The SmarK RAW Rant – 11.18.13
Live from Nashville, TN
Your hosts are Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler & JBL
COOHHH and Steph join us to start, reminding us how important they really are to the show, and they couldn’t be any more disappointed in RAW last week. Join the club. Randy Orton interrupts and he’s pissed off at being so disrespected lately and needs more protection. So HHH brings out Brad Maddox and Vickie and punishes them with matches tonight for some reason. So….the babyface here is….who? I don’t even understand who I’m supposed to be hating. Are fans sitting at home going “Oh man, last week was so disorganized! I’d enjoy the show much more if matches were made by the right person!” And was I supposed to find last week particularly chaotic and disaster-filled, or am I supposed to not think that because HHH said so? This whole storyline is just completely off the rails.
Randy Orton v. Brad Maddox
Maddox, forced to wrestle in his nice clothes, tries running away, and then whacks Orton with the microphone in desperation and sends him into the post. Into the ring, a DDT gets two. This only annoys Orton, who tosses Maddox and destroys him outside, then back in for a beating with the mic. The ref stops the match at 4:00. And another thing…what is the point of the Brad Maddox character now? We have three layers of authority figures and Brad’s at the very bottom, despite being RAW GM.
Intercontinental title: Curtis Axel v. Big E Langston
Big E overpowers him for two and gets a backbreaker for two. Axel gets a cheapshot to take over and we take a break. Back with Axel holding a facelock, but Langston tosses him around with suplexes and hits the Warrior splash for two. Axel escapes the Big Ending, but gets clotheslined and the Ending finishes at 7:48 to give Big E the belt. Good for him. *1/2
Meanwhile, Orton clarifies to the Shield that they WILL have his back tonight.
What exactly is “country” about the show tonight anyway?
Big Show v. Ryback
Show slugs away in the corner and puts Ryback on the floor. Back in, Ryback’s offense goes nowhere until he clips Show to take over. Big splash gets two. DDT gets two and we hit the chinlock. Show fights out, so Ryback puts him down with a spinebuster for two. The clothesline sets up the Shellshock, but it only gets two. That’s kind of a waste of a huge spot. Ryback tries it again, but this time Show punches him out at 8:00. You’d think they’d have Show squash some geek to build up the title shot he’s losing. * Randy Orton tries to attack and gets laid out as a result.
Meanwhile, Vickie “collapses” backstage as a rib on AJ’s dehydration scare in Europe. STAY CLASSY, WWE. Stephanie is not sympathetic.
Vickie Guerrero v. AJ Lee
So the EMTs, who are supposed to be medical professionals, wheel Vickie out to the ring for a match on the stretcher, just because Stephanie told them to do it. Vickie faints again because she’s DEHYDRATED you see. DEHYDRATION. HILARIOUS. This company can’t make pop culture references newer than 10 years old most of the time, but when it comes to humiliating their own employees they’re right on the pulse of things. Vickie tries to run away, but AJ puts her in the Black Widow for the submission.
Meanwhile, Randy Orton is mystified as to where the Shield was. GET THE MAN ANOTHER ICE PACK!
Meanwhile, HHH promises Orton that there will be no Shield, no interference and no help at Survivor Series. So expect the Shield, interference and help.
John Cena joins us to opine that he will win the World title bout on Sunday. Alberto Del Rio interrupts and he also feels that he has a good chance of winning. It leads to fisticuffs and Del Rio gets chased off.
Next week, Michael Strahan is the guest host. I don’t really know who that is.
Florida Georgia Line does a song. They’re drinking whiskey and stuff. THIS they leave in?
Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Goldust & The Usos v. The Shield & The Wyatt Family
The babyfaces control the Shield, and the heels are squabbling as we take a break. Back with Cody getting worked over by the Shield, who are pointedly ignoring the Wyatts. Finally Rollins tags in Harper, allowing Cody to hit the disaster kick and bring in Daniel Bryan. He runs wild on the heels, but walks into a powerbomb from Harper that gets two. Bryan gets the heat now for a while, and we take another break. In this case, Hulu actually omits the commercial and cuts right back to the match. So we return with Punk getting a hot tag and running wild on the Shield. Macho Elbow on Ambrose, but Bray interrupts the GTS. And then it totally goes nuts, with the Usos tossing the Wyatts and hitting them with double dives. Reigns spears Goldust, Cody hits Crossroads on him, Punk & Bryan give Rollins a Hart Attack, and Punk finishes Ambrose with the GTS at 26:08. A heel beatdown follows, but Rey Mysterio returns to make the save. ***1/2
The Pulse
Main event was great, but the rest of the show continues to freefall. Survivor Series might be scary bad, especially with a 7-on-7 Divas match. Why do they even HAVE that many women employed? And both title matches look like clear screwjob finishes to set up a round of rematches at TLC.
Not looking promising for the next few months.
On one hand you criticize the WWE for not being on the pulse of pop culture but in the same rant you admit to not knowing who Michael Strahan is.
ReplyDeleteI dont think they have his show in canada, also we know scott doesnt watch sports (besides a little hockey i think).
ReplyDeleteOne thing that really fucking annoys me is why doesn't the wwe promote Raw matches ahead of time? Sure, it sucks to us but at least promoting a Big Show/Ryback match a week out will give it a bigger match feel to the casual fans. Big Shows in your upcoming main event and Ryback was just working a program with Punk, hype it up...do ANYTHING to out some intrigue or feel into it.
ReplyDeleteBe glad. If it was between leaving in the country music performance of the Divas garbage they made the right choice.
ReplyDeletea sport he's been retired from for a bit now, anyhow.
ReplyDeletethese sort of shows make me glad I'm only watching half the content.
ReplyDeleteBecause they don't know until Monday morning most times.
ReplyDeleteWe have his show in Canada.
ReplyDeleteThere is also a huge NFL fanbase here. Scott just lives in the same bubble he accuses the WWE of being in.
In the same vein, I cannot name a single current hockey player... and maybe only 5 in the history of the sport. Just tuned out.
ReplyDeleteNot knowing who Michael Strahan is is very Todd Martin.
ReplyDeleteWasting that Shell Shock spot is probably a bigger indication of the Ryback burial than anything else. It should have been one of those "career moments" for the guy... and ends up being a transition to his loss.
ReplyDeleteI know. Part 1 of the problem
ReplyDeleteScott's Canadian after all. Strahan is a former NFL linebacker who now has Regis Philbin's old job. It's something that can only happen in America. Then again, so I thought for crack smoking mayors until recently.
ReplyDeleteAlso, let's please never mention the Brock vs Ryback "rumors" again. I have a better chance of playing pg for the knicks this year
ReplyDeleteThe only solid conclusion I took away from this show is that Country music absolutely sucks.
ReplyDeleteTechnically, he was defensive end.
ReplyDeleteThat was ridiculous. I still remember when Goldberg gave him the Jackhammer, it was treated as a huge moment.
ReplyDelete..better than what they have right now. (Unless the Rondo trade rumors are true.)
ReplyDeleteHe was the guy with the huge gap in his teeth that used to play for the Giants.
ReplyDeleteRyback got properly buried - first Show kicks out of his finish then after he KOs him chills on the mat for a few secs, has a sandwich, checks the time, then pins him. Poor Ry Ry.
ReplyDeleteYeah I thought of that after I posted I was confused because he broke Laurence Taylor's sack record in a lame fashion.
ReplyDeleteIt's more Bryan Alvarez. Todd is very well versed on football.
ReplyDeleteHad it coming...
ReplyDeleteFair enough. Todd's thing in the RAW reports seemed to be to never know who anyone outside WWE was. Mr. T and Johnny Knoxville both were not on his radar.
ReplyDeleteUnless you are a housewife or an old person you likely don't get the chance to watch said show.
ReplyDeleteWhy? This burial is biblical.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't Taylor's record. It was Mark Gastineau's.
ReplyDeleteWhat else can I get wrong in this thread? He is on Live with Kelly and Michael, right? After all, his name's Michael.
ReplyDeleteHe's the guy who's going to beat Brock at Wrestlemania this year, right?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I found WWE's 2014 Wish List:
1: HHH/Steph continue to be bulletproof, and even when slightly nicked will see the person who did that to them IMMEDIATELY slammed down somehow.
2: Make sure Brock Lesnar leaves the WWE with as little credibility as possible... less than none is the desired level. (See above)
3: Continue to laugh at TNA's misfortunes, both self-inflicted and otherwise, while cashing obscene checks for obscenely poor entertainment.
4: Daniel Bryan's YES! chant is only the beginning. His beard is to go to the Miz, for services rendered in NXT, and his wrestling ability is to be surgically/magically transfered to Mason Ryan. We did keep the big lug for a reason...
5: Surgically or otherwise, pry the moniker "Best In The World" from Punk/Jericho/Bryan/whoever else claims it, and have it implanted in Vince McMahon's scrotum and Stephanie McMahon's womb.
(Taking the above list with anything other than an overdose of humor is not recommended. Side effects include loss of hope, loss of sanity, and loss of free will.)
I was going to ask you who holds the NFL single season passing yards record...
ReplyDeleteI thought it was weird that Vickie basically no sold the Black Widow. Either way what a chaotic show.
ReplyDeleteWhen fans don't know who to cheer for, they cheer for nobody. It's getting really bad...you can almost see everyone's heat fading away by the hour.
ReplyDeleteWhoever it was that said the blog unfairly crushes TNA, while giving WWE a free pass...just wait an hour and read this thread. It'll be like vultures on a fucking dead aanimal
ReplyDeleteYup, that's the biggest problem with the Authority storyline. HHH and Stephanie are playing "cool heels", or not really because they're not fun to watch. More like "phony faces". So they're behaving erratically-- one week they shit on Daniel Bryan, but then the next week they're taking it out on Orton and Vickie and Brad maddox. So basically, fans don't know what teh fuck to do with those two.
ReplyDeleteCorporate Kane is just a goof, and fans either like or are ambivalent to Goofy Kane at this point.
Maddox and Vickie are... faces now? Heels with no power? Joke characters? Either way, they're worthless.
And Orton is a complete non-entity. HHH talks down to him, The Shield ignore his ass (which is pretty cool on Shield's part), Miz's dad doesn't even fear him.
What the fuck is the point of The Authority anymore? It seems like the rest of the roster other than the Big Show has pretty much decided to ignore them at this point and just put on great matches in the main event slot, while HHH/Steph/Orton/Show/Maddox/Vickie/Kane dick around in the opening hour to an utterly confused crowd. I just don't get how anyone in WWE thinks this is going well.
" Why do they even HAVE that many women employed?"
ReplyDeleteAJ needs someone to go over.
(If THIS isn't a set up line then I don't know what is.)
I know. Did you mean to point that comment at someone else?
ReplyDeleteIt'll be fine when he goes over Goldberg at W30. It's just to depush him before the big push
ReplyDeleteClosest thing to that would be if Lesnar is actually in this year's Rumble, and they have a brief staredown before Lesnar F5s his ass into the 3rd row.
ReplyDeleteyep.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I noticed they cut out the Miz heel turn. He headlined WrestleMania ya know!
ReplyDeletePart of me thinks that HHH thinks that because he managed to become a top guy after the Montreal incident that all WWE wrestlers have to "pay their dues" and go through a dramatic burial in order to prove if they can be on top.
ReplyDeleteEither that or he's taking out his frustrations of said incident on any wrestler that is got an easier push than he did.
Who's stupid enough to say that?
ReplyDeleteI didn't think it was that bad of a burial. At least he got to look powerful and he executed his finish on a fat guy without 1) not being able to pick him up or 2) being booked for the fat guy to be too fat and squashing him.
ReplyDeleteIf they did that match at WM and had him win, he probably wouldn't be in the mess he's in right now.
Someone said it, in fairness to them though I think they were new to the blog.
ReplyDeleteHe executed his finish...except the guy kicked out of it. That buries him more than if he had never hit it at all.
ReplyDeleteWill he go on before or after Punk-Austin and Sting-Undertaker?
ReplyDeleteThey say you should write about what you know, well, it seems like the WWE does that. Nothing but "stories" about creating unneeded layers of of management and legal disputes. You can't call them angles, because they dont always lead to matches, or at least, matches people give a shit about.
ReplyDeleteYes, except in typical WCW fashion a they treated it like a huge moment even though Goldberg had already given him the Jackhammer a couple weeks before in some ludicrous handicap match.
ReplyDeleteupvote for Miz's dad reference.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping the thing with Maddox was a way to write him out of the GM role and plug Kane in as the generic authority figure instead.
ReplyDeleteOff the top of my head I would say Drew Brees; if I'm right I'll never be able to prove I didn't look it up.
ReplyDeleteYou're right.
ReplyDeleteHe'll survive this. It would have been different if Hornswoggle or Vickie Guerrero kicked out of it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, he'll survive if they're serious about pushing him. But I still don't really see the point of it. If they want to feed him to Show to build up for SS, then fine. But not much is really gained by having him kick out of his finisher. That should be a big deal and not wasted on some crappy throw-away match.
ReplyDeleteYou’d think they’d have Show squash some geek to build up the title shot he’s losing.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that what they did?
After Savage is inducted into the HOF.
ReplyDeleteConsidering TNA has the two best jobbers in the world "locked up" at the moment... yeah, WWE's options are somewhat limited.
ReplyDeleteNot.
Man the wwe is so bad at booking any kind of angle right now. The story part of-tthis show was 100% dog shit and frankly Scott was probably too nice about this (due to the apathy this fucking garbage inspires)... however the match quality has been great and that's mostly due to the shield.
ReplyDeleteLast night I loved the del rio and cena segment and the main event match/ mysterio return. This was stuff I really enjoyed and honestly the rey/Rhodes/ usos vs shield/ swagger/Cesaro match makes me want to pay to see ss because 1)I'm assuming it has to get 45 minutes due to the lack of matches (and I don't see the Orton match going 15 minutes and if cena is hurt theres a chance that match is short too) and 2) I'm hoping the usos don't stand ou
It's too bad the secondary titles are so damaged. He should have been an IC champ by now (or at least won KotR)
ReplyDelete...I'm sure there's a Mulkey Brother somewhere that they could have used.
ReplyDeleteAnd Dr. Dre releases Detox.
ReplyDeleteThank Christ Miz turned heel again. Hopefully he can get some momentum going again.
ReplyDeleteAlso to be honest if DVR didn't exist I would never watch anymore. I can just ffwd through 70% of raw
ReplyDeleteSo you hate everything about WWE booking, think the WWE title angle is dogshit, went on an angry rant a few weeks ago about how HHH could bleed out for you while you watch for free etc etc...and all it takes is the idea of Rey hitting a 619 during a completely unhyped, thrown-together midcard match and you're onboard to pay $65?
ReplyDeleteObviously to each their own, but that seems like a pretty quick turnaround.
That makes it even better. I miss WCW.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-W5QEmY4b4 (Start at 4:21)
ReplyDeleteThe only acceptable result of said "momentum"... The cheering and the dinging is everyone else's reaction to what happens.
And 100% agreed here. It's why I feel like as bad as things get, I'll always be able to watch going forward because there's always SOMETHING worth checking out. It's why I personally don't ever see a need to complain about the "small stuff" like a Great Khali dance contest or whatever, because it's not like I end up watching that anyway.
ReplyDeleteI liked how in the Big E - Axel match Cole kept saying over and over and over how 'prestigious' the IC title was. I think he got confused over which Hennig was wrestling.
ReplyDeleteWell to be air, Rey will probably get injured at Survivor Series, so it may be another year before we see him again.
ReplyDeleteMeh, the way he's been booked lately, anything better than "Big Show enters the ring first, Ryback runs down to the ring and immediately gets KO'd" is an improvement.
ReplyDeleteThe Authority stable is a direct reference to Vince & Co. in real life, so of course they think it's going well, b/c it's about them. They never miss a chance to suck their own dicks.
ReplyDeleteIt was supposed to be a petty dig at AJ Lee fainting during the most recent UK Tour. Obviously, this was something worth wasting an entire segment on.
ReplyDeleteI don't care at all about the hhh angle. Its total dog shit. I don't care at all about punk and Bryan because their in a pointless feud against fat people with an insultingly stupid gimmick.
ReplyDeleteHowever I think I've made my feelings known about rey over the years here (no homo) and tossing him in a 45 minute match against Cesaro, Rollins, ambrose (the dude poised to replace rey as my fave guy) and I'm all in. Also I'm feeling the adr vs cena feud because adr is such a great character and he sold me on it. You are right about how much I hate the booking but I don't want to this match on some shitty stream feed. Although maybe I should just torrent the show but it might not be up until Tuesday and I really do want to see the match live.
Tl;dr yes the return of my favorite wrestler, against the fucking shield, in what all logic dictates should be a loooong match, is enough for me to spend my money
Very true. How many big matches does he have left? I hope a lot, but that's unlikely
ReplyDeleteLike I could never sit there and watch the fucking divas play musical chairs, 6 hhh/step backstage segments, an aj lee circle jerk angle, any post match announcer banter (which I used to love long ago) or anything brad Maddox related. Even fastfowarding through hhh/Steph/Vickie/Maddox walking to the ring made that opening segment easier to watch.
ReplyDeleteIts more than 5 if you count Vince, the board of directors etc...
ReplyDeleteAnd does Subway commercials
ReplyDeleteI am still anxious for the day Cesaro gets to Giant Swing him...
ReplyDeleteShhh... they don't count until someone shows up, in-ring on RAW, and says so.
ReplyDeleteFuck Guns N Roses for finally taking away the Chinese Democracy joke a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteYou may be on to something. It may not be on a conscious level but it is a real possibility... though wasn't it the curtain call that got him punished, not Montreal?
ReplyDeleteThose are odd rumors because a) I don't see Ainge trading Rondo within the division and b) what do the Knicks have that would benefit Boston's rebuilding? They don't have a war chest or enticing draft picks, correct?
ReplyDeleteYou read anything detailed on what would be involved?
Heyman's verbal burial of him was worse IMO.
ReplyDeleteShe tapped immediately then passed out while leaving the ring.
ReplyDeleteBeen out of the loop so I didn't hear about the whole AJ thing. I've been a fan for 25 years and can usually sit through anything but that whole segment was brutal.
ReplyDeleteMiz's dad looking like he's waiting for the bus while his son is marytred is just great TV.
ReplyDeleteIn fairness to WCW, whenever Cena faces Big Show or Henry, the announcers always debate whether he can possibly get them up for the AA, despite Cena hitting the move on them a hundred times over the years
ReplyDeleteIts worse when you know the story behind why it was happening. Sickening... and I am not JUST saying that because I want to use AJ as a cock warmer.
ReplyDeleteSHE CAN GO OVER ME!
ReplyDelete(Didn't want to let you down twice in one day... like I would do to AJ!)
(No charge for the last one... Which is what I'd tell AJ!)
(Seriously I am done now... which is what I told... I really need to get back to work... this could go on for a while... seriously HOW DO I MAKE IT STOP!?!?!?)
Three way deal involving Shumpert, Rondo and Asik from Houston. Nothing has been formally put out there.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the match man! Not gonna begrudge a wrestling fan from enjoying some wrestling.
ReplyDeleteSo whadda ya think the plan is for Rey on this run? I'll tell ya something I'd actually like to see (aside from Ambrose beating Rey in a title vs mask match, taking Rey's mask off and using the heat to become a megaheel).
I'd love to see a proper Cena vs Rey feud right after Cena finishes beating on the hapless ADR. They had that great Raw match in Summer of 2011, which was never followed up on and otherwise NOTHING. Two of the biggest WWE babyfaces of the decade and they've never had a PPV match. I say do a face vs face series, culminating with Rey/Cena at the Rumble. Let the kiddies freak out over which superhero they're gonna root for, and we'll just watch for the match quality.
At this point there are ZERO heels who could be taken seriously against Cena, so might as well just let him stay a face and have PPV dream matches with the other superfaces.
It's like coming off a high. Just ride it out..
ReplyDeletehttp://dailywrestlingnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/AJ-Main-Event-2.gif
(I have to stop serving up these easy pitches for people to hit out of the park)
in fairness, only one guy is fat.
ReplyDelete...eh, what the hell:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wwedivaspictures.com/gifs/aj_lee/002.gif
He should stay in a tag team but his partner was just as fragile as he is.
ReplyDeleteOr was just looking at comment totals for the Raw open threads versus the Impact ones. Without actually reading the "holy shit this sucks!" comments, I can see where someone would get confused.
ReplyDeleteGotcha, thanks.
ReplyDeleteHo Hi tommy !
ReplyDeleteGranted, about 50% of Impact posts are Vinson GIFs or responses... the actual product gets way less than it did 3-6-12 months ago. Of course, it was better back then...
ReplyDeleteBorrowing a Regal line: Proper Posture Prevents Piss-Poor Performance.
ReplyDeleteI really miss chaos in wrestling. Like what happened? I want to see The Authority be a combination of The Corporation and the nWo. Of course HHH can come out and do Hollywood Hogan style promos with his jacket sleeves cut off and Steph in the role of Eric Bischoff. Better start working on your tan Paul.
ReplyDeleteNah, her posture is juuuuuuuust fine.
ReplyDeleteYep, because almost working yourself to death in the ring sure is funny. Ha-yuk, yuk yuk..
ReplyDeleteExactly!
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't that long ago that a bunch of faces decided to defy Trips and Steph by running to the ring and helping Bryan, but that lasted all of five minutes. Now the entire roster is back to just not giving a shit what Trips/Steph do, as opposed to fearing them.
Not even Cindy Crosby?
ReplyDeleteI meant Curtain Call.
ReplyDeleteThat's how you show the company you deserve the push they won't give you.
ReplyDeleteI'm just tired of the authority figure storyline in wrestling. It's been overused since the Austin/McMahon feud and has frequently been the major storyline in WWE and other feds for years.
ReplyDeleteYeah, they seem to think the authority figure is just a part of wrestling now. Wrestling - belts, a ring, and an authority figure.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of that person.
ReplyDeleteThis lends a pretty healthy dose of irony to your avatar.
ReplyDeleteTHEY'RE NOT BELTS!
ReplyDeleteYOU CAN BUY BELTS AT THE STORE!
From F4WO:
ReplyDeleteRegarding Ryback being in the doghouse which we talked about on last night's Wrestling Observer Radio, it appears to be a situation where he went out a week ago and did the spear and jackhammer, Goldberg's spots, and didn't get permission to do it first.
Poor Ryback. Probably did it at a house show and gets punished for it.
Who's hoping for this, exactly? Miz is basically employed to do corporate promotional work. Which is fine and all, good for him, but the dude has shown what he has in the ring and as a character, and face or heel it's pretty lacking.
ReplyDeleteI Agree. She definitely prevents piss-poor performance.
ReplyDeleteAnd over which title was on the line.
ReplyDeletePretty sure I recall him doing the jackhammer a time or two on TV.
ReplyDeleteLord Humungus is my favorite hockey player.
ReplyDeleteThe Usos don't suck at all. They're my favorite team in WWE to watch in the ring. Good tandem moves, good timing, good selling.
ReplyDeleteSo...he needs permission to use moves that aren't currently being utilized by an active wrestler?
ReplyDeleteSeems legit.
Pretty sure the joke is still valid, considering how wonderfully the album sold.
ReplyDeleteDEHYDRATION X!
ReplyDeleteThis fuckin company I swear.............
ReplyDeleteCountry music becomes the most over heel in the company in one night.
ReplyDeleteI thought you were a Jason Vorhees fan.
ReplyDeleteI'd bet anything that got a big pop
ReplyDeleteBring back Vince Russo. Yes the show will be full of incoherent and stupid angles. However, at least it won't be this fucking boring.
ReplyDeleteIf that's true that's just stupid.. I'm sure he did it to mock the crowd. Thats actually pretty clever for Ryback. However, if wrestlers keep getting punished like this for stupid reasons like this, wrestlers will be afraid to do anything but follow the script word for word. As a result, the bland boring product will continue and nothing will ever feel spontaneous. Doesn't WWE remember that the attitude era started when everyone went off script and made things feel real? With stupid punishments like this, wrestlers will never try anything, and it will never happen again.
ReplyDeleteVery much so... but that's actually the Lord Humungus mask from The Road Warrior.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
ReplyDeleteSeriously? Michael Strahan retired six years ago. He was a defensive end in a league that celebrates quarterbacks. It's not like we're talking about Brett Favre here.
ReplyDeleteThat's the beauty of it from Vinces perspective. ....rule with an iron fist.
ReplyDeleteWell what would you suggest they do? Have the wrestlers compete with each other for personal issues and the desire to win matches? Don't be absurd, you need to have people from the business side to talk about contracts and make you wonder why they don't just dismiss people they don't like, rather than wasting time with mind games and weekly beatdowns, or angles just won't work.
ReplyDeleteGo watch early 90s wrestling with Jack Tunney. Perfect "authority figure."
ReplyDeleteOhhhhh, that would be interesting...haven't heard that one. I don't see Rondo finishing with the season as a Celtic. I like Shump, alot but if you have a chance to get Rondo essentially straight up for Shumpert, think you gotta do it.
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, They need to keep these guys out of the ring for a while. Just have a manager get a stable of Heels together then forget about the business side of wrestling.
ReplyDeleteI've thought the same thing, but I have to wonder at this point if Russo is just out of ideas. WWE would be wise to someone who knows wrestling and is new and has never been a booker before. Wrestling promotions have been using retreads for a while and it's time for a breath of fresh air.
ReplyDeleteAs a kid, I always wondered why Jack Tunney was so awkward in front of the camera and flubbed his lines. Since I was comparing him to President Clinton, I couldn't understand why Tunney got elected for that job. You are right about Tunney playing the perfect authority figure role.
ReplyDeleteGorilla Monsoon > Jack Tunney.
ReplyDeleteWe know thw WWE can and should be better and it's not. That's why we bitch about it.
ReplyDeleteWe accept TNA for what it is: a platform to showcase Tessmacher's ass.
But remember, DANIEL BRYAN is the reason that the ratings plumetted! It has nothing to do with HHH, Stephanie, Randy Orton, or Big Show, so everything should be ok now, right?
ReplyDeleteThat is what pisses me off about when a "regular" person gets in the ring with a wrestler. They get protected to the point the match is nonexistant.
ReplyDeleteFor example Vickie should have gonnen her ass kicked by AJ, not have a nanosecond long match. Hell, even Jim Ross took a beating from HHH. Jerry Lawler should have killed Michael Cole, but he gets an airplane spin?
Reason and Sanity vs Country Music and Abeyance at Wrestlemania?
ReplyDeleteNo company should ever be that desperate.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I hate the idea of handicap match squashes, I would have advocated for the use of 3MB in this spot. Why waste Ryback, who still has some potential?
ReplyDeleteThat shows how much this company thinks of him nowadays.
ReplyDeleteHow was that whole deal a punishment again? She got off REALLY easy.
ReplyDeleteThat SHOULD be his finish. That bullshit Samoan drop he uses looks ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteAt least McMahon made it entertaining.
ReplyDeleteWell the good news is Bryan is still crazy over, which is probably killing HHH right now. Meanwhile Orton, the champion, is pretty much dead in the water. I can't wait to see the numbers for this PPV. Yikes.
ReplyDeleteI've thought the "paying their dues" theory for years regarding their booking approach.
ReplyDeleteCan't beleive they cut the enjoyable Ziggler/Sandow musical instrument garbage match and Xavier Woods' debut and left in the Vickie/Stephanie/AJ crap.
ReplyDeleteAre we sure that they really went off script in the Attitude Era? Or were they scripted to be edgy and seem "real?" I agree the WWE has gotten awfully petty about shit like this, and this is a prime example of that, but I try to look at the management side and realize that you can't let guys on the roster start going into business for themselves.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather watch "I Choppy Choppy your pee pee." then more "best for business" bullshit. They have officially made the product so bland, it makes the Russo days look like the good ole days.
ReplyDeletehttp://i.imgur.com/vrv82z5.gif
ReplyDeleteI just found out about the Room last week so your name and avatar made me smile.
ReplyDeleteNext week, Michael Strahan is the guest host. I don’t really know who that is.
ReplyDeleteMichael Strahan is Kelly Lee Ripoff's sidekick. Before that he was a member of the New York Giants that handed Mister Gisele that ONE GIANT LOSS in SUper Bowl XLII
ReplyDeleteI heard it was gonna be Kelly Lee Ripoff next week
ReplyDeleteYou should listen to some Alison Krauss sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteThey'll just blame Punk, Bryan, the Wyatt's, Cesaro, and anyone else the fans actually care about.
ReplyDeleteThe FOURNographer Brett Favre did the record setting job to Strahan
ReplyDeleteDepends. Was Taylor Swift involved in the Divas musical chairs garbage?
ReplyDeleteTaylor Swift-The JOhn Cena of Country music
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking they might have flipped him so that he can feud with Cena during December & the TLC PPV to keep Cena and the WHC away from The Authority storyline. Other than their terrible Mania main event, the two have normally at least had ok matches if they need something to get through a month.
ReplyDeleteHe made it entertaining by getting his ass kicked on a regular basis and putting Austin over. Let's see HHH or Steph infection do that.
ReplyDeleteI've been saying that for a while now.
ReplyDeleteHehe...Steph Infection...
ReplyDeleteAgreed. They move with some damn hustle, too.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy 3MB more than Ryback.
ReplyDeleteNo he didn't. You hear me? HE...DID...NOT.
ReplyDeleteVickie shouldn't have been in the ring with AJ, period.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteOther than beating Hogan, it was probably Goldberg's second-best moment.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I remember RAW during Michael's 1996 reign and they promoted a Shawn vs. Marty match where they did a vid package about Shawn's rise and Marty's struggles. And I couldn't wait for the match as a kid.
ReplyDeleteBut because she was AJ should have beat the shit out of her for 5 minutes before making her tap.
ReplyDeleteBut do you REALLY want to sit through a AJ-Vickie 5 minute "match"? Have we learned nothing from Lawler-Cole from WM?
ReplyDeleteTake the second E out of that word in your last sentence, move the R before the d, and then you've got it.
ReplyDeleteThat is the problem.
ReplyDeleteAnytime a regular person gets in the ring with a wrestler (especially if the wrestler has beef with the regular person) then the wrestler should stomp the SHIT out of that regular person . Total squash match.
I will accept a DQ if the wrestler gets out of control with the beating but the regular person should be taken out on a stretcher. (Lawler/Andy Kaufman is the correct procedure)
I agree completely.
ReplyDeleteBut like I said the McMahons think it's funny when the regular person goes over the wrestler clean.
ReplyDeleteYeah, was Chad Brock busy washing his hair or something? You'd think he would be a no-brainer to book for a country themed wrestling show.
ReplyDeleteAfter listening to the Bruce Prichard interview on Steve Austin's podcast, there's a funny irony to the fact that Vince has never heard of The Simpsons (you know, merely the most famous animated show of all time) yet he immediately remembers to humiliate his employees just for something that wasn't even their own fault.
ReplyDeleteWatch the Rifftrax version, you won't be disappointed.
ReplyDeleteThey need to recreate the Summer 2008 period where there was no authority figure and the wrestlers could make whatever matches they wanted. I should point out that period got them their highest ratings of the past decade, you would think they would want to go back to something that worked in spades instead of going to a tired cliché that hasn't worked since Tom Green was considered a "celebrity".
ReplyDelete