It's not really a big moment if you build up to it for most of the episode and then it happens, and no one really says anything.
It would really help WWE a lot more if HHH got beat at SummerSlam, then put his faith into someone else on the roster to beat Lesnar. My hope here is that this is all a part of the build to Lesnar/UT at WrestleMania and the point is for Lesnar and UT to both have big wins over HHH to set them up, but I can't see a rematch happening without HHH winning.
CM Punk is awesome at everything he does. I hope he at least lasts until The Rock at the Royal Rumble. Also, where's his new belt already?
Originally posted by ScottyflamingoThey are using planted fans. The guy that was yelling at Bryan during his match is the same guy that was shown marking out when Brock debuted after Mania. And I've seen glimpses of him in the crowd a couple times.
I think that guy is just a superfan, like red ballcap & signs dude.
Originally posted by ScottyflamingoThey are using planted fans. The guy that was yelling at Bryan during his match is the same guy that was shown marking out when Brock debuted after Mania. And I've seen glimpses of him in the crowd a couple times.
I think that guy is just a superfan, like red ballcap & signs dude.
Yeah, they are "superfans". That's what they call themselves. I met a couple of them at Summerslam 2010 Axxess. Red ball cap and signs dude, the kid dressed as a clown, some others.
It's not a "job" to be a superfan. They don't get paid; quite the opposite. I have no idea how they afford to do it but they follow WWE around the country. They have contacts in WWE somehow so they know the tour schedule, they buy front row to PPVs and TV tapings, they find out what hotels the wrestlers stay at and stay there, etc. They hang out with the wrestlers and production staff as much as they can, (think they) are friends of some of the wrestlers, and consider themselves "in the business". (Although I've also heard from wrestlers that the superfans are annoying and something to be tolerated, especially in this social media day and age.) Once in a while they get thrown a bone and get to interact for TV.
@CMPunk
“@ZackRyder: @CMPunk She played me bro” I got your back.
I'm unclear on why a Cena/Punk feud even needs a heel. Some of the biggest matches/feuds in WWE history have been face vs face. Ultimate Warrior vs Hogan at WM6. Michaels vs Hart at WM 11. Rock vs Austin at WM17 (though they tried to turn Austin at the end).
People get excited to see face versus face match-ups, and the fans pick their own side. The storylines tend to be more compelling, and it shouldn't impact the buyrates.
Originally posted by Stansbury AlumI'm unclear on why a Cena/Punk feud even needs a heel. Some of the biggest matches/feuds in WWE history have been face vs face. Ultimate Warrior vs Hogan at WM6. Michaels vs Hart at WM 11. Rock vs Austin at WM17 (though they tried to turn Austin at the end).
People get excited to see face versus face match-ups, and the fans pick their own side. The storylines tend to be more compelling, and it shouldn't impact the buyrates.
Just let Punk be Punk and Cena be Cena. Geez.
Because they can not for the life of them write months of storylines without going back to formula. Those examples only worked with a month of storyline and most of those were pre-Raw days. The best anyone can hope for out of this Punk/Cena thing is Cena tears both his quads and rips every ACL and MCL in his body thus forcing the focus to be on Punk. Even then, it will be HHH magically coming back to save the day for zero reason. If Cena did that, I do expect him back in time for Mania. There is no way to salvage this unless, the entire thing is a double turn which is now every unlikely.
The Wee Baby Sheamus.Twitter: @realjoecarfley its a bit more toned down there. A bit.
Originally posted by Stansbury AlumI'm unclear on why a Cena/Punk feud even needs a heel. Some of the biggest matches/feuds in WWE history have been face vs face. Ultimate Warrior vs Hogan at WM6. Michaels vs Hart at WM 11. Rock vs Austin at WM17 (though they tried to turn Austin at the end).
People get excited to see face versus face match-ups, and the fans pick their own side. The storylines tend to be more compelling, and it shouldn't impact the buyrates.
Just let Punk be Punk and Cena be Cena. Geez.
They already did the face vs. face thing last year with Punk/Cena after MITB. Punk needs to be heel because, due to lack of interest/effort on the part of WWE, there are no worthy heel challengers to go up against a face Punk. Come to think of it, there are not many worthy face challengers either. But why do they need any other stars, when they have Cena? ; )
Nattie and layla getting some time to actually wrestle was nice and even though they are taking AJ a little too far in the StephLite direction I liked the ass kicking she gave Vickie! The Divas are actually pretty talented when utilized but it's the role they're cast in that's limiting their effectiveness. & to everyone who doesn't follow NXT/FCW there are a few there that are most excellent. Paige (Britani Knight) Emma (Tenille Tayla) & SkYler Moon (Buggy Nova) all have the combo of wrestling & entertainment skills and abilities to be the next generation of top Divas. & Sara Del Rey can be the path of destruction they were looking for with Kharma.
I usually want wrestling over skits but the Kane/DB segments were awesome. Scorpio Sky got some screen time too which was def a bonus.
I wish HHH really would just go away forever, that's all I'll say about that. (well and he can take Cena with him too!)
Sandow is great, it's taken them sooooo long to find something to do with him and now he's hitting it out of the park.
Punk rules, but I agree the way the characterization is being dumbed down to appease the more typical WWE fan.
I don't understand all this "They're making AJ Stephanie Lite" nonsense. She's a brunette woman in a business suit. Automatically, that must mean they're making her like Stephanie!
In what actual way is AJ like Stephanie? Did Stephanie skip around? Was Stephanie regularly questioned across the board by wrestlers, managers, and announcers as being mentally unbalanced? Is AJ even being shoved down everyone's throats? If anything, she currently has far less screen time on a three hour RAW as GM than she did on two hour RAWs when she was the star of the Punk/Bryan/Kane angle and the most pushed character in the whole company.
The biggest problem with the AJ as GM angle was that it's apparent it was a hastily made decision to put her in that role, because it was an "unpredictable" choice, and there was no real plan for what to do with her as GM. It's clear they're making it up as they go along with her in power and they haven't quite figured out a direction for her, if any. (That goes double for Booker T.)
Hell, this Vickie thing could could already be a seed planted to remove AJ as GM.
(edited by John Orquiola on 28.8.12 1438) @CMPunk “@ZackRyder: @CMPunk She played me bro” I got your back.
Originally posted by Amos CochranThe only I can think of is that they've got the one-two of Rock and Austin penciled in for Punk at Rumble and Mania next year, and they want a head start on him getting some serious heel heat.
I think Austin has pretty much been ruled out for 'Mania next year, if you're to believe JR on Twitter (and I don't blame you if you don't).
I thought the first hour was relatively decent, but it went downhill from there. The crowd seemed pooped after the Triple H spiel, so Punk and Lawler had little to work with (though they didn't help with the match quality, as noted elsewhere).
The Anger Management skits were surprisingly tolerable and I'm actually surprised they bothered to come up with a reason for the kid to appear in a goat mask. I thought it would just be to set Bryan off and they wouldn't even bother to explain what the mask was actually for.
It would've been nice for WWE to run the Triple H tribute packages AFTER Triple H announced whether or not he was ACTUALLY going to retire. That, and his interview, was just insufferable.
The women's match I liked, but it was a strange segment - and it had nothing to do with Vickie. There was a point in the match Nattie sat on Layla and Layla made a face and gesture like Nattie farted on her, but that gimmick hasn't been heard of in months and the announcers didn't mention it. Then Layla randomly started dancing again, which she's done in matches against Beth Phoenix, yet that has seemingly nothing to do with her character (other than she used to dance for the Heat) and the announcers never really bring it up.
@gregmparks - live Tweeting of Raw and Impact, wrestling thoughts and other slices of life.
Originally posted by John OrquiolaIn what actual way is AJ like Stephanie? Did Stephanie skip around? Was Stephanie regularly questioned across the board by wrestlers, managers, and announcers as being mentally unbalanced? Is AJ even being shoved down everyone's throats?
That's the one.
You people who whoop it up about these skits... I don't even know you people.
Originally posted by lotjxThe best anyone can hope for out of this Punk/Cena thing is Cena tears both his quads and rips every ACL and MCL in his body thus forcing the focus to be on Punk.
Jesus dude. Little much.
So I hope we have now all accepted Punk is now a generic paint-by-numbers heel. I really don't think there is anything this company can't fuck up. Kane's Constanza bit, as others have mentioned, was good. 95% of this show was unwashed ass.
Ryback is like Mason Ryan, except uglier and less coordinated. Think about that statement for a moment.
(edited by Hogan's My Dad on 28.8.12 1837) Quiet, Or Papa Spank!
The other difference is that Ryback gets a reaction, and Mason Ryan never did. That doesn't make him better, but it makes him more valuable to WWE.
I enjoyed the Anger Management skit, no matter how that makes me viewed by some people.
"Put on your helmets, we'll be reaching speeds of 3!" "It was nice of you to give that dead woman another chance." "All right, look alive everybody...oh sorry Susan."- MST3K: Space Mutiny Click Here (facebook.com)
1. The only way you can get heel heat on your champion is using a 62 year old announcer.
2. A 62 year old announcer is in your main event.
3. The thing that everyone said was the best, according to this thread, was a skit that would be at home in the 2nd part of Leno.
And good Lord, would it kill them to have the IC champ beat Cena? Or even have it where Cena lucks out a win and then Miz slaps him later? We get it, Miz can't beat Cena. Enough already.
Kevin Kelly: "Mr. Austin, would you like to comment on Wade Keller's Take that endorsing the XFL hurts your anti-authority character?"
Steve Austin: "Oh shit, he actually said that? I thought the boys in the back were ribbing me!"
Kelly: "No, he really said that. Did they tell you the part about you sitting in the stands, looking all skeptical?"
Austin: "AHAHAHAHAHAHA. Yeah... oh man that was too much."
Originally posted by ScottyflamingoThey are using planted fans. The guy that was yelling at Bryan during his match is the same guy that was shown marking out when Brock debuted after Mania. And I've seen glimpses of him in the crowd a couple times.
Yeah and he wears the same shirt EVERY TIME. Just like the old bald neon-pink shirt wearing guy that was front row at WWE events years ago.
This guy is funny as hell. I rewatched Cena vs Miz on the DVR and he is so animated while everyone around him is sedated. He is jump punching down when Cena does the 5 knuckle shuffle and doing the "Hogan Lifting Andre the Giant" motion when Cena lifts Miz up for the F-U. Then phantom-mimes the over the shoulder throw. After the match he puts up a sign that says something about CENA 10 YEARS RESPECT. Cena goes to his area... to shake the hand of a kid who looks like he has Down's Syndrome. Superfan is right there on the camera, too.