Slasher

Charlotte is nowhere as good an actress to break down on cue. That was definitely genuine. The real question is why did they bother with this? Is bringing up Reid really that important in context to a title defense at a WWE event? They really couldn't build it up any other way?

The circumstances are obviously different here, but the fans had no problem buying Brock Lesnar as a killer threat to their franchise ace, John Cena, even though Lesnar was coming in having lost his last fight. Rousey will do just fine if they ever did get her to take part in the show.

Doesn't help that Sid is always quick out the door in each company in each stint...whether it is for more money offered to him to jump or because he just had to go play softball. So you have a guy that is clearly ambivalent about pro wrestling who doesn't really have quite the passion most everyone else had but still getting to be very well paid and getting countless opportunities for pushes even though the companies should have known fairly early on what a flake he is. What Sid had, that most wrestlers didn't have, was an amazing presence and was highly charismatic (when he doesn't have to speak). That's stuff you just can't teach or learn really.

Think the issue with Sid is that he just isn't a babyface. Even as a babyface he always had that aura that he would turn heel at the drop of the hat. You can have monster babyfaces if they had a visually strong style of working...like Goldberg, whose moves looks like they would kill anyone. Sid has the chokeslam and the powerbomb but I can't even recall if Sid had any other moves beyond striking. I think the best utility of his character as a babyface is 911. And 911 isn't a main event act at all. Just my take on it.

Honestly, who cares about any of that? I mean, when it comes to Wrestlemania anyways. Rousey is still more recognizable a mainstream name than just about anyone else that'd be on the card. I don't think this loss kills her appeal for Wrestlemania dead. The part about the "dream" fight against Cyborg though, I can understand, but then again, doesn't Justino have a loss or two to her name also? I think a good promoter can get that fight over still especially if they get Rousey back on a roll leading up to it.

Agreed. Even though I would be one of the people in their targeted demography, I had zero use for either character. But I guess I will agree with those who says Sunny was better than Sable as a wrestling personality but to me that's not saying much.

Hindsight and all but I think the entity that would have been the perfect thing to put an end to the Authority would have been The Shield. Especially if they kept to their "hounds of justice" mantra as babyfaces. I think the Wyatts ending the Authority would only get them cheered and that seems to be the last thing the WWE wants for them at this point right now. In fact, Bray Wyatt shouldn't even think about turning babyface until he has gotten a run with the championship as the evil cult leader with more power gained by being the appointed leader of the WWE. Just think of all the feuds and angles they could run with people trying to put an end to the ever growing influence of Bray Wyatt and falling to him until that right babyface comes along (Probably Reigns or even a redeemed babyface Rollins).

Rusev is a better worker but I think Bray Wyatt would be the better choice as the champion this winter. He is a guy that won't probably be hurt too much when he eventually drops ths title, he has no ties to Authority and his stable is a natural way to put the babyface challenger in a grind leading up to their match. But I also think if they put it on Bray, he needs a decently sized run yet he's not really suited to be the heel champion going into Wrestlemania. So I know that is why he's not a serious candidate.

Problem with that scenario is that Lesnar shouldn't get the belt again. Not at this point at least anyway. Let's ignore that for a second, the only matchup that Lesnar could have at Wrestlemania is Reigns. If they run this match again, I assume this means Reigns wins the Royal Rumble again. The WWE can't possibly be this stupid to throw their future ace under the bus for another year in a row after seeing him get rejected by the fans immediately the first time. Reigns has gotten a little better crowd support now but it's still not where it needs to be to feel safe putting Reigns over at the Rumble and then presumably defeating Lesnar at Wrestlemania. I think it is best to give the belt to Reigns at Survivor Series and seeing how his road to Wrestlemania is shaping up. If he is able to look good as a babyface and getting the crowd, then put a heel over at the Rumble and have Reigns steamroll the guy at Wrestlemania. If he fails to get over, either turn him heel and have a babyface win the Rumble and have Reigns solidify his status as the top dog or have him lose the belt at the Rumble and run a different title program for Mania and have Reigns vs Triple H or something like that.

Or they are counting on something similar to the Twilight stuff with team Edward vs team Jacob.

The weird thing about a potential Reigns heel turn is that would make it the second time in 2 years where the former chosen one of the Authority turned babyface in objection to the new chosen one. First with Orton/Rollins then possibly Rollins/Reigns when he comes back.

I don't think Bryan should go back into main event programs when he returns. The safe bet is to put him in a feud that isn't expected to carry a show and see if Bryan can stay healthy and maybe find a new groove for his wrestling style. There is no reason whatsoever for Bryan to do his suicide dives and top rope stuff on every random RAW. Bryan is/was over enough with the fans that he can wrestle like Hulk Hogan or the Rock...using his charisma and personality to carry him through matches. But if Bryan is still wrestling by the time Reigns has the belt, it has potential to blow up in their faces again.

Yeah it is difficult for me to imagine Bryan being willing to dumb down his style for the benefit of his health, regardless of who he is wrestling but in the event they try to encourage the shift in his personal philosophy as to how he works the matches, it is more likely more doable that he does it in a hot opener or middle of card change of pace type match than one which you have to assume Triple H wpuld want to put as much importance for his match as possible and having Bryan feel responsible for putting a good match out there with the booker/legend. That being said, Owens is one of the last guys to pair with Bryan due to his very snug style. Only Lesnar rates worse when it comes to that.

If Daniel Bryan is coming back soon enough to be on the Wrestlemania card, it would probably be better to put him in one of these "This is the obvious show stealing workrate match" sorta deal. Like Benoit vs Angle, CM Punk vs Rey Mysterio, etc. That way he would not be under so much pressure to deliver the goods and his opponent can be trusted to hold up his end of the match, if not working the majority of the high spots required. Ig you put him in one of the "big time main event" level matches, he will be doing the stupid risky dangerous high spots to prove to the management that their ttust in him was not misplaced.

Double post.

I think the idea that you had this set of All American jocks who can beat anyone on their sheer ability alone being harnessed as weapons of an evil cult leader sounds great on paper. It was just not executed as well and/or not utilized properly to get that point across. So yeah what you end up with doesn't work.

Well if we are ignoring the fact that Vince has never really not plan for a Wrestlemania this late in tbe year, there is still the rumors/tidbit of information that Vince had worked on the Wrestlemania card in the early summer and had gone 6 matches deep in planning already. So I am sure they have a great idea where they are going into Wrestlemania. Obviously plans can and does change due to whatever factors pop up unexpectedly but the general plan is already in place.

Dave said he was told something different "out of the blue" for both Cena and Undertaker yesterday morning, but also said WWE is trying to play him against MKJ by leaking different WM lineups to both of them. So does he think that either one of them have the actual lineup or are they both red herrings?

Just because the WWE wants to run a Wrestlemania event at one of the premier stadiums in the country doesn't mean they are "enabling" Jerry Jones on the Greg Hardy matter. It means they want to make a boatload of money knowing a lot of people will go to Jerryworld to see the show. Otherwise the WWE might as well only run events out of bingo halls instead of Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara because they had guys like Ray McDonald and Ahmad Brooks and others suit up for the Niners. Nor can they go to Lucas Oil Stadium because the owner of the team that plays there had drug and DUI problems. You can go on with a lot of the other stadiums. This is a really idiotic thing to charge the WWE with such criticism.

What makes Barrett a better MITB holder than Sheamus? I think in the secret hierarchy they see Sheamus on a level above Barrett. The last truly significant thing they have done with Barrett is the initial Nexus angle where he was seen as the ringleader of a dangerous group. I am not counting the KOTR win because it hasn't been treated like a big deal in years.

In regards to how we have seen them do business, this idea would be the WWE story telling version of edging. I have no faith that they wouldn't blow their whole wad way too soon.

Ok do you mean a cage that cuts off just beyond the ring ropes/ring posts, or do you mean a Hell in a Cell type cage that includes some of the ringside area? I think a ladder match inside the smaller cage would be a great nuisance to the workers who are forced to work around the ladder. Then you have to ask, is the objective to escape the cage? Grab an item hanging above the ring? Regular pinfall? If it is escape rules, that could create some interesting spots involving Shelton Benjaminesque action but it would get old fairly quick. If its just a pinfall then the ladder is just an unnecessary nuisance, period. Of course, if you use the HIAC type cage, you still have to open up the top so people aren't banging their heads into the mesh ceiling. And that means you can't really dangle that thing above without reinforcing the pulleys or whatever. You'd have to assemble that thing in between matches and those things arent easy or quick to put together.

If Triple H didn't want to be involved with actual barbed wire in 2000, as a younger man in his physical prime, opting to use the fake kind, he's not going to do it as a semi retired 40+ year old with a family to care for and a corporate image to maintain. I get your point though...the only way it happens is if someone with real political clout insists on it. Then again Triple H has tried many times and failing to convince Vince to bring War Games to the WWE. So if barbed wire is a no on Vince's list then it will be near impossible to get it done.

Because the triple decker cage of doom worked out so well for WCW...

It really isn't. Reigns is the guy the Authority has always pretty much been describing when talking about the ideal champion. They were starting the tension stuff between Rollins and Triple H anyways so it is natural for the Authority to have been window shopping for their next chosen one. You have Reigns toiling in a feud that seems to never end with Bray Wyatt saying anyone but you Roman. It is the perfect payoff for EVERYTHING that has happened the past year or so. Also the fans would probably hate the idea that they turned THEIR chosen guy Dean Ambrose while sticking with the guy they rejected Roman Reigns as the babyface. Ambrose doesn't work as the champion's buddy. He is either a loner or part of something that rages against the machine. Someone is going to have to turn here, might as well be the one whose support from fans is spotty at best.