Smackdown
Date: August 1, 2014
Location: American Bank
Center, Corpus Christi, Texas
Commentators: Michael
Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
Hopefully things pick
up a bit after Monday's fairly meaningless show. The problem here is
with Summerslam almost entirely set (or matches just waiting to be
made official), there isn't much to do on television. Maybe we can
get something better than 40 second Adam Rose matches though. Let's
get to it.
Opening sequence.
Jack
Swagger vs. Cesaro
Cesaro easily takes him
down but gets sent to the floor very quickly. Back in and Swagger
gets slammed down for two followed by the gutwrench suplex for the
same. We hit the chinlock and take an early break. Back with Cesaro
standing on the top rope but getting punched down to the mat.
Swagger dives into the uppercut in a great looking collision but is
able to catch Cesaro coming off the top in a belly to belly. A Vader
Bomb gets two for Jack but Cesaro nails him in the face. Back on the
mat and Cesaro's big boot is countered into the Patriot Lock for the
submission at 9:53.
Rating:
C-. Again, WWE's booking makes
no sense. Cesaro goes from a grueling back and forth war with Cena
on Monday to tapping out clean to Jack Swagger in less than ten
minutes here. I have no idea what they're doing with him, and the
worst part is I don't think WWE does either.
Post
match Lana and Rusev come out to challenge Swagger to a flag match at
Summerslam.
Here's
Orton with something to say. He
rants about Reigns costing him the title shot at Summerslam and we
see him attacking Reigns on Monday. Randy promises to take Reigns
down at Summerslam. Very short stuff here.
We
see Brie quitting at Payback. Again, they're trying to make this WAY
bigger than it really is.
Bo
Dallas vs. R-Truth
Rematch
from Monday. JBL: “Truth is the 1 in 17-1.” Dallas offers a
handshake to start but is shoved to the mat instead. Truth pulls him
to the floor for a beating but misses a charge into the corner. Some
elbows to the head have Truth in trouble but he rolls Bo up for two.
Back up and a bad looking cross body gets the same before Bo hammers
away in the corner, drawing a DQ at 1:40.
Post
match says it's true that everyone Bolieves in him.
AJ
Lee vs. Rosa Mendes
Black
Widow, 17 seconds.
AJ
poses on the stage but Paige shoves her onto the concrete. Paige:
“AJ, I STILL LOVE YOU! BE
CAREFUL WITH MY FRIEND!”
Dean
Ambrose likes the idea of Daddy HHH sending Uncle Kane to help save
Seth Rollins in a handicap match tonight.
Dean hopes Kane is bringing two masks because he's going to punch
Seth Rollins in the face a lot.
Dean
Ambrose vs. Kane/Seth Rollins
Kane
starts and hammers away to take over before Rollins is willing to
come in and stomp Dean down in the corner. Back to Kane who slams
Ambrose face down into the mat and sends his bad shoulder into the
post. Rollins comes back in
and slaps him a few times, only to have Dean get in a right hand.
Rollins stomps him down again and makes the tag off to Kane for more
double teaming.
The
side slam gets two on Dean but he comes back by sending both guys to
the floor for a double suicide dive. They head back inside and Dean
goes off on Rollins in the corner but Kane makes the save and sends
Ambrose into the timekeeper's area. Ambrose comes back in with a
chair for the DQ at 6:45.
Rating:
C-. The match was what you
would expect from it and there's nothing wrong with that. It gave us
the preview of Rollins vs. Ambrose that we've been waiting for and
gives us another reason to watch Summerslam. The beating is going to
be awesome and it's bound to set up an awesome gimmick rematch.
Ambrose
destroys Kane with the chair post match.
Jericho
says he's ready to take Erick Rowan out tonight, because once he
does, Rowan is barred from ringside for the match at Summerslam.
The
Dusts have a talk about cowboys.
Diego
vs. Fandango
I
could really get used to Summer dressing like this from now on.
Diego tries a sunset flip but dives onto Fandango's knee. Torito
offers a distraction and hides behind the girls before they start
dancing. Diego hits a Backstabber for the pin at 1:28.
Clips
from Heyman and Cena's exchange
on Monday.
Alberto
Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler
Miz
is on commentary. Del Rio
charges to start but gets knocked down so Ziggler can hammer away.
Ziggler tries the running DDT but gets slammed down on his face. A
chinlock doesn't get Del Rio anywhere but he gets two off a wicked
German suplex. Now the running DDT connects for two on Alberto but
Miz gets up on the announcers' table to thank some more people for
his success.
The
distraction lets Del Rio grab a rollup for two. Ziggler nails the
Fameasser out of nowhere for two of his own. Miz keeps talking and
Dolph chases him into the crowd. Back in and Del Rio nails the
running enziguri. The armbreaker makes Ziggler tap at 4:00 as
Miz comes back to ringside.
Rating:
D+. Remember my issues with
Cesaro? Here they are again. You have Ziggler pin the
Intercontinental Champion a few weeks back and now you have him
submit. Yeah there was a distraction, but Ziggler came back in and
submitted. Do we really need to protect Alberto Del Rio? It's not
like he's done anything in like ever, but we have to have Alberto
beat Ziggler before Dolph gets a PPV title shot because Heaven forbid
a midcard challenger go into a title shot looking strong.
AJ
has been taken to the hospital.
We
see the Stephanie vs. Brie showdown from Monday. They're described
as “two powerful women.” Thankfully this is just a package
instead of the full thing.
The
WWE.com interview this week is with Brie Bella, who says if she wins
at Summerslam, nothing else matters because she can look back on it
fondly. I'm still trying to figure out why in the world I'm supposed
to care. Brie was brought in as basically a pawn in the Authority
vs. Bryan feud and now it's a huge story because Brie threw a curve
at Stephanie? Somehow that's worthy of featured time on Raw?
Really?
Here
are the Wyatts before the main event.
Bray talks about Jericho coming back for the thrill of the crowd.
Today Jericho is dirty but after Summerslam, he will be just dirt.
Abigail warned Bray of Jericho being a liar who rode in on a white
horse, shouting about saving us all. There
is no dignity left in Jericho's martyrdom and he will save no one at
Summerslam, especially not himself.
Chris
Jericho vs. Erick Rowan
If Jericho wins, Rowan
is barred from ringside for Jericho vs. Wyatt at Summerslam. Rowan
knocks Jericho to the floor to start but Chris slides back in and
baseball slides Rowan into the barricade a few times. Harper offers
some interference and gets ejected for his efforts. Back from a
break with Rowan hammering away and getting two off a big elbow to
the jaw.
We hit the chinlock for
a bit before Jericho counters a slam into a DDT for two. A spinning
kick to the face gets the same for Rowan but Jericho comes back with
an enziguri and dropkick to the side of the head. The Lionsault to
Rowan's back gets two and Bray is looking anxious. Jericho jumps
into a big boot from Rowan and Erick is looking annoyed. We hit the
swinging bearhug on Chris but he escapes and sends Erick into the
buckle, setting up a Codebreaker for the pin at 13:06.
Rating:
C. Decent power vs. speed match
here as Rowan continues to show how good he is in the ring. That
being said, Harper still totally blows him away with everything he
does and it's a very pale comparison. Jericho getting rid of the
monsters is a good way to set up Bray vs. Chris, especially if Bray
wins a fair fight.
Bray
backs away from Jericho to end the show.
Overall
Rating: C-. The show wasn't
much better than Monday but at least it had some story development
and was an hour shorter. I still can't get over the hype that Brie
vs. Stephanie is getting. It's being treated as big if not bigger
than Ambrose vs. Rollins and Orton vs. Reigns. What happens if Brie
wins anyway? Is she going to challenge for the Divas Title, which
she's held before? Do they think a win over Stephanie is some huge
rub? The rest of the show wasn't bad, even though they're in cruise
control as we head to LA.
Results
Jack Swagger b. Cesaro
– Patriot Lock
R-Truth b. Bo Dallas
via DQ when Dallas attacked Truth in the ropes
AJ Lee b. Rosa Mendes –
Black Widow
Kane/Seth Rollins b.
Dean Ambrose via DQ when Ambrose used a chair
Diego b. Fandango –
Backstabber
Alberto Del Rio b.
Dolph Ziggler – Cross armbreaker
Chris Jericho b. Erick
Rowan – Codebreaker
Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and head over to my Amazon author page with wrestling books for under $4 at:
http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6
Also, I'm today's NFL, having a personal issue with pot and booze gets a year long suspension but beating the shit outta your significant other is a slap on the wrist.
ReplyDeleteI KNEW your name was familiar when you first started your reviews here!
ReplyDeleteIs that $400,000 for Tensai legitimate? Because if it is, WOW.
ReplyDeleteThey did a pretty good job of cutting Owen.
ReplyDeleteStorylines progressed pretty well when it was just Russo and Ferrara. They had four hours of tv a week. Two hours for Raw, two for Smackdown. There is much more tv time nowadays, but story progression only seems to happen on Raw. That's only three hours a week of storyline tv. Why do they need a whole crew of writers for only three hours when two guys did more during a hotter period?
ReplyDeleteCut down to two or three writers on staff and let the booker handle Smackdown, Main Event, Superstars, etc. A room full of 15-20 writers who are all at odds is just counterproductive and results in crap like Sandow's current gimmick that we must endure each and every week. The show would be so much better if they just had a few writers who were all on the same page.
There's 107 comments on Steph/Bri and 17 on this. Stupid people deserve what they get.
ReplyDeletehuh?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be that surprised. I mean it's not *that* much for someone that poached, and it's not like he's going to move merch.
ReplyDeleteOooof
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm just cheap. $400,000 for Tensai? I shudder to think how much guys like Kane, Big Show, Khali, and other dead weight are raking in.
ReplyDeleteBig Show has to be doing quite well. He's got his own tour bus like Cena and Punk.
ReplyDeleteShudder to think how much Kane made a couple of years ago with Hell No. I'm pretty sure Show makes 7 figures.
ReplyDeleteI'm really shocked that this was the only title change ever for snme. I figured the ic or another tag title change would have happened somewhere.
ReplyDeleteWas HBK winning the IC from British Bulldog on a SNME?
ReplyDeleteKane and Show are both raking in 7 figures a year
ReplyDeleteJust looked it up; you are correct
ReplyDeleteThat was on fox though?
ReplyDeleteYeah the last 2 episodes of the original Snme were on fox. This was the last of the original series.
ReplyDeleteEvery week, NXT has different backstage interviewers. It's like they're using interns or something. They're all awful
ReplyDeleteThat's probably why Scott said it was the only title change on the nbc version of the show.
ReplyDeleteAnd I found my review
ReplyDeletehttp://www.411mania.com/wrestling/video_reviews/36261
Wow. Who the hell did Cesaro piss off?
ReplyDeleteStyles Clashua!
ReplyDeleteYeah but Show riding a tour bus is like you riding in the back of a VW bug.
ReplyDeleteThe '93 match is superior, but this is the moment that made Bret into a Star with a capital S, to quote Scott.
ReplyDeleteI respect both of their contributions for the company over the past 15+ years but it's time to put them out to pasture. Whatever they are getting paid--neither are worth it at this point. They've both had long and profitable runs. But when it's time, it's time.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on having multiple gigs!
ReplyDeleteI am the Rex Hudler of internet wrestling writing
ReplyDeleteThey could have had Swagger beat Kidd or something
ReplyDeletestrong match, nice to see guys booked as bad asses.
ReplyDeleteOnce more shows how underrated Demolition are as a team, able to hang great with Tully & Arn for a fantastic match. And historic for ending what remains the longest tag team title reign ever which should get Demolition more credit.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree Scott.
ReplyDeleteYou're a ginger?
ReplyDeleteShow sighed for 7 figures in 99. He has probably made that since. Think about that for a second.
ReplyDeleteWhat I haven't gotten for the past couple of days is why people believe them that they are immediately making all of these money-saving cuts (which, at least as far as staff is concerned, hadn't been announced yet), and will save x amount of money. Isn't that what caused the big stock drop in the first place? You clearly can't believe anything WWE says until it comes true.
ReplyDeleteDeath, Taxes, and Bignasty96 showing up in any thread regarding the network.
ReplyDeleteMy first SNME ever. Some Jesse love. His digs at Hogan for taking up valuable tv time posing, and hogging the spotlight when there's another match coming up.
ReplyDeleteHis indignation at Ronnie Garvin striking Valentine and costing him the match. And, as much as he was an unabashed Macho Man fan, even he pointed out during the Beefcake match how it was rare for Savage to make one mistake during the match, let alone two (missing charges and getting caught in the ropes).
My hope is that if HHH is the purist he says he is, and seems to have grown up more of an NWA fan than WWE, he'll strip the show back. Bookers instead of writers, maybe give it more of that NWA/UFC big fight feel
ReplyDeleteThey have been making cut for a few months now. They cut Barret's platform deal, the tour buses for ring crews, several roster cuts, and that's all I can remember off the top of my head.
ReplyDeleteI loved the buildup for Brock/Rock at Summerslam 2002. Rocky doing box jumps, and doing serious training because he knew he was facing a world class athlete, who also happens to be a huge beast.
ReplyDeleteBrock doing his collegiate wrestling training, taking ice baths, and looking like a total badass.
Do that for Brock/Cena.
I miss Chris Kresky (sp? ) and his storyboarding of 2000.
ReplyDeleteCornette said it best that "UFC is what pro wrestling used to be".
ReplyDeleteRusso and Ferrara were only around for six weeks once Smackdown became an every week show.
ReplyDeleteIt might sound odd, but I think that there is a much bigger emphasis on Raw now than there was back in 1999. Even though the WWF was competing with WCW, the modern Raw seems to be more of a PPV itself than a TV show. Back in the Monday Night War, Raw's main purpose was to build to the PPV where as now it's main purpose seems to be to build to the next Raw. It almost feels like they need to do a month's worth of stuff each week.
I just don't see how three hours of 'A' level programming, two hours of 'B' programming and two separate hour of 'C/D' programming would be possible for a lone booker to handle. At the same time, I don't think they need 15-20 writers either.
If it were me, I would have a two-three person team booking/writing Raw and a different two-three person team booking/writing the other programs. Have a meeting each week where the creative plans are laid out so that the 'B' level booking team would have an idea of how to present the secondary shows. I think that would help with writer burnout and would also improve clarity with the stories because you wouldn't have so many different voices putting their spin on something.
I'm not shocked by most of those. Say what you will about Kane and Show, they fill a role that's in short supply and high demand and can do so as long as they can still work at all.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
ReplyDeleteHow the tag title match didn't make the Best of SNME DVD is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteWas there any Demos on that DVD? I'd check, but it's upstairs. I assume still ongoing issues with Vince and Bill Eadie.
ReplyDeleteBoth guys have had some kick-ass matches before, so I was thinking it would be at least a really good - great match, but this was even better than I expected, awesome match! Knowing how this tournament's gone though, this may not even be the best match of it by time the tournament ends, wouldn't surprise me either way.
ReplyDeleteI squirm every time I watch the finish to that tag title match. Tully potatoed the hell out of Smash with that chair-shot.
ReplyDeleteFlair did a pretty good job of cutting himself.
ReplyDeleteHave you SEEN dude's forehead??
I don't think so, excluding their over-looked involvement in the Andre/Hulk Battle Royal.
ReplyDelete*checks match list* No Demos. :( And I know they were on the Allied Powers DVD.
ReplyDeleteAgainst the Killer Bees with probably the most random commentary team, Duke Dougherty, Bruce Pritchard and Mike McGuirk.
ReplyDeleteI'm not defending the current writing set up. What's come out of there has been dross for ten years and most of the really good stuff they've done has been more down to the wrestlers getting involved than creative (think Foley/Orton or HBK/Jericho)
ReplyDeleteBut that's not to say the idea of a writing team is a bad one. Every other TV show will have one, it's very rare to have a show be scripted by just one or two people. The credits might say written by John Doe but in reality there'll be a small army of script editors, advisors and assistants helping craft the thing.
The amount of TV WWE produces would burn out a small team in no time.
But they certainly need to change how they structure the writing team. Either that's different head writers, different writers or Vince keeping his nose out (that last one might be key).
The writing team is like the brand extension - right idea for the right reasons with terrible execution
Wonder if The Network will restore the Rockers vs Hart Foundation match.
ReplyDeleteThe 1.3-1.4 million sub number has been grossly misinterpreted by the IWC. If you go back and actually read the corporate quote it says "The Company estimates that the WWE Network, on a global basis, will require 1.3 million to 1.4 million subscribers at “steady state” for the WWE Network’s incremental OIBDA to offset the complete cannibalization of the Company’s Pay-Per-View and SVOD businesses"
ReplyDeleteGlobal Basis! Complete cannibalization of PPV revenue! So people quoting 1.3-1.4 just for the U.S. are outright wrong and PPV revenue isn't gone at least not yet! It'll be down big probably 50% this year when all is said and done but that's still over $40 Million in revenue!
Of course $40 million plus is about 350,000-400,000 subscribers on a yearly basis but that's gross, how much of that $9.99 a month does WWE actually take in? How does that move the break even point down to 500K instead of 950K-1 Million? Why aren't these questions being asked at conference calls?
Who knows? But a half million subs = $60,000,000 a year gross add in $40 Million in PPV money this year and they seem to be well off compared to the $82.5 Million they took in last year on PPV revenue alone. Now they still have to pay MLB.tv their share for hosting those servers and bandwidth plus the other costs of running the network but this new break even point on the surface sounds a lot more reasonable then the 1.3-1.4 million number they gave out before.
Peggy Sue vs Cherry is a Diva Dream Match that will never happen.
ReplyDeleteChrist. Lop off Kane, Big Show, Khali, Mysterio, and Del Rio and you've saved a ton of money. Mark Henry is about to wrap it up too. That's insanity.
ReplyDeleteIn defense of the Stephanie/Brie thing, at least they're actually booking an angle with something approaching sense and logic. At the moment, other than maybe Rollins/Ambrose, it feels like the best-booked angle going on.
ReplyDeleteWhich is a concern in itself.
If they wanted to give Swagger a win, why wasn't Damian Sandow out there dressed up as some random Russian villain?
I can NOT watch that match without muting it. Worst. 3-man commentary booth. EVER. (And McGuirk was an OK ring announcer.)
ReplyDeleteAnd even then, wasn't that pre-Barry Darsow Demolition?
ReplyDeleteStyles selling that arm all the way to the end. Avoiding chopping & slapping Suzuki with the right.. For a guy who has been labeled a bit of a bumpkin, his wrestling IQ is out of this world. Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteMaybe. Although, I think it may be Darsow. I could be wrong, but I'm sure he replaced Culley just before Mania.
ReplyDeleteI think WWE has done NXT a disservice by making it so public.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that it's still a training school, and expecting people (including the backstage interviewers) to be as polished as they are in the main roster is ridiculous.
Greg Valentine vs Rugged Ronnie Garvin is one of my all-time favorite mid-card feuds, the retirement,referee gig,the Hammer Jammer and then blowing it off with a fun quality match at the 1990 Royal Rumble. What's not to like?
ReplyDeleteIf only Hall of Famer Peggy Sue weren't literally a Legend...
ReplyDeleteAnd we've all sighed about that decision since then.
ReplyDeleteCulley Only wrestled a few tv squashes, Darsows short hair and different paint throw people off a bit
ReplyDeleteSemi-serious question: Out of the 400 times they've met, has Ziggler EVER beaten Del Rio?
ReplyDeleteI'd sigh just for one figure.
ReplyDeleteZiggler won the title from ADR.
ReplyDelete"Again, they're trying to make this WAY bigger than it really is."
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the point of wrestling? I mean...nothing really matters, it's all how it's presented.
what's amazing is he started the match as heel and yet in the end he had the crowd chanting his name.
ReplyDeletemeltzer on his site already marked this as possible MOTY
That finishing sequence was amazing.
ReplyDeleteYou know, while the show was happening, not once did I notice Okada and Tanahashi weren't there. They had their best show so far without their two top stars.
ReplyDeleteThat's some serious roster depth.
ReplyDeleteI agree fully with this. And every time I think about it, I can´t believe Ronnie Garvin is in one of my favourite feuds. Crazy. But those two were made to feud.
ReplyDeleteOr how about what Sons of Anarchy does by loosely basing their story on Hamlet
ReplyDeleteGood points. I would just add, though, that they might see further cannibalization of domestic pay-per-views by moving to a $19.99 price point for one month of the Network. Why pay $40-$60 for a show and not just $19.99 for it? Better yet, why not pay $9.99 and easily cancel like 128.000 people did?
ReplyDeleteI think some of these cuts were overdue and as you say, it provides a much more realistic picture of what they need to do.
Another thing I just noticed right now, watching it back.. NO TWO COUNTS.
ReplyDeleteThere's an attempt at a pinfall early, which Suzuki isn't interested in cooperating for, and he kicks out at one. That's it, all action until the finish.
Wow, the booking of this show makes NO sense. Cesaro and Ziggler jobbing via submission?
ReplyDeleteThey ONLY need about 3/4 again of how many subs they already have?
ReplyDeleteDid everyone get more sarcastic when I was asleep or something?
Del Rio is a great worker, no nee to fire great workers.
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell is going on with this show? Why does it even exist anymore?
ReplyDeleteWell him I lumped in because isn't it sort of established that he's on the way out? And if you aren't gonna do anything of substance with an expensive--albeit great--talent, then why keep them around?
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would disagree is that a PPV needs more writer than a RAW show because normally a RAW show used to have much more angles, segments, stories etc. whila a PPV had mostly only matches and not 1000 segments. It SHOULD be much harder to write TV shows than PPVs, because the PPV is where you only need some bookers and agents while the TV show needs the writer for the story to continue.
ReplyDeleteBUT I agree that they actually need less writers and it would be good if the writers for RAW are the same as for Smackdown, because the stories have to be consistent. There has to be a story flow from RAW to SD to RAW and at the PPV should be writing itself because of the pre-work.
They're not going back to blading, ever.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that Brock/Rock stuff was fantastic.
ReplyDeleteOn a MITB cash-in.
ReplyDeleteListened to AJ on Jim Ross's podcast the other day: I was amazed to hear JR fawning all over him. Not that AJ wasn't (or isn't) fantastic, but he basically said, "We blew it. We had this guy under contract when we bought WCW and we had no idea what we had. He's the one who got away."
ReplyDeleteFor his part, AJ was very demure, but I'd never heard JR speak that way about someone.
Seriously dude? The angle makes no sense. Brie 'quit' her job to spite Stephanie right when she was about to fire her, now she wants to fight Stephanie to get her job back? How does that make any sense?
ReplyDeleteOn top of that, Brie is probably the most cringe and terrible performer/actress in the whole company
I agree Brie is terrible, but she's no Summer Rae. Good god that woman.
ReplyDeleteAwesome moment. As was their double turn. Thought there was potential for a blowoff at SummerSlam with Ziggler taking the title and feuding with Big E.
ReplyDeleteI think UFC used to be what pro-wrestling used to be. I think they got about 90,000 buys not too long ago. They're as out of touch at the top as WWE is lately. "More shows, shows every day!"
ReplyDeleteno one else misses pyro for Kofi Kingston???
ReplyDeleteremember when he beat cena clean on raw??? wow lol
ReplyDeleteHey, pyro couldn't even rescue the Titanic!
ReplyDeleteI remember people saying that Swagger should've been released in the round of cuts that happened a month or two ago.
ReplyDeleteGood thing no one watches it, eh?
ReplyDeleteScott seemed to hate Garvin with a passion back then. Also the "He's an idiot for accepting to be WCW champ in 1987, knowing he would eventually lose it back" thing.
ReplyDeleteThat's my biggest issue with this company. There are a TON of guys not doing a single thing, yet they have popular wrestlers who fans root for doing jobs every show. It makes ZERO sense.
ReplyDeletelol, yea pyro was the first big cut ive started to notice. I'm sure their will be other production cuts as well.
ReplyDeleteI think the most frustrating thing is that this isn't very difficult ha. They have the talent, they have the brand recognition. They just have to be a WRESTLING company, but they don't seem to want to do that.
ReplyDeleteWhat fantastic match, some great sequences and AJ's selling of the arm was brilliant.
ReplyDeleteReally good point. Personally, I'd keep Renee to doing the backstage stuff. I don't think she's particularly good at PxP.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't hurt Steamboat in 1989 though. However, comparing Garvin to Steamboat... I beg your pardon.
ReplyDeleteI honestly wouldn't mind a grittier/more toned down setup. Bring back the old RAW letters from the mid-1990s or something. Anything outside of the ramp and big stage would be a breath of fresh air at this point since we've had that setup since 1997.
ReplyDeleteI always liked the actual ramp level with the ring apron used by WCW & ECW in the 90's.
ReplyDeleteSomething/Anything to give the shows a different look would be welcome at this point.
Considering Bryan gave up the title months ago as well, it really makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteThe straight man is every bit as important as the funny guy.
ReplyDeleteShe already has her job back. For some season, they decided to make it one of her demands for dropping the charges rather than using it as stakes in the match.
ReplyDeleteIn theory yes, but this match doesn't belong this high on the card. I can't imagine anyone actually wanting to see it or anyone caring enough for it to get the hype it's getting.
ReplyDeleteYes, even taking all that into account. It's more of a damning indictment of how the booking is going in general than great praise for the angle itself. However, you can't argue with the crowd response they've been getting for things like Steph being arrested, or Brie calling her a bitch.
ReplyDeleteShe quit her job to spite Steph so that she couldn't be used as a blackmail tool against Bryan's title. Bryan and his title is now gone, so she wants a bit of revenge on the woman who made his life (and hers) a misery - that's why it makes sense.
She's no reason to stay at home now, because they can't punish Bryan because of her - but they have been punishing her sister, so that's another reason to come back for revenge.
She is a dreadful actress, though - no disagreement there.
Agreed. Or Sandow. Or Ryder. Or Titus and/or Slater (or both at once).
ReplyDeleteSo many jobbers available, yet they derail a guy who had a good showing on Raw and might have been taking a few steps towards regaining the momentum they swept from under him.
I think we should just flat out call it Ziggler Syndrome, right enough.
Discarding the brand split destroyed Smackdown.
ReplyDeleteIt now feels like it's got Sunday Night Heat level status as a show, rather than the "other" main show.
Garvin is the most criminally underrated worker of the '80s by the IWC at large (some communities rightfully love him). He was probably Flair's best opponent next to Steamboat.
ReplyDeleteSo,they cut 10% of their employees (and none of the big name/moneymakers) and they cleared $8-$10 million/month of expenses and they now only need less than half the number of subs that they originally thought to be profitable? My math could be wrong (it is Saturday morning), but I used 1.5m subs for easier math. $15m/month in revenue vs. 500K subs which is $5m/month is a difference of $10m/month.
ReplyDeleteI just watched some of the G1 (Styles vs. Suzuki) and I liked their setup. Reminded me of watching when I was a kid. Smaller arena and the wrestlers walk through the fans.
ReplyDeleteI'm honestly fine with the death of the brand split for the fact that I hated having 2 champions. It was never really equal anyway, as the WWE treated Smackdown like a red headed stepchild.
ReplyDeleteIf anything, I hope Smackdown! gets cancelled at some point. There's way too much TV programming for WWE to fill right now. They need less, not more.
It had it's high points too, though. Misty nostalgia about the Smackdown Six, etc.
ReplyDeleteI always thought they should have just came right out and made Raw the "sports entertainment" show and Smackdown the "technical wrestling" show.
I've never liked Swagger but I think he serves a certain purpose, I wouldn't wanna see him cut. I'm glad he's at least found something that works for him.
ReplyDeleteJack of all trades, master of none
ReplyDeleteI noticed that too and wondered, for a minute, if he legit hurt it...then I remembered that sometimes, people sell when their opponent has been working that arm over for 15 minutes.
ReplyDeleteWhat a complete asshole.
ReplyDeleteHow dare you sit there and say things like "cuts were long overdue" like you're some kind of business savant as hardworking office types lost their jobs yesterday. These people don't have families? Don't have debt? But you can lord over their lives and incomes like you should be the arbiter of anything -- guarantee if you actually have a job, you could be cut and your employer would not miss a beat.
That's something that will change once HHH takes over for good. Vince hates wrestling. HHH doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be shocked to see HHH shutter the movie division, etc.
He is, but he has no spark at all to connect with the audience. None. It's not a booking thing, either. He just can't find a link to the crowds.
ReplyDeleteWish you provided commentary on the interviews/other segments as well...
ReplyDeleteTully absolutely nailed Smash with that chair. Last I heard the Demos are still pissed about it. Think he may have been legit knocked out.
ReplyDeleteIn corporate America most of us could be replaced without being missed. It's sucks that Vince atones for his missteps by hurting everyone else's life. To your point, this point was a bit douchey
ReplyDeleteAnd how dare any of us offer an opinion about wrestling on a blog about wrestling.
ReplyDeleteEverybody said that during the AIDS scare era of the early 90s too and then by the end of the decade they were obsessed with it.
ReplyDeleteCulley only worked (as far as TV is concerned) their debut's at Challenge and Superstar tapings. By the time they worked MSG and the Maple Leaf Gardens in mid-Feb (also taped for TV), it was Darsow.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a weak start for a prime time national audience--hogan did what he was supposed to, bring the casual fan in for the rest of the show.
ReplyDeleteNope darsow it was
ReplyDeleteThose werent legit snme. Different feel, pacing, production, commentary.
ReplyDeleteMan they play some small, intimate venues in NJPW. Didn't wrestling in Japan used to be a big stadium affair?
ReplyDeleteI kinda hate NJPW because I can't keep up with all the awesome matches. After WWE's "please renew" shows in Summerslam and NOC I probably just need to shut them off and catch up.
The finals will be a stadium show, but house shows like these are the bread and butter for Japanese promotions.
ReplyDeleteAnd unlike TNA, they actually sell out.
He's perfect where he is. There is always a place for a patriotic wrestler.
ReplyDeleteIf only Ziggler kept his mouth shut.
ReplyDeleteIt's all about the money.
ReplyDeleteDarsow talks about it in his RF shoot. Tully did crack him legit, and Darsow IS still pissed about it. Talked about Tully having a "little man complex". Sure, or Tully was/is an asshole. Take your pick.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good point (would be a great QOTD). The first time I could pinpoint an excellent match was either watching Savage vs Warrior live on ppv or if I saw Savage vs Steamboat on a tape before that.
ReplyDeleteThat submission match at the Rumble doesn't get nearly enough love.
ReplyDeleteIt adds to the confusion (at least I was when watching it) he hadn't perfected his face paint yet. In the battle royal not only is he on screen for like 30 seconds but he has shorter hair and different paint.
ReplyDeleteWell, they're trying to pay-off the nuclear heat Stephanie's been getting, and I really can't think of a better person for it than Brie. Nobody else has been remotely presented as being a top card talent, and AJ really doesn't need another angle.
ReplyDeleteI hope that one day there won't be a place.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as Edge quit Smackdown basically died.
ReplyDeleteThat's fine if they hadn't done it with Vickie just a few weeks ago. That got a lot of it away and there's not really much of a story between Brie and Stephanie. It's just fallout from Bryan vs. the Authority and Brie is an offshoot.
ReplyDeleteAll true. But it's not like Brie is going to hurt Bryan's heat by piggy-backing onto it, Brie is his wife, and that has been established for a while now, this isn't Big Show Yesing.
ReplyDeleteNo, it's not perfect, but I'm glad that they're throwing something at a woman that isn't AJ (and I love AJ, but the female division needs more than her). It gets the Authority, the most important people on the show other than Cena, involved in an area that nobody historically cares about, women's wrestling.
I'm fine with that. Just don't treat it as one of the two or three biggest matches on the show.
ReplyDeleteShow me another submission match with 30 pinfall attempts!
ReplyDeleteOr it was "heat of the moment". I remember Mick Foley telling a story in one of his books, he was facing Sandman in ECW, a fan handed him a frying pan, and by the time he realized it wasn't one of them flimsy frying pans, but a cast-iron skillet, Sandman was on the ground. (I don't think Sandy's pissed about it, but you never know.) Sometimes, crowd screaming, adrenaling flowing, shit happens.
ReplyDelete*insert TNA and/or Russo joke here*
ReplyDeleteDon't forget about the NINE chairshots Rock gave Mick during RR '99. Rock was definitely singing that Asia song.
ReplyDeleteThe Wonder Dog!
ReplyDeleteAt least you're not Steve Lyons!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTOAI5CHC34
I missed the first two matches in 1989 - but for some reason they put the Honky match on Hulkamania 4. I always wanted to see Hogan destroy Honky and this match paid up.
ReplyDeleteBut didn't the feud go past the rumble with their last encounter at Royal Rumble 90 as Garvin as a ring announcer?
ReplyDeleteI loved Duke Dorthery on the mic.
ReplyDeleteOh, please, that 8-pack-a-day voice repeatedly calling Ax and Smash "the demolition team" like they were Wayne Bloom and Mike Enos. FEH.
ReplyDeleteHuh?
ReplyDeleteThe Rumble '90 Submission match was their blow-off match, Ron Garvin was legit out of the company by the summer.
Incredibly convincing green-screen work at the start with Vince & Jesse. HDTV isn't kind to 80's wrestling haha
ReplyDelete