Yeah I thought that was only OK at best. No real storytelling and I was surprised at how much Leyla really dominated the match.

Watching the Japan bracket first round now and Mei Sugura did not leave a good first impression, a lot of her stuff just looks very convoluted and or just weak, way too cutsie for my liking. A messy match to start things off.

Veny vs Emi was much better Veny was very impressive, wrong winner imo though.

Maki Itoh vs Ryo Mizunami was a step back to the first match again, the comedy stuff did not work for me and felt out of place in a tournament for a championship opportunity .

Aja vs Rin was decent . Rin is solid but kind of green still, and Aja obviously isn't what she was in her prime but is still impressively mobile for her age and for wrestling  for over 30 years.

Overall a pretty meh first round but the people on reddit seem to like it. 

is Veny transgender? Excalibur referred to Veny as 'their' not her.

Feb 16, 2021 1:38:50 GMT nazzer said:

is Veny transgender? Excalibur referred to Veny as 'their' not her.

Same as Sonny Kiss and Nyla Rose, they go by she.

Feb 16, 2021 1:48:29 GMT Blindy said:

Feb 16, 2021 1:38:50 GMT nazzer said:

is Veny transgender? Excalibur referred to Veny as 'their' not her.

Same as Sonny Kiss and Nyla Rose, they go by she.

Your response leaves me more confused. Nyla's pronouns as she/her; whereas Sonny's are both she/her and he/him (check Sonny's twtter). Which is it?

So I thought they would go the obvious route not the super obvious route.

Obvious route would be Itoh plus all the other ones who have been on an AEW program.

Super Obvious route the only ones that have competed in AEW.

Itoh was the only one with any type of buzz and they got rid of her in the first round.

Feb 16, 2021 1:38:50 GMT nazzer said:

is Veny transgender? Excalibur referred to Veny as 'their' not her.

Yep though I missed that clue, her height, or that I think Blindy mention their were two in this tornmenent

Ok, that whole japanese bracket thing was just weird. The whole japanese lolita culture and j pop stuff comes off as borderline paedo fetish stuff, and I straight up find it weird. And the presentation was bad.

Feb 16, 2021 2:15:33 GMT nazzer said:

Ok, that whole japanese bracket thing was just weird. The whole japanese lolita culture and j pop stuff comes off as borderline paedo fetish stuff, and I straight up find it weird. And the presentation was bad.

I agree with this especially for the 1st and 3rd matches.  Unfortunately there is a decent sized chunk of the IWC that loves this type of stuff. 

Just because Sonny is okay with being called she/her doesn’t mean he identifies as a woman. Sonny is NOT in the women’s division.

Feb 16, 2021 2:33:31 GMT surrender said:

Just because Sonny is okay with being called she/her doesn’t mean he identifies as a woman. Sonny is NOT in the women’s division.

It's not worth bothering, blindy and others have been made aware of this numerous times.

I didn't expect this to feature one of the worst matches I've seen in a while but yikes that first one was terrible wasn't it? As Dex said Mei is just really not good.

Second match was a lot better, it was a good blend of styles with Veny's athleticism against Emi's experience. Veny vertical leaping to the top rope was pretty insane. I'll definitely go out of my way to see more of their matches if I come across them and hopefully they make their way across to AEW one day.

I can see why Maki Itoh is popular, she's got a fun character with a lot of personality, the hard head thing is amusing. I thought they did a good job in this match of being silly without going too overboard, there's nothing wrong with a bit of comedy in wrestling. As X-zero said this was another match where it felt like the wrong person won...

I'd still rather watch Aja Kong than 90% of wrestlers around today. Rin seemed perfectly solid but didn't do anything particularly noteworthy.

I know this came about solely because of the pandemic but I'd be all for a weekly Joshi show with Excalibur commentating. He did a great job here as usual.

Feb 16, 2021 4:35:16 GMT @admin said:

I didn't expect this to feature one of the worst matches I've seen in a while but yikes that first one was terrible wasn't it? As Dex said Mei is just really not good.

Second match was a lot better, it was a good blend of styles with Veny's athleticism against Emi's experience. Veny vertical leaping to the top rope was pretty insane. I'll definitely go out of my way to see more of their matches if I come across them and hopefully they make their way across to AEW one day.

I can see why Maki Itoh is popular, she's got a fun character with a lot of personality, the hard head thing is amusing. I thought they did a good job in this match of being silly without going too overboard, there's nothing wrong with a bit of comedy in wrestling. As X-zero said this was another match where it felt like the wrong person won...

I'd still rather watch Aja Kong than 90% of wrestlers around today. Rin seemed perfectly solid but didn't do anything particularly noteworthy.

I know this came about solely because of the pandemic but I'd be all for a weekly Joshi show with Excalibur commentating. He did a great job here as usual.

When I first made the post the majority of the comments were about Maki but Veny has picked up a lot of comments lately. It is a shame both were gone in the first round. Veny and Emi definitely had the best match. Of the ones I haven't seen Veny was the most promising but was also against Emi who can get the most out of a lot of people since it feels likes she trains everyone. I remember Emi getting something I kind of liked out of Riho who I normally dislike.

Genuinely surprised by the reaction to the first match. I've seen far worse Pro Wrestling and it may have been one of Yuka's better efforts. I was impressed with her poison rana while on the ropes, the northern lights bomb and the magicalgirl splash. I also thought Suruga was a good match-up for her since they it allowed Yuka to be more vicious. They both work a similar style where they like to lull their opponent into a false sense of security. If anything Suruga out-foxxed Sakazaki which forced her to stiffen up. My only critique of Yuki was how she worked a headlock, that was really weak, otherwise I thought it was a nice showcase for her.

Skipped ahead to the Maki Itoh/Ryo Mizunami match since I was really curious to see Itoh perform. It seemed like they dialled this match way back to showcase Itoh's character work. I thought it was a smart decision and Itoh was really entertaining in her role but also managed to come off as a little ass-kicker. I thought it was actually smart too to have Mizunami advance. Itoh is going to be the bigger star, but for the purposes of this tournament, Mizunami is the more versatile performer and can be a more legitimate performer. It gives us a taste of who Itoh is and leaves us wanting more when she does arrive. Had she advanced it may have over-exposed her.

I have to give credit to Excalibur as well. I know he can rub some people the wrong way, but he's such an informative commentator and for mine has to be the voice of AEW. I'm glad they didn't pair him with Taz for this as well - I enjoy their work on Dark but it just allowed Excalibur to dial in and call the action. I can't think of any other commentator who could have done a better job.

Feb 16, 2021 7:36:56 GMT Big Pete said:

Genuinely surprised by the reaction to the first match. I've seen far worse Pro Wrestling and it may have been one of Yuka's better efforts. I was impressed with her poison rana while on the ropes, the northern lights bomb and the magicalgirl splash. I also thought Suruga was a good match-up for her since they it allowed Yuka to be more vicious. They both work a similar style where they like to lull their opponent into a false sense of security. If anything Suruga out-foxxed Sakazaki which forced her to stiffen up. My only critique of Yuki was how she worked a headlock, that was really weak, otherwise I thought it was a nice showcase for her.

Skipped ahead to the Maki Itoh/Ryo Mizunami match since I was really curious to see Itoh perform. It seemed like they dialled this match way back to showcase Itoh's character work. I thought it was a smart decision and Itoh was really entertaining in her role but also managed to come off as a little ass-kicker. I thought it was actually smart too to have Mizunami advance. Itoh is going to be the bigger star, but for the purposes of this tournament, Mizunami is the more versatile performer and can be a more legitimate performer. It gives us a taste of who Itoh is and leaves us wanting more when she does arrive. Had she advanced it may have over-exposed her.

I have to give credit to Excalibur as well. I know he can rub some people the wrong way, but he's such an informative commentator and for mine has to be the voice of AEW. I'm glad they didn't pair him with Taz for this as well - I enjoy their work on Dark but it just allowed Excalibur to dial in and call the action. I can't think of any other commentator who could have done a better job.

Not sure if Ryo was the right winner because no matter what the person in that match wasn't going to make it to AEW for the finals. Maki you could have created longer interest in the Japan side. I predict the numbers for next week episode will be a dramatic drop. They could have her made it to the end of the Japan finals and lose there. But apparently her gimmick is to talk a big game and lose. I don't know if that is true but if so it is a horrible gimmick. It sounds like the equivalent of Bray Wyatt's booking which I am sure the same fans would claim was bad WWE booking.

As for Taz? You don't like the Ex and Taz combo from dark which is made even better with Starks with them

Feb 16, 2021 21:31:54 GMT X-zero said:

Feb 16, 2021 7:36:56 GMT Big Pete said:

Genuinely surprised by the reaction to the first match. I've seen far worse Pro Wrestling and it may have been one of Yuka's better efforts. I was impressed with her poison rana while on the ropes, the northern lights bomb and the magicalgirl splash. I also thought Suruga was a good match-up for her since they it allowed Yuka to be more vicious. They both work a similar style where they like to lull their opponent into a false sense of security. If anything Suruga out-foxxed Sakazaki which forced her to stiffen up. My only critique of Yuki was how she worked a headlock, that was really weak, otherwise I thought it was a nice showcase for her.

Skipped ahead to the Maki Itoh/Ryo Mizunami match since I was really curious to see Itoh perform. It seemed like they dialled this match way back to showcase Itoh's character work. I thought it was a smart decision and Itoh was really entertaining in her role but also managed to come off as a little ass-kicker. I thought it was actually smart too to have Mizunami advance. Itoh is going to be the bigger star, but for the purposes of this tournament, Mizunami is the more versatile performer and can be a more legitimate performer. It gives us a taste of who Itoh is and leaves us wanting more when she does arrive. Had she advanced it may have over-exposed her.

I have to give credit to Excalibur as well. I know he can rub some people the wrong way, but he's such an informative commentator and for mine has to be the voice of AEW. I'm glad they didn't pair him with Taz for this as well - I enjoy their work on Dark but it just allowed Excalibur to dial in and call the action. I can't think of any other commentator who could have done a better job.

Not sure if Ryo was the right winner because no matter what the person in that match wasn't going to make it to AEW for the finals. Maki you could have created longer interest in the Japan side. I predict the numbers for next week episode will be a dramatic drop. They could have her made it to the end of the Japan finals and lose there. But apparently her gimmick is to talk a big game and lose. I don't know if that is true but if so it is a horrible gimmick. It sounds like the equivalent of Bray Wyatt's booking which I am sure the same fans would claim was bad WWE booking.

As for Taz? You don't like the Ex and Taz combo from dark which is made even better with Starks with them

I just don't think Taz would have been a great fit for the show. They needed somebody who could introduce us to all the characters and explain all their signature moves and what was going on which Excalibur did without missing a beat.

I really enjoy the pairing on Dark and they bring life to what would otherwise be a really boring show. Them riffing on jobbers fits the tone of the show and it really does feel like you're just hanging out with a couple of buddies who can't get enough Pro Wrestling.

If you haven't had the chance, I'd recommend Operation Rainfall's video on Maki Itoh. It's a really insightful career retrospective that covers her journey into Pro Wrestling up to mid-2020. Her gimmick is that she's a rookie with visions of grandeur who is clearly trying to overcompensate for her crippling insecurity.

I expect the numbers to drop as well, but it's a small price in the grand scheme. In the end, it protects Itoh and it should lead to better matches for the final.

Something just doesn't click for me when it comes to Japanese women's wrestling. The Riho syndrome is in full effect in that a lot of the wrestlers look like skinny teenagers and it's hard to buy into anything they do. First match was a perfect example - everything looked so soft. The strikes, the holds. Only the slams and suplexes looked decent but anyone can do that.

Veny vs Sakura was definitely match of the night but far from spectacular. Veny uses her long limbs and athleticism to great effect, while Sakura has that grit and experience about her.

Mizunami was the first wrestler that really impressed me on entrance alone. Has an intense Bull Nakano look about her. Unfortunately she spent most of the first 5 minutes doing these ridiculous taunts and spots which kinda killed her aura, although she recovered some of it at the end. Itoh had an uphill battle after the entrance, but I liked the initial comedy spot with her playing possum by wailing to get on offense. That's how a small "cute" wrestler should work. But later on they went 50/50 with tiny girl being even stevens on a strike exchange with a bigger opponent. Nah. I'm sure Ito and Riho would have a very fun match but I can't buy into these ladies against anyone bigger than them.

Kadokaru had a good presence but unfortunately she drew the short straw so we didn't really see what she's capable of. Mixed feeling about Aja Kong, but leaning towards the negative. Her no selling makes sense but sucked any life out of the match. She spent most of the time struggling to move like Great Khali, but then she'd do something amazing like that sick piledriver. Feel like the wrong lady advanced, but Aja Kong is of course the biggest name in the entire block so it makes some sense.

Overall, meh. I'll watch the rest of the block out of curiosity but I'm not expecting to enjoy it.

Riho/Serena was really good. I'm so glad to see Riho back after so long away.

Wow what a match that was! PPV quality and my early front runner for MOTY.

As CM Punk'd said it's great to have Riho back, she's a quality babyface and will benefit tremendously from the division having really deepened during her time away. I loved the storyline here, I loved the pace they maintained whilst working quite a technical style (Serena is particularly good at chain wrestling with a purpose, not just for the sake of it) and the nearfalls were well done without becoming overkill.

Maybe a year away has lower my dislike of Riho. The match was enjoyable and the only thing odd I found was the test of strength spot. I am not sure why Riho was using two hands against one hand. Then I am not sure why Deeb used her other hand when she was already hold back Riho with one hand.

Excellent match between Riho and Serena, I loved the technical stuff at the beginning, and everything else was really good. I think an aspect of Riho that makes her a great babyface is that she bumps incredibly well she makes her opponent's offense look like a million bucks. Serena continues to impress you have to wonder what WWE was thinking not having her in an on-camera role for these years.

I've not been shy about expressing my dislike for Riho in the past but that was a fantastic match. The emphasis on technical wrestling really helped tand there was some great psychology, for example Riho refusing to attack Serena's weak knee, only for Serena to ruthlessly pounce on Riho's leg later in the match. Even Riho's strikes and suplexes look better than I remember, and there was no endless spamming of double stomps as she tends to do against larger opponents.

Agreed that Serena is great at chain wrestling with a purpose as @admin described. Riho also proved she's pretty good at that as well.

Riho/Serena might be the best match I've seen this year. Altered my perception of Riho slightly and added to my continued admiration of Serena. I agree with HR's take that the near-falls were just enough, and I'd add that they flowed naturally because of the story built up during the match about the knee. It never felt like a video game, spotty match even though you couldn't catch your breath. 10/10

One step forward and two steps back as seems to be the norm with AEW these days

The spoilers for the US bracket also seem very unappealing.

Feb 20, 2021 1:14:04 GMT dex02 said:

One step forward and two steps back as seems to be the norm with AEW these days

The spoilers for the US bracket also seem very unappealing.

If you mean they putting more of the tournament online. Can't claim them for that one it is Sting's I mean the snow's fault.

If you mean the winner of the US side yeah kind of disappointing they did a tournament when they could have got there another way.

Feb 20, 2021 1:47:40 GMT X-zero said:

Feb 20, 2021 1:14:04 GMT dex02 said:

One step forward and two steps back as seems to be the norm with AEW these days

The spoilers for the US bracket also seem very unappealing.

If you mean they putting more of the tournament online. Can't claim them for that one it is Sting's I mean the snow's fault.

If you mean the winner of the US side yeah kind of disappointing they did a tournament when they could have got there another way.

But Britt vs Anna is also online . The weather would have also been less of a problem if A. they had started the tournament earlier and B. if they had more than one women's match on Dynamite.

Heard Riho vs Deeb drew the most viewers for AEW with the important 18-49 age demographic, I had no idea Riho had that much staying power. I must have underestimated her, she looks so small and I have never heard her cut a promo in English in AEW but she has appeal as shown by the ratings. Very tough in the ring too.

There seems to be a lot of conflicting information about all of this. I think it's interesting that Kenny's tweet made it sound like it might actually be TNT who are responsible for the apparent limit of one women's match per Dynamite, but we know that he's not above pointing fingers and shifting the blame.

To be honest, it really doesn't matter too much to me where it's housed as long as we get the content. Youtube is much easier for me to access than finding a stream of Dynamite, and while I'm yet to have to look into if/how I can get Bleacher Report - if it's a fifteen minute match without picture-in-picture then that's perfectly fine with me.

Feb 20, 2021 2:35:57 GMT dex02 said:

Feb 20, 2021 1:47:40 GMT X-zero said:

If you mean they putting more of the tournament online. Can't claim them for that one it is Sting's I mean the snow's fault.

If you mean the winner of the US side yeah kind of disappointing they did a tournament when they could have got there another way.

But Britt vs Anna is also online . The weather would have also been less of a problem if A. they had started the tournament earlier and B. if they had more than one women's match on Dynamite.

In the past their women's division has been there weakest point so someone in power limits their matches. Or they believe you should limit women's wrestling to a special attraction. It one of the areas I don't agree with Cornette. But someone in AEW or TNT seems to have the same mindset about women wrestling. I actually don't believe it Omega fault this time. He seems to want more women wrestling in general but he comes across like he doesn't have the power to really do anything about it or to afraid to ruffle any feathers.

Also feel this tournament feels like a way to bring Riho back since it is weird they only did half of the US matches

Feb 20, 2021 2:39:50 GMT Blindy said:

Heard Riho vs Deeb drew the most viewers for AEW with the important 18-49 age demographic, I had no idea Riho had that much staying power. I must have underestimated her, she looks so small and I have never heard her cut a promo in English in AEW but she has appeal as shown by the ratings. Very tough in the ring too.

Maybe alot of people are like Big Pete thinking that was the only thing that seemed interesting on the show.

Feb 20, 2021 10:25:04 GMT @admin said:

There seems to be a lot of conflicting information about all of this. I think it's interesting that Kenny's tweet made it sound like it might actually be TNT who are responsible for the apparent limit of one women's match per Dynamite, but we know that he's not above pointing fingers and shifting the blame.

To be honest, it really doesn't matter too much to me where it's housed as long as we get the content. Youtube is much easier for me to access than finding a stream of Dynamite, and while I'm yet to have to look into if/how I can get Bleacher Report - if it's a fifteen minute match without picture-in-picture then that's perfectly fine with me.

I could kind of see that. I do blame Omega for the quality of the feuds in the division, but he does seem to want to do more women's wrestling. So since TNT sees some of the numbers the women have got in the past they could have asked someone at AEW to limit the time they focus on them. But if they make the division interesting enough they could change that or if that true Omega could grow a backbone and demand they do it.

Looks like Anna Jay has picked up an injury and will miss her match with Britt Baker.

Madi Wrenkowski appears to be her replacement.