#but then he said claudio was a horse and I just ??? what even is wrestling fam?

[dreadwhoop]

Reviewing the All Elite Wrestling personnel 2022 Edition (Part 2) -

Part 0 - https://dreadwhoop.tumblr.com/post/697331836428353536/reviewing-the-all-elite-wrestling-personnel-2022

Part 1 - https://dreadwhoop.tumblr.com/post/697332640769081344/reviewing-the-all-elite-wrestling-personnel-2022

PROMOTE

One of the diamonds in the rough so to speak. One should not miss out on his unorthodox techniques or creative moveset. I liked him in Lucha Underground as Killshot and, like there, he stands out because he brings something different to the table. Unlike Keith Lee, who seems like a hit or miss, the only drawback to Swerve is the same probelem AEW has with any talent they don't know what to do with so I'll make it easy for them - push this guy, make his star shine in the spotlight, and give him the recognition he deserves.

Honorable mentions to Kris Statlander and Julia Hart. In Kris Statlander's case she's injured again so it hampers her improvements this year. Had she stayed healthy she'd of taken the spot Jamie Hayter now covets. As for Julia Hart she wasn't on the official roster and I feel sorry for her being put in such a bad position spending half the year in a "will she won't she" storyline between The Varsity Blondes and The House of Black and, when joining said House of Black, is now only 1 of 2 remaining active members and just last week almost died on TV. She deserves better - maybe if Saraya is cleared Julia should do something with her to help her out of this rut. Beyond this I just wish her the best - Justice for Julia!

Anyways Jamie Hayter is 2022's Dark Horse of AEW. She has won over the fans and interest all by being a superior athlete and a vastly improved look from her 2019 version. Even after loss after loss and made to seem like a sidekick the fans don't buy it - they want her to win like they wanted The Acclaimed to win the Tag Team Belts. What's the hold up? Strike whilst the iron is hot - give Jamie some meaningful wins. Oh and put her in the BCC - at least then the faction would mean something more than a platform to hold Bryan Danielson back. Jeez why does Toni Storm have the title and not her...beat her, beat Thunder Rosa to be undisputed, then beat Jade Cargill in a "Champion Vs Champion" match to cement Hayter as the top talent in the women's division.

The better Scorpio Sky. Everything Sky has achieved Jay Lethal should achieve more - one of the most consummate professionals in all wrestling, a fantastic help to guys like Sammy Guevara and Ricky Starks when he put them over, and very humble to help others as best he can. He has already paid his dues in AEW and it's time for him to be rewarded for this.

The bizarro Goldberg. Goldberg got everything but had no dues or tenured talent to deserve it. Claudio is an incredibly strong, fast, techical, versatile, and enduring person in wrestling. He has spent the prime of his entire life in a company who treated him wrong yet we're supposed to feel sorry for how CM Punk got treated. Yeah this is why the fans of wrestling eat poor and live poor because you have right here the most valuable asset in professional wrestling. Oh wait he can't 'talk' you mean he's a stoic throwback and not a bombastic dramatist like your Jericho or Moxley types? I never understand why people want AEW to be an 'alternative' to WWE when you have the most alternative answer to what you know about wrestling in Claudio. He's everything - he's old school, he's new school, he's the guy you could put in ANY ERA and he'd be great. This guy is the modern day Bruno Sammartino except the industry can't book him for 9 years on top because then it'd made sense. A crime this guy isn't AEW World Champion or at least TNT Champion. No no his ROH run doesn't even matter who brought this up!? Go sit down and remain silent until you're asked to talk again.

This was a hard toss-up between him and Max Caster but, like with all things, waiting just a little can make all the difference and Caster is in a good position right now where he belongs. What about Kaz then? He can work, he can talk, and he can help others. I don't get why good people get punished whilst bad people get rewarded. What did Kaz do wrong? You can't say he's too old because a number of talent are doing better than him whilst being older. You can't say he's boring because so is Garcia and Yuta and yet they're pushed. What is it? Lack of ego? No I don't mean Ethan Page I mean he's not causing problems. Is this it? He's too professional? Amazing. Maybe him, Ogogo, Sydal, and some of the others should make a faction, because Tony Khan LOVES FACTIONS, and call themselves "The Professionals" because all they're here to do is win matches and be examples of this business. Imagine AEW needing this as a gimmick.

I'm including this as an entry for them as a Tag Team but honestly you could say they'd do equally well as singles. The Lucha Brothers are mainstays of AEW who have always been constants in the company, Penta even more than Fenix, yet both are due for major pushes. It's like FTR - you can't deny something which always delivers. One day we'll see these two wrestle each other again, which was a treat the last time, and I hope this time it's for higher stakes.

As I've said before in previous years, anyone who is not on the list is because I either find what they are doing fine and AEW can just stay the course or, if they have appeared before, won't again beacuse I am principled to believe what I said before and will stand by it. In the case of Darby Allin I felt the last couple years he was doing fine but 2022 he's been misused and treated like a joke. No better example than the ill-fated loss to Jeff Hardy. If MJF is destined to win the AEW title then destiny sees Darby beating MJF for said title. How can you see it right now? They need to build Darby up now before it's too late. Cut him from Sting, maybe do a "Best of Seven" with Swerve, and try to ensure by 2023's annual recap I'm not regretting putting stock into Darby Allin now.

This comes with a caveat - I do not mean return him to AEW no I mean return him to ROH, let him beat Jericho for the ROH title, and bring it to prominence. Adam Cole's run in AEW was tainted after his win to Jungle Boy (and anyone else by low blow it seems) by having him paired up with Orange Cassidy and his friends Kyle and Bobby made to become second rate versions of themselves too. Kyle, in fairness, did get to be utilised better which only made Adam Cole look more diminished as time went on. We can't see him on AEW first - let him be the flagship to ROH and go from there. A calming influence within a sea of anger at AEW.

The unsung heroine of the women's division - the pinfall princess - Riho suffered an injury back in February and we've not seen her since. She's sorely missed. I never realised just how needed she was until I saw all the awful women's wrestling throughout 2022. Riho is always great just as Hikaru Shida is, just as Yuka Sakazaki is, and even Maki Itoh. It's a cultural export some don't have the stomach for yet people have never felt she didn't truly belong - they're just sour over the success of a perpetual underdog. Riho is a joy to watch because she has to brave the odds.

Last year, Bryan Danielson was the greatest AEW talent working, AEW was doing really well doing into 2022, and it all got ruined when Jon Moxley forced him to become part of this BCC storyline. Ever since then he's been made to look like the 2nd or 3rd or even 4th best of the group (maybe even 5th if you count Regal seducing his "Man in the Mask"). His loss to Daniel Garcia was one of 2022's most pathetic calls. Did Moxley lose to Yuta? Did Jericho position himself to lose to a upcoming talent like Dante Martin? If AEW can't do right by him then at least make him tear it up in NJPW or somewhere else where his style matters. Like Claudio, and as MJF likes to parrot, Bryan Danielson is GEN E RATIONAL TALENT. You can't afford for him to miss the last great years of his career by floundering in the midcard and wrestling bums like Matt Menure. He was born for this and, like Ricky Steamboat, will always be a great talent.