Raw Is Getting The Rights to Broken Matt - 11/27/2017

[Michael Sweetser]

Listed weights are one thing - AJ's physically more impressive looking than Balor, at least size-wise.  Styles has also shown more in WWE, which isn't Balor's fault, but there you go.

I'm not saying Balor can't work an interesting match with Brock - that's stupid.  I'm saying that kayfabe-wise, I don't buy Balor as a threat.

[Casey]

AJ is a little bulkier, sure, but.... I... don't know how to respond to that. They're both the same size, just one has a slightly better build than the other. But I don't really see what a physique has anything to do with it when they're within 20 pounds of the same weight and the same height. Does that 20 pounds really make all that much difference - in kayfabe? I don't think so. If Punk and Styles can have semi-competitive matches with Brock Lesnar, then so can Finn Balor.

[RIPPA]

What's funny is that I consider Balor and his abs for days much more physically impressive than AJ

But that also could be that the tats of his kids... especially the one that isn't the same font size as the others... always throws me off

[Beech27]

Balor wouldn’t win, but in terms of credibility... I don’t know, imply the Demon getup isn’t just a motivational tactic, but actually does something to him. Emphasize that his finisher targets Brock’s most notably injured area, that he could aim his dropkick there as well to better set it up, that he could essentially sling blade out of an F5 attempt. It could be made to work for the vast majority of the audience, if they wanted it to—but they don’t, of course.

[Matt D]

Like everyone's said, it's more that Balor is leaner,  not shorter. It may be more real life impressive but I'm not sure it's more kayfabe impressive, maybe if they gave him a Peper Gomez iron stomach gimmick?

That said, I'm a big proponent that pro wrestling is fiction and as such, anyone can be built up to be a threat to anyone else. Belief can always be suspended with enough careful work. "Being literal fodder to a Kane-Braun feud" is not exactly the way to build someone though.

[Brian Fowler]

52 minutes ago, RIPPA said:

I am not sure why you would give Styles a pass on the size then and not Balor

They are both kayfabe listed at 5'11" with AJ being like 10 lbs heavier

So if you are talking purely about the size difference (in the kayfabe sense) look how well the AJ/Brock match turned out

So it would fall into that dream match category for folks

For whatever it's worth, Balor is billed at 190, AJ at 218. So taken at face value, there is a nearly 30 pound difference. 

But kayfabe wise, it makes no sense that Finn hasn't gotten a title shot for the belt he never lost.

[Ziggy]

They killed any interest I had for Balor vs Brock since theyve booked him in midcard slot, Im not the biggest Balor fan but he's better than most guys on the roster and he is still over inspite of his position. Balor is one of those guys that are more enjoyable in longer matches so if they do let him get the same amount of time with Brock AJ did then dont bother putting him out there. Its crazy how Vince favored him when he firs came in now they say Vince doesnt think he's over, he may not be as over as he was a Year and a half ago but he is still pretty over compared to most the guys they been  pushing. He needs to go back to NJ 

[Burgundy LaRue]

IMO, the issue with Finn is Vince seems to understand the Demon side of the gimmick. But he doesn't get 'regular' Finn anymore.  He pops his collar, waves his arms through fog, thrusts his pelvis toward the camera. Finn is as much of a 'just there' character Raw has right now. Last night was a perfect example. Who thought it was the right call to have him do his full entrance instead of running to the ring to beat up on Kane? That was dumb. They clearly see Finn as someone who can be somewhat geeked out while protecting the Demon. But the Demon is going to eventually lose, and then what? It just feels like a recipe for disaster.

It should be noted that none of the previous Universal title holders (Balor, Owens, Goldberg) have gotten their mandated rematches. I presume they're holding off on that until Reigns is UC and that gives him built-in opponents.

[Ramsey]

7 hours ago, The Green Meanie said:

I want to see a thread where posters either A: post their best imitation of Steph's smile here or B: post animals doing their best imitation of Steph's smile. She's an attractive woman who looks like a wolverine when she smiles.

[The Green Meanie]

1 hour ago, RIPPA said:

Is Titus Worldwide being run by Ruben Amaro?

I do appreciate Titus selling his neck though

So is Tozawa not in there anymore?

[nate]

1 hour ago, RIPPA said:

Is Titus Worldwide being run by Ruben Amaro?

I do appreciate Titus selling his neck though

That walk away from the camera had all the reflections of our current sexual harassment environment.

[Nice Guy Eddie]

6 hours ago, Casey said:

At this rate, I expect a Prince Devitt return to New Japan by the end of 2018.

Will Nakamura be back by then as well?

[Nice Guy Eddie]

56 minutes ago, Ramsey said:

I want to see a thread where posters either A: post their best imitation of Steph's smile here or B: post animals doing their best imitation of Steph's smile. She's an attractive woman who looks like a wolverine when she smiles.

a rabid wolverine? 

[Brysynner]

Crazy thought alert but what if Balor isn't fodder for Strowman/Kane but ends up beating both in a triple threat match. Strowman, for better or worse, is headed to a showdown with Triple H and already has the Game fearing him so he doesn't really need to destroy Kane. If Balor were to beat both big men, it could put him into a position of being a threat to Brock

[Matt D]

11 minutes ago, Brysynner said:

Crazy thought alert but what if Balor isn't fodder for Strowman/Kane but ends up beating both in a triple threat match. Strowman, for better or worse, is headed to a showdown with Triple H and already has the Game fearing him so he doesn't really need to destroy Kane. If Balor were to beat both big men, it could put him into a position of being a threat to Brock

The execution would matter. He’d win due to a banana peel slip most likely.

[Lawful Metal]

Why not do Roman v. Brock at Royal Rumble? You get Roman his big win now, he stays out of the Royal Rumble, and you can have someone “unexpected” win the Rumble. I miss when the Rumble win meant you were an up and coming star that was gonna mean something. Theoretically, Finn could win and he’d have all the credibility in the world. Or hey, why not Cesaro? Or Big E? Take a chance to cement a guy as someone who matters. They don’t even have to win at Mania, as long as the match is great.

[Brysynner]

Because you can get to Roman vs. Brock at Mania via Elimination Chamber which allows SDL to have the Rumble winner (Nakamura)

[Lawful Metal]

But no one wants Roman vs Brock at Wrestlemania 

[OSJ]

7 hours ago, Niners Fan in CT said:

Aren't the terms goth and punk and all this just sweeping generalizations and labels or something of who someone is. I listen to mostly rap and in the 90s a lot of it was gangsta rap but I wasn't a gangsta. I didn't wear a blue flag and drive a '64 impala. I guess I've never understood labels.  

Quite agree. I've been called "goth", "punk" (and a number of other things), but I listen to everything from old-school rap to classic country but am mainly a fan of psychobilly rock ala the Cramps. I will admit that I've only worn black in public since the late 1980s, but that's more a Johnny Cash thing than a goth thing. (Before that I dressed like Superst*r Billy Graham.) ;-)

[Brysynner]

8 minutes ago, Lawful Metal said:

But no one wants Roman vs Brock at Wrestlemania 

The WWE booking committee/writing staff's main audience does

[Overly Critical Man]

44 minutes ago, Lawful Metal said:

But no one wants Roman vs Brock at Wrestlemania 

Ummm...I want it and my importance is clearly greater than yours. I own 600 shares of WWE stock after all.

[Overly Critical Man]

39 minutes ago, OSJ said:

Quite agree. I've been called "goth", "punk" (and a number of other things), but I listen to everything from old-school rap to classic country but am mainly a fan of psychobilly rock ala the Cramps. I will admit that I've only worn black in public since the late 1980s, but that's more a Johnny Cash thing than a goth thing. (Before that I dressed like Superst*r Billy Graham.) ;-)

Seems more like you're a cosplayer.

[Craig H]

53 minutes ago, Lawful Metal said:

But no one wants Roman vs Brock at Wrestlemania 

I though Brock dropping the belt to Roman at Royal Rumble would be a way better idea than pushing the boulder up the hill with Brock vs Roman again at WM. Plus, you can actually put a cap on how much they've tried to build Braun up as the top babyface by going with Braun vs Roman at WM. Braun is the one guy Roman can't beat, but Braun hasn't been able to win the big one yet. It's arguably two of the top guys in the company going at it and Roman is already set for life. There's no harm in him putting over Braun at WM to basically have them as the modern day Rock/Austin or Hogan/Savage or Cena/Orton.

Then you can do anything else with Brock. 

Although I still have a sneaking suspicion that they're going to do Roman vs Undertaker again.

[Lawful Metal]

1 minute ago, Craig H said:

Although I still have a sneaking suspicion that they're going to do Roman vs Undertaker again.

No one wants to see that either!!!

Ideally, my wrestlemania card is headlined by AJ (champ) v. Shinsuke, Roman (champ) v. [SOMEONE NEW], Braun v. Brock.

[DeathyBoy]

2 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Will Nakamura be back by then as well?

Balor isn't going back.

Dude had it made in Japan and left as a top guy. He's not leaving WWE until he's a top guy.