anarchistxx

To make a music analogy, Perry Como had the 9th best selling album of the 1970s, with sales of at least seven million copies. He was part of a 'boom'. Nick Drake sold about 5,000 copies of 'Five Leaves Left'. Yet it is Drake who has had far more archive releases and DVDs/books/programs about his life. No music fan is interested in Como anymore: most are still interested in Drake. Como's fans were merely casual. Extreme example but maybe that is how WWE sees Bret - a guy whose fans were long term fans, in comparison to the more flash in the pan stars who appealed to the casual fan as the industry boomed.

That's one guy in maybe five years. The WWE gets stick for bringing old stars back but they have established far more people than that in the same time period. Even with Aries, he has been around the block - not exactly a talent who is fresh, exciting, or even particularly charismatic or a good talker. A solid hand, nothing else. Someone like Alex Shelley is at least his equal as an all round worker if they want to push someone as a top star.

Jesus, talk about rewriting history. The problem they have is that most of the people buying these DVDs (I assume) are either old fans nostalgic about the Attitude Era or new fans who pine for the glorious age of wrestling where you got tits, violence and copious amounts of anything distasteful. They're going to be pissed off if all that stuff is taken out. Some of the things they changed such as crowd shots and entrance angles seem really strange.

Depends who is buying them. Good sales figures for a DVD are much lower than good sales figures for a PPV. If 30,000 hardcores buy the DVD it is good business for them. Doesn't mean he will/did draw massive gates around the country or sell huge shows as a headliner.

They're post-editing their PPVs now? What are they taking out, just botches or also stuff they consider to be offensive to viewers of the modern product (e.g. putting women through tables)?

Don't they build/push any new talent who aren't ex-WWE? Their roster seems to consist of embarrassing veterans, WWE rejects, Styles/Daniels and a handful of ROH guys who ceased to be exciting years ago. For a company who wants to be new, fresh and exciting they do a great job of being old, derivative and predictable.

Bubba Ray Dudley is a world champion in 2013. Fuck me. I know a load of people say he is improved or whatever, but he is not the guy you want to build your company around, or have as your main guy on top. Just another backwards step - why don't they give one of their home grown guys a decent run with the strap? Ridiculous.

You don't need writers the way wrestling is presented today. The wrestler should be the writer. At best he gets five or ten minutes of mic time a week - if he can't think of something to say and some character development in that time, he shouldn't be a wrestler. He isn't cut out for the business. Right now the WWE is full of people who look like actors, sound like actors, aren't at all believable either as ass kickers or as characters. Most of them are overtrained, and that shows up horribly in their work. You are never going to get another Steve Austin or The Rock with the lame stilted promos guys are given these days. TNA from what I've seen is just as bad, generic promos committed by generic guys. Instead of changing their writing staff they should change their personnel and get people with a good look who stand out on interviews. In my opinion if you are going to go with writers and pay them large sums, you might as well go the whole way and turn it into a proper soap opera. Long term storylines, backstage scenes, controversial stuff, pushing buttons, establishing proper characters with proper motives. WWE feuds are booked traditionally e.g. guy goes after title, beat down, authority figure, interference in matches. If you are doing it as simple as that then no way you need these writers. If you're going to employ writers, give them something to work with and make some proper detailed storylines that are as much concentrated on out of ring stuff as they are in ring. That way the matches mean more anyway because they don't have everyone work everyone on a weekly basis.

I feel like Punk will actually be a good opponent for Taker as his offense doesn't require a significant amount of bumping: Punk can bounce off him with strikes and flying moves and then bump big for Taker's schtick. The only bad thing is that the result isn't even in the slightest bit of doubt, which will suck a lot of the suspense and heat out of it. That is if it happens at all - they still haven't dropped any hints on television and I still think there is an outside chance they will use Taker as part of a team against The Shield. Storyline is easy enough, with the heels wanting to make a name for themselves and UT wanting to put the upstarts in their place, and the match itself will be easier on his body than a big singles match. I posted in the other thread I'd rather they had blown Cena/Punk off at Wrestlemania. It's been the central feud for a couple of years and deserves a big definitive finish, and plus you have the added security that it will be a great match with a good crowd reaction. Doing Rock/Cena for the second year in a row isn't at all interesting because: - They are guys who aren't really going to change it up much, so it will be very similar to the first match - Everyone knows Cena is getting his win back so there is little interest in the finish They could have easily held off another year for Rock/Cena II. The Rock could have been better used getting Orton fresh again, or in a new match with Ryback, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan, even someone like Ziggler. You might as well get as many new matches out of him while you can, who knows how much longer he will be around. John Cena v CM Punk The Rock v Randy Orton Triple-H v Brock Lesnar The Shield v Sheamus/Ryback/Undertaker Jack Swagger v Alberto del Rio Chris Jericho v Dolph Ziggler Big Show/Mark Henry v Team Hell No That's how I'd have booked the card given the situation they are in.

Got round to seeing Punk/Cena today and absolutely loved it. They should use it as a training example of how to work a big, high calibre match. They were helped out by the hot crowd, but pretty much the last ten minutes was perfect. Brilliant flow, believable, everyone busting out separate stuff, important match feel. Best WWE match I've seen since their first match at Money In The Bank. Makes me kind of disappointed they didn't do it at Wrestlemania: it would have been the perfect blowoff to the two year feud, with almost the feel of a Rock/Austin type era defining match. Rock himself could have wrestled someone fresh like Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, Ryback, Sheamus, given them the rub. With Lesnar and presumably Taker on the same card the buy rate would have taken care of itself. Not usually one for fantasy booking, but: John Cena v CM Punk The Rock v Randy Orton Triple-H v Brock Lesnar The Shield v Sheamus/Ryback/Undertaker Jack Swagger v Alberto del Rio Chris Jericho v Dolph Ziggler Big Show/Mark Henry v Team Hell No Not the greatest card ever but it works for me with what they have.

Why has everyone been so fixated on Punk vs Taker over the last couple of months? They haven't dropped even the slightest of hints that it will happen, it exists only in the mind of the internet. Taker is just as likely to be working a six man tag against The Shield or something, where he can get away with not doing much.

Why should Punk get a visual fall? He is the chickenshit heel going against the top face in the company. Visual falls are only needed when you want the heel to go over at the same time as protecting a face. Punk getting cheated out of a clean win in this match made no sense, especially since it has already been established that he needs help and interference to beat The Rock. The only explanation is that they are running a triple threat at WM and needed to keep Punk strong for it.

Not sure what that finish achieved. Why not have Rock just win clean? Match wasn't anything special. All the ref bumps were ridiculous, especially the second one which was beyond pointless. Maybe Punk gets put into the Rock/Cena match? But again, what would that achieve. And we still never found out why Vince made the DQ/count out stipulation.

Was it me or were they teasing a Ryback heel turn? Seemed to be tension between him and Cena especially. Maybe they will go with Sheamus/Ryback at Wrestlemania, the card seems very open this year. The camera work helps as well, especially all the shaky shots and close ups they did when they first came in. They've done a great job in general booking them so far, the pacing especially has been perfect. Hard to know what they will do at WM - maybe we will get a mega tag with Shield/Punk/Lesnar vs HHH/Sheamus/Ryback/Jericho?/Taker?

They really missed the opportunity to have Brodus and Tensai do the Harlem Shake then. Knowing WWE they will do it in a couple of months time when everyone is beyond sick of it.

The Shield are brilliant, really fresh look and decent in ring as well. They really stand out when you put them next to Ziggler or Miz on a show. I enjoyed the 6-Man tag very much, would rather have had it go on a few minutes longer instead of another Ziggler/Kofi borefest. Not sure it was the classic Dylan seems to think but then I'm nowhere near as into WWE as he is.

Nice match, disappointing finish. Got very awkward when they all had to lay about for minutes waiting for Henry to come out of the pod, somebody miscalculated the times. The Bryan/Kane stuff was the most fun as usual, along with Mark Henry who is in danger of turning face with his destruction act. No way they run simply Del Rio v Swagger at Wrestlemania. As I referenced earlier, Big Show has the 'I still haven't been pinned' get out clause, he will be in the match and probably someone else, I imagine a fatal four way. Maybe with Sheamus in there, or Ryback winning the title.

Wow, Swagger looks like an even shitter version of The Miz. Even Mantell can't make this dude interesting.

Miz/Cesaro wad a decent match taken individually. But when you factor in the awful finish and the fact Miz might be the most unthreatening looking wrestler of all time, then it wasn't enjoyable at all. Worst thing is the feud will probably continue now. Fingers crossed that Mix gets future endeavored shortly, unbelievable to think he worked the main event of a Wrestlemania.

Average match. The botch was hilarious. Finish was slightly worrying, because it points towards them carrying the feud on with the 'still hasn't pinned Big Show' narrative.

Could they be selling Del Rio as any more uncool? "Del Rio wants to be a champion for hard working, ordinary people." "Del Rio wants so slay the bully." "Del Rio hates people who pick on others." etc etc. This isn't 1986 and Dusty Rhodes. Kids these days don't want to slay the bully, they just want to join the bully. It seems the only thing worse than heel Michael Cole is face Michael Cole.

WHT match first yet again, could it get anymore devalued? With all the bullshit they will waste time on tonight they could easily have had the tag open. Sat with the show on the TV, Skype open, Twitter open, wrestling related chatroom open, forums loaded. Welcome to watching wrestling in 2013. Sampling the new blueberry Red Bull to help me stay up too, along with a shit load of Hula Hoops and Haribo.

Punk will be midcard anyway at Mania - third or fourth match at best, so it isn't a problem is he is working Sheamus or whoever. His act at the top of the card is getting really stale, he needs some time in the pack to get fresh again.

I don't think they would waste HHH and Lesnar in a tag match if they are working the show, any kind of big singles match is more likely to boost the buyrate. I think they'll probably blowoff Punk/Ryback or just do a placeholder feud like Punk/Sheamus. Maybe Punk helps The Shield win tonight to set up a match with either of those two. Show is free in the UK for those with cable so I'll be tuning in.

I still find it somewhat of a headtrip that Van Dam was on the 6/9/95 card, totally forgot about his All Japan run. Great match with Kroffat too, I think that and the Sabu match are the only AJPW matches I've seen from RVD, anything else worth checking out? On a side note, has anyone got the full listings for 6/9/95? Would be interested to see the rest of the card. Full show never appeared, did it? I have vague memories of Coey maybe reviewing it, but I probably made that up.