Rock Not Appearing at WrestleMania?
At around Thanksgiving, The Rock was not penciled into the WWE's WrestleMania plans. The Rock has several movies lined up this year and the speculation is that his busy schedule will prevent him from being able to do the show. At one point there was talk of a Rock vs. HHH match at the show but now the WWE is heading towards a Sting vs. HHH match instead.
Credit Wrestling Inc
Backstage Reaction to Vince McMahon's "Brass Ring" comment
Several WWE talents have been saying how they felt that the comment made by Vince was a joke as he is the one who controls how the talents are used. They also feel that Vince will not blame himself for the company's issues but also realize that they cannot make anymore money elsewhere so they are stuck.
Credit PWInsider
RAW Ratings
RAW has 3.69 million viewers this past Monday night, which is down from the past few weeks. Here are the hourly breakdowns:
8pm: 3.76 million viewers
9pm: 3.81 million viewers
10pm: 3.53 million viewers
http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/96-wwe-news/40263-notes-on-raw-ratings
David Otunga Update
In an interview with alwaysalist.com, Otunga said that he recently made his debut as a stand-up comic and has been working with a partner to possibly start up his own law firm. Otunga also claims that he is still with the WWE and that we have not seen the last of him there. You can read the rest of the interview by clicking on the link below.
http://alwaysalist.com/exclusive/davidotunga-comedy/
And don't forget to vote in the group UU and VV brackets in Place to be Nation's "Greatest Song of the 90's" poll. You can vote by clicking on the links below
http://placetobenation.com/ptbns-greatest-song-of-the-90s-tournament-pool-round-one-group-uu/
http://placetobenation.com/ptbns-greatest-song-of-the-90s-tournament-pool-round-one-group-vv/
At around Thanksgiving, The Rock was not penciled into the WWE's WrestleMania plans. The Rock has several movies lined up this year and the speculation is that his busy schedule will prevent him from being able to do the show. At one point there was talk of a Rock vs. HHH match at the show but now the WWE is heading towards a Sting vs. HHH match instead.
Credit Wrestling Inc
Backstage Reaction to Vince McMahon's "Brass Ring" comment
Several WWE talents have been saying how they felt that the comment made by Vince was a joke as he is the one who controls how the talents are used. They also feel that Vince will not blame himself for the company's issues but also realize that they cannot make anymore money elsewhere so they are stuck.
Credit PWInsider
RAW Ratings
RAW has 3.69 million viewers this past Monday night, which is down from the past few weeks. Here are the hourly breakdowns:
8pm: 3.76 million viewers
9pm: 3.81 million viewers
10pm: 3.53 million viewers
http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/96-wwe-news/40263-notes-on-raw-ratings
David Otunga Update
In an interview with alwaysalist.com, Otunga said that he recently made his debut as a stand-up comic and has been working with a partner to possibly start up his own law firm. Otunga also claims that he is still with the WWE and that we have not seen the last of him there. You can read the rest of the interview by clicking on the link below.
http://alwaysalist.com/exclusive/davidotunga-comedy/
And don't forget to vote in the group UU and VV brackets in Place to be Nation's "Greatest Song of the 90's" poll. You can vote by clicking on the links below
http://placetobenation.com/ptbns-greatest-song-of-the-90s-tournament-pool-round-one-group-uu/
http://placetobenation.com/ptbns-greatest-song-of-the-90s-tournament-pool-round-one-group-vv/
Ah, it's a good morning! Anything interesting happen yesterday? :D
ReplyDeleteWWE needs quite a few subs to make up for the TLC money pit that's coming up.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back. Nothing interesting happened yesterday, I think.
ReplyDelete"but also realize that they cannot make anymore money elsewhere so they are stuck"
ReplyDeleteWhich is the ugliest fallout from the end of WCW. In 1997 or 1998 a guy like Brodus Clay could jump ship and get a better paycheck from the competition. Now the best thing they can hope for is a pay-per-appearance deal with TNA
Chicago baseball be dominating the winter meetings.
ReplyDeleteI love the Samardzija trade for the ChiSox. But even though our bullpen badly needed upgrading I'm never thrilled about spending $11.5M/yr on a reliever, but at least we spent it on a really good one. As long as it's just an overspend to shore up a huge problem area and not a re-allocation of money that could have been spent better elsewhere, I like it.
Nope. Which was unfortunate because meltdowns shouldn't feel like root canals.
ReplyDelete.....which some say doesn't pay as much as the indies.
ReplyDeleteAlso add in that payouts are/will be shrinking as a result of the business model, and it's not a good time to be a wrestler.
Would have been WAY more entertaining had I stayed around. Was definitely in a cranky mood yesterday. Would have been gold!!!
ReplyDeleteI really would have liked to seen Rock vs HHH at Wrestlemania.
ReplyDeleteHow sad. Way to ruin things.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I'm sitting here pretending to do work and I need some entertainment, and then you blow it like that. Young man, I'm not mad....just disappointed.
I think indie payouts depend on the talent. AJ Styles has been making more on the indies because he is AJ Styles. Same with Daniels, Kazarian, etc.
ReplyDeleteI doubt a clown like Rockstar Spud could make more money doing the indies than in TNA because he is worthless.
Maybe they can pawn the brass ring?
ReplyDeleteHe's not totally worthless. He's def. too small to be in the E (despite him oozing oodles of charisma), and maybe he wouldn't make it far on the indie scene as a bump machine......I'm sorry, what was my point again?
ReplyDeleteLOL. From PWInsider this time:
ReplyDelete"There are people within WWE who believe AJ Lee is leaving the company after Sunday's TLC pay-per-view. It has not been confirmed that she's leaving but that is being talked about backstage."
You can watch them on at least 5 shows between 1998 and 2000, I think. It's great. No ring rust or receding hairlines. Pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteCue "Rock doesn't care about the business" cries because he'd rather make $15 million doing a movie than a fraction of that wrestling Triple H.
ReplyDeleteThe brass ring comment was such a stupidly patronizing comment for Vince to make in the first place. It'd be like if Merlin told everyone in Camelot that they too could pull the sword from the stone, all they had to do was step up.
ReplyDeleteShut your old ass up, Merlin. You know only one guy is allowed to pull out that sword.
"We mean it this time. Like.....For REALZ."
ReplyDeleteAccording to 411, Sting vs. Undertaker already happened once before.
ReplyDeleteNWA @ Greensboro, NC – Coliseum – September 1, 1990
NWA World Champion Sting pinned Mark Callous (sub. for Barry Windham)
It was at a house show and apparently was awful.
I don't think their feud was ever settled though.
ReplyDeleteLogged on to F4W today, and the latest Figure Four Daily podcast features "ILL WILL BROOKS".
ReplyDeleteApparently, he's an MMA fighter, but really, I thought it was going to be a special podcast about how people want to see Punk get knocked out.
The "brass ring" mentality has been with him for years. Guys know they're stuck, and they really believe there's no other place to make a living. That's sad.
ReplyDeleteYou can't be serious... hahahaha
ReplyDeleteToday I am singing the praises of why the Die Hard series is great. Now going to include the last two films in the discussion.
ReplyDeleteHere is my video evidence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wykwob6IL-Y
So, Foley, Bundy, Johnny Valliant and Otunga think they're comics now. They could put together an all rassler night at the Chuckle Hut in Tempe
ReplyDeletePlus people often seem to think that "Rematch = Instant replay". I never got that. If 2 wrestlers have good chemistry, I have no problem seeing them fight several times.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't doubt that. But aside from Vader and Barry, has Sting ever had a good match against someone who was bigger than him?
ReplyDeleteThat sounds terrible.
ReplyDeleteCactus, baby!
ReplyDeleteYa know, I think I'm okay with that.
ReplyDeleteYeah, people think that if they've been on camera before they have the skill set to do stand-up. See also: Charlie Sheen, Larry King and Kramer
ReplyDeleteYOU HAD A MELTDOWN! I've been defending Reigns in the brand extension thread which has been fun.
ReplyDeleteKramer was a stand up before Seinfeld and a VERY odd inclusion to your list.
ReplyDeleteWOW, heathens are voting in the PTBN thread. RETURN OF THE MACK NEEDS MORE VOTES
ReplyDeleteJon FUCKING Lester
ReplyDeleteYou sure, I know he did improv, but I don't remember stand-up
ReplyDeleteHe was all like, "blah, blah, blah" and a few people laughed. The two drink minimum helped.
ReplyDeleteStill don't think that gets the Cubs in contention.
ReplyDeleteFINALLY Amish Paradise makes an appearance. And Buddy Holly too
ReplyDeleteDamn, that must have been one of his last matches in the NWA. You have to figure he signed with the WWF by around October of 90.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteThe worst part is that the Sox supposedly could have gotten him extended for like 5 and $120 at the beginning of the season but totally botched it.
ReplyDeleteI'm rooting for Reigns to be the next mega star, just to spite all those who are unfairly hating on him. He at least deserves a chance.
ReplyDeleteYou sure it wasn't a shoot?
ReplyDeleteTheo Epstein emailed me once. Do you know how many baseball games I've seen? At least 40!
ReplyDeleteyoutube confirms you are right. It was pretty generic, but he did do stand up before his "episode" at the laugh factory
ReplyDeleteI woke up today fairly optimistic about the TLC PPV. The card doesn't look that bad at all. Kinda wish I would've bought tickets.....
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks for the acknowledgement. You're a good guy. Class act.
ReplyDeleteHas Tamina Snuka, daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Snuka, been on TV at all since her brief feud as the contender for Paige's Diva title?
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone is actively rooting for him to bomb, because it helps no one. But if he bombs and the fed still stays behind him, it stinks for those who may have had a chance with a little more support. And further proves that Vince's "brass ring" comment was trash.
ReplyDeleteI loved their matches. It's just I can go back and watch them when they weren't fathers with 401K and stock options. I don't need to see them at Wrestlemania again.
ReplyDeleteYou can get tickets.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it the "Diva'S" title, or 'Women'S title", when it's not (for example!) the 'World HeavyweightS' title?
ReplyDeleteEH? Think about it.
Mahaaa, you should have been.
ReplyDeleteThe S is for Sex Appeal.
ReplyDeleteIt always annoyed me as a kid when Heenan called Flair the Real World'S champion.
ReplyDeleteI think it's probably got more to do with the "Vince will tell you who to like by shoving him down your throat, and you will like it" part that people don't like. I really have no problem with Reigns, other than I have to like him.
ReplyDeleteFuck Return Of The Mack. Kept the big come-back single from the Manic Street Preachers from the UK #1 spot. Wrestlers who like the Manics include: Barrett. Wrestlers who like Mark Morrison include: nobody.
ReplyDeleteAnd RVD.
ReplyDeleteSyphilis?
ReplyDeleteWell it IS his company. I think the "we listen to the fans" thing is taken a bit too literally by some people. I mean, we dictate a bit, but bottom line, we aren't the bookers.
ReplyDeleteCall me a masochist but I love riling up MMA fans on the internet. I kept saying CM PUNK would improve their gay sport and I got ALL THE REPLIES. God I wish these fans would lay off the tapout shirts, the arm sleeve tattoos and the HGH. You're not helping anybody. Now I enjoy MMA and mostly PRIDE from back in the day, but some of these MMA purists are about a hundred times worse than Wrestling Fans who believe everything they see is real.
ReplyDeleteNot the $25 ones that I like to get for the WWE events. They are in the middle of the arena and a really good seat for that price. Cheapest they have now is around $75. Screw that. I guess I'll just check on Saturday for people trying to dump some for cheap or just watch it on the Network.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know about that - odd thing is out of all those guys Foley was the only one who seemed funny in his wrestling promos
ReplyDeleteI think if money is generated by fan acceptance, then "listening to the fans" would be the smart thing to do for a company who's primary income comes from fans of the product.
ReplyDeleteIt's like when Coca-Cola went to New Coke, fans rejected it, and we got the old Coke again. When fans reject something (which I'm not saying they have yet with Reigns), it should be noted and changed....unless you want to lose money.
Grab a couple tickets.
ReplyDeleteTROLL!!!~!!
ReplyDeleteFuck that. King of Wishful Thinking for the win!
ReplyDeleteSo apparently someone hacked into some email correspondence between Sony and Marvel, and it seems there were discussions to have Spider-Man appear in Captin America: Civil War.
ReplyDeleteSweet baby Jesus in a tuxedo suit i hope this happens
Glad you're back. It's a brand new day.
ReplyDeleteIs scalping legal over there? If so, you'll get hounded with great deals if you just show up.
ReplyDeletethe Buddy Holly video is the best one I've seen. Everyone should you-tube it, if you haven't seen it
ReplyDeleteYeah, scalping is legal. I bet I can get some $25's at face value if I show up at around 6:45 or so.
ReplyDeleteI love Weird Al, but the songs on "Bad Hair Day", and the album that had "Smells like Nirvana" did not age well AT ALL.
ReplyDeleteRight. Flair isn't a world!
ReplyDeleteAlso, 'tag-teams title' would be correct now that I think about it.
Have you seen a PPV live before? I recommend it. Should be fun, plus the card really doesn't look half bad.
ReplyDeleteAmish Paradise is fun, but that thing is seriously keeping Wicked Game out of contention? ONE IS A REAL SONG, GUYS.
ReplyDeleteUm, I beg to differ. "The Night Santa Went Crazy" is a classic.
ReplyDeleteThere weren't too many big guys who were any good that he crossed paths with back then. You basically listed them all.
ReplyDeleteTNA. LOL!
ReplyDeleteYou'd think Scott Steiner would be a natural fit for stand-up comic but nope.
ReplyDeleteOtunga I think showed good comic timing with his coffee schtick... the others, nope.
Yeah I've been to Summerslam '96, WrestleMania '23, Summerslam '08, Unforgiven '08, and Bound For Glory '08. Also been to plenty of house shows, RAWs, and Smackdown tapings.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think if it gets overwhelming like Batista/Bryan last year, they'll do it. But some seem to take personal offense if WWE pushes someone they don't like. It's like.. We need to remember we are fans first.
ReplyDeleteI saw Night of Champions 2010 LIVE. Not a fun show. It was fun to see Bryan's first title win in WWE LIVE, but that was it. Rest of the show was awful. Worst wrestling show I've ever seen LIVE.
ReplyDeleteTrue. I guess I meant more the parodies, as the song you listed was an "original".
ReplyDeleteThey're pissed at Otunga for how he dealt with Punk's settlement
ReplyDeleteBundy has great stage presence.
ReplyDeleteI told you 9th Avenue is the quickest way south.
ReplyDeleteStop all the goddamn yellin'! I know what I'm doing.
Not even God knows what you're doing!
Remind me of the card please? Non "big 4" PPVS from that period are all a big blur.
ReplyDeleteleave you freak
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised by that too, to be honest
ReplyDeleteI see Al as a nostalgia act. People have a soft spot for him because that was the stuff that middle school- jr high kids (well, boys anyway) loved back then.
ReplyDeleteMad magazine is the same way. I look at an old issue every few years and can't remember why I wanted to spend my allowance on that
I also like the part where they said that Marvel would produce the SpiderMan movies for Sony.
ReplyDeleteHELL YEAH! "Dances and claps to choir like music, while wearing blue"
ReplyDeleteWrestling fans have zero right to harass other people. We watch fucking wwe wrestling for crissakes.
ReplyDeleteDark Match
ReplyDeleteJohn Morrison vs. Ted DiBiase (w/Maryse)
Intercontinental Title Match
Dolph Ziggler (w/Kaitlyn & Vickie Guerrero) (c) vs. Kofi Kingston
Singles Match
CM Punk vs. The Big Show
WWE United States Title Match
The Miz (w/Alex Riley) (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
WWE Divas Title / WWE Women's Title Unification Lumberjill Match
Melina (c) vs. Michelle McCool (c) [Women's]
World Heavyweight Title No Holds Barred Match
Kane (c) vs. The Undertaker
WWE Tag Team Title Five Team Turmoil Match
The Hart Dynasty (David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd) (w/Natalya) (c) vs. Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre vs. Evan Bourne & Mark Henry vs. Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov vs. The Usos (Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso) (w/Tamina)
WWE Heavyweight Title Six Pack Elimination Match
Sheamus (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. Edge vs. John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett
It's legal, but you shouldn't scalp tickets for a concert held at an Indian Casino. That's just tacky.
ReplyDeleteIt's the greatest and most realistic sport of all time.
ReplyDeleteIf there's one property that should go back to Marvel is Spider-Man
ReplyDeleteI think Sforcina mentioned that he was gone shortly after that match, yeah.
ReplyDeleteYou mean he's got a FAT ASS?
ReplyDeleteWhenever I see/hear that brass ring comment all I can think of is poor Zack Ryder. Woo! Woo! Woo! We still know it Zack!
ReplyDeleteThere is a sports bar close to where I live and they show wrestling PPV's on all the t.v.'s. There was like 4-5 people there dressed as Ryder (spiked hair, classes, headband, shirt) for him vs. Dolph Ziggler.
Always going to shake my head at why the dude had to get treated like that. Not even sure if buried is the appropriate term. More like nuked, Hiroshima'd.
Dolph Ziggler (c) (with Vickie Guerrero and Kaitlyn) defeated Kofi Kingston
ReplyDeleteBig Show defeated CM Punk
Daniel Bryan defeated The Miz (c) (with Alex Riley) by submission
Michelle McCool (self-professed co-Women's Champion) defeated Melina(Divas Champion)
Kane (c) defeated The Undertaker (REALLY TERRIBLE MATCH!! Only saw it LIVE never watched it at home, but it pissed me off LIVE.)
Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre last eliminated Evan Bourne and Mark Henry to win Tag Team Turmoil
Randy Orton defeated Sheamus (c), Wade Barrett, John Cena, Edge, andChris Jericho
I had to Wiki the results. Other than Bryan winning all I really, REALLY remember is that Taker vs Kane match being the drizzling shits.
That does look pretty weak. But yeah, that was the first step for Daniel Bryan. It was pretty impressive that he actually made Miz tap out clean, when Miz was being groomed for a world title run. That says a lot.
ReplyDeleteZack Ryder'ed
ReplyDelete"They also feel that Vince will not blame himself for the company's issues but also realize that they cannot make anymore money elsewhere so they are stuck."
ReplyDeleteAnd this is why North American wrestling has little hope of getting any better.
Who hasn't seen the Buddy Holly video?
ReplyDeleteOh, that's right, some people here weren't around for the MTV era of showing music videos...
I will always love the video for "Virtual Insanity." Also, Jay Kay's hats.
ReplyDeleteWhat a time to be alive that was.
ReplyDelete... These comments not endorsed by The Game.
ReplyDeleteIf done right, they could make Rollins for a decade with that.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure it was a case of as soon as Vince found out he had a Southern accent, he immediately jumped to the conclusion that he couldn't talk.
ReplyDeleteThat's because SNES is the correct answer for best console ever.
ReplyDeleteThat has nothing to do with move sets.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was more of a case of Jarrett fearing Ahmed would injure him. Plus the whole setup of the feud was to put Ahmed over in a big way and I don't think Jarrett was happy in being used as a stepping stone to put others over.
ReplyDeleteI don't think he's anywhere near 6'4". I think Ambrose is a couple inches taller than him, actually.
ReplyDeleteThat can't be it. It makes too much sense.
ReplyDeleteLike, at the same point in his push that Reigns is currently at? I agree if that's what you mean. Reigns is better than fall 2004 Batista, for sure, which hopefully bodes well for him if he improves at the same rate.
ReplyDeleteYeah, which is why I clarified. The guy does nothing interesting till it's time to Super Man punch.
ReplyDeleteAnd uhm, what's the line about the Aldo push being done? Aldo had always been booked as a ineffective jobber.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought the point of showing the Bret/Bulldog match was because they knew the PPV would bomb, so they showed the match in a effort to say that this is the type of action you're missing out on if you don't buy our shows.
ReplyDeleteYou could tell even back then Austin had a presence and was meant for more than that lame gimmick.
ReplyDeleteYep!
ReplyDeleteFAG OMG ITS YHE GENESIS STFU
ReplyDeleteHooray!
ReplyDeletePerhaps due to pre-existing arrangement with USA regarding ensuring that the stars of their show are never made to look worse than stars 'exclusive' to the Network?
ReplyDeleteHe's not the most liked by online fans though, yeah?
ReplyDelete*shakes head*
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that's not a thing that exists.
ReplyDeleteI predict Cena wins over Brock at Rumble and we get Reigns/Cena for the title at Mania. Then the big question, will Cena lay down for Roman at Mania? I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteIt's okay, I've given up.
ReplyDeleteMegadrive. Ahem.
ReplyDeleteReigns is about 6'2 I believe
ReplyDeleteWhy is everyone so sure that Brock will be champ at Mania? I still think he drops it to Cena at the Rumble.
ReplyDeleteDamn right SNES is the best, especially with all the kickass addons for it. Removing two little pins allows Super Famicom games to work, and then there are a bunch of addons to allow you to play NES/Famicom/Genesis/Master System/Gameboy/Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance!
ReplyDeleteI think he was underrated at promos in WCW. He did the arrogant jock thing quite well and his mic work while U.S. Champ during the Ricky Steamboat feud was very effective. His tempo was a little slow and stilted (you could see this in his "Superstar" promo in ECW, as well) and he repeated himself a lot (kind of like what Rollins does), but the ability is there. You could tell he just didn't have confidence in himself, which is why he was always content to let Heyman, Pillman or Parker talk for him.
ReplyDelete2015 Orton going over the guy who ended the streak is a gigantic, epic waste of the streak.
ReplyDeleteA guy who's 15 years into his career and wayyy past his ability to be a big money draw absolutely can't get that rub.
And also very few people would watch Raw and the WWE would be almost out of business if Raw was put on the Network.
ReplyDelete"it honestly feels like everyone *somehow* has a losing record. And who wants to watch a bunch of losers?"
ReplyDeleteDude, this x100. Everyone on this roster feels like a total goober who gets their ass beat every week, and that's WWE's biggest problem. Because of the booking what could be a talented roster now absolutely sucks.
I just think it'd be a cool moment and a cool match. This "rub" people speak of doesn't have a sparkling success rate, anyway. It fails plenty of times they try to give it to someone.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that he did some entertaining stuff, but it wasn't anywhere near main event stuff.
ReplyDeleteAmend to say, weighs 260 or more. Bigger guys get unfairly larger amounts of shit for being pushed.
ReplyDeleteLesnar should be jobbing to someone that it would legitimize, like Reigns.
ReplyDeleteWow, getting nostalgic for one of the most nonsensical, worst decisions in wrestling history? We certainly live in dark times to be a wrestling fan.
ReplyDeleteCould happen- although if Brock is fighting at Mania then I'd assume he'll be going in as champ, otherwise who would he fight and why?
ReplyDeleteActually, the Brand Extension made a shitload of sense and as badly as they may have fucked up the booking around it, you can bet that as bleak as some say things look right now, it'd be 10 times worse if the Brand Extension never happened and never gave countless guys who weren't main eventers before it a chance to shine.
ReplyDeleteThat said, right now, splitting the shows is a godawful idea. They just recently had to have Erick Rowan, Rusev and Luke Harper main event Survivor Series because of his goddamn thin the roster is.
Certainly there are guys who could be utilized better or in a higher profile role, but splitting the shows isn't going to magically make that happen if the will to write/book those guys in better, higher profile roles isn't there and it's not.
Also, their TV partners will have a goddamned fit if they try to put all the stars on one show and have the other constantly headlined by Tyson Kidd and Cesaro. There's a reason TV networks wanted no part of NXT.
Wish I could upvote this infinitely.
ReplyDeleteMMA fans are the worst.
ReplyDeleteHere's the thing about Reigns. Not saying he doesn't have the ability to one day be the guy. Personally I've defended him around here in the past, and think he's a decent big man worker (with teh ability to get better) and some natural charisma for sure.
ReplyDeleteTHAT SAID, Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 31 would easily be the least over babyface to ever get that Mania rocket push victory. No contest. I mean, look at the guys who've gotten that Mania babyface moment: Hogan (Mania 1-3, 5, 7), Savage, Warrior, Bret, HBK, Austin, Rock, Benoit, Eddie, Cena, Batista, Punk, Bryan. All of those guys were insanely over at the point when they got those babyface Mania championship wins. Can anyone say that Roman is even close to that point?
The closest comps would be Sheamus (28) and Diesel (11), and I'd arge both of those guys were much more over as faces (Diesel for sure) than Roman is now, and both of them flopped as champ. Not only that but both were damaged as faces altogether, Sheamus especially to the point where he means nothing more than midcarder who gets 50/50 reactions.
So can Roman be the guy someday? Maybe. But thanks to WWE booking (his post Shield-breakup run this summer was God awful), shittily written promos, his own limitations at this point, and of course the injury--- he's nowhere near over enough right now. And I don't think him coming back now to squash Rollins and win teh Rumble is gonna change that..
Yeah, if they're fast-tracking him, one would hope he took this time off he's had to really drown in acting classes.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he did. Maybe he didn't.
With material like "I'ma cock my fist and make it REIGN in this bitch," there's no way to know. That's a problem.
SMARK wrestling fans, that is. The average wrestling fan is a sheep and that's why Reigns' push will most likely work out fine.
ReplyDeleteYeah Ambrose has been booked terribly since his injury return and honestly his promos/character/work has met the level of the booking.
ReplyDeleteWas that the average wrestling fan who completely rejected the Batista babyface megapush last year, or were those smark crowds in every single city? Because if anything was designed to cater to this mythical "average wrestling fan" then that angle was it, and it failed miserably.
ReplyDeleteThey should be portrayed as *nearly* as good though. Youngsters with a lot of talent but just not enough experience yet. 2 minute losses aren't the way to go.
ReplyDeleteEveryone who is allowed to be objective about it, Batista included, said it was a terrible idea to bring him back as a babyface, number one.
ReplyDeleteSecond, the fanbase was not going to accept anyone but Bryan in that role. It should be noted, though, that while it's entirely possible his hear was just "not Batista" heat, those fans at the Rumble seemed pretty into Reigns winning LAST year.
The situation that took place from January-April of this year was a compete anomaly, both in Bryan's popularity and Batista's booking, that it cannot be used for comparison's sake.
It will never, ever make sense to me to have two world champions. That's the beginning and end of the argument, IMO. Your mileage may vary.
ReplyDeletePrime Time Wrestling on demand is the best thing I will get for Christmas. Ever.
ReplyDeleteTrue, but that's a bigger problem that affects anyone-but-Cena on the roster - not just those from NXT. The fact that she didn't get beat in the first second is probably the WWE's idea of a push.
ReplyDeleteBased on what?
ReplyDeleteIt's been discussed in the past day that USA disliked the brand extension because it meant that there were less 'top stars' on RAW, 'their' show. SyFy wanted Undertaker and Kane but WWE weren't going to give away some top stars to their C-show.
Does the idea that USA have said, "We aren't too thrilled about you having your own network, just remember that RAW is your main show, we don't want anyone from NXT turning up and making RAW stars look bad, making 'your show' look good to the detriment of 'our show'" sound so ridiculous, in light of that?
CiscoJP agrees with you though. CiscoJohnPetrie?
ReplyDeleteSomeone earlier said that Cena vs Orton at HIAC was MOTY.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say "MOTY? That match wouldn't pass its MOT".
But, y'know, Atlantic ocean.
The handling of Batista's return was as bad as anything they have done in recent memory
ReplyDeleteOf course, that stuff is awesome. I'm also hoping for Superstars because watching that Macho Man doc-tease made me want to watch every Mean Gene interview in history.
ReplyDeleteTo each their own.
ReplyDelete::WWE launches brand split::
ReplyDeleteUgh, I hate the brand split. One of the ways I would fix WWE would be to end the brand extension.
::WWE ends the brand extension:
I really miss the brand extension and would like it to be brought back. Great way to make new stars!
Let me ask: If they had kept WCW around, should there not have been a WCW champion?
ReplyDeleteHuh? This was a good post.
ReplyDeleteI don't think a brand extension is a good idea by any means, but anything to create a difference between shows would be an improvement. Main event, Superstars, Raw, and Smackdown all look the same. Also, yes, three-hour Raws are a huge drag that kill live crowds and lose viewers, so why not create three distinct programmes within that time. Something - anything - to stop people slipping into comas.
ReplyDeletePlease no more brand extension. That is not the solution. It will just end up having more titles than necessary. The US and IC titles are still treated as afterthoughts.
ReplyDeleteThey could split the brand into 10 different pieces, but as long as those in charge view Cena as untouchable, and to a lesser extent Orton, no brand extension is going to fix anything.
To all the brand extension supporters, who were all these main eventers that they groomed? Its still Cena and Cena Jr (Orton).
The brand extension was horrible. Nothing good came out of it. Just useless title runs like Khali, Swagger, Sheamus, etc. I'm not necessary attacking those guys, just saying their runs are rather meaningless, and a big reason is because all the other belt were watered down.
I agree with every single word of this. Certainly Reigns had potential, but he's just not there yet. Not only in popularity, but in the ability to put on a 20-30 minute main-event. And who would he wrestle? Brock for the title? Brock's last two WM matches (against veteran superstars UT and HHH) were boring as hell. But at least neither were the main event. And both had outside factors that at least added a bit of intrigue (Shawn and Heyman running interference in the HHH match, the streak being broken in the UT match). I dunno, i think Brock/Reigns would be awful. But maybe that's HHH's plan: to book a main event that could possibly be worse than his and Orton's abortion at WM25.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you're saying, but there's a bit of difference between Taker and Natalya.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who thought Reigns seemed over on RAW? His push is another case of the wrestling fan mentality:
ReplyDeletePush new stars! ::WWE pushes new stars:: No, not that one!
This would be hypocrisy if it was the same person saying these things, but it's just a bunch of different people saying these two things. The "IWC" is not one homogenous mass with the same opinion, that's why we spend all day arguing with each other.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm saying is that the opinion of so-called smark fans and so-called casual fans overlap to a much greater degree than you give credit for, especially in the last decade and much more so in the last few years.
ReplyDeletePunk and Bryan's mega popularity, Cena's increasingly negative receptions the last few years, last year's Batista situation---- to say that Roman Reigns can come back and get the rocket push and the casual sheep fans will eat it up is a total misreading of the current WWE fanbase.
His appearance at the Slammy's was good and he was over.
ReplyDeleteThe appearances before his injury saw mixed crowd reactions due to putrid dialogue. Some of his one-liners bombed
I know, but I remember during the brand extension, a lot of people would bitch and moan about how they should end it.
ReplyDeleteAnd now a lot of people suggest bringing it back and were against them doing it.
Agree. He made valid points and presented them well.
ReplyDeleteEveryone seems to be acting like Reigns' appearance was this horrible disaster and he's not over with the crowd. He is.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit that my position has changed on it. I didn't like it when it first happened as I thought the quality of both shows suffered, but once Smackdown just became a poor quality rerun of Raw, its just awaste of two hours. I think it's possible to have Raw and Smackdown have the same roster and produce good TV but not the way they're doing it. So with their current booking quality, a split is probably the least worst option.
ReplyDeleteI remember his promo with the "A viper without teeth is a worm" line that just killed the audience dead.
ReplyDeleteKeep his promos short, like they did Monday, and have him kick a lot of ass and he will be fine. He should not be cutting lengthy promos
Good point on Brock/Roman. It's true when you think about it, Brock's had a load of fucking terrible matches since he came back.
ReplyDeleteBrock/Cena 1 was amazing, Brock/Cena 2 (Summerslam) was fascinating in how it was booked, and Brock/cena 3 was ok.
But those 3 HHH matches were hot garbage and the Taker match was even worse, just saved by the memorable ending.
In fact, the only actually awesome standard back-and-forth straight up match that Lesnar had in this run was the one against Punk. His other back and forth matches have been pretty terrible, which doesn't bode well for Lesnar and Roman having a 20-minute back and forth main event match.
No question about it. He just needed some confidence and experience. But the ability was always there.
ReplyDeleteInteresting - I never followed the dirt sheets until about 96/97 when I really had internet access and starting reading RSPW and Scott actually.
ReplyDeleteIf the goal is to make really dull matches, yes
ReplyDeleteWWE's problems are twofold.
ReplyDeleteFirst, the corporate side have been making bad decisions in regarding the WWE Network and pay-per-views. Lack of a plan and understanding of how their revenues function is a massive failure of WWE in many departments.
Second, the problems with talent and a poor on-screen product are WWE are not creating stars based on merit, but instead of their looks and ability to follow the script. WWE have their favorites, and they insist on pushing those favorites over merit and logic. WWE are not putting their talent in positions to succeed.
Financially, they need a shake up on who and what happened regarding the Network and PPV issues. Destroying their profitable revenue stream is NOT ACCEPTABLE. The stock numbers dropping are bad, but those are always in flux, especially with a company like WWE where the investors are not as knowledgeable about the end product and a general disdain. However, PPV revenue was an important part of their overall revenue stream, and somehow nobody in the company realized they are undercutting their own product.
The average wrestling fan is just as bad. One look on twitter will tell you that.
ReplyDeleteGive Orton a renewed umpteenth push will go nowhere and keep them on the dull cyclical treadmill they've been on. I mean the guy has had 12 years and endless opportunities to connect and he can't.
ReplyDeleteWell he was trying to keep it quiet so it's not like he was bragging about it.
ReplyDeleteStone Cold recommended people watch that Rumble?
ReplyDeleteBut Bret showed them just how to cook the onions.
ReplyDeleteYeah it was his match of the week because he botched a spot and got eliminated early. He was apparently supposed to be in the final four.
ReplyDeleteHe's actually lucky he was able to get out of such a terrible match early.
"Thanks Bret, now I know our restaurant will be a real hit, man", said the grateful owner.
ReplyDeleteHBK denied that 2 million dollar inheritance on twitter
ReplyDeleteAre thinking you're cute and knowing you're sexy really that different, while we're at it?
ReplyDelete...he didn't...
ReplyDeleteThat's surprising as Austin didn't really have final 4 credibility at that point. I'm guessing Kama was the one that subbed for him in the final 4.
ReplyDelete