Welcome back to another Monday Morning Q&A where I toss out some questions to get a feel of how you guys and gals are feeling about certain topics.
So here are 5 questions I’d like to toss out for this week. I’ll give my answers, too, but the key here is that I want to know what YOU think! So make sure you chime in!
1) What other matches, if any, do you think will be added to the card for Extreme Rules?
With six matches already on the card, I think we’re approaching the limit. There might be one or two other matches, depending on whether the kickoff will feature something.
The Miz vs. Dexter Lumis is a necessity. This feud screams for an Extreme Rules gimmick of some sorts. I’m not sure what they could do that would make the most sense, but I hope they have a plan.
Johnny Gargano vs. Austin Theory is another that I think could be added, but it doesn’t quite justify having any stipulation to it. Maybe the Money in the Bank briefcase could be on the line, but we have a ladder match, so that nullifies that concept.
Nothing more solid for Kevin Owens? No Braun Strowman thing? Hell, nothing at all for The Bloodline???
2) On the current lineup, which gimmick or stipulation are you most excited for with Extreme Rules?
Seth Rollins against Matt Riddle inside the Fight Pit is the top match for me. It’s the most original of the bunch (particularly when compared to something as generic as Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey in a No DQ match) and we don’t see it all that often.
Despite the Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match name just being another rewording of No DQ, I think the six-man tag team fight between The Brawling Brutes and Imperium could be the sleeper hit of the night, too. Gunther and Sheamus stole the show at Clash at the Castle. Let’s see them do it again.
3) Are the Extreme Rules gimmicks enough to justify not having most of the championships not defended at this pay-per-view, or does it feel less important of an event to you?
I’m a staunch opponent of this philosophy of late that the premium live events just need one purpose to watch and can be effectively the same as an episode of Raw or SmackDown. In my mind, all the titles should be defended at every show, or as close to that as possible, since those belts are supposed to be the primary focal points.
I hate that Roman Reigns is in the same camp as Brock Lesnar from years ago, but holding BOTH belts hostage instead of just one. It annoys me that the tag titles are in the same position and that there isn’t anything for the women’s tag titles or United States Championship.
Bobby Lashley doesn’t even have an actual feud right now. The Bloodline is clearly stalling for time with Crown Jewel. That’s lame.
If Extreme Rules had better matches and gimmicks that truly got me excited, and one major attraction to offset the lack of the world titles, I could see more of an argument for it. But as it is right now, I think this is shaping up to be a “meh, I don’t need to really see it” show. We don’t even have an obvious main event!!
4) Do you think Andrade El Idolo will leave AEW, or will Preston “10” Vance be forced to unmask?
Everyone seems so sure this is a means to get Andrade out of the company, but I’m not entirely sold. In fact, I’m leaning toward this all just being a ruse to play into those rumors.
Why would Preston Vance be the guy to bump Andrade out of AEW? Isn’t that random as hell? I know if I were in Tony Khan’s shoes and if Andrade wanted to leave and I was willing to grant him his exit, I’d book something more grandiose. Maybe I’d have Andrade try to challenge for the TNT title so Wardlow can be the one to take him out, or Jon Moxley, in a sort of “I’m going to make a business deal and I’ll even put my AEW career on the line for this title shot because I’m arrogant enough to believe I’ll win” deal.
There is certainly a chance Andrade wants to leave and will be gone. If that happens, I’ll look back on this in hindsight with eyes of “Oh. I guess it was just that simple.” But for now, I’m actually leaning toward 10 losing his mask and taking one more step toward the dissolution of Dark Order.
5) Reception to Saraya’s promo from Dynamite has been less than stellar. How do you feel about her role in AEW so far and her response to the criticism she’s received online?
In my opinion, the promo was crap. Others who enjoyed it are well within their right, but I’m beyond tired of the in-fighting people have over their opinions.
For anyone who says “Oh, so you can do better?” I think they’re delusional in not acknowledging that you don’t have to be better at something in order to criticize it. The analogy I always use is that I don’t have to be a chef at a five-star restaurant to know whether my steak was overcooked when I order it medium/medium-well.
People are allowed to praise OR criticize something. They can voice their opinions. You can agree or disagree with them and hopefully garner a legitimate discussion in either fashion. But it doesn’t need to turn into some black and white tribalism devotion nonsense with insults and such.
Tagging Saraya in your tweets where you’re actively trying to upset her is rude. What are you trying to accomplish? In the same light, going to bat to defend her blindly and act like she’s infallible is ridiculous. “Stan” fans need a reality check. These people aren’t your actual friends just because you have this blurred line thinly veiled obsession connection with them on social media.
Saraya’s been in the game long enough that she should know the promo sucked and that if she’s just going to do the same “I’m here to bring a revolution as a manager type” promo from years ago that has happened multiple times in WWE (and was done better before) that she needs to step up her game. I understand why she’d reach a breaking point of seeing all the negativity and stoop down to the same level in her retorts to those tweets and such, as its hard to be the bigger person, but she’s better off distancing herself.
Take constructive criticism to heart and do your best to improve so we don’t have any more awful segments like that. Ignore the bullying and psychos who are just out there for causing problems. And for God’s sake, let’s actually have a decent goal with all this creative and hope that there’s something more than just having a return of General Manager Paige. State whether or not she’s cleared to wrestle so people can adjust their expectations, and try to work on better material than Shit Baker.
Let us know your thoughts about these questions by answering them in the comments!
