The WWE Discussion Thread

[jackmadrox]

Yay. Here comes Roman to bury the evil Fiend. Well you're too late Vince, you already buried The Fiend back in Saudi Arabia in February.

[SelectiveGamer]

Anyone want to give thoughts/reactions to the following things...?

 

1. WWE telling their talent to 'get off third party platforms' (Twitch & Tik Tok specifically)

 

2. Reports of WWE admitting defeat to AEW and moving NXT to Tuesdays (rumblings of it according to CageSideSeats anyway)

 

My thoughts are simple.

 

1. Good luck

 

2. Shocking honestly. They never did this against WCW so doing it now seems contradictory. Vince is like Trump in the sense he never admits defeat so I don't see how he would agree to do this. Not overly surprising I guess. But nothing definitive yet... so...

 

In an attempt to end on a positive note... ThunderDome is better than I thought it would be honestly. I've contemplated trying it out myself at some point. Eventually. lol

[locutus442]

Road Warrior Animal, a.k.a. Joe Laurinaitis, has passed away.

https://www.wwe.com/article/road-warrior-animal-passes-away

[jackmadrox]

Look. Nearly 2 months of inactivity in this thread. If that don't speak volumes then I don't know what will. 

Either wrestling fans are horrified by how terrible WWE has been, or they're embarrassed to say they're a wrestling fan. 

Jeez, you know? How did it go so wrong?

[You]

Oooh, I didn't even realise there was a WWF thread on these forums. lol

 

I used to be a big wrestling fan, perhaps up until they changed the name to WWE. Or maybe around Wrestlemania 13 or so, before they changed the Ring rope colors from 3 colors into just one.

WWE has been getting worse over the years but I guess since it is a "sport" where live audiences are pretty crucial they can't stop even in a pandemic.

I watched the Undertaker 30 year tribute on youtube the other day with all the fake audience noise and well, fake audience too. End of era.

Was kinda sad but at the same time, I think all sports are suffering right now. It is weird that wrestling is all year around but every other sports are seasonal. I guess they have no choice but to continue all year around, even with Covid. But still.

 

I tend to watch all the old matches on youtube and dailymotion these days from the 80s and 90s. Back when werstling was fun and exciting, and pretty much when the whole world wasn't so crazy. The Undertaker was probably the last good wrestler.

 

I do wish Wrestlefest would come to Hamster Arcade Archives, I'd buy that in a flash. Of course the chances of that happening though are very slim.

[SelectiveGamer]

19 hours ago, jackmadrox said:

Look. Nearly 2 months of inactivity in this thread. If that don't speak volumes then I don't know what will. 

Either wrestling fans are horrified by how terrible WWE has been, or they're embarrassed to say they're a wrestling fan. 

Jeez, you know? How did it go so wrong?

 

I'm still enjoying it. But I'm biased. So that's probably why.

 

Regardless if Andrew Yang becomes Labor Department head WWE will go the way of WCW and AEW will be the new monopoly.

[WKWWE]

9 minutes ago, SelectiveGamer said:

 

I'm still enjoying it. But I'm biased. So that's probably why.

 

Regardless if Andrew Yang becomes Labor Department head WWE will go the way of WCW and AEW will be the new monopoly.

 

Also still enjoying it. It clearly has it's highs and lows at times but it is what it is.

Always remaining eternally optimistic that as the business ebbs and flows, there will eventually be another different kind of boom again. It's bound to happen eventually.

 

Hopefully for the sake of the US, Yang will never be to so much as sniff anywhere around the Labor Department. If AEW keeps doing what they're doing and have smart business people behind the scenes (if) they can be a viable alternative company for people in the industry to work, for up and coming Indy wrestlers or people who don't find what they're looking for at WWE or Impact! Wrestling. However, by continuing to do what they're currently doing, they'll never become the preeminent wrestling company like WCW was in the late 90's, let alone a monopoly.

[ZZ383]

WWE and others like it are acting performances, not athletic competition. Please move this to the appropriate forum, and get those actors a union!

[Rozalia1]

On 01/12/2020 at 9:33 PM, SelectiveGamer said:

I'm still enjoying it. But I'm biased. So that's probably why.

 

Regardless if Andrew Yang becomes Labor Department head WWE will go the way of WCW and AEW will be the new monopoly.

 

??? Why would this be the case? By all accounts while WWE is the big resister of unions in the narrative (AEW is against them too by the way, as is basically every promotion in existence), being the top wrestling company they are the best equipped to actually survive it. Currently WWE pays their performers something like 9% of what they earn which is horribly low compared to other sports. While it'd annoy them to have to pump that number up they can take the hit. It is smaller companies that would not be able to handle unions being a thing as they really require the independent contractors to survive.

 

People should really be careful what they wish for. Unions while they can be a force for good, can also devastate things. The best outcome I think is not so much unions, but more actually nailing (largely WWE) for the independent contractor abuse as WWE Superstars in no way are independent. Forcing WWE to either give Union like benefits to workers or allow them to do shows for other promotions would be the best outcome.

[AJ_Radio]

On 11/30/2020 at 6:18 PM, enaysoft said:

Oooh, I didn't even realise there was a WWF thread on these forums. lol

 

I used to be a big wrestling fan, perhaps up until they changed the name to WWE. Or maybe around Wrestlemania 13 or so, before they changed the Ring rope colors from 3 colors into just one.

WWE has been getting worse over the years but I guess since it is a "sport" where live audiences are pretty crucial they can't stop even in a pandemic.

I watched the Undertaker 30 year tribute on youtube the other day with all the fake audience noise and well, fake audience too. End of era.

Was kinda sad but at the same time, I think all sports are suffering right now. It is weird that wrestling is all year around but every other sports are seasonal. I guess they have no choice but to continue all year around, even with Covid. But still.

 

I tend to watch all the old matches on youtube and dailymotion these days from the 80s and 90s. Back when werstling was fun and exciting, and pretty much when the whole world wasn't so crazy. The Undertaker was probably the last good wrestler.

 

I do wish Wrestlefest would come to Hamster Arcade Archives, I'd buy that in a flash. Of course the chances of that happening though are very slim.

 

I was very big into WWF during the Attitude Era. My early memories are of Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin having those epic matches between each other. Got me hooked to the point to where I asked to rent those old WWF games on Nintendo.

 

Nowadays you probably can't even say half the shit they said back in the Golden Era (1980s - early 1990s, when Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior dominated) and the Attitude Era (mid 1990s - early 2000s) without some idiot snowflake claiming they got offended. Such bullshit. I'm sick of political correctness and SJWs seeping their way into every crack they can find.

 

Regardless of what anyone says, I have the utmost respect for the Undertaker. He has been in the business for a long time, loved his style and intro back in the day when he entered the ring.

 

I imagine FIFA is suffering pretty badly. The NFL and MLB here in the States hasn't done any better. Can't really watch those sports these days, but in all honesty I think today's generation of sports stars pretty much suck for the most part.

[Rozalia1]

I don't agree with the idea that WWE has political correctness hanging above their heads and that hurts their product as a result. They avoid promoting politics yes as ironically they're smart enough unlike other sports to realise that alienating half of your audience for zero gain is simply stupid, but that doesn't have anything to do with being PC.

 

You can have a good show at PG. People don't need to swear or make crass insults to build feuds. Pro-Wrestling is one of those things where less is more is often the case. Look at Roman Reigns right now for example. Putting in the best work in the business and needs zero edgy stuff when it comes to promos and he can have matches people consider MOTY where much of it consists of just strikes. 

[SelectiveGamer]

Well my fav PPV with my fav matches is next. Royal Rumble.

 

Unfortunately due to lovely COVID I'm pretty much expecting it to be worse than it usually is. They may not even do the normal 'surprise' entrants which would be... very disappointing.

 

But I try to find a way to watch it every year and this upcoming one probably won't be any different.

[fresquinho]

The ending yesterday at WWE TLC was freaking great, the fiend is the next big thing, wonderful character, my favorite since The Undertaker. 

Edited December 21, 2020 by fresquinho

[Rozalia1]

13 hours ago, SelectiveGamer said:

Well my fav PPV with my fav matches is next. Royal Rumble.

 

Unfortunately due to lovely COVID I'm pretty much expecting it to be worse than it usually is. They may not even do the normal 'surprise' entrants which would be... very disappointing.

 

But I try to find a way to watch it every year and this upcoming one probably won't be any different.

 

If nothing else they can just throw in NXT guys as surprises. 

 

13 hours ago, fresquinho said:

The ending yesterday at WWE TLC was freaking great, the fiend is the next big thing, wonderful character, my favorite since The Undertaker. 

 

Well there was that report of getting "dark" and well yeah, what happened is on that path. Nice visual with Fiend when he had the claw in and when he got RKO'ed. End might have been a bit too much for many

[SelectiveGamer]

Apparently WWE Network is getting nixed and just rolled into NBCUniversal's streaming platform Peacock.

 

They haven't revealed how this is going to work or what it means for current subscribers but it's occurring in March.

 

One can only hope they provide more details before then. But knowing how WWE is... well... you know...

[Benfoxy83]

Cena is coming back, and I hope Alexa wins cause that's when the fiend comes back..maybe. Goldberg is probably going to win cause he's a part timer. These things might happen at Rumble.

[SelectiveGamer]

Well it's Royal Rumble season so you know what that means. Honestly... I still feel like it's going to be far worse than it normally is with it in the Thunderdome and no live fans. It also makes me think that there will be absolutely no 'surprise' entrants to the Royal Rumble matches either (other than NXT people I guess but that kind of thing just makes me facepalm more than cheer)

But it is what it is I suppose. Hopefully 2022 will be back to normal with Royal Rumbles that are far better in front of live crowds.

Either way here are who I want to win and who I think will win the respective Royal Rumble matches this year.

Who I want to win:

Men: Daniel Bryan or Edge
Women: Honestly... idk. Charlotte Flair I guess. Though that would make a 2 year in a row winner but it would make sense story wise so she can backstab Asuka (come on we all know it's coming). Other than that the only winner that might make me smile and cheer would probably be someone like Bianca Belair and maybe Rhea Ripley (she's disappeared from NXT from what I've heard so it makes me feel like they'll try to get her over by winning the Women's Rumble)

Who I think will win:

Men: Daniel Bryan or Goldberg (yes I'm aware he's fighting for the WWE title against McIntyre but I can't help but feel like he'll end up in the Rumble anyway and WWE will let him win so he can fight Roman again)
Women: Again... idk. Pretty much the same as above really. Charlotte Flair would make sense. Bianca Belair potentially as well as Rhea Ripley. There's one possibility that I'm scared out of my mind about though. Potentially anyway. Which is... a 'surprise entrant' occurring after all and they end up winning it. Not only that... it could potentially be the most controversial thing WWE has done since they let Batista win the Rumble after he came back that one year. I'm of course talking about that controversial woman................ named Tessa Blanchard.

UGH

help

 

[Rozalia1]

I liked Bianca Belair winning the woman's rumble as she should be positioned as the elite talent she is. She is attractive, strong as heck, solid in ring, and has a nice gimmick in the hair (I love the concept of someone having "loaded" hair they can use to cause some damage). Tough though as WWE's women's division is stacked to the point AEW's by comparison is a joke, and no, bringing over all those Japanese women who can't speak English but can go in the ring (in a certain style as most weigh like 80lbs and are 5'4) isn't going to change that. 

 

The Men's rumble though? Nope. I dreaded Edge winning it and then it happened. Utterly boring. Daniel Bryan is obvious. Big E getting an even bigger push to lead into a Intercontinental vs Universal champion match with Roman would have been grand. Bobby Lashley they've been pushing for a while as unstoppable so him winning would help in that. Damian Priest the only NXT guy in it isn't exactly young so why not make him be a big deal real quick? Heck I'd have taken King Corbin in a trollish "we know you think we're crazy for giving this guy so much time, and we enjoy annoying you so he wins the rumble".

[AgentSmiz]

This Rumble was the first one in years that I didn't watch, mainly because it's not the same if I can't meet up with my friends to watch/react to it. After reading the results the following day, I was a bit gutted as it sounded like a good show but part of what makes the Rumble great is the crowd reactions. I'm thinking the debuts and returns that have the roof being blown off with the amount of cheers. Think AJ's debut and Edge's return (last years was great but his 2010 return was top tier). Without that, the Rumble just loses some of it's shine. Apparently, Mania is going to be in front of a live crowd but I doubt social distancing and lockdown rules will be fully relaxed by then here in the UK. Whilst Edge wouldn't have been the first choice I would have gone with (Strowman, Big E, Cesaro etc), he was the best choice out of the final 3. An Orton win would have killed any interest I had in potentially watching Mania.

Part of me really wanted them to have Goldberg beat Drew and then Edge to challenge both him and Roman to a big spear filled triple threat for both belts.

They could have gone with "His-speary in the making" as the tagline.

[buckallmighty]

WWE network has moved to Peacock..

 

Not sure how i feel about it yet. Subscription is cheaper but i cant get it on any of my roku devices. Would have to switch over to chromecast.. ?

[jackmadrox]

I hope this "new look" is only temporary. Because it just looks like a hot mess.

[Glorious Fury]

11 hours ago, jackmadrox said:

I hope this "new look" is only temporary. Because it just looks like a hot mess.

 

He's like something out of the Dungeon of Doom in the WCW days, he'd fit in alongside the Yeti and the Shark lol. Cult leader Wyatt was miles better than the Fiend, but WWE dropped the ball on him so badly. 

[jackmadrox]

4 hours ago, GloriousFury9414 said:

 

He's like something out of the Dungeon of Doom in the WCW days, he'd fit in alongside the Yeti and the Shark lol. Cult leader Wyatt was miles better than the Fiend, but WWE dropped the ball on him so badly. 

That's all I've been saying for years. Time and time again, WWE has consistently passed opportunity after opportunity to cash in on Bray Wyatt. Being sacrificed for Reigns, Goldberg, Cena, Lesnar, Undertaker. It's actually quite disgusting to remember everything and everyone WWE sacrificed all in the name of putting Roman Reigns over. I don't even like Reigns as a heel. 

[Trini]

16 hours ago, jackmadrox said:

I hope this "new look" is only temporary. Because it just looks like a hot mess.

 

I'm pretty sure it's meant to look like that. He's been burnt alive from his last encounter with Orton, and now he's not only been reborn but "transmuted" with the scars he now carries. 

[Glorious Fury]

1 hour ago, jackmadrox said:

That's all I've been saying for years. Time and time again, WWE has consistently passed opportunity after opportunity to cash in on Bray Wyatt. Being sacrificed for Reigns, Goldberg, Cena, Lesnar, Undertaker. It's actually quite disgusting to remember everything and everyone WWE sacrificed all in the name of putting Roman Reigns over. I don't even like Reigns as a heel. 

 

I think the Cena loss was the worst of the lot at Wrestlemania, Cena had nothing to gain but Wyatt winning would have elevated him up a level at the time. Wyatt then became that guy who couldn't back up his talk and lost in critical moments. 

 

The irony in Bray's booking as cult leader is that he was booked not strong enough, yet The Fiend however is booked beyond strong. No selling ridiculous levels of offense and finishes constantly, to levels that make Brock Lesnar seem considerably weak. Can they not look at how they booked Kane/The Undertaker as how to book a monster type character, where the balance was there and despite appearing very strong, could be believably beaten in the right situation like with Steve Austin in 1998 and put on a competitive match with most top stars. So, when a 50-something year old Goldberg beat him with a few Spears and a Jackhammer, WWE end up putting themselves in a tricky situation by having him lose so easily.  

 

I like Reigns and think he's one of the best currently in WWE but yeah, he got pushed far too hard back in his earlier days.