Pro Wrestling! (For Everything WWE, Impact, Indies, AEW, & Japan !) 2021

[Immortal Weapon]

WWE's Saudi shows have made twice the money of AEW's entire four year TV deal
https://twitter.com/brandonthurston/...209522176?s=21

[Username taken]

Not to start a flame war but is AEW = Image Comics?
In 1992 what were considered to be the top artists at Marvel comics banded together and left and started their own comic book company. They were rock stars of a sense that were gonna change the game forever. Giving the artists control instead of corporate editors and publishers having all the power. Isn't AEW basically the same thing, a group of over wrestlers, though not the top dogs in the industry like the Image guys were, decided to hang their own shingle because they thought they could build a place that the wrestlers would love to work at and give the fans what they want, which the WWE had lost touch on how to provide. Just like Image comics there are some inmate running the asylum issues, and there probably were some founders having more freedom/power than any new members of the organization. Image also had it's rabid fan base that was all about the I and cared not at all for DC or Marvel. Image is a success today but it would have benefited greatly by bringing a few top notch writers and a good editor with them, just like AEW could have used an experienced booker to guide them and still could. The Image guys didn't think they needed them and obviously the AEW guys didn't think so either. Eventually a founder returned to the establishment, some remained and others lost their high profile. I only bring it up here because for me there are striking similarities and this is the one board that would understand both components of the comparison, both pro wrestling and the comic industry. The WWE is an amalgamation of DC/Marvel, is Cody Jim Lee? I don't know who the booker could have bend to steer the ship, obviously Heyman would have been great because there would have been a better chance of that than a Cornette. However there are creators who said that Image wasn't the creative utopia they thought it might be and either went back to the establishment or started their own thing. Thoughts???

It's an interesting comparison and quite apt. Although it must be noted that while Image had a shared universe it was a loose combination of the founders' individual studios, this meant that each character they created belonged to themselves and their studios and not Image comics as a company. They barely worked together like Marvel or DC did with each creator doing their own thing in their studio except whenever a crossover was required.

The Image guys really were set to take over the industry and for quite a while in the 90s Image was a close number 2 to Marvel in total sales. The problem with the Image guys was 1). A very terrible understanding of the comic business. These guys really, really needed business managers to handle a lot of stuff. Books were sometimes published and released out of order 2). Delays. I remember growing up in that era and the delays were INSANE. I believe that Youngblood only released about 5 issues in 2 or 3 years, it was really crazy stuff. 3). They needed better writers at the start. They eventually got them on board but it was a little late in the game. 4). In-fighting. Marc Silvestri pulled out entirely out of Image only to come back and for the founders to kick Liefeld out of the company. This actually affected books like Spawn where the main character's origin was tied to Youngblood Chapel's and retcons and legal trouble ensued. After all this Jim Lee sold his studio to DC and the rest as they say is history.

Image now is a completely different company but some problems still persist with staff members becoming unionized. It's actually quite funny that Image inadvertently became what they initially kicked against.

AEW isn't quite there yet. They have a very rabid, stable fan base that enjoys the company's content. While I do agree they need some experience guys to manage the booking or at least contribute to it (seriously, Cody's booking has been pretty rough and it ultimately turned his fans against him), they haven't completely lost their audience as Image did back in the day.

[choptop]

WWE's Saudi shows have made twice the money of AEW's entire four year TV deal
https://twitter.com/brandonthurston/...209522176?s=21

Of course a deal with the devil pays very well.

[chachi]

Is Reggie's theme a remix of Brodus Clay's Somone call my mama theme? It sounds similar.

[JBatmanFan05]

Bischoff, who texts with Cody now and then (but doesn't claim any inside knowledge), thinks Cody more walked away (my theory #2) rather than Tony didn't want him: (excerpt)

I think Cody was probably sitting around at one point looking at the landscape of where AEW was going and it didn’t coincide with the vision he originally bought into, and it wasn’t going to get him where he wanted to go and made a decision. I guess I’d bet a lot of money that Tony offered up a pretty substantial amount of money that any average person walking the face of this country could retire on in a very short period of time. But Cody made a decision that was different. He made a decision that took a lot of guts. I can’t tell you how proud I am of him for putting his family first and putting his confidence on the line the way that he did.

https://411mania.com/wrestling/eric-...hodes-aew-wwe/

[BeastieRunner]

Cody & Brandi wanted to be HHH & Steph 2.0.

That's what it sounds like to me.

Now they're just about the money.

Which is fine.

[JBatmanFan05]

Cody & Brandi wanted to be HHH & Steph 2.0.

That's what it sounds like to me.

Now they're just about the money.

Which is fine.

It does seem to read like that. It feels like Bucks/Omega knew (visionwise) that long-term promotion viability required a billionaire, a Tony Khan (spending his early inheritance). And they were willing to give the keys to the bankroller because it was the only way to make AEW big enough to afford the Punks or Danielsons of the (ex-WWE) wrestling world, and to afford a large roster. To make AEW a big enough place to be a forever safe haven for "real wrestlers" to make a good living in North America (better than a ROH or Impact less-televised less-paid living).

And Cody it seems was probably less cool with Tony Khan seeking to take control of his money (which is his family's money, the fruits of his father's life's work).

[Immortal Weapon]

WWE Twitter has been teasing Cody last night during Raw. Particularly being Miz tag partner and the person who will accept Edge challenge

[SUPERECWFAN1]

There was no way the 4 Vice President's running a wrestling company would work long term. At certain points people would want more power. It was said last year that everyone drifted into roles. The Bucks run the wrestling aspect with Khan , Omega had started working on the video game part major. Cody had no real role as he had drifted away to do reality tv shows.

Khan had learned enough to run things and didn't need Cody Rhodes by this point and Cody couldn't be HHH 2.0 with Brandy as the owner didn't need that now. Maybe in 2019 he would have but its 2022 and Khan has learned enough he can depend on Jim Ross (who has a role as senior advisor its claimed now). So he has that older guy to discuss things with.

[chachi]

WWE Twitter has been teasing Cody last night during Raw. Particularly being Miz tag partner and the person who will accept Edge challenge

The Miz even teased it when he said his mystery partner is "dashing". Styles is rumored to be Edge's opponent at Mania.

[Matt Rat]

Mick Foley is looking to trademark Cactus Jack

https://411mania.com/wrestling/mick-...k-cactus-jack/

[Immortal Weapon]

Bryan vs Gracia tonight on Dynamite. This should be good
https://twitter.com/aew/status/1496618140251435011?s=21

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Jim Cornette brings up Austin's big discussed return. "I hope they loaded up that brinks truck from Vince's vault and drove it to Texas to Steve Austin's home !"





Honestly , Austin's reported return is the bigger story than Cody , which has to tick those fans off. That a guy who hasn't wrestled in nearly 2 decades is seemingly gonna return.

[Immortal Weapon]

Honestly , Austin's reported return is the bigger story than Cody

It should have been bigger but it wasn't. Cody had wrestling sphere in a vice grip last week.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

It should have been bigger but it wasn't. Cody had wrestling sphere in a vice grip last week.

Cody's return was big for a lot of AEW fans and wrestling folks for sure.

But a lot of mainstream coverage was about Austin's proposed return since he....well he's the last big major star who hasn't returned yet and is seemingly on his way back. Austin is remembered by the mainstream more so his return was getting a lot of traction that bit into Cody's return. (a lot were like...maybe Cody will return to face Austin or ...Austin & Cody returning at Wrestlemania ?! lol)