Loss Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 I just watched RAW. Charlotte is the fucking best. The fact that some people still go on about her not being awesome because of what she was like as a face a year ago is such an example of weird dummies not being able to let go of shit. And, yeah, that's a thing out there amongst some "fans". Some stunted dopes just can't evolve past initial impressions . It's insane. It's like saying "I can't stand Leonardo DiCaprio. He was terrible on Growing Pains". I thought that was outstanding. Yeah, Charlotte is the best heel in wrestling, at least that I've caught in my admittedly spotty viewing this year. That was some inspired stuff. The material was solid, but what made it great was how committed she was. The stiffness of the slap made the moment resonate, that she was wearing all black street clothes instead of her ring attire made the moment a little more real and I loved the line about the pressures of being Ric Flair's daughter in wrestling because that's most likely pretty genuine. Add in that Sasha's run-in and demolishing at the end was nice and violent, and that they used the angle to close the show, and the end result was a home run. You can absolutely see how delusional as it may be, Charlotte's character has convinced herself she is entitled to feel the way she does. And those are the best heels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chief Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 Charlotte did a lot of podcasts and interviews when she was a baby face. Even back then I thought one day she’d develop into an amazing heel. You could tell that the things people said about her, nepotism and her role really bothered her. Now it’s all boiling over into her promos. There’s such an air of believability to her entire act because it’s all coming from a real place. Believability in heels is difficult to pull off today, but Charlotte is incredibly believable. Top 5 WWE performer of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 It was a Rumble surprise pop in front of the 2nd most hardcore audience WWE has all year (only behind Mania.) The pop was just as much "holy shit this is unexpected" as it was for AJ Styles himself. You can't read too much into it although god knows it doesn't stop people from saying "Look Kevin Nash/Boogeyman/DDP is more over than 90% of the roster!" whenever there is a surprise Rumble entrant. He's not LESS over than he was on his debut because now he's known by the entire WWE audience which I think you'd have to REALLY stretch things to say was true at the Royal Rumble. He's definitely more over now than he was on the next few weeks of WWE TV following the Rumble. Great point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 I wonder if being bogged down in this seemingly never-ending Dean Ambrose/James Ellsworth mess isn't hurting Styles, as well. I was hoping he would be on to a fresh new angle/opponent by now, instead of still piddling around with this mess. Are you kidding me??? This is the first storyline in ages with actual week-to-week build and escalation. This is NOT Owens turns on Zayn then nothing happens but matches. This well thought out story with three unique characters that progresses week to week. Great story rather than just one great angle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 I'm not as high on that Charlotte promo as the rest of you, specifically because she didn't have the fans at all. They whatted her most of the way through (which is more on them, but also a sign that they weren't going to buy into this no matter what she said, really) and then booed the hell out of the hug, not buying it at all. It didn't put heat on Charlotte so much as it made Flair just seem sad and pathetic. I'm not sure what to compare it to, recently, maybe the Sasha retirement promo where the fans pretty much bought into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 It is hard for me to be objective about AJ because he has been my favorite wrestler since 2003. I am just so happy with his success this year. The Payback match was the best match that I think has happened anywhere in the world since Kobashi/Takayama in 2004. That Payback match caused me to buy secondary market tickets to Extreme Rules in Jersey and make the drive from Boston, which is the best match I've ever seen live. Winning WWE Championship was huge for me personally and was a really bright moment for me. 2016 has not been a great year for me personally but AJ Styles has been a huge bright spot for me. To me he is the HOTTEST star in the WWE besides maybe Charlotte. Everything he does is must-see and his PPV matches have big fight feels. I think he is the only male star that can make a big fight feel that wrestled a regular schedule. I disagree that a Brock vs AJ match outcome would be a definite Brock win. The rumored Taker vs AJ match at Rumble (which I'll probably attend if confirmed) does not seem like a slam dunk victory for Taker at all. To me, AJ is without a doubt the number one male star in WWE. To say he is not a gigantic star like a Cena is silly because AJ is a heel and he does not have a transcendental charisma BUT to me he has overachieved my expectations and is the new one male star in the company! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goc Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 I definitely would argue that AJ is the 2nd biggest full time male star in WWE behind only Roman Reigns*. He definitely seems like more of a star than Seth Rollins despite them investing FAR more television time into Rollins in his title run in 2015 than they have in AJ's in 2016. *Yes, I realize Roman Reigns gets booed when he's supposed to be a face but people react to everything he does at a different level from anyone else in the company. "Correct" reaction or not his reactions are the biggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKWebb Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 My friend was looking to get an AJ Styles action figure for my son, and we found that the only WWE version of him on Amazon was going for over $500.00 right now. I just checked before posting this, and the one that was listed for $529.00 is now gone, and the are "currently unavailable." The TNA figure is currently listed at $179.00. When I checked Ebay, the cheapest "buy it now" was $119.00. I'd say he's pretty on fire! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 sorry if this was posted somewhere else but yeah this is a must read article on the backstage doings in WWE, Unbelievable stuff: https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/breaking-kayfabe-an-inside-look-at-wwes-unlikely-business-empire the Hunter and Steph v Shane ordeal is palpable with Dunn and Vince thrown in for good measure obvs. This seems to reinforce that personality and overall likeability wise everyone preferred Shane backstage. He just couldn't cut it creatively although from the sounds of Gewirtz Steph wasn't that creative either and was a "buffer" for Vince and creative Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 This paragraph elicited a lol from me: McMahon quickly realized that in a live performance like wrestling, the people in the stands are a crucial component. They play, to some extent, an even greater role than what's going on in the ring. "You really have to be engaged with the audience at all times," John Cena told me at WrestleMania 32. "You can't go out there and just perform and not pay attention to them." Except of course for the times where Vince instructs his performers to do just that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 that article almost made me think Hunter and Shane shoot hate each other. I want to see that match now. The sequel to "love her or leave her" from Summerslam 99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 No doubt Hunter sees Shane as a threat to all the effort he put in to making sure he's in control of the company post Vince. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 I don't know if Hunter hates Shane personally, or if he is just protective of his turf. Dude has been laying the groundwork for over 20 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTNW Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 I imagine it's the (grand)kids that he's really worried about. Vince's mother is still alive so it's feasible he could live another 20/25 years-and by then they'll all probably have finished college. With him having an option of keeping the business in the family I doubt Vince is going to give up so easily and let a non-McMahon surname rule the fed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 Well it would be in the family regardless of who took over, but I'd wager Shane having boys to carry on the McMahon name means a lot to Vince. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpst Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 I hope that whatever the WWE board decides they have a worked match between the two to decide on the winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Meltz: There was a minor shakeup in WWE creative today. We don't have more information past it being confirmed that a key person who was very influential in the push of the women of late was let go. and he says the vice article was accurate. Damn Shane trying to take over creative was a shoot and we didn't know about it for nearly 5 years. Vice has a great story on WWE that is well worth reading including the first time it's come out that Shane McMahon attempted to take over creative in 2012 and the reaction from HHH and Stephanie and a lot of backstage stuff. The story is extremely accurate and one of the rare major media stories that isn't either an all out mindless knock or a poorly researched shallow piece. They talked to a lot of former WWE employees including Donna Goldsmith, who was one of the leading people in the company, as well as Sally Presutto, who handled arena bookings, and Brian Gewirtz, who was head writer and now works for Dwayne Johnson. We will talk a lot about this story tomorrow and if you've got any questions on it, send it for tomorrow night's show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJRogers Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 that article almost made me think Hunter and Shane shoot hate each other. I want to see that match now. The sequel to "love her or leave her" from Summerslam 99 That impression seemed loud and clear with Shane's responses concerning Trips on that podcast he did with Foley after his return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Shane (rightly) feels Hunter stole his legacy as the heir apparent and Hunter is the most insecure person possibly in the history of wrestling. I wouldn't be surprised to see a post Vince world end up being Steph/Hunter and Shane/Dunn running two separate companies. I just don't think they'd all be able to work under the same roof without Vince around to keep them from strangling each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Oh, Shane should bring back WCW Nitro already. He bought the damn company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Meltz updated his previous report: There was a minor shakeup in WWE creative today. Tom Casiello, the managing lead writer, who oversaw the Raw & Smackdown writing teams, was let go. He was a key person who was very influential in the push of the women of late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
...TG Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Meltz updated his previous report: There was a minor shakeup in WWE creative today. Tom Casiello, the managing lead writer, who oversaw the Raw & Smackdown writing teams, was let go. He was a key person who was very influential in the push of the women of late. That sounds rather more than "minor". Looks like this caught DM by surprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 according to wiki this was Casiello's second run writing for the company as he was a writer from 2011-2014. He was primarily a soap opera writer before getting involved in wrestling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stro Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Shane (rightly) feels Hunter stole his legacy as the heir apparent and Hunter is the most insecure person possibly in the history of wrestling. I wouldn't be surprised to see a post Vince world end up being Steph/Hunter and Shane/Dunn running two separate companies. I just don't think they'd all be able to work under the same roof without Vince around to keep them from strangling each other. HHH didn't steal shit. Shane was throwing out ideas that didn't mesh with what the company was doing, and then he voluntarily left the company and family business. You don't get to just bounce, sell your stock, go start your own shit, then come back and get your spot back. It's not his legacy just because he was the first born son. Stephanie was a better business person and was going to get his spot regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricR Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 I imagine it's the (grand)kids that he's really worried about. Vince's mother is still alive so it's feasible he could live another 20/25 years-and by then they'll all probably have finished college. With him having an option of keeping the business in the family I doubt Vince is going to give up so easily and let a non-McMahon surname rule the fed. It's also feasible that Vince's mother didn't do anabolic steroids and mountains of cocaine. I actually have no idea how Vince is presently alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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