Night of Brock Lesnar

[Niners Fan in CT]

You think AJ is good on the mic but then you watch her in there with Steph and it's like oh..maybe not..

[JRGoldman]

Bryan Alvarez theorized that the reason AJ is getting such a big push despite WWE hating Punk is because they're trying to keep her as busy as possible so she's constantly on the road with title defenses and press interviews and can't be with him nearly as much.

I think this is a bit out there but not totally outside the realm of possibility.

WWE = Homewreckers.

See, I think it's more likely they are doing it to score brownie points with Punk. It probably took him about 45 seconds to realize how much harder it is to have sex with strangers when both you and your wife are sitting at home. I think Punk called up HHH and asked for a solid. Hunter is all about building those bridges.

[Craig H]

I'll also go out on a limb and say that Steph is a WAY better dancer than AJ.

 

Steph wins. Always. Top 3 WWE Diva of all time.

[Craig H]

Also, I'll give Punk the benefit of the doubt. I think he'll be a completely faithful husband. People can change for the right person.

[Big Fresh]

Nikki bugged the shit out of me last night. Holding someone in place for a big move before you do it and screaming "It's over!!!" is a surefire way to telegraph exactly what's gonna happen. And just screaming "Are you kidding me? Did you seriously just do that?" to AJ for breaking up a pin, which happened like 4 times in thatr match before that, is just corny as all hell. She's just doing her moves and doesn't seem to care about the narrative between her moves.

[Nice Guy Eddie]

I'll also go out on a limb and say that Steph is a WAY better dancer than AJ.

Steph wins. Always. Top 3 WWE Diva of all time.

No way. I bet Steph dances like Elaine, with the little kicks and thumbs out.

[Greggulator]

You think AJ is good on the mic but then you watch her in there with Steph and it's like oh..maybe not..

 

Steph's in competition with Bray and Dean as best mic-worker in the company. I won't get mad if anyone says she's actually the best.

[JohnnyJ]

It's hard to make sense of the consistent AJ push. She's been pushed as the top diva and given more screen time than the other divas for what feels like forever. You would think she was massively over or massively talented. I like AJ but wouldn't put her in either of those categories. Before you even get to the Punk stuff you'd think it would make sense for WWE to have the divas division revolve around the talent on Total Divas because that show presumably makes them money.

Now when you consider all of the Punk stuff, knowing how the WWE has treated wrestlers when WWE has beef w someone they're dating (jomo, drew Mac anyone?) it's even harder to get how AJ is the focal point of a pretty stacked division w many more divas on the way.

Part of me thinks the Punk stuff is a shoot that became a work. Punk would be the one person who could pull it off and is probably the best explanation for AJs spot.

[Niners Fan in CT]

I think AJ is pushed to the top because outside of Paige nobody else is quite ready. They have a few good vets but they have given up on them being stars. Just wait until The Boss arrives. She's taking over.

Gregg, you forgot Heyman and Hunter.

[Craig H]

 

I'll also go out on a limb and say that Steph is a WAY better dancer than AJ.

Steph wins. Always. Top 3 WWE Diva of all time.

No way. I bet Steph dances like Elaine, with the little kicks and thumbs out.

 

 

Huh? Steph dances on Raw like one in every three appearances. We already know that the girl's got a rhythm.

[John from Cincinnati]

 

Glad to see Nikki getting some praise in this thread. The Bellas have been woefully unappreciated in the ring for a long time. Especially Nikki. Between those two, Natty, Naomi, and Summer, I don't understand why so many people feel the need to belittle the in-ring bonafides of the Total Divas crew. I suppose not having a tonne of NXT hype aside from Summer and Natty has hurt the collective. And then there's the "too cool for school" thing AJ seems to have going for her in the eyes of many. 

 

Bottom line: Paige and AJ aren't the only two women on the main roster worth watching. I wish more people could see that. 

 

Let me say this:  I could see Ambrose as a main event HEEL.  Main event face?  Not a chance.

 

This talking point feels so last year. 

 

Paige has become a really good character, and there's no way she becomes this solid if she's feuding with any of the Total Divas types.

 

I expect positivity from you, Gregg. Why you gotta hurt me like that? 

 

Haha!

I agree that the woman's division has improved dramatically. Nikki was REALLY good last night. Dare I say she wrestled like early heel Cena? Naomi also is pretty decent. Nattie was really good in NXT and I went from hating her to really enjoying her work. Her good-nature really propelled Tyson Kidd into becoming one of the best dickheads in recent memory.

But then you have Cameron and Eva Marie...

My only problem with woman's division is that there's still some stuff missing from a lot of the woman. The reason why I love AJ as a worker is because she's a really good with facial expressions and the little things that matter -- a well-timed snarky skip, a condescending smirk, etc. She does that really well in the ring. She's also figured out a way to work with her limitations. She's so friggin' tiny and doesn't have the athleticism to do aerial moves. But she's developed herself as someone clever/sneaky in the ring. Her kicks are believable and I really like the Black Widow finisher.

 

She's also light years beyond Nikki and Brie (for example) on the microphone. I know that's not really saying anything, but AJ has been really good for a really long time.

 

Maybe her act isn't for everybody, but she does her act well. (Which is also my pro-CM Punk and Cena arguments: Maybe people don't like the actual act, but they perform their act really well.)

But, yes, kudos to the woman's division for not being a total waste of time in the ring lately.

 

 

To speak more of Natty, I've been to quite a few house shows over the last couple years. She kills it at live events. Love her.  

 

Cameron and Naomi are easy targets, but I hardly think they're worth mentioning. It's not as though they're regularly carted out with the expectation that they'll be working lengthy quality matches. They're Khali-esque non-factors.

 

And yes, AJ's exactly as good as you say. But at the same time, her act is grating on me. That line between crazy and weird (or something like that) was talked about earlier in regards to Ambrose. I'd say AJ is firmly on the wrong side of that line right now. And her Punk-like smugness as though she thinks she can do no wrong just makes it all the harder for me to swallow. But I can see how people would like her.

 

As for the Bellas on the mic, I have no interest in defending them. They're shite. I love them in the ring, but they lose me when they speak.

 

Speaking of the divas not being total wastes in the ring, Emma and Alicia Fox had a couple good matches on Superstars recently. Thank goodness for Main Event and Superstars when it comes to quality, under-the-radar divas action. 

 

To put a bow on this: Divas division: Not as bad as people think!

[JRGoldman]

Stephanie dances like a politician's wife at a campaign trail event.

[evilwaldo]

It's hard to make sense of the consistent AJ push. She's been pushed as the top diva and given more screen time than the other divas for what feels like forever. You would think she was massively over or massively talented. I like AJ but wouldn't put her in either of those categories. Before you even get to the Punk stuff you'd think it would make sense for WWE to have the divas division revolve around the talent on Total Divas because that show presumably makes them money.

Now when you consider all of the Punk stuff, knowing how the WWE has treated wrestlers when WWE has beef w someone they're dating (jomo, drew Mac anyone?) it's even harder to get how AJ is the focal point of a pretty stacked division w many more divas on the way.

Part of me thinks the Punk stuff is a shoot that became a work. Punk would be the one person who could pull it off and is probably the best explanation for AJs spot.

They tried that with the Divas division and Total Divas last year and it did not work so well.

 

The problem comes from having a scripted reality show film months before the live events with no parallel stories.  Last night Brie and Nikki sit down and talk about their husbands in a complete 180 from what is happening on RAW.  Nothing is synced between the two.

 

A month ago we were bemoaning how the Bellas continue to operate a Twitter account together.  

 

I agree that the Divas division is doing some solid stuff and is vastly underrated when you add in NXT but they need more consistency between shows to help get everyone over in the division.

[John from Cincinnati]

This gif's time is now!

 

[Ace]

Psychologically, the week STF makes sense, as Brock kept working Cena's arm.

[Gonzo]

 

 

 

As someone who was anti-Austin during the Attitude Era, yes, I want Brock Lesnar to destroy Steve Austin. And before Lesnar throws the first German Suplex I want him to whisper in Austin's ear "This is for Stacy Keibler, mother fucker."

???

Didn't Austin Stone Cold Stunner Stacy for refusing to drink a beer?

Yes. It was his most disturbing on screen moment in my mind.

 

 

Not sure if I can agree with you on that.

 

[Dog]

Stephanie dances like a politician's wife at a campaign trail event.

 

 

I almost swapped that image for a video of some guy singing a song. #wrestlingbubble

[MADCAP]

Glad to see Nikki getting some praise in this thread. The Bellas have been woefully unappreciated in the ring for a long time. Especially Nikki. Between those two, Natty, Naomi, and Summer, I don't understand why so many people feel the need to belittle the in-ring bonafides of the Total Divas crew. I suppose not having a tonne of NXT hype aside from Summer and Natty has hurt the collective. And then there's the "too cool for school" thing AJ seems to have going for her in the eyes of many. 

 

Bottom line: Paige and AJ aren't the only two women on the main roster worth watching. I wish more people could see that. 

 

Let me say this:  I could see Ambrose as a main event HEEL.  Main event face?  Not a chance.

 

This talking point feels so last year. 

 

 

 

As is the talk about  a main event face run....

[MonteCarl]

RE: Cena's STF. Maybe we all need to stop thinking of it as a facelock that he's supposed to be cranking back on to work the neck and more of a face vice where he's squeezing his opponent's face with his massive forearms. Cena is super jacked, and in that position with his hands locked, he could do some real damage to a dude's cheekbones and orbital sockets if he squeezed hard enough.

[Joe Fixit]

I'm pretty sure a shoot STF is supposed to hurt the lower back. The stepover toehold part - leg being cranked back - is what does the damage. The facelock is just a facelock. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Tromatagon]

Yeah just what wrestling needs

Dudes tapping out because their fucking cheeks hurt

[RandomAct]

You know, I haven't been able to verbalize why I don't like AJ Lee, but you guys nailed it.  The character feels phony and she does have that Punk-like smugness about it.  It's very off-putting.  Very solid in the ring, but I almost never want to watch her.

[Niners Fan in CT]

I've been saying it for weeks and I'm happy others are with me. I don't know if it's the character or the way AJ performs it, but it's the least watchable on WWE right now. Her ring work isn't as good as cena or Sheamus so I will deal with their bullshit a little more..

[Cristobal]

Again not unlike Punk, the smarminess of the character was great as a heel, but she really hasn't changed things up for the turn, so she's in character-limbo.

[THEmanWITHnoNAME]

Fucking cop out booking. Vince protecting Cena from another job. That was fucking incredible until the finish. Also Cesaro/Sheamus was bad ass even though Sheamus won.

 

Yep...as I've said before...Vince can't die soon enough. Same goes for Lawler.