**World Soxtalk Championship Wrestling Thread VI**

[Y2HH]

The Paige retirement made me legit sad. 25 years old and done. It seemed like longer than 4 years ago she came around and I thought the sky was the limit for that girl ... and then just four years later, it's goodbye.

[Buehrle>Wood]

AJ vs Bryan tonight. Tune in

[Buehrle>Wood]

Carmella!

 

The Iconics are something else, wow. They're going to be stars.

[Y2HH]

Carmella!

 

The Iconics are something else, wow. They're going to be stars.

 

Was glad to see Paige sticking around...

 

As for the Iconics, jury is still out. I'll have to see more, but at least they have the "we can talk" skillset covered for me, because if you can't do that, I'll absolutely never care.

 

The Carmella cash-in was kind of expected at this point, but damn her voice is annoying as hell, and not in a good way. She needs to stop that terrible screaming.

 

I assume this means they're moving Charlotte back to RAW.

[Sonik22]

Just got home from New Orleans. As a passive wrestling fan I'd like to say how incredible of an experience it was. While it was a very long show, I had such a great time and can't recommend going enough. Ended up grabbing tickets last second to RAW on Monday as well and the environment was so much fun.

 

Also, with Nola being my favorite place in the world, I can't think of a better place to have Wrestlemania. That town is just perfect for it and it was so much fun to be there while all the wrestling tourist were in town for it. Wish they could have it there every year.

[fathom]

The Andre The Giant doc on HBO was fantastic

 

Hogan was riveting

[iWiN4PreP]

Superstar Shake up starting tonight.

 

Gotta say, right now I'm super bored with the main show after 'Mania. Lesnar/Reigns continuation does absolutely nothing for me and sets me off on the Raw show.

Bayley vs. Banks is interesting and can really turn out to be a compelling story, especially if one of them (banks) turns heel and takes on Absolution in the process, but it's been a bit dull lately. Hoping it picks up.

 

Nia as women's champion is b-o-r-i-n-g. Worked with the angle regarding Bliss, but her time is ticking as a babyface, she can't last.

 

The 'surprise's' from Monday's raw, while cool, were a bit underwhelming in the long run. Does anyone think No Way Jose will actually perform higher than a jobber with his gimmick? He isn't going anywhere. Authors of Pain look like a legit WWE tag team... meaning welcome to The Club's status of jobbers every week... And Bobby Lashley is someone I've never been interested in. Although, I'll give him a chance since I've heard he's gotten better in the ring and he is a freak in terms of physique.

 

Rumors are that Velveteen dream has a small chance of getting the call up to the main roster... doesn't matter tho, they'll absolutely butcher his character. That guy is phenomenal and should be an upper mid-card level talent, but with WWE booking, the fans will turn on him fast.

 

The Saudi event is, I guess, killing my vibe. I'm not a fan of having canon material on PPV's that are not standard. I can't tell if this event is more of a house show feel or a legit PPV feel. I don't like it.

 

Hoping to get some good feuds that I can get behind on today's Raw. Right now, I'm not really looking forward to anything in the WWE beyond Banks/bayley and AJ/Nak.

[TheChrisSamsa]

Superstar Shake up starting tonight.

 

Gotta say, right now I'm super bored with the main show after 'Mania. Lesnar/Reigns continuation does absolutely nothing for me and sets me off on the Raw show.

Bayley vs. Banks is interesting and can really turn out to be a compelling story, especially if one of them (banks) turns heel and takes on Absolution in the process, but it's been a bit dull lately. Hoping it picks up.

 

Nia as women's champion is b-o-r-i-n-g. Worked with the angle regarding Bliss, but her time is ticking as a babyface, she can't last.

 

The 'surprise's' from Monday's raw, while cool, were a bit underwhelming in the long run. Does anyone think No Way Jose will actually perform higher than a jobber with his gimmick? He isn't going anywhere. Authors of Pain look like a legit WWE tag team... meaning welcome to The Club's status of jobbers every week... And Bobby Lashley is someone I've never been interested in. Although, I'll give him a chance since I've heard he's gotten better in the ring and he is a freak in terms of physique.

 

Rumors are that Velveteen dream has a small chance of getting the call up to the main roster... doesn't matter tho, they'll absolutely butcher his character. That guy is phenomenal and should be an upper mid-card level talent, but with WWE booking, the fans will turn on him fast.

 

The Saudi event is, I guess, killing my vibe. I'm not a fan of having canon material on PPV's that are not standard. I can't tell if this event is more of a house show feel or a legit PPV feel. I don't like it.

 

Hoping to get some good feuds that I can get behind on today's Raw. Right now, I'm not really looking forward to anything in the WWE beyond Banks/bayley and AJ/Nak.

 

Wrestlemania is supposed to be the end of feuds. They always fill it up with blow off matches, so of course the product feels a little flat 8 days after it. The Raw/Smackdown after Mania always feels a little hungover, they'll do some debuts and returns, but that's about it.

 

Velveteen Dream is fine.. But his character won't translate to the main roster any better than Nak did. He's still very green, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them give him a shot.

 

The Saudi event is the product of having fewer PPVs. It'll be a fun show, and maybe the Brock Lesnar saga will end there under less hostile conditions. I'm tired of hearing about Roman Reigns, but I'm more tired of seeing bad matches with Brock Lesnar.

 

Tonight and tomorrow will be pretty telling. I'm looking forward to a new "season" to begin.

 

 

[thxfrthmmrs]

Wrestlemania is supposed to be the end of feuds. They always fill it up with blow off matches, so of course the product feels a little flat 8 days after it. The Raw/Smackdown after Mania always feels a little hungover, they'll do some debuts and returns, but that's about it.

 

Velveteen Dream is fine.. But his character won't translate to the main roster any better than Nak did. He's still very green, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them give him a shot.

 

The Saudi event is the product of having fewer PPVs. It'll be a fun show, and maybe the Brock Lesnar saga will end there under less hostile conditions. I'm tired of hearing about Roman Reigns, but I'm more tired of seeing bad matches with Brock Lesnar.

 

Tonight and tomorrow will be pretty telling. I'm looking forward to a new "season" to begin.

 

I like this positive, rational post.

 

I think the narrative is all but written on Reigns beating Brock at TGRR. No way they book the match again to have the golden boy lose 2 times in a row.

 

Also, predictions for the shakeup- DB moving back to Raw, Finn and the Club going to SD tomorrow. AJ and Finn battling for the Club would make the SD storyline much more interesting.

[iWiN4PreP]

WWE is so funny sometimes...

 

They have the FOTC (Reigns) calling Joe a "fatass" meanwhile have the whole Alexa vs. Nia Jax storyline regarding body-shamming.

 

This s***. :lol: :lol:

[Y2HH]

WWE is so funny sometimes...

 

They have the FOTC (Reigns) calling Joe a "fatass" meanwhile have the whole Alexa vs. Nia Jax storyline regarding body-shamming.

 

This s***. :lol: :lol:

 

Isn't that a reflection of society as a whole, though? It's gender hypocrisy. It's okay to call men a fatass, etc...but it's a different game when you do it to a woman. Surely you see that right?

[Y2HH]

On a side note, while RAW got some good callups and additions, the trades they seemingly made so far with Smackdown was taking a bunch of trash from Smackdown in return for the Miz.

 

So far, aside from KO, Zayn, Ziggler, Corbin and Roode (and a few NXT callups/Lashley) -- RAW acquired a bunch of mid or below mid level players.

 

So far Smackdown wins via addition by subtraction IMO, but I suppose that depends on what happens today/tonight.

[Buehrle>Wood]

We will see tonight when everything is official but yeah early returns look fantastic for smackdown. If they add no one else other than a tag team and almas I still think they won.

 

I imagine they'll get seth and Alexa too which will be fantastic.

[TheChrisSamsa]

We will see tonight when everything is official but yeah early returns look fantastic for smackdown. If they add no one else other than a tag team and almas I still think they won.

 

I imagine they'll get seth and Alexa too which will be fantastic.

 

I don't think they'll get Seth. They'll get Jeff Hardy with the US title.

 

Raw did a little reload on their awful tag team division last night (Breezango, Ascension, KO/Zayn, Miztourage without Miz) and they loaded up on heels to feud with Roman or Seth for their titles (assuming Roman goes over in Saudi Arabia).. KO, Jinder, Zayn, Corbin, Roode (hopefully heel soon), McIntyre, Ziggler. Raw's heel side was very weak until the shakeup. We don't know what they'll do with Lashley and Samoa Joe is living as a tweener right now, but I'm sure the writers are feeling a lot better about having options for babyfaces to feud with so Finn, Seth, Braun, Roman(?), etc. Don't always have to work the same bad guys or try to establish a temporary face/heel dynamic.

 

We'll see who lands on Smackdown tonight, but they've already gotten the biggest acquisition by clearing Daniel Bryan and leaving him on that brand.

Edited April 17, 2018 by ChrisLikesBaseball

[Y2HH]

I don't think they'll get Seth. They'll get Jeff Hardy with the US title.

 

Raw did a little reload on their awful tag team division last night (Breezango, Ascension, KO/Zayn, Miztourage without Miz) and they loaded up on heels to feud with Roman or Seth for their titles (assuming Roman goes over in Saudi Arabia).. KO, Jinder, Zayn, Corbin, Roode (hopefully heel soon), McIntyre, Ziggler. Raw's heel side was very weak until the shakeup. We don't know what they'll do with Lashley and Samoa Joe is living as a tweener right now, but I'm sure the writers are feeling a lot better about having options for babyfaces to feud with so Finn, Seth, Braun, Roman(?), etc. Don't always have to work the same bad guys or try to establish a temporary face/heel dynamic.

 

We'll see who lands on Smackdown tonight, but they've already gotten the biggest acquisition by clearing Daniel Bryan and leaving him on that brand.

 

I think they’ll get Seth, either that or Jeff Hardy. I hope for Seth though for some fresh matchups.

[Y2HH]

Or not...if that’s it for the trades, Kurt Angle is the worst GM of all time. In any sport. Ever.

[TheChrisSamsa]

Or not...if that’s it for the trades, Kurt Angle is the worst GM of all time. In any sport. Ever.

 

Smackdown is going to be much easier to watch than Raw. The show is two hours and their roster depth is amazing. AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, The Miz, Daniel Bryan, Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe, Andrade Cien Almas, Big Cass (without Enzo) Randy Orton, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Asuka, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, and a pretty good tag division now with The Bar and The Club coming over.

 

Raw's three hour format really makes it hard to watch. The roster on Raw has been stacked with Main Event level talent (Lesnar, Reigns, Ronda Rousey, Braun, Finn, Seth etc) and they didn't mess with that format. I think filling the undercard with interesting storylines will be an interesting challenge for the red brand, even with additions of mid carders like Bobby Roode, Dolph Ziggler, Bobby Lashley, and Owens/Zayn..

[iWiN4PreP]

Does anyone else worry about how stacked smackdown is and how little time there is for everyone?

 

Undoubtedly, there will be wrestlers who get the short end of the stick.

I'd hate for that to be Almas, Saniiity, Hardy, Samoa Joe, Asuka, Miz, etc. you get my point.

 

On Raw, at least I feel confident that Owens/Zayn/Roode will have spots in the 3 hours and on PPV's.

A big guy I worry about is Almas, he can't fit in the title picture immediately, so I hope they use him properly.

[Brian]

RIP Bruno Sammartino, 82

[Soxfest]

RIP Bruno Sammartino, 82

A true gentleman..............RIP Living Legend

[Y2HH]

Does anyone else worry about how stacked smackdown is and how little time there is for everyone?

 

Undoubtedly, there will be wrestlers who get the short end of the stick.

I'd hate for that to be Almas, Saniiity, Hardy, Samoa Joe, Asuka, Miz, etc. you get my point.

 

On Raw, at least I feel confident that Owens/Zayn/Roode will have spots in the 3 hours and on PPV's.

A big guy I worry about is Almas, he can't fit in the title picture immediately, so I hope they use him properly.

 

Yes, I think they overdid a 2 hour roster. If the main event segment goes long, it leaves even less time for everyone else. On RAW, I think we'll start seeing extended segments, giving the opposite issue that Smackdown is sure to have.

[iWiN4PreP]

On 4/18/2018 at 4:40 PM, Y2HH said:

Does anyone else worry about how stacked smackdown is and how little time there is for everyone?

 

Undoubtedly, there will be wrestlers who get the short end of the stick.

I'd hate for that to be Almas, Saniiity, Hardy, Samoa Joe, Asuka, Miz, etc. you get my point.

 

On Raw, at least I feel confident that Owens/Zayn/Roode will have spots in the 3 hours and on PPV's.

A big guy I worry about is Almas, he can't fit in the title picture immediately, so I hope they use him properly.

 

Yes, I think they overdid a 2 hour roster. If the main event segment goes long, it leaves even less time for everyone else. On RAW, I think we'll start seeing extended segments, giving the opposite issue that Smackdown is sure to have.

Yeah. It just doesn't fit.

 

You got say, AJ/Nak/Daniel in the main event segment which we can say is ~30 minutes per show. Then you got the womans division for 30 minutes per show. The Tag division for 30, and you are left with 30 for hte mid-card US title. 

 

Not sure where they all can fit. I guess it's going to be one of those bench situations where it's a revolving door. I just see Almas as the odd man out once he loses his luster, unless Vince feels he can be the Alberto Del Rio or w.e. 

[TheChrisSamsa]

Maybe WWE has recognized that the success of the NXT format could be transitioned up to the main roster and they're testing it with Smackdown. They've made a couple of changes that support this: fewer PPV shows and co-branding all of them, this leaves maybe 4 matches per brand on each regular PPV. NXT takeovers are typically 5 matches. This gives some breathing room to feuds and they don't all have to build towards a match at the nearest PPV. They can do multi-month builds or focus on doing big blowoffs at the big 4. 

Stacking the 2 hour format with main event capable talent will keep the roster healthy, and it will be less noticeable if talent closer to the top takes some time away. WWE had a lot of plans botched due to the health of superstars in the last year, and they'll need to rectify that to keep the product strong. The age of the athletes they're depending on to carry Smackdown has to be at least a little bit concerning. AJ Styles is 40, Nakamura is 38, Samoa Joe is 39, Jeff Hardy is 40, Daniel Bryan is 36, The Miz is 37, and Randy Orton is 38. Clearly they can all still go and put on some amazing matches, but not TV level one-on-ones every week. Less is more for some of these guys and their placement during the shakeup will support their longevity while giving some of the younger guys a chance to get themselves over before they enter the top of the card scene.

[iWiN4PreP]

So the Greatest Royal Rumble turned out to be a glorified House show. Not sure why WWE decided to do it that way...

 

It was a pretty bad show if your expectations where PPV/Royal Rumble expectations. 

If your expectations was house show, then sure it passed. 

There was not a single canon story related item from the GRR. 

It's cool that Braun won the Rumble tho.

And Titus O'Neil's fall during the rumble was hilarious.

Jinder's botch on Jeff Hardy was Rough. 

 

[GGajewski18]

That was the dumbest PPV in a while.  Only matches I liked was Rollins/Miz (best in the business), Alexa/Nia, and the Elias segment (made me lol).  

Everything else was awful.  They have completely ruined Styles/Nakumara