Cap Posted January 21, 2016 Report Share Posted January 21, 2016 Makes sense. I was sort of under the impression that people weren't that into it or at least didn't know what to make of it. I don't really have an in person network of friends who watch the E so I was just reading a few articles and opinion responses and - much like you - unscientifically recalling comments sections and what not in passing. I am sure there are people who dug it (I kinda did - even if the match doesn't excite me personally right now). Certainly, the type of audience you described would probably be much more excited about that than Nakamura. I am just personally with jcmmnx in wanting to see a great big match on a big stage (especially if we are getting HHH vs Reigns for the belt because I am not excited). I don't necessarily think it would be best for the WWE or that they would do it, but it would just excite me much more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted January 21, 2016 Report Share Posted January 21, 2016 Seemed like people were into the segment where the Wyatts destroyed Brock so ummm...not really. Looks like it would be easy for people to buy in. Not sure who was into it. Most people I know aren't wrestling fans to begin with, let alone watching weekly TV, but this is the first praise I've seen for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 21, 2016 Report Share Posted January 21, 2016 This would have been the year to throw money at someone in the world of boxing or MMA to come in and face Brock. I don't follow boxing, but I'm guessing even now something like Brock-Mayweather would get people excited and would be an appropriate match for Wrestlemania. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted January 21, 2016 Report Share Posted January 21, 2016 Amell vs Stardust is a good idea at this point. I still think Amell has a massive social media/disposable income driving tween following and all of his fans used up their free month for Summerslam so it'd be profit this time around. They need all the help they can get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Posted January 21, 2016 Report Share Posted January 21, 2016 This could be a really interesting test of how much the event sells itself. If they sort of fumble their way in to Mania, put HHH/Reigns on top, throw together an under-card we may not see the WWE try again in our lifetimes... or at least not in Vince's lifetime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eduardo Posted January 21, 2016 Report Share Posted January 21, 2016 This would have been the year to throw money at someone in the world of boxing or MMA to come in and face Brock. I don't follow boxing, but I'm guessing even now something like Brock-Mayweather would get people excited and would be an appropriate match for Wrestlemania. Floyd Mayweather's last PPV was the least bought Mayweather PPV since before he became a star against Oscar de la Hoya in May 2007. Granted it was against Andre Berto, but Mayweather-Pacquiao did leave a bad taste for a lot of folks. Canelo Alvarez vs Miguel Cotto just drew double what Mayweather and Berto did on PPV during the same time frame. So I don't think too many fans would be as excited in 2016 as they would have in 2014 or 2015. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeg Posted January 21, 2016 Report Share Posted January 21, 2016 As for Nakamura, casual fans I talk to know about him. As for bringing in somebody from MMA or boxing, the only MMA guys that are a draw right now are Rousey and McGregor. And the only draws in boxing are Canelo, GGG (kind of), Mayweather, and Paquiao. Nobody on that list walks around at more than 175. The Mayweather vs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted January 21, 2016 Report Share Posted January 21, 2016 Bray will run his mouth a bunch and Brock will suplex his fat ass back to the midcard. Man, I gotta be tired because this cracked me the hell up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slasher Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 Caught up a bit on rumors and I dunno if this is true but apparently it wouldn't even be Bray Wyatt Lesnar could be paired up with. It could end up being Braun Strowman he suplexes back to the midcard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 What if they did an invasion angle with the NJPW guys, maybe call it Balor Club as a nod to the fans who know history if you want, and kind of do what they did in the early days of the nWo when Hall and Nash would show up and cause chaos. It wouldn't take a lot to build them up to the WWE audience. Between the four of them they have the wrestling ability, charisma, and big guy size needed, and if Doc brings his wife they have the hot chick valet that would get over with Vince to seal the deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 What if they did an invasion angle with the NJPW guys, maybe call it Balor Club as a nod to the fans who know history if you want, and kind of do what they did in the early days of the nWo when Hall and Nash would show up and cause chaos. It wouldn't take a lot to build them up to the WWE audience. Between the four of them they have the wrestling ability, charisma, and big guy size needed, and if Doc brings his wife they have the hot chick valet that would get over with Vince to seal the deal. WWE definately feels like it needs to change things up, so this would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmmnx Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 I kind of hope that's the big summer angle. It's the 20th anniversary of the NWO angle this year so why not do a Bullet/Balor Club invasion angle. Bryan apparently has been cleared to compete by UCLA's doctors now. I understand WWE wanting to hold him off until after Mania, but they have no over baby faces right now, and a 15-20 minute Bryan match would look really good filling out the Mania undercard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slasher Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 After two years of arguing otherwise I have come to the mindset that the fans won't be too bothered where they put Daniel Bryan on the show, either having moved on from him or simply just being happy enough to see him again. I don't think the risk of stirring the Movement again is there for the WWE, so why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 Bryan's been cleared by pretty much every doctor at this point except the WWE one, and nothing seems to suggest that will change anytime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 Were WWE themselves not the people that sent him to get the third opinion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russellmania Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 still think if Bryan comes back the best long-term option for him and the company is to turn him heel. he's such a good heel and is capable of making their babyfaces look awesome. it would help him b/c he could get away from the highspots and work a toned down style. as a heel he could just work guys over with catch wrestling or whatever to avoid getting unwanted cheers. obviously when he first returns he'll get that big babyface reaction but they are obviously not going to count on him to stay healthy as a top face so why not get as much mileage out of him as you can by letting him go heel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southofheavy Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 Yeah, he's a great heel, but turning him is pretty much impossible, especially since he's been gone so long. He's too damn good at what he does, the audience wanted him at the very top and never really got it, and there isn't really anything I can think of that he could do to make a turn work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 Vince is so scared of an injury to Bryan happening on his watch that he's doing everything he can not to clear him, it seems. Especially considering how bad that doctor's rep is. This does seem similar to the Kurt Angle situation Loss alluded to earlier. Bryan as a surprise entrant to the Rumble would be insane, and if you think about it, him getting cleared by the UCLA doctor could mean that Bryan goes, gets cleared the day off, and then he could win the whole thing. Then you could do Bryan/Reigns at WM32, and you have something people actually want to see. One thing I just don't get at all is how HHH has to get his match with Reigns at WM, as basically a heel, when for the last six months, he's built up the most goodwill from fans due to NXT than he has perhaps in his entire career. It just makes zero sense to put him on top against Roman, but considering what Vince thinks, it doesn't matter. I'm still betting on some type of NXT takeover. It would save the show in a lot of ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 I've always seen Bryan as a guy for whom being a genuine nice guy is so obvious that it's clear he's just playing when he's a heel. He can do it all as a heel except get people not to like him. Rollins suffered from the same thing -- just underneath the cliched heel actions, he seemed like a nice guy who was just acting. HHH and Stephanie come across as power-drunk and unbearable, probably because it's not *that* much of a stretch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 I actually think the height of the fervor over Bryan provided him a chance to get people to ACTUALLY dislike him. I imagined him sort of at the height of his popularity cheating to beat someone who was sort of surprisingly getting the best of him and could use a face push (Cesaro, maybe), slowly refusing to even acknowledge the yes and instead just smugly laughing it off, and starting to wrestle much more conservative. Then he cuts promos (in the spirit of Cactus Jack ECW's interview) about how he is tired of dancing for the audience when he can win with grappling. I can imagine Bryan putting on an awesome "boring" match, where his offense is underplayed and he really accentuate his opponent in a way that shifts the audience's loyalties. I am also a huge dragon mark, so maybe it wouldn't work, but I just thought his popularity gave him a pretty unique opportunity to be a real heel in front of that crowd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chief Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 If Bryan were ever cleared, turning him heel would be a really bad idea. He's the only babyface on the "roster" who is over with the entire fanbase. He's one of the only babyfaces who got over organically in the past five years. You don't see smarky towns chanting "Bryan Sucks." What babyface would he be paired against that wouldn't get eviscerated by the crowds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Jackson Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 Exactly. He may be a "great heel" but does anybody seriously think the fans want to boo him? Ever? See Austin, Steve 2001 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 Why turn the one wrestler who is the most loved and over babyface? People are not going to get into a heel Bryan anywhere near the level they would a babyface Bryan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chief Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 Related topic, who is the most over baby face competing right now? A genuine babyface for all everyone, not somebody who gets 50/50 cheer/boo reactions or JBL/RVD chants during his matches? Dean Ambrose? Maybe Dolph Ziggler? That's pretty sad considering their card placement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmmnx Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 Brock is probably the most over baby face right now. Bryan, Styles, Balor, Zayn, Cass & Enzo, and Bayley would certainly help in the baby face department if they aren't treated like jokes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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