Current WWE

[El-P]

Like Billy Gunn ?

[goc]

No, like the one in 21-1

[Loss]

He should do a promotional tie in with Forever 21. I could see Brock in commercials telling thirtysomething women where to buy clothes.

[Loss]

I really like the idea of Orton and Batista as a top heel tag team with the idea of elevating the tag titles to near main event level again, working against The Shield, The Usos, Cody & Goldust, etc.

[SteveJRogers]

One of the biggest laughs we had last night was when Cesaro slammed Show out of the ring with relative ease then had trouble lifting the trophy up.

 

Yeah, the trophy isn't going to help you out with the spot!

[Bix]

 

Vickie Guerrero at her peak was awesome. One of the few people who had legitimate heat in the arena,

She was genuinely hated, that much is true. Mostly it is because her character was so grating and annoying and a poor, one dimensional performer. It was nice of WWE to give her some financial security, but the benevolence wore thin after the tenth time you heard her screaming hysterically.

Where'd you find the time to ask all of those thousands of fans why they were booing her?

 

It gets lost on people that "X-Pac Heat" came from crowds audibly groaning or going "Awww..." when his music hit. Nobody was telepathically interpreting boos. He had a noticeably different reaction from all of the other heels.

[The Chief]

Just got an alert from the WWE app, Ultimate Warrior on Raw tonight

[Russellmania]

Just got an alert from the WWE app, Ultimate Warrior on Raw tonight

typical WWE. They bring him in and he's surprisingly eloquent and things wrapped up nicely with him so now they're going to have him overstay his welcome and ruin all the good will they've built up.

[cowboy hats]

It's clear what they are doing: righting the biggest wrong of last night and having him run down the ramp and around the ring, up an aisle and straight out the building into the gulf of mexico.

[Strummer]

Brie on twitter is hinting that she is going to confront Stephanie tonight. So there you go with that. Wondering if they will have an actual program or just have Brie take her down tonight

[hammerva]

So the WWE has an new analyst debuting on the RAW pre-show. Former Charger linebacker Shawn Merriman. I heard that he was going to work for the WWE but didn't know as an announcer

[fakeplastictrees]

The most important and telling thing coming out of Wrestlemania XXX, was that WWE has finally welcomed in the future rather than live in the past.

WWE opened a new book, showcasing the future of WWE in a huge way, while closing the book on much of the past in such a way that was only fitting of the biggest Wrestlemania to date. Lead by Bryan and his triumph over The Authority, the likes of The Shield, Cesaro and even Bray Wyatt (despite the loss) proved they are the real deal. It was a huge statement by WWE saying, “The future is here.”

…and the fans are completely on board.

The fans have been ready and waiting for these young guns to be given the spotlight. For the last 4 years or so, it’s just felt like every time there are hot young acts that seem to be gathering steam and making moves, come Wrestlemania time, they were shoved down the card to make room for all the part timers or main eventers of past eras. The Rocks, the Shawn Michaels, the Batistas, the Triple Hs, the Lesnars of the world had been taking the spotlight in what was seemingly a musical chairs of past big name wrestlers for each passing Wrestlemania event. “Triple H faced Taker last year, so he should get Lesnar this year”. It just became tiresome and it was like we were playing old movies.

Now when we talk about WWE closing the “old book”, a lot of the acts from yesterday took the fall, showed some serious ass, and put over the future to announce their arrival. Bryan got the whole 9 yards put behind him, The Shield squashed Kane and the Old Age Outlaws, Cesaro got his big moment and Bray stood toe to toe with Cena. But above all those, the biggest and possibly important part of the old book that was closed was The Streak coming to an end.

Shock, disappointment, disbelief, anger. All words that I’ve seen, heard and in some cases experience myself to describe the emotion of watching Brock Lesnar break the most coveted accomplishment in WWE history. Either this was truly Taker’s last match, which I think is very possible, or it was a way to contain the monster that has become and grown into The Streak.

The Streak in many ways had become too big. Too important. Too legendary. No one was credible enough, no one was worthy enough. And with each passing year as The Streak grew, it became more and more ominous. But as it grew, so too did the predictability of it. The intrigue of it ever being broken became slimmer and slimmer, and that is a promoter’s worst nightmare because predictability leads to lost interest. It became an automatic assumption that Taker would win year after year. Sure, the matches were great and "stole the show", but did anyone actually think Triple H was going to break it in the rematch at WM 28? Did anyone actually think Punk would break it last year? Sure there were some really close calls and near falls, but the answer is no. The only person anyone could even think was a legitimate threat was John Cena.

That’s a real problem when you really think about it. Not only do you have no one in the company, except one man, that is seen as a credible threat, but if any of these non-threats were to actually break The Streak you're then left with the question, “so, what do we do with this guy now?” You couldn't have a guy like a Sheamus end The Streak, and then be on Raw and Smackdown week in and week out. The guy could never lose again. And the amount of heat that would be on that person…God help them. Not only is that individual a heel for life, but they would probably become resented by fans. Sure it could have given an incredible rub to a younger performer, but it almost puts that superstar into a stratosphere that they wouldn't be able to handle; neither WWE or the superstar. And for those who say it should have been saved for someone like Wyatt or Reigns, that’s quite the gamble to take…because while they look promising now, who’s to say they will pan out?

And that’s where the beauty is of picking Lesnar to be “The One”. He isn't there every week, he’s supposed to be a special attraction, and he is exactly what his nickname says: The Beast Incarnate. The man already is a monster heel, and if anyone could take the possible repercussions of being the “culprit” of breaking The Streak, it’s Brock Lesnar….because afterall…he’s Brock fucking Lesnar. The problem was until the very moment last night when he pinned the Dead Man, no one actually thought he had the slightest chance in hell at winning. It’s as if everyone had forgotten that he is probably the baddest man on the planet and the most legitimate competitor in WWE history. Despite all of that that, no one thought he was a legitimate threat. And it was seen in the match itself. The crowd was dead and no one bought the near falls. It’s almost as if…no one cared. And when that happens, and the prestige of The Streak is just assumed, much of the aura fades. It goes from accomplishment to habit.

Now a lot of the perception of Lesnar is due in part to how WWE had handled his character and booking since his return in 2012, but especially the way he was built in this feud with Taker. He’d been knocked down and made to not feel like the legitimate spectacle that he is. Losing to the likes of Cena and Triple H did him no favors and couple that with the fact that he was on an extremely limited schedule really hurt him.

I think WWE and more importantly Undertaker looked at The Streak and saw what it had become. Too big, too predictable and quite frankly, too much. An unattainable colossus that nothing else could ever live up to. Undertaker, Mark Callaway, at age 49, respects the business too much to put himself above it. What would that say about the future stars of tomorrow? Those very same stars that were finally able to shine on the grand stage. It would have been more of that old school of thought, where the stars of yesterday keep getting today's glory. That same school of thought that the past was just so great and nothing in today’s WWE could ever surpass or live up to it. But that’s not what a successful promoter does and I commend Vince and Mark for making the call they did. Living off past glory can only sustain you for so long before you need to open the door to the next phase. The Streak had taken on a life of its own, and quite frankly I think they knew it needed to be put to rest. It had become bigger than any championship and was almost becoming as big as Wrestlemania itself. With every year that it grew stronger, it became another year more predictable. And that’s a dynamic that does more damage than good.

Now where does that leave Lesnar? I think first and foremost, his deal should be restructured a bit to have him work more dates per year..not to mention they should lock him up for a few more years. I think to honor his re-found aura now that he is “The One”, he still can’t be around every week, but I’d like for him to work a few more PPVs…or at least be on every Raw for 4 weeks leading into said PPV. Lesnar is THE guy now in terms of big match spectacles, and I think he can definitely rise to the occasion and deliver as such. He’s got all the legitimacy and credibility in the world to back it up, but they need to use him correctly now. He’s obviously now THE opponent for Daniel Bryan, but that can’t happen right away; not at Extreme Rules. It needs to be Summerslam at the earliest, but I would even propose penciling it in for Wrestlemania 31.

As a whole, there are just a lot of things to commend WWE on with Wrestlemania XXX. I think it goes without saying that they saved their asses with the Network holding up and delivering exactly as advertised. And from that, we saw Bryan get put over in the biggest way possible by three of the biggest stars in WWE, other young stars get their time to shine in the limelight but also had our heartstrings and emotions thrown into a knot when Undertaker’s Streak broke. There was no shortage of drama and this Wrestlemania truly had it all. I applaud WWE for delivering a memorable night to usher in this new age of WWE.

[Strummer]

Have to be setting up a big return or debut for the Main Event

[Guest The Jiz]

It'll be utterly hilarious to see HHH smash Bryan and take the title.

[Steenalized]

Have to be setting up a big return or debut for the Main Event

Prince Devitt, obviously

[Strummer]

Teasing Evolution reunion. Looks like the Shield program is going down

[Steenalized]

This is the only way I'd ever want to see Evolution again, so I'm cool with it. A six man between them actually sounds pretty good right now.

[dexstar]

If we get Shield vs Evolution, they better remember both groups have a history with helicopter transport. I want a Halloween Havoc 95 style helicopter battle on top of an arena, ending with Batista being tossed into the blades but returning for the match with no explanation.

[Loss]

This Wyatts vs Cena/Sheamus/Big E match was so so good, but these fans are so determined to get themselves over.

[goodhelmet]

I fell asleep... what did i miss so far?

[Kevin Ridge]

Boston gets another PPV show after just having Survivor Series! Pretty sure MITB will be a much better show too.

[tigerpride]

This Wyatts vs Cena/Sheamus/Big E match was so so good, but these fans are so determined to get themselves over.

 

Yea, but at least they were chanting things related to the match

[PeteF3]

The fans were reacting to the match, they just happened to be cheering the heels. Nothing wrong with that. They were following along to what the wrestlers were doing--notice they genuinely popped for Big E. doing the triple backbreaker on Rowan, because that was legitimately awesome.

[Stiva]

Between that night in Chicago, leaking fake spoilers and making Brock break the streak to get incredible heel heat, they really have got the working of the smarkier fans down perfectly.

 

And now, Heyman is cutting the promo that is needed for this crowd. Such a great segment so far.

[anarchistxx]

Nothing wrong with the crowd at all. They are loud and passionate and vocal and into it, what more can you ask? We are way past the days of simply cheering for the faces and booing the heels - WWE acknowledges this and they run with it. The fans aren't 'trying to get themselves over', they are merely cheering their favorites, which include faces like Daniel Bryan and heels like Bray Wyatt. The heels like Batista and Orton are still getting heel reactions, as is Lesnar. They certainly ran with the narrative for the HHH/DB stuff, they weren't sat there chanting "thanks for jobbing" to HHH.Fans are a huge part of the show, and this is a far better crowd than some boring, silent crowd who only pop for finishers.

 

It fits with the narrative, anyway. WWE are pushing this as a new generation, and the fans are cheering the exciting new guys and booing the stale old guys.

 

The six man tag was fucking great, the whole show has been perfect so far. Heyman's promo is brilliant, his best in ages. The opening was amazing, so pleased to see Daniel Bryan get that kind of reaction, biggest ovation and biggest love for a character I've ever seen. The 'you deserve it' chants got me really emotional.

 

WWE is on such a roll right now. My Facebook feed this morning was full of people talking about Wrestlemania, albeit mostly buzzing over The Rock and Steve Austin. Boom time is coming.