Anyone who is following the steps to Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania, the WWE is doing a horrific job trying to conceal what they want done for RR, WM, and eventually SS.
Last night Strowman was taken out of the main event at the Royal Rumble cause he is not cleared for the event from his injury. So Balor won a fatal 4 way and now will face Brock, who will win it. Also last night Lashley won a triple threat match against Ambrose and Rollins.
To me, this sets it up perfect for Rollins now to win the Rumble, then go and defeat Brock at WM, then for Rollins and Ambrose to face off at Summerslam.
I get its tougher to hide storyline lines in today;s age. But this seems pretty obvious to me, no? Or am I missing something?
I will always watch Wrestlemania because it's Wrestlemania, but that's about it.
My last hurrah was the ECW roll out. Coming off of two white hot "One Night Stand" PPVs where people were paying $200 a ticket to get in they end up making this awful sci-fi show and having the whole company just job to everyone. What a waste.
Sorry for the rant. I just loved wrestling during the attitude/independent era and stuck with it for a few years after and left very very frustrated.
I am actually excited that there will be another wrestling promotion coming.
I am so sick of the WWE.
That was what I was talking about...All Elite Wrestling.
At least we get the fresh match up of Finn vs Lesner. At Survivor Series, Lesner worked a pretty compelling match with the much smaller Bryan, so there is a chance this one is also good. Lately, I have gone into Lesner matches with pretty low expectations but he has stepped up and worked pretty decently. Also, Finn deserves a chance to be at the top of the card.
Rollins vs Lesner has been the WM rumor ever since Reigns had to step away. Its a fine line WWE has to walk. We want them to be unpredictable but we also want to have well written cohesive storytelling. In a way its nice to see them plan some main story arcs.
Oh and we got to see Alexa Bliss's back. Big whoop
Oh and we got to see Alexa Bliss's back. Big whoop
I would be glad to see Alexa Bliss' back, front, middle, top, or bottom. You serious with this Anak? Shes absolutely fucking gorgeous.
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Oh and we got to see Alexa Bliss's back. Big whoop
I would be glad to see Alexa Bliss' back, front, middle, top, or bottom. You serious with this Anak? Shes absolutely fucking gorgeous.
Alexa is a 10, but it was a back. They think that's risque?
All the NXT call-ups appeared
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Made an appearance. He'll be interesting to watch in the Rumble.
All the NXT call-ups appeared
The crazy Scottish women wrestler was very lame to me.
The product is way too clean and just is a completely different show from what I used to like. I'll maybe watch wrestlemania but even those shows drag on because they're what? 6...hours?
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Oh and we got to see Alexa Bliss's back. Big whoop
I would be glad to see Alexa Bliss' back, front, middle, top, or bottom. You serious with this Anak? Shes absolutely fucking gorgeous.
Check her thumbs
This is what also is ruining wrestling. The fucking asshole fans.
Yeah, Mandy Rose is ridiculous. She's a New York product!
As for the men... Seth should have been the guy to beat Brock last time, when he was red hot. He's cooled a little but there really isn't a viable babyface (other than Seth) to get that run at Mania.
I would have loved to have seen someone like Becky Lynch in the Attitude Era.
Chef - you are not alone, especially with the heel turn (although it looks like she is a face/tweener again keeping her attitude - the Stone Cold formula).
I still enjoy watching it from time to time because I appreciate it for what it is.
on the guys side, Finn is due. But this fascination with Brock is annoying me. guy has to go
Impact was seen as an option too. i hope they can bring it because frankly WWE needs the competition.
I still enjoy watching it from time to time because I appreciate it for what it is.
This is how I feel. I am a WWE network subscriber and will sometimes watch old stuff while I workout. I enjoy the athletic performance now more than anything else. I rarely will watch any of Raw or Smackdown. I can't say I've watched an entire episode of either in years. I always enjoy the Rumble and will watch that and Wrestlemania, but it's more nostalgic than anything else at this point.
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but I have a thing for Becky Lynch..
I would have loved to have seen someone like Becky Lynch in the Attitude Era.
This would have been great.. her accent also sounds like it is forced at times though.. she could do better in that department IMO.
By Mike Johnson on 2019-01-15 10:38:00
Last night's Monday Night Raw featured a surprising twist for fans when Finn Balor replaced Braun Strowman in the role of challenger to WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar at the 2019 Royal Rumble.
As I discussed last night in an Elite audio update following Raw, we have been told there were several reasons for the change.
One, Braun Strowman has still not been 100% cleared for physicality by WWE. While the expectation has been that he will be ready by the Rumble PPV, we are told that WWE had decided to go with Balor at least several weeks ago. There was a feeling internally that now was not the time to beat Strowman and if he lost to Lesnar, it might hurt his momentum and long-term viability as a top talent for WWE. So, WWE effectively decided to paint themselves out of the corner they had trapped themselves in and save Lesnar vs. Strowman for another time.
There was also a feeling that even if Strowman was cleared and good to go, that Balor vs. Lesnar, with the obvious David vs. Goliath overtones, would be a better story and would be a better match for the PPV. If you remember the No Mercy 2018 bout between Lesnar and Strowman, one could certainly argue that Balor would certainly be stronger as a challenger in terms of match quality.
WWE has been quietly building Balor in recent weeks in anticipation of making the move as well as trying to build the babyface side of Raw. We are told it was not a last second decision and was not something the company was forced to do by outside forces. It had quietly been the plan for some time.
The real questions coming out of the move are:
*Where does this leave Strowman in the build to Wrestlemania?
*Does WWE now slot Strowman inside the Royal Rumble match?
*Will the audience take to Balor in that role after a long period where he was not being utilized in a strong position from a creative standpoint?
*Where does Balor stand after the Rumble match?
*Who's next in line to challenge Lesnar post-Rumble?
All interesting things to keep an eye on as we head into Phoenix.
I still enjoy watching it from time to time because I appreciate it for what it is.
The ratings are at an all-time low, no? Many people jumped off the wrestling train when they saw the red tape when Austin turned heel in 2001 but it seemed as if it still had a chance to be good with the Attitude era ending and connecting into the ruthless aggression era. Those days are long gone. I have 0 confidence it would even be 5% as interesting as the RA era.
I think everyone who stuck around and watches full time knows it's going to be nothing like it was. Those who watch every RAW and smackdown must REALLY just like it for what it is.
I for one, am not going to sit around cranking over the product like most do, it's just not that important to me.
I went to the RAW in Philly this past October and more than half the upper deck was blacked out. So many people on the floor/lower level said they got upgraded because their seats were unavailable. I also went to a house show in AC over the summer. The place was about half empty.
Something ain't right. I think the product is way too stiff, RAW is too long and the commentary is irritatingly bad. Wrestling is sadly another victim of the "cant day this or that" times we live in.
it will be at minimum 3 years before aew gets off the ground...
First they do not have a big enough roster to have a weekly show.
second no tv deal
Third all in was a success in ticket sales but wrestlers on the show were upset with how the booking went..
4ththere is not a lot of top talent out there...
5th they do not have a working relationship with roh or new japan and both have said they will not work with aew..
they have a very long way to go
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I just cant wait for AEW Wrestling and real booking and story lines by the talent FOR the fans and get away from this weak-ass bubble-gum PG drivel.
it will be at minimum 3 years before aew gets off the ground...
First they do not have a big enough roster to have a weekly show.
second no tv deal
Third all in was a success in ticket sales but wrestlers on the show were upset with how the booking went..
4ththere is not a lot of top talent out there...
5th they do not have a working relationship with roh or new japan and both have said they will not work with aew..
they have a very long way to go
AEW will be great if they become different than the WWE
Also, they need to build stars. They have a TV deal apparently in place.
ROH and NJPW have said they are the enemy.
WWE is a massive company. Honestly, once McMahon dies and Triple H takes the reigns, it will be golden. Look at NXT. NXT is fucking amazing compared to RAW. No big stars or anything. Just good stories and wrestlers.
AEW will never, ever compete with the WWE. What they need to focus on is being awesome at whatever their identity is.
It's part of the "free" part of their very dynamic freemium model.
The good stuff happens on the network, and the PPV's are more of an old school Raw that lead you to a Mania or Summer Slam or one of the big 4.
They tier their content at a very very high level. Hours of footage for Youtube, and all Social Media outlets.
Wrestling always draws a good amount of viewers, even when it sucks.
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They will need to produce some ratings for FOX once Smackdown moves.
Wrestling always draws a good amount of viewers, even when it sucks.
is it going to the FOX network or Fox Sports?
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In comment 14264403 GMAN4LIFE said:
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They will need to produce some ratings for FOX once Smackdown moves.
Wrestling always draws a good amount of viewers, even when it sucks.
is it going to the FOX network or Fox Sports?
I believe FOX network.
Braun Strowman was not pulled from the Universal title match at Royal Rumble due to his injury, according to Wrestling Observer.
So this seems storyline. With Rollins poised to win the Rumble it now seems that Braun can. Also look forward to Braun tossing out half the competitors.
The Rumble is at its best when it is unknown who will win and a number of options makes sense. This is the one benefit of the brand split with 2 titles.
So, googling her and the other three listed above, I think she's hotter than they are. Asuka might be more attractive outside of her gimmick, and the other two are just plastic Barbie doll types.
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but I have a thing for Becky Lynch..
So, googling her and the other three listed above, I think she's hotter than they are. Asuka might be more attractive outside of her gimmick, and the other two are just plastic Barbie doll types.
Bliss is portrayed as a Barbie doll. But if you see her dressed down and out of character, she is even hotter.
Kind of hard to say they dont care when they pour a ton of money into the performance center and nxt and just opened another performance center the uk..
Logical storylines where you know the ending still work if executed correctly with compelling characters who can tell a good match - New Japan just did it with Tanahashi and Omega.
Logical storylines where you know the ending still work if executed correctly with compelling characters who can tell a good match - New Japan just did it with Tanahashi and Omega.
true. Becky is quite honestly the best the WWE has right now. She is attitude era written all over her. She doesnt give a damn and kicks ass.
as for the WWE's plans, i think they are trying to take over all the wrestling areas. WWE UK is building their own stars. Just seems as if there is a global reach now.
again, once HHH takes over, i can fully see NXT style stories being brought to Raw. well i hope at least. NXT is leaps above anything on RAW, NJPW, Smackdown and all
btw, Mandy Rose is soooooo freaking hot