WWE TV for November 22 to 28

[The Chief]

Maddox and Rose just debuted a new gimmick on Main Event, that's odd.

[C.S.]

Maddox and Rose just debuted a new gimmick on Main Event, that's odd.

 

Main Event is a show no one that matters watches or pays attention to, so not that odd.

[TravJ1979]

Listening to Austin and Ross' podcasts with Keller and Meltzer respectively, they were banding about some ideas going forward. What would be some of the guys you think you would do?

 

I was thinking Breeze/Dolph as a tag would be great. Especially with Mark Henry or the Big Show as a bodyguard except not call it a body guard. Call it something dickish.

 

I also liked Austin's idea of Jake mentoring Orton.

[Blehschmidt]

Maddox apparently said the word "Prick" in a dark match promo, which led to his release.

 

This company is amazing.

[C.S.]

Maddox apparently said the word "Prick" in a dark match promo, which led to his release.

 

This company is amazing.

 

If that's true, this company is the worst.

[Loss]

I also liked Austin's idea of Jake mentoring Orton.

 

Seems like Orton is too old for a mentor now, but that would have worked 10 years ago.

[C.S.]

Maddox released allegedly for saying "prick," but Blake gets a DUI, keeps his titles for another month, and remains in the company - nauseating!

[TravJ1979]

 

I also liked Austin's idea of Jake mentoring Orton.

 

Seems like Orton is too old for a mentor now, but that would have worked 10 years ago.

 

It's more of a role that teaches him the DDT and psychology more than a mentor. Like a month or two of vingettes.

 

1. it uses a guy on a legends contract instead of them just sitting at home.

2. Randy drops the RKO and maybe only uses it once/twice a year in big matches

3. Randy can prolong his career by doing less-is-more like Jake did.

 

At least that's what I got out of Austin's idea and I would buy it. It would actually refresh Orton to a point of relevancy.

[goc]

I liked Maddox a lot during his GM run but I can't be bothered to get upset about his release. It's been like 2 years since he was regularly featured on TV and never even really went down to NXT to reinvent himself as a new character. He just randomly floated around and worked some house shows and dark matches every once and a while. It seemed pretty clear the guy was never going to get an opportunity to do anything.

[Slasher]

 

 

 

 

I also liked Austin's idea of Jake mentoring Orton.

Seems like Orton is too old for a mentor now, but that would have worked 10 years ago.

It's more of a role that teaches him the DDT and psychology more than a mentor. Like a month or two of vingettes.

 

1. it uses a guy on a legends contract instead of them just sitting at home.

2. Randy drops the RKO and maybe only uses it once/twice a year in big matches

3. Randy can prolong his career by doing less-is-more like Jake did.

 

At least that's what I got out of Austin's idea and I would buy it. It would actually refresh Orton to a point of relevancy.

I don't buy it. For any of the 3 reasons listed. To drop the RKO? Why? It is one of the more recognizable and over finishers that is out there in the WWE...probably the most over part of Randy Orton, even. Less is more? Jake has never won a world championship. Orton is like a 10+ time champion or close to it. Obviously Jake is more revered a wrestling character in history but Orton is arguably more successful a wrestler and his is not a character that seeks out tutelage...at least not from Jake the Snake. Using legends because they are under contracts? Good idea in theory but you also don't want to shoehorn people in roles just to justify their contracts. If its really a problem, don't sign them to a contract.

[goc]

Randy Orton is already pretty much a "less is more" wrestler. His injuries aren't due to him doing a bunch of crazy shit it's just that his shoulders are apparently made of glass. We saw him get injured pounding on the mat and the reports I read about his latest shoulder injury is that it happened while he was taking out his trash at home. It's not because he was taking 360 flip bumps to the arena floor.

[cm funk]

I love Austin, but Orton being mentored by Jake Roberts in 2015/16 is a terrible booking idea IMO. 10 years ago....sure.....but Jake was a mess 10 years ago......

 

If we want to talk about some booking changes, it doesn't have to be radical, but it has to be Vince giving up the reigns and taking a step back. We've seen how good the WWE product can be in NXT where Vince has no involvement. We saw it at times in OVW. We saw it on SD when Heyman was given a lot of creative freedom and butted heads with Vince and fought for his ideas. I still think Heyman could book a great product for WWE, hell go back to a sort of brand split and put him in charge of SD.

 

The biggest obstacle seems to be Vince/Dunn. They have so many great creative wrestling minds in the company who are held back by the whims of those two. I don't think they need to go, but stepping back and removing themselves from the creative process, even if it doesn't produce better results, is at least worth a try. The stories about Vince are legendary though, and it seems he's getting more and more out of touch with the pulse of his audience as he ages, and he's Vince McMahon DAMNIT

[sek69]

So tonight's NXT was all about how "WWE Corporate" wants Eva Marie to be the Women's champ and stacked the deck in her match vs Bayley, only to have her beat the odds and win. It was amazing to see, it's as if they're trolling WWE pushing Roman.

[SomethingSavage]

I feel like Maddox got more screen time sitting ringside at PWG shows last year than he did on actual WWE television anyway.

 

I enjoyed his FCW run well enough. He was doing a bit of a Chris Jericho '98 tribute act there and was kept (almost strictly) in tags. I hardly think they had him pegged as anything special though.

 

Callihan is a stranger case. The guy was making MAJOR waves just a few years ago. The fact that they didn't hotshot him onto TV - even just developmental TV - has always seemed odd to me, especially with the backing he had from Finlay and company.

 

Count me in as someone that doesn't see much long-term value in a "hacker" gimmick. Plus, if you're familiar with Callihan at all, then it REALLY seems like a stretch. The guy's basically a fired up country boy. I get the impression that someone walked in on him checking his Hotmail account at Full Sail one day or something equally "outdated", and so this gimmick was a rib or something. It was just never going to click.

 

Back when they were teasing a new member of the Wyatt Family around SummerSlam, I posted my thoughts & suggested Callihan as the guy. Introducing a smaller member of Wyatt Family would have offered an interesting dynamic in my view, and Callihan could have certainly fit the bill. I was just checking out Naylor's mini-rant on Twitter this week when I noticed that he referenced a similar idea for Sami, and it reminded me of that.

 

At least it's cool that Callihan left on his own terms, at least in some capacity. I sure as hell hope he makes his way back to PWG soon.

[Loss]

Has Austin ever said anything about New Day? I know Jim Ross can't stand them, but I was curious about Austin.

[sek69]

I wonder if there's anything to the theory that the New Day are basically ribbing the creative team by doing everything you're not supposed to do in WWE. They play to the crowd, make eye contact with the camera, frequently seem to be ad-libbing (ie: Kofi during their country music skit saying "this isn't my character, I really think country sucks"), and Big E still using the Preacher voice from the original horrible version of the gimmick.

[SomethingSavage]

I haven't listened to the latest episode with Keller on Austin's show, but I know Austin originally seemed to be a fan.

 

He praised Big E finding his groove in particular, and he even seemed high on Kofi's potential as a surprisingly solid heel. But he also expressed a little concern about Xavier distracting from in-ring action at times & felt like he was being "coached" to be TOO over the top at times.

 

Other than that, all I can recall Austin saying is that he thought the long-term appeal in the New Day is to serve as a vehicle that (eventually) gets around to launching Big E as a singles guy.

[Badlittlekitten]

I wonder if there's anything to the theory that the New Day are basically ribbing the creative team by doing everything you're not supposed to do in WWE. They play to the crowd, make eye contact with the camera, frequently seem to be ad-libbing (ie: Kofi during their country music skit saying "this isn't my character, I really think country sucks"), and Big E still using the Preacher voice from the original horrible version of the gimmick.

Is this actually a theory that exists?

 

I don't really get the " wrestlers don't play to the crowd" criticism. Several wrestlers do it. They're just not very good at it (i.e. Sheamus).

[C.S.]

Other than that, all I can recall Austin saying is that he thought the long-term appeal in the New Day is to serve as a vehicle that (eventually) gets around to launching Big E as a singles guy.

 

Yet, Kofi's the one on the Mania poster, so I wouldn't be surprised if WWE views this as a launching pad for him. They've never fully gotten behind Big E IMO.

[Slasher]

 

Other than that, all I can recall Austin saying is that he thought the long-term appeal in the New Day is to serve as a vehicle that (eventually) gets around to launching Big E as a singles guy.

Yet, Kofi's the one on the Mania poster, so I wouldn't be surprised if WWE views this as a launching pad for him. They've never fully gotten behind Big E IMO.

That doesn't make any sense. All you have to look at is how they book New Day in matches to see Big E is the obvious powerhouse and big threat while Xavier and Kofi alternate between being the fall guys or the ones to sneak in a pinfall the few times they get to do it. Big E. is obviously their guy out of the three, although I agree the WWE isn't that invested in it.

[Loss]

For whatever it's worth, the Torch said at the time that Vince was prepared to push Big E hard and right to the top until HHH convinced him Reigns was the guy and they changed course. I've never seen that reported anywhere else and don't know if it's true, but Big E did get a strong push out of the gate that vanished quickly, and that would at least make sense.

[cm funk]

Big E has been a victim of start-stop pushes like most (all of?) the roster

 

They paired him as the muscle with AJ Lee and Ziggler who were being pushed hard at the time. They did that whole angle with Kaitlyn which was heavily pushed. They put the IC title on him. But then at other times he's forgotten about and falls into the 50-50 midcard.

 

I really think Kofi should have won MITB this year (he's been in like every one of them and never won) and New Day would Freebird Rule the case, and Big E is the one who cashes it in.

 

Big E is friggin awesome. He's an athletic freak, great look, can really go in the ring, and is entertaining and funny as hell with a ton of personality. Also, his twitter and instagrams are the best

[Slasher]

That would be so WWE with how lacking in confidence they have with Big E if they put the world title on him via a MITB that he wasn't the actual winner of-under some stupid Freebirds rule for a stupid title gimmick like MITB.

[cm funk]

I think it would have been a vote of confidence for The New Day and would have led to months of entertaining television

[Slasher]

You can do entertaining tv without doing that. I am not saying they won't do that because like I said, it would just be like them to do that but Big E deserves better than that.