sek69 Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 13 minutes ago, Blehschmidt said: Does anyone else find it strange how opposed to having any kind of competition Vince and WWE have become? Not really, seeing as how he's literally always been like this. We just haven't seen it for a while since there hasn't been a competition for so long. His MO has always been scortched earth against anyone he views as a threat. 1 hour ago, C.S. said: BTW, for whatever it's worth, Maria is denying all of this. She isn't exactly denying anything. Did anyone say WWE wasn't supportive? Seems like she's building a lot of strawmen to knock down. Also she seems to be arguing that they weren't off TV due to Mike being away in rehab but......just going to each town and doing nothing while he was doing some sort of outpatient rehab? Okay then. Not only does that sound like not the best way to do rehab, it also makes it seem like WWE was just making them work pointless house shows when Mike should have been focusing on getting clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 2 minutes ago, sek69 said: Also she seems to be arguing that they weren't off TV due to Mike being away in rehab but......just going to each town and doing nothing while he was doing some sort of outpatient rehab? Okay then. Not only does that sound like not the best way to do rehab, it also makes it seem like WWE was just making them work pointless house shows when Mike should have been focusing on getting clean. It sounds like Mike got clean on his own (with Maria's help) instead of going to a facility? I'm guessing WWE wasn't informed about the pill addiction until after the fact? But who knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeCampbell Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 26 minutes ago, Blehschmidt said: They hardly ever release anyone unless they do something really stupid. I was thinking about this the other day. It used to be that people would be future endeavored every other week. Now, barring Enzo and Cass, I couldn't even tell you the last time or the last person that they released. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 41 minutes ago, Blehschmidt said: Does anyone else find it strange how opposed to having any kind of competition Vince and WWE have become? Vince never struck me as a guy who was afraid of a challenge, and during the height of the Monday night era, competition made the business thrive, and WWE rose up and fought back and won, and god knows we have heard the story a billion fucking times, so we know they love that shit. Don't confuse the way they tell their version of the story with the way things actually went down. They only "love that shit" because they won in the end. It's easy to reminisce about the fight and the competition when you're sitting comfortably on top at the end. When they're actually in the fight? Not so much. Don't forget. WWF was calling foul and whining about how unfair things were when WCW was slaying them in the ratings on Monday nights. They were filing lawsuits & criticizing WCW for using some of the very same strategies they'd used themselves to overtake the industry a decade earlier. 22 minutes ago, C.S. said: It's always been this way IMO. Mid '80s WWF signed everyone under the sun too. And WCW employed the same strategy to outdo them at their own game for a few years in the 90s, too. Vince has always been cutthroat and hypersensitive to competition though. So I can sort of understand how that would be amplified to the Nth degree in today's economy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Memphis Mark Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 44 minutes ago, NintendoLogic said: Temporary roadblocks can be incredibly expensive to litigate, especially when the other side has unlimited resources and is willing to drag things out as long as possible. I'm certain WWE will try to make examples out of any talent that tries to leave. Well contracts end and people can move on with their lifes. The WWE is not that powerful to hold people hostage after their contracts end. The WWE is not Apple or Microsoft , they are a small company in the grand scheme of things . Plus the game has changed. Sinclair Broadcasting has already sent their legal department after the WWE on at least two different times . Last time I checked ROH/ NJPW are running MSG . Also , I sure Shad Khan has some of the best legal minds available to fight the WWE . Maybe Shad Khan will make an example of the WWE if they cross him. Plus the WWE is going to have trouble signing top talent if they continue to treat talent badly . Look at how PAC was treated . Those type of bullying tactics will backfire on the WWE in this labor market Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 10 minutes ago, C.S. said: It sounds like Mike got clean on his own (with Maria's help) instead of going to a facility? I'm guessing WWE wasn't informed about the pill addiction until after the fact? But who knows. I suppose that's a way to read it, but since WWE pays for rehab why not take advantage of it? It's not like he was in the middle of a career making push he couldn't afford to walk away from. I could maybe understand not wanting WWE to know he had a problem, but they announced he was clean so that cat was out of the bag. It just seems like a dangerous way to handle a possible life threatening issue. 2 minutes ago, SomethingSavage said: And WCW employed the same strategy to outdo them at their own game for a few years in the 90s, too. Don't forget the teary-eyed Steph interviews about those monsters in WCW trying to run her daddy out of business and put her family on the streets. When someone came along and kicked Vince's ass (which make no mistake, WCW was doing for years before the wheels fell off) they lost all sense of irony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alucard Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 Mike Bennett had some really good matches/feuds with EC3 and Moose in Impact, I don't think he's bad at all... very solid in the ring and on the mic. Great act with Maria and fun character stuff like the Laurel/Braxton wedding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 That Moose match was bonkers. Shockingly fun. I don't even recall any details of the first match in their series, when Bennett beat EC3. But you're right. Their rematch at the PPV was surprisingly good as well. He's hurt somewhat by always feeling like a tired, derivative type character though. I don't know. Nothing about him feels wholly original, and he has often been overshadowed by a superior version existing in such close proximity to him. (Miz & Maryse in WWE, Cole in ROH, etc.) I could absolutely buy that he views ROH as his best option though, if there's indeed any truth to that report. He was a featured guy there, he made friends there, and his spot in the Kingdom felt like the right fit for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 "Very solid in the ring and on the mic." Wow. You and I have a very obvious difference on what solid means. My favorite was when he almost killed B.J. Whitmer with a Piledriver on the ring apron. Super solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 No capitalist mogul want competition. The entire "competition is good" shit is a myth, but it's useful to control people. Competition between the workers, yes, so they don't open their mouth and fight for their rights, of course. But every big company wants to be the only game in town and control the world. That's capitalism 101. The rest is bad literature. WWE wants to own pro-wrestling as a whole. They'd be happy destroying the entire landscape and open NXT promotion everywhere to be the only game on the planet. Imagine that. That's why I have no idea why people find exciting the whole NXT UK thingy. And yeah, the way they whined and cried when Turner was kicking their ass and showing them how to do it was fucking hilarious. They have rewrote the history since, but Vince doesn't want competition. The fact workers have more leverage now thanks to AEW rising up and ROH playing more competitive it seems (Rush, Bandido) is bad for them. They can thank the TV right fee bubble and their own total lack of ethics (the Saudi blood money deal), that's the only reason they are drowning in money right now, because their ratings are god awful and their live shows don't draw well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSR Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 14 hours ago, rovert said: Sean doesn't report bullshit and subsequent events/reports have proven this. The same Sean who outed a source last year to cover his own back when something that he reported was exactly that? If you say so. Oh yeah, and if doing that as a 'journalist' isn't bad enough, only a matter of weeks later claimed how he would always protect a source's identity! Very short and selective memory has SRS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blehschmidt Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 10 hours ago, MikeCampbell said: I was thinking about this the other day. It used to be that people would be future endeavored every other week. Now, barring Enzo and Cass, I couldn't even tell you the last time or the last person that they released. I can't believe they are worried about The Ascension or Primo Colon going to Ring of Honor and becoming the next Hulk Hogan or anything like thay, so they have to be hording talent for a different reason. If it were to fill out the NXT's and 205's that would make sense, but they just aren't using them. That they are seemingly that worried about the perception of a Zack Ryder going to the Young Bucks promotion just baffles me. It's not going to hurt their bottom line, the fans aren't going to leave them, and it's not going to change the ratings. If this keeps up, and they keep hiring it is going to turn into WCW paying Lanny Poffo to never work a match at the rate we are going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 1 hour ago, El-P said: No capitalist mogul want competition. The entire "competition is good" shit is a myth, but it's useful to control people. Competition between the workers, yes, so they don't open their mouth and fight for their rights, of course. But every big company wants to be the only game in town and control the world. That's capitalism 101. The rest is bad literature. WWE wants to own pro-wrestling as a whole. They'd be happy destroying the entire landscape and open NXT promotion everywhere to be the only game on the planet. Imagine that. That's why I have no idea why people find exciting the whole NXT UK thingy. And yeah, the way they whined and cried when Turner was kicking their ass and showing them how to do it was fucking hilarious. They have rewrote the history since, but Vince doesn't want competition. The fact workers have more leverage now thanks to AEW rising up and ROH playing more competitive it seems (Rush, Bandido) is bad for them. They can thank the TV right fee bubble and their own total lack of ethics (the Saudi blood money deal), that's the only reason they are drowning in money right now, because their ratings are god awful and their live shows don't draw well. At the end of the day, it's cultural. Vince's life work was to redefine Pro Wrestling, the whole "taking out of the smokey halls" myth all the way up to "putting smiles on faces." Something like AEW is not a competitor. It's a heresy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 Vince never did pro-wrestling. He invented sports-entertainment. He's not a rassslin' promoter. The denial runs strong in his family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMKK Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 4 minutes ago, El-P said: Vince never did pro-wrestling. He invented sports-entertainment. He's not a rassslin' promoter. The denial runs strong in his family. He's makin' movies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 2 minutes ago, FMKK said: He's makin' movies! He's really spending his money for nothin'! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 Cody, on unionizing wrestlers: That's a big yikes for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 Wow, if a union would bankrupt a business, that means that business is fucking horrible to it's employees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMKK Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 1 hour ago, KawadaSmile said: Cody, on unionizing wrestlers: Reveal hidden contents That's a big yikes for me Nice of him to not give any explanation as to why it would make the business go bankrupt. I mean, it's the excuse of every boss against unionisation ever but it's still bullshit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 12 minutes ago, FMKK said: Nice of him to not give any explanation as to why it would make the business go bankrupt. I mean, it's the excuse of every boss against unionisation ever but it's still bullshit. Obviously if you treat workers fairly you can't survive as a business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laz Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 12 hours ago, Alucard said: Mike Bennett had some really good matches/feuds with EC3 and Moose in Impact, I don't think he's bad at all... very solid in the ring and on the mic. Great act with Maria and fun character stuff like the Laurel/Braxton wedding. I've been watching Mike Bennett since he worked YMCAs and VFW halls for Sheldon Goldberg. He's actually less of a worker now than he was 16 years ago. The sole highlight of his career sans Maria, IMO, has been a random XWA show where he kept singing Edge's theme while spearing jobbers. It's been the only time I've seen him work believable, safe, and in an entertaining manner. He's a lucky bastard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 Cody's not entirely wrong. A union wouldn't make sense for the vast majority of promotions because it wouldn't be economically viable for them to hire wrestlers as employees. WWE is obviously a different story. Also, it should be pointed out that even if Cody wanted a union, he would be prohibited by law from helping to make it happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 Does she not know that rumors of wanting a release will only help your career in the current climate? Her response to all this seems odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaeo_ Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 5 hours ago, NintendoLogic said: Cody's not entirely wrong. A union wouldn't make sense for the vast majority of promotions because it wouldn't be economically viable for them to hire wrestlers as employees. WWE is obviously a different story. A huge number of promotions are not economically viable as is because they're passion projects (or money laundering fronts). Don't know if that's a viable argument against unionization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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