When Did Seth Rollins Find Out He Was Winning the World Title?
Rollins apparently found out that he was winning the title at the start of the Rock/Ronda Rousey segment during WrestleMania. He was also told at that point that he would have to fly to New York for the Today Show then back to California that same day for RAW.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman Updates
At this point the plan is for both Lesnar and Heyman to remain off of TV for a while, most likely until about a month before the SummerSlam PPV.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Members of Roman Reigns Family Furious Over WrestleMania Main Event Finish
It has been reported that some members of the Anoa'i family, especially Reigns' dad Sika, were furious that he did not win the title as planned as many of them came to the show just to see Reigns win the belt.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Reason For the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Getting Moved to the Preshow
The reason this was moved to the preshow was that they did not have enough time on the main show for eight matches and that the company did not feel comfortable moving the Divas tag match to the preshow as the company did that a few years ago and also because they did not want a negative response from the fans for not given the girls an opportunity to be on the main show.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter
WWE Interested in a Ring of Honor Talent
The WWE is reported to be heavily interested in signing ACH as the company continues to build the NXT brand so it can tour the country.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Rollins apparently found out that he was winning the title at the start of the Rock/Ronda Rousey segment during WrestleMania. He was also told at that point that he would have to fly to New York for the Today Show then back to California that same day for RAW.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman Updates
At this point the plan is for both Lesnar and Heyman to remain off of TV for a while, most likely until about a month before the SummerSlam PPV.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Members of Roman Reigns Family Furious Over WrestleMania Main Event Finish
It has been reported that some members of the Anoa'i family, especially Reigns' dad Sika, were furious that he did not win the title as planned as many of them came to the show just to see Reigns win the belt.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Reason For the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Getting Moved to the Preshow
The reason this was moved to the preshow was that they did not have enough time on the main show for eight matches and that the company did not feel comfortable moving the Divas tag match to the preshow as the company did that a few years ago and also because they did not want a negative response from the fans for not given the girls an opportunity to be on the main show.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter
WWE Interested in a Ring of Honor Talent
The WWE is reported to be heavily interested in signing ACH as the company continues to build the NXT brand so it can tour the country.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter
GLAD YOU ASKED!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't exactly watching with a critical eye, because, you know, Wrestlemania and all. But I can't say I didn't enjoy the hell out of the show.
Commentary was actually pretty good, too. Michael Cole noticing Shawn Michaels before the camerman did was a great touch to that match, for example. Hammering home how Big Show had a reputation for being a bridesmaid in battle royals made me actually glad he won. And that's an accomplishment!
I will say the HHH/Rock thing dragged on about 10 minutes longer than it had to, and it made Taker/Bray -- which should've been a big deal -- feel a bit rushed at the beginning. But getting Ronda Rousey out there to give Stephanie some humility is never bad.
MVP of the night, kayfabe-wise, is Seth Rollins of course, but everyone brought it in the ring. And lord have mercy, that RKO was a thing of absolute beauty! Randy Orton may be one of the most underappreciated workers of our time.
I'm going 8.5/10 on this one. Very enjoyable, very good workrate, but... it lacks that certain something that makes you remember it as incredible. Certainly worth repeated viewing, but not required viewing.
I dunno...they probably flew him on the private jet and he didn't have to wrestle on RAW. Seems fine to me.
ReplyDelete"The reason this was moved to the preshow was that they did not have enough time on the main show for eight matches"
ReplyDeleteWhere do you even begin with that.
#stupidlylongentrancesyoumorons
No, but you could easily see Heyman doing it - as is often the case with media appearances. I would have presumed if Brock retained, it would be Heyman on the show.
ReplyDeleteVince McMahon: Seth, you're winning the world title.
ReplyDeleteSeth Rollins: Oh... okay! When?
Vince McMahon: Tonight, damn it!
Roman Reigns: B-but Vince, you said if I showed you my thighs I'd-
Vince McMahon: It rubs the lotion on the skin or it gets the Genetic Jackhammer again!
Seth Rollins: ¯\(°_°)/¯
Funny how times have changed. Wrestlers kind of know a few months in advance a few decades ago if they were going to get the world title. Now they find out 60 minutes before.
ReplyDeleteSomething I wonder about. Pat Patterson tells a story about how after Wrestlemania 6, when Warrior won the belt, he was backstage crying from how happy and emotional he was from being given that honor.
I suppose it isn't like that today. Rollins finds out 60 minutes before....he gets the toy giant WWE belt by doing basically an extended run-in, and then flies to the Today show. Just not the same impact.
I know, it was just the way it was worded was like it was some giant sacrifice he had to make that might make him not want to win the title. It's like you're making me World champ. I'll fly to bloody Iraq and back again if that's what it takes.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what's funnier. That none of the Anoa'i family gave enough of a shit about Rikishi that him going into the HoF was enough reason to show up.
ReplyDeleteOr that fifteen years after Rikishi's actions, Samoans are still getting screwed out of the world title.
The "Dancing Clowns With No Buzz" spot is indeed highly-coveted.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the show in a while but I remember they managed to get the crowd pretty into the match.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't seem like the 18 second backlash effected the Mania crowd. It was the Raw crowd that unleashed the YES
A 4 hour show isn't enough time?
ReplyDeleteIt was the ultimate Clippers game last night. Chris Paul hit someone in the nuts and Big Baby flopped like an embarrassing little bitch.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of shitty to pull that shit at the last family. If Roman brought his family in to watch him win the World Title, only to get bamboozled at the eleventh hour, that sucks. I didn't want the guy to win the world title so soon, but jerking someone around for months and then snatching it away is dumb. He should've made the right decision weeks ago and prepared Reigns.
ReplyDelete...you son of a bitch. You just had to one-up me didn't you?
ReplyDeleteThe fact the Rock segment was supposedly stretched out so that it'd be darker for Taker's entrance makes it even stupider. For one thing, it didn't actually help and, well, it's fairly easy to know when the sun is going to set at any given time, and so they could just have planned accordingly. You could have had the Rock segment on the pre-show (a big selling point for the network to have Rousey on there, y'know?) and the ARMBAR in that spot easily enough with a little tweaking.
ReplyDeleteYeah maybe... Reigns might not have said no to the Mania main event but maybe he realised it was a wiser long term move for himself to respectfully decline taking the title
ReplyDeleteMan, that's crazy. I rewatched Rollins/Orton the day after and and was looking for some kind of smirk or something on Rollins face knowing that the night would end with him on top, but as it turns out he didn’t even know!
ReplyDeleteIt's no worse than the World titles, if you ask me. Edge and Randy Orton have a combined 23 world titles. That is absurd.
ReplyDeleteIt's insane to me to think they went on the air live at Wrestle Friggin Mania without their finish. Crazier that it worked out as well as it did.
ReplyDeleteThe Tag Titles started to fall off the cliff then to when "Wacky Partners Who Hate Each Other" became a go-to Russo angle.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed last year's more but this one wasn't bad at all. Everyone expected a major train wreck but I thought they would try hard to make it entertaining. The fact that they ended it with the right guy as Champion also gives it points.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably why it worked out as well as it did. There wasn't enough time for Creative to overthink the problem and fuck it up.
ReplyDeleteThey've been re-writing plenty of shows at the last hour, so it shouldn't come as a total surprise that they changed their mind.
ReplyDeleteThose nerds are the worst dancers ever!
ReplyDeleteI just can't see anyone telling Vince - after his Brass Ring bullshit - that they don't think they're quite ready for the spotlight. The prospect of that being taken and held against them until the end of time is too high a risk...
ReplyDeleteI don't know that anyone would willingly turn down a chance to be World Champion, even if they're getting booed out of the stadium.
ReplyDeleteThis man speaketh sense.
ReplyDelete"It has been reported that some members of the Anoa'i family, especially
ReplyDeleteReigns' dad Sika, were furious that he did not win the title as planned
as many of them came to the show just to see Reigns win the belt."
If they wanted him to win the title so badly, they should've had Rikishi hit Lesnar with a car before the show. He would do it for the people.
No network talk show would ever allow Heyman on the air. They'd lose half their viewers as soon as his ugly mug appeared.
ReplyDeleteHell, I would say yes to it - despite the fact Brock's first suplex would probably result in my spine ending up in the Pepsi Center.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Vince knew what the finish was, he just wanted to keep it secret.
ReplyDeleteIs it really that crazy? All it takes is a bit of awareness to realise it's for the best (for everyone) long term
ReplyDeleteMaybe they should have raised a better son.
ReplyDeleteOh, it doesn't surprise me that they did it, but it doesn't change the fact that it's a shitty thing to do on a personal level. Roman probably knew as far back as January that he was 'winning' the title. Up to the start of the show, he still thought he was winning the title. The dude's probably been mentally preparing for the match and the title run to come for months. And then at the last minute, fuck you you're losing the title run AND eating the pin.
ReplyDeleteOooh, sick burn!
ReplyDeleteOn the plus side, it really helped him sell the disappointment!
ReplyDeleteI don't think the Brass Ring is literally about holding the title.. I think Reigns looked better in defeat there than he would have winning the title
ReplyDeleteStaple a flag to his ass and mail him to Iran.
ReplyDeleteThe Anoa'i family likely got a free trip to California to see Wrestlemania.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion: Fuck them, the whiners.
Rollins said "thank you" because it was too much to say "Thanks for being a colossal fuck-up, Reigns! I know it was mostly Creative's fault, but you didn't do yourself any favors."
ReplyDeleteWhoa. Long before then. If anything Russo brought the main eventers back to the tag-titles.
ReplyDeleteWacky Partners is also a Heyman staple, for what it's worth.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but it's Vince we're talking about. The guy wanted Christian's face covered with a blue dot, ffs. Rational thought is NOT his ballpark.
ReplyDeleteI would probably hide anytime I saw him coming anywhere near me, just to ensure I didn't say something innocuous that ended up flicking one of the random switches in his brain and having me demoted to 'Ryder' level.
ACH is the goddam truth. He's my favorite ROH wrestler not named Adam Cole. He's incredibly fluid and full of charisma. I don't know how to quantify him against other NXT wrestlers, but he's pretty damn good.
ReplyDeleteBut Tag Titles shouldn't be a prop from main event feuds. The Tag division should be its own separate thing, as it was for the 1980s and early 1990s.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they put them with R-Truth as another dancing stable and they can feud with New Day over who got the best moves
ReplyDeleteI've not seen any ROH for a long time now - what sort of ring style, look and build is he?
ReplyDeleteThey put him against every big star they had : Aj Styles, Samoa Joe, El Patron and he did more than hold his own
ReplyDeleteI know they won't, but they should keep the UHAA Nation name and have him call himself the new Nation of Domination in his promos. Would get over instantly and has mad merchandise potential, yo.
ReplyDeleteReigns would have won if Lesnar was stupid enough to have headbutted him.
ReplyDeleteThat end of the IC ladder match? Bryan would have died if he tried that on Reigns.
I'll agree with that, but look at the tag-champs just prior to the Russotude era: Godwinns, Bodydonnas, and the Smoking Guns. Barely defended, usually pre-show material. Those titles were dead in the water.
ReplyDeleteThey really did the ending on the fly like that? I'm surprised. I liked it and thought it was bold, very different than their normal bland and predictable booking
ReplyDeleteYeah true, maybe Reigns and HHH went to Vince with some genius reverse psychology to make him think it was his idea
ReplyDelete"Thank you for being so shitty, this wouldn't have happened if you were half way over"
ReplyDeleteI would say he is a little like Kofi but way more charismatic
ReplyDeleteI can see it now:
ReplyDelete"Vince... I think the Big Show deserves another run, and you could put that vanilla midget in his place at the same time..."
I don't know if anyone can speak up and suggest anything these days, let alone change the finish to WM.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a younger version of Shelton Benjamin. #BiffApproves
ReplyDeleteWhat surprises me most about them changing their mind about Reigns is the fact that they stuck with the plan for so long. As far back as last year's Rumble it was known the plan was Reigns this year. And they stuck with it allllllllllmost until the end before hitting eject at the last possible second.
ReplyDeleteScotty 2 Hotty would have shown up.
ReplyDeleteHe's kinda the same build as Kalisto. Style wise...he's pretty quick and can do some really cool high flying stuff, but he's not a high flyer. He wrestles a pretty traditional style. His strongest trait is charisma. Little kids will love him.
ReplyDeleteWrestleMania is just another show to Anoa'i family. They've been to millions of them. They wanted to watch their family member win the belt and their pissed. I'm on Team Siki.
ReplyDeleteI think it was still possible to salvage Reigns up until the end of Fast Lane. Once they worked the Bryan angle as they did, he was pretty much toast.
ReplyDeleteMaybe test Seth to see if he'd pull a Luger and tell a bunch of people he was winning?
ReplyDeleteThe scary thing is that, if they didn't have that ending planned, it meant Rollins - as probably the best heel, and one of the current best talkers, in the company was going to look a bit of a toothless chump.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, I know losing to Orton isn't overly concerning (compared to losing to, say, Fandango), but it still sends out a clear message about the MitB holder, yet again.
Holy shit Dougie no-sold a ragegasm from Vince.
ReplyDeleteSounds like he would have been amazing in the Light Heavyweight division back in the day...
ReplyDeleteHe does, but wrestles nothing like him and has charisma for days. His promos are a little weak, but that can be fixed with practice and guidance.
ReplyDeleteWhat does ACH stand for?
ReplyDeleteThat's some WCW Halloween Havoc shit right there. At least they didn't go off the air with the main even still going on.
ReplyDeleteBut you can't have a "pop culture extravaganza" with no musical performances!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAt this point the WWE should just buy out ROH to feed the NXT roster. Might as well get the tape library with that.
ReplyDeleteHey they already got to see Yokozuna triumph at WM9....for a minute or two
ReplyDeleteMaybe for doing a good job at taking the fall?
ReplyDeleteMaybe all that time learning to swim could have been put to better use if they're so mad
ReplyDeleteI don't see Kalisto doing that thought : https://38.media.tumblr.com/4a141e9c84b9f191409364d1a376d040/tumblr_nm4028Udpe1sj4xr4o1_500.gif
ReplyDeleteThat's fair. "Wacky partners" was an improvement from the Smoking Gunns era, but it became so overused that I think it did further damage to the titles.
ReplyDeleteIf you watched Rock on Kimmel last night, you'd know that's a family you do NOT want to piss off
ReplyDeleteSo did the today show know that rollins would win the world title before rollins?
ReplyDeleteAlso why couldn't rollins just film the today show from San Jose? They interview guests all the time from wherever they are current at.
Hmm. Is taking off the gloves Brocks version of pulling down the straps?
ReplyDeleteIf not, it is now!
ReplyDeleteThere was a time in late 98 when the New Age Outlaws were that rare main event tag team where the only teams that could beat them where super teams like Rock and Foley.
ReplyDeleteWell, if he wanted to test Rollins he would've told him a week before and see if he ran his mouth.
ReplyDelete"Roman screwed Roman"
ReplyDelete- Roman Reigns (End Of A Legacy) documentary
It was probably booked "new WWE champion" and not Reigns or Rollins. As for not doing a telecast from San Jose or wherever -- I think it's harder to cut a segment short on those shows if the guest is in the studio. If they're on location, they can just cut away easier. Not the greatest reason, but it's Vince's money flying Seth across the country twice...
ReplyDeleteAlbert C Hardie, his name.
ReplyDeleteIn the Kreski era the IC Title really did matter. The problem is that they've lost the strict "tier hierarchy" that used to be established, and also that it's no longer a stepping-stone, as others have mentioned, because the undercard booking has been a disaster for about a decade.
ReplyDeleteTrue, if it went down that way he'd only have time to run around backstage and tell other people on the roster. "Good job Seth, you managed to not tell Kofi you're winning the title."
ReplyDeleteIt was probably initiated and set up by the WWE. They probably didn't want to send any of their guys out there because they don't actually care about wrestling, but Vince offered to send the champ over to get some publicity.
ReplyDeleteDamage in the sense that the belts changed almost every week. At one point didn't it go NAO > Kane/Mankind > Undertaker/Austin > Kane/Mankind > NAO over the span of two weeks?
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
ReplyDeleteThe Self-Destruction of Roman Reigns
ReplyDelete"Featuring interviews with the people who knew him and the situation best, Sin Cara, Chris Jericho, and El Torito."
ReplyDelete"The Reigns of Error" - The Roma Reigns story.
ReplyDeleteWow. Scott summed up my feelings on this perfectly. I think this also coincides with the "titles changing hands every week" philosophy that killed all the titles - including both world titles - for me.
ReplyDeleteThe reciting all the champions from Pat Patterson to 1999? (and nothing afterwards) - Perfect, since I was trying to do that the other day thinking of all the guys who have held the I-C strap (after the Daniel Bryan backstage skit the other day)
Nah. It'll be at least another ten years before Vince has seen You Got Served.
ReplyDeleteI think Heyman deserves some credit for bringing back the tag teams on Smackdown in the mid 2000s with the whole Angle-Benoit-Edge-Ray-Guerreros contingent
ReplyDeleteBret Hart's main event career owes it to "let's do this before someone changes their mind", so it's not a new thing.
ReplyDeleteSay what you want, but another overused gimmick absolutely KILLED the world titles: the non-wrestler (ESPECIALLY the Heel authority figure) as champion (i.e. David Arquette, Vince Russo, Vince McMahon).
ReplyDeleteYou know I get why Sika would be pissed -- if this was changed on such short notice then Roman probably didn't have a chance to tell his family and they were still thinking he'd win when the match started. I doubt this is holding a grudge as much as "WTF why'd my son just job?" If my son was in the school musical and his scenes were cut I'd get pissed off too, but I wouldn't be holding a grudge against the school or teacher.
ReplyDelete"I wasn't exactly watching with a critical eye"
ReplyDeleteStory of your short lived stint as a Raw recapper
It might help if the Secondary Champion didn't lose EVERY SINGLE WEEK on TV. Santino was Intercontinental Champion, and didn't win a match for about 8 months.
ReplyDeleteNot quite 2 weeks, but it was a pretty quick series of changes:
ReplyDeleteJuly 13 - Kane and Mankind win belts from New Age Outlaws
July 26 - Austin and Undertaker win belts
August 10 - Kane and Mankind win the belts back
August 30 - New Age Outlaws win the belts back
Russo at least never really "won" the title, it was just his faction that took it in that stupid Ready to Rumble cage and then he posed with it, but I think the next week he awarded it to Jarrett or someone right away.
ReplyDelete1999 tag titles:
ReplyDeleteBossman and Shamrock->Owen and JJ->X-Pac and Kane->Acolytes->Hardyz-Acolytes->X-Pac and Kane->Show and Taker->Rock-n-Sock->Show and Taker->Rock-n-Sock->Hollys->Foley and Snow->NAO->Rock-n-Sock->NAO
I know I messed up in the fall but they were changing every other week
Team Angle was freakin Awesome....yet they did nothing with either of those guys. WTF?
ReplyDeleteThe Error of Reigns: The Roman Reigns Story.
ReplyDeleteFTF
I really like ACH as well.
ReplyDeleteThat was a Wrestlemania Moment all by itself. *SLAP!* *SLAP!*
ReplyDeletehttp://31.media.tumblr.com/a806f4abf729739b974a93b27abded71/tumblr_n9klbftoEu1qd0myho1_250.gif
ReplyDeleteAustin on Sting vs. HHH:
ReplyDelete"Why would you shake the hand of the man who hit you in the head with a sledgehammer and had to cheat to beat ya?"
Yeah but then we'd get Big Show in the main event.
ReplyDeleteNXT
ReplyDeleteSay my name, bitch!
I still have a hard time with knowing Ezekiel Jackson was IC Champion. It's a far fall down the card when the "worker belt" is put on someone who didn't even grasp the basics of wrestling.
ReplyDeleteBut even Angle/Benoit were originally wacky partners.
ReplyDelete"Well, because... I... Fuck You!"
ReplyDelete- Triple H
Austin is on the outs for making too much sense.
ReplyDelete'Derailed: The Reigns Train Journey'
ReplyDeleteWatching the Monday Night Wars show and it's hilarious how NOBODY takes blame for WCW failing.
ReplyDeleteDoes Vince really need to sign more Dancing Negroes to his roster??
ReplyDeleteHHH did
ReplyDeleteDear Vince, please make a wrestler wear a taco suit to wrestle in and have him only work Tuesdays. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteTurn out the lights, we have today's winner
ReplyDeleteRight. I have no issue with Sting losing or the overbooking, which I actually loved. I have an issue with the handshake and the "Good job, little buddy!" head tap.
ReplyDeleteSpoiler Alert:
ReplyDeleteSo Sheamus's ignorant ass apparently almost killed Bryan working too loose on SmackDown. Bryan got busted open hardway on his head. If I didn't like Sheamus wrestling Bryan before, it's for damn sure now. They're gonna permanently retire the poor guy before he's 35.
"Yabba Dabba Doo!!" ----Reigns at 9:00 PM
ReplyDelete"Sufferin Succotash"------Reigns at 10:00 PM
Someone said it was Barrett's Bullhammer that caused the cut.
ReplyDeleteSo I am listening to Observer Radio...
ReplyDeleteDave makes an awesome point about HHH throwing everything (he teaches to his wrestlers) out the window for his own matches, specifically the psychology behind Sting's miraculous recovery after a Sledgehammer shot.
Reminds me of the Queen song, "White Man"...and the following lyrics...
"What is left of your dream?
Just the words on your stone...
A man who learned how to teach
Then forgot how to learn..."
Sheamus and Bryan: Destined to meet at Wrestlemania every year but never do.
ReplyDeleteDunno for sure, have to see if they show it on the SmackDown broadcast.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of whose fault it was, I'm utterly bored of Sheamus. He's worse than Cena for the invincible (or always standing tall) guy who completely no-sells his opponent as a threat, etc.
ReplyDeleteThey should really have brought him back in a suit as an Authority member, at least it would have felt a little fresher than him basically being the same as he's always been, only with a stupider haircut.
NJPW on AXS renewed for 2nd season. Here's the schedule:
ReplyDelete*5/22 has Kushida vs. Taichi, Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Ricochet and the Kushida vs. Ricochet finals in the Best of the Super Junior tournament from June 8, 2014
*5/29 has matches from June 21, 2014 in Osaka, with Alex Shelley & Kushida vs. Young Bucks for the IWGP jr. tag title, Toru Yano & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka and Kota Ibushi vs. Ricochet for the IWGP jr. title. This will be an awesome TV show because the Bucks match and the Ricochet match were incredible.
*6/5 has matches from the same Osaka show, with Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. for the NWA tag title, and Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Togi Makabe for the IWGP tag titles.
*6/12 is the third hour from Osaka with Yuji Nagata & Tomoaki Honma vs. Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bad Luck Fale for the IC title.
*There is no new show on 6/19
*6/26 airs matches from July 22, 2014, from G-1 with Tanahashi vs. Honma, Okada vs. Styles and Nakamura vs. Shibata.
*7/3 airs matches from July 26, 2014, from G-1, with Yuji Nagata vs. Nakamura, Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito, Okada vs. Karl Anderson and Tanahashi vs. Shibata (an awesome match).
*7/10 airs matches from July 28, 2014, from G-1, with Tanahashi vs. Fale, Nakamura vs. Honma and Okada vs. Naito.
*7/17 airs matches from August 1, 2014 G-1 show at Korakuen Hall, a super card with the 2014 Observer match of the year with Suzuki vs. Styles, Tenzan vs. Goto and the incredible match with Nakamura vs. Tomohiro Ishii.
*7/24 airs matches from the August 3, 2014 G-1 show in Osaka, another incredible show with the Honma vs. Shibata match, Okada vs. Yujiro Takahashi and Tanahashi vs. Nakamura.
*7/31 airs matches from the August 8, 2014 G-1 show in Yokohama, with Nakamura vs. Fale, Togi Makabe vs. Styles (this was the match where Styles got his neck injury from a German superplex), Tanahashi vs. Smith Jr., and Okada vs Suzuki.
*8/7 airs matches from the August 10, 2014 Seibu Dome show with Naito vs. Honma, Ishii vs. Anderson, Goto vs. Shibata and Tanahashi vs. Styles.
*8/14 is the final show of the series, airing the Nakamura vs. Okada G-1 Climax final from the Seibu Dome.
On the show this morning Dave had cooled a LOT on WM. He downgraded it from "best WM ever" to "very good show" after actually watching it on TV instead of live. In particular HHH v. Sting was hot garbage.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the psychology of Sting shaking the hand of a guy who hit him in the face with a sledgehammer?
ReplyDeleteSays the man who joined with Vince McMahon in the most nonsensical top-level heel turn of all time?
ReplyDelete"The WWE is reported to be heavily interested in signing ACH as the company continues to build the NXT brand so it can tour the country."
ReplyDeleteSomething something dancing Negro something something.
"Yeah, pal." - Vince.
ReplyDeleteIt only becomes a "forgotten Classic" if Reigns and Rollins end up leaving for whatever reason. The WWE is putting the hype machine behind big guys and if they end up becoming the stars they expect them to become, WM31 will be remembered as one of the biggest shoes ever.
ReplyDeleteACH. That's an unusual wrestling name. I hear ACH and I think of a mortgage payment automatically withdrawn from your account.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the pettiest thing Vince ever did?
ReplyDeleteSelf Destruction of Ultimate Warrior DVD?
Have Triple H (or in the case of DDP, Undertaker) beat each WCW star?
Have Triple H pin ECW champion Taz on Smackdown?
Fire CM Punk on his wedding day?
Other?
So the Anoa'is were... annoyed?
ReplyDeleteACH is my "guy I watched wrestle in a bar with 50 other fans". I'm pulling for him a lot more than I rationally should, and I really do hope he makes it.
ReplyDeleteHeh.
ReplyDeleteThe Punk thing was pretty damn harsh, deliberate, and personal.
ReplyDeleteIt's his initials. And he is a superstar. He has the athleticism of Neville, but it comes across as more wrestle-y where as Neville's comes across as very gymnastics-y to me, if that makes sense. And his charisma is off the charts.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be rumored for WM by December.
ReplyDeleteThose billionaire ted skits.
ReplyDeleteI'd say vigorously making out with a young hot blonde woman right in front of his wife, who had to pretend to be immobile in a wheelchair is pretty fucking classless.
ReplyDeleteThe same way HHH said to Punk the night after he beat him, "NOW do you see that I'm right?"
ReplyDeleteDon't forget beating Benoit when he came in. He was the WCW champ at the time.
ReplyDeleteNo he won it later when Goldberg speared him through a cage during a cage match with Booker T (he escaped first and was awarded the victory.....then "retired undefeated" with a concussion if my memory serves me correctly)
ReplyDeleteVince: Seth, you've been with us how long?
ReplyDeleteSeth: Almost 5 years Vince.
Vince: And in all that time, you've never missed a show or been off with an injury. I really appreciate everything you've done for us. But sometimes we have to make difficult decisions...
Seth: *Is he fucking firing me?*
Vince: ... That's why I'm putting the WWE title on you tonight!
Seth: *...!....*
Vince: Gee, aren't you gonna smile or something?
Seth: Wow... Uh... I won't let you down Vince
Vince: HAW HAW HAW YUK YUK!! Nothing is set in stone, but my plan is to keep the title on you for at least a year. Alright buddy!
True....but damn if they weren't awesome as a team!
ReplyDeleteAs long as he isn't part of New Day or something along those lines. Just hate to see guys with legit talent and/or hidden charisma being put in these silly roles.
ReplyDeleteDamn i'd be scared of a bunch of pissed off Samoans
ReplyDeleteoooh, and don't forget killing off the territories.
ReplyDeletePissing off the Samoan Mafia? Not too bright.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, he's getting a sneezing gimmick.
ReplyDeleteJesus she is singing again!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say that was petty, more of a calculated business decision to take over the country and make himself a very rich man.
ReplyDeleteMy vote on the list above goes to the "firing Punk on his wedding day." At least with the others, you could make some semblance of an argument that it benefited the company financially somehow.
Regarding CJ Parker... why exactly did WWE name a wrestler after Pamela Anderson's character on Baywatch?
ReplyDeleteBecause he was a total boob?
ReplyDeleteI put more on HHH because I can see him hightailing it Vince's office after the Radicalz debut - "You HAVE to put me over Benoit at Smackdown Vince! We can't have WCW guys this over this quick!"
ReplyDeleteWhat about getting rid of Steamboat when he needed time off or firing JJ on television?
ReplyDeleteTrying to own the Too Sweet gesture simply because the Young Bucks refused a try out with WWE
ReplyDeleteAnd bulkier.
ReplyDeleteACH would be a great addition to nxt. I've seen a few of his matches from pwg where he teamed with Kalisto (back when he was Samurai Del Sol) and he was very impressive.
ReplyDeletePutting Survivor Series 87 against Starrcade it and forcing cable companies to choose one. Which killed Starrcade as a thankgiving tradition afterwords.
ReplyDeleteThat's not petty... that's business.
ReplyDeleteThat's just business
ReplyDeleteIf you REALLY think about it HHH was the undisputed champ before there was such a thing:
ReplyDeleteHe beat Taz who was ECW champ
He beat Benoit who was WCW champ
When they consolidatedall the secondary belts who did RVD lose to? HHH
I'm sure he knows this.
ReplyDeleteBuying up timeslots, running other promoters out of business, forcing arenas and PPV companies to only do business with him, etc etc, then throwing a massive whiny tantrum (currently lasting 20 years) when WCW dared put a TV show on at the same time as his show was on?
ReplyDeleteI hated how DX buried Niedhart on that Raw a few weeks after the screwjob. If ya wanna run out a Bret midget then fine. But to humiliate poor Neidhart to spite Bret was very petty.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised he didn't get in a Light Heavyweight and Women's title run in there.
ReplyDeleteFor the indie fans out there: Who are your favorties around right now? I'm gonna go ACH, Zack Sabre, Ricochet, of course. Apparently I really need to check out Timothy Thatcher. Also, Chuck Taylor isn't great in the ring, but he's entertaining as hell.
ReplyDeleteLOL @ the Battle Royal at ***1/4.
ReplyDeleteThis is VERY true.
ReplyDeleteOnly the last one is petty.
ReplyDeleteBy the summer of 2000, I was shaking my head about it. And that Tazz match made Tommy Dreamer look like a complete idiot so that was an added bonus.
ReplyDeleteSo "Whining about WCW using the same business tactics he did"? Because the business tactics themselves aren't petty, it's the fact that he did them first and then bitched when his competition finally wised up and did it back to him.
ReplyDeleteI meant the last one was petty because of what he had spent his entire career doing
ReplyDeleteThat's not pettiness, that's business.
ReplyDeleteAs below, yes that's what I meant, I've clearly phrased this poorly. :(
ReplyDeleteExactly it was fine when he did it but he played victim whenever they fought back
ReplyDeleteFav Five :
ReplyDelete- Kyle O'Riley
- ACH
- Zack Sabre
- Gargano
- Tommaso Ciampa
Drew Gulack and Biff Busick are pretty good.
ReplyDeleteBiff's a good one. He's a guy I saw a few times and just thought 'meh.' Then I saw him again a few years later and he was off the charts good.
ReplyDeleteOh no. They are gonna pack that group full of Negroes like a slave ship.
ReplyDeleteIt Never Reigns When It's Sunny
ReplyDeleteNarrated by Sunny.
Chuck Taylor is really funny, I wonder if he would work in NxT
ReplyDeleteThatcher is dope. He wrestles regularly at a local indy in Stockton and I've seen him there a number of times. He's a throwback technical wrestler and he's got a good size and look. I think he'll do well in wwe at some point.
ReplyDeleteThat was stupid, but Vince did far worse things in terms of pettiness. Hell, he spent an entire episode of RAW burying Steve Austin for "taking his ball and going home." At least Neidhart was just a segment.
ReplyDeleteWill There Ever Be A Reigns-Bow?
ReplyDelete(cover of Reigns looking up at the sky sadly)
I've cooled off on Ciampa recently for some reason. When he blew out his knee and finished his match with Lethal I was all in. Then when he came back from the injury he was super hot and killing it. But I just haven't been really impressed since then. Now that he is gone from ROH maybe he'll be able to branch out a little.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of The Stroke and The Hives.
ReplyDeleteThe Billionaire Ted skits. Or Right to Censor.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's just me, but when I think petty, I think "bullshit that accomplished nothing outside of giving the guy doing it a cheap little thrill."
Can't go wrong with The Hives. Howlin' Pelle is guaranteed ****.
ReplyDeleteRusev was trained by Rikishi, which would definitely explain the Umaga-ish vibes I get from him.
ReplyDeleteLOL at Rollins finding out an hour before. Were they surprising him or did they not know?
ReplyDelete