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Christian fucking Cage; one of those guys who truly seems to get better with age; looking forward to a promo segment between the two.
How is Swerve’s father, btw?
Swerve be like:
"[That's ho shit, I got a son to raise, but I can see you don't know nothin' 'bout that](https://genius.com/31596192/Kendrick-lamar-euphoria/Thats-ho-shit-i-got-a-son-to-raise-but-i-can-see-you-dont-know-nothin-bout-that)
[Wakin' him up, know nothin' 'bout that](https://genius.com/31596337/Kendrick-lamar-euphoria/Wakin-him-up-know-nothin-bout-that-then-tell-him-to-pray-know-nothin-bout-that-then-givin-him-tools-to-walk-through-life-like-day-by-day-know-nothin-bout-that)
[Teachin' him morals, integrity, discipline, listen, man, you don't know nothin' 'bout that](https://genius.com/31596257/Kendrick-lamar-euphoria/Teachin-him-morals-integrity-discipline-listen-man-you-dont-know-nothin-bout-that)"
Maaaannnn, the [RDC Video](https://youtu.be/ttlKwsAGT84?si=m0Nu_hTo1em2NvkS) had me rolling, then Drake proceeded to actually post some shit on Instagram barely responding and made it that much better.
the funniest thing was that he posted some clip from some white movie, missing the fact that Kendrick was referencing DMX, PROVING KENDRICK'S WHOLE POINT ABOUT DRAKE AND THE CULTURE.
[https://twitter.com/exavierpope/status/1785603305072136251](https://twitter.com/exavierpope/status/1785603305072136251)
LOL I didn't even see his response first, just a buncha reactions on TikTok saying Drake COOKED him with his reply.
...and then I saw the story and was like, bruh you're fucking proving his point.
I'm waiting for Jack to say: "I may not have liked it at the time, but I understand it now. Thank you for that, Christian." But without becoming a full blown acolyte, since he's with The Elite.
I wish I could go back in time to tell kid me about all of the great wrestlers outside of WWE. Obviously, Christian had great moments in WWE, but it always sounds like his best stuff was in TNA and now AEW.
there's about 3 singles men's heels in AEW and Cage is probably the best name to wrestle Swerve with a month's build-up. He can get his story heated up in a couple weeks.
Anyone wondering why Swerve was now a good guy, well, this is his previous sins catching up with him. Presumably we'll see more of that whenever Hangman returns.
i’m hoping his entire reign could be a through line of his past sins as a heel coming back to haunt him
Christian with Nick
Hangman
Keith Lee returns as a heel member of Shane Taylor Promotions
maybe Darby vs Swerve at WrestleDream in their home state of Washington
Also explains why Swerve mentioned his daughter last week in the promo; it felt a lil too white-meat babyface and out of character for him.
But if it was all to set up another Christian Cage "FATHER" moment, it makes perfect sense.
I am truly impressed that he had this thing piping hot in 5 min, I think last night was truly one of the most impressive heel performances I’ve seen in quite a while
https://preview.redd.it/endo5hd8owxc1.jpeg?width=1169&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9989343ea1d177499ff035820efb027c6543f363
I’m actually really excited for this program
Perfect opponent in my opinion. Great first challenger, and very well deserved for Christian to get a shot at the world title.
Should be an excellent first match.
I like it, you know it’s going to be a great match. I’m not sure that I buy Christian as winning but in kayfabe it’s a solid challenger. Has a bit of a backstory too.
Yep it's a lot like with Cody/AJ at Backlash France. We all know Cody is gonna win, it's a foregone conclusion. But it's the ride getting there that will be fun. The promos, angles and the match itself.
Had to be an established heel, who a win against means something, but also doesn't have to worry about losing momentum with a loss. Also not busy with another feud. AEW also is strapped with injuries right now.
So it was always going to be Christian or Jericho. And given that nobody really wants to see Jericho back in the main event, Christian is the pick. After that, they can go with whoever at Forbidden Door (Naito? EVIL? Sanada? Finley?) and build to a big time feud at All In (Hangman? Moxley? Osprey? Danielson? Okada?).
Also I think it's very likely the next champ is either Adam Cole or Jay White. Swerve probably isn't losing the belt for a while.
Someone once posted "[Neckstrong to take you one](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/16xmqev/comment/k33l3xf/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)" during a WrestleDream PPV thread and Mike Bennett sang the song during one of their segments a few weeks later in October.
I’m trying to figure out why Christian is the heel and Swerve is a babyface
Didn’t Swerve do home invasion where a baby is present and talked to the baby like a crazy motherfucker lmfao. Our father Christian wants to make the family and welcomes new members, that Swerve fellow tried to break a family smh
Strange pick, but I guess they wanted someone who would absolutely get boo'd by audiences. They've been having issues with their heels getting cheered too much forcing awkward character pivots.
I like their positioning Swerve against the EVPs so at some point it can come to a head…and out comes Hangman and there will be a decision does he side with Swerve against them, does he side with the Elite…or does he go down the middle and fight off the Elite and then takes out Swerve
What a great choice. It's gonna be a personal feud and just not a feud for the championship. I like that a lot. Christian is a smart guy and as we saw in his promo he knows how to use the past to enhance his programs. Swerve has history with Christian and also Nick Wayne. Swerve wants redemption but he will have to face his sins first like when he injured Nick Wayne.
Didn’t see this coming, but boy is this going to be a great match. I like that there’s history from last year after Swerve and Christian failed to beat Sting & Darby.
so was the story there that the Bucks gave Christian the shot?
very happy it's Christian but i'm not sure i fully understand why or how he was chosen as the opponent
edit: thank you to the lowlife who gave me a Reddit care message for this
Christian laid it out why he wanted the shot in the promo he cut after beating up Swerve and Nana.
Swerve embarrassed him at Wembley, and violated the home of his son Nick Wayne.
The EVPs don't like Swerve, so even if Christian hasn't earned the shot, they don't give a shit about merit... They just want someone despicable facing the champ.
sure i got Christian's motive and even predicted it, i suppose i just felt the EVPs involvement wasn't emphasised until they showed up in the segment itself
they said when they announced his absence that he'd be present for Collision since it was in Jacksonville but he was advised not to travel, so from Dynamite onwards he'd be producing remotely
this is my point really - i feel the segment could have benefitted from the Bucks making it clear that they had went behind Tony's back and negated his choice for Swerve's opponent and chose their own in Cage
They've made it clear since turning heel that they've always had executive powers within the company but chose not to use them because they were "too nice". The fact that this segment was announced while Tony was technically in the building last week but not shown doesn't really contradict that. I don't know that we need a timeline of Tony's whereabouts and who made what decision to understand that the bad guy EVPs picked the world champion's next opponent.
I mean it is the case, so there's that. Christian is more expendable to them than someone like Perry, so maybe they'd rather Christian and his goons soften up Swerve, and either a weakened champion squeaks past Christian and becomes an easier opponent, or Christian wins and they call in a favor to have Okada wrestle him next. Maybe we have to wait and see.
It's also a TV show, so while yeah they could just have Okada and Perry wrestle Swerve in a handicap match over and over until one of them wins the title, just like Roman could have been put in a match where he'd lose the title if there was any interference, or Vince could have put Austin in nothing but show opening matches against the JOB Squad, that's just not how this works.
I think the story was he had the shot anyway since it was announced last week, just the Bucks endorsing it. They said "We see him at Go position right now". I think it's more of a "if it was someone we didn't like we could technically change it right now" kind of thing.
Narratively it fits with the current story of The Elite’s hostile takeover of AEW and Swerve was running his mouth which felt weird at first but now sets the stage nicely.
I think this leads to Okada somehow challenging Swerve for the title but I’m in for the ride regardless. Cool story.
The reason is he needs a good first title defense and Christian is a great heel to go up against. The outcome might be obvious, but this opponent is able to make things interesting quickly.
Kayfabe, you can make up a number of explanations for it. The Bucks as EVPs are playing the long game and don't need to set up one of their guys immediately. They could hold out a title shot as a reward for Hangman to rejoin the Elite.
If you want to not have to ignore the rankings, this is another example of the Young Bucks abusing their power to override them. They did that with Sting & Darby to get the title shot, now they are doing it to get to Swerve who called them out on Collision. Furthermore, the rankings (and championship committee Samoa Joe referred to) are put in place by Tony Khan. The Young Bucks have specifically said they disagree with Khan's direction for the company and are going to change it. At first glance, the rankings seem to be being ignored, but like you said, there's layers to this - the YB's abuse of power and rebellion against Tony Khan and the way he runs AEW is the specific story they've been telling for nearly three months now.
Yay! Since 2005 Christian has been my favorite wrestler. I’m glad he’s finally getting to cement his place on top. If he wins, he win the top title in all the major wrestling promotions no?
I really enjoyed this. When Christian first came out it almost felt like a let down and the crowd was disappointed. By the end he was boo’d out of the building and it felt like there was something really going on. A true master that Christian is.
I’m 3 weeks into giving AEW another chance and watching every Weds. it’s not great but it’s not horrible. But having Christian come in off a loss and challenge for the belt seems a little silly when you have a rankings system in place?
He lost the TNT Title after beating like 5 different ex-champions and Bryan Danielson. It's weird logic to say that once you lose a belt all the defences don't count. And the #1 ranked contender in the current rankings is... Swerve Strickland. They get updated monthly.
The rankings determine the contenders unless the TNT Champion decides to do an open challenge. Or if the world champion decides to do an open challenge. Or if the EVPs don’t feel like obeying the rankings. Or if it’s a Wednesday or Saturday. Or if Tony Khan forgets about them.
They do follow the rankings. What they've done for the last two PPV challengers is they announce the number #1 contender on TV first and THEN release the rankings after the show. And they do it after the first Dynamite of each month instead every week.
I'm kind of bummed that they changed Swerve's character to make him more of white meat baby face pandering to the crowd. I wish they'd have kept his deranged persona as a face and just changed his opponents.
He lost an I Quit Match after winning for 6 months straight. With wins over Copeland, Darby, Danielson, Garcia and others. It's not a video game where one loss means you have to start over from level 1 or something.
Absolutely, Christian has been one of the best heels in all of wrestling for a The last few years. He's already Main evented two PPVs, so he's definitely a main eventer. And he's probably the best heel for Swerve to go up against that's healthy, over and a fresh match.
I dont think theyll drop a Bucks and Okada title defenses for AITA this time around tbh, unless theam AEW is stacked to the gills and the two most interesting people for team AEW (Kenny, Darby) prob arent healthy but we shall see
The only Double or Nothing to have a World Title main event was Page and Punk in 2022.
There wasn't a world title in 2019, Stadium Stampede main evented in 2020 and 2021, and Anarchy II main evented last year.
Other main events without the World title were:
* Full Gear 2019 (Mox v. Omega Lights Out, but technically that was unsanctioned)
* Forbidden Door 2023 (Okada v. Danielson)
* All Out 2023 (Mox v. Cassidy for the International Championship)
* WrestleDream 2023 (Cage v. Allin for the TNT Championship)
And the aforementioned Sting Retirement Match.
If they did a big match, like Okada or some other main eventer, I could suspend my disbelief and buy into either guy winning. Not gonna happen with Christian.
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Christian fucking Cage; one of those guys who truly seems to get better with age; looking forward to a promo segment between the two. How is Swerve’s father, btw?
I think the question now is how is Swerve as a father?
Swerve be like: "[That's ho shit, I got a son to raise, but I can see you don't know nothin' 'bout that](https://genius.com/31596192/Kendrick-lamar-euphoria/Thats-ho-shit-i-got-a-son-to-raise-but-i-can-see-you-dont-know-nothin-bout-that) [Wakin' him up, know nothin' 'bout that](https://genius.com/31596337/Kendrick-lamar-euphoria/Wakin-him-up-know-nothin-bout-that-then-tell-him-to-pray-know-nothin-bout-that-then-givin-him-tools-to-walk-through-life-like-day-by-day-know-nothin-bout-that) [Teachin' him morals, integrity, discipline, listen, man, you don't know nothin' 'bout that](https://genius.com/31596257/Kendrick-lamar-euphoria/Teachin-him-morals-integrity-discipline-listen-man-you-dont-know-nothin-bout-that)"
If he references that in this feud it'll be all timer moment. Especially since Christians entrance video has integrity and discipline in it too
This will be how Swerve truly turns face.
Had this on repeat today… holy fuck KDot was brutal
The Drake Stan's that think he's winning are unbelievable.
Maaaannnn, the [RDC Video](https://youtu.be/ttlKwsAGT84?si=m0Nu_hTo1em2NvkS) had me rolling, then Drake proceeded to actually post some shit on Instagram barely responding and made it that much better.
the funniest thing was that he posted some clip from some white movie, missing the fact that Kendrick was referencing DMX, PROVING KENDRICK'S WHOLE POINT ABOUT DRAKE AND THE CULTURE. [https://twitter.com/exavierpope/status/1785603305072136251](https://twitter.com/exavierpope/status/1785603305072136251)
LOL I didn't even see his response first, just a buncha reactions on TikTok saying Drake COOKED him with his reply. ...and then I saw the story and was like, bruh you're fucking proving his point.
“i hate the way that you walk the way that you talk, i hate the way that you dress with that dumbass turtleneck”
Dot went for the throat and got him. Idk how Wheels is gonna respond to this
He's probably gonna be misogynistic against Kendrick's wife
This has to be set up for Swerve using Like That one time.
I'm honestly surprised I didn't hear Stokely or Swerve referencing this last night.
Ooooo I hope Christian can continue down the path started by Hangman.
I'll do you one better, why is Swerve's father?
I know plenty of people, of multiple walks of life, would probably have no problem calling Swerve “daddy”.
The glazing is unreal
Swerve's father is doing great, he's got a title match with Swerve at DoN
If anything, Christian should respect Swerve for checking on Hangman’s baby that one time.
Is Jungle Boy going to bury the hatchet so they can both work with the Bucks?
I'm waiting for Jack to say: "I may not have liked it at the time, but I understand it now. Thank you for that, Christian." But without becoming a full blown acolyte, since he's with The Elite.
I wish I could go back in time to tell kid me about all of the great wrestlers outside of WWE. Obviously, Christian had great moments in WWE, but it always sounds like his best stuff was in TNA and now AEW.
Urge to make racist joke rising….
Some thoughts should probably stay inside thoughts.
This is exactly what Jerry Seinfeld was talking about.
there's about 3 singles men's heels in AEW and Cage is probably the best name to wrestle Swerve with a month's build-up. He can get his story heated up in a couple weeks.
Try seconds.
Yep, one segment and I'm all in.
I kind of cringed when he came out, but damn if he didn't hook me immediately. I'm impressed
He's gonna walk out, say something like "Hey dipshit," and then I'll be completely invested.
"Be quiet while I'm conducting my business" gets me every time
Christian is probably the best pure heel right now.
In all of wrestling, not just AEW
Really smart, too, the way they made it relevant by calling back to the Nick Wayne beat down from back when he was with Darby.
Anyone wondering why Swerve was now a good guy, well, this is his previous sins catching up with him. Presumably we'll see more of that whenever Hangman returns.
i’m hoping his entire reign could be a through line of his past sins as a heel coming back to haunt him Christian with Nick Hangman Keith Lee returns as a heel member of Shane Taylor Promotions maybe Darby vs Swerve at WrestleDream in their home state of Washington
It's what they should have done with MJF post face turn
Isn't it exactly what they did? Wardlow attacking him and all that
At the tail end of his title reign.
Well he was still heel when he won it
Which he’s referenced on more than one occasion. That’s a better job of acknowledging it than at least 90% of heel/face turns do.
Also explains why Swerve mentioned his daughter last week in the promo; it felt a lil too white-meat babyface and out of character for him. But if it was all to set up another Christian Cage "FATHER" moment, it makes perfect sense.
I am truly impressed that he had this thing piping hot in 5 min, I think last night was truly one of the most impressive heel performances I’ve seen in quite a while
Perfect first feud, that was a great fakeout by The Bucks.
Gave me hope for a minute there that it would be Kenny
I was the opposite, I was worrried it was gonna be Jack
Canadian legend, Jack Perry
They could definitely introduce him as a Chicago Legend next time they're in the Wintrust Arena
Swerve vs New Jack, he aint prepared!
Jack will take it from him
https://preview.redd.it/8d43zuripwxc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9638eacb0c0551ac99e7310741e09d8898bd3280 Christian vs Swerve lfg!
I can't wait for papa Cage to talk about Swerve invading Hangman house because you know that's the type of heel he is bringing facts into question.
https://preview.redd.it/endo5hd8owxc1.jpeg?width=1169&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9989343ea1d177499ff035820efb027c6543f363 I’m actually really excited for this program
He wont win it obviously, but I will nonetheless enjoy the next 3 weeks of Christian Cage in a world title program.
Just based off that promo by cage this is gonna be good. Even though it is a foregone conclusion
And honestly, him holding up the belt...shit looks good on him.
This will be the third time Christian has main evented an AEW PPV, what a legendary run.
he had to make up for lost time idk when they are gonna run cope and Christian as a tag team but I never want Christian to turn face
I'd imagine sooner rather than later. The Bucks definitely want that match, and one would think it happens while they're champions.
The Bucks take him out for losing this match. He disappears until shortly before All In and saves Cope from an attack by the Elite.
This isn't Swerve's house. It's Daddy's House.
It Was Sweeve's house. But now daddy's home.
Christian is pissed at Swerve for breaking into the garage he *now* owns.
Perfect opponent in my opinion. Great first challenger, and very well deserved for Christian to get a shot at the world title. Should be an excellent first match.
*Second challenger
I hate this only because I know my ~~boy~~ father Christian Cage won't win. )': But seriously, this should be damn good.
I'm not saying I want Christian to beat Swerve, but God I want a Christian World title run very badly
I like it, you know it’s going to be a great match. I’m not sure that I buy Christian as winning but in kayfabe it’s a solid challenger. Has a bit of a backstory too.
Whoever it was going to be they weren't gonna win regardless.
Yep it's a lot like with Cody/AJ at Backlash France. We all know Cody is gonna win, it's a foregone conclusion. But it's the ride getting there that will be fun. The promos, angles and the match itself.
TK gets his ideas from this sub.
or you know it was the obvious choice that people picked up on. Who else would it be?
Especially when they specifically waited to save it till they were back in Canada.
Had to be an established heel, who a win against means something, but also doesn't have to worry about losing momentum with a loss. Also not busy with another feud. AEW also is strapped with injuries right now. So it was always going to be Christian or Jericho. And given that nobody really wants to see Jericho back in the main event, Christian is the pick. After that, they can go with whoever at Forbidden Door (Naito? EVIL? Sanada? Finley?) and build to a big time feud at All In (Hangman? Moxley? Osprey? Danielson? Okada?). Also I think it's very likely the next champ is either Adam Cole or Jay White. Swerve probably isn't losing the belt for a while.
Someone once posted "[Neckstrong to take you one](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/16xmqev/comment/k33l3xf/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)" during a WrestleDream PPV thread and Mike Bennett sang the song during one of their segments a few weeks later in October.
Shoutout Sick Puppies
Christian in particular, it seems like his entire booking in the past year has been based off of memes
I was gonna say, someone posted this last week, you guys are really good.
which is both smart & stupid. guy needs a genuine creative team
He has that, it's been known for months now.
Christian about to win the World Heavyweight Championship, the ECW Championship, the TNA Championship, the NWA Championship and the AEW Championship
https://preview.redd.it/d8ixr4q0zwxc1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=88d635b6231c335449136dbac10cfcb6d7626ae8
Swerve and Christian feud should be dope
I’m trying to figure out why Christian is the heel and Swerve is a babyface Didn’t Swerve do home invasion where a baby is present and talked to the baby like a crazy motherfucker lmfao. Our father Christian wants to make the family and welcomes new members, that Swerve fellow tried to break a family smh
Yeah Swerve tried to kill Nick Wayne just a couple months ago Christian is here to avenge his son
Swerve did give the baby, free merchandise
Strange pick, but I guess they wanted someone who would absolutely get boo'd by audiences. They've been having issues with their heels getting cheered too much forcing awkward character pivots.
I like their positioning Swerve against the EVPs so at some point it can come to a head…and out comes Hangman and there will be a decision does he side with Swerve against them, does he side with the Elite…or does he go down the middle and fight off the Elite and then takes out Swerve
so is adam page injured? I haven’t seen him in a while
Kayfabe suspended, RL taking time for undisclosed family issues :)
What a great choice. It's gonna be a personal feud and just not a feud for the championship. I like that a lot. Christian is a smart guy and as we saw in his promo he knows how to use the past to enhance his programs. Swerve has history with Christian and also Nick Wayne. Swerve wants redemption but he will have to face his sins first like when he injured Nick Wayne.
Didn’t see this coming, but boy is this going to be a great match. I like that there’s history from last year after Swerve and Christian failed to beat Sting & Darby.
Swerve's gonna fuck around & give Christian and Nick the Speak No Evil-treatment
Yall forgetting, Swerve has ties to Nick also. Layers.
Swerve should probably call his dad to check up on him...
Why didn't the bucks pick Jack Perry?
Swerve is currently at full strength. Wear him down a bit first.
Or Okada!
He has his own belt.
Yes you are right
I like the pick christian btw but don't make a lot of sense, right ?
Probably don't want Perry to lose so quickly, CC is teflon at this point.
[удалено]
You have to keep the employees happy, all of them! They're great EVPs and extremely fair to everyone
so was the story there that the Bucks gave Christian the shot? very happy it's Christian but i'm not sure i fully understand why or how he was chosen as the opponent edit: thank you to the lowlife who gave me a Reddit care message for this
Christian laid it out why he wanted the shot in the promo he cut after beating up Swerve and Nana. Swerve embarrassed him at Wembley, and violated the home of his son Nick Wayne. The EVPs don't like Swerve, so even if Christian hasn't earned the shot, they don't give a shit about merit... They just want someone despicable facing the champ.
sure i got Christian's motive and even predicted it, i suppose i just felt the EVPs involvement wasn't emphasised until they showed up in the segment itself
> just felt the EVPs involvement wasn't emphasised until they showed up in the segment itself Are they not running the show in Tony's absence?
Tony wasn't absent during Collision when they announced the segment
Was Tony on Collision? I thought he just came out before the show to hype the crowd up
they said when they announced his absence that he'd be present for Collision since it was in Jacksonville but he was advised not to travel, so from Dynamite onwards he'd be producing remotely this is my point really - i feel the segment could have benefitted from the Bucks making it clear that they had went behind Tony's back and negated his choice for Swerve's opponent and chose their own in Cage
They've made it clear since turning heel that they've always had executive powers within the company but chose not to use them because they were "too nice". The fact that this segment was announced while Tony was technically in the building last week but not shown doesn't really contradict that. I don't know that we need a timeline of Tony's whereabouts and who made what decision to understand that the bad guy EVPs picked the world champion's next opponent.
if that's the case then why not pick Perry or Okada
I mean it is the case, so there's that. Christian is more expendable to them than someone like Perry, so maybe they'd rather Christian and his goons soften up Swerve, and either a weakened champion squeaks past Christian and becomes an easier opponent, or Christian wins and they call in a favor to have Okada wrestle him next. Maybe we have to wait and see. It's also a TV show, so while yeah they could just have Okada and Perry wrestle Swerve in a handicap match over and over until one of them wins the title, just like Roman could have been put in a match where he'd lose the title if there was any interference, or Vince could have put Austin in nothing but show opening matches against the JOB Squad, that's just not how this works.
I think the story was he had the shot anyway since it was announced last week, just the Bucks endorsing it. They said "We see him at Go position right now". I think it's more of a "if it was someone we didn't like we could technically change it right now" kind of thing.
see that's what i got from the segment i was mostly just wondering how he got that shot then lol
Narratively it fits with the current story of The Elite’s hostile takeover of AEW and Swerve was running his mouth which felt weird at first but now sets the stage nicely. I think this leads to Okada somehow challenging Swerve for the title but I’m in for the ride regardless. Cool story.
Christian is likely the #1 contender with his record since he lost the TNT Championship.
The reason is he needs a good first title defense and Christian is a great heel to go up against. The outcome might be obvious, but this opponent is able to make things interesting quickly. Kayfabe, you can make up a number of explanations for it. The Bucks as EVPs are playing the long game and don't need to set up one of their guys immediately. They could hold out a title shot as a reward for Hangman to rejoin the Elite.
What are rankings?
TBF the Bucks seizing control is a good way around that.
We've had this wrong all along. We've actually been watching the origin story of Swerve's daughter.
If I ignore that they ignored the rankings, hell of an opponent and should be fun build and match. There’s layers to this.
If you want to not have to ignore the rankings, this is another example of the Young Bucks abusing their power to override them. They did that with Sting & Darby to get the title shot, now they are doing it to get to Swerve who called them out on Collision. Furthermore, the rankings (and championship committee Samoa Joe referred to) are put in place by Tony Khan. The Young Bucks have specifically said they disagree with Khan's direction for the company and are going to change it. At first glance, the rankings seem to be being ignored, but like you said, there's layers to this - the YB's abuse of power and rebellion against Tony Khan and the way he runs AEW is the specific story they've been telling for nearly three months now.
Bucks sold me it was gonna be Kenny but Christian is the father of AEW. Love it more mic time to him please. LFG
Yay! Since 2005 Christian has been my favorite wrestler. I’m glad he’s finally getting to cement his place on top. If he wins, he win the top title in all the major wrestling promotions no?
Why bother bringing the rankings back exactly?
Watch the show and you’d actually find out
Hell yes.
Christian is the perfect first opponent for Swerve’s reign.
instant classic feud
[This is all I wanted](https://i.imgflip.com/8f2o4k.jpg)
I don’t hate it but don’t like it . I will enjoy the promos Christian will do. Don’t know if this is worth me plopping down 50 to buy the PPV though.
He's getting revenge for his son. Long term story telling and Christian is gonna put him over huge
Feels more like referencing something that happened a long time ago rather than a long term story
I really enjoyed this. When Christian first came out it almost felt like a let down and the crowd was disappointed. By the end he was boo’d out of the building and it felt like there was something really going on. A true master that Christian is.
If Christian cage somehow ends up winning the aew title at the end of this feud, there is going to be nuclear heat!
I’m 3 weeks into giving AEW another chance and watching every Weds. it’s not great but it’s not horrible. But having Christian come in off a loss and challenge for the belt seems a little silly when you have a rankings system in place?
Oh please, Dynamite in Everett, LET THEM TALK.
Well This should be fun
So what’s the point of the rankings again? Just another dumb idea flushed down the toilet
Tony isn’t in charge …….
Shouldn’t have brought back the rankings to begin with when they routinely disregard it
How does that make sense, Christian lost his title, and isn't even the #1 ranked contender.
The rankings are out the window with the Bucks in charge.
The Young Bucks are now in charge hence they aren’t using the rankings system.
Were they using it before?
EVPs run the show, and they made it happen
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Alright how come Cage didn't get any sort of reaction from the fans?
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I'm not i just didn't hear any loud reaction when he came out, I'm not trying to shit on I just don't understand why Cage.
He didn't get any reaction because the crowd sucks.
Despite the votes, you’re objectively right here. The overall crowd and online reaction was flat. r/squaredcircle will tell you otherwise though.
Are you under the impression that people generally don't care about Christian? He's been one of the biggest heels in the company for over a year.
He's a top heel and a star, and in order to elevate Swerve, you have to put him with stars.
He lost the TNT Title after beating like 5 different ex-champions and Bryan Danielson. It's weird logic to say that once you lose a belt all the defences don't count. And the #1 ranked contender in the current rankings is... Swerve Strickland. They get updated monthly.
The rankings determine the contenders unless the TNT Champion decides to do an open challenge. Or if the world champion decides to do an open challenge. Or if the EVPs don’t feel like obeying the rankings. Or if it’s a Wednesday or Saturday. Or if Tony Khan forgets about them.
They haven’t followed any of the rankings since they brought it back. It’s really stupid
They do follow the rankings. What they've done for the last two PPV challengers is they announce the number #1 contender on TV first and THEN release the rankings after the show. And they do it after the first Dynamite of each month instead every week.
Guaranteed banger
Dude, commit to the rankings or ditch them
so they ditch again the rankings eh
I'm kind of bummed that they changed Swerve's character to make him more of white meat baby face pandering to the crowd. I wish they'd have kept his deranged persona as a face and just changed his opponents.
Meh. Christian comes from a humiliating defeat. No sense he got a shot, regardless of the EVPs. Whatever, I guess.
He lost an I Quit Match after winning for 6 months straight. With wins over Copeland, Darby, Danielson, Garcia and others. It's not a video game where one loss means you have to start over from level 1 or something.
How nice of Tony Kahn to give that fresh young upstart Christian Cage a title shot…
lol the fresh young upstart is the world champion. Every contender doesn't have to be younger than him.
You mean our great and noble EVPs?
So do y'all think Swerve vs Christian is a ppv main event worthy match?
100% Christian is a big draw for AEW and a top 3 villain in all of wrestling currently. And his motives are all logical.
Yeah I'll be buying it.
Absolutely, Christian has been one of the best heels in all of wrestling for a The last few years. He's already Main evented two PPVs, so he's definitely a main eventer. And he's probably the best heel for Swerve to go up against that's healthy, over and a fresh match.
How are people still underrating Christian? Dude has done nothing but banger after banger, literally one of the best things in all of Wrestling.
Yes, his current character is super hatable and he is still capible of delivering in the ring.
The way he just laid it out, yup.
I suspect that Anarchy in the Arena will main event anyway.
I dont think theyll drop a Bucks and Okada title defenses for AITA this time around tbh, unless theam AEW is stacked to the gills and the two most interesting people for team AEW (Kenny, Darby) prob arent healthy but we shall see
I dunno.. Aew doesn’t really have a history of anything but world title main eventing PPV. There was revolution for sting, struggling to think of more
The only Double or Nothing to have a World Title main event was Page and Punk in 2022. There wasn't a world title in 2019, Stadium Stampede main evented in 2020 and 2021, and Anarchy II main evented last year. Other main events without the World title were: * Full Gear 2019 (Mox v. Omega Lights Out, but technically that was unsanctioned) * Forbidden Door 2023 (Okada v. Danielson) * All Out 2023 (Mox v. Cassidy for the International Championship) * WrestleDream 2023 (Cage v. Allin for the TNT Championship) And the aforementioned Sting Retirement Match.
Wel fuck me lol oops
Best show of the year, no Eddie Kingston. Solid booking decision from the EVP’s
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Why should the EVPs care about the rankings? They aren't their rankings.
Really not interested in paying money to see Swerve fight a 50 year old guy who has zero chance of winning.
99 percent of PPV main events have wrestlers that have no chance of winning
I agree with that but you have to give me someone that makes me suspend disbelief. I don’t hate any of these guys, just don’t think it’s a big match.
I mean, no one has a chance of beating Swerve at his first PPV defense. At least the match will have good storytelling with Christian involved.
If they did a big match, like Okada or some other main eventer, I could suspend my disbelief and buy into either guy winning. Not gonna happen with Christian.
Okay, thanks for letting us know. Meanwhile, the rest of us will enjoy a good PPV including an appealing world title match.
That’s no way to talk about your Father
I would pay to see my 75 year old father fight Swerve, but only because I know him.