Summerslam XXIX

[piranesi]

"At this point did or did not Vincent K. McMahon scream It's a work, it's all a work?"

"I do not recall"

"Your honor we're finished with Mr. "Jericho."  We'd like to call our next witness, who heard the entire incident.  Mr. Terry Bollea."

...

 

"Your honor, we just received word that Mr. Bollea will not be testifying but will be competing tonight on Mr. McMahon's television show for something called the Universal title."

[JCM]

For a company with so many lawsuits and recently retired wrestlers due to concussions on their hands the WWE is fucking stupid for approving of that finish. Jericho was right it was a huge pile of bull shit. Also they booked two non finishes in a row to close out a six hour card.

Blading isn't allowed, but full force elbows to the head from a 300 lb MMA champion are.

[Rev Ray]

Wondering if when Randy got back there if he was trying to convince Jericho to shut up because he secretly wants to be on the injured reserve list for another 6 months. 

[Trocar Slush Weasel]

I can almost see Charlotte's wheels turning here, "Ok I'm supposed to drop her, wait where am I dropping her, OH SHIT, I'm falling backwards, I better try to throw her onto the turnbuckle"

[Wyld Samurai]

One major critique with the PC wrestlers is thst they're still so green they don't know how to improvise. 

[Curt McGirt]

Now that I've got an eyeful of the Universal title I don't see any problem with it. Red is the main Raw color; it's the Raw title. I actually think it looks pretty classy. Besides, remember there's been another big red belt in wrestling history that had a lot of prestige.

[Rev Ray]

8 minutes ago, Curt McGirt said:

Now that I've got an eyeful of the Universal title I don't see any problem with it. Red is the main Raw color; it's the Raw title. I actually think it looks pretty classy. Besides, remember there's been another big red belt in wrestling history that had a lot of prestige.

[Curt McGirt]

Thank you Ray, I couldn't find a pic (forgot about the WWWA acronym)

[Sky Blue Sam]

From the wording of the story, it's hard to place fault on Jericho here. He didn't just go up to Lesnar and start shouting the odds, he was concerned about Orton so decided to check with the producer. The producer wouldn't tell him, at which point Lesnar arrives, misunderstands and starts getting in Jericho's face. 

[The Natural]

On 21 August 2016 at 3:23 PM, The Natural said:

I'm with you. You get this at WrestleMania and SummerSlam also.

Thinking of watching this live. Hope it's worth missing out on sleep!

So I decided to watch this live feeling the lack of sleep whole day.

I'll just comment on the things I've an interest in. I really liked AJ Styles vs. John Cena and Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte but want to watch them a second time. I was pleasantly surprised AJ Styles beat John Cena clean, right result that. Few have. The Rock, Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar, Kevin Owens and now Styles You think WWE now see what they have in Styles as he lost to Chris Jericho and Roman Reigns. AJ should be the next WWE World Champion.

I also was surprised at the Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte result. My attention in the match was taken by concern for Sasha's health after THAT botch and her head nearly hitting the mat countering the Splash Mountain with hurricarana. Sasha should have won the title at WrestleMania XXXII. Shame her reign has ended so soon. When it did I thought Wellness Policy violation or injury. Hope she's back ASAP.

I've always had an interest in championship belts in wrestling and how they look. I naively hoped we would get a different desgn for the WWE Universal Championship but instead we get a reskin of the WWE World Championship with Unified replacing what exact writing is on that title and a red strap. Right guy won but Finn Balor got injured by Seth Rollins running powerbomb. Balor put the arm into place himself and finished the match. Tough bastard. This is the third time Seth has injured someone breaking John Cena's nose on RAW last year, ending Sting's career at Night of Champions 2016 and now putting Balor on the shelf wiith his shoulder at SummerSlam 2016. Careless, Seth.

I also pay attention to wrestling presentation and I like that we've got a new PPV set for the first time in ages. I miss when they didn't have HD/LED sets as the PPV ones used to be unique. The ringside mats and barricade padding is now light grey.

Legit LOL at Kevin Owens' mocking Enzo/Big Cass, especially Enzo's taunt on the apron.

Balls on Chris Jericho getting into it with Brock Lesnar. I'm tired of Brock Lesnar, hasn't had a good match since the series with the Undertaker last year. Booked over all. Bah.

 

[FluffSnackwell]

8 hours ago, JCM said:

For a company with so many lawsuits and recently retired wrestlers due to concussions on their hands the WWE is fucking stupid for approving of that finish. Jericho was right it was a huge pile of bull shit. Also they booked two non finishes in a row to close out a six hour card.

Blading isn't allowed, but full force elbows to the head from a 300 lb MMA champion are.

Well, it wasn't really a non-finish as much as an MMA stoppage, which puts it in a totally different ballgame than truly dumb shit like bloody Luger or Von Erich having a Champion in their submission finisher only for the ref to stop the match to prevent them from bleeding to death. I mean calling it a non-finish isn't quite right because that makes it sound like Orton was somewhat protected by that finish more than having to eat a plain old pinfall, which isn't the case at all. As far as cop-out endings go, double pinfalls in title matches are actual ripoffs; not an MMA stoppage to a pro wrestling match. Yeah, the shit was still stupid because Orton volunteered to get a head-vag fashioned into his forehead like he was trapped in the goddamn Videodrome.

[Sky Blue Sam]

Maybe Brock saw the embarrassing "Ziggler punches the floor somewhere near Ambrose's head" elbows being thrown earlier and decided to show him how it's done?

[The Natural]

Talk about finishers and kickouts reminds me about the topic I created for this subject:

 

[Stevie Ray Von Erich]

I feel like there are a couple of theories for finishers.

One, the rhetorical, is that a finisher is a signature move a wrestler has perfected to the point that it is more impactful or effective than any other move they perform, such that it will finish a match: Hogan's leg drop, Cena's AA, Brock's F5

Another, the logical, is a move that a wrestler's move set is built toward so that the finisher is a logical result of a particular style and an end-cap to a strategy. Flair usually worked (the wrong) leg, Bret worked the back.

The second makes sense in a kayfabe world AND are used to build psychology and story in matches. The AA only builds a story such that it SHOULD earn a fall, but due to fighting spirit and the toughness of the opponent it may not. Now, while a huge, strong guy throwing you or landing on you is likely to hurt, so is everything they do. Unless a finisher has a larger story or cause, a psychology, other than THIS SHOULD WORK, then I think it's a pointless, overdone, and easy story to tell.

Now if Cena spent an entire match working over the back and FINALLY hit an AA but the opponent kicked out, then I would likely be bothered. It would be a sensible conclusion to an obvious story that was interrupted only to extend the match and (usually) create a sense of drama or tension due to unpredictability (I would argue that defying logic and established stories to make something classic or epic is a major flaw in WWE as they don't have the storytelling ability to explain why moves only work sometimes and not other, which I think is part of my argument).

Most finishers these days, and since the heydays of the late 90's, aren't really built toward in either style or story. There are exceptions, but mostly, and especially in WWE, the finisher has lost all logical mooring except as a rhetoric symbol which suggest an ending, only an ending (not a strategy or identity), and only occasionally an ending. This is easily changeable with structure and psychology, and there are greats examples on the indies, sometimes NXT, and globally, but WWE is built on the rhetorical value of the finisher and not the logical value. I think finishers solely as a rhetorical artifact and not a logical artifact make them passé. THAT is why 1,000 AA kick outs don't bother me. It's a lazy, shorthand trick to build tension.

 

 

TO STAY ON TOPIC: Big Cass has to stop screaming after every spot. It destroys the flow of his matches and makes him look awkward. Like, he just seems so proud of himself for doing a clothesline or big boot. We get it. We saw it. Stop yelling at us. All of his shine in the Summerslam match is punctuated by his yelling.

[Ace]

Having finally seen the spot that injured Balor, Rollins needs to abandon powerbombs permanently.

 

[JCM]

I still fell like the Charlotte botch was way worse than Rollins' powerbomb. She could've legit broke Sasha's neck, and she looked like a clueless clown when I rewatch that gif. I'm guessing Sasha's back injury was a result of Charlotte being in the wrong place to catch her on the dive from the Raw match. Now I need to ask why they didn't have Charlotte work the leg that match, and work a more toned down style if Sasha was working hurt? Having her due all those high spots working injured was fucking irresponsible by everyone involved. WTF is going on between that, the apron bumps and endless high spots, and letting Brock mutilate a recently returned  from injury Orton?

If this is about their ESPN tie in, and wanting to seem more legit then that's just fucking sad.

[jstout]

17 hours ago, steve said:

If that's the case, then what's the difference between Hayes telling him and Vince telling him after the fight started?

It's not like Jericho would narc on them.

The WWE was trying to "work the boys," succeeded a bit too well, and had to abandon ship.

[BEN!]

I think Sasha Banks thought she could springboard off the top rope into a backflip and land on her feet but the combination of her not being anywhere near as athletic as she thinks she is and gravity remembering her caused her to fall straight down.

From Pro Wrestling Sheet:

We’re told Chris was repeatedly asking for clarification from everyone in the Gorilla position,

but wasn’t getting answers because backstage footage was still being shot by crew members.

Brock, however, heard Jericho say this was “bullsh*t” and loudly told the longtime wrestler that this was none of his business. That set Y2J off and he continued asking questions, causing Lesnar to push him. When that happened, Jericho rushed in and tried getting face-to-face with The Beast.

We’re told Brock kissed him on the forehead at that point … then said, “kiss me back, p*ssy.”

Our sources say Jericho didn’t back down though! He actually stepped up and got in Lesnar’s face, ready to fight. But Brock responded, with his arms behind his back, saying “hit me or kiss me, bitch” … causing everyone in the area to swarm in and break them apart, including Triple H.

Funny how Meltzer's report has Jericho's lifts being tall enough for a "Rousey/Tate" forehead press and "one version" has him pushing Lesnar into the wall.

Either way, Orton's a dumb motherfucker for agreeing to that finish.  And whoever came up with it is a dumber motherfucker.

I wonder what Bork has on Vince.

And how dare people not respect the ugly-ass belt representing the fake championship that was pulled out of the air less than a month ago.

Besides, remember there's been another big red belt in wrestling history that had a lot of prestige.

The prestigious TNA Legends/Global/TV/King Of The Mountain/Defunct Championship?

 

Edited August 23, 2016 by BEN!
Quote boxes all messed up.

[JCM]

19 minutes ago, BEN! said:

I think Sasha Banks thought she could springboard off the top rope into a backflip and land on her feet but the combination of her not being anywhere near as athletic as she thinks she is and gravity remembering her caused her to fall straight down.

 

That's not even close to what happened.

[Curt McGirt]

well played Ben

I think I just have a thing for belts the color of my last two guitars

[Marty Sugar]

Sat down this  morning to finally watch SummerSlam and I had to take a break at Ziggler/Ambrose. I know the running joke would be that I've decided "nope, that's enough" as soon as those two got on my tv, but PPVs are just too long now...or am I just too old? Little of both?

[Cristobal]

SummerSlam was definitely a fucking slog and a half. No joke.

[Burgundy LaRue]

Yes, it's far too long.  6.5 hours is far too much to ask fans at home to watch, let alone expect fans attending the event to stay interested throughout.

I don't know the logistics of it, but I wonder if WWE would be better served booking the pre-show as its own entity in a smaller venue.  They may attract families with children or simply fans who want to attend a live event, but don't want to spend 8 hours getting in and out of a large building with that many other people.  Make the tickets affordable and see what happens.

[Dolfan in NYC]

Meltzer is reporting that Randy Orton suffered a concussion in his match with Brock during SS.  They then hid the results of the tests. 

*jack's complete lack of surprise*

[piranesi]

Wait.  Who's the "they" in "They hid the results."  That seems like the really important part, like, punative-damages-that-bring-down-a-company-wise.