The Wrestling Thread Can Wrestle MICHAEL COLE If It Wants To!! - Part 106

[bullets]

They should have never turned down Paul Heyman's help when he offered it. Never mind the stunts they pulled when they were changing TNA around like this:
http://youtu.be/TOwBJu5Hfzk

Still makes me sick to this day btw

That's pathetic. I'd want to leave the arena after a speech like that or do my best to ruin the show.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

So, the top five most controversial topics according to Wikipedia has George Bush, Muhammad, Global Warming, Anarchism, and List of WWE Personel. I s**t you not.

 

[TX85]

Seth Rollins and AJ Lee are hispanics?,Colby Lopez and April Mendez

 

[The Sage]

I guess going on the road has been the worst thing to happen to TNA wrasslin' and that's saying something.

That's really sad to read. I wish they had did what was done last year: take Impact on the road for a few months only. It made it seem special.

Nah, the worst thing to happen to TNA was the hiring of Hogan and Bischoff.

 

[Superark]

They should have let Prichard go after the mess he made with Roode's contract, not to mention his creative direction that involved his mug getting on TV regularly.

Agreed. And based on what I've read, it seems Lagana and Conway are the ones who handle the majority of the creative and are the ones who are praised for their work.

I just wonder who will fill Prichard's place as head of the talent relations.

I am definitely curious about these cost cutting measures. TNA has a lot of money coming in from their international deals that will keep them in business, but clearly going on the road has hurt their pockets.

I think some of the recent WWE hires on the marketing and production end is a way to try and help boost their brand and image when going to these new towns.

Obviously, Hulk and Bischoff have brought a high price tag with them. No one can dispute that, but I do find it funny that so many are calling for their leave. They have brought some good and bad changes to the company. Let's be real, if it wasn't for those guys Russo would still be booking awful illogical tv and guys like Aries and Roode wouldn't be where they are, not to mention the production has dramatically improved. More of us watch TNA now than we ever did a few years ago.

There is a place for Hogan and Bischoff. It's not all over my TV or in creative, but they have a place. I think they have tried to make the company better and they have good intentions. Hogan, for all the crap he gets (some deservedly so), is said to be well liked and very helpful backstage. They've pushed Dixie to take some chances, which they need to do if they want to grow. WCW did it, WWE did it and it paid off.

What TNA needs to do is some outside the box thinking. Most of the time they feel just like another wrestling show, filled with the same great, good, and bad stuff we see on WWE. WCW and WWE both did so well because they were two unique products. TNA often feels like a WWE show with less production and a bit less cookie cutter.

I don't think he's the creative God he's made out to be, but Heyman is right that TNA needs to be something completely different.If there is one thing he is good at is staying on top of what's relevant to today's society. TNA needs that kind of thinking

 

[runawayboulder]

And I wouldn't want this but if the rumors are true of HHH/McMahon being shoehorned into the main event then I could see McMahon backing Cena and HHH being forced to back Punk.

I'm sick of the Vince/HHH thing. If this culminates at WM, I'm assuming it's going to serve as Vince's swan song with the company.

 

[sweetre15]

The July 15th WWE RAW scored a 3.05 cable rating with 4.11 million viewers.

In the segment breakdown, the opening segment with Brad Maddox, John Cena and Randy Orton did a 2.99 quarter rating. Orton vs. Fandango lost 85,000 viewers. Mark Henry’s interview where The Shield attacked gained 78,000 viewers. Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio gained 273,000 viewers in the 9pm timeslot for a 3.19 quarter rating.

The Bray Wyatt promo, a Performance Center video and Zeb Colter’s interview lost 209,000 viewers. The Usos vs. Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro plus Damien Sandow vs. Christian lost 253,000 viewers. Brie Bella vs. Naomi gained 265,000 viewers. One of the two big segments for the night was the segment with CM Punk, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar, which gained 498,000 viewers for a 3.41 quarter rating at 10pm.

Backstage segments with The Great Khali and John Cena plus Maddox, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon lost 497,000 viewers. Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho lost 172,000 viewers. Cena picking Daniel Bryan as his SummerSlam opponent was the other big segment of the night, gaining 669,000 viewers for a 3.41 overrun rating. This was one of RAW’s best segments of the summer.

- PWMania.com reported how there have been issues with talents, office workers and vendors getting paid late by TNA. One source has confirmed reports of Hulk Hogan being paid late at one point. Although pay issues have not affected every single person in the company, many were affected.

- Many talents in TNA are not happy about what’s going on and some have reportedly sent feelers to WWE officials through friends.

- Regarding Doc, he was scheduled to turn babyface and feud with Mr. Anderson. There’s some speculation that Doc may be brought back eventually.

- Tonight’s episode of TNA Impact Wrestling will have the Destination X theme to it. Confirmed for the main event is Chris Sabin vs. Bully Ray for the World Heavyweight Title. Also confirmed is Bobby Roode vs. Austin Aries, a fight between Aces & 8s and The Main Event Mafia plus qualifying matches to crown a new X Division Champion.

- Former TNA Knockout Tara and Jesse Godderz are listed as cast-members for Tainted Dreams, a proposed TV series. Tara plays a parole officer named Carla Santiago and Godderz plays a local handy man.

- The TNA live event on July 13th in Washington, PA drew 1,400 fans.

 

[sweetre15]

- Rey Mysterio is currently doing stem cell treatment to regenerate his knee ligaments under Dr. James Andrews. The treatment will allow Mysterio to avoid major surgery. He’s being targeted for a return in about three months.

- The front-runners for WrestleMania in 2015 are Santa Clara, California in the Bay Area and Philadelphia. Front-runners for 2016 look to be Cowboys Stadium in Dallas/Arlington and Orlando, according to a new report.

- PWMania.com reported how David Otunga has been doing various legal analysis on television lately. WWE sees this as him doing public relations work for them. No word on when he will be brought back to WWE storylines.

- After Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings, Randy Orton’s reported injury was not a big deal backstage and some were not even aware that Orton was hurt. Orton also worked the dark main event but only came in at the end to hit a RKO.

– WWE had Xavier Woods as one of the people speaking to media at the Performance Center last week. Besides how well spoken Woods is, WWE officials are high on him because he has a PHD. Woods graduated from Furman University while wrestling for TNA and later got his Masters. He is currently working on his dissertation while training in WWE developmental. Even though Woods would be an independent contractor and not an employee, WWE has allowed him to be part of a tuition reimbursement program, which helps out a lot given developmental talents don’t make much money.

- The head honchos of the NFL Players Association and executives from other sports were at the grand opening of WWE’s Performance Center on July 11.

- The June 17th WWE Raw had 338,000 homes watching on DVR or tape delay while the June 24th show had 361,000 homes.

- Brian “Road Dogg” James is now officially a WWE creative team member, reports the Wrestling Observer. James had been at meeting the last few weeks because officials wanted someone with experience in the business at meetings.

- As PWMania.com reported, Big Show will be returning on Monday’s WWE RAW. Show was reportedly out with a knee injury and was still limping backstage at Money in the Bank this past Sunday night. Show has dropped some weight and is looking to drop more weight. He is booked on an upcoming WWE tour as a heel against Randy Orton.

- The recent Sami Zayn vs. Antonio Cesaro 2 of 3 Falls Match at the NXT TV tapings received “match of the year” chants from fans in attendance. People in production who saw the footage of the match as it was being put together for TV said it’s a must-see match from a TV standpoint.

- As PWMania.com reported, Cody Rhodes was also injured at WWE Money in the Bank. He suffered a cut over his eye after taking headbutts from Dean Ambrose in the ladder match. He needed 5 stitches to close the cut.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter/Pwmania

 

[Donnie Darko]

It just now occurred to me how convenient it was that Punk was "injured" and not out on the stage at the end of Raw Monday night. I can only assume that everyone involved knew that the only one who could possibly take any of the cheers from the "smark" crowd away from Bryan would be Punk.

 

[Hunter Rider]

He was legit injured so they had no choice. Guess they were scared of losing him.

So is he a free agent right now?

I'm glad I'm not alone in this! That was exactly my line of thinking! MVP bores me to tears in the ring, but Shelton had/has the athleticism to line up with what that character was intended to be. And giving him a sleazy "sports agent," whether Heyman, Estrada or someone else to do his talking for him would have fit right in line with what they were originally going for.

Given that Heyman debuted Shelton when he presented Team Angle to Kurt, I think he would have been ideal as Shelton's agent. With MVP I felt they needed a character that went with his ground and pound style. I like the fact WWE didn't automatically go the gangsta route because of his past, but I don't think the flash athlete who wrestled in a Power Rangers outfit was a good idea either.

Re: WWE's PPV Discussion Panel

What are your thoughts on this? I think its pretty cool they get four individuals together and keeping it kayfabe.

I like it, it's a simple little idea but I think it adds to the presentation of the PPV.

That's true. I prefer when the main event is one on one. I would go with punk/cena then. It's been such a great and anticipated main event already, and it would definitely be worthy of wrestlemania XXX

I agree, like Hogan/Savage, Bret/Shawn and Rock/Austin, it's the match from this generation that should headline a Mania.

Agreed. And based on what I've read, it seems Lagana and Conway are the ones who handle the majority of the creative and are the ones who are praised for their work.

I just wonder who will fill Prichard's place as head of the talent relations.

I am definitely curious about these cost cutting measures. TNA has a lot of money coming in from their international deals that will keep them in business, but clearly going on the road has hurt their pockets.

I think some of the recent WWE hires on the marketing and production end is a way to try and help boost their brand and image when going to these new towns.

Obviously, Hulk and Bischoff have brought a high price tag with them. No one can dispute that, but I do find it funny that so many are calling for their leave. They have brought some good and bad changes to the company. Let's be real, if it wasn't for those guys Russo would still be booking awful illogical tv and guys like Aries and Roode wouldn't be where they are, not to mention the production has dramatically improved. More of us watch TNA now than we ever did a few years ago.

There is a place for Hogan and Bischoff. It's not all over my TV or in creative, but they have a place. I think they have tried to make the company better and they have good intentions. Hogan, for all the crap he gets (some deservedly so), is said to be well liked and very helpful backstage. They've pushed Dixie to take some chances, which they need to do if they want to grow. WCW did it, WWE did it and it paid off.

What TNA needs to do is some outside the box thinking. Most of the time they feel just like another wrestling show, filled with the same great, good, and bad stuff we see on WWE. WCW and WWE both did so well because they were two unique products. TNA often feels like a WWE show with less production and a bit less cookie cutter.

I don't think he's the creative God he's made out to be, but Heyman is right that TNA needs to be something completely different.If there is one thing he is good at is staying on top of what's relevant to today's society. TNA needs that kind of thinking

I think Bischoff and his production partner Hervey have been pretty influential in reshaping Impact's presentation for the better, it looks less like an indie these days and things like the fly on the wall backstage stuff and any out of ring action have been well executed.

Even though I was never a Hogan fan I quite enjoy him in the GM role, they just need to scale it back. I think the big question is how much does he do behind the scenes to warrant the pay? Plus do you think WWE have any guys on the pay roll doing the jobs Eric and Hogan are doing, that are paid more than Cena, Punk and Orton? I highly doubt it, and that's where I imagine the dissent stems from.

The problem with trying to be different is that it's not usually how you compete. When WCW caught up with WWF they did so by veering away from the pro wrasslin' MO of the JCP style and becoming more outlandish like WWF. Now Bischoff did beat Vince to the punch when he saw the landscape change and made WCW more gritty, but in order to fight back Vince simply followed the direction of WCW but pushed things even further and succeeded because he was the boss where as Eric was creatively handcuffed by the contracts his top guys had.

If you look at TNA's ratings they have tried a number of different things from being a WWE clone to trying to present the show in an MMA sports fashion, the numbers barely change, I'm not sure there is a way to ever compete, to me the smarter move would be to work out how to simply sustain the promotion as a business.

 

[Hunter Rider]

The July 15th WWE RAW scored a 3.05 cable rating with 4.11 million viewers.

In the segment breakdown, the opening segment with Brad Maddox, John Cena and Randy Orton did a 2.99 quarter rating. Orton vs. Fandango lost 85,000 viewers. Mark Henry’s interview where The Shield attacked gained 78,000 viewers. Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio gained 273,000 viewers in the 9pm timeslot for a 3.19 quarter rating.

The Bray Wyatt promo, a Performance Center video and Zeb Colter’s interview lost 209,000 viewers. The Usos vs. Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro plus Damien Sandow vs. Christian lost 253,000 viewers. Brie Bella vs. Naomi gained 265,000 viewers. One of the two big segments for the night was the segment with CM Punk, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar, which gained 498,000 viewers for a 3.41 quarter rating at 10pm.

Backstage segments with The Great Khali and John Cena plus Maddox, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon lost 497,000 viewers. Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho lost 172,000 viewers. Cena picking Daniel Bryan as his SummerSlam opponent was the other big segment of the night, gaining 669,000 viewers for a 3.41 overrun rating. This was one of RAW’s best segments of the summer.

WWE will be pleased about those 3 bolded segments as they were the 3 main angles on the show. Surprised the Y2J vs RVD match lost viewers.

]- PWMania.com reported how there have been issues with talents, office workers and vendors getting paid late by TNA. One source has confirmed reports of Hulk Hogan being paid late at one point. Although pay issues have not affected every single person in the company, many were affected.

- The front-runners for WrestleMania in 2015 are Santa Clara, California in the Bay Area and Philadelphia. Front-runners for 2016 look to be Cowboys Stadium in Dallas/Arlington and Orlando, according to a new report.

Hopefully they go for Philly and Cowboys Stadium.

Even though Woods would be an independent contractor and not an employee, WWE has allowed him to be part of a tuition reimbursement program, which helps out a lot given developmental talents don’t make much money.

This is a great idea, kudos to WWE on this one.

- Brian “Road Dogg” James is now officially a WWE creative team member, reports the Wrestling Observer. James had been at meeting the last few weeks because officials wanted someone with experience in the business at meetings.

Here's another reason that booking has improved I imagine, he was always said to have a great mind for the business.

- The recent Sami Zayn vs. Antonio Cesaro 2 of 3 Falls Match at the NXT TV tapings received “match of the year” chants from fans in attendance. People in production who saw the footage of the match as it was being put together for TV said it’s a must-see match from a TV standpoint.

So when will we get to see this match?

- As PWMania.com reported, Cody Rhodes was also injured at WWE Money in the Bank. He suffered a cut over his eye after taking headbutts from Dean Ambrose in the ladder match. He needed 5 stitches to close the cut.

Everyone seems to have been working snug in the two ladder matches.

 

[Hunter Rider]

 

[Hunter Rider]

It's like they threw in Big E just for Pinky.

 

[sweetre15]

Ok, NOW I'm pissed:

Word going around WWE is that the current plan has Daniel Bryan defeating John Cena at SummerSlam for the WWE Championship, only to see Randy Orton cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, win the WWE Championship and finally make his long-awaited heel turn.

It’s possible WWE announces the Randy Orton neck injury on RAW and keep him off TV for a few weeks, that way his cash in at SummerSlam will be more of a surprise.

As of this week, there is currently no Bryan vs. Cena rematch planned for September’s Night of Champions pay-per-view which gives another sign that Orton may be cashing in at Summerslam.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Haven't they learned how counterproductive this is after Summerslam 2011 when they did this with Alberto Del Rio to CM Punk?

 

[sweetre15]

- WrestleMania XXX would mark 11 years since “Stone Cold” Steve Austin last wrestled a match. WWE has interest in Austin working the event, if he wants to work it and can get medically cleared. There has been an idea discussed where Austin would be representing Vince McMahon in a match against Triple H with the control of WWE at stake.

- The Undertaker will not be at SummerSlam as he is currently recovering from shoulder surgery. It’s doubtful he will be back until his usual pre-WrestleMania return. Undertaker’s shoulder issues are said to be pretty bad at this stage of the game.

- Batista is not returning to WWE any time soon and if he did, it would be in early 2014 for WrestleMania season. One person close to Batista said that he is not going to return at all if he has anything going on for early 2014 regarding new movies, because that’s his line of work and priority now.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)



Read more: http://www.pwmania.com/latest-on-st...-undertakers-status-batista-wwe#ixzz2ZPVvgoq4

 

[Donnie Darko]

I can see that working if they use it to build a Bryan-Orton feud that really shows Bryan chasing the title. I just don't know what they would do with Cena.

 

[OnTheAir]

Seth Rollins and AJ Lee are hispanics?,Colby Lopez and April Mendez

Yes, they are. I know AJ is Puerto Rican. Not sure of Rollins' specific background, but I know he's Latino. WWE has been wanting Latino stars as successors to Ray and Eddie, so much so that they tried shoving Del Rio and Sin Cara down our throats. In the meantime, they have two more Latino performers right in their faces, who happen to be among their hottest young stars.

 

[Donnie Darko]

They probably aren't "Hispanic enough".

 

[MMMMM...Pancakes]

It's like they threw in Big E just for Pinky.

And the award for biggest rack on the beach goes to...

 

[sweetre15]

I can see that working if they use it to build a Bryan-Orton feud that really shows Bryan chasing the title. I just don't know what they would do with Cena.

As long as they don't try what they tried when they sucked the life out of the Summer of Punk II. No shovels should be involved.

 

[ImWithTeamConan]

Ok, NOW I'm pissed:

Word going around WWE is that the current plan has Daniel Bryan defeating John Cena at SummerSlam for the WWE Championship, only to see Randy Orton cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, win the WWE Championship and finally make his long-awaited heel turn.

It’s possible WWE announces the Randy Orton neck injury on RAW and keep him off TV for a few weeks, that way his cash in at SummerSlam will be more of a surprise.

As of this week, there is currently no Bryan vs. Cena rematch planned for September’s Night of Champions pay-per-view which gives another sign that Orton may be cashing in at Summerslam.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Haven't they learned how counterproductive this is after Summerslam 2011 when they did this with Alberto Del Rio to CM Punk?

I actually think this would work pretty well. Bryan gets to beat the superstar of the company, Orton gets to turn heel on the biggest face of the company. Bryan and Cena chase Orton. They're all doing good work these days, a program with those three for the WWE title would keep me interested and they could milk it all the way to the Royal Rumble if they wanted.



CM Punk/Paul Heyman/Brock Lesnar gains 500,000 viewers. HHH/Stephanie/Brad Maddox loses 500,000 viewers. t:

 

[sweetre15]

I actually think this would work pretty well. Bryan gets to beat the superstar of the company, Orton gets to turn heel on the biggest face of the company. Bryan and Cena chase Orton. They're all doing good work these days, a program with those three for the WWE title would keep me interested and they could milk it all the way to the Royal Rumble if they wanted.



CM Punk/Paul Heyman/Brock Lesnar gains 500,000 viewers. HHH/Stephanie/Brad Maddox loses 500,000 viewers. t:

As long as shovels aren't Involved then that's fine I suppose.

 

[Pink Ranger]

It's like they threw in Big E just for Pinky.

Lol, seriously, I can't be the only one noticing how repeatedly disinterested he appears to be when he's always surrounded by half-naked women. If he's married, his wife probably keeps him on a leash shorter than Kronik's run in the WWE.

Turambar, what have you done?!

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

Hopefully they go for Philly and Cowboys Stadium.This is a great idea, kudos to WWE on this one.

No way. Santa Clara. I'll be living there at that point and will be able to go.

Ok, NOW I'm pissed:

Word going around WWE is that the current plan has Daniel Bryan defeating John Cena at SummerSlam for the WWE Championship, only to see Randy Orton cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, win the WWE Championship and finally make his long-awaited heel turn.

It’s possible WWE announces the Randy Orton neck injury on RAW and keep him off TV for a few weeks, that way his cash in at SummerSlam will be more of a surprise.

As of this week, there is currently no Bryan vs. Cena rematch planned for September’s Night of Champions pay-per-view which gives another sign that Orton may be cashing in at Summerslam.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Haven't they learned how counterproductive this is after Summerslam 2011 when they did this with Alberto Del Rio to CM Punk?

That's probably about the only way they can really successfully turn Orton heel. Nobody is gonna boo him if he cashes in on Cena. But screwing the golden boy Daniel Bryan out of a championship run? That would do it.

And I don't get how they track how the segments lose and gain viewers. To gain a viewer, that person had to not be watching. So if they aren't watching, how do they know if a particular segment is something good that they want to tune in to watch???

 

[ImWithTeamConan]

No way. Santa Clara. I'll be living there at that point and will be able to go.



That's probably about the only way they can really successfully turn Orton heel. Nobody is gonna boo him if he cashes in on Cena. But screwing the golden boy Daniel Bryan out of a championship run? That would do it.

And I don't get how they track how the segments lose and gain viewers. To gain a viewer, that person had to not be watching. So if they aren't watching, how do they know if a particular segment is something good that they want to tune in to watch???

I used to flip between RAW/Nitro every fifteen minutes to see if there was someone I was interested in. If it was an interview or match I wanted to see, I'd stick around, if not, I'd turn back to the other show.