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The SmarK RAW Rant–08.26.13

The SmarK RAW Rant – 08.26.13

Live from Phoenix, AZ

Your hosts are Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler & JBL

COOHHH is out to start, with new Motorhead theme and the Shield as his heavies. Apparently last week’s attack on Daniel Bryan was personal, but he’s still willing to do business. He declares that it’s a NEW BOOM PERIOD, which is all thanks to Randy Orton. So as a present, he bought Orton a brand new Escalade, and I think you all know where this is going. So Bryan interrupts and gives the speech about how he’s not the prettiest guy, but he’ll still take the belt from Orton at Night of Champions. HHH belittles him and books him in a gauntlet against the Shield tonight. This felt REALLY long, especially on a show that’s edited down to 90 minutes.

Fandango v. Cody Rhodes

Cody elbows him down and gets a front suplex, but now the Miz comes out for the Idiot Babyface Distraction finish as Cody gets the pin at 1:00. This doesn’t sit well with Brad Maddox, who makes it a tag match RIGHT NOW.

Fandango & Damien Sandow v. Cody Rhodes & The Miz

We return with the impromptu match underway, as Sandow drops the ELBOW OF DISDAIN on Cody for two. Rosa Mendes is now apparently with the Miz for some reason. Miz gets the hot (?) tag and cradles Sandow for two, so Fandango takes a walk as they work in ANOTHER stupid finish and Miz finishes Sandow with the Finale at 2:00. This was a whole lot of nothing stretched out over two segments for some reason. *

Meanwhile, Paul Heyman stresses out over potentially having to wrestle Punk tonight due to WWE App vote. They wouldn’t seriously blow that stipulation on free TV, would they?

CM Punk v. Curtis Axel

They work off a headlock and Punk rolls him up for two, so Axel bails to regroup. Axel gets a cheapshot on the floor to take over as we take a break. Back with Punk throwing kicks and getting a crossbody for two. JBL wins everything by noting that if Rihanna and Chris Brown can keep getting back together, there’s hope for Punk and Heyman too. Punk comes back and drops a flying elbow for two, but Axel gets a neckbreaker for two. Axel gets cocky and Goes To Sleep at 10:05, however. Now obviously Punk will go after the Intercon…BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA, sorry, I couldn’t even pretend to finish that one. ** Heyman is thus obligated to engage in sports entertaining with Punk, but Axel returns to save him with a low blow and thus screw the fans out of the stip that they voted for. Wrestling, ladies and gentlemen. Punk gets handcuffed and still takes out Axel with a high kick, so Axel returns and beats him up with a chair this time. Heyman gets some shots in with a kendo stick and they leave him laying. I know people are waiting for a new Heyman guy to be the real Punk feud, but I think this is what we’re getting. Might as well just accept it, I guess.

Natalya v. Brie Bella

THIS they leave in? Brie stomps her down and goes to a chinlock, but Nattie gets the Sharpshooter. Everyone fights outside and Brie finishes with a carpet muncher at 1:30. DUD AJ Lee comes out to recap Total Divas and put all the reality “stars” in their place. I really hope they don’t drag her into this circus, especially because they had her cut this impassioned promo about how important the title was, and there’s no one in that group who can even a serious challenger to it. Plus the Bellas wouldn’t shut up, pretty much undercutting the point.

Rob Van Dam v. Alberto Del Rio

Rob quickly puts ADR on the floor and we take a break. Back with Del Rio hitting a german suplex for two and going up, but Rob kicks him on the way down and makes the comeback. Rolling Thunder gets two. Split legged moonsault gets two. Rob goes up and ADR catches him with an enzuigiri for two. ADR sets up to finish, but gets distracted by Ricardo’s rather obvious shenanigans and Rob rolls him up for the pin at 9:28. I hate that finish and I hate the “Pin the champion to get a title shot” booking. **1/4

Randy Orton v. Christian

We’re joined in progress at some point into the match after a break, with Orton hitting a superplex for two. Christian comes back with a weird botched sequence, and goes up with a flying bodypress for two. They trade pinfall reversals and Christian gets a sloppy tornado DDT for two. Orton comes back with the draping DDT, but Christian blocks the RKO. Spear gets two. Killswitch is blocked by Orton, and he finishes with the RKO at 5:00 aired. As usual, Orton is the one champion who is never going to do a job. Match seemed good from what we got. *** Daniel Bryan pops onto the screen afterwards, and to no one’s shock vandalizes the Escalade. We return from break and learn that HHH isn’t very thrilled with this development, and if anyone helps Bryan against the Shield tonight, they’re getting FIRED.

The Wyatt Family is still creepy.

Daniel Bryan v. Seth Rollins

Bryan quickly takes him down into a surfboard, but Seth escapes, so Bryan clotheslines him to the floor and then falls victim to a Shield beatdown. Back in, Rollins chokes him out in the corner, but Bryan gets a clothesline and fires kicks. Rollins pops up with the flying knee, but Bryan catches the knee and turns it into a half-crab. Rollins bails and Bryan hits him with a suicide dive that sends Rollins flying over the announce table in a spectacular bump. Back from break with Rollins holding a chinlock, but he misses a charge and Bryan makes the comeback with the crowd going crazy for him. Pinfall reversal sequence and Rollins gets an enzuigiri and a crazy inverted suplex for two. They head up and Bryan crotches him and brings him down with a GERMAN SUPERPLEX and finishes with the knee strike at 13:24. *** Ambrose runs in immediately and gets yes-locked, and the Shield beatdown is on with both “matches” ending in a quick DQ. And the fans are doubly hacked off because the entire roster is standing there on the ramp watching and can’t help due to the firing threat. That’s some effective heel booking, real Bill Watts “twist the knife” stuff. The stronger you make the heels, the bigger it pays off when you beat them.

The Pulse

This one was edited down to basically two storylines: The Bryan-Orton stuff and the Punk-Heyman stuff, and both were effective, although I really wish they had someone better than Axel to act as the heavy. He’s getting better, but as Heidi Klum once said, it’s Project Runway and not Project Learn To Be a Designer.

Comments

  1. WTF is this Scott? Seeing this is like finding a 20 in your pants pocket you didnt know was there.

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  2. Nevermind...saw that its the 90 minute edition amd remembered you saying youd still recap that.

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  3. Agreed on how lazy the "pin the champ to get title shot" trope is. I mean right now there's no big story of note happening on Smackdown (other than the B-sides of the Bryan-Orton feud, and the Punk-less version of Punk/Heyman), so would it have killed them to do a 3-week tournament on Fridays? RVD, Christian, Cody, R-Truth, Sandow, Swagger, Cesaro, Sandow— RVD goes over in the end, and bam you've done 3 weeks of matches and build-up without Del Rio and RVD actually having to blow a PPV match yet.


    THAT SAID, I'm still really into the fact that RVD is in this position. If they were gonna bother to bring RVD they might as well go all the way with him. I'd bet he wins the WHC at Night of Champions and gets a decent run with the belt. He's a super over big name who, as champion, could pop some Friday night ratings and headline the B-tour house shows. Plus if HHH and the corporation are gonna do the "evil champion" thing on Raw, it makes sense to give fans the conquering babyface champ on Fridays to balance things out.

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  4. Your_Favourite_AssholeAugust 27, 2013 at 11:09 AM

    new motorhead theme? that was just his king of kings theme

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  5. I like how they were smart and had MAD OX insist that Punk get medical treatment to keep him on the sidelines because they know he is the one guy that won't take "You'll be fired" as the kind of threat that would stop him (ignore the fact that he got beat up by a jobber and a manager earlier).


    Now if Big Show would just remember that he has an IRONCLAD CONTRACT...

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  6. Your_Favourite_AssholeAugust 27, 2013 at 11:11 AM

    we all know that the entire bit with the car was built around michael cole's sole line about 'YEScalade'


    like, i could totally see them working backwards. it was cool how kofis tweet referenced when he destroyed ortons race care. continuity!



    also, hhh said that the belt (!) was his personal property being carried by orton. shoot comments...

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  7. For some reason, drink!

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  8. Big Show should be able to attack and not get fired. He has an ironclad contract.


    Orton jobbed quite a bit as a face, more than Sheamus or Cena ever did, so its not like he never jobs.

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  9. YankeesHoganTripleHFanAugust 27, 2013 at 11:20 AM

    Well its the newest of the theme's in any case. Can he come out to Our Time just one more time though.

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  10. Amsterdam_Adam_CurryAugust 27, 2013 at 11:23 AM

    An Escalade? They still make the gas guzzling piece of shit?

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  11. "I know people are waiting for a new Heyman guy to be the real Punk feud, but I think this is what we’re getting."

    That anticipation killed this entire segment for me. First Punk knocked Axel out with the Go to Sleep, so I thought surely someone new would have to come to Heyman's aid. But then it was just Axel. However, Axel was taken out with the High Kick, so now I was certain we would get the Earth shaking debut of a new Heyman Guy. But no, it was just Axel scrambling back in again. Basically Axel was treated like a low-level video game bad guy (like a Lopar from Double Dragon) where you knock him out rather easily but he just keeps coming back. At least bring in an Abobo so that Punk can finally have a challenge.

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  12. My guess it was a base 2007 quickly spiffed up to look like a brand new '13, since that was the first year of the current body style. So, ruining one (not like they did, but still) would cost them 20k or so instead of 70-80k. It's not like its fuel efficiency is any worse than any other full-sized SUV.
    Still, I'd rather pay 65k for a Yukon XL Denali than 85k for a fully loaded Escalade.

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  13. Agreed, I spent the whole segment waiting for either Brock to come in and take Punk out, leading to a prolonged absence for Punk (not that I want to see that happen) or someone else debut.
    I guess they figure that if the endgame is a Punk/Brock Wrestlemania rematch for the title- and I think it is- that they can get by with Axel for the time being. And maybe they can.

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  14. Plus the joke "YEScalade" doesn't really work with anything else...

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  15. Eh, just because they haven't brought out someone new for Heyman in the 2 Raws since Brock left doesn't mean it's Punk-Axel for the next 6 months. I'm guessing they bring in a new Heyman guy at the actual PPV. Think about it, the match is probably gonna end with Punk pinning/incapacitating Axel and finally getting his hands on Heyman...until someone jumps Punk from behind and kickstarts a feud for the next few PPVs.


    As others have mentioned around here Luke Gallows would be an obvious choice, though who knows if WWE even gives a shit about him enough to bring him in for a Punk feud. The other obvious choice is Ryback, since he A) Is a heel, B) Has nothing else to do, and C) Could say he kicked Punk's ass last year and the only reason Punk won was because of Heyman.


    Punk-Ryback would definitely be good for a few street fight PPV matches.

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  16. "Hey, an awards statuette! Oh, it's a GRAMMY."

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  17. That annoyed me a lot. The ironclad contract was central to a major story line, bah!

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  18. Happened more than 4 weeks ago, so it doesn't count in the land of the WWE.


    Remember when everyone just walked out on newly appointed COO HHH back in 2011? Yup..neither do I.

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  19. Reading through that, I pictured Shelton Benjamin as someone who'd be a good choice to step in.

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  20. When I read he gave him an Escalade, the first thought I had was 'Oh, Vince is only ten years behind with pop culture references now! He's catching up!'

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  21. He even mentioned it in a WWE.com kayfabe interview last week

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  22. Haha, the walk out was bugging me last night too.

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  23. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryAugust 27, 2013 at 12:04 PM

    BELFOUR FANS ON IT, LOOK OUT NOW! HERE'S A LOOSE PUCK, THEY SCORE!


    They should take the weekly Orton celebration further, like have him run around the ring with the belt in the air while confetti drops and the Whalers' "Brass Bonanza" plays.

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  24. I would like to see RVD get one last run as a semi-top guy, but I think it's obvious Del Rio is their project and wont be abandoning him until at least the Rumble.

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  25. Gallows would be awesome, but it would depend on WWE actually playing upon history, which isn't their strong suit. They would definitely need to book him strong before they put him directly against Punk. Instead of bringing him right into the 50/50 cycle, like they did Axel. Remember how they booked Kane to look like a threat against the Undertaker--by putting him over strong in mini-feuds against Mankind and Vader? That's the treatment that could elevate Gallow's profile enough that people might pay to see him square off with Punk.

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  26. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryAugust 27, 2013 at 12:07 PM

    Statler: "I'm glad Scott's still doing the RAW rants, this place wouldn't be the same without it!"
    Waldorf: "Yeah, watching RAW just wouldn't be as fun without having the rant to look forward to."
    Statler: "Well, you know what they say?"
    Waldorf: "What?"
    Statler: "Misery loves company!"
    Waldorf: "DOHOHOH---wait a minute, what about me?"
    Statler: "You're part of my mistery!"
    DOHOHOHO!

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  27. If anything can get Curtis Axel over its a program with heyman and punk

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  28. Or John Morrison would be pretty incredible. He could revive the ECW feud with Punk and then Heyman could send him after RVD for "forgetting where he came from."

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  29. Bryan and Rollins were incredible in ROH. I was there for their first meeting and it was the best match I've ever seen live. It was 5 stars, but with no angle to go with it, I think everyone gave it 4 1/2. Hopefully they're given a PPV match sometime.

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  30. RVD/Morrison... book it!

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  31. Ricardo and RVD just don't fit together. It makes sense right now because Ricardo needs to get back at Del Rio, but after RVD (presumably) wins the title at Night of Champions, I'm guessing they'll quietly part ways and Ricardo will become the mouthpiece for Los Matadores or ... a returning Rey Mysterio? (What's the latest on his injury status?)

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  32. Yeah, I assume he'd get a few weeks of wins over Truth/Miz/Kofi etc before being fed to Punk at a PPV. Honestly, I wish they'd bring guys in once and awhile just for limited runs and specific feuds as a way of freshening things up. There's no reason they need to worry about getting Gallows over longterm, unless they see huge potential in him which I highly doubt they do. He makes sense in this moment as a big dude who has a history with Punk, so why not bring him in for 3 months, have him job to Punk on the house show circuit and some TV for a few months before sending him on his way?



    I'm sure 3 months of pay against Punk is worth Gallows' time being jobbed out, since it's not like he has many other US wrestling options right now anyway.

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  33. >I hate the “Pin the champion to get a title shot” booking.



    Why? It's logical wrestling booking.

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  34. I actually really like the potential of teh RVD/Ricardo pairing. They haven't done much with it yet, but to me there's loads of possibilities. You've got Ricardo as the sympathetic super exuberant guy matched up with RVD's laid back stonerness— it's a fun "Odd COuple" pairing. Plus overall I think it's good for RVD to have someone to play off of— he's got tons of natural charisma and ability to work a crowd, but his solo interviews are kind of blah. Having Ricardo as the "energy guy" while RVD gets to react off of him and just play it cool, well that kind of schtick could cover up things for RVD.

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  35. It never used to be.

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  36. Yes it is. It's been done for years.You beat the champ or pin the champ, and you get a title match. Boom

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  37. No, it used to be "beat the champ, you get the title".

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  38. Eh, Del Rio is always gonna be pushed as a guy constantly either holding or challenging for the WHC, but I don't think that means he's getting some 8 month reign of doom. Instead I think he'll be a less over version of Edge, in that he'll win a WHC, lose it, win it back a few months later, etc etc.


    Basically Del Rio will be there to lose the title to guys that they actually think they can make some money with, and in this situation I think RVD is it.


    Aside from that, I think the main thing is that Orton is probably holding that WWE title until Nov or Dec, so I just doubt they'd want both of the main titles being held by heels. I'm betting that NOC features a "Bryan gets screwed" ending to the WWE title match, and a feel-good RVD title win to counterbalance things.

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  39. It's terrible booking.

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  40. I have this funny feeling that Ricardo is going to turn on RVD at NOC and re align with Del Rio.

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  41. Yeah that's a total possibility. Again, my only beef with that happening is that the other main title feud is gonna have to swing so heavily heel and screwjobby for the next few months, that I think the WHC scene is where it gets counterbalanced. RVD winning the title and defending on house shows through the Fall could do some good business. And fuck it, Del Rio is as over as he's ever gonna be. He's a credible upper-tier heel, not a game-changer, so trading the title every few months is where he should be.

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  42. I'm with you. I remember tons of times in NWA a feud was built up because someone pinned the champ in a non title or tag team match which made it seem like they could beat the champ and built heat for the match.

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  43. Killer Bees-Hart Foundation comes to mind.

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  44. I think HHH is playing his character to perfection because he is acting like how we all perceive him to really be when burying talent.

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  45. Pinning the champ in a tag or 6 man is fine, but not a one on one... and never for the World or WWE titles... leave that stuff to the midcard.

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  46. It would usually come about through a tag team affair, i'll give you that. Ric Flair didn't lose one on one on WCW saturday night.

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  47. Tons? If you can, list all the ones you remember. We were all kids at the time, so my memory is that it happened rarely and usually through a tag team affair to set up the singles match at house shows.

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  48. They're trying, and for that I give them credit. Obviously, Punk and Heyman see something in him to keep giving him opportunities, so hopefully he takes the ball and runs with it. I do have to say it's not helping him being booked to lose against Punk almost all the time, but hopefully the kid gets better, not ready to completely throw in the towel on him yet.

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  49. "I really hope they don’t drag her into this circus, especially because
    they had her cut this impassioned promo about how important the title
    was, and there’s no one in that group who can even a serious challenger
    to it"


    If the storyline gets paid off with Natalya and AJ getting 10 minutes on a PPV then there are way worse things that can be done with the Divas. The problem is that there are only a couple of them outside the Total Divas trainwreck and as good as Kaitlyn vs. AJ was, that story is over.


    We all have to get used to the fact that Vince things the Bellas are cornerpieces of the Divas and some way or another they'll get the title. Just accept it. If we happen to get some Natalya vs. AJ as a transitionary feud then it'll make the medicine go down easier.


    I just hope the WWE doesn't forget about AJ once they're done with this storyline. 18 months of quality is the best any of them have done in years.

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  50. I feel like Mr. Positive today....


    Maybe AJ's awesome and scathing promo lights a fire under the divas to step up their games. Basically, all the other divas were embarrassed on national tv and told they were useless. If I were a Bella, I'd be practicing really a lot to rebut that.....

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  51. Give them at least 15 minutes, because by that point one of them will have actually had to connect with a move on the other.

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  52. Steamboat pinning Flair in 1989 is the easiest example... I could go on but I'm not going to,

    Also

    Parallax1978: "...someone pinned the champ in a non title or tag team match"

    flair4dagold: "usually through a tag team affair..."

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  53. Charismatic e-Negro Jef VinsonAugust 27, 2013 at 1:44 PM

    "#pipebombshell" - CM Punk after hearing AJ Lee's speech.
    This should be on a shirt.

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  54. Charismatic e-Negro Jef VinsonAugust 27, 2013 at 1:46 PM

    They are on Twitter. Nothing special.

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  55. Charismatic e-Negro Jef VinsonAugust 27, 2013 at 1:46 PM

    They did on Twitter. Nothing special.

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  56. It's is great when used sparingly. The problem now is that the champs lose non-title matches constantly. They just used this exact same booking to set up Christian's title shot (he beat Del Rio twice). And, if I'm not mistaken, RVD already holds a non-title win over Del Rio. And let's not forget the constant mockery of the secondary titles. It used to be a huge deal if a wrestler got a victory of any sort over the champ, now it's the equivalent of winning a Fatal 4 Way or Beat the Clock challenge on the way to an ill thought out ppv.

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  57. I was referring more to non title, I agreed with tag team affairs, although I dispute that it was tons. Steamboat-Flair was cherry picking.

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  58. I think they have potential for the Jericho/Ralphus dynamic, but I'm not sure how that will work as a face alignment. I imagine this is just a temporary pairing to put some heat on this feud.

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  59. Ricky Morton pinned flair in the infamous "Ricky paints the locker room floor with his face and blood" angle.

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  60. The R&R Express may have beaten Flair and someotherHorseman in a tag team match, but Morton never pinned Flair in a singles match, to the best of my knowledge.

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  61. I don't remember him pinning Flair at-all and it's not in the IWD.


    Where did it happen?

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  62. My memory may be hazy, but I don't think Steamboat beat Flair in a singles match to setup the feud. I thought Steamboat pinned Flair in a tag-team match.

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  63. I'm going strictly on memory, and it's hazy since I was young, so I could very well be very wrong, but these guys saying that "it happened all the time" and yet, there isn't one valid example of one-on-one, challenger pins the champion to set up a title match.

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  64. Yeah I agree. And there's only been one example of a case where a tag team beat another tag team to setup tag title match.


    I'm not saying it *never* happened - but if it did happen it certainly didn't happen with the world champion.

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  65. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYmlr88OANQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

    It was a six-man elimination match. Also, Morton pinned Flair (unofficially) when Flair interferedafter a Morton squash.

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  66. What really bothered me about the show was that every time Orton raised the belt above his head, he held it upside down. Is Orton legitimately that stupid or was that a (not so) subtle reveal of how dim his character is?

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  67. See, I loved those tricks. Pinned in a tag team by being caught off guard. Pinned in an unofficial match. It showed that the challenger could beat the Champ. However, that's a far stretch from the WWE m.o. of one-on-one, champ loses official match to set up feud.


    It didn't happen in the old days and I stand by my original post until there's more proof that it did.

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  68. Eddie Gilbert challenges Flair and Windham to a tag match on World Championship Wrestling (the show), brings out Ricky as his mystery partner, Ricky pins Flair in one hell of a heated tag match.


    Today...


    Bryan challenges Orton/HHH to a tag match on RAW. His partner? Show, Ziggler, Punk, whoever's willing to back him. Main event tag match, ending with Bryan pinning Orton. Do it next week, NOT the week before NoC.

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  69. I'll go with all of the above.

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  70. Have Orton / Christian ever had a bad match? I enjoyed their feud from a couple of years ago.

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  71. No love for the Heyman over-the-top screaming "I loved you" at Punk?
    Or the tears in his eyes backstage interview? That's heavy acting right there.

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  72. Yeah, that 'unofficial pin' was a mainstay of JCP - not just Flair but in general.

    Flair showed up on TV in the 80s more than Hogan did - but it was still a rarity for him to wrestle a singles match on free TV (unless you count the Clash of the Champions). He certainly never lost a singles match on TV while he was still champion.

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  73. I think you're way overestimating the Bellas ability. I'm not sure they're capable of being embarrassed on national TV.

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  74. It would be a waste of punk to have him feud with gallows. After night of champions, have him feud with the shield, leading to a title match against Orton. (Which I assume they'll do before having Bryan win the belt back).

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  75. On the "Danger Zone" video (which is on YT now and I highly recommend for kicks and giggles) Magnum TA remarked on how flair hadn't lost in over a year (before showing Ronnie Garvin beating him, but that's beside the point).

    Point is, the title and the champ meant a lot, so if the champ was going to do a job, they would make a huge deal out of it, plus it made the champ seem that much more unbeatable once he neutralized the threat.

    I tried thinking of other feuds where the champ(s) was(were) pinned in a non-title match, and I can't think of many one-on-one scenarios, mostly I THINK because the champs defended often. The R&R beat Rude and Fernandez in that one non-title bout that was made to be a title bout after Rude left, but I need more time to think.

    Champs regularly lost by DQ, though, so maybe that's what happened. And Flair racked up a ton of DQs in the 80s.

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  76. That's a good possibility. Rodriguez is very effective with Del Rio (all of his face pops came from sticking up for Rodriguez and a good portion of his heat comes from the way he treats Rodriguez). On his own, though, I see Rodriguez turning into another Hornswoggle. It's only a matter of time before he's introducing Kahli.
    I wonder if there would be any future in Rodriguez actually wrestling. I know he was a worker before WWE positioned him as a secondary. I could see him getting over as a 123 Kid underdog and then getting massive heat as a sleazy X-Pac (before the X-Pac heat) heel.

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  77. That would be awesome if Heyman brought in a slew of hired guns to work one big match with Punk. It's too bad the current business model, where everyone needs to be fluent in the "WWE Style" doesn't allow for that. I used to love those temporary monsters, like when Terry Gordy came in as the Executioner, did just enough damage to justify an Undertaker match, and then moved on.

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  78. St. Louis WrestlingAugust 27, 2013 at 5:10 PM

    Funny the entire roster walked out on HHH a year ago...yet didn't seem to have the balls to do it this time....I mean really, HHH would be forced to choose between firing everyone or be stuck having to cut a THREE HOUR promo the following week because he has no wrestlers!

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  79. except for punk, seamus and...I forget the third guy. Cena it would have to be, yeah?

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  80. I was thinking the exact same thing. This whole DB storyline is just the McMahons trolling the fans.

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  81. Random musing: We all know that Daniel Bryan is a fan of the art of professional wrestling. After that AJ promo and the horrible way the Bella's sold it, how is he still with one of them?

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  82. Or he's actually burying talent.

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  83. Maybe trying to improve her through direct physical contact?

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  84. They realy need to make a smal arrow mark on the back for him.

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  85. Not to mention the time the Rock tried to stage a walkout if Foley wasn't rehired.

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  86. When did carrying the championship belt become just as (or more) popular than wearing it around your waist? I was just thinking as I watched Orton hold the belt up on RAW (the wrong way again) ... I feel like every WWF/WWE world champ prior to Stone Cold almost always wore the belt, then Austin and later Rock popularized the art of carrying it.

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  87. I was kind of bothered by Show (and everyone else) forgetting about the ironclad contract. But maybe after Bryan doesn't win his rematch, Big Show "remembers" it and starts causing shit. HHH finally gets pissed enough to offer Show a title match in exchange for waiving the "ironclad" bit. Bingo-bango, there's your one or two month title feud, giving Orton a credible-enough challenger, while DB works his way back up the ladder and Punk's occupied with Heyman.

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  88. Not that I ever need to see Big Show turn heel again or main event for that matter, but he has a history as a Heyman Guy and hasn't really feuded with Punk before. I wouldn't mind seeing RVD go heel and rejoin Heyman for a Punk feud though. Just not Curtis Axel

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  89. Eh, they are having their cake and eating it too.

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  90. So did you actually see Bryan's kneestrike on Rollins in the Hulu cut? Because on the live show they cut to a different camera and missed it.

    ReplyDelete
  91. Having a champ that doesn't job is actually a good thing.

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  92. Has there ever been anyone that looked more clueless in professional wrestling than Eva Marie?

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  93. I noticed that too, and they didn't even make up for the fuck up by showing any replay. A rare hiccup for the production team.

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  94. Because the Bella twins are fucking hot and he's getting to hit that. Screw the art of professional wrestling.

    ReplyDelete
  95. Your_Favourite_LoserAugust 27, 2013 at 10:14 PM

    'Not that I ever need to see Big Show turn heel again or main event for
    that matter, but he has a history as a Heyman Guy and hasn't really
    feuded with Punk before.'


    well, big shw was the one who unmasked punk when punk had his head shaved. cant remember tho if it was a mini feud or an rvd... er, one shot deal

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  96. Your_Favourite_LoserAugust 27, 2013 at 10:16 PM

    aj turned herself face with that promo

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  97. Amsterdam_Adam_CurryAugust 28, 2013 at 12:19 AM

    I'd rather have that Infinti SUV, or maybe the Audi Q7. That is, if I were ever buy an SUV, which is something I'll never do. I prefer nice light cheap sporty cars.


    BTW, those Yukon XLs are pretty nice (though 65K seems a bit much), and I'm sure that was a used Escalade.

    ReplyDelete
  98. Yeah. Orton too, I think. Pretty much all of the top faces.

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  99. Orton should get his gimmick changed to soccer mom. Freshen up his character and whatnot.

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  100. RVD sucks as a heel, and he's so over as a babyface that I don't see the point in turning him. Plus, Punk is a bigger star than he is at this point, so it's not like he could give Punk any kind of rub by feuding with him.



    And much like Jericho with his short stints in WWE, all RVD really has to offer at this point is getting a big pop, and giving the rub of beating a grizzled and over veteran to his opponents.

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  101. Honestly, they're not that hot. You can see plenty of women on an average trip to the mall who look much better than the Bellas.

    And as a celebrity who is featured on national TV, Daniel Bryan could have his choice of any number of hot women.



    Hell, I know a guy who works at a top 40 radio station, in Mobile, AL who gets laid by hotter women than the Bellas on a regular basis just from being a local "celebrity".

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  102. You can't argue with your penis. It's a losing battle.

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  103. I would like it a lot more if it didn't involve guys having the same match several times on live TV before going to a now-redundant PPV match.

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  104. yeah, because there is no way that either Nikki or Brie might be nice persons in real life. *cough*

    ReplyDelete
  105. Charismatic e-Negro Jef VinsonAugust 28, 2013 at 6:30 AM

    Stop downvoting me...whatever Diva that didn't like being roasted by AJ.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Charismatic e-Negro Jef VinsonAugust 28, 2013 at 6:32 AM

    Just because a Bella is sucking off Daniel Bryan does n't mean she will magically absorb his wrestling ability. If that were the case Missy Hyatte would be the "Woman of 1,000 holds" and Lita would be X Division Champion.

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  107. How much would HHH love being able to cut a 3 hr promo every week about how he's the main man. Picture the ratings!

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  108. Two words........Jackie Gayda.....nuff said

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  109. Hence Triple H's comment about how that belt is his, Orton is just holding it for him.

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  110. I agree that the Bellas aren't really THAT hot (and certainly not as hot as they seem to think they are), but there's a certain something about them that makes them seem hotter than they actually are.


    Some girls just have that aura. Some guys, too. Lots of women found James Gandolfini very sexy

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  111. To me this is the difference between McMahon and Russo. This storyline is exhibit A in how to do work-shoots. There is no talk of the WWE not writing Bryan's title win into the script, just talk of them not allowing him to win it in the ring.

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  112. I miss the days of a guy actually winning matches, building momentum and then EARNING a title match.

    Beat the clock matches and battle royals are just the laziest possible way of determining a #1 contender and do no one any favours.

    ReplyDelete

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