2013 Pro Wrestling Thread

I've reached the point where if Daniel Bryan is not on the screen, I'm not watching/paying attention.

 

Cena really doesn't get enough credit for his workrate. In big matches, he almost always brings it and seems willing to do some radical stuff (like letting C.M. Punk piledrive him).
It's the smaller matches, the run of the mill Raw main events and the like, where he seems to slow down. In those, he seems content to hit the five moves of doom, bury his opponent and call it a night. Maybe that's a function of aging or being on top and not needing to take crazy bumps at this stage of his career. Certainly understandable and respectable. It's just that when you see veteran main eventers like Jericho and Punk bust their ass in those same types of matches it's a bit disappointing. It makes Cena look like he's mailing it in.

 

Pounded out five miles on the gym treadmill last night, almost all of them during that wonderful Bryan-Rollins match. Not sure I'll go so far as to say Bryan could put on a five-star match with a broom, but he's damn close. That match was a lot of fun to watch. So good.

 

Moppy says, "Bring it."

 

For me, it's Bryan (and Kane when he's with him), Punk, Heyman, The Shield, Jericho and Ziggler. That's it. Otherwise, I've been finding myself flipping away to other things.

Maybe it's age, or the fact that I've seen so much through the years, but I find my attention span waning. I couldn't even really watch the Cena/Ryback stuff last night, because as soon as I saw all the guys around the ring, I knew what was going to happen. Flipped away to Sox/Rays for a while, flipped back, and sure enough, they did the same old shit they always do. Guys try to jump each other, get held back, then magically get away from 8 people to attack again.

And enough with the McMahon family drama. That's so 13 years ago. I don't give a shit.

 

But, Steph is a total MILF.

 

Geez, louise, I was waiting for God to make his return to the WWE so He could put over Trips.

It seems like every fucking time I stop the remote on Raw (hoping to see Jericho at his best, or at least AJ), I get that fuckin' HHH shoved down my throat. Why do I bother?

 

Cena is 100% calling it in at both pay per views and monday night raw. As a wrestling fan I think you have to hate him. He is lethargic, lacks both technical ability and ring psychology/storytelling ability, and is in every way a product of being continually force-pushed. The reason matches like Punk/Cena were interesting for me wasn't because of the possibiliy of a great match. It was interesting to watch how Punk would be booked against Cena, to see if they would let him win. When it comes to any other Cena match there really isn't anything there for me to watch. I like wrestling and Cena, simply put, cannot wrestle. He is the archetype of a 'hired bodybuilder' wrestler with little interest in wrestling as a sport or art form. I fundamentally disagree with the suggestion that he is willing to do radical spots. A piledriver is radical in the context of WWE which is a promotion that has moved away from not only high-risk but a majority of medium-risk moves alo. Piledrivers are performed on a nightly basis in the indies and really aren't that big a deal. It isn't radical outwith the context of the WWE product. What I'd also say is that you do not need to wrestle a high risk style to put on good matches. I could write about it all night. Cena is an emblem of my contemporary disdain for something that mean so much to me growing up. I hate him.

 

I'm not a fan of Cena, either, but I have to disagree completely here. Cena is much, much better than the "hired bodybuilder" you make him out to be. If he was just that he never would've made it this far. The guy has some skills. He's not nearly as good at in-ring storytelling as Jericho or Punk -- few, if any, are -- but he's a lot better than you're giving him credit for.

 

Well I'm of the belief that the reason Cena has made it this far is a mixture of luck and McMahon wanting to create his own superstars. I don't want to put words in your mouth, but do you think its Cena's skill that got him where he was? I don't. I think it is McMahon's headstrong and relentless pushing of Cena - he's completely a product of booking rather than skill. Ie he is not a 'self-made-man' like Punk, Bryan, Jericho

Even if we disagree about his skill, we agree that guys like Jericho, Punk and presumably Daniel Bryan who were not fast-tracked to WWE like Cena was (2 years between starting training and being called up to WWE), are more talented wrestlers. They've put in the time, they understand the sport. Moreover, they have a versatility that can only be learned from wrestling around the world and putting in that kind of work. Cena has only really wrestled in WWE and WWE-style - so its no surprise that he doesnt' have a paticularly progressive or interesting style. How do you feel about the position they have relative to Cena in the company? Would you change it?

On a side note, have you ever watched Pro Wrestling Guerilla? For my money it is the best wrestling promotion in the world today.

 

Much like Cena is an example of everything you hate about pro wrestling, these opinions are everything I hate about wrestling fans.

 

Cena is not all hype. He has had some great matches over the years, even carried his share of them and carried guys who were limited in the ring (like Batista and Big Show) to memorable matches.
Obviously, as with any wrestler, in-ring skill is only half of the equation, though. Cena got where he is because he has incredible charisma and is strong on the mic. He connects with a large portion of the audience and gets a reaction -- good or bad. I've made the argument before that he doesn't need to turn heel, for the simple fact he's already the biggest heel in the business. No matter where he goes, half the audience roots against him.

Now, that said, Cena is stale. He keeps his spot because he's the "safe" choice. He's always there, works hard, and he's a known quantity. When Jericho goes off to tour with Fozzy, or Punk starts touring ballparks, or the Rock makes movies, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that putting Cena at the top of the card keeps a bonafide superstar in the spotlight. McMahon knows he can turn to Cena, put the belt on him for a few months, and be in good hands. I'm tired of his schtick, but I do appreciate the role he plays.

As for the experience thing, Cena has been in the business for a decade at this point. He's not leaving WWE to travel the world and become a more versatile wrestler. He's worked with just about everyone and had great matches with most of them. So why does he need a more well-rounded style when he's shown he can work with anyone, showcase their talents well, and carry a match when needed?

At the end of the day, Jericho likes to claim he's the best there is at what he does. Which he is. He's probably the most well-rounded wrestler of the past decade.
Well, Cena is the best there is at what HE does -- be the workhorse and the public face of the company. He doesn't have to be the best wrestler, or even the best mic guy. What he does is carry the WWE whenever he's called upon, both on TV and through his charity work. There hasn't been a guy in WWE, other than maybe Triple H, who has taken to that role like Cena has for as long as he has.
A lot of fans want to change that, but it's not in his or the company's interests to do it.