If the Wrestling Thread wanted to dance, it'd get a date!

[Wheels]

Ambrose is the ultimate throwback to the 80's and yet he feels fresh at the same time.

 

[NDX]

I'm glad to see the WWE are seeing the same value in all 3 as we are, and I had never thought of the Terry Funk comparison but I can see where they get that from. I had only thought of who reminded me of on the mic, never in the ring. Just go back and watch Funk vs Flair and you can see some Ambrose in there with his selling and mannerisms.

Before I read that I didn't see it, now that's all I see. A pretty accurate comparison.

 

[Karelia]

The Shield is the best thing WWE has, IMO. Bring on the new era of wrestling.

I can see Rollins turning face after Shield breaks up, Reigns has that silent monster heel vibe, Ambrose.... Dean Ambrose... Is just awesome

Rollins is my favorite out of the team... Can't wait to see their solo careers though.

 

[OnTheAir]

Okay I'm caught up on NXT, and of the new talent that has been introduced on the show, Sasha Banks a.k.a. Mercedes KV from Chaotic Wresting is the best. We need more good female wrestlers and I think WWE has signed one here.

She's rather easy on the eyes as well!

 

[OnTheAir]

Ambrose is the ultimate throwback to the 80's and yet he feels fresh at the same time.

So true!

Jim Ross says he reminds him of a young Roddy Piper.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Spoiler

WWE is taping three weeks worth of NXT tonight from Full Sail University. Here are the full results.

Dark Match

Garrett Dylan and Jake Carter defeated Axl Keegan and Travis Tyler

Episode 1 - Airing March 6th, 2013

* NEXT opens with Commissioner Dusty Rhodes. Dusty announces a Triple Threat match with the winner being the number one contender for the NXT Championship. Bo Dalls, Conor O'Brian and Corey Graves are the participants.

* NXT Tag Team Champions Adrian Neville and Oliver Grey were introduced for a non-title tag team match, but only Neville came out. Neville said Grey is missing right now and he can’t locate him, but says he will face their opponents by himself.

* NXT Tag Team Champion Adrian Neville defeated Judas Devlin and Scott Dawson after hitting a cork screw from the top rope.

* Leo Kruger defeated Yoshi Tatsu. After the match, Kruger put Tatsu back in the hold until Justin Gabriel ran out to make the save.

* Cameron, Naomi and Sasha Banks defeated Aksana, Alicia Fox and Audrey Marie.

* “The Ascension” Conor O’Brian defeated Bo Dallas and Corey Graves in a Triple Threat match to become the #1 contender to the NXT Championship.

Episode 2 - Airing March 13th, 2013

* Kassius Ohno defeated Derrick Bateman with a rolling elbow.

* Summer Rae defeated Emma with a roundhouse kick to the head.

* Bray Wyatt cuts a promo.

* Bray Wyatt comes out on stage cutting a promo on Bo Dallas, asking how far Bo is willing to go to protect what is close to him.

* Bo Dallas defeated Bray Wyatt. After the match, members of The Wyatt Family attacked Bo.

* Leo Kruger b. Justin Gabriel with a modified armbar to close the show. Kruger worked over the arm throughout the match.

Episode 3 - Airing March 20th, 2013

* William Regal opens the show. Regal says his career is ending soon. Regal puts over the NXT Roster and says he owes some an apology. Regal calls out Kassius Ohno.

Ohno comes out and Regal says he is sorry for the the things he had said about him in the past. Ohno tells Regal that everything he just said was true. Ohno talks about his past in the wrestling industry, including one time traveling the world with CM Punk just to learn from Regal. Ohno says he followed in Regal’s footsteps and says because of Regal, he is living his dream as a WWE superstar.

Regal says Ohno deserves to be in WWE. Ohno mentions he doesn't want to be like Regal because Regal has turned from a villain into a joke. Ohno brings up Regal kissing Vince McMahon’s ass and Regal slaps Ohno in response. Ohno then leaves the ring.

* Paige defeated Bayley (formerly Davina Rose) with the Paige Turner.

* Luke Harper w/Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan defeated NXT Tag Team Champion Adrian Neville. After the match, Oliver Grey and Bo Dallas came out before The Wyatt Family could continue their attack on Neville. The Wyatt’s were overtaken by Bo and Oliver and then they retreated to close the show.

Episode 4 - Airing March 27th, 2013

* The show kicked off with Byron Saxton in the ring announcing that since it’s almost time for WrestleMania, a special Road to WrestleMania episode of NXT is happening tonight. Saxton introduces WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel who says a special match is up next and then introduces fellow Hall of Famer Jim Ross. JR joins the announce booth.

* WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn defeated Natalya.

* Howard Finkel announces the next taping will be held on March 21st and the special guest will be Chris Jericho.

* Brodus Clay defeated El Local.

* Kassius Ohno attacks William Regal at the announce booth. Regal is assisted to the back.

* Randy Orton defeated Damien Sandow. Show ends.

 

[Beanjuice]

WWE Officials Very High on The Shield

In other news Jack Swagger is very high. t:


In all seriousness though I like the Shield. Probably the coolest thing I've seen come from wwe in a while.

 

[vantheman77]

Yes, I got what I wanted when we have Bobby Roode, Austin Aries, and Bad Influence teaming up to face James Storm, Joseph Park, Chavo Guerrero, and Hernandez.

Glad to see Velvet Sky win the Knockouts title as she didn't have a real run with it back in 2011. Her wish came true when 2013 will be the year she regains it and she did. I hope they bring in Taeler Hendrix and The Blossom Twins to freshen up the Knockouts.

I was hoping they'd save RVD and Kenny King for Lockdown.

I didn't care much for Garret Bischoff as Samoa Joe what he could out of him.

Glad Rockstar Spud won against Robbie E and I hope they continue Spud's underdog babyface run before he eventually turns heel when they return to the US.

There may be hope for the Aces and Eights after all.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

I don't mind Rock vs. Brock II as long as it's not for the title.

Next year, Cena vs. Punk for the WWE title needs to happen at WrestleMania XXX.

Why?

We've seen Cena v. Punk for the WWE Championship like 30 times already.

It's time for Punk to move on to bigger and better things than Cena.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

A Ryback vs. heel Chris Jericho match has also been planned but there was no tease of the match on RAW when Ryback and Jericho partnered with Sheamus against The Shield. With Jericho off television for several weeks, it appears WWE is going in a different direction with them as well. Sheamus vs. Mark Henry has been discussed, but we’ve yet to see any buildup there.

Great, so Jericho is gonna job to Ryback...

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

What time does WWE have for them when they're to busy worrying about Rock, Cena, and Lesnar's booking for NEXT years Wrestlemania?

Well people are always complaining about WWE's lack of long term booking.

 

[Wheels]

Well people are always complaining about WWE's lack of long term booking.

True but it's really annoying to a lot of us that WWE spends so much energy on guys who aren't around that much. I mean how much longer can Vince count on Rock, Brock, and Taker? Triple H is the only part timer who is going to always be there when needed.

 

[Calavera]

i see this man becoming a major star in a year. leo kruger

 

[nite-owl]

Nice to see being a member of Aces & Eights has made Taz's piss poor announcing unbearably whiny and annoying, too.

I find it funny that Taz goes back and forth between his new persona and his old one.

 

[UnionJack]

So it seems Vince is over Punk V Cena .... has no real plans for Punk, so he is just over Punk.
Why can't he be over the limited Cena, after so long, the crowd turned on him ages ago, kids now like the anti-hero of Punk, like the Stone Cold of this PG era.

Speaking of Era's I got my Attitude Era blu-ray last night, took me back to the good old days of them pushing the boundaries week-in-week-out. Every character had a moment and was making sure there spot on the show meant something. Today you can skip most of Raw/Smackdown and still feel like you know whats going on, back them you couldn't skip a segment.

 

[UnionJack]

True but it's really annoying to a lot of us that WWE spends so much energy on guys who aren't around that much. I mean how much longer can Vince count on Rock, Brock, and Taker? Triple H is the only part timer who is going to always be there when needed.

Don't forget Y2J, he is more than willing to work a good block and put anyone over.
I think he needs a run with the WHC to get the ratings on Smackdown up, help put over some of the guys.

 

[Metallo]

With JR I think you need to read between the lines with him these days, he's rarely ever openly critical, but you can get his thoughts through what he doesn't say, such as his views on Rock vs Cena II; "Money has always been the bottom line in this business" Note there's no praise or enthusiasm.

I've noticed that too. He's never outright critical in his blogs but like you said you can tell what he thinks through what he doesn't say sometimes or what he chooses to compliment someone on and what he leaves out. He recently said he's sticking by Swagger but admitted he made a dumb mistake. Thats an understatment.

The only thing I can thing is preventing them from doing a triple threat is the possibility that the WWE title match will be a triple threat, it's a tricky one but if I was to bet money I say Henry calls out Swagger on Raw and squashes him to take the #1 contenders spot.

I'd love that. Del Rio vs Henry is a better match anyway. Marks so good in his monster role now Del Rio will actually look like a major underdog. Imagine the beatings from Mizzark that Ricardo can sell.

Both title matches kinda need to be triple threats right now to get any interest from me but they need it for different reasons. The WHC match has some good wrestlers potentialy attatched but little star power. The WWE title match has the star power but no really strong in ring hook to make me want to see a rehash.

Originally Posted by mjdiddy1
When I first saw the Swagger arrest, I was thinking storyline across the board and I can still see this as apart of Swaggers 'We the People' gimmick but alas Mr Thwagger we wish well in your future endeavors#SorryDutchMantel

I hope they at least keep Dutch around. He brings more to the actual gimmick than Swagger beyond the physical. Mantel could be paired with any number of rookies and help them

Originally Posted by Kaleb
Its Paul vs Vince this week right? me thinks this will turn quickly into a handicap match with Lesner and Paul vs Vince,with HHH making the save setting up a possible tag team match at WM Vince/HHH vs Heyman/Lesner.

You're probably right. I hope its more than Vince embaressing Heyman for 10 minutes until Brock hits the ring. It was bad enough seeing Vince vs Punk a while back. Tired of Mcmahons ego stroking in ring stuff like that.

Originally Posted by SpideyFan866
I don't mind Rock vs. Brock II as long as it's not for the title.

Next year, Cena vs. Punk for the WWE title needs to happen at WrestleMania XXX.

I agree. I think Rock vs Lesnar could fit the theme of WM30 since I'm sure it will be celebrating three decades of Wrestlemnaia. I'd be ok seeing them square off. Its nice to have a match that evokes memories of past eras and generations of stars. But it should be a supporting match and not the main event.

Originally Posted by ImWithTeamConan
I love having The Rock back but having Rock/Brock as the ME of WM30 is so shortsighted. Why not build a something this whole year with the next generation (Ziggler, Shield, hell even Ryback) so when Cena and Punk and Rock and Brock are gone we'll have solid players in the ME.

I agree. While Punk vs Cena is the best main event rivalry of the current era and I'd love to see them main event but the WWE title match could also be used to make a new star. It would be a great time to do that.

Its an opportunity thats too big and too memorable to waste the highest spots on the card on TWO part timers.

Wrestlemania used to be about magic moments where new heroes and villians rise to the top. Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and Batista were all given moments like that in the main event. Moments that elevated them to the position of top stars. Its time we started to see that again.

Originally Posted by the_ultimate_evil
am i the only one thinking that rock/cena II is going to get the same crowd response a brock/goldberg

I have doubts about that but then agian it very well could happen. It wouldn't take much to turn that kind of smart crowd. One could get booed or both could get booed. People better be prepared to not be so surprised if it happens.

Originally Posted by ImWithTeamConan
Vince won't care. They don't really pay attention to crowd reactions.

I've been listening to Vince Russo's shoots lately and something struck me about how he formulated storylines. He said something to the effects of:
-listen to the fans' heartbeat on what they want
-build long-term storylines through the year's PPVs leading up to Wrestlemania
-make adjustments if the fans start pushing for different things
-give the fans what they want

But that's not how the E operate anymore. Crowd reaction doesn't mean as much to Vince as ratings, PPV buys, merch and Vince's other bias and opinions.

What you said is gospel truth. Vince is so wrapped in his own ego over how smart he THINKS he is he thinks he can tell the people what to like. Its true he can do things to get people over but these days even when people don't like something he forces it down their throats whe he's feeling really stubborn.

Russo's an a** but he's right. As long as McMahon has their money in his pocket he doesn't care what the fans think. WWECW was proof of that. The piss poor way Christian is usually used is proof of that.

Originally Posted by The Sage
- WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn revealed on Twitter that she will be at tonight's NXT TV tapings from Full Sail University. As noted earlier, Randy Orton will also be there. Kaitlyn tweeted:

"#NXT tonight @FullSail Orlando! Ill be there Champ'n it up. Who wants a piece of this???

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

(NXT divas only)"

Awwwwwww.

- No confirmed word yet on what kind of actions, if any, WWE will take against Jack Swagger after his arrest on Tuesday night. The only thing we've heard is that they were considering "booking changes" which can't be good for Swagger

Start bending over so you can kiss your own a** goodbye from the main event, Jack.

- As of this past weekend, the top matches planned for WrestleMania 29 were The Rock vs. John Cena, Jack Swagger vs. Alberto Del Rio, Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar and CM Punk vs. The Undertaker.

Besides Lesnar vs. HHH, it's said that the rest of the matches could change between now and the pay-per-view. CM Punk could be added to the WWE Title match if The Undertaker doesn't end up working.

Jack Swagger’s DUI & drug arrest on Wednesday throws another wrench in the plans. No word yet if WWE is planning to pull Swagger from WrestleMania.

A Ryback vs. heel Chris Jericho match has also been planned but there was no tease of the match on RAW when Ryback and Jericho partnered with Sheamus against The Shield. With Jericho off television for several weeks, it appears WWE is going in a different direction with them as well. Sheamus vs. Mark Henry has been discussed, but we’ve yet to see any buildup there.

Top talents like Dolph Ziggler, Randy Orton, Big Show, The Shield, Kane and Daniel Bryan are also without any obvious opponents headed into WrestleMania 29. Despite the lack of direction this year, there's a feeling that the show will still be a huge success.

This is ridiculous. Shouldn't they be making up their minds now? Its almost March fer Christsake. Its like they are so concerned with Rock vs Cena II and The Son In Law of Son In Laws getting his win back that they don't give enough of a damn to care about anyone else.

- Vince McMahon is said to be tired of the CM Punk vs. John Cena feud. Their match on next week's RAW will reportedly be the last time we see them cross paths for a while.

It should be put on the backburner to keep it fresh but its never been bad or boring. Those two work fantastically together.

- WWE’s writing team has been in somewhat of a rut lately, with a lot of disagreements and politics. The recent flip flopping on the Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow breakup is seen as one of example of poor planning and lack of commitment to storylines. Many of WWE’s top talents including The Rock, CM Punk, John Cena and others are pitching their own ideas and not relying on creative to direct their characters.

The state of creative is a joke. All because an old man at the top can't make up his mind and they are booking for him not the audience. The bold part is the best news I've heard yet. Maybe they need to allow more of that with everyone else.

- There is talk within WWE about how creative is handling Dolph Ziggler’s push. While he had strong wins over Randy Orton at Survivor Series and John Cena at TLC, Ziggler has been constantly losing on WWE TV lately. He is still in line for a World Heavyweight Title run but the momentum he had at the end of 2012 has stalled out.

If they keep halfassing it they could potentially ruin him. If the audience starts to permanently see him as a loser then there will be nothing they can do about that. Everyone here has noticed how Ziggler has been jobbed out. He's still a great worker but he doesn't look like a credible threat right now.

Originally Posted by TheFuture
Sounds like the fact that they have so many part timers in line for WM is impeding their long term booking strategies for the likes of Ziggler, Bryan, Rhodes, Sandow and yes even Ryback.

Exactly. They don't care to put the effort in. All the other matches are afterthoughts because they know they can depend on Rock drawing. Like a crutch. What happens when he's not around though? It sucks that they can't see that they are devaluing the rest of the roster more and more by doing business this way. Even if Rock is their top priority they should at least try to put effort in to building the other stars and matches.

Now is the prime time to do it when more eyes might be on the product. Any extra attention they are getting from Rocks return is being squandered. Any new or returning viewers will see a bunch of other glorified jobbers who don't mean sh** so why should they keep tuning in after Rock is gone? WWE is choking their future product to death.

Originally Posted by bullets
Rock vs Brock at WM 30 seems pointless and that's one of the main reasons why it shouldn't be happening. It seems like they want to make Rock star of the company , which doesn't make sense because he's not around for the majority of the year. Also there's a good chance we might not see him again after WM 30 or Brock so why are they wasting an opportunity to build new stars. It just doesn't make sense to me and I could care less about that rematch.

Right. I could understand using Rock to draw...but it seems like Rock is becoming the face of the company. But how does that even work out when he's not there most of the time?

I'd be fine with the match if they weren't building the entire show around it. A main event with two part timers? It won't mean sh** the week after Mania because they'll both be gone. Then everyone else who has gotten jack sh** for creative support will be left to pick up the pieces and carry on then be blamed when ratings go down. Its disgusting.

Originally Posted by NDX
Nice to see being a member of Aces & Eights has made Taz's piss poor announcing unbearably whiny and annoying, too

I don't understand why the last A&8's guy is still masked. Whats the point anymore?

Originally Posted by Hunter Rider
The stip should be Punk, him and Cena can then do the bulk of the work and Rock can just do a few spots and keep taking breathers.

THIS

This goes to what we have discussed before and reminds of a story Nash told on his recent Youshoot. He mentioned Hall seeing something in Jericho when they had a match and putting him over even though Bischoff had booked it as a squash for Hall. When Eric asked Hall why the hell he did that, Hall replied "I'm untouchable man" because he knew a loss wouldn't harm him at that stage as he was mega over, but he knew the win was huge for a young guy like Jericho.
Dolph is in the spot right now where he needs winning momentum in order to present him as a top guy to the WWE audience, he's not cemented enough to be losing so often no matter how good the performances are.

Agreed. You can say a lot of things about Hall but he usually wasn't selfish when it came to doing a job. A shame most of his buddies never learned that. He and Kid really seemed to be the only two Kliqers who didn't politick too badly.

He was right. He was super over back then. His surveys used to get HUGE pops every week. Nothing was going to change that.

Its nice to see Jericho trying to pay it forward now. He's one of the few. If Ziggler keeps going down the path he's on as a talented jobber its going to damage him in the eyes of the audience.

Originally Posted by Antman
Ambrose is the ultimate throwback to the 80's and yet he feels fresh at the same time.

Ambrose reminds me of so many old classic names and great performers. He's got this inner intensity that reminds of of a cross between Jake Roberts and Brian Pillman.

He's just got this "you don't want to f*** with me" quaity.

 

[strikezone89]

What is your potentail WM card looking like? Mine is

WWE
Rock (c) vs Cena vs Punk

WHC
Del Rio vs Jericho vs Orton vs Mark Henry (Jericho win with Ziggler cash-in)

Brock vs HHH

Womens
Kaitlyn(c) vs AJ Lee

IC
Barrett(c) vs Sheamus

US
Casearo(c) vs Miz

D-Bry vs Kane - still tag champs

Big Show vs Ryback

Shield vs Kofi, Mysterio, Truth

Ziggler vs Christain

 

[Zanham]

What is your potentail WM card looking like? Mine is

WWE
Rock (c) vs Cena vs Punk

WHC
Del Rio vs Jericho vs Orton vs Mark Henry (Jericho win with Ziggler cash-in)

Brock vs HHH

Womens
Kaitlyn(c) vs AJ Lee

IC
Barrett(c) vs Sheamus

US
Casearo(c) vs Miz

D-Bry vs Kane - still tag champs

Big Show vs Ryback

Shield vs Kofi, Mysterio, Truth

Ziggler vs Christain

I'd like to post it since my orginal prediction before Royal Rumble isn't even close but I don't think we'll no unitl after Monday because I think that is probably when we'll know if Undertaker will be there.

That said, I don't like the idea of Undertaker/Punk just because I see no way Punk wins. What I's really like the prosepcts for at this point if Undertaker does return for Wrestlemania:

FATAL FOUR WAY
Rock(c.) vs Undertaker vs Cena vs Punk

WWE Championship AND Streak on the line. That could then eventually lead to Undertaker/Cena or Undertaker/Punk or even Undertaker/Rock at WM30.

Even more, if the WWE were to really lose their marbles they could go with:

SIX PACK CHALLENGE
Rock(c.) vs Undertaker vs Triple H vs Lesnar vs Cena vs Punk

Basically every generation over the last 25 years is covered there. Only problem I could see would be filling out the rest of a Wrestlemania card since it is an hour longer.

 

[Team Andino]

Well people are always complaining about WWE's lack of long term booking.

I want long term booking plans for people who are actually on the roster beyond the major PPV's. How about have a plan in mind for Ziggler beyond he's losing this week on Raw. Or what are we going to do with one of out biggest stars in Punk if Taker can't go? There's a laundry list of mid card talent such as Bryan, Ziggler, Cody, Sandow, Kane, ect, that as of right now has nothing even remotely set for a Mania match while WWE is busy booking Rock Vs. Lesnar for Summerslam or WM30.

 

[kane9321]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Knockouts Title Match is up next!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No Booty (Tara) vs Big Booty (Velvet Sky) vs No Booty (Gail Kim) vs Big "Shakeable" Booty (Tessmacher)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT..LEAVE MY VIC..ER TARA ALONE..SHE HAS MUCH BACKt:

 

[Slushy]

I don't mind Rock vs. Brock II as long as it's not for the title.

Agreed. While its going to be the biggest rematch of all-time, it shouldn't be THE main event. That honor should go to John Cena Vs. Undertaker or Austin Vs. Punk.

Re: Ambrose

Watching his stuff from NXT, I can see why Foley wanted to work with him so bad. Dean's deranged character. Loved it! He was kind of a dick when I met The Shield last month, but I'm hoping that was just him being in character. Seth and Roman were cool though. Hope they're impressive strong push continues. I would like to see them win the tag team titles and bust out with the Freebirds / Demolition / Triple Threat / Jersey Triad three man defense rule.

I've been listening to Vince Russo's shoots lately and something struck me about how he formulated storylines. He said something to the effects of:
-listen to the fans' heartbeat on what they want

I kind of think WWE has selective hearing when it comes to what fans want.

WWE: Khali is in the Elimination Chamber!

IWC: BOO!

WWE: Henry is in the Elimination Chamber instead!

IWC: YEAH!

Re: Mysterio Vs. Cara

I'm kind of bummed this won't be happening, but given Sin's lack of mic skills and still botching things up, maybe its for the best. Wondering what they'll do with Rey now though.

 

[Kaleb]

 

[Wheels]

Bryan is going for the Randy Orton look in that pic. I wonder how much Orton spends on oil per year?

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

Agreed. While its going to be the biggest rematch of all-time, it shouldn't be THE main event. That honor should go to John Cena Vs. Undertaker or Austin Vs. Punk.

The biggest rematch of all time, sorry but what the hell are you smoking