Universal Wrestling Topic

[DexMacLeod]

Yep, that was pretty bad.

 

Apparently the live crowd is still there chanting for a refund. I knew Bray wasn't going to win the title but of all the ways they could have accomplished that this was probably the worst they could have chosen.

[Corndawg93]

Evil Bayley is badass

[Guest Billy Russo]

I've watched some highlights here and there and I just can't get in to WWE anymore. It just feels so cheesy now. Even more so than in the past. I think I'll probably wait until Royal Rumble or WrestleMania at this point, as I enjoy those events regardless of the quality of the product. I don't really like them bringing in these Boxers and MMA guys either just to appeal to FOX I assume.

[Lonely-Martin]

41 minutes ago, Billy Russo said:

I've watched some highlights here and there and I just can't get in to WWE anymore. It just feels so cheesy now. Even more so than in the past. I think I'll probably wait until Royal Rumble or WrestleMania at this point, as I enjoy those events regardless of the quality of the product. I don't really like them bringing in these Boxers and MMA guys either just to appeal to FOX I assume.

This period has been interesting with the Fox move and the start of AEW's show. Been quite fun reading plenty too.

 

I feel ideas a huge missed opportunity for WWE to really freshen things up. The Cell match was a bit off, Kofi's near instant squash too, Valezquez and Fury do little for me in wrestling (though I do enjoy Fury as a boxer), and the company needing 2 more high profile outsiders to sell tickets highlights a huge issue in them building new stars currently. Rollins/Becky bore me but they are talented in the ring of course, but another mega Roman push is clear to see about to start and after 5 years of that which drove me away, just not keen on another round, lol.

 

AEW isn't without fault either though. The women's division is a joke currently and the men's matches are too 'spot-heavy' too. The little chap they had last week was a new low for me, almost turned off and gave up but hadn't seen much of Omega so wanted to see his match, but that wasn't all that as he's much like the young bucks and flips all over the place, lol.

 

That said, they are so early into their thing as a company and not everyone they try to push will work so I'm hoping we're seeing teething problems that will iron out naturally as the roster grows and settles etc. I love the feel of the show and the energy from the crowd is just that bit better I feel too, be great to see this all grow into something much more than TNA/Impact.

[Guest Billy Russo]

31 minutes ago, Lonely-Martin said:

This period has been interesting with the Fox move and the start of AEW's show. Been quite fun reading plenty too.

 

I feel ideas a huge missed opportunity for WWE to really freshen things up. The Cell match was a bit off, Kofi's near instant squash too, Valezquez and Fury do little for me in wrestling (though I do enjoy Fury as a boxer), and the company needing 2 more high profile outsiders to sell tickets highlights a huge issue in them building new stars currently. Rollins/Becky bore me but they are talented in the ring of course, but another mega Roman push is clear to see about to start and after 5 years of that which drove me away, just not keen on another round, lol.

 

AEW isn't without fault either though. The women's division is a joke currently and the men's matches are too 'spot-heavy' too. The little chap they had last week was a new low for me, almost turned off and gave up but hadn't seen much of Omega so wanted to see his match, but that wasn't all that as he's much like the young bucks and flips all over the place, lol.

 

That said, they are so early into their thing as a company and not everyone they try to push will work so I'm hoping we're seeing teething problems that will iron out naturally as the roster grows and settles etc. I love the feel of the show and the energy from the crowd is just that bit better I feel too, be great to see this all grow into something much more than TNA/Impact.

I haven't watched much AEW to be fair, but from what I've seen it definitely feels like the more 'adult' wrestling product these days. A lot of the times WWE just makes it's viewers feel like an idiot with some of the angles. For example that Cell match was a complete joke, how do you DQ someone in Hell in a Cell?? The whole point of it is no rules and no escape. It's just dumb.

 

I like Rollins & Becky but I feel as though they have been on top too much at this point. Especially Seth. They really need to freshen that scene up, it's been pretty stale since Rollins won the title. Before that it was even worse when Brock hogged the title for like a year or something crazy. Yeah, the Kofi squash was ridiculous, and surprise surprise, it was Brock. You don't have a Champion reign for that long and get squashed, makes the title look like a joke.

 

Fury is a great boxer and definitely has the personality for Wrestling, but it's going to be a one match deal with that paycheck he's reportdely getting, and I don't see the match going on long either. It's just nothing to get overly excited about. Same with Valesquez, he won't last long in WWE. Brock was an MMA guy too, but he did wrestling first and I think that makes a massive difference.

 

I feel like the best thing about the FOX move has been the logo and stage change. It definitely feels more like SmackDown now. I definitely love that. The vibe of the show is definitely improved, but they need to work on their storylines and feuds still.

[DexMacLeod]

1 minute ago, Billy Russo said:

I haven't watched much AEW to be fair, but from what I've seen it definitely feels like the more 'adult' wrestling product these days. A lot of the times WWE just makes it's viewers feel like an idiot with some of the angles. For example that Cell match was a complete joke, how do you DQ someone in Hell in a Cell?? The whole point of it is no rules and no escape. It's just dumb.

It wasn't a DQ it was "referee stoppage". Which, I mean, I guess makes a certain amount of sense. Hell in a Cell and those "extremely brutal" match types don't fit at all with WWE's current attempts to present itself like it's a real combat sport.

 

If a guy's taking punch after punch to the head and not defending himself, the referee is kind of obligated to stop it. Sort of like that Brock Lesnar/Randy Orton SummerSlam match a few years back. By WWE's own established rules the match probably should have been stopped before the tool box even came into play.

 

The really stupid thing is that Bray Wyatt shouldn't have been in that match to begin with. If they have no intention of putting the belt on him yet he shouldn't be feuding with the champion. All the same, there's a few ways they could have ended that match without putting the belt on him and without pissing everyone off.

 

--

I really want to like AEW but I just can't get into it. I think Orange Cassidy is the only guy there that really interests me and I can see that gimmick getting old in a hurry. Raw isn't much better, though. The only difference is that on Raw there's a bunch of people I like who just aren't being used well at all. 

 

NXT is still the highlight of the wrestling week for me but even that has me reaching for the fast forward button more and more often these days. I like that the Cruiserweights are there now.

 

 I don't know if any of you have seen NWA Power on youtube but I'd recommend giving it a watch. It's incredibly over the top in its dedication to being old school and quite entertaining.

[Corndawg93]

I wish I could watch AEW for free

[gooeyhole]

NWA Powerrr is the winner here for me. AEW has a some good guys there like Cody and Jericho, Page, but the rest is mostly indie sh*tters, or at least it seems to be that way. 

 

WWE is dreadful. Everyone is still stuck in 50/50 booking hell, they're bringing in these MMA guys instead of creating new stars. The commentary is the worst its ever been, everything is sh*t. The Hell in a Cell finish, I still can't get over. I feel like I got worked. Not in a tune in next week way either.

 

 

[DexMacLeod]

NXT was pretty damn good this week. Best ending to a show I can remember in years. 

 

I think what I like most about NXT is that 90% of the time all of their matches seem to have at least a little bit of storyline reason for happening and they can actually tell those stories in the ring. They still have their promos and backstage segments but they're few and short. They don't need those 10-20 minute monologues or "talk show" segments. 

[Guest Billy Russo]

1 hour ago, DexMacLeod said:

NXT was pretty damn good this week. Best ending to a show I can remember in years. 

 

I think what I like most about NXT is that 90% of the time all of their matches seem to have at least a little bit of storyline reason for happening and they can actually tell those stories in the ring. They still have their promos and backstage segments but they're few and short. They don't need those 10-20 minute monologues or "talk show" segments. 

NXT has always been leagues ahead of the main product. I don't think there's been a bad Takeover event that I've personally seen. I'tll be interesting if Triple H ever takes over the main product, as he has done a really great job with NXT.

 

Speaking of NXT, I really need to catch up and slop slacking with it. There was a period where I ignored the main roster completely and just watched NXT weekly.

[Werleman1]

The Fiend winning was epiccccc

[DexMacLeod]

Hulk Hogan's super awkward backstage interview with "Beautiful Byron" is the only thing I really remember from that show.

 

For real though, I have no idea what the plan is for Wyatt now. He should have never been in a title picture at all this soon and to give him the opposing brand's title is just weird. Also, a guy who just no sells everything and gets in very little offense doesn't make for a very entertaining match.

 

Tonight's SmackDown should be interesting though with everyone stuck in Saudi Arabia.

[Corndawg93]

Smackdown with the NXT invasion was super excellent 

[Guest Billy Russo]

On 11/2/2019 at 8:14 AM, Corndawg93 said:

Smackdown with the NXT invasion was super excellent 

I watched Adam Cole vs. Daniel Bryan, which is probably one of the best TV matches I've watched in a few years. I usually wouldn't bother with them but it was like 20 minutes long, with the NXT star coming out on top. Incredible match. This week's SD looks terrible by comparison so I didn't bother.

[Corndawg93]

Anyone else watching AEWs Full Gear?

[DexMacLeod]

27 minutes ago, Corndawg93 said:

Anyone else watching AEWs Full Gear?

Nah, I caught the last half of the pre-show on youtube and that was about it. I haven't really been able to get into AEW and, even if I did really enjoy it, I'm not paying $50 for a wrestling PPV. 

[AedanM2]

If GTA had a wrestling promotion then what would it be called? Also I noticed the Lurchers description is a reference to The Undertaker.

[Guest Billy Russo]

Holy crap, CM Punk is back in a WWE role after all these years. I never thought I'd see the day. He's currently appearing on their Backstage show, but who knows where this could lead. It indicates they are in better contact these days, I never thought he'd have anything to do with the Company again.

 

 

[Crokey]

If he was to return in an in ring capacity, it might make WWE worth a watch for a change.

 

Although WWE's problem is there's too much of it, ain't nobody got all that time to spare during the week to watch everything.

 

[Guest Billy Russo]

25 minutes ago, Crokey said:

If he was to return in an in ring capacity, it might make WWE worth a watch for a change.

 

Although WWE's problem is there's too much of it, ain't nobody got all that time to spare during the week to watch everything.

 

I agree. I barely watch it these days, although I keep a pretty close eye on news. If I see a big return or a huge match, I'll usually watch snippets of the shows. For example, I watched SD the other week because I always really wanted to see Daniel Bryan vs. Adam Cole and it didn't disappoint. Survivor Series might be worth watching, although I'm going to wait to see how the reception is.

 

I think it's only a matter of time until CM Punk returns to the ring. Currently he's strictly in a backstage role and and technically employed by FOX, but it's a WWE show and he's clearly okay with working with things related to WWE again, so it gives me hope. Thought this was interesting earlier by Seth Rollins:

 

 

It probably won't lead to anything, but it would be cool to see someone confront Punk over on FOX and it leads to him getting back in to the ring. Couple of other top guys have acknowledged it as well.

[Lonely-Martin]

I'd love it if Punk was using the Fox deal to build hype, which it has... Only to jump over to AEW, lol. That'd be funny to see. Though I do hope he isn't looking for a Saudi payday only, not that I'd blame anyone for banking an easy score.

 

WWE needs far more than CM Punk popping up in a chat show, but it's a start. Hopefully this ends well all round whatever they do though.

[Bartleby]

AEW has been putting on a very entertaining show since the debut of Dynamite. Not perfect, but it's so refreshing to see wrestling that feels organic and far less stale than what WWE has been putting out for years (NXT notwithstanding). I especially like how well they're building wrestlers previously unknown to casual/lapsed fans like myself: since the start of October the number of wrestlers they've got over with the crowd include Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, Riho, Private Party, Jurassic Express, and MJF. It seems they're doing the smart thing and making their talent seem like a big deal, instead of booking the Elite to win all the time.

 

And Orange Cassidy is such a goddamn treasure. I missed when wrestling was fun, and AEW has been scratching that itch very well so far. Moxley/Allin next week is gonna be dope.

[Guest Billy Russo]

13 hours ago, Lonely-Martin said:

I'd love it if Punk was using the Fox deal to build hype, which it has... Only to jump over to AEW, lol. That'd be funny to see. Though I do hope he isn't looking for a Saudi payday only, not that I'd blame anyone for banking an easy score.

 

WWE needs far more than CM Punk popping up in a chat show, but it's a start. Hopefully this ends well all round whatever they do though.

Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if Punk really doesn't want to wrestle anymore. He's been promoting his movies a ton, and this gives him some exposure and a payday without him going all in again. Plus he's technically employed by FOX as well.

 

AEW apparently offered him the big bucks, and he turned them down, so obviously he's not that bothered about making a big splash anymore. If he went to AEW, he would have been a top guy and brought a lot of exposure to it.

 

I hope he wrestles, but I'm just keeping my expectations realistic, and I'll be pleasantly surprised if he does.

[Lonely-Martin]

@Billy Russo. Yeah, I saw reports he was offered good money from AEW too, plus I agree about it seeming like he's not too keen to return to the ring in general. It'd be great but we'll see where it all goes.

 

I'm sure at the least he'll see where the movie/FOX show career goes too, which makes sense as anything can happen. I can't see him hitting the commercial heights of The Rock mind you, lol. But there's still plenty of fulfilment and money in film/TV even if someone doesn't make it to the highest heights. Plus it'd be a huge tease if he started in the ring and into a feud only to be pulled if the movie thing takes off.

 

And going by how opinionated he can be, he could be just as quickly out of a job with FOX quickly too, lol. Either way, should be entertaining for us. It's nice to see him at peace with wresting/WWE more so though.

[Guest Billy Russo]

On 11/16/2019 at 4:00 AM, Lonely-Martin said:

@Billy Russo. Yeah, I saw reports he was offered good money from AEW too, plus I agree about it seeming like he's not too keen to return to the ring in general. It'd be great but we'll see where it all goes.

 

I'm sure at the least he'll see where the movie/FOX show career goes too, which makes sense as anything can happen. I can't see him hitting the commercial heights of The Rock mind you, lol. But there's still plenty of fulfilment and money in film/TV even if someone doesn't make it to the highest heights. Plus it'd be a huge tease if he started in the ring and into a feud only to be pulled if the movie thing takes off.

 

And going by how opinionated he can be, he could be just as quickly out of a job with FOX quickly too, lol. Either way, should be entertaining for us. It's nice to see him at peace with wresting/WWE more so though.

Yeah, I might actually catch clips of WWE Backstage. Depends on how much they hold back CM Punk. If they let him just say what he wants and actually provide proper analysis, I can see him saying some stuff that may rub them the wrong way. He makes it pretty clear that some of the booking of guys is horrible.

 

Speaking of WWE, I watched some of the SmackDown clips and wished I didn't bother. They had a guy coming out dressed as a 'Big Dog' to mock Roman Reigns. Punk is going to have to talk about this next week, I just have no words. I feel like I'm watching Cartoon Network.

 

 

[Bartleby]

Just remember that what WWE* amounts to these days is a man in his seventies creating content to (presumably) try to entertain you. Then it all makes so much more sense.

 

Totally different subject, but I was just reminded recently about Cody Hall. The hell happened to that guy? Seems like he went nowhere after being in Bullet Club in New Japan...though I did have my doubts when he started off his wrestling career wearing his dad's exact ring attire and doing his exact mannerisms and moveset. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess his passion was less about being a wrestler, and more being his dad.

 

*again, except NXT

[Corndawg93]

Oh sh*t, the new IC title looks badass

[DexMacLeod]

I'm conflicted about all this Survivor Series stuff. On one hand it's made for some exciting moments and interesting matchups with NXT involved, but the whole "battle for brand supremacy" thing feels so pointless. Why should anyone watching care which show gets "bragging rights"? It's even worse when you look at the past and realize that after a week, or maybe two, nobody will ever even mention who "won" tonight. 

[Corndawg93]

Wrestle Kingdom 14 was amazing 

[Midnight Hitman]

John Cena desperately needs to return. His mic work is golden if WWE lets him.