***Official Pro Wrestling Thread*** (1 Viewer)

[Gawain]

Holy #### that was awesome. That pop when Ambrose came flying back in.....wow.

Great match.

but I didn't like the Kane schtick

Yeah, it sucked, but it was necessary. Rollins can't go over Ambrose legit.

I feel bad for guys like Kingston and Ziggler who could do great things with a push and were only there to further the Ambrose/Rollins storyline.

 

[Abraham]

A month ago I thought Ambrose was the weakest of those three. Now I like him most.

 

[Gawain]

Cole and JBL earned their money during that travesty. They were cracking me up.

 

[Abraham]

Anyone share results please?

 

[Gawain]

Rusev over E, via Acol-something or other

Short bimbo over bonde Bimbo, via Fandango or something

Rollins wins MitB briefcase with assist from Kane (Great match)

Rose over Paul Revere (Sandow), via bunny power. Sandow needs a better gimmick.

Paige over one of the Brodus Clay dancers via something (or maybe the other one won? Forgettable)

Uso's retain the belts, fun match.

The dusts beat Rybaxel. Meh.

 

[SlaX]

Rusev over E, via Acol-something or other

Short bimbo over bonde Bimbo, via Fandango or something

Rollins wins MitB briefcase with assist from Kane (Great match)

Rose over Paul Revere (Sandow), via bunny power. Sandow needs a better gimmick.

Paige over one of the Brodus Clay dancers via something (or maybe the other one won? Forgettable)

Uso's retain the belts, fun match.

The dusts beat Rybaxel. Meh.

Other than the botch by Paige on the ropes, I thought it was a good divas match. Naomi even impressed me in that match.

 

[Gawain]

Short ladder shtick is awesome

 

[Gawain]

Spoiler

Cena wins WWE Heavyweight Champ in a decent match that was nowhere near as good as the briefcase match

The Woman's match didn't impress me because they weren't smooth. There was a moment where the challenger transitioned from a submission into a bridge two-count and it was so awkward.

 

[RBM]

No surprise Cena won but great match.

I actually enjoyed the Big E-Rusev match. Very physical.

 

[RBM]

They don't do a post show anymore?

 

[Gawain]

No surprise Cena won but great match.

I actually enjoyed the Big E-Rusev match. Very physical.

No problem with Cena winning, though he wasn't the focal point of the match (Reigns/Orton/Kane) so it felt outta left field.

Rusev match was quite good, sorry if I sold it short in my wrap up. I just dislike the accolade. He put Langston in it deeper than normal, but it just doesn't strike me as a believable submission.

ETA: And nothing will ever beat Jeff Hardy at WMXXIII for me.

 

[Smack Tripper]

They don't do a post show anymore?

i dont' think they do it for PPV's

 

[Smack Tripper]

What can you say, how many words or thoughts can you waste on this outfit. Tell me they were painted into a corner, but Vince didn't get where he is by playing it safe yet thats all he seems content to do these days. Please, let some competition threaten this company at some point.

All I'll say is this, my stream was a mess and I saw about 50 percent of this PPV. This combined with the direction of the company, and I think it very hard to believe I'll renew the network when the time comes.

 

[SlaX]

They don't do a post show anymore?

i dont' think they do it for PPV's

This is the first time they haven't since the network started. I thought it was rather pointless to have them anyway.

 

[Trey]

What can you say, how many words or thoughts can you waste on this outfit. Tell me they were painted into a corner, but Vince didn't get where he is by playing it safe yet thats all he seems content to do these days. Please, let some competition threaten this company at some point.

All I'll say is this, my stream was a mess and I saw about 50 percent of this PPV. This combined with the direction of the company, and I think it very hard to believe I'll renew the network when the time comes.

Just a tad overdramatic no?

The MITB match was top notch and Cena was the logical choice to put the strap on as Reigns and Wyatt just aren't quite there yet. He'll drop it shortly as these guys continue to cement themselves as show stealers.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

They don't do a post show anymore?

i dont' think they do it for PPV's

This is the first time they haven't since the network started. I thought it was rather pointless to have them anyway.

Yeah I think they had 'press conferences' post PPV's prior.

Thankfully (hopefully) they've done away with those for good.

 

[Smack Tripper]

What can you say, how many words or thoughts can you waste on this outfit. Tell me they were painted into a corner, but Vince didn't get where he is by playing it safe yet thats all he seems content to do these days. Please, let some competition threaten this company at some point.

All I'll say is this, my stream was a mess and I saw about 50 percent of this PPV. This combined with the direction of the company, and I think it very hard to believe I'll renew the network when the time comes.

Just a tad overdramatic no?

The MITB match was top notch and Cena was the logical choice to put the strap on as Reigns and Wyatt just aren't quite there yet. He'll drop it shortly as these guys continue to cement themselves as show stealers.

Its not overdramatic. Its anything but. Its the biggest sigh you ever heard, and from reading some IWC stuff, I'm not alone.

Cena helps sick kids? Truly he is a great great man. I have complete respect for that and if you want to keep him face for that reason, I can almost get it, from the geniune good and also the unfailing present and public PR aspect of this. However, it doesn't mean after a decade it still words creatively.

I say this annectdotally, but I can only tell you this, there was a groudswell of casual interest kind of starting about 3 weeks prior to wrestlemania. I say this based on facebook or talking to some attitude era fans. Maybe my sample size was small, but dare I suggest the mere notion of having new toys was kind of interesting.

Their product isnt bad. Its worse than bad, its boring.

I"m not saying I'll ignore it, but its back to being consumed how I used to take it in, watching the best 15 minutes of Raw on Tuesday night on a sped up DVR instead the appointment viewing it became for me for a few months there.

I know you can't put the belt on reigns, but we are saving these "special moments" for Wyatt and Cesaro for what reason exactly? When does their time come? The plan is for Reigns to headline wrestlemania which means he keeps the strap til Summerslam 2015 or Royal Rumble/Wrestlemania 2016.

They will be "hurt" if they lose to Brock Lesnar at Summerslam? These fake fighters will be "hurt" if they lose to a UFC champion and the guy who beat the streak?

As Punk said, the view never changes.

John Cena will do the View or Live with Michael and Kelly and they can run a clip on raw and feel good that after 30 years, these men in their underwear pretending to fight are FINALLY getting that mainstream rub.. right right? Or you can serve a wrestling audience, who history shows, if they get into something, there is no more effective ambassdorship for their product.

I saw written on the freakin awesome network boards I think, a great point that encapsulates things, Cena is the ever ready, break glass in case of emergency, plan B. The guy headlined PPV's as Punk was champion for 400 days. He is the 800 lb neon gorilla in the room and if you aren't willing to totally go with someone (which to their credit, they did appear ready to do with Bryan) then you will never elevate past him as fans aren't oblivious to perceptions.

I think its no surprise the Cena hate died down during the Wyatt feud in terms of that white hot "we are sick of you" heat. Wrestling fans don't "hate" him, they hate the staleness of him. If he turned heel,you'd see how much things would flip in a MINUTE.

 

[Thunderlips]

What can you say, how many words or thoughts can you waste on this outfit. Tell me they were painted into a corner, but Vince didn't get where he is by playing it safe yet thats all he seems content to do these days. Please, let some competition threaten this company at some point.

All I'll say is this, my stream was a mess and I saw about 50 percent of this PPV. This combined with the direction of the company, and I think it very hard to believe I'll renew the network when the time comes.

Just a tad overdramatic no?

The MITB match was top notch and Cena was the logical choice to put the strap on as Reigns and Wyatt just aren't quite there yet. He'll drop it shortly as these guys continue to cement themselves as show stealers.

Its not overdramatic. Its anything but. Its the biggest sigh you ever heard, and from reading some IWC stuff, I'm not alone.

Cena helps sick kids? Truly he is a great great man. I have complete respect for that and if you want to keep him face for that reason, I can almost get it, from the geniune good and also the unfailing present and public PR aspect of this. However, it doesn't mean after a decade it still words creatively.

I say this annectdotally, but I can only tell you this, there was a groudswell of casual interest kind of starting about 3 weeks prior to wrestlemania. I say this based on facebook or talking to some attitude era fans. Maybe my sample size was small, but dare I suggest the mere notion of having new toys was kind of interesting.

Their product isnt bad. Its worse than bad, its boring.

I"m not saying I'll ignore it, but its back to being consumed how I used to take it in, watching the best 15 minutes of Raw on Tuesday night on a sped up DVR instead the appointment viewing it became for me for a few months there.

I know you can't put the belt on reigns, but we are saving these "special moments" for Wyatt and Cesaro for what reason exactly? When does their time come? The plan is for Reigns to headline wrestlemania which means he keeps the strap til Summerslam 2015 or Royal Rumble/Wrestlemania 2016.

They will be "hurt" if they lose to Brock Lesnar at Summerslam? These fake fighters will be "hurt" if they lose to a UFC champion and the guy who beat the streak?

As Punk said, the view never changes.

John Cena will do the View or Live with Michael and Kelly and they can run a clip on raw and feel good that after 30 years, these men in their underwear pretending to fight are FINALLY getting that mainstream rub.. right right? Or you can serve a wrestling audience, who history shows, if they get into something, there is no more effective ambassdorship for their product.

I saw written on the freakin awesome network boards I think, a great point that encapsulates things, Cena is the ever ready, break glass in case of emergency, plan B. The guy headlined PPV's as Punk was champion for 400 days. He is the 800 lb neon gorilla in the room and if you aren't willing to totally go with someone (which to their credit, they did appear ready to do with Bryan) then you will never elevate past him as fans aren't oblivious to perceptions.

I think its no surprise the Cena hate died down during the Wyatt feud in terms of that white hot "we are sick of you" heat. Wrestling fans don't "hate" him, they hate the staleness of him. If he turned heel,you'd see how much things would flip in a MINUTE.

I'm pretty much playing devil's advocate, as I do thing they have the ability to "get away from the script" while maintaining consistency....but to be fair; are you sure the product being presented today is for your (or me or any other wrestling fan over the age of 18) consumption?

 

[Ghost Rider]

In all fairness, Punk quitting and Bryan's injury probably screwed up some of their plans for this year, but I generally agree with you, Smack Tripper. I've barely watched since Bryan got hurt.

 

[Courtjester]

I thought the MITB ladder match was pretty good. Rollins took some pretty good shots.

Some of the matches were just pure filler. Adam Rose needs to go. I just hate the whole thing.

I told myself if this were old WWE and not the new P/C family friendly WWE, Sunny and Layla would have stopped their match, kissed and left Fandango alone in the ring left wondering, but NO, we get a continuation of a storyline no one cares about.

Big E's speech before this match just had me in stitches when he went all old school preacher.

And I know they like to make the whole MITB case a big thing for several months, but it would have a great twist last night to have Orton win the belts only to have Kane knock him out and Rollins cash in the case immediately and walk out with the belts. A storyline of Orton going after HHH would have been more compelling than a Rollins/Cena angle because we all know they are going to be forcing a Cena/Lesnar storyline here in the near future. Rollins just doesn't fit at this point..

Or in the alternative, it would have been great to see WWE mix things up a bit and let someone totally unexpected get a shot--maybe give Kofi a push and then have the belts change hands several times on RAW between now and Slam. That would get people back watching more if they did some unexpected things. Heck you could even have a night where Hornswoggle manages to hold the straps.

Oh well...this is why I don't write for the WWE.

 

[HellToupee]

What are they going to do with Rusev after he's done with the ham&eggers® ? The camel clutch is back in style

looking forward to the Wyatts breakup and maybe family feud

 

[Smack Tripper]

What can you say, how many words or thoughts can you waste on this outfit. Tell me they were painted into a corner, but Vince didn't get where he is by playing it safe yet thats all he seems content to do these days. Please, let some competition threaten this company at some point.

All I'll say is this, my stream was a mess and I saw about 50 percent of this PPV. This combined with the direction of the company, and I think it very hard to believe I'll renew the network when the time comes.

Just a tad overdramatic no?

The MITB match was top notch and Cena was the logical choice to put the strap on as Reigns and Wyatt just aren't quite there yet. He'll drop it shortly as these guys continue to cement themselves as show stealers.

Its not overdramatic. Its anything but. Its the biggest sigh you ever heard, and from reading some IWC stuff, I'm not alone.

Cena helps sick kids? Truly he is a great great man. I have complete respect for that and if you want to keep him face for that reason, I can almost get it, from the geniune good and also the unfailing present and public PR aspect of this. However, it doesn't mean after a decade it still words creatively.

I say this annectdotally, but I can only tell you this, there was a groudswell of casual interest kind of starting about 3 weeks prior to wrestlemania. I say this based on facebook or talking to some attitude era fans. Maybe my sample size was small, but dare I suggest the mere notion of having new toys was kind of interesting.

Their product isnt bad. Its worse than bad, its boring.

I"m not saying I'll ignore it, but its back to being consumed how I used to take it in, watching the best 15 minutes of Raw on Tuesday night on a sped up DVR instead the appointment viewing it became for me for a few months there.

I know you can't put the belt on reigns, but we are saving these "special moments" for Wyatt and Cesaro for what reason exactly? When does their time come? The plan is for Reigns to headline wrestlemania which means he keeps the strap til Summerslam 2015 or Royal Rumble/Wrestlemania 2016.

They will be "hurt" if they lose to Brock Lesnar at Summerslam? These fake fighters will be "hurt" if they lose to a UFC champion and the guy who beat the streak?

As Punk said, the view never changes.

John Cena will do the View or Live with Michael and Kelly and they can run a clip on raw and feel good that after 30 years, these men in their underwear pretending to fight are FINALLY getting that mainstream rub.. right right? Or you can serve a wrestling audience, who history shows, if they get into something, there is no more effective ambassdorship for their product.

I saw written on the freakin awesome network boards I think, a great point that encapsulates things, Cena is the ever ready, break glass in case of emergency, plan B. The guy headlined PPV's as Punk was champion for 400 days. He is the 800 lb neon gorilla in the room and if you aren't willing to totally go with someone (which to their credit, they did appear ready to do with Bryan) then you will never elevate past him as fans aren't oblivious to perceptions.

I think its no surprise the Cena hate died down during the Wyatt feud in terms of that white hot "we are sick of you" heat. Wrestling fans don't "hate" him, they hate the staleness of him. If he turned heel,you'd see how much things would flip in a MINUTE.

I'm pretty much playing devil's advocate, as I do thing they have the ability to "get away from the script" while maintaining consistency....but to be fair; are you sure the product being presented today is for your (or me or any other wrestling fan over the age of 18) consumption?

I actually meant to write that in my post and you are absolutely 100 percent right. I may be the moron for expecting anything more.

I guess, however, when I go back to the roots of my fandom, it was a product that connected across generations. I personally hate things marketed to children. Not for any affront to me but to the way it is presented to them. When I watched or if you look at the crowd at Wrestlemania I (granted 30 years ago) it is not kids in the crowd. It is adults and its a white hot bunch of people. But somehow that stuff translated enough to get us a rock and wrestling cartoon and a explosion of merch. They built the creative and the marketing came.

When you look at a lot of content of that era, they were clearly adults in adult based stories that APPEALED to kids, and I say that from Star Wars to Indiana Jones.

I don't know Thunder, you may very well be right, but I think there is a needle you can thread of :

-not being attitude

-not insulting adults

-holding a kids appeal

And it makes sense to thread it since it brings the most people under your tent

 

[Smack Tripper]

I thought the MITB ladder match was pretty good. Rollins took some pretty good shots.

Some of the matches were just pure filler. Adam Rose needs to go. I just hate the whole thing.

I told myself if this were old WWE and not the new P/C family friendly WWE, Sunny and Layla would have stopped their match, kissed and left Fandango alone in the ring left wondering, but NO, we get a continuation of a storyline no one cares about.

Big E's speech before this match just had me in stitches when he went all old school preacher.

And I know they like to make the whole MITB case a big thing for several months, but it would have a great twist last night to have Orton win the belts only to have Kane knock him out and Rollins cash in the case immediately and walk out with the belts. A storyline of Orton going after HHH would have been more compelling than a Rollins/Cena angle because we all know they are going to be forcing a Cena/Lesnar storyline here in the near future. Rollins just doesn't fit at this point..

Or in the alternative, it would have been great to see WWE mix things up a bit and let someone totally unexpected get a shot--maybe give Kofi a push and then have the belts change hands several times on RAW between now and Slam. That would get people back watching more if they did some unexpected things. Heck you could even have a night where Hornswoggle manages to hold the straps.

Oh well...this is why I don't write for the WWE.

you should, I have gotten infinitely more entertainment value out of your post as opposed to what they came up with. Seriously, I love all this, especially the Fandango angle

I too was going to write about that Kofi pop of him touching the brief cases. They NEVER do a change like that which kills these matches for me frankly. You should have and you NEED a wildcard winner of these matches sometimes. Kofi as the palooka underdog who got a chance at a chase this summer or this year? I can GUARANTEE a bigger and better pop than what they've come up with.

 

[Thunderlips]

I thought the MITB ladder match was pretty good. Rollins took some pretty good shots.

Some of the matches were just pure filler. Adam Rose needs to go. I just hate the whole thing.

I told myself if this were old WWE and not the new P/C family friendly WWE, Sunny and Layla would have stopped their match, kissed and left Fandango alone in the ring left wondering, but NO, we get a continuation of a storyline no one cares about.

Big E's speech before this match just had me in stitches when he went all old school preacher.

And I know they like to make the whole MITB case a big thing for several months, but it would have a great twist last night to have Orton win the belts only to have Kane knock him out and Rollins cash in the case immediately and walk out with the belts. A storyline of Orton going after HHH would have been more compelling than a Rollins/Cena angle because we all know they are going to be forcing a Cena/Lesnar storyline here in the near future. Rollins just doesn't fit at this point..

Or in the alternative, it would have been great to see WWE mix things up a bit and let someone totally unexpected get a shot--maybe give Kofi a push and then have the belts change hands several times on RAW between now and Slam. That would get people back watching more if they did some unexpected things. Heck you could even have a night where Hornswoggle manages to hold the straps.

Oh well...this is why I don't write for the WWE.

I like that....and that's something that I've noticed is more problematic today; we know where everything is going. I don't need VInce Russo S turn swerves.....just give me a slight bend in the road.

 

[Smack Tripper]

What are they going to do with Rusev after he's done with the ham&eggers® ? The camel clutch is back in style

looking forward to the Wyatts breakup and maybe family feud

I thought he should have lost a flukey match last night. These streak gimmicks have their little arc and then when they lose, creative doesnt know what to do with it when your whole thing is domination. I hate that they are going into this cartoony Putin ####, and really it could haunt them as being very bad taste. One or two times, ok, but to continually refer to it, I don't know.

 

[HellToupee]

What are they going to do with Rusev after he's done with the ham&eggers® ? The camel clutch is back in style

looking forward to the Wyatts breakup and maybe family feud

I thought he should have lost a flukey match last night. These streak gimmicks have their little arc and then when they lose, creative doesnt know what to do with it when your whole thing is domination. I hate that they are going into this cartoony Putin ####, and really it could haunt them as being very bad taste. One or two times, ok, but to continually refer to it, I don't know.

When they did this schtick before with Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff they had HH/Sgt Slaughter/Hacksaw around as strong pro American characters. It doesn't seem Rusev & Lana have anyone like that around like that

 

[RBM]

You think Cena winning last night was stale? Just wait until the main event of Battleground gets announced as Cena vs Kane. Lol

 

[Smack Tripper]

You think Cena winning last night was stale? Just wait until the main event of Battleground gets announced as Cena vs Kane. Lol

Man you're right

It has been said that Kane is unkillable, they jerk him around, face, heel, comedic act, scary act but I think they have gone a bridge too far, too fast. How you go from Corporate Kane to main event demon Kane in the span of ONE PPV and play it totally straight is beyond me.

You want to make Kane fresh, feud him with Ruslev and put him in red white and blue Kane gear.

Kane is old, he doesn't have much time left, put him in a nostaglia slot where he can get the occasional pop. Stop with him in the main event.

 

[RBM]

Man how the hell is Cena going to defy the odds and take down the indestructible demon Kane????

 

[Tony Jabroni]

Man how the hell is Cena going to defy the odds and take down the indestructible demon Kane????

Bobby the Brain's documentary was pretty good. We will never see someone as good as him again. His brief interview with a fan and his wife in studio:

Brain: How long have you been married?

Fan: 21 years

Brain: Ya know if you would've killed her on your wedding night, you would be out by now...



MITB was ok. The 2 case matches were entertaining, and I agree Rusev/Big E surprised me. The rest was pretty blah. I think you see Kane feud with Ambrose briefly going forward. Ambrose's promos are $. He's got his schtick down pat, and he is going to be a major star. (If not already)

 

[Jeremy]

Even at the height of Daniel Bryant's popularity, he didn't sell the most merchandise, or have the best quarter hour ratings on Raw, or drive the most PPV buys. John Cena did. He's the face of the company, and it's not even close. Look how huge the Usos have gotten since their partnership with Cena.

While all the 20-something smarks (do they still call them that?) were rending their garments and gnashing their teeth, kids all over the world were dancing in their livingroom. And those kids' parents were happy to see their children happy, especially given the hero of the story is a guy who preaches hustle, loyalty, respect, and to never give up.

 

[Tom Servo]

It has been said that Kane is unkillable, they jerk him around, face, heel, comedic act, scary act but I think they have gone a bridge too far, too fast. How you go from Corporate Kane to main event demon Kane in the span of ONE PPV and play it totally straight is beyond me.

No, it's not. It's wrestling; we threw common sense out the window and peed on it many moons ago.

 

[Smack Tripper]

Even at the height of Daniel Bryant's popularity, he didn't sell the most merchandise, or have the best quarter hour ratings on Raw, or drive the most PPV buys. John Cena did. He's the face of the company, and it's not even close. Look how huge the Usos have gotten since their partnership with Cena.

While all the 20-something smarks (do they still call them that?) were rending their garments and gnashing their teeth, kids all over the world were dancing in their livingroom. And those kids' parents were happy to see their children happy, especially given the hero of the story is a guy who preaches hustle, loyalty, respect, and to never give up.

I think I've been on record here as not being a Daniel Bryan fan or really "getting" his schtick. That said, I supported his elevation on the basis of sometimes the fans should get what they want.

That said, the ratings don't always tell the whole story. Case in point, look at 1997-8 WWE who was creatively yards ahead of WCW and was really starting to get that manistream buzz. Yet they lost to Nitro for 84 straight weeks or whatever it was. And THAT streak began AFTER the nWo summer of 1996 spike that had WCW as being hotter than the WWF.

So I guess my point is, those ratings may have come for Bryan because all the other earmarks were there, particularly with the huge crossover success of the YES movement (and purely organic crossover which the WWE seemed to not embrace since they didn't engineer it). They tried to transfer the chant to the Big show and really when you look at how Bryan was booked, from wasting a month in the Wyatt family for no reason in a gimmick that had little payoff to getting his butt whipped for 9 straight weeks into mania, the booking was right.

I don't know if he could touch Cena and his seasonal color change gimmick (where you need a t, hat AND wristbands) but Bryan had something going.

We'll see if he has it in him to regain and reclaim that

 

[Smack Tripper]

It has been said that Kane is unkillable, they jerk him around, face, heel, comedic act, scary act but I think they have gone a bridge too far, too fast. How you go from Corporate Kane to main event demon Kane in the span of ONE PPV and play it totally straight is beyond me.

No, it's not. It's wrestling; we threw common sense out the window and peed on it many moons ago.

I know, I know but you know, Optimus Prime doesn't stop the transformer movie and say, guys, don't get too worried about this fight with megatron, because we are just created by digitial animators.

You can have some sense of continuity and flow to a story and not insult people in the process

 

[Bogart]

Random thoughts:

• First PPV I have had issues with the WWE server. Was very frustrating as it would seem to drop out at at key points in the matches. Also missed Ambrose coming to the ring.
• Can we get Ambrose some tights? The "street clothed maniac" doesn't work so well when you are booked in the match.
• I like Cena with the belt. I understand what the WWE is trying to do, and it's targeted right at my 9 year old son. He isn't the biggest fan, but know who Cena is and will stop down and watch if Cena is on the TV. Go watch ROI or All-Japan if not your cup of tea.
• Battleground prediction: Kane vs. Cena, Cena wins but is beat up, Rollins comes in to cash in and Cena defies the odds to beat him as well. Show goes off with Brock either standing at the ramp looking at a destroyed Cena or comes in a F5s him.
• Would love to see someone like Kofi have the briefcase, hold it with a heel corporate champ, who does his best to beat up on Kofi keeping him from using the briefcase.
• Rusev needs a loss soon.
• Bo Dallas killed during the pre-show. My favorite guy right now. I'm hoping Bryan calling him a "Bo-ner" and telling him to "Bo Leave" doesn't bury the gimmick like "WHAT?!?" did.

 

[SlaX]

I thought the MITB ladder match was pretty good. Rollins took some pretty good shots.

Some of the matches were just pure filler. Adam Rose needs to go. I just hate the whole thing.

I told myself if this were old WWE and not the new P/C family friendly WWE, Sunny and Layla would have stopped their match, kissed and left Fandango alone in the ring left wondering, but NO, we get a continuation of a storyline no one cares about.

Big E's speech before this match just had me in stitches when he went all old school preacher.

And I know they like to make the whole MITB case a big thing for several months, but it would have a great twist last night to have Orton win the belts only to have Kane knock him out and Rollins cash in the case immediately and walk out with the belts. A storyline of Orton going after HHH would have been more compelling than a Rollins/Cena angle because we all know they are going to be forcing a Cena/Lesnar storyline here in the near future. Rollins just doesn't fit at this point..

Or in the alternative, it would have been great to see WWE mix things up a bit and let someone totally unexpected get a shot--maybe give Kofi a push and then have the belts change hands several times on RAW between now and Slam. That would get people back watching more if they did some unexpected things. Heck you could even have a night where Hornswoggle manages to hold the straps.

Oh well...this is why I don't write for the WWE.

you should, I have gotten infinitely more entertainment value out of your post as opposed to what they came up with. Seriously, I love all this, especially the Fandango angle

I too was going to write about that Kofi pop of him touching the brief cases. They NEVER do a change like that which kills these matches for me frankly. You should have and you NEED a wildcard winner of these matches sometimes. Kofi as the palooka underdog who got a chance at a chase this summer or this year? I can GUARANTEE a bigger and better pop than what they've come up with.

I thought it was odd that Kofi got that pop. The crowd couldn't have been more silent during his entrance.

 

[JB Breakfast Club]

Cena vs. Brock at SummerSlam is the big money match. I suppose it will be for the title, but WWE could also shotgun the angle by having Brock do a beat down followed by an opportunistic cash in. They've shown in the past (CM Punk's long reign) that they will move the title match down the line if necessary.

How about Cena vs. Brock as the main event but the 3 Shield guys fighting over the belt? Does that do anything for you?

 

[Jeremy]

Even at the height of Daniel Bryant's popularity, he didn't sell the most merchandise, or have the best quarter hour ratings on Raw, or drive the most PPV buys. John Cena did. He's the face of the company, and it's not even close. Look how huge the Usos have gotten since their partnership with Cena.

While all the 20-something smarks (do they still call them that?) were rending their garments and gnashing their teeth, kids all over the world were dancing in their livingroom. And those kids' parents were happy to see their children happy, especially given the hero of the story is a guy who preaches hustle, loyalty, respect, and to never give up.

I think I've been on record here as not being a Daniel Bryan fan or really "getting" his schtick. That said, I supported his elevation on the basis of sometimes the fans should get what they want.

That said, the ratings don't always tell the whole story. Case in point, look at 1997-8 WWE who was creatively yards ahead of WCW and was really starting to get that manistream buzz. Yet they lost to Nitro for 84 straight weeks or whatever it was. And THAT streak began AFTER the nWo summer of 1996 spike that had WCW as being hotter than the WWF.

So I guess my point is, those ratings may have come for Bryan because all the other earmarks were there, particularly with the huge crossover success of the YES movement (and purely organic crossover which the WWE seemed to not embrace since they didn't engineer it). They tried to transfer the chant to the Big show and really when you look at how Bryan was booked, from wasting a month in the Wyatt family for no reason in a gimmick that had little payoff to getting his butt whipped for 9 straight weeks into mania, the booking was right.

I don't know if he could touch Cena and his seasonal color change gimmick (where you need a t, hat AND wristbands) but Bryan had something going.

We'll see if he has it in him to regain and reclaim that

I didn't mean to disparage Daniel Bryan. I think he's a hell of a performer with a lot of upside if he can get healthy. But it's still John Cena who rings the cash register most consistently for the WWE. It has been for years and it will likely continue to be that way for the forseeable future.

Honestly I don't get the hate. He's an excellent performer, IMO. Many of his matches are fantastic. His mic work is good when he's not trying to do comedy (please stop trying to do comedy). He makes a great entrance. He's safe to watch with the kids. What's not to like?

 

[HellToupee]

Random thoughts:

• Rusev needs a loss soon.
• Bo Dallas killed during the pre-show. My favorite guy right now. I'm hoping Bryan calling him a "Bo-ner" and telling him to "Bo Leave" doesn't bury the gimmick like "WHAT?!?" did.

1-agree

2-Bo kills me , want to see more . Maybe with his brother somehow?

 

[RBM]

Rollins has to successfully cash in, but I don't think it will happen until closer to the end of the year. Last year Sandow failed at his cash in and they cannot have that 2 yrs in a row, or else the importance of winning that match goes way down. N

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Kofi wins the briefcase MITB match

Cena wins the WWE world title MITB match

Kofi cashes in right after Cena wins, wins the belt and turns heel in the process.

I was being sarcastic, but they actually convinced me during the match that Kofi was going to get the case.

That MITB match was fantastic even with dumb Kane finish. Always seems the great matches always have the overbooked ending. Did it really need the crappy Kane chokeslam??? It was literally the worst spot in the whole match.

I thought the PPV was great. Even Russev/Big E was solid. I'm sure Russev will get fed to Cena or the returning Big Show (latter of which makes zero sense but whatever). CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSH I actually like Russev as the guy can actually work and not a stiff like Vladimir Kozlov or Ezeikel Jackson.

Dallas should go 199 and Bo and beat Cena for 200. Better luck next time good buddy and one day you'll be as good as me. All you gotta do is BO LIEVE. Guy is far and away my favorite thing going in WWE. Probably my favorite new character/gimmick of the past decade. Guy is gold with that gimmick and on the mic.

 

[OC Zed]

I concur with the earlier comment about Ambrose's new outfit. It's like the 2014 version of DDP which was also lame in 1998. The new outfits on the other ex-Shield members are also pretty bad. Rollins looks like an X-Man (the pleather top with the ab carveouts is reminiscent of Giant Gonzalez) and Reigns' new cargo pants with white stitching is even cheesier than before.

 

[OC Zed]

Am I the only one that just rolls my eyes every time I see Reigns on camera? The guy has poor mic skills and is even more limited in his actual in-ring ability. He's getting a monster push only because he has "the look." The fans are currently going for him, but wow, will this get really stale once he actually gets the belt and they need to revolve everything around him.

My other thoughts from last night's show...

I'm starting to really dig the Usos, but I don't see them being effective without the belts as the rest of the tag is so barren right now.

Naomi is really athletic. I could see her putting on some great matches with Paige, but they'll never let that develop.

I thought Damian Sandow's Paul Rever shtick was pretty funny, but apparently I'm the only one. Watching that match, it was so obvious to me that they had the face/heel roles all wrong. Rose could be great as the obnoxious heel. Sandow could be great as the obnoxious face ("The elbow is coming!!! The elbow is coming!!!" ).

Big E is just so boring to me. I don't get all of the positive reviews of this match. The spear was the only highlight and even that was just "meh" compared to everything else on the card.

Goldstar got ZERO pop from the audience. People seem more confused than anything else. It's not really the type of stuff you can cheer or boo over, so does it really work? Will this gimmick even make it to Summerslam?

Cheap finish aside, Rollins really earned the briefcase last night. He took 3 hellacious bumps with the ladders. This was a fantastic match all around. I'm curious as to how Barrett would have performed here. I don't know if his style is really suited to this kind of match - maybe this was addition by subtraction.

The world title match was a big letdown after the MITB match. "Hey, let's put a bunch of older guys into the world title match because they've got 'the look' and check all the demographic boxes even though they can't really wrestle like the midcard guys." This sort of has shades of late '90s WCW... not as bad, obviously, but still...

 

[Thunderlips]

Kofi wins the briefcase MITB match

Cena wins the WWE world title MITB match

Kofi cashes in right after Cena wins, wins the belt and turns heel in the process.

I was being sarcastic, but they actually convinced me during the match that Kofi was going to get the case.

That MITB match was fantastic even with dumb Kane finish. Always seems the great matches always have the overbooked ending. Did it really need the crappy Kane chokeslam??? It was literally the worst spot in the whole match.

I thought the PPV was great. Even Russev/Big E was solid. I'm sure Russev will get fed to Cena or the returning Big Show (latter of which makes zero sense but whatever). CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSH I actually like Russev as the guy can actually work and not a stiff like Vladimir Kozlov or Ezeikel Jackson.

Dallas should go 199 and Bo and beat Cena for 200. Better luck next time good buddy and one day you'll be as good as me. All you gotta do is BO LIEVE. Guy is far and away my favorite thing going in WWE. Probably my favorite new character/gimmick of the past decade. Guy is gold with that gimmick and on the mic.

Although I like the Russian schtick...they need to get Russev out of it....and the whole squash mentality. The guy moves well. If they don't burn him as the unstoppable Russian....he could be a upper mid carder for a number of years.

Would they or have they ever ( I'm sure it's been done before as there's not much New Under the Wrestling Sun) worked an angle where a guy basically broke out of his predesignated schtick? Have this Russev guy go thru the motions with the chick....start him with that little speech he does and then just have him be like "#### it"....." they want me to do this ####...well I'm not going to do it"....and then run with that.

 

[OC Zed]

Also, I know I can't be the first person to mention this, but Sheamus really looks like he gets 'antiqued' every time he comes out. The human body can't be that naturally white.

 

[Tiger Fan]

Still don't understand why they devalue the belts so much. The only one that matters is the heavyweight belts. And even those only get "officially defended" at big pay per views.

Seems like they're missing out on huge opportunities.

 

[Rush Limbaugh Fan]

Why not have Cena do eight matches every raw/smackdown and have him win them all? Might as well....

 

[valhallan]

Honestly I don't get the hate. He's an excellent performer, IMO. Many of his matches are fantastic. His mic work is good when he's not trying to do comedy (please stop trying to do comedy). He makes a great entrance. He's safe to watch with the kids. What's not to like?

I don't like that he makes it all look easy. Brutal last man standing match with Bray Wyatt ends with Cena flashing his homeboy sign and running back down to the ring like he just arrived at the arena. Last night's brutal ladder match ends with him just running up there and grabbing them. No drama, no selling, no nothing. Randy Orton is out there bleeding like Old Faithful for god sakes. Would it kill Cena to hold his side or slowly go up the ladder or something? It takes away from the tremendous efforts of guys like Wyatt and Ambrose who are trying to tell a story when Cena just bounces around like it's easy.

Yeah, I get. It's for kids. Just make an effort.

 

[Thunderlips]

Honestly I don't get the hate. He's an excellent performer, IMO. Many of his matches are fantastic. His mic work is good when he's not trying to do comedy (please stop trying to do comedy). He makes a great entrance. He's safe to watch with the kids. What's not to like?

I don't like that he makes it all look easy. Brutal last man standing match with Bray Wyatt ends with Cena flashing his homeboy sign and running back down to the ring like he just arrived at the arena. Last night's brutal ladder match ends with him just running up there and grabbing them. No drama, no selling, no nothing. Randy Orton is out there bleeding like Old Faithful for god sakes. Would it kill Cena to hold his side or slowly go up the ladder or something? It takes away from the tremendous efforts of guys like Wyatt and Ambrose who are trying to tell a story when Cena just bounces around like it's easy.

Yeah, I get. It's for kids. Just make an effort.

Hasn't the unstoppable hero been part of the wrestling playbook since time immemorial? I get what you're saying....but you could have dropped a truck on Hogan back in the day and he would have brushed it off.

 

[valhallan]

Honestly I don't get the hate. He's an excellent performer, IMO. Many of his matches are fantastic. His mic work is good when he's not trying to do comedy (please stop trying to do comedy). He makes a great entrance. He's safe to watch with the kids. What's not to like?

I don't like that he makes it all look easy. Brutal last man standing match with Bray Wyatt ends with Cena flashing his homeboy sign and running back down to the ring like he just arrived at the arena. Last night's brutal ladder match ends with him just running up there and grabbing them. No drama, no selling, no nothing. Randy Orton is out there bleeding like Old Faithful for god sakes. Would it kill Cena to hold his side or slowly go up the ladder or something? It takes away from the tremendous efforts of guys like Wyatt and Ambrose who are trying to tell a story when Cena just bounces around like it's easy.

Yeah, I get. It's for kids. Just make an effort.

Hasn't the unstoppable hero been part of the wrestling playbook since time immemorial? I get what you're saying....but you could have dropped a truck on Hogan back in the day and he would have brushed it off.

Of course. People ask why the 'hate' and that's my main beef with Cena. He can't help that the WWE wants to book him as conquerer of all, but it would help some of these younger guys if he expressed some kind of difficulty in dispatching them. Bray Wyatt in particular strikes me as a once in a generation talent that might just fall off the map waiting for the Cena domination to end. It's pretty disappointing and definitely makes me consider giving up the product again.