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THE GREATNESS OF HEYMAN-CODY, AEW BOOKING, PUNK AND ROLLINS AND MORE

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Recently I listened to Jim Cornette and Brian Last talk about a radio show listing the last 10 WWE champions to non wrestling fans to see if there was any mainstream name recognition. Nobody knew Roman, Kofi, Drew, Big E, Bryan or AJ.  They all forgot that Brock “came back.”  They barely remember Orton. And they only remembered Miz and Lashley from their matches at Wrestlemania 23 and 27.   Now I understand that this is the result of WWE making the company the draw, not the wrestlers.  But in your opinion, could WWE (or AEW) turn that around and make their wrestlers mainstream stars on the level of Steve Austin or The Rock?  Or has the horse left the barn and pro wrestling will forever be a niche product going forward?  If WWE or AEW can get the Comcast machine or the WBD machine to prominently feature and promote the wrestlers, can it increase their stardom where the regular public will actually know the WWE’s champion’s name?

I think one thing that too many people forget about when comparing the then to the now is what was competing with wrestling in the then, vs. what’s around in the now.  TV ratings for instance.  20 years ago, the options were limited.  A show that did a ten rating then would be canceled.  Today, it would be  hit.  Streaming hadn’t started yet.  Video games?  You mostly played them at home on your own machine.  Now?  People play online and people pay money on Twitch to watch other people play games.  The point is that there are so many options now for everything, not just wrestling.  I grew up as a kid with a roof antenna.  We got ABC, NBC and CBS (no FOX yet).  We got three UHF channels.  There were no video games or internet.  Choices were minimal which meant people watching TV at night pretty much picked from three channels.  Now?  There are literally tens of thousands of things people can watch.  Hell, Netflix might have 10,000 on its own.  Today, most entertainment shows are niche products.  It’s the way things are now.  WWE is at the top of those niche products.

Was the Paul H and Cody promo last night on raw one of the best ever in the wrestling business? 

Heyman and Cody did one of the best segments I have seen.  I don’t rank them but it was awesome, must see TV for all wrestling fans.

Regards to Seth Rollins and his comments to CM Punk, he also made a comment about Logan Paul’s involvement in WWE that was highly critical.  To me, Rollins is making comments to guys that he could potentially earn big paydays with.  I think he’s working.  What do you think?

Rollins is working with Paul for sure in my opinion.  It seems obvious that they will face off at WrestleMania.  From everything I have been told, the exact opposite is the case with Punk.  Rollins meant what he said from I was told.

I don't get it. For weeks, Bryan Danielson has faced several wrestlers to face MJF. It's not the first time MJF is involved with this storyline (beat several guys to face me), so feels like lazy. At the same time, JAS announced a gauntlet with Starks to face Jericho, which is the same concept (beat guys to face the main wrestler). Did nobody tell Tony Khan this is getting old?

I have tried but he doesn’t listen to me.  This past week’s Dynamite was Tony doing his greatest hits.  Unneeded blood in the opener, plus the daily double of also being a ridiculous Eliminator match?  Check!  Someone gets hurt from taking a bump?  Check!  Run the gauntlet only to get obviously screwed in the end (with another gauntlet match for a different wrestler still to come on the show)?  Check!  Hardcore dream match where casual fans wouldn’t care because they knew that Bryan Danielson would NEVER lose to Rush?  Check!  People turn off the TV when The Elite take the screen?  Check!  Main event that then has to deal with viewer erosion and disinterest due to all of the things I just mentioned?  Check!  I have been saying for over a year now that Tony, while kind of heart, is not a good booker.  And now?  He’s doing his greatest hits of bad booking on a weekly basis.  It’s a shame, it really is.

I tend to agree with many of your opinions on AEW.  I'd like to get your thoughts on the Eliminator matches. I personally like the concept, even if it is executed poorly. After last night's Eliminator match (MJF vs. Takeshita), I was left thinking that they realistically could have pulled the trigger, had Takeshita win, and created some intrigue as they finalize the Revolution card. Takeshita is someone the promotion is obviously high on, is getting over with the fans, and would not have lost any momentum (in my opinion) if he lost the title match the following week to MJF. I also felt it could have created some interesting possibilities such as: Can Takeshita actually win the title, and be the one defending against his new friend Bryan Danielson? I just wanted to get your thoughts, because eventually the "eliminator" needs to win one of these things, right?

The Eliminator concept is a great one, it really is.  In the right setting, it’s a great way to either set someone that the champ is running from for a Title match or a way to elevate someone.  The problem is, as mentioned above, when it happens all the time, it loses its specialness.

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