KobASHi Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 This is Hunter's baby so of course he's going to be involved in some manner. Why can't he just let his wrestlers wrestle, tell their stories and be successful at it, and save the party and applause for backstage ? Because the story is not "Good girl Bailey triumphs over evil Sasha Banks", the story is really "Look at how Triple H and Stephy are revolutionnizing women's sports-entertainement." That's the actual narrative, because like everything else, the true narrative of everything about WWE is the WWE itself. And WWE is Trip and Stephy. For gods sake, stop taking wrestling so seriously. The Trips are not the story, but it's an on-screen approval of Bayley/Sasha. I said earlier for me personally it didn't bother me, I left the show thinking that was an awesome match, Sasha got a joshi style NXT send off, women main evented and Triple H really gave Bayley a nice moment. I didn't leave thinking Triple H was a prick totes going over the girls. Sometimes the veil can be dropped when everyone knows the score I think, especially when analysis of the rise of the NXT girls. It's always been a bit meta. It's not 1985, it's easy to get over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 The moment that the internet gave Hunter a fruit basket was the night the line was crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Fucking Christ, they put on an awesome show last night that people had a blast watching and still some folks have to find shit to bitch about. Fucking Debbie Downers minus the comedy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 If you can find stuff to praise on bad shows, we can find stuff to bitch about on great shows. It's only fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slasher Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 It is okay to enjoy the show AND to have a criticism of someone or something from the show. Not everyone has to turn off their brains to enjoy something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bierschwale Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 The moment that the internet gave Hunter a fruit basket was the night the line was crossed. That truly was the event horizon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 The moment that the internet gave Hunter a fruit basket was the night the line was crossed. That truly was the event horizon. Does that mean we're one step closer to the night Steph danced atop the NXT Arena? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pol Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 We're officially in the era of "self-conscious everything". Which sucks when you're as talented as Sasha Banks, really. I wish she could just be a pro-wrestler doing pro-wrestling matches in a pro-wrestling promotion, and not another cog in the WWE narrative machine, which doesn't believe in fiction for its wrestler anymore, as the only fiction it produces is its own as a living "legendary" entity. nailed it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alucard Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Asuka was so perfect. Wonderful debut. Main event was another great one. I still struggle with the idea of Bayley doing anything near Cena level merch numbers, seems like a ridiculous reach but that's just me. I do think Finn Balor still has superstar potential on the main roster, good showing here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakeplastictrees Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 What makes the whole Steph/HHH thing even worse is that this isn't a new regime coming into power. This isn't a new adminstration. Remember, Stephanie McMahon was the head of creative for a VERY LONG TIME. HLA, pudding matches, Bra & Panties, Bikini Posedowns, Jackie Gayda, etc. All of this was under the Stephanie McMahon watch. Women could have main evented throwaway Raws and Smackdowns for ages, but it never happened. Stephanie McMahon hasn't been as bad to women's wrestling as Moolah and Dixie Carter, but SURELY she is top 3. All the photo Ops with THE REAL STARS in a desperate attempt to steal heat and 'relate' is all bullshit and I am not going to sit here and praise the con nor the con-artist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingus Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 I dunno how much of that you can really blame on Steph, considering that Vince always had total control over the product. When the boss insists on having things a certain way, there's not much an employee can do to change that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherwagner Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 It is definitely a way for Triple H to prove to people he can be a viable successor to Vince. It is about that being as visible as possible for stockholders and for the fans that wonders about the future. Unfortunately he is being very heavy-handed about it but I can understand the strategy. Yeah, this. Get ready for years of HHH and Steph as the loving father figure / wrestling creators. The day Vince steps down (=becomes senile and/or dies) the stock will probably plunge because large corporate investors will dump it, hope that everybody else follows suit, and then pick it back up on the cheap and act like an "activist investor" to try to shake down the company's board and/or to create a sale to a large conglomerate. The only way that HHH and Stephanie will retain power is to prove that their audience love them and that they have created their own unique brand from scratch, their own visionary creation (forget about how much of that is true or not, just how credible the story is to a man in a suit and a tie). Somebody already tried to do this months ago when the stock plunged but their network numbers grew thanks to promotional tricks and right now (because of Netflix) they can keep the stock growing on future returns, not current returns or classic stock valuation metrics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 For gods sake, stop taking wrestling so seriously. The Trips are not the story, but it's an on-screen approval of Bayley/Sasha. I said earlier for me personally it didn't bother me, I left the show thinking that was an awesome match, Sasha got a joshi style NXT send off, women main evented and Triple H really gave Bayley a nice moment. How is this not about Triple H ? After the last match, we got the first fourth-wall-breaking in the four NXT girls doing their tribute to the Curtain Call. Do you think it was spontaneous ? I mean, what the hell was that all about ? No one is leaving the promotion either (much like this time, which is why people making reference to joshi retirements are all missing the point). It was just a referential "moment", scripting the so-called "Diva Revolution" into the mythical canon of WWE history, which was also BTW the debut of Triple H's story. Now, we get another step forward. This time, Bailey and Sasha are simply swallowed by the entire WWE narrative of "good mom and dad Trip & Stephy so proud of their daughters whom they allowed to became big stars in a feminist and modern act of promotion". Why would Bailey need a "nice moment" on screen ? Her "nice moment" should be : "I beat Sasha for good this time, I'm really the champ." Hell, if you want to break the fourth wall, at least do that after the show. I'm not even talking about backstage, because it would be useless at this point, but at least after the show is over. But no. The conclusion of the show is indeed : Triple H *gave* Bailey a nice moment, in every sense of the word : he gave her flowers and tapped her on the shoulders in a paternalist gesture of approval, and he gave her the opportunity to be in the main event because he's the Authority. Uurah for Trip. This is awesome. I would go more into details about the annoying chanting audience and how it pertains to our social media society and the fact every moment has to be shared, commented and approved by a public act (the "like" on Facebook, Twitter or whatever), how that also plays a role in the global self-consciousness of the whole thing (and how this kind of approval is as much about the one who approves as it is about the thing that is approved, I'll put it that way : "Look at me approving you. I know. I want you to know that I know, because this fact is important, as I am important."), and how the "women's wrestling" and "you deserve it" chant really annoyed me from the beginning, but I'll wait for that. About Stephy and how hypocrite it is to see her taking credits on whatever feminist statement this "Diva Revolution" (fuck, using the word "Diva" is embarrassing enough) is, I'm working on a new idea, using the (often annoying to be honest because it's rather condescending) "mainsplaining" term and turning it into "Stephsplaining". I think I'll have fun with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodear Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 I was thinking about how some people were talking about how the Rhodes Boys should have jumped the winner and thought the real money was to have the guys explicitly copying the style of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard jumping them in the parking lot and leaving Dustin and Cody laying. The revenge match on Dawson and Dash would be big money yo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 It is definitely a way for Triple H to prove to people he can be a viable successor to Vince. It is about that being as visible as possible for stockholders and for the fans that wonders about the future. Unfortunately he is being very heavy-handed about it but I can understand the strategy. Yeah, this. Get ready for years of HHH and Steph as the loving father figure / wrestling creators. The day Vince steps down (=becomes senile and/or dies) the stock will probably plunge because large corporate investors will dump it, hope that everybody else follows suit, and then pick it back up on the cheap and act like an "activist investor" to try to shake down the company's board and/or to create a sale to a large conglomerate. The only way that HHH and Stephanie will retain power is to prove that their audience love them and that they have created their own unique brand from scratch, their own visionary creation (forget about how much of that is true or not, just how credible the story is to a man in a suit and a tie). Somebody already tried to do this months ago when the stock plunged but their network numbers grew thanks to promotional tricks and right now (because of Netflix) they can keep the stock growing on future returns, not current returns or classic stock valuation metrics. The careful presentation of HHH and Stephanie's image reminds me a lot of how WWE tried to remake Vince as the lovable announcer dad post-steroid trial and pre-Mr. McMahon, with the more casual clothing and frequent video packages of WWE's good deeds. Only this time, they are trying to get HHH over to a new and different audience, which means he's always wearing suits and he gets all public credit for NXT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 On a more positive note, and post-match bullshit aside, I did love Sasha vs Bayley, although I don't think it was as great as the previous match (not a knock though). Banks is the closest thing to a Takako Inoue ever in US wrestling. And yeah, I thought making that little girl cry was great. I don't care if it's exploitative or not, that's the gist of pro-wrestling. Plus the babyface won, so the little girl got to be even happier at the end, so all is right. Asuka's debut was impressive considering the opposition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 It is okay to enjoy the show AND to have a criticism of someone or something from the show. Not everyone has to turn off their brains to enjoy something. Shots fired, but I agree, Positive Paula's are on the nail grating spectrum for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheapshot Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 I am really high on Chad Gable at the moment. I thought his face in peril selling was wonderful whilst Corban and Rhyno got the heat on him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 I am really high on Chad Gable at the moment. I thought his face in peril selling was wonderful whilst Corban and Rhyno got the heat on him. He is a fantastic talent, have no idea what Meltzer is going on about when he says he doesn't see much in him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donsem43 Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 If Kurt Angle and Shelton Benjamin didn't end up the way that they did, I would be high on Gable too. But, at this moment, I'm still wait and see on the guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherwagner Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 It is definitely a way for Triple H to prove to people he can be a viable successor to Vince. It is about that being as visible as possible for stockholders and for the fans that wonders about the future. Unfortunately he is being very heavy-handed about it but I can understand the strategy. Yeah, this. Get ready for years of HHH and Steph as the loving father figure / wrestling creators. The day Vince steps down (=becomes senile and/or dies) the stock will probably plunge because large corporate investors will dump it, hope that everybody else follows suit, and then pick it back up on the cheap and act like an "activist investor" to try to shake down the company's board and/or to create a sale to a large conglomerate. The only way that HHH and Stephanie will retain power is to prove that their audience love them and that they have created their own unique brand from scratch, their own visionary creation (forget about how much of that is true or not, just how credible the story is to a man in a suit and a tie). Somebody already tried to do this months ago when the stock plunged but their network numbers grew thanks to promotional tricks and right now (because of Netflix) they can keep the stock growing on future returns, not current returns or classic stock valuation metrics. The careful presentation of HHH and Stephanie's image reminds me a lot of how WWE tried to remake Vince as the lovable announcer dad post-steroid trial and pre-Mr. McMahon, with the more casual clothing and frequent video packages of WWE's good deeds. Only this time, they are trying to get HHH over to a new and different audience, which means he's always wearing suits and he gets all public credit for NXT. Great analogy, though rather than trying to fool the general public this is a case of wrestling conmen trying to outcon Wall Street conmen. I don't want to get off topic but I expect a lot more WWE stock trouble when/if the gimmicks are up and Network growth stalls while every other revenue source keeps decreasing. This may actually take years to happen, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherwagner Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 If Kurt Angle and Shelton Benjamin didn't end up the way that they did, I would be high on Gable too. But, at this moment, I'm still wait and see on the guy. Respect is the only time I have seen him but if it's a common occurrence then the gimmicky chants will probably stunt his growth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 If Kurt Angle and Shelton Benjamin didn't end up the way that they did, I would be high on Gable too. But, at this moment, I'm still wait and see on the guy. I loved Angle as a wrestler, and really liked Benjamin so I'd be okay with Gable following similar trajectory in-ring wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ready_Willing_Gable Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Gable's got loads more charisma than Haas or Shelton. E: oh you said Angle & Benjamin. Surely Angle is something to be aspired to? If he was in better shape he'd probably still be in WWE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slasher Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Angle is often cited as one of the guys emblematic of all the problems with wrestling in modern day era. So no, I would imagine it is not something to "aspire" to be. However, in all fairness, in pro wrestling circles, drugs aside, he is considered one of the best successes of legitimate athletes switching over, so I don't blame Gable if Angle is the template he looks to for inspiration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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