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Official WWE/TNA Wrestling Thread

Discussion in 'Other Sports Forum' started by alen1, Mar 25, 2008.

  1. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    Would not shock me if Foley sticks around for quite a while honestly... He loves being around the business. But at the same time t wouldnt shock me if Raw has a new GM every 12 months, you can see Shawn Michaels in that position, Stone Cold may come back and do 12 months, Edge, etc etc. theyll view it as a a payday and return to work 1 day a week.

    But daniel bryan at smackdown looks like a permanent position.
     
  2. Samphin

    Samphin Κακό σκυλί ψόφο δεν έχει

    I like the idea of Foley and Bryan as G.M.'s. It would be kind of cool to see Steph sort of "corrupt" Foley to a degree. Over time, he starts cutting darker promos and doing heelish things, etc.

    I like the idea of a Cruiserweight division, although, for the life of me, I am not sure who they have on the roster currently, to fill out an entire division. Kalisto, Sin Cara...Nevile?

    I imagine they will be porting some people from the CWC to help fill that void. Ibushi, Gran Metalik, Tajiri, etc.

    Speaking of Tajiri, I recently re-watched the Mexican Death Match with Super Crazy from ECW on WWE Network and WOW, I forgot how good that guy was/is. His visuals and ring psychology were through the roof in that match.

    I hope they announce some rule changes for the brands tonight. I really do want them to have different everything to help set them apart. Perhaps one brand rids itself of count outs? Might make for an interesting development. You still have to pin your opponent in the ring, but if you want to take the match into the crowd, you don't have to worry about being counted out.

    Maybe have Smackdown's ramp come straight down the middle, opposite of the hard camera? Similar to when they are in Madison Square Garden? I don't know, just some thoughts.

    Side note: I get a feeling that Steph and Shane have made out before.

    Tonight should be fun.
     
  3. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Ratings continue to be at an all time low which probably doesn't look good for Ambrose and Rollins staying at the top or even interest in the Draft. Granted its a dead period historically until Summer Slam which makes the timin of the Draft odd (I know this is all USA forcing the WWE's hand for the most part). Next couple of weeks and months should be interesting.
     
  4. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    My favorite cruiserweights.... one of them works for WWE backstage - Billy Kidman. I loved Juventud Guerrera, thought he was the best cruiserweight ever. Psycosis was great to watch.. La Parka, though he's obese now so he's probably a heavyweight now.. Rey Mysterio..
     
  5. dolfan32323

    dolfan32323 ty xphinfanx

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    I was hoping for some fresh match ups and after the draft it seems like it will be a lot of the same unfortunately.
     
  6. Samphin

    Samphin Κακό σκυλί ψόφο δεν έχει

    Odd draft in some ways. I enjoyed the format and thought they did a good job with that. I didn't quite understand some of the NXT picks. Finn Balor is a no brainer, but how does anyone justify Nia Jax, Carmella, or A. Bliss over Bayley or Asuka? Granted, Bayley may still be the mystery partner for Sasha this weekend, but still...logic would dictate that you would raft her to bolster your roster prior.

    Furthermore, Mojo Rawley before Nakamura, Joe, Aries and about a dozen other guys? No sense whatsoever. In reality, you cannot completely deplete the NXT roster of all top talent, but what they should have said is that HHH has been given the opportunity to protest up to five talents (similar to an expansion draft in major sports being able to protect their top assets. That simple explanation would easily explain the lack of Nakamura, Bayley, Joe, Aries and Asuka. But they didn't do anything like that so instead, we are left with wondering why both brands failed to draft top talent.

    I like what they did with Kevin Owens slipping in the draft. I think that adds to his characters annoyingly blustery self. All the talent in the world, but hard to work with, etc.

    Kalisto being drafted to Smackdown, despite the cruiserweights being on Raw, was odd.

    Apparently a legit fight broke out between Sin Cara and Simon Gotch. I don't know what the fight was about, or who started it or anything, but I feel like this is going to end up costing Sin Cara more than it does Simon.
     
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  7. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Yeah the draft was very strange to say the least. I felt like the WWE wasted a lot of those NXT picks.
     
  8. Vengeful Odin

    Vengeful Odin Norse Mod

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    My thoughts on the draft, in no particular order. (Keep in mind I didn't watch, so this is just off the top of my head)

    • It certainly felt like Raw eclipsed Smackdown Live in terms of talent. Some of that was naturally going to happen with the 60/40 split that they went with. Optimistically, it gives those guys drafted to SDL a chance to perform with a chip on their shoulders. Pessimistically, maybe it was done because WWE just doesn't care about SDL, despite what they've said.
    • From what I've read about the draft, both backstage and on SDL last night, it sounds rushed. They had a chance to do something cool, interview guys, have them come out after getting picked, and they didn't do any of that.
    • The NXT picks make some sense to me but feel like a missed opportunity. Finn and American Alpha, yes, I agree with. But the rest are head scratchers. Where is Bayley? She's beyond ready at this point. Nakamura isn't getting any younger either. He can't cut a great promo but I don't think that matters with him. Put him on SmackDown and let him and AJ set the world on fire. Nia Jax wasn't ready, but at 32 she's already approaching "old" by their standards for women so they probably felt like the time was now. She's got that Vader vibe, it will be interesting to see how she works with the rest of the main roster. Alexa isn't ready from a ring-work perspective but her character work has been the strongest of pretty much everyone down in Full Sail. I don't see the value in Mojo at all, but they've loved the guy for years. My picks probably would have been Balor, AA, Bayley, Nakamura, Samoa Joe, and Nia.
    • NXT at this point is TNA adjace, with Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, and Eric Young all in the promotion at this point.
    • Not a huge fan of splitting up The Club, but we may get the Balor Club out of the deal, so that could be interesting. AJ will be fine on his own.
    • I was fine with splitting the Intercontinental and US titles up. Makes sense, as there will be (I assume) 2 Main titles and 2 undercard titles, 1 for each show.
    • I'm really confused by the splitting of the tag teams and the women. There's just no depth there, across the board.
    • Along the same lines, the title splits seem to be heavily favoring Raw. I don't usually fantasy book, it's not my thing, but this seems like a clear misstep. Stephanie's big thing, character wise, has been the Divas Revolution. Why not showcase the Women's Division on Monday night? They've got the talent to use an hour of time and build to compelling stuff in the women's division, which is as strong as it's ever been. Seems like a wasted opportunity.
    • Still fantasy booking, but SmackDown could have really benefitted from the Cruiserweight title. With Daniel Bryan as the GM, this seems like a natural progression to make, especially given the well-received Cruiserweight Classic that started last week, which both he and Mauro were a part of. Also, Bryan was known as a smaller wrestler, so the underdog thing could have worked here. Selfishly, I want more of him and Mauro on commentary, so having him come out for the title matches would have been a way to keep things fresh. I suspect that the Cruiserweight division landed on Raw because they want Finn for that role (hope I'm wrong) and that HHH wanted to make sure Finn ended up on Raw. I get the idea - Nitro used the Cruiserweights division as a great way to keep the 3 hour shows afloat - but the attempt seems misguided. They could have done the same thing, featuring the Women's Divisions or Tag Divisions and accomplished the same goal. Speaking of which ...
    • These tag divisions are sad, man. Especially SmackDown Live. They should have just left them all on Raw.
    • That gives Raw another tool in the toolbox, so to say, with a Women's Division, Tag Division, Main Event, and Undercard to focus on. Give each of those Divisions 45 minutes each week (More like 35 after commercials) and build to something meaningful in each of them. I assume that's what they want to do with the Cruiserweight division, but again, I think that should have been on SmackDown. Similarly on SDL, you could have had your Main, Undercard, and Cruiserweight divisions. 40 minutes of TV each week, which works out to like 32 minutes after commercials. Same deal split it out and build to meaningful stuff across the board.
    • Couldn't we have gotten Mauro and Graves for SDL, instead of JBL and Otunga? Do we really have to have 3 man announce teams?
    • The Draft feels like a wasted opportunity to me in a lot of respects. I haven't watched Raw, even on Hulu Plus, in probably well over a year, and nothing about this makes me want to start now.
    • I had hoped that the installation of GMs would lead to less McMahon on my TV and move us away from the "Evil Authority Figure," which has been done to death (particularly on Raw). Just let Bryan and Foley do what Regal does in NXT. Make a few announcements, act fairly, and play peacekeeper. I don't care about the McMahons, nor will I ever. After last night, I feel like Stephanie isn't going anywhere. Until that happens I'm probably not watching.
     
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  9. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Before Brock got tested for PEDs he was going to be the first overall pick followed by Ambrose going to Smackdown, then Rollins to RAW and Cena at #4 to Smackdown.
     
  10. dolfan32323

    dolfan32323 ty xphinfanx

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    Paul Heyman's contract has expired.... hope it gets renewed soon. I need more Paul Heyman in my life.
     
  11. SICK

    SICK Lounge Moderator

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    Excited for Battleground, don't know why, I am hoping for some debuts (Finn, possibly Bayley)....and some surprises. Hope Reigns eats a clean pin and is boo'ed out of the arena!
     
  12. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Curt Hawkins, Rhyno, MVP and Shelton Benjamin are all returning to the main roster soon.
     
  13. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    Its obvious that Ambrose will lose the title tonight. I think its clear Rollins will win it.

    All I ask is, please end the Reigns title chase after tonight. Enough is enough, make him go after the IC or US Championship. Just end the Reigns title chase. Boring as hell.

    God forbid they give him the strap... I dont think we can put up with that again..
     
  14. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    Usos vs Breezango just had a heck of a tag match... And that was in the preshow of battleground lol not sure if there are gonna be matches as good as that one in the main card
     
  15. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    Not sure if Bayley is overhyped.. She had a meh performance on the ring today.. I dont think she will be any bigger than a becky lynch who hasnt been much of anything since getting on the main roster. A very good wrestlemania but a bunch of blah since
     
  16. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    If you think Bayley is overhyped you probably haven't seen any of her NXT work, especially her matches with Sasha Banks. Bayley has the potential to be the female John Cena in that she could be a huge fan favorite for little girls while delivering solid matches in the ring and staying out of trouble outside of it. The point of the match wasn't to showcase Bayley, it was to make Sasha look like a legit threat to Charlotte which the match/story did.

    Becky Lynch is also a very capable wrestlers too unfortnately the whole "Divas Revolution" has been a mess since Day 1 and hasn't helped anyone but Charlotte, and even she had some bumps in the road.
     
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  17. Two Tacos

    Two Tacos Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Biggest pop I've heard a female get. She has some pretty good matches on tape already. Timing was a little off, but it was also a tag match that she did no work to build. She's got the potential to be the first real female WWE super star. Time will tell, but sky's the limit IMO.
     
  18. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Moral of the story is don't do drugs.

    Yeah it makes sense Ambrose walks out as Champion. Makes Smackdown seem more important right now which is the goal of USA/WWE right now. Now RAW will create their own World
    Title and either hand it to Rollins ala Triple H in 2002 or have Rollins vs. Reigns at Summer Slam for that title.

    I do think Ambrose is keeping the title warm for AJ.

    Overall a solid PPV all around.
     
  19. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    now time for new storylines for rollins reigns and ambrose.. Enough already
     
  20. Jt0323

    Jt0323 Fins Up! Luxury Box

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    Having the Usos hold up Dean had to be a dig at Roman, no?

    Raw Tomorrow will have a tournament announced for the new WHC, that will end at Summerslam where the NEW WHC will be crowned. Most likely it will end up being Rollins vs Reigns, but I hope I am wrong
     
  21. dolfan32323

    dolfan32323 ty xphinfanx

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    Seems like Vince has really taken a dig at Roman. 2 straight clean pins against him and having the Usos hold up Ambrose? I almost feel a bit bad for Reigns - his perpetual push did him no good and people can't stand him.
     
  22. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    Yea but the chapter isnt going to change if its true that there will be a tournament... Rollins vs Reigns for the millionth freaking time... What a borefest.
     
  23. Section126

    Section126 We are better than you. Luxury Box

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    That was a GREAT show.

    Enjoyed it completely.
     
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  24. SICK

    SICK Lounge Moderator

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    Charlotte NC
    Battleground was fantastic.


    I hope WWE sets up the RAW tournament and have Rollins/Reigns on opposite sides of the brakets making it look predictable, but then have Zayn beat Roman in semi finals setting up a dream Rollins/Zayn bring the house down match at SS


    How about Orton "No enhancements needed" line? omg and Jericho breaking character to say "you're gunna pay for that one" lmao
     
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  25. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    The "no enhancements needed" line would have been funny if Orton hadn't been suspended twice by the WWE for Wellness violations and the WWE had to restructure the policy so they wouldn't be forced to fire him if he got popped for a 3rd time. But yeah Jericho's reaction/response was great.
     
  26. SICK

    SICK Lounge Moderator

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    Meh, It's still a funny line, got a great reaction, obviously RO knows he failed tests, its almost the same line of Brock puttin down Jon Bones Jones before ufc 200, then getting popped himself.
     
  27. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    I didnt think Balor would show up yesterday.. what are the chances he is a mystery opponent in the tournament though.. would be cool..
     
  28. Samphin

    Samphin Κακό σκυλί ψόφο δεν έχει

    LOL. You hate EVERYTHING.

    What about wrestling, do you actually like?
     
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  29. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    What about watching Rollins vs Reigns 50 times, do you actually like?
     
  30. Samphin

    Samphin Κακό σκυλί ψόφο δεν έχει

    Match Of The Night was Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn. Great performances, great storytelling by them AND the announcers and a great finish that helped end the feud in a satisfactory way. This is when WWE is at it's best.

    Wyatt's vs. New Day was good, even if it seems as if Bray is somewhat directionless after the brand split and draft. It is a good win for him and one that doesn't really hurt New Day. Big E should probably stop doing that spear through the ropes though. That landing looked scary.

    Bayley will be a star. She simply connects with the audience in a way that very few people do. The "revolution" has been a dud with the women's division, but the talent is there, led by all four horsewomen. Once Paige returns from whatever injury/tantrum she is currently dealing with, and Asuka eventually gets called up, they have the potential to have a loaded division.

    Enzo had a great promo. Good to see him and Cass go beyond the stupid catch phrases. I am already sick of "sawft" and the "you can't teach that" nonsense. But the rest of the promo was gold.

    Rusev looks to be built strong again. I think he is going to be a top of the card heel for a LONG time and a future world champ.

    Orton/Jericho was pretty bad. Then again, I don't really like anything Randy Orton does.

    Triple Threat match was pretty good. Took a little bit of time to get going, but it ended well. AJ Styles seems like a natural foil for Ambrose, but I am not sure his issues with Cena are all the way resolved, yet. I could see AJ interrupting Ambrose on Tuesday, only for Cena to interrupt him, only for Bray Wyatt to sneak in from the other side and drop Ambrose to stake his claim as the next contender. Sets up Smackdown's Summerslam card as:

    AJ Styles vs. Jon Cena
    Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt (Title Match)

    You probably need three more matches for the brand, one of which, will be the IC Title. I also think you see American Alpha get a PPV debut (against Usos? Beezeango? Vaudevillains?) and probably something with Becky Lynch and the women.

    I can live with that. Of course, this doesn't take into account guys like Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler and a few others.

    RAW is a little more murky.

    Brock vs. Orton (Raw vs. Smackdown) is the special attraction match, but beyond that, no clue where they go. Banks facing Charlotte seems likely, as would a New Day tag title defense (The Club?) Reigns/Owens/Rollins/Zayn should probably be at the top of the card somehow. Not exactly sure how, whether it is a tournament, Fatal 4-Way or something else. And Finn Balor is out there, needing something to do (Joining The Club?).

    If booked properly, Summerslam could be a really nice card.
     
  31. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    It feels like they wrestled 50 times but I think they've only wrestled each other one on one twice, once at MiTB and once the night after on RAW. I could be wrong though.
     
  32. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Nice write up. I enjoyed the PPV overall but I do think a lot of the matches lacked direction. It didn't take away from the in ring product though but the brand split kind of messed with some of the storylines for matches. Orton bores me too but he at least showed some personality last night. I'm looking forward to the Summer Slam match but after that Orton can feel free to take another extended vacation for awhile.

    I actually think we're going to get Ambrose vs. AJ at Summer Slam. For whatever reason it just felt like the Cena/Enzo/Cass vs. AJ/Club was the end of the feud, especially with Cena hitting AJ with the Super AA. But you're right Bray is kind of just there with nothing to do unless we get Ambrose vs. Bray. I can't see the WWE running Cena vs. Bray again.

    I totally agree with you about Big E, each time he hits that move it looks worse and worse. Speaking of which my heart dropped when Sami missed up that moonsault off the top rope, I thought he was going to land right on his neck. Kudos to Sami and Owens for being pros and started to target the arm/shoulder after that.
     
  33. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Word going around is that Del Rio will be leaving the company once his contract is up in October. Vince wanted to push him heading into the draft but Triple H didn't want to push him which ended up happening.

    Honestly Del Rio is another guy that bores me. He's a fine talent but just doesn't do anything for me. He's been directionless since his return so it wouldn't be a big deal if he left. Hopefully he takes Sheamus with him.
     
  34. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    I mentioned that spear by Big E a couple of payperviews back.. That has to stop already..

    And I'm not sure if this was botched, but I definitely did not like seeing Bayley land on the back of her head on the turnbuckle. That was cringing.
     
  35. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    It didn't look good for sure, didn't look like it was planned.
     
  36. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    yeah I think the plan was to land flat on her back on the mat.. instead they were off by a few inches and she slapped the back of her head on the turnbuckle. could have been a terrible debut..
     
  37. SICK

    SICK Lounge Moderator

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    Charlotte NC
    All I know is I wanted to love smackdown with Bryan/Shane leading the way, however RAW is stacked, and I am pretty excited for tonight. Hopefully they don't mess up Ambrose/Wyatt/Cena/Aj on SD.

    Hope to see Balor debut tonight.
     
  38. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Of course RAW is stacked, look who's in charge of it. I'm only half kidding too.

    It makes no sense that RAW has the US title, Tag titles, Women's Title and soon a Cruiserweight title. That's not even assuming they will have their own World Champ too. They should have put the cruiserweights on Smackdown and either kept all the Women on RAW or have the Women's Champ float between the two shows, ditto for the tag titles.

    I'd be shocked if Balor doesn't debut tonight. And the WWE can't really afford to mess up Ambrose/Wyatt/Cena/AJ or the whole brand would have basically nothing.
     
  39. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    I expect him to be a participant in the tournament, will likely win his first match of the tournament but lose the second match and then start a rivalry with the guy he first beat. Probably a guy like Rusev.
     
  40. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Right now both Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns are being advertised for Smackdown this week. If they show up kind of defeats the purpose of a brand split no?
     

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