Go2Sleep

I don't think this applies to Cody. He got lots of different pushes and gimmick makeovers, the problem was none of them ever got that over, except for his ironic mustache. He's still relatively young, though. He fits the profile of a guy who could have a WWE resurgence after a successful stint in Japan.

Pretty sure Son of Perfect never had a chance after this promo Also, the end of Matt Striker's WWE announcing career:

Overall that might be the worst episode of LU since the first 3 weeks of season 1. Why did they run a 4-way clusterfuck on the same show as a 7-way clusterfuck? And with almost the same ending? Killshot/Moth was decent, but the feud setup is super lazy. The GotG match was supposed to make Cage look smart, but they could've done it better. No reason for him to kill everyone else in the match, and they could've gotten some mileage out of Cage daring Chavo to step up to Matanza while he waits for the arbitrary no-challenge defense to kick in. Instead they just keep making up the rules as they go along with that belt. I did like Dario doing his Jericho Slamboree 98 tribute for the opening ceremony, though. "Is it Trece? Barrio Negro? Oh, it's Sinestro de la Muerte. Ooh, spooky!" Finally, that Pentagon/Vampiro German dungeon porn segment had to be one of the more fucked up segments in wrestling history. I'll give LU a tentative pass since the artistic license they've taken has produced more hits than misses thus far, but still... No more of that please.

Batista, 2014 Royal Rumble. Oh, and Kofi when he was feuding with Orton. He had that MSG moment then pinned Orton at Survivor Series, but then lost both singles matches clean.

I wonder how much DVR has helped in regards to things like this. I don't know anyone that watches Raw live unless they're actually at the show. I wonder how many people would tune in every week if they couldn't reach for the x4 button for every Del Rio match, Sheamus match, McMahon promo, 3rd replay of the opening segment, etc. Not to mention commercials during every match.

Wrestling belts have been props forever. As for Cena, I'm not really sure if he'll break the record or not. Whether he does win the belt again soon or not will be a nice measurement of how serious they are about the "new generation" though.

It's really too bad, because it was great seeing Del Rio motivated and over in LU. It's sad watching a guy with that much talent just mail it in and be one of the most boring guys in the company, but I guess you can't argue with the paycheck.

I definitely appreciate the diversity of answers to my question, although it's what I expected. I was just trying to come up with a top 10 network-era (starting at Arrival) NXT matches in my head to kill some time while driving and I realized either Sami or Sasha was in like my top 8. It gets tough after that. My top choices were Balor/Owens from the 3/25/15 weekly show and Bayley/Asuka from Dallas.

Nia definitely worked a lot stiffer in some spots, which is probably the easiest thing she can do to look a lot better. She's the biggest woman in the division, so her offense needs to look like it hurts, plus weak shit won't fly against Asuka. I feel like the Nia/Bayley match was a few minutes too long. There were some good stretches, but also some parts where Nia didn't know where to go with the filler. Nia's still a little ways off, but I like that you can see noticeable improvements from 3 months ago. Aries was great in his match as well. He told the whole story with his face, and his subtle frustration contrasted nicely with Nakamura's eccentric aloofness.

Roman is the king of getting the wrong reaction in the Rumble, but 2014 was the time it worked for him. The Shield was red hot and Batista was ice cold. Also Santino in 2011 was pretty cool.

Sheamus as champ was the worst stretch of WWE tv in the last two years, which covers some ground. The pop for that match was all Vince. Anyone would've gotten that pop in the same spot. Sheamus had zero heat before or after that match.

"Rich Brennan? I thought we fired you months ago. Get the hell out of here!" "But I'm Al..." "Get out!"

Except in Sasha's case, it's someone they do want to get over, just not right now.

When they do their "Mean Tweets" segment, they need to tell the wrestlers that the humor is in a deadpan read, not a butthurt retort to a months old tweet. AJ Styles gets it, though. I've always thought he was underrated when it came to comedy. I'm sad there's no immediate plans for a second season. Like I said in another thread, it was definitely the best network original that wasn't just a glorified shoot interview.

Here's a question I was thinking about the other day that I'll put here to generate some discussion: What's the best network-era NXT match that doesn't have Sami Zayn or Sasha Banks in it?

Mr. Perfect in 2003* *2002

Depending on how loose your definition is, there could be 5. Dolph/Baron No DQ (not sure if this is pre-show) IC 4-way (probably won't see anything "extreme" but no DQ/CO is inherent to this type of match) Charlotte/Natty Sub (see above) Ambrose Asylum The WWE title match

I think Sheamus is due for a regression. He's been pushed pretty solidly as an upper midcarder for over a year, including MITB and a brief run with the strap that bombed. There isn't much for him to do right now and with the emphasis on the "new generation," there aren't many guys who exemplify early 2010s staleness better than Sheamus. Del Rio is in the same boat.

How the FUCK has everyone forgotten R-Evolution??? I mean if you put the matches from that show and Brooklyn or Dallas side by side, it might come up a little short but definitely not by much. Combine that with all the great storyline stuff on the show, and I'd easily rank it as the best NXT show ever. You had Kevin Owens debuting as a massively over face in a surprisingly fun match with CJ Parker that had hardway blood and everything. You had the first ever "demon" sighting from Finn. You had a breakout performance from Sasha Banks. You had the Zayn/Neville title match that I'd put among the best matches in NXT history and played out with a perfect feel-good moment. Then you end the show with an epic turn that leaves the crowd in stunned silence, as Owens went from the next big face to the only big heel in seconds. Not to mention the great production trick of doing it all after the copyright graphic had shown. It's one thing to line up a show that's just "great match, great match, great match," but a show that has great matches with this level of storytelling and breakout moments that really set the tone for the future of a promotion... That is pro-wrestling at the highest level. Rival is underrated for similar reasons. The women's 4-way is the ultimate "horsewomen" match and put over Sasha strong and Owens/Zayn was another masterful piece of storytelling and excellent character work from both guys. My top 5 would be: R-Evolution Brooklyn Rival Dallas Respect

If Gallows and Anderson are repeatedly losing so there's a reason for Finn to come in and put the group over the top, it makes sense. Owens seems like a guy who's making it to the top no matter what's in front of him. He's a great heel, but the crowds are just dying to cheer for him. Also, lol at Byron Saxton trying to use a contemporary reference and mispronouncing Rougned Odor's name.

Guess that explains why it was was the best network original series that wasn't some variation of a shoot interview. Oh well, better to have loved and lost.

Shitty news about Emma. Also leaves Dana in a bad spot. I wonder if they'll just pretend she was never there, since I can't imagine her going solo on the main roster.

I was going through the KOTRs recently, and found a real hidden gem of Owen vs. 123 Kid in 94. It's definitely on the short list for my favorite sub-5-minute match. Kid works an injury angle as a big underdog, and Owen wrestles like the favorite to win the tournament. The pace is really good and there were a lot of good move sequences that seemed really out of place (in a good way) in mid 90s WWF. Opened with back to back dives by the heel, some sharp kicks from Kid, and my favorite spot of Owen catching a heel kick attempt and turning it into a deadlift high angle German. Super fun match that I totally wasn't expecting.

Is this just a formality on his active wrestler deal, or is he out completely? I'm worried about the future of the E/C show...

I think with an arena brawl setup, it'll probably be a street fight or falls count anywhere. I think those two could do a really good last man standing if they wanna combine everything for a definitive feud-ender. The loser leaves stip could be tacked on to anything, but it seems unnecessary since it looks like Finn is heading out soon one way or the other.