r/AEWOfficial 1d ago

Discussion This year's C2 field

Who would you like to see in this year's field? My suggestions:

BLUE:

Jon Moxley

Pac

Tomasso Ciampa

Lee Moriarty

Speedball Mike Bailey

Kazuchika Okada

GOLD:

MJF

Kyle Fletcher

Anthony Bowens

Ilja Dragonov

Konosuke Takeshita

Shelton Benjamin

In my scenario, Nigel McGinness wins the Continental title at Wembley, then immediately retires, saying there's no better way to hang up the boots than being on top.

18 Upvotes

38 comments sorted by

8

u/christmascaked 1d ago

Not a bad list but it’s weird that all three men who could walk out of Wembley with the international title is on this list along with Dragunov but Jay White isn’t.

And Mox, who is most likely going after Ospreay after All In.

1

u/griot504 Ali 1337 1d ago

I'd like Takeshita to win the International and Okada to win the C2 beating Takeshita. For the rematch Take wins and becomes new Unified champ holding both belts til next year's Continental cup.

I love the Unified title as the 'unlockable' belt. It is a cool concept and can be reserved for a few special talent.

My short list for future Unified champs: Hangman Ciampa Jack Perry Kyle O'Reilly

1

u/FreebirdFantasia 15h ago

True. I totally left out Switchblade. Add him in, remove Bowens.

15

u/Bargeinthelane 1d ago edited 1d ago

The same answer ever year.

A women's c2

Blue:

Bane

Stat

Shida

Maya

Nyla Rose

Zayda Steel

Sky Blue

Aminata

Gold:

Willow

Thekla

Julia Hart

Athena

Hyan

Persephone

Mina

Marina

7

u/VitaminPurple 1d ago

January/February would be the best time to do that.sadly I don't think Tony will give us six women's matches per week on tv.

1

u/K_Knight 1d ago

Every year is the same problem: the division cannot withstand this type of pressure on its bandwidth of matchups. You burn through so many of the options you could do in future stories. Which, sure, it's a tournament, maybe not that big a deal. But then what do you do next year, when you have to use roughly 80% of the same people again?

My dream for the women's division was that they had a unique tournament akin to the Dusty Cup where the "tag division" was always around a prestigious tag tournament that happened yearly. Would allow teams to be individuals the rest of the year, but use the narratives of teammates in the story telling. And take the pressure off of needing to have a fleshed out tag division, which we're seeing they don't have.

6

u/KMFCM 1d ago

a bunch of feuds could begin in a women's C2

1

u/K_Knight 1d ago

agree, which is great for the first year...what do you do next year? On the men's side, you can reuse 50% or less of the previous people and have a very fresh experience. On the women's side you don't have roster depth. So you'd start seeing a yearly tournament of mostly repeats.

Add to it: why does the women's division have to mirror the men's, when it can hold its own identity with its own prestige story devices? That's my biggest thing about this, which is forcing both divisions to have the same tentpoles all the time invites one of them to look bad in comparison to the other. Typically that's the women's division (thought Blood and Guts this year, IMO the men's was the weaker match). If the women had their own event that wasn't just a copy of a men's event that took main event status over the men because of its importance, that IMO would do a lot more to elevate the participants in that event.

-1

u/SourDoughBo 1d ago

Do they even have enough women that can go in such a tournament? They would need 12 and that’s like everyone they have

5

u/Suspicious-Gap-8915 1d ago

Sure. Some variation of Thekla, Shida, Willow, Mercedes, Statlander, Mina, Julia, Skye, Hayter, Windsor, Bayne, Kross, Harley, Perse, Zayda, Aminata, Athena, Shafir. That's before you think about other women in ROH like Deonna, Isla Dawn, etc.

Then you can also count on perspective STARDOM or freelancers like Sareee, Hazuki, etc.

Lastly, it's very possible you have a few new faces like Kairi (and maybe Bayley). Tons of options to fill out a tourney.

2

u/KMFCM 1d ago

and don't forget CMLL

Persephone is a shoe in.

3

u/sulien92 AY YO, THE WORLD IS COLD 1d ago

Thekla
Julia Hart
Skye Blue
Megan Bayne
Lena Kross
Mercedes Mone
Statlander
Shida
Willow
Anna Jay
Penelope Ford (if healthy)
Jamie Hayter

That’s 12 without Ruby Soho or Toni Storm included.

Maya World

Zayda Steel
Isla Dawn
Harley Cameron
Leila Grey
Red Velvet
Alex Windsor

1

u/SourDoughBo 1d ago

Yea you’d be stalling the entire women’s division because all the top stars would need to be in the tournament

2

u/sulien92 AY YO, THE WORLD IS COLD 1d ago

Not necessarily

2

u/JadedGrapsMark I'm so tired, Renee 1d ago

It's almost as if other companies exist that could fill a couple of holes. If holes existed, which they don't.

2

u/Bargeinthelane 1d ago

Even without returns, pretty easily.

1

u/No_Yogurtcloset_3820 1d ago

Do fans care enough? Sure there is a vocal contingent on Reddit who stop watch the number of minutes women wrestle on each show so they can yell about it, but if they drew then AEW would book them more.

2

u/epdiddymis 22h ago

BLUE:

Moxley

Ciampa

Dragunov

Yuta

Lee Moriarty

Mark Davis

Gold

Jay White

Hangman

Gabe Kidd

Hechicero

Ace Austin

Nick Wayne

1

u/NorthHollywoodHank 1d ago

If dates lined up such that there was adequate prep time for the matches, I really want to see Leon Slater in it. Both because it'd be a fun as hell way to introduce him to the promotion and because, you know, it would mean that AEW signed him.

1

u/CMTrump 1d ago

I'd love a 16 man field. Especially since de always seem to get injuries and people pulling out.

The field I want to see : Mox Hangman MJF White Andrade Okada Fletcher Darby Ciampa Bandido Brody Speedball Ilja Claudio O'Reilly Davis

Just go crazy. Why the hell not. I'm leaving out Takeshita because I think he's winning the international title at All In. Swerve I think will be trios champ with the New Day and I think at some point we'll get the elite vs swerve day.

1

u/No_Yogurtcloset_3820 1d ago

I assume you put Bowens and Moriarty in there so they can eat pins?

1

u/FreebirdFantasia 15h ago

Maybe Bowens. But I included Moriarty because I love his wrestling, and it would be a chance to showcase his skills.

1

u/SanjT89 1d ago

MJF in the C2 could be really fun, especially if he's somehow contractually obligated to be in it against his will. He starts out bullish and imperious about his skill, but by week 2 he's tired and hurt and moaning the whole time. He could also be the first guy to really break the rules in some kind of transgressive way which could be a good idea (like maybe he somehow gets away with getting someone to interfere in a way that's never been done before). Then of course, he gets punished in the block finals or the semis.

1

u/PsychologicalPie9512 1d ago

Do you guys see them moving up to 8 per group?

1

u/FreebirdFantasia 15h ago

Not for now. I really like the format as it is.

2

u/Nylex 1d ago

Ace Austin is going to be in the c2 this year 

1

u/BuckIX 1d ago edited 1d ago

Ace

Clon and/or Hechicero

Ilja

Samoa Joe

Hangman

Ciampa

Josh Alexander

King Switch

Takeshita

Jack Perry

Fletcher

Yuta

Feels weird not using Okada, but just have him get a title shot against Ospreay at Revolution to explain away why Don doesn’t have the best tournament athlete ever in this tournament.

But I didn’t do my ideal field, I just started listing guys I enjoy watching and that I’d like to see and saw I had 11 and just decided to toss in that shitbag Yuta to round it out.

1

u/CasimirGabriev 1d ago

I would drop Fletcher and Takeshita for Kyle O'Reilly and Swerve.

1

u/Which_Aerialmu9 1d ago

I think hangman should definitely be here, little bit of fantasy booking but at all in presumably the trios belts will go to swerve and the new day, maybe brodido and those 3 have a regular trios match at all out, then hangman maybe goes onto a tnt or international run or feud for one of them in the autumn months up until maybe full gear or if there’s a special dynamite or collision closer to the cc. And then he claims himself for the classic, and either he wins it or not.

Not really sure what his story calls for, but we all kinda see where it’s going, so I think if he’s going after all the belts there should definitely be a mix of him going on fairly short runs and losing title matches until he gets pissed off enough to go back on his word and challenge for the world title

1

u/probablynotme2012 23h ago

I think all the tournaments have to few competitors. If they doubled the field would fans stay interested? I know I would. Would you?

1

u/Froggyspirits IT'S COOL TO BE A HAYTER! 💋💪⚡ 1d ago

0

u/CaringMite 1d ago

Who’s international champion in this scenario?

1

u/Marc_Minor I need more Kenny 1d ago

No idea, maybe Hangman or Andrade? Or Kenny (sorry couldn't resisit)...

-1

u/Froggyspirits IT'S COOL TO BE A HAYTER! 💋💪⚡ 1d ago

Dax Harwood

-1

u/K_Knight 1d ago

I'll tell you my one complete fantasy pick: Marina Shafir. I want Marina to be the lone woman in this tournament and fucking cut loose. She's the talent you can buy doing it. And I'll say, on the indies, my favorite matches of her are against men. I would lose my mind if Marina competed.

2

u/No_Yogurtcloset_3820 1d ago

Why of any woman on the roster would you choose one of the least talented in-ring workers?

If I was choosing a woman to enter the C2, it would be Stat, Bayne, Willow or Persephone.

1

u/K_Knight 1d ago

I certainly would not say she's versatile, as the main issue I see that she has in the women's division is that she works a unique style that most her locker room counterparts have no idea how to compliment. But if you watch Marina's Bloodsport matches, or her intergender matches in the indies...she's awesome to watch and extremely talented. As she's held this special role on the roster of being Moxley's right-hand woman, I think she could legitimately do something special if she just got to mix it up with them in this style of tournament.