The General Wrestling Thread

[Guest]

Bryan isn't a nobody, but they had four pay per views (or whatever) that did some pretty shit business with him in the main event and they moved him down the card. The program didn't exactly go as planned. But, anyone with a brain would have known that when they saw HHH put the Pedigree on him.

At that point, Bryan wasn't going to move the needle, and its a shame, because he has the potential to. They just really want Orton, Big Show to be that guy and they never will be.

The problem is that Orton is always going to be supporting guy at best, same with the Big Show (but he can be either a heel or face effective, and Orton is a terrible face.) This program is going to be terrible because it's two guys wrestling who essentially are there near the top of the card who usually put people over. Awful booking.

As for Ravin, I think the buys get better a little as champion, because some of the marks might be more interested in it. However, many of them and the IWC aren't going to buy the average PPV, so the drawing effect really isn't there.

I really think the booking has to be there from top to bottom with the PPVs right now, and it's been lousy to say the least. In an era where there truly isn't a big draw like Austin was, you have to have top to bottom great cards, and we aren't seeing it.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

So I think now the question to be asked is, Bryan was not champion for those four PPV's, and was constantly getting fucked over ... do the buys get better with him as champion?

You can't keep a guy constantly as the challenger and expect people to keep giving a fuck all the time, unless you are like an Austin, and those are rare.

I have to think people would have given more of a fuck if they knew Bryan was champion OR actually had a chance in hell of walking out with the strap.

We'll never know because they never gave it a chance, and they Dusty'd the finish so many times, no one cares about Bryan winning the title at this point.

As for Austin, the Attitude Era was a different time, sure, but Austin was the champ longer and more often than anyone else, and it was a roster with The Rock on it.

[Warner2BruceTD]

I truly believe that at this point he needs to shave the beard & the goofball aspects of his character need to be dropped. That shit was fine to get him over, but the fans will never perceive that as a top level act. It looked to me like they were getting away from that shit after SummerSlam, but it never happened.

I think his persona is a bigger detriment at this point than the four consecutive Dusty finishes. Those don't help, but SummerSlam vs Cena didn't draw, and neither did the first Orton match. Its not like Bryan was on fire from a drawing standpoint and was killed by the booking. The people never really lost interest in him, the interest was just never all that great to begin with. Business didn't fall off of a cliff, but it wasn't stellar either. RAW hit some lows too. But that's not on him entirely, or at all, because you had NFL starting up, Cena gone, and clearly nobody cares about McMahon power trip.

I don't think they've hand waved Bryan, it four shows was enough for now. They always cycle guys. The current angle with Punk, Shield, Wyatt's is arguable the hottest angle going into SummerSlam. No one cares about Orton/Show soap opera. No one cares about Del Rio and that's clearly third in the pecking order.

The idea I've heard is that Bryan wins Rumble, and goes into Mania "screw proof" because babyface Vince backs him up vs heel Trios/Steph. If he gets his hand raised in New Orleans that's the payoff everybody is looking for. We'll see.

[s@ppisgod]

I think Vince forces him to keep the beard to make him standout because he thinks the only way a small white guy can standout is by having a crazy beard. I actually think he tries to shave it every day, but Vince berates him into backing out.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

I think Vince forces him to keep the beard to make him standout because he thinks the only way a small white guy can standout is by having a crazy beard. I actually think he tries to shave it every day, but Vince berates him into backing out.

In this scenario does Vince also berate him to PUUUUUUKE...PUKE DAMNIT...PUUUUUUUUKE?

[IamMedellin]

This week on Bauer & Pollock, former WWE creative writer Court Bauer shares his thoughts on the passing of Eddie Guerrero eight years ago this month and reveals plans the sports-entertainment organization had for the legendary grappler at the following year's WrestleMania pay-per-view event in Chicago, Illinois. Bauer also squashes the rumor of Guerrero being scheduled to win the World Heavyweight Championship from Batista during their feud.

Bauer recalls, "It was twenty-four hours before he passed away, I believe. Twenty-four hours, forty-eight hours, something like that. We had a call with Vince at home, and we were talking about the preliminary plans for WrestleMania. I know there’s this romanticized story about how Eddie was going to get the title, and that was the plan that he was going to get it that night or at Survivor Series. That wasn’t the plan. I think Stephanie said that, or alluded to it on the air, and that was not the plan. The plan was that he would lose, and I think they were going to return in December. We had talked about a fascinating idea; I’m not the biggest Bruce Prichard fan, but to his credit, I believe it was Bruce Prichard who pitched putting Eddie Guerrero at WrestleMania against Shawn Michaels and doing the parallels of their careers. Being the heartthrob in Mexico and this mercurial figure south of the border, and the American version being HBK.

"They had never really worked, and you would’ve had such a great dynamic between the two with heel Eddie versus Shawn. That’d be your “tear the house down,” high quality match at WrestleMania 22 in Chicago. Vince was like, “God damn, that’s really appealing. We could parallel their careers. What kind of footage of Eddie do we have outside of WCW? We could really do some impressive packages.”

[s@ppisgod]

That could have been epic. Usually a lot of these re-hashes are dull and pointless, but that one had so much potential. But Chicago? That match is made for San Antonio.

[FedEx227]

Pff, we have the best crowds in wrestling. Only places that come close are Toronto and New York (MSG).

[s@ppisgod]

Pff, we have the best crowds in wrestling. Only places that come close are Toronto and New York (MSG).

Chicago's good crowds not withstanding, that is tailor-made for a southwest crowd. Especially being that they're playing on career parallels. They could both argue that general area being 'theirs'. Much like you could argue that Chicago has better crowds than Calgary, but you wouldn't want the In Your House Canadian Stampede anywhere else. Some matches just work places.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

You could put Eddie v. Shawn in an outhouse in Ottumwa, Iowa and I'd pay to see it.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Zema Ion's Interview with Quinn's AM army to hype his upcoming appearance for Primal Conflict Wrestling on November 30th.


-Confirms he's still under contract to TNA for "quite a while" but is free to take whatever outside dates he wants to right now. He admits he hasn't had much communication with TNA in recent months.

-Says thankfully he doesn't have cancer like was initially thought by doctors

-Addresses the controversy over his fundraiser for his medical bills, says he never expected TNA to pay his medical bills because he's an "independent contractor" and he knows how that works.

-Admits someone at the TNA office got mad at him for making the company look bush league with the fundraiser, but he told them flat out he needed the money and that was the reality of the situation.

-Says his girlfriend actually started the GoFundMe account and, since she doesn't know much about wrestling, she didn't realize the political problems that would potentially arise because of it and how it could negatively affect his TNA career.

-Says that even though he didn't get anything close to the $30,000 needed, he was still overwhelmed by the fan support and the money he did get helped.

-Says he would like to go to WWE one day, but is happy with where he is now.

http://www.wrestleview.com/tna-news/449 ... fundraiser

If TNA is so concerned with looking bush league, next time they're in this situation maybe the Carter's should dig through the couch cushions and give the guy the $30k.

The fact this kid got flack from his employer for this, and then was basically squeezed out of a job, is pretty disgusting. And i'm someone who generally backs the company in most labor disputes.

[BigBiss]

If TNA is so concerned with looking bush league, next time they're in this situation maybe the Carter's should dig through the couch cushions and give the guy the $30k.

The fact this kid got flack from his employer for this, and then was basically squeezed out of a job, is pretty disgusting. And i'm someone who generally backs the company in most labor disputes.

I'm digging Union Warner

[Warner2BruceTD]

I'm digging Union Warner

Well c'mon, you can't not help the guy, and then bitch when he does what he has to do to help himself. Can't have it both ways.

Plus after the way they handled Jesse Sorensen, who was hurt in a match ffs, is where they lose any benefit of the doubt with me.

[s@ppisgod]

I'm digging Union Warner

I never thought he'd join a faction with Ken Shamrock.

[BigBiss]

any one else buy Mania tickets today?