Rusev

[tim]

 

Everyone says that, I don't know how true it is. From what I understand, those public shares have next to no voting power compared to Vince thanks to the different classes of stock. They have to do things like report to the SEC and other formalities that they wouldn't if the WWE was solely privately held, but given how legally almost all the power is still with Vince, the whole stock price fluctuation and company market cap seems like dick waving more than anything. I do agree with you on a point you raised before, however, that since it is a corporation, it is prone to bloating and bureaucracy, like the ever growing size of the writing team.

 

I knew you were referring to anarchist previously..sorry for being unclear.

 

The problem with being publicly traded isn't that shareholders can vote, it's that having to report the financials every quarter is a killer.

 

Say you want to turn Cena heel.....you know you'll take a short term hit on March, but also know that a year from now at Mania 32, Cena vs whoever could do HUGE business. The quarterly reports make the merch issue bigger than the long term vision. Add in that have to avoid controversial story lines, which is often the best way to get some eyes on the product and build to something. But when controversy literally costs you millions in stock drops, it's not worth it. So you end up with a milquetoast company.

 

 

If the shareholders can't vote for any change then drop in stock prices isn't a problem. A falling share price doesn't hurt WWE's revenue if their ratings, attendance, merch sales are unaffected. The only reason a falling share price should be a concern is if it angers shareholders enough that they vote for a change in management, which isn't possible in WWE. Short-term drop in stock price is 100% a non-issue for WWE.

[Bierschwale]

WARNING: SHORT FANTASY BOOKING DIGRESSION RELEVANT TO DISCUSSION AT HAND.

 

If I could book the blowoff to Cena-Rusev...

Cena continues the open challenges, against Sandow, Axel, and Slater (only chosen for MOSTLY arbitrary reasons, like wanting an Axel/Slater tag team). Retains in all three; in the Axel match, it goes to a no contest after Rusev rushes the ring, attacks Cena and MURDERS Axel, and then invokes his return match clause. The rematch goes about a minute or two before AXELMANIA RUNS WILD ON YOU and he hulks up and attacks Rusev, so Cena retains via DQ. Rusev goes even more apeshit and tries to rip Axel's head off, Cena & Rusev brawl, etc..

 

Kane comes out and says that the violence between the two has reached a level that the company can no longer condone. He books a submission/TKO match for Extreme Rules that will not be officially sanctioned and will hence NOT be for the US title, and that after that match Cena and Rusev are barred from competing against each other "for the indefinite future", meaning obviously that in a year or so or whenever it will be useful for another Cena-Rusev feud, the ban will be lifted. (It's probably just me who thinks that this is a good idea to use semi-regularly to curtail feuds, but it gets the idea that they give a shit about booking matches across.) In addition, both men will compete in two matches at Extreme Rules-- Axel vs. Rusev in the preshow, and Kane "keeping Cena to his word" or whatever horseshit and forcing him to face an open challenge for the US title.

 

ER: Axel with Heath Slater in full patriotic "DING DING YOU SON OF A BITCH" regalia faces off with Rusev on the preshow. Rusev dominates, but AXELMANIA and Slater distractions get under his skin. Finally, Cena comes out, gets in his own bit of interference, and Axel pulls off the MIRACLE AT THE ROSEMONT HORIZON. Rusev loses, but again, it isn't a clean loss and it releases some of the pressure from the balloon of him having been "undefeated" for so long.

 

Cena faces off against... someone ECW-y because it's "Extreme Rules". I first thought of Rhyno, so let's go with him.

[Matt D]

Is it true that Rusev and Lana will only sign for people wearing the Rusev shirt? If so, that's kind of awesome.

[Shining Wiz]

 

 

Everyone says that, I don't know how true it is. From what I understand, those public shares have next to no voting power compared to Vince thanks to the different classes of stock. They have to do things like report to the SEC and other formalities that they wouldn't if the WWE was solely privately held, but given how legally almost all the power is still with Vince, the whole stock price fluctuation and company market cap seems like dick waving more than anything. I do agree with you on a point you raised before, however, that since it is a corporation, it is prone to bloating and bureaucracy, like the ever growing size of the writing team.

 

I knew you were referring to anarchist previously..sorry for being unclear.

 

The problem with being publicly traded isn't that shareholders can vote, it's that having to report the financials every quarter is a killer.

 

Say you want to turn Cena heel.....you know you'll take a short term hit on March, but also know that a year from now at Mania 32, Cena vs whoever could do HUGE business. The quarterly reports make the merch issue bigger than the long term vision. Add in that have to avoid controversial story lines, which is often the best way to get some eyes on the product and build to something. But when controversy literally costs you millions in stock drops, it's not worth it. So you end up with a milquetoast company.

 

 

If the shareholders can't vote for any change then drop in stock prices isn't a problem. A falling share price doesn't hurt WWE's revenue if their ratings, attendance, merch sales are unaffected. The only reason a falling share price should be a concern is if it angers shareholders enough that they vote for a change in management, which isn't possible in WWE. Short-term drop in stock price is 100% a non-issue for WWE.

 

 

Except where it greatly impacts the personal wealth of most executives, creates bad press for the company, effects negotiations with other businesses and, most importantly, seems to embarrass Vince McMahon.

[cm funk]

 

-That's a point of you just not liking him/his gimmick.

 

Whether I like the gimmick or not is irrelevant. 99% of people would agree that the evil foreign heel gimmick is at best dated and regressive, at worst xenophobic and cheap. The fact it makes for boring television makes it even worse.

 

 

Actually, with this neo Cold War we're in with Russia the gimmick is sadly very relevant in 2015

 

xenophobic and cheap? sure. welcome to pro-wrestling

[cm funk]

Shifting the conversation back to Rusev, I'm kind of interested in the back-and-forth over whether Rusev is underrated/overrated as an in-ring worker.

 

I haven't seen *every* match of his or anything, but I thought his bout with Big Show at Hell In The Cell 2014 was probably the best Big Show match in a number of years. I also thought his Network special matches with Big E. and Swagger were career highlights for those two. Throw in his matches with Cena, which I enjoyed, and, in terms of consistency, Rusev has a really strong body of work already. I don't think he's wrestled any masterpiece yet, but I also haven't seen him wrestle a dud and, for a rookie, that's very promising. Gimmick aside, if the WWE fails to find a way to keep him relevant and fresh, they're missing out on a guy that shouldn't be too hard to keep as a threat in upper mid card for years to come (in the vein of Umaga, for example).

 

I think he's very good and has shown constant improvement. Big E, Swagger, Show, Henry and Sheamus matches were all good-very good. Ambrose matches were good. Cena matches were very, very good. I'm struggling to think of a match of his that wasn't at least good for what it was.

 

Also, I think the Umaga comparison is the best one. There is a lot of similarities with the antiquated gimmicks but performed so well and with such good accompanying in-ring that the characters get over. Very similar in-ring as agile great working "big men" too

[KrisZ]

This was in the Observer leading from Kevin Eck talking about how Tensai was created.

 

 

 

Eck said he knew the Tensai character would flop, but noted he was dead wrong, thinking Rusev would be the second coming of Tensai. The creative team saw him with the wild hair and loin cloth and immediately set out to make him a comedy guy. But HHH nixed it, telling them he’s a monster heel. He said he realized Lana was a key part of the act, but figured it would wind up with Lana as a star and Rusev as her Marc Mero. But he said that Rusev was instructed to tone down his facials, they dumped the trunks he was wearing, groomed his hair and beard. He noted that Vince McMahon questioned putting Lana with Rusev. Eck said he thought Rusev had no chance of success without Lana, although he didn’t think he had a great chance with her. He noted that “The Ravishing Russian” quickly became one of Vince’s favorite characters, which insured his getting his monster push, which he noted this time HHH was right.

 

Says a lot doesn't it

[sek69]

To be fair, that's how a lot of people predicted it would go when they debuted.

[goc]

He still has had one of the better first year pushes of anyone outside of The Shield in the last 5 years or so. Assuming they don't totally kill him off when they split him from Lana I think he'll be ok in the long run. I still think he'll eventually be a big Roman Reigns rival once Roman gets the belt.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

I predict that within a few weeks we will see a backstage segment where Axelmania and Macho Mandow annoy HHH with their catchphrases so he books them in a handicap match against Rusev as "punishment." The new Mega-Powers will introduce "Miss Lana" (dressed up just like Liz at Summerslam '88) before the match and the finish will be her tearing off her dress to reveal a tame swimsuit, distracting 'sev long enough to allow Mandow to roll him up and score an upset win!

[Ricky Jackson]

May as well take the impersonation angle to the nth degree and eventually have everyone on the main roster doing an impression of a 1988 WWF wrestler, with no rhyme or reason to who plays who. You know, Reigns as Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Cena as Ted DiBiase, Orton as Andre etc. Probably would be a lot more entertaining than the status quo

[C.S.]

Ryback strikes again.

 

WrestlingInc.com: Top Star Possibly Injured At Last Night's WWE SmackDown Tapings (Updated With Photo)

 

 

https://twitter.com/_BellaFam/status/603542895593914370/photo/1

[El-P]

Remember when Sable got more and more over ? After Mero hurt his knee.

[Steenalized]

Rusev's fall in the last 3 months has been the mid-2010s equivalent of Evolution: the thing that's made me stop watching WWE (and wrestling in general) for a while.

[SomethingSavage]

Thought this thread could use a bump, mostly because I'm curious to see where people's opinions stand on the latest happenings with Rusev & this angle.

 

Plus I posted my thoughts in the weekly WWE thread. Figure I'll just paste it here, too.

 

Everyone's talking like this is supposed to set up Lana as the next Sable, and I guess Rusev is meant to be Mero.

I think that's being WAY too generous to the angle they've chosen to run here.

I'm getting more of a Dolph as "Val Venis" vibe here, with him stealing the girl and having her mentioning his "stamina and athleticism" and all that PG code talk for secksee sex.

So I guess that'd make Rusev the reformed Bible-thumping Dustin Rhodes, and Lana's pre-Pretty Mean Sister Marlena. Terri Runnels. Whatever.

...

Yeah. I think that's more accurate of what I'd expect from this angle by the time it's all tied up.

Such a shame, too. I loved the original portrayal of Lana as the ice queen that could command Rusev to crush at the drop of a hat. She was practically second only to Stephanie McMahon as one of those almost untouchable non-wrestlers that felt above things like these stupid catfights and your typical throwaway divas matches. That's no longer the case.

If they really wanted to make a couple of stars out of this act, they should've gone the classic route by keeping Lana & Rusev together through thick & thin. Then, when they wanted to do the switch, bring Rusev along for the ride. Have someone threaten physical harm to Lana for the VERY FIRST time... and Rusev snaps. Boom. Ready-made babyface. You show Rusev has a heart... with human qualities & traits. You explore the idea of them having feelings for each other - beyond just business - for the very first time.

But nah. That whole Macho Man-Liz thing never did much for business, right? Crazy concept, I know.

[El-P]

If they really[/.b] wanted to make a couple of stars out of this act, they should've gone the classic route by keeping Lana & Rusev together through thick & thin. Then, when they wanted to do the switch, bring Rusev along for the ride. Have someone threaten physical harm to Lana for the VERY FIRST time... and Rusev snaps. Boom. Ready-made babyface. You show Rusev has a heart... with human qualities & traits. You explore the idea of them having feelings for each other - beyond just business - for the very first time.

But nah. That whole Macho Man-Liz thing never did much for business, right? Crazy concept, I know.

 

That would have taken some thoughts, patience and trust into Rusev & Lana as a long term viable act. Crazy concept indeed. Rusev & Lana were the only thing of interest to me leading to Mania, and I have absolutely lost every bit of interest into them now. That's a shame, Lana was so good in her heel role.

[Loss]

Dave's been saying cryptically that Vince thinks Lana is too attractive to be with Rusev so they've been booking all this stuff in an attempt to break them up in real life. It wouldn't be the first time they paired or broke up people on camera based on how they wanted their relationship to go off camera. I don't know how much Rusev and Lana study wrestling history, so I'm not sure if they'd figure out that's happening or not.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

Hopefully they are going down the road listening to Observer Radio podcasts and having lots of good talks. Expecting them to have Dave officiating their wedding.

[goc]

I actually liked Rusev's promo on Raw tonight but then Dolph's music hit and Dolph came out and started talking and that was my signal to turn off Raw so i don't know what happened after that. I still think Rusev will find his way out of this and it's Lana who is the one who is going to have the most problems post breakup.

[dawho5]

I doubt it would have much to do with Rusev and Lana understanding history as much as how perceptive they are. You can have super smart people who don't understand a bit when it comes to personal interactions and what they mean and the other way around.

[El-P]

Dave's been saying cryptically that Vince thinks Lana is too attractive to be with Rusev so they've been booking all this stuff in an attempt to break them up in real life.

 

That's really fucked up.

[The Man in Blak]

This has got to be a joke, like "ah ha ha, the booking for this angle has been so bad that this can be the only possible motivation for moving forward with it," right? Surely, this is a crappy Bryan joke that Dave is just referencing every once in a while because he has a weird sense of humor.

 

(...I really hope that's what it is.)

[Loss]

Well, they've done similar things with others in the past, so I'm inclined to believe it. Remember Batista nailing Melina right around the time she started cheating on Morrison with him? It seems like there was tons of that in the last half of the 2000s in the John Laurinitis era where he'd look through bikini catalogs to find women to hire, with Dave often reporting that it was an attempt to boost morale because the guys needed new women around.

[Sidebottom]

Joe Legend (Just Joe WWF) did an interview around the time of the Lita / Edge pairing on screen saying that was booked a week after Edge and his then partner had decided to make another go of it when that situation became public.

[Coffey]

I wonder why Vince thinks Rusev isn't attractive enough. He seems like a pretty handsome & masculine dude to me. Especially to a woman that likes big guys, which I assume Lana does IRL if they're together.