Am I Missing Something?

[Matt D]

 

I still like New Day but they are nowhere near as good as they were. If you don't like them I think it's going to get worse because Meltz has been hinting they have something big planned for them post mania. They are getting so much airtime now because their merch is selling very well. They have 3 of the top 10 selling items

 

 

It's clear that the New Day is getting the Smilin' Babyface Diesel treatment, and that's sad.

 

The snake is eating its own tail.

[ChuckScumm]

Am I missing something on the team of Chris & Mark Youngblood doing anything remotely worth watching?

[artDDP]

Kevin Owens is a guy who pisses me off whilst I'm FFing through his matches. I sure don't hate on wrestlers for carrying some extra padding. His conditioning seems fine. His ring style appears to be the contemporary hit bombs, 2 count, OMG I can't believe I haven't won yet expression, run to next spot rubbish. His promos sound as scripted as the next guy's. None of that is the problem.

 

The problem with Kevin Owens is that he looks like a complete bum. I absolutely hate to see any wrestler compete in a T-shirt or sleeveless Tee in this case. It feels disrespectful, like he's shown up and forgotten to pack proper ring attire. The leggings and shorts combination just look ridiculous. His hair and beard are best suited to toilet cleaning. If someone who looked like that sat down near you you'd check your pockets and try to move away before the stench of BO becomes too overpowering. Now looking like a complete loser in the wrestling ring is no problem if you get treated like one. To see such an obvious jobber get pushed hard however feels so, so wrong.

 

"When Kevin Owens showed up I thought he was the plumber" -- Alex Riley

[JerryvonKramer]

Kevin Owens is a guy who pisses me off whilst I'm FFing through his matches. I sure don't hate on wrestlers for carrying some extra padding. His conditioning seems fine. His ring style appears to be the contemporary hit bombs, 2 count, OMG I can't believe I haven't won yet expression, run to next spot rubbish. His promos sound as scripted as the next guy's. None of that is the problem.

 

The problem with Kevin Owens is that he looks like a complete bum. I absolutely hate to see any wrestler compete in a T-shirt or sleeveless Tee in this case. It feels disrespectful, like he's shown up and forgotten to pack proper ring attire. The leggings and shorts combination just look ridiculous. His hair and beard are best suited to toilet cleaning. If someone who looked like that sat down near you you'd check your pockets and try to move away before the stench of BO becomes too overpowering. Now looking like a complete loser in the wrestling ring is no problem if you get treated like one. To see such an obvious jobber get pushed hard however feels so, so wrong.

Things I like to see in a wrestler:

 

- proper tights

- proper boots

- knee pads

 

I dislike it if any of these three things are missing.

[Jingus]

The thing is, some guys work fine without those things. I don't think Abdullah or the Hardys looked any more ridiculous because they were wearing nontraditional gear (or for more current examples, the Shield and the Wyatts). That stuff worked for them. I don't think Owens's bought-it-at-the-mall gear works for him. That's the kind of guy who needs either a plain ol' singlet or some kind of gimmicky costume.

[Parties]

While I think the New Day hate here is overstated and overly serious in its views of what wrestling should be, the act has started to get stale in 2016. Their long promo at the Rumble felt like a shark-jump where it was clear that the writers were now trying to get their garbage in and write lame "nerd jokes" rather than let the three of them be what was working. They were Eric Andre and Hannibal Buress, and you made them into three Urkels. But the even bigger problem is that like everything good in WWE, it's very over-saturated when you see them cut similar promos 2-3 times a week, plus backstage segments and a few matches. Yet the same was true of Rock and Austin during the Russo days, so the difference is more just a lack of dynamic variety in what they do. Same jokes, same promos, same character tropes, largely the same match. It's overkill, but when overkill is making money, don't expect anyone to slow down.

 

Owens is a B- version of CM Punk and always has been, and I say that as not much of a Punk fan. I actually think Owens is a very good promo and quite a unique one in modern WWE. But his character is deeply flawed right now in that he's portraying a smug role, and IRL is clearly trying to preserve whatever cool star presence or perceived status he still has left after being put in the IC Title death spot. The problem is that he also constantly loses to his fellow 50/50 midcarders. So you're left w/ this guy who's so overconfident about his status that he ends up just looked discredited and naive. He either needs some humility (which effectively kiboshes what he's worked at for the last year) or to stop losing so much and work a good feud (not likely from the way they've handled him and Zayn/Cena/Cesaro thus far). TL;DR: Kevin Dunn killed the dude's career, to the surprise of no one.

[BigBadMick]

 

Kevin Owens is a guy who pisses me off whilst I'm FFing through his matches. I sure don't hate on wrestlers for carrying some extra padding. His conditioning seems fine. His ring style appears to be the contemporary hit bombs, 2 count, OMG I can't believe I haven't won yet expression, run to next spot rubbish. His promos sound as scripted as the next guy's. None of that is the problem.

 

The problem with Kevin Owens is that he looks like a complete bum. I absolutely hate to see any wrestler compete in a T-shirt or sleeveless Tee in this case. It feels disrespectful, like he's shown up and forgotten to pack proper ring attire. The leggings and shorts combination just look ridiculous. His hair and beard are best suited to toilet cleaning. If someone who looked like that sat down near you you'd check your pockets and try to move away before the stench of BO becomes too overpowering. Now looking like a complete loser in the wrestling ring is no problem if you get treated like one. To see such an obvious jobber get pushed hard however feels so, so wrong.

Things I like to see in a wrestler:

- proper tights

- proper boots

- knee pads

I dislike it if any of these three things are missing.

Big Boss Man?

[JerryvonKramer]

Bigboss Man, IRS and Mr. Hughes all get a pass because a shirt and trousers is smart.

 

Owens and the others don't because the gear is slovenly.

[Slasher]

They are also guys with clearly stated gimmicks. Kevin Owens is just Kevin Owens so showing up in prison guard outfits or IRS shirt and slacks serves less of a purpose. He still needs a better getup though, no argument from me about it.

[Cap]

 

 

Owens is a B- version of CM Punk and always has been, and I say that as not much of a Punk fan. I actually think Owens is a very good promo and quite a unique one in modern WWE. But his character is deeply flawed right now in that he's portraying a smug role, and IRL is clearly trying to preserve whatever cool star presence or perceived status he still has left after being put in the IC Title death spot. The problem is that he also constantly loses to his fellow 50/50 midcarders. So you're left w/ this guy who's so overconfident about his status that he ends up just looked discredited and naive. He either needs some humility (which effectively kiboshes what he's worked at for the last year) or to stop losing so much and work a good feud (not likely from the way they've handled him and Zayn/Cena/Cesaro thus far). TL;DR: Kevin Dunn killed the dude's career, to the surprise of no one.

I buy most of this, but how exactly is Owens a B-version of Punk? Is it just the "I play by my own rules and I am the best" thing?

 

I also agree that his feuds have been handled horribly in the WWE, but the Zayne stuff in NXT was good, just short lived.

[goc]

"Killed the dude's career" is such a laughable over reaction. The only way you could think that is if you had really ridiculous expectations like he was going to come to the main roster and immediately be the undisputed #1 top guy, go undefeated in the Cena feud, win the World Title and main event WrestleMania. Which would be a really silly thing to think about a guy with Kevin Owens terrible ring gear and that works his indy spot fest style.

[JerryvonKramer]

I should mention that I also get annoyed with Cena and Brock for not wearing proper gear.

 

Always think their ankles look skinny because they aren't wearing proper boots.

[WingedEagle]

Brock's lower legs do look unusually small given how massive he is otherwise.

[Parties]

"Killed the dude's career" is such a laughable over reaction. The only way you could think that is if you had really ridiculous expectations like he was going to come to the main roster and immediately be the undisputed #1 top guy, go undefeated in the Cena feud, win the World Title and main event WrestleMania. Which would be a really silly thing to think about a guy with Kevin Owens terrible ring gear and that works his indy spot fest style.

 

Oy vey, fine. "Killed the dude's career" = took a guy who people thought was going to be something and made him into a nobody in a sea of nobodies. He'll make plenty of money trading wins with the Miz, but he's clearly been demoted. Owens is also one of the only guys on the roster who seems like enough of a hothead to quit or get himself fired over his place in the pecking order, so let's revisit this in a year and see how he's doing.

 

I had no expectations for him. I didn't care about him and still don't. But lots of fans do. No one needs to be undefeated or main event Mania to be protected. It's an ad nauseum conversation here and on most boards: we know why the midcard sucks, we know why it isn't changing. Owens isn't a better or worse worker than lots of guys of the roster, but these ideas that his gear or "indy spot fest" style are holding him back are silly. Like it or not, "indy spot fest" is what's trendy in wrestling right now, whether it's a Superkick Party or a John Cena Canadian Destroyer or guys suplexing women through tables.

[Slasher]

Nah Owens actually cares that he is making that money doing what he loves to do for his family. He isn't such a mark to think he's better off working in front of 500 people a night as a main eventer for a few thousands of dollars compared to his WWE contract.

[Hegs]

I do get Owens. While he doesnt fit the body mold, neither did Dusty, Lawler or Foley. But he, unlike Ambrose, doesnt look like I could beat up. While I understand some of the spotfest comments, he does have subtleties in his matches, like punching someone in the head while they are trying to suplex him, which to me would be a natural reaction, which seem to bring logic into the match. I cant think of too many guys the spotfest comment doesnt apply to today. All in all, I find him to be a throwback to the 80s NWA style I grew up loving.

[Laz]

I view him as more of a bomb-thrower than a spotfest guy. At his best, his bombs have always focused on weakening the back/neck and knocking the wind out of his opponent so he has time to gloat. It works in the sense of how unhinged he's usually been portrayed, where he was a joker and a wise-ass but he was very, very dangerous when pushed.

[The Thread Killer]

I know this is bumping an old thread, but it's my thread and it's the best place to talk about this...so I am.

 

I have watched much more WWE content since I started this thread, and I still don't "get" A New Day and I still hate them with the fire of a million burning suns. Their existence is extra aggravating to me because for the first time in so long I can't even remember, WWE has an actual, viable Tag Team Division.

 

When I was younger, the WWF had an outstanding Tag Team Division which was loaded with so many good teams. Strike Force, The Young Stallions, The Rougeaus, The Killer Bees, The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation, The Islanders, Demolition, The Bolsheviks, The Dream Team, The Rockers and The Powers of Pain all active at pretty much the same time. These were glorious days to be a fan of Tag Team Wrestling in the WWF.

 

Then, for a long time, nothing happened.

 

Now, things are finally starting to look up. Thanks to somebody deciding that it's time to bring back Tag Team Wrestling and thanks to NXT, we get Enzo and Big Cass, and The Vaudvillans and The Lucha Dragons (and there are still some great teams in NXT waiting to come up) plus we have The Dudleys and The Usos and Anderson and Gallows, and The Shining Stars and The Wyatt Family. (I really wish WWE would pull their heads out of their asses and sign The Briscoes, but that's another thread. Maybe War Machine too.)

 

But...for some reason the team that WWE decides to anchor this division around is the freaking New Day. I couldn't believe when I listened to the announcers at Extreme Rules this past Sunday, they were talking about the division, and how long New Day have held the titles, and actually making the division sound like something important, and the belts actually mattered...but at the same time, you've got Kofi Kingston dancing around and interfering with his giant piece of cereal, and Xavier Woods and his zany over-exaggerated facial expressions when he's "selling" and we won't even mention that fucking trombone...and these are supposed to be the damn faces? GAH!

 

I accept that these guys are talented, but does it have to be them that WWE builds this division around? Because they sell merchandise?

[goc]

I accept that these guys are talented, but does it have to be them that WWE builds this division around? Because they sell merchandise?

Guys who make the company money have historically been the guys you build around in wrestling.

[Loss]

Their value is limited even if they do sell merchandise. They've tried having heels beat them up and it never gets heat, because people only care about New Day's antics, rather than caring if they win or lose.

[GOTNW]

I have zero faith in Vince to ever book a proper tag team division, an over act that sells merch is as good as you'll get with him (and judging by NXT acts like Enzo and Cass and the Vaudevillains and their desire to recreate DX-esque acts they have no intention of changing that in the near future).

[goc]

Their value is limited even if they do sell merchandise. They've tried having heels beat them up and it never gets heat, because people only care about New Day's antics, rather than caring if they win or lose.

What ACTUALLY gets heat these days though? For as much as people want to keep telling me that Kevin Owens is the best heel in WWE he doesn't really get a lot of heat.

[GOTNW]

 

What ACTUALLY gets heat these days though?

Roman Reigns and The Miz.

 

For as much as people want to keep telling me that Kevin Owens is the best heel in WWE he doesn't really get a lot of heat.

I've hammer that point in my reviews but Owens really isn't a heel nor does he act like one.

[Loss]

And Sheamus. And Stephanie. And Cena.

[C.S.]

I really wish WWE would pull their heads out of their asses and sign The Briscoes, but that's another thread.

I don't see it ever happening. They're homophobic liabilities. This is a company that fired Seth's girlfriend for shit she posted years earlier (not saying it wasn't deserved, because it still was - fuck her!), so I'd expect a publicly traded, corporate-minded company to stay far, far away from these indy hillbillies who wouldn't move the needle one iota anyway.

 

I accept that these guys are talented, but does it have to be them that WWE builds this division around? Because they sell merchandise?

 

Because they sell merchandises and they're super over with the crowd - and as babyfaces to boot, which isn't the easiest thing in the world to pull off (see Cena and Reigns). I consider those perfect reasons to push an act.