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The SmarK RAW Rant–09.24.12

The SmarK RAW Rant – 09.24.12

Live from Albany, NY

Your hosts are Jim Ross & Michael Cole

Paul Heyman starts us out with CM Punk staging a sit-in. They call out referee Brad Maddox, who sadly doesn’t have a Twitter handle on his graphic, and demand an apology and resignation. He apologizes but won’t tender his resignation. Apparently he’s a replacement ref, which is some sort of football reference that I’m sure others who actually watch it will understand. GMAJ and her awesomely short shorts come out to save the ref, and Punk cuts a self-righteous promo on her. See, now THAT is a character that CM Punk can pull off as a heel. Punk accuses her of being a bunny-boiling psycho who screwed around with him and then wouldn’t get over him. And that gets the crowd to CHEER him more! This all leads to Heyman proposing for some reason, and AJ slaps him and leaves. They appeared to lose the POINT in all that, but conspiracy-minded jackass CM Punk is fun.

Meanwhile, incompetent referee Brad Maddox gets more screen time, as AJ goes all crazy eyes and threatens to fire him. Who did this guy blow to get featured so much?

Kofi Kingston v. Dolph Ziggler

This is the blowoff of a TWITTER WAR. Now there’s a PPV concept for you. Kofi attacks and dumps Dolph to start, then hits a dive as we take a break. Back with Dolph getting an inverted powerslam for two. Dolph goes to the chinlock while Cole relays words of wisdom from Social Media Ambassador Criss Angel, who by the way has a better pro wrestling name than 90% of the goofs that come up from developmental these days. Dolph misses the charge and Kofi makes the comeback with the Boomdrop. Ziggler catches the wacky kick, but runs into a kick in the corner and Kofi gets a flying forearm for two. Kofi with a high cross or two. Dolph kicks him in the leg and hits the fameasser for two. This crowd is just crazy into the match. Zig Zag is blocked and Kofi gets the SOS for a hot two count. Dolph takes the Hennig bump into the corner, but lands on the top rope, and Kofi counters into a bodypress for two. The crowd is just INSANE for this. Ziggler sends him into the corner, Zig Zag, goodbye at 11:42. And yet they still won’t push Kofi. ***1/2 They’ve of course had literally a billion matches (LITERALLY. A BILLION) so they have great chemistry. But hey, jobbing every week to the Brogue Kick is obviously how to get Ziggler over, not by having great matches with compatible workers.

Meanwhile, after a Smackdown recap, Dr. Shelby has lunch with Daniel Bryan. (“Actually, I am the tag team champions.” “Well, that’s not even grammatically correct…”) As a trust-building exercise, Kane plays the waiter. His name is Gerald, and he’s a waiter. Apparently he killed the cook and put his body in the deep fryer because he had a goat beard. Man, Kane is just killing it with these skits.

The Primetime Players v. Zack Ryder & Santino Marella

Of course any time they get near New York, Zack is gonna do the job. Zack quickly misses a bodypress and clotheslines himself on the top rope, and Young hits a chinlock. Santino tags in and gets his usual offensive flurry on Young, and it’s quickly BONZO GONZO as Titus dumps Ryder. Titus blocks the Cobra and finishes with a Sky High bomb at 1:50. *

Mick Foley makes a surprise appearance, talking about how disappointed he is in CM Punk. Punk answers and accuses Mick of being here to shill another kids book, but Foley lays into him for aligning with Heyman. He notes that Punk doesn’t need a mouthpiece, and accuses him of DRINKING THE KOOL-AID. Oh great, now we’re really getting inside. Foley talks about earning respect in Hell In a Cell, and thinks Punk should face Cena in that match to prove himself once and for all. Punk is like “I’ve already beat Cena three times and I’m still the champion, so fuck off.” Or words resembling that. Foley offers him the chance to make his own decision later tonight. Holy cow, that Punk v. Foley match at the PPV should be awesome! Oh, sorry, they’re not actually fighting. My mistake.

The Miz v. Ryback

This is non-title. I don’t know why they don’t just pull the trigger on him and make him the champion already. Might actually make the belt mean something to put it on their big project. Ryback tosses Miz around, but runs into an elbow in the corner. He comes right back with the running powerslam, and Miz bails. He manages to send Ryback into the railing, and hits the short DDT for two. Ryback pops up and powerbombs him, and some goof fan runs into the ring and gets swarmed. The Shellshock finishes clean at 3:00. The announcers make no mention of Ryback wanting or caring about the title. *

Meanwhile, Kane and Bryan continue bonding over lunch, and we get the obvious When Harry Met Sally parody.

Meanwhile, AJ gives the refs a peptalk, and announces Sheamus/Mysterio/Sin Cara v. ADR/Otunga/Ricardo.

Wade Barrett v. Tyson Kidd

Kidd gets a quick rollup, but Barrett clotheslines him and boots him to the floor for a beating out there. Tyson gets another rollup, but Barrett hits the Bossman slam and finishes with the FOREARM OF DOOM at 2:14. This Barrett push isn’t working. *

Jerry Lawler appears live from Memphis, talking about the heart attack and his recovery.

Sheamus, Sin Cara & Rey Mysterio v. Alberto Del Rio, David Otunga & Ricardo Rodriguez

Kind of unfairly stacked against the heels here. The luchadors hit double dives onto Ricardo and ADR to start, and Ricardo starts against Sin Cara, wrestling in his tuxedo. Can’t say he’s not classy. Del Rio gets a cheapshot and Cara plays (no) face in peril. ADR stomps him down for two. Back to Ricardo, who quickly falls victim to a headscissors, and it’s hot tag Rey. He dropkicks ADR’s knee for two. Rey goes up and Del Rio pops up with an enzuigiri for two. Rey gets worked over in the corner for the heat, but he dropkicks out of a chinlock and it’s over to Sheamus. Otunga runs away from the brogue kick, so Sheamus hauls Ricardo in and beats the shit out of him so that Rey and Sin Cara can finish him at 7:10. Just a tag match to put over the babyfaces. I kind of wish they’d make Ricardo and ADR into a permanent tag team for a while and have them feud with Rey & Sin Cara because I’m pretty sure it would be awesome. **1/2

Meanwhile, Dr. Shelby serves Kane a salad and Bryan a bowl of meatballs, so they can better understand each other. Kane burps and Bryan pukes in Shelby’s lap. OK, these are getting weaker.

TWITTER POLL: Should the tag champions be Team Teamwork, Team Hell No, or Team Friendship? Apparently this is BINDING, so vote wisely. After the break, the winning name is revealed to be TEAM HELL NO, and they get attacked by Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow: THE RHODES SCHOLARS. Oh that’s awesome. What the heck is with all these actual tag teams all of a sudden?

Layla & Alicia Fox v. Eve & Beth Phoenix

Beth looks remarkably not fired here, so perhaps she’s just playing out the string. Layla gets a bodypress on Beth for two and Fox comes in with dropkicks that barely make contact and a sunset flip for two. She should just use a rollup instead, it’s guaranteed to beat Phoenix. Beth comes back with a slingshot suplex and Eve hits a neckbreaker for the clean pin at 1:30. Well that wasn’t much of a match. ½* Kaitlyn hobbles out and accuses Beth of being the mystery attacker at the PPV. Eve is AGHAST and lays out Beth in disgust. And they wonder why a million people are tuning out of the third hour every week.

Brodus Clay v. Tensai

Total squash for Brodus, but Big Show randomly comes out and beats up both guys for the double DQ at 1:40. Yay? Boo?

Main Event Interview: John Cena is out to shill his cancer gear and challenge CM Punk yet again, and that brings out Punk and Heyman, looking more gloriously scummy by the minute. Heyman holding up the gold like it’s a UFC belt is hilarious. Punk points out that Cena has had all the shots he deserves, and he’s not getting another one at the PPV. Punk has now progressed to the “shut your mouth fat boy” stage of cheap heel heat as they desperately do everything and anything to get people to boo him. So he points out that it’s stupid for a one-armed Cena to challenge him (wearing all pink no less) and it’s just gonna lead to pain for him. Punk stupidly turns his back on Cena, and Cena produces a LEAD PIPE and attacks Punk with it. What a hero.

And then it gets WORSE, as Punk heads backstage and stops to give Foley a cheapshot on the way by. But then it’s RYBACK in the most random cameo appearance you’ll see in a while. Now I really hope Cena is back in time so we don’t have to see that match on PPV. Like really, THAT’S their backup plan? These monkeys couldn’t put 2 and 2 together with the very interview segment THAT THEY WROTE and book Punk v. Foley instead?

The Pulse

I feel like a broken record, but this was a perfectly good two hour show with a third hour that just went into the toilet yet again, leading up to a god-awful final segment that made me never want to see Cena v. Punk again. The show is just too long, there’s no other way around it.

Comments

  1. Re-posted from the Open Mic thread:

    It's
    been speculated here and elsewhere before that Cena has refused to be
    anything less than #1 tippy-top babyface because of all his work with
    Make-A-Wish, and now with Susan G Koman, that if he went heel it would
    undermine all of the charity work. This is just his version of HHH in
    the late 90's. Vince only has one daughter and same-sex marriage isn't
    legal yet, so this is how he's protected his spot for this damn long.
    Nothing Cena has done, or has been done around him, has pissed me off as
    much as the last couple weeks. Cena gets to be the standard bearer
    against cancer, so no one else on the roster is allowed to wear pink
    anymore? I wonder if they would make Bret change his colors too. But I
    was still prepared to forgive it, because after all, it's a noble
    cause...



    Until he said "That was a real pipe bomb!"



    Shove that roll of tin foil up your ass and rip it out again so you
    can die from a lacerated sphincter. Punk earned his spot with blood and
    sweat and workrate. Cena bought his with a degree from the HHH School of
    Politics. Hustle Loyalty Respect? We certainly got Hustled.

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  2. "What the heck is with all these actual tag teams all of a sudden?"

    The kayfabe reason is that other teams think Team Hell No is so dysfunctional that they'll be an easy title win.  The not-so-kayfabe reason is that Team Hell No is the hottest act in the company right now, so they might as well bring some other guys along for the ride.

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  3. Every week we beg for them to push someone new up the card. It looks like Ryback is finally going to be the one to get that chance. 

    And... wait... now that's a BAD thing?! What? 

    I agree that I don't want to see Ryback-Punk in a cell match, but I don't think that's going to happen and I think that ending was awesome to RAW tonight. 

    It wasn't Big Show standing above Foley. It wasn't Kane. It wasn't a McMahon. It was an honest to goodness new face in the upper card.

    What happens now? I have no idea, but I'm actually interested to find out. That final 5 seconds hooked me on what they'll do next. Why? Because it's someone new and that's what I've been asking for. 
     

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  4. I appreciated that Cole/JR said exactly that and made that a part of the storyline from here on out.  It actually makes sense and makes the tag belts seem like something that stars like Rey, Sin Cara and Cody would want to have. 

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  5. THANK YOU.

    We bitch and moan about "WE WANT NEW UPPERCARD FACES!", they give us one, we STILL bitch? This is why Vince ignores the IWC.

    Primetime Playas, Rhodes Scholars, Hell No.............Truth/Kofi and Rey/Cara need names now.

    And as for Scott's "what a hero" sarcastic crack.........if you're going to be the kind of douchebag that threatens to hurt me when I'm already hurt, I got no problem cracking you in the stomach with a lead pipe. Don't start shit you can't finish.

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  6. Ryback not being interested in the title makes sense.  The only thing he ever says is feed me more.  He wants the challenges and the competition, not the title.  Also I don't believe for a second that he's facing Punk at the PPV.  Ryback will face Miz and hopefully get the title.  Ryback will face Punk on Raw, Miz will interfere, and Punk will have something to bridge the gap to get to the PPV while Cena is healing.

    This is the kind of show fans have been begging for for months: there's a tag team division, new stars are being pushed, there's more time to build up to the PPV, they're showing stuff outside the arena to give some better character development which has had good results, the world titles aren't changing hands all the time so that once the changes happen they'll feel big.  A lot of things are changing right now and they're changing for the better.  I honestly do not get most of the complaints for this show lately.  Since Night of Champions, WWE has been on fire.

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  7. I've been saying for six months that Kofi and Truth should be Ghana Get Got.

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  8. *From the moment I realized it had been about six months without him dropping the title, I've feared Punk's insanely long title reign would come to an end via injury.

    Putting him in the ring with Ryback will only amplify that fear in me.

    *Team Hell No would be a better name without the "Team" part. Of course, No Chants in Hell was staring them in the face RIGHT THERE and they didn't take it. Although they kind of made up for it with the Rhodes Scholars. That's just aces.

    *Oh, and yeah, Kofi/Dolph definitely did rock the house out there. They have the kind of chemistry that Rock/HHH had over their 100,000 match series in the late 90s, chemistry which they were able to parlay into main event super stardom. Fast-forward to 2012, where Kofi and Dolph could light the world and fire and still struggle to make it out of the eight o'clock hour.

    *Was it just me, or did anyone think, before turning it into a Michael Cole joke, that Lawler was on the cusp of blaming his heart attack on Raw going three hours?

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  9. 1,000 thumbs up and mega lols in your direction, you borderline racist, wonderful bastard.

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  10. I think people are irritated because, of any number of guys they have that are young and can actually talk and work a thrilling match, they decide to push Ryback. 

    This is to say nothing of the wealth of guys just stewing away in developmental without a thing to do. Not saying that people are right to complain, I'm simply trying to give an explanation for why. I don't mind Ryback at all. Not thrilled about him, but I don't think his push is some great injustice. For all we know, he'll find his footing, turn heel, and be Douchetista 2.0, in which case it will have all been worth it.

    That said, it's still way too soon for him to even be in the title conversation. (Jinder Mahal has been his only proper feud thus far, for crying out loud!) But then, what do I know? He seems to be crazy over. It's the perfect intersection of intensity, look, music, catchphrase, and killing guys dead in under three minutes.

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  11. Why do we assume Punk/Foley would be a better match than Punk/Ryback? Foley's out of shape and dealing with the injuries he accumulated over his career.

    Assuming Foley actually *wants* to come back and work a Cell match, maybe Vince/HHH don't want him to cause they actually care about his well-being and understand that sometimes he needs to be protected from himself.

    I liked this show, and I'm with the guys that are pleased to see Ryback potentially get a shot in the upper-card. It's like TNA and Austin Aries, sometimes it's refreshing to see a company just fucking go for it and see if a guy can make it at the top. If it fails, it fails. At least he avoided the typical "yo-yo" booking that befalls everyone else before they hit the main event.

    Or maybe it's just a tease to hedge their bets in case Cena can't go, and then it's not totally random to plug him in. But if it's for real, then my point(s) stand.

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  12.  IT'S STILL REAL TO ME, DAMMIT!

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  13.  the show is too dam  long,  i dont see what's  hard to get anout that.

    combine that with a main event angle that people feel is insulting their intelligence (more than usual)  than its easy to see why people dont like it.

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  14. wwe apologists all up in this thread. 

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  15. Cena's worked his ass off to get where he is.  Punk is an enormous dickhead.

    I'm not justifying Cena's motivations, but...it's not as black and white as you claim.

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  16. Now if only Ryback wasn't dangerous, botchy, out of shape and terrible on the mic.

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  17. Foley can work beyond bumping and he can actually build a storyline around the match that would make it more interesting that Bronzeberg's first main-event.

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  18. cm punk should come out to pantera's mouth for war. it fits him and he had harder music last time he was a heel.

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  19.  The thing about people bitching is that while people want new stars, they're still picky about *who* creative chooses to be that new star. Kinda like Sheamus in 2009, while it was appreciated that someone new was getting a shot, the reaction is like, "Okay, I'm glad you chose someone new...but really? Sheamus? Why?"

    Ryback is a much more clear choice than I think Sheamus was, personally. And an easy kayfabe reason goes along with it: considering Ryback hasn't lost on screen yet in about 6-7 months, why isn't he getting any title shots for anything?

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  20. I think the WWE has finally found the formula to get me behind John Cena: Making Ryback the alternative.

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  21. After that promo from Cena, I'm wondering if he's an unholy love child of Triple H and Ned Flanders.

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  22. Hey now, Zack jobs everywhere, not just near New York.

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  23. Punk's already had a title reign end via injury.

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  24. Jamaican me crazy Justin!

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  25. Yeah, I was gonna say. Might as well just mention that he's wrestling in a Place with a Wrestling Mat.

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  26. Funny how much more seriously we take the midcarders when the announcers actually take the 5 seconds to put them over and give them a reason to be out there other than "Vince needs someone to waste 15 minutes between a Cena video package and Brodus Clay dancing."

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  27. thats just wrestlecrap....com

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  28. its called team hell no cuz of twitter.

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  29. bronzeberg ...

    many lolz

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  30. I don't think Kofi is getting pushed any higher up the card until he develops some pec muscles. Seriously wouldn't be surprised if that's holding him back.

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  31. Would be interesting if they turned it around and made Zack a real "hometown boy" who loses everywhere EXCEPT New York. Then give him a title match on PPV in NYC and watch the crowd go nuts.

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  32. Given Foley's physical condition, I'd almost categorize him as a non-worker (not Bret Hart but similar in that there's a lot of stuff they can't/shouldn't do). I'm against putting someone like that in the main event of a ppv. Plus there's the fact that there would be zero intrigue over the result (it raised eyebrows when Foley won the world title of the clear cut 2nd banana promotion 4 years ago), whereas you could see them actually pulling the trigger on Ryback.
     
    I won't argue that the promos would be gold, and the storyline would be better than a Ryback one, but what it's building to matters, and Mick Foley/CM Punk in a Cell match shouldn't be going down in 2012.
     
    They can't deliver on the brutality paying customers expect, and even if Foley was willing I wouldn't even *want* them to, given his physical state.

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  33. His inset promos have been OK, but his type of character doesn't need to say much. Haven't seen all of his matches, but don't remember him botching TOO much, except maybe with Swagger. He won't put on the same level of matches vs Punk like some of the elite workers, but I'm curious to see what Punk can get out of him if he walks him through the matches and hits the comebacks at the right spots.

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  34. Some of them could/should lead to interesting break ups, too. Bryan goes face, Rhodes face, Kofi heel... Dreamed up a whole Jesse Baker-esque story for Sandow with a valet who prefers hirsute, intellectual men, fine wines and theater...with him beating down Rhodes, sitting on a chair over his throat, and lecturing him about obscure playwrights and poets week after week.

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  35. The only way this Cena thing could have been any worse is if instead of bone spurs, they said he had arm cancer, but he overcame the odds.

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  36. It's been proven that the crowd will take him seriously given the proper push, so I don't get it either.  I've been on the "push Kofi" bandwagon ever since the Orton feud.

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  37. Ryback makes you appreciate Bill Goldberg's natural charisma, which was apparent right from his debut match.

    Oh, and SAVE US MARK HENRY.

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  38. Punk turning around to see Mark Henry in that last segment? That would have been pretty cool.

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  39. And overcame that cancer in six weeks, to be ready in time for HiTC.

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  40. The opening and closing segments were Terrible. Juat about everything else was fairly decent but Scott's right, the Barrett push is a failure right now and his finisher is lame.

    That said, I like that they are focusing on a tag division and Kofi/Dolph was a great match. But, watching AJ act like a psychotic Jan Brady was embarassing

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  41. YankeesHoganTripleHFanSeptember 25, 2012 at 7:26 AM

    I was hoping it was going to The Undertaker.

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  42. YankeesHoganTripleHFanSeptember 25, 2012 at 7:30 AM

    So true Charlie, so true.

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  43. You keep spouting as often as you can how pink is an enormous asshole and dickhead. Repeat after me: you don't know him. Just stop already, it really makes you look like a total mark.

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  44. These past few shows have been great 2 hour 15 minute shows.  Skim off
    some of the more unnecessary things and take out the main event that
    left a sour taste in people's mouths and you get a critically acclaimed
    show.  I know I would've been thinking, "That was a pretty damn good
    Raw," if I had just turned off the friggin TV before Cena's music hit. 

    Instead,
    we got a double talking Cena promo where he was on the verge of tears
    in the beginning while talking about cancer (is there a place for that?
    Maybe but not in the main event) and then promoting his injury and his
    next match.

    I posted it early on in the live Raw thread, but I'll say it again:  how many millions (or thousands) of dollars are they willing to flush down the toilet just to turn Punk heel?  Between the loss of merchandise sales, the potential loss of his DVD sales, and the potential  loss of PPV sales, it seems like WWE doesn't care all that much about money they are losing and going to lose.  The kiddies were behind Punk two months ago and many people are still behind him.  But most people feel uncomfortable about throwing their support behind a full-fledged heel.  So, we all get less enthusiasm for the product and lukewarm reactions for Punk.

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  45. Will he change the name of his finishing move to the Chemo Crush???

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  46. A lot of people say that turning Cena heel will cure what ails the company but I don't think so. He could be a colossal flop. I don't mind if he still wants to remain a face and continues to do so, but my god, do SOMETHING other than changing your shirt colour to freshen up your character.

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  47. Anyone who does not instantly have the Rhodes Scholars in their top tag teams right now needs to rethink life.  I'm trying to figure out how to preorder a shirt, though one does not exist.

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  48. Disappointed that we are forced to settle with Team HellNo over Team Friendship. Then Cody and Sandow make me smile again with the awesome name of RhodesScholars.

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  49. At least they're finally putting some of the directionless mid-carders together in tag teams, like many have been asking for.  

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  50. Hey now...he changes his HATS, too.

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  51. So bad it's good. Between this and Jeff Harvey I'm quite glad Adamle had his WWE stint.

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  52. I thought the 3 hours was going to help the WWE create new stars. Because outside of Team Friendship (which actually took 2 guys away from the main event), nothing has really happened.

    When Ryback is your backup plan, you really need to re-evaluate how you build new stars.

    And the Ziggler thing is absurd at this point. I still remember the December PPV last year when Ryder won the US title & Ziggler carried Ryder to an awesome match. They should've strapped the rocket to Ziggler right then & there. Whenever they get around to it, it's going to be too late.

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  53. I just hope they really get unified for a while...we're getting the team names, now we just need colors, tandem moves, and mission statements. Don't want to see these guys team up, have a one or two month run at the belts, then split again.

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  54. Man, Ryback & Austin Aries are 2 completely different things.

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  55. I'm sure Barbershop Window is on it.

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  56.   Foley didn't save the Trips/Nash HITC. Foley and Sting stunk it up at
    Lockdown a few years ago. Foley's done other than as a promo guy or
    commentator.

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  57. I think it's too soon to judge the 3 Hour Era. Let's give it a couple more months and see what happens with this suddenly rejuvenated tag scene, the (at this point slightly) more fleshed out midcard, and how Ryback does in a higher profile role.

    I'm never going to prefer 3 hours over 2, but there are positives and so far I'd say I'm... cautiously optimistic.

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  58. Yeah, absolutely.  The "wacky team" dynamic is working for Kane & Bryan, but everyone else should have actual cohesive teams.

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  59. I hate to sound like a broken record, but can we *please* LIPOSWAG with regards to Ryback. Like a couple guys here have noted, this is a completely new guy being thrown into the main event picture. You never know who can blow up and capture the fans imagination. My enjoyment of a wrestler/angle is heavily tied into how over it is. If the fans start losing their shit for the guy, and chanting his name/catchphrases, then I couldn't care less how bad his promos are (they're not that bad... and they don't need to be better than that) or how bad he is in the ring.

    And if it flops, it flops. And I promise* I'll be right there bitching with you.


    *not a promise

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  60. Now that Heyman is with Punk too...  Does anyone see Brock Lesnar attacking Cena at the "Cell" match to give us Brock/Punk vs. Cena/Rock at 'Survivor Series'?      

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  61. Punk is uneven; Cena is godawful; nothing with AJ makes sense; the mid-card exists for wacky tag team matches involving people who are not otherwise aligned; feuds begin and end with no rhyme or reason; it's entirely too long and they have no idea how to build anyone up. Well, except for CM Punk, but only because the fans resist. 

    It's just a mess. There's no coherency and there's still never any consequences for anything that ever happens. 

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  62. I'm not familiar with Phrederic's problem with Punk, but I'm curious if your policy also applies to HHH, Hogan, Flair, Bret, and all the rest of the guys we pretend like we actually know.

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  63. The LIVE CROWDS aren't even behind Ryback, so why would anyone buy him as someone that's immediately able to confront CM Punk? Jeez, they're still chanting "Golberg" at him. You can't go from squashing Washington George and Lincoln Abraham to The Miz to CM Punk and expect people to buy it. Come on, man, this isn't hard. 

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  64. Did You Know:

    John Cena is the first human being in history to recognize that cancer is a serious problem

    ReplyDelete
  65. It does for me.  I think I've always been consistent with this line of thought. 

    It's crazy to think that you know these people personally.  Now, for some of the guys you mentioned, you get an idea of how they act at the work place based on how other co-workers talk about them in their books (not the dirt sheets).  But even that should be taken with a ton of salt as you never know who has an agenda.

    We all can make jokes about HHH and Hogan, but Phrederic just seems to have this personal animosity towards Punk as if he had been his neighbor and Punk had personally run over his dog.  It's beyond dumb and I feel like I have to call him on it because his whole basis in thinking Punk is an ass or a dick is 100% related to message forums and wrestling news sights, not exactly a way to get an accurate depiction of how a person is in real life.

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  66. If Cena does end up wrestling at HIAC, rather than Foley or Ryback, then I think all of that sounds pretty logical.
    Though I'd wayyyy prefer Sheamus-Lesnar at Mania instead of HHH-Lesnar. Just have Lesnar destroy HHH again sometime after Survivor Series, then Sheamus rushes in to save him, leading to Lesnar costing Sheamus the WHC. (Ziggler cashes in!) It'd take HHH allowing himself to look like a little bitch, which would never happen, but by God it'd get Sheamus way over.
    And I like Punk-Taker a lot.
    Fuck it! Here's my current fantasy booking of Mania, in what I think is a feasible card:
    - WWE Title: The Rock (c) vs Cena
    - WHC Title: Dolph Ziggler (c) vs Jericho
    - Streak: Undertaker vs CM Punk
    - Street Fight: Sheamus vs Brock Lesnar
    - IC/US Title: Ryback vs Big Show
    - Tag Title Ladder match: Rhodes Scholars vs Funkatino (Santino & Brodus) vs Sin Cara & Rey vs Foreign Fanatics (Del Rio & Wade Barret, or Cesaro)
    - Awesome Workrate match: Randy Orton vs Daniel Bryan
    - Garbage Brawl: Mick Foley vs Dean Ambrose
    - Obligatory Divas Match: AJ Lee vs Eve

    And you know what? Have the younger guy go over in every match. End the fucking streak. Just finally have the Wrestlemania in which you say the new generation is superior.

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  67. I mean legit injury. Although I guess getting your head kicked in by Randy Orton is its own kind of special injury. 

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  68. They're tanking the ratings every week, though, so I'd hardly classify them as the hottest act in wrestling right now.  I think it's a great act and live crowds are enjoying it, but it's flaming death to the TV audience.  

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  69. actually they (WWE) can't deliver on the brutality the paying customer expects from Hell in the Cell, period.

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  70. Very good to see the King, but I can't help but notice that he sure does look tan!

    Also, was anyone else a little disturbed by the fact that they apparently had the camera crews filming the entire ordeal with him (or at least had a photographer)?  I'm not necessarily surprised, though.

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  71. Not sure if anyone else said it in the live thread, but I'm guessing that the Rikishi attacked Kaitlyn... for the Rock.

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  72. When I saw Punk lock eyes with Foley at the end and then attack him, I was definitely of the mindset that Foley/Punk at HiaC might be in the making.  Guessing not since SUDDENLY, A WILD RYBACK APPEARED... bummer.

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  73. What was the context of Cena saying "That was a real pipe bomb"?

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  74. As Cena was giving his promo last night, all I could think of was that he (or his character, whoever) really needs to get the fuck over himself.  WHY. SO. SERIOUS?!  He acted like it was the biggest thing in the world that he had surgery, and that he was the direct link b/w us and what goes on in the ring.

    I realize he's given the same type of speech before, but something about last night just really got to me.  Dude, you had minor surgery, relatively speaking.  Your career isn't in jeopardy.  Everything that you've thrown to Punk, he's thrown back at you and overcome. Get the fuck over yourself, dude.

    Punk's exchange with Foley was awesome, as would be expected, and the way Foley framed things, it really made sense.  But seriously, how many more fucking "you won't truly be great until..." moments need to be thrown Punk's way?  To borrow from another thread, talk about counter-productive booking.

    And here's the thing: everything Punk is doing feels so forced, like he's trying to reconcile this guy with the guy from a year ago.  I don't think it's working.  Now, maybe that's exactly the point, but it really isn't doing Punk any favors at all.

    Maybe this is an isolated opinion, but I already respect the hell out of Punk for what he's accomplished in the last year plus, and while I can see where the basic booking is coming from in terms of the respect angle, they're going about it entirely wrong.  Success does not necessarily need to start and end with Cena, and to force that down our throats only makes us resent Cena that much more.

    I also find is amusing that when Punk really gets going, the crowd IMMEDIATELY turns in his favor, and everyone in the ring is stuck with a look on their faces like, "Well, damn... the audience is misbehaving.  They're not supposed to be doing that!"

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  75.  "LIPOSWIG"

    Uh, what?  I had to Google that and the only main thing that came back was another one of your posts from the summer!

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  76. Big Show looked to have trimmed down a little bit.

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  77. JR referencing "ol' 8 3/8" FTW!

    Legit LOL moment... when they started talking about head sizes I was seriously hoping JR would bust that out somehow.

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  78. Meanwhile, incompetent referee Brad Maddox gets more screen time, as AJ goes all crazy eyes and threatens to fire him. Who did this guy blow to get featured so much?

    Well, he's very much a pretty boy, so it's probably that.

    WWE: where EVERYONE has to look beautiful.*

    *including Ryback and Tensai

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  79. RE: Criss Angel as a wrestling name:

    Justin Gabriel's developmental name was Justin Angel.  When he debuted on NXT he still had "JA" on his tights.

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  80. “Actually, I am the tag team champions.” “Well, that’s not even grammatically correct…”

    Whenever Kane or Bryan say the line, I can't help but think of the Emperor song "I am the Black Wizards." :P

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  81. The When Harry Met Sally parody is fair game since the last time WWE used it was in the ads for WM 21, which was over 7 years ago.

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  82. What the hell happened to Dean Ambrose anyway?  Is he hurt or something?  I thought he was weeks away from a call-up, and that was several months ago.

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  83. This is like when Cena tried to get "CM Sucks" over as a name.

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  84. The Miz v. Ryback

    This is non-title. I don’t know why they don’t just pull the trigger on him and make him the champion already.


    If the last scene of the show is any indication, maybe they heard you...

    .. or were you not talking about *that* title. :P

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  85. Bryan's facial expressions prior to throwing up were something else.

    And while he was throwing up, it only looked like he gobbling his therapist's Shelby.

    Apparently Bryan is legit no longer vegan (maybe even vegetarian?), b/c it was too hard to maintain on the road.

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  86. Looks like he's back on the house show tour, which COULD be a sign of an imminent call-up.
    My hope is that they get AJ out of the GM role (her slapping Heyman last night be enough to do it) and so her revenge is to unleash her new psycho boyfriend, Dean Ambrose.

    I know the blog is full of AJ-haters, but I do think that her plus the right new wrestler could get over as a really hot act.

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  87.  Why is it too soon?  Has there been a good show yet in the 3 Hour era?  Any real indication that the 3 hour era has caused them to change their direction?  Let's look at this supposedly 'rejuvenated tag team scene'.  Primetime Players vs. Team Moron didn't even last two minutes.  The six-man was basically just an extension of the never-ending Seamus vs. ADR feud.  So far this "rejuvenated tag scene" just consists of one make-shift thrown together team attacking another make-shift thrown together team.   And I think it's obvious that the end-game of the angle is going to be a Kane vs. Bryan feud. 

    The obvious problem with the three hour era is that they're filling the shows with the same crap that was on the two hour shows, just longer.  We've still got secondary champs losing constantly, stupid skits, crappy diva matches, yet another "authority figure vs. wrestler" storyline, and long self-righteous Cena promos.  

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  88.  I think the answer is obvious.  They like Ryback and want to push him.  If they give him the IC title, then they have to immediately start jobbing him out.  Duh.

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  89. But Rock and Cena teaming last year was Never Before, Never Again! SURELY WWE would never have them team again, just like theyd never plan to have them wrestle at Wrestlemania after billing their match as Once in a Lifetime

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  90. Yeah, I think with the direction they're taking with CM Punk, it only makes sense that he would challenge The Streak.  Dude has been calling himself the "Best" for a while and it makes a lot of sense for him to think he's the one who can do it.  

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  91. Your last paragraph is so, so goddamn true. It's insane how out of touch the WWE power structure (Vince, Steph, HHH, Cena) are in terms of what they think will get over with their audience. You've got Punk out there acting like a badass, dressing like an actual human being, and telling the crowd that he banged the resident hot chick. And they're surprised when, despite all the bullshit heel stunts he pulled, the crowd starts a "CM Punk" chant? Then later in the night Cena comes out in his pink Cancer gear just BEGGING for cheers, and then does his nonsensical baby-talk routine, and they're surprised that everyone over the age of 12 hates him? It's just insane that the heads of a major entertainment company are that out of touch.

    Listen, I'm enjoying lots of segments in the Punk heel turn. I think he's doing an amazing job, and has been thoroughly entertaining. But as we've said before, it's crazy how backwards this is. The crowd is dying to cheer Punk and they just won't let us. Oh, and as for the whole kiddie audience thing: You know who 8-year-old boys love cheering for the most? The guys that their dads and older brothers cheer for. Given a legit heel opponent, such as Cena or Lesnar, Punk could have been the biggest face star they'd had in years. And they just fucking blew it.

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  92. Woah... It's only smoke and mirrors

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  93.   Yeah, the vegan thing wasn't a philosophical stand on his part.  It was only for health benefits and (I believe) it somehow cut down on the staph infections he was having

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  94.  And if he had the chance to do it again, he would...do it...again.

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  95. Ryback is still wayyyy tooo green. If he is the substitue for Cena it would be interesting to see how far Punk can carry this guy to make a decent match.

    Plus has he done any match over 3 minutes??

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  96.  Totally. And based on his kayfabe push (super long title reign in which he's beaten everyone in the company not named The Rock), his relatively young age, and his mic skills, Punk is actually a guy that fans could buy as someone that could win.
    The question is: would WWE have fears that the crowd would be cheering for Punk over Taker? Yes, everyone loves Taker, but we're talking CM Punk in a smark Mania crowd in NEW YORK. I for one know I'd be rooting against Taker.

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  97. I'm not sure where all the AJ hate is coming from.  If they don't like her take on her character, fine, but she's been pretty consistent with it.  And if they hate her in the GM role, it isn't really her fault that she has to play generic GM #1137. 

    She's sexy, geeky, and a pretty darn good wrestler.  I've liked her since day one, and I've loved what she's done this year.

    Speaking of good women wrestlers... where the heck is Natty Neidhart?  If given a 10 minute match, she'd prove that she's just as good as half the men on the roster.  Yet, she had a farting problem gimmick for a couple of months (poopy, ha ha ha ha ha ha) and hasn't really been used since in any real program.

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  98.  Let It Play Out & See Where It Goes

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  99. Let It Play Out, See Where It Goes.  I admit I had to think about that for a while though.  

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  100. Um, I don't know about that last part.  My younger brothers generally took a habit of cheering against the guys I liked, especially in wrestling.  I was a Bret Hart fan, so my brother was a Shawn Michaels fan; I was a Hogan-in-nWo fan, my brother was a Berlyn fan (I still don't understand that one).

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  101.  Disagree here.  We have gotten good 3 hour shows...they just would've been great 2 hour shows.  And if we're able to compartmentalize and block out the Cena BS...which is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, I understand completely... we actually had a nice show last night.

    -The opening segment was badass until the non-ending.  Punk being a jerk was hilarious
    -The Ziggler-Kofi match was pretty dang good.  A very good TV match.
    -Bryan and Kane were Bryan and Kane--they executed as well as they could (the vomit gag was pretty lame, though)
    -Rhodes and Sandow are intriguing.  And anytime Sandow is on TV, it's a good thing
    -Seeing Lawler again was nice
    -No heel Cole, by the way
    -The six man tag was entertaining.  Ricardo rules.  And there wasn't a true botch on Sin Cara's part.
    -Points for effort on having an angle in the women's division.
    -We might have some type of monster's ball match with Tensai, Clay, and Big Show, which would mean Clay and Tensai would finally be in a real angle.
    -Foley kicked ass in his promo and probably should've been given more time.

    I was entertained by the segments I just listed.

    The biggest missteps were IC champ Miz losing for no apparent reason and the Cena BS.  And those were big missteps, in my opinion.

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  102.  At least it wasn't HHH or Vince! Would've been huge if it was Batista, and I hate Batista.

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  103. The Barrett push has been going on for all of three weeks and it's still in the squashing jobbers phase.  Give it some time.

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  104. For the life of me I don't get the Cena hate and I never really have.  I'm by no means a huge fan of the guy but he delivers in big matches and his promos are always solid.

    As for AJ, she's insane.  What she does isn't supposed to make sense.

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  105. What I don't get about the opening segment, and they had it staring them right in the face, is for CM Punk to bully AJ by threatening to sue her for sexual harassment.  It's the type of scummy, cowardly move you'd want a character like Punk to take to get booed by the crowd.  Instead, they have him boast about his sexual prowess, which is going to endear him to any man in the crowd since that's the sort of thing dudes respect/envy.  You even had Heyman there to say it while AJ pleads with a silent Punk to further the "CM Punk is a callous douche" conceit they're going for.

    Even when they're trying to get guys over as heels, it's like they've completely forgotten how to do it.  Everything Punk did tonight is pretty much the same thing a face would've done 10 or even 5 years ago.

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  106. This comment is just spot-on. It never ceases to amaze me that Cena is actually supposed to be a face considering how disrespectfully and condescendingly he acts, not only to his opponents, but to the audience as well. The character (and maybe the man, who knows) is on such an ego trip that, as hard as he is trying, Punk just cannot come across as a more delusional and ridiculous human being than Cena. He had stooped to the level of cartoon villainy for god's sake! The Cena character is such a mess, and I am amazed that he is treated as a martyr, carrying the company on his back, when for me - and I am sure for others - he has been a reason NOT to watch the show for years, and may be contributing to the declining rating and popularity of the product.

    The Punk point was spot-on as well. People want to cheer him, he was crazy over all year despite getting second-tier feuds, and he - unlike Cena - has a natural charisma. As with Austin in 2001, maybe if Punk had a really hot, talented and popular baby-face to bounce off of, he could make this work. But Cena is NOT that babyface, and the more we are told to hate Punk for tying old wrestlers to rail-road tracks, the more we cheer for him over the dummy in a pink shirt riding a horse backwards. It makes it all the worse that everyone (Foley, Cena, Bret, the announcers) is claiming Punk doesn't deserve respect, when clearly the character has made his mark. Had they given him the respect he deserves, and the Punk character simply refused to accept it, maybe this heel turn would be working better. But the guy seems legitimately disrespected.

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  107. These two posts here were exactly what I've been saying.  I firmly agree here.  But I do want to reiterate the point about the 8-year olds cheering for Punk.  This gets lost in the argument.  The kiddies were behind Punk.  Not as much as they were for Cena, but it was getting close (he was a character tweak or two from being an Austin-like face of the company).  But then they decided to shut down that revenue stream and flush down millions of potential dollars for merchandising, DVDs, and PPVs that Punk would play a major part in.  The 180 heel turn doesn't make sense on a logical level AND from a fiscal standpoint.  So unless Punk pulled a power play and wanted to force a heel turn, why did it happen?  I wish someone could explain this to me.

    I mean, long-term, I don't mind having a heel CM Punk or having Paul Heyman back on my TV.  I also don't mind a Cena-Punk feud.  But I have little clue as to why it went down the way that it did when face or tweener Punk makes so much more sense at this point (maybe turn him after the DVD release, at the very least).

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  108. He's a corny douche bag. That's the long and short of it. Like I said, he's the Larry the Cable Guy of pro rassling. I cringe when he tries to make a joke because it's usually some reiteration of someone being gay, and Cena is nowhere near witty enough to make it work. His insults are lame-ass grade school shit. 

    Also, he refuses to sell any promo cut against him. Nothing that ever happens to him phases him. He loses to The Rock and shrugs his shoulders. He's called Ned Flanders and nothing. That's neither interesting or realistic.

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  109. I hope Ryback and Foley's involvement is all leading to a multi man hitc match. Ending Punk's reign or Cena not winning again are two thngs that need to be avoided until Mania season, if not Mania itself. Let Cena heal or even make him guest ref (which ties into the next video game) and throw punk in with ryback, miz, orton, foley and a mystery guy/former champ (tease lesnar, bring back swagger or khali)

    While watching this morning (how can you guys watch for 3 hours!?), I guessed the Rhodes Scholars. But only because I read that name on another forum...

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  110. It's pro wrestling. Why would you want it to be realistic?  The biggest stars ever are the most over the top ones.  Rock, Austin and Hogan are people that could almost never exist in the real world as people would get sick of them in about five minutes.

    As for the corny part, yeah he's corny, but the thing you have to remember about his comedy: it isn't for you, assuming you're over the age of about 12.  Cena is marketed to kids when he talks and to adults when he wrestles.  His grade school level insults are aimed at grade school level people, who find them a lot funnier than people our age.

    Cena has almost always (other than the promos leading up to the Rock match) come off as a guy who only wants to compete at the highest level.  If he wins he's happy, but if he loses he wants to come back and fight again the next night.  As long as he gives it his best, he can accept defeat.  He's confident in his abilities against other guys and knows he'll get another shot later if he earns it.  That's probably a lot more realistic than most characters.

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  111. Yeah it's long and the first few episodes were really missing.  The last few though have improved a lot as they're letting more people get on TV instead of stretching it out with the same people.  That's a big help.

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  112. He had a problem with liver enzymes which a vegan diet helps with. The staph infections are due to him being 'always sickly' apparently. He and CM went vegan for a while but he's been saying for months, if not a year, that finding vegan food while travelling is a total pain in the ass, so they've been lugging around all this food with them everywhere. I imagine that's been the reason for him switching back, as much as anything.

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  113. Kofi Kingston needs to have "JAH" written on his tights.

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  114. Oo, I love doing these! Give me a moment. Um... uh... Oh! Hogan was originally supposed to be Irish. The Germans supplied Northern Ireland with arms at the start of WWI. By the time of WWII, Ireland was represented in the Allied troops, against Germany. After WWI, much of Germany felt they had been 'stabbed in the back' by their adversaries, and their supposed allies.

    So your Brother was playing a pro-Third Reich gimmick!

    ... Dude, that's pretty fucked up. You should have a talk with him.

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  115. See, that would be fine.  Some sort of clusterfuck HITC match with Punk defending against Foley, Ryback and like Dolph Ziggler or something would be totally acceptable. 

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  116. It was after he hit Punk in the stomach with the "lead pipe" and Punk was slinking away. "Real men wear pink! I'll see you at HIAC! That was a real pipe bomb!" He took something that defined Punk for the last 15 months and just took a massive shit all over it. Or at least, that's how I see it.

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  117. Calling it now: Punk is going to get Goldberged by Ryback.

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  118. The AJ hate comes from the fact that making her GM was the wrong move for the character. Personally I would get her out of the GM position and have her chase Eve for the Divas title. Placing AJ in the Divas title picture will actually make people care for the division since she's one of the few Divas they care about. You have mean girl Eve as the champion against the geeky underdog in AJ. That's a hard story to mess up.

    I know they are trying to push Kaitlyn as the second coming of Trish Stratus but I don't think she has it. Kaitlyn comes across as someone who tries too hard to be something she's not thus making it impossible to connect with her. Plus, she needs to spend more time in Florida. AJ for all her flaws has it and she's one of the better wrestlers of the Divas to boot.

    I find it interesting that they don't really do much with the Divas who can wrestle. Natalya is hardly featured and when she is she jobs (except when they are in Canada), Naomi who actually is quite a good wrestler with a high flying style, and could possibly fill the Lita void, is wasted as one of Brodus Clay's dancers, and AJ is the GM. Featuring those three more often in wrestling roles would improve the division big time.

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  119. Or JR's brave, doomed attempt to get 'Booger Red' over as a nickname for Taker.

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  120. There is literally nobody currently on the roster who I want to see in a PPV match less than Foley. Poor bastard can barely move at this point.

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  121. Thanks for the info.

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  122. Kofi needs to send R-Truth through a Barbershop window. Hearing about "Lil' Jimmy" all the time is enough to make anyone snap.

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  123. He revealed on the radio here in Philly last week that he developed a hypersensitivity to soy because he was eating so many soy products. Apparently he's had diet issues all his life. He's also nearly blind in one eye still after one of his retinas detached in a match years ago.

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  124. Replacement refs or not, I find it sad and petty that Vince feels the need to mock the NFL, supposedly because he's pissed they get higher ratings than Raw. And likely because they've managed to run a successful football league that's currently still in existence. It'd be fun to see someone respond by mocking Vince's failures and stupid moments.

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  125. Need to get a heel over? Call Mick Foley! Look WWE, this ship has sailed. It no longer means anything to beat Foley. He's not a hardcore legend, he's an old washed up family man who sells childrens books as Punk pointed out. The last time he had any rub to give anyone was Edge 6 years ago. Let it go.

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  126.  This is the guy that put on a stupid 5 on 5 tag match with basketball jerseys over some behind the scenes controversy on a double booking mistake that had nothing to do with the program itself. Are we really surprised by these things anymore?

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  127.  They were actually chanting it last night, but the bro-smarks took it over and started chanting CM Punk.

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  128. I am in favor of all things Pantera.

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  129. That's kind of how they used to build guys... give them a main event slot in their hometown, build it up for a week, then hope that fan reaction carried over.  Now they use it as an excuse to get some heat on a heel, and effectively kill towns.  Instead of, "Hey, Zach could win the IC Title tonight in his hometown!" it's turned into, "Zach's in Long Island tonight... I hope he at least makes it on the show to tap to Alberto del Rio."

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  130. Wow, didn't even think of that one.  That would be great.

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  131. It's so absurd how weird the guy looks just standing there, or walking around the ring.  He's really quite robotic.

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  132. As usual I totally agree with ya Petuka. Yes, AJ isn't Meryl Streep in the acting department, and yes, there was that Raw where she took a bunch of LONG PAUSES. For shame. But like you said she's sexy as hell, relatably dorky, actually has a character aside from "smiley diva" or "Diva who calls other divas fat", and she obviously loves being there.
    Like Myron says, I agree she's miscast as GM. (Though I'd say EVERYONE is miscast as GM. It shouldn't be a role. How does a GM get over? Why would we root for a GM?) She should be paired with a male wrestler in either an Elizabeth & Macho role (psycho bf and loveable put upon girlfriend) or Sherri & Macho role (both are psychos). In either case, I really think she'd help the guy she's paired with get over.

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  133. Let It Play Out, See Where It Goes?

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  134. Super Bonus Points: Foreign Fanatics (I miss cutesy Survivor Series team names)
    Minus Several Million: Ending the Streak (should never happen)

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  135. I still don't see why they didn't shoot an angle where Punk did the damage with the Anaconda Vice... hell or even Brock using one of his dates to use a Kimura to plant the seeds of that (board proposed) Survivor Series tag match.

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  136. Seriously man. Rude's Brood vs Roddy's Rowdies equals way more buys than Team Orton vs Team Barrett.

    As for the streak, agree to disagree. I love that The Streak exists because I know that as long as it exists, it provides a huge match to look forward to at every Mania. At the same time though, I see no value in letting Undertaker just retire with it. I personally WANT to see that insane moment when it finally ends. Not saying it has to be this year (though if it is Punk vs Taker this year, I'll be in the crowd rooting like a maniac for Punk), but when the time comes that Taker is ready to call it quits, I really wanna see someone get that huge win. As either a fan or as WWE itself, I think there's a lot more (money or enjoyment) to get out of Punk or Sheamus or Bryan ending the streak rather than Taker just riding off undefeated.

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  137. Ha!  I caught that too, it sounded like he said that a little under his breath as an inside joke so kudos to JR for slipping that one in!

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  138. If they are going to pull the trigger on The Ryback, he needs to destroy Punk in under 10 minutes at HIAC. If they try working a normal 15-20 minute match and he tries selling for Punk, he will be dead in the water. 

    I think they should go for it. They might catch lightning in a bottle and if it tanks, they can always hit the reset button. Hype him up as a special attraction and only show him in the 3rd hour and he always wrestles the main event. And never talks. 

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  139. I like Punk, I really do, but by pretty much everybody's account the dude is a jerk.  The man himself has said he's not a very nice person.

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  140. There has to be SOME amount of realism or it doesn't work. Nobody, absolutely nobody, in the history of professional wrestling has ever no-sold promos like Cena. Even Austin could display some vulnerability. 

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  141. I don't have a personal problem with Punk, he's my favorite wrestler.  Dunno where you got the idea that he isn't.

    But I've heard his interviews, and he comes off as a prick.

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  142. You make a lot of good points.  Maybe if Foley acted as a manager for Ryback?  Yeah you might be overshadowing him, but I think that's better than overexposing him.

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  143. If they want Ryback over... they need to book a spot for him in the Rumble where he clears out 6 guys quick, then the "feed me more" chants start, out comes Santino who gest tossed, "feed me more", out comes Zeke Jackson who gets tossed, "feed me more" and a "Gooooooldberg" smattering of chants starts... out comes Goldberg... and they have the showdown.

    Ryback disposes of him, then doesn't have to win the Rumble at all and stays over.

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  144. Shhhh! You can't use the SEX word in the era of PG!

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  145. It was funny, when I came into this post I saw the banner with Cena standing in front of Superman and Flash. I'm assuming it was designed by VInce McMahon.

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  146. When the Foley segment happened, I really thought they were already backtracking on Punk's turn and this would somehow lead to Lesnar/Punk.

    Oh well.

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  147. "The announcers make no mention of Ryback wanting or caring about the title."

    Can you blame him for not wanting or caring about the IC title?

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  148. Well Punk isn't lying, I mean if you can pull the likes of Beth Phoenix, Lita, Becky Bayless, etc you're obviously doing something right.

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  149. And he's deaf in his left ear from getting kicked in the head so many times.

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  150. Uh, actually I'd imagine it would be Foley who'd want to do it.

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  151. It's just hilarious the depths they're trying to go to erase the last 10 months.

    Yep, let's just forgot the numerous near 5 star matches he had with Bryan and Jericho. 

    I have no problem with turning Punk heel, I really don't but give me a better excuse than "Respect".

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  152. I say the "feed me more" chants are now 50-50 piped in.  But it's finally starting to catch on I guess. 

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  153. THIS.

    Nobody is watching it but hardcores and putting it on during MNF is gonna be the death knell for Bryan.

    We tried to bury you at WM, didnt work.
    We tried to bury against Punk didnt work
    We pushed the crazy chick over you, didnt work.
    YOU WILL NOT GET OVER DURING MNF! HE will... but the ratings wont reflect and that will be the final straw to not push him again.

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  154. Why should Cena show vulnerability?  His resume is as good as anyone else's, he's had great success, and he's beaten almost everyone.  Why be under confident?

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  155. "Give it some time" is the new "lets see how it plays out"

    A pinto with a new coat of paint is still a pinto.
    Barrett sucks.

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  156. False.

    Austin never showed vulnerability as a face.

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  157. The crowd is not reacting at all and I mentioned that it has failed so far. I will give it time but he needs a better finisher than a forearm. This isn't 1983. No one is going to buy that as a badass finisher, especially fi they are going to be near the top of the card.

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  158. This Cena/Punk thing reminds me of that cartoon where Daffy Duck was the sherriff and at the end the townspeople carry Porky Pig of off on their shoulders. Daffy was running behind them screaming, "Put him down, I'm the star! Carry ME Give ME the cheers!!!"

    ..yes I compared Cena to Daffy Duck.

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  159. Thats... thats the one with dimebag darrell right?

    #blacksmark

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  160. Be PROACTIVE!

    Make your own!


    All you need is a WWE mag, GLitter, scissors, and .... a shirt. and triangles.

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  161. Oh? So the DVD is still happening?

    I thought it was gonna be a Chinese Democracy situation and it would be released when Vince gets around to it.

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  162. LIPOSWIG

    I thought it was drink made from the jizz and fat of a pig.

    What ever happened to "This guy gets it?"

    That guy was a genius*

    *He wasn't.

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  163. Duct Tape has to be in his hands.

    It's mandatory.

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  164.  He may come off as a prick to you, but that doesn't me in he is one.  Don't get me wrong, he may be, but none of us know him.  From everything I've read, all his friends say he's a swell guy.  Then again, I don't extrapolate anything from that either.  It's like when Chin tries to determine your entire personality based on your posts on a wrestling blog.  Makes no sense. 

    You may like Punk, but i've read countless posts from you flat out saying he's an asshole and a dick.  My point is, you have no idea.

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  165. And in the process almost killed Jack Swagger.

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  166. ...because that's how storytelling works. 

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  167. Yes, he did. When McMahon would put the odds against Austin, he didn't stand there stone faced and babble on about rising above hate. He would get angry, show concern, or have some reaction. Cena gives his opponent nothing. It's not remotely believable.

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  168. i equated vulnerability to fear my bad.

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  169. Yeah the forearm does suck.  I was hoping he'd go with the Winds of Change still.  Also they didn't do anything the him being open for business line from a few weeks ago.  Barrett as a mercenary could be interesting.

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  170. It's worked fine for Cena over the years not to.  It worked fine for Hogan not to.

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  171. Of course his friends like him, they're his friends, that means nothing.

    And I think that interviews are perfectly valid things to measure a person on.  He seems thoughtful and intelligent about a lot of things in the wrestling business and even life, but on the other hand, he also seems needlessy dickish.  Have you listened to his interviews blasting the Miz?  Or even his whole "Jasmine St.Clair is a whore who has whore friends" speech?

    Fantastic wrestler, great talent, probably a super fun and considerate guy to his friends and associates.  But the guy blows off fans all the time and has buried his fellow wrestlers time and time again.  There is reasons for why he does those things, good ones even, but he's still a dick.

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  172. At this point, fuck the TV audience. Everyone seems to tank in the ratings but John Cena these days.

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  173.  I don't think he'd be the one pounding on creative's door demanding to put over heels who desperately need credibility. I'm sure he's down with the idea of wrestling or going along with whatever program he's in but I doubt he's the one creating them.

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  174. You forgot Maria, hottest of them all

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  175. Looks like this was the lowest watched RAW of the year. According to Meltzer, the rating was between 2.5-2.7

    http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/118-daily-updates/27659-nfl-kills-raw-rating-even-with-return-of-qthe-kingq

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  176.  It seems like that because we hear updates about it all of the time, but it's always had a late October release date.

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  177. We'll agree to disagree. I happen to think it's ridiculous and undercuts anything that his opponents come at him with. It never makes the feuds interesting, which is why Cena is booed by most people who have hit puberty. 

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  178. What?! Don't people care that Cena was rising above cancer?

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  179. I saw from Bill Simmons that the "SportsCenter" after MNF pulled in a 5, the highest in 17 years. That's incredible.

    Your move, Vince. 

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  180. The announcers may have forgotten Skip Sheffield, doesn't mean we have to...

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  181.  He might be dangerous, botchy, and terrible on the mic, but I don't think he's out of shape at all.

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  182. Barrett is one good move and a manager away from being a world champ. I was excited for him to come back.. but who cares about his forearm.. seriously.. Why not just have him do the forearm and give him a submission move like the claw or something?? Is Malenko still with the WWE.. can't he just teach him one of his movies and call it day???

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  183. "Bronzeberg" for the win!!!

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  184. If he won it, his winning streak would end the following week!

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  185. The Diesel push would get the chants, no way I can see Goldberg doing the deal, though. Great idea.

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  186. Didn't hear any of this. Poor guy, he still pulls everything off so well despite these issues...that's amazing.

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  187. I do.  He's built, but I doubt he can go longer than five minutes.  Dude's cardio is shit.

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  188. Does this angle lead to Maddox wrestling? Never bothered to look up his FCW stuff, is he any good?

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  189. I'm sure it's just a phase, he'll get over it.

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  190. Foley loves "making" people.

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  191. Yeah, he did an awesome promo last year where he talked about how he was in the hospital and his mom was crying as she begged him to quit wrestling and he talked about how much he loved it and couldn't quit.

    Though I think this is why WWE is anxious to push him, he's talked about retiring a lot.

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  192. Barrett will get there. He's one of the few that I don't mind WWE sticking with until they unlock a combination that works.

    Just hope it doesn't take 15 years like it did with Henry.

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  193. LEADERBOARD UPDATE: With the addition of "The Souvenir", Wade Barrett passes CM Punk on the list of number of WWE Approved Named Maneuvers, putting him into a tie with the likes of John Cena and Kofi Kingston. Watch out, Leaderboard Leader Sheamus, this star is on the rise!

    ReplyDelete

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