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Burgundy LaRue

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Posts posted by Burgundy LaRue

  1. So in one episode, they had:

    • Lashley break up with The Hurt Business, despite being the best thing on the show
    • Lashley beat up Alexander and Benjamin
    • A continued bounty on Drew's head
    • McIntyre chump most of the entire locker room, despite hardly anyone looking to collect on the bounty
    • McIntyre beat both Ricochet and Ali, after winning a handicap match last week
    • Corbin come over from SmackDown to help Lashley take down McIntyre

    All of this to seemingly present Lashley as a super baddie so Drew can get cheered at WM.

    (holds nose)

    • Like 4
  2. 10 minutes ago, Happ Hazzard said:

    Because there's no way of knowing what people will consider to be "trash" in the future and once the precedent has been set, people will use it to justify all kinds of things. 

    It happened, removing it from Peacock doesn't mean  it didn't happen. 

    I have a real problem with the removal of the  Piper/Bad News match from WM6. Say Bad News' grandchildren want to watch their grandfathers highest profile match, in front of (I think) the biggest crowd he ever worked in front of, in his home country. Only now they can't because of people 31 years in the future taking offense to something his opponent did. It's ridiculous and serves no purpose at all. This NBC deal is a real poison chalice for the WWE, yes they're making a crazy amount of money but it's going to deal with standards and practices more stringent than anything at Turner in the 90s. It's going to become the most bland, anodyne wrestling product of all time. How on earth do you have heels if no-one is allowed to anything that might be offensive to someone, somewhere in the world?

    This, in a nutshell, is why trying to have a reasonable discussion on these topics is a waste of time.

    • Like 4
    • Thanks 2
    • Haha 2
  3. 1 hour ago, NoFistsJustFlips said:

    At a certain point it gets to be the more level headed sophisticated answer is do what Disney & Warner Brothers do. Put content warnings on there. Say hey this was different era and there's some unsavory things but we're keeping it in here and letting you decide what stuff you want to watch with the proper historical context. Changing and erasing the past doesn't fix our mistakes in the present.

    So Piper doing blackface in 1990 was some bygone era? Vince dropping the n-bomb in 2005 happened during the good old days?

    • Like 8
  4. Most of this show felt like almost everything went five minutes too long. And there was way too much interference throughout the night.

    The preshow match was good. Maki Itoh got a bigger pop than the other two surprises. Thunder Rosa is awesome.

    Bucks/Jericho-MJF didn't feel like the teams were on the same page. The match overstayed its welcome. I'm beyond the Bucks playing tough guys. They want to avenge their father--by having any other match they do flipping instead of fighting when the story calls for the latter. They did set up for the Inner Circle breakup on Wednesday if they want to do it.

    The Casino Tag Team Royale had too many bodies to keep up, but there were some quality spots. QT Marshall went heel, and I found myself shrugging. The Evil Uno-Marko Stunt spot was hilariously bad. Jungle Boy looked good throughout. Bucks vs Death Triangle should be entertaining.

    Shida vs Ryo had a lot going on. Good striking/kicks and they did a solid job of telling their story but again, it went too long. Setting up a six-woman tag for Dynamite was fine.

    Miro-Sabian/OC-Chuck happened. Lasted eight minutes and somehow that was too much time. Let's forget it happened and not speak of it again. I don't care about them rebuilding Miro.

    Page/Hardy was fine enough. I think they made it something respectable toward the end. But it could have easily been done on an episode of Dyanmite. Tell me if I've said this already, but it was too long! Dark Order coming in worked here, probably the one time during the night where interference made sense for me.

    The ladder match was (holds nose). Ethan Page as the surprise was lukewarm. There was no flow with this match and having no flyers hurt a lot. Archer stuck in the ladder was offensive in how he just laid there, waiting for the next spot. Cody doing the super-resilient babyface spot was rightfully booed. Go to the back and THEN do the run-in. Being on camera the whole time was ridiculous. Had guys killing themselves and get no shine because we had to ask "What about Cody?" seemingly forever. Scorpio Sky won a gold Lifesaver which was a dumb brass ring joke. A total mess.

    Christian being the new AEW guy is fine. They would have been better off not announcing the 'big name' beforehand, but it's OK. There are a lot of matches there for him. But within two weeks, they've brought in Christian, Paul Wight, and Ethan Page. None of them are going to set AEW on fire. They're already short on time for the women and younger guys. I realize they're expanding their YT presence and eventually will have a second TV show. So is it a matter of splitting the roster or spreading out the veterans? Who are they going to hold off on PPVs for Sting, Christian, Jericho, Matt Hardy et al? Even Wight and Taz need focus as big-name commentators, especially with Taz being in charge of a faction. Finding a balance seems tough.

    The street fight was beautifully shot. It felt like a scene from Sin City. Half expected Batman to swoop in. They had a clear jump cut when "Sting" did a sunset flip that was a body double. Bringing in Sting so early, it felt anticlimactic. My biggest gripe is the commentary. It wasn't necessary. Just stick with the music. Well done as far as cinematic matches go.

    The main event! The match was presented as properly dangerous. I liked Mox's Onita-inspired jacket. They beat the stuffing out of each other. Mox kicking the wire to break up the One-Winged Angel was cool, as was the loaded bat spot. The barbed-wire ring was so-so. Needed to take down the ring ropes to give a better look, but it wasn't too bad. The explosives on the floor were laughable and was where the match started to wane for me. The Good Brothers coming out was expected, but eyerolling. Like someone (Goodyear, maybe?) mentioned, why didn't Mox better prepare for that? Kingston coming out to save Mox was FANTASTIC. Had the explosion gone off as planned, it would have been incredible. But, oh boy. 

    Stuff happens, no matter how much you plan. If it was indeed a dud explosive, that's too bad. But they got too cute for their own good. That can't be ignored. What are we supposed to do with this? Mox and Omega got cut up, dropped on their heads and electrocuted for nothing. Kingston looks like a goof trying to save his friend from a sparkler attack. Excalibur's commentary was a through-the-looking-glass moment.

    No one reasonable thinks AEW will go into the tank over it. But my word, it's going to leave a bruise for the near future. I would say ignore it and move on. But they've talked about it during their post-show presser already. Maybe they can do something with it, but Khan kind of screwed that up with all his chatter that just adds to the confusion.

    A very messy show nearly top to bottom. 

    • Like 8
  5. 7 minutes ago, J.T. said:

    Then props to Apollo if he's researched his ancestry and this gimmick is legit.

    I won't nitpick about Tiv traditional garb favoring black and white.  I'm amazed they got the colors of the Nigerian flag correct.

    Yeah. There is reason to be cautious about this. But for now, they seem to be doing OK.

    • Thanks 1
  6. Just now, Infinit said:

    She's a heel, she isn't doing it because of his race. If "Reginald" had blond hair and blue eyes, would what she did be a problem? 

    1. Yes, it would still be a problem.

    2. If anyone is complaining about the optics of Apollo embracing his culture, but missing why spitting and stepping on a black man looks bad, what's being said here?

    • Like 1
  7. So I take it most here have a problem with Apollo's new image?

    Do we need to have a conversation on Apollo vs how Reginald was presented with Carmella? Because THAT gimmick was a real problem that, hopefully, is going away.

    • Like 1
  8. 16 minutes ago, Mister TV said:

    The Saudi’s were just F’ing with them, there’s no way in hell they’d hold anyone from the WWE hostage. The Saudi’s do TONS of business with western companies and they’re not going to jeopardize that by holding employees of a western company hostage. Sure they’ll do dickish things to make a point and scare low level people but it’s not going to escalate to an international incident  

    The biggest indicator of that is about 20 wrestlers/WWE personnel getting on a private plane a few hours into the situation. If it was a hostage take, I don't see how that happens. I don't doubt the Saudis making them uncomfortable for a sick thrill, though.

  9. 11 hours ago, Brian Fowler said:

    I think it's worth remembering Reigns also missed almost half the year.

    My counter argument is Dynamite was awarded Weekly Show of the Year in 2019, despite being on air for only three months.

    Observer readers lean a certain way, and that's fine. The voting reflects their base. People read and listen to the Observer and largely agree with Meltzer's opinions. It's the same way most of Cornette's listeners agree with him.

    • Like 3
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  10. The SD Elimination Chamber was very good. Everyone got a chance to shine, and all the babyfaces got an elimination. All the roles were covered: Cesaro as a wrestling savant, Bryan as a determined underdog, Jey as the vicious heel, KO as a man obsessed with revenge, Sami as the whimpering sneak, and Corbin as the jack of all trades. It moved at a good pace without feeling rushed. Jey Uso's arm spot with KO was brutal. 

    They continued to tell Roman's story of being a jerk with nearly-unchecked backstage power by coming out immediately and beating down Bryan in 90 seconds. One hope spot followed by Bryan basically getting knocked out. Exactly what it needed to be. 

    Edge choosing Roman as his WM match is no surprise. RAW still feels like they're trying to figure out what to do on that end. Roman is a far bigger star than Drew. Plus Edge pretty much called Drew a goober during their promo a couple of weeks ago, so go with the guy who poses a real challenge. Roman should win their match and continue as SD's kingpin uninterrupted as long as they can run with it. He's by far the most intriguing character in WWE.

    The triple threat for the US title was fine. Not interested in Riddle.

    The women's tag was solid enough, though I worry that they will overexpose Reginald similar to what they did with James Ellsworth. I hope they don't get the idea of inserting Carmella into the Bianca/Sasha story. She's not needed in that spot.

    The RAW Elimination Chamber match was good, but didn't connect with me. There was nothing wrong with it. It just didn't have the same snap as the SD version. Kofi's yelling at Orton before the match started was funny. McIntyre's flying Claymore to Styles was great.

    Miz winning the championship makes sense, in he'll be RAW's representative as the WWE Network moves to Peacock. He can promote WWE, RAW, Miz and Mrs, and Cannonball all in one swoop. Bless the dude and his hard work, but Drew's run has been lukewarm for me. Having no crowds has hurt him more than anyone else. But whereas others adapted to it, Drew seems to be looking for live interaction still. They likely will give him his true WM moment with a crowd, but I can't be bothered to care. Having Lashley involved in the main event scene has been needed for a while. It'll be interesting to see what Miz promised MVP to get Lashley to attack McIntyre before the cash-in. 

    Enjoyable show, especially at just 2.5 hours. 

  11. Let's say WWE has a deal with Coca-Cola to sponsor a PPV. A WWE wrestler goes on IG and promotes a new Pepsi product. That's could be seen as a conflict of interest and I doubt Stephanie wants to explain why one of their wrestlers was doing that to Coke's CEO, especially if it's seen as something embarrassing or over the top.

    However, if wrestlers were treated more like pro athletes, they could secure their own endorsement deals. Roger Goddell can pick whoever he wants as the official insurance company for the NFL. It doesn't stop Patrick Mahomes from signing an individual deal with State Farm.

    And to RIPPA's point, Mahomes owns his name and likeness, whereas WWE creates characters for their wrestlers. Which is why, legally speaking, it's an uphill battle to fight the company on it. The carny lives on, indeed.

    If you're a top name or someone they want to push to higher status, the company will find opportunities for you to make extra money. Guaranteed whoever was part of the Hyundai Drive for More campaign got a check. But they only extend that to so many. If you're not in that circle, your earning potential takes a hit and because they've banned third-party work, you're stuck.

    The ultimate goal is for WWE to become a self-functioning talent agency. That's been their mindset for a couple of years. Hiring Nick Khan has likely brought that more into focus.

    On one hand, an in-house agency makes sense. It's in line with them being more on the entertainment side of the ledger. They have 250+ attractive and talented people signed to them, many of whom not having representation or the direct means to secure deals on their own. They don't have unions to contend with in setting payrates. They're not going to get Roman Reigns or Sasha Banks to dump their Hollywood representation. But they can consolidate most of the others to tap into that money avenue.

    But the point of an agency is to maximize earnings for as many clients as possible. Take Lana/CJ Perry. She's clearly ambitious and has some connections. Instead of working with her to further increase her income/profile which could help the company, they cut off those chances if they in any way conflict with WWE's corporate goals.

    There will be no massive walkout. The top star in the company left for several months because he wasn't comfortable with their response to COVID. He only came back after they moved into a larger facility where he's given a private dressing room, creative control, and who knows what else. If there was a time to do a large-scale exit, it was March 2020. Only a few went and eventually returned.

    • Like 4
  12. The women's tag started off weird for me, but picked up toward the end. Similar to the women's War Games match last year, someone booked to where the faces came across heelish in spots. Wound up being good, but not one I'll go back and watch. The ref was brutally bad here. Curious to see where they go with the women's tag titles. Feels like Raquel should be up soon for Io. I'm wondering if they have Raquel say Dakota is holding her back should they not get team gold to set up a future feud with them.

    They should have had KUSHIDA win here, but I went in suspecting he wouldn't. I'm pretty much out on Gargano.  He's a good wrestler. I wish I enjoyed him more. But they ran him into the ground during his epic main events and the feelings still linger. They had KUSHIDA work over Gargano's arm for nearly 30 minutes to amount for nothing.

    MSK winning was the feel good moment for the night. I've seen clips of them during their Impact run, but this was my first time watching a full match for them. They came across really well. Don't know if I would have had GYV lose the Dusty Classic two years in a row but a great match, lots of fun.

    Women's title match was far too short. They could have taken 5 minutes from Gargano-KUSHIDA and added it here. Mercedes Martinez looked fantastic. There isn't anywhere Io won't jump from. The announcer's table collapsing as Toni Storm started clearing it was funny. With all the talent they had in the ring, this match could have went 20-25 minutes and been amazing. I don't know why they don't do that more often.

    Balor-Dunne started slow, but picked up steam and finished strong. Dunne is incredible, I hope they find better footing for him in Orlando. Not keen on Cole being back in the main scene, but he's better as a heel and hopefully O'Reilly wins their upcoming battle.

    A very good show. Nothing whiffed. The first two matches weren't my cup of tea, but they weren't bad. 

    • Like 2
    • Women's tag was solid until Ric and Lacey showed up. Wherever that story is going, it's nowhere good.
    • McIntyre/Goldberg was what it was. 
    • Sasha/Carmella was very good. Both of their matches came across well.
    • Women's Rumble was excellent. Glad to see Bianca win. Rhea eliminating Alexa before she reached her full Fiend form was funny.  Good to see Victoria again.
    • Anyone hating Naomi's spot is willfully ignoring how that's been done in nearly every recent Rumble. Either have a problem when others do it or say nothing now.
    • Reigns/Owens was great and appropriately brutal. They don't miss on any of their matches. I'd guess they went over the handcuff bit several times, Heyman just couldn't get it done live. Pudgy fingers will betray you at the worst time, I know from experience. Still, not enough to take away from a strong match.
    • Men's Rumble was decent, if unexciting. Rollins put some funk on that stomp to Riddle. Omos eliminating Big E was a WTF moment. Edge's win is fine. There's a story to be be told. But expecting them to muddy the waters with getting Orton re-involved and bringing along the Fiend.

    Overall, an enjoyable show. A nice way to spend a Sunday night.

    • Like 2
  13. If they insist on putting the Fiend back into title contention--first of all, why? Second, McIntyre is most likely the one who'll have to deal with it. 

     

    I wish I could remember who said it so I could give them proper credit. But the divide between the haves and the have nots in wrestling will continue to widen, especially with how COVID has altered the landscape. Not just between companies and wrestlers, but also in the locker room. Top stars hire agents to negotiate their contracts. They can ask for more--bigger guarantees, travel accommodations, private tour bus, a bigger slice of their merch money, more time off. A major promoter will work to keep top talent relatively happy. If someone is on that level, they'll be taken care of.

    There have always been levels, of course. But even with a super-popular top star, there were a few guys/girls just underneath them who felt special. It's not much like that anymore, and partly by design. If only a select few are unique across wrestling, then the 'normals' don't have any power. That's not a specific problem to wrestling, but how wrestling is constructed showcases it more.

    • Like 6
  14. Alexa has her strengths. The word on her when she went to Smackdown in 2016 was if they give her a mic, she'd get herself over. She did that. Promo skills and Becky being out sick for a few weeks allowed Alexa to rise to the top. Plus, she has a look they find attractive in their women. Though that's problematic these days, to say the least.

    She's improved in the ring. She'll never be great, but she's had enough good matches to where calling her bad seems shortsighted. Surprising it may be to some, but her I think some of her best in-ring work was with Naomi. They clicked really well. Concussion issues slowed down her progress for a while, but they sidestepped that by putting her in the tag division and now with Bray/Fiend. She doesn't have to wrestle as much and focus more on character work.

    Her biggest obstacle is obviously her size. They shouldn't have made her into a faux world-beater who can knock out other women with one punch. They should have made her more of a cheat on that end. Her no-selling anyone, let alone Asuka, is ridiculous. Not that Asuka is much bigger than Alexa, but she has years of work that back up her being a fighting machine. 

    Alexa benefitted with the roster split and going to Smackdown, which took time to build the six women they had on their roster at the time. IMO, her monster booking happened when she moved to RAW. They went overboard, especially with the Bayley feud. There are clearly better in-ring workers within the division, but she's been built up and moves a lot of merch. And she's still better on the mic than most. No going back now.

    • Like 4
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