C.S.

Nese is 38 years old. He's had plenty of time to develop a character. Anthony Bennett, at 21, is already leaps and bounds ahead of Nese in that department. I'd question Nese's instincts here, not "The Kid Who Don't Play." We're going in circles here, so let's just agree to disagree on this. Anyway, my thoughts on this week's show: - Rich Swann vs. Jason Lee was underwhelming to me. Swann didn't impress me as much as I was hoping, but to be fair: 1. This was Swann's first match after a shoulder injury. 2. Swann has his character and mannerisms down pat. Awesome stuff. 3. I'm sure Lee was suffering from the dreaded jetlag. Seriously though, the commentators missed a major opportunity to go into Swann's anger when his facial expression turned because they were too busy droning on about Cena speaking Mandarin. Who gives a fuck? - Noam Dar vs. Gurv Shira was nothing special, and the wrong guy won - only because Dar is the first WWE wrestler ever born in Israel. Not sure why that matters but it was a major talking point and something they obviously see value in - for this round at least. My only hope is that they see more upside in The Bollywood Boys as a tag team and sign and push them that way. - Jack Gallagher vs. Fabian Aichner was great fun, and contrary to the silly comment that was posted earlier, I liked Aicher even though he had muscles growing out of muscles. In any other match, Aichner would have been the star. He's the perfect example of someone making the most out of this opportunity even in loss, which is something that not everyone in the tournament has done IMO. As for the winner, Gallagher was amazing. I love everything about the "Extraordinary Gentleman." His wrestling style, his look, his character, his mannerisms. No one else would be able to make those trunks, boots, and ridiculous little mustache work, but Jack Gallagher pulls it off. - Wow, wow, WOW at Johnny Gargano vs. Tomasso Ciampa. They showed that they're among the most seasoned wrestlers in the tournament with an incredible match that told a brilliant and brutal story. Easily the best match of the CWC thus far. I cannot say enough good things about it, and I hope both men's stocks have risen considerably because of it.

I totally concur. I even started this "Microscope" thread in defense of Douglas.

Just to add to this: I run counter to most of this board because I think being "just a worker" means nothing, and I actually look down on those types of wrestlers. They don't draw money, they don't bring in fans, they don't build the business in any way. Character, charisma, and storyline are all incredibly important - vital - components of a wrestling match and of a wrestler. Someone who is "just a worker" and has nothing else going for him is damn near useless to me on a major league (WWE) level. That's why I'll value - for example - Anthony Bennett (the "Kid 'n Play" wrestler) over Tony Nese (the muscular guy with zero character at this point) from the Cruiserweight Classic. With time and seasoning, Bennett will have the far bigger upside.

I never said Nese was the problem with the match, so don't put words into my mouth. I don't give a flying fuck about Nese's muscles either. His character - if you can call it that - is bland as fuck. Being a "worker" alone gets you nowhere in WWE. You know that. And as a worker, let's face it, Nese is hardly elite by the standards this tournament has set. We're not talking about Kota Ibushi here. Bennett has tremendous upside as a character and personality. He's still young, so there's no reason to think he can't or won't improve in the ring over time.

Other than maybe 4 or 5 of the truly elite, most of these guys would die an instant death on Raw - Cruiseweight division or not. Bennett is one of the very few who could stick around for years to come. Future World Champion? No, but I see far more upside in his character and act than I do someone like Tony Nese.

Read a sample of this on my Kindle last night. Really well-written and compelling stuff. I remember it being posted here at the time, so I'm not sure why I never bought it. Any reason to get the Kindle edition over the physical book? (Glossy photographs, etc.?) Some others I've read recently: - I really doubt this is under-the-radar, but the new Pat Patterson book - Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE - is excellent. It covers everything, from his childhood to Legends House. There are a couple of instances of homophobia or discrimination where he doesn't name the perpetrator because he doesn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing their name in print, and you kinda wish he'd go into even more detail at times (especially about the Alley Fight with Sgt. Slaughter), but those are nitpicks. One person he does go into detail about is Ray Stevens, who gets an entire chapter dedicated to him. It's a fantastic book overall, and it will probably end up being the best wrestling book of the year. I highly recommend it. - I also finished Ali vs. Inoki, and it's a bit dry but quite good. Goes into wrestling a lot more than I expected - including quite a bit of detail about side characters in the story, like Freddie Blassie. The Kindle version has formatting issues though - missing dashes and words clumped together likethis - so the physical version might be the way to go, assuming that doesn't also have the same problems. I've made the author aware, but a fix has not been issued yet. I hope they just don't ignore it. Really drives me crazy when this happens on Kindle books. Ring of Hell was a catastrophe in this regard, and the butthead author and publishers of that completely ignored me. Looks like it's not even on the Kindle store anymore. That's one way to solve the problem, I guess. Still wish I had gotten a refund at the time. Thankfully, the Ali vs. Inoki author acknowledged me and said he was unaware of the problem but would be looking into it, so I really hope a fix is forthcoming.

Shinsuke Nakamara is amazing. Even in a nothing match against a hopeless jabroni like Wesley Blake, he was still awesome. The mannerisms alone are such money. TM61 did nothing for me. They seemed like a couple of bland jobbers. Then again, I thought the same about The Revival at first, and they're amazing now. If NXT has proved anything, it's that they can turn "workers" into a more complete package - Becky Lynch is another perfect example of that. I wasn't sold on No Way Jose at first, but they've added layers to his character since then. I really dig his angry side and "crazy eyes." Makes no sense from a storyline perspective for Aries to target him - what does Aries get out of it? - but Jose should be able to carry him to a fun match. Kota Ibushi wasn't nearly as impressive against Buddy Murphy. He was still good, mind you, but his match against Sean Maluta in the Cruiserweight Classic was far more compelling, and he felt far more important in that setting. The CWC entrance and graphics don't work well with NXT's presentation. A throwaway show overall, but still fun. BTW, I assume that weird wolf vignette was for Ember Moon.

I forgot to mention Anthony Bennett. I really liked him and I kinda thought he should have won. He would likely go a lot further on Raw or Smackdown than Tony Nese ever will. Hope he's not seriously injured.

Zack Sabre Jr.'s tights are way too small for his body. He needs to go up a size. Just saying. Wrestling-wise, I really liked his unique style, but it definitely felt a bit low key for the "THIS IS AWESOME!!!" obnoxious smark Full Sail fans. Bryan even acknowledged as much by pointing out things that he said would not necessarily wow a crowd but impress other wrestlers. The Kendrick-Mendoza match was a lot of fun, but I really hope the "pretty face" stuff for Mendoza was meant ironically, because that is one ugly pug-looking motherfucker. I still think the commentary is mostly fine. Some flaws and growing pains, but still miles ahead of what we see on the main shows. The only thing I don't like is how Mauro and Bryan telegraph every single winner. It makes all of the matches too predictable. BTW, did anyone else notice that Ciampa and Gargano were referred to as "former" tag team partners? What's the deal there? They're supposedly getting an NXT Tag Team Title match against The Revival at Takeover: Brooklyn (or so I'm assuming).

I kinda hope the Finn-Jericho rumor is BS and the actual feud will be Jericho-Roman. I can see Jericho convincing Vince that he's a strong enough heel to turn the fans and get people cheering for Roman.

Too long, but Orton seemed natural, comfortable, and smooth for once. I liked it.

Geez, Backlund sold that slap like he got shot out of a cannon. LOL at Young looking at his hands in shock like Backlund used to do. Nice reference to 1994.

Did JBL just say tonight was a "one-time opportunity for Bayley to be in the WWE tonight"? Or did I hear incorrectly? Please tell me I misheard.

Bold prediction on Sasha's partner (if it isn't Bayley): Sara Del Ray.

Uso Ice Cold. They're not over at all. Glad Breezango won. Usos need a heel turn and character makeover.

I can't see how NXT could possibly be harming WWE's bottom line. What it has done is create a hot new revenue stream that didn't exist before. I'd bet that NXT house shows are doing a hell of a lot more business than random Smackdown house shows used to do during the last brand split, not to mention NXT merchandise, etc.

I think the rumor about them pushing Roman as a babyface is either bullshit/misdirection or plans have changed. Booker T flat out said on the Network Draft Center special that the fans hate Roman and he questioned the Usos about the fans hating them too because of their association with Roman.

Joe vs. Rhyno was a lumbering bore. Can't wait until Shinsuke Nakamura is the champion. The last two champs (Joe and Balor) have done nothing for me, and as well-worked as their feud was, I wasn't into it at all. I was disappointed that Patrick Clark (vs. Austin Aries) didn't get to debut his pro-Trump gimmick. Authors of Pain vs. American Alpha was fun. Bayley vs. Nia was surprisingly solid, and probably Nia's best match to date.

Was I the only one hoping Kenneth Johnson was the son of Slick? (Slick's name is also Kenneth Johnson.) I liked the first week a lot more, but Lince vs. Mustafa was probably the best of the bunch this time. TJ Perkins didn't wow me, to be honest, but I ended up liking him anyway.

Speaking of "bad behavior," here is a transcript of Cesaro's frustrated "shoot" interview (courtesy of Cageside Seats): JoJo: Cesaro, you were drafted in the 6th round to Raw. How are you feeling about all of this? Cesaro: First of all I’m not too happy to be drafted 17th in the 6th round. I had a feeling I should be drafted a little bit higher, I was hoping to be at least top ten. Just looking at the rosters and what the GMs talked about yesterday how SmackDown is going to be the wrestling show and all about in-ring product and all about the Superstars and not necessarily about the GMs and that whole drama, I feel like I probably would have been a better fit for SmackDown. But just like in my career so far here, there’s always a little stumble block or whatever that I have to overcome, so, um... I’m looking forward to being on the flagship product... trying to see the positive, being on the flagship product, WWE Raw, that’s where Cesaro belongs. JoJo: Speaking of GMs, how do you think that Mick Foley being the General Manager and Stephanie McMahon being the Commissioner - how do you think they’ll co-exist? Cesaro: Honestly, that’s part of the problem, that you just asked me that question because I don’t really care. I think Raw going forward needs to be about the Superstars, it needs to be about the performers in the ring and not about how Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley co-exist. They need to be there to mediate and make the best show, but that does not need to be the focus. So, the focus should be on the Superstar who got drafted. We have Seth Rollins, we have New Day, we have Finn Bálor coming up from NXT - those are the people we should be here talking about. But we’re talking about Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley which is annoying to me. A lot of people talk, it’s always a lot of talking and you haven’t heard me talk that much. This is actually great. I can be even able to talk and people can see I can actually speak, you know? My brain can form thoughts that come out through my mouth. The problem is sometimes I stumble the words because I speak five different languages, we know all that, so the thing is I like to speak the language that everybody speaks all around the world, that the WWE Universe loves... that’s the language of wrestling that I do in the ring. That’s what I do best. That’s why I always deliver. Cesaro on Raw. http://www.cagesideseats.com/2016/7/20/12233518/cesaro-shoots-on-the-draft-mcmahon-centric-stories-in-his-post-show-promo UPDATE: Now on YouTube!

A transcript of Cesaro's frustrated "shoot" interview (courtesy of Cageside Seats): JoJo: Cesaro, you were drafted in the 6th round to Raw. How are you feeling about all of this? Cesaro: First of all I’m not too happy to be drafted 17th in the 6th round. I had a feeling I should be drafted a little bit higher, I was hoping to be at least top ten. Just looking at the rosters and what the GMs talked about yesterday how SmackDown is going to be the wrestling show and all about in-ring product and all about the Superstars and not necessarily about the GMs and that whole drama, I feel like I probably would have been a better fit for SmackDown. But just like in my career so far here, there’s always a little stumble block or whatever that I have to overcome, so, um... I’m looking forward to being on the flagship product... trying to see the positive, being on the flagship product, WWE Raw, that’s where Cesaro belongs. JoJo: Speaking of GMs, how do you think that Mick Foley being the General Manager and Stephanie McMahon being the Commissioner - how do you think they’ll co-exist? Cesaro: Honestly, that’s part of the problem, that you just asked me that question because I don’t really care. I think Raw going forward needs to be about the Superstars, it needs to be about the performers in the ring and not about how Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley co-exist. They need to be there to mediate and make the best show, but that does not need to be the focus. So, the focus should be on the Superstar who got drafted. We have Seth Rollins, we have New Day, we have Finn Bálor coming up from NXT - those are the people we should be here talking about. But we’re talking about Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley which is annoying to me. A lot of people talk, it’s always a lot of talking and you haven’t heard me talk that much. This is actually great. I can be even able to talk and people can see I can actually speak, you know? My brain can form thoughts that come out through my mouth. The problem is sometimes I stumble the words because I speak five different languages, we know all that, so the thing is I like to speak the language that everybody speaks all around the world, that the WWE Universe loves... that’s the language of wrestling that I do in the ring. That’s what I do best. That’s why I always deliver. Cesaro on Raw. http://www.cagesideseats.com/2016/7/20/12233518/cesaro-shoots-on-the-draft-mcmahon-centric-stories-in-his-post-show-promo UPDATE: Now on YouTube!

They can sell it to him or lease it to him. They've done that in the past, I'm pretty sure, with both Rock and Undertaker.

I added this to the original post: UPDATED: FULL DRAFT RESULTS From WWE.com: Round No. 1 1. Seth Rollins - Raw 2. WWE Champion Dean Ambrose - SmackDown Live 3. WWE Women's Champion Charlotte - Raw 4. AJ Styles - SmackDown Live 5. Finn Bálor - Raw from NXT Round No. 2 6. Roman Reigns - Raw 7. John Cena - SmackDown Live 8. Brock Lesnar - Raw 9. Randy Orton - SmackDown Live 10. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day - Raw Round No. 3 11. Sami Zayn - Raw 12. Bray Wyatt - SmackDown Live 13. Sasha Banks - Raw 14. Becky Lynch - SmackDown Live 15. Chris Jericho - Raw Round No. 4 16. United States Champion Rusev (with Lana) - Raw 17. Intercontinental Champion The Miz (with Maryse) - SmackDown Live 18. Kevin Owens - Raw 19. Baron Corbin - SmackDown Live 20. Enzo & Cass - Raw Round No. 5 21. Gallows and Anderson - Raw 22. American Alpha - SmakDown Live from NXT 23. Big Show - Raw 24. Dolph Ziggler - SmackDown Live 25. Nia Jax - Raw from NXT Round No. 6 26. Neville - Raw 27. Natalya - SmackDown Live 28. Cesaro - Raw 29. Alberto Del Rio - SmackDown Live 30. Sheamus - Raw Round No. 7 (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network) 31. Golden Truth - Raw 32. The Usos - SmackDown Live 33. Titus O'Neil - Raw 34. Demon Kane - SmackDown Live 35. Paige - Raw Round No. 8 (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network) 36. Darren Young (with Bob Backlund) - Raw 37. Kalisto - SmackDown Live 38. Sin Cara - Raw 39. Naomi - SmackDown Live 40. Jack Swagger - Raw 41. The Ascension - SmackDown Live Round No. 9 (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network) 42. The Dudley Boyz - Raw 43. Zack Ryder - SmackDown Live 44. Summer Rae - Raw 45. Apollo Crews - SmackDown Live 46. Mark Henry - Raw 47. Alexa Bliss (from NXT) Round No. 10 Picks (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network) 48. Braun Strowman - Raw 49. Breezango - SmackDown Live 50. Bo Dallas - Raw 51. Eva Marie - SmackDown Live 52. Shining Stars - Raw 53. The Vaudevillains - SmackDown Live Round No. 11 (announced during WWE Draft Center Live on WWE Network) 54. Alicia Fox - Raw 55. Erick Rowan - SmackDown Live 56. Dana Brooke - Raw 57. Mojo Rawley - SmackDown Live from NXT 58. Curtis Axel - Raw 59. Carmella - SmackDown Live from NXT Undrafted Heath Slater http://www.wwe.com/2016-wwe-draft-results

I hope Dillinger gets drafted. He is the most underrated guy in NXT and deserves a real chance to shine.

Shocked that Cena hasn't been drafted yet...