Greggulator Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I think the Rusev stuff with Dolph and Lana is fine. Rusev is absurdly great right now. He's one of the best comedy actors of this or any other generation and fully committed in the abusive, possessive creep role. There has been some funny stuff from Lana, like when she said she and Dolph like to read books together at some point. Like the two of them are cuddling in bed exchanging thought on Philip Roth or Nobokov or what have you. I liked it when Dolph called Rusev a scumbag a few weeks ago, too. Because Rusev is being an epic scumbag.I wish Summer Rae's motivation was more clear. Like, why would any woman want to date Rusev right now? The only explanation is that Summer Rae is a total attention whore and wants to get TV time. I did love Rusev saying "hot Summer" before gentlemanly kissing her hand as she swooned. She has great facial expressions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go2Sleep Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 The biggest problem is "cloud nine head over heels in love" Dolph is vomit-inducingly bad. I do admire Rusev's work, though. He's the name-actor who realizes he's in a shitty production and commits to hamming it up the entire way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 The extent of Dolph's reading material is probably Maxim and whatever that fitness mag was that had Vince on the cover. And his scripts. Burgundy's right, they shouldn't have went with the easy sell. "Everyone knows they're together in real life! And besides, the audience expects them to be even if they aren't, right? Because Lana's too hot to just be smart." EDIT: Muscle and Fitness, duh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 The biggest problem is "cloud nine head over heels in love" Dolph is vomit-inducingly bad. I do admire Rusev's work, though. He's the name-actor who realizes he's in a shitty production and commits to hamming it up the entire way. Rusev is the Peter Cushing of WWE. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Man Known as Dan Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I really liked the U.S. Open Challenge at the start. A lot of good matches. The problem I see is this - Savage-Steamboat was awesome because you didn't see Savage-Steamboat type matches every week. Cena has a Savage-Steamboat every fucking time. Awesome, there's going to be 35 near falls. It isn't special if it's every fucking week. I get it that I'm an asshole for bitching about Great matches. This actually got me thinking. I don't think what you are saying is really a threat, because great matches to a live crowd are still gonna be great matches. But man, did the WWE dig there own grave last year without any assistance from anyone by having a fucking amazing Mania to Mania stretch the year before. Think of it this way. The SHIELD, Bryans rise, the Wyatts being awesome, Cesaro eventually breaking out while being in a pretty good team in the Real Americans. Tons of great stuff. And the only thing I can come up with that was even close to that grouping from the last Mania to Mania stretch is Rusev. No wonder crowds seem even more dead then usual in the last while: They got used to be super fucking into the great matches, and then they kinda stopped having great matches week to week like they used to. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamal Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 The Rusev angle is so bad. We're supposed to be against Rusev because he's a sexist oaf, but he's the only one who's 100% nailing his role. This story is just wrong on a variety of levels. Obviously, it would be worlds better if they had left the romance aspect out of it. Just have Lana continue as the no-nosense manager who cuts ties with Rusev--not so much because he lost to Cena, but because he's clearly losing focus with his erratic and boorish behavior. Lana looks for another client and comes across Ziggler, who she sees as popular and talented, but a bit daft. He's ripe for the professional picking, and easier to control in her eyes. They could have even went meta with her prodding Ziggler about now being in the main event, despite his great showing at Survivor Series in order to get him to sign to her newly formed sports agency. That would have been a great time to freshen up Dolph's look, too. Meanwhile, Rusev is wondering aimlessly across the WWE universe, and gets injured to boot. He's about to give up on his career--when in comes Summer Rae who, when written for semi-properly, is pretty savvy. She too knows a business opportunity when it's in front of her, and works to rebuild Rusev into the feared monster who once rode into WM on a tank. Each lady has their client tear through their opponents until they meet around now, and build toward SummerSlam. It could have been so interesting watching two gorgeous women compete in business, and something that could be called on again in the future. But they went for the easy catfight angle. What a waste. This would have been awesome and done wonders for Summer's character, who has floundered since the Fandango/Layla mess. I gotta say that I am starting to dig this Paige vs Team Bellas feud. I only hope that creative keeps Team Bellas as heels. The crowd is already becoming more and more pro-Paige. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 The bigger problem with the Open Challenge is that someone eventually has to... ya know... win it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 He could vacate the title when he inevitably wins the world championship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eivion Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Do people not think Owens is walking out of Battleground as the US champ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSmUgly Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 What I like about the Open Challenge is that Cena taking on this sort of schedule where he's fighting dudes who are throwing their Wrestlemania-level game at him each week, and each week it wears him down more and more. That explains all the WWE Epic-style matches from a logical standpoint. It also helps those matches make sense in terms of how their constructed - the challenger is throwing bombs to try and beat the possible GOAT, Cena is throwing bombs in the process of trying to fight off these young lions. Everything just works so well (though I think the announcers could do more to point out that Cena is becoming more vulnerable as the months go by because of the challenge he's invited upon himself). I feel like pretty much everyone involved in this angle has been elevated, which is a rare thing in today's WWE. Owens winning the title at Battleground is going to be a great way to finish this whole thing off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cristobal Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 He absolutely should. The whole point in getting the NXT title off of him is so he can be on the roster full-time, and heel US champ who unseated The Man to do it is a perfect position for him. So yeah, we think Cena's gonna overcome the odds. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godfrey Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I've come to think of the US Open Challenge as Cena vs the Internet and while Cena has been victorious so far, in reality we're all winning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_MJ_ Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) Lana turns on Ziggler and rejoins with Rusev w/Summer. Rusev yells, "I'll take them both!" in Russian while the camera fades to black before Summer and Lana can make out. PG era still in tact. Ziggler beats up Tommy Dreamer for a number of weeks on Smackdown. I wrote all this to say: they really should have just kept Lana heel for a bit longer. Edited July 9, 2015 by _MJ_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skelemania Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Lana doesn't work as a babyface. Dolph doesn't work as a babyface. Them both being babyfaces with a generic love angle slapped on top of it is just Jerry Springer levels of shit TV. Lana was one of the only things WWE was doing right. Same with Rusev and Brock. Now Lana and Rusev are floundering and Brock is getting beatdowns from Kane & Joey Mercury. Heh. Good things never last! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy LaRue Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Brock got to whup up on J&J, along with their tricked-out car and Rusev caved in Ziggler's throat. JUSTICE! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goc Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Rusev is going to be better off in the long run without Lana. I said it before and I'll keep on saying it because I think that he is a better promo than she is AND he will get more heel heat without her. Lana is a completely dead in the water character without Rusev though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bink_winkleman Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 You know how on Always Sunny, Sweet Dee is supposed to look nasty but really she's hot? I think she's supposed to kayfabe look like Summer Rae. And holy shit, was that not some of the most worthless fucking announcing I've ever experienced with no one freaking out about Rusev taking off the boot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick B. Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I wonder if, at any point in the past few days, Titus O'Neil received an unmarked gift box containing a single bar of soap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice Guy Eddie Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I wonder if, at any point in the past few days, Titus O'Neil received an unmarked gift box containing a single bar of soap. Why? Did Titus get shitdick after raping JBL on commentary? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Lord Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 You know how on Always Sunny, Sweet Dee is supposed to look nasty but really she's hot? I think she's supposed to kayfabe look like Summer Rae. And holy shit, was that not some of the most worthless fucking announcing I've ever experienced with no one freaking out about Rusev taking off the boot. I thought the boot thing was great. But knowing how the annoucers work, Vince was probably screaming IGNORE IT...IT WASN'T IMPORTANT. I can sort of see Sweet Dee and Summer Rae. If they were smart, Rusev would have her start dressing like Lana. I swear I heard Rusev say Summer was a good submissive (which is something they probably won't explore). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice Guy Eddie Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 A BDSM dom/sub relationship with Rusev and Summer Rae is exactly the way to go. I want Rusev leading her around by leash and collar on all fours with Summer dressed in full latex bodysuit and gas mask. Damn TV-PG and stockholders from preventing that from ever happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I think he meant submissive more in the "woman knows her place" misogynistic way, not the BDSM way. *hums "Under My Thumb" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice Guy Eddie Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I think he meant submissive more in the "woman knows her place" misogynistic way, not the BDSM way. *hums "Under My Thumb" I'm sure that's how it was meant, but that's not how I want to interpret it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Ray Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Warning: picture of stitches.... https://twitter.com/WWENoble/status/618608721615298560 Poor Jamie.... he needs Seth to get out of this feud with Brock asap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kafkonia Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 But hey Brock's not reckless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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