Is the empire crumbling before our eyes?

[sek69]

3 hours ago, MoS said:

Sting used the words Mucho Respect on live national TV. Can you ever imagine HHH being a cool enough dad to say that on live TV. No, he'd be incorrectly using based and lit 

 

I love that Sting can get away with stuff like that since his character was an 80s/90s surfer dude for so long. Its like hearing your dad slip into some slang that was popular when he was in his 20s.

[KawadaSmile]

Sting was always cooler if we are honest. Trips needed HBK and Chyna to be seen as cool and even then he was the 3rd coolest person in OG DX. If we count X-Pac, Billy Gunn and Road Dogg, he comes in 5th place. 

Sting was a bodacious dude who became The Crow. His finger was on the pulse.

[El-P]

Triple H & Shawn doing the DX redux was a bad case of "How do you do fellow kids ?"

[NintendoLogic]

 

[sek69]

I would like to see that happen. I enjoy KO, probably more than most here, but he's done all he could hope to do in WWE and I would like to see KILL STEEN KILL return. 

[C.S.]

Rumors from Ringside News, so take them with a giant pitcher of salt:

Quote

• Prichard’s pitch to Adam Cole was to be a heel manager on SmackDown, says Ringside News.
   
• WWE officials were not surprised by Cole’s appearances at All Out and had nothing but good things to say about the way he handled his departure, reports Fightful Select. Ringside News adds they were told no one in power at WWE views Bryan Danielson or Cole “as a big loss”

https://www.cagesideseats.com/2021/9/7/22660023/rumor-roundup-sept-7-2021-vince-misses-raw-wwe-reacts-daniel-bryan-adam-cole-pitch-cody-bray-wyatt

If even remotely true, WWE's incompetence is staggering. 

[El-P]

If I were Danielson, who was the most diplomatic ever in how he addressed his departure, I would be so insulted. Not a big loss ? I mean, it's not surprising, basically the only guys they care about are Reigns, Lesnar and to an extent I would guess Orton. But really it's Reigns, Lesnar and that's it. And I guess Charlotte & maybe Becky (even that one is debatable since she could not get to Mania's main event by herself). No one else is seen as important. It also sends one hell of a message to their own roster when Adam Cole and Daniel Brian are seen as "no big loss". You're all expendable worth-nothing peons, ladies and gentlemen the WWE "Superstars". No wonder people who left look so fucking happy when they end up in AEW.

Prichard probably thinks that since Adam Cole doesn't pass the airport test, therefore he can't be a star... What a giant tool this guy is. Amazing how many people have bought into his shit at the beginning of his podcast because they were enjoying his Jerry Jarrett impersonnation.

[sek69]

To be fair to Bruce (can't believe I'm saying that), his job is to deliver what Vince wants and there's zero chance he is going to see Adam Cole as any kind of serious main eventer. Suggesting him being a manager was probably his best option on the main roster that doesn't lead directly to becoming one of the geeks that chase the 24/7 champ around. 

[PeteF3]

So, Sean Ross Sapp just reported that Owens' contract was restructured during the pandemic and it actually expires in January now. Not 2023 as we long thought.

[KawadaSmile]

Yeah they were preventing Bryan from leaving back when he announced his retirement, instead accomodating him in whatever role they could get, just to say he wasn't a big loss... Probably denial. Like that dril tweet that's like "'I'm not owned!', I scream while slowly turning into a corncob"

[MoS]

55 minutes ago, PeteF3 said:

So, Sean Ross Sapp just reported that Owens' contract was restructured during the pandemic and it actually expires in January now. Not 2023 as we long thought.

RIGHT after I make a big post about how Vince clearly has been high on him throughout and will try his best to keep him signed. Ah well, Vince will probably do that anyway. January is a long time to offer a deal, and Owens doesn't seem to strike me as someone who would leave. I am sure he will use his connections to leverage a better deal from Vince, but I cannot see him leaving. Do people really think he would be pushed and featured more prominently in AEW than he has been in WWE throughout? I honestly cannot see that. 

[sek69]

I could see him wanting to do something different since for as much as Vince loves him (and he clearly does since he keeps him around despite not checking the usual Vince Boxes). the only thing he seems to be allowed to do there is feud with Sami in between times they are using him as a heater for someone else. 

[Zoo Enthusiast]

2 hours ago, NintendoLogic said:

 

The fact that they don’t even know what company Mt. Rushmore was in makes me doubt the veracity of this rumor.

Also, Generico was supposed to turn heel and be in the group originally and I hope we one day get that run.

[Jmare007]

2 hours ago, El-P said:

If I were Danielson, who was the most diplomatic ever in how he addressed his departure, I would be so insulted. Not a big loss ?

Danielson knows he is a big loss because WWE treated him like a very important asset since he had to retire. Going with that rumor makes no sense whatsoever if you think about his position in the company for the last 4 years.

They kept him under contract even when he asked for a release because they didn't want to lose him

They let him come back from serious concussion issues because he was about to leave and wrestle somewhere else. Another wrestler that had concussion issues? Christian, how does WWE and Vince feel about him? Yeah...and he wasn't allowed to wrestle again.

They let him have a Memphis style feud and match with Miz, at fucking Summerlslam no less

Was given the main belt and let him have a 2.0 version of his ROH title reign. Basically chose who to work and who to put over. Including going on the fly and giving Kofi the main the belt.

Was put in freaking creative something guys like HHH and Edge got to do (company darlings for a long ass time).

Was put in the a WM main event he didn't want to be in (because he thought he wasn't needed).

They offered him to work outside of WWE so he could stay. Who the hell else gets that kind of offer?

 

Y'all really think a dude they put that kind of effort wouldn't be seen as a big loss? for real? I'm not saying he's Roman Reigns level in WWE's eyes but he for sure had special treatment and they tried to keep him happy (and on his own words, he was happy there). Even if that rumor actually had a legit source, I wouldn't think it was anyone that actually has power...or it was Bruce just being Bruce.

[strobogo]

1. Sting has always been cool because he's always seemed authentic to himself, be it as a super amped up super hero face, or mopey Crow dude, or Joker Sting, or even main event mafia Steve Borden. He also just seems like a legit cool ass dude that everyone has always enjoyed working with besides maybe Vampiro but fuck Vampiro he sucked anyway and I have to think he had to be a real shithead for Sting to go out of his way to make him look bad.

 

2. I can imagine WWE doesn't think Adam Cole is a big loss, actually, but Bryan lol. Of course he's a big loss. They've done everything to keep him on TV and in top roles since his return even throwing him into the WM main event this year knowing his contract was ending and were actually going to let him do some outside work to keep him. But it's SOP for WWE to be as petty as possible beyond a "best of luck in their future endevours" tweet, which I don't think any of the contract expiring guys ever get anyway. They're definitely not going to go out and say losing DB is a big loss under any circumstances other than permanent retirement or sudden death.

[joeg]

@El-P Adam Cole absolutely passes the airport test, the guy looks like movie star and oozes cool. The fact that they never looked at him and saw Brad Pitt or Steve McQueen is astounding. 

 

@everybody else I can't believe some of the names people here are tossing out there. Yeah Keith Lee is a beast, but he's beast who's been made to look like a clown for two years now. Yeah Tozawa and Gable are great hands, but they've been the butt end of bad jokes for several years. I can't think of anybody currently left in WWE that AEW should go after. WWE's nonsensical booking has hurt the marketability of pretty much everybody left on their roster other than Brock Lesnar and Orton. 

[PeteF3]

20 minutes ago, joeg said:

@everybody else I can't believe some of the names people here are tossing out there. Yeah Keith Lee is a beast, but he's beast who's been made to look like a clown for two years now. Yeah Tozawa and Gable are great hands, but they've been the butt end of bad jokes for several years. I can't think of anybody currently left in WWE that AEW should go after. WWE's nonsensical booking has hurt the marketability of pretty much everybody left on their roster other than Brock Lesnar and Orton. 

That feels like more reason to wanting to see them jump, not less.

[joeg]

I don't think the damage WWE has done to many of their guys can simply be undone by jumping to the other company. Anybody who has been on WWE TV for an extended period of time needs to go away and completely reinvent themselves before popping back up on main stream TV, like what Matt Cardona is doing.  Paul Roma jumping to WCW and joining the Horseman didn't revitalize Paul Roma's career, it dragged down the the rest of the group. I see that being the case for most of the current WWE roster. 

[KawadaSmile]

AEW would love having someone like Baron Corbin and I'm not fucking joking.

[sek69]

1 minute ago, KawadaSmile said:

AEW would love having someone like Baron Corbin and I'm not fucking joking.

Not unless they want to bring someone in to be the physical manifestation of everything their fans hate about WWE. 

[Matt D]

38 minutes ago, sek69 said:

Not unless they want to bring someone in to be the physical manifestation of everything their fans hate about WWE. 

Only person to get actual heat and not “supportive heat.”

[Rah]

If rumours are true, how is Adam Cole "no big loss" if Vince is shoving a million dollars at him to be a MANAGER?

[PeteF3]

1 hour ago, joeg said:

I don't think the damage WWE has done to many of their guys can simply be undone by jumping to the other company. Anybody who has been on WWE TV for an extended period of time needs to go away and completely reinvent themselves before popping back up on main stream TV, like what Matt Cardona is doing.  Paul Roma jumping to WCW and joining the Horseman didn't revitalize Paul Roma's career, it dragged down the the rest of the group. I see that being the case for most of the current WWE roster. 

Fans are "smarter" now than they were in 1993. Roma was just seen as a longtime TV loser, whereas most guys today are seen by many as talented guys being held back by incompetent booking.

[joeg]

Fans are smarter, but there's no recovering from some of the stuff that's happened on WWE TV in recent years. There's no bouncing back immediately after having a rose inserted rectally or having a nickname that points out your biggest weakness or dressing like a racial stereotype for years or being repeatedly jobbed out.  I think most of the guys we are talking about jumping to AEW need to go somewhere small and wash the stench of WWE off by completely reinvent themselves  before popping back up on TV in order to really be taken seriously. 

[C.S.]

3 hours ago, joeg said:

@everybody else I can't believe some of the names people here are tossing out there. Yeah Keith Lee is a beast, but he's beast who's been made to look like a clown for two years now. Yeah Tozawa and Gable are great hands, but they've been the butt end of bad jokes for several years. I can't think of anybody currently left in WWE that AEW should go after. WWE's nonsensical booking has hurt the marketability of pretty much everybody left on their roster other than Brock Lesnar and Orton. 

AEW would and absolutely should go after Keith Lee and Chad Gable if they were ever made available.

I love Tozawa, but I think a guy like that would need to rehab himself in Impact first. I wouldn't mind seeing him in NJPW either (like Juice Robinson).