WWE.com RAW Preview
http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2014-11-17/five-point-preview-26813419
TNA TV Deal Update
According to Dave Scherer of PWInsider.com, TNA has reached a deal with be airing on a new partner in January 2015. It is also reported that the new TNA deal will be a multi-year deal as well. The deal is expected to be finished and announced later this week and while not confirmed, all signs point towards TNA airing on the Destination America Network. While the new deal will bring in less money from the start, TNA will reportedly have the chance to air more programming than just Impact and even put in a position to be a top priority for the network.
http://www.pwinsider.com/article/89623/tna-impacttv-deal-update.html?p=1
Wade Barrett Update
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Barrett told him this past weekend at the WrestleMania pre-sale party that he is 4-6 weeks away from returning to the ring.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Radio
AJ Lee Leaving the WWE?
According to Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live, he heard a rumor from the company that if AJ loses the Diva's Title at Survivor Series that she "may not be around the company much longer." AJ has also opened up a new website called aj-brooks.com
Credit Bryan Alvarez, Wrestling Observer Live
And don't forget to vote for the Group N bracket of Place to be Nation's "Greatest Song of the 90's" poll by clicking on the link below:
http://placetobenation.com/ptbns-greatest-song-of-the-90s-tournament-pool-round-one-group-n/
http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2014-11-17/five-point-preview-26813419
TNA TV Deal Update
According to Dave Scherer of PWInsider.com, TNA has reached a deal with be airing on a new partner in January 2015. It is also reported that the new TNA deal will be a multi-year deal as well. The deal is expected to be finished and announced later this week and while not confirmed, all signs point towards TNA airing on the Destination America Network. While the new deal will bring in less money from the start, TNA will reportedly have the chance to air more programming than just Impact and even put in a position to be a top priority for the network.
http://www.pwinsider.com/article/89623/tna-impacttv-deal-update.html?p=1
Wade Barrett Update
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Barrett told him this past weekend at the WrestleMania pre-sale party that he is 4-6 weeks away from returning to the ring.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Radio
AJ Lee Leaving the WWE?
According to Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live, he heard a rumor from the company that if AJ loses the Diva's Title at Survivor Series that she "may not be around the company much longer." AJ has also opened up a new website called aj-brooks.com
Credit Bryan Alvarez, Wrestling Observer Live
And don't forget to vote for the Group N bracket of Place to be Nation's "Greatest Song of the 90's" poll by clicking on the link below:
http://placetobenation.com/ptbns-greatest-song-of-the-90s-tournament-pool-round-one-group-n/
I kinda figured it would only be a matter of time before AJ left.
ReplyDeleteAnd is it just me, or does everyone else think that if they really pushed Barrett's bad news character, he could be insanely over with it? Maybe I'm stating the obvious.
And remember to vote in Group N of the Greatest Song of the 90s Tournament! Some heavy hitters popping up today...
ReplyDeletehttp://placetobenation.com/ptbns-greatest-song-of-the-90s-tournament-pool-round-one-group-n/
Leave to do what? Go to TNA? Retire at 27? Make about 14 babies for Punk?
ReplyDeleteSHAME ON BAYLESS!! DOUBLE SHAME!!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the 14 babies, or do something that doesn't require her bumping all over a ring and possibly being injured all the time. The diva shelf life, clearly, isn't very long.
ReplyDeleteWhoops. Just put that on the top page
ReplyDeleteI think she'd end up doing more bumping in the process of making 14 babies.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to the corner. NOW!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGood point.
ReplyDeletePunk wants a housewife I bet.
ReplyDeleteHow often does she even take a wrestling bump outside of PPVs? Her TV matches usually end in around 30 seconds with a rollup.
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't? If housewives made money, they'd be perfect.
ReplyDeleteYou can monetize them, but most people prefer not to do that.
ReplyDeleteHaven't there been "AJ is done with WWE" rumors for about a year now? I mean, if they keep reporting it every month for the next 10 years, they are bound to be correct at SOME point.
ReplyDeleteYou're one decade off. I would have been all over a tournament for the 80s.
ReplyDeleteAt this point, it doesn't make much difference if she stays or leaves. All the focus is on Bellamania now.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing she takes more than you and me. And I don't know about you, but my back and knees hurt, I generally take good care of myself, and I'm only 34.
ReplyDeleteIf I had a choice to live in a Chicago highrise, get paid off royalties, and have beautiful olive-skinned babies with pepsi tattoos or get my hair pulled by Alicia Fox 5 nights a week, I'd take the former.
If you thought like that, then you wouldn't get into wrestling in the first place.
ReplyDeleteWill be in the works since this one has done pretty well.
ReplyDeleteShe also weighs like 100 pounds so those bumps probably aren't easy on here either.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure the key to success is make as much as you feel neccessary, get out and retire, live the best life possible. Sounds like her husband has done a rare thing in wrestling. Good for him, and good for her if she so chooses to do the same.
ReplyDeleteNo apologies needed. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThat's not the way he'll learn. HE NEEDS DISCIPLINE!! BACK IN THE CORNER!!
ReplyDeleteYep.
ReplyDeleteSure, but if she can get out and avoid further damage, why not do it. She can live off appearances and residuals and eventually those random Raw/Mania appearances to fill any cravings she has to get back in the ring.
ReplyDeleteWatched Goldberg/H from Unforgiven 03 last night... that crowd was pretty shitty and the match kind of sucked. I stand by my original assessment!
ReplyDeleteIs there a version where I can do the highrise AND get my hair pulled by Alicia Fox every night?
ReplyDeleteIt's 6 am here on Destination America, I'm Gail Kim and it's time to wake up for our new aerobics show, TNA Slimpact!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Punk, I saw him on Talking Dead last night and he looked great. Healthy. I didn't see what he had to say about the episode, because Chris Hardwick annoys the fuck out of me, so that show is near impossible for me to get through, but still....he looked good. Again, good for him.
ReplyDeleteshe has an incredible body. Very very slim, without being "gross skinny". just perfectly lean.
ReplyDeleteI'm not big on slim, but she's definitely in very good shape. It's not that weird skinny 'achieved' by a diet of lemons and Marlboros.
ReplyDeleteOnly in our dreams, Biscuit. Only in our dreams.
ReplyDeleteI saw her at DragonCon in Atlanta about 8 years ago, and she was fine as hell.
ReplyDeleteWasn't Dixie going to announce a new tv deal months ago?
ReplyDeleteMaybe we'll finally see the return of the Yeti too.
ReplyDeleteLoving this early daily update!!!
ReplyDeleteDestination America is an up and coming network and as recently as August their viewership numbers have posted double digit growth among key demos. This is a network that needed an anchor show and they view TNA as that anchor show. I think it will be a win-win for both parties. TNA no longer has to worry about being Spike's whipping boy and Destination America gets a huge proven cable ratings winner. It may look like a step back at first, but it is certainly the first step in establishing a firm future. I know I'll be tuning in.
nope. she's a healthy size, she was just blessed with an incredibly small frame, which makes her an incredible babe.
ReplyDeleteFor sure the return of The Beautiful People.
ReplyDeleteI watch sons and enjoy it, but being that we're already wrestling fans and used to leaving some common sense at the door when watching helps. The show is beyond preposterous.
ReplyDeleteHere's the thing... I didn't know Destination America was a television network until this TNA news. I can only assume I'm not the only one.
ReplyDeleteI liked the taped fist fights during that ireland party. Jax never jobs!!
ReplyDeleteDoes it matter though? You know now and that is what matters to TNA.
ReplyDeleteomg they totally ruined Goldberg forever and ever because he wasn't undefeated 4 life!! Poor buried guy!!!! (damn, talk about a delay in the debate/argument! haha)
ReplyDeleteAngelina Love looks paranormal as it is.
ReplyDeleteWell, as long as TNA knows that I won't be watching them on Destination America just like I wasn't watching them on Spike... I guess we're good.
ReplyDeleteEveryone swears by that show and I tried watching it. Got three episodes in and couldn't get interested. Worth trying again?
ReplyDeleteBayless:
ReplyDeleteYou forgot this video from the Mania 31 Ticket Party of Hogan talking about training for a comeback: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCfNgq9PT2U
Listen to the crowd reaction!
Right, either you will watch or not. Being on a Network that nobody knew about before doesn't really matter, as long as they know after the move.
ReplyDeleteThe Yet-Tay, you mean.
ReplyDeleteThey should do a prequel to it all and show Clay and Teller's rise from starting the gang. That would be cool.
ReplyDeleteWell that wasn't my point. My point was that SS03 win would have been a whole lot more awesome looking because he ran through 5 top guys and crushed the dominant champion in front of a red hot crowd.
ReplyDeleteInstead he won in a blah match in which H controlled most of in front of a crappy Hershey crowd.
(Ha! I just watched it finally!)
Those eight people were pretty excited.
ReplyDeleteAND FOR ONLY $9.99!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a deal!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, this is getting Destination America more press than they have ever had. The TNA die hards will still show up to watch. I assume their global distribution deals are all still in place. This is a company that is taking a step back to evaluate things while also setting themselves up for a bright future. They are not going anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI don't have it through my current cable package so it does to me.
ReplyDeleteThe Ashley Massaro diet?
ReplyDeleteHogan posing in the ring with Cena after officially passing the torch to him in a better than it had any right to be WrestleMania match would do wonders for Cena's credibility with crowds. Forget those mixed reactions. It will be all cheers with a Hogan cosign.
ReplyDeleteWell yeah, that is a different issue. My point is that lack of awareness of the network before TNA arrives doesn't matter. If you don't have the network? Yeah that is an issue.
ReplyDeleteOf course. I think the first season starts of slow with all the character building but then it climaxes with 2 unbelieable deaths at the end. And as the seasons progess, they get a bigger budget to play around with to the point where they can produce some of the best battles scenes a tv show has ever produced.
ReplyDelete"This is a company that is taking a step back to evaluate things while also setting themselves up for a bright future."
ReplyDeleteBut TNA didn't intentionally take that step back. TNA is only taking that step back because Spike TV (which is in nearly 98 million homes vs. the nearly 60 million of Destination America) wanted nothing to do with them anymore.
TJ: Thought of this reading Scott's Raw post regarding Sons of Anarchy
ReplyDeleteWhat television shows do you think are perfect for binge watching?
Breaking Bad is my numero uno
Friday Night Lights
ReplyDeleteSure. Which forces them to reevaluate their situation. They are partnering now with a network that is growing and that absolutely wants to worth with them and sees them as a programming anchor that will help them grow. I'd say TNA is in the best situation it has been in for years. No more talk of the network wanting to drop them now. They will continue to bring in their respectable ratings and who knows. Destination America could grow with them or they could be set up for a better TV deal in the next go around. Everything is going to be fine.
ReplyDeleteI really need to check that out.
ReplyDeleteWith drama shows I like to watch a few at a time so I can digest. I usually binge silly crap like American Dad.
ReplyDeleteNew Girl is what I'm currently binging so I'll go with that.
ReplyDeleteI'd be too distracted wanting to take the coach's wife to the boneyard.
ReplyDeleteArrested Development is an easy binge too.
ReplyDeleteMinka Kelly > Connie Britton
ReplyDeleteIt was like he never left TNA.
ReplyDeleteShe probably felt like she was binge eating during her short stay in Survivor: China.
ReplyDeleteMy song picks for today:
ReplyDeleteNuthin' But a G Thang
Right Now
Come Out and Play
What's the Frequency Kenneth
All My Life
Hey, hang in there. Have the best day you can. We're all rooting for you.
ReplyDeleteHe'd better think about that.
ReplyDelete'Oh my god Mariano's was CRAZY today. I wanted to get some juice but the guy said they'd just run out of mango and they were sending a guy to one of the other stores to get more but I didn't want to wait so I got grapefruit but that's gonna be too citrusy if we're having ceviche so I got us sushi and...'
[text: Vince it's Phil. AJ is really getting 'the bug' for the ring again. Call her please]
He's also immune to getting hit with bullets from machine gun fights at close range.
ReplyDelete"They will continue to bring in their respectable ratings"
ReplyDeleteThat's the best case scenario. But TNA's ratings haven't shown significant growth in three or four years, so unless TNA fundamentally changes its approach by creating programming that people actually want to see, it's going to still churn out those 1.0s. That might be good enough for Destination America, but it's clearly not strong enough to sustain a wrestling promotion the size that TNA was even 2 years ago.
Yeah, sadly, that's a plot hole from just about every show or movie. I get that you can't get your main character killed, but yeah...
ReplyDeleteAnd notice there was none given... Just sayin'
ReplyDeleteYep, I enjoy it, but the leaps they make in it are off the charts. Plus every machine gun/grenade launching fight ends with bodies everywhere, and the police never show up and can't make a single charge stick to any of them.
ReplyDeleteHa, a Bayless "Whoops" is an apology in my eyes!
ReplyDeleteArcher!
ReplyDeleteWatching Survivor Series 88. The powers of pain were Over.
ReplyDeletePassing the torch? What is this 2005??
ReplyDeleteYep, not sure why they did the double turn so quickly. I mean, they beat the Bolsheviks at SummerSlam 1988 to get established, then turn heel 2 months later? Strange.
ReplyDeleteGuess it had more to do with Demolition being super over?
ReplyDeleteUgh chris hardwick
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't blame AJ for leaving soon. She's a passionate wrestling fan but as a female wrestler, once you win the title a few times, what's there left to do? You'll never be a main-event talent or end PPVs and creative often loses interest in women wrestler storylines (if they focus on them at all). You're basically there for a paycheque but you have to be an ambitious person just to make it to WWE and once you make your mark, what's next? Money is nice but not everything.
ReplyDeleteYou lost me with that final sentence. MONEY, MONEY, YEAH, YEAH, i say MONEY, MONEY, YEAH, YEAH
ReplyDeleteThe only mileage left I think is if Punk came back and they did some kind of Macho Man/Liz thing. Would be over as fuck, but yeah... won't happen
ReplyDelete*1998
ReplyDeleteYup. Demolition needed someone to fight.
ReplyDeleteRight Now is fantastic
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised Sid was never tried as a face. Well, other than his stint as Sid Justice, I mean Sycho Sid, except as a face.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Trish retired shortly before her 31st birthday and Lita retired at 31. Both have carte blanche to come back whenever they want to and can do whatever they want to do.
ReplyDeleteAJ is slightly younger, but like both Trish and Lita she's done just about everything a Diva can do in WWE. Considering she's married to Punk, she likely isn't hurting for money.
Jeez, does any team benefit more from a crappy division than the Colts?
ReplyDeleteI look back at the Demo's run, and it's amazing that they morphed from what looked like a jobber team to the most dominant force in the WWF for like 2-3 years. Truly amazing.
ReplyDelete... the Saints?
ReplyDeletethe 4-6 division leaders Falcons.
ReplyDelete... them too.
ReplyDeleteI think they saw Demolition get face reactions for a solid several months and felt that it would be easier to make them a face team by turning the PoP. A briliant angle I might add.
ReplyDeleteAnd upon hearing the song, I closed my eyes and for the first time in years, I fell into a dream. Everything became clear and clean. It was a dream of a new age in carbonated beverages. it was a dream of Crystal Pepsi.
ReplyDeleteLoved the video too.
ReplyDeleteKind of a stacked list this week. All representing the nineties fairly well but in different ways.
ReplyDeleteThis was a tough group to choose from.
ReplyDeleteI'd agree. There were no imposing teams for the Demos, and they had already beaten all the face teams at that point.
ReplyDeleteThe other brilliant angle (no pun intended) was with the Brain Busters. Thoroughly enjoyed their SNME matches.
They need to make more money, surely. These house shows and tapings with 200 people there on a good day can't continue forever, 1.0's or not.
ReplyDeleteThe last place team of the AFC North is 2 games ahead of the 1st place team in the NFC south. That is... Incredible.
ReplyDeleteBut a Liz who can do hurricaranas.
ReplyDelete8-8 wins the NFC South at this point.
ReplyDeleteNot buying this "TNA was Spike's whipping boy" angle. Spike gave them everything. Ungrateful sods.
ReplyDeleteSomebody needs to finish 9-7 so we don't have to deal with endless media types talking about how the NFL playoff system is unfair and no 7-9 team should hold an 11-5 team. Hey, win your division first, moran.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Plus. Even if he's hurt, is there a reason he can't be doing the shtick for 6 weeks? Get people riled up and such? It worked for Orton.
ReplyDeleteI hope we get a repeat of about 5 years ago, where the 7-9 Seahawks won their division. Maybe we can aim for 6-10 this time!
ReplyDeleteIt may look like a step back at first, but so does every backwards walk into an open grave.
ReplyDeleteLet us not forget house shows.
ReplyDeleteScott, you admittedly know nothing about US politics. So I'm curious why "The Tea Party" is the big, bad wolf in your world.
ReplyDeleteI wish he would have stayed on screen, yep. Heck, the first 2 months of his character , he was just cutting promos while healthy.
ReplyDeleteYeah, in my haste I forgot to include the wasteland that the NFC South has become.
ReplyDelete2-8 TB is only 2 games back!
ReplyDeleteI think the problem Vince saw in Sid was that the guy was way too intense to be a laid back smiling babyface geek.
ReplyDeleteAnd a Macho Man who drops a shitty elbow
ReplyDeleteHe may not know politics, but he know crazy.
ReplyDeleteA bigger TNA problem: TNA has no live events scheduled except for the dates penciled in at the Manhattan Center and the 3-date UK tour. And the dates booked on the UK tour continue TNA's idiocy of booking way-too-large arenas.
ReplyDeleteYes, I get TNA is popular in the UK. But the three date UK tour includes:
1) A house show at the 13,000 seat SSE Hydro
2) A house show at the 21,000 seat Phones 4u Arena Manchester
3) A TV taping at the 12,500 seat Wembley Arena
The highest attendance for TNA's 2014 UK tour was 5,500 in Glasgow, with the other four shows drawing from 1000-4000 fans. WWE doesn't even pull 10,000 fans for a UK house show.
Yes AJ please go do something with your life.
ReplyDeleteParks and Rec
ReplyDeleteBTW the only thing we know for sure is that spike is dumpin TNA after Wednesday and not even airing those best ofs. They've been "about to announce" a TV deal for a year.
ReplyDeleteHave to wonder if promotion is a problem over the pond as well. That could look really ugly for their new network.
ReplyDeleteShe kind of did that with Daniel Bryan already though.
ReplyDeleteHey, she is the most popular women's wrestler ever!
ReplyDeleteNo chance TNA sold 5500 tickets. I promise you that's at least doubled. They are liars.
ReplyDeleteThey'll definitely get a few thousand in every one of those arenas, and if they shoot it well, it will look a billion times better than the recent US shows have looked in terms of crowd and reaction. It would be a good way to debut, it would just look a bit crappy at show #4 when they're back in front of 200 fans again.
ReplyDeleteIt makes you wonder how they're going to improve aside from flying to England and making it seem like the pot isn't as bare as it is.
ReplyDeleteIt was well executed, other than Fuji leaving the champs for the challengers, which was odd.
ReplyDeleteIt is. Considering everyone saw them as Road Warrior clones at the beginning but I liked them more than the Legion of Doom.
ReplyDeleteThis is just wild fantasy booking and all, but if she were to leave, TNA could do much, much worse than hiring her and repurposing itself into a women's organization with AJ as the main draw. They already have the Knockouts branding, and the peak of the division provided a lot of TNA's best ratings. The women's indie scene is arguably as strong or even stronger than the men's scene right now, since WWE cleaned out the indies. And seriously, the salary of someone like Angle could pay for contracts for half the female wrestlers in North America, with how imbalanced the pay is. You could build a roster overnight.
ReplyDeleteI kind of want to say that Demolition were better workers than the Legion of Doom, but that's an uncomfortable gray area that is subjective at best.
ReplyDeleteYah that is the main logic hole... only explained by the fact that Fuji is a big idiot as a manager.
ReplyDeleteHe proved it again at WM9.
ReplyDeleteHey, hiring an ex WWE talent!! What a great concept! Why hasn't TNA thought of this sooner???
ReplyDeleteIt was the only show in the whole of Scotland, I'd imagine it was probably accurate.
ReplyDeleteI'm an AJ fan but I'd be fine seeing her go. She accomplished everything she possibly could as a Diva (Punk at least had main eventing Mania on his bucket list), and her character dried up once her original long ass reign ended. She's been spinning her wheels for 6 months.
ReplyDeleteThat entire division needs an overhaul, too many girls that have been around too long. I've been watching NXT lately, bring up Charlotte, Bayley, Alexa Bliss (she's gonna be a star), and Becky Lynch to replace the Alicia Fox types on the main roster.
And the live crowd had no idea if it was a double turn, or if Fuji was bullied by the Evil Demolition, and the Power of Pain saved him, and Fuji would be a face (Since the betrayal happened so quickly, it could have been easily missed)
ReplyDeleteGiant psychotic babyface is a cool character, but not one done often.
ReplyDeleteWm5 too
ReplyDeleteIt's really telling that the wrestling business is making lifelong fans who are getting to live out their dream... hate it.
ReplyDeleteThe girls aren't the only ones in WWE who've been there too long.
ReplyDeleteAlso, where have I been for House Of Cards? It's like The West Wing and Breaking Bad had a kid.
ReplyDeleteThe PoP were really limited as workers, though, even more so than LOD. So the thinking was probably that the Demos had more upside as a team while the PoPs would have better luck in singles. Which they did.
ReplyDeleteI've always found it strange how universally loved Demolition has been, while guys like Hogan and Warrior were hated for being brawling stiffs. Demolition really just punched/kicked/stomped/choked. Plus they took over as champs after workrate teams like the Bulldogs and the Harts were the previous champs. Yet, nothing but love.
ReplyDeleteI get a fair amount of days off because of bad weather and i always end up watching this show on that channel pivot in the mornings.
ReplyDeleteWell... They really didn't. Both guys beat Tito on a PPV, and... that's it! Just jobbers to the stars after that. Kind of surprising that neither guy got pushed.
ReplyDeleteNothing gray about it. LOD were the biggest stars, but the Demos had much better matches overall.
ReplyDeleteMaybe because the tenure of the Demos was relatively short that when they did get stale and boring, they were quickly shunted aside. So there's a nostalgia factor there whereas Hogan never goes away and Warrior's star was eclipsed/diminished by workrate guys like Bret and Shawn and his own...ahem...controversial views/actions.
ReplyDeleteThe Pilot was quite depressing.
ReplyDeleteYeah, after their WM 6 win, they sure fell off a cliff. The moment they added Crush, it just screamed "we don't have it anymore, we need to cheat". From there, jobbers.
ReplyDeleteSurprised they didn't feed them to Warrior... he needed challengers bad.
ReplyDeleteI fell way behind on the product this fall and finally caught up this week. I could only imagine how this blog was reacting to a hastily thrown together John Cena-Randy Orton Cell match for the #1 contendership.
ReplyDeleteThey were great from 88-90. When Ax slowed down, they cast him aside for Crush and that kept them fresh.
ReplyDeleteAx and Smash wrestled at a much quicker pace than Hogan or Warrior though.
Regardless is 5,500 is accurate or not, it's a bit of a jump to go from drawing 5,500 fans one year and then running a 13,000 seat arena the following year... especially since TNA now has less wrestlers on its roster than it did a year ago.
ReplyDeleteHell, TNA is advertising Bully Ray for the tour and as of right now he is done with TNA.
Not surprised - both guys were terrible in the ring.
ReplyDeleteThat got a "meh", compared to the steaming pile of rhino feces that Ambrose/Rollins degenerated into.
ReplyDeleteThey were never needed to be anything more than a couple of brawling stiffs. When you shape a promotion around a guy, like they did with Hogan and Warrior, you expect more out of them - good matches, elevating opponents, etc., that they had trouble doing - but none of that was needed from Demolition.
ReplyDeletePlus, as Night81 said, they came, they saw, they kicked some ass and then they were turfed within a relatively short turn-around.
It's the same arena as last year. They must have been projecting growth for this year! hahahaha oh TNA.
ReplyDeleteI think their singles tenure lasted longer than their tag run would have. I mean, even LOD had a tough time and they were the biggest tag team in the world. The PoPs were a ripoff team designed for a quick feud that Vince signed and tried to turn into his own LOD. I just don't think a babyface Warlord and Barbarian stumbling through three-minute squashes every week would have worked when the Demos are right there having great matches and genuine charisma. But hindsight and all that.
ReplyDeleteI guess I would have thought there would have been lots of hate as it kept more talented teams on the backburner (Rockers, Busters, Rougeaus, Harts for example). Though they would have been hated due to being brawling stiffs compared to those. But oh well, it's cool that they are getting love. I liked them too.
ReplyDeleteDemolition was also a product of its time period. Back then, all the babyface tag teams were clean-cut and heroic and then we got these black leather bad asses who just wanted to destroy dudes. Plus Ax and Smash never really hurt their Demolition legacy, either. No one really talks bad about them and they never did terrible shit to other wrestlers, etc.
ReplyDeleteThey were different than those teams too. They were the heel power team. And they had really good workers on the face side who were quicker and smaller and bumped around like pinballs. The formula worked to perfection.
ReplyDeleteYep, they weren't even close to #1 contender level. Kind of strange.
ReplyDeleteAw man, did people shit all over the wacky stuff Ambrose was doing??? Cause I thought the ice bucket thing, jumping out of the present, jumping out of the car (my favourite), etc. was hilarious.
ReplyDeleteAlthough once they got to the sliming I did think it was getting to be a bit much.
I think you're selling them short as workers. If nothing else, they were better than LOD from the same period.
ReplyDeleteHe's still super over, and it's nowhere near as bad as some say it is. It's the "Daniel Bryan is buried (when he's really not buried at all) " thing all over again.
ReplyDeleteYes, but how many brawling stiff tag teams were there? The Demos had a presence and their ability matched that. They were different from any other tag team in the fed, and they worked better matches than the LOD.
ReplyDeleteI just remember them throwing a guy on the ground, then hitting them with double axehandle punches 19 times in a row, then repeat. (not saying it wasn't cool though)
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Both guys were consummate pros and were fundamentally sound.
ReplyDeleteI like looking at AJ but what else can they really do?
ReplyDeleteThe ice bucket was OUTSTANDING, and probably one of the top ten moments of the year. It's around the slime time that the smell started to come from that angle, and the stench only increased as HITC got closer. Finished off with a nice dollop of diarrhea at the end of that match.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that I'm disagreeing, I'm just saying Vince has his vision of the perfect babyface in the Hogan 80s/Diesel 95/Shawn 96/Cena now mold and any other type of babyface won't get over at a main event level.
ReplyDelete"Super over"
ReplyDeleteLet's not go crazy here.
Yep. "What? It's for charity..." THEN the beatdown.
ReplyDeleteAlso helped that fans for the most part had no idea Smash was repackaged as new gimmicks like Repo Man and Blacktop Bully.
ReplyDeleteHelped keep some of the Demo mystique alive not knowing.
That's even more #LOLTNA then. They fill less than half of an arena and their solution is to re-book the same arena the following year.
ReplyDeleteIs there no 8,000 seat arena in all of Scotland?
Daniel Bryan reunification.
ReplyDeleteBut Total Divas sort of squashed that idea.
Oh yeah, I can't imagine hologram Bray was a big hit around here.
ReplyDeleteMixed matches! Have her start going over dudes!
ReplyDeleteBack then, those teams got plenty of shine too, even without the belts. There were plenty of tag teams and most got to look good. The Brainbusters won the belts, and the Harts challenged on two PPVs, winning the second one.
ReplyDeleteI don't think so, to be honest. There's the Braehead and Aberdeen arenas that can both do about 5 I think. So the next thing up might have been a soccer stadium, which would be far too big.
ReplyDeleteIt's tremendous. Just finished both seasons. Great acting, great show.
ReplyDeleteSo it evens out! Wunderbar!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S6qRNlP3D8
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff! This is what I still keep up with Wrestling for. Just a great moment.
Jobber123 went on about ghosts for days. It was genuinely hilarious.
ReplyDelete... which means it's the perfect catalyst for another Punk/Bryan feud! OOOH YEAH!
ReplyDeleteAh yes. Total Divas: The Show Where Everything That Happens Affects Our Other Shows, Unless It Has Something to Do With John Cena.
ReplyDeleteBut it won't count unless they're LAST at the PPV!!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's just one of the trends I've seen in wrestling is that some of guys most people think of as one trick ponies make some of the best faces. I think there would've been a lot of potential for a Sycho Sid who was the same, except tormenting heels instead of faces, but he left to go play softball again or whatever in 1997.
ReplyDeleteI certainly wouldn't disagree that face Sid would die an instant horrible death if he tried to be a classic Vince-style babyface.
John Cena comes off so strange on that show, it's surprising they air any of his segments or even have him be part of the show at all.
ReplyDeleteThe female audience surely can't like him for his no marriage,no kids policy and he comes off so robotic in his scenes with Nikki. I know it's scripted to hell and back of course but that makes it even worse that he's portrayed this way.
They're not wolves, they're morons.
ReplyDeleteHe seemed bothered to be there whenever I saw him on the show.
ReplyDeleteI'm still waiting for them to address how authority-fighting Cena feels about his girlfriend joining the Authority. Still waiting.
ReplyDeleteOff topic NXT related post. Has anyone noticed that Albert seems to be channeling (or doing his best impression of) Jesse Ventura on commentary and KILLING it?
ReplyDelete