Current Events > As an AEW fan it's frustrating how boring and crappy it's become

(+) Yeah! (+)

I can't wrap my head around how Tony Khan isn't aware that booking random "dream matches" is the way to go when everyone and their mother has been criticizing how there haven't been any interesting storylines or character work in the longest time.

Is TNA/Impact still around?

I'd hate for the WWE to just have a complete monopoly on wrestling in the West.

I remember the AEW fanboys lost their fucking minds like 2 years ago when I said I dont see what makes AEW any different than WCW, and holy shit are we seeing it more and more every week.

inb4 you're called a "WWE shill!!!111"

FortuneCookie posted...

Is TNA/Impact still around?

I'd hate for the WWE to just have a complete monopoly on wrestling in the West.

Impact rebranded back to TNA and they put on decent wrestling shows but even with a budget increase a lot of it feels low-rent. Scott D'Amore got fired and replaced with a random suit.

Remember when MJF kept talking about the bidding war of 2024?
Well we're here. What are people bidding on?

Example number eleventy billion of an out of touch billionaire not understanding something and thinking the solution is to just throw money at it.

Also

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9v7N2-q1wQs&t=90s&pp=ygULYWV3IGJvdGNoZXM%3D

I agree TC. I will always be grateful for AEW being an alternative to WWE when it was garbage, and I was really into it for a while. In 2023 it started getting worse for me, and then I haven't watched weekly TV since Worlds End. WWE being good now is the final nail in the coffin.

Yeah it's frustrating

And what makes it worse is if you try to talk to other AEW fans online, a lot of the time they just start randomly insulting you.

It's become so toxic it's crazy.

AEW is a sloppy shop with wrestlers getting injured, a pin occurring but the ref messing up the pin, the wrestler doing another move on the injured wrestler then the ref counting the pin.

They never should've launched Collision, and instead should've put Rampage in a more prominent time slot. Five hours of TV time is absolutely too much. Monthly PPVs are too much. They're running the same markets to death, now their crowds are smaller and less engaged. All on the backbone of booking that is less than stellar. It's all too much. And there is no legal way to access their backlog library, so new viewers are left with no way to catch up unless they fork over for an expensive PPV replay.

Oh how wonderful AEW in 2019 sounds now. A single two hour major broadcast with a few YouTube bonus shows to showcase other talent. Only four PPVs a year so each one felt like a holiday. Only three titles in the whole company. Pro wrestling is always better with a "less is more" attitude.

C_Pain posted...

I agree TC. I will always be grateful for AEW being an alternative to WWE when it was garbage, and I was really into it for a while. In 2023 it started getting worse for me, and then I haven't watched weekly TV since Worlds End. WWE being good now is the final nail in the coffin.

But then AEW dies, and WWE gets lazy again. The best case is both companies are bringing their A game to stay afloat.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Yeah, AEW was definitely a better product during that time. All Out 2021 goes down as one of my favorite PPVs of all time, from any company. But it feels like theyve been on a slow and steady decline since that night. Dynamite last week was an all time low watching as a fan of wrestling in general.

Id like to think itll get better once MJF comes back. Theres no denying his star power.

Is Chris Jericho still latching on to whoever's currently popular and draining all their enjoyableness?

ViewtifulJoe posted...

Is Chris Jericho still latching on to whoever's currently popular and draining all their enjoyableness?

Chris Jericho turned into Triple H?

LOL Jack Perry last night at NJPW show last night,

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/4/437c8224.jpg

Also, Mox won the IGWP World Title last night.

Tony just needs to quit crying and get a clue

FortuneCookie posted...

Chris Jericho turned into Triple H?

Sure did.
I looked it up. It's Hook's turn. Not sure how popular Hook still is but I bet that Jericho feud is just great.

Turbam posted...

Tony just needs to quit crying and get a clue

he should also take a shower and hit the weights

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/9/99312d6a.jpg

https://x.com/WrestlePurists/status/1779149486205395193

this is kenny explaining his side of what happened.

tl;dr more old shit about kenny saving larry, punks dog, shouldnt be evp, etc.

Turbam posted...

Tony just needs to quit crying and get a clue

This is what I don't get. AEW's problems are as clear as day and really simple to fix yet he keeps doubling down on not having any kinds of storylines or character work in favor of "dream matches" nobody cares about.

I read a comment once that said once you realize Tony books AEW like you would book and e-Fed then everything makes much more sense. Tony used to run e-feds by the way. Basically simulations online where you ran your own wrestling company.

CRON posted...

This is what I don't get. AEW's problems are as clear as day and really simple to fix yet he keeps doubling down on not having any kinds of storylines or character work in favor of "dream matches" nobody cares about.

that's because he's a incompetent nepo baby

ViewtifulJoe posted...

Sure did.
I looked it up. It's Hook's turn. Not sure how popular Hook still is but I bet that Jericho feud is just great.

And Hook responded by saying he might give WWE a shot when his contract runs out.

C_Pain posted...

I agree TC. I will always be grateful for AEW being an alternative to WWE when it was garbage, and I was really into it for a while. In 2023 it started getting worse for me, and then I haven't watched weekly TV since Worlds End. WWE being good now is the final nail in the coffin.

Ironically worlds end is when I stopped watching as well. There has been absolutely zero pay off to, arguably, one of the biggest angles in AEW history.

Hook would end up in NXT for 2 years if he went to WWE.

SHRlKE posted...

Ironically worlds end is when I stopped watching as well. There has been absolutely zero pay off to, arguably, one of the biggest angles in AEW history.

Worlds End was my last time watching too. I wanted to see Joe become champ.

Its crazy because I actually went to Dynamite, ROH Final Battle and Collision a few weeks earlier in December. The show has just become so boring at this point, its such a chore to watch.

I really think Tony Khan should give the booking job to someone else but he does not want to give the book up.

From the getgo, I really felt that Tony Khan should have not started out as the booker but should have learned from an experienced booker if he really wanted to be the booker.

Also I feel like Forbidden Door should not be an every year PPV. AEW signed their three biggest stars- Okada, Jay White and Will Ospreay. What starpower does New Japan have left when AEW is signing all their big stars away.

SwordMaster13X posted...

Also I feel like Forbidden Door should not be an every year PPV. AEW signed their three biggest stars- Okada, Jay White and Will Ospreay. What starpower does New Japan have left when AEW is signing all their big stars away.

The buildup to the first Forbidden Door was horrendous and made Dynamites that time confusing as hell. They didn't even bother to explain what NJPW is or who any of the wrestlers were.

I don't watch Forbidden Door because I don't know any of those people lol. Wrestling is about story, not just matches imo. But it seems the AEW fanbase disagrees. I accept it's not for me anymore. It's just frustrating because they have a lot of guys I like and want to see presented well.

WalkingPlague posted...

https://x.com/WrestlePurists/status/1779149486205395193

this is kenny explaining his side of what happened.

tl;dr more old shit about kenny saving larry, punks dog, shouldnt be evp, etc.

Kenny just legit comes off as a refreshingly honest person, for better and worse. I respect that.

ExtremeLuchador posted...

Hook would end up in NXT for 2 years if he went to WWE.

To be fair, that's not necessarily a bad thing. NXT often ends up some of WWE's best programming.

Also I'm just gonna triple post to give my final, most important thought of: The best thing from AEW that needs to transfer to WWE and immediately be pushed in literally any capacity is Danhausen.

ExtremeLuchador posted...

Hook would end up in NXT for 2 years if he went to WWE.

Taz has openly said he wants Hook to do just that.

I mean "2 years in NXT" isn't a bad thing for someone as young with as much potential as Hook

Did Jericho feud with Wardlow yet?

ViewtifulJoe posted...

Did Jericho feud with Wardlow yet?

Wardlow isn't much of a thing anymore, lol. And Jericho is currently leaching off Hook, he'll find a new host in nine months.

@SwordMaster13X posted...

Also I feel like Forbidden Door should not be an every year PPV. AEW signed their three biggest stars- Okada, Jay White and Will Ospreay. What starpower does New Japan have left when AEW is signing all their big stars away.

The hook this year is that it will feature talent from CMLL and STARDOM, as well as NPJW. The past few weeks have been sprinkling in joshi STARDOM talent across all of AEW and ROH to help get ready for it.

And AEW and CMLL have been featuring each other's talents between North America and Mexico for a few months now.

Forbidden Door 3 still won't feature any AAA talent though, as NJPW is friendly with CMLL, and CMLL hates AAA.

@WrestlinFan posted...

Wardlow isn't much of a thing anymore, lol. And Jericho is currently leaching off Hook, he'll find a new host in nine months.

AEW booked Wardlow so badly. Imagine if after Batista turned on HHH and had the big match, Dave went on to do absolutely nothing for months and then loses his belt and disappears. And reappears completely regressing as a generic heavy again.

The last few segments involving the Undisputed Kingdom, Taven, Bennet, and Strong do all the talking, mainly Strong, and Wardlow is in the back just being the silent muscle, barely even reacting to what's going on. He just looks so check out now. Sad.

SwordMaster13X posted...

I really think Tony Khan should give the booking job to someone else but he does not want to give the book up.

From the getgo, I really felt that Tony Khan should have not started out as the booker but should have learned from an experienced booker if he really wanted to be the booker.

Also I feel like Forbidden Door should not be an every year PPV. AEW signed their three biggest stars- Okada, Jay White and Will Ospreay. What starpower does New Japan have left when AEW is signing all their big stars away.

TK has said in interviews that he would take action figures and 'book' his own shows when growing up. Ironically he called them Dynamite and Rampage too. He's a man child who never grew up, and would never let someone else book his dream.

I wish I got a Darby Allin shirt when it was hot. I got a early Moxley shirt and that was it.

Auto_Chrisbot posted...

The last few segments involving the Undisputed Kingdom, Taven, Bennet, and Strong do all the talking, mainly Strong, and Wardlow is in the back just being the silent muscle, barely even reacting to what's going on. He just looks so check out now. Sad.

Ive watched every single Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision ever produced (except last nights Collision - need to catch up). So Ive watched every single televised AEW show. I know of the bigger names from other feds (TNA, NJPW, etc), but Im hardly an expert on them. And to that end, I think AEW does a horrendous job at making the names of some of their own talent well known within their own product.

I say that while highlighting your post because I still dont really know who Taven is, and I only know the name because you included it in your post. AEW has put Roddy at the forefront, so if you didnt watch NXT, you should know who he is. And Wardlow, while booked poorly, has had moments in the spotlight. But Bennett (who I only know from his time in WWE) and Taven are just sorta there with the Undisputed Kingdom. They just sorta have matches sometimes. I cant be the only person who gets frustrated at not knowing who their own people are sometimes.

The entire integration with ROH was handled extremely poorly in my opinion, and just now as I type this out, Im realizing that my interest in AEW significantly decreased around that time. They just brought in a ton of new people and would throw them into matches without a lot of explanation of who they were. The shows became flooded with waaaaay too many belts. And the whole thing became even more and more compounded as AEW would bring in people from CMLL, NJPW, and other feds, and the only explanation Id get is Trust us, this is a big star! as theyd put on a random match.

Meanwhile I have zero investment in these people. I dont care about them, and it makes it harder and harder for me to watch with each passing week. Get back to building within your own company, and trim away some of the fat.

Sorry for the long rant.

they should sign Maven. dude eliminated the fuckin Undertaker from a rumble, he could easily carry this c tier company.

Long rant aside. I remember being like oh cool. AEW got Ruby Riott, Soho....

Also I like titles but AEW went overboard.

Nah AEW could use at least a couple of more titles. They don't even have Women's Tag or Women's Trios belts. They have had and currently have quite a few ready to go twosomes and threesomes, but nah just 4 singles belts.

ROH has two TV titles now despite not being on TV. lol

AEW needs an exclusive Collison TV TV title only to be defended there. Oh wait CM Punk got fired awhile ago. Eh still every show needs a title!