WWE

[Sparky]

Neville is amazing. Seen him in nxt, didn't watch indies much but I have went back to youtube to see all my favorite wrestler's work before wee. But Neville does not fail to impress.

Yeah, he is surely amazing in the ring.

[Tomas Elliot]

For what I could see in NXT he is not bad on the mic either. Nothing stellar, but decent. I wonder hy they don't let him speak at all in this RAW run of his? Is it a storyline preparing to unfold, or just lazy booking?

[Sparky]

For what I could see in NXT he is not bad on the mic either. Nothing stellar, but decent. I wonder hy they don't let him speak at all in this RAW run of his? Is it a storyline preparing to unfold, or just lazy booking?

Not sure, but we've got 2 matches for Extreme Rules, Rollins vs Orton with the RKO banned in a Steel Cage for the WWE WHC and Cena vs Rusev for the US Title in a Russian Chain match.

[Smoke]

Not sure, but we've got 2 matches for Extreme Rules, Rollins vs Orton with the RKO banned in a Steel Cage for the WWE WHC and Cena vs Rusev for the US Title in a Russian Chain match.

And I'm pretty sure the Lucha Dragons are gonna go against CesaroKidd for the Tag Team championship.

[Sparky]

Welp, looks like the WWE is aiming to ban Rollins' from using the Curb Stomp

[Sparky]

and on the road to Payback with a fatal four way in Dean Ambrose vs Randy Orton vs Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins for the WWE WHC.

[Antilegend]

Isn't this show scripted?

Late to reply to the quote, but it drew my eye.

Professional wrestling seems to be going through a renaissance these days. People are looking over the fact that the outcomes are predetermined, yes, but the athleticism by the wrestlers is shocking. Looking at the whole sport subjectively, seeing these muscled human beings flying through the air as if gravity itself forgot about them is a spectacle to behold.

http://i.imgur.com/ksCyJ8j.gifv

Edited May 18, 2015 by Antilegend

[Sparky]

Welp, I'm starting to get tired of Seth as the champion. the lack of the Curb Stomp is probably one part of it.

[Ragnar]

I think pedigree is his new finisher now..

[Sparky]

I think pedigree is his new finisher now..

Not really. I've seen it as a DDT into a Facebuster/Dirty Deeds

[Sparky]

I'm just going to try and revitalize this thread, since the Royal Rumble is coming back up again. I have a small list of superstars that are partaking in the rumble this year. Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Chris Jericho, Sheamus, Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, Stardust, Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, Curtis Axel, and Big Show are the few that are in the Rumble. I'm assuming Mark Henry, Adam Rose, Bo Dallas, and Heath Slater are also in the Rumble.

http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/2016/royal-rumble-match-wwe-world-heavyweight-championship-28402653

[Anthony810]

We got a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

[Sparky]

We got a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

I'm entirely fine with HHH as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion tbh.

[Tomas Elliot]

This still alive? Good. Allow me to share my impressions of what was the first WWE show I have watched in a while.

1) Ambrose vs KO: solid match if I ever saw one. It is always difficult to tell a convincing story when working with a stipulation that is traditionally overloaded with crazy spots, but the guys managed to get the job done perfectly (it was really evident that they were used to this kind of stuff back in their indy days). The match didn't have a single flaw from any possible point of view, it was great to watch and I applaud both Ambrose and KO for it. A side note concerning Ambrose: is it just me, or the guy was booked to look stronger than just about anybody esle on the show? He survived a grueling LMS, then had a good showing in the Rumble, and actually managed to be the runner up, coming within inches of winning the whole thing (love how they teased an offset to get the crowd to boo HHH, who was cheered moments earlier for elminating Reigns). It really makes me wonder about their future plans for Ambrose: if they want him to be JUST a midcard champion, why booking him so strongly in a PPV as important as this one? Could this be a sign of better things to come for him?

2) New Day vs Usos: it was a fun, fast-paced match, however I am kinda worried about the Usos. When you are the face team in a bout, and the trombone played by the manager of the heel team gets a bigger pop than your hot tag does, you know that you are utterly failing at connecting with the crowd. They used to be a hot and very over team, but I am afraid they are starting to become stale. Maybe a heel turn and a fresh new feud with some other face team would benefit them.

3) Kalisto vs AdR: an embarrassing botch (in what was already a rather silly-looking spot, so both guys ended up looking like idiots for trying it in the first place) ruined what was otherwise on its way of being a solid match. As mentioned, I have not been following WWE's product lately, so I cannot comment on the accusations many critics have made to this match of having a "contradictory booking".

4) Charlotte vs Becky Lynch: fun match, ruined by an ending that made Becky look almost as dumb as Sting in his WCW glory days. I really appreciate how both ladies looked like professional athletes and not like inflatable dolls, which is a serious step up compared to a lot of their collegues we have seen in the past 15 years. I am impressed by the pop Sasha Banks got upon attacking both competitors after the match: she looks to be the most over woman in wrestling right now, I hope WWE can capitalize on this with solid matches at Fastlane and, most importantly, at Wrestlemania. Incidentally, everytime I see Sasha Banks I wonder: wasn't there a pornstar of the same name a while back? This is a serious question.

5) Royal Rumble match: AJ's debut got an incredible pop, I am so happy for the guy. Here's hoping he'll be threated like a high-profile star by the company, because he surely deserves it. Intriguing storyline building between Brock and Bray, although I am kinda appalled that the beast incarnate did not seek vengeance after being unfairly eliminated. KO looked to ignite rivalries with 3 different people throughout the match, I wonder what Wrestlemania matches will come out of this. And of course, last word goes to the winner: while I don't mind HHH winning per se (although someone should remind the man that we are in 2016 and not in 2003), I am worried about Wrestlemania. I mean, they seem to be enacting a storyline similar to the Stone Cold vs Vince feud in 1999, but there is a problem: HHH is well past his prime and looks to be really short on stamina, and Roman is (in)famous for having a rather limited moveset. I am therefore worried that a WM main event between the two could get rather boring, and well, considering that nothing Roman has tried so far has managed to get him over with the fans, are we sure that a boring WM main event would help salvage him as a top babyface?

[Sparky]

This still alive? Good. Allow me to share my impressions of what was the first WWE show I have watched in a while.

1) Ambrose vs KO: solid match if I ever saw one. It is always difficult to tell a convincing story when working with a stipulation that is traditionally overloaded with crazy spots, but the guys managed to get the job done perfectly (it was really evident that they were used to this kind of stuff back in their indy days). The match didn't have a single flaw from any possible point of view, it was great to watch and I applaud both Ambrose and KO for it. A side note concerning Ambrose: is it just me, or the guy was booked to look stronger than just about anybody esle on the show? He survived a grueling LMS, then had a good showing in the Rumble, and actually managed to be the runner up, coming within inches of winning the whole thing (love how they teased an offset to get the crowd to boo HHH, who was cheered moments earlier for elminating Reigns). It really makes me wonder about their future plans for Ambrose: if they want him to be JUST a midcard champion, why booking him so strongly in a PPV as important as this one? Could this be a sign of better things to come for him?

2) New Day vs Usos: it was a fun, fast-paced match, however I am kinda worried about the Usos. When you are the face team in a bout, and the trombone played by the manager of the heel team gets a bigger pop than your hot tag does, you know that you are utterly failing at connecting with the crowd. They used to be a hot and very over team, but I am afraid they are starting to become stale. Maybe a heel turn and a fresh new feud with some other face team would benefit them.

3) Kalisto vs AdR: an embarrassing botch (in what was already a rather silly-looking spot, so both guys ended up looking like idiots for trying it in the first place) ruined what was otherwise on its way of being a solid match. As mentioned, I have not been following WWE's product lately, so I cannot comment on the accusations many critics have made to this match of having a "contradictory booking".

4) Charlotte vs Becky Lynch: fun match, ruined by an ending that made Becky look almost as dumb as Sting in his WCW glory days. I really appreciate how both ladies looked like professional athletes and not like inflatable dolls, which is a serious step up compared to a lot of their collegues we have seen in the past 15 years. I am impressed by the pop Sasha Banks got upon attacking both competitors after the match: she looks to be the most over woman in wrestling right now, I hope WWE can capitalize on this with solid matches at Fastlane and, most importantly, at Wrestlemania. Incidentally, everytime I see Sasha Banks I wonder: wasn't there a pornstar of the same name a while back? This is a serious question.

5) Royal Rumble match: AJ's debut got an incredible pop, I am so happy for the guy. Here's hoping he'll be threated like a high-profile star by the company, because he surely deserves it. Intriguing storyline building between Brock and Bray, although I am kinda appalled that the beast incarnate did not seek vengeance after being unfairly eliminated. KO looked to ignite rivalries with 3 different people throughout the match, I wonder what Wrestlemania matches will come out of this. And of course, last word goes to the winner: while I don't mind HHH winning per se (although someone should remind the man that we are in 2016 and not in 2003), I am worried about Wrestlemania. I mean, they seem to be enacting a storyline similar to the Stone Cold vs Vince feud in 1999, but there is a problem: HHH is well past his prime and looks to be really short on stamina, and Roman is (in)famous for having a rather limited moveset. I am therefore worried that a WM main event between the two could get rather boring, and well, considering that nothing Roman has tried so far has managed to get him over with the fans, are we sure that a boring WM main event would help salvage him as a top babyface?

I'm going to provide my thoughts for the Rumble match for the Wyatt Family.

These four guys always get booked strongly when it's convenient, but get tossed aside as a bunch of jokes outside of that. Mainly Bray Wyatt jobbing to various superstars and such. Harper is a former Intercontinental Champion, but they don't really need anymore big men as a whole. Rowan isn't very entertaining generally and is a throwaway talent. Strowman could potentially be the next monster giant heel kind of guy if he stays around when Big Show and Kane end up retiring.

[Guest]

I thought that this year's Royal Rumble was one of the better booked WWE PPVs in quite some time. The Rumble itself was probably the best of the decade so far, a massive step up from the shitshows that were the previous two Rumbles. It was smartly booked with enough fan favorites coming in to keep the crowd invested. Having Kevin Owens eliminate AJ Styles was brilliantly done... I mean, are you gonna boo KO? That's the reaction they want you to give! Also liked that we have Sami Zayn vs KO as a potential matchup for Wrestlemania 32. Lots of fun in that.

Brock stiffing the ever living hell out of Strowman was hilarious... I gotta wonder if that was on purpose. Also, Brock's high knee strikes were a thing of beauty.

Kevin Dunn was really off his game with the Rumble match. So many missed things because of bad camerawork. Either shape up or get someone to replace him. I doubt neither of those are going to happen.

AJ's debut was fantastic. Obviously everybody knew who the hell he was and the crowd exploded for him - seriously one of the loudest pops I've heard in years within WWE. I like that WWE is also protecting the Styles Clash and hyping it up to be a killer finisher. We also got treated to Jericho vs Styles on RAW. I don't think they'll screw AJ up too badly, and that's good. He's one of the best wrestlers on the goddamn planet.

Roman getting booed to the extent he did surprised me. I know it shouldn't have, but that was just as bad as the last Rumble. There was no love for him. It didn't help that Reigns walked to the back after being taken out by the League of Nations for nearly the entire rest of the match. At least have him be carted out.. I get they were trying to play him up as a tough son of a bitch, but this wasn't the way to do it. It made him look considerably less tough; KO had a brutal Last Man Standing match and he was limping when he entered the Rumble, but still participated. I really don't know what they're going to do with this guy. Sure, he gets great reactions at most SmackDown and RAW episodes and gets amazing reactions at house shows, but he often gets apathy or boos at some of the biggest PPVs of the year, and that doesn't look good on him. I still say they should turn him heel and try again after a while, but they're pretty stubborn.

Triple H got cheered more than I thought he would, and he couldn't help but do the DX crotch chops when he eliminated Roman. The place blew up when that happened. Personally, say what you want about the guy's ego and backstage politics; while I can't really stand Authority HHH - when The Game comes out, I can't help but get invested. While he has slowed down quite a bit in the ring, his psychology is still top notch. He sold all of his near-eliminations incredibly well and made Ambrose look like he had a legitimate chance at winning the match. Do I think he should be champ in 2016? Hell no, but I'm not opposed to it either. He'll likely lose the belt to Reigns at WM32 anyway.

The direction is almost certainly going to be Reigns vs HHH for WM. I don't think Reigns will be cheered against HHH, but that didn't stop Cena from getting a win over him in 2006 either, now did it? Reigns has developed into a pretty solid worker in the ring, but he's just not THE guy in my opinion. Plus, the level of "superman" booking they're giving him is turning the heads of even some casuals, and to me personally it's just not fun to watch when the entire show is about Reigns vs the Authority. I mean, they could throw us a curve ball and have Ambrose win that Triple Threat between him, Reigns and Brock at Fast Lane but I don't see it happening. Brock will be taken out by the Wyatts and if rumors are true, we might be in for one hell of a shitshow with Brock vs Strowman. I am not looking forward to that. At least Strowman is a newer star being made to look like a incredible threat; the eliminations of both Kane and Big Show by him were great.

I think Wrestlemania 32 will have some decent matches, but I'm not looking forward to the main event scene.

Have some star ratings for the Rumble.

Kevin Owens vs Dean Ambrose ©, Last Man Standing Match for the Intercontinental Championship - ****
The Usos vs The New Day © for the Tag Team Championship - ***
Kalisto vs Alberto Del Rio © for the United States Championship - **
Becky Lynch vs Charlotte © for the Divas Championship - ** 1/4
Royal Rumble Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship - ****

I usually don't watch RAW anymore, but this episode was alright. I probably won't be watching again until Fast Lane. We got a predictable 20 minute promo by the Authority, but I thought HHH delivered a pretty good promo - angry HHH is almost always best HHH. The AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho match was pretty good, but the best segment of the night was probably everything involving the Rock. New Day going head to head with Rocky on the mic was a sight to see, it's been a segment I've wanted for a while. Main event was your usual fare, Reigns gets the hot tag and runs all over the heels per usual. Reigns vs Brock vs Ambrose is going to be a great Fast Lane main event in terms of match quality with a predictable ending. It should be fun regardless, no?

[Tomas Elliot]

A couple of thoughts concerning last night's RAW (I thought I'd watch it to get an idea of the aftermath of RR):

1) I am appalled at how the "Total Divas" divas look unimportant compared to the Sasha-Becky-Charlotte trio. What is Alicia's gimmick? Why were Natalya and Paige teaming up? I personally have no answers to these questions. Before watching the Rumble I had never seen Charlotte, Becky or Sasha in a main roster match, but all it took was a quick glance at the build-up to RR's title match and I instantly knew who these ladies were, what they wanted to achieve, why they had issues with one another and so on. These other ladies I have been used to seeing for a while now, and yet I feel like I know nothing about them. Worse yet, I feel like I am given no reason for wanting to care. So yeah, I find it baffling that there would be such a massive difference in booking between the 3 top ladies and everyone else.

2) They made an overly long gag reel with The Rock, which was funny anf all but... Its ultimate goal was apparently to get the Usos over. It felt like a massive waste of time honestly. I mean ok, The Rock is great and the New Day are great, but the Usos are still stale. No matter what amazing promo wars go down between The Rock and the New Day, the bottom line is that the Usos will stay faces and challenge for the title. IMO, this is not the best for them, because they have already given all they had as a babyface team. They need to go in new directions to stay interesting, The Rock is not some kind of miraculous medicine you can throw around to solve all issues.

3) I am intrigued by how they are teasing and teasing and teasing AJ hitting the Styles Clash, without actually having him perform it. If he finally does hit it on PPV and scores a big win with it, it will feel like a huge deal. They are really pushing the move as a killer finisher, which in turn makes the guy using it look like a star, which is exactly what needs to be done with AJ. So far so good for the phenomenal one. I particularly enjoyed how JBL talked up the similarities between and Jericho.

4) Ambrose once again was made to look incredibly strong. He kept selling his injuries from the previous night, played Ricky Morton to perfection, still pulled off his crazy antics (even being decisive in the finish), and the announcers put him over for it, with even JBL (supposedly the heel commentator) praising him. Just what are they planning for him? I would be inclined to assume he is not winning at Fastlane, so why are they booking him so strongly? Not that I mind of course, I am just worried that, if Brock really does get removed from the match at the hands of Bray and his goons, Ambrose will end up taking the pin for Reigns, and will then be shuffled back in the midcard... And all this strong booking will have been in vain.

[Anthony810]

Thoughts on RAW
The Rooty Tooty Booty got burned by The Rock, got their ass whooped by The Usos and The Rock.

Ambrose and Reigns took us to memory lane with the Powerbomb without Rollins.

Bray cannot win a match of himself, he needs his family like a spoiled brat to win.

AJ Styles VS Jericho, I think they both respect each other.

Becky Lynch is not done with Charolette that much I know for sure

Paige and Natalya whooped Brie and Alicia.

Flo Rida won that rap battle.

Miz lost to Kalisto which is good. Miz sucks we want Sandow.

Dudleyville still rocking.

And either I'm seeing things or has Paige's chest grown since her debut in the WWE when she became the Youngest WWE Diva Champion.

[Venox]

It would be amazing to watch. but isn't sting going to be part of the Hall Of fame? so i doubt he will wrestle to be honest :x

Edited January 26, 2016 by Venox

[Sparky]

It would be amazing to watch. but isn't sting going to be part of the Hall Of fame? so i doubt he will wrestle to be honest :x

Sting is the first inductee of the 2016 Hall Of Fame

[Guest]

https://twitter.com/WWEDanielBryan/status/696757295879819264

"Due to medical reasons, effective immediately, I am announcing my retirement. Tonight on Raw, I'll have a chance to elaborate."

My heart just sank. Please let this be a work.

If not... Bryan had an incredible wrestling career in both the independents and WWE. He made it, he had his Wrestlemania moment, and was one of the greatest wrestlers on the fucking planet. There won't quite be anybody else like him.

Thank you, D-Bry. I'll almost certainly be tuning in RAW to see his retirement speech.

[Sparky]

https://twitter.com/WWEDanielBryan/status/696757295879819264

"Due to medical reasons, effective immediately, I am announcing my retirement. Tonight on Raw, I'll have a chance to elaborate."

My heart just sank. Please let this be a work.

If not... Bryan had an incredible wrestling career in both the independents and WWE. He made it, he had his Wrestlemania moment, and was one of the greatest wrestlers on the fucking planet. There won't quite be anybody else like him.

Thank you, D-Bry. I'll almost certainly be tuning in RAW to see his retirement speech.

You aren't the only hoping that what Bryan said is a work. He's had a great career for certain.

[Tomas Elliot]

Well, last I heard his neck/spine was in seriously bad conditions. Like, Edge-bad conditions. I do hope it's a work but... Yeah.

[Sparky]

Well, last I heard his neck/spine was in seriously bad conditions. Like, Edge-bad conditions. I do hope it's a work but... Yeah.

The last time a superstar was going to announce their retirement on Raw was Mark Henry and that ended with Cena getting a World's Strongest Slam.

[Anthony810]

It is sad that Bryan had to retire but I swear to fucking GOD Bryan better be inductee for Hall Of Fame for this one. He deserves it.

But I do wish he could still work for WWE has a commentator get rid of Byron Saxton have him get back in the back.