WWE TV 04/15 - 04/21: Superstar Shakeup but the real Shakeup is a country who arrests and beats up its teachers

[Strummer]

WWE cancelled the Backlash ppv that was scheduled for June 16.  Most likely due to the next .Saudi having to be moved to June 7. Yup

[Migs]

11 hours ago, Strummer said:

WWE cancelled the Backlash ppv that was scheduled for June 16.  Most likely due to the next .Saudi having to be moved to June 7. Yup

At least they learned from the messes they got into last year promoting multiple shows at once?

[El-P]

At least it's pretty clear what are their priorities too. Gotta love the build-up to a PPV that is gonna happen "somewhere" again...

[sek69]

Word is at least part of the reasoning was they realized the optics would be bad to have a show named Backlash a week after having another show in Parts Unknown. 

[Migs]

5 hours ago, sek69 said:

Word is at least part of the reasoning was they realized the optics would be bad to have a show named Backlash a week after having another show in Parts Unknown. 

Yeah, but they have a million PPV names they could have used. 

[C.S.]

Anyone gonna watch the final, final - really, we mean it this time - final Shield appearance tonight?

[SomethingSavage]

Apparently they just recently acquired the name "WWE Stomping Grounds" for something. So there's that in their back pocket, I guess..?

32 minutes ago, C.S. said:

Anyone gonna watch the final, final - really, we mean it this time - final Shield appearance tonight?

But this final reunion since their last renunion following their farewell match after their goodbye match before that will be so much better in 5-minute clipped form later this week. The wait & see method is the way to go.

[C.S.]

Just now, SomethingSavage said:

But this final reunion since their last renunion following their farewell match after their goodbye match before that will be so much better in 5-minute clipped form later this week. The wait & see method is the way to go.

Haha. That's usually true, but the last Shield match against the same opponents at one of the b-PPVs a couple of months ago was actually pretty great.

[SteveJRogers]

11 hours ago, C.S. said:

Anyone gonna watch the final, final - really, we mean it this time - final Shield appearance tonight?

I know they’ve been one of the hottest acts in a while, but geez!  

Maybe its a product of “we run our own means of production and transmission of the content” age since The Network started, but has any group had anything like the various sendoffs The Shield has had?  

I mean its understandable from a kayfabe and sentimental standpoint, but like the various Terry Funk Retirement Shows/Matches, it will seem silly when they’re eventually reunited for a run, and not a one off appearance or a HOF induction like setting.

[El-P]

11 hours ago, SomethingSavage said:

But this final reunion since their last renunion following their farewell match after their goodbye match before that will be so much better in 5-minute clipped form later this week. The wait & see method is the way to go.

Pretty much, yeah, it feels like there has been a "last ever Shield reunion" a dozen times already. Which I guess is fitting, since it's obvious the whole was better than the sum of its part. Running with The Shield as THE top act in the company, Freebirds like, instead of trying to make Roman into The Man would have worked a whole lot better in retrospect. Plus it would have been a fresh and new approach. But nah, gotta find that next Cena.

 Also :

18 hours ago, sek69 said:

Word is at least part of the reasoning was they realized the optics would be bad to have a show named Backlash a week after having another show in Parts Unknown. 

I would have never thought of this one. A joke that wrote itself. Amazing. 

[C.S.]

Anyway, the main event was a fun house show match, but not necessarily a PPV-quality match. Ditto for the other two matches. That's fine. What makes this show worth watching is the emotion, the post-match Shield promo, and everyone generally being allowed to cut loose a bit more. 

[NintendoLogic]

@El-P, I'm counting on you to attend this and provide us with a house show report.

 

[SomethingSavage]

Woof. That card though.

[El-P]

Holy fuck, that's a really terrible card on paper !  Hey, I don't live in Paris anymore anyway, so I guess I'll have to pass.    

[Strummer]

Andrade, Zelina and Aleister Black have all been moved back to Smackdown.  Samoa Joe and Cesaro have been moved to Raw.

assume Andrade was moved back because of Charlotte.  Bar is broken up after 3 years as a team

[NintendoLogic]

I'm surprised they didn't do the opposite and keep them split up to send Andrade a message about punching above his weight.

[SirEdger]

14 minutes ago, Strummer said:

Andrade, Zelina and Aleister Black have all been moved back to Smackdown.  Samoa Joe and Cesaro have been moved to Raw.

assume Andrade was moved back because of Charlotte.  Bar is broken up after 3 years as a team

In Joe's case, that's not surprising, considering Finn's now on Smackdown. In Cesaro's case though, I'm a bit more surprised but the opportunity for a good singles run is now here for him.

[KawadaSmile]

28 minutes ago, NintendoLogic said:

I'm surprised they didn't do the opposite and keep them split up to send Andrade a message about punching above his weight.

Charlotte's got pull in this company.

Management tried to split them on the basis that she wasn't married so there was no problem and she said it didn't work for her, brother.

 

Also, Rey Mysterio vs Lio Rush is dope, come on now

[El-P]

15 minutes ago, KawadaSmile said:

Management tried to split them on the basis that she wasn't married so there was no problem and she said it didn't work for her, brother.

Funny, Brucie talked about that during the last boring episode of his podcast, that basically they would not split married couple, but people "simply dating" was not taken in consideration. Which is bullshit, of course (fuck marriage). Good for Charlotte.

[C.S.]

2 hours ago, KawadaSmile said:

Also, Rey Mysterio vs Lio Rush is dope, come on now

Agreed. Wish WWE would go all in on Lio and send Lashley back to the indies. Lio is easily the far more interesting and compelling of the two.

Unfortunately, he's 5'2 or something like that, so he'll never rise above midcard goof in the WWE.  

Yes, there's Rey, but I'm sure I don't need to explain why he's the exception.

[Jmare007]

Has there been any updates on Sheamus and Bryan's injuries or vacations? Read really vague rumors so far.

[SirEdger]

I don't know about Bryan but Sheamus' injury is a concussion.

[NotJayTabb]

Apparently the actual reason Andrade got moved back is because Fox want someone to appeal to a Latino audience when the show moves over. Which meant Zelina Vega moved back, in turn bringing Aleister Black for the ride. 

[NintendoLogic]

All Dave has said is that Bryan is out of action. And recent history has shown that when WWE is all hush-hush about the nature of an injury, it's usually concussion-related. But that's impossible because Bryan is a wrestling genius who came back to work a safer more mat-based style.

[Jmare007]

1 hour ago, NintendoLogic said:

All Dave has said is that Bryan is out of action. And recent history has shown that when WWE is all hush-hush about the nature of an injury, it's usually concussion-related. But that's impossible because Bryan is a wrestling genius who came back to work a safer more mat-based style.

 

8 hours ago, SirEdger said:

I don't know about Bryan but Sheamus' injury is a concussion.

But they weren't hush hush with Sheamus' concussion then