Burgundy LaRue

It's certainly doable. Rotate the three brands every Saturday night. Run the shows stripped down like they're doing with everything now, and nearly everything is pure profit. The kicker is lower to mid-card talent will get shafted on pay. They're already missing that money because of Covid 19. With the news of how much profit WWE earned by not traveling, and they probably have no chance of ever getting that back. WWE's road crew has to be concerned, too.

NXT stars, the men in particular, are in the same age bracket as the main roster's big names. Factor in most of these guys having serious mileage from their independent days, and many of them aren't going to reach what is seen as their full potential. WWE can certainly do more to try, but not getting more talent earlier in their careers or building them from scratch hurts all around. It speaks to how important getting the three Shield guys to the main roster at 26/27 was, to say nothing of the push they got. I agree with a lot of what's been posted already. I'll add that I think NXT began to subtly shift when Kevin Owens arrived. He was the first guy they really pushed as a hot indie commodity. They did the smart thing with getting KO in and out of NXT in eight months or so. But after KO, we got Balor, Roode, Nakamura, Joe, Black, Ricochet, Gargano, Ciampa and TUE. McIntyre got the 'went to the indies to redeem himself on his way back to WWE' motif. They went so far in signing the hot indie names--which has been discussed elsewhere--it's kept new PC signees lurking in the shadows with little chance of moving up. That catches up sooner or later.

I think they're in a tough spot with McIntyre. The low ratings aren't his fault. But if every other world champion had to take blame for them, then so does he. It doesn't help that for me, he's not interesting despite being fundamentally sound as a promo. As long as he's wrestling, I'm good with him. Pre-match is what I find boring. They turned him face without a major shift in character or surroundings. He's still the same guy who told Roman Reigns he'll finish what leukemia started, best I can tell. He's just making wisecracks we're supposed to find charming, but seem condescending more than anything else. Putting the belt on Orton won't really help. But I think they want to give Drew a 'moment' where he wins the title in front of a live crowd. His biggest career accomplishment came with no fans and no fanfare. Keith Lee got a confetti drop a couple of weeks ago. WWE didn't even spring for that on McIntyre at WM. Part of me thinks it's about fulfilling the Chosen One destiny from all those years ago. Vince wanted to be right. They made Drew WWE champ, mission accomplished. If they get anything beyond that, it's a bonus. Thing is, as soon as crowds return and Vince can make it happen, Lesnar's coming back to RAW. So McIntyre is probably on borrowed time, no matter what. I wouldn't be surprised if they try to run Lesnar-McIntyre back at WM 37. Short of Lesnar or Reigns coming back and possibly helping, ratings are going to be rough going for RAW. The first two hours got their now-standard numbers. But Hour 3, ouch! But between another screwy finish for Asuka-Sasha and McIntyre-Ziggler happening again for no reason, what we see is what we get.

Bring back Shayna beating up ninjas.

I don't think Roman wants to be there right now. Goldberg did a podcast right after WM where he said there was some talk of doing his match with Roman still, even after he filmed with Braun. They had a week in between the original filming and WM weekend, so it could have been done. Roman knew being champ required him to be there and he doesn't want it right now. And with how poorly Braun is being received as Universal champ, it makes most fans miss Roman that much more. I can almost guarantee most filed Roman's leaving as "he has leukemia, he's immunocompromised, he has to go." They didn't stop to think about anything else. I think Roman is quietly separating himself from WWE, anyway. Between the corporate rat race and a section of fans still at his throat about any little thing, he's making the slow but steady transition to a life post-wrestling. It seems his cancer relapse has changed a lot of things for him, understandably so.

@sek69 I was thinking more about main roster talent, but I agree about NXT/PC talent. They're in a tough spot. As for WWE corporate speak: there is going to be some of that always coming from talent, for better or worse. You have those like Roman who walk the line with praising them while not going overboard. Then you have guys like Miz who never go against anything and work to constantly stay in their good graces. And then there's Braun, who is dense by most standards and says stuff that makes no sense, either in context or practical application. Braun would have made the 'stop being poor' remark no matter what, because that's who he is. It just so happens his belief system lines up with WWE bigwigs. A lot of it comes down to general corporate structure, it's like that in many places. But combine that with the carny side of pro wrestling, and it's a mess. You can only hope that most recognize it as such and come out at least semi-functional. With Charlotte, she has talked about how she's been called manly because of her athletic build and how it bothers her. So I don't know if her getting implants is solely based on her being in WWE. I doubt they discouraged her, to the overall point. There is a discussion to be had about the pressures of being physically perfect for all big-time wrestlers. From constantly working out, taking 'supplements' or cosmetic surgery--it runs the gamut. But I don't think there's any wrestling journalist I trust to approach the topic properly.

A number of talent can choose not to go. They still show up. You think Roman bailing on the day of WM tapings went over swimmingly? Him being a top guy will protect him from payback, I'd wager. But I doubt Vince was pleased with him in the moment. There are rumors that Riddick Moss opted not to wrestle because of the pandemic. Don't know if that's true. But if it is, he clearly has no leverage. If anyone is showing up, it's because they've made the choice to do so. WWE deserves no praise in the situation. But stop acting like these grown people who make hundreds of thousands and in some cases millions every year don't have options. They're not actually essential workers, as we all know. At the very least, stop going out to bars and thumbing their noses at the situation. Their out-of-work behavior is on no one but them. It's all moot, anyway. Until Florida shuts down completely for at least 3 months, this is what we'll see. And DeSantis ain't shutting down for anyone.

I don't agree with it, but Roman saying it doesn't keep anyone for looking out for their personal health/well-being. WWE should have been testing long before they did, but that doesn't stop half the roster from going to Vegas or the beach. Lana may well be a major carrier and infected several family members. And guys like Angel Garza have flat-out said they think it's a hoax. That was before the outbreak backstage, though. And think about why Roman left: supposedly because Miz showed up sick. Miz has been in the company for over a decade, but he didn't care enough about anyone else when it came to staying home. Roman's POV makes sense.

https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/wwes-roman-reigns-talks-fatherhood-family-and-making-a-comeback-into-the-ring/article31932956.ece Here's the paragraph in question: The decision was taken mainly because each performer travels so much, and we are all such a diverse group and from all over the place. I’m not convinced, and I can’t trust the fact that everybody is taking it as seriously and locking themselves down at home like I am. I trust my life with my co-workers every time I step foot in the ring, but I just can’t put the same trust when it has my children, my wife and my family involved.

Between this and Roman Reigns doing a recent interview where he directly said he couldn't rely on his co-workers to social distance/wear masks away from work, you'd think more would consider the consequences of their actions. But they really don't care.

https://twitter.com/AlexM_talkSPORT/status/1282711193673781250?s=09 Kevin Owens is the one who talked Vince into making masks mandatory for WWE. KO was going to leave and Vince asked him what he could do to make KO stay. There are several on the roster who are still reporting to shows who have this pull. KO was the only one who actually did something about it.

Roman wears the vest partly to cover the hernia belt he needed after having his intestines spill out in 2014. The vest he wears isn't like the Shield ones. It's not tactical in any way. It's also partly a marketing tool, makes it easy to identify him to kids wanting to buy his action figures. I'm not sure what else he would wear. He's not a trunks guy, and I don't think he'd want to wear long tights or a singlet. Every time I've asked someone what they'd have him change to, I haven't gotten an answer. The issue I have with Smooth S is him stating his opinion as fact. "Every single bit of that is true" when giving his take reeks of a gatekeeping mentality that runs rampant in a lot of fandoms and especially wrestling. Speaking only for myself, I don't care if his opinion is different. But him being a long-time fan who follows in-ring psychology doesn't make him better than anyone else who watches this carny show.

You have the right to your opinion, just like the rest of us. But you come across as a gatekeeper who talks down to anyone who doesn't share your POV.

Yeah, the reason I mentioned Bate's situation is because there are multiple accusations on him now. The first one seemed more like a guy hitting on a woman in a bar without it going further. Nothing there. But the rest seems really sketchy. Totally forgot about Dragunov. I can see him being brought over for sure. Couldn't remember if Dunne had permanently relocated to Florida.

WALTER, Kay Lee Ray, Pete Dunne and Toni Storm are the talent they'll want to bring over to NXT proper. And Tyler Bate if the accusations against prove false. Nearly everyone else will get their pink slips.

Not sure what was more tone deaf: having a dozen wrestlers surround the ring during the Hardy-Corbin match with only Jey Uso wearing a nose/mouth covering scarf or having Matt Riddle anywhere near a camera right now.

The last couple of paragraphs may be the dagger in wrestlers' arguments. With many going out to parties, that shows they aren't worried about COVID. Not to mention lying about it on questionnaires while posting pics on social media. That's just dumb and gives WWE the ammo they need to shaft all of them. The company didn't put them at risk, their fellow wrestlers who lied did. Fans brought into the PC without full knowledge of the situation may have something, as do the backstage crew who are unionized. But wrestlers may be out of luck. Again.

Based on social media, RAW seemed to be the roster practicing the least amount of social distancing away from the PC. I wouldn't be surprised if they're hit hard.

Flip a coin, I'd say. I doubt Vince is sharing that much space with wrestlers these days, but I don't think he's stopped going to tapings, either.

@sek69:Yep, that's my overall point. WWE 100% should be held responsible for not testing before now. There is no justification for that. But if half the roster decides to hop a plane to Vegas to celebrate Billie's birthday, that's not on Vince. They're not taking anything to heart, either. They're risking themselves and their co-workers who may be trying to do the right thing. Vince doesn't care. But neither do many of the talent.

For as badly as Vince and WWE has handled this, wrestlers themselves have to take some responsibility. I've seen way too many of them posting pics on social media, having a great time while not quarantining. Kayla Braxton was showing off at the beach. Some of the women's roster went to Vegas for Billie Kay's birthday party. They aren't social distancing or wearing masks. WWE absolutely should have been testing wrestlers and staff before now. No excuse for not doing so. But all the testing in the world doesn't mean much if you don't follow basic protocol beyond it. Another thing is when are more wrestlers going to pack it in and not report to work. Vince is running his shows, no matter what. He's holding on to those TV contracts and the networks want new programming. Cold world, but that's business. Why didn't more follow Roman or Sami's lead to get out while they could? Roman Reigns was going to become Universal Champion again when he left. If he was willing to say no, that should have been a pause-and-think moment for the rest. Kyle O'Reilly stopped because of his Type I diabetes. Mustafa Ali seemed to stay away when travel restrictions were tighter and opted to stay home. Kevin Owens is off the roster again. If these adults don't look out for themselves, they can't expect anyone else to do it.

WWE is doing that, too. Bunch of masks on WWE Shop with the net proceeds going to AmeriCares. They're goofing up with the rest of the narrative, though.

I believe AEW does a rapid response test, which can be wildly inaccurate. If someone has only been infected for 7-9 days, the test may come back negative. It seems to detect the virus better once someone is beyond 10 days and has a lot of antibodies from their immune system fighting back. Also, AEW shared a hotel with UFC a while back, who had a fighter and members of his team test positive. They've had wrestlers and staff/family members as the audience long before WWE. Kris Statlander has needlessly booped everyone in the crowd on the nose a couple of times. They've become pretty loose with their approach. AEW is doing more than WWE, kudos for that. But neither company is handling the situation well right now.

Especially when Roman doesn't ever play second fiddle, whereas McIntyre has several times since his WWE return and it didn't feel out of place. It would now, as they got the stench off him. But I can't imagine Roman being backup for Ziggler, Strowman, Shane or Corbin, like Drew was. I'm on the opposite end. I get Roman, but Drew is paint-by-the-numbers for me. At least character-wise. A romance novel cover model. Scottish Fabio. Good wrestler once the bell rings, I enjoy him there. As for the positive COVID test, we knew that was happening at some point. I'd be surprised if AEW or WWE doesn't have several wrestlers/staff who are asymptomatic. Thing is, neither will shut down over it. Too much money wrapped up in TV deals, and WWE answers to stockholders to boot. Unless someone winds up hospitalized or dead from it, it's business as usual.

I think Drew will be OK for the short term. However, fair or not, bad ratings usually fall on the shoulders of the World champion. Drew's reign couldn't have come at a worse time. None of this is his fault, and he's trying his best. But I expect him to get hit with some blowback. Apollo is absolutely going back to catering. Aleister may be there with him. Andrade has the Charlotte card in his favor, so who knows.Theory and Garza could survive. Murphy's chances feel 50/50. Being connected to Rollins will likely be his saving grace. The Raw women's division is already a mess, so I can't see that getting much worse.