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Thoughts on the Kevin Kelly/Tates lawsuit?
I can’t really say since I don’t know all of the facts. From the outside, I think it will be hard to prove and costly to litigate. Tony Khan didn’t settle before they filed so I would assume he will fight it. It’s hard to win a fight against a billionaire with many lawyers at his disposal unless you have a slam dunk case. And usually if you have that, the rich side settles out of court.
As someone who will never spend 1 dime on the AEW product, I want to make sure I’m reading the All Outhouse recap correctly… Is it true that AO featured a woman doing a running split onto tacks? Multiple matches with unprotected chair shots? A piledriver on a wrestler with well documented neck and brain issues… and minutes later, friends put a plastic bag over his head? And the main event had “dental realignment” and a guy putting a syringe into someone’s mouth… by same guys who drank each others blood over the past year. What am I missing? How can anyone say this is the safest place to work? It’s terrible to say but it’s almost as if The Final Bozo wants his own “Owen moment” under his “alternative” banner? Am I wrong? (As always thank you for the great job you all do).
Well, when you put it like THAT!!!! Seriously, I am with you. What they do is not for me, it's for the sickos (as Tony Khan said himself). Full disclosure, I didn’t buy or watch the show. I had a feeling that it would go the way that it did. The booking seems desperate to me, but it’s also what Tony likes so it could just be that. With that said, there were a lot of things done on that show that sure as hell don’t come across as being safe, not by a long shot.
How come when AEW has a chance to do something memorable in either a heel turn or a blow off cage match they manage to turn into a indie level garbage match or turn. There was no need for the syringe spot or the plastic bag spot, both just made AEW look like indie event and ruined both moments it's 1 step forward 5 beck with this company.
All I can say is that it’s what Tony and the wrestlers want to do, so they do it. It’s not for me. It’s for the sickos, and they are aptly named.
Hi Dave, we all know Tony keeps posturing about a TV deal and you and I both want him to get a renewal because its good for wrestling. Let's play hypothetical, though. What happens if AEW isn't renewed and no major network is willing to pay big money for them? Let's say they go the direction of TNA and land on a Destination America-like network or worse, become exclusive to Fite/Honor Club/etc. What happens to the promotion then? We already see their TV numbers dwindling and 99% of their live events are down. Will they have any buzz left?
First off, I think Tony will keep it going, at least for a while, in hopes of finding a different deal if that happened. He loves being a wrestling booker/promoter so I don’t think he will let it go down easily if they don’t get a good TV deal. He will probably have to cut jobs if their revenue from TV rights drops but as for buzz? I think it will take a massive hit.
Another outlet analyzed a recent TK statement and determined that TK said "great" or "awesome" about 12 times in 2 minutes. Does TK say "everything is great, great, great" because he thinks we are all morons or uninformed about AEW's decline? Could it simply be a practical PR deflection to protect the brand? Is it because he grew up super rich...and is not used to criticism...as most of his inner circle won't speak up because they are on his payroll? Ergo, TK is not used to having his final word challenged, even if reality says otherwise. Or, does TK put out "happy talk" out there in some kind of misguided way to "manifest" success?
Honestly, I think it’s a mixture of all of the above. He probably does think that the AEW product is great because he loves it. He really can’t address things like falling ratings and attendance, so he doesn’t. He also may think his role as the boss is to be a cheerleader. When the product was in a better state, it wasn’t so bad. Now, with all of the major financial drivers being where they are it comes across badly when he says things are great. The one caveat is that if he actually gets a great new TV deal, that will change the narrative.
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