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1. When did you first hear about what would become AEW? I had heard whisperings of something in December 2018. People were saying Kenny would lose at Wrestle Kingdom, and I was fairly sure that was only happening if he was leaving New Japan as he was on a monster run. I had been pretty sure they were going to do arena shows to follow up on All In, but until December I thought we were looking at super-shows (more like the G1 Supercard that came later, as disappointing as that was) 2. When did you first believe it was happening? When Kenny lost. The way it happened felt like a goodbye. 3. What was your reaction and what did you think it would be like? Delighted. I hadn't been watching a regular weekly wrestling show in a while and I missed it but really didn't want to subscribe to the WWE network. I'd tried ROH's TV show and found it boring and cheap looking. Something mainstream but with a wrestling focus sounded great. As to what I expected, I wasn't sure. High in-ring quality if Kenny was leading. A tag team focus if the Bucks were heavily involved. Some NWA influence if Cody was the face. I was HOPING for crossover with New Japan but didn't know if that was possible. 4. Did you believe they would get a TV deal at first? When did you start to believe it would be a good deal? I felt like they wouldn't have gone as big as they did with the press conference if they were just announcing All In 2, so they had to know something. Whether they would be doing TV or some sort of subscription service, I didn't know. It wasn't until the TNT announcement that I knew this wasn't just a TV deal, this was a BIG TV deal. 5. What was your first guess of what the product would be like? Has it been anything close to what you expected? I was sort of expecting an American Wrestling version of what the Bucks and Kenny and Cody were doing in New Japan. Changed up for American TV but very ring focused. After the G1 Supercard I was fearing that it would be an ugly hybrid that didn't work in either direction. What they gave me instead was American wrestling television, except really good. 6. Is it better or worse than you expected? Better. I was trepidatious, especially after seeing how badly ROH shat the bed at Madison Square Garden. I stayed nervous throughout the preshow for Double Or Nothing, as the battle royal was indieriffic and I had no idea who Guevara or Sabian were. Then SCU came out and fought Strong Hearts, and everything after that wildly exceeded my expectations. 7. Has AEW changed how you watch/enjoy wrestling? Yes. Before AEW I watched New Japan on a fairly regular basis, but I watched in a casual way, throwing shows on in the background while I played video games. AEW, with its weekly schedule and secondary show became appointment television. I live in the UK so watching live isn't really possible, but every Thursday morning I get up early and binge the show before work. It's made me care about wrestling more.
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Sep 21, 2020 18:08
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| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 07:56 |
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