anarchistxx Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Smackdown looks terrible this week, just about everyone I dislike on the roster is in a match, and a lot of notable talent are missing, guessing people are having a bit of time off after the grueling Wrestlemania schedule. Hopefully Bryan returning will regain momentum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Actually, they've already left for the European tour. That's why they operated on a skeleton crew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Couple of more notes from the Observer  Hunter suffered a leg injury during the match with Bryan at Mania. Said not to be serious  Brock will return for the build to Summerslam and will most likely face Bryan at the event  Rusev is scheduled for a squash win at Extreme Rules  Rey is healing nagging injuries again. The company is preparing for him to have an ambassador type role in the future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 With all the PPVs between now and Summerslam you have to wonder about Bryan's opponents. Hope they don't drag the Kane feud past Extreme Rules. The natural option is Batista and that's where I think they go but again there are so many PPVs in a relative short period they might have to run some screw job non finishes like last fall. Maybe they squeeze another Hunter match in but I think they will want him strong for Reigns at Summerslam  This is what happens when a guy gets over by "accident" and you haven't scheduled any plans. I'm fairly confident things work out for him though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 I love Brock vs Bryan for Summerslam as an idea just because neither guy can really afford to lose, so the outcome seems really important. WWE doesn't capture that dynamic in main events very often. I feel like as much as Bryan going over would be great for him, he could possibly get even more out of taking a huge beating and losing in dramatic fashion, garnering unreal sympathy in the process. That said, if he continues to get hotter through summer and Brock doesn't have the momentum you'd expect upon returning, maybe that's not the best idea. We'll see how hot each guy is in a few months. Either way, that's the match I'm looking forward to the most this year. Â I also think that match is too intriguing for them to have one match and that be the end of the feud. Bryan on the comeback trail to earn the toughest win of his life and has major potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 With all the PPVs between now and Summerslam you have to wonder about Bryan's opponents. Hope they don't drag the Kane feud past Extreme Rules. The natural option is Batista and that's where I think they go but again there are so many PPVs in a relative short period they might have to run some screw job non finishes like last fall. Maybe they squeeze another Hunter match in but I think they will want him strong for Reigns at Summerslam  This is what happens when a guy gets over by "accident" and you haven't scheduled any plans. I'm fairly confident things work out for him though  I do think they can use Cesaro as a gap-filling feud for Bryan after the Lesnar match, but before that, yes, it's difficult to see how he'd figure in. Turning and re-heating Mark Henry would be a great move, but I don't think the company is interested in that. I think Orton and Batista are best suited as a tag team at this point. I think they could get a couple more matches out of Bray Wyatt, but he would need to win very convincingly at Extreme Rules for that match to mean anything.  This is obviously going to be an issue the more we think about it, but I still think Bryan will be okay simply because fans are going to protest anytime it seems like the company isn't behind him as much as they should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmare007 Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 I love Brock vs Bryan for Summerslam as an idea just because neither guy can really afford to lose, so the outcome seems really important. WWE doesn't capture that dynamic in main events very often. I feel like as much as Bryan going over would be great for him, he could possibly get even more out of taking a huge beating and losing in dramatic fashion, garnering unreal sympathy in the process. That said, if he continues to get hotter through summer and Brock doesn't have the momentum you'd expect upon returning, maybe that's not the best idea. We'll see how hot each guy is in a few months. Either way, that's the match I'm looking forward to the most this year. Â I also think that match is too intriguing for them to have one match and that be the end of the feud. Bryan on the comeback trail to earn the toughest win of his life and has major potential. Â Yeah, I think there's money on Brock winning the title at Summerslam and Bryan going on another quest for the title. Basically the Morishima feud but with the giant never losing the belt (btw, did you watch the Manhattan Mayhem II match?). Besides, I don't see the point in giving Brock the streak just to lose his first match back, they gotta try to milk that W as much as possible imo. Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchistxx Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014   With all the PPVs between now and Summerslam you have to wonder about Bryan's opponents. Hope they don't drag the Kane feud past Extreme Rules. The natural option is Batista and that's where I think they go but again there are so many PPVs in a relative short period they might have to run some screw job non finishes like last fall.  Extreme Rules - Kane Payback - Randy Orton (Has to get his rematch sometime sadly...) Money In The Bank - Batista Battleground - Cesaro/Barrett/Ryback/Swagger as a placeholder feud Summerslam - Brock Lesnar  Quite straightforward really, because Orton & Batista will both definitely get a rematch. At Battleground there are a few heels bubbling under that Bryan can beat decisively to keep him strong going into Summerslam.  He should definitely not take any falls until the summer, and be booked strong rather than as an underdog champion. Gives the Lesnar match a bigger feel.    Actually, they've already left for the European tour. That's why they operated on a skeleton crew.  Makes sense, will avoid the show.    Rusev is scheduled for a squash win at Extreme Rules  Urgh, squash matches on PPV are so terrible, and kind of a cheat to the people who have paid money for the show. Rusev would get over way more if he actually beat someone halfway credible in a more competitive match. Squashing nobodies is fairly pointless, since it doesn't get him any heat because nobody cares about the guy getting beat up. Also, there has been a shift towards 'smarter' fans at the venues who appreciate guys who can go in the ring, so having a good match would probably do more for him than a boring squash which people will use for a piss break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(BP) Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 They should have the Orton rematch on Smackdown or Main Event. They can get it out of the way, and it'll make them feel less like the B/C shows they are. Bryan/Orton is too overexposed for Raw, let alone PPV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachchaos Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 I'd actually really like to see one final, No-DQ blowout to the Orton-Bryan feud. Their works is always A+, despite the over-exposure. Â Bryan/Lesnar has been something of a dream match for years, it's sort of incredible that we're actually going to see it. Lesnar should absolutely dominate, win the title at SummerSlam and then win the rematch at Survivor Series, forcing Bryan to win the Rumble in order to get another shot at WM31. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MFoy Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 I feel like if Bryan is going to lose to Lesnar this year, he needs to have some big wins before he gets there. Perhaps, since Lesnar isn't working Extreme Rules this year, they can get one more PPV out of him. In that case, they can push the Bryan/Lesnar match back to Survivor Series. They could have Cena-Bryan II at Summerslam, with Bryan going over. Â If they're really going to have Bryan chase Lesnar and eventually beat him at Wrestlemania, after dropping the belt to him, then Summerslam to Wrestlemania is too long. Â That said, I don't believe that the guy who defeats Lesnar is going to be Bryan. It's probably going to be Roman Reigns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlittlekitten Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Â Squashing nobodies is fairly pointless, since it doesn't get him any heat because nobody cares about the guy getting beat up. Â It worked for Ryback a couple of years back. The problem for Rusev is that he's a charisma vacuum and has little presence, although the bells and whistles added to his presentation are great so he could end up getting over. I'm not so sure though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Â Â If they're really going to have Bryan chase Lesnar and eventually beat him at Wrestlemania, after dropping the belt to him, then Summerslam to Wrestlemania is too long. Â Â Â I think that's an acceptable, or preferable, length of time. I'd really like to see the company return to longer form booking and slowly work the fans back into understanding that storylines play out over stretches of time, not just one month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MFoy Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Â Â Â If they're really going to have Bryan chase Lesnar and eventually beat him at Wrestlemania, after dropping the belt to him, then Summerslam to Wrestlemania is too long. Â Â Â I think that's an acceptable, or preferable, length of time. I'd really like to see the company return to longer form booking and slowly work the fans back into understanding that storylines play out over stretches of time, not just one month. Â It's not that. It's that, what do they do with them in the interim? Lesnar barely wrestles, and if Bryan's main goal is to defeat Lesnar, what is doing to keep him strong while he waits for his shot? This year they lucked into the long build because they went away from Bryan in main events and the fans started clamoring for it, but I don't see how you plan out a chase to last that long these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 The simple answer is, you keep sending both guys back out there. For the money Lesnar will work more dates, and if he is champion he will work more dates. All they have to do with Bryan after he loses the belt is have him go out there week after week and keep winning. The more he wins the closer he gets to Lesnar and the more that fans will want to see him get his rematch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchistxx Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 It worked for Ryback a couple of years back. Â Worked for about two months, maybe. It certainly didn't work for Lord Tensai or Heidenreich or the litany of other big, imposing men they have tried to push that way. Squash matches are outdated, slow and predictable and don't do any good either for the squasher or the squashed. They stick out especially on a show which nowadays has a lot of fast, athletic, exciting wrestling. Â Bryan>Lesnar>Reigns/Cesaro seems a logical belt progression at the minute, if they can build a one year plan around that they should do well and keep momentum. You have to fear that the progression will be more like Bryan>Batista>Lesnar>Cena though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Faulconer Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Are we sure Daniel Bryan will even make it to SummerSlam as champ? They might still love them some Batista/Lesnar or Orton/Lesnar matchups. Then they have Bryan shuffled down to work with Rusev. Â Stephanie McMahon sounding more and more like her father is creepy. She is a much better heel and presence on television than before though. I'm not sure if it is less or more creepy than when she got the implants and her voiced dropped to when it sounded like she had deeper a sounding sore throat. She was oddly reminding me of Chyna at that point. It was a real Liberace/Scott Thorson vibe. That says a lot about Triple H's kinks. Add in Vince's leering and you have enough crushed leaves for the whole family... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 I posted that in the comments thread. On Monday in the segment with Kane it's eerie how much she sounds and acts like Vince. Â And her voice didn't start getting deeper until like 2003. She got the implants in 01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlittlekitten Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Â It worked for Ryback a couple of years back. Â Worked for about two months, maybe. Â Â No, it worked a treat for six months. His reactions grew by the week. His first big match with Punk at HITC did a surprisingly good number and even when he started losing all his big matches he remained massively over for a while. I don't see anything wrong with squash matches in of themselves. In an era where every match has to be a lengthy, super competitive hard fought contest squash matches are a nice relief. The problem with guys like Rusev (and Tensai and Koslov et) is that they have weird drippy faces and aren't believable in their role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Stephanie had major sinus surgery a few years back that changed the sound of her voice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 I can remember back like early last decade people were saying she was going to damage her voice due to her screeching into the mic all the time. She didn't know how to project. Wonder if that had anything to do with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 PPVs are all Clashes now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exposer Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 PPVs are all Clashes now. Yeah, which is kind of cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blehschmidt Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 My money is on Cesaro winning the Money in the Bank case, and then Brock winning the title, so they can tease the shit out of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 When are they going to use just one belt? They seem attached to the Big Gold Belt, but won't use it as the sole belt because it didn't originate with them obviously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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