Please don't be tr-ho-lled into thinking HHH's core-shaking announcement on Monday will be to alter the WM main event. In fact, his announcement will be to say that there is abs-ho-lutely ho way in hell Daniel Bryan will sneak his way in, like last year. Your main event is Homan Reigns vs Brock Lesnar. Deal with it, as Batista might say.
Really? I was certain HHH was referring to the controversy surrounding Justin Gabriel's sudden and unexpected departure. After all, he did say his announcement would "shake the WWE to its very Corre."
On the surface, there was no controversy. Bryan went out fair and square. Reigns won fair and square. If it was about Rock's involvement, he only went in to fight off Show and Kane after they'd already been eliminated.
So it'll probably be the Axel thing and then Reigns spears and pins him and thirty seconds.
Originally posted by thecubsfanI was guessing it would be about Curtis Axel never getting to the ring.
This is my guess, too. HHH was in max-troll mode (he had a few digs the crowd didn't pick up on), so the "addressing" the "controversy" with the gag of a Reigns/Axel match seems right up his alley. (Lesnar/Axel for the title would be funnier, though. But probably not $250,000 funny, or whatever it would cost them to pay Brock to suplex Axel 45 times on a free Raw.)
Originally posted by PowerPB13On the surface, there was no controversy. Bryan went out fair and square. Reigns won fair and square. If it was about Rock's involvement, he only went in to fight off Show and Kane after they'd already been eliminated.
Considering how the last big PPVs ended -- Survivor Series and Royal Rumble -- they wouldn't make a match involving Rock and Sting would they?
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
My actual hope is that, however they define "controversy" in this context, the upshot is that they need a main event for Fast Lane and book Reigns v. Bryan. All they'll be doing is establishing Reigns' credibility going into WrestleMania, but it should be a pretty good match all the same - better than having Reigns squash some more giants, at any rate.
Since Reigns wrestled Big Show on SmackDown, he needs a match for Fast Lane. There isn't a title match on this show, so like HIAC and TLC, there needs to be an additional match besides Cena/Rusev to draw interest.
I don't think Reigns will wrestle Bryan in a singles match, but I could see them putting his title shot on the line. It's something they've done in the past at the February PPV (Shawn/Owen, Austin/McMahon, Rock/Show). Still, Reigns/Bryan is an option that they have and it would help Reigns in the ring to work with him.
Wouldn't endear him to the fans once he beat him clean, but it would at least give people faith that he can be in a good singles match.
Bryan needs to be kept the hell away from Reigns. They've already poisoned Reigns to a certain portion of the crowd, no need to pour salt in the wound, unless of course some people on here actually *want* him to have Cena reactions for the next ten years.
I personally want a franchise guy who is over as a face with a good portion of the WWE's fan-base.
Having him go over hard-core fan favourites like Bryan, Ziggler & Ambrose would just feel like spiteful booking on the part of WWE, which means it is almost certainly going to happen.
When it doesn't intend to, the WWE can show an impressive level of self-awareness. Brie Bella is a train wreck of every ability associated with successful professional wrestlers, meaning that she has none of those abilities and whenever she tries she fails spectacularly. Sister rivalry? Evil female boss holding you down? Is that boss also holding down your wildly successful husband because of things you have said and done? Don't call Brie Bella, cause she's useless. Everything with her should've been a home run from the start. You have the wife of your most over superstar, she's in a completely sympathetic situation and is looking for vengeance. Then she had to go and try to act and wrestle. Crickets. So now she's back to L on the forehead, full bully mode. But yet stands on the second rope and yells "BRIE MODE" while desperately trying not to flub her lines, to no reaction. If she were Roman Reigns, they would still be forcing the face push, talent and ability be damned. But all bullies are fundamentally stupid and terrible at life, so she fits this role much better. Good on you, WWE.
Reigns was fine last night. The crowd got behind all the right spots. I still think there is going to come a point where the Reigns hate is going to go overboard and people will start swinging the other way. I don't have a problem with the guy just the way he is booked, but I can say that about just about everyone on the roster. He will still get murdered by the crowd at Wrestlemania unless a miracle happens, but we'll see.
Kane-Bryan is finally done and so apparently is Miz-Usos, so hooray for that.
The magic segment was the best use of R-Truth since he smoked cigs.
The Rhodes Boys are finally going to feud ... this should have started at The Rumble, but whatever.
Originally posted by steven87gillBryan needs to be kept the hell away from Reigns. They've already poisoned Reigns to a certain portion of the crowd, no need to pour salt in the wound, unless of course some people on here actually *want* him to have Cena reactions for the next ten years.
I personally want a franchise guy who is over as a face with a good portion of the WWE's fan-base.
Having him go over hard-core fan favourites like Bryan, Ziggler & Ambrose would just feel like spiteful booking on the part of WWE, which means it is almost certainly going to happen.
Everybody’s armchair booking the Rumble, and I won’t do that because Reigns would have been booed no matter what, but I do think that a big mistake they made was keeping Bryan and Reigns completely separate during that match. It helped neither of them.
We all want another Stone Cold or Rock, who the majority can believe in and get behind, especially after we've had John Cena for a decade now, but if they keep going down this road, it's not going to be Roman Reigns.
Originally posted by BigDaddyLocoReigns was fine last night. The crowd got behind all the right spots. I still think there is going to come a point where the Reigns hate is going to go overboard and people will start swinging the other way.
The problem fundamentally comes down to his character and the fact that he needs a lot of protection just to exist. He still needs the Shield gear/music, he still needs everyone to look bad to make him look good, and he still needs to develop in the ring. Three red flags right there that, no matter what sociological experiment we're going through with the WWE crowd right now, those cheers would turn right back to boos unless Reigns learns to be a master conductor like The Rock or Hogan. That requires experience and dues being paid.
Speaking of Cena being "the past", was it me, or was Cena really starting to show his age last night? That close-up of him while in the ring, he was looking kinda road-haggard. I'm 46 and I know what road-haggard looks like.
Originally posted by JimBob SkeeterSpeaking of Cena being "the past", was it me, or was Cena really starting to show his age last night? That close-up of him while in the ring, he was looking kinda road-haggard. I'm 46 and I know what road-haggard looks like.
You know, I can't imagine the guy needs any more money or has anything left to prove. ANd it really does seem like he never wants to change his character. I really get the feeling he's keeping on out of a sense of duty & will be as happy as smarky fans when he finally gets to hand off the ball.
Originally posted by JimBob SkeeterSpeaking of Cena being "the past", was it me, or was Cena really starting to show his age last night? That close-up of him while in the ring, he was looking kinda road-haggard. I'm 46 and I know what road-haggard looks like.
You know, I can't imagine the guy needs any more money or has anything left to prove. ANd it really does seem like he never wants to change his character. I really get the feeling he's keeping on out of a sense of duty & will be as happy as smarky fans when he finally gets to hand off the ball.
WWE is in such a hurry to make Reigns the new guy. He could probably use a year more, but they seem to want it to happen now. I would've guessed it's just a combination of needing to beat Brock while Brock's still around to be beat and general impatient. Still, we're now going on about a year of occasional reminders of Cena's mortality, as if he's the valiant sheriff in a western about to put down by the outlaws. The sheriff usually wins and Cena always does, but maybe WWE knows something we don't know about Cena's near future status and that's motivating the Reigns decision too - there's got to be at least a 1% chance we don't see him for a while after WrestleMania week.
(Cena's still winning at WrestleMania even if he's evaporating in a cloud of light afterwards, I'd think.)
I tuned in for the second hour and was actually pretty pleased with what I saw. Kane is really getting too old and run down to put on too good of a match, but Bryan did the absolute best he could with what he had, and D-Bry could probably work a four-star match with a broom. Glad to see Bryan finally victorious in the Kane feud, though I was waiting for Kane at any moment to shove the top of the casket open while Bryan was standing on top of it and drop him on his face It was a cool image, but not a particularly wise move.
I personally kinda like the idea of letting Bryan headline every Smackdown, it brings attention to a program that had gotten a solid reputation as the 'B Show', makes sure the spotlight's on D-Bry as a headliner, and while it's kinda a waste considering he has the potential to be the next Stone Cold crossed with Shawn Michaels, he's just back from an injury and they probably want to make sure he can handle headlining multiple shows before they put him back into the title hunt.
Originally posted by Blind_Guardianwhile it's kinda a waste considering he has the potential to be the next Stone Cold crossed with Shawn Michaels, he's
What?
He said
Originally posted by Blind_Guardianwhile it's kinda a waste considering he has the potential to be the next Stone Cold crossed with Shawn Michaels, he's
What?
He was saying that
Originally posted by Blind_Guardianwhile it's kinda a waste considering he has the potential to be the next Stone Cold crossed with Shawn Michaels, he's
Hey folks, I know there's a RAW thread on this board. But, I watched my brother's RAW tape just now. I have to be honest, it's pretty damn easy to improve from rock bottom, but at least they did.