WWE Super Showdown 2019: Come for the Wrestling, but no stay for the executions

[The Thread Killer]

If you were to go by crowd reactions, Triple H. vs. Orton and Taker vs. Goldberg were by far the most popular matches.  Both had the same problem, they went too long.  In the case of the Triple H match, there was no way in hell that match needed to be 25 minutes long. They could have easily shaved 10 minutes or more off that match, and it probably would have actually been decent.  I don't know if it's because Trips loves being in long WWE style "epic" matches or because they were running short on time, but that match clearly went way too long.  The Main Event really wasn't that long, but it seemed to be because both guys gassed out so damn quick. Goldberg was never known for long matches in his prime, and those days are long gone. Maybe WWE thought they had to go longer to avoid cheating the fans, but I'd have rather seen a quick squash or a sprint like some of Brock's matches have been over that sluggish botch fest.

56 minutes ago, sek69 said:

Also on top of everything else going on with that show, it's funny how it slipped under the radar that they were doing an outdoor show in JUNE in Saudi Arabia. 

You really can't overstate this point, either. After Mansoor won the Battle Royal and gave his inspirational speech, Rene Young made a joke about hiding the fact that his speech had made her cry. Corey Graves responded that he couldn't cry if he wanted to, because he had no water left in his body at that point. Between a couple of matches, they did a video package interviewing the fans, and several of them said they were excited to be going to a WWE show despite how hot it was going to be.  When people who live there and are used to the heat mention that it's so damn hot,  that's probably all the proof you need to tell you it's probably not a good idea to have an outdoor show in the summer time in the middle east.  I can't even imagine what it must have been like for those guys having to try and work under lights, in 100 degree temperatures in the damn desert. 

[C.S.]

That gif made me legit recoil.

Thank you, BTW, @The Thread Killer, for your ongoing play-by-play. It was very handy for those of us who didn't watch this show (and/or don't have the Network anymore, like me). 

I hope you put your health issues behind you soon. You're one of the good ones here. (Not that there are really any bad ones, but you know what I mean!)

[The Thread Killer]

1 minute ago, C.S. said:

Thank you, BTW, @The Thread Killer, for your ongoing play-by-play. It was very handy for those of us who didn't watch this show (or have the Network anymore, like me). 

I hope you put your health issues behind you soon. You're one of the good ones here. (Not that there are really any bad ones, but you know what I mean!)

Thanks brother.  I've had a wonky heart arrhythmia since December which makes me short of breath and dizzy all the time because my body is no longer getting the blood and oxygen I need.  They've tried a ton of different medications (all of which have gawd awful side effects) and have tried three times to restore my heart to a normal rhythm by shocking me, but none of that has worked. It's starting to do permanent structural damage to my heart, so the time has come to operate.  If they don't, there's a serious chance I could have a heart attack or stroke any day now. They're probably going to go into my heart, find the valve or chamber which is causing the problem, and then cauterize it.  Then, they'll put in a pacemaker to ensure that my heart rate remains steady from this point onward.  It's apparently a risky procedure but we've run out of other options and I'm so over this shit I just want to get it done.  If you'd have asked me beforehand, I would have said I'd love to sit on my ass for six months and watch television, but between feeling like shit and being bored out of my skull, it's driving me so insane.

Things are so bad, I actually resorted to watching WWE Super Showdown.

[Stiva]

Wait, Shane beat Roman? Even with the caveat of interference, what the fuck are these people doing?

[hammerva]

8 minutes ago, Stiva said:

Wait, Shane beat Roman? Even with the caveat of interference, what the fuck are these people doing?

They were setting up another Reigns vs McIntyre match for their next PPV.   So it make sense but man it is just weird.  For the last 4 years he has been booked at the most important guy in the company but since he has come back from leukemia he has been a mid card guy in some really weak feuds.  Drew is a considerable upgrade to the guys he has dealt with

 

[C.S.]

1 hour ago, The Thread Killer said:

Thanks brother.  I've had a wonky heart arrhythmia since December which makes me short of breath and dizzy all the time because my body is no longer getting the blood and oxygen I need.  They've tried a ton of different medications (all of which have gawd awful side effects) and have tried three times to restore my heart to a normal rhythm by shocking me, but none of that has worked. It's starting to do permanent structural damage to my heart, so the time has come to operate.  If they don't, there's a serious chance I could have a heart attack or stroke any day now. They're probably going to go into my heart, find the valve or chamber which is causing the problem, and then cauterize it.  Then, they'll put in a pacemaker to ensure that my heart rate remains steady from this point onward.  It's apparently a risky procedure but we've run out of other options and I'm so over this shit I just want to get it done.  If you'd have asked me beforehand, I would have said I'd love to sit on my ass for six months and watch television, but between feeling like shit and being bored out of my skull, it's driving me so insane.

Things are so bad, I actually resorted to watching WWE Super Showdown.

I think I speak for everyone here when I say you're in our prayers and/or we're all sending good thoughts and vibes your way.

Please update us after the operation. 

Here's hoping Super Showdown ends up being the worst part of this experience for you. 

[Johnny Sorrow]

Hey, TK. Hang in there man. You're gonna be ok. 

Of course, heart surgery IS a convenient excuse to have watched this and post about it. Hmmmmmm......

 

Seriously, all positive energy your way, man. 

[The Thread Killer]

Thanks very much for the kind words and thoughts, guys.  I really appreciate it.

On an unrelated note, I had a thought when considering this show...

I assumed that when they book these Saudi shows, they don't want to give away the so-called "marquee" matches, which they probably want to save for their standard PPV's.  I (erroneously) thought that the reason they booked weak championship matches like Rollins vs. Corbin and Kofi vs. Ziggler because they didn't want to throw away the big money matches on the Saudi show, which they have to know a lot of people aren't going to watch. That whole theory kind of got tossed out the window when they announced that Stomping Grounds is going to feature rematches of both the title matches from this show.

That can only mean one of two things:

1) They think doing two major shows on the Network within a couple of weeks of each other will give them less time for the buildup on their TV, so they don't want to put something new on the Stomping Grounds PPV without a proper buildup or...

2) They actually think people want to see Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin for the Universal Championship and Kofi Kingston vs. Dolp Ziggler for the WWE Championship.  Again.

I really don't understand the logic at all. On top of that, I can only assume they are going to continue to drag out this whole "when will Brock cash in" story until Summerslam now, which makes anything Rollins is going to do until then pointless.  After Stomping Grounds, they have Extreme Rules.  I can't see them doing Brock vs. Rollins at Extreme Rules, which leads me to the terrifying conclusion that they may actually drag this Corbin angle out through Extreme Rules and do a gimmick match against Rollins at that show.  It's either that, or come up with a new challenger for Extreme Rules, which I don't see them doing.

Maybe they have something more creative planned, but I don't know.  I think they really do see Rollins/Corbin as a good program to keep going with, which is kind of messed up. At least Kofi stands a chance of getting clear after Stomping Grounds, and finally having a decent challenger...something he really hasn't had since he won that belt, in my opinion.

[Ricky Jackson]

Nothing but the best wishes for a successful surgery and speedy recovery, TK 

[brocklock]

32 minutes ago, The Thread Killer said:

Thanks very much for the kind words and thoughts, guys.  I really appreciate it.

On an unrelated note, I had a thought when considering this show...

I assumed that when they book these Saudi shows, they don't want to give away the so-called "marquee" matches, which they probably want to save for their standard PPV's.  I (erroneously) thought that the reason they booked weak championship matches like Rollins vs. Corbin and Kofi vs. Ziggler because they didn't want to throw away the big money matches on the Saudi show, which they have to know a lot of people aren't going to watch. That whole theory kind of got tossed out the window when they announced that Stomping Grounds is going to feature rematches of both the title matches from this show.

That can only mean one of two things:

1) They think doing two major shows on the Network within a couple of weeks of each other will give them less time for the buildup on their TV, so they don't want to put something new on the Stomping Grounds PPV without a proper buildup or...

2) They actually think people want to see Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin for the Universal Championship and Kofi Kingston vs. Dolp Ziggler for the WWE Championship.  Again.

I really don't understand the logic at all. On top of that, I can only assume they are going to continue to drag out this whole "when will Brock cash in" story until Summerslam now, which makes anything Rollins is going to do until then pointless.  After Stomping Grounds, they have Extreme Rules.  I can't see them doing Brock vs. Rollins at Extreme Rules, which leads me to the terrifying conclusion that they may actually drag this Corbin angle out through Extreme Rules and do a gimmick match against Rollins at that show.  It's either that, or come up with a new challenger for Extreme Rules, which I don't see them doing.

Maybe they have something more creative planned, but I don't know.  I think they really do see Rollins/Corbin as a good program to keep going with, which is kind of messed up. At least Kofi stands a chance of getting clear after Stomping Grounds, and finally having a decent challenger...something he really hasn't had since he won that belt, in my opinion.

This early lineup for Stomping Grounds looks like the opposite card of what people want.

[fakeplastictrees]

As always, all the best Mr. TK!

I'm surprised WWE didn't even attempt to gimmick the ring like they did for Mania 29 (?). Outside of Taker wearing his usual gimmick, I am surprised others decided wearing all black was the right call for the evening. Ziggler wearing black vinyl tights in 100 degree heat while receiving zero level of interest from the crowd is everything you need to know about 2019 Dolph Ziggler. The overall tone of the show was set once Seth finished his routine entrance only to remove his shirt and begin making ouchie faces. Putting smiles on the face of every member of the WWE Universe > selling bruised ribs that are a huge part of a world title angle. I thought the temperature would keep HHH and Orton to a snug 10 minute match. Nope! HHH is going to HHH. Almas and Balor working hard to zero reaction was a sight to see. And the main event was something else. There is no way either of those guys left the ring without some level of a concussion. A shoot headbutt into the post, a shoot brainbuster, and a shoot Tombstone. Goldberg is now crying on Twitter.

 

[The Thread Killer]

Thank you Ricky and Mr. Trees.

One thing I find hilarious is that a lot of fans online and even some wrestlers like Matt Riddle are dumping on Goldberg for being sloppy or "unsafe" in that match, while seemingly ignoring the fact that Taker screwed up that Tombstone and spiked Goldberg headfirst into the mat.  Yeah, Goldberg badly botched that Jackhammer, but it's not like Taker was the excellence of execution in there, either.  I guess Goldberg is claiming that when he did the spot where he missed the shouldertackle and slid into the post (and busted himself open) he legit knocked himself out. Like a bunch of other people have said, I am betting both those dudes have concussions, for sure.

[sek69]

To be fair to Taker, it looked like Goldberg stuck his head out on the Tombstone instead of tucking. Reminded me of that guy who broke his neck on the Styles Clash by having his head in the wrong position. Not denying Taker's too old to be doing this, but he's always been super protective when doing that move. 

[Jmare007]

I mean, Taker landed on his knees first, which is the safe thing to do and what he has always done. I'm not sure if it was Goldberg who didn't tuck his head or Taker just couldn't handle him and let Goldberg slip and land on his head.

[Kadaveri]

Taker also spiked Aiden English at least year's Saudi show in the same way. Seems a big coincidence for the same fuck-up to happen twice with the same wrestler but be the other guy's fault.

[Alucard]

20 hours ago, The Thread Killer said:

After Stomping Grounds, they have Extreme Rules.  I can't see them doing Brock vs. Rollins at Extreme Rules, which leads me to the terrifying conclusion that they may actually drag this Corbin angle out through Extreme Rules and do a gimmick match against Rollins at that show.  It's either that, or come up with a new challenger for Extreme Rules, which I don't see them doing.

Maybe they have something more creative planned, but I don't know.  I think they really do see Rollins/Corbin as a good program to keep going with, which is kind of messed up. At least Kofi stands a chance of getting clear after Stomping Grounds, and finally having a decent challenger...something he really hasn't had since he won that belt, in my opinion.

The arena for Extreme Rules is advertising more of the same. Rollins/Corbin in a tables match, Kofi vs Dolph vs Owens which sounds nauseating, and Roman against both Shane & Drew.

[The Thread Killer]

That's exactly what I was afraid of.  They're actually going to try and get three PPV's out of Rollins vs. Corbin and Kofi vs. Ziggler.  And then they wonder why their ratings are in the crapper. They're basically telling their fans that they're stuck with this nonsense all the way until SummerSlam.  Remember how 1997 was "The Summer of Love" when Mick was playing all three faces of Foley?  I guess 2019 is the Summer of Corbin.

[sek69]

Finn posted a photo on Twitter of him in an Equality for All shirt prior to the show with the caption "Happy Pride Month from Saudi Arabia".

I know there's been jokes about the size of his unit, but he undoubtedly has the biggest balls in wrestling for that. 

[El-P]

11 hours ago, sek69 said:

Finn posted a photo on Twitter of him in an Equality for All shirt prior to the show with the caption "Happy Pride Month from Saudi Arabia".

I know there's been jokes about the size of his unit, but he undoubtedly has the biggest balls in wrestling for that. 

What was ever gonna happen to him ? Nothing. He posted a pic on his Twitter. Wow. What a hero. Now, refusing to go and posting "I'm not gonna go to this show and work for this regime because of their treatment of LGBT." on his Twitter, that would take some actual balls. LGBT's (and friends) doing a Gay Pride demonstration in Istanbul when it's actually *forbidden* and getting bashed by the police takes balls. This is having your cake and eating it. Pretty weak if you ask me. Don't go or shut the fuck up.

[Mad Dog]

12 hours ago, The Thread Killer said:

That's exactly what I was afraid of.  They're actually going to try and get three PPV's out of Rollins vs. Corbin and Kofi vs. Ziggler.  And then they wonder why their ratings are in the crapper. They're basically telling their fans that they're stuck with this nonsense all the way until SummerSlam.  Remember how 1997 was "The Summer of Love" when Mick was playing all three faces of Foley?  I guess 2019 is the Summer of Corbin.

I just don't get their obsession with pushing him. He has go away heat at this point and ratings have been historically low since they started plastering him all over their television. He never gets his comeuppance either. There's no incentive to care about Corbin because even if he loses he's going to be in the exact same spot doing the exact same shit like nothing happen, shit he might even move up the card after losing a feud the way things work lately. So who gives a fuck about Corbin, you can't even have the small hope a face will beat him and he'll fuck off back to the mid-card where he belongs.

[Badlittlekitten]

Lol, so Roman loses after a competitive match with The Actual Best In The World, Shane McMahon. Never change WWE.

[Mad Dog]

Hey, who are we to doubt. I am sure plenty of trained athletes in the prime of their life lose to old men that look like they are going to have a heart attack at any moment.

[El-P]

I know I say it all the time, but I'm baffled by how they managed to make Roman "Cancer Survivor" Reigns a lesser deal than Roman "We don't want you as a top guy go fuck yourself" Reigns. I thought the emotion would not carry him forever, but it's not even that, they have actively made him a lesser deal than he was before when people rejected him. It's insane how badly they fucked this up. 

[Strummer]

With Roman it's another example of them trying to book every babyface like 2013/2014 Daniel Bryan.

[Mad Dog]

He was screwed from the start. During the Shield reunion he should have punched Ambrose right in the face and said fuck that guy he said I deserved cancer. And then had that match at Mania instead of a lukewarm McIntyre feud. 

He is in a weird spot now where he is in this meaningless feud with Shane that just eats up huge amounts of TV time doing the same treadmill routine every week. Their feud is absolutely exhausting and I think people are just tired of it.