Wrestling

[Atomic]

19 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Smackdown did worst ratings since the move to Tuesday nights.

Cody teased as debuting in TNA on thurday.

Not surprising that ratings are down.  Too much catering to the hardcore fan, not enough done to cater to the casual fan and bring in new fans.   

[Goalie]

Nah. It's burnout. You watch a Damn near coma inducing 3 hours the night before and you don't want to watch 2 hours the next night.  Not sure you can say catering to the HardCore audience when John Cena is in the main event. Smackdown has been very good. It's main problem outside of the premieres of a few popular shows is RAW sucks the life out of people the night before 

[The Unknown Poster]

I think you're right Goalie.  Some people are saying its guys like Owens, AJ, Zayn etc and saying its appealing to the hardcore smark.  But bad booking is bad booking.  Brock is the most mainstream guy they've had in ages and he didn't help.  Roman is cookie cutter old school Vince and he didn't help.  Having talent that can work isn't a detriment.  Its booking.  And the formulaic production.

Pena returned to SD last week.  This week, ratings plummet.  Its not who their talent is.  Its what they're doing with them.

[iso_55]

MNF affects the ratings. Then Tuesday Smackdown comes. Maybe it's time to admit having 5 hrs of WWE wrestling on is too much. I think a 2 hour Raw would work.

[Atomic]

I'd also like to add that Foley is awful, awful, awful as the GM of RAW.  I'm not talking about talent or booking decisions as that is obviously not actually under his control... I mean having him on the mic.  Why does RAW have to open with Foley and Steph?  Who cares about them?

And why was Roman fighting KO in a cage match?  What was the point of that?  Roman is involved in the Universal championship feud but he's fighting Rusev for the US title at Clash of Champions?  What's going on?  What's happening with all the squash matches for Braun and lady-Braun (Nia)?  Is this leading to something?  Is Cesaro-Sheamus leading to something?  Does anyone care?  They're all over the place!

They're totally wasting Braun Strowman.  I would make him trim the beard and then repackage him totally as a biker, like Undertaker as American Badass.  Let him on the mic as a badass rather than a Wyatt-type creepy guy.  Axe the garbage intro music and give him something cool.  He has so much talent that they are not letting him show because they want him to be the big dumb gronk... he could be so much more.

[The Unknown Poster]

11 hours ago, iso_55 said:

MNF affects the ratings. Then Tuesday Smackdown comes. Maybe it's time to admit having 5 hrs of WWE wrestling on is too much. I think a 2 hour Raw would work.

Football does affect the rating but it does every year. And every year wwe is dropping lower and recovering less. 

Even wwe knows three hours for raw is too much but they get paid a lot of money 

[The Unknown Poster]

1 hour ago, Atomic said:

I'd also like to add that Foley is awful, awful, awful as the GM of RAW.  I'm not talking about talent or booking decisions as that is obviously not actually under his control... I mean having him on the mic.  Why does RAW have to open with Foley and Steph?  Who cares about them?

And why was Roman fighting KO in a cage match?  What was the point of that?  Roman is involved in the Universal championship feud but he's fighting Rusev for the US title at Clash of Champions?  What's going on?  What's happening with all the squash matches for Braun and lady-Braun (Nia)?  Is this leading to something?  Is Cesaro-Sheamus leading to something?  Does anyone care?  They're all over the place!

They're totally wasting Braun Strowman.  I would make him trim the beard and then repackage him totally as a biker, like Undertaker as American Badass.  Let him on the mic as a badass rather than a Wyatt-type creepy guy.  Axe the garbage intro music and give him something cool.  He has so much talent that they are not letting him show because they want him to be the big dumb gronk... he could be so much more.

Did you say Strowman has so much talent?  He's a negative talent. Sure you use him because of his size but they're doing about the best they can with him. 

I was very disappointed with Mick as GM but he's actually really good. His delivers promos more naturally than most. His role is to soften Stephanie. And I assume the twist will be she does something so evil that even Mick won't defend her. 

But definitely the authority figure role is so lame and passé. And now having four of them is just awful. 

[iso_55]

9 hours ago, Atomic said:

I'd also like to add that Foley is awful, awful, awful as the GM of RAW.  I'm not talking about talent or booking decisions as that is obviously not actually under his control... I mean having him on the mic.  Why does RAW have to open with Foley and Steph?  Who cares about them?

And why was Roman fighting KO in a cage match?  What was the point of that?  Roman is involved in the Universal championship feud but he's fighting Rusev for the US title at Clash of Champions?  What's going on?  What's happening with all the squash matches for Braun and lady-Braun (Nia)?  Is this leading to something?  Is Cesaro-Sheamus leading to something?  Does anyone care?  They're all over the place!

They're totally wasting Braun Strowman.  I would make him trim the beard and then repackage him totally as a biker, like Undertaker as American Badass.  Let him on the mic as a badass rather than a Wyatt-type creepy guy.  Axe the garbage intro music and give him something cool.  He has so much talent that they are not letting him show because they want him to be the big dumb gronk... he could be so much more.

Yeah, Foley seems to be subdued. I think a lot of it has to do with Triple H eventually showing up, firing him & The Authority will be back in business again. With Triple H interfering in the Universal Championship it's inevitable. What Triple H did just made Foley look weak with the fans & he knows it.

I think the reason Strowman is doing what's he's doing because of his (lack of) ability at the moment. He is fine being part of a group as he wouldn't get much ring time in a match or have to go on the mic promoting a match. I think Strowman is an awful wrestler. He is doing squash matches as that's about all he can do on his own. How do other wrestlers go out & put over a 350 lb pylon? He has very little experience & it shows. He needs to be sent back to NXT. Or learn his trade away from the WWE on the Indy circuit, New Japan, ROH or TNA. He's not ready for the WWE. Vince loves his big guys, though so he sticks around.

[The Unknown Poster]

Strowman is actually pretty smart, what they are doing.  Its very old school and its actually one of the more interesting parts of RAW, using "jobbers" again.  Its the same thing basically, that they did with RYback.  Difference is, Ryback is far more talented with far more charisma.  Should have just kept Ryback!

[Atomic]

Strowman has plenty of charisma.  Its obvious when you see any video of him outside of WWE shows.  They just don't let him show it.  Let him be himself instead of trying to play him off as some monstrous creature.

[The Unknown Poster]

On September 24, 2016 at 9:46 AM, Atomic said:

Strowman has plenty of charisma.  Its obvious when you see any video of him outside of WWE shows.  They just don't let him show it.  Let him be himself instead of trying to play him off as some monstrous creature.

Well that's really the rub. Booking booking booking. It's lousy. They have something like 50 writers and the shows suck because Vince and Hunter dictate the overall direction and they are stuck in a rut. There is a "WWE way" to do things which makes the show boring and formulaic. 

They desperately need a creative shake up. 

[Atomic]

20 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Well that's really the rub. Booking booking booking. It's lousy. They have something like 50 writers and the shows suck because Vince and Hunter dictate the overall direction and they are stuck in a rut. There is a "WWE way" to do things which makes the show boring and formulaic. 

They desperately need a creative shake up. 

What's Vince Russo up to...? 

Looking forward to some surprises on Clash of Champions tonight.  Does WWE  start to panic in the face of low ratings?  Possibilities: KO title reign ends, Paige returns, Brock Lesnar shows up, Cesaro beats Sheamus and is awarded a shot at the universal championship, New Day lose the titles.  Been waiting for Goldberg to show up for months, sure would love to see him make an appearance.

[iso_55]

Getting back to Strowman, I really don't understand what you see in him. What I see isn't a guy with charisma. I see a slow moving giant who has a couple of moves but is totally unable to carry a match. They put him in squash matches to protect him as well as desperately trying to build him up. He has yet to really speak on the mic especially with the Wyatt family so I don't see the charisma you speak of.

Edited September 25, 2016 by iso_55

[Atomic]

22 minutes ago, iso_55 said:

Getting back to Strowman, I really don't understand what you see in him. What I see isn't a guy with charisma. I see a slow moving giant who has a couple of moves but is totally unable to carry a match. They put him in squash matches to protect him as well as desperately trying to build him up. He has yet to really speak on the mic especially with the Wyatt family so I don't see the charisma you speak of.

If you have some time to kill, the episode of the Stone Cold podcast with Braun Strowman gives a much better glimpse into who he is off-camera.  I came out of it with a lot more respect for who he is as a person.  I don't think he's been given much latitude to express his charisma in his current character as a more-or-less silent monster.  Just my opinion.  I know there are others who agree with me as well, I just read an article from someone else who believes in him.

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/757301-3-possible-opponents-for-braun-strowman-why-he-has-a-bright-future

[iso_55]

43 minutes ago, Atomic said:

If you have some time to kill, the episode of the Stone Cold podcast with Braun Strowman gives a much better glimpse into who he is off-camera.  I came out of it with a lot more respect for who he is as a person.  I don't think he's been given much latitude to express his charisma in his current character as a more-or-less silent monster.  Just my opinion.  I know there are others who agree with me as well, I just read an article from someone else who believes in him.

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/757301-3-possible-opponents-for-braun-strowman-why-he-has-a-bright-future

I will check it out.

[The Unknown Poster]

I had heard Strowman was a lot better in development than he was allowed to show.  But I dont know...even if its true, its the same think I've harped on - booking.  When it comes to character assignment, WWE isnt quite as bad as they used to be but the point is still relevant that they will have an idea for gimmick and assign it to someone rather than having a guy who's gimmick is an organic thing, that plays upon who he is and what he's comfortable with.

The best gimmicks are all reality.  Shawn Michaels was really an arrogant jerk.  Bret Hart was really very serious and felt he was the leader of the new generation.  Nash is really a smartass who thinks he's smarter then everyone. Steve Austin is 100% Steve Austin. 

Their biggest issue is creative.  If you actually make it to the creative team, you want to stay.  So you dont rock the boat.  You just play to what Hunter & Vince want to hear.  Why is Steph cutting balls off on TV every week?  Because if you want to keep your job, you write her to be this powerful independant woman who everyone is afraid of.  The first guy who suggests they write Steph to suck at her job or have an affair?  Wont be in the business long...

[Atomic]

Clash of Champions was pretty mediocre outside of some cool moments.

Is it just me or is Rusev the best character in WWE right now?  I really buy into him as a totally insane Russian goon.  I hope he doesn't get cast aside now that he lost the US title to Roman Reigns (blech).

The Cesaro-Sheamus match 7 went to a no-contest because they were both too beat-up to go on.  I actually don't mind that because it was unexpected and the match was probably the best one of the night.  It means there will have to be a match 8, I guess.  Cesaro took a really bad looking bump on a suicide dive out of the ring, directly onto his head.

Y2J interfered with the KO-Rollins match for the universal championship.  Also Steph sent a new ref down to the ring when the original ref was knocked out... the new ref arrived just in time for KO to land the pop-up powerbomb on Rollins and get the win.  Then we get a look at Steph walking away with kinda smug look on her face.  Great.  Where is HHH?

[Brandon]

Completely off topic and unrelated....  I watched an old promo of Brian Pillman when he returned to ECW...  I did not realize how damn good that guy was on the mic.     Had he stayed healthy and alive he may have been bigger then Austin back in the day...

[The Unknown Poster]

9 minutes ago, Atomic said:

Clash of Champions was pretty mediocre outside of some cool moments.

Is it just me or is Rusev the best character in WWE right now?  I really buy into him as a totally insane Russian goon.  I hope he doesn't get cast aside now that he lost the US title to Roman Reigns (blech).

The Cesaro-Sheamus match 7 went to a no-contest because they were both too beat-up to go on.  I actually don't mind that because it was unexpected and the match was probably the best one of the night.  It means there will have to be a match 8, I guess.  Cesaro took a really bad looking bump on a suicide dive out of the ring, directly onto his head.

Y2J interfered with the KO-Rollins match for the universal championship.  Also Steph sent a new ref down to the ring when the original ref was knocked out... the new ref arrived just in time for KO to land the pop-up powerbomb on Rollins and get the win.  Then we get a look at Steph walking away with kinda smug look on her face.  Great.  Where is HHH?

I only watched the main event.  What a weird main event.  Almost as if they worked a lackluster match on purpose.  i expected Hunter to get involved.  Here's an example of WWE cookie-cutter booking: The original plan for the next PPV was Owens vs Finn vs Jericho.  Finn gets hurt and now Seth is playing the part of Finn.  Everyone is interchangeable.

Agreed about Rusev.  Very good.  Trying to keep Roman "down" to try and build up some love with the fans.  Not sure it will work.

The whole Stephanie angle makes no sense.  She wanted Seth to win.  She was angry about Hunter screwing him.  She hates KO but still threw him a party.  And now she screws Seth again.  meant to be subtle.  Okay, sure.  Seth will browbeat Steph leading to Hunter, the heel, coming back to defend his wife's honor.  Its moronic.  And worse, its slow burn.  Unless ratings keep dropping, this is all leading to Hunter/Seth at WrestleMania.

[iso_55]

Typical WWE **** ending.... Knew that was coming.

[The Unknown Poster]

Ryback is in talked with Bellator about fighting....

[The Unknown Poster]

Also, WWE is back in the bidding for TNA...

[The Unknown Poster]

In the race for TNA, WWE has dropped back. Billy Corgan is the front runner. He admitted today he funded the last three TNA tapings to the tune of about $600,000 each, in exchange for stock in the company. 

Dixie owns about 70%. The other 30% is owned by Billy, Fite TV (small stake) and a production company fronted by known nazi's the Harris Twins. 

This real life struggle is the best storyline in wrestling in ages. Dixie and Billy are in open warefare right now. She is the decider. But no one wants her around. So she either sells to Billy and is gone but TNA goes on. Or she sells to WWE and TNA is dead but Billy is out too. 

WWE wants the tape library and a few contracts. But won't take on the debt which is millions of dollars. WWE pays about $500 per hour of video so TNA's library is worth around a million bucks it Dixie supposedly wants $4-$6 million for the company. 

Billy said there is no funding in place for the PPV this weekend and for him to find it again he needs to have control. So basically he's telling Dixie to either sell him the company or he won't find the PPV. That would critically wound TNA. 

Expectations are Dixie blinks and sells to Billy. I'm hoping WWE swoops in and buys it though. 

[Brandon]

Maybe Eric Bischoff swoops in with Ted Turner and all hell breaks loose?

[Atomic]

Smackdown has been awesome lately.  The Miz is the best he has ever been.  Miz-Ziggler seemed like such a stale feud to re-ignite but it's working.

Cena-Styles-Ambrose is the best worked feud in the WWE right now.

Alexa Bliss is incredible as usual.  Hope she steals the title from Becky at No Mercy.