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The SmarK Rant for WWE NXT–10.30.13

The SmarK Rant for WWE NXT – 10.30.13

Taped from Orlando, FL

Your hosts are William Regal & Byron Saxton & Renee Young

Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady v. Alexander Rusev & Sylvester Lefort

As the announcers note, this is the in-ring debut for Lafort. Surprising, because he looks like someone they’d push the shit out of based on six-pack alone. Rusev wallops Big Cas to start and the crowd wants Enzo. I dunno if Enzo wants that. And indeed, Rusev beats the hell out of him as well, but then turns on Lefort as well before finishing Cas with the camel clutch at 1:33. I’m guessing he’s looking for new management. And once again, the blonde chick is watching him and liking what she sees. This was a total squash for Rusev, as he even beat up his own partner! ½*

Aiden English v. Jason Jordan

They HAVE to get English on the main roster, like now. This guy is ready for prime time with a gimmick that will instantly get him over. He wrestles Jordan down and applies a sleeper, WHILE SINGING, but Jordan powers out of it into a dropkick for two. English finishes with the Side Effect, now called the Director’s Cut, at 1:20. And then people in the front row throw roses into the ring! This gimmick is AWESOME. On another note, I feel like I should know Jordan from somewhere.

Paige v. Summer Rae

No title on the line here. Paige tosses her around by the hair, which causes the Mean Girls to freak out and regroup. Back in, Paige clotheslines her on the top rope for two and stomps a mudhole in the corner for two. And we take a break, during which we get a LENGTHY recap of RAW. Um, this show is only 40 minutes this week as it is, do we really need that much filler? If I GAVE a shit about Randy Orton and Big Show I wouldn’t be seeking this show out week after week to give me what RAW doesn’t. Finally we return with Summer in control, pounding Paige down for two. Paige makes the comeback with a dropkick for two, and finishes with the Paige Turner (spinning neckbreaker) at 12:08, much of which was a RAW recap. Emma pre-emptively attacks Sasha Banks to prevent any heel shenanigans, but accidentally lays out Paige in the process. Pretty dull match, but not actively bad or anything. *1/2 I still don’t know why dead weight like Alicia Fox and Aksana are on the main roster but they can’t find anything for Paige to do.

Tyler Breeze v. CJ Parker

Parker pounds on Breeze to start and gets a suplex for two, and a crossbody that results in shots TO THE FACE. And a headbutt! Doesn’t he realize that Breeze is a model? Airplane spin as the crowd is pretty merciless to Parker, and Breeze bails as we take a break. Back with Breeze in control via a backdrop suplex and some choking, which allows him time to stop for a selfie. There’s always time for a selfie. Parker fights back with clotheslines and a leg lariat for two. The crowd continues to ignore him and cheer for Breeze instead. Breeze with a jawbreaker, but Parker finishes him with the Third Eye (palm thrust) at 10:18. *1/2 The crowd just HATES Parker and it’s probably time to repackage him into something else.

The Pulse

Even at an abbreviated 40 minutes they were still cramming filler into this show, which isn’t surprising given how thin the roster was thanks to an overseas tour. This was a very skippable episode as a result, but once again Aiden English steals the show.

Comments

  1. Has to be so depressing for NXT guys to have to rely on the dolts in creative to get a call up.

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  2. What I don't get is how they fire the wrestlers when Creative has nothing for them. Why not fire the writers who can't come up with compelling storylines? Ummmm, isn't it Creative's job to, you know, be creative?

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  3. it's sort of weird how NXT ends up working for different guys- for some of the dudes they get, it's a legit form of practice and polish. For most of the Indy guys, it's mostly a matter of getting fully comfortable with the 'E's style, adjusting to whatever gimmick changes they have and maybe getting in some squat thrusts or something, then they're just sorta killing time until they get something to do.

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  4. English is just plain awesome. You forgot to mention that the roses came into the ring after an ENCORE!

    Given its Dusty booking why do I see Parker vs Breeze in a hair vs hair with Breeze winning happening. That way a shaven CJ Parker can be repackaged.

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  5. They do get fired. It's been reported most writers only last under 6 months. The bottom line is you need someone championing you and if you don't have that support system, you have no chance

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  6. Because you can't fire Steph/HHH/Vince who have the final say over what appears on TV.

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  7. According to one of JR's recent Q&A's Dusty is no longer the booker. If it isn't Dusty then he's definitely trained whoever does it now.

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  8. Hey, that was pretty good stuff. Well worth watching. Thanks for sharing.

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  9. I am starting to think that JR is full of crap now. The show still smells of Dusty.

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  10. Mary Mark has always been a really talented worker.

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  11. Was he blonde hair/pink streak guy, or bald guy? Either way, I enjoyed the match.

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  12. I'd just have him start heeling with the same gimmick. I don't know who thought a free love hippie would be a face in pro wrestling. Just make him super obnoxious and terrible like hippies are and he could be booed out of the building.

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  13. I think Paige hasn't been called up since she just turned 21 in August and you know how they don't like underage video game playing.

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  14. Luckily for her she's not blonde or young enough for Lawler to be stalking her!

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  15. It was a two match card for Summerslam. They need more matches to be built up for it!

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  16. "On the July 15 episode of Raw, new Raw General Manager Brad Maddox announced thatWWE Champion John Cena could choose his own opponent for SummerSlam. Later in the night, after taking an informal poll of the live audience, he chose Daniel Bryan. In the weeks leading up to SummerSlam, Vince McMahon would berate Daniel Bryan by trying to make him shave his beard, putting him into a gauntlet match, and pitting him against his former friend Kane. On the August 12 Raw, Maddox served as special guest referee in a match with Bryan facing Wade Barrett. After making a quick count to allow Barrett to win the match, Maddox offered his services as the guest referee for the Cena-Bryan match at the PPV when Triple H interceded, and announced he would serve as referee instead (punctuated by a Pedigree to Maddox)."


    Gosh, I can't see why anyone wouldn't have bought Bryan as a threat to Cena heading into the PPV.

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  17. They didn't buy the attraction. Fuck, wasn't Daniel Bryan the attraction? That probably means that Vince is prepared to say DB isn't a draw.

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  18. SS's bad numbers are totally Daniel Bryan's fault.

    http://www.memegeneokerlund.com/meme/m8odgc



    *sigh*

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  19. I actually paid for SS; watched it via my PS3.

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  20. Yeah they booked him like shit. "Hey this guy sucks and he isn't a star" Then they don't put him over. How can be surprised when that doesn't work out?

    Look if you want to verbally bury Bryan then follow through and put him over strong. If you don't want to put him over strong than verbally put him over as a big star. If you don't want to do either, fine. Put another guy in the main event.

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  21. Pretty funny how people go in depth as to why daniel bryan isnt a draw but if Ryback is headlining a PPV and it does shitty then its as simple as Ryback not being a draw. -___-

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  22. I bought two tickets and drove up to LA on a Sunday afternoon. I forked over my cash for punk vs Brock and cena vs d bry and left feeling like I more than got my moneys worth. That was a dope card. The buy rate sucked because wwe is ice cold right now.

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  23. Except that Bryan is the most over guy in the company.

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  24. or don't put HHH in the main event as ref -- telegraphing the screwjob ending the same way you did two years before.

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  25. and Ryback was shoved into a main event as people chanted goldberg

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  26. Drove up from where?

    I liked the show; really did. I've said before that DBry winning made me feel like a little kid again. Yeah, ok, they eventually shit all over it, but at that moment, it was genius.

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  27. I'm going to repost this from Wikipedia. Its how the WWE built up R-Truth(!!!!!!) to be a somewhat credible challenger to Cena. He went over strong, beat fan favorites up, and won matches. Now we know he had no chance of winning the WWE title, but he was made to look impressive in the build up. The opposite is what they are doing now. NO face looks impressive. Don't even reply with (BIG SHOW) because he's had his nuts cut off by Stephanie a few times on Raw.

    The Raw General Manager stated that, due to interference from Miz and Riley, R-Truth and John Cena would both compete for the WWE Championship at Extreme Rulesin a steel cage match.[35] Morrison questioned Truth about his capability to compete in a match like this, and challenged Truth to a match for his spot. Truth turned heel by attacking Morrison after Morrison won that match.[36] After the attack, Truth lit a cigarette and blew smoke in Morrison's face.[36] The following week on Raw, R-Truth cut a promo, stating that popularity did not get him any titles, and also announced that he was done entertaining the fans.[37] After the promo, Truth was attacked by Morrison.[37] At Extreme Ruleson May 1, Truth prevented Morrison from escaping the cage during the main event for the WWE Championship, ultimately costing him the title. On the May 9 episode of Raw, Truth revealed that his attack on Morrison had led to him being hospitalized (in reality, Morrison had injured his neck) before then attacking Rey Mysterio at the end of the show.[38] On the May 16 episode of Raw, Truth accused Mysterio of being a "thief" and stealing his chance at the WWE Championship. Truth then attacked a weakened Mysterio, who had just finished a match with Alberto Del Rio.[39] Truth faced Mysterio at Over the Limit, where he was victorious.[40] After subsequent episodes of ranting and raving over John Cena's popularity, he harassed a young fan and his father on the May 30 episode of Raw, throwing a cup of soda in the father's face after a countout win over Cena.[41] After Raw went off the air, the Raw General Manager announced a WWE Championship match between the two, on the condition that R-Truth apologize for his behavior the next week.[42] On the June 6 episode of Raw, Truth interrupted both Vince McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin and made his way out to the ring, singing a song about "Little Jimmy" (referring to the children in attendance) and wearing a Confederate soldier's uniform. However, he stayed true to his word and "apologized" for his actions the previous week.[43] As a result, he faced John Cena at Capitol Punishment pay-per-view for the WWE Championship, but was unsuccessful in winning the title.[30][44]

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  28. I lived there for awhile...say, 1989 - 1994, and then lived in Escondido from late 1995 - 1998. I've been to the Sports Arena any number of times. Grew up 2 hours away, Imperial Valley.

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  29. In the weeks prior though, Bryan had made Orton submit to the Yes Lock and pinned Sheamus. So i'd say he looked like a massive contender going in overall.

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  30. Well when you build people up and cut them off at the knees, what's the point of rallying behind someone?

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  31. Oh wow the IV? Like el centro or something? I've lived here since 2004. I've lived in point loma and old town, and now I live downtown near 10th and market. I love SD.

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  32. YankeesHoganTripleHFanNovember 1, 2013 at 9:49 AM

    I cancelled a date with my girlfriend and bought the show on a lark the day of the event, (she came over anyway cause she likes wrestling.) Yes I bought it because of the Punk and Bryan matches. Both were awesome, (Punk vs Lesner is MOTY IMO)

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  33. Yeah it was fantastic show. I thought it was the best ppv wwe-has done all year. The buy rate definitely doesn't reflect the quality of the show.

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  34. Calexico, actually. I liked SD well enough, though I never want to live there again. I've discovered that I really don't like big cities. I like space. Last time I was in the area would have been a gig in Carlsbad in 2009...Elephant Bar, or something like that.

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  35. YankeesHoganTripleHFanNovember 1, 2013 at 9:58 AM

    Hell of a two matches though.

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  36. Wow Calexico! Right on the border of Mexicali. I've been through their several times because we do business with a firm in Mexicali. I used to park over by the little court house and walk across the border. That's got to be a crazy fucking place to grow up...

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  37. So how pathetic do you find it that TNA couldn't even run BFG at the fucking sports arena? They had to work the viejas arena.

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  38. The low buy rate couldn't have anything to do with the fans remembering the last time they got behind a guy and Triple H decided to ref one of his matches at Summerslam while a smarmy heel flaunted his MitB briefcase in the background, could it? It's hard to buy into a product that won't conform to logically appealing narratives. I still watch because I'm an addict, but I haven't spent a cent on the WWE since the Cena/Punk SS.

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  39. Of course we can't blame Cena for this, even though they next month they were only down 10K year to year. Stay the course, Vinny Mac! Needless to say, though, DB is DOA, because the October numbers are probably going to be hideous.

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  40. *chuckle* I don't exactly have a basis for comparison, though it was a bit odd being a blonde haired, blue eyed minority. I wasn't one to go looking for fun across the border during my teen years; there were too many stories about corrupt Mexican cops. And, my mom always had a policy on drinking...if you want to drink, you can do it at home. Kind of took away the appeal of sneaking off to parties or whatever.


    And, yeah...I could go the intersection nearest my grandparents' house, look down the street, and see the International Border. Lorenz Insurance Agency was started by my great grandfather, taken over by my grandfather, and then he sold it to his partner when he retired. My mom lives in Palos Verde (near Blythe) now; I have no more ties or families to that town, and have no desire to go back. Generally speaking, I feel more at home where I am now. My wife has said for years that I was a midwestern boy and just didn't know it.

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  41. Not too surprising, really. Someone posted the official attendance count and it was what? Somewhere around 2,000? I gave TNA an honest shot while Mick was there, and I just didn't care for it.


    I kind of liked the octagonal ring while they had it, but not enough to actively watch the product.

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  42. Raw July 15: Daniel Bryan selected as John Cena's opponent


    Smackdown July 19: Daniel Bryan beats Wade Barrett


    Raw July 22: Daniel Bryan signs contract
    Daniel Bryan defeats Jack Swagger, Antonio Cesaro, and Ryback in a gauntlet match



    Raw July 29: Daniel Bryan confronts Vince McMahon, Daniel Bryan beats Kane

    Raw Aug 5: Daniel Bryan+Cena+Orton defeat the Shield

    Smackdown Aug 9: Daniel Bryan beats Wade Barrett

    Raw Aug 12: Daniel Bryan loses obvious fast count to Wade Barrett

    Smackdown Aug 16: Daniel Bryan beats Wade Barrett in no-DQ match


    This was just weeks between MiTB and Summerslam. There's more patterns of being put over before that too if you go looking.

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  43. So whose fault is it then?

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  44. I'd like to know what Vince said at the end of that Conference.

    "As Daniel Bryan would say..."

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  45. WTF is this "they didn't put him over" business?
    He went over in a gauntlet match over 3 guys in one night.
    He beat Orton, Seamus, Kane, and Cena clean. Orton more than once IIRC.


    He just isn't a draw. Maybe to the people who post on Scott's blog he is, but given the buyrates that segment of the audience isn't really making an impact on PPV.

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  46. Bryan's chant is the most over thing in the company. If Bryan was the most "over" guy in the company the buyrates wouldn't have been that low.

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  47. They did a TON more for DB than they did for R-Truth. Truth just went out there acting crazy.

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  48. Not exactly a good argument. For years, Bret Hart was the most over guy in the company, no doubt. Yet his numbers at the top are far from earth shattering. The total audience is lower right now.

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  49. What, like I know? All I can say with any authority is that I bought the PPV based on the main event, which was Cena/DBry. The other big match on the card was Lesnar/Punk. Seems like a couple of matches that would draw well. The rest of the card? Well, maybe not so much. Jobber123 says it's more of a matter of the WWE being ice cold right now. Maybe it's because the damn things are nearly twice as expensive as they used to be.


    To blame it on DBry strikes me as a horrible oversimplification. Might as well blame Cena, Punk, Lesnar, and Trips. It's worth pointing out that the whole thing with Bryan getting "buried" didn't start until the end of this event, or the next night on Raw. He was pushed pretty hard as a serious threat prior to SS, which is one of the many reasons why a lot of us thought he would ultimately have a run with the belt.


    Not so much.

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  50. Ryback wasn't ready... and never got ready. People were just clamoring for something different and when it finally happened... they realized it wasn't what they wanted.


    Despite the BoD talking about how Ryback should be champion. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Ryback has always been a one trick pony. "Feed Me More" is all he ever had, and they took that away from him.

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  51. Okay, fair enough. I forgot about "over" simply being crowd reaction, not money drawing. I take that back.

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  52. Maybe when they offer a card certain people want to see, they should buy the show instead of illegally downloading it? That would probably lead to them producing similar shows.

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  53. Truth was great for that run until they went to comedy town instead of the scary lunatic

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  54. Well we don't know if he would have drawn as champion. Ultimately, HHH felt that no champion was better than DBry as champion.

    Seems silly to me, but I trust in DBry's ability to make whatever shit sandwich they give him into one of the many delicious sandwiches from http://300sandwiches.com/

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  55. One thing I do think this shows: they've killed Brock Lesnar as a draw.
    He lost two of his first three matches, he does nothing of consequence, and his three matches against HHH were mediocre to terrible. The dude means nothing to fans anymore.

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  56. Steaming isn't downloading

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  57. I bought the show, as did a bunch of people on this board it seems.

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  58. But in seriousness, you have a point.

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  59. Did people from the BoD ever clamor for Ryback to be champion?

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  60. If Vince can't take the giant responses that Bryan gets from the audience and turn that into money, then it's on him as a promoter. Bryan has done his part-- fans love him. Now Vince has to sell it.

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  61. And that is the main thing. If the fans arent paying to see Bryan as the top guy, then there is no reason for Vince to push him that way.
    I just watched the Hardy & Helms faceoff shoot and Helms told all the CM Punk fans that if they want to see him as the top guy, start buying his merchandise. Cena moves merchandise like a motherfucker and until someone surpasses him, he will be the top guy.

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  62. The company that promoted the event.

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  63. I'd agree, but realistically, at $50-$60 bucks a show, I'm never going to be exchanging my money for a wrestling ppv again. I'll watch the stream for sure if I can find one. Or I'll just not watch it. Either way, they've chased away all of my friends who used to watch, so my days of chipping in $5-$10 bucks for a super fun wrestling party are over. But from here on out, I'm riding the pirate ship to all my WWE ppvs.

    Nevertheless though, do you seriously believe we're going to change the product by "voting with our wallets"? This direction was set in stone before the first ticket was sold. Vince sees what he wants to see. If every Bryan fan would have shelled out their entire allowance, Vince would still be looking at the buyrate and saying, "Boy Cena can draw against every...Putting HHH in the main-event really made it huge...The fans were salivating to see Randy cash in...The fans are into Bryan, lets consider him elevated and move him to the undercard to get some new guys over."

    In conclusion, I'm proud to have watched Summerslam for free. I got to see two good matches and I didn't have to help Vince McMahon be any richer.

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  64. Well, I think WWE is making a shitload off Punk Nd Bryan merch too. Fuck, somehow they sold a shitload of that awful yellow GTS shirt, so I don't think that's a problem.

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  65. Lets be objective here...people are saying HHH being inserted in the main event is the reason SS did a bad buyrate...HE WAS WRESTLING IN THE MAIN EVENT OF THE PREVIOUS SS THAT DID VERY WELL. At the time he was inserted into the main event as special ref, this corporation angle was at its infancy and HHH was a peripheral WWE character. Lets no succumb to revisionist history and claim "HHH burnout" when we are assigning blame for SS.

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  66. It's happening right NOW. Went from Orton-Bryan to Orton-Big Show. Big Show seems to be booked to be the more serious threat in the HHH corporate storyline as Bryan is sort of an afterthought now.

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  67. You sir a good Christian man and the moral of compass of this blog.

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  68. Hmmm, people didn't like the attraction at Summerslam?
    THAT'S BECAUSE RANDY ORTON FUCKING SUCKS!

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  69. Maybe... just maybe... Vince doesnt want to make Bryan a real star.

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  70. Yeah, HHH as special ref had nothing to do with the buyrate. Its everything that came after that sucked.

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  71. I buy more shows now than I did in the 90's and had friends with the black box.

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  72. its the delusion of the indy fans being in denial.


    WWE doesnt wanna make Bryan into a real star or draw. Simple.

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  73. Pops =/= money.


    Been saying it for years.

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  74. Triple H vs. Brock was actually a super intriguing match up at the time. Triple H being inserted into the main event to a lot of heat off of Bryan and even Cena for that matter.

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  75. Floyd Mayweather, who held his PPV a couple of weeks after SS. I bought his fight rather than Summerslam. As much as I love DB, i thought the Mathysse/Garcia fight was going to be a war.

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  76. He wasnt cut off at the knees until after SS.


    He wasnt hard sold before the PPV, but what the hell was the 18 second loss until SS.


    Wasnt that a huge push?

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  77. You changed your damn name again.


    APOLOGIZE!


    ;-)

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  78. But what does right NOW have to do with the SS buyrate?

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  79. I actually was really into his initial face push but the fans shit all over at last years Hell in the Cell and it was all downhill from there.

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  80. They absolutely will change the product if you vote with your wallets. They want to make money!

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  81. I disagree. At the time he wasnt getting the tv time he was getting now and the build was "the underdog people choice" of Bryan was Cena. HHH wasnr super involved, so I dont think his involvement really took heat off anyone.

    We were all talking about Orton cashing in at SS but I dont recall alot of HHH turning heel buzz, although I could be mistaken.

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  82. Question, since the late 90's, has the WWE even gone without someone or something acting as a figure head on screen? I can't recall a time.

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  83. I suppose that's really the ultimate answer, but someone within that company is going to want to blame someone. That's kind of a problem with US culture in general. We tend to focus on blame instead of fixing problems.


    But, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

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  84. TONS of you were. It was ridiculous. At times I felt like the only rational person on the situation.


    He was, and still is, a physically impressive looking guy with three moves and a catch phrase (that he overworked into the ground, before they took it off him).


    ... and people wanted him to beat CM Punk. Pure garbage.

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  85. Can't remember the year, but they a month or so of no GM on RAW which was refreshing.

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  86. And he has been at the top of the card for a while now. See how that works?
    I think Punk is a lot more involved in the merch they put out for him. He has always had cool shit. DB needs to get with the program.

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  87. Some could argue maybe Punk isn't a draw because Brock drew with everyone else prior to this.

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  88. Im embarrassed to be a BoD regular now.

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  89. What direction would you like to see the product go in?

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  90. They want to, and do, make a consistent stream of income. Which is why you'll never see them push someone to the moon...they don't need to. WWE brand will keep making money as long as they keep an even keel profit making machine. Sucks for wrestling fans, good for investors.

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  91. Because fans know this is the end result of pushing talent.



    Fans are smart now and shrug off WWE because they know they will take someone hot and cut them off at the knees.


    It's why I didn't buy the show originally.


    Because I knew that Bryan would win and then lose to Orton right afterwards.


    They push new talent and throw them back under the glass ceiling.


    Will there be new talent on the level of Cena in 15 or 20 years?

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  92. Sure doesn't seem like it a lot of the time.

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  93. He was cool but then much like Fandangooing the WWE took him away from the fans.

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  94. Ryback sucked since day 1.

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  95. The obvious endings really hurt both Summerslam and Wrestlemania.

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  96. Yeah, but Skip Sheffield was the tits. Yip yip yip what it do!

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  97. Dougie doesn't say what should happen or what is good. He's simply here to tell everyone how far off-base they are.

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  98. QOTD: Does TNA actually think people are going to buy this PPV?

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  99. It's not HHH, it's the screwjob ending that everyone knew was coming.

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  100. These numbers have been down a while, excepting of course Wrestlemania. One of the downsides to marketing to kids is they don't get to make financial decisions. It would help if WWE figured out how to draw better, but ultimately adults make the call. This is not a plea to go back to the Attitude Era, but rather that insisting that PG has to mean pandering to little kiddies has good and bad points.

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  101. That's a possibility but with their recent track record of pushing guys, I honestly do not want to get behind someone because they cut them off at the knees.

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  102. A shitload of 1-3 shirts when Cena has 10-15 things in merch.


    It is a problem.


    As I have said before Merch > PPV. EASILY

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  103. Vince is upset = The Bryan Experiment is over. Period.

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  104. Its not an argument.


    Punk and Bryan are never going to be pushed hard enough to become certifable draws on their own.

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  105. Pretty much this. If you want to build your business on selling T-shirts to kids and corporate friendly advertising, then more power to ya. But you can't exactly turn around and blame everyone else for the drawbacks to your own fucking business strategy, which is that kids don't get to shell out $55 for pay-per-views.

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  106. I dont recall any major buzz of HHH turning. The popular narrative at the time was it would be heel Vince vs face HHH leading into mania. I dont know how many people in the general wwe viewing audience, you know the people who usually pay for ppvs, saw that ending coming either.

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  107. If people were clamoring for Ryback to take the title off heel Punk, and that's such an outrageous thought, Im not sure if I even believe that ever happened, its because Punk turned them into marks for that heel run. Fucking awesome.

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  108. Fair enough, but who is more over than him?

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  109. I bought the Summerslam replay, believe it or not. Myself and a friend who wanted to watch. Great show. Makes up for having moronically purchased WM hoping for something other than what we got.

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  110. You're Roy Rogers McFreely now! This is tremendous news to kick off my weekend.

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  111. And who else, put in that spot, is a bigger draw?

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  112. Im embarassed to be a part of this blog now. Come on doomers, youre better then this!

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  113. Extreme Rules was down this year. It did 232K, 2011's did 216K. And that was for Del Rio/Christian and Cena/Miz/Morrison. Not exactly murders row there. So this year Brock was worth 15-20K buys for his match with Trips.


    Bottom line is that their NA market is really soft right now, no matter what they throw out there.

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  114. I just want to know who his favorite wrestler is.

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  115. This shirt is not helping DB

    http://shop.wwe.com/Daniel-Bryan-%22Goat-Face%22-T-Shirt/W05863,default,pd.html?dwvar_W05863_color=Black&start=4&cgid=superstar-current-danielbryan

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  116. Neighborhood watch extradordinaire

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  117. That's fine, but why is the gap in buys so great for Summerslam, but not so much for the September show. It's not like Cena was on it, so that argument doesn't really hold water. There's a decent chance that NOC didn't crater because the people you're bitching about DID buy it.

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  118. I don't think that many people were expecting Trips to turn (I certainly didn't), per se, but everybody and their brother knew that SOMETHING screwy would happen.

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  119. So if all else was equal, youd think that would lead to an increase in buys. Tv actually building to a ppv?! What a concept. I dont think all else was equal though, Bryan wasnt a draw at the time

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  120. Which is why he should have had a rocket up his ass beginning the next night. Beating Cena clean as a sheet for the title SHOULD make you a draw. Instead he got Tripped.

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  121. I agree, for many reasons. It's just the down of down cycles.

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  122. If you vote with your wallets it costs $600 a year. That's part of their problem and why their buyrates will continue to go down except for a HUGE event that is really well promoted. For what they charge now, I could have watched pretty much every WCW and WWF show back in the day. And I did buy alot. But the price point is totally different now. I don't feel like paying a $200+ cable bill every month. They could charge $100 for the big 4 PPV (is there really a fourth anymore), you could buy all of them and you'd basically get the same value for 50% less money, since the B PPVs are largely pointless.

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  123. Another factor in the PPV numbers declining is that they are not putting together a compelling card from top to bottom. I cant even remember the other matches from SummerSlam besides Lesnar/Punk and Cena/Bryan. The two October PPV cards were not good either.
    I really hope the give guys like Big E a strong push and continue to elevate the tag division because that will help the shows out a lot.

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  124. Randy Orton wasn't booked. lol. For once he can point and laugh at other people.

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  125. I agree. People are acting like that Bryan was cut off at the knees BEFORE SS, thus resulting in a decrease in buys.

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  126. Yeah, I paid for SS as well. When the WWE puts out a card I like I have no problem paying for it. This year I've paid for SS, RR and WM. All three times I had 3-6 people over and they usually give me $10 to help out with the cost of the PPV or will buy a couple of pizzas. WM I think only $15 came out of my pocket for that.

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  127. Haven't UFC's PPV's been softer lately except for a couple of fights? And they're running one a month.

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  128. I hope they smarten up with a no-PPV model. Ride that Spike pony until it dies.

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  129. I wish that Big E was brought up with the Ryback push and used his five count gimmick.

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  130. Yea, because he was booked in the main event. Maybe the ghoat of Benoit had something to do with it also.

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  131. The US numbers for NOC were horrible. But the overall buys weren't that far off. Just seems like their audience is kind of dwindling again here. This would be the point where you'd try to make someone new, other than your superman who is held together by tape, and the surly insomniac guy who can't take painkillers, but hey, I don't run the business so it's easy for me to say.

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  132. I don't know what that would do to their financials, but I was actually just thinking last night that they'd really do themselves good by cutting down the number of pointless angles on TV and just putting a lot more ***+ matches out there.

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  133. Well so much for Bryan ever headlining again...

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  134. For them, very. But they're stale as hell too. I don't even use my special TV for them.

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  135. I forget if it was Meltzer or Keller, but one of them "reported" Vince was positioning "Bryan as the underdog peoples favorite" as a chance for the audience to show their support for their guy buy buying the ppv and increasing buys. Cash talks to Vince.

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  136. I like that you are working on your gimmick

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  137. Maybe his % is shit and he doesn't care.

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  138. God thats embarassing

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  139. You ditched her, and she came over to watch wrestling with you anyway? Does it hurt your back to carry around a 12lb cock all day?

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  140. I think if you went back a year or so you'd see people annoyed about how they ruined Ryback. Of course then you'd see the other usual suspects saying "let's play it out and see where it goes." Well, a year later and about 12 PPV jobs later, it obviously went somewhere good.

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  141. Complaint about how much ppvs cost misses the point. If you stream shows that you don't like and stream shows that you want to see, that looks the same on a ledger sheet. You have to support the guys you like with your dollar. Posting your feelings on the Internet means nothing.

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  142. I bought the same PPVs, though they gave me a unrequested refund for WM because of the problems they had with online viewing.

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  143. ...you bought pizza for someone else? I THOUGHT WE HAD SOMETHING SPECIAL?!?!?!?!?!?

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  144. The build to the show was a giant tease of Randy Orton cashing in. The only mystery was who he'd cash in on. I definitely think that affects someone's decision as to whether or not they want to buy the show.

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  145. I know WON said the Ultimate Fighter's ratings have plummeted. You need coaches that almost kill each other. Having an episode around a guy not making weight doesn't draw viewers

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  146. Charismatic e-Negro Jef VinsonNovember 1, 2013 at 11:38 AM

    They should have a stream on their website.

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  147. as you post your feelings on the internet

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  148. I disagree. The WWE teases MITB cashes pretty frequently and although we saw it coming, the mass audience, you know the ones who buy the ppvs, didnt see it as definitive.

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  149. *chuckle*


    I like that you refer to my effort to contribute something reasonably entertaining or interesting as a "gimmick."

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  150. Lesnar drew with Cena and the first HHH match. The other two HHH matches didn't draw.

    Again, they've positioned Brock to mean nothing. He's already been beaten twice, the results of his matches don't matter, he has no motivation to be there storyline-wise, and the HHH matches had no crowd heat. He's dead as a draw.

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  151. You are close with Christ.

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  152. I am sure some of that drop has to be that its now on a network that nobody has heard of and because Speed changed to FSOne got dropped in many markets to a premium station.

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  153. The Punk match was great, but it really didn't do Brock any favors, either. Inconclusive finish with manager interference. Not that it matters, you know how they book, they do Punk/Brock II, Punk wins.


    I doubt they give a shit though, they've probably made their money off him either way, but they could have made alot more. Imagine if he was undefeated and THEN faced Taker. Yeah, you'd have to turn your smark brain off, but still.


    Instead, at WM 30, you have the Streak vs the Guy Who Barely Beat CM Punk.

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  154. You don't have to be Christian to know right from wrong.

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  155. I may be mistaken, but I thought the ratings for the season started strong?

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  156. You sir are the pinnacle of morality. I bet you didn't have Napster back in the day.

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  157. Between this post and another couple of posts earlier in the thread, your trolling is an art form. Even when you manage to make a valid point, you never back up what you're saying with personal anecdotes and conviction ("I bought such and such PPV because I supported this wrestler"). You just point the finger at other people all day long on a message board/blog where no one respects you. There's rarely ever any "I" statements because in doing so, you would have take ownership of a position and defend it. Instead, you'll talk crap on everyone else and tell us what we should do or what we should think. And if anyone responds in a way you don't like, you'll focus on their grammar or a peripheral point.



    Grow a pair, Dougie.

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  158. PG is good for corporate sponsorships and TV executives, but it may not translate into long-term retention when those kids hit adolesence.

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  159. It was meant as a compliment. All of the regulars have their "thing". Vinson with the .gifs, Dougie being a troll, me being fantastically entertaining in every way, Fuj desperately trying to be as entertaining as me etc... it gives you an identity.

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  160. I must've touched a nerve.

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  161. Yeah. Get an artist and design something. It wouldn't be difficult at all.


    A goat skull with a long beard or some nonsense.

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  162. YankeesHoganTripleHFanNovember 1, 2013 at 11:50 AM

    The irony here is that me, as a Triple H fan, ordered SummerSlam BECAUSE I wanted to see the Punk and Bryan matches, the show did poorly and Bryan will be blamed.

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  163. I am a "no gimmick needed" type of guy

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  164. Ha. Ive actually agree with him on this, how else is wwe ssuposed to measure a draw besides buyrates? Merch and pops are nice but fucking novelty guys like Ryder can move merch aandget pops, doesnt mean people are willing to plop down money, buyrates or at the gate to see them.

    Still good Dougie analysis.

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  165. I know you meant it as a compliment; my reply wasn't meant to come off as a prick. I find the use of the word genuinely amusing.


    I thought your "gimmick" was twice divorced guy though.

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  166. You're just noticing this now?

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  167. Think we defined "pulling a dougie" yesterday.

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  168. No, fortunately for all the ladies out there, my being back on the market is a shoot, not a work... though should you ever find yourself in that position you will find that "My ex wife..." provides a lifetime of punchlines.

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  169. You are a great man, your community is blessed as I'm sure you are involved in many charitable organizations. I imagine you are posting while serving food at a local soup kitchen. Jesus loves you.

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  170. I have a monthly videobox porn subscription, I do my part!!

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  171. I think it does, but the problem is that you kinda have to wait a long time for that customer to mature. Their average age is getting out of whack. I'm just not sure that a show that ends at 11:05PM is the best way to go about that, their rating demos kinda point that out. I'd say for the most part, the people that are watching are the people that have ALWAYS been watching. And alot of the casuals probably aren't "new", they're lapsed. Big numbers for shows like Raw 1000 show that too.

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  172. Pro Tip: A troll is like a stray kitten. Keep feeding it and it will come back for more, stop feeding it and it will eventually starve. I know it is hard to do when the kitten is so damn cute that you want to give it attention, but it is really the only way.

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  173. You said yourself WWE as a brand is the draw not the wrestlers anymore. Any form of digital media is freely available to those who search for it.


    The real issue is the pro wrestling monopoly as it has destroyed WWE's creative process and taken all power away from the fans and wrestlers themselves.

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  174. I normally ignore his posts and any replies he sends my way because it's not worth my time. However, once in a while, I like to try to stop him in his tracks, especially when the tone is more self-righteous. He's preaching to a board full of people who have spent thousands of dollars on the product apiece. Anyway, I did see what you did yesterday. Kudos

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  175. I'm sorry you're so sensitive.

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  176. If the name wwe was the only factor in ppv sales, they'd all be the same.

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  177. But you're not buying a PPV for a 2 minute Randy Orton segment. I don't think anyone thought, for example, that he was going to cash in and make it a 3-way match. He had nil effect on the show. I don't think people didn't buy in 11 because of the looming specter of ADR ruining the end of the show.

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  178. Because Punk can't draw either. Least Ryback was something new.

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  179. They basically are all the same.

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  180. Yea, the brand I think is the draw. I do think the guys at the top can influence buys a small percentage. Since say a 10% increase, or decrease in this case of a ppv is such a small percentage is such a small portion of the Es overall revenue, I consider it negligible. I do think it can be analyzed to give some value though.

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  181. I can't claim ex wife. I can claim psycho ex gfs. Two. One of which hurled a frying pan at me and also pulled a knife.

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  182. YankeesHoganTripleHFanNovember 1, 2013 at 12:05 PM

    Wow you and Dougie are both right. Who would have thought?

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  183. Or a hemorrhoid, keep scratching it and itll explode all over you. Let it go and itll go away.

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  184. Wrestling booked in 4 week cycles and many of the PPV's have great brand name recognition. Dang Jethro, I think I'll order that wrestling pay per view this month. They don't book to get fans amped to see someone get their ass beat anymore or win a championship. PPV's are like Raw, a bunch of interchangeable parts with guys trading wins and losses. That's one reason buys are down.

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  185. They're pushed pretty damn hard.

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  186. Triple H vs. Brock was still a dream match last year.

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  187. Please, the Austin era was full of "that one match" shows. And sold huge. Same with Starrcade 1997

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  188. What thread was that in?

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  189. You were actually excited to see Austin beat someones ass though.

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  190. YankeesHoganTripleHFanNovember 1, 2013 at 12:10 PM

    Random question: if all the readers and posters of the blog got together for, say, a Wrestlemania party would we all get along and be friends because at it's core we all like wrestling or would it turn into the Royal Rumble crossed with Wargame within five minutes. Discuss.

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  191. Yea, I tend to agree. I dont see this changing in the forseeable future at all.

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  192. Totally unrelated to anything being discussed, but this made me laugh:

    https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/7878158592/h8D728FA4/

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