Man, I don't really watch AEW Dark, but you guys weren't kidding about the stats padding. They're showing the results on the ticker on Dynamite right now and every match is so blatant it isn't funny.

JURASSIC EXPRESS def. Vinnie Wrestlesbad & Dirk Jobsly
HIKARU SHIDA def. Leslie Firstmatchever
SONNY KISS def. Ivan The Really, Really Terrible

I didn't really understand the complaint at first but now I get it.

Oct 29, 2020 0:26:01 GMT Michinokudriver said:

I also do think much of the criticism comes down to the pandemic, and it creates two problems:

 - Wanting to save the big moments for when crowds come back. AEW should just get over this; crowds aren't coming back in real numbers for at minimum half a year, if ever. It depends on the creation of a vaccine (which is still a big IF), effectiveness of said vaccine, distribution of said vaccine (you won't have enough for everyone in the world at first), and whether people trust being in large crowds again. Oddly, WWE has been ahead of AEW as far as coping; they've moved to the cinematic matches and the HIAC Roman/Jey match depended on a large amount of in-ring chatter which is tricky to do with real crowd noise, plus the people in the cheap seats can't hear.

 - The roster and either not being able to travel/medically compromised and should not be wrestling. Where's PAC? Where's Emi Sakura or Riho? WWE, for better or worse (worse) can highly suggest their independent contractors show up to work.

Other than that, sorta get the Kenny criticism but also I assume the plan for the first year to 18 months was to put Omega/Bucks/Rhodes on the back burner. If they'd all won the titles in the beginning we'd be rolling our eyes at them for creating a promotion just to make themselves champs and beat everyone.

Re: big moments...The Young Bucks vs. FTR is happening Nov 7th at Full Gear. So unless they're planning on packing the arena, I think they're over it. That was the one bullet in the chamber they have been holding onto for months.

Oct 29, 2020 0:38:06 GMT RT said:

Re: big moments...The Young Bucks vs. FTR is happening Nov 7th at Full Gear. So unless they're planning on packing the arena, I think they're over it. That was the one bullet in the chamber they have been holding onto for months.

I certainly hope so.

Also it just occurred to me this may be AEW's shot, creative-wise, at utilizing their whole roster both full and part time. Under normal circumstances I'd imagine you would be hesitant to put your part timers in significant storylines because they might get hurt working for their local indy fed on a random Saturday night card and then there goes your big blowoff but I have to assume all the indy feds are inactive for the foreseeable future so that worry is gone. They're all yours.

Rusev.. Miro. 

6 ft 0 inch.. 304lbs... 3 x WWE United States Champion.. Bulgarian Brute. 

Sure, Rusev was booked horribly towards the end of his WWE career. But again, here's another example of controlling the narrative. Despite these physical credentials, despite the opportunity to recement Rusev as the super-athlete. Despite the opportunity to debut a monster heel with actual WWE credibility.. they went with " Miro - Kip Sabian's best man who plays video games "

Miro, the best man, who made his debut wearing a micky mouse t-shirt and flip-flops bitching about how Vince won't let him to play video games, and is now working an angle involving the trashing of an arcade machine. 

His debut mind you happened during Covid. Which isn't a bad thing.. because you can tell the audience sitting at home anything you want. If you wanted a soviet super-solider gunning for the American World's Champion you could have it. If you wanted a Bulgarian Brute tearing up the TNT division. You could have had it. If you wanted a 300lb man-beast goldberging through the roster. You could have had it. But instead, you went the dweeb route and now any shred of credibility Miro could have had, is gone. 

I can't take a Moxley v Miro world title match seriously. But if Miro came kicking through the doors a few months back in a berserker rage and begun stacking up the bodies. That's a different story. 

Oct 29, 2020 10:38:12 GMT NATH45 said:

I can't take a Moxley v Miro world title match seriously. But if Miro came kicking through the doors a few months back in a berserker rage and begun stacking up the bodies. That's a different story. 

Problem with that idea is...

You had Lance Archer debut in berserker rage, stacking up the bodies. Then you had Brodie Lee debut in berserker rage, stacking up the bodies. Then you had Brian Cage debut in berserker rage, stacking up the bodies. Gets a bit boring after a while, especially when you know these guys are built up just to be fed to Moxley and then "creative has nothing for you". Do the same with Miro, and you won't take a match with Moxley seriously anyway because he's obviously going to lose.

So I can understand why they wanted to do something different with Miro. I can understand why Miro's character is a big wrestler guy who likes video games. After all, wrestlers playing video games on Twitch is very very popular. And he has been booked as an absolute killer in the ring. I think conceptually, it's not such a bad idea, but it hasn't really worked that well. Still, it's very early days for Miro, let's see where this goes. I don't mind him having some storylines in the midcard instead of squashing a bunch of nobodies then losing to Moxley.

Oct 29, 2020 12:42:46 GMT Emperor said:

Oct 29, 2020 10:38:12 GMT NATH45 said:

I can't take a Moxley v Miro world title match seriously. But if Miro came kicking through the doors a few months back in a berserker rage and begun stacking up the bodies. That's a different story. 

Problem with that idea is...

You had Lance Archer debut in berserker rage, stacking up the bodies. Then you had Brodie Lee debut in berserker rage, stacking up the bodies. Then you had Brian Cage debut in berserker rage, stacking up the bodies. Gets a bit boring after a while, especially when you know these guys are built up just to be fed to Moxley and then "creative has nothing for you". Do the same with Miro, and you won't take a match with Moxley seriously anyway because he's obviously going to lose.

So I can understand why they wanted to do something different with Miro. I can understand why Miro's character is a big wrestler guy who likes video games. After all, wrestlers playing video games on Twitch is very very popular. And he has been booked as an absolute killer in the ring. I think conceptually, it's not such a bad idea, but it hasn't really worked that well. Still, it's very early days for Miro, let's see where this goes. I don't mind him having some storylines in the midcard instead of squashing a bunch of nobodies then losing to Moxley.

Except Archer and Cage didn't have that WWE credibility.

Even couch-surfer Harper had limited WWE credibility by the time we knew what day it was.

Rusev had at least two runs where he had legit momentum in WWE on par with at least the average of Dean Ambrose's singles run. And the Rusev Day momentum was still fresh in people's minds. Feels like way more of a squandered guy than Archer, Cage, Harper — all of whom feel like chicken salad out of chicken shit situations.

How have they been booking Jack Swagger? I assume he's been booked closer to how NATH45 would've preferred to see Rusev booked.

They can always salvage it, but so far Miro's run has been very underwhelming. His debut segment was a trainwreck. That isn't a personal opinion, that's how it was framed with guys constantly interrupting Sabien because they thought they were the best man. Miro being the pay off was so underwhelming. His debut match maybe one of the few matches where AEW will cop to it being bad - Miro got injured and guys took some very scary bumps on the concrete.

The highlight of his run was playing an arcade machine with Billy Mitchell and teaching me what a Rumspringa was.

I don't see why WWE credibility or any other credibility should matter when entering AEW, Just look at Moxley, who was buried before he left WWE. He's now the top guy in AEW, and he's done a great job at it in my opinion.

WWE crediblity only matters if you were a top star in WWE, as Jericho was. Harper and Rusev were never stars, they weren't very prominent in the latter part of their WWE runs, and they had been off TV for months before entering AEW, so it's a fresh start for them.

Jack Swagger is booked as a monster but one who only wrestles part-time. One of several monsters who challenged both Cody and Moxley, but lost.

Oct 29, 2020 14:17:59 GMT Emperor said:

I don't see why WWE credibility or any other credibility should matter when entering AEW, Just look at Moxley, who was buried before he left WWE. He's now the top guy in AEW, and he's done a great job at it in my opinion.

WWE crediblity only matters if you were a top star in WWE, as Jericho was. Harper and Rusev were never stars, they weren't very prominent in the latter part of their WWE runs, and they had been off TV for months before entering AEW, so it's a fresh start for them.

Jack Swagger is booked as a monster but one who only wrestles part-time. One of several monsters who challenged both Cody and Moxley, but lost.

It matters some but it is not where you were at the end of your WWE journey but where you were at the peak of it. Moxley and Jericho both came in as big stars. Harper wasn't but AEW presented as a big star. Rusev is the reverse he was a big star and they present him as a lower card wrestler.

Nah I'm with Emperor on Miro. BULGARIAN BRUTE SMASH AEW was so obvious that if they did it, it would suck.

I suggest you focus on him in the ring and in brawls because he looks fucking terrifying once he's shirtless and raging out.

Chilled out influencer dude that just wants to play video games but loses his mind and kills you as soon as you stop him from playing video games is fun and I like it.

Oct 29, 2020 17:30:23 GMT RT said:

Nah I'm with Emperor on Miro. BULGARIAN BRUTE SMASH AEW was so obvious that if they did it, it would suck.

I suggest you focus on him in the ring and in brawls because he looks fucking terrifying once he's shirtless and raging out.

Chilled out influencer dude that just wants to play video games but loses his mind and kills you as soon as you stop him from playing video games is fun and I like it.

As compared to this 'influencer' gimmick, the Brute is a masterpiece. Play to your strengths, lean on and double down on your natural abilities. Size & Power in this case.

If Miro was introduced as an adult with a severe mental defiency, and the mind of an ADHD riddled 10 year old... losing his mind over not being able to play video games might work.

This is Tank Abbott and 3 Count kinds of cringe.

If you want to add depth to the character, rework the gimmick as a man at peace and seeking competition only, then only snaps when he has his hand forced. Think The Coach in The Gentlemen. I'm not a gangster, but I'm prepared do gangster things and lean on that eastern European brutality.

The Bulgarian Brute gimmick was great, but it was done. If AEW recycled the same thing WWE did they would be raked over the coals.

I don't find anything cringy about it. He's an exaggerated version of the person he is in real life when he's just streaming and chatting and having a good time.

Only dweebs play video games, everyone knows this.

Oct 30, 2020 12:42:52 GMT Emperor said:

Only dweebs play video games, everyone knows this.

And only über dweebs play Shadow of the Colossus.

Oct 29, 2020 0:26:36 GMT RT said:

Man, I don't really watch AEW Dark, but you guys weren't kidding about the stats padding. They're showing the results on the ticker on Dynamite right now and every match is so blatant it isn't funny.

JURASSIC EXPRESS def. Vinnie Wrestlesbad & Dirk Jobsly
HIKARU SHIDA def. Leslie Firstmatchever
SONNY KISS def. Ivan The Really, Really Terrible

I didn't really understand the complaint at first but now I get it.

Glad you finally see the light. And another reason so many people get announced with having winning streaks. The only match that didn't have an obvious winner is the match between the two jobbers that signed with the company who where fighting for their first win.

Oct 30, 2020 12:42:52 GMT Emperor said:

Only dweebs play video games, everyone knows this.

In the wrestling world, yes.

Like if you wear a suit, you are a heel.

If you are intelligent, you are a heel.

If you are clean shaven and grow facial hair you are turning heel.

Oct 30, 2020 12:57:52 GMT 🤯 said:

Oct 30, 2020 12:42:52 GMT Emperor said:

Only dweebs play video games, everyone knows this.

And only über dweebs play Shadow of the Colossus.

That's funny, but also SCREW YOU, PAL.

Excellent üse of the ümlaüt.

Miro is everything I feared Moxley would be.

My one hope for Moxley is that he didn't jump straight from the WWE into AEW. I wanted him to go other places and add another string to his bow so he could distinguish himself from Dean Ambrose. To his credit, he went to NJPW straight after making his debut and that was instrumental in his evolution. Not only was he going out there and getting an opportunity to work better matches but he was also cutting some promos that made him look like a star.

That's the unfortunate aspect of Miro's run where he hasn't been able to go somewhere else and establish himself as something else. He's basically gone from one goofy wedding angle into another, except this time he's saddling up with Kip Sabien, one of the few guys even AEW fans admit is pretty trash and they love everything on the show.

As an aside, being a gamer maybe the worst gimmick in all of Pro Wrestling. It's like being a comic book enthuist or a Breaking Bad fan. It's cool, but your entire identity can't revolve around it. Make a nod to it, don't go full on Ember Moon feuding over a Nintendo Switch or TJP cutting promos on Nintendo 64 consoles. It's so difficult to come across as authentic, I think the only thing that came remotely close was Scott Pilgrim and it was a flop. Even then with movies like Scott Pilgrim and Wreck It Ralph, the focus wasn't on video games, rather the themes of the movie took centre stage (growing up and accepting to take responsibility and that you're not always the hero of every story/you can surpass whatever negative label society places on you). The video games were just the salad dressing, a nice nod here and there.

Going off topic here, but Moxley's G1 Climax run was great and crucial to his growth as a wrestler post-WWE.

He wasn't wrestler of the tournament but he definitely made a mark. He didn't have a single bad match. He got egg on his face against Toru Yano, a rite of passage for any G1 participant. He crafted his own identity both as a character and in the ring. He adapted his style to each of his opponents, showing a versatility that was never present before. He improved his striking, his offense, and his technical ability, which were his biggest flaws in the WWE. I always thought Dean Ambrose had soft offense when he wasn't brawling with weapons. Jon Moxley does not have soft offense.

Moxley even went above and beyond, creating a story arc with a Young Lion (Shota Umino), something that to my knowledge has never been done before. Shota Umino is currently on excursion in the UK's Revolution Pro-Wrestling, it will be interesting to see if Umino and Moxley will align again either in AEW or NJPW. That would be really cool.

I watched Double Or Nothing recently. I believe JR lacks energy & sounds like a automated voicemail most of the time. Taz, Tony & Excalibur would be great. I'm liking Brodie Lee but the absence of Stu & Uno limits my enjoyment in Dark Order.

Oct 30, 2020 17:02:40 GMT Emperor said:

Going off topic here, but Moxley's G1 Climax run was great and crucial to his growth as a wrestler post-WWE.

He wasn't wrestler of the tournament but he definitely made a mark. He didn't have a single bad match. He got egg on his face against Toru Yano, a rite of passage for any G1 participant. He crafted his own identity both as a character and in the ring. He adapted his style to each of his opponents, showing a versatility that was never present before. He improved his striking, his offense, and his technical ability, which were his biggest flaws in the WWE. I always thought Dean Ambrose had soft offense when he wasn't brawling with weapons. Jon Moxley does not have soft offense.

Moxley even went above and beyond, creating a story arc with a Young Lion (Shota Umino), something that to my knowledge has never been done before. Shota Umino is currently on excursion in the UK's Revolution Pro-Wrestling, it will be interesting to see if Umino and Moxley will align again either in AEW or NJPW. That would be really cool.

How perfect of an opportunity was this to fuel my proposed rivalry between Moxley and Omega. " I'm going to go to your world " let NJPW foot the bill on the build. Win the IWGP United States Championship and then bring it back and throw it in Omega's face. ( Kenny being the first champion and all ) Kenny's journey west, is rivalled by Mox's journey east. 

As a wrestling fan that casually watches AEW it seems kind of disorganized. Top to bottom the format, booking, matches, talent.

I'm not opposed to Miro: Twitch Guy in concept. I mentioned in another thread that I see him as their TNA Christian signing; the guy who everyone could see was ready to move up the ladder but was being held back for inexplicable reasons -- but back in the day, Christian walked into TNA, was the same dude with a slightly different name and was treated as a top card guy from day 1.

AEW is putting him in the midcard to start out and letting/making him be a different character instead of the Bulgarian Brute Beast. He'll get there eventually, but let's not reshuffle the roster around and kick someone out of a upper/upper-midcard slot because Rusev suddenly became available.

Oct 30, 2020 14:21:46 GMT Big Pete said:

Miro is everything I feared Moxley would be.

My one hope for Moxley is that he didn't jump straight from the WWE into AEW. I wanted him to go other places and add another string to his bow so he could distinguish himself from Dean Ambrose. To his credit, he went to NJPW straight after making his debut and that was instrumental in his evolution. Not only was he going out there and getting an opportunity to work better matches but he was also cutting some promos that made him look like a star.

That's the unfortunate aspect of Miro's run where he hasn't been able to go somewhere else and establish himself as something else. He's basically gone from one goofy wedding angle into another, except this time he's saddling up with Kip Sabien, one of the few guys even AEW fans admit is pretty trash and they love everything on the show.

As an aside, being a gamer maybe the worst gimmick in all of Pro Wrestling. It's like being a comic book enthuist or a Breaking Bad fan. It's cool, but your entire identity can't revolve around it. Make a nod to it, don't go full on Ember Moon feuding over a Nintendo Switch or TJP cutting promos on Nintendo 64 consoles. It's so difficult to come across as authentic, I think the only thing that came remotely close was Scott Pilgrim and it was a flop. Even then with movies like Scott Pilgrim and Wreck It Ralph, the focus wasn't on video games, rather the themes of the movie took centre stage (growing up and accepting to take responsibility and that you're not always the hero of every story/you can surpass whatever negative label society places on you). The video games were just the salad dressing, a nice nod here and there.

Scott Pilgrim had the bad luck of coming out the same weekend as the Expendables and Eat Pray Love. To overgeneralize the audience, dudes who wanted to see action went one way, women who wanted something comforting and romantic went another way and Scott Pilgrim was the overlooked middle child.

Scott Pilgrim is fantastic, despite the unlikable lead.

Listen to a bit of Cornette's podcast, a question sent in made me jump out of seat for the laptop. 

People always talk about Vince being " out of touch " particularly you hear this from former WWE talent. There even used to be an old joke on the interwebs " now, they can go to TNA and be used to their full potential " 

Similarly, who is better off today in AEW as compared to their time in WWE? 

Name	WWE position	AEW position
Jake Hager	Mid-card	Mid-card
Jon Moxley	Main Event	Main Event
Matt Hardy	Mid-card	Mid-card
Miro	Upper-Mid-card	Mid-card
Mr. Brodie Lee	Mid-card	Mid-card
Pac	Mid-card	MIA
Shawn Spears	Jobber	Jobber
FTR	Mid-card	Mid-card

Mox was a main event talent, and former WWE champion. Ok, great. Hager was at one point 'World' Champion on top of an ECW Champion. He's mid-card in AEW. Miro was featured on and off heavily for the better part of 6 years ( 3x US Champion ) and has slide into a mid-card role in AEW. Brodie Lee was mid-carder at best when he bothered showing up to work, and still today isn't any higher on AEW's card. Spear was a jobber then, and a jobber now. PAC is MIA however was featured heavily as cruiserweight champion. FTR won 5 tag team championships in 5 years - but for such a team with such high potential, they didn't exactly walk into AEW as The Outsiders and instantly walk into main event spots. So how out of touch is VKM if Kahn isn't exactly doing anything additional with them? 

BTW, Matt Hardy is just too old to matter at this point. And Jericho is probably the only one to lock in his position at the top of the card, he was never the man in WWE or close to it. So he's probably the only one to be better off here, than in WWE. 

By and large that's a fair assessment although in the case of Moxley I think it's a little too broad. Yes, he was a main eventer but he was also portrayed as the weak link of The Shield and a bit of a bell-end if we're being honest. In AEW he's the best wrestler in the company without question and currently he's indusctrible although he's starting to skate by on the skin of his teeth. I'd also say the win against Kenny Omega was a bigger victory than anything PAC managed to accomplish on the main roster. PAC was always the guy they were happy to make the star of the spin-off show, but he couldn't really hang with the A-team. He's only off of television now because of COVID.

On the other hand, Miro went from a silly wedding angle that was the focus of Raw, to a silly wedding angle that's barely getting television time on AEW.

FTR is the biggest fumble of the lot. Tag team wrestling is supposed to be one of the biggest selling points of the company and here they have arguably the most talented tag team in the world. Instead of showcasing them and making them look like stars, they've done just about everything to undermine the act and make the Bucks/FTR title match as underwhelming as possible.

It was such an easy story to tell. Bucks as this under-achieving tag team who are clearly capable on their day but just haven't had that blood feud to get their best out of them. Then FTR come along and take the tag team division by storm. They're not doing anything wacky, they're just having intense tag team matches and rarely show any ass. It all leads up to Bucks/Revival where for the first time, the Revival cheat. It leads to a rematch where the Revival sneak a pin. Before finally they have the big blow-off where the Bucks finally go over. Revival take some time off, come back a couple of months later where they start feuding with the Jurassic Express or a similar upstart tag team.

Moxley is clearly booked way stronger in AEW than in WWE. It's not just a matter of main event = main event. In AEW Moxley is the man. He was never the man in WWE.

When he was around, PAC was a prominent attraction on the roster. At least upper mid-card, probably would be classed as a main eventer now if he was able to work during the pandemic.

FTR I'd class as main event. They are easily the top dogs in the tag team division. I guess it's a matter of whether you classify AEW's tag division as midcard or not. Either way, FTR are clearly showcased a lot more than they ever were in WWE and are treated as a big deal.

You are also forgetting Cody who is clearly booked a lot higher up in the card than he ever was in WWE.

I agree with the rest of NATH45's assessments, although I'm not convinced it's a problem. Weird conclusion to draw that the company is flawed because everyone who came from WWE didn't instantly become a main eventer. Didn't TNA get a lot of criticism for becoming the "WWE rejects" company in the late 2000s?

Yeah, I think it requires more nuance. I understand the point nath is making and I believe characters like Miro, FTR and Spears demonstrate it. All three acts were supposedly underutilised and they were going to be given a fair shake in AEW, but so far they've largely just been promoted the exact same way, the only difference is in the case of FTR is that tag team wrestling means slightly more in AEW. Even then, the division still feels like it's finding it's feet after a singles program between Omega/Page dominated the division for nine months.

In the case of TNA it was more about timing than anything else. Fans were happy to see guys like Christian Cage, Kurt Angle, Matt Morgan and even Tyson Tomko come over because they were talents that weren't being given a fair shake at the time. While that may sound strange in the case of Kurt, you have to remember they had him put over Cena only to transfer him to SmackDown to put over Rey and then throw him into ECW where he wasn't even going to be the face of the brand. Many felt like Kurt was in that same tier as Shawn Michaels, Triple H and The Undertaker who were really well protected, instead they were just using him up. So he was a great fit for TNA and helping establish them as a serious company.

The issue came when instead of building new acts, they just kept bringing WWE talent in and doing next to nothing to re-invent them. They were just repeats who would do the exact same act except it would be under a TNA monicker. They weren't really being underutilised like a lot of those other talents, they were just guys who were well and truly finished up in the WWE and were just looking for their next pay cheque.

If TNA had have been smart and actually used Kurt Angle's signing effectively they could have had the Bryan Danielson's, Tyler Black's, Kevin Steen's, El Generico's, Brodie Lee's, Jon Moxley's and possibly even CM Punk. Instead they let that talent and guys like Kazuchika Okada go to waste while they pushed Orlando Jordan and Tommy Dreamer.

Pac is the only one from NATH45 's list that has went up. He couldn't off the preshow of ppv in WWE. He was undefeated in AEW until Moxley gave their team a lost because actually I forgot why because it made no sense. Until Moxley's last few monthes he wasn't the weak link in the shield. They shield had a RPS system between the three. He was weak against Roman and strong against Seth. He was a grand slam winner in WWE in a short amount of time so definitely main eventer over there.

In AEW, he is the top guy but besides Jericho he has beat nobody. His other three big opponents (Archer, Cage, and Lee)were built up as threats coming into the company beat up AEW jobbers like Stunt and unsigned indy jobbers only to lose to Moxley and do nothing. Now you Eddie Kingston who is getting his third title match in the company and has he even beat anyone who is actually on the roster yet.

Cody made a few pitstpos between WWE and AEW so I won't count him.

Now Impact still will make the most out of you.
Eric Young went from 24/7 jobber to main eventing Impact biggest show as the world champion.
Deonna went from development brand appearance some times to knockout champion.
EC3 went from mute who chased 24/7 title to get talking spots weekly, and ppv match.

Nov 3, 2020 16:26:54 GMT X-zero said:

In AEW, he is the top guy but besides Jericho he has beat nobody. His other three big opponents (Archer, Cage, and Lee)were built up as threats coming into the company beat up AEW jobbers like Stunt and unsigned indy jobbers only to lose to Moxley and do nothing. Now you Eddie Kingston who is getting his third title match in the company and has he even beat anyone who is actually on the roster yet.

Moxley has beat nobody besides Jericho? :lol:

AEW is a brand new promotion, it's not full of Chris Jerichos who have been established stars for decades so that's not a fair comment at all. It isn't even true. He also beat MJF and Darby Allin, are they nobodies too? All of Moxley's opponents have been pretty credible in the context of AEW.

Nov 3, 2020 16:26:54 GMT X-zero said:

Now Impact still will make the most out of you.
Eric Young went from 24/7 jobber to main eventing Impact biggest show as the world champion.
Deonna went from development brand appearance some times to knockout champion.
EC3 went from mute who chased 24/7 title to get talking spots weekly, and ppv match.

That's all well and good, but I still don't get why this should be a knock on AEW.

Should Shawn Spears be AEW World Champion because some smarks liked his dumb "Ten" gimmick in NXT and thought he should be a main eventer? Of course not. Spears is not very good, and AEW have put him in the right place: lower card.

In my opinion, Eric Young is a good hand but has no business being a World Champion anywhere, so if Impact are taking him from WWE and doing that, I'd say that's a problem with Impact, not with AEW. That said, what they did with Deonna was fantastic, but she is young and had a ton of potential, which she delivered on. Eric Young on the other hand is way past his prime.