2014 Pro Wrestling Thread

And with the way it ended, I have no problem with it. They probably had a dark match any way.

 

In other news, although this happened nearly a month ago, Billy Robinson, one of the toughest shooters and a guy who a lot of wrestlers hated because he took liberties on them, died on March 3. RIP

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2014/03/03/21507641.html

 

Nope, no dark match. Just DB going over to the Backstage Pass area to talk for a bit.

You have to wonder if having this "postgame" show is going to kill dark matches, especially if the set is out in the arena setting.

 

Triple H is so good at selling things.

He sold Daniel Bryan's beatdown the same way he sold Cactus Jack's first WWE/F appearance back in the day.

Solid ending to an otherwise meh RAW for me.

 

A few thoughts each segment on the go-home Raw.

- The build for Taker/Lesnar has petered out for me. If the segments were booked in reverse, with the pen through the hand taking place last night, I would be more into the build for this match. I still have hopes that we get a good, old-fashioned, TV-14 Taker/Lesnar brawl in five days.

- Del Rio vs. Big E ... these guys still work here?

- Summer Rae is obviously going over Nattie. Summer's hotter, wrestling skills be damned. She's the hot new thing for "Total Divas" and will be pushed down our throats, like Eva Marie was last year. I'm still surprised the Divas are even getting a match at WM. It's a far cry from Trish/Mickie, but at least they're on the card again.

- The Triple H promo video actually disgusted me. I hate Triple H, both as a person and character. If he goes over Bryan and books himself to win the title, I may puke. It'd be like the territory days come back to life. Trips and Steph are doing great jobs as heels. I hate those two.

- Of course Fandangoing died out. It was a post-WM smark-filled Raw that did it because they wanted to put themselves over. The truly clueless at The E thought it was because fans really liked Fandango. Wrong.

- The tag match: The Matadors are in the Fatal Four-way Tag Team Title match, and the Rhodes brothers aren't. What's wrong with this picture? Pray for the Usos to retain, and get them involved in a good feud with the Real Americans.

- Show should win the Andre Battle Royal. It's only fitting, even if it is predictable. Means Heath Slater is winning it.

- I love the Shield. Aside from Bryan (and if that bastard Punk), I'm most excited to see these guys at Raw on April 14. I don't even think these guys were in NXT the last time I saw a live event. I can't even fathom them breaking up. My mind is swimming with the logistics alone. What kind of ring gear would they have? Would they get stuck with lame entrance music? Who goes face, who goes heel? Do they feud with each other or just break apart and feud with others? Best line: "We're gonna teach those kids a lesson in attitude." — Dean Ambrose on the New Age Outlaws.

- Cena turning up in the sheep mask was fantastic. The stare off between him and Rowan was as epic as that time when Busta Rhymes dressed up as Michael Myers and ran into the real Michael Myers in "Halloween: Resurrection." Uh, okay, not the best example ... But it's an odd feeling when it comes to John Cena and WrestleMania this year. This is the first time since WreslteMania XX in which Cena has no involvement in either a world title match or the main event. It's the end of an era.

Another Divas match? I guess we had to be reminded that AJ was still the champ before she's jobbed out to one of the Total Divas. Naturally, she'll be jobbed out to one of the worst workers, like Eva Maria or one of the Funkadactyls or Summer Rae. But when the champ is pinned after getting an ass to her face, why should anyone give this a millimeter of credibility? This is why Kaitlyn wanted her release. And to think AJ was one of the most over Divas just 18 months ago. Guess she should have done the E show.

- Piper's Pit is always welcome. I want that Villain T-shirt Nada was wearing. The segment was otherwise pedestrian.

- If anyone needed proof that a Batista/Orton main event would have bombed without the added element of Bryan, I present last night's match. It may have been a great main event seven years ago, but not now. Great to see Bryan lay into Trips's ass with that kendo stick. I hope he leaves welts on Sunday.


Finally, Bleacher Report has a daily schedule for the WWE Network for this week, with highlights of some stuff that are more than just re-runs of old WrestleManias. "WrestleMania Rewind" is always a good watch, with lots of in-depth info that features either an entire card or just a single match from a particular WrestleMania. There will also be a few live shows from Axxess later in the week. Of course, the live Hall of Fame is a must-watch for Warrior, Hall, and Jake. Plus, there will be an extended pre-show on the big day. I'm guessing this is to get people tuning in gradually instead of billions and billions—© Carl Sagan—all tuning in at 7 EDT.

As for non-WWE stuff for WrestleMania week, Colt Cabana is doing his podcast live (I think on Saturday) from New Orleans. He's also working some other independent stuff this week. If you don't listen to his podcast, give it a shot. I enjoy it the most of the three I listen to (with Jericho and Grantland being the others).

 

Just an aside on Dean Ambrose: I was browsing on the WWE Network and I decided to watch a Countdown episode on wrestling's biggest blunders. When they got to the Shockmaster (which was "shockingly" only No. 2), and had a few current Superstars commenting on it, Ambrose did one of the best Dusty Rhodes impressions I ever heard. You should check it out if you haven't already.

 

I'm watching the WM30 press conference from New York, which was earlier this morning. It's brutal. Steph, Hogan, Triple H, etc. all walk to a podium to their entrance music. Hulk is trying to get a room full of bored media reporters to echo his catchphrases, and he's dying out there.

For one, why is the press conference in New York and not New Orleans? I know NYC is the capital of the world, but it lacks a bit of common sense. But the room is dead. I'm not sure what the purpose of the entire exercise is. It's certainly not a fan event. The reporters are half asleep, and I'd wager most of them have never watched the show and are only there to report on this because there's general interest in any media company making as bold a move as WWE is with the online network. Plus, any company whose stock triples in a matter of weeks is worth writing about, for a time.

Batista is fun to watch. He buries his script writer, tells the press he hates press conferences, and mocks himself as if he were a Daniel Bryan mark booing him and teasing him about skinny jeans.

This is just the most bizarre thing. If you have the Network, check this out.

 

It won't happen, but I'm kinda hoping they give Emma a run with the title.

She's got a great work ethic and she's quirky enough to keep people entertained IMO.

Also wondering when they're going to let Paige come in and do some things. Her new submission finisher is a sight to behold.

 

I'm still wondering how Emma got the call up before Paige.

 

I think she has a bit more "spunk" and definitely more energy.

I'd actually love to see a match between AJ and Paige. I think that would be really good if given time.

that being said, why do I get the sense that Tamina Snuka is going to be your new Divas champion

 

A few other thoughts:

1. Yeah, it seems like Cena is being deemphasized this year. He and Wyatt are in the midcard, basically. Taker/Lesnar, Bryan/Trips and the WWE title match are all bigger. That said, he still is putting out all he has in this, but it feels like he doesn't have 100 percent to give.

2. Make your bets on the annual match that gets bumped from the card for some random singing/weak comedy performance: The tag four-way, the Divas (Tune in on Total Divas to see them all cry after getting bumped!) or the six-man (oh, the conflict! Giving Trips' friends another WM payday, or fucking with the smarks by keeping the Shield off the card). This has become an annual tradition.

3. Last night's main event match wasn't bad, because the no DQ stuff made it more interesting. A regular match would have sucked.

4. I'd like to see both Paige and Bayley up on the roster. Paige can have some really good matches. Bayley would be fun to see, either in crazy-chick storyline with A. J. Or teaming up in a goofier pairing with Santino.

 

What was No. 1?