Khair Mubarak brother and glad to see you back and doing well. Ah, this promo package just goes perfectly with your return doesn't it?
The promo for my return from a head injury @RedwoodOriginal @Suleiman
Guys, word of advice, any kind of knock get immediate attention; alhamdulillah I got lucky and recovering better through praying in the last 10 days. And also Belated Eid Mubarak to everyone.
On that vignette, I wont lie, it’s pretty good isn’t it. When it comes to general presentation, entrances, vignettes and the overall production values of a specific character; H was fantastic in that department and probably had a great deal of input on that front back in the day, just as a recent example he has done a pretty good job with Penta in that area.
But as with H’s ring career and now seen in his booking style, everything is fine until that first bell rings, after that he loses his marbles, part of it is driven by how petty he is and majority of it is his lack of competence between the ropes at the highest level.
I watched NXT from last week and it amazes me what a night and day difference there was between H and Shawn’s booking style, H booked for marks like me and to get himself over, while Shawn is booking his guys & gals to get over with the wider audience. The other thing which came to my head was all the talent which H had at his disposal, he had the benefit of working with wrestlers who were vastly experienced and the women’s roster he had will probably end up in the HOF, Shawn is getting a bunch of nobodies over with no prior wrestling background and if they did then they didn’t have as much hype behind them, the episodes are very cohesive and flow so well and he keeps you on your toes, from week to week he is maximising their time on TV and they work to get over, not have a forced ‘5* match’, just think of this, names like; Fellon Henley, Vasquer, Jaida Parker, Trick Williams & Oba Femi are outdrawing the likes of MJF, Kenny Omega, Daniel Bryan, Moxley and Edge (F Cope).
H couldn’t beat AEW with the Undisputed Era, Gargano/Ciampa, Finn Balor, Matt Riddle, Velveteen Dream, Keith Lee, Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair & special appearances from main roster talent, and this was before AEW stacked their own roster. And that’s with the help H had from Ryan Ward, William Regal and Gabe Sapolsky.
Shawn is the best booker in wrestling since CM Punk; those who know, know. Tell me when am telling lies
You can't keep a good man down.
I loved Cena's promo last week. But the week before that I was groaning a bit because it felt like a complete rehash of his first heel promo. For someone like to b!tch and moan about the crowd so much, only works to a certain extent. At any rate, what matters is that he is back where he needs to be after last week's promo. And I don't expect him to take his foot off the gas in the remaining weeks. Should be one hell of a ride till WrestleMania. Cody's run has ranged from okay to good but he has been champ for a year now and like any great babyface he needs to chase again. He needs some adversity to evolve as a babyface. Because it hasn't really felt like he has had much adversity in the past year. The KO feud is the only feud that had some heat, and even there the result was never in question.
It was a wonderful moment, and you could see that there was a lot of real emotion behind Punk's reaction too. As for the other two, I have no doubt that Roman will be able to hang with Punk. Because while he can't compare to Punk when it comes to that presence, he has come to a point where he definitely has a presence and an aura of his own that stands out whenever you see him in the ring or on the mic. Seth though has come across as a real whiny b*tch throughout this whole feud and I don't see that changing. He seems like an insecure little child who knows he is not on the level of Punk or Roman, so he has to overcompensate by acting mad and angry. Roman made him look like a jobber in this segment when he rightly pointed out how he has eclipsed Seth in every single way. I'm just really interested in seeing more of Punk and Roman. Because those are the two most interesting guys in this feud and their dynamic needs to be fleshed out more. Logically, I am not sure if this three-way makes alot of sense. Even a handicap match would have made more sense lol. So I wanna see more of Punk and Roman. Even if they don't have animosity towards each other, their dynamic can be explored a bit more where you make call backs to The Shield, their connection to Paul or even if its around something simple like wanting to be the best.
If I dislike something that much, I generally don’t spend time telling others how bad it is—I just don't watch it.
As someone who has watched everything from Attitude Era onwards, I can comfortably say wrestling today is much better than it was at any point between 2006-22.
Khair Mubarak brother and glad to see you back and doing well. Ah, this promo package just goes perfectly with your return doesn't it?
On a side-note, why don't we see more stuff like this in WWE anymore?
I don't watch NXT barring the odd Ricky Saints match (great to see him win the North American Championship btw) but you make a great point. Shawn has an amazing mind for the business and seems to know how to create storylines that are rooted in classical pro-wrestling ethos, but also have the modern flair. NXT is not really my thing but based on what little I have seen I can still appreciate how successful Shawn has been able to make it. Especially when you consider the roster he has and the roster he is competing against in AEW. He is also fantastic and developing talent. When he pushes someone, he pushes them. It doesn't take forever for guys to get the main-event after they get over. H's booking has been badly exposed over the past year because of the lack of development of so many important names on the roster, who should be far bigger stars today.
Haven't seen SmackDown so far but I agree, I feel it would be a bit of a missed opportunity to not do Punk v Roman at Backlash or one of the PPVs after that, and branch off into that feud after this three way. I don't know how many years Punk has left or how many matches he will do. But this marquee match needs to happen sooner rather than later. Punk v Rollins has been pretty good but I feel like it needs to end now and my guess is that it will at Mania.
He's mega talented. And I am glad he got to show alot of that in AEW in that feud with Punk and later the match he had with Bryan, before Punk was fired and the booking went back to burying him in the ground. Side-note: Edge hasn't been the same ever since Ricky called him 'bug eyed'.
He's mega talented. And I am glad he got to show alot of that in AEW in that feud with Punk and later the match he had with Bryan, before Punk was fired and the booking went back to burying him in the ground. Side-note: Edge hasn't been the same ever since Ricky called him 'bug eyed'.
Let's hope this NXT run is a fast-track. Because he is too talented and too advanced to spend alot of time there. It's nice to introduce him to this audience but let's get him to the main roster pronto please.
I think Paul Heyman will betray both Punk and Reigns.
It's this guy doing Ranallo's impression. He does this in his every video.Didn’t realise Mauro Ranallo is still involved in calling wraslin
New definitely. That heel turn was sooooo well done yet the payoff has been nothing.
They gave Fenix a strong debut here. Perfect match against a good opponent. He came off looking like a star. Not a big fan of Escobar but I wouldn't mind seeing Fenix v King Cuerno next. Also glad that Frazer didn't kill himself on that suicide dive.
that'd be 2028 Mania i guess.
Yeah but Charlotte came off looking worse because Tiffany actually fired some shots, whereas Charlotte froze and didn't have anything intelligent to say. And what she did say didn't do her any favors. I think Charlotte is easily the best female wrestler in the business. But her promos have just sucked ever since she got back. This has been going on since the RAW after the Royal Rumble. She needs to go back to being herself instead doing this stagey...sarcastic persona. I don't see them saving this feud before WrestleMania. They have done too much damage to salvage it. The best thing you can hope for now is a good match.
When Big E's kids become wrestlers.
Massive missed opportunity. That gimmick and idea was money. WWE didn't have the faith to try something new and go with it. Vince could have booked The Fiend like he booked The Undertaker, but his short-term thinking killed the character multiple times. For Bray, I don't put much blame on HHH. Because they were letting Bray run wild with some of his ideas and even bringing back The Fiend. That was just really unfortunate what happened with Bray's untimely death. But to play devil's advocate a little bit, the Wyatt 6 stuff just doesn't work that well for me without Bray. It's not a main-event gimmick without him.
I liked it. He should use this variant moving forward.@RedwoodOriginal
Also, what did you think of Ricky’s finisher this week? I think this variant is better when he doesn’t need to turn his opponent over.
It’s also amusing don’t you think? that Goldberg is indirectly campaigning for another match on social media but both H & Tony are not willing to give him that payday
I liked it. He should use this variant moving forward.
As for Oldberg, why can't this guy understand that no one in 2025 has any interest in seeing his broken down a$$ in the ring?
His matches were hard to stomach 25 years ago, what makes him think anyone wants to see them now?
He should go to Israel and wrestle his farewell match infront of those genocidal maniacs like he said he would, because nobody else gives two $hits about him in 2025.
To each their own brother. Human beings have different tastes, i have 3 friends who i have been friends since childhood.
Feel the same way. I think it can be used for something bigger.
what happened? I don’t really follow women’s wrestling.
seems like more people are on tiffany's side?
She called her a nepo kid.
I reckon you need to watch this trainwreck of a segment on YouTube to truly fathom it
Our prayers are with you brother. Hope you feel better. Can't imagine what that must feel like.
Just to add to that - Heyman with Seth is an interesting idea. It would truly solidify Roman and Punk as top-level babyfaces while really elevating Seth as a heel. If you have Heyman doing most of his promos it would mean we wouldn't have to hear Seth's bland a$$ on the mic that much either. But it would have to come with a completely revamped gimmick for Seth. This Seth 'Cringelord' Rollins era needs to end. And even then there is no guarantee. Heyman has managed guys like Big Show, Roidback and Curtis Axel and we all know how those turned out. I wouldn't put Seth in the same category as them, but on promos and as a personality, Seth is as bland as they come.
Yeah I think you're right. I think I'm discounting just how bad and counterproductive Tony's booking actually is. I mean this is a guy who actively works against his own goals simply because he doesn't have the guts or the understanding to do what's necessary. The most common example of this is how he even books undercard guys in competitive matches with the guys he is trying to get over; either because he thinks the crowd just wants to see good wrestling all the time, or because he doesn't want to upset the undercarders. In the end, nobody gets over. Good point re: all those guys and their work in Japan. Okada is just here to pick up the paycheck and it couldn't be more evident at this point. He has made zero attempt to adapt his style or connect with the NA audience. He is taking Tony for a ride, who paid an arm and a leg to get him. WWE would be thanking their lucky stars that they didn't sign him.
Nick Aldis reminds me of Gunther a bit, in the sense that his gimmick and style of wrestling could have worked in any era of wrestling in the last 100 years.
The failure of Cesaro is not something I put down to him. Vince never saw Cesaro's potential and never pushed him the right way eventho there were various points when he was very over with the crowd. Your idea sounds great. Had they booked Cesaro like that he would have been the modern day successor to Kurt, though obviously not at that level.
That's really unfortunate. Though I can't imagine that the matches with Cody and Sami did his neck any favors.
I find it funny how he did almost the exact same thing as Cody i.e. go to the minor leagues and reinvent himself, yet got none of the PR or publicity because he wasn't an ex-WWE guy and wasn't the son of one of the most iconic pro-wrestlers of the last 50 years. Nothing against Cody but even before he got to WWE, it felt like everyone wanted him to succeed. Yet Aldis, who did some pretty stellar work (including that feud with Cody ironically enough) never got the same level of attention.
It felt like they were finally pushing him right before he left the company, when he beat Seth at WrestleMania and later Bryan put him over on the way out. But nah, they were just building him up so they could feed him to Roman. Which was another great match btw from the pandemic era.I agree, we got that long awaited Cesaro push, just could have been executed better. If Vince turned Cesaro heel, I think they have a main event pairing there between him & Heyman, plus I like Cesaro because he understands his limits and even when he does talk on the mic, he rarely embarrasses himself. Ricochet though
Definitely Tony takes alot of the blame. But still its disappointing to see a talent of Okada's caliber just give up and be happy to wallow in mediocrity. Especially in a company like AEW where he has so much freedom to do his own thing.We’ve had some truly special talent in the NA; The Great Muta, Asuka (when is she back even?) & Nakamura to name a few who broke into the top of the card, on paper you would be willing to listen to the argument that Okada would surpass them all due to the hype & his reputation; instead this guy is allowing Tony to taint his legacy, it takes two to tango here, you can still be a success in NA, if anything, AEW technically should have suited Okada more then the WWE (I disagree with this for other reasons, but they already have that working relationship with NJPW and more freedom in the ring). Tony has done damage both sides of the planet when you think about it; NJPW is not what it used to be either.
Yes, you can go all the way back the AE era and H has always made uncalled for racist remarks. God forbid what he will do to two generational talents when they come up in Oba Femi & Trick Williams. H came from the Hayes Confederate school of thought and he hasn’t really changed his perception of the world and therefore overlooks the potential of the minority markets, night & day difference between him and Vince. H even managed to kill New Day’s popularity somehow, like if this turn was not going to lead to something good, they were better off at least continuing to sell some of that baby face New Day merch
It felt like they were finally pushing him right before he left the company, when he beat Seth at WrestleMania and later Bryan put him over on the way out. But nah, they were just building him up so they could feed him to Roman. Which was another great match btw from the pandemic era.
lol I will say this about Ricochet, this is the most entertaining he has ever been. It's hard to take him seriously but atleast he's entertaining. He seems like a bit of an immature child in real life, picking fights with random people on Twitter so I wouldn't be surprised if this was another case of someone playing an exaggerated version of themself.
Gunther vs Cesaro could have been epic. But at the same time, it’s difficult to say how H would use Cesaro, and maybe it wasn’t a terrible move going to AEW at the time really, do you think he is still better off there?
That's a close one but I am going to go with AEW. Fact is, he was in WWE for over a decade and they couldn't even put the IC Championship on him. I can think of few wrestlers more cut out to hold that belt and they didn't even put that on him. He may not become World Champion in AEW either but atleast he will booked as one of the upper-tier guys because Tony being the mark that he is, is aware of how he was treated in WWE, plus he's friends with Moxley who wields alot of influence. Even now the Death Riders stuff is utter garbage but its still the top heel faction and Claudio is a key part of it. Even booking-wise I don't think he has been booked too badly if I'm being honest.Good shout actually, Cesaro had a nice little push before he left, who knows, could have made a play for the WHC? I think Vince liked Cesaro, if he was around it would be possible. He liked Cesaro enough to give him that shot and AJ Styles was handsomely rewarded for making Reigns look strong
Tbh with Ricochet, just following up from our race discussion, there’s a ceiling for him in WWE under H, and the move away from the company is right for his career, regardless off the cringe levels, more people are talking about him then before and that’s without WWE’s big PR machine.
Cesaro is one of the most talented athletes in the world who makes wrestling look very easy. But I can't say he produces the best matches in the world. I doubt his credibility in terms of in ring psychology required for one of the top guys. The fact that he's been in WWE and AEW for 15 years now and still hasn't made it to the top with all that talent says something. I heard someone on Austin's podcast (think it was either Randy) say that Cesaro doesn't utilize his moves well and at times does a bit too much instead of restraining himself.
Okay bro Big Show was pretty good for majority of his career both on mic and as a character and didn't really need to do too much in the ring. He defeated Lesnar at one for WWE championship and it didn't look out of place.
