So I ended up catching some of the highlights on YouTube and in typical Noid fashion, I'll present my thoughts and sheer disgust at the quality of the show.
One thing that stands out to me as a veteran professional wrestling fan is the how distinct the show is in terms of its in-ring content. It separates itself from Dynamite which is a good thing. Relying on stars who are past their prime like Christian Cage and CM Punk, shoving them in the main event scene for the sake of TRP is not edgy or creative. Using older superstars as a crux was what made fans livid at WWE and I wish they bring the same energy here.
I mean this as sincerely as I possibly can, CM Punk is extremely sloppy and dangerous in the ring. If anything, John Cena's in-ring style was more refined and polished in comparison. There's no cohesion when it comes to his moves or his ring gear. He comes across as a jabroni mark to be completely honest. For someone who prides himself in being "straight edge", he looks and moves like a homeless meth addict. He needs to take it easy on the donuts and Pepsi. The way Christian hit his head on the guard rail after the GTS was scary.
While Darby Allen makes Rey Mysterio look like "The Big Red Machine" Kane, he's genuinely one of the best acts that the company has produced. Do I believe he deserves to be world champion some day? Absolutely, not. While AEW's world title is devoid of the "heavyweight" naming scheme, Darby Allen should never win the big one. He has to remain true to his second rate Tommy Dreamer underdog aspirations. He should never be world champion.
Towards the end of the match, when Luchasauras interferes, Starks takes less than 2 seconds to recover from the supine position to go grab Darby from the top rope!!! I mean, what the actual fuck are we doing anymore?
https://youtu.be/WrGDt7EmjFw?t=331 Starks' opening promo was terrible as well. People need to chill with the Rock comparisons, not because they don't have any merits, it's because they're spending too much energy on someone who's going to be relegated to the indies in less than three years. He's not special. Wrestling marks will get behind anyone...seriously.
I didn't have the energy to sit through the trios title match because of how bored I am of the Acclaimed. They have 1/10th the charisma or star power of Enzo Amore and Big Cass when they first debuted on the main roster. They have nothing to offer besides the "scissor me daddy" gimmick. It was adorable at first, now it's just cringe.
Don't want to talk about Miro...he's fine and Taya is the drizzling shits. Skye Blue has overachieved and doesn't deserve any television time. It's not like the fans are craving for it...maybe it's a Tony thing. I don't know...I don't trust that guy. It's a travesty how they're misusing Jay White. They should be ashamed of themselves.
Overall, I'll give this show a lenient 1 star out of 5 Doug Basham vs Nick Dinsmore 2/3 falls OVW matches. Can't believe this show even exists. Should just call it Rampage+
