I know you're not one to plug other people's stuff but could you make an exception for my Rumble review? I did it live so apologies for any typos I didn't catch.
The problem is Bryan doesn't have any fucking case at all this year. He was in, was given a fair number (as in, not assigned #1 before the draw), and got eliminated fair and square.
Just wondering if you could have booked the Rumble match where Roman won, how would you have booked it so the fans wouldn't have shat on it?
I would have started out as they did with Rusev and Bray killing Bryan and they tease an elimination spot where Bryan is hanging on for dear life until next entrant Roman Reigns comes in and saves Bryan from getting eliminated. I would then book Rusev to look like a killer in the Rumble match as he eliminates the majority of the guys leaving Rusev, Bryan and Roman as the final 3. Bryan and Roman both double team Rusev but Rusev is able to eliminate Bryan to huge heat before Rusev gets eliminated by Roman.
It's not perfect, but I think it's better than how they booked it.
I'd have just gone with Bryan and Reigns as the final two. Give them a nice five minute match before Reigns sidesteps the running knee and eliminates Bryan for the win. Then have Bryan come back and endorse him.
Gotta say, no other industry would handle this kind of backlash with the indifference and "fuck you" attitude that the higher-ups at WWE has.
At least when Friedberg and Seltzer's terrible movies got unanimously horrible reviews and massive audience backlash, the big studios responded by no longer funding their movies therefore relegating them to direct to DVD hell.
Unfortunately, WWE will probably respond to this by firing a lowly writer or an intern that didn't even have anything to do with the booking of the Rumble.
I would figure out who I wanted to program with Bryan at Mania and have this person fuck Bryan out-goddamned-rageously so the heat went on the heel. Reigns would put out this person, then go on an epic tear. He'd actually do the work.
I believe Rock cares and he was still in great shape because Rock is a gym rat, but I don't know, I think wrestlers normally get gassed when they make a comeback. It's nothing to do with them needing a treadmill, but other wrestlers have said sometimes the stress/nerves of it all is enough to leave you winded.
I do too. He's getting shoved down everyone's throat, creating this huge backlash, when if they just had some patience, and let him work the kinks out, he could be good. It is just way to early for him.
And it certainly would've validated Roman's win a lot more than winning despite doing nothing for 99% of the match and giving such a half hearted effort that would make say Kevin Nash say "Bro, even I would have worked harder than that".
No kidding, I had personally witnessed Lex Luger house show performances where Luger gave more of a shit than Roman did with this supposed "biggest win of his career" tonight.
Yeah that's another thing about Roman not being ready. When fans started their backlash against Cena, Cena played along with the crowd, whereas Roman didn't knoww how to improvise and just did what he was told to do out there.
Let's face it, dumping Bryan THAT early is what killed the whole damn match. Have him at least be among the final four first and things would have gone slightly better but the moment he was dumped, the crowd turned on this thing big time and nothing short of a surprise appearance by Punk could have salvaged it.
The Official Biscuit's Digestive™ review of Royal Rumble 2015: The World Title match was like maple syrup and sprinkles atop the shit Vince served up and called ice cream.
To me, THE biggest. At least tease longer a chance of a swerve but nope, he goes out and everyone knows it's Reigns for sure and in Philly, that's just suicide for a positive reaction.
First off, no Bryan in the Rumble. Do something with the Authority screwing him out of it, Kane takes him out, whatever. Or just don't bring him back until February.
Otherwise, about what happened except I would have had the final four as Reigns, Ambrose, Wyatt and Rusev. Ambrose and Wyatt go at it hard and knock each other out, with Wyatt getting nice rub for his Taker match. Reigns eliminates Rusev, but not with the stupid ending they did.
And no Rocky sticking up for his little bro on the mic.
Yeah they really should have done something similar to the Rumble 01 ending where Rusev is booked like a monster and Roman has to resort to killing him with chairshots in order to eliminate him.
It took less than a year actually compared to the stable business they had with Bret Hart on top. This has already taken longer than the Diesel Supertrain for Vince to get the message.
Simple. Bryan wins. He's the "it" guy right now, whether the WWE likes it or not. Reigns is simply not ready.
Funny thing is, if a company like WCW was still around, Bryan would have probably switched sides by now and made millions while WWE is pushing Reigns aka. Diesel.
I'm surprised Vince didn't wander out, pecker in hand, to the tunes of "Cult of Personality", telling every fan in the building to suck his dick, just for that final insult to the audience.
Then I remember that Roman's first title defense will be in CHICAGO. And then I know when and where he WILL do that.
I would feel bad for him too if it weren't for the fact that he worked a hell of a lot harder at last year's Rumble than he did this year.
If you want a push, then you should take the responsibility and the backlash that comes with it. Cowering on the mat under pressure during your showcase performance is not something that John Cena or anyone else for that matter would have done and that's in spite of the fact that Cena had been in that spot several hundred more times than Roman and would therefore have more incentive to lay down and crack under the pressure.
Roman Reigns showed in a lot of ways that he's nowhere near ready for even the Intercontinental belt let alone the big megapush they're about to give him. Can you imagine him cracking like that during one of the routine Media Days that all the headliners have to do? That would be an even bigger disaster than what he went through tonight.
I like the idea of Rusev eliminating Bryan in the final five as a shock to the crowd and to shift the heat onto Rusev. I would have it even simpler of Bryan using 500 kicks on the Big Shit with him hanging on the ropes and finally eliminating him with a running knee. Then Rusev blindsides him with the superkick and he's gone but he's gone in a legitimate way in the final grouping so the crowd doesn't have time to stew on his elimination.
I think Rusev was the real missed opportunity here. He should have gotten rid of Bryan and Ziggler in sort of a similar heel-ish blindside way so he could be the killjoy and if Reigns eliminates him to win it might not get a massive pop but I think Rusev will have taken on enough heel heat that the fans would have been happy to see him eliminated. They could have really elevated him into a legit No. 2 heel spot and instead they used to push those heat magnets known as Kane and the Big Show.
There's an art to booking the Rumble and eliminating the stars. Every major star has gotten eliminated from a Rumble I think so it's just about knowing how to do it correctly.
I don't get why they hate money so much. Invasion, burying Nexus at the first PPV, burying Punk in 2011, burying Bryan for 3 years straight. How can you be this complacent about listening to your Fans? Especially when you are trying to sell your product using a platform that REALLY needs the support of the hardcore fanbase.
Well in Reign's defense, Cena spent a lot more time as both and heel and a face before the backlash truly began. Reigns has been on the main roster for three years? Less than one year as a singles guy. They are doing the guy no favors with their execution of his push.
Yeah, you bring up another good point that no-one has really made so far because they're focusing all their hate on Roman, but the fact they chose Show and Kane to look like the big killer heels of the Rumble also shows just how out of touch management really is.
It was stupid for Kane to eliminate Punk last year and it was equally stupid for him and Big Fatass to casually dump all these talented workers out of the match.
Reigns should not have won. Bryan IS the most over guy, Ambrose is the second most over face, Wyatt is probably after them. It's like pushing billy Gunn over the Rock, Triple-H and Jericho or Rey over Edge, Angle and Cena. Reigns would be a good bet next year if booked right but NOT this year, he never had a chance.
Another thing I hated how Roman was booked was that immediately after he won, he was killed by Show and Kane after the match, which just added to how weak Reigns looked because he won on a fluke and he was the first Rumble match winner to get beaten up afterwards.
It'll be interesting to see how they cast Lesnar as the heel since he had a huge babyface comeback and killed everyone dead, and Reigns won the Rumble from his belly.
That may have actually worked because I'm sure fans would have bought Cena as a potential Rumble winner and WWE could have called a last minute audible if the Roman backlash was far too much as they could have had Cena win instead.
I live 200 miles from Mania. Cancelled my subscription and told my friends we aren't going. I quit the business tonight, too tired of wrestling taking away and not adding to my life. I won't watch Mania, I give up. The E ruined my passion in the Cena years. Say what you smarks wanna say about me tuning in for Mania. But after 25 years, I quit. Gotta make a stand. 120+ live events, shirts, figures, magazines. I honestly quit.
This is what I needed. Call me what you want, predict what you want. But the last 13 years have blown. I'm done. You guys are amazing, one of the best parts of the industry. I'll miss reading your banter everyday. I just can't contribute to an industry who only caters to a 69 year old man anymore. Can the blog do me a favor? Let me know when the gets booked like NXT, you know, real wrestling. Till then, I'd rather catch up on The Wire and live my life. Best of luck to all of you, we're better than this. And yes, I cancelled my network.
Exactly. If they were smart, they would play a Cena/Reigns feud in February to get some heat back on Reigns, but Vince is delusional and doesn't realize feuding with Cena will instantly give his opponent face pops and if the guy ever fucking lost, it would be a very credible win. Perfect for Reigns, but nope. They're going to leave him for dead buried in a ditch by continuing his feud with Big Show.
That's the thing though. As a writer/agent, it's not your job to tell Vince how batshit insane he is. It's your job to do what you're told and make the best out of a bad situation.
A shoot interview detailing exactly what went down during the match can't come soon enough. It's too bad Justin Gabriel quit before the show took place.
Since you like The Wire, if you don't have Amazon Prime already, it would be a great move to switch over to Prime since they have a ton of great HBO shows, movies and specials available on Prime (including The Wire) plus several thousand more movies and TV shows, free shipping on thousands of products, instant access to Prime streaming music and it's only $99/year (the same price for a decent seat at a WWE live event or ten months of WWE Network) so overall it's a great deal and a great way to get over your wrestling habit. The HBO stuff alone is worth the price.
They made him look weak to make KANE AND BIG SHOW look strong. Not Rusev, Not Wyatt, not someone that could benefit but two those fucks that are like a big ass anchor.
Makes me wish they were both Fritz Von Erichs kids...
Speaking of Sheamus, you want to talk about the perfect comparison, this would be it. That poor guy just hit the perfect storm of shit booking that eventually ended up sinking him and Reigns is headed right down that exact same path.
Big Show made the stupidest move of his life not retiring after that Floyd Mayweather match. He could had been set for life with commercial endorsements and the like but no, he just had to flush all of that away by continuing to hang around.
And Kane should just retire, go run for office, run Tennessee into the ground and ruin that state instead of continuing to ruin wrestling.
It could have have been anyone, but booking Roman to get killed afterwards was the exact opposite of booking someone like a world beater. I think a good comparison would be the 95 Rumble where Shawn cheated to eliminate Bulldog at the end. You knew Bulldog wanted to kill the guy, but instead he let Shawn celebrate and have his moment.
I do wonder why Paul Wight has stayed in wrestling. He was set for life anyway, and he had a series of bit parts as a giant freak in TV/movies. His acting is decent enough for that now, he put the effort into doing that.
Almost as baffling as why Hulk Hogan never bothered to give up wrestling to shill infomercials. If anyone's capable of filling Billy Mays' shoes, it's definitely Hulk.
Can't believe somebody had a positive reply on the negative blog of doom!
Thanks bro. My girlfriend subscribed to Prime and I'm in season three of The Wire. We already did Deadwood (ended too soon). I've been looking at four Mania tickets and budgeted $1500 for the group. It's a two hour drive from my house, and with Savage going in the Hall, it was a shoe-in. Can't support that anymore. We must speak out. I know it's a machine that won't miss me, but I can no longer support the product. I supported the mid 90's during the Luger and Nash years. They don't care what we think, maybe Trips saves the business after the "old man" steps down or passes. The savior of wrestling is killing the business, support your indies, support your locals, but please, don't believe this shit is the only game in town.
I'd have loved to have seen the backstage segment where Cena goes to Triple H & Steph...begging for a spot in the Rumble as that is his only way to get into the WM main event. And Triple H saying that Cena would "owe him a favor".
It would have built on the "Cena can't help but do the Authority's bidding" to more of an effect than it has...and give Cena a legitimate reason to be in the Rumble.
Then, have Triple H say the favor is "Eliminate Daniel Bryan"--which Cena is reluctant but ok with, since he'd have had to have done that anyway if he wanted the WM shot.
Cena eliminates Bryan. Reigns eliminates Cena. Bryan gives Reigns a nod of respect. (Later, Reigns says that if he wins the belt at WM, he'll offer DB a title shot since he never lost the belt in the ring...etc.)
Didn't you hear Stephanie McMahon two years ago when she was threatening to fire him, even though he had an iron clad contract? There's no market for guys like him! Nobody's hiring giants! Certainly not movie studios or the like! HE NEEDS THIS BUSINESS!
If I were him I would be trying to get the part of Kingpin when Marvel tries to use the character again. That could nab him at least 60 movies between now and 2019.
You're doing it the right way. You shouldn't stick with something that angers you. Just find something that makes you happy and move on. Ignore the haters because maybe they don't feel the same frustration as you.
I respect that view, but there are other wrestling alternatives (and no I don't mean TNA). NXT brings a smile to my face - its what wrestling was supposed to be. An hour a week and a special every couple of months that is also only a couple of hours long.
New Japan is turning out some of greatest wrestling matches in history month after month and Lucha Underground is trying something different. PWG in the States and ICW in the UK are also great fun to watch with wrestlers that really care and an invested fan base.
In retrospect, compared to most commentary these days, he is probably one of the better colour guys of the last decade. At least he sounded like he gave a shit about the matches.
I love Don West. He's the announcer I know of that got excited for David Young matches. Compare that to announcers today sounding bored and making 1960's TV show references during main events.
Book it like the six man at Canadian Stampede. Have Rusev kill Brian early on, have him do a stretcher job and the commentators hype how he came back to soon. Then have him came back to ring for the final stretch.
Have a three or four of the ECW originals in there to pop the audience, hell pay RVD to come back for one right. A final four Rusev, Bray, RVD and Roman with Brian limping back to the ring would have popped the live crowd massively.
I was wondering why they didn't call an audible around no 25 and send Cena down to rescue the whole thing. He could have won and then either lost the title at Fast Lane or via a Money in the Bank cash in if they really didn't want it on him for WM.
I'm trying to learn how to watch New Japan. I love NXT but won't support "the E" in anyway, I feel they still win. New Japan World overwhelmed me, but I'm willing to try to keep my passion alive. Seriously, can't thank you guys enough for trying to keep my passion alive.
They've been having Bryan wrestle Kane anyways, and they didn't have him win the Rumble, so why not have Bryan cut a promo when he came back blaming Kane for his injury/absence and demanding a match against Kane at the Rumble. Have him say outright that he won't be in the Rumble--that he's just focused on getting back at Kane. (Of course we know why they put him in the Rumble: because it'll draw buys from people thinking he'd win.) But still, you at least possibly get a few buys by having Bryan on the show as a special attraction, and much less negative reaction from the crowd. Then you can actually book Reigns strong in the Rumble because you don't have to structure it to take into account Bryan's elimination.
Exactly. I think people, on the whole, are less angry at Reigns winning, and more upset at how it went off. Between eliminating Daniel Bryan so early and other fan favorites so unceremoniously, this felt like a real middle finger.
You want Reigns to be your heavyweight champeen of the world? fine, but at least book it right. I mean if you've got the new wave of superstars as the final five, then I don't care if Daniel Bryan is eliminated. But to have Big Show and Kane, two AE leftovers, tossing people left and right, is an insult.
I really don't mind Reigns vs Lesnar, especially after last nights title match, I'm just saddened that they've given me no incentive to root for Reigns.
I don't think ive seen them have a wm main event set in stone this quick, they seem pretty adamant on reigns vs lesnar, I'm wondering what they'll do this year to quiet the fans.
West is one of those guys that TNA SERIOUSLY dropped the ball on. His heel color man role was REALLY getting some momentum, and I really think he could have been great given more time. (Maybe not Bobby Heenan great, but definitely one of the better of the "second level")
I live 70 miles from Levi, work 2 miles away, and I can SEE THE DAMN STADIUM FROM BEHIND MY MOTHER-IN-LAW'S HOUSE (I could literally park my car at her house, and walk 10 minutes and be there), and I'm not going.
There is just no motivation whatsoever to watch it.
Even if they change Mania to have some moments fans want to see, we KNOW it's just temporary.
Shit, Bryan got an AWESOME moment last year -- and then was immediately dropped into a feud with... Kane? Makes you wonder if he fucked up his arm on purpose.
Hot and cold. Big shows always deliver a decent time but creatively they've been a little lost without Steen and full on eradic since Cole dropped the title.
Jay Briscoe is pretty much the most unsympathetic guy could put a belt on. He just comes over like an ignorant piece of trash rather than a blue collar hero.
Seriously the only way I view WWE is on YouTube clips. I watch stuff like Progress and ICW for ny wrestling fix. This was the first full ppv I've seen in 2 years, think it will be at least that long again before the next.
I don't think Jay is supposed to be a "blue collar hero" though.
He's psycho white trash. Which sounds like a heel thing but...isn't, he is getting top 3 pops every night so he's over.
I don't like him as a champ either, and you can hold the opinion a relatable BF should be champ--but that's not what Jay is trying to be, so you can't judge his performance on how sympathetic he is.
The ironic thing is that the Triple Threat match was brilliant - one of the best title matches they've had in a long time - and the Rumble itself started off well, right up until the point Bryan was eliminated, then they fucked up by not having a big fan favourite (Ziggler, say) enter straight after that for the crowd to latch onto, then it all just fell apart at the seams.
Towards the end, it genuinely felt like the WWE was actively trolling the fans. The Rock got a pop, but the fans saw through the desperation move and even booed him when he held up Reigns' hand.
I actually feel a bit sorry for Reigns - it's a bit like folk turning on a footballer because the manager just keeps picking him - he's not going to refuse to play, after all.
I mean...if *enough* people cancelled their Network subscriptions in the immediate aftermath of the Rumble getting shit on by the crowd for the second straight year, even WWE would have to respond to that. Can't be pissing off the investors at quarterly time!
They have no competition, and Vince would rather do what he wants to do than make money. Consider:
They announced Bryan would be in the Rumble weeks prior, because they figured Bryan would increase Network buys so people could watch him in the Rumble. They also apparently knew the crowd was going to shit on Reigns, so they....paid a truck load of money to The Rock to make a cameo to try to give Reigns a fake pop by standing next to him. It's fucking insane.
Worse than last year. There was maybe a 20% chance of Batista working out for them. Since the moment the Shield split people have been all "They better change their minds"
It could have been saved if Bryan would have stayed until the final four only be screwed by Seth Rollins or Triple H or so, so that we then get Bryan vs Rollins at Wrestlemania.
The thing your not getting is that Reigns was getting booed during his entrance. The crowd wasn't stupid, once Daniel Bryan was gone, there's NOTHING the E' could've done to save Reigns. Philly knew shit smelled.
Sycho Sid (of all people) did an amazing live tweet of the Rumble: SID (@SychoVicious) tweeted at 3:33am - 26 Jan 15:
Vince better get Reigns out of the "fast lane" now. Time to regroup, PAL. #RoyalRumble (https://twitter.com/SychoVicious/status/559630119485321216?s=17)
I usually try not to make emotional statements like "I'm cancelling the Network after this!" because I want to give it a day to sink in to make sure that's how I really feel.
It took me about 5 minutes to cancel my Network sub after the Rumble.
It was strange. Cole just straight up says that the fans are disappointed their favorites like Bryan, Ziggler and Ambrose were eliminated near the end.
I think you guys are missing the point. How in the world can Daniel Bryan with his bad neck wrestle a match with Lesnar? Lesnar's main moves look like they almost broke Cena and Rollins in half last night.
Brock the super face vs Rusev the unstoppable Russian powerhouse.
Straight out of the 80s.
All American Lesnar, collegiate wrestling star, NCAA champion, in amazing shape, super popular. vs Evil Russian Rusev, kayfabe wrestling titles galore in Russia, strong as an ox, disrespects American Flag, has tremendous heel mouthpiece.
Might be a setup straight from 85 but I bet it would be better received than Reigns as a face vs Lesnar as a heel.
Daniel Bryan was in the ring for 10:35 last night, with about 2-3 minutes laying on the floor. Assuming 2:30 on the floor, HIS WIFE got more ring time.
This after a month of pumping him up as a reason to order the Royal Rumble. Again, it's not even worth $10 anymore.
Personally I would have just had reigns, bryan ziggler and ambrose be the final four..ziggler and ambrose get thrown out at same time...have the customary rumble wm staredown between them..have a fantastic 10 min match ala taker/hbk...have Roman win it after a hard fought battle...prob siunds better in my head but still better than wat we got
Vince is too stupid to cancel the show, it will go on. He has already shown he cares more about getting the show on TV then the lives of the people at the event.
I really really really can't understand it. It's like Vince wants to tank his company. I mean why bring Bryan back for the rumble? They could have say him out till the day after Mania if they don't have big Mania plans for him.
Seriously. My low quality stream for the PPV didn't skip a beat once last night and it sounded like I was ahead during most of PPV than those who had the Network.
You know if you switch Rusev and Kane's places it makes WAY more sense. Have Rusev be unstoppable monster destroying the faces to set him up for Cena. Than have Kane do the sneak attack at the end.
He did, but is Knoble still an agent if he's a tv character now? Besides I doubt WWE woud give Knoble that much responisibility again after last year's Rumble failure.
You have already paid. You can not get the refund. So watch what you like, don't watch what you hate, OR close your app, go outside and go on a date and come back to wrestling later when you accept it for what it is.
Shit entertainment.
The WWE NEtwork is still a fucking steal at 9.99 for what you get.
I'm going to fantasy book them out of this (this might get long):
HHH & Steph open RAW tonight, HHH is visibly frustrated, grabs the mic, starts calling for Roman Reigns to come out. No answer. Trips goes into meltdown mode screaming for Reigns.
Vince McMahon's music hits. Vince comes out takes the mic from HHH, starts asking what he's doing. Goes into a big spiel about how he bought the company from his father for a nickel in the 80s and built it into a billionaire empire blah blah blah, and he woke up this morning to find #CancelWWENetwork trending #1 worldwide (might as well own it). Vince starts screaming in angry Vince mode. Calms himself down, tells HHH and Stephanie they're fired, and announced himself as the interim COO. As Trips storms off, Vince tells him to stop. Tells him that even though he's no longer the COO, he is till an active wrestler. And Vince's first act as interim COO is to book him in a match at Wrestlemania with Sting.
Vince calls out Roman Reigns. Congratulations son, you're going to be in the Main Event at Wrestlemania. If the crowd boos him like last night, Vince ad libs, "The WWE Universe is hard to please sometimes, win 'em over in the ring, son." So at Wrestlemania it will be...
Randy Orton's music hits.
Randy grabs the mic. At Wrestlemania last year he was the undisputed champion. He was never pinned, never submitted. And never received his rematch. He has been jerked around by HHH by a year. Now that HHH is gone, he's not working another second until he gets his title match.
Vince starts to consider this.
Daniel Bryan's music hits.
Hey Randy, for once we have something in common! I was stripped of the title when I got hurt, I never lost, I never received my title match.
Vince considers this. He's heard the arguments, but only one of them can have a title match at Wrestlemania.
Curtis Axel's music hits.
Curtis Axel snatches the mic from Vince. He was robbed of his opportunity in the Royal Rumble last night by a guy in a sheep mask. He was never eliminated. He demands to be put in the main event at Wrestlemania.
Vince snatches it back from him, and says all three of Orton, Bryan, and Reigns will get title shots at some point, but only one gets Wrestlemania. So at Fast Lane, there will be a Triple Threat to determine the #1 contender at Wrestlemania. Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns.
And as for you, Curtis Axel, Vince tells him he's strongly considering telling him to go screw himself. But quite frankly, Vince never though Axel had the balls to step up to the plate and reach for the brass ring like he's trying to now. So later tonight in the Main Event, there will be a match. And if Curtis Axel wins it, the Triple Threat will becomes a Fatal Fourway. And that match is against John Cena.
Axel vs. Cena later that night. Rusev costs Cena the match. Axel wins and enters the Fatal Fourway.
Orton keeps his feud with Rollins going on the side.
At Fast Lane, Orton hits Reigns with an RKO, Rollins and J&J screw him over, Bryan pins Reigns. Reigns has to eat the pin in the Fatal Fourway.
So at Mania.
Bryan/Lesnar Cena/Rusev Orton/Rollins
And a dejected Reigns is consoled by his buddy Ambrose the next night on RAW, having lost his opportunity. They decide to join together and take down the new tag champs, Big Show & Kane.
If he comes back it will be on his terms. I just don't really see a reason for him to come back. I don't see him as the type to make really bad investments.
I said it last rumble, I said it throughout the year...Reigns won't save the company, Cena couldn't, neither will Bryan. What will save the company is good writing. Vince is so obsessed with turning wrestling into a tv opera, so be it, partially he is correct in understanding the soap opera elements are what made the company and the business, but as any basic television show with a narrative understands is that you need to have the basic fundamentals of an actual STORY and PLOT in order to draw in people. You know why Daniel Bryan is so well liked, sure he's an amazing in ring guy, he's nothing special on the mic, nor does he have any flashy gimmicks, the yes chant? it's merely an effect of what got him over in the first place, the fact that Bryan has a very clear character arc that is relatable and identifiable.
Ever since Sheamus kicked him into an early pinfall at WM28, fans have enjoyed the story of someone who is getting kicked down constantly by management despite his humble easy to get along with nature and his incredible in ring skill, everything from the orton cash in, the birth of the authority, the wyatt turn, the constant screw jobs and the great B+ taunt, from the WM win, the untimely injury...it all leads up to a narrative, something thats natural and engaging and makes anyone want to root for him regardless if they are some indy smart fan who loved his work in the indies or some casual kid who just loves his funny goat face. THAT's why people cheered for Bryan last night, because they were engaged to his narrative. Who else in the rumble had that? maybe ryback, ziggler, ambrose....
what story did Reigns have heading in to this? his pointless feud with big show? why does Reigns want to be champion? why does he want to stick it to the authority? are the authority his enemy? what obstacles has he faced to get to this moment? both physically and emotionally? what is his character like? is he strong and silent? or goofy, with his looney tunes schtick and silly winks? theres no consistency with his character, no narrative, nothing to get anyone behind him other than his music and his gimmick. I don't mind that Vince chose Reigns, I don't mind that he chose Batista last year, but gods sake, you have writers...use them, make us care about these people, you dont need Daniel Bryan, but at this point he's your best written character.
This whole movement reeks of "heat of the moment". When the gravitas of the situation of the situation hits those canceled and realize their options to watch Mania are to pay 10 bucks for the Network and all the other free content you want, pay 70 bucks to watch the show on PPV where Cole will call you an idiot for doing so, or watching shitty free stream, they'll all go scurrying back to the Network like a ho does a pimp.
How to save the Reigns push tonight on RAW: Renee interviews Reigns backstage and immediately addresses the elephant in the room. Renee: "Despite winning the Rumble, you weren't a very popular guy last night." Reigns: "It's OK. I get it. The crowd was rooting for someone else, and he got eliminated early. I was just as surprised as anyone else. If I was a betting man, I would have put money on Daniel Bryan being one of the final four guys. But the Rumble is every man for himself, and I made the best of the opportunity I had." Enter Daniel Bryan. Bryan: "Roman, I just wanted to congratulate you on winning the Rumble. You're on your way to headlining Wrestlemania and I know from personal experience how special that is. And you're right. I did get eliminated early. In fact, I was out of the match before you even hit the ring. And I just can't help but wonder if things might have turned out differently for you if we were in that ring face to face." Reigns: "Well why don't we find out?" Bryan: "A match? Tonight? You and me?" Reigns: "Sure. Wouldn't want you losing sleep wondering what could have been." They shake hands. The Reigns/Bryan match headlines. Reigns wins clean. They shake hands again after the match, Bryan passing the proverbial WM torch. As Bryan walks to the back, Kane attacks him because reasons. Reigns makes the save. The rest of the Authority comes out and the action goes back into the ring. Ambrose comes out to help the faces clear the ring, setting up the mandatory 6-man tag match for Smackdown.
TL;DR: They need to use Bryan to give Reigns the WM rub.
The WWE's strategy of disappointing their fans on PPV and Raw in order to push customers to the Network where they can watch the product during better periods is an exciting and innovative scheme.
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Hey, will WWE tell us what's trending on Twitter right now?
ReplyDeletehttp://i.imgur.com/0Vv7AT2.jpg
Rock's response to the boos http://i.imgur.com/T5ZdBgn.jpg
ReplyDeleteThe Future of the WWE: A 2.8 RAW rating before Mania, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteYou should have kept in the line from your recap of "crowd deflating like a Tom Brady football."
ReplyDeleteFrom twitter https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8QLM8SCYAIuGLg.png
ReplyDeleteWow. That's brutal.
ReplyDeleteIt's WM29 all over again!
ReplyDeleteAm I out of touch? No, it's the children who are wrong https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8QGVqNCQAIxZTd.png
ReplyDeleteThe problem is Bryan doesn't have any fucking case at all this year. He was in, was given a fair number (as in, not assigned #1 before the draw), and got eliminated fair and square.
ReplyDeleteWas Rusev a botch fixed on the fly, or did they intend to have him eliminated like that?
ReplyDeleteJust wondering if you could have booked the Rumble match where Roman won, how would you have booked it so the fans wouldn't have shat on it?
ReplyDeleteI would have started out as they did with Rusev and Bray killing Bryan and they tease an elimination spot where Bryan is hanging on for dear life until next entrant Roman Reigns comes in and saves Bryan from getting eliminated. I would then book Rusev to look like a killer in the Rumble match as he eliminates the majority of the guys leaving Rusev, Bryan and Roman as the final 3. Bryan and Roman both double team Rusev but Rusev is able to eliminate Bryan to huge heat before Rusev gets eliminated by Roman.
It's not perfect, but I think it's better than how they booked it.
Think it was planned. I'm wondering if the Titus elimination thing was botched as it seemed like they wanted to set a new record.
ReplyDeleteI didn't watch the show, but was Rock still out of ring shape?
ReplyDeleteHe did look pretty gassed.
ReplyDeleteI'd have just gone with Bryan and Reigns as the final two. Give them a nice five minute match before Reigns sidesteps the running knee and eliminates Bryan for the win. Then have Bryan come back and endorse him.
ReplyDeleteMuch cheaper than using The Rock.
Gotta say, no other industry would handle this kind of backlash with the indifference and "fuck you" attitude that the higher-ups at WWE has.
ReplyDeleteAt least when Friedberg and Seltzer's terrible movies got unanimously horrible reviews and massive audience backlash, the big studios responded by no longer funding their movies therefore relegating them to direct to DVD hell.
Unfortunately, WWE will probably respond to this by firing a lowly writer or an intern that didn't even have anything to do with the booking of the Rumble.
I see Punk's point even more now.
ReplyDeleteYou throw all this money at part timers to take spots, and they don't even have enough respect for the business to actually act like they care.
I would figure out who I wanted to program with Bryan at Mania and have this person fuck Bryan out-goddamned-rageously so the heat went on the heel. Reigns would put out this person, then go on an epic tear. He'd actually do the work.
ReplyDeleteI believe Rock cares and he was still in great shape because Rock is a gym rat, but I don't know, I think wrestlers normally get gassed when they make a comeback. It's nothing to do with them needing a treadmill, but other wrestlers have said sometimes the stress/nerves of it all is enough to leave you winded.
ReplyDeleteI do too. He's getting shoved down everyone's throat, creating this huge backlash, when if they just had some patience, and let him work the kinks out, he could be good. It is just way to early for him.
ReplyDeleteAnd it certainly would've validated Roman's win a lot more than winning despite doing nothing for 99% of the match and giving such a half hearted effort that would make say Kevin Nash say "Bro, even I would have worked harder than that".
ReplyDeleteNo kidding, I had personally witnessed Lex Luger house show performances where Luger gave more of a shit than Roman did with this supposed "biggest win of his career" tonight.
Reviewing this show is easy:
ReplyDeleteTitle match rocked
Undercard matches sucked.
Royal Rumble was a repeat of last year.
Roman did come out looking good and motivated, but once he felt the fan backlash he looked like he wanted to hide under a table.
ReplyDeleteThere's no excuse for the fact that he made The Great Khali look like a workhorse. Even Batista worked harder last year.
ReplyDeleteSay what you will about Cena, he didn't let the massive crowd booing get to him but played into it and helped spark the triple threat more.
ReplyDeleteYeah that's another thing about Roman not being ready. When fans started their backlash against Cena, Cena played along with the crowd, whereas Roman didn't knoww how to improvise and just did what he was told to do out there.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it, dumping Bryan THAT early is what killed the whole damn match. Have him at least be among the final four first and things would have gone slightly better but the moment he was dumped, the crowd turned on this thing big time and nothing short of a surprise appearance by Punk could have salvaged it.
ReplyDeleteWhich is why I feel the "cancel network subscription" movement isn't going to do jack shit to actually make a difference.
ReplyDeleteThe Official Biscuit's Digestive™ review of Royal Rumble 2015: The World Title match was like maple syrup and sprinkles atop the shit Vince served up and called ice cream.
ReplyDeleteBryan getting eliminated before Roman Reigns came out was one of the biggest blunders of the match.
ReplyDeleteI remember folks weren't crazy about Sheamus winning in 2012 but he and Jericho had one of the best "final two" segments ever to make it meaningful.
ReplyDeleteTo me, THE biggest. At least tease longer a chance of a swerve but nope, he goes out and everyone knows it's Reigns for sure and in Philly, that's just suicide for a positive reaction.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, no Bryan in the Rumble. Do something with the Authority screwing him out of it, Kane takes him out, whatever. Or just don't bring him back until February.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, about what happened except I would have had the final four as Reigns, Ambrose, Wyatt and Rusev. Ambrose and Wyatt go at it hard and knock each other out, with Wyatt getting nice rub for his Taker match. Reigns eliminates Rusev, but not with the stupid ending they did.
And no Rocky sticking up for his little bro on the mic.
No, they need to go a few steps further, like stop buying tickets, stop watching the TV shows, stop buying merchandise and stop buying the $55 PPVs.
ReplyDeleteThey certainly had no problem doing that during Diesel's reign of terror.
Yeah but look how long that took to get the message across.
ReplyDeleteYeah they really should have done something similar to the Rumble 01 ending where Rusev is booked like a monster and Roman has to resort to killing him with chairshots in order to eliminate him.
ReplyDeleteIt took less than a year actually compared to the stable business they had with Bret Hart on top. This has already taken longer than the Diesel Supertrain for Vince to get the message.
ReplyDeleteActually saw guys in other thread talking about it and going "Sorry, canceled mine last fall and hasn't done the trick."
ReplyDeleteOnce more you have to marvel at how one of the worst Rumbles ever managed to give us possibly the best World Title match of any Rumble show.
ReplyDeleteSimple. Bryan wins. He's the "it" guy right now, whether the WWE likes it or not. Reigns is simply not ready.
ReplyDeleteFunny thing is, if a company like WCW was still around, Bryan would have probably switched sides by now and made millions while WWE is pushing Reigns aka. Diesel.
People that already cancelled their accounts should sign up again just so they can cancel it immediately afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised Vince didn't wander out, pecker in hand, to the tunes of "Cult of Personality", telling every fan in the building to suck his dick, just for that final insult to the audience.
ReplyDeleteThen I remember that Roman's first title defense will be in CHICAGO. And then I know when and where he WILL do that.
That's easy. I think the secret to being a great booker is to book things following the company line and making that shit over.
ReplyDeleteDamn, it actually surprised him. Someone hasn't watched wrestling in a while then.
ReplyDeleteI liked the LAW quote where we got the best and worst of wrestling all in one night.
ReplyDeleteBought the subscription to watch the Rumble. Just cancelled it. Good job, WWE.
ReplyDeleteI would feel bad for him too if it weren't for the fact that he worked a hell of a lot harder at last year's Rumble than he did this year.
ReplyDeleteIf you want a push, then you should take the responsibility and the backlash that comes with it. Cowering on the mat under pressure during your showcase performance is not something that John Cena or anyone else for that matter would have done and that's in spite of the fact that Cena had been in that spot several hundred more times than Roman and would therefore have more incentive to lay down and crack under the pressure.
Roman Reigns showed in a lot of ways that he's nowhere near ready for even the Intercontinental belt let alone the big megapush they're about to give him. Can you imagine him cracking like that during one of the routine Media Days that all the headliners have to do? That would be an even bigger disaster than what he went through tonight.
I like the idea of Rusev eliminating Bryan in the final five as a shock to the crowd and to shift the heat onto Rusev. I would have it even simpler of Bryan using 500 kicks on the Big Shit with him hanging on the ropes and finally eliminating him with a running knee. Then Rusev blindsides him with the superkick and he's gone but he's gone in a legitimate way in the final grouping so the crowd doesn't have time to stew on his elimination.
ReplyDeleteI think Rusev was the real missed opportunity here. He should have gotten rid of Bryan and Ziggler in sort of a similar heel-ish blindside way so he could be the killjoy and if Reigns eliminates him to win it might not get a massive pop but I think Rusev will have taken on enough heel heat that the fans would have been happy to see him eliminated. They could have really elevated him into a legit No. 2 heel spot and instead they used to push those heat magnets known as Kane and the Big Show.
There's an art to booking the Rumble and eliminating the stars. Every major star has gotten eliminated from a Rumble I think so it's just about knowing how to do it correctly.
Royal Rumble 2003 all over again! Minus the psychopaths of course.
ReplyDeleteI don't get why they hate money so much. Invasion, burying Nexus at the first PPV, burying Punk in 2011, burying Bryan for 3 years straight. How can you be this complacent about listening to your Fans? Especially when you are trying to sell your product using a platform that REALLY needs the support of the hardcore fanbase.
ReplyDeleteChaney Sr would approve.
ReplyDeleteWell in Reign's defense, Cena spent a lot more time as both and heel and a face before the backlash truly began. Reigns has been on the main roster for three years? Less than one year as a singles guy. They are doing the guy no favors with their execution of his push.
ReplyDeleteYeah, you bring up another good point that no-one has really made so far because they're focusing all their hate on Roman, but the fact they chose Show and Kane to look like the big killer heels of the Rumble also shows just how out of touch management really is.
ReplyDeleteIt was stupid for Kane to eliminate Punk last year and it was equally stupid for him and Big Fatass to casually dump all these talented workers out of the match.
ReplyDeleteBecause they have a nightly support group... I quit
ReplyDeleteExcept everyone finally gave up tonight.
ReplyDeleteReigns should not have won. Bryan IS the most over guy, Ambrose is the second most over face, Wyatt is probably after them. It's like pushing billy Gunn over the Rock, Triple-H and Jericho or Rey over Edge, Angle and Cena. Reigns would be a good bet next year if booked right but NOT this year, he never had a chance.
ReplyDeleteHave Bryan get his heat back, instead of leaving like a schlub.
ReplyDeleteHave Cena be a surprise entry and have Reigns take him out. That would literally be the ONLY way.
ReplyDeleteThe crowd respects Cena and Cena puts out a good effort. The Rumble was all around shit.
ReplyDeleteBest? No.. please.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I hated how Roman was booked was that immediately after he won, he was killed by Show and Kane after the match, which just added to how weak Reigns looked because he won on a fluke and he was the first Rumble match winner to get beaten up afterwards.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be interesting to see how they cast Lesnar as the heel since he had a huge babyface comeback and killed everyone dead, and Reigns won the Rumble from his belly.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Benoit/Angle is still the best. The match didn't need weapon shots, run-ins and constant no-selling of finishers to boost the match quality.
ReplyDeleteThat may have actually worked because I'm sure fans would have bought Cena as a potential Rumble winner and WWE could have called a last minute audible if the Roman backlash was far too much as they could have had Cena win instead.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Brock playing Superman in a match with Cena was...odd.
ReplyDeleteI live 200 miles from Mania. Cancelled my subscription and told my friends we aren't going. I quit the business tonight, too tired of wrestling taking away and not adding to my life. I won't watch Mania, I give up. The E ruined my passion in the Cena years. Say what you smarks wanna say about me tuning in for Mania. But after 25 years, I quit. Gotta make a stand. 120+ live events, shirts, figures, magazines. I honestly quit.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I needed. Call me what you want, predict what you want. But the last 13 years have blown.
I'm done. You guys are amazing, one of the best parts of the industry. I'll miss reading your banter everyday. I just can't contribute to an industry who only caters to a 69 year old man anymore. Can the blog do me a favor? Let me know when the gets booked like NXT, you know, real wrestling. Till then, I'd rather catch up on The Wire and live my life.
Best of luck to all of you, we're better than this. And yes, I cancelled my network.
No kidding, I don't think I've seen a bigger disaster in wrestling since Victory Road 2011 (And that show also had only one good match, go figure).
ReplyDeleteExactly. If they were smart, they would play a Cena/Reigns feud in February to get some heat back on Reigns, but Vince is delusional and doesn't realize feuding with Cena will instantly give his opponent face pops and if the guy ever fucking lost, it would be a very credible win. Perfect for Reigns, but nope. They're going to leave him for dead buried in a ditch by continuing his feud with Big Show.
ReplyDeleteThat's the thing though. As a writer/agent, it's not your job to tell Vince how batshit insane he is. It's your job to do what you're told and make the best out of a bad situation.
ReplyDeleteYou know what's a movement we could all get behind though?
ReplyDeleteOne that includes changing the vaudvillians theme music back. I bet even Obama would get behind that.
I don't mean to keep harping on it, but why change something that was working out so good?
How many bad shows in a row is this now?
ReplyDeleteNice to see those youngsters Big Show and Kane get a great showing in the Rumble. DID YOU GUYS NOT GET THE MESSAGE LAST YEAR?! This. Product. Blows.
ReplyDeleteQuitting watching wrestling is easy, but I can never quit you Mountie loving fans.
ReplyDeleteA shoot interview detailing exactly what went down during the match can't come soon enough. It's too bad Justin Gabriel quit before the show took place.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck to you Eric. Don't blame you.
ReplyDeleteSince you like The Wire, if you don't have Amazon Prime already, it would be a great move to switch over to Prime since they have a ton of great HBO shows, movies and specials available on Prime (including The Wire) plus several thousand more movies and TV shows, free shipping on thousands of products, instant access to Prime streaming music and it's only $99/year (the same price for a decent seat at a WWE live event or ten months of WWE Network) so overall it's a great deal and a great way to get over your wrestling habit. The HBO stuff alone is worth the price.
They made him look weak to make KANE AND BIG SHOW look strong. Not Rusev, Not Wyatt, not someone that could benefit but two those fucks that are like a big ass anchor.
ReplyDeleteMakes me wish they were both Fritz Von Erichs kids...
I think setting up a guy with no heat vs a guy who might not resign is probably the only way to add doubt to the possible outcome of that main event.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Sheamus, you want to talk about the perfect comparison, this would be it. That poor guy just hit the perfect storm of shit booking that eventually ended up sinking him and Reigns is headed right down that exact same path.
ReplyDeleteIt seems Daniel Bryan is always the catalyst for the shitstorm that comes WWE's way.
ReplyDeleteJust a shame Bryan doesn't have the "Fuck me? Fuck you!" Attitude of Punk, I'd love to hear his take on this.
ReplyDeleteBig Show made the stupidest move of his life not retiring after that Floyd Mayweather match. He could had been set for life with commercial endorsements and the like but no, he just had to flush all of that away by continuing to hang around.
ReplyDeleteAnd Kane should just retire, go run for office, run Tennessee into the ground and ruin that state instead of continuing to ruin wrestling.
I'd love it if put his mask on every time he had a bit if legislation to push that people didn't care about.
ReplyDeleteIt could have have been anyone, but booking Roman to get killed afterwards was the exact opposite of booking someone like a world beater. I think a good comparison would be the 95 Rumble where Shawn cheated to eliminate Bulldog at the end. You knew Bulldog wanted to kill the guy, but instead he let Shawn celebrate and have his moment.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder why Paul Wight has stayed in wrestling. He was set for life anyway, and he had a series of bit parts as a giant freak in TV/movies. His acting is decent enough for that now, he put the effort into doing that.
ReplyDeleteLobbyist: "UhSenator I would like to propose a tax increase on the sale of firearms".
ReplyDeleteSenator Jacobs: "Could you give me a moment sir? I have to go into my office to pick up something important" (Goes into office to put on mask).
Almost as baffling as why Hulk Hogan never bothered to give up wrestling to shill infomercials. If anyone's capable of filling Billy Mays' shoes, it's definitely Hulk.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe somebody had a positive reply on the negative blog of doom!
ReplyDeleteThanks bro. My girlfriend subscribed to Prime and I'm in season three of The Wire. We already did Deadwood (ended too soon). I've been looking at four Mania tickets and budgeted $1500 for the group. It's a two hour drive from my house, and with Savage going in the Hall, it was a shoe-in.
Can't support that anymore. We must speak out. I know it's a machine that won't miss me, but I can no longer support the product. I supported the mid 90's during the Luger and Nash years. They don't care what we think, maybe Trips saves the business after the "old man" steps down or passes. The savior of wrestling is killing the business, support your indies, support your locals, but please, don't believe this shit is the only game in town.
I'd have loved to have seen the backstage segment where Cena goes to Triple H & Steph...begging for a spot in the Rumble as that is his only way to get into the WM main event. And Triple H saying that Cena would "owe him a favor".
ReplyDeleteIt would have built on the "Cena can't help but do the Authority's bidding" to more of an effect than it has...and give Cena a legitimate reason to be in the Rumble.
Then, have Triple H say the favor is "Eliminate Daniel Bryan"--which Cena is reluctant but ok with, since he'd have had to have done that anyway if he wanted the WM shot.
Cena eliminates Bryan. Reigns eliminates Cena. Bryan gives Reigns a nod of respect. (Later, Reigns says that if he wins the belt at WM, he'll offer DB a title shot since he never lost the belt in the ring...etc.)
THIS ISN'T AS HARD TO DO AS THE WWE MAKES IT.
Didn't you hear Stephanie McMahon two years ago when she was threatening to fire him, even though he had an iron clad contract? There's no market for guys like him! Nobody's hiring giants! Certainly not movie studios or the like! HE NEEDS THIS BUSINESS!
ReplyDeleteHogan and Mr. T would tear up the infomercial market.
ReplyDeleteIf I were him I would be trying to get the part of Kingpin when Marvel tries to use the character again. That could nab him at least 60 movies between now and 2019.
ReplyDeleteYou're doing it the right way. You shouldn't stick with something that angers you. Just find something that makes you happy and move on. Ignore the haters because maybe they don't feel the same frustration as you.
ReplyDeleteDon West too. Poor guy is wasting his potential coaching junior hockey in the middle of nowhere.
ReplyDeleteFunny how he didn't just let her sack him then sue the shit out of the WWE for all that ironclad cash+damages for making him cry.
ReplyDeleteI respect that view, but there are other wrestling alternatives (and no I don't mean TNA). NXT brings a smile to my face - its what wrestling was supposed to be. An hour a week and a special every couple of months that is also only a couple of hours long.
ReplyDeleteNew Japan is turning out some of greatest wrestling matches in history month after month and Lucha Underground is trying something different. PWG in the States and ICW in the UK are also great fun to watch with wrestlers that really care and an invested fan base.
I really wanted to like Lucha underground. my buddy is super into it and I love JoMo
ReplyDeletebut...the camera angles, the hokey presentation.
I'm looking forward to ROH's 13th anniversary show in March
In retrospect, compared to most commentary these days, he is probably one of the better colour guys of the last decade. At least he sounded like he gave a shit about the matches.
ReplyDeleteI stopped watching Raw after the Ryder burial.
ReplyDeleteStopped watching ppv's when JOHNNY FUCKING ACE was in a main event over Punk with the title.
Now I watch the Rumble and Mania for giggles on the blog...if not for the indies my wrestling passion would have faded a long time ago
Slight critique of the article: Paige did tag in during the match against the Bellas. (She also started the match.)
ReplyDeleteNOT THAT IT MATTERS.
I love Don West. He's the announcer I know of that got excited for David Young matches. Compare that to announcers today sounding bored and making 1960's TV show references during main events.
ReplyDeleteBook it like the six man at Canadian Stampede. Have Rusev kill Brian early on, have him do a stretcher job and the commentators hype how he came back to soon. Then have him came back to ring for the final stretch.
ReplyDeleteHave a three or four of the ECW originals in there to pop the audience, hell pay RVD to come back for one right. A final four Rusev, Bray, RVD and Roman with Brian limping back to the ring would have popped the live crowd massively.
I was wondering why they didn't call an audible around no 25 and send Cena down to rescue the whole thing. He could have won and then either lost the title at Fast Lane or via a Money in the Bank cash in if they really didn't want it on him for WM.
ReplyDeleteWhat's RoH like now; I kind of went cold on it during the Delirious era.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to learn how to watch New Japan. I love NXT but won't support "the E" in anyway, I feel they still win.
ReplyDeleteNew Japan World overwhelmed me, but I'm willing to try to keep my passion alive.
Seriously, can't thank you guys enough for trying to keep my passion alive.
you're getting Reigns vs Lesnar.. bitching online and cancelling subscriptions won't do shit to stop that..
ReplyDeletebelieve that!
Hasn't Tennessee already been run into the ground by the GOP/TeaBigot idiocy they keep voting into office? Don't see how Kane could make it any WORSE.
ReplyDeleteKingpin....a Frost Giant....a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy 2....shit, Marvel HAS to have some use for the guy.
ReplyDeleteWynorski is a Titty Movie GOD, Maggle!
ReplyDeleteIf a Reigns vs. Lesnar match happens on a Network but nobody's subscribed to watch it - did it really happen?
ReplyDeletepretty sure wrestlemania is sold out already.. even if they 0 subscribers by that time, they will still end up making money.
ReplyDeleteIf Chopping Mall is dated, I don't want to be hip.
ReplyDeleteAt least HE would find a use for Big E, dammit.
ReplyDeleteThey've been having Bryan wrestle Kane anyways, and they didn't have him win the Rumble, so why not have Bryan cut a promo when he came back blaming Kane for his injury/absence and demanding a match against Kane at the Rumble. Have him say outright that he won't be in the Rumble--that he's just focused on getting back at Kane. (Of course we know why they put him in the Rumble: because it'll draw buys from people thinking he'd win.) But still, you at least possibly get a few buys by having Bryan on the show as a special attraction, and much less negative reaction from the crowd. Then you can actually book Reigns strong in the Rumble because you don't have to structure it to take into account Bryan's elimination.
ReplyDeleteExactly. I think people, on the whole, are less angry at Reigns winning, and more upset at how it went off. Between eliminating Daniel Bryan so early and other fan favorites so unceremoniously, this felt like a real middle finger.
ReplyDeleteYou want Reigns to be your heavyweight champeen of the world? fine, but at least book it right. I mean if you've got the new wave of superstars as the final five, then I don't care if Daniel Bryan is eliminated. But to have Big Show and Kane, two AE leftovers, tossing people left and right, is an insult.
Don't care if it does *I* don't want to watch it so *I* won't watch it.
ReplyDeleteI really don't mind Reigns vs Lesnar, especially after last nights title match, I'm just saddened that they've given me no incentive to root for Reigns.
ReplyDeleteI don't think ive seen them have a wm main event set in stone this quick, they seem pretty adamant on reigns vs lesnar, I'm wondering what they'll do this year to quiet the fans.
ReplyDeletePlenty of the expensive tickets are still available.
ReplyDeleteVincent D'nofrio is already playing him in the upcoming Daredevil series set in the MCU.
ReplyDeleteWest is one of those guys that TNA SERIOUSLY dropped the ball on. His heel color man role was REALLY getting some momentum, and I really think he could have been great given more time. (Maybe not Bobby Heenan great, but definitely one of the better of the "second level")
ReplyDeleteCURTIS AXEL WAS NEVER ELIMINATED!
ReplyDeleteDude, you live 200 miles from Levi...
ReplyDeleteI live 70 miles from Levi, work 2 miles away, and I can SEE THE DAMN STADIUM FROM BEHIND MY MOTHER-IN-LAW'S HOUSE (I could literally park my car at her house, and walk 10 minutes and be there), and I'm not going.
There is just no motivation whatsoever to watch it.
Even if they change Mania to have some moments fans want to see, we KNOW it's just temporary.
Shit, Bryan got an AWESOME moment last year -- and then was immediately dropped into a feud with... Kane? Makes you wonder if he fucked up his arm on purpose.
See he missed his chance just so he can get picked up and slammed every 6 months.
ReplyDeleteChopping Mall is fucking awesome! Almost as good as Killer Workout.
ReplyDeleteHot and cold. Big shows always deliver a decent time but creatively they've been a little lost without Steen and full on eradic since Cole dropped the title.
ReplyDeleteBetter then the shit wwe just put out last night.
Dude doesn't even do his "believe that" catchphrase well. Samuel L.
ReplyDeleteJackson says it a FUCK of a lot better toward the end of Django
Unchained -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvkwvSjLXK0
Jay Briscoe is pretty much the most unsympathetic guy could put a belt on. He just comes over like an ignorant piece of trash rather than a blue collar hero.
ReplyDeleteSeriously the only way I view WWE is on YouTube clips. I watch stuff like Progress and ICW for ny wrestling fix. This was the first full ppv I've seen in 2 years, think it will be at least that long again before the next.
ReplyDeleteReally? I can't even remember what happened with him.
ReplyDeleteHe was gently thrown into the barricade and then meekly walked away off screen.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Jay is supposed to be a "blue collar hero" though.
ReplyDeleteHe's psycho white trash. Which sounds like a heel thing but...isn't, he is getting top 3 pops every night so he's over.
I don't like him as a champ either, and you can hold the opinion a relatable BF should be champ--but that's not what Jay is trying to be, so you can't judge his performance on how sympathetic he is.
The ironic thing is that the Triple Threat match was brilliant - one of the best title matches they've had in a long time - and the Rumble itself started off well, right up until the point Bryan was eliminated, then they fucked up by not having a big fan favourite (Ziggler, say) enter straight after that for the crowd to latch onto, then it all just fell apart at the seams.
ReplyDeleteTowards the end, it genuinely felt like the WWE was actively trolling the fans. The Rock got a pop, but the fans saw through the desperation move and even booed him when he held up Reigns' hand.
I actually feel a bit sorry for Reigns - it's a bit like folk turning on a footballer because the manager just keeps picking him - he's not going to refuse to play, after all.
"133 comments" and there is just 1? Wtf
ReplyDeleteI bet RAW brings in the highest rating it's had in months. WWE have a shit product and everyone still tunes in.
ReplyDeleteI mean...if *enough* people cancelled their Network subscriptions in the immediate aftermath of the Rumble getting shit on by the crowd for the second straight year, even WWE would have to respond to that. Can't be pissing off the investors at quarterly time!
ReplyDeleteThey have no competition, and Vince would rather do what he wants to do than make money. Consider:
ReplyDeleteThey announced Bryan would be in the Rumble weeks prior, because they figured Bryan would increase Network buys so people could watch him in the Rumble. They also apparently knew the crowd was going to shit on Reigns, so they....paid a truck load of money to The Rock to make a cameo to try to give Reigns a fake pop by standing next to him. It's fucking insane.
Worse than last year. There was maybe a 20% chance of Batista working out for them. Since the moment the Shield split people have been all "They better change their minds"
ReplyDeleteIt could have been saved if Bryan would have stayed until the final four only be screwed by Seth Rollins or Triple H or so, so that we then get Bryan vs Rollins at Wrestlemania.
ReplyDeleteStill can't believe last night was real...
ReplyDeleteThe thing your not getting is that Reigns was getting booed during his entrance. The crowd wasn't stupid, once Daniel Bryan was gone, there's NOTHING the E' could've done to save Reigns. Philly knew shit smelled.
ReplyDeleteIn New York, #CancelWWENetwork is trending between #Blizzard2015 and #Snowmaggedon2015.
ReplyDeleteI just would have waited to bring Bryan back til tonight, not before the Rumble. It created an expectation that screwed WWE over.
ReplyDeleteCole did acknowledge the Bryan chants. That was unusual
ReplyDeleteSycho Sid (of all people) did an amazing live tweet of the Rumble:
ReplyDeleteSID (@SychoVicious) tweeted at 3:33am - 26 Jan 15:
Vince better get Reigns out of the "fast lane" now. Time to regroup, PAL. #RoyalRumble (https://twitter.com/SychoVicious/status/559630119485321216?s=17)
I usually try not to make emotional statements like "I'm cancelling the Network after this!" because I want to give it a day to sink in to make sure that's how I really feel.
ReplyDeleteIt took me about 5 minutes to cancel my Network sub after the Rumble.
So is that the legit Sid? Because I was seeing those tweets.
ReplyDeleteIt was strange. Cole just straight up says that the fans are disappointed their favorites like Bryan, Ziggler and Ambrose were eliminated near the end.
ReplyDeleteI think you guys are missing the point. How in the world can Daniel Bryan with his bad neck wrestle a match with Lesnar? Lesnar's main moves look like they almost broke Cena and Rollins in half last night.
ReplyDelete120k followers. Believe dat!
ReplyDeleteDamn, dude.
ReplyDeleteIt's kinda hollow though because I signed up Saturday so despite "cancelling" I've still got it for another month lol.
ReplyDeleteBrock the super face vs Rusev the unstoppable Russian powerhouse.
ReplyDeleteStraight out of the 80s.
All American Lesnar, collegiate wrestling star, NCAA champion, in amazing shape, super popular.
vs
Evil Russian Rusev, kayfabe wrestling titles galore in Russia, strong as an ox, disrespects American Flag, has tremendous heel mouthpiece.
Might be a setup straight from 85 but I bet it would be better received than Reigns as a face vs Lesnar as a heel.
Because wrestling is fake
ReplyDeleteVery odd they acknowledged it, unless they thought fans would rally behind Reigns
ReplyDeleteIt got so bad that it couldn't be ignored.
ReplyDeleteThey've ignored worse
ReplyDeletePushing Rusev to the top like that also seems a little rushed but he's been better booked than Reigns so far.
ReplyDeleteSo it's going to be Bryan vs Kane at Mania probably in the opening match. FUCK YOU
ReplyDeleteYup. Rusev has had definitive wins in at least a couple of feuds.
ReplyDeleteThe world is a scary place when I want Sid as head of WWE creative.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting Bryan/Wyatt vibes where Bryan finally beats Wyatt.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm hoping too. If WWE wants to fuck us, they might as well do it without protection and lube.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he could briefly join the Wyatt family! That will work
ReplyDeleteIt's so ludicrous to think WWE is actually going through with Reigns main eventing Mania.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Bryan was in the ring for 10:35 last night, with about 2-3 minutes laying on the floor. Assuming 2:30 on the floor, HIS WIFE got more ring time.
ReplyDeleteThis after a month of pumping him up as a reason to order the Royal Rumble. Again, it's not even worth $10 anymore.
Personally I would have just had reigns, bryan ziggler and ambrose be the final four..ziggler and ambrose get thrown out at same time...have the customary rumble wm staredown between them..have a fantastic 10 min match ala taker/hbk...have Roman win it after a hard fought battle...prob siunds better in my head but still better than wat we got
ReplyDeleteVince is too stupid to cancel the show, it will go on. He has already shown he cares more about getting the show on TV then the lives of the people at the event.
ReplyDeleteI really really really can't understand it. It's like Vince wants to tank his company. I mean why bring Bryan back for the rumble? They could have say him out till the day after Mania if they don't have big Mania plans for him.
ReplyDeleteSeriously. My low quality stream for the PPV didn't skip a beat once last night and it sounded like I was ahead during most of PPV than those who had the Network.
ReplyDeleteFYI #CancelWWENetwork is still strending. #3 in US.....
ReplyDeleteYouTube all day.
ReplyDeleteWhy? That rumble was booked exactly how Vince wanted it.
ReplyDeleteAre you a Nielsen household? If not, you watching does nothing for the rating, though I can understand the sentiment
ReplyDelete*smarks have been all "they better change their minds" no matter how much you don't want it to be true reigns has fans.
ReplyDeleteExcept for the crowd reaction.
ReplyDeleteClown.
ReplyDeleteCancel the Network? Because of a PPV when you get so much more for ten bucks.
What a fucking mark.
Every PPV is available on Dailymotion for free whenever you want them.
ReplyDeleteYour friend is in need of a life
ReplyDeleteI forgot about Orton
ReplyDeleteMy guess would have to be Jamie Knoble. Didn't he do the Rumble match last year?
ReplyDeleteI don't get the cancel the WWE Network deal either. All fans need to do is hijack the shows like last year and WWE will change their minds again.
ReplyDeleteYou know if you switch Rusev and Kane's places it makes WAY more sense. Have Rusev be unstoppable monster destroying the faces to set him up for Cena. Than have Kane do the sneak attack at the end.
ReplyDeleteHow does one know if they're a Nielsen household? I got no idea how it works.
ReplyDeleteI figured I tune in i appear on the rating. If I don't then I dont.
He did, but is Knoble still an agent if he's a tv character now? Besides I doubt WWE woud give Knoble that much responisibility again after last year's Rumble failure.
ReplyDeleteHijack the show, dont hijack the show.
ReplyDeleteit doesnt matter.
You have already paid. You can not get the refund. So watch what you like, don't watch what you hate, OR close your app, go outside and go on a date and come back to wrestling later when you accept it for what it is.
Shit entertainment.
The WWE NEtwork is still a fucking steal at 9.99 for what you get.
I'm going to fantasy book them out of this (this might get long):
ReplyDeleteHHH & Steph open RAW tonight, HHH is visibly frustrated, grabs the mic, starts calling for Roman Reigns to come out. No answer. Trips goes into meltdown mode screaming for Reigns.
Vince McMahon's music hits. Vince comes out takes the mic from HHH, starts asking what he's doing. Goes into a big spiel about how he bought the company from his father for a nickel in the 80s and built it into a billionaire empire blah blah blah, and he woke up this morning to find #CancelWWENetwork trending #1 worldwide (might as well own it). Vince starts screaming in angry Vince mode. Calms himself down, tells HHH and Stephanie they're fired, and announced himself as the interim COO. As Trips storms off, Vince tells him to stop. Tells him that even though he's no longer the COO, he is till an active wrestler. And Vince's first act as interim COO is to book him in a match at Wrestlemania with Sting.
Vince calls out Roman Reigns. Congratulations son, you're going to be in the Main Event at Wrestlemania. If the crowd boos him like last night, Vince ad libs, "The WWE Universe is hard to please sometimes, win 'em over in the ring, son." So at Wrestlemania it will be...
Randy Orton's music hits.
Randy grabs the mic. At Wrestlemania last year he was the undisputed champion. He was never pinned, never submitted. And never received his rematch. He has been jerked around by HHH by a year. Now that HHH is gone, he's not working another second until he gets his title match.
Vince starts to consider this.
Daniel Bryan's music hits.
Hey Randy, for once we have something in common! I was stripped of the title when I got hurt, I never lost, I never received my title match.
Vince considers this. He's heard the arguments, but only one of them can have a title match at Wrestlemania.
Curtis Axel's music hits.
Curtis Axel snatches the mic from Vince. He was robbed of his opportunity in the Royal Rumble last night by a guy in a sheep mask. He was never eliminated. He demands to be put in the main event at Wrestlemania.
Vince snatches it back from him, and says all three of Orton, Bryan, and Reigns will get title shots at some point, but only one gets Wrestlemania. So at Fast Lane, there will be a Triple Threat to determine the #1 contender at Wrestlemania. Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns.
And as for you, Curtis Axel, Vince tells him he's strongly considering telling him to go screw himself. But quite frankly, Vince never though Axel had the balls to step up to the plate and reach for the brass ring like he's trying to now. So later tonight in the Main Event, there will be a match. And if Curtis Axel wins it, the Triple Threat will becomes a Fatal Fourway. And that match is against John Cena.
Axel vs. Cena later that night. Rusev costs Cena the match. Axel wins and enters the Fatal Fourway.
Orton keeps his feud with Rollins going on the side.
At Fast Lane, Orton hits Reigns with an RKO, Rollins and J&J screw him over, Bryan pins Reigns. Reigns has to eat the pin in the Fatal Fourway.
So at Mania.
Bryan/Lesnar
Cena/Rusev
Orton/Rollins
And a dejected Reigns is consoled by his buddy Ambrose the next night on RAW, having lost his opportunity. They decide to join together and take down the new tag champs, Big Show & Kane.
Canceling over this would be stupid at best. Assuming you still like wrestling, you have practically EVERYTHING to pick from for $10.
ReplyDeleteIf he comes back it will be on his terms. I just don't really see a reason for him to come back. I don't see him as the type to make really bad investments.
ReplyDeleteHe probably still had a lot of zeroes in his check. And EVERYONE is getting a raise for GOTG 2.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I'd necessarily describe Vince's tongue in Jamie Noble's mouth as a "lashing."
ReplyDeleteI said it last rumble, I said it throughout the year...Reigns won't save the company, Cena couldn't, neither will Bryan. What will save the company is good writing. Vince is so obsessed with turning wrestling into a tv opera, so be it, partially he is correct in understanding the soap opera elements are what made the company and the business, but as any basic television show with a narrative understands is that you need to have the basic fundamentals of an actual STORY and PLOT in order to draw in people. You know why Daniel Bryan is so well liked, sure he's an amazing in ring guy, he's nothing special on the mic, nor does he have any flashy gimmicks, the yes chant? it's merely an effect of what got him over in the first place, the fact that Bryan has a very clear character arc that is relatable and identifiable.
ReplyDeleteEver since Sheamus kicked him into an early pinfall at WM28, fans have enjoyed the story of someone who is getting kicked down constantly by management despite his humble easy to get along with nature and his incredible in ring skill, everything from the orton cash in, the birth of the authority, the wyatt turn, the constant screw jobs and the great B+ taunt, from the WM win, the untimely injury...it all leads up to a narrative, something thats natural and engaging and makes anyone want to root for him regardless if they are some indy smart fan who loved his work in the indies or some casual kid who just loves his funny goat face. THAT's why people cheered for Bryan last night, because they were engaged to his narrative. Who else in the rumble had that? maybe ryback, ziggler, ambrose....
what story did Reigns have heading in to this? his pointless feud with big show? why does Reigns want to be champion? why does he want to stick it to the authority? are the authority his enemy? what obstacles has he faced to get to this moment? both physically and emotionally? what is his character like? is he strong and silent? or goofy, with his looney tunes schtick and silly winks? theres no consistency with his character, no narrative, nothing to get anyone behind him other than his music and his gimmick. I don't mind that Vince chose Reigns, I don't mind that he chose Batista last year, but gods sake, you have writers...use them, make us care about these people, you dont need Daniel Bryan, but at this point he's your best written character.
This whole movement reeks of "heat of the moment". When the gravitas of the situation of the situation hits those canceled and realize their options to watch Mania are to pay 10 bucks for the Network and all the other free content you want, pay 70 bucks to watch the show on PPV where Cole will call you an idiot for doing so, or watching shitty free stream, they'll all go scurrying back to the Network like a ho does a pimp.
ReplyDeleteRoman Reigns' ascension to the top of WWE seems alot like Diesel's push in 1994-95, only shittier.
ReplyDeleteHow to save the Reigns push tonight on RAW:
ReplyDeleteRenee interviews Reigns backstage and immediately addresses the elephant in the room.
Renee: "Despite winning the Rumble, you weren't a very popular guy last night."
Reigns: "It's OK. I get it. The crowd was rooting for someone else, and he got eliminated early. I was just as surprised as anyone else. If I was a betting man, I would have put money on Daniel Bryan being one of the final four guys. But the Rumble is every man for himself, and I made the best of the opportunity I had."
Enter Daniel Bryan.
Bryan: "Roman, I just wanted to congratulate you on winning the Rumble. You're on your way to headlining Wrestlemania and I know from personal experience how special that is. And you're right. I did get eliminated early. In fact, I was out of the match before you even hit the ring. And I just can't help but wonder if things might have turned out differently for you if we were in that ring face to face."
Reigns: "Well why don't we find out?"
Bryan: "A match? Tonight? You and me?"
Reigns: "Sure. Wouldn't want you losing sleep wondering what could have been."
They shake hands.
The Reigns/Bryan match headlines. Reigns wins clean. They shake hands again after the match, Bryan passing the proverbial WM torch. As Bryan walks to the back, Kane attacks him because reasons. Reigns makes the save. The rest of the Authority comes out and the action goes back into the ring. Ambrose comes out to help the faces clear the ring, setting up the mandatory 6-man tag match for Smackdown.
TL;DR: They need to use Bryan to give Reigns the WM rub.
The WWE's strategy of disappointing their fans on PPV and Raw in order to push customers to the Network where they can watch the product during better periods is an exciting and innovative scheme.
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ReplyDeleteVince probably thinks "It's all those damn millennials' faults".
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ReplyDeleteReview: The Rumble was WILDLY disappointing.
ReplyDelete