Sports Entertainment

Taking bets on the AEW video game actually releasing in September. I'd say there's zero chance of that myself, maaaaaybe December. ...of 2023.

Keep seeing news reports that AEW has spent $40 million on it, or even $80 million. TBH either of those are likely absurd suggestions. Last official word I got was around $18 million, which is still well above what a game of this nature should cost, but having to build a new engine from the ground up accounts for most of the cost.

Tarrant said:

Curious on how this whole Sasha/Naomi drama works out. I'm sure Naomi will be fine long-term but Sasha had done this twice now. She's a huge name so while I don't think they'll cut her loose, I can see them paying her to stay home for the remainder of her contract.

The issues with that too for both performers is while Naomi and Banks contracts were set to expire soon (Naomi is just 2 months) WWE has freeze stipulations in both of them that says if they fail to perform they can freeze them. If that's true, I wonder how long they can do that before they have to "unfreeze" them?

This has been the most interesting storyline in WWE in some time, sadly.

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If I were them, I would have just gritted it out for 2 months and then walked (I think Sasha's is also up in two months, since she re-signed in summer 2019). They could have gone right onto someone else's show brotherrr. By walking out when they did, they might drag out their contracts for a while, plus there's the non-compete issue.

Basically they have to come back and work for two months in order to be let go, and during that time they could be completely jobbed-out.

Naomi will be fine in AEW or Impact regardless. Sasha on the other hand, I don't know if AEW wants the headache. The two of them walking out on Dynamite might be too big for Khan to resist though. We've never had an Outsiders equivalent for the women. I could see Sasha and Naomi coming in and forming a faction with a third who has a WWE affiliation (Mercedes Martinez would be my choice, but she's already there). Perhaps they have Sasha/Naomi vs. Rosa/Mercedes who are standing up for AEW's honor as two of the champs, only to have Mercedes turn during the match so they can viciously beat down Rosa. This of course leads to Sasha vs. Rosa at All Out or wherever as Sasha takes her place as the Hollywood Hogan of the women in AEW. Have the three of them want to tear the place apart, to the point that even bitter enemies like Britt and Rosa are teaming up against them.

Maybe I'm just desperate to recapture some NWO magic and also see something new happen, IDK. Some good can arise from this situation regardless. Worst case scenario, Sasha gets held up in her contract, then quits wrestling entirely in a fit. Unfortunately I could see that happening. She's my favorite women's wrestler since AJ Lee so I hope not.

This MJF stuff is interesting enough for me to watch DoN live (was going to just check it out tomorrow or something) since there's an "anything can happen" vibe and a lot of questions about what's a work and what isn't.

Unfortunately, BR Live is my only option to order the show, and BR Live is complete dogshit. When it isn't freezing, it's sending me to the order screen and then telling me "you already ordered this show". Yes, I already ordered it, so give me a play option.

Looks like I might miss the PPV AND have to chase down BR Live's customer service department (if there is one) to get a refund.

WWE makes all of this so easy with Peacock and TBH at this point I'm tired of it. At least All Out PPVs go on FITE which always works great, but not the others.

Got it to work right in time for the Hookhausen deal. I guess a lot of people were having issues with BR Live cause they mentioned it on the show.

I thought the whole thing was great. It's weird cause usually I get fatigued midway through the usual 3-4 hour AEW PPVs. Here, I didn't, even though it was five and a half hours long. Maybe because I expected it to go super-long and was already strapped in for that. Or maybe because every match interested me in some way, except maybe Kyle/Darby.

Don't know how I'd measure it against the pantheon of AEW's best PPVs but it was very enjoyable, probably just outside their top five?

Favorite match was the 3-way tag match. Everyone involved in that match is awesome. I'd like to see Swerve and Keith get the tag titles because they really won me over here. Ricky Starks is also a future world champion if he doesn't break himself first doing stuff like that one scary fall to the outside.

There was something for everyone, like most AEW shows. The 5-on-5 hardcore match felt very old ECW and it was comical how Wild Thing was playing the whole time.

Tomorrow I'm gonna re-watch the last two matches (tag and world titles). Don't mind the result of the final match, liked that Hangman kept his integrity. Surprised no one turned heel, which to me indicates that MJF is sticking around. But who knows.

Chris said:

I'm going to guess that in the original long term plan they had MJF pencilled in to take the title from Hangman.

But now they have CM Punk and Daniel Bryan and if they are having title runs, it needs to be soon. Then there's Kenny and Moxley having potential 2nd reigns.

Medium term, if built correctly, you have people like Andrade, Aleister Black, Miro, Adam Cole and Keith Lee who could be champions.

Long term, they have loads of young stars in waiting like Darby Allin, Ricky Starks, maybe Jungle Boy and Daniel Garcia if they can grow a personality lol.

So MJF is probably looking at all this and wondering if he is actually going to reach the top. He could be an insecure asshole IRL and cracking under the pressure without friends to help.

Personally I think MJF is great, but I'm never desperate to see him and they could replace him with "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard tomorrow and I'd be happy.

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"Daddy Magic" Matt Menard is the fucking bomb.

Needless said:

Him showing up basically confirms it was at least somewhat of a work but the whole stretcher gimmick will let him take time off now that the wardlow fued is done

It's weird though because they built MJF up so well to the point where he could believably take the world championship belt, but now what after burying him with 10 powerbombs and turning him into a gigantic pussy over this wardlow fued what do they do with him?

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I don't know. MJF could get released this week and it'd make just as much sense as if he came out and weaseled his way into a world title match. Nobody knows what's going on. He is, if you will, a loose cannon.

Araxen said:

If TK and MJF worked things out, then MJF will be champ in the fall. He'll take the belt off Punk. MJF is so over that the Wardlow squash is just a blip on the radar.

The bigger question is what do they do with Wardlow now? Turn Punk heel, have Wardlow take the belt off him in the fall, and then give the belt to MJF after Wardlow has his run?

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Could see Punk/Wardlow happening at Full Gear, in a sort of echo of Punk/Ryback in 2013 where it felt like neither guy could lose.

In that situation I think it'd be more likely for MJF to show up during the match (after being unseen for 5 months) and take out both of them with a weapon, then throw Punk's corpse onto Wardlow's corpse. With the objective being to make sure Punk stays champion because he'd be an easier opponent. MJF gets a shot soon after, wins title, Wardlow chases him for a while before finally saving the company from him in late 2023 before MJF fucks off to the 'E for a bit and/or doesn't.