Skip to main content

BoD Daily Update

Potential John Cena/Dean Ambrose Feud in the Works?

Even if the WWE decides not to a Cena vs. Ambrose match at RAW, the match might actually happen at Hell in a Cell with the winner facing Seth Rollins and there is are definite plans for a future Cena/Ambrose feud in the works.

Credit PWInsider.com via Wrestling Inc



WWE Inviting "Today Show" Hosts to RAW

Hosts Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford will be on the show to promote National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

http://www.wwe.com/inside/overtheropes/kathie-lee-gifford-hoda-kotb-joan-lunden-raw-26696317



Joey Mercury & Jamie Noble Update

There in fact has been talk about turning Noble & Mercury into stooges for The Authority, much like Gerald Brisco & Pat Patterson were for Vince McMahon.

Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter



WWE Releases Developmental Trainer

Nick Dinsmore has been released by the WWE where he had been a trainer in NXT. Reportedly, Dinsmore was considered as an excellent trainer and well-liked and the speculation backstage among those in the company was that Dinsmore had gotten on the wrong person's bad side backstage.

Credit PWInsider.com





Comments

  1. I hope no one tries to hit on Kathie Lee while in gimmick, when you pass on she won't forgive you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love items No. and No. 3.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the idea of a Cena/Ambrose feud. You want to propel your new grassroots, fan-chosen babyface to the level of stardom Punk and Bryan reached? Then put him against your top guy- and your top heel when need be for such situations- for whom feuding against propelled those guys to that level.

    ReplyDelete
  4. And I wonder why didn't they just go with the New Age Outlaws as the new stooges like they'd started to last winter? You not only have the backstory and the name value, but they're more entertaining in the role.

    ReplyDelete
  5. TJ: So I was watching Pawn Stars last night and they had an ECW Tag Team Title belt on a shelf behind Rick in one of the shots. Who sold the belt? I assumed Roadkill since he had one and said he would sell it, but he wanted $35K which was what he was owed by Paul.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm pretty sure that if wrestling fans aren't aware of breast cancer before now, Kathie Lee Gifford won't be the one to sway their worldview.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Because they were tag team champions, accomplished wrestlers, etc. You need hapless buffoons in that role.

    (Yes, I know Mercury and Noble were wrestlers who held titles, too. It's not the same.)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dinsmore got released? That's retarded.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The Authority doesn't need stooges. They have Kane.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Patterson and Brisco weren't accomplished wrestlers? I'd say that makes it all the better, having guys who were noteworthy as such who are willing to play the hapless buffoon. I thought the NAO would have happily accepted that role. Oh well.

    ReplyDelete
  11. So when's Prostate, Testicular, Colon, etc. cancer awareness months in the WWE? WWE just donates money to Comen so they can say they donate money to breast cancer research. If they weren't allowed to promote the partnership or donations, they would never make the donation in the first place.

    ReplyDelete
  12. "The sent the cruiserweight division" was one of the better lines I've heard in a long while

    ReplyDelete
  13. Brisco and Patterson weren't exactly jobbers.

    ReplyDelete
  14. How many fans back in the Attitude Era ever saw Patterson or Brisco wrestle? Probably not many. As accomplished as they were, they could play the stooge role well because most of the audience either weren't watching or weren't alive in their heyday

    ReplyDelete
  15. Slightly off topic, their match against the Mean Street Posse was incredible. At first, we all thought they were being led to the slaughter house due to their age... then HOLY F*CK, THEY STILL GOT IT, and they beat the hell out of the posse. Awesomeness.

    ReplyDelete
  16. As a kid growing up, I had no idea Patterson and Brisco were so accomplished. None of my wrasslin-watchin friends did either. I think bumbling goons are better when they don't come from as prestigious a background.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Heel Cena vs face Ambrose could be huuuuuuuuuge and set the promotion on fire again but I expect it will be same boring shit we've seen for the past 10 years. #LOLRATINGSARESTAGNANT

    ReplyDelete
  18. Let's hope it results in the push, and not the Cena squash/kiss of death others have felt.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I think I'm just gonna avoid WWE this month. They are more annoying than usual with this Komen bullshit.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm already cringing at the thought of Ambrose cutting an amazing, scathing promo on Cena, and Cena laughing him off all 'LOLNOPE' style.

    ReplyDelete
  21. The build for Punk/Cena was great and that was because Punk was so great, Cena didn't really do much. I thought the build for Bryan/Cena was kinda meh.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Pete Gas is a miracle worker!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Cena was great in the Punk feud(s). If anything, I preferred his mic work to Punk's in that awesome pre-SummerSlam 2011 contract signing segment they had. With the crowd booing the hell out of him and his more-condescending-than-usual attitude (telling Punk that if he loses he'll just be another one-hit wonder), it gave like a tantalizing taste of what a heel, corporate Cena would be like in a better world.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I'm on board for Cena-Ambrose. Cena seems like the only guy capable of making new stars now. It's only in face/face match ups but it happens.

    RVD, Punk and Bryan's rises aren't nearly as special if it's anybody but Cena across the ring from them.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Zero need for a heel turn, the crowd can decide for themselves, just like Cena/Bryan. No need to change anything really.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Cena does way better promos in the face/face feuds. The Japan promo with Bryan last year was phenomenal.

    ReplyDelete
  27. "Potential John Cena/Dean Ambrose Feud in the Works?"

    This makes me happy just because of how sad it will make others. Not the feud mind you, just the news item alone will likely defeat the sanity of many.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I hated his pandering "if you fire Punk, I'll go work Thursdays brother" promo and him punching Punk after he called him the Yankees.

    ReplyDelete
  29. They may as well have been for the general audience. Plus they're both somewhat in-shape middle-aged guys who walk around in their ring gear, whereas Patterson and Brisco were out-of-shape older guys in suits.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I understand what you mean, but I don't blame Cena at all for the Cesaro/Sandow de-pushes. I feel they did come off as great after their losses to Cena, WWE just didn't follow through with them, and they started jobbing them out. So it's WWE creative, not Cena.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I agree about the first point where he was defending Punk, but I thought he was a little bit better than Punk in their face-to-face back-and-forth promos.

    ReplyDelete
  32. OMG CENA'S GONNA BURY AMBROSE!


    :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. I think Sandow's loss is arguable, but Cesaro definitely looked like a million bucks after his matches with Cena.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Ambrose is totally gonna get buried, cause Cena will OVERCOME THE ODDZ and win, like he ALWAYS wins (ignoring all the times he lost clean), #LOLCENAWINZ

    ReplyDelete
  35. DAMN YOU. beat me to it by 0.3 seconds.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I don't think I have the energy to deal with the fans will just cheer him/sells too much merch/as long as he gets a reaction/WERE JUST TELLING STORIES DAMNIT myths right now.

    ReplyDelete
  37. You are stomping a mud hole and walking it dry!!

    ReplyDelete
  38. I'll give you RVD and Punk but not Bryan. DB pinned Cena but the HHH feud is what elevated Bryan and kept him in the spotlight.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Yep, he proved to be his "freak strength" equal.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Biff Kensington IIIOctober 3, 2014 at 8:18 AM

    A possible Cena-Ambrose feud is like having unprotected sex with the prettiest girl at the whorehouse. No matter how hot it looks on paper, it's never a good decision.

    ReplyDelete
  41. I have never sexually molested ice cream.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Sure, I'm mostly referring to the aura around it; some of the guys that get involved with Cena derail after. Not saying its all Cena's fault or anything, but just based on the past, I hope Ambrose continues to skyrocket vs the alternative.

    ReplyDelete
  43. How so? I think it would totally elevate Dean because hardcore fans will cheer him even more against the hated sell-out Cena.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Yeah, but somehow, Cena always overcomes.

    ReplyDelete
  45. As others have pointed out, both Punk and Bryan (who, like Ambrose, are former indy internet darlings) looked really good in their feuds with Cena and were elevated. I expect/hope an Ambrose/Cena feud goes the same way.

    ReplyDelete
  46. You'd think Cena was the boogeyman in the closet for people with how terrified they get of his feuds. Put him against a Smark favorite (even if he always loses those feuds) and smarks start crying and peeing themselves. I think it's my favorite thing about the IWC.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Yes, but the match against Cena and Bryan winning clean is what kickstarted that. And Cena cut at least two promos- the next night and in December at the "ascension ceremony"- referencing Bryan's win that furthered his cause, as well.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Biff Kensington IIIOctober 3, 2014 at 8:20 AM

    For every Bryan/Cena, there's three examples of a Cena/Wyatt. #LOLCenaWillWin

    ReplyDelete
  49. I disagree with that.


    Cena didnt have to do anything. He was JOHN CENA. The establishment.



    The only problem I have with Cena/Ambrose is that Ambrose hasn't had the WWE career Punk. The constant mismanagement. The burials. The start-stop pushes and the treadmill.

    ReplyDelete
  50. The whole Japan promo with Cena and the slaps were amazing. You needed that feud to get him to where he was with the Authority.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Here's something to research for fun:


    Does Cena put over every other "new" opponent? If so, Ambrose is in GREAT shape after Cena took care of Wyatt.


    (Lesnar's not "new", otherwise Ambrose is fucked.)

    ReplyDelete
  52. Yeah, but there was a certain amount of (protected) de-pushing in between SummerSlam and WrestleMania. Bryan had to be built back a bit. In the initial feud with Bryan, Cena did his job (pun intended) perfectly.

    ReplyDelete
  53. It doesn't matter if Dean loses every match against Cena. He'll become even more over.

    People have to realize that Dean's singles push is still in its infancy. As much as I loathe Cena, going toe-to-toe, 50-50 with the industry's biggest star is a positive.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Gotta recapture that attitude era magic! Bring back the stooges!!!

    ReplyDelete
  55. Nick Dinsmore probably shook Triple H's hand like a total retard.

    ReplyDelete
  56. That's still a pretty damn good percentage when it comes to the top face of the company putting others over. Compare that to previous top faces. (And for the record, Rock only started putting people over as a face after he had one foot in Hollywood. 1999 to 2001 Rock barely ever put anyone over)

    ReplyDelete
  57. Tremendous. Deep. Accurate.

    ReplyDelete
  58. That doesn't make sense. Triple H is his favorite wrestler!

    ReplyDelete
  59. The 'Taker feud in 2009 hurt Punk, but I don't know that he was ever buried during his WWE career. He was generally pretty well-booked (in relation to most of the roster) right out of the gate.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Exactly. Cena's been very, very good for guys in that situation and I think the same will be true of Ambrose. (Obviously RVD fucked his own shit up, but he was headed in the same direction as Bryan and Punk before that.) And it's because- and it's almost cliché to say at this point, but it's still true- Cena is absolutely their most effective heel in such situations.

    ReplyDelete
  61. He told me with tears in eyes that Bret Hart was his favorite and should be made champ.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Biff Kensington IIIOctober 3, 2014 at 8:24 AM

    I don't have a problem with breast cancer research, I swear. But it kills me that our society singles out that ONE type while most other forms of the disease get diddly in terms of attention. My dad and two grandparents died from cancer, so it's a personal thing I guess.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Except all the times he doesn't.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Except against Punk RVD and Bryan.

    ReplyDelete
  65. That is the slogan of the Whorehouse.

    ReplyDelete
  66. I'm just referring to the fact that he laughs it off and moves on.

    ReplyDelete
  67. I don't mind Cena being on top but I HATE that he's at a level above other main-eventers. One of the cool things about the Attitude Era was that main-eventers could beat each other. HHH wasn't higher than Austin or Rock and Foley, Big Show, Jericho, Taker and others could win matches against other main eventers, too.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Yeah, but where all three of those guys now, huh?

    ReplyDelete
  69. Yeah, I hate that. There's never any emotional stakes in his programs. And when they try to shoehorn them in, it's cheesy and unbelievable.

    ReplyDelete
  70. Just putting people over doesn't mean shit, it's when and how you do it. Who has Cena "made"? Definitely not Punk or Bryan.

    ReplyDelete
  71. I think austin/Rock/HHH were definitely above the others. I think there were lots of Russofied finishes, like with run ins and crooked refs that gave us the illusion that it was a perfect utopia of 12 even main eventers. It really was Austin/Rock/HHH > everyone else for the most part.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Fucking AJ, Getting High, and Fucking Brie?


    Well, two out of three ain't bad.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Right. I'm not saying he doesn't put people over. I just hate how diminished the impact is afterwards.

    ReplyDelete
  74. *cough* WrestleMania 29 *Cough*

    ReplyDelete
  75. One quit, one ruined it by stupidly getting caught with drugs, and one is currently injured.



    THAT DAMN CENA!! HE IS TO BLAME FOR ALL OF IT!

    ReplyDelete
  76. You take things too serious, Vince. Just relax.

    ReplyDelete
  77. What's really cool is that it's reciprocated. These feuds make Cena seem more sympathetic whether he's led to the slaughter against RVD, or an unwilling tool of a corporation against Punk, or the made guy that knows he'll never be a smark darling and wants a taste of it against Bryan.

    The darlings look good and Cena looks good.

    ReplyDelete
  78. True, but even then there was a hierarchy in some of the feuds. 'Taker for example, treated Angle like a joke in their PPV matches in 2000, but Rocky and HHH treated him as being more of a threat, even if they mocked him on TV (and that was partially because his character was supposed to be comedic).

    ReplyDelete
  79. Umm... how was my awesome, humourous sarcastic post serious? I bring da funnies!!

    ReplyDelete
  80. Cesaro and Sandow de-pushes are all due to the creative team. Cena helped them in their matches

    ReplyDelete
  81. (For the record, RVD and Brian get halves each.)

    ReplyDelete
  82. I agree. But there's no tippy top trio now who can trade wins. There's really just Cena and that's no fun.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Cena didn't act like the establishment though. That's my point about him punching Punk when he was called that. It was such a stupid reaction. And it rendered the act of him rejecting the establishment at the end of the match pointless.

    Zero change in character, zero growth. Just like the buyrates and ratings under Cena's watch.

    ReplyDelete
  84. No he wasn't.


    Survivor Series 06, despite the whole crowd cheering his every move.
    December to Dismember... eliminated in favor of Bob Holly and Lashley
    The tag runs in 07 with Kofi?
    The constant fued with Burke... and then Jomo on ECW
    The open burials JBL gave him on RAW as champion in 08.
    Big Show beating him and the SES to a pulp
    Taker.
    New Nexus?


    He made sugar out of shit a couple of times, but he wasn't booked well out the gate.

    ReplyDelete
  85. Yep, he should cry and moan and bitch like a 4 year old.



    Just like when a pro athlete loses a game, he just whines about it and pouts. They never ever shake it off and focus on the next game.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Biff Kensington IIIOctober 3, 2014 at 8:31 AM

    It's sickening how far they'll go to pander for publicity. Everything they do reeks of self-promotion, and it's sad.

    ReplyDelete
  87. There was in the Punk feud though, which was why it felt so special. Even when they were feuding against other guys, you always knew that Punk was the official thorn in Cena's side who almost always got the better of him.

    ReplyDelete
  88. He shouldn't smile and joke about it, no. Ignoring it to focus on his next feud is fine.

    ReplyDelete
  89. Thats because they book him like Poochie the Dog.


    Cuz Cole will shill him like the face of the company.
    But at the same time, he rejects Vince and the higher ups.

    ReplyDelete
  90. Not every main eventer has "made" another guy. I don't think Austin ever made anyone.

    ReplyDelete
  91. Does he smile and joke about it that often? He didn't against Rock, he didn't against Bryan, he didn't against Orton in the unification match, he didn't against Brock... Was there one specific example that people always go to, I'm legit asking.

    ReplyDelete
  92. Pressed enter on accident.


    But to the fans at home, Cena is THE GUY, regardless on the shit booking of Cena's character during Cena/Punk I

    ReplyDelete
  93. Brock, Cena, and definitely Bryan when he comes back. Punk would have been there too had he not quit.

    ReplyDelete
  94. That is, by far, the stupidest thing you've ever said. And there's a long-ass list.

    Professional wrestling is not like professional sports. And even so, if LeBron loses a game, he doesn't smile and giggle and make poop jokes. He gets his death stare on, trains harder and annihilates the opponent in the next game.

    If Cena's character showed some emotional weakness and depth, there wouldn't be the one kid in the crowd chanting "Let's Go Cena" when Brock Lesnar gives him the beating of his life.

    ReplyDelete
  95. Obligatory: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lcb8RoxQPD0

    ReplyDelete
  96. As a heel, I guess he made Angle, but as a top face, not much. MAYBE HHH in the 3 stages of hell match. Cena has certainly made more, though.

    ReplyDelete
  97. I know i hear LOTS of pleas from posters here about how Wrestling should be made to look more realistic. So Cena shaking off a loss and getting back on focus is an example of realism.

    ReplyDelete
  98. RVD is fucking Sonya Szatkowski and that's not exactly a punishment.

    ReplyDelete
  99. It doesn't seem genuine from him at all. Maybe he's just a terrible actor but he's the least convincing main-eventer I've ever seen.

    ReplyDelete
  100. Feel free to name them. I'll wait.

    ReplyDelete
  101. You'll just say "no he didn't make them, because that guy eventually lost a match 3 years later" or something.



    But yeah, RVD, Edge, Punk, Bryan, Brock, Orton have all benefited from beating him at some point.

    ReplyDelete
  102. Hell no. Austin squashed Rock every single time they faced. Rock got super over despite always losing to Austin.

    ReplyDelete
  103. I know, but every time they have a chance to make him interesting, do something different, get people to stop hating him, they don't. The willfully have their heads in the sand when it comes to Cena. It's bizarre.

    ReplyDelete
  104. I guess I just feel like it's nit picking, when it comes to finding things to hate about Cena.

    ReplyDelete
  105. I'm not saying he was booked like Lesnar circa '02. I'm saying he got a pretty good deal considering he was new to the company and considering that most other (new) guys on the roster weren't booked as well. I'm not sure how being part of Team DX in a Survivor Series clean-sweep victory is a burial. Or tag teaming with Kofi. Or being positioned as a big player on ECW and winning the brand's world title. Or having his own stable (well, two actually) and going on to face the company's second biggest star at the time at WrestleMania. The Big Show and 'Taker feuds I agree made him look bad, but he wasn't buried.

    ReplyDelete
  106. I'm sad we never got a full-blown babyface Regal versus heel HHH feud. That would've been great.

    ReplyDelete
  107. Yep, during his first few years, he held the ECW title, the Tag titles, the IC title (99% sure he did), and the WHC. He was always doing something and being booked like a guy who can win a big match. That's pretty good for your first few years.

    ReplyDelete
  108. True, but during the AE Jericho always looked good against HHH.

    ReplyDelete
  109. Bret made Austin despite Austin never beating him. This is fake fucking wrestling we are talking about here, wins and losses don't matter.

    ReplyDelete
  110. Their feud was great for both guys, but he didn't make Rock.

    ReplyDelete
  111. I agree with all of this. John Cena doesn't really have to "do" anything in particular because like you said, he's John Cena. All he has to do is show up and do John Cena stuff for Punk (or Bryan, or Ambrose, or whatever other fan-chosen, grassroots babyface star there is) to play off of.
    This is why I'm starting to think, as someone here said recently, they should do a Reigns/Cena program when Reigns gets back. If the responses he's getting are more tepid than they'd like, and while he's getting *good* face pops they probably aren't the monster pops they'd like him to be getting, what better way to change that than let him be the bad motherfucker who breaks off Cena?

    ReplyDelete
  112. Angle looked like a million bucks in his feud with Austin, but I think he already viewed as a pretty legitimate top competitor before that. The same is definitely true of HHH, who'd been dominating the company for a while before Austin's return and their company.

    ReplyDelete
  113. Biff Kensington IIIOctober 3, 2014 at 8:46 AM

    If Titty Master Dean Ambrose makes a pass at Kathy Lee and Hoda on Raw and becomes the Leathery Chick Thriller

    ReplyDelete
  114. ..........The Hoda Kathie Lee thing is a rib...on someone right? I really can't see how this won't be a disaster. I know they try and protect the celebs that come but ..these two are going to get shit on the second they walk out unless they think they can guilt the fans into a if you boo them you boo cancer charity.

    ReplyDelete
  115. I always make the difference clear between "top face" and "top heel". Because top faces simply do not job clean very often in wrestling.

    ReplyDelete
  116. Exactly. There was definitely a degree of stop-start pushing with Punk before the pipebomb, but even then he'd go from being a main eventer back to being an upper midcarder. It wasn't like he sunk really low. He was always given something to do.

    ReplyDelete
  117. So Austin treating him like a rag doll over and over made the Rock, but Cena jobbing clean to Punk and Bryan did NOT make them? wow...

    ReplyDelete
  118. For as shittily as it always winds up to have a rising heel feud with John Cena (Bray Wyatt ahem ahem), it actually usually is a great thing for rising babyfaces. The Cena match put RVD about as over as humanely possible. The Cena feud turned Punk into a megastar, and Bryan into a legit main eventer. Hell, one of the biggest reasons that cesaro was getting so ungodly over as a face heading into Mania (aside from teh swing and Cesaro's general awesomeness) was that awesome 20-min match with cena on Raw.
    And though he was exactly a "rising" babyface, a big part of why The Rock was so incredibly well-received in his 2011 and 2012 returns was that he was a face getting the better of John cena.

    WHich is all to say I'm optimistic about Cena/Ambrose. Cena is just an awful opponent for heels, as for whatever reason he (or Vince booking him) feels the need to laugh them off, expose their gimmicks, and give them almost nothing in terms of wins/losses. But with face opponents John absolutely has proven to be an A+ player at getting others over. So, this could be cool.

    ReplyDelete
  119. Biff Kensington IIIOctober 3, 2014 at 8:47 AM

    They'll probably tie it into the Bella feud.

    ReplyDelete
  120. I don't think we were really supposed to "like" him at that point, though, and not just in the "he's already a heel to the fans he needs to be a heel to" sort of way. Because you're right, he was being a dick trying to play both sides of things, and maybe I'm giving them more credit but I think we were *supposed* to see him come off as pandering at that point.

    ReplyDelete
  121. The Ambrose Cena thing....I guess I'll wait and see how it goes. It has potential but they could also flush everything the crowd loves about Ambrose down the toilet and have him job out to Cena.

    ReplyDelete
  122. All the lulz at throwing out Brock's name. Seriously the best out of my ass comment you've ever made.

    As for the rest of the list.

    RVD was already a made guy and on the downswing of his career by ONS.

    He could have made Edge by working with him at that year's Mania instead of HHH. Fortunately Foley picked up the slack.

    The pipe bomb made Punk. Cena was just a guy in that program.

    Orton was already an established main eventer by the time he hooked up with Cena.

    ReplyDelete
  123. You can't say it's nit-picking when he's the top babyface and he's getting booed out of arenas. It's not just the people here who are unconvinced.

    You can blame WWE for the way Cena is pushed or whatever. But that doesn't mean the fans have to swallow it.

    ReplyDelete
  124. Brock sure as hell got solidified by adding the Cena squash to follow up his breaking of the streak.



    But your cena hate is getting absurd, so i'll just drop it.

    ReplyDelete
  125. Still...and maybe I'm out of touch and these aren't attitude era crowds but... I don't see how a WWE crowd doesn't shit on Kathie fucking Lee the second she pops up on Raw.

    ReplyDelete
  126. Really? Punk's pipebomb wouldn't have meant much if he hadn't gone on to beat the industry's biggest star at the next PPV.

    ReplyDelete
  127. And the fans made Bryan.

    ReplyDelete
  128. Forget it! Cena is a big meanie and has buried every single rassler he ever faced! While Austin was the most unselfish guy ever, and made 18 guys!!



    #CultsFantasyWorld

    ReplyDelete
  129. Yeah I call BS on that too. The Cena feud (which doesn't work unless the opponent was in fact JOHN CENA) absolutely made Punk into a megastar. Punk was fucking awesome in that feud, but Cena standing across from him on the mic and in that match made it all special.

    And Bryan pinning Cena clean is what stamped him as a main event guy instead of an exciting guy on Raw.

    ReplyDelete
  130. Bryan was over, yes. But are you really trying to act like Cena laying down for him didn't help him, especially as far as his perceived legitimacy goes?

    ReplyDelete
  131. Never underestimate the number of "Live with Regis and Kathi Lee" marks there are in the audience.

    ReplyDelete
  132. It would have meant more if he lost.

    ReplyDelete
  133. oh Reg would get a hero's welcome..but Kathie?

    ReplyDelete
  134. I agree. I think that there were definitely times during the Punk feud when Cena was legitimately heeling it up a little.

    ReplyDelete
  135. I think the idea of a match to face Rollins is stupid at the actual PPV.

    ReplyDelete
  136. The best was when they had Erick Rowan out there in a pink shirt last year. I get that kayfabe is kinda dead but that was just insulting to the audience.

    ReplyDelete
  137. Calling cena "just another guy" in that feud is crazy talk. The pipe bomb was amazing, but Punk became made because he closed the deal. And that deal was beating the most unbeatable guy--- and the absolute symbol of what he was railing against--- in an actual match. Punk loses that match and the pipe bomb is no better than the Nexus invasion on Raw.

    Punk beating Cena in a classic is the star making night.

    ReplyDelete
  138. " I'm not sure how being part of Team DX in a Survivor Series clean-sweep
    victory is a burial. Or tag teaming with Kofi. Or being positioned as a
    big player on ECW and winning the brand's world title. Or having his
    own stable (well, two actually) and going on to face the company's
    second biggest star at the time at WrestleMania."


    I will give you my opinion on how its a burial IMO.


    1. SS06 was in Philly (ECW/ROH HQ) and Punk was thrown in the group as a nod to the smart fans. The guy he was fueding with (Knox) was put out within seconds of the match and had no ring interaction with Punk. IIRC Punk really had no ring time. Shit was a squash... so why put him in there and not use him for the squash to get him over more? He is already God in Philly but you dont use him? Suspect.


    2. Tag-team with Kofi? Rarely defended and lost it at a house show.


    3. ECW was looking like they were doing a parallel push for RVD to regain the belt to face off against Punk to pass the torch. For them to scrap all that and book D2D PPV, caused Heyman to quit the company for years.



    4. SES/Nexus was something for Punk to do to keep him happy. SES was never meant to get over but it did due to the work of Hardy/Punk and as soon as that was done, Taker came... Show came... and he was put back in his place. Im all for heels losing in the end but you have to get some heat first. Taker just came in a went over. Show embarassed the whole stable. No one was allowed to get real heat on Show. Nexus was DOA by the time he came around.



    Its really only due to the charisma of Punk and the fact he can turn anything into an enjoyable program based solely on his awesomeness, that those programs are remembered... but they werent any good.


    critically or commerically.


    Its only when he went up against Cena when the bucks started coming in for him.

    ReplyDelete
  139. How did Edge benefit by cashing in on Cena and then immediately dropping the title back to him? I'd argue that Edge got over in spite of how he was booked against Cena.

    ReplyDelete
  140. Well, the Cena feud was his entry into the main event for one …

    ReplyDelete
  141. Brock doesn't need to get "solidified" he is a way bigger star than Cena ever was.

    And Rock made Brock way back when.

    ReplyDelete
  142. Wait, what? If you're referring to Cena, he did lose. There was an unintended distraction from Vince/Johnny Ace, but Punk still got the three count.


    Or are you arguing that it would've meant more if Cena'd won at MITB … ?

    ReplyDelete
  143. Apparently your logic goes out the window with your energy.

    ReplyDelete
  144. To who, 5 people on the internet who would have been more in Punk's favor because "he got screwed again?" No way man, no way. Punk became a star because he backed up his words and won the match. Wins and losses absolutely matter at that level.

    Punk won a classic and validated himself to the fans. Again, if he doesn't win the match, then the pipe bomb just becomes a throwaway segment like the Nexus invasion. Instead it was the first step in Punk becominga legit main event guy.

    ReplyDelete
  145. I meant their extended feud in mid 2006. I don't think Edge was ready to be a main eventer yet during the cash in. (Cena was barely one himself). After both got huge WM 22 wins, then they were solid main eventers in the summer.

    ReplyDelete
  146. But how is any of that a burial? There's a middle ground between not being booked like a million bucks, and being buried. If the points you list are your idea of burials, then just about every big-name wrestler ever has been 'buried' at some point …

    ReplyDelete
  147. Some peoples' refusal to give Cena any credit for anything is hilarious.

    ReplyDelete
  148. Why do they call Dean Ambrose the "titty master"?

    ReplyDelete
  149. It was a plot device to turn Orton and HHH heel.

    ReplyDelete
  150. It also served that function, yes.

    ReplyDelete
  151. I love how when it comes to the IWC, it's actually #LOLCENACANTWIN

    ReplyDelete
  152. He supposedly writes that on his wrist tape. Or did.

    ReplyDelete
  153. Or could be, like Ryback, Ambrose turns heel and LOLCENAWINS

    ReplyDelete
  154. In theory, yes. But Cena didn't pull his weight in that feud. He was just there because of his name value and him being the top guy for so long. Punk vs Vince was way more interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  155. Punk was one of the best overall pushed guys of the past decade. I love how it's somehow twisted into a burial.

    ReplyDelete
  156. I'd argue winning the briefcase was his entry into the main event, but they immediately moved the title back to Cena weeks after he cashed it in (even though ratings were climbing). Later that year, Edge won it back by pinning RVD, not Cena in a triple threat before giving it back to Cena.

    ReplyDelete
  157. I agree. It's times like those that make the Cena crowd dynamic totally worth it.

    ReplyDelete
  158. Hmm...Jericho has Asa Akira on his podcast today. That should be interesting...

    ReplyDelete
  159. I'd say that feud absolutely got Edge over as the smartest guy on the roster and more importantly as the sleeziest guy on the roster. That cash-in and the Cena feud in general created the "ultimate opportunist" persona that pretty much became his calling card for the rest of his career.

    Plus, he always went toe to toe with Cena in actual matches, including beating him relatively clean (well, foreign object in a back and forth match) at Summerslam in Boston. That feud was great for Edge, and great for Cena too.

    ReplyDelete
  160. There was a sign in the crowd during an episode of RAW a while back that said "Titty Master Dean Ambrose" or something like that.

    ReplyDelete
  161. I literally said neither. But business is booming with Cena on top in #JordanaFantasyWorld!

    ReplyDelete
  162. If they turn Ambrose heel I'll be very angry. It'd be like Austin getting hot in 97 and SWERVE, he joins DX.

    ReplyDelete
  163. But that's not what he does at all.

    ReplyDelete
  164. And it established Bryan as a main eventer who was capable of pinning clean the most protected guy in the company.
    And Cena referenced the clean loss to Bryan several times on TV afterwards.
    We can all tear apart the booking of the Bryan/Authority feud, but saying that the Cena match didn't put Bryan over is ridiculous. He cleanly pinned the biggest star in a highly promoted match on their second biggest show of the year, and the result was brought up by Cena himself several times after.


    It's what made Bryan officially go from midcarder to someone able to be positioned as the #1 face on the TV show.

    ReplyDelete
  165. Edge didn't actually cash in the briefcase for like nine months though, and during that time he was feuding with guys like Hardy and Flair. When he cashed in, that was when he really entered the ME scene. Yeah, he faced Foley at 'Mania, but he re-entered the world title scene on RAW the next night.

    ReplyDelete
  166. If it was anything more, Big Show wouldn't have gotten his spot and he wouldn't have joined the Wyatts.

    ReplyDelete
  167. He doesn't? He loses, he accepts it, and moves on. Sounds smart and realistic.

    ReplyDelete
  168. I remember Lance Storm going off on cancer awareness a while
    ago. He had some good points about where the money goes, about how much more
    aware people need to be about this disease, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  169. I seriously doubt this is happening, especially with Reigns and Bryan both on the shelf.

    ReplyDelete
  170. nope nope nope!! CENA SUCKZ!! HE NEVER PUTS ANYONE OVER, EVER!!

    ReplyDelete
  171. Austin in DX. There's an interesting alternate universe scenario …

    ReplyDelete
  172. I think they tried their best to fix it, but having Cena go over at the Rumble could have really cut Edge off at the knees. I still think they should have had Edge go over at the Rumble and build to Cena beating him for the title at Mania.

    ReplyDelete
  173. They clearly got cold feet about his big push (SummerSlam did a somewhat disappointing buyrate), but the victory itself was one of the biggest moments of Bryan's career.

    ReplyDelete
  174. You don’t think the whole “Cheer me if you want, boo me if
    you want, I respect the Universe, you cannot deny I will always FIGHT and blah
    blah blah” schtick of Cena’s is a little stale? It’s every damn program he’s
    in, and having Ambrose have to play the whole “respect” game too will really
    hurt his aura. Hopefully he just smashes Cena verbally.

    ReplyDelete
  175. Austin was so fucking awesome for a while he made almost
    everyone else in the promotion seem cool just by being on the same show.

    ReplyDelete
  176. I imagine they'd just have Ambrose laugh at Cena if he did one of those promos.

    ReplyDelete
  177. I always find the dynamic awesome. And this one will be no different. Kids and possibly women will cheer Cena with a passion, the rest will cheer Ambrose with a passion. I don't think it ever gets old, electric ambiance every time.

    ReplyDelete
  178. Nikki and/or Brie have breast cancer?!

    ReplyDelete
  179. Yeah, but we've seen it. We know EXACTLY what Cena is going to say in these promos. Why bother? It's so stale.

    ReplyDelete
  180. Punk didn't need to the validation because he already had it when he cut that promo.

    I'm not saying it was a bad thing that he won, just that it's a way better story if Cena turns heel, retains, and Punk beats him at Mania.

    The whole crux of that angle was Punk vs the establishment. Cena was only the establishment in a meta way, he rejected it in kayfab every step of the way. And still does.

    An Ambrose/Cena will most likely be that type of feud and it will suck because Cena refuses to play that part.

    ReplyDelete
  181. This thread is already overlong, so i'll save my weekly "I'll defend the WM 22 main event and Foley/Edge until the day I die" rant for another day. :)

    ReplyDelete
  182. I mean not in theory though, in practice. Even if you think Cena was awful in those promos (which I'd completely disagree with, I thought Cena was awesome and put that match over maybe even better than Punk himself), here's the thing: just him being John Cena is absolutely HUGE. Punk calling John out and ripping apart the biggest star in the company (and the guy that fans absolutely HATE) is what made Punk look like a god.

    That feud is where all the years of Cena being over protected, and Cena being hated by fans like us, pays off. Punk saying all that shit into a vacuum doesn't matter. Punk standing toe to toe and calling out JOHN CENA is what gets everyone's juices going.

    And I love Vince as a performer and agree that Punk/Vince is absolutely something that should have been further expolred. Totally. But again, you're discounting John cena's role out of pure Cena-hate. The Chicago match absolutely made CM Punk. It was one of the best WWE matches ever and worked equally because of Cena himself. Punk wasn't out there wrestling a broomstick--- Cena was great in that match. And again, the match worked because Punk was reversing and kicking out of Cena's heavily protected spots. That's what had teh crowds losing their fucking minds, because HOLY SHIT Punk just reversed the STF into an anaconda vice.

    That feud and that match made CM Punk into THE GUY, and it worked because it was John cena on the other side.

    ReplyDelete
  183. That's some serious hindsight yo. He was a main eventer a year and change before that.

    ReplyDelete
  184. "Kathie Lee, we TOTALLY want to hear about your kids!"

    - said no one.

    ReplyDelete
  185. Yay alcoholism!!

    ReplyDelete
  186. Yeah. Cena obviously has some pull backstage, but he doesn't book the shows. He did what he could to put Bryan over.

    ReplyDelete
  187. I 100% disagree. There were lots of great storylines that they should have done heading out of MITB '11 and going into Mania for Punk. Lots of them and they didn't do them. But to say that the ONLY way that works is if Punk loses at MITB and then wins the rematch at mania? Don't buy it. Now you're just at sucha level of Cena hate where you're blaming him for NOT LOSING a match.

    Punk needed that win or his character was DOA. The pipe bomb absolutely means shit of Punk doesn't win. Remember, before that feud CM Punk was a midcarder who was losing clean to Orton and teaming with nexus as a jobber tag team. He was floundering. Yeah the pipe bomb meant a lot, but that win at MITB meant 100x more. He had to win to prove to his fans that he was a winner, and not just all talk. He needed that moment where Chicago absolutely exploded for him. He needed to do something huge that makes his fans HAPPY, because that's what turns babyfaces into stars. He needed the blowing a kiss goddbye with the title moment.

    Come on man, MITB is generally accepted as one of the best matches and PPV finishes of all-time, and you're critiquing Cena because that's how it played out?

    Punk loses that match and the pipe bomb means pretty much jackshit. That match was gigantic for him.

    ReplyDelete
  188. At this point, I think Cult is trolling. So I'm keeping my replies to him short and sarcastic. :)

    ReplyDelete
  189. Hoda Kotb sounds like someone in desperate need of a vowel movement.

    ReplyDelete
  190. That promo wasn't about Cena though! It was about Vince and the WWE.

    Obviously Cena was weaved into because they had a match to promote but it was much more a rallying cry against everything wrong with Vince and the WWE. And yes to us, Cena represents that. But the problem is Cena rejects it and kills the point dead.

    It's like Anakin refuses Palpatine's offer and still fighting Obi-Wan.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment