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Post-Mania WWE TV (04/09 - 04/15)


KawadaSmile

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Sounds like I'll be checking out Smackdown for two consecutive weeks for the first time since the superstar shakeup ruined the blue brand last Spring.

 

I just can't do Raw though. Three hours is a big investment on a weekly basis, and I'll never not convince myself that it's just easier to watch the 5-minute recap on their YouTube channel.

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Don't wanna derail this thread so I'll stop with this post... but I am surprised that Renee Young comes across as genuine to anyone. Maybe her voice reminds me of someone I knew in Canada who was a phony or something? It was an immediate, visceral, reaction from me.

 

And I was totally, deeply, interested in the Asuka streak as were all of the WWE fans I know over here. Of course, to us, she's a local girl made good so that has at least something to do with it. Your idea that "no one gave a shit" is a s odd to me as my idea that "Renee Young seems like a big phony" is to you.

 

Agree to disagree?

I completely understand the hometown aspect.

 

Differing viewpoints don't bother me in the least. It's refreshing that I can dislike Asuka, Joe, Kassius Ohno, etc. without being accused of trolling like I probably would be on any other board. It's why PWO is great.

 

P.S. Was your "Renee" an ex-girlfriend or something? :)

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Don't wanna derail this thread so I'll stop with this post... but I am surprised that Renee Young comes across as genuine to anyone. Maybe her voice reminds me of someone I knew in Canada who was a phony or something? It was an immediate, visceral, reaction from me.

 

And I was totally, deeply, interested in the Asuka streak as were all of the WWE fans I know over here. Of course, to us, she's a local girl made good so that has at least something to do with it. Your idea that "no one gave a shit" is a s odd to me as my idea that "Renee Young seems like a big phony" is to you.

 

Agree to disagree?

I completely understand the hometown aspect.

 

Differing viewpoints don't bother me in the least. It's refreshing that I can dislike Asuka, Joe, Kassius Ohno, etc. without being accused of trolling like I probably would be on any other board. It's why PWO is great.

 

P.S. Was your "Renee" an ex-girlfriend or something? :)

 

 

I can't stop replying :)

 

I'm pretty sure that what I was picking up on was Renee maybe being disappointed by her demotion but still trying to show enthusiasm. I wasn't aware of that whole side of the story. It most likely isn't that she was being phony, but that she was feeling a bit sad and so her enthusiasm came across as kind of forced.

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Y'know, I'm willing to bet DBry can have a banger of a match with Jinder Mahal.

 

I would have thought that until I saw his 857 matches with Kevin Owens. AJ might be the best in the world, but he has to have something to work with.

 

I... don't get what you are saying here, my dude.

 

Like, AJ had an actually good match with Jinder, and considering how Bryan's style is vastly different from the stuff we are used to, he might gel well with Jinder, who is indeed a slower-paced worker.

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I am really looking forward to heel Shinsuke. That interview was a great first step.

 

Also: Renee young accusing someone else of being disingenuous involves a degree of cognitive dissonance that is almost physically painful. I don't think that woman has ever uttered a genuine word in her life. When she says "I'm Renee Young" I think, "No you aren't, you big phoney."

 

If Renee is a big phoney, what do think about these backstage-interview-robots that are so nondescript that I cannot even recall the name of one of them?

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I liked Renee a lot as Lance Russell/Kermit the Frog backstage during the early NXT run where she was the only sane person surrounded by Adam Rose and whatever else. Also on the JBL/Cole show, which is one of the best things WWE's produced in the last ten years.

 

I'm Renee neutral now.

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Y'know, I'm willing to bet DBry can have a banger of a match with Jinder Mahal.

 

I would have thought that until I saw his 857 matches with Kevin Owens. AJ might be the best in the world, but he has to have something to work with.

 

I... don't get what you are saying here, my dude.

 

Like, AJ had an actually good match with Jinder, and considering how Bryan's style is vastly different from the stuff we are used to, he might gel well with Jinder, who is indeed a slower-paced worker.

 

 

I'm thinking he confused Bryan for AJ there.

 

Pulling another 14-hour workday for some easy money overtime, but I was able to catch a bunch of the shorter Raw and SmackDown videos from their YouTube channel during my downtime here.

 

I don't know if there's anything worse than what they've been doing with Braun lately. It's just a total deconstruction of what was a surefire star just a few months ago. Case in point - his backstage segment from Raw. It's everything I hate about their interviews right now.

 

Braun: "It pains me to consider this, let alone say it..."

 

That's his exact words, and I can LITERALLY hear sound bytes of 30 other wrestlers saying that exact same phrase, over and over and over again, on WWE television from the last ten years. It's such a regurgitated, recited statement that they seemingly just script out and hand to guys all the time. There's not a single ounce of authenticity to it. Braun's personality - WHATEVER it is - gets lost in this Rock tribute comedy routine they've been hellbent on handing to him for the last two months. Just awful and lacking of anything unique. They're effectively eroding away every bit of his monster aura.

 

Contrast that with the simple Samoa Joe promo on the ramp. It was straightforward trash talk. Joe spoke with conviction and a cadence that, ya know, sounded like something that might actually come out of the mouth of an actual human being on the street. Jesus Christ. I just don't get it. I don't believe for one second that Joe has any special sway or pull in the back to get preferential treatment or anything either. I just think the guy's a smart enough worker to know he has to handle himself and carry himself with some confidence. Even if they're giving him scripted lines, he clearly knows which corners to cut and how to come across as an individual out there. Joe's interview wasn't anything extraordinary enough to stand out a year from now or anything, but it was practically a life-changing sermon compared to a lot of the other talking segments on the same show.

 

Oh. And Nakamura from SmackDown felt like such a refreshing change for him. That one minute of attitude and personality eclipsed the big thirty-minute piece they did for him before Mania. And those nut shots looked fucking brutal. Loved that. Nak's nut shots literally lifting and flipping his victims needs to be a thing.

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Don't wanna derail this thread so I'll stop with this post... but I am surprised that Renee Young comes across as genuine to anyone. Maybe her voice reminds me of someone I knew in Canada who was a phony or something? It was an immediate, visceral, reaction from me.

 

And I was totally, deeply, interested in the Asuka streak as were all of the WWE fans I know over here. Of course, to us, she's a local girl made good so that has at least something to do with it. Your idea that "no one gave a shit" is a s odd to me as my idea that "Renee Young seems like a big phony" is to you.

 

Agree to disagree?

I completely understand the hometown aspect.

 

Differing viewpoints don't bother me in the least. It's refreshing that I can dislike Asuka, Joe, Kassius Ohno, etc. without being accused of trolling like I probably would be on any other board. It's why PWO is great.

 

P.S. Was your "Renee" an ex-girlfriend or something? :)

Is it possible your dislike of Asuka is coloring your view on her overness?

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Asuka was over when she was killing people. It was booking her to be destroyed and win in banana-peel fashion that derailed her.

Remember when Paige was brought up and immediately went from a punk destroyer to a vulnerable wilting flower. No one survives the call up.

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Asuka was over when she was killing people. It was booking her to be destroyed and win in banana-peel fashion that derailed her.

Remember when Paige was brought up and immediately went from a punk destroyer to a vulnerable wilting flower. No one survives the call up.

 

The Nia Jaxx match fucked Asuka big time.

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Are we forgetting that Asuka had a hard time fighting the bumbling duo of Emma and Dana back in NXT? Struggling to beat Nia is not something that I would say was detrimental to her aura, when more than once she won by the skin of her teeth.

 

Either we are overblowing her portrayal in NXT, or overstating her treatment in the main roster. To me, their only real fuck up was having her almost thank Charlotte for beating her. Considering how they didn't address that at all on her end yesterday... kinda bad.

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I've always wanted Asuka to turn heel. Her and Bayley could've had an all time feud in NXT if they had let Asuka go full heel. When she started getting arrogant in the Ember feud in out of the ring segments she was amazing. Asuka is obviously the most skilled woman in the company(and one of the most skilled overall) just let her turn heel and kick the shit out of people. Raw has no credible heels now anyway with Alexa's burying this week.

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At the end of the day, my major issue with the Asuka streak ending in the way that it did is that it could have been made to mean so much more. Charlotte was ice cold going into this thing. She'd spent a dull calendar year doing NOTHING of note on Smackdown.

 

In another universe, they would've been wise enough to copy & paste the beginnings of the Ember Moon feud there. Have it start at Mania, with the narrative being that Charlotte brings her A-game & Asuka has to resort to unsportsmanlike conduct to win and keep her streak intact.

 

Then you run the rematch later this year. Charlotte looks even sharper than before, pushing Asuka to the point where she has to go full-throttle and blatantly CHEAT to escape with the win, the belt, and her streak.

 

Following that, Charlotte calls her out on it. She demands a third match, but Asuka doesn't even dignify her with a response. No answer or even acknowledgement given. Just Asuka outright ignoring the challenge and behaving like Charlotte is beneath her.

 

Eventually, Charlotte forces Asuka's hand and they get to a this match in the series. Charlotte finally beats Asuka and emphatically ends the winning streak. By this point, Asuka is more clearly aligned as a heel - even if some cheers can be expected for her asskicking ways.

 

At the very least, you've spent months shining up Charlotte. By the time she breaks the streak, it feels earned. More importantly, you've gradually told the story and allowed fans to go along on that journey with them.

 

And you also end up with two ready-made, major money opponents for Ronda as well. It's win/win/win.

 

Instead, we wound up with... Whatever the fuck that was at WrestleMania.

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Asuka being off TV this week is interesting to me. I think they should almost redebut her - squashing jobbers and choking them out post-match, then move her up to active roster members. Emphasise her new attitude and put her over as a heel. Then have her as Stephanie's final boss against Ronda once you've rehabbed her aura a bit.

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