The Ultimate WWE Thread

[Disco]

Because he isn't going to win it.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Then pick someone over than Cesaro?

We all know that wins and losses don't matter but I always feel that it should.

[Gray Fox]

i'm waiting for A-E-DUB to get onto it's regular TV slot before I judge it properly.

It's easier to get on with having 1 show a month and making it great. WWE have the problem of 3-4 shows per week, sometimes up to 5 if there's a PPV on. It's hard to keep that good. Especially with the guy that runs the show living in his own world.

[Queenslander]

Im pretty sure Cesrao is a Heyman guy.

[Pleb]

Why Cesaro over Aleister Black?
Probably because you got Paul Heyman pulling most of the strings?

If it was Vince he'd strip RTruth off the 247 thingy and give him the Universal belt.

[Pleb]

Also Randy Orton may retire due to another neck injury that may well and truly fuck him.

[Ian]

Just have Jezza win that BR, then I can just skip the match altogether.

Although "What are you gonna do about it, you piece of shit?" to Rollins after the End of Days was great.

[Ian]

Genuinely forgot as I was posting the above that of course the Battle Royal had already happened. :face:

So Rollins to do the 10 minute bump 'n' lose job.

I wonder what the plan is with Bork's reign this time. I'll laugh my hole off if it's to set him up to eventually lose to Reigns again.

EDIT: Further reading through the results, who on Earth thought giving Natalya, Naomi, Carmella and Alexa 25 minutes of TV time was a good idea?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

25? Fucking hell.

Naomi is just a few days off knocking Tamina out silly with a knee too.

[Ian]

I didn't realise, but probably should have guessed, that the Evolve show was on the Network. Anybody watch it? I definitely want to see Gulak / Riddle.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I'm tempted by that and Cole/Tozawa.

Might just watch those two.

[Ian]

I didn't realise that this "Raw Reunion" which is undoubtedly going to be a bit tragic was basically forced on WWE by USA Network. Dear me.

[Browning]

To the shock of everyone it turns out the fan base didn’t actually want women’s wrestling. Who knew?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The company aren't exactly helping.

Lacey Evans and now Natalya? Ugh.

[Browning]

Unless Baron Corbin is getting the same reactions that doesn’t really hold up though. It’s like people expected every feud to be Sasha vs Bayley from NXT levels of quality.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Apparently Finn has asked for 2 months off after Summerslam.

[Ian]

Ah, that's why he's going to lose to Bray then.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Ah, that's why he's going to lose to Bray then.

Yeah, must be a Demon vs 'The Fiend' (ffs) 'Slam match with Finn getting written off.

[Browning]

Is Bray Wyatt going to be a hairy faced woman this time?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://i.redd.it/l9hdrkh1kna31.png

He has a shit Halloween mask.

HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!

[Ian]

Is Bray Wyatt going to be a hairy faced woman this time?

Sadly not. :(

[Ian]

https://cdn3.whatculture.com/images/2019/07/0965c90d410155b3-600x338.gif

Best in the World.

[Browning]

Perfect example of why he’s the best. Why has no one else thought of doing that to avoid a stunner.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

He was trying to one up Taker with his 'fake' tombstone before the real one.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Proper lol at the replay which cut out the fuck up.

[Gray Fox]

He's so good the others can't keep up with his speed. We are blessed.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Is it wrong that I'm really excited for 'RAW Reunion'? If only because we'll get to hear Stone Cold's theme, get him drinking beer and more than likely stunning Shane/someone else.

Don't even care if the other 99% is absolute horseshit.

[Ian]

As long as you're also on board with them next time they decide to wheel out some clapped out old dickhead in place of an actual capable wrestler because it all stems from the same thing.

[Shindig]

They used to do this once in a blue moon. Now it's at least twice a year.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

As long as you're also on board with them next time they decide to wheel out some clapped out old dickhead in place of an actual capable wrestler because it all stems from the same thing.

Depends on the clapped out old dickhead.

Speaking of clapped out old dickheads, why is everyone going mental over Taker's performance? Sure it was better than he's done in a while but it wasn't actually amazing like many are making it out to be.

[Ian]

Because people are idiots. And the announcers had the shovels out to make sure they were laying it on sufficiently thick during that match.

"SUPERHUMAN ATHLETICISM FROM THE DEADMAN!" crowed Corey Graves, as Undertaker was helped up to the top rope by Shane so he could step off it to perform Old School.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Even the mongs on reddit were hyping him up and saying it was the best match on the card. Madness.

[Ian]

You'd have to be pretty close to climax in your nostalgiawank to be thinking it was even in the top five matches on the show.

[Disco]

Old School must be the shittest signature move going.

[Ian]

Jezza having to be thrown under a specific part of the bottom rope by an amnesiac so he can do that clothesline must be up there.

There's a spot open at the top of such a list now we don't have to endure the LUNATIC LARIAT any more.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Jezza having to be thrown under a specific part of the bottom rope by an amnesiac so he can do that clothesline must be up there.

There's a spot open at the top of such a list now we don't have to endure the LUNATIC LARIAT any more.

But, THE ATHLETICISM ON DISPLAY BY CORBIN is a joy.

I think Extreme Rules might be the first match I've seen in which he didn't actually use it.

[Ian]

Deep Six and End of Days are great moves. The ringpost clothesline thing is the worst sort of "only because your opponent is an idiot" move.

[SvN]

You'd have to be pretty close to climax in your nostalgiawank to be thinking it was even in the top five matches on the show.

Really? I thought it was a much better match than it had any right to be. It was significantly better than the main event, and even better than the disappointment of AJ v Mr O' Shea. AJ just can't seem to live up to high expectations when he's against someone else that hyped up.

What 5 were better? The only matches I'd have potentially being better were the last man standing match and the triple threat tag match.

[Ian]

It was better than I expected it to be but that was an incredibly low bar. US title, both sets of tag titles, WWE title and Black / Cesaro I'd have above it.

It was more carefully booked around various people's limitations but I still didn't think much of it. Even if Undertaker no-selling the attacks of three men was a bit lol.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Really? I thought it was a much better match than it had any right to be. It was significantly better than the main event, and even better than the disappointment of AJ v Mr O' Shea. AJ just can't seem to live up to high expectations when he's against someone else that hyped up.

What 5 were better? The only matches I'd have potentially being better were the last man standing match and the triple threat tag match.

It was definitely better than it should have been but I don't think it deserves the massive wankathon it has gotten with people claiming the Undertaker IS BACK.

I had Aleister Black/Cesaro as the best on the card, then the triple threat tag match, Last Man Standing and AJ/O'Shea (although I do think they could push out a much better match).

[SvN]

Sorry, but AJ v O'Shea was shit. It was just a bunch of moves after one another.

I enjoyed Black v Cesaro though.

[Disco]

Jezza having to be thrown under a specific part of the bottom rope by an amnesiac so he can do that clothesline must be up there.

There's a spot open at the top of such a list now we don't have to endure the LUNATIC LARIAT any more.

Weirdly I've not seen much of that one during the G1, they must be protecting it for the big occasion.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I hadn't seen the LUNATIC LARIAT before, it's hilariously shit.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Killian Dain/Riddle :drool:

Oh fuck I can't wait for that.

[Ian]

Sorry, but AJ v O'Shea was shit. It was just a bunch of moves after one another.

I don't recall it that way as those matches usually do my head in but I'd need to rewatch it if either of us really cared enough to argue it out.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Kushida :drool:

https://media.giphy.com/media/h8fZLCkqLEOn1ChCMp/giphy.gif

[Browning]

Without seeing a single moment of either I feel confident in saying there’s no way in hell a match between styles and ricochet could ever be as bad as one with 2019 Taker and fucking Shane McMahon.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Also, it's clear that McIntyre has entered Boatman territory.

No way they'd have kept him with Dolph fucking Ziggler for so long or made him a muscle man to THE BEST IN THE WORLD if they were going to give him a title anytime soon.

[Ian]

Yeah he's been Boatman'd without even being given as much initial direction as Boatman was. And hasn't even had a chance to look like a chump against Bork yet.

[Queenslander]

Hangman Page has so much upside. I hope they let him carry the title for a year.


https://youtu.be/C8sKy0veFfY

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://static.wrestletalk.com/app/uploads/2019/07/247-comiccon.jpg

:cool:

Unfortunately The Hurricane (who is getting wider by the year) was unsuccessful in his attempts for the title.

[phonics]

Hangman Page is fucking boring. The entire top end of the AEW card is very heavyweight boxing post Tyson/Holyfield/Lewis.

[Queenslander]

Hangman Page is fucking boring. The entire top end of the AEW card is very heavyweight boxing post Tyson/Holyfield/Lewis.

Out of everyone available in wrestling today who would be a guy you would watch?

[Disco]

I don't think phonics actually likes wrestling, literally everyone is 'boring'.

Oh, and Page should absolutely not be winning the title. Putting it on Jericho and letting someone else chase him is the only move.

[Queenslander]

I don't think phonics actually likes wrestling, literally everyone is 'boring'.

Oh, and Page should absolutely not be winning the title. Putting it on Jericho and letting someone else chase him is the only move.

I agree I was just hyped up for young Hangman.

[Disco]

Ishii vs Mockerserley was sublime, I was genuinely agape at the frog-splash off the top.

[Queenslander]

Ishii vs Mockerserley was sublime, I was genuinely agape at the frog-splash off the top.

It really is Ishii's time to win the G1 and the IWGP belt even if he doesnt hold it for a big match at WK.

[Ian]

http://cdn3.whatculture.com/images/2019/07/ceb680cd0c82eb47-600x338.jpg

The nick of 'em.

[Lewis]

Was it as horrible as it sounds?

[Ian]

I've not seen any of it yet bar the Usos getting Doctor Cena to do a rap right at the start.

Even the more positive review I read made it sound like they were just letting a lot of shit go because nostalgia. Generally sounds pretty shit though. I might just watch the Austin promo at the end and leave it at that.

It sounds like about the only person who may have directly benefited from the presence of all the old twats is Bray beating up Foley. And even that's not going to actually amount to anything.

[Browning]

The real winner was the 24/7 championship which finally got some prestige.

[Disco]

Seth Rollings really should be banned from twitter, he's embarrassingly bad at it.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Was it as horrible as it sounds?

The reviews I usually read (411mania) gave it a 3 out of 10.

I don't think that makes it the worst RAW this year but it's not far off.

[Gray Fox]

Seth Rollings really should be banned from twitter, he's embarrassingly bad at it.

I got the pride in your workplace/colleagues thing I think he tried at the very start of this, but the guy has spent far too much time with Vince McMahon and it is showing.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I've not seen any of it yet bar the Usos getting Doctor Cena to do a rap right at the start.

Lewis will be annoyed that Cena never removed his hat so we couldn't see his hairline.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The real winner was the 24/7 championship which finally got some prestige.

And lost it all when they gave it to drunk Alundra Blaze to tease the WCW throwing it in the bin.

[Smjffy]

I clocked it this morning that it was a Raw Reunion and that Austin was going to be on so I foolishly watched the entire thing this afternoon. Let me do you all a solid if you haven't already seen it, don't bother.

[Smjffy]

And lost it all when they gave it to drunk Alundra Blaze to tease the WCW throwing it in the bin.

Only to be 'saved' by being bought for a few quid instead.

I didn't have a clue who the first guy holding it is and I still don't. Not R-Truth, the white dude.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Only to be 'saved' by being bought for a few quid instead.

I didn't have a clue who the first guy holding it is and I still don't. Not R-Truth, the white dude.

Drake Maverick.

He was hired to be the GM of 205 Live (still is) as well as manager for the AOP but they've been using him as a 'comedy act' especially with the 24/7 title. He even allowed them to do a title change at his wedding (likely just after the actual ceremony).

[Smjffy]

:moop: His name was on his bloody shirt too. I didn't even clock that he's English.

Quite a shame tbh as the show could have been so much better if it were to be a proper reunion. Most really should have stayed at home though.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Bray 'OMG IT'S THE FIEND' Wyatt is so fucking shit.

[Smjffy]

I wonder if he's going to keep the mandible claw as a finisher? That and his other one. I saw they gave Kevin Owen the stunner which can only be a good thing.

I really wish I gave enough of a shit to tune in more often but it's just wank.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The bad thing about giving Owens the stunner is that he's stopped using the pop-up powerbomb.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Finished with the reunion and yeah it was shit.

Stone Cold still has IT though. They'd have been better off just having his music hit every single match, come out, stun someone, drink a can and then go back in.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1153529091070386177

Running the ropes and still entertaining everyone even after the show went off air.

[Ian]

Still the most jarring thing about the whole affair is the inexplicable decision to have Alicia Fox be part of the reunion.

Has she ever been anything other than terrible?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

No.

She was on a hiatus because she wrestled a house show match pissed (probably improved her performance tbh) and Arn Anderson was sacked for letting her.

[Ian]

I mean it'd be weird for any active member of the fucking roster to be in there but fucking Fox? Who's current gimmick is "sometimes wears a hat"? And hasn't ever had a good match?

[Disco]

In the world of less shitty wrestling the G1 is back today. Naito / Ishii & Shingo / Mockockerserly should be the pick of the card.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I mean it'd be weird for any active member of the fucking roster to be in there but fucking Fox? Who's current gimmick is "sometimes wears a hat"? And hasn't ever had a good match?

You of all people should know the power of a hat.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

They really should give Santino a mountain of cash just to come back, piss around and go after the 24/7 title too.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Smackdown was so much better than RAW (it wasn't great but it was decent) and The New Day on commentary is just so good.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

AEW to start weekly on October second.

[Browning]

Just seen the Austin promo... that was almost Rock return levels of shite. The best bit was him saying he was worried backstage about what he was going to say. He should have worried a bit more... at least then he may have remembered his own fucking catchphrase.

[Ian]

Smackdown was alright. KO needs to work on making that Stunner a bit more fluid (though perhaps doing them to somebody who's not Shane would help) but it was nice to see the show end with some babyfaces not being hilariously stupid.

I reckon post-Summerslam I might bin off the Network and just get it for the Big Four / Takeover combos four times a year. I've basically done all the catch-up I want to, NXT is a solid show but doesn't contain a lot of actual content every week and there's nothing that comes on the originals regular enough for it to be worth keeping the sub.

And more importantly of course I never seem to come out of a show going "Man that was a totally excellent use of my four hours."

Whether I care enough to transfer my viewing elsewhere or if I just follow what's happening and find the odd match to watch when they are well received I dunno.

[Ian]

Looking at the NXT results, it's nice that it sounds like Dunne is gonna be in NXT for a bit and him / Dream / Strong at Takeover should be ace. I do wonder if Dunne is there to eat a pinfall but we'll see.

Also surprised that Keith Lee lost the match with Priest. I thought after he was halted a bit by Dijakovic's injury and then his own this looked like they were finally start going to give him some momentum. Fingers crossed they still are.

[Disco]

Smackdown was alright. KO needs to work on making that Stunner a bit more fluid (though perhaps doing them to somebody who's not Shane would help) but it was nice to see the show end with some babyfaces not being hilariously stupid.

I reckon post-Summerslam I might bin off the Network and just get it for the Big Four / Takeover combos four times a year. I've basically done all the catch-up I want to, NXT is a solid show but doesn't contain a lot of actual content every week and there's nothing that comes on the originals regular enough for it to be worth keeping the sub.

And more importantly of course I never seem to come out of a show going "Man that was a totally excellent use of my four hours."

Whether I care enough to transfer my viewing elsewhere or if I just follow what's happening and find the odd match to watch when they are well received I dunno.


Come and join us Ian, complete the trajectory.

https://i.imgur.com/sGL5whT.jpg

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Jimmy Uso arrested for another DUI.

Not even a week after Cena was joking about their past arrests.

[Ian]

Come and join us Ian, complete the trajectory.

The only problem is that of the super hyped Meltzer-baiting matches I've seen have been good but I haven't understood all the OMGWTFery around them.

I probably will give it a bash but I don't anticipate the frothiness being induced in me as it has been with you guys.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Looking at the NXT results, it's nice that it sounds like Dunne is gonna be in NXT for a bit and him / Dream / Strong at Takeover should be ace. I do wonder if Dunne is there to eat a pinfall but we'll see.

Also surprised that Keith Lee lost the match with Priest. I thought after he was halted a bit by Dijakovic's injury and then his own this looked like they were finally start going to give him some momentum. Fingers crossed they still are.

I wouldn't be surprised if Dunne is there to win. Triple H seems to think SUPER highly of him and rightly so.

There's nothing more for him to achieve in the UK brand.

[Queenslander]

The only problem is that of the super hyped Meltzer-baiting matches I've seen have been good but I haven't understood all the OMGWTFery around them.

I probably will give it a bash but I don't anticipate the frothiness being induced in me as it has been with you guys.

The history of Pro Wrestling NOAH is a good short watch.


https://youtu.be/aYZ6aC0KFsk

[Shindig]

Kim's done another one on Brock's New Japan stint.

[Queenslander]

Kim's done another one on Brock's New Japan stint.

That is also a good watch imo.

[Ian]

I wouldn't be surprised if Dunne is there to win. Triple H seems to think SUPER highly of him and rightly so.

There's nothing more for him to achieve in the UK brand.

I don't think he wins a title when he's only just come onto that particular brand and if Strong wins, which I think he will for a UE "all the gold" angle, it makes most sense to not have Dream be the one lose to further other stuff.

I'd love Dunne to win though.

[phonics]

I'm going to CMLL tonight.

http://cmll.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/viernes-35.jpg

I went up there earlier to try take a few pictures because cameras are banned there (I pointed out that phones have a camera and asked if they were banned, they weren't)

The most popular food stand in the area was called 'Baby Faces' but my favourite thing I took was directly opposite the entrance of the Arena Mexico:
https://i.imgur.com/lh3MS1m.png

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The new Network is going to take some getting used to.

[Disco]

I'm going to CMLL tonight.

http://cmll.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/viernes-35.jpg

I went up there earlier to try take a few pictures because cameras are banned there (I pointed out that phones have a camera and asked if they were banned, they weren't)

The most popular food stand in the area was called 'Baby Faces' but my favourite thing I took was directly opposite the entrance of the Arena Mexico:
https://i.imgur.com/lh3MS1m.png

I know nothing about the Mexi-graps but I've seen Rush before and he's great.

[phonics]

Best sporting event I've ever seen, included Vickie Guerrero (was literally sat next to her) telling me that I missed the best bit when I went for a piss while I tried to explain to her I didn't speak spanish so the promo sections were crap.<br><br>I was so close to ringside that at one point a wrestler took a fans beer and smashed it over the guys head and I got the brunt of it.

PS. Has anyone ever watched CMLL before? I didnt have a clue what was going on the entire time, There seemed to be 3 rounds but they weren't time or pin based?

[Shindig]

If I spot you on Botchamania, you've taken the board to new heights.

[Ian]

The new Network is going to take some getting used to.

Oh it's a bit of a change. Looks slicker.

In time for the new tiered service thingy I guess.

[Disco]

Best sporting event I've ever seen, included Vickie Guerrero (was literally sat next to her) telling me that I missed the best bit when I went for a piss while I tried to explain to her I didn't speak spanish so the promo sections were crap.<br><br>I was so close to ringside that at one point a wrestler took a fans beer and smashed it over the guys head and I got the brunt of it.

PS. Has anyone ever watched CMLL before? I didnt have a clue what was going on the entire time, There seemed to be 3 rounds but they weren't time or pin based?

You get some shows on NJ World so I've seen one or two but not enough to make sense of anything.

[Queenslander]

Brock burried seth? Lol

[Ian]

Mooching about doling out F5s and German suplexes is about 50% of Brock's on-air time. (So about 10% of any given feud he's in.)

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

It's nice that he's added the shit head bounce dancing to his repertoire though.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Raw reunion has gotten me back into the Attitude era watching I was doing and I've decided to watch WCW alongside it.

I've watched 3 episodes of Nitro now and it's weird that Big Show/Giant (who looks incredible) is constantly in mid-card squashes with the World Title. So far he's gone through Shark (I am not a fish), Ice Train and Scott Norton.

Insane the amount of people across both companies who are now dead from that time.

[Ian]

It's nice that he's added the shit head bounce dancing to his repertoire though.

Boombox Brock is the best thing he's done in about three years.

Some surprisingly positive reviews for Raw from last night but given one of those reviews was calling endless squashed for the Fridge Raiders a bad thing and this week had it as a tentative up and that this show also featured Rollins vs. Ziggler I'm not gonna get my hopes up.

[Browning]

Maria challenging someone to pin her while she has her legs in stirrups must be the highlight.

[Ian]

The baby to become 24/7 champion.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The reviewer I read gave it a 6.7 (I will watch it later) which is the best in at least a month.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The baby to become 24/7 champion.

Attitude-Era Vince would have had it crowned a week ago at the very least.

Fuck the PG era.

[Ian]

She gives birth, she's lying back holding the baby, referee counts the three as her shoulders are both against the pillow.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

If you can make it more comedic then you have a chance at being the head writer.

[Disco]

My takeaway from watching the 90s stuff was that it was just as shit as it is now but with better performers.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

My takeaway from watching the 90s stuff was that it was just as shit as it is now but with better performers.

I started at KOTR '96 due to the 3:16 speech and outside of Mankind/Taker, the early rumblings of Bret/Austin and Pillman's got a gun it's been a hard slog.

WCW, in my so far limited experience, seems to be doing better. I can see why they won the ratings war for a good while as they had a much more clear vision (Just about to hit the nWo storyline) with some awful bits. WWF was trying to hit into the 'Attitude Era' but there was still a lot of leftover crap from the New Generation.

Apparently 97 is a lot better.

[Smjffy]

Where are you watching the WCW Nitro stuff, Mahow?

[Ian]

We had this conversation previously but there was a bit of resistance in the form of "Noooooo but Attitude Era :cry:"

The main difference really is just the freedom for guys to try and get themselves over unlike now where somebody gets over in a way that wasn't scripted or intended by Vince / the writers so they get actively punished for it.

[Ian]

It's all on the Network, Smjffy .

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Where are you watching the WCW Nitro stuff, Mahow?

It's on the WWE Network.

They've got loads from all the promotions they've taken over along the years.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Nice of Corey to give away the end of the Tag match before it even started. In talking about how a triple threat tag match works he mentioned how 'Luke Gallows could, for example, pin Jimmy Uso and win the titles. Erm... Or vice versa'.

Just happened to be the exact pinning combo.

He also called Seth the Universal champion so...

[phonics]

PS. Has anyone ever watched CMLL before? I didnt have a clue what was going on the entire time, There seemed to be 3 rounds but they weren't time or pin based?

It’s 2 out of 3 falls most of the time, but with a strange caveat. Most of the time there is a captain/team leader. If you pin/submit him then that counts as the first fall.

However, if you instead pin or submit 1 of the other 2 members of the team you must pin or submit the other non-captain or the captain himself to pick up a fall. This is why often times you will see 2 simultaneous pin/submissions, because they need both those to get the first fall.

Also, if you pin/submit the non-captain they can no longer be part of the round. Making it a 2 on 3 match, but only for the rest of the round. Once the next round starts, things are wiped clean and it goes back to 3 on 3.

no wonder I didn't know what was happening

[Ian]

It was better than most episodes of Raw and had two properly solid matches and a few things nudged in the right direction but I think the positivity I saw was mostly just it not being its usual car crash.

The Raw tag title change is a good news / bad news situation.

[Ian]

This Summerslam card is getting Wrestlemania-levels of no-build.

Reigns / Bryan, Charlotte / Stratus and Ziggler / Goldberg (:face:) all added with bugger all time left.

EDIT: Reigns / Bryan doesn't appear to be official yet, now I look again.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

It's also Ziggler/Miz.

Although it's been rumored that it will be scrapped or Goldberg replacing Miz. Lol.

Wonder if Bill will knock himself silly pre-match again.

[Ian]

The headline I saw suggested Ziggler and Goldberg had actually been announced but it seems to be more Meltzer talk. So still a reasonable chance of a match that presumably literally nobody wants, or has ever wanted, to see.

[Queenslander]

This is a good yarn.



https://youtu.be/HEw2iECgIxw

[Shindig]

Harley Race passed away at 76. Hopefully they re-run the Ron Simmons racism angle in his honour.

[Disco]

Of course Yano gets the first singles win in NJ over Nambrose. This G1 has been ridiculous in the best way possible.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1157823269103423488

:sick:

Click it to see the actual rankness.

[Shindig]

It's not that bad. It's his inner thigh, not his bollocks.

[Ian]

I think I'm good not clicking it.

Somebody describe it to me. Be my eyes.

[Gray Fox]

I think I'm good not clicking it.

Somebody describe it to me. Be my eyes.

He has a hole in his left leg, just over halfway down on the inside of his thigh.

[Ian]

So in standard 'babyfaces are idiots' WWE writing Rollins wobbled down the ring to eat another beating from Bork without apparently having any plan for duffing him up other than hoping the chair he was using to lean on would be enough to give him the advantage.

I can't imagine Bork losing the title this soon but it would be weird to bury Rollings this way just to have him lose. I don't really imagine any sort of shady finish either so I dunno what they're up to.

[Shindig]

Hey's a Heyman guy. Heyman writes.

[Browning]

Hopefully it’s a sign Heyman isn’t going to subscribe to the “this guy looks good on RAW.. gets owned on PPV” formula that has made 90% of matches predictable as fuck for ages.

[Ian]

That would be a good thing to come out of it. Although he's not even laid a glove on him so it would be odd to have him be completely obliterated for the whole feud. We'll see.

Raw has improved a bit since Heyman took charge.

[Disco]

Todays G1 action will involve Shingo / Ishii and Moxley / Goto.

It's going to be a very meaty evening.

[Ian]

http://whatculture.com/wwe/wwe-in-talks-to-buy-fite-tv

Hmm.

[Queenslander]

Tony Kahn would have the monies to start his own service surely?

[Ian]

Oh I don't imagine it'll affect AEW much beyond inconvenience.

[Queenslander]

FITE is a stupidly expensive app anyway. Have you used it?

[Ian]

No, the only thing I considered it for was the AEW stuff and then I saw the prices and had a good lol before dismissing the idea.

I assume AEW's presence on it is Vince's sole motivation for this because he'd rather dedicate his resources to hindering opposition than just beating it.

[Queenslander]

No, the only thing I considered it for was the AEW stuff and then I saw the prices and had a good lol before dismissing the idea.

I assume AEW's presence on it is Vince's sole motivation for this because he'd rather dedicate his resources to hindering opposition than just beating it.

Yeah this is classic Vince. It will only hurt the likes of ROH and the smaller indies who run free content.

Fingers crossed he does himself serious damage with the XFL.

Edit: MLW is worth a glance if you are looking for American content? Jacob Fatu who is Umaga's nephew is their champion and he is quality IMO.

[Disco]

MLW is fun from the little bits I've seen, there's not enough time to watch everything though. NJ is unmissable right now and I'm keeping tabs on NXT and would like to see a bit of Dragongate, there just isn't enough time for much else.

[Queenslander]

MLW is fun from the little bits I've seen, there's not enough time to watch everything though. NJ is unmissable right now and I'm keeping tabs on NXT and would like to see a bit of Dragongate, there just isn't enough time for much else.

I can barely justify my current NJPW binge atm because it is on at Prime time. MLW, AEW and whatever indie match of the week is all I can manage without getting outed as a creep.

[Pleb]

Am I putting the network back up with watch SummerSlam this year or nah?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I'd suggest no.

Getting the Network for Takeover: Toronto though definitely.

[SvN]

I didn't realise it was this Sunday. I might get it - if only to see if Ziggler tops HBK's selling against Hogan in 2005.

[Ian]

I'm sure Takeover will deliver but this card looks as close to middling as I think they've had in a long time. I don't really need another Gargano / Cole 2/3 falls in my life though I'm sure it'll be decent, I'm not that into the Street Profits and as I'm starting to tire a little of Baszler's title run. Leaving the NA title match which is almost certainly going to be the match of the night and LeRae vs. Shirai which I'm just not especially invested in. On the plus side, unlike the main roster shows I imagine this will probably exceed my expectations.

Summerslam may only end up with about two good matches. Bork / Rollins is gonna be a waste of everybody's time. Natalya is yawn. Bayley vs. Moon has had a crap build and will have no heat at all. Kofi vs. Keith should be at least alright but Keith barely moves these days if he can avoid it. Shane - lol, and the cunt will probably not get the obliterating he needs to get and they'll make KO look a plucky underdog. Wyatt has been feuding himself as Balor has barely been present. Goldberg / Ziggler is a match I'm not sure I could care less about. Stratus / Flair could be good but has also had a build that makes it difficult to care about and is probably going to need to be booked pretty carefully around Stratus.

Leaving the US title match as the only one I'm going into thinking "Oh man, that should be good!" Which almost certainly means based on WWE's recent "dream match" form that it'll manage to be a disappointment.

[SvN]

I'm interested to see how Bray wrestles. I'm wondering if he'll end up with a Mankind/Dude Love style character.

[Ian]

He needs to do some different stuff in the ring, even if it's only the mannerisms and things that change. If THE FIEND just does the Bray Wyatt shtick then he's wasted his time.

[SvN]

Yeah I agree entirely. I like the fact that he's using the mandible claw - that's a great finisher for him. But I really hope he wrestles in a completely different style.

[Ian]

Although this sudden obsession with Attitude Era finishers on existing talent is a bit lol. KO using the Stunner, Wyatt using the Mandible Claw and while others have busted out an X-Factor or two in the intervening years when Ali (I think?) did one on Smackdown they very clearly made a point of mentioning HALL OF FAMER X-PAC.

Mandible Claw is a good finish for him though provided he ever actually wins matches with it. Or, y'know. At all.

[SvN]

I don't really get KO using the stunner. It doesn't really suit him at all, but at least it's better than Cena using the springboard stunner as a regular mid-match move a few years ago.

[Ian]

I'd say it seems a very transparent "HE'S ANTI AUTHORITY LIKE AUSTIN WAS Y'SEE? ATTITUDE ERA!!!" only that he did it for the first time ages ago.

Though I don't think he did it often so that may be why they're pushing it now.

[Disco]

They can't come up with anything new so they have to piggyback on nostalgia.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Io Shirai in tight black leather trousers...

My word.

[Ian]

They can't come up with anything new so they have to piggyback on nostalgia.

Made worse by the fact that when people get over in spite of the booking and scripting they are punished for it.

[Ian]

No idea which match it's for (Rollins? Shane?) but Summerslam is apparently being listed as TV-14 rather than PG, the first WWE PPV to have had that listing since 2008.

[Shindig]

Probably means someone's gonna say "Shit." Probably Brock.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Rollins said shit during the UpUpDownDown livestream last night so it's nailed on.

Looking at the card I'm really not hopeful about it all:

Lesnar/Rollins: I've heard it's going to be a proper match rather than a squash but I think that might be worse, well unless Bork actually cares which he probably wont.

Becky Lynch/Natalya: They've really killed the momentum that the women had when Ronda left (there was no revolution, Vince just cared for 5 minutes), Lacey Evans who never looked good in NXT and now Natazzzzzzzzzzzz.

Bayley/Ember Moon: I'd have been super hyped for this had they not forgotten about/buried Ember since she moved. I loved her in NXT.

Kofi/Randall: Meh, Randy has been crap for ages.

Kevin Owens/THE GREATEST IN THE WORLD: Only good if it really is the end of the Shane story.

Finn/THE FIEND: A man who is clearly disinterested right now against someone in a crap mask.

AJ Styles/Rick O'Shea: If given the time this could be incredible, I'm a little too excited for it which means it will probably be crap and will have too much interference/they'll try to be too clever with it.

Goldberg/Ziggler: Lol.

Trish/Charlotte: I've never really got Charlotte, she just seems a bit crap and slightly awkward at times.

Gulak/Lorcan: This is going to steal the (pre)show, I haven't watched 205 Live in months but the Cruisers always go out hard. Gulak is a great champion and I'm interested in Lorcan as he could be a banger. Works really well with Danny Burke on NXT.

[Ian]

Audio sync issue on Takeover currently rendering it too distracting to be watchable. :moop:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I haven't seen Takeover yet and have avoided spoilers but I think Shayna needs to move up at Summerslam.

Assuming she beat Mia Yim then who exactly is left? There's only really Candace but meh, Shayna sans her shit mates is ready.

They should have her come out after Becky's win and obliterate her, even throwing in her arm stomp thing. Would go over massively and get people interested in the women again.

[Ian]

Is that main event really the better part of an hour long? Fuck's sake.

[Ian]

Impressive work to cram so many daft spots into that match so as to basically render them meaningless. Tag title match didn't do much for me and Gargano / Cole just don't do it for me as a pairing but I quite enjoyed everything else, but it's probably the weakest Takeover in a while.

[Disco]

I know I'm supposed to but fuck me do I hate Jay White.

[Queenslander]

I know I'm supposed to but fuck me do I hate Jay White.

Best heel in the business.

[Gray Fox]

So, The Fiend came out to a more slow and metal-y version of his old theme, which suited pretty well. He's also still carrying a lamp, however this time the lamp looks like a light shoved into the severed head of old Bray Wyatt.

Seemed like a more aggressive version of himself in ring too.

[Disco]

Best heel in the business.

He better not win, that's all I ask.

[Queenslander]

He better not win, that's all I ask.

You would think it is Ibushi's time considering he stayed loyal by signing a contract with them.

[Queenslander]

This show is incredible!

[Ian]

Seemed like a more aggressive version of himself in ring too.

Yeah I thought he pretty much did what I thought the best idea was, don't try and reinvent but just change things up a bit.

I thought the show as a whole was.... alright? The Raw women had probably my favourite Natalya match ever by a very comfortable margin, Ziggler made Goldberg's Spear look more lethal than anything I ever remember Reigns doing, US title match was pretty good and Flair / Stratus got better as it went along. Most of the rest of it was alright, and the main event surprised on a number of counts.

Firstly, Bork losing clean as a whistle. Not sure why they gave him the belt just to lose it back but I won't complain. Secondly, Bork actually putting in something resembling a shift for him. He contributed more than he normally does these days which leads me into my third thing, that... shock horror, the matches can be pretty decent when he actually bothers his arse. The matches against the likes of AJ, Balor, etc. have been good but that's usually just the worker putting an absolute shift in but this one was more even handed.

Curious how long Bork disappears for this time and what they do with Rollins next because I really thought he'd be losing here and then back to the midcard.

[Browning]

Extremely forgettable show but not horrendous. Charlotte vs Trish was probably the highlight. Whoever booked Orton vs Kofi needs firing immediately.

[Ian]

Yeah that was predictably dull and it looks like we're getting more of it too.

[SvN]

I haven't enjoyed a Randy Orton match in about 5 years. I don't see why people like him. He's a proper nothing character. His match last night was another shit one.

I thought there were a few matches that were good, and that surprised me. I liked Trish/Charlotte and Becky/Natalya - I'd agree with whoever said it was Natalya's best ever match. I'd probably say it was Trish's best ever too.

I found Goldberg and Dolph hilarious, got to be honest. Especially that third spear.

Bray was great. I wonder how long it will be before they ruin it.

AJ v Rick was okay - some great spots, but again didn't really live up to expectations for me. A solid 3/5.

I haven't watched the main event yet.

[Browning]

It wasn’t really the fact it was dull, it was the ending. Kofi got angry someone looked at his kid and then snapped and went mental to the point of being booed out the building without turning heel and it needed Corey to explain it was a double count out rather than Randy being DQed for looking at a kid for slightly too long. It was just so bad.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Just watched the tag team match from Takeover

:drool: The Street Profits have improved so much this year.

[Disco]

Shibata :alan:

[Queenslander]

Shibata :alan:

I squealed...

[Lewis]

https://i.ibb.co/dcmMB8d/EBuf3-Xp-UEAAJGKZ-format-jpg-name-large.jpg (https://ibb.co/rtd0kDC)

Browning having the time of his life.

[Waffdon]

Yeah I thought he pretty much did what I thought the best idea was, don't try and reinvent but just change things up a bit.

I thought the show as a whole was.... alright? The Raw women had probably my favourite Natalya match ever by a very comfortable margin, Ziggler made Goldberg's Spear look more lethal than anything I ever remember Reigns doing, US title match was pretty good and Flair / Stratus got better as it went along. Most of the rest of it was alright, and the main event surprised on a number of counts.

Firstly, Bork losing clean as a whistle. Not sure why they gave him the belt just to lose it back but I won't complain. Secondly, Bork actually putting in something resembling a shift for him. He contributed more than he normally does these days which leads me into my third thing, that... shock horror, the matches can be pretty decent when he actually bothers his arse. The matches against the likes of AJ, Balor, etc. have been good but that's usually just the worker putting an absolute shift in but this one was more even handed.

Curious how long Bork disappears for this time and what they do with Rollins next because I really thought he'd be losing here and then back to the midcard.

Brock is an absolute Don when he wants to be. There’s nothing he can’t do. His first match back against Cena is still great to this day.

[Ian]

That's why he annoys me, even when you take aside my opinions on how WWE choose to utilise him.

He's proper 'top x ever' in terms of ability and he absolutely gets it (his job in a given match, selling mannerisms, all of it), he just doesn't give a solitary shit.

x = a number that probably varies quite wildly based on my mood.

[Queenslander]

Disco

Ibushi wants to go for both titles next WK..

Thoughts? Does it open the door for Naito?

[Disco]

I'm not sure where they're going with that, or how it would work. Unless they plan for Ibushi to win at WK then feud with Naito over both belts.

Looks like we're getting Okada / Suzuki at Royal Quest along with ZSJ / Tanahashi. Can't wait.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Finished Takeover and I loved it.

Only match that didn't really hit with me was Yim (who despite really liking her, I just didn't buy as a credible challenger yet) against Baszler although I did enjoy the finish.

As much as I loved Gargano/Cole III with so many mental spots (and I loved the nods to Gargano's character changes during the feud with Ciampa and how him going too far to the dark side always costs him) I think it was probably the weakest match of the three.

I was also really surprised with just how much of a show Shirai/LeRae put on and despite being gutted that Dunne not only didn't win but he was the man to eat the pinfall I loved that triple threat especially the finish.

Solid Takeover but it was missing something to really put it over the edge.

[Ian]

King of the Ring is back again for them to do nothing with the winner.

[Shindig]

Make it The Undertaker.

[Disco]

It's a real shame because the last month has demonstrated just how well you can use a tournament to improve the show.

#somehowaboutnj

[Gray Fox]

It's quite obvious that Shane McMahon needs to win it.

[Ian]

I mean King of the Ring has been used to enhance people's careers before, just not enough.

The matches with the likes of Sami in it will just be yet more undercooked nonsense where somebody gets buried rather than using it as a chance to show what some people who don't get as many opportunities can do.

I thought Raw was decent enough this week though. Banks' return got a good pop right before she seemingly botched a chair shot on Becky and accidentally whacked her on the noggin, Alexander / McIntyre was an example of how you can make somebody look good in defeat, Andrade / Rey was good again (though it probably needs to be the end of their feud-of-sorts), Bork (for now) isn't getting a rematch and I thought the main event stuff was done pretty well. Not that I'm quite sure what the purpose of that is going to be beyond a six-man tag at some point but whatever.

[Browning]

When was the last time a RAW main event didn't end in a DQ or count out? 1999?

[Ian]

I'd need to be able to remember anything to even guess at an answer to that so I'm gonna say Mankind's title win.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

King of the Ring participants:


The Miz
Ricochet
Cedric Alexander
Samoa Joe
Drew McIntyre
Baron Corbin
Sami Zayn
Cesaro
Kevin Owens
Ali
Apollo Crews
Chad Gable
Elias
Andrade
Buddy Murphy
Shelton Benjamin

King McIntyre could do a whole Braveheart thing.

[Gray Fox]

No Shane O'Mac is a disgrace to the business.

[Ian]

It'd be a step down for him, Fox. He's already won the World Cup.

[Shindig]

King Kevin Owens sounds legit.

[Browning]

It'd be a step down for him, Fox. He's already won the World Cup.

Which he wasn't in... so we can't rule him out at this stage.

[Gray Fox]

I live in hope.

KO makes the final, Shane inserts himself to be the rightful King in continuation of the feud. Justice is done.

[Browning]

KO Vs Drew final, KO wins, Shane beats him for the title the next night (so as to not give KO the excuse of being tired).

[Ian]

HHH legit gets jealous of Shane being allowed to call himself the Best in the World, challenges Shane, they have a 3-hour match at Wrestlemania.

[Queenslander]

I'm not sure where they're going with that, or how it would work. Unless they plan for Ibushi to win at WK then feud with Naito over both belts.

Looks like we're getting Okada / Suzuki at Royal Quest along with ZSJ / Tanahashi. Can't wait.

WK is 2 nights next year so I guess Ibushi wants to main event both nights?

[Ian]

I really liked Reigns vs. Murphy last night. Smackdown on the whole was a pretty decent show, actually. Even if more Kofi / Keith and KO / Shane is not what anybody wants in life.

[Ian]

The new variant of How WWE Should Have Booked / Should Book on Whatculture is not as good as the Adam Blampied ones were.

[Browning]

God I miss those.

[Ian]

Simon Miller is just a bit annoying and kept sounding apologetic for it just being fantasy booking.

That's literally why I'm watching it you muscly freak, just get on with it.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Word is that Vince made a 'handshake deal' with Ziggler saying that he'll release him so he can do other shit (crap comedy) after Summerslam.

Apparently Vince told him that he'd rather keep paying him to sit at home instead.

[Browning]

Is it the CM Punk one? Ian

[Ian]

Yeah, that's the one. It's not terrible but Blampied had pretty much nailed it and I always think Simon Miller is a bit full-on.

[Browning]

I put it on but it was only 10 minutes and I swear after about 6 minutes he hadn't actually done any fantasy booking, or if he did, I missed it amongst all the waffle. Seemed to be a far cry from the stuff Blampied did. Such a shame. Hopefully they do more and get better at them.

[Ian]

He spends far too much time either apologising for "LISTEN GUYS THIS IS JUST FANTASY BOOKING!!" and umming and ahhing over the reality of the thing. When will Blampied be deemed to have done his time?

That said... look at his profile pic. https://twitter.com/adamtheblampied

Why he's done that to himself I don't know.

[Gray Fox]

He got caught doing something along the lines of demanding nudes off women, because he was a "big star."

It was right around the Cultaholic split from WhatCulture. The Cultoholic guys dumped him right off and haven't mentioned him once since I believe.

[Browning]

They have mentioned him quite a lot, especially recently when WCPW died. He should come back but supposedly he doesn’t want to.

[Ian]

He got caught doing something along the lines of demanding nudes off women, because he was a "big star."

It was right around the Cultaholic split from WhatCulture. The Cultoholic guys dumped him right off and haven't mentioned him once since I believe.

I meant the hair. :p

[Gray Fox]

He went all creep and shaved it off right after being caught so that's probably a slight improvement.

[Ian]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCXfezz4BB8

I find Hot Ones entirely dependent on the guest but you can't go wrong with a bit of Stone Cold.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The host really bugs me.

[Ian]

I don't mind him but he does seem like the sort of presenter who would normally really get on my nerves so I'm not sure why he doesn't.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Word is that Chad Gable will soon be called Shorty G :face:

[Ian]

I was hoping for "The Shorty G Experience."

Still, nice to know they're not going to ever treat a supremely talented wrestler seriously ever.

[Disco]

Word is that Chad Gable will soon be called Shorty G :face:

Fuck. This. Company.

I was going to do a 'how good would a WWE G1 style tournament be' post but looking through the roster at all the really good wrestlers being wasted was really quite depressing.

[Browning]

It would be shite. Everyone would win 1 week and then lose the next week, unless they were the main event of the show, in which case it would be a draw.

[Disco]

The beauty of an imaginary tournament is that you can also imagine it being good.

[Ian]

I was talking about this yesterday when discussing both King of the Ring and potential opponents for Rollins. Obviously Uncle Dave has said it'll be Boatman, which would be fine if they hadn't killed his last push about, what, 6 months ago?

It's all well and good giving Rollins a squeaky clean win over Lesnar to make him look great but now there's nobody to challenge. You don't want him doing a proper feud with AJ as neither of them needs a loss at this point but nor does Boatman because that'll be three (?) title matches and three defeats. I'd be going in hard on trying to rehab McIntyre's aura a bit and then set him up to kick Rollins' face off for the belt at some point. When that would be I dunno. It wouldn't surprise me if they're planning to have Rollins run the table until Mania but how the fuck you occupy him until then I don't know.

Fuck it, I'm working from home and have nothing to do. Let's do the Raw (singles) roster according to Wikipedia.

AJ Styles - Is doing fine. Will presumably be in the Universal picture at some point and that's no bad thing, especially if he brings Gallows and Anderson along with him rather than them breaking up needlessly.
Baron Corbin - Poor Jezza. A perfectly fine midcard heel but the heat he gets veers towards go-away heat. I don't think anybody (other than Cord) would give a shit if he fucked off. I liked the Constable Corbin thing until he became 75% of Raw.
Bobby Lashley - Should probably be being booked as a sub-Bork level monster but is just a guy. What did TNA do with him? He got decent reviews there, right?
Braun Strowman - Discussed above. Could really do without losing another World title match right now.
Bray Wyatt - WWE are going to run out of patience with this Funhouse / Fiend thing but I liked what they did in the Balor match to make him look a brute. I do wish the announcers would be steered down more of a 'what has happened to Bray Wyatt to make him do this?" route than an OMG ACTUAL PARANORMAL STUFF IS GOING ON!! one. The Fiend really needs to not lose for a very long time if they want this to be taken seriously. Well, as seriously as a man in a crap horror mask can be.
Brock Lesnar - Him actually nearly trying against Rollins and it making for a better match than his usual fare somehow just annoyed me more. Fuck off.
Cedric Alexander - Was made to look great against McIntyre. He's never going to main event but I don't see any reason you couldn't have him on one of the midcard titles. He has good matches and I think the fans would get behind him given a proper chance.
Cesaro - Poor bastard. Should be getting consistent pushes and if not at least be a part-time main eventer but never will. King of the Ring should be tailor-made for his no-nonsense approach but he'll probably not make it past the second round.
Curt Hawkins - Finally! Somebody on the list who is probably at about the right level.
Drew McIntyre - Was great at first but subbing lackeying for Dolph for lackeying for Shane is not a good look. His monstering of Angle on Raw last year is what he should be doing a lot more of. Have him spend between now and whenever you want to put the title on him fucking hurting people and not giving a shit about it and making him look a scary heel again.
EC3 - File this one under "NXT call-ups with no plan."
Eric Young - Should probably be back in NXT
Heath Slater - Surprised he hasn't been in about the 24/7 stuff more.
Lio Rush - Is he still there??
The Miz - Sooooo let's see. Take probably your best heel. Check. Have him turn babyface because he just loves Shane McMahon so much and it's the only way his shit dad will ever love him, to make him look like a total fucking gimp. Check. Have Shane turn heel right back at him. Check. Have Miz briefly be booked totally out of character to look like a one man wrecking crew so it looks better when Shane COMPREHENSIVELY WINS THE FEUD. Fucking check. Christ. And now he's what, feeding Dolph to Goldberg and hosting Miz TV? Great.
Mojo Rawley - I don't want more Mojo on TV but what precisely was the fucking point in having him talk to a mirror for a month, turn up on TV with some face paint on then never be seen again? Clearly somebody likes him, but not anybody with enough sway to actually do with him whatever it is they think he can do.
No Way Jose - Isn't even prominent enough to be a proper novelty act that the fans can get into for a laugh so what's the point?
Rey Mysterio - Genuinely interested to see what they're doing with him after the 2-0 loss to Andrade. As it stands you couldn't really put him in a one-off World title match (by winning a Battle Royal or whatever) even though he has the rep that you could get away with it.
Ricochet - I wouldn't have taken the US title off him quite so quickly but other than them just forcing him to do the house style I think he's largely been used quite well and can see them treating him about as well as they treat anybody.
Robert Roode - WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PORN 'TACHE? Fuck's sake.
Sami Zayn - Oh poor Sami. Absolutely no reason he couldn't be near the top of the card. They had a decent match on Raw I think and I'd love to see a proper Zayn / Rollins feud. Zayn keeps bitching about WWE, have him call out Rollins for being a blinkered company man or whatever. It'd work. They'd have a great match. Sadly Sami has been jobbing so hard for such a long time now it'd be hard to build him up to that level now even if they wanted to.
Samoa Joe - Another one in the category of needing to win the big one at some point. And while I think he'd make a fine heel World champion it doesn't even need to be at that level, just have him terrorise the midcard and nobody be able to get the IC title off him for a year or something. He's amazing on the mic, he knows his character, fans react to him and he has good matches.
Seth Rollins - A Bork specialist now. On the one hand you'd think this should be as good a chance as he's going to get at an iconic title reign. Unfortunately, as discussed, the opposition (whoever that may be going forward) have largely been booked very badly and he's just not charismatic enough to make that happen on his own as a babyface.
Titus O'Neil - I mean really he's done well not to be forced into making 'falling over' his gimmick so let's say he's winning.
Zack Ryder - Will never be forgiven for committing the most heinous of crimes..... getting himself over.

Well. That was depressing.

[Browning]

That's where 50/50 booking gets you... a while bunch of cunts no one cares about because no one looks good in any feud.

The Fiend will probably lose his 3rd match, most likely to Triple H or something.

[Ian]

Bobby Lashley, for example, even though I don't know if he's got that high a ceiling, shouldn't be on TV that much. Or shouldn't be wrestling that much anyway, and when he does he shouldn't lose very often.

And yeah, they'll ruin whatever they have with the Fiend pretty quickly.

[Shindig]

Bobby Lashley can be redeemed if he wears his headband because he believes he still has hair.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Ian

Jezza would actually be a decent heel if they weren't trying to force him on us. LOOK AT HIM, HE'S A PROPER BASTARD HE'S EVERYWHERE is just grating. I did like the constant X's Favourite Son schtick.

Cedric - I'm a bit surprised by how much of a push they've given him. He's insanely talented but has a seriously wooden personality.

Eric Young - I think he was doing some backstage work last I heard.

Lio Rush - Is moving to NXT (might already have done some taping) as they were showing some promos. For a while he was excommunicado though because he was a dick backstage apparently.

Samoa Joe - I think he's lost pretty much every PPV match (Rey at WM35 for the US and one other US defence IIRC) they've had him in.

[Ian]

Jeremy might have the best combination of signature move and finisher. Even if his dance around the maypole is now so overdone that, like the LUNATIC LARIAT, there's no way that anybody with more than 3 functioning brain cells should ever be hit by it.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Seems that WWE are going to try and go toe to toe with AEW's weekly show.

Big rumblings that they will be moving NXT to the USA Network which will be confirmed on RAW this week.

[Ian]

Yeah there's been talk of that for a while. Problem is that as it stands NXT on TV isn't always a thrilling hour of TV. The quality of wrestling is high but there's not always much of it.

[Disco]

They have loads of wrestlers they aren't using so you'd think it would be simple enough to fill out the roster a bit.

[Ian]

You'd hope so. The likes of Lee are massively underused.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I also heard rumours that they might 'loan' RAW and Smackdown guys to NXT (WILDCARD!!!!) to try and boost ratings. Really kicked into overdrive when AJ Styles said something about knowing where NXT was to HBK.

I think that's the last thing they should be doing though and would rather they bumped it up to 90 minutes and just put on another couple of matches.

[Browning]

Is HBK known to be hanging out there then?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

He's a crap Dario Gradi really, he thinks that just because they're in development that they're young. Probably too many concussions.

I think he's Triple H's assistant or something. I know he helps out at the performance centre, gives him ideas etc. I don't know how much control he has but they do paint him as just below Triple H at times.

[Disco]

He runs the finishing class.

[Ian]

Apparently Vince will be getting more hands-on with NXT now it's getting a TV deal.

Oh well. It was good while it lasted.

[Queenslander]

I wonder how much cucking of NXT Haitch could tolerate?

[Disco]

Apparently Vince will be getting more hands-on with NXT now it's getting a TV deal.

Oh well. It was good while it lasted.

Yup, the TV deal will kill it for the current fanbase. Unless they put some other developmental thing on the network in its place (that Vince won't piss about with).

[Ian]

Still, it's nice for Dream that his push is get accelerated straight to the "Who the hell is this queer, pal?" stage.

[Disco]

I'm afraid that is inevitable, his only hope lies with him being good enough (which he could well be) to make it work despite the awful gimmick he will likely be saddled with.

[Ian]

I always thought his best chance was Vince dying before he got called up but I'm pretty sure he's immortal anyway.

I mean he is fucking excellent. If anything I think he initially had a higher level of promo / gimmick type stuff initially but his ring game is excellent too. His match record for match quality at Takeovers must be pretty much spotless.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The intros too :drool:

[Shindig]

Still, it's nice for Dream that his push is get accelerated straight to the "Who the hell is this queer, pal?" stage.

Velvet Dust.

[Ian]

Now you mention him I'm surprised Dream hasn't done a Goldust homage. Maybe just because Dustin is a TRAITOR now.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Word is that NXT is going to increase to 2 hours and start on the USA Network on September 18th.

[Ian]

I saw the Joe and Cesaro got ten minutes in their KOTR match and thought "Oh, so everybody's actually getting a bit of a chance to shine" then saw that Zayn lost in under 4 minutes.

Also: This Rey stuff has been building up to him tagging with sodding Dominic? Great.

Also also: Taking the tag belts off Gallows and Anderson this soon? I assume that they'll get them back next week or the week after due to a 'miscommunication' and that's what leads to this title match we're supposedly getting.

[Pleb]

An Ian Smackdown Superstar WDYTOE list would be :drool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

So no announcement on RAW but they have confirmed that NXT is going to USA Network for a weekly two hour live show.

Please just leave it alone Vince, they don't need your input and they don't need the main roster guys turning up.

[Disco]

Not a chance.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Can they organise a whip round at Full Sail? Might be able to gather up enough to hire a hitman.