SirSmUgly

Odd that they're trolling the audience based on a real-life issue with a booking decision. Reigns coming out and being confused by that in kayfabe clashes really weirdly with HHH talking about a OOC thing. Maybe this will be an angle where everyone in the company acknowledges that they're actors on a show booked to win except for Reigns, who is so deluded that he treats everything like it's real, believing that he's really beating guys up with the Superman Punch and spear, and pledging to beat Brock Lesnar at WM even though everyone around him is trying to explain that Lesnar is a shoot fighter and will fuck him up. Then at WM, Lesnar, tired of Reigns thinking that he's really winning matches on his own, wins with a Kimura in 15 seconds and somewhere in Long Island, Vince Russo busts a nut watching it all go down.

Man, was I hyped for Blake/Murphy winning the tag belts! Match was okay, but I did really enjoy the ending sequence quite a bit. Tyson Kidd's shirt is the rare non-crappy looking wrestling shirt. I would buy and wear it. Weird note about Neville; his little ritual when he's waiting in the corner to start the match where he stretches in both directions, pops his mouthpiece in, and does a lunge, comes off as really intense to me and really works for establishing his character in a way that nothing else has, at least in my view. Typical good match from these two. Bayley seeing Sami Zayn get successful after becoming less nice and changing her behavior too, but not quite going about it the same way, was great. Tag match was fine. Charlotte throws a shitty chop, though. Corbin/Dempsey was what it was. End of Days looks great on Dempsey. I wish they hadn't had him come up after the match and cut in on Corbin's interview to tell him that things weren't over between them as it telegraphed the end of Neville/Corbin too much. Before that interview, I was thinking they might just have Corbin win number-one contendership. Regal lampshading typical contract signing tropes was funny. I am rooting for Zayn, but I have to admit that even though Owens is a bad guy, I respect his "do whatever I have to in order to get that money for my family" logic. He comes off as a working-class guy, so it's more admirable than prickish.

Dean Ambrose doesn't seem right. Like, legitimately. Like, Piranesi's "Dean Ambrose, Feral Animal" stories seem to have at least a partial basis in truth. He's kinda like Randy Savage or Brian Pillman in that way, where something seems off about the dude in reality and you're not sure if he's actually playing a part.

I'll put it this way: I think it is far more likely that big-time pro wrestling dies in America than WWE ever gets a legitimate competitor for the #1 spot in the U.S. I actually think there is a pretty good argument to be made that big-time pro wrestling is dying right now, and WWE will eventually end up as a regional company at most, though I don't know if I believe that argument.

Sure, I agree with that. I don't think this company is going out of business anytime soon. From all I can understand, they're stable financially. They won't be entering a boom period anytime soon, but they probably don't really need to, either. They can stay the course and remain profitable.

I mean, if his goal at this point is "doing pretty well in the present," then sure. I don't know how driving old fans away is supposed to help create future fans or how ignoring money that he could be making is a smart business move, but stability in mediocrity can be a win, too.

Cue RIPPA in 3...2... Anyway, does anyone know why they got rid of/moved the Elimination Chamber PPV? Is it the close proximity to WM? Are winners telegraphed in some ways when it's right next to Mania?

Steiners vs. Vader/Mr. Hughes at Clash XVIII should be considered this for Mr. Hughes. This match was awesome; Hughes took a couple awesome bumps. It's a tag match, but still. I had recently watched a ton of AWA and some 1993 WWF, and Hughes is patently awful, so when I saw this match, I couldn't believe how good he was in this thing.

And Vince will win. Not only will he win but if gets bad enough Bryan's not going to get another win while under WWE contract. I do enjoy a vindictive Vince telling Daniel he's gonna job to Zack Ryder in 30 seconds.....on Superstars I mean, if throwing away money and making your shows unwatchable is "winning," then yeah.

Rollins is fine as a talker, but man, do they write some garbage for him. That twenty-minute HHH-circa-'03 stuff peppered with elevated vocabulary that people don't use when threatening each other with violence does him zero favors.

I never understand this. Not necessarily here, but in some places, people insult consumers that don't like the Thanksgiving dinner sides they are consuming as whiny or entitled or whatever. As a consumer, if I don't like the Thanksgiving dinner sides that I'm consuming, it only makes sense that I shouldn't put money into it personally. Some people seem to think that the producer of content is owed the consumer's money. Personally, I'm sticking with the Network because I like old PPVs easily at hand instead of having to deal with bad video or missing video on YouTube/Daily Motion and because NXT is the best, but anyone who can't stand the current Thanksgiving dinner sides and sees that as the central purpose for having the Network is right to cancel. Now complaining about the current Thanksgiving dinner sides and not caring about the other stuff on the Network, but still paying for it? Yeah, that makes no sense. Vote with your wallet and wait to hear if the current Thanksgiving dinner sides get better before rewarding Vince McMahon with your money.

It probably is true that WWE pushing social media has led fans to think that they can use it to influence company decisions, though. It actually worked (in conjunction with their vocal activity during the shows) last year, right? At least they're still showing up and booing, I suppose. It's when they stop caring at all that WWE has a problem. I don't know if we're approaching apathy-level fandom for a lot of the core adult fans or not.

That is just amazing timing considering the #CancelWWENetwork thing. I mean, I'm accepting those numbers, but, gee, what fortuitous timing.

Just got a text from WWE: "WWE Network hits 1 Million subscribers. Thank you WWE Universe!" People are into Roman Reigns, WWE Champ, obviously.

It isn't "millennials." It's just that we live in a consumerist society. Consumers will try to influence the products they like however they can, and the internet makes it easier for that to happen. I also think that this reaction is a bit different than the typical "we didn't like the booking" reaction. I think there is some clear hostility between Vince and the core adult fans, or at least the core adult fans have this hostility and sense that like hostility might be coming back at them from Vince.

Rollins's control segments aren't good. He's just not good at that sort of thing with his current offense. Video game-like spotfests, on the other hand, he is perfect for. Heck, I'd be really interested just to see Rollins/Brock straight up to see them and their ridiculous offenses go up against one another for twenty minutes. I only got a small taste last night.

Only as long as she also mentions that Vladimir Putin has developed a Weather Machine anyway, so soon Russia will control the world.

Nikki throwing that nasty forearm to get the pin on Nattie was pretty fantastic, to be honest. She might be a top-three striker in the company at this point, no kidding.

Yukon Golds make the creamiest mashed potatoes. The skin is like velvet. I'm sorry, but the Idaho Russet, while a solid potato, wishes that it had the flavor profile. In fact, I'm going to fry some bacon right now and then fry up a sliced Yukon Gold in the fat with rosemary and shallots. The Idaho Russet is like Roman Reigns: Pushed beyond its abilities because it has "the look." (By the way, I wanted to like your post, but I am at my quota for the first time ever. While we disagree on potatoes, I really enjoyed your response.)

Eh. I mean, the finest potato of all, the Yukon Gold, was developed in Canada. I'm not a snob who turns his nose up at a nicely fried or mashed Russet, but Idaho is outshined on the potato front.

I think Rollins has to leave with the gold to salvage things. The fans in attendance will accept that. Triple H/Kane vs. Sting/Bryan is also a good idea to finish two long-term feuds and let Bryan do the heavy lifting in the ring for Sting. I'd do something like: Reigns/Lesnar Rollins/Orton (and put Orton over so Rollins has a built-in feud to begin his title reign) HHH/Kane vs. Sting/Bryan Wyatt/Taker (I'd prefer no Taker on the show, but since they want to use him...) Cena/Rusev based on what pieces they have and how to salvage the show in a way Vince could accept. My real preference would be Bryan/Lesnar and Rusev destroying Cena so Rusev could then destroy Bryan after a three month reign and become the champion into WM, where Reigns can theoretically meet him next year in order to be crowned. Plus, maybe we could get Rusev © vs. Lesnar at Summerslam.

This would be really funny, but it would also ruin the rest of the show, so I doubt they'll do something like this.

I don't mind paying ten bucks for NXT and easy access to archived shows from NWA, WCW, World Class, etc. The Network is such a good deal even if the current main shows are utter rubbish not worth any money. I'm glad that people are putting their money where they feel that it is worth it, though. I doubt much of the subscriber base is going to cancel, but I would chuckle if during the next quarterly report, WWE had to admit that they lost subscribers in total.

Yeah, but unfortunately, you live in Scottsdale, so...yeah. Honestly, I'm more jealous that you have access to Pita Jungle and Wildflower Bread Company than the weather. On the topic of angry fans: I think the hardcores that show up on the Road to WM are pretty much dug in. They seem to have taken last night as a sign that Vince is actively against them, so they'll be vocal. Oddly, the only interest I have in WM is to see if the fans just shit on almost everything out of spite. That would be entertaining in a perverse sort of way.

There is no right answer. The right answer was Bryan, but they aren't doing that. Everything else is just varying levels of awful. Bryan was the worst choice. He won last year, now the injury cannot be helped but his goofing off and going to all the different non-medical doctors held up the company through Summerslam. Looking back, after watching his 'do not want surgery' whining and the Bella's comment about Bryan never picking up the tab he comes off as a bit of a Diva. I doubt that comment being left on Divas was an accident. He deserves to sit in the midcard for a bit until he proves that he can stay healthy. Weird statement. Not directly comparing Bryan to Austin in every way, but that same logic would have kept the WWE Championship off Austin in 1998. No, you strike while the iron is hot with a guy. If he gets hurt again, you theoretically are good enough creatively to have viable backups like McMahon did in 1998 (specifically The Rock, but 'Taker was also really hot because he had started the Satanist gimmick shift). What good would sitting Austin in the midcard for a bit until he proved that he could stay healthy have done? What good does it do to sit Bryan in the midcard now for that very same reason? I don't buy that logic at all.