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WWE TV 01/07 - 01/13 Bolsonaro is the epitome of SDE*


KawadaSmile

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The mishandling of Braun is a fucking tragedy. The guy felt like the hottest act in wrestling back in 2017. That rivalry with Roman, ranging from February straight through that summer, seemed like a total throwback to those epic career-long feuds from yesteryear. It reinvigorated Reigns, and it firmly established Braun as the next big thing.

The comparisons to Austin didn't sound absurd, because I never took it to mean he was doing Stone Cold stunts or whatever each week. But, like 1997 Austin, 2017 Braun felt like the next logical champ. It looked like he crowning moment was right around the corner. It seemed like they were just biding their time until Mania.

And then the Brock match happened at No Mercy. It's been downhill ever since.

There have been moments of recovery here & there, but he's never regained the same momentum or buzz. Most fans told themselves (and anyone who would listen, really) that they were just stalling him until after Mania. But then the comedy tag shit with the kid happened, and his rep & cred were further dented and damaged.

Even worse, after Mania had come and gone, it turned out they STILL had no concrete plan or design for the guy.

And it's just such a shame. I was so ready to see Braun get this big monumental moment by beating Brock, and they just wouldn't do it. Despite all the backing and building they put into Braun in 2017, they just couldn't bring it all the way home and cap it off properly.

The Brock loss is baffling. Imagine how differently Lesnar would have been perceived if they'd debuted him strong just as they did in 2002 - only, instead of having him go over Rock, they had part-timer Rocky go over at SummerSlam and keep the belt. That would've been DISASTROUS for Lesnar back in 2002, right? It would've been a total failure to launch situation. And even if they'd gone back and given him the belt later, if would never have recaptured the same impact.

That is essentially what they did to Braun with the Brock loss. They chose to favor the part-timer and stomped out the fuse they'd lit with Strowman's push in the first place.

I look around & see some people getting excited for Drew on top, and I just couldn't possibly care any less. And I shouldn't feel so underwhelmed. I shouldn't feel so defeated. I should be stoked, too.

... I'm just not.

Drew deserves the shot. Don't get me wrong. But this current presentation & rendering of him isn't the Drew that warrants a run on top. This Drew they're presenting doesn't feel, function, or operate like a top guy. Drew the performer is absolutely capable and deserving of the belt.

But come on. Is anyone really clamoring for this? They've basically slapped the Sheamus "League of Nations" character on him. That's NOT an acceptable or sustainable World Champion gimmick in 2019.

Even TNA knew to let Drew just be himself. But nah. Let's have him go out and pretend to be the evil Scottish foreigner, like it's something anyone should ever give a shit about.

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I would've loved to have seen Drew in his 2010 incarnation ascend to being WWE or World Champ, he was so perfect as the cocky prick IC Champ back then and it seemed like such a natural rise up the card until it was abandoned. His Impact run was really good, showed he could also be a surprisingly effective babyface.

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According to the Observer Lars was supposed to debut in a dark match on Raw in Orlando but had an anxiety attack and it didn't happen.  They worked things out and he was supposed to work the SD tapings in another dark match but apparently had another attack and flew back home.  Pretty damn sad.

also the plan is/was for him to wrestle Cena at Mania

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That Sopranos bit is tremendous. I've had this conversation with co-workers before, but you can absolutely watch the show and imagine the family = the McMahons. Vinnie Mac as Tony, a young rebellious Shane as AJ, Steph/Meadow going off to college, etc. And that doesn't even touch on the warring families/rival promoters, his lieutenants/road agents, and on & on.

It's why there's really no need for a Vince biopic. We already got it in peak TV form with the Sopranos.

Regarding anxiety attacks, meh. I feel like I'd be the outlier on that conversation. I personally feel like A LOT of "disorders" and "conditions" are exaggerated and over-diagnosed these days. We're all human. We all have issues, fears, anxieties - not everything is a medical condition, nor does every problem require prescription medication or coddling.

If your job requires you to publicly perform in front of thousands in your underwear, you may want to make sure you don't have performance anxiety of any kind. Get that shit in check.

In that sense, I'd be more inclined to side with the company on this one. The job description is what it is. If he can't get over that hurdle, they're completely justified in moving onto the next in line.

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