[7/13/19] All Elite Wrestling: Fight For The Fallen

[stro]

Pros:

• Cool venue and set up. Hopefully they run stuff like this for TV instead of generic NBA arenas.
• They fixed their music and now have it on its own channel instead of just playing over arena speakers for TV.

Cons

• Still full of production issues. This lasted from the pre-show to the main event. Every time they throw it to a video or interview, the announcers are confused and aren't sure if they're even throwing to the right thing. Which they didn't at least once. JR has been doing this for 40 years and three shows in a row he's had deer in the headlights looks trying to throw it to something. They also did a poor job of timing out their show, leading them to rush at the end of the show, something that also was an issue at All In. Luckily this time it was a post match promo instead of the fukking main event getting cut in half.
• Matches are too fukking long. This has been an issue with all three AEW shows and will likely be a problem at All Out as well. Maybe weekly live TV will force them to get things tighter. There was no fukking reason Sabian/Page needed to be 19 minutes, nor Cima/Kenny go 22, or Bucks/Rhodes go over 30 minutes. All it led to was lots of boring downtime and the crowds losing interest. Especially in an outdoor venue in Florida in the middle of July, ain't no one looking for half hour tag matches.
• Their booking and character/story stuff is inconsistent with what happens in the ring. The pre-match video from Brandi where this match was some big emotional moment for her and was a big deal and you should really get behind her, then when she comes out she's full heel and even the announcers were confused. The Bucks/Rhodes video had the Bucks as the dikk heads pushing the issue, but then large chunks of the match had Cody working heel and the Bucks working full blown RNR faces in perils style. And then other parts of the match had the Bucks as cocky dikk heads disrespecting their best friend and his legendary brother. It just didn't mesh. That's if there's any character stuff to be had at all. What do you know about any of the joshi girls? Or Jimmy Havoc? Or Alex Guevara? Or shyt, Kip Sabian? Really, does Adam Page have any kind of character or personality at all?
• Their women's division is awful. That they have Brandi in the ring at all tells you all you need to know, but her on the main show with the joshi girls on the pre-show, and hyping a 50 year old Aja Kong vs washed for a decade Awesome Kong match with no mention of a title so far says more than I can. Brandi in general seems to have 3 separate characters going on at the same time: Straight shooting boss lady when promoting, face/loving wife/hype woman when around Cody....comical 80s heel when doing stuff with the women's division.
• They're doing a major disservice to their titles already, and they don't even have champions crowned yet. It's something that we all thought, but Jericho pointing out all of the comedy characters in the battle royal Page won to be the number one contender (on the pre show, and he didn't even mention all the joke entries and more than made his point) makes the thing look bad to begin with. Jericho beat Kenny Omega, but Adam Page gets taken to almost a time limit draw against a dude who completely unknown in the US, and as a dude who has been selling a knee injury for two months, he's still doing standing shooting stars and moonsaults to the floor instead of protecting his knee. On top of all that, Moxley vs Omega has far more interest and hype than the title match and I'd be stunned of Page/Jericho actually went on last at All Out. I'd actually be surprised if it even went on second from last. For the tag division, the top 3 teams aren't even in the tag tournament. Lucha Bros and Young Bucks are going to be in a ladder match (with nothing at stake, just full bore EWR booking), Cody will be in singles, Dustin probably won't be on the card at all. So that's both titles and the top guys won't be involved in either division.
• Commentary needs to be changed in a hurry. At a minimum, get Alex Marvez the fukk outta there. He's terrible and actively harms the show with saying stupid shyt, wrong shyt, or blowing reveals.
• Kenny/Cody came off as real nerds bytching about "counter programming". Why they think WWE isn't going to come after them is beyond me.
• They're already burning through all of their biggest matches before they even start TV. By the time TV starts, there will have been 3 Bucks/Lucha Bros matches including a ladder match, Kenny/Jericho, Kenny/Ambrose, Bucks/Rhodes. They're just booking shyt like you would in EWR without giving a shyt about having to play more than a few months.

It was better than Evolve, at least

 

[The Ruler 09]

Kenny Omega has areas he needs to improve, he hasn’t mastered certain fundamentals yet nor is he fully comfortable or so it would seem with the big time yet. In comparison Cody has consistently risen to the occasion, even Dustin, no surprise they were formally in WWE. They learnt certain things there. Kenny is a brilliant athlete and has the raw materials, I’ve also seen some great past promos from him but currently he seems inhibited. His match vs Cima wasn’t bad though, it was cool. I feel like with the right storylines and workers he will improve and become more engaging. Wrestling at its best to me are when the in ring action means something and has a story to it, his match vs Cima had no real build so they are just wrestling. This can change when they give him some proper storylines, I think that’s when he will excel, can use his great athleticism and mix it in with a story. Similar to The Bucks in some ways, for me I enjoyed their match with The Rhodes a lot more than their previous AEW outings, because there was a story to it, for me also I didn’t feel like it lingered because that was the type of match where it was ok to go long and make it epic, not as many silly false finishes. I’d like to see Omega’s character get built more so we can know more who he is and also have some big feuds with characters. 1 day him vs MJF could be really interesting, somebody that would make Omega passionate and make him step up his mic work and storytelling.

 

[stro]

Big Con (pun intended) : Kenny and the Bucks are clearly under performing in their own company. Kenny is going at maybe 75% Big Match Kenny (I'd argue at Fyter Fest he was in full blown house show tights Kenny mode). He seems mentally checked out, and I'd say maybe it's all the business side of stuff weighing on him, but tbh once he won the IWGP Championship, he seemed like this his last 6 months in NJ as well. As for the Bucks, I'm not really sure what's up with them. They've certainly made a conscious effort to tone down the crazy spot fests over the past 2 years or so, but they've yet to really strike the right balance between story/emotional/character work and crazy spots and sequences they're known for. This also was a thing while they were still in NJ, and actually even more noticeable in the last few PWG appearances where they turned dream matches ( Bucks vs Rascalz, Bucks vs Cobb/Riddle vs Rascalz) into basically comedy matches.

I guess my point is that Cody has clearly out shined Kenny and The Bucks 3 shows in a row and that seems like a legit problem to me.

 

[Bryan Danielson]

Kenny Omega has areas he needs to improve, he hasn’t mastered certain fundamentals yet nor is he fully comfortable or so it would seem with the big time yet. In comparison Cody has consistently risen to the occasion, even Dustin, no surprise they were formally in WWE. They learnt certain things there. Kenny is a brilliant athlete and has the raw materials, I’ve also seen some great past promos from him but currently he seems inhibited. His match vs Cima wasn’t bad though, it was cool. I feel like with the right storylines and workers he will improve and become more engaging. Wrestling at its best to me are when the in ring action means something and has a story to it, his match vs Cima had no real build so they are just wrestling. This can change when they give him some proper storylines, I think that’s when he will excel, can use his great athleticism and mix it in with a story. Similar to The Bucks in some ways, for me I enjoyed their match with The Rhodes a lot more than their previous AEW outings, because there was a story to it, for me also I didn’t feel like it lingered because that was the type of match where it was ok to go long and make it epic, not as many silly false finishes. I’d like to see Omega’s character get built more so we can know more who he is and also have some big feuds with characters. 1 day him vs MJF could be really interesting, somebody that would make Omega passionate and make him step up his mic work and storytelling.

I used to think wrestling needed great storylines.

But then I got introduced to NJPW, LU and other feds.

Yes storylines can be great and add to the match. But most cases 2 great guys can create something great regardless.

The G1 shyt..... most of those matches have no storylines to them but it’s crazy how year in and year or all we hear is how it’s great and how NJPW has the best action on the planet.

Earlier in LU, some of these guys before their “storylines” picked up had to just go out there in the ring and show what they can do.

Yes some had cool vignettes and character building shyt but a lot of that was done to introduce them.

Storylines can’t save bad wrestling and bad wrestlers

 

[DoubleJ13]

Very first thing Bea did was kick Britt in the back of the head & give her a concussion

Marvez is so damn bad at this & the only reason he's there is because Khan wants him. They hired a bunch of people with nothing to do with wrestling & for some reason he's the only one they've put on the shows so far. JR in between sounding like he couldn't care any less about stuff happening sounds like he hates dude too which is hilarious. He serves no purpose since Excalibur (the only bright spot of commentary) does all the heavy lifting & JR is pretty much the color guy.

Main event was all over the place. Bucks came into the match as heels, worked the first 10 minutes as heels, worked the middle 10 minutes as faces, & then closed it out as the maybe heels. Cody hasn't had a match yet under the AEW banner where I felt like shyt made sense

 

[Toe Jay Simpson]

Not trying to jump the gun, but 3 shows in and right now AEW looks like smart mark city with a big budget which was the fear most people had when this company was announced.

TV will tell the real story but these guys have too much experience collectively for the ring product not to be as polished as it should be at this point. Cody seems like he’s the only one who actually knows what’s going on out there.

 

[TrueEpic08]

I used to think wrestling needed great storylines.

But then I got introduced to NJPW, LU and other feds.

Yes storylines can be great and add to the match. But most cases 2 great guys can create something great regardless.

The G1 shyt..... most of those matches have no storylines to them but it’s crazy how year in and year or all we hear is how it’s great and how NJPW has the best action on the planet.

Earlier in LU, some of these guys before their “storylines” picked up had to just go out there in the ring and show what they can do.

Yes some had cool vignettes and character building shyt but a lot of that was done to introduce them.

Storylines can’t save bad wrestling and bad wrestlers

That's because almost everyone under the NJPW banner knows how to tell a story IN THE RING, which seems to be a lost art with a lot of indy workers.

You look at the matches from the 3 days of this year's G1, and almost every one of them tells a story that you can follow without having to know any Japanese or even follow the product. That really helps a match out, especially when the in-ring work is basic or otherwise not enough to capture you on its own (as much pub as it gets for match quality, a lot of G1 matches, as a byproduct of how brutal the schedule is, will top out at "good" in ring). Go watch EVIL/Bad Luck Fale from last week's Dallas show, for example: not really a "good" match work wise, but there was a strong, solid story to it that anyone could follow which elevated the match and made it enjoyable.

Meanwhile, almost every match on Fight for the Fallen featured a story being abandoned so guys or girls could do moves. Doesn't mean the matches were bad, but Omega/CIMA had a strong story with the knee work that got abandoned so CIMA could do 8000 Meteoras and feed into whatever Kenny wanted to do. Bucks/Rhodes Boys had fragments of 3 different stories that were all well done but never gelled into anything. And on and on.

It's genuinely weird to me that so many wrestlers and wrestling fans can't figure this out. Even legit MMA fights have through lines and narratives which emerge due to injuries, skill sets, strategies, etc. just as all real sports do. But for some reason it's acceptable for wrestling matches (literally worked MMA no matter how much people don't want this to be the case) to devolve into mindless stunt shows even when a mindless stunt show is not called for (they're not bad things, but they have their place).

Very first thing Bea did was kick Britt in the back of the head & give her a concussion

Marvez is so damn bad at this & the only reason he's there is because Khan wants him. They hired a bunch of people with nothing to do with wrestling & for some reason he's the only one they've put on the shows so far. JR in between sounding like he couldn't care any less about stuff happening sounds like he hates dude too which is hilarious. He serves no purpose since Excalibur (the only bright spot of commentary) does all the heavy lifting & JR is pretty much the color guy.

Saw that on Twitter. Bea planted her heel right in Baker's temple.

I still think Priestley's a better wrestler than Baker, but come on now...

I maintain that AEW needs to get a real color person alongside Excalibur, move JR to production, and move Marvez away from commentary altogether. I hate to harp on this, but how is it that UFC, for all their idiocy, can consistently get the play-by-play (Jon Anik)/color (Joe Rogan)/expert fighter (Daniel Cormier or Dominick Cruz) dynamic right, but almost all wrestling companies consistently fukk it up? It's not hard, I swear...

 

[The Ruler 09]

I used to think wrestling needed great storylines.

But then I got introduced to NJPW, LU and other feds.

Yes storylines can be great and add to the match. But most cases 2 great guys can create something great regardless.

The G1 shyt..... most of those matches have no storylines to them but it’s crazy how year in and year or all we hear is how it’s great and how NJPW has the best action on the planet.

Earlier in LU, some of these guys before their “storylines” picked up had to just go out there in the ring and show what they can do.

Yes some had cool vignettes and character building shyt but a lot of that was done to introduce them.

Storylines can’t save bad wrestling and bad wrestlers

I think it depends on the type of fan, to draw in a casual or mass audience storylines are important. Storylines also make the matches better and more meaningful. In ring action isn't enough for some people, I'm a big time wrestling fan but I'd include myself in that. Not every match has to have a story or build, sometimes can just appreciate the art of wrestling but to really get me engaged I need the stories. When I think of some great matches, Taker vs Shawn 2, Bret vs Owen, Rock vs Mankind I Quit, Mankind vs Taker Hell In A Cell, Hogan vs Rock, Hogan vs Warrior, Savage vs Flair, Steamboat vs Flair, Shawn vs Razor, so many they all had stories. Psychology is also important. Also some matches that aren't incredible technically become interesting with stories, there's things that are still memorable to me from years ago like Lawler vs Bret just based off the story and build, Taker vs Kane feud, imagine that without the story? It wouldn't mean nearly as much as the matches themselves weren't incr edible but 1 of the great storylines, it had me glued to the TV on an episodic basis to find out what was going on. A tournament is a little different because in a sense trying to win the tournament is the story, a little how King Of The Ring used to be, so there's a motive and a goal for it not just to win a random match. But I do agree I can watch a great match just for the entertainment factor but a great story would almost always make it better because it gives added meaning and everything means more. And it's true storylines can't save bad wrestling and wrestlers but it can enhance good or great wrestlers and matches. Austin was a good wrestler, in particular before the injury but he never would have reached the heights he did without the storylines and feuds, Bret, Vince, Rock etc. Those elevated him and allowed him to build his character, the more you can do that the more impactful what you do in the ring is, even if it's smaller things.

 

[Hey_zeus]

Khan planned the steup after an episode of South Park

This is dope. I hope they can do an actual temple and Coliseum at some point. More unique venues!

 

[Bryan Danielson]

I think it depends on the type of fan, to draw in a casual or mass audience storylines are important. Storylines also make the matches better and more meaningful. In ring action isn't enough for some people, I'm a big time wrestling fan but I'd include myself in that. Not every match has to have a story or build, sometimes can just appreciate the art of wrestling but to really get me engaged I need the stories. When I think of some great matches, Taker vs Shawn 2, Bret vs Owen, Rock vs Mankind I Quit, Mankind vs Taker Hell In A Cell, Hogan vs Rock, Hogan vs Warrior, Savage vs Flair, Steamboat vs Flair, Shawn vs Razor, so many they all had stories. Psychology is also important. Also some matches that aren't incredible technically become interesting with stories, there's things that are still memorable to me from years ago like Lawler vs Bret just based off the story and build, Taker vs Kane feud, imagine that without the story? It wouldn't mean nearly as much as the matches themselves weren't incr edible but 1 of the great storylines, it had me glued to the TV on an episodic basis to find out what was going on. A tournament is a little different because in a sense trying to win the tournament is the story, a little how King Of The Ring used to be, so there's a motive and a goal for it not just to win a random match. But I do agree I can watch a great match just for the entertainment factor but a great story would almost always make it better because it gives added meaning and everything means more. And it's true storylines can't save bad wrestling and wrestlers but it can enhance good or great wrestlers and matches. Austin was a good wrestler, in particular before the injury but he never would have reached the heights he did without the storylines and feuds, Bret, Vince, Rock etc. Those elevated him and allowed him to build his character, the more you can do that the more impactful what you do in the ring is, even if it's smaller things.

Na,

I get that.

And I can see and respect that. I really used to be that way to till I started watching more stuff outside of WWE.

Again specifically international stuff where there is that language barrier and I haven’t followed the story from the first moment to the last.

Or like them yearly WM weekend shows where I haven’t watched any of these lead up indie events or wrestlers. But then watch say a Bloodsport and be like “OMG Josh vs Suzuki killed it”

I’m not knocking “stories” and all the elevated Hollywood Drama shyt. I’m just not there for all that and just want to see the talent and what they can do first

Like B Pritchard loves to say “such and such was a great talent, was over and fukk and looked the part..... but then the bell rang” too many guys look funny in the light when the bell rings and all that good will or great story is lost if they bore me in the ring

 

[The Prince of All Saiyans]

Nah, in ring wise, Allie is worse than Peyton but better than Billie Kay

i meant looks wise

 

[Homeboy Runny-Ray]

watching the buy-in now.

sonny kiss finna turn a lot of these neckbeards out.

that boy came out with more ass than the cheerleaders and was stylin on them.

 

[stro]

I have real concerns about their long term booking plans/abilities considering: Despite bringing up how wins and losses matter in this company again, they still clearly don't have a plan or idea of what they want to do with the W/L ranking system and metrics they've been talking about since January. There's also the weird thing where right after saying wins and losses really matter in AEW, they were acting like Kenny/Bucks over Lucha Bros didn't count as a win for Kenny and they couldn't believe he was still winless in AEW. After star making matches on the last show (that were immediately overshadowed by angles with members of The Elite), Darby Allin and Joey Janella were in a random six man tag where the main focus was on the other team not getting along and pushing Tye Dillinger vs MJF (who is a heel but "best friend" of face Cody, so he's really mad at Tye and you're supposed to cheer him fukking with Tye but boo him for everything else). And Darby, who literally took Cody to the limit on the last show, is pinned here by Tye Dillinger presumably to add something to Tye vs Cody for All Out.

The Elite making sure they get over more than the rest of the talent was a fear that seems to be coming true: Brandi on the main card, joshi girls/Britt Baker (who originally was built as the face of the division) on the pre show. Bucks being 3-0, already with 2 wins over Lucha Bros, already getting a big gimmick match for no reason other than just to have one for pops and overshadowing the tag tournament starting at All Out. Kenny/Moxley overshadowing the Jericho/Page title match, also completely eclipsed whatever Janella did in the main event against Mox, then on this show Joey was on the losing end of a random six man tag and buried by Jericho on the mic for being a joke character.

 

[The Prince of All Saiyans]

AEW's recent "Fight for the Fallen" raised $150,000 to be donated to the Jacksonville Mayor’s Victim Assistance Advisory Council and its success has led to strong consideration from the new promotion to make this an annual event.

-- AEW's new weekly TV is strongly rumored to be launching on October 2, which would be a Wednesday though no official announcement has been made and might not happen until next month.

-- PWInsider.com reports that the elbow injury suffered by Maxwell Jacob Friedman last week - initially described as serious - is not as bad as initially feared and he is expected back in the ring by this weekend.

 

[TheGodling]

I only watched a couple of matches (Page/Kip, SCU/Lucha Bros, Omega/CIMA) and they have so much shyt to solve before going to tv. Why does JR seem completely clueless every time about whatever match is next? Whenever they cut to the announcer's table it's three confused guys trying to figure out what to say and when to move on.

Also, that stuff about wins and losses really mattering is nice and all but it seems a bit early for commentary to be repeatedly concerned about Omega not having won a singles match in AEW yet when his match here against CIMA was literally his second singles match in AEW.

I guess that also means that All In is a non-kayfabe event since Omega beat Pentagon Jr there but that is whatever.

Speaking of Omega/CIMA, the one thing they successfully achieved in that match is making the Meteora as irrelevant a move as the V-trigger since apparently getting hit by it twelve times from every angle and height imaginable does absolutely nothing. If this false finish spamfest nonsense is going to be the base of Omega's matches just like his title reign in NJPW, this is going to be all types awful.