WWE Thread

[cuse10]

Technical is only one part of it though. Charlotte is more physically imposing and a better talker. And she’s also good in the ring too. I’m talking total package.

Good in the ring is a stretch. I understand the bar for women's wrestling is low, but come on. She's wreckless and has put her opponents in harm's way more times than I can count.

 

[Alsacs]

The last 10 minutes of Raw were magical.

If Roman as champ is going to lead to that kind of excitement, then I’m ok with it. It’s better than Lesnar having it.

Random Finn Balor title shot with logic behind why, and a Shield reunion? Braun trying to cash in? There was that “anything can happen” feel.

That was a post major PPV we are going to sucker people in.
The Shield reunion is to get cheers for Reigns. He can’t do it on his own.
Balor title match was to try and sucker smarks into watching and preventing a hijack knowing they would pull the rug on him.

The failed cash in is just trolling fans who want the belt off Roman and on Strowman.

Reigns as the top of the company isn’t going to draw bigger house shows or grow the fanbase.
He is going to suck dry whomever he feuds with as he is the “Superman” when he can’t carry a good match and really does the same moves every match.

I see yesterday as Vince laughing at his fans. The shield reunion isn’t going to last one of them are clearly being set up to turn on Roman and make that a feud.

 

[OrangeDW]

That was a post major PPV we are going to sucker people in.
The Shield reunion is to get cheers for Reigns. He can’t do it on his own.
Balor title match was to try and sucker smarks into watching and preventing a hijack knowing they would pull the rug on him.

The failed cash in is just trolling fans who want the belt off Roman and on Strowman.

Reigns as the top of the company isn’t going to draw bigger house shows or grow the fanbase.
He is going to suck dry whomever he feuds with as he is the “Superman” when he can’t carry a good match and really does the same moves every match.

I see yesterday as Vince laughing at his fans. The shield reunion isn’t going to last one of them are clearly being set up to turn on Roman and make that a feud.

We’ll see. I would hope he’s at least learned that Reigns is not John Cena. He’s more like what Batista would be if he was actually an athlete...talk less, do more, wrestle physical matches.

He had a certain type of charisma when he was in the Shield. They’ve done him no favors creatively. He has talent, it would seem to be fixable.

Oh yeah, the Superman flying punch is stupid. Cut that out.

 

[Alsacs]

We’ll see. I would hope he’s at least learned that Reigns is not John Cena. He’s more like what Batista would be if he was actually an athlete...talk less, do more, wrestle physical matches.

He had a certain type of charisma when he was in the Shield. They’ve done him no favors creatively. He has talent, it would seem to be fixable.

Oh yeah, the Superman flying punch is stupid. Cut that out.

The Shield Era had Reigns as the muscle and he was protected by the fact Rollins/Ambrose could speak for him.
Vince is booking Reigns exactly like he booked Cena. As a superhero.

If they booked Reigns like Batista instead of as a superhero he wouldn’t be hated. If they turned Reigns heel years ago they guy wouldn’t be booed with XPac Heat.
Vince doesn’t care if you get xpac Heat as long as you get Heat.

If Reigns wasn’t Cena 2.0 in booking he would have a chance. Cena sold out for the money because he wasn’t stupid. Reigns never established himself like Cena did before becoming the Superman.

Reigns needs to stay away from the guys on the main roster and find veterans on the roster to eat up.

 

[Knicks411]

The last 10 minutes of Raw were magical.

If Roman as champ is going to lead to that kind of excitement, then I’m ok with it. It’s better than Lesnar having it.

Random Finn Balor title shot with logic behind why, and a Shield reunion? Braun trying to cash in? There was that “anything can happen” feel.

Maybe I biased because I was there, but totally agree. Marked out like a little kid last night when the old school shield music hit

 

[OrangeDW]

So they’re just making things up to turn Becky heel? Lol.

Fans are behind her more than ever, but they’re pushing the turn through at all costs? Even though Charlotte is a better heel than face? Ok, then...

And they’re still cheering her, lol. They have no clue how to book faces and haven’t for 15 years.

 

[Alsacs]

So they’re just making things up to turn Becky heel? Lol.

Fans are behind her more than ever, but they’re pushing the turn through at all costs? Even though Charlotte is a better heel than face? Ok, then...

And they’re still cheering her, lol. They have no clue how to book faces and haven’t for 15 years.

See Roman Reigns and then you will understand WWE creative is just stupid.

They want Charlotte to be the female Roman Reigns. Charlotte has a lot of talent but how she is booked is dumb. She is a natural heel.

 

[ScrabbCuse]

So The Shield is back together and Braun Strowman is all alone. Matt Hardy is out indefinitely which means Bray Wyatt doesn’t have a partner anymore. Also, the Bludgeon Brothers just lost their tag team belts. Is Vince setting up a Wyatt reunion? I wouldn’t put it past him to try to have a “heel” group take on his beloved Roman Reigns.

 

[Symphony Steve]

One reason the Bludgeon Brothers lost the belts is b/c Erick Rowan tore a bicep at Summerslam and will undergo surgery this week. He's out for awhile.

 

[cuse10]

So they’re just making things up to turn Becky heel? Lol.

Fans are behind her more than ever, but they’re pushing the turn through at all costs? Even though Charlotte is a better heel than face? Ok, then...

And they’re still cheering her, lol. They have no clue how to book faces and haven’t for 15 years.

I was at SmackDown last night. The crowd was firmly behind her. I'm not sure how it sounded on TV being that they mute the crowd if it isn't a reaction they want. Charlotte got booed out of the building.

 

[OrangeDW]

I was at SmackDown last night. The crowd was firmly behind her. I'm not sure how it sounded on TV being that they mute the crowd if it isn't a reaction they want. Charlotte got booed out of the building.

Yeah that came across very clearly.

But when Becky claimed that the crowd all cheered when Charlotte won...when we all know they clearly didn’t. That made it clear to me that they’re not going to just tell the story and let the crowd cheer who they want. They’re going to push through with Becky as “heel” and Charlotte as “face” and if heel Becky doesn’t get booed then she’s not doing her job.

 

[cuse10]

I rolled my eyes when she (Creative) blamed the fans. There were loud Becky chants when it cut to commercial break after the brawl.

 

[OrangeDW]

I rolled my eyes when she (Creative) blamed the fans. There were loud Becky chants when it cut to commercial break after the brawl.

It kind of reminds me of when Christian finally won the title, and then Orton immediately won it from him and they turned Christian heel. They turned the wrong guy.

Orton had already been champ like 500 times. Christian’s story was built up for him to be the face. Just like Becky’s.

 

[Alsacs]

I don’t think I can think of a writer except maybe Rick Reilly who has lost touch with his old readers more than Bill Simmons.
Simmons used to actually have opinions that weren’t cookie cutter and corporate and were original.
Now his guy Shoemaker who writes on wrestling totally writes with the perspective of they want to continue getting the obvious comps and perks from the company and will print their message out to the masses. It’s so obvious to anyone with a brain what they are doing.

That Shoemaker piece is totally what creative wants the narrative to be.

It’s why my stock value is safe but the product won’t attract long term growth as when these kids grow up they won’t be the fans that those of the previous generations were.

 

[OrangeDW]

I don’t think I can think of a writer except maybe Rick Reilly who has lost touch with his old readers more than Bill Simmons.
Simmons used to actually have opinions that weren’t cookie cutter and corporate and were original.
Now his guy Shoemaker who writes on wrestling totally writes with the perspective of they want to continue getting the obvious comps and perks from the company and will print their message out to the masses. It’s so obvious to anyone with a brain what they are doing.

That Shoemaker piece is totally what creative wants the narrative to be.

It’s why my stock value is safe but the product won’t attract long term growth as when these kids grow up they won’t be the fans that those of the previous generations were.

I remember a Simmons piece on summer slam, similar to his NBA draft diaries. It was the one where Hogan wrestled Michaels.

He was original and entertaining back then. That guy seems to be long gone.

 

[Knicks411]

Yeah that came across very clearly.

But when Becky claimed that the crowd all cheered when Charlotte won...when we all know they clearly didn’t. That made it clear to me that they’re not going to just tell the story and let the crowd cheer who they want. They’re going to push through with Becky as “heel” and Charlotte as “face” and if heel Becky doesn’t get booed then she’s not doing her job.

That was so awful. Even if the original plan was Becky going heel you'd have to think after the reaction Sunday they would modify things. NOPE

 

[Symphony Steve]

BTW, Lesnar is gone until after his latest MMA foray. From Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer (you really should subscribe, it's great):

"As far as Lesnar, his WWE contract expires in a few days. He was written out of storylines when Kurt Angle refused to give him his rematch. He was pulled by WWE off the Raw show this past week because nobody could come up with an idea for him that made sense."

 

[Symphony Steve]

Neville is reportedly gone from WWE. Hadn't wrestled since October, and was involved in a contract dispute w/WWE.

Don't know if he has a 'non-compete' clause that would delay him from taking dates, but I think he'll be in high demand.

 

[OrangeDW]

So... putting Braun with Ziggler and McIntyre so they won’t cheer him over Reigns?

 

[cuseinseattle]

So... putting Braun with Ziggler and McIntyre so they won’t cheer him over Reigns?

I don't believe there is a group of people you could put again Reigns that would result in people cheering him. It was comical watching Summer Slam. When Roman won really quick and the crowd realized they weren't getting the Braun cash in they thought it was like cut the tape.

 

[cuseinseattle]

I know they aren't going to do it because they should have done it 3 years ago but they should have Roman turn hell. Like have the shield save him and he beats Roman and then down the line have the double cross like they did before when Seth Rollins did it. Only this time have Roman double cross Seth Rollins. Then they can have at it and it can culminate with Rollins having the title as a face. It would be nice if the best match of a PPV was the last one featuring Rollins as opposed to the first match of the whole show featuring him.

 

[OrangeDW]

Been rewatching some things from a few years ago and watching some things I missed when I was largely checked out in the last year or so...it really is incredible to me how they’ve misused Sasha Banks.


They basically gave what should’ve been her spot the last 6 months to Alexa Bliss and Carmella. Both of them are charismatic talkers and play good heels. But Sasha is better than them at literally every aspect of wrestling, including being a heel. How she hasn’t gotten a heel championship run by now is beyond me. I can understand Becky and Bayley getting lost in the shuffle a bit. They’re good but not so good they can overcome booking mistakes. But Sasha Banks is a cant miss! How do you screw her up? She could’ve made Asuka or Rousey by both building the match up and bumping like crazy for them in a memorable match that really makes them look legit.

* For some reason the “Sasha needs a heel title run” thinking made me think of this: how did Chris Jericho never get a face title run? Great heel, but also a really popular face at times. But he only really won big matches when he was a heel. They basically went out of there way to NOT give him a face title reign when he was feuding with Owens, by getting the title onto Goldberg. SMH. That was such a corny move. Jericho and Owens carried the show all year long...but it’s “Wrestlemania season” so we’ve got to get the title on the returning megastar from 1998 and the MMA guy who we let destroy all our wrestlers because...you know...outside athletes MUST make the real WWE guys look like crap every time.

Ok, rant over. Now I remember why I stopped watching, lol.

 

[cuseinseattle]

Been rewatching some things from a few years ago and watching some things I missed when I was largely checked out in the last year or so...it really is incredible to me how they’ve misused Sasha Banks.


They basically gave what should’ve been her spot the last 6 months to Alexa Bliss and Carmella. Both of them are charismatic talkers and play good heels. But Sasha is better than them at literally every aspect of wrestling, including being a heel. How she hasn’t gotten a heel championship run by now is beyond me. I can understand Becky and Bayley getting lost in the shuffle a bit. They’re good but not so good they can overcome booking mistakes. But Sasha Banks is a cant miss! How do you screw her up? She could’ve made Asuka or Rousey by both building the match up and bumping like crazy for them in a memorable match that really makes them look legit.

* For some reason the “Sasha needs a heel title run” thinking made me think of this: how did Chris Jericho never get a face title run? Great heel, but also a really popular face at times. But he only really won big matches when he was a heel. They basically went out of there way to NOT give him a face title reign when he was feuding with Owens, by getting the title onto Goldberg. SMH. That was such a corny move. Jericho and Owens carried the show all year long...but it’s “Wrestlemania season” so we’ve got to get the title on the returning megastar from 1998 and the MMA guy who we let destroy all our wrestlers because...you know...outside athletes MUST make the real WWE guys look like crap every time.

Ok, rant over. Now I remember why I stopped watching, lol.

I would have to go back and look at the roster mix at the top at the time but my memory with Jericho is that alot of times it would be a numbers game. He is the rare guy that can be both face and heel and we need a heel right now so we will keep him there. Being a good heel is much harder I think. Regarding Sasha she is amazing and I don't really get it. I know there was concerns that she would be the female Daniel Bryan in the sense she takes so many risks in the ring that she is constantly hurt. They put the title on her and she got hurt and that could have just reinforced it. I'm kind of grasping at straws because she is so great that she should be on top. Also there is misusing someone and then there is making them wrestle Dana Brooke on TV like she did this week.

 

[OrangeDW]

I would have to go back and look at the roster mix at the top at the time but my memory with Jericho is that alot of times it would be a numbers game. He is the rare guy that can be both face and heel and we need a heel right now so we will keep him there. Being a good heel is much harder I think. Regarding Sasha she is amazing and I don't really get it. I know there was concerns that she would be the female Daniel Bryan in the sense she takes so many risks in the ring that she is constantly hurt. They put the title on her and she got hurt and that could have just reinforced it. I'm kind of grasping at straws because she is so great that she should be on top. Also there is misusing someone and then there is making them wrestle Dana Brooke on TV like she did this week.

I agree with you on Jericho in general.

But specifically...after Kevin Owens turned on him. Those two had been absolutely carrying Raw on a weekly basis for a solid 6 months. Jericho had gotten so over that the fans were dying to cheer him. Owens was the champ, and had finally snapped and brutalized Jericho.

Jericho now Had the fans who’d been dying to cheer him, plus their sympthay, plus a motive for revenge. It was the perfect chance for him to win the title one last time, but finally as a face, taking it off Owens at Mania.

But instead WWE seemed to call an audible from the angle that had actually built up on Raw all year long, and randomly moved the belt to Goldberg...the guy wrestling for the first time in like 15 years, and Lesnar - the special attraction guy that wrestles 5 times a year. Ugh.

 

[Symphony Steve]

Ever heard an interview with Jericho? He is as astute on the business as anybody. He loves to reinvent himself and, right now, he has so many irons in the fire, including touring with his band Fozzy, organizing a wrestling cruise, and doing some niche TV programming, not to mention writing his next book, that he has little desire to do any one thing for an extended period of time.