Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown.
Didn't really expect Cesaro to lose there, but Swagger's being pushed to a rematch with Rusev while Cesaro's just kind of stuck. I hope Cesaro goes on to bigger and better things in the months and years to come, because he's rather directionless right now.
Great post-match. I'm looking forward to the next round of Rusev vs. Swagger.
Good Orton promo! He's better when he's fired up.
Ehhh... I'm not too crazy about Bo losing so unceremoniously, but I think they might be working toward something clever here. I like Bo showing a mean streak. That was probably necessary for him to move up the card.
Great post-match promo. I think Bo's gaining momentum as a heel.
I'm very glad AJ made quick work of Rosa. It's a shame the latter has "Total Divas" immunity. I would gladly have switched her and Eva Marie in order to keep the likes of Brodus Clay and Drew McIntyre.
Damn! Paige's ruthless now. I'm glad we're seeing more from her as a heel. Her face run wasn't what it could have been.
I really liked Ambrose's promo. I'm ready in a lot of ways for the torch to be passed from guys like Kane and HHH to guys like Ambrose and Rollins. Some veterans are needed, of course, but it's time to give the ball to wrestlers who weren't headlining PPVs ten years ago.
Good followup on the Paige attack on AJ.
That was pretty good as far as handicap matches go. I'm really excited for Ambrose vs. Rollins at Summerslam.
Ambrose taking it to Kane was pretty cool. He looks like a real threat.
Good segment with Jericho. Wyatt beating Jericho with no interference at Summerslam will be a big notch in his belt.
The Goldust/Stardust segments continue to be out there. They're fun, but what are they really leading to?
That match/segment was a dud for me. I like some "sports entertainment" stuff here and there, but that felt like a waste of time that could have been better used on something else.
That was a pretty good match to keep the Ziggler/Miz feud going. Ziggler and Del Rio always heat things up.
Another good continuation of the AJ/Paige angle. And the Divas division "doesn't have direction"?
There was an interesting point alluded to there: What's to stop Stephanie from firing Brie after Summerslam? I guess a "wrongful termination" lawsuit's a believable threat.
Great Wyatt promo! I can't wait for the rematch of Bray and Jericho.
Pretty good match between Rowan and Jericho. Rowan's getting better, for sure.
Good ending to the show to continue the build to Jericho/Wyatt II (III if you count NXT).
More wrestling later.
Chuck, I know this here will put reality in check. We knew things were bad, but take a look at this 2014 stat sheet. Seriously? At three wins and 101 losses? I actually cringe when this guy comes out in that I actually EXPECT him to get derailed week after week. Such a waste of fantastic intangible and tangible talent here.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=636&page=22
http://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=4071&page=22
Yes, Sandow and Swagger lose a lot. That's their role on the card at this point. Most fans don't know about most of those losses because they don't follow live events (which is why they're able to do the same live event multiple nights in a row).
ReplyDeleteI really like both talents, but someone's got to be in the role of losing a lot to put other talents over. It's like that way in other sports and other TV shows: there are talented people who spend years on the bench or are just bit players to others on the screen. I pretty much just accept it as part of the business at this point.
I've gotten where I'm mostly entertained by Sandow's role now. Not the fact that he loses so much, but the characters he plays.
Bottom line for me is I'd rather have them get paid for losing a lot than not used at all. Since it's a fictional show, wins and losses aren't actually an indicator of who's really the most talented or deserving or whatever. It's an indicator of what Management thinks will draw money,ratings,etc. as they gauge fan reactions.
I definitely understand that it's the nature of the business and it doesn't mean Sandow is on the "hot seat" by any stretch, but it's just tough for me to fathom why 1) He is the one that has to take the humiliation each week and 2) How obvious the match result is going to be with him in it. He is so talented to the point where he can make any gimmick entertaining, but I cringe at his segments with him often not only losing, but losing in a minute. I could live with him dropping two of three matches on average, but being 3-101 may be among the worst - if not the worst - 104 match stretch in WWE history and he certainly isn't deserving of that kind of notoriety.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your prediction on the Cena/Lesnar match at Summerslam? I am hearing tons of articles/reports saying there is a ton of heat on Lesnar being a part-time wrestler in that him being WWE World Heavyweight Champion would be a bit of a "mockery." What do you think?
By the way, this is a bit late, but what are your thoughts on this? This is probably the most terrible good song I have heard.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjQtV9_nMNg
I've posted this before in relations to wins and losses at live events, but I think it might be worth posting again: http://www.sbnation.com/2014/3/4/5468468/wwe-pro-wrestling-stories-creative
ReplyDeleteI would be REALLY surprised if anyone in WWE (or even Sandow himself) actually kept track of his win-loss record, especially at live events. I'd think the vast majority of fans probably don't even keep track. And they really shouldn't, because it wouldn't be that difficult to rebuild him if they tell the right story.
I'm not trying to insult your intelligence or anything, but ultimately Sandow's just playing a role. WWE would much rather have him get reactions from the crowd by dressing like an astronaut and losing in a minute or whatever goofy thing they have planned for him than have him win a ton of matches with no character direction. Sandow gets paid more for what he does now than he would if he wasn't booked at all.
All that said, I've been a fan of Sandow since his first vignette as the character. I'd also like to see him be really successful, a champion and all that. I liked the idea of teaming him with Swagger once Cesaro split off as the ideal of what a Real American could accomplish.
What do you want to see Sandow do? I agree he's quite talented with a solid training background. He could go far if he had people who wanted to push him in that sense.
I think Lesnar wins to set up a big babyface moment at WM31. I think that would be BIG for whomever beat him. I'm glad they're thinking long-term (that's how they used to book! Start at Mania and work back).
I can see where people would hate Lesnar being champ for being a part-timer, but he's a legitimate big name and a draw. Hopefully they're thinking of the long-term.
This is actually kind of like the old NWA territory days where the World Champion just came around each territory every so often. When the World Champion was in town, it was a really big deal and the top star of the local territory got the rub from working with the top guy, even a loss. I'm interested to see how it plays out.
As for Ryder's song, that fits his gimmick quite well. He did what wrestlers are more or less told in NXT these days: get a character that's a really good fit for you and develop it a lot. He had a lot of support among "the boys" for his dedication in getting himself over in his YouTube videos and such, then WWE blew it. It definitely hurt morale that he got himself over with little help from WWE Management and he wasn't rewarded for it. Management's really petty sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI personally think going on multiple losing streaks like he has probably gets people to throw around the "buried" term pretty often. I mean, if Sandow won one match in like five, it wouldn't be a big deal. It's REALLY undercutting what he brings to the table to have him booked to continuously lose week after week and 101 of 104 matches, though. I do agree it says something in that he does cut promos weekly, but at this point, fans may find it hard to take him seriously and may get bored with him continuously "cutting the promo and then getting pummeled in one minute."
ReplyDeleteI would personally LOVE to see him go back to his previous gimmick. His look, personality, and pure "hateability" really gained heat with fans, and I really wish WWE hadn't messed with that. I mean, yes, it's hard to push the envelope when you have the same character for months and months, but he found a way to cut new promos, gain new heat, and really had me watching his every move. Do you personally think he would still be best used in a tag team role with Swagger or as a singles competitor?
I personally have to side with the fans/wrestlers that may penalize Brock for being part-time IF he becomes World Champion. He is a huge pay-per-view draw, true. But, if he wins the title, I could definitely see others scratching their heads at the decision being justifiable. If you had to take one side, which would you take? Do you think he can pull off having the most prestigious title in WWE with only being a part-time star?
One thing I will say about John Cena is that he has a lot of heart. He's out there at just about every house show, Raw/SmackDown, and pay-per-view and his dedication undoubtedly cannot be questioned. Fans may boo him and think he may not deserve those 15 title reigns, but I think he has paid his dues and may sway fans to be in his corner at the pay-per-view. Either way, it should be one hell of a match.
I definitely agree about Ryder. I honestly do not know what made WWE sour on him or if it was something that he could have helped other than just their typical fickleness. Some may argue that he wasn't serious/lacked "fire," but he's taken some strides to decrease the amount of naysayers (the goatee, a bit more anger in his matches). He was close to being as over as Daniel Bryan is/was, and WWE took that away from the fans. He's only 29, so I hope he gets at least one more shot in the limelight. He's truly a very inspirational/empathetic superstar.
WWE's target audience isn't the people who worry about "burials" and that kind of thing. It's just a fraction of fans who actually keep track of match results in that manner.
ReplyDeleteWWE's website is one of the top 1,000 sites on the web in the U.S. traffic-wise: http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/wwe.com
Cagematch isn't even in the top 50,000. http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/cagematch.net
I think the point is that fans aren't supposed to take him seriously. His character right now is just comic relief in-between more serious segments. If they tried to push him as a challenger to the WWE Title tomorrow, I'd worry about the effects of the booking. But right now, his role is just to do short squashes.
I don't know how much of the promos were his work and how much was written for him, but I definitely enjoyed what he did. I think teaming with Swagger and Zeb could work well to rehabilitate him when they decide it's time for him to be used a serious character again.
I'm totally on-board with Brock winning from a business perspective. WWE will have to make other things important in his absence and it will be tricky to utilize the roster without the WWE Champion around, but it provides an even bigger incentive to watch WWE Title matches. The champion only being on PPVs/the Network makes ordering those more important, which is the top priority for WWE right now.
Cena definitely cares about WWE a LOT more than Brock does. That's a valid concern with giving Brock the title because he'd probably retire completely if the money/working conditions weren't in his favor. But I think it's worth the risk if it leads to an increase in PPV/Network business.
I also don't know why they soured on Ryder other than the fact that him getting over wasn't WWE's doing. I didn't see any need for him to be too serious given his character (until the less-than-ideal Kane/Eve angle). WWE and fans should rather see someone good and successful as a light-hearted character than have them try to switch it up and it not get over. It's hard enough to have a successful character. Changing a good comedy character to try to appeal to people who generally don't like comedy characters is risky.
I remember when the opposite happened with Chris Benoit: He was so successful as the more intense character and they decided to do comedy with him when he feuded with Orlando Jordan. Most wrestlers are best at one kind of role and it could be messing with something working well to change the formula.