Professional Wrestling (WWE, TNA, ROH, etc)

[JaoSming]

There are plenty of matches where the crowd turns on both wrestlers. Hell, the TLC match had plenty of chants and boos at both guys.
If I cheer Eva Marie taking a title off Vicky Guerrero, congrats WWE, I just cheered Eva Marie and liked her win. More likely I'd just boo the entire match and whoever won. There is nothing stopping that crowd or any crowd from still booing Reigns getting the title off Sheamus.

I don't think Roman's booking is anything near "good" since the shield breakup. But for one night they didn't let him talk as much, let him just be a beast, and set a perfect table to get him cheered, even just for one night. I have 0 faith that this will continue and fully expect Roman to get the same stale booking after that one great raw...but at least we got one sorta unpredictable raw, and I'm happy naively enjoying that and using Philly's reaction as a backing for it.

[koberulz]

They had him beat up by Stephanie and Vince McMahon, FFS.

If Rollins still held the title, I'm not sure they'd have got the same reaction to the same booking. So sure, part of it might be how they treated Reigns, but not all of it.

[JaoSming]

So? Turning the cheek and keeping his cool on Stephanie is probably the most bad ass they can go with him nowadays without ever threatening to hit her back. In the past whoever Steph was doing it to the guy would cower from it. And even though Vince game him the nut shot he came back and punched him later.

[Andrew]

If they keep booking him as an aggressive badass who mercilessly beats up heels and is a thorn in The Authority's side, there's a chance he pans out as the champion. It remains to be seen, but it's the best possible approach they can attempt with him.

[[Q]]

I think turning the shield into faces was a bad move, but agree the split took away the crutch that was helping reigns be successful

I could see this feel good story could come crashing down of they continue to have him feud with sheamus/LON/authority with the same booking they've been sticking to

[Andrew]

The crowd was kind of turning that way, though. Ambrose is definitely over as a face.

[bigh0rt]

Can we get Jack Swagger off television forever? I can't believe this guy was champion. Was it God awful? It hadda be...

[[Q]]

Ha he was pretty bad back then. The we the people gimmick was actually really great when he had cesaro and zeb

[bigh0rt]

Been watching a lot of mid to late 90s stuff on the Network, and man, I really miss that. Maybe it's nostalgia since it was when I was really into the product, and younger, etc. but man, everything just seemed so much better. I probably sound like a crotchety old man.

[Andrew]

Nostalgia definitely helps, but I think that era was legitimately entertaining. If you're talking about the in-ring work, then from a technical standpoint it wasn't the best because it became more of a brawling style, but there were still enjoyable matches. At least, I for one can go back and watch them, and appreciate them for what the style was at the time.

What I really like about that era is that it always felt like there were some solid angles throughout the card, with seemingly organic overlap. For example, you had Steve Austin as the champ taking on everyone who McMahon was throwing at him, while Undertaker was feuding with Kane, but Taker was also in the title picture. Taker was also still feuding with Mankind, who was tagging with Kane at the time. You had the Nation of Domination going up against DX, but The Rock also had a program with Ken Shamrock, as did Owen Hart.

Not everything worked, and the nostalgia goggles do tend to filter out the more nonsensical stuff (except the hilariously bad stuff that gets brought up in mockery), but you tended to have entertaining angles throughout the card. These days, it seems like they struggle to have good angles going outside of the main event, and even there, they make a lot of missteps.

[[Q]]

Man, I miss Owen Hart. He seemed like a legitimately funny dude who just loved wrestling and performing more than anyone else. He's the same guy who joined the Nation of Domination as a white guy and who claimed a Slammy that he didn't actually win and used it as part of his gimmick

I always enjoyed watching both Bret & Owen, but I always related to Owen more because Bret was the golden child and there was a bit of that dynamic between my sister and me as well.

[JaoSming]

156 hours of raw for 15 minutes of briefly edited highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPvyKQyqXF0

phpBB [video]

push Neville man....

[formx]

They won't push Neville. He's a vanilla midget in their eyes.

[Andrew]

Man, I miss Owen Hart. He seemed like a legitimately funny dude who just loved wrestling and performing more than anyone else. He's the same guy who joined the Nation of Domination as a white guy and who claimed a Slammy that he didn't actually win and used it as part of his gimmick

I always enjoyed watching both Bret & Owen, but I always related to Owen more because Bret was the golden child and there was a bit of that dynamic between my sister and me as well.

Owen was one of my favourites as well, one of the best wrestlers to never be world champion; indeed, one of the best wrestlers, period. I got the Hart of Gold DVD for Christmas, looking forward to sitting down and watching it sometime soon.

[[Q]]

I actually watched that last night after I posted that. Great trip down memory lane, and especially for the early stuff. I was a bit too young and barley even remember the High Energy stuff. I thought it was good because I'm an Owen fan, but some of the footage had already been shown and it seemed like they were kinda holding back for some reason. Could have been better, but still good overall

[JaoSming]

I don't hate making the Royal Rumble match for the title. Different enough for me to want to see it play out.

Also evidently WWE has signed AJ Styles, Gallows, Karl Andersen, and Nakamura


with AJ to debut at the Rumble! This'd make for a hell of a way to bring Finn up to the main roster...if they clear out space for them or actually use 5 hours of main TV each week effectively.

[Andrew]

Yeah, it's only been done once before, and that was for a vacant title. It's something different, though they'll obviously have to change up plans for Wrestlemania.

[[Q]]

Man, I'm not a fan of Styles. I dunno, he just never appealed to me. Was never a big Samoa Joe or James Storm fan either, but at least they're tolerable. Only outside guys I'd like to see join up at this point are Jay Lethal or Pope. Or Jeff Hardy/Kurt Angle retirement matches.

Seems like they haven't hyped the new Smackdown enough. I'd they're really trying to lift the brand, they should have one or both titles change hands on Thursday.

[JaoSming]

Nicely done best of WWE/NXT 2015 video, long, but covers mostly everything
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3lln99

[[Q]]

SMH Bills fans. That moonsault WAS on point though.

phpBB [video]

btw, caught the new smackdown on thursday, and it's really nice to have an esteemed play by play guy Mauro Renallo on the show. It's really cool that he's been a long time wrestling fan, so he's calling all the moves. I heard "Tree of Woe" on air for the first time in forever the other night

[deihatein]

Nicely done best of WWE/NXT 2015 video, long, but covers mostly everything
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3lln99

KEVIN OWENS BRUH!

[JaoSming]

Mutha, Fuckin, AJ STYLES worked his ass off, that was amazing.

And everything KO is still amazing, that match and in the rumble.


Didn't care for the finish, but everything other than the WM main event could turn out to be interesting

[Andrew]

Agreed. I thought it was a really great show, aside from the ending. I understand what they're going for with it, but...yeah. Not unexpected, but I hoped they wouldn't do it all the same. Of course, they did.

[bigh0rt]

So Reigns re-captures the belt at WM, and a year later we're in the same exact boat we were in after last year's WM, with him still not being over as a face?

Give me moar Owens, Ambrose, Neville, Cesaro, pls. Is there a more over face right now than Ambrose, in the company? Is there a more over heel than Owens?

[koberulz]

That people popped for Trips eliminated Reigns is a pretty sure sign Reigns as a babyface is never going to happen.

I honestly don't think I've seen anyone ever booked more strongly without being booked strongly. That's two Rumbles now where he's sat around doing nothing the entire time. At least last year he was actually in the damn ring.