anarchistxx

'Neville' has to be one of the worst names for a wrestler imaginable.

Paul Heyman is the best promo of all time.

Mentioned this a few times earlier. People were arguing that since Reigns was getting negative reactions they shouldn't run with him at the top of the card - John Cena is the obvious counterpoint to this. The thing that matters now is that the person on top of the card is getting noise and a strong reaction either way. The era of true heels and faces is effectively dead. The real kiss of death is the muted reaction that used to accompany Alberto del Rio matches, and Seth Rollins gets quite a lot of that. I too am surprised this show seems to have so many positive reactions. Just about everything was just average, other than HHH/Sting which was an amusing spectacle that will be awful on a rewatch, and Bray Wyatt v Undertaker which is a contender for worst match of the year. Nothing on the undercard felt particularly special or career defining. Cena/Rusev had a better match last month. The Divas was fun but all over the place. Ladder match the usual entertaining garbage clusterfuck. The main event was by far the best thing on the show, and even that isn't anywhere near the ***** people are throwing around. It was flawlessly worked - that doesn't mean it was flawless as a match. Only if: a. The people who go to live shows have a major crossover with people who buy merchandise b. The people who boo him are the types of people who buy merchandise The great majority of merch is generally sold to kids and marks - not the type of people who are going to be the smart crowd contingent at the shows booing John Cena out of the building.

Not really. Bryan, Ambrose and Cesaro were working in multi-man garbage matches so they didn't really get a chance to shine. Brock Lesnar is possibly the best worker in the world in terms of overall package. Roman Reigns has been unfairly maligned and has an aura, so the match was always going to be solid. Rusev is pretty well regarded in smark circles as a very good worker. Nothing has really changed in the last year, other than more exposure for Rusev. Jerry only watching PPVs gives more credence to his argument that the finish was blinding. If he had been broken by the hundreds of hours of monotonous, repetitive, lazily booked, neverending television devoted to 'The Authority' in the last couple of years the idea of Seth Rollins as a chicken shit heel world champion would not fill him with any joy whatsoever. So he has a lot of challengers? Doesn't mean the feuds will be interesting or well booked or draw well. Lesnar had the same quota of challengers and is a better worker, with a bigger aura and a more proven draw. Roman Reigns didn't have to be booked against Big Show & Kane, there are a lot of placeholder heel challengers or people you can turn before leading up to big title matches with Rusev, Bryan [who he promised a rematch], Lesnar and ultimately Cena.

Not much has been said about HHH bumping for Rousey last night. Showed more ass for her than he did for Sting. HHH vs Rock surely has no appeal to anyone, they ran the match dozens of times when both were in their physical prime. If The Rock is working a match he should be elevating a modern superstar or appearing in a never before seen dream match.

I thought Undertaker looked a lot worse this year. He looked like the broken down, fifty year old man that he is, all the lines and sagging on his face, the horrible gelled hair, the facial hair that looked slovenly rather than intimidating. In terms of his body he looked lean and toned, but the way he was moving showed how fucked his knees are. At least last year his appearance was still slightly demonic and and scary, rather than just like a regular guy his age with a lot of injuries. to

Which they do continually, in a 'wink wink' way. How much WWE do you actually watch? Seems like you treated the events last night in complete isolation. Russo started the trend of short sighted, short term booking working towards a quick buzz, a quick fix - Money In The Bank is the culmination of that, and the opposite of running a well booked, meaningful product where the belt means something and there is something at stake. Wrong again. I praised Cena vs Rollins at the end of last year for being an exciting, overbooked hot mess. I don't want all my matches to be pure sports and have definite finishes - I love garbage wrestling and overbooked screwy finishes if they are well executed and most importantly in the right context i.e. Kurt Angle vs Steve Austin at Summerslam, the psychotic, paranoid, cheating heel attacking referees in desperation so he doesn't lose the belt to the fiery, bloody babyface. But when you have built a guy up as the new ace for twelve months, put him through a war where he has finally proved himself and got to a believable, cathartic moment of winning the championship at your biggest show of the year, is is just utter folly to stall his momentum and devalue the entire match by chasing some cheap heat, just because you are scared to go all in with anyone. Jerry, you are constructing a whole persona and set of views for me on the basis of my thoughts for this one match. There is a right time for screwy finishes, and last night wasn't it for so many reasons. Not least for the fact that with Seth Rollins as champion you are going to have an immensely tedious, repetitive, regurgitated product going forward, because of how they book authority heels. Or they had finally built him up to a point where he might be accepted by the fans as champion after proving himself, to the point where he is eating a pinfall after a screwy finish and spends the next few months getting screwed over again and again in repetitive storylines that destroy any heat he had. Roman Reigns doesn't need babyface heat all the time to be the top guy - he just needs a loud reaction one way or the other, which he got. people cared about him.

Come on - they have literally done the exact opposite. He has gone from getting a clean, decisive win against the biggest heel in the company after a violent brawl, to getting pinned by a chicken shit heel in a screwy finish. One of these two scenarios turned Reigns into a dead duck, and it isn't the one you are praising. The booker shouldn't need a safety blanket. They have complete control over the product - if they need a get out of jail free card they are incompetent and short sighted, like I have been saying. They should do the time if they do the crime. If they are intent on booking Roman Reigns as the company ace, go for it. Don't go with half measures like last night where nobody comes out of it looking better.

Rubbish. The title has meant more in the last few months with Brock Lesnar as the absent champion than it has in years. The title matches have had more of an aura, felt bigger, more exciting, more interesting. Less is more. Come on, Jerry. This might look good in your head, but you have to realize how badly these feuds are going to be booked, and how much dead time is going to be wasted by formulaic 'Authority' style feuds on television with handicap matches, screwjobs, lengthy promos. We have had this for years - Roman reigns as champion would have felt fresh. Rollins feels stale already because he has been badly overexposed in the last year. There is a huge difference between being shocked at an appalling booking decision [Daniel Bryan], or a one time event [The Streak] or some nostalgia run ins than there is booking a genuinely exciting, chaotic, unpredictable product. When was the last time anyone was surprised by an episode of Raw, or couldn't wait to find out what happened next when they returned from a commercial? Just an embarrassing paragraph here. Maybe the company should be less cowardly, more decisive and recondition the fans to expect main events without run ins, screwjobs, and with definitive finishes? Shaking my head. This is the Russo way - devalue your product by constantly chasing a short term buzz with short sighted booking and screwy finishes every week. It is Wrestlemania, the gate will always be huge. It says nothing about the long term popularity of the company because the crowd is mostly die hards. Glastonbury sells out in five minutes regardless of the acts. It would still be a bad booking decision to advertise Fleetwood Mac and then have Nickleback cash in their 'Glastonbury Contract' to force them off stage so they can play Rockstar and How You Remind Me.

Do you know how many heels have cashed in Money In The Bank? Dozens at this point. It has no proven track record of 'making heels', and a long track record of building short term heat and leading to underwhelming title runs. Besides, Rollins was pretty well disliked anyway, he wasn't a cool heel getting cheered. The cash in against a guy who often gets booed out of the building is hardly going to make him as a heel. Heat against the company, not against Rollins. There is a big difference. I was disgruntled by the finish because it devalued the title belt, made the match worthless and ruined a main event, not because the nasty cowardly Seth Rollins walked out with the strap. Jimmy Rave did that gimmick in ROH years ago. Very short shelf life. Like it matters, this is just pedantry. The result is always the same - the audience pops for the surprise and the heel gets some cheap heat, and it leads to the title being devalued, storylines meaning nothing and the preceding match becomes just a waste of time. It is especially glaring last night and in the case of Bryan vs Cena because these were well built, well received, flawlessly worked matches that could have made a new star and had a decisive finish, and instead it was the same screwy finish we get month after month, year after year. If you don't think it is a ridiculous gimmick I don't know what to tell you. They can't have a straight title match anymore because people are sat around waiting for the cash in. Look at the record of these things - when does it ever lead to a meaningful title reign or interesting television? Reigns gets a reaction. That is what you want from your modern day champion. People care one way or the other. And last night could have made him - instead he ends up taking the fall and looking like a schmuck. John Cena got booed all the time - he was still a million more times more interesting as champion than Alberto del Rio, who is equivalent to Rollins in terms of booking, heat level and fan reaction. For me Seth Rollins doesn't have it, and shouldn't be champion. Roman Reigns is a much better long term bet with the strap, and his polarizing reactions meant he could have wrestled anyone on the roster.

This as well. Why does anyone think Seth Rollins as champion will lead to good television, good booking, anything other than a monotonous continuation of the 'Authority' on top angle that has plagued them. Rollins for me doesn't even have the aura or natural charisma Orton possessed in his early days when pushed to the moon. The worst thing is how cowardly and indecisive the booking was. Scared to have Roman Reigns get a decisive victory. Scared to have Brock Lesnar take a decisive pinfall. Scared to have Roman Reigns suffer a decisive loss. So they book yet another screwy finish that devalues the championship even further.

It it? Why? If you have been following WWE for the last few years you will know that: a. They don't do 'long term booking' b. The 'booking' for this title reign will consist of long winded promos, handicap matches, hour after hour of 'Authority' garbage c. There is no appetite for Roman Reigns chasing the title, as has been seen in recent weeks. Him having the title presents a greater range of scenarios they can run with, instead of the predictable 'screwed over face chases cowardly heel and gets screwed over again and again' Anyone who thinks that was a good finish to the match they presented and the story they worked is out of their mind. Once again: it completely devalues the title to the point where having such an intense, powerful match means nothing, because some schmuck can just run down the ring when everyone is exhausted and 'cash in'. Chasing cheap heat on the biggest show of the year, when you have the chance to decisively and effectively pull the trigger on the guy you have built as your next ace for twelve months. This isn't Edge in 2006 where it felt organic and exciting - this is the same finish they have run dozens of times before, always with the same outcome. That isn't good for long term booking - that is good for generating a short term pop and buzz. WWE all over, always looking at the little picture, chasing hashtags, trying to recreate the 'anything can happen' sense of chaos around their product, which they never will because everything feels corporate and contrived. Reigns & Lesnar stiffing each other for twenty minutes in a bloody match with a definite, absolute conclusion does far more for both the product, the championship and the fan base in the long run. Someone theorized that the WWE was trying to recondition the audience by sticking with Reigns against their will - tonight once again they showed their indecision, their propensity for half measures. All they have conditioned their fan base to believe is that title matches mean nothing, because every single title match is soured by the fact people are just waiting for the grimly predictable 'cash in'. It takes attention away from your main event, serves no purpose. If you must have Money In The Bank, have a "24 Hours Notice" clause for when the winner gets to challenge the champion. They did the exact same thing in 2013 with Daniel Bryan v John Cena - a new face at the top is turned into a star after having an incredible match with the company ace and prevailing, only to be screwed out of the title five minutes later by an authority approved heel. Anyone remember how that turned out, how the next few months went? And people think this is good booking. Fuck me.

Not believable in the least. In kayfabe and the eyes of the fans DB should win that series 7-0. It wasn't long ago that he was beating HHH, Batista and Orton back to back, and to most people Harper is just a characterless midcard nothing. People probably said the same thing about Booker T, or even Benoit, before he had his best of 7 series with Benoit. Don't even know what this means. So they thought both Booker-T and Benoit were going to lose 7-0? Booker-T and Chris Benoit were reasonably equal when the series was booked. Daniel Bryan is an incredibly over guy who has headlined Wrestlemania and beaten every big name in the company, Luke Harper is someone who has no character, no motivation and is presented as a midcard nonentity, who has never had or won a meaningful singles match.

Sticking to their guns. Roman Reigns being crowned the champion, taking advantage of the one mistake, the one weak moment/lucky strike to put Brock down. The spear was the perfect moment to do it. Seemed like they built a flawless match up to that moment where they had finally got Reigns over as a credible, deserving, authentic champion after an all out war where he proved himself, and then changed directions once again. The whole booking is fucking ADD, and has been for years. Too much chasing hashtags and not enough definitive, concrete angles with compelling stories and emphatic conclusions. Fans were TOTALLY buying Reigns after that spear. You're right. Totally. The boos spoke to that. The live crowd were going to boo whatever. Cena got booed out of the building for years, doesn't mean they didn't buy him as world champion. The spear was the perfect point to end it. Really? I thought it was a masterclass. Maybe Pat Patterson was in town for more than just a shout out. Think about it. 1. Outcome 1, Reigns wins. Fans say: the company are pushing their man, Bryan, Bryan, wah, wah. 2. Outcome 2, Lesnar wins. Fans say: the title is on a guy who only works three dates a year, wah, wah. 3. Outcome 3, Rollins wins after Lesnar and Reigns have a great match, sense of injustice for Reigns who is now a "great worker" in the fans eyes, sense of injustice for Brock (now a face too) after he lost the title without getting pinned. . Or Outcome 4, Rollins wins after Lesnar and Reigns have a great match, the fans are deflated by months of boring authority bullshit, heel beatdowns and endless promos, Reigns becomes lost in the shuffle after losing his big match, the fans shit on him even more as any aura he had is gone, Brock without the belt becomes a novelty attraction never showing up to hype his feuds and not having the title as an anchor to keep him in the line of vision, the product carries on being as stale and tedious as it has been for the last few months. The only reason it makes sense to have Seth Rollins as champion is because there are a lot of face challengers. Problem is, he has wrestled most of them multiple times already. If Roman Reigns wins the strap you can feed him Sheamus, Rollins, Barrett, Wyatt and then have massive matches with Rusev [summerslam], Daniel Bryan [survivor Series], Brock Lesnar [Royal Rumble], John Cena [Wrestlemania] and then build to a match with The Rock. Of course, that would require long term strategy and the idea that they would push someone and stick with that push.

Really? I thought it was a masterclass. Maybe Pat Patterson was in town for more than just a shout out. Think about it. 1. Outcome 1, Reigns wins. Fans say: the company are pushing their man, Bryan, Bryan, wah, wah. 2. Outcome 2, Lesnar wins. Fans say: the title is on a guy who only works three dates a year, wah, wah. 3. Outcome 3, Rollins wins after Lesnar and Reigns have a great match, sense of injustice for Reigns who is now a "great worker" in the fans eyes, sense of injustice for Brock (now a face too) after he lost the title without getting pinned. . Or Outcome 4, Rollins wins after Lesnar and Reigns have a great match, the fans are deflated by months of boring authority bullshit, heel beatdowns and endless promos, Reigns becomes lost in the shuffle after losing his big match, the fans shit on him even more as any aura he had is gone, Brock without the belt becomes a novelty attraction never showing up to hype his feuds and not having the title as an anchor to keep him in the line of vision, the product carries on being as stale and tedious as it has been for the last few months. The only reason it makes sense to have Seth Rollins as champion is because there are a lot of face challengers. Problem is, he has wrestled most of them multiple times already. If Roman Reigns wins the strap you can feed him Sheamus, Rollins, Barrett, Wyatt and then have massive matches with Rusev [summerslam], Daniel Bryan [survivor Series], Brock Lesnar [Royal Rumble], John Cena [Wrestlemania] and then build to a match with The Rock. Of course, that would require long term strategy and the idea that they would push someone and stick with that push.

Sticking to their guns. Roman Reigns being crowned the champion, taking advantage of the one mistake, the one weak moment/lucky strike to put Brock down. The spear was the perfect moment to do it. Seemed like they built a flawless match up to that moment where they had finally got Reigns over as a credible, deserving, authentic champion after an all out war where he proved himself, and then changed directions once again. The whole booking is fucking ADD, and has been for years. Too much chasing hashtags and not enough definitive, concrete angles with compelling stories and emphatic conclusions.

Not believable in the least. In kayfabe and the eyes of the fans DB should win that series 7-0. It wasn't long ago that he was beating HHH, Batista and Orton back to back, and to most people Harper is just a characterless midcard nothing.

Reminds me of Daniel Bryan vs John Cena at Summerslam. A near enough perfect title match that had gravitas and intensity and made the belt seem incredibly important, with the payoff of crowning a new champion and creating a new star. Then the entire match and struggle is devalued by the pathetic Money In The Bank gimmickry, 'Authority' approved heel walks out with the title that means nothing because he too could be cashed in on at any time, and cue two months of gloating, heel beatdowns and monotonous promos. It really isn't. Everyone saw this coming. For the last few months on this board alone dozens of people have commented on the likelihood of a Wrestlemania cash in. It was depressingly predictable if anything, more like Theon getting his dick chopped off than Robb Strak getting his throat slit.

You wouldn't have got that from Roman Reigns capitalizing on his lucky break with the ring post dazing and bloodying Lesnar, throwing every finisher he has at him and finally slaying the beast against all odds? That is about as definitive a culmination as you will get. It actually occurred to me a few times during the match. When he came down it was a sense of 'here we go again, how grimly predictable'.

Can you imagine the final round of Mayweather v Pacquiao, Amir Khan running down to the ring completely fresh and cashing in his contract and getting to box the worn out champion for a few more rounds? That is how ridiculous this charade is, unbelievable that they have run with it for ten years. Finish absolutely ruined what was a brilliantly worked championship match, that far exceeded the hype and told a wonderful story.

The match itself was incredible, and deserved a clean decisive finish. One of the best stories they have told in years and the way they built and managed the match was flawless. It set up so perfectly for Roman Reigns to win with the blood and the ring post and the quick, lethal capitalization. Money In The Bank is a horrific gimmick and completely devalues the strap. Was a fun novelty at first, but not anymore. Why have an intense, drag out, desperate battle for the belt when some guy can just come from the back and beat the exhausted champion? The novelty value of Seth Rollins as champion will wear off after another six months of neverending authority promos to open Raw.

Terrible ending. Devalued the entire thing. They had set it up so perfectly for a believable Roman Reigns victory - Lesnar getting dazed and busted opening by the ring post gave RR the lucky opening he needed to take him out with a barrage of finishers. Was the perfect, simple storyline.

Lesnar has such a fucking aura. So far ahead of the rest of the roster in that regard, other than perhaps Cena. Seems like they are setting this up as a semi-flukey Reigns win due to Brock being overconfident. It is the wrong move, and wouldn't get RR over at all - seems like a total half measure.

This feels like a big match. No need for contrived, overbooked entrances. Almost a pure sports type vibe. Lesnar's entrance especially was 'business as usual' type.

If Lesnar goes over this could legitimately be 2003.