2014 Pro Wrestling Thread

As seen online, the latest bust-a-gut anti-Cena rant:

"I'd be fine with Cena going over, but when he takes 3-4 finishers in less than 30 seconds and is up doing the fucking Charleston 10 seconds later, it just makes everyone else look weak and pointless. I'd be pretty damn pissed if I were those guys."

Cena's agent should have him take all six finishers at MitB, do the Charleston, then climb the ladder and grab the titles.

 

They've certainly set it up, especially with that promo he did Monday.

At the very least I think we'll get new tag champs.

 

I'm hesitant about a Bray win because while a) it would be great to see what he could do when he has the whole world (title) in his hands, b) "My Client" Brock Lesnar is widely expected to win the title at SummerSlam, and I'd rather not have him be a quick-hit transitional champion, especially if he jobs it to a returning Daniel Bryan, who then immediately jobs it to Lesnar.

 

Forgot Brock was returning at Slam.

Yeah, they can wait, I'm just a huge Bray mark lol

 

I really hope they scrap the Bryan-Lesnar feud. I just think they're trying to rush Bryan back, and we've seen what happens when they've done that in the past. It never ends well.

 

Looks like the fans will get what they want out of this next PPV. It was announced on Main Event that there will be a second Money in the Bank ladder match for a contract.

First entry? Seth Rollins.

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/484793-second-money-in-the-bank-match-announced-for-this-months-wwe-ppv

 

We all know the man won't live forever. How far does the WWE make it without Vince?

 

It'll continue a long time in some form or fashion, because pro wrestling will always be around. Right now, WWE is King Kong Bundy and the other promotions are Haiti Kid. Until another promotion rises up as a credible challenger, they're a monopoly and built to stay that way. The product is getting better, and they're doing the little things to keep it in the mainstream consciousness. If you're a regular wrestling fan and want your fix, you come to WWE. If you're a casual fan, it IS wrestling.
TNA is a joke.
Ring of Honor is modern-day ECW, a hardcore cult phenomenon and nothing more, and it might be the No. 2 company right now.
Even New Japan is on the verge of bankruptcy.

 

Depends on who runs it. If it's Steph and HHH, I can see it going for decades simply because they're smart in targeting kids when they're young and getting the parents to almost be forced to buy in. The problem is, eventually, they're going to have to offer something to those kids as they grow up.
For my generation, it was the Attitude Era. It got us hooked again after we fell off for a while and now we stick around because it's still fun to watch.
I don't know the backstage politics of it all but I'd imagine Vince is probably more a hinderance than a help nowadays. He's an old school promoter in a world of entertainment mogels and the company has vastly overgrown what it should have been during his lifetime. Now, it's all going to depend on how the company continues to evolve and cater to not only the niche audience but the general population.
Will it always be the type of thing that can sell out the largest arenas in the world? Maybe. But it's going to need that pipeline of future stars which, if NXT is any indication, could be in place under HHH's watch. I guess we'll see.

 

You're spot on, Schieza, about the pipeline of stars. There seems to be a tremendous amount of talent coming through NXT right now, and the training center seems to be doing a good job of getting them TV-ready. It's essentially replaced a lot of the top indie feds that used to serve that role.
I know it's a WWE property, but is it possible NXT is the No. 2 promotion/brand in the country right now?

 

In terms of smark love, possibly, because it gives them WWE-level production with indie charm and talent. Plus the indie scene is fractured -- ROH doesn't have that galvanizing feud or group of stars; Chikara just came back and is an acquired taste; Dragon Gate USA is more for the puro types, and so on.

But NXT doesn't have U.S. TV, which makes it impossible for them to get much national traction past the hardcores. TNA, for better or worse, is still the No. 2 just because they have weekly national TV on basic cable in prime time, which is way more than ROH, NXT or anyone else can claim.

 

ROH's biggest problem is that people want it to be the new ECW and while that's fine for right now--and, I admit as someone who has been to two ROH PPVS, a LOT of fun--it doesn't help the company grow much more than what it is.
ROH has awful production quality and the promos are terrible but the wrestling is, easily, the best in the business right now though I don't watch nearly enough NXT to see how it compares there.
Plus, because ROH is still an indie, they're constantly losing their top guys. I mean, hell, now Steen is going over to the E? I mean, that's a huge loss. Steen is the kind of guy who fits the RVD mode in that he could have been the face of the company for a decade but now he's heading over for the "big leagues" and he's either going to be a monster star or lost in the shuffle.
I love ROH but I don't know how they grow past their current slot in the market. Well, wait, I know how but it will not likely ever happen: Somehow bring CM Punk back into the fold, where he can work a part-time PPV schedule but immediately legitimizes it forever , and boom, you suddenly get a LOT of attention.