Slasher

Considering he was wrestling for the world title at Wrestlemania and then was involved in programs with guys in the Authority including the world champion, yeah its a step backward. Redemption? If they wanted to redeem him they wouldn't put him with a guy who is getting go away heat at this point. The only way being paired with Bray Wyatt redeems him is if he is the one to put Bray Wyatt out of his misery and he is never heard from again.

I don't blame anyone for not wanting to revisit Benoit out of principle, but this isn't Greatest Human Ever. Benoit does deserve consideration strictly on his work alone so the people who are criticizing those with an open mind needs to chill out. You are not obligated to include him on your lists but those who do put some time in revisiting him are also perfectly in the right to do so and don't need to be talked down or vilified for it.

Yeah the matches ruled but creatively its kinda taking a step backwards for both Reigns and Ambrose (Reigns moreso). It would be difficult to see how they fit Sting in but I was still interested to see it happen. Again Bray is just spinning his wheels in mud at this point but Sting is a guy the whole creepy factor would have been perfect. Something sorta gothic about all of it. But then again Sting was nearly killed off as a character at Wrestlemania so who knows?

As overplayed and stale Bray Wyatt is, Sting was a guy I could have seen him wanting to bring his A-game for. Sting's gimmick fits in the whole Wyatt Family mythos quite well and of course being a Windham, there probably is some respect for Sting somewhere there too that he would try to put more of a focus in the storyline. As it stands, a rehashed Shield vs Wyatt Family feud (sans two members) doesn't entice me that much.

I saw the youtube clip and you're right. The Breakdown was the full nelson face buster. I had a memory of Jericho doing a sleeper drop off guys running the ropes but that must have been something else.

If it was any one of the heels they have now on the roster or even if it was a babyface that they have now on the roster who turned heel for the US title challenge, it won't do as much as if it was a new guy. People would be more impressed by a guy who beats Goliath than they would a guy who beat David after David beat Goliath. You are talking about beating the franchise ace who has been unbeatable in his role as the US champion. Same deal if you beat Brock Lesnar for the world title as opposed to if you beat Seth Rollins for that same title.

Jericho's Breakdown was actually a sleeper drop not a full nelson face buster. He was also using an enziguri for a short time as a finisher around 2004...same time as Batista using the clothesline as a finisher.

Exactly. The argument against Ambrose seems more appropriate for complaints against booking.

You could call the women knockouts. Since no one is watching TNA.

I didn't say anything about being in a hurry. In fact I did say "next year's Summerslam" as one possible point. That is a year and half of Cena with the belt. I think by that point the time would have been "right". Cena is doing great things with the title but the fact remains...he is ridiculously above the title. You are saying that Cena should be beating everyone for as long as he is productive. At least when Cena was the world champion, it would have been logical to see him lose sometimes but at the US title he is like the Terminator. You just can't have him lose to anyone without it being a fluke. And no one wants to see him drop the title on a fluke. This is why they should have an idea where they want to go after Cena. Comparing this run to Hulk Hogan in 1984 as the world champion is so not comparable it is almost ridiculous to use that. Cena is already the franchise ace. He doesn't need to be established at all like Hogan was in 1984 because he is already there. Cena is at the point you have to think he is on the downslide of his career and you want to make sure there is a viable life post Cena in the WWE universe. He is exactly who you make a long term booking plan for. Otherwise it ends up like the Streak being broken by the wrong man at the wrong time.

But they DO need to have a plan now for how to get to the point "time is right". Otherwise they would just have him drop the belt in a nothing match when they feel it is time to move Cena on from the title. They do need to have an idea...an endgame...in mind for that day to come, whether it is next week or Wrestlemania or next year's Summerslam. Do you really trust the WWE to have a good feel for when it is time? This is the company that was about ready to never pay off the Daniel Bryan title program before fans forced their hand. I would rather they take the time to map out their journey to the destination rather than find their way around in the dark based on "feel".

Speaking of Cena rehabbing the US Title. What makes sense for him dropping it at this point? Hold it through Mania? As much as the world title is still the big belt and more important, winning this will do more to make someone outside of the usual crew. In a way, Cena probably can't lose the US title to anyone that is currently in the WWE on the main roster in terms of midcarders/upper midcarders. Not since Cena started mowing down all the challengers that came out for his open challenge. You almost pretty much have to have him lose to a new unknown element...someone like Kevin Owens when he first came in. I can actually see this ending up being Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn (I know he already wrestled Cena but he got injured and it is a natural way to write a rematch) or Finn Balor in full monster form.

Even if it was an angle, you can only logically call those divas "wrestlers" after the storyline runs its course. The payoff can't be that the wrestlers accepts being called divas after they spent that time running down the word and the people associated with it. Vince isn't willing to give the women that term if the men are stuck with "Superstars". It is just an unneccesary corner to paint themselves into.

One level might be that it would disrespect the hard work and effort the "divas" put in their work and yes that is ttue. It is something similar to Russo's "Everything else was fake but THIS IS REAL!" In terms of marginalizing things.

Baron Corbin sucks as a wrestler but he would be great in the Wyatt Family as the guy who eats up the biggest of their opponents. They could do a lot worse than Corbin...like Bo.

Bo? I mean he might not be underwhelming to you but Bo fits the description to a tee. He doesn't have a push to speak of, his look doesn't really fit the Wyatts, his style is mediocre and doesn't fit the Wyatts and wouldn't really be a credible partner for Bray and Luke. The only reason he would be tossed in there is his real life relation to Bray. He is exactly who I can picture Meltzer referring to.

This is sort of a devil's advocate thing but that quoted part might be precisely why they don't want to stop working. How many of those guys went to school and got degrees to set themselves up for a life post wrestling? Most of these broken down wrestlers just simply can't get jobs elsewhere and they have not been wise with their money and saving it...so they have to keep doing all they know to do...wrestle.

Yeah they were out there. Ambrose was one of the guys holding Undertaker back. You can catch him when Brock sprints around the ring to get at Taker in the corner. Cesaro is on the other side of that same corner.

Right. Everyone of a certain tier are going to get the perks. In real life they gave Cena, Orton, Punk after the summer of Punk angle/contract renewal, and few others got tour buses. Everyone else goes in rental cars. They pretty much treat them exactly how they treat them on television. This is something that is completely accurately portrayed of real life. Sports stars (more than one at least per teams) get more than the nickel and dime guys. In UFC if they ever, god forbid, had a pullapart brawl, Dana is not going to have his top fighters involved. They make him money. So do the top tier guys of the WWE for Vince.

Because no one buys them being so supercharged it takes a company to break them up?I don't buy that it takes 30 guys to separate 2 guys anyway, even if one is Brock Lesnar. Especially when you have guys like Henry, Swagger and Rusev in there. It's wrestling. It's the promotions duty to make you buy into whatever their presenting. The reason why nobody would buy something like that with a Sheamus type is that they don't even fucking try. I agree the onus is on the company to make these guys more important but that kind of angle? It is something you have to earn. I have never ever seen them book upper midcarders or even lower tier main eventers in an angle like that. It's always been guys like Austin, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Brock Lesnar etc. They were the only guys that the angle was right to be used for in today's storylines. But again, yes the WWae needs to get people over to the point they can do that stuff. They failed. Loss, I do understand what you are saying and you are right in that excluding a few names means they are above the dirty grunt work, I know. But lets say in kayfabe, you are Triple H. Are you really going to tell John Cena to go out there and risk injury to himself in an issue that has nothing to do with him? He is a moneymaker. In sports, those guys aren't running wind sprints with everyone else. They are in a tub playing with their iPads. It's just the way things go in life. When you reach a certain status you are afforded more respect and given more perks and leeway.

Because no one buys them being so supercharged it takes a company to break them up?

Oh come on. Was it really in question whether those guys are a tier or more below two legends/part timers? The angle is supposed to be that it takes an entire company to hold them apart...rather poorly. That is how much they hate each other. Now that said, I turned the television off after that not because Kevin Owens was in the ring holding them apart with everyone else but because Taker is already being booked too strongly. This is a fifty years old man who had nothing left a year ago when he got wrecked by Brock. Summerslam main event or not, they shouldnt be rolling around in an even stevens way. It should be Brock smashing him into the mat til only blood puddle is left.

What the fuck was that dive by Charlotte? Looked horrible. I already gave up on her but I hooe she really isn't the one pegged to be the centerpiece of the division.

Nailed it.

The WWE screwed up Randy Orton's ascension to main eventer but I really dug how they made up for it with the rise of the smarter than you think pimp suit wearing animal that is Batista. There is a reason why Batista is a bigger star than Orton could ever be. Or how about Eddie Guerrero's rise to main eventer? He started clicking after he got rid of Chavo as a partner and started going for the US Title. They were very patient with him and yet they pulled the trigger at nearly the right time with the Brock match. Only gripe is I would have rather he had that at Mania instead of No Way Out but still good.