The WWE Discussion Thread

[Dauersack]

Honestly I lost pretty much all interest in WWE at this point, that is why I haven't been posting anymore, I just read up some of what happened and if it sounds promising I look the scene up on youtube, but for the last 2 weeks I only looked up 3 scenes. PPVS get increasingly stupid names and become more forgettable each year, the great veterans of my youth are broken down old men who have the worst matches in their career at the moment, storylines even make less sense now, champs are being booked like shit or not booked at all, promising wrestlers are constantly buried in a way that serves no one. The most frustrating part, and the main reason other than The Undertaker vs Goldberg reminding me that the business is rotting away, is that they keep overpushing people who are just boring or even plain shit.

 

Baron Corbin being locked in the never ending feud for the title we know he should not and most likely will not get, being one of the most boring guys in living memory no one wants to see in any prominent position while there are talented guys who get no screentime to speak of. Shane McMahon who wins feuds against full time wrestlers and gets tons of prime time on both shows, making wrestlers like Drew look like fools for following him while getting their asses handed despite having a numbers advantage. Lacey Evans, who is so inept in the ring that she even managed to make Charlotte Flair of all people stumble around like a helpless fool, and when you can do it to her you can do it to anyone, Becky was also unable to have even a decent match with her, and like Corbin her character is dull as dirt, so of course they throw them together because in their mind boring*boring equals awesome.

 

I am just tired of it. At least months back they actually had some people in the midcard I wanted to see, even some main events were interesting. Now main events are besieged by the likes of Corbin, Ziggler and Evans, who get chance after chance after chance, losing despite having unfair advantages but they get another 10 shots because seemingly no one in the company gives a damn about the main titles. Wrestlers I genuinely like and respect are away from tv, sometimes for months, to make room for this shit. I just don't want to look at these clowns anymore. If nothing really big happens, I will only fully chime back in the glorious day Vince McMahon finally becomes unable to drag the company down, no matter the circumstances behind it.

 

@skidmarkgn

There is a realistic chance that you are one of the last survivors here to keep watching, considering how much the activity has decreased. I watch this stuff for close to 20 years now, only making a few minor pauses during the 2013-2015 era because I got burned out a bit and had a lot of other shit to do anyway, but I can't suffer through it anymore. If they managed to push me away from it, then that means many other people already left and won't come back anytime soon. I feel kinda bad that you seem to be the lone survivor of this site, but any time I read a summary of what happend on one of the shows I instantly get reminded why.

Edited June 25, 2019 by Nighcisama

[GoodbyeBread]

I haven't been on because of online classes and i missed RAW. Gleaning fro the responses, i take it people are not pleased? 

 

only watched bits and pieces of SD. It's alright match wise. Creative is a bit sluggish.

(Although Nakamura and Balor feud should be interesting)

[AJ_Radio]

On 6/25/2019 at 2:06 PM, Nighcisama said:

Honestly I lost pretty much all interest in WWE at this point, that is why I haven't been posting anymore, I just read up some of what happened and if it sounds promising I look the scene up on youtube, but for the last 2 weeks I only looked up 3 scenes. PPVS get increasingly stupid names and become more forgettable each year, the great veterans of my youth are broken down old men who have the worst matches in their career at the moment, storylines even make less sense now, champs are being booked like shit or not booked at all, promising wrestlers are constantly buried in a way that serves no one. The most frustrating part, and the main reason other than The Undertaker vs Goldberg reminding me that the business is rotting away, is that they keep overpushing people who are just boring or even plain shit.

 

I lost interest a decade ago.

 

I watched for a number of years during the 2000s. However the Chris Benoit suicide, the change from PG-13 to PG to make due for Linda McMahon's political campaign, and Vince McMahon's constant fumbling around was the beginning of the end for me, and probably for a lot of us who watched for decades.

 

Eddie Guerrero's death in 2005 was probably the first thing that really hit me hard and it has been noted that Vince McMahon pretty much avoided the whole controversy of these wrestlers and entertainers using performance enhancing drugs to gain themselves an edge and be competitive. Things got worse as fans got heated about the lack of discussion of Chris Benoit taking his own life and his family with him. Vince McMahon was a coward who didn't stand up to the fans and the community. Changing the rating to PG was stupid. Contrary to what some people think, you can get away with a lot more with PG-13, and that was the rating that WWE (WWF back in the day when it was good) did it's best.

 

I lost further interest when Hulk Hogan revealed to be a racist. The bullying and harassment that the WWE announcers got. Giving Brock Lesnar a pass despite his part time presence with WWE and numerous failed drug tests. John Cena being a boring person that appeals almost exclusively to kids, who have no idea what the old WWE was like. The list goes on.

 

Undertaker was the only guy I could cling to because he has longevity. But even I can see that he is simply an old man who isn't as exciting and entertaining as he used to be. I used to root for Goldberg when I was younger but he too is an old man.

 

I watched a part of the famous Hulk Hogan vs Ultimate Warrior match from nearly 30 years ago on YouTube. The difference is literally night and day. Just by watching that match, and the confrontations Hogan had with Andre the Giant, I can see why so many people were huge fans of the WWF.

 

I didn't get into WWF until 1996 - 1997. The Attitude Era, when The Rock went up against Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the rabid commentary they provided, was simply much better.

 

I can't even recognize WWE anymore.

[djb5f]

1 hour ago, Spaz said:

 

I lost interest a decade ago.

 

I watched for a number of years during the 2000s. However the Chris Benoit suicide, the change from PG-13 to PG to make due for Linda McMahon's political campaign, and Vince McMahon's constant fumbling around was the beginning of the end for me, and probably for a lot of us who watched for decades.

 

Eddie Guerrero's death in 2005 was probably the first thing that really hit me hard and it has been noted that Vince McMahon pretty much avoided the whole controversy of these wrestlers and entertainers using performance enhancing drugs to gain themselves an edge and be competitive. Things got worse as fans got heated about the lack of discussion of Chris Benoit taking his own life and his family with him. Vince McMahon was a coward who didn't stand up to the fans and the community. Changing the rating to PG was stupid. Contrary to what some people think, you can get away with a lot more with PG-13, and that was the rating that WWE (WWF back in the day when it was good) did it's best.

 

I lost further interest when Hulk Hogan revealed to be a racist. The bullying and harassment that the WWE announcers got. Giving Brock Lesnar a pass despite his part time presence with WWE and numerous failed drug tests. John Cena being a boring person that appeals almost exclusively to kids, who have no idea what the old WWE was like. The list goes on.

 

Undertaker was the only guy I could cling to because he has longevity. But even I can see that he is simply an old man who isn't as exciting and entertaining as he used to be. I used to root for Goldberg when I was younger but he too is an old man.

 

I watched a part of the famous Hulk Hogan vs Ultimate Warrior match from nearly 30 years ago on YouTube. The difference is literally night and day. Just by watching that match, and the confrontations Hogan had with Andre the Giant, I can see why so many people were huge fans of the WWF.

 

I didn't get into WWF until 1996 - 1997. The Attitude Era, when The Rock went up against Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the rabid commentary they provided, was simply much better.

 

I can't even recognize WWE anymore.

 

Chris Benoit double-murder, suicide you mean.  

 

I lost interest in the early 2000’s, after The Rock and Stone Cold started to move on.  The late 90’s was a magical time between that and what WCW was doing with the nWo uprising.

[skidmarkgn]

So, the Bischoff and Heyman situation is certainly interesting.  I'm not sure what exactly being an "executive producer" means specifically, but hopefully it means Vince wants to concentrate on the XFL and is letting those two guys be the main shot-callers (even though we all know there's way to much McMahon ego to step back completely).  HHH is still the man I ultimately want to see in charge when the time comes but as long as he's still kicking ass with NXT I'll be glad seeing those two minds man the helm for the time being.  

[Jesaya815]

4 hours ago, skidmarkgn said:

So, the Bischoff and Heyman situation is certainly interesting.  I'm not sure what exactly being an "executive producer" means specifically, but hopefully it means Vince wants to concentrate on the XFL and is letting those two guys be the main shot-callers (even though we all know there's way to much McMahon ego to step back completely).  HHH is still the man I ultimately want to see in charge when the time comes but as long as he's still kicking ass with NXT I'll be glad seeing those two minds man the helm for the time being.  

 

I agree, this is definitely a step in the right direction and I'm really excited about the announcement. Although both have to report to Vince as well, like Bruce Prichard and all the writers. So, we could still see last minute changes to the script and terrible ideas such as the wild card rule, when in fact a brand split is needed, now more than ever.

 

But I have high hopes for Bischoff and Heyman. They know the business like the back of their hands. They are both creative geniuses. If Eric and Paul can't help the WWE, no one can.

[jackmadrox]

On 6/29/2019 at 5:24 AM, Jesaya815 said:

 

I agree, this is definitely a step in the right direction and I'm really excited about the announcement. Although both have to report to Vince as well, like Bruce Prichard and all the writers. So, we could still see last minute changes to the script and terrible ideas such as the wild card rule, when in fact a brand split is needed, now more than ever.

 

But I have high hopes for Bischoff and Heyman. They know the business like the back of their hands. They are both creative geniuses. If Eric and Paul can't help the WWE, no one can.

I truly hope WWE can get back on track. I really do. As much as I'm disgusted with the company right now, I still love it. I don't want to see it go down. Hiring Bischoff and Heyman will work out. I hope.

[Big_Bobs_Beeper]

Bischoff and Heyman for their respective show's GM! ? 

 

I only wish the roles were reversed and Bischoff was on Raw again and Heyman on SDL. Oh well, I'm thankful for what we got. 

 

AEW's show was pretty good. Now let's see what Raw has to offer back.

[djb5f]

Bischoff killed WCW, from top of the world to out of business in a blink of an eye!! I will always hold that against him.  Let's bury Flair and make David Arquette champ.  Let's take a great concept (nWo) and water it down by adding every mid-carder like Scott Norton, Vincent, etc to it.  The fans will love that!

 

Part of why WWE has been lacking for ~20 years is that they have had no real competitor.  The days of Nitro vs. Raw in the late 90's were awesome. 

[skidmarkgn]

Now that is how you start a show!! ... And then it's immediately f--ked up by having another stupid start and stop match because of that bullshit no-wrestling during commercials rule.

Edited July 2, 2019 by skidmarkgn

[Jesaya815]

RAW had some cool moments. What happened between Strowman and Lashley made the whole rivalry more intense, although I still don't care much about either one to be honest.

 

The whole story with AJ Styles, Anderson and Gallows is great. I'm truly invested in the characters and where it leads. The heel turn was perfectly executed as well and it looks like The Band is finally back together. Maybe it's time for Finn Balor to pay his old friends a visit.

 

Drake Maverick and R-Truth continue to entertain me. There is not much to it, but sometimes, all you need is some funny shit like this. The Street Profits also made me chuckle.

 

The New Day vs The Viking Raiders looked good on paper. Too good to be true, since they had to involve Joe and Kingston somehow, to go to a commercial break. One of the many terrible ideas, Vince McMahon recently had. No wrestling during commercials. Everything about it feels forced and unnatural. Matches getting restarted, talents losing twice in a row. Stipulations without any kind of explanation, like these horrible 2 out of 3 Falls matches. This literally does more harm than good.

 

I know, wins and losses don't matter in WWE, but they should. It should be important. Samoa Joe has lost so many fights and he lost the US Championship. Why on earth does he deserve a WWE Championship match? Just because he attacked Kofi? Why is Shinsuke getting an Intercontinental title match, when he did nothing for it? Why can Dolph Ziggler show up from his comedy club and immediately get a title shot? Where are Buddy Murphy, Rusev and the other guys? Why don't they attack a champion, if that is all you need to do, to be in the title picture? They need to explain stuff like that.

 

Congrats to Maria & Mike Kanellis on signing a new multi-year deal with WWE. I hope it was worth it.

 

And one last thing, I really miss Stone Cold Becky Lynch. She completely lost her magic, since she won both belts at WrestleMania and was "traded" to RAW. Becky was way cooler and edgier on Smackdown. Being stuck in this downward spiral with Lacey, Corbin, and Seth, isn't doing her any favor.

[SelectiveGamer]

Did anyone else notice on SmackDown that only 3 'RAW' superstars (Samoa Joe, Drew McIntyre & Alexa Bliss) actually showed up under the 'Wild Card Rule'?

Also it appears they are trying the Kevin Owens 'face' turn again (no Sami Zayn either...)

Is it the beginning of signs that they are slowly trying to get rid of the Wild Card Rule? ?

Nah... probably just wishful thinking... huh...? ?

[skidmarkgn]

18 hours ago, SelectiveGamer said:

Did anyone else notice on SmackDown that only 3 'RAW' superstars (Samoa Joe, Drew McIntyre & Alexa Bliss) actually showed up under the 'Wild Card Rule'?

Also it appears they are trying the Kevin Owens 'face' turn again (no Sami Zayn either...)

Is it the beginning of signs that they are slowly trying to get rid of the Wild Card Rule?

Nah... probably just wishful thinking... huh...?

 

I noticed that Finn was nowhere to be seen the week after they teased a feud between him and Nakamura. 

 

So far, one week into their new positions, Heyman has impressed me, Bischoff hasn't.  On RAW, the beginning was amazing.  There were a couple of little flaws or two in that segment that took away from the immersion a tiny bit but the overall feel was something we haven't seen in a long long time, meanwhile, over on Smackdown we once again open the show with a long drawn out talking segment featuring Shane McMahon.

 

Then on RAW, the show closes by paying off the encounters between the Good Brothers and AJ, turning AJ and making the U.S. title, a title that has been 100% irrelevant for years, feel like the most important title in the company, while Smackdown is just doing talk show after talk show.  Ever since the "wildcard rule", Smackdown has been a husk of its former self, which is a shame.

[jackmadrox]

Where did Bray and The Firefly Funhouse go? ?

[skidmarkgn]

15 hours ago, jackmadrox said:

Where did Bray and The Firefly Funhouse go? 

 

There's 2 possible answers for this.  First, they've stopped running the vignettes in hopes that people will sorta forget and enhance the surprise when he debuts in the ring (kinda how MitB winners, excluding Brock of course, always lose a bazillion matches in a row because it's supposed to make their cash-in more "shocking") .  Or second, they stopped running the vignettes in hopes that people will forget because Vince had one of his sporadic cooldowns on a gimmick and decided to pull the plug on the whole thing.  Who knows which one is true in this day and age.

[Baranov_925]

I hope that Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff make Smackdown and Raw great again. They were GMs in 2000 or somethin. They were great years ago, but I think they can be much better despite the current WWE era.

[jackmadrox]

On 7/11/2019 at 10:29 AM, skidmarkgn said:

 

There's 2 possible answers for this.  First, they've stopped running the vignettes in hopes that people will sorta forget and enhance the surprise when he debuts in the ring (kinda how MitB winners, excluding Brock of course, always lose a bazillion matches in a row because it's supposed to make their cash-in more "shocking") .  Or second, they stopped running the vignettes in hopes that people will forget because Vince had one of his sporadic cooldowns on a gimmick and decided to pull the plug on the whole thing.  Who knows which one is true in this day and age.

I hope it's the former. If Vince ruins this, I don't know what I'll have to look forward to in WWE anymore...

[Dr_Mayus]

This is great

 

Here is the video that started it

 

 

[skidmarkgn]

New day's the tag champs, AJ's the U.S. champ, Brock is the Universal champ and Joe jobs again.  Paul's got RAW, Bischoff's got Smackdown but Vince is obviously still in charge of PPV's, that's the only explanation for booking that's that boring and repetitive.

 

And now that a big 4 PPV is on the horizon I'm sure we'll get Brock vs. Seth... again.  Roman getting a shot for a title (against Kofi)... again.  Charlotte shoehorned in against Becky... again.  And at least 4 wrestlers on the card that are north of 50... again.  Because, you know, that's what "safe".

Edited July 15, 2019 by skidmarkgn

[jackmadrox]

On 7/15/2019 at 9:59 PM, skidmarkgn said:

 

And now that a big 4 PPV is on the horizon I'm sure we'll get Brock vs. Seth... again.  Roman getting a shot for a title (against Kofi)... again.  Charlotte shoehorned in against Becky... again.  And at least 4 wrestlers on the card that are north of 50... again.  Because, you know, that's what "safe".

That's why WWE has taken a plummet down the crapper in the first place, because Vince keeps playing it "safe". Safe is boring as hell and when Brock won the universal title yet again I nearly projectile vomited across my living room and onto my TV. Can't Brock go away or something? Lord almighty, he's consistently been around since beating Undertaker at WM30. Just win titles then make sporadic appearences whenever he feels like it. This was a bad move taking the title off Seth. If WWE can't see that, then they're in trouble with the AEW TV debut just around the corner.

[skidmarkgn]

5 hours ago, jackmadrox said:

That's why WWE has taken a plummet down the crapper in the first place, because Vince keeps playing it "safe". Safe is boring as hell and when Brock won the universal title yet again I nearly projectile vomited across my living room and onto my TV. Can't Brock go away or something? Lord almighty, he's consistently been around since beating Undertaker at WM30. Just win titles then make sporadic appearences whenever he feels like it. This was a bad move taking the title off Seth. If WWE can't see that, then they're in trouble with the AEW TV debut just around the corner.

 

On the plus side, Bray disappeared for reason #1.

[jackmadrox]

Not much chatter here lately.

 

Tomorrow is the Summerslam PPV. I'm actually looking forward to it. WWE has been trying to turn itself around lately, and it's been showing. It isn't totally there yet, but I feel like it's been watchable.

 

Looking forward to The Fiend's in ring debut, should be some good stuff. I'm rooting for Becky Lynch to retain her title, but something tells me Ronda Rousey is going to be there to screw Becky over. 

 

I don't know how Seth Rollins is going come through on his guarantee to beat Brock Lesnar...not in the current shape he's in. Something else may be afoot...

 

I hope Goldberg demolishes Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler has been more unbearable than usual lately. All he does is lose, then blame the fans for turning on him. Too bad. Cry me a river Dolph. 

[skidmarkgn]

They HAVE  to push Bray and they have to push him hard.  That debut was insane.

 

Also wanna tip my cap to Seth's creative initial tactic for countering the suplexes, if you land on your feet every time it certainly limits Brock's ability to rely on old faithful, very cool idea.

Edited August 12, 2019 by skidmarkgn

[AK-1138]

Yowie Wowie.

[itachi-destroyer]

Terrible show. WWE had to give Seth Freaking Boring Rollins the win again even though he was badly injured a week ago and despite the fact that he was facing one of the most dominant superstar in WWE history. Such a great booking. Lesnar's reign was the most interesting thing in recent weeks but now we are back to the usual shit with the two same shitty champions since Wrestlemania. Speaking of the other champion, what a terrible match, fortunately the ending was as awesome as the rest of the show ?

 

At least Ricochet vs Styles was really solid again but it's not like we've seen this match 4 times in less than 2 months.

 

Nothing to retain, WWE keeps getting worse and NXT is still putting the "main" roster to shame. 

 

See you at the royal rumble to see how much worse WWE can get.