Tonight, We Are Going to Hijack The Wrestling Thread!!! - - Part 149

[Donnie Darko]

Outside of The Shield vs The Wyatts this Raw was lame.

I'd say the whole first hour or more was really good, with the Heyman troll job being the best way to handle the Punk situation and make it work for the show, the Usos match, and of course the Shield-Wyatt match.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Said punk wasn't coming back and I was right, sorry but that raw was another one that was basically balanced between suck and meh


And as for the hijack, for a town like Chicago that was pathetic. If your going to make such a big show about doing something then you damn sure make it all out. The chants were weak as hell and not announce of creativity,


Wwe deserves all that's coming to them, and hhh will go over Bryan at mania, and I thought the crowd would crap all over Batista/orton, but I wouldn't bet on it.

This is sadly the next stage. Fans will be vocal and heckle and demand to get what they want when they feel like by doing it, there's still a chance to make a difference. But as it becomes increasingly clear fans opinion is being utterly disregarded, and they have no impact on the product, we'll get more of this response, which is actually worse than boos: indifference, dejection, utter lack of enthusiasm. WWE are aucceeding in breaking the spirits of their fanbase.

 

[Keyser Soze]

So Punk did not come back. To be honest, a part of me thought that all this was a work the whole time, but the man has quit for real, apparently. I dunno... good for him, I guess, but pity that we won't see him wrestle again (not anytime soon anyways).

The Shield finally cracked, though from a direction I didn't think it would. Roman and Dean made it seem so obvious that their problems were going to be the reason for the group's fall that nobody really noticed Rollins. It's actually a pretty cool development of the story, to have him walk out on his friends. And I liked that Roman and Dean actually put up a decent team effort, but they were - of course - outmatched. I guess that makes it clear - the Shield is falling apart, and it's going to be every man for himself. I only hope that when it's done and the dust has settled, that all three guys look good and retain in singles competition those qualities that made them such a badass team.

Daniel Bryan... I'm going to be perfectly honest, though I don't know if anyone would share my opinion... Honestly, I'm starting to get a bit sick of the crowd pandering. Every week it's the same "Listen to the people!", "Give the people what they want!" etc. It's repetitive and it makes him sound like he's whining.
In all honesty, I know how good that guy is, I've watched him before he even went in WWE, I like him... but in that segment I actually caught myself wanting someone to slap his mouth shut whenever he spoke. They are writing him awfully of late. It's not only the constant losing, it's his pandering attitude that makes him seem like a desperate B+ player instead of what he should be - a righteously pissed-off A player. The creative team should really get their **** together.

I wouldn't be surprised if that was a deliberate ploy to dampen his heat.

 

[ShadowBoxer]

This is sadly the next stage. Fans will be vocal and heckle and demand to get what they want when they feel like by doing it, there's still a chance to make a difference. But as it becomes increasingly clear fans opinion is being utterly disregarded, and they have no impact on the product, we'll get more of this response, which is actually worse than boos: indifference, dejection, utter lack of enthusiasm. WWE are aucceeding in breaking the spirits of their fanbase.

The issue with the hijacking last night was that WWE officials knew about it and planned accordingly. Next time when fans decide to hijack they shouldn't post them on Internet wrestling dirt sheets as WWE does visit them from time to time or have their college interns do it.

 

[H.U.S.T.L.E.]

This was one of WWE's infamous "take your medicine" shows, where they double down on all the things the fans are unhappy with and tell them they're wrong to complain. Chanting for CM Punk to come back? We'll tease his return for days then troll you with a promo about him not coming back. Think Daniel Bryan is more deserving of a WrestleMania title shot than Batista? We'll have Batista bury him and you in the mic then have him dominate Bryan in the ring. Want a triple threat match at Mania? We'll throw in an end segment which teases it before then hammering home it'll be HHH VS Daniel Bryan you're getting. We know better. Now take your medicine!

Batista as full blown heel is an improvement, but if WWE acknowledge his unpopularity, it makes them steaming ahead with their main event even dumber. And even a well-built HHH/Bryan story is dampened by knowledge that Bryan should be in that main event.

I know it's a visceral reaction to the end of Raw and wanting Bryan in the title match at WM (I do too), but saying that Batista dominated Bryan in the ring is just plain wrong. In fact, I was surprised at how little offense Batista got in the actual match - he had a couple shoulder tackles, a clothesline, a couple brawling spots, and then got in the spear and powerbomb after the match. But D-Bry controlled that match and was made every bit to look his equal, if not superior in some regards.

I loved ECW, and I really look forward to revisiting the old ppvs on the Network soon. However, possibly because so many of us were just young and looking for something cool and different, we all saw it for better than it was sometimes.

We forget that "midcard" matches in ECW were often guys like New Jack and Axl Rotten doing sloppy brawls and finding new ways to hit each other with things. They had cool spots in these matches, but trying to watch some of them now is just miserable. There were plenty of guys in ECW that would probably never make it in WWE (in any era).

That being said, there were also dozens of amazing talents passing through the company, including brawlers/"extreme" guys who could actually tell a story and put on a match that still holds up today.

I totally agree. The rose-tinted glasses that people look through on this issue is maddening to me - ECW is especially relevant here, WCW too, but even during the Attitude Era WWF, we got matches exactly like this. The high points were very good, but I feel like people overlook a lot of the crap that went on during that period because they're marks for Austin, Foley, The Rock "when he was good," or the tag teams like E&C, The Hardys & The Dudleys.

I'd say overall match quality now is better than a lot of the stuff we saw regularly on television in that era, but so much of it is recycled and they've sterilized a lot of personalities through micro-managing that we long for the days when performers were unfiltered.

 

[Hunter Rider]

I think if you look at last nights show there really was nothing wrong with it as regards progression of the angles throughout. In fact some really strong work was done with The Shield and The Bray/Cena angle, simple but effective.

Brock beating up Henry again was a bit tired but Heyman's promo was gold and they used the Punk situation to give him a real stake in the streak match.

The Usos tag title win has been coming for a while and the crowd gave them a great moment, having it happen in a hot wrestling town was a good idea overall.

The nuts and bolts all come down to the Bryan situation, the choices already made are largely at fault but they are booking the path from there.

I think the only thing that would have satisfied quite a lot of fans is if Bryan had cut the mother of all shoot promos and then beat Triple H bloody before pinning Batista and being confirmed as getting added to the triple threat at Mania.

Truth is the booking path in the cold light of day was logical, Bryan is not pandering to the crowd IMO as the angle is the people and their wish for change vs The Authority, I'm sorry but he is not gonna cut a Punk style promo as he just doesn't have the type of personality for it, and while I felt utter disgust for Triple H and Steph when you think about it, isn't that the point of heels?

I also don't get why so many are upset that Triple H left Bryan laying. Look at how it happened, it took FOUR of them to finally put him down and it showed Bryan getting to Triple H as he was angry rather than smug at the end, Steph kicking him lightly with her foot garnered a lot of heat, again that is what heels are supposed to do.

I get why everyone has no faith, I don't have any myself, WWE have shown a complete lack of understanding their own fanbase and any good that comes from this angle will be a case of them finally listening, anyone who thinks this was the booking plan from the start is ripe to be sold a bridge in Brooklyn.

All I'm saying is that if you take the disappointment of No Punk and the distrust WWE have earned out of it, the booking of last nights show makes sense. We'll know when Mania is over if they truly get it for sure, but the course that is seemingly being plotted is the only one viable under the circumstances.

 

[bullets]

honestly looking forward to the hhh vs bryan match just because its a fresh new match we haven't seen

whether hhh does "What's best for business" is another story

It's a good idea , but bad timing. It just stings that Bryan might not win the title at the height of his popularity. They probably wish they could turn him heel again.
Last night it became clear that Batista was working with the authority. Also he sold Bryan's moves like a pro, good on him to do that. However turning Orton face doesn't make sense. It's hard to believe well see heel vs heel in the championship match. There's still a few Raws before Mania and something will change.

 

[The Batman]

I think what people want is that "Austin stuns McMahon" or that "Punk verbally trashes HHH" moment. IMO, That kick to HHH was just a part of a larger sequence when it should've been the climax of the Bryan/HHH/Steph segment.

 

[Keyser Soze]

I know it's a visceral reaction to the end of Raw and wanting Bryan in the title match at WM (I do too), but saying that Batista dominated Bryan in the ring is just plain wrong. In fact, I was surprised at how little offense Batista got in the actual match - he had a couple shoulder tackles, a clothesline, a couple brawling spots, and then got in the spear and powerbomb after the match. But D-Bry controlled that match and was made every bit to look his equal, if not superior in some regards.

My apologies then. The match report I read focused very little on Bryan's offense and made it sound like Batista dominated. My misunderstanding, in that case.

 

[H.U.S.T.L.E.]

Truth is the booking path in the cold light of day was logical, Bryan is not pandering to the crowd IMO as the angle is the people and their wish for change vs The Authority, I'm sorry but he is not gonna cut a Punk style promo as he just doesn't have the type of personality for it, and while I felt utter disgust for Triple H and Steph when you think about it, isn't that the point of heels?

I also don't get why so many are upset that Triple H left Bryan laying. Look at how it happened, it took FOUR of them to finally put him down and it showed Bryan getting to Triple H as he was angry rather than smug at the end, Steph kicking him lightly with her foot garnered a lot of heat, again that is what heels are supposed to do.

I get why everyone has no faith, I don't have any myself, WWE have shown a complete lack of understanding their own fanbase and any good that comes from this angle will be a case of them finally listening, anyone who thinks this was the booking plan from the start is ripe to be sold a bridge in Brooklyn.

All I'm saying is that if you take the disappointment of No Punk and the distrust WWE have earned out of it, the booking of last nights show makes sense. We'll know when Mania is over if they truly get it for sure, but the course that is seemingly being plotted is the only one viable under the circumstances.

Thank you Hunter, this is what I was trying to say last night but couldn't quite come up with the words to do it justice. More than anything, I'm glad that HHH & Steph are finally out and out heels. While we all knew they were bad guys, it was killing the whole storyline for them to pander to crowds and try to make Orton jump through hoops. They straddled the line for far too long IMO, but finally turned the corner last night.

In all honesty, while I hate the fact that Daniel Bryan's story may not turn out with him standing tall at Wrestlemania with the title in hand, a lot of the booking behind this angle is utter brilliance. Think about it - for a long time, internet smarks were a minority group of fans, but with the way our society relies on the internet now & social media changing the way we communicate, I truly believe we're past the age of smarks being a "vocal minority." And with all that, HHH & Steph know how they're demonized in those circles, so they're running with it in one of longest worked shoot angles ever. Whether the intention at Summerslam was to ever drag it out this far is something we may never know, but they successfully have the audience hating their guts on a multitude of levels.

 

[bullets]

Raw wasn't bad. I was like a fan at the rumble waiting for his hero to come out from behind the curtain and it never happened. Daniel Bryan is awesome but I'm a bigger fan of Punk. No matter what there was going to be some disappointment with last nights show. Wwe can only do so much with that. Maybe it's just something I need to get over and hopefully that happens before Wrestlemania. I'm not even hyped for the biggest ppv of the year . I thought it was going to be epic. Some of it looks entertaining , but that's not good enough for WM 30

 

[H.U.S.T.L.E.]

My apologies then. The match report I read focused very little on Bryan's offense and made it sound like Batista dominated. My misunderstanding, in that case.

No worries man - I don't blame people for being upset with the fact that Bryan may not be in the title match, it just seems like people watch the show and define their own narrative on what happened. It makes sense that if you had read it somewhere, that's how it would be portrayed.

And since we're talking about the match itself, it wasn't bad for what we got, but really, that's not all that unexpected with Bryan in there is it? Certainly leaves the opportunity open for Bryan/Batista in the future - it may not be an all-time great match, but it will have TONS of heat when it happens.

 

[Keyser Soze]

I think if you look at last nights show there really was nothing wrong with it as regards progression of the angles throughout. In fact some really strong work was done with The Shield and The Bray/Cena angle, simple but effective.

Brock beating up Henry again was a bit tired but Heyman's promo was gold and they used the Punk situation to give him a real stake in the streak match.

The Usos tag title win has been coming for a while and the crowd gave them a great moment, having it happen in a hot wrestling town was a good idea overall.

The nuts and bolts all come down to the Bryan situation, the choices already made are largely at fault but they are booking the path from there.

I think the only thing that would have satisfied quite a lot of fans is if Bryan had cut the mother of all shoot promos and then beat Triple H bloody before pinning Batista and being confirmed as getting added to the triple threat at Mania.

Truth is the booking path in the cold light of day was logical, Bryan is not pandering to the crowd IMO as the angle is the people and their wish for change vs The Authority, I'm sorry but he is not gonna cut a Punk style promo as he just doesn't have the type of personality for it, and while I felt utter disgust for Triple H and Steph when you think about it, isn't that the point of heels?

I also don't get why so many are upset that Triple H left Bryan laying. Look at how it happened, it took FOUR of them to finally put him down and it showed Bryan getting to Triple H as he was angry rather than smug at the end, Steph kicking him lightly with her foot garnered a lot of heat, again that is what heels are supposed to do.

I get why everyone has no faith, I don't have any myself, WWE have shown a complete lack of understanding their own fanbase and any good that comes from this angle will be a case of them finally listening, anyone who thinks this was the booking plan from the start is ripe to be sold a bridge in Brooklyn.

All I'm saying is that if you take the disappointment of No Punk and the distrust WWE have earned out of it, the booking of last nights show makes sense. We'll know when Mania is over if they truly get it for sure, but the course that is seemingly being plotted is the only one viable under the circumstances.

I don't think the "this is the only viable course left at this stage" argument holds any real water, as WWE had to pull strenuous cartwheels to write themselves into this corner. With their booking since Summer 2013, Bryan was the no-brainer Mania challenger. As recently as November/December, Batista in that spot was pretty unfathomable. It'd be like saying, "Oh, and we're gonna have Jake the Snake VS Randy Orton headlining Mania," it seemed so random. They've done handstands to get to a spot where any other option "isn't viable," so they get little sympathy from me.

As for people getting angry at HHH getting one-up on Bryan, for me it's a case of this happening over and over since August, coupled with HHH constantly talking about how inferior and weak Bryan is, making the two go hand-in-hand. It's the old "NWO VS WCW" problem, where the WCW guys became so constantly associated with being the patsies lying on the floor with spray paint on their backs, and NWO got to be the cool winners so often, that none of the top faces wanted to be WCW, because WCW wrestlers were presented as schmucks, and they all wanted to be in NWO because that's where the heat was. And still, people might be more tolerant of the beatdowns if they were going somewhere, if it was stacking the odds against him for the match the fans ACTUALLY want him in. Instead, it feels more like adding insult to injury by freezing him out of the main event and having him merely fighting over a "B+" spot on the card.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Thank you Hunter, this is what I was trying to say last night but couldn't quite come up with the words to do it justice. More than anything, I'm glad that HHH & Steph are finally out and out heels. While we all knew they were bad guys, it was killing the whole storyline for them to pander to crowds and try to make Orton jump through hoops. They straddled the line for far too long IMO, but finally turned the corner last night.

In all honesty, while I hate the fact that Daniel Bryan's story may not turn out with him standing tall at Wrestlemania with the title in hand, a lot of the booking behind this angle is utter brilliance. Think about it - for a long time, internet smarks were a minority group of fans, but with the way our society relies on the internet now & social media changing the way we communicate, I truly believe we're past the age of smarks being a "vocal minority." And with all that, HHH & Steph know how they're demonized in those circles, so they're running with it in one of longest worked shoot angles ever. Whether the intention at Summerslam was to ever drag it out this far is something we may never know, but they successfully have the audience hating their guts on a multitude of levels.

The problem with "This is playing the long game to give Bryan the title later and this is an elaborate storyline about freezing Bryan out the top spot at Mania" is that it makes WrestleMania into a setup PPV for Extreme Rules or whatever minor PPV follows. WrestleMania should be your grand finale, the big climax where your long-running storylines get resolved. And "Hey, Daniel Bryan can always win the title next month" is starting to sound hollow.

Truth is, I doubt this is a masterful long-term storyline on the booking team's part. Any enduring popularity Bryan has enjoyed has come in spite of creative's wishes. Remember them trying to quietly nudge Bryan out the spotlight and give Big Show his "Yes!" chant? Remember the Wyatt storyline they tried to stick him in that they found themselves having to quite abruptly abort due to crowd response? There were rumours that it was CM Punk VS HHH slated for Mania until punk walked out! and Bryan was set to be even lower on the card, fighting Sheamus or Kane.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Thank you Hunter, this is what I was trying to say last night but couldn't quite come up with the words to do it justice. More than anything, I'm glad that HHH & Steph are finally out and out heels. While we all knew they were bad guys, it was killing the whole storyline for them to pander to crowds and try to make Orton jump through hoops. They straddled the line for far too long IMO, but finally turned the corner last night.

In all honesty, while I hate the fact that Daniel Bryan's story may not turn out with him standing tall at Wrestlemania with the title in hand, a lot of the booking behind this angle is utter brilliance. Think about it - for a long time, internet smarks were a minority group of fans, but with the way our society relies on the internet now & social media changing the way we communicate, I truly believe we're past the age of smarks being a "vocal minority." And with all that, HHH & Steph know how they're demonized in those circles, so they're running with it in one of longest worked shoot angles ever. Whether the intention at Summerslam was to ever drag it out this far is something we may never know, but they successfully have the audience hating their guts on a multitude of levels.

I agree that it was good that they went full heel last night, the angle has dithered way too long and it has not helped anything. At this point it's a simple situation, we all can see where things have been cocked up, there is no way WWE booked this al intentionally, they didn't expect Batista to be this hated, they underestimated Bryan's connection with the crowd, but it all comes down to the last chance for the pay-off, WWE have one last shot to get it right, balls in their court.

I don't think the "this is the only viable course left at this stage" argument holds any real water, as WWE had to pull strenuous cartwheels to write themselves into this corner. With their booking since Summer 2013, Bryan was the no-brainer Mania challenger. As recently as November/December, Batista in that spot was pretty unfathomable. It'd be like saying, "Oh, and we're gonna have Jake the Snake VS Randy Orton headlining Mania," it seemed so random. They've done handstands to get to a spot where any other option "isn't viable," so they get little sympathy from me.

They key line in my point was "at this stage" and I never suggested anyone should have sympathy for WWE, they have created their own problems. Everything they have done with Bryan from HIAC to the end of the Rumble has been one disastrous misstep after another without a doubt. However here we are, so the question becomes do you try to fix it? or do you hold onto the past? If Bryan beats Triple H and then goes into the main event and wins the WWE title then what they booked last night is exactly what should have happened as it connected all of the pieces, if he doesn't then put me in the same camp as everyone who says goodbye WWE.

As for people getting angry at HHH getting one-up on Bryan, for me it's a case of this happening over and over since August, coupled with HHH constantly talking about how inferior and weak Bryan is, making the two go hand-in-hand. It's the old "NWO VS WCW" problem, where the WCW guys became so constantly associated with being the patsies lying on the floor with spray paint on their backs, and NWO got to be the cool winners so often, that none of the top faces wanted to be WCW, because WCW wrestlers were presented as schmucks, and they all wanted to be in NWO because that's where the heat was. And still, people might be more tolerant of the beatdowns if they were going somewhere, if it was stacking the odds against him for the match the fans ACTUALLY want him in. Instead, it feels more like adding insult to injury by freezing him out of the main event and having him merely fighting over a "B+" spot on the card.

Again if he only ends up wrestling Triple H I will agree with you, however last night ended the only way it could IMO, if Bryan gets too much in last night you have 4 weeks to fill in with him already getting a chunk of Triple H. I understand the horrid booking since HIAC, I am not debating that at all, but I think if you look at the booking in isolation of where they are redirecting after their screw ups, it made sense.

 

[H.U.S.T.L.E.]

The problem with "This is playing the long game to give Bryan the title later and this is an elaborate storyline about freezing Bryan out the top spot at Mania" is that it makes WrestleMania into a setup PPV for Extreme Rules or whatever minor PPV follows. WrestleMania should be your grand finale, the big climax where your long-running storylines get resolved. And "Hey, Daniel Bryan can always win the title next month" is starting to sound hollow.

Truth is, I doubt this is a masterful long-term storyline on the booking team's part. Any enduring popularity Bryan has enjoyed has come in spite of creative's wishes. Remember them trying to quietly nudge Bryan out the spotlight and give Big Show his "Yes!" chant? Remember the Wyatt storyline they tried to stick him in that they found themselves having to quite abruptly abort due to crowd response? There were rumours that it was CM Punk VS HHH slated for Mania until punk walked out! and Bryan was set to be even lower on the card, fighting Sheamus or Kane.

I totally agree with you here, and I've long been a proponent of Bryan getting his moment with the title at Wrestlemania. I think Hunter summed it up nicely too.

And just to reiterate, I don't think this was the plan all along, but with Bryan's continued popularity, Punk leaving and the crowd crapping all over Batista, they've told the story as best they could. So yeah, they booked themselves into the corner as it is, but now that they're there, they've done everything possible to make the best out of some truly idiotic decisions. Still doesn't excuse those idiotic decisions in the first place though, and you won't find me defending those... Hell, if they really felt like Batista DESERVES a title match at Mania (I don't think he does), they could have had Bryan win the Rumble and still inserted Batista into the match to ensure The Authority has the best shot of keeping Bryan down. But whatever, can't do anything about the past, it's only in how they handle it from here on out.

 

[X Knight]

was kind of surprised that it was Rollins who walked out on the Shield.

figured it would have been Ambrose who turned on them. or Reigns walking out because of Ambrose.

 

[X Knight]

I think if you look at last nights show there really was nothing wrong with it as regards progression of the angles throughout. In fact some really strong work was done with The Shield and The Bray/Cena angle, simple but effective.

Brock beating up Henry again was a bit tired but Heyman's promo was gold and they used the Punk situation to give him a real stake in the streak match.

The Usos tag title win has been coming for a while and the crowd gave them a great moment, having it happen in a hot wrestling town was a good idea overall.

The nuts and bolts all come down to the Bryan situation, the choices already made are largely at fault but they are booking the path from there.

I think the only thing that would have satisfied quite a lot of fans is if Bryan had cut the mother of all shoot promos and then beat Triple H bloody before pinning Batista and being confirmed as getting added to the triple threat at Mania.

Truth is the booking path in the cold light of day was logical, Bryan is not pandering to the crowd IMO as the angle is the people and their wish for change vs The Authority, I'm sorry but he is not gonna cut a Punk style promo as he just doesn't have the type of personality for it, and while I felt utter disgust for Triple H and Steph when you think about it, isn't that the point of heels?

I also don't get why so many are upset that Triple H left Bryan laying. Look at how it happened, it took FOUR of them to finally put him down and it showed Bryan getting to Triple H as he was angry rather than smug at the end, Steph kicking him lightly with her foot garnered a lot of heat, again that is what heels are supposed to do.

I get why everyone has no faith, I don't have any myself, WWE have shown a complete lack of understanding their own fanbase and any good that comes from this angle will be a case of them finally listening, anyone who thinks this was the booking plan from the start is ripe to be sold a bridge in Brooklyn.

All I'm saying is that if you take the disappointment of No Punk and the distrust WWE have earned out of it, the booking of last nights show makes sense. We'll know when Mania is over if they truly get it for sure, but the course that is seemingly being plotted is the only one viable under the circumstances.

as I've said before, I'm willing to give them till Mania to see how it all gets resolved.

this is has been like a season of a TV drama that has been fairly frustrating to watch. You really hate what they're doing to a certain character.

Mania is like the grand season finale, where the current story arc needs to wrap up.

If this whole Bryan vs Authority arc doesn't get resolved at Mania, with Bryan winning the title by the end of the night in clear fashion, then I can say I'm done watching WWE for awhile.

Especially if, once again, they bury Bryan, screw him out of the title, and try to extend this arc beyond Mania.

they've dragged this on long enough without Bryan getting his dues.

it's time to bring it to an end and give the fans what they've been vocally clamoring for.

 

[Lobo]

I will not be satisfied until I see Bryan, Punk and Ziggler beat down Triple H while Edge and Jericho shoot on him and Booker T and RVD come to the ring and get some shots in too. Have Steph take a knee to the face, too lol

 

[Frico]

was kind of surprised that it was Rollins who walked out on the Shield.

figured it would have been Ambrose who turned on them. or Reigns walking out because of Ambrose.

Apart of me thought it would've been Ambrose as well but it made perfect sense to have it be Rollins due to him being fed up of their bickering. Totally well booked. It's obvious they have plans for all three but I'm really happy it was Rollins as he's the most talented of the group.

Love the way it played out with that look he gave Ambrose when he wasn't tagging in.

 

[Warhammer]

I will not be satisfied until I see Bryan, Punk and Ziggler beat down Triple H while Edge and Jericho shoot on him and Booker T and RVD come to the ring and get some shots in too. Have Steph take a knee to the face, too lol

If only.

 

[Warhammer]

Apart of me thought it would've been Ambrose as well but it made perfect sense to have it be Rollins due to him being fed up of their bickering. Totally well booked. It's obvious they have plans for all three but I'm really happy it was Rollins as he's the most talented of the group.

Love the way it played out with that look he gave Ambrose when he wasn't tagging in.

I wonder if they will legitimately explain where Ambrose went at Elimination Chamber. I thought they had just decided to bury it but then Cole brought it up during commentary.

Speaking of Cole, I've noticed that recently, he has been really emphasizing the storylines.

 

[TheFuture]

Daniel Bryan... I'm going to be perfectly honest, though I don't know if anyone would share my opinion... Honestly, I'm starting to get a bit sick of the crowd pandering. Every week it's the same "Listen to the people!", "Give the people what they want!" etc. It's repetitive and it makes him sound like he's whining.
In all honesty, I know how good that guy is, I've watched him before he even went in WWE, I like him... but in that segment I actually caught myself wanting someone to slap his mouth shut whenever he spoke. They are writing him awfully of late. It's not only the constant losing, it's his pandering attitude that makes him seem like a desperate B+ player instead of what he should be - a righteously pissed-off A player. The creative team should really get their **** together.

It's an age old trick. If you want to deflate a rage against the machine, then put a label on it (YesMovement). Make it look like the machine actually wants to make money off it, thus killing it's edginess.

They did the same thing to Punk, the guy was red hot until every promo they gave him involved him pointing to himself to say "look how witty and smart I am".

Stone Cold never had to tell the crowd about how anti authoritarian he was or how much of a rebel he was. He just went out and "was".

 

[TX85]

I may be wrong but I get the feeling that many people think the whole product sucks and that Mania will be the worst WM ppv all just because of the disappointment with how Daniel has been handled.

-Batista vs Orton shouldn't be headlining any WM for the wwe title but the match itself could be decent,their matches has never been the worst.

-The ending result of Daniel Bryan vs Triple H is a separate issue and yes Daniel should be in the title match but the match itself should be damn good

-Care about Brock vs Taker or not we all know Taker tries his best at Mania and there's a good chance Brock will care more here than WM XX or vs Trips

-Bray Wyatt vs John Cena could be a decent match

-Dean Ambrose vs Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins in a triple threat is very likely now and there's a strong chance it will be MOTN or even MOTY so far

-The Tag Titles Championship can go in different potential ways depending on the match they go with but it would be awesome if Usos retain as they should

Cesaro vs Swagger could be good but I think it'll be Big E vs Cesaro for the IC title again and that would be even better,Cesaro winning the title would be a big bonus

So yeah that card makes me scratch my head on how Mania XXX as a whole ppv will be the worst one in history or how the company as a whole completely sucks right now,They handle some things good but they are evil as a whole cause of Daniel being pushed down?

People like Ziggler are being held down too but at least he gets to be performing with the main roster on Raw and Smackdown,Him being mostly on NXT/Main Event or Superstars would be a way bigger shame

 

[Slushy]

I might be meeting Rob Van Dam again tonight. Anything you guys want to ask him? Serious questions only please.