Accepting that Boretista probably wins, I'm still intrigued by the off chance they listen to the crowds and go with Bryan. However, if he's not even going to be in the Rumble match, I don't see a reason to spend $55 and find out. Is this a buy or no buy?
I'll probably get it. It's just such a hard show to fuck up. You really need to be dedicated to doing so.
*Botchtista
ReplyDeleteBatshitsta
ReplyDeleteWhat's with all the Batista hate, guys? Sure, he's not Bryan, but he's:
ReplyDelete1) One of the better workers we've ever seen for a big guy, only behind Vader, Brock, and latter day Taker, really.
2) Awesome on the stick, particularly when playing either his genre savvy face or his Kanye heel.
3) Not somebody we've had shoved down our throats for the last four years ala Orton/Sheamus/Cena/ADR.
4) Probably going to put some younger guys over big over the course of this contract as it's supposed to be his "last run" and he's known for being a guy who wants to help younger talent. Don't forget, he insisted on letting Bryan have a competitive loss against him when Bryan was just starting out during a Beat the Clock Raw rather than just squashing him.
5) He is not the Big Show.
Those are five pretty good reasons to like him, in my opinion.
*BatIRsta
ReplyDeleteMAN if only there was some kind of subscription service I could pay monthly for and get this PPV, I for sure would be checking it out!
ReplyDeleteSuavetista!
ReplyDeleteIt's an overall net gain for wwe. The backlash is that he's getting the spot alot of people want Bryan to be getting (rumble win, title match, etc), which I get. I think if you asked everyone 3 months ago if they'd be excited for a Batista return they'd say yes. I think we're headed for Batista/Brock at WM - that'd be pretty fucking good
ReplyDeleteSkinnyJeansta
ReplyDeleteBam Bam Bigelow's spirit would like a word with you. Other than that slight oversight, I agree with the rest.
ReplyDeletelefthewweforgreenerpasturesanddidn'tfindanysonowhe'sbackista!
ReplyDeleteI really don't understand the hate that Batista is getting. I mean, I didn't need new pants when he returned, but he has had some damn entertaining moments in the past.
ReplyDeleteAlso...Boretista? That's bush league.
Boretista. I love it.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they agreed on title reign for Batista for X many months when they negotiated his return. Don't see them deviating from that
ReplyDeleteAgreed. And, you know, even his return had a nice little quiet moment when he snubbed Orton's handshake. That's a classic Face Batista move, and if he's bringing back that character to feud with Brock's current character, that's gonna be an awesome dynamic.
ReplyDeleteProbably. I don't especially mind. Part of me wonders if they're gonna come up with some way to re-split the belts now that their main-event scene is super-crowded all of a sudden (Batista, Cena, Orton, Punk, Brock, Bryan, and, though nobody outside of Stamford feels this way, Sheamus, ADR, and Big Show). Seems too soon, but you can never bet against WWE doing something stupid.
ReplyDeleteYea, I'm cool with it also. My preference is that they would have ridden the organic rise of Bryan but Batista coming back is an overall positive for us and them. He's gotta turn heel in a few months since the money feuds are Cena, Punk, Bryan, and Brock. He's gotta be a heel for 3 of those as it stands - heel Batista is always a good thing
ReplyDeleteBig Show > Botchtista
ReplyDeleteNo. Just no.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I like Batista's heel promos (and the guy himself in general), I think calling him "awesome" on the stick is a huge stretch. Also, I feel like there are quite a few superior big man workers other than the three you mentioned, but my brain is too tired right now to think who that may be.
ReplyDeleteIn the ring, yes. Hell, most of the time on the mic too. Despite that, for some reason Batista does it for me whereas Big Show doesn't.
ReplyDeleteDude drew in 6 million people. The hate needs to stop.
ReplyDeleteBadtatssta
ReplyDeleteBam Bam was an easy one someone got below... My issue is calling Batista "big". Yeah, he's in the Hogan mold, but I'd call him a "upper" heavyweight, not a "super heavyweight" like a Vader, a Yoko, a Bam Bam
ReplyDeleteHe has the disadvantage of not being Daniel Bryan right now.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about that... why does one person get ALL the credit for "popping" a rating. He deserves quite a bit of credit, as does WWE for promoting his return... but were there other factors in play also?
ReplyDeleteThat 3rd hour, with the big drop, really has one major culprit, one partial major culprit, and a lot of minor culprits:
ReplyDeleteCena-Orton as the major, Lesnar-Show as the partial (it did spill into hour 3, but is likely NOT much of a factor... but who knows...), and Divas/promos/tags/etc...
Wow, lots of blind hate. Batista's tweet from last week makes more and more sense now!
ReplyDeleteRespectfully disagree. I *loathe* Big Show's ring work, which is mostly no-selling and boring punch-kick offense. He has a mediocre chokeslam he breaks out every now and then, and his finisher is a punch that, let's face it, kinda exposes the business. Batista, meanwhile, has an entertaining high-impact offense with a little variance (every now and then he'll break out a rolling fireman's carry or something), and he cuts a pretty decent pace in the ring for a big guy.
ReplyDeleteOn the mic, Show's never given a promo I can much remember. Batista, despite being around for about a third of the time, has given several. Show's face promos have never made me like him, and his heel promos have never made me hate him. He's fine on the mic, and he's no worse than most big guys in the ring (credit where credit's due, his facial expressions are often great), but he's never held my attention… but Batista's had me on the edge of my seat in seven or eight different feuds. It's a no-contest for me.
It's hard to call it a coincidence when his return is the focal point and gets all the hype and then the buy-rate spikes.
ReplyDeleteEspecially when the ratings fall off steadily once he leaves the screen.
ReplyDeleteYep. Haters gonna hate.
ReplyDeleteDid the segment ratings come out?
ReplyDeleteDunno, but I know the hour-by-hours pretty much said "Batista- good. Not Batista- bad."
ReplyDeleteWe'll just have to see what the ratings do next week if he appears to see if it's legit.
ReplyDeleteHe was the only variable from what wwe has been doing for months. I haven't seen the segment ratings, but he's gotta get the credit at this point.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to stick up for Big Dave here.
ReplyDeleteThrough most of his post-Evolution career the man was underutilized, despite having genuine, likable charisma and overperforming in big matches. He's the anti-Cena to a degree, in that he's cool without even trying.
Also, I'm not sure if you noticed, but there was a major ratings bump on Monday directly correlated to his return. On top of that, the man is going to feature prominently in a movie that is guaranteed to win a weekend (or more) this summer.
I'd like to see Bryan as THE guy as much as anyone, but investing in Drax the Destroyer right now is the correct choice.
I expect a decline, but not back to pre-Batista levels. Hopefully the Rumble will help.
ReplyDeleteThey also said "Burn through three hours in 90 minutes: Not good." And "Orton/Cena: BAD BAD BAD." (in the tone of Orton's (in)famous rant)
ReplyDeleteFully agree on that, and I'm not so sure about a decline. I'd say it depends on how the Rumble plays out.
ReplyDeleteYa know, I"m generally a mild mannered guy, but at this point, I"d almost want to see Daniel Bryan entered into the Royal Rumble, then be eliminated by Batista just to see the apoplexy on this board.
ReplyDelete**Turning out of heel mode**
Should be a good show at the RR, no matter who they decide will win, actually looking forward to it.
Pretty sure "2nd or 3rd billing in a mega-blockbuster that's part of the most lucrative cinematic franchise since Star Wars" counts as finding some greener pastures. Don't forget, the Rock had to do the Mummy Returns and Be Cool before he was headlining Fast and the Furious. Big Dave's not gonna hit Rocky levels, but he can easily make more money doing movies than he's likely getting in WWE.
ReplyDeleteReally does seem like he's back for love of the game (no pun intended), especially if the reports stating he's gonna be on the house show circuit working a full schedule are true.
Honestly that might be the best thing for Bryan, barring an improbable Mania headliner spot. Having him chase Batista is a lot more interesting than having him chase Orton, and the ultimate payoff would be bigger, considering the fans actually buy Batista as a top-level guy, whereas Orton is clearly just an Authority lackey at this point.
ReplyDeleteBryan is so last month, the bigger (badder) news is that Barrett isn't in too, who am I meant to root for? An Uso?
ReplyDeleteI'll be watching and undoubtedly spending the entire night trying to post one message from my phone as it's the only working posting machine that I've got left.
Don't lie to us.
ReplyDeleteBzzzt. If we have quarter breakdown then yes. Otherwise see my ratings post from a few days ago
ReplyDeleteBarista
ReplyDeleteBuhtistduh?
ReplyDeleteBatwitterista #goin2WM #signpoint #lolsmarknerds
ReplyDeleteThere's a guy with muscles and skinny jeans who just showed up last week. Dave something....
ReplyDeleteRoyal Rumble is no buy for me. I'll be getting it for free next month as part of the network!
ReplyDeleteGoodbye PPV revenue,hello network investments.
ReplyDeleteThere was the theory of Sandow showing up with the original mitb contract that had been thrown into the gulf and cashing in on the WHC to re-split.
ReplyDeleteI like how with some guys, "the money's in the chase" but when it's one of HHH's butt-buddies like Batista, they can't get the belt on him fast enough.
ReplyDeleteBam Bam Bigelow > Batista
ReplyDeleteBatista didn't find what worked out for him until the end of his run
That's what my wife calls him.
ReplyDeleteSo this is going to kill ppv, right?
ReplyDeleteI posted something about this down below (or in another thread): if they're successfull in getting the rates they want for Raw/Smackdown, that's $190 million a year. PPV in 2012 was only $83.6 million. TV is the more valuable commodity, they should use the ppvs and the network to build to Raw.
ReplyDeleteYes,but if the network becomes a success,it's gonna be more profitable to E.
ReplyDelete