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Which hurts more?

Reigns winning and being a flop as a champ/draw

OR

Reigns losing after all of the buildup and hype?

Long term, neither are good for him, but which one sets him back more?

Winning and flopping.  If you lose, you're losing to Brock Lesnar, the scariest man on the planet and World champion, and you can at least go somewhere from there.  If you win and flop, that's a stink that takes a long time to wash out.  Plus they've put all the booking eggs into this basket, and if he's not getting over by beating the 1 in 21-1 who crushed John Cena for the title, there's little more they can do for him.  Brock should win and Rollins should cash in on the post-WM RAW while Reigns goes away for a while and they repackage him somehow.  

Comments

  1. Well if I can elaborate, I love that movie in a sweet Jesus that's so bad and I never turn it off.

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  2. "I KNEW you had potential, lad!"

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  3. THAT'S MY FAVORITE MOVIE, PAL!!!

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  4. And, Shawn chilling on his ranch, hunting. Hunter looked really uncomfortable gator hunting with Shawn on his hunting show. Of course, they were hunting gators at night.

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  5. Shawn = Army brat from Texas. HHH is from Massachusetts or New England isn't he?

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  6. I appreciate his love of Motorhead, but I question how genuine that is too.

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  7. He couldn't decide what persona fit for him until like, November. He was still acting like juvenile HHH DX but completely obnoxious and using every cheap heat tactic in the book.

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  8. I think so. It's kind of funny they became such good friends. But Shawn did need someone to drive him around when he was all pilled up.

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  9. "Then Vince has a major problem"

    You are only discovering this now?

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  10. Russo knew how to promote a big match. His main problem was overhyping something. Give Wrestlemania XV all the shit you want Austin/Rock build up was awesome. Russo couldn't create stars but you give him a legit scary heel that is major over even he would've seen I should probably book this Reigns guy to look like a bad ass if he's gonna fight him.

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  11. Who are you to doubt Samoan Dandy?

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  12. As in a man that may be walking out of Manilow's tour bus before the sunrise hits?

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  13. Scott Hall has a Kliq pic up on his twitter. Hunter is wearing a green and purple windbreaker and a WWF ball cap. So, 90's.

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  14. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonMarch 24, 2015 at 2:10 PM

    Let him get his ass kicked, Undertaker mentors him, changes his look and he becomes the silent killer he was meant to be.

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  15. Jericho said he's probably the biggest Metallica fanboy of all time. I think he made an appearance at their 20th anniversary concert, too.

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  16. On the next conference call, someone needs to ask him the name of a Motorhead song that isn';t either Ace of Spades or his theme tune

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  17. HOGAN IS, DUDE

    He almost tried out for bass, brother

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  18. '88 Elle Macpherson maybe or '96 Demi Moore?

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  19. Rollins cashes in, taunts Reigns about how despite all his talk and hard work he didn't go anywhere. Reigns goes off tv for a few weeks to sell the grueling WM match before returning as a pissed off bad ass beating the piss out of everyone on his way to Rollins.

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  20. Dolph's from Ohio, XXIX was in New Jersey.

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  21. Hopefully it features Justin Gabriel.

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  22. Show did always do fairly cool freak show stuff. Like, pulling the ring posts away from the ring on Thunder, and Scott Hall stumbling in the ring like...Scott Hall.

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  23. I can't tell you enough how I hate that finisher

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  24. I always assumed he was a well known old guy seeing it back on tape when I was like 13.

    Who was he actually? Was he anyone?

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  25. I don't think he was supposed to be the next Cena, but he was definitely meant to be a lot bigger deal than being the 4th or 5th guy added to an Elimination Chamber or ladder match.

    He certainly was supposed to be higher than Bryan on the totem pole, at least.

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  26. "you saying the Pope and the Vatican lied?"


    ...Is that supposed to seem like something the catholic church wouldn't do?

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  27. I get what they were going for with all the reconnecting with his roots and the Jose Lothario stuff but it just doesn't fit a guy who was cocky and young like Shawn at the time nor did it make any sense. Ironically I think during Shawns run in the 2000s had they done this to hype Mania 23 it would've made much more sense.

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  28. I wouldnt list the event as most important but as an aside; The Austin-Bret match from 13- I have never seen more folks get into or back into wrestling as I did for that match. Granted its in a silo but I ran two comics stores around that time and we'd have a lot of wrestling going on the tvs along with music (we didnt sell music and wasnt a big video market at the time not until dvds became more widespread so there were no video stores to push). When we'd have that on people would just stop and be enthralled asking about it


    Id agree with orginall poster and others 21 is up there for importance. I see a little in 19 the real end of rock austin around that time and could see 20 too. Its hard could make cases for a lot of them. 23 brought it back to stadiums and giant attention/buyrate. 29 felt really big because of the setting (but would have been nicer for 30 for the "symmetry"!)

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  29. What's the phrase I'm looking for? Oh yeah: "I don't care."

    Also, you did respond to me, fuck mook.

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  30. Yea, I knew they had to heavily paper, which I think is why the company was so internally down on it

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  31. Or, how about... Brock beats reigns in about 10 mins. He's beating him up more and reigns is carried out. Heyman issues an open challenge...

    Bryan comes out, ducks two clotheslines, hits the flying knee, and wins in about 45 seconds ultimate warrior style.

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  32. You obviously care or we wouldn't be having this interaction.

    Also, no shit queen bee. I said as much.

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  33. No, I meant that I don't care that you don't put "effort" into responding to me. Lack of effort in anything, by the way, seems to be par for the course for you anyhow, dear heart.

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  34. Been watching some 02 smackdown and I'm really enjoying myself. I wish they would put this whole year up. Angle was one of the best promo guys ever. This stuff is gold.

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  35. Foley has returned a number of times since his 'retirement.' In fact, you could argue he was the first of the part-time Wrestlemania stars, as he returned specifically to face Evolution at WM20 and feud with Orton, then returned to face Edge at WM22. Law of diminishing returns.

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  36. I've thought about the "you are not in in the business" argument.

    I get what I think they're saying. They're saying "You don't give the fans what they want right away. The money is made in the chase... You give them HOPE that something will happen but you don't just give it to them. They need to be rabid, they need to be pulling their hair out and DEMANDING that they finally get their way."

    That's the way it's always been done...the way it's always worked.

    The problem? Damn millennials. Anything and everything they want is available instantly. If ever they don't get what they want, they quickly choose something else they want.

    The business has to change because the world has changed. Figure out a new way to put 'em on the hook while still giving them what they want or go the way of the telegraph or the cd store.

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  37. They could write Dean out for the night by having him be 'injured' by a big spot in the ladder match.

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  38. Look at the adjective!

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  39. Probably not. You think WWE wants to pay Brock for rehearsal time?

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  40. Would you buy "You Couldn't. You Didn't."?

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  41. I approve of this.

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  42. Kind of like how the "End of an Era" HIAC match from 28, while promoted as a huge, epic, contest (and, in my opinion, met that expectation), had absolutely ZERO stakes aside from the remote possibility of the Streak ending at that point. The only result was instilling in every wrestler was the technique with which one looks/points at the WrestleMania sign, depending on your place on the roster. If you're an Attitude Era Main Eventer, you can simply look at the sign and silently automatically know your destiny. If you're John Cena, you point and shout while thumping your chest in a manly fashion. If you're Everybody Else, you get to point and not say a word.

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  43. He was a good wrestler who had some solid business runs in the old Los Angeles territory as well as around Texas, but he was far from a legend. In the parlance of Lucha Libre, he didn't make anybody forget El Santo.

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  44. ...but they don't have the balls to put Wyatt over Taker, so all this work is for a negative end result. And, by losing, where does Wyatt go from there...who does he feud with and why?

    (If they don't want to totally bury Wyatt, they can't put Taker over entirely clean. My wish would be for them to reunite the Wyatt Family to give Taker a win by DQ...but that's only because I've got the crazy idea that a current wrestler might be more valuable than one who probably should have retired.)

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  45. "because they need to run that match before it's actually too late, right?"

    isn't that the same thing that could have been said about Cena vs. Taker?

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  46. Y'know what's really gonna hurt?! That superman punch to Lesnar's skull! Believe that, one vs all!

    Amirite guys!!?

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  47. Russo's been trashing WWE for years. Ignoring how fucking awful his pole fetish/Juventud pretending to be The Rock/Fat Chick Thriller material was.

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  48. Give Reigns Sting's 1997 gimmick, minus the facepaint. Just have him randomly attack people and stand in the crowd. He never talks, he squashes when he (rarely) wrestles and build up to him vs Rollins. Then he destroys Rollins, wins the gold... and you reveal he was working with Heyman all along.

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  49. or Reigns loses the title match and then "plan b" comes into effect.

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  50. Earlier in the evening Randy Orton beats Seth Rollins. Then... Reigns beats Lesnar--an accolade you can't take away from him, beating The 1 In 21-1... but mid-celebration--Reigns barely standing from the effort it took to beat Lesnar--is blindsided by Rollins, who curbstomps him on the briefcase, cashes it in, and pins Reigns to steal the belt and shock the WrestleMania crowd.

    This immediately sets up Rollins as the slimiest, weasely heel champion ever. You also have a furious Reigns wanting his belt back, as well as Orton, who by virtue of pinning Rollins at Mania feels he deserves to be top contender. That puts Orton & Reigns at odds, and between the three you can do angles & matches til SummerSlam. And if Lesnar does re-sign the SummerSlam would probably be his next match, at which point they have the option to put the belt back on him if none of the above is working out. If Lesnar is gone then you have til SummerSlam to stretch out the story, Rollins doing everything he can to avoid giving Reigns a shot at the belt. If Reigns isn't over by SummerSlam, well...

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  51. isn't that what "family" is like? the ones you are loving and "hating" the most? (see: Bret vs. Owen)

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  52. It's astonishing how quickly Angle "got it" and quickly became one of the best all around performers ever.

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  53. Whoever inducts him should wear a black glove as a joke.

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  54. Bret continues to be the best thing about this era. Did Vince already know he was leaving?

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  55. But if the contention was "in front of 62,000 people"...I'm not sure the WWF has *ever* publicly talked about "paid attendance." They've never claimed that all 62,000-93,000 attendees of a particular show all paid.

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  56. They wanted to do a Rocky/Mick thing with Jose, but it never worked. For one thing, Rocky was an everyman, a working-class schlub, who really needed help to make his way to where he did. If you're the most tenacious, toughest, charismatic, and sexiest guy in the world already, why do you need a mentor?

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  57. And that number is right out of the Observer. I don't know if Dave ever got actual papered numbers or not, though the initial estimates ranged from 8,000 to as much as 25,000 (which seems ridiculously high).

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  58. I completely agree. I would guess that 93,173 is probably slightly exaggerated (as is the Pope's number), but there's NO WAY I'm buying that there were only 78,000 people at WM3. It makes no sense at all--and yes, I'm aware of the fabled and legendary "internal records." Internally there's far more reason to exaggerate the attendance *downward* than upward, or to tell the truth.


    Hold a gun to my head and I'd say there was a good 88,000 people or so, maybe as much as 90. The Dome held 80,311 just for football, and when you add the floor seats...

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  59. 80,311 with no floor seats. That's not "80 max."

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  60. In some ways it made sense for Jose to be there and train Shawn to win the title (a title he never won) as Shawn did have the crack at the title a few times before and always came up short, but after WM12 that should have been it for the Jose character as he got to see his student win the title. The problem was they continued to trot Jose out as a full time character.

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  61. Yeah, I believe he only ever had estimates. I don't think he ever finalized those totals, although based on the ticket prices and the overall gate, I think 25k is probably too high -- at least for giveaways. Maybe some cut rate tickets in there as well though.

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  62. I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be legal anyway. Fire codes and all that. I've never heard of an arena fudging capacity numbers. Attendance numbers are worked all the time in all lines of entertainment, but capacities? No, I'm not buying it.


    Also, Meltzer says that the WWF thought up the 93,173 number so they could "beat the Pope" (a story that in fairness is somewhat related in the WM History coffee table book). Which...doesn't make any sense, considering the Pope's visit was in September and there was nothing stopping the Church from claiming an attendance of 93,174.

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  63. Yeah I agree. Anything below 85k seems unreasonable. Are there other verified sellouts for other events exceeding 78k?

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  64. Well, he legit trained HBK back in the early 80s. He wasn't a legend by any means, but a pretty big star in places like Florida, Texas and Louisiana back in the 70s and early 80s. Mostly a tag team guy. I want to say he even had a famous run in LeBell's terrirtory in SoCal in the mid 70s.

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  65. Yeah, that line about the Pope is definitely a retcon. They wanted to beat The Rolling Stones touted record.

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  66. Meltzer's defense is that attendances are worked, capacities are worked, ticket sales are worked, papered numbers are worked, the Catholic Church is worked...in other words, everyone's a liar except Zane Bresloff. Excuse me if I don't really buy that.

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  67. It made more sense for Shawn's born again Christian down to earth character reinvention he had in the late 2000s, not so much here.

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  68. They were supposed to be build to a dramatic moment where Jose got attacked and you had the powerful image of Shawn holding him, sort of like Apollo in Rocky 4. But the other problem is that the affection between Shawn & Jose seemed either hollow or outright nonexistent.

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  69. Vince was into the time old tradition during this period where he'd sacrifice a big star after they hit their peak to a new star with the hope the new star can carry the company in the same way the previous star did. It's a shame that as Vince has gotten older and more mellow, he's become more gunshy in sacrificing big stars for new ones.

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  70. Actually, I kind of had an idea, and I almost never indulge in fantasy booking.

    First, Ambrose wins the IC belt.

    Then, Reigns puts up a good fight, but ultimately gets beaten by Brock. Reigns snaps and goes ballistic with a chair, completely beating the crap out of Lesnar. Rollins comes out, cashes in, curb stops, gets the belt.

    Reigns and Rollins have a staredown over Lesnar's corpse.

    Ambrose comes to the ring.


    All three have a staredown over dying Lesnar.

    Then...


    3 way fist bump.


    Reformation of THE SHIELD.

    Rollins is now the clear leader, Reigns the muscle (who gets the US Belt on Raw the next night however you want to book it, preferably over Cena), and Ambrose now has an actual lunatic fringe.

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  71. Led Zeppelin listed an attendance of 77,229 for their 1977 show there (which was the largest single-act concert attendance in history to that point), but looking at pictures it appears that a full quarter of the stadium was blocked off and empty.

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  72. Untrue. You would know though with the compendium of my life you've lovingly transcribed

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  73. I'm sure Shawn was pissed and thinking to himself that the old guy was killing his heat and I'm sure Jose was just happy that he was being paid.

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  74. Not to discredit ol Meltz as obviously there are a LOT of worked numbers in wrestling, but math is not his strong suit. He's certainly been duped by WWF/WCW when it comes to buy rates. His #s for Survivor Series 99 and Mayhem 99 jump to mind as being nonsense. Ditto for BATB 98 and SummerSlam 98 as well.

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  75. Threadjack: lesnar on sportscenter

    https://twitter.com/sportscenter/status/580489810822983680

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  76. Know what would have worked? If Shawn chose the greatest Intercontinental champion to have ever lived, Marty Jannetty to be his mentor.

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  77. And judging by his forehead, the guy bladed a lot.

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  78. There SHOULD be something like if Sting beats HHH he will be the new Athority.

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  79. *Could* work if Lesnar re-signs, then chases the trio. But if he's gone, do you do the Shield vs. Cena? Shield vs. Orton? Who is your babyface to chase them? I grant you it'll lead to good/great matches, maybe some good stories, but what is the end game? Where would WWE take it after 6 months, then a year? Another Shield split and Reigns re-push? Rollins face turn?

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  80. https://31.media.tumblr.com/99b8ce5582a9421f8dbe45735f431117/tumblr_inline_nfmdhrab9M1qa7k0a.gif

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  81. I paid for both showings. Now please continue explaining how you're better than Dougie.

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  82. Not sure if it's already been mentioned as the thread is pretty long, but I think it's the exact opposite on what Scott says. If Roman loses, he'll be seen as a choker and it took Luger a long time to wash that WMX stink of him. Whereas if Roman wins, it'll still flop and stuff, but at least his credibility wouldn't take a hit and WWE can continue to modify Roman's character to see what works, much like what WWE did for HHH in 99 after he first won the title.

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  83. I dont even care if it's for the title, I want one long match between Bryan and Lesnar while that's still possible.

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  84. Ah. You're his protector! How cute.

    Oh, that's one thing. I don't need a protector. But keep on keeping on. You're making me laugh.

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  85. Dude. No way I'm thinking that far in advance. Neither are they.


    But, DBry and Ziggler could work. They're both jobbers now anyway.

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  86. I think that ends up being the Summerslam main event if Brock stays.

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  87. Unless it's to beat CM Punk again after his MMA career fails.

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  88. DBry is only a jobber to the IWC. Not anyone who pays for wrestling.

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  89. Yes. It's a great demotivational symbol.

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  90. Bryan comes out on RAW and cut a Bret Hart 1997-style promo bitching about not getting a title shot and you run that angle.

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  91. Wrong again. That was a request. You aren't very good at having a conversation.

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  92. Second paragraph, genius.

    You're not very good at basic reading and comprehension.

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  93. I could dig Reigns in a silent assassin-type role like that. A "who's side is he on?" angle would work well.

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  94. In fairness, Bret was the biggest star but I wouldn't really call him a big star. Hogan to Bret and Bret/Diesel to Shawn isn't the same thing. Yet, he didn't seem to have much problem moving on from Austin though.

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  95. He's not someone whose taste I trust.

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  96. Nope. He totally didn't get dropped to the mid card and started trading wins with Ziggler.

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  97. And lesnar is staying with WWE

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  98. God, Sting as authority figure, if we have to have an authority figure, sounds absolutely fresh as a daisy at this point. That guy's character is honorable to cheeseball levels, which is what a commissioner/GM/president should be. Plus it'd be a good arc for his character. "I couldn't beat em (WWF/WWE) so I not only joined em, I took over."

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  99. More detail for those who might have missed it. Brock said on SportsCenter "my legacy in the Octagon is over".

    Sooooo...Roman Reigns, enjoy your F5

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  100. I can't wait for Wrestlemania to be over, because then we'll be able to talk about what WWE *should* have done. Yeah...

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  101. Have Lesnar beat him so badly he breaks all the bones in his body, so he is rebuilt with a metal skeleton and comes back dong the Prototype gimmick.

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  102. Interesting. I thought for sure Dana White would've thrown enough money at Brock to come back. Guess it wasn't enough. Or maybe Brock likes this laid back schedule with WWE. He only wrestles, what? Three, four times a year? And it's for entertainment instead of getting hurt in a legit contest? That's easy money, brother.

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  103. You know, I'm a funny guy sometimes. Very idiosyncratic. See, I want the WWE to push new faces and make new stars, and am very critical when they stop a push too soon for it to take hold. They should know, like any good business, that a project like getting someone over takes time and commitment, so pulling the plug on a guy like Bryan before he could realistically get over bothers me to no end.

    However, it doesn't bother me as much as when they push a guy I don't really like, and don't pull the plug after 2 months if the guy isn't a superstar by then. Which is funny, because I liked him well enough about 9 months ago, then he got injured...and now that he's come back, well...he just hasn't picked up the momentum he lost. I wish they would just cut their losses after the past month and a half or so of trying but him not becoming THE man.

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  104. Nah, he negotiated a change to a Hexagon.

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  105. So ends that.

    WWE
    ‏@WWE


    I'm here to say my legacy in The Octogon is over ... I re-signed last night with @WWE." - @BrockLesnar @SportsCenter

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  106. Taker is not coming back to do a job....like he did last year...

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  107. Spoiler: Brock wins Sunday.

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  108. So Lesnar retains at Mania.

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  109. Well this is the scenario I thought was most likely for awhile now.

    Brock would be old (late 30s) to compete in MMA even if he was fully healthy which he isn't.

    If Japanese MMA was still a thing where they could throw money at him to fight a sumo wrestler or a grizzly bear once a year on New Year's Eve then he would likely do that.

    But UFC isn't run like PRIDE was. Brock even if kept away from the title would have to fight real competition, probably even running into Overeem again at some point in the next 2 years before one/both of them aged out.

    If the choice was between getting my guts kneed out my back or 3 fake fights a year, if the money was close I know what I'd do.

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  110. I would take that bet in an instant. Bitcoins?

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  111. If his popularity were comparable to even short-haired cowardly World Champion Daniel Bryan, this comparison would work.

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  112. I wouldnt be surprised if him re-signing doesnt change a thing.

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  113. Biff Kensington Has a PosseMarch 24, 2015 at 4:59 PM

    Oh, THANK GOD, BROCK IS BACK.

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  114. There's a difference between pushing new faces and creating new stars...and pushing new faces and creating new stars that also have the audience behind them (either to cheer or boo). Roman doesn't have that. Certainly not in the way WWE keeps trying to make us believe.

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  115. ...heel Bryan? Well, I suppose its in the eye of the beholder...but while there are plenty of positive things to say about heel Bryan (whom I liked BTW.) over isn't one of them. I actually prefer Bryan as a heel. He gets to be cowardly and not have to try to push nonsense like him being a physical challenge to anyone not named Zach Gowan, and he doesn't have to do that atrocious "Awwww gee, golly, shucks" routine that Cena beat into the ground.

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  116. That's true, too. Brock's not getting any younger and he has a family to raise. Given his position, I don't blame him one bit.


    I just wish he'd wrestling a LITTLE more in a year, you know? Even half a dozen matches (with more variety than Cena and Triple H). I get that keeping him sparse is what makes him special, but I don't think having a few more matches would kill that. Especially if he's champ.

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  117. It would take like one segment to have him back in a main event.

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  118. Yet. Yet. Just like everyone else not named Lesnar. Hey, I dunno if you heard about Hogan's early career, or of this guy they named The Ringmaster...but this is far from unprecedented.

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  119. Well, it certainly adds more intrigue and I'm all for that.

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  120. Looks like someone is Reigning on Roman's parade.

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  121. And that's fine. But in BOTH cases, they had the audience backing them going into a world title match. Austin moreso, naturally. The audience was READY for him to be a world title holder.


    Reigns is not even remotely there. If they had played their cards right in the past year, he honestly could have been. As I said at this time last year, I was ready to climb on board the Reigns Train. But they've botched his main event singles push at nearly every turn to the point that I'm with Scott: time to give him time off to cool down and bring him back with a fresh take.

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  122. Wasn't it during this time period that the Yes chant started?

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  123. And with Brock re-signed, the most interesting story is STILL what's going on behind the scenes, not on camera. As it has for years, really.

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  124. Huh? Your second "paragraph" was accusing me of protecting Doug because I wanted to hear you talk down about him.

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  125. I fear that "Lesnar wins, Rollins cashes in, Shield re-forms" is the new "Jericho comes out 30th after everyone else is eliminated and automatically wins the Rumble."

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  126. Sure was. He was celebrating every win in this completely over the top fashion, with the YES chant. It eventually caught on.

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  127. You're either Dougie or you're being sarcastic and trolling. C'mon, John.

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  128. No wonder the fans pick who to cheer for based on backstage instead of the product.

    it's more interesting.

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  129. Past year? He was gone for half of it...so, not sure where you're coming from.

    Either way, I'd like to see him win it and see what happens in the following month. Will he succeed? Will he fail? I dunno...the funs in finding out.

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  130. I could def see Orton and Sting losing and getting their wins back at Extreme Rules. Maybe even Orton/Sting vs. Rollins/HHH and drag the singles matches out another PPV.

    The question is where does Sting go from there? I personally think they should give him a brief run with the title before dropping it right back to Brock. Come Survivor Series they can start the Taker stuff.

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  131. Yeah it was...and it was used to mock him because he would shout "No!" Kinda like a modern day "What?!" Chant. And god knows I love me some "what?!"

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  132. The injury didn't help matters, but from the moment he returned, they've fumbled his push with horrendously written "comedy" promos, lackluster matches (aside from Bryan at Fastlane), and trading wins with Big Show when he should be going against Brock looking just as dominant.

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  133. Eventually as in a year later when he became a face...

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  134. Probably why CM Punk caught on like he did. It was just enough reality that made the on-screen product interesting as well.

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  135. *shrug* I haven't watched the product closely enough in years to argue, so I'll assume you're right.

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  136. I dunno...watching him best Big Show consistently made him look like a giant killer. Plus we've never seen Brock v Reigns and I like when they put on new, fresh matchups we've never seen before.

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  137. Ok, then I change my statement to "the day after he ceased to be World Champion."

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  138. Yeah, but DQ or countout. Hardly a giant killer. They NEEDED to have him dominate those matches to parallel Brock and they didn't. Instead, they chose to keep Big Show looking strong for some unknown reason.

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  139. That only happened after his loss against Sheamus, when he turned heel some time later and teamed with Kane. But the YES chants were going on before that as well.

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  140. Agreed. The number given was accurate in this case -- as I said below, they really drum up the overall attendance more now for the modern WMs, announcing the overall number much higher than the actual overall number, regardless of paid number.

    For example, WM 23 I think was announced at over 80k in the building when there was more like 74k (about 68.5k paid). WM 26 was announced at 72k, with only 61k in the building.

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  141. Seriously, just swipe the finish from the movie Warrior. You know, except without the manly tears I cried throughout.

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  142. Go full Death of Superman with it.

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  143. Somewhere Ryback gave you an upvote.

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  144. M-kay. So...we're done now, yes?

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  145. Yeah, I was thinking of paid, which Meltzer had at 30,000 paying $1,000,000 a week before the show. If the final gate was 62,000 paying 1.2 million, they were basically handing out free tickets at the door.

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  146. No. Still waiting

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  147. For...what?

    OH! Well, you see, John...when two people love each other very much, they go in the bedroom and...

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  148. Why would Taker not come back to do a job, when he is only doing this for a once a year payday anyway?

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  149. Sting, after losing to HHH via Finger Poker of Doom, will lead the nWo in its beatdown of Lesnar, allowing Reigns to win the title...but it's all a swerve, as HHH grants Hollywood Hogan an immediate title match, and Hogan wins the title in thirty seconds via legdrop (his lackeys gently lower him down) The Authoritative nWo celebrates to a Motorhead rendition of Voodoo Child as we fade out on Wrestlemania 31.

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  150. Yikes. It's still a pretty good gate for the era though I suppose. I wonder how frontloaded those sales were too. IIRC the original pricing started at about $100 for the best seats and scaled down to about $12 for the cheap seats.

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  151. Chris Hyatte? Naw, he was funny.

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  152. Well, Reigns is still a member of a faction that doesn't exist and Ambrose is part Carrot Top and part cartoon character.

    I certainly can't fault anyone for wanting to reunite the Shield ASAP.

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  153. Dunno about that. HHH was perhaps the most featured guy on WWF programming during its most successful year ever (2000). While he isn't an icon like Rocky or Stone Cold, I wouldn't be surprised if a fair number of non-fans would recognize (by sight, if not by name).

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  154. AJ Lee is definitely below 80 pounds now. Yuck

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  155. Not interested in learning how you became a writer for rspwfaq.com rather, stories about why you are better than dougie.

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  156. Well, see, Dougie doesn't know about when two people and the birds and bees.

    So I gotta teach him or else it's just him, sitting there, reading the first few pages of "How to Troll Like a Moron" over and over while saying things like, "Wait...let me go back..." and "That doesn't make sense..."

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  157. If "rolling around in a ball doesn't make you tough," I wonder what changed Bret's mind on El Dandy

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  158. Until Lesnar resigned, I would have said the biggest heel win would have been Roman Reigns.

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  159. I think maybe Bret was swayed a bit by how much of a jam up guy El Dandy was maybe?

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  160. He told Vince months earlier was was planning to take a break after WM. But I guess with his contract expiring and WCW lurking his return wasn't assured.

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  161. Jose taught him how to be sexy.

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  162. In his book Shawn said he didn't realize Jose made him uncool but in retrospect it was a mistake so it sounds like he was behind it.

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  163. Trading? When did he get a win on Zigglesworth?

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  164. Smackdown I think. 2 weeks ago. It was on smackdown. I dont even think thats cannon anyway.

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  165. I admit to being a little confused. What are you pointing out specifically? Not being sarcastic. Never said I was right, to be clear, just saying that's what I made of it.

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    ReplyDelete
  168. Uh, you're looking too much into it:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZNOrKud4s0

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  169. Surprised I haven't heard this mentioned that I can remember, but you are absolutely right... a year buildup, the streak, the destruction of John Cena... and to end it all with Brock being cheaply beaten? I can't think of ANY way to make that right. This definitely called for the ol' "plucky underdog" contender winning via guts in a seemingly impossible situation (funny enough, like Sting against Vader).

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  170. The old Lion Conquerer pin? That's Jericho's flex and a foot pin, if that reference is dated/too old for anyone reading this.

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  171. "It's time for WWE to
    reap what they've sewn."


    What did they sew? A sweater?

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  172. Obviously I know it was a typo, but it made me think... imagine Reigns wins by the skin of his teeth, Rollins comes out to cash in the briefcase, Brock rips it from his hands, tosses it to the ground and F5's him, J+J run off, and HE cashes in. Thus losing and winning the title in the same night!

    I know it's a horrible idea, so it's entirely conceivable. :D

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  173. I'm semi-curious about Taker/Wyatt, to be honest. Does Taker go over and they start to build to a Taker/Lesnar WM rematch, or does Bray go over and thus take the "scary motherfucker" torch from the deadman?


    The match itself might be eh (Bray's match with Kane was shit, and Taker isn't getting any younger, even with his 1 match a year schedule) but if I were going to waste money on WM, that'd be the match I'd be looking forward to.

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  174. Wine + Lack of Sleep = misspelled words. :-/

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  175. I love an overbooked mess occasionally as much as the next gal, but I think WCW and anything relating to the MNWs should be left out of this. I'm glad they had Sting come out and say this has nothing to do with/isn't about WCW (I don't remember which specifically, same effect though).

    Otherwise, sure, run ins, bat vs sledgehammer (not gonna lie, I love it), Stephanie, Kane... FLAIR... BUT WHO'S SIDE IS HE ON? That just hit me right now! I wonder if they throw in, when things are looking their worst for Sting after shenanigans of all sorts have him down and out, a "Ric Flair is coming to the ring! HHH's fellow member of Evolution, here on behalf of 'The Game'..." and then swerve, Flair helps Sting, his greatest rival, out of a sort of mutual respect and if they must as the only greater icon of WCW than he himself. I'd prefer they left the latter out, obviously. Will rephrase and post his bit elsewhere to get people's thoughts on it.

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  176. I love the story Angle/Lensar told (Brock cheating like a motherfucker to win) but to this day the ending bothers me. Brock really shouldn't have gutted out an anklelock to win.

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  177. LMFAO Okay, well played. Glad I asked, hilarious. :D

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  178. Reminded me of Mike Tyson's punch out and the training

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  179. Well, if we're going outlandish theories here, what if all the Reigns stuff you mentioned - the Rumble win, forced-down-our-throats, etc. - was to build a monster HEEL? :D

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  180. Actually, I would be fine with most of the obvious outcomes happening, but you really do never know. The WWE have swerved the fans before for head scratching reasons. After HHH won at WM 2000, I knew you could never be completely sure of any result (I learned this fairly early though, as I started watching in late 99 beginning my teens).

    ReplyDelete
  181. I think Cena holding the US title could be great. The title has somehow been less than worthless, as being booked to win the title is almost seen as a bad sign for the wrestler's future.


    He'll be out of the World title picture which many seem to want, and perhaps a long reign with Cena showing respect toward the title and being proud of it will raise it's stature - significantly, even. If Cena had a six month reign and then lost it to , that could be huge for and the title would be firmly established - possibly resuscitating it completely. Personally, I'd LOVE that, but I'm not counting on it...

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  182. Sorry guys i'm late, anyway this review is shit and you suck !

    ReplyDelete
  183. or maybe you suck bro

    ReplyDelete
  184. Your mom didn't think so

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  185. He started the yes chants after winning the title in December, and it took off at Mania that year. The face turn didn't come for quite some time after that, after the whole No thing. FWIW, it was a gradual face turn after he had been teaming with Kane.

    ReplyDelete
  186. Didn't someone just literally die this week from getting set up for the 619?

    ReplyDelete
  187. I agree a one shot would have been fine

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  188. After how Diesel was bleeding money for them at house shows? Unbloody likely.

    ReplyDelete
  189. "Besides, it's fun beating on Dougie" no it's not

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  190. I remember the rumors that WCW was going to sign Bret and he would show up as the 3rd man at Bash at the Beach.

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  191. Yeah if anything he could have trained Shawn to the point where he was able to take the belt. Diesel or Bulldog or whoever should have hurt him like Sid did at Survivor Series. Then Shawn can get revenge for his mentor. After that no more Jose.

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  192. You seriously sign in 6 times under 6 different names to upvote your own shit?

    God, that's pathetic...LOL...

    ReplyDelete
  193. These raws were bad but the upcoming 4 weeks of top heel Diana smith hart are brutal

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  194. "If you want the title, you have to convince Pat Patterson... sexy boy" - that was super socks advice

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  195. yeah but they didn't negotiate with him until after the ppv so it wasn't him it was going to be either sting or hogan

    ReplyDelete

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