Professional Wrestling (WWE, TNA, ROH, etc)

[Lean]

Are they bringing back Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania?

[Andrew]

Depends if they want to keep the MITB PPV. I wouldn't be too surprised if they rounded out the card with it, just to make it a really huge event.

[[Q]]

i think they've got too much going on right now. with the Johnny Ace/Long match, there's not enough room and they're thinking about cutting the Divas match. i think MITB will stay its own PPV this year

[Andrew]

It is a good way of squeezing wrestlers that don't have much of an angle going onto the card though, so I'm guessing there's at least a slim chance they'll do it. If not, maybe a battle royal or tag team match.

[koberulz]

The Laurinaitas(?)-Long match will end up being Christian-Del Rio-Otunga-Henry vs Jackson and three others. That'll do MiTB's job.

Absurd that the GMs each came out during champion vs champion to support the other brand's champ.

[Andrew]

It makes sense from the standpoint of face-heel alignment.

[[Q]]

It makes sense from the standpoint of face-heel alignment.

speaking of which, it gets really confusing now when Booker talks about how cool some heels are and when Cole loves the Miz and hates Daniel Bryan still... make up your damn minds!!

[Andrew]

Commentary has become a mess, no question.

[Lean]

I just watched both Elimination Chamber and Raw, and wow I felt the PPV was so weak. I mean booking-wise. It's ridden with botches too (though that's something that's expected in this kind of gimmick PPV). I was expecting the SmackDown chamber to go first considering how weak their card looked, Santino revived the crowd. Though it was expected when him and Bryan remained as the last two, it's expected that Santino will not win but I thought they could have booked differently last night and gave him at least a legitimate one-on-one situation with Bryan to give Santino some credibility as a performer. Also, Lilian botched the match introduction.

And the Elimination Chamber PPV ending with the Ambulance match only to have Kane lose and turn Eve heel on Raw.

Though Cena pulled off a good promo this past Raw. Can't believe I just said that.

Also:



NICE HAIR BRO.

[koberulz]

It makes sense from the standpoint of face-heel alignment.

It does, but you're usually required to have some sort of kayfabe motivation for that sort of thing.

Laurinaitis (I really don't see why he couldn't use a fucking ring name like everyone else in the company) also just wandered down on a show he has no power on whatsoever and had a match restarted. What?

Agree with Lean about Cena's promos though. Cheese-free Cena is perfectly watchable.

[[Q]]

restarting matches/interrupting matches halfway to turn them into tag matches are the biggest waste of time

and +1 on the Cena promo. it was actually pretty good

[deihatein]

[Lean]

Watching Smackdown right now... Seriously? A probable Big Show - Cody Rhodes feud?

[Andrew]

It does, but you're usually required to have some sort of kayfabe motivation for that sort of thing.

He's feuding with Punk and Long tends to stand up for the faces, I guess that's about the extent of the motivation. Definitely a gap in logic as to how he has the power to intervene in Smackdown matches, but that's kind of how it goes in wrestling. Rules, stipulations and who has control over what basically depends on whatever the story needs, which is flimsy but makes the situation par for the course at least.

[deihatein]

phpBB [video]

We might see something epic tonight as well.

[Lean]

I don't know, I think Rock's promo is a bit weaker compared to Cena's promo last week. And I also don't like Rock's "trending worldwide" segways in his promo.

This video promo of 'Taker-HHH II last week on Smackdown is hands-down awesome, BTW.

phpBB [video]

Might have something to do with The Memory Remains. I really admire their video production work. Imagine that the promo was done live on Raw Monday night, then this was shown on a live Smackdown the day after. They work fast.

[koberulz]

I wonder when Vickie Guerrero is going to figure out what a microphone does and stop yelling her promos.

[Andrew]

That's the whole point of her character but yeah, it's a bit played out at this point. At least she's not in a GM role these days.

[koberulz]

How is it the point of her character? I don't mind the 'excuse me' bit, and she can keep that tone for that - because it actually makes sense - but once she starts cutting the actual promo it makes it impossible to listen to, and the whole thing is in the same tone. Whether she's being told to do it or it's because she doesn't actually have a clue what she's doing, it needs to stop.

[Andrew]

Her character is loud, shrill and annoying, so it's all part of that. It doesn't mean it's done well or in a way that's entertaining of course and to that end I agree it needs to stop.

[Lean]

So the dirtsheets got it right. HBK will referee in the Hell in a Cell match.

[Andrew]

At this point I'm wondering if that's adding a bit too much to the match, though as long as there isn't a dirty finish it should be fine.

[Lean]

I'm thinking that this may end up HBK screwing Triple H in the end.

[Andrew]

Yeah, that's a scenario that definitely comes to mind. I don't think it would be a good idea though, unless HBK is going the "one more match" route or will be on TV regularly, opposing HHH in some kind of non-wrestling capacity. It also robs the match of a more definitive ending, which I think it needs seeing how last year's match played out.

[Lean]

My brother (who's also a pseudo-After Effects guy) stumbled across these on YouTube:

phpBB [video]

and

phpBB [video]

...goes on to show the difference a song can make. I am shedding tears.