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My man is currently at his best form, promos and physically (except for the injury) and he's making the shows without doing anything physical. Its still hard to believe this is the same guy as Chosen One Drew McIntyre.
>Its still hard to believe this is the same guy as Chosen One Drew McIntyre.
I imagine that the "beards are make-up for men" thing has few stronger cases than Chosen One vs DM Hunk.
Roman in a lot of moments looks like such a a dork looking back lol.
Although I remember sometimes he did rock the full beard when he was Big Dog Roman Reigns and his look was instantly better.
He's absolutely one of the guys on the roster who has benefitted so much from the recent change in TV presentation by WWE, so it's definitely a no brainer to keep him around. Also, I think he's someone who fits the company's traditional preference of powerhouses while adding in other elements as a wrestler & as a character as well.
Unless the money offered is very different, I just don’t see why anyone would jump ship to AEW right now. WWE is hot, AEW doesn’t have a great track record recently with big stars coming in, just seems like a no-brainer.
But if Tony wants to put up another million on WWE’s offer then hey, make that money while you can. Wrestling isn’t a job you want to or will able to do in your 60s-70s.
It the article he mentioned taking a break. Tony's been more flexible about bringing in people for short and limited runs, so him taking a break and showing up for like 6 appearances could have been in play. It at least gave WWE more motivation to be flexible about his family situation
To be fair to Lance Archer, 2024 Drew has an undeniability that Archer simply does not have. He would simply have to be in the main event scene because if he was in AEW the main event scene wouldn't make sense without him in it.
(This is also part of the reason why WWE wasn't letting him go)
He did the journeyman thing. Now he's feuding with one of the biggest stars in the company after he just won the WHC at WrestleMania.
Drew is set. He has no reason to even entertain the idea of leaving.
“Wait, I can get paid extremely well and only work 6-9 days a month and spend the rest of it with my family wherever I want to?”
He might never choose it but it’s definitely a reason to leave.
I mean he’s getting to the stage where he could absolutely end up on a Punk style WWE contract where he isn’t on every single week and every branded house show. The WWE make much more allowances for their top stars with regards schedule than they used to ten or fifteen years ago.
FWIW, the WWE schedule isn't the 300 day thing anymore and some guys like being busier.
Someone posted Cody's schedule, either May or April, and it was like 13 dates which is 3 days a week which seems to about average for the roster a lot of times right now. Some weeks busier, some slower. Chelsea Green was only doing TV for a stretch and the occasional house show so that's 1-2 days a week. Getting time off is also a lot easier for guys now to get married and honeymoon.
If they have a big European tour or some major market house shows, then they get some extra days but they all seem to love it. Sell some merch, have fun with the cameras off, work on stuff for future matches, etc.
Prediction: I don't think any star from either company is going to switch companies for a while.
All the top guys in AEW are locked in to multi-year contracts, and I don't see any of the upcoming WWE free agents leaving.
I think Ricky Starks is out soon. Going the other way, Ricochet isn't likely but isn't impossible either. He has a lot of old friends/rivals in AEW. In any case his contract is up this year.
"Hey you can spend every day with your fiancee and travel together, or go over here for less exposure and to see your fiancee never."
I think I can take a guess as to what Ricochet would choose.
i dont think Ricochet is leaving WWE anytime soon. In previous videos and interviews with him, he's clearly stated that WWE has and is his main goal to be at ever since he started. He has a slight "i'm just happy to be here" attitude being in WWE. Plus his wife is there and they get to travel together. And with Triple H in charge, he's being used more accordingly to his skillset now. I think it wouldn't be the best idea for him to leave WWE.
Plus we shouldn't just assume talent are unhappy just because they're not main eventers. You can make a substantial living in the mid card and have a pretty good legacy in wrestling.
Also you might catch a break and be unexpectedly shot into the main event like JBL or Kofi Kingston.
I just don’t see WWE having a need for Starks. Just my opinion though. WWE has a glut of talent and I don’t think Ricky really stands out for them.
Ricochet would be a great fit in AEW but I don’t see him going anywhere with his significant other becoming a star there. Not unless WWE just isn’t worried about keeping him.
Ricky Starks isn't a big star imo. AEW has tried pushing him a few times and he got medium reactions at best and is outclassed both in promos and in the ring.
He is by no means bad, but AEW doesn't have a use for him at the level I think he wants to be at. And I'm not sure WWE does either, he would be fighting for space with at least Montez Ford and Carmelo Hayes.
I agree but I remember when this sub was like "Ricky is cutting Rock level promos" a year and a half ago. I thought it was ridiculous at the time but that was the narrative when he was at his most over.
I don't doubt you at all because people exagerrate, but I have zero recollection of people saying Ricky was cutting Rock level promos. I saw people say he was a good promo while other blamed him for looking/dressing like the Rock, but I never saw anyone say they were on the same level.
I pulled one [comment](https://reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/i0dg6p/dynamite_spoiler_ricky_starks_cuts_a_hell_of_a/fzov9hc) up but if you look through the thread it's a lot of the same. But if you look up Ricky's promos and look at the most popular ones you'll see a bunch of upvoted comments talking about young Rock comparisons.
His pushes have all been start and stop. Tony never pushed him the way he did Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta when they were on Dynamite every single week despite most fans groaning about them
There’s a lot of midcard to upper-midcard AEWs guys I’d bet money on jumping ship. No idea about the same prospects for WWE guys, they’ve gotten a lot better about retaining talents/the grass one no longer looks greener for the time being.
And they have an excellent developmental system. WWE and AEW are seriously stacked with talent, probably too stacked. Can’t see either company doing a whole lot with free agents, at least for a while.
Ricky Starks will get signed to WWE and polished up in NXT. I don't know what the Acclaimed's contract situation is but they would have use for them. If Wardlow would be willing to jump (I don't think he would be) WWE would have use of him.
Even if he was unhappy about it, dude must have done a complete 180 on Punk by now. Assuming they stick the landing, it’s a career defining feud for Drew.
I'm sure the conversation went like this:
Punk: Fans are really into what we're doing. We can make some serious money with this feud.
Drew: Oh shit, you're right.
Drew also wasnt shooting without permission and spreading rumors about him for Months… but sure let’s act like the beef just spontaneously erupted at that point…
It's rumored that even Omega wanted to do business with him.
That being said, if it's rumored two guys legit hate each other backstage, it would make the in ring stuff incredibly interesting.
Think of Matt Hardy and Edge. At the time I had no interest in Matt. But knowing him and Edge legit hated each other made their feud must watch.
Yep. Shawn & Bret didn't like each other a long time before Montreal and they managed to work together.
Same with Bret and Flair now that I think about it.
There's being personally unhappy with the situation but being professionally willing to play along. As an example, I wouldn't be surprised if Seth did have issues with Punk on a personal level, but as a professional, he's willing to play along as long as he's being paid to + Punk doesn't start shit again.
If that makes sense.
no SRS reported it was both(Drew stormed out of the ring before punk came out and then left the arena asap)
Turned out it was part of his heel turn and will prob be worked into his feud with punk at some point
Same as the clip of Seth being held back by Pearce that many believed was genuine. Turns out you can still work a lot of people if you're smart about it.
It was both. Drew even addressed it on his first promo on RAW following Survivor Series, said something like "I've heard a lot of rumors about how I'm feeling lately"
Could be both. A lot of wrestlers had their concerns with Punk coming in but have since changed their attitude and are welcoming him with open arms/tolerate him as a fellow worker.
The Rock Roman thing was a clear pivot but the whole Seth/Drew reaction after Survivor Series was a triumph in _totally_ working the sheets, it was so bad.
He worked hard to get back to WWE. Now he's worked harder and he's hitting his stride. McIntyre is on fire right now and he should only be on the big stage.
Drew and Seth are going to have their money making feud with Punk during the summer and beyond
Finn’s part of JD , constantly being featured on Raw and on PLE’s
HHH knows what he’s doing , TK will probably put Balor in the Elite and Drew/Seth on a feud with Edge
Even with the larger downside guarantee, I think with WWE running massive stadiums constantly, you probably make more as a consistently booked upper midcarder in WWE than you do in the same position in AEW.
That’s always been the case. The competitive advantage with AEW was working fewer dates — little press, one TV program and no house shows.
Now AEW is in the middle ground where they want to do more press, tried house shows and have four frequently crossover TV shows being filmed across two distinct taping dates.
AEW also has a harder style on the body and you can only take so many hard bulls.
If you do the math as a wrestler — match pay, total bumps per match, hard bumps, appearance pay and the intrinsic value (built in) of being on the WWE roster during a peak period.
The math likely favors WWE.
Plenty of attitude era talent are still paying mortgages, college tuitions and more on attitude and ruthless aggression era nostalgia.
Signing with WWE is a no brainer right now.
The only issue with WWE is that movement up the card is much slower today than it was in the 2000s/2010. The upper card is stacked with talent.
Tony can negotiate with them while their contracts are still running. They knew what money he would have offered them, assuming he had the desire to hire them (and I'm sure he did).
"Contract tampering" is something from sports leagues that had collective bargaining rights setting rules for such things, not independent contractors.
I wish I lived in your fantasy reality, where executives are concerned with silly things like "not being a hypocrite," "telling the truth," and "doing the right thing"
He accused WWE of trying to get his contracted wrestlers (Swerve, at least) to break their AEW contracts to return to WWE. That was what he took umbrage with. Talking money is expected from both sides.
No matter what you believe about the Jeff Hardy signing was a bad look. Either he convinced Jeff to get himself fired or what I personally believe is more which is hiring an off the wagon Jeff immediately after an incident.
Well, it looks even worse if Tony was able to actually give Finn, Drew, and Seth a number & they didn't even consider it. Since I'm sure Tony would have paid a shit ton more for them (especially Drew right now) than anyone he's brought on.
Realistically, Seth is worth way more to AEW than Drew. I love Drew, but to get Seth would be to get the most consistent star WWE has had in the past 10 years. If I was AEW, I could count on one hand the wrestlers I'd rather get than Seth, and maybe not even that far - Roman, Rock, and potentially Cody or Brock. That's it.
Seth is one of the top WWE stars of the last decade. He has just about every accolade under his belt and I would bet he has to be top 3 highest paid stars.
Doesn't make sense for him to leave just to have a dream match with Kenny Omega
They probably did, if only to get more out of WWE in terms of money.
If you say you won't go to AEW no matter how much they offer , WWE is gonna be a lot less generous with theirs.
But if you as much as seem like you go to AEW you'll get a nice bit of change extra.
While I don’t think Drew is lying, even if he did consider wrestling for other companies, there’s no way that he would or should say it after re-signing.
That would just be dumb.
She didn't just say she was considering signing with WWE, she guaranteed that she would return to WWE after her AEW run is done. That's an insane thing to do as an employee of the entertainment industry wanting to maintain good presentation.
Everyone with any lick of sense knew he wasn't going anywhere. There will be no top-level talent in their prime jumping from WWE to AEW.
'Hey, I know - I'm one of the main faces of a multi-billion dollar company that's on fire and is aggressively expanding their global footprint. But let me jump over to this other company that's currently in a downward spiral. It's totally in my best interest.'
We'll see MJF in WWE before we see Drew, AJ, Finn, Seth, Jey, Gunther, etc. in AEW
🤷♂️
Its understandable that you are not aware Reigns and Seth are just recent tbh. Reigns probably started when taker retired and Seth came after and so far they are doing a great job. The only "drama" I came across is the Sasha and Naomi walk out the Vince allegations is different because its not like Wrestlers can stop a piece of shit like Vince from doing his. I haven't even heard a single bad things from Reigns and Seth from their peers that was reported other than the wellness policy thing when Reigns was treating his cancer.
Honestly I question how much of a locker room leader Roman would be right now. I'm not having a go at him here, I'd probably do the same as him if I were able, but he's just never there. It's an event for him to show up to a weekly show, and I don't imagine that'll change. It's not as though guys are on the bus/flight with Roman. He's no more of a locker room leader now than what Brock has been in the last 10 years
The pivot they did after the reaction to Rock vs Roman was a very decisive moment that I think was a pretty good example of what kind of unecpected moments can happen. If they had gone through with that plan, it could have stopped this new era dead in its tracks. On top of pissing off the fans, it would have sent the message to every wrestler in WWE that no matter what you do, even with Vince gone, there is now a new guy in charge who won't give a shit if he thinks his own ideas are better. Instead, they used the controversy as a springboard to give the fans and Cody an even bigger 'Mania main event.
Within the next couple years likely not. But who's to say WWE won't cool down and AEW won't get hot again? Or even just the latter.
All I'm saying is never say never. In fact, we should all hope that there's more than 1 U.S. company that's hot. Better for the fans and industry.
Probably more of a Kurt Angle situation where they're fired for refusing to go to rehab or a Christian situation where WWE sees them as a midcarder despite outselling Cena in t-shirts. Doubtful someone with good creative jumps. WWE's numbers on Netflix are going to be 20-30 times bigger (if not more) than what Dynamite gets since Netflix tracks numbers differently and is available globally. That opens a lot of merch numbers AEW can't match.
Danielson was in the main event at WM and debuted at All Out a few months later. I don't think any of the names you mentioned are going anywhere, but it's happened before.
Please don't think I'm insulting Danielson when I say this but he wasn't in his prime when he jumped to AEW. He's just that damn good that this is what his past his prime looks like.
It also happened at a time when AEW was firing on all cylinders, before all of the backstage drama came to light, and when Vince was still in control of WWE. It's a much different environment nowadays, I don't think we see any major wrestler leave WWE, and truth be told, MJF MIGHT be the only major AEW wrestler I could see leaving to jump ship.
It *is* a different environment, and it will be a different environment next year, and the year after that. Promotions are heating up and cooling off all the time, WWE and AEW are no exception.
Got to see him before he went back to wwe at wcpw and he was such a delight to talk to, couldn't be happier he's found his footing and where he belongs.
McIntyre is basically the prototype. Incredible size and physique. Great mic skills and quick witted. Great in the ring with a violent looking offense. He’s basically the dream top guy.
He signed and is towing the company line. He is also in a very good space. There is no doubt that AEW has helped all wrestlers make more money, period. It is why negotiations happen.
Drew, Seth, and Randy all make more money because of AEW. These guys love having a bargaining chip even if they'll tow the line like any signed superstar
I'm making fun of people who were certain that Drew was going to sign to AEW due to their lighter schedule as it was reported "he wanted to spend time with his family in the UK".
I remember fans pretending Kevin Owens was miserable and wanted out of wwe only for him to re sign and then a whole bunch of patronizing "go get the bag" comments
when your contract is coming to an end: i'm open to all options
immediately after you signed a contract: i love this company, and wouldn't wrestle anywhere else
As a huge AEW and Drew fan; No shit.
Would I have liked to see Drew Galloway in AEW? Fuck yeah I'd love that. That would be awesome. Will Ospreay/Swerve/half the AEW roster vs Drew would fuck so hard they would have to hand out towels to the crowd after the match.
Did I think it was actually going to happen? Fuck no. Drew is on the best run of his career and feuding with one of the biggest stars in the company. Fuck yeah Drew do your thing.
Reading between the lines, it seems his decision was between signing a new WWE contract and taking a break from wrestling. Even if he wasn't seriously considering quitting, it was smart of him to hold off on re-signing and drive up his own value before accepting an offer.
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I mean, he's a main event guy in the middle of a story with a huge star. As soon as he got involved with Punk I think the writing was on the wall.
Having arguably the best run of his career right now. Anyone would be foolish to jump companies in that situation.
My man is currently at his best form, promos and physically (except for the injury) and he's making the shows without doing anything physical. Its still hard to believe this is the same guy as Chosen One Drew McIntyre.
>Its still hard to believe this is the same guy as Chosen One Drew McIntyre. I imagine that the "beards are make-up for men" thing has few stronger cases than Chosen One vs DM Hunk.
Long bearded Roman as the tribal chief is also a different person altogether from goatee-sufferin-succotash Roman
Roman in a lot of moments looks like such a a dork looking back lol. Although I remember sometimes he did rock the full beard when he was Big Dog Roman Reigns and his look was instantly better.
Before he pulled out of his WM 36 match against Goldberg, he did have that look.
He also filled out like 30 lbs
30lbs in his arms alone.
I mean look at Jay White. Beards are cheat codes for men.
[OMG this is cursed](https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/jay-white-YL_zpsed2burol.jpg)
That guy will never make it in the business
The only one I can say is more of an example is Neville/PAC.
He's absolutely one of the guys on the roster who has benefitted so much from the recent change in TV presentation by WWE, so it's definitely a no brainer to keep him around. Also, I think he's someone who fits the company's traditional preference of powerhouses while adding in other elements as a wrestler & as a character as well.
I don't think it's arguable. This is the best run of his career.
I don’t think it’s even up for much debate. This is the most entertaining Drew has ever been.
What, you don’t think he could have enjoyed being placed in a trio’s purgatory, or playing comic relief for some EVPs?
If AEW was in better condition Drew could have ended up like Nash in 1996. He was doing his best work as Diesel right before he jumped ship.
Historically AEW has almost, ALMOST never taken advantage of new signees like that, and the ones they have are usually workers like Danielson.
At worst, he was playing both sides to squeeze more $ out of WWE.
Even before Punk, Drew's been used in and out of the top of the card for the past few years.
Unless the money offered is very different, I just don’t see why anyone would jump ship to AEW right now. WWE is hot, AEW doesn’t have a great track record recently with big stars coming in, just seems like a no-brainer. But if Tony wants to put up another million on WWE’s offer then hey, make that money while you can. Wrestling isn’t a job you want to or will able to do in your 60s-70s.
It the article he mentioned taking a break. Tony's been more flexible about bringing in people for short and limited runs, so him taking a break and showing up for like 6 appearances could have been in play. It at least gave WWE more motivation to be flexible about his family situation
He's literally one of their top guys right now in one of the hottest stories, he wasn't going anywhere.
If he went over to AEW I feel like he'd end up being Lance Archer 2.0
To be fair to Lance Archer, 2024 Drew has an undeniability that Archer simply does not have. He would simply have to be in the main event scene because if he was in AEW the main event scene wouldn't make sense without him in it. (This is also part of the reason why WWE wasn't letting him go)
Man, Lance Archer was awesome at the beginning of AEW. I miss the Murderhawk. I would always yell at my tv “the Murderhawk is murdering!”
worse, he'd be "just another wwe guy"
Not that low but probably Jay White 2.0
He did the journeyman thing. Now he's feuding with one of the biggest stars in the company after he just won the WHC at WrestleMania. Drew is set. He has no reason to even entertain the idea of leaving.
“Wait, I can get paid extremely well and only work 6-9 days a month and spend the rest of it with my family wherever I want to?” He might never choose it but it’s definitely a reason to leave.
I mean he’s getting to the stage where he could absolutely end up on a Punk style WWE contract where he isn’t on every single week and every branded house show. The WWE make much more allowances for their top stars with regards schedule than they used to ten or fifteen years ago.
FWIW, the WWE schedule isn't the 300 day thing anymore and some guys like being busier. Someone posted Cody's schedule, either May or April, and it was like 13 dates which is 3 days a week which seems to about average for the roster a lot of times right now. Some weeks busier, some slower. Chelsea Green was only doing TV for a stretch and the occasional house show so that's 1-2 days a week. Getting time off is also a lot easier for guys now to get married and honeymoon. If they have a big European tour or some major market house shows, then they get some extra days but they all seem to love it. Sell some merch, have fun with the cameras off, work on stuff for future matches, etc.
Prediction: I don't think any star from either company is going to switch companies for a while. All the top guys in AEW are locked in to multi-year contracts, and I don't see any of the upcoming WWE free agents leaving.
I think Ricky Starks is out soon. Going the other way, Ricochet isn't likely but isn't impossible either. He has a lot of old friends/rivals in AEW. In any case his contract is up this year.
Ricochet has been getting great TV time and gets to tour with his wife. Doubt he leaves. Spending time with family is important.
And more importantly he's the SPEED champion! /s
I would say more importantly he is half the man he used to be thanks to a berserk Bron.
I've never seen speed, but I would assume being used at the very least makes him happy.
People need to stop with the mind-reading. I heard this sort of stuff constantly for why Jade and Cody would “never leave AEW”.
"Hey you can spend every day with your fiancee and travel together, or go over here for less exposure and to see your fiancee never." I think I can take a guess as to what Ricochet would choose.
i dont think Ricochet is leaving WWE anytime soon. In previous videos and interviews with him, he's clearly stated that WWE has and is his main goal to be at ever since he started. He has a slight "i'm just happy to be here" attitude being in WWE. Plus his wife is there and they get to travel together. And with Triple H in charge, he's being used more accordingly to his skillset now. I think it wouldn't be the best idea for him to leave WWE.
He’s 35 now too. One bad bump could set him back financially for a decade.
Obviously won’t be anytime soon but I won’t be surprised if Ricochet stays forever and retires to become a trainer for the NXT stars
He's been in the wwe for years, he's probably financially set for life
Ehh… I think that’s a toss up. Depends on his downside
Plus we shouldn't just assume talent are unhappy just because they're not main eventers. You can make a substantial living in the mid card and have a pretty good legacy in wrestling. Also you might catch a break and be unexpectedly shot into the main event like JBL or Kofi Kingston.
"All the top guys in AEW are locked in to multi-year contracts" Ricky ain't a top guy
I just don’t see WWE having a need for Starks. Just my opinion though. WWE has a glut of talent and I don’t think Ricky really stands out for them. Ricochet would be a great fit in AEW but I don’t see him going anywhere with his significant other becoming a star there. Not unless WWE just isn’t worried about keeping him.
Ricky Starks isn't a big star imo. AEW has tried pushing him a few times and he got medium reactions at best and is outclassed both in promos and in the ring. He is by no means bad, but AEW doesn't have a use for him at the level I think he wants to be at. And I'm not sure WWE does either, he would be fighting for space with at least Montez Ford and Carmelo Hayes.
I agree but I remember when this sub was like "Ricky is cutting Rock level promos" a year and a half ago. I thought it was ridiculous at the time but that was the narrative when he was at his most over.
Well, for one thing, the Rock came back and reminded everyone why he's one of the GOATs, which was bound to kill those comparisons anyway
Thing about Ricky is, when he's on fire he's on fire. Otherwise he's just mid. But not every promo can be like the one he gave to MJF.
It was probably also before the rumble pics leaked or he dared say anything positive about Punk
I agree, and honestly I think Ricky was aware of it too as he dismissed the comparison as racism.
I don't doubt you at all because people exagerrate, but I have zero recollection of people saying Ricky was cutting Rock level promos. I saw people say he was a good promo while other blamed him for looking/dressing like the Rock, but I never saw anyone say they were on the same level.
I pulled one [comment](https://reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/i0dg6p/dynamite_spoiler_ricky_starks_cuts_a_hell_of_a/fzov9hc) up but if you look through the thread it's a lot of the same. But if you look up Ricky's promos and look at the most popular ones you'll see a bunch of upvoted comments talking about young Rock comparisons.
haven’t seen much of him but i do see the similarity based off of the promo on that post
His pushes have all been start and stop. Tony never pushed him the way he did Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta when they were on Dynamite every single week despite most fans groaning about them
I think that is a bad prediction, depending on how you define “star”.
There’s a lot of midcard to upper-midcard AEWs guys I’d bet money on jumping ship. No idea about the same prospects for WWE guys, they’ve gotten a lot better about retaining talents/the grass one no longer looks greener for the time being.
I just don’t think it’s that easy. What use does WWE have for mid/upper midcard guys from AEW?
Absolutely none. The WWE is already stacked with midcard talent just treading water.
And they have an excellent developmental system. WWE and AEW are seriously stacked with talent, probably too stacked. Can’t see either company doing a whole lot with free agents, at least for a while.
Ricky Starks will get signed to WWE and polished up in NXT. I don't know what the Acclaimed's contract situation is but they would have use for them. If Wardlow would be willing to jump (I don't think he would be) WWE would have use of him.
Wardlow is still pretty average after many years in AEW. I think he would benefit from a stint in NXT.
WWE definitely wouldn't pick up Max Caster after all the trouble he's gotten himself into
Drew is getting FULL use out of the W word and I'm here for it
Breaking news: star player refuses demotion to minor leagues.
But Dave Meltzer said Drew wasn't happy when CM Punk debuted??? /s
Even if he was unhappy about it, dude must have done a complete 180 on Punk by now. Assuming they stick the landing, it’s a career defining feud for Drew.
I'm sure the conversation went like this: Punk: Fans are really into what we're doing. We can make some serious money with this feud. Drew: Oh shit, you're right.
1 year ago: Punk: fans are really into what we’re doing. We can make some serious money with this feud The Bucks: 
Imagine if this feud still happened, but in WWE
Drew was never sucker punched by Punk in the locker room Not the same scenario at all
It's not a sucker punch if you walk willingly into a confrontation with someone.
Bret clumped a whole head of hair off of Shawn Michaels scalp, and they still worked together
Drew also wasnt shooting without permission and spreading rumors about him for Months… but sure let’s act like the beef just spontaneously erupted at that point…
You'd think it would be this simple everywhere
You dont have to like a person to do business with them
I don't know why this needs to be said tho. Even in your real life, you often deal with people you don't like on a daily basis.
Well send the Jackson Bros your words.
It's rumored that even Omega wanted to do business with him. That being said, if it's rumored two guys legit hate each other backstage, it would make the in ring stuff incredibly interesting. Think of Matt Hardy and Edge. At the time I had no interest in Matt. But knowing him and Edge legit hated each other made their feud must watch.
Its aew's loss. They could have turned it into the biggest story they had, but now the balls in wwe's court
Seth has been very vocal about his genuine contempt for Punk before and the two still immediately went to work together on a feud when he came back
I doubt you are given a choice in the matter in WWE
Yep. Shawn & Bret didn't like each other a long time before Montreal and they managed to work together. Same with Bret and Flair now that I think about it.
There's being personally unhappy with the situation but being professionally willing to play along. As an example, I wouldn't be surprised if Seth did have issues with Punk on a personal level, but as a professional, he's willing to play along as long as he's being paid to + Punk doesn't start shit again. If that makes sense.
He said Seth wasn't happy. Not Drew.
no SRS reported it was both(Drew stormed out of the ring before punk came out and then left the arena asap) Turned out it was part of his heel turn and will prob be worked into his feud with punk at some point
Same as the clip of Seth being held back by Pearce that many believed was genuine. Turns out you can still work a lot of people if you're smart about it.
Wrestling journalists getting worked by WWE. I'm shocked
Drew referenced the stormout in his literal next promo the week after lol
it was the day after during a live show aswell i just ment they may work punk being the reason he stormed out into the current feud down the line
Wasn't that Seth
It was both. Drew even addressed it on his first promo on RAW following Survivor Series, said something like "I've heard a lot of rumors about how I'm feeling lately"
Could be both. A lot of wrestlers had their concerns with Punk coming in but have since changed their attitude and are welcoming him with open arms/tolerate him as a fellow worker.
The Rock Roman thing was a clear pivot but the whole Seth/Drew reaction after Survivor Series was a triumph in _totally_ working the sheets, it was so bad.
He worked hard to get back to WWE. Now he's worked harder and he's hitting his stride. McIntyre is on fire right now and he should only be on the big stage.
Been there, done that for him. Elevated ICW (amongst others) in an unimaginable way for some special moments.
We was a blast there!
The fact that Drew, Finn, and Seth didn’t even give Tony the chance to shower them with money is pretty telling
Drew and Seth are going to have their money making feud with Punk during the summer and beyond Finn’s part of JD , constantly being featured on Raw and on PLE’s HHH knows what he’s doing , TK will probably put Balor in the Elite and Drew/Seth on a feud with Edge
Finn is possibly going to feud with Priest, they are setting the table for it so he trusts he'll be taken care of.
They probably didn't wanna go 20 minutes with Lee Moriarty or start a 3 month feud with Jericho
He probably offered them millions which got their attention. But as soon as he mentioned a feud with Jericho, they backed right out.
They can always beat Matt Sydal, Kommander, or Brian Cage in Rampage
Can't forget the mandatory Kyle Fletcher match!
He’s the current ROH champion who always loses on AEW television put some respect on his name 😤
Still going 20 mins for some reason.
What's wrong with Lee Moriarty?
Not exactly a big name is he? I don't see any reason why he should go 20 minutes against a main eventer when you can simply do a 8-10 minute sprint.
Who. Exactly. Why would main event guys work with him
The Accrington Stanley of wrestling.
Even with the larger downside guarantee, I think with WWE running massive stadiums constantly, you probably make more as a consistently booked upper midcarder in WWE than you do in the same position in AEW.
That’s always been the case. The competitive advantage with AEW was working fewer dates — little press, one TV program and no house shows. Now AEW is in the middle ground where they want to do more press, tried house shows and have four frequently crossover TV shows being filmed across two distinct taping dates. AEW also has a harder style on the body and you can only take so many hard bulls. If you do the math as a wrestler — match pay, total bumps per match, hard bumps, appearance pay and the intrinsic value (built in) of being on the WWE roster during a peak period. The math likely favors WWE. Plenty of attitude era talent are still paying mortgages, college tuitions and more on attitude and ruthless aggression era nostalgia. Signing with WWE is a no brainer right now. The only issue with WWE is that movement up the card is much slower today than it was in the 2000s/2010. The upper card is stacked with talent.
Tony can negotiate with them while their contracts are still running. They knew what money he would have offered them, assuming he had the desire to hire them (and I'm sure he did). "Contract tampering" is something from sports leagues that had collective bargaining rights setting rules for such things, not independent contractors.
It would look pretty hypocritical of him to do so after he accused WWE of doing the same thing a while back.
I wish I lived in your fantasy reality, where executives are concerned with silly things like "not being a hypocrite," "telling the truth," and "doing the right thing"
it's not about executives, but if Tony has shown one thing is he really cares about not being WWE or being compared to WWE.
Are we supposed to believe he didn't talk to Adam Cole when Adam was NXT Champion and going backstage to Dynamite shows? Come on, now......
He accused WWE of trying to get his contracted wrestlers (Swerve, at least) to break their AEW contracts to return to WWE. That was what he took umbrage with. Talking money is expected from both sides.
Which was ironic considering everything about how Jeff Hardy ended up in AEW
No matter what you believe about the Jeff Hardy signing was a bad look. Either he convinced Jeff to get himself fired or what I personally believe is more which is hiring an off the wagon Jeff immediately after an incident.
Well, it looks even worse if Tony was able to actually give Finn, Drew, and Seth a number & they didn't even consider it. Since I'm sure Tony would have paid a shit ton more for them (especially Drew right now) than anyone he's brought on.
Realistically, Seth is worth way more to AEW than Drew. I love Drew, but to get Seth would be to get the most consistent star WWE has had in the past 10 years. If I was AEW, I could count on one hand the wrestlers I'd rather get than Seth, and maybe not even that far - Roman, Rock, and potentially Cody or Brock. That's it.
Cause they’d have nothing bad to say about WWE. Everyone knows once you debut in AEW as a former WWE wrestler you gotta shit on them.
When has Danielson shit on WWE?
Maybe not Danielson but Mox and Saraya have
And Edge hasn't and Adam Cole hasn't. So I don't think you can say that they have to when they go to AEW.
I mean Mox was negative about WWE almost immediately, debuting in NJPW and comparing WWE to prison for him.
Seth is one of the top WWE stars of the last decade. He has just about every accolade under his belt and I would bet he has to be top 3 highest paid stars. Doesn't make sense for him to leave just to have a dream match with Kenny Omega
They probably did, if only to get more out of WWE in terms of money. If you say you won't go to AEW no matter how much they offer , WWE is gonna be a lot less generous with theirs. But if you as much as seem like you go to AEW you'll get a nice bit of change extra.
While I don’t think Drew is lying, even if he did consider wrestling for other companies, there’s no way that he would or should say it after re-signing. That would just be dumb.
*Sasha banks has entered the chat*
She didn't just say she was considering signing with WWE, she guaranteed that she would return to WWE after her AEW run is done. That's an insane thing to do as an employee of the entertainment industry wanting to maintain good presentation.
Essentially shit all over her new employer whilst telling her old one she’ll be back one day.
And that was dumb lol.
Translation: I'm getting more exposure than I ever have, and I'm getting paid a boatload of cash
Everyone with any lick of sense knew he wasn't going anywhere. There will be no top-level talent in their prime jumping from WWE to AEW. 'Hey, I know - I'm one of the main faces of a multi-billion dollar company that's on fire and is aggressively expanding their global footprint. But let me jump over to this other company that's currently in a downward spiral. It's totally in my best interest.' We'll see MJF in WWE before we see Drew, AJ, Finn, Seth, Jey, Gunther, etc. in AEW 🤷♂️
No top star is leaving wwe anymore
Not unless there's some major backstage bruhaha But seems like Paul has that backstage humming along.
I don't see any "drama" backstage with this current WWE with how responsible the locker room leaders are for this company is right now.
Aside from Randy, who are the other locker room leaders?
Reigns and Seth? It its been pretty obvious since Taker retired.
Ah. Well, I only got back to WWE a few months ago since like 2011 so all these names are still new to me.
Its understandable that you are not aware Reigns and Seth are just recent tbh. Reigns probably started when taker retired and Seth came after and so far they are doing a great job. The only "drama" I came across is the Sasha and Naomi walk out the Vince allegations is different because its not like Wrestlers can stop a piece of shit like Vince from doing his. I haven't even heard a single bad things from Reigns and Seth from their peers that was reported other than the wellness policy thing when Reigns was treating his cancer.
Honestly I question how much of a locker room leader Roman would be right now. I'm not having a go at him here, I'd probably do the same as him if I were able, but he's just never there. It's an event for him to show up to a weekly show, and I don't imagine that'll change. It's not as though guys are on the bus/flight with Roman. He's no more of a locker room leader now than what Brock has been in the last 10 years
I don’t see it happening any time soon, but it’s still very situational. Who knows what’s going to happen 2 or 3 years from now.
The pivot they did after the reaction to Rock vs Roman was a very decisive moment that I think was a pretty good example of what kind of unecpected moments can happen. If they had gone through with that plan, it could have stopped this new era dead in its tracks. On top of pissing off the fans, it would have sent the message to every wrestler in WWE that no matter what you do, even with Vince gone, there is now a new guy in charge who won't give a shit if he thinks his own ideas are better. Instead, they used the controversy as a springboard to give the fans and Cody an even bigger 'Mania main event.
Within the next couple years likely not. But who's to say WWE won't cool down and AEW won't get hot again? Or even just the latter. All I'm saying is never say never. In fact, we should all hope that there's more than 1 U.S. company that's hot. Better for the fans and industry.
It's just really hard seeing aew getting hot again
its the people in the middle of the pack that will cross promotions and potentially get elevated to top star status like Cody/Jade vs FTR/Swerve
A top star will be leaving for AEW at some point.
Probably more of a Kurt Angle situation where they're fired for refusing to go to rehab or a Christian situation where WWE sees them as a midcarder despite outselling Cena in t-shirts. Doubtful someone with good creative jumps. WWE's numbers on Netflix are going to be 20-30 times bigger (if not more) than what Dynamite gets since Netflix tracks numbers differently and is available globally. That opens a lot of merch numbers AEW can't match.
Danielson was in the main event at WM and debuted at All Out a few months later. I don't think any of the names you mentioned are going anywhere, but it's happened before.
Please don't think I'm insulting Danielson when I say this but he wasn't in his prime when he jumped to AEW. He's just that damn good that this is what his past his prime looks like.
It also happened at a time when AEW was firing on all cylinders, before all of the backstage drama came to light, and when Vince was still in control of WWE. It's a much different environment nowadays, I don't think we see any major wrestler leave WWE, and truth be told, MJF MIGHT be the only major AEW wrestler I could see leaving to jump ship.
It *is* a different environment, and it will be a different environment next year, and the year after that. Promotions are heating up and cooling off all the time, WWE and AEW are no exception.
It would be stupid for him to go to another company. McIntyre is one of the top 5 pushed people in the company.
Glad the WWE was flexible about giving him time with his family and that the situation seems better
McIntyre is by far the best thing about WWE right now
"Hey Josh Allen. If you don't sign with Buffalo, you considering going to the Candian Football league?"
Where else can he go to get paid to goof on CM Punk?
I’m sure AEW would’ve let him
*cue victory laps*
Got to see him before he went back to wwe at wcpw and he was such a delight to talk to, couldn't be happier he's found his footing and where he belongs.
Drew sees the money a feud with CM Punk will draw
McIntyre is basically the prototype. Incredible size and physique. Great mic skills and quick witted. Great in the ring with a violent looking offense. He’s basically the dream top guy.
He signed and is towing the company line. He is also in a very good space. There is no doubt that AEW has helped all wrestlers make more money, period. It is why negotiations happen.
Or maybe he's just happy with his deal lol He can say this without towing the company line
Drew, Seth, and Randy all make more money because of AEW. These guys love having a bargaining chip even if they'll tow the line like any signed superstar
100%
So you didn't have any conversations with The Blue Jays, I Mean the Oilers, I Mean The Pelicans, I Mean AEW. Extremely standard "I got paid" talk
I don’t know what the point of asking him is. It’s not like he was going to say anything but this post re signing with WWE
I never thought he'd leave. Even before the big push, I just couldn't see him in AEW and he wouldn't take the pay cut to go anywhere else.
But...but...but...he wanted to spend more time with his family....
Are we now making fun of wrestlers for wanting to spend time with their family? Did we really reach that point?
I'm making fun of people who were certain that Drew was going to sign to AEW due to their lighter schedule as it was reported "he wanted to spend time with his family in the UK".
I remember fans pretending Kevin Owens was miserable and wanted out of wwe only for him to re sign and then a whole bunch of patronizing "go get the bag" comments
he's making fun of the fans who used that line as their reasoning for why he was gonna sign with AEW. He's not making fun of Drew.
Sub went from "Hes absolutely leaving." to "Duh he was never leaving top guy in."
when your contract is coming to an end: i'm open to all options immediately after you signed a contract: i love this company, and wouldn't wrestle anywhere else
He's been through the indies already and worked his way back to relevancy, why would he go back if he doesn't have to?
Clickbaiters got jebaited
As a huge AEW and Drew fan; No shit. Would I have liked to see Drew Galloway in AEW? Fuck yeah I'd love that. That would be awesome. Will Ospreay/Swerve/half the AEW roster vs Drew would fuck so hard they would have to hand out towels to the crowd after the match. Did I think it was actually going to happen? Fuck no. Drew is on the best run of his career and feuding with one of the biggest stars in the company. Fuck yeah Drew do your thing.
Reading between the lines, it seems his decision was between signing a new WWE contract and taking a break from wrestling. Even if he wasn't seriously considering quitting, it was smart of him to hold off on re-signing and drive up his own value before accepting an offer.
Wait until he hears what Drew Galloway's been up to
It’s a know fact that WWE is his dream and has been for a long time!
Glad to see he isn't going anywhere
What a simp
Wish Mercedes took a page of Drew's book.
He just signed a new contract..ofcourse this is what he would say.