The Wrestling Thread has diagrams. DIAGRAMS!

[Dragon_316ca]

If you live in Canada (like myself), this is great news:

The Score in Canada will be airing next week’s episode of WWE RAW LIVE on May 6th, 2013 at 8pm Eastern and going forward there will be no more 15 minute delay for Canadian fans for WWE’s flagship show.

 

[The Sage]

I'm getting the feeling that Trips wants to turn Reigns into Batista 2.0.

I can see why they would trusts Ambrose more in the ring. He's not as risky in his moveset as say Rollins, as his is pretty basic. As for the micwork, well Ambrose speaks for himself on that one (no pun intended).

On a sidenote, I also noticed Rollins mistimed/miscued a dropkick reaction on Raw, but it's no biggie.

I didn't catch that.

Moveset wise, I have a feeling that at least Ambrose and Rollins are holding back. What they're doing works with the Shield's guerilla warfare tactics and gang fighting. Probably the more singles' matches they have, the more of their repertoire they'll expose.

Batista 2.0, I don't know if that's a good thing or not. I'd like to hope that by the time Reigns starts his singles' run he'll be much farther ahead than Batista was.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

Rollins and Ambrose are doing great working in The Shield, but I agree with The Sage that they're kind of being held back.

 

[Van Petrol]

I didn't catch that.

Moveset wise, I have a feeling that at least Ambrose and Rollins are holding back. What they're doing works with the Shield's guerilla warfare tactics and gang fighting. Probably the more singles' matches they have, the more of their repertoire they'll expose.

Batista 2.0, I don't know if that's a good thing or not. I'd like to hope that by the time Reigns starts his singles' run he'll be much farther ahead than Batista was.

Yeah, I think it was a dropkick from Bryan. He reacted to it and bumped before Bryan had even touched him.

I get that feeling too. You also have to consider that it's probably hard for them to go all out, moveset wise, wearing the Swat gear they wrestle in now.

As long as he doesn't do the rounds in the Diva's locker room like Big Dave did then I think it may be alright. Though if Helmsley really wants a Batista 2.0 then he should start developing Mason Ryan for that one. He's already got the look down afterall.

 

[The Sage]

Complete WWE Smackdown Taping Results (SPOILERS)

Spoiler

Credit: Tommy Paslaski, Steve Tamou & PW.net

The show opened with a Ryback promo in the ring. We gave him the What! treatment. For some reason, the crowd still chanted Feed Me More, yet still booed him.

1. Ryback defeated Daniel Bryan in 14:00. Ryback won with Shellshocked. One of Ryback's better matches, probably cause of who he was in the ring with.

Renee Young interviewed Ricardo, who spoke really fast in Spanish. Alberto Del Rio calmed him down but I didn't really pick up what they were talking about.

2. Fandango defeated Zack Ryder in 3:00. Fandango won with the top rope leg drop. The crowd tried to Fandango, but it didn't get over that well. They are no Jersey. I was there and no crowd will ever beat that.

3. Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Zeb Colter ended in a no-contest when Jack Swagger interfered. Alberto Del Rio cleared Swagger of the ring and Teddy Long came out and..... You guessed it, he made a tag team match.

4. Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter ended in a no-contest. Ziggler and Big E interfered. Teddy came out and made it a Triple Threat tag team match.

5. Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez defeated Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter, and Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston in a Triple Threat tag match. Del Rio made Ziggler tap to the Cross Armbreaker. Good match.

The Shield beat up Daniel Bryan backstage and then cut a promo. Kane said they would pay later.

6. Randy Orton defeated Damien Sandow in 8:00. Orton won with an RKO. After the match, Big Show came out and told Orton he's not a team player and he's the reason they lost their WrestleMania match. Sandow hit Orton from behind with his finisher and Big Show laughed.

There was an arm wrestling contest between Mark Henry and Sheamus. Mark Henry won the first match. Sheamus got on the mic and said Mark had the stronger right arm but he didn't have the stronger left. They did it again, this time with their left arms and Sheamus punched Henry in the face and Brogue kicked him. Kind of a cheap way to get out of the match. Seemed like a heel thing to do.

7. Dean Ambrose beat Kane in 13:00. Kane came out and beat up all the shield members. He threw reigns into the announce table. Then the match started. It was back and forth. Kane hit the choke slam than attempted the tombstone. Then the shield interfered again. And Ambrose got the pin using a finisher that was similar to MVP's Playmaker.

After the match The Shield attacked Kane. Kane put up a good fight but Roman Reigns speared him, then they Triple Power Bombed him. The Shield grabbed the Tag Titles (I think they took Bryan's when they attacked him) and posed with them to conclude the taping.

http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/282497/Complete-WWE-Smackdown-Taping-Results-(SPOILERS).htm

 

[Hunter Rider]

Great times to be a kid! Most of the cartoons I grew up watching don't hold up storyline-wise, but I still enjoy seeing them now for the nostalgia factor.

Destro was my favorite Joe villain. And Major Bludd.

Me too, I think we had better characters as kids, I don't think as many stand out today like Optimus Prime, Snake Eyes, He-Man etc....did

Destro is awesome, shame they messed him up in the film.

You mentioned it earlier...the booking of the Shield has been remarkable. This is the best thing WWE has done since the Summer of Punk. They are creating stars for the first time in a long time, and hopefully it pays dividends now AND down the road.

If the rumored 4th member does happen, I really hope it's another NXT guy.

Definitely, The Shield really do seem like they are being booked by someone else when you compare them the rest of the young talent on the roster. I just hope WWE don't do that thing they do where suddenly they depush young talents to "test" their mentality, if they keep the ship steady I really think all 3 can be main event players.

- Despite The Rock teasing that WrestleMania 29 may have been his last wrestling match, there is some skepticism among some WWE wrestlers and staff. Most believe that when the time comes and Rock is healed up from all of his injuries and feeling good again, he will agree to work WrestleMania XXX in 2014.

It's said that Vince McMahon believes Rock will do at least one more match, which is why they continue to promote Rock on WWE TV. WWE is hoping that Rock will make an appearance at the October Hell in a Cell pay-per-view from his hometown of Miami.

I liked him in G.I. Joe, I really wish he's stick to movies as he's a shadow of the things that even his fans loved about him. If he MUST work Mania XXX I just pray they don't waste a huge Brock match on him.

- The Undertaker appears to have been written off WWE TV for the foreseeable future after being destroyed by The Shield on last Friday's SmackDown.

WWE officials are interested in having The Undertaker wrestle a match at this year's SummerSlam pay-per-view.

While I'd prefer it to happen at Survivor Series due to it being WWE's original Team match themed PPV, I could go for a War Games Summerslam main event like the one discussed a few pages back with Taker and co vs The Shield and Brock.

Regarding Taker defending The Streak at WrestleMania XXX in 2014, there is already talk of Ryback getting the shot but some feel that John Cena would get the best reaction as far as the match itself goes.

If it ends up as Cena vs Taker and Rock vs Brock Mania XXX will be another easy pass for me.

- Fandango has began using the flatliner as one of his finishing moves so he won't have to risk his long-term health doing the top rope legdrop every night.

Smart choice.

- When word spread that Roman Reigns had caught the attention of Triple H, the belief was that he was going to be built up as a future main event performer. WWE has definitely taken that approach. They've protected him on the microphone by limiting the amount of things that he has to say. They're also building him up as a formidable opponent, as evident by the fact that he was given a pinfall victory over John Cena at Monday Night RAW this week.

- In correlation, while WWE is also high on Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose is rapidly standing out from his teammates. While Seth Rollins is allowed some lines, Ambrose is given the most important points of the promo. As noted, Roman Reigns is relegated to quick lines. WWE also trusts Ambrose more in the ring. They used him last week against the Undertaker, and they're having him face Kane at the next Smackdown.

http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/news/16298/backstage-update-on-the-shield-roman-reigns-push

This is all positive in my view, I'm not a huge fan of the image Vince likes in top guys as I grew up a fan of Bret, Macho Man and HBK, but Reigns has great presence and is being booked impeccably as any guy should be, by highlighting his strengths and covering his weaknesses.

In The Shield they have 3 guys that can all fit into the main event scene and offer totally different things, Reigns as the archetypal Vince favoured powerhouse, Rollins in the Hardy/HBK role and Ambrose as a top heel that's a cross between Piper and Jake but with enough of his own personality to stand out as fresh.

 

[Anno_Domini]

Regarding Taker defending The Streak at WrestleMania XXX in 2014, there is already talk of Ryback getting the shot but some feel that John Cena would get the best reaction as far as the match itself goes.

If it isn't CM Punk vs Undertaker II at WM, I'd want it to be Roman Reigns. Cena or Ryback

Those two would be a disaster as they would create such a back and forth debate on if those two really should be the ones to maybe end the streak when neither of them can get the full crowd behind them. At least with Punk, he can, or Reigns can get major heat if he continues to be a heel.

Spoiler regarding Kaityln's mystery admirer. Sad news for UnionJack...

Spoiler

- At RAW, there was talk that the person who sent the mystery gift to WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn was going to end up being Langston. There's also talk at RAW that Langston will be going after United States Champion Kofi Kingston.

I had an idea that that's who it was going to be, lol.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Complete WWE Smackdown Taping Results (SPOILERS)

Spoiler

Credit: Tommy Paslaski, Steve Tamou & PW.net

The show opened with a Ryback promo in the ring. We gave him the What! treatment. For some reason, the crowd still chanted Feed Me More, yet still booed him.

1. Ryback defeated Daniel Bryan in 14:00. Ryback won with Shellshocked. One of Ryback's better matches, probably cause of who he was in the ring with.

Renee Young interviewed Ricardo, who spoke really fast in Spanish. Alberto Del Rio calmed him down but I didn't really pick up what they were talking about.

2. Fandango defeated Zack Ryder in 3:00. Fandango won with the top rope leg drop. The crowd tried to Fandango, but it didn't get over that well. They are no Jersey. I was there and no crowd will ever beat that.

3. Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Zeb Colter ended in a no-contest when Jack Swagger interfered. Alberto Del Rio cleared Swagger of the ring and Teddy Long came out and..... You guessed it, he made a tag team match.

4. Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter ended in a no-contest. Ziggler and Big E interfered. Teddy came out and made it a Triple Threat tag team match.

5. Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez defeated Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter, and Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston in a Triple Threat tag match. Del Rio made Ziggler tap to the Cross Armbreaker. Good match.

The Shield beat up Daniel Bryan backstage and then cut a promo. Kane said they would pay later.

6. Randy Orton defeated Damien Sandow in 8:00. Orton won with an RKO. After the match, Big Show came out and told Orton he's not a team player and he's the reason they lost their WrestleMania match. Sandow hit Orton from behind with his finisher and Big Show laughed.

There was an arm wrestling contest between Mark Henry and Sheamus. Mark Henry won the first match. Sheamus got on the mic and said Mark had the stronger right arm but he didn't have the stronger left. They did it again, this time with their left arms and Sheamus punched Henry in the face and Brogue kicked him. Kind of a cheap way to get out of the match. Seemed like a heel thing to do.

7. Dean Ambrose beat Kane in 13:00. Kane came out and beat up all the shield members. He threw reigns into the announce table. Then the match started. It was back and forth. Kane hit the choke slam than attempted the tombstone. Then the shield interfered again. And Ambrose got the pin using a finisher that was similar to MVP's Playmaker.

After the match The Shield attacked Kane. Kane put up a good fight but Roman Reigns speared him, then they Triple Power Bombed him. The Shield grabbed the Tag Titles (I think they took Bryan's when they attacked him) and posed with them to conclude the taping.

http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/282497/Complete-WWE-Smackdown-Taping-Results-(SPOILERS).htm

The opening match and the final match sound good and I kinda dig the 80's build up of Sheamus and Mizark, but Sheamus is such a heel. The rest sounds crap, way too much Swagger and Del Rio.

Why doesn't Ambrose [BLACKOUT]use the DDT as his finisher? The Playmaker was a dreadful move, that's why Randy Orton dumped it as he was using it as the O-Zone in his early days.
[/BLACKOUT]

 

[Anno_Domini]

Could all three members of The Shield hold unto the tag team titles or no?

 

[Pink Ranger]

Could all three members of The Shield hold unto the tag team titles or no?

I think the Spirit Squad precedent blew the Freebird Rule out of the water.

 

[Hunter Rider]

I got this haul for £30 today in Silvervision's closing down sale.

 

[The Sage]

The opening match and the final match sound good and I kinda dig the 80's build up of Sheamus and Mizark, but Sheamus is such a heel. The rest sounds crap, way too much Swagger and Del Rio.

Why doesn't Ambrose [BLACKOUT]use the DDT as his finisher? The Playmaker was a dreadful move, that's why Randy Orton dumped it as he was using it as the O-Zone in his early days.
[/BLACKOUT]

[BLACKOUT]The Playmaker is the default finisher debuting guys. Only person that made it look good was Elix Skipper.[/BLACKOUT]

 

[The Sage]

Yeah, I think it was a dropkick from Bryan. He reacted to it and bumped before Bryan had even touched him.

I get that feeling too. You also have to consider that it's probably hard for them to go all out, moveset wise, wearing the Swat gear they wrestle in now.

As long as he doesn't do the rounds in the Diva's locker room like Big Dave did then I think it may be alright. Though if Helmsley really wants a Batista 2.0 then he should start developing Mason Ryan for that one. He's already got the look down afterall.

Good point about the SWAT gear. Reigns did bust out a new move on RAW, using a sweet looking Samoan Drop.

I'm trying to think of another wrestler to compare Reigns too, but can't.

Rollins is giving me an Edge vibe in a good way.

If it isn't CM Punk vs Undertaker II at WM, I'd want it to be Roman Reigns. Cena or Ryback

Those two would be a disaster as they would create such a back and forth debate on if those two really should be the ones to maybe end the streak when neither of them can get the full crowd behind them. At least with Punk, he can, or Reigns can get major heat if he continues to be a heel.

Ryback, there's no question that he's not winning. Cena it's definitely up in the air. But if Taker wrestles pass WM XXX, he's winning regardless.

I had an idea that that's who it was going to be, lol.

Honestly, who did?

I got this haul for £30 today in Silvervision's closing down sale.

Nice selections. I watched 50 Greatest Finishing Moves, CM Punk's DVD, and nWo Revolution on Netflix. All three are entertaining. The order of the finishing moves is hilarious. Some of it made me go, "There's no way this move is better than that one."

CM Punk's DVD is great. Curious to hear your thoughts about it.

 

[TheNextNolan22]

Any WrestleMania 30 main event NOT involving CM Punk is a bad move, imo.

 

[lespaul59]

They usually tape a match or two for either Superstars, Main Event or Saturday Morning Slam. They generally tape a couple of matches before Raw, and then the next night they tape a couple prior to Smackdown.

Thanks for the info.



For those of you that collect the WWE figures is there any news on Shield figures? I think it would be awesome if they would do a special three pack just for the Shield.

 

[NDX]

I have the 4 disc Hogan set already (and I love it), and I just bought that Unreleased set. Looking forward to that one.

 

[OnTheAir]

I'm getting the feeling that Trips wants to turn Reigns into Batista 2.0.

There's no question that Reigns is viewed as another Batista. Works for me! He definitely has the strong/silent thing going on that Dave did early on in his career.

I can see why they would trusts Ambrose more in the ring. He's not as risky in his moveset as say Rollins, as his is pretty basic. As for the micwork, well Ambrose speaks for himself on that one (no pun intended).

Ambrose is my favorite Shield member. Part Roddy Piper, part Jake Roberts, part Heath Ledger/Joker. I'm really enjoying what he brings to the table.

On a sidenote, I also noticed Rollins mistimed/miscued a dropkick reaction on Raw, but it's no biggie.

I noticed it when it happened too. As you said, no biggie. It's not a regular occurance...Rollins is solid in the ring, and clearly is the workhorse of the group.

 

[OnTheAir]

Fandango should have been given the Alex Wright gimmick than Disco Inferno's!

*sigh* I miss Nitro. Good times, good times.

 

[OnTheAir]

Me too, I think we had better characters as kids, I don't think as many stand out today like Optimus Prime, Snake Eyes, He-Man etc....did

Agreed. I came up in the late 70s/80s, so in addition to what we've named, I watched a lot of Super Friends, Spider-man & His Amazing Friends, Battle Of The Planets/G-Force, Thundercats, Blue Falcon/Dyno-Mutt, Space Ghost, the Herculoids, Johnny Quest (loved reruns of 60s
Hanna Barbera action cartoons), etc. The stories don't always hold up, and yes, most 80s cartoons were designed to sell toys, but I still feel that there was a heart there that is lacking from a lot of today's animated series. (Or, I could just be a nostalgic old guy...lol) That being said, some of my favorite animated series of all time has been more recent efforts, particularly Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Young Justice. [/QUOTE]

If it ends up as Cena vs Taker and Rock vs Brock Mania XXX will be another easy pass for me.

I actually want to see Cena/Taker. It would be HUGE box office, as Cena would be viewed as the first real threat to the streak. Further, the match hasn't been done in 10 years or so, since Cena's "Doctor Of Thuganomics" days. (Damn, I miss THAT Cena!)

As for the Rock, I'll always be a mark for him, but if he never wrestles again, I'm ok with it. That door doesn't need to remain open...just put him in the Hall of Fame and move on.

Smart choice.

Agreed. I wince every time Fan-Curtis does that flying legdrop...he needs something safer.

This is all positive in my view, I'm not a huge fan of the image Vince likes in top guys as I grew up a fan of Bret, Macho Man and HBK, but Reigns has great presence and is being booked impeccably as any guy should be, by highlighting his strengths and covering his weaknesses.

In The Shield they have 3 guys that can all fit into the main event scene and offer totally different things, Reigns as the archetypal Vince favoured powerhouse, Rollins in the Hardy/HBK role and Ambrose as a top heel that's a cross between Piper and Jake but with enough of his own personality to stand out as fresh.

I'm with you...I generally prefer the smaller, athletic, ring general type of guys. While I was "a good little Hulkamaniac" when I first started watching wrestling in '84, I quickly discovered the NWA and became a Flair mark. So, my taste in wrestlers began to change, and I moved away from the muscle-bound heroes like Hogan into the workers like Flair, Arn, Tully and Savage. I was a big fan of Bret in his Hart Foundation days.

That being said, there are some muscle-bound/power-based guys who just have "it." Reigns is in this category...dude should become a huge star. All three of them should. WWE has something special here. As you said, each guy brings something unique to the group. I go back to the rumor of adding a 4th member. If they do that, it needs to be someone from NXT, and someone who brings something different from the other three. I'm not sure what that is, but he should compliment the current members, not copy any of them.

 

[OnTheAir]

I got this haul for £30 today in Silvervision's closing down sale.

I am terribly behind on my dvd collecting. I used to buy a lot of them on the day they were released, but I just haven't had the disposable income the last year or two. I'll get caught up, though! I want the Bret/Shawn set, the NWO set, the second Best Of Nitro set, the Punk set, the Clash of the Champions set and a few of the upcoming releases like the War Games and Mid South sets.

 

[Slushy]

I'd be fine if Rock called it quits, but the rematch with Brock is too big not to book. I'd also like to see him wrestle Hunter for old's time sake. Undertaker as well.

Random trivia:

- Tom Savini designed Triple H's Skull King mask for Wrestlemania 27.

- Mick Foley was originally going to wrestle Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania 17, but he was so adament about staying retired that he gave up the Commissioner role.

 

[Superman Earth1]

Fandango should have been given the Alex Wright gimmick than Disco Inferno's!

[YT]VxFh4eAGSpU[/YT]

 

[UnionJack]

I still don't get the hype for Ambrose, he is in super average shape, not even good shape for WWE just like an average Joe.
I've seen nothing in ring that makes him stand out in WWE or whatever I can find on Youtube.
He might be good on mic but his overuse of the Ledger/Joker type, with the way he speaks just takes me out of the promo.

 

[bullets]

I kinda see them going the route of "Cena defeats Ryback despite a bad ankle" as opposed to "Ryback defeats Cena because of a bad ankle."

Although, now that I think about it, both situations make Ryback look bad. If he wins, it was only because of the ankle, but if he loses, he really sucks because he couldn't get it done.

Then after the match Cena will grab a microphone and give an emotional speech similar to what he did at the previous Extreme Rules PPV. Troll Cena strikes again!


What was the whole thing with bringing make a wish kids out last week. I've seen stuff like that done before. Usually it's not televised. I'm glad those kids got a moment , but it seemed odd WWE made a spectacle of it.

I love the unity that the former indy wrestlers have for one another.


screw you Vince.

Cesaro is one of the best on the roster. You suck Vince



re: DVD collections. I have a ridiculous amount of wrestling dvds , but not a single Hogan set for some reason. I plan on purchasing Best of In Your House today.

 

[Pink Ranger]

I still don't get the hype for Ambrose, he is in super average shape, not even good shape for WWE just like an average Joe.
I've seen nothing in ring that makes him stand out in WWE or whatever I can find on Youtube.
He might be good on mic but his overuse of the Ledger/Joker type, with the way he speaks just takes me out of the promo.

I think many fans (myself included) see him as potentially filling the void left by guys like Flair, Piper and Roberts, none of them being particularly impressive physical specimens even in their prime, but very intense psychological performers.