May 2023 Wrestling Talk

[Infinit]

12 hours ago, Greggulator said:

Roman really is on the short-list of GOAT WWE wrestlers. He was awesome from the jump. My top two all-time matches are him versus Sami and The Shield vs. The Wyatts. He has had so many bangers. He also knows how to connect to the crowd and vocalize and use body language better than any wrestler ever.
 

And his current incarnation with The Bloodline is arguably the most compelling character in wrestling history with an epic years-long storyline still unfolding. Everyone who ends up in Roman’s orbit the past few years ends up more important and better off on the card. 

He is just a genius performer and there really has never been anyone quite like him.

Imagine how much greater Cena would have been if the let him have a heel run.

[The Natural]

2 hours ago, Infinit said:

Imagine how much greater Cena would have been if the let him have a heel run.

[The Natural]

Moving.

[Leonidas]

Favourite Cena match where he lolwins then? Gotta be Umaga.

[The Natural]

Youmanga when I think of William Regal.

[Just Adam Bay Bay]

6 minutes ago, Leonidas said:

Favourite Cena match where he lolwins then? Gotta be Umaga.

I’ll go with the record tying win over AJ as second to that. I’d also rank Elimination Chamber 2006 fairly high for how much the crowd crapped on it, and the all time great moment it led into. 

[The Natural]

Just now, LF2 said:

I’ll go with the record tying win over AJ as second to that. I’d also rank Elimination Chamber 2006 fairly high for how much the crowd crapped on it, and the all time great moment it led into. 

Underrated Elimination Chamber match followed by the best Money in the Bank cash-in ever with Edge.

[The Natural]

10 minutes ago, Leonidas said:

Favourite Cena match where he lolwins then? Gotta be Umaga.

 

1 minute ago, LF2 said:

I’ll go with the record tying win over AJ as second to that. I’d also rank Elimination Chamber 2006 fairly high for how much the crowd crapped on it, and the all time great moment it led into. 

 

Just now, The Natural said:

Underrated Elimination Chamber match followed by the best Money in the Bank cash-in ever with Edge.

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar from Extreme Rules 2012 is up there. Cena is busted open by those elbows, gets knees repeatedly in the ribs, frequent Kimura locks only to nail Brock with the chain he wore to the ring and the AA on the steel steps to win. This was also Brock's first WWE match back in 8 years.

[Leonidas]

Also I remember people raving about Cena vs JBL Judgement Day 2005 - Really bloody I Quit match. If I remember correctly it was seen as his first big match where people saw him as more than just ruthless aggression. 

[cwoy2j]

4 hours ago, Leonidas said:

Also I remember people raving about Cena vs JBL Judgement Day 2005 - Really bloody I Quit match. If I remember correctly it was seen as his first big match where people saw him as more than just ruthless aggression. 

Yeah people forget that pre-PG Cena did a few blade jobs. 

[John from Cincinnati]

According to Fightful, Jordynne Grace is a free agent and is finishing up with Impact.

[twiztor]

10 hours ago, Leonidas said:

Favourite Cena match where he lolwins then? Gotta be Umaga.

 

10 hours ago, LF2 said:

I’ll go with the record tying win over AJ as second to that. I’d also rank Elimination Chamber 2006 fairly high for how much the crowd crapped on it, and the all time great moment it led into. 

i know i'm in the minority, but i hate that LMS match with Umaga. too cliche. 

also, that EC match was perfect in the "lolcenawins" role leading to the MITB cash-in, so i have to go with that two-fer. i popped SO F'ING HARD for the Edge shock win.

of course, the feud ended in a LOLCenaWins TLC match vs. Edge, and that match, as much as anything, got me to stop watching WWE, so was it worth it in the end?

[Shartnado]

Funny how things change. Back in 2008, screaming YOU-MAGA was referring to a mindless savage. These days... wait a fucking minute, nevermind.

[Infinit]

3 hours ago, Shartnado said:

Funny how things change. Back in 2008, screaming YOU-MAGA was referring to a mindless savage. These days... wait a fucking minute, nevermind.

️️️️️

[Ramo2653]

18 hours ago, John from Cincinnati said:

According to Fightful, Jordynne Grace is a free agent and is finishing up with Impact.

Interesting time to be a FA. In theory she could get picked up by one of the big 2, but I'm not sure she'd get featured. Maybe she'll focus on bodybuilding more now?

[Peck]

2 hours ago, Ramo2653 said:

Interesting time to be a FA. In theory she could get picked up by one of the big 2, but I'm not sure she'd get featured. Maybe she'll focus on bodybuilding more now?

Sapp said she's a millionaire now with whatever content provider she uses(OF?) so I don't think she really NEEDS to do anything with wrestling.

[BrianS81177]

I think she's got some type of side hustle involving pot. Like edibles or something.

[Ziggy]

On 5/25/2023 at 1:19 PM, Dolphman 3000 said:

Cena vs. AJ at Royal Rumble 2017 was something special and I don't think people are going to realize it until years down the line

It was a great match in itself but I was on the edge of my seat hoping Cena wouldn't tie Flairs record, technically he still hasn't but it made it more exciting for me. I wasn't completely surprised Cena went over but it could have went either way my mind.

[Ziggy]

Watching Night of Champions, I want to know what older fans like 35 and up feel about Main Event caliber matches opening up the PLE/PPVs. WWE has been going it for over a decade for the most part especially at WrestleMania. I know NWA especially Crockett structured there cards to build up to the main event. Basically try to make it impossible for the previous matches to out do the main event or semi main event. Although I do understand you want your main in most cases to be the best match on the card especially if your a territory that heavy on workrate. Nowadays especially since the Network started and WWE PPVs are mainly on their own streaming service they do necessarily have to end at a specific time like when they were strictly on PPV and have to end by a certain time. They can go long and they often do to their detriment. I really enjoyed Rollins vs Styles  and I was thinking that they wouldn't be later than intermission. I know Charlotte and Rhea were bummed that they didn't close the show at Mania but it's not the 90s when the main event was had to close the show. Nowadays most PPVs had 3 main event matches and often one opens the show

[Salads]

If you have multiple big matches that aren't dissimilar in style that risk either outshining each other or burning the crowd out, then I prefer that to sending people out to die as a bathroom break match before the main. If it helps with pacing and prevents matches that viewers have paid to see and may not happen again from being held back due to circumstances on the day, then great.

I don't think it's the best look for a championship to open a show, but I could end up chicken and egging between 'championships aren't presented as important' and 'championships aren't important'.

Personally I've always liked having the almost-main in the middle of the card, followed by some kind of non-wrestling intermission / segment. Gives the card a side A / side B feel, each with its own headliner, plus a natural break point for those viewing live.

[odessasteps]

If all the matches are title matches, one of them has to go first, right? I’d have put a US or IC match first. Maybe they didn’t want the first match to be Ali losing to Gunther ?

[The Natural]

13 hours ago, Shartnado said:

Funny how things change. Back in 2008, screaming YOU-MAGA was referring to a mindless savage. These days... wait a fucking minute, nevermind.

[twiztor]

4 hours ago, Salads said:

I don't think it's the best look for a championship to open a show, but [...]

Personally I've always liked having the almost-main in the middle of the card, followed by some kind of non-wrestling intermission / segment. Gives the card a side A / side B feel, each with its own headliner, plus a natural break point for those viewing live.

it threw me off the first few times i retroactively watched some 80s cards and saw the title match/main event in the middle of the card, but with more context it makes sense. i've definitely come around and agree with @Salads' take(s) now. i've come a long way from "the world title match always needs to close the show, no matter what" take i had many years ago.

[Kevin Wilson]

Hulk Hogan in a recent interview said this:

One of Hogan's career highlights was when he joined forces with Graham, a moment The Hulkster appreciates all these years later when he reflects on his wrestling legacy.

"When we were in Atlanta working for Ted Turner," Hogan said. "They teamed us up. We looked like brothers. He was in prime shape. I was in prime shape. We had the same balding hairline. It was amazing."

So we've established 100 times over that Hogan enjoys making up stories, but I looked on cagematch and see no evidence of anything like this happening. In fact I see no evidence that Billy Graham wrestled again after 1987. Anyone else know anything about it? Was it on some house show nostalgia situation or another Hogan fabrication? I assume its made up, Hogan is a ridiculous person. Although to Hogan's rare credit he has really been putting over Graham in the last week, admitting he stole a few bits off of him and that he was the wrestler he modeled himself after. Which was obvious to us but still nice of him to say.

[Just Adam Bay Bay]

9 hours ago, odessasteps said:

If all the matches are title matches, one of them has to go first, right? I’d have put a US or IC match first. Maybe they didn’t want the first match to be Ali losing to Gunther ?

That’s what I thought was odd about the show. It was Night of Champions yet two of the matches weren’t for championships or even number one contender spots (Trish vs Becky and Brock vs Cody). I think they should have made Seth vs AJ the main event just to make the belt look a bit less like the B team title.