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Thread: The Official Friday Night Smackdown Thread

  1. #401
    The Fresh Maker Mazer's Avatar
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    Just now getting to SmackDown.

    Why does Sheamus keep making his look closer and closer to one of those "m'lady" memes?

    I hope Alexa/Nikki is like Bailey/Saha where they don't rush the split. They're a strong pairing and I wouldn't mind a few false starts before they go through with it

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    Could’ve been good for the hacker storyline if they hadn’t killed it.

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    I finally got around to watching Smackdown. It felt like a step up from previous weeks. I really liked the intro where everyone cut a promo. Nice way to set the stage for the evening. There was also a little bit of crash TV going on throughout the show which is good in small doses.

    I can see why people would be skeptical about Miz being a threat to Big E, but Morrison interfered throughout the match so that made it more of a challenge.

    Sonya's attack on Mandy was absolutely vicious! I got the sense it might be leading to a hair v hair match as well.

  4. #404
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sasori View Post
    I finally got around to watching Smackdown. It felt like a step up from previous weeks. I really liked the intro where everyone cut a promo. Nice way to set the stage for the evening. There was also a little bit of crash TV going on throughout the show which is good in small doses.

    I can see why people would be skeptical about Miz being a threat to Big E, but Morrison interfered throughout the match so that made it more of a challenge.

    Sonya's attack on Mandy was absolutely vicious! I got the sense it might be leading to a hair v hair match as well.
    That's what I figured, as well. And Sonya will lose, and it will just benefit both parties.

    If we're going for being literal, that should be a top-level match for Payback.

  5. #405
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    Quote Originally Posted by BGMaverick View Post
    That's what I figured, as well. And Sonya will lose, and it will just benefit both parties.

    If we're going for being literal, that should be a top-level match for Payback.
    Which means it'll air on Smackdown the Friday before the ppv.

    Very odd match making decisions for big shows these days. Extreme Rules definitely could've used Riddle v. Styles. The show before could've used Bryan v. Styles. Why you're leaving off the best wrestler in the world is beyond me.....It's not like this shit is live.

  6. #406
    The Fresh Maker Mazer's Avatar
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    Given interest is fairly shit right now for the network shows, I feel like they're trying to prop them up with some things that would normally be on ppv

  7. #407
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mazer View Post
    Given interest is fairly shit right now for the network shows, I feel like they're trying to prop them up with some things that would normally be on ppv
    I get that but why do it right before or the night after the ppv? They gave Riddle a title shot 2 weeks into his debut. I would've liked a bit more of a build because honestly the fans still watching wrestling the last 20 years pretty much knew how that match was going to turn out. AJ just won the belt, Riddle just debuted. At the very least if the ppv delivered top to bottom, it might have made people tune in the following week.

    IMO, Smackdown definitely has the better overall show by a mile it's not even comparable to what Raw is doing both in-ring and storyline. Fingers crossed it stays that way despite shit ratings for both shows.

  8. #408
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nash Diesel View Post
    Which means it'll air on Smackdown the Friday before the ppv.

    Very odd match making decisions for big shows these days. Extreme Rules definitely could've used Riddle v. Styles. The show before could've used Bryan v. Styles. Why you're leaving off the best wrestler in the world is beyond me.....It's not like this shit is live.

    Very likely that Bryan asked for time off because Brie was due with their child at any point. Or Bryan could have smartly played up the discussion with Brie in front of the cameras for Total Bellas - it's not like the WWE can really afford bad press at any time, but there's no doubt that E! would welcome making WWE look like jerks. Anyway, congrats are due to him and Brie on their new baby boy, who arrived over the weekend, a day apart from his cousin, as Nikki also gave birth to a baby boy.

  9. #409
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    Quote Originally Posted by BGMaverick View Post
    That's what I figured, as well. And Sonya will lose, and it will just benefit both parties.

    If we're going for being literal, that should be a top-level match for Payback.
    Sonya with a shaved head will give her even more of an edge, so it will definitely be a win.

    Quote Originally Posted by Nash Diesel View Post
    I get that but why do it right before or the night after the ppv? They gave Riddle a title shot 2 weeks into his debut. I would've liked a bit more of a build because honestly the fans still watching wrestling the last 20 years pretty much knew how that match was going to turn out. AJ just won the belt, Riddle just debuted. At the very least if the ppv delivered top to bottom, it might have made people tune in the following week.

    IMO, Smackdown definitely has the better overall show by a mile it's not even comparable to what Raw is doing both in-ring and storyline. Fingers crossed it stays that way despite shit ratings for both shows.
    Not only that, but Riddle lost clean. Why not have Corbin interfere to cost him the match?

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    Quote Originally Posted by 3puppies View Post
    Very likely that Bryan asked for time off because Brie was due with their child at any point. Or Bryan could have smartly played up the discussion with Brie in front of the cameras for Total Bellas - it's not like the WWE can really afford bad press at any time, but there's no doubt that E! would welcome making WWE look like jerks. Anyway, congrats are due to him and Brie on their new baby boy, who arrived over the weekend, a day apart from his cousin, as Nikki also gave birth to a baby boy.
    I'm talking about the ppv before, Backlash or whatever the fuck it was where the Smackdown prior they had the finals of the IC title tournament with AJ and Daniel. Plus, this shit is like 2-3 weeks old when it airs isn't it?

  11. #411
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    Smackdown airs on a Friday, and as I recall, they tape 2 weeks worth every other Tuesday. So it is usually 3 or 10 days old. If someone like Otis/Mandy aren't used or aren't there for a taping day, it means we won't see them for 2-3 weeks or more.

    I don't have a problem with how they have let Daniel Bryan have some family time, especially before the family arrival. He got the Bella who will gladly do anything for her man. I wish them every happiness.

  12. #412
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    WWE is clearly in a state of flux where they're facing a moving target of what their priorities need to be. They had house show floundering and Vince promised he had ideas on how to fix it. During the pandemic they've tried to really entice people to get interested in the Network with the free tier and cinematic matches. Since ratings have been going down and they're approaching record lows, when two companies have paid top dollar, they need to find ways to incentivize viewers to watch the weekly program. The problem is what I outlined in the first sentence. The priority shouldn't be a moving target. It should be to produce an entertaining product. I think they're too caught up in the business of filling hours, whether they be good or not.

  13. #413
    FBI Warning VHS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BGMaverick View Post
    WWE is clearly in a state of flux where they're facing a moving target of what their priorities need to be. They had house show floundering and Vince promised he had ideas on how to fix it. During the pandemic they've tried to really entice people to get interested in the Network with the free tier and cinematic matches. Since ratings have been going down and they're approaching record lows, when two companies have paid top dollar, they need to find ways to incentivize viewers to watch the weekly program. The problem is what I outlined in the first sentence. The priority shouldn't be a moving target. It should be to produce an entertaining product. I think they're too caught up in the business of filling hours, whether they be good or not.
    The target has been sitting still for years, it's them that's been aiming wearing roller skates. WWE (minus NXT) had already dropped the ball w/ their most talented roster in years. They don't know how to make future powerhouses because Vince's style is to build someone to knock them down.

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    Quote Originally Posted by VHS View Post
    The target has been sitting still for years, it's them that's been aiming wearing roller skates. WWE (minus NXT) had already dropped the ball w/ their most talented roster in years. They don't know how to make future powerhouses because Vince's style is to build someone to knock them down.
    That's fair. I just think answering to shareholders and etc makes them feel like they've got too many agendas to handle and they can't handle the fundamentals. A part of me also thinks they're more focused on making the brand the bigger deal than the parts. They saw it with their big stars in the past, including Cena, then started to see it with Reigns, Charlotte, and Becky that they could leave the nest if they get enough momentum in the mainstream.

  15. #415
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    So Retribution actually debuted (since no one really seems to count that 10 second snippet on RAW) on SmackDown and tore the place up.

  16. #416
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    That shit was dope, yo. That girl in the crowd ate the fuckin floor. I felt bad for her.

  17. #417
    Fuck you Roman... Tim's Avatar
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    Yeah... that was a thing...

    I’m sure the wrestlers are shitting themselves about 4 guys the size of women... and a woman running around with cans of spray paint and yelling “that’s what I’m talking about”. That was cringeworthy, I’d be shocked if this isn’t a group of guys from 205 live trying to make a statement. I’m not trying to be a size queen like Jim Cornette who thinks you have to be built like Brock to be taken seriously but could they have gotten atleast 1 guy who can see over the top rope?

  18. #418
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    Smackdown had two entertaining matches in the first hour. It also helped that the two had different styles to them. One thing that bugs the hell out of me with WWE programming is they love to cut corners at the first sign of distress when it comes to finishes. The amount of interference or DQs was not my cup of tea.

    Hard to say without a payoff yet but it feels like they tried to get too cute with the Strowman/Fiend stuff. We'll need an explanation as to why Bliss was in the ring and why Strowman was so quick to say he didn't care about her. Is this a trap for The Fiend, or is he really now a POS after the swamp fight? They had a pretty good cliffhanger last week but kind of spit the bit with following up on it.

    Sonya was solid, again, in this episode. The brawl between Mandy and Sonya was pretty good, too. I'm looking forward to seeing how they wrap up this chapter of Mandy/Sonya.

    Triple brand battle royal with the winner primed to face Bayley at Summerslam. I get the idea of suggesting The Golden Role Models' reign of terror has impacted all three brands but it does leave me somewhat intrigued about the inclusion of NXT because that could be an easy plot hole WWE could use for convenience. So the fact they included NXT makes me curious to see if they'd actually pull the trigger on having an NXT women get the shot.

    The closing segment was missing something. What it didn't miss was obviously a mandate to have an abundance of camera cuts and awkward zooming and shaking. I get why the manual cameras - which were operated by cameramen - would be disjointed as they were being attacked, but why the hell are the hard cameras shaking and everything? It's so off-putting. Graves and Cole being scared and running was a good touch. The group attacking trainees was good, but it lacked something at the end to kind of put a larger emphasis on it all. There's something there but it clearly hinges on if they've got more to tell and if they can execute properly. I don't have a lot of faith in either factor.

  19. #419
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    They're literally jawa sized.

  20. #420
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    I liked the last segment because it's got the makings of a somewhat captivating story. A lot of the actions within in are weird when observed in isolation, but hey, I likes me a cliffhanger.

    That being said, I have an awful, awful feeling it's going to be some hackneyed parody of antifa/BLM/etc that will (deliberately) end up looking incredibly stupid.

  21. #421
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    I really hope they don’t go down that route. It’s possible they may be connected to Raw Underground and they’re looking to “invade” but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

    Should’ve had that really big dude kicking up shit too.

    Also money’s on Naomi winning that battle royal.
    Last edited by Badger; August 8th, 2020 at 4:43 AM.

  22. #422
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    Watched the last segment on YouTube. Those guys couldn't have been less imposing. Surely just going to be a midcard stable?

  23. #423
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    Quote Originally Posted by Badger View Post
    Should’ve had that really big dude kicking up shit too.
    Big Jordan? Absolutely. He's 7ft 3. Imagine that man masked and in all black. That'd look great. Even if he's just standing there looking imposing.

    Still, hearing about this at least piqued my interest somewhat to check it out on youtube.

  24. #424
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ringo View Post
    Big Jordan? Absolutely. He's 7ft 3. Imagine that man masked and in all black. That'd look great. Even if he's just standing there looking imposing.

    Still, hearing about this at least piqued my interest somewhat to check it out on youtube.
    Yeah that’s him. He was briefly Tozawa’s ninjas but a tease with Big Show didn’t get anywhere and was a security guard backstage for Raw Underground. You want an imposing dude in a stable terrorising the roster then use him.

  25. #425
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    Could've used Babatunde in there otherwise/also.

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    That might have been the worst invasion I've ever seen. Instead of interrupting a match or promo segment, they storm an empty ring. Then they beat up a couple people no one cares about. Love how the other NXT "recruits" didn't help them out, lol. They outnumbered Retribution, but stood around like a bunch of goofs. And like everyone else said, they're tiny and not intimidating at all.

  27. #427
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    It was ridiculous. I didn't really take away much from the end segment. The fun is in picking through who they resemble. One looked like Chelsea Green, one sounded like Xavier Woods ("This is our house now" guy). I won't be surprised if they change week to week who they have in the group before a reveal but that's what I got so far.

  28. #428
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bagel View Post
    It was ridiculous. I didn't really take away much from the end segment. The fun is in picking through who they resemble. One looked like Chelsea Green, one sounded like Xavier Woods ("This is our house now" guy). I won't be surprised if they change week to week who they have in the group before a reveal but that's what I got so far.
    I’m reading nothing into the subtle features we are able to see because I’m taking WWE at face value, meaning more than likely they’re just using hidden avatars until they actually figure out who they want the people to be.

  29. #429
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    Of course. Just saying who I thought some of the people they used last night looked like or sounded like. I am sure they will switch it up over the appearances to keep people guessing.

  30. #430
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    Quote Originally Posted by VHS View Post
    They're literally jawa sized.
    I've seen the Mandalorian recently. You get enough Jawas together and they can wreck yo shit

  31. #431
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    I'd be disappointed if they rush into E vs. Styles at this rate. It could genuinely be a big match, deserves more than a week of build. Just have E run through Miz or something at Summerslam and build it up as a big attraction match at a PPV down the line. My ideal would be a Rumble win and a run against heel Daniel Bryan or (even better) Roman Reigns. Imagine the heat to that one. Roman wins it the first night back with fans and they really ham up the Chosen One stuff with him. Could do New Day vs. Usos on the 'Mania card too, a long overdue match on that stage.

  32. #432
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    Shorty G could have been AJ’s next IC title opponent in the interim and another courageous face for AJ to go over in a great match. Don’t agree with him injecting him into this Corbin/Riddle storyline when he was gaining momentum as a face and now he gets wiped out by both Riddle and Sheamus.

  33. #433
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fanny Batter View Post
    I'd be disappointed if they rush into E vs. Styles at this rate. It could genuinely be a big match, deserves more than a week of build. Just have E run through Miz or something at Summerslam and build it up as a big attraction match at a PPV down the line. My ideal would be a Rumble win and a run against heel Daniel Bryan or (even better) Roman Reigns. Imagine the heat to that one. Roman wins it the first night back with fans and they really ham up the Chosen One stuff with him. Could do New Day vs. Usos on the 'Mania card too, a long overdue match on that stage.
    They've wasted two weeks essentially where you could have had the best of both worlds in terms of a build but not being overly elongated. Honestly, their booking and the world in general suggests they can't predict what's going to happen 3-5 months from now because they can barely predict what will happen 3-5 days from now so SummerSlam is just as good of a time as any to pull the trigger and see. Styles was nowhere to be found on Friday and E barely made it on to Smackdown. Styles could have come out after E's match against Miz two Fridays ago and the plans would have been put into motion. Who knows why that didn't happen if Styles/E is something they ultimately do at Summerslam.

    Quote Originally Posted by Badger View Post
    Shorty G could have been AJ’s next IC title opponent in the interim and another courageous face for AJ to go over in a great match. Don’t agree with him injecting him into this Corbin/Riddle storyline when he was gaining momentum as a face and now he gets wiped out by both Riddle and Sheamus.
    Smackdown was booked haphazardly and Gable was one of my examples as to why. You turn him one week and then have him get wrecked twice within an hour. That's like having Ali be a big re-debut on Raw one week and then lose the next week and not be on TV the following week. Accountability is certainly not on the top of their mind.

  34. #434
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  35. #435
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tim View Post
    Yeah... that was a thing...

    I’m sure the wrestlers are shitting themselves about 4 guys the size of women... and a woman running around with cans of spray paint and yelling “that’s what I’m talking about”. That was cringeworthy, I’d be shocked if this isn’t a group of guys from 205 live trying to make a statement. I’m not trying to be a size queen like Jim Cornette who thinks you have to be built like Brock to be taken seriously but could they have gotten atleast 1 guy who can see over the top rope?
    In Cornette's defense, he doesn't think this way at all. How can you think a guy who managed Bobby Eaton thinks that you have to look like Brock to beat ass? The same guy who made Nick Dinsmore a 9 time OVW champion and has openly shit on John Cena and Batista being way too green getting called up simply because they looked like a million bucks.

    With that said....Terrible execution with this "Retribution" stuff.

    It's so bad even Bronson Reed, a practical nobody from NXT, said that he could beat all of their asses by himself lol. Shit, that Rick Hairmetal whatever the fuck his name is was out there he could've easily beat their asses.

    At least with groups like the New World Order, Nexus, etc. these "taking over" groups all looked intimidating. But we have to remember, people are jerking off all over themselves for ADAM COLE to be a main roster main event player, and he's what, an inch taller than Mysterio?

  36. #436
    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fanny Batter View Post
    I'd be disappointed if they rush into E vs. Styles at this rate. It could genuinely be a big match, deserves more than a week of build. Just have E run through Miz or something at Summerslam and build it up as a big attraction match at a PPV down the line. My ideal would be a Rumble win and a run against heel Daniel Bryan or (even better) Roman Reigns. Imagine the heat to that one. Roman wins it the first night back with fans and they really ham up the Chosen One stuff with him. Could do New Day vs. Usos on the 'Mania card too, a long overdue match on that stage.
    I don't think we'll get Styles v. Big E for the title just yet. Heel Daniel? Might not be a bad idea to turn him back as he did a pretty slick job the last time. How about turning Braun heel? I think they kind of missed the boat on making Roman a heel. The Chosen One stuff, fuck that probably means him with a McMahon or Triple H on camera with him because they're blind and deaf and probably thinks he's the most popular guy since Cena so he'll need that McMahon heel dust lol.

  37. #437
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    As stellar as Bryan has been as a heel, I don’t know if fans would buy it again as he’s too well-loved now. His eco-vegan run was great and it worked magically with Kofi him never having had a title match in years but I don’t know if it would work the same with E being such a powerhouse. From what I can gather, Bryan’s more taking a backseat from the spotlight these days and pitching ideas to creative hence his partnership with Gulak.

    Could easily see Braun going heel again though especially after stating he no longer cares for Alexa and the Fiend has driven him to this and he cuts the corny shit out.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Badger View Post
    Shorty G could have been AJ’s next IC title opponent in the interim and another courageous face for AJ to go over in a great match. Don’t agree with him injecting him into this Corbin/Riddle storyline when he was gaining momentum as a face and now he gets wiped out by both Riddle and Sheamus.
    Quote Originally Posted by BGMaverick View Post
    Smackdown was booked haphazardly and Gable was one of my examples as to why. You turn him one week and then have him get wrecked twice within an hour. That's like having Ali be a big re-debut on Raw one week and then lose the next week and not be on TV the following week. Accountability is certainly not on the top of their mind.
    I don't think Gable can look like more of a loser after Friday. The guy just can't catch a break. And it was all for the benefit of potentially turning Sheamus who framed Jeff for a drunk driving incident that put Elias out of commission. Not to mention taunting Jeff for months about his history with substance abuse.

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    What was Alexa doing in the ring this time with the Fiend? She looked scared and vulnerable (and of course, as HOT as ever). But just when it looked like the Fiend was going to give her another Mandible Claw, she stopped his hand, and almost caressed his evil mask, causing him to pull away just before Braun called him on the monitor. Of course, her presence in the Swamp during the Extreme Rules match could be dismissed as a cinematic license, all in Braun's head.

    Braun suggesting he doesn't care about her could be something she already knew, but if Bray didn't, maybe there is interest on her end? She's a Beauty wanting her own Beast. How long has it been since the WWE did a beauty and the beast segment? Lets not count Otis/Mandy because in that story, Otis was already the face.

    I generally like the storylines where the ladies mix it up with the men, when it doesn't seem forced, and if it aids in character development/story progression. The Miz/Morrison pairing with Sonya is helping her a LOT, and Mandy's presence with Heavy Machinery - well I'd like to see more of Mandy, she looked great in this segment. Using Miz in a story like this was perfect for him - he is great poking fun at other wrestlers (or her hair) but when someone stumbles he is able to get a segment back on track, and moving, as well as anyone on the roster. Morrison finally seemed more comfortable on the mic in this segment, but its good to see the ladies, as well as Otis and Tucker get a chance to learn from these two.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sasori View Post
    I don't think Gable can look like more of a loser after Friday. The guy just can't catch a break. And it was all for the benefit of potentially turning Sheamus who framed Jeff for a drunk driving incident that put Elias out of commission. Not to mention taunting Jeff for months about his history with substance abuse.
    Not to mention the fact making Gable Corbin’s lackey after Corbin abusing him for months for the sake of the “ransom.” Could’ve kept Gable teaming with Ali boosting the tag division or have him challenge AJ next. No they went the silliest route since the name change with him.

    Just a pawn in a storyline which Corbin is eventually going to lose anyway.

  41. #441
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nash Diesel View Post
    In Cornette's defense, he doesn't think this way at all. How can you think a guy who managed Bobby Eaton thinks that you have to look like Brock to beat ass? The same guy who made Nick Dinsmore a 9 time OVW champion and has openly shit on John Cena and Batista being way too green getting called up simply because they looked like a million bucks.

    With that said....Terrible execution with this "Retribution" stuff.

    It's so bad even Bronson Reed, a practical nobody from NXT, said that he could beat all of their asses by himself lol. Shit, that Rick Hairmetal whatever the fuck his name is was out there he could've easily beat their asses.

    At least with groups like the New World Order, Nexus, etc. these "taking over" groups all looked intimidating. But we have to remember, people are jerking off all over themselves for ADAM COLE to be a main roster main event player, and he's what, an inch taller than Mysterio?
    Mostly from Cornettes podcast. He spends a lot of time knocking guys for being small, especially if you’re an AEW guy.

  42. #442
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    Quote Originally Posted by 3puppies View Post
    What was Alexa doing in the ring this time with the Fiend? She looked scared and vulnerable (and of course, as HOT as ever). But just when it looked like the Fiend was going to give her another Mandible Claw, she stopped his hand, and almost caressed his evil mask, causing him to pull away just before Braun called him on the monitor. Of course, her presence in the Swamp during the Extreme Rules match could be dismissed as a cinematic license, all in Braun's head.

    Braun suggesting he doesn't care about her could be something she already knew, but if Bray didn't, maybe there is interest on her end? She's a Beauty wanting her own Beast. How long has it been since the WWE did a beauty and the beast segment? Lets not count Otis/Mandy because in that story, Otis was already the face.

    I generally like the storylines where the ladies mix it up with the men, when it doesn't seem forced, and if it aids in character development/story progression. The Miz/Morrison pairing with Sonya is helping her a LOT, and Mandy's presence with Heavy Machinery - well I'd like to see more of Mandy, she looked great in this segment. Using Miz in a story like this was perfect for him - he is great poking fun at other wrestlers (or her hair) but when someone stumbles he is able to get a segment back on track, and moving, as well as anyone on the roster. Morrison finally seemed more comfortable on the mic in this segment, but its good to see the ladies, as well as Otis and Tucker get a chance to learn from these two.
    Another school of thought is that Alexa is going to screw Braun over at Summerslam after Braun said he didn’t care about her. She then turns on Cross.

  43. #443
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    I hope the loss to the Fiend makes Strowman go insane and he becomes the destroying monster he was a few years ago.

  44. #444
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    Quote Originally Posted by Donald View Post
    I hope the loss to the Fiend makes Strowman go insane and he becomes the destroying monster he was a few years ago.
    Hey you’re back!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tim View Post
    Mostly from Cornettes podcast. He spends a lot of time knocking guys for being small, especially if you’re an AEW guy.
    He spends time knocking a particular set of smaller talent but he literally praises people like Jungle Boy so maybe you're just catching it when he's shitting on Marko Stunt. I just listened to him talking about Adam Cole and how he's one of the best workers in NXT. I think there's a difference between maybe him saying someone is small and actually shitting on them.

    Like I said, it'd be odd for him considering the people he's managed and put on top of his promotions. Chris Candido was like 5'8" and he was a top guy in Smokey Mountain. Cornette is not a "big man rules" type guy, he's a "Is this guy believable in the role he's being used in" type guy. Bobby Eaton didn't look like he could beat your ass but he was a damn good wrestler. I don't really hear him praising too many big guys. He's not even a fan of most of the big dudes who came out of OVW like Batista and Lesnar.

  46. #446
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    Asuka hasn't had a Summerslam match in her WWE career and now she suddenly has two, both being title matches.

    Either the writing on Smackdown is fundamentally better or they're doing a better job to involve more people compared to Raw. It seems like more people matter on the blue brand. A very good example of that was what has been going on with Mandy and Sonya. Good on Mandy to deliver a strong promo. It probably wasn't as strong as Sonya has been but it was credible. The stipulation was more than reasonable and logical. Sonya is about to lose her hair, lol.

    That said, it's not all smelling like a bed of roses. A pretty substantial example came in the form of the match between Sheamus and Gable. You basically saw hints or full realizations of turns by both of them and that felt like they got shelved the following week. Very odd.

    Styles is really into initialism. ASAP, PISS, so on and so forth. I will say, Styles has varying degrees of humor to him. The best was him just talking off the cuff during the fatal four way, but this scripted, cheesy stuff had some decent parts to it. Styles/Hardy isn't what I would have gone to with the next major IC feud for Styles but it should be entertaining. It helps that Hardy is coming off winning a feud (though it was just 50/50 booking) to build towards a title opportunity.

    The story with Retribution has taken a step in the right direction but I can't give them too much credit for that because the bar to clear was so incredibly low. Could they have not done their shenanigans during a match that was perceived to be your main event of the evening? That certainly took away from the match between Morrison/E, which was the second time they tried to pull off the match. At least E got to continue to show different layers to him over the course of the evening. Sheamus/E should be good and physical.

    Good on Strowman to see that he needed to come home. That hair was looking haggard, and it also plays into this next chapter of his character. All of that said, I still don't know how we're supposed to be viewing this feud. First, it's gone well past its expiration date so I guess that lends itself to needing evolving of the characters. I'll give them that, but it still doesn't come across as remotely clear as to who should be looked upon as the one who the collective audience should support. If anything, Alexa seems like the only person in this feud who we should be rooting for. That's not good when she's not fighting for a title lol.

  47. #447
    FBI Warning VHS's Avatar
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    Shayna almost dropped Teagan on her freaking head, thankfully she tumbled her into the ropes. Still though that was one of the ugliest botches I've seen in a while.

  48. #448
    World Champion Donald's Avatar
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    Ugh Strowman, you look like Big Show Jr.

  49. #449
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    Is Big E in the mix for the wwe title yet and is AJ still IC Champ?
    Last edited by Chris Scott; August 15th, 2020 at 3:48 PM.

  50. #450
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Scott View Post
    Is Big E in the mix for the wwe title yet and is AJ still IC Champ?
    Your answers are here.

    For real, no and yes.

  51. #451
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    I clicked that link and it shows an article about Katy perry allegations

  52. #452
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    Quote Originally Posted by BGMaverick View Post
    Your answers are here.

    For real, no and yes.
    No wonder the forum is dead

  53. #453
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    The more I've thought about it, the point I made about Styles and his humor is really going to add another layer to him that was probably sorely needed. I think it could give off some vibes of Angle's comedic run in WWE to a certain degree. He's a guy that can clearly kick your ass and show out in the ring but he's going to be a goofball at times. The thing that really takes it up a notch is the fact that he has someone to play off of so Parks could really be a great catalyst for it. I can't imagine McMahon knows a lot about Parks and just thought he'd be a good fit as a huge guy next to Styles, but I'm sure McMahon lit up when he saw Parks on camera. There's a lot of potential there.

  54. #454
    Fuck you Roman... Tim's Avatar
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    I’m surprised they didn’t do anything with Parks as Abyss, I figured a Rumble spot with a face off with AJ or Brock would of been a cool moment.

  55. #455
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    Quote Originally Posted by BGMaverick View Post
    The more I've thought about it, the point I made about Styles and his humor is really going to add another layer to him that was probably sorely needed. I think it could give off some vibes of Angle's comedic run in WWE to a certain degree. He's a guy that can clearly kick your ass and show out in the ring but he's going to be a goofball at times. The thing that really takes it up a notch is the fact that he has someone to play off of so Parks could really be a great catalyst for it. I can't imagine McMahon knows a lot about Parks and just thought he'd be a good fit as a huge guy next to Styles, but I'm sure McMahon lit up when he saw Parks on camera. There's a lot of potential there.
    Nah sorry I didn’t like AJ as a goofball when he was with OC. Why can’t he just be a bad ass I’m better than you at everything heel

  56. #456
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    What do you have against comedy?

  57. #457
    Fuck you Roman... Tim's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nash Diesel View Post
    He spends time knocking a particular set of smaller talent but he literally praises people like Jungle Boy so maybe you're just catching it when he's shitting on Marko Stunt. I just listened to him talking about Adam Cole and how he's one of the best workers in NXT. I think there's a difference between maybe him saying someone is small and actually shitting on them.

    Like I said, it'd be odd for him considering the people he's managed and put on top of his promotions. Chris Candido was like 5'8" and he was a top guy in Smokey Mountain. Cornette is not a "big man rules" type guy, he's a "Is this guy believable in the role he's being used in" type guy. Bobby Eaton didn't look like he could beat your ass but he was a damn good wrestler. I don't really hear him praising too many big guys. He's not even a fan of most of the big dudes who came out of OVW like Batista and Lesnar.
    He's knocked the Young Bucks and referred to them as middle schoolers and said you can't make them a main event tag team because no one will buy them physically. He's also mocked HBK and Bret Hart for being small and talked about how Vader shouldn't sell for someone the size of HBK.

  58. #458
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    Vince McMahon will be on Smackdown tonight.

  59. #459
    Fuck you Roman... Tim's Avatar
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    The set looks cool, the audio will be the difference maker. Hopefully they don’t pump in fake crowd noise.

  60. #460
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tim View Post
    The set looks cool, the audio will be the difference maker. Hopefully they don’t pump in fake crowd noise.
    It would at least be more of a fit compared to pumping it through the PC, especially for a backstage segment.

  61. #461
    Truth teller virms's Avatar
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    They've already said they will pump in some ambient crowd noise

  62. #462
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    Did anyone sign up for THUNDERDOME?

  63. #463
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    Talking Smack is back...but no Renee or DB. It'll air on Saturday on the Network.

    (Hey) Kayla Braxton and Xavier Woods will be the hosts.
    Last edited by BGMaverick; August 21st, 2020 at 4:26 PM.

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    God damn they are so petty. That is obviously just a smack in the face.

  65. #465
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    This is petty.

    Also, I love Xavier as a host. Someday he will be a HOF commentator.

  66. #466
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    With this many members of Retribution, are they just going to end up being the NXT roster?

  67. #467
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    Crowd looks superb ����

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    Royce > Rose 100%

  69. #469
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sasori View Post
    With this many members of Retribution, are they just going to end up being the NXT roster?
    NXT UK

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    Guessing hardy faces AJ at backlash

  71. #471
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    Its too soon to have recycled the corportate Kane/Demon Kane ambulance bit.

  72. #472
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    Overall aesthetics: it's much more pleasing to the eye to see them back in an arena. They're going to have to calibrate some things in regards to the crowd noise (like more of it) and look at providing a clean/fixed/dark background for the crowd, but I think they're on the right track with the look.

    The intro was a fun tease with The Fiend confronting McMahon. I would have loved if it was a simple write-off of Retribution to see Strowman and The Fiend take them out but oh well.

    E/Sheamus was good until it got annoying due to the outside factors. You had people getting used to a new venue, looking at the crowd, then the locker room scouring the crowd as they were on alert, then Corbin/Riddle bickering: it was too much to take away from the match. At least E looked smart by getting the win when it was there.

    Cesaro legit made me laugh sneaking this in: "Match will start in 3, 2..." #DaParty The title match had that awkward botch by Metalik and Cesaro (which I'm sure Metalik is going to feel tomorrow) but it was still good. A tease of an implosion of LHP is...something.

    Naomi was going to look like a straight up dumbass for calling out Sasha and Bayley and coming up empty handed so it was assumed she was either going to get a surprise win or outlast the clock. *Taps microphone*

    Quote Originally Posted by BGMaverick View Post
    The booking of Bayley matches is getting odd. She's lost three of the last five matches she's been in, with two of them being against non-No. 1 contenders. Seems unnecessary.
    Hahaha. Since Bayley was second and she's taking Ls, it made sense just to double down. So yeah, she lost to another non-No. 1 contender and someone who had lost just minutes before. Two pins within five days. Good stuff.

    Mandy's promo/plea to fix things with Sonya didn't make a lot of sense in light of how things have escalated. Sonya not taking that request and just intensifying things certainly did make sense, though. She slapped that crap out of Dana! Sonya's promo was solid, and she's just delivering at a great level right now. Looking forward to seeing the ramifications playing out this weekend. I'm guessing Sonya's taking time off for a variety of reasons, but it would be a wild swerve to see Mandy written off, and there's a convenient out they can use if they want to write her back in immediately.

    I think something underrated with Hardy is his ability to sell. The stuff with Sheamus in terms of the beatings he took and having to work with a hobbled leg helped hammer that point home. What a clever way to spin a form of comeuppance arriving for Styles. WWE played themselves with the new setup. Their instinct was to go to a crowd shot after a big moment like a title change but they you just saw fans in a squares not doing much. Oh well. We got The Oscars within The Thunderdome as Hardy got played off the stage lol.

    Those EMTs needs to be ashamed of themselves. They struggled to get the stretcher out, they didn't stabilize Wyatt. Goodness lol. They had two options to go WWE-as-hell and they opted to avoid having Strowman flip over the ambulance. While this was all more visually stimulating, it's still a perplexing feud. I guess Alexa is going to equalize this, one way or another.
    Last edited by BGMaverick; August 21st, 2020 at 10:18 PM.

  73. #473
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    I wish i had recorded this, would've appreciated the call out to #DaParty

  74. #474
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    While the new set up is an improvement overall, showing a bunch of fans looking bored doesn't add a whole lot of excitement.

    I'm surprised that they had everyone consoling Sonya about what she went through this past week. They did the same for Mandy which is basically acknowledging that they were together. For something this extreme, I would have expected them to not reference it at all and keep their personal lives separate.

    Why are we supposed to care about tension in Lucha House Party?

    I wasn't expecting Jeff to win the IC title, but I guess they wanted something big to happen on the first night of "THUNDERDOME!" Jeff's comment afterwards was pretty tone deaf: "to the people struggling like I have this past year". Um, they're struggling with something entirely different, dude.

  75. #475
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    The thing with the Thunderdome is that the average person doesn't sit at home alone (which is part of the actual requirement) to watch wrestling and jump around... Well, I don't anyway.

    It's like if you sat and watched any sport alone, you're not going to be as animated. Plus they're doing it front of a PC/laptop with headphones on... I mean what reaction do WWE really expect?

    They have a similar thing in football over here and a few grounds have had virtual fans - but it's multiple people gathered round, probably having a beer with friends/family and enjoying a team they've invested their lives in to.... not watching Naomi put her arse in Bayley's face... or watching 10 recorded segments.

    I mean it's not like WWE doesn't have a "static" element to a live crowd already.... but they've really narrowed their crowd down to the average half-arsed, blasé, internet fan and it will cost them if they want reactions.

    Anyway.

    Can't believe WWE missed the "big man swarmed by wrestlers explosive push-out" that they do almost every time... slacking. It must be a Goldberg-esq length between the locker room and the ring given how long it took Big E and co to get out there.

    Oh no.. not dissension in the House Party! I mean one of them nearly died.. so there is that. Few more botches sprinkled in and it was at this point I thought "isn't this recorded?!" and then realised nope, it's Live again. Maffew will be pleased.

    Felt like Bayley and Sasha should have come up with the challenge between them, then Naomi volunteer... rather than her coming out and Corey suggesting it. The champs should have continued that playful banter into "well I can beat someone faster than you.." etc. No idea how that setup led to Bayley losing.. not like Naomi had her knocked.. she pushed her into the ropes .... I mean.. really. Should perhaps have had Asuka out there already and distract Bayley by fighting Sasha, then it's adding a bit more to it? Maybe? I'm going to go with Bayley retaining and then cost Sasha the title Sunday.

    That Sonya slap... wowzer.

    I think I've lost most of my interest in the Fiend now... it's wore a bit thin. Lights out, pop up, attack, lights off.. backstage segment... swap persona... That's not me saying I would know what to do.. I feel like it's a limited time gimmick probably and in hindsight has probably been over-exposed.. which is a shame because it was genuinely the best thing on WWE TV for a good while (pre-hitting Seth with a hammer, probably).

    Not a bad show, I've literally cherry picked the negatives out... obviously.

  76. #476
    Furry, Filthy and Fun Badger's Avatar
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    Set-up looks like a big games show a soundboard. Though it’s a bigger venue, gotta be honest and say I prefer developmental banging on the plexiglass for atmosphere even in a smaller setting. This just seems like waste of money to me.

    That hurricanrana spot in particular on Cesaro was ugly as fuck.

    Not all that chuffed Bayley went down so easily compared to Sasha winning. Asuka should have at least provided a distraction first before she went down.

    Shame the real-life situation with Sonya has spoiled their storyline and SS match so they’ve had to change the stipulation to write her off for a while afterwards.

    I was wondering if Strowman was going to tip the ambulance over like old times. Bored to death with this feud though if Alexa turns to the Fiend’s side then I guess that can be a new wrinkle.

  77. #477
    World Champion Donald's Avatar
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    What a hell of an opening to this show. Fiend, Vince, Strowman, Retribution. Just great stuff.

  78. #478
    Her right to choose… Tyson's Avatar
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    Absolutely no need to put the strap on Jeff.

    If anything, AJ should have dropped it to Big E at Survivor Series.

  79. #479
    Furry, Filthy and Fun Badger's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tyson View Post
    Absolutely no need to put the strap on Jeff.

    If anything, AJ should have dropped it to Big E at Survivor Series.
    I think it may be an attempt to bait Jeff into staying seeing as his contract is up very soon.

  80. #480
    Truth teller virms's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tyson View Post
    Absolutely no need to put the strap on Jeff.

    If anything, AJ should have dropped it to Big E at Survivor Series.
    Quote Originally Posted by Badger View Post
    I think it may be an attempt to bait Jeff into staying seeing as his contract is up very soon.
    I think it was more of a way to capitalize on what they figured would be more eyes. With all the promotion of the Thunderdome I am sure more people than normal were tuning in. They were promoting the "anything can happen" as well so you have a surprise title change on the go home show with one of the most popular guys on the roster. I am sure in their eyes it was a win win win win win. I didn't pay attention to see about any news on ratings.

  81. #481
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    Quote Originally Posted by virmicious View Post
    I think it was more of a way to capitalize on what they figured would be more eyes. With all the promotion of the Thunderdome I am sure more people than normal were tuning in. They were promoting the "anything can happen" as well so you have a surprise title change on the go home show with one of the most popular guys on the roster. I am sure in their eyes it was a win win win win win. I didn't pay attention to see about any news on ratings.
    saw

    I saw a blurb somewhere that said they're saving Jeff's personalized intro for when fans are back. I would love it if it is Jeff to take the Universal title off the Fiend, with a crowd. Given what we've seen of WWE Jeff, he is the one guy that would be immune to his mental games and wouldn't betray himself. Would make perfect sense, Jeff gets enticed to stay longer for one more big run.

    Of what I saw of the Thunderdome, I was not impressed. Actually, the huge faces and noticeable lack of crowd audio was distracting. If they can make the faces smaller, crowd more of them in there, and somehow get better real time reaction audio in there, it could be alright. And turn down the blue lasers.

  82. #482
    Truth teller virms's Avatar
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    And knowing the wwe and how they act/behave they will probably let jeff go full broken universe brother hero to do it

  83. #483
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    It's a super obvious point but now with Reigns back, there's got to be a concern that he's going to suck up all of the energy on the show. That's really not his fault but WWE isn't exactly about nuance and subtly. A cue? Mentioning Reigns about 6-8 times over the course of Raw.

  84. #484
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    Holy shit heyman is roman’s Manager

  85. #485
    an affront to god mth's Avatar
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    Roman with Heyman. I am intrigued.

  86. #486
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    Positive episode simply for the fact Retribution wasn't around.

    Pretty effective way to open the door to tell multiple stories within the IC title picture. There's also enough connective tissue that made it link together in an effective way. I like how Styles has tweaked his character since the IC tournament and winning it. This added level of annoyance and bitchiness has really added some texture to his character. It was interesting that Nakamura was the one to answer the open challenge. Good on them to quickly have Cesaro address the matter and create some dissonance between them (Good subtle reference to #DaParty as well by him). Interesting touch that Hardy actually used the brace again for the win. Then it all tied together with Zayn coming back. Who knows why he was actually gone but with guys like KOR and Reigns back, it made sense that he came back around. You've got a ready-made situation there between Hardy and Zayn, which should be good.

    Thank heavens they're finally doing Corbin/Riddle Sunday. Just please make it a one-and-done. Even more, being greedy, have Riddle wreck Corbin in squash-like fashion...kind of like how Gable has been treated in matches as of late.

    WWE's booking ran the spectrum in the segment with Bayley and Sasha in the ring. You had layers of angst and tension boiling up, then you had it watered down with a makeshift team that doesn't have a lot of chemistry and they're likely beating Bayley and Sasha. I can tell you I have zero interest in Nia and Shayna as a team, but I am interested to see the implosion of the other team. Bayley has really done well to advance her heel character over the last several months so it'll come to a head when the split happens.

    At least they addressed Alexa this week after she was absent at SummerSlam. The braid and trance were a good tease to show that they're at least not going to fully abandon that possible pairing.

    The six-man main event dragged probably more than it should have. I guess it did the job of keep Otis in the mind's eye as the MITB winner and E got to have the moment as the hot tag and the one to seal the win. Good on them to have E pin Miz after the Talking Smack segment. Even better to have E with new gear to feature the big men bumping meat and his Cameo.

    What an amazing reveal at the end with the pan to see Heyman sitting with Reigns. I'm so glad to see that they're not just resting on their laurels with Reigns. There's going to be some development here and the edge is going to continue. There's also many ripple effects here to build off of.

    It's annoying that Pearce continues to be the apparent authority figure of Smackdown yet they've done nothing at all to explain how that happened and why it happened. Not for nothing, Styles was probably thrilled to actually get to move to Smackdown but now that joy is stunted with Heyman being around lol.

  87. #487
    E-Bow The Poster Rancid_Planet's Avatar
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    Evil Roman?

    Paul Heyman as his mouthpiece?

    If only the entire planet earth and also certain extraterestrial lifeforms had begged for just this very thing several years ago.

    Fuck it. I'm down. I've seen two ppvs and one episode of Raw in 2020. Other than that, no new wrestling. But I'm in on this. When the fuck is the next ppv?

  88. #488
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rancid_Planet View Post
    Evil Roman?

    Paul Heyman as his mouthpiece?

    If only the entire planet earth and also certain extraterestrial lifeforms had begged for just this very thing several years ago.

    Fuck it. I'm down. I've seen two ppvs and one episode of Raw in 2020. Other than that, no new wrestling. But I'm in on this. When the fuck is the next ppv?
    Sunday

  89. #489
    Champ is Gone
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    Vince McMahon brain worming his way to finally getting Roman Reigns over is very 2020

  90. #490
    Champ is Gone
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    Also what's with his teeth?

  91. #491
    Furry, Filthy and Fun Badger's Avatar
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    Also Reigns and Lesnar once mortal enemies F5ing and Spearing the fuck out of each other are now in the same club!

  92. #492
    Custom User Text Stocky's Avatar
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    Calling it now. Roman pins Braun. Otis tries to cash in and he fucks his shit up too. Heel turn solidified.

    I just can't seem to sit through the thunderdome shows. The audience is just this static in my brain. I can't pay attention to the background segments because the crowd audio is over the top of it. I watched the PPVs and they were fine but that's probably because there was a reason for a general crowd sound.

  93. #493
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    Calling it now. My telephone.

  94. #494
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    Somebody call my momma!

  95. #495
    E-Bow The Poster Rancid_Planet's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Defrost View Post
    Vince McMahon brain worming his way to finally getting Roman Reigns over is very 2020
    90s Vince would still have had the cognitive power to realize how this could possibly turn Roman into a strong babyface.

    Present day Vince will be surprised as fuck when the crowd cheers the now (finally) badass Roman Reigns and will then get pissed at the reaction and go about forcing him into a heel mold that he doesn't fit for the next 5 years.

    He might put makeup on him and make him dance to the ring...

  96. #496
    World Champion Donald's Avatar
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    Why on earth is Michael Cole saying Nakamura is trying to win his first intercontinental championship when Nakamura was intercontinental champion earlier this year.

  97. #497
    Football manager? Peter Griffin's Avatar
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    uk
    Was he not US?

  98. #498
    World Champion Donald's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Peter Griffin View Post
    Was he not US?
    Pretty sure Nakamura lost the ic title to Strowman

  99. #499
    OBJECTION Psycho666Soldier's Avatar
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    He did. He's the one that changed the belt design with Sami.

  100. #500
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    It was kind of interesting that the Mandy/Sonya resolution and fallout wasn't mentioned in any significant way during the episode.

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