C.S.

Wait, really ? The son of Meng got a Mexican gimmick named Camacho ? Holy shit. Hahaha, fair point, but the Asian Meng was a WCW gimmick. Haku at least got to keep his own roots/heritage in the WWF. Aren't mutual releases handled differently though? At the very least, they're usually not lumped in with several other names. Even if this was Teddy's choice, he still deserved a far better send-off.

JTG released.

I'm not holding a torch for Bourne. He's a complete idiot with two back-to-back Wellness Policy violations. Plus, for as long as he hasn't been used, I'm sure he still got paid all this time. Hard to feel sorry for him. Pretty classless, if so. The guy deserved a real retirement, not this "future endeavored" bullshit. But I guess they couldn't be bothered after they worked J.R.'s "retirement" and that bounced back in their faces. Otunga is as close to bulletproof as someone can be. Married to Jennifer Hudson AND an intelligent Harvard-educated lawyer. They'd be massive fools to fire him. Always something for a guy like that to do in a publicly traded company. Drew McIntyre is someone they really missed the boat on, and all over some stupid issue with his girlfriend/wife/whatever she was. You'd think the company would be more interested in, ya know, actually making money. Drew was a hardworking guy who got a raw deal. I think Camacho deserved at least one chance with a repackaged name/gimmick. Turning the son of Haku/Meng into some kind of half-baked Mexican character was beyond idiotic. At least Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty got a chance to move up from those dead-end personas. Guess Camacho's dad doesn't have the same stature.

I like Slater too, but Drew had far more upside IMO and they canned him. What a waste either way.

Add referee Mark Harris (who?) to the list.

Where do you see this? It's not on WWE.com that I can see. Edit: Just did an F5 refresh and see them now. FUCK!

Totally disagree. She is about the only diva who looks like the type of girl who would follow wrestling, and looks like a hotter version of the pale outsider girl that the typical overweight, black t-shirt nerdy wrestling fan believes he can date (delusional or not). From the way she looks and carries herself, she is the perfect face, and the ideal antidote to the blond model types who the girls hate and the boys can't date. She is almost like a CM Punk in that respect, a 'cooler' version of the typical fan. She has the potential to all of that, I agree - sort of like the Lita of her generation - but that isn't how she should have been debuted IMO. She should have come in more like her NXT character - the bitchy anti-Barbie type - and then built up cheers and a face turn organically. Debuting that character cold - no backstory, people knowing nothing about her, etc. - and expecting her to get over as a face was a very misguided strategy. Even her pandering promo on the most recent NXT PPV shows just how miscast she is in that sweet, humble, nice girl, smiling all the time role. It was horrible. The results speak for themselves. No one gives a fuck about her right now. You can make the excuse that she hasn't had the opportunity to be in longer matches, but her character isn't over either.

Paige is miscast as a babyface, period. Right or wrong, when I was first exposed to her (vs. Emma on the first NXT Network "PPV"), I thought she was a heel.

My two favorite Larry matches (keeping in mind that I wasn't around for the Bruno or AWA stuff): - The Enforcers vs. Dustin Rhodes and mystery partner (a returning Ricky Steamboat, subbing for an injured Barry Windham) for the WCW World Tag Team Titles. Probably the first truly "great" match I ever saw. - Lord Steven Regal vs. Larry for the WCW World Television Title. Despite not being a natural babyface at all, Larry had me rooting for him to win the belt (which he did) - and I was a big Regal fan even at the time.

They were good wrestling matches, yes, but they completely infuriated most of the fanbase. Christian, a crowd favorite, FINALLY wins the World Title - only to lose it two days later to Super Orton. Then Christian gets turned into a chickenshit bitch heel, gets buried by his own "best friend" Edge, and loses to Orton in every rematch. When he eventually regained the title, it was by DQ or something equally as ridiculous, and even that lasted only a month or so before Super Orton "saved the day" again. Garbage booking like that is precisely why so many people resent and are sick of Orton today.

The Legends of Wrestling issue is FINALLY fixed on Roku. I caught the Heatseekers episode last night. Really fun show. Wish they had another hour to go into more detail and talk about more people. By the end, it was obvious they were running out of time and couldn't really get into Buff Bagwell, Missy Hyatt, etc. the way they wanted to. Eric Bischoff was surprisingly entertaining and candid about Lex Luger and Scott Hall - and when Foley mentioned the "Uncle Eric" angle in ECW with Tommy Dreamer, Bischoff called him out on it: "You got over at my expense" or words to that effect. There's a two-parter on Rivalries that should be interesting (not to be confused with the later show they also did on the same subject). I'm looking forward to watching that as well.

Wow at last night's Legends House... After so much stupid, silly shit, they finally "got real" with a very emotional and powerful episode. They never made it clear what Pat Patterson was getting so choked up about. Was he coming out of the closet to everyone? That's the only thing I can think of. But I'd hate to read into something that wasn't there. That moment with Jimmy Hart and Tony Atlas was also touching and beautiful. This episode was compelling, impactful television the likes of which is rarely (never?) seen on a WWE show of any kind.

Orton is a good wrestler, but he's bland on the mic, stale, and overexposed. Not his fault though. With the death of the territories, there's nowhere else for him to go. Back in the day, he would have been able to move from one place to another and remain fresh. No such option exists anymore. (Before someone says TNA, ROH, or Japan, come on...) Don't want to turn this into a political thread, especially since this point is entirely irrelevant to his work as a wrestler, so I'll just say this... I'm more forgiving. He was young, joined the Marine Corps impulsively, and handled the situation immaturely (a pattern he'd repeat for a long time thereafter). But were his actions really that bad? IMO, it's better that he "ran away" BEFORE being placed in a combat situation and potentially putting everyone else's lives in danger. I'm not sure, though, why he couldn't just leave the Marines through the proper, official channels...is there not a way to do that?

Putting him with Heyman was another mistake, I agree. After Ryback and Axel, being a "Paul Heyman Guy" is no longer a guarantee of anything. It will work out better for Cesaro in the long run than it did with Rybaxel, but it was still a stupid move. And the worst part is, Cesaro is constantly overshadowed by someone who's not even around. I'm referring, of course, to Brock Lesnar. I assume there's a long-term plan in place to turn Cesaro babyface after he finally gets sick of the whole Lesnar deal. Actually, why am I assuming that? This is WWE Creative we're talking about!

Call me crazy, but...Stevie Richards. He was a great comedy character, but he eventually got over as a serious main event level guy in ECW. He did variations of his comedy gimmick in both WCW and WWE, but he showed a completely different side of himself yet again with the RTC gimmick. Very versatile performer overall.

I've hardly changed my argument. Momentum entails moving upward. Sideways is not upward. I hated the finish (I don't mean who pinned who, though I hated that too). I found it illogical that Cesaro would hit one of his signature moves and then lose right after. It did the Cesaro Swing no favors. It also doesn't help that the commentators did a shitty job explaining/selling it (nothing new there, but still). It's a match that didn't need to happen and shouldn't have happened. Before Payback: Sheamus was on a roll, Cesaro was on a roll, so why not continue to let them both be on a roll? Of course, this is the same company that had Sheamus in the U.S. Title in a battle royal after making Dean Ambrose look like a goof who didn't defend his title for months. So, yes, I am overthinking all of this. In fact, I'd wager to say I've put far more thought into it than the WWE creative team has. In a month, Cesaro could very well win the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Title at Money in the Bank (I doubt it), and this entire debate will be moot. And that bugs me too. There's no logic or cohesion with anything. Another example I used before in this thread: Cena apologizing to his little kid fanbase for being slightly violent against Bray Wyatt only a few months ago, and then he has that crazy match at Payback (throwing steps, etc.), with no one bothering to explain his sudden change in philosophy. There are easy ways to connect the dots, but no one in the WWE can be bothered.

I was thinking last night that Dean Ambrose is a natural heel, Rollins is a natural face, and Reigns could probably pull off both roles equally well. I expected a Shield turn of some sort eventually, but Rollins being the one is definitely unexpected. I am curious to see how - or if - he fits in with Evolution. Seems like such a duck out of water pairing. Does he cut or dye his hair one color now? Not sure what the logic is. Being jealous of Reigns? Okay, but he's going to be even more overshadowed by H and Super Orton. As usual, WWE throws darts against a wall. Don't expect a satisfying explanation. You didn't get one for the Austin heel turn, and you won't get one here.

What I'm "on about" is this: How does the match or result help Cesaro? How does it further his momentum? Hell, how does it help Sheamus? The answer for all of the above is "it doesn't." May as well have been a no-sell. Cesaro hits one of his signature spots, only to lose right after. That's crap. Yes, the Cesaro Swing would logically take a lot out of him too, but as someone else pointed out, the commentators didn't get that over at all. Besides, I'm not sure I buy that argument anyway, because it has never worked that way in any of his other matches (but correct me if I'm wrong). THANK YOU! THIS is my point. They're moving sideways, particularly Cesaro. It's a problem with WWE booking in general, and it has irritated me about many matches/feuds - this just happens to be the one I'm arguing about right now.

Well you caught me! Rubbish match. Maybe it was my mood then, but I just don't see how this helps Cesaro. Wrestling is scripted, so there's no reason this match had to happen at all. Both Sheamus and Cesaro could have been put in positions to win and continue their momentum. Bringing back RVD, who looks old and is being acknowledged as old by the commentators (WTF?), is a waste of a spot/match. Having RVD put over Cesaro last month was perfect. This month was one month too many for RVD. I realize Cesaro will be fine. I'm just tired of illogical, poorly thought out, rushed WWE booking. Unless it's the 2-3 main storylines, it seems like they're just throwing darts at a wall. No, not a new problem, but still irritating.

The reason for the Kofi match and Kane coming out were absolutely mentioned and explained as a punishment during the show. Anyway, maybe it's just my mood, but I thought most of the matches were lackluster until the main event. Explain to me how John Cena suddenly starts throwing steps around when he apologized to his toddler fans only two PPVs ago for far less violent acts. If the rationale was that he snapped and did what he had to do to put away Bray Wyatt, that wasn't conveyed well - or at all - by the commentators. The finish was also the worst of the year (and we're only a month removed from the horrible forklift finish between Bryan and Kane) and maybe one of the worst I've ever seen in all my years as a fan. Just hokey crap! Just about everything on the undercard disappointed me. Cesaro was booked like shit, losing to Sheamus in a bland momentum killing-match that the IWC will pretend to like just because Cesaro was in it. It's especially disappointing considering how well Cesaro has been booked otherwise since WrestleMania. I have nothing against Sheamus - I actually like him - but the WWE could have given Cesaro a different feud and let Sheamus beat someone else. It's plain bad storytelling. The WWE writers don't have a clue half the time, and I really wonder if they luck out when it comes to the other half. Rybaxel is okay, I guess, but nothing they do excites me in the least. When Cody grabbed the mic, I didn't expect him to walk away from the team because he no longer believes in himself. That surprised me. I figured he would yell out "WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!?!?!" to Goldust and then attack him. But maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic for Owen Hart. I'm officially bored with Rusev now, and I tried to give him a chance. Big E goes from IC Champ to Rusev victim, which certainly can't help him and shows how little WWE values its belts now (not a new problem, but still). Rusev's WWE victims being mostly black must be some kind of racist internal rib only the front office finds funny. Big E did get some nice offense in, so I'll give him that. It's more than Truth and Creed got at least. I'm even more bored with RVD, who looked old and was subtly made to look washed up by the commentators against Barrett. Bryan/Brie/Steph was magical though. I could have listened to them for three hours. Paul Heyman was fun as well. And I love how both of them shut down the CM Punk chants. The main event was great IMO. Did not expect a clean sweep by The Shield. Don't know if it will hold up during repeat viewings, but I was emotionally invested in the moment, and that's all that matters. I'd be pissed if I were Ambrose and Rollins though, after hearing one of the idiot commentators (King?) refer to Reigns as the "leader" of The Shield. That kind of bullshit does not help the "Hounds of Justice." Hell, it doesn't help Orton and Batista to still be second fiddle to HHH ten years later. They are probably in a worse position now than they were when Evolution was actually relevant. Oh well, I'm sick of all of them, so who cares. I do feel kind of bad for "Bluetista" though. He was put in an impossible situation at the Royal Rumble and has made everyone look like a million dollars since then. My heart can't help but go out to the big lug now. I hope he gets a second chance and face run after the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie.

BTW...

That was great, LOL, but the show itself keeps getting worse and worse IMO. Who the hell thought it was good idea for them to go "LARPing" (live-action roleplaying). All of these stupid scenarios are just horrible, artificial, not entertaining, and just drag the show down. Maybe if the editing and pacing were better - quick highlights of the amusing moments (all of them getting pedicures and massages) and much less of the stupid bullshit (the rest of it) - it might be more tolerable. The conflict so far has seemed really manufactured, like these guys know they have to do SOMETHING to be entertaining. Jimmy Hart's picky eating is mildly funny. I can understand him not wanting those nasty chitlins and pickled pigs feet, but that meatloaf looked damn good to me. Vegetarian maybe? Hacksaw continues to be the most unlikeable character on the show, for me. His fake laugh drives me bonkers. In contrast, Hillbilly seems like the nicest dude. Doesn't sweat anything. Will he finally snap in a later episode? Tony Atlas is one wacky motherfucker, but I like him too.

One of my favorite Rumbles ever, believe it or not. Yokozuna was a lot more obvious to me than it was to most of you, but he wasn't quite a sure thing and the Backlund iron man performance planted some seeds of doubt in my mind.

Anyone else's Roku not showing all of the 2006 Legends of Wrestling episodes? Been that way for a week now. Just when I thought they had finally fixed those issues...

The WWE may soon acquire the Memphis library for the Network. From a Bleacher Report interview with Jerry Lawler: "The good news is I'm amassing the [Memphis] tape library and I'm talking right now with the people in WWE about making the entire Memphis library available to the WWE so they could use it on the Network." Full interview (which covers many other topics): http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2060349-wwe-hall-of-famer-jerry-lawler-on-vince-mcmahon-ecw-and-the-perfect-angle