Current WWE

[goc]

I don't really blame Batista for not wanting to lose another high profile match, especially since he's probably going to lose at Extreme Rules. If he loses to Bryan now, what's left? A tepid babyface turn?

[Johnny Sorrow]

Wyatt isn't doing the Waylon Mercy gimmick at all. Outside of Hawaiian shirts and the hat there's nothing the same. Waylon was clearly doing a Cape Fear deal, Wyatt is a cult leader with a Messiah complex. And it's fucking awesome. Someone called it Kevin Sullivan in Florida with a budget, which is dead on.

[Loss]

Yeah, I still don't get why Orton didn't tap at Mania. I think prior to that finish, Bryan vs Batista was the hottest post-WM feud they could do.

[bradhindsight]

Flair is not scheduled to work Extreme Rules. No logical reason the Shield shouldn't go over now if they aren't doing a Flair turn on them

 

See I don't get this because Flair was never with them in the first place. He put them over verbally but why, on the last raw before the ppv, would they allow him to be in their corner at a PPV and implicitly trust him? That would have been horrible storytelling and way out of character for the Shield.

[Strummer]

Lana's skirt on SD was so tight she had trouble walking. She also made sure to turn around so her ass was in clear view of the camera. Wonder if those were in the stage directions

[Johnny Sorrow]

Yeah, I still don't get why Orton didn't tap at Mania. I think prior to that finish, Bryan vs Batista was the hottest post-WM feud they could do.

True, but part of the build to Mania was playing on the whole crowd shitting on Batista in favor of Bryan and then Batista going on about how he's baffled that the crowds cheer for Bryan now and not "real men" like him. Mania was the culmination of Bryan's journey, and part of that had to be him beating the guy they "replaced" him with at the Rumble that the fans rejected. Bryan had already shown that he could beat Orton.

[MikeCampbell]

Yeah, I still don't get why Orton didn't tap at Mania. I think prior to that finish, Bryan vs Batista was the hottest post-WM feud they could do.

 

Because every 3-way match that features a title change, has to have it end without the champion losing directly. It's in the handbook.

[Sean Liska]

The crowds going into Mania hated Batista a lot more than Orton. It made for a bigger moment.

[Johnny Sorrow]

And it gives Orton a fallback angle they can use if they want, about him never actually being beaten for the belt. Orton's there for the long haul, Batista's not.

[El-P]

Wyatt is a cult leader with a Messiah complex. And it's fucking awesome. Someone called it Kevin Sullivan in Florida with a budget, which is dead on.

 

Well, both are supposed to be southern psychopaths wearing hawaiian shirts. It's enough for me to compare the characters.

 

As far as the Kevin Sullivan comparison, I guess you could make it, except Sullivan was speaking in goofy satanic gibberish in the early 80's in a territory and a time where it could get heat. And he had the SM look going on with the Fallen Angel, and used blood, of course. So yeah, I guess it's Kevin Sullivan with a budget, but also a clean and polished production, none of Sullivan's booking ideas (that Cena feud is terrible), the whole thing being marketed to be scary to kids under 12. So yeah, that's why it doesn't work at all for me.

[SomethingSavage]

I honestly wish they'd borrow MORE elements from the old "Sully in Florida" playbook with Bray, if anything. The approach might not be anything new, but it could be modified & updated to fit with the times a bit. Plus it's being played to a broader audience on a different stage at this point. New fans would never know the difference, and it could make for neat callbacks for those in the know.

 

I believe the Cena feud would only benefit from a shift in seriousness and tone. I don't care for the heavy-handed way they're suddenly emphasizing Bray's message as a "virus" and whatnot, really. It's got all the subtlety of a brick being thrown at your face. I'd rather see some of those things IMPLIED to generate visceral, gut reactions based on our human nature - not shoved down our throats by a commentary team that'll quickly gloss over it, just to get back to their Twitter pimping.

 

But that's me.

 

And yeah. I know the Sullivan stuff was anything but subtle in retrospect. But different time. Different place. Different audience base. That "talking in tongues" gibberish at least elicited the kind of response they wanted with their crowds at the time. Ditto for all the otherworldly threats, etc.

[El-P]

The whole Bray's "message spreading as a virus" bit is totally idiotic to me. So, if Cena beats him in a wrestling match, Bray's "message" will not spread anymore ? And what the fuck is his "message" anyway ? They are clearly overreaching here, and this Cena feud is just bad.

[El-P]

Lana's skirt on SD was so tight she had trouble walking.

 

It's not like there was too much fabric to prevent her from walking either. But yeah. Lana's ass and legs are the selling points of the whole Rusev character, really.

[anarchistxx]

 

 

And what the fuck is his "message" anyway ?

 

This is half the problem. He just says a lot of cute, clearly overly scripted stuff, with no overriding message. What does he hope to achieve? Why does he want to 'bring out the dark side in John Cena'? What does he believe in or stand for? I'm not sure if anyone in the company even knows. It's like a low level horror movie where they just think a few cool visuals and quirky elements will make up for the fact that neither the script or the characters have anything to say.

[tim]

The whole Bray's "message spreading as a virus" bit is totally idiotic to me. So, if Cena beats him in a wrestling match, Bray's "message" will not spread anymore ? And what the fuck is his "message" anyway ? They are clearly overreaching here, and this Cena feud is just bad.

Honestly I agree with this. This feud would be a lot better if it were a lot simpler.

[The Chief]

Speaking of Waylon Mercy/Wyatt Family types, did anybody catch Bull Buchanan in OVW after he was demoted from the main roster but before B2? He was supposed to be doing a Waylon Mercy gimmick down there. I think he had an inherent creepiness just like Spivey that could have worked. Not sure how long it lasted, never heard much about it.

[El-P]

I watched a bunch of old Kevin Sullivan stuff not so long ago, and despite what would pass from corny "satanic" gibberish today, the point of the whole thing was still basic like "I'm a sick bastard and I'm going to fuck you up Blackack Mulligan, you and your kids.". Simple stuff.

[Jmare007]

I guess this goes on the Network thread but it might get lost in there

 

PWInsider:

 

 

- WWE recently purchased a library of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling footage shot in Virginia at ringside next to the ring announcer, from Jim Crockett Promotions events. The footage was filmed by George Pantas, as he revealed in the Norfolk Navy Flagship. The footage includes what may be the only complete match on tape featuring Ric Flair vs. Buddy Rogers.

[WingedEagle]

Wyatt still doesn't strike me as anything more than a mid-card character with a main event intro. Is it anything more than a 2014 ministry of darkness / cultish heel group? The angle on Monday with the kids was completely different and effective for that reason. But outside of the Shield matches, I'm still waiting for this to resemble a headline act.

[funkdoc]

the wyatts actually remind me a lot of heel doink, weird as that may sound. both are "creepy" gimmicks that work for the kids and can be entertaining in other ways for the adults...but they would be 10x more effective with the latter if it weren't for the whole PG thing.

 

i think doink gets more of a pass around here because he turned out to be the sort of hidden great worker yall go ga-ga for, but i feel the same way about that gimmick as el-p and i do about the wyatts. both are clearly toned-down versions of infamous pop cultural figures: wyatts = charles manson + deliverance, doink = it

[Strummer]

411 through wrestlezone is claiming that PWI said that Batista thinks Bryan is too small to lose to in another match. Uh oh

[Loss]

That is a lot of he said, she said. In the future, let's try to only talk about stuff like this if it comes directly from the source. Thanks.

[(BP)]

That sounds like something WWE would circulate to generate more interest in Bryan/Batista. It'll work too.

[SomethingSavage]

Bray Wyatt might not have dollar signs written all over his act, but I think he'd fit just fine among the upper echelon of the company in the long haul. The real test is making it out of this Cena program untarnished. He's got to come out feeling like a stronger CHARACTER, because that's where the strength of his whole act lies. It's in his character and the presentation of that image. If they get too reckless with booking his wins & losses, then he comes across as just what some of you are saying - a mid-carder mixing it up temporarily with the main event guys.

 

I think they kind of rushed Bray into a top spot too soon, but the crowd reaction's there. So it's hard to fault 'em too much for that. Linger too long on it, and ya risk ruining that. Rush it, and ya risk having to cool him off just to try and reheat him again later down the line. That's just a piece of the problem.

 

More on point though, I think Wyatt as a character functions just fine in a similar vein as the Kanes and Takers that came before him. He could be the monstrous outsider that kind of just operates outside of the title picture most of the time - doing his own thing, working his own programs, etc. Then, whenever the timing calls for it, pull him back into the main scheme of things & let him run a race or two in the title picture. Same deal we saw with Taker for years on & off.

 

The guy's still young. The character's still VERY fresh. And ya don't take something that the crowd's so clearly into and toss it away. At one time, Taker wasn't much more than an entrance either. Guys have been strictly a "look" or a "move" or a "catchphrase" before - and then they've gone on to have legitimate runs or longevity. So counting Bray out or casting him aside so early on is really reaching, in my eyes. I just find there to be a great wealth of untapped potential - both in the guy as a worker AND (perhaps more importantly) as a character.

[El-P]

At one time, Taker wasn't much more than an entrance either.

 

Strongly disagree. He was an attraction from the get go. The crowds of children were scared shitless. The chokeslam. The walk on the ropes. The flying clothesline. The salute to the urn. The tombstone. The zombi sit-up. The pale look. It was unique and unheard of as a package. Of course it helped that Mark Callaway was amazing and found himself in this gimmick. But despite the shitty matches for a good 5 to 6 years, Taker was special very quickly.