A few hours in and I've only seen a few NPCs in the comments section ... and the other viewers pointing out that they are part of the topic being discussed. I love this community! :D

I don’t talk about wrestling online very much anymore…a lot of weird people in the fandom

This video just explained the reasons why the WWE of today doesn't click for me

The real dichotomy to me is WWE vs. Japan. WWE is a TV show that has some wrestling on it and a lot of promos (I don't watch it, but I've seen the time counts on wrestling content per show). NJPW is a wrestling promotion that doesn't really do TV in any meaningful way, so although it doesn't lack promos, the vast majority of the stories it tells happen in the ring in actual matches. AEW is a TV-based promotion like WWE, but they clearly want to hew closer to NJPW's model with the in-ring action carrying most of the storytelling load. They do this so much that when they have occasional promo-heavier episodes of their TV, my wife gets bored and starts saying "Are they going to have any matches or what?"

Same issue is happening in the NBA where everyone focuses on the drama outside the games and don't bother watching the games themselves.

basically AEW tell stories with wrestling and WWE tells stories by overexplaining

LMAOOOOO That Thumbnail is Gold lol

That's why I always say I'm a PRO WRESTLING fan not a (insert company name) fan. WWE, AEW, NJPW and TNA all have something to offer and should all be watched in their own way

All I know is AEW has multiple storylines that many fans know. While WWE has 1 storyline that every fan knows. To the point that they've taking parties from the main story and given them subplots. What's going on with the Finn Balor and his factions?

I appreciate someone who’s level headed and knows what they’re talking about weighing in on this stuff. The IWC, and social media in general, is so full of loud idiots that it’s draining

Hit the nail on the head honestly. The wrestling tribalism is so wack. BOTH companies have their issues but you gain NOTHING from rooting for companies to go out of business.

Dude, that was a dope analysis of how wrestling (and fiction in general) works. I've been watching wrestling since 2006. Stopped for a brief time before AEW started because WWE was getting too terrible and had a lot of trauma from "praying to Jesus" every week that THIS TIME they would not insult my intelligence. When AEW fist started it was a breath of fresh air. Good matches, subtle but still familiar stories, tropes that I wasn't familiar with so it gave me a new experience and them giving an F about the audience and being able to course correct. It got a bit messy after Punk left (actually, even before that cuz they had rigid plans around him) but since the beginning of 2024, the quality is comming back up. People just haven't caught up to it yet. I enjoyed WrestleMania but, after all the pomp and circumstance, after the obvious reset audience expectations with the next RAW...exactly what you said happened: Over half a million people stopped watching after no longer having a big marketing **** rammed down their throats. I feel like Triple H does decent and consistent booking (Vince oscilated between terrible and exceptional...once in a blue moon), but also very dry and predictable. Like without the marketing machine behind him, his vission is very MID. Love your Kana Cold books, bro. Keep 'em comming. ✌🏻

Great commentary! I believe AEW and WWE has stories but if you like the way it’s told. One company runs something one way and the other runs something the other way. Some people like straight wrestling matches to tell the stories, others like run ins and angles, a few just want random 1v1 matches.

Superb points! While the Bloodline "storyline" is cool I think it's a little overrated & I don't think HHH deserves as much credit for it as he gets. The story was going on when he was out with his heart element & they don't have any other ideals hence why they're still relying on it.

This was a perfect breakdown. Should be required listening for all of the IWC.

And thus, We finally received the Rant we've been waiting for all this time. In our Hour of Need, we were answered.

Me and my brother love saying “everything is wrestling” because we find storytelling in other things. Right now it’s Mavs vs Clippers in the playoffs. 3rd time they meet in the first round. Can Luka finally overcome them? We’ll find out! Long term booking lol

I wish i could like this video a million times . This should be shown to all fans because this whole narrative is so disheartening amd disingenuous. Especially when you say people dont care about the matches. Then when i say well get rid the ring the titles, and commentary and just do cinematic action scenes, Because what they want isnt wrestling they get in thier feelings ,curl into a ball and call you names or assyme you're just either hating wwe because youre an "aew mark" or they become couch potato CEOS throwing their numbers in your face then when they see aew isn't doing as bad as they think they go crazy. I remember Sheamus was bragging about his match quality over the past few years and fans had the nerve to tell him he was wrong....then Sheamus Saud go watch a soap opera people got on him even more. Imagine telling a wrestler ....no one cares about your matches we want story. That's how sickening this storytelling aka cinema narrative has gotten. The Bloodline saga has become the best and worst thing to happen to pro Wrestling since the attitude era. Because everything has to be the Bloodline...this long drawn-out epic roller coaster I heard SRS say this and its true too. "When wwe is decent enough everyone else has to be perfect" . Aew , njpw , tna or anyone else but especially aew cant make a mistake. And its frustrating because wwe has been boring since mania ended outside of chad gable . He also said all these people who try to say they want aew to get better are being fake But the main thing is like i been saying is this....fans never wanted an alternative or a second major promotion. They just wanted wwwe to bettter. Well they got it now you see aew can't do anything right. JdfromNY206 is the prime culprit of this.

Nostalgia also plays into this oh i just remembered stone cold

To me, you explained it so well that it needs to be said again. There is "Storytelling" and there are "angles", all those fans that have seemingly forgotten or deluded themselves to believe that Pro Wrestling should be about storytelling are just lost. I watch the matches, I watch what the Wrestlers in the ring can express to me. And if it's good and done right, then I can suspend my disbelief for a few moments out of the day and enjoy the show! I don't watch Pro Wrestling to get my drama fix, I don't watch Pro wrestling to get my sports fix. I watch Pro Wrestling purely for the art of Pro Wrestling!

I really wish that the people who essentially say "if you like x wrestling promotion, you're stupid" would just disappear

Great video as always and well articulated. I think the issue with the IWC as a whole is that there is a vocal minority of trolls infesting the fanbase. They want to be negative and want to complain no matter what. I honestly don't think they have a gripe they complain just to do it.

The before our ancestors knew how to wipe our asses line had me spit out my coffee. 😂 Wasn't expecting that

Oh boy Bruv Bruv Bruv! Am I glad to hear from you! - all love from Detroit

On the tiger driver thing with Ospreay. I think this is where WWE gets the edge. I could see them having a video package of the match, with them highlighting the injury. The package would also include the press conference footage. Also, have the commentary discuss the tiger driver. Its beating the fans over the head but I think it works for the casual auidence. I saw this with the whole "finishing the story" thing here in South Africa. Even the radio station were asking what the phrase meant. So yeah, WWE's repeative marketing works.

Has the IWC ever really been a net positive? I can't think of much it's good for, beyond a few chucks.

A much needed video 👏

Tens of thousands of copies?! Holy SMOKE dude. Impressed! I've written four and I doubt I have 1000 sales total 😅

When people boast about how fantastic WWE stories are they are basically talking about the Bloodline & pretending the rest of the roster does not exist. I’m not saying they don’t have any other smaller stories but that’s really the only one people seem to be bragging about as if it accommodates for the entire roster.

Jon Moxley said it himself in a shoot interview a long time ago..."It's grown men in tights simulating a fight in a ring..it ain't that complicated" That's how i feel about the hyper tribalism in the iwc.

This actually might be the smartest wrestling video I have seen in a long long time

As a longtime pro wrestling fan, wrestling is equally important to story. If the actual matches don't matter to those type of fans, why even watch wrestling? Why not just watch daytime or night time soap operas and leave wrestling alone. I agree with what you said about WWE and AEW. When it comes to WWE, I also feel like a lot of the matches don't hold up to the story, except for at the end of the matches. I feel like WWE kinda hinders spontaneous creativity in the ring, and sometimes it's those on the fly spot decisions that can create a legendary moment. I'm glad it seems to be changing under Triple H. When it comes to AEW, I think it's the lack of uniformity (I guess is a word that I can use) of setup. There is a way to repeat a story beat without constantly saying the same thing all the time. That's where the writing comes in.

This is the take I have been waiting for, I hope more people watch this video.

This is one of the best videos I've seen on storytelling in wrestling.. great job man..

I like good wrestling, but my appetite isn't as strong as some others. I usually just watch the top half of an NJPW card unless it's involving someone I'm a big fan of. Though that might also be a consequence of my legitimate ADHD, I can't sit down for too long. For example, there are plenty of people crying about House of Torture. Just skip the match if you don't want to see it. That really goes for anything in life.

Spot on about AEW's setup issues. They need clearer video packages and more explicit commentary that links the action back to ongoing stories.

The most problem I have with some of the content creators is that for years they have been saying they're in it for the craft which was sorely missing on the WWE main programming. Yet somehow nowadays it all became about storytelling, which they don't even understand enough to judge. Why all of a sudden every wrestling company needs to have their Bloodline story? Because WWE fans tell you in the comments it's cool and you then put this slogan on your flag and wave it around to get more clicks and views? Hypocrisy is what drove me away from a lot of content creators I considered decent and genuine back in the day, when piss poor babyface Roman was showed down our throats.

The way WWE has been booking since Mania has been atrocious. The draft was a complete waste of time and it's clear as fucking day that they have no long-term plans when it comes to their new face of the company in Cody Rhodes. WWE and Triple H are obviously waiting for the Rock and Roman to show up again so that they can actually properly book a compelling storyline. This is not a good thing, as the rest of the roster is viewed as inferior and irrelevant.

I get being more into storytelling in wrestling I’m more of a work rate guy myself but it’s crazy to see people admit they don’t want to watch the actual matches like what’s the point of watching wrestling then

im saying this as someone who's more interested in watching aew than wwe. telling is important! it has its place in enjoying media. if every story only had showing in it those stories would suffer. could you imagine trying to get through something that has to pour over every minute detail before they get to the story itself? how long itd take to just see that story? telling is integral to ancient stories like aesop's fables or the fuckin bible or whatever. these are stories that have endured for literally centuries. the issue i think i have with wwe is that its too reliant on telling, but it does have showing in its matches. but the overreliance on telling has cultivated more people interested in the overarching narrative than the in ring storytelling.

Dude wth 😂 I'm not kidding at all when I say this. I was honest to God thinking about this exact same thing you're talking when I woke up from bed just a while ago. This is why you're my guy!

This is some real fine storytelling you got here rantin

Thanks for the video

As a viewer I would appreciate seeing the wrestlers using more of the "Show - don't tell" approach. As for the more casual viewers who need things funneled down their brain to comprehend: that's why we have an announcers table.

i just wanna see wrestlers wrestle .

Great video.

Nice cover pull on Cornette as well 😂

This is why i love this guy. He's not biased. He's absolutely correct

You mentioned in the beginning you are a writer of several books. Do you have a substack or anything I can read?

I'm Convince that Cornette is paid to trash AEW like he did WCW in the Monday Night Wars with that promo that he cut years ago. That promo he cut then has essentially become a podcast, where he cuts that promo everyweek.

They watch cinema or what they call it now “professional wrestling” mostly talking about the e-drones . They don’t get what professional wrestling means, they just use it now since wwe is doing well.

HA, this whole thing is sheer brilliance and I could've guessed that you've written books just based on the knowledge presented. Also props for the shout-out to vegans like me 😊

I think this is why North American wrestling has been such a miss for me, I love the wrestling side of story telling more. I get why people love angles but the soap opera with the acting throws me off too much. Not to mention I don't like wrestling in general has deep forms of story like other types of media, so it's not a major "gotcha" like alot of these fans are stating are.

I understand where you're coming from. New Japan is a good example where you're gonna have to pay attention to knowing what their stories are. That's how I fell in love with stories such as Okada vs. Omega, Shibata vs Goto, Shibata vs Okada from Sakura Genesis back in 2017. A lot of that I had to put in the work and pay attention, while doing the research as well. Theres multiple ways to tell stories, and as you mentioned, having one way of doing it being more prevalent than the other can be detrimental. You bring up a great point with the consistency and setup because the story and angles are there, but its the way it's done can be very off. The only part I disagree with is the whole "It's on you if you don't know who this is." Now I understand, yes, fans like me and yourself know Okada or Shirakawa, let's just say. Personally, I dont need to be explained everything. At the same time, it doesn't hurt to put a video package explaining the promotion they came from, or explain what their purpose is, which was a point people like Disco and Konnan make that get misconstrued by the IWC sometimes. I see your point, really, but it where it hits home with what you said is knowing where/when exactly to have that balance of HOW they tell the stories to us. I dont think wanting stories is a "sickness" per say but it becomes the main point of contention for everyone. I like all forms of wrestling as opposed to JUST the wwe style when its all said and done. 10:28

How many times have wwe said “new era” so far?

You make good videos

I really do love that you are able to show a different opinion that most in this IWC don't even have. If feels like the company we are supposed to like and hate it always a trend. A few years ago it was cool to love AEW and hate WWE but now its turned around into lets hate AEW and love WWE. Whenever people first get into wrestling its always the drama and the fluff that gets them to start watching it. A lot of the times these people won't even watch the actual matches and just fast forward past them to see the results but then go back to promos or the drama in it. However once you start to really understand the wrestling part then you can enjoy the entire story and you also have a better appreciation of the the entire picture.

Most important video in the iwc right now

This is factual lol

The core issue is more psychological tbh. And it's a 2 fold dilemma exhibited by Tony and his closest confidantes, the Bucks. Tony is a rich kid, he never was told no, had to go without, or wait for anything in his entire life. And that shows in his inability to not slowly build up rivalries, not allow tensions to escalate, and instead the first match of a feud will be a fucking deathmatch. The Bucks, on the other side of that coin, have never been talented enough to be major players in a weekly episodic wrestling show. Even at TNA, they were job guys who might have a 1 PPV cycle feud. They didn't learn enough about weekly episodic television, and aren't (still to this day) draws, so when they went back to the indies, they had to sell tickets by, you guessed it, hot shotting ladder matches and shit, since their brand holds no name value. And that's exactly what AEW is and feels like. A local indie given a massive budget without an actual TV producer in sight with the power to tell people what and why they need to let angles build over time. Why the first match of a "storyline" can't be an exploding thumbtack superkick shoe match. And that larger then life stars are built when they're humanized, and have to overcome struggle, which obviously Tony can't relate to whatsoever.

RIP Bray Wyatt. I realized a lot of the “wrestling fans” weren’t actually their for the wrestling when Bray Wyatt debuted as The Fiend & people were saying his entrance was the best thing in wrestling at the time even saying it was better than any of the matches going on in the G1 which was going on at that time. & pretty much it’s went downhill since then. Regardless of your opinion on CM Punk vs The Elite it was extremely obvious when people stared saying that CM Punk was the be best wrestler & Kenny Omega had no talent that a good portion of the audience gave no F’s about what goes on in the ring bell to bell.

Sounds bitter

Here is where you are wrong. WWF and WWE has never sold its auidence on the steak. Its now more than 30 years later and they only did is once on NXT Gold and Black. WCW in the 90s included. Meanwhile, AEW and other wrestling promotions have sold its auidence on the steak and none of their businesses has even sniffed close to the WWE. All have been hovering the similar market share since the 2000s. I think what wrestling fans, especially you and I, is that the product we like is not suitable for the causal audience and this has nothing to do with WWE having a head start. Me personally, when I was introduced to wrestling, I was already a big fan of boxing and MMA. Wrestling looked stupid to me because it did not follow any logical rules of a combat fight until I got invested to the charcters of the wrestlers. So if your product is just going to focus a lot on wrestling matches and not shove the story down the audience throat, then don't expect the causal auidence (who is the majority of the viewership) to care. However, give them stupid things like WWE in the 2010s (with the expectation of 2016 Smackdown), they will leave.

To add to my comment, Ive had my fair share of disagreements with you. Like the Jim Ross issue when he was in NJPW back in 2017. Idk if you remember that but I was immature then for being too defensive for Ross and how I made my arguments ( came off as a douche). Probably 7 tears too late, but I apologize lmao. Point Point being, I'll disagree and agree with you with things like this, but at the end of the day, which relates to what you're talking about, its about having that fine line when it comes to telling a story. I think AEW has their good and bad, but the more complacent we become with how AEW is (No different than being complacement with how WWE was before AEW existed) the more problems they will face themselves, if they believe everything they do is right. Thats why I think you see people like JDfromny206 (Im assuming thats the type of guy youre talking about) and Solomonster who critcize the product, but also give credit where its due. Again, its that fine line of when to be critical and when to give credit. For me personally? I like what AEW is doing, but I tend to agree when guys like JD and you, when it comes to consistency and the way stories are being told. Ill even say that sometimes WWE does the whole "long term booking" idea way too often and as evident with LWO vs Legado, it got less interesting over time. Again, I just sit back these days because at the end of the day, it aint THAT serious to me, but I understand where everyone is coming from, whether its Cornette, Bischoff, Konnan, JD, Solomonster, and yourself. Pro wrestling should be a mixture of all the goods, not just one. Thats just my two sense.

The simplification of language is a pretty widespread and common issue, and people are prone to adopting said simplifications when those around them do it. It's not that AEW doesn't tell stories or do angles. It's that they are usually quite bad at making it feel special and larger than life to the viewer. And as you said, I actually think they tell too many undercooked stories, instead of focusing on a few really good ones. Like, think of the Undisputed Kingdom for example. They are essentially a waste of space whose time could have been spent on making a pre-existing feud or storyline more "seasoned". We don't really see the Undisputed Kingdom interact with each other that often, even though they're supposed to be a main event facfion. They just sort of exist. Contrast it to WWE who is basically faulty in the other direction. I almost never watch weekly WWE TV and I was still able to feel completely invested in the Wrestlemania feuds, but I would probably have gone insane if I actually watched every RAW and Smackdown.

The issue is subtlety. AEW uses subtle storytelling and little marketing so 60% of watchers MISS the story beats. WWE is over the top with marketing so you can't miss the story but you get sick of hearing about it. There are only rare times, usually in the midcard championships, where the story is on ious and not shoved down your throat since it's the midcard.

Just look at Danielson/Ospreay for example. Great match on isolation but don't give me the desire to continue being invested. That is the key difference for me , they need to give people reasons to be invested in AEW. I see a lot of AEW fans blaming people for not supporting their favorite product but can you blame them? AEW should focus on what they excel and what their public wants. Take the continental classic for example , a great blend between angles and workrate. The more AEW try to appeal WWE fans the more they will fail.

I feel like you would enjoy GCW

The thing is aew isn’t believable to the normal person. The suspension of disbelief is not there . If u truly buy Moxley as a tough guy or hook as some badass or even the young bucks as the best in tag team’s wrestling then you might have some growing up to do

Angles and stories are different.....

I think the assumption that a phrase being repeated is "telling" is only half true, when you need to tell a story over years. Motivations for the characters need consistency and logic and, for a story like the Bloodline, they do require framing. So to saying they beat you over the head with it feels short sighted. It's a requirement of the medium if you want to tell that long of a story.

Is Jake Lee with new japan now?

W intelligent wrestling fan. W video.

I think it’s just edrones literally getting into every conversations without ever watching nothing but wwmeme

AEW needs to bring you in and pay you the same if not more than Billy Washington.

The biggest draws in pro wrestling history were because of their personality and charisma, not wrestling. Hogan, Austin, Rock, Cena, Reigns. None of these guys have “le 5 star bangers” but they draw MONEY.

The bloodline was overrated like the nwo it needs to go away. Ever since Reigns got the title it was same thing over n over. He almost loose here come the flunkies, same way w hogan. I think one of the main problems with IWC a lot of em are pro wwe , they knocking the match between Roddie & Kyle. Because they don’t know their history from RoH so what it was still a damn good match it was up there Osprey & Danielson for match of the at Revolution.

AEW had angles not storylines.

Both WWE and NJPW are good at telling stories. NJPW not anymore since they are too busy losing money but whatever. AEW isn't good at telling stories one bit lol

NJPW style stories doesn't work in the US. AEW is going to fail if they don't fix it soon. WCW had the exact same problem.

Wrestling doesn't draw viewers or attendance. You have to make people care about the matches by telling stories. AEW doesn't make you care about the matches.

it"s pretty simple. One really spells things out for ya, and the other barely even tries.

AEW is horrible at telling stories. None of the stories make sense. The other problem is booking.