2015 Pro Wrestling Thread

Elimination Chamber! My thoughts as I watch:

- The tag team chamber booking was a little odd to me. Ascension were kind of booked strong, since they got to eliminate the two luchador teams, and Prime Time Players also survived to the end, but I didn’t think the crowd bought into either teams as being legitimate. The New Day are awesome as heel champs, and maybe they didn’t want Cesaro-Kidd taking yet another loss to them, but I think they could have come up with something better.

- The divas match, man. The three of them just had no chemistry together. At certain points, you could see they clearly missed spots, like when Nikki flew off the top rope midway through; it looked like Paige was trying to run over to get hit, and was late, so she tried a half-assed pin. You could also hear them calling spots really loudly. (The Nikki double power bomb from the corner was especially bad. “One, two, three!”)

Naomi lost pretty clean, so hopefully this means she’s done as a challenger for now. Others seem to love her, but I haven’t been a fan. Most of the sloppy shit seemed to be on her this match; I don’t remember past Nikki-Paige matches being so rugged. Regardless, it’s just so shocking how bad WWE diva matches are as compared to NXT. Even when they get some time on a PPV, it doesn’t seem to matter, although I’d probably attribute it more to them only getting to do a 20-minute TV match once every few months.

- Cena vs. Owens, it’s great when one of my predictions actually pans out! Big fan of that booking, and the match in general was good. Only quibble I would have – Cena was reacting cartoonishly to Owens’ punches early.

- Bo vs. Neville, good popcorn match. Clean win for Neville, which he should have gotten. Seems like a transition / short-term feud for both.

- The IC title chamber, you could hear the crowd turn once Dolph was eliminated, and Sheamus vs. Ryback was left. A reluctant embracing of Ryback. Dolph kind of went out like a bitch, too. Sheamus just shook off the Famouser and kind of turned it into a Brogue Kick. Congrats to “The Ryback” as champion, although it seems kind of “meh” to me, but better than Sheamus at least. Nice moment with “Dan” Bryan in the ring after.

By the way, why have Daniel Bryan just sit there like he’s the fucking timekeeper? Put a headset on the man! Also, it feels like Barrett won King of the Ring five years ago, from how he went out in this match. He took multiple finishes, but still, pinned by R-Truth?

- Title match was kind of interesting, I guess. It’s like they mixed the finish of the unofficial Jericho first title win (the “fast count” with another ref) with that time CM Punk won the title and left with the belt. It would be cool if Ambrose was off TV for a couple weeks with the belt, but I imagine we’ll just see him tomorrow, and it’ll get stripped or taken from him. (However, I’m a big fan of pairing him with Reigns, because the heel turn will come quicker that way.)

- Other general thoughts: Way too much kicking out of finishers. I wish they’d just go 6, maybe even 12 months with finisher = match over. That way, it would actually be a surprise when a guy kicked out of one.

For the first 5, 10 minutes of the tag team chamber match, I thought it wasn’t elimination, because of all the tag teams breaking up pins. The same thing happened in the IC match. Why are they breaking up the pins?

Awesome when King had a “senior moment” and asked JR what he thought of the match.

 

1. The Divas match was a clusterfuck. Nikki blew a few spots, Naomi is athletic but doesn't impress me as an in-ring story teller, and Paige looked like she was just trying to make the best of it while pondering if she could go back to NXT. This match did nothing but fill time. And Nikki isn't dropping the title any time soon with a new season of TD coming in a month.

2. The chamber matches were just okay to me. I lost interest in the second one. I just couldn't get into the matches because there was a huge lapse of common sense by a lot of the guys. Why the hell do you break up a pinfall in an elimination match? Only if it was the tag elimination match and you're saving your partner. Otherwise, WTF?

I see a lot of folks online still wondering why Bryan is hanging around and referenced on shows despite being inactive. The E hasn't done the best job promoting one aspect of yet another resurrection of Tough Enough: Bryan's one of the judges. He's still under contract, so he's going to do something to earn his paycheck: Have his eyelids taped open so he can watch a bunch of jabroni wannabes.

By the way, I've been re-watching a lot of old Tough Enough episodes on The Network. Not sure if I had mentioned before, as I'm not exactly binging them. They're rough. Doesn't matter if it was the first two seasons from 2001-02 or the Austin version from 2011. There are major differences. One is that I watch the originals and think "Holy shit, did my generation really dress and act like that in our early 20s? Soooo many guys with greasy faces, hemp necklaces, cargo pants, and frosted hair tips." Plus, there is more Limp Bizkit than you'll ever want to hear. However, the real one is how the original show took mostly people with zero experience. The Austin version had people with multiple years of experience on the indies. They could work well enough, but at best they might be the local jobbers on SyFy's ECW to feed to Sandman or guys asked to dress up as security guards for a segment on Raw or SmackDown.

Tough Enough. Ugh. It's most decorated alumnus is The fucking Miz. Of course, I'll watch this new version. Because I just don't know any better.

3. Neville vs. Dallas was my bathroom break.

4. The night in which Cena jobs cleanly should be a national holiday. It's only once a year and tends to set the tone for what's to come. In 2013, it was Daniel Bryan. In 2014, it was Brock Lesnar. Now, it's Kevin Owens.

He's a mid-30s manchild-looking dude with a shitty beard, weird growth in his armpits, and acne. He's the latest King of the Indies to hop aboard The E train, the fat guy who can do moves not special to anyone who looks in better shape and who continues to wear jersey shorts and a T-shirt in the ring. He's like the asshole you see in the bar, brooding over his beer until he has a reason to fight someone. Fuck that guy, he's the Townie, the reason you can't find a nice place to hang with your friends and shoot the shit, because you just know that the cops are eventually showing up.

All this makes him a great heel for me. In kayfabeland, I'd love to see Brock eat his lunch, bang his wife and kick his dog once he sends his ass to Suplex City.

And did you notice that the match was pure wrestling? No outside bullshit. No going into the post, no being thrown into the announce table, no going through a table, no getting thrown into stairs. I don't think these guys went between the ropes at all, unless it was to go to the top. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven's seen that in a looooong time.

5. The Dusty finish to Ambrose vs. Rollins was what was needed. The title doesn't get hot-shotted, while the babyface isn't harmed by the finish. There's another match or two left in this before Brock comes back to get Rollins for SummerSlam, so we'll see what the extended reaction is for Ambrose. This is his test run, and while the booking of some of his segments seems to be hit or miss, he's over with live crowds and putting on solid matches. He still needs more depth to the character or an adjustment, and he needs to expand or modify his ring work. I think he's a future champion, but it'll be at least be another year before The E completely pulls the trigger on him. Then again, if his program with Rollins the next few months is gangbusters, who knows? The E has obviously cooled on Roman after trying to push him to the moon and getting mixed response. These three guys are still under 30. There's plenty of time (barring catastrophic injury).

So, where do we go from here? As much as I love months-long title runs, the WM/SS title changes are getting predictible. We still need a surprise every now and then. What if Ambrose does win the title at MitB, and Roman, who wins the briefcase earlier in the night, cashes in? Roman vs. Ambrose at SS, while a returning Brock is told he has to go through Rollins and the Authority to earn his title rematch he never received. Brock is beaten in the no-DQ gang beatdown or a handicap match and disappears while working on Plan B: He'll be back and win the Rumble, so the Authority has to give him a title match. Meanwhile in the fall/winter, Roman vs. Ambrose vs. Rollins (who re-enteres the title picture after SS since he's entitled to a rematch from a MitB loss) is the top program. The Shield triple threat everyone has clamored for. Maybe WM32 is face Lesnar chasing heel champion Reigns?

Maybe someone figures out how to book Bray Wyatt into a main event that doesn't leave his shoulders on the mat? I mean, his character doesn't live and die by wins and championships, but come on ... he's got to be someone other than midcarders to stay relevant.

MitB is Cena vs. Owens, but who says Owens can't later win MitB? Maybe he holds it and cashes in early 2016, maybe not. Maybe he becomes an Authority-backed champion and Seth is turned face, all the while Ambrose and Roman never turn heel and The Shield re-form and fangirl ovaries explode worldwide?

Okay, maybe I'm being a smart ass with that one.

 

They had to put NXT over strong if it's going to become a full-time touring brand and not just a developmental system. This does that. Props to Cena for laying down.

 

I didn't hate the divas match, thought they took some hard bumps and showed more power moves than athletic moves compared to NXT. Reading you guys though, you're right. It sucked. Compared to the triple from two NXT takeovers ago.....woof.

 

So, Kevin Owens goes from his NXT debut to beating Cena clean on PPV in just six months. The only other guy WWE has fast-tracked to this degree was Brock Lesnar.

It shows how much the attitude towards "independents" has changed since Daniel Bryan came on board. It also gives me hope for Samoa Joe's future and the possibility of AJ Styles coming in. I figured both of them would get "Low Ki'ed" in short order.

 

I remember reading a Taz interview somewheres where he talked about being the Tough Enough trainer. If you recall, he had his own school for a while. He said in the interview that he could have had all the Tough Enough kids quit within a week if they had gone through his school, but because it was a TV show, he had to go relatively easy on them.

 

Who was the one guy who either won it or came in second...Maven something? Anyway, we used to belong to the same gym back in the day. His workouts were considerably tougher than mine. Shocking, I know.

 

Yeah - They actually had him eliminate the Undertaker in a Royal Rumble, and he had some little moments like that but had to retire because of injuries. The winners of most of the Tough Enough seasons aren't that great, but in the past, WWE got quite a few developmental bodies that turned into something. John Morrison, The Miz, Melina, couple other mid-card folks, their first WWE look was the Tough Enough tryout, IIRC.

 

My thoughts on last night:

-- Tag match was better than I thought it'd be, with some pretty cool spots thrown in. Honestly didn't see PTP making it to the end, but loved their run. And they finally -- FINALLY -- showed the Ascension being the BAMF's they were in NXT. About freaking time. Love New Day more and more. The gimmick has certainly grown on me the last several weeks.

-- Divas match was terrible, and that saddens me because Paige is one of the best things they've got going right now. From the called spots to the botches, just an incredibly bad match.

-- Cena vs. Owens. My God. The beginning kind of dragged, but man, those two delivered one helluva match. From Owens hitting the pop-up power bomb twice to trying to get the win by using the FU, to Cena actually doing the job ... my goodness. That's an early candidate for Match of the Year. I did not expect to see Owens get the win last night, figuring he would get even in the rematch. But man, what a way to promote the future of the company.

-- Neville vs. Bo Dallas. Didn't watch much of this match.

-- IC title match. Incredibly boring to start, made worse when the crowd turned after Ziggler was eliminated. Shocked to see them not put the strap on Sheamus, who they had tried to build up as a BAMF since his return. Read that they were going to give him a run with the belt, but I wonder why those plans got scrapped?

-- WHC title match. A Dusty finish. Bullshit.

 

RIP Tommy Rogers, one half of the Fantastics, one of the more underrated tag teams in the 80s. Dead at 54, which is way too young. Sounds like he was having a lot of problems.

Tommy Rogers of The Fantastics tag team passes away at age 54 - Cageside Seats

 

When was the last time, if it's ever even happened before, that four wrestling promotions were on national TV on the same night? It happens tomorrow with NXT, ROH, TNA and Lucha Underground.

 

There was another Internet report that pretty much confirmed it was a suicide. Pretty sad. Didn't see a whole lot of the tag team back in the day, but they were pretty talented the few teams I did. Of course, the last time I saw him work was that Raw singles match mentioned in the linked story against his longtime partner, Bobby Fulton.