Current WWE

[Russellmania]

True, although I think WWE sometimes drops the ball in pointing out the wrestlers' past history with each other.

I think you mean they *always* drop the ball in this regard

[Russellmania]

Sheamus' forearms spot annoys the hell out of me, though he admittedly has gotten pretty good at not setting it up the same way every time. The one that drives me insane is Orton's draping DDT spot that he works into every match, sometimes more than once.

yeah the Orton DDT is the only "signature spot" that bothers me because it should be used as like a 3rd tier finisher or something and not just a throwaway nearfall. I mean on the scale of nastiest moves in WWE, that Orton DDT should be in the upper echelon as it looks way more brutal than 99% of WWE moves but in practice it is considered less damaging than a Cena fireman's carry slam.

[Cross Face Chicken Wing]

I can see where it would bother people but I could also see where people wouldn't be happy if the signature spot from the wrestler wasn't in the match.

 

Flair makes the same argument when asked about the corner flip and a few of his other spots.

 

I can see being disappointed if I'm in the live audience and I don't get to see a signature spot. But sometimes signature spots get annoying when I see them over and over again on TV.

[cm funk]

Signature spots are fine with me as long as they are set up properly and executed creatively. Since Sheamus has been back from that long injury layoff I think he's been really creative with the forearm spot and gets into it way better than he used to. The teases worked into some matches get big crowd responses, and the spot itself is super over. The Sheamus spot that used to bother me was the "Brogue Kick" when they were giving him that overdone face push and he had to stomp the mat, slap his chest, and chant "BRO BRO BRO" in a desperate cliche WWE babyface fashion. It was lame as hell, and it didn't get over. And I've personally always hated the "stomping, clapping, leading the crowd into a finisher" spots because they're so contrived. HBK stomping the mat for the superkick being one of the prime examples. I LOVED when the heel would actually react to the stomping and pull himself out of the way of the kick. That was logical. 15 seconds of stomping and the crowd joining in.....made guys look like shit when they were in the corner and would pull themselves up right into a superkick. If I'm semi-conscious and have done ANY scouting he's not hitting that kick on me like that. That kick was always so much better as a flash KO spot.....and there are some great examples of it used that way in matches which got massive crowd reactions

 

On a similar note......I always hated when Rock would beat people with the People's Elbow. I thought it was a great, fun spot and the crowd's obviously loved the hell out of it......but pinning a guy with an elbow drop? Made opponents look like shit. Cool spot.....NOT a finisher. He rarely executed it like a Muta corkscrew elbow which looked absolutely vicious.....or a Stan Hanson elbow which looked like he was legitimately going to bust a guy's face/skull into pieces. I always wished his floating DDT would be treated like a finisher more than it was. I think he got a pinfall off it a handfull of times.....but it was always treated as a transition spot after someone had been getting heat on him. I remember a while in 99-00 where he would pin people with the elbow on a regular basis

[Guest Eduardo James]

It was okay when he would do it after a Rock Bottom as an insult to injury kind of thing. When he started doing it after a spinebuster that looked more like a weak double leg takedown it got a bit more obnoxious. I guess it doesn't really matter though, people bought it and it got a reaction. I was more annoyed by that weird belly to belly he did where it looked like the guy would fly half way across the ring via Jedi mind trick.

[Strummer]

Meltz reporting that Bryan is not getting any better and has been written out of all future plans. He may also need shoulder surgery

 

- Reigns push has been accelerated by the injury. It was supposed to be a slower burn

 

-In a move that will certainly please pretty much all of us Renee Young is on the fast track to join the announce team on SD

 

-talent is still unhappy over pay issues. Still no WM 30 payoffs

[CaptCabana]

Daniel Bryan just cannot catch a break.

 

Is anyone else of the camp that he really needs to think about just walking away? There will never be a bigger moment for the guy than the one he already had, he has a family to think about now....it would be a huge loss to the wrestling community but at this point there needs to be a stronger focus on Bryan Danielson than on Daniel Bryan.

[Coffey]

How does he need shoulder surgery now too? That's confusing to me. It wasn't bad enough before but it is now? Surely he didn't mess up his shoulder while out with injury for his neck, no? What sort of physical stuff would he be doing to get a messed-up shoulder? How was it overlooked the first time?

 

At this point, it feels like an Edge situation with a retirement announcement is just around the corner. Which would be a shame from a fan perspective, but it's not worth risking his long-term health. Then again, a year from now, who knows?

 

The more reports we hear about Daniel Bryan the more is sounds like we're not getting nearly enough information or there's a lot of incompetent doctors. I know nothing about neck surgery but everything we keep hearing & reading is that he keeps getting worse every week instead of better, post-surgery.

[Guest Eduardo James]

Kinda reminds me of some really old topics: http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/6167-3-concussions-on-1-roh-show-2-wrestlers-back-next-night/

Nigel's been retired for a few years now and it seems like Bryan's style of wrestling is really catching up with him. I don't know the severity of his shoulder injuries etc., but I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up retired in a few years if not sooner.

Another problem is that fact that he has a family or is going to. He's only been a "top guy" for, what, barely a year? Before that, he was firmly upper mid-card, on the indies for years probably making enough to get by month to month, and has only been with a major company for about 4 years. I'd imagine he only recently started making big money and even that's gone down if the reports of royalty checks being decreased are true. I'm sure they'd find a role for him in the company if the worst happened, but he wouldn't be making whatever it was before he got injured.

As far as roles outside the ring go...he could be the Wyatt's version of a Higher Power.

 

[rovert]

William Regal did an interview with MTV UK a few months ago and implied Bryan's royalty checks were huge.

 

Daniel Bryan on Chris Jericho's most recent podcast said that he was earning well but it was only a 'one very good year' type situation.

[Log]

-talent is still unhappy over pay issues. Still no WM 30 payoffs

How does this happen in a company as big as WWE?

 

TNA, I could understand. I picture them having one overworked accountant in a dingy room with piles of papers around him. He wears the old green-tinted visor and has one of those crank-handle adding machines. There's a big ashtray that looks like a blooming onion with all the butts sticking out of it.

 

Seriously, how does that happen at WWE?

[Ricky Jackson]

If he took on the "Bryan Scicluna" gimmick suggested by the spolier photo he could work for another 30 years and not have to worry about taking bumps. Wrestling could also use a new master of the foreign object

[Bix]

Daniel Bryan just cannot catch a break.

 

Is anyone else of the camp that he really needs to think about just walking away? There will never be a bigger moment for the guy than the one he already had, he has a family to think about now....it would be a huge loss to the wrestling community but at this point there needs to be a stronger focus on Bryan Danielson than on Daniel Bryan.

Not just you. If he needs fusion, that should be it. That he's planning on retiring to a self-sustained hippie farm compound anyway within a few years makes me more comfortable with the idea of him missing out on the money.

[goodhelmet]

 

YO ucan also compensate for the smaller venues by using percentage (capacity vs. actual attendance) instead of actual numbers. Cornette made that point when comparing his B show run to Dusty's A show run in his Midnight Express book.

this seems like really faulty logic. What's better, a gate where you sold 10,000 of 20,000 seats (50%) or one where you sold 4,000 of 5,000 seats (%80)?

 

I guess my point is that it's a bad premise to assume that you need to "compensate for smaller venues". In most cases there's a reason they're running smaller venues in the first place.

 

 

Context is everything here. If you are running NYC and only draw 50% at MSG, that is a red flag. If I am running Odessa, TX and fill up 80%, it absolutely matters.

[kjh]

The more reports we hear about Daniel Bryan the more is sounds like we're not getting nearly enough information or there's a lot of incompetent doctors. I know nothing about neck surgery but everything we keep hearing & reading is that he keeps getting worse every week instead of better, post-surgery.

 

The surgery was done by WWE's medical director Dr. Joseph Maroon, who has done neck operations on many WWE wrestlers previously. This doesn't seem to be a case of incompetent doctors.

[cowboy hats]

This Saturday night, NYC has a WWE house show and Huey Lewis (and da News) playing Citi Field after the Mets game. Greatest city in the world!!

 

Projected WWE card:

 

WWE Lumberjack Match returns to the World’s Most Famous Arena after over 25 years!

Chris Jericho returns to the Garden with his Highlight Reel for the first time in 2 years!

John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a 20-Man Lumberjack match for the WWE World Heavyweight championship
– 10 men led by WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair & 10 men led by Triple H! –

Sheamus vs. Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio
– Triple Threat Match for the WWE United States Championship –

Also see all your favorite Superstars including:

Mark Henry
The Uso’s
Goldust & Stardust
Ryback
Fandango
And Many More!

*card is subject to change*

 

[Matt D]

Psst. Fancam it for us.

[Russellmania]

http://instagram.com/p/qTpelzAFIt/

 

looks like a KENTA announcement is imminent

[Loss]

Dear 2004 Version Of All Of Us,

 

In ten years, Hulk Hogan will be making videos online to hype the WWE signing of KENTA.

[Loss]

The Miz has no idea what this is all about.

[Matt D]

Dear 2004 Version Of All Of Us,

 

In ten years, Hulk Hogan will be making videos online to hype the WWE signing of KENTA.

 

The explosion fist noise he makes when punching is absolutely the same one my kid makes when simulating any sort of explosion.

[Russellmania]

Dear 2004 Version Of All Of Us,

 

In ten years, Hulk Hogan will be making videos online to hype the WWE signing of KENTA.

haha that is definitely some surreal shit

 

also...

 

"PS. Misawa will be killed by a backdrop and Benoit will murder his family."

[Russellmania]

sad that despite his signing we might never get KENTA vs. Punk or Bryan in WWE, but I can't be the only one who *really* wants to see a KENTA vs. Sheamus match, right?

[BillThompson]

One of the ideas being bandied about is that Kenta will never be a true main roster guy. He's being brought in to be a Japanese Regal. He'll work foreign shows, and pop up on main roster shows from time to time, but he'll spend most of his time in NXT helping to add another style to what the wrestlers down there are learning. I can see the pros of this idea, and to be honest it's something I would welcome.

[Russellmania]

if we get a few decent KENTA vs. Tyson Kidd or KENTA vs. Sami Zayn matches then I'm all for it.