The Wrestling Thread~
- Thread starter SLAB
- Start date
Go figure, Jazz had it right before I started watching. When Thunder Rosa won it, iirc she was in a faction with Milena and Marti Belle, Milena seemed to be the leader but TR got the belt. For some reason I assumed after TR took off Milena held it for a while but it went to Deeb before landing on Kamille who has had it for some time now.
I should have guessed Leilani Kai as I knew the in-between was someone of that era, but after Madusa ran out of names that I knew for certain it wasn't.
I should have guessed Leilani Kai as I knew the in-between was someone of that era, but after Madusa ran out of names that I knew for certain it wasn't.
Rewatched the beginning that I missed. and then Shane. god that was painful he lands and rolls onto the mat and you see the knee do funny things knees don't do... Miz's face was fun to watch while they figured out if it was salvageable and ladyref Jess and the medic did a good job getting Shane out of the ring while Snoop worked the mic long enough to set up the impromptu "match".
PWInsider.com is told that about 15-20 minutes before Raw went live on the air, a number of late rewrites for the episode were ordered, described as not "feeling" like the type of changes talents and staff had come to expect under Paul Levesque. Changes for the episode continued as the show well into being on the air and we are told they came directly from McMahon, who had his own office at Raw, just as he did before his "retirement" in the summer of 2022.
Seems like the main event result between Roman and Cody was universally hated. Then I saw this... was that a takeover or was it always the plan?
Seems like the main event result between Roman and Cody was universally hated. Then I saw this... was that a takeover or was it always the plan?
Warning: long, rambling post that might be taking wrasslin' too seriously incoming.
I gotta pushback on "universally" hated: it might be specific to the corner of the internet I travel in, but the ending to WrestleMania, while surprising, was generally well received aside from the interference. I don't know whether it was a Vince call or not, but I thought it was the right decision, and here's why:
Regardless of whether you like Roman Reigns or not (stares directly at @SLAB), the Bloodline has been the best-written storyline in WWE in years; probably the best since the Yes Movement, definitely the best since KofiMania. And the downfall of the Roman Empire has been ordained since Day One (puns intended).
The subtext of Cody's arc has been "Finish the Story." And people who have expressed dissatisfaction with the way WrestleMania ended have been told, sometimes condescendingly, that "The story's not finished," in a way that implies that there's a lot of story left to be told. Except, there's actually not a lot of story left to be told. There's only a lot of story left to tell if you think that Cody's story started when he returned at WrestleMania 38. If you think that Cody's story started with him having a handful of matches against Seth, and then tearing his body in half, and then going through rehab, winning the Rumble, having a couple of bangers, and then WrestleMania 39, it would make sense to think that the story's not finished. In reality, Cody's story actually started with The Legacy. When he was talking to Solo about standing next to the Champion and not being ready, that wasn't accidental; that's how far back this s*** goes. Cody's story is about Legacy. It's about Stardust, and having to leave WWE in disgrace, without the rights to his own name. It's about having to rebuild himself on the indies, proving doubters wrong by promoting All In, and then co-founding AEW. It's about making himself into a star that was so undeniable that WWE wanted him back. It's about Cody returning as the triumphant, prodigal son, determined to fulfill a promise that he made to himself and to his father, to do what Big Dust was never able to do in WWE: become the World Heavyweight Champion. The logical conclusion to that story was at WrestleMania.
However, comma...
Cody is fighting for vindication. He's fighting for validation. He's fighting for legacy, he's fighting against ghosts.
The antagonist of Cody Rhodes' story is not Roman Reigns.
And that's a problem.
Roman's evolution from the silent 'heavy' of The Shield to the s***-talking Head of the Table has been nothing short of brilliant. From a guy who was getting the dreaded "X-Pac Heat" when he went over the Undertaker to being a Final Boss monster heel who has fans mimicking his ridiculously long ring entrance every week. A guy who was getting cheered as a white-meat babyface after coming back from cancer, and then used his cancer diagnosis as the motivation behind his heel turn. A guy who was portraying himself as the sympathetic figure, while he was beating his flesh and blood to a pulp! He has turned back all challengers to his throne, fueled by the burden of having to provide for his family... his Bloodline. He beat his own family into submission, in order to protect his championship. When the Roman Empire falls, it has to be from within, that's the only way this can end.
So you can see the problem, yeah?
When Roman's reign (no pun intended) is brought to an end, it can't be with Roman being a footnote in somebody else's story. And that's why Cody couldn't win on Sunday: honestly, the worst thing that they could have done for Cody's story was to bring him back for the Royal Rumble. Because once he won the Rumble, everybody who was rooting for Cody to Finish the Story™ at WrestleMania was setting themselves up for disappointment. What should have happened, IMO, is that WWE should have spent the time that Cody was injured building up a new monster heel, so that when Jey beats Roman, that heel could beat Jey, and that should have been the guy that Cody pins at WrestleMania. Because, and here's the point, who Roman loses the Championship to matters more than who Cody beats to become the Champion.
I gotta pushback on "universally" hated: it might be specific to the corner of the internet I travel in, but the ending to WrestleMania, while surprising, was generally well received aside from the interference. I don't know whether it was a Vince call or not, but I thought it was the right decision, and here's why:
Regardless of whether you like Roman Reigns or not (stares directly at @SLAB), the Bloodline has been the best-written storyline in WWE in years; probably the best since the Yes Movement, definitely the best since KofiMania. And the downfall of the Roman Empire has been ordained since Day One (puns intended).
The subtext of Cody's arc has been "Finish the Story." And people who have expressed dissatisfaction with the way WrestleMania ended have been told, sometimes condescendingly, that "The story's not finished," in a way that implies that there's a lot of story left to be told. Except, there's actually not a lot of story left to be told. There's only a lot of story left to tell if you think that Cody's story started when he returned at WrestleMania 38. If you think that Cody's story started with him having a handful of matches against Seth, and then tearing his body in half, and then going through rehab, winning the Rumble, having a couple of bangers, and then WrestleMania 39, it would make sense to think that the story's not finished. In reality, Cody's story actually started with The Legacy. When he was talking to Solo about standing next to the Champion and not being ready, that wasn't accidental; that's how far back this s*** goes. Cody's story is about Legacy. It's about Stardust, and having to leave WWE in disgrace, without the rights to his own name. It's about having to rebuild himself on the indies, proving doubters wrong by promoting All In, and then co-founding AEW. It's about making himself into a star that was so undeniable that WWE wanted him back. It's about Cody returning as the triumphant, prodigal son, determined to fulfill a promise that he made to himself and to his father, to do what Big Dust was never able to do in WWE: become the World Heavyweight Champion. The logical conclusion to that story was at WrestleMania.
However, comma...
Cody is fighting for vindication. He's fighting for validation. He's fighting for legacy, he's fighting against ghosts.
The antagonist of Cody Rhodes' story is not Roman Reigns.
And that's a problem.
Roman's evolution from the silent 'heavy' of The Shield to the s***-talking Head of the Table has been nothing short of brilliant. From a guy who was getting the dreaded "X-Pac Heat" when he went over the Undertaker to being a Final Boss monster heel who has fans mimicking his ridiculously long ring entrance every week. A guy who was getting cheered as a white-meat babyface after coming back from cancer, and then used his cancer diagnosis as the motivation behind his heel turn. A guy who was portraying himself as the sympathetic figure, while he was beating his flesh and blood to a pulp! He has turned back all challengers to his throne, fueled by the burden of having to provide for his family... his Bloodline. He beat his own family into submission, in order to protect his championship. When the Roman Empire falls, it has to be from within, that's the only way this can end.
So you can see the problem, yeah?
When Roman's reign (no pun intended) is brought to an end, it can't be with Roman being a footnote in somebody else's story. And that's why Cody couldn't win on Sunday: honestly, the worst thing that they could have done for Cody's story was to bring him back for the Royal Rumble. Because once he won the Rumble, everybody who was rooting for Cody to Finish the Story™ at WrestleMania was setting themselves up for disappointment. What should have happened, IMO, is that WWE should have spent the time that Cody was injured building up a new monster heel, so that when Jey beats Roman, that heel could beat Jey, and that should have been the guy that Cody pins at WrestleMania. Because, and here's the point, who Roman loses the Championship to matters more than who Cody beats to become the Champion.
I agree that Cody was not the best person to end the reign and @Mr. S£im Citrus is spot on that Cody has his own story to tell. I'd have rather seen Sami there Sunday but something with Jey or even the Rock (which I think is the $$$ is no object dream match for WWE and whoever owns it) make the most sense kayfabe when it comes to dissolving the bloodline.
Reading the Raw reports is depressing AF. I don't get it, hasn't everything about WWE been remarkably positive since Vince left? Talent relations, reception to the storylines, everything. Why would anyone buy WWE and then put Vince back in charge? Big the gerbil and the rat energy ala @Tetsujin.
I've also heard rumors that PLEs will go back to being PPVs as early as this summer.
It's been fun.
Reading the Raw reports is depressing AF. I don't get it, hasn't everything about WWE been remarkably positive since Vince left? Talent relations, reception to the storylines, everything. Why would anyone buy WWE and then put Vince back in charge? Big the gerbil and the rat energy ala @Tetsujin.
I've also heard rumors that PLEs will go back to being PPVs as early as this summer.
It's been fun.
Yeah but the super rich saudi jerk is doing it for his own ego-satisfaction and not as a business venture (I think?). Does Ari Emmanuel/Endeavor think that the Vince run product is better than we had in the last 9 months?
I honestly don't follow the day to day business dealings so it may be thoroughly possible that even though Trips's changes appealed to the die hard wrestling fan base, that they did not have the same appeal to investors. I did note that apparently WWE stock is down as a result of this news, which is the opposite reaction the usual purchase agreement generates, so either they're selling at a discount so Vince can have some power back or investors lack confidence in the buyer.
I honestly don't follow the day to day business dealings so it may be thoroughly possible that even though Trips's changes appealed to the die hard wrestling fan base, that they did not have the same appeal to investors. I did note that apparently WWE stock is down as a result of this news, which is the opposite reaction the usual purchase agreement generates, so either they're selling at a discount so Vince can have some power back or investors lack confidence in the buyer.