Open WWE/NXT/Pro Wrestling thread

[teeray]

 

[Kramerica]

I, for one, welcome our new Maharaja overlord.

For real though, Backlash was decent. Match of the night was clearly AJ/Owens (shocking, I know). I'm not thrilled with Jinder as the champion, but I have to remember that they're mainly doing it to move merch in India, and Randy as champ is just boring. We'll see where it leads (hopefully not to a long title reign. Summerslam would be the max for me.)

At first I wasn't digging the Fashion Police in their match, but as it went on I let my guard down and I ended up really enjoying it.

Takeover stole the weekend yet again. No matter how mediocre the weekly TV is, their PPVs almost always over-deliver. Bate/Dunne was stunningly good (match of the weekend, possibly of the year in WWE), and I really enjoyed that title match between Itami and Roode.

I didn't care much for the NXT Women's title match, but I need to watch it back when I'm not still coming down from the UK Championship.

The Ciampa heel turn was a long time coming and man was it fantastic (putting up the graphic right before the attack was genius). I absolutely cannot wait to see where they take that feud and the inevitable blow-up at Takeover Brooklyn III.

[teeray]

Agreed on all counts @Lomez

Takeovers are always great and this weekend was the same.

Backlash was meh and Jinder becoming champ makes Smackdown feel like the C show now to me.

Payback still has me a little salty at the moment too.

[Kramerica]

20 minutes ago, teeray said:

Agreed on all counts @Lomez

Takeovers are always great and this weekend was the same.

Backlash was meh and Jinder becoming champ makes Smackdown feel like the C show now to me.

Payback still has me a little salty at the moment too.

Yeah, I get that C show feeling. It doesn't help that he sucks on the mic and is not consistently putting on good matches. I will say, though, the Orton match was better than I thought it would be, and the Chicago crowd was into it. They got heat with that match, so perhaps that will make the higher-ups think this could be a longer title reign.

Some people are saying "But you guys complain all the time about how they don't build new stars!" The obvious flaw here is that they didn't "build" Jinder. He went from an afterthought to the (arguably) top belt in one month. They could have done so much with him...vignettes of him working out, backstage promos, interviews, squashing some developmental talent or low-level Smackdown guys. Instead they hot-shot him straight to the title, and the IWCers who like it are mainly the anti-anti fans who enjoy laughing at smarks or whatever. To me it's just a total lack of foresight and long-term planning.

Another thing they may end up doing is bringing back Gronk a time or two before the season starts. Then they get the WWE title featured in a few of those snapshots that end up on the front page of ESPN/SI.

[teeray]

45 minutes ago, Lomez said:

Yeah, I get that C show feeling. It doesn't help that he sucks on the mic and is not consistently putting on good matches. I will say, though, the Orton match was better than I thought it would be, and the Chicago crowd was into it. They got heat with that match, so perhaps that will make the higher-ups think this could be a longer title reign.

Some people are saying "But you guys complain all the time about how they don't build new stars!" The obvious flaw here is that they didn't "build" Jinder. He went from an afterthought to the (arguably) top belt in one month. They could have done so much with him...vignettes of him working out, backstage promos, interviews, squashing some developmental talent or low-level Smackdown guys. Instead they hot-shot him straight to the title, and the IWCers who like it are mainly the anti-anti fans who enjoy laughing at smarks or whatever. To me it's just a total lack of foresight and long-term planning.

Another thing they may end up doing is bringing back Gronk a time or two before the season starts. Then they get the WWE title featured in a few of those snapshots that end up on the front page of ESPN/SI.

I think the people cheering him are actually smarks that are trying to be ironic or clever.  Meanwhile their ratings have nosedived.  Viewers last week for Smackdown were the worst since brand split outside of the one that ran up against presidential debate 

The others are just IWC Smackdown apologists who dont want to criticize Smackdown for anything so are trying to put lipstick on a pig.

This is a guy that just over a month ago lost to Mojo freaking Rawley in 3 minutes.  Now he is champ?

It is basically done over fan outreach in India where they are trying to find a market place, so I understand why they did it.  But feel like they could have achieved the same Indian following with a midcard belt and not the top belt.

 

[Kramerica]

Yeah, the ratings are a big concern. Once we start with the 15-minute Jinder promos to open Smackdown, watch that rating fall even more.

[Kramerica]

http://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2017/5/22/15676470/no-injury-update-johnny-gargano-nxt-takeover-chicago-too-heartbroken-talk-medical-team

This is so great. Definitely "feud of the summer" potential right here.

[Kramerica]

 

 

[frash.exe]

lol so they made Jinder the universal champion? big deal, the b show champion has never been even as prestigious as the intercontinental championship was in the early 90s. the real world champion is being held by a part timer, just like it kind of was in the early 90s whenever hogan was carrying it.

[Still Brooklyn]

2 hours ago, frash.exe said:

lol so they made Jinder the universal champion? big deal, the b show champion has never been even as prestigious as the intercontinental championship was in the early 90s. the real world champion is being held by a part timer, just like it kind of was in the early 90s whenever hogan was carrying it.

Actually Jinder is the WWE champion. Brock is the made-up belt champion.

[party_animal]

Joe/Brock? Yes please.

[teeray]

I'm done with it for a while.  You can probably guess why

[Still Brooklyn]

Lulz, teeray. Bailey is too 80s WWF anyway. You'll live. ;)

[Kramerica]

4 hours ago, teeray said:

I'm done with it for a while.  You can probably guess why

They absolutely buried her. Bayley was booed by a large segment of the crowd last night. BAYLEY. The one character that (should be) so organically over and loveable that you'd almost literally have to TRY to get the crowd to turn on her. I'm dumbfounded. Honestly, though, they have made her look like an absolute dork for a solid month straight. It's on the writers/booking committee completely.

The show was saved by a great main event with a surprising finish. Brock/Joe is obviously a dream match-up and could be a great match. I do kind of wish they weren't just booking it as a one-off since (presumably) Brock is going to work with Strowman at Summerslam, but I'm happy that we're getting it at all.