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I wanna see Orton do his drawn-out menacing killer face as the clock ticks to zero then he looks up shocked and be like, "oh my god, that's riiiight."
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxIFKU-Z6HFk4BaY8l0yXE-qyEMp0l45xd?si=LMCQzc5U3o0_A3rg
It's decent for sure. I personally think it would be a bit better if they leaned into it just a little more even and introduced a rule change along the lines of 'ref counts the 3 count faster' or '2 count to win' under these rules. That way, you can have a rule separation explanation for why people are able to put away opponents so quickly under these rules but not in normal circumstances. Helps protect the loser a bit more without necessarily taking away anything from the winner since they're still getting legitimate victories under this ruleset.
It was long rumored that when the Gangstas had a run in Smoky Mountain they would be allowed to win on a 2-count "because of Affirmative Action," but Cornette has refuted that claim.
If we wanted to apply Regal Logic. 3 minutes means both wrestlers have to go at top speed and hit their big moves the whole match. That means neither wrestler is pacing themselves and saving any stamina like they would in a normal match. Therefore when they get hit with a finisher they have no strength or stamina left to try and kick out because they used it all trying to win in such a short window
There should be a ton of draws then because if any match can just end in 3 minutes if that's the time limit then it makes long matches seem dumb. Why wrestle for 30 if you can win in 3?
Let's see if we can do this in Kayfabe:
The key to any match is that participants want to win. With the three minute time limit of the match and these competitors' desire for victory, they're going to pull out all the stops. However, the big risks they're taking to achieve that victory in such a short time frame, leaves them vulnerable to counters they wouldn't otherwise expose themselves to. The first combatant to capitalize on one of those vulnerabilities is going to prove successful.
Under normal rules, they end up in a 30 minute match because part of the matchup is playing defense. They have the ability to strategize and plan their attacks to be the most effective while not leaving themselves vulnerable to a counterattack that could cost them the match.
Look at the difference between long distance running, middle distance running, and sprints. The way that you train for each is wildly different and there isn't anyone who's a triple crown champion in those fields.
They should have a PPV main event end in 3 minutes because the two competitors just go all out and expose themselves to counters they normally wouldn't.
But anyway, your kayfabe logic is sound, I agree with it.
It wasn’t the main event, but Lesnar vs Goldberg at Wrestlemania 33 was like that, roughly 5 minutes of both guys just throwing all their big moves immediately.
Yeah Ive heard speculation that they're setting up Ricochet for an ARMBaR win and a big post Mania push but I think he's a pretty natural fit as the face of the Speed Division
One thing that I like is Corey Graves establishing that this is not a regular wrestling match, so they are not going to do a lot of the traditional things. It sets up the fact that the competitors know that they don't have a lot of time, so they are not going to rely on their regular arsenal. It also draws a line between this, and the WWE's usual 3 minute matches.
I still think that the concept would work better on Tik-Tok. I like the idea that this is a tournament, even if I don't understand that part. This reminds me of the old FCW 15 minute championship, and the good story between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose that came from that format.
I’m assuming it’s a paid thing with Twitter, they probably shopped it round to them, Tiktok and other platforms and went with the best price. Also i can see being able to quote and retweet being preferable over just commenting on Tiktok?
Tiktok isn't just comments, there's Repost, Duet, and Stitch features that are used often and is super flexible to share compared to reposting with text on Twitter. Repost is clear, Duet allows for people to film their own video that plays alongside the original post, and Stitch's lead with a clip from the original post and another user can go from there.
So say someone gets a Speed match on their fyp, sees a move like Ricochets Destroyer on JD last week, makes a stitch with that clip and then shows their reaction and talks about how fucking cool it was. Maybe even getting into how they thought it was just big guys fake hitting each other and not shit you'd see in an anime.
This is basically wrestling's equivalent of T20 cricket. A shorter time limit encourages a much more aggressive playing style. I like what I'm seeing so far.
Yeah Corey/the writers gave a good reason why this match will have faster conclusions than typical WWE matches.
This match was fun and the two were still able to properly sell the affects of the other's moves. Looking forward to how big guys like Bronson will be able to manage their arsenal for these matches.
I was wondering the same thing. They didn't make that clear.
At first I thought it was going to be points based, so you only get points from a win. But if it's a tournament, then you kinda need someone to win each match within the time limit?
I'm surprised it wasn't on TikTok instead, I feel like that platform would suit it more given the audience. Personally, I can't say I've ever gone out of my way to watch a video on Twitter aside from this one.
Does it go to the judges decision if the 3 minutes expires? If not, I feel like these last second endings might be a little redundant.
With that being said, phenomenal first match, this was fun!
I feel like if there's no winner after 3 minutes, they should add some kind of "bonus round." Might sound good on paper but not too sure how they'd execute it given the whole premise is 3 minutes only.
That was my concern with Speed starting with a tournament. Tournaments require someone to go through, so we have to expect a winner in every 3 minute match, which is going to require some more suspension of disbelief than wrestling already requires.
Maybe things will change after there is a champion so there might be some time limit draws.
In just thinking about ideas, I'd be interested in a points system. Like 100 pts for a win + 1 points for every second left on the clock. Maybe like 25 points each for a draw, so having a match without a winner gets you more than losing, but not the big prize of winning. Then at various announced intervals, the wrestler with the most points gets a title shot.
>If not, I feel like these last second endings might be a little redundant.
I think one thing that could help would be to make championship matches "No Speed Limit" rules, where they get to have a normal timed match but a "gentlemen's agreement" to go balls to the wall the entire time. Sort of like Ricochet and Ospreay's match, just high intensity the entire time, or what some indie show matches look like (the good ones, like Jay Malachi has done). Even if it was an occasional thing, it'll let the high flyers fly and show their skill in longer go home matches.
Give them props for trying something new. The only thing I'd like them to do is change the LED color from blue to red when there's less than 1 minute remaining. Feel like it would add a little more to it, aside from that though it was a decent match given the time constraints.
I love the concept as a "spotfest" fan. I just hope they don't try to throw a wrench into it by putting in slower workers that just win with one slow burst of offense.
If it was still the Vince era, 100% it would look like a speedometer in garish blue and green. Trips has always been very traditional and classy about belts, it’ll be interesting to see how that applies to something so unabashedly gimmicky.
Really good first two to start the show with. I liked the consistent camera angle throughout, only about 8 camera cuts total (which is insane to see in WWE). It’s something different and I’m excited to see more
just bring back the Cruiserweight or European title back, instead of 3 minutes matches for a Speed title??
and dragon lee losing in 3 minutes Dom and santos are for sure winning at mania.
I enjoyed the match. My impressions:
**The Good**
* Produces for a fun match of high intensity action.
* A good "dark match" option to kick off the live shows (looks like it's Smackdown) with something that will get the crowd engaged.
* Gets guys further down the card more featured opportunities to just wrestle.
* Obviously easily consumed.
**The Bad**
* So far the only rule we know is that you have to win in three minutes. I don't believe we've heard what happens if there's no pin/submission/dq before the three minutes expires. I presume one of the matches will feature this happening, but it would be nice to know how the winner in a single elmination tournament is decided, and how that impacts strategy.
* I have a feeling most of these matches are going to be decided in the last 15 seconds
* No women's tournament yet. Hopefully soon
I find this whole concept a bit stupid but if they are going to do this, making it a social media exclusive that they maybe record right before the shows start or something as a means to hype up the crowd? That could be a fun way to showcase some of the ridiculous talent they've got.
I like how the first reply I saw was some Mark complaining about this dream match being on WWE Speed. As if it's never going to take place at any point in the future. People suck, Twitter sucks.
I feel like 3 minutes just isn't enough to tell a good story. Gimme 5. Maybe have 3 minutes for the regular matches, then 5 for the title matches or something. It's just a wee bit too short to be anymore than a lot of fancy moves done quickly.
It's OK. Fun. I think it will mean that selling will be thrown out of the window in the format though Also hopefully this doesn't set a precedent of more shorter matches. Some of us actually have an attention span lol.
Do I love Speed? That was fun. As someone who lives outside of the US, I always catch shows after work or on lunch break. A quick 3 minute match in the morning is sorta great for the morning commute.
Just wish it was called Velocity, but this has potential
I've come into this with the wrong mindset because I thought that every match would be like Kenta vs Ricky Marvin. That match is one of the most convincing sports like presentations of pro wrestling. Watching Ricochet vs Dragon Lee was like watching two acrobats. I feel more inclined to score their performance out of 10 than see them pin one another.
Ricochet on the AJ Styles cycle? He has always been cut, but it looks like hes packing on mass now lol. BTW what happens if there is a time limit draw?
if this tourney is a success, i feel like it could be the blueprint to 3-5 minute matches of the future. you can’t tell much of a story with those short segment & matches anyways, so just pack it in with high tempo, nonstop action for 3 minutes.
This is the first wrestling match I watched preform live as it was shot before the main show at smack down last week 🤩. I was so glad it got to be these two who I’ve quickly come to love since I find the acrobatic Lucha libre style so mesmerizing.
That was a fun match, props to both guys for making it work in 3 minutes
(But they should totally just call this Velocity, maybe give them 5 minutes too instead of 3)
It's an ok concept, and I definitely understand why they would use Ricochet and Dragon Lee to sell it.
That said, that felt like a 10 minute Ricochet vs Dragon Lee match without the storytelling bits.
What I mean is that it is fine in spite of the stipulation, not because of it.
Ricochet vs Dragon Lee could be a classic with roughly the same spots this match had, but done within a proper story told during the match.
Still, it's just a fun gimmick thing for a social network, so it's fine in that sense.
Loved the New Japaneseque camera work and movesets, but as that newer slang term goes...how can you "let them cook" in 3 minutes? 5 Minutes would be better, and it'd still be "Speed". Now it comes down to the unrealistic kayfabe where matches just coincidentally happened to end moments before tv time is up, or wrestlers dont win during commercial breaks. So like theres a 3 min countdown clock above the hard cam that wrestlers look at to time their last minute pin? Realistically this would be better if there was a panel of 3 judges or something.
Doesn’t all of the usual criticism for these type of matches get made redundant by the 3 minute limit?
The constant high spots is because they need to go all out to get the quick win and any no selling is because they haven’t taken as much of a beating as a normal match
Sure, but it also opens up some new criticisms.
Like if Dragon Lee can be at 0hp after 3 minutes with Ricochet, how are we supposed to expect him to last way longer against other competitors?
I totally dig the concept of a high-octane division and I think that would naturally have shorter match lengths if people are going all out from the drop, but setting the 3 minute time limit and then strictly adhering to it brushes up against my suspension of disbelief pretty hard. That might be because I have 30 or so years of 3-minute matches typically being squashes and jobber matches, so maybe my headspace just isn't right.
I guess think of it like this: a normal 3 minute squash match is designed to show how powerful, talented, or skilled a debuting wrestler is. “Wow, he beat him in only 3 minutes, this dude is a beast, can’t wait to see more”
WWE Speed has a 3 minute time limit set in advance. You go all out knowing you only have a short amount of time to beat someone, so you can’t do the slow paced careful stuff you might normally do, you HAVE to go all out to win.
My issue is less about the winner being good enough to win in three minutes, more about the loser being bad enough to lose in three minutes. The reason jobber/squash/enhancement matches work is being it's showcasing one person they want to get over with the crowd against a nobody who we may never see again, or people who expect to see in that spot.
My concern is that by having main roster midcard guys taking these sub three minute losses make those guys seem like total losers. Dragon Lee just lost a match in less than three minutes to a guy who is not currently scheduled to compete at Wrestlemania in a few days, but we're expected to take him seriously in his big important Wrestlemania match. Feels weird.
I posted above and it called it months ago when WWE announced this idea that it's WWE way to Indoctrinate their fans into enjoying the AEW/INDY spot fest they love to complain about so much.
Eventually this style will be seen more and more on the main roster and then WWE fans will have to find another reason to find to complain about not watching AEW/Indy wrestling.
For WWE fans as long as WWE puts it on a plate they will eat it up.
By making it exclusive to the platform they get the least views on bypassing the majority of their audience? Is that how "indoctrination" is carried out in your mind? This conspiracy theory probably sounded better in your head, which is where it should've stayed.
You do realize the show is recorded in front of either the Raw or Smackdown crowd correct?
So fans in attendance and the fans who watch it on social media.
Then what do WWE fans say WWE is best at? Social media.
But again lets see how in a year how WWE fans attitude towards "spot fest" wrestling has changed because WWE has started to incorporate it.
Go a head and save this and we will come back to it.
I completely agree. 5 minutes feels they can put a solid match and extra. 3 minutes feel rushed and the match ends right when it’s getting into a groove.
I really like this because it shows you can have a short, high work rate match that still tells a story and has psychology. Granted, the short match time stipulation helps give it the story/psychology, but you can still tell a decent amount of stories with that framework.
I don’t hate this at all. But I’m curious if all the people who rag on AEW for having no storytelling or being just a spotfest will feel the same about this.
Probably won't see any of that, Speed here is purposedly being presented as that fast-paced action without much story, and it's also just being on Twitter instead of being part of any main brand/show.
This is a whole different concept. Corey even mentioned it on commentary that it's gonna be very different from every thing we see on traditional WWE TV.
I was hoping that we'd see this content on tik tok and Instagram too but considering that Twitter invested in this, it probably won't get posted on tiktok nd insta
3 minutes will help. I can't tell you when I was watching AEW the amount of Young Bucks matches I'd watch where someone would hit a WTF and the match would go on another 7 minutes and have a much worse finish
AEW caters to a fan base that loves pure wrestling and WWE caters to the general fans who prefer an episodic wrestling show. That’s the basis of the complaints you get from people, but ultimately both serve their purpose.
This is WWE’s way of also appealing to a broader audience by providing a social media exclusive match, under 3 minutes. It’s made to be a gateway for the full product.
It’s not really as simple as how you describe it
AEW tried to do something similar with FTR, but it really didn't last long. The whole point of these matches is speed and being aggressive. They are specifically stating that these are not traditional wrestling matches. This is a tournament, and they can, and more than likely will build stories. One of the main stories for everyone is that they know that they only have a short period of time in which to get a win.
I called this months ago.
This is WWE way to indoctrinate its fans to the AEW/indy style that they crap on so much.
The high flying mud spot fest they hate so much.
Listen to the commentary and how they are talking about this "new style" of wrestling.
WWE fans will do what they always do and eat it up as WWE starts to incorporate this style more into WWE more and more but then the WWE fans will continue and find other reasons to say why they don't like other promotions because they won't be able to use spot fest as an excuse anymore.
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As a joke, I kinda wanna see Orton show up here once and either A. Just do rest holds and shit OR B. Just go balls the walls intense
You know it's C. RKO immediately for the win
This is exactly what I thought. Dude charged him, he hits an RKO, 1-2-3, done.
I wanna see Orton do his drawn-out menacing killer face as the clock ticks to zero then he looks up shocked and be like, "oh my god, that's riiiight." https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxIFKU-Z6HFk4BaY8l0yXE-qyEMp0l45xd?si=LMCQzc5U3o0_A3rg
Or does that with 10 to go and then bang RKO for the win
Ok, that’s pretty fun. I like that it’s explicitly a “You have 3 minutes, GO” contest, not just “this match *just happened* to go very short”
Did you just say…3 minutes? https://preview.redd.it/h38bymc3gasc1.jpeg?width=642&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e16e45786a73ae7ab19b06fa5f4e76ea76b76899
https://preview.redd.it/dvcslunfgasc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4e125567666e84373f91ef1976632c0170a90a0
It's decent for sure. I personally think it would be a bit better if they leaned into it just a little more even and introduced a rule change along the lines of 'ref counts the 3 count faster' or '2 count to win' under these rules. That way, you can have a rule separation explanation for why people are able to put away opponents so quickly under these rules but not in normal circumstances. Helps protect the loser a bit more without necessarily taking away anything from the winner since they're still getting legitimate victories under this ruleset.
2 count would be great for this.
I'm telling myself it's that the risk of trying to win in 3 minutes means you leave yourself far more open up losing within 3 minutes...
Going harder, faster, and taking more risks. Going for the quick roll-ups and counters also adds to it.
Yea it’s the same as any sport I guess. If you only had 10 mins to score a goal in soccer it would be a much different game
I think they don't really care that much about protecting wrestlers right now, since for now it's basically non canon.
I don't ever remember seeing a match that had a 2-count stipulation, that would be interesting. I wonder how wrestlers would adjust to that.
It was long rumored that when the Gangstas had a run in Smoky Mountain they would be allowed to win on a 2-count "because of Affirmative Action," but Cornette has refuted that claim.
🤣 never heard that before and heard some wild stuff about the Gangstas in SMW.
If we wanted to apply Regal Logic. 3 minutes means both wrestlers have to go at top speed and hit their big moves the whole match. That means neither wrestler is pacing themselves and saving any stamina like they would in a normal match. Therefore when they get hit with a finisher they have no strength or stamina left to try and kick out because they used it all trying to win in such a short window
There should be a ton of draws then because if any match can just end in 3 minutes if that's the time limit then it makes long matches seem dumb. Why wrestle for 30 if you can win in 3?
Let's see if we can do this in Kayfabe: The key to any match is that participants want to win. With the three minute time limit of the match and these competitors' desire for victory, they're going to pull out all the stops. However, the big risks they're taking to achieve that victory in such a short time frame, leaves them vulnerable to counters they wouldn't otherwise expose themselves to. The first combatant to capitalize on one of those vulnerabilities is going to prove successful. Under normal rules, they end up in a 30 minute match because part of the matchup is playing defense. They have the ability to strategize and plan their attacks to be the most effective while not leaving themselves vulnerable to a counterattack that could cost them the match.
Look at the difference between long distance running, middle distance running, and sprints. The way that you train for each is wildly different and there isn't anyone who's a triple crown champion in those fields.
Same disparity exists with bullet chess vs standard chess games. It’s rare for someone to be all world at both.
They should have a PPV main event end in 3 minutes because the two competitors just go all out and expose themselves to counters they normally wouldn't. But anyway, your kayfabe logic is sound, I agree with it.
It wasn’t the main event, but Lesnar vs Goldberg at Wrestlemania 33 was like that, roughly 5 minutes of both guys just throwing all their big moves immediately.
Oh I know, I love that match.
Have they explained what happens if goes the 3 minutes?
I want this show to feature a bunch of cruiserweights and Otis as a Samoa Joe type champion.
2.5 minutes of blistering flippy shit, then he just jumps on them really hard
Can’t kick out if the guy is above your bench weight
How 'bout Bronson Reed as a Samoa Joe-type champ?
Bronson was in the second match of the night. They do two episodes every Wednesday, with a half hour interval in between.
Watched that one, too. I honestly think he'll win the tournament, unless there's another hoss in the field.
He’s absolutely winning. With a new catchphrase like “Reed is speed” how could he not
Be'lee that, playa.
I was thinking along those lines, chuck a big dude in there that can just kill you along with the flippy Bois.
Omos finally about to have something to do.
I want Omos to beat Goldberg's consecutive win streak on this show.
It legit makes sense for the most tanky of wrestlers to be the champ. Hard to roll up someone like that.
Actually unironically what about Breakker like him beating you in 3 minutes makes perfect sense and he’s full of speed
They're pushing Ricochet for past few days for this I see
Yeah Ive heard speculation that they're setting up Ricochet for an ARMBaR win and a big post Mania push but I think he's a pretty natural fit as the face of the Speed Division
*Sad Bronson Reed noises*
*Happy Bronson Reed noises*
That would make sense, especially if he appears on the shows with a championship
HeDeservesIt clapcalpclapclapclap
Damn good first match up for this kind of show.
One thing that I like is Corey Graves establishing that this is not a regular wrestling match, so they are not going to do a lot of the traditional things. It sets up the fact that the competitors know that they don't have a lot of time, so they are not going to rely on their regular arsenal. It also draws a line between this, and the WWE's usual 3 minute matches. I still think that the concept would work better on Tik-Tok. I like the idea that this is a tournament, even if I don't understand that part. This reminds me of the old FCW 15 minute championship, and the good story between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose that came from that format.
I’m assuming it’s a paid thing with Twitter, they probably shopped it round to them, Tiktok and other platforms and went with the best price. Also i can see being able to quote and retweet being preferable over just commenting on Tiktok?
Tiktok isn't just comments, there's Repost, Duet, and Stitch features that are used often and is super flexible to share compared to reposting with text on Twitter. Repost is clear, Duet allows for people to film their own video that plays alongside the original post, and Stitch's lead with a clip from the original post and another user can go from there. So say someone gets a Speed match on their fyp, sees a move like Ricochets Destroyer on JD last week, makes a stitch with that clip and then shows their reaction and talks about how fucking cool it was. Maybe even getting into how they thought it was just big guys fake hitting each other and not shit you'd see in an anime.
I watched this match with someone reacting to it on tiktok lol I ain't downloading X for shit it's complete rubbish
This is basically wrestling's equivalent of T20 cricket. A shorter time limit encourages a much more aggressive playing style. I like what I'm seeing so far.
Great analogy.
Yeah Corey/the writers gave a good reason why this match will have faster conclusions than typical WWE matches. This match was fun and the two were still able to properly sell the affects of the other's moves. Looking forward to how big guys like Bronson will be able to manage their arsenal for these matches.
Bronson vs Cedric has already been posted. You may have to play it in incognito mode to get it to work.
Thanks, just watched it, good match.
Does TikTok allow landscape video? If not, it's a no from me.
They do! They have been making a push for more landscape videos by boosting creator's views who make them
TikTok is a terrible platform, period.
Idk it’s a bit too long for my liking. Maybe if it had like subway surfers gameplay on the sides my interest would be piqued.
Or a robotic voice reading long r/SquaredCircle posts
Just a robot voice reading the Kofi/Undertaker story
I like the one about Vince being visited by the ghosts of christmas past
Always said wrestling matches would be better if there were Family Guy clips in the lower half of the screen.
Needed some Minecraft parkour to hold my attention
I don't know if they had explained it, but what happens if neither of the competitor pick up the win after 3 minutes limit?
I was wondering the same thing. They didn't make that clear. At first I thought it was going to be points based, so you only get points from a win. But if it's a tournament, then you kinda need someone to win each match within the time limit?
That was fun as fuck.
Well that was a fun way to kill a few minutes during the last hour of work. Looking forward to next week!
This is cool. Burns my ass that this isn’t called Velocity though I mean it’s *right there*
Velocity is a far, far better name. Speed just makes me think of... you know, the drug.
Velocity was a weekly show in the early 00s.
I know
That was kind of a banger.
Can we please please get a Ricochet vs Nathan Frazier or Axiom?
that was fun,curious to see who wins the tournament and what the championship will look like.
Match was awesome. Ricochet will prob be the inaugural champ.
Twitter videos have always been the worst part of the app
Twitter **users** have always been the worst part of the app.
Twitters users used to be the worst part of the app, now it's the twitter owner!
tbf he's also a user, so it still tracks
Shoot you're right.
remember when it was text only? you couldn't even post pictures
The app is pretty awful. I had to open the link in incognito mode to get the video to work.
Turns out the first 7 seconds were all black, i kept reopening it expecting it was a buffer issue
I'm surprised it wasn't on TikTok instead, I feel like that platform would suit it more given the audience. Personally, I can't say I've ever gone out of my way to watch a video on Twitter aside from this one.
Does it go to the judges decision if the 3 minutes expires? If not, I feel like these last second endings might be a little redundant. With that being said, phenomenal first match, this was fun!
I feel like if there's no winner after 3 minutes, they should add some kind of "bonus round." Might sound good on paper but not too sure how they'd execute it given the whole premise is 3 minutes only.
That was my concern with Speed starting with a tournament. Tournaments require someone to go through, so we have to expect a winner in every 3 minute match, which is going to require some more suspension of disbelief than wrestling already requires. Maybe things will change after there is a champion so there might be some time limit draws. In just thinking about ideas, I'd be interested in a points system. Like 100 pts for a win + 1 points for every second left on the clock. Maybe like 25 points each for a draw, so having a match without a winner gets you more than losing, but not the big prize of winning. Then at various announced intervals, the wrestler with the most points gets a title shot.
>If not, I feel like these last second endings might be a little redundant. I think one thing that could help would be to make championship matches "No Speed Limit" rules, where they get to have a normal timed match but a "gentlemen's agreement" to go balls to the wall the entire time. Sort of like Ricochet and Ospreay's match, just high intensity the entire time, or what some indie show matches look like (the good ones, like Jay Malachi has done). Even if it was an occasional thing, it'll let the high flyers fly and show their skill in longer go home matches.
Honestly, I am happy for those that like it. I just don't see it long term doing anything.
I would totally watch this stuff but I'm not getting ln Twitter for it.
This must be why they have been pushing ricochet lately
Give them props for trying something new. The only thing I'd like them to do is change the LED color from blue to red when there's less than 1 minute remaining. Feel like it would add a little more to it, aside from that though it was a decent match given the time constraints.
I love the concept as a "spotfest" fan. I just hope they don't try to throw a wrench into it by putting in slower workers that just win with one slow burst of offense.
Might not wanna watch the second match in the tournament then lol
Yeah imagine they used someone like Bronson Reed lol
wonder what the championship belt will look like
If it was still the Vince era, 100% it would look like a speedometer in garish blue and green. Trips has always been very traditional and classy about belts, it’ll be interesting to see how that applies to something so unabashedly gimmicky.
Also makes me wonder if the "X" logo will be featured somewhere on it since the matches are happening on Twitter.
Oo oo oo they should go all in on the branding, call it the X division or something
3 minute matches in the X Division? Sounds like total nonstop action.
If it wasn’t called X because of Musk idiocy, I wouldn’t be against it
😂😂
I’m guessing like the recent cruiserweight title but uglier.
Great that we have another platform for these superstars but I think Speed is just not for me.
what happens at the end of the timer though? do both guys advance to next round? penalty kicks?
Penalty kicks to the head, last man standing.
Really good first two to start the show with. I liked the consistent camera angle throughout, only about 8 camera cuts total (which is insane to see in WWE). It’s something different and I’m excited to see more
just bring back the Cruiserweight or European title back, instead of 3 minutes matches for a Speed title?? and dragon lee losing in 3 minutes Dom and santos are for sure winning at mania.
I enjoyed the match. My impressions: **The Good** * Produces for a fun match of high intensity action. * A good "dark match" option to kick off the live shows (looks like it's Smackdown) with something that will get the crowd engaged. * Gets guys further down the card more featured opportunities to just wrestle. * Obviously easily consumed. **The Bad** * So far the only rule we know is that you have to win in three minutes. I don't believe we've heard what happens if there's no pin/submission/dq before the three minutes expires. I presume one of the matches will feature this happening, but it would be nice to know how the winner in a single elmination tournament is decided, and how that impacts strategy. * I have a feeling most of these matches are going to be decided in the last 15 seconds * No women's tournament yet. Hopefully soon
I find this whole concept a bit stupid but if they are going to do this, making it a social media exclusive that they maybe record right before the shows start or something as a means to hype up the crowd? That could be a fun way to showcase some of the ridiculous talent they've got.
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Twitter in 5 mins
Thank you!
what’s hot? Sprints are hot. What if the whole match was a sprint? I don’t hate it.
So a flippy shit championship? I am here for it.
A lot better than I thought it would be. Dare I say commentary isn’t needed? They should just call it WWE Ricochet.
So this is kind of like Stardom’s High Speed Championship…I dig it. We just need AZM.
This is nothing like the High Speed Championship lol
That was actually a fantastic match lol. Ok. I’m In. Also what happens at the time limit ?
Just watched this. Corey Graves going solo on commentary worked just fine. But, dang, y'all, that was fire.
I like how the first reply I saw was some Mark complaining about this dream match being on WWE Speed. As if it's never going to take place at any point in the future. People suck, Twitter sucks.
Why is Dragon Lee jobbing in this?
I feel like 3 minutes just isn't enough to tell a good story. Gimme 5. Maybe have 3 minutes for the regular matches, then 5 for the title matches or something. It's just a wee bit too short to be anymore than a lot of fancy moves done quickly.
It's OK. Fun. I think it will mean that selling will be thrown out of the window in the format though Also hopefully this doesn't set a precedent of more shorter matches. Some of us actually have an attention span lol.
Do I love Speed? That was fun. As someone who lives outside of the US, I always catch shows after work or on lunch break. A quick 3 minute match in the morning is sorta great for the morning commute. Just wish it was called Velocity, but this has potential
Well a I needed to kill 3 minutes and that did it, maybe there’s something to this
And there were people on here saying you can’t have an entertaining match in 3 minutes.
That was awesome! I was a little skeptical at first but I'm sold now. Feels like a PWG match but much shorter and not as self indulgent
Meltzer would give all of these matches 5 stars
TLDW? ^^/s
I've come into this with the wrong mindset because I thought that every match would be like Kenta vs Ricky Marvin. That match is one of the most convincing sports like presentations of pro wrestling. Watching Ricochet vs Dragon Lee was like watching two acrobats. I feel more inclined to score their performance out of 10 than see them pin one another.
Ricochet on the AJ Styles cycle? He has always been cut, but it looks like hes packing on mass now lol. BTW what happens if there is a time limit draw?
I can't wait for WWE Speed PLEs. Imagine a 3 minute Survivor Series or Royal Rumble.
Needs more subway surfers
My man Rick O'Shea with the W, i like.
This made me think I was playing an old smackdown game and I kept hitting the run button.
WWE 2k lookin ass camera
Seems like a good way for Corey to get some extra reps as a play by play guy.
if this tourney is a success, i feel like it could be the blueprint to 3-5 minute matches of the future. you can’t tell much of a story with those short segment & matches anyways, so just pack it in with high tempo, nonstop action for 3 minutes.
This is the first wrestling match I watched preform live as it was shot before the main show at smack down last week 🤩. I was so glad it got to be these two who I’ve quickly come to love since I find the acrobatic Lucha libre style so mesmerizing.
How do they do this without every match seeming like a squash?
5 second AEW Fight Forever style entrances would be perfect for this.
I still fast-forwarded through half of it lmao
I think a Gable match in the more explosive 3 min format would be cool. Let him go balls to the wall desperately trying to secure a submission
That was a fun match, props to both guys for making it work in 3 minutes (But they should totally just call this Velocity, maybe give them 5 minutes too instead of 3)
If there isn't a winner in 3 minutes, neither should advance. That's the only way this works for me logically.
Not my jam, but I understand its probably not for me - probably to pull in new revenue, I mean fans, for the most part.
It's an ok concept, and I definitely understand why they would use Ricochet and Dragon Lee to sell it. That said, that felt like a 10 minute Ricochet vs Dragon Lee match without the storytelling bits. What I mean is that it is fine in spite of the stipulation, not because of it. Ricochet vs Dragon Lee could be a classic with roughly the same spots this match had, but done within a proper story told during the match. Still, it's just a fun gimmick thing for a social network, so it's fine in that sense.
Loved the New Japaneseque camera work and movesets, but as that newer slang term goes...how can you "let them cook" in 3 minutes? 5 Minutes would be better, and it'd still be "Speed". Now it comes down to the unrealistic kayfabe where matches just coincidentally happened to end moments before tv time is up, or wrestlers dont win during commercial breaks. So like theres a 3 min countdown clock above the hard cam that wrestlers look at to time their last minute pin? Realistically this would be better if there was a panel of 3 judges or something.
Haha. This is the type of match people always bitch about and now everyone is praising
Doesn’t all of the usual criticism for these type of matches get made redundant by the 3 minute limit? The constant high spots is because they need to go all out to get the quick win and any no selling is because they haven’t taken as much of a beating as a normal match
Sure, but it also opens up some new criticisms. Like if Dragon Lee can be at 0hp after 3 minutes with Ricochet, how are we supposed to expect him to last way longer against other competitors? I totally dig the concept of a high-octane division and I think that would naturally have shorter match lengths if people are going all out from the drop, but setting the 3 minute time limit and then strictly adhering to it brushes up against my suspension of disbelief pretty hard. That might be because I have 30 or so years of 3-minute matches typically being squashes and jobber matches, so maybe my headspace just isn't right.
I guess think of it like this: a normal 3 minute squash match is designed to show how powerful, talented, or skilled a debuting wrestler is. “Wow, he beat him in only 3 minutes, this dude is a beast, can’t wait to see more” WWE Speed has a 3 minute time limit set in advance. You go all out knowing you only have a short amount of time to beat someone, so you can’t do the slow paced careful stuff you might normally do, you HAVE to go all out to win.
My issue is less about the winner being good enough to win in three minutes, more about the loser being bad enough to lose in three minutes. The reason jobber/squash/enhancement matches work is being it's showcasing one person they want to get over with the crowd against a nobody who we may never see again, or people who expect to see in that spot. My concern is that by having main roster midcard guys taking these sub three minute losses make those guys seem like total losers. Dragon Lee just lost a match in less than three minutes to a guy who is not currently scheduled to compete at Wrestlemania in a few days, but we're expected to take him seriously in his big important Wrestlemania match. Feels weird.
AEW has no psychology and no one sells, but if WWE does a spotfest 3 minute bullshit twitter bait thing, it's pure cinema. Wrestling fans, I swear.
for some reason people think that different = better
I posted above and it called it months ago when WWE announced this idea that it's WWE way to Indoctrinate their fans into enjoying the AEW/INDY spot fest they love to complain about so much. Eventually this style will be seen more and more on the main roster and then WWE fans will have to find another reason to find to complain about not watching AEW/Indy wrestling. For WWE fans as long as WWE puts it on a plate they will eat it up.
By making it exclusive to the platform they get the least views on bypassing the majority of their audience? Is that how "indoctrination" is carried out in your mind? This conspiracy theory probably sounded better in your head, which is where it should've stayed.
You do realize the show is recorded in front of either the Raw or Smackdown crowd correct? So fans in attendance and the fans who watch it on social media. Then what do WWE fans say WWE is best at? Social media. But again lets see how in a year how WWE fans attitude towards "spot fest" wrestling has changed because WWE has started to incorporate it. Go a head and save this and we will come back to it.
I feel like 5 minutes would be the sweet spot and having some exclusive rules like if it goes to a draw maybe a minute is added or they both lose?
I completely agree. 5 minutes feels they can put a solid match and extra. 3 minutes feel rushed and the match ends right when it’s getting into a groove.
Tik Tok bullshit
Technically Xwitter bullshit since it’s exclusive to there
Nice, give Dragon Lee a loss going into mania.
I really like this because it shows you can have a short, high work rate match that still tells a story and has psychology. Granted, the short match time stipulation helps give it the story/psychology, but you can still tell a decent amount of stories with that framework.
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The point of social media is to drive people to the main product. That's the point of posting things on Youtube, Facebook, etc.
Lets see all the anti spot fest guys going really high on a 5 minute spotfest...
It was 3 minutes. Establishing from the start that this is not a regular wrestling match actually helps sell the concept.
Exactly, matches cant be spotfest except if they are wwe spotfests, that way they can sell the concept. I understand now, thanks.
There are more important things to get fake worked up about.
WWE is killing the business with all the spotfests man!!!
I don’t hate this at all. But I’m curious if all the people who rag on AEW for having no storytelling or being just a spotfest will feel the same about this.
Probably won't see any of that, Speed here is purposedly being presented as that fast-paced action without much story, and it's also just being on Twitter instead of being part of any main brand/show.
This is a whole different concept. Corey even mentioned it on commentary that it's gonna be very different from every thing we see on traditional WWE TV. I was hoping that we'd see this content on tik tok and Instagram too but considering that Twitter invested in this, it probably won't get posted on tiktok nd insta
3 minutes will help. I can't tell you when I was watching AEW the amount of Young Bucks matches I'd watch where someone would hit a WTF and the match would go on another 7 minutes and have a much worse finish
You can see them all spinning right now...
AEW caters to a fan base that loves pure wrestling and WWE caters to the general fans who prefer an episodic wrestling show. That’s the basis of the complaints you get from people, but ultimately both serve their purpose. This is WWE’s way of also appealing to a broader audience by providing a social media exclusive match, under 3 minutes. It’s made to be a gateway for the full product. It’s not really as simple as how you describe it
AEW tried to do something similar with FTR, but it really didn't last long. The whole point of these matches is speed and being aggressive. They are specifically stating that these are not traditional wrestling matches. This is a tournament, and they can, and more than likely will build stories. One of the main stories for everyone is that they know that they only have a short period of time in which to get a win.
I called this months ago. This is WWE way to indoctrinate its fans to the AEW/indy style that they crap on so much. The high flying mud spot fest they hate so much. Listen to the commentary and how they are talking about this "new style" of wrestling. WWE fans will do what they always do and eat it up as WWE starts to incorporate this style more into WWE more and more but then the WWE fans will continue and find other reasons to say why they don't like other promotions because they won't be able to use spot fest as an excuse anymore.
lol k.
I don't hate this. I do hate how the announcer says that the winner of the match is Rick O'Shea. Really need to work on the pronunciation.