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Place to Be Podcast Episode 328: Mailbag with Scott Keith #3

In this episode of the Place to Be Podcast, Justin and Scott welcome back Scott Keith to again dive into their respective mailbags. Scott, Justin and Scott spend some time breaking down SummerSlam 2014 before diving into listener and reader mail. They discuss Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan, Demilition, wrestling supercards, Rey Mysterio, fan hijacking and much more!

So fire up this action-packed episode and join Scott, Justin and Scott because it is time for another edition of the PTB Podcast!

http://placetobenation.com/place-to-be-podcast-episode-328-mailbag-with-scott-keith-3/

Comments

  1. Mister_E_BarrettsLastPrivateerAugust 18, 2014 at 9:38 PM

    You can leave though, right?


    I really don't care if you do or if you don't, but if the response that you get bothers you, there is nothing to keep you writing here.

    ReplyDelete
  2. HowmuchdoesthisguyweighAugust 18, 2014 at 9:39 PM

    Rollins vs Ambrose felt like a legitimate attitude era main event

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  3. Of course I can leave, it's just, ya know, sometimes, the familiarity is so strong, and it's so comfortable that I always keep coming back, and I know, deep down, below all the hatred and vitriol and hurtful words, the BOD does love me, it just...it just has a funny way of showing dat's all.

    Oh, that? Ha, I uh, I just walked into a door...

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  4. DURR HURR LESNER'S NOT A PERSON NICE TYPING DURR HURR

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mister_E_BarrettsLastPrivateerAugust 18, 2014 at 9:41 PM

    You're an odd fellow Meekin.

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  6. Denial is the first phase... ;)

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  7. Yes, but he's out odd fellow.

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  8. Thanks for the recap Andy.

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  9. Pretty sure that black eye was from Nick The Brick, not a door.

    ReplyDelete
  10. El Presidente MacoheAugust 18, 2014 at 9:46 PM

    Whuuuuuut? This show owned.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm parodying a lot of stupid wrestling fans who tear a perfectly rational argument to shreds because of one typo.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I don't hate you. I hate Scott for letting you clutter his blog with your trash.

    ReplyDelete
  13. After ending the Streak, though, Brock has a bigger rub to give than anyone else. There's no one at the moment it means more to beat than him, so the belt on him makes sense.

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  14. You know why? Because they weren't out there to sports entertain, they were there to kick each others' asses in a FIGHT.

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  15. So Rollins v. Ambrose was better than anything on Summerslam last night.


    Meanwhile, Reigns was in a six man where he got his five moves of doom in (two of them are PUNCHES~!) and the crowd chanted for Ryback. And RVD of all people got the pin.


    Anyone else think they're rethinking the Reigns push?

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  16. DAMMIT. I was going to tune out after the Lesnar/Heyman thing but now I have to stick around to see Rollins/Ambrose. Damn, Damn, Damn.

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  17. Virgil's Gimmick TableAugust 18, 2014 at 10:02 PM

    Quit saying things like that. It's why he stays.

    ReplyDelete
  18. They'll give up on him before he gets Cena.

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  19. And consider this: they didn't GIVE Reigns the shot to close Raw tonight. They could have easily done Reigns/Orton with the same stips and gave them the chance to tear the house down on Raw, but they DIDN'T.


    It could just as easily be that they need to right Ambrose out for a month so he can go make a movie and decided to give him a epic way out. But Reigns didn't do shit tonight. Seriously.

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  20. Reigns is a heel by WM31

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  21. It did seem damn strange to see Roman in a six-man with his former running buddies getting 20 minutes in the main event... with the crowd eating out of their hands.


    Worst part was seeing how rabid the crowd was for Ambrose... right as they write him off television for the next couple months so he can film another crappy WWE movies. Perfect timing there.

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  22. When Dougie returns to the board, make sure you congratulate him on his ppv debut last night.


    I mean, he was "Mama's Boy" from that Totinos/Doritos/Whatever thing, right?

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  23. Dean Ambrose reminds me so much of Randy Savage, they both play that unstable, insane face PERFECTLY. I was having flashbacks to Savage going insane on Jake Roberts on shows after he was bitten by Lucifer. Kudos to Dean and Seth for a great job tonight.

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  24. TJ: It's going down again in Ferguson. Probably worse than the last couple of days.

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  25. I dunno about Savage. Ambrose is more unpredictable and outside-the-box than Savage. It's why I said Piper.

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  26. Part time face = bad
    Part time dominant heel = good

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  27. Totally agree on this. Lesnar holding the championship is definitely a move I agree with. Especially if it leads to an extra match or two than what we are used to getting from him.


    I don't know what direction they are gonna go with Lesnar as champion. Cena may get his win back immediately at Night of Champions, he might get it back at WrestleMania, Reigns may beat Lesnar, Bryan may beat Lesnar or someone unexpected like an Ambrose may do it. But the Championship feels important right now.

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  28. Ambrose feels like the love child of Piper and Pillman to me. And I mean that in the most complimentary way.

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  29. On what planet is Curtis Axel a young and promising talent?

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  30. How many times did Cena wrestle on Raw since winning the belt? I can think of one. And is HE still doing house shows?


    Seriously the best thing they could do for the Network is have Heyman come out with the belt next week and talk about how "Lesnar's too good to work Raw, if you want to see him you have to see him on the WWE Network."

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  31. Have they addressed why The Authority are (is?) happy with Brock being the champ? I thought the whole deal was they wanted one of their guys to be champ so they could control him. This seems like almost the opposite of what they would want.

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  32. Because you sound like a douchebag when you use those terms in front of them.

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  33. Seems like nailing the main event at SS and making a huge star the next night means bitching about the US title is kinda silly

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  34. I was talking about RVD beating Cesaro last night; I wasn't paying attention to the six-man tonight.

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  35. I think he has to hold it past Night of Champions. A lot of people will let their subscriptions lapse because they're gonna figure it's just a one month gimmick and Cena's getting the belt back next month. Keep Brock as champ coming out of Night of Champions, and the next month, BROCK LESNAR IS DEFENDING THE BELT AT HELL IN THE CELL. Who ISN'T gonna buy that?

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  36. I dunno about you guys, but I'm pretty pumped for that Ambrose/Punk dream match at WrestleMania in about 2 or 3 years.

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  37. Who was made a huge star tonight?


    And the point I'm making is that they're a wrestling promotion. They have people who can work. They have these props called titles that can make the promotion better. Let's start using it instead of having it around a guy's waist for the better part of God only knows how long for no reason.

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  38. As great as Heyman is, it will get tired very quickly doing his speeches every week without Brock.



    It's not a pay your dues thing with me... wrestling changed with the Monday Night Wars. Everyone is there every week, like it's part of the challenge. For example, when Hogan was the WCW champ and would take off chunks of time, I hated that. Why have guys kicking each others' asses every week then?

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  39. Wrestlers don't hate fans, they hate fans thinking they know the business better. I'd be pissed as shit if I were constantly berated on social media, online and in person about what my company was doing wrong.

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  40. Then they should stop doing Q &A stuff in front of hardcore nerds, or learn to shrug it off like the cast of Star Trek or Star Wars.

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  41. You don't think Ambrose and Rollins got elevated tonight?

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  42. Who was made tonight? Rollins AND Ambrose. They were given the main event slot and had the crowd in the palm of their hands all night. They are for real.

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  43. Also, Rollins/Dean might be the hottest fall program they've had in years. I honestly can't remember the last great post SummerSlam pre Rumble feud they ran.

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  44. That's fair, although Ambrose's likability as a face+blind, raging anger which causes him to do insane things I consider more from the Savage playbook while the ice bucket gag more in the Piper playbook.

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  45. Maybe we'd care a little more if she appeared more than thirty seconds every three weeks. Or if they'd spend more time on the women who can wrestle versus women who cannot, like the Bellas?

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  46. Because they only feel obligated to give a shit about that to sell the Network. Not good enough. In the company's two best periods, they had a diverse and entertaining midcard. Besides the core guys, people look like fucking geeks. ITs a problem.

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  47. Why are you trying to be cute by saying "Cody" and "Dustin" over and over? Their characters are nothing like their real names.

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  48. Because "Goldust" and "Stardust" trigger my spell-checker.

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  49. Ambrose and Rollins, outside of Heyman's promos, have been the only thing consistently good with the programming over the last two months. This didn't "make" them, it just made their already-intense feud more over.

    In my eyes, they were made two months ago; it's just taken Creative a while to catch up.

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  50. Ambrose is a star. And who gives a shit about the US title? Seriously. It's not a tool to draw money.

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  51. Better than a 1980's reference like JBL calling them the Dust-busters.

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  52. BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING SHIT WRONG! DUH! WHERES THE 5.0 RATINGS? WHERES THE OVER 1 MILLION NETWORK SUBS!

    IF they were doing fine, we'd look like assholes for criticizing them unless its a 97 WCW thing where its obvious they're goring themselves on their own sword. But they aren't. This is the core of the problem.

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  53. I see Piper, Austin, Pillman. I think that's the best part.

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  54. You're indirectly making my point. No one gives a shit about the U.S. Title because they do fuck all with it. Either get rid of it, or build it up as something worth earning. They have three hours of primetime TV on Monday nights that could be used to this end.

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  55. right-click, "Add to Dictionary"

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  56. In all seriousness, can you imagine if Rusev went after Sheamus for the US Title, saying he was going to steal everything that was "American" and make it "better"? There's a start.

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  57. I'm actually shocked it didn't happen tonight. Whether or not Rusev is going to shake out in the long haul, it would've been SOMETHING. Let Rusev and Sheamus beat the piss out of each other for the right to the U.S. Title.

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  58. I really want a "Natural" Dustin Rhodes run before he hangs em up.

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  59. Done. Although to be fair, last year "Goldust" was clearly just "Dustin Rhodes wearing facepaint and going by a more familiar name". Then again, this... yeah.

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  60. I loved Ambrose's "What?! It's for charity!" So great. Like he was annoyed with Rollins for being upset that it happened, and that it was so obvious why he was right to do it.

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  61. That Orton/Cena feud in 2009 didn't do it for ya?

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  62. Do you want them to spend more time on Nattie, or more time on women who can wrestle?

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  63. But Sheamus isn't American! WWE creative can't work around such a curveball.

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  64. "I don't want to be one of those guys who says a wrestler has to beat himself up until he's in a wheelchair, because that's not what I mean when I say this: part-timers should never be champion. Ever. Being champion should be a full reward for being over, entertaining, hard-working, and hungry. When Dwayne beat Punk, it's when everything went downhill. I know most people don't agree, but that's what I see."

    That's one scorching #HotTake. Here's a rebuttal: Brock Lesnar should clearly, obviously be champion and having such a dominant, credible champ that's not around wrestling six times a month makes the title much more special.

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  65. Then he boucned that bucket off his fucking nose.


    Goddamn fantastic.

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  66. Nattie isn't half bad, considering she's never had shit to work with. Hell, if we need a fresh new Diva for the role, Charlotte is going to be gold.

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  67. I rewound that about five times. Just hilarious. Ambrose is my new hero.

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  68. You know who should be the champion? The guy who can make the most fucking money drawing with the fucking belt. That's Brock Lesnar. PERIOD.

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  69. Minor quibble: wasn't Lucifer the BIGGER python Jake used shortly before his heel turn?

    But yeah, great fucking match tonight.

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  70. Charlotte's still green. Tons of planning and an experienced pponent for one match doesn't mean she's ready for prime time. She's still already better than Naomi, Cameron, and the Bellas, but WWE can on ly focus on 4 women at a time, and 1 is Stephanie. The Bellas count as 1, too.

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  71. Actually, it's one of the few curves they CAN work around. After all, how did we get eight months of Cesaro: REAL AMERICAN?

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  72. So it's looking like Cena vs. Brock in a rematch at Night of Champions right? There really isn't anyone else poised to challenge him immediately and they really didn't even hint at any other direction than with a Cena rematch with their hyping his return next week.


    Does Brock just beat Cena again in a little bit more of a competitive match before moving onto someone else?

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  73. Heres what I don't get: A cursory glance at the roster of some of the top women's promotions reveal enough that would look damn good in a swimsuit, and some that can even look like the trashy whore model archetype WWE loves having. So why not hire them if you're just going to hamstring the workrate anyways? WWE has hired what, 2 Divas that even had Miz-level fame before entering the company? IF you aren't even hiring the best models, why not take a chance on the actual indy scene and then jsut let them be isolated.


    Oh right, because you give few fucks about your fanbase and never will until someone with long-term vision takes over from Vince.

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  74. I agree that wrestling changed with the Monday Night Wars. And they're over. Now, the intrigue and the business has changed again. For the WWE, it's all about the network now. And this makes people buy the network to see the belt get defended. I'm fine with this.



    To put it another way, when was the last time the championship was THIS important? The Summer of Punk? Remember how he basically wrestled under Cena for most of his reign, and a lot of us (rightfully in my view), complained and said that the championship should go on last because it's the most important thing? But Cena was the bigger star.


    Well now, the biggest star has the belt. So now the belt IS the most important thing. And because there will be limited opportunities to get it off him, it makes his matches even more important, which creates drama and urgency, something this company sorely needs. We know that the guy going after the belt gets one shot at it, and that's it.

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  75. CruelConnectionNumber2August 18, 2014 at 10:26 PM

    Ambrose next WWE Champion book it saaaaan

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  76. Probably should've Googled it, but whatever the name of the snake that had the "deadly venom" in it, I thought it was Lucifer, but I could be wrong.

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  77. Hell... maybe it's worth scrapping the Divas entirely if we have to have the Bellas stinking it up.

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  78. This is 100% correct.

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  79. In that case, the rest of the year when Lesnar (or The Rock) isn't around, Cena should be champ all the time. Biggest full-time money-maker in the company.

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  80. CruelConnectionNumber2August 18, 2014 at 10:27 PM

    Brock is the biggest star in WWE and will do anything they say ("he's a mercenary!") for a price. Cena chose the hard way the day after MITB.

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  81. Maybe you should sit the next few plays out

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  82. He said 'drawing with the belt' - Cena doesn't need the belt to draw money. Lesnar having it does draw money.

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  83. Gives me a Mel Gibson in the first Lethal Weapon kind of vibe, if we're looking outside the wrestling box.

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  84. LOL, the usual lack of credit for the booking. Typical smark mentality.

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  85. See, I'm not sure either 100%. I just have this vague recollection of Jake Roberts introducing Lucifer as a python on the Barber Shop, saying something along the lines of "You go out and get yourself a bigger snake!"

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  86. That opening segment tonight was death with Nikki's inability to convey any kind of emotion. It sounded like a poor script reading before the actual first attempt.

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  87. They were sports entertaining.

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  88. Being champion isn't a "reward" for being the nicest, hardest working, most loyal blah blah PUKE. It's a thing used to draw money in pro wrestling matches, and usually goes to the wrestler who can draw the most money with it.


    Right no that's Brock lesnar, and at one point it was.. wait, who's this Dwayne guy you mentioned?


    (Looks up Wikipedia.)


    Wait, Dwayne is The Rock's first name! That's so cool that you called him that!
    Ugh.

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  89. He insists on being called Dwayne Johnson in Hollywood promotions. Just doing what he says.

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  90. I think JBL set the bar on awful commentary tonight. Holy fuck he was insufferable all goddamned night.

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  91. To be fair, we don't know that yet, but I am very interested in his in-ring appearances now that a part-timer has the belt and he just mauled SuperCena.

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  92. He might've been annoying, but strangely enough, what I'll remember him for tonight was how he was marking out for that Rollins/Ambrose match. You could totally tell, and it just goes to show, an awesome wrestling match can even turn crappy announcers into fans/get into the actual show.

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  93. 500 upvotes. I wanted to mute the TV During Swagger/Cesaro and never look back.

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  94. In the context of wrestling, you can call him The Rock.


    It's not like he's reading your stuff anyway.

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  95. Unless someone else steps up that can carry the mantle- which has happened a few times- yeah, he probably should be more often than not.

    The "biggest moneymaker should be champion" philosophy is impossible to take 100 percent literally these days because there's too many hours of TV to fill. But since we're on the topic, to further rebut Andy's comment, that's all the more reason for a part-timer like Brock to be champion. He can easily carry that title to WM31 without risk of going stale.

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  96. By any measure they're a successful company. You're off your rocker so I'm not going to engage further.

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  97. I would've preferred Kane not show up at the end, but nonetheless... Damn, still buzzing about that main event. The championship is going to get a healthy reprieve from being defended too often, so we need a good blood feud to take center stage. If this gives them the impetus to start elevating the secondary titles to a more meaningful position, then kudos to them.

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  98. Is he going to be around? That's the problem. The championship is THE most important thing you have, and if you say you can go a few weeks without it, is it so important?

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  99. I would complain about Kane tonight but it worked in the context of the story. SummerSlam is different. NO NEED for Kane there.

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  100. God you sound like a whiny bitch here.

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  101. Yes.

    Glad I could help.

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  102. By the way, did Lana have lipstick on her teeth or was that just my tv?

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  103. The biggest money maker should be champion, for sure, and in a world without PPV revenue television and house shows mean nothing, duh.

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  104. For those who insist on comparing Brock to The Rock - no. Just no. The booking was completely different, the characters are completely different. Rock was basically booked as a vanity title reign for a Hollywood actor, beating Punk twice in competitive matches.


    BROCK LESNAR BEAT THE UNDERTAKER AT WRESTLEMANIA. HE MURDERED JOHN CENA, THE BIGGEST STAR OF THE LAST TEN YEARS, IN DOMINANT FASHION.


    Brock is continually referred to as an athlete and a fighter, Rock was not. How is it possible people can't see the disconnect between the two?

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  105. Well, he is a guilty pleasure.

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  106. Agreed. Rock's win seemed forced, like "yeah, we told him he can win it so... too bad." Brock winning comes across more as strong character development.

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  107. But is the championship even all that important at this point? It was a prop for Cena to cement his 'legacy' push during his latest reign. Bryan's run for the title was meaningful, but it was largely predicated on overcoming the Authority and all the bullshit he went through. Orton's ENTIRE reign was about being the FACE of the company. You might argue the last time the title was truly the focus was Cena v. Bryan from last year.

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  108. Must be your TV, unless Stable was in the back.

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  109. He needs a Flower Shop to destroy with a bat once he returns from tonight's beat down.

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  110. BUT WITHOUT THE CHAMP THEY WON'T GO TO RANDOM HOUSE SHOWS THE BELT WOULDN'T CHANGE HANDS AT ANYWAY

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  111. When was the last time World Champion John Cena defended the belt on Raw?


    Or World Champion Daniel Bryan? Or before that World Champion Randy Orton?

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  112. You're being an incredible self-riteous tool for incomprehensible reasons.

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  113. Without PPV revenue, why in the world would house show attendance mean anything amirite?!

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  114. You're sounding like a total tool, buddy.

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  115. You know what last night's Summerslam main event reminded me of, upon further thought? The last time Brock won the title at Summerslam, back in 2003 against (wait for it) the Rock. The same general type of match, with Cena taking a more pronounced shitkicking for the sake of making Brock a Beast that will make Vince lots of money come WM time. If they don't shoot their wad first.

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  116. WWE Doesn't even promote house shows any more. Do they even announce a lineup for them, other than "A-list, B-list, and a tag team will appear"?

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  117. I haven't gotten to the main event yet, I take it Ambrose-Rollins was pretty good?

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  118. Yeah, Ambrose kills it.

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  119. Last time I checked the WWE is in business to make money by giving the title to the guy who they think can draw the most money with it, not the guy who worked the hardest or is the most hungry, it's great when those qualities are found in someone all together, but they aren't in business just to reward people.

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  120. How did he finally over come the Authority? BY WINNING THE DAMN BELT.

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  121. I disagree. The entirety of the Authority v. Bryan story was that Daniel Bryan needed the title to prove he was a legitimate wrestler and shut the Authority up. If it didn't matter, Bryan could've beaten HHH at WrestleMania 30. The fans WANTED Bryan and the title together because they felt it mattered.

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  122. How exactly? I ask that honestly. It doesn't increase PPV buys because there's no such thing, it certainly doesn't increase ratings or house show attendance. I'm not saying that definitively means house show attendance would drop or something, but it logically can not at all increase any of those measures.


    It might get some free press, but not near the amount it would have 18 months ago.


    I'm not against it as a short term move but people talking about Lesnar holding this title to Mania are crazy.

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  123. Might have to check that Shield doc out.

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  124. 2002. Rock looked a little better than Cena though.

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  125. Obviously should give it to Ziggler for his work in Tulsa on a Friday

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  126. Because with no PPV buys, the only thing they have to sell is the network, and if Brock only defends the title on the network.....2+2 = 4.


    The difference is that Cena will draw without the belt - he has proven that in the past. This is a play to make people buy the network to see Viking Space Lord Brock Lesnar lose. There's never been a better formula in pro wrestling than to make the fans pay to see the bad guy lose.

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  127. Mister_E_BarrettsLastPrivateerAugust 18, 2014 at 10:43 PM

    And when he shows up for WWE they always refer to him as The Rock.

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  128. Who exactly is Lesnar supposed to be wrestling for six PPV's?

    There are two matches he can have now, Cena and Bryan, maybe Reigns is six years when he gets a personality.

    Lesnar's going to maul...Mark Henry? I guess? Only $9.99!

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  129. Can he show up more on Raw then? He doesn't have to wrestle. Just show up and beat up some shmucks. Get in pull-aparts. You know why the 2012 Extreme Rules fight was so awesome? Not just the match itself -- but they built so beautifully to it by using Brock to get in pull-aparts and bloody Cena up. Otherwise, he's just a name.

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  130. Not disagreeing that the fans wanted it to happen, that much was obvious. I might grant you Bryan winning the title at WrestleMania XXX, though his run was so woefully short that we were back to the status quo of the title as a prop in short order.

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  131. Just say you did it because CM Punk did it once

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  132. Bitch, please. I was doing it long before Punk showed up in WWE.

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  133. Shit, you're right; '03 was Angle and Lesnar.

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  134. Since I didn't see the match yesterday, when I heard from other BoDers that Ziggler won, the first thought it my head was like, "For real?"

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  135. Very, very good stuff. Catch the Heyman promo, then skip to the end.

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  136. cowardwhotriedtoquitAugust 18, 2014 at 10:47 PM

    But why should I pay when there is not a single face who (/kayfabe) could remotely challenge Lesnar after he squashed the #1 face in the company?


    Reigns (in theory) is #2, but he's not going to win the title at a non-marquee PPV. Ambrose is #3, but he's off filming a movie.


    Are people who are not currently subscribed going to sign up for six months of title defenses against Cesaro, Big Show, and Orton?

    ReplyDelete
  137. Why? Why should he show up for free and take away the mystery around him that they're trying to sell in the first place?


    He's not just a 'name' - that's the whole point! They made the name mean something by sacrificing Taker and Cena to him. There is not a single WWE fan right now that doesn't know who Brock Lesnar is. There's no need for him to be hanging around every week kicking someone's ass - that makes it less special when he goes out and kicks ass.


    He is a special attraction that just so happens to be the baddest motherfucker on the planet right now, and the WWE made him that way. There's no chance that the fans are going to forget who he is now.

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  138. Which was ENTIRELY the fault of the booking. If HHH begrudgingly admits that he was wrong about Bryan and Bryan can have a title shot when he comes back, then the title keeps mattering. But HHH dismissed it with "lol see I told you B+", and eight months of story got flushed.

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  139. Rollins vs Ambrose was awesome, great, legendary, excellent, and fantastic.
    Hometown thing aside, is Ryback getting over? Crowds have been doing "Feed Me More" chants and whatnot lately. I think they missed the boat with him big time but he could still be a main eventer again if the do the Rybaxel breakup properly.
    And does Cesaro have the worst Entrance Music in Sports Entertainment History?

    ReplyDelete
  140. Don't worry, he lost tonight. The losing tradition of midcard champions is alive and well.

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  141. Brock Lesnar is a fucking monster.


    I believe Daniel Bryan could figure out a way to outwrestle him.
    I believe that Dean Ambrose could figure out a way to outcrazy him.


    I do not believe that Roman Reigns can spear him and pin him.

    ReplyDelete
  142. Worst Entrance Music still belongs to Paul Orndorff for that Mr. Wonderful thing.

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  143. They somehow made Cesaro's theme sound worse

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  144. Cheap count-out's is different than Paige's lame "distracted by someone skipping" pinfall job to Nattie.

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  145. Brock vs Bryan and Ambrose in a 3 way at WM.

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  146. That's so bad it's good. Cesaro's is just awful.

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  147. Well, that's the test, isn't it? Can they do it? Super heel overlord Brock Lesnar turning wrestlers into mush until Reigns or Bryan ends the reign of terror at Mania seems to be the money storyline, but we'll see. I fully admit that I hope they can build up enough babyfaces to give him a challenge.


    I think this exposes their 50/50 booking badly. They shot Lesnar up on a rocket, but refuse to do so for any of the faces. So who can challenge him at this point? It's a reasonable question.

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  148. Enh, maybe. I'd still like to see what a properly-booked midcard champion looks like in 2014 though. The 50/50 crap was played out six years ago.

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  149. I have no idea why the took the belt off of AJ, because Charlotte v. AJ will be the Flair/Steamboat of Divas matches.

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  150. Besides, who's really in a position to carry the company at this point besides the Shield guys and I think giving them the title too soon would actually hurt them more at this point than help them. Whether it's the WWE's fault or the idea that nobody is standing out is debatable, but I think the fact remains that there wasn't really a lot of choices for them to put the belts on to draw money with.

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  151. They should just have brought back his Miracle theme.

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  152. I like the cut of your jib.

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  153. No more 3-ways. Brock needs to lose 1 on 1.

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  154. Eventually, yes. But in between, it would keep him strong if he wasn't the one pinned... no, wait, I hated when TNA did it for Kong. Eh, you're right.

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  155. Don't agree - HHH dismissed it because he's a bad person. That's what the heel is supposed to do.


    Now, if Bryan comes back and gets squashed, you have a legit argument there. But until that happens, Bryan being set up for revenge against those who took away his title that he worked so hard to get is the THE money storyline of the next 6-7 months.

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  156. It makes my head hurt. I think that's why he is being punished, because his music causes headaches, seizures, vomiting, and death.

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  157. ThatAmbroseFanboyGuyAugust 18, 2014 at 10:51 PM

    Before tonight, I was of the opinion that Reigns was still their proverbial golden goose. One night does not a story make, but his presence was minimal on the show, and they all but glossed over his win last night to boot. Maybe they are cooling on him.

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  158. They could've easily done Ziggler vs. Titus for an easy win while Miz sulks, but it could've been worse. Miz regaining the title or going over Ziggler clean would've been the worst.

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  159. If they go full Brock, I don't think anyone would beat him one on one.

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  160. No way you do swagger v Brock...

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  161. It'll draw 1/10th of the arena's capacity?

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  162. ThatAmbroseFanboyGuyAugust 18, 2014 at 10:53 PM

    Oh, I'm not denying that. I think my fear is, in six weeks, if Ziggler has lost every match he was in, does the Intercontinental Title help him in the long run? The obvious answer there would be no.

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  163. This is where I think the booking of the Flag Match was a missed opportunity. (FULL DISCLOSURE: I love me some Swag and I may be overestimating him.) If you give Jack the win -- even if it's in a way that keeps Rusev strong -- he's riding momentum hard. You build him up against the next villain along the way, and by Survivor Series you have an intriguing (though foregone conclusion) matchup: someone who can MATCH Brock Lesnar as an amateur wrestler, meaning Brock has to go Total Fucking Asshole to beat him. Add in Zeb Colter to counter Paul Heyman and the unwritten backstory of Cesaro? Am I wrong in thinking this could have worked?

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  164. I don't want Lesnar to hold the belt until WrestleMania, but they need to keep people interested in the Network. The fall ppvs have been a dead zone for them since I don't even know when, and this is the most interested I've been in one in forever. They need to hold all 700,000 subscribers and -- I keep saying this -- if Brock is World Champion at Hell in the Cell, who isn't going to want to watch that?


    If I'm fantasy booking this muthafucka, Brock holds the belt to the Rumble, the drops it to Daniel Bryan. Bryan then gets to be the guy who makes the next big thing and Cena/Lesnar III is non-title and Cena gets his win back.

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  165. If Roman Reigns weren't already the anointed one, I might agree.

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  166. ThatAmbroseFanboyGuyAugust 18, 2014 at 10:53 PM

    Obviously you guys have forgotten the Right to Censor.

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  167. Brock/Batista is probably the biggest thing they can do coming off of Batista's movie success. That's what I'd do at Night of Champions.

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  168. It's been years since the IC Title has meant anything when it comes to prestige. I think WWE forgot how to make a credible secondary Champion. They have a hard enough time with the main Title.

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  169. Someone has to. If he loses 2-on-1, it makes the win look cheap.

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  170. " And the rest of you will be here to disagree with the writers."

    Haha, I love this line. Like we're the fucking problem.

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  171. Kane again? Fucking go away...

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  172. What? I know I'm not wrong. :P

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  173. There was an F-5 one week, a pull apart the next and a sit-down promo on a show that Brock didn't go too cause it was in England.


    What do you want? Brock squashing Dolph Ziggler. WHY THE FUCK WOULD ANYONE WANT TO GET IN THE RING WITH BROCK LESNAR? Seriously he's murdered the Undertaker at WrestleMania and 15-time World Champion at Summerslam. After breaking HHH's arm twice and beating him in a steel cage, and also beating the Best in the World. You think Big E wants a piece of all that?

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  174. Then shouldn't they punish Jim Johnston?

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  175. I didn't think the main event was up to the **** level but it was good stuff. Ambrose and Rollins bring fantastic intensity to their brawls.

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  176. Storyline could work, sure. Not sure if Swagger is that guy, but building up a strong face by having him go over a monster heel to challenge another monster heel could certainly work.

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  177. ThatAmbroseFanboyGuyAugust 18, 2014 at 10:57 PM

    I mentioned this in another thread, but there were times when the Intercontinental Title could headline a TV taping or a house show circuit, even the odd Pay Per View once in a blue moon. Nowadays the champion is virtually a JTTS.

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  178. Good lord this match.


    These guys have MOTY potential in them.

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  179. ThatAmbroseFanboyGuyAugust 18, 2014 at 10:59 PM

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIgpVCLnvm8

    That didn't take long to get uploaded.

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  180. But that was his WCW theme! Most WCW themes were so bad they were good.

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  181. I'm not sure I want to sacrifice Rusev yet.

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  182. Then they'd have to bring in someone else to make the music, and the DX Band ain't getting back together any time soon

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  183. That's going to be a huge problem. If they insist on running Lesnar/Reigns, then it works against Reigns badly. He's smaller than Brock, and when the two stand face-to-face, it'll make Reigns' power look weird. It's what killed Tazz and Rhyno in 2000-01 -- they were built as powerhouses in ECW, then showed up in the WWF and were shown to be 5'9.

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  184. Cena was my Poochie. But, now it's Kane. And, whenever Kane isn't on screen, everyone should ask, " where's Poochie?"

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  185. Cesaro is clearly channeling them

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  186. Ambrose definitely got a bigger pop than Reigns tonight. Just the announcement of the Ambrose/Rollins match got a bigger pop than Reigns.

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  187. I'm going to go ahead and go there. Ambrose has the potential to be their next Punk.

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  188. I think Brock gets DQ'ed at Night of Champions just cause, then we get BROCK/CENA IN THE FUCKING CELL.


    Survivor Series, Brock fights Batista or a rebuilt Sheamus. He destroys them.


    Brock sits out TLC because no one will wrestle him.


    The Bryan beats him at the Rumble.

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  189. cowardwhotriedtoquitAugust 18, 2014 at 11:02 PM

    Dumb question: what type of fan not currently subscribed to the Network is going to subscribe because Brock is the champion? I know this has worked for boxing (e.g. huge buys to see which scrub Tyson would demolish), but wouldn't a UFC fan just dismiss WWE as fake? And even if they were tempted because Brock is "real", wouldn't they just cancel the subscription once Brock lost because the rest of the stuff is fake?

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  190. WWE had me in it's palm for Swagger the last two months. Had they kept his momentum going, it's a possibility.

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