caley Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Everyone's crazy over Ambrose, but does his gimmick really work in the PG-era? I think all he really has to to stay over is act nuts and not like a sissy. That pop when he said "That all you got?" to Kane/Orton/Rollins last week was the sound of a crowd sick of being pandered to, sick of watching goodie-goodies turn the other cheek, sick of watching superhuman guys make superhuman comebacks. There's something relatable in the fact that Ambrose isn't that big, that ripped, that good-looking, but comes back again and again. So, yeah, it really could work in the PG-era. It probably won't because WWE will likely screw it up and have him turn on Reigns, but it COULD work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Ken Erico Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 PG isn't the problem. It's creative that has nothing for us. Aren't they all supposed to be hollywood writers? Or just people,who wrote a play in school once and somehow ended up with a job in WWE,because actual hollywood writers are too expensive. If your gimmick is just guy who swears alot,because we are not pg and can say those things,it has no depth to it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nature Boy Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 FYI: SmackDown has been PG since it began in 1999. PG isn't THAT big of a constraint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 That awards show was HORRIBLE! The only highlight was Punk telling Billy Corgan to tell Colt Cabana, "Hi." HA. This is actually funnier than just a pipe bomb reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I don't see apathy in his ring work at all. Character on the other hand... Guess you didn't catch those matches with RVD. It's RVD. Of course I didn't. Who the fuck willingly watches RVD in 2014? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nature Boy Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 The sad thing about Alberto is that he's a legitimately charismatic guy but WWE seems reluctant to push him again. They need to give him his car back and give him a valet. Eva Marie isn't doing anything, just have her Alberto's arm candy for a while. Let him be the rich, aristocratic heel again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I still think he's one of the best wrestler's in the company. There's just no story to him any more. He's become just a guy on the roster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I absolutely love him bell to bell. The way he just relentlessly targets a body part (usually the arm, but the time it was Dolph's head was glorious) and never lets up is amongst my very favorite things on WWE tv. And when he just effortlessly slipped back into babyface during the EC match with Bootista was amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Fresh Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Rumblings are WWE is considering suing Punk. I say there's no chance it'll happen, but it's fun to think about. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PetrolCB Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 He should've just parked at Titan Towers and locked his keys inside his car when he decided to just stop showing up. He might not have got himself into a legal situation if this were planned better. That, or show up to TVs and gut a fish in the Gorilla Position. Either scenarios are good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nature Boy Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Rumblings are WWE is considering suing Punk. I say there's no chance it'll happen, but it's fun to think about. This is clearly a tactic to get him to come back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 The old Vince would have just made AJ's life hell and put her in an on-screen romance with I don't know, Bastian Booger? Boogeyman? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Ape Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I didn't want to start a new thread for this because I don't think this deserves one, but you know, I'm starting to feel like wrestling's passed me by, and whatever WWE's slinging just isn't for me anymore. It sucks because I've been a wrestling fan since 1996, to such a degree that it's shaped my perspective on the world. I used to keep it under my vest for YEARS, only to find out when my friends and I were adults, that they were fans too. I never got to watch an ECW show live (I was a kid then, and my folks would have never let me go to that nuthouse), which is one of my biggest regrets, but WWE, WCW, I went to almost every show that came to Philly for many years. I met one of my best friends at a Bret Hart DVD signing. But now, I guess I'm jaded and just fed up with what's going on these days. Like I said in a previous post, I've become the token "Vince is the devil" smark, with the aversion to giving him a dime anymore, and all I can muster up as excitement goes these days is the occasional "told ya" whenever the WWE does what I expect them to do, and hearty laughs at TNA's own ineptitude. A friend, the same I met at the Bret signing, who has even let me use his WWE Network account, suggested I start taking a different approach to watching wrestling, to re-evaluate how, and even WHY I watch it (this was after a breakdown I had when I made an off-hand comment on how Davey Richards and I have some common ground, only to realize how accurate that was). And that it was possible that I've simply outgrown it. Yikes. That was a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notoriusvig Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Damien Sandow has to be one of the most idiotic guys in wrestling. This guy keeps dressing up like a tool, hoping to gain respect or something, only to get the shit kicked out of him. Then, instead of giving up and figuring it's not worth it, he continues to do it and he keeps getting shut down. Does he just figure "today's the day it might work?" What does he have to gain by dressing up like an idiot? I thought he was supposed to be an intellectual but he seems more like a dumb idiot. The average wrestling fan would've given up a long time ago. He has less intelligence than a wrestling fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSmUgly Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I definitely haven't lost my love of wrestling, and at this point in my life, it will never happen, but watching tons of World Class and WCW/NWA on the Network makes me wish there were a stridently southern wrestling organization again. The South does three things better than everyone else: food, jazz, and pro wres. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buy Me a Burrito Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 You guys are full of hyperbole. If you like wrestling, as in the stuff that happens in the ring, the WWE is doing some pretty awesome stuff. Yes, creative isn't the best right now. I think that is a mixture of Vince losing touch and the please-shareholders-at-all-costs environment of the WWE right now. But the in-ring stuff might be better than it has been in a while. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I didn't want to start a new thread for this because I don't think this deserves one, but you know, I'm starting to feel like wrestling's passed me by, and whatever WWE's slinging just isn't for me anymore. It sucks because I've been a wrestling fan since 1996, to such a degree that it's shaped my perspective on the world. I used to keep it under my vest for YEARS, only to find out when my friends and I were adults, that they were fans too. I never got to watch an ECW show live (I was a kid then, and my folks would have never let me go to that nuthouse), which is one of my biggest regrets, but WWE, WCW, I went to almost every show that came to Philly for many years. I met one of my best friends at a Bret Hart DVD signing. But now, I guess I'm jaded and just fed up with what's going on these days. Like I said in a previous post, I've become the token "Vince is the devil" smark, with the aversion to giving him a dime anymore, and all I can muster up as excitement goes these days is the occasional "told ya" whenever the WWE does what I expect them to do, and hearty laughs at TNA's own ineptitude. A friend, the same I met at the Bret signing, who has even let me use his WWE Network account, suggested I start taking a different approach to watching wrestling, to re-evaluate how, and even WHY I watch it (this was after a breakdown I had when I made an off-hand comment on how Davey Richards and I have some common ground, only to realize how accurate that was). And that it was possible that I've simply outgrown it. Yikes. That was a lot. Have you considered watching more of these guys? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nature Boy Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 The old Vince would have just made AJ's life hell and put her in an on-screen romance with I don't know, Bastian Booger? Boogeyman? Vince has gone soft. The old Vince would've put HIMSELF in an on-screen romance with AJ. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victator Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I didn't want to start a new thread for this because I don't think this deserves one, but you know, I'm starting to feel like wrestling's passed me by, and whatever WWE's slinging just isn't for me anymore. It sucks because I've been a wrestling fan since 1996, to such a degree that it's shaped my perspective on the world. I used to keep it under my vest for YEARS, only to find out when my friends and I were adults, that they were fans too. I never got to watch an ECW show live (I was a kid then, and my folks would have never let me go to that nuthouse), which is one of my biggest regrets, but WWE, WCW, I went to almost every show that came to Philly for many years. I met one of my best friends at a Bret Hart DVD signing. But now, I guess I'm jaded and just fed up with what's going on these days. Like I said in a previous post, I've become the token "Vince is the devil" smark, with the aversion to giving him a dime anymore, and all I can muster up as excitement goes these days is the occasional "told ya" whenever the WWE does what I expect them to do, and hearty laughs at TNA's own ineptitude. A friend, the same I met at the Bret signing, who has even let me use his WWE Network account, suggested I start taking a different approach to watching wrestling, to re-evaluate how, and even WHY I watch it (this was after a breakdown I had when I made an off-hand comment on how Davey Richards and I have some common ground, only to realize how accurate that was). And that it was possible that I've simply outgrown it. Yikes. That was a lot. You are just burnt out, take a break. You'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Ape Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I didn't want to start a new thread for this because I don't think this deserves one, but you know, I'm starting to feel like wrestling's passed me by, and whatever WWE's slinging just isn't for me anymore. It sucks because I've been a wrestling fan since 1996, to such a degree that it's shaped my perspective on the world. I used to keep it under my vest for YEARS, only to find out when my friends and I were adults, that they were fans too. I never got to watch an ECW show live (I was a kid then, and my folks would have never let me go to that nuthouse), which is one of my biggest regrets, but WWE, WCW, I went to almost every show that came to Philly for many years. I met one of my best friends at a Bret Hart DVD signing. But now, I guess I'm jaded and just fed up with what's going on these days. Like I said in a previous post, I've become the token "Vince is the devil" smark, with the aversion to giving him a dime anymore, and all I can muster up as excitement goes these days is the occasional "told ya" whenever the WWE does what I expect them to do, and hearty laughs at TNA's own ineptitude. A friend, the same I met at the Bret signing, who has even let me use his WWE Network account, suggested I start taking a different approach to watching wrestling, to re-evaluate how, and even WHY I watch it (this was after a breakdown I had when I made an off-hand comment on how Davey Richards and I have some common ground, only to realize how accurate that was). And that it was possible that I've simply outgrown it. Yikes. That was a lot. Have you considered watching more of these guys? Iiiiiii'm afraid I don't follow you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Indeed, from a match stand point the WWE is doing stellar stuff for the last few years. However, for some, the story going into and out of the match becomes kind of important. Seeing Daniel Bryan win at Wrestlemania was probably among the greatest feel good moments in the company's history. Part of that was because of the storyline that Lil B+ Player wasn't supposed to be anywhere near that main event. He wasn't supposed to cleanly defeat Triple H after kicking out of a Pedigree. He wasn't supposed to overcome two seemingly genetically engineered dream WWE prototype wrestlers. Now, if you watch say Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan without any backstory, you'll still get a really good match. Just like if you just watch Oberyn vs. The Mountain from Game of Thrones you'll still have a crazy experience. But you throw in everything leading up to it and the experience is exponentially better. Alberto Del Rio matches are great in a vacuum. But once you factor in that he does nothing, will go nowhere, and has nothing going on, whether he wins or loses means little - other than Kewl Match, Bro. People talk about the rasslin' business being cyclical from a financial standpoint. I think it's more apt that wrestling is cyclical in terms of a company having a fucking story that's interesting. WWE's cycle moves kind of quickly. Sometimes so quickly that you can go from being "HOLY SHIT THE BOOM PERIOD IS BACK PIPE BOMB~!" to "HOLY SHIT THIS COMPANY HATES MONEY PUNK EATING JACKNIFE POWER BOMBS~!" in a matter of weeks. Hell it's so fast the Daniel Bryan's story went from "Bryan Beat Cena EVERYTHING IS AWESOME" to "FUCK THIS BORETON MOTHERFUCKER I HATE THIS COMPANY" to "Daniel Bryan is going to win the Rumble!" to "BOOTISTA GODDAMN IT" to "OH MY GOD HE DID IT." over the course of several months. Sometimes the the height of the cycle coincides with a good pay off and it's great. Sometimes it's the fucking Nexus angle. This is of course the thought process one has when sticking with the WWE. I just watch ANYTHING else during the down periods and comeback when the good stories come back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Ape Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I'll be honest; I didn't even bother watching Mania because there was no way I could be sure the whole shebang wouldn't end with HHH winning the belt, or even Cena doing a Hulk-Hogan-at-WrestleMania-IX and winning it from Orton. The matches are good (and have been consistently improving since... I'd say around 2005 or so, once Vince got his bodybuilder fetish under control and we all started fawning over Superstars matches), but the storylines are at best incoherent and inconsistent to the point where you aren't sure what the hell kind of story they want to tell (hell, sometimes it feels like THEY'RE not so sure themselves), and at worst Hornswoggle as anonymous GM. I think that's what my thing is. I already watch puro and the occasional INTERNET MATCH OF THE YEAR in a vacuum, but when it comes to the 'E I want to be able to follow along. Someone suggested lucha for that reason (it wouldn't be as much an issue following that because I actually speak a little Spanish), but I haven't really been able to buy into it beyond the flippy-do stuff (which it admittedly does exceptionally well). And really, watching nothing but matches in a vacuum is a lot like watching fight scenes from movies in a vacuum; kinda cool, but it seems like it's missing the point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick B. Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I sympathize with you, Super Ape. I'm feeling the same way these days. WWE's in-ring product is as good as it's ever been, but I just can't bring myself to care about the storylines any more. Last night was the first time in years that I just went to bed early rather than watch Raw live all the way through. Admittedly, I overload myself and have probably burned myself out...I watch WWE, TNA, ROH, and all the indy feds in my area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I'll be the first to admit that WWE's been shit lately but to be so excited headed towards Mania and for that show to deliver to now GIVE UP on watching only a few months later? That's extreme. Yes, WWE was dealt a shitty hand with Bryan and Barrett going down with injuries. Yes, creative has done nothing with Wyatt and Cesaro. It's all very frustrating but as others have stated, there is still a lot of good shit going on inside the ring and I think they'll bounce back and have a nice SummerSlam. I thought Battleground was pretty awful but then I watched RAW and they sucked me back in because Heyman/Lesnar is just TOO GOOD.. That promo was awesome. The stuff with HHH/Stephanie was pretty funny too but not for everyone. Cesaro/Ambrose had a sweet match. It'll turn back around guys. I think my biggest gripe is that they cannot keep the momentum going. They have a few great months and follow it up with crap. Then they do something cool again. Then more crap. There's no consistency and I think that starts with Vince because stories and characters are dropped left and right with no explanation. His fingers are glued to the panic button. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Austin Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I'm with you guys while match quality the WWE is doing good stuff, I'm not really interested. I get my wrestling joy watching the independent shows that are on YouTube now. Though I have to say, the thread reliving AJ in the 90's has me going back and rewatching those matches posted, though I suck as a writer and match analyst so I just read the postings and enjoy them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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