WWE Thread

[OrangeDW]

Satisfying ending / continuation of the Bloodline story.

- They made Sami Zayn stand up for his principles and quit the Bloodline / Roamn before getting attacked... preferred this over a scenario where he was beaten down for a mistake he made in a match for example.

- They brought in the some internal conflict with Jay Uso, which allows them to go even further with this in potentially entertaining ways.

Overall satisfying Royal Rumble - some good, some meh.

Could have done without the Wyatt stuff - men's match could have been perhaps a bit better, but it was still OK.

The crowd reactions and investment were crazy. You don’t typically hear WWE crowds chant “_____ you”, like that.

 

[NineOneSeven]

I enjoyed it a lot.

 

[NineOneSeven]

And Ripley is an absolute smoke.

 

[Symphony Steve]

Pretty much disliked the whole show. The Men's Rumble had two highlights--the mid-air collision and Cody vs. Gunther. The annual Kofi spot got screwed up. While I, like everybody, hate the constant camera cuts, there are fewer of them now than before, and we see so many really bad 'air punches' as a result. Even Cody vs. Gunther was less satisfying b/c, if you employ logic in wrestling, Gunther was in the ring for over an hour and did a bleep-ton of stuff, while Cody came in fresh at #30. Wasn't exactly a Herculean task to win. Maybe he can't go as long as he'd like yet.

As expected, the Bray Wyatt 'lights-out' thing was an abomination. Not only did the gimmick suck, but he can't, and doesn't, do anything in the ring. Oh, well, at least we got tiny bits of 'glo-in-the-dark' paper featuring Mountain Dew colors...

Bianca vs. Alexa Bliss wasn't even a good Raw main event. And Alexa appears to be sucked into whatever stoopid Wyatt supernatural angle they've got going.

Rhea Ripley's great, and her winning from the #1 spot was the best result possible. However, the match was entirely of the 'Rinse, Wash, Repeat' variety. Contestant comes out, runs wild for maybe 20 seconds, sinks into the gray pit of mediocrity. Good (or bad) thing that Michelle McCool had wrestling gear under her clothes. Other than Becks, whose match story here was--odd, nobody even posed a credible challenge to Ripley. And, Nia Jax at # 30?

The main event, was, to me, an angle masquerading as a match. Sure, it was a well-wrestled match--you're not gonna get anything but that with KO and Roman--but the Bloodline storyline started to jump the shark for me. Roman chose to have Sami at ringside. Why? Was Zayn showing his true colors more important to Roman than winning the match?

Anyway, might as well go listen to what Meltzer has to say. Honestly can't believe he was a big fan of the Men's Royal Rumble.

 

[OrangeDW]

And Ripley is an absolute smoke.

I’ve become a big fan of her. I like villains that are not only stronger and better - but will also cheat - not because they have to, but because they want to. Makes them seem impossible to beat - which makes it a big deal when they actually do lose.

 

[jordville]

Can we just talk about KO for a sec? That guy always takes the biggest bumps and keeps on going. Those back-to-back bumps on the stairs. I cringed thinking about the back and head pain. There was no way to brace himself for the way Roman flung him backwards.

 

[Knicks411]

Can we just talk about KO for a sec? That guy always takes the biggest bumps and keeps on going. Those back-to-back bumps on the stairs. I cringed thinking about the back and head pain. There was no way to brace himself for the way Roman flung him backwards.

I was hoping against hope they somehow gimmicked the steps somehow because those shots looked just brutal.

I thought the show was pretty good. Mens rumble was really good to me, started out hot, dragged in a little in the middle, but a good last third, and the Cody-Gunter mini match was really good.

Obviously anything bray does is awful. At least it was short.

Womens title match was nothing.

Womens rumble wasn't great, ending was really well booked though.

And I thought the main event and angle was just incredible.

 

[orangenauburn]

I was hoping against hope they somehow gimmicked the steps somehow because those shots looked just brutal.

I thought the show was pretty good. Mens rumble was really good to me, started out hot, dragged in a little in the middle, but a good last third, and the Cody-Gunter mini match was really good.

Obviously anything bray does is awful. At least it was short.

Womens title match was nothing.

Womens rumble wasn't great, ending was really well booked though.

And I thought the main event and angle was just incredible.

Amazing the most entertaining part of the rumble is a guy who was a YouTuber and actor with a year of wrestling, and the guy who came back from AEW, then got hurt, and is going to be pushed to the top

The rest of the rumble is so blah. It drags on too long.

Everyone hangs onto the ropes. Let's get clean tosses.

Maybe best thing they did was get Lesnar out so quick, the way they did

 

[NineOneSeven]

RAW should be hot tonight.

 

[jncuse]

RAW should be hot tonight.

Not the way it usually works out after a good PPV unfortunately.

 

[Symphony Steve]

Not the way it usually works out after a good PPV unfortunately.

Rating will be through the roof, though. Cody's in sort-of a tough spot. He's been known to get crowds to turn against him even when he isn't trying to. A lot of people want to see Sami Zayn face Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania.

We know what happens when the powers-that-be try to impose their preferences on the fans.

An interesting dynamic.

 

[jncuse]

Rating will be through the roof, though. Cody's in sort-of a tough spot. He's been known to get crowds to turn against him even when he isn't trying to. A lot of people want to see Sami Zayn face Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania.

We know what happens when the powers-that-be try to impose their preferences on the fans.

An interesting dynamic.

They avoided the dynamic well enough last night by making it clear that Sami Zayn was not going to be in the rumble. Putting Sami in the Rumble could have potentially created a negative situation.

But you are right they are going to have figure something out to avoid the issue. They still have the out to de-unify the titles in some manner, clever or not.

Throwing something out there.

Have Roman fight Cody on night one, and he agrees to fight Zayn on night two.
But Roman only agrees to it, if on night 1 Zayn does a gauntlet match against all the Usos. Or perhaps a tag handicap match Owens/Zayn vs Usos on night one.

It will take some of the rub away from Cody perhaps winning, but that was already going to be an issue anyway.

 

[Knicks411]

They avoided the dynamic well enough last night by making it clear that Sami Zayn was not going to be in the rumble. Putting Sami in the Rumble could have potentially created a negative situation.

But you are right they are going to have figure something out to avoid the issue. They still have the out to de-unify the titles in some manner, clever or not.

Throwing something out there.

Have Roman fight Cody on night one, and he agrees to fight Zayn on night two.
But Roman only agrees to it, if on night 1 Zayn does a gauntlet match against all the Usos. Or perhaps a tag handicap match Owens/Zayn vs Usos on night one.

It will take some of the rub away from Cody perhaps winning, but that was already going to be an issue anyway.

Apparently they said this on the pre game show? I totally missed that. So i went the whole rumble not sure if Sami was gonna show up.

Meltzer seemed to be convinced Sami Roman was happening at elimination chamber in Montreal. Which should be an insanely hot crowd. But also inevitably a deflating outcome?

 

[jncuse]

 

[KaiserUEO]

I was won over by Gunther on Saturday.

I barely knew who he was, thought it was nice some jobber got #1 for the Rumble. My little guy had to tell me he was the Intercontinental Champion.

Then, he didn’t disappoint and getting the full boat run was impressive.

I think he’s gimmick could be worked on, but I like the Ring General nickname.

 

[orangenauburn]

I was won over by Gunther on Saturday.

I barely knew who he was, thought it was nice some jobber got #1 for the Rumble. My little guy had to tell me he was the Intercontinental Champion.

Then, he didn’t disappoint and getting the full boat run was impressive.

I think he’s gimmick could be worked on, but I like the Ring General nickname.

Stone Cold was originally the ringmaster and that got scrapped quickly.

The ring general works for Gunther

 

[NineOneSeven]

Yeah Gunther is great. Big fan of his now.

 

[Frozen]

Today we lost AWA jobber Kenny Jay and WWF’s Genius, Leaping Lanny Poffo. RIP.

 

[Symphony Steve]

Today we lost AWA jobber Kenny Jay and WWF’s Genius, Leaping Lanny Poffo. RIP.

Brother of 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, and son of wrestler/promoter Angelo Poffo. Wrestling was his family's business.

 

[jncuse]

 

[OrangeDW]

Was actually just reading about his earlier career recently. I watched Royal Rumble 1990 and he had a match with Brutus Beefcake.

I had remembered him as Mr. Perfect’s manager and later the Beverly Brothers manager, and a guy who would occasionally wrestle so was surprised he had a singles match with a popular midcarder on a major PPV, and then read up on his earlier 1980’s WWF career.

Great character as The Genius. Kind of guy who is hilarious when watching as an adult now.

 

[Symphony Steve]

Was actually just reading about his earlier career recently. I watched Royal Rumble 1990 and he had a match with Brutus Beefcake.

I had remembered him as Mr. Perfect’s manager and later the Beverly Brothers manager, and a guy who would occasionally wrestle so was surprised he had a singles match with a popular midcarder on a major PPV, and then read up on his earlier 1980’s WWF career.

Great character as The Genius. Kind of guy who is hilarious when watching as an adult now.

Didja know (I didn't until today) that he wrote an entire book full of anti-smoking limericks? The limericks got more complex as he wrote for older age groups:

Limericks from the Heart (and Lungs!) - Lanny Poffo: 9781888580297 - AbeBooks

Limericks from the Heart (and Lungs!) by Lanny Poffo - ISBN 10: 1888580291 - ISBN 13: 9781888580297 - White-Boucke Publishing - 2016 - Softcover

www.abebooks.com

 

[jncuse]

Was actually just reading about his earlier career recently. I watched Royal Rumble 1990 and he had a match with Brutus Beefcake.

I had remembered him as Mr. Perfect’s manager and later the Beverly Brothers manager, and a guy who would occasionally wrestle so was surprised he had a singles match with a popular midcarder on a major PPV, and then read up on his earlier 1980’s WWF career.

Great character as The Genius. Kind of guy who is hilarious when watching as an adult now.

He had a match against Hulk Hogan for the WWF Title on a Saturday Night's Main Event -- largely a squash match for Hogan, with a guy above jobber level.

it was at the time Hogan had a series of defences on house shows with Mr. Perfect.

 

[jncuse]

One story about Lanny Poffo that for whatever reason stuck with me is the following - heard it on a podcast I think.

Before WM3, there was a battle Royal on Saturday Night's main event and they wanted to give a big brutal spot to the new heel Andre the Giant before his match against Hogan.

The producers chose Poffo as the target - Poffo was to take a headbutt and be a bloody mess. Poffo carried the blade in his mouth throughout the match to make the spot more easy Seems like there are a few wrestlers that preferred to carried the blade this way - it just seems way too risky for me.

 

[jncuse]

Didja know (I didn't until today) that he wrote an entire book full of anti-smoking limericks? The limericks got more complex as he wrote for older age groups:

Limericks from the Heart (and Lungs!) - Lanny Poffo: 9781888580297 - AbeBooks

Limericks from the Heart (and Lungs!) by Lanny Poffo - ISBN 10: 1888580291 - ISBN 13: 9781888580297 - White-Boucke Publishing - 2016 - Softcover

www.abebooks.com

In line with his early low card WWE gimmick where he would read a poem from a frisbee (non arrogantly like the Genius did) then throw it into the crowd.

Really an odd gimmick of sorts, but it really did fit his personality.