, The Miz. That covers an awful lot of ground lol.

[Big Red Machine]

I'm having trouble coming up with ANYONE that was featured so heavily and consistently...

Hunter/Steph/Rollins/Kane in 2015. Basically, whichever Authority members were booked in the "storyline of the night" for a given episode of Raw.

[Serujuunin]

I'm having trouble coming up with ANYONE that was featured so heavily and consistently...

Hunter/Steph/Rollins/Kane in 2015. Basically, whichever Authority members were booked in the "storyline of the night" for a given episode of Raw.

And the similarities are, authority figures that have overstayed their welcome on my TV lol. I’m kind of surprised they haven’t figured it out yet, but also not surprised...

[Bob-O]

I know I'm not the "only" person in the world that thinks this, but I know I'm outnumbered in thinking AEW screwed up royally by not centering the show around Kenny Omega. The most recognizable non-wwe talent in the world, a guy most fans had heard of but not many had actually seen... the mystique is gone, they blew it.

buT evEryoNe kNowS jeRicHo, hE'S grEat, hE reiNvenTEd hImsElf blah blah blah, no. They had the opportunity to showcase the guy WWE couldn't get, to put themselves on a pedestal, and they fucking blew it.

Imagine if in 1983 Vince brought in Hulk Hogan but said, "...people won't know who he is, let's run with Backlund for another year and have Hulk trade wins with Ordorf until everyone's good and comfortable with our direction..."

[cero2k]

I know I'm not the "only" person in the world that thinks this, but I know I'm outnumbered in thinking AEW screwed up royally by not centering the show around Kenny Omega. The most recognizable non-wwe talent in the world, a guy most fans had heard of but not many had actually seen... the mystique is gone, they blew it.

everyone expected Omega to be the top guy from the start, and the Bucks, and Jericho, and Brit Baker, and all the haters would be making the comparison with Jarrett and Nash and the likes. Now that they didn't, everyone complains that the stars are losing too much. Damn if they do, damn if they don't.

IMO, what they're trying to do is show that they were not the best after all, that there was a whole world of wrestlers that were top rated that just hadn't been on TV. If the guys we knew were the top guys ended up actually being the top guys, then what's the point of the promotion other than seeing them beat people every week?

Of all the people in that roster, Omega and The Bucks are the three guys that I think are bulletproof, that they can spend sometime building up people to their level, and then make a comeback to the top.

A mistake would had been jobbing Moxley or Jericho, everyone else can afford to take some loses.

[Bob-O]

Of all the people in that roster, Omega and The Bucks are the three guys that I think are bulletproof, that they can spend sometime building up people to their level, and then make a comeback to the top.

A mistake would had been jobbing Moxley or Jericho, everyone else can afford to take some loses.

Kenny was the guy everyone was excited about but few had actually seen. Highlight videos on YouTube and the mystique of The Bullet Club that american fans loved but few went out of their way to see. Now that they've all seen him, the build back isn't going to hit as hard as treating him like the best wrestler in the world from the get-go. I'm not saying they're doomed or anything, but they had the chance at a scenario that doesn't come along very often and they blew it.

The people that would have complained are the people that ALWAYS complain... treating Omega like a HUGE deal wouldn't have taken anything away from the guys they're building up, I'd say Omega's losses haven't really helped anyone.

[cero2k]

Kenny was the guy everyone was excited about but few had actually seen. Highlight videos on YouTube and the mystique of The Bullet Club that american fans loved but few went out of their way to see. Now that they've all seen him, the build back isn't going to hit as hard as treating him like the best wrestler in the world from the get-go. I'm not saying they're doomed or anything, but they had the chance at a scenario that doesn't come along very often and they blew it.

The people that would have complained are the people that ALWAYS complain... treating Omega like a HUGE deal wouldn't have taken anything away from the guys they're building up, I'd say Omega's losses haven't really helped anyone.

I get what you're saying, I just think that is something worth building to rather than just going balls out at the start and not having anything for later. Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint.

Kenny maybe WAS the guy that most people were excited for, but they were excited about 6-star Omega, Best Bout Machine Kenny Omega, who in AEW even comes remotely to the levels of anyone in NJPW that could give Omega that match? I can only think of PAC, who also needed some rebuilding and re-introduction IMO.
Omega is still a big deal, he's not a bigger deal than Moxley for sure tho. Realistically, in America, especially with the whole (fake IMO) idea of 'new/lapsed fans', Jericho and Mox are the two top guys. The impact was bigger with having Mox destroy than Omega have a 4.5-star match to kick off the promotion.

The Elite's losing streak story needs to be better told, better cemented, but it's not in nature bad.

[NWK2000]

I know I'm not the "only" person in the world that thinks this, but I know I'm outnumbered in thinking AEW screwed up royally by not centering the show around Kenny Omega. The most recognizable non-wwe talent in the world, a guy most fans had heard of but not many had actually seen... the mystique is gone, they blew it.

buT evEryoNe kNowS jeRicHo, hE'S grEat, hE reiNvenTEd hImsElf blah blah blah, no. They had the opportunity to showcase the guy WWE couldn't get, to put themselves on a pedestal, and they fucking blew it.

Imagine if in 1983 Vince brought in Hulk Hogan but said, "...people won't know who he is, let's run with Backlund for another year and have Hulk trade wins with Ordorf until everyone's good and comfortable with our direction..."

I think they're building to an angle with Kenny not being on a semi-losing streak.

[Thelone]

Of all the people in that roster, Omega and The Bucks are the three guys that I think are bulletproof, that they can spend sometime building up people to their level, and then make a comeback to the top.

They really aren't, and it's becoming obvious as time goes by. A year ago, very few people would have denied that Omega and the Bucks were three of the top free agents in wrestling. Since then, Omega has been badly exposed as not cut to be THE GUY while the Bucks... are doing their usual thing, but they sure seem a lot colder than they were twelve months ago.

Kenny maybe WAS the guy that most people were excited for, but they were excited about 6-star Omega, Best Bout Machine Kenny Omega, who in AEW even comes remotely to the levels of anyone in NJPW that could give Omega that match? I can only think of PAC, who also needed some rebuilding and re-introduction IMO.

And this is why Omega has been exposed. If you remove the wrestlers who can make him look like a million bucks (which is a problem by itself because THE GUY should be able to make his opponents look good, not the other way around), he has nothing else to fall back on. Like, wasn't one of the first non-wrestling segments he had on TV a fucking comedy skit with Nakazawa lifting weights? Then he cosplayed as Sans from Undertale and is repeatedly made to look like a bumbling idiot 95% of the time. YOUR (allegedly) TOP STAR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!

Oh, and the women's division he's booking is atrocious also.

everyone expected Omega to be the top guy from the start, and the Bucks, and Jericho, and Brit Baker, and all the haters would be making the comparison with Jarrett and Nash and the likes. Now that they didn't, everyone complains that the stars are losing too much. Damn if they do, damn if they don't.

But that would have been coherent though. Maybe don't throw the belt at him right away, but have him feud with Jericho and Moxley (you know, the two top ex-WWE guys you have) so you can introduce him to a wider audience and give him the rub ultimately. You could have done the same thing with the Bucks feuding with the Lucha Brothers and not-LAX (maybe even the Rhodes Brothers if you wanna stick Cody somewhere), PAC with Page/MJF/Allin/Jumpin' Jungle Jack Perry/whoever else for the midcard belt, then... I don't know for the women's division frankly (sign Dashwood? Bring back Kong from ten years ago when she was still able to work and move? Don't have a division when the talent isn't there for it?).

I do find it funny how Cody was like "yeah, we wanna cater to our current fans and not dumb down the product for the casuals", and what they're doing is using their (again, allegedly) "homegrown" top stars in ways the WWE would be crucified endlessly for doing, pushing drizzling shits like Kevin Steen's Irrelevant Friends and Brandi's spoopy faction of doom despite their own fans actively saying "IT SUCKS, GET RID OF THEM". It's almost like it's a recipe for disaster or something.

[Bob-O]

Kenny maybe WAS the guy that most people were excited for, but they were excited about 6-star Omega, Best Bout Machine Kenny Omega, who in AEW even comes remotely to the levels of anyone in NJPW that could give Omega that match? I can only think of PAC, who also needed some rebuilding and re-introduction IMO.
Omega is still a big deal, he's not a bigger deal than Moxley for sure tho. Realistically, in America, especially with the whole (fake IMO) idea of 'new/lapsed fans', Jericho and Mox are the two top guys. The impact was bigger with having Mox destroy than Omega have a 4.5-star match to kick off the promotion.

I think the people that were excited for The Best Bout Machine aren't where they dropped the ball, they'd be silly to look at AEW's roster and expect that kind of product. Where I think they dropped the ball is with that fanbase of casual fan that got sick of WWE's bullshit, but not committed enough to go out and find something else. Those people that bought Bullet Club shirts from Hot Topic but never watched NJPW. I cannot tell you how many members of "The WWE Universe" have come to me excited because they saw Kenny Omega in a YouTube video, "Hey Bob-O! Have you heard of this Kenny Omega guy!?" These people were excited for AEW because they thought they were getting The Bullet Club without going out of their way for it. The people that want less "sports" and more "entertainment", I'd say were all 100% aware that Kenny Omega was being regarded as the best wrestler in the world outside of their bubble - AEW had this audience, ready to eat out of their hand, and they blew it.

They handled Moxley/Omega just fine from the start, but completely fell apart from there. Moxley recovering from surgery didn't help, but Omega was pushed to the side during that time which I think was a big mistake. Mox beats Kenny in the eventual match, then nothing? We move on? Midcard Omega's gonna piss around with Hangman? No upside to "Alright Moxley, you beat me at your game, but can you beat me at mine? You're so pissed off about things not being in the books... how'd the G1 go by the way? Probably about the same as it'd go with me, ON the books, but there's only one way to find out, isn't there...?"?

I don't have issues with The Bucks or Baker, but good lord Omega... sure, they can rebuild and recover, and I'm all for the marathon - but the debut, the introduction to the casual audience that had him on a pedestal, that doesn't happen very often, and they don't get that again with him.

A year ago, very few people would have denied that Omega and the Bucks were three of the top free agents in wrestling. Since then, Omega has been badly exposed as not cut to be THE GUY while the Bucks... are doing their usual thing, but they sure seem a lot colder than they were twelve months ago.

I don't know about "exposed", he was never put in the position. It's obvious to me that they're going out of their way to AVOID any scenario that might imply he's even ~a~ top guy. Kenny himself I think is fine and any shortcoming he might have in "THE GUY" department would be made up for in charisma. The Bucks are cold because Kenny is cold. None of it's "cool" anymore, they blew it.


AEW invited everyone over because they spent $1,000,000 on pizza, then didn't let anyone try it because they wanted everyone to try the breadsticks first. Now, the $1,000,000 pizza is cold which is OK because they can just throw it in the microwave later, they ordered way too many breadsticks anyway.

Don't get me wrong, I LIKE BREADSTICKS... but I REALLY wanted to try that pizza.

[Big Red Machine]

I think the mistake AEW made in their utilization of Kenny (and Pac, and, to a lesser extent, the Bucks... and, now that I think about it, almost everyone other than SCU, Jericho, Cody, MJF, Moxley, Dark Order, Brandi, Darby, and maybe Lucha Bros.) is that they tried to push too large a cast of characters and thus they dropped the ball on follow up, making everyone feel less important.
- The Bucks put over Private Party, but what the hell have Private Party done since then? They've barely even been on TV. As a result, the gain from them beating the Bucks is all but erased, while the Bucks are still hurt by the loss.

- The losing streak stories with both Kenny and the Bucks have been on TV so infrequently and made to matter so infrequently that they don't feel important.

- The Bucks and LAX have this supposedly big feud and this supposedly big blow-off, and then we haven't heard from either of them since. Yes, the Bucks were on TV the next week in a tag title shot, but the actual feud and it's result didn't feel important. Ditto for the whole Elite vs. Inner Circle feud.

- Joey Janela and Shawn Spears are supposed to be having this big feud where Janela KIDNAPPED Spears' manager, and then the next time we see Spears and said manager, they're just calmly musing about finding a tag team partner because tag team wrestling is where it's at in AEW and don't mention Janela at all.

Just look at the difference between Omega losing-streak story and the current story with Omega and Page. People are much more into the former than they ever were into the latter, and it's simply because the Omega/Page story was given consistent focus on TV for two straight weeks, whereas Kenny's (and the Bucks') losing streaks weren't.