WWE Thread

[OrangeDW]

Vince is trying to recreate Sable with Lacey Evans.
It is stupid to make her first program with Becky which will either ruin her or take the air out of Becky mania.

If anyone other than Vince was booking you would see Nia Jax feud with Becky first and you have them feud over their past and the monster heel puts over Becky and makes her more legit as the monster heel and Nia proves she can get better on the mic and in the ring.

Instead we get Vince being Vince and wanting to push the blondes.
I mean I expect Evans and Charlotte to each take a belt off Becky.

I recently came across some Tessa Blanchard (daughter of Tully) matches on YouTube. She’s legit! I read she was in NXT briefly. Wonder why they didn’t hang on to her and push her?

 

[OrangeDW]

So there’s rumors that CM Punk did a run in and hit the GTS at some Indy show over the weekend. Someone ran in with a mask and hit the GTS.

That someone was wearing the same shirt that Punk was wearing earlier when he did an autograph signing at that event? I think that’s how the story went.

Also, supposedly in an interview a few years ago Punk said if he ever came back to wrestling he wouldn’t make a big thing about it, he’d just run in at an Indy show dressed like a ninja or something.

Edit: here’s a link:
CM Punk returns to wrestling

 

[Symphony Steve]

So there’s rumors that CM Punk did a run in and hit the GTS at some Indy show over the weekend. Someone ran in with a mask and hit the GTS.

That someone was wearing the same shirt that Punk was wearing earlier when he did an autograph signing at that event? I think that’s how the story went.

Also, supposedly in an interview a few years ago Punk said if he ever came back to wrestling he wouldn’t make a big thing about it, he’d just run in at an Indy show dressed like a ninja or something.

Edit: here’s a link:
CM Punk returns to wrestling

Apparently, that arena is being closed, and Punk had fond memories of running there.

 

[Symphony Steve]

I'm concerned about Daniel Bryan. He hasn't appeared since suffering a legit injury at WM, and there has been no word from WWE. With his injury history, I'm pretty sure that WWE would have provided a public update if things weren't bad. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[NineOneSeven]

I'm concerned about Daniel Bryan. He hasn't appeared since suffering a legit injury at WM, and there has been no word from WWE. With his injury history, I'm pretty sure that WWE would have provided a public update if things weren't bad. Hope I'm wrong.

What was the injury?

 

[Symphony Steve]

What was the injury?

Nobody's talking. That's the concern. WWE would not let him wrestle for a couple of years due to his history with concussions. He goes through concussion protocol every week.

And now he's been pulled from his bookings and nobody's talking. That's why I'm worried.

 

[OrangeDW]

Nobody's talking. That's the concern. WWE would not let him wrestle for a couple of years due to his history with concussions. He goes through concussion protocol every week.

And now he's been pulled from his bookings and nobody's talking. That's why I'm worried.

Ugh. Didn’t realize that.

Number 1, you want the guy to be able to live a normal life.

Beyond that, as a wrestling fan it’s a shame because he’s IMO building a legit argument for being the greatest of all time. He’s incredible IMO. He had the ultimate baby face run that actually got insanely over in an era where that is nearly impossible...is the ultimate sympathetic underdog with his comeback, well respected and loved...and STILL managed to get over as a heel. Amazing, really.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Nobody's talking. That's the concern. WWE would not let him wrestle for a couple of years due to his history with concussions. He goes through concussion protocol every week.

And now he's been pulled from his bookings and nobody's talking. That's why I'm worried.

Yeah, I know the injury history. I wasn't sure if his injury at WM was obvious (knee, shoulder, head, etc).

 

[Symphony Steve]

Ugh. Didn’t realize that.

Number 1, you want the guy to be able to live a normal life.

Beyond that, as a wrestling fan it’s a shame because he’s IMO building a legit argument for being the greatest of all time. He’s incredible IMO. He had the ultimate baby face run that actually got insanely over in an era where that is nearly impossible...is the ultimate sympathetic underdog with his comeback, well respected and loved...and STILL managed to get over as a heel. Amazing, really.

He's already built a legitimate argument. The Wrestling Observer named him 'Most Outstanding Wrestler Of The Year' every year from 2006 to 2010, and named him 'Most Outstanding Wrestler Of The Decade' for the decade of 2000 to 2009. He wasn't even in WWE at that time except for a brief period as a jobber. But he won belts in New Japan, Ring Of Honor, and scores of independent promotions, and was in great demand b/c he could have a great match with anyone.

 

[OrangeDW]

He's already built a legitimate argument. The Wrestling Observer named him 'Most Outstanding Wrestler Of The Year' every year from 2006 to 2010, and named him 'Most Outstanding Wrestler Of The Decade' for the decade of 2000 to 2009. He wasn't even in WWE at that time except for a brief period as a jobber. But he won belts in New Japan, Ring Of Honor, and scores of independent promotions, and was in great demand b/c he could have a great match with anyone.

Good point. If someone made the claim that he’s the best ever, I certainly wouldn’t argue against it.

If he has a fairly serious injury, I hope he looks at guys like Angle and Foley when considering whether to keep going. Kurt probably should’ve stopped 10 years ago, and certainly should not have been doing a moonsault off a cage a mere 5 years ago. And Mick...where do you even begin.

 

[JarHeadJim]

They are defiantly fast tracking my Marine Macy aka Lacy Evans.

 

[KaiserUEO]

The Gold Standard right here.

If you don’t laugh out loud at least 5x and then again at Mankind’s closing remark, you have no clue in life...

 

[Symphony Steve]

View attachment 161017
They are defiantly fast tracking my Marine Macy aka Lacy Evans.

I think they're pushing her way too fast. Not only is she not very good in the ring yet, but, much to my surprise, they haven't pushed her extremely compelling bio. And that condescending southern belle character isn't doing her any favors.

I also think that wrestling the likes of Carmella and Lacy is gonna kill part of Becky's buzz. While she's good in the ring, she's not top-notch. When she wrestles someone other than Rhonda or Charlotte, it becomes pretty obvious.

 

[Alsacs]

I think they're pushing her way too fast. Not only is she not very good in the ring yet, but, much to my surprise, they haven't pushed her extremely compelling bio. And that condescending southern belle character isn't doing her any favors.

I also think that wrestling the likes of Carmella and Lacy is gonna kill part of Becky's buzz. While she's good in the ring, she's not top-notch. When she wrestles someone other than Rhonda or Charlotte, it becomes pretty obvious.

Agreed the fact she is a Marine vet means she is probably tougher than pretty much everyone else. The Southern belle gimmick doesn’t do her toughness any justice.
It’s condescending but this gimmick was specifically created by Vince.
They could have built her up for a summerslam program with Becky.

It’s dumb to rush it so soon as if she wins she will still be green and if she loses which I don’t think she will it hurts her momentum.

 

[ScrabbCuse]

 

[Symphony Steve]

Raw did the lowest non-football/non-Holiday rating ever last night. Anyone who tried to watch it can understand why. Between the Miz/Shane rumble featuring some of the worst thrown punches in WWE history, and a disastrous match between Alexa Bliss and Naomi (Bliss' shoelaces kept coming untied, I'm not making this up), this was total dreck. And I didn't even mention the back-shaving sequence. Oh, and Corbin is in the Money In The Bank just because.

It's a good thing that Vince uses toupees instead of hairplugs b/c he'd be as bald as Joe Biden used to be otherwise.

 

[OrangeDW]

Raw did the lowest non-football/non-Holiday rating ever last night. Anyone who tried to watch it can understand why. Between the Miz/Shane rumble featuring some of the worst thrown punches in WWE history, and a disastrous match between Alexa Bliss and Naomi (Bliss' shoelaces kept coming untied, I'm not making this up), this was total dreck. And I didn't even mention the back-shaving sequence. Oh, and Corbin is in the Money In The Bank just because.

It's a good thing that Vince uses toupees instead of hairplugs b/c he'd be as bald as Joe Biden used to be otherwise.

It sounds like Bliss’s shoelaces were part of the angle? It was an impromptu match and she didn’t have her boots, and had to wrestle in what she was wearing, and the distraction of her laces is what cost her the match?

 

[Symphony Steve]

It sounds like Bliss’s shoelaces were part of the angle? It was an impromptu match and she didn’t have her boots, and had to wrestle in what she was wearing, and the distraction of her laces is what cost her the match?

Maybe. If so, it was totally ill-considered. A botch of a match on a botch of a show. And it did nothing for either of the performers or the women's division. Maybe they'll have someone tie both her shoes together next week...

 

[Symphony Steve]

Annnd...like clockwork, Smackdown last night posted its lowest rating since the brand split in 2016.

 

[OrangeDW]

Annnd...like clockwork, Smackdown last night posted its lowest rating since the brand split in 2016.

I really can’t think of any reason to watch the weekly shows. There’s just way too much programming to get through. I feel the same way about Mania. I wish they’d cut everything down. Less weekly programming. Less PPV’s. Shorter mania’s with fewer people on the card. And let some of these people go elsewhere if they want. Stop hoarding mid carders.

Or maybe do some kind of off season rotation where guys go away for months at a time every year. Stagger who is away at what time so certain guys never cross paths for seasons at a time. Then when they finally do, it maybe feels fresh?

I think about all these 80s WWF guys who were in the same company for years and never or rarely crossed paths. That made things like the Rumble and the Survivor Series awesome because you were seeing fresh and rare interactions.

 

[Symphony Steve]

I really can’t think of any reason to watch the weekly shows. There’s just way too much programming to get through. I feel the same way about Mania. I wish they’d cut everything down. Less weekly programming. Less PPV’s. Shorter mania’s with fewer people on the card. And let some of these people go elsewhere if they want. Stop hoarding mid carders.

Or maybe do some kind of off season rotation where guys go away for months at a time every year. Stagger who is away at what time so certain guys never cross paths for seasons at a time. Then when they finally do, it maybe feels fresh?

I think about all these 80s WWF guys who were in the same company for years and never or rarely crossed paths. That made things like the Rumble and the Survivor Series awesome because you were seeing fresh and rare interactions.

Every revenue stream is going down--except the huge TV rights fees they just got. Fox in particular must be kicking themselves. They signed the deal right before WWE ratings started to plummet.

Raw is too long, but USA is overpaying for it b/c their original series aren't doing nearly as well as they used to. The third hour means huge additional revenue for WWE with very little additional production cost to them. Fox wants a sports, or pseudo-sports, presence on Friday nights. And Smackdown will go to three hours. Teh suck...it BURNS!

In some ways, it's like NASCAR or golf. Even with declining ratings, it fills what otherwise is a huge hole. The longer the show, the better. Even if the show sucks. But, if Fox had seen the declining ratings, there's no way they would have paid the price they did.

 

[Alsacs]

Every revenue stream is going down--except the huge TV rights fees they just got. Fox in particular must be kicking themselves. They signed the deal right before WWE ratings started to plummet.

Raw is too long, but USA is overpaying for it b/c their original series aren't doing nearly as well as they used to. The third hour means huge additional revenue for WWE with very little additional production cost to them. Fox wants a sports, or pseudo-sports, presence on Friday nights. And Smackdown will go to three hours. Teh suck...it BURNS!

In some ways, it's like NASCAR or golf. Even with declining ratings, it fills what otherwise is a huge hole. The longer the show, the better. Even if the show sucks. But, if Fox had seen the declining ratings, there's no way they would have paid the price they did.

Raw is now below where TNA was when it tried to restart the Monday Night Wars.
Vince is killing his product.

TNA January 4th, 2010 - 2.2m viewers.
Raw April 29th, 2019 - 2.158m viewers.

If AEW stresses good storylines and doesn’t go for great Indy style wrestling matches it could really be successful.
The wrestling matches in WWE aren’t the problem. It’s stupid 50/50 booking and terrible storylines because Vince changes everything and rewrites everything till right before the shows start.

 

[MSOrange]

They postponed the Smackdown house show for tomorrow night so some of the Smackdown stars, including Roman Reigns, could be on Raw

 

[NineOneSeven]

Heard last night was all over the place

 

[Symphony Steve]

Heard last night was all over the place

The smell of flop sweat was all over that show. The ratings are now a real concern, and Vince felt the need to act. So Vince announced this ill-defined 'wild card' concept, meaning, I think, that up to 3 Smackdown wrestlers would appear on Raw, and 3 Raw wrestlers would appear on Smackdown each week. What it really means is that the supposed top stars will likely appear on both shows each week.

They had two WM rematches, including a Kofi-Bryan bout, but the crowd was dead for them and virtually all of the show. I mean, really dead

Don't think this bandaid is gonna heal the deep wound in the ratings.