I Watched AEW: All Out for the First Time

[@Dporticus]

Patreon: www.patreon.com/dporticus Twitch: www.twitch.tv/dporticus Discord: discord.com/invite/MnzWwAccEY

[@davidcoombsbestmegadethalb9780]

great video im subscribing All out was awesome

[@JHaller_]

You picked a hell of a time to start watching. This was one of AEWs best ppvs ever

[@stevenightfall6634]

One of the best? Personally it was one of the worst for me. One of the Revolution PPVs is still the best in my eyes.

[@louquay]

​@@stevenightfall6634if that was one of the worst for you it says a hell of a lot about how consistently good AEW PPVs are

[@CharaxterSelext]

All Out was a prime example of why AEW is an alternative to WWE, rather than just WWE 2.0

[@anthonyturner6399]

AEW this year to me has went out and tried to find what makes them different from every other wrestling promotion out there and they are now 7-8 months later they are finally figuring it out. The violence is great, the amount of great matches is incredible and it does feel more raw and gritty now than it did just a few months ago. They are a promotion that has a much money as WWE but is intended to be that more edgier grittier content then what is in WWE. And I think both companies should 100% be happy with that.

[@davidcoombsbestmegadethalb9780]

@@anthonyturner6399 agreed

[@Irgendeinervonunten]

100 % it feels like a different genre. WWE feels like a big blockbuster drama movie and AEW feels like a gritty oldschool action movie with horror elements in it (with all the blood and stuff 😂❤)

[@xKey015x]

It's so weird yet so refreshing to see someone talking about AEW in such a positive way

[@anthonyturner6399]

Especially because of how much WWE content he makes. It makes me so happy to see a new fan of wrestling enjoying AEW because of all the haters n shit out there that shit on my fav promotion while I go out of my way to support every single promotion out there no matter what.

[@davidcoombsbestmegadethalb9780]

@@anthonyturner6399 so right man sick of all the haters shitting on AEW too I supported AEW since day 1 support other promotions too hope all companies do well still a big WWE fan as well tribalism sucks

[@Irgendeinervonunten]

It should be always like this. We have such a fucking awesome wwe product atm and fucking awesome nxt product, a violent and more adult oriented awesome aew product, and all these crazy indys like gcw and awesome mexican wrestling like cmll. Wrestling rules so hard since 2 years its awesome

[@davidcoombsbestmegadethalb9780]

@@Irgendeinervonunten LOVE THIS COMMENT NICE TO HEAR POSITIVE THINGS FOR A CHANGE AEW WWE NXT TNA ALL AWESOME ADD ROH TOO

[@mariejohnson1659]

I want to thank you for giving AEW a chance. You are one of the few people that I have noticed that isn't watching it, comparing everything AEW does to WWE or hate watching it. AND it's fine if you decide it's not for you. So again, thank you for your honest opinion.

[@MagicBavarian]

It probably helps that he didn't grow up watching WWE portraying their style of doing things as the only way to do things. A lot of those see things done differently and immediately view it as a mistake or flaw.And generally, watching it neither as an insecure WWE or AEW fan that has to put down everything the other company does but a... sane human being

[@davidcoombsbestmegadethalb9780]

@@MagicBavarian exactly lets just enjoy wrestling act like adults dont put down the company nonsense

[@deyampert3738]

My issues with AEW: lack of larger than life stars, every match runins, blood for no reason, women blading, people waiting to catch people for long periods, head to head hit me forearm and chop exchanges, people turning their backs to run the ropes, the bushido no sells, the constant kicking out of finishers only to lose with a low blow, 130lb guys beating 270lb guys, people turning on friends with little to no reason I.e Mox and Bryan, zero stories, random matches just to get everybody on the card, random matches period, pushing bums and burying stars I.e Cassidy/Wardlow, constantly taking WWEs sloppy seconds, there are many more but aside from Mercedes and Kamille, this stuff is unwatchable! 😂😂😂

[@Mmgeneral]

As an aew fan from day 1 it’s fascinating to me how many other aew fans get mad that viewers compare the product to wwe… particularly because that was essentially the aew marketing gambit from 2019-2022. Here’s the thing- aew is losing fans/viewers hand over fist. If you want to understand why (and if you care about aew you want to understand why), you have to look at the wwe product and how much better it is. I was never a wwe fan/viewer until a couple of years ago when I was pushed to watch it, but aew fans are kidding themselves if they think it’s the same shit product that catapulted aew in 2019. That denial is a huge problem for the aew set. So tldr, please compare. Both companies are better for it.

[@davidcoombsbestmegadethalb9780]

@@Mmgeneral im a AEW fan from day 1 too WWE has improved slightly wouldn't say its much better at all Aew isn't losing viewers we are not kidding ourselves yes the ratings aren't great so what sick of this comparing nonsense I watch both Raw has got much better smackdown is still terrible sooner watch NXT everything you said made no sense just your opinion wrestling fans think they know everything because they believe all the crap they read yon you tube aeW IS ABOUT TO SIGN A NEW DEAL

[@gaz-l621]

The thing with Perry doing the crucifix pose before taking the final knee strike is basically part of his current character: Because he was 'the scapegoat' for the whole situation with CM Punk last year, his new gimmick has had him focus a lot on sacrifice, usually on his opponents needing to sacrifice things because, well, he's a heel, but in this match (as well as in the big Blood & Guts (War Games) match earlier this year) he's willing to sacrifice himself rather than surrender too.

[@blablablaa14]

The problem is that he's still such an uninteresting character to me. He still hasn't made me actually care about the character he's portraying

[@reggieM2w2]

​@@blablablaa14That sounds more like a you issue than him. He's been killing for so many of us and just like all forms of entertainment not everything is for everyone

[@blablablaa14]

@@reggieM2w2 Oh I get that. I am sure some people agree with me, but personally I haven't really gotten to caring about him yet

[@TerryAlan-w3i]

What about jack Perry? What about jack ? Raven reference for you kiddos …

[@gaz-l621]

@@TerryAlan-w3i I wouldn't be surprised if Perry's gotten some inspiration for the Scapegoat character from old Raven angles and promos.

[@whattheheckification]

I’ve been a wrestling fan for 18 years. This was the first show I’ve ever been to live, and it was awesome!

[@KalEL224]

I was there live too lol. Second all out live this one.

[@punkln0453]

IM LITERALLY A CHANGED MAN AFTER THAT SWERVE VS HANGMAN MATCH

[@enhancedakuma1]

Mox using a plastic bag on Bryan's head was a reference to the same spot happening with Terry Funk putting a bag over Ric Flairs head in the late 80's. Mox has been wanting to do the spot for a long time as Funk is one of his heroes.

[@stingersplash]

Stupid then, stupid now.

[@themilkman5004]

Claudio Castagnoli is a genetic freak. Tall, athletic, strong as hell, speaks six languages, handsome and is funny as hell. He was an eternal mid to lower mid card guy in WWE.

[@ThatGuy-rv1nh]

Claudio is a genetic freak and he’s not normal, so Danielson’s got a 25% AT BEST at beat him

[@spiraltriggerex]

He should check out Claudio and Chris Hero aka The Kings of Wrestling in their prime

[@lwazithesyne4675]

Claudio has a 66 2/3% chance of winning

[@kryceksangel]

​​@@spiraltriggerexand Claudio's wife Sara

[@The00man]

He's still in the mid card in aew

[@kyvanthrone]

The Hangman and Swerve match was freaking insane. Attempted murder

[@GODIAM22]

For the #sickos

[@ktrainsem]

Why even do it? We all know MURDER ain't happening.

[@rriggs6547]

As opposed to Moxley earlier? Or Tony Kahn shortening a media call because he spent so much time dealing with the Page Arson situation? Hogan drove The Giant (Paul White/The Big Show) off the road into the ocean. Funk tried to suffocate Flair. Rikishi Hit Austin with a car trying to kill him. We watched Vince McMahon explode. Wrestling has a few attempted murders every year.

[@kyvanthrone]

@@GODIAM22 I gotta admit, that shit shouldn't be in mainstream wrestling

[@josimarcastilla1501]

"This guy Claudio" XD... I love how new you are in this world, it must be very exciting to discover it for the first time. Enjoy the ride, my friend.

[@phycofox858]

its so crazy that your so new that you didnt get to see Claudio's LONG WWE run as Cesario he had some killer matches while he was with the fed

[@comahan]

I loved Hangman/Swerve, it was overly brutal, uncomfortable, with legitimately sinister and evil vibes - but I think the feud and the story theyve told over the last year earned everything in the match, with two guys hating each other so much that they lost themselves in the process. One thing i'd always recommend is some sort of Hangman timeline retrospective from 2019 to now - hes a master of character evolution. I think it and Ospreay/PAC were both masterpieces on opposite ends of the spectrum, and the variety is one reason I loved this show.

[@25shinedown]

"that style of wrestling" in pac vs ospreay you were taking about is what aew as a whole shoots for, which is why its super important to support them.

[@Nathan-w5b2h]

I was not expecting Willow and Stat to have my favorite match of the night. So good

[@5StarSplash]

I loved that you hated the syringe and cinder block spots I think its playing into the unsanctioned portion of this match to emphasize that the match went beyond PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING for those two Hangman & Swerve is a story of how feuds that start in the ring can get so serious, that all sense of professionalism and dignity gets thrown out the window Im sure it was intentional for us to be shocked and appalled at these spots, and the fact that it was deemed too brutal achieved exactly what it was set out to do (tho id agree full gear was peak wrestling; this one was just peak development for hangman)

[@rriggs6547]

Brings back memories of Taker vs Mankind in HIAC. People actually thought Mankind was dead at one point.

[@tffp_]

It's so cool, as someone who has watched AEW since Day 1 and WWE since I was a baby, to see someone getting into it in a time like this, this is AEWs best year yet, they finally found their complete footing. Trust me when I say it's just gonna get better somehow some way. P.S. the Danielson bag thing is a callback to a match he had around 2005 with Necro Butcher in Ring of Honor, where he did that to Danielson as well

[@markboon2024]

The tone of All Out was definitely different to a typical AEW PPV.

[@stevonwhite8933]

It was Blood feud heavy

[@mehoo8]

@22:04 That means they did what they were supposed to do. You were supposed to feel uncomfortable, supposed to feel bad for Swerve, supposed to question if things have gone too far. Wrestling is a rollercoaster of emotions and it’s nice that the ultraviolet aspect of it lives in AEW.

[@Dporticus]

I mean if they were intentionally making me not want to watch, I guess mission accomplished lol not a goal I would strive for personally.

[@mehoo8]

@@Dporticus no, they want you to be uncomfortable with what you’re watching and stick with it out of morbid curiosity and shock. Seems like they accomplished their mission. For future reference because ik you’re a new fan, If AEW ever announces a Texas Deathmatch or Lights Out match, be prepared for something like this to happen. It might not always be this heated, but there’s always potential for it based on the participants involved

[@Dporticus]

@mehoo8 yea I've seen the texas death match between them. I liked it much more.

[@mehoo8]

@@Dporticus It was absolutely better but this match happened almost a year later and was much more heated.

[@RedfordGuy]

This match is for those who are emotionally invested with the characters. Fans SHOULD feel uncomfortable because we see the progression of Hangman from a hero to a villain. From Anakin to Vader. This is not just about brutality and violence. It's about pushing the boundaries, and definitely not for the fainted hearts. AEW is always about the characters & emotions (also talented wrestlers).

[@korvys]

Re: Moxley and the bag - if he'd just choked him out with a headlock, or even used like a chain or something, people would still have cheered him. Yeah, that's brutal, but it's still wrestling stuff, and fans (especially AEW fans) like to cheer the heels, especially when they're badass, and the BCC especially have a tradition of respect through violence to each other. Using the bag is like "Oh, you're trying to MURDER him murder him." It's another level.

[@adamberger2175]

On MJF: MJF had the longest world title reign in AEW history which lasted from November 2022 to December 2023. He's been out of the World Title scene since he returned in May, but AEW is a bit different than WWE in that they spread out TV time more evenly between programs and the World Title isn't always the main event. Everything MJF is involved with now is treated like one of the top programs in AEW. On Jack Perry: He's nicknamed "The Scapegoat" because he got in a real backstage altercation with CM Punk that lead to Punk being fired from AEW and Perry being suspended for over 6 months. They took a real life situation and turned it into a gimmick where Perry has a persecution complex and is resentful of the company. Since his return he's been willing to take excessive amounts of punishment to win and never gives up. Knowing he was beaten and extending his arms in a crucifixion pose to invite Bryan to finish him off was a gesture of defiance and resilience.

[@gsuave4293]

To address your questions about the Jack Perry ending, it's a thing he's starting to do that aligns with his character, to make himself look like a scapegoat, a martyr at the end, a figure that will sacrifice himself for the sport. He extendes his arms as one last visual homaging those who were sacrificed and stitched to a cross. Also it's like a business thing to still make a character as promiment as Perry look cool and like he didn't go out like a loser.

[@stevonwhite8933]

Heavily taken homage from Raven💯

[@gsuave4293]

@@stevonwhite8933 That too!!! All the way down to presentation. Cool call back

[@TonyOnions666]

It’s very interesting to see the opinions of a relatively new fan. Love this.

[@markboon2024]

MJF hasn't really been back that long and there have been rumours that he may have returned early. No idea if true. Former AEW World champions tend to go back down the card after losing the belt, before getting heated up again at a later time. One of the benefits of such a stacked roster imo, is that AEW can move people around and keep the top of the card pretty fresh.

[@gaz-l621]

Max is also apparently taking time off to go shoot a movie, hence Garcia laying him out with the super piledriver and MJF leaving in a neckbrace. I'd expect him to be back maybe when Ospreay's in the hunt for Danielson's title, based on the promo he cut saying he'd cut Will off at the knees when he was about to win the big one.

[@markboon2024]

@@gaz-l621 Yeah just heard that. Samoa Joe is off filming something as well, isn't he?

[@kami_in_the_skye]

Yeah, Joe is in Twisted Metal.

[@jerelds15]

Claudio is a machine. Watch him do the UFO move. Search it its insane. Claudio in the original ROH was great and his tag matches with Chris Hero as the Kings of Wrestling are fun also. The plastic bag was used way back in the day by Terry Funk on Ric Flair on TBS which is ironic in 1989. Flair said that spot almost lost them TV on TBS. This was PPV that one in 89 was on free TV. I love newer fans and teaching or letting know of history of stuff its always cool cause wrestling history is fascinating. Lol. But loving your content so far, bro. :)

[@gaz-l621]

Mox and another AEW wrestler, Eddie Kingston have wanted to do an homage to that Funk/Flair angle for years and Tony Khan has always said no, apparently something changed and he said yes last night.

[@HENRYINC]

The announcers were necessary for this match to explain certain parts of the match especially that the burnt piece of wood was actually from the house that burned down.

[@DJ-Krimson-Steele]

This isn't the first time someone was suffocated with a bag over the head. Terry Funk suffocated Ric Flair with a bag at WCW Clash Of The Champions VIII back in 1989. I highly recommend that you watch it for context.

[@emm61504]

hangman adam page is the protagonist of aew. from show 1 to now he has the most narrative arc, and if u watch from episode 1 its been about him the whole time

[@rodi3332]

Opening a show is usually considered prestigious as well, rather than being the 2nd or 3rd match.

[@blablablaa14]

It is a pretty new thing, for most of the 2000s the opening match was like a spot fest to get people going. Now its the second most important match on the card

[@stevonwhite8933]

@@blablablaa14 In America, maybe. The opener used to always mean importance to start off strong, in NJPW or CMLL.

[@rriggs6547]

@@blablablaa14 That is more a WWE thing. The general rule has always been Last is best, first is next, and hope people are entertained in the middle. This is how people write speeches, how teachers write lesson plans, how coaches try to set game plans and more. Fiction books always have to have a Hook at the beginning and then things build to the climax. A few years ago Lesnar found out he wasn't going to be in the main event so he demanded he be the first match on the show.

[@blablablaa14]

@@rriggs6547 Yeah I watched wrestling in the 2000s and that was never the case. TNA opened with the X Division for years. WWE opened with fun tag matches and such. Lesner demanded to go first because he wanted to go home earlier, and his demand shows that most of the time the first match wasn't going to be a big deal. That's why he demanded to go first

[@rriggs6547]

@@blablablaa14 TNA opened with tag matches because the X-Division was one of the main draws of the company. Honestly, bigger than the TNA world title picture when Styles, Joe, Kazarian, Shelley and that whole group were in it. As to Lesnar, it was reported by some that Lesnar wanted to go home early. Others reported it was because first is second only to last. Lesnar never officially said.

[@RedfordGuy]

"It's hard to pronounce Willow and Kris's names" -- Kris Statlander used to be in a group called 'BEST FRIENDS' which had the members of Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, Rocky Romero, Trent Beretta, and even Wheeler Yuta. Trent and Kris betrayed Orange and left the group. Orange got upset when Kris and Trent brutally hurt him, so in retaliation, he almost killed Trent. Willow Nightingale was Kris' best friend but just like Kris betrayed Orange, she also betrayed Willow. They are now sworn enemies and have been involved in many many deathmatch. Willow and Orange decided to become friends and formed a group called The Conglomeration which has Mark Briscoe, Kyle O'Reilly, and Tomohiro Oshii (occasionally plus Will Ospreay).

[@jockgoth]

So with MJF opening the show, AEW considers the first match a good & important place on the card because the crowd is hot.

[@ahaziahjoshua1397]

Yeah during OC's international title run he always opened the show and Tony stated in a media call that that spot is for the attention grabbers

[@AndreWakefield]

This is true. Its very common for MJF to open PPVs when he isn't World Champ

[@eagleleft]

*to get the crowd hot. So it's a huge responsibility

[@Thraeryn]

Yep yep. The "curtain jerker" match can set the tone for the entire evening; if you start hot, the crowd tends to stay hot. If you start cold, it can take several matches to warm a crowd up. When you start the show hot and keep it that way, everyone wins.

[@walkerclay4413]

iirc mjf has said if he’s not main event he wants to open to set the pace.

[@louquay]

The syringe spot was genuinely sick. I loved it 😅

[@wagwanbossy]

The texas deathmatch was for sure the better "match" but this wasn't trying to be that, it was 2 people who hate each other trying to seriously hurt the other while locked in a cage. The way you say some of the spots took you out of the match or made you concerned was the whole point of it, we were watching 2 people who hate each other so much that it WAS uncomfortable to watch and we the viewers weren't meant to enjoy it in that sense. They achieved exactly what they set out to do IMO and for that reason I loved it.

[@Grejb444]

I was so interested to see what you thought about this show. This was definitely one of the darkest AEW PPVs they have ever put on. I enjoyed it but I figured it might be too graphic for some.

[@laregalade3069]

Casual wrestling fan are just soft, I love aew because they don’t care about those « fans » opinion, they just do it for the hardcore fans

[@X91X-km7hp]

@@laregalade3069 bad business move

[@laregalade3069]

@@X91X-km7hp u guys care about the business like u part of it, u part of nothing g, stay at your place and enjoy the product

[@X91X-km7hp]

@@laregalade3069 bro, i do actually work for a small wrestling company...

[@ryandavis4448]

​@@laregalade3069it's usually the stans that regurgitate the "business aspect" that podcasts spew, as if they are the ones paying the bills in AEW.

[@ivanwhite8004]

Love your content and clean view of wrestling. The bag over the head is a reference to an old Terry Funk moment from back in the day. AEW is huge in doing call backs to previous wrestling events even if it did not happen in the company. & the thing with MJF is with the way AEW normally works after you lose the title you normally build up some other guys before you return to the title picture like Hangman did with Swerve or vice versa since the title holds such prestige since very few have held it.

[@gaara_of_the_desert1118]

As far as I'm conserned if a spot is too much for you, it's too much for you, no one should tell you how to feel.

[@shanuarkham4592]

Let's go, I am looking forward to your AEW videos. Love the positivity

[@gagemartin7207]

I was there and had a great time in just glad there’s a company that has everything I want in wrestling you aren’t gonna see this many styles anywhere else

[@Juncti]

Day 1 AEW watcher, here's a few answers to questions you mentioned. MJF usually opens up PPV's when he's solo and not holding the world title. Not always, but a lot of times. AEW typically starts with a hot opener to pop the crowd out the gate. If you rewatch, listen to the crowd when his music starts. He's still drawing he's just taking a slightly different path. (I don't know if it's true or just gimmick, but there's also talk he likes to go first so he can get out of town and not run into random fans at the airport since they're still at the show lol) You're right about the tag title match, feels like the tag division has been lagging for a bit. Hopefully it'll pick back up, Claudio however as you've rightly identified is an absolute beast. Catching full grown humans mid flight and just power lifting them into a slam is mental how much strength that must take. Talk is he's also a consummate professional in real life and just in general a great asset to the company as a whole. Osprey and Pac, nothing to add there. Just two world class wrestlers putting on a spectacle of a performance only they can do. You know at some point we're going to see a triple threat match with Ricochet in the mix as well. That's going to be a sight to behold. Willow/Stat - Not much to add, I will say one thing that always seems to happen in these matches when tacks come out, the poor ref has to do counts in the tacks. Slamming their hands down to do the count, or having their knees in the tacks as they jump down into positions. Those refs are putting in work on those matches and likely coming out with some wounds of their own. 4 way - Well said overall, on the Okada/Takeshita face off, I think the big thing there is that it's just a little tease of a future feud that's likely to happen and will probably be epic. This is something AEW does a lot of, they'll sprinkle in the tiniest of hints (sometimes not so tiny) and just let it breathe. Then down the road all those hints will build to a full scale story and matches. Mercedes/Shida - Yeah this was a little rough, not as much as 2 weeks ago, but still. I think Mercedes might still be fighting some rust from the injury. I know she's put on better matches in the past. Hopefully she'll settle in and get better. Not really sure where any of them go next. Feels like Shida should turn heel to get her character refreshed. Jack/Bryan - That last pose was just Jack's scapegoat pose he started, I took it as a FU to Bryan. Like you beat me but my spirit is still fighting. Post match was insane, there are more dynamics at play there. Bryan was the spark of the BCC happening, he came out to talk to Mox to bring the idea of coming together to mold young talent, Yuta was the young talent they brought in. So them brutalizing Bryan in front of Yuta while he was powerless to help I think was the emotional angle they were going for that was years in the making. It's also a little ironic since Bryan's career almost got derailed in a choking segment with WWE a lifetime ago. Not sure if that was a slight wink and nod to that note, but it came to mind the other night. Main event- Yeah not a lot to add. The spot setup with the ref is something you'll see happen pretty often. They're trying to hit all these cool spots they come up with, but the timing of them is really hard so you'll sometimes see the setup linger too much. That's just one of those things, they're swinging for the fences to do this stuff and they only get one take after having been doing extreme physical activity for a while by that point. It always amazes me how they can still do so much towards the end of matches when they have to be so exhausted. Thanks for taking time to give it a honest look, hopefully you'll keep watching AEW. They've really been hitting their stride this year.

[@KyoAlexiel]

I like how you touched on the kick out and how they do alot of it. So im not sure if you heard by anyone saying that AEW is "exposing the business". When anyone says that they mean specifically WWE. Because WWE tends to do very short matches and people stay down when they absolutely can kick out. So it exposes that WWE has light work matches. When you become a hardcore wrestling fan and start watching other promotions you realize WWE has or gets guys that you watched going through 30 minute matches and kicking out some insane stuff and suddenly most there matches is under 10 minutes and they dont kick out of stuff you know and seen then kick out much worse then you realize in disappointment that is the WWE way.

[@JackoVX]

This was the best PPV in 2020s by any company. Yes it was that good.

[@e.rodriguez1551]

I like your perspective it gives us wrestling veterans that have been watching wrestling since the first mania a look at how some of the new generation fans think.

[@philg7196]

Appreciate this. I’m tired of people lecturing us about what we shouldn’t enjoy based of their preferences. I don’t enjoy WWE. But if someone does. Enjoy it. I love AEW. Is it perfect? No. But what is?

[@JusticeAfterDeathExists]

Dude, I love how introspective you are. So much of the wrestling community is consumed with their own egos, but the way you separate yourself from the art of pro wrestling is something that’s so refreshing. I hope this general attitude can spread further throughout the IWC.

[@thegreenpianist7683]

As far as MJF goes, he was champs for the entirety of 2023, that was HIS year. So he's kind of slightly away from the main event scene for now, but still one of their biggest names and mostly involved in high profile feuds. Not every big star should stay in the main event scene for the whole time.

[@gaz-l621]

I think this is an interesting side effect of Dporticus only starting watching recently and with WWE, as WWE's been ... 'all in' (pun not fully intended) on their champions, especially Roman, being The Top Guy for literal years and in The Main Angle the whole entire time. So moving from that to another promotion where the belt changes hands more frequently and a guy who lost the title isn't still the main character just because must seem odd.

[@RedfordGuy]

"I don't understand why they're against this style of wrestling." -- It has something to do with New Japan Pro Wrestling and Lucha Libre because many of the 'flippity' wrestlers are from there. You must check out Will Ospreay vs Ricochet on KZbin where they were in NJPW. Also, because Western wrestling was monopolized by one company back then, some fans disliked anything that was 'foreign' because they were used to some particular styles. Lucha Libre (Mexico) and Puroreso (Japan) style of wrestling are considered to be inferior by Westerner's standards hence the hate.

[@Dporticus]

Will vs Ricochet is one of my fav matches we've watched on the patreon 😆

[@gaz-l621]

Any of Ospreay's matches with Shingo Takagi or Zack Sabre or even Kenny Omega show that he's also more than a one trick pony. There's a perception among some people that wrestlers who work that fast paced aerial style can't tell a story in the ring and compensate with spectacle while seemingly being ignorant of the difference between using that style TO tell a story and when it really is just used as spectacle. (and using it as spectacle can be fine!) Heck, one of my favourite Ospreay matches is a tag team match with him and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs the Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi) in the build up to that year's Wrestle Kingdom (NJPW's big stadium show each year)

[@RedfordGuy]

I agree @gaz-l621 I think NJPW has superior wrestlers (including Zack Sabre Jr) but because it's in Japan, many Westerners refuse to watch their matches. Golden Lovers are the best wrestlers in the world, and it's a shame people refuse to see them.

[@rriggs6547]

@@RedfordGuy I think the issue has more to do with many wrestlers who are more acrobatic. In the past wrestlers like them did moves to get the reaction from the crowd. But there really was very little story telling and often the spots were set up to the point it didn't make sense for people trying to wrestle a match. If you have to pin someone in the ring to win a title why flip on them outside the ring. And why do they stand there waiting to catch you. If it is a tag match and you can isolate one guy in the ring that is different, but usually that type of story is not told. For instance, the match between Ospreay and Ricochet several years ago was a lot of flips with little purpose. It looked cool, but that was it. Ospreay has moved so far beyond that today. His matches have stories leading up to them and then they tell a story through the match. Often one of the wrestlers will sell a body part that is being worked on or they had an injury coming in to the match. Being the Elite even did a gag several years ago with Omega and Page and the Bucks where they wanted to know how Omega put on such great matches. He gave them a book to read about story telling. Honestly, if you watch Young Bucks matches from 2010, they were all sizzle and no meat. Looked cool, but it was forgettable because there was no substance. As for NJPW, most of the AEW hardcore fans watched NJPW before AEW started. I loved watching Okada, Naito, Shingo, Ishii, and many others. And AEW does try to do some of that, but they try to have many different styles.

[@Red0bullha]

The violence and brutality in the Hangman vs Swerve match was totally justified. Incredible show overall. Willow vs Statlander match of the night for me

[@pronotgaming722]

That was a heavily gimmicked chair... Notice how they didn't show the chair hit his head .(The camera just panned out of sight ) . That was basically done to make it feel real for us. The people in the arena saw the chair flip on first impact ...and hangman didn't necessarily put much force into it . Thankfully

[@BigmanDogs]

I wasn't planning on watching this show live, but I ended up having lots of fun watching with you two and the chat 👍

[@Dporticus]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@majinvegeta6364]

AEW PPVs ALWAYS Deliver!!!

[@laregalade3069]

the chair shot chair had a little pink sticker on one of its leg, so pretty sure it was a gimmick chair, and the camera didn’t zoomed on the chair shot itself, so 100% sure

[@emm61504]

i think the best part of swerve/hangman is how the play with viewers imagination and fears. its essentially a horror movie. the camera pull for the chair shot just let the audience make your own judgements about if its gimmicked? is he alive? what is going on? am i ok? thought that was so good. swerve/hangman just continue to push the limits of pro wrestling, and to me that’s exactly what the alternative should be for. i thought they couldve bled more though idk.

[@emm61504]

you can hear the crowd collectively gasp when hangman starts walking back down to the ring after that match. like they had everyone in the palm of their hands with it all being so overstimulating your imagination is going so many places nobody had any clue what was going to or could still happen. nothing predictable or the audience waiting for their cue just real emotion and fear. its really unbelievable stuff from them two. like hovering around the best stuff this art form has ever seen literally. the type of stuff that lives forever and people will talk about forever. look at all the discourse already

[@winslowcross235]

AEW always kills it for the PPVs!

[@crazygingerjakeholden2771]

PAC vs will was amazing, pac is one of my favorite wrestlers ever and will is one of my favorites right now

[@TheRewyn]

AEW is a great product. Hope you check it out more.

[@joshuaelder8983]

The contrast between aew ppvs and weekly tv is mental

[@majinvegeta6364]

AEW has at least one 5 star match on free tv every other month

[@KyoAlexiel]

The people who hating on the "flippy stuff" doesn't really know or understand pro wrestling. It has many different styles. Some of the flips that Will does is a call back to the legendary wrestler Hayabusa who passed away in recent times. So RIP to that guy. Or if they hate on the chops.. which is a call back to Shoot Style and Strong style wrestling. They just dont know until you break out of the WWE mold and see the other styles. Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE is the king of strong style but he doesnt have anyone besides AJ Styles that can do that kind of style with him.

[@KyoAlexiel]

I take back what I just said.. I temporarily forgot about the good brothers and Finn Balor that he could do it with. And now the Tonga's too.

[@MsJackkson]

I would suggest that when you're watching AEW, you shouldn't compare it to WWE (even when it's your only form of reference). It's better to watch the shows with a set of fresh eyes, even when not knowing the wrestlers firsthand. You will catch up with the names and the stories fast, even without a video package. And yes, AEW does have stories. And yes, AEW can be bloody on a weekly basis. AEW is not perfect because it's a young company, only 5 years old. But AEW is not WWE 2.0, they provide an alternative type of entertainment for adults.

[@Dporticus]

I appreciate the suggestion but I actually prefer the comparisons. I find it much more interesting to look for the similarities and the differences. I watch with a fresh set of eyes and the ability to compare and contrast, thankfully. It's one of the reasons I'm enjoying watching other promotions as much as I am.

[@davidcoombsbestmegadethalb9780]

@@Dporticus your truly a wrestling fan respect other promotions too wish more people would be like that this video rules enjoyed watching it love ROH WWE AND AEW TNA really enjoyed ALL OUT

[@nicholaswagner6334]

Glad youre on the AEW train brother! If the only AEW ppvs youve seen this year are double or nothing, all in, and all out and this was your favorite i would totally agree with that opinion. If youre interested in back tracking a tad the Revolution and Dynasty PPVs of this year were on par with All Out (maybe better). But to me...dynasty, Revolution and all out have been there three best shows this year

[@taylorsextonmusic]

Hey dude. Love the videos. I've been watching wrestling for almost 20 years now and ten of those years I've been part of the Internet Wrestling Community. There's a lot of negative stuff out there but your love for wrestling is infectious. It reminds me why I fell in love with wrestling in the first place. Thank you for the content! It's like a comfort blanket for the wrestling soul.

[@gulraizbhutta]

AEW is Awesome Every All out match was Great

[@vegasviking86]

Yeah as others have pointed out, Claudio was Cesaro in WWE. Another victim of Vince's garbage taste and booking. I HIGHLY recommend watching Cesaro vs Sami Zayn 2 out of 3 Falls match from NXT. A certified banger of a match.

[@jagfanbb]

im on a wrestling discord and we shared your video. i just subbed cause i appreacte the fresh view without a bad faith narrative attached to it. thanks for being objective in your reviews for aew and wwe. keep up the great work!

[@TheMegaDudeBroski]

MJF is still very much part of big storylines and a main event guy, it’s just very common for AEW to start off shows with these upper card type matches to get the crowd hot from the start. Garcia is someone with a ton of potential who is a couple of big wins away from being big in AEW and they put him with MJF to try and make him seem like a bigger deal from what I can see.

[@gaz-l621]

This was also kind of a soft reset for Garcia to move him away from the dancing gimmick which had way outlived it's overness.

[@TheMegaDudeBroski]

@@gaz-l621 I don’t know that I’d say it outlived its overness, everyone there live was still super into it and doing the dance. But I do think that there was a ceiling to that sort of thing as far as being taken seriously as a wrestler so I definitely agree it was time to change it up a bit

[@anthonyturner6399]

@@TheMegaDudeBroskiHe can keep it for sure as a taunt but using it as a gimmick and relying on it to make you get a good crowd response is not how it should have been used imo.

[@polrua]

Re: Your question about MJF. WWE tends to have a handful of people who are 'the man'. At the moment, that's Roman and Cody. Circling them, you've got their second tier of Main Eventers. People like Punk, McIntyre, Seth Rollins, Damien Priest, etc... AEW doesn't have that so much. Instead, what they have is a large second tier, any one of whom could step up and be 'the man' if that's the point where their story arc is at the time. It's much more amorphous. At the moment, the two hottest stories are Danielson's last run and the increasingly psychotic hatred between Hangman and Swerve, but one of them could temporarily go off the boil and MJF's could heat up depending on what stage of the story they're on.

[@emm61504]

willow nightingale and kris stat had match of the night and womens match of the year 🔥🔥💯💯

[@GrumpyOldGamer9221]

Claudio played a character named Cesaro in WWE for around 10 years, had some titles but wasn't pushed past a certain level. You may have seen him in older WWE matches.

[@KennySchafer]

Thank you for bringing the positivity! Usually in multi man matches like the Continental title match, they sprinkle in seeds of story lines and tease feuds. This one was really to setup Takeshita vs Okada. Also interactions between the Conglomeration are always fun! The near falls are done a lot of AEW. It still pops me almost every time but I definitely see where you're coming from. The way I like to interpret it, is that it just takes one more move after the previous near fall, if that makes sense. Sometimes it works better than others though. It does fall flat sometimes. It definitely was a gimmicked chair. I hate unprotected chairshots in general, but it was quite clever how the seat portion gave way. But either way I hope they don't do anymore. This match was one of those instances where it felt that the hatred called for it.

[@markshaffer6447]

Go find & watch the Will Osprey v Orange Cassidy match from the first Forbidden Door PPV, absolute banger and you’ll be an OC fan after, he’s one of my favorites in AEW

[@bobthekow7547]

I loved the show last night and watching with you is great! I was watching the ppv on one phone and had your stream on my old phone. If you could only watch one show of AEW weekly (or whenever you get a chance) probably make it Dynamite on Wednesdays. That’s when most of the stuff happens and the day doesn’t get shifted around like the other 2 shows

[@thewrestlingoldhead]

A lot has been said about Hangman Page/Swerve Strickland. I will say, it wasnt as crazy as some of the Big Japan Pro Wrestling matches I would download in .mov format, that was a jumpy grainy vhs render that involved dry ice, pirahna and cactus (Yes, those matches exist!) Its not my cup of tea with wrestling, but it wasnt just thrown together with no build for the sake of shock value. If Punk/McIntyre is John Wick or Marvel than this feud is a Tarantino flick or even Saw. I noticed an homage from Blanchard/TA at Starcade '85 with the wooden knife, so I know theyre doing their homework. The Jon Moxley plastic bag spot was an homage to Terry Funk who did that to Ric Flair in the 80s. And hey, you cant blame AEW for that main event, it literally wasnt sanctioned 😂

[@307x]

You're really starting to get it, I love to see it

[@majinvegeta6364]

MJF just came back from some pretty serious injuries. They are giving him time build back up his character and making sure that they don't put the strap on someone who is going to be right back out with another injury (like all 3 of CM Punk's AEW title reigns).

[@spiraltriggerex]

I’ll just make replies to this comment as I watch to answer the questions you have. Is MJF a big deal or cooling off because of match placement? Matches are usually put together to pace the crowd’s energy. You don’t want to pack the high end matches all later because the crowd can and likely will be burnt out by the main event. You see this in WWE, especially WrestleMania, where they will put a big match like the world heavyweight title on the line first. Your suggestion was correct that they want a strong start, middle, and end while the in between are still good but allows the crowd to recoup their energy. For this show those matches were MJF vs Garcia, PAC vs Will, and Swerve vs Page. MJF is a pillar and him opening is a tone setter. I’m blanking on the ppv, but Will Ospreay opened a show and it set the tone for everything else. Also MJF opening means they get the crowd at max energy no pun intended

[@spiraltriggerex]

When it comes to Jack and the ending it’s really just a sign of defiance when he knows he’s beat. It’s like Jack is in a video game where he has 1% health and no energy to do any moves, so instead of trying to run he basically takes the hit. Jack has done this before where he rather get beaten rather than escape. At Double or Nothing Jack rather be set on fire than admit defeat, so it fits his character.

[@spiraltriggerex]

The bag segment with Jon Moxley was a reference to a spot the late great Terry Funk did in the 80s. AEW tend to be safe when it comes spots like this like unprotected chair shots with gimmicked chairs. ECW and the indies showed me what unprotected spots look like and AEW isn’t that. We’re supposed to have that feeling of “I think this beyond wrestling”. Mox and Bryan formed this team like 3 years ago and they did violent things to each other and others like stab others with screwdrivers and beat the hell out of each other. They needed their break up to be as violent. Behind the scenes wise they need Moxley to not be cheered so him doing something so vicious and cold hearted to Bryan definitely solves that.

[@spiraltriggerex]

The syringe won’t be for everyone, so I get anyone on either side of the fence. I personally think it fulfilled its purpose even though I was cringing throughout. I thought he was going to put it in his arm to knock him out then I thought he was going to numb him or knock him out to pull a tooth out. I was not expecting him to jam it in his cheek. I think story wise it accomplished its goal because Hangman went way too far with it. At that point Swerve passed out from everything in the match, yet he went to the extreme. They later played on Hangman being conflicted. When the match was over and the medics were checking Swerve Hangman started walking back towards the ring with the crowd yelling then he stopped and went back up. I’m not sure if his conscious made him worried about what he done for a second or he wanted to hurt him more. This wasn’t caught on camera, but fans caught this post ppv; Hangman was walking towards the good guy tunnel, stopped, contemplated on what he has done, and then turned around and went through the heel entrance. Hangman has been going through the face entrance the entire feud, but at that moment he finally accepted what he has become. That storytelling is outside the in ring story or the story through segments and promos. Those layers is what made me not mind the syringe at all despite it being insane to see

[@Mattsdmf]

I have to tell you, your channel is a breath of fresh air of wrestling KZbinrs. I love your positivity and curiosity when it comes to wrestling that you may not know about. I’ve been a wrestling fan since the mid-90s and you remind me of when I started watching. I was a WWF guy at first and then started finding other promotions and loving everything for the most part. I never understood the tribalism when we’re all fans and there’s so much out there to enjoy.

[@Aroha8992]

Love watching your tales on pro wrestling brother. Keep up the good work and keep spreading the joys of all pro wrestling

[@sarahdunn5581]

MJF is taken some planned time off they reported today which prob explains why he hasn't been given an epic story arc. Also on Dynamite in Cardiff when he had that prom with Will Ospreay he broke and said 'they all loved me until you showed up' , so they might be playing to this, that he's been forgotten while out injured earlier this year, we'll see!

[@robertaaron6426]

Man, I really appreciate your measured response and opinion. It's really refreshing getting to watch someone experience the product without bias or tribalism.

[@main-lined]

in AEW often times who is at the top of the card will fluctuate because of how many high quality wrestlers they have, it isn't as dominated by a select few as WWE can often be.

[@indykid77]

It really is refreshing seeing someone who genuinely just enjoys wrestling and voices all the things they don’t care for as much in a sane manner, definitely gonna see a lot of growth this year brother no doubt🙌🏻

[@willyousay]

MJF is one of the main guys. Several factors contribute to his recent placement. One of them is that AEW wanted to push Swerve as champion. His feud with Garcia was essentially AEW's attempt to elevate Garcia. I expect MJF to return to the main event scene when he comes back, as well as the world title picture early next year.

[@Mattyman1987]

Will Ospreay has like 8 of 10 match of the year contenders in AEW... and the year is not even close to being over 😂

[@tahsinhasan3960]

Glad to hear your take on ALL OUT and you had fun. Agree with you fully on the analysis for the last match. For comparison, their match at full gear felt easier to tolerate the violent spots compared to the brutal spots from the cage match last night. I didn’t like the Mox/Bryan plastic bag spot purely because of the visual and personal taste, but apparently Terry funk and Ric flair had something similar from decades ago. If you have some time, try to look up Jurassic express, and their history with Christian Cage. I liked the little teased reunion that Jack Perry and Killswitch had in the ring. Loved the women’s street fight! Definitely hard to follow up after Ospreay. Even my wife who’s not into wrestling can enjoy Ospreay matches. I think the Continental match serves a purpose setting up Okada vs Takeshita - both big Japanese stars but DDT vs NJPW Promotions. Can’t wait for their singles match. Claudio is a beast in the ring! He was tag partner with Sheamus in WWE for a while. MJF has opened plenty of PPVs in the past, unless of course defending the AEW championship or challenging for it. The opening spot is important to set the tone for PPV. Cheers

[@updatedude]

1) MJF's still a major player, but he's just returned after a hiatus, so he has some building back up to do as others, like Swerve, have risen to the top in his absence. In WWE, the tippy top guys seldom take long breaks unless they absolutely have no choice in real life, eventhough they'd normally be inserted back at the top when they take their rare breaks. 2) Claudio, fka Cesaro in WWE, was always considered under used. Basically because he's foreign. He's an upper guy in AEW and hopefully will rise to the tippy top while he's still relatively young. 3) Willow vs Statlander: Britt and Thunder Rosa really opened the doors for women US wrestling to go into the next level in brutality. 4) Loved Mercedes when she was Sasha back in WWE. I guess she's just not jiving as well with the AEW girls right now. Hopefully she'll adjust and the styles will eventually mesh. 5) Texas Death Match was uncomfortable, especially with that blood spot (you know the one), but Unsanctioned Cage Match made me wince. I flinched a couple times and for the first half, I felt pain down my back. That said, I was utterly compelled to watch it from start to finish.

[@nickcrispino6014]

Keep up the positivity

[@carlosperalta8271]

I REALLY enjoy hearing your thoughts on AEW especially with you being a newer fan and all, it’s nice to see somebody giving a different show a chance. As for Hangman/Swerve, very understandable where you’re coming from, even as someone who doesn’t really mind the violence I found myself wincing and covering my mouth at a lot of the spots in it. If you’re up for it, I recommend Jon Moxley vs Kenny Omega from Full Gear 2019 if you want (assuming you haven’t seen it). to just try out more of the hardcore style from AEW. Also for some reassurance, if you watch back the match, the chair used for the headshot had a brightly colored pink dot at the bottom of it’s leg. stuff like that is usually an indicator to the wrestlers of what chair is gimmicked to be used in a spot later, so likely it was safe. There are a lot of people online, even wrestling veterans who advise against it and while their opinions are of course valid, I have no doubt AEW, Hangman, and Swerve took all precautions they could have for the spot. Of course, I’m sure the chair had some give, and I’m not gonna say it was 100 percent the safest thing in the world, but when it comes to wrestling most things have the probability of being completely unsafe lol. Really loved this review man, keep it up.

[@bedfordstrangler]

MJF was the AEW World Champion for the entirety of 2023. He took half a year off to heal up and now he's still just kind of maneuvering around, moving between shorter feuds. Expect him to start getting back into the main event scene late this year, especially if Adam Cole returns from injury.

[@drippalo]

I loved the ending bc that’s what needed to happen storyline wise

[@NicklovesAEW]

holy shit for the blackpool combat club's turning on Danielson I was speechless the lights out cage match was my favorite match of the night

[@davestephan3288]

I think Shane Omac is coming soon

[@goatbrook9065]

Aew was wilding out at all out. Every match was at worst solid to at best insane. And i love punk ans drew but at this point hangman and Swerve might be the feud of the year, those two are cracked out

[@emm61504]

the mox turn rules, the Blackpool Combat Club story is i think on youtube as an AEW Timeline video. Seeing Claudio turn was really what was heartbreaking. Mox has a sick streak and been weird so i expected him to turn.. the whole group turning on Bryan is like woah… its getting emotional. they killed bryan in front of his son Yuta who was fr crying like 💔💔💔

[@davestephan3288]

Shane is running the new BCC. Just wait

[@emm61504]

@@davestephan3288 shane is worse than every member of the bcc so i hope that doesn’t happen. keep josh barnett far away too. this is the perfect group of guys for now

[@majinvegeta6364]

Orange Cassidy is a criminally underrated wrestler. His gimmick is a deconstructionist take on the inherent absurdity of kayfabe and that kind of breaking the 4th wall humor tends to rub some wrestling purists the wrong way. That said, the dude can go in the ring. His match against Will Osprey at the first Forbidden Door was easily the best of the entire show. The same can be said about his matches with ZSJ, Pac, and Adam Cole. His story is a little directionless at the moment because he started a fued with Trent Barretta over his former faction, The Best Friends, breaking up only to have the other guy sidelined with a legit injury before the climactic final match. Still, he is a great workhouse and worth giving a chance.

[@arnabghosh4638]

Cesaro and sheamus were such a fun team. They had a 7 match series(all of them bangers) which lead to them forming a tag team together

[@davidcoombsbestmegadethalb9780]

we are the Bar

[@Fozzyvid]

This was a nice surprise video. Enjoyed listening to you. MJF just came back from injury and now he is going to shoot a movie. That's why he been important but not main eventing as of late

[@Fozzyvid]

I understand why you didn't enjoy the syringe spot. But when everything in wrestling has already be done it's good to see wrestlers trying to do things that never been done before. I also don't want to see it again but I can justify it I'm this match as it showed me how much they hate each other

[@crasus735]

The Moxly plastic bag spot was a call back to a very old wrestling spot that happened in the 80s with Terry Funk and Ric Flair.

[@notactuallytesco]

In regards to the Danielson/Perry finishing spot, heels like Jack across wrestling will often kick out just to taunt their opponent in a "you had me" kind of way, almost to end the match on their terms and attempt to incite rage in their opponent; leading to them crossing the line and kicking a man while he's down.

[@TyBot-ed5ko]

Claudio is absolutely amazing and has always been underutilized in my opinion

[@majinpvegeta]

The thing with Will Ospreay is to pay close attention to is his interaction with Ricochet and how that story builds. These 2 have had matches against each other in the past outside of AEW, and every time they do they are each other's greatest opponents. If there was ever a way to control time, it's when these 2 are in the ring.

[@Blazntrax81]

Will Ospreay is the best pro-wrestler in the World, any promotion.

[@michaelfitzgerald5207]

100% FACT! He is the best in ring, and his mic skills are vastly UNDERRATED! His program with MJF showed his underrated mic skills, as he was able to hang with Max....which is a difficult ask for anyone.

[@charlieramondt]

In ring bruff

[@SuperChaos002]

You can definitely make an argument for it, but I'd argue Zack Sabre Jr. is the best professional wrestler alive today (with Will Ospreay and Bryan Danielson close behind).

[@davestephan3288]

Don’t sell Switchblade Jay White short.

[@davidcoombsbestmegadethalb9780]

@@SuperChaos002 agreed there all awesome wrestlers hard to pick who is the best respect your opinion don't see enough of Zack Sabre Jr