Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.
Punk is still absolutely on fire on the mic. They made the right call in keeping the title on him, I think.
Ryback looked credible in killing JTG and cutting a promo on Punk. I think in time he might be a legitimate top guy.
Solid match between Barrett and Orton. I would have liked a Barrett win but maybe they're setting Orton up for something.
I hope AJ does come back to being a Diva.
Good tag team match. PTP have really grown comfortable together and Kane and Daniel Bryan are in top form.
I'm not really feeling the whole "affair" thing but I'm hoping it leads to Cena and AJ vs. Dolph and Vickie. Dolph could show that he belongs with a top star.
Good promo from Cesaro. I think in time he'll be someone to watch out for, too.
Not a bad champion vs. champion match. I hope there's more to come in elevating Kofi beyond just teaming with R-Truth again. I wouldn't mind a heel R-Truth chasing Kofi's title.
I'm not really feeling 3MB's gimmick. It's obvious they're being put together because Creative has no other ideas for them.
Fine tag match, but I don't see either team going anywhere anytime soon.
I know AJ and Beth can do better than that with more time.
Fine Sheamus/Show segment.
And that's how Beth's WWE run ends. I hope she comes back down the line.
Awesome tag between two of the top teams in wrestling. All four men brought their A game. I want more from this feud.
If Foley's getting back in the ring at Survivor Series, he should take the fall from Punk. If he can do for Punk what he did for Edge, HHH, Orton, etc., it'd be amazing.
Del Rio vs. Gabriel was pretty good.
Awesome Survivor Series teams. Ryback could get his win back on Punk if need be.
More wrestling coming up!
You make a good point with your stance that "3MB" is put together because of lack of ideas. I think WWE thinks heavily of all three of them and believes they are at least above the "NXT" or "Superstars" level, so they have been giving them more air time on the main shows. However, I don't know if the gimmick can last and I think the gimmick as well as all three of them may become dry very quickly.
ReplyDeleteI also agree about that "affair" being a bit ill-fated. I'm assuming that's the "storyline" but in reality, the WWE isn't feeling AJ as GM? I think she's improved HEAVILY in all facets since NXT, but I was a bit puzzled when they named her GM over all of those other hall-of-famers and candidates.
I noticed you mentioned previously that you could possibly view Ryback as a credible main event guy. Honestly, I don't think he can sustain it as of now. My reasons are that 1) WWE's tendency to push big guys and then bring them back to mediocrity and 2) Ryback doesn't really stand out much besides his power. I honestly don't think he can cultivate the "entertainer" value and personality that many of the current main eventers have. What do you think?
I doubt that WWE cares all that much about 3MB. It feels like they're just trying to come up with something, anything to save their careers from being fodder. I fully expect them to be eaten alive by Ryback or someone at some point and go back to square one.
ReplyDeleteI think they took a gamble on AJ because she was a breakout star at the time and would bring something different to the role. I like that they weren't going with the same old, same old. People were interested in what AJ was doing, and they gave her an important role.
There are big guys who break through to the title when all the factors line up: Batista, Lesnar, Show, Kane, Henry and Khali all got past the glass ceiling to use modern-day WWE examples(though they were really taking a gamble with Khali). He doesn't need to be John Cena or C.M. Punk. He can just mow people down like all of those guys did. Fans are chanting for him, so WWE's doing something right. Sure he could fizzle down the line even with WWE's best marketing behind him and becoming a better talker. But right now they might have lightning in a bottle to some degree and should run with it. As hard as it is to make new stars in 2012, there's no shame in taking a chance on someone fans are getting behind. I'm not predicting him reaching Goldberg levels, but they'll never know if they don't position him to be a star.
Eh, I think if the WWE didn't care much about them, they wouldn't be winning and on the main roster, though. Especially with all of these up-and-comers on NXT and Superstars. I'm not as high on Slater and Mahal as I am McIntyre and I don't completely disagree with the WWE's decision to put them on the main roster, but I'm not a fan of the gimmick. Mahal and McIntyre are basically taking Slater's gimmick just to get noticed.
ReplyDeleteMy main surprise with AJ being GM was more in the case that there were SO many elastic choices to take that position and it was puzzling that WWE gave it to someone who was just on NXT a few months back and was at the bottom of the rung in the Divas' division. I agree gambles are good at times, but that was too much of a monumental push and risk (in my opinion). I do think she has a future as a competitior, though. It was definitely a good resume builder that is in the back of the WWE's mind.
We'll see what happens with Ryback, but I'm not sold. I don't think he'll fall off like Tensai or Khali, but I currently don't really see the hype or "complete package" element that I see from the current main eventers.
You mentioned that Otunga may continue to be a bit of an afterthought. That is unfortunately what it is looking like right now. He's 32, so my main question is why does Otunga go off and shoot movies (not WWE-related) instead of trying to get better in the ring? If he has the intangibles and gimmick down and if he knows his skills are holding him back, why not try harder to decrease a weakness? It's tough being a fan of his to see him lose so many matches in so little time when he has a good character and personality. You get what I mean there?
WWE could very well just be building them up so it means more when they get clobbered. I don't see it being a long-term thing. It'd be different if they explained why Mahal and McIntyre are rock stars now, but they pretty much just threw them all together in the gimmick. I'm thinking of how WCW was with their groups: if someone's not doing something of interest, just throw them together and hope something sticks. To me it just looks like "Slater's getting a reaction. Let's see if we can get McIntyre and Mahal that same reaction".
ReplyDeleteIt'd be different if the fans weren't so into her character once she was paired with Bryan. She was one of the most talked about parts of the show. It doesn't matter so much what you did months back when Creative didn't have anything for you when the fans are interested in you in the present.
He might not need to be the complete package if WWE keeps booking him as a monster. They shouldn't care whether he's the complete package if he can get main event level reactions. If he's entertaining the fans without cutting long promos, good for him and good for WWE.
WWE makes the call on who's in movies and who stays in the ring. The movie with Halle Berry was WWE-owned. It might not matter how good he becomes in the ring if they feel he can do better in the role he's in now. He's a little bit like Santino or Zack Ryder in that regard. If he sticks around for a while longer, he might get a better chance to become what you're looking for. It can take a while for someone outside the WWE mold (for an in-ring competitor) to be trusted to be a bigger part of the show's wrestling. Miz had to get over a similar hump.
Fair points. With this being World Wrestling Entertainment though, you need to have good promo skills and personality. I don't think he can get by with his current tangibles and intangibles, though. I really don't think it builds good repore with the fans if we go from Cena/Punk (who are great in all regards) to Ryback, who lacks in the ring AND on the mic, though. Even with good material, I think he's going to get stale really, really quickly. Aside from the charisma element, I noticed a really, really bad botch he had in the Tensai match a while back.
ReplyDeletePart of my frustration (in general and also as a fan of Otunga's) is that Ryback has been in the company for as long as Otunga (less time total if you count his injuries), yet he receives a monumental push to the top of the rung in the company before Otunga even comes close to winning a mid-card title. I'm just a little frustrated with the big guy bias.
It has been about three years in the WWE for Otunga, though. I know other guys who are objectively less talented have gotten brought up WAY more quickly, so that's gotta be holding him back. He's 32, and you mentioned time is a factor, which is true to a certain extent, but 1) I don't see how or why it wasn't a factor for Ryback and if he would really be getting a push if he wasn't big and strong and 2) It's hard to understand what the WWE wants from him if they're giving him two-minute squash matches in which he always loses, yet he gets so many backstage bits.
He is better than WWE allows him, though. I've seen a lot more from him in-ring wise than he's had lately. I think it really doesn't help his credibility having two-minute squash matches in which he poses half of the time. It's just a little confusing with the company's decisions and thought process.
Goldberg, Batista and Lesnar were definitely never known for their promos (until Batista's final year) and they did fine. Will Ryback ever be at Cena or Punk's level with his current skills? Probably not, but he doesn't need to be to make the company money (it takes pretty much everyone a while to show that they have what it takes to be a guy like Cena or Punk, just as it took Cena and Punk a while to show that they have what it takes). Good bookers and good workers can cover up for someone who lacks in the ring. And botches happen to even the best workers at times. It's all in the recovery.
ReplyDeleteRyback benefited from strong booking and coming back at the right time (there's a new edict that Creative needs long-term plans for people when they make it to the main roster). It's rare that you get such a total second chance in wrestling. Plus, WWE was in a pinch and needed someone fans might accept as a main eventer if booked right.
I wouldn't exclusively blame WWE for pushing big guys, since they're generally more believable as ass-kickers.
There's no such thing as objectively less talented in my book. It's all based on opinion.
Three years isn't much for someone with so little pre-WWE main roster experience. Ryback was on Tough Enough in 2004 and started training in WWE in 2005. Otunga didn't get signed until 2008. There are people who have wrestled much longer who are still in NXT. If Otunga didn't have reality show fame and his engagement, and if WWE didn't come up with the NXT show, he could still be down there or released. He's getting opportunities that 10-year vets aren't getting.
It's simple: WWE doesn't want him as a wrestler for whatever reason (they might not trust him enough to deliver a long match under the parameters they're looking for - I almost said a "good" match but that carries a different connotation. Good to them is different from good from a technical standpoint). They'd rather use him as they use him. There's no objective process that says "this guy's been here this long" or whatever that gets them pushed.
That said, he's had longer matches on live events (maybe not recently). Those are prime opportunities to impress management with your ability in-between the ropes (to get reactions they want, not necessarily wrestle a "good" match). Of course, the higher-ups can ignore the people running the live events but it never hurts to have people pushing for you. He could also hit the ring at NXT, hobnob with veterans, etc.. JR always says that some people are just happy to be on TV and don't have the drive to be in the Punk or Cena position.
It'll be very interesting to see where his career goes when HHH gets more power. His signings have been more in the way of credible indie names than reality stars or big guys, and the people he's pushed for on the main roster haven't necessarily fit the WWE mold (Kharma, Sin Cara, Sandow, Cesaro).
I guess it's just my vantage point versus the WWE's when it comes to Ryback. I just don't see much of him past his size and power. Just looking at how the "main event" roster in the company has been, I just can't see someone who lacks as much as he does being there sustainably like a Cena or Sheamus, who undoubtedly have a lot more going for them than Ryback.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to see what happens if and when Triple H gets more power. It's no secret that McMahon panders to the big guys, so I expect Triple H to make more well-rounded decisions and looking at each person on the roster in terms of what they bring to the table fully and not just from a restricted vantage point like McMahon. I heard Triple H is higher on some of the "non-big guys" like McGillicutty.
I heard many superstars are also a bit frustrated with the company's current writing and material and also of McMahon specifically, so I hope it also gives the fans a better chance to see more of some of the "lower" card guys, as well once Triple H gets more power. It's been so stale watching the same guys in the main events because of McMahon's fickleness and hesitancy to push them or give them more air time.
I don't think it's just a WWE thing to push big powerhouses. WCW had Goldberg, the Giant (Big Show),Luger, Nash, etc., not to mention all of Hogan's cheesy enemies from the early '90s. I don't know much about the original ECW but from what I understand they had a guy named 911 who just showed up and chokeslammed people. ROH and TNA had Samoa Joe, Abyss, etc.. Good bookers know how to use big guys to their advantage so the audience doesn't care about their mic skills or lack thereof. Good wrestling is like a buffet at times: you have your cruiserweights and your comedy gimmicks and your smooth talkers and your powerhouses. Remember that the business came from the carnival days where big guys were big attractions. When they start pushing him as one of THE guys over Punk, Cena, Del Rio, Sheamus, etc. I might see the complaint. Right now he's something of a novelty act. Even if he just gets fans' attentions for a couple of months, that's fine because that's still money made. Now, if the fan reaction wasn't there and it was obvious that he couldn't "go" and they were pushing him JUST BECAUSE Vince said so, I'd be complaining too. I don't want the Great Khali to be a top guy, and I doubt many fans do. Ryback has supporters.
ReplyDeleteTriple H is currently in charge of new talent development and talent relations. So anyone being brought up from NXT is his project, and anyone being signed is signed by him. His fingerprints are on Cesaro and Sandow. Ryback's a tough one to call since he was due to return and isn't really a "new" talent in that sense, but it's possible HHH told Creative to have a long-term plan for him when he came back. Clay's another guy who came back under HHH's reign but had been around before, so I don't know who to thank/blame for him returning. It wouldn't surprise me if he was a PTP fan too since they were just kind of suddenly put together and put on the main roster. I also know he was key to signing Sin Cara and Kharma, who aren't in your typical WWE mold.
If you're really curious to see what kind of superstar he has his eye on, check out the new NXT if you can find it. I've heard people say it's better than Raw or Smackdown. There are some big guys (most of the people there were signed under Laurinaitis), but from the sound of things people are impressed with them. I don't think big guys are going to go away, but I think we might see something different under his reign.
Some people are always going to be frustrated with the company's direction. It's not all on WWE to get them over: sometimes talent has to make themselves known. I know Sheamus, Miz, and Punk had to step up to the plate behind-the-scenes to make it as stars.
As for the lower card guys, some of them are on the new NXT cutting their teeth. I don't know what HHH will do with the already-established guys when he gets in power (though I suspect he'll keep coming back to work with top names), but I would think someone being on NXT would mean he likes them (or sees their value). I'll save you some time: Otunga hasn't been featured on any of the episodes that have aired/been taped so far, though for some of that time he was filming his movie.