aew 2021: don callis’s sunglass game is on point

Should clarify, the thread should remain a spoiler free zone for a bit on Thursdays just to give us Britishers the chance to catch up

I didn't get to watch since I was at work, but MAN a great surprise, followed by some great announcements for the Women's Eliminator tournament!

I kno the surprise but I don’t think I’m gonna watch until the weekend

I just watched the short clip from social media and it was enough to satisfy me. I'm glad there seems to be a very interesting story branch to their current IMPACT partnership.

"no spoilers" was me telling myself not to post any spoilers, not really trying to rein in anyone's behavior itt lol

the door is open

I'm really hype. Our wrestling threads will slowly bleed into each other

(except the WWE one)

just as god intended

After last night’s classic main event + the shocking ending, @kennyomegamanx issued the challenge & @AEW GM @tonykhan has made the match for next week’s #AEWDynamite Wednesday Feb 10, Falls Count Anywhere, World Champion Kenny Omega & KENTA v. @JonMoxley & Lance Archer! @AEWonTNT https://t.co/3qXSLdqrWh pic.twitter.com/vEWbwz1kjW

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) February 4, 2021

RIP that one time luger fought Tyler breeze

I really thought that Tyler Breeze would get the push after that, but man was I wrong. I thought he looked great in that match too.

Now that that spoilers are in effect: WHO IS EXCITED FOR TANAHASHI TO RESCUE PAGE LIKE HE SAID HE WOULD DO ALL THOSE YEARS AGO? DON'T THINK WE FORGOT, UNCLE TONY/GEDO!

I like the idea of 3-belt Ibushi

I actually believe tony would wanna follow that sort of stuff up. I like that the forbidden door isn’t open for the straight up obvious thing (golden lovers) and is instead for kenta v moxley, it shows there is so much more that can happen over time.

Who knew that someone who actually cared about wrestling could come up with something really good and open instead of just being carny (yes I’m still salty about trips v sting)

OH GOD, Trips vs. Sting made me so so mad. NWO strolling to the ring and mugging for the camera just infuriated me.

and Tony does seem very much like a true wrestling fan, in addition to being a businessman, so I imagine that he realizes the crossover will get attention and make that merch money.

Man, that main event, though. Throwing some potatoes, man.

Don Callis feels like the real life embodiment of a character Bob Odenkirk would’ve played on Mr. Show.

Main event was bonkers madness. They’ve done a really good job of still making characters look badass even when they have to eat the unfortunate pin.

main event was so good

It was unfortunate that Archer was the only person who could conceivably take the pin (especially since it was a falls count, no DQ match), without much storyline complication.

Anyway, that was a good bit of fun, I felt.

I'm oddly interested in what's going on with Sammy Guevara; I've never been too into him, honestly, but I am intrigued.

Also, Dark Order's pursuit of Hangman's friendship/membership is just adorable.

women's eliminator tournament starts today!!!!! i'm hyped

I'm oddly interested in what's going on with Sammy Guevara; I've never been too into him, honestly, but I am intrigued.

incidentally sammy's vlog is one of my favorite aew side programs, highly recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THd-MjU3104

this has been fantastic so far. veny vs. emi sakura is my match of the year

Hope that we can see more of them on our regular TVs relatively soon. If travel restrictions ever ease up, I would be down to see Itoh against Shida, Mizunami vs. Rose, Aja freakin' Kong vs everyone.

also excalibur killed it on solo commentary

also aew made the matches available with japanese commentary (featuring shida, who is SO psyched about everything that happens and it's so charming) and that is how i'm rewatching them now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUanKzytWZ0

this is how i learned that youtube shortlinks embed now, lol

Man, I enjoy this even more with the Japanese commentary! I like Excalibur, but with how much NJPW I watch, there's something comforting about the Japanese commentary here.

Also, I forgot to mention Emi Sakura in my last post, but MAN is she always so fun to watch! I was very lucky to get to see her live at Full Gear 2019 against Riho, and I would be very into a match where she challenges Shida.

(That being said, I'm still pulling for Mizunami to win the Japanese block. I was heartbroken that the first round match was between her and Itoh, because I also wanted Itoh to go far...though they might have had a hard time putting her on American TV.)

y'all

Oh, I'm hyped. I flew from Hawai'i to Baltimore for their Full Gear match, and that itself was beautiful. I watched Jon Moxley spit blood and glass. I missed my King of the Deathmatch.

I am so excited for this. I imagine it's their way of writing him off tv for a bit for his kid.

Holy cow just seen the spoilers. This is gonna be nuts.

i haven't watched in a while so ive been missing the entire jp/usa tourney but i just saw this vid and now i kinda have to go back and watch everything. if u don't know maki itoh (like i didn't) it's a great primer!! (also a fantastic illustration of the ddt/tjp model -- for all of the goofiness, it is absolutely bursting w/ heart)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5ZuITjMO14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHfI24c4PhI

crucial dark order/hangman bit in this week's bte

yuka sakazaki vs. emi sakura was sooooooo good

ryo mizunami vs. aja kong was also fucking amazing

what a tournament

bummer that anna jay is injured

I'm hoping that since Mizunami beat Kong, that Mizunami takes the Japan side of the bracket! She's been my pick from the start! Let's go!

Also devastated that Anna Jay, who was really starting to come more into her own as a standout of Dark Order, rather than just a member of Dark Order, has this setback. Though I guess my silver lining was not having to watch her lose to Britt Baker? Here's to hoping that she has a speedy recovery!
Between AEW and NJPW, some pretty heartbreaking injuries.

After a quiet two weeks, Taz was back on form on this week's AEW Dark pic.twitter.com/WcQ8Ulbt4A

— forever tired (@Maffewgregg) February 24, 2021

they've built up this darby and sting/team taz rivalry really well

the zip line is a great example of taking advantage of owning a building

I think Darby definitely benefits from having Sting on his side. The aura of Sting always made him seem larger than life, and for someone like Darby, who is still so young, I am glad that he can get that guidance to (hopefully) take him to the next level.

Taz's stuff on commentary is great. When the table was him, -1, and Excalibur, it really was just hilarious. But I am partial to Tony Schiavone, and all of his hilarious calls that I remember as a kid (and ALSO his calls from MLW before he got scooped up by AEW). Plus he remembered me from drunken Starrcast karaoke, which was kind of him.

Khan's owning of their venue really, REALLY helps. Plus since it's open air, they have the added benefit of being able to accommodate more fans (I have a few friends that go to their shows somewhat regularly). The modifications they've added, the entrances, and the special (cinematic) matches they've had because of it have been fun. I think they've really started to come into their own and realize what works for them and their talent and what does not. A lot of the guys at the top are really keen with storytelling and their characters, and over the past year, it's really shown, even when they've had some less than popular skits/segments.

Overall, for better or worse, regardless of what a lot of people say, Kenny, Cody, and The Bucks (along with Tony Khan) all run things from a place of genuine passion for the business. I know that sometimes a lot of people lose sight of that (myself included), but I've gotta say, overall, I'm impressed. They know wrestling, and they know how to make dollars off of money marks. I appreciate that they seem to be using their power for good, with the amount of indie talent they've had circulate through their locker rooms (Maxx Stardom, WARHORSE, Heather Monroe, Sean Maluta, to name a few of my favorites), as well as the outreach they've done to other promotions (their aforementioned ties to IMPACT and now possibly NJPW).

Also, Hangman is a star. Future World Champ 100%. ACE of AEW. I really appreciate how the rest of The Elite has distanced themselves from him.

imagine some dude at your work knocked over the forsaken door and now you got two jobs

— HANGMAN PAGE (@theAdamPage) February 26, 2021

https://bleacherreport.com/post/trending/a8e77c4f-7c14-4f9c-af44-d2d087bdf677

let's fucking go!!!!

Fuck yeah MIZUNAMI FOR CHAMP LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOO !

this episode has been pretty much nonstop fanservice

in a good way

The only way it could have gotten better is if Big Show threw Shaq through that table. Finally get that revenge for having gotten into INCREDIBLE shape, only to have Shaq back out of their mania match.

This is the most hyped I've been for an AEW PPV in about a year. Very interested to see what surprises they have in store. Already stoked that Mizunami is challenging for the Women's belt, and that freakin' Atsushi Onita is reffing the death match!

onita can’t make it to the states because of japan’s quarantine rules and his schedule

onita can’t make it to the states because of japan’s quarantine rules and his schedule

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Somebody get Nick Gage to take his place.

Is necrobutcher available?

He's probably on too many watchlists to get a flight at this point

Nick Gage just returned from injury, so let's make this dream a reality! Anyone else planning on watching it live?

Any suggestions for 2022 thread name? The year already has shit to talk about with oh, tonykhanpaws tweets and I guess I need to see a death match with the bunny in it

the year of redragon

ok that street fight was the best shit i've ever seen

the year of the bloody bunny

AEW 2022: The year of the bloody bunny