It's Tuesday. You know what that means. It's time for ignition with the a W fat Hub podcast team. We've got a few things we want to talk about tonight. We're gonna start with Shane. But before we go to Shane, this is Kelson.
And this is Shane Kelson. I wanted to cover what we discussed the last Wednesday, the little little news break that we did for the Toyhio things. So I wanted to I wanted to clarify something we had been the community itself. The pot had been reposted and got some
really good traffic. But I had made the claim that Lucasaurus and sky Blue had you know, you know, are are ready to come back, because you know, I had the opportunity to speak to them at toy Ohio, and I wanted to clarify a point that had been made just because they had been cleared by their own personal doctors and they are ready to come back. What they had now I had said, they both said the same thing,
waiting on creative right. That doesn't mean that they are yet to have been cleared by Doc Samson or aw medical so but you know, we got a really good response from that. You know, podcast. The information turned out to be tight, So yeah, I mean, do you have thoughts on that?
Oh?
I have something that I wanted to bring up because at one of the subreddits where it was posted as well, somebody shared because shawnrod Sap Shawnross Sap actually saw what we had posted and went with it and did some of his own digging on this, and a lot of the subreddits in different areas of the internet wrestling community on the Internet took it and posted it themselves. And one of the things that was really prevalent was people saying, who the flubb is Shane d So tell us Shane, who.
The flubb are you? That's a very good quote. Who the hell is Shandy? And I'm just a dude. I'm just a dude that likes to talk to people and ask weird questions and do wrestling podcasts.
Though you're a stalker.
Okay, yeah, oh my gosh, Well that was probably not right to say, because as you know, uh like rear Ripley made a post from WWE saying that please don't send me mail, you know, or come to my house. And Asuka has also had some run ins with fans, So I'm not I don't want to make light of stalkers, even though Shane is obviously one and I am too, and so is everybody here.
But I want to hear what are everybody's thoughts. I mean, look, Sky Blue and Lucasaurus are on the look well, they're closer to coming back than they're not coming back. And from what Sean ross Sapp said, it looks like sky was actually closer than Lucasaurus to coming back. We talked about it a little bit last week. I want to know what you think maybe is in their creative we Shane said, their waiting on creative. What's creat what's creative going to give them? What do you see? Is there
anything interesting? Or did he just kind of fall right back into what they were doing before.
I don't think so well with Scott Blue. I can see her going back to being on with Julia, but I don't think I think he's been gone for too long for Lucasaurus to make any sense or kill switch to make any sense. Going back into the patriarchy, I mean, I think they've moved on from him being part of it. I could see him getting involved to the point of interfering or causing the patriarchy some issues, but I don't see him becoming a member again.
Well that's not I have to to rop you here. I don't know what it is tonight, but your voice sounds soul, sultry. Thank you. I mean, I'm martening over here right now. My nipples are so hard.
From this podcast, one of them. Kelson, Come on, dude, Harry.
I am going to be honest when I say that. Okay, I've done who who who else has some thoughts onlu I.
Like with how this has been going, it's a like with what we've what we've heard from all this, and what we can gain from this is an insight into behind the scenes process of a w because I feel like we don't see enough of that to understand what's going on. And now that we've heard this whole situation with Lucasaurus and sky Blue, it's like, oh, suddenly some
things make more sense now. So aaw creative not having any plans for them at the moment, maybe some insight into the fact that maybe they do have backup plans, which is kind of important, you know what I mean, Like twenty twenty two, they didn't have any backup plans. It got real bad.
Well that's you know, let me eruptously because I want to ask you this. Could it be possible that the reason AW doesn't have backup plans or creative plans for Lucasaurus and sky Blues because AW hasn't cleared them yet, Why would they do creative for somebody they haven't cleared. Once they get cleared, they're gonna I'm sure they have
something in mind. I kind of doubt that they don't have something in mind for for Lucasaurus and sky Blue, because hey, when they're when they return, it's gonna be big news.
Oh yeah, that that is really good.
That is a good point that, you know, the whole not being cleared by AW doctors or AW creative or anything. Yeah, that is a factor into consideration. But at the same time, I'm just trying to point out the whole fact that, you know, we're getting some insight into kind of how
AW works. I'm just glad that it seems like when a star goes down, they have a backup plan for whoever they were working with or something down the road that they can eventually come back to, you know what I mean, Because as you said, they have something, you know, so Lucasaurus in Sky Lou they're gonna come back to something. They've had plans, but then when they went down, they got backup plans ready for other stars to take up the time slots, and that's what I'm happy to see.
Yeah, who else has some thoughts? Does anybody have any specific thoughts about exactly what you think they may do? They're like, let's fantasy book the hell out of.
This when comes back, I want to completely, you know, just drive the fact that the patriarchy is dead. I want to put Jericho right in the head.
You can say, flop, I did anybody else?
Yeah, So to your point Kelson on the clearance and that the creative thing, it's hard to have created plans for people when you don't necessarily know when they're going to come back. So it makes a lot of sense. It's easy to your point that they are moving on to their current program, and you can't always just slide somebody in as soon as they're available. Some stars, it makes sense if it's available or not. But bof Source has been out long enough that you want to bring
him back the right way. I did a post on the thread and I put on Blue Sky and how I would fantasy book his return and it ties it right into the storylines going on right now with Copeland and the Death Writers and the patriarchy. My view, you somehow get him involved in the end of the match where I would fantasy book with Christian cashes in when Mox or Copeland looks like they are gonna lose, it doesn't happen, and more shenanigans. Once it's a triple threat,
it's a no DQ. You can throw in whatever interference you want, So it makes sense. Right when it looks like Christian's going to be pin, Lucasaurus's music hits, he returns, he defeats whoever's standing over him, and then he turns and maybe he pulls mox over ideally onto Christian for the pin or whatever, and he's standing over over Christian's dead body, and everyone's left guessing, does that mean he's joining the Death Writers? Does that mean he's out of
the patriarchy? What are you going to do there? So now he's interesting because people are going to want to know what is his angle, what's he doing? You bring him back with a little bit of excitement as opposed to just having him show up and choke slamming somebody. I don't know if that ties in creative, but if you're going to bring back a star like Lucasaurus, put him in something significant that gives some juice to it, more than just a return into choke slam or having
somebody's back. Give it something significant. So you've got a little meat potatoes and there's something to get your teeth into that leaves people wanting a little bit more. They want to turn in on Wednesday to understand what he did.
What he did. I brought this up last week, so I'll be ask you in your scenario where Lucasaurus dead turns and he's going to basically if he turns, he's not going to be with the patriarchy at he work? Correct?
Correct?
Would you go ahead? Go ahead? This is my question to you because I brought this up last week. Jack Perry is old partner in Jurassic Expresses out there why they were one of the the most successful.
And if you're trying to rebuild the tag program, there you go. And so with him coming in in the main event too, so you're left with there's always the seat of him turning on Christian because how many times is Christian screw Booch source over. It's a natural thing for him to turn We've all been waiting on it. So pull the trigger on his return.
Why wait?
Pull the trigger?
He gets something significant in a main event, title scene, title match that's getting everybody talking. So now we have a reason to tune on Wednesday to find out why.
And going along with that, like I said, with him turning on Christian, I think they should put they should somehow put put the briefcase on the line.
In the match Christian versus.
Then Lucasaurs wins the case off of Christian, and then when Lucasource beats cashes in, I guess, on Maxoi, then you have a face champion right there.
Well, the only problem I have with that, Max, The only problem I have with that is, this is a kind of a different case. Right Well, I'm not talking about the briefcase. I'm talking about the situation with Lucasaurus. He's coming back with from pneumonia in both lungs. I am currently recuperating from pneumonia myself. Now, I am not an athlete. I am significantly older than Lucasaurus. And of course, as far as the human years and dinosaur years. I'm not. But but my point is is that it's no joke.
It's tough. I mean, if I exert myself just a little bit, I feel like I am going to have my lungs cramp up. So I can't imagine I and I kind of considered it. My pneumonia was a mild case. He almost I mean he almost died. Yeah, you know, so I think they putting him in a tag tag team where he could be somewhat protected and rested and not have to over exert himself would be a good idea.
Yeah, you just need to get in. You just need to get in and be competing in a match right off the bat. You can keep him involved without him without him having to do anything. To your point, Kelson, I mean, recuperating your lungs is tough. He's gonna have a little assistance in the external hormones. We all know he takes him. He's a giant human being. That's not natural, no harm, no foul there. It's part of the gig. But for for him to be ring ready once he's
in there, that's going to take some time. And to your point, Kelson, if they are looking to beef up that tag team. What's Perry doing? You know, his heel turn was fun, but I think it's it's course you want to get big pops, you want to bring some juice back.
We said this last week Berry where with the you know, Jack Perry is part of the Elite supposedly, but the only person Reaves exactly, the only person we've seen of the Elite in a e W in the last two months is Kazuchika Okada. Yeah, I know it's Kazuka, but I like calling them ka.
I always just say Okada because I don'tant to strip the first name.
Yeah, mentioning tag divisions and sharing them up. I think for sky Blue, SHEI oughta team back up with Julia Hart.
They can have their own little like House.
Hell Hounds side team, and you know that's one women's tag team for a possible women tag division.
They also have the opportunity with her coming back and being gone for a while for the effects of the Black Mist, which is pretty much what turned her to Julia side of wearing off and being no longer in things, so you could actually have a nice little rivalry between the two.
Maybe they could face each other, but like you know, kind of like mox and Danielson, where like we got to bleed together first, you know, so they'll fight each other and respect, because that's kind of what they're going for with the Hounds of Hell, right, They're going for what the House of Black kind of was trying to make itself, where like we respect a good fight, we respect, like when you push us to our limits, we're going to push you to your limits, push us to our limits.
Kind of like what.
The Death Riders are trying to convey. Not so successfully in my opinion, but that's another topic for another day.
About that a little bit later on tonight. As a matter of fact.
A couple of weeks ago on the pod, I guess it was a couple of months ago. We were talking about Penelope Ford too, and I had the idea with why she was losing so much, because, I mean, penelte before she does jobs out there. That's part of her role in the organization right now. And if you've got Sky coming back, Sky was much more interesting when she turned heel and had some of the Black Miss gimmick
and her dark side teaming with Julia. She was really starting to put it together, getting over you know, with the fans, I would like to see, you know, a bad girls club. I think that's a good idea. They don't have to even be a tag team, just a female stable that matters as opposed to the stuff they've tried in half asked you get her in there? Then the story is now Penelope's got a little something. Now it makes sense if she gets some wins because she's
got support. She's got a support system which she's never really had. You got Sky, they can team up in tags. You got a lot you can do with three ladies that are just a bad girls club, and then they can pull off the Hounds of Hell or whatever that group is called. And you have a lot of different things you can do with that. But but she's a talent. I think that's kind of orbiting a little loss in
that shuffle. And having her with with three and a team of three strong performers like that, I think I think it highlight all three of them clearly, with Julia is the number one, but with Sky and complementary piece.
And having a group of four women, you add one more. You got a group of five women, five five faces to face off with them. We've got a women's blood and guts got.
Look look at him showing off math.
There that I would watch that.
Yeah, Battle Royal was great.
They did really yeah.
Real quick. Just want to get I don't want to have a big long discussion. I just want to get a brief bullet point. Opinions about Penelope four that Barry brought up. Oh, I personally think that she's above average. I think that she's up there some of the moves that she does. She's got good stamina, she's a terrific wrestler, and people like her or hat which what appropriate? You know, Uh, she's definitely gonna be paired, looks like with Megan Bain
right now against thunder Rosa and Chris Statlander. But do you guys feel the same way I do that peneloty Ford is a talent that aw should I wouldn't say push, but at least keep her out there and yeah, get her a few weeks.
Feature is a good word yep feature feature?
Yeah?
Absolutely, you know, like you said, she's got she's got a fun move set, a very unique move set, and she's got great stamina, and she's put on some hella you know, hella good matches. She's been in a few street fights that just you know, were phenomenal and and uh yeah, she's fun when she does talk. I feel like you just give her a little more mic time, give her a little more time and ring, and you know, you could have a nice upper mid carter to challenge championships.
You know, she's got a great look too, She's got.
A great met her once.
I want to explore that look because I saw an interview it's gotta been over a year ago now, and it was an interview done with Julia Hart, and Julia Hart said one of the things that's funny in the locker room is that from behind she is constantly confused with Penelopie Pidelop before the vice versa hind from behind because you know they they don't have the same look in the front, I guess is the best way to put it. I believe Julia is significantly taller as well.
But my point is is that remember how we had the lights go out and said it was revealed that sky Blue took out Mercedes Monett. We could do something like that story didn't go anywhere where. Yeah, Well, but what I'm saying is is maybe we can do something with that effect with Paelti Ford impersonating Julia Hart Earn something like that. That may work.
Hey, speaking of Julia Hart, I want them to finish that trilogy between her and Jamie Hayter, because I remember at the end of that second match, Jamie Hayter said to Pronect to Julia, like, Hey, anytime you want to have that third match, I'm down, and I feel like we didn't do anything with it, and me personally, I was really enjoying that story so well.
I mean, you got Jamie Hayter and Julia Hart. I mean they're two very likable, you know women in aw I'm kind of wondering if Jamie Hayter isn't hurt again or just need some time off or whatever. I don't know, but if it happens, I wouldn't be upset that they pulled this off at U zero hour, because Jamie apparently is a zero hour talent anymore. I don't get it, but it is what it is. He's zero hour, here's zero hour. There the whole thing Penelope though.
The whole thing with Penelope though, is going to depend on what to do with her and Meghan. Yeah, because that's established. They can't really I don't see them getting her. I mean, she's she's definitely improved over what she was before she was hurt. I think the time off, even though she was injured, it did her a lot of good. I don't know, it's just I can see the things that that that they could do with her. But I think with this Megan Bain thing, they have to play it out before they.
Do anything else.
Yeah.
Of course, if there is going to be a women's tag titles then you've got Megan Bain and Penelope for it. That maybe why they put them together, just so that they have a cohesive team right now. So, by the way, I did want to bring something up flightful, Justine. I don't know if you remember last week when Megan Bain had a match with Chris Statlander. There was a thunder rosa appearance at a Penelope Ford appearance and very awkward.
I don't want to call it a patch, but it was very awkward standoff there where it didn't seem like anybody knew what they were going to do. There were posts about it on the internet, discussions about an aw fan hub. A lot of people were saying that it looked like Megan Bain and Penelope Ford went did the business for himself. That was not the case, according to Fiful Select. They said that it was absolutely revealed that it was a miscommunication by the coaches and producers where Penelope,
Baine Ford and Statlander were supposed to be. I think Statlander was where she was supposed to be, which was flat on her back in the ring because she got squashed. But they did say that the ladies got together in the back and they have no problem working with each other. So they absolutely did not go into business for themselves.
Who thought that they went into Like when I saw that, to your point, Kelson, this just looked like people that were not where they were supposed to be and weren't sure what they needed to do. Like to me, it looked like they expected bane and for the roll out of the ring like we normally see. Yeah, the platform was there, they couldn't because the way Rosa came out and everyone was kind of stuck.
Like I didn't the people.
I don't think they went into business for themselves.
There was a lot of people that were posting on aw fandom that said that they went into business for themselves.
And it's uh.
Having been some live productions that definitely just looked like you know, in those situations where like someone's not where they're supposed to be or someone thought something, it happens, and you know what, live TV, it's fine.
It adds to the realism.
Yeah, I did. I did find onn Dellision when Roast is like, I'm gonna him with the chair for real, this time, I was thinking, you know that works.
Yeah, you know, but when I saw that bit, my my first impression and my impression right now as of today, is that I do not think that Bane nor Ford expected thunder Rosa to come in with a chair. I think they just expect her to come in and do a stare down and they would just kind of leave. I don't think that they expected the chair to be introduced, and I think that's where a miscommunication came from.
You know, we've been asking for a while for like women's tag team titles or something in that realm. I'm wondering and maybe this is a bit of a stretch and maybe just me thinking of featuring something that's not actually there.
But I'm wondering if, like if.
This stretches out into like some type of tag team feud not necessarily the revolution. But over a period of time, could this lead to the introduction of women's tag team titles?
You know what I mean?
Probably hadn't we heard that there are supposedly belts that exist.
Yes, Net said that there were women's tag team belts being designed for a W right now when she brought that out about three weeks ago or two weeks ago. But you don't want let's move out, Shane, What do you want to talk about next?
I mean, we got some really sweet reporting of Speedball Mike Bailey uh clearing up his visas so he's ready to be full time with the AW.
Yes, I love speedball so much.
Why we didn't see him his packages before because they were a whole off until they could square away the visa stuff. Probably because he's been signed for a bit, right.
Since he was done in December January the new year, so after show or whatever he signed Yeah.
Sane, Sane, let me ask you a question because I am one of those people and I'm sure that there are a lot of people like me in the aa W community that I have two questions about Mike Bailey, probably the same questions I had about you, Shane. First, who the flubs Mike Speedball Mike Bailey.
Uh.
And two where where did that?
Uh?
Does anybody know where he got that nickname? I mean he doesn't.
Have you ever seen him wrestle?
No, I I've seen like highlights of him, but I've actually maybe saw one match that But you knows, Mike Bailey is so educated.
Thought as you the first time I heard the name speedball, like, oh, you're naming yourself after the drug that kurk Obain overdosed on. Great, But uh, no, I think it's just because he's like a fast ball. Let's speed just a ball of energy bouncing around and kicking the crap out of people.
Okay, well, Shane, Yeah, so Speedball Mike Bailey has been around, uh for the He's been performing professionally since about He's been training and performing since two thousand and six. He did he debuted in Quebec with uh Mike Sidel Where that under the name of Mike Sidel way back when? But I mean, the guy is best known for his work in TNA. Last year he had probably one of the arguably one of the top five best matches of the year. He's been He's done Combat Zone, he's done
d DT, he's done Revolution RevPro. He's mostly known for his work in TNA in New Japan, but I mean, the guy's been around for a long time.
He is Wow, you mounted Shane when you look at the aw Ross, who is Mike Bailey comparable to? Like as far as like it's size, you know, is he I mean is he Keith Lee size or is he a Riho size? He's so he's more the Ricochet line.
Okay, Yeah, he's like middling in size. He's very agile. A lot of his move set is based on uh cut like outside of wrestling contact sports, I believe taekwondo backgrounds about then he is a taekwondo taekwond do background. Excuse me?
And he could go.
I mean like we're looking like with him joining the roster, we're looking at some five star matches, like just right off the ripper, you know, just bring.
Who would you put him with? Who would you put him again?
Immediately? Omega Omega ospe a Richet And.
He's already had a banger with Lost Spray at TNA. He had that sixty minute with Josh Alexander and TNA Takeshta and Maple Leaf Pro.
I mean pro.
Every match he's had against some of these top AEW guys are Match of the Year contenders, five star matches, Like put him with Kenny Omega, like my fantasy booking of him as he just comes out, sees Keny Omega and he's like, I've wrestled the best in the world and I haven't had you yet, and just do it, you know, Danielson Omega.
That stuff right there off the bat.
One of the I was in La for Mania a couple of years ago and I went to the Blood Sports show at the Ukrainian Cultural Center and that was Kodo Abushi's first match after he left New Japan coming back, and it was against Mike Bailey. And if you guys want to see a guy who can work a bunch of different styles, watch that match. It's on YouTube, It's on Coda's official channel. But Codo Buschi versus Mike Bailey at Bloodsport in La fantastic. Coda kicks the shit out
of him. But and I mean like there's one kick where he kicks the shit out of him. Not that it was a lopsided match, but it's fantastic. The guy can work a bunch of different styles. Is mixed martial arts legitimate mixed martial arts background, and I mean from a training not that he's a competitive mixed martial artist. Guy brings a lot of flavor in the ring. He's
really versatile, very quick, and very agile. Would fit in with any of the high flyers and can walk to a degree work a big man style like we've seen against the Kusha and Maple Leaf pro so. I think he's a great addition of the roster and should flesh out a lot of the mid card or mid card.
He can have a look match either like he's if you've not seen it yet. In GCW, he wrestles Oh God, the cutest in the world. I'm having a total grain Mutty ETO. He wrestles Muddy ETO and it is a hilarious match. He's brilliant, like he can do it all. So you literally put him in the ring with anyone and you're getting a five star match of the year content.
While while we're on the topic of Guy's coming over from TNA, we also have Josh Alexander Route. I mean, like he's all but confirmed that. Yeah, I can't I see you over there, Barry. I can't wait that he's been signed with a W and that they gave him the bigger and better offer with the better promises. So I mean these two guys together, I mean, these are some very high profile you know, signings and bookings.
So we got some well, Shane you know what. Other name was brought up and confirmed to be coming to AW, probably not on a permanent basis, but an excursion. Is Clark Connor. Now he is a part of Bull Club war Dogs. So is Gabe Kid, who was just with AW this past week. He's obviously on an excursion as well. I hope at least, uh, when you're looking at Clark Connor, somebody that's very closely attached to O Connor is Decla. So I'm hoping when Clark comes over that THECLA follows.
We get that rematch between Athena and THEKLA. I mean, but I want to know what you guys think. I mean, if Juice Robinson's anywhere near coming back, I don't know what his status is. I really don't. I want to see. I want to see Bullet Club Gold and Bullet Club war Dogs go at it really bad.
Mm hmm. That's that's a dream scenario though. The War of the War of the Bull Club between the two promotions where they're predominant. I mean we have Bull Club and TNA still too correct.
Chris Banning is still recovering from injury, like really bad injury.
So hey with with with kid coming in and what a reception gave got. I'm glad he's getting the respect because he didn't the last time he was here a couple of months ago. And I think his match against Kenny Omega at Russell Dynasty, I think it was called Russell King, can't remember which. The two shows was fantastic. If you're keeping Gabe around a little bit, especially of Clark's going to be around two with them, you do you keep reminding people that there's that rematch with him
and Omega? Do they just casually pass each other backstage in the hallway every now and then when he's on TV, Like, if I'm somebody and I want to push that match, that that rematch to make it big, I want to keep reminding people there's history there, little things, just a eye to eye quick little like kind of how they teased Hangman and MGF for a while before they want
into that program. I'd do that for a couple of months leading up to a Forbidden Door match, if that's where they want to do that, that that number two match, if it's not going to be in Japan, Shane, if you were to book that, how would you do it?
Well? The comeback match? Yeah, Forbidden Door, Omega Kid too, Yeah, Omega Kid two, Forbidden Door, Middle of the show, do it the same way they did Omega and Osprey three for Forbidden Door. I just you know, for me, for Omega and Kid, I just feel like them in a ring together is just produce so much better in Japan
for some odd reason. Whenever they, you know, transplant these feuds from Japan over to America, it seems like, do you know what I'm saying, It seems like when Tony Kaan puts his hands on it, if it's just it just doesn't have the same impact. But I think it's headed towards for Forbidden Door. I don't think Kid is going to go directly after Omega to start.
You know, well, what you say? What you wouldn't you say?
Though?
That Japanese fans are more knowledgeable about gay Kid and Kenny Omega than American fans are knowledgeable about Kenny Omega and Gape Kid.
Well, of course, and the implication of a Bullet Club, you know, a giant bolt Club faction war. It would really you know, you'd have to be watching Bulk products to know. But yeah, of course people know Gaye Kid better in Japan. Yeah, on every single show.
What was the what was the pay per view? Connors was on that he I think he was a filling for somebody, and he came out nobody knew who he was. But by the end of it, like everybody.
For the one Yeah that was Cole versus Jay White versus Connors versus Orange Cassidy.
No, it was for the All Atlantic title. It was like.
Yeah, yeah because OC thought Osprey that night and had probably one of my one of the best matches in twenty twenty two. Yeah, hell yeah yeah that match that that Orange match was insane.
Yeah, came out, Connors, came out, nobody knew who he was. He didn't get much of a pop, but by the end of that match, everybody was pulling for that little guy to pull it off. Man, he did a job over it that.
He is a little guy.
Yeah, but he went over, he got over just in the ring.
Man. Yeah.
So Juice Robinson really quick from the broken fibula that the injury that he sustained in November. He has no timetable to come back. He is healing surgery. We probably won't see him back for months.
Okay. Yeah. One thing about Clark Connors that I enjoyed was late last year thekla Is, who is in stardom, was going against NAT's a poy and Clark Connor's actually came out and speared that's a poy in I mean, full out spired or and it was a terrific bump because NAT's a boy just took it like a champ. And a couple of weeks later, I think he tried to do the same thing again, but this time NAT's a boy stupor kicked him in the face as he was running toward him, and that was perfect too. And
just go look at that. Those are two really good bumps, and again you're talking about it. It are intergender bumps, which is hard to do. It's hard to do because you could be so tentative. There was no tentativeness in this, so go check that out. But it worked really well because Clark Connors is not a big guy. He is a smaller guy. And so when you're going against somebody like Nasa Ploy who's only five to one, maybe you know, it wouldn't have worked if it was somebody like Kenny Omega.
But it that way, who's a little bit who's much bigger. But anyway, uh, Shane, let's move on. What do we what do we want to talk about next?
Let's see, I mean, we could talk about the women. We could talk about eight of U's current state of the state of its developmental, we could talk about creative. We had some Reddit feedback. Someone asked on Reddit, should the Belts be defended every week on television? You want to start there?
We could start there. My short answer is no, And I'll tell you why if my long answer is this is the reason why, Because if you purposely go into a week of television saying we've got to defend the Belts, what does that have? Squash matches? And I would rather see Swear Strickland and Ricochet in a non title match rather than see Daniel Garcia against John Cruise in a title match. You see what I'm saying. I don't want to see a squash match for a title want. I
don't think title matches are important on TV. What I think is important on TV are meaningful matches. And when I say meaningful matches, something that advances creative that's my answer.
Well, I think it's important, and I think this is something that AW fails to do. They I think it's important to make these belts, to make these championship titles significant, make them feel like something worth questing for a lot of I mean, like, now, do I believe that they should be defended every week? No, absolutely not, But I do believe that we should be defending major titles on you know, middling shows, your Dynamites, your Collisions. You should.
I think these titles should be defended in other promotions if we have so much crossover, just so what's fair for everybody else? And I think that these titles should be dropped and traded on Dynamites and Collisions. I don't think that we should preserve you know, I agree, Yeah, that's not something we see a lot of. To be honest with you, the only time we ever see you know, belt shifts or with the women in the tag titles, which we know you know how that how that's you
know structured in AW? I just uh I think that we I think the current state of the titles scene AW needs a full on overhaul. I know we talk about the Death Riders every week and what's going on with the trio's titles and who from r OH shouldn't be defending on AW television and should be on AW television full time. I think it's just time to hit the reset button on what they're doing with a lot of the title scene and kind of flip the titles, ping pong them around a little bit, kind of do
a WCW late nineties. You know, let's let yeah, I'm just saying, let's let's well know yeah. No, seriously, I want to see some younger talent half their hands on the title, make these belts look look convincing, make them look less like concession prizes for for new signe for you know people that just sign promotion.
Well shit, well, Shane, I know you've got your browser open right now, look it up. Does David r KTT have a kid that is wrestling age? Bring them over win the World Champions?
No?
You know, in all seriousness, what you said is is, yeah, While I don't think that all titles should should be defended, titles should be defended on weekly TV shows. I think it's incumbent upon AAW to make the titles interesting on TV shows by talking about them, showing building a feud
for them, not necessarily having a wrestling match. But I'm just saying, you know, let's let's not ignore the titles and open up that briefcase so we can see the AW World Championship because it is by far right now again. And I will say this, and I will say it to the day that it's finally won by somebody. The AW World Championship is by far the most meaningless belt in AW right now because you don't see it, and it's a very.
Bad I am convinced that the belt is not in that briefcase. That briefcase is way too small to be hold in the belt. So there's something else going on, and I'm I'm holding out that it's gonna be interesting, but like I'm not gonna hold my breath.
You know, you guys ever seen.
You think it's the.
It's Marcellus Wallace's soul?
No, no, what if.
The only time I.
Would just love for John Moxley to open the briefcase, a little light come out and go, yeah, we happy.
Yeah, I think it's I think it's the briefcase. I think it's what do you Richter's underwear? Oh god?
What if it's either a new title design or a custom title design.
That would be cool.
But if it's the Triple B, it's the What if it's the Triple B? What if that's going to be used to manipulate m JF after this, because you know, all all sites for a lot of these guys are headed towards the World Championship. I think it'd be hilarious if it were the ship will be. I know that's a stretch. It's a stretch, but it'd be fun.
Yes, briefcase and it's just a strap that he wraps around his waist. And the briefcase was the championship the whole time.
Wait.
So, so Kelson, coming back to your thing about some of the titles being defended, and I've mentioned this a couple of times too. One of my favorite eras of the TNT title was when Sammy and Scorpio Sky were feuding over it and Cody had it for a while and it moved around, and I feel like the TNT title in two degree the TVs title, although I understand what they're doing, Mercedes right now, Like, those are the titles that should be on TV, and they should be they should be changing hands on TV.
I really do it on the pay per view two.
But those are the two titles that those are those are the mid card titles. Those are the titles that when people have them, These are the people you signaling. This is the next This is the person we're starting the big push for. We're going to see if they can get elevated. How much do they get over? This is somebody we're gonna start getting behind. You can start getting people excited, and if you're saving those for only
the pay per views, you're missing an opportunity. WWE is doing a lot more moving belts around, whether they're meaningful or not. People can always argue that you can do the same thing in AW but it brings some excitements to TV. And one of the problems I think a lot of us have agreed with is that you have these title matches on TV and the titles never change hands,
so nobody believes it. Nobody believes it's going to be a competitive match or that the contender has a shot because we've been trained to not expect title changes on regular TV.
Go ahead, Keusy. You can't expect the titles to change hands on TV because there's they did away with Battle of the Belts. Well what are you supposed to do? But look, I agree with you, especially with the T and T and TBS titles. Maybe not as much with the TBS titles right now because now, yeah, it's I mean, the TBS title is not a big card title in AW right now. It's pretty up there. But the TNT title is an open challenge title, and it should be
done that way. At least every two weeks, have Daniel garcias the champion, come out and do an open challenge. But again, as I said earlier, I don't want to see an open challenge with a Max Caster kind of thing going on where the challenge is met and it's just a squash total total opposite max Caster. But you know what, Max Caster is out there, he's going to get his.
Ship be did you know, so, Kelson? How disappointing was it that we didn't get Max Caster and gave kid on Collision.
Uh the weekend.
I would have liked to have seen it, but I I don't want Max Caster to die just yet, So let's save it for a little while, you know, till till we absolutely get tired of it. And then gave Kid could kill him.
Hey, Butcher put on a banger, man. Those guys beat the crap out of each other. That that handmark on Kid's chest from that chop he took from Butcher. I bet she's still there now.
Yeah, Butcher's uprated. Yeah, well, look, let's move on. I do want to talk about Creative as a whole personally since the beginning of twenty twenty five and a w debuting on Max. Other than maybe there was that one Dynamite that we kind of felt as a crew here was a little bit lacking. It wasn't bad, but it was a little bit lacking. Dynamites and Collision since January first have been thoroughly enjoyable. Yeah, there's stuff that didn't
that hasn't worked. I mean, you're gonna have that, But by and large, Dynamite and Collision have been entertaining as hell, and that's what it's all about. And they've been jam packed with content and and it's flowed so well from from from uh okay, okay, shade, No, I know.
I get what you're lying down, so like, just what was she saying?
What was what was your child saying? I was at a little I couldn't really see is that a little boy or little girl?
Anakin?
Sorry guys, yeah, because what would sheriffs? You know, everybody heard it? So what was you know? You have to go get get out of some juice or something of your kid, get go take care of your kid. Yeah, there you go.
Yeah.
But as I was saying, dynamite collision have been spot on. Do you guys agree with that? I mean.
I would agree with what do you think?
Yeah?
I would agree with that that from what I've been seeing, you know, as a guy who doesn't have access to dynamite but watches a lot of this stuff off of the YouTube channel. Uh, the dynamites have been looking pretty good. The masses have been pretty meaningful, and especially with the fact that AW is finally starting to do what I've been nagging at them to do for years, which is do a W related storylines exclusively in ady W. For example,
the Hangman and MJF feud. That's like totally original, out there concepts and it's all like there's no need to mention new to Japan. There's no need to mention what you did in Ring them hon Or ten years ago. It's all about what you're doing and in AEW square, that's what's important to the promotion right now, and that's what they need to do more of now. There is a problem I'm still having with them other than like maybe title stuff, but that's one of the other topics.
So yeah, what does another person.
Think, Well, I want to interject something in here. My biggest worry with AEW's creative right now takes place in a few months, and that's Forbidden Door. Because forbidden Door. I said it before and I will say it again. Forbidden Door has no place in story. They should just put it on with no story attached to it, because when they try to do stories for Forbidden Door, it's kills all momentum. Yeah, Forbidden Door is a great momentum killer.
And people are always saying, well, when did aw start losing ratings and all this stuff when they introduce Forbidden Door, because it takes the most wrestling fans are casual fans. They're not invested in it. That's hey, Look, if Tony Kahn wants to risk it, that's well and fine. It's his money, it's his company. All I'm saying is you're gonna lose fans by promoting the hell out of Forbidden Door with storylines. Just say, Hey, we're gonna do Gabe
Kid and Kenny Omega too. Forbidden Door show a couple of vignettes. Don't have them screaming and yelling each other and face to face in the ring and stuff like that. It's a waste of time.
Yeah, And if I can interdict as a veteran of calling Forbidden Door filler season, I can agree that this pay per view needs to be out of AW programming and just behab It's its own thing. I'm a good guy. Can I just come home from college and not have to deal with filler season as the first bit of AW storyline bullcrap? I get for Summers.
I would be more excited about Forbid and Door if they did it every two or three years instead of as that's my opinion.
I don't know. I thoroughly enjoy Forbidden Door.
I get the whole like it kind of puts a kind of pumps the brakes on all the ae W stories that are happening.
I get that.
I can't disagree with it, but I I finally understand the appeal of like the Marvel Extended Universe and stuff where like, oh, this superhero is meeting this guy from this comic that they don't exist together, but now they do. Like seeing the crossover, I just love that. I can't help it. I'm a sucker. What can I say, I'm a dumb mark.
So I mean, there's a crossover taping live right now with NXC and CNA. Crossovers are fun, There's there's a lot of pop when you mix talent. And I know some people don't like Forbidden Door season, and I think there's completely valid criticisms and arguments for that. But the third highest gate for aw's history was for Bidden Door in Toronto, and I think that strong gate, especially in
London this year, is going to continue in August. I think to your point, Kelson, there's a better way to program it, especially since a lot of the big stars that drove those two first for Ben Gore's are now in AW and there isn't as much appeal for people
left in New Japan. You know, Gabe Kid is not at the level of Willaspray, He's not at the level of Okada as far as mixing talent, there's work to do there, and if they want it to not feel like filler season, you got to start those builds now, little teases here and there, so that to your point, maybe they just build it like they did for Grand
Slam so it doesn't take away too much. It just kind of fits in really nicely in the middle of a bunch of other stories, and then you have a couple AW versus AW matches to flesh it out, so you keep the main store lines going and it's just a feature show. But I don't think it should go away. I think that crossed the motion is there and bring me in CMLL and even Ring of Honor talent that like they did at Russell Dynasty, I think is the way to go.
I'm interested in here what Shane has to say about this, because when it comes to Forbidden Door three, which is the only Forbidden Door I have purchased, I had no interest in Forbidden Door one, I had no interest in
Forbidden Door two. I did buy Forbidden Door three because I wanted to see Tony Storm and Mina shir Kawa, and as it happens, that's the only match I remember from that entire pay per view Shane Art of matches as somebody that is bitto Forbidden Door and into the lore and all that and the history of these wrestlers. Did you find Forbidden Door three memorable?
I mean in comparison to the first two? Yeah, listen, I we've had the business.
I'm trying to buy.
The thing you've got to remember is that we've got like eight pay per views a year now versus five when the first Forbidden Door happened.
So that's a trilli good point.
We're gonna be the first.
One is gonna be really memorable versus the third one when, like I said, it's one to be well.
I mean, it looks like they're starting to already build story for Forbidden Door, and it looks like they're starting with Bullet Club. That's kind of how it looks right now. So this is me, this is wishful thinking.
Now.
To answer your question, I completely decide. I have always, since the inception of this channel, disagreed with the greater belief that Forbidden Door does not belong in AW programming.
It does.
I you know, we wouldn't have AW if it wasn't for this giant project of trying to pull all of these promotions together and get everyone in the best of the world into the same place. AW truly is the melting pot of the greater promotions, and I think to have a pay per view to commemorate, you know, this giant project where they're bringing all of these people in
and having those crossovers, those dream matches, those one offs. Man, just let the let the mega nerds have it, you know, I want to say, I mean disrespectfully, stop bitching and moaning about it. Who cares. You're gonna get it whether you like it or not.
My point here, Shane is is that even like last year, the several weeks before Forbidden Door, you had dou Japan wrestlers showing up in AW and doing these you know, preparation matches, I guess is the best way to put it, you know, to try to get people to know who they were watching. And even a couple of weeks after Forbidden Door, so you're looking at four or five weeks to Forbid Door took a AW programming largely out of
its out of its comfort zone. I guess for people that want to watch AW don't want to watch do Japan, you know, uh now, perly for me if they wanted to impress me at Forbidden Door, for you bring in more started you bringing more star Let's go, Yeah, that I would watch. I have no interest in watching, you know, frankly speaking as something I can't remember who said it. I think it may have been Berry, may have been sleazy.
But AW already has the big names from New Japan and the ones that they haven't gotten yet they've seen plenty of times. And then you have you know, Tanahashi, who the great nilis Ace. You know, seriously, I mean, who does a who does New Japan have left? You know, I would definitely watch for If Forbidden Door was an all a w against stardom women's pay per view, I would definitely watch that over anything else that they could possibly put out.
You got Tessy, you got Shingo Takagi, you got the potential of Koda Bushi, who shared between the term two promotions coming back. You have implications between the House of Torture with Jack Perry and the division between the elite. I mean, there's a lot of things that you have the Bullet Club and the potential between Faction war.
I mean I get that it's either, but look, Shane Zach Saber Junior. We've seen Zach Saber Junior do these before, and these glorified exhibition matches where there's no hope. If you want to impress me, put a title on a new Japan wrestler. You know, I don't want to see Japan super I don't want to see the new Japan superstars coming over to a w and losing. Goddamn always let me put it that way. I want to see there's got to be some kind of mph to these matches.
There's got to be, you know, some kind of I don't know how to put it, like you're leaning behind them.
So Kelson, I think you bring up a good point. And if anybody would watch Russell Dynasty, it was the inverse of Forbidden Door. It was it was mostly aw people doing the job for New Japan folks, as it should be because it's their show. I look at the New Japan roster and their champions right now. You got gods, the heavyweight champ, you got guys.
We all know.
Takesha's got the never Open Went title. I think he's going to be defending that. Yoda Suji's a great young guy. You got Gabe Kid. You really don't need to bring a lot of New Japan people over for Forbidden Door to work. It's not necessarily just AW versus New Japan. So you only need to bring ahead. You know, maybe you do a tag with Nido and Takahashi is against whoever that the tag champs are in AW. You only need a handful of guys. You bring in enough stardom people,
two or three stardom matches versus AW matches. You bring in some CMML guys so we can get Mordos and Hologram and a couple of CML high flyers. You bring in Mystico, you know which they've got at the San Diego show this or no, he's in the we at the San Francisco show. You can book this Forbidden Door pay per view a lot different than the other ones now because so many people have moved around that I don't think it should just be like they did in the past. So that you can have some folks in,
you can build some storylines over time. I mean, they've got to tell August. You just need to start teasing things. That's why I was coming back to that Gave Kid thing. If he's going to be on TV. Every time he's on aaw I want him to pass Kenny Omega backstage. I want them to share that uncomfortable moment so we can see that tension between them, so that fans start to realize here in the States what that storyline is for them. So when they do have that match, ideally
it for Bidden Door, it means something. And you can do that with the other talent. Start bringing them in now two or three episodes on TV. Add them bump into somebody. Then they come back in a couple more weeks they bump into that same person again. Start building these feuds that you can you can book for this pay per view, real slow between some of these people, so that it isn't filler season. We're pulling from now six months of television where these people start.
To true you know that must make sense. I just don't want to see the three weeks before Forbidden Door to two weeks after Forbidden Door wasted on putting a w on the shelf, because that's what they've been doing for the last three years.
If you want to add some tension. Yeah, the perfect example of the the perfect example to add ten the perfect amount of tension is if you have the amount of tension that Trevor Murdoch versus Nick Alis had for their NWA World Heavyweight Championship match a couple of years ago, Like it would be a little bit too long to get into the full glorified story, but that had so
much tension. It was Trevor Murdoch's career versus this champion who had been ruling for over a thousand days, which hadn't been done in the NWA's title history for a very long time.
And you know, it's easy where we're What I'm saying is is that look at what a W and Stardom did building the Tony Storm versus Mina shir Kawa match at Forbidden Door, and it kind of speaks to what Barry is talking about. It went on for months and it was a slow build and it didn't take away from AAW because Mina shir Kawa was in ae W during that time on an excursion. You can't expect people, you know, that are casual watchers of ae W to get invested in people that they're being introduced to two
weeks before or three weeks before show. That's a big show. It's a waste of time. You know, I said, I know stardom wrestlers, so I would as I said, I would definitely watch a starter versus ad W women's pay per view. I do not believe that most the people on this panel, or most of the people in the aw Fano community would watch that because they don't know
stardom like I do. But if you take the time, as Barry said, to start bringing over stardom wrestlers and introduce them and maybe bring them back three or four weeks later and introduce them again whatever, and then do to pay per view when is from the doors it in July this year, August. Okay, you have plenty of time to build without shoving it down our throats and putting aw on the back burner for several weeks before.
That's my major The major problem with that is you can't you can't bring those people in all the time like that because you don't have the visa problems. There's not they don't have. They're not always able to come here. Look at how long it took for was it Riho that was going for a while because of her?
Because of her?
I thought it was ReHO.
It might not have been here.
It was one of the Japanese women who wrestled all the time in aw had visa problems.
That's part of the issue.
You can't bring people in.
You can't bring like if they bring people in now, they may not be able to bring It's going to be in London, isn't it.
It is going to be in London.
Yeah, Okay, So I don't know.
Us for the UK and the states they got to deal with.
So you know, it's it's awesome to think that would be great to do, but you're not going to get to bring those people in. You're not gonna be able to do that the way we would like them to. For the simple fact is visa problems are an issue and it's going that's something they have to look into. My opinion on Forbidden Door is keep doing what they're doing. If you if you let it take away from ae W. That's on the people who are watching a W because
it is. I don't agree. I agree with the fact that they shouldn't make it into the stories about it. I don't see the reason to do that. But the bigger problem with Forbidden Doors where it falls with all in and all out being the next three week. I mean, you have three pay per views in three weeks. That makes absolutely no sense.
I and I honestly believe that with Forbidden Door, if you made YouTube videos and AW also puts a lot of videos out on Twitter, you know, for promotional purposes.
Oh yeah, exclusively, If you exclusively did YouTube videos and Twitter videos and maybe dedicated five minutes, ten minutes maybe tops to AW shows three weeks prior to.
Forbidden Door to Forbidden Door, I think that you would get just as many people watching it as you did without wasting all that time.
I really I kind of.
Agree with that.
I think they would be better off if they did more vignettes and stuff like that for it. You don't have half if people come here. I mean, you know you can do that kind of I mean, there's some of those that are even better at doing that kind of stuff than they are doing lives stuff.
So you know, it's just one of those things.
Who is the guy that comes over every Forbidden Door season and wrestles his ass off? Come a hero is? And how many matches is one? Zero?
God?
Who gives a ship? I don't give a shit about Ishi. I should give a shit about Ishi, but I don't because the only thing I've ever seen is do is lose. Don't even get me started on Minora Suzuki. Now, manoras Azuki is fantastic, but he comes over and he loses all the time. Name me a Japanese wrestler, and it's come over here and won consistently.
In general, they all work for aw Cape Kidd beat the Butcher.
Okay, he's gonna be a Forbidden Door. He's not gonna win if it's a title match, so what's the point of even having him.
It's not gonna be a title match. And against Kenny Omega.
Yeah, well Ken Omega may have a title by then.
So maybe.
But I'm really hoping that like that with last Forbidden Door, they were kind of testing the waters of title changes, you know, like John Moxley won the world title over
in Japan and then dropped it in America. I'm hoping this was the company's testing the water for title switches at these pay per views, and maybe, like you would say earlier Nelson, like we'll get somebody, you know, We'll get a Japanese wrestler winning the t the TNT title, and we'll get you know, uh An a w star winning one of the you know, a TV title or or some title from New Japan. I think that would have the kind of excitement you're looking.
One of the things that we said on this podcast prior to Forbidden Door was it would be so great, so great if Mina Serika would be Tony Storm, even if it was only for two or three weeks, you know, because it would have been you know, added mystery and mystique to these matches Forbidden Doors Battle the Belts that you pay for.
Hey, I of the Belts live and I had a great time.
I mean, I'm sure you did. I mean, I mean, you know, but I'm not gonna pay. I am not going to pay for another Battle of the Belts, no, seriously, And that's what I refuse to pay for Forbidden Door. I will not watch Forbidden Door. I have no interest in Forbidden Door. If it was free, if it was free on me, I would not watch Forbidden Door because it's boring to me.
Why dude, you're getting banger matches out of Forbidden Door, regardless of the stories that you're building around it.
I don't. I am kind of like WWE fans and their critique of a w and I said this a couple of weeks ago. A w can't put on banger matches just for the sake of having banger matches. There's gotta be story behind it.
For the sake of banger matches. I mean, I would prefer story like you can mix the two. It doesn't have to be all one or all the other.
You know, have a bang Let me put it this way. Kyle Fletcher and Will Osprey have a match out of the Blue tomorrow night on Dynamite. Yes, that'll be a banger match. But guess what, there's this there's going to be a chance of there being story behind it. It's not gonna have it for dorm match. That's the end of the story.
I just said at the beginning of this podcast about Mike Bailey, my fantasy booking is just to have him walk out up to Kenny Omega and say I've wrestled the best in the world, i haven't wrestled you, and just a banger.
Match like it. But there.
Could be a story added to that, you know. But there's no story possible with Forbidden Door.
So need to be stories Forbidden Door. That's not what forbidden doors.
For Forbidden Door is to get two three companies that don't interact on a normal basis and have matches. If they're banger matches whatever, there doesn't have to be story for them to be good matches. In a come in a inter.
That they're not good matches. And I'm not saying that they're not banger matches. I'm saying that they are completely meaningless matches to a w fans, I'm gonna ask Steve a question. Steve, you're a fan of the Winnipeg Jets. Yeah, okay, that's the NHL hockey team, the Winnipeg Jets. Who is the Winnipeg Jets affiliates in I guess the AHL or whatever other micro league.
It's the Manitoba Moose.
The Manitoba Moose. Okay, if you saw the Winnipeg Jets have an exhibition match against the Manitoba Moose, would you watch it? Would you go to go to it? I actually saw the Pittsburgh Penguins played Wilkesbarre Scranton Penguins in an exhibition match. I had a great time. It was a really cool event. Okay, but but would you go see it again and again and again and again and again and again and again.
No, it only needs to be like once and I'll be happy exactly.
And that's my thought about the Forbid Door. That's why I said that they should do it every two or three years instead of every year, because I don't think people are looking forward to Forbidden Door year well, because I think it will solve well because it's in London.
I think you're projecting a bit Herekelson. The buy rates for Bin Dorbin Fine, the ticket sales for Bean doorab and Fine. What you're articulating is the challenges with booking the television. And I think you're right, and I think all of us have agreed that there is a better way to book that. And one of the reasons why you don't care and other fans don't care, is because they do a bad job creating that interest with casual fans.
And I'm using that in the sense of fans that watch only AW or only WWE or something that don't have the broader scope of the international scene like a lot of us on this podcast do. And to do that, to your point, Kelson, you need to plant those seeds so that indoor comes. You're paying off a bunch of smaller, little storylines that have been intertwined in the background of the broader AW stuff, and doing that fixes that problem.
But a but Forbidden Door as a showcase for New Japan, AW stardom, CMML and Ring of Honor has a place, and doing it once once a year makes sense. It's a fun show represented as an international showcase as opposed to your point, is like an exhibition as opposed to necessarily being main storyline.
Cannon, Well, let me ask you a question, Barry, would you agree that aw's on a hot streak right now as far.
I think they're programming since the Hammerstein shows have been very good.
Right, let's just assume and hope that AW keeps that up until late July. Then that's what Forbid Door season starts. That everything that AAW has built is now set aside to do build because this is what's happened in the in the past. Everything AW has done up until July is set aside so that that they could build for a pay per view.
That forbidden So I agreement with that, though from a timing perspective, I think this year is a little different because Forbidden Door is after all in all in is their season finale. So if you're going to start your new season after all In, And I don't think I could be wrong, but I don't think all Out a scheduled to be like two weeks later like it was before. Maybe maybe that does happen. If they died, then it's maybe it does. They haven't announced it yet, But four
weeks later is forbidden door. And if you're going to do an exposition style, I think at the beginning of the new season is the better place to do it, as opposed to in the middle of the whole TV season like they've done previously, where it's you know, you've got all In as your your you know, to steal from WrestleMania, your your your WrestleMania WWE season ending thing.
If all In is there into the season, I think it makes a lot of sense to have it as your as your kickoff to the new season, build up some exhibition stuff.
Well, my whole point is that if AW keeps on this hot streak, I will be so dreading Forbidden Door because it's just gonna kill all the momentum that AW has garnered. I'm sorry, it just will. It's a proven fact three years in a row.
I don't think that it assume, given that the landscape has changed so drastically, I don't think that it's fair to assume, coming into this Forbidden Door that it's going to pump the brakes on any major programming especially I agree with you Berry with you know, Forbidden Door taking place after all in it kind of gives them it's a it's a more of a healthy reset where they could go into it fresh and to actually take the time to build the stories now, which it looks like
they're starting to do. You know. I think that we shouldn't, you know, pass judgment on this until it actually comes into fruition. I think Forbidden Door is going to be great this year. I'll say it now, I'll call the ball. I think it's gonna be fantastic.
Well, what did you think of Russell Dynasty? Shane Mid? It was mid okay because I didn't watch it because to me it was Forbid Door. I have no interest in that. So I did keep an eye on it through like what was being said in discord and stuff like that, so I knew who won. But I can get as much out of Forbid Door by watching what people are saying on Twitter that I can from you know, I don't have to waste four or five hours on banger meaningless bang banger matches at that's where.
They sell tickets and they sell buy rates to this Kelson. They're going to keep doing it.
Man, I know there's something, but I agree with that. I agree with you. Yeah, you know, my you know, we were talking when we got out of the Forbidden Door subject. We were talking about creative and again AW is on a hot street creatively right now. They're again not everything is hit, but a lot more is hitting than it is missing. And they're doing it the right way. They're building story. They're doing really, I mean, everything is entertaining,
even the smallest stuff. Everything. And one of the things I like about what A and W is doing, for example, swear Strickland and Ricochet, the Back's caster thing, everything that's there's so many things like this, Megan Bain and Penelope Forward against stat Lander at Rosa. There's no titles involved. You don't have to have titles involved in order to have good stories and make a match meaningful, because those matches are meaningful. Who wins, Hey, they win?
You know.
My point is that's what I want to see from my ae W. I want to see more of this. I don't want to see them sending out people like will Osprey against Gabe K tomorrow Tomorrow night, will Osprey and Gabe Kid. Yeah, it'll be a beggar match, but it'd be meaningless, you know. And what I'm saying about that is that understand me if they send out a Gabe Kid and will Osprey tomorrow and it would be
an epic fail because they didn't promote it. You see what I'm saying, You've gotta if you're gonna put out that kind of match, say you're gonna have that match four weeks ago.
You know.
That's That's what I'm saying.
Pay per views in August. They got a lot of time to book it. To your point, Kelson, if they if they don't, if they don't build before and start that stuff in May and June, or keep these storylines just kind of planting the seeds now. To your point, yeah, it's it's gonna be it's gonna be boring for a lot of casuals or somebody or I.
Totally agree with you on that, is that they need to plant the seeds up until Forbidden Door. Don't wait until three weeks for Bid Door put a W on the back back burner so they can promote Forbidden Door. Because that's that that doesn't work for me. Brother, That's all I'm saying.
Well, I mean like we're all in agreement basically, Yeah, for bid Door.
Is gonna be awesome. So so I kind of to segue into the next topic. You know what, can we Are we really happy with what's going on creatively right now? And do we see you know, the long term, are we building into our bigger pay per views or like, does it finally look like there's been a shift in where we kind of been deadlocked in some of the stories, you know, the death Right, Yeah, the death Rids. You know, it seems yes, it looks like we're starting to push past past some of that stuff.
Do you know if they've gotten new people producing backstage because Kelson brought us up to the flow of the shows is a lot better. And I mean even from Dynamite to Collision, but even Interra show and I want to come back to something I thought that was really creative. They did a couple of weeks ago with Max cast he bumped into Hangman and Hangman him. I don't remember
what happened. They had beef backstage, and then Hangman started following them, and then like twenty minutes later, thirty minutes later, Max comes out and somebody's cutting a promo and he gets in their face and he's like, hang Man, it was a Jay White maybe, and then like boom, Hangman's music hit. Like I thought that was a real clever way to weave stuff in, and that's stuff they didn't do before.
So I don't know.
I don't know if there's somebody new producing, but really, since the Hammerstein shows these everything seems to fit. It makes sense. It doesn't all land. Sometimes a spot doesn't get over, sometimes an angle falls flat, whatever it happens, but it makes sense. There isn't a lot of stuff going on that I'm like, why did that happen? Or what's this all about? Like everything seems to make sense
on why it's occurring. So I'm really interested to find out if there's new people helping to produce, or they just they've done some different changes or some folks got elevated, because it definitely feels like a vibe change for this year for sure.
In your point to Barry's point, I agree with you, Like when people are bumping. MGF bumped in the Hangman and then they did something. Megan Bain bumped in the Chris Statlander in between matches. One was going up the ramp and was coming down the ramp. Megan Bain then returned after Statlander's match and took Statlander out. And now look what's happening. We've got a match between Statlander and Baine, which was not It doesn't seem like it was a
one off. We've got a story that's actually expanded now to both Penelope Forward and Tho the Rosa. You know. One of the other things is that we noticed you were not all the talk on Tuesday after Dynamite Barry, but we have the entire itinerary of the show up in our chat. You have to scroll up forever because we had some guests chatting. But the point is it was like fifteen different segments in a two hour show.
Fifteen different segments, some of them repeated, like something that happened earlier in the show, they went back to it in the middle of the show and then had the match at the end of the show, or had the confrontation at the end of the show.
Really well paced.
Yeah, the shows with Remember this is a fifteen hour show with how four or five matches on it, But you had different things big whether it was backstage stuff in rings, donal vignettes. You had all this stuff going on, and as you said, it just flowed one right into the other seamlessly, and it was really well done.
Yeah, they struggled with really, I mean they struggled a lot in twenty twenty four. I don't think anybody, anybody who's a fan of AW objectively you should be able to ack knowledge. They struggled a lot with that. There was a lot of challenges with that and the recap packages, even little things like like the announcement for the crew. Right, so maybe some people don't like action and ready and we are rush. That's fine, but we have some beef to them. They have a name. Now, we were getting
some vignettes. There's something there. Whether they get over or not, as separate like that's the kind of stuff you want to see. They're presenting somebody as a big deal and when they come out, it's up to them to get over, you know, give them, give them some wins, do some stuff. But they're doing the types of stuff to focus on reducing a professional wrestling show instead of just putting on an indie show with matches that.
Is on TV.
And that's what a lot of TIN twenty four felt like. It was just I'm going to fantasy book some stuff. And I think a lot of that was Tony was distracted, you know, he had to deal with the media deal, and now that that's over. I don't think it's a coincidence some of this stuff seems a little tighter since that's all behind you.
Now here's the thing, Barry, I will say this, I have the top mod over at Great Dost, a wrestling subreddit. Now, the Great Dost Wrestling subreddit is a general pro wrestling subreddit. However, since there are more w WE fads, th AWTNA Do Japan and all the others put together, it's got a lot of predominantly WWE fans and specifically WWE bands. There are a lot of people on that subreddit that watch
everything voraciously and that's great. But yesterday there was a post Maaid, a topic made that was simply stating what's going on with aw okay And it was meant to say the way it was worded didn't really be lie what the meaning of it was the person who posted want to know what's going on with AW, you know, like, how is it? How is it right? And you had people that obviously watched AW recently saying, oh, they're doing this and they're doing this, and they're doing this and
they're doing this like you've been saying. But then you can tell that there's people that only watched AW maybe middle of last year, a couple of shows, and they're like, they just put out bagger matches for the sake. I have it banger matches and there's no story and stuff
and there wasn't. They're right, I absolutely agree with them. Yeah, I love watching begger matches, but I don't want to see banger matches after banger Match, you know, every week, because there's only so many people you can put together to banger match. I want to see the story. I want to see it mean something. I want to see, you know, something to get me. Not only not only to get I want.
To get marinate. They're getting stuff marinate. The shows are better paced now and they're not throwing eighty five matches on and they're letting it marinate. So like when Moments happened, you were allowed to appreciate that before something else is thrown right in your face, and that's something they really struggled with over the last eighteen months.
Yeah, we can.
We can. We have a chance to breathe when we're watching the show now, and it feels more fulfilling because at the end we're satisfied, We're able to digest what we just consumed. Is opposed to being overwhelmed again by the next high flying or hard hitting match. It allows to marinate. They're slowing it down a little bit and just the right amount, so it feels more satisfying when
you're done watching it. I walk away from the show feeling satisfied as opposed to overwhelmed, which is what a lot of last year was.
Right, Hey, did you have something to say?
Yeah, I was looking into the shift in production. I'm getting a lot of reporting on people being frustrated over a lack of production meetings, but that does new news
from the past couple of days. What I did want to note is that Tony Kahan did shift his production and some of his creative team when they started talking about the Max deal around last November, that they completely rel they kind of restructured the inner workings of their production when they launched Max and they're continuing to invest and improve on that. They bought some new production trucks, twenty five new camera and camera people. Some of the
stuff I'm digging in. It's not giving a lot of details, but they have made some changes.
So I like the TV production as far as like a producer for a TV show, not necessarily the AV production. So like who's who's the show runner? Like is the show runner? Is Tony? Like back as showrunner? Or like who's on that creative committee that's actually producing the segments and and working with the agents to pace everything out organized? Like is there new names for that or is it just that Tony is more involved?
Again, very it's Tony.
Since the Jag seasons has been over it, it's been Tony.
So that's why it started around around the Hammerstein shows then yeah.
Yeah, Well one of the things that I think the crowds the venues that the AW has been at have been smaller. The crowds have been more h condensed, and they are surrounding the ring instead of just being on one side of the ring.
Now they're not terrified.
Yeah, they're right, I mean they're they're showing the entirely. Sure, they're smaller arenas, that's fine, but the sound fills, you know better. They still need to work on the sound a little bit, you know, to give the crowd a little more because I was laughed. I was laughing. On Saturday night. I did not watch Collision live. I watched it after the Atlanta United and Montreal game because I'm
a big MLS fan, specifically of Atlanta United. They Atlanta United, who had a home game and they were in front of sixty five thousand fans, and they must have the old aw production crew out there, because sixty five thousand fans and you could clearly see that that they were going nuts, and you would have sworn to with six
fans in the in the audience. I mean, it makes a big difference as far as how much you enjoy a game or a wrestling show when you can hear the fans and almost as a TV watcher, interact with the fans because you're seeing their reactions and it's making you react. That's the other thing that they've done well is that the arenas are not dark anymore, so you can actually see the fans, not just the first three rows but everybody. Yeah, and it makes a difference.
Yeah, yeah, to.
To put my thing into Yeah, Creative has been doing really well again, like it's it's focusing on ae W. Cannon with AW original content and it's amazing.
And to add on.
Quickly to that point of the audio. As a veteran of complaining about Aw's audio, I can say that they still got a little ways to go. I mean, they're getting better, but until they don't choke a Pittsburgh show a yeah, may But yeah, I think Creative has been popping off, although beside the audio, I think they have trouble developing their stars. But I believe that's the next topic. So anybody else had anything else to say?
No, As a matter of fact, I think this is a good place to end the show. What do you think Shane?
Oh?
Yeah, man, anyone got anything for pot pourri?
Oh yeah, let's talk about potpourri. Does anybody have just something off the wall that they want to talk about? Oh?
Yes, I absolutely do. See the I complained the other day on the Reddit about the merch. I don't think they're doing that well with the merch designs, Like it's just black t shirts and then words and then I tried improving the ops T shirt, and then the aw fan Hubb universe universally said my shirt was worse than they were agreeing that aw you need to do something about the merge.
Are you are so you're definitely down with the opps? Then? Right? Yeah, Okay, he didn't get the joke, Chase, he didn't get it at all.
You know, me tell me the joke after.
I wanted to make I wanted to bring up the Ryan MTh lawsuit even though I was you know, it was made pretty clear that I should, that I should, But I'm doing it anyways because I was one of those CM punk tinfoil hat wearing guys way back when. No, really, all I'm gonna say is, it's gonna be really funny to see all of them have to be in the same courtroom together, with Punk and Tony Kahan having to be on the same side.
It's not gonna get to that point, you know, I'm not going to get that far. The funniest. The funniest part was the lawsuit itself, because it looked like a middle schooler wrote it for his like bit term exam paper in English class. It was so amateurish. You don't have to be a lawyer to realize that that was just preposterously bad. That was just me.
That's kind of a lot of how their like lawyers is worded too, like it's I don't know anytime I've read like actual from a thing, it's either like way too complicated or it's like very like.
You said, kind of almost childish.
It was.
That's It's why they teach you that structure in school for writing, because that's the structure that's expected of you.
I was waiting for somewhere in that document for it to say and and Nema said that CM Punk was a poopyhead because that was the kind of stuff that was in there. I mean, it was this is so childish. I mean, who wrote that? A lawyer could not have written that. I'm sorry, that was like a screenwriter wrote that hit.
Now, you probably won't find a lawyer that will handle it.
I mean, who's going after Punk?
The dudes?
Worth?
The dudes now making three million dollars a year.
Just for being on.
Retainer with WWE, not counting everything else he's doing for them.
Well, my pot poiri is uh it's got to do with uh pyro believe it or not. Have you noticed that there's been a little bit more Pyro in AW, not much, but a little bit more. And my estimation, we've seen Pyro for Kenny Omega, which surprised the hell out of them even since so in the ring. Who
else have we seen Pyro for recently? And like the last week or two, I know that the Hounds of Hell have had Pyro, Julie Heart coming out by yourself as Pyro, and I made a comment on the internet on on aw Fanto, I'm saying that, well, it's kind of obvious now. Kenny Omegan got Pyro, you know, as a solo wrestler. Juliet Hart got Piro as a solo wrestler.
AW just told you those your next two champions. I don't know which belt they're gonna get, but they're definitely gonna belt because they're not gonna get Pyro to just anybody. They're gonna give it to the champions.
Two things about the Pyro that would make me even more happy. One is if the ups got Pyro that I'd be even more down with them than I am right now. And secondly, just like for any wrestler or like multiple wrestlers. I don't care give them more pyro than he gave Adam Copeland in his WrestleMania and like, like, imagine the most pyro filled Andrew Mania entrants ever, and then multiply that by ten and then I will be happy.
Well that's my that's the point that I wanted to make I brought I'm glad you brought it up. If there's one wrestler that should just get pyro, it's Adam Copeland. I mean that's part of his thing. I mean, the whole his entrance is part of it is doing that whatever he does, the bouncing up and down to his pyro going off. The last time he came out, he kind of looked over his shoulder to be like, am I getting piro? You know what it did? And so he took off. Did you anybody notice that he kind
of did. He paused and looked over his shoulder to see me at Pyro and he was like nope, and he and he went on his way to the ring. So I just thought it was interesting. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, I mean they kind of blow up the arena for Adam Copeland because that's I mean, he is the one wrestler that needs it. I mean, that's his thing, it's his, it's his trademark.
I think they need to the like the M eighty boom when Adam Cole does his some boom thing on his entrance. You don't even need Pyro for him. Just just pop on those big old booms.
Yeah, and you know, maybe a sound of you know, I'm not going to say it. I'm not gonna say it. I'm not gonna make fun of I love Eddie Kingston. I Am not gonna say anything against.
Love I love.
I'll say it. They just they just they just need they just need to make a sound of, you know, a fart sound when Nadie Kingston comes out to the ring, you know what the but they've.
Already got the farts for Don Kallas family.
When you do have Adam uh Cole coming out with pyro boom, you could say he's lighting the fuse the boom.
Well, does anybody else have anyries? Anybody? Nope, speak now or forever hold your pieces.
I'm just gonna be quiet because I'm not fully sure what that is.
Still Prie is basically you can say anything about anything in a w or wrestling as a whole.
You know, just a short topic, all right, got you? Yeah, No briefcase should be the new belt.
Just strap straps on either side of the handle and strap it to your waist.
Just open it up to reveal that the straps have been connected on the inside the whole time. And it's like just the open briefcase across the midsection.
Right right, aw and sharpie on the front of it.
There you go and perfect.
Hey Kelson, I got one well for it. So I think I mentioned a couple of times. I'm a big fan of the kings Row era of al Japan, and thanks to the return of Samoa Joe, I've been inspired to look at some of his back catalog and came across his match with the Al Japan legend Kenta Goobashi. So if anybody out there enjoys hard hitting, stiff matches with two hosses like the original meat match, go online.
It's a ring honor match between Kent Takobashi and Samo Joe from I want to say it's like two thousand and two, two thousand and three. I think it was right at the end of his pro wrestling Noah career.
It's about twenty twenty five minutes long and it is an absolute banger, and so I've seen it a couple of times, but I went back and watched it again and just want to encourage anybody who is curious about that era for wrestling and Joe and his youthful prime before TNA run and Kobashi at the end of his his run as a big name internationally. It's worth checking out.
Sounds interesting. I may actually have to check that out. Please, if you have the link to the video, post it on discord for it, I will do that. I'll put it in the chat. Oh and then anybody and that's listening, you can. We share a lot of interesting stuff on our discord. Some of it's not wrestling related. It's just buddy stuff to we find here and there. But we talk about AWWWETNA, Joshi, lucha, everything, so and it's pretty active.
And if you're worried about trolls and tribalism, am I lying? Guys? There's none of that on this discord. I don't understand. I don't understand it. I mean I haven't had to remove a post on that discord other than every once in a while you'll get a spammer coming in and trying to sell their only fans. But even that's not very often.
Really, it's your only fans, Kelson. I'm really getting sick of you posting.
I mean, we can only yeah, hey, Kelson without getting murded.
Yeah, what is Griff Garrison? Ahoy y? Jungle Boy? Don't even started is jungle Man? So that's that's what do you think, Jane. That's the end of the show.
We call it the end of the show today. We had we had a good one today, guys.
Yeah, that was a pretty pretty good discussion and we didn't express hate toward each other. That was something else. That's a good thing. The reason I say.
Linked to them. Joe Kenthakobashi matches in the Classic Wrestling channel. If you are on the discord and want to check it out, it's thirty two minutes, although I think the match itself is only about twenty five.
There you go, so you will be checking that out myself. We will be back tomorrow night for All Lee Talk right after Dynamite, So join us here on our Discord channel in the Ignition and all the Talk stage channel. We do enjoy having people in the audience while we're talking, and you don't have to just be in the audience. Turn on your mic, raise your hand, join us. We're all We're not professional podcasters, as you can obviously tell.
We are just awvans talking about AW Everybody's welcome. So for the aw fan podcast team, this is Kelson and.
This is Shane.
Good night, everybody, ye did me