2013 Pro Wrestling Thread

Finally caught up to the show.

The stuff with Show/McMahon-Helmsley faction (ain't it funny that a 13-year-old storyline is real?) is just something I'll have to turn off my brain when it's on. Show threatens Trips and cops show up, Steph could be arrested for battery but nothing happens, Show knocks out Trips, nothing happens, and I don't care anymore because there is no logic. Plus, Show has turned so many times that I just don't care about anything he does.

Cena coming back at least two months before announced either means the initial estimate was a work, his elbow wasn't that bad, or I don't know. He's held the WHC before (WM25 when Trips had the WWE title), and it didn't really add any long-lasting prestige to the title It's still the B title because of all the booking after. Try as they may, the WHC will always be seen as the B title no matter who holds it. It's not like The E hasn't tried. After all, Cena, Triple H, HBK, Edge, Undertaker, and Batista all held it as either top faces or heels. The bookers always seem to screw it up by booking an average talent with no heat like ADR. The best thing to keep the WHC from being so marginalized is to keep the brand split. When most of those aforementioned guys held the belt, that was the case. No champions crossing over shows is one part of the recipe to adding prestige to a title. Without the brand extension, it's just another midcard title.

 

Dirt sheets are saying the injury wasn't as bad as initially diagnosed. It was just a partial tear.

 

I think it's because the WWE had terrible ratings/buy rates for Battleground that they pushed the panic button and brought Cena back early to improve those numbers.

Seems like Daniel Bryan doesn't equal good ratings.

 

Or heck, Randy Orton and Triple H. As much as I enjoy playing fantasy booker on the Internet from time to time, it must be hellish to actually have to be so reliant on these limited numbers for feedback on your multi-million dollar industry.

 

Having a PPV three weeks after the last one had nothin' to do with it. No siree.

 

Not to mention one of the worst-booked PPVs in recent history, no less. Battleground was awful, had nothing to do with Daniel Bryan. And Orton has been historically poor when champion so it doesn't surprise me that he isn't boosting ratings one bit. I'm still hoping for a Punk-Bryan Wrestlemania main event. There is not a doubt in my mind running a major program between those two leading up to WM would push ratings and buyrates higher than they have been in quite some time.

 

I agree. And even if it isn't the main event and you have Cena-whoever (Taker?), that would give everyone the best of both worlds. The hardcore fans who love DB and Punk would get their match (I'd love if it they did an Ironman match though I doubt they'd give them a whole 60 minutes) and then the more casual Cena lovers could get the match they'd want. Everybody wins and buyrates are through the roof.

 

Lessons learned from SmackDown:
- Creative has its work cut out when it comes to Sandow. So, were we supposed to cheer him for standing up to Del Rio? Is this supposed to be the start of an slow-burn face turn (ooh, that rhymes!)? The guys in production were kind enough to pipe in some boos during his entrance, but the crowd in the background was sitting on its hands.
- Attention Divas: Unless your name is Katilyn, AJ, Bella, or Natalya, go away. You aren't worth two shits in the ring, and I can't believe TV time is wasted on you. Oh, right, that's because you're on a shit reality show. But, damn, at least have some kind of in-ring ability.
- The Rhodes brothers promo was awkward, and not in a good way. It was poorly written, back-and-forth, stifled crap. These guys can cut better promos than this.

 

You must not have been paying attention to the crowds in every city yelling "Yes" and "No."

 

Crowds aren't TV ratings. Apparently Impact played before a hot crowd Thursday, but they still get shitty ratings.

 

I've seen Impact, indie crowds are louder. I think the issue with ratings and buyrates has more to do with everything outside of DB and Orton. The Helmsley family involvement has gotten a little annoying time and ending every show with Big Show crying like a girl for a month straight probably didn't help. Too much of The Miz, Fandango and God-awful divas matches probably hasn't helped things either. R-Truth's sudden push damn sure isn't going to help things.

 

Nothing new here. They can be really stupid in how they book things. If he had come down without the entrance music they could made it look like a worked shoot.