WrestleMania 31...

[El-P]

Really poor show saved by two matches, basically, and a great way to save an incoming disaster in the main event.

 

Multi-tag pre-show match was fun for what it was. But I don't ever want to hear that workers need to adapt to the "less is more" style of the WWE. This was as indierrific and choregraphed as anything I've seen. But fun I guess.

 

Battle Royal was shit, like most battle royal, although I did like Big Show's work around the ropes actually, so I can live with him winning. Miz is such an awful actor.

 

The IC ladder multi-man match was a complte cluster of nonsense. People falling from high places, clichés ladder spots we've seen a billion times, made even worse when 70% of the participants are geeks. Dolph's ultra quick way up the ladder toward the end of the match is worse than any super slow climb ever. Bryan wins the IC title, which is a jobber title at this point. I have no faith they'll do anything with it despite the legend segment.

 

Orton vs Rollins. OrtZZZZZzzzzzzzzz…….. Hey, kicking out of finishers in the second match of the PPV. Nice. As always, one spot wonder Orton does deliver his one great spot. Solid I guess, but didn't give a shit.

 

Sting vs HHH. Oh god, someone mixed Muta's entrance at the Tokyo Dome with Sting's. Oh god, HHH, really ? This was so amazingly ridiculous and stupid, this guy is killing me. And it's always cracking me up when you realize that under the outfit it's plain old boring HHH, still overworking his entrance because he never ever looked like The Man, with his average charisma and boring offense. Terrible match with hilarious run-ins. The announcing was rotten all night long, but during this piece of work it got to the nadir. I think it's even funnier than HHH's last match with Taker. Hey, kicking out of finishers. Hey, superkick ! HHH puts himself over. That was great in its horridness.

 

Paige & AJ vs Bellas. Actually enjoyed this stuff a bit, always thanks to Nikki and to a lesser extent Paige. AJ isn't good, but whatever. First match I actually watched without get bored out of my mind. Totally watchable.

 

Rusev vs Cena. Ok, Rusev's entrance was awesome. A freaking tank ! Lana !! Cena's propaganda video was vomit inducing, like any good propaganda video. The fact that he simply came out with any pomp made it even better. Just perfect. Excellent match too, and maybe Rusev's best performance ever. Liked it more than the Fastlane match, although I'm not big on the finish, which did seem a bit anticlimatic. And of course the prospect of splitting Lana & Rusev sucks. Rusev should have won, he's the best heel act at this point, but whatever, it was predictable. Now will they make the US title mean anything again with Cena carrying it ? They have the opportunity to revive both the IC and US titles now, but I have zero faith.

 

Stephy, HHH, Rock, Ronda. What it is ? RAW ? I don't give a shit about MMA, I don't even know who Ronda is, but apparently Stephy don't take shit even from a great UFC fighter. Fucking lame. For anyone thinking everything is gonna be all rosey once Vince is out of the picture, think again. Stephy will put herself over on TV until she's old as dirt.

 

Taker vs Bray. Holy shit, Taker's mystique is absolutely gone. He doesn't get an elaborate entrance anymore. He needed to retire after last year. Bray, well, whatever. Just as bad and boring as predicted.

 

Reigns vs Lesnar. What a spectacle. Not a great match by any means, but as always with Lesnar, what a spectacle. This guy is just five notches ahead of everyone else in term of aura. Reigns did look better than ever, but wait until he gets paired up with Orton or Big Show again. The setting with that lightning made it ever better I thought, just a great looking stadium. I loved the finish. Perfect way to save the day. At one point I thought we'd see the reformation of the Shield, but this was perfectly executed and planted the seeds of what's coming. I'm talking about Brock coming back for revenge because he's not been defeated, not about an upcoming Seth vs Orton feud on top (which sounds… well…. Randy Orton…). Meanwhile, it gives time to Reigns. So yeah, they saved the day the best way possible, and Seth looking like a complete chickenshit at the end was a great visual to end the show.

 

Two excellent matches in 5 hours including a lot of awful and boring stuff. So there you go.

[Fantastic]

Well, they went with the scenario I had in mind in saving the main event. Glad Lesnar didn't take the pinfall.

 

All in all, a pretty mediocre card in terms of actual wrestling, Orton vs. Rollins and the Reigns vs. Lesnar were the best matches on the main card.

 

Looking ahead, it seems should WWE manage to pull some strings, that we may get Rock/Rousey vs. Hunter/Stephanie for next year's Mania card.

[cm funk]

I always enjoy EL-P's takes on things (never change bro) but seriously......if you can't understand how huge that Rock/Rousey deal was and can't recognize how crazy hot the crowd was for it (it got so loud it literally seemed like the arena was shaking at one point).........you're way out of touch man.

 

You live in France or something, and you're not an MMA fan, I get it. Ronda Rousey is a HUGE MMA superstar......the biggest right now. The Rock is the biggest "BLOCKBUSTER" action movie star. American media is all over this shit. This is big time stuff.

 

You like Brock tho, do you even understand why Brock is so hot right now? And why the "will he or won't he" and showing up at the last UFC show with Dana White and showing up on ESPN and announcing he wasn't going back to UFC was such a big f'n deal? And how much ESPN coverage WWE has been getting?

 

I suppose living in Europe and not being an MMA (or WWE for that matter) fan you wouldn't get it, but trust me, this was big time

[soup23]

Had a morning to digest:

 

1. Opening ladder match: Kind of zoned out on these to be honest. We know what we are going to get in some cool spots and some in the moment intrigue. We got that here but not a whole lot else. Honestly, shocked at how people just accept Bryan being the IC champ right now. Maybe he will elevate that dead title somehow but with 16 years at least of mediocrity at this point plus the historical booking of Bryan for the past couple of years, I will remain pessimistic about that. I also think the selling of him being a champion leaving Mania was completely weak and some sort of spin. ***1/4

 

2. Orton vs. Rollins was a fine match with a great finish. That sad, some of the early ratings for this match are legit insane to me. How you can like this match much better than HHH vs. Bryan last year is baffling to me since both had fairly simple match structures but last year's match had much smarter control work by HHH and a greater overarcing story. THis was a good match with a great finish propelling it to that. ***

 

3. Sting vs. HHH was "THIS IS YOUR LIFE" as a wrestling match. I have often said ROck vs. Hogan is the toughest match to judge, we now have a new match. I think rewatching this match down the road will be a chore knowing the run ins and the logic gaps were something else here. It went over about as good as it could I suppose with HHH winning of all things so that is an accomplishment. Ill just say **1/2 and call it a day

 

4. Divas match was fine. Not trying to be one of those "piss break" fans but there wasn't much to analyze here.**

 

5. Rusev entrance was epic, maybe one of the best in wrestling history. Match was really good. It had a good length, compelling story and a great storyline that the crowd couldn't accept because we hate John Cena. I concur with Parv that I see no problem in Cena going over here and think Rusev will be fine with his allure overall. Cena doing new moves at this stage is great to see. ***1/2

 

HHH/Steph vs. Rock/Rousey was a great coup by WWE. Rousey is really the top person in UFC at this point so this felt like a combination of territory crossover and sport celebrity mixture.

 

6. Takers allure is waning and this match was decent but nothing exciting which was a best case scenario. One more match for him and he is done. **3/4

 

7. Main event was epic here. I think I agree with Child's line of analysis the most that I think the finish really ruined the tone of the match so far which bothered me the most. An epic war marred by too smart for its own good booking. I do also agree to Charles that this was a cheat. MITB can be restricting and ROllins pinning Brock is a little eh but at least if Roman had rocked him to the brink, Rollins could have took advantage and then we could have had some interesting development with ROman and Rollins staring at each other building intrigue aso to whether they are on the same page or not. ****1/2 for the match as I think in ring it was amazing up to the finish.

[conker8]

I living in France too and Ronda Rousey is well known by 15-30 yo. Her 14 seconds submission made it to french newspaper.

[Matt D]

The Rousey catch has three things going for it.

 

1. She's actually hot now and it's not a case of getting a MMA star five years after they're a draw like TNA does.

2. She's only interacting with Steph so it's not going to make their own talent look bush league. And Steph stood up to her exactly like she would Sting or someone else, at least for the most part. Having her around doesn't make, let's say, Sasha or AJ look worse so long as it's only Steph that's getting the focus.

3. She's an honest fan, and not just some MMA mercenary, which helps.

 

So it has a lot of the positives of using someone with crossover appeal like this without the usual drawbacks. It didn't need 25 minutes at Mania or whatever, especially if it doesn't build to a match (and who knows if it will). I don't think her being there as an unannounced attraction made Mania feel more special, not as part of an endless talk segment. If it leads to a match, then it's worth it. If it doesn't, then it's even worse than bringing a part timer back to put over someone who's around all the time, because at least a part timer is an organic part of wrestling and wrestling's past and something that wrestling can claim credit for and not someone whose existence, when pushed as a big deal, sort of makes their roster look insignificant.

[JerryvonKramer]

Slightly disappointed that Chad is on the Childs / Loss side of the argument, but for what it's worth I do agree that while it is the best idea from a long-term booking point of view, the finish takes snow flakes off the match. It could have been a ****3/4, but as it is it is more like a ****1/2.

 

What I didn't mention last night is that this is also Vince kind of booking himself out of a hole, which you could argue he shouldn't have been in in the first place. But I'd like to think that it will also put paid to the notion that he doesn't listen to the fans. There is no doubt in my mind that this finish and the entire way Reigns has been booked to this point has been strongly influenced by fan reactions.

 

I think Vince or WWE in general are still masterful at working their fans. Everyone was totally worked last night by that main event. And it has hopefully done the job of making Reigns a star in the fans' eyes. A strong match with Bryan followed by a strong match with Brock. That's an example of the company showing that they understand the game has changed a bit and that a top star has to prove themselves through good matches. And they have held back pulling the trigger till he's in a position where they are ready to cheer for him. Surely that's hats off right?

 

As shocking as the booking of the Royal Rumble was this year, can't we give credit where it is due?

[van_Fair]

Hey remember when everyone was worried that Rollins would get lost in the shuffle when the Shield disolves. That he would end up as a midcard babyface competing in meaningless mulitman IC title ladder matches. While Top Heel Ambrose feuds with Reigns over the World Title.

 

Anyway I fell asleep during the musical performances and I finally got around to watch the Main Event. I thought this was great. It was basically a WWE Style Ishii vs Makabe match. Two big pieces of meat stiffing each other.I loved the finishing sequence F5 into Spear into Curb Stomp.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

As someone who wanted them to double down on Reigns, or at the very least make him strong/credible, I was fine with the finish. I would have had much more of a problem with a post-match cash in, actually, just because they just did that finish a year and a half ago. Compared to silly/convoluted Shield reunion ideas, this was a far better way to get the belt on Rollins.

 

I think it buys them some time to do a better job on Reigns until they do pull the trigger on him. My hope is a triple threat (even though I know it is played out) at Summerslam, simply for the sake of Reigns winning it in a sure thing good match. Though they can't just have Rollins beat Reigns over and over until then, so maybe they will do something like Big Show in between, unfortunately.

[El-P]

I always enjoy EL-P's takes on things (never change bro)

 

At this point, I probably won't.

 

You live in France or something, and you're not an MMA fan, I get it. Ronda Rousey is a HUGE MMA superstar......the biggest right now. The Rock is the biggest "BLOCKBUSTER" action movie star. American media is all over this shit. This is big time stuff.

 

No, you're the one who don't understand what I mean actually. I don't give a shit mostly because I just witnessed another boring drawn out Authority angle with the idea that WM next year will be built around HHH and Stephy (who's not afraid of the big bad MMA fighter). That's why I don't give a shit.

 

When I say I don't know who she is, I really mean I don't care about MMA so I never actually even saw her face. But I'm well aware she's a huge star. That doesn't mean she's automatically interesting to me, and really the whole segment didn't do shit to get me interested. I guess Stephy has a lot to do with that.

 

You like Brock tho, do you even understand why Brock is so hot right now? And why the "will he or won't he" and showing up at the last UFC show with Dana White and showing up on ESPN and announcing he wasn't going back to UFC was such a big f'n deal?

 

Hum… actually, yes, I do.

[anarchistxx]

for what it's worth I do agree that while it is the best idea from a long-term booking point of view,

 

It it? Why? If you have been following WWE for the last few years you will know that:

 

a. They don't do 'long term booking'

b. The 'booking' for this title reign will consist of long winded promos, handicap matches, hour after hour of 'Authority' garbage

c. There is no appetite for Roman Reigns chasing the title, as has been seen in recent weeks. Him having the title presents a greater range of scenarios they can run with, instead of the predictable 'screwed over face chases cowardly heel and gets screwed over again and again'

 

Anyone who thinks that was a good finish to the match they presented and the story they worked is out of their mind. Once again: it completely devalues the title to the point where having such an intense, powerful match means nothing, because some schmuck can just run down the ring when everyone is exhausted and 'cash in'. Chasing cheap heat on the biggest show of the year, when you have the chance to decisively and effectively pull the trigger on the guy you have built as your next ace for twelve months.

 

This isn't Edge in 2006 where it felt organic and exciting - this is the same finish they have run dozens of times before, always with the same outcome. That isn't good for long term booking - that is good for generating a short term pop and buzz. WWE all over, always looking at the little picture, chasing hashtags, trying to recreate the 'anything can happen' sense of chaos around their product, which they never will because everything feels corporate and contrived.

 

Reigns & Lesnar stiffing each other for twenty minutes in a bloody match with a definite, absolute conclusion does far more for both the product, the championship and the fan base in the long run. Someone theorized that the WWE was trying to recondition the audience by sticking with Reigns against their will - tonight once again they showed their indecision, their propensity for half measures. All they have conditioned their fan base to believe is that title matches mean nothing, because every single title match is soured by the fact people are just waiting for the grimly predictable 'cash in'. It takes attention away from your main event, serves no purpose. If you must have Money In The Bank, have a "24 Hours Notice" clause for when the winner gets to challenge the champion.

 

They did the exact same thing in 2013 with Daniel Bryan v John Cena - a new face at the top is turned into a star after having an incredible match with the company ace and prevailing, only to be screwed out of the title five minutes later by an authority approved heel. Anyone remember how that turned out, how the next few months went? And people think this is good booking. Fuck me.

[NintendoLogic]

I think the reason I'm more down on this show than most is that for me, Rollins walking out as champ was the worst possible outcome. He's Orton 2.0 in that he's a borderline channel-changer for me despite being mostly good to great in the ring. Also, between the Mania main event and the Bryan match at Fast Lane, we've established that Reigns looks awesome when the other guy is doing 90% of the work.

[anarchistxx]

I think the reason I'm more down on this show than most is that for me, Rollins walking out as champ was the worst possible outcome. He's Orton 2.0 in that he's a borderline channel-changer for me despite being mostly good to great in the ring. Also, between the Mania main event and the Bryan match at Fast Lane, we've established that Reigns looks awesome when the other guy is doing 90% of the work.

 

This as well. Why does anyone think Seth Rollins as champion will lead to good television, good booking, anything other than a monotonous continuation of the 'Authority' on top angle that has plagued them. Rollins for me doesn't even have the aura or natural charisma Orton possessed in his early days when pushed to the moon.

 

The worst thing is how cowardly and indecisive the booking was. Scared to have Roman Reigns get a decisive victory. Scared to have Brock Lesnar take a decisive pinfall. Scared to have Roman Reigns suffer a decisive loss. So they book yet another screwy finish that devalues the championship even further.

[Matt D]

Just like after Summerslam year before last, I do think they should keep Reigns away from Rollins for a few months though. Make Reigns go through Show and Kane. I know that sounds tedious but some decisive wins against giants will help him if they work the matches smartly. Have Rollins defend against Orton and get his win back in a gimmick match. Toss Ambrose at him again for a shot or two. Then work an indecisive match and do a blow off three way with Brock at Summerslam really putting Reigns over. Or something.

 

Knowing WWE they're going to go into a three match series with Rollins vs Reigns immediately (maybe the first one as a four way with Orton and someone else too and the second two as gimmick matches).

[Zoo Enthusiast]

Like I said, also, I think they need to keep Reigns/Rollins apart until they do the title change. If they consider Reigns the next top babyface (and I think they still do) he can't be losing on bullshit finishes like Daniel Bryan for four months.

[Matt D]

We're definitely on the same page there.

Also, I'm a little confused about the Cena/Bryan mid card title bits if Brock wasn't going to stay champion. Wasn't the whole point there to have belts that would be defended by big stars for the months that Brock was away.

[JerryvonKramer]

Anyone who thinks that was a good finish to the match they presented and the story they worked is out of their mind. Once again: it completely devalues the title to the point where having such an intense, powerful match means nothing, because some schmuck can just run down the ring when everyone is exhausted and 'cash in'. Chasing cheap heat on the biggest show of the year, when you have the chance to decisively and effectively pull the trigger on the guy you have built as your next ace for twelve months.

Do you know how hard it is to make heels in this day and age? The fact that it is so unfair and "devalues the title", generated heat from you by the looks of things. But because everyone is "smart" now, it's the booking that gets it, not the wrestler. I don't know what the solution is for that, but I think it did a good job of creating something that people thought they wanted to see and then denying them that to CREATE DEMAND for it. While also making a villain.

 

I perceive Rollins as being a HTM-style champ with the way he won. If he can't get over as a chicken-shit, then maybe we need to do away with the concept of heels in wrestling period. The fans put themselves over as wanting good wrestling, so it makes sense for the heel to be someone who denies them what they want.

 

This is basic wrestling psychology. And this was an instance of them understanding the changing dynamics of the audience and playing to it well. If it was 1991, Reigns would have made a big comeback and gone over clean. It's not 1991.

 

This isn't Edge in 2006 where it felt organic and exciting - this is the same finish they have run dozens of times before, always with the same outcome.

My understanding is that this is the first time they've run with an "inject myself into the match stip" finish. Usually it comes after the match has ended, no?

 

 

 

That isn't good for long term booking - that is good for generating a short term pop and buzz.

 

 

What would have been bad for long-term booking was Reigns to go over and booed. What else would have been bad? Brock to go over and be an absent champion.

 

Here you have a champ that people have a reason to hate, with at least THREE challengers who have legit motivation to want to mow him down. Orton for the next minor-league PPV, Reigns or Brock for Summerslam.

 

 

 

WWE all over, always looking at the little picture, chasing hashtags, trying to recreate the 'anything can happen' sense of chaos around their product, which they never will because everything feels corporate and contrived.

 

 

Except everyone was legit shocked when Brock beat Taker, everyone was legit shocked at the total clusterfuck of HHH-Sting, everyone was legit shocked at Bryan's elimination and everyone was legit shocked at the finish last night.

 

Why do fans need to pretend that they are so cool that they are above being surprised by the booking?

 

Want to know something else? If the fans weren't such fucking dicks misbehaving and not cheering and booing who they are meant to (like the GREAT marks of old), doing "this is awesome" chants trying to get themselves over, and wanting to be "smart" all the fucking time, maybe the company wouldn't have to resort to all this cutesy booking. They've been forced into it by fans who are, in my view, idiots. Fans who are the product of Russo and kayfabe-breaking horribleness from 15 years ago. But what can they do now? This is what the situation is. The genie can never go back in the bottle. It's this way or the Russo way. What do you want?

 

Reigns & Lesnar stiffing each other for twenty minutes in a bloody match with a definite, absolute conclusion does far more for both the product, the championship and the fan base in the long run.

Only if the dickhead fans booed Reigns after he won, then it wouldn't have been, it would have tanked business. And Brock works limited dates. Rock and a hard place. An alternative was the right thing to do.

 

Someone theorized that the WWE was trying to recondition the audience by sticking with Reigns against their will - tonight once again they showed their indecision, their propensity for half measures.

OR they showed that they listen to fan reactions and that the theory that they will push someone against the audience's will is not true. They've done a fantastic job of saving Reigns from being a total dead duck. Compare where he is now to where he was night after the Rumble. Now he's a guy people want to see, then he was a guy who people thought might have no future.

 

All they have conditioned their fan base to believe is that title matches mean nothing, because every single title match is soured by the fact people are just waiting for the grimly predictable 'cash in'.

I agree that they need to limit the extent to which the "cash in" angle is used.

 

It takes attention away from your main event, serves no purpose.

It did serve a purpose here. I would agree that it's a Deus Ex Machina used to book out of a hole. But it's a nice get out of jail free card for the booker. They probably shouldn't do it for at least another 2 years now though.

 

If you must have Money In The Bank, have a "24 Hours Notice" clause for when the winner gets to challenge the champion.

Yeah I'd agree with that. Jack Tunney should make a ruling that after Rollins has done this, no one should be allowed to do it again and close the loop hole.

 

EDIT: In fact, what would be GREAT is if Rollins himself as chicken-shit heel champ bitched and moaned to The Authority to get this rule changed so no one could do it to him. That would be genius.

[JPSLotus]

After thinking about it for almost 12 hours now, I don't know if maybe the finish of Rollins was good since it managed to do something I haven't felt in ages with the WWE - aggravation.

 

Brock as champion was great, but the way they built him up was shooting themselves in the foot since there was no one believable on the roster to beat him. Even in losing the belt, he didn't exactly lose since he obviously wasn't pinned. It's the only way you can keep him as 'The Beast'.

 

That said, it also showed that they weren't willing to make a decision and live with it. I would have rather seen Reigns/Lesnar play out. Going to a finish that amounts to nothing more than a typical Raw run-in finish for your biggest show...is just...bad. If they can milk Rollins as the coward heel for the next few months, maybe it will be worthwhile. If it results in a Reigns title run, then maybe not.

[El-P]

Meltz loved Sting v HHH. I have a feeling he's going to be taking a lot of crap for that for the next little while.

 

Well, Meltz actually says that this was maybe the best WrestleMania of all time…

[anarchistxx]

 

 

Do you know how hard it is to make heels in this day and age?

 

Do you know how many heels have cashed in Money In The Bank? Dozens at this point. It has no proven track record of 'making heels', and a long track record of building short term heat and leading to underwhelming title runs. Besides, Rollins was pretty well disliked anyway, he wasn't a cool heel getting cheered. The cash in against a guy who often gets booed out of the building is hardly going to make him as a heel.

 

 

 

The fact that it is so unfair and "devalues the title", generated heat from you by the looks of things.

 

Heat against the company, not against Rollins. There is a big difference. I was disgruntled by the finish because it devalued the title belt, made the match worthless and ruined a main event, not because the nasty cowardly Seth Rollins walked out with the strap.

 

 

 

The fans put themselves over as wanting good wrestling, so it makes sense for the heel to be someone who denies them what they want.

 

Jimmy Rave did that gimmick in ROH years ago. Very short shelf life.

 

 

 

My understanding is that this is the first time they've run with an "inject myself into the match stip" finish. Usually it comes after the match has ended, no?

 

Like it matters, this is just pedantry. The result is always the same - the audience pops for the surprise and the heel gets some cheap heat, and it leads to the title being devalued, storylines meaning nothing and the preceding match becomes just a waste of time. It is especially glaring last night and in the case of Bryan vs Cena because these were well built, well received, flawlessly worked matches that could have made a new star and had a decisive finish, and instead it was the same screwy finish we get month after month, year after year.

 

If you don't think it is a ridiculous gimmick I don't know what to tell you. They can't have a straight title match anymore because people are sat around waiting for the cash in. Look at the record of these things - when does it ever lead to a meaningful title reign or interesting television?

 

 

 

What would have been bad for long-term booking was Reigns to go over and booed.

 

Reigns gets a reaction. That is what you want from your modern day champion. People care one way or the other. And last night could have made him - instead he ends up taking the fall and looking like a schmuck.

 

John Cena got booed all the time - he was still a million more times more interesting as champion than Alberto del Rio, who is equivalent to Rollins in terms of booking, heat level and fan reaction. For me Seth Rollins doesn't have it, and shouldn't be champion. Roman Reigns is a much better long term bet with the strap, and his polarizing reactions meant he could have wrestled anyone on the roster.

[JerryvonKramer]

Nothing says "heat against the company" like a 76,000+ gate. Just saying.

[Lee]

Yeah, I was baffled with that one, I thought it was good and ended great and I guess that probably skewered people's closing opinions quite a bit, but let's not go crazy here.

The Rollins thing was something where, when he came out I was ready to take a total shit on it, thinking they'd spoilt an excellent main event, and then it was over it just all fell into place for me with the realisation that they'd just set up months of main events with Rollins vs. Orton, Reigns and Lesnar, plus a possible three or four-way blow off to it all down the line.

[anarchistxx]

What else would have been bad? Brock to go over and be an absent champion.

 

Rubbish. The title has meant more in the last few months with Brock Lesnar as the absent champion than it has in years. The title matches have had more of an aura, felt bigger, more exciting, more interesting. Less is more.

 

 

 

Here you have a champ that people have a reason to hate, with at least THREE challengers who have legit motivation to want to mow him down. Orton for the next minor-league PPV, Reigns or Brock for Summerslam.

 

Come on, Jerry. This might look good in your head, but you have to realize how badly these feuds are going to be booked, and how much dead time is going to be wasted by formulaic 'Authority' style feuds on television with handicap matches, screwjobs, lengthy promos. We have had this for years - Roman reigns as champion would have felt fresh. Rollins feels stale already because he has been badly overexposed in the last year.

 

 

 

Except everyone was legit shocked when Brock beat Taker, everyone was legit shocked at the total clusterfuck of HHH-Sting, everyone was legit shocked at Bryan's elimination and everyone was legit shocked at the finish last night.

 

There is a huge difference between being shocked at an appalling booking decision [Daniel Bryan], or a one time event [The Streak] or some nostalgia run ins than there is booking a genuinely exciting, chaotic, unpredictable product. When was the last time anyone was surprised by an episode of Raw, or couldn't wait to find out what happened next when they returned from a commercial?

 

 

 

Want to know something else? If the fans weren't such fucking dicks misbehaving and not cheering and booing who they are meant to (like the GREAT marks of old), doing "this is awesome" chants trying to get themselves over, and wanting to be "smart" all the fucking time, maybe the company wouldn't have to resort to all this cutesy booking.

 

Just an embarrassing paragraph here. Maybe the company should be less cowardly, more decisive and recondition the fans to expect main events without run ins, screwjobs, and with definitive finishes?

 

 

 

It's this way or the Russo way.

 

Shaking my head. This is the Russo way - devalue your product by constantly chasing a short term buzz with short sighted booking and screwy finishes every week.

 

 

 

Nothing says "heat against the company" like a 76,000+ gate. Just saying.

 

It is Wrestlemania, the gate will always be huge. It says nothing about the long term popularity of the company because the crowd is mostly die hards.

 

Glastonbury sells out in five minutes regardless of the acts. It would still be a bad booking decision to advertise Fleetwood Mac and then have Nickleback cash in their 'Glastonbury Contract' to force them off stage so they can play Rockstar and How You Remind Me.

[Lee]

Nothing says "heat against the company" like a 76,000+ gate. Just saying.

Meltzer seemed to think it was closer to 65,000-70,000 and that the venue knew the 76,000 number at least a week ago. Not that that damages your point, it just surprises me that people still accept WWE's "part of the entertainment" record-breaking numbers as legit when literally everything else they do on PPV is a work.

[Cox]

I am sympathetic to Loss' argument about last night. If somebody were to say that they had a problem with the way the main event ended, I wouldn't have an answer to that. If you paid your hard-earned $9.99 (or $64.99) for the show to see Reigns/Lesnar end in a decisive finish, you didn't get what you wanted last night. That is on WWE for not delivering.

 

That said, I don't know that it really matters anymore because the WWE business model no longer seems to be built around selling big matches the way it once was. WrestleMania is sold on the brand name WrestleMania. Look at the number of people on this board who were complaining endlessly about the build for the show, but bought it anyway. Why? It wasn't because any one match on this show caught our imagination, but because the WrestleMania brand automatically means we are probably going to buy. I don't think it's different for casual fans either.

 

Since last night was built around "WrestleMania moments" ahead of any one WrestleMania match, the finish to last night's show was beneficial to the WrestleMania brand name. Most of the reaction I've seen from casual fans and "smart" fans alike has been what a great ending it was to the show. From a WrestleMania brand standpoint, last night's finish worked quite well. It seemed momentous. Would it have worked even 15 years ago, when they had to protect matches? No, but that's no longer the business model. It's no longer about getting fans to shell out $55-65 to their cable provider, it's about getting people to buy $9.99 subscriptions to their network. Matches no longer mean anything. It's not necessarily something I'm happy about, but it is the new reality.

 

And ultimately, it's better for WWE to be about selling WrestleMania as a brand above selling it based around any one, or any 5 matches. If a show is built around one match, and that match doesn't deliver or delivers something the fans don't want, maybe those fans don't buy the next big match. If a show is built around a brand name, people will keep buying it no matter what. It's no longer about getting fans to spend $55-65 a month on PPVs. It's about retaining those fans as network subscribers month after month. That means they can get away with pulling off a finish like last night's PPV, which was not the proper culmination of the Lesnar/Reigns title program. It was an exciting, and not necessarily expected way to end the biggest PPV of the year, that successfully sets up six more months of PPVs on the Network.

 

So yeah, it's kind of a shitty way to end last night's show for the fans who were interested in seeing a decisive win, one way or another, to the Lesnar/Reigns program which has been brewing for two months, but ultimately, that's not the business WWE is in anymore. They don't deliver matches anymore, they deliver events. And the way this event ended, it left most fans thinking they witnessed something great.