Doesn't matter what they're doing, Toni Storm returning on Rampage was bad | Wrestling Observer Live

[@xShoTime83x]

0:53 - Without a doubt, Bryan was going to say "Nerds watch Rampage" - caught himself, realizing that him and his base of subscribers are the only ones left watching Rampage.

[@thisgamegavemecancer1813]

i love alavarass calling people nerds, dude weebed for maria and is 5 ft 2

[@Linklex7]

Bryan has a habit of doing that. He wants to call people nerds not realize he hosts a KZbin show talking about wrestling nonstop. That’s a bigger nerd thing than playing video games or whatever else he rages against

[@wildwine6400]

For the cope "shes new" theory to be true, It would also mean that Tony Khan would assume she is new and treating her as though she was never there, making everyone look stupid by going along with it

[@nicodimus2222]

Between this and Jamie Hayter coming back on a fucking pre-show after a long absence, I sometimes wonder if Tony has lost his mind.

[@stevenblakesley]

Combine with MJF fighting QT in a bingo hall under a chandelier, then had a face off with Big Boom AJ. What is TK doing to make these people into stars?

[@Bask3tChase]

*Nepo Baby smashes action figures into each other while chanting* *"Fight Forever!"*

[@kingslayer2999]

@nicodimus2222 Jamie Hayter new look sucks the Red hair and 70s fashion is giving off Mike Awesome That 70s Guy vibes. She also has lost her Cake ☹️

[@nicodimus2222]

@@kingslayer2999 I agree that she came back with a worse look and less muscle. However, she was very over at the time she got injured, and if used properly, could have been a big babyface and helped the division instead of being a popcorn fart that nobody cares about. Looks matter, outfits matter, conditioning matters, intro themes matter, and booking matters more than everything else.

[@Hulkling93]

​@@nicodimus2222No longer having the thick-muscle look is not a surprise given her injury was her back. But, yeah, nothing about her return has felt befitting of someone who was a champion before leaving.

[@toptenguy1]

She has amnesia, so she forgot that Rampage is getting cancelled? lol

[@zemm9003]

There's no reason why she would be on Rampage. I think the storyline is stupid but let's play along for a while and assume it's actually great. Still there is absolutely no reason why she shouldn't have gone to Collision instead of Rampage.

[@ReviewKingMB]

Even though this take on Toni either not remembering who she is or Timeless Toni pretending to be original is a lot more interesting than what i expected. I still wouldnt have put her on Rampage

[@SplitGoose]

Bro the storyline feels like some 2004 schlock straight out of Stephanie McMahons soap opera playbook 😴💤

[@normaningemann3868]

But the rampage ratings are up! So I guess it worked!

[@AllInTheGame01]

Was obviously stupid for AEW to have her return on an incredibly low ratings soon-to-be defunct show!

[@readeroftruths9113]

You missed the whole point of what they are doing

[@steveg9941]

Whatever. Rampage is the O-N-L-Y AEW show. AEW gives any of their women any time in their matches.

[@eds_take]

@@steveg9941 nobody watches the damn thing lol.

[@carlosjanise]

You are as big an idiot as Bryan. It was for an ANGLE!

[@steveg9941]

@@eds_take Wrong

[@kingslayer2999]

Rampage is Cancelled in a few weeks but lets debut Toni Storm on there. Tony Khan cant book a Library 😂😂😂

[@paynexkiller]

Where else would you book a new star? Dark doesn’t exist. SMH.

[@xShoTime83x]

@@paynexkiller What new stars did Dark or Dark Elevation create?

[@al5306]

@@paynexkilleryou wound debut a star on a big show, genius

[@elliott316]

They letting her wrestle with obvious brain damage

[@xShoTime83x]

Toni isn't the first under the AEW banner to do that. 🤷‍♂

[@danehockam-dunn8193]

Take your biggest star from Australia, beat her for the title and have her disappear off tv for months, then bring her back on a cancelled show with a new gimmick 6 weeks before your first Australian show. No wonder the company is in the toilet. Oh, make your other top Aussie talent a heel while you're at it. That'll hype the crowd.

[@stonetic2515]

Do wrestlers somehow not have access to the hundreds of hours of broadcast television they were on? Seeing everything you've done in the last 10 years would clear up amnesia real quick.

[@xShoTime83x]

Toni is just one the hundreds of thousands of people who have stopped watching AEW programming. Plot hole is fixed.

[@Meatball2022]

Meltzer is useless. Unsubbed until you drop him. Meltzer is the Eddie Trunk of wrestling.

[@TMPS93]

I appreciate Bryan so much for refusing to back down. A bad story is a bad story and as nice as Jim is he is infamous for his blatant tribalism.

[@mattypaul87]

Definitely should've have Toni's return match be on the next Dynamite where the most people will watch. If they are doing some sorta multiple personality angle with her, best it's done on the main show.

[@johnnymittle]

They will do it on the main show too. There was zero downside to having it on Rampage and Collision too.

[@carlosr6462]

@@johnnymittle The downside was that her debut was a cold match against a jobber and nobody watched it. Rampage was watched by less than 300k so the other 300k people that watches Dynamite would not get what they are doing with this story. Popular wrestlers (ex champs) should be treated as top stars, MJF wouldn't be making a returning match on Rampage, perception is everything, only smarks don't question this booking decision because they are chronically online know-it-all nerds.

[@johnnymittle]

@@carlosr6462 Notice how you had to say less than 300K, because Rampage got a decent 100K boost due to Toni wrestling there. 100K extra people tuned in. And if nobody watched it in your opinion, what's the problem? For most AEW viewers she will next appear for them on Dynamite anyways. And the jobber was one of the more entertaining characters for the women. Harley Cameron. The match was not cold at all. Dynamite will get the story. You think they will not continue the memory loss story? I repeat: No one misses anything and they got a 100K boost on a show. You are trying to say it's a bad thing.

[@zemm9003]

​​​@@johnnymittle because this show is cancelled and her debut/return match should have been treated as something special. What you are trying to say is that AEW is too incompetent to capitalize on her return match so it doesn't matter either way and I agree with you there. However if they were as competent as WWE at promoting big returns they would have made big business on Dynamite with her return match (since she is the most over woman by far) and for this reason good booking dictates that this should not have happened. What you said basically is that AEW booking is so terrible that this isn't even a mistake. Correct, AEW booking is so bad that it has literally no impact, however the best way to start improving the booking is to abide by general well known booking principles and as such she should have only wrestled on Dynamite.

[@johnnymittle]

@@zemm9003 What does cancelled Rampage matter? AEW is shopping around another 1 hour of TV with Shockwave AND a potential ROH show. Of course they will put some focus on their current one hour show. And they proved they can boost it like they did with Toni. And you are still missing that they are running another story with her. One where a big match return would not fit. She's the top star because of her wacky character act. She's refreshed that with a new angle to it. This will boost her overall run instead of getting a one match boost and the doing her same Timeless act. AEW is already presented something better than the complainers and their lack of imagination. "Duh, she have a big Dynamite match back! It be super good!" "And then what?" "You no make me think hard." Already with her segment on this last Dynamite with RJ city AEW showed they are light years beyond the boring plan you all thought would be better.

[@jeremiahmorin1867]

Cope and seethe Bryan

[@Ryan-tm9bd]

Bryan: Nothing happens on Rampage and it's a problem. also Bryan: Something happens on Rampage and it's a problem.

[@PretentiousGit]

@@Ryan-tm9bd rampage is a fucking cancelled show. nobody has complained about nothing happening on rampage

[@vishalthefirst4140]

If Toni thinks she has just signed with aew, then will she go on podcasts and interviews to do a "tell all" about her wwe experiences. Without it, it won't be authentic.

[@TribalThief]

Jim valley is the biggest simp for khans clown show on earth

[@Scottoest]

Whatever the story is, the bottom line is that you had arguably your biggest star return on the show with like a third the viewers of Dynamite, that is literally going away in a few weeks. Even if you could somehow argue it makes complete storyline sense, it's idiotic from a booking and business perspective.

[@johnnymittle]

OK, make that argument. You say it's bad. Now tell us why? It makes perfect sense in story. She's new and wants to get into the ring quick. AEW in kayfabe has had success by letting her follow her delusions. Timeless was money for them. Any story beats of her being delusional will be repeated on Collision and Dynamite so no one is going to miss anything. They all saw her on Dynamite. They know she's back. Most viewers will not know they missed a thing. So what is the problem?

[@jonlewisclips]

She returned on Dynamite, though.

[@natebaxter9551]

​@@johnnymittlemost viewers have the Internet. Stop pretending there's a huge casual audience for AEW..

[@SplitGoose]

​@@johnnymittleBro you don't even know what the storyline is. It's not even sure that she's delusional or if it's some plot to "trick" May. It's jumped the shark and they don't even know what they're doing, that's why they can't give us a competent storyline. It's bad because it's objectively bad. Poor writing, poor business practices. It's not interesting to most people. Only sick people like it. It's your guilty pleasure because it's shit but for some reason you like it. But you should be man enough to admit that it sucks still

[@keni95851]

Lol "stars" in 2024

[@WillS724]

Bryan acts like this is the first and LAST time Khan presents God awful booking

[@dolandarkxgrandayy6953]

AEW have always been bad, it's just WWE were so much worse until they weren't. Now AEW looks horrendous by comparison.

[@carlosr6462]

Exactly, pro wrestling was garbage in 2019/2020 and AEW felt a little bit better than whatever the fuck Vince was doing with his promotion. Some people forget how embarrasing was to watch Jimmy Havoc, Joey Janela, Marko Stunt, etc. back in the day.

[@hannaford111]

Agreed. I thought the first few months of Dynamite were decent, but once they entered the "Pandemic Era" it was all downhill from there and they never recovered. People act like AEW has only sucked for the last few months. This is as bad as it's pretty much always been. AEW has had some highlights. Some genuinely entertaining stuff with guys like Cody, MJF, Eddie Kingston, Punk, but on the whole, AEW is just an Indy promotion with billions of dollars backing it.

[@decepticonxhunter4850]

There was NEVER a time where WWE was "so much worse" than AEW. Idk how anyone can even attempt making this kind of claim. Even the worst stuff WWE put out going into this decade was still better than AEW.

[@Linklex7]

@@decepticonxhunter4850not even close. 2019/2020 WWE was awful. That was when Raw started dipping below a million viewers. WWE didn’t get hot till Vince got the boot.

[@staticcharm3808]

Bryan doubling down on a terrible take, instead of being man enough to admit he was wrong, shows why WOL has fallen so far and barely anyone watches/listens.

[@dankestranch8738]

lmao you guys are like a cult

[@shawnmand5607]

Then why are you watching/listening?

[@werewolfy4]

They watch the most too.

[@johnnymittle]

@@dankestranch8738 Look in a mirror.

[@MrRyanlennie2005]

They gave more heat to AEW having a match on Rampage that TNA hiring and pushing a woman who spits in black peoples faces and calls them n*ggers. Unreal.

[@PhenomenalOne1000]

Bryan ur still the biggest nerd so u shouldn’t be calling anyone that word

[@steven80406]

Thank the lord that Bryan is making sense of this. I have no clue how anybody can defend her being on Rampage

[@loscanada2011]

I think this also proves Bryan lied about people in AEW being mad at Tony Khan. If this was for a story that means they already knew. Bryan should just take a few weeks off

[@jamesmaskell3743]

Doesn't prove anything.

[@carlosr6462]

they can know what's going on and still be mad at the decision to make it on the dead show

[@benespinosa6725]

why have toni storm's return on rampage a show that's getting canceled and a show nobody watches that hasn't been good since the CM punk debut episode 3-years ago plus it's on after smackdown why not put this on dynamite but tony khan says that everything's great what's great you not making sense he's basically doing what vince used to do insult our intelligence it'll only get worse from here going on into 2025 they don't care about us the viewer they only care about the money they're getting.

[@dejjoe345]

Hey dummy. It was for an ANGLE lol. Toni thinks she is debuting and at the bottom. Bryan screwed up.

[@johnnymittle]

Cope harder

[@benespinosa6725]

​@@johnnymittleLMAO I'm saying the truth come on use common sense and logic why have toni storm's first match take place on rampage a show that's getting canceled and a show nobody watches why not save her return match on dynamite at least it'll get a decent rating not much because AEW'S "creative" sucks you telling me to cope harder tells me that you're saying that because I'm stating facts.

[@vigoroushero8623]

​@@benespinosa6725The guy is silent now that the results are in. 279K. Around half of Dynamite. He's the one who needs to cope! 😂

[@carlosr6462]

Only chronically online know-it-all wrestling nerds don't question these stupid booking decisions. AEW should treat their most popular personalities (ex champions) as top stars, even if MJF was in an storyline where he is suffering amnesia he shouldn't be taking bumps or selling for a local jobber on a soon to be dead show. AEW lowkey buried Toni but the smarks wouldn't understand this because they "JuSt EnJoY wReStLiNg".

[@AlmostPerfectMedia]

Nah, this is fun and awesome.

[@bryanfahey3144]

The flaw to Bryan’s argument is that when Storm originally debuted, she already thought she was a big star. If she has “amnesia” and thinks she’s a new wrestler, I can understand the angle. Look - in a traditional angle yes - you don’t debut her until dynamite or first match on PPV but this isn’t a traditional angle.

[@zemm9003]

The angle maybe but not Rampage. Rampage is getting cancelled. If this was Collision then you could make an argument why it is not bad.

[@carlosjanise]

Bryan won't even admit he was wrong. This is why Dave and him have fallen off in 2024

[@TribalThief]

Dave fell off when khans clown show started, he's wrong every single week

[@TheEWFX29]

How is he wrong? You book the big stars on the main show and your scrubs on shows like this that nobody watches. You obviously dont understand that but that how professional companies work. You make the biggest bang with your stars on your main show. Its like the Rock returning on Jacked. Why? Dave is a complete fool, any reasonable person would fall out on him.

[@iamdb1990]

if anything, Bryan has been the most correct this year, he's starting to see the light

[@itsmoonsault]

this channel has become toni storm pr team

[@ethanS7349]

No guys this wasn’t a bad idea because I personally called the booker and he told me

[@Benny_Illini]

Bryan wrong isn’t starting to become the norm?

[@readeroftruths9113]

Bryan simply has to nitpick everything. He’s tried of wrestling so he’s just grumpy

[@betterthanumjf]

Are you still talking about this

[@arkjag2991]

I love laughing at AEW.

[@carlosjanise]

I love laughing at you

[@11sdownie]

We all do. It’s a joke.

[@arkjag2991]

​@@carlosjanise Based, that's why I do it.

[@michaelnagle5482]

Also: Why don’t you have Jim Valley on to talk about this instead of being a coward?

[@JJ-fg2wd]

I mean, that's the answer. Jim is a coward.

[@readeroftruths9113]

So Bryan was proven to be wrong and now is acting like a baby about it lmao

[@QuynhNguyen-zw8uv]

Wrong about what?

[@readeroftruths9113]

@@QuynhNguyen-zw8uv they literally did it for storyline purposes rather then randomly.

[@jessewahwah]

@@readeroftruths9113 And he VERY CLEARLY explained why the "storyline" makes no sense.

[@johnnymittle]

@@jessewahwah No he didn't. He only said she didn't originally debut on Rampage. But that has nothing to do with this. They are not repeating her old debut. They are re-doing it. A wrestler can debut on any show. On her first debut she did not greet all wrestlers on camera like she has been doing now.

[@GeneticallyMortified]

Storyline purposes? No one is going to see it on rampage so no one is going to know what the storyline is anyway.

[@ericrobertson2024]

Anything involving Thunder Rosa flops, it's cringe seeing her on screen with split personality Toni.

[@TheFrontzClub]

it was her "debut" match but she made her "debut" on Dynamite when she showed up at the end of the show on wednesday there was nothing wrong with Toni having her first match on rampage no reason to complain about it was the start of this new story thread for toni and now we see what happens next

[@carlosr6462]

Perception is everything, they wouldn't make MJF return match on Rampage because MJF would've been opposed to that stupid idea. Treat your most popular wrestlers and ex champions as top stars, this is like making Becky Lynch return on Smackdown and then make her first match on NXT or Speed. This was as stupid as Jamie Hayter returning on the pre show and now having a random feud with Julia Hart (we still don't know why Julia hates Jamie)

[@gobo6175]

😂😂 Keep them excuses coming kid😂😂

[@TheFrontzClub]

@@gobo6175 not an excuse Bryan just crying for no reason

[@TheFrontzClub]

@@carlosr6462 MJF had 1 appearance on rampage Toni had wrestle multiple times on rampage come on ya'll making it a big deal when it's not a big deal she was on rampage SO WHAT watch the damn match

[@Kaprak10]

Bryan, I enjoy you, *she debuted on Dynamite*. Her first match was Rampage.

[@theexpertbc1175]

Her first match was in a Owen Hart Foundation Tournament match against the Bunny on Dynamite.

[@Tormund_Giantsbrain]

Straight up irrational hating like the other grifters.

[@keni95851]

Cry more

[@ThereIsNoLord]

Alvarez splits from Meltzer wen?

[@dragonslayer7327]

Bryan completely forgetting that she was on Dynamite before her Rampage match.

[@SiFuSus]

Maybe she thought her debut was the week after CM Punk...in storyline that is. 😅

[@dejjoe345]

Why can't Bryan just admit he was wrong and jumped the gun?

[@TMPS93]

Because he's not and he didn't

[@BigmanDogs]

What is he wrong about

[@steven80406]

Because he wasn’t wrong and he didn’t jump the gun.

[@johnnymittle]

@@steven80406 He 100% did and now is doubling down.

[@steven80406]

@ no, he isn’t. He said her appearing on Rampage, the show that nobody watches and is being cancelled was stupid. Which it is. This shouldn’t even be a discussion. Clearly I am talking to an idiot

[@mattb6616]

this is a classic tony khan bit. if you want to be a main eventer go headline rampage and see if you pop the numbers at all. if you don't? you're not a draw and you start getting sidelined. he'd done this to like 9 people now

[@paynexkiller]

Yeah? Name them. All of them. Go.

[@Am0ment0fB]

Tony 🤡 Ha.

[@HectorMartinez]

First of all she did debut on Dynamite, second of all what's wrong with giving Rampage a push in viewership? Third of all there's so many complaints of lack of a story and here they are getting it to you in an intriguing way. You guys are just hating at this point.

[@vigoroushero8623]

Cringe. You AEW-tisitc bots are hopeless!

[@antc1705]

Wrong

[@jonlewisclips]

She debuted on Dynamite, had her return match on Rampage, and was also on Collision in a match and a promo. All three shows. Somebody explain to me the problem.

[@stevemygoodman7809]

No one watches Rampage and we saw her for 20 seconds on Dynamite.

[@jonlewisclips]

@ and she was also on Collision. What’s the problem? Truly.

[@vigoroushero8623]

​@@jonlewisclipsIf you can't see the problem then you gotta take your mark glasses off. Toni should've had a bigger audience than what she got and people like you are glazing TK's bs booking like usual.

[@TheEWFX29]

@@vigoroushero8623 That is why this show will either be cancelled in a year or put on at 1 am on Sunday night until their contract is over. They were resigned to make ratings not take time up each week. This show will be off the air before that contract ends if they keep up like this.

[@jonlewisclips]

@@TheEWFX29 what’s wrong with having her return on Dynamite to face off against May, have a match on Rampage to give that crowd a Toni returning match, and then also have a match on Collision. Sincerely. Explain to me the problem like I’m 5. Also, to add, she was advertised for all of these shows, except for her unexpected return on Dynamite, too. So, really. What’s the problem.

[@silveredgrunion7196]

Question though, Donkey Kong Country (1994 version) or Sonic Mania (2017). Harder than you think, maybe they are getting it right with Toni Storm after all

[@narpanox1]

Both are better than the Adam Cole/MJF saga

[@silveredgrunion7196]

@narpanox1 what's that? I watch wcw! Alex Wright wunderbar!

[@megatinmand5524]

"Theres no stories" "Forget the stories" Theres no logic behind a wwe bot, just stupidity

[@xShoTime83x]

This video is about AEW? WWE isn't mentioned at all. Shocking the Punk mention didn't make this Dubbalo crash out.

[@HeyUontheleft]

Friday’s episode of AEW Rampage featured Toni Storm’s in-ring return, as she faced Harley Cameron. Plus, Matt Cardona battled Bryan Keith, and Deonna Purrazzo faced Shazza McKenzie. In the main event, Powerhouse Hobbs and Mark Davis clashed with Konosuke Takeshita and Lance Archer demo was .08 increase from last week so yes it was for the demo

[@zemm9003]

It doesn't matter because the show is gonna disappear in 3 weeks no matter what.

[@chrislewis6488]

Rampage?The old video game?

[@zartan215]

No, the movie with The Rock and the albino ape!

[@michaelnagle5482]

I thought it was fun and it made sense storyline wise why it happened. Good thing this video is free, cause takes like this Alvarez is why I don’t spend $13 for a subscription anymore.

[@DUARTE99]

Bryan is a fool.

[@WrestlingOtakuReturn]

Still like all the observer does nowadays is talk about how "bad" AEW is. "This is bad, that is bad, this sucks, that sucks" like literally every mention of AEW is negative. Since when did you guys hop on the AEW hate bandwagon??

[@keni95851]

Because it does

[@WrestlingOtakuReturn]

@keni95851 sure thing, WWE shill

[@keni95851]

@WrestlingOtakuReturn yes you mark, there's only 2 choices 🙄 how gullible

[@WrestlingOtakuReturn]

@@keni95851 Lmao like I don't watch other wrestling shows 🤣 What a dope

[@keni95851]

@WrestlingOtakuReturn yet you think if you dunk on AEW you automatically love WWE, what a mark

[@michael-orian5773]

Bryan: Make all the shows feel important Also Bryan: No, not like that

[@carlosr6462]

too late for Rampage

[@michael-orian5773]

@carlosr6462 Alvarez complains no matter what happens in wrestling

[@keni95851]

​@michael-orian5773 never question anything AEW...got it...

[@michael-orian5773]

@@keni95851 wtf are you talking about? Go touch grass lol

[@deslamar1979]

HaHa haha

[@jobe616]

She DID debut on dynamite tho like what are are you even talking about. Just out here telling blatant lies. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6Cuf5KNgpeUhZosi=S4cKiFuXP1H7_tFk