The Opps are as close to the APA (minus the irl hazing) as we're likely to get in 2025 and I'm all about it. Adding Powerhouse to the group was one of the best audibles called by a wrestling company in a very long time.
The Bucks/Swerve/Ospreay match intrigues me. On one hand, the Bucks losing EVP status doesn’t make much sense if Mox also loses the title. On the other hand, do they have the balls to take Swerve and Will out of the title picture for a year? Also going to put forth my own pet theory: Hangman and the Bucks are in league. Hangman costs Swerve and Will their match on botched interference then the Bucks return the favor in the ME. Hangman gets the title, and his two top contenders are out (and involved in a slow burn feud that’s going to culminate at next year’s Owen Finals).
I should also mention that I feel like you might be wrong strictly because this looks like such a heavily "heels win" card (I'm guessing that by the end of the weekend Okada, Takeshida & Fletcher all hold gold for the DCF, and the Death Riders get the six man belts back due to Hook fuckery) that Page as the feel-good finish would be the counterbalance.
Similar to Jade spinning her wheels with the TBS title forever while Stat was injured, I fear that TK is so fixated on having Darby be the one to dethrone Mox that he misses the boat on Hangman.
God every time you guys remind me of Darby (who I like but keep forgetting exists and has/had a major role in the Death Riders story) it makes me terrified of exactly this sort of thing. My hope, I suppose, is Darby is involved at All In as a surprise thorn in Moxley's side and Hangman leaves with the belt due to his help and that of the Opps, Ospreay, and Swerve if all necessary. Now on that note I do think there's genuine value in Swerve NOT helping Hangman, and them just staying completely opposed forever, able to understand each others motivations for the terrible things they have done, but never truly forgive them or trust each other.
I feel the same way when you bring up Hook (except I don’t particularly enjoy his work). Like I want to believe he’s just kind of gone but that nagging feeling that he’s going to play some way outsized role in this won’t go away
Oh man, that makes a lot of sense, but also would kind of suck? I know the idea of AEW having it's own "John Cena" is patently ridiculous, because almost no one ever gets to that level (especially without the WWE machine behind them), but Page going out there in Mexico and delivering that speech to the crowd in Spanish really felt like he was putting himself out there as their, as Cody might say, quarterback. Like people REALLY believe in this dude and his journey, and it'd be a shame to throw that away just so the babyface can be Darby now that he climbed back down from his stupid mountain.
The Opps are as close to the APA (minus the irl hazing) as we're likely to get in 2025 and I'm all about it. Adding Powerhouse to the group was one of the best audibles called by a wrestling company in a very long time.
The Bucks/Swerve/Ospreay match intrigues me. On one hand, the Bucks losing EVP status doesn’t make much sense if Mox also loses the title. On the other hand, do they have the balls to take Swerve and Will out of the title picture for a year? Also going to put forth my own pet theory: Hangman and the Bucks are in league. Hangman costs Swerve and Will their match on botched interference then the Bucks return the favor in the ME. Hangman gets the title, and his two top contenders are out (and involved in a slow burn feud that’s going to culminate at next year’s Owen Finals).
I should also mention that I feel like you might be wrong strictly because this looks like such a heavily "heels win" card (I'm guessing that by the end of the weekend Okada, Takeshida & Fletcher all hold gold for the DCF, and the Death Riders get the six man belts back due to Hook fuckery) that Page as the feel-good finish would be the counterbalance.
Similar to Jade spinning her wheels with the TBS title forever while Stat was injured, I fear that TK is so fixated on having Darby be the one to dethrone Mox that he misses the boat on Hangman.
God every time you guys remind me of Darby (who I like but keep forgetting exists and has/had a major role in the Death Riders story) it makes me terrified of exactly this sort of thing. My hope, I suppose, is Darby is involved at All In as a surprise thorn in Moxley's side and Hangman leaves with the belt due to his help and that of the Opps, Ospreay, and Swerve if all necessary. Now on that note I do think there's genuine value in Swerve NOT helping Hangman, and them just staying completely opposed forever, able to understand each others motivations for the terrible things they have done, but never truly forgive them or trust each other.
I feel the same way when you bring up Hook (except I don’t particularly enjoy his work). Like I want to believe he’s just kind of gone but that nagging feeling that he’s going to play some way outsized role in this won’t go away
I assume that Hook comes back and turns on The Opps to set up a feud with Joe.
Yeah we got a little taste of that at the last PPV. And tbh Joe was his best opponent by a mile, so I'm with it.
Oh man, that makes a lot of sense, but also would kind of suck? I know the idea of AEW having it's own "John Cena" is patently ridiculous, because almost no one ever gets to that level (especially without the WWE machine behind them), but Page going out there in Mexico and delivering that speech to the crowd in Spanish really felt like he was putting himself out there as their, as Cody might say, quarterback. Like people REALLY believe in this dude and his journey, and it'd be a shame to throw that away just so the babyface can be Darby now that he climbed back down from his stupid mountain.
Page/Mox is gonna rock probably but if they wanna pivot to putting the strap on Powerhouse Hobbs...I won't say no.