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WWE Backlash 2018


KawadaSmile

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They really need to trim some fat on these shows. 4.5 hours is ridiculous when you factor in pre-show. They need these shows to be 3.5 hours with pre-show tops.

I want to check out that main event with fresh eyes.... but raw is tomorrow, then smackdown, and I really don't feel like watching this show again. Honestly I'm still burned out from Mania and GRR. There's just too much wrestling now. 12 year old me would find that thinking insane but that's where we're at today. I watch these things with 4 or 5 buddies and by the last hour, everyone's talking less, some leave, some are half sleeping. This happens every show.

 

It's just too much and it feels like work. Maybe I need to step away for a while.

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Because the Jax interview rang absolutely false and sounded like pandering bullshit.

 

If she has in fact been bullied, she did a terrible job of coming across as genuine. It reeked of bad actor syndrome.

 

That's probably because the interview was scripted and she is a bad actor.

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I partly blame the angle for the backlash against Nia.

 

I know Alexa Bliss is hilarious and everything, but those segments were like...too good. She got cheered for them, instead of creating any sympathy for Nia. And turned the idea of bullying itself into a jokey punchline for the heel, instead of a real thing like it was pre-Mania. Like, Alexa was saying "you're a bully!" to her during the match. So you turn the idea into a joke like that, and afterwards try to give her this heartfelt moment...the tone was all wrong. If they really wanted to do it, tonally that promo would have fit better after Mania. Here it didn't fit at all because Alexa used the word to get over as a hilarious heel in the build. Regardless of Nia's delivery.

 

Also for the fact that the match itself did NOT sell the idea of Nia getting righteous babyface revenge against a bully at all. She got beat up for a lot of it and seemed to escape with one big move, rather than teach Alexa a lesson. It was just all wrong.

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My friend and I considered leaving before the main event to catch the 11:20 train, got suckered in by the hot opening, and very much regretted it. There were some sections that had empty the seats the whole show that were half full by the end. Crows chanting to entertain itself (in a section near me, there was a CM Punk chant). Really bad indictment of where this angle was on fan interest.

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I partly blame the angle for the backlash against Nia.

 

I know Alexa Bliss is hilarious and everything, but those segments were like...too good. She got cheered for them, instead of creating any sympathy for Nia. And turned the idea of bullying itself into a jokey punchline for the heel, instead of a real thing like it was pre-Mania. Like, Alexa was saying "you're a bully!" to her during the match. So you turn the idea into a joke like that, and afterwards try to give her this heartfelt moment...the tone was all wrong. If they really wanted to do it, tonally that promo would have fit better after Mania. Here it didn't fit at all because Alexa used the word to get over as a hilarious heel in the build. Regardless of Nia's delivery.

 

Also for the fact that the match itself did NOT sell the idea of Nia getting righteous babyface revenge against a bully at all. She got beat up for a lot of it and seemed to escape with one big move, rather than teach Alexa a lesson. It was just all wrong.

 

I also think the promo as scripted, and Nia's delivery, were just way too "after school special." It was preachy to the point it felt defensive and undercut the message. (It's one reason I'm sort of terrified of WWE doing a gay angle with Balor... just feels like there's no way they get the tone right.)

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(It's one reason I'm sort of terrified of WWE doing a gay angle with Balor... just feels like there's no way they get the tone right.)

They will never do it, because Balor can't be gay everywhere.

 

WWE is decades away from doing a legitimate - i.e. tasteful - gay angle.

 

They're decades behind the curve, as usual. They just discovered "don't ask, don't tell."

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(It's one reason I'm sort of terrified of WWE doing a gay angle with Balor... just feels like there's no way they get the tone right.)

They will never do it, because Balor can't be gay everywhere.

 

WWE is decades away from doing a legitimate - i.e. tasteful - gay angle.

 

They're decades behind the curve, as usual. They just discovered "don't ask, don't tell."

I think they would be fine. Dalton Castle is super over in RoH as are the Lovers.

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I thought coming in that this would be one of those shows with no buzz that exceeds expectations and winds up being really good. Wound up being more of just a placeholder show that hopefully blew off most of these feuds.

 

Only match I particularly liked was Miz/Rollins. Didnt care for Styles/Nak all that much. Thought their GRR match was the best of the series. This was just way too long and then capped off with a terrible TV finish.

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People didn't even walk out on the Punjabi Prison match and they couldn't even see that!

We just reviewed the first Punjabi Prison match for my Who Booked This? podcast and it's surprisingly a decent match which the crowd is really into. They pop at most things and even get a holy shit chant.

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Damn, reading this thread, I guess the GRR was right on time to drive me away from watching more of this. The idea that people are now actually leaving the building to not have to see Roman Reigns is amazing. So much for the old "People complain all the time but don't act on it, Roman will get over eventually."

 

And so apparently, Nia is as bad a babyface as she was a heel ? Damn. Nothing works anymore. Time to send Vince to the glue factory...

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I felt Nia was hurt being in a match (well, two) where she is practically twice the size of her opponent who is not cheating especially notably and it takes ten minutes to beat her. Bliss looks sympathetic because shes hanging with a much larger opponent. If its just Bliss saying mean things, it doesnt make Nia look good because Alexa is willing to step in the ring and back it up.

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The match itself was actually good, but it would be ten times more efficient if Alexa as a face and Nia as a heel.

 

I know comparing most people to Daniel Bryan is unfair, but he managed to be the dickish heel against SHEAMUS and his performance against him at that lovely 2/3 Falls was masterful. Alexa just didn't really wrestle like a heel, and while Nia's bumping was impressive, she didn't do enough to garner sympathy.

 

The post match promo was also dreadful. Crowd was having none of that and the whole "B A STAR" was the cherry on the cake.

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