AEW 2020: Take Me Home Cody Rhodes

after cody/dustin:

https://i.ibb.co/d0D86Vw/alexmarvez.png

"well i guess that was a happy ending..."

https://i.ibb.co/18wGRc2/alex2.png

Hopefully they shut this stuff down soon for health reasons, but hopefully it also gives them some time to reflect and confront the sad reality that this Matt Hardy stuff is garbage

the street fight tonight was everything

orange cassidy will be right back pic.twitter.com/8mS3nXtkEv

— ceo of orange cassidy (@jonmoxIeys) May 14, 2020

Not really AEW but STARDOM's Hana Kimura has died aged 22, apparently taking her own life amid some inexplicably vicious reality TV-related cyerbullying

I saw her wrestle for EVE in Bethnal Green in 2018 and she had subsequently pivoted to this cyber-goth look and had a ton of charisma and potential

She opened the wrestle kingdom card in a dark match this year and would almost certainly have become a much bigger star

A stunningly miserable situation

it’s so awful :(

really enjoyed double or nothing. i’m rewatching the stadium stampede now

yeah, really great show top-to-bottom, can't remember when I saw a better. it had a little bit of everything.

MJF and Jungle Boy were a total revelation - I had preemptively pigeon-holed MJF as a better, funnier version of the Miz which is to say not that good a wrestler as such, and Jungle Boy I figured at age 22 was gonna be mostly energy and high spots without much substance. but that match was an absolute clinic! smartly worked, great pacing, strong character beats, awesome counters, the whole shebang. they both came off as a big time stars.

i definitely need to rewatch the Stadium Stampede. in the moment it felt like pretty much the greatest wrestling anything that I'd ever seen and I am pretty confident I won't be revising that opinion on repeat viewings. it was already a 10/10 just from the entrances, the cheerleaders, the Inner Circle coming out in full uniforms, Kenny immediately breaking his broom over Ortiz's helmet and so on. then Hangman riding in on the horse sent the whole thing into the stratosphere. the entire sequence with Matt Hardy, Santana and Ortiz in the swimming pool absolutely sent me, i couldn't breathe for laughing. the whole thing lived up to the expectations and then some. just incredible.

every single stray thought i had during the stampede "oh wouldnt it be awesome if they did that" they went right ahead and did, with brilliant execution. such a joy. the opposite in every respect of the way that WWE does things (Boneyard match excepted I guess)

The company’s been running laps around WWE in terms of handling the characters/storylines during these audience-free shows.

finally made it to the 2020 dynamites... few weeks ago was a benefit for the australia fires, last episode had all the kobe tributes... gonna be fun reliving this whole year

series of darby allin promos where he just coughs

every so often to cheer myself up i rewatch the best friends getting dropped off at ringside by sue

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ees-RQNXgAgsPmZ?format=jpg&name=small

join the dark order

Yong buck look like marti pellow

watching this late and just cringing through hardy/sammy, shameful rookie shit to let that go on

miro!!

Miro, with his easy charm, and his preternaturally convincing limb selling

Will there be any survivors at all from poor Kip's stupid wedding? Only Miro can decide this

Le Debonair Dinner certainly gave Festival of Friendship a run for most bonkers Jericho segment.

I’m a week behind that. First I need to ask, how is Cody Rhodes a face with his shiny cameo cod piece tights?

That, and his roasted pumpkin skin being 30 shades darker than the billy idol. He looks terrible.

been enjoying dark more and more. the camaraderie between excalibur and taz is a lot of fun and it’s good to see so many wrestlers!
here’s last night’s https://youtu.be/wjL-fKTuKqw

i haven’t been a wrestling fan for very long but full gear is the best ppv i’ve ever seen

aew dynamite best tv show of 2020

I wish I didn’t see spoilers for last nights show before watching it later today. I’m so excited to see it though

"Moxley, instead of winning after your finishing move - no seriously, hear me out - you get some chairs out and sit around like an episode of Frasier?" "Fucking genius!"

I've not seen the rest of this match but that is one of the stupidest fucking things I've ever seen. Feel myself going full Cornette. Who the fuck does their finishing move and gets chairs out to sit with their opponent and let them hit them first? What a fucking moron.

Still a bloody good match/show in the end though. lmao at how it ends.

idk the chairs thing was so fun imo

Would've worked better if the match had set it up with other pissing contest exchanges at least [/smark voice] but w/e

I am not crazy about Impact being a thing I have to care about in 2020 but I was certainly swerved lol

Is Cody Rhodes still on the roster? I absolutely loved him in WWE and thought he was criminally under-utilised as a tame legacy storyline.

I’ve never watched AEW. How does it compare to WWE/RoH/Impact etc? This thread makes it sound so great. And it’s just on Wednesdays? That sounds like a reasonable investment level.

I can’t think of an episode they’ve done in the past year-plus that I’d give below a B. To be where they’re at amid the pandemic, generally advancing good storylines (minus the women’s division, sadly) and what looks like a great pipeline of up-and-comers (POWERHOUSE HOBBS) is pretty remarkable and has made it a good investment of two hours. Plus they have Dark episodes if you need more. Women’s division is still a big issue and I’m not sure how they’ll fix that without expanding the program time/adding another show.

recent women's division developments have been great though i get that that might feel undermined by the cross-promo with nwa

i was a very casual wrestling fan before aew debuted and now i'm fully in. pisses on raw from a very fucking great height imo. it's technically once a week but you can go deep into the free, online side-programming (dark, being the elite, sammy guevara's vlog) if you so choose, it's often great

and yes cody's still a huge part of the roster. he got the worst neck tattoo on earth recently but he's great

dark has the added value of taz and excalibur constantly sniping at each other in the commentary

I back up other peoples sentiments. Hangman Page is on to be the best baby face since Bryan before he first retired.

If they stick the landing with Hangman finally being ready to just whip literally all their asses in 2021 it will be sensational

I don't get how Taz can go from the weeks of confused funny dad commentary on Dark to cutting these stone cold word perfect promos on behalf of his boys on Dynamite

Good show last night!

Tony Schiavone marking out for Sting turning up out of nowhere in 2020 was such a dang tonic

i'm more down on AEW than most, if only because i feel like there are a bunch of really small changes they could make to instantly become the best wrestling on cable since 1997. there's a thin line between where they are now and greatness but i don't think they'll ever cross it because they've found a groove doing what they're doing. i'm sick of comparing them to main roster WWE, everything looks good next to main roster WWE, i wanna see something truly great, something i can get lost in. who knows what they'd be doing if COVID didn't happen though.

i think the hangman storyline has been one of the best wrestling storylines ever, but only if you watch the BTE parts too. it's a show of what they're capable of but they don't really aspire to it elsewhere.

You are right but I think the covid leeway has to be recognised. They only just had their 1st anniversary, so that’s like half their existence without sell out crowds and parts of their roster. You have to wonder how something like the Eddie Kingston arc would have gone down in front of 15000 people

This is all very convincing. And Taz from ECW is involved? And Tony Schiavone? Will start watching today. Do I need to go back a few episodes or am I good to jump in from this week?

This week is a very good “Start of new tv season” kinda vibe episode. There has been a few spots that could do that recently too, such as the last PPV or the 1st anniversary dynamite.

Yeah, this was pretty delightful. I guess I haven't yet had the experience of watching wrestling without a proper crowd, so it didn't really have the atmosphere of a PPV, but there's a lot of talent there and the commentary team is fantastic. The title match was a little underwhelming maybe? Idk. From what I saw, the women's division looked kind of cool.

he got the worst neck tattoo on earth recently but he's great

This did make me very sad. But he is great.

it's very very good, isn't it? so much to love. Death Triangle! MJF! The way they hired Eddie Kingston for a one-shot and he turned himself into a main-eventer with a single promo. Schiavone loving his life once more. TAZ! who knew Taz had this run in him?!

This slowburn build of Hangman into the top babyface - it's fascinating because it's the first time I can remember this kind of very conscious and detailed approach to building a top star. In the past fans would look back on a years-long "arc" and marvel at the story of a guy like Bret Hart or Daniel Bryan through the years, but that was always a retrospective process. Shit just happened to those guys and eventually there'd be enough of a story that fans could impose the pattern of that story arc on events.

People say that decades ago Vince used to have a longer-term vision of how he wanted stories to go in WWE but even in those days I believe that usually just meant knowing in any given year who was going to be in the main-event of the following Wrestlemania.

On some level this extremely dedicated and detailed attempt to build a years-long story around Kenny and Hangman feels like a recognition of the potential of the medium as a story-telling form, rather than just having a 3- or a 6- or even a 12- month vision. Idk if this is entirely new - is this the kinda thing Giant Baba used to do with his AJPW guys in the 80s and 90s?

But I don't recall seeing it in a US company. Gonna be fascinating to see how it plays out eventually. I could be onboard for this lol Impact mess, some sort of Bullet Club set-up with the Good Brothers etc. if it's all about giving Hangman an enemy crew to take down.

Cody Rhodes has the triple h problem. It’s quite specific to wrestling, and a bit strange. He’s obviously quite good, better than most, sometimes a bit shit, at what he does and really tried to stand out before he had a big voice. But once he had a voice of power and is only quite good, better than most, sometimes a bit shit, he is treated as FUCKING JUDAS. Dusty wouldn’t have anything else for his favourite son.

It may be that the impact stuff is a fairly pragmatic short-term thing centred around Kenny and Gallows/Anderson, with Callis working out his notice and then joining AEW as Kenny's manager

also, one of the top heels is feuding on twitter with dionne warwick

I have an interview with @InStyle in 5 minutes. You’re lucky this time. 🤼‍♀️ https://t.co/e66ignINYc

— Dionne Warwick (@_DionneWarwick) December 4, 2020

i love AEW though. the last two weeks of dark have been really encouraging on the women's front. the division was thinner to begin with because it was late to the game with wwe/nxt and the impact build-up, and the pandemic (which kicked off the joshi, save shida) and injuries (baker, statlander) left a lot of green people standing. i'm hopeful that kenny spearheading this impact crossover, whatever it might be, means that the knockouts division will be brought in somehow. that said? abadon kicks ass and the way anna jay has grown since her debut has been pretty hope-inducing.

but there's so much detail in even the bad storytelling and it's impressive. little things pay off in big ways, and i'm not talking about BTE stuff.

Adding to what maura said, there are SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES for the Knockouts division to really help build up some of the less established stars in the women's division. I think about Su Yung or Rosemary going up against Shida or Baker, and I get so excited about it. A lot of people have been buzzing about Grace vs. Rose as well, and that's 100% a match I would love to see.

I know a lot of people have been wondering what AEW could possibly get out of teaming with IMPACT, and the clearest thing is a boost to their women's division. The Knockouts division is STACKED. Seriously.

Also, Jordynne Grace posted a list of her dream crossover matches, and now I cannot stop thinking about Eddie Edwards vs. Mox.

just realised i am upthread praising WWE for the Boneyard match - possibly I am a hypocrite but look I AJ Styles so much. i just love him so much.

I have a soft spot for Master Wato, because he was my favorite young lion of his class. Honestly, that whole class was great, though I miss Katsuya Kitamura so much. That guy was just hilarious. O-Khan...I'm interested to see where this goes; I can only hope it ends up with him overtaking The Empire for himself (I mean, with his Khan gimmick, he needs a khaganate). I'm a little bummed that Bea Priestly can accompany Ospreay to the ring, but Miho Abe and Pieter are NOWHERE to be seen (but that is another thread post in of itself).

I have to admit, I have been slacking on watching WWE, though I still love my main man, Mustafa Ali. I really hope he's able to spin some sort of gold with Retribution. I know he's trying to with the supplemental material (social media posts and videos), but it's been rough, to say the least. I haven't watched RAW, NXT, or SMACKDOWN consistently in months, because I'm usually at work when it's on (comes on at 6pm over here). I hear Sami Zayn's been doing some fun stuff, so I'm glad for that.

And eh, there's still a lot of good to be found in WWE in individual talents! Asuka is a treasure wherever she is. Bayley has really embraced her heel status and has been much more solid on standing alone after Sasha turned face. Io Shirai solidly at the top of the mountain in NXT, with no forseeable contenders until maybe next year. It's 100% okay to "stan your faves" as the kids say. I think that there are lots of bright spots that haven't had as much of an opportunity to shine this year, what with how they curate audience responses now in the Thunderdome. I have a few friends that have done it, and basically, they prompt the audience between matches on who they need to boo and cheer, with the implication that they can disconnect you if they want, should you not follow those prompts.

AEW, to me, is a mixed bag. Yes, I love Kenny Omega and I'm glad that he's champ, but man, oh man, I was kind of bummed with how that title match went, because I LOVE my King of the Deathmatch. It was absolutely the smartest choice, though, out of anyone in AEW. Nobody else would have made sense to me at this point. I'm excited about some people, but then it feels like things are starting to get a little more crowded, and I'm concerned that they'll get lost in the shuffle. Admittedly, I also haven't had as much time to watch this, either, as I'm usually working when it's on as well. AEW Dark, I could get into, but the task just seems so daunting. I'd need a full day off, at least, to go through and catch up (though I do plan on watching the episode that Maxx Stardom was on. I love that dude so much.)

the boneyard match was amazing and i too love aj styles

and i think it's possible to square that with "wwe is one of the worst organizations on the planet"

i no longer have time to watch nxt but before the pandemic i loved it nearly as much as aew, albeit more for the incredible wrestling than any of their attempts at storylines

impact last week kept showing old championship matches on their twitch during commercial breaks and one involved aj styles with short hair and i barely recognized him

I have to admit that I miss short hair Styles, though I can't deny that his current hair makes him a Tanahashi-like idol to moms.

it's too bad WWE frowns on third-party endorsements because he could land a killer conditioner deal

Tony Khan’s paid adverts are my favourite thing in the world right now.

Tony Khan has always come across to me as earnest and nerdy whenever I've seen him address live crowds. He had a speech at ALL OUT, FULL GEAR, and on the Jericho Cruise, and just seemed really likable. I really like how his on-screen persona is shaping up, and I'm interested in where it could go.

I really hope it isn’t as a proper on screen role, especially not a gm / authority type figure. I’m hoping for more meme jack tunney

he has also hilariously experimented with cutting promos on footballers in the English press when his team Fulham F.C. has underperformed. pretty funny but not very clever.

feeling very good about wrestling when the highlight of my week is a six-way hug

i really love thunder rosa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc85_efX59c

If this doesn't get you hyped for WK15, I don't know what will.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AmbimArBAs

prob the first bte i've watched where it felt like every bit succeeded

also dark last night was very good

Brodie Lee/Luke Harper has died of a lung condition aged 41

what the fuck

:((((((

god i'm fucked up over this

Same

Just completely blindsided by it. His poor family

feels like jose fernandez, like i know he was 41 but it feels like he was just getting started

what the hell happened

This is terrible news. He seemed like he was loving life again for the past year.

The card for this Wednesday's tribute show is quite the testament to his charisma, guidance, and talent. The last show of last year, the Dark Order was in everyone's crosshairs. This year's last show, they're being celebrated across the board. (The New Year's shows have been bumped by a week.) (Also -1 is Jon Huber's son Brodie; he appeared on Dark last week.)

• -1’s Favorites Team For One Night Only: Cody Rhodes, Orange Cassidy & 10 (Preston Vance) vs. Team Taz
• Young Bucks and Colt Cabana vs. Matt Hardy/Private Party
• Hangman/Silver/Reynolds vs. MJF/Santana/Ortiz
• Anna Jay/Tay Conti v. Dr. Britt Baker/Penelope Ford
• Lance Archer/Uno/Stu v. Kingston/Butcher/Blade

It is really sweet they let -1 pick a team. I’ve been thinking a decent amount about his death this week. He was never my favourite wrestler, although I had a soft spot for him. I’ve honestly been thinking more about him dying at a relatively young age, and 9 years younger, already thinking about the need to drink less and exercise more, maybe I need to. If Brodie dying is the inspiration, then great. I’ll think about that Wyatt v. Shield match every attempt at a run I try in the recent future.*

I heard WWE ended their tribute episode with Randy Orton committing arson to another person, which is not great.

*I think it would be in my top 20 wrestling matches ever, to take it away from my own feelings.

Seriously though, how great was that 6 man? In the past ten years there is

Punk cena mitb
Bryan Hunter wm30
That 6man
Omega okada
Zayn nakamura

I guess I don’t watch enough njpw I feel like naito tana or styles should be in that list

tonight's show has been amazing, like the matches have all been excellent and they don't even need to be, all of them packed with loving winks to brodie, and intercut with wrestler tributes that are almost hard to watch they're so emotional and raw, feel like someone is constantly flipping the laughing/crying switch inside me

got a bit worked up when anna jay started choking up mid-match, but oof that ending segment really got me.

yeah i was a mess for those last 10 minutes

Oh god Brodie Jr leaving his dad's boots in the ring

That was brutal. I’m not usually someone who gets sad when celebrities die, but them doing so much for his eight year old son slayed me. -1 having the TNT title was a nice touch; that’s some good long term booking. Loved his cane shot too! Best episode of any tv this year.

it was difficult, i dragged out watching the whole thing until 4:30 AM and then i couldn't fall asleep for 3 hours because the dark order theme was stuck in my head

silver crying after his match broke me more than anything

Silver, Rowan, basically all the bits where the Dark Order were struggling to keep it together were all just ow ow ow

Also the incongruous nostalgia ambush of seeing Bray/Seth/E/Becky popping up in the tribute montage and feeling kind of bad that they were required to be elsewhere

The new Talk is Jericho is a two-plus hour tribute to Brodie featuring interviews with Cody/Brandi/Arn, the Bucks, Excalibur/Bryce, and others. Say what you will about Jericho (and there was a lot to say last year) he knows how to get the boys to open up. Love Uno and Stu's bit in this (I haven't gotten to Reynolds and Silver's piece yet).

https://www.webisjericho.com/talk-is-jericho-brodie-lee-a-celebration-of-life/

The interview with him from when he first signed is a good listen too.

https://www.webisjericho.com/talk-is-jericho-the-exalted-escape-of-brodie-lee/

Also AEW re-released his AEW Unrestricted episode with a new intro.

https://omny.fm/shows/aew-unrestricted/mr-brodie-lee-encore-presentation?in_playlist=aew-unrestricted!podcast

I rewatched the Silver and Reynolds and Hangman match this morning and i shed a lot of tears.

Should we have a new thread?

Rolling non unionised people not allowed on twitch 2021 or rolling don callis’s sunglass game is on point 2021 or something

yes! also feel free to start a new nooj one

aew 2021: don callis’s sunglass game is on point