The Thread Killer

I only saw them work as a team once or twice and I can’t honestly say that they made much of an impression one way or another. Is Alba Fyre noticeably better than Dawn was?

I totally get what you are saying. I have been a member of this forum for 20 years, as hard as it is to even wrap my head around that. I was a member here when it was “New Millennium Blues” before it even morphed into PWO. I think you have been around just as long as I have. Hell, there are a few members here who I knew from Messageboards even before that, back in 1999 or so. I distinctly remember that one of the main ideas around the founding of this forum was that discussion of politics was pretty much forbidden. If I’m not wrong, that’s the actual reason it was named Pro Wrestling Only. Obviously, we have gotten pretty far away from that, especially lately. And I agree with you, it has gotten really depressing. One of the main reasons I come here is to get away from politics, not to discuss them more. Sadly, @Loss and @goodhelmet seem to be long gone from here, so there are no administrators around anymore to actually enforce the rule about no discussion of politics. It would be nice if at our age, we didn’t need somebody to moderate around here, but in some cases, it seems like we do. I don’t like AEW. I did, but then they made a bunch of decisions I didn’t agree with, and I stopped watching the product because I stopped enjoying it. I will occasionally drop a snide comment in the AEW thread here at PWO, but I certainly don’t do it continuously because I have no desire to ruin the discussion of the AEW product for the people that do actually enjoy it. I think that once you have clearly made your point about something, it’s probably best to just let it go and not beat the horse to death. But that seems to be where we are around here. I totally get where you are coming from, @Coffey and I am strongly tempted at times to stop posting here too. PWO has basically turned into a ghost town, a shadow of what it used to be. A lot of that is just due to the fact that people tend to use Social Media, Reddit and Discord to interact and Messageboards have become obsolete. But there are other reasons why this place is rapidly dying…and it sucks. I hate to see this place wither away after all this time, but if we keep losing members like you… it’s only a matter of time.

Add Isla Dawn, Giovanni Vinci and Gallows & Anderson to the releases list.

Blair Davenport reportedly gone too. I have to be honest, I don’t think I know who she is. Although she apparently is dating Will Osprey, and has already had a run in AEW? Apparently Osprey was openly mocking Triple H at some indie show this past weekend so people are speculating this might be retaliatory. There are also people buzzing on Twitter, claiming that the reason Duke Hudson got released is because he’s gay.

I was surprised when I saw that they were going to the Main Event already at 10:35 PM. And then I remembered that this is WWE, so the entrances are going to take 15 minutes. I’ve been loving Raw since the “Netflix Era” began, but June can’t come soon enough for me, when SmackDown goes back to 2 hours. I don’t care how good things have gotten creatively for WWE, 3 hours is too much of a slog.

Sonya Deville is reportedly gone too.

So apparently, Cedric Alexander, Paul Ellering and The Authors of Pain have all been released. Which means The Final Testament are pretty much done, now all they have to do is get rid useless Karrion Kross. Not that I’m advocating for anybody to lose their job, of course. But he’s terrible. It will be interesting to see if Cedric Alexander ends up with the Hurt Syndicate in AEW. He was part of the stable in WWE, but then again he is married to Big Swole if I’m not mistaken. We all remember how her parting with Tony Khan and AEW went.

So based on who has already qualified for Elimination Chamber and the remaining qualifying matches that have been announced, it looks like: Cena, Punk and McIntyre confirmed. I assume Logan Paul beats Rey, and Rollins beats Balor to go in. The remaining spot will go to the winner of Strowman vs. Priest vs. Fatu. Not sure who takes that one?

Based on the promos between McIntyre and Knight on Smackdown tonight, I’m still not sure if this whole story is a work or not. Which is great.

Plus, he didn’t get hyped, he stayed hyped.

Graham even admitted that when he went backstage after he got his Legends deal, half the locker room wouldn't talk to him because of what he had done to Patterson. Superstar Billy Graham is an interesting case because even in the carny/bullshit world of Professional Wrestling, he managed to stand out with some of the carny shit he did. This is a guy who had that legendary series of matches with Dusty Rhodes at Madison Square Garden back in the 70's. He and Graham were friends. Then something happened (neither Graham or Dusty would say what it was) and they didn't talk for over 20 years. When Graham mended fences with WWE, got his Legends deal, got his DVD and Autobiography published, and got into the Hall of Fame, Graham and Dusty mended fences. There's even a picture of them hugging in Graham's book. Then Graham has another falling out with WWE, renounces his Hall of Fame induction and sells his ring on eBay. After that, Dusty Rhodes dies. Billy Graham goes on Facebook within a week of Dusty's death, and says that HE should get Dusty's job of teaching promos in NXT because he'd be great at it. His "friend" is barely in the ground, people are still publicly mourning, and there's Billy Graham publicly campaigning for his job. And then he starts complaining that nobody from WWE is returning his calls about it.

Yeah, I watched the whole show as well, and I agree with your assessment overall. "Okay-to-Good" is a pretty accurate rating. There was nothing terrible in there, and there was some good stuff for sure. Nothing great, but it was an easy watch which (as I said before) certainly hasn't been the case when it comes to Raw in years past. -> That opening segment was something. What a fan reaction. I can't argue with you there. Even if I hated Uso (which I definitely don't) you would be a fool to deny how hot the guy is right now, and you have to go with the hot hand. I also have to give it to WWE creative for going with Uso when they have so many other easy alternatives. In the past, I think they have sometimes gone with other guys in Main Event spots because of injuries or whatever...almost out of necessity. This time, they have a glut of certified Main Event level guys who you could easily slot into this spot, but they are going with Uso. I didn't expect it, but I get it and I don't hate it at all. And when was the last time this company actually made a creative decision you couldn't see coming from a mile away? Gunther was great in this segment, as well. -> I thought the Penta match was good as well. He's definitely being used well, between the hype he's getting, the string of wins on TV, and his performance in the Rumble. I liked how they really put over how he was this year's "Iron Man." I'm not 100% sure where they are going from here...is he heading into a feud with Kaiser based on the post match attack, or is he heading into a feud with Dunne based on the promo interruption...or is he going to end up feuding with both of them and need some backup from somebody who hasn't shown up yet (fingers crossed?) -> Like I mentioned earlier...that Charlotte promo was rough, but I still am not sure if that was intended or not. As I said earlier in this thread, I can't ever remember a major star coming back from a prolonged layoff due to injury and getting booed. That was just weird. I am really not sure what they were going for here, but I don't mean that as an insult. It almost seemed like she was trying to do the whole heartfelt babyface promo, but the fans wouldn't let her, so she kind of just gave up on it. I don't think she was acting particularly heelish when the fans started to boo her. I don't know if this was what they expected and planned for it, if they were sending her out there to test the waters and see how the fans treated her, or what the idea was. I'm with you though, @DMJ I don't hate Charlotte anywhere near as much as a lot of other people seem to. She certainly has the skills and has proved repeatedly she can deliver in the ring. Off topic a bit...I actually have a certain degree of sympathy for Ashley Flieher as a real human being. Not to be insulting, but I think she has some problems. I think growing up as Ric Flair's daughter did a number on her psychologically. It's a documented fact that her brother's death really messed her up. And I saw her A&E Biography. As obnoxious as she comes across, I think she has some self confidence/identity issues and (if I may play amateur psychologist) a case of body dysmorphia. It was all there in that Biography special. It seems like she feels if she starves herself, sculpts her body enough and gets enough cosmetic procedures she's going to feel good about herself and like who she is. It's kind of sad to see. Anyhow, getting back to the segment...if they end up going with Rhea vs. Charlotte at WM, you won't hear any complaints from me. That match they had at Wrestlemania 39 was the best match on the show, and Rhea was right when she said during this segment that she has only gotten better since then. -> They need to decide where they are going with this New Day heel turn. It's starting to become more apparent that this angle is not going to involve Big E, or even Big E managing another team against them, so this is going to run out of steam if they don't throw another development (or other participants) into the mix. One of the reasons the fans were so into this whole thing is because they love Big E. If you remove him from the equation, I think you have to give the fans somebody else to cheer for. I'm not sure Rey and Dragon Lee are the guys to do it, either. The match was what it was, a serviceable TV match. I'm not sure what the point of Logan Paul being out there was, either. -> The Sky vs. Morgan match was pretty damn good. I was a bit surprised it ended up in a DQ, but there you go. I have to admit I have totally turned around on Morgan. I used to think she was pretty useless, but the whole angle with Rhea was gold (although Dom and Rhea deserve a lot of credit for that) and I'm actually interested to see where she goes from here. -> I agree with you that what started as a very hot crowd at the start of show, fell off HARD. And I blame Seth Rollins for that because his segment was exactly like the legendary Flowbee hair-cutting system...it somehow managed to suck and blow at the same time. He was obnoxious and insufferable, and I know it's easy for some people to say "He's supposed to be like that, it's his character" but I don't know what the point of having him act like that really is. He attacked Roman, who is crazy popular. He trash talks Punk, who is crazy popular. He calls out Sami Zayn and gives him some sort of weird pep talk/stern lecture. I don't get it, I don't like it and I think it's stupid. Just when Rollins starts to not grate on my nerves, along comes a segment like this. I don't know if it's the creative, or Rollins, or both...but this really didn't hit for me, and based on the crowd reaction, it didn't hit for them either. -> I liked the Main Event too. I figured I knew what the result was going to be, but damned if they didn't pull me into it anyhow. Zayn is so good, and Punk has certainly proved since his return from his injury last summer that he can still go when it matters. As far as the attack by Owens...meh. Both these guys are pros and are still at the top of their games, and obviously there is plenty of documented proof that they can work well against each other, but the other part of me is wondering why they are doing this angle AGAIN. Even if you discount their history in ROH, these guys have had this whole love/hate thing going on since NXT, and I'm not sure how much I want to see them against each other again. This roster is so stacked, I find it hard to believe that they can't find somebody fresh for both guys to work against. I read somewhere that Owens and Zayn apparently always wanted to work against each other at Wrestlemania, so maybe this is some sort of bucket list deal for them, I don't know. I don't totally hate it, but I'm definitely not in love with it either. Overall, this was definitely a fair-to-good episode of Raw. I was never bored, and it clocked in at around 2 1/2 hours, so that's a win as well. Let's see where things go from here.

The Creed Brothers are getting a shot at the War Raiders? Good. Those guys are awesome, if not a little green. I would very much like to see more of them on TV.

Yeah, until I read that article, I had no idea at all that the former Mojo Rawley is now working as a sports/talent agent.

It really doesn’t help her that, even when she’s trying to be all sincere and heartfelt, Charlotte comes across as eminently unlikable.

Based on the fan reaction on Raw tonight, sounds like the fans aren’t any more excited about seeing Charlotte again than most people around here were How often does somebody come back from a year+ layoff and get booed?

So much for my “Andrade went back to WWE to spend more time with his wife” theory, I guess? Boy, first Rusev/Miro and Lana/CJ and now Andrade and Charlotte. Black and Zalina and Rhea and Buddy better be careful. Going to AEW from WWE is apparently hazardous for your marriage. Mind you, Charlotte is a Flair, after all. This is only what, her third ruined marriage? I know both she and Ric have said in the past that they want her to break her dad‘s overall championship record. That might still happen, but she has a long way to go before she can match his ruined marriage record.

From a career success standpoint, Andrade’s move from AEW to WWE has definitely been lateral at best. I don’t think he’s any better or worse off. The best he can hope for is a run with a midcard title. I am guessing the major selling factor in him coming back to WWE was the fact that his wife works there, and he is apparently pretty good friends with Punk which obviously did not endear him to the AEW locker room. Actually, come to mention it, you will probably be able to say the exact same thing for Malakai/Aleistar Black.

There has definitely been a noticeable change in the WWE ring style over the last couple of years. They have definitely slowed things down, and they are also trying to make some specific moves mean a lot more than they used to. A great example would be the piledriver. Now, whenever somebody delivers that manoeuvre in WWE, the announcers react like it’s a major deal. Part of that change has been that yeah…there is a lot more emphasis put on guys staring at each other, facial expressions and even talking to each other in the ring and having the microphones pick it up. Some of that I really like, and some of it I don’t. The changes to the booking and creative have been really noticeable as well, WWE is so driven by stories right now, more than I can ever remember it being before. It’s definitely a different style than what you see in AEW. Those guys tend to throw everything they have at each other, and I don’t think there is anywhere near as much of an emphasis put on selling, psychology or character development. I’m willing to bet you could probably go into an AEW PPV totally blind, not knowing any of the angles, and you would simply be impressed by the fast paced matches. Whereas I remember, I watched Summerslam with a friend of mine who hasn’t seen any WWE programming in ages and he didn’t understand the entire Rhea/Dom/Liv angle, for example. And that’s just because he hadn’t been watching the television leading up to the event, so the stakes didn’t mean anywhere near as much to him. Before anybody freaks out, I am not saying the WWE style better but I am also not saying it’s worse. It’s just different. It is basically two totally different styles and presentation methods for Professional Wrestling. I don’t think the difference in style between the two companies has ever been more apparent than it is right now. But then again, that makes sense when you think about it because obviously both companies are trying to appeal to totally different demographics. I am guessing AEW is happy to appeal to the hardcore modern Pro Wrestling fan, whereas the stuff WWE is doing now is definitely more entertainment based and aimed at families and kids. WWE is like a soap opera with Pro Wrestling as the end result, whereas AEW seemed to me to be more an athletic exhibition with nowhere near as much emphasis being placed on “telling a story.”

Scott Steiner’s son Brock is playing college football, but he has already made it pretty clear that once he is finished with football, he definitely intends to try and get on with WWE. I’m just imagining a new, younger version of the Steiners… definitely something to look forward to. Just not for the guys in the locker room if the two younger Steiners act like their fathers.

Yeah, I did not post a lot of comments during the actual Rumble itself last night because I was just enjoying it, but it definitely ranks in the top third all time of Royal Rumble matches. Just based on the talent alone, if nothing else. But there were some great moments in there. One of my favourite moments was when Roman was spearing the shit out of everybody and laying them out, and then Breakker turned around and did it to him. The look on Heyman’s face was priceless. And as you said, Penta and Fatu both came out of that match with a bigger shine as well.

You make an excellent point. Having had some time to think about it, the result of the Men’s Rumble is starting to make a bit more sense to me. Sometimes I think I tend to get trapped in the online “smark” bubble and assume that just because people don’t like how a particular guy works or other stuff about him, then he must not be worthy of a particular level of promotion. Let’s face it, if nothing else WWE is a business that is designed to generate revenue and that has never been more true since the company was sold and became part of TKO. The fact is for whatever reason, and whether we agree with it or not, Jey Uso is extremely popular. Most importantly to the company, he apparently moves a ridiculous amount of merchandise, and he is also extremely popular with children. One moment that really jumped out to me last weekend during Saturday Night’s Main Event, was during Uso’s entrance. Some parents had their little boy dressed up exactly like Jey, and on his way to the ring, he stopped to acknowledge the kid and they (sigh) “yeeted” together. The kid could not have been older than five or six years old, and it was pretty adorable, I’m not going to lie. Even for a bitter old crank like me, I have to admit it was very endearing. WWE is probably more than happy to sacrifice “match quality” for merchandise sales and popularity with children and families. Having thought about it, it probably does make sense to have laid the foundation of Jey being totally unable to beat Gunther up to this point, but having earned another chance to do it on the biggest possible stage. It’s not the match I necessarily wanted to see, I enjoy Gunther a ton and there are a bunch of guys who I would rather have seen him match up with, but from a business and marketing standpoint, this might be a smart way for them to go. I don’t necessarily like it, but I’m starting to understand it.

Overall, I thought this was a great show and both Rumbles definitely delivered.

I know he hasn’t wrestled in ages, but it was hard not to notice that Cena looked pretty rough in there, as well. He’s definitely starting to look his age, and I don’t know if he can really hang in a Wrestlemania Main Event. Then again, Uso is not really anything to write home about either, and he hasn’t been inactive for ages like Cena. I can only assume we are going to see all sorts of shifts in creative between now and Wrestlemania. It’s not like they are going to give us Gunther vs. Uso again, and I can’t see Cody vs. Uso either, really. Also, did tonight signify a full-blown heel turn for Rollins? It kind of came off that way.