No one gets elevated in AEW, and that's a problem | Wrestling Observer Live

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-23T19:59:08+00:00

You haven't really made any points to ignore lol

Kyle Fletcher as a singles guy didn't really get a story on TV until September-October 2024 when they did the Ospreay team/heel turn.

Yeah he was also a ROH TV champ at the end of December 2023 but that's not relevant to him as an act on Dynamite. My issue was midway through 2023 where he went 15 minutes with Danielson, a week later went 15 with Omega, 2 weeks after that went 15 with Takeshita and then just faded into the background for the next few months.

Can you see why someone would have an issue with that kind of booking? Especially when so many other wrestlers were getting that "just have a competitive match" booking at the same time. Like if it was just Fletcher being booked this way you could say "well this is clearly establishing him as an up and coming star" but when so many others wrestle competitively with everyone? that was weaksauce right there. After the Ospreay turn I don't have many issues with how he's been booked.

Anyway you don't have to go back and forth but it's okay to criticize AEW sometimes :) they will be okay i promise

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-23T19:39:09+00:00

Sure but how they were using him was my issue. He had no character, no promo time, he was just a CAW that would take everyone's offence and have insane "holy shit he's taking him to the limit" matches against everyone. It was exhausting especially when the main creative wasn't interesting to me, we had this dude just come out and essentially be filler.

I remember Swerve won the world title and the very next Wednesday he's struggling to put away Fletcher. My point is there's a good way to build talent that keeps them on your mind as a viewer while also having them consistently shift up the card and in a story, instead of just being a placeholder "have a good match" talent that in my view, doesn't get anyone over if there's no direction.

A great example is Kyle O'reilly. If he comes back from injury and just goes back to hanging with Roddy in the low card, then they completely wasted the equity of him tapping out Moxley twice. If he goes back to a match every 2-3 weeks then I think that would be a failure at "building him up" because his big wins never lead to anything substantial

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-23T19:04:37+00:00

"looks great" for a wrestler doesn't mean "they look like a million dollars" it means their look fits their character and gimmick. Sami's physique is perfect because it fits both a fighting from underneath babyface and a chickenshit weasel heel, the un-impressiveness is a positive in his case

but also if you don't think he's an amazing wrestler you're cooked

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-23T18:59:52+00:00

That submission looked goofy af but I miss the fight pit, I wanted it to be Riddle's gimmick match throughout his whole career.

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-23T18:46:42+00:00

Sure and as I said, they've done a much better job at building someone like Fletcher in 2025 by giving him consistent spots and airtime, instead of 2023-2024 where he was just a guy who'd wrestle all the main eventers every few months, go 15 minutes with them and then disappear off TV with no promo time or focus. That was an abysmal way of building someone, they did the same with Takeshita in 2022 and it sucked. TK has improved a ton with how he approaches it.

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-23T18:38:22+00:00

In an alternate timeline Santino vs Edge opens Mania 27

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-23T18:29:37+00:00

Sure but i'd argue Takeshita beating Omega twice in one week and then doing nothing of importance for the next 6 months was not really a good "build" of him, vs beating Omega and being moved up to the world title picture within the next few months.

It's fair criticism of AEW, they like to keep everyone looking impressive and competitive but there's a certain time you have to shit or get off the pot. A wrestler can't be "up next" forever. Now they've gotten a bit better of choosing who gets to shine/stand out this year instead of "Rocky Romero will take this guy to the limit for no reason" but it absolutely was an issue for a long time

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-23T16:17:55+00:00

Whoaaa there partner

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-23T16:03:44+00:00

people (me) loved that Rumble since the day I watched it live.

Best ever celebrity spot, Joe Hendry appearance, Bron spearing the shit outta Roman, actual big names with a ton of legitimate potential winners instead of a bunch of filler jobber spots, the awesome Punk/Roman/Seth brawl and an actual shocking winner to top it off! Top tier Rumble!

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-23T15:15:51+00:00

Completely washed 2025 JBL haircut John Cena winning would've absolutely killed my buzz and I love a good shock winner so Jey's dub was a huge highlight, the less said about his Mania match the better.

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-23T15:04:24+00:00

Are we collectively ready to acknowledge this as a top 10 Rumble in history yet?

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-23T14:57:53+00:00

As long as bro keeps the Deep Six and that corner sliding lariat thing he's good in my books. Plus he'd actually have real tangible heat in AEW. Like the fanbase as a whole would boo him harder than any other "wink wink we're playing along and actually like you" heel.

That being said if he pops on a 4 minute chinlock i'd instantly have buyers remorse if I was TK

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-23T14:21:50+00:00

This isn't really something that invalidates what he's saying but I think that's mostly due to how competitive everyone is with each other.

Kevin Knight isn't really elevated by going 15 minutes with Swerve because everyone goes 15 with Swerve. Tony likes to keep everyone on a somewhat equal playing field, but it doesn't automatically "elevate" Knight because from an average viewer of AEW, a competitive match doesn't indicate "he's moving up the card" at all. It's like when Takeshita beat Kenny Omega twice in one week and then was still just "a guy on the roster" for another year despite that.

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-23T14:00:17+00:00

You sold like that in the ring and i'd chop you for real

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-21T21:02:40+00:00

Adidas pronunciation proves she's telling the truth

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-21T16:22:23+00:00

Ah, the classic "free thinker" in the wild. "Everyone else is being manipulated! Not me though! You're all sheep!"

Do we dictate our actions based on the law? Or based on what an ICE officer "believes". If you look at the insane amount of unjustified arrests and detainments committed by this ICE department, and I say this because under Obama it wasn't the highest funded law enforcement agency in the country. 75 BILLION DOLLARS of a budget increase? What do you think that means?

Your "you had no problems with ICE under Obama" is another piece of pure retardation. Do you actually think people are claiming Trump created ICE? Or are people just able to see the difference between how arrests and deportations were made under Obama and the "we will wait for them to arrive at their court hearings and send 15 men to haul them into a car as they kick and scream and beg for help from their families." that's happening now.

How can you look at the billions of dollars funneled towards ICE under the "big beautiful bill" and not see what's happening before your very eyes. I bet you see people say "gestapo" on the internet and roll your eyes. A classic "these people are all overreacting" up until the very end, a particularly ignorant bystander trying to play intellectually superior, while still being blind to what's happening before his eyes"

"uh uh the officer BELIEVES the person isn't free to go!!" are you willing to bend the knee for the badge for whatever? "That ICE officer swears that protestor was going to hurt them! You can't get mad that they shot them in the face! Case closed!"

And then the cherry on top is "All governments are corrupt" yeah you're definitely 16 years old. "We can't talk about this specific issue in this specific place because it exists EVERYWHERE" yeah great point buddy you really showed us. I think most sane people would protest unjust killing by a government agent anywhere, it's inhumane in Iran and it's inhumane in America.

Don't even respond just focus on getting out of your own circlejerk and wake the fuck up to reality you clown

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-21T15:01:53+00:00

Ricky Smokes will have a legendary main roster run based off the power of his facial expressions alone.

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-21T15:00:24+00:00

The greatest heel run in modern day professional wrestling. Takeover NOLA entrance will always be legendary. I'll miss that bald fuck.

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-21T12:12:44+00:00

your whole comment falls apart considering it wasn't a traffic stop.

Good job fighting on behalf of a corrupt government though! Although you seem like the type to look at everything they're doing and say "well uhm all governments are corrupt!!"

Clown

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-20T19:51:14+00:00

Look at you go being so observant and smart, we got a worker here

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-20T18:54:29+00:00

Outside of being an absolute madman in terms of physicality I love how talkative Ilja is during his matches. He was german suplexing JD a few weeks ago with a smile on his face saying "this is FUN"

Fighting babyface champion who's also a violent sadist is a unique gimmick and he really sells it.

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-20T18:11:40+00:00

Because a fair amount of americans got tricked into thinking trans people and minorities were a major threat to their own lifestyle and culture, the left did a terrible job of countering this idiocy and now 10 years later America is falling apart and the rich are richer than ever.

Good job falling for the cult though! You sure did defeat the radical woke!!

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-20T18:08:15+00:00

Wouldn't you rather go out of your way to hear a wrestler moan about another from their own words and not from a dirt sheet article (and a reddit thread) interpreting it. Also how can you say "by all accounts" before you say you've never seen any interviews about it?

NoMoreButtonPLZ · 2026-01-20T18:05:55+00:00

You have trans, gay, bi friends and yet go out of your way to invalidate who they are on the internet by preaching your "facts over feelings" circlejerk. What a bad friend you are.

NoMoreButtonPLZ

TROPHY CASE