WWE Roadblock

[abrasiveobelisksa]

Why would he be clueless for being a fan?

[anarchistxx]

 

Obviously......so why speak on something you admittedly know nothing about?

 

Because just about every single pimped NXT worker who has made the main roster in the past three years has lacked charisma, looked unnatural, had a poor look and/or not been an engaging worker. They've failed to get over as well. And that is a reasonable sample size.

 

I know nothing about what happens on NXT itself, true...but I do know that when they make the main roster, the majority seem gimmicky as hell and bomb like Bo Dallas, Tyler Breeze, Adam Rose et al, or they are just boring as fuck with a terrible look and working matches like it is 2005 ROH, like Kevin Owens or the workers in the tag the other night.

 

I've seen enough WWE in the past few years to make a comment about the failure of these guys.

 

 

 

But if you can't see Enzo's charisma (or the charisma of many of the NXT talent that you wouldn't even know because you don't watch the shows)......you're as clueless as the idiots at WWE

 

Or maybe you are just really into NXT and a mark for these guys, and can't view it objectively? Or simply invested in him vecause you watch him every week? Only seen him once personally, so far too early to judge, but first impressions weren't good.

 

NXT seems like the equivalent of a Premier League football academy to me. Produces solid, technically excellent talent with nice haircuts who lack any sense of personality, charisma, uniqueness or grit and thus don't make it at the top level. WWE needs street footballers - Luis Suarez and Joey Barton rather than Kieran Gibbs and Tom Cleverley.

[Robert S]

I usually have no problems ignoring the announcers but JBL shouting "you still got it" one minute straight hugely annoyed me, especially considering that the Jericho vs. Swagger match was full of clumsiness (on both sides). For someone considered a mechanic Jericho tends to blow a lot of stuff.

[Slasher]

Sami zayn was booked, for the majority of his NXT run, as an underdog who couldn't win when it mattered. That was part of the whole build to his title match with Neville. The same Neville who could be booked to lose to Stardust. If Zayn is presented that way on the developmental brand, why would it be any surprise they would have him struggle with a former titleholder on the main roster like Stardust regardless of how Stardust is treated otherwise? They are known to try to reset the call ups's storylines when they moved up. Look at how they booked Bo Dallas without understanding that context meant everything in his storyline. They just assumed people would know his backstory and just jumped ahead to him being the deluded loser without anything to explain why. I would not be surprised if they think Zayn can get over with the major roster audience doing the underdog gimmick and recycling his storylines again. That would be their dream even, being able to book Zayn and capitalizing on his popularity without having to worry about him needing to look relatively strong.

 

Redman, I am not disputing the Angle thing you brought up but it isn't his fault people just wouldn't boo him vs Cena. It doesn't mean he wasn't interested in being a heel. Quite the opposite actually which is he tried too hard to be a heel that it just didn't work. Doesn't mean Angle purposefully sabotaged their plans by being too cool to be hated. Angle actually loves being a heel, hell when he returned from his injury on Smackdown in 2003 he actually implored the fans to chant "You suck!" at him even though he was obviously meant to be a returning babyface hero. Yes he asked in a tongue in cheek way but it made it obvious to me he prefers being a heel.

[Jimmy Redman]

Redman, I am not disputing the Angle thing you brought up but it isn't his fault people just wouldn't boo him vs Cena. It doesn't mean he wasn't interested in being a heel. Quite the opposite actually which is he tried too hard to be a heel that it just didn't work. Doesn't mean Angle purposefully sabotaged their plans by being too cool to be hated. Angle actually loves being a heel, hell when he returned from his injury on Smackdown in 2003 he actually implored the fans to chant "You suck!" at him even though he was obviously meant to be a returning babyface hero. Yes he asked in a tongue in cheek way but it made it obvious to me he prefers being a heel.

 

 

By that point the attempts to make Angle a "heel" were basically parody. They had him do all this outlandish, clearly out of character stuff like the anti-troops stuff and Daivari and "I'd make Jesus tap" and shit, and it all came off as laughable rather than legitimate attempts to get heat. They even had Angle admit after he said those things that he was just saying whatever bullshit he wanted because he knew the crowd wouldn't boo him anyway.

 

I'm not sure if there actually was a way to play Angle in late 2005 that would have got him real heel heat against Cena because at that point in time crowds were vociferously rejecting him as a "bad wrestler" and putting him up against Olympic wrestler, smarks wet dream Angle was never going to get him cheered no matter what. But yeah I agree it wasn't like Angle wasn't willing to heel it up.

 

I think there's something to be said for structuring Cena's matches better in 2005, because he tended to be treated like he was a useless lug. They had him sell for 90% of the match into a super quick comeback-win finish, which reinforced all of the stereotypes about him not being able to wrestle.

[goc]

I usually have no problems ignoring the announcers but JBL shouting "you still got it" one minute straight hugely annoyed me, especially considering that the Jericho vs. Swagger match was full of clumsiness (on both sides). For someone considered a mechanic Jericho tends to blow a lot of stuff.

This isn't new though. Jericho has always blown a lot of stuff trying to be more athletic than he really is.

[NotJayTabb]

I usually have no problems ignoring the announcers but JBL shouting "you still got it" one minute straight hugely annoyed me, especially considering that the Jericho vs. Swagger match was full of clumsiness (on both sides). For someone considered a mechanic Jericho tends to blow a lot of stuff.

Oh man, JBL was horrible there. I was watching it at 2am, chugging back a can of Monster to try and stay awake, and JBL's repeated braying made me feel like I was having some fever dream

[Slasher]

 

 

Redman, I am not disputing the Angle thing you brought up but it isn't his fault people just wouldn't boo him vs Cena. It doesn't mean he wasn't interested in being a heel. Quite the opposite actually which is he tried too hard to be a heel that it just didn't work. Doesn't mean Angle purposefully sabotaged their plans by being too cool to be hated. Angle actually loves being a heel, hell when he returned from his injury on Smackdown in 2003 he actually implored the fans to chant "You suck!" at him even though he was obviously meant to be a returning babyface hero. Yes he asked in a tongue in cheek way but it made it obvious to me he prefers being a heel.

By that point the attempts to make Angle a "heel" were basically parody. They had him do all this outlandish, clearly out of character stuff like the anti-troops stuff and Daivari and "I'd make Jesus tap" and shit, and it all came off as laughable rather than legitimate attempts to get heat. They even had Angle admit after he said those things that he was just saying whatever bullshit he wanted because he knew the crowd wouldn't boo him anyway.

 

I'm not sure if there actually was a way to play Angle in late 2005 that would have got him real heel heat against Cena because at that point in time crowds were vociferously rejecting him as a "bad wrestler" and putting him up against Olympic wrestler, smarks wet dream Angle was never going to get him cheered no matter what. But yeah I agree it wasn't like Angle wasn't willing to heel it up.

 

I think there's something to be said for structuring Cena's matches better in 2005, because he tended to be treated like he was a useless lug. They had him sell for 90% of the match into a super quick comeback-win finish, which reinforced all of the stereotypes about him not being able to wrestle.

Oops. Missed that sentence. My bad.

[Johnny Sorrow]

I still can't believe they have someone do an anit-Canadian promo and then they bring out the All-American Jack Swagger to defend Canada's honour.

I'm watching it now and that's not what happened. It was clear that Swagger was already booked as his opponent .The bell rang when Jericho entered and was introduced by Lillian saying "The following match is scheduled for one fall, etc." Then during his promo running down AJ and Canada, he also ran down Swagger, his scheduled foe. Swagger wasn't coming out to defend Canada's honor at all.

[Matt D]

If it was Jim Duggan, he could have gotten them to chant USA though.

[Johnny Sorrow]

That's true. 😄

 

Who's this Rudy looking motherfucker with the dumb haircut doing backstage interviews?

[Jimmy Redman]

I think the point is that it was jarring to have Jericho be so vehemently anti-Canada when his opponent is someone who's identity is so tied to being American. The Canadian nationalism they just built up in the audience is wasted on him.

 

It would have been more effective if his opponent was someone Canadian, or at least someone geo-politically neutral.

 

I don't think anyone was seriously suggesting that Swagger was coming out to defend Canada. Just that he was an odd choice of opponent under the circumstances.

[EricR]

That's true.

 

Who's this Rudy looking motherfucker with the dumb haircut doing backstage interviews?

 

That interviewer was so distractingly bad.

[Johnny Sorrow]

 

 

I don't think anyone was seriously suggesting that Swagger was coming out to defend Canada

Grimmas did. And so have lots of people I've read who didn't seem to understand that it was an already made match and convieniently forgot that Jericho during his promo called AJ a "flavor of the month, just like Jack Swagger was once." and that "We The People" was stupid.

 

Anywho, I just heard Cole reference the IWS. What's next, Beef Wellington and Sexxxy Eddy name drops? 😀

[Johnny Sorrow]

Byron Saxton stinks.

[DMJ]

Posted my full review on my blog.

 

Was not a fan of the show. Too many "head-scratching" booking decisions. Namely:

 

1. No Lesnar/Ambrose confrontation. No Owens/Zayn segment, no HHH/Reigns segment, and no AJ/Styles segment makes sense because one half of each feud was on the other loop or recuperating from injury, but Lesnar and Ambrose were in the building. Why not at least have them brush by each other backstage? Or maybe have Ambrose and Heyman brush by each other? Or here's an idea - have HHH and Heyman or HHH and Lesnar brush by each other? Something, anything would've helped (and I'm not talking Rundgren albums).

 

2. Swagger/Jericho. You can argue that Swagger wasn't defending Canada, that the match was signed before Jericho bashed his home country, but this is pro-wrestling, a scripted reality where the writers/bookers have control over the universe they create. They had to know Jericho would get cheered in Toronto (or they should've) and if he was going to try to get heel heat, they had to (or should've) known that he was going to rely on insulting the crowd. Who should stand up for the crowd? Someone they like. Jack Swagger is not over, so, he was a bad call. How about sending R-Truth out waving a Canadian flag? How about sending out Neville, who at least is an "international" talent AND who has a moveset that lends itself to popping the crowd?

 

3. Booking Zayn's first spotlight match since his recovery against a stone-cold Stardust was also a misstep. You want Zayn to wrestle from underneath and get over as an underdog? How about booking him against a heel that the crowd doesn't like and who can dominate him but not look too bad in the loss. This is where (as much as I like him) Rusev or Del Rio could've been decent picks. Even a 3-on-1 situation against Slater and the Social Outcasts would've been better. I'm a Cody fan, but the Stardust character hasn't evolved at all and the crowd is less than interesting in it. Zayn had his work cut out for him to make this match good and, as much as it pains me to say it, he couldn't quite nudge it up high enough to even be average.

 

4. Back on Lesnar for a minute - I'd love to see a real Lesnar/Harper match and I'm not even opposed to a Wyatt/Lesnar match, but what we got was neither. It was a bait-and-switch move and that's rarely (never?) cool.