Pro Wrasslin' Thread: I don't know what I just saw

[nachobro]

ADDED: Legends With JBL - Stan Hansen (02/07/2017) http://network.wwe.com/video/v1222707183

wow, gotta watch this. thanks for the tip, sunny!

[FunSlower]

yeah that bot is pretty handy. Awesome to see the final? Legends w/JBL being with Hansen. Hope we get a new set of Legends of Wrestling Roundtable, somehow, but man, it sucks not having Dusty Rhodes there.

It's kind of weird how many shows on the Network were one-offs, and I wonder if they had a purpose or if it was just truly experimentation. Like Bring It To The Table. One episode. That's it. It even had a logo and everything.

Also, thank you Jesus Christ for not having SD's commentary mention "Yesslemania" when Danny Bryan was out doing a promo. Fuck, that's one of my least favorite utterances.

[Stro]

SD's commentary is horrific. Mauro's corny ass lines and looking like he wants to die when Tom Phillips speaks, Tom being there at all and randomly popping in for forced lines, JBL apparently forgetting how to speak English most of the time and randomly yelling nonsense, and Otunga's terrible delivery of everything. It's really, really bad.

[FunSlower]

Mauro's gotta tone it down. Mama mia.

Could be worse. Could be Yesslemania.

[archie4208]

https://twitter.com/WWETheBigShow/status/829756520585912322

[Take My Breh Away]

SD's commentary is horrific. Mauro's corny ass lines and looking like he wants to die when Tom Phillips speaks, Tom being there at all and randomly popping in for forced lines, JBL apparently forgetting how to speak English most of the time and randomly yelling nonsense, and Otunga's terrible delivery of everything. It's really, really bad.

I wish they would use Otunga as a slimy heel manager on TV. His run with Johnny Ace and "People Power" was brilliant when he really got to pull off the slimeball lawyer act and just being smug with Big Johnny (RIP Last "authority" act to actually get real heel heat instead of "Please fuck off" heat) and that act was really sleazy and heat magnet in promos. Even small things like his coffee thermos changing every week was hilarious with how extravagant it started getting. It's a shame he didn't have the ring skills needed cause he was close to "It", even for a guy that was notably smaller height wise for what they were looking for at the time. Bringing him in as a manager for someone who needs it like Apollo Crews (My god that would be a great act. Elite cocky athlete and scuzzy but always right lawyer who starts swinging decisions his way) would be way more beneficial than having Vince yell at him through a headset.

But hey WWE has had awful commentary outside of Graves and Saxton ever since JR left and Vince started yelling at JBL more to stay on script instead of the original JBL commentary run AKA "JBL goes into a rant how 80's All-Japan was the best also SHUT UP COLE".       

[nachobro]

smackdown now is even more like the old glory days of smackdown with this poor commentary. though taz and cole were endearing.

and i'd love a new legends of wrestling series. i've watched them all twice, solid show full of good tales from some of those guys. every show flair was on was a goddamn riot though. his shitting all over extreme wrestling with foley there or naming four horseman (deserved) and evolution (wat) as his favorite factions ever.

[bork]

Dat theme tho





I actually liked Evolution.  The problem back then was HHH shitting all over everyone else, not the faction.  Another gimmick I really liked that everyone else seems to hate was Hulk Hogan as Mr. America.  It was so tongue-in-cheek and cheesy, in a good way, and fit pro wrasslin' perfectly.   Hogan coming out to Real American and then acting like an even more exaggerated version of himself was great.  "I'm not Hulk Hogan, BROTHER.  But if I was, DUDE, I'd be taking my vitamins, saying my prayers, and kicking your ass, McMahon!"

[FunSlower]

Show lookin great. Awesome stuff.

[bork]

Show lookin great. Awesome stuff.

He's starting to look like that old European bodybuilder who played Thor in Kung Fury. 

[nachobro]

i liked mr. america as well. the lie detector skit they did was great.

flair picking the horseman and evolution as the best factions just made me laugh cause OF COURSE he ranks two he was in as the greatest of all time.

[archie4208]

Naito vs. Elgin is a fucking great match

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Much better than the Okada/Suzuki snoozefest

[close]

[Stro]

On vacation in the middle of nowhere, WWE Network barely works on Wifi. I don't know if I can watch elimination chamber or not. Hulu  works though. Just added James bond and lethal weapon collections. 

Getting drunk and working out for a week in a place where the Wal-Mart has cows grazing in the field next to it. With no fences. Just random cows grazing. Tranquilo

[Stro]

I'll watch it if I can for the same reason. But based on SmackDown,, the show looks like a complete afterthought. Alexa vs. Naomi is going to be a fucking mess.

[Take My Breh Away]

If they give them the time. Harper/Orton might tear the house down, especially since Orton seems motivated as fuck with Wyatt and Harper so far and Randy is amazing when he's in there with someone he really gives a shit about. Potential sleeper, there. Lynch/James and the Chamber match has a good chance at being reasonably good as well. Rest is kinda a wash.

[bork]

I'll watch it if I can for the same reason. But based on SmackDown,, the show looks like a complete afterthought. Alexa vs. Naomi is going to be a fucking mess.

The PPV was better than I expected it to be.  I knew Wyatt was going to win and become champ after that dirtsheet rumor list proved true with Orton winning the Rumble, but it was still fun to watch.

...Or at least, what I saw as I glanced over while playing video games. 

[Stro]

The outside being obviously heavily padded, meaning they were opened up to far more and crazy bumps out there, really took the drama and brutality away from a gimmick that has long been neutred anyway. It's clear the "grating" bumps were safe as could be, and they got completely abused and overused, making them ultimately feel cheap and not dangerous at all. Still, it was a pretty fun match. Unless the plan is for Summerslam (or a random brand PPV) to be built around Cena breaking Flair's record, I still see no reason why they had him end AJ's reign so decisively just to have him drop it 2 weeks later in a multiman match that would have been a much better place for AJ  to drop his title.

Cena really does feel super out of place now. Like Hulk Hogan in 1993. Or red and yellow Hogan in 1999. Or RATB in 2000. Or Hulk Hogan in 2005. Or Hulk Hogan in 2011. It might be time to put him on the Undertaker schedule of just brining him for WM.

I missed the first hour, but the crowd sounded extremely hot for everything, especially Orton and Bray. Stil not interested in that feud getting turned into a title feud, but it was nice for Bray to finally win a big time match. Naomi/Bliss really fell apart towards the end like I predicted, but Naomi's reaction to winning was so genuine that you can over look it. Lots of ideas they could go with to incorporate the belt into her entrance.

[FunSlower]

That EC match was hot as hell. Loved it. And inside, there's a piece of me that's still an ultimate mark for Wyatt and I'm glad he has gold. Not that that shit matters, but I'm indulging in this feeling.

[nachobro]

if wwe doesn't do something to make the title glow, then they've already messed up with naomi. orton/harper was a solid match. harper is a great big dude and orton definitely seems in to what he's doing nowso the effort is really shining through.

ec match was really excellent. the padding was a bit weird and i halfway expected dean/bray to go right through the plexiglass in their spot of throwing each other into it but i'm glad that didn't happen. overall though, a hot match. corbin looked good beating everyone up before and after his pin, miz played the coward very well as always, and i'm glad wyatt is getting his shine. i love his character and i'm glad he's getting a reward for it.

[Take My Breh Away]

Orton/Harper is great. Worth the watch alone for that. Just an all round wild as hell brawl and both looking like absolute stars coming out of it. Chamber match was pretty good as well.

[FunSlower]

The timing of the Chamber match was awesome too. Nothing really dragged, everything was right next to something big. Excellent pace.

[bork]

What was that Emmalina mess? 

[archie4208]

"How come my name's on this?"

 

[bork]

I turned off Raw right before the main event.  Missed apparently a pretty good match?  And Bayley won, holy shit.

Re: Emmalina- Apparently they decided to drop the whole gimmick weeks ago but kept it running as a "joke."  I don't get it. 

[Stro]

How come my name is on this 

Jericho gonna get a semi main event face run in 2017 over  getting his name put on a list.

Fucking DYING when they loaded him in to the amberlamps and there was an ad for an upcoming Bon Jovi show on the arena sign.

[bork]

Fucking DYING when they loaded him in to the amberlamps and there was an ad for an upcoming Bon Jovi show on the arena sign.

[Take My Breh Away]

How come my name is on this 

Jericho gonna get a semi main event face run in 2017 over  getting his name put on a list.

Fucking DYING when they loaded him in to the amberlamps and there was an ad for an upcoming Bon Jovi show on the arena sign.

 

Still probably the best RAW promo segment since Mark Henry's "Retirement Ceremony"

[Stro]

I wonder who lays out Charlotte's matches. Her big title matches have had a really specific and well paced big fight feel classic feel to them that none of the other women have in matches without her involvement. Particularly the big Raw matches she's been in this year. Crowd got hot as FUCK for the end of that match.

Sashas absolutely should have turned on Bayley during the celebration. I'm sure it's coming but that would have been legit ass heel heat in that moment if she had laid Bayley out after raising her arm. Especially if she did that OMG WE'RE HERE AND CRYING shit only to have it be a SWERVE.

[Stro]

Fave Five things on SD:

1. AJ Styles
2. The look of utter dejection Mauro has when they have Tom Phillips do his wrap around and hype segments
3. The look of utter emarassment Otunga has on his face after doing the black history month segments because he's the only black guy
4. Alexa Bliss in anything
5. Baron Corbin's hilarious struggle beard

[nachobro]

corbin's little vato stache is depressing yet hilarious

[archie4208]

https://twitter.com/dhm/status/831859686269976576

[Stro]

That sure is something. A McMahon in every oval (office).

[FunSlower]

I hear Kelly Kelly is coming back. Thoughts?

[bork]

Don't even remember who that is.

The "stripper" from WWECW who couldn't figure out how to take off her top.    She was another cookie-cutter blonde fitness model type who couldn't wrestle and spent most of her time in nu-ECW as a dance before becoming a 'wrassler' on Raw and then quit for...reasons.



If WWE wants to bring back 'divas,' please only be the likes of Trish Stratus, Lita (that relationship is over already, lol), Gail Kim, Victoria, etc.  Like Mickie James being back?  Fine.  Just wish she would think about ditching that decade old ring gear already.  She's like the female equivalent to Christian in that regard. 

[FunSlower]

Oh and uh, what was that Emmalina thing? They just...didn't?

[bork]

Oh and uh, what was that Emmalina thing? They just...didn't?

Some rumors about her gimmick being a throwback to Sable and The Kat but nobody could agree on how it worked so they dropped it. Not clear on whether Emma or creative decided it wasn't worth a shot.

Dirt Sheets say:

    WWE sources have confirmed that the company has abandoned their plans for the Emmalina gimmick and are turning back to the Emma character.

    Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet is reporting that officials decided to nix the idea after producers realized that "after multiple rehearsals, she couldn’t pull off what they were looking to accomplish." He adds that the character was supposed to be a throw-back to the likes of Sable and The Kat but that officials felt that Emma wasn't committing enough to the role.

    One official told us that there was some internal debate on going back to the "Emma" name, especially if the character is to be an evil heel (as Emmalina is a better heel name), but that ultimately it was decided to save the name for perhaps another shot in the future.

So...why did they even have her come out?  If they just dropped the vignettes, nobody would have noticed. 

[bork]

Speaking of divers, where are Paige and Eva Marie?  Still suspended?

[seagrams hotsauce]

Paige will be back in some capacity, since there's a biopic about her family coming out that looks like it's going to be a Real Movie. Are either of them still on Total Divas?

[FunSlower]

Paige was injured and had neck surgery late December
As of Feb, Eva Marie is still under contract

[Stro]

Paige is medically suspended for her neck issues, made even better that she wants to go into MMA and debut on the first PPV for Del Rio's promotion. Eva removed all WWE references from social media, but is still with the company.

[FunSlower]

Eva's planning ahead. She has a bright career in her next 5 years. After that, who knows.

[fistfulofmetal]

Just call her Dark Emma and bring back the shades and the attire. Team her with Dana again and go to town.

[bork]

Eva's planning ahead. She has a bright career in her next 5 years. After that, who knows.

Checked her Twitter.  Looks like she's trying to pimp some clothing line?  Then I checked out a video that was linked and it asked me to "Suscribe" at the end. 

[FunSlower]

Well. She isn't too bright.

[seagrams hotsauce]

Doesn't eva have some weird talentless bf leech that wwe hates or some shit?

[seagrams hotsauce]

Rusev is the best

[FunSlower]

Doesn't eva have some weird talentless bf leech that wwe hates or some shit?

Yes, he's completely stupid and wholly awful. He's fun to watch.

Total Divas S1 and 2 are A+ shows

[Stro]

2K17 can be pretty reasonably fun if you really, really dig in and tweak the settings and have the right guys with the right movesets. Default gameplay is garbo, but tweak it and you can have a 20 min IRL match between AA and Revival that is shockingly close to their real matches. The promo system on Universe is...interesting, at least. The added tweaks to rolling out of the ring after a big move in a triple threat is interesting as well. And thankfully, you can change the AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL submission mini game to something that is basically button mashing. Once I unlock more WCW guys, I'll have to do some streaming.

But fucking looooooooooool how outdated it was even when it was released on conosles, and then how the PC version didn't update a single thing. Couldn't even be bothered to update the champions. Mother fuckers couldn't even add in the Universal Championship. A title that had been in existence for 2 months before the game was originally released and is literally just a palette swap of the main title. The PC version comes out SIX MONTHS later and still doesn't have it, still has Dean as WWE champ, Rusev as US champ, etc.

[Take My Breh Away]

In the last two days "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff and George "The Animal" Steele passed away from cancer

Also, apparently Nicole Bass is on life support, but is effectively brain dead after suffering a stroke as well. And Big Van Vader posted on twitter he has been told by his doctors he hasn't got long left either.

Sad week for the business.

[Stro]

Vader is working to get a HOF spot. Dude is all about posting shit, having it get picked up by the sheets/reddit/twitter, and then immediately deleting it and pretending like it never happened. About 2 months ago he said both that a second opinion said he was fine, and that DDP Yoga cured him.

[archie4208]

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/833740859006914565

The guy with the Smells Like Teen Spirit knockoff theme gets inducted to the HoF on Kurt Cobain's birthday. 

[FunSlower]

Vader is working to get a HOF spot. Dude is all about posting shit, having it get picked up by the sheets/reddit/twitter, and then immediately deleting it and pretending like it never happened. About 2 months ago he said both that a second opinion said he was fine, and that DDP Yoga cured him.

He's trying to get the "actor gets award because he has no time left" award without actually doing the hard part of dying.

[Stro]

Vader is working to get a HOF spot. Dude is all about posting shit, having it get picked up by the sheets/reddit/twitter, and then immediately deleting it and pretending like it never happened. About 2 months ago he said both that a second opinion said he was fine, and that DDP Yoga cured him.

He's trying to get the "actor gets award because he has no time left" award without actually doing the hard part of dying.

[Stro]

It's FASCINATING how poorly DDP was booked in WWF. Of all the guys coming over from WCW, he was by far the biggest star of the group. Booker was what he was, but a month before he was champ he was feuding with Shawn Stasiak and losing to Kanyon the night he won the title. Earlier in the year he had been feuding over the letter T. While DDP in 2001 wasn't DDP of 1997-1998 (shit, DDP of 1999 wasn't DDP of 1997-1998), to book him completely antithetical to what made him popular in WCW and have him get a weekly (sometimes two) ass beatings by Taker and/or his wife and unable to win ANYTHING without heavy cheating.

Which, that last part was about how it went for everyone in the Alliance besides RVD and Rhyno. Even Booker as WCW champ couldn't win without inference from 20 members of the group, then a ref bump, then Austin interfering personally on his behalf. Legit Kanyon got booked better as a goofy, but competent idiot who was gifted a title completely undeservedly. At least he got to look good in his matches. Lance Storm also got booked reasonably well, although they pretty much turned him into a full blown comedy character.

DDP's booking has to be in the top 5 intentionally career damaging burial bookings of all time.

[Stro]

The clearest Vince gonna Vince moment. Never has Vince Vinced more.

[FunSlower]

Taker didn't help either. He came out and said he didn't want to do business with DDP, and tried to make him look like shit. Never understood why Taker felt that way of all people.

[fistfulofmetal]

They didn't do the collapsing ring spot even though they clearly teased it. Fuckers.

[FunSlower]

They didn't do the collapsing ring spot even though they clearly teased it. Fuckers.

Hope they don't do it again for a superplex. Change it up.

Imagine if Roman Reigns did his little jump punch onto the ground and it blew inwards. That'd look amazing.

[Stro]

Taker didn't help either. He came out and said he didn't want to do business with DDP, and tried to make him look like shit. Never understood why Taker felt that way of all people.

Taker made EVERYONE in the Alliance look like shit. Like he was going out of his way to personally ruin everyone involved. Rock is out here jobbing to Rhyno and selling the gore like he got shot by a cannon. Undertaker beats Rhyno in under 3 minutes with a chokeslam. Couldn't even be bothered to hit his real finish on him. And he followed that up with...he and Sara beating the shit out of DDP some more. At one point, he beats Austin/Angle in a handicap match. Taker was a real cunt during the Invasion.

[Stro]

Raw seemed abnormally bad even just the Hulu version. The HOSS battle was dope as heck, tho