2012 Pro Wrestling Thread

Lesnar needs a mouthpiece and fast. Can't imagine WWE making nice with Heyman again, though that would be the obvious choice. Problem is, I can't think of anyone that wouldn't make him look like just another Superstar (r). Having him with Vickie isn't the answer.

Sable? But she's not a great talker and definitely on the outs with WWE.

If he's not going to have someone bear the talking load for him, they need to be a hell of a lot smarter in how they present him. Whatever goodwill was built in those interview segments was more than exhausted with that Wrestlecrap-worthy performance in the final segment. He wasn't a bad promo guy by the end of his first run, but clearly he's out of practice and looks absolutely lost there. Having a poor personality like Laurinaitis as his only lifeline isn't your best choice. This would have been a great spot for Vince; have him walk in and take over for Laurinaitis, then get to some hard-nosed negotiating in which Vince does the bulk of the talking.

That might have been the best way to bring in Lesnar -- have him go over Laurinatis's head to Vince to sign with WWE. It sets him apart from the rest of the roster as something special, so much so that even the Raw GM has no power over him. But that opens the door for more GM uncertainty, and while I'm no fan of Laurinatis in the spot, I don't think I'm ready for more of this.

 

Oh, and @CMPunk's tweet after his segment:

"Well that was fun"

Have a feeling that tweet is dripping with sarcasm.

 

So what exactly was in Jericho's liquor basket? I saw Beam, Jack, Crown, Jameson and I think Johnnie. There was a clear liquor in there that I assume was vodka, either Smirnoff or Stoli based on the shape of the bottle. Interesting note: a shot with equal parts Jameson, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and Johnnie Walker is called ... a Four Horsemen.

 

There was definitely some Patron in there.

And I stopped watching about halfway through last night.

Looks like from you people's reactions I should be glad I did.

 

Smart man, Tommy. Last night was a strong candidate for worst Raw of the year. Any brief thoughts I had of purchasing Extreme Rules jumped out the window following the Punk segment. WWE should be embarrassed for that weak ass phone-in of a show.

Don't if this has been a historical subject we've approached, but I'll throw it out there anyway: What if WCW, in mid-to-late 1996, began pursuing Shawn Michaels instead of Bret Hart? How different would the landscape had been if Micheals had taken Bichoff's "offer?"

One guess: there wouldn't be "sports entertainment" on Monday nights....

 

Lesnar stole Hogan's move after Cena signed the contract.

 

I wonder about Summerslam—they put Cena and Lesnar together so quickly that I can't imagine those two will still be facing each other again in August. So will it be....Lesnar v. Punk? Cena v. Lord Tensai? I somehow have the feeling that next Wrestlemania we will have Brock v. Rock, if Brock stays around that long.

 

That would be a sweet rematch, imo. Nine years in the making. That was Rock's last match, iirc, before this run.

 

Well, the way Cena and Punk are being paired with the great stars of the past, I figure by Summerslam we ought to have Punk vs. Backlund and Cena vs. Sammartino.

 

Brock-Undertaker:

 

Nope, not even close really. "Hollywood" Rock came back as a heel for a bit ... feuding with Hogan, The Hurricane, one more Wrestlemania match with Austin, then finally Goldberg before turning face again against Jericho and Christian.

Then came back for Wrestlemania XX to reunite the Rock 'n Sock Connection ... losing to Orton, Flair and Batista in a handicap match. That was his last match until last year's Survivor Series.

 

Hmm. That must've been when I stopped watching wrestling.