Pro Wrestling! (For Everything WWE, Impact, Indies, AEW, & Japan !) 2024

[Immortal Weapon]

Keeping It 100 said Ricky's contract ends in June and he first asked for a release in January 2023, again when Jade left, and most recently prior to the last PPV.

He's gone.

No point in pushing him.

He wants to leave.

Then they should set him free. Keeping him around when he doesn't want to be there does them no good.

[BeastieRunner]

Darby's back!

LFG Willow! This woman is becoming the total package. Strap the rocket ...

AEW with custom Reebok's in all Champs now, crazy.

Billy Goat is slaying promos, his weakest part of his game. Strong was nice as usual. The camera angles were excellent.

Call back to the Wayne match, Swerve!

Not convinced Jericho can spin this gimmick into gold.

I have tickets to the PPV since we're moving to the southwest next month.

The MGM concourse has a crazy long stairwell and there’s not a doubt in my mind that Darby is gonna pull off something insane on that stairwell.

Also, FTR Bald's Super Plex was so good, the beam hit Darby in the head under the ring.

BTW, FTR Gun Nut got his charges dropped as the other party failed to file a motion.

And The Body is entering into a Legends deal with WWE.

[Android 17]

Yeah Willow ate in that segment with Mercedes. Made me a fan.

But as I’m not a faithful AEW watcher, someone help me: who’s supposed to be the heel in that angle?

[BeastieRunner]

Then they should set him free. Keeping him around when he doesn't want to be there does them no good.

Starks was given the first Punk rivalry when he came back, Final Countdown, and a squash against FTR after the first ask.

Sometimes you can mend a fence with a disgruntled talent. I think it was to show him that they see his worth hoping he’d re-sign but he still didn’t intend to stay hence why the booking has fallen off the closer they get to the end of his contract.

I don't get what they're supposed to do in a situation like this other than let him ride his contract out. Job him out and it seems petty, push him and it seems stupid to use that TV time on a guy on his way out.

Now, just being Cody's buddy might not be enough (QT). He's a 35 year old man doing a skinny Rock '97 and WWE already has a 40 something doing a less skinny Rock/Austin '97. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

[BeastieRunner]

Yeah Willow ate in that segment with Mercedes. Made me a fan.

But as I’m not a faithful AEW watcher, someone help me: who’s supposed to be the heel in that angle?

People seem to think Moné is joining the Elite as seeds have been planted for that.

It's a face vs. face segment but Willow has been tweening a bit and Moné seems to be itching to do something... Heelish.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Then they should set him free. Keeping him around when he doesn't want to be there does them no good.

Back in the old days WCW and WWF would keep talent locked into contracts til the end. Because they wanted to "cool them off" so the jump isn't as impactful. Now I may rip Tony on his booking (and god knows he could have done more to convince Starks had he booked him better last 2 years) but here in this...he's being smart.

He already knows the Jade situation became a big deal at the end as he tried to keep her til those final weeks/month and she ended up jumping. He doesn't want a replay with Starks.

So its a sound move here.

[BeastieRunner]

Starks is a product of the underdog factory in AEW.

They do great pushing them and then they just ... Forget and start a new one.

The point is to push them into non underdog territory but it's hard when a new toy comes along and we try it with a new one.

IMHO... And I'm not one for retreads of the past ... But pulling a Heyman ECW Whipwreck would've been perfect for Starks. He has the ability to carry and sell that.

Super can probably provide some Whipwreck context.

[BeastieRunner]

Also, AEW were happy to give Andrade a really good run in the C2 before he left on good terms and they sent Jade off in a fantastic way as well.

AEW tried pushing Starks.

He clearly wasn't happy with the pushes either.

Even during his injuries they kept him on commentary so Starks could still have a role. He won the Owen cup, had the role in Team Taz, he's won a number 1 contenders tournament, had a great short title feud with MJF, a feud with Jericho (definitely a dud but it's not like Ricky had awesome moments in it himself and it's still an upper card feud), a decent feud with a debuting Jay White, won the Owen, had a feud Punk who was clearly trying to get him over, they also brought a legend in Ricky Steamboat into the feud, transitioned it to a feud with Danielson who also did a lot to put him over, had a consistent story leading to his pairing with Big Bill, as a new tag team squashed FTR (who are presented as one of the greatest teams ever), and only dropped the titles to Sting of all people. Starks was top heel on Collision for the majority of its existence, and he was slated to main event a PPV until CM Punk had his meltdown.

The vast majority of that happened in the last year and half ...

He hated being a tag wrestler while holding the tag team titles after squashing one of the best teams in FTR. They dropped the titles to the most protected team on the roster.

Then he rants about not being booked on his way out the door ...

That's some next level entitlement and at his age ... I can see HHH passing on him.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Starks is a product of the underdog factory in AEW.

They do great pushing them and then they just ... Forget and start a new one.

The point is to push them into non underdog territory but it's hard when a new toy comes along and we try it with a new one.

IMHO... And I'm not one for retreads of the past ... But pulling a Heyman ECW Whipwreck would've been perfect for Starks. He has the ability to carry and sell that.

Super can probably provide some Whipwreck context.

To do a Whipwreck push it means the guy has to have that ability to get fans to fall for him as he gets beaten up and losses to start. Then get the wins as he gains confidence. I think with how Starks is...onscreen and how he carries himself , I can't see that role for him.

The WWE tried Ellsworth and name escapes me the past decade with Whipwreck pushes. They did some inventive things with Ellsworth and I give em props on him turning heel and managing a diva as her follower. That was decent.

But I agree they had to keep Ricky off TV. If he's not coming back on a new deal , you don't leave him on TV and keep him noticed.

[Android 17]

Speaking of Mikey Whipwreck, this talk just unlocked a memory of that weird point in Dubya C Dubya’s final years when he, Sandman and Raven all were there together.

Oh yeah and Chastity.

People seem to think Moné is joining the Elite as seeds have been planted for that.

It's a face vs. face segment but Willow has been tweening a bit and Moné seems to be itching to do something... Heelish.

Gotcha. That’s interesting. But yeah at this point I’m rooting for Willow, but it’s clear Moné is winning that match.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Speaking of Mikey Whipwreck, this talk just unlocked a memory of that weird point in Dubya C Dubya’s final years when he, Sandman and Raven all were there together.

Oh yeah and Chastity.
.

That was a weird one for sure. They were trying to repackage Raven and aired those weeks of vignettes with Sandman , him and Kanyon at his mansion. With Chasity lol.

But WCW handed Sandman and Mikey these contracts in 1999 and basically within months decided to let them go. Like...wtf ? Sandman of course did screw himself there. Its said he blew off a production meeting (he was supposed to win the parking lot brawl on PPV that year) and it angered people there. Finally they just released him.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Speaking of Sandman ...


- In an old 2000s era shoot , Sandman discussed coming to WWE in the launch of ECW. In it he revealed some things.

- A guy backstage up (higher up) told him that Vince wanted to use "Enter Sandman" for him beyond the ECW One Night Stand. But there was a problem...and it went back to late 1990s.

- Metallica was gearing up to release a new album (Load or Re-Load) and the bands management wanted to advertise the album and do a song live on Summerslam PPV. Vince had no clue who Metallica was and told the band NOPE. Even as a free concert then. James Hatfield never forgot that.

- So when Vince approached Metallica to license the song for Sandman , even though Hatfield didn't mind Sandman using it...he remembered what McMahon did then. And priced the licensing fee so ungodly high , no one would could do it.


- The WWE version was done and his 1st shows , he never could tell really. He'd hear the music start and then it was Metallica then.

- Sandman told a comical story where he had been told to GET READY to make his entrance. So he goes to stand at the balcony entry and he starts to hear some music , believing its the WWE riff of Metallica.

So he goes to step out and do his entrance coming down as one of production people grab n pull him back , "Hak , that was Undertakers music ! He's coming out !"

[BigLbo]

Yeah Willow ate in that segment with Mercedes. Made me a fan.

But as I’m not a faithful AEW watcher, someone help me: who’s supposed to be the heel in that angle?

willow has always been a babyface, and one of the best in the company at that. mone has always sucked as a babyface, so it's kind of hard to say but i think she leaned into the heel reactions she's been getting against willow. if they have mone beat willow clean w/o turning heel in the process it's going to eat so much dick.

Jey has a ceiling and that is just about what it is now. His future is to hook back up with Jimmy and take out the new Bloodline and then reviving their tag team dominance.

if that's the case they shouldn't book him to win kotr.

[krazijoe]

Darby's back!

LFG Willow! This woman is becoming the total package. Strap the rocket ...

AEW with custom Reebok's in all Champs now, crazy.

Billy Goat is slaying promos, his weakest part of his game. Strong was nice as usual. The camera angles were excellent.

Call back to the Wayne match, Swerve!

Not convinced Jericho can spin this gimmick into gold.

I have tickets to the PPV since we're moving to the southwest next month.

The MGM concourse has a crazy long stairwell and there’s not a doubt in my mind that Darby is gonna pull off something insane on that stairwell.

Also, FTR Bald's Super Plex was so good, the beam hit Darby in the head under the ring.

BTW, FTR Gun Nut got his charges dropped as the other party failed to file a motion.

And The Body is entering into a Legends deal with WWE.

Not sure if I buy Darby as the guy to save AEW from The Bucks.

[BeastieRunner]

[Pro Wrestling NOAH] New announcement regarding the appointment of the new president! Target - “Strengthen relationship with WWE”

1). Gunther N-1 run please;

2). A Worlds Collide with NOAH/Marigold/TNA/WWE please; and

3). Bullet Club with Cody, AJ, and Finn ... Throw in OC and G.O.D. too. Cody about to claim BC NOAH as his.