RIPPA Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Alexa is very high on the "Draft was the best thing for them" list 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamal Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Naomi/Alexa had much better chemistry this go-round. I enjoyed B.A.D. Naomi so I wasn't sure how I would feel about her return to being a face, but she has been fantastic since the Draft. I keep waiting for her to bring back the Slayomission though. I am also in the "liked it" camp, when it comes to the Nikki/Carmella segment. For me, this has been the most entertaining and interesting women's feud on either program. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoBaltimore Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 I loved Ellsworth's backstage segment. He's a goofy guy, but that moment where he cried gave tons more reason to cheer for him. You knew he'd get his ass beat, but if he could hang in any way then it'd all be golden. Not only can he say to his grandkids he was in the ring with AJ Styles, but he managed to land a superkick, get a nearfall and stun AJ for a bit. That's amazing on many levels and I'm so damn happy for the guy. I might get the shirt, but considering his promotion is a half hour from me I'd rather go to his show and hope to meet him instead. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 It is amusing to me that of all the big moves they could have had Ellsworth do - it was a Superkick Fuck Your Finisher Dolph! (and the 5825 guys who do it!) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Sweetser Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 And he did it better than Dolph has in a long time (although I wonder how much of that was the camera angle, which couldn't have been better) I loved that up until then, the most offense he was able to muster was pushing AJ into the corner and tripping him off the top rope. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCM Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Ellsworth and Slater are so much better as top baby faces than Rollins and Reigns. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Ray Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 2 hours ago, RIPPA said: Alexa is very high on the "Draft was the best thing for them" list My initial thought to that was "Well, she could have really come to prominence as a top NXT Women's talent" but it looks like in reality she'd probably be the heel gatekeeper everyone who was going to be fed to Asuka would have to beat to get the shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cristobal Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 This is the difference between SD and Raw right now. Raw had Goldberg, a guy who for a year or two was legitimately one of the biggest draws in the business, (arguably the 2nd biggest behind Austin at one point,) come back after a hiatus of over a decade, cut what I don't think I'm overselling by calling the best wrestling promo of his life for a match against the one guy under contract that WWE has managed to preserve (however tenuously) as a special attraction. We're like, "Good promo, but I still don't care about the match." Meanwhile if you told me that James Ellsworth was gonna have a match with Miz at the next PPV I would be all the fuck over that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy LaRue Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Once people accept that SDL is a wrestling show and RAW is a night time soap opera with wrestling as a means to an end for their out-there stories, the better. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goc Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Raw should definitely not get compared to a soap opera since soaps pay attention to things like long term continuity, well defined characters and having multiple stories going at the same time. Wrestling as the "male version of a soap opera" is when wrestling is actually good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 It kinda goes along with something I said last night The Smackdown women were given something like 30+ straight minutes of time on the show. A match and a long in-ring promo continuing a feud. It isn't a matter of if you liked the matches or the angles or the wrestlers. They were presented in a simple and clear way that fit into the narrative of a good wrestling show. RAW had whatever the fuck those sitdowns were supposed to be and Dana Brooke being so tiny she blew the finish of her own match (and a match that lasted 4 minutes at that.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy LaRue Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 5 hours ago, goc said: Raw should definitely not get compared to a soap opera since soaps pay attention to things like long term continuity, well defined characters and having multiple stories going at the same time. Wrestling as the "male version of a soap opera" is when wrestling is actually good. Soap operas are notorious for forgetting old storylines, and even more so, retconning them to fit the narrative that the current writing team wants. The days of William Bell and Agnes Nixon writing decades of character-driven drama are long gone in daytime. Not surprisingly, both wrestling and soaps also resemble each other in that they've become ultra-niche entertainment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caley Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 I don't think you can undersell how big a difference the commentating on Smackdown makes, either. Renallo/Otunga/JBL come off like guys who are having a great time watching a wrestling show they enjoy. When Otunga was putting over Ellsworth and JBL started shouting "STOP IT DAVID!" it got a legitimate laugh out loud from me because it sounded so genuine. Otunga and JBL make for a much better duo than JBL/Saxton and I actually like Saxton's schtick. Saxton plays so much better off of Graves dressing him down than off JBL because JBL is a big personality, so he needs another big personality to come back at him which Otunga is doing really well (I really loved Otunga's line about using Miz using his wife to get ahead before quietly adding "And she doesn't even have an Oscar"), otherwise his defence of the heels and criticism of the faces comes across like the truth. But, the whole crew come across as people who are excited, scared, upset, and generally big fans of whatever they're calling and that comes across to the viewers. BTW, I noticed Ellsworth had his own tron (Complete with two hands!), I wouldn't be adverse to him sticking around a while. Corbin could get some nice heat by wiping him out. I'd also love to see Rhyno team up with Ellsworth when his team runs its course (And we get Heath Slater trying to win the World Title!). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy LaRue Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Otunga's NO CHIN MUSIC got a chuckle from me, along with JBL threatening to quit social media if "The Chin That Got the Win" trended on Twitter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterien Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Dean is getting a beatdown with a chair next week and it will be fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie M. Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Good news! Breezy found his Dango. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Green Meanie Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Re: Bliss I admit before the draft, I had never heard of her, knew nothing of her character. Since she's been on Smackdown though she's consistently been the best women's wrestler on the show and dare I say the whole company, which is pleasantly surprising. As for Ellsworth, I'm really happy they are continuing to go with this. Since he got a his own theme music and Titantron does this mean he'll get a contract? Who would have thought months ago when he first went against Strowman that he'd have the following he does know? It harkens back to the days of the 1-2-3 Kid appearing on Raw several times then finally getting that one win over Razor and getting a spot on the main roster. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 I laughed like hell at Otunga's Oscar line that was perfect. Another thing I loved. AJ Styles bringing up David Arquette. There were people in my opinion wrongly comparing his loss to Ellsworth to Arquette in WCW so I enjoyed them referencing that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 I wish Ryder had asked Renee if she had a man in her life after she asked him if he had a lady in his life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Ray Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 33 minutes ago, RIPPA said: I wish Ryder had asked Renee if she had a man in her life after she asked him if he had a lady in his life He should have said "DO I!" and then run the Emmalina promo package. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eivion Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 52 minutes ago, RIPPA said: I wish Ryder had asked Renee if she had a man in her life after she asked him if he had a lady in his life Hasn't she already been called out about Dean a few times? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranesi Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 1 hour ago, Eivion said: Hasn't she already been called out about Dean a few times? - by the bail bondsman - by the E.R. to sign a non-consensual commitment order - by a veterinarian inquiring about missing stockpiles of bacon strips - by a local waterslide about mysterious streaks and/or stains - by Uber reminding her that they are there to provide "timeouts" - by a group of middle-aged Koeran men claiming they are here to meet their new "band manager" - by a black market hair merchant with a large C.O.D. delivery of "human hair (non scalp) for non-medical use" She's a busy lady. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Lord Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 12 hours ago, JCM said: Ellsworth and Slater are so much better as top baby faces than Rollins and Reigns. It's because we believe they are genuine. With Rollins and Reigns we just see the WWE machine trying to stamp something through. YOU WILL LIKE THESE SUPERSTARS. No...we like these other guys. NO YOU WILL LIKE THESE SUPERSTARS. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 AJ Styles vs. James Ellsworth is one of the best TV matches this year. Styles giving Ellsworth a beating, Dean Ambrose's antics at ringside and THAT nearfall from the superkick. Did anybody else notice AJ's response to the soccer mom chant with his trademark dropkick? I didn't see Alexa Bliss in NXT. First I noticed Alexa was in the six-pack elimination challenge at Backlash to crown the first WWE Smackdown Live Women's Champion, she stood out with winner Becky Lynch and Nikki Bella. I like the persona, matches and the promos. Bliss! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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