FMKK Posted January 11, 2020 Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 If there's a wrestling show on network television but nobody talks about it, does it still exist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Thread Killer Posted January 11, 2020 Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 On 1/6/2020 at 3:49 PM, Ricky Jackson said: Happy New Year! I canceled the WWE Network today On 1/6/2020 at 3:58 PM, FMKK said: I've never been less interested in WWE TV so the only reason I keep it around because I like to watch old WCW with my brother. On 1/6/2020 at 4:15 PM, Ricky Jackson said: Yeah, the main reason I canceled is because I'm going to be without wi fi/traveling for most of the next couple months and wont have a chance to watch anything. I'll resubscribe when things get settled, but mostly just to watch WCCW for World Cast. I stopped watching NXT a while back outside of pimped stuff and barely watched anything main roster related after Mania, but the old school content is worth it 2 hours ago, FMKK said: If there's a wrestling show on network television but nobody talks about it, does it still exist? I was reevaluating my monthly cable bill recently. I am paying a not insignificant amount of money for cable, and I realized that I am getting to the point where I rarely watch it anymore. I had originally opted for a bunch of "specialty" channel add-ons specifically for Pro Wrestling, but it has gotten to the point where I never use them anymore. I have the option of eliminating "specialty channels" like The Fight Network (owned by Anthem and home of Impact and ROH) beIN Sports (home of MLW) Sportsnet 360 (home of Raw and the chopped up, 2 days later version of NXT) and TSN2 (home of AEW Dynamite). Each of those channels is between 5 - 7 bucks a month. I dropped Fight Network and beIN sports, so I am already saving myself 12 bucks a month right there. If it wasn't for the legit sports I watch on Sportsnet 360 (mainly baseball) I would drop them in a minute, because fuck paying for that, you'd have to pay me to watch Raw right now. I still watch AEW, but I've not enjoyed Dynamite for the past three episodes - not enough to pay extra to see it. However I am still on the fence about dropping TSN2, because they also have the occasional UFC PPV prelim fights or UFC Fight Night show. But bottom line is, in theory I could dump all of them and save myself around 25 bucks a month, which would get my cable bill to below 100 dollars a month. I have been asking myself how much I would really miss it if I couldn't see Impact, ROH, MLW, Raw and AEW. I watch NXT and NXT UK on the Network and NWA on YouTube, so I'm not sure I even really need those other channels anymore. If I end up keeping them, it will be because of the legit sports coverage, not the Pro Wrestling. That's not something I ever would have considered as a Pro Wrestling fan up until now. I don't know if that says something about the state of the Pro Wrestling business in 2020, or how I have changed as a fan after 37 years of watching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoS Posted January 11, 2020 Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 Apparently, Roman and Corbin will wrestle yet again at the Royal Rumble. And they will both be in the rumble so there will probably be some bullshit there as well. With every single passing week, Dylan's "political hit" theory seems more and more indisputable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted January 11, 2020 Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted January 11, 2020 Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 4 hours ago, FMKK said: If there's a wrestling show on network television but nobody talks about it, does it still exist? I sat back and thoroughly enjoyed Smackdown last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted January 11, 2020 Report Share Posted January 11, 2020 I could see Corbin going over Roman in the singles match at the Rumble via fuckery, Roman wins the Rumble match, and then Roman beats him in a gimmick singles match at the ppv before Mania yeah still not behind the political hit theory either. Roman is probably winning the Rumble and beating the Fiend at Mania for the title so... I mean yeah he's been booked terribly since coming back but most everybody is... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted January 12, 2020 Report Share Posted January 12, 2020 Roman's been such an afterthought it'd almost seem like a midcarder winning if he wins the Rumble this year. Also someone needs to throw ice water on Vince to get rid of the boner he has for Corbin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirEdger Posted January 12, 2020 Report Share Posted January 12, 2020 I don't necessarily think that the Wrestlemania plans include for Roman to win the Rumble. I actually think the opposite from @Strummer; Roman beats Corbin in singles but Corbin costs Roman the Rumble, with the final match having Roman go over Corbin in March or the international PPV in February. Then, they'll probably kick in the Roman/Fiend program. I'm 100% confident that the Brock/Rumble thing is designed to book his program at Wrestlemania by having the man eliminating him being the winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerva Posted January 12, 2020 Report Share Posted January 12, 2020 Jordan Devlin making a claim to be on a match of the year 2 years in a row. His match in 2019 against David Starr was incredible and man the Tyler Bate match on this Takeover was incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmare007 Posted January 12, 2020 Report Share Posted January 12, 2020 On 1/11/2020 at 2:35 PM, NintendoLogic said: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. Yup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Wolfe Posted January 12, 2020 Report Share Posted January 12, 2020 Really loud crowd for this NXT blackpool show. Looks great as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Wolfe Posted January 12, 2020 Report Share Posted January 12, 2020 30 minutes ago, hammerva said: Jordan Devlin making a claim to be on a match of the year 2 years in a row. His match in 2019 against David Starr was incredible and man the Tyler Bate match on this Takeover was incredible. Yeah great match, have to say. Had them eating out the palm of their hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted January 12, 2020 Report Share Posted January 12, 2020 Hey bubbas Roman winning would make an already miserable 2020 a good year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted January 13, 2020 Report Share Posted January 13, 2020 On 1/11/2020 at 10:01 AM, The Thread Killer said: I was reevaluating my monthly cable bill recently. I am paying a not insignificant amount of money for cable, and I realized that I am getting to the point where I rarely watch it anymore. I had originally opted for a bunch of "specialty" channel add-ons specifically for Pro Wrestling, but it has gotten to the point where I never use them anymore. I have the option of eliminating "specialty channels" like The Fight Network (owned by Anthem and home of Impact and ROH) beIN Sports (home of MLW) Sportsnet 360 (home of Raw and the chopped up, 2 days later version of NXT) and TSN2 (home of AEW Dynamite). Each of those channels is between 5 - 7 bucks a month. I dropped Fight Network and beIN sports, so I am already saving myself 12 bucks a month right there. If it wasn't for the legit sports I watch on Sportsnet 360 (mainly baseball) I would drop them in a minute, because fuck paying for that, you'd have to pay me to watch Raw right now. I still watch AEW, but I've not enjoyed Dynamite for the past three episodes - not enough to pay extra to see it. However I am still on the fence about dropping TSN2, because they also have the occasional UFC PPV prelim fights or UFC Fight Night show. But bottom line is, in theory I could dump all of them and save myself around 25 bucks a month, which would get my cable bill to below 100 dollars a month. I have been asking myself how much I would really miss it if I couldn't see Impact, ROH, MLW, Raw and AEW. I watch NXT and NXT UK on the Network and NWA on YouTube, so I'm not sure I even really need those other channels anymore. If I end up keeping them, it will be because of the legit sports coverage, not the Pro Wrestling. That's not something I ever would have considered as a Pro Wrestling fan up until now. I don't know if that says something about the state of the Pro Wrestling business in 2020, or how I have changed as a fan after 37 years of watching. I don't need to balance a checkbook or analyze my budget to know I didn't pay a single red cent to see a WWE show in 2019. I certainly struggled with whether or not I had outgrown pro wrestling after 30 years in 2019, but it turns out - I just don't care to waste my time watching shitty wrestling, presented with the backdrop of shitty stories featuring shitty characters. That's all. Give me good characters with some solid conflicts, and yeah. I'm there. Even if the action takes a back-step or two (Powerrr, I'm looking at you) I would still rather tune in and see that. Just tell good stories. Just present strong characters. That's how you get me to part with my money and my precious free time. This idea of hammering out content, content, content above all else needs to die. It's become all about working harder, not smarter - with the emphasis on athletics and action. Fuck that shit. Give me quality over quantity. Give me an hour of good shit over three hours of wretched, meaningless filler designed to do nothing but kill time and get us to the next stop. 5 hours ago, KawadaSmile said: Hey bubbas Roman winning would make an already miserable 2020 a good year! Ahh, the optimistic yin to my pessimistic yang. I'd love to see Roman get an actual ace championship run, but fuck. Feels like that's been overdue since 2016. And they REALLY scorched some earth with him after that weak ass stuff last year. How utterly incompetent & creatively bankrupt do you have to be to fuck up a cancer comeback story? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted January 13, 2020 Report Share Posted January 13, 2020 13 minutes ago, SomethingSavage said: Ahh, the optimistic yin to my pessimistic yang. I'd love to see Roman get an actual ace championship run, but fuck. Feels like that's been overdue since 2016. And they REALLY scorched some earth with him after that weak ass stuff last year. How utterly incompetent & creatively bankrupt do you have to be to fuck up a cancer comeback story? Honestly, Roman's the only reason I'm even tuning in at this point. I don't even dislike the product and I enjoy it most of the time, but sometimes I just feel tired. But yeah, if we're being honest, Roman should've won in 2015 and every single thing they did after crowning Rollins champ at that Wrestlemania just showed how much they don't really take care of him. Imagine being as selfless as he is in this business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoS Posted January 13, 2020 Report Share Posted January 13, 2020 What really killed Roman was not beating Brock in the WM rematch, then receiving another shot because he...cut some promos about being held down, and once again not beating Brock at the Saudi event. Like sure, they said he was screwed in the match, but after a point, why would anyone care? Roman had been in main events for years by that point and he had still not been coronated. It just made no sense and then they booked him like an afterthought after he came back from cancer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy LaRue Posted January 13, 2020 Report Share Posted January 13, 2020 I'll cut them some slack. It seems Roman wanted to take a step back last year to focus on his health. He barely worked any house shows for the first 4-5 months after his return. Did a number of tag matches. He needed to get back to full strength. That said, they should have put him in a tag team for a few months with someone they were looking to build. Have them win the tag titles. It takes pressure off Roman, uses his status to elevate a new star, and gives the division a boost with some cool matches. Even if one feels they haven't done enough with him--no argument from me on that--Roman is the only SD person to consistently get strong pops. Even Bryan can sometimes get lukewarm receptions, which boggles my mind. People care about the guy. Which I believe FOX notices, along with the numbers Roman puts up for the WWE on FOX YouTube channel and other social media platforms. It seems FOX wants a full-on star from the WWE deal and Roman is that star for them. Just a hunch on my part, I'll admit. If nothing else, we all can agree they spent far too much effort on Rollins. Who else could beat Lesnar twice and have no one care? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordi Posted January 13, 2020 Report Share Posted January 13, 2020 6 hours ago, SomethingSavage said: I just don't care to waste my time watching shitty wrestling, presented with the backdrop of shitty stories featuring shitty characters. That's all. Damn. That sums it up pretty nicely. I can get really frustrated or even angry if I think too much about what an incredible pro wrestling show they could put on with that astonishing collection of talent if only they cared enough to "give (us) good characters with some solid conflict..." but... it's best for me just not to think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badlittlekitten Posted January 13, 2020 Report Share Posted January 13, 2020 I’m guessing they’re holding out on Roman and will coronate him (again) at Mania. And it’ll fail again, sadly. Seth has been booked as poorly as Roman, so I’m not really buying that it’s a grand conspiracy against Reigns only. The fact they turned him heel just tells me they find him more dispensable than Roman. Right now they’re in a weird place where they don’t even have a top guy. Who should even headline Wrestlemania this year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted January 13, 2020 Report Share Posted January 13, 2020 3 hours ago, Badlittlekitten said: Right now they’re in a weird place where they don’t even have a top guy. Who should even headline Wrestlemania this year? Bryan vs Roman would be my pick. Or, if rumors are true, Ronda vs Becky. 8 hours ago, Burgundy LaRue said: That said, they should have put him in a tag team for a few months with someone they were looking to build. Have them win the tag titles. It takes pressure off Roman, uses his status to elevate a new star, and gives the division a boost with some cool matches. A Roman/Ali tag would bang so damn hard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Wolfe Posted January 13, 2020 Report Share Posted January 13, 2020 Tyson Fury has been running round this morning saying hes got Brock at Wrestlemania, fwiw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted January 13, 2020 Report Share Posted January 13, 2020 In fairness to Bryan not getting big pops he was playing a tweener for awhile. As soon as he accepted the yes movement again the chants started Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMKK Posted January 13, 2020 Report Share Posted January 13, 2020 Also in fairness, sure anyone paired with The Fiend is going to die a death Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted January 14, 2020 Report Share Posted January 14, 2020 On 1/12/2020 at 10:43 PM, SomethingSavage said: I certainly struggled with whether or not I had outgrown pro wrestling after 30 years in 2019, but it turns out - I just don't care to waste my time watching shitty wrestling, presented with the backdrop of shitty stories featuring shitty characters. That's all. I can relate to this post a lot. I used to buy into the characters, the stories & the words that they said. That's what I feel is missing. The whole buying in aspect. Now it's like the good stuff is so few & far between, it feels like you only get a few a year - like the Cody promo. Great matches are a dime a dozen anymore, so they start to blend together. Like it's only been a couple of days but is anyone talking about Tyler Bate Vs. Jordan Devlin anymore? Or even the WALTER Vs. Bate match that happened not too long ago? Or hell, even Wrestle Kingdom? Feels more like people are talking about Tessa Blanchard being racist & Triple H making a bad joke about Paige. Social media bullshit instead of the actual shows. I became a pro-wrestling fan in 1987 because of WWF & Hulk Hogan. It was all about the characters, not the actual wrestling. As I was young, of course, I wanted to see the good guys win & the bad guys lose, but other than the finish & maybe the finishing move, I didn't really care about the actual matches as a kid. I just wanted to see the good guy beat the bad guy. Hogan, Warrior, Duggan... whatever. Over the years, as I got older, of course that changed. I still like good character work, and grew to appreciate heels, but I also enjoy the journey of the actual match. And I get that from other promotions, like New Japan (at least for the top half of the card). But there's a lot of promotions out there that really lack the character part of the show & their idea of the wrestling part of the show doesn't really coincide with what I'm wanting as a fan either. AEW & ROH come to mind. I think WWE can definitely fall into that category as well. I enjoy NWA but at this point, I'm not sure if it's just because of ironic nostalgia or what because the wrestling for the most part is trash but I do enjoy most of the promos & I like Nick Aldis & Tim Storm. I watched Wrestle Kingdom at the start of this year & thoroughly enjoyed myself so I know that I haven't "outgrown" - or at least fallen out of favor with professional wrestling. I still have WWE Network. I can put on a WCW Saturday Night from 1993 right now & smile like a kid & love the show beginning to end. So it's not that I don't still enjoy wrestling, it's that modern WWE is so far removed from what I want to see that it bums me out as a fan. I'll still watch Royal Rumble & I'll still watch Wrestlemania but outside of those two specific shows, nothing that WWE does during the calendar year grabs my attention. Like, I'm not going to tune into a 3-hour live RAW to see a wedding between Lana & Bobby Lashley. I don't care to see Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens as main eventers. Just like I'm never going to care about the Young Bucks. I know what I like & what I don't and that Indieriffic style wrestling is not what I enjoy. Which is part of the reason why it's so surprising to me that it has become the popular norm in wrestling of today. The whole spam finishers, kick out of everything & sell nothing style. Like every match is trying to be Shawn Michaels Vs. The Undertaker at Wrestlemania, even when it's the opening match in an Indie with 200 people there. I agree that I want quality over quantity & think that less is more & wrestlers should work smarter not harder. That's all common sense to me, so I don't know why it seems like it's lost on the modern era workers. I get that the mentality is that you probably feel like you need to throw everything at someone, including the kitchen sink, so as to get noticed... but EVERYONE is doing that right now. If you want to stand out & be different & get noticed, you should be doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing. Not doing another insanely dangerous apron bump. Look at the freakin' Question Mark in NWA. Who would have ever guessed that ridiculousness would get over? It's just over-the-top silly. Just like on RAW people are saying that the crazy R-Truth promo about eliminating Paul Heyman from the Rumble was the best part. Not another 20 minute match with twenty kickouts. NXT is also squarely in the working harder instead of smarter & quantity over quality camp. Every match feels like it's trying to appease Dave Meltzer & win some Wrestler of the Year award or some shit. It's just too much. They need more promos & character work & angles. That's why my favorite thing in recent memory that they have done was the Dakota Kai heel turn at War Games. People knew it was coming but they didn't see how it was coming & it played out really well. I still watch & enjoy MLW. I'm still a big Jacob Fatu fan but even MLW is bringing in acts that I don't like now. Injustice is pretty much the exact opposite of what I want. 150lb jobbers doing flips & everything looking fake & sloppy. Fatu Vs. L.A. Park in November of last year was fantastic & stuff like that is what I enjoy. It wasn't too long, didn't have too many false finishes. It also felt different from everything else on the show & was believable. Despite one dude being dressed like a skeleton & the other being managed by a dude that thinks he's a Sheik & throws fireballs. Right now, I feel like if you took bits & pieces from multiple promotions you could build-a-promotion to get to what I want from a full show. But I don't feel like any promotion provides me with everything that I want. I like the New Japan Big Match Feel of a main event. It feels like a sporting event. But I don't want that from every match, I just want that from the main event. I still love the production values of WWE, especially their video packages. But I hate their commentary & camera cuts & the crowds never feel alive anymore. I also want that newness feeling, with fans that feel engaged & into the actual show, like you get from AEW or even NXT UK. And the feeling like you're a part of something that not everyone else is, like I get with MLW & even NWA to an extent. I felt that during the Monday Night Wars when everyone else was talking about RAW Vs. Nitro & I was watching ECW. Wrestling feels more niche now than ever but it's also easier to follow than ever & there's so many options. I still watch big event WWE shows & NXT PPVs. I still watch NWA & MLW & NJPW. What I'm missing is can't-miss weekly episodic television. NXT doesn't give it to me, nor does AEW Dynamite, RAW or Smackdown. Like @SomethingSavage said, it all feels like filler, just trying to kill scheduled, mandated time to get to the next show. I just want professional wrestling to feel fun again & right now, it feels more like a chore to keep up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted January 14, 2020 Report Share Posted January 14, 2020 I'm not as hard on WWE as some are (I've come to terms with "It Is What It Is" at this point), but the thought of Wrestlemania being main evented by Brock vs Some Real Fighter Guy is kind of soul crushing. WWE will never come close to achieving the potential their roster has if they don't create new stars, but it's clear at this point Vince will never allow that since he cannot stand when his guys leave to be bigger stars outside of his control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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