2014 Pro Wrestling Thread

Money in the Bank 2011 was about as good as it got, both in terms of telling stories and in-ring action. This one was excellent instorytelling, and the matches were very good, but not great. I'll still go with MITB 2011, because that one had me on the edge of my seat at the end.

 

A few options:

1) Lesnar wrestles a handful of matches between now and 'Mania, squashing pretty much everyone he faces. In the meanwhile, Reigns tears through former world champ after former world champ but never gets a shot against Lesnar until he wins the Royal Rumble and they end up meeting at 'Mania.

2) Lesnar wrestles a handful of matches between now and 'Mania, squashing pretty much everyone he faces. Daniel Bryan returns just in time for the Royal Rumble and wins, and then he faces Lesnar at 'Mania (and preferably wins).

3) Lesnar wrestles a handful of matches between now and 'Mania, squashing pretty much everyone he faces. Cena ends up with a losing streak for a few months, but still ends up winning the Rumble, faces Lesnar for the title at 'Mania. This, I have a feeling, is the most likely to happen.

4) Lesnar wrestles a handful of matches between now and 'Mania, squashing pretty much everyone he faces (sound familiar?). No one can beat him or even come close. He gloats, saying he's even going to enter the Royal Rumble and win it since there's no one worthy of facing him at Wrestlemania (that would be kinda awesome to do). As he finishes off the second-to-last entrant, the music hits for the final wrestler he'll face -- and it's C.M. Punk. Punk wins, setting up Punk-Lesnar at 'Mania. (Yes, it's a dream, but it would be so friggin' awesome.)

 

I was also thinking during this match, how awesome Punk was for going toe-to toe with Lesnar.

 

If Option 4 happened, I would not want to be the people cleaning that arena at the Rumble. Having 20,000 internet wrestling fans simultaneously ejaculate would not be pretty.

 

Option one sounds most plausible. I can also see Bryan come back, say that since the Authority stripped him of the belt, that he is still the rightful champion and wants his rematch. Trips, with glee, says, sure, go ahead and get your ass kicked by Lesnar at the Rumble. Lesnar wins, then meets Rumble winner Reigns at WM. Reigns wins, then cements his status as top guy by also beating Rollins when he tries to cash in.

 

It didn't make sense then, beyond that they were trying to elevate the other guys, but they did try to retcon it in the lead up to Summerfest by saying he was still battling the diverticulitis during his 2013 run.

 

In cementing Lesnar as an unstoppable, unbeatable force, do you think they'd feed Rollins' MITB contract to him?
Say Lesnar beats Orton in a physical match at Hell in a Cell, and Lesnar is a bit worn out. Rollins tries to cash in on the Authority's orders (Plan B in action) and just gets destroyed. It'd be a fresh take on the "cash-in vs. wounded champ" angle that's been done to death, and could be the moment when HHH realizes he's lost control of the situation.

 

So, does Cena do the job to Lesnar at Night of Champions next month in a rematch? I like Batman's idea that the Authority loses control of the situation. Cena has failed, so they put Lesnar in the Cell with Orton in October. Now, I don't know about using Rollins. Seems like a waste. I'd have him hold the case until early summer when the title is on someone else. I wouldn't destroy a potential main event guy like that unless Rollins wins right after the Cell, only to be murdered by Lesnar the next night on Raw to regain the title.

Or, throw a returning Batista into the mix. He never got his singles match for the title for the Royal Rumble win, technically. And, good chance he gets a face pop since everybody loved him in Guardians.

It'll be interesting to see how Lesnar, the title, and the eventual conqueror of the conqueror is all booked.

Lesnar is someone that The E needed to walk a fine line with when it came to booking him in his return. He came back as more than a former wrestler who was doing a few shows a year. He came back as a legit fighter to a product that asks us to suspend our disbelief of fake fighting. So, when the legit fighter is booked the way he is tonight against the supposed top fake fighter the company has to offer, what does that do to the product? I had hard enough time suspending my disbelief that Lesnar jobbed to Cena in 2012 and Triple H in 2013. So now I have to suspend it on a higher level to believe he can be beaten ...

A. By Cena? Cena has been brutalized twice. I can rationalize he only beat Lesnar in 2012 because of a chain shot to the head and the AA to the steel steps. Even though he lost, Lesnar was booked to own Cena.
B. By Bryan? I know he's the underdog, but this might be too much to handle. He won't overpower Lesnar, but he could out-manuever him. Punk was booked close, so maybe MAYBE I could buy Bryan winning. But if we're using logic to book a fake fight, this doesn't add up.
C. By Reigns? If they can build him properly over the next few months, okay. But they've got to do it better than "he's a big, power guy" because he's really not thaaaat big. He looked big compared to Rolins and Ambrose, but Reigns isn't that tall or that built.

More on Reigns: I like the guy, but he's still pretty green in some spots and needs to develop. Orton made him look a lot better than he is. Reigns needs to start showing more than punches and his finishing stuff. Plus, whatever weird motions he does to tease the spear have got to look less ... I dunno, awkward. He looked like he was humping air for a second.

Overall, match of the night for me was the lumberjack match. Ambrose and Rollins are great story tellers in the ring. They've got a bright future, and I could see this as the start of a career-defining feud or a career-long feud. Feels a lot like the Rock/Triple H feud during their IC title days. These guys will be fighting for the world title down the line.

Oh, and one day when I'm huddled in rubble, human filfth and decay, scattered skulls, and gray ash that powders the ground like fresh snowfall, I will fondly remember this night as the start of World War III -- the night Jack Swagger passed out instead of tapped out to that Russian bastard.

 

Rusev and Swagger really had a pretty damn good match. Those guys work well together.

Really, top-to-bottom, it was pretty excellent. Even the weak matches were better than a lot of the crap we've had at PPVs this year.

 

So, does Brock's side plates have the Jimmy John's logo?

 

Bully Ray's TNA deal has expired and since they couldn't come to terms on a new contract, Bully is leaving the company.

Very awkward timing to say the least; right in the middle of a dream series feud with the Hardys and TNA Tag Team Champs The Wolves. Hall of Fame induction for Bound for Glory in Japan...is it actually gonna happen? Especially if, in a weird twist, Bully Ray is somehow able to return to WWE?

 

In Lesnar's win last night, the WWE did the right thing finally.

They had him destroy Cena and he comes off as the Beast Incarnate that he should be booked as.

Now, I too am in the thought process of them having Lesnar carry the strap to Mania. A desperate HHH has to have someone face Lesnar, who has gone through everyone, in different types of matches. Finally out of options, if Bryan is able to come back, they go to him for Mania or they build up the monster showdown between Reigns and Lesnar.

Now, what I would actually love to see is that just when Lesnar has it won at Mania, the lights go out. Lesnar stands up and behind him is Taker, who chokeslams him/Tombstones him etc. Getting payback for the Streak being broken, and whoever is facing Lesnar gets the pin.

Heck, they can even work in a stip that if Lesnar is beaten he must leave the company. Maybe they can put up Heyman as COO vs. that stip.


Or, HHH knowing he's up against it, puts in a no DQ match and every superstar who was beaten up/destroyed by Lesnar comes in, gangs up on him at the end and each delivers their finisher to him, with the final blow coming from whoever's got the title shot. An old school ECW sendoff type.