Pro Wrestling: Tony Khan's Keeping Too Many Secrets

                                                  

Hey hey hey Divas! Back with you for another one. Taking a break from math (I haven't thrown anything while doing homework-yet), which is a good sign. Math has always given me anxiety (or at least added to the anxiety I have with ADHD), so actually liking math is surprising. Maybe it’s the format we’re using, I don’t know. I’m slowly getting it after it took me years to get it. In addition to math, I’m taking a literature course too, which I really like. 

 Late summer days are here  and I'm amped up for football season with the Bears season and home opener against the 49ers on Sunday. I'll see my favorite toddler and her pups-guess what I'm wearing to work? 

On with the show. 

As I'm doing math problems, I was thinking about this entire situation with Punk/Elite/AEW. I peeked on Apple news plus spoilers regarding Dynamite and found an interesting article that referenced the poor handling of the Punk-Elite situation. https://apple.news/AO4_mbqzTShyPekckIQBNEw 

In this article, James Dator of SBNation writes about TK’s failure to address the events that took place after All Out, along with handling of the situation. Dator also points out how AEW poorly handled the situation with regards to Dynamite, alluding to the fact that 1), AEW brushed the entire situation under the rug except for the suspensions of the individuals involved, 2), the not addressing the situation on Dynamite, 3) the fact that fans know what happened (does TK really believe we don’t know what took place), 4) casual (you know the names of some of the characters) and even non-fans know what happened (NoDQ Virtue tweeted that people in his office who are not fans are talking), 5) AEW failed to use this to their advantage. 

The more you think about it, the more you realize he’s right. AEW blew this opportunity faster than a bubble from solution on a breezy day. In the article, Dator also wrote a sample speech that AEW could’ve used to address the fans, acknowledging what took place and his plans for the title picture. 

That didn’t happen and now AEW is making the fans look stupid while looking stupid themselves. 

What draws in viewers? Good storylines. Take the Starz series “Power”, for example. Kiki (my best friend) watched it and she got me hooked. I was into the first season when Ghost and Angie ran into each other at Truth, largely because I wanted to find out what would happen between the two of them after their reunion (they were high school sweethearts and she became the AUSDA who was trying to capture him). The second season held my interest, but it was halfway through the third season that really got my attention. Same goes for “Black Mafia Families” also on Starz about the Flenory brothers, Big Meech and Tee. The Flenory brothers were known in the drug trade circa eighties and nineties and beyond, making a name for themselves similar to George Jung, a member of the Columbia Medellin Cartel who smuggled drugs into the US during the seventies. (“Blow” is the biopic of Jung’s life starring Johnny Depp as Jung. Good film and worth a watch if you haven’t seen it). The storyline of Ghost, nightclub owner and top player in the NYC drug game who later makes a run for governor in later seasons, accompanied by best friend and partner loose cannon Tommy with the unethical personal attorney Proctor made for story that drew viewers in, along with the spin-offs of Book 2 surrounding Ghost’s son Tariq as he follows in his father’s footsteps, plus Book 4 which follows Tommy to Chicago as he navigates a new city cooking beefs (no pun intended) with the Flynn family provide the backdrop for a continuing story within the Power universe. 

Interesting storylines create interest for new viewers. Being hooked on the story leads to binge watching. Buzz about storylines gets people taking, creating interest, leaving viewers wondering what will happen next. Certain characters give viewers that interest, leaving the viewer wondering what will happen next.

CM Punk is one of those people. He is the character one tunes into see. With his ability to speak and IDGAF attitude, Punk is that guy, the guy who marches to his own drum while keeping fans engaged. The 2011 Pipebomb is proof of both. 

He did what nobody else had the guts to do-he called out the pretty boy Bucks and their sidekick Omega and said what needed to be said. Unable to handle the comments and the fact the Bucks/Omega are awful EVPs plus they can’t wrestle (they really can’t and Virtue’s tweet about paying $100 to sit at the media scrum with Punk and not paying even $1 to see the Bucks wrestle is spot on). The Bucks are pretty boys in beautiful positions with their pal; enough said.

Yet AEW acted like the event didn’t happen. Brushed under the rug like dust or the back to the earring, even the earring itself. AEW could’ve done so much with this, even having the Bucks and Punk speak, along with others involved, acknowledging the incident, comments, plus suspension. Imagine what this could’ve done for AEW. Instead, things are ignored, people are gone, and Punk is injured again (I believe that may be a work and not as serious as people think). 

There’s other things AEW could’ve done, and they missed the opportunity. 

I miss Punk, and if I want to watch pretty boys, I can watch HBK as a member of the Rockers or during his singles run. At least I’ll watch a team with actual talent. 

With football and love,

Dani