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Network Update - 7/23/14

In Ring > RAW Replays
                >1995 - Episode 109 - 5/1/95
                              Episode 110 - 5/8/95
                              Episode 111 - 5/15/95
                              Episode 113 - 5/28/95

             > Smackdown Replays
                >2001 - 4/5/01

Comments

  1. Ok, so sometimes WWE doesn't stick to the original script as if it was set in stone, and they sometimes make changes. WE GET IT.

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  2. It seems like they like to make a big deal out of nothing.

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  3. MikeyMike, WitnessJuly 23, 2014 at 9:05 AM

    21 years with the company and 21 firings!

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  4. I believe that Smackdown episode is where HHH squashes that mid-carder Chris Jericho like a bug and takes his IC title, because he wasn't adept at working WWF Main Event Style.

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  5. Yep, every time I read one of those, I always get the feeling that they are trying to spell out "OMG WWE is disorganized and out of control, they're in shambles!" But that's just me.

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  6. No Cena = better rating. Imagine that!

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  7. No it's not

    It is just letting us know what was originally scheduled to happen for those who are interested.

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  8. MikeyMike, WitnessJuly 23, 2014 at 9:09 AM

    Nah just standard script changes.

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  9. Let's do our daily "agree to disagree" on that one. (damn, it's still early, we might be in trouble for the rest of the day) :)

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  10. He must have been something...right?

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  11. I don't anyone cares that Bo/Khali did not those place.

    And switching Rusev/Reigns is not a big deal either.

    And no one was hinting at the WWE being disorganized for these two matches not taking place.

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  12. So does the IWC officially explode if Cena retains the title at Summerslam? OR when Cena wins the title back for his 16th title win during their rematch at Night of Champions?

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  13. Basic Thuganomics

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  14. Really? I keep seeing daily sarcastic comments on here about how WWE always changes their plans and have no long term planning and stuff. Oh well.

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  15. From that TNA/Spike story link:

    "TNA drew 550 in Louisville, KY on Friday 7/18 and 725 on 7/19 in Lexington, KY."



    These minor league stadiums hold 13,000 and 15,000, respectively. LOLTNA.

    As for that "best rating in two months" story, proof that Lesnar = Ratings.

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  16. The WWE might take a hit to Network subs if that happens. I hope someone brings in a sign that says "If Cena wins we cancel"

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  17. Does the IWC even get enraged anymore when it comes to Cena? It seems like now it's resigned to a heavy sigh and a "whatever, CenaWinsLOL".

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  18. I think they'd get more subs with Cena as champion than Lesnar. There's plenty more families and people that like Cena than those that like Brock.

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  19. Really? I'm not so sure. People are tired of Cena's act.

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  20. I don't think anyone will care.

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  21. People or the IWC? Big difference. Watch the crowds at a WWE even if you are ever there. Cena's merchandise is by far and away the highest selling. Kids get their families to buy tickets to go see Cena. Heck even a vast majority of casual WWE fans are fans of Cena. I can't see people subbing to the WWE Network because Brock Lesnar is the champion, especially if he wrestles or appears only what 20 times a year?

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  22. Awesome.



    From: "If Cena wins we Riot" to "If Cena wins we complain online" to "If Cena wins we cancel".

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  23. They should give him a gold statue of Marty Jannetty.

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  24. I'm just reporting what I've seen some fans post on Twitter with the #CENAWINSLOL hashtag. Whether they'd actually do it or not is open to debate.

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  25. Maybe Cena's merch sells much more because there's just so many more items compared to any other superstar. I bet if Daniel Bryan had as much varied merch during his chase for the title, it would be comparable.

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  26. I hear a lot of 'people' make these comments you keep seeing daily.

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  27. And the funny part is..Cena wins and they don't riot. Cena wins and they still complain online. But if Cena wins they still won't cancel. The only continuity is the complaining online.

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  28. Well reigns wrrstles ADR on smackdown and Cesaro and Ambrose had a rematch. I wonder how good the Reigns match will be?

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  29. Such a stupid argument. He gets more merch because he SELLS more merch. not the other way around.

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  30. Jim Ross...2014 winner of the Jannetty Cup!

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  31. Bryan has a ton of shirts, beards, YES! foam fingers. Cena's fans DEMAND more merchandise.

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  32. If they used Brock as a special attraction they might rope in more casuals, although one could argue that the bloom is off the rose on that. I'm just saying that seeing a guy parade around like he's an 8 year old for the last NINE years is killing my soul.


    People can use the merchandise argument for Cena, but it sure isn't making up for declining PPV buyrates during his time on top, the cold nature of the wrestling industry on his watch, and the disappointing Network buys while he's a focal point of the promotion. He should catch more heat from that from the office than he does.

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  33. Why is it stupid? WWE puts their merchandising machine behind Cena so he sells. If they put their muscle behind someone else like Punk or Bryan, why couldn't it happen?

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  34. Del Rio has always been solid, he's just sadly stuck in an eternal "B+" spot. has proven 1000 times he can beat the lower-mid card guys, and has proven 1000 times he can't quite beat the A+ guys. He's forever in that spot.

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  35. Is like how everyone melted down after Orton won the MITB but then worst in the world posted the link to Scotts review the next morning and it wasn't there?

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  36. I dunno. I've been to shows and Cena's stuff outnumbers everyone else's like 10 to 1.

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  37. Cena is the biggest draw in the company and the house show #'s prove it.

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  38. You said the posted news item was meant to say that the WWE is disorganized. I don't know of anyone who thinks rewriting the show to have Rusev squash Khali and for Reigns to face Kane/Orton is a sign of chaos backstage.

    If you run a wrestling news site and know of some news, you should probably post it. No one thinks it is that big of a deal. He'll, it was on the free site and not even the elite portion.

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  39. Yeah but he brings them in for the house shows. He's still a draw.

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  40. Cena has been outside of Bryan this last year or so, the best wrestler in the WWE for the last 10 years or so. The guy is consistently good and consistently draws. Why would WWE take a risk now when they need to retain subscribers and gain more? They'll just ride out Cena for a bit longer until October at the earliest.


    Declining PPV buyrates are due to the Network. Plus the PPV's aren't being aired by the biggest cable/satellite companies. That is where the huge hit comes from. Orton vs. Bryan feud last year drew horrible buyrates as well.

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  41. You are proving Vince and I's point.

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  42. Del Rio is fine but that face turn killed him. One of the worst face turns ever

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  43. PPV buyrates were declining BEFORE the Network, though. I'm not saying it's all Cena's fault (he's not fully to blame for bad booking), but I'm saying that there was a decline under him. The declining PPV's is a reason they went to the Network model.

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  44. But my point is more that if a family goes to a house show and a child wants a souvenir, the options are Cena and virtually nothing. The kid is going for Cena.

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  45. I'm always just interested to get any look at what's going on behind the scenes. Gives you a look into the thought process going on.

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  46. WWE creates merchandise as they see the merchandise sell. If they see Cena's stuff is moving well then they make more Cena items to sell. It's simply supply and demand really. Bryan has had about 5 new shirts over the last year so you can't argue they aren't "putting the merchandising machine behind" him.

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  47. I remember Shane Helms in his shoot interview talk about how if CM Punk fans want him to be the sat of the company, then they should start buying his t-shirts because moving merchandise is what will make you the top star.

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  48. If Cena's stuff wasn't selling, there wouldn't be 500 different Cena products. WWE will produce new items for those superstars that are selling merch well.

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  49. I'm of the opinion that we can conclusively say that Daniel Bryan was indeed a draw. For all the talk that he didn't have the right look or was too much of niche character or internet darling, his presence and absence made a considerable impact in the ratings and the bottom line. For all the debate on whether or not the company truly believed in him like they did others, it's clear now that they should have.



    Raw had sub 3.0 ratings for the two months following his injury. They're only now recovering according this latest number. Raw's quarter hours that featured him (when he was healthy) were typically the highest rated on the show for the first half of this year. And whether it was due to a lack of confidence in the Network stream or not, Wrestlemania did massive numbers to witness his coronation.


    I mention all of this because I don't think enough people realize that there has been a correlation and possibly even a cause and effect relationship with viewership and Bryan's health status. It's definitely a bittersweet feeling, but he was a very deserving main event player.

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  50. Exactly. That is all it is.

    People read way too much into these news bits sometimes.

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  51. I'm not sure what the deal is with ADR, but nothing he does is interesting to me. He is a good wrestler and has a good look, but registers as an absolute zero when I watch him.

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  52. Compelling television will spike the ratings.

    Bryan vs. authority was good TV.

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  53. Just one guy really

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  54. Ricardo was a great help to him.

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  55. Best rating in 2 months, so yea Brock does pop ratings.

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  56. So, how long will it be before WWE goes Social Media v 2.0 and either has someone include a hashtag in their finisher name (so Cole can yell, "HASHTAGZIGZAG!!!") or actually has someone with a hastag in their name?

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  57. Oh no doubt Bryan was a big draw, but with his injury currently they have no other options than going with Cena.

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  58. It was. When was the last time Cena had a compelling program?

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  59. Not since Punk

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  60. When you post how Meltzer was right about something on this board, the anti-Meltzer contingent come out and post immediately.

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  61. I think it was that one time he was feuding with some dude and won the first match of the series and the feud just dragged on for like another 3 months. THAT ONE!

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  62. I wonder if Tommy Hall has a house show report.

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  63. Anybody else find it funny that WWE copied TNA in terms of using the phrase Option C on their recent programming? TNA has used Option C for 3 years now and has Aries potentially using Option C this week to cash-in on a match next week vs. Lashley?

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  64. Yeah, once Ricardo left the gimmick lost its touch.

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  65. And it was Punk who was doing the heavy-lifting.

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  66. Brock Lesnar.

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  67. They are so stupid if they don't put the title back on Aries for a long long run.

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  68. Not exactly a HUGE pop for Lesnar.

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  69. Ok, maybe not everyone, but at least a few did, and I guess absurd comments stick out for me for some reason. Fair enough?

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  70. Lashley is drawing well as champion. I say keep it on him and have him drop it to Roode in Tokyo at BFG.

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  71. They said Plan C, completely different!

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  72. He is? house show ticket sales don't seem to show that but ok I had no idea. Aries though is the best all around worker in ring and out they have at the moment.

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  73. Whoops! I swear Heyman said Option C somewhere though. My mistake. I lose the argument.

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  74. I mean TV wise he is drawing good ratings as champion.

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  75. OK. But again, who's saying that the wwe is disorganized because of these two script changes? I personally find it interesting to know about earlier drafts of the show.

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  76. It's still tough to imagine a Reigns singles match getting above 3 stars. His singles push is still too new and his moveset still too limited. I truly hope he continues to improve, but it's hard to imagine smooth transitions in his matches and doing enough to get the crowd involved, too (he did just fine with the Shield, but he has to do MORE now that he's on his own).

    I'm not down on Reigns as much as you are, but I try to envision a singles match with him, and I'm still not seeing how it can be more than a bland match with a cool final comeback from Reigns. Del Rio's a good hand and someone to learn from. Hopefully, the match is passable.

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  77. Please, PLEASE don't give them anymore social media ideas.

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  78. If he does, I hope he celebrates by face humping Christy Hemme.

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  79. I consider that more a match and not a program.

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  80. all of the "WWE writes RAW on a napkin", or whenever a raw rumor is leaked , the smug "they're probably gonna rewrite it 20 times before Raw anyway", or the "75% of summerslam has been booked" news story from a few days ago, all the "lulz they'll rewrite it all anyway".... Nothing? Nothing at all?


    It's not a huge issue, I just notice lots of "WWE can't plan anything" comments.

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  81. I think not having the IC title mean something hurts Reigns. He should have that title and run through guys for like 5-6 months, learning the ropes as a upper midcarder. It'd be less pressure than being in the main event or semi-main against Orton.

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  82. Meltzer was taking about Reigns and how even though he might not be there in the ring as a singles star yet, he is a lot more advanced than Cena was at the same point in their careers

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  83. So does this mean now jim Ross will acknowledge that WWE is just as guilty of 50-50 booking that he criticized TNA for doing?

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  84. Yeah, it's still really early for Reigns, and I think I can agree with Meltzer on that one. It helped that Reigns had some of the most imaginative and strong workers to travel with during his first year and a half (according to their interviews, the Shield did, in fact, travel together everywhere), and he got a chance to learn from them in and out of the ring.



    I do worry that this Wrestlemania may be too soon for him to be given the proverbial ball to run with. With guys like Shawn, Austin, Bryan, and even Cena, it was painfully obvious that they were ready in the year leading up to their big Wrestlemania win.

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  85. Summer ratings generally decline, so it's possible the overall rating would not have been terribly different (even if he hadn't been in an awful storyline with thedemonkane). He was a draw (as his individual segments indicate) but not necessarily a mega draw in terms of being able to lift the entire show (though I doubt anyone, even Cena, could do that either).


    In 2013, Raw didn't beat April 29's 3.1 rating until August 19's 3.24, the day after Summerslam of Bryan vs. Cena then Orton. Bryan was named #1 contender on 7/15/13 (3.04 rating), and the subsequent ratings were slightly down (ranging from 2.87 to 2.96) until the August 19 show. It's possible this year would have been different, but Bryan wasn't enough to counter the general summer decline in 2013.


    Bryan's injury certainly didn't help ratings, but I'm not sure (significant) causation is supported.


    2013 (and more) Ratings: http://www.2xzone.com/ratings/rawhistory.shtml#.U8_aGuNdWSo

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  86. The one major difference is, WWE *DOES* have top stars. TNA has basically never had that one franchise player. Every time they came close, they just jobbed them out to the most recent WWE castoff.

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  87. All fair points. I think the data still reflects him being able to hold his own, but the causal relationship is up for debate, I grant you.

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  88. No one in this thread

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  89. What the hell were they going to do wish a Reigns Rusev match? Kill their russian monster's streak? Bury their next big star? Or just waste our time with a nothing match...yet even then I can't see how you put those two out there and not give a finish and it not lead to a feud.

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  90. Well, they did run that match on Smackdown! and Rusev lost by DQ I think. But yeah, booking that is just dumb.

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  91. I'm still trying to figure out kids' fascination with Cena. As a kid, Hogan was cool, as an adult, I can look back and say, yeah, Hogan rocked. Even though I did eventually turn on Hogan in favor of the Undertaker.

    Cena? Outside of his rapper gimmick which I found amusing, everything about John Cena screams "phony" and "poser".

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  92. Why did they change Rusev-Sheamus to Rusev-Swagger? Not saying that switching that is the end of the world or was ill-advised, but pulling a second "bait & switch" in three days is sort of lame.

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  93. Hearing about all the audibles being called in recent weeks makes me wonder if WWE will really pull the trigger on the Lesnar/Reigns WrestleMania plan, or if Vince will play it safe and just keep the belt on Cena? Or hedge their bets and split the titles back up somehow, keeping the WWE Championship on Cena but giving Lesnar the World Heavyweight Championship? And is Batista coming back after Guardians of the Galaxy and is he still promised a title win?

    I kind of hate when we can't just look at the characters and what's happening on TV and have some idea of where things are going, then just sit back and enjoy the stories. For years now with WWE it's all about looking at the business and who has how much time on their contract, who sells how much merchandise, who needs to be booked 50/50 to justify their inclusion in the latest video game, who has a movie coming out, what's going on with the stock price, etc. Remember when we could just be entertained? Notice how none of that matters when the storytelling is strong, the characters interesting, the matches good? But a top guy gets injured, the stock price takes a hit, the company starts playing it safe to preserve the status quo... that's when the outer shell of the machine cracks, and we're stuck looking at the oily gears & pistons inside... and while that might be occasionally interesting, we really just want to see the machine whole & running smoothly.

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  94. I really worry that creative may not give Reigns enough "hot" stuff to do before WrestleMania. If not, the risk is that he could be overshadowed by the winner of the Rollins-Ambrose feud and/or a returning Bryan. I want the guy to succeed, but I haven't been a fan of booking him to lose in title matches on the last two PPVs.

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  95. Remember when Eddie Guerrero felt he should take the blame for Smackdown's declining ratings because he was the champ?

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  96. The developmental system is a lot better at grooming guys from the ground up now than they were back then too.

    The Performance Center is a great thing too.

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  97. I notice a lot of "I complain about people's complaining" comments from you as well.

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  98. I agree with a good chunk of this. I still think they want Reigns to be the guy and I don't think it's advisable to have Cena beat Lesnar for the second time in a row. Yes, the kids/families love Cena, but you also have the hardcore fans that have subscribed to the Network and are a very vocal part of the fan base that want Lesnar to kick Cena's ass. Those fans want blood, like the fans at the Roman Coliseum (and no I'm not talking about Las Vegas and Caesar's Palace), and if they get more #CENAWINSLOL they may not re-up.


    Is it an idle threat? Sure, it could be construed that way, but with people upset over the lack of some more old school footage from non-WWE promotions and some tech glitches in recent months, having Cena win over Lesnar might cause a backlash. I'd say it already looks bad for the company that the guy they champion as a hero is getting booed out of buildings, but I'm no executive genius.


    I just think this company needs some goodwill among fans heading into Night of the Champions. Cena beating Lesnar doesn't get us there.

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  99. TNA's definition of "good" ratings = going from a 1.1 to a 1.3. Whoopy.

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  100. What? that has totally never ever happened!!! It's all in your head!! You are making this up!!



    *ahem* :)

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  101. I haven't heard JR's comments but I would argue WWE is far more guilty of 50/50 booking than TNA. WWE wants to maintain a roster where everyone is a credible opponent for everyone else. TNA's booking... they were just trying to make what they've thought/think is interesting TV, while unfortunately not understanding what actually makes for interesting TV--while also having people in charge who didn't/don't understand the fundamentals of wrestling either.

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  102. I almost want to say its an indictment on youth culture...or something. Having taught high school, those kids thought Cena was hella lame, but the WWE isn't even appealing to high school kids anymore...


    Hogan was great because he was "larger than life" and cut insane promos (ditto Warrior). Austin was great because he kicked ass and rebelled against authority. Rock was great because he talked trash and gave off a cool vibe. Maybe it's because I'm nearly 30 and I can't think like a young kid, but I just don't think I'd be a Cena fan if I were 10 years old, which was the age that I first started following the product in 1995.

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  103. Not going with Rusev/Reigns is probably one of the smartest moves WWE has done this month. Sacrificing either of them sounds like a horrible move. And even a garbage finish seems like a waste.


    Keep building both of those guys up as legit threats, and the eventual match can have tons of heat. Don't waste it now.

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  104. That's probably 95% of his posts.

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  105. KOTR '95 qualifying time!

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  106. I agree. That's why im starting to get nervous that Vince is going to see things as a rough patch that needs to be weathered and instead of bold storytelling he'll keep the ship docked in port with Captain Cena at the helm.

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  107. Kids are easily manipulated. They're told to cheer, they cheer. Just like when I was a kid, we were told to cheer for Hogan, so we did.

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  108. I'll always argue that CENAWINSLOL in merch because he has SO FUCKING MUCH compared to the rest of the roster. Hogan and Austin had ONE primary shirt for their main runs, although both did put more out over time. Cena's on what, Shirt #10 as "the man"?

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  109. It works both ways too. It has been confirmed that Michael Hayes was scrambling after Jericho's phantom title reign in 2000, getting to Vince and saying "Hear that Pop? Maybe we should keep the strap on him."

    If they did just that, then it would have been a last second decision, but one I'm sure a lot of people would have loved.

    Sometimes better choices just come at the last second. At the drive through this morning I added a shot of espresso to my coffee at the last second. Doesn't make it any less of a choice just because it was done later.

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  110. Cena is definitely a corporation-fueled character and the kids today grow up with a much stronger corporate influence too so they are used to it.

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  111. They were soooooooo close with Aries and Roode, and then did just that.

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  112. And Samoa Joe and Monty Brown around 2006,. (But then along came Christian and Kurt Angle. Don't get me wrong, 2 big names, but imagine had Joe and Monty beaten them in hard fought matches? )

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  113. Honestly, if the wwe creative was going to copy anyone or anything, I'm not at all suprised it would be something as shitty as TNA.

    I mean people here have mentioned various comic book and movie idea they could have ripped off, theres 100's of crazy stories from the world of sports or entertainment news they could steal, but TNA is what they look too.

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  114. Hey TNA sold out at least two rows of seats at the latest basebrawl show!

    (I like you and your posts dude, but I can't help but pile on TNA sorry)

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  115. They had a solid nucleus in 05-06 and instead of building with them as the foundation, they went with veterans and pissed away cash on Foley, Flair, and Hogan.

    TNA has no one else to blame but themselves.

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  116. I thought Del Ray made a pretty good babyfaceand it did work initially as the crowd warmed up to him. I think what hurt Del Ray most was that he turned babyface at the exact time guys like Rock/Taker/HHH all made their returns. No matter how much of a hot babyface you were, you'll always be the #5 top babyface with that lineup. They should have saved Del Rio's turn during the summer when there wasn't much babyface competition.

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  117. TNA's utter incompetence. The one thing that can make me 100% agree with Jobber and Bayless. GROUP HUG!!!

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  118. In 1997 when stone cold was getting mad face heat and they were building him up slowly to be the future, raws rating went down and they didn't do very well financially most if that year I believe. But in the long run it paid off cuz next thing u know, you have all these NEW YOUNG stars that are carrying the company cuz the company invested in them for a while and it paid off and ratings went through the roof. But now its completely the opposite. Id just like to know if its cuz wwe is now a public company, or if its because vince has only cared about what he wants to see and not the fans.

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  119. I'll pour a few drops of BBQ sauce for Good O'l JR.

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  120. I miss paul heyman booking. In ecw, he would always make a star then wwe or wcw would take them. So he'd make a new star. And the trend just continued. Why couldn't Dixie have invested in ecw just a few years earlier. Well if heyman would have allowed it

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  121. Very true. As Jim Cornette says, 1997 didn't necessarily do good business, but it laid the foundation for the survival of the WWE and produced big business in subsequent years.


    I think that was what I loved most about being a WWF fan in the 1990s. I endured the crap of 1995-1996, suffered the shame of cheering the losing company in the ratings wars in 1997 for 82 straight weeks, and then suddenly was rewarded with some hot angles and great characters in 1998. When I review the period, I liken it to a world war because that's what it felt like. 1997 was the WWE's Battle of the Marne. They survived and proceeded to rollup WCW in the years that followed.

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  122. The amount of Main Event matches that have been announced on Raw and then don't happen is pretty large, I think.

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  123. If Daniel Bryan is healthy he'll be in the wm main event.

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  124. Uncrusimatic_Buck_NastyJuly 23, 2014 at 11:25 AM

    no BFG series this year for tnano BFG series this year for tna


    EVERYTHING IS AWESOME FINE

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  125. 50-50 booking is one of wwes most glaring issues. I don't even know if it cracks tnas top 25 problems.

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  126. I'd bet you that 550 is a padded stat also. I will go to my grave knowing for a fact there weren't 2500 people at BFG 2013

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  127. I agree he should be, but at this point I wouldn't bet money on that because 1) not sure he will be ready, 2) Plan B Roman Reigns may become Plan A regardless, and 3) because Vince McMahon.

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  128. What does the Gigolo of the Heavenly Bodies have to do with this?

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  129. "PWInsider Elite is reporting that John Cena leaving WWE for Hollywood is a possibility. They say Cena’s film career could take off quickly, and some backstage employees think he could walk away from the ring, given how hurt he’s worked in the past few
    months and years.

    It has already been noted that Cena will be missing several dates, including RAW this past week, for filming his new movies The Nest and Trainwreck.

    Some of the wrestlers have even joked that Cena will be the next one to “bring it via satellite” soon, taking a shot and both him and The Rock."


    That would be HILARIOUS in context with Cena's "Rock turned his back on the fans to go Hollywood" promos from a few years back.



    Frankly, Cena is probably realizing that he could make a hell of a lot more money with a lot less physical work while on these movie sets.

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  130. Uncrusimatic_Buck_NastyJuly 23, 2014 at 11:34 AM

    is anyone really going to want to pay to see cena play the part of "cena acting"?

    at least rock has versatility. like i said, cena would come across as "john cena playing a part"

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  131. WWE would be so screwed if Cena just packed up and left right now. Vince would probably set up a chair in the middle of the ring on RAW and just unload for 3 hours on he, Punk, Rock, etc.

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  132. Really? I don't watch Main Event, so I can't say. If true, why is that happening?

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  133. Oh yeah, it's a longshot that Cena would have a Rock-ish career. Remember, Rock pretty much floundered in a lot of movies from 2003-2011. It really wasn't until he starred in Fast Five that he became a superstar.

    But if it did happen it would be quite hilarious.

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  134. If there's an Expendables 4 Cena would be a good villain since there's no way in hell the people that are fans of those movies are going to cheer for him.

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  135. Yup. All we have to do is look at the last 10 years of WWE and the level it's been at and you see how 50/50 booking has been part of the foundation of success which--while enviable to everyone else in the wrestling game--has produced a bland, homogenized, PG Era product. So while some fans crave something different, Vince can go back to Cena and 50/50 booking and coast at the same level for years. It's why Triple H on Monday was both right, yet dangerously shortsighted, in bitching about fans being critical of the product.

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  136. Interesting
    1)I'd be shocked if Cena made it in Hollywood, I just can't see that at all. I don't think he has the chops
    2) I like Cena a lot but at this point the wwe can't move on to the next generation with him around
    3) those haters would do the same thing tomorrow. In fact if Vince could have made it big with wwe films or as a TV mogul he would have wiped his ass with wrestling and flushed it down the toilet asap
    4) Cena had had like 12 year career in the wwe. Only a couple of guys went longer

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  137. I for one is would welcome a Cena departure. I'm forced to watch Cena in wwe, I have the option to just skip his shitty movies.

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  138. You're forced to watch WWE?

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  139. Cena is like the cool uncle who the kids love, but they're not old enough to realize that the uncle is a douchebag in real life yet.

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  140. Well, those pics from the other day sure didn't look like 550 or 725. But even if they ARE true, why book an arena that's too big for even a WWE house show for a TNA house show? It makes ZERO sense!

    What's your take on the BFG 2013 situation? Were you there? I'm just curious.

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  141. Wait what? They scrapped their biggest anual thing.

    LOLTNA

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  142. Yep, step around it.

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  143. That"s where i'm at.

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  144. I could totally see a studio hiring Cena for a sequel to Kindergarten Cop

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  145. Man...ROH is doing a show at a baseball stadium and I'm nervous as it'll be just as bad.

    Though they are swinging for the fences with last champ Adam Cole vs only man to pin the current champ this year AJ Styles vs the brand new champ Michael Elgin vs Jay Briscoe (who has not been pin'd or made to submit in TWO YEARS)

    That's a hell of a main event.

    The undercard has a cage match too, ROH vary rarely does cage matches (it's been over a year since the last one)

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  146. TNA's ratings are exaxtly the fucking same.

    A 0.2 difference doesn't change squat for the company

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  147. Yeah, fuck context.

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  148. He absolutely was the No.2 star in the company and their No.1 babyface.

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  149. #3 is such a key point. If WWE Films took off (hell, if XFL took off), Vince would've thrown so many more resources behind that and maybe reduced WWE to just a once-a-week show. Probably really just to cross-promote with WWE Films, actually.

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  150. I don't know, he seems to have the exact same option to skip Cena matches and promos. Oh well.

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  151. Rock did flounder...but even his crappiest movies like Tooth Fairy and The Game Plan made money. So Hollywood kept on knocking on his door. I doubt Cena, who's barely convincing as himself on WWE TV, could do the same.

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  152. 1) Good for JR. Heard him call a boxing match not too long ago, maybe he will get to call some football. Guy has plenty of options.

    2) Eh whatever. Raw gets adjusted plenty during the day. No need to waste Reigns-Rusev tonight.

    3) Dare I say the lack of Cena? :)

    4) As long TNA stays on the airwaves there's always a chance they could get it right.

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  153. I don't know why some direct-to-DVD studio didn't throw money at a bunch of wrestlers-turned-actors and made a Expendables-like movie with former/current pro wrestlers.

    Austin, Hogan, Goldberg, Cena, Nash, Angle, Orton, Trish, Piper, Funk, Zeus, Big Show, Miz, Ted DiBiase, Kennedy... there are dozens of wrestlers who could make the cut.

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  154. That's fair. I guess I meant he was a "B+ player" in Hollywood until 2011.

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  155. Cena is in a movie called Trainwreck? Isn't he already starring in that every Monday night?

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  156. Eric Young was drawing 0.6's for his title defenses. The difference between 0.6 and 1.2 is night and day.

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  157. I'd consider myself a hypocrite for being all for Punk walking away but I think I'd really resent Cena walking BEFORE giving us at least a small run trying Heel Cena

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  158. Uncrusimatic_Buck_NastyJuly 23, 2014 at 12:14 PM

    "Cena, who's barely convincing as himself on WWE TV"

    best statement ever

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  159. CruelConnectionNumber2July 23, 2014 at 12:17 PM

    I attended KOTR 95. I remember thinking it would be the greatest show of all-time because HBK and Razor would meet in an epic final, leading to HBK/Diesel babyface rematch for the ages at SummerSlam is the best SummerSlam main event ever. I'm sure that's how it all worked out.

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  160. Screw a random studio...WWE should make that movie!

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  161. That's not Lashley being greay that's Young being terrible.

    He's Eric fuckimg Young, what did they expect

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  162. CruelConnectionNumber2July 23, 2014 at 12:18 PM

    I get there. "Razor's out. Enjoy 4 Savio Vega matches. HBK gets bear hugged for 15 minutes. Mabel."

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  163. I know a lot of people here aren't high on Reigns but man, I would LOVE to see Roman vs. Brock at Mania. It feels like a HUGE match with Roman and Brock's crazy intensity and Heyman cutting promos.

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  164. Hey, why not? It can't be worse than Knucklehead or The Chaperone.

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  165. Don't skip his match at summerslam this year, it might be a five star classic

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  166. Hey, that is ELITE news pal and we do not speak about on this here blog (well, anymore anyway)

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  167. Not the Rock. Vince kisses the Rock's ass (remember the May 2011 "Rock Birthday RAW"?) and happily promotes his movies now. Now that the Rock is a Hollywood A-lister, WWE desperately tries to maintain their connection to him in the mainstream media.

    This is the company that put Rock on the cover of WWE 2K14 despite him not wrestling a match since April 2013.

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  168. I'm angry about that. They could've easily booked it into their tapings. Have 8 guys all wrestle each other in singles matches. 3 points for a pin/sub, 2 points for a CO/DQ win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss. Heck, New Japan does their whole G1 Climax in two weeks. TNA would've had 2+ months to do there's.

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  169. If Bryan isn't back before then I'd be all for it, as I think Reigns could still use another year of seasoning. But no Bryan, then yes, pull the trigger.

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  170. Honest to god when they were doing the BFG series and Aries was champ I loved Impact.

    They pissed it away with Jeff Hardy but the BFG made for great tv

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  171. As someone said earlier in this thread about Vince being screwed if Cena up and left, I pose this question...


    What if Cena were to tear an ACL or an injury that requires a long recovery process and Bryan's injury remains not well? What would the main event picture look like? Reigns and Orton I'm sure would be in there. Ambrose and Rollins as well. Who else though? Cesaro?

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  172. Oh yeah I went to the show. It was viejas casino which is only about 45 minutes from where I live. I bought my ticket online ahead of time and I must have been the only one because they were selling tickets at the door and I think I saw every person who came in line for them.

    They ushered me and it was almost empty because everyone was getting tickets at the door. The arena is like a small basketball arena, probably seats 8,000 or so. They had posters up for a country music act the next month so I'm guessing it did mostly music shows. Anyway, the ENTIRE arena except for the floor area surrounding the ring was empty. I'd say it was at the absolute most 1200 people. And that's being very generous.
    http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb320/Lthomascsonka/Fact%20or%20Fiction%20Wrestling/bfg-arena1_zps34532f34.jpg

    That picture doesn't even really do it justice

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  173. Last year's BFG Series was ass in a cup. The one Jeff won was very fun. It is really simple stuff like this that TNA likes to destroy some of the time. EASY stuff.

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  174. CruelConnectionNumber2July 23, 2014 at 12:38 PM

    SmackDown 4/5/2001 has:


    -- Steve Austin interviewed by Jim Ross in Oklahoma City.
    -- Taker & Kane vs Right to Censor handicap match
    -- Rhyno vs K-Kwik (R-Truth)
    -- Angle & Regal vs Benoit handicap match
    -- Jeff Harvey vs The Big Show
    -- X-Factor vs Billy Gunn, Steve Blackman, Grandmaster Sexay
    -- HHH vs Chris Jericho for IC Title

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  175. There are a lot of times since when I wish that vince hadn't won.

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  176. Last year's started promising... then they somehow managed to run out of time only halfway through.

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  177. That was when Austin beat him down and bloodied him up, right?

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  178. It's the one at MCU Park in Brooklyn, right? The TNA shows there did 5500 (2010), 4500 (2011), 3000 (2012) and 3100 (2013).

    I'm VERY curious to see how ROH does. Obviously TNA face diminishing returns year-to-year, which is why they probably aren't doing an MCU Park show this year.

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  179. Yup. it was just arena workers sitting up in the stands. My tickets and everyone else's were right around the ring. A few months ago that show came up on here and someone said they did 2500 PAID tickets, so I checked and that is what was reported. I know for fact that's a total lie by TNA. And keep in mind this show was at a casino so there had to be lots of comped tickets. I was able to walk out of the arena and into the casino and bring drinks back in to the show so they must have had a really cozy relationship. And if even 10% of that was comped that means they had to have sold less than 1,000 tickets.

    Moral of the story: TNA is full of shit when they talk about the numbers they are doing. In this case they at least doubled the crowd. At the basebrawl show it looks they multipled it by 4 or 5.

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  180. And of course, take those reported TNA attendance figures with a grain of salt. Im sure they drew better in Brooklyn than San Diego but I'd be shocked if they really had 3100 people there.

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  181. TJ: Anyone have a Smartcar? My vehicle is dead and only need something for commuting, (the other vehicle I only put 9,000 on in the bast 3 years). There is a deal for 99 a month lease, my only concern is snow.

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  182. What a ridiculous story.

    You know, say what you want about Paul Heyman's business skills, but even as popular as ECW was in the late 1990s Heyman was smart enough to run buildings that held 2000-5000. He didn't try to run a baseball stadium or the Alamodome. And pro wrestling and ECW were a hell of a lot more popular in 1998/99 than TNA is at the current moment.

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  183. And keep in mind MCU Park holds 7500 for baseball, which means it holds even more for wrestling. So even if 3100 is an inflated figure, it still isn't even half the venue.

    TNA: Even with fake numbers our arenas are half-empty

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  184. Put the belt on Hogan and/or The Undertaker for a few months until someone can be built up.

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  185. Had Aries won at BFG in somekind of torch passing moment all would have been well.

    Alas, I dropped the show a couple months after Jeff won.

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  186. Yup, that's the venue.

    They aren't going to touch that 5800 number.

    Best they can hope is to match the 3000-3100 I would think

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  187. Flair throws chop

    Crowd: Noooooooooooooooò

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  188. Well, only if the 5800 number is legit (as jobber1234 has pointed out, TNA has a history of inflating its attendance numbers).



    Any idea what ROH's highest-ever attendance was?

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  189. You're a moron.

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  190. MikeyMike, WitnessJuly 23, 2014 at 2:56 PM

    GENIUS!

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  191. I don't think he's being serious.....at least I hope not.

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  192. I was on the fence about up voting this or not and then I saw "RedSox" in your name and decided against it.

    ReplyDelete

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