AEW Discussion for 8/20: I'm Back

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Hammer House: Stinger Splash Zone > AEW Discussion for 8/20: I'm Back

CM PUNK This poll is closed.
CM PUNK	47	25.68%
CM PUNK	41	22.40%
CM PUNK	71	38.80%
CM PUNK	24	13.11%
Total:	183 votes

[Edit Poll (moderators only)]

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Wrestling... is good.

# ¿ Aug 21, 2021 04:18

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 05:20

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

njsykora posted:

Help it's been over an hour and I'm still wired as gently caress from the show and can't sleep.

# ¿ Aug 21, 2021 05:08

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

a cyborg mug posted:

Alright, I’ve been completely unable to get the Coal Magnate Punk return out of my head all weekend and have been trying to figure out why I felt so emotional watching him return - as someone who wasn’t there to see any of his WWE run and only came back to watch pro wrestling after he’d already been gone for over a year. I never watched him wrestle (of course I later watched some of his matches, and, perhaps more importantly, promos). I was never invested in him like so many others were. Most of my exposure to him were interviews and podcasts where he was angry or otherwise ornery and seemed a bit or a lot like a dick and apart from obvious charisma and a way with words, I wasn’t sure he was quite as amazing as he was made out to be. When he was more or less confirmed to be coming to AEW, I was initially mostly like ”ok that’s a big get but can he still go?” So why was I so emotionally affected? Aside from having become more in tune with my emotions and expressing them with age, I guess…

Well, I guess it’s why pro wrestling can, to me, sometimes be more overwhelmingly powerful than just about any other medium. Because it’s not just a story someone wrote and someone else acted, even though that is also involved in it. It’s more real than that. It’s also not a real sport where the realities and limitations of the human body would probably mean CM Punk just wouldn’t be able to return in a serious capacity, so the story wouldn’t happen in the first place - at least not like this, and not over such a long time.

The story of CM Punk’s return is one that weaves across decades of narratives both fictional and real, it’s a story that involves not only the feelings and experiences of one man, but also those of millions of people around the world. Feelings and experiences of betrayal, disappointment, frustration… resentment for something you loved. I guess the latter is what always resonated with me when it came to interviews with Punk. I can emphatize with that, I can understand how deeply damaging it must be to have the love for something you have lived for snuffed out. It’s a terrible thing. And the feelings of the fans have in many ways mirrored those of Punk’s. The growing realization of just how toxic, awful and increasingly hostile WWE is and how hosed the landscape of pro wrestling in America has been, those same feelings of betrayal, disappointment, frustration and resentment. In retrospect, it’s pretty funny how I lasted all of a couple of years with WWE after I started watching pro wrestling again. That’s how quickly they drove me away, first to local Finnish wrestling, then New Japan.

But alongside the negative feelings there are the positive ones. With AEW, hope for American wrestling was restored. People coming together to watch something not because they hate it, but because they like it and can trust it to be good. Hope and excitement and the feeling of togetherness. And, with the all but officially confirmed return of Punk, the rapidly growing hype. People putting aside time from their Friday for the show, making up plans to stay up late or wake up early, setting alarms and reminders. You just can’t help but get swept in, join in with this huge emotion swelling inside the hearts of a global audience. You’re one with a buzzing mass of people, your friends (PSPals!), even if they are far away and in different timezones.

Then that moment people have been waiting for seven years finally comes. In those nine deafening ”CM PUNK” chants just before Cult of Personality hit, that nuclear motherfucking pop when it does hit and on the face of CM Punk, all of that emotion is finally allowed to burst out. You can just see how everything washes over him when he walks through the tunnel. Of course he had heard the chants and the endless questions about when he’d be coming back, but I don’t think he never really understood it until now. After all he had done and gone through and after all the pro wrestling audience had gone through, they still loved him, and he loved them and professional wrestling. And it wasn’t until he finally, actually walked through that tunnel that the fans really believed he was back and realized just how much they had missed and needed him. It’s just such a pure, cathartic moment of release and joy for everyone involved.

Imagine making fun of the crying fan. gently caress everyone who does. That dude rocks. I’m that dude. I’m YOSHI-HASHI girl. I’m the yellow hat dude when Randy Savage and Elizabeth reunite. I’m Aubrey at Daniel Bryan’s retirement. Stories are supposed to make us feel, and this is as real as a story in a fictional medium can possibly get. Even if I wasn’t there from the beginning, I was there for the end because I emphatize with both CM Punk and my fellow fans and got swept in the long story they all have been experiencing together. Being emotional rules, and pro wrestling rules.

Ok it’s 2 AM here and I’ve been trying to write this for way too long so bye

Very well said.

e: we'll need any joy we can since we will all be dead in 20-30 years if we're lucky.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 00:15

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

sticklefifer posted:

I figured out Punk's big feud after the Darby match. They've been hinting at it for weeks now.

CM Punk (ice cream) vs Ryan Nemeth (eyes cream)

Ryan Nemeth? isn't that Ziggler's name? they related?
If they are, please don't bring Ziggler to AEW.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 01:13

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Le Saboteur posted:

Ryan is one of his brothers. The one who didn't kill somebody.

Oh god..

no Ziggler, PLEASE

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 01:15

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Oh I'm not bitching about Ryan. I'm worried they'll bring in Dolph cause his way more talented brother is there.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 01:23

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Jonny Nox posted:

too bad, you gave the thread a chance to talk about it's third favorite topic.

I didn't know! I only got back into wrestling a week ago. I'll catch up.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 01:28

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

NienNunb posted:

Dolph would be good because he�s a generally good wrestler and AEW handles everyone very well. God bless.

No. The last time Ziggler was good was with AJ and Big E. that was like a decade ago. And AJ and Big E were way better.

Let the Spirit Squad dude die a death with Bobby Roode, they're meant for eachother.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 01:33

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

NienNunb posted:

Nah he�d probably be good, he�s wrestled good to great matches since then. Hth

Nope.

e: literally name any dolph angle or feud you remember in the last 5, or okay 10 years.

don't google it, be honest.

Sure he can be better in AEW, everyone can.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 01:36

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Pinwiz11 posted:

His "retirement" angle with The Miz.

Ziggs and Miz, okay..

I mean if we're going that low, yeah I'd love to see Dolph in AEW, just as much as anyone else like Bianca, New Day, etc.

And those are actual talents

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 01:41

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Seams posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66dKweFGkFY&t=198s

Didn't Drip Drip get cum on last night by Creed?

e: lol I thought that was in the WWE thread. Sorry.

I'd just rather any talented person get a highlight then loving Dolph Ziggler cause his younger brother actually has talent. k I'm done.

Barreft fucked around with this message at 01:46 on Aug 23, 2021

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 01:43

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

NienNunb posted:

Idk man, how many memorable cool feuds has anyone in wwe had in the last five years. I just think he�d be pretty good in a tag team with his brother.

Yeah you're right. I think I'm so sick of Ziggler fighting with everyone 20 times a year for the last 10. But that's not his fault.

I'm getting the WWE brain poison out of me I promise

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 01:52

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

NienNunb posted:

I�m happy we left this exchange as friends and not as enemies. I love friends.

AEW and *Professional Wrestling* brings us all together.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 01:56

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

True story my dad worked as a trucker manager for a couple years, and he had to babysit me one time at work.

An ice cream truck came by and had the WWF ice cream bars. I got an Ultimate Warrior one. I think this was like 1991 or so.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 01:59

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Gavok posted:

Question: should I make a "So You'd Like to Get Into AEW" megathread? A multi-post FAQ thing with wrestler profiles, lists of matches to check out, etc?

Yes.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 02:17

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Anything to get us understanding AEW.

I've been youtubing a bunch of poo poo since watching the Pittsburgh show (I live there so I watched to see Britt, and now I'm hooked)

WWE just beat the poo poo out of me so I haven't paid attention in forever since the last 2 weeks.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 02:22

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Orange Carlisle posted:

You're coming back at a great time, AEW is killing it every week. If you haven't watched the re-debut of CM Punk from Friday you'll want to check that out

I watched the last two weeks.

e:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG0QKMl-WUg

Barreft fucked around with this message at 02:28 on Aug 23, 2021

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 02:25

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Orange Carlisle posted:

Fair enough - I'll let people with better memories than my old man brain can muster direct you to specific things but Brodie Lee's run as the head of the Dark Order before his passing was extremely fun and most of that good stuff is contained in the Being The Elite youtube episodes from around that time. There's just so much good stuff to recommend it's kinda nuts.

Oh I've been watching. I just think it'd be a good resource for new people. Like I still don't know everyone in every group. I've been watching the vlogs for weeks. I'm definitely invested.

I watched the toy vlog today and I don't know any of the people besides Fuego but it was fun watching them in the store.

Maybe at least like a catalog of wrestlers in what group they are in? Some kind of structure to help newbies understand?

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 02:33

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

boxcarhobo posted:

here�s what you need to know about aew:

cody Rhodes

Yeah I saw his head kicked in by Loreblog Black, it was amazing.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 02:37

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Wrestling is so good. We live in hellworld but still good wrestling brings us together

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 03:36

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

yea ok posted:

the aew beginners primer is a cool idea especially since they're only a couple of years old so it's not like there's a ton to really dive into. i think the need to understand the hangman story is a bit overblown in general, not just on this forum, but heck it's a fun one to learn about. light the fuse. bring the boom.

I think the Stardust story needs to be pinned at least. That's insane.

There's really no downside to a primer, I want to see all I can.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 03:44

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Adam Cole can literally just show up on Wednesday.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 03:53

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Lex Luger this bitch Cole

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 03:55

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

weekly font posted:

I think you're gonna have a tough time debuting anyone who jumps ship right now as a heel.

This is true. I've wanted to see Cole on the main stage for years now, I don't think I could boo him.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 04:11

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

explosivo posted:

So what's the deal with Adam Cole? He's done with no noncompete because he agreed to work up through this weekend?

We don't know.

Hopefully he Luger's on Dynamite

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 04:25

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

xbilkis posted:

Tired: Adam Cole should reunite with the Elite
Wired: Adam Cole should be Britt Baker's sleazy leach boyfriend who's riding the coattails of her success. His gimmick should just be Dennis Duffy

Tired first, cause they'll def cheer for him. but obviously they gotta do Wired at some point. It's too good. Twitch Stream Cole.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 04:30

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo2qNuJ-3Jw

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 04:39

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Go chugs

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 05:24

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

I'd love TS Cole. Just play your games and get angry every time you have to stop a hollow knight run to wrestle.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 05:58

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Any word on Adam Cole?

We gettin a Luger tonight?

# ¿ Aug 25, 2021 23:24

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 05:20

Barreft: Jul 21, 2014

Thanks all, drat. I don't want a debut every week but him showing up 3 days later woulda been sweet

# ¿ Aug 25, 2021 23:34

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