Go2Sleep Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 1 hour ago, Eivion said: Cena being around affected neither guy much as they were mostly on separate shows with Rey losing his spot more due to injuries. Taker and Shawn already had large roles when Cena was around. Angle would have been tossed just same as he was before. Joe didn't want to go to WWE at the time. And Nigel's health was what kept him from joining. Honestly, I think the only thing you might be right on is Punk getting a faster push. Cena, Eddie, and Rey were on SD together for nearly 3 years. Cena only went to Raw about 6 months before Eddie died. Without Cena around, Rey would've likely been in the main event scene a lot sooner, as they would've been struggling for younger high-end babyfaces. Taker and Shawn had big roles, sure, but without Cena, they'd have been even bigger, specifically having more and longer title runs. Shawn only held a main belt for one month in 2002 for the entirety of his second run. Maybe Angle still does himself in, but I can't imagine he isn't better protected in a hypothetical Cena-less world. Don't know about Joe, he didn't seem happy with TNA, so that's why I threw his name in. Like I said, I don't think they would've considered him anyway. Nigel's health rejection came a lot later if I remember right, like 2009-ish. If they wanted (and again I don't think they would have), they could've gotten him before he was completely wrecked. Of course this all just a fun thought experiment. No one really knows what things would look like, but I just can't imagine all the guys that were close to the top wouldn't have had bigger roles if the company ace from that time frame wasn't there. Someone would have to fill the void. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eivion Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 Cena wasn't a main event guy until the end of his time on SD. Rey didn't get pushed more because of size, and I think Eddie's reign failed to deliver ratings and house show wise if I recall correctly. Also Taker was on a different show or injured the vast majority of time Cena has been on top. Quote Of course this all just a fun thought experiment. No one really knows what things would look like, but I just can't imagine all the guys that were close to the top wouldn't have had bigger roles if the company ace from that time frame wasn't there. Someone would have to fill the void. Maybe, but I'm pretty sure they would have mostly tried to focus more on the other younger guys they were bringing up or just put Batista in the role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxB Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 Nigel's health problem wasn't related to his body wearing down (and whilst he has post-concussion issues, those weren't a big deal ten years ago). His health problem is Hepatitis B. So if WWE had signed him before he contracted his illness, he wouldn't have got sick in the first place probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go2Sleep Posted August 4, 2016 Share Posted August 4, 2016 Cena didn't get the main belt until the end of his SD run, but he was on that path for most of 2004. I don't know if JBL gets a 10 month reign if there wasn't such an obvious guy to make with a big win at Mania. SD would've been scrambling hard for a decent face without Cena. Not sure if Rey could've made a move then or not, but without an obvious future superstar, they might have been more inclined to try something different. I assume Brock not sticking around is a given in this scenario, otherwise he's the ace forever. Agree that Batista would've been a bigger focus too, even though he was injured as much as anyone during that time frame. He would almost certainly stay the face of Raw instead of flipping shows with Cena in 05. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTTW Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 In regards to there being no Cena, I think Dave and Bryan were talking about how no one else they have is really at his level. All the guys mentioned so far have a wide range of issues that would have probably kept them from being "the guy" for more than 6 months and outside of Punk, I don't recall any of them moving as much merchandise as Cena did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivpvideos Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 10 hours ago, J.T. said: So, what are you DMV dudes doing on the 28th? I went to this Mania weekend in Dallas and it was pretty dissapointing. His opener went 45, he went 45 telling about six stories. Three of them I had heard before in either his HOF speech or elsewhere and one was really terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zakk_Sabbath Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 I honestly think we're all way, way off and this no-Cena alternate reality is WrestleMania headlined by Luther Reigns vs. Carlito for the WWE title Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zev Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 No Cena means Jeff Hardy gets a lengthy title run. And Matt somehow gets Broken 5 years earlier. Was the Hardy-Taker ladder match before or after Cena first showed up though? I don't remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 Cena debuted 3 days before that ladder match. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyLaw Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 I now want to play an EWR scenario where John Cena gets fired right before that Halloween Smackdown. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 14 hours ago, ivpvideos said: I went to this Mania weekend in Dallas and it was pretty dissapointing. His opener went 45, he went 45 telling about six stories. Three of them I had heard before in either his HOF speech or elsewhere and one was really terrible. I didn't expect a Jake The Snake forum to be uplifting but I sure don't want to slit my wrists by the end of the evening either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PetrolCB Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 That's what happens when you wanna play 21. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivpvideos Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 51 minutes ago, J.T. said: I didn't expect a Jake The Snake forum to be uplifting but I sure don't want to slit my wrists by the end of the evening either. They were for the most part happy stories about life on the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted August 5, 2016 Author Share Posted August 5, 2016 Ryback is officially done with the WWE Per WON Quote The Big Guy has wished WWE the best in their future endeavors. Ryback announced on his Instagram this afternoon that he is officially done with WWE from this point forward. He thanked all of the wrestlers he has been in the ring with, and announced that he is launching a website and will continue working a full wrestling schedule. Ryback last competed inside of a WWE ring earlier this year in a match against Kalisto for the United States Championship at Payback on May 1st. Dave Meltzer reported in the May 9th edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Ryback was on hiatus with the company after disagreements with WWE about the state of their contract negotiations and his position on the card. Meltzer noted that Ryback openly expressed his dissatisfaction with WWE and thought he should have been one of the top guys in the company. Ryback has since been open on social media about his unhappiness with WWE, and wrote a post on his Tumblr about many of the grievances he had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolfan in NYC Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 And here is the IG post: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 Ryan Reeves in Big Japan Strong Division for the win! Either that or new Bullet Club member? I bet you he made a list like Cody's but it was all restaurants he hasn't eaten in yet. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Z Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 I wonder, if he will make his UFC debut before CM Punk. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zev Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 34 minutes ago, The Z said: I wonder, if he will make his UFC debut before CM Punk. He'll have to be careful how much more they feed him. Heavyweight division tops out at 265, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(BP) Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 I didn't realize Reeves snatched up the Feed Me More trademark and that led to some of the friction with WWE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nate Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 Good for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RRR Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 8 hours ago, PetrolCB said: That's what happens when you wanna play 21. He's got 22? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice Guy Eddie Posted August 6, 2016 Share Posted August 6, 2016 1 hour ago, Zartan said: He's got 22? You want to play blackjack? Jake's got two of those, too. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice Guy Eddie Posted August 6, 2016 Share Posted August 6, 2016 I want to see a Ryan Reeves/Broken Matt Hardy feud, with Reeves doing his self help gimmick. Reeves can try to un-delete Brother Nero. The promos for said feud would be delightful. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerva Posted August 6, 2016 Share Posted August 6, 2016 I hope he realizes that the majority of people who wear his "Feed Me More" clothing will probably be way way past the point where they should be fed anymore. But at least it looks like he has some kind of plan for him which is good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie M. Posted August 6, 2016 Share Posted August 6, 2016 RyBack needs to get booked in Big Japan somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts