Sucks for Bryan. He isn't even on the poll on WWE.com to be a "Biggest Threat' towards Orton's title, granted it just lists the three current contenders. So we can Batista vs. Orton at Mania, now what happens with Cena and Bryan now? If Lesnar is facing Undertaker and Triple H faces Punk, that could leave us Cena vs. Bryan in a match that I'd love to see again.
Batista was getting pops like Batista was about ten years ago and WWE ran with him by letting him win the Rumble. Today, Batista's popping ratings. They'd be foolish not to follow this same kind of blueprint with Bryan.
He's what I remember from Batista's first run in the company: BEING INJURED A LOT.
Seriously, he was injured for like six months in 02, came into Evolution and injured for like a year, managed to stay healthy long enough to be the 3rd stringer in Evolution... and got popular because he was handled better than Randy Orton's initial babyface push (which was fukcing terrible). Yes, he remains the only guy to get wins over HHH without having to give them back (you wonder who's going to win the inevitable HHH/Batista match?), then he gos to Smackdown and does nothing. Sorry, feuding with JBL is nothing. Then he gets injured for ANOTHER SEVEN MONTHS and outside of the stuff with Undertaker and getting in a backstage fight with KING BOOOKER I don't remember shit about the rest of his run. Until he screws John Cena out of the title to set up their WrestleMania 26 feud. How many times was he injured between WM23 and WM 26? I know he wasn't at Mania 25, and wrestled a couple of PPVs after before getting injured -- AGAIN -- and getting shuffled back over to Smackdown.
So yeah, I don't give a shit about this Batista push and I'm not really into whatever fond memories Vince has about him. Sure, he's got muscles, but he also has a tattoo around his belly button. Everytime I see that, I think, "GUYS do that?"
So in conclusion, screw Batista. And if Orton/Batista is the big WWE Title match at WrestleMania XXX.... that low buyrate won't just be because they lost a bunch of buys to network subscribers.
The other lesson from these ratings is they FELL as the show built to the big Cena/Orton confrontation (and also fell with no big Daniel Bryan match as a draw), but I don't think WWE will be learning from that.
actually, i thought common consensus was that a rating reflected the strength of the previous show, b/c people wanted to tune in to see how THAT played out
Obviously Batista brought some people in, but do they really not think that MAYBE the awesome-as-fuck ending of last week's Raw with Bryan destroying Bray had something to do with this? Also, the live crowd gave Bryan a MUCH bigger reaction than Big Dave Steriod.
I'm happy to see Batista return & usually Big Dave is a sharp dresser the skinny jeans had to be a lost wager or rib........
List of guys I would have liked to see take Batista out & tear his skinny jeans off, probably exposing a silk, tiger striped thong: Shock Master, Braden Walker, Kiss Demon, Glacier, Miz, Jerry Flynn, Max Moon, Garrett Bischoff, The American Males, Erik Watts, The Renegade or Evan Kouragious.....
And Mania's main event, on paper, will feature a face VS face main event. Soon to be new Champion Cena will face a white hot Bryan or a heavily popular returning Batista. Either way by default you still have the dynamic of heel VS face with whomever facing Cena receiving MASSIVE support & Cena getting boo'd out the stadium. I doubt a Triple Threat, but wouldn't rule it out. And how FREAKING MONEY would that be? BOOK IT VINCE!
Thinking about it for a second, I don't really mind Batista winning the Rumble and taking on Orton, because what would be the alternate? Punk v Orton at WM again? Daniel Bryan v Orton for the 20th time in the past 6 months? At this moment I'd rather see Punk and Bryan mix it up with the likes of HHH/Taker/Cena/Lesnar. Batista v Orton just links the weaker elements of the card together and eliminates it in a nice palatable title program.
Unless they really want to surprise me and have Roman Reigns win the damn thing.
Won't happen this year, I'm betting once Taker makes that decision to end his career then they'll squeeze the trigger on the whole Taker/Cena megamatch.
Anyone who thinks Big Dave doesn't deserve most of the credit for these numbers is deluding themselves. I'm sure the stuff with Bryan helped to an extent, but Batista was definitely the main attraction of the night.
"Saving" Bryan from what? Not getting a main event match at 'Mania? Boohoo, by the sound of things, neither will the biggest full-time star in the company.
With all the talk of Bryan burials, it seems more like it's Randy that's getting pushed out of a meaningful Mania match. Brock seems likely to rape him for the title and Batista winning the Rumble would take him out of any part of what he has been a part of since the Summer. The WWE will have to slap together a quick feud at EC to even get him on the card.
Batista and Orton have both had their share of DUDs and dull periods over the years, but they have also both produced some great moments over the years. Their resumes are so up and down that you could make a case for them being the worst and best choices for a main event. Here's what I'd like to see happen...
A payoff to the Authoritah gimmick and angle. Orton finally snaps after the Rumble (and successfully defending his title) when Steph and Hunter try to berate him one more time. Deep down, the character's been dying to do it, and the crowd would go crazy for it IF HHH would go full-on heel and twist the knife, so to speak, during the promo. We get Orton back to his "Stone Cold Jake Roberts-lite" gimmick that he's so good at it.
Who arrives to save HHH? None other than the manly man who hugged him last week, Batista. Fans wouldn't be sure what to make of it until they see Batista's asshole-like qualities come out while defending HHH on the mic in subsequent weeks. Now that he has had some success in Hollywood, an even more pompous Hollywood Dave can come out, too.
Just do a double turn...it makes sense for the current storylines and puts them both back into their comfort zones. Unscrupulous face Orton and jackasshole heel Batista. A 100% heel HHH can emerge, too, making the Punk match have a lot more heat. Then, take Taker, Bryan, Cena, and Lesnar and create two superfights from those names. There's your Wrestlemania.
Isn't the play a Bray win via Harper and Rowan attacking/menacing Brie in the back? Bryan follows her to hospital. Or if you want to angle towards HHH/Bryan Mania, a "mystery assailant" later turning out to be Steph
It's obvious it's gonna be Brock and Batista. It won't be Orton guys. Brocks bot cutting promos about how he's winning the title if they aren't giving him the strap. It's the same as Rock last year. He wouldn't put it out there if it ain't happening
Maybe this is just wishful thinking on my part, but I think HHH (and the Authority in general) will definitely go full heel post-Rumble.
And there were rumours that WWE was going to do another Summer of Punk this year, and one of his opponents would be Batista, so hopefully we'll see a return of the "Hollywood Dave" character. He's certainly dressed for the part.
So what's the plan for Randy? A quick wrestlemania rematch feud with Punk as a last chance to stay being HHH' s whipping boy seems like the only thing I can think of.
Yeah this is NOT what the internet wanted to see. They are falling all over themselves to refute that Dave is the reason the number popped. "They could bring anyone back thats been gone a while and get that reaction". Except for they just did an Old School RAW full of guys they heavily promoted returning that had been gone for a while and none of them popped that rating.
People have been whining for months about how Daniel Bryan isn't getting ratings because he's in shit storylines. Batista comes in with no storyline and pops that huge rating.
It is kind of enjoying watching the collective IWC create reasons why their current hero isn't getting what he deserves.
Yeah, what horrible crowd backlash, what with the huge ratings boost for his return.
And really, I don't think THIS will be the straw that breaks the camel's back with locker room negativity towards HHH/nepotism. Also, what options are there for the disgruntled? Quit, keep it to yourself and keep working... That's about it.
They are pretty consistent with telegraphing this kind of stuff tho. When Cena cuts a "I guarantee a win" promo, he always does. This Brock title rampage is following the Rock blueprint from last year. While yea, it's not guaranteed but I'd bet anything Brock walks into WM as the cchamp.
The plus side of "No heels and faces" is there could be an Airplane style line of people wanting to kick HHH's ass, maybe Orton finds his nuts and goes after HHH
re: Orton great moments. What am I missing? Other than the pedigree, I've seen Orton as serviceable but I can't really remember any great moments I'd like to go back and watch. In fact the only Orton moment I've consciously gone back to rewatch was that stupid RKO whiff on Jericho on Raw. Totally out of his league and no idea what to do so he repeats the same spot, making him and Jericho look like jackasses. Randy News Network was fun, everything else has been him with a self-entitled chip on his shoulder. OK but often dull.
I'm on board with that. Meaning more of the "how he wasn't really the reason they drew huge numbers on Raw" or "it's not gonna last because he's not Daniel bryan" type of discussion
Nothing makes me appreciate John Cena more than Batista coming back. For the past few months my attitude was "Bryan in the main even at Mania or FTW". Now, it's "For the love of god put the strap back on Cena & have him face Brock for the title at Mania, but please, please, PLEASE not Big Untalented Dave"
Last time Raw had higher average viewers was January 28 2013, the day after Rock won the title from Punk at the Royal Rumble. You'd have to go back to Raw 1000 on July 23 2012 to find a higher rating than that.
This Monday's hour 1 had the highest number of viewers since hour 2 of that 1/28/13 Raw.
There's no denying that Batista popped a big rating here. Obviously we have to wait for the next few weeks, but it shows Batista's popularity with casual fans when his return did ROCK WINNING THE TITLE level numbers.
For all of the injustice in the world, and the atrocities that occur while we sleep, we can still doze off knowing that AW lost his job. That's really all that matters.
Are they trying to set the all-time troll record for the RAW after Wrestlemania? Big Dave's victory speech would be classic. He'd have to go Hollywood Dave to even make it out alive.
You're only missing one variable: Batista's role in GotG. Much like Miz's recent confusion with face/heel/movie, I don't see Batista turning heel until AFTER GotG has been out for a few weeks.
The crowd is going to crap all over Orton/Cena. Not Batista - at least not for a while, since he's fresh and ended his last run in 2010 on a streak of awesomeness.
I do think they need to do something with the Authority (i.e., make it go away) because if they make it the focus, WrestleMania is going to bomb despite a great card. Feels a lot like 2003 when the whole buildup was focused Hogan/Vince and it did ( and I think still true) the worst WM buyrate since 1997.
And this is especially important since they are using WrestleMania to sell the new Network...the Authority stuff is death.
... and then blow through almost all of it in the first 90 minutes. Leaving, as your "main event", the rematch no one really wanted to see, and the go home segment for the rematch NO ONE ever wanted to see again.
To be fair, "Old School Raw" is built around cameos of guys that are generally too old to go, at least on a consistent basis. That's not quite the same as the return of a guy that's going to be a big part of the main-event scene.
I don't think they realize how much the audience is gonna crap all over anyone not name Bryan winning the Rumble. MAYBE if it is Punk. And I don't think a Batista Vs Orton would could crapped on quite as much as Brock Vs Goldberg, but it could be interesting.
I think Rumble itself, they'll be ok, get an interesting last 4, maybe do a rush ending after 30, don't let the crowd really react to the realization. They're screwed the next night though
I just looked it up, and the night of Jericho's first return (November 19, 2007) featured no ratings increase from the week before. 3.5 for both episodes.
I have mentioned this before, but the Ratings argument often annoys me. Had the rating been low, people would be all "See? Batista can't draw, OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!" But the rating was high, so... "Meh, ratings don't matter THAT much, I bet it's not even because of him.". Ratings only matter to people when it applies to their argument basically.
End of Lesnar/Show build (starts in late 2nd, ends in 3rd) AJ + Tamina vs Funkadactyls Recap of main two (Bryan/Batista) Rumble Promo MLK Promo Usos vs Rowan + Harper Orton vs Kingston Orton/Cena build
And out of that... the only prior promoed segments were Lesnar/Show and Orton/Kingston + Cena
Wrestling fans are full of double standards. Hell, most fans probably are, but wrestling is the only interest of mine which I talk to other people about (online usually) so I can only really speak for it.
Who in this locker room is the email referring to? I know we all like Bryan and want him to get the Batiata title spot but he's had an awesome year. He's been a regular for about 3 years. He can't complain. Punks a made man. Cena...nope. Orton...nope. Brock...he doesn't give a fuck. Seriously, who are you referring to that would really have a serious issue with Batista and Orton?
Yet when the ratings are low, it's "Wait until next week...", and when they're high, it's "See, we're right."
Full credit to WWE for PROMOTING his return, and making it feel IMPORTANT. You know what else felt important, and did a "high" rating (compared to what came before)? The return of Bischoff and Russo in WCW. And I'm sure we could exchange "success" and "failure" examples, so let's skip that waste of posts.
To borrow a semi-famous phrase, let's let it play out and see where it goes, okay?
Dolph doesn't have enough common sense to keep his mouth shut. It was less then a year ago he cashed in his MITB and was being paired with Aj as a nice act. They fucked up his booking but then he essentially buried himself.
If Dolph makes it past Wrestlemania XXXI still in the company, I'll be about half surprised. And I only give him that long so Creative can job him to Barry O/Johnny K-9 levels.
Batista sucks and the Rumble and Mania both need to end with Bryan winning and the whole crowd chanting "yes!" Otherwise this year's Mania will be a huge letdown much like last year's "phoned in WrestleMania. "
"The first hour of Monday's Raw averaged a whopping 5.249 million viewers. Hour two drew 4.995 million viewers. The final hour of the show averaged 4.363 million viewers."
I don't think Batista sucks at all but it would be nice if they came up with a plan B for him. They have the Michigan State Yes chants on an ESPN commercial now.
Orton has sucked as a face and a heel for a long time now. I'm shocked everyone is so down on a Batista face run, dude is a big star and clearly a draw.
EVOLUTION EXPLODES! doesn't make you feel funny in your groin region?
Please wait, a WWE staffer will be by to help you achieve the correct feeling by applying swift hand and foot strikes to the unaffected area.
Side effects may include: Utter sadness, crying, involuntary attempts to cover the area, involuntary curling into the fetal position, and the urge to have a Diva kiss it all better.
Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan
Brock and Batista would be interesting. Brock's a legit MMA guy, Batista somehow has the reputation as one because he jumps aboard anything trendy. It writes itself.
It was smart of them to book Big Dave with no real competition from other sports to really get Wrestlemania going. The question is if they did enough to keep the yokels tuning in to the pretty man what got's tattoos.
The thing that really wipes my ass about this whole situation is that Batista is coming back and his first match back on TV/PPV will be winning the Rumble match. It makes the whole roster look like a bunch of cheese doodles and he just gets to hop over everyone that busted their bum the whole year to try and get themselves over and in a 'Mania main event (Punk, Bryan, heck even Cena).
How much are they paying Batista to steal Daniel Bryan or CM Punk's well-earned WrestleMania Main Event spot? Batista ain't no Rocky, and whatever extra they are paying him isn't going to be offset by a ton of buys (in fact, if there was ANY year not to invest extra in Mania, it's the year where there already going to be taking a hit on the network subscribers watching essentially for free).
If your top 8 guys are Batista, Orton, Bryan, Punk, Cena, HHH, Taker, and Lesnar, then I really don't see how you can screw up Mania at this point. Almost every combination (okay, other than ones including HHH-Taker IV or HHH-Lesnar IV) provides its own set of intrigue.
Now, here's our worst case, realistic scenario...
-Bray Wyatt vs Bryan (the feud continues) -Batista and a still neutered Orton -Taker-Lesnar in a foregone conclusion match -HHH-Punk...this seems to be only thing that fits at the moment -Cena-Sheamus or Hogan
Not a shitty card, but still kinda meh. However, we still have two PPVs and over two months for the card to develop. This year has SO much more potential than last year. After Elimination Chamber last year, the only thing that kept me a fan during late winter/early spring was this blog.
A holocaust of pedo-rape: the holy grail of jokes. It's gotta be organic though. Unlike the sex with the little Jewish girls in the joke, you can't force it.
I could give you a list, but you could probably dissect them enough to come to your own favorable conclusions. And that's okay n all, but here's some of his better moments:
-Vs Bryan at Raw in December -the two PPV matches against Mark Henry in 2011 which solidified Henry's status as a monster and made Henry cool with smarks -three (or four) PPV matches with Christian that each deserved at least 3.5 stars -his run as the head of Legacy -his batshit crazy couple of months as he took down all of the McMahons -the Legend Killer promos which have since been ripped off a couple of times -vs. Foley at Backlash
I get what you're saying, but honestly that card (which, granted, is your worst case scenario) does nothing for me. We're getting Bray vs Bryan now, I don't want to see it continuing for 3 months. I was hoping Batista would come back to feud with new people, not the same guys he feuded with last time. Taker/Lesnar is semi interesting even if it's not a new match, but the ending is pretty obvious. Even HHH/Punk has been done before. There's nothing new and fresh on that card except (sadly) whatever involves Cena and Hogan. I'm not saying it'd be a terrible card, and I'll watch the PPV (I'm getting the Network, and I'd probably order it anyway since I almost always order Wrestlemania), but that's very meh.
Like you said though, that's perhaps the worst card with that group of guys. I hope we'll get something better than that.
I just don't think he's the mega-star that they, and clearly he, believes he is - and I'm more of a Punk guy than a Bryan guy, but it sucks that Bryan's had all this momentum with the fans, and actually has a story-line that should give him a Wrestlemania moment, and it can't happen because they agreed to give it to Batista months ago.
It seemed too out of the ordinary to have Bryan say he would specifically be wrestling Bray Wyatt at the Rumble. It feels like an attempt to get a huge Rumble Match pop. Again, this IS WWE, known for disappointing outcomes, so Batista's winning, regardless, no matter how hard I pray to my Spaghetti Monster.
Sucks for Bryan. He isn't even on the poll on WWE.com to be a "Biggest Threat' towards Orton's title, granted it just lists the three current contenders. So we can Batista vs. Orton at Mania, now what happens with Cena and Bryan now? If Lesnar is facing Undertaker and Triple H faces Punk, that could leave us Cena vs. Bryan in a match that I'd love to see again.
ReplyDeleteYay Batista Rocks
ReplyDeleteBatista was getting pops like Batista was about ten years ago and WWE ran with him by letting him win the Rumble. Today, Batista's popping ratings. They'd be foolish not to follow this same kind of blueprint with Bryan.
ReplyDeleteHe's what I remember from Batista's first run in the company: BEING INJURED A LOT.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, he was injured for like six months in 02, came into Evolution and injured for like a year, managed to stay healthy long enough to be the 3rd stringer in Evolution... and got popular because he was handled better than Randy Orton's initial babyface push (which was fukcing terrible). Yes, he remains the only guy to get wins over HHH without having to give them back (you wonder who's going to win the inevitable HHH/Batista match?), then he gos to Smackdown and does nothing. Sorry, feuding with JBL is nothing. Then he gets injured for ANOTHER SEVEN MONTHS and outside of the stuff with Undertaker and getting in a backstage fight with KING BOOOKER I don't remember shit about the rest of his run. Until he screws John Cena out of the title to set up their WrestleMania 26 feud. How many times was he injured between WM23 and WM 26? I know he wasn't at Mania 25, and wrestled a couple of PPVs after before getting injured -- AGAIN -- and getting shuffled back over to Smackdown.
So yeah, I don't give a shit about this Batista push and I'm not really into whatever fond memories Vince has about him. Sure, he's got muscles, but he also has a tattoo around his belly button. Everytime I see that, I think, "GUYS do that?"
So in conclusion, screw Batista. And if Orton/Batista is the big WWE Title match at WrestleMania XXX.... that low buyrate won't just be because they lost a bunch of buys to network subscribers.
Can't blame Vince for the part-timers if the marks tune in.
ReplyDeleteOR, were people just that hyped from the end of last week's Raw that they wanted to tune in and see what Bryan would do next?
ReplyDeleteOk fine it's probably Batista.
Can we blame him for doing such a shitty job with the full-timers?
ReplyDeleteThe other lesson from these ratings is they FELL as the show built to the big Cena/Orton confrontation (and also fell with no big Daniel Bryan match as a draw), but I don't think WWE will be learning from that.
ReplyDeleteHey, Batista's return had me torrenting RAW for the first time in a while, so I'd have to agree.
ReplyDeleteNow, the seniors in the back!
ReplyDeleteWE LIKE ROY! WE LIKE ROY!
i'll get it going. when do you guys want me to start it? pre-show?
ReplyDeleteactually, i thought common consensus was that a rating reflected the strength of the previous show, b/c people wanted to tune in to see how THAT played out
ReplyDeleteDBRY! DBRY! DBRY!
Obviously Batista brought some people in, but do they really not think that MAYBE the awesome-as-fuck ending of last week's Raw with Bryan destroying Bray had something to do with this? Also, the live crowd gave Bryan a MUCH bigger reaction than Big Dave Steriod.
ReplyDeletethus ending Scott's tenure of managing the Prime Time Players
ReplyDeleteOh hey cool. Rape joke.
ReplyDeleteWhich means the numbers can only go up, right? That's how numbers work, i've been told, in these situations.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. If he can't book full-time anymore, it's time to go.
ReplyDeleteWWE could put Batista and Orton in the title match and Bryan in the preshow, if they book Undertaker vs. John Cena I am buying it.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to see Batista return & usually Big Dave is a sharp dresser the skinny jeans had to be a lost wager or rib........
ReplyDeleteList of guys I would have liked to see take Batista out & tear his skinny jeans off, probably exposing a silk, tiger striped thong: Shock Master, Braden Walker, Kiss Demon, Glacier, Miz, Jerry Flynn, Max Moon, Garrett Bischoff, The American Males, Erik Watts, The Renegade or Evan Kouragious.....
And Mania's main event, on paper, will feature a face VS face main event. Soon to be new Champion Cena will face a white hot Bryan or a heavily popular returning Batista. Either way by default you still have the dynamic of heel VS face with whomever facing Cena receiving MASSIVE support & Cena getting boo'd out the stadium. I doubt a Triple Threat, but wouldn't rule it out. And how FREAKING MONEY would that be? BOOK IT VINCE!
Thinking about it for a second, I don't really mind Batista winning the Rumble and taking on Orton, because what would be the alternate? Punk v Orton at WM again? Daniel Bryan v Orton for the 20th time in the past 6 months? At this moment I'd rather see Punk and Bryan mix it up with the likes of HHH/Taker/Cena/Lesnar. Batista v Orton just links the weaker elements of the card together and eliminates it in a nice palatable title program.
ReplyDeleteUnless they really want to surprise me and have Roman Reigns win the damn thing.
Crook! Thief! Steal the money fromthechurchcollectionplate!
ReplyDeleteThe Cena/Orton/Kofi stuff got a better rating this week than Bryan, Wyatt and the Usos did last week.
ReplyDeleteWon't happen this year, I'm betting once Taker makes that decision to end his career then they'll squeeze the trigger on the whole Taker/Cena megamatch.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who thinks Big Dave doesn't deserve most of the credit for these numbers is deluding themselves. I'm sure the stuff with Bryan helped to an extent, but Batista was definitely the main attraction of the night.
ReplyDeleteProbably a bit, but no way was Bryan more responsible for these ratings than "Big Dave Steroid".
ReplyDeleteSteroids draw. Beards don't.
What happened to the guy who wrote the open letter? We need him here
ReplyDeleteThis is only one night though. They could have done this type of hype with ANYBODY from the past and it would have drawn those numbers, if not higher.
ReplyDelete"Saving" Bryan from what? Not getting a main event match at 'Mania? Boohoo, by the sound of things, neither will the biggest full-time star in the company.
ReplyDeleteWaiting how people are gonna spin this into some anti Batista thread
ReplyDeleteWith all the talk of Bryan burials, it seems more like it's Randy that's getting pushed out of a meaningful Mania match. Brock seems likely to rape him for the title and Batista winning the Rumble would take him out of any part of what he has been a part of since the Summer. The WWE will have to slap together a quick feud at EC to even get him on the card.
ReplyDeleteBatista and Orton have both had their share of DUDs and dull periods over the years, but they have also both produced some great moments over the years. Their resumes are so up and down that you could make a case for them being the worst and best choices for a main event. Here's what I'd like to see happen...
ReplyDeleteA payoff to the Authoritah gimmick and angle. Orton finally snaps after the Rumble (and successfully defending his title) when Steph and Hunter try to berate him one more time. Deep down, the character's been dying to do it, and the crowd would go crazy for it IF HHH would go full-on heel and twist the knife, so to speak, during the promo. We get Orton back to his "Stone Cold Jake Roberts-lite" gimmick that he's so good at it.
Who arrives to save HHH? None other than the manly man who hugged him last week, Batista. Fans wouldn't be sure what to make of it until they see Batista's asshole-like qualities come out while defending HHH on the mic in subsequent weeks. Now that he has had some success in Hollywood, an even more pompous Hollywood Dave can come out, too.
Just do a double turn...it makes sense for the current storylines and puts them both back into their comfort zones. Unscrupulous face Orton and jackasshole heel Batista. A 100% heel HHH can emerge, too, making the Punk match have a lot more heat. Then, take Taker, Bryan, Cena, and Lesnar and create two superfights from those names. There's your Wrestlemania.
Isn't the play a Bray win via Harper and Rowan attacking/menacing Brie in the back? Bryan follows her to hospital. Or if you want to angle towards HHH/Bryan Mania, a "mystery assailant" later turning out to be Steph
ReplyDeleteI like Big Dave. But with the skinny jeans, nose ring, belly button tattoo, and clean shavedness...I was a tad frightened when I saw him.
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious it's gonna be Brock and Batista. It won't be Orton guys. Brocks bot cutting promos about how he's winning the title if they aren't giving him the strap. It's the same as Rock last year. He wouldn't put it out there if it ain't happening
ReplyDeleteNope. Give credit where credit is due.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is just wishful thinking on my part, but I think HHH (and the Authority in general) will definitely go full heel post-Rumble.
ReplyDeleteAnd there were rumours that WWE was going to do another Summer of Punk this year, and one of his opponents would be Batista, so hopefully we'll see a return of the "Hollywood Dave" character. He's certainly dressed for the part.
Does hating the fact that he sort of looked like a penis count?
ReplyDeleteSo what's the plan for Randy? A quick wrestlemania rematch feud with Punk as a last chance to stay being HHH' s whipping boy seems like the only thing I can think of.
ReplyDeleteHi, welcome to the internet. It's not here to never offend your delicate sensibilities.
ReplyDeleteThis is the same company that jobbed him to Cena after 8 years away... there's nothing that's "obvious" as it concerns the win-loss record of Lesnar.
ReplyDeleteYeah this is NOT what the internet wanted to see. They are falling all over themselves to refute that Dave is the reason the number popped. "They could bring anyone back thats been gone a while and get that reaction". Except for they just did an Old School RAW full of guys they heavily promoted returning that had been gone for a while and none of them popped that rating.
ReplyDeletePeople have been whining for months about how Daniel Bryan isn't getting ratings because he's in shit storylines. Batista comes in with no storyline and pops that huge rating.
It is kind of enjoying watching the collective IWC create reasons why their current hero isn't getting what he deserves.
Won't somebody think of the CHILDREN?
ReplyDeleteYeah, what horrible crowd backlash, what with the huge ratings boost for his return.
ReplyDeleteAnd really, I don't think THIS will be the straw that breaks the camel's back with locker room negativity towards HHH/nepotism. Also, what options are there for the disgruntled? Quit, keep it to yourself and keep working... That's about it.
I did give credit.
ReplyDeleteI'm just saying that with the proper hype, anybody from the past could have drawn those numbers.
They are pretty consistent with telegraphing this kind of stuff tho. When Cena cuts a "I guarantee a win" promo, he always does. This Brock title rampage is following the Rock blueprint from last year. While yea, it's not guaranteed but I'd bet anything Brock walks into WM as the cchamp.
ReplyDeleteNo way. Try doing this with Jericho (for example) and it wouldn't have done nearly as well.
ReplyDeleteThe plus side of "No heels and faces" is there could be an Airplane style line of people wanting to kick HHH's ass, maybe Orton finds his nuts and goes after HHH
ReplyDeleteI always said that tattoo around his belly button was a type of bullseye.
ReplyDeleteBADA CHING.
No idea. I'd say Bryan/Orton would be the best guess for WM but who knows.
ReplyDeleteExcept Old School Raw was filled with guys that we've seen countless times in the past year.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Jericho's first return do huge numbers?
ReplyDeletere: Orton great moments. What am I missing? Other than the pedigree, I've seen Orton as serviceable but I can't really remember any great moments I'd like to go back and watch. In fact the only Orton moment I've consciously gone back to rewatch was that stupid RKO whiff on Jericho on Raw. Totally out of his league and no idea what to do so he repeats the same spot, making him and Jericho look like jackasses. Randy News Network was fun, everything else has been him with a self-entitled chip on his shoulder. OK but often dull.
ReplyDeleteI'm on board with that. Meaning more of the "how he wasn't really the reason they drew huge numbers on Raw" or "it's not gonna last because he's not Daniel bryan" type of discussion
ReplyDeleteNothing makes me appreciate John Cena more than Batista coming back. For the past few months my attitude was "Bryan in the main even at Mania or FTW". Now, it's "For the love of god put the strap back on Cena & have him face Brock for the title at Mania, but please, please, PLEASE not Big Untalented Dave"
ReplyDeleteThreadjack: Main Event is on right now, and OMGDELRIOVERSUSSINCARA!!!
ReplyDeleteCena's the exact opposite. When he guarantees a win, he loses. When he doubts himself, he wins.
ReplyDeleteCripes, you'd think they'd save those fresh matchups for the paying customers Sunday
ReplyDeleteLast time Raw had higher average viewers was January 28 2013, the day after Rock won the title from Punk at the Royal Rumble. You'd have to go back to Raw 1000 on July 23 2012 to find a higher rating than that.
ReplyDeleteThis Monday's hour 1 had the highest number of viewers since hour 2 of that 1/28/13 Raw.
There's no denying that Batista popped a big rating here. Obviously we have to wait for the next few weeks, but it shows Batista's popularity with casual fans when his return did ROCK WINNING THE TITLE level numbers.
[SOURCE]: http://pwinsider.com/article/83024/the-follow-up-of-daniel-bryanbray-wyatt-and-the-return-of-batista-draws-huge-audience-for-raw.html?p=1
And that's not true.
ReplyDeleteAre you sure? Look at the Rock before the Rumble against Punk. Look at Jericho's first return when he interrupted Orton.
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean we get Michael Hayes in a YES! t-shirt?
ReplyDeleteThat's been true for like 1 feud of his. Usually when he's just working normal programs it's pretty obvious when he's going to win.
ReplyDeleteThis is what happens when you announce things in advance, plan things out, having cliffhangers, and awesome fucking angles.
ReplyDeleteWe should write letters!
ReplyDeleteA Kobe Bryant rape joke? In 2014?
ReplyDeleteDude, update your references...
I hope the theater I attend sells Krusty Brand Imitation Gruel.
ReplyDeleteFor all of the injustice in the world, and the atrocities that occur while we sleep, we can still doze off knowing that AW lost his job. That's really all that matters.
ReplyDeleteIt is downright amazing that they were able to lose 1 million viewers in 2 hours.
ReplyDeleteThe last hour is a pretty damning indictment of the Authority/Orton/Cena BS. Let's hope they end that shit quick like they did the Wyatt/Bryan stuff.
Are they trying to set the all-time troll record for the RAW after Wrestlemania? Big Dave's victory speech would be classic. He'd have to go Hollywood Dave to even make it out alive.
ReplyDeleteHmm, this Batista fella might have a future in this business.
ReplyDeleteYou're only missing one variable: Batista's role in GotG. Much like Miz's recent confusion with face/heel/movie, I don't see Batista turning heel until AFTER GotG has been out for a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteOpen letters?
ReplyDelete"I thought you said you broke their spirits!"
ReplyDelete"We did."
*slap* "You broke NOTHING!"
The crowd is going to crap all over Orton/Cena. Not Batista - at least not for a while, since he's fresh and ended his last run in 2010 on a streak of awesomeness.
ReplyDeleteI do think they need to do something with the Authority (i.e., make it go away) because if they make it the focus, WrestleMania is going to bomb despite a great card. Feels a lot like 2003 when the whole buildup was focused Hogan/Vince and it did ( and I think still true) the worst WM buyrate since 1997.
And this is especially important since they are using WrestleMania to sell the new Network...the Authority stuff is death.
... and then blow through almost all of it in the first 90 minutes. Leaving, as your "main event", the rematch no one really wanted to see, and the go home segment for the rematch NO ONE ever wanted to see again.
ReplyDeleteLet's vote shall we?
ReplyDeletehttp://pollcode.com/pollcode.cgi
Sweet, does this mean every other thread will be about batista? He's certainly a draw around here!
ReplyDeleteFull credit for the first two hours ratings... damn, that would have been one hell of a full RAW rating.
ReplyDeleteI think the crowd will be into Batista enough to not care.
ReplyDeleteNow during Orton/Cena...that's where the chants could happen.
To be fair, "Old School Raw" is built around cameos of guys that are generally too old to go, at least on a consistent basis. That's not quite the same as the return of a guy that's going to be a big part of the main-event scene.
ReplyDeleteThe Authority stuff might be "death" for you, but there's no real indication that it's a flop (as Scott described it elsewhere).
ReplyDeleteI don't think they realize how much the audience is gonna crap all over anyone not name Bryan winning the Rumble. MAYBE if it is Punk. And I don't think a Batista Vs Orton would could crapped on quite as much as Brock Vs Goldberg, but it could be interesting.
ReplyDeleteNow were ready.
ReplyDeleteThis is for jvc113.
ReplyDeletehttp://poll.pollcode.com/3721582
Not sure if you realize this, but the Authority was involved in the first hour too. I think Cena/Orton may be the problem here.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I'd like to think that, Dave's return was the big "hook" for last night.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be interesting to see what happens going forward, though - I definitely think Bryan's segments will out-draw Batista's segments very shortly.
Wi
ReplyDeleteDude,did you saw the rating of the last raw,Vince is totally on Batista now.
ReplyDeleteHey, if WWE can get away with having the same main eventers in 2014, I think Scott can get away with using the same jokes.
ReplyDeleteI think Rumble itself, they'll be ok, get an interesting last 4, maybe do a rush ending after 30, don't let the crowd really react to the realization. They're screwed the next night though
ReplyDeleteThey don't plan for tomorrow, you think they're gonna plan for a decade from now?
ReplyDeleteAnd people mock Mcmahon for having out of date pop culture references... :)
ReplyDeleteRumor has it, he was shocked at the number and told people around him he wants the Mania crowd to chant Skinny Jeans
ReplyDeleteWTF is a letter?
ReplyDeleteI just looked it up, and the night of Jericho's first return (November 19, 2007) featured no ratings increase from the week before. 3.5 for both episodes.
ReplyDeleteWhat's this open letter you speak of?
ReplyDelete"He's unstoppable!"
ReplyDeleteThat's the Rock. Arguably the biggest all-around star in the history of the industry.
ReplyDeleteI have mentioned this before, but the Ratings argument often annoys me. Had the rating been low, people would be all "See? Batista can't draw, OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!" But the rating was high, so... "Meh, ratings don't matter THAT much, I bet it's not even because of him.". Ratings only matter to people when it applies to their argument basically.
ReplyDeleteIt's like an email, but on paper.
ReplyDeleteHere was your 3rd hour:
ReplyDeleteEnd of Lesnar/Show build (starts in late 2nd, ends in 3rd)
AJ + Tamina vs Funkadactyls
Recap of main two (Bryan/Batista)
Rumble Promo
MLK Promo
Usos vs Rowan + Harper
Orton vs Kingston
Orton/Cena build
And out of that... the only prior promoed segments were Lesnar/Show and Orton/Kingston + Cena
The Save.Us return? Raw did a 3.5 that night.
ReplyDeleteYep. Not a special number at all for RAW that year, and not an increase from the previous week.
ReplyDeleteThat is a huge number. I can't imagine chalking that up to being something other than Davetista.
ReplyDeleteCould have been anyone doesn't work for me. The 11/19/07 show, where Jericho did his big "SAVE_US.Y2J" return did a 3.5 rating.
Wrestling fans are full of double standards. Hell, most fans probably are, but wrestling is the only interest of mine which I talk to other people about (online usually) so I can only really speak for it.
ReplyDeleteWhat's paper?
ReplyDeleteWho in this locker room is the email referring to? I know we all like Bryan and want him to get the Batiata title spot but he's had an awesome year. He's been a regular for about 3 years. He can't complain. Punks a made man. Cena...nope. Orton...nope. Brock...he doesn't give a fuck. Seriously, who are you referring to that would really have a serious issue with Batista and Orton?
ReplyDeleteYet when the ratings are low, it's "Wait until next week...", and when they're high, it's "See, we're right."
ReplyDeleteFull credit to WWE for PROMOTING his return, and making it feel IMPORTANT. You know what else felt important, and did a "high" rating (compared to what came before)? The return of Bischoff and Russo in WCW. And I'm sure we could exchange "success" and "failure" examples, so let's skip that waste of posts.
To borrow a semi-famous phrase, let's let it play out and see where it goes, okay?
Dolph
ReplyDeleteHell, was the Authority even around at all in the third hour? I think they vanished after the Punk match.
ReplyDeleteI posted it above. Rock's return did a 3.1 and Jericho did a 3.5.
ReplyDeleteDolph doesn't have enough common sense to keep his mouth shut. It was less then a year ago he cashed in his MITB and was being paired with Aj as a nice act. They fucked up his booking but then he essentially buried himself.
ReplyDeleteShit.
ReplyDeleteIf that's the case. Give Dave ALL THE DIVAS.
God Damn.
ReplyDeleteOkay then.
I replied to that.
ReplyDeleteDave deserves an orgy with every Diva right now.
That too. The Authority is connected to the Cena/Orton feud, sure, but they didn't even make an appearance.
ReplyDeleteJust saw that. I agree.
ReplyDeleteDon't let logic and facts get in the way of HHHating!
ReplyDeleteIf Dolph makes it past Wrestlemania XXXI still in the company, I'll be about half surprised. And I only give him that long so Creative can job him to Barry O/Johnny K-9 levels.
ReplyDeleteBatista sucks and the Rumble and Mania both need to end with Bryan winning and the whole crowd chanting "yes!" Otherwise this year's Mania will be a huge letdown much like last year's "phoned in WrestleMania. "
ReplyDeleteYet his pops sucked fucking balls.
ReplyDeleteAlmost everybody's pops sucked balls, in all fairness.
ReplyDelete"The first hour of Monday's Raw averaged a whopping 5.249 million viewers. Hour two drew 4.995 million viewers. The final hour of the show averaged 4.363 million viewers."
ReplyDeleteUh...high five?
Like a tree, but flatter.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Batista sucks at all but it would be nice if they came up with a plan B for him. They have the Michigan State Yes chants on an ESPN commercial now.
ReplyDeleteBatista vs. Orton does nothing for me.
ReplyDeleteBatista sucks as a face. Big time. Worse promos than face Orton, and that's saying a ton.
ReplyDeleteAs a heel? Really good, like Orton.
Orton has sucked as a face and a heel for a long time now. I'm shocked everyone is so down on a Batista face run, dude is a big star and clearly a draw.
ReplyDeleteTranslation: "He's not Daniel Bryan, so he must die".
ReplyDeleteSeriously, that crowd deflated QUICK once Dave actually started talking.
ReplyDeleteI get that, this is very similar to the Alberto Del Rio - CM Punk situation of 2011.
ReplyDeleteEVOLUTION EXPLODES! doesn't make you feel funny in your groin region?
ReplyDeletePlease wait, a WWE staffer will be by to help you achieve the correct feeling by applying swift hand and foot strikes to the unaffected area.
Side effects may include: Utter sadness, crying, involuntary attempts to cover the area, involuntary curling into the fetal position, and the urge to have a Diva kiss it all better.
Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan
ReplyDeleteNow I truly feel like a part of this blog.
My sensibilities are far from delicate. Rape jokes are often hilarious. Like pedophilia jokes.
ReplyDeleteQOTD ruled today, wish I wasn't working and could've gotten in that conversation. Meekin brings it.
ReplyDeletepops don't pay the bills.
ReplyDeleteI dunno. I think it could be really flat around #25 when people realize Bryan isn't in it.
ReplyDeleteBrock and Batista would be interesting. Brock's a legit MMA guy, Batista somehow has the reputation as one because he jumps aboard anything trendy. It writes itself.
ReplyDeleteIt was smart of them to book Big Dave with no real competition from other sports to really get Wrestlemania going. The question is if they did enough to keep the yokels tuning in to the pretty man what got's tattoos.
ReplyDeleteAfter the Abraham Washington thing, there was a guy who went on and on about rape having worked as a rape counselor or something.
ReplyDeleteHe also flipped on Kevin Nash for the Benoit and Eddy comment. He might have written him the open letter
I have half a mind to drive to Pittsburgh and help you.
ReplyDelete" Much like sex with Kobe Bryant, you can kick and scream all you want, but it's gonna happen."
ReplyDeleteOrton is going to have 2 or 3 other matches before he faces Batista? Fuck, WMXXX is gonna suck...
The WWE -- making money in spite of itself since 2002.
ReplyDeleteStick around, I'm pretty sure that "Pedophilia: is it still wrong if she's into it?" will be tomorrow's QOTD.
ReplyDeleteI just can't stand Batista.
ReplyDeleteSoulja Boy up in this hoe..
ReplyDeleteWow. I absolutely must find this now. On to the archives...
ReplyDeleteHolocaust jokes are funnier though
ReplyDeleteThe thing that really wipes my ass about this whole situation is that Batista is coming back and his first match back on TV/PPV will be winning the Rumble match. It makes the whole roster look like a bunch of cheese doodles and he just gets to hop over everyone that busted their bum the whole year to try and get themselves over and in a 'Mania main event (Punk, Bryan, heck even Cena).
ReplyDeleteHow much are they paying Batista to steal Daniel Bryan or CM Punk's well-earned WrestleMania Main Event spot? Batista ain't no Rocky, and whatever extra they are paying him isn't going to be offset by a ton of buys (in fact, if there was ANY year not to invest extra in Mania, it's the year where there already going to be taking a hit on the network subscribers watching essentially for free).
ReplyDeleteFucking Disqus man. Shit hates me today.
ReplyDeleteThis shit is archived?
ReplyDeleteMagnum DA's the guy. I forget who, but one of the Top 5ers gives him shit everytime he posts.
ReplyDeleteThat crowd was terrible.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you tempt the Meekin so?
ReplyDeleteIf your top 8 guys are Batista, Orton, Bryan, Punk, Cena, HHH, Taker, and Lesnar, then I really don't see how you can screw up Mania at this point. Almost every combination (okay, other than ones including HHH-Taker IV or HHH-Lesnar IV) provides its own set of intrigue.
ReplyDeleteNow, here's our worst case, realistic scenario...
-Bray Wyatt vs Bryan (the feud continues)
-Batista and a still neutered Orton
-Taker-Lesnar in a foregone conclusion match
-HHH-Punk...this seems to be only thing that fits at the moment
-Cena-Sheamus or Hogan
Not a shitty card, but still kinda meh. However, we still have two PPVs and over two months for the card to develop. This year has SO much more potential than last year. After Elimination Chamber last year, the only thing that kept me a fan during late winter/early spring was this blog.
I posted a big rant about him in another thread, the gist of which is this: the only thing from his original run is how often he was injured.
ReplyDeleteIt would serve WWE right for him to blow out a quad and tear a tricep when he wins the Rumble.
Meekin may be to fucking stupid to realize you aren't requesting this
ReplyDeleteA holocaust of pedo-rape: the holy grail of jokes. It's gotta be organic though. Unlike the sex with the little Jewish girls in the joke, you can't force it.
ReplyDeleteYour worst case scenario is Bryan beating Bray Wyatt in a useless 5 minute match.
ReplyDeleteWho is this Bryan Daniel he is talking about?
ReplyDeleteMeant more my Google Chrome search engine application.
ReplyDeleteFuck, I'm such a Johnny come lately. Missed this, some classic meltdowns and this elvy character...
ReplyDeleteHe'd have enough sense now because he got jobbed out for critizing Total Divas.
ReplyDeleteI could give you a list, but you could probably dissect them enough to come to your own favorable conclusions. And that's okay n all, but here's some of his better moments:
ReplyDelete-Vs Bryan at Raw in December
-the two PPV matches against Mark Henry in 2011 which solidified Henry's status as a monster and made Henry cool with smarks
-three (or four) PPV matches with Christian that each deserved at least 3.5 stars
-his run as the head of Legacy
-his batshit crazy couple of months as he took down all of the McMahons
-the Legend Killer promos which have since been ripped off a couple of times
-vs. Foley at Backlash
Let's be honest guys, in a dream world we get Lesnar (c) vs. Bryan (Rumble winner) for the WWE title and Undertaker vs. Cena on the same card.
ReplyDeleteHe's yelling timber
ReplyDeleteNeoptisism and wrestling go together like blood and razorblades.
ReplyDeleteThe buyrates for Battleground and Survivor Series would like a word with you.
ReplyDeleteI get what you're saying, but honestly that card (which, granted, is your worst case scenario) does nothing for me. We're getting Bray vs Bryan now, I don't want to see it continuing for 3 months. I was hoping Batista would come back to feud with new people, not the same guys he feuded with last time. Taker/Lesnar is semi interesting even if it's not a new match, but the ending is pretty obvious. Even HHH/Punk has been done before. There's nothing new and fresh on that card except (sadly) whatever involves Cena and Hogan. I'm not saying it'd be a terrible card, and I'll watch the PPV (I'm getting the Network, and I'd probably order it anyway since I almost always order Wrestlemania), but that's very meh.
ReplyDeleteLike you said though, that's perhaps the worst card with that group of guys. I hope we'll get something better than that.
As long as the buy-rate is high, I really doubt the wrestlers (other than Punk) will really care.
ReplyDeleteSilly Scott, buyrates don't talk. They aren't people.
ReplyDeleteI just don't think he's the mega-star that they, and clearly he, believes he is - and I'm more of a Punk guy than a Bryan guy, but it sucks that Bryan's had all this momentum with the fans, and actually has a story-line that should give him a Wrestlemania moment, and it can't happen because they agreed to give it to Batista months ago.
ReplyDeleteSUPERMAN THAT HOE!
ReplyDeleteI think it's gonna be happening through most of the Rumble. I really hope they chant Bryan's name over whoever's celebration.
ReplyDeleteShe only did it to protest the poor treatment of Samoans by the WWE
ReplyDeleteIt seemed too out of the ordinary to have Bryan say he would specifically be wrestling Bray Wyatt at the Rumble. It feels like an attempt to get a huge Rumble Match pop. Again, this IS WWE, known for disappointing outcomes, so Batista's winning, regardless, no matter how hard I pray to my Spaghetti Monster.
ReplyDeleteI'm worried my fellow crowd members won't be as game for that. I'm for once hoping a lot of Philly fans show up.
ReplyDeleteis it the same half mind that sid has?
ReplyDeleteBatista will win the rumble. Bryan gets a match against the returning sheamus, probably on the preshow.
ReplyDelete