Guest Dangerous A Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 I don't think the match will suck. There are enough good workers that it should be fine. I'm just saying there is no context and the match just seems thrown out there with no real thought put into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 They pretty much have to do the double turn for HHH/Cena, or else the match will die a slow death in front of the famously tough Chicago crowd at WM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dangerous A Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 I'm banking there won't be a double turn in the long run. From all indications, HHH doesn't want to play face. He wants to be cool, badass heel because he knows he isn't a good face. Against Cena at WM, he'll become de facto face because Cena is just being outright rejected by the audience. While that will happen for this one show, it won't continue on past WM because HHH knows he can't draw on top as a face plus he just doesn't like playing face. I think they'll just weather the storm for one night (even though that one night is the biggest night of the year) and HHH will go back to being badass heel and Cena will go back to goofy face trying to get over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted February 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 The crowd was pretty active cheering for HHH and booing Cena. That Hunter must not know how to work heel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest savagerulz Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 I think blaming HHH for what happened to Cena on Monday is ridiculous. The way I saw (and heard) it, the crowd simply decided from the moment he came out that they hated him, and that they were going to boo anything he said. At this point, I think his entrance music is more over than he is. The moment it ends, he has no chance of getting any pop at all. It was brutal for him. A lesser man would have wept. I think that the match looks good on paper (most over new face of the past two years against the veteran most over heel of the past almost 10 years), but the fact that the fans are now rejecting Cena and stopped giving a shit about Triple H a long time ago (except when he'd tease a face turn) makes it look like a really bad proposed Wrestlemania main event now. I too was half expecting a "at least I didn't have to fuck the boss's daughter to get the world title" from Cena, but then I figured they're trying to "maintain kayfabe" as Triple H and Stephanie are still (onscreen) divorced. Too bad Cena couldn't take the Stephanie cheapshot, because it's probably the only thing he could have said that would get the crowd back behind him. This is the most interesting crowd reaction since Lita couldn't get over as a face against a heel Trish because everyone knew about the (then) strictly behind-the-scenes shit with Matt Hardy and Edge. Speaking of Trish, the best part of RAW was definitely the implied cunnilingus with Mickie and Trish. I can't believe the day has come when cunnilingus has (somewhat) been referenced on the air on Monday Night RAW. This is truly a historic week in professional wrestling history. I liked the finish to the Flair vs. Carlito match, because it was the first time in a long long time that the finish to a WWE match really surprised me. I had stopped watching this show for awhile in favor of TNA. Watching it again this week, the one thing I liked about it more than TNA (and the indy shows I've been going to lately) that came as a welcome change for me was that there were no idiotic crowd chants. If there's one quality that the WWE is superior to the indys or TNA in, it's the quality of most of their live crowds (with the exception of ones with obnoxious morons in the front row yelling at RVD to make a pin). Instead of the same people every week, we get different crowds, so their reactions are more unpredictable, and more potentially fascinating. This RAW was an especially good example. I found the Cena and Triple H segment disappointing because neither of them said anything very interesting, but the crowd made it better, as what they did was the only memorable and noteworthy part of it. If this was TNA, the crowd probably would have chanted something stupid like "AWE-SOME PRO-MO" and/or "YOU STILL GOT IT" after Foley went into his old Cactus Jack "warble" voice as he got "intense" at the end of his promo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 Do you think Foley is going to get plenty of interview time before Wrestlemania? That's probably the real chance that angle has in getting over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 I think that it's been proven that Foley needs time to rev up when he makes these returns. He's always flat the first time he cuts a promo, but after a few weeks he's back up to that "I think he's going to commit a felony in this match" level he gets in his good promos. I think it's partly because fans have some sort of mental divide between "Mick Foley: Fun Guy and Author" and "Mick Foley: Guy Who'll Hurt Himself As Long as He Hurts You Too". Mick seems to know that, and kicks into his Cactus voice so the fans know that gears have been shifted. I think blaming HHH for what happened to Cena on Monday is ridiculous. Granted, crowds were shitting on Cena before HHH got involved, but Hunter was the one who said it was because Angle didn't know how to work heel. Edge managed to get boos against Cena, by those rules that would mean Edge is a better heel than HHH. If HHH wants to be the heel all the time, that means you have to get your opponent over. Pointing out your opponent's flaws (especially ones the fans can see for themselves) is bad business. How is anything HHH said supposed to make anyone want to buy WrestleMania? He totally ran down the WWE Champion, called him a bad wrestler, and said one of his big moves is pumping up his Reeboks. That's pretty much the definiton of burying someone. What's worse is HHH doesn't seem to know or care that it affects him too. If/When he wins at WM, so what? He beat a guy he dismissed as a bad wrestler. If Cena somehow wins, then HHH just lost to a guy he punked out in a promo. I won't even get started on Cena doing the "we're feuding but I'm going to do nothing but sing your praises" promo. Is Dusty helping write both shows now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Famous Mortimer Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 This is, to me who doesn't watch WWE any more, looking like a bit of a trainwreck. Faces getting booed, heels cheered, returning legends with zero reaction, cunnilingus...what do you think? Is there a sense it's getting better from a low spot, or is it still sinking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bruiser Chong Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 I was thinking this is what made the Rock such a good heel. He always put his opponent over. He understood that whether he was going over in the feud or not, by making his opposition look better, he made himself look good by default. HHH isn't a terrible worker, but we remember him for such bad feuds and matches because it seems like he's always cutting the legs off of his opponents. The program never seems balanced and so we don't remember it for being one where both guys looked good beforehand and during the match(es). Instead, we just remember how HHH buried his opponent in promos before and killed most of the interest one could've had in the feud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 Do you think Foley is going to get plenty of interview time before Wrestlemania? That's probably the real chance that angle has in getting over. If that happens, it'll make this feud almost a carbon copy of the Foley-Orton feud. Another thing: If Marty Jannetty didn't have a job with the company and had to kiss Vince's ass for it, how come he got his own theme music and entrance video? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjh Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 This is, to me who doesn't watch WWE any more, looking like a bit of a trainwreck. Faces getting booed, heels cheered, returning legends with zero reaction, cunnilingus...what do you think? Is there a sense it's getting better from a low spot, or is it still sinking?Actually from a ratings and attendance stand point the last couple of months have been the best for the Raw brand in years despite the problems you mentioned. However, my gut feeling says that business will tumble again after WrestleMania like it does most years with them putting the title back on Hunter, even though the hardcore fans will be relieved that the title is off Cena, because I don't think they've got anything new to say with Hunter. He's got very few, if any, fresh matches on the horizon and Cena chasing Hunter for months on end doesn't seem very appealing to me. Meanwhile, Smackdown will do OK business at best until Batista returns. That said, international business will probably keep things ticking over for the company even if domestic business tanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 Trish/Mickie is really the only feud that's gotten anything close to Mania-level build this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cam Chaos Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 I don't get why they took the belt off Edge. The ratings were improving and he was fresh and effective in the role, now they've basically said "fuck making money, fuck the ratings, fuck it if we have a face that people boo while we have a heel champ that actually gets the right kind of heat, what Paul wants Paul gets whether it's gonna destroy our investment in this guy we've filmed a movie for or not". I mean, seriously, there is no fucking way they can even claim to be booking to satisfy the fans at this point because they have literally shown that their plans are set in stone when it comes to HHH and his title reigns, despite the fact he's not a strong draw and basically puts the whole promotion back another year by destroying whoever else they try to get over. That said, international business will probably keep things ticking over for the company even if domestic business tanks again. The Japan shows didn't sell out, I don't believe their forthcoming UK tour is sold out, domestic house shows, TV and PPVS aren't selling out regularly, the only place they are guaranteed a decent reception is Australia and South America however even there people got pissed when Hogan was promoted to appear but no showed last year. I think they'll take more swings through mainland Europe in the future because between oversaturating the markets and a poor product the interest internationally is also going down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjh Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 That said, international business will probably keep things ticking over for the company even if domestic business tanks again. The Japan shows didn't sell out, I don't believe their forthcoming UK tour is sold out, domestic house shows, TV and PPVS aren't selling out regularly, the only place they are guaranteed a decent reception is Australia and South America however even there people got pissed when Hogan was promoted to appear but no showed last year. I think they'll take more swings through mainland Europe in the future because between oversaturating the markets and a poor product the interest internationally is also going down. What I meant when I said international business was international PPV business. Even for the worst B show PPVs they get at least an extra 70,000 buys that they didn't use to get a few years ago because of increased international PPV penetration. It gives the company a big safety net for poor domestic business. It is true that WWE isn't as hot in Europe as it once was and can't guarantee sell outs like they used to do, but it's always going to be a strong and highly profitable market for them. Europe was one of the few places the WWF always did good house show business in the mid 1990s, so I doubt house show attendance will tank to American levels even with oversaturation. The same goes for other foreign markets that don't have many wrestling alternatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slasher Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 It sucks that WWE does more touring when they're not doing well, and yet when they're hot, they seem to want to stay grounded in North America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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