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Banning safe moves


Scott,

Obviously, it's early days on the Tyson Kidd injury, but people seem to be heading for the "oh no, they should ban the Muscle Buster" argument already!

Something must've gone wrong (freak accident) but surely this can't be tainted with the "Styles Clash should be banned" brush? The MB is simply a suplex/back bump when you take away the fancy set-up etc?

(I won't even touch the subject of the Styles Clash as it's been talked to death!)

Thoughts?

Cheers as always!!


I've seen Tyson take (and do) some crazy shit in the ring over the years and I'm pretty sure a simple Muscle Buster bump is the least of it.  It sucks for him, absolutely, but I doubt that either him or anyone in WWE is calling for Joe's head over it.  

And the Styles Clash thing has turned AJ into arguably the biggest draw in Japan right now, so even that worked out OK for everyone except Yoshi Tatsu.  

Comments

  1. The arena look is not a wwe problem. They are all cookie cutter. Give em hell for the rest

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  2. Not sure of the smaller arenas, the whole thing of WWE is being "the leader" of wrestling so it makes sense they'd do stuff from bigger places. It was a reason WCW looked more second-rate all those years, doing most of their shows out of that tiny TV studio. I do agree on the Titan Tron and such and we sure as hell need guys going off-script more, especially in promos. I always agreed with Cornette's line of "the best characters are just the real guy taken to the tenth level" and we need a lot more of that. Just don't get too wild as we all know how the Russo approach led to chaos down the line.

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  3. Different locations is the benefit of running shows on the Network. They're already getting the ball rolling with the July 4 Tokyo show. That's a cool and different idea.

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  4. I just find it hard to believe that Muscle Buster gets puts on the safe list when something as relatively benign as the Curb Stomp gets the ban brush.

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  5. My real name is MullerJune 5, 2015 at 12:37 PM

    Fuck you bitch

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  6. My real name is MullerJune 5, 2015 at 12:38 PM

    You fucking tool, they banned the curb stomp for PR reason, not safety

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  7. I like all these ideas, Scott.

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  8. I like the idea of having a different production team do Smackdown. That's a start. And yes eliminate all of the silly LED lights and having that red and blue hue all over the crowd.

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  9. What are you guys talking about, they put video boards on the aprons!!!!

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  10. I'd steal a couple of ideas from nitro run a show outside during spring break. Those nitros over the pool were fun. I'd also look too doing outdoor shows in the summer. Wcw did a series of shows outside during the nwo era. I'd also during baseball all star week. Do a raw at a baseball stadium. They are used for concerts so why not wrestling? How cool would it be for raw to be at Fenway? Finally I'd look at other venues like tennis arenas and concert halls just to be different

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  11. Moron, they banned the move for PR reason, not safety. Fucking tool

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  12. Yeah what is up with that? It's not for wrestler safety there's other reasons behind that. If it's the name just call it Seth Stomp or something.

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  13. It for PR reason you asshole

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  14. AJ Styles, Breaking necks and cashing checks.

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  15. An obvious troll a count named after a troll a count that tries to pretend it isn't one.

    Fantastic.

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  16. So reason number 1,735 scott isn't in charge of running the most prestigious company in the history of the business he would change the look by making it 96 ECW....this is hilarious.

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  17. Go watch ROH trash

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  18. Go, go, go, go go, go, go, shawty
    It's your birthday
    We gon' party like it's yo birthday
    We gon' sip Bacardi like it's your birthday
    And you know we don't give a fuck
    It's not your birthday!

    [Chorus: x2]
    You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub
    Look mami I got the X if you into taking drugs
    I'm into having sex, I ain't into making love
    So come give me a hug if you into to getting rubbed

    When I pull out up front, you see the Benz on dubs
    When I roll twenty deep, it's twenty knives in the club
    Niggas heard I fuck with Dre, now they want to show me love
    When you sell like Eminem, and the hoes they want to fuck
    But homie ain't nothing change hold down, G's up
    I see Xzibit in the Cutt that nigga roll that weed up
    If you watch how I move you'll mistake me for a player or pimp
    Been hit wit a few shells but I don't walk wit a limp
    In the hood then the ladies saying "50 you hot"
    They like me, I want them to love me like they love 'Pac
    But holla in New York them niggas'll tell ya I'm loco
    And the plan is to put the rap game in a choke hold
    I'm feelin' focused man, my money on my mind
    I got a mill out the deal and I'm still on the grind
    Now shawty said she feeling my style, she feeling my flow
    Her girlfriend want to get bi and they ready to go

    [Chorus: x2]

    My flow, my show brought me the dough
    That bought me all my fancy things
    My crib, my cars, my pools, my jewels
    Look, nigga, I came up and I ain't changed

    And you should love it, way more then you hate it
    Nigga you mad? I thought that you'd be happy I made it
    I'm that cat by the bar toasting to the good life
    You that fagot ass nigga trying to pull me back right?
    When my junk get to pumping in the club it's on
    I wink my eye at ya bitch, if she smiles she gone
    If the roof on fire, let the motherfucker burn
    If you talking bout money homie, I ain't concerned
    I'm a tell you what Banks told me cause go 'head switch the style up
    If the niggas hate then let 'em hate
    Watch the money pile up
    Or we go upside there wit a bottle of bub
    You know where we fucking be

    [Chorus: x2]

    Don't try to ac

    Read more: 50 Cent - In Da Club Lyrics | MetroLyrics

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  19. ECW did not start running Hammerstein until 2000.


    In 1996 their NY venue was the Lost Batallion Hall in Queens

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  20. Trying too hard bruh.

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  21. At this point I just want ANYTHING to change. The format, the structure, the lighting, the pacing...anything would be welcomed. They are so set on their ways that they are afraid or unwilling to try some thing new.

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  22. You got 96 ECW from " I would absolutely vary the size and scale of the arenas"?
    I'm a little rusty on ECW history - which show was it at the Mall of America?

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  23. It ain't ballet!

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  24. Ballroom and he didn't talk about stripping away the shows. But right on who needs to make money let's run a few thousand in a ballroom or run free shows on beached and malls seems like a smart business move.

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  25. Settle down sparky. He was asked a question, he answered with what he'd personally like to see. I doubt Scott really thinks that putting him in charge of the WWE would be good for anyone.

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  26. I would absolutely change the entire setup. Almost 20 years with the same look is WAY too long and now every show except 'Mania looks EXACTLY the same. The LED, the spotlights in the crowd. I'm surprised there haven been any reports of people having seizures. Even the white ropes. My God I hate them. You can't tell me that using different rope colors for each show costs them money. I loved the gritty look back in '97. I also agree on taking the show to smaller arenas every now and then. A smaller, more intimate setting would make it more often pleasing to the eyes. That is not me of the reasons is why I like NXT so much. Almost everything, down to the yellow ropes is so much more appealing than Raw, Smackdown, etc.

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  27. I don't know, this can't look good for Joe regardless of what really happened. Bottom line is the fat indy guy came in and immediately injured someone. Truth and facts, whatever they turn out to be, might not matter much.

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  28. Typical IWC moron answer

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  29. That is something we can agree on

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  30. From a pure business PoV his answer is perfectly reasonable - the money made from the live gate and merch is almost certainly less than the TV rights in 150 countries. So if varying the format gooses the ratings then the better TV right will dwarf the reduction in the live gate.

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  31. Kyle Warne, sucking cock, and taking up the pooper

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  32. I can't remember reports of Joe ever hurting anyone with a Muscle Buster before. He's been doing it forever, just a freak thing, maybe aggravated a lingering unknown injury of Kidds that was already there.

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  33. Sucking to hard, sis

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  34. I can't remember reports of Joe ever hurting anyone with a Muscle Buster before. He's been doing it forever, just a freak thing, maybe aggravated a lingering unknown injury of Kidds that was already there.

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  35. Oh boy, another troll account.

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  36. Unique trolling method there . . .

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  37. I always thought they missed an opportunity that time that Denver made the NBA finals (or playoffs?) and they couldn't run the Pepsi Center. If they would've staged Raw in the parking lot, or another outdoor spot like that, it could've looked really cool for once. But, Vince instead had to move the show and cancel like six events in the process, which sure showed them! I had also hoped that Elimination Chamber, because it was added so late, would've had a different set, but that was also incorrect. Fuck their LED seizure machine.

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  38. I would absolutely change the entire setup. Almost 20 years with the same look is WAY too long and now every show except 'Mania looks EXACTLY the same. The LED, the spotlights in the crowd. I'm surprised there haven been any reports of people having seizures. Even the white ropes. My God I hate them. You can't tell me that using different rope colors for each show costs them money. I loved the gritty look back in '97. I also agree on taking the show to smaller arenas every now and then. A smaller, more intimate setting would make it more often pleasing to the eyes. That is one of the reasons is why I like NXT so much. Almost everything, down to the yellow ropes is so much more appealing than Raw, Smackdown, etc.

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  39. I always thought they missed an opportunity that time that Denver made the NBA finals (or playoffs?) and they couldn't run the Pepsi Center. If they would've staged Raw in the parking lot, or another outdoor spot like that, it could've looked really cool for once. But, Vince instead had to move the show and cancel like six events in the process, which sure showed them! I had also hoped that Elimination Chamber, because it was added so late, would've had a different set, but that was also incorrect. Fuck their LED seizure machine.

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  40. Loads of huge music acts do un-cut shows and occassional appearances in smaller arenas. So long as it was an occassional show I don't see it causing a problem. Everytime a major act does a smaller show in London they get a crap-ton of free PR in the media as tickets sell out in 20 seconds, fans queue round the block, etc etc.

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  41. Unique trolling method there . . .

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  42. So reason number 1,735 scott isn't in charge of running the most prestigious company in the history of the business he would change the look by making it 96 ECW....this is hilarious.

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  43. Ballroom and he didn't talk about stripping away the shows. But right on who needs to make money let's run a few thousand in a ballroom or run free shows on beached and malls seems like a smart business move.

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  44. It might have something as simple as the ring being harder than the ones he normally does it on.

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  45. lol wat ? you suck bro

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  46. didn't Triple S just say that verbatim?

    Also, I want to stress that ECW did not start running Hammerstein until 2000.

    In 1996 their NY venue was the Lost Batallion Hall in Queens.



    Please get your facts straight

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  47. Also, I want to stress that ECW did not start running Hammerstein until 2000.

    In 1996 their NY venue was the Lost Batallion Hall in Queens.

    Please get your facts straight

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  48. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarJune 5, 2015 at 1:17 PM

    You can get injured doing something as simple as a clothesline or a punch. Things go wrong, and it sucks, but it's the nature of the business. You can't ban everything.

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  49. I don't know, this can't look good for Joe regardless of what really happened. Bottom line is the fat indy guy came in and immediately injured someone. Truth and facts, whatever they turn out to be, might not matter much.

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  50. I like Joe, so he's not dangerous to work with.

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  51. - Lower the house lights so that the crowd is less visible. Let the performers be lit like they are in rock concerts. This is one thing that WCW used to do right.
    - Do in-ring post-match interviews with winners and losers like they do in boxing. Use it to set up future matches.
    - Get rid of backstage skits where we have to pretend there is no cameraman. It's been stupid for 20 years.
    - Stop playing entrance music for "surprise" appearances. Let the crowd react to a run-in rather than tell them "hear comes the run-in".
    - Stop with the goddamn zoom in and out and the quick cuts.
    - One play-by-play man and one color guy. Both should talk about what's going on in the ring!
    - Advertise the card a couple of weeks in advance.

    This is just off the top of my head.

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  52. My Idea would be to :

    - Lower the house lights so that the crowd is less visible. Let the performers be lit like they are in rock concerts. This is one thing that WCW used to do right.
    - Do in-ring post-match interviews with winners and losers like they do in boxing. Use it to set up future matches.
    - Get rid of backstage skits where we have to pretend there is no cameraman. It's been stupid for 20 years.
    - Stop playing entrance music for "surprise" appearances. Let the crowd react to a run-in rather than tell them "hear comes the run-in".
    - Stop with the goddamn zoom in and out and the quick cuts.
    - One play-by-play man and one color guy. Both should talk about what's going on in the ring!
    - Advertise the card a couple of weeks in advance.

    This is just off the top of my head.

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  53. Typical IWC moron answer.

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  54. Thanks. I never said I thought it was true. All I'm saying is it was horrible timing for Joe and it doesn't look good. I also said might, so I could be wrong.

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  55. That is something we can agree on

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  56. Sucking to hard, sis

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  57. That is something we can agree on.

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  58. Unique trolling method there . . .

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  59. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarJune 5, 2015 at 1:21 PM

    I was typing out a reply to his comment and it wouldn't let me, saying his comment was deleted. I didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said. Did Cordelia get banned after replying to me?

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  60. Hopefully. He was taking other people's comments from the thread and reposting them verbatim, so I did the same to him.

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  61. Those moments after the backstage interviews, where everyone freezes for like 5-6 seconds..I feel sorry for the people involved every time.

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  62. I guess I made a new friend.

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  63. Uh oh....

    Wrestling News
    ‏@TodaysWWENews

    3m3 minutes ago
    #WWE pulls NXT Champion Kevin Owens from this weekend’s live events http://wrestlingnews.co/wwe-pulls-nxt-champion-kevin-owens-from-this-weekends-live-events/ …

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  64. I just find it hard to believe that Muscle Buster gets puts on the safe list when something as relatively benign as the Curb Stomp gets the ban brush.

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  65. Some ideas from the top of my head :

    - Lower the house lights so that the crowd is less visible. Let the performers be lit like they are in rock concerts. This is one thing that WCW used to do right.
    - Do in-ring post-match interviews with winners and losers like they do in boxing. Use it to set up future matches.
    - Get rid of backstage skits where we have to pretend there is no cameraman. It's been stupid for 20 years.
    - Stop playing entrance music for "surprise" appearances. Let the crowd react to a run-in rather than tell them "hear comes the run-in".
    - Stop with the goddamn zoom in and out and the quick cuts.
    - One play-by-play man and one color guy. Both should talk about what's going on in the ring!
    - Advertise the card a couple of weeks in advance.

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  66. lol so what ?

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  67. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarJune 5, 2015 at 1:29 PM

    Well, if the executives at USA Network are the reason they can't run smaller venues like Hammerstein or outdoor shows, then they have their solution, don't they? Run a special show at these locations on their own frigging network.
    Shit, I think they should cancel Superstars or Main Event or whatever and run a show like Shotgun Saturday Night on the Network. A one-hour show in a unique location filled with an energetic, snarly late-night crowd. Those would be so much more fun to watch than the usual set staged shows they have right now.

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  68. What do you think the reason is?

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  69. ThebrazilianpsychoJune 5, 2015 at 1:32 PM

    Just let Owens do the Package Piledriver.

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  70. Kevin Owens ≠ Samoe Joe

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  71. Both are fat tho

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  72. Performance enhancers? LOL

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  73. Oh ok, you're a troll. Got ya.

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  74. Yeah sure pal

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  75. and you are a moron

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  76. If the miz did this or if big show did this the blog would be having a meltdown. This fat indy worker came in and injured one of the most talented guys on the roster because he can't work.

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  77. Unique trolling method there ...

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  78. Meh, he injured a really bland vanilla midget, thanks good Ryback or Big Show are safe

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  79. I always thought a fascinating arena option for WWE was Arthur Ashe Stadium, where the US Open tennis tournament is held. It hold 20,000+, looks awesome on TV and, from personal experience, has exactly zero bad seats. I never understood why they didn't do that when USA had the US Open...run RAW there the week before the tennis tournament started as a way to cross-promote. Probably the USTA would never go for it, but it would still be an amazing presentation...

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  80. Ok. Joe's been wrestling for a decade or so. Feel free to provide a list of all the people he's injured so you can back your claim that he's an unsafe worker.

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  81. "This fat indy worker came in and injured one of the most talented guys on the roster because he can't work."

    0/10

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  82. ThebrazilianpsychoJune 5, 2015 at 1:44 PM

    He needs to learn with Jesse Baker.

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  83. Threadjack/
    Kyle O'Reilly wins Block A and will face Kushida in the finals of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament!

    After the match Kushida had in the finals against Ricochet last year I am so hype for this.

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  84. He is spamming the other threads. Its the same person with the same fake email addresses.

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  85. Anything at all! If nothing else, differentiate the Raw and SmackDown sets. SD used to be cool with its different sets, and now it is even more Raw Jr. with the same setup. The current look is beyond stale.

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  86. My man Triple S is right, people were all over Ryback after CM Punk's Podcast and now they all find ways to excuse a fat sloppy Joe

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  87. Underskill gets the boot too? Any chance we get a hat trick today?

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  88. Hire Vince Russo.


    Stop laughing. I mean it.


    Hire him, but don't put him on the booking committee. Keep him on retainer, and every 3 months or so, ask him for ideas.


    Then hang up the phone and block his number for another 3 months.


    I have LONG contended that Vince Russo is a great idea man, but a horrible booker. He'll do an incredible job coming up with ideas, and then Russo them when he gets the chance.


    If someone could take that first part -- the idea part -- and put it to use, it could lead to great things. Unfortunately, the only Fed that could do that is WWE. No smaller Feds could afford to pay him to sit on his ass, and the smaller feds would end up having him in a booking role because he could pressure them to do it.

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  89. I really hate those electronic ring apron boards and I'm genuinely sure at some point someone's going to get a nasty injury taking an over the top rope bump and landing awkwardly against one on the way down.

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  90. I really like the idea of blowing up the script. WCW did this well with the nWo near the beginning where they'd hijack some fucking Hugh Morrus match during what's normally a dead segment and turn it into must see TV. It's gotten so stale, you can almost predict with certainty when a guy is getting thrown out of the ring so they can go to commercial mid-match. I know Bray Wyatt is generally going to come on with about 30 minutes to go in the show. I know the Authority is going to open the show with a promo and be in the main event. It's grown tedious.

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  91. ThebrazilianpsychoJune 5, 2015 at 1:51 PM

    I can see O'Reilly getting the upset win. But KUSHIDA losing again is pretty tough.

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  92. It was a fake

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  93. I'm guessing that's him above still spamming w/ a few different user names too.

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  94. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 5, 2015 at 1:56 PM

    Dude, there's a million people to hire who are funnier/smarter/more creative than Vince Russo.

    Russo was a guy who worked at the magazine at teh right time and the thing he had going for him was that he thought opposite from the Cornettes and McMahons and old school guys who were running the show. But let's not pretend he was some genius anomaly. He's half a retard at best.

    I doubt it's a lack of ideas available, it's that everything goes though one person and his sole vision is what WWE is. Hiring Vince Russo doesn't help anything.

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  95. VINTAGE TRIPLE-S

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  96. And yet he is the one going around injuring people

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  97. That's the big thing to me. I don't mind the massive sets, I just hate it's the same fucking set. Bring back the OvalTron or giant fist

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  98. Co-signed, the Network is a perfect place to run off-beat shows once a month

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  99. This. A million Times this

    This suggested upside to Russo they can get from this blog.

    A bunch of amateurs have cool ideas constantly--"idea guys" are everywhere.

    The good booker is the part they need.

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  100. AverageJoeEverymanJune 5, 2015 at 2:05 PM

    Im guessing somebody has already mentioned it but I miss something as simple as MSG having the short entrance on the different side of the arena. Made it stand out.

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  101. That's a good idea. And it's also sort of a homage to shea stadium which used to run WWF events way back when

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  102. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 5, 2015 at 2:08 PM

    Grab any funny standup comedian from Conan who is also a wrestling fan and that person is automatically way smarter and more creative than Vince Russo.


    It's not a lack of good idea people. I've listened to tons of podcasts with ex WWE writers (Court Bauer, Jon Pollack, especially Matt McCarthy who Keller has on a lot) and often these guys come off as super smart, funny, big wrestling fans, and have really good ideas. But none of that matters because Vince McMahon is the WWE and that's that.


    Whenever you hear Russo speak, he legit sounds retarded. He wasn't anything special aside from being the first guy there.

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  103. How much is does the average house show draw anyway? Might be an easy way to try something different, get people talking.

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  104. The hard camera stuff drives me nuts. Like a guy is going to hit his move and has seconds to get a pin and stops to make sure he's facing the right camera.

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  105. AverageJoeEverymanJune 5, 2015 at 2:10 PM

    HAW HAW MAGGLE, LOOK A R-TRUTH AND NEW DAY HAVING A DANCE OFF RIGHT HERE IN ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM!! AWWW THOSE BOYS BE HAVIN FUN!!

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  106. Or the ramp on the hard camera side at Maple Leaf Gardens. Back in the 80's, even as a child in many cases I could instantly pick out what arena the WWF was holding the event at just by the unique look of each location.

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  107. "run on a beach in summer"

    Rocky and Apollo style!

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  108. AverageJoeEverymanJune 5, 2015 at 2:12 PM

    Look at the horrible little wooden stairs by the ring, must be at Boston Garden

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  109. TheBrazillianTrannyJune 5, 2015 at 2:24 PM

    Hire Vince Russo.

    Stop laughing. I mean it.

    Hire him, but don't put him on the booking committee. Keep him on retainer, and every 3 months or so, ask him for ideas.

    Then hang up the phone and block his number for another 3 months.

    I have LONG contended that Vince Russo is a great idea man, but a horrible booker. He'll do an incredible job coming up with ideas, and then Russo them when he gets the chance.

    If someone could take that first part -- the idea part -- and put it to use, it could lead to great things. Unfortunately, the only Fed that could do that is WWE. No smaller Feds could afford to pay him to sit on his ass, and the smaller feds would end up having him in a booking role because he could pressure them to do it.

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  110. When did they start doing the hard camera, anyway? And why?

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  111. I don't care too much for the beach idea specifically, that stinks of WCW. But changing up the venues a bit would be a good idea.
    Minimizing all the silly screens at the entry would be a REALLY good idea. That's just too much. It's like too much CGI in a movie. Just too much.

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  112. I'm not saying he's a genius. Where in my post did I say that? I said he was good at coming up with creative ideas -- until he gets in control of those ideas (at which point everything quickly goes to hell)


    Take one of his notorious failures from TNA: The Main Event Mafia.


    The original core of that story was actually pretty friggin brilliant.


    - Sting feels disrespected by Joe, Styles, etc, and forms a group with a bunch of "people he can trust".
    - The rest of the group plays along, using their group and Sting's pull to get what they want
    - This is literally the best way I've ever seen to turn perennial face Sting heel. (In fact, something like this could work for Cena)


    With any competent writer/booker, this would have been gold:
    - MEM cheats and wins their way to get and hold all of the TNA gold
    - At some PPV, Fortune beats the MEM in a match like Wargames.
    - Styles beats Sting separately in that same event. The MEM turns on Sting, saying he's weak.


    There you go. Straight forward. We get 6-9 months of heel Sting, with about 3 months of matches to close things out.


    Unfortunately, we ended up with some baffling booking that was way more Russo-esque.


    Like I said, though -- the idea itself was sound. As was his idea for Desmond Wolfe's entrance to TNA. As was his idea for AJ getting the gold unfortunately right before the Hogan/Bischoff reign of mediocrity. As was stuff like SEX (barring the retarded name), many of the main event stories he contributed in WWF, and even the Millionaire's Club in WCW.


    Are there others that could come up with great ideas? Undoubtedly. But at least we KNOW what Russo's strengths are. And one of those strengths is coming up with interesting ideas that get rid of the same-old-same-old of WWE right now (which was the original point of the post)

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  113. They need to have it at a Motorcycle Rally.

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  114. I think his point is that you can find people with creative ideas who don't have the baggage that Russo brings.


    And the issue right now is the people or person at top don't seem interested in breaking from their current formula

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  115. Virgil's Gimmick TableJune 5, 2015 at 2:41 PM

    I just always called it "The Yellow Arena" cause everything in the building was a neon shade of piss.

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  116. Sweet merciful fuck, enough of this topic. Yes, it looks different than it used to. Sometimes, things change. Yes, some variety would be nice. It's not happening. Let's move on.

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  117. Couldn't agree more about the minimalist look. I was watching the Raw from MSG from 2009 on the Raw 20th Anniversary box set the other night, and I couldn't get over how awesome the arena looked. I think that in itself put that episode over the top.

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  118. Yeah, but he also comes with one or two strengths that a new writer wouldn't:


    - He's a known quantity. His strengths, and DEFINITELY his weaknesses, are well-known
    - He's unlikely to cave to the demands of McMahon. A new writer would say "yes sir, Mr McMahon. Having Roman Reigns on top is a GREAT idea, and let's be sure to push him through Kane and Big Show". Russo would be more likely to say "You asked me for ideas. I'm giving you ideas. Take it or leave it." In today's WWE, that ability can't be taken lightly.


    Anyway, just my thought. People don't need to agree with me (they rarely do).

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  119. But that's the difference between having someone who works FOR McMahon and someone who works WITH him. If you're worried about your paycheck, you'll do what the boss says, even if your ideas are better.


    If you don't give a shit, and are doing this occasionally, you'll be much more likely to give your actual opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  120. We should do a wrestling Mount Rushmore thread!

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  121. And then Cena should turn heel on all of it in Montreal, which was a work.

    ReplyDelete
  122. How would you have booked the Invasion?

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  123. So, what you mean is:


    Yes, it looks the same as it always does. Sometimes things stay the same.


    fixed it for you

    ReplyDelete
  124. You know just one small thing I would change: the ring ropes. Bring back the red, white, and blue ropes. Whenever they have them on their Old School RAWs, it's a small breath of fresh air.

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  125. So...I'm guessing no one knows?

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  126. It's been 22 minutes

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  127. With Cena turning heel on everyone in Montreal, which was a work.

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  128. *shrug* Usually, there's been an answer by now. Oh well, I'll be away from the internet for a few hours now, so I'll see if there's some replies then.

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  129. No, it didn't always look like it currently does. Happy I could help.

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  130. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 5, 2015 at 2:54 PM

    Exactly, Vince Russo is a known quantity. And it's pretty well known that he's significantly dumber than the average person, let alone WAY dumber and less creative than the average TV writer or mid-level standup who also is a wrestling fan.


    I'm not saying that you called Russo a genius. But even at this level, you're significantly overrating his strengths. There's nothing he brings to the table creatively that you can't find in a million other professional writers. It's not just that Russo isn't "genius level", it's that he's significantly worse than the majority of the writing population.


    He's not a smart guy at all.


    And that "won't back down from Vince" stuff is nonsensical. OK, so he'll get fired. "Take it or leave it." They'd leave it. So what's the difference between Russo and anyone else? In any situation, as long as McMahon is alive the writer is an empty position. Nobody is plowing stuff through Vince just by acting tough.

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  131. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 5, 2015 at 2:55 PM

    "Sometimes, things change."

    Hahaha dude, that's like the exact opposite of what people are critiquing here.

    ReplyDelete
  132. Give the referees bowties again.
    Problem solved!

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  133. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 5, 2015 at 3:00 PM

    In what universe though would Vince Russo be in a position to not give a shit? The best case scenario for his life is getting back on the WWE money train. You don't think he'd do everything he could to just hold onto his job just like any other writer? I mean, have you seen his pathetic attempts at still wringing the last dollar out of his wrestling career?

    Hell, at least these writers in their 20s with actual TV experience know they can leave WWE and go do other stuff. Russo's an old dude who was never able to even once move his career towards anything outside pro wrestling. He's be more beholden to a WWE job than anyone.

    And again, the guy is a really dumb guy. Like, ridiculously stupid and not funny if you've ever heard him speak or read anything of his. His position in WWE was just that he happened to be the FIRST guy there with that opposite viewpoint at a time they were grasping at straws.

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  134. When exactly are you referring to, 2005?


    That was 10 years ago. 10 years of the same thing is not a change

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  135. I vote we go full 1986 and have a studio show again. We can get Tony Schiavone out of mothballs, give him a cheesy mustache, and have him interview Ric Flair.

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  136. Yeah, with all the budget cuts they're doing, it blows my mind that cutback #1 wasn't "hey, maybe we don't have the stage look like a Tokyo nightclub."

    ReplyDelete
  137. The set is different than what it used to be. That would be change.

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  138. kbwrestlingreviewsJune 5, 2015 at 3:20 PM

    Please.....not a tribute to Nitro. I couldn't handle the references to the Monday Night Wars and the Attitude Era and WWE banging their chest over how they conquered everything and came back from the dead because WCW was just so stupid and the WWF was just so brilliant all over again. The Monday Night Wars documentary mess was enough.

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  139. On the other hand, think of how it'll go over in Tokyo!

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  140. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 5, 2015 at 3:21 PM

    The critique here is that the presentation of WWE TV has been pretty much the same for over 15 years.

    People are critiquing the LACK of change. Come on man, don't play dumb.

    ReplyDelete
  141. Also, the very next sentence I wrote after what you quoted was "Yes, some variety would be nice," which would seem to indicate that I understand and agree with the critique. I just don't understand why people care so much. It's really not that big of a deal.

    ReplyDelete
  142. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 5, 2015 at 3:24 PM

    Oh please man, don't do that "why do people care so much" crap. Why do you care enough to write about why people care so much? You're on a wrestling blog and this is a wrestling topic.

    People "care" in as much as it's a part of the wrestling show. And as to that, the presentation looking and sounding exactly the same for over 15 years is a worthy thing to critique about a TV show.

    ReplyDelete
  143. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 5, 2015 at 3:25 PM

    Did, and nope.

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  144. Agree to disagree, dude. Agree to disagree.

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  145. It's a topic that has been discussed at a rate that far outpaces its importance. It seems like every two weeks we're back on this same stupid fucking thing. I don't know about anyone else but shit like this, the hard camera stuff, etc., I don't even think about that when I watch a wrestling program. If others do, great. I think that's kinda weird. Opinions cut both ways. If others think it's worthy of critique, they're allowed to say that. Just like I'm allowed to say this topic is beyond tired.

    ReplyDelete
  146. Triple H in a tank own your soul.

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  147. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 5, 2015 at 3:33 PM

    I dunno, the whole "this opinion is tired why does this matter" post seems like a waste of time and kind of dickish. No reason for you to give a thread a second look if it bores you or whatever.

    Like it's one thing to engage with an actual opinion on the topic, one that disagrees with the others. (Maybe you love the fact that the look of the TV show never ever changes, cool.) But otherwise ehh, fuck it ok.

    ReplyDelete
  148. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 5, 2015 at 3:35 PM

    Done and done

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  149. Why don't you ask Scott a better question to get the kind of discussion you want going?

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  150. I really like the idea being discussed the other day about running summerslam in a baseball stadium. Companies that draw 1200 fans are playing baseball stadiums and the one company that can draw 30k plus doesn't.

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  151. One thing we do agree on is that, by and large, Russo is a moron. Then again, we aren't alone in that opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  152. Good point. Same stop on the 7 train...

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  153. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 5, 2015 at 4:02 PM

    Especially in the NYC area, it's by far the easiest market they have. Could have drawn 30k+ easy to Citifield

    ReplyDelete
  154. Worst_in_the_WorldJune 5, 2015 at 4:04 PM

    Summerslam in Citifield, Raw the next night in Arthur Ashe stadium. Do a weekend outdoor fan fest at Arthur Ashe. Holy shit that would have been cool.

    ReplyDelete
  155. NY, Philly, Chicago could all come close if not fill it up. How awesome would summerslam at Wrigley be?

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  156. Or at the very least, go back to changing up the ring ropes for each show. Smackdown with blue, Raw with red, PPV with white, and then maybe specialty stuff depending on the show. The white ropes for every other show is very bland.

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  157. 1) Run an outdoor RAW once in awhile. It would be a unique change of pace if nothing else.

    2) Change the color of the ring ropes and / or ring mat. White ropes with a mostly white mat coupled with bright lights washes out the presentation too much. To paraphrase Jimmy Hart, it's showbiz, baby! Add some color!

    3) Get rid of all the LED lights. To Scott's point, the lights are too distracting and add nothing to the presentation.

    ReplyDelete
  158. If anything, the LED lights actually hurt the presentation thanks to all the macroblocking errors that result during the broadcast.

    ReplyDelete
  159. LOVE the SummerSlam tie-in idea!!! The grounds at the National Tennis Center around the stadium are incredible.


    Even if they ran a random RAW there, they'd have no trouble filling the place, given the built-in NYC fanbase. Would probably be cheaper to rent than any of the arenas, too, since that space isn't exactly in-demand for most of the year.

    ReplyDelete
  160. "- Do in-ring post-match interviews with winners and losers like they do in boxing. Use it to set up future matches."
    I really like that idea. It makes a lot more sense than having guys randomly coming out to the ring to cut a promo.

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  161. It's sunk costs. They built the damn thing, to stop using it would be a waste of the money they spent building it.

    I bet someone said "And with this LED set, we don't have to spend money on sets for the next twenty years. If we want a different look, we just use different graphics on these screens."

    ReplyDelete
  162. Lower the house lights. You mean like TNA?

    You only lower the house lights when you can't draw a crowd and want to hide that fact. The biggest sales tool for the WWE is "look at all the people who seem to like this shit."

    Other than that, I like the way you think.

    ReplyDelete
  163. Only things I'd do is downsize the tron, get rid of all of the awful strobe lighting and audience lighting, and make the ropes red again. All red ropes? Fine. All blue ropes? Fine. Red, White & Blue ropes? Fine. All white ropes? Ugly and bland besides WrestleMania 23, which had the right color scheme around them.

    ReplyDelete
  164. SPRING BREAK RAW.

    RAW IN THE POOL.

    BROCK LESNAR SPIKES SETH ROLLINS INTO THE POOL LIKE A VOLLEYBALL. NOW.

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  165. That's the exact rationale they explained when they first switched to HD in 2008. Carrying around different sets is taxing and all of the LEDs allows them to superficially change the presentation without shelling out for new sets all the time.

    ReplyDelete
  166. Since always? At least the mid-90s.

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  167. Instead of that or simply ignoring it. He would much rather click on the thread just to bitch about it . He's one of THOSE forum guys.

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  168. Simple: throw away the scripts. Just give the talent bullet points for what they need to get across, and trust them to convey the character as they see best.

    ReplyDelete
  169. TNA does backstage skits the best, as did WWF during the Russo era. They're filmed candidly and spontaneously, not like a TV show scene.

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  170. Plus he says "bro" a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  171. The frustration about "this again?" surprises me a bit. Given that
    a) wrestling is simply not a deep enough or diverse topic to have endless things to talk about
    b) Scott still wants to provide a regular update of content on the blog
    c) however, Scott is on the other end of 40, with a family, and barely has the time to watch old shows let alone new ones that he has limited interest in
    d) With the exception of Bayless there seems to be an unusual amount of hatred for most other voices that post here (I miss you CFB)


    It's pretty much a guarantee that the same topics are going to retread and retread and be beaten to death (Daniel Bryan's burial, Roman Reigns, the age of the TitanTron etc. etc.) They're easy topics that generally don't require much thought or investment, particularly when you can just post the question, write a one-sentence answer and the clicks and essays come rolling in. That's not a condemnation of Scott either! If I had that kind of availability that's what I'd do! Heck, I'd invite more bots on here just so Adam and kbjone can inflate the comment and hit count ;)


    This comes off as a "like it or leave it" kind of post - I don't mean it to. That being said, I think anyone coming here hoping to always have a constant stream of new and exciting things to talk about is probably visiting the wrong blog.


    Yuck, I'm never going "meta" again, don't much like it.

    ReplyDelete
  172. Seriously, fuck russo, fuck cornette, fuck heyman, fuck the mcmahons (ok im reaching on that one)fuck bichoff. Some are better than others (heyman obviously). But it's 2015. Wrestling will never evolve with any of these guys. Is there any one else besides them? These people seem to have been around forever. Give someone else a turn. They can't do much worse.

    ReplyDelete
  173. That's a good point...

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  174. Which totally makes sense......until the look and feel DON'T change regardless of what you do with the LED lights and the set. I get they want ROI from the set they built, but wow a little variety every now and then won't hurt.

    ReplyDelete
  175. Hell, baby steps. Just make the set different for PPVs, like it used to be.

    Putting different graphics on the tron means nothing WHEN YOU CAN'T SEE THEM FOR 99% OF THE SHOW OR DURING ENTRANCES.

    ReplyDelete
  176. I personally don't care, but if it's brought that often that's obviously what determines its importance.

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  177. Do they even use the camera's they have on the top of the ring posts? I just noticed them a few weeks ago, and think they've used them twice.

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  178. Not to engage your nonsense any further, but WWE did run Hammerstein a bunch of times and then tried to launch an ECW brand off it, so it ain't that crazy an idea to them, either.

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  179. Thank you. And I apologise for my language.

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  180. Look at how awesome Summerslam 92 was at Wembley stadium.

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  181. Can't wait to see the bikers trash all the black wrestlers.

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  182. Exactly. They've got proof they can do a fresh, exciting show in a different looking venue with NXT, stick a WWE show in a smaller place with a rabid crowd from time to time.

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  183. They ran ECW there not their flagship program for the last two and a half decades big difference. The fact that you think it's nonsense that I don't think they should lose 15,000 fans as well as run in some dingy building in their prime time spot. Tells me how how your delusions are that you think my shit is nonsense. Someday you'll accept that when you engage me you lose.

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  184. I can't even believe I'm replying this but you're losing out on about 12,000 seats by doing this. So you're losing 12,000 seat sales a week if you just do this on RAW. They draw 4 million views a week roughly on average. They would have to bump their views dramatically to increase their tv rights to the level that they would break even. Assuming you realized all of this (you clearly didn't and even after I just broke it down you still don't). Even if that is the case you're telling me that by doing this that they are going to increase their viewership by 500,000 or a million people just by what arena they run? There have been a lot of stupid statements on this blog. This statement alone would occupy the top ten spots of that category all on its own. Its actually past mentally retarded that you would think this.

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  185. Nice, this character is already moving from his "gosh I'm just a dissenting voice" bullshit phase to his "I'm an important and undefeatable mind" delusion phase.

    ReplyDelete
  186. The "dark audience" look of mid-80s stuff, where you couldn't see anyone other than at ringside, was fantastic, dramatic stuff.

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  187. I really think backstage skits are pretty dumb dating back to the Russo era. There should be no magical eye of God in wrestling.

    ReplyDelete
  188. Also I like it because sometimes a new thing will occur to me about something I watched weeks/months/years/decades ago.

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  189. Well I'm sorry but he's just completely wrong. "They ran Hammerstein" yeah on their third most important brand. Not to mention the whole "they should strip down the show to bare bones and run 2,000 seat arenas". For a guys who's favorite phrases are things like "bush league" this is the very definition of it. Its not my fault he's wrong and decided to question me on it. Atleast you're smart enough to know that doing that won't help the show's success by any means. It begins and ends with good writing. I know I'm not going to watch a show to look at a pretty set.

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  190. You seem to have some problem reading, so I'll say it again slowly. No-one is suggesting running every show from a smaller arena. They are suggesting that a few times a year "special" shows are run from different types of venue, some of which (Citifield) have bigger seating capacities than their usual arenas, some of which (Hammerstein) are smaller. The whole point is to mix the show format up and allow more interesting match formats, different types of audience interaction and stop the death by a thousand cuts we're watching now where every week the show looks identical.

    ReplyDelete

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