2023 Pro Wrestling Thread

Well, it was nice while it lasted. It didn't bode well that none of Trips' projects/rehires did anyhing of note on air, aside from a few seconds of Bronson Reed confronting Lashley.

Damage CTRL was basically flattened (and Bayley was MIA), no sign of the Garganos, the stuff with Otis was just a background piece.

I'll wait to see what SmackDown looks like Friday, but I've got a sinking feeling we're about to pretend like much of the past 8 months or so never existed.

 

I interviewed Luke and Butch once back in the late-90s. Very entertaining guys and they told some great stories about being chased out of venues all over the world by pissed off fans who hated the Sheepherders.

 

Would like to see them do more with Dexter Lumis. I barely watch, but from the little I've seen he has Stone Cold intensity and vibes, and physicality. And his name is not ridiculous. Seems like a well of untapped potential.

 

AEW mark here … could the insertion of Lesnar into the Cody-Roman feud be a hat tip to the UFC purchase/merger?

 

Possible, I think its just something important for Cody to do while Roman tends to some Bloodline stuff

Cody, who was undefeated in this wwe run until Sunday, needs to overcome some adversity. Theres no bigger adversity than Brock Lesnar.

 

I get what you guys are saying about Cody needing some adversity to overcome, and he comes from a family of "chasers," but... This feels way more like the stereotypical WWE blue balls'ing of a guy who they won't quite get behind. Especially when you hear that Vince is weighing in on creative again.

 

This is Vince being back in charge. There isn't thought to it. He's kneecapping someone he doesn't see as a star and throwing away a storyline that should've had a huge payoff (and maybe still could have). He's got no clue where to go with things, and now that his sale is done (BTW, told y'all way back -- insert Barry Horowitz backpat emoji), he just wants to be back in the driver's seat even if things go to pot.

 

I understand being passionate about something, but when you’re 78 years old and a gazillionaire, why not just spend your day lifting weights, have some beverages, go lay around the pool or on a private beach somewhere with some hookers if the genetic grapefruits feel the need and leave the shows for someone else to kill 21 hours a day on?

 

Vince was in charge when Cody beat Seth 3 times in a row right? So I think he sees him as a star and is not knee capping him

Again 3 months ago everyone thought Cody was on an “lol cena wins” path to being boo’d because he rushed in and hadn’t conquered anything.

Is it a credit to how well they really told the Cody/Roman story that 1) that never happened and 2) people are now mad he’s facing the adversity they wanted originally?

Also HHH booked Cole in NXT a hell of a lot like Roman (title reign wise) and is a student of the Flair/Race booking tradition, where Dusty seldom if ever won.

So it seems to me the internet just wants to find something to chalk up to Vince McBoogeyman

 

I was more irritated the first match on the Raw after Wrestlemania was Omos.

 

Don't get me wrong -- I still think Cody's story was rushed, but really more that it was overshadowed by Zayn-Roman. They used a lot of time on that story that normally would've went to Cody, so they had to rush through Cody-Reigns in the last month. But for me it's a lot more that the story made sense ending at Wrestlemania this year, and another year of chasing just feels like a boring slog ahead. If they weren't going to put the belt on him, there are a dozen different ways they could've taken things that would've been better stories for everyone and still let them tell the Cody-fighting-his-way-to-the-top story.

And I'll never buy that Vince thinks Cody is a top guy. Maybe I'm wrong. Hopefully I am.

Also, I'm not a big Cody guy, but I looked forward to what could happen with the belt off Roman. It was less about seeing Cody win as it was about seeing Roman lose.

 

All these tweets from and directed toward Bayley -- it would be a buzzkill if she's gone, too. The MVP of the pandemic era, she never really got her just due since then.

She didn't wrestle and had to sell for the Bella Twins at Tampa Mania (which the crowd hated with how beloved Bayley is in Florida NXT country), had to sit out a year after blowing out her knee, and then Damage CTRL's early heat seemed to sputter out by the end.

Apparently, she was supposed to come out with Dakota and Io last night, but she was written out and never even mentioned.