Official Wrasslin' Thread (renamed to reflect the discussion) (23 Viewers)

I don't watch NXT but I caught a great episode of Dynamite!

I lost power so I watched on my phone.
There was some awesome stuff for sure (the tournament matches, Moxley and Kingston promos, etc).

The only thing I didn't like was the Young Bucks and FTR segment. I still think it is kind of confusing why the Bucks were hurting innocent people and sneak-attacking other wrestlers. The "sometimes good people do bad things" and "we needed an edge" explanations just didn't land for me.

And I didn't care for the match stipulation. It felt big when Cody did it, but this just seems like it is too soon to do again.

I am positive that the actual FTR/Bucks match will be awesome; I just didn't get this segment. Loved everything else on the show though.
 
I'm probably in the minority, but I'm almost starting to get tired of the Bucks. I know they're a part of the founding clique at AEW, but come on.
 
I'm probably in the minority, but I'm almost starting to get tired of the Bucks. I know they're a part of the founding clique at AEW, but come on.
I don't think it is crazy, even though I'm not quite to that level myself.

I think they are awesome in the ring and do a terrific job of laying out tag matches (with a variety of opponents and multi-team styles).

But I have no idea about what their characters are supposed to be right now. And that's a legit problem.

Even though he can deliver excellent babyface promos and get sympathetic reactions whenever he wants, Cody often works less than 100% babyface. But I think he actually pulls off the "shades" of gray", "I'm a face but I have flaws" thing. He has established that and will lean more in one direction depending on the opponent. He will play up the ego/snobbery when he has to wrestle the Jungle Boys of the world, because he knows that people have to root for Jungle Boy for him to get over and for the dynamic to work. But he can tap into teary-eyed "do the work"/"undesirable to un-f-ing-deniable" Cody when facing a Brody Lee or Lance Archer. It works.

If that is what the Bucks are trying to do then 1) they aren't convincing me and have left me more confused than anything, and 2) acting like jerks and attacking/betraying people seems like an odd move when they are set to face FTR, who we are supposed to hate.

Like, I gotta be honest. I find FTR more likeable at the moment, and I think I agree more with what they have to say than the Young Bucks. I don't think that is what they intend but it is how I feel.
 
It was great seeing Pentagon in a high profile match but even a blind man could see he wasn’t advancing and that’s the problem I have with this tournament. It’s obvious they are setting up Page vs Omega for Full Gear which is fine but there had to have been another way to get to it
 
It was great seeing Pentagon in a high profile match but even a blind man could see he wasn’t advancing and that’s the problem I have with this tournament. It’s obvious they are setting up Page vs Omega for Full Gear which is fine but there had to have been another way to get to it

Obvious isn't bad if the journey is good. I knew the Joker wasn't going to beat Batman, loved The Dark Knight all the same.
 
It was great seeing Pentagon in a high profile match but even a blind man could see he wasn’t advancing and that’s the problem I have with this tournament. It’s obvious they are setting up Page vs Omega for Full Gear which is fine but there had to have been another way to get to it
I see what you mean, but I’m gonna disagree.

I think that yes, it was always going to be Omega and Hangman, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I think all of the matches were excellent, and a few of them were super excellent.

But what’s more, even though people who watch wrestling could predict the final 2, I think they used each match to tease or advance stories.

Like the Fenix v Penta match was an exciting toss-up, but it also set the stage for a feud between the brothers, as well as singles runs for each of them (that I think will be very good for them).

Omega was able to use his matches to tease out his new character direction and establish himself as one of the best in the world between the ropes (the guy I heard about from New Japan).

The Jungle Boy and Hangman matches did a world of good for Wardlow. They Jungle Boy match was a jaw-dropping showcase of what he can do. He’s still green, but my gosh does he have a lot of tools.

The Hangman match also let him show what he is capable of as a powerhouse and an athlete, but it also let him show how good he is at selling. The way he sold that over the ropes arm bar and those 2 Buckshot Lariats were top-notch. Not many of his previous matches/opponents really allowed him to show that part of his skill-set.

I think last night revealed that Wardlow has massive baby face potential down the line.

And then of course there is the obvious Hangman and Omega story. They are both great at what they do and on win streaks (especially Hangman), but while Hangman is more of a survivor, Omega is acting like he just typed in a cheat code and has leveled up (which just adds to the “I was the ace of the team and Hangman was the anchor” narrative).

I certainly don’t fault anyone for thinking the final 2 were predictable, and maybe even having an issue with that. But personally, I thought they got a lot out of this tournament, while also putting on some awesome matches.

Plus, I just like tournaments on wrestling shows.
 
When i seen that bracket, knew right away the setup. The card for full gear seems fun. I agree about the Bucks heel/not heel thing, very confusing.
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account on our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Users who are viewing this thread

    Back
    Top Bottom