JCM Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 RefMattyD570, on 25 Feb 2015 - 10:20 PM, said:RefMattyD570, on 25 Feb 2015 - 10:20 PM, said: L_W_P, on 25 Feb 2015 - 6:06 PM, said:L_W_P, on 25 Feb 2015 - 6:06 PM, said: If Roman Reigns was in Cena's position chasing Rusev he would be getting great reactions from everyone. That's the level he is at right now - Upper midcarder being prepped for "The Push" It's not a 'We want Bryan' thing. It's a 'Roman isn't ready' thing. I almost wonder if this would have been smart to do when they did the "Shield has all the belts" thing - rather than making Ambrose the US Champ, maybe they should have made Reigns the US Champ and gave Ambrose and Rollins the tag belts. That would have forced Reigns to get that singles experience and made him more prepared in-ring for the push he's getting right now. He would've been badly exposed in singles on tv at that time. He should've been working more singles matches on house shows before the break up. They knew what the end game was for the Shield, and that Reigns was going to get a big push. There's no excuse for not getting him more singles time at house shows before the break up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattdangerously Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Hey! It's that shitty joke! I wasn't making a joke. It's pretty clear they're willing to sacrifice Brock and Taker for Reigns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skelemania Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Whatever, beat it into the ground now 'cause you know it pisses him off. Gotta keep Roman strong. Gotta keep Roman strong. Gotta keep Roman strong. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Comedian Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I think the biggest thing people don't seem to get in the whole Bryan vs. Reigns thing is this: WWE isn't looking for a guy who can main event WrestleMania in 2015. They're looking for a guy who will be there to main event WrestleMania in 2025. Tht ain't Bryan. And they'll sacrifice Bryan now to get that train started for Reigns. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nature Boy Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Given how stale Cena is now, WWE really needs to stop trying to find a guy who can carry the company for a decade plus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig H Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I think the biggest thing people don't seem to get in the whole Bryan vs. Reigns thing is this: WWE isn't looking for a guy who can main event WrestleMania in 2015. They're looking for a guy who will be there to main event WrestleMania in 2025. Tht ain't Bryan. And they'll sacrifice Bryan now to get that train started for Reigns. Again, this makes no sense. Reigns is 4 years older than Daniel Bryan, not to mention that this is a company that planned on having a 40+ year old Batista headline WM last year. There's also nothing showing that Reigns' longevity will be any longer than Bryan's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mco543 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Reigns is 29 and Bryan is 33 with a fuckton of miles on him. If Roman stays as healthy as any other top tier guy there is no reason to think he can't have a John Cena-like run on top and main event until he's in his late 30's. The only difference is that with Roman they have a guy who they can turn back and fourth and have him main event as a heel. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy LaRue Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I think the biggest thing people don't seem to get in the whole Bryan vs. Reigns thing is this: WWE isn't looking for a guy who can main event WrestleMania in 2015. They're looking for a guy who will be there to main event WrestleMania in 2025. Tht ain't Bryan. And they'll sacrifice Bryan now to get that train started for Reigns. Yep. It's no accident that the four guys Vince named as future superstars during his Stone Cold podcast (The Shield and Bray Wyatt) are all under the age of 30. Barring something unforseen, they'll be around for 10-12 years. With his neck surgery, things look cloudier with Bryan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muhammedboehm Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 But doesn't Roman have a key move in his move set that had more often then not lead to guys needing neck surgery? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oh_tag Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 But who the hell wants a guy who's gonna main event for 10 years? It's been dull enough with Cena and Orton, but Reigns is a lot worse. Main eventers don't need to last anywhere near that long. Austin and Rock were just a few years each. There's no reason Bryan couldn't have had that role while they let someone naturally grow into the next guy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mco543 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 As a promoter or owner, why wouldn't you want a guy who could main event and be placed at the top of the card for a decade? Forget how you personally feel about Roman, why wouldn't you want that? Austin, Shawn, and Rock seem like exceptions to the rule as far as tenure as main eventers and those were extenuating circumstances; crippling injuries and becoming a Hollywood megastar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Meltzer had a great piece on the Bryan/Reigns situation, I suggest everyone find it one way or another. coughcoughreddit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy LaRue Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Ideally, you want a few guys at the top at any given time. If Reigns, Rollins, Ambrose, and Wyatt all hit--the table is set and they can have other guys float in and out at the top as needed on short runs for variety. Not to mention that Orton will still be around. There's a place for Bryan in that. Whether his hardcore fans will be satisfied with that is another story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nature Boy Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I'm still wondering where Cena fits into all of that. He's still in his late 30s, no reason to think that he can't go for at least 5-7 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra Commander Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 the WWE should get Bill Walton a guest commentating spot on Wrestlemania, just because 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy LaRue Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Cena will be there. I think he eventually becomes a hybrid of Hogan and Undertaker, being an ambassador while working in the ring part-time. We'll still be able to see him (corny pun intended). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCM Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 mco543, on 25 Feb 2015 - 10:58 PM, said:Reigns is 29 and Bryan is 33 with a fuckton of miles on him. If Roman stays as healthy as any other top tier guy there is no reason to think he can't have a John Cena-like run on top and main event until he's in his late 30's. The only difference is that with Roman they have a guy who they can turn back and fourth and have him main event as a heel. Actually there are several reasons to think he can't have a John Cena like run. Let's start with the fact that no one besides maybe a few hundred women at each show even care about him. Then there's the fact he's no where near Cena's level of charisma, and is no where near Cena on the mic. Maybe one day he'll be a great big match worker, but as of now he's no where near Cena in that regard either. This is the most forced and unnatural push to being "the guy" that I've ever seen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mco543 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I'm talking strictly about longevity on top and I don't think Roman is that far off, if he even is, from where Cena was when he got the nod. I'm seeing the exact same criticisms of each; can't work, needs to be overly protected in the ring, pushed down our throats, smarks revolting, etc. Can Roman be the next Cena? I have no idea but as he continues to progress and get comfortable with and grow into his role I don't see any reason why he can't if he stays as healthy as the average top tier guy. Of course there's a million variables and things could change in a second and who knows Finn Balor or someone may come onto the main roster and catch fire with everyone but if WWE is planning the next decade with Roman as a face of the company they backed a good horse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Dave's article was the typical rambling, yet sometimes insightful mess he's made a career producing. There were some really good nuggets of history in it, but I'm not on board with Dave's main point. While I think Vince has broken the will of some of the fans who thought they could get Bryan into another Mania main event, I just don't see this as the end for him as a top guy. Unless Roman manages to find that magical charisma elixir in the next few months, his title... reign will be a miserable disaster and they'll have to scuttle it. I'm not saying Bryan will be the guy they turn to, but he'll be there and the fans will still love him. I think writing him off due to the fan reaction in Memphis and Nashville on back-to-back nights is poor inductive reasoning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Wow, that Meltzer read was depressing. EDIT: And sadly gives more fuel to THIS FUCKING ARGUMENT WHICH SEEMS TO BE ENDLESS AND IS USURPING MULTIPLE THREADS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 And while Cristobal and quite a few have reached apathetic points of fandom in regards to WWE, how many would come back should Vince come to the conclusion that Roman isn't nearly ready for the top spot? I've stopped watching Raw and Smackdown but read the threads on here and check out the Uproxx reviews to see if there was anything worth tracking down in isolated segments. While I've accepted that Vince's show isn't for me at this time and released my anxiety and will to nitpick, I know that it won't always be like this. Edit: Also, I foresee a smark Mania crowd chanting for Bryan during the main event and cheering Lesnar on regardless of him staying or leaving. I just don't see that many smart fans accepting the story they're telling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Huh, ESPN is doing a 30 for 30 short (unfortunately) on the Von Erichs. That should be absolutely heartbreaking. I know I broke down into tears when Gary described Kerry's death and I wasn't even a fan of his. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Lord Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 And while Cristobal and quite a few have reached apathetic points of fandom in regards to WWE, how many would come back should Vince come to the conclusion that Roman isn't nearly ready for the top spot? I've stopped watching Raw and Smackdown but read the threads on here and check out the Uproxx reviews to see if there was anything worth tracking down in isolated segments. While I've accepted that Vince's show isn't for me at this time and released my anxiety and will to nitpick, I know that it won't always be like this. Edit: Also, I foresee a smark Mania crowd chanting for Bryan during the main event and cheering Lesnar on regardless of him staying or leaving. I just don't see that many smart fans accepting the story they're telling. When it comes down to it that's the problem. Poor story telling. Aside from Roman coming from the equivalent of The Kennedy's of wrestling (minus the tragedies), they've never really given us a reason as to why we should cheer for him. Oh well it's cause he's the chosen one. Yeah well WHY is he the chosen one. What does he have that deserves this over someone else say like Ziggler who was a fuck ton way more over post Survivor Series and people could have gotten into him winning the Rumble. We can blame the writers all we want. But in the end, Vince is the show runner. He decides what is what and he hasn't given us a compelling reason to root for Roman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mco543 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 The Meltzer piece is like just about every other Meltzer piece, fascinating historical nuggets and a lot of stuff I disagree with and find incoherent. It made me feel like I was back in school proof reading stuff for other students so it had that going for it. I'm sure there's wrestling fans who subscribe to the Observer that would offer to proof or edit Dave's writing for free, not necessarily random news pieces or whatever but op-eds like that, they would certainly benefit from it. I'm looking forward to the Von Erich piece but with at least 3 detailed documentaries and numerous books already out there about World Class and the tragedies that befell the promotion and family, I'm not expecting anything more than a rehash and recap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranesi Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Reading that piece it does make me remember just how much of a great spot they should have been in with Reigns. Young, tough but untested and they had a year to have the evil monster destroy the village while the young naive hero gradually came of age and learned and grew and gathered strength by going out on his own until he was suddenly asked to save everyone from the monster. It should have been a goddamn perfect epic. The injury hurt. I wonder if they had just reset the clock and not forced the payday to be at Mania. Mania could have been Brock's final destruction or Cena, or his dismantling of Bryan, or hell both of them at once in a triple threat...while Roman's story was kept separate as he grew into the role. "What about Roman?" "Reigns? He's not ready. Nah. Cena and Bryan can defeat the monster..." And then they're both dead and the kid is all that's left. But that contract had them locked in. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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