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Seeing you bash AEW (and in some smaller cases WWE) when it’s not to your liking has got me wondering if, after decades of being a wrestling journalist, you have hit the point of burnout? I’ve been a wrestling fan since late 90s and once I hit the point where nothing was enjoyable (2017-2019) instead of bashing I simply just walked away. AEW and now WWE have since revived my passion for watching and although there are questionable bookings, it still leaves me with a sense of excitement and a “what’s happening next” feeling. Maybe it would be good if you did the same?
I find questions like this humorous. It's not bashing to point out obviously bad storytelling that can be backed with data (like hundreds of thousands of people turning off Dynamite three weeks in a row due to bad booking). It’s not bashing to, for example, talk about what a great job Khan did in building up Wardlow, only to then largely forget about him in recent weeks. It’s not bashing to point out that two weeks in a row, ending Dynamite with a Trios tournament match that the booker loves didn’t resonate with his fans. It’s doing my job. Burnout happens when someone can't enjoy things that are good, which is not the case with me. Hell even earlier this year, before Tony Khan lost his booking mojo, I was saying a lot of positive things about AEW and even said that I wouldn't even try to use a VPN to buy the PPVs, I wanted to give him the full $50. My JOB is to complement the good and point out the bad. Yours was not. You made the right move for you to walk away. With that said, I wouldn't walk away even if it wasn't my job. I can always find something good to watch (such as NXT UK before it ended) when WWE and AEW aren’t doing it for me. I point out the mistakes I see to try and get Tony Khan to see the light so that he won't lead people to do what you did. I want him to succeed, probably more than the sycophants who praise his every move. They do nothing at all to help him or his business grow. They keep it right where it is. But people who don’t want to hear what I have to say will call it bashing. That’s the world I guess. I do agree that I often wonder what will happen next in AEW. It used to be to see where a storyline will go. Of late, it is to see what mistake the booker will make next. I would love for him to get back to what he used to do. Back to burn out, it’s just the opposite. I went into this weekend very excited for the two WWE shows. Why? The booking had got me invested in them.
So, seeing the Rey doc? Brought back some old memories. Rey and Chavo were on the first show I ever watched (didn’t laugh but back then I thought Eddie was his hanger on). Anyway getting past ignorance, how do you rate Rey all time? I don’t mean number, just a how goofs, how impactful!”
I will give him what I think is a high compliment: He made me believe a guy who size could actually beat a much bigger man. He did it because he was a revolutionary wrestler. He realized that since he was shorter, he had to use his speed, athleticism and legs to do believable things that would hurt a larger opponent. Young Rey, when you first discovered him, was flat out amazing.
Did you see Triple H’s interview with Ariel Helwani? What are your thoughts?
He came across exactly as I thought he would. I have been saying for years that H gets it. He’s been there before and he goes about his business. It was a great interview. Helwani did a fabulous job and H was H.
And if you saw it, what did you think about him taking a shot at Tony Khan by saying he beat WWE’s developmental?
Tony has said so many things about WWE since he started the company it’s fair game. And not for nothing, it was also true.
Chris Jericho, who does a gimmick where he and his group are Sports Entertainers, not wrestlers, said, “But you know, we don’t care about WWE, we care about our show, we care about putting on the best stories that we can put on, we care about building our fanbase and building our ratings.” Does he even realize what a clown he is now?
He definitely comes off as a hypocrite, no doubt. If you don’t care about WWE and what they do, you wouldn’t make what they do your gimmick! But, he works for Tony Khan now so he will protect his golden goose however he needs to do it. He can say whatever he wants but AEW’s actions say that are indeed very concerned with WWE and what they do.
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