Guest The Jiz Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Written by Dave Meltzer Friday, 21 March 2014 13:46 Early estimates from both shows Royal Rumble 445,000 Eliminaton Chamber 203,000 Those are both worldwide numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Is that good or bad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cm funk Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Rumble is down more than 100,000 buys from last year, but that show had The Rock challenging Punk for the WWE title. It's right about what the Rumble has typically done over the last 5 years Elimination Chamber is right about where it's been. Down a bit from last year, up from 2012, but right at the average for the show. And last year's Chamber show had the Rock-Punk rematch plus two chamber matches, so this should be considered a good # for that show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Jiz Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Statistically negligibly higher than in 2012, thus the additional 55k buys from 2012 can be attributed to the Rock. 2012 EC did 178k and last year with Rock and Punk did 213k, so Rock didn't significantly pop the buy whereas either the general health of the business is better today than in 2012. That's a 25k difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmare007 Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 EC also was the last high priced PPV before the Network. I'm sure a some people didn't want to spend that kinda money with the Network debuting 1 day later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted March 23, 2014 Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Hmmm. I hate Raven's character in ECW. I thought he was a horrible, pretentious promo who thought he was being deep and in reality was just being cliche and sounding like a bad community college poet. Everything he said sounded completely unnatural and he used "intelligent" words like it was a big deal. Bray on the other hand sounds much more natural and his character is supposed to be arrogant and kind of delusional. Raven seemed like he thought he was being genius and cutting edge and wasn't. Wyatt isn't either, but he's playing his character really well. That is so 90s though and it really did fit perfectly with the times. Looking back, it is corny as hell. EC also was the last high priced PPV before the Network. I'm sure a some people didn't want to spend that kinda money with the Network debuting 1 day later. I am also curious if the DIsh Network's refusal to carry Rumble and Chamber affected the numbers of both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchistxx Posted March 23, 2014 Report Share Posted March 23, 2014 Raven for me had a better look and more natural charisma than Bray Wyatt is demonstrating now. He probably benefited from not having a big budget behind him, with Bray Wyatt you have that irony of a lot of money and makeup going into making him look unkept and wild and quirky. Raven just looked like your typical slacker, it was a product of the time. I certainly agree that Bray Wyatt needs motivation. This isn't a problem exclusive to him - so often in WWE the heels start a feud by doing random beatdowns, without any particular rhyme and reason except the bookers wanted to put the guys together. This goes back to the conversation about not having enough midcard feuds. Look at Armageddon 2000 - they had a six man tag based on the fact that Malenko was this sleazy guy who wanted to date Lita and got humiliated in the process, they filmed some fun little scenes in restaraunts and hotel rooms, it made the feud stand out from the rest of the card and not just another match. Kane/Jericho on the same card was based on spilt coffee and Kane being angry that Jericho was better looking and cooler than he was. Val Venis vs Chyna has to angle of RTC wanting top censor scantily clad divas. These aren't amazing exampled of booking, but it gives lower card wrestlers time to devlop their characters in a way that isn't just some boring linear promo backstage or a scripted back and forth exchange. I wrote a long post a couple of years back on how WWE needs to become more of an episodic drama with proper storylines, with the wrestling just being part of it - they need to have affairs, jealousy, incorporate real life problems and issues, have characters rather than performers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 OK, it feels like the Comments thread is becoming a current WWE thread and this is becoming a comments thread. Lets get this back on track. Harper is freaking great in this match against Cena just doing the little things. Biting the ropes after nearfalls, putting his leg on Cena's shoulder in a pin, poking the eyes to get out of the STF. Even the announcers were putting over how awesome Harper has been in this match. The ending was cool as hell but I wanted the match to go another 5-10 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 I will say that this feels much more like a Mania than the last two or three have. I don't agree at all. The last few have felt pretty epic even if the shows weren't the best Manias ever. I thought the builds have been hugely ho hum. Maybe it's because I really didn't buy into the macro story of Rock vs Cena with the breadcrumbs so far apart and with the overlying story of Cena's loss to Rock (Once in a Lifetime) causing his life to spiral out of control for the year, or whatever. I think the Mania before that was hugely hurt by HHH's career not being on the line and then the horrible overacting once the match began. We also had three years in a row of really marginalized World title matches. Last year, I was absolutely looking forward to the Raw after Mania far, far more than Mania itself. I could go into more detail, between the Miz having the title three years ago and Brock vs HHH last year and the crummy Jericho vs Punk feud and just a real lack of surprises and "wrestlemania moments." This year I don't really buy into Brock vs Taker, but in general it feels like more of an event and spectacle to me, partly due to Bryan and partly due to Hogan and the battle royal feeling weirdly important and Bray vs Cena being hugely fresh (they've barely even touched) relative to how stale most things tend to feel by the time Mania hits and the momentum of the Shield babyface turn and even just the Network revitalizing things. That said, it still doesn't feel like how WRESTLEMANIA XXX should feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Holy fuck everything about that Cena/ Harper match is why I love wrestling. Especially the ending. This reminds me a lot of the Dusty/ Sullivan Florida stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Anyone catch the backstage segment with the Shield? Steph obviously missed her cue and Hunter had to prompt her to start talking by staring right at her. Awkward. And he's going in as Razor Ramon and not Scott Hall? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Dean Ambrose, crazy Piper-esque babyface is fucking awesome. So's this tag match, hot shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(BP) Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Harper/Cena ruled, but the segment with Cena and the mirror needed Bischoff yelling, "John I don't see anything!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerva Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Given that they are inducting "Paul Bearer" and not William Moody (hope I got that right) tells you how they will induct people so "Razor Ramon" doesn't bother me. Love that Dean Ambrose is using the Nigel Lariat as one of his moves. I know ROH fans really hated that move in the end but I thought it was awesome to watch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchistxx Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Seth Rollins is going to be a huge star, unless they fuck it up. He is the best hot tag in the business right now, reminds me of when Daniel Bryan was on fire a year ago, ironically in matches against The Shield. The Real Americans are fantastic as well, annoying if they break up - if Cesaro goes face he could do with Colter still as his mouthpiece, although it won't happen. I hope neither team break up - both are awesome and factions need to stay together longer. Have there ever been as many hot young/fresh acts in a wrestling company? The likes of The Miz and Alberto del Rio must be worried, how long are they going to be kept around on decent salaries when they have been completely usurped by acts who are just way above them in terms of look, character and in ring ability. The New Age Outlaws and Kane is suits is hilarious, they need to keep those guys around as corporate muscle for a few more months. They look suitably enough like aging, smirking office sycophants. Who would have thought in 1998 that 16 years later Road Dogg and Goldust would still be on WWE in a prominent role? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Corporate Outlaws, I fucking love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Holy shit they have to give us an extended Shield babyface run! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Corporate Outlaws, I fucking love it. As long as they lose in about 48 seconds after a Spear, Piece of Mind, Nigel Lariat and a triple triple powerbomb then it will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchistxx Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Best night of in ring action all year? Three great matches already with an hour to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerva Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Yeah the way things are going it is going to make the Shield breakup hard to take for fans. Hopefully they can hold it off until next WM and have the breakup match there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chief Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 I think Ambrose turning on his teammates would work. Dude just doesn't seem right as a face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisZ Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 They are saving "Scott Hall" for the nWo induction I gotta believe. This show has been pretty damn great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Corporate Outlaws, I fucking love it. As long as they lose in about 48 seconds after a Spear, Piece of Mind, Nigel Lariat and a triple triple powerbomb then it will be fine. Whatever, I love the Outlaws. And the team with Kane should be called, "Team Goodhelmet""...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Meltzer (I think) keeps saying that it'll be better if Ambrose/Rollins turn heel on Reigns than if Reigns turns face on them, but I don't know about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 HOLY SHIT, Lesnar's shirt is fucking awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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