• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

*Official* Pro-Wrestling Thread II

Red_Ink_Squid

Global Moderator
That Danielson vs Ospreay match was pretty dope
Just got to watching this. It's a bit sad that there didn't seem to be a real angle to this other than "these guys are both good at wrestling matches, let's get them to have a dream match". Pretty lazy booking. Surely you can give them some reason to dislike each other or fight for beyond "this match will have excellent work rate".

That said, the match had excellent work rate. Really strong match!
 

OverratedSanity

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Just got to watching this. It's a bit sad that there didn't seem to be a real angle to this other than "these guys are both good at wrestling matches, let's get them to have a dream match". Pretty lazy booking. Surely you can give them some reason to dislike each other or fight for beyond "this match will have excellent work rate".

That said, the match had excellent work rate. Really strong match!
Yep it's something that really holds back these matches. The in ring action is great but with basically no proper build, it loses that extra emotional resonance and feels too self contained. You don't need a month long program, but do something. It's a tasty as **** snack but with how good these two are it should feel more momentous. The good thing though, is that for someone like me doesn't watch day to day much, I don't feel like I'm missing much just watching the ppv match.
 

Red_Ink_Squid

Global Moderator
Yep it's something that really holds back these matches. The in ring action is great but with basically no proper build, it loses that extra emotional resonance. You don't need a month long program, but do something. It's a tasty as **** snack but with how good these two are it should feel more momentous. The good thing though, is that for someone like me doesn't watch day to day much, I don't feel like I'm missing much just watching the ppv match.
Agree with everything you've said there. "Emotional resonance" is exactly what stops this (and similar "dream" matches) from being absolutely elite. However, as one-shot, self-contained matches go this was really well executed, which works for me too as a fellow cherry-picker in what I watch.
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
Just got to watching this. It's a bit sad that there didn't seem to be a real angle to this other than "these guys are both good at wrestling matches, let's get them to have a dream match". Pretty lazy booking. Surely you can give them some reason to dislike each other or fight for beyond "this match will have excellent work rate".

That said, the match had excellent work rate. Really strong match!
I dont mind this as an one off tbh.

Its pretty much how we got the 1995 Summerslam Ladder Match 2 between HBK and Razor. :laugh:
 

Red_Ink_Squid

Global Moderator
I dont mind this as an one off tbh.

Its pretty much how we got the 1995 Summerslam Ladder Match 2 between HBK and Razor. :laugh:
Eh, maybe fair but at least that was for a belt and the two had a kayfabe rivalry/history to play off.

I don't mind that AEW booked a dream match between Danielson and Osprey (I'm glad they are booking good matches!) I just wished they'd bothered to give them a story line as well.
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
Eh, maybe fair but at least that was for a belt and the two had a kayfabe rivalry/history to play off.

I don't mind that AEW booked a dream match between Danielson and Osprey (I'm glad they are booking good matches!) I just wished they'd bothered to give them a story line as well.
Oh I agree.. and maybe they can even use this match out of nowhere as a way to start a proper feud too. Just said I wont mind it too much as an one-off every once in a while.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Just got to watching this. It's a bit sad that there didn't seem to be a real angle to this other than "these guys are both good at wrestling matches, let's get them to have a dream match". Pretty lazy booking. Surely you can give them some reason to dislike each other or fight for beyond "this match will have excellent work rate".

That said, the match had excellent work rate. Really strong match!
This is a common criticism of a lot of AEW matches tbh.
 

Athlai

Not Terrible
I think two people the audience know are very good wrestlers wanting to find out who is better is a fine story for a match. The outcome then becomes part of their story.

I think all wrestling matches having some kind of "blood feud" is far more tedious personally, it makes them far less meaningful.
 

OverratedSanity

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Doesn't need to be a blood feud at all, but some kind of additional context around the match would be nice.

The in-ring storytelling is still ace.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Yeah, like OS I'm not invested enough to mind too much, and am happy to just watch good matches. But a common criticism of AEW from regular watchers is that it often feels like Tony Khan is just using it as his person dream match/e-fed simulator. And there is nothing necessarily wrong with that I guess, especially if the watcher already knows who the wrestlers are, but it's maybe not a great strategy to attract casual fans/build a wrestling company.
 

Red_Ink_Squid

Global Moderator
I think two people the audience know are very good wrestlers wanting to find out who is better is a fine story for a match. The outcome then becomes part of their story.

I think all wrestling matches having some kind of "blood feud" is far more tedious personally, it makes them far less meaningful.
I haven't watched the weekly AEW TV for months, so all I'm going on is the pre-match video package. Which had Osprey talking about how he "has the best wrestling matches in the world" which I find a bit cringe. Surely the wrestler should be saying "I'm the best wrestler in the world, no one can beat me" rather than essentially "I put on ***** rated performances". Too close to breaking the fourth wall for my liking. The audience already know they're great wrestlers, that's why they're watching. I'd just prefer it if there was a reason to root for one performer or the other rather than rooting for a cool wrestling match.

The story doesn't have to be a blood feud, but I'd have liked to have seen more about Osprey and Danielson as characters and not just performers.

(Again, not faulting the in-ring performance. And it ended with a sort-of angle so maybe they can play this back again later with actual stakes.)
 

Top