anarchistxx

John Cena is the most marmite promo in the history of wrestling. Opens the show with a believable, intense, interesting promo. Two hours later he is cutting an awful jokey style interview about donkeys, putting on silly voices and coming off like the most uncool idiot you've ever seen. How do they go that route, though? Nobody wants to see Cena doing 'psychological' style stuff with The Wyatt Family in a boiler suit, it would soon get old and ridiculous. They should save the Cena turn for something huge, anyway, this feud doesn't feel like it is right for it. Obviously him cheating to end the streak would have been perfect, but that is gone now. Costing Daniel Bryan the title would give him crazy heat.

Yeah, that segment was easily the best thing about an underwhelming Smackdown. The crowd seemed a bit deflated about the lack of Daniel Bryan. SD seems to be really hit and miss, one week all the top stars are there, the next week nobody is. I don't hate the 'PG era' in principle, though it must be said that The Shield beatdown on 3MB was ridiculously tame, especially for something that was meant to dehabilitate them for a couple of hours. Even though the brand split was a bit of a mess in the end, it did ensure that Smackdown had a distinct identity with its own big storylines. Struggling to see the point in keeping it around other than as an extra bit of financial revenue.

Corino is a cool guy, he talked to me for about twenty minutes in a locker room once when he could have easily just cleared out and gone home. His work never particularly enthralled me, except for the brilliant Homicide feud in ROH.

Am I reading this right: WWE is runnig their own Big Brother with a load of old wrestlers? What a bizarre idea, though probably ridiculously entertaining in practise considering how crazy most of the ones who survived are.

Sting vs Cena and the increasingly unlikely Sting vs Taker are the only matches that look remotely interesting. Sting is simply too old and has been away too long for most fans to care about him. Maybe bring him in for a few months towards the next Wrestlemania and dust off all the big matches for one last run. As a draw going forward he has no value, and I'm sceptical that he has enough star power to even pop the buyrate/interest for one show. Maybe they will sell some merch, but again he is too old to appeal to the main merchandise demographic of young kids. Is there even any proof that Sting was ever a major draw for any extended period? He certainly wasn't anywhere near the Rock/Austin/Hogan level. Is he even a step up from someone like Dusty Rhodes? The only reason people would be remotely interested is that he has stayed away from WWE for so long, similar to Bret Hart. And like with Bret, the interest would soon wane.

I was one of the biggest advocates for WWE getting away from the homogenous brand of wrestlers who all had good physiques and were competent it the ring, but had nothing that made them standout or any real charisma or personality. Having said that, Cody Rhodes is pretty good, especially when he works underdog fiery face. He has the offence and size to make that work. As a heel he is boring as sin, though. Probably best that he sticks to the tag division.

In boxing people will often discuss whether it was a 'good fight', and people feel actively ripped off if they have paid for a fight that doesn't deliver. Stylistically there is an onus on boxers to use an exciting, attacking style, especially if they want to move up the ranks, so it certainly isn't too out of the ordinary to be rating an event on the quality of the action. Style tends to affect ratings in fighting sports in a way it doesn't for something like soccer. If Jose Mourinho sets his team out defensively and spoils the match people discuss it, but they will still tune in for the second leg. If David Haye fights a boring, rope-a-dope style it gets roundly derided, and his stock as a boxer goes down compared to someone like Carl Froch who drums up buyrates on the basis that he will have an all out war.

I think Evolution will win at Extreme Rules. They will want to get Orton & Batista strong again, and they will want to make it a big deal when Roman Reigns eventually pins HHH.

Asparagus is way nicer than pizza. Clean and fresh, rather than greasy and fatty. Rob Van Dam is a sprout at best.

Can't believe they are running Swagger/Cesaro on Smackdown rather than at the PPV, they have these ready made feuds and they just waste them in TV matches whilst filling the PPVs with padding and rubbish. Even worse is that the promo afterwards suggested RVD/Cesaro at Extreme Rules, and if this match was any indication they have zero chemistry, the first few minutes were excrutiating.

Surprised the breakup was so low key. There wasn't even the traditional miscommunication leading to a defeat. Think they should maybe have pushed the button on this a couple of months back and ran the brother vs brother match at Wrestlmania, and then had a more heated rematch with a stipulation at Extreme Rules. As it is I'm not sure they can build the heat in time. They are making a mistake positioning Cody as the heel too, he is awful and ridiculously generic in that role, needs to be a fiery babyface against his bitter, devious veteran older brother. Agreed, they should let him loose more often, very natural and funny. He is maybe the most underrated guy on the roster, improving in the ring all the time and genuinely charismatic. Almost reminds me of Steve Austin, stuck in stilted gimmicks for years but could really get hugely over if he is allowed to be himself and run with things.

They needed some talking time, if only to become more comfortable for when they become top singles guys down the line. Nothing in there was too bad, thought they came over quite well.

The lines really are blurry these days. Bad News Barrett was pretty much working face on the mic and in the ring. Evolution are about the only truly total heels right now.

WWE should have the wrestlers wear non-attire more often. Evolution look cool as fuck in their shirts and suits and waistcoats, adds to their aura immeasurably. How much better would Big E be if they cut to him lazing in the back in his slacks, rather than intently staring at a screen watching the match in a singlet clutching onto his belt. It looked really unnatural, and they can't even use they excuse they wanted to shift merch because he wasn't wearing a branded t-shirt or whatever.

Corporate Kane was fun. 'The demon himself' Kane in a mask putting on monotonous beatdowns and having boring matches is the same shit they've been running for seventeen years. Not sure why anyone would relish Kane going back behind the mask. Does anyone now? It's still clearly the #3 match on that show. 'Doing something' should have involved a video package detailing their history and some well written promo stuff followed by the physicality, rather than a generic heel attack.

I thought it would be alright as a placeholder feud, but that segment didn't come over great. Daniel Bryan came accross really weak, not sure they should be selling him as an underdog champion this early, it sets the tone for his reign and also goes against the narrative they set at Wrestlemania where he beat all the top guys cleanly. He shouldn't go from that to being easily dismantled by a guy who himself was squashed at the last PPV. The tombstone looks really fake, too, as it has to in order to be safe, which didn't help the lack of a sense of realism and danger. Starting to think they should have run a feud with Wade Barrett or somebody they want to elevate down the line. Stephanie wasn't very good in this scene either, her screeching was back and she is way better when she is smug with lots of cute lines instead of shouting at a wrestler to stop a beatdwn for ten minutes. Another problem is that DB has gone over Kane clean a few times in the last couple of months. It could have been a quickly thrown together scene to get Daniel Bryan off the show early due to the death of his father, which is fair enough. Have to think he would have gone on last otherwise.

Worked for about two months, maybe. It certainly didn't work for Lord Tensai or Heidenreich or the litany of other big, imposing men they have tried to push that way. Squash matches are outdated, slow and predictable and don't do any good either for the squasher or the squashed. They stick out especially on a show which nowadays has a lot of fast, athletic, exciting wrestling. Bryan>Lesnar>Reigns/Cesaro seems a logical belt progression at the minute, if they can build a one year plan around that they should do well and keep momentum. You have to fear that the progression will be more like Bryan>Batista>Lesnar>Cena though.

WWE needs to throw a load of money at Renee Young to make her stay. It is so rare they have a non-wrestling personality who is both likable and good at their job.

Extreme Rules - Kane Payback - Randy Orton (Has to get his rematch sometime sadly...) Money In The Bank - Batista Battleground - Cesaro/Barrett/Ryback/Swagger as a placeholder feud Summerslam - Brock Lesnar Quite straightforward really, because Orton & Batista will both definitely get a rematch. At Battleground there are a few heels bubbling under that Bryan can beat decisively to keep him strong going into Summerslam. He should definitely not take any falls until the summer, and be booked strong rather than as an underdog champion. Gives the Lesnar match a bigger feel. Makes sense, will avoid the show. Urgh, squash matches on PPV are so terrible, and kind of a cheat to the people who have paid money for the show. Rusev would get over way more if he actually beat someone halfway credible in a more competitive match. Squashing nobodies is fairly pointless, since it doesn't get him any heat because nobody cares about the guy getting beat up. Also, there has been a shift towards 'smarter' fans at the venues who appreciate guys who can go in the ring, so having a good match would probably do more for him than a boring squash which people will use for a piss break.

Smackdown looks terrible this week, just about everyone I dislike on the roster is in a match, and a lot of notable talent are missing, guessing people are having a bit of time off after the grueling Wrestlemania schedule. Hopefully Bryan returning will regain momentum.

I also think they will lose a lot of subscribers after the first six months. There certainly won't be one million active subscribers by the end of the year, although they might get a million subscriptions in total at some point.

I can see that. Until a month ago I was fairly unaware of things like Roku that let you stream stuff through your television, although I did know that some gaming consoles could be hooked up to do it. And I am pretty young and informed of technology/culture compared to a lot of people. Your idea of a cross promotional deal with one of the box providers is really good. Personally, I think that most people are generally: - Lazy - Resistant to change - Not engaged with latest technology Fans of the WWE are also more likely to be in lower income brackets and therefore balk at the idea of having to sign up to a contract and buy additional hardware, plus might not have unlimited internet bandwith. They might erroneously consider that the traditional method is safer, easier and even cheaper - false economy is endemic in the working classes, doing something that seems cheaper at the time but actually ends up costing them a lot more. There are also the people who buy on a whim, the people who club in together to reduce cost, the kids who don't care which is cheaper because the parents are paying and explaining and selling a subscription service to them is way harder than just asking them to buy the PPV as a treat. Are those type of fans ever going to sign up to the network though? If they are that casual and uninformed their attitude is likely to be 'I don't need and won't use the network, and can't be bothered to find out about it'.

Watching through the traditional method is easier and simpler for customers who don't have the relevant hardware to play the network through their television. It is also guaranteed to be reliable, whereas there are always doubts when it comes to new streaming services that will be heavy on traffic. Watching on PPV doesn;t require a signup, is as easy as pressing a button on your cable remote, and it is the way people have done it for years. People are resistant to change. People will most often take the easy option even if it requires more expense. The idea that fan education is the reason doesn't wash for me - they have shilled the network on Raw for weeks and weeks, with the commentators proviuding a step by step guide to how to sign up, the content and ways you can access it. People knew about the network, they knew what it entailed, yet they still preferred to stick with a tried and tested method that they know. People may have also wanted to record the show on DVR or back it up on disc, which would be very difficult with the network. People may have clubbed in with friends to buy the PPV, and paid $10-15 each, way cheaper than a six month network committment that a casual fan may not use. People will go out and spend £50 on a boxset of DVDs when they could subscribe to Netflix and get a hundred times the content for a lot less money. It isn't especially that they don't know about Netflix and how to use it; they just prefer to use an easy method which doesn't require any thought or change. I made these points before Wrestlemania when I predicted the show would do a strong number.

There has been a proliferation of steroid use amongst 'regular' people in the UK, presumably fuelled by the chiselled, buff physiques that young men are under pressure to adopt now. I have a friend who looks down in disgust if someone dares to enjoy a bit of coke on a night out, yet thinks nothing of injecting some steroids into his ass in the car park behind the gym. Couldn't believe how many friends were doing it, and seemed to consider it perfectly safe and natural, it was usually people who you would never assosciate with drug use either. WWE ought to do an awareness campaign on the dangers, reminding people of all the wrestlers who died young, but they won't of course because they would be tantamount to admitting part culpability.

Wasn't a bad show, although it didn't reach anywhere near the heights of last week. The ending was kind of refreshing - heels acting like heels, and a good old fashioned beatdown with some fiery fighting spirit from the faces before being put down by the devious bad guys and their superior numbers. Faction warfare is always welcome as well, you get to see a few guys interact with each other so it is kept interesting. Really looking forward to the six man at Extreme Rules, hope they get plenty of time and make it a wild brawl. Sheamus/Barrett and RVD/Cesaro are fairly tasty semi finals, presumably they are up next year.