So when last
we left our heroes, they were all punished by being forced to watch the main
event. I could keep typing for hours and
not come up with a snarkier line than that.
Daniel Bryan held his own against all three members of the Shield, but
eventually they got tired of playing by the rules and left him flat on his
back. And to add insult to injury, he
was spraypainted on SmackDown. The sign
at WWE headquarters should read “IT HAS BEEN [17] DAYS SINCE WE ENDED A SHOW ON
A HIGH NOTE”.
TONIGHT: CM
Punk and Daniel Bryan have things to say!
- The PG
Rant for Monday Night Raw, September 2, 2013.
- Live from
Des Moines, IA.
- Your hosts
are Michael Cole, JBL, and Jerry Lawler.
- Note to
self: insert page break here.
- And we
open with Triple H in the ring. Again. And again, the Shield are only watching one
side of him. Some bodyguards. HHH wastes no time in giving us Randy
Orton. Cole calls this the Reign of
Terror, which makes no sense as no one’s been beheaded yet. JBL is playing HHH’s flunky on
commentary. Orton says he’s out to
protect the WWE, and the image can’t be tarnished. Hate him, and you hate the WWE. This prompts a NO chant. Just acknowledging Daniel Bryan prompts a YES
chant. He’s insanely over. Orton discusses the Escalade defacing,
calling it his personal property – read last week’s RAW for what HHH thinks of
that – and so Orton defaced Bryan.
Honestly, this bit on SmackDown should’ve been on RAW last week to put
the heat on Orton. Now Orton will play
audience participation: 1) Should Daniel Bryan face Orton at Night of
Champions? Crowd says YES. Orton says NO. 2) Does Daniel Bryan have the slightest
chance of beating Orton? Same answers as
before. 3) Will Bryan amount to
anything? Repeat. Even though I’d say Bryan already HAS
amounted to something. They’re milking
this “B+” thing for all it’s worth. 4)
Should Daniel Bryan surrender his match?
Now the answers are reversed.
Well, that’s great and all, but who would replace him? Now HHH speaks. His responsibility is for the best product on
Raw. He says we deserve to have the best
each week. AND THAT’S A SHOOT,
BROTHER! But he also needs to ensure the
health of everyone, and given what Daniel Bryan’s been through, there’s cause
for concern. He then says we’re the
problem because we encourage him. The crowd
is being played HARD tonight. HHH says
that popularity is not what’s best for business. And this brings us to… Doink the Clown? Yes, even though he’s popular, he wasn’t good
for business. Matt Borne just rolled
over in his grave. Before this gets any
sillier, we have Daniel Bryan out. He
says he’s th-rilled to be compared to Doink, but thinks HHH and Orton are a
better comparison. BURN. Bryan says HHH stopped being a man when he
went corporate. It’s official, this is
Austin/McMahon. Meanwhile, Orton had the
belt handed to him. What was Money in
the Bank, then? Seriously, Sandow should
take offense to that. Bottom line: he’s
not giving anything up, and Orton is less of a man than Stephanie. Orton makes it clear: the beatings will
continue until Bryan stops trying. How
much will Bryan be hurt before he gets it?
There’s shades of Horsemen threats in this, and I love it. And now the difference: Orton was told the
sky was the limit for him, but Bryan was told he had a ceiling. So Orton never had a chip on his shoulder,
and Bryan DOES. WE NEED MORE OF
THIS. Bryan loves to fight above his
weight, and Orton will never understand what it’s like to take because he was
given it all. Bryan KNOWS he’ll
win. This is MONEY, right here, between
these two. And he knows everyone knows
it because otherwise, he’d let Orton win on his own, which he doesn’t. “Randy Orton may have the genetics of a
champion, but Randy, you don’t have the heart of a champion.” MONEY.
HHH cuts off Bryan before he uses the b-word and calls him a grumpy
troll. HHH says Bryan is supposed to be
angry at himself and at Big Show. HHH
mentions the IRONCLAD CONTRACT and wonders why Big Show does nothing. WHOA, saving throw! So tonight, it’s Bryan v Big Show in the main
event. Bryan and Orton are KILLING IT in
opening remarks. Orton needs to speak
more for himself because he’s doing great, and whoever’s writing these lines
for Bryan – even if it’s Bryan himself – is hitting home runs. This was a FANTASTIC segment between those
two.
- Backstage,
Orton and HHH are laughing and joking, and then they cross paths with Cody
Rhodes. He applauds the main event… as
long as there’s no interference. Though
he asks why Orton is ducking Bryan, since he’s not scared of him. He says Orton/Bryan is what’s best for
business. But it’s because Cody’s
getting married, and by the way, HHH and Orton weren’t invited. So Cody’s present is a non-title match with Orton,
and if Cody loses, he’s fired.
- Fandango
v. Miz. No Rosa this week. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. Miz fires off with rights to start, and a
hiptoss follows. Blind charge misses, but
Fandango is caught and bails. Miz kicks
Fandango on the outside and drops him on the rail. Miz tangoes away some Summer Rae interference
and gets a rollup for two and a flapjack for two. Headlock takedown by Miz. Fandango backs Miz into the corner and slugs
away, then cross-corner whips Miz only to get clotheslined. Miz… tunes up the band? Yup, and there’s a drive-by boot for
two. Back to the headlock as we go to
break. Back with Fandango in control as
he gets a Hammer Throw for two.
Apparently, Fandango’s nose is broken.
Choking in the second rope by Fandango, setting up a slap by Summer
Rae. Miz is fired up and fights back,
but a blind charge hits boot. Fandango
goes up top and gets slammed off – nice to see Flair’s legacy being divided
among midcarders, isn’t it? – and now the figure-four try is stopped. Through the ropes clothesline is dodged, and
Fandango does the guillotine legdrop WCW cruiserweights used all the time. He may have tweaked his leg, and Miz sees
this and goes for something resembling the figure-four for the tapout at
8:15. That came out of nowhere. *3/4 Time to check the injury wire, I guess.
- Backstage,
Booker T meets Daniel Bryan and needs to talk.
He says Bryan can’t beat the McMahons and HHH, but he’s too big to be in
high schools. Insert TNA joke here. Booker advises Bryan to give up the title
match, which infuriates Bryan. It’s the
principle of the thing, dammit! Booker
warns that they’ll cripple Bryan and maybe blackball him. He’s just saying to be careful. Bryan won’t listen. Man, I was so hoping for a WrestleMania 19
reference.
- We look
back at last week’s Punk/Axel/Heyman segment.
- Dolph
Ziggler v. Dean Ambrose. What, you
expected Doink? Ambrose jumps Ziggler
from behind and tosses him into the post before the bell. “You’ll learn to respect the business.” Wait, just kidding, it’s not Ambrose either.
- Dolph
Ziggler v. Ryback. Cole connects the
dots. JBL thinks they’re just
tinfoils. Ryback’s blind charge misses,
but he runs into an overhead suplex.
Shots to the back of the head follow, and Ryback adds a foot choke. Hairpull throw follows as Ryback taunts
Ziggler. Ryback tries to give Ziggler
another concussion and fish-hooks him.
More stomping. Ryback shoves
Ziggler down as the crowd chants “You Can’t Wrestle” at Ryback. I HATE THAT CHANT. More ragdolling by Ziggler, and FINALLY
Ryback sets up the Meathook, but runs into a dropkick. Stinger Splash and ten punch countalong keeps
the momentum up, but Ryback gets the Meathook on a charge. Shell Shocked finishes at 3:07. This was more angle than match, but it got
over Ziggler’s fighting spirit and Ryback’s bully character. 1/2*
- Meanwhile,
Brad Maddox reports that Big Show is refusing the match. IRONCLAD CONTRACT, brother! Stephanie promises to take care of it,
probably in the ring.
- Los
Matadores! They’re still on their way!
- So back to
the ring with Stephanie. Stephanie talks
about someone who influenced her when she was younger… Big Show. Because Big Show broke into the business when
Stephanie was, what, 14? And joined WWE
when she was 18? Whatever, as long as it
gets Big Show to the ring. Aww, what a
cute hug. Stephanie tries to have a
heart-to-heart with Show. Stephanie says
she was his 12-year-old friend. Um… Big
Show was at Wichita State at the time.
And apparently, Big Show has no money from his ironclad contract. It’s public record, don’t ya know. And apparently, he can be in breach of his ironclad
contract. Someone doesn’t understand
what IRONCLAD means. And it’s not like
he can go to Hollywood or anything like that.
All he can do is be in WWE. And
is he willing to give it up over one match, really? And if he’s fired, he won’t be around long
enough to take care of his family. So he
HAS to wrestle and do the right thing.
Wow, this is cruel. Stephanie
makes it clear it hurts her more than it hurts him – riiight – before giving
him a sympathetic hug. This is… wow,
Stephanie was GOOD in that segment. So
what does Show do? Break down in
tears? The camera lingers on Show’s face
for waaaay too long before going to break.
Um… yeah, Stephanie found her niche.
We know it’s insincere, but it’s also possible to be retconned as being
legitimate. And we’ve all had those
poisonous friends.
- Next week:
EDGE.
- During the
Break, Big Show throws a temper tantrum backstage. And a laptop.
And a catering table. Which you
would know only if you downloaded the exclusive WWE App. Note to Alanis Morrisette: does that count as
ironic?
- Heath
Slater and Jinder Mahal v. Prime Time Players.
So is Drew McIntyre being kept out of the ring because of the
barfight? Cole mentions Titus O’Neil
being a part of an all-star panel, as though HE’S the reason the PTPers are
getting publicity. O’Neil and Slater
start. Slater ducks and punches O’Neil
before mocking the frat pledge, which is a huge mistake. O’Neil corners Slater and does the whistle
stomp. Young in, and it’s a double
shoulder tackle for two. Slater rushes
Young into the corner and brings Mahal in, who doesn’t do much better at first
but gets a tackle and runs into a forearm and atomic drop. Polish Hammer gets one. Blind charge by Mahal eats boot, but Young
goes up and regrets it. Slater in with
the double stomps. JBL covers the Not
Quite Ironclad part by saying Laurinaitis is a shmuck, which is perfectly reasonable. Slater with a bottom rope guillotine catapult
and we HIT THE CHINLOCK. Young headbutts
out, but Slater with a neckbreaker for two.
Mahal in with a series of kneedrops.
Slater in again, and he boxes Young down before continuing with the
choking and chinlockery. He hooks the
mouth for effect, so there’s that. Young
headbutts out again and catches Slater in a Greco-Roman throw. Hot tag O’Neil, and Mahal is bulldozed. Corner clothesline and fallaway slam follow,
then a big boot gets two before Slater saves.
Young cleans house, but a knee to the back sends him out. Big spinebuster by O’Neil on Mahal ends it at
5:29. 3MB mean nothing, so this was
acceptable. *1/4
- Back to
Brad Maddox now, who is confronted by Paul Heyman. Heyman is furious about the WWE App match
last week. And he’s mad at the Night of
Champions match, which, to recap, is Axel/Heyman v. Punk. That’s not what’s best for business, he
claims. But HHH stops the brow-beating
because someone said the magic words.
Seriously. HHH approved the
match, too, which makes Heyman do a 180 in attitude. Fun.
It had nothing to do with HHH and Heyman’s sordid past, of course
not. HHH admires Heyman’s Heenanesque
abilities, but HHH doesn’t see Heyman getting out of this one. Of course, it’s possible that Heyman gets out
– remember, all that’s needed is for Axel to beat Punk – but maybe Heyman
deserves a beating. And HHH wins either
way, which is what’s important. I love
shoot comments that aren’t meant to be shoot comments.
- Meanwhile,
the Wyatt Family is creepy. Still. He mentions the myth of Icarus as an example
of pride going before the fall, and he ties it into Kane’s disappearance. Kane was a victim of his own pride. Wyatt teases that Kane is gone, but it’s all
Kane’s fault. It’s implied they took
Kane to Hell. Lawler calls Wyatt the
Minister of Sinister, and I’d say an indirect comparison to James Mitchell is a
compliment.
- Cody
Rhodes v. Randy Orton. As a reminder:
this is non-title, but Rhodes’ career may be on the line. Apparently, Rhodes was chewing out Brad
Maddox during the break and the camera caught it. Did JBL just namedrop Gareth Bale? Cole finally asks if JBL is a toady. Orton with a ton of back elbows in the
corner, but Rhodes fights out and corners Orton. Commentary overshadows the match as Orton
gets a clothesline. Orton with a suplex
drop on the top rope as Lawler tries to focus on the match, and Rhodes is
dumped. Rhodes sends Orton into the
steps outside, and back in, it gets two.
Hammerlock/chinlock combo by Rhodes, but Orton fights out and slugs
Rhodes down only to walk into a dropkick for two. Rhodes corners Orton again, then explodes out
of the corner with a clothesline of his own for two, twice. Rhodes chokes Orton on the ropes, showing
desperation, but Orton cheap shots Rhodes for two. Orton goes CLUBBERIN, THEY BE CLUBBERIN, TONY
on Rhodes’s chest to set up a stomp to the head and work in the corner. Ten punch countalong – which the crowd does –
but Rhodes reverses into a front suplex and ten punches of his own, but Orton
goes low and gets an avalanche inside-out backbreaker. And we take a break. We return with the fight on the outside as
Rhodes has the advantage. Orton keeps
his distance, but Rhodes charges only to get the worst of it. Orton with a back suplex on the barricade,
and he slowly punches away on the outside.
Back in, it gets two. Is that a “SLATERS
GONNA SLATE” chant? Orton pounds away on
Rhodes in the ring, and a kneedrop gets two.
Back to the chinlock as the WWE locker room is watching. Yes, even Fandango. Something is going on in the crowd, so they
hold the chinlock. Blind charge by Orton
misses when it’s over, and Rhodes with the comeback. Sliding uppercut follows as Cody goes up top
with a springboard dropkick for two.
Disaster Kick misses, but it connects on the second try for two. Crowd is getting back into the match. Moonsault press attempt airballs, and Orton
gets two off of it. Draping DDT
follows. Orton fires the crowd up
ironically and goes to finish, but Rhodes counters to Cross Rhodes for
two. I thought that could’ve been the
finish. Orton kicks Rhodes away and
hangs onto the ropes, getting a Hotshot.
Rhodes intercepts Orton and rolls him up for two. Disaster Kick misses and Orton targets the
knee, and it’s the finish as the RKO seals Rhodes’s fate at 13:46. Orton is on FIRE. ***1/2 That’s two straight great matches he’s
had. I even forgive the chinlock while
the crowd was distracted, because there’s nothing wrong with resting if the
crowd isn’t watching. HHH puts Rhodes’s
effort over, but it’s not enough and he’s fired. It’s just business, really. Here’s my question: I understand writing him
off TV, but how do you write him back on when there’s no face authority figure? I mean, yeah, it’s more for the evil
administration story and when Rhodes returns he’ll get a huge pop, but
something NEEDS to happen in between.
- CM Punk
has something to say! The announcers say
that if Punk eliminates Axel, Heyman must face him. In a match.
Where a countout is possible.
Loophole much? Punk says that a
promise means something to him if not to others, and he doesn’t make promises…
until now. He promises no more empty
threats or talking (especially to the fan in the front row) because Punk doesn’t
know what to say next. He says there’s
nothing left to say, and we’ve heard it all already. And even though he’s dressed to compete, he
doesn’t want to wrestle or talk. So he
says he wants to fight. I always find it
cute when people take 1000 words to say they have nothing left to say. He doesn’t care if Axel’s in the way to get
to Heyman, he’ll go through Axel.
Fortunately, they’ll be his in two weeks. Punk’s so mad he doesn’t even want to fight
Punk. He says there will be a Biblical
ass-beating. Overturn those money
tables, Punk! Punk has one last thing to
say (I thought he had nothing to say), and that is to remember that he will get
his hands on Paul Heyman in 13 days. It’s
a guarantee, and you will see it if you order the show! SHILL, BABY, SHILL! He says things will get ugly then, and he
will break Heyman’s face – and it’s a PROMISE.
Even with the logical loopholes, Punk brings the goods.
- Meanwhile,
back in the locker room, Bryan and Big Show have a face-to-face. Show apologizes, but Bryan says it’s just a
match and it doesn’t matter to him.
Bryan will conquer any obstacle, but Show reminds Bryan that people are
getting FIRED over this. Show says he
has to do his best and will bring the fight to Bryan. And Bryan promises a victory.
- Natalya v.
Naomi v. Brie Bella. Winner faces AJ at
Night of Champions (presumably). AJ
skips over to commentary. Brie kicks
Natalya, but Naomi gets a leg lariat only to get rolled up by Natalya for
two. Natalya goes into the corner, and a
facejam by Brie on Naomi gets two.
Natalya with a jackknife pin for two.
Brie back in control, and a knee to Natalya’s face. Naomi leaps over Brie’s charge, but Natalya
breaks up her sunset flip attempt only to get cradled by Naomi for two. Sharpshooter try, but Naomi worms to the corner. Brie charges only to get caught by Natalya,
and AJ ends the match at 1:47. Everyone
attacks AJ, proving she’s too crazy for her own good. She has no one but herself to blame for that
one. I’m guessing this sets up a
four-way for Night of Champions.
- Los
Matadores. Still. On their way.
And so on.
- Damien
Sandow v. Rob Van Dam. Ricardo just isn’t
the same when he’s not introducing people in Spanish. Sandow backs RVD into the corner and attacks
with kicks and headbutts. RVD pops out
with a spin kick from a cross-corner whip and kicks away, but Sandow blocks a
rana and slams RVD for two. Sandow
stomps away, only to get caught with his leg rollup for two. Sandow with something for two. Look, I’m recapping live, okay? I’m gonna miss a thing or two. Sorry!
Sandow with a half-nelson headlock.
Sandow yanks the hair to cut off a comeback and chokes away with the
boot. RVD blocks a charge to the corner
and gets a springboard kick… and here’s ADR’s music, with Del Rio himself not
far behind. Sandow uses the distraction
(because of course it’s a distraction) to dump RVD as we go to break. Well, at least it wasn’t the finish. And I don’t own a DVR, so I’m not going back
to find out what I missed. If someone
wants to buy me one, I’d appreciate it.
We return with a chinlock by Sandow as we find out during the break that
Sandow got hit by a moonsault press before throwing RVD into the apron. Back suplex by Sandow gets two. RVD tries to vault over Sandow, but Sandow
doesn’t bite and gets the Edge-O-Matic for two.
Smart move. That’s how you book a
match with a guy who’s supposed to be a brainiac. RVD gets a huge kick to gain control and
slugs away. Sandow stops it with a
Russian legsweep and Cubito Aequet. It
gets two. Twice. Sandow goes to a surfboard, but RVD fights
out only to get guillotined and given the Austin Straddle for two. Or is it the Bossman Straddle? Jarrett Straddle? Swinging neckbreaker by Sandow gets two. RVD with a small package for two. Clotheslining follows by RVD, then Rolling
Thunder follows. RVD looks to go up, but
Sandow catches him with a cradle for two while he’s stalling. Smart move.
RVD Hotshots Sandow for separation, and this time it’s the Five-Star for
the pin at 10:02. I kinda wish they’d
booked a DQ here, since neither man should afford a loss, but if they had to
have someone win, this was the right call.
**
- And the
four-way Divas match is set up by Stephanie for Night of Champions. Good for them.
- Cody is
escorted out of the arena. Josh Mathews,
for some reason, asks for last words.
And Cody goes off on how Vince has treated Cody, Dustin, and Dusty. Then he storms off. Doesn’t Josh have something better to do?
- And here
we go again. The locker room is emptied
so they can watch the main event. One of
these days it’s going to backfire. But
when?
- Main
event: Daniel Bryan v. Big Show. Big
Show clearly doesn’t want to do this.
JBL talks about the pickle Show’s in as Show apologizes to Bryan in the
ring. Bryan finally says “enough of this”
and attacks, but Show shoves him aside and tries to apologize some more. Bryan attacks again, but Show shrugs him off
and throws Bryan away, begging not to do this.
Bryan goes back in and clips Show, then boots away. A dropkick follows as Bryan is a little
angry, and the cover gets one. Bryan
with a cross-corner dropkick, twice, but he gets booted down on the third
try. “I told you not to make me do this!” Big slaps in the corner by Show and he gets
bealed. Big slam follows. “See what you made me do now? I don’t wanna hurt you!” Did one of the writers get abused as a
kid? Between this and Heyman, I wonder
if Stephanie has daddy issues. Bryan
with the yes kicks, but he gets bowled over.
“Stop fighting! I don’t wanna do
this to you!” Show’s pleas fall on deaf
ears as Bryan attacks and gets knocked over.
Show with a gut punch as I wonder why the endgame can’t be Bryan WINNING
the match. Cross-corner whip and Show
sandwiches Bryan only for Bryan to go with a low dropkick. Now the Yes Kicks are properly in full
effect. Last one is caught, though, but
Bryan fights out with a DDT for two.
Bryan up top, but Show spears him in mid-air! That was a HELL of a bump by those two. KO Punch is loaded up, but the crowd chants
NO at him and Show seems to be conflicted.
Show declines and goes to leave, which is the cue for HHH to appear with
the Shield. HHH orders Show to finish
the match, but Show refuses. HHH
insists, and after a war of wills, Show walks away. So the Shield jump Bryan for the DQ at 5:52,
and NOW Show goes to finish it… but AGAIN HHH cuts him off. HHH puts the financial screws on Show and
orders him to step back. HE CALLED HIM
PAUL! THEY MUST BE SHOOTING! Shield goes for the Triplebomb on Bryan right
in front of Show, who does nothing but watch.
HHH berates Show some more as Shield pick Bryan up and HHH orders Show
to KO Bryan. Show threatens it, starts
crying, and refuses to a HUGE pop. And
this brings Stephanie out. She begs Show
to think about his family, playing the good cop here, and Show is TORN. He does a good pouty face. So Show returns to the ring and takes one
more order from HHH. C’mon, Show, what
would your family do? No way Andre would
stand for this! Show glances at HHH with
balled fist, but Stephanie gets between them, and we know THAT won’t
happen. FINALLY, Show delivers the KO
Punch and hates himself for it. And the
crowd hates him, too, telling him he sold out.
And now Orton’s out to bat cleanup.
No commentary as we watch these last few moments, including the replay
of the KO punch and Stephanie using herself as a human shield to protect
HHH. Orton mutters to Bryan’s body as
the crowd is restless. And so am I. He’s in the Conqueror pose as we end the
show.
FINAL
THOUGHTS:
If this were
a WCW crowd, they’d be throwing garbage into the ring by now.
This is what
it’s come to – you have an arrogant heel champion hiding from the better
challenger, but it doesn’t matter because the Administration has an iron
fist. They’ve won every show since
SummerSlam right now, and there’s no end in sight. Twice in a row, we’ve watched the entire
roster do nothing to help just to show how powerful HHH (and, by extension, the
McMahons) can be. Every Raw I’ve
reviewed has ended the same way – with Bryan flat on his back, and HHH standing
with Orton and the Shield.
And the
worst part is that there’s no one who can end it in the current WWE power
structure. If Mister Ironclad Contract
is a puppy for the administration and every single authority figure is a heel,
who’s going to stand up? How do you get
Cody back on the roster when it’s time?
How can you restore the guts to the WWE roster?
When I was a
kid, watching this show, it was because Hulk Hogan didn’t care about the
consequences and did what he thought was right.
Bret Hart didn’t care about the consequences. Shawn Michaels went in against giants because
he knew he had to. Steve Austin never
cared, and he did what he had to do to get the administration to treat him
fairly, even if it was over-the-top, eye-for-an-eye activity. CM Punk dropped a pipebomb in order to make
his point, and he never backed down.
Now? Nobody wants to raise a finger. All of the heroes are powerless. No one wants to do anything. No one is putting their livelihood on the
line to stand up to HHH. And the biggest
issue is that any time someone commits even the slightest disagreement, they’re
put through Hell. There’s no incentive.
Look back at
the Attitude Era and Hulkamania like I did.
Throughout history, wrestling has been built on someone standing up to
the evil, and that person showing the power of goodness can overcome any
obstacle. And the end result is a crowd
that loses heart.
Now, I know
as well as you do where this is going: Daniel Bryan wins anyway at the end of
the story. But here’s the problem: you
can’t meta these results, which is what they’re trying to do. It doesn’t matter how often you say “But they’re
trying to make you think he won’t win”; at some point, they SUCCEED in that,
and then the fans look for a Plan B.
Just look at 2005 – they sent the message that Randy Orton couldn’t beat
HHH, and the fans decided that he couldn’t and demanded Batista do it instead.
But there’s
no Batista in the wings. Big Show was
it, but he just became another corporate cog.
So let me ask you: what or when is endgame?
This all
overshadows a show I wanted to like.
Bryan/Show was a good idea, and it would’ve made Bryan if he could beat
Show. Orton/Rhodes was a good match, and
Randy Orton is absolutely bringing the goods in the ring. But this?
I don’t know.
Stay tuned
for the post-game show coming up next.
This show was a Labor of Love.
And Tommy, when you arrive at Blog of Doom HQ, change the sign to 21.
STATS:
MATCH TIME:
48:18 over seven matches
BEST MATCH:
Orton/Rhodes
WORST MATCH:
Divas’ Three-way
NIGHT MVP
(kayfabe): Randy Orton
FINAL SCORE:
3 – all because of how it’s gone on too long without something going the other
way. Too fast, too much, too
disappointing.
Maybe Rhodes can come back as Codust. Every week the Shield will be tasked with wiping off his facepaint and proving he's Cody Rhodes. Then after a while the angle will be forgotten about and Rhodes will just quietly rejoin the roster as though he'd never been fired to begin with.
ReplyDeleteHave we all forgotten that Daniel Bryan is actually WINNING every week?
ReplyDeleteAnd what kind of pop would AJ have gotten if she ran down all Elizabeth-like to shield Bryan?
ReplyDeleteAll this time I thought beating Cena at SS made Bryan. TURNS OUT HE NEEDED TO BEAT BIG SHOW! JOKE'S ON YOU, INTERNET!
ReplyDeleteNEWZ sites reporting that Orton's feud with Bryan ends at Hell in a Cell but Orton is in the title picture till January.
ReplyDeletePlease for the love of god let them be wrong.
How long is Sheamus out for? Maybe he'll be the one to come in and lend Bryan a helping hand. I still say, can the Heyman stuff with Punk at NOC and have him jump in as well.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing
ReplyDeleteSo the pay off for Daniel Bryan getting punked out week after week... is that he gets to job to Orton on PPV? This booking is ass backwards so far.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone's career momentum every survived Big Show (Cena excepted)? I know it's probably more so because of booking than Wight himself, but there is a trail of hot pushes lying in his wake. Sure, most have recovered, but there are few things more tedious than a Big Show angle. I wish beyond the best for his movie career.
ReplyDeleteWell, hear me out for a moment, since the Total Divas show or whatever the hell it's called has "corporate's backing", maybe AJ refuses to be on the show, and sees her former buddy getting that same shaft from corporate....would make sense...
ReplyDelete"What are we gonna do tonight, H?"
ReplyDelete"The same thing we do every Monday night, Orton. Try and take over the world... I mean, try and crush the spirits of every die-hard WWE fan!"
Thinking out loud here, but I think the "Battleground" PPV could be an ideal time to finally bring "WarGames" out of mothballs. The Corporation against a Bryan/Punk-led team could be glorious and set up an uneasy alliance between the two biggest faces en route to both wanting Orton's title. I wouldn't mind seeing Punk take the belt from Orton and continue the Bryan pursuit. Bryan can beat HHH along the way, get revenge on Orton, then win the Rumble to challenge Punk in the WWE title match to end them all at Wrestlemania--face vs. face.
ReplyDeleteGetting the shit beaten out of you every week > Getting DQ wins every week
ReplyDeleteAll this really doesn't matter to me anyway because I'm just passing time, waiting for Los Matadores to be a thing on my TV every week. Then I'm just waiting for Los Matadores to play the Bashems to Del Rio's JBL. Then I'm just waiting for the team to break up and engage in a half-hearted feud the second they start showing any potential. Then I'm waiting for Primo to bring in a giant bodyguard and begin an IC title push that is promptly abandoned after the muscle guy gets sent back to developmental. Then I'm just waiting for the one who's not Primo to criticize the front office on Twitter and for this transgression to be reported in the BOD Daily Update and for everyone so say, "Holy cow, this is big news...I didn't realize non-Primo Colon was still employed!"
ReplyDeleteThey made Daniel Bryan look bad against the Big Show. At least have him beat him, have the Sheild attack Bryan, and then Triple H force Show to knock out Bryan, if you're going down that root. Big Show had Daniel Bryan right where he wanted him to end the match, and the announcers selling that Show had the match won, just needing to finish him, didn't make matters any better.
ReplyDeleteI picture HHH, on a daily basis, railing at Vince about doing Wargames. In my fantasy, he's been doing this for years trying to "wear the old man down".
ReplyDeleteAlso, I must say I love Bryan playing the work ethic card against Orton much more than Cena. His comments about prior to Summerslam about being a real wrestler as opposed to the caricature that is Cena sometimes seemed a little petty to me because Cena has worked hard for what he has and doesn't pretend to be something he isn't (I know some will disagree, but I do think he's ultimately genuine about his role in the company). This works much better against Orton because he is actually playing the entitled prince with the front office approval. Whether or not it's true, it's believable that Orton has had a much easier career based on his genetics and bloodline, and Orton has finally found an interesting character as he basks in the arrogance that this situation instills in him.
ReplyDeleteYeah that's exactly what I was thinking too. This is the first time I feel that they've actually made Bryan look really bad. Should have gone down like you said— Bryan has Show in the yes-lock, and then Shield interferes. Would have made a world of difference in terms of how the angle went.
ReplyDeleteChange the sign to 21?
ReplyDeleteWhen SmackDown airs, it will have been three weeks -- 21 days -- since any face stood tall at the end of a WWE show.
ReplyDeleteThe Midnight Rider, Jr.
ReplyDeleteI know he's currently off in a parallel universe fighting Heyman, but I think it might be time for Punk to get Bryan's back and fight the Corporation. I mean, Bryan desperately needs something HUGE at this point, and Punk is pretty much established as the biggest backup he could get.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Punk beats Axel and destroys Heyman something fierce at NOC. Meanwhile, Bryan gets screwed in the title match. Next night on Raw it seems like Bryan is about to suffer that final beatdown, Punk saves the day, and the dynamic indie duo clears the ring. And we go from there...
Depends why they're keeping him out of the angle. Is it because he'd overshadow it (which I don't think is likely, I think he's firmly the #2 to DB now)?Or is it because he thinks it's stupid and is just booking himself into Heyman feuds to keep from standing out on the ramp like a buffoon?
ReplyDeleteAh noted. I've been counting by shows instead of days.
ReplyDeleteI think they're keeping Punk out of this because he's already done this storyline two years ago. You'll notice he's not even required to be on the stage when everyone else is.
ReplyDeleteYep, that's what I'm saying. That's like Undertaker/Cena territory. And we know he's bitchy about his storylines, I'm thinking he wants no part of it at this stage and would feud with virtually *anyone* to stay out of it.
ReplyDeleteMore or less. Once Bryan beat Cena, he immediately was cut off by the cash-in. Since then, he's been beaten down at every opportunity. This would've been a great time for him to win cleanly, just to show that he IS a threat to Orton and justify some of HHH's antics. But they didn't go there, because I don't know.
ReplyDeleteI definitely don't think Punk is "staying out of this" because he (real life) thinks it's a shitty/stupid feud that he wants no part of. I think it's just because he's already involved in a pretty hot feud that's getting a shitload of heat, and that needs to be blown off before he can mix it up in Corporation-land.
ReplyDeleteAt this stage. What's the point of him having to go out there and show ass? I'm sure when it's not so one-sided he'll be involved.
ReplyDeleteWell Punk's not gonna be onstage with the rest of the tools, so yeah if he gets involved it'll be after that point in the story.
ReplyDeleteBut if he doesn't have to be out there why do a bunch of them have to be out there? It makes the whole thing look silly, I mean I guess the Undertaker could have teleported back to Death Valley or something when he wasn't in those type of segments, but where's Punk?
ReplyDeleteThen he just totally ignores everything that happens, it's like he's working in an alternate universe. It works great for his storyline, don't get me wrong, but I do wonder where the line of them protecting him and him throwing his weight around lies.
"So is Drew McIntyre being kept out of the ring because of the barfight?"
ReplyDeleteNo, he wrestled R-Truth on Superstars.
You know what the worst part of the roster emasculation was? They had to watch the promo for NO HOLDS BARRED's 20th anniversary DVD/Blue Ray Release; during the commercial break.
Firing employees is one thing, but watching a promo on the big screen for THAT P.O.S.? SHOW SOME MERCY FOR THEIR POOR SOULS!
So far this has really been most effective at getting HHH and Steph over as mega heels.
ReplyDeleteJust an interesting observation: when there's a PPV title match, as we all know, WWE.com posts a poll on Who Will Win? Generally speaking, the face is overwhelmingly favored -- RVD has 84% of the vote on Del Rio. Daniel Bryan only has 53% of the vote. If their goal is to make us think Daniel Bryan will never win, they're succeeding too well. Marks on WWE.com are losing faith in him.
ReplyDeleteThey absolutely positively have to protect him right now. Punk's their biggest babyface draw with Cena on the shelf— he can't be on the stage looking like a wussy with Ziggler and R-Truth and such. Unless he's gonna be used to fight off the Corporation, then yeah it makes sense for this BUSINESS-AH that Punk be kept in his alternate universe.
ReplyDeleteThree weeks.
ReplyDeleteI was at the show too. We were tormenting poor Sandow throughout.
ReplyDeleteSimilar booking worked extremely well for Lex Luger in 1988.
ReplyDelete"He is going to get some good matches from Bryan to cement the Orton title run and goes back crashing to the upper midcard"
ReplyDeleteThe Fuj, 2 weeks ago.
It's a shame that they pushed the melodrama so far over the line in the end that the line was a dot to them, because before the main event, everyone's promos were spitting hot fire.
ReplyDeleteThis was the show to do it.
ReplyDeleteFootball starts thursday.
Daniel Bryan as your top babyface getting punked every week < MNF
They are in a holding pattern until Sheamus or Cena returns. Booking Show or Rhodes as sympathetic babyfaces at this stage of the game is too little too late.
I understand Cena went down at the worst time with an injury but it would have been better if they had some better built babyfaces.
But this shit happened last winter with Ryback being pushed up the card too quickly and becoming Lex Luger during the winter of 2012/2013.
They should have thrown everything at the wall on this show, babyfaces going up against heels. Babyfaces standing tall and a united front against the new Corp.
But they didnt.
They have sent the message that Orton is the guy we are running with until Cena comes back. Punk is off in his parallel uni and Bryan is too trollish and indy to be the standard bearer of our company.
The funny thing is I'm certain they'll get away with it. This all stems from WM28, when it became clear that the "indy fan smarks" in the crowd would not let any slight, real or perceived, keep Daniel Bryan from being the top name in the company. So they know they can do this week in and week out to Daniel Bryan and he will have fans who will cheer so loudly it'll make him look like he's still over.
ReplyDeleteThey will get away with it because if you push something hard enough on tv itll get over.
ReplyDeleteRandy Orton being a prime example.
But the problem I have is that when he does eventually get his comeuppance, it'll be months later and no one will give a damn or it will come back to severely diminished returns.
Ziggler has been treated as a joke his whole babyface run (concussion excluded) why should I get happy he is standing up?
Big Show is old and slow. Why should I be happy about him?
Cody Rhodes just turned babyface and is now "fired" Ok...
Bryan has cleared the top guy ceiling, and now he is bulletproof. He can be left laid out every show and the fans keep cheering and buying his crap. Its the best kind of babyface and the career alot of guys would dream of.
But there is alot of money to be left on the table by not giving him some revenge and not having Orton show his ass.
I was cool with every show until this one. I really thought with Cena out and MNF on the horizon, this would be the week that Vince would give the faces a shot in the arm to keep the people interested as football started.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/schedule/_/seasontype/0
Look at the schedule for monday nights.
The first shot they have at doing something that fans might switch the channel is week 3... maybe
After week 7, RAW is for the diehards.
You gotta solidify the Orton title reign.
ReplyDeleteThus, Bryan jobs... after making him look like a bitch for weeks on end.
*kanye shrug*
Don't get me wrong; I totally agree this was a huge botched opportunity. At the very least, let Daniel Bryan beat Big Show and establish himself as a threat. But instead, they have to have HHH and company standing tall again, which is going from heel heat to "I give up".
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that people are complaining about this after 3 weeks. You KNOW this angle is lasting all throughout football season. And you KNOW they aren't going to have Bryan win at NoC. So you should know that he gets his glimmer of hope the Raw before the PPV and he's going to take a LOT of beatings for the next 3-4 months with the heels on top.
ReplyDeleteit's like the WWE can't win with people. People complain about short title runs and characters not being built long term but when they actually get into this whole "telling stories" thing and look long term, you can't get bored when the story is still in act 1.
I'd feel a lot better if it were Randy Orton attacking Daniel Bryan, having the Shield be his flunkies, and beating down Daniel Bryan on a regular basis. As it is, he just comes in at the end after the damage has been done on HHH's orders. The heat's not on the champ.
ReplyDeleteHHH is bringing it in his New evil CEO character. His promos have been great.
ReplyDeleteAnd its a good story. We should have strong heels for once. The nwo beat up the faces for months before anyone got one up on them. Look how much money that made!
...and look where it ended up...
ReplyDeleteI like Paul Wight. I think he's a smart guy who'd be a pretty good agent/booker. But Big Show is probably the most boring main-eventer of the past ten years.
ReplyDeleteIt was 4-6 months from MiTB. But maybe he's inherited Cena's inhuman recuperative powers as well as his shitty character and he'll be back sooner.
ReplyDeleteWhy are people down-voting this?
ReplyDeleteWhen Triple H has to lose, he'll lose.
ReplyDeleteYeah, next week is when shit is going down. People should know how WWE works, the only shows that matter are the Raw right after a PPV and the Raw right before a PPV. Everything else is filler.
ReplyDeleteBest angle WWE has done in 10 years at least.
ReplyDeleteIt would be bizzare for them not to have Bryan be ultimate winner. He is very over.
ReplyDeleteBut the story is that he is a sleazy heel. That is what a sleazy heel would do.
ReplyDeleteThen I'm waiting for Primo to bring in a giant bodyguard and begin an IC
ReplyDeletetitle push that is promptly abandoned after the muscle guy gets the push instead of Primo.
fixed.
that would equal in the faces being on par with the heels. and I don't think it's obvious they are not going for that dynamic at the moment.
ReplyDeleteIs that a bad thing? It's helping to get Bryan, the shield and cody Rhodes more over...
ReplyDeleteBryan will probably save Edge next week and the show ends with Bryan and Edge leading the crowd in the "YES!" chants.
ReplyDeleteBryan is still opening and closing every show since SummerSlam, so I think it's off the mark to act like he's being buried or something.
ReplyDeleteHe's so over right now that there's not much that can "make him look bad." He's not supposed to beat The Shield 1-on-3. He's not supposed to beat a motivated/angry Big Show, because NOBODY is supposed to beat a motivated/angry Big Show.
The heels are getting the best of Bryan because they're stacking the deck. That's what heels do. I'd give the fan base a bit more credit in that they know Bryan is eventually going to get his revenge on the heels and that this is just Act I. They haven't even made it to the first PPV since HHH and Orton's heel turns.
I'd say keep Punk focused on Heyman, Axel and Brock. You don't need every top face and every top heel involved in one storyline. It's good that they're keeping the likes of Punk, Heyman's guys, RVD and Del Rio out of the HHH-Orton-Bryan storyline so far.
ReplyDeleteHas Axel been out there on stage with the rest of the roster? I haven't noticed him but I haven't been looking for him either.
ReplyDeletePeople see "HHH and Steph are doing good things" and can't help themselves, no matter how right the post was.
ReplyDeleteHunter and Steph are adding to the story here in a big way, whether people want to bbelieve it or not.
But therein lies the problem.
ReplyDeleteIts actually two-fold.
1. Historically, HHH has only lost on the big stage to his buddies. Now you can tell me Benoit, but once that program was done, he was the champ but shunted down the card while he still remained at top billing. And the way this is setting up, he will have to lose on a scale of Vince getting his head shaved or the beatdowns he received at the hands of Austin/HBK (at WM) etc etc... HHH hasn't shown that type of vulnerability... yet... He has been billed since 99 as a thinking man's heel. He will usually outsmart his opponents in the game of human chess, but again this could change now that he taken on this role. I will take the wait and see approach.
2. If HHH gets his comeuppance, that means the heat is on him and not Orton who is the champion. AGain, wait and see.
This is why we can't have nice things.
ReplyDeletePeople are already getting restless because Bryan is getting punked at every turn, but he's getting fucked by sleazy heels and is pretty much loss proof any.
Because Bryan vs. Heel of the Month is SOOOO much more interesting.
Some of you are treading dangerously close to mark territory with this, whether you acknowledge it or not.
What you are saying is perfectly fine and accurate.
ReplyDeleteBut.
RAW always dwindles in ratings in the fall/winter because of MNF and over the summer you built up this plucky babyface. This is the guy who is going to lead the charge against the rest of cable TV and specifically MNF.
Im an old school NWA fan. I am all for stacking the deck, but in the grand scheme of things, RAW isn't going up against Nitro anymore. Raw is going up against the rest of TV. That is the angle I am looking at it.
These are you players for your top two programs
HHH/Bryan/Orton: If they keep stacking the deck to him and ratings continue to fall, who gets the blame? It won't be HHH. It won't be Orton. It will be Bryan because he is the unproven commodity in the angle.
Punk/Heyman/"Brock": Again, great story that they are telling but look at the big picture.
If the ratings, dwindle and they will because they always do. Who gets the blame? The babyfaces.
Cena going out with this injury is almost Hogan-esque in its politicking ways, because he won't get blamed for the ratings drop. The indy guys will. And if the indy guys get blamed guess what happens?
Orton holds onto the belt because he is the star and he is the draw.
It has been already deemed so.
1. He hasn't been a heel for years. So its more wait and see. And I give you batitsta as to him being beaten.
ReplyDelete2. Bryan will beat Orton, and then u have follow up stories of him fighting off over champs. Orton has won all his matches clean since being heel. He has heat.
Internet fans are really insecure when it comes to their favorites. I'd bet more than 90% of the people who post here would much rather Bryan come down the ring and give everyone goat stunners and win the title next week.
ReplyDeleteBenoit and HHH were actually really close friends. He was HHH's best man at his wedding.
ReplyDeleteBut if WWE knows the ratings always drop during football season (and more importantly, USA/SyFy knows the ratings drop during football season), why does anyone have to "get the blame" for them dropping this season? They can always blame football this time of year, so why do they need to pin it on Bryan or Punk or anyone in WWE?
ReplyDeleteIt's actually smart -- if they know the casual fans drift away during football season but they'll still have the hardcore/smart fans -- to do exactly what they're doing now: Put the smart-fan darlings (Bryan, Punk) in the main event. At least maintain your loyal fans during an always-lean time of the calendar.
They need to book long term! It's been 17 days and Daniel hasn't gotten his revenge!
ReplyDeleteThis storyline is incredibly great, the crowds are fucking molten and anybody that is bitching about it needs to SHUT THE FUCK UP! They've managed to take about 9 people and make them into complex characters in like a month. Yet the live thread is full of people fucking crying that HHH will never get his comeuppance. Reminds me of the meme of the girl crying about getting a 16 gig white 4s when she wanted a 32 gig black 5. GET SOME PERSPECTIVE!
You must be new here.
ReplyDeleteThey ALWAYS blame somebody on ratings drops.
This si the same company that blamed "the War on Terror" for ratings drops during an investor call in 03-04 timeframe.
There is one more thing. Smart fans don't spend money! They buy WM. They normally don't goto WWE house shows. They stream all the B PPVs. They might buy some merch to support their heroes but they aren't the paying fan. Why should they cater to you when you don't cater to them?
Do you consider yourself a smart fan?
If so, what is the last WWE PPV you ordered?
When is the last time you went to a RAW/SD or house show?
What's the last piece of merch you bought?
If you can't answer any of these questions with any regular frequency, then you are part of the problem.
I'm not trying to come at you specifically, but I am using you to illustrate a point. Smart fans want this guy pushed and that guy pushed but they don't go out to support said guy, so why should Vince go out and push him? Punk bitched about it and almost left to get what he wanted and now he has his own parallel universe of issues that dont tie into the 616 WWE. He is the exception, not the rule.
Ziggler
Ryder
both got horribly misused in the last 2 years. Those are the guys the smart fans wanted and screamed for and one is featured terribly and one is happy to have a job.
I believe Bryan will be the fall guy this fall.
But thats me. There is no faith that Bryan will lose at NoC and again at Cell and shunted back down the card...
But hey, the matches will be good.
I just want to say that I have no problem with the heel stable looking strong for a long while. But, having face Big Show cry about having the beat up li'l Daniel Bryan, cause Bryan can't possibly defend himself against such an enormous threat is kind of a different story all together.
ReplyDeletebased on what evidence?
ReplyDeleteWhen Orton's still champ, and Bryan and Friends are STILL on the receiving end of Corporate shit months from now, and HHH STILL refuses to look even the slightest bit vulnerable... We told you so. Some of us (me not included) have done so since the Summerslam finish. Over a decade of past experience guides our pessimism, and heavily tempers our hopes.
ReplyDeleteIf this does not come to pass... then those of you sticking up for the current direction will be proven correct. My current odds: 35/65 against. Just too much past experience to say otherwise.
He's staying out of it because in ksyfabe terms he's obsessed with Heyman and doesn't care about anything else. You guys are way over thinking this. There's no reason to put him in this angle.
ReplyDeleteLike he lost to Booker, to RVD, to Goldberg, to Orton (BOTH face and heel), to Punk?
ReplyDeleteSTILL ON THE RECEIVING END! IT'S BEEN THREE ENTIRE WEEKS! WHAT A DISASTER!
ReplyDeleteIt ended up fueling a company for three years.
ReplyDeleteThree TV weeks now = 6 weeks in 1997/98 (roughly) = 10ish weeks in the late 1980s.
ReplyDeleteSo, tell me when Austin was left laying or bitched out six weeks in a row? Or even four?
How was Nitro this week? Or this week ten years ago?
ReplyDeleteThey're completely different characters. Austin was never portrayed as an underdog. He was a rebellious hell-raiser. It's not the same angle. Love that you all think Orton should've dropped the belt by now.
ReplyDeleteProbably full of Tongans you think are Samoan.
ReplyDeleteYou can stop projecting now. Orton as champ is fine. HHH as Mr. Helmsley is a fair idea. But there's a point where the fans need some real hope. They want to be "smart" with the "insider" references at times... but then do the same old shit that's created most of those references.
ReplyDeleteSteph making Big Show cry is asinine. Bryan's only "victory" being a Cena-like "destruction" of Orton's Escalade is stupid.
and it helped kill a company as well.
ReplyDeleteNWO Elite
NWO 2000
Just stop watching. I'm begging you. You're never going to be happy, you're never going to understand. Just stop watching.
ReplyDeleteOkay, let me explain the biggest problem here. I have to watch this show every week, and as long as I'm watching the show every week, I want the story to build. Having the entire roster be forced to watch you destroy the plucky babyface, to me, screams of "last straw". That's supposed to be the moment when the roster realizes it's time to do something.
ReplyDeleteIf you include the coronation, we've had that moment right out of the gate and for three straight weeks without any change. In fact, all three shows have ended the same way: with the Shield beating the everloving hell out of Daniel Bryan while the roster watches and does nothing, then Orton appears and picks the bones. I want to watch the story move forward, not find new and exciting ways to run in place.
It's been argued this helps the Shield... but the Shield WERE three guys sick of the system holding them back and determined to undermine the way the WWE worked at every turn, and now, they're nameless HHH bodyguards who work to enforce the very system they hated. Is that REALLY a step up?
Further, what's the event horizon if not this? Dolph was sick of it and he got humiliated. Miz was sick of it and he was silenced. Cody wasn't even sick of it -- he just made a suggestion -- and he got fired over it (with no babyface authority on the horizon to bring him back). And Big Show, the one man even the crowd knew could tilt the scales and get away with it, just got neutered. What's left?
At this point, I don't honestly see when it'll happen. If Daniel Bryan's beatdowns were going to inspire a locker room rebellion, they would have by now. Heck, I'm sure every fan remembers when the locker room stormed out on HHH just two years ago over a much smaller grievance than this, and now they're doing nothing? It's logical inconsistency, and all the logical inconsistencies just happen to break in the heel favor. (It would not surprise me if the bright light came in the form of a Deus Ex Machina from the Board of Governors or a change of heart from Vince, because at this point that's how fast the story has gone into overkill mode.)
I guess what I'm saying is: they rushed the first step and stopped. That's bad storytelling. HHH started as a power-hungry maniac and kept being one. That's treadmill booking. And we've just been told all our heroes out there are cowards except for the one who constantly loses. That's discouraging.
So tell me, why should I like the ending to this week's show when it's a rerun of the depressing ending to last week's show, more or less to the letter? That's not long-term booking, that's laziness, and I'm calling WWE out on it.
So tell me why we are comparing Austin to Bryan?
ReplyDeleteNo it didn't. A merger with aol killed it. The nwo sent wcw to new heights for three fucking years.
ReplyDeleteHHH probably thought that "grumpy troll" comment was the most clever thing ever. 2nd grade humor
ReplyDeleteFor the record, I haven't watched RAW since the week after Wrestlemania, up until Dolph's first non-title loss. Same old shit, just different faces and names.
ReplyDeleteAnd then sent it crashing in 1998 because it got old fast, and the fans were ready to see someone break it. And then, January 4 of 1999 happened, and WCW was basically shot in the head that night. And who caused it? THE NWO. Your move.
ReplyDeleteOnly in the loosest term, as Austin (for all he said otherwise) was the face of RAW then... and Bryan's the face of RAW right now. Cena's out, and Punk's distracted, so that leaves Bryan to carry the load.
ReplyDeleteAll good points.
ReplyDeleteif the company was profitable, it would not have been killed.
ReplyDeleteNash/Hogan/Bischoff reforming the NWO and Vince Russo doing it again in 2000 lead the company losing 60M in one year.
they were still profiting in 99, it just went off the deep end by March of 99
ReplyDeleteSo you're complaining about a show you don't even watch? I hate this show, so I'm going to stop watching it. But I love bitching about it, so I'm gonna keep that up!
ReplyDeleteHey, I'm only following the great example of the ones who take cheap shots at TNA for every little thing they do wrong. And probably haven't watched them since the six-sided ring was removed, if ever.
ReplyDeleteFair is fair.
(For the record, I'd step in and stop this argument, but I love the fact it makes my rant look like people are discussing it a lot.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm well aware I probably jinxed it by saying that.)
I am totally in favor of the PG rants.
ReplyDeleteMike Mears is good, but yours is better.
MODO #retroSK
You should write like that during your recaps. Seriously. Recaps don't have to be everything that happened, they can be a synopsis of what happened with opinions mixed in. And they can have more paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteNah, I'm good now. I just can't stand the "Your points aren't valid EVER if you don't watch every second every week" attitude.
ReplyDeleteI didn't need to watch every second of a Saints game last season to know that their defense was the drizzling shits.
"The difference? Showmanship."
ReplyDelete(Ten points to whomever gets that reference. I love working in obscure thoughts to my stuff.)
But Austin and Bryan couldn't be more different as characters. If you booked Bryan like they did Austin, it would be ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteHm. Most of the time I like to save that for the Final Thoughts. I want people who read my work to feel like they didn't miss anything. See above; the big rant comes at the end.
ReplyDeleteCouple quick comments: who would have thought that fucking Des Moines Iowa would be a real good crowd? Not I.
ReplyDeleteIt really is starting to annoy me that HHH/Orton/Steph aernt berating the crowds. I know theyre 100% heels but how HHH panders to the crowd and "wants to give them the best product because they deserve it" and how he humiliated the most over heel in wwe now (heyman) makes me think he wants to be the cool heel when whats needed is the prick slimy heel. I have no problem with the heels going over for a little, but im gonna worry about Bryan being able to play off the proper heel unless they tweak HHH/Orton a tad
Theres something about when Steph plays that cunning character that makes me want to lick her holes.
ReplyDeleteI'd hit it.
ReplyDeletebut it was fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteit will be fun this year as well.
(WARNING: MASSIVE SARCASM AHEAD. THIS IS NOT SERIOUS. [Yes, I mean you, Dougie.])
ReplyDeleteHHHis HHHoly HHHighness does not understand this "prick slimy heel" you speak of. All he understands is being the Game-uh, the best IN THIS BUSINESS-uh, banging the boss' daughter-uh, letting the peon hold his belt-uh, so on and so on... uh.
(SARCASM: OFF.)
There we go... now I'm smiling. Needed that this morning, I think.
"wants to give them the best product because they deserve it"
ReplyDeleteThat is him berating the audience. He is talking down to them. There is nothing cool about being a corporate suit.
That's fair, but its good to watch at the moment. It's a multi-ppv feud at the moment. The run up to their next ppv match will be different.
ReplyDeleteIt's been 3 weeks. They can afford to tread water for awhile to build up the heels. And HHH didn't have The Shield when the locker room rebelled last time.
ReplyDeleteI'm optimistic. Their offense should be a bit cleaner, especially at RB, and the D hasn't looked awful.
ReplyDeleteWinning less than 10 would be disappointing.
I think it actually works because he's making it so obvious that he's pandering to the crowd that they see right through it.
ReplyDeleteWell said. Bryan going over strong should be reserved for when theyre ready to give him his proper run, Survivor Series perhaps? Just look at the heat they were drawing in freaking Des Moines Iowa.
ReplyDeleteAnd it was different bookers killing it.
ReplyDeleteJust enjoy the bloody matches and promos. Those are good at the moment.
Im not sure. I wish hed go old school heel and just start fucking up the crowd. He could have killed Des Moines for being Des Moines, or just start going with the generic heel taunts of a fat, lazy city.
ReplyDeleteId bet anything eventually this is the direction they go eventually to set up s returning face Vince going "you forgot that your job is to serve the wwe universe and do whats best for business."
Youre right if its a corporate suit like Big Johnny. I think itd be cool to be HHH in this storyline, run a wrestling company and bang Steph.
ReplyDeleteWell, Cena was doing kindergarten humor, so it's still an upgrade.
ReplyDeleteWhat's really bizarre is that a few weeks ago within the storylines Cody was single and was teased as potential romantic partner to Kaitlyn. Now they acknowledge his real life engagement. This "single until it suits the storyline" characterization of the wrestlers always bugged me.
ReplyDeleteThreadjack...now that Caliber has left the BoD, does anyone want to pick up the QOTD responsibilities, or are we over that? I was a fan of it still.
ReplyDeleteI thought something like a daily "what if" question would be cool. Like what if Rocks movie career never takes off and hes been full time wwe for the last decade? What if luger had to be the third man? Doesnt have to be wrestling related though
Two wrongs don't make a right.
ReplyDeleteHowever, three rights do make a left.
You're going to step in and stop a debate on the qualities of the program you're reviewing? Seriously?
ReplyDeleteThe whole 'losing 60M in one year' thing is a myth. The truth is that because WCW was owned by the same company that owned the network they were on, they were drastically underpaid for the ad revenue from their show. I'm not saying they didn't lose money, but they didn't lose 60M.
ReplyDeleteAnd saying you want to not have 1996-1998 NWO because of 2000 NWO is just short-sighted.
There's a THEMONSTERMENG joke in there somewhere... but it's doing a great job hiding from me.
ReplyDeleteI would even enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteIs it my move? I'm going to reiterated that the NWO feuled a juggernaut for 3 years. Because that's checkmate.
ReplyDeleteHe left?
ReplyDelete1996-late 1997 NWO was fine. A little stale at times, but a prefectly acceptable heel stable.
ReplyDeleteThen Sting-Hogan. Then Nash-Goldberg. Then the Fingerpoke. Then the same old shit, just change a face or three. Then not enough people (fans, wrestlers, corporate, etc...) quit giving a shit. Then death.
Simplistic? Yeah. Accurate? Also yeah.
When did this happen? I must've missed something...
ReplyDeleteYea man. He said he lost the loser leaves blog feud with you.
ReplyDeleteHe went to the place to be site and said it was easier to just leave here all together I guess
I win $25 million on SUPER DUPER WHO WANTS TO BE A MULTI-MILLIONAIRE.
ReplyDeleteI blow $40 million the next three years trying to keep that one moment of my life relevant, to the point where I alienate friends and family. A fair chunk of that goes to three "friends", who dump me the moment the money well goes dry.
I end up bankrupt, friendless, working minimum-wage for a person I despise because no one else wants anything to do with me.
Did I really win?
Your recap was great again. Personally, I don't think you need to explain or justify it.
ReplyDeleteThis dude is rapidly approaching Caliber Winfield level.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time, he's WWElvy. Sometimes, he does make valid points, even if the manner is a bit abrasive.
ReplyDeleteWait what? Link?
ReplyDeleteCome on, Dougie. You know Triple H=bad.
ReplyDeleteDid I do it right?
Yea man. No link. Me and him had a good repartee here so he sent me an email telling me of his decision.
ReplyDeleteI call shenanigans. Who's with me.
ReplyDeleteIts almost like they're doing anything they can to beat down and demoralize someone who already showed an inferiority complex in the past! Like they want to break him and make him go away because even though they say he's average, they are scared of what he's capable of!
ReplyDeleteWait...that's exactly what they're doing.
I tried talking about this in the live thread but here's the sparknotes version as to why I disagree with this:
ReplyDelete-It's been three weeks, but the amount of hours of both shows (and I'm counting Smackdown because the storyline has been furthered on the show by Bryan, Orton, and the Shield there) has a way of making it feel longer. This isn't a one hour Nitro or Raw anymore--it's 5 hours of programming, so...
-There has to be a give and take in this situation or almost ANY situation. The smart thing to have been done was to give Bryan a moral victory this week or the Raw right after Summerslam to show that he was really IN this fight and was capable of upsetting the status quo (and then have the new factgime bend the rules, play unfair in exacting vengeance and up the ante). Instead, we get this feeling of dread so far heading into...
-Football season. This week was to show some intriguing developments to combat MNF next week.
-It is really hard to deny that yesterday's episode was a terrible Raw that had HHH play the role of Poochie as he was all too encouraged by successful storytelling the prior two weeks. He has a nasty habit of wanting to be the coolest or toughest guy in the room, and it's hard to see him showing ass in the future despite the fact that he's an extremely athletically slow 44 years old.
How did you blow 15 extra millions? Seriously, your analogy is terrible.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing wrong with showing that your main event face is either smart enough or tough enough to overcome some of these odds. But so far, Bryan is 0 for 6 since Summerslam.
ReplyDeleteHe is 6 for 6 because he keeps coming back. That's his whole MO. That's why people love him.
ReplyDeleteI see. The corporate mechanisms of an incredibly successful "sports entertainment" company and their network partners are unable to identify a well-established pattern in their seasonal television ratings (but you are!). Or, if they are aware of this seemingly straight-forward bit of business intelligence, they are going to deliberately ignore a huge factor in their broadcasting reality just for the fun of "blaming" a worker whom they've invested considerable time and resources into developing into a star?
ReplyDeleteIt is quite possible, perhaps even likely, that they will drop the ball on this angle. It is also possible, although I think less likely at this point, that the attempt to create a top-tier star out of Bryan will fail. I don't think anyone could really fault you for being cynical/pessimistic on either point.
The nonsense about "blame" for structural rating declines, "Hogan-esque" injuries to Cena, etc. just makes you sound like a silly mark. Can you actually document examples of a worker being blamed for the seasonal downturn in ratings and detail specific booking changes that occurred in response to what would be an almost negligent mis-interpretation of ratings data? Facts, please, not speculation or gossip.
Exactly. The PAYOFF is him getting his revenge. The plucky underdog isn't the underdog at all when he wins.
ReplyDeletePeople say they hate 50/50 booking, then want it here. Why?
Bryan could go 0 for forever and when he beats Orton, an arena somewhere is losing a roof.
Credit, money borrowed before alienation, etc...
ReplyDeleteNo. Just no. Your analogy is terrible.
ReplyDeleteThat is what is perfect about Bryan. He is an underdog except when he gets in that ring, he is a killer. It's the best of both worlds.
ReplyDeleteHow will we ever live without him posting questions other people wrote d giving his contrarian answers?
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I enjoyed the recap, even though I disagree with his assessment. This place would get boring real quick if we all agreed.
ReplyDeleteWho said that the company was unable to see the downward trend of ratings every year?
ReplyDeleteAre you putting words in my post? Because I never typed that.
Silly mark? hmmph.
I can not detail booking changes based on ratings data, but I can because of downturn of gates.
Like getting the title off of Warrior, to Slaughter for the WM7 Main event cuz House show buz was down.
Or Bret getting the belt from Diesel in 95 because house show biz was down.
Or how about the depush of Miz after WM27 because of the returns of his PPV business.
Same depush of Jericho after WM18.
Or how about injuries.
How about Hogan going down with crippling injury after Spring Stampede 99, only to be back 3 months later in the red and yellow against Nash
How can we forget HBK not wanting to job at WM13 so he lost his smile?
People get depushed for the silliest shit in wrestling. Mark Henry and Big Show did repeated trips to OVW because they were too fat... then too skinny, but hey Im the silly mark for just pointing it out. Christian and Test were depushed until they got their hair cut, but again... silly mark...
Im the silly mark for saying that this could possibly be a fuck job for Bryan.
But hey, lets wait and see what happens.
If he is back in the midcard or back tagging with Kane again, I'm just going to shrug and keep spouting off silly mark comments.
And we're definitely not all agreeing here. It's a tough debate on this issue--Bryan not getting many hope spots in these last few weeks. Are they building an epic story or are they missing out on the chance to make Bryan a transcendent star? I can see both sides of the issue. Unfortunately, I just thought yesterday's episode was crap after two strong episodes before that.
ReplyDeletei agree, but dont bitch when shit fucks up.
ReplyDeleteI think Mike is butt-hurt.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have a lick of evidence to back up your claim that "They ALWAYS blame somebody on ratings drops.", so you instead cite examples unrelated to ratings, primarily from an era when both the company itself and the nature of the business were fundamentally different? Okay...
ReplyDeleteI didn't put any words in your post. You said, quite clearly, that the ratings were going to drop regardless of how hot the Bryan angle is (and you're probably right about that) and, critically, that "the indy guys" would be "blamed" for that.
If that happens, it can only be for one of two reasons. a) The WWE is unaware of the external structural factors which affect their ratings every fall or b) they don't care, and have invested a lot of time and promotion into the character of Daniel Bryan just so they can have someone to "blame" during their annual fall ratings decline.
Neither of these are likely, which is why your post was so silly.
Mark Henry would like to have a word with you.
ReplyDeleteSo you take that piece and magnify that to make me look silly?
ReplyDeleteFair enough, ALWAYS was wrong, but the blame goes somewhere. That much is true, read the transcripts of investor calls every quarter.
Not "if" it happens, the ratings will drop. It happens every football season.
What are they going to blame this year?
My pick: No John Cena (being injured) and lack of strong, top babyfaces.
What does mean to you?
But again, I am silly for thinking this.
ReplyDeleteSilly Mark.
Marks pay for the product, I do not. You're using the term wrong.
Were you blackout drunk during the Summer Of Punk?
ReplyDeletedoes Miz still main event?
ReplyDeleteI'll have to take your word for it on the content of the investor calls. It seems pretty bizarre, though, that the impact of MNF and fall television debuts wouldn't be factored into their overall business plan, with expectations governed accordingly.
ReplyDeleteAre you sure that such comments weren't directed at year-over-year declines, as opposed to an expected seasonal down-turn? Or, more importantly, a significantly larger drop in ratings than traditionally occurs during the time period? Or perhaps missed revenue/income targets?
That really is a fundamental difference. If ratings for October 2013 are significantly down compared to October 2012, then an explanation (blame) to investors is in order. Also, if the corporation projects X amount in revenue for the quarter (any projections should factor in known competitive influences such as MNF) and falls short of said target, there would be "blame" to go around.
If ratings simply decline in a predictable and foreseeable manner, though, there's no "blame" to be had, and zero upside for "the suits" to create any as it reflects poorly on their own governance of the company.
Fair enough.
ReplyDeleteCaliber would have called this a mediocre dig but then given it ****1/2 stars anyway.
ReplyDeleteYou're entitled to your own style of course. Personally I found myself scrolling quickly through the wall of text to the rant at the end, and found the above comment more interesting than anything in the article. (Note: I am not the one who downvoted your response I thought it was an apt response to constructive criticism.
ReplyDeleteDepends on if he considers it a WWF/E did or a NWA/WCW dig.
ReplyDeleteWWF/E: 4 1/2 stars
NWA/WCW: 2 stars
After he saw it on Cracked first.
ReplyDeleteWere you blackout drunk for everything that happened after MITB?
ReplyDeleteYeah according to his e-mail he only told us Magoonie, and Satan.
ReplyDelete... seriously? I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not.
ReplyDeleteCuz, if so, very surprised it wasn't any of the Clique guys.
That could mean Bryan wins the title at Hell in a Cell but Orton is in the title picture (I.E. - chasing a title shot) until then.
ReplyDeleteMy appreciation for Sheamus the wrestler is inversely proportional to my dislike of his character.
ReplyDelete"Okay HHH, we're going to have Daniel Bryan go over strong tonight. He's gonna tap out Orton out with the Yes Lock..."
ReplyDelete:Interrupting: "And then I pedigree him, hold up the title, and point at my dick, right?"
:pause"
"No, he's going to give you the knee to the face and stand on the top turnbuckle chanting 'Yes!'"
"See, I'm with you up to Bryan kneeing me. Wouldn't it get Daniel over more if I hit him with the pedigree, held up the title, and pointed to my dick?"
:Pause:
"I'm gonna go get Stephanie"
Did you read the Grantland interview with HHH? Vince comes over when I'm cooking at the grill and the first thing he
ReplyDeletesays is, "Hey, in Peoria yesterday I noticed something." I'm like, "Can I
just cook the hamburgers, please?" What HHH left off was, "and how about bringing back war games?
I'm not. They were super tight.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Bryan mark but it worked for both of them. DBD's argument against Cena was that Cena was an entertainer and that if Cena wasn't in the WWE he wouldn't be wrestling whereas Daniel Bryan would be wrestling in a high school gym because he loves being a wrestler. The way their characters have been presented Daniel Bryan loves the wrestling part of it and tolerates the entertainment aspect. John Cena seems to revel in the entertainment aspect of it (it's also why I could see Daniel Bryan walking away from the WWE before Cena, while Daniel Bryan loves wrestling he's presented himself as someone who has interests outside of being in the WWE. I think Cena's a lifer).
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you, Orton's the perfect villain in the role and part of why as much as I hate HHH and Orton, they've been perfect in their roles. As a fan, I project my biases: that Daniel Bryan is a worker that I love watching, that he came up "the right way" through the indies and made it despite the deck being stacked against him while Orton is a guy I loathe because he's been pushed continually for a decade (despite not being over for the first seven years) because he's 6'5", good looking, and with a name behind him.
She's have to inhale helium gas first so her voice sounds remotely female.
ReplyDeleteThis is nit-picky as hell but why can't Stephanie change her music?
ReplyDeleteAs an Eagles fan I don't know if the first game is going to suck people in. It could be a Redskins blowout.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy in hindsight to say, "oh, yeah, they should have killed off the NWO" but besides the Austin heel turn (the exception that proves the rule) when has wrestling EVER given up on something before every last drop of blood has been wrung out of it?
ReplyDeleteIs it me, or does Steph sound deeper and deeper every single week?
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about her whiny annoying SD! voice, then compared it to last night, and my God man... she is taking something.
Her voice is fine the way it is. As is the rest of her. The real question, as always is: would it be worth the absolute beatdown HHH would give you when he found out?
ReplyDeleteNot if I shoot first.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't they all run in together?
ReplyDeleteIf not for the rather worthless "walkout" angle a couple years back, now would be the PERFECT time to bring that in. Faces walk out on HHH and Friends, Vince walks in.
ReplyDeleteThe Machine's protecting their investment. It's pretty simple man. It's hatable.
ReplyDeleteSee, you don't like it :)
Yeh, that's the thing. They did it and it was pretty cool, but it had ZERO legs, because, well, what do you do to follow it up?
ReplyDeleteYeah, call me crazy, but I prefer if the love or hatred in wrestling is directed to wrestlers. That's just me, though. I'm weird like that.
ReplyDeleteNah, I get you. I just think it's fine in certain circumstances to swap that around a bit.
ReplyDeleteHa. I like it!
ReplyDeleteI think it fits with HHH's current motivation. The whole point of the angle is that HHH is being condescending and trying to tell people what they want.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how this angle will end, but it's built on the concept that HHH and the McMahon's are essentially playing the versions of themselves that 'we' (the smarks/IWC) are convinced they are in real-life.
We've been complaining all along about WWE 'forcing' certain people (like Cena and Orton and yes, HHH) down our throats, and pushing them over, while 'punishing' people for for getting over without their approval.
So that is exactly what HHH is doing. The angle is designed for people to bitch about it on blogs. He's shoving Orton down our throats, while punishing Bryan for being popular.
So they're pandering to the crowds on purpose...let's face it. They're trolling us.
Well said
ReplyDeleteMan, I wish I could have seen this cracked thread. Ive heard so much about it.
ReplyDeleteAre we supposed to believe that Big Show hasn't made enough money to provide for his family after being a main eventer for like 20 years??
ReplyDeleteI haven't been watching but that doesn't seem to make sense, does it? Even the densest mark would realize that Big Show probably has enough money. Unless it turns out to be an angle the whole time and Big Show was in on it (ugh), it doesn't add up to me.
I dunno man, if i had to equate Caliber to a wrestling personality I'd probably go Crash Holly. he's determined as hell.
ReplyDeleteThey did the same angle with HBK
ReplyDeleteGiven what's happened to Hogan and Flair, it's not that implausible.
Yeah, they kinda did an entire movie about how wrestlers don't always have enough for retirement. That guy from 9 1/2 Weeks was in it. Not sure you've heard of it.
ReplyDelete