WWE.com RAW Preview
http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2015-06-08/five-point-preview-27461939
Backstage News on Shield and Wyatt Family Both Possibly Reuniting
Recently, Vince McMahon nixed an idea for a possible Wyatt Family reunion. The word going around was that Vince himself did not want to reunite both the Wyatt Family and The Shield this Summer because if they decided to reunite one group they should not reunite the other so soon. With that said, it is reported that a Shield reunion is not definite but in order for that to remain a possibility they had to nix any plan of putting the Wyatt Family back together.
http://wrestlechat.net/report-backstage-news-on-wwe-considering-reuniting-the-shield-wyatt-family/
Kevin Owens Update
Owens, who was pulled off of WWE house shows this weekend, will start working them beginning on 6/19 in Saginaw, MI
http://wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2015/0606/596029/more-on-kevin-owens-being-pulled-from-live-events-and-when-hell/
http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2015-06-08/five-point-preview-27461939
Backstage News on Shield and Wyatt Family Both Possibly Reuniting
Recently, Vince McMahon nixed an idea for a possible Wyatt Family reunion. The word going around was that Vince himself did not want to reunite both the Wyatt Family and The Shield this Summer because if they decided to reunite one group they should not reunite the other so soon. With that said, it is reported that a Shield reunion is not definite but in order for that to remain a possibility they had to nix any plan of putting the Wyatt Family back together.
http://wrestlechat.net/report-backstage-news-on-wwe-considering-reuniting-the-shield-wyatt-family/
Kevin Owens Update
Owens, who was pulled off of WWE house shows this weekend, will start working them beginning on 6/19 in Saginaw, MI
http://wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2015/0606/596029/more-on-kevin-owens-being-pulled-from-live-events-and-when-hell/
I'm not sure I've ever read a paragraph of "news" on those stables reforming that had less actual definitive information in it than the one above. And that covers a lot of ground.
ReplyDeleteThe Shield! They might get together! They might not!
ReplyDeleteSerious question - do they NEED to get together again, at least so soon? All three guys seem pretty established on their own.
Holding off on putting a group back together that actually needs it in case they decide to put back together the group that doesn't need it. Curious.
ReplyDeleteBoils down to this: Vince doesn't want two stables reuniting within a short amount of time and still doesn't even appear to want to reunite either of them. Seems like he is stringing along a few writers.
ReplyDeleteRecently, Vince McMahon nixed an idea for a possible Wyatt Family
ReplyDeletereunion. The word going around was that Vince himself did not want to
reunite both the Wyatt Family and The Shield this Summer because if they
decided to reunite one group they should not reunite the other so soon.
With that said, it is reported that a Shield reunion is not definite
but in order for that to remain a possibility they had to nix any plan
of putting the Wyatt Family back together.
I feel like I have entered the matrix.
I mean, the Wyatt Family is already 2/3 reunited.
ReplyDeleteMy guess. They "reunite" when Seth turns face after Hunter turns on him and kicks him out of the Authority. This only lasts a few weeks such that Roman (who will be MITB), turns heel and becomes the Authority's new Golden Boy.
ReplyDeleteI would hold off on any Shield reunions for at least 3-4 more years. Obviously, circumstances can change, but they can really build the reunion to a molten level if they are patient.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Rowan is garbage, Harper is solid though.
ReplyDeleteI wish they gave Harper more to do. He is being wasted on the roster.
ReplyDeleteI don't have the slightest idea why they broke up the Wyatts in the first place.
ReplyDeleteSo, break them up with no real story leading up to it, and reunite them with no apparent story leading up to it. WWE: We're telling stories, in that things just randomly happen and we retro explain them kinda afterwards.
ReplyDeleteIMO, this is one of the things people love about NXT. It makes sense and actually does tell stories that progress week to week.
No one does. It was a thoughtless decision
ReplyDeleteCould've been a really cool show. But they settled for an action packed theme where they get into a high speed chase or manage to avoid machine gun fire every single episode
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you need to wait that long, but holding it off for at least another year would be smart, since they've only been broken up a year. I don't think that they should do somersaults to get to a reunion for the summer, especially since I can't make it to the Summer Slam.
ReplyDelete"he suggests giving HIM a bus so he could go town to town and whip everyone's ass."
ReplyDeleteAustin was SO good on the mic between now & Survivor Series. I was the biggest 14-year old Bret Hart mark ever and I couldn't even hate Austin.
I've never read anything on the subject, but I'm pretty sure Vince looked at Ahmed as his next big thing and usually Vince saves his next big thing projects to win their first title at WM and I dount Vince would have squandered a potential good buyrate for Ahmed to win the title on free tv so I'm guessing if they followed through with a Ahmed-Vader match the night after Summerslam, I'm guessing the match would end in a DQ or something in order to protect both guys.
ReplyDeleteA Wyatt reunion makes way more sense than a Shield one. If the Shield reunites after Triple H or the Authority kicks him out of the Authority, who do they feud with? There aren't many top heels left. Do they feud with Triple H/Kane/Big Show?
ReplyDeleteThere isn't a need to reunite them now, they shouldn't have reunion just for the sake of having it, let it mean something.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a familiar complaint of about 80% of the roster.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's what I meant.
ReplyDeleteThe Shield reuniting seems out of the blue.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually pretty stupid reasoning. If you're so concerned about the Wyatts and Shield getting back together within a year, why the heck would you break them up within a few months of each other?
ReplyDeleteIf they are going to reunite The Shield, they might as well go 100% Troll Mode and do it the same way they did the Bella "face turn." Have the reunited Shield come out through the crowd and act like they never split up. Then Rollins can play to the crowd as a super babyface with zero explanation.
ReplyDeleteEven with NO explanation, they'd get cheered like nobody's business.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do with the Shield if you reform them? I kinda feel like it'd be a step back for Rollins and even Reigns.
ReplyDeletePlease don't give them any ideas. A
ReplyDeleteYou could call them Devolution! Devolution is a mysteryyyyyyyyyyyy.
ReplyDeleteIt also makes Ambrose look bad to just welcome Rollins back with open arms.
ReplyDeleteYes, but have they even appeared on TV since they reunited? Seems like Rowan turned (?) heel again and suddenly both guys got tossed down the memory hole.
ReplyDeleteI guess it's a testament to the failure of the individuals booking. I know it's not really remotely the same, but nobody thought "Hey let's put Bret and Anvil back together", or "Shawn and Marty". They strapped a rocket to a guy when it was time to go single and the guy didn't need any help. They're kinda admitting that almost everyone involved is weaker because of their decisions.
ReplyDeleteThe irony is that there would be no one there for the Shield to feud with if they get back together if they're faces. Of course, if they ALSO reunited the Wyatts...
ReplyDeleteOf course...why would you want to reunite the other half of all those awesome matches.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Rollins is a stellar electrician and will help Ambrose avoid those pesky exploding appliances going forward?
ReplyDeleteThey were on Smackdown last Thursday being creepy.
ReplyDeleteAlso, does the group go heel or face? If face, who gets the top heel spot in the company?*
ReplyDelete*besides HHH and Steph. I know they're the real top heels.
Shield ran over every faction that could face them, except the Wyatts. That would be the only reason to bring them back together, but each guy is pretty over on his own.
ReplyDeleteNow the Wyatts, there's a team that should be together, because the whole was greater than the sum of the parts.
They could have Rowan and Harper join the Shield, and Ambrose and Rollins join the Wyatts?! #russobooksRaw
ReplyDelete~SWERVE!~
ReplyDeleteI would forgive the whole thing if they did a backstage bit where Rollins is shown fixing a TV monitor, hands it to Ambrose, and says "There ya go. Guaranteed to never blow up on you."
ReplyDeleteBEtter yet, keep the same people together but have the Wyatt's dress like the Shield and the Shield dress like the Wyatt's.
ReplyDeleteI'd give them another $9.99 a month if they did that.
ReplyDeleteThe people on this blog are likely the only people still hung up on that months later.
ReplyDeleteAlso all three shield guys are doing ok for themselves as opposed to anyone in the Wyatts
ReplyDeleteThe people on this blog are hung up on 1995 booking decisions.
ReplyDeleteThey're still pissed about Arnold Skaaland tossing in the towel on Bob Backlund.
ReplyDeleteThey could have made Shieky a star baby, but they had to protect old Bobby Backlund!
ReplyDeleteMan, Samoa Joe might have the worst and least intimidating theme in recent memory.
ReplyDeleteHow about a Shield reunion....and heel turn becoming the authority's muscle..kicking Kane and Show to the curb....stomping even.
ReplyDeleteYou cold have the Shield Vs. Brock all summer as Shield/Authority try and hold on to the belt vs. the rampaging Viking Space Lord
The current set up now seems ideal. Rollins as the heel and Roman & Dean are friends and watch each other's backs.
ReplyDeleteI think they'd maybe have to wait for a new facton to emerge that they'd have to decide to reform to take on. They'd have to be in the Evolution role, as faces or heels whatever.
ReplyDeleteHulu seems obsessed with showing me commercials for the New Surface 3 (which I REALLY want) and the new Magic Mike movie. Is Kevin Nash back for that one? I haven't spotted him in any of the ads. Of course, all the ads are poorly lit and have quick cuts that would make Kevin Dunn throw in the towel, so...
ReplyDeleteHe is in it, in one trailer I saw he even was named.
ReplyDelete"and the fans looked from Shield to Wyatt, and from Wyatt to Shield, and Shield to Wyatt again: but already it was impossible to say which was which."
ReplyDeletewhich is what those two should have been doing from day one. Reigns got off to a terrible start from the beginning when everyone wondered why Reigns is spiking Stephs coffee while he best friend...a week earlier....is getting the shit kicked out of him.
ReplyDelete"So I know we reunited you guys and Bray, we know you're not really doing anything right now, but, uh, the whole Wyatt Family reunion thing is off."
ReplyDelete"OK, but why?"
"Well, because Vince might want to reunite the Shield."
"..."
"Maybe. He's not sure."
"When?"
"No idea."
"So... Why does that affect us again?"
"*shrugs*"
Simmons' Gladiator gimmick HAD to have been a miscommunication, because he was going out dressed like a Roman fighter yet would talk about living on the streets and ranting about Ahmed being a coddled Uncle Tom.
ReplyDeleteBray could do a lot worse than cribbing some lines from Orwell.
ReplyDeleteI think there was one Raw where literally they were all kicking the shit ouf of Ambrose on the big screen while Cena and Reigns were watching from the ring, and the two of them just... didn't do anything at all. Just wandered to the back and the next segment started.
ReplyDeleteIf you think about it, Triple H's muscle is Kane, Show, Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble. The least intimidating security force in history.
ReplyDeleteThere is no reason Brock shouldn't have left the Raw after WM31 wearing Seth Rollins' skull as a helmet, covered in the blood of the rest of the Authority.
Remember when WWE used to make fun of WCW for paper napkin booking?
ReplyDeleteWhy and how are the Shield supposed to reunite after everything that's happened between Ambrose & Rollins?
ReplyDeleteStalin and Churchill once carved up Europe on a napkin I'll have you know
ReplyDeleteyeah but it was all just a plan
ReplyDeleteWhy and how did HBK and HHH reunite after HHH tried to destroy Shawn's spine with a sledgehammer?
ReplyDeleteThis, I believe, is all Triple H's fault, given his apparent and obvious hard-on for all things NWA/WCW, up to and including the terrible final years. Or maybe Vince has dementia and now thinks he IS Eric Bischoff....
ReplyDeleteWhy and how did HHH and Stone Cold team up after trying to murder each other on multiple occasions?
ReplyDeleteSubscribe to the WWE network for only $9.99 to get your answer!
ReplyDelete*DX shill mode off*
Those black and white promo packages were basically an Austin face turn, especially when he ripped on Shawn Michaels.
ReplyDeleteA plan designed by the architect?
ReplyDeleteOooh see it DOES all fit. Rollins, fingerpoke of doom that title over to Roman right this instant and make this BE.
ReplyDeleteYea, and it sucked.
ReplyDeleteWhy and how did Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff embrace on Monday Night Raw after everything that happened between them?
ReplyDeleteI think the second one they kind of explained.
ReplyDeletessss
ReplyDeleteThose Austin black and white Survivor Series promos were some of the best things he's ever done.
ReplyDeleteThe new Big Show movie is opening at my favourite arts theater in the city. I'm so tempted.
ReplyDeleteMy overall point was that past transgressions are forgiven and forgotten with heel and face turns. Even during the Kreski era, this was the case. Wrestling kinda doesn't work without it.
ReplyDeleteBut remember that Cole never said that Rollins was the architect of the Shield!
ReplyDeleteYea, but Ambrose reuniting with him makes Ambrose look so bad, unless they are all heel again.
ReplyDeleteTPC Sawgrass's 17th hole was designed on a napkin. In retrospect, lots of great ideas were put on napkins!
ReplyDeleteWhy and how did the Prime Time Players get back... oh no one gives a shit.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has awful themes now except Sheamus.
ReplyDeleteI don't think they'll do it, but I would say that whether something makes Ambrose look bad has never seemingly entered their thoughts before
ReplyDeleteI'm finding it difficult to think of a great idea that *wasn't* put on a napkin!
ReplyDeleteThat was stupid too!
ReplyDeleteTitus saved Darren Young from The Acension
ReplyDeleteHa, yeah that was this past summer or something. Just so stupid.
ReplyDeleteHe had to let them free...uhm...something something buzzard....Harper has lots of eye balls...something something...Rowan likes rubik's cubes
ReplyDeletePatience isn't Vince's strong suit.
ReplyDeleteSIR I'll have you know that I am deeply interested in how the Prime Time Players came to be reunited.
ReplyDeleteYes, but WHY!??!
ReplyDeleteIs Rowan supposed to be like extremely intelligent? He doesn't show it much
ReplyDeleteReuniting the Shield seems like a much bigger stretch storyline wise, plus those guys have all moved on to relative success as singles.
ReplyDeleteThe Wyatt Fam would be easier to reunite, and hopefully revitalize 2 guys who are going nowhere fast.
Because The Ascension was beating him up...
ReplyDeleteI think he forgot he was smart after taking a curb stomp.
ReplyDeleteHe wanted to prevent a hate crime?
ReplyDeleteYea.that is up their for worst laid out segment in history. Superman and the guy you are trying to make the next Superman is in the ring watching a face/former best friend be murdered backstage and....nothing.. not even a moment of them getting to Ambrose after the damage is done calling for help.
ReplyDeleteA Shield reunion right now makes zero sense with their existing storylines that have been booked since last April to make Rollins and Ambrose hate each other's guts.
ReplyDeleteThe Goon and Faarooq the Gladiator are the kind of gimmicks your friend who do doesn't watch wrestling always sees when they notice you're watching wrestling.
ReplyDeleteBut he wasn't Darren's friend anymore. Why did he care? I need answers!!!
ReplyDeleteThere really isn't any reason for this to happen every week if you think about it
ReplyDeleteHmm yeah that'll do it
ReplyDeleteYup and they think you're a fucking creepy loser for watching it.
ReplyDeleteYou've never turned your back on a friend, only to see him beat up by two odd looking men pretending to be the Legion of Doom but aren't and suddenly remembered all the good times you had together? Come on, it writes itself
ReplyDeleteI'm going with the hate crime answer because TBH it's great.
ReplyDeleteHaha, so good.
ReplyDeleteAlthough hey at least TNA went out and got an actual sports guy who was actually banned from an actual league!
ReplyDeleteHe was super smart...but then when creative realized he wasn't getting over by being the super smart weirdo that lost every week...they dropped the smart angle and just...continued to have him lose every week.
ReplyDelete"Hey pal, why don't you go to the dirt sheetz and let them know we're thinking about reuniting the Shield, and toss in that it's the reason we won't bring the Wyatts back together, just to swerve them."
ReplyDelete"Uh, ok boss. Is that really true? Are we putting the Wyatt Family back on the board, because I have a great idea for..."
"DAMN IT PAL, didn't you hear me, we're NOT putting the Wyatts back together, because I want the Shield back!"
"But you just said it was a swerve..."
"DO IT!"
"Do... what? Should I come up with ideas for the Shield...?"
"No! Of course not, why would we bring the Shield back together?"
"Whatever you say, boss..."
"Hey, Hunter, I've got a great idea! Let's reunite the Shield!"
It could work
ReplyDeleteYou know who should really reunite? Ambrose, the Hologram, and the TV. It's time those three patched things up.
ReplyDeleteThey really missed the boat on not licensing the Benny Hill theme as his entrance music.
ReplyDeleteNew Day.
ReplyDeleteShield Reunion goes like this.
ReplyDeleteReigns: Seth...we need to talk.
Rollins: What the hell are you doing here? we have nothing to talk about this is my title and...
Reigns: It's not about that...or us......it's about Dean.
Rollins: Ambrose doesn't get another shot at my title either!
Reigns: No Seth.....he...he needs our help.
Rollins: What the hell are you talking about?
Reigns: Come with me.
Reigns takes Rollins to the back stage production area where Ambrose is curled up in the fetal position surrounded by monitors screaming :THEY'RE ALL GOING TO EXPLODE!!!
Rollins: I...I didn't know. You are right Roman he does need our help. Maybe with hard work and support we can show him not all TVs are dangerous
Reigns: I sure hope we can help him.....Believe That
:Followed by training montage of the long journey of bringing Ambrose back to being able to be around, and eventually watch TVs. :
Nailed it. if this is wrong I don't want to be right
ReplyDeleteA TV EXPLODED IN HIS FACE.
ReplyDeleteHe is a vintner who likes rubix cubes. No wonder he couldn't get over.
ReplyDeleteIT WAS 8 MONTHS AGO! Who fucking cares anymore?
ReplyDeleteBaby it's your world, ain't it?
ReplyDeleteGood to start off a new week with the words of sage philosopher Nicki Minaj.
Has Jobber been around today?
ReplyDeleteI'd imagine he's traveling back this morning
ReplyDeleteSo there's a time limit for how long we can be annoyed about things? That pretty much kills the blog and possibly the internet for good.
ReplyDeletePersonally I know if they reunited the Wyatt Family and the Shield around the same time my little brain wouldn't be able to tell them apart.
ReplyDeleteKilling the internet might not the worst thing in the world for society as a whole.
ReplyDeleteFair point.
ReplyDeleteIt's such an absurd notion. "Hey should we group the three guys that have been rudderless for almost a year?" "Well we could, but what happens if we want to group the three guys that have had clear direction and are super over by themselves?"
ReplyDeleteLike...what the hell does one have to do with the other. And it would seem painfully obvious which group needs to reform first.
so tempted to what?
ReplyDeleteThat and the reuniting of the Wyatt Family to cause hell could be used as the reason behind the Shield reuniting to oppose them. The only way a Shield reunion makes sense is if there's some other power group that can't be stopped.
ReplyDeleteIt would seem weird to form a threesome of faces before forming the threesome of heels which they are meant to oppose.
ReplyDeleteAt least a Wyatt reunion would make some sense since Bray is a cult leader of sorts. A Shield reunion would be ridiculous after their ongoing feud.
ReplyDeleteExactly, without a threat why is the Shield getting back together at all?
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it's taken them this long to figure out breaking up the Wyatts served no purpose
Maybe the Wyatts could reform and cause SO MUCH MAYHEM that only the Shield can save the day.
ReplyDeleteWell yeah, that's the only way this makes sense.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise we have a trio of faces doing...what exactly? Cheating in each others matches? As faces? The hell...
I just the same above because I'm a rotten thief
ReplyDeleteThe Shield break-up should have been a much longer slow burns, and the Wyatts shouldn't have broken up at all. In fact, the Shield split felt like it was fast-tracked so HHH (the character) could still look strong rather than to elevate three new guys (even if that was the end result).
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone can steal this concept from anyone else because it's painfully obvious what the issue is lol
ReplyDeleteAye, the Shield were meant to be bullies who ganged up on people for some perverted sense of justice. Then they turned face to deal with that no good, stinky, wart-infested Evolution.
ReplyDeletehurts so bad
ReplyDeleteThe Wyatt's should reunite..Bray gets the IC belt, Harper and Rowan get the tag belts...and have then reek havoc on the mid card. Hell bring Bo in to be the Tom Cruise to their Scientology.
ReplyDeleteBo seems like such a natural fit, especially once he realizes all the positivity is getting him nowhere. That story writes itself.
ReplyDeleteHey Hey Hey Will you stop?! It's asthma not diabetes for the soon to be hall of famer. Anyway, about Simmons... I'm in June 93 on my WCW watching and after Simmons lost the belt at the end of 92, he has been either hurt or just an afterthought. Injured(not sure if legit) for Superbrawl, not at Slamboree, and I can't think of anything else he does or when he leaves. I think he turns heel at some point but since I fell out of wrestling around this time back in the day, the week to week TV stuff is new to me.
ReplyDeleteAnd Faarooq working with his friend seemed to be the thing he needed. They were able to get over without having to do too much which was good for them and the fans.
ReplyDeleteBlasting Nicki here before everyone shows up, I'm exactly the old out-of-touch person I always wanted to be.
ReplyDeleteDo they acknowledge the familial relationship? Does Daddy Irwin get involved? Or would that be too much like the Rhodes story that went nowhere?
ReplyDeleteThat's the thing...Bray is supposed to be such an evil heel...but he doesn't do anything heinous except for...uh...
ReplyDeleteThose promos I guess? I'm so glad everyone caught up to those promos being ridiculous nonsense.
ReplyDeleteThe Shield reuniting would hurt all three guys right now.
ReplyDeleteexactly they came up with a great character....then realized they were in the PG era..and started having kids sing creepy and called it a day
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, that genre-defining tag team. Guess I lost this argument then.
ReplyDelete"I was too wrapped up in my accounting career to spend time with my kids, and now look at them,"
ReplyDeleteEven in the 80s and 90s, WWF heels did bad stuff. Attacking dudes and putting them on the shelf, killing their pet snakes, sealing them in caskets...
ReplyDeleteThe only reason they should is if Bray is using it to draw him to "the Family" against his will.
ReplyDeleteIf he just joins up on his own he should be just another guy.
There's a great line on the behind the scenes video for High School where she asks Lil Wayne what she should wear and he doesn't miss a beat and replies "Nuthin" lol
ReplyDeleteRotundo will have to turn on them as I'm guessing Bo will try and get the Wyatt's tax exemption for being a religion which will cause IRS to declare I HAVE NO SONS
ReplyDelete"No Dad, you do YOUR taxes!"
ReplyDeleteI still can't believe Savage went along with that. That dude had some balls.
ReplyDeleteWell, the snake went into business for himself. By most accounts he wasn't supposed to latch on to Savage's arm that way. But yeah, I ain't agreeing to that.
ReplyDeleteWas it really Summerslam that they decided to go with Slaughter? It seems like he was a midcarder until he was thrust into the Royal Rumble title match.
ReplyDeleteWarrior-Hogan II is kind of a foregone conclusion, but Slaugher-Hogan was an even bigger one.
Actually, really most Hogan main events were foregone conclusions.
For sure, it's still I think the craziest thing we've ever seen in the sport. I probably wouldn't think of it that way if I hadn't been so young but I'm not kidding, that damn angle I'm pretty sure is why to this day I'm mortified by snakes.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the Wyatts v Shield feud was cut short too quickly - the crowds were eating it up and it would make for an interesting dynamic if there was an anti-Authority Wyatt Family v a heel Corporate Shield.
ReplyDeletethat's why I term today's WWe the "g rated era."
ReplyDeleteUndertaker at Survivor Series was the first time I legit thought Hogan wasn't going to win, even Mania 6 vs Warrior I thought Hogan would win (I was a Hogan mark more than a Warrior mark).
ReplyDeleteId kind of imagine the same thing they do with Kane and Big Show,throw him in a main event ot two every year except not turn him heel or face as much. Only when he's stale. .....well staler than normal.
ReplyDeleteMinor point: Diesel-Backlund from 11/94 was actually the next time before Bret-Sid.
ReplyDeleteIf I recall, when Slaughter was signed the plan was for him to feud with Nikolai Volkoff who was doing the pro-USA freedom gimmick at that point. Slaughter would have been an insane drill sergeant-type.
ReplyDeleteThey probably would have been better off just doing heel drill Sgt vs Hulk but I guess they figured since there was a war they couldn't have an evil military guy.
ReplyDeleteThose were such simple times. These days Warrior/Hogan would have a rematch a month later. And another one a month after that. And be in a four way a month after that. Then they'd take a couple of months off and meet again at the Royal Rumble. Then they'd just meet on Raw or in multi-man title matches for a year until they met again at Wrestlemania.
ReplyDeleteFirst Gulf War had strong support. Slaughter didn't g the pro-iraq route until after Sadaam invaded Kuwait in August 1990, right before Summerslam. War was over before WM7
ReplyDeleteVince just couldn't help himself
ReplyDeleteWILL YOU STOP?!
ReplyDeleteI especially remember the RAW before Survivor Series 96 where the cops get called on Austin for beating the shit out of a stagehand for "counting him down" when he wasn't finished. The cops came and Austin proceeded to loudly berate them, explaining where the Dunkin Donuts was and demanding the keys to the patrol car so he could "play with the siren."
ReplyDeleteFWIW I didn't care much for the SOA series finale, or the entire final season for that matter. Nothing about it felt special or like the proper swan song for the show in general. It had that "let's just get this over with" attitude, partly because I think the show last a season or two too long.
ReplyDeleteThis didn't help, but wasn't Ahmed's main problem that he would hurt others and get hurt himself a lot?
ReplyDeleteJoke's on them. I'm a fucking creepy loser, but it ain't because of wrestling!
ReplyDeleteI don't know. Ahmed was sloppy and injury prone. The Farooq attack didn't help matters, but I'm not so sure Ahmed would have been the Next Big Thing considering his track record later.
ReplyDeleteAfter about season #3, SOA got worse by about 10% every season.
ReplyDeleteInteresting you mention the crowd here, Scott. For some reason, I vividly remember the arena setup for this taping cycle as well. I also remember the crowd got THIN by the end of said cycle...
ReplyDeleteI don't know, I think if they turn him heel, a Cena shirt that says "It's About F*@&$*$ Time!!!" could be a big seller.
ReplyDeleteThat is how he was booked at the beginning of his return. He thought 'Murica had gone soft.
ReplyDeleteStill always bugs me that slaughter kicked out of the legdrop even though the ref counted to 3. Dude, you're a fat, bald jobber that has no business being in this good of a spot, don't get too confident
ReplyDeleteYeah, as a nine-year-old, I was like, "Really? HIM?" I hadn't ever seen him in WWF prior to that run. I just knew him as this stocky guy who had a GI Joe figure and that I had seen wrestle once or twice in the odd AWA or maybe even PWUSA match, and who just didn't seem like a big deal at all to me. And then he really wasn't lighting the world on fire with his offense in WWF. Major WTF stuff.
ReplyDeleteFlair won the title off PPV as well.
ReplyDeleteI still don't understand why they didn't give Cena a nice long break from the main event in 2011-2012. Punk was fresh off the Pipe Bomb and ready to carry the torch. Zack Ryder was catching fire with his internet show, but they thought he was too goofy for a legit singles run. They established that Cen was a friend/supporter of Ryder's (well, until he stole his girlfriend, but let's pretend that doesn't happen in this scenario). Wy not put Cena and Ryder together as a team, throw the Tag Title on them, and give them an extended run while Punk gets a true shot at carrying the company? The formula would be ideal- Ryder plays Ricky Morton all match, hot tag to Cena, five moves of doom, everybody pops and both guys sell dumptrucks full of merch together to the kiddies while Punk appeals to the grown folks in the main events.
ReplyDeleteTeam name of Angry Golfsmore
ReplyDeleteWhich is hilarious, because it means he still wasn't in shape when he was working his world title feud with Undertaker. How does THAT not motivate a guy to hit the gym?
ReplyDeleteI never understood the merch argument, because when they turn Cena heel, it would be like having a totally new wrestler for free which would give them a) a lot of new fresh matches (even against the Big Shows and Ortons and Kanes) AND ROOM for OTHER guys to take the face spot which would make them also a lot of money in merch.
ReplyDeleteeven just changing Budweisers to Steveweisers probably made him an extra couple million.
ReplyDeleteAnd by that time, Ahmed looked like he ate Faarooq.
ReplyDeleteI can think of one place online where it definitely is
ReplyDeleteApparently it was the biggest gate for a RAW show ever to that point, with $100,000 paid. Can you imagine today if they only drew $100,000 for a RAW show? People would be fired.
ReplyDeletehelp a brotha out
ReplyDeleteThe NoD was geared for him as his group and he seemed to not give a shit.
ReplyDeleteFolks forget that people really didn't think it was going to go to war. They figured surely Sadaam wouldn't be crazy enough to think he could stand against the U.S. and back down at the last minute. Yeah, we were a bit naïve then. And of course, by the time it was over, that meant heat for Slaughter died down.
ReplyDeleteDo like on that "History of Mania" DVD, they still try to spin the "security reasons" line but also point out the irony that on that day, L.A. was hit by a big rain storm.
It costs $9.99 a month unless this is you are a new subscriber this month!
ReplyDelete8.5 years later and Hogan f'd up the fireball, so I don't think 6 months later would have been better.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure Vince going with Slaughter/Hogan came directly as a result of the massive ratings CNN was getting for their 24 hour coverage of the Invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War. In fact, early August 1990 basically put CNN on the map as a major news network. Plus as others said, the WWF was tanking pretty bad at this point and I think the thought was to try something different and hope to strike gold.
ReplyDeleteThe drop off between WrestleMania VI and VII is so crazy though. For WM 6, they sold 20,000 tickets the first day they went on sale in like January/February 1990. WM 7 was the first time they tried selling them a year in advance and they didn't even move 15,000 tickets in that whole period. Just nuts.
I have to say, overall I feel kinda bad for Warrior. As has been discussed, I don't think he had the 'human' element to really connect with people like Hogan did (the whole Amanda Ultimate Warrior thing was a major hard sell to get around that of course) but he should have been a bigger deal as champion than he was, but they let Hogan suck up all that sympathy heat and they lined up no real challengers for him until it was far too late to salvage it. Goldberg and Warrior parallel each other in a lot of ways and the way their world title reigns were mishandled is yet another similarity.
ReplyDeleteI will say, it the sort of thing that would only happen in the wacky world of wrestling where both Hogan and Savage would end up mega-over due to losing to Warrior at successive WrestleMania's.
I think a big part of it is that Cena does an ungodly amount of Make-a-Wish and charity stuff that a public company like WWE LOVES for PR, and kids would be less likely to ask for Cena if he was a bad guy.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Hogan-Warrior II was the perfect main event for SummerSlam '91, not Wrestlemania VII. I get why they wanted the title off Warrior and why they thought they could capitalize on the Gulf War stuff with Hogan (it's what they know). I feel like the proper audible was to run Hogan vs. Warrior at SummerSlam after they team up to vanquish the Sgt. Slaughter Job Squad. Running that handicap match at SummerSlam was underwhelming after Hulk had already beaten Sarge one-on-one at Mania (even as a 7 year old mark). Run Hogan-Slaughter re-matches on the house show circuit, maybe do the 3-on-2 match on TV to blow it all off. Then either turn Warrior on Hogan, or run it as face vs. face part II, with Warrior insisting on a title shot. Afterall, Hogan didn't beat HIM for the title and had not proven himself to the "Warriors". Sarge can even play the two of them off each other leading up to SummerSlam. It was at MSG too, so it would have been an appropriately big main event for that show (which also did not need to sell 100k tickets either)
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