Slasher

the star is just as synonymous with Texas...you know...the Lone Star State. Really think you're reading way too much into that.It's a blue star with a silver and blue outline. I'm not saying it really was a quibbling point in the contract, or that it isn't a good idea to use it, because it is. But it's clearly the Cowboys star. Could be Vince wants it there. Easy to tell where they are with it there, not that people would have trouble figuring it out but yeah.

I don't think it was fully on the up-and-up. Reigns got #1 in a rigged number pick, HHH got #30 in most likely another rigged pick, and the McMahons orchestrated a mass beat down of Reign's by the LoN, who've been portrayed strongly as their henchmen. They executed it clumsily (someone on commentary should have speculated how HHH got the best number), but it's something they can bring up tonight on Raw LOL. Seriously. He doesn't have to rig shit for his own spot. He is a freaking boss! All he has to do is give out 29 and keep the last one for himself. That was clear when he didn't even have a segment talking to anybody about the pick. Its not like they stuffed the roller with Triple H's name for the 30th pick.

I don't understand why having the IC title means Ambrose can't win the world title in the Rumble. He would get over big time winning the IC title in a brutal match and then beating 29 guys for the world title in the same night. But of course it wasn't gonna happen because he isn't meant to be their big star. But I mean that kinda thing worked fantastically for one William S. Goldberg in WCW. Then you also have WWF precedent with Warrior the IC champ winning the world title as well.

Even when he was booked to get his ass beaten, Stone Cold got over partly because he didn't give a fuck. He was gonna take out heels with Stunners while going down with a valiant fight. They don't even do that with Reigns. In fact Austin is exactly how they should be booking Reigns with lining real heels up against him.

Working heel is part of his renaissance the past few years as the indy ace/NJPW star gaijin. I think he probably doesn't want to ever revert to his TNA babyface style again.

Would they have been better off just stretchering Reigns out never to return for the night again? Especially since he didn't even make final two anyways?

Its not that we think he NEEDS to change as much as it is we know it is the WWE's MO to try to own the new guy by changing everything about him and it surprises when they don't.

Ok I am willing to give it a pass and see if it was just a bad shot and go from there. But surely in the future they could just have him do the calfkiller submission to avoid more of these bad shots.

I thought they weren't doing elimination chambers anymore? Or is it just as an event they are doing away with?

Use a different finisher? Daniel Bryan started doing the running knee when his main event push was amped up partly because it was a move he could hit anytime on anyone. Obviously in general Styles's size isn't an issue but that visual was just not that great. They aren't having Rey lift tall guys in finishes either.

One match against Austin, then they gave up on him cold turkey. Agreed about him not being able to go anymore though. Anyway, my original point was, I think we care more about the final four of the Rumble than Vince does. I'm not saying it's not important, but I bet it's not nearly as important to Vince as the final two is. AJ Styles making it to the final four wouldn't have made much of a difference to his overall standing. He'll still get whatever push he's going to get. Even final two doesn't always matter. Santino made it to the final elimination the year Del Rio won. It was fun and all but ultimately meant shit all.

Possible they had him doing the Clash on purpose to help mute any possibility that the fans would push him through like they did for Daniel Bryan. Thinking they would think he looked absurd next to a real pro wrestler. *Takes off tin foil hat*

Brock destroying everyone after getting eliminated looks good for him but wouldn't serve anyone else or the company any good especially if Brock isn't meant to be the top act right now.

But did the fans reject it? The crowd in Orlando wasn't exactly booing H out of the building, unless my audio was borked. The wider audience is a difference story, but the fans in the arena for the Rumble were curiously muted. No riot, or any close to that. Of course, I agree with your post in general, but I was expecting a lot more negative crowd heat than we got. This was hardly last year or the year before. They were supposed to boo Hunter. Let me rephrase that. For it to work, on paper, they were supposed to be booing Hunter out of the building. Them cheering Hunter is not a sign that this worked. He's not the babyface. Not that he minded.

Why would he point to the sign? He is what people who point to the sign aspires to be- a champion at Wrestlemania.

They'll lie but helps to sell a lie when you have seats filled. Doesn't do anybody any good announcing 100,000 sellout and seeing empty seats all over. In that regard they need to put on a good card. It doesn't need to have the best main event if it's filled with goodies underneath but give people something to see.

Am I missing a reign? He's only been champion twice so far?

Then they really should have held off putting the belt on Reigns the second time if that was the plan all along.

There is still a big appeal in wrestling at Mania for prestige reasons and definitely at the Dallas stadium, but the gift booking of people for a "Mania paycheck" means way less with the Network now.

I wouldn't discount a Royal Rumble 1994/Royal Rumble 2005 finish either to set up Fastlane.

LOL. I really meant that literally. Her face looks bad compared to what it was but furthermore I never trolled the internet for photos so I was curious about what her "assets" looked like. The trailer was generous enough to show everything. So I was able to click off and go merrily about my way in life.

For me the 45 second trailer has satisfied my "curiosity".

I don't think people are purposely losing money to make Vince change the outcome of a match. Not talking about the bettors individually but the oddsmakers who set the pace. But let's talk about the bettors. They are betting on something that is widely acknowledged to be fixed. They are betting on something where it has long been cautioned "the card subject to change" is a possibility. So they are idiots to bet in the first place but they are also probably not dropping serious coin on it due to its very nature. Think they will be fine.

I wonder if Vegas is trying to make it so that Triple H doesn't win? We know Vince likes swerving people when it seems too obvious a certain outcome is coming. Putting Triple H as a 50%+ winner is insane odds for anyone else which Vince might go "They think they know what we're gonna do? Pat! Put Big E. over!"

Do we know who is #2? They could do that swerve by having Brock enter #2, having an epic slugfest with Reigns and then #3 being another heavy hitter who helps Brock toss Reigns over. Would kill his push dead but probably would get the crowd instanteously into the match.