Elimination Chamber VIII - 2/25/2018

[Victator]

50 minutes ago, Brian Fowler said:

Roman is likely (unless they do have Rock for the mixed tag) going to main event his fourth straight WrestleMania. Nobody since Hogan in 5-8 (kinda 9) has done four in a row

I think Hogan main evented 4. Him vs Andre in the first round was the only promoted match  But your overall point stands. 

[Brian Fowler]

3 minutes ago, Victator said:

I think Hogan main evented 4. Him vs Andre in the first round was the only promoted match  But your overall point stands. 

I'm talking strictly "went on last"

[The Natural]

Great Alexa Bliss promo.

[Brysynner]

 

17 minutes ago, Brian Fowler said:

I'm saying there's a very good chance Braun would, if positioned that way, sell more tickets, more t-shirts, and more Network subs, abd not taking the chance on him is a poor business decision on someone that has basically proven to be about 85% of Cena.

I don't think Braun would sell more of anything really. I mean there's no real way to test this but I think if you run with Braun on top, you're already catering to the fans you have while not really expanding your fan base. Plus you have the fact Vince might be trying to sell the company while beginning negotiations for TV rights the company probably doesn't want a guy like Braun as their main guy right now.

My personal theory is that the Reigns era will be relatively short if Hunter can get Almas/Vega to the main roster and McIntyre healthy.

3 minutes ago, Victator said:

Ratings and attendance are at their lowest point they have been since the 1995. I don't see many fans wearing his merch when the Shield is not active. But for the way they push him, he should sell lots of merch. Anyone pushed as much as Reigns should sell a lot of merch. 

Braun has no reason to be unhappy. He has only been wrestling for three years and is the most popular wrestler in the world. 

First off, Braun's not the most popular wrestler in the world. Second off, Smackdown Live's drawn worse than RAW so I take it you're okay with Corbin or Ziggler winning at Fastlane and pushing Owens/Styles/Zayn down the card? Also ratings are down but they're still a top 10 cable TV show so it's not exactly doom and gloom when it comes to RAW's ratings.

[The Natural]

Victory and defeat.

[Eivion]

Took a nap before the main event so I only just now finished the show.

The Women's chamber match was good despite the point where Sasha chose to screw over Bayley being kind of dumb. Loved Alexa's face when Mickie was eliminated. The post match promo I wasn't super fond of. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't really the right choice at all with that particular crowd.

Tag titles match was solid if forgettable.

Nia/Asuka was damn good. Their chemistry just gets better every match, and I like that Asuka hasn't beaten Nia legit yet on the main roster.

The Rousey signing was decent enough. I kind of skipped around Rousey speaking since she wasn't sounding too good. The stuff with Kurt mouthing, Rosuey putting HHH through a table, and Step getting the hell out of there after slapping Rhonda was great. I assume Maina is Kurt/Rhonda vs. HHH/Steph.

The Men's chamber match was odd. Seth's turn on Roman was even more dumb than when Sasha did on Bayley earlier in the night. I'm probably the biggest Reigns fan on the board, but even I thought it was dumb for him to go over. Braun has been looking way too much like the superstar they have been looking for, and they keep booking him like it for the most part until moments like tonight where he come within a pinky's reach before being yanked away from the top spot. Roman at the top this point really won't work without a long hiatus or heel turn. The crowd begrudgingly accepts him, but they will never quite love him the way they do Cena w/o something changing with him.

Anyways thought it was a solid enough show. Not quite sure what I would call the best match though Nia/Asuka might be my favorite from tonight.

[Niners Fan in CT]

57 minutes ago, Brysynner said:

The fans refuse to accept Reigns while wearing his merch, watching everyining he does on YouTube,  making the company incredibly profitable all the while buying tickets to a show where it was incredibly likely Reigns was going to win the whole thing. If people are spending a ton of money to boo Roman Reigns, then something's working with him because he's getting people to spend a lot of money on him. Now if the fans stopped spending money on him (ala 1995 Diesel/1996 HBK) then I could see where WWE would change course.

Only maybe sorta one of these is true.  He does sell some merch.  But his merch is pushed heavier than most.  Dudes like Styles and The New Day sell tons of merch with about half the push.  He isn't "selling out arenas"  at all.  The attendance for tonight wasn't great.  His figures on the road aren't great.  The ratings are the same or below what they've been.  No,  something isn't "working"..  WWE isn't profitable because of Roman Reigns existence. In fact,  the highest rated segments on the shows are often whatever Braun is doing and incredibly the women do pretty well considering how inconsistent their booking is.  

WrestleMania in Dallas wasn't selling shit until Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell was announced.  That's a fact. I know some people feel they need to defend Roman because he's a good guy or a great worker,  I wouldn't argue that at all.  He's a great worker.  Everything else you said is either not true or stretching of the truth.  

[Victator]

28 minutes ago, Brysynner said:

First off, Braun's not the most popular wrestler in the world

He is the most popular wrestler in WWE and while in decline are the biggest company in the world. Ipso Fatso, Braun is most popular in the world. 

 

 

30 minutes ago, Brysynner said:

Second off, Smackdown Live's drawn worse than RAW so I take it you're okay with Corbin or Ziggler winning at Fastlane and pushing Owens/Styles/Zayn down the card

I don't think Reigns should be pushed down the card. I think he has been in the right place since August. But he should not be the central force right now. They have killed him every time they try this. 

 

33 minutes ago, Brysynner said:

Also ratings are down but they're still a top 10 cable TV show so it's not exactly doom and gloom when it comes to RAW's ratings.

Ratings were good in 95 too and Nash was not the main guy anymore. 

[Niners Fan in CT]

1 hour ago, Brian Fowler said:

85% of Cena.

I think this is actually high.  Cena in his day with his feuds with Edge etc.  was doing pretty damn great on top and the business he did with The Rock speaks for itself. 

[Victator]

Well seeing the youtubing of the Rousey signing and I am going to hate this so much. 

[Overly Critical Man]

As far as popularity goes, AJ sells the most merch in the company, so Braun can go kick rocks.

You know, in that moment Braun took off his shirt in the EC and revealed that dad bod, it made all the sense in the world to me why WWE will never make him the man. 

[Jenalysis]

I mean, if Braun ever gets the itch to do more, he's got the example of Cody to look at one day down the line when he's made enough.

 

[Victator]

47 minutes ago, Overly Critical Man said:

You know, in that moment Braun took off his shirt in the EC and revealed that dad bod, it made all the sense in the world to me why WWE will never make him the man. 

I have not seen a dad built like Braun. 

[BurningBeard]

Braun has a dad bod? Jesus fuckin Christ 

[Brysynner]

39 minutes ago, L_W_P said:

Wait... Almas is the Triple H project? Really? Of all the NXT guys, Almas and Drew are the ones we think he will protect?

Personally I think they will go all in on Black and build a whole show (probably SDL) around him kicking people's heads off.

I'm assuming they still want their big Hispanic star and since Almas is under 30, he's the one most likely to fill that role IMO. I could also see Black being a top guy on the main roster or I could see Vince noticing his accent and never doing too much with him.

[Overly Critical Man]

1 hour ago, Victator said:

I have not seen a dad built like Braun. 

Then I have lived a very interesting life.

[Victator]

52 minutes ago, CreativeControl said:

Braun has a dad bod? Jesus fuckin Christ 

I think that Overly Critical Dude's board fame went to his head and he started working a gimmick. 

Now I guess if Braun had a child it would be a dad bod. But what woman could survive carrying his seed?

[Overly Critical Man]

4 minutes ago, Victator said:

I think that Overly Critical Dude's board fame went to his head and he started working a gimmick. 

Now I guess if Braun had a child it would be a dad bod. But what woman could survive carrying his seed?

No mere woman could, but perhaps a goddess. 

[Victator]

She could not survive delivering a 75 pound fetus. 

[Jenalysis]

2 hours ago, Victator said:

I have not seen a dad built like Braun. 

I have, but a bit shorter and a decent bit fatter= semipro caber tosser and computer geek

[Overly Critical Man]

9 minutes ago, Victator said:

She could not survive delivering a 75 pound fetus. 

You're just like everyone that didn't believe she could win the Elimination Chamber.

 

[Victator]

That is the first time I have genuinely laughed since I was crushed. 

[Matt D]

Miz makes an incredible projectile weapon. 

[Super Ape]

You know you’re hanging with the right crowd when the only way you find out about #cancelWWEnetwork is when it’s mentioned on your Twitter timeline only to dunk on the dorks tweeting it in earnest. I haven’t given WWE a dime in over ten years, myself; any company who pays Dolph Ziggler is a company I don’t trust with my money.

[Michael Sweetser]

$10 a month seems about right for my total monthly contribution to WWE.  I mean, having every major wrestling PPV at my fingertips is worth that to me.  Anything fun in their new content's just a bonus.

Reigns becoming The Man at Mania by cleanly pinning Lesnar is something they've waited three years to do at this point - they're not going to change course now.  But they'd be stupid not to add Strowman to the match, especially with how much they put him over in the Chamber match.  Kicks out of a quadruple powerbomb at two, then kicks out of the AA at ONE.  The dude is fucking over like a motherfucker right now, especially when he's hitting motherfuckers with other motherfuckers.

Continuing on the Braun Train, I enjoy that they don't portray him as this dumb brute, but as a beast that's actually just as smart as everyone else, but he's also HUGE and UNSTOPPABLE and that combination is nearly unbeatable except in extreme situations.   

I think the smartest thing they did was add one more person to the Chamber match - starting it off with three almost forces them to go right into the action and cuts out the slow period before the first pod opened.  It was very noticeable in the women's match, but having Miz as a disturbing factor gave the men's match something to do in the meantime.

I enjoy that the pod walls are treated as impenetrable armor, but someone runs at them at half speed and suddenly they're paper.  

Rest of the show: 

• I've given up on Bray Wyatt.  They had the next Undertaker in their hands, and they didn't just let it slip away, they actively threw it away.  In response, he's let himself go and obviously doesn't care at this point.  And Matt is a shell of what he even was in TNA; I hope Jeff coming back and helping to expand the Woken universe helps because this has been a complete clusterfuck so far.
• The solution to making Titus O'Neil appear competent is to book him in a bog-standard tag team formula match - at least it was well done in that regard.  Titus is the world's shittiest Robert Gibson.
• Nia Jax is one of those that should've stayed in NXT another year at least, and when they start sending main roster people down to NXT to freshen up, she should be on the first flight down.