Padje wrote:Cena coming out during the opening segment but then apologising and explaining to Steph and HHH that he wasn't interrupting them, just Rollins, is exactly why I hate WWE sometimes. They've made sure their TV environment is the same as their real one. Even the tough number 1 faces are falling in line behind the guys that kayfabe ruined Daniel Bryan's life and tried to feed Brie Bryan to their lapdog Kane.
Sure it was only last November when Cena and Ziggler banished Steph and Hunter with the help of "the vigalante" Sting, yet here he is giving them nothing but respect.
Stephanie and Triple H, as good as they both are, really don't have a grasp on the authority figure role yet. Are they heels? Supposed to be. So, why do they do a ton of face things?
It was an issue I had with every incarnation of Mr. McMahon as the Austin angle fizzled.
Sometimes he'd come out and ham it up as a mega face...sometimes he'd be evil again...for no real reason.
BoxingRobes wrote:Stephanie and Triple H, as good as they both are, really don't have a grasp on the authority figure role yet. Are they heels? Supposed to be. So, why do they do a ton of face things?
It was an issue I had with every incarnation of Mr. McMahon as the Austin angle fizzled.
Sometimes he'd come out and ham it up as a mega face...sometimes he'd be evil again...for no real reason.
I agree here, but for me the biggest problem with the Authority is... do we really need the heel boss angle? Hasn't it been done to death at this point? I mean, come on. Also, the Authority angle in particular has been around for 2 solid years. Ugh
Personally, I have no idea what WWE's doing anymore. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind being surprised if the company had any idea what they are doing. Why does Kan stay with the Authority and take Seth Rollins crap? Why hasn't Seth Rollins been able to get more clean wins in title matches to make him somewhat credible? Does the company have any idea what they are doing with Ambrose, Wyatt, Reigns, Sheamus, Orton or Barrett (here cause KotR) right now or are they locked in a mid-card holding pattern for all eternity? Why put Miz in a feud that he clearly can't win on any level? Why push a 40-year old R-Truth and not make him a total jobber yet still make him somehow look like a fool? For that matter, how come Swagger isn't even a jobber? Who did he piss off to get not screen time at all? What is even the deal with the Diva's division? I love me some Foxy and I understand them trying to push the newcomers, but this is the most sloppy, rushed, ridiculous booking I've seen in a long time.
I'll still watch WWE, but when, Cena, Ryder, Swagger and Henry leave, I just might be done. NXT is great, but it never seems to transfer all that well to the main roster, so why bother?
Anyone check out the Women's stuff on Smackdown? Naomi had a total meltdown. I need to find out if Becky was late on her in spot jumping into the ring. There's a lot of discussion about it online.
Naomi didn't tag in for whatever reason. Seems like Becky missed her cue but I don't know exactly when. Naomi was pretty frantic in breaking up the pin. At another stage Becky half way climbs into the ring and then decides against it. Also it looks like Naomi cusses Becky out at one point.
rovert wrote:Anyone check out the Women's stuff on Smackdown? Naomi had a total meltdown. I need to find out if Becky was late on her in spot jumping into the ring. There's a lot of discussion about it online.
Naomi didn't tag in for whatever reason. Seems like Becky missed her cue but I don't know exactly when. Naomi was pretty frantic in breaking up the pin. At another stage Becky half way climbs into the ring and then decides against it. Also it looks like Naomi cusses Becky out at one point.
I just watched Smackdown, and I don't think this had anything to do with Becky.
1. about a minute before Naomi breaks up the pin, she's standing on the apron when an unknown hand taps her on the leg. She bends down to talk to whoever it is.
2. she flies in to break up the pin, which is de rigeur for a tag match, but what makes this unique is the commentary team immediately start questioning wether she was tagged in or not. When do they ever do that on a tag pin break? Naomi, on her hot streak, goes over to Becky and says something ("stay out", perhaps)
3. Naomi beats Charlotte. Sasha seems surprised at the outcome, and so do Charlotte and Becky.
Looks like someone decided to teach the new girls how it goes.
rovert wrote:Anyone check out the Women's stuff on Smackdown? Naomi had a total meltdown. I need to find out if Becky was late on her in spot jumping into the ring. There's a lot of discussion about it online.
Naomi didn't tag in for whatever reason. Seems like Becky missed her cue but I don't know exactly when. Naomi was pretty frantic in breaking up the pin. At another stage Becky half way climbs into the ring and then decides against it. Also it looks like Naomi cusses Becky out at one point.
I just watched Smackdown, and I don't think this had anything to do with Becky.
1. about a minute before Naomi breaks up the pin, she's standing on the apron when an unknown hand taps her on the leg. She bends down to talk to whoever it is.
2. she flies in to break up the pin, which is de rigeur for a tag match, but what makes this unique is the commentary team immediately start questioning wether she was tagged in or not. When do they ever do that on a tag pin break? Naomi, on her hot streak, goes over to Becky and says something ("stay out", perhaps)
3. Naomi beats Charlotte. Sasha seems surprised at the outcome, and so do Charlotte and Becky.
Looks like someone decided to teach the new girls how it goes.
After seeing that, I have to think someone in the back called an audible for Naomi to go over and it seems like Naomi and Tamina were the only ones that knew.
Been catching up on some podcasts, and just listened to Talk Is Jericho with New Day - the biggest takeaway for me?
When they're talking about how the crowd started turning on them (which they expected to happen from the get go), they went to talk to Vince about pulling the trigger on a heel turn and striking while the iron was hot. Vince apparently, told them he thought that it was going to be a huge babyface gimmick, with all sincerity.
That tells you everything you need to know about WWE in 2015.
Seeing a lot of people going off on Twitter about the whole Nikki/Sasha match. My biggest takes from that match were:
1. They put them in a really rough spot. To put a divas match as the last segment before the main angle that involved the "hometown boy" in Lesnar wasn't going to end well
2. The match was structured very weirdly. Why The Bellas continue to work as faces baffles me. Sasha was playing the face and we come back from commercial now Nikki is, why?
3. Despite WWE seemingly trying to make this divas revolution thing a big deal and something to care about, the crowds don't buy in to it or aren't super invested in to it yet because of the long standing way women have been portrayed. People still view the divas as "bathroom break" material. There isn't really a "revolution" anymore to begin with. I know big change wasn't going to happen in a few weeks, but nothing about what is going on was stuff that was gonna make people view the women differently. It's more of the same shit with this forced narrative attached to it that this is something groundbreaking. Why should you be invested in these women?
The match itself wasn't bad by any means, but I'm not surprised the crowd just didn't care.
See, I differ in that I thought the match was really bad and that played a lot into why the fans couldn't have possibly cared less. I don't know who's exactly to blame but it was no good in my mind.
Also, as you mentioned, the heel/face dynamic and whole stable thing is a mess. It hasn't led to any of their personalities being revealed and each of the women seems like a jumbled mess to a casual fan. Sure, WE know who Sasha Banks is and what she's capable of but why in gods name would a casual fan?
Oh, btw, I almost forgot in the moment it was WWE Divas champ vs. NXT Womens champ... What a way to present that!
Man they couldn't have presented this match less important if they tried. A matchup that SHOULD be a big deal is getting thrown away on a heatless go-home show match.
