Professional Wrestling (WWE, TNA, ROH, etc)

[Andrew]

Beth Phoenix has a torn ACL so that was done to get the title off her while she takes some time off. Still could've been done better though. The Drew McIntyre stuff is silly, seems they either changed their minds about scaling back his push or they just wrote a really contrived arc to the angle.

[Andrew]

So, Bret Hart won the US Championship. Probably not the best thing they've ever done, but kind of cool all the same and seeing as though it's rarely defended on TV and Miz is still flitting in and out of the tag scene, it's not completely awful. I'm OK with it, simply as it's been good to see Bret Hart back on WWE TV.

[koberulz]

^ What are you spoiling?

[Andrew]

RAW results.

[koberulz]

Ah. I figured as much, but would prefer not to come on here tomorrow afternoon, open them up, and find iMPACT! taping spoilers instead, is all.

[Lean]

Good to hear about Bret being champ, but reading how it went out: no DQ, no count-outs, etc, meh, can't really expect the old Bret to come back.

HBK! HBK! HBK! HBK!

[Andrew]

Never going to happen because of his health but I've liked this last run all the same, the farewell tour I never thought would happen.

[benji]

if/when Linda McMahon's senate campaign is unsuccessful.

It already is. Down 20+ points in the general, as she and Simmons have been since Dodd dropped out.

Wanted to note I may have spoke too soon. McMahon tipped off the NYT about how Blumenthal claimed multiple times he had served in Vietnam when he really ran the Toys for Tots campaign in D.C. Which combined with her vast funds has brought her within three points.

So get ready for guest host Justin Bieber!

[Andrew]

It wouldn't surprise me too much if that happens sometime in the near future.

Bret Hart's US title win seems a bit unpopular, I still don't mind it as the secondary belts have already been largely devalued/ignored and it doesn't make for a terrible storyline. Michael Cole's comments on Bret's ego seemed odd, perhaps they figure he's unpopular enough already that they might as well make his on-air character a bitch, especially with the role he portrays on NXT. Still miss JR, shame he's done at the announce table with so much as a proper send-off...or even a terrible angle like the time they tried to replace him back in 2005.

[Sauru]

there are too many damn belts in wrestling now. i liked it when there was 2 and then a tag belt

[koberulz]

Smackdown spoilers:
So Rey goes over Punk in each of the last two weeks before [denial]the Great American Bash[/denial]. Why not just get a neon sign saying "PUNK IS GOING OVER" and stick it in the ring?

What's the deal with iMPACT! having one tag team champion, and RAW/SmackDown (which brand are they actually on, anyway?) having two women's champions? Is anyone even trying to maintain credibility in the belts anymore?

Anyone else see the "TORONTO NEEDS A IMPACT" sign on RAW? Between the bad grammar and the blatant TNA reference, you'd think someone would have made sure it never got on TV.

[Andrew]

there are too many damn belts in wrestling now. i liked it when there was 2 and then a tag belt

Agreed, but that's never going to change so long as they maintain the two brands.

What's the deal with iMPACT! having one tag team champion, and RAW/SmackDown (which brand are they actually on, anyway?) having two women's champions? Is anyone even trying to maintain credibility in the belts anymore?

I don't see a problem with that as a lot of people do, since only Layla is "officially" recognised as the champion by the WWE. Her and Michelle McCool billing themselves as the co-champions doesn't gel with the "official" WWE records, it's just a heelish thing to do. It reminds me a little of HBK claiming to be the IC champ in a feud with Razor Ramon back in 1994 (the one that culminated with their ladder match at Wrestlemania X) and wearing the belt despite having been stripped both on and off screen due to a suspension. And unsanctioned titles - which is basically what McCool's is - along with the insistence by a heel wrestler that they are billed as said champion is nothing new, Ted DiBiase and the Million Dollar Championship (first father, now son) being good examples.

Of course, the other examples tend to be better angles involving better wrestlers, but the principle is basically the same here.

[koberulz]

To be quite fair though, they won the singles title in a handicap match. Which is pretty much completely missing the point. Anything that involves a tag team winning a singles title I'm not a fan of, regardless of how many people come out of it as official champions.

[Andrew]

It's hardly unprecedented though. One example that springs to mind is Undertaker, The Rock and Kane vs HHH, Vince and Shane for the WWF Championship at King of the Ring 2000 with the stipulation being that if any of the faces could get the pinfall, they would win the belt while if any of the heels got the pinfall, HHH would retain. It was something a little different, the match was good and it worked out alright. Booked well, off-the-wall stuff can work in my opinion.

[Lean]

This post will be off your discussion but uhh, never seen this footage until today:

phpBB [video]

[dare]

HBK

[koberulz]

This whole intercontinental title thing is getting silly.

[Andrew]

Alright, so Bret Hart is the new RAW GM. Let's see how long that lasts, I certainly wouldn't mind if it's for a while though.

[Lean]

Completely fine with me. It gives him more exposure to WWE tv.

[Andrew]

Absolutely. It'll be nice to have a permanent GM for a while, even if they insist on keeping the guest host gimmick on life support.

[Christian.]

Havent followed this forum for quite some time.

Do you think this is cool?

[Lean]

Great. Another one bites the dust.

[Andrew]

I think they'll survive. Carlito had his moments in WWE but he hasn't really been relevant for a few years outside the unified tag team title run with his brother and he was never going to be a big draw for them. TNA would probably have some interest in him but they're apparently looking to cut costs so he might be headed back to Puerto Rico.

[koberulz]

I think they'll survive. Carlito had his moments in WWE but he hasn't really been relevant for a few years

Has he ever been relevant?

[Andrew]

When he made his debut he was right there in the upper mid-card and was getting a decent amount of TV time.