2014 Pro Wrestling Thread

I really wouldn't mind seeing a Triple H vs. Sting match at the Royal Rumble. Triple H can still go well enough to drag a decent match out of the old man, and the build would certainly be fresh.

 

I think Sting felt the same way. He definitely had a "what the hell am I doing here?" look in his eyes on the way to the ring.

 

Letting Ziggler get such a big rub and be the last man left was awesome.

I don't know why Sting would care about HHH. It feels like when Bret showed up in WCW and just sided with Sting "because babyface." Still the moment itself was awesome.

Feels like something bigger is going on with Cena. He bails after being pinned....even though captain HHH did all that damage before Sting showed up. He didn't help anybody during the attacks on Raw and Smackdown. They made a big deal out of him being the ones who could bring HHH and Steph back. Something about all that doesn't feel right....

 

That could be something.

Or, they just wanted to avoid explaining why Cena wouldn't get fired if they lost.

 

Well, with this booking, it seems like they're about to give Ziggler a big face push, and he and Cena will be allies. And the announcers make great pains to point out that Triple H and Stephanie can't be reinstated without Cena's say-so.

I don't expect it right away, but I can see Cena and Ziggler fighting together for the side of good over the next few months, and Ziggler begins getting more popular and suddenly, bam, that Cena heel turn that so many people have been clamoring for.

Of course, WWE has to make sure Ziggler (and Reigns) really get over as faces.

 

Oh, and the Sting appearance was awesome! That is all.

 

I hate to say it after all the times I've mocked how every single PPV ends with someone suggesting it could be a lead-in to a Cena heel turn, but yeah, that crossed my mind.

 

I think a Cena heel turn would be awesome, says the internet fan for the 2,034th time.
But, yeah, it would be.
I'd build it around the idea of Cena no longer being the face of the company and, knowing his time is coming to an end with the addition of guys like Ziggler, Reigns, Rollins, etc, struggling to let go.
So Cena gets his rematch against Lesnar and does everything he can and still doesn't win. Then you have Rollins come in, cash in, and bam, new champion.
Cena left to look in the ring in shock that Rollins did what he couldn't.
Then you build up to Mania with the focus completely off Cena. Put him in some half-ass feud with some random person and have him lose. Reigns vs. Rollins is your main event. Cena comes out, is put in the match with no explanation given. He wins. HHH and Stephanie come out and celebrate with him in full heel mode.

 

So I signed up for the WWE Network at the start of the month, using that free November promotion. As nice as it's been watching NXT and past episodes that kindle childhood and college moments, I loved the fact that I would watch tonight's show on my phone without any issues. They might have hooked me with that. If only I had more Sundays off ...

As for the show, loved seeing Sting appear. It's one thing to hear he might be there, another to actually see it, and the rumors have been there for months. That was great to see. And Stephanie's meltdown at the finish was fantastic.

Ambrose-Wyatt was excellent. Ambrose has been the one I tune into to watch for some time, and it's good to see he's not wasting the opportunity.

Just wish Bryan could get healthy again and back in the ring soon.

 

Thoughts on Survivor Series, typing as I watch:

- What the fuck is up with Vince’s hair? Is that a bad rug, or a bad dye job?

- The tag team match to open the show was a fun little match, as I expected. I’m not sure why they went with the Fatal Fourway format though, since this is the one show where an elimination tag match would have made the most sense.

- Hard to take the women’s division seriously when they’re being openly mocked by the commentators (“She’s doing the chicken spot now!”) and they’re talking about King’s past Survivor Series teams. It also doesn’t help that of the eight women in that match, only Nattie, Paige and Alicia Foxx can remotely wrestle. Emma was especially bad, except her submission move is kind of neat. Naomi just looks flat out dangerous in the ring, between that sloppy crossbody and how she took Pagie’s breakup of her move in the corner. Paige was doing her best to save the match, and was the only interesting part of it. I love that she uses the headbutt regularly, since it actually makes her seem like a fighter.

- Ambrose vs. Wyatt match was good, and I liked that they had Ambrose actually hit him with the chair and then spaz out, in contrast to how Cena resisted giving in to the darkness. I’m interested in seeing where this goes – I could see them continuing to feud, or moving on in some way, given the post-match stuff. I also thought Ambrose was going to do something off the ladder, but probably for the best that he did not.

- The ending of the Rose-Bunny vs. Slater-Titus match was funny at least.

- AJ, Brie and Nikki dressing up as one another was a good way to heighten the angle. Also, Brie locking lips with AJ was some super weird smark rib, right? Weird and unusual finish. A squash match like that probably prolongs the angle for another PPV though, which I’m not opposed to. Plus, it left 48 minutes for the main event.

- Mark Henry went out like a bitch! Poor guy. But he can sell like crazy, and it was a neat way to start off the main event.

- So much for the secret weapon and re-push of Ryback. First one out from the face team, even though perennial loser Big Show is on the team.

- Cool spot with Rusev and Dolph, and the table. I thought Rusev was going to intentionally get disqualified, but they zigged a bit by having him miss instead and get counted out.

- The match could have used a special guest referee in order to keep things in order.

- And HOLY SHIT, Big Show with the sucker punch of Cena! Heck of a decision there, and I loved the handshake with Triple H. I was thinking to myself before it happened, “Man, it would be awesome if Dolph could be the sole survivor.” Even having him be the last guy in was a heck of a decision. I thought for sure it would be some boring SuperCena thing instead.

- And then, two eliminations by Dolph! It was of Kane and Harper, but still, it counts. I thought they were prepping for a sudden debut by someone to make the save, but instead, they made Ziggler look like even more of a Big Damn Hero.

- Finally we get the ref bump! Good stuff. And then another! It makes sense logically, because why have Triple H at ringside if he’s not going to do anything?

- STING! Ohmygod it’s Sting! The face to face with him and Triple H was an incredible moment. They built up this Survivor Series main event as the greatest ever, and there’s a good chance it was. Dolph looked like a million bucks, the debut of Sting, the surprising turn of Big Show and Cena’s elimination… The only shitty part to me? No need to have Cena come out at the end, or for Cole to say “Team Cena” won. But still, that’s a minor complaint about a great finish. Great touch at the end with no announcing as the crowd chants “Yes!” as Steph and Triple H breakdown.

 

Observer from Nov. 24:

- TNA announced that it has signed a multi-year deal with Destination America, a Discovery Network show that has clearance in about 52 million homes (a little more than half of cable). It’s good that they have a contract, but it’s a major step down from Spike. It will probably start there the first week of January. One positive of the deal is that they will get plenty of program hours. Although TNA has signed a new contract, the “best of” shows are still scheduled for Spike in December.

- Lesnar will be working some shows before Rumble, in order to build it up. However, his contract expires in April, and his bargaining position is incredibly strong right now. Bellator is throwing a ton of money around, plus business has been somewhat down in UFC because of injuries, so he presumably can use both as leverage.

- There is no update on Daniel Bryan. He still hasn’t regained any strength in his right arm and hand because of a nerve issue, but he hasn’t had surgery to fix this yet, hoping that rest will help it. Writers have been told not to use him for any storylines because there is no timetable for his return.

- Khali’s contract expired last week and the company chose not to renew it. Amazingly, he did last seven years with the company, since he started in 2006. He missed some time here and there because of injuries, and he wrestled less in recent years because of them and a tumor on his pituitary gland.

- Jericho has almost finished a deal to do more house shows in January and February. It’s a “reverse Lesnar,” in that he will not be on the TV shows. However, his schedule is currently free for the Rumble and Mania, and it’s believed that he’s available for both if there is an injury issue.

- Reigns is scheduled to be back in December. Right now, the plan is Reigns vs. Kane when he returns, with Ric Flair reffing the house shows. It’s unknown if Flair will also be on TV.

- Wade Barrett is about four to six weeks from returning. Originally, he really wanted to be OK in time for the UK tour, but he was still in pain and couldn’t train properly.

- Lucha Underground is getting really strong reviews, since it’s supposedly combining tons of spots and fast wrestling with really good production values.

- Ethan Carter III has a torn biceps and needs surgery. He’s expected to be out about seven months.

- The Rock and Roll Express have been enshrined in the Observer Hall of Fame. In second place on this year’s ballot was Brock Lesnar, who was 13 ballots shy.

- After an initial exam, it was thought that Marc Mero might need heart surgery. However, a follow-up exam revealed that while his heart was enlarged, it wasn’t needed immediately, and he’ll be reevaluated in six months.

- Univision is exploring doing its own MMA promotion, which could be huge, given that their prime time TV audience is about 3 million. That’s about double USA, for comparison.

- Hugo Knox has started doing house shows for WWE developmental. He is former UK goalkeeper Stuart Tomlinson, who played from 2003 to 2009 with Crewe Alexandra, Barrow, Port Vale and Burton Albion.

 

IF Bryan comes back and Reigns and Ziggler get over.....maybe Cena could work as a baddie. Seems like they've hinted more and more on air and maybe they're trolling us but maybe it could actually work.

One other issue with the main event-----WTF is up with Henry and Big Show? They split them up via losing the Russev so they can work with each other.....only now they're both heels? So they never actually get their program against each other?

If Cena goes back to feuding with Lesnar, whats Big Show do now? Face Ryback I guess? I have no interest in a Cena/Big Show hold over match next month.

If they do Rollins vs Ziggler at TLC that has the potential to be absolutely incredible.