WWE October 30 - November 5

[Kadaveri]

I don't think a 4ft 11 heel winning clean with a KO Punch can be described as "wrestling as your character would do".

 

Was it really worth it to hurt Sasha and totally murder Bayley if the end game is Asuka, a 36 year old who's already over anyway?

[goc]

Why are people acting like Alexa booked the finish to that Raw match with Mickie? People on twitter were especially being stupid about it.

[Matt D]

 

I want so little, relatively, that I dont think it makes me greedy.

I don't believe you or else you'd have kept watching the Continental I put on youtube.

Obviously that ruined me for 2017 WWE.

 

Look, I barely have time for anything between work and kids. I've seen maybe four WWE matches in the last two months and one was Triple H vs Rusev (I'm paying enough attention to feel like I can make arguments though. It's not rocket science here. If you want to discount what I'm saying out of hand, that's your prerogative). I just don't think it's too much for people to expect coherent narratives and we certainly shouldn't attack them for that. Heck, I think it's fair game for people to want and expect basic continuity and some character development over time. Likewise, while people should want and expect that, they shouldn't be surprised when they don't get it since WWE has rarely been able to manage it over time, basic as it may be.

 

My main argument is that people shouldn't attack someone for complaining about not getting the most basic things.

 

If people think that Alexa Bliss is booking and agenting her own programs/matches, then you can attack them, sure.

[BruiserBrody]

 

According to his Twitter, Sheik (General) Adnan was contacted by Jerry Brisco about being in next year's HOF class.

 

 

AWA legend indicates he's heading to the 2018 WWE HOF

[DMJ]

The Bliss debate is fascinating to me. I'm willing to admit that as I'm "Team Bliss" there is a bit of a double-standard for backing her, but the argument isn't cut-and-dry. Booked too strong? Maybe...but in a universe where Alexa Bliss isn't "steamrolling" through the RAW Divas Division, as her critics imply, we're assuming Bayley and Sasha are now mega-over? Also, how is any of this too vastly different than what Charlotte was doing in her RAW run or even what The Miz does whenever he's not in a feud with someone clearly higher on the totem pole (Cena, Reigns, even Ambrose and AJ)? Bliss has been soundly defeating the "midcarders" of the womens' division because all the women in the womens' division are "midcarders" since Charlotte left RAW and became babyface. Bliss is now at that stop basically and I think she's earned it - heel or face.

 

Also, the idea of the villain needing to lose at "the end" is one I totally agree with - when "the end" is a clear, definable point.

 

"The end" of the Daniel Bryan storyline was WM30, for example, and while the build was imperfect, I'm glad they eventually got it right.

 

Similarly, Hogan dropping the title to Sting at Starrcade was like the end of Star Wars: A New Hope - the result ended up spawning countless sequels, but that was definitely a definitive endpoint more than just an exciting moment of rising action (like, say, Luger's brief title reign a few months before was).

 

I don't get the argument that Bayley (who has actually gotten booed at times) and Sasha Banks (who feels a little like she's peaked already) are a hotter hand to play than keeping Bliss champion and letting her garner more and more fan hatred. When Bliss finally gets her comeuppance, I want it to be from a Sting, not a Lex Luger. I don't think that exact role as been filled yet, but I don't see the harm in letting someone grow into it (maybe Asuka, maybe Nia, maybe Charlotte or Becky?) when, right now, there's no one on the roster that really deserves it.

[goc]

Maybe if Bayley and Sasha Banks would cut promos that don't make you cringe half the time they'd get booked better. Or if they didn't act like fangirls backstage instead of actual professional wrestlers (evidence of which can clearly be seen on their Ride Along episode)

[Coffey]

I have no problem with Alexa Bliss, personally. I think WWE see her as the new Trish Stratus. She's super pretty, she's vastly improved (and continues to improve), she's getting better in the ring all the time & most importantly, she plays a great character. At the end of the day, being a good character is always more important in WWE than putting on highly-praised/rated matches. It's about making people buy into the character(s) & stories. That's how you get to the point where there's heat & interest in the match outcomes.

 

Sasha Banks & Bayley are both super overrated & have been since their NXT days. Remember the whole "Sasha is a top ten worker in the world" bullshit?

 

Alexa winning with a punch was... odd. Very peculiar. I love that she's been winning with just a normal DDT though. I would be OK with going back to having the bar not be so high on finishers again. Alexa Bliss wins decidedly with a DDT. AJ Styles does a Springboard 450 Splash for a 2-count... lol. If we can get to the point where you don't see the telegraphed finish coming, don't know when the match will end & can buy into near falls, in this day & age, that would be pretty amazing.

 

Alexa is being booked strongly but they have to book someone strong, so I don't see why it shouldn't be her. They tried with both Sasha and Bayley & maybe WWE didn't think they were connecting at the level that they had hoped? I would rather have Becky at the top than either of them.

[Strummer]

it's kind of weird. WWE crowds react to Sasha and Alexa (and Bayley before her recent drought) as huge stars during their entrances and promos but often their matches have very little heat. You can say that about a lot of wwe talent but it stands out in the women's division. Dave is always mentioning this.

 

 

I said back in 2015 when she was called up that Sasha was super overrated on the mic. She had a rep for being a good talker but man she hasn't shown it at all in nearly 2 and a half years on the main roster.

 

Bayley was super over but I can see Vince souring on her because of her promos

[sek69]

I remember when Bayley started in NXT, people were asking if she was supposed to be a female Eugene because she seemed "special". Even after her character evolved past that, her promos always came across that way to me.

[Alucard]

Agreed with most of the posts above.

 

On a side note, regardless of her height, Alexa's knockout punch has always looked killer and was usually sold as such. I can't recall for sure but thought she won one match with it before.

[Johnny Sorrow]

You know what makes Zigglers act even more awful than it already was? The stupid record needle scratching to cut his music. Its 2017, most of the audience doesnt even know what a record player is.

I love that Vince probably thinks Ellsworth in a dog suit is just silly shit that he thinks is hilarious, and has no idea what a Furry/ Dom deal is. 😄

[Kadaveri]

I don't get the argument that Bayley (who has actually gotten booed at times) and Sasha Banks (who feels a little like she's peaked already) are a hotter hand to play than keeping Bliss champion and letting her garner more and more fan hatred.

 

Bayley was really over for many months on the main roster right until that feud with Bliss where she lost every match and was scripted to look like a total idiot. And whether she's 'peaked' or not it's still true that Sasha Banks is WWE's biggest TV draw in 2016/17 outside of Cena and Goldberg whereas Bliss is one of their worst. The rating in the 3rd hour bombed for the Alexa/Mickie main event and did even worse in the young female demographic, compare that to Sasha vs. Charlotte nearly outdrawing Goldberg's return under a year ago.

 

I just don't buy any of these conventional pro-wrestling explanations as none of it adds up. I'm reminded more of Vince McMahon's repeated statements in WWE corporate reports since around 2012 that WWE The Brand is the attraction now and no individual performer affects business. That business strategy correlates with how they book, no one with momentum gets to ride it lest they get too big to fail and with WWE's huge gender pay-gap the impact on women is even greater.

[Johnny Sorrow]

Rusev and English are my new favorite act. They're fucking tremendous. It totally has that feel of two guys thrown together with nothing going on who luck into chemistry. And it helps that both are awesome performers both in matches and in backstage stuff. Oh, and Rusev has a catchphrase, and it's awesome. I myself, am at this moment, celebrating Rusev Day.

 

And, I need to clarify, now that I saw the whole show, they're my favorite up and coming act. Sami and Owens are my favorite top act. Outstanding.

[Log]

Add to that Rusev not knowing what elated meant and now using it every week. Thats the kind of character development you dont usually see on WWE tv.

[DMJ]

 

I don't get the argument that Bayley (who has actually gotten booed at times) and Sasha Banks (who feels a little like she's peaked already) are a hotter hand to play than keeping Bliss champion and letting her garner more and more fan hatred.

 

Bayley was really over for many months on the main roster right until that feud with Bliss where she lost every match and was scripted to look like a total idiot. And whether she's 'peaked' or not it's still true that Sasha Banks is WWE's biggest TV draw in 2016/17 outside of Cena and Goldberg whereas Bliss is one of their worst. The rating in the 3rd hour bombed for the Alexa/Mickie main event and did even worse in the young female demographic, compare that to Sasha vs. Charlotte nearly outdrawing Goldberg's return under a year ago.

 

I just don't buy any of these conventional pro-wrestling explanations as none of it adds up. I'm reminded more of Vince McMahon's repeated statements in WWE corporate reports since around 2012 that WWE The Brand is the attraction now and no individual performer affects business. That business strategy correlates with how they book, no one with momentum gets to ride it lest they get too big to fail and with WWE's huge gender pay-gap the impact on women is even greater.

 

 

I don't know if I'm 100% with you on how over Bayley was by the time the Bliss feud happened, but I will readily fess up to my ignorance of Banks' TV drawing power. With that fact in mind, Sasha should've been built up as Bliss' "final challenge"/the ace chasing the title rather than as Bliss' first victim.

 

I won't backtrack entirely either, though, as I'm still of the opinion that Bliss is deserving of her title reign. I'll admit that part of that is because she was in the right place at the right time with the right heel/face disposition (and unfortunate mistakes they'd made with Sasha and Bayley meant they weren't) but I also think she's hit the ball out of the park as of late. Those matches with Sasha felt more "real" than Reigns/Cena ended up feeling considering they were built on the same "IRL they don't like eachother!" hype. I also second the person who said her facial expressions and basic offense tell a story better than all the high-risk hijinks that Charlotte and Sasha throw in almost every one of their matches.

[Robert S]

Sad to see that they are doing another Enzo vs. Kalisto match at Survivor Series. Somehow I was hoping for a 205 Live 5 vs 5 elimination match, that could have been a lot more fun to watch, would definitely had more heat and could have turned some eyes on 205 Live.