(BP)

I feel like if he's rocking that hair in 2014, he's not concerned with the attention a loud briefcase is going to bring.

There's a pretty stacked house show near me tonight, and I thought about spontaneously grabbing up some tickets and taking my brother, but I was politely reminded by my future wife that it's our anniversary. So Benihanas instead. Still not sure I made the right choice.

He did get punched in the head a lot between runs.

This was really fun. I'll definitely check out your other episodes. I'll admit that as an American I couldn't help but imagine you guys doing the whole pod in barrister's wigs.

Double post

You're right Johnny, there's more to the ratings than whoever's on top, but wouldn't that apply to attendance and ppv figures too? Is merchandise the only way to really measure someone's individual contribution? RE: Hassan I don't see him sticking around even if he didn't get canned over the terrorist angle. I think he always planned on getting into acting. That gimmick could have worked if done in a thoughtful, socially conscious way, but it's WWE so nah.

I don't know about PPV or house show figures, but Lesnar kept up Smackdowns ratings while Raw's nosedived with HHH on top.

If Lashley is put on top, it might've worked out as long as he's on Raw and kept away from Hayes.

Edge, Rey, and Christian are names I hadn't even thought about, but I like it. In this universe John Cena exists, he's just been released, and the Prototype is the 30 time MWF heavyweight champion.

Along the lines of some other threads. The fates of Punk and Bryan this year have reinforced that Cena is still the WWE's most viable and reliable guy. Every "next top guy" that has come along during Cena's time on top hasn't worked out. There have been injuries, personal issues, politics; guys have quit and been fired. But, in 2014, John Cena keeps on trucking. If Cena hadn't saved his job with the rap gimmick, who would've been their ace going forward? Is there anyone who would still be on top now like Cena is? Once Brock, Angle, Eddie, and Benoit are dismissed for obvious reasons, there's Orton. He was very immature and probably wouldn't even be with the company now if put on top, as I think his personal issues and the pressure probably would have made him implode. Would HHH have been pushed harder, for a longer time? Would this have affected business negatively? Would it have changed his development as an executive? Would Batista have stayed if he was firmly the face of the company? Would Vince have talked HBK and Undertaker into being on the road more, leading to their bodies breaking down even faster? Would one of the Hardys have worked out, or would it have been similar to an Orton scenario? Is there somebody that isn't mentioned often that could've been put in Cena's position longterm?

I'm not fond of the term "the product". I also prefer calling guys wrestlers instead of workers, but that doesn't really bother me when someone else does it.

I've seen a few people assert that signature moves are more over than any individual wrestler, and that most pops are for a popular move being executed and boos for a counter to a move the crowd wants to see. From that perspective, the crowd's been conditioned to expect guys to get all of their shit in.

If they're really only behind Reigns because of his look, it's funny since they still feel the need to cover him up with a vest. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes the Rock route and has some cosmetic work done at some point, since, you know, it's an upper body business.

Hypothetically, if there had been no brand split, do you guys think business would have slid more with HHH on top of both shows? If their only saving grace was the Smackdown 6 guys keeping some of the hardcore's during that time, then that says a lot about HHH's run as well.

Liz Hunter wasn't real?! Some things I just don't want to be smartened up about.

I've been a Buddy Rose fan since I saw some of his AWA tag stuff a few years ago, but I haven't dug too deeply into Portland or elsewhere, mostly due to a busy schedule. I just watched him tagging with Hogan in Japan, and I've read he tagged with Bret on the same tour and Dusty a few years later. Are there tapes of those matches to anyone's knowledge?

I had never heard until recently that the big eagle title belt from the attitude era and the undisputed title belt both had the McMahon family crest and motto on one of the side plates.

Actually, having the square jawed company man who can do toilet humor as the ace and the wildcard promo guy who is beloved on the internet as 1a has been their formula for the past 4 years, so Reigns and Ambrose make perfect sense.

Hogan/Flair at Bash at the Beach would probably be the closest he got to that style here. He was phenomenal at stooging during his Hollywood run, but there's very little substance to the matches I've seen.

I watched Hogan vs Tenyru the other day. I knew about "Hogan in Japan" matches and I'd seen a few, but him working this way in 91 still kind of blew me away. Has he ever discussed how he approached working matches in different settings? I imagine even with his troubles a few years ago he was never hard up enough to do shoot interviews, so I don't know if he's ever actually discussed ring work anywhere.

I'll believe it when I see it. Cena is like that knight from the end of Last Crusade waiting for his shift relief.

Flair (Off the top of my head) Horsemen breaking Dusty's arm. Getting attacked and injured by Funk. Real world's champion debut in WWF. Getting his suit ripped by Magnum. Rubbing Steamboat's face in the concrete. Race putting out a bounty on Flair's head. Retirement angle 2008. "She was mine before she was yours." Savage feud/Elizabeth pictures. I'm sure there are loads more...

The Chief's right about Rose. Those dancing gimmicks aren't going to make top guys, but the first time I saw Brodus with the Funkasaurus gimmick I thought, "that guy is going to be able to do that gimmick on the indies for the next 20 years and make a living." Success is pretty relative, and if you measure it just by being in the top tier of WWE it's an exclusive club.

I'm really curious about how Tyler Breeze and Sami Zayn will be treated when they're called up. Breeze has a gimmick that could go either way in front of larger crowds. Zayn would probably benefit if Bryan is indeed going to be out a long time since he could easily play the underdog/workhorse role.

Austin has admitted to being very protective and paranoid about his spot, and Cena is probably the most generous ace they've ever had. Elevation or lack thereof of talent is squarely on creative.