Kenny said in an interview with the Observer that Cody wanted to go to war, the rest of them just wanted another place to go to work. That alone told me exactly why Cody left, a difference of philosophy and nothing else.
Big fan of the pod already. Stevie is a very good communicator and is great at explaining the nuances of wrestling both in and out of the ring. Shout out to James too. Takes a good host to keep things interesting and organized. Keep up the great work fellas!
I've watched AEW every week for about three and a half years. I have to thank you, Stevie, for giving your insight and opinions in such a respectful and thoughtful way. I want AEW and the wrestlers there to do well, and constructive criticisms like yours should be welcomed. I love the show, and look forward to next week's episode. Cheers!
Same here. I stopped watching every week once Punk left. The amount of petty bllshit turned me off. Stranding him at the aiport, starting rumours about him, refuisng to speak to him, going to his locker room to fight him, etc.
I watch AEW every week but only the good stuff. Which means after cutting out the weekly Orange Cassidy 20 minute match, random 10 man tag, Nyla Rose segment, and 55 year old japanese guy match, you’re left with about 30 minutes of potential Swerve, MJF, Samoa Joe, Ospreay, and Toni Storm content…..and that’s about all they got going.
I love the ideas for Collision. Saturday morning, family friendly, some squash matches... I'd be tempted to put Osperay there as the showpiece (for the show and kids) and possible UK viewership at a decent hour for them.
That's a pretty good idea! I'd also advocate putting Top Flight there for the high flying. Can replace them for Private Party on Rampage, who are a more fitting addition to the "almost R-rated" Rampage.
I'd strip Rampage of it's AEW branding and turn into a proper Ring of Honor TV show. Then put someone else in charge of it and use it as developmental like WWE does with NXT. It would do something productive with that hour of TV and start attempting to get a return on the purchase of those assets. If Warner still wanted AEW on the title for the name recognition then it could easily be "AEW: Ring of Honor."
As a teenager I could see that Stevie Richards was a pro’s pro. It’s crazy to me the idea that another wrestler wouldn’t atleast respect Stevie’s opinion on anything wrestling.
With regards to Cody getting booed. Undertaker put it best. Cody is a natural heel. When he eventually turns in WWE it's going to be his golden age. Can't wait to see it
@pleaseshutup7053 Isn't he already one? He sometimes really acts like one. Like telling the announcer to introduce him again, then he keeps posing and wanting to be cheered.
@@yourfavoriteentertainment Cody is the farthest thing from a heel. He’s just trying to be old school like the way he holds the wwe title We are jaded fans so we see it as an act he is acting old school instead of being old school. That’s part of the reason cena was booed he went from Boston rapper to corporate face of the company I do it for the kids it never felt authentic until he left wwe and kept up that persona
@@yourfavoriteentertainment I’m sure Cody will start to get booed after his feud with the rock because wwe can’t book an interesting babyface champion anymore to save their life. Fans have started to turn on Sami
Stevie just "perfect pitched" the perfect reset for AEW. And most innovative of all would be a wrestling company that could cater to 3 different demos with 3 different flavors. The "Neapolitan" of wrestling shows!!
Stevie Richards is like the best down to earth guy... Maybe Shane Douglas as well. Great videos I am now following this channel as well... Jame is a great host keep it up.
When it comes to renting things for AEW shows, perhaps Tony's dad own things like the stage and lighting etc, and then rents them to AEW. It is not unusual for a person to own two companies and use one of the companies to rent equipment to their other company. The companies I know of who did that did it for tax purposes.
Good point. I've always been of the mind to own real estate and people always would tell me the repairs are too high! And then I said well why don't I take the rent money and then start a repair company and pay myself to fix it? People always would say that's impossible! It's absolutely not. I used to be a tax preparer and lots of people had businesses set up that way. However I don't think Tony, is that smart
@@ModernDayRenaissanceManmoney is literally no object and even with the massive overspending they haven’t even touched a drop in the bucket yet. That alone will keep aew afloat until poppa Kahn gets tired of the losses
@@anthraxfan93 My nephews (13, 9 and 6 years old) absolutely hate him. Kids absolutely hate the concept of someone not tying. In their playground law mindset, it is terrible. Kids love those fighting for justice (honestly amazing how kids these days still love Hogan because of it) and high flyers (especially Mysterio), ironically they don't like many high flying tag-teams as 'they are cheating, he tagged out, he should not be fighting anymore'. As kids also hate people cheating.
@@Qwazaar919 I know my point I bet the rattings would go up everyone can watch morning wrestling before they start the day more so at night I remember wcw wwe had morning wrestling that was cool I mean a lot of it was repetitive and showed what happened on there main shows or promoting there ppv
@@anthraxfan93 The face of a Saturday Morning wrestling show should be Danhausen because his gimmick is so over the top and goofy that it rolls back to being awesome. But at this point I don't even know if he's still in the AEW roster.
AEW fans are 1 of AEW's biggest problems. They cheer heels for doing heel tactics and sit on their hands when a baby face isn't doing flips or false finishes
WWE fans are the biggest problem with wrestling as a whole. They physically stink. Are judgmental, they think they part of the show. Did I mention they legitimately stink?
That's not really a problem. It's art imitating life honestly. There are no heels and faces in real life anymore...lines are completely blurred, especially in America. I think a company trying to force people to feel a certain way in this day and age is suicide. Just have to learn how roll with the punches and be fluid.
@@jamarbracey3778 Art does need to imitate life. Simple stuff like love triangles, egos, white and blue collar differences... Wrestling doesn't need proud Americans and evil Russians but more REAL stuff. The Hangman Page story told (of alcoholism and friendships vs personal goals/ self-worth) through BTE was just that... and just told on BTE. Being a loyal AEW viewer isn't enough for them to let you in on the full picture.
The first thing they should change is to make sure their wrestlers actually work for those crazy salaries. And with work, I don`t mean 10-20 days a year.
To be fair the only documented shoot wrestling match angle had he almost had his arm broken by Puder (I believe was his name) angle was good at Olympic wrestling, shoot would be different
@@david-468Angle didn't know it was a shoot at that time so hard to give him the L. Had he gone in knowing that guy was going to do that it could very likely look different
@@edwells4769 hmm never heard that, I like angle don’t get me wrong I’m just sayin it takes a a certain skill to just shoot yet also make it still look like somewhat of a work, which angle was “not good” at one or the other from him
@@david-468 Yeah but Angle didn't just shoot on guys in a match either so there's really no examples on his ability to do it or not. There's a reason Puder got the absolute shit kicked out of him for real on TV and then fired. There wasn't really anybody who could out wrestle Kurt legit on the roster during his time. He beat Lesnar 3 times in what shoot wrestling used to mean, which is just real wrestling. There's a few eyewitness testimonies to that fact as well.
Two fixes would make a big difference, Tony hiring someone who knows what they’re doing to be booker and also getting rid of all the elite. The bucks, Okada, Perry, and page all need to go. Where they really screwed up was keeping all them instead of cm punk, ultimate dumbass moment. The ratings and ppv buys went out the window.
I can listen to Stevie talk all day long hope he becomes a pillar to one of the promotion’s backstage he would be able to develop anyone that has potential
I’ve never watched AEW, I just get my info from shows like this. I think something that hurts them is they can only be watched on network television. WWE has Peacock and similar streaming platforms, RAW is condensed to 90 minutes on Hulu. There are plenty of avenues outside of cable to consume WWE programming. I’m not paying for cable for one show.
I'll always be a cult member but Stevie has won me over with his insite and his views . He's humble and it's a breath of fresh air after listening to cornette and bishoff usually . He's so humble and I'd still wish I'd have half of his wrestling career.
The fans turned on Cody because of the bad booking with him (whether it was his fault, Tony's fault, or a combination of both). For a while, Cody was very over, but it got to the point where the booking and presentation was over the top, repetitive, nonsensical and borderline offensive (especially with the Anthony Ogogo feud). The finishes to a lot of his bigger matches later on were so overbooked and unnecessary. He was trying to be Super Cena with the Rhodes name.
It was always going to go downhill after his first feud with his brother. Aew doesn't have stars to match up with Cody lol, no way. That's why he was doing that crap with qt marshall
Stevie hit on it, but I'll equate it to vintage TV; Brandi, being the Lucy to Cody's Ricky Ricardo (Lucy just wants to be in the show), did more damage to Cody than anything. He's the white meat babyface and Brandi's 'Nightmare Family' are heels.
Great work you two. This has been my favorite channel. You guys break everything down differently than others. Yes, and AEW problem is booking and evryone else points that out. I like the different take(s) mentioned in this episode. From cutting costs, true roster split, and production of each show for a different identity. Keep up the good work.
this show is so well done and put together. They are giving away $$ in free game. Thanks for the show guys. I appreciate your dedication and hard work! You always get a like from me!
I don't watch wrestling much anymore, so I'm not a supporter of either company, but from what little I've seen and heard, the one thing that would boost AEW is for Tony Khan to be the boss and to stop trying to do what he's been doing. Let someone like Jeff Jarrett be the booker or at least head a small booking committee, and to have these younger wrestlers learn from the veterans how to be pros. Until they start acting like they have left the rec center for the civic center they'll always come across as a 2nd class organization. They have a bunch of smaller guys, sure, but if they learn to work safely and stop being dedicated to just doing obvious spots that aren't getting them over more anyway, they can have great matches and longer careers and not have to risk breaking their necks every night out. Just my thoughts though, and I love Stevie and James' show
I been watching AEW since the very first dynamite, and I almost forget Cody was even in AEW lol. When he was in AEW I always thought he was like a perfect character for WWE with the over the top superhero gimmick. I remember when he refused to turn heel in AEW because he was so invested in his baby face superhero gimmick. I actually couldn't stand him in AEW, but watching him in WWE he grew on me and now I actually like him, and i'm happy he found the success he was always trying to achieve.
If AEW had a heel like Roman Reigns and a story like bloodline then perhaps Cody would've been over with fans there, in WWE they didn't change his character at all. What changed Cody in WWE was Roman and Seth, he should partially thank them for his success because Seth put over Cody 3 times and Roman let Cody be the one to break his 1316 days double champion reign.
i think the thing with cody not getting over in AEW was because he was one of the founders, had the power and was getting a lot of TV time, and the titles, it just reminded people of Jeff Jarrett and his reign of terror in NWA/TNA
For me it was when Cody immediately went into the programme with Jericho where if he lost, he'd never get another title opportunity, and then he lost and never got another opportunity for AEW's World Heavyweight Championship. The way Tony Khan thought of that must've went like "I'm gonna fuel Cody's fire by pouring water over it".
What titles? Lol Cody did that ridiculous stipulation where he could never challenge for the AEW championship after losing to Jericho. No clue why he thought that was a good idea. Besides the TNT championship getting passed around back and forth to Cody, what other titles did he win?
@@eldiablo3794 i can only speak for myself but i was already tired of him before that stipulation, and that was probably why they made it but didnt work
@@eldiablo3794 I can see how Cody suggested it so he'd always have an out for when he was ready to return to the WWE, but Tony Khan has to approve that suggestion before it goes on PPV.
Lol. I knew Uncle Dave was on the payroll. I've been saying it for years. There is no way he sacrifice his credibility to the degree that he has unless it was setting him up for life. smh I've actually joked about the checks bouncing whenever Uncle Dave does criticize anything in AEW. That is definitely real.
I’m really enjoying hearing Stevie give his thoughts on all of the subjects that have been covered so far. Definitely a very charismatic guy and it’s nice that he doesn’t over complicate things. I think along with Taker and Maven, this is definitely becoming one of my favourite wrestling channels on TH-cam. Both of you guys are actually making wrestling entertaining for me again and that’s not happened for me in quite some time.
Stevie,your insights are so great and spot on. Your wrestling advice is from a caring and humble perspective,that's is unbiased,yet firm on opinion. I loved this episode. Earned a new subscriber! Oh and Hi James! Love your podcasting
OK I have one for you. How about the TNA/WWE deal. It seems to be working out great for both companies. I mean on WWE youtube channel they did a whole video putting over TNA Joe Hendry.
Cody "not getting over" in aew was down to the bad story/booking he had, tried to be too deep with what he was doing. I dont think a single true AEW fan wanted cody to leave, the matches he was putting on were fantastic. But the weird "super babyface but kinda actually heel" wasnt working especially with Brandy also getting way too much tv time and also being a blatant heel it was all just weird. It was nothing against cody personally
I was at Revolution 2020 at Wintrust, and there is just something about Cody that rang "so NXT"; it was all about the entrance. Match against MJF starts, and it was so-o-o-o dull. Brandi did that dive and I was out. (I did a walkaround during the match and saw an area of the arena where a bunch of One Hour Tees boxes were all lined up along a row of tables, and covered with a black cloth. Those would be the shirts that recognized "And New" AEW Champion Jon Moxley.)
People forget that Cody Rhodes was the first major name to give up a guaranteed WWE contract to go to the indies to prove himself. In the indies, he demonstrated to other wrestlers that you could reject WWE during its lowest booking era under Vince McMahon, and make good money in the indies. Yes, a lot was attributed to his fame in WWE, but in the indies, Cody rebranded his character, made a bigger name for himself, and became a draw. Then, he went to NJPW where he further increased his reputation, and eventually helped found AEW. The first real alternative to WWE in years. Cody proved McMahon and HHH wrong, Cody proved every wrestling fan wrong who ever doubted him. In short, Cody helped save wrestling.
Cody Rhoads also continually put on incredible risky matches for the fans. He bumped on ladders, thumbtacks, and even a flaming table that left his back on fire. He is hardcore! Don’t let his character or look fool you!
@@VeilInfinity Yes and no. Yes, their gymnastics are. No, because they made WWE better, and are the #2 spot for most wrestlers to work and make good money.
So James, when they say stagehands that encompasses all of the labor for unloading the trucks, rigging, setting up the lighting, audio, baracade, etc. And also for the show, as cable pages for camers, Pyro, whatever they need. Stevie is not wrong in citing unions, we do have an international union I.A.T.S.E. and I believe Vegas pays their hands very well. Unions also have things like minimums and overtime conditions. I don't know specifically if Vegas charges 4 hour, 8 hour, or what we call "day rates," which are typically 10 hours. Basically, these are the minimum you can pay each stagehand for their labor. Now in terms of overtime, generally many unions have some kind of condition where if you are working after midnight, the stagehands get paid either 1.5x or 2x their normal rate. Some places even have the industry such as, if you work over 8 hours, everything after that is in overtime pay. It's a very complex situation and different depending on each city. My experience with AEW is that they typically need the stagehands for multiple days, whereas WWE is really only 1 day
Here is my take as someone who has never ran a company that big (obviously) but what I think could work to help AEW. 1.) Smaller venues, if you are struggling to fill the bigger stadiums then book smaller arenas. Perception is reality if the crowd looks full then a sell out is a sell out on camera. 2.) I agree on cliff hangers, tied in booking, and story beats that intermingle. There needs to be hooks for the next episode, rising tensions for the PPVs, and story lines need to co-exist in this AEW world together rather than a talent show of "Here is the next story, and here is the next one.", 3.) Dynamite needs to be the Raw or Nitro of AEW. Biggest production value (other than PPVs) the majority of big story lines and plot threads need to be focused on Dynamite. Collision needs to be a "continuation" show sort of like WCW Saturday Night was or Heat or the original Smackdown. Where you can reinforce story beats from Dynamite and expand lesser stories to give them some air time and room to breath. Occasionally have a lesser story line have a bigger blow off with on Collision where on a PPV or Dynamite it would be a middle of the card match instead if could main event the B show of Collision. Rampage should be a mostly recap show with highlights of Dynamite and Collision, explaining the story beats and clipping it down for the very casual fans that maybe don't have time to watch every week but they could still get set up to order your PPVs and be understanding of the story lines if they had a recap show every week to keep people informed and maybe throw in 1 or 2 matches for under card talent to get some screen time and occasionally throw in a Main Eventer or a Upper Mid Card guy or gal to draw eyes to the product from fans who have watched Dynamite/Collision already that week. ROH should be its own thing entirely, thats not to say that ROH people and champions can't show up on AEW programming but it should be special when they do. ROH should also be on TH-cam or online somewhere for free. With its own roster, batch shot, give it a feel like the old ROH or original Black/Gold NXT or TNA. Use it to build up talent then those talent finish up their ROH run and move on to AEW. TLDR; AEW has all the tools to create a functioning wrestling ecosystem of their own if they would get their ducks in a row.
In my country (New Zealand) we only get the one AEW show on TV here (Rampage). Apparently its the only one that AEW offers to our TV networks whereas we get all the WWE TV shows here... I believe that's what Rampage is used for... international audiences outside of the bigger continents. We can watch AEW via the internet (via the official streaming service) but there's almost no TV exposure here... I'd wager most kiwi pro wrestling fans don't even know AEW exists, so they're not likely to ever consider subscribing to the streaming service. I also miss the old web shows... AEW Dark and Dark Elevation... as those used to showcase AEW talent including lower card workers as well as giving fans a glimpse of some indie wrestlers who used to come on as guest competitors. I know that those shows were a product of Covid times, but I did enjoy them. I feel that ROH has pretty much become the AEW Dark of the post-Covid era.
@hadlee73 I miss those TH-cam shows also. Easy to zip through, plus Paul Wight was a pretty good color guy on Elevation. Kinda wish they'd still have a YT show for the younger wrestlers.
The reason why Cody was hated in AEW towards the end wasn’t Cody, it was Cody and friends, Cody’s entourage and everything around it in the Nightmare Family hurt his babyface character, there is a reason he doesn’t have an entourage in WWE because having a massive group of guys as entourage is such a heel look. If they just had Cody’s entrance coming out by himself with that babyface fire he would of been fine in AEW. It was Cody and friends combined with his booking post Dustin match that made the fans turn on him.
Another great episode guys. As for AEW, I would say booking smaller venues and having a true main or head booker in charge of creative. Not an instant cure-all, but those things would be two huge steps in the right direction.
Totals fan of Stevie..... Or should I say Steven when he was the leader of RTC, and his days of being the "GM" of Sunday or Stevie Night HeAT. Loved his as the Hardore Champ as well. I'll Show You...... You'll See!
I watched AEW from day one and stopped in May. Wwe I haven't bothered with since last year. Wrestling isn't the same as when I enjoyed it. Ill pass in Cody, he is a coward. And love the cast. Stevie, u know my friend Dana from Florida pretty well. I'm glad to see u spreading wisdom .
37:35 RIHO said on Japanese TV that she made over 400k in 2023 as her base salary and she gets bonuses from merchandise sales and action figures etc on top of that so they definitely pay royalties.
@@edwells4769 Nope. 400 k. That meant 40k per match in 2023. She said it live on TV. Cornette made an entire video about her salary on his youtube. It has over 100k views lol
I like the Cope open, young wrestlers can learn from him and most of them probably have it on their bucket list, to have a match with him. I quess that there will be a tag team reunion with Christian, at some point and i'm looking foward to that, but i hope, he gets to have a match with the whole rooster, before that.
As someone who has been watching AEW every week since the beginning, people just got tired of Cody Rhodes' character. He was a babyface that wasn't going anywhere and wasn't changing at all, he felt like this weird island all to himself.
My idea- Dynamite: TBS, International, & Tag Team Titles (Bucks are authority) Collision: TNT, Continental, & Trios Titles (Kenny is authority) Men’s & Women’s World Champions on both shows Rampage is ROH
I just don’t know what’s happened to AEW. I used to love watching because it was different and a lot of fun with fun, interesting characters. Now, it’s become WCW. They do have the best in ring workers in the world and, they just can’t make a product that makes me want to watch. They have Omega, MJF, Okada, Osprey, Swerve, Moxley, Danielson and, an amazing Women’s Division and, I don’t want to watch. It’s a shame. Tony Khan needs some help but his ego won’t let that happen, unfortunately.
Love the show Stevie! However ima push back on that narrative that AEW fans are saying Toni Storm is “too WWE” when majority of the fans have loved and enjoyed the character and the story between her and Mariah May.
The thing with AEW is that when they announced the promotion, people were so fed up with Vince McMahon’s WWE that fans just wanted a WWE like Sports Entertainment promotion that’s more interesting and fun to watch. Instead what AEW decided to be just an Indy promotion like ROH/PWG but with a big budget, and fans didn’t want that.
People mock WWE but they've never stopped their shows even when corona happened. Through lows and through highs their management of their stuff is top class. While making it efficient for everyone. Imagine doing this for 30+ years straight. Credits where due. 👏🏻
Seriously if i had a professional wrestling company i am deff hiring both of you because your knowledge about the business !!! im 38 yrs old so i am hoping to hit the lottery so we can kick this off
Stevie's eyes always look so caring. It is like he is constantly worrying he has offended a small kitten.
Kenny said in an interview with the Observer that Cody wanted to go to war, the rest of them just wanted another place to go to work. That alone told me exactly why Cody left, a difference of philosophy and nothing else.
I eagerly await this show every week already.
Me too! I honestly dont know much about wrestling, but this is such a great show
@@redfacegaming7727get ready for a pretty big and extensive rabbit hole lol
Absolutely & Don’t forget Dutch Mantell.
Big fan of the pod already. Stevie is a very good communicator and is great at explaining the nuances of wrestling both in and out of the ring. Shout out to James too. Takes a good host to keep things interesting and organized. Keep up the great work fellas!
I've watched AEW every week for about three and a half years. I have to thank you, Stevie, for giving your insight and opinions in such a respectful and thoughtful way. I want AEW and the wrestlers there to do well, and constructive criticisms like yours should be welcomed. I love the show, and look forward to next week's episode. Cheers!
Same here. I stopped watching every week once Punk left. The amount of petty bllshit turned me off. Stranding him at the aiport, starting rumours about him, refuisng to speak to him, going to his locker room to fight him, etc.
I watch AEW every week but only the good stuff. Which means after cutting out the weekly Orange Cassidy 20 minute match, random 10 man tag, Nyla Rose segment, and 55 year old japanese guy match, you’re left with about 30 minutes of potential Swerve, MJF, Samoa Joe, Ospreay, and Toni Storm content…..and that’s about all they got going.
As CM Punk said AEW isn't a company predicated on making money.
And yet cm punk stays getting hurt, and all he do is talk, he talks more than Pat Mcafee these days let's be real here.
@@charmamillion Band Aid Phil 😂
@@charmamillionhe’s gonna be at summerslam after destroying both of his elbows, I used to despise cm punk but I don’t think he’s milking his injuries
So glad to see Stevie going over big in 2024. Hes got spirit, heart, and brains well beyond wrestling
I love the ideas for Collision. Saturday morning, family friendly, some squash matches...
I'd be tempted to put Osperay there as the showpiece (for the show and kids) and possible UK viewership at a decent hour for them.
That's a pretty good idea! I'd also advocate putting Top Flight there for the high flying. Can replace them for Private Party on Rampage, who are a more fitting addition to the "almost R-rated" Rampage.
@@Snt-Berg Great call.
I'd strip Rampage of it's AEW branding and turn into a proper Ring of Honor TV show. Then put someone else in charge of it and use it as developmental like WWE does with NXT. It would do something productive with that hour of TV and start attempting to get a return on the purchase of those assets. If Warner still wanted AEW on the title for the name recognition then it could easily be "AEW: Ring of Honor."
As a teenager I could see that Stevie Richards was a pro’s pro. It’s crazy to me the idea that another wrestler wouldn’t atleast respect Stevie’s opinion on anything wrestling.
Stevie has (rightfully so) been critical of AEW. Easy target for Cody to show he still has loyalty to AEW 😂
@@dantess2693 Cody really wasn't hating on Stevie. It was a little wink to help promote his show.
@@dinosaursnstuff4453 I know I was just kidding.
Stevie was a strong backbone to helping alot of iconic wrestlers get over!! His opinion really matters to people like me!!
With regards to Cody getting booed. Undertaker put it best. Cody is a natural heel. When he eventually turns in WWE it's going to be his golden age. Can't wait to see it
Cody ain’t turning heel
@pleaseshutup7053 Isn't he already one? He sometimes really acts like one. Like telling the announcer to introduce him again, then he keeps posing and wanting to be cheered.
@@yourfavoriteentertainment Cody is the farthest thing from a heel. He’s just trying to be old school like the way he holds the wwe title We are jaded fans so we see it as an act he is acting old school instead of being old school. That’s part of the reason cena was booed he went from Boston rapper to corporate face of the company I do it for the kids it never felt authentic until he left wwe and kept up that persona
@@yourfavoriteentertainment I’m sure Cody will start to get booed after his feud with the rock because wwe can’t book an interesting babyface champion anymore to save their life. Fans have started to turn on Sami
@@pleaseshutup7053 ya
Keep this format and the podcast will be #1 in wrestling within 6 months.
These conversations are so insightful. A brilliant format, gents.
even as a rough idea, I like Stevie's roster idea, it definitely has potential
Stevie just "perfect pitched" the perfect reset for AEW. And most innovative of all would be a wrestling company that could cater to 3 different demos with 3 different flavors. The "Neapolitan" of wrestling shows!!
Stevie Richards is like the best down to earth guy... Maybe Shane Douglas as well. Great videos I am now following this channel as well... Jame is a great host keep it up.
When it comes to renting things for AEW shows, perhaps Tony's dad own things like the stage and lighting etc, and then rents them to AEW. It is not unusual for a person to own two companies and use one of the companies to rent equipment to their other company. The companies I know of who did that did it for tax purposes.
wouldn't be surprised at all if this was the case.
Good point. I've always been of the mind to own real estate and people always would tell me the repairs are too high! And then I said well why don't I take the rent money and then start a repair company and pay myself to fix it?
People always would say that's impossible! It's absolutely not. I used to be a tax preparer and lots of people had businesses set up that way. However I don't think Tony, is that smart
@@ModernDayRenaissanceManIf he isnt, then his accountants are. Dudes worth 1.5 billion.
@@ModernDayRenaissanceManmoney is literally no object and even with the massive overspending they haven’t even touched a drop in the bucket yet. That alone will keep aew afloat until poppa Kahn gets tired of the losses
That’s so weird how that helps tax purposes yet if you did that as a normal individual it would increase your taxes lol
I’m just getting into WWE again and you guys have been such a large part of that ✌️☺️
This show is becoming my absolute favorite. Then thats kind of always been Stevie, my favorite.
And now I'm all stoked for Stevie's AEW. Dammit.
I’m loving this channel guys. Please keep up the good work!
Collision on a Sat morning is genius.
And make Orange the face of it.
@@anthraxfan93
My nephews (13, 9 and 6 years old) absolutely hate him. Kids absolutely hate the concept of someone not tying. In their playground law mindset, it is terrible.
Kids love those fighting for justice (honestly amazing how kids these days still love Hogan because of it) and high flyers (especially Mysterio), ironically they don't like many high flying tag-teams as 'they are cheating, he tagged out, he should not be fighting anymore'. As kids also hate people cheating.
@@Qwazaar919 I know my point I bet the rattings would go up everyone can watch morning wrestling before they start the day more so at night I remember wcw wwe had morning wrestling that was cool I mean a lot of it was repetitive and showed what happened on there main shows or promoting there ppv
@@anthraxfan93 have you seen the ratings and youtube views for orange....... its not good . He drives vepieweres away
@@anthraxfan93 The face of a Saturday Morning wrestling show should be Danhausen because his gimmick is so over the top and goofy that it rolls back to being awesome. But at this point I don't even know if he's still in the AEW roster.
I love how knowledgeable Stevie is with the modern product. You can tell he's still a big fan
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite "wrestler hosted" shows.... you boys are on to something here.
AEW fans are 1 of AEW's biggest problems. They cheer heels for doing heel tactics and sit on their hands when a baby face isn't doing flips or false finishes
WWE fans are the biggest problem with wrestling as a whole. They physically stink. Are judgmental, they think they part of the show. Did I mention they legitimately stink?
Too few wrestlers doing much else in between, sadly.
Give us a reason to care about the wrestlers and why we should care about the matches.
That's not really a problem. It's art imitating life honestly. There are no heels and faces in real life anymore...lines are completely blurred, especially in America. I think a company trying to force people to feel a certain way in this day and age is suicide. Just have to learn how roll with the punches and be fluid.
@@jamarbracey3778 Art does need to imitate life. Simple stuff like love triangles, egos, white and blue collar differences... Wrestling doesn't need proud Americans and evil Russians but more REAL stuff. The Hangman Page story told (of alcoholism and friendships vs personal goals/ self-worth) through BTE was just that... and just told on BTE. Being a loyal AEW viewer isn't enough for them to let you in on the full picture.
I am 49 Stevie. We pushed and supported RTC hard. You underestimate how many fans you had and have. Keep teaching brotha
The first thing they should change is to make sure their wrestlers actually work for those crazy salaries. And with work, I don`t mean 10-20 days a year.
They wouldn't even need to work in the ring necessarily, just have smart booking that gets value out of everyone on the roster.
His money. He can spend it how he wishes, even if it isn’t in the most efficient manner
This nibba thinks AEW house shows would make make money when the TV shows do ECW on TNN attendance numbers lmao
@@KayFabe87look how far that mindset has gotten us 😂
@@cutiemarshall6502 the wrestlers work plenty. They work Indy dates and work in other companies
Stevie forgetting Kurt Angle in his shoot wrestler list is almost criminal.
To be fair the only documented shoot wrestling match angle had he almost had his arm broken by Puder (I believe was his name) angle was good at Olympic wrestling, shoot would be different
@@david-468 You beat me to it.......Daniel Puder
@@david-468Angle didn't know it was a shoot at that time so hard to give him the L. Had he gone in knowing that guy was going to do that it could very likely look different
@@edwells4769 hmm never heard that, I like angle don’t get me wrong I’m just sayin it takes a a certain skill to just shoot yet also make it still look like somewhat of a work, which angle was “not good” at one or the other from him
@@david-468 Yeah but Angle didn't just shoot on guys in a match either so there's really no examples on his ability to do it or not. There's a reason Puder got the absolute shit kicked out of him for real on TV and then fired. There wasn't really anybody who could out wrestle Kurt legit on the roster during his time. He beat Lesnar 3 times in what shoot wrestling used to mean, which is just real wrestling. There's a few eyewitness testimonies to that fact as well.
3 episodes in and I can tell this will be a favorite for as long as it’s on. Stevie & James really enjoying this. Thanks fellas.
I’m thoroughly enjoying analysis from the likes of Stevie and Maven’s TH-cam channels.
Two fixes would make a big difference, Tony hiring someone who knows what they’re doing to be booker and also getting rid of all the elite. The bucks, Okada, Perry, and page all need to go. Where they really screwed up was keeping all them instead of cm punk, ultimate dumbass moment. The ratings and ppv buys went out the window.
I can listen to Stevie talk all day long hope he becomes a pillar to one of the promotion’s backstage he would be able to develop anyone that has potential
I bet you can still drop a super kick better than most of the current wrestlers on any show
I’ve never watched AEW, I just get my info from shows like this. I think something that hurts them is they can only be watched on network television.
WWE has Peacock and similar streaming platforms, RAW is condensed to 90 minutes on Hulu. There are plenty of avenues outside of cable to consume WWE programming.
I’m not paying for cable for one show.
I gave aew a few try’s I couldn’t get into it. Even more so now. Tony khan is quickly taking Vince Russo title of worst booker
MY FAVORITE New Show
I like the support of Timeless Toni. I wasn't a fan of Toni at all, but that gimmick absolutely won me over. It's just too good.
I'll always be a cult member but Stevie has won me over with his insite and his views . He's humble and it's a breath of fresh air after listening to cornette and bishoff usually . He's so humble and I'd still wish I'd have half of his wrestling career.
The fans turned on Cody because of the bad booking with him (whether it was his fault, Tony's fault, or a combination of both). For a while, Cody was very over, but it got to the point where the booking and presentation was over the top, repetitive, nonsensical and borderline offensive (especially with the Anthony Ogogo feud). The finishes to a lot of his bigger matches later on were so overbooked and unnecessary. He was trying to be Super Cena with the Rhodes name.
It was always going to go downhill after his first feud with his brother.
Aew doesn't have stars to match up with Cody lol, no way. That's why he was doing that crap with qt marshall
Stevie hit on it, but I'll equate it to vintage TV; Brandi, being the Lucy to Cody's Ricky Ricardo (Lucy just wants to be in the show), did more damage to Cody than anything. He's the white meat babyface and Brandi's 'Nightmare Family' are heels.
@@newerest1 Lmao Cody wasn't their biggest star. Jericho & Omega were the draws, not him.
Great work you two. This has been my favorite channel. You guys break everything down differently than others. Yes, and AEW problem is booking and evryone else points that out.
I like the different take(s) mentioned in this episode. From cutting costs, true roster split, and production of each show for a different identity. Keep up the good work.
this show is so well done and put together. They are giving away $$ in free game. Thanks for the show guys. I appreciate your dedication and hard work! You always get a like from me!
9:26 I agree. I was fully expecting Cody to be buried and I'm happy that he's basically the new John Cena
I don't watch wrestling much anymore, so I'm not a supporter of either company, but from what little I've seen and heard, the one thing that would boost AEW is for Tony Khan to be the boss and to stop trying to do what he's been doing.
Let someone like Jeff Jarrett be the booker or at least head a small booking committee, and to have these younger wrestlers learn from the veterans how to be pros. Until they start acting like they have left the rec center for the civic center they'll always come across as a 2nd class organization.
They have a bunch of smaller guys, sure, but if they learn to work safely and stop being dedicated to just doing obvious spots that aren't getting them over more anyway, they can have great matches and longer careers and not have to risk breaking their necks every night out. Just my thoughts though, and I love Stevie and James' show
I been watching AEW since the very first dynamite, and I almost forget Cody was even in AEW lol. When he was in AEW I always thought he was like a perfect character for WWE with the over the top superhero gimmick. I remember when he refused to turn heel in AEW because he was so invested in his baby face superhero gimmick. I actually couldn't stand him in AEW, but watching him in WWE he grew on me and now I actually like him, and i'm happy he found the success he was always trying to achieve.
If AEW had a heel like Roman Reigns and a story like bloodline then perhaps Cody would've been over with fans there, in WWE they didn't change his character at all. What changed Cody in WWE was Roman and Seth, he should partially thank them for his success because Seth put over Cody 3 times and Roman let Cody be the one to break his 1316 days double champion reign.
@@KronosOnTheBeat The bloodline is one of the worst drawn out nonsense things over with fed marks in a way i will never understand. No thanks.
i think the thing with cody not getting over in AEW was because he was one of the founders, had the power and was getting a lot of TV time, and the titles, it just reminded people of Jeff Jarrett and his reign of terror in NWA/TNA
For me it was when Cody immediately went into the programme with Jericho where if he lost, he'd never get another title opportunity, and then he lost and never got another opportunity for AEW's World Heavyweight Championship. The way Tony Khan thought of that must've went like "I'm gonna fuel Cody's fire by pouring water over it".
What titles? Lol Cody did that ridiculous stipulation where he could never challenge for the AEW championship after losing to Jericho. No clue why he thought that was a good idea. Besides the TNT championship getting passed around back and forth to Cody, what other titles did he win?
@@michelvanbriemen3459Pretty sure that was cody's idea lol
@@eldiablo3794 i can only speak for myself but i was already tired of him before that stipulation, and that was probably why they made it but didnt work
@@eldiablo3794 I can see how Cody suggested it so he'd always have an out for when he was ready to return to the WWE, but Tony Khan has to approve that suggestion before it goes on PPV.
Lol. I knew Uncle Dave was on the payroll. I've been saying it for years. There is no way he sacrifice his credibility to the degree that he has unless it was setting him up for life. smh I've actually joked about the checks bouncing whenever Uncle Dave does criticize anything in AEW. That is definitely real.
I’m really enjoying hearing Stevie give his thoughts on all of the subjects that have been covered so far. Definitely a very charismatic guy and it’s nice that he doesn’t over complicate things. I think along with Taker and Maven, this is definitely becoming one of my favourite wrestling channels on TH-cam. Both of you guys are actually making wrestling entertaining for me again and that’s not happened for me in quite some time.
People actually watch Mavens channel? I thought it was all bots and fake traffic
@@edwells4769it's
TH-cam with a random win 😂 my dad knew Stevie from the old neighborhood here in Philly. Subscribed.
Trust me. Tony will never give up his position and creative control. Guy wants to take all the credits
i said the same thing
This easily blows every wrestling podcast out of the water
nice format
The show's episodes keep getting better! YES!!!
Stevie,your insights are so great and spot on. Your wrestling advice is from a caring and humble perspective,that's is unbiased,yet firm on opinion. I loved this episode. Earned a new subscriber! Oh and Hi James! Love your podcasting
Stevie's smile makes me smile. Another great episode 👏
The whiteboard really sets this channel apart
Total cliffhanger. Wow guys, you must think we're all a bunch of marks. Thanks a lot!
OK I have one for you. How about the TNA/WWE deal. It seems to be working out great for both companies. I mean on WWE youtube channel they did a whole video putting over TNA Joe Hendry.
Solid episode!! Love his tone and presentation.
Cody "not getting over" in aew was down to the bad story/booking he had, tried to be too deep with what he was doing. I dont think a single true AEW fan wanted cody to leave, the matches he was putting on were fantastic. But the weird "super babyface but kinda actually heel" wasnt working especially with Brandy also getting way too much tv time and also being a blatant heel it was all just weird. It was nothing against cody personally
Its the same problem even when he is in the indies.. we all want to see him, not Brandi or QT Marshall, or whatever 😂
I was at Revolution 2020 at Wintrust, and there is just something about Cody that rang "so NXT"; it was all about the entrance. Match against MJF starts, and it was so-o-o-o dull. Brandi did that dive and I was out.
(I did a walkaround during the match and saw an area of the arena where a bunch of One Hour Tees boxes were all lined up along a row of tables, and covered with a black cloth. Those would be the shirts that recognized "And New" AEW Champion Jon Moxley.)
Wow 🤯 Steven has a good point and mind tk hire this guy to be someone in your booking or story writing ✍️ try it I see it working
Could you talk about Dr.Stevie? Dr.Stevie
Making Rampage ECW is a great idea
Another great show guys. Keep up the awesome work.
Love the show. Great points about AEW. Hope Tony and everyone there in leqdership gets to watch this.
People forget that Cody Rhodes was the first major name to give up a guaranteed WWE contract to go to the indies to prove himself. In the indies, he demonstrated to other wrestlers that you could reject WWE during its lowest booking era under Vince McMahon, and make good money in the indies. Yes, a lot was attributed to his fame in WWE, but in the indies, Cody rebranded his character, made a bigger name for himself, and became a draw. Then, he went to NJPW where he further increased his reputation, and eventually helped found AEW. The first real alternative to WWE in years. Cody proved McMahon and HHH wrong, Cody proved every wrestling fan wrong who ever doubted him. In short, Cody helped save wrestling.
Cody Rhoads also continually put on incredible risky matches for the fans. He bumped on ladders, thumbtacks, and even a flaming table that left his back on fire. He is hardcore! Don’t let his character or look fool you!
@@user-vj9qz3br6l That is not hardcore. You want hardcore, watch deathmatches.
Omg you Dave metzar type marks are insanely gullible
AEWs existence is killing wrestling, not saving it.
@@VeilInfinity Yes and no. Yes, their gymnastics are. No, because they made WWE better, and are the #2 spot for most wrestlers to work and make good money.
So James, when they say stagehands that encompasses all of the labor for unloading the trucks, rigging, setting up the lighting, audio, baracade, etc. And also for the show, as cable pages for camers, Pyro, whatever they need. Stevie is not wrong in citing unions, we do have an international union I.A.T.S.E. and I believe Vegas pays their hands very well. Unions also have things like minimums and overtime conditions. I don't know specifically if Vegas charges 4 hour, 8 hour, or what we call "day rates," which are typically 10 hours. Basically, these are the minimum you can pay each stagehand for their labor. Now in terms of overtime, generally many unions have some kind of condition where if you are working after midnight, the stagehands get paid either 1.5x or 2x their normal rate. Some places even have the industry such as, if you work over 8 hours, everything after that is in overtime pay. It's a very complex situation and different depending on each city. My experience with AEW is that they typically need the stagehands for multiple days, whereas WWE is really only 1 day
I haven’t understood for quite some time why the rosters are not broken up. I really like some of the thought process.
Here is my take as someone who has never ran a company that big (obviously) but what I think could work to help AEW. 1.) Smaller venues, if you are struggling to fill the bigger stadiums then book smaller arenas. Perception is reality if the crowd looks full then a sell out is a sell out on camera. 2.) I agree on cliff hangers, tied in booking, and story beats that intermingle. There needs to be hooks for the next episode, rising tensions for the PPVs, and story lines need to co-exist in this AEW world together rather than a talent show of "Here is the next story, and here is the next one.", 3.) Dynamite needs to be the Raw or Nitro of AEW. Biggest production value (other than PPVs) the majority of big story lines and plot threads need to be focused on Dynamite. Collision needs to be a "continuation" show sort of like WCW Saturday Night was or Heat or the original Smackdown. Where you can reinforce story beats from Dynamite and expand lesser stories to give them some air time and room to breath. Occasionally have a lesser story line have a bigger blow off with on Collision where on a PPV or Dynamite it would be a middle of the card match instead if could main event the B show of Collision. Rampage should be a mostly recap show with highlights of Dynamite and Collision, explaining the story beats and clipping it down for the very casual fans that maybe don't have time to watch every week but they could still get set up to order your PPVs and be understanding of the story lines if they had a recap show every week to keep people informed and maybe throw in 1 or 2 matches for under card talent to get some screen time and occasionally throw in a Main Eventer or a Upper Mid Card guy or gal to draw eyes to the product from fans who have watched Dynamite/Collision already that week. ROH should be its own thing entirely, thats not to say that ROH people and champions can't show up on AEW programming but it should be special when they do. ROH should also be on TH-cam or online somewhere for free. With its own roster, batch shot, give it a feel like the old ROH or original Black/Gold NXT or TNA. Use it to build up talent then those talent finish up their ROH run and move on to AEW.
TLDR; AEW has all the tools to create a functioning wrestling ecosystem of their own if they would get their ducks in a row.
I miss the promos in the mid-match. That is something from the early '90s that I wish they would bring back
In my country (New Zealand) we only get the one AEW show on TV here (Rampage). Apparently its the only one that AEW offers to our TV networks whereas we get all the WWE TV shows here... I believe that's what Rampage is used for... international audiences outside of the bigger continents. We can watch AEW via the internet (via the official streaming service) but there's almost no TV exposure here... I'd wager most kiwi pro wrestling fans don't even know AEW exists, so they're not likely to ever consider subscribing to the streaming service. I also miss the old web shows... AEW Dark and Dark Elevation... as those used to showcase AEW talent including lower card workers as well as giving fans a glimpse of some indie wrestlers who used to come on as guest competitors. I know that those shows were a product of Covid times, but I did enjoy them. I feel that ROH has pretty much become the AEW Dark of the post-Covid era.
@hadlee73 I miss those TH-cam shows also. Easy to zip through, plus Paul Wight was a pretty good color guy on Elevation.
Kinda wish they'd still have a YT show for the younger wrestlers.
The reason why Cody was hated in AEW towards the end wasn’t Cody, it was Cody and friends, Cody’s entourage and everything around it in the Nightmare Family hurt his babyface character, there is a reason he doesn’t have an entourage in WWE because having a massive group of guys as entourage is such a heel look.
If they just had Cody’s entrance coming out by himself with that babyface fire he would of been fine in AEW. It was Cody and friends combined with his booking post Dustin match that made the fans turn on him.
This is my first full episode watch ... looks like I'll have to add this to my watchlist for now on 😆
That rampage line up would be absolute madness for an hour each week
That timeslot selection is basically what I grew up on.
Raw is war and Warzone 9-10pm fridays Smackdown 11ish saturday morning UK time.
Loving the show boys keep it up Great stuff!🤘🏻
This is great stuff guys!
Another great episode guys. As for AEW, I would say booking smaller venues and having a true main or head booker in charge of creative. Not an instant cure-all, but those things would be two huge steps in the right direction.
Stevie is over Change My Mind!
Totals fan of Stevie..... Or should I say Steven when he was the leader of RTC, and his days of being the "GM" of Sunday or Stevie Night HeAT. Loved his as the Hardore Champ as well. I'll Show You...... You'll See!
Damn, those costs weren't even for a while week. That was just Collision and a PPV. There are still the costs for Dynamite, Rampage and ROH
I watched AEW from day one and stopped in May. Wwe I haven't bothered with since last year. Wrestling isn't the same as when I enjoyed it. Ill pass in Cody, he is a coward. And love the cast. Stevie, u know my friend Dana from Florida pretty well. I'm glad to see u spreading wisdom .
How eerily similar the AEW Warner Bros/Discovery situation is to the WCW Time Warner/AOL situation…
Thank you Stevie
James is the G.O.A.T. of podcast co-host....
37:35 RIHO said on Japanese TV that she made over 400k in 2023 as her base salary and she gets bonuses from merchandise sales and action figures etc on top of that so they definitely pay royalties.
And she made that for working like 8 shows in that entire year. Tells you everything that is wrong with AEW and why it will never be profitable
@@saimakhan3257yeah, forcing her to work injured or under pressure would fix AEW’s problems.
@@shlidgn90no one’s saying that just 99% of people don’t get paid when they don’t work
That is batshit insane. I figured maybe 100k.
@@edwells4769 Nope. 400 k. That meant 40k per match in 2023. She said it live on TV. Cornette made an entire video about her salary on his youtube. It has over 100k views lol
Stevie turning heel at the end! That heat!
Is there any chance you could get Victoria on the show????
I dont have the time to watch anything at night, Sat morning would be the only wrestling I could watch, and I probably would.
I agree with a kids Saturday morning show. That is where many of us found wrestling.
I like the Cope open, young wrestlers can learn from him and most of them probably have it on their bucket list, to have a match with him. I quess that there will be a tag team reunion with Christian, at some point and i'm looking foward to that, but i hope, he gets to have a match with the whole rooster, before that.
As someone who has been watching AEW every week since the beginning, people just got tired of Cody Rhodes' character. He was a babyface that wasn't going anywhere and wasn't changing at all, he felt like this weird island all to himself.
weird island AKA "the codyverse"
My idea-
Dynamite: TBS, International, & Tag Team Titles (Bucks are authority)
Collision: TNT, Continental, & Trios Titles (Kenny is authority)
Men’s & Women’s World Champions on both shows
Rampage is ROH
I just don’t know what’s happened to AEW. I used to love watching because it was different and a lot of fun with fun, interesting characters. Now, it’s become WCW. They do have the best in ring workers in the world and, they just can’t make a product that makes me want to watch. They have Omega, MJF, Okada, Osprey, Swerve, Moxley, Danielson and, an amazing Women’s Division and, I don’t want to watch. It’s a shame. Tony Khan needs some help but his ego won’t let that happen, unfortunately.
Definitely agree with the Rampage being the adult show. Turn it into old ECW.
Love the show Stevie! However ima push back on that narrative that AEW fans are saying Toni Storm is “too WWE” when majority of the fans have loved and enjoyed the character and the story between her and Mariah May.
The thing with AEW is that when they announced the promotion, people were so fed up with Vince McMahon’s WWE that fans just wanted a WWE like Sports Entertainment promotion that’s more interesting and fun to watch.
Instead what AEW decided to be just an Indy promotion like ROH/PWG but with a big budget, and fans didn’t want that.
This show is the next big thing.❤
People mock WWE but they've never stopped their shows even when corona happened. Through lows and through highs their management of their stuff is top class. While making it efficient for everyone. Imagine doing this for 30+ years straight. Credits where due. 👏🏻
I heard Jim Cornett and now these guys go over these numbers and all it says is that I need to ride out to Jacksonville and get a job with Tony
Free advertising...thanks cody
Seriously if i had a professional wrestling company i am deff hiring both of you because your knowledge about the business !!! im 38 yrs old so i am hoping to hit the lottery so we can kick this off
Right to censor Stevie vs Stevie Richards before and after still blows my mind 🔥