Skip to main content

Triple H's big announcement

So Scott, what do you expect Triple H's "big announcement to be? I mean short of him saying "we screwed up the Royal Rumble AGAIN" and putting Daniel Bryan in the WMania main event (unlikely), what will he say that will put out this grease fire that they created?

​He's gonna say "The main event of Fast Lane will feature Roman Reigns putting his Wrestlemania title shot on the line against Daniel Bryan" because then WWE thinks people will shut up about it already and buy into Bryan as a possible contender, and then Reigns will win because Bryan's not actually a contender in their minds and they think that will give Reigns the rub needed.  ​Might even be a four-way and Ziggler screws Bryan over to set up their match at WM, doesn't matter really.  Pretty sure the end result is Reigns going over Bryan in some form.

Comments

  1. Not even Vince is dumb enough to book a Reigns vs. Bryan match right now (right?). That will only make things worse.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wwe management mindset is damn fascinating. They really are that fucked up and stubborn. can you imagine any other form of business that fucks with customers and their favorite items? Crazy

    ReplyDelete
  3. Or Bryan wins and once again, folks go "see, haters, this was always the plan."

    ReplyDelete
  4. I gave up underestimating Vince McMahon's incredible short-sighted mentality years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0sAVtOt2wA

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think they were teasing that the announcement involved Dean Ambrose on Twitter.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1. Vince was the Higher Power
    2. Bossman Moved the Briefcase
    3. Rikishi did it for the Rock
    4. Finlay is Hornswoggle's Father
    5. Ric Flair was the Black Scorpion

    ReplyDelete
  8. He'll probably announce that the prize for being the one millionth Network subscriber is they get to go over Daniel Bryan at Fastlane. And it STILL won't kill his heat.

    ReplyDelete
  9. There is no next Austin in this climate I think. John Cena is the last guy that will have achieved any modicum of mainstream success.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Bryan is Foley. Foley was super over, but was never going to be the guy, and instead just jobbed to all the other big names.

    ReplyDelete
  11. As much as I say Bryan is the Austin to Reigns' Diesel, Orton, Luger, HBK, HHH, insert whatever other guy Vince had a fetish for here, etc., I really think Rollins could be the next Austin.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Haha. Well monopolies do that and you're right

    ReplyDelete
  13. Time Warner and Comcast come to mind.....

    ReplyDelete
  14. Rollins is too flashy to be a top heel, and too bland on the mic to be a top face.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Well, if he looks good enough it could turn him into a tweener, and with Brock's native awesomeness and their underselling of him as a heel could lead to a tweener vs. tweener match up.


    I mean, doesn't Vince want there to be no good and no bad guys?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Stranger in the AlpsFebruary 1, 2015 at 11:27 PM

    I had an idea that because The Rock jumped into the ring before the match was over (Rusev was eliminated after Rock helped clear the ring), that maybe Triple H was going to cast doubt over Reigns' win, and declare that there will be a #1 contender tournament that Reigns will somehow still win.

    ReplyDelete
  17. ROMAN REIGNS VS RANDY ORTON!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Rollins is the next Edge. Perennial upper-card guy who will get turned face due to positive reactions but will be turned heel again because that's where he shines.


    Barring injury he'll be in main-events for the next 10-15 years.


    And the only guy with enough credibility as a rule-breaker to be Austin is Punk.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Bryan is as bland if not more bland than Rollins.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Guys like Hogan, Savage, Warrior, Austin, and The Rock could attract new fans with a single look or a single promo.

    Bryan is a much more complex, counterculture hero, and it takes a long time to understand his appeal. So, while incredibly popular with current fans that know his story, he's not able to bring a new fanbase into the fold.

    ReplyDelete
  21. A really solid win over a top level talent would be nothing but good for Reigns.


    And when is Orton coming back? Not like Roman should wrestle Orton, but...shouldn't they be setting up the Rollins/Orton match?

    ReplyDelete
  22. The way they teased it on the website, the "controversy" is about the Rock interfering in a match that wasn't technically over. So it stands to reason that the special announcement is something to do with that making Roman not a true winner. So like Austin in 97 he's still technically the winner but he's going to be stripped of his auto-title shot.

    They gave themselves a full week before figuring out where to go next which is smart. They can see which way the wind is blowing before continuing on.

    But we all know the outcome is going to be Roman running through a gauntlet of major stars, one of which will probably be Bryan.

    ReplyDelete
  23. See above, but Bryan 's ascension was extremely unique and complex, and unlikely to ever be duplicated.

    ReplyDelete
  24. If CM Punk was allowed to be the next guy to be the face of the company or at least the Savage to Cena's Hogan does Bryan get as over as he does still? I feel part of the crowd taking to Bryan was due to the fact that by 2013 we knew Punk would never be the guy especially after being shunted to the midcard after a super long title reign.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I think if they do this, it should be Reigns coming out and saying that he don't want to be the face of the authority and not the next Cena and that he wants to be the next roman reigns and that he knows that the fans wanted Bryan as the rumble winner and that he will Bryan give a chance to earn this spot in a match at Fast Lane. It would make Reigns look someone who is against the Athority. If Triple H says it, Reign will look like a cowardly heel.

    ReplyDelete
  26. you know curtis axel never was put out over the top rope

    ReplyDelete
  27. Bryan is definitely a 'journey' guy who probably won't have a duplicated career path, but I think that ultimately Rollins is the better WWE wrestler.


    Bryan is a guy who looks like a joke and wrestles in a way that's not as immediately impressive as a Rollins. Also, Rollins character and motivation are much easier to get than Bryan, which involves some kayfabe-bending (Rollins is just a treacherous, arrogant snake who can almost back it up).


    I think Rollins will have a better career.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Roman needs to just spear a couple people for the hell of it and smirk over their corpses.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Come on. You know it'll be setting up Reigns putting the shot on the line vs. the uncrowned Rumble Winner Curtis Axel. They should have Reigns in the ring and have Axel come out of nowhere and throw him over the top rope followed by the bell ringing.

    ReplyDelete
  30. If they do decide to go with Reigns vs Bryan with Reigns going over, they should turn Reigns full-blown heel in the process. The interview he did recently in which he said that most fans criticizing him have never even been inside the ring and thus have no right to judge him, etc, suggest he'd be a much more effective heel than a face, and they could play off some of the stuff he said in that interview. I think keeping him face is just trying to swim against a current that's flowing too strong in the other direction.

    ReplyDelete
  31. It ain't my house, so I will watch the fire.

    ReplyDelete
  32. ARRRRGH THE BARBARIANFebruary 2, 2015 at 12:27 AM

    I hope their brilliant plan to solve the "we put Reigns over Bryan" problem is.... to put Reigns over Bryan clean as a sheet. What could possibly go wrong?

    ReplyDelete
  33. HHH will announce that he is putting himself in the WM main event to make it a 3-way, because in order for someone to be a star, they have to first get the rub from H.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Daniel Bryan has had a modicum of mainstream success.

    ReplyDelete
  35. This is another problem of having evil Authority figures. Why would they give a title shot to a guy they hate and had no legitimate claim to one? Even if they weren't adamant about Reigns they couldn't fix it without some weird out of character decisions by the Authority.

    ReplyDelete
  36. It will all be a swerve

    ReplyDelete
  37. 6. Kevin Nash texted himself

    ReplyDelete
  38. He has a lot of catching up to do.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Actually Curtis Axel vs Dolph Ziggler vs Daniel Bryan vs Roman Reigns match would be nice at Fast Lane, anything without Big Show or Kane the better.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Rollins is right now 28 years old and he's positioned as the top day-to-day heel of the company. He's already 3-4 years younger than Bryan when was portrayed in a similar light (YES heel run with AJ as his GJ).


    Does he have the indy history Bryan has? No...but who gives a shit? WWE spin-doctoring has gotten a lot more out of far less, and Seth's legitimate accomplishment as 'most entertaining guy on the show' with the Shield and 'most dynamic character on the show' as The Future of the WWE is more than enough.


    Rollins has history now and weight to his character. He's managed to surpass the morass of mid-card guys with no identity and no purpose. Seth Rollins has a distinctive voice in his promos and in his actions. He's not just Heel #3 who will insult whatever the local city is known for.


    No, he doesn't have enough history as Bryan does, but he has more than anybody else on the roster not named John Cena or Randy Orton.

    ReplyDelete
  41. When you think about how obsessed the company has been with finding "the next big thing" after Cena, and after the fans actually connecting with something they continue to ignore it, they really don't deserve to have any sort of success. Its beyond reason, any time trying to speculate Vinces reasoning or backstage politics is wasted time. There is no sane, reasonable answer. Its without a doubt one of the stupidest things I've ever seen.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Another reason why NXT is better booked. Regal is just the authority figure which allows him to make pretty well any match while remaining in character. Just compare last week's match signing on NXT (including the lovely little in-joke about it not ending the way all the other match signings do) with all the knots they've tied themselves into on Raw.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Every heel except for Ego H/Idiot Tits is a cowardly heel.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Yes, but that's not the point. ;-)

    If they want him to be the next Cena like top face, it shouldn't be HHH speaking for him, because then he looks like a heel. The fans want Bryan - so let them think Reigns wants that too. It's a mix of kayfabe, real and storyline. If Reigns tells the fans how it is, and uses it for the story, they will maybe again on his side. Reigns shouldn't look like the yes man, but more like a "fair" Austin who wants "justice". And justice would be if he gives Bryan the chance - and not HHH. If HHH gives Bryan the chance, Reigns looks stupid. If Reigns gives Bryan the chance, he will look like a real hero. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  45. I hope thats not the case, because a face accepting a title shot that he didn't earn, and potentially taking the shot away from someone that did earn it kind of makes him a heel doesn't it? Not to mention seeing him lose the rumble then lose the number one contenders match just makes the fans even more frustrated right?


    How about they just make Ziggler vs Bryan a number 1 contenders match so the fans can watch a 5 star match at Wrestlemania AND be excited that one of the internet darlings will get a shot at the title after Wrestlemania?

    ReplyDelete
  46. tl;dr: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing

    ReplyDelete
  47. Haha well as much as the fans would hate it this would fit in with the Triple H character to a tee! He mentioned the 'controversy' at smackdown, but I don't believe he referred to the controversy being Daniel Bryan being eliminated. If he plays the whole thing straight faced and acts all genuine about 'making it right' and they have Axel vs Reigns I will laugh my ass off

    ReplyDelete
  48. Absolutely, Punk had zero impact on Bryan's ascent.

    ReplyDelete
  49. "then Reigns will win because Bryan's not actually a contender in their mind"


    That poor boy Daniel Bryan! When will those bastards at the WWE stop being such dribbling retards for just a MOMENT?! As a multiple time world champion who is featured heavily on the company's flagship wrestling show, is plastered all over their mainstream non-wrestling TV offering, and whose popular chants are continued on by other WWE Superstars when he isn't around to do them himself, what has he done to deserve this treatment!?


    Perhaps it was when he was young and training at Shawn Michaels' wrestling academy. Maybe then, ol' Shawn rang up HHH and said, "Hey, yeah this kid really sucks. I'm going to keep him out of pity but... if he ever gets up to your company, just... try not to be unkind to him, yeah?"


    Since then, whether it's been attempts to get mainstream interest via the 'choking' incident, or his high-profile insertion into the main-event of Survivor Series as the replacement for multiple-time world champion, legend Bret Hart, it's been one constantly burial. Remember the time that they had a weird 'coma / dream' promo with the McMahons, and Vince specifically mentioned his disbelief that Bryan was US champion?


    That's the kind of refusal to feature D. Bryan (a nick-name that you may recall Booker T gave him early, in the WWE's scorn for the guy) that led Michael Cole to repeatedly, constantly, early on refer to the guy as being a nerd, a geek.


    Because who watching wrestling at home, could ever root for a nerd? What wrestling fans in the world today, would ever be interested in the career path of a geek?


    No, as unpopular TV shows of little note such as the Big Bang Theory have shown us, there is absolutely no money to be made from taking the largest part of the 18-34 male demographic, and trying to appeal to them.


    Especially because in these days of the internet, when everyone is so clued up, so clever and so sussed, there is just no way to even trick those geeky young guys with the disposable income.

    And that's why, getting back to Daniel Bryan, we had Michael Cole cruelly name-calling him. We even had a bunch of hot chicks all flirting with him. Yeah, right! Like nerds ever think about hot chicks! Again, that Big Bang show has proved that the two go together like oil and water.


    So, okay, they throw the guy a pity bone and give him the MITB briefcase. He even gets to cash it in, becoming a record book entry about 'Shortest ever time as the World champion'.


    No, he wasn't the briefest champion. That was Big Show, whom Bryan cashed in on. Yeah, they really fucked up his burial there, somehow they made Big Show that record holder. Instead Bryan defeated him, then defeated Big Show and Mark Henry (another veteran with various past titles) together, at the Royal Rumble PPV, in a steel cage.


    At Wrestlemania, Sheamus defeated him in just 18 seconds! This was the most telling sign of the burial yet. Bryan was admittedly a heel at the time. All of Bryan's fans who of course didn't care whether he was a 'good guy' or a 'bad guy' - because today's clued up wrestling fan is too smart for all that bullshit - only hated the WWE more. Damnit, why did they hate their favourite guy? Many of these fans continued to write articles, post on Social Media etc. about this guy and how he just Cannot. Get. A. Break!!!!!!


    Anyway, I forget exactly what I was doing here, but the point is that Daniel Bryan... yeah, the WWE doesn't know what they are doing with him, they are not pushing him at all, they won't give him any kind of exposure, why won't they pick up a book on modern methods of marketing, damn them.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Vince was not happy with how the Rumble went down so the announcement will be that next week on Raw, they will do another Royal Rumble match for the number 1 contenders spot.

    Reigns will still win, but this time Titus will properly be eliminated in 1 second.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Imagine being on a site in the late 90s, where everyone insists that Austin really, really hates Vince McMahon, it's not a story, it's alllll real. Meanwhile, you're saying "Really? REALLY?"


    Now imagine that every time you go to this one specific website online and say, "Hey, y'all know that this is just a story right?", everyone acts like there's something wrong with you.


    "Why, there's no way that this could be a story! The WWE wouldn't do something so elaborate! Meanwhile, you know this business with Daniel Bryan's interview rehearsal being leaked? I don't think that's for real, I reckon that's an elaborate cover for Roman Reigns sucking!"


    *picard facepalm*

    ReplyDelete
  52. That would just make things much, much worse.

    ReplyDelete
  53. I think even Bryan winning would be a bad move. I think that will foster a pretty bad Bryan backlash from those not on board with the Yes movement. I think they just gotta creatively book their asses off to get Reigns over enough for the main event at Mania.

    ReplyDelete
  54. I'm so over the evil boss storyline.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Well this is the reason, why I think it shouldn't be HHH but Roman Reigns should put his title shot on the line.

    ReplyDelete
  56. You okay buddy?

    ReplyDelete
  57. I don't think anyone really cares at this point whether a title shot is earnt or not (it's wrestling after all), and besides it's fair Bryan gets a shot considering he never lost the title

    ReplyDelete
  58. So is the theory that the plan all along for last year’s Mania was Bryan? And that Meltzer, Keller and every other wrestling reporter and writer were either fooled by WWE, despite their long track record of getting things right, or playing along, despite their long track record of independence? And that the terrible reactions for Batista and Reigns are all part of the swerve in which fans are being worked into thinking Bryan won’t be in the main events but he actually will? That everything Foley or Punk or others has said about the direction re: Bryan and Batista has all been part of a work designed to fool internet fans? Every internet wrestling site has been fooled or taken in by it? Every source or leak to these people is completely following the WWE’s message? It’s a conspiracy theory beyond reason, dude.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Let Rollins attack Reigns and then Bryan gets disqualified and then you can make Bryan vs Rollins (for the MITB Case?) at WM. Bryan wins, and then cashes in against Lesnar who defeats Reigns later. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  60. That will be the ultimate troll job if it goes down like that, even more so than the Rumble

    ReplyDelete
  61. Up vote for use of rule-breaker term.

    ReplyDelete
  62. "So is the theory that the plan all along for last year’s Mania was Bryan?"

    No. Just because that this 'underdog' character is the plan for him, doesn't mean that they are geniuses who do no wrong. Last year's Rumble reaction (like this year's) was a hilarious clusterfuck. Who did Bryan face last year? Triple H. Who famously was to do a match that year with CM Punk? Triple H. Who was going to put over which ever of these guys either way? Triple H

    Meanwhile, there's a conspiracy theory which you and everyone else pushes constantly.

    Bryan Danielson, despite being trained by HBK, used as a PPV replacement for Bret Hart, and despite all the evidence of a push I've tried to detail below, is constantly held down because the WWE have some kind of weird blind spot for him, and refuse to push him.



    Ignoring completely that if they did heavily push him, this 'grassroots' campaign for him would fail. Even his fans are called the 'Yes MOVEMENT'. Daniel Bryan is Obama the sports entertainer.


    So, either it's been a deliberate slow-burn, or, every single person in the WWE, every single hall-of-famer, every single financial advisor who has seen Bryan in the mainstream news etc. are all idiots who can't get through to a single person in the WWE to 'see sense'.


    Or, he's just an underdog character.


    Which is really the more far-fetched?

    ReplyDelete
  63. Sorry dude, I genuinely don’t get it. Vince feels he’s a good upper carder, but not the number 1 guy and thus not Wrestlemania main event level, a vocal section of fans disagree. Vince feels that those fans aren’t representative of the whole, and that someone like Reigns has better long term benefits. Thus the current conflict. “Vince is stubborn and wants to push big guys with a certain look over smaller guys” is hardly a conspiracy theory. I must be missing something here.

    ReplyDelete
  64. That's a damn fine conspiracy theory but unfortunately, don't think it's accurate. 'Knowing' Vince, after he caved in to Bryan's fan support last year and put him in the main event at Mania, only to have him immediately injured, I doubt he'd try the same thing again when he can put the title on Reigns who has the look, potential, and a super safe wrestling style (despite the fact he got a hernia from sneezing)

    ReplyDelete
  65. If anyone is Poochie, it's Roman Reigns.

    ReplyDelete
  66. There can be more than one Poochie.

    ReplyDelete
  67. I think that the conspiracy theory that Austin, HBK, Hall, Nash, Hogan, and everybody who has ever worked there, all think that Bryan sucks and can't draw money; or that Vince is utterly steadfast in ignoring all of them, and the mainstream news from 12 months ago, is an even bigger and more impressive conspiracy theory.


    Mine just requires them Not Commenting on stuff about Bryan. Pretty easy. The other one requires everybody in wrestling from the past 30 years to have suffered brain damage.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Why do you think that? I mean, what examples of Poochie-esque behaviour have you seen?

    ReplyDelete
  69. They won't give Bryan the match this year, no. Of course not. What, are they going to continue to reinforce this, "Hey, chant for what you want, and we'll cave?" shit? No. Especially when their mainstream underdog character has *already* made it to the WM main event that way.


    Why would they do it twice? What is the story then? Mainstream news: "Remember that guy from last year? The Yes guy? Well, he's back. Yeah, he went away in between now and then, apparently. He must have been shitty, or maybe injured, who knows. Anyway. Him again."


    I do agree that with Reigns, it's far too much too soon. It should be next year at the earliest. But then again, having him as the arrogant, Rock-esque "too much too soon" guy, would be giving him a character. A character that is the opposite of Bryan's, in fact.


    Weird how my impossible theory also neatly gives a clearly defined antagonist and protagonist for the following Wrestlemania, between Reigns and Bryan, eh?

    ReplyDelete
  70. Triple H should put Rollins into the match (because why would he want Bryan to have the opportunity) and Roman should counter by adding a shit-ton of other people. It makes Triple H look like a dick for fucking with Roman and makes Roman look like a badass who will take on everybody.

    ReplyDelete
  71. I don't think that first conspiracy theory exists. Who has ever said that? Also is it that surprising that Vince would ignore other people's advice - even people he respects? Austin basically told him to his face a few months back that he's underutilising Cesaro and Vince didn't give a shit

    ReplyDelete
  72. In that they're pushing him as the Cool New Guy and people aren't taking to it. Also the lame promos/catchphrases.

    ReplyDelete
  73. The first conspiracy theory is implicit within this idea that the WWE don't see the value in Daniel Bryan, a former student of HBK, who has worked indie shows across the years with the like of Bret Hart (who was even briefly featured in the Wrestling Road Diaries I, featuring Bryan Danielson), and whom supposedly they all have a complete blind spot for.


    Cesaro doesn't have sports games doing his chant etc. Only us smart marks like Cesaro - supposedly!


    With Bryan, it's a very, very different story, featuring a guy who has a currently 'in' and photogenic look (facial hair is hip), with a photogenic wife and who is heavily plastered over their photogenic reality show.


    But supposedly the WWE think he has no value? Huh. Okay.

    ReplyDelete
  74. People were taking it.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Until it became obvious they were pushing him down everyone's throat.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Poochie as a wrestling meme, is the guy who everyone is always talking about when he isn't on screen.

    They don't do that with Reigns. They do it with Bryan.

    Stephanie does the Yes! chant.

    Big Show does the Yes! chant.

    Brie Bella does the Yes! chant.

    Triple H does the Yes! chant.



    Bryan is Poochie.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Fans were unhappy because Bryan didn’t win the Rumble, because they wanted Bryan to go onto Mania and beat Brock Lesnar. They went with Reigns. I don’t think they should put Bryan in now, to be honest. I think it looks silly, and there’s no storyline justification for it, at least not yet. But how are the fans being “played”? They wanted him to win the Rumble, and he didn’t. They wanted him to go to Mania to beat Brock, and he won’t. Thus the unhappiness. If you’re not saying everything’s a work, then I’m not sure what you are saying. That they’re deliberately antagonising Bryan fans for future storylines involving Bryan challenging Reigns? Maybe. But that wouldn’t take away anyone’s anger that Bryan didn’t get the Rumble or the Mania main event.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Eh. 4/10. Good fire. Flimsy argument. Highly redundant. Better luck next time.

    ReplyDelete
  79. I agree. I think most do. He would've been set a year from now and I don't think anyone would've minded.

    ReplyDelete
  80. I don’t think people think WWE sees “no value” in him. I think most accept that Bryan is considered a
    top guy, he’s not going to be jobbing in the openers or worse tagging with
    Tyson Kid, but people want him to be the top guy and the world champion, mainly
    because he’s the most over and most talented guy they’ve got.

    ReplyDelete
  81. It's not that they think he has no value, just that he has less (long term) than Reigns. They put the title on him last year and he immediately got injured = B+ player like you read about. That would have just reaffirmed Vince's notion that a main eventer needs to be big, robust and preferably have a safe wrestling style. It's just the safer business option I suppose

    ReplyDelete
  82. Lousy sarcasm. Repetitive sentence structure. Nedzilla gets 1/10 flame points.

    ReplyDelete
  83. I agree. They should have waited a year. If he was supposed to be the big Face.

    ReplyDelete
  84. He's gotta win at Mania, and another year of losing title matches or not being in the title picture would kill him.


    If he didn't miss three months due to injury, he'd be set.


    It's now or never, and think it's now.

    ReplyDelete
  85. You don't know vince though. just last week you were threatening his life and saying people who didn't agree with you don't really like wrestling.

    ReplyDelete
  86. I get that, but Roman Reigns is actually more like the character Poochie.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Supposedly the guy legit won the WWE 'Superstar Of The Year' poll. I'm not saying that's all the proof required. I am saying that they got a chubby and yeah, should have waited another year.


    Also that he is no less organic than Daniel Bryan.

    ReplyDelete
  88. Yeah, they got over-zealous. Doesn't mean he didn't have SOME support. They just got greedy.

    ReplyDelete
  89. He was always getting pushed. Dude was fucking unbeatable in the Shield.

    ReplyDelete
  90. For what it's worth, according to the Observer, Reigns was heavily cheered in Canada over the weekend at their house show.

    ReplyDelete
  91. More Looney Tunes than Roman himself.

    They screwed up last year underestimating fan response, and turned it around. They screwed it up again this year. No conspiracy, and good for them that they have been able to align their fixes with Bryan's underdog story so far. Once they changed directions, yes it was a work from then on, but their myopia to the reactions Bryan would draw both years was not.

    Even if they give Bryan the match again this year (spoiler: they won't) then it's just sad because they screwed up Reigns in the process by giving him too much too soon.

    ReplyDelete
  92. Yes, but nobody thinks he's ready for a Mania main event. Another year and the guy would be set.

    ReplyDelete
  93. Kayfabe lives brother.

    ReplyDelete
  94. He played in CFL, right?

    ReplyDelete
  95. Ha, those contrary Canucks.

    ReplyDelete
  96. I agree that Bryan was always a guy who was going to be successful (he was portrayed as the number one face in NXT and his "you suck and lose every match" period was comparatively pretty short.


    Do I think they had plans for him to be the number one guy? No, but hell, I don't think Bryan should be the number one guy. But Bryan's just too goddamn talented not to have a job for life in the company. He't not tapping out the Undertaker on back to back PPVs, but he was never forgotten about like other can't miss prospects (i.e. Cody Rhodes).

    ReplyDelete
  97. Okay, but the Poochie 'meme' that Scott observed is - if I can put words in Scott Keith's mouth here - that the character is always being referenced even when not on screen.


    I get that Roman Reign is that 'big sexy' laid-back giant Kevin Nash type.


    But I still think Bryan better suits the meme.


    If we want to get pedantic, Poochie is most similar to Road Dogg. Because they're dogs.

    ReplyDelete
  98. I'm saying that D. Bryan was last year going to go on to beat Triple H at Wrestlemania, in what was basically Punk's spot.


    Bryan *would* then have won it this year.


    They already did it last year. They can't do it again, by Vince's mainstream playbook.


    So, this year it's a different story. Involving Reigns.


    Where I think they've fucked up, is that I don't think they expected the reaction for Bryan to be still so big, and so much *against* Reigns. That said, Rock was being advertised as part of Wrestlemania this year, on the early released posters. And there's a lot of stuff they can do there, parallels between the reactions for Rock/Rocky Maivia etc.


    I am in no way saying that Bryan isn't good, or popular, or that the reactions at either Rumble *were* planned, or that people should *not* be angry that their favourite didn't win, because hell, that's what wrestling is all about!


    I AM saying that this notion that he is some kind of organically created star, and essentially the pure opposite of Roman Reigns, is naive comic book nonsense.

    ReplyDelete
  99. No, I mean they put him in main events at the end of 2013 but I don't think they ever intended him to be world champion. It was organic from there in the sense that they weren't willing to accept Bryan being put down the card at all and not get that title, but WWE had already put the idea of Bryan being champion in everyone's minds, they just figured that people would move on and they didn't.

    I think they clearly see him as a top midcarder, it's just people want him to be higher. I don't think he's being buried, he's no Dean Ambrose or Cesaro, but I can see why being thrown at like an afterthought in the Rumble to make way for the next big thing, when people aren't even remotely ready to move on from Bryan, could seem that way to some people.

    ReplyDelete
  100. Nah. They built up a grassroots star, for the Cindarella story at Wrestlemania. Then he got injured. Unexpected serious neck injury. That's reality hitting.


    Their *mistake* was in thinking that his popularity had waned more than it had. The Rumble proved them wrong. In that sense, the WWE are victims of their own cleverness.

    ReplyDelete
  101. No, the most over guy they have got is Cena. He's over both as a face and a heel. Maybe then Bryan. Which is why it's so sweet that they were both dating Bellas, which meant that both of the most over guys in the company could be featured on the WWE's new mainstream reality TV show.

    Remembering here that the WWE only really cares about mainstream attention.

    ReplyDelete
  102. If they make this, it has to be a screw job where Reigns wins, but they can push the heat away from him to Rollins or Lesnar or anyone, but him. If Bryan wins, Reigns would look stupid. So maybe the best thing would be a no contest and then a 3 way or 4 Way at WM with Lesnar vs Reigns vs Kane vs Big Show...HAHA, just kidding... vs Bryan and vs Rollins. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  103. "I can see why being thrown at like an afterthought in the Rumble to make way for the next big thing, when people aren't even remotely ready to move on from Bryan, could seem that way to some people."


    Right, some people do still see him as being actually buried. Just look at the comments about him on here. See all of the many threads bemoaning his 'treatment'. The guy has been treated VERY, VERY well.


    It isn't Vince's fault that Bryan's neck was as bad as it was. Nor was it Roman Reigns' fault.


    Like you said, they figured that people would have moved on. I definitely agree that they expected him to have lost popularity by now. He hasn't. That's their mistake.


    Unless they handle Reigns really well now. Hopefully by making him arrogant and more Rock-esque.

    ReplyDelete
  104. Now they've put him in that position, yeah, but I think going through Rusev and a run with that title would've been better for him. Too late now.

    ReplyDelete
  105. Excellent. Now with that in mind, and since we're in agreement here, consider: do you think it's possible that they expected THIS year to be Bryan's year, but the fan reaction made them have it as last year instead? Now, could they have tried that again this year, but with Reigns, but got it wrong and instead *should* have waited a year?

    I see it as a similar situation. The only difference is that people can more easily buy Bryan as an organically created star, whereas Reigns somehow is not. And I say this as no particular fan of Reigns nor hater of Bryan.

    ReplyDelete
  106. I didn't threaten his life, I said I'd be OK with him kicking the bucket this year. Obviously it would be for the greater good of the product so if you don't agree with me then you can't really call yourself a wrestling fan

    ReplyDelete
  107. Me, I'm a big fan of Bryan. But I've been expecting people to get bored of going 'Yes!' and going 'Awww' for the little fella, for a while. I think the WWE expected the backlash to be further along than it is already.

    ReplyDelete
  108. Bryan already had main event match experience, had cleanly beaten John Cena, and needless to say is a far better wrestler than Reigns. I think Roman's relative lack of in-ring skill is a major factor that perhaps isn't being considered by Vince. If he'd had a string of noteworthy singles matches over the last year perhaps things would be different.

    ReplyDelete
  109. Wait, are you saying if they'd anticipated the backlash the Rumble would have gotten this year (which they should have), then Bryan would have won and gone to the main at Mania? Or that Bryan not winning the Rumble is part of the plan?

    ReplyDelete
  110. But... it wouldn't be so bad if he did die (peacefully in his sleep) and then suddenly everything improved, would it?

    ReplyDelete
  111. I unfortunately am cursed with often having a brilliant point that my ham-fisted approach to writing completely destroys and negates until what is left is only rambling insanity. I usually wait and hope for someone to summarize my entire argument in a sentence, so I can up-vote it and go 'Everyone just look at that guy!'


    I miss the days when every single person here was going "Yay, Mountie!" as he crushed that unloved no-hoper Pedro Morales in an unanimous vote.

    ReplyDelete
  112. Yes. The WWE is without sanity, reason or intelligence. They have completely failed to build up Daniel Bryan into any kind of 'grassroots' star in a modern-day wrestling world in which kayfabe supposedly doesn't exist. He has no mainstream value. People outside of wrestling just don't know who he is.

    ReplyDelete
  113. That could happen. Or he could die and Michael P.S. Hayes unexpectedly seizes power, leading to the WWE in a hideous final few years. We just don't know.


    It's like seeing an old flame, "Imagine if he we had got married! What would the children have looked like? I wonder if we'd have moved..." Yeah, or you could have found yourselves unable to conceive, had a hideously bitter split and spent your final years alone and filled with hate.


    Ya know?

    ReplyDelete
  114. Rusev/Reigns matches are bad. Rusev ain't big enough to be a monster for Roman to slaughter and Roman is too big to bump for Rusev's shit. If the roles were reversed Roman could throw Rusev around and fight from underneath, but it'd be a mess of stomps and nerve pinches.


    And the mid-card titles are death. They're doing what they can with the world they've built.

    ReplyDelete
  115. That's what I'm thinking. Not Bryan tapping him in the YES lock, but Reigns being a monster(and Bryan could definitely bump and sell well enough to make Reigns seem like a scary mofo) but he gets cocky and Bryan uses skill and opportunity to steal a win.

    Take the whole page out of Bret/Diesel and have him wreck Bryan there or build it for a little while.

    The only question is what does a heel Reigns do at Mania 31? Ziggler would seem the best option.

    ReplyDelete
  116. I think a better analogy would be my (hypothetical) bitch of a wife dying and then me marrying someone just as bad. I think it could only get better as I reckon HHH would have greater control, and he seems like the kinda guy who likes great wrestling stories

    ReplyDelete
  117. Ambrose has nothing to do. He's always a good sacrficial lamb.

    ReplyDelete
  118. That's true and it plays up their Shield past. Ambrose simply challenging Reigns on what he did to Bryan, trying to Reason with him and Reigns feigning remorse only to clock Ambrose with a Superman punch is a simple way to set up their match and you know the fans will be behind Ambrose. Ambrose is at his best when he's been scorned.

    Ambrose-Reigns, Brock-Bryan, Rollins-Orton, Cena-Rusev, HHH-Sting, Ziggler-Wyatt Not the worst couldn't-possibly-happen card in the world.

    ReplyDelete
  119. ...Nah. I have never wished that someone would die so that hopefully the booking of a scripted wrestling show might improve. Not seriously, anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  120. Aye. Which is why I agree that this is a year too soon; and why I hope - hope! Only hope! - that the plan is to make him into a Rock-esque heel.


    Have him start refusing to come down from the crowd. That sort of thing.

    ReplyDelete
  121. Some of the resentment, I feel, is coming from the fact that Reigns has been allowed to keep the identifiable parts of an over gimmick (the clothing, entrance, music) whereas his stablemates have had to build new identities. It's indicative of their intention to shortcut Reigns to the main event. Both in kayfabe and real life it doesn't feel like Reigns has had to work hard enough to get where he is.

    ReplyDelete
  122. In fairness, I was not pleased having had minimal sleep after an awful Rumble and having to go into work the next day while Vince was responsible for said Rumble AND took the next day off work after getting snowed in. Not fair!

    ReplyDelete
  123. Your premise is built on, "Vince feels he’s a good upper carder, but not the number 1 guy". How do we know this?


    Mine is built on, "Bryan has been ALL OVER the face of the company, how can anyone buy these bullshit reports about what Vince supposedly thinks?"


    I'm going with what I can see, not what I reckon, as evidence.

    ReplyDelete
  124. It's gonna be tough, I think, to get this right and not have Reigns looking like a chump being shunted down the card, and for Bryan not to look like he ended up in a spot he didn't really deserve, kayfabe wise. Should be interesting at least. Beats the hell out the buildup to Cena/Rock II.

    ReplyDelete
  125. I think for the sake of ethics, one should probably restrict their wishes to things along the lines of "I hope Vince sees sense" or "I hope Vince changes his mind". Or even "I hope Vince decides to step down", which I'm sure he will do. Even Alex Ferguson retired eventually.

    ReplyDelete
  126. I would have guessed Hunter making Reigns put his title shot on the line against Hunter himself but they've already got HHH booked in a segment with Sting on the PPV.

    My guess is they go with making Reigns defending his title shot against Rollins at Fast Lane. Gives him a strong heel to beat and someone he has history with, and he's likely to have the best match he can have with Rollins too. The only issue with that is Rollins may have gained some new supporters off that Rumble performance so I wonder what the crowd split would be for a Reigns/Rollins match.

    Another idea I've bounced around in my head is HHH adressing the controversy and Reigns saying he'll put his shot on the line against Bryan at Fast Lane to shut up his haters. They do the match, Reigns loses, precipitating his heel turn and sets him up to feud with Bryan post-WM for the title.

    But if they want to keep Reigns a face they keep him away from Bryan.

    ReplyDelete
  127. I'm not saying either of those things.


    But I am saying that they should have expected the reaction *for* Bryan this year.


    I think they expected it last year, to an extent. Was it intentional? I don't know as far as "this match happened, then this match happened, X->Y->Z".


    But was it intentional in terms of building up "Hey, this guy really is being held down! This is real life, not a work! I'm gonna support him! BOO!!! BOOOO!!!!!!!!" fake-grassroots support? Yes, I absolutely believe so.

    ReplyDelete
  128. I think Disqus is helpfully listing all these comments out of order,
    which isn’t helping the evolution of the debate. I think if one believed strongly Bryan deserves to be the top guy, the way they handled him at the Rumble would rightly piss someone off. But yeah, we’re not a million miles apart, I don’t think I was following your argument correctly at first.

    Aye, remember the simpler times when literally everyone on the board was united behind The Mountie? Good times. No, great times. Good friends, great times.

    ReplyDelete
  129. We've all been there, posting drunk or what not. Prob best to distance yourself from it now though :)

    ReplyDelete
  130. Maybe do Reigns/Bryan as Bret/Diesel from 95. Reigns is a monster in the match, gets caught, then motherfuckers and does a murder on Bryan for the heel turn.

    ReplyDelete
  131. Either way, thanks for at least *debating* this with me, discussing it. That's all I've been trying to achieve. Now I can move on and get back to knitting this Mountie bed quilt. :)

    ReplyDelete
  132. Maybe they feel bad for him. He's had the whole company pushing him, just like they did with Bryan. Unlike Bryan however, he's already dealing with Cena-esque reactions. Makes me feel kind of sorry for him. He's not head of Creative.

    ReplyDelete
  133. Ha yeah, well that isn't a difficult accomplishment to exceed Rock/Cena II.

    Aside from Reigns asking for the match and turning heel out of it I can't see a reason to stick Bryan in the match.

    The Authority has no reason to and he was eliminated fair and square by a guy who has continually made Bryan his bitch. It's not like Bryan had a bounty placed on his head and all 29 guys ganged up on him. He had his shot and got the boot.

    ReplyDelete
  134. Sacrificial lambs have a better future ahead than Dean.

    ReplyDelete
  135. I've explained what my understanding of the character it is, whilst saying that I might be putting words into the author's mouth by doing so.


    I don't think you're glad at all. I think you might be sarcastic.

    ReplyDelete
  136. I think we all know the controversy that needs to be addressed. Reigns will have to put his title shot on the line against the only person who wasn't eliminated - Curtis Axel!

    ReplyDelete
  137. Glad to see we've retconned the Poochie character to mean something entirely different!

    ReplyDelete
  138. https://www.facebook.com/wrestlingmemes/photos/a.323355247703536.78130.323348924370835/846667885372267/?type=1&theater

    "Some say Axel is still competing in the 2015 Rumble to this very day."

    ReplyDelete
  139. Austin's podcast with Keller last week was pretty spot on about Ambrose, saying he has been taking his character too far and doing nothing but brawling. The guy has almost no good spots, he punches/kicks, does his contrived clothesline, and Dirty Deeds.

    ReplyDelete
  140. Really though? I think, listening to HHH on Jericho's podcast a while back, he really is a fan of great wrestling and compelling angles. Vince on the other hand, came across as expected on the Austin podcast- the kind of guy who would be responsible for the crap we're getting on TV nowadays. I'd be optimistic if HHH took charge personally - what is now NXT is essentially the result of his ideas

    ReplyDelete
  141. I can’t think of a wrestler my wife has expressed an opinion on, other than that Daniel Bryan is a “strange looking man”. Stephan Bonnar, GSP and Elias Theodoru all got strong thumbs up during Ultimate Fighter watching though.

    ReplyDelete
  142. Are they? Bryan must get pretty mad at Brie for all the times that she's done it then. And she his wife too!

    ReplyDelete
  143. I suspect the new boss will be the same as the old boss, unfortunately.

    ReplyDelete
  144. But they're not doing the Yes chant to promote Bryan, they're doing it to get their own heat.

    ReplyDelete
  145. It takes him one week just to get him warmed up.

    ReplyDelete
  146. So, in Scott's scenario, Bryan would be passing a torch he never really GOT? Sound like peak WWE thinking to me.

    But who knows, with this company. He could just announce that Stephanie is pregnant again, and soak in some out-of-character babyface cheers. Wouldn't be the furthest thing from possible.

    ReplyDelete
  147. My wife, who used to watch with me but stopped entirely when Punk was on top, thinks that Reigns is the bees knees.

    ReplyDelete
  148. I loved CM Punk putting him in his place telling him that he didn't need to wrestle him.

    ReplyDelete
  149. So it'll be Reigns vs Show vs Kane vs Rusev in the Final Four? Should be fun.

    ReplyDelete
  150. Perhaps, but I think it's really early days yet. Too early for me to start bringing in anyone dying :)

    ReplyDelete
  151. Lol get help man. You aren't well.

    ReplyDelete
  152. Find yourself a new hobby, you clearly aren't a real fan of pro wrestling

    ReplyDelete
  153. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonFebruary 2, 2015 at 6:43 AM

    That theory works if DBry shakes his hand after the match and both he and Reigns lead the crowd in "yes" chants (which Vince will hope transfers onto Reigns)

    ReplyDelete
  154. I'm reminded of WCW where they take an over guy and try to transfer their overness to an unover guy leading to both guys being unover.

    ReplyDelete
  155. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonFebruary 2, 2015 at 6:55 AM

    Bizzaro world?

    ReplyDelete
  156. Burnt Biscuit! Biff KensingtonFebruary 2, 2015 at 6:58 AM

    They'd do it, if Vince thought for a second that people would buy Daniel Bryan as a serious heel because of his size (never mind that Bryan's work as a heel got so over that he became a face by proxy)

    ReplyDelete
  157. A single example of that happening in WCW?

    ReplyDelete
  158. Wow! I just went and saw my pedantist today. Cause my foot really hurted! Mostly from trying to shove it up my own ass after trying to make sense of this "Sports Entertainment" all you crazy kids keep talking about. That being said, there are glaring, glaring omissions in your statement. What about the Junkyard Dog? Or just The Dog? (I need him. Where is he?) How about the Moondogs? Or the Dogfaced Gremlin? My head hurts...

    ReplyDelete
  159. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonFebruary 2, 2015 at 7:13 AM

    DBry would get stretched out first, thus infuriating the crowd more.

    ReplyDelete
  160. Junkyard Dog? Dead. The Dog? Dead. The Moondogs? Pretty sure they're dead. Rick Steiner? Nobody cares...

    ReplyDelete
  161. So few dogs left to beware of. Sad, really...

    ReplyDelete
  162. Well that if anything was more of a "we don't have anything for you" like WWE constantly does. Still waiting for the time(s) that WCW tried to transfer one guy's heat to another, like how Big Show got the "Yes!" chants in WWE.

    ReplyDelete
  163. Burnt Biscuit! Biff KensingtonFebruary 2, 2015 at 7:26 AM

    That rebound clothesline thing works, but only in small doses. Doing it every match kills the uniqueness of it, and like you said is so contrived that it takes away from the match.

    ReplyDelete
  164. Burnt Biscuit! Biff KensingtonFebruary 2, 2015 at 7:26 AM

    No, no, no...

    Putting Daniel Bryan in the same ring with Roman Reigns destroys Reigns, unless you plan on turning him heel. All putting him over Bryan will do is have the fans sit in silence when Bryan puts him over, and it will galvanize the backlash against him even more than it already has been. Reigns wont be booed everywhere he goes; keep him as far away from Bryan as possible.

    Besides, what storyline sense does it make for the Authority to give Bryan anything at this point?

    ReplyDelete
  165. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonFebruary 2, 2015 at 7:26 AM

    The lambs have more purpose in Vince's eyes.

    ReplyDelete
  166. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonFebruary 2, 2015 at 7:26 AM

    I'm honestly surprised the WWE has resisted the option of having DBry turn on Reigns. It's the dumbest move possible so I know it's gone through their minds.

    ReplyDelete
  167. Burnt Biscuit! Biff KensingtonFebruary 2, 2015 at 7:27 AM

    It's either going to be something really Authority-heavy, like a Reigns-Rollins match to determine the real #1 contender, or it's going to be something stupid like appointing Paul Heyman as the special guest referee for the main event.


    Now, if he comes out and says 'Because of significant outside interference during the end of the Rumble, and with one superstar having never been eliminated, I am officially declaring the Rumble match void and announcing a (Insert special gimmick match here) to determine the main event of WrestleMania!" then I might buy into it. Maybe do a big six-pack challenge with Bryan, Ambrose, Ziggler, Rollins, Kane and Big Show (because they have to be involved, otherwise Wyatt and maybe a returning heel Sheamus would fit here).

    ReplyDelete
  168. Bryan as heel delusional psychopath who doesn't realise that his time at the top is over and still thinks its 2014? They already consider his fans to be that way.

    ReplyDelete
  169. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonFebruary 2, 2015 at 7:27 AM

    An angle where HHH breaks DBry is not too far behind. I can see DBry saying this is the only way I can be successful...by working under HHH."

    ReplyDelete
  170. But that can't be! Everyone knows that Philly is representative of the entire wrestling world, and its trends!

    ReplyDelete
  171. Triple H's big announcement is that he will be replacing Reigns himself and will face Lesnar and give us what we've all wanted....Lesnar vs. Triple H IV!

    ReplyDelete
  172. I hope you don't get any sarcastic comments from people who clearly can't get a wife, and are jealous and hateful of you even mentioning her, in response to your comment.

    ReplyDelete
  173. There's always Michelle McCool.

    ReplyDelete
  174. In hindsight I'm kind of shocked they had Bryan turn on the Wyatts.

    ReplyDelete
  175. It happened a ton of times, but one of the most infuriating was Norman Smiley who was one of their most over acts and they turned the guy into a jobber.

    ReplyDelete
  176. But will that really rock the WWE Universe to its core? Just scheduling a match for the next PPV?

    ReplyDelete
  177. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonFebruary 2, 2015 at 7:27 AM

    DBry being in the Wyatts was a least intriguing. But they killed it before people could see what he could do with it.


    Here they would have NO reason for him to go heel, which is why they'd do it. So Kill the gimmick completely: Have DBry show up on RAW after turning on Reigns with a suit, clean shaven and a haircut Art Vandelay would find acceptable. Be HHH's lackey.

    ReplyDelete
  178. I didn't mean transfer like that. I just meant WWF weren't the only company to push untalented unover slugs as WCW was guilty of that too. Reading the 1999 reports on this blog, they're currently covering the part where Berlyn makes his debut and Wall is the guy they're trying to put over despite Wright being the talented one.

    ReplyDelete
  179. 7. Vince staged his limo exploding.

    ReplyDelete
  180. Now there's a dog I'd like to give a bone to! Yes, I'll go away now...

    ReplyDelete
  181. I've always found it weird when a guy mentions his wife and some comment that she made, or her opinion of a wrestler. I don't think anyone other than the husband cares enough about the comment made, and I don't know how anyone is supposed to react to the comment.

    ReplyDelete
  182. Agree about Ambrose being scorned. His reaction when the Rollins turned on the Shield was spot on.

    ReplyDelete
  183. I don't think Rollins and Reigns should meet for a while. I think with the match Rollins had at Royal Rumble, he should be protected from losses, but only if he remains heel and Reigns a face.


    One theory I like is Reigns taking the spot of Rollins in the Authority. Then either have Rollins cash in and lose immediately, or get beat up by Reigns and make a surprise return to cash in later.

    ReplyDelete
  184. I don't. Sometimes I see people say, "Well a buddy of mine and I were saying that...", or, "A bunch of us down at the bar were saying...", and I never see anyone jumping in going, "HA! You don't REALLY have friends!"*


    But mention company of the female kind? BAM!

    And anyway, I just read it as that. But it'd be weird for the writer to consciously say "Uh, someone I live with...." instead of just "My wife" or whatever. In order to deal with the hang-ups of the terminally single.



    * Unless it's Meekin.

    ReplyDelete
  185. Technically it should be just Reigns vs. Rusev, since Big Show/Kane were already tossed before the Rock came out.

    ReplyDelete
  186. Except Bryan hasn't jobbed to all the other big names …

    ReplyDelete
  187. If they were smart, Triple H vs. Reigns at Fast Lane. It's one of the best was to take steam out of the negative Reigns reactions.


    If they put Reigns over Bryan clean, it's just going to infuriate the people who are already mad even more, especially, if it's abundantly clear Bryan is carrying the match and doing everything to put Reigns over.


    The other smart move would be Lesnar vs. Bryan at Fast Lane and just have Brock destroy Bryan Cena style.

    ReplyDelete
  188. Dude.

    Just shut the fuck up.

    ReplyDelete
  189. Yes because hating someone to death is a prerequisite to enjoying men pretending to grapple in spandex.

    ReplyDelete
  190. Bitch.


    Just shut the fuck up.

    ReplyDelete
  191. I don't think "zero impact" is right, I actually even think the treatment of Zack Ryder to a small percentage had influence on the "fan revolt". at least I know that I thought something along the lines of "you better not try something like that again because it won't work with Bryan!"

    ReplyDelete
  192. Are you saying it isn't?

    ReplyDelete
  193. I'm saying you are psychologically unstable if you believe it is.

    ReplyDelete
  194. What would piss people off more: Reigns going over clean or Sheamus costing Bryan the match to set up the feud nobody wants?

    ReplyDelete
  195. Or maybe I'm just a better wrestling fan than you, ever think about that?

    ReplyDelete
  196. That's a good question. Both would be met negatively, obviously, but I think the clean pin would make people madder. Reigns beating Bryan cleanly kind of establishes definitively that Bryan's chance at the top spot is over. The Sheamus angle leaves the door open for them to make a change, if not at Mania, then shortly after if Reigns tanks.

    ReplyDelete
  197. In this particular case I mentioned it because the original post said that Reigns got cheered in Canada.

    I live in Canada which I didn't clearly state here, but a lot of the regulars do know that. So I related that my wife, a fellow Canadian, was a Roman Reigns fan.

    Deep insight it was not, but there you have my reasoning.

    No reaction required really, it was just conversation.

    ReplyDelete
  198. Nope, pretty sure wishing death on someone you don't know because you hate the product hd puts out makes you mentally unstable. Or a Mark. Probably a bit of both

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment