http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/118-daily-updates/29561-raw-rating-was-a
Apparently shitty shows mean more people watching, as RAW did a 3.7, biggest number since the 1000th one. This Rock guy might have a future in the business.
Brock Lesnar used his telepathic powers to make everyone tune in obviously. Brock=ratings.
ReplyDeleteChris Jericho came back at the Rumble. Rock's been back for a month.
ReplyDeleteThe math, do it you will.
Jerischo was back for 24 hours, Brock was back for 5 minutes, do that math! I'm joking because it was obviously the Rock buddy
ReplyDeleteEveryone here is wrong. Clearly the prospect of potentially hearing Ryback tell a joke was what really caused the huge rating.
ReplyDeleteI'm joking as well.
ReplyDeleteClearly it was Jericho's light bright jacket.
Rock nuthin'. Khalioke FTW!!
ReplyDeleteThis is why WWE shouldn't put on a show with so many garbage segments... my wife happened to be in the room and half paying attention to Raw last night, and when Ryback and the PTP were out there, I said "This is going to be one of those segments that makes me embarrassed to be a wrestling fan." Thankfully, that segment wasn't too bad and she had gone into the other room to watch something else before the REALLY bad stuff came on.
ReplyDeleteRaw really needs to go back to 2 hours. Btw I can't believe no one commented on Jericho punching Kane and running off.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was because Cena won the Rumble, and all the fans WWE turned off last year by constantly jobbing him out came back in droves.
ReplyDeleteJericho should of thrown coffee on him and ran
ReplyDeleteIt's almost as though punk isn't a draw. But that's just not possible!
ReplyDeleteOK, who had Dougie chiming in within the first 15 posts? *raises hand*
ReplyDeleteIt's almost as though, when compared to The Rock, only like five or six people in history are draws.
ReplyDeleteCena being one of them.
ReplyDeleteHe's now the goat. Ridiculous draw awesome on the mic great worker
ReplyDeleteTHEY ARE TURNING BUSINESS AROUND!
ReplyDelete-no NFL perhaps?
5.5, repetition proves lack of originality.
ReplyDeleteThey should keep the belt on rock for 434 days
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry people don't want to watch your boyfriend.
ReplyDeleteTruth be told WWE has never seen a guy like Rock and probably never will again. I'm not the Rock's biggest fan ever but the kind of talent/charisma the Rock has isn't something anyone on the roster is going to develop; no one did for the 50+ years previous to Rock either. (I know I'm opening myself up for that, but I believe that's the case).
ReplyDeleteI should add an addendum here to say that I don't think that ratings spike will last forever though. Probably a bunch of people tuning in to see the Rock as champ and that's it.
ReplyDeleteYour declaring him the GOAT just by drawing that rating?
ReplyDeleteHa! It's funny because you're calling him gay. Well done!
ReplyDeleteHe's the GOAT because CM Punk is teh gay.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if he's gay, but he's definitely in love with him.
ReplyDeleteSo in other words...he's gay.
ReplyDeleteHonest question....couldn't this more have to do with the fact that the Raw after Royal Rumble is traditionally the start of the build towards WrestleMania? I'm not taking anything away from the Rock, but he's been appearing on both Raw and Smackdown for weeks now, without delivering record ratings. I just don't know how one could say it's solely because of the Rock.
ReplyDeleteOmg, whats wrong with you? Don't you know its not cool to reply to your own comme...*jumps in front of speeding train*
ReplyDelete150% of there rating a month ago.
ReplyDeleteA combination for sure. But at the end of the day, who gives a shit, besides Dougie? Wrestling fans are the only people who use ratings to justify their tastes in something and it's completely baffling.
ReplyDeleteSo...that means he is the greatest of all time?
ReplyDelete4.0 c'mon dougie troll better, we demand more from you.
ReplyDeleteWho doubled a shows rating by showing up?
ReplyDeleteI'm gay anytime I read your posts!
ReplyDeleteIf Brock hadn't shown up I'd love to see next weeks rating after last nights trainwreck. He probably saved a bunch of people from going "Well, fuck this company, can't do it (again)"
ReplyDeleteAustin. If he ever announces a come back match. He'll crush those ratings, like he crushes Rock in every category. And that rating has zero to do with Rock just "showing up".
ReplyDeleteI liked adr v sheamus on smackdown as a main event program but I think the ratings were me and TommyHall
ReplyDeleteCorrect.
ReplyDeleteAustin was the biggest draw but rock over the last two years passed him by. And I don't think a past his prime out of the public eye austin is moving the needle today like steroid movie star rock.
ReplyDeleteI believe it.
ReplyDeleteI just think the time for discussing ratings passed when WWF made WCW a non-entity and it was no longer the thing to argue about on the Internet. I'm trying to think of what in life is made better by more people liking something. Diabetes? Walmart? McDonald's?
i swear wrestling fans live in a bubble.
ReplyDeleteno MNF.
Thats it.
Here's a thought: A bunch of my friends who are old-school fans who dropped off in the last decade bought the Rumble because 1) It's the Rumble and 2)The Rock was in it. The Rock wins, so they want to see what happens next, Bet you the Rumble buyrate will correspond pretty strongly with the ratings spike.
ReplyDeleteTeach me how to Dougie!
ReplyDeleteThere's been no MNF for months.
ReplyDeleteEverything about your statement is wrong. Austin is out of the public eye, not wrestling fans' eye. And nobody is watching Raw because some movie star is on it. Rock is bringing back wrestling fans, not fans of the Tooth Fairy movie. And Austin is much bigger deal to wrestling fans than the Rock is now.
ReplyDeleteAnd there has also been holidays as well.
ReplyDeletePeople come back to wrestling once football ends. Its not immediate. Its more "oh whats going on wrasslin... The Rock is back?"
I was told there wouldn't be math.
ReplyDeleteAustin is/was the catalyst for the biggest boom in wrestling, but Rock outclasses Austin in everyway, except merch sales.
ReplyDeleteIn and out the ring.
Dont get me wrong Austin is the man, and no Austin = No Rock, but Rock took the rub he got from austin and gave it to Foley/HHH and many others.
and has pretty much been a class act out the ring
Austin>Rock is drawing power, wrestling ability, and promos. I couldn't give two shits about what happens in real life.
ReplyDeleteBrock = ppv buys.
ReplyDeleteMore reason to have Brock-Rock at Wm now that Brock is sticking around 2 more years.
I still like Rock...
ReplyDeleteSo do I. I'm not saying he isn't great.
ReplyDeleteBwahahhaha, awesome.
ReplyDeleteLulz
ReplyDeleteI wonder about the timing of Brock re-signing. If they find out earlier, I don't think Cena wins the Rumble.
ReplyDeleteBox office receipts say hi.
ReplyDeleteI meant when it comes to wrestling. But yeah, Rock is a bigger movie star than Austin. But who gives a fuck?
ReplyDeleteEh, Vince likes keeping Cena happy. Btw, looking at Cena lately, how's this dude passing wellness?
ReplyDeleteI certainly don't. Btw, I hadn't read your post below that said you meant I. Wrestling.
ReplyDeleteWhat wellness?
ReplyDeletedrawing power.... really? These WMs alone are showing Rock is a bigger draw, not to mention they had their biggest year with Austin on the shelf. if its merch sales in included, Austin is there, but Rock is no slouch.
ReplyDeleteWrestling abaility: Pre neck injury Austin could go with the best of them. Rock was terrible, but once he started wrestling the midgets and Angle, he was good. Certainly up to post injury Austin. I call it a push
Promos: chocolate and vanilla. I like both of them equally, Austin can do money promos but brings the funny. Rock has been a catchphrase guy but 03 Rock was some of the best promos in the history of wrestling. I give it to Rock.
IMO.
I don't have time to look this up right now but I'm curious how last years post rumble raw did.
ReplyDeleteIt's that rock is also a real movie star. Makes him a bigger wrestling star and gives him more cred with post 2002 wrestling fans
ReplyDeleteIf you replace Rock with Austin at WM 28, I'd bet anything the buyrate is bigger. Austin is wrestling's white whale right now. I agree the promo difference is a lot and it really depends on your taste. But your waaaaay out of your mind calling Austin and Rock a push in terms of wrestling ability.
ReplyDeleteNo it doesn't. It has zero impact. Rock is drawing because he is a gigantic WRESTLING star, not because he has like 2 hit movies.
ReplyDeleteGet new material.
ReplyDelete3.55
ReplyDeleteBut this RAW beat out the rating of last year's night-after-Rumble RAW. And that show was only two hours.
ReplyDeleteHhh books himself to get a respect heat segment after the lesnar match and no one cares. Rock comes on raw to cut a promo and the ratings jump a point and a half.
ReplyDeleteRock might equal ratings, but I doubt that translates into ad revenue for them, since they aren't able to bring in those kinds of numbers year round thus justifying any kind of hikes in what they charge advertisers.
ReplyDeleteSo wee, the Rock popped a rating that ultimately has no benefit in the long run. Unless they treat the rest of the roster with respect and build it up, it doesn't matter* that the ratings bumped up.
*I see what I did there
Mick Foley's book talks about him going to an indy show after his WCW run was over. There were 30 people in attendance, and some old wrestler guy said, without a hint of sarcasm, "SEE! You bring in Cactus Jack, and we double the house!"
ReplyDeleteI'm with Cult...if Austin got the same level of promotion that Rock did last year, WM buyrate is just as big, if not bigger.
ReplyDeleteWrestling fans who walked away want to see Cena's ass get kicked, and that's Austin much more than Rock. Rock's the promo guy, Austin is the fighter.
No. Rock is drawing because he is bringing in mainstream fans. Brock is drawing because he is bringing in MMA fans. Nobody else is drawing, because the wrestling market is completely saturated, and every wrestling fan that would be watching the show is already watching the show.
ReplyDeleteAlready did that sort back in 2000
ReplyDeleteNobody is watching Raw right now that isn't a wrestling fan. People that have the Toothfairy movie or The Mysterious Retarded Island 5 on dvd aren't automatically wrestling fans now.
ReplyDelete^ This guy didn't get it
ReplyDeleteLol, so actually a bit better in te total viewers department and a slight drop in Nielsen. I'm sure Rock had an influence, but as for raw, it's more due tithe fact that people tune in after rumble to see what's up. Rock and Brock (an if Austin ever comes back) earn there dollars by upping ppv buys not by popping a rating.
ReplyDeleteSo how do you account for the new 0.6 share of the audience that wasn't watching last week?
ReplyDeleteWanting something to be so doesn't make it so in spite of the evidence.
He's taking lessons from good ol' Adam "Bags o' Piss" Curry.
ReplyDeleteYou should research Rock's movie drawing power. He has more than 2 hit movies. That shitty center of the earth whatever it's called alone made a shit ton.
ReplyDeleteI was just about to say the same thing. Rock is bringing in fans who used to watch before it became kid-friendly crap with badly scripted promos and a bunch of guys that look and wrestle the same, not people that are fans of his movies. And I don't see Brock bringing in UFC fans either, people who like real fighting aren't going to tune into a show to see him involved in a worked storyline that ends with him pretending to fight.
ReplyDeleteEhh, I prefer Rock over Austin but I don't think its a landslide. I don't think it's a coincidence that since Rock has been back we barely see Austin. These guys are buddies but also ultra competitive like all transcendent superstars.
ReplyDeleteAs everyone points out with the Rock, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Austin was almost too available 03-09. The silly sheriff angle and random appearances made him seem less special, kind of like Bret now. Rock was not live on Raw for 8 years, so he became a much bigger deal to most fans.
I think Austin has at least one more Wrestlemania match in him, but he was never going to play 2nd fiddle to the Rock and I don't blame him. Rock has been positioned as the coolest guy in wrestling history on WWE tv sine he came back and even out of John Cenas league (kayfabe). Austin hasn't been portrayed this way probably since 03, and thus wouldn't have the opportunity to draw eyeballs like Rock.
Wrestlemania 30 maybe Austin wrestles...The Rock will be far less special then, if he appears. If not, then definitely 31. Don't forget every year Vince has less and less mastic bullets as someone said. Austin is one. Taker-Cena is another. After that the best he can do is have Hunter beg Shawn to come do 1 last 5 star classic at WM and even that has an expiration date as Shawn will be 50 at that point. Oh yea, he can pay Hogan eleventy million dollars to fight Brock in a UFC unsanctioned shoot Brother, and watch Hulkamania run wild one last time Brother!
Sorry off topic....bottom line Austin is great but due to timing, circumstance and even age I doubt moves the needle like Rocky.
I love Rock but that is inacurate. Last years post rumble raw drew 18,000 more viewers and a 3.5. The show after rumble always pops a rating.
ReplyDeleteHe is bringing in old wrestling fans. Fans of the Rock, not Dwayne Johnson movie star.
ReplyDeleteI read that thread, oh my that was some funny shit. Aren't those contraptions called "whizinators"?
ReplyDeleteIt made money but nobody will ever remember it. When I say hit, I mean critically and financially.
ReplyDeleteDude has over eight million likes on his Facebook page. Ain't no one that gets that much interest from professional wrestling alone.
ReplyDeleteAnd those eight million aren't watching Raw.
ReplyDeleteSo how do you account for the new 0.6 share of the audience that wasn't watching last week?
ReplyDeleteWanting something to be so doesn't make it so in spite of the evidence.
The Royal Rumble bump. It happens every year.
ReplyDeleteFuj, The Rock may be able to out-work Austin now because of Austin's F'd neck & age, but he is NOT a better technician, period. He's great at taking a shit-kicking, but he is often quite sloppy-looking with his maneuvers that aren't the Rock Bottom or People's Elbow. And him being better outside the ring is also quite debatable (in the wrestling sense).
ReplyDeleteI admit Rock has Austin beat in a non-wrestling sense with Austin's domestic issues, but he has apparently moved past that and is well-liked & respected by virtually everyone these days.
I'm sure you've seen them, but watch Austin work from '92-'97 and then his late '00 & '01 material, and tell me the Rock is a better worker. I simply don't buy that you believe that. Hell, even when Austin was reduced to only brawling, he was putting on better, more consistent matches than The Rock.
Last year's post rumble raw had the advantage of being only two hours long.
ReplyDeletelol. Sorry, but I almost hope that nickname sticks.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to agree with this based on personal experience alone. I've got a brother and a dad who tend to watch a lot more wrestling when the football season ends. I'm not sure what Eric is talking about MNF being over for months... it's been over for month, no S.
ReplyDeleteExactly. None of that social media garbage means jack shit in the real world.
ReplyDeleteBest post on the topic, I believe. I totally agree with the reasoning of Austin losing some juice with the fans because he was too accessible. He'd guest ref every other year at Mania and, yes, had the sheriff angle. Consequently, I think Austin recognized this and has distanced himself from the company until they have something a little bit more substantial or special for him.
ReplyDeleteBecause he probably felt he owed it to the BUSINESS, he kept on coming back even if it wasn't the best strategy for his standing with fans. Same thing happened with Foley, too. They are not perceived as huge as they truly were/are. Foley, Austin, and Rock were crossover stars in their own ways, but the Rock feels a bit more "special" still.
Still, a Punk-Austin feud could do big numbers if Austin and Punk plot it out themselves.
Tensai in Drag = Ratings!
ReplyDelete100% Right.
ReplyDeleteAnd is anyone else thinking the numbers would be much higher if they went with that instead of going with Rock Vs. Cena Part Deux and Brock Vs. The Guy Who Looks Like Bradley Cooper's Twin Brother Ever Since He Got That Horrible Haircut, otherwise known as Triple H?
"If ifs were a fifth, we'd all be drunk"
ReplyDeleteThe facts remain that Rock on the card have brought in bigger returns after his sabbatical than Austin has. Austin has been on a WM since his 19. Did it do more than 27?
again, Im not discounting Austin, but Rock has eclipsed him by far.
Re: Wrestling ability. Like i said pre injury Austin was a beast. He was keeping up with Steamboat and a early 90s Flair. Thats awesome. Once the neck thing happened, he changed his whole style to hide his limitations. Thats not wrestling. Thats performing, He isnt going hold for hold anymore. He is chair shots and stunners and beer.
Rock was competent if not great in his early days but once he started working with HHH, and then the radicalz and Jericho he went from a ** guy to a ****+ consistently. Thats a 3-4 year run of good to great matches. Austins best praised year in 01, but outside of that how many good years did Austin have a string of great matches, comparable to Rocks?
Not to mention Rock was never a scientific guy, he was more in the vein of HBK. He could go hold for hold, but he is punchy-kicky and alot of pizzazz. So yea IMO Austin went down after his injury while Rock came up working with the Radicalz. Its a push.
Ive watched the vast majority of Austins wcw work and his bret stuff and its great.
ReplyDeleteIm not arguing that. Im syaing the guy was a beast. hold for hold move for move, he was a package.
But the neck thing happened and fucked him for good. He had a good 01. I think 2001 was his best in ring year ever.
But at the same time, like i said earlier, its a smattering here and there.
Rock from about 98-02 was consistently ON. total package. In ring on the mic He had it. The **** prove it. Consistently every month he and HHH for like 6 months brought it on PPV and it never got stale. Then he worked with the Radicalz and got GOOD in the ring.
Bit of a difference between actually wrestling on a card and just showing up to Stunner someone. And the only time since his retirement that he has actually been a big part of the build, WM 23 did 1.2 mil. Imagine what that number would be if he was wrestling?
ReplyDeleteAnd the last year of Austin's big run, he was crushing it in the ring. Even with all his limitations.
You're penalizing Austin for retiring early then. Because 2001 was his last full year active. And as beat up as he was, he still was blowing away what Rock did in 2001.
ReplyDeleteforgive me, but wasnt 27 the one he just hosted right? 28 is "once in a lifetime"?
ReplyDeleteAll rock did was host and rock bottom Cena. Id say thats comparable correct?
I wont even count 28 then.
Again, did 27 out draw 23?
I know I'll only check out a band, movie or TV show if it is high-rating and appealing to the mainstream. Why bother finding out for myself what things I enjoy when I can just like what I'm told to like?
ReplyDeleteNo. And that was with a larger implied role than just reffing or showing up. That show was all Rock.
ReplyDeleteYea... a ****1/2 vs Angle at NWO 01 is blowing him away. Outside of the crap booker T matches at Summerlsam/Unforgiven, Rock was having good matches as well.
ReplyDeleteWas Rock gone throughout the summer of 2001 while Austin was tearing it up?
Then didnt he come back and tear it up while Austin was there, and continued while Austin took his ball and went home?
You mean that same NWO show that Austin had a 5 star match with HHH?
ReplyDeleteBut Austin didnt even draw that one. That was the battle of the billionaires right?
ReplyDeleteAustin was a big part of that. I'd imagine a lot of people bought it to see Austin stun both of them like they bought 27 to see Rock hit a Rock Bottom on Miz and Cena.
ReplyDeleteSo **** 1/2 vs full monty is blowing away now?
ReplyDeleteoh myyyyyy
Is that what I said? But HHH/Austin completely overshadowed Rock/Angle. The Austin/HHH match is the one everyone remembers.
ReplyDeleteWas he? He wasnt even factored into the match until like 1-2 weeks prior IIRC.
ReplyDeleteA month before. He was named ref on March 5th. WM 23 happened April 1st.
ReplyDelete" And as beat up as he was, he still was blowing away what Rock did in 2001."
ReplyDeleteOverall he was. Everything Rock did, Austin did it better. Kurt Angle is the perfect example.
ReplyDeleteThe same match that had the hair cut stipulation correct?
ReplyDeleteSi.
ReplyDeleteNot bring buyrates to WM.
ReplyDeleteThey wrestled each other at WM.
ReplyDeleteSo you mean to tell me that people bought that WM for Austin to stun Vince (who he did a million times) or Donald (ok...)
ReplyDeleteRather than see Vince or Donald get their hair shaved off if their man lost?
Oh myyyy
They also havent either... so who you think drew more buys to WM?
ReplyDeleteRock or Austin
I say Rock.
Not what I said at all. It was definitely part of it. And Austin being involved probably assured people that it wasn't going to be a bait and switch.
ReplyDeleteDiscounting the WM they wrestled each other?
ReplyDeleteGentlemen, you can't fight in here, this is the war room!
ReplyDeleteOk, so tell me what you think.
ReplyDeleteYour opinion.
WM 23 was bought on the chance that Austin would stun people or
Donald or Vince would get their hair shaved off?
2.3, another unoriginal troll attempt.
ReplyDeleteeither or.
ReplyDeleteYour choice champ.
Well, I LIED!
ReplyDeleteWell it only comes down to WMX8 vs WM14. If the website I'm reading is right, WM14 buyrate 730k and X8 was 880. Fun fact: the buyrate for WM13 was 237K and the WMX7 was over a mil.
ReplyDeleteWell it only comes down to WMX8 vs WM14. If the website I'm reading is right, WM14 buyrate 730k and X8 was 880. Fun fact: the buyrate for WM13 was 237K and the WMX7 was over a million.
ReplyDeleteDonald and Vince were responsible for the majority of the buys. I never argued that. I was arguing that was the WM that you could consider Austin as a draw.
ReplyDeleteVAST MAJORITY champ.
ReplyDeleteAustin is always gonna be a draw, but in WM23s instance it can be agreed upon that Austins involvement didnt really bump the buys that much.
14, definitely
17, of course
19, meh
23, not in the slightest.
I would argue that Austin's being there assured people that it wouldn't be a bait and switch.
ReplyDeleteirrelevant.
ReplyDeleteAustin being there doesnt assure anything. If Vince throws the cash down, Austin would gladly be apart of a bait and switch if Vince wanted it.
But my bigger concern is how does that translate into being a significant draw in that matchup? Or does it?
Because he was there building up the match with Vince and Trump. The build is huge part of it. If they just announced the match and done no buildup(for any match) the buyrate isn't nearly as high.
ReplyDelete"If Vince throws the cash down, Austin would gladly be apart of a bait and switch if Vince wanted it."
I have no idea what you are talking about. What does that have to do with anything. If Vince threw enough cash at Austin, he would have worn a dress. So what?
Can I start a "holy shit" or "this is awesome" for this marathon debate?
ReplyDeleteIron Man match for sure.
ReplyDeleteDr. Strangelove is an awesome film!
ReplyDelete". And Austin being involved probably assured people that it wasn't going to be a bait and switch."
ReplyDeleteYou do realize that the vast majority of people know wrestling is pre-determined, correct?
You do realize that if Vince wanted a bait and switch, he will do it.
Austin is apart of the grand work or wrestling. He isn't really a sheriff.He has no real authority. He doesnt lay down the law lol, he is a pro wrestler.
How does him being there ASSURE people there wasnt gonna be a bait and switch?
*not sure if you're trolling or serious*
Im done champ.
Gen pop doesn't think like that. Everyone knows it's fake but for most people, they see something like Austin reffing that match and think "he won't let no bullshit happen, it's Stone Cold!". They're invested in the character. Perfect example of this is the Rock/Punk feud.
ReplyDeleteThousands of people's exact mindset was "Rock is going to kick his ass, he is the Great One!" They know it's fake but they don't think about shit like who jobs to who and who puts over who.
I think Austin is a bit of hypocrite as he went on to play the same Hogan type games that he always bitched about.
ReplyDeleteI also dont think Austin is on the same level as Rock anymore. Austin coming back is not mainstream news like Rock is.
The same Stone Cold that was part of the Goldberg/Lesnar abortion at WM XX? He sure let that bullshit happen...
ReplyDeleteBut it doesnt ASSURE anything.
ReplyDeleteIts wrestling.
Austin was nowhere near as bad as Hogan. It's not even close. A show like TMZ or Entertainment Tonight mentioning Rock coming back has ZERO benefit. People who watch those shows don't watch wrestling.
ReplyDeleteIf Austin announces tomorrow that he is coming back to wrestle CM Punk at 29, it will dwarf everything else on that card, including Rock/Cena.
I dont recall Hogan walking out on Vince because he didnt want to put someone over. Hogan actually put Brock over clean, Austin took his ball and went home like a bitch.
ReplyDeleteWhat in god's name are you talking about? What does that match have to do with anything I just wrote?
ReplyDeleteTo me and you. But to them it does.
ReplyDeletePeople bought that show cause Austin was the guest referee too, right?
ReplyDeleteVince and HHH would be so proud if they saw this post. You're not drinking the kool aid, you're mainlining it.
ReplyDeleteSo that isnt what happened? I know, Austin wanted to put the kid over on PPV where it meant something,meh. So he goes home, rather than doing business.
ReplyDeleteNo.
ReplyDeleteHe was smart and didn't let the idiots ruin a gigantic payday. If more people did what Austin did(COUGHzackryderCOUGH) they'd be better off.
ReplyDeleteYeah, there would be no PPV and no business if everybody went home. I dont disagree with Austin's line of thinking but going home because he didnt get his way was weak.
ReplyDeleteNot everybody should just leave, but they definitely should tell Vince to fuck off every once in a while.
ReplyDeleteIf there was a real alternative to WWE, Im sure many would but Vince has all the power now.
ReplyDeleteThere is always an alternative. Go get better on the indies or go get more tv time in TNA. Most guys would rather collect a paycheck and play video games in the back though.
ReplyDeleteIsnt making money and getting national exposure what most of these people get into this business for? TNA is a good alternative if you dont want to be on the road but its an alternative like WCW once was.
ReplyDeleteWhen there's like, 50 well paying jobs on the market, you're god damn right i'd be happy to get a paycheck and play video games.
ReplyDeleteRyder knows not to rock the boat or he could wind up on a Shane Douglas led stock crew at Target.
ReplyDeleteThe type people WWE goes after? Yes. Which is why they leave WWE all the time to go into mma, acting or whatever. And they still wonder why.
ReplyDeleteRyder could live off the indies or TNA. Guys with name value do pretty well.
ReplyDeleteWhich is why he'll never be more than jobber. And if he is fine with that, god bless him. I wouldn't be.
ReplyDeleteSure plenty of people leave, they all have their reasons, the majority wind up coming back though.
ReplyDeleteHe is getting paid to basically be a goofball and sometimes lay down on TV after a few minutes of work. Probably makes more now in a month than he would in a year doing indies.
ReplyDeleteIts great to chase your dreams, but its better to have money for a place to live and food to eat.
so now you are speaking for the entire paying fanbase?
ReplyDeleteTop post count and most upvotes does all that champ?
I know how wrestling fans are. Go look on twitter, go watch the youtube videos. There are literally thousands on those two mediums alone that fit the description I gave. I've been around enough wrestling fans, in real life and on the internet, to know how the average one thinks.
ReplyDeleteand there are literally thousands that represent the opposite...
ReplyDeleteBut this is way off from the original discussion. So im done.
The way we think about wrestling represent probably 10% or lower. The other 90 is some form of fan I described above.
ReplyDeleteAnd you got this info from where?
ReplyDeleteWhat percentage of fans do you think are type that visit sites like this and dirt sheets? I think calling it 10% is generous.
ReplyDeleteEhhhh...I'm not sure I agree with that. I mean, how many people really remember that type of stuff Austin did?
ReplyDeletei never gave it any real thought.
ReplyDeleteThis is an honest question... Do you sleep at all? Cuz Ive been at work since 6am (middle east time) and we have been going back and forth pretty much throughout the night (no homo)
That was like 10 hours ago...
oh...
ReplyDeleteI was actually doing dishes like 2 hours ago in the middle of the night because I had nothing better to do and I couldn't sleep. Insomnia is a bitch.
ReplyDeleteOh. Thats whats up...
ReplyDeleteWhat about Rocky Maivia, are we going to see someone as charismatic as that heat black hole?
ReplyDeleteWell played
ReplyDeleteJesus?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhsWzJo2sN4
ReplyDeleteMight not have been a great show, but the Sheamus/Sandow tables match was really good. PPV quality. Great psychology, and avoided being a spotfest. I'd love to see that feud continue.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Austin was an all time classic worker before his neck injuries. Like Bret Hart good or better. What's crazy is that he was able to have awesome matches post neck surgery also, and not just in the attitude era brawlz he invented.
ReplyDeletePeople remember both I think.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the current roster is full of guys who will never get past that level.
ReplyDeleteAnd you know this how? Half the guys get no mic time, the other half get the usual promos. The point with the Rocky Maivia fiasco is that you have to actually invest time and work in your workers before you know what you have.
ReplyDeleteMost people, even his supporters didn't think Daniel Bryan had a personality. Then they actually gave him a character to work with, and lo and behold look what happened.
Daniel Bryan is still in no way near the Rock. That's what I'm saying. Even the best characters they are producing right now are nowhere near the draw Rock is. To get to that draw level they would have to become Hollywood stars, essentially - tons of people who aren't wrestling fans know who the Rock is. I go to my wife and tell her the Rock won the WWE title, she knows who that is. I tell her Daniel Bryan won she's like, "Who?"
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't actually matter how popular and how talented someone is, 'm saying the chances of someone having the breakout success/charisma that Rock has are tremendously limited. If someone on the roster had that ability we would've seen it by now.
Ray Lewis is his mentor?
ReplyDeleteThe Rock, as Rocky Maivia was a disaster. HHH as Jean Paul Levesque was a boring worker. They emerged because WWF gave them multiple chances, and let them make mistakes, and gave them 2nd and 3rd chances.
ReplyDeleteBut even if you don't have the next Dwayne Johnson, you kill yourself twice by sitting around, waiting for the Rock to magically appear, then you lose a Ted Dibiase or a Rick Rude. You lose the guys who make the Rocks possible.
You don't have the Rock without HHH. You don't have HHH without Mick Foley. You don't have Mick Foley without a guy who spent years developing a character, languishing in obscurity. There was a time that Mick Foley was seen as nothing more than a bump machine. Turns out, whoah snap, when you let Mick Foley cut promos, he's a charismatic guy. You say " If someone on the roster had that ability we would've seen it by now." But WCW never figured out how charismatic Foley was. I don't think even Paul Heyman realized. It took years for anyone to realize what they had in Foley. It took years to find out how charismatic Regal was.
The talent is there. Ziggler has improved in just a few months of actual mike time. Sandow could easily become a monster mic worker with the right foil. The talent is there, but unless you develop your entire roster, then the Rocks don't emerge.
A month. And two weeks after MNF ended there were pretty big college games.
ReplyDeleteLay off, he's just a physical freak who likes his video games (I may be getting my wwe approved party lines about drugs confused...)
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of what you said here; I think maybe what I said here is getting missed. The Rock is on a completely different level than everyone else you listed in your post on a physical level, a charisma level, an *anything* level. I think you're way too generous to Sandow and Ziggler for example - neither are ever going to be crossing over to other media the way the Rock has. And that's the point I'm making; the Rock had so much charisma and talent he became almost too big for wrestling as his level is waaaaay different than anyone else's. No matter how much Ziggler or Sandow develop neither are going to be movie stars.
ReplyDeleteI see your point, and it's true when you simply look at the results. The Rock is bigger than anything the WWE has produced....ever. And that includes Hogan.
ReplyDeleteMy point is less that Damien Sandow is on the Rock's level, or that Ziggler is or anyone, and more that too many people are written off when they hit the Rocky Maivia stage in their career; when things aren't really working, when the crowd is kind of indifferent etc. As a result, we (or Vince) writes them off. The Rock didn't just happen. Yes, Dwayne Johnson was incredibly talented, yes he's got charisma to spare, but it was only in putting him in a position to succeed that he emerged.
What I'm saying is that a phenomenon like the Rock only occurs when everything around him is functional. We see all his charisma and all of his brilliance, but there was a time even for him, where that wasn't there. There was a time where Dwayne Johnson was another green babyface who smiled too much and tried to get the crowd on his side by being another bland performer.
Can Damien Sandow be the next Rock? Probably not. But he's displaying a lot of charisma and timing that HHH didn't start showing until about 1998. I think that if the next Rock comes along then they're going to need Damien Sandow to be his HHH.
We are completely agreed now baby!!! Brotherhood forever. Great points.
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