WWE TV 4/27-5/3 Whoops Forgot to Start a Thread Edition

[DMJ]

Yeah. That Ziggler match and the Ambrose feud are what I consider the turning point when it went from 20% of "smart" fans feeling he was overrrated and overexposed to where it is now - which I'd say still is less than half but much closer to 50%.

The Ironman Match was absurd. Just to remind everyone - Rollins, the babyface, took a 2-0 lead early and then mocked Ziggler (making Dolph sympathetic for some reason). The crowd, rightfully, shat on it by counting down each minute Royal Rumble-style and making a buzzer noise. The next day (or hours later), Rollins called the fans' reaction disrespectful on Twitter.

A couple months later, the crowd chanted "This is Boring" during Rollins/Ambrose as their non-TLC match at TLC underwhelmed. I don't remember if Rollins went and cried on Twitter, blaming the fans for not appreciating a shitty match, but it didn't matter by this point. The Rollins/Ambrose feud stunk but there was a belief that, in the ring, these two guys had the chemistry and ability to make everyone forget all that. They did the opposite. Ambrose's over-the-top hygeine promos are actually the only thing anyone remembers from that feud and while the memory isn't necessarily good, the fact that he did those promos and then, months later, went on TIJ and admitted how shitty is was and how he knew it was creatively stupid, the whole ordeal helped birth (or rebirth) Jon Moxley. 

To me, those two programs sunk Rollins. He's supposed to be a "super worker" but he has the worst Ironman Match maybe ever. He's supposed to have great chemistry with his friends, but he stinks out the joint against his best friend. At the time he was supposed to be a fan favorite, but when he gets booed, he cries on Twitter (can you imagine Cena doing that? Cena got "You Can't Wrestle" chants for years and either no-sold them or turned it to his favor by stealing the show with "sports-entertainment"*). He's also never been a great promo. 

Rollins will always have his fans because he's been pushed into that position. He is every bit this generation's Triple H. He was never a star in his own right. He got over due to his work as part of a group and his ability to be "The Guy Who Makes Money With The Guy Who Makes Money." Seth Rollins' greatest feature is that he can be inserted as a foil to just about anybody because he has no real character of his own - and that means he's been able to spend a lot of time at the top against Cena or Lesnar or Reigns or Wyatt or even Sting without needing to carry any of the real weight. And when he did have to carry the weight - against Ziggler and Corbin - he flopped miserably. 

 

* Cena's performance at ONS 2 is just so unbelievably great. 

[FMKK]

Everything about Seth Rollins - including his resume - screams tag worker. He can do highspots and he can be explosive in small doses. Putting together an actual main event quality singles match is beyond his remit. Give him a team mate and have him be the hot tag guy. And never give him a microphone ever again. 

Of course, he thinks he's the best wrestler in the world so that might be a tough sell for him...

[Rocco]

All you need to know about Seth Rollins is that he somehow had no onscreen chemistry with his actual fiance.  

[KawadaSmile]

2 hours ago, DMJ said:

He is every bit this generation's Triple H.

We can also mention the sheer number of dumb nicknames, making him truly the HHH heir.

[El-P]

The Ratings Slaya'

[ZThomas]

On 4/30/2020 at 1:52 PM, Loss said:

The original idea for Sami Zayn when he came up in 2016 was to make him a Daniel Bryan that they were fully controlling. We see how that worked out.

Really, I could see Hunter wanting to run with it after his NXT run but I dont see Vince signing off on that idea. He's been underdog since day one on the main roster. He's one of the more interesting heels they've had though but other that being associated with Owen's at times he hasn't really been highlighted too well. He could've really added some value to the IC title if they featured him like he should because he's entertaining.

[KawadaSmile]

Thing is I remember Zayn having some interesting underdog moments in the main roster, specially against Braun Strowman. I think they've spent way too much time saddling him with  Owens, be it as a rival or as a friend, when in fact his best moments have nothing to do with KO.

Sure they have their history in the indies, but trying to replicate it in NXT and the main roster was such a waste of time. Sami was thriving in NXT with that incredible underdog story AND that amazing feud with Cesaro. Yet, his whole tenure there is almost reduced to KO double crossing him. Shame.

[Badlittlekitten]

I'd almost forgotten what a terrific babyface worker Sami Zayn was back in NXT. Feels like a another world. Funny thing is, his work as a heel manager might be even better. He's a massive loss if he's sitting out these empty arena shows because his mouth and his energy lifted everything out of the dull malaise. It's a shame we might not see what he could have done with the intercontinental title. One good thing they did with him was ditch his indie gimmick. It boggles my mind this guy spent most of his career as a mute in a cosplay luchadore mask.

You can add Humberto Carrillo, Shorty G, Ricochet and Cedric Alexander as the latest victims of the 'lose, lose, lose, . . . DANIEL BRYAN!'  booking philosophy. Rico/Cedric are a fun team though.

[Loss]

Sami Zayn is a great performing heel, but the problem is that they've taken a talented guy and made him arguably less of a star with each passing year.

[cm funk]

12 hours ago, Badlittlekitten said:

I'd almost forgotten what a terrific babyface worker Sami Zayn was back in NXT. Feels like a another world. Funny thing is, his work as a heel manager might be even better. He's a massive loss if he's sitting out these empty arena shows because his mouth and his energy lifted everything out of the dull malaise. It's a shame we might not see what he could have done with the intercontinental title. One good thing they did with him was ditch his indie gimmick. It boggles my mind this guy spent most of his career as a mute in a cosplay luchadore mask.

Honestly, I think Sami himself would tell you he didn't think he was maybe ready for that role earlier in his career.  Whether right or wrong, he was comfortable in the gimmick, and he was really fucking good at it.  Working under a mask taught him him to emote and sell as well as he does, IMO.  And part of the charm of the gimmick was it that there was clearly a charismatic as fuck white boy under that hood and they played it up for great comedy, and it worked great when he got serious as well.

Also, and most importantly in wrestling, it was a great gimmick that made him $$$ on the indy scene, which wasn't always the easiest thing to do back then.

And I loved the El Generico gimmick, and he was really fucking great at it.  I honestly wouldn't trade in his ROH run for what Cornette wanted to do him with him.  Maybe it would have worked, maybe he just didn't want to F'n do it and was saving going unmasked for when he want to WWE.  Funny how Cornette never thinks of personal ownership of one's character and career when it isn't him

[ZThomas]

One of the charms about El Generico was  that he protected it, he was always in gimmick when you saw him. I don't think Cornette the El Generico gimmick, he probably had that Vince McMahon thought process of the mask hindering his work because of no facial expressions which I've never understood because majority of masked wrestlers sell so much better with the rest of their body because they cant sell the face. Before everyone on the indies made a trend of everything being a wink and a nod to the audience, El Generico willing to keep kayfabe and allow fans to take him seriously on top of him being a very excellent worker.