WWE TV 02/20 - 02/25

[sek69]

JR was being his usual passive-aggressive self on Twitter asking why people were mad about the end of the battle royal. "Was it because it was a draw", no Jim it's because the company is trying to pretend it was a draw when anyone with eyes could see it wasn't.

[goc]

I hope the finish to that battle royal wins Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic for 2017. Absolutely no place for lying in professional wrestling, I'm really disgusted. Hope #CancelWWENetwork starts trending over this.

[sek69]

Well that's an appropriate level response for pointing out that WWE is pretending something happened that clearly didn't. Obviously it's not something warranting getting the tar and feathers out over, but apparently any mention of the obvious is seen as hysteria to some.

[goc]

Well that's an appropriate level response for pointing out that WWE is pretending something happened that clearly didn't.

You just described the whole basis of pro wrestling.

[stro]

Are people actually upset about this? That a battle royal finish had a mistimed ending and they went with what they had planned anyway? It's 2017.

[sek69]

Uh, am I in some kind of bizzaro world here? Pointing out a screwup is now being upset about something. I mean, maybe they should have called an audible like Vince did at the Rumble that got screwed up (minus the blown quads of course) but no one's getting legit upset here. More like "lol, that didn't go as planned now did it".

 

My initial post on it was JR being his usual self pretending that people were actually mad instead of pointing out the obvious screwup.

[stro]

I don't know what happened so I was genuinely asking if people were mad or not. JR is a known rabble rouser, so I ignore him and the rest of wrestling talking heads.

[sek69]

Did I miss any mention of Ivan Koloff on TV this week? Obviously George Steele would be more important in the "nothing prior to 1984 ever existed" WWE mindset, but considering Bruno is back in the fold there was a chance to give Uncle Ivan his due as well.

[Alucard]

Did I miss any mention of Ivan Koloff on TV this week? Obviously George Steele would be more important in the "nothing prior to 1984 ever existed" WWE mindset, but considering Bruno is back in the fold there was a chance to give Uncle Ivan his due as well.

 

He did get a little "In Memory Of" graphic on Raw.

[Mad Dog]

Seeing Big Show in shape and kind of mobile like he was when he was younger made me really sad. What could have been if he could have managed his weight his whole career.

[stro]

Becky should drop her missile dropkick. It looks terrible and also looks like she's going to give herself a concussion/back injury on the landing.

[Jimmy Redman]

Devil's Advocate: For the people who objected to Omega and Okada kicking out of a top rope dragon suplex in January, what is the fundamental difference between that and Braun kicking out of a top rope KO Punch of Doom?

[TonyPulis'Cap]

Becky should drop her missile dropkick. It looks terrible and also looks like she's going to give herself a concussion/back injury on the landing.

 

Yeah, much as I love Becky, I cringe when she pulls it out. When she was on Austin's podcast he actually called her up on it and basically said don't do it anymore unless it's a big match/Wrestlemania but I've noticed it creeping into TV matches again recently. I wonder if its a consequence of seeing some of the matches that Charlotte and Sasha were having and thinking that she needs to go all out in every match.

 

Re: the match with Alexa this week, I was really digging it until the very abrupt ending. I was all geared up for the Mickie run in to cost her the match but the ending with the 'blow to the throat' seemed a bit weak when they were trying to get over the fact that the ref's back was turned and that Alexa stole the match.

 

Also echo TG's points above about the Battle Royale being much more enjoyable than normal. I think just having the 10 guys in there meant more space for doing stuff and less just leaning on the ropes.

[sek69]

I'd say it was almost certainly because of Charlotte pulling out the "OMG" moves at every opportunity. Also didn't Becky have a serious concussion in her pre WWE life? I seem to remember the roverts of the world thinking her career was done at one point.

[FMKK]

Devil's Advocate: For the people who objected to Omega and Okada kicking out of a top rope dragon suplex in January, what is the fundamental difference between that and Braun kicking out of a top rope KO Punch of Doom?

 

The top rope doesn't add anything to the KO punch - he jumped from the second rope and got punched when he landed on his feat. That's a lot different to being thrown backwards and at an angle onto the back of your neck from the top rope.

[stro]

Why she thinks a shitty missile dropkick is on the same level as a moonsault off the announce table/stage is anyone's guess.

[Matt D]

Devil's Advocate: For the people who objected to Omega and Okada kicking out of a top rope dragon suplex in January, what is the fundamental difference between that and Braun kicking out of a top rope KO Punch of Doom?

 

I wonder if the issue isn't that one move is wholly symbolic while the other is actually dangerous.

 

I think the correct answer (and I haven't seen the match) is that it's different when a monster survives a killshot than even a main event wrestler.

[TheDuke]

I didn't mind the finish to the Smackdown battle royal. Usually wrestling logic says it doesn't matter what the fans actually see, it only matters what the referee claims he did or did not see.

[SirEdger]

Yes, for me too usually, except that in this instance, even with the camera angle, it was clearly evident that AJ Styles' feet touched the floor first so in essence, it was a botched finish. I'm not willing to necessarily blame both guys themselves but perhaps it should've been executed so differently that at least, if it was slightly botched, that it still wouldn't been obvious enough to cause an uproar.

[stro]

Has there ever been a finish to a battle royal where two guys went out at the same time and one was declared the winner by landing a fraction of a second later than the other?

[Jimmy Redman]

I can't remember specifics but I feel like almost assuredly yes. I can picture it, I remember it happening quite clearly, but honestly it could have been any battle royal on WWE TV in the past 12 years for all I know.

 

So not very helpful, but again I think the answer is yes.

[BigBadMick]

Kinda/sorta related, but the 'same time exits' in cage matches with Undertaker/Batista in May '07 and the SNME Hogan/Orndorff had a bit of fancy editing on replays....

[Loss]

Dave always says Rock and Big Show at Royal Rumble 2000 had a messed up finish with Rock clearly hitting first and they had to come up with an angle to cover for it, but that wasn't evident from the camera angle watching the match.

[stro]

Dave always says Rock and Big Show at Royal Rumble 2000 had a messed up finish with Rock clearly hitting first and they had to come up with an angle to cover for it, but that wasn't evident from the camera angle watching the match.

This looks pretty evident to me:

 

There's no way Rock's feet didn't hit the floor even from that angle without actually seeing his feet hit. Half the arena saw it right in front of them. The AJ/Harper wasn't nearly bad looking, since both were out of the ring and hitting the floor anyway.

[EricR]

Holy shit that bump by Show tho.