Here is Gresham for people who never seen him. Highlights of his match with Lethal.

Apr 14, 2022 2:34:05 GMT X-zero said:

Apr 14, 2022 2:31:09 GMT c said:

At least two, Darby and Sting will be made up for battle.

Danhausen will probably be out there messing with hook.

And Rosa may do something backstage.

Fuck forgot Danhausen.  Yeah that is at least 3, with the possibility of six total.  

Apr 14, 2022 2:30:45 GMT Emperor said:

Apr 14, 2022 2:28:20 GMT Baker said:

I don't get it. It's like if WWE decided to push Dominik Mysterio as a badass. *prepares to be pelted with rotten fruit*

I get this. His shtick does feel a little artificial. I think in his second match he Undertaker no sold a suplex or something which was pretty eye roll worthy.

It's almost as if he's the son of a guy who no-sold shit all the time and that spot was a callback. 

Edit: for the record, not mad when I say that. I have a dry humor and I know that it translates poorly to text sometimes and makes me come off as acerbic. I'm trying to manage that better so I'm not mean when I don't mean to be. 

Apr 14, 2022 2:32:37 GMT c said:

Apr 14, 2022 2:29:20 GMT Emperor said:

Are you telling me Jonathan Gresham is like Zack Sabre Jr.?

Kind of but more old school.  Zack is def new school and crazy with innovation.  Gresham is more of a classic guy.

Have you really not seen Gresham?  Pretty sure his destiny is in Japan.

I've heard good things but never bothered to seek him out.

Apr 14, 2022 2:31:55 GMT Baker said:

This thread it a hoot. UT we have to come back next week. Preferably with 🤯

He’s got to watch Dune or some other shitty movie I’m sure.

Apr 14, 2022 2:36:38 GMT Emperor said:

Apr 14, 2022 2:32:37 GMT c said:

Kind of but more old school.  Zack is def new school and crazy with innovation.  Gresham is more of a classic guy.

Have you really not seen Gresham?  Pretty sure his destiny is in Japan.

I've heard good things but never bothered to seek him out.

He reminds me a lot of Jay Lethal if Jay worked a more 70's style.  Gresham loves his wrist locks and classic moves.  Dude has everything he needs to make it big in Japan I think, but is not very appreciated in the US were people prefer trademark spots.

Him and Zack had some killer matches together too in Beyond.

Apr 14, 2022 2:36:21 GMT KITN said:

Apr 14, 2022 2:30:45 GMT Emperor said:

I get this. His shtick does feel a little artificial. I think in his second match he Undertaker no sold a suplex or something which was pretty eye roll worthy.

It's almost as if he's the son of a guy who no-sold shit all the time and that spot was a callback. 

Edit: for the record, not mad when I say that. I have a dry humor and I know that it translates poorly to text sometimes and makes me come off as acerbic. I'm trying to manage that better so I'm not mean when I don't mean to be. 

The callback was cool but the following week when he no sold the piledriver it was too much imo.

I like Hook don’t get me wrong but I think they did too much with him too quickly. And now that he’s barely fighting and doing weird bits with Danhausen I don’t know what to think. His match with Tony Nese will be good though.

Apr 14, 2022 2:28:20 GMT Baker said:

This might be a bad idea after all   You AEW diehards are gonna hate me. So I actually did watch Hook's debut match not long after it happened and....

I don't get it. It's like if WWE decided to push Dominik Mysterio as a badass. *prepares to be pelted with rotten fruit*

I mean yeah HOOK is straight up an ongoing meme

Originally, he'd only show up during Team Taz interviews, incapable of nothing other than mean mugging in the background (being a 20 year old rookie and all) and the fans memed him into "he clearly must be the silent badass/final boss of the group, that's why he's not saying or doing anything, so when he does it's gonna be EPIC"

then CM Punk started feuding with Team Taz, declined to fight HOOK because he's a minor and CM Punk doesn't fight children, so this happened

and, well, it's been going on ever since

They are not trying to WWE him and shoot him to the moon to fast. The fans go nuts for him, but he still is very green so they are working hard to protect him.

Apr 14, 2022 2:28:20 GMT Baker said:

This might be a bad idea after all   You AEW diehards are gonna hate me. So I actually did watch Hook's debut match not long after it happened and....

I don't get it. It's like if WWE decided to push Dominik Mysterio as a badass. *prepares to be pelted with rotten fruit*

I am more of an AEW well wisher as I don't wish any specific harm on it. I hate the comparison but understand if you didn't see what lead to it. He was just pretty much a background character who never did or said anything. Which made it a joke that he was some big threat because he never did anything. So people were going to make a big deal out of him no matter what. Then he actually performed way better then anyone would have dreamed.

You probably had to be there.

Still Hook's best moment.

Yeah, HOOK is definitely a meme. Well, he started that way at least.

Reason Hook is so over is he is the only one that looks like zoomer. In a fed where so many guys are over 40, a 22 year old is like all the kids can related to on the men's side.

Meme or not he is a second gen star trained by one of the most loved wrestlers in ECW.  Dude keeps his head on straight the experience will come and he will be big.  

Sure Vince is going to offer Taz the hall of fame if he sends Hook his way.

For those who did not put it together, one of Hook's first trainers was Pat Buck, the same guy who produced Roman vs Brock and Charlotte vs Ronda.

People def are watching Hook.

He started as a meme and there was always that underlining worry of "Oh wait, what if he debuts and the match sucks?" but then he had the match with Fuego and, even if it was squash, it was really effective in making him look good. And all the subsequent matches did the same thing, they protected Hook and highlighted what he was good at and had him choke the shit out of people.

So Hook started life as this guy...



Got it.
=====
c Hook's look is the major reason I didn't get it! Here's this fresh faced youngster who might just barely crack 200 pounds and he's out there no selling and being booked as a badass. 

For the record I'm not anti-meme wrestler. My brand of old school is a different flavor than Jim Cornette's. I mean half my schtick in HoW is turning old time faves into meme wrestlers (Hardcore Holly, King Kong Bundy, etc.) 

Apr 14, 2022 2:53:14 GMT c said:

For those who did not put it together, one of Hook's first trainers was Pat Buck, the same guy who produced Roman vs Brock and Charlotte vs Ronda.

lol You're not helping Hook's case. Hated Roman/Brock and Charlotte/Rousey was more mess than good. 

Apr 14, 2022 2:55:16 GMT Baker said:

So Hook started life as this guy...



Got it.
=====
c Hook's look is the major reason I didn't get it! Here's this fresh faced youngster who might just barely crack 200 pounds and he's out there no selling and being booked as a badass. 

For the record I'm not anti-meme wrestler. My brand of old school is a different flavor than Jim Cornette's. I mean half my schtick in HoW is turning old time faves into meme wrestlers (Hardcore Holly, King Kong Bundy, etc.) 

First thing I thought of when reading Michinokudriver’s post :lol:

…

So on my trending for you page on twitter the #1 trend is The Great Khali.

That’s…not ideal…

Apr 14, 2022 2:55:16 GMT Baker said:

So Hook started life as this guy...



Got it.
=====
c Hook's look is the major reason I didn't get it! Here's this fresh faced youngster who might just barely crack 200 pounds and he's out there no selling and being booked as a badass. 

For the record I'm not anti-meme wrestler. My brand of old school is a different flavor than Jim Cornette's. I mean half my schtick in HoW is turning old time faves into meme wrestlers (Hardcore Holly, King Kong Bundy, etc.) 

Taz was a little guy but used the Judo and Jujitsu to even the playing field.  Hook is taking the mantle.  He also is a legit athlete being ranked 74th in the nation in high school lacrosse.  And let's face it, he is trained by Taz who does not fuck around and takes his vision of wrestling super seriously.  

While Buck owns create-a-pro, Curtis Hawkins I believe rolls with the students.  After there, Dustin, QT and Cody were prepping Hook.  Taz not listed as a trainer, but let's face it, he is likely ranting and raving about everything Hook does to make him PERFECT.  

But yeah, he is REALLY young, and needs time to finish bulking up and get his ring work up.  

That said, his potential is clearly there.  He is charismatic as hell and can spend the next 5 years honing his style and still be young.  Then problem they have though is how to get him matches where he can fuck up in and make the mistakes every new guy will make.  Would not be shocked for him to work random feds under a hood.

I love the hate backlash on twitter for people thinking Dalip Singh and Satnum Singh are the same person must clearly be racist. How dare people compare Giant Singh to a giant Singh just because they are both Indian wrestlers, that look alike and are billed with the same last name. This is just not acceptable!!!

Apr 14, 2022 2:28:20 GMT Baker said:

This might be a bad idea after all   You AEW diehards are gonna hate me. So I actually did watch Hook's debut match not long after it happened and....

I don't get it. It's like if WWE decided to push Dominik Mysterio as a badass. *prepares to be pelted with rotten fruit*

I actually thought the squash itself was pretty entertaining and Hook moved well for a guy with little experience but the online reaction was way over the top...

FYI, my interest in your thoughts shouldn't be confused as a recommendation. I think you'll largely hate the show but I'm curious to hear whether you'd actually enjoy it more than RAW. AEW is more like a grab bag and there's some acts you might actually like.

Joe/Suzuki went as expected. You needed somebody to get the title off of Rhett and Suzuki is an acceptable opponent. However you then needed somebody with a big enough name to takedown Suzuki so Joe fits that bill. I'm not a fan of this cross-promotion stuff on AEW and as tonight showed they have to be careful. Otherwise it maybe like the NJPW/ROH MSG show where the ROH stuff largely sucked.

Suzuki in AEW has always been strange because they book him as a 'dream match guy' despite being phased out of the main event scene in NJPW the past 8 or so years. He really isn't the best representative of NJPW and instead of playing to his strengths and booking him like Taz/Sullivan they keep booking him in these plodding matches.

Ishii should be the model. Team them up with established acts, give them short flurries and get the heck out of dodge.

Speaking of NJPW guys...what was the last thing Jay White did?

Apr 14, 2022 5:23:07 GMT Big Pete said:

Joe/Suzuki went as expected. You needed somebody to get the title off of Rhett and Suzuki is an acceptable opponent. However you then needed somebody with a big enough name to takedown Suzuki so Joe fits that bill. I'm not a fan of this cross-promotion stuff on AEW and as tonight showed they have to be careful. Otherwise it maybe like the NJPW/ROH MSG show where the ROH stuff largely sucked.

Suzuki in AEW has always been strange because they book him as a 'dream match guy' despite being phased out of the main event scene in NJPW the past 8 or so years. He really isn't the best representative of NJPW and instead of playing to his strengths and booking him like Taz/Sullivan they keep booking him in these plodding matches.

Ishii should be the model. Team them up with established acts, give them short flurries and get the heck out of dodge.

Speaking of NJPW guys...what was the last thing Jay White did?

Appeared back stage then had one match then disappeared back to Impact. He was only there so Tony can say he didn't try to bait and switch people.

Apr 14, 2022 11:58:08 GMT X-zero said:

Apr 14, 2022 5:23:07 GMT Big Pete said:

Joe/Suzuki went as expected. You needed somebody to get the title off of Rhett and Suzuki is an acceptable opponent. However you then needed somebody with a big enough name to takedown Suzuki so Joe fits that bill. I'm not a fan of this cross-promotion stuff on AEW and as tonight showed they have to be careful. Otherwise it maybe like the NJPW/ROH MSG show where the ROH stuff largely sucked.

Suzuki in AEW has always been strange because they book him as a 'dream match guy' despite being phased out of the main event scene in NJPW the past 8 or so years. He really isn't the best representative of NJPW and instead of playing to his strengths and booking him like Taz/Sullivan they keep booking him in these plodding matches.

Ishii should be the model. Team them up with established acts, give them short flurries and get the heck out of dodge.

Speaking of NJPW guys...what was the last thing Jay White did?

Appeared back stage then had one match then disappeared back to Impact. He was only there so Tony can say he didn't try to bait and switch people.

How was it explained on the show? That White was brought in per Cole's request and the Bucks didn't like it because of White's history with Omega? So it was just a one and done thing? Did it play any part at all in Cole/Hangman?

Yes, yes, and no he didn't.

Apr 14, 2022 13:00:47 GMT KITN said:

Yes, yes, and no he didn't.

Is Adam Cole a moron? Or does he just hate Beretta that much he wastes his one favour on that?

I'm guessing there might have been plans, outside of kayfabe, for Jay White to do more Elite stuff, but for whatever reason, they didn't pan out. Iunno. Then again, Adam Cole thinks the Panama Sunrise is a cool move, so maybe he is.

Suzuki at least has some credibility in USA, while his stock has fallen far in NJPW. Yet because of the way he wrestles and presents himself it's always possible that he could beat just about anyone, even if it is becoming less probable.

Regarding Jay White, yeah, kinda lame he was used by AEW in that way and then forgotten about.

He has this Open challenge gimmick going and he's scheduled to wrestle on the NJPW USA show on Saturday. Not sure if his opponent has been announced.

Moxley vs Ospreay on that show which should be amazing.

They really need to shit or get off the pot with NJPW and AEW. Every time someone from NJPW shows up on an AEW program, they tease some huge angle, then it either fizzles out or whoever shows up from the NJPW side loses and goes away. I'm not using Suzuki as an example because we know he's going back to Japan and came over here for Wrestlemania SZN and did his job. He got an American title win as a thank you for his hard work, and put over Joe in a massive way before heading back overseas. Well done.

Impact is doing it right. They give Bullet Club the time they deserve and make them look like a legit threat. They basically walked into Impact and set up shop and are refusing to leave, which is basically what Bullet Club should be. They take what they want and if you don't like it, try and do something about it.

I'm not going to complain about AEW's booking because they're mostly doing a great job. They have their main storylines that they're focused on and they sprinkle in the best fights they can in between. Last night was a great example. You've got MJF/Wardlow continuing along, Eddie & Friends vs JAS continued, Jurassic Express continues to fend off The Undisputed Elite, but then oh hey here's CM Punk vs Penta and Joe vs Suzuki because why not?

They just need to be careful they aren't doing too much at once. Every time you bring someone in from another company and make a big deal about it to grab everyone's attention over everything else, then said person/group disappears without an explanation, you run the risk of losing the trust of your audience. Is Bullet Club a threat to AEW or not? Can anyone from NJPW show up at any time for a big match or is it just going to be when Minoru Suzuki is available? Like come on, do something!

Likely out of Khan's control. Japan not going to send anyone over right now with the COVID outbreak.

Think so many people waiting for the big announcement Weds are gonna be let down. Very likely release date for the video game and a preview.

Cesaro still some time out.  Not really even being that coy about where he plans to go.