The Chief Posted July 2, 2016 Report Share Posted July 2, 2016 One of my favorite things in wrestling is when guys who are completely forgotten about come back from nowhere and get a decent run. Think Dutch Mantel in 2013. I'm loving Paul Ellering of all people in 2016 managing a dominant heel tag team. Even the most jaded fans didn't see that coming. Every now and then WWE throws the fans a bone, this Bob Backlund/Darren Young pairing might be similar. Who knows, maybe in 2018 we'll all be raving about how shocked we are that Rick Martel transitioned into an awesome manager on Smackdown... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Jackson Posted July 2, 2016 Report Share Posted July 2, 2016 A Rick Martel comeback would be insane! I really loved the closing segment on the latest show where they got over 5 tag teams in about 15 minutes and everyone looked good. Also loved the Aries promo. The Nak sit down interview didn't really do him any favors though, that should have been redone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 I think it really gets undersold how much Alexia Bliss has improved as a heel. I remember when she first debuted with her fairy gimmick and blue hair I couldn't see how she could be taken seriously. Now she's great mean mugging fans and having tantrums at the referees, My only issue with her now is sometimes she's too cartoonish with her Angry Video Game Nerd scowl, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Jackson Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 Not live, but Nak vs Balor is a big match and I'm pretty excited. Show just started. Curious to see how much time they get Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Jackson Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 Great match. Awesone atmosphere and finishing stretch. Nak is so beloved, it's so much fun to watch his American breakthrough unfold week by week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmmnx Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 Nak dropped his selling way too much. I thought Balor was the best guy in the match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 Nak dropped his selling way too much. I thought Balor was the best guy in the match. 100% agree with this. Still a great match. If Nak committed to his selling I could have gone 5* on this. Finn sold his neck better than Nak did his leg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 I'm not saying you guys are wrong but it still seems incredibly nitpicky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 Well the small things is what seperates this match from being a top 3 match to a top 10-20 match this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmmnx Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 Nak used his injured leg for a kick and knee flurry as soon as he got back on offense without selling anything. I don't think it's being nit picky it took me out of the match for a good while, and there was more spotty selling after that. I thought it was good, but not great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 I was thinking about how tricky this is for guys, especially guys like Nak in a match like this. The story of the leg is a great one, the kind of story that should be told on big shows like this and made a ton of sense here. We - especially really invested fans - demand selling. I might even say we live in a time of elevated appreciation for selling. However, they obviously want the end to look crisp and feel big. Of course there are ways to do both, but it is a really tough spot to be in. Nak has to hit his finishers and so much of his offense in general revolves around the leg. It would be so tricky to sell that leg like some fans want and be convincing. I am certainly not saying people are wrong for wanting more commitment to the story. I was thinking the same thing during the match, but it is a rock and a hard place in this case. Personally, I tend to buy reading short spurts of no selling as adrenaline. I like the fighting spirit comeback, push out all the pain and take advantage of the situation. To an extent, that is how the body works in a real fight. I agree that Nak could have sold it better on the whole though. The end needed to be a little less contrived. Between the flow of the final sequence (a little too much waiting for Balor to get to his spots was required), the lack of commitment to the leg (even if just for a split second), and way it played with the story of the match.... it just didn't work as well for me. Then again, I thought his selling of the leg, when he did sell it, was excellent. And credit where credit is due, I haven't been a big Balor fan for a bit now, but I thought he was excellent here. I still think this was a very good to great match on story and offense alone, but it does miss the elite levels that requires a bit of that knitpickiness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 I enjoyed honestly enjoyed Ibushi vs. Maluta (CWC) more than Finn vs. Nak, which didn't really get going until the final five minutes and had the bullshit WWE "let's kick out of finishers" crap that's so trite now. Nak is amazing - an elite wrestler and character - but Finn still leaves me feeling cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 See I actually loved the early part. I haven't been a fan of Finn in a bit, but I thought his offense looked much more interesting early because it was so well integrated into the story they were telling. I thought the pace was fantastic and built a lot of drama. I think the winner was all but announced, but they told a story that made me actually second guess my assumptions and I thought it made Finn look better than he has since winning the belt. It also helped that he wasn't doing the demon thing here. I thought he was much better for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroBoy Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 I attended the NXT in Highland Heights last night and it was a really fun time. No Way Jose vs. Hugo Knox was a fun opener. Knox looked pretty green and rough around the edges, most notably almost landing on his head a few times taking hiptosses and armdrags. He worked hard to engage the crowd and No Way Jose is very good in his role. Angelo Dawkins got a hometown win over Cien Almas in a fun match. Good on them for letting Dawkins shine a bit here, and the crowd was pretty rough on Almas though he took it in stride and really handled himself as a pro. Dawkins is pretty fun and I wish he'd make more TV for them. Asuka and Alexa Bliss had a fun match for the women's title but a drunken misogynistic fan really detracted from a lot of it. Bliss has a lot of little things down now and it feels inevitable she'll get her chance to carry the division in the future. The crowd was way into her and she hung with Asuka. Main event turned into Joe and Revival vs. American Alpha and Nakamura and it was a fantastic, fantastic match. Everyone was on point, there was a double face in peril on Gable then Jordan. Joe carries himself with tremendous presence. Dawson is the ultimate Arn guy right now and Dash was really really engaging. One of my favorite matches of the year and the show was an easy thumbs way up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Asuka and Alexa Bliss had a fun match for the women's title but a drunken misogynistic fan really detracted from a lot of it. Bliss has a lot of little things down now and it feels inevitable she'll get her chance to carry the division in the future. The crowd was way into her and she hung with Asuka. I don't often pine for the old school mentality, but stuff like that makes me wish someone like Asuka would deal out some Bill Watts justice to people like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 Is Almas another Sin Cara, amazing in his own country but can't connect the dots here? Everything about his NXT character and work is terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 He's a much better heel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroBoy Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 I think his problems have much more to do with his presentation than with his talent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 I think his problems have much more to do with his presentation than with his talent. This. Coming to the ring dressed like Mexican Magic Mike is not doing him any favors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gutenberger Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 I like how they continously use the talent that's going up to elevate the talent that is staying, as again seen by American Alpha and Nia Jax this week. And again, I am SO impressed by AA, this is the first tag team in a long time that has me waiting for a match because they are so good. Nia impreed me, too, with that Jackhammer she pulled out of her hat. The other thing i really like is how they bring in well known and respected talent to boost up their wrestleres, as seen with Joe nad his recent wins over E.Y. and now Rhyno. It just gives that much credibility, it's fascinating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 Joe vs. Rhyno was a lumbering bore. Can't wait until Shinsuke Nakamura is the champion. The last two champs (Joe and Balor) have done nothing for me, and as well-worked as their feud was, I wasn't into it at all. I was disappointed that Patrick Clark (vs. Austin Aries) didn't get to debut his pro-Trump gimmick. Authors of Pain vs. American Alpha was fun. Bayley vs. Nia was surprisingly solid, and probably Nia's best match to date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmmnx Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 Really good show this week with a fun tag match where Alpha made the AOP look way better than they probably are, and Bayley and Nia bringing the goods in one of the best women's matches of the year in WWE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Memphis Mark Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 I have a question about Evolve/NXT. How long can they continue they strategy of signing every ROH , NJPW, LU , CMLL , TNA and AAA talent before their accounting people tell them that have to stop spending ? I see massive talent cuts in the next year. How can the WWE handle out all of these deals and still return value to their shareholders ? The name of the game is maximizing profit while reducing cost to the lowest level possible . If all these new fixed expenses prevent the WWE from making their quarterly numbers , the shareholders are going to sell their WWE stock in a heartbeat. It should be interesting to see how the WWE plan to corner the market of talent will play out . I think they will be force to reduce their labor cost , but who really knows . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 Because people signed to NXT deals tend to not get paid shit unless they're a Balor or Joe and able to make their own deals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Memphis Mark Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 Because people signed to NXT deals tend to not get paid shit unless they're a Balor or Joe and able to make their own deals. Stockholders don't look at how much certain employees are earning , all they care about is the bottom line. If additional expenses do not result in an acceptable increase in revenue , then shareholders sell out. You gotta beat EPS and revenue projections every quarter . If you don't investors start looking at costs. If the WWE does not make numbers , shareholders will ask McMahon " why did you add all these new employees . They are a drag on the bottom line " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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