Slasher Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 I should mention that this current angle is another semi-transparent attempt to get the fans to care about Triple H as an in-ring performer, rather than just as the "legend"/WWE office equalizer. How I would really book him is having him as the last line of defense for the WWE against some big threat. They tried this with Brock Lesnar, but Lesnar was fresh off losing to Cena. The WWE just assumed "Hey if we have Lesnar kick Cena's ass all over the place, then job to a fluky shot with a chain, the fans will still buy him as an unstoppable force!" but it didn't translate as well that way. Cena doing his limp armed promo then coming right back the next day just killed that perception. If they had Brock destroying everyone, leading to a shocking destruction of Cena where he actually beats Cena decisively, then I think the whole Triple H feud would have worked a lot better. edit: With the WWE audience, that is. The IWC probably will still just assume Triple H swooped in to hoover up Brock's heat. But HHH/IWC will never co-exist peacefully until he ends up bringing in another golden era of in-ring wrestling excellence as a booker when Vince dies. Or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Redman Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 Triple H is in a weird place really. He is obviously very much so respected by the fans for being so strong for so long and being booked well for years. But when it comes down to Triple H vs anyone that the fans care about, people always turn on Triple H for that specific instance. Look at his program with Orton when Orton was punting all the McMahons, the fans cheered for Orton over Triple H and felt that Orton should have won that Mania match. Most recent example being against Brock where people just refused to buy Triple H as an underdog face and no-sold the whole angle. I mean, he gets great reactions when he's just talking or appearing in the arena, but when it comes to wrestling, it just seems like no one wants it. I think with Hunter, when it comes down to it the fans generally like him and respect him for who he is, but he isn't really beloved. He isn't held with the same reverence that, say, Shawn Michaels or Taker are. Those guys are living legends to fans, whereas Hunter is just...not quite there. But they try to book as if he is at that level, and it doesn't work. Maybe it is because he was always a heel and pretty ineffectual as a face outside of DX. Maybe it is because everyone knows about his relationship with Steph and can't help but feel he hasn't earned everything he's got. Maybe it is because he has been constantly pushed down people's throats for 15 years now without respite and it feels artificial. Maybe it is because he is booked so strongly all the time and has a hard time showing the vulnerability that makes people empathise with you. I don't know. But it seems they will never stop booking him as Hunter The Living Legend in these big angles until people start giving them the desired reaction, without realising that the way they portray him as such an infallible badass means they are never going to get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slasher Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Triple H is in a weird place really. He is obviously very much so respected by the fans for being so strong for so long and being booked well for years. But when it comes down to Triple H vs anyone that the fans care about, people always turn on Triple H for that specific instance. Look at his program with Orton when Orton was punting all the McMahons, the fans cheered for Orton over Triple H and felt that Orton should have won that Mania match. Most recent example being against Brock where people just refused to buy Triple H as an underdog face and no-sold the whole angle. I mean, he gets great reactions when he's just talking or appearing in the arena, but when it comes to wrestling, it just seems like no one wants it. I think with Hunter, when it comes down to it the fans generally like him and respect him for who he is, but he isn't really beloved. He isn't held with the same reverence that, say, Shawn Michaels or Taker are. Those guys are living legends to fans, whereas Hunter is just...not quite there. But they try to book as if he is at that level, and it doesn't work. Maybe it is because he was always a heel and pretty ineffectual as a face outside of DX. Maybe it is because everyone knows about his relationship with Steph and can't help but feel he hasn't earned everything he's got. Maybe it is because he has been constantly pushed down people's throats for 15 years now without respite and it feels artificial. Maybe it is because he is booked so strongly all the time and has a hard time showing the vulnerability that makes people empathise with you. I don't know. But it seems they will never stop booking him as Hunter The Living Legend in these big angles until people start giving them the desired reaction, without realising that the way they portray him as such an infallible badass means they are never going to get it. Pretty much. That's why I think they need to just book him as that last line of defense, so when he comes out, people go "OH SHIT, THE HEEL IS GOING TO GET IT NOW!" sorta thing. He's never going to garner sympathy, never. May as well make him, as Jingus would say, the Voltron with the sword. Hell his alternate gimmick is basically that of a Norse God. Play it up in the angles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Nobody is going to mention Vince's dye job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artDDP Posted June 6, 2013 Report Share Posted June 6, 2013 Triple H is in a weird place really. He is obviously very much so respected by the fans for being so strong for so long and being booked well for years. But when it comes down to Triple H vs anyone that the fans care about, people always turn on Triple H for that specific instance. Look at his program with Orton when Orton was punting all the McMahons, the fans cheered for Orton over Triple H and felt that Orton should have won that Mania match. Most recent example being against Brock where people just refused to buy Triple H as an underdog face and no-sold the whole angle. I mean, he gets great reactions when he's just talking or appearing in the arena, but when it comes to wrestling, it just seems like no one wants it. I think with Hunter, when it comes down to it the fans generally like him and respect him for who he is, but he isn't really beloved. He isn't held with the same reverence that, say, Shawn Michaels or Taker are. Those guys are living legends to fans, whereas Hunter is just...not quite there. But they try to book as if he is at that level, and it doesn't work. Maybe it is because he was always a heel and pretty ineffectual as a face outside of DX. Maybe it is because everyone knows about his relationship with Steph and can't help but feel he hasn't earned everything he's got. Maybe it is because he has been constantly pushed down people's throats for 15 years now without respite and it feels artificial. Maybe it is because he is booked so strongly all the time and has a hard time showing the vulnerability that makes people empathise with you. I don't know. But it seems they will never stop booking him as Hunter The Living Legend in these big angles until people start giving them the desired reaction, without realising that the way they portray him as such an infallible badass means they are never going to get it. When he first got a world title push he had to deal with the number one face of the company burying his long-winded promos week after week. I'm sure that didn't help his aura much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted June 6, 2013 Report Share Posted June 6, 2013 http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/273429-ran...-bryan-and-more Orton's absolutely hilarious in this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log Posted June 7, 2013 Report Share Posted June 7, 2013 Finally got around to Raw. Ryback/Bryan was really fucking good. Bryan's just hitting on all cylinders right now. Ryback wasn't just along for the ride, though. His little headbutt while holding Bryan's beard was pretty sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cm funk Posted June 7, 2013 Report Share Posted June 7, 2013 Any guesses where they are going with this storyline with Triple H? Seems like they are recognizing finally that pretty much no one gives a shit about th guy. I don't understand. HHH had chants and a strong babyface reaction. The McMahon's did their best to draw that out by dick-teasing the crowd. Now, I'm no HHH fan, but I'm wondering why you think this. On that note, I just want to say Daniel Bryan is an absolutely amazing performer, and the push he's getting is very, very modest. The Shield is totally brutal. Ryback did okay. He's just some big ogre who can be carried to a decent match. I'd take him over Sid. Curt Axel is alright; he has some presence, but it's hard to take him as a serious player. Randy Orton is the modern day Ted DiBiase - not terribly exciting but solidly competent. But tonight, he played his role perfectly without having to resort to a slow build. Albert del Rio is a better face than heel imo. He actually comes off as somewhat likeable, whereas as a heel, he had Jeff Jarrett go away heat. The Miz sucks. The Shield is brutal? As in bad? You're entitled to have any opinion you want, but I'm gonna need an explanation on that one. All empirical evidence is going against you here. I think Curt Axel definitely has presence and I really like the way he wrestles, but the way they're half-assing his booking isn't doing him any favors. Maybe there's a big picture direction I'm not seeing, but it just feels like typical half cocked WWE booking right now. If you want to get this guy over you need to actually put him over. As it is he's just a guy who happens to be there when other more important stuff happens with the real stars. Agree on Del Rio, he's a really great babyface worker IMO. He sells well, bumps well, has fire, good comebacks with moves that pop the crowd etc. etc. But again, WWE does him no favors at all with their shitty writing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonsault Marvin Posted June 7, 2013 Report Share Posted June 7, 2013 They did a bad job of transitioning Del Rio's character to a face. They should have done skits with Ricardo teaching him to relate to the common man, like going bowling or going to the grocery store. He needed something more than just changing to smiling all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nell Santucci Posted June 7, 2013 Report Share Posted June 7, 2013 Any guesses where they are going with this storyline with Triple H? Seems like they are recognizing finally that pretty much no one gives a shit about th guy. I don't understand. HHH had chants and a strong babyface reaction. The McMahon's did their best to draw that out by dick-teasing the crowd. Now, I'm no HHH fan, but I'm wondering why you think this. On that note, I just want to say Daniel Bryan is an absolutely amazing performer, and the push he's getting is very, very modest. The Shield is totally brutal. Ryback did okay. He's just some big ogre who can be carried to a decent match. I'd take him over Sid. Curt Axel is alright; he has some presence, but it's hard to take him as a serious player. Randy Orton is the modern day Ted DiBiase - not terribly exciting but solidly competent. But tonight, he played his role perfectly without having to resort to a slow build. Albert del Rio is a better face than heel imo. He actually comes off as somewhat likeable, whereas as a heel, he had Jeff Jarrett go away heat. The Miz sucks. The Shield is brutal? As in bad? You're entitled to have any opinion you want, but I'm gonna need an explanation on that one. All empirical evidence is going against you here. I think Curt Axel definitely has presence and I really like the way he wrestles, but the way they're half-assing his booking isn't doing him any favors. Maybe there's a big picture direction I'm not seeing, but it just feels like typical half cocked WWE booking right now. If you want to get this guy over you need to actually put him over. As it is he's just a guy who happens to be there when other more important stuff happens with the real stars. Agree on Del Rio, he's a really great babyface worker IMO. He sells well, bumps well, has fire, good comebacks with moves that pop the crowd etc. etc. But again, WWE does him no favors at all with their shitty writing. Brutal as in they can fuck you up. That context should have been clear, as it's hard for anyone to argue otherwise. My last disagreement with board members (not here though) is that Tensai sucks. I always thought he was an uncharismatic oaf who's more annoying than vicious with his loud grunts and slams that don't look like they hurt for a guy his size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted June 8, 2013 Report Share Posted June 8, 2013 Damian Sandow playing chess with Deep Blue and screaming at the computer was great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert S Posted June 8, 2013 Report Share Posted June 8, 2013 Deep Blue? Is this 1997? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Death From Above Posted June 8, 2013 Report Share Posted June 8, 2013 If someone made a chess joke relevant to the chess world in 2013, would there be more than 5 people on earth that would understand it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted June 8, 2013 Report Share Posted June 8, 2013 Damian Sandow playing chess with Deep Blue and screaming at the computer was great. I originally read this very quickly and was wondering if Damien Sandow was playing chess with the one-hit wonder group that had the song "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted June 9, 2013 Report Share Posted June 9, 2013 That actually would have been a good gag. Sandow could've said that Deep Blue wouldn't fit through the arena doors and played chess against the members of Deep Blue Something instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovert Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 CM Punk appeared on stage at a Rancid concert in Detroit last night. Lars from the band introduced Punk as Philip and mentioned his WWE Payback match against Chris Jericho this Sunday.Good for Lars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 On Twitter it said they were doing his new theme song, debuting this Sunday. So I guess it's gonna happen then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovert Posted June 14, 2013 Report Share Posted June 14, 2013 Would have recommended watching the Orton/Kane/Daniel Bryan vs Shield from tonight's Smackdown. But the last 3-4 minutes of the match was absolutely outstanding from a crowd energy point of view. The crowd was going ape but with it being Smackdown you wonder if that was just crowd sweetening added in post production but then at end of the show you literally see people jumping with joy in the stands and punching the air. Bryan continues to increasingly make it easier to draw the parallel between him and Eddie Guerrero's mid 00s ascension to beloved main eventer. Sheamus-Cesaro was a very good TV match too. An example of what Sheamus could be - an ass kicker. Very much like his matches with Tensai last year where both men clobbered on each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted June 15, 2013 Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 Hell if we are tossing out recs, Sheamus v. Cesaro from last weeks main event is the best main roster WWE match I've seen all year (still think Regal v. Ohno from NXT is the best). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Redman Posted June 15, 2013 Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 Hell if we are tossing out recs, Sheamus v. Cesaro from last weeks main event is the best main roster WWE match I've seen all year (still think Regal v. Ohno from NXT is the best). I think it is in the Top Five, and I'm not entirely sure that the SD match wasn't better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted June 15, 2013 Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 Really enjoyed the SD match as it was a real slugfest of a match which is something we rarely get out of U.S. heavies. Still prefer Main Event match by a safe margin, but that's hardly a knock on Cesaro v. Sheamus II. Cesaro is the best guy in the world right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chess Knight Posted June 15, 2013 Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 Yeah, people are going mad for Danielson and I can't blame them, but I'm all about Cesaro. He's been filling my 'Mark Henry is the best thing I'm watching' void since February. He's the only guy right now I actively seek out, instead of just making a mental note and planning to watch later, and I get amped to watch his stuff unlike anybody else. C'EST UN MIRACLE, C'EST VRAI, C'EST UN MIRACLE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Posted June 18, 2013 Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 It's too bad Cesaro-Regal was a Raw squash tonight, but even so, both guys worked incredibly hard. Nice to see Dutch getting to manage someone worth his time now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted June 18, 2013 Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 Yep it was fun for the couple of minutes they got. That butterfly suplex escape spot was fucking insane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kostka Posted June 18, 2013 Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 Mark Henry Retirement = TV Segment of the Year. I totally bought it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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