Nobody Touches the Wrestling Thread's Lemon

[Hunter Rider]

Spoiler

* The Shield kicks off SmackDown with a promo on Evolution and Payback. Roman Reigns says Evolution will pay for putting him through the table on RAW.

* Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston is next. Cesaro came out to a big pop with Paul Heyman. Cesaro gets the win and attacks Kofi after the match, hitting him with the Neutralizer while Heyman cheered him on.

* Paige vs. Tamina Snuka in a non-title match is next. Paige gets the win with her Scorpion Crosslock. Alicia Fox came out during the match and taunted Paige with the Divas Title belt. She tried to distract Paige to allow Tamina to get the win but it backfired.

* Xavier Woods vs. Bo Dallas is next. Bo comes out and cuts another cheesy promo about Bo-lieving. Bo gets the win with the Bo-dog.

* Los Matadores, El Torito, 3MB and Hornswoggle are out next. The match is Jinder Mahal vs. El Torito. Torito, without his tail still, gets the win.

* Jimmy Uso vs. Bray Wyatt in a Last Man Standing match will take place later.

* Paul Heyman comes out and reminds us that Brock Lesnar ended The Undertaker's Streak. Heyman joins commentary as Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett and United States Champion Sheamus come out for their match.

* Paul Heyman comes out and reminds us that Brock Lesnar ended The Undertaker's Streak. Heyman joins commentary as Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett and United States Champion Sheamus come out for their match. This match was described as a must-see brawl. There were big "Let's go Sheamus, Bad News Barrett" dueling chants. Sheamus got the win after a finishing sequence that was described as "amazing."

* Big E came out with an American flag and squashed Titus O'Neil. Before they began, Lana interrupted and cut a promo on Big E and America. They got huge heel heat and USA chants, according to our correspondent. She and Rusev watched the match from ringside.

* Adam Rose came out to his biggest pop yet, except for the UK, according to our correspondent. Rose went on to defeat Jack Swagger in a match and taunt Zeb Colter some more.

* Bray Wyatt vs. Jimmy Uso in a Last Man Standing match is next. This match gets the first CM Punk chants of the night. This was described as a good physical match. Wyatt destroyed Uso in front of the announce table and got the win to end SmackDown.

Dull sounding show and why oh why oh why is [BLACKOUT]Barrett[/BLACKOUT] doing clean jobs?

They should still work harder on actually building people up instead of making them wrestle cold matches and not get real promo time

The thing is promo time can only be stretched so far, now Madden's article here makes a fair point about how much wasted time there is regarding Sthep and Triple H repeating themselves, maybe that time could be given to others, but of course not all are good on the mic.

They are giving the likes of Lana and Barrett mic time and it's paying off IMO and they have started out with Bo getting some mic time. As for cold matches, that can't be avoided due to WWE having 6 hours of TV a week, there's just no way to make every match mean something.

I thought that might be an issue early on. Really, the archives and original stuff is enough to justify the price tag (or somewhere near it). Tossing in the PPVs seemed like overkill; maybe a few weeks or so after, but live? It reads like the PPV model was broken. It's like giving away money.

I'm sure the balance of your post was well constructed and provocative, but that's really all I could speak to, given that I'm kinda soused at the moment.

Exactly, I figure you put the PPV's on the network the night after the next PPV has aired, meaning they are always an entire PPV cycle behind.

Haha! "soused!"

 

[OnTheAir]

I don't disagree in truth, the shows are flat right now without a doubt, I just think it is so much harder to book WWE than it is NJPW or ROH, anyone can book a bunch of good workers against each other if the only goal of the product is in-ring action, but WWE doesn't have that luxury.

I've bolded the points I think in particular are where they could improve, I left off Bryan/Kane as I felt it was a necessary evil while Evolution are feuding with The Shield, there just wasn't a good option for Bryan IMO.

I think Cesaro and Heyman are doing good work but it feels about a year too late, Cesaro should have been the Heyman guy the night Axel walked down the ramp, right now WWE took a guy to the point where the crowds were dying to get behind him, and then reverted him to being a fuill blown heel, leaving a degree of confusion from a lot of crowds. A proper Ziggler push would benefit the show simply because he's such a good performer. The Tag and Divas division are both suffering from the same issue, good champs, underutilized challengers.

The Network is a bust, it should never have included the PPV's.

It's true...as much as I would like WWE to be match after match after match, they cannot. Angles and storylines are necessary. I just want them to focus...find a direction and stick to it...and spare me the absurd comedy skits like the one with El Torrito this past Raw. If they feel compelled to do comedy, at least make it actually funny.

You're absolutely right about Cesaro...it should have been him walking down that ramp and feuding with Punk. I don't actually hate Axel as a worker, but he was doomed from the very start of his pairing with Heyman. No one saw him worthy of that position. He's just not ready yet.

To be honest, the fact that they included the pay per views with the Network is the primary reason I bought it. But, truth to tell, I don't watch it much. My schedule just doesn't grant me the free time to sit down and watch a lot of its programming. Outside of the monthly pay per views, I rarely watch it at all. Not that I don't want to...the programming and the archives are phenomenal. I just don't have the time to invest. Still, the pay per views alone make the monthly fee more than worth it for me.

Clearly the Network has hurt them. It just doesn't seem that it was well thought out, and waiting so long to release it in other markets baffles me. I wonder how much the eventual release in those markets will help or hurt them.

 

[Hunter Rider]

It's true...as much as I would like WWE to be match after match after match, they cannot. Angles and storylines are necessary. I just want them to focus...find a direction and stick to it...and spare me the absurd comedy skits like the one with El Torrito this past Raw. If they feel compelled to do comedy, at least make it actually funny.

You're absolutely right about Cesaro...it should have been him walking down that ramp and feuding with Punk. I don't actually hate Axel as a worker, but he was doomed from the very start of his pairing with Heyman. No one saw him worthy of that position. He's just not ready yet.

To be honest, the fact that they included the pay per views with the Network is the primary reason I bought it. But, truth to tell, I don't watch it much. My schedule just doesn't grant me the free time to sit down and watch a lot of its programming. Outside of the monthly pay per views, I rarely watch it at all. Not that I don't want to...the programming and the archives are phenomenal. I just don't have the time to invest. Still, the pay per views alone make the monthly fee more than worth it for me.

Clearly the Network has hurt them. It just doesn't seem that it was well thought out, and waiting so long to release it in other markets baffles me. I wonder how much the eventual release in those markets will help or hurt them.

The comedy is WWE's classic "booking for an audience of 1" mentality, stupid crap Vince and his cronies find funny but nobody else does. I do think WWE could actually structure their shows better if they had more #1 contender matches for the mid card and tag belts, it would fill out the show with matches that at least had a goal. Then from there you keep a tight focus on the 3 or 4 bigger angles on the show.

The Axel as a Heyman Guy experiment actually did him no favours and soured the Punk/Heyman feud at the same time, where as Cesaro would have been made by that angle IMO.

From a fans perspective the network is gold, but the fact is I imagine there are many like yourself. I'm sure younger fans are on it a lot but fans in our age group are not likely to settle down each night to WWE stuff instead of our usual TV shows, and most of us just get a Blu Ray out if there's a match we want to see. The network is great in concept but WWE put too many eggs in that basket IMO and I don't think it's sustainable.

The network has definitely hurt them, did you notice how may times the line "The Payback Pay Per View" was used by wrestlers and commentators last night? That flies against the recent switch to using the term "Special Event" for the monthly shows and suggests to me the growing worry over the damage they have done to the already under-performing PPV model.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

 

[Hush]

Ok so I've been watching Total Divas with the GF on E! I wanna get back into wrestling but the last time I watched The Wolf Pack were around NWO and WCW was still alive and kickin'. I mean Diamond Dallas Page was still on the scene where do I start guys/gals?

 

[OnTheAir]

The comedy is WWE's classic "booking for an audience of 1" mentality, stupid crap Vince and his cronies find funny but nobody else does. I do think WWE could actually structure their shows better if they had more #1 contender matches for the mid card and tag belts, it would fill out the show with matches that at least had a goal. Then from there you keep a tight focus on the 3 or 4 bigger angles on the show.

The Axel as a Heyman Guy experiment actually did him no favours and soured the Punk/Heyman feud at the same time, where as Cesaro would have been made by that angle IMO.

From a fans perspective the network is gold, but the fact is I imagine there are many like yourself. I'm sure younger fans are on it a lot but fans in our age group are not likely to settle down each night to WWE stuff instead of our usual TV shows, and most of us just get a Blu Ray out if there's a match we want to see. The network is great in concept but WWE put too many eggs in that basket IMO and I don't think it's sustainable.

The network has definitely hurt them, did you notice how may times the line "The Payback Pay Per View" was used by wrestlers and commentators last night? That flies against the recent switch to using the term "Special Event" for the monthly shows and suggests to me the growing worry over the damage they have done to the already under-performing PPV model.

Vince's sense of humor is terrible. How he thinks some of this stuff helps his product is beyond me.

I absolutely would like to see wrestlers vying to become #1 contenders for the mid cards and tag titles. I prefer when the emphasis is on the "sports" aspect and not the "entertainment."

A summer of Punk vs Heyman/Cesaro...*sigh*...just imagine what could have been!

You're probably right, our age has a lot to do with it. Between my work schedule, family and social obligations, trying to keep up with sports and other tv programs, as well as my other outside interests, I'd have to actually schedule time to watch the Network consistently. Outside of pay per views, I just can't do that right now.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

A Summer of Punk III with Punk, Heyman, and Cesaro would've been #BUYS #BUYS #BUYS

 

[TheNextNolan22]

Ok so I've been watching Total Divas with the GF on E! I wanna get back into wrestling but the last time I watched The Wolf Pack were around NWO and WCW was still alive and kickin'. I mean Diamond Dallas Page was still on the scene where do I start guys/gals?

WWE or just all wrestling in general?

 

[cabel]

Watching the 6 man cage match from Dragon Gate. It's like a classic Nickelodeon game show being remade as a serious wrestling match.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

Watching the 6 man cage match from Dragon Gate. It's like a classic Nickelodeon game show being remade as a serious wrestling match.

Wait, is it from Dead or Alive? That has had the best card of ANY wrestling show thus far in 2014.

 

[cabel]

Wait, is it from Dead or Alive? That has had the best card of ANY wrestling show thus far in 2014.

Yes.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

 

[TheNextNolan22]

 

[chamber-music]

Alicia Fox caught whatever crazy AJ Lee had. Someone must of left bath salts in the divas locker room again

https://***********/BrockLesnarGuy lol

His "I'm Marking Out Bro Shirt"

Eva Marie was probably 100 on that list, if that.

Did she have a nose job as her nose looks fake?

Is it wrong that I love 3MB so much?

I enjoy Heath Slater and Drew a lot. Jinder not so much.

I bet in real life, he's a sensitive guy who always cooks and washes the dishes, and writes his own poetry.

So he is basically Bulgarian Mark Henry

 

[TheNextNolan22]

 

[runawayboulder]

Good lord Paige is sexy

 

[Hush]

WWE or just all wrestling in general?

WWE. I know a good amount of the names in that I guess.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

What a ****in' nerd. This schmuck will never main event any WrestleMania and win the World Title, especially a landmark Mania like WM30.

 

[cherokeesam]

WWE. I know a good amount of the names in that I guess.

The WWE Network for sure, then. $9.99 a month will get you caught up on everything you need to know.

Watch Wrestlemania 30 for starters as a good indicator of the current State of the WWE Union. Then watch the past few episodes of Raw, Smackdown and NXT. Superstars and Main Event are just padding; skip if you like. Legends House is a fun nostalgia trip for 80s fans.

 

[TX85]

When do new Raw&Smackdown episodes get added to Hulu Plus and when are newer reruns coming to the wwe network?,I miss seeing them but I ain't going to keep cable just for mostly them.

I wish they were on the network but I have to just get used to the"This Week In WWE"show

 

[Hush]

The WWE Network for sure, then. $9.99 a month will get you caught up on everything you need to know.

Watch Wrestlemania 30 for starters as a good indicator of the current State of the WWE Union. Then watch the past few episodes of Raw, Smackdown and NXT. Superstars and Main Event are just padding; skip if you like. Legends House is a fun nostalgia trip for 80s fans.

Awesome, thanks man. Yeah I was just watching the Total Divas show and she would ask me questions and I was like "My knowledge literally ends at 1999." haha. I did like a lot of the storylines that I saw glimpses of though.

 

[SpideyFan866]

A Summer of Punk III with Punk, Heyman, and Cesaro would've been #BUYS #BUYS #BUYS

Yeah, but "The Authority" pissed off and overworked Punk to the point where has he gone home for good.



So sadly, that will never happen.

 

[bullets]

Punks last ppv was before the network launch. I have no doubt the free ppv concept might of been in his list of issues before he split. There was a lot of concern about pay before the launch.

It's a shame because the network is amazing and I'm sure many u.k. Fans would sign up.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Alicia Fox caught whatever crazy AJ Lee had. Someone must of left bath salts in the divas locker room again

Spoiler

 

[SpideyFan866]

Punks last ppv was before the network launch. I have no doubt the free ppv concept might of been in his list of issues before he split. There was a lot of concern about pay before the launch.

It's a shame because the network is amazing and I'm sure many u.k. Fans would sign up.

Oh it definitely was.

According to people who spoke with him at Luke Gallows's wedding, that was definitely one of his concerns. He said he (and I'm paraphrasing) felt that the talent would be getting slighted on their PPV bonuses (the bulk of the majority's pay, and what they live off of) due to the Network.