sek69

I kinda dig it, but I grew up on this kind of wrestling so it hits me pretty hard in the nostalgia feels. Besides, I don't know if it's fair to bash them for pretending it's 1985 when other sports are always harkening back to the good old days. I don't think it's the worst thing in the world to go back to your roots. The show *is* the NWA, for whatever that means these days. Hell, I kind of wish they went all out and had skinny fat jobbers and masked guys in enhancment roles.

Watching the NWA show, so far they've done a really excellent job recreating the 70s/80s studio wrestling vibe.

The saddest thing was watching all the WWE diehards out there Well-Actually'ing everyone by pointing out it was a ref stoppage rather than a DQ. As if that makes it any less lame. This show reminded me so much of 1998 era WCW before it completely went to shit, the undercard was pretty decent but the main event was so mind bendingly awful it tainted everyone's view of the whole show. You saw that a *lot* in that era.

i believe I've heard both Matt Riddle and Ronda say at different times the hardest thing about going from MMA to pro wrestling is trying to ignore years of training telling you to hit someone as hard as you can.

It's clearly trying to redo the Tyson/Austin angle, but I kinda dig how they played up that Braun and Fury were too much for the usual security geeks to handle and actual wrestlers had to come out to help. Fury's going to have to learn how to do worked punches though, he was clearly trying not to make contact out there. Which isn't the worst thing since I'm sure those indy guys didn't sign up to get KTFO by a world champion boxer.

Also is it striking anyone else as odd they are framing the draft as USA vs Fox?

Even if the PPV wouldn't have been a complete disaster, this was probably always set to be a lame duck placeholder since the draft starts Friday.

If we could like posts, this post would get all the likes.

Dave was talking about how WWE sees Brock, Seth, Becky, and Charlotte are the tentpoles of this new era of WWE. Seth being an absolute disaster so far has not seemed to shake that plan.

Once they renamed the Cruiserweight title to an NXT one, I figured it was just a matter of time. I suppose this was the best move for all sides. One less show WWE has to produce, gets more people to fill 2 hours of NXT TV, and now Crusierweight title matches can be held on Takeovers where they'll get a response rather than being heatless affairs on WWE PPV pre shows.

Apparently the crowd was chanting "refund" after the show went off the air as well.

Killing gimmick matches like that is some WCW 2000 shit.

A DQ? In a cell match? Fuck this company.

LOL at the crowd booing hard at what they thought was a finishing sequence for Seth.

Does this need to have the red Kane lights on the whole time?

Is there anyone who needs to get out of WWE more than Gable at this point? Every time he's on TV I can just hear Vince's voice "HA HA, SHORT JOKES THAT'S GOOD SHIT PAL"

A Hell in a Cell match ending in a non finish is as weaksauce as it gets. (Your're probably right though)

Heel Asuka rules, thats the only takeaway anyone should have here.

Lacey is going to end up with Baron Corbin Syndrome: got pushed too soon before they were ready so by the time they grow into their push the fans see them as undeserving of anything they get.

Yes everyone assumed Brock was going to win, and no one was expecting it to be a 45 minute WWE Epic Main Event style match, but having Kofi get zero offense and lose in seconds was a slap in the face to anyone who got invested in his chase for the title. It just felt like WWE was telling anyone who got hyped for Kofimania that they were silly to think a leopard would change their spots. It was the same thing that happens every time Vince gets talked into something he doesn't normally do (ie: put the title on someone smaller like Kofi, Rey, or Bryan), he has to over correct by having them get squashed by a big guy. As far as them not getting the benefit of the doubt due to their race history, don't forget the run up to Kofi winning had him saying to Vince that "people like us" don't headline Wrestlemania. They backed off it somewhat, but a big part of it was the implication WWE would not want and/or put up roadblocks for a black guy getting a title shot let alone be champion. Having his reign end in seconds to the big jacked up white guy seems like they are ending that chapter by saying "see, we told you so". Now to be fair, I doubt anyone in WWE ever thought it could be interpreted that way, but that's kind of the whole problem. TL;DR yes it was time to move past Kofi as champ, I don't think anyone would disagree with that. WWE just did it in the most ham fisted and thoughless way possible.

Just kind of hammers home how much AJ has become an afterthought in the Heyman Era.

WWE posted a video of last year's Hell in a Cell, and all it did was remind me you could barely see what was going on with the awful red cage they used.

Also this is the B-est of B PPVs to the point that they didn't even bother announcing the entire card. They only bothered to promote 3 matches and announced Bayley/Charlotte on social media.

The Fiend needs to win or Bray's back to being all talk no action, and Seth needs to lose because *gestures broadly at what a mess he's been as champ*. So I expect them to put over Seth strong and make everyone feel like chumps for ever getting excited about the Funhouse stuff.

This. Even if Rollins was a draw of some sort, he's been exposed as a thin skinned weenie online and that's never going to be a look for someone wanting to be the face of the company.