Counter Programing

The landscape of professional wrestling in 2024 has evolved into a fascinating yet frustrating dichotomy. WWE and AEW represent two distinct philosophies that, while successful in their own ways, both fall short of delivering the complete package wrestling fans deserve.

WWE has transformed from a wrestling business to simply a business. They've perfected what we call "moment farming" – creating just enough compelling hooks to keep fans financially invested while delivering the minimum product necessary to justify the price of admission. They understand that wrestling thrives on memorable moments, even if the surrounding storytelling is half-baked. Consider their approach to the John Cena storyline or how they build anticipation for premium live events – it's all about creating that one shareable, discussion-worthy moment that makes fans feel they got their money's worth, regardless of match quality or narrative coherence.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, AEW consistently delivers spectacular in-ring action but struggles tremendously with basic storytelling principles and show structure. Their episodes often feel disjointed, sometimes starting with major chaos and ending with less significant matches instead of building toward a climactic conclusion. They have incredible wrestlers but frequently fail to give viewers compelling reasons to care about their conflicts beyond appreciating their technical skills. As we break down specific examples like the Austin Aces debut (taking a loss on his first appearance) and chaotic go-home shows, the pattern of prioritizing workrate over storytelling becomes painfully apparent.

What's particularly interesting is how these contrasting approaches reflect broader industry shifts. WWE has aligned with promotions like TNA, AAA, and Stardom, while AEW has partnerships with CMLL and New Japan. This creates a landscape where smaller promotions are forced to choose sides in what's becoming wrestling's modern "war" – though one that seems to be tilting increasingly in WWE's favor as AEW continues to stumble with fundamental booking principles.

The ideal wrestling promotion would combine WWE's understanding of character development and moment creation with AEW's commitment to in-ring excellence. Until then, fans are left choosing between two incomplete visions of what professional wrestling could be. Join us as we dig deep into this industry-wide identity crisis and explore what both companies need to do to truly satisfy the modern wrestling audience.

Which approach do you prefer? Drop your thoughts in the comments, and don't forget to subscribe for more unfiltered wrestling analysis every week!

🎙️ Big Brothaz of Destruction Podcast
The ring is sacred. The questions are real. The destruction? Guaranteed.

💥 Follow the madness, tap in below:
📸 Instagram: @bbodpodcast
🎥 TikTok: @bbodpodcast_
📘 Facebook: Big Brothaz of Destruction Podcast

🔥 New Episodes Drop Every Monday @ 9AM EST
Step in the ring with us. Ask the hard questions. Bring the smoke.

Chapters

• 0:00 The State of Wrestling Today
• 14:41 Counter-Programming Strategies
• 30:43 AEW's Booking Problems
• 45:08 The Importance of Charisma in Wrestling
• 1:01:07 WWE's Moment Farming Approach
• 1:18:11 The Restaurant Analogy: Wrestling Promotions
• 1:40:22 Creating Wrestling Games and Characters
• 1:48:59 Final Thoughts on Wrestling's Future

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:09

hello again. It's another episode of the big brothers of destruction podcast. It's the masuku it's your boy.

Speaker 2: 0:17

Slash what you're in the building and what, what, what stumbles you right then like wow I.

Speaker 1: 0:23

I looked for a second at myself and I was like wait, don't I have a catchphrase? And I was like no, I don't I. I just threw me off for a second and I wasn't, I wasn't, I was over anyway. Uh, welcome again, guys, to another episode of the podcast, and we're just here getting ready to talk about. Um matter of. It was actually a topic. You had Swag. What was the topic for this week?

Speaker 2: 0:48

Man, these white chocolate Reese's are wildly delicious.

Speaker 1: 0:52

This mofo. I mean, yeah, it's definitely going to be more sugary than usual, but yes.

Speaker 2: 0:59

But um, nah.

Speaker 2: 1:01

So the thing Because we touched on it last week and I'm bringing it here now, and it's also becoming just the state of wrestling as it is right now as a whole look at all the big promotions, your big head promotions we have was new japan, aw and wwe.

Speaker 2: 1:29

Those are the three big heads and everyone else just kind of falls in place underneath and it's like number one. It's, I feel, like wrestling at this very moment is doing this weird thing. Where there is a uh there, where there's a line right, there's this invisible line and on one side of the line it's WWE, the other side of the line is AEW, and then, and right now on that line is all these other small little promotions, medium-sized promotions that exist, and it's like aw and wwe are doing the thing where it's like all right, um, triple a, you're on my team, aw over here, uh, new j Japan on this side, wwe, this promotion over here, and it's like you're either Team WWE or you're Team AEW, and this isn't just with the tribalism, this is with the legitimate companies right now. And so it's like where AEW I think they have CMLL and New Japan in their back pocket, wwe has AAA and I think it's Stardom.

Speaker 2: 3:02

I believe so. Yeah, I think WWE has stardom in their back pocket, but WWE also has TNA in their back pocket, yes, which I feel is dangerous for AEW because, as I often take my dives into the the other side.

Speaker 2: 3:31

The IWC. I think we call it here the internet wrestling community. As I take my dives into the IWC, I watch these videos and I listen to what people's talking about and everything Like there is truthfully a war starting and getting ready to what people's talking about and everything like there is truthfully a war starting and getting ready to start happening soon, freaking and WWE out here orchestrating, everything like. So the current thing that I've seen and that's been being talked about a lot is the fact that WWE people say are using TNA. Thing that I've seen and that's been being talked about a lot is the fact that WWE people say are using TNA to further their counter-programming against AEW. So apparently AEW, not AEW TNA is getting close to a possible TV deal and if they get that TV deal, it is being rumored no facts just yet, but it's being rumored that their show is going to be on the same time as AEW's Dynamite fight.

Speaker 1: 4:38

Wasn't that Eric Bischoff that said that?

Speaker 2: 4:41

No. Eric Bischoff said if AEW don't get their shit straight, when TNA gets that TV promotion, there's going to be a new number two. Yeah, yeah, yeah. When they get that TV deal, there's going to be a new number two promotion in wrestling. And it might be, it's probably going to be TNA not, probably it will be unfortunately.

Speaker 1: 5:03

Well, I'll say, yeah, fortunately. Yeah, I, I don't know, I don't probably going to be TNA Probably will be unfortunately.

Speaker 2: 5:05

Well, I'll say fortunately. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know if TNA can do it. I want them to be able to do it More. So just the fact that I would love to see TNA flourish, but I don't think TNA is strong enough to beat AEW.

Speaker 1: 5:26

It's roster isn't. It's the thing about it is there's certain things about TNA I feel like that are missing from its core and, yes, the true fact of its wrestling, its knockout division, is one thing, and I understand that this is just a small thing, but that freaking six-. This is just a small thing, but that freaking six-sided ring makes a huge difference.

Speaker 2: 5:51

Yeah, unfortunately I don't know that income.

Speaker 1: 5:53

It's never because the wrestlers themselves they have said they do not like it. It's very harmful to them.

Speaker 2: 6:00

Yeah, it hurts, but even then I don't know, know, I don't think, I don't think TNA can, I don't think TNA can beat AEW like that and even more so people believe that if they do this, it could actually hurt TNA in the long run. However, with the shows that we've been watching, I don't think, I almost don't believe that that will happen, because AEW's been pretty, pretty garbo brother like garbo basura trash. It's been like Garbo Basuda Trash. It's been painful. I feel as if AEW does not know how do you agree or not?

Speaker 1: 7:03

I mean, we've already established the fact that Swerve versus Okada is a match I don't care about. I don't care about it. Why are we doing it? And, yes, we both can agree that some of the things that they are doing currently, it's just it's not the way.

Speaker 2: 7:23

It's not even talking about stories, right, or their pay-per-views. I want to Bring up to you One of their past Shows, because we didn't necessarily talk About because of the pay-per-views and everything. One of their past shows that they had Because we didn't necessarily talk about it because of the pay-per-views and everything. One of their past shows that they had leading into the pay-per-view. To me, if you took that episode of AEW and you played it backwards, it would make so much more sense. It would make so much more sense.

Speaker 2: 8:07

So this particular, this was their, as they call, the go-home show, right, leading into the pay-per-view that they had on the go-home show. It started out with all the pretty much everything dealing with that lights out cage match that they had. Okay, and if you can remember how chaotic it was, because Will Ospreay comes out there, he's talking to Deathrivers come out there and then all of a sudden, that was like Death Riders come out there and then, all of a sudden, who was it Then? Like because after Death Riders came out there, then Speedball and AR Fox come out there.

Speaker 2: 8:59

Oh, you're talking about this, Okay okay, and then, like you know, broken Knees, tanahashi comes out there and then the match happens, right. But then, after the match happens, then it's like Gabe Kidd and the War Dogs showed up, and then Powerhouse Hobbs and Samoa Joe and all of them showed up. Then the Young Bucks came out there and showed up, and then Darby Allen shows up and there's just this big, like this big cluster fuck of a situation just going on, with just all of these people out here Like hold on. I think I wrote, I had it written down, so we had the ops out there, we had the death riders, we had the conglomeration show up the Young Bucks, the War Dogs, darby Allin and the Billy Goat, like all of these people just show up and Darby Allen coffin drops off of the building and falls into everybody and the body bag stunt and stuff like that.

Speaker 2: 10:14

All of this happens at the beginning of the episode. Yeah, the beginning of the episode, where how we ended it, if I remember correctly, we ended it with the women's match and all this other which I don't not not gonna take away from them having like the play was. Like the match happens, tony Storm gets O-faced, which is a crazy statement yeah, O-faced.

Speaker 1: 10:53

That's such a crazy statement to make. Why is that called the O-face?

Speaker 2: 10:57

I need to know that because I guess she just wanted it to be dirty for whatever reason, because the Eclipse wasn't cool enough. Apparently Apparently or maybe she just, or actually she probably just doesn't own the rights to the Eclipse, which, whatever, regardless. I mean, I guess it also makes sense because she's not Ember Moon anymore, but like that match and the shenanigans that happens in that match, would have made so much sense to start to show off, because still thinking about if you played this backwards, if we had all those shenanigans at the very end, right the next thing that happens.

Speaker 2: 11:41

It would have been like going off the air, with all this more interesting and it would have been like going off the air with all this chaos happening and it would have been great. But instead that happens in the very beginning and then we start going into the situations with john moxley and wanting to set um, set what's his name on fire. And you know, it's just, it's so, it's so poorly put together. I think last time we spoke one of the last times we spoke on the previous podcast I said it's almost as if they wrote everything on key cards and then put it in a bucket or a bowl, mixed it up, dumped it on a table and asked the child alright, line these up. And line these up in whatever order you think they should be. And the kid's like, okay, I want this here, this here, this here, this here. And they look at that shit like it's fucking good.

Speaker 1: 12:46

It's fucking good. Why don't you get a bowl, dump some eggs in it, mix the fuck?

Speaker 2: 12:51

out of it. What do you got? That's, that's what I thought immediately. No, I mean no, I as I was saying it, I was thinking it, but I was thinking it, but I was like, hold it in, hold it in.

Speaker 1: 13:10

No no.

Speaker 2: 13:11

Fuck this shit, let this shit out, fuck out, fuck out.

Speaker 1: 13:18

But no, overall I think you are absolutely right, because that that shift, change from everything just didn't make any sense, because I was like, oh okay, it's lit. That's how I thought. I was like maybe the rest of Collision would be lit.

Speaker 2: 13:32

No, no, it's like they started off here. We'll take that back.

Speaker 1: 13:37

That tag team match was pretty solid though.

Speaker 2: 13:40

The match. Yes, no, I'm sorry. The match was the things that happened at the end which led to the the tag team match. Yes, the tag team match, great match, brodito. But then it ends in the draw. A tournament Okay, this was a tournament. Someone was supposed to win. Yeah, and the final match of the tournament ends in a time limit draw. Make it make sense.

Speaker 1: 14:24

They said hey, yo, we know this is a draw, but now we're gonna just make it a triple threat, You're welcome.

Speaker 2: 14:34

The problems that AEW. The problem with AEW is that I feel at this point they it's almost like they're choosing to act like they don't know how to book things.

Speaker 1: 14:51

They're not trying to follow the narrative. That's kind of how I feel like it is. There's a system. There's a system of how you book. There's a system of how you do things. Granted, I'm not the best booker, but there's always been a system of how you book. There's a system of how you do things. Granted, I'm not the best booker, but there's always been a system right. And then if you're basically saying, hey, we know there's a book and fucking throw that shit out. We're fucking video gaming, this bitch.

Speaker 2: 15:14

We just do shit bro but the thing is, even video games make sense, true I'm talking about doing video game shit, but yeah okay, that's a different situation.

Speaker 2: 15:29

I feel with AEW right now like they are if they decide to take the booking for dummies and they threw it out the window. Damn, because there is, like there are, as we all know as wrestling fans, there are just certain unspoken, you know rules and patterns that just kind of happen in in wrestling. That you know once you become wise to it, you understand the way that it works. So, for example, I am the bad guy and I'm about to go up against the good guy champion. Happening is if the bad guy gets the last laugh on the good guy champion, chances are when they fight at the pay-per-view.

Speaker 2: 16:33

The good guy is going to win now, or if they lose it's, it's not clean yes, or or if just so happen that they do lose, it's not clean and it has to be not clean because otherwise you make your baby face look like a baby back bitch and so, with with that, um, and that's just like one of the many different type of situations you know, if you, if you see, like you know, for like a majority of a situation, like you know, because it happens on the opposite end, if the babyface is getting a lot of you know, you know getting his comeback, or if the babyface right before the pay-per-view, if the babyface right before the pay-per-view gets his lick back, babyface is probably going to lose. He's going to lose like a bitch, but little things like that as well. Aew, when it comes to the way that they book and the way that they present things and stuff like that, they throw that book out the window and it feels like they just kind of wing it. One of the things that I feel that they do a lot of times is they're like hey, we got this really big star and we're just going to keep telling you that this really big star is going to fight this other really big star and you're just going to keep telling you that this really big star is going to fight this other really big star and you're going to get really excited because there are two really big stars and we want to see how that's going to end and they're just gonna fight and no real build. Just know that they're two really big stars and they're going to do their thing. You can't get invested with it.

Speaker 2: 18:27

That was the Okada. That's your Okada versus Swerve. That's your Tony Storm versus your Mercedes. You know things like that. Really big names, really important, who really cares about? You don't really need to build it because it should sell itself, because they're really big, important people, but it's like you need that build, you need that story, you need that camaraderie.

Speaker 2: 18:55

Or whatever you want to call it.

Speaker 1: 18:58

The thing that you and I'm not picking at you anytime when I say this the thing that you thrive on as a wrestling fan is you need to sell it to me. You need to sell it to me. Why should I care? And that's obviously. Every wrestling fan thinks this way, but for you, that is the, that is what makes you a wrestling fan and, honestly, one of the things that I would feel like people who got out of wrestling years ago probably had that peak of like man, this shit ain't fucking like, you can't sell me that. Like, maybe maybe they either want to grow out of it or they've said, hey, you can't sell me that anymore, right, and so that at some point begins to lead to a downward spiral where wrestling fans like ourselves at times will take a break from wrestling. It's because right now, everything that you're doing is not selling me.

Speaker 1: 19:49

Why I should care about this product and I know we've both had our hiatuses with wrestling we both, I don't know mine mainly was because of the household I was living in and they not wanting me to watch wrestling. So that was a specific point of my life where I just didn't watch wrestling. That routine. Routine was not in my life anymore. For you, I know, it was like life was life and so it's like, yeah, you watch pay-per-views and that's kind of like the tradition of every wrestling fan. Now, you may not watch Monday, you may not watch Friday, but you definitely watch the pay-per-views, absolutely you have to.

Speaker 2: 20:19

When it comes to the pay-per-views. Usually, when it comes to the pay-per-views, usually if it's a good promotion, you know what the fuck they're doing. Damn, they will at least take all of the good bits of whatever it is that's happening and they'll give you that preview before you see the match. So it's all like, if you haven't been, yeah, they'll give you the package. And then you'll be all like, oh, okay, they'll give you the package. And then you'll be all like, oh, okay, so this person is fighting this guy because he thinks he's better than them. And then there was this that happened, and there was a squabble here and a verbal assault here, and oh, and then that happened. And now they're here and this is why they're fighting. Alright, cool, I'll watch that. And so it's funny because whenever you watch, for me it's like whenever you watch pay-per-views, when you watch wrestling in that particular fashion, it's almost then, and almost only then, that you're watching the show specifically for the wrestling, kind of thing.

Speaker 1: 21:24

To me it's more so. The climax of the situation, say, okay, I think of it like this If I haven't been watching the product Monday through Friday or whatever, and I come to a pay-per-view, it's like somebody injecting me. Here is the plot, here is everything. Okay, I'm in now, what's up? What's going on? It's like being put into the matrix. You're put into the matrix like. You're put into the situation of why should I care about this? What is the outcome?

Speaker 1: 21:53

Uh, think about, like when another perfect scenario. Think about when we used to watch dragon ball z and every freaking week they used to prolong every goddamn thing. You were itching to find out what that was. Imagine they package that and you're like, okay, now goku just saw his friend just get blown up and he's turning super saiyan. So how does this end? And that's to me, when I watch a package. It's like, okay, that shit's crazy. How does this end? Does it make sense or is it fucking stupid? I, that is the thing that sometimes really pisses me off about wrestling, especially like with the Rhea and Io situation when they gave us that package for their match. It's like, yeah, they've been wrestling each other constantly, constantly. Io has bested her in every situation Whoa, whoa, whoa. Why are we not doing this at Mania? Why is this a package for this small little rinky dink match? You have such a better story here. What are you doing? What are you doing?

Speaker 2: 22:52

Counter-programming.

Speaker 1: 22:58

Tell us what happens Programming they're programming and training the programming.

Speaker 2: 23:03

No, it's counter program, because that specific match, you remember that was AEW's WrestleMania weekend when all that went down Mm-hmm. So word is on the street. Just to throw this out, the word out on the street in the IWC, as they call it, word out on the street is is the fact that this counter-programming and honestly it's working. I can easily tell you that it's working. I mean, yeah, and I'll give you my small proof of why easily tell you that it's working and I'll give you my small proof of why. But the counter-programming is not so much that they want to kill AEW, because AEW does a really great job of doing that themselves. Aew stays stepping on, the AEW is the person on the bike and they grab a stick and put the fucking stick in the spoke of the wheel, like that's AEW the person on the bike and they grab a stick and put the fucking stick in the spoke of the wheel like that's AEW on a regular basis. But what they're doing, this counter-programming, what it does, it makes it where.

Speaker 2: 24:15

Let's say, you know, or to give that, to give the example, let's say, on Collision, a really popular new wrestler debuted on Collision. All right, let's say that happens At the exact same time that he debuts on Collision is also the same time. Omos and Microman stood face to shin in their I mean shin, listen, microman was way below his kneecap, bro. Microman wasn't tall enough to be to his dick, unless he's really packing that heavy, he's like.

Speaker 1: 25:17

I don't need that visual nigga. No, Continue.

Speaker 2: 25:20

Continue, but it's like Microman and Omos come face to face At the same time. This new wrestler has debuted on AEW's Collision. When you go online, when you go on the Twitters and the Instagrams, the only thing you see people talk about is the biggest man in sports entertainment facing off against the smallest man in sports entertainment. I did not find out that someone debuted on Collision until I didn't even know that either until WrestleTalk.

Speaker 1: 26:11

It was a former NXT star, I think.

Speaker 2: 26:12

Right, no he was on Austin Ace.

Speaker 1: 26:18

No, there was a woman that also debuted too. There was, I could have sworn. I remember Russell Talk saying something about that.

Speaker 2: 26:25

I can't remember her name and this is exactly what I mean of how this counter programming is working. I only knew that Austin A's showed up because two and a half days later I decided to actually watch Collision one night while I was just doing stuff, and also it's like he's here.

Speaker 1: 26:47

Austin Ace is here.

Speaker 2: 26:49

And I'm like Austin Ace oh, he's here, cool. And then the bad booking comes into play, because you know what Austin Ace did Took a big fat L on their B-show Collision. Took a big fat L on their B show collision. Now, in that booking book for dummies that we was talking about, earlier.

Speaker 1: 27:16

No boy, yeah, you never. You never debut somebody.

Speaker 2: 27:20

If it's your debut, yeah the proper thing is to go over on your debut, unless there's a special story that is to be happening on your debut match, and there has to be a really compelling story to go with that. For example, kane, his debut match. He took the L but then he proceeded to beat Undertaker's ass afterwards. Now, of course, probably not completely the same, because Kane had been there for like a good like three, four months before he had his true first match, his debut match. But once again, that goes into the idea of the fact that there was a story that went into everything before that debut match, which led to the reasons why he lost, and then the way that he lost was Undertaker had to tombstone him three times, which Undertaker never has to do, or never have to do.

Speaker 1: 28:32

Look at the Cody.

Speaker 2: 28:33

Rhodes, listen. Undertaker didn't tombstone Hulk Hogan three times. You know what I'm saying, but he broke his neck brother apparently.

Speaker 2: 28:47

Oh, you got me brother, but uh, but it's like homie, he lost and at this point that was it. Yeah, he took that out. It was just like well then, why? Why would you do that? They make such crazy decisions, such wild decisions on there and I'm like I know you being a New Japan person, and I know you understand that they were originally trying to be this American New Japan. They were originally trying to be this American New Japan. In your eyes, the fuck is wrong with them AEW.

Speaker 2: 29:33

Yes. Why are they not successful like a New Japan? Was Because right now, for all intents and purposes, some could say that New Japan is becoming ass because of AEW. Aew was because right now, for all intents and purposes, some could say that new japan is becoming ass because of aew.

Speaker 1: 29:49

Aew's taking a lot of their talent yes, but here's the thing in any situation, you need to let the new talent become you know, whatever. So a part of that I feel like is maybe I don't know what new New Japan's product has been like recently. I haven't been watching it because this is one guy I just you can't sell me him. He is a very stoic Japanese man and I love that because I love the culture. I understand what, but he has this smile that just throws me off. I can't remember his name right now. It's just like the smile is like. You know how?

Speaker 1: 30:25

I remember Roman Reigns got his Devere's whatever the fuck they're called and you can see his teeth being fake. Yeah, veneers, you see his teeth and you're like bro, that's not your teeth. This guy's trademark is apparently his smile, but he has this cowboy Undertaker-esque gear on when he comes to the ring and then to take the hat off what the fuck is that? No, you don't sell me that. You sold me this badass look. And also it's like whoever told you that stop like. Yes, you have great teeth. You do, but the smile is not what sells you, bro, you're a great wrestler. I can't I gotta remember his name, but I remember seeing that problem was like and just what was going on with new japan at the time.

Speaker 2: 31:14

I just like nah, I'm not watching this um what would make you start wanting to watch new japan again?

Speaker 1: 31:23

I meet charismatic people like naito. I don't know if you ever watched naito in his prime. I I know of charismatic people like him, jay white, you know, even though kenny he was definitely more of that you know best bout wrestler, but they had swagger. Everybody had like just a thing that distinguished them, Even Murder Grandpa, when he was out there. You know what I'm saying. Just like everybody has a thing that makes them charismatic. So where their character sells the matches not even like the story buildup, Like you know how there's a story that should be told to bring you to this match it's the lore of the character that makes the match more appealing to me. Like how are these two people going to clash? And you know this character and the lore that is him and the world building that is involved with him, and then this character as well. How is this match going to come out? Is it going to be great or is it going to be shit? But they had.

Speaker 2: 32:28

So you're saying that so you're saying that, as of right now, new japan hasn't created appealing new characters?

Speaker 1: 32:37

no, I mean zach saber is actually zach saber jr. He's their heavyweight champion now again, and people even thought, like yo, he shouldn't be champion for some reason.

Speaker 2: 32:51

Listen, i—zack Sabre Jr. Good wrestler, yeah, Cool technical wrestler. I've seen a couple of his matches, of his matches, but like, like, to an overall sense he really doesn't wow me a whole lot, like and and actually since we're on this, I I think I've finally understood the new Japan concept to a certain degree.

Speaker 2: 33:26

And what made me? Because so earlier today I was having a conversation with the girlfriend and she's really into K-pop and stuff like that right, and she was talking about how the K-pop people K-pop is actually on quite a rise right now in the USA.

Speaker 1: 33:47

They've been on for a while, yeah.

Speaker 2: 33:49

Well, it's been on, but recently it's been kicking up a notch. Stray Kids have been bringing K-pop really into the USA, like really hard body recently, right, mm-hmm.

Speaker 2: 34:05

And amidst the conversation I was like, you know, like boy they make. What makes them be able to make so much money? I think makes them so appealing to the United States audience is the fact that, yes, they are Korean pop stars and they sing their songs in Korean, but they also can sing their songs perfectly good in English as well. And because that happens, now you're grabbing people like me who are dub-type folk. We love the content, but we really can't enjoy it enough until it's in a language that we specifically can understand. And then we have your subs type folk who are like nah, give it to me, like how it came from their motherland. I like it better that way.

Speaker 2: 34:59

I don't care if I don't know what these words exactly mean. I'll read the subtitles. I don't, it's fine with me. Type situation. But because there is the dub option, for lack of better terms, because they speak English, good, they have songs in English. They will make a song in English and then later translate it in korean type situation. But because of the fact that they have songs in english, that makes them even more appealing to everybody.

Speaker 2: 35:37

Because, just like how with anime, a lot of people might like anime, but not everyone likes to read it kind of thing me being one of those kind of folks and it made me kind of go on this thing, talking about kind of comparing it with, like someone like Stephanie Valquier and Asuka, and the revelation that I ended up getting from this conversation. When I look at stephanie valquier right, gorgeous, beautiful, all right, in-ring work, superb, love it promos. When she speaks in English and this was something that I've finally understood that you spoke about it's like when she speaks it in English though I understand it whenever she does speaking it when she does say it in her language, it feels slightly different. But the problem is I still don't know what she said. There are no subtitles to what she said, and even then when there are subtitles, unfortunately I'm a lazy american bum who doesn't like to read, and so you're dyslexic like me, that's not it, that's it.

Speaker 1: 37:09

You're dyslexic like me, that too, and so it's like.

Speaker 2: 37:15

I want to hear her say it in her language, but then she'll say it in her language and it's like okay, cool, but it's like it loses a bit to it. But Asuka was like it loses a bit to it, but Asuka, with the comparison here, asuka has the same situation, but the main difference with Asuka is the fact that the way she has presented herself is so strong to the point where you don't have to understand her, because her movements, her mannerisms, the look in her eyes.

Speaker 1: 37:59

She's charismatic.

Speaker 2: 38:01

The way that she carries herself, the way she does things. It's like you watch and looking at her titantron, listening to her music and seeing what she does, from the time she comes out to the point where the bell rings. You just get it.

Speaker 1: 38:22

That is me in Naito. That's what I was talking about with new japan. All those people are like that there, when it was prominent, like when it was at its prime, those that's how it was for me. I could look at nido. I can look at these characters.

Speaker 2: 38:35

I could say, okay, I'm invested, what's up and and it's one of those things where, like in that conversation and me like making this like a, you know, a comparison, it made me kind of it opened my eyes a bit to kind of see your point of view and maybe understand New Japan just a slight bit more, considering the fact of how Asuka is in comparison to a Stephanie Valkyr, because Stephanie, stephanie has all of that, but that last bit of aura for lack of better words Asuka has an aura that you can just you can see it, you can damn near taste it.

Speaker 2: 39:24

Stephanie, she's got the lookie, she's got the look, she's got the moves and everything. Sir, that the english isn't quite there, but the english wasn't there for oscar. I can hear and kind of tell, you know, what she's about when she talks or when she's like when she's or when she speaks in her language. But at the same time there is still a that with her. There's still a key. There's that key piece, that unspoken like, as you would call it, that unspoken charisma, that, whereas, like, I'm not getting that part of the story with her.

Speaker 1: 40:05

I think that's things that would be cool, yeah.

Speaker 2: 40:10

It's like I'm not getting that unspoken part of the story where it's like she's got the whole demon horn thing going on. Her music's fine. When she comes out to the ring, from curtain to before the bell sounds, there is a presence about her. But it's like but the presence is not defined kind of thing you know like we understand. As soon as Asuka comes out I'm like, ah, that's what Empress of Tomorrow looks like and what an Empress of Tomorrow would do. What the fuck is an Empress of Tomorrow? I couldn't quite tell you, but it's her.

Speaker 1: 41:00

Do you feel like, because of her NXT run, that also helped it out as well, because Stephanie had a decent run.

Speaker 2: 41:06

But I feel like because Hers was cut short. Yeah, hers was cut short yeah.

Speaker 1: 41:10

So I feel like, do you feel like because of her run being cut short, we haven't got the chance to develop and do that? Or do you feel like if I just put somebody in front of Asuka, have them watch her walk down to the ring and show her case, her presence, and do the same thing for stephanie? Do you feel that random person would be like, wow, oscar's cool.

Speaker 2: 41:30

I want to see this now absolutely I, I would, I would easily say that over stephanie to a certain degree, granted, stephanie has, you know, has was by oh yeah, I mean, that's that's, that's the.

Speaker 1: 41:46

I forgot what I forgot this content creator. He says it's the, it's the Latino, it's the, it's the, it's the Latin gays, or some shit like that, or is the. I can't remember what it was, but, like you know, us and brothers and women, it's that, it's that, it's that specific thing, it's a wrap.

Speaker 2: 42:06

Well I'll, it's that specific thing. It's a wrap. When I be looking at TV, she be looking at me, I be like hell, my girlfriend right there, hold on. But going back to it, though, I think I have, through that conversation, I think, I may have gotten to a bit more of an understanding of that New Japan appeal and I guess how New Japan was able to survive so long without having stories, because to me, they don't have stories, they just have events. Events, if that makes sense. It's like, or has you, I think you said before, they have lore. Yes, the bullet club it's not a story, they just have a presenting lore about them. They are not Japanese people coming into a Japanese program and taking it over Because they're not Japanese.

Speaker 2: 43:16

And they want to yeah, that's what Bullet Club is. There's no story for Bullet Club. It's just that's what they are.

Speaker 1: 43:28

Yep, and their presentation is cool because they're using the NWO2 suite. You know. Again they have characters who are somewhat charismatic. You have Prince Devin or Finn Balor when he was there Very charismatic guy. You have Tomatanga Bad Luck Fale. Bad Luck, fale was cool. That motherfucker came out military as hell, cigar in his mouth. You was like, oh, this motherfucker's a badass, alright, what's up. They had literally a pimp. They had a pimp in the fucking group Interesting.

Speaker 2: 44:05

Yeah, he was a pimp. They had a pimp in the fucking group.

Speaker 1: 44:07

Interesting. Yeah, he was a pimp and he had this Spanish girl who came out with her all the time she wore a bunny outfit. You could not keep your eye off that woman. I'm telling you Couldn't, bro, couldn't. But yeah, the team was charismatic. It was like, damn, there's interesting characters over here. What is this group? This group looks cool. So the charisma, the charisma is what it is. New Japan had superstars Pretty much, and with that I want to take a quick pause and come back to this because, while I want to continue on the adventures of what they're doing as well, but, guys, we're going to take a small, small break and in that way we can kind of continue the conversation of what these companies could do possibly to maybe fix or better the situation, because this is getting a lot.

Speaker 1: 45:06

But be right back. We're going to pay some bills and be right back with the Big Brothers of Destruction podcast. One sec, I got to keep it light. Yep, mainly need to pause that because wife's coming in the house and I did not want the dogs to bug us.

Speaker 2: 45:21

Oh, they about to get crazy, they about to get loose that was at the 45 minute mark.

Speaker 1: 45:40

I'm glad because apparently I hear that in the background my son thinks he's a fucking train oh gory, oh Corey, you know, for the one time they don't fucking bark bro. You know, for the one time they don't fucking bark bro. You know what? Fuck them niggas, bro. Fuck them niggas, the one time they don't fucking bark. Please put that on. Put that on Are?

Speaker 2: 46:29

you going to? You just told me to shoot.

Speaker 1: 46:35

No, I said go ahead and tend to them quickly, even though they just went outside.

Speaker 2: 46:48

Jose out here posting this wild dumb shit. I fucking swear you posted what no, like Jose's been like posting like a bunch of random videos in this chat. Someone take his phone. Someone take his phone.

Speaker 1: 47:18

Please, Nah he doing it on purpose? I had 13 dogs today. Look, you both just need to realize something Nobody is going to want to ever help you.

Speaker 2: 47:58

Because the two of you are just so pathetic, please leave me. Oh Fucking blue pants, bro, goddamn what is she doing?

Speaker 1: 48:48

Look at Alexis's face.

Speaker 2: 48:51

Alexis doesn't like this at all Her friends don't like this at all. Look at her. What is she doing? She's just spitting out the door. Look at Alexis she's being attacked by the police. How did she get in the building? I don't think I work here. Obviously God's got her in. If you look at this. Look what's Karen doing Alright, very observant Pirate. It's singular distance. And look what a character You're all got to do. All right, very observant pirate. Watch me step up to the microphone sheet. I forgot I posted that. Hold up, I have to beat the Tiger.

Speaker 1: 49:46

Sword, I have to beat the Tiger Sword. I have to beat the Tiger Sword, I have to beat the Tiger Swords. Tiger Swords, power up. Alright, right in when you are. You didn't pull the sheet down. You forgot to pull the sheet, though. All right, ready in three, two, one. Welcome back to the Big Brothers of Destruction podcast. As we need to pay our bills real quick, we also wanted to oh wait, yeah, yeah. Zero fear, as always, but need to pay our bills and be able to keep the lights on. But at the same time, I wanted to continue where we were at in our conversation about what is it that wrestling is missing in certain areas, especially for AEW, to kind of piggyback what we were saying about like charismatic characters. Aew has interesting characters, they just don't know how to book them bingo.

Speaker 2: 51:56

Now they have that. But there's also a part of me that feel well, actually there again. Honestly, it might be because of the booking, because for a while I was saying the fact that AEW has really good wrestlers but they don't have very good superstars, they don't have people who that, as they say, that it-factor type situation. For all intents and purposes, I guess you could say like new japan used to be the home of it factors, because they relied on a wrestler's it factor to pretty much sell whatever matches that they were having to not be able to, to do that and not have story. And then, of course, they also were good wrestlers. It's like aw, they just have really, really, really good wrestlers. It's like AEW they just have really, really, really good wrestlers. But it's like, when it comes to just that it factor, that you know that.

Speaker 1: 52:59

I mean some wrestlers do have it. I mean MJF is one of them. Mjf definitely is a character who has a lot of swire Swerve Hangman, the Billy Goat, brody King, darby Allin, you know, there's a couple of them. It's like a handful Not everybody, it's a handful and with those handfuls and with the handful they have, they don't push them. Which is, yeah, they don't push them or they book them very correctly yeah, like Darby Allin, winning the heavyweight title as a story would be very interesting.

Speaker 2: 53:47

I say it would happen. I feel like that ship is currently has gone and sailed away and now they have to rebuild that thought process. They have to rebuild that idea. And it's like on the other side right now WWE full of the caliber of people that is needed for things, they're giving us the bare minimum, half-assed stories. They're not utilizing them to their fullest potential.

Speaker 2: 54:26

Both sides are not just in different ways, because you have Let me see here, just to grab a random name out of the you have three prophets, right, the three prophets have so much going for them, so much that you could do with them, and not a whole lot is being done. Not no real story, no real good like push towards anything. There's. There's nothing for them to thrive off of right now in in in the wwe, like they're, they're just kind of there and it's like they All they are is a good match right now, but it's like there's no deep story that would drive you to get more interested into them and want to push them and put them on a pedestal at a point where you could see them doing something interesting and doing something great kind of thing. Now, if you took those same boys and put them on AEW as it currently stands and looks they would probably have and create some of the best matches you could possibly imagine. Seeing their work rate as far as in-ring performing would be through the freaking roof.

Speaker 1: 56:01

The Hurt Syndicate versus the Three Prophets would be fire.

Speaker 2: 56:05

Especially since Bobby Lashley used to be their manager. They would have that story, but after that AEW wouldn't know what to do. They'd just be there, kind of like how they are at.

Speaker 2: 56:24

WWE. And next thing you know, they're in all-star matches All-star, all-star 10-man tag team match and all-star 10-man tag team match and they're like that in WWE. But it's funny because they're kind of like that in WWE, but it's a better stage and it's the bare minimum at that in the AEW. They would actually probably have to work harder to get the same results, because that's what people in AEW do they work their asses off in these matches On any given AEW pay-per-view. Those people in the 45 matches that they have on the pay-per-view, each of those 45 matches, are going to be balls to the wall, nonstop craziness and action going on and they're wrestling like as if this is their last wrestling match.

Speaker 1: 57:34

And that's on any given. You always got to give it to them, always got to give it to them.

Speaker 2: 57:39

But the problem is no buildup, no reason, no logical reason at that, and it's just like I don't know who needs to step in to fix this, because it's a hard fix with. With WWE, there's an easy fix because they're not far away from what they used to do, like two and a half, almost three years ago back, when they were giving you Bloodline story and Cody.

Speaker 2: 58:20

Rhodes story when they were long term booking, because long term booking is what makes things work. But what WWE has done is the fact that they've gone from a wrestling business to just a business, and so it's no longer really about the wrestling aspect of anything. It's more so about the money 's. What wwe's problem is right now?

Speaker 1: 58:57

so, would you say then, is where wrestling business aligns right. Aew is on the wrestling part, wwe is strictly on the business part, and that's's where those two clash. Because while, yes, aew is giving you some of the best wrestling in the world, they fucking are. They're destroying their business with how they're selling or booking their wrestlers, whereas WWE, you may not get all the best wrestling in the world, but you do get some great matches. But the ads and the product placement some great matches, but that adds in the product placement is so much there. That is very much business.

Speaker 2: 59:39

So it's more so the fact, like wwe are currently in this era where they seemingly feel like they have mastered the hey, we're going to get you extremely excited for our product and we're going to do the absolute bare minimum to get you excited for our product.

Speaker 2: 1:00:04

But when we get you excited, we're going to get you excited enough that you're going to still spend as much money as you possibly can for our product and then, once you buy it, we're going to give you a half-cooked steak, and that's kind of sort of where they're at with it.

Speaker 2: 1:00:29

Look at this John Cena thing, right. Look at this John Cena thing, right. They gave you a John Cena heel turn, or actually even more so, thinking about the John Cena heel turn, because this is actually a great way to describe what WWE is doing they brought in a very important person in the rock and they dropped the whole thing about the want you to sell your soul, let me know at this day, kind of thing, right, and so it's like it's half-assed storytelling and it, you know it's half-assed storytelling and it, you know it's half-assed storytelling, but they make things compelling enough where it's like you don't want to miss it. You don't want to miss it. You want to spend the money to be there because you don't know what that moment is going to be like, kind of thing, which is what their big thing is right now their moment searching.

Speaker 1: 1:01:43

Mana farming or aura farming or whatever farming you want to use.

Speaker 2: 1:01:47

Oh yeah, there you go, their moment farming, okay, and they know because, unfortunately, unfortunately us as wrestling fans, we're gullible bastards. We'll eat that shit up as, like, they will fish you out for these moments. They'll make a story kind of compelling you know what I'm saying their story there and it's enough story to get you just enough invested that you're going to spend the money to see what is the moment they're going to give, type thing. And then when they give you a moment, it does not matter how great the match is, as long as the moment peaks, everybody fuck everything else because at that point, they've given you the moment and you've given them the money, and that's all they need. They promise you a moment, you invest in that moment, they give you the moment and they take your money.

Speaker 2: 1:03:07

Who cares? Actually, I can't say who cares, because we know who does, but we have the Brock Lesnar situation going. Oh, I can't say who cares, because we know who does, but we have the Brock Lesnar situation going. Oh yeah, we all know the allegations, mm-hmm, we know all these things. However, the moment is Brock Lesnar came out and beat up John Cena. They delivered us a moment, and now that they've delivered us that moment, just on that moment alone, we are paying them money so we can find out what that next moment is going to be Following that up.

Speaker 2: 1:03:56

Now you and I know good damn well when Brock Lesnar and John Cena fight, who cares about that? It's not going to be some five-star match. It's not going to be a match of amazing and epic proportions. We're not going to be a match of amazing and epic proportions. We're not going to be standing on our feet of the match. The match, the quality of the match between Brock Lesnar and John Cena. For all intents and purposes, it could be the quality of Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan. It could be the quality of Andre the Giant versus Hulk Hogan, because both the motherfuckers is dead. We know that match wasn't the most greatest match of all time. It wasn't. It wasn't. But the moment Hulk Hogan picked that big son of a bitch up and slammed him on the ground, everyone loses their mind. Notice how that's the only clip of the match that ever gets played, the only clip Of the match that ever gets played.

Speaker 1: 1:05:14

Yes, the only clip. The match was built on that moment.

Speaker 2: 1:05:18

That's why they know the moment. Wwe Is banking, taking all of our hard earned cash On moments, while AEW Is tanking, taking all of our hard-earned cash on moments. While AEW is trying so hard to grab our attention with these broadways of epic proportions, with a thousand false finishes, bob-wired, wrapped, explosive nuclear weapons and lights out unsanctioned, bring a gun to a knife, fight title matches.

Speaker 1: 1:06:07

Setting somebody on fire just to get them. To change the stipulation of a match fire?

Speaker 2: 1:06:11

just to get them to change the stipulation of a match Setting someone on fire just because jumping off ladders into a glass pan held up by tables or chairs. They're giving us all of that and losing the process of why we did it honestly, that's kind of moment farming, because think about the moment think about the moment with with moxley and Edge or Adam Copeland, and he hit him with Spike.

Speaker 1: 1:06:55

That was a moment.

Speaker 2: 1:06:58

Do you know why that was happening? Nope, exactly, and because of that moment. What happened after it?

Speaker 1: 1:07:11

Nothing.

Speaker 2: 1:07:14

Exactly Spike a non-factor. Nothing happened. Nothing was done to make you care. When WWE does moments, there are reasons behind it that leads up to it and those are the things that keeps us there. No matter how shitty and lazy they've been with it recently, they still follow that same formula where it keeps us just enough invested, where, at the end, we're looking at that pay-per-view and we're looking at that new 30 a month.

Speaker 1: 1:08:00

We're like, well, shit, I gotta buy that shit because I gotta see what's gonna happen at this pay-per-view honestly, I feel like that's more tribalism, rather than you needing to see the product because, again, as wrestling fans, we're so used to the idea and routine of watching a pay-per-view, no matter if you're watching the product during the week. I mean, russell talks, sometimes talks about, like, did you see this? Nah, I just got it to the pay-per-view, like it's what we do, right? You don't have to watch everything to get behind the, the reason why we're at this match, okay, so but if it was tribalism, then AEW would have retained what they started with up until this point.

Speaker 1: 1:08:50

Correct, correct. This is why I also said it's tribalism and routine. Routine for us as wrestling fans. We are always going to watch wwe. That is just straight up. I don't know anybody that's like completely saying yo fuck wwe, I am only watching aew. I don't think there's a soul, I don't think there's a soul who's just like I'm only watching TNA. No, it's the routine of as a wrestling fan. You will, no matter what, come home and home is WWE. You may not watch AEW, you may not watch TNA, you may not watch New Japan, but as a wrestling fan, you will always watch WWE. And I feel like WWE knows that and then sometimes has those moments of like we build you, we build you and we give you the uncooked steak because you're gonna always come here, no matter what. It's fine, long tail storm Built up storyline.

Speaker 2: 1:09:52

But the problem, but the thing is because I actually kind of agree with you on that piece, but the thing is is that AEW isn't doing anything to make you not want to eat that uncooked steak. They're not making themselves important enough to not settle for it. If aew has the best wrestlers in the world, right, andw over here is like fam, we have prime beef over here. We got some of the best beef in the business. You need to come over here and eat some of this. There is something that they're doing or not doing that is making other people like eh, doing or not doing that is making other people like eh, I know y'all say y'all got like the best beef over there, but like I'ma just sit here and eat shit. It's like if that and with that being the case, it's like okay. So if that's what you're going to do and just sit here and eat shit, then's like okay. So if that's what you're going to do and just sit here and eat shit, then knowing that there's that new restaurant down the road, why are y'all not going to this other restaurant? If we know this is garbage, why are we not going to this other restaurant? Because it's not like it hasn't happened before.

Speaker 2: 1:11:34

There was WWE. The WCW came through and was like hey, listen, you should come to our restaurant. And people were like you know what? We have Goldberg's in the kitchen. Yeah, it was like, yeah, they got Goldberg's in the kitchen. And everyone was all like damn, they do got Goldbergs in the kitchen. And everyone was all like damn, they do got Goldbergs, I like that shit. And they went over to WCW and WWE was like fuck, we gotta change the recipe.

Speaker 1: 1:12:07

And they changed the recipe and then they became the better restaurant and then they end up buying out the chain and then at one point they became the Taco Bell KFC fusion, the Taco Bell, kfc Listen for a minute.

Speaker 2: 1:12:32

They was the Taco Bell KFC and they're talking about KFC. Listen for a minute. They was to talk about KFC and Lon John Silver for a hot minute.

Speaker 1: 1:12:37

Larry, you know what I'm saying Don't forget Pizza Hut. Don't forget the Pizza Hut one.

Speaker 2: 1:12:44

That was perfect. But like with AEW and one of the only. Well, before I say that it's like with AEW and one of the only before I say that it's like with AEW, with them being the new restaurant. It's like people was eating there but then all of a sudden, they're like yeah, this food ain't as great as they make it seem. And then they've all and they're leaving, and they're still leaving, they are still leaving.

Speaker 2: 1:13:15

They are still leaving, but every once in a while they'll come back in the doors Only because they get tired of the monopoly from time to time.

Speaker 1: 1:13:24

But now They'll get the same meal, but yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:13:28

Yeah, they're tired of getting the same meal, so sometimes they'll come back, but there's nothing keeping them there. And in AE, in aw, they're not doing the things that they need to keep people there. And it's weird because, like with the stuff that I hear about what's going on with aw financially and the stuff that they've been, it's like they're, it's like they're being a much shittier version of what wcw is. You know what I'm saying. Wcw showed up and they were good for a bit and, but but then you know, as as wcw went on, there were things that happened backstage that eventually turned their show into shit Type situation. It's like AEW. It's like they're making All of the WCW mistakes Without have getting the benefits that WCW had At the beginning when they did have the what was it? The 85 or 89 weeks or whatever. And so Because it's like, and the only difference in this particular case is just the fact that, and the part that makes it hard is just the fact that WWE has Not even competition.

Speaker 2: 1:14:47

Not just that, but WWE has money.

Speaker 1: 1:14:50

A lot of money, in fact, all the money I'm trying to think about in a restaurant. Okay, this is just. I don't know if I could do this. I want to say, as in a restaurant quality, what would you solidify WWE to be? What is that top echelon of? Like? It's got the money, it's got the pizzazz, it's business and it's the place you'd probably always go to. You could do it with Fast Food, you could do it with whatever.

Speaker 2: 1:15:22

Well, just so that I can make it more comparable Do it, do it, do it. Wwe is like WWE is your Taco Bell Alright, taco Bell has alright. Taco Bell has been here and it ain't going anywhere. There is not much that's going to make Taco Bell get stomped out, because they are the top when it comes for taco stuff and whatnot? Easy fast food tacos okay, wwe. Is that Taco Bell AEW taco stuff and whatnot? Easy fast food tacos okay, w-w is that Taco Bell AEW? Is that new taco spot that opened up down the road Del Taco Independent? Sure, we don't even have to have a name to it.

Speaker 1: 1:16:11

No, it's actually Del Taco.

Speaker 2: 1:16:14

Oh well, del Taco, the taco spot, yeah, all right, they sell tacos and stuff, just like Taco Bell does, all right. But the thing is they're like, but they're tacos, they're like they're authentic tacos. You know what I'm saying? We got real taco cooks in the back, kind of thing, and we're going to run this chain, we're going to make sure we're going to be better than what Taco Bell ever could be, kind of thing. Sure, that's what they think they're going to be. And Taco Bell's like oh, new tacos par over there. Alright, cool, bring back the, bring back the french fries that we did. Hey, let's do the chicken taco show. Run that, run that, run that.

Speaker 1: 1:17:15

Bring back the nostalgic cups and shit, because they didn't do that.

Speaker 2: 1:17:21

Let's just bring back the retro cups, why? Just because they look cool and people will buy it, because they remember that they look like this. Yeah, we'll do that. Hey, we the do that. Hey, we're the only ones that can have Baja Blast in here, right, yeah, cool. Oh, and also get that Mango Brist tea brewing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, because ain't no one else selling Mango Brist tea in the universe but us All right, cool, cool, cool, cool, all right, we got our Diablo sauce and everything. We got that. Yeah, all right, cool, all right, we're good. And then people will be all like I mean, authentic tacos is good, but I really want me some Baja Blast right now.

Speaker 1: 1:18:07

I have not had a Baja Blast in years.

Speaker 2: 1:18:11

They still taste the same and they're delicious.

Speaker 1: 1:18:13

I know I haven't had a cold in years.

Speaker 2: 1:18:16

Oh, good on you, because I need to stop, as I'm sitting here with a gookie.

Speaker 1: 1:18:25

I've eliminated a lot of things drink-wise. There's only tea and water and then maybe a little bit of liquor every once in a while. But orange juice you knew orange juice used to be my thing. Yeah, I have not drank orange juice in four years.

Speaker 2: 1:18:41

Well, just to update you, Taco Bell recently got this Baja Blast Midnight. That shit crazy dog. What they got at Del Taco, though, no, they don't have.

Speaker 1: 1:19:01

Oh, oh, oh, oh oh. The reason why I did that comparison, the reason why I did that comparison is because there is Del Taco and there's Taco Bell. I'm wondering sometimes like why is Del Taco even a thing? Who fuck eats at Del Taco? But it's a thing. Us apparently because we have to.

Speaker 2: 1:19:29

Yes, we have to eat both and see, you know, and constantly talk about which one is the. But that's my comparison on this. It's like AEW. They used to be, but now they're just not in a position or they're just not doing the things that they need to do to make WWE sweat. And when WWE can have a completely different promotion, have a AAA mania and I'm looking on Twitter and everything that's being talked about is AAA mania.

Speaker 2: 1:20:11

And I had no clue that two people debuted on Collision. I only found out one person and I sat there and watched the show and I only knew about one person. And then, and even more so, like back when we was watching the whole, you know, the last time they did their, the double booking, this counter booking programming, as they're saying the last time they did it. The only things people was talking about that weekend was Goldberg's retirement for better or for worse, seth Rollins' injury and Naomi cashing in during one of the best matches probably this year in EO and Rhea Ripley.

Speaker 2: 1:21:04

There was a whole AEW WrestleMania tier event happening and coming out of it. The only things people were talking about was Hangman and Jon Moxley's gory match and Mercedes Monet losing. There was like 15 matches on that card and those are the two big important things that came out of that that people talked about the most Out of 15 matches come on, and even then they weren't talking about them that much, and so it's just like there are clear things that AEW can do. Aew can do. Aew will never be able to beat WWE because WWE has like triple their weight and money in their back pocket.

Speaker 1: 1:22:17

Hypothetically, I feel like if CM Punk came around the time when the promotion was red hot AEW was just starting up, they would have probably definitely been a good number two.

Speaker 2: 1:22:30

If CM Punk would have still been in the company right now, they would have done a good job.

Speaker 1: 1:22:38

I don't know man. I feel like CM Punk and AEW. He just didn't gel in there Like he gelled well with MJF. Great, absolutely. But I don't know man. Maybe it's because I'm so used to him in WWE. It just makes sense because of the storytelling he does. And when you have an entire program that's built off storytelling and you only have one wrestler in your entire roster who is a heavy story driven kind of guy, like he doesn't fit there. To me he's a wrestler but like Outside of the swerve and hangman page, name another story that really pulled you in. Besides him and MJF.

Speaker 2: 1:23:32

I won't Because you can't. You can't, and what you're saying is exactly the problem. Yeah, cm Punk, when he was there, there was working wonders for them, and the reason why CM Punk got booted out is because nobody wants to be what is necessary to make that shit work where's jungle?

Speaker 1: 1:24:06

boy now?

Speaker 2: 1:24:07

who knows, fucking jackberry? Who knows?

Speaker 2: 1:24:13

whatever the fuck his shit is, I don't know who cares but but it's like, yeah, cm Punk is what they needed over there, just like how they needed Cody. Honestly, everyone the wrestling universe says when AEW lost Cody and CM Punk, that was like them losing them is like WWE losing Scott Hall and Kevin Nash and fucking. And Hulk Hogan, hulk Hogan, yeah, like it completely derailed them and they have not recovered since. There was a brief moment earlier this year where I felt like, oh wait, a second AEW might have fixed it. Oh no, my glasses were dirty, my bad.

Speaker 1: 1:25:15

My glasses was dirty. It's crazy. Yeah, that is crazy.

Speaker 2: 1:25:25

My glasses was dirty, okay, I feel with the way things been going right now. If you can take Triple H from two years ago, two, three years ago and put him as the booker on AEW right now, aew will do something.

Speaker 1: 1:25:53

AEW will be great Hell. If Sean went over there right now, they'll be better. They won't probably be as great, but they'll be better.

Speaker 2: 1:26:02

Nah fam what.

Speaker 1: 1:26:05

At this point I take that back. If Sean went over there, we would have probably more voluptuous individuals in their roster, because Sean know how to pick them.

Speaker 2: 1:26:17

You're not feeling a Windsor and a goddamn little nightingale Spencer and that damn.

Speaker 1: 1:26:27

Lil' Nangail.

Speaker 2: 1:26:30

That's not who I'm thinking of, takla, like they ain't doing it for you.

Speaker 1: 1:26:39

Are you talking about NXT or are you talking about AEW? Don't worry about it.

Speaker 2: 1:26:45

Okay. The fact that you don't know who they are literally proves all the points that we've got going on right. It proves everything.

Speaker 1: 1:26:58

The only woman I care about in that roster is Toni. She's time, that's the time.

Speaker 2: 1:27:07

Anyway, that's the problem and that's because that's the those, the women who I just said, are on that roster. I know, I know those women are on that roster.

Speaker 1: 1:27:18

But like OK, chris, that perfect. Chris Statlander, great, great individual. What the fuck is your story? What is your lore? You used to be an alien girl and now you're just generic woman, number five With a chest tattoo. Yes, you're hot as fuck. Don't get too. You're hot, but what are you now? At least Megan Bain is Best Phoenix 2.0. We get that. We get that. But what are you now? At least Megan Bain is best Phoenix 2.0. We get that. We get that. That's what I do. Penelope Ford Don't know her thing, but she is stunning. Willow Nightingale Was it Willow? Yeah, willowingale was it? Was it Willow? Yeah, willow.

Speaker 2: 1:28:09

Yeah, she's beautiful.

Speaker 1: 1:28:12

I understand her character. She's pretty much Bailey Get it, but everybody else. Julia, what happened to Julia Hart? She used to be dominating for a while and they're just like not doing anything with her, and she has a great character.

Speaker 2: 1:28:29

Being overshadowed by a 1001 Dalmatian belt. Monet is the problem.

Speaker 1: 1:28:40

Sean go over there, bro, Sean go over there.

Speaker 1: 1:28:45

Listen, at this point they need to take whoever they can hit up Vince he trying to do some shit again you know, speaking of that voluptuous woman comment, you know one of the things I've recently done, cause we're also guys we're trying to do our own wrestling promotion, something I've been wanting to do for years and I've been booking it up for a year or planning it for years. Um, normally when you create a wrestler on the game right, you can change specific features of your wrestler. You can make their arms a little bit more bulger you can do this, make their shoulder whatever. You can make the hips wider, you can make the thighs thicker, all those things. You don't have that ability anymore in 2k25 you are. You are stuck with the abs, the chest and everything that you are given when you pick the particular body type. The body type is the thing that distinguishes the wrestler. So everybody technically, could somewhat have the same body type, which is not fun if you don't have that many different body types.

Speaker 2: 1:29:53

So wait, you're saying that you can't like make the arm bigger.

Speaker 1: 1:29:58

You can't do none of that. Nope. The only thing that gets bigger is again if you go down the body types, from skinny to muscular to fat, you know, and every one of them are distinguished differently in some way, shape or form. Like he could be boom to boom, but like you can't go in there and modify, like, okay, I like his shoulders here, but let me make his stature a little bit different. Let me do this.

Speaker 2: 1:30:27

Let me you know you can't do that. Oh yeah, so you can't do the thing where it's like I want him to have a big round, gut, but I don't want him to be flat up here.

Speaker 1: 1:30:33

Nope, can't do it, trust me. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes, that is my exact reaction as I was trying to create my character and I'm like, all right, I'm creating my character, my character. Yeah, he's supposed to be buff or whatever, but, like there's certain things, I need to make him a little chunky. I can't do that, can't do it. And then the reason why I brought this comment up is because, miss Lions, she has the stacked body. But if you can't switch your roster up to at least have a similar type if you wanted to, because, like our Mika is a little on the thicker side. But now, if you can't change the body types to only be brawling, stiff and fat, I gotta fix certain things.

Speaker 2: 1:31:45

Man, I like this Did man, I like what's the phrase you said? Brawlic, yes, braw.

Speaker 1: 1:31:54

What's that mean, like when they're at Buff?

Speaker 2: 1:32:01

I never heard the term. You never heard the term brawlic. I've heard of brawly, that's interesting.

Speaker 1: 1:32:08

Yeah, okay, that was the term. I uh like motherfuckers brawling. You know what I'm saying? Just biggest shit, yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:32:15

Understood. I mean it was in terms. It was in terms of brawly, though.

Speaker 2: 1:32:21

It was it though it was, it was referenced to broly. Yeah, it's funny because, like in vocab wise, even though, because because now I just said that now I have to be like because we always were said that you know brawley just was, was representative broccoli, because you know, because all stands are named after yeah, yeah, but because we also, because I know brawley, I know what Brawley is and I'm very aware of what a Brawley type person is. Hearing the word Brawlic, I'm like, so, like Brawley, yeah, I use the context clues. However, now I'm understanding that, scientifically speaking, brawlic also just means that in general. So I'm like that's, I wonder if that's now I gotta do some research.

Speaker 2: 1:33:15

Cause I'm like, wait, were they really cooking when they made brawly? Cause, like, they got the double meaning out of it being broccoli and the fact that he is brolic, which brolic meaning that big buff. So like, did they really hit us with the double entendre with brawley in terms of him being a saiyan and also him just be? So now I gotta look it up, I gotta look it up I you know what that's a side conversation, absolutely you just opened my eyes.

Speaker 2: 1:33:52

I'm thinking. I'm thinking brawlic as being like well, I've never heard that word before, but brawlic probably means something like brawly, because brawly is who he is, when brawlic the word in itself.

Speaker 1: 1:34:06

Yes, yes, no, no, it is slang. It is slang in African American vocabulary that someone who is well-developed, large muscles similar to being swole or ripped. It is a term only in our culture. It is a term only in our culture. You can google the shit that's that's.

Speaker 2: 1:34:35

That's even more interesting because at this point I can only now just assume that brawl lick had to come from Brawly Like, and especially if it's a Black culture thing. What you said was from what?

Speaker 1: 1:34:54

Africa. Well, they say African-American, so they mean Black.

Speaker 2: 1:34:59

So in that case that really solidifies the fact that Brawlic is referencing the Dragon Ball Z character who is behind me. Brawling Interesting. I mean, I don't know how long the term goes back, but it is slang in our community but it makes sense because, as African Americans ourselves, we fucked with brawly, we all fuck with braw, and so for a term to have been created that literally describes exactly what brawly is, to a T that's crazy, that is crazy, that is crazy.

Speaker 2: 1:35:45

I heard it here first we just cracked, we're cracking codes. We talked about wrestling and we're cracking codes.

Speaker 1: 1:35:52

We're here in the streets. To get back to the original thing I was trying to say, because, again, I'm trying to create this promotion and I'm trying to create characters and Miss Lion is Her character is exactly like she is in real life hips and all. I actually have a couple characters who I need to have a similar build because that's just how they are developed in the Capcom world. How can I do that if I can't change their body type outside of just the format that you have?

Speaker 2: 1:36:30

Yeah, that's kind of.

Speaker 1: 1:36:33

So I'm kind of worried that do I have to copy Lions as a character and edit it and then put an image over her face to now make sure it's not her face, which means I have to do more work as a developer of the characters and shit? So I just wanted to bring that to your attention because I found it out recently as I'm making my character, I said let me go ahead and start making my character. You know what I'm saying. Let me just that's the first thing I always do is I work on my character, because I spend the most time on my character so I can understand where items and everything are, what you can and cannot do, what elbow pads I like on characters etc. I do the full doc.

Speaker 2: 1:37:13

Likewise. Like what? Yeah, because I do the exact same thing, I create my character. Or out of the characters I like making, I make my, my saved character, because if I don't make myself first, I'll usually make myself be like the third character I make because I'll make, I'll make a dude, I'll make a girl, then I'll make myself, or I'll make myself, then I'll make a girl, and the rest of us and that's the thing I'm going to next, because I have to make Linga and, as I'm really she's not that develop as character.

Speaker 1: 1:37:52

But it was just a realization. As I'm making my character, I was like, so I can't, and so I'm like, yeah, when you get on the game again, go check it out.

Speaker 2: 1:38:04

Now I'm going to have to test it out Because that's Alright Now. I never created anyone on the game prior, but according to everyone, this game they're like From what it seems like they're like one step away from getting back to the way creating a wrestler used to be, because they peaked and they had everything the way it should be. And then when Smackdown vs Raw or I think it was like when 2K 2021 hit, it was like what? When 2K 2021 hit, it was 21 or 22, where they kind of did like a whole revamp of the system. That's when they fucked it all up. The wrestler went to shit.

Speaker 1: 1:38:57

Whenever they started doing 2K is when they started fucking it up.

Speaker 2: 1:39:01

Yeah, there it is, when they went from, when they switched it. Wait, was it is?

Speaker 1: 1:39:07

When they went from, when they switched it. Wait, was it, though? Every other SmackDown vs Raw was okay it?

Speaker 2: 1:39:11

was okay. What was the last SmackDown vs Raw? I want to say Was it 2019?

Speaker 1: 1:39:18

I want to say I couldn't swear on that, because there's no 2019. Smackdown vs Raw that was 2K. I want to say it was 9.

Speaker 2: 1:39:29

I think you're right.

Speaker 1: 1:39:30

The last one was SmackDown vs Raw 2011.

Speaker 2: 1:39:39

That was the last one.

Speaker 1: 1:39:40

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:39:45

It was 11, but there were some 2k games. Hold on, I think. Let me see here cause 2k, oh cause there was a certain 2k game, I would say the most.

Speaker 1: 1:40:07

The one was doing everything on, which was 19. 19 was really good.

Speaker 2: 1:40:13

So you had 19. Yep 2K, hold on 2K 19. That was the one with AJ Styles. I want to say it was 20.

Speaker 1: 1:40:27

For me, 20 was good too 20 was good too, I remember, since I built all my roster on 19,. I started to make the jump to 20 and I started doing certain characters. But then something shift and I think I was like man, that's 100 characters I have to remake again. Yeah, bump, that, I'm just going to be man, that's a hundred characters I have to remake again. Yeah, bump, dad, I'm just going to be doing most of the stuff on night.

Speaker 1: 1:40:51

And uh, with how detailed these characters were, like these were legit replicas of every character from like every fighting game. Like I had somebody make them for me and I don't have his info anymore Cause we were mainly messaging each other on PSN and he would just make the characters for me. And I don't have his info anymore because we were mainly messaging each other on psn. He would just make the characters for me and he to the t, to the t. Um, I think I might be able to find his I don't his x account, because I think he one of his characters. He kept the x account on one of them and I had to go check. But maybe I probably message him and I don't know if he's still playing the game. I don't know what he's doing in his life, but man during 2019,. He held the lie.

Speaker 2: 1:41:33

So for me, 2k20 was peak. They peaked at 2K20. When 21 came out. If I'm not mistaken, 2k21 was the worst one, because it came out and everything was fucking broken oh yeah, wasn't that the one where they had the outside arenas with Bray Wyatt and shit?

Speaker 2: 1:41:57

yes, the game was like literally almost unplayable because of how like cheaply done it was. And then I think I of how cheaply done it was, and then I think I got 22. And the only reason why I got 22 was because I believe, if I'm not mistaken, that was when they decided that, hey, we're going to bring back the GM mode. And I played it. But that game was glitchy as hell too, because I would do the thing where I'd be playing GM mode and if a certain thing happens on GM mode, it would do this weird thing where it's like everything would like to stop working properly and after it would stop working properly. If you reboot the game, your memory would become corrupt and it would erase everything.

Speaker 2: 1:42:56

Yes, lucky for me, because I was getting ready to start creating people on this game, I came this close and then it happened three times when I was playing and I was like got it, so we're just not going to. We're just going to not do anything on this game. We'll just play GM mode until it breaks again and reboots. And I bought this game after like 80% of the DLC came out. So this was shit. That was just happening in the fuck, and at that point it had been out.

Speaker 1: 1:43:43

This is my thing with that too, with creating the rosters that we need to create, especially for every expansion. That's the big thing I want I worry about. So, um, if, if I could just find creators and editors who can be on a team that you know, if we can kind of keep doing this every game, that'd be great. Side note I found out that, uh, somebody took my original idea and ran with it what?

Speaker 2: 1:44:10

what do you mean? The cwa? Oh, there's a cwa already out there yep, I was doing research and everything.

Speaker 1: 1:44:18

Guy has the whole show. His characters are pretty decent, his characters were looking really good, um, and he, he's actually putting up. He. It's funny. He did the same exact formula I had in mind and I was like how in the fuck? Because what I was gonna do was on commercial breaks I would showcase capcom product, tech and product or whatever, just as commercials like the old school type types of shit. He's shit, he's doing it all. He's doing everything I had in mind and I was like wow, and a part of me is like man, I don't want to stomp on his sandcastle. Fuck that guy. Yeah, but at the same time, but at the same time, I'm like man, it would be dope if we could collab.

Speaker 1: 1:45:09

He already has a bit of a following. Some people are watching him. He's like I think a good chunk of people are watching him right now, not super big, but I think he has like 600 followers, something like that. But I was just like wow, damn, and he's been doing it for a while too, he's got it down and he also has doing it for a while too. Yeah, you know, he, he's, he's got it down and he also has. I think only if he's the announcer or whatever. But he's got it, got something solid going. The only thing he doesn't have, to me, I feel, are like segments. It's just matches. Right now it's just literally throwing matches up, no backstage stuff and stuff like that, and that's where I would be the difference, or we would be the difference, um, but maybe you know if you might have to see if that that's far as like.

Speaker 2: 1:45:51

Do you know how you would make segments on that game like?

Speaker 1: 1:45:54

I mean, the biggest thing I would do is, uh, I have to see if there is a highlight reel. There is a highlight reel, then yes, uh, basically what I did before and I'm not going to give the whole formula out here I would do things from Highlight Reel. Let's just say that.

Speaker 2: 1:46:12

Okay, got it Alright.

Speaker 1: 1:46:15

That makes sense, but with the game being as cool, with camera angles as much as possible. The biggest thing is a lot of times these shows will keep the HUD on and we try to keep it as realistic as possible. So there's no HUD on the screen, it's the product. You can take the HUD off. Hell yeah, you can take everything off. The only thing I'm not too sure if you can take off yet is your name on the top right-hand corner. It normally keeps your username on the top right-hand corner, so I gotta check that out. I don't know if that's just a thing, but either way, I feel like we're diluting a little too far. But to give our audience an idea, I mean we both can say that the interesting world of wrestling, the wild world of wrestling, the WWE, whatever you want to call it, is missing a couple of things and Swag.

Speaker 2: 1:47:12

I want to give you the chance to do your closing thoughts after having the conversation of just what is the wacky world of wrestling right now At the end of the day, I feel that this wacky world of wrestling right now, at the end of the day, I feel that this wacky world of wrestling, as we call it, is WWW. The main issue that's happening right now is the fact that we have one company that is no longer a wrestling business, and then we have another company who does not know how to run a restaurant business or at least that's what it's like and it's and unfortunately one needs to get their act together for this one to just be better. But because this one over here is shit, they just have to be not as smelly shit and as long as they're not as bad, they're going to continue making their money. They're going to continue doing what they're doing. They're going to continue milking us for the money that we got and making broke-ass. Motherfuckers like me and Maziku not be able to go to Wrestlemania's ever again.

Speaker 1: 1:48:35

Shit.

Speaker 2: 1:48:36

I don't know what the fuck that's going to happen. I don't fucking know, bro, when AEW finally gets good enough to make WWE feel it in their pockets and we don't live in the correct universe where that happens, it's doing all in in Orlando.

Speaker 1: 1:48:55

Watch, you got it guys.

Speaker 2: 1:48:58

That stank. Let me put it to you this way. Let me put it to you this way In the parallel universe, the universe where AEW is flourishing and making WWE sweat is the same universe where Chris Benoit did not have CTE and A Guerrero never died.

Speaker 1: 1:49:21

And on that note, guys just know, every time we are here I always have to say it the ring is sacred, the questions are real, but the destruction is guaranteed. Please check us out on BBODpodcom. We're everywhere All form of social media, as well as all streaming platforms. We're everywhere, all forms of social media, as well as all streaming platforms. If you haven't yet, please chokeslam that like button and tombstone the subscribe button. We're here every week with a new podcast and topic. Really don't have a topic in mind just yet, but hey, we might just mystery hat and just go off of topics that you guys can give us. So, whether it's comments, topics you put in the comment section or in general, we might actually just spitball, put some topics in a hat, just throw it out.

Speaker 2: 1:50:17

I like that idea. Please give us something to talk about, Like tell us something that y'all want to hear us. Give our our bit and opinions on Mm hmm.

Speaker 1: 1:50:24

Absolutely or favor, absolutely. I want to hear us give our bid and opinions on Absolutely Forfeit lore.

Speaker 2: 1:50:28

I want to hear it.

Speaker 1: 1:50:29

I want to see it Until next time. It's the Masako.

Speaker 2: 1:50:34

It's your boy. Swag Switch in the building.

Speaker 1: 1:50:38

And we are out, guys, until next time you.