WWE TV 06/10 - 06/16 Operation Car Wash is a fraud and Lula is a political prisoner

[sek69]

6 minutes ago, C.S. said:

People criticized the Enzo reign, but it got more eyeballs on the Cruiserweights (good luck if you think Tony Nese will ever do that), and more importantly, Vince actually gave a shit about the division when Enzo was champ. 

 

That's all true, but unfortunately Enzo is a toxic piece of shit and future PR nightmare waiting to happen if signed to a major company. Boosting the crusierweight division wouldn't be worth the extra baggage. 

[FMKK]

1 hour ago, Coffey said:

Chad Gable's new look, with the tan, better physique, new haircut & new gear... makes him look a lot like Brad Maddox. I actually think he stands out less than when he had the singlet and headband. 

I wonder if that Gallagher/Gable match ended with the planned finish. If so, kudos to them making it look so real. 

Yeah, I think the singlet was better for him too. Let him have the pulling the straps down comeback bit if you wanna show off his abs.

Dave was saying that the finish was unplanned and that there was a miscommunication that the ref called as a shoot. But I'm fine with it really because it's something different and gives them a reason to build something from it.

[The Thread Killer]

I watched the match and it was as good as advertised.  I don't know if the finish got botched.  If it did, they sure covered it well.  That was a fun show to watch, overall.  I still think they need to get that title off Nese and onto Gable ASAP.

[Coffey]

They should go all-in on Tony Nese looking like Scott Stapp from Creed. Book him as a self-centered asshole that can't even give credit to his band mates & pretend to be a good dude & singing about Jesus while getting toasted & cheating on your wife. 

Everyone hated Creed, so he would be such a dastardly heel!

This is a sarcastic post.

[FMKK]

Nese was really just a warm body to put the belt on so they could move Buddy up to real TV, wasn't he? Not that Buddy has ever been seen since...

[C.S.]

4 hours ago, sek69 said:

That's all true, but unfortunately Enzo is a toxic piece of shit and future PR nightmare waiting to happen if signed to a major company. Boosting the crusierweight division wouldn't be worth the extra baggage. 

Maybe, but there's no reason Vince can't have ten more "Enzos" to repopulate the CW division with. He could, but no one is booked to matter anymore.

 

3 hours ago, FMKK said:

Yeah, I think the singlet was better for him too. Let him have the pulling the straps down comeback bit if you wanna show off his abs.

Dave was saying that the finish was unplanned and that there was a miscommunication that the ref called as a shoot. But I'm fine with it really because it's something different and gives them a reason to build something from it.

I also preferred the singlet and long hair.

Not sure what to believe with the finish. On the other hand, it was so much more creative and impactful than WWE's usual finishes, so it almost has to be a botch, right?

Then again, the finish in the main event was also something we haven't seen in a while, or at least done effectively like it was there.

[sek69]

25 minutes ago, C.S. said:

Maybe, but there's no reason Vince can't have ten more "Enzos" to repopulate the CW division with. He could, but no one is booked to matter anymore.

There are reasons: WWE doesn't want anyone to stand out, it's Brand Uber Alles. Their biggest fear is someone becoming another Rock or Batista and becoming a big star who doesn't need them anymore.  Their need to have 100% control on every aspect makes anyone who has an Enzo like level charisma unable or unwilling to stand out. For all his faults, the main reason he got over so big despite being in a role most people struggle in is that he clearly gave zero F's who's feathers he ruffled along the way. The WWE system has been finely curated to eliminate any chance of that happening again anytime soon. Anyone coming along who could potentially be another Enzo would most likely be either jobbed to oblivion until their confidence is shattered, or sent off to the phantom zone never to be seen again. The only reason Enzo got the chances he did was because he was part of a package with a 7 foot jacked guy designed to press all the right buttons with Vince. 

[FMKK]

31 minutes ago, sek69 said:

There are reasons: WWE doesn't want anyone to stand out, it's Brand Uber Alles. Their biggest fear is someone becoming another Rock or Batista and becoming a big star who doesn't need them anymore.  Their need to have 100% control on every aspect makes anyone who has an Enzo like level charisma unable or unwilling to stand out. For all his faults, the main reason he got over so big despite being in a role most people struggle in is that he clearly gave zero F's who's feathers he ruffled along the way. The WWE system has been finely curated to eliminate any chance of that happening again anytime soon. Anyone coming along who could potentially be another Enzo would most likely be either jobbed to oblivion until their confidence is shattered, or sent off to the phantom zone never to be seen again. The only reason Enzo got the chances he did was because he was part of a package with a 7 foot jacked guy designed to press all the right buttons with Vince. 

In the long run, surely it looks good for WWE and Vince in their desire to be mainstream to have Rock, Cena and Batista in all the big action franchises. Being known as the place where the action movie stars of the future are all coming from isn't the worst way to draw some casual viewers. I know it's mainly about Vince's authoritarian control freak nature here rather than logic but still.

How hilarious would it be btw if Vince decided to book all his top stars like shit to stop them getting too over but Reigns gets into movies already through his contacts with Rock? It's already begun.

[NintendoLogic]

The new Observer says that Gable/Gallagher wasn't supposed to end by countout. Gallagher was supposed to roll back in at the last minute, but he was too slow and the referee called it as a shoot. Even so, it was much better than whatever the planned finish was supposed to be. It's the kind of non-finish that leaves you wanting more rather than feeling ripped off.

[sek69]

Vince is also the guy who would try to convince talent to take out large mortgages (even offering to co sign on them) in order to keep guys financially beholden to him. I would imagine there's nothing that upsets him more than someone he views as "his" telling him he no longer is needed. That's why he always had a hard on for guys who badmouth WWE the most to come crawling with him, and never offered someone like Bobby Heenan a gig after WCW. 

[Log]

14 hours ago, NintendoLogic said:

The new Observer says that Gable/Gallagher wasn't supposed to end by countout. Gallagher was supposed to roll back in at the last minute, but he was too slow and the referee called it as a shoot. Even so, it was much better than whatever the planned finish was supposed to be. It's the kind of non-finish that leaves you wanting more rather than feeling ripped off.

I watched it this morning, and I believe it was a botched finish (that I really liked!).  After the match, you can see Gable call for the mic, but the ref tells him no.  Doesn't seem like it was planned.

Oh, but great match!  They worked so well together. Hope we do get more of them!

Edited June 14, 2019 by Log

[C.S.]

1 hour ago, Log said:

After the match, you can see Gable call for the mic, but the ref tells him no. 

I forgot about this part. Right after that, they cut away to the replay. I was wondering why Gable never said anything after the replay. I didn't notice the ref telling him no.

[SirEdger]

So, now the ongoing argument for WWE officials to talent in the company and specifically those looking to leave is pretty much confirming what we all thought the mentality has always been: "If you're not working for us, your jokes and your career will die."

Looking at Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley and Cody......yeah, you might want to rethink that, Vin Man. It's gonna backfire spectacularly on WWE.

[Coffey]

I too also enjoyed the 205 Live finish because it was different. Amazing how something as simple as a close-call count out can feel so different when everything else in WWE is so stagnant. 

[DMJ]

21 hours ago, sek69 said:

Vince is also the guy who would try to convince talent to take out large mortgages (even offering to co sign on them) in order to keep guys financially beholden to him. I would imagine there's nothing that upsets him more than someone he views as "his" telling him he no longer is needed. That's why he always had a hard on for guys who badmouth WWE the most to come crawling with him, and never offered someone like Bobby Heenan a gig after WCW. 

I'm curious what the WWE relationship is with Cena right now. It just seems very murky. No big retirement angle, but he also appeared at Mania...but in a comedy sketch with Elias. Then you also add in the fact that he wasn't heavily featured at last year's Mania either. But he did do one Saudi show. But now he's not doing any Saudi shows. And on the interview circuit, from what I've seen, he's been wishy-washy about whether he's going to wrestle again.

It just seems like when the ratings went to shit last fall and with Roman out, Cena would've been Vince's first call. The ratings are still down and house show attendance is sagging too...but still no Cena appearances? 

Just all seems very murky to me. I know the WWE doesn't regularly promote guys that are no longer on the active roster, but then again, they always keep Undertaker and DX/Triple H in their marketing. Cena felt like a guy they would never truly stop promoting, but I haven't heard his name uttered in what feels like at least a year (aside from the surprise Mania appearance).

[sek69]

I don't know how much is true, but the word was after he did the one Saudi show his Hollywood people basically told him to cut that shit out since it could affect his movie career. Timeline wise it seems to fit since it appears that WWE cooled on him around that same time. They'll probably never fully cut ties with him because he's still a reliable company robot for them plus he's a Make-a-Wish legend, but it's clear there's at least some  bruised feelings on WWE's part since he's no longer their go to guy.

[FMKK]

It seems bizarre and counterproductive for them to take the hump with Cena because at this point he's a lot more valuable to them than they are to him. If this ratings decline had been happening a few years earlier, I'd have expected Vince to hotshot the belt onto him. Even now, you'd think they'd want to try to get him in if just for a Summerslam programme. So if there's a genuine rift there it would be weird, especially given how few difference makers Vince has to call on.

[Alucard]

WWE just promoted Cena joining Fast & the Furious in the last week. Cena's mentioned in recent interviews that he'll never leave WWE completely and talks about retiring when he knows he can't keep up in the ring anymore but that he'll always be involved in some way, mentioned possibly coaching at the PC as well.

[Dewar]

The graphic Fox uses for Smackdown moving to Fox has Roman, Becky, Charlotte and Cena on it. He can't be that far in their bad graces.

[SteveJRogers]

On 6/14/2019 at 6:36 PM, DMJ said:

, but he also appeared at Mania...but in a comedy sketch with Elias. Then you also add in the fact that he wasn't heavily featured at last year's Mania either.

I’ll give you this year’s where his involvement was not promoted, but last year they gave huge amounts of programming time to Cena trying in vain to get in either of the two big title pictures, then finally “Fuck it, let’s dance, Deadman!” And when ‘Taker didn’t answer the storyline had him appear as a fan.  They probably could have done more, especially Cena attending Access and maybe “crashing” non-WWE events (i.e. on social media he’d film himself coming and going from a promotion’s event and conventions, not mentioning names, etc) but they did just enough for a one-sided grudge feud.

[C.S.]

The Ultimate Warrior Is Not A Gay Pride Mascot 

Good piece by @Bix, who posts here, so I kinda wish he'd plug his own stuff more. Instead, I found this randomly on Reddit.

I do seem to recall Dana saying once that Warrior changed toward the end of his life. Maybe after he had kids? I can't really remember her reasoning. Unfortunately, we only have her word to go on. 

Either way, very tone deaf by Dana Warrior and WWE. 

[Johnny Sorrow]

6 hours ago, C.S. said:

The Ultimate Warrior Is Not A Gay Pride Mascot 

Good piece by @Bix, who posts here, so I kinda wish he'd plug his own stuff more. Instead, I found this randomly on Reddit.

I do seem to recall Dana saying once that Warrior changed toward the end of his life. Maybe after he had kids? I can't really remember her reasoning. Unfortunately, we only have her word to go on. 

Either way, very tone deaf by Dana Warrior and WWE. 

"Guy attacks widow trying to rehabilitate name she owns for clicks" should be the fucking headline. It's fucking weak sauce. That bit on wwe.com was full of cool shots and quotes from lots of folks, including some wonderful pics of Pat Patterson with some young talent. So what if Dana fucking Warrior wore facepaint? Maybe she never liked her husband's hateful bullshit. Maybe she did at the time but has evolved. Maybe she wants to rehab the name she carries and own it for herself and what she believes. What a fucking non-story done only for clicks. Yuck.

[C.S.]

13 minutes ago, Johnny Sorrow said:

"Guy attacks widow trying to rehabilitate name she owns for clicks" should be the fucking headline. It's fucking weak sauce. That bit on wwe.com was full of cool shots and quotes from lots of folks, including some wonderful pics of Pat Patterson with some young talent. So what if Dana fucking Warrior wore facepaint? Maybe she never liked her husband's hateful bullshit. Maybe she did at the time but has evolved. Maybe she wants to rehab the name she carries and own it for herself and what she believes. What a fucking non-story done only for clicks. Yuck.

I'm not sure which wwe.com article you're referring to, but the Dana picture originated with this tweet:

Maybe Dana is sincere in her feelings about the LGBTQ+ community - I will give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she is - but she's wearing the facepaint of a man who hurled vile homophobic comments at the same community for years. It's tone deaf. 

[sek69]

FWIW, Dana is the reason none of Warrior's hate blogs are archived. She's put in work to make sure any record of his remarks survive on the internet. 

7 hours ago, C.S. said:

I do seem to recall Dana saying once that Warrior changed toward the end of his life. Maybe after he had kids? I can't really remember her reasoning. Unfortunately, we only have her word to go on. 

One of his blogs specifically mentioned wanting to make sure his kids shared his worldview, so it sure wasn't that. 

I'd be willing to assume Dana isn't as hateful as he was, but she did marry the guy and it's not like he kept his views hidden. Add that with her attempts to erase any record of the views he clearly felt strongly about leave me not really wanting to give her the benefit of any doubt. She's never said "what he stood for was wrong and I want to make it right", she wants to use his famous symbols for corporate PR and hope no one is able to find out how he really felt about it.

Plus like Bix mentioned, WWE already did this when they named Connor the Crusher the first Warrior Award winner. Warrior said some pretty vile stuff about cancer patients when Bobby Heenan was sick, so having his name on an award being given to a pediatric cancer victim is like naming an award after David Duke and having the first recipient be a person of color.

Yes there would be some irony in the Warrior symbol being turned into a pride icon, but WWE is basically trying to gaslight everyone by pretending his bigotry never existed. Luckily they did this as hamfisted as they do seemingly everything else so it ends up something we can point and laugh at them.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

Warrior wasn't just some garden variety bigot, like your out of touch uncle that everyone rolls their eyes at. The guy was on a mission to spread his hateful rhetoric to as many people as possible. WWE trying to present this guy as some sort of symbol of goodness is nauseating and should be called out at every opportunity. The fact that his wife is complicit in this makes her fair game in my opinion. Yes, she might be sincere in her feelings towards the LGBTQ+ community, but in that case she should distance herself from her husband's image or, in any case, should be expected to be asked some pretty tough questions.