d-d-d-dAz

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3A88idJOGt/?igsh=MWc1YjVnZDluMGRtdw==

Just out walking the horse and doing a spot of fishing.

If the US did a remake of Partridge, only he was a podcast bro rather than a host on Radio Norfolk, that would be the opening credits.

Baffling how this man is so out of touch with the modern wrestling fan. It really is.

Lads. Lads. LADS.

Hear me out.

We've been thinking about this all wrong.

How about... Night 1 is Seth v Roman for all the marbles and Cody v Rock. 

Seth and Roman have been ripping strips off each other for weeks. Cody and Rock have this newfound beef.

Roman wins (obviously, Seth is shit) and Cody wins - at some point during Cody/Rock the Bloodline try and fuck about and the show ends with Cody/Rock fighting off Roman/Jimmy/Solo together (also planting the seeds for Rock/Roman down the line).

Night 2, Cody vs Roman. Everyone's happy. 

No, I don't really know why Cody's Night 1 isn't for a title when he won the Rumble. Shut up.

Honestly though, I'm genuinely fascinated how they unpick the pickle they've got themselves into. I watched Raw in full just now and I have zero idea what their direction is.

What a strange Mania.

2 minutes ago, garynysmon said:

Move aside lads, the proper stars are back.

Dolph Ziggler is headlining for your mob, you can pipe down Gazza.

6 minutes ago, Supremo said:

A triple threat with Cody, Rock and Roman is absolute dog shit. The two big matches are Roman vs. Cody and Rock vs. Roman. Doing the three-way delivers neither. Awful.

If that’s the pivot I wouldn’t even bother. Just power on with the mess you’ve made, do Roman vs. Rock and then have Cody unify the belts at Summerslam. Far from ideal, but at least we get the big matches that way. I hate the idea of a Triple Threat. Such a waste of everything.

No one ever benefits from a Triple Threat, especially because at the finish there's more than just the winner to focus on.

Cody wins a Triple Threat and its not just Cody vanquishing Roman, its also sad looking Rock and what it means for him, and what does that mean for Roman.

Rubbish.

I think Cody comes out of this way better if he's just allowed to crack on with Drew, Seth and Sami and whatever is going on over there, turning up on the following nights Raw and calling Roman a cunt. Let The Rock/Roman shitverse carry on as planned, and let them worry about any mess they've created.

If they do pivot - i'm still not sold, I think they'll try and make #wewantcody so uncool it'll just fizzle - then I don't think it'll be on Cody to want his ball back, I think they'll try and pretend it was a plan between him and Rock all along and 'LOL! WER ALL M8Z ERE! GOTCHA ROMAN'.

11 minutes ago, Matthew said:

I’ve not chirped up on the subject because I thought my original post was summary enough. And I couldn’t really be bothered reading through the page after page of people saying mostly the same thing, and just being down on something I’m very “up” on.

Does it make Cody look weak? Yes. Are there better ways it could have been done? Yes. Am I accepting that Rock won’t be back full time? Yes.

But am I also very excited at the prospect of a match that has been “rumoured” to take place at close to every Wrestlemania for the last 10yrs? Yes.

My opinion still sticks, and that’s fine. Just because it doesn’t match somebody else’s is also fine.

Ah, see, there's your issue. This is a discussion forum. You're after an echo chamber.

8 minutes ago, TheScarlettChad said:

Wasn't The Attitude Era just a load of crap that was held together by Austin and Rock. Times have changed. We don't want convulted rubbish. Just give the people what they want ffs

Quite.

2 minutes ago, Supremo said:

Given the current landscape, I like the idea of a Four Way. Cody, Sami and Drew all getting a Mania main event spot as a thank you for actually turning this business around would be a nice touch in what’s become an extremely shit situation. Those lads actually put the work in and built those big gates, rather than The Rock just waiting until it was hot to stroll back in. Seth can be in the match too, I suppose.

Rocky sucks chants though. Wow. The man can’t catch a win anywhere right now. Pro-wrestling was supposed to be his safety net, where he’d always be welcomed back and beloved. Gone and Black Adam’d and XFL’d it, haven’t you, Dwayne?

I don't think it's appreciated enough how actually easy to please modern wrestling fans are. They want to immerse themselves in the talent year round, and see them triumph at the big shows. They want to see LA Knight, Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn et al do well.

It's not even in a 'ROH BOYZ PLZ VINCE' way where they're trying to subvert the shows, they just like what they're given between May and December and would like to see more of the same between January and April.

It should be mind bendingly easy to give the people what they want, and the numbers have proven they can still make money and do good viewership that way. Their raging hard-on for 1999 is now tripping them up way more than it ever has before.

15 minutes ago, air_raid said:

I would be just fine with Cody twiddling his thumbs in the middle of a four way at Mania if it's not his time to win THE title. Someone else can win, someone else can lose, and the next night on Raw after The Rock has been beaten and goes away, he can just come out and say "Where were we?" and resume pursuit of Reigns. And sod waiting until Mania 41, if you aren't doing it at 40 then get that over and done with and get the real title onto him the next time Roman deigns to come to work. Roman Deigns. Everybody's happy.

Well, aside from the fact multi-man cobblers enhances the chances of Priest cashing in.

@d-d-d-dAz

Which "before plans change" is this hack talking about? The five days between Seth vs Punk going in the bin with Punk doing his tricep and the apparent pivot to Cody being involved with the Raw belt instead of with Roman? He's talking out of his arse.

If you're going to bring logic to my panicked frenzy, you can't be in my gang either.

17 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

Throw Sami in there too. He's connected to Drew and well I just love the man so that should be enough.

Sean Ross Sapp has reported that before plans were changed, they were looking at Drew vs Rollins vs Sami and to be honest, I'm now even more cross.

Just a couple of good lads being good lads.

I don't think they have any idea what to do with Cody, and I get the impression from Raw that they're just sorting of hoping they can ride it out a week or two - make the 'movement' uncool by hugging it close - and let people calm down enough to just announce Cody/Seth. Maybe Drew gets chucked in.

Do not apologise. It is that deep. Fight the machine.

Anyone buying that they're deliberately trying to turn Cody into Daniel Bryan can't be in my gang.

Makes zero sense, and they aren't going to deliberately try and force a rebellion around the main event of Mania and the only dream match they have left. Especially when it's The Rock.

What's happened is, They've all sat round, Gerwitz and The Egg and their mates. Drinking their rancid energy drinks, wearing Under Armor and calling each other 'bro'. They've sat there wondering where its all gone wrong when one of the pranny's has said 'its like Daniel Bryan all over again!'

Gerwitz has leant back in his chair, nearly falling off, and said something awful like 'NOW YOU GET IT PADWAN' and they're all going to pretend they're not just cunts now.

He will win the bullrope match, then he will spend a beat too long looking at the cowbell before declaring that he's realised he can't focus on surpassing his dad's achievements until he's first matched his dad's achievements, and if Rollins' belt represents the big gold belt of yore, then he needs to win that before he can focus on Roman.

🤢 🤢 🤢 

1 minute ago, DavidB6937 said:

It is a weird and desperate flex that they're fixating on that crowd reaction.

Of COURSE they were fucking pumped. It was The Rock! I'd probably pop too at that moment.

But that's all - in the moment. The online reaction is far more focused on the wider picture and the story etc which is the more important thing.

People who regret the affair still had a stiffy at the time, as the old saying goes.

Probably.

23 minutes ago, Supremo said:

Another thing that seems annoyingly specific to this medium. When someone creatively shits the bed they can go all mysterious and pretend to be so much cleverer than everyone. You all only dislike it because you don’t understand the 4D chess we’re playing.

Get in the sea, Brian. You and Steve Roids have dropped an almighty bollock. You’ve misread the room, leaving you looking like a tit. Similar to CM Punk coming back and thinking shoot references are going to get big reactions. In both instances, these stars from the past have come back without any understanding of the current fan base. It’s a different generation of earnest, loyal fans, who just want to support their favourites and see them succeed. Some old prick from the past showing you he has goosebumps isn’t going to cut it when he’s substituting in for someone they’ve followed and loved for two years straight.

Reports are that the reaction is being monitored and changes may happen. I’m starting to think some type of pivot might come. Fucked if I can think of anything that can retcon this mess though. Everyone’s come out of it terribly. At a guess, they could do both Rock vs. Roman and Cody vs. Seth on Night 1, with the winners unifying the belts on Night 2,  but do you know what would have better than that? Not totally ballsing everything up in the first place.

Honestly, at this point, The Rock having to lose in the semi-final of the Retcon Cup on night 1 of a four night buy-one-get-one-free extravaganza would have me wearing my Cody bedspread like a cape, running down the street clicking my heels like Dick Van Dyke and laughing like a loon.

I think the best thing for Cody and Seth though is just to plough ahead and try and make the Dickhead Invitational work. There's a slight lane for Cody, where he can say 'I've spent all this time obsessing over surpassing my daddy's achievements, but I've realised that first I need to match them.. and if that belt represents the big gold bastard of Flair, Funk and Dusty... then I want that!'

Let Dwayne, Brian and Roman stew in their own mess.

7 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

 

Smackdown's made us all lose our minds. Next someone will say that Nick Aldis is going to book himself in a fourway with the three of them.

I'm in.

8 minutes ago, air_raid said:

This year at Survivor Series, d-d-d-daz presents.... Kinky Auntie Undertaker vs The Egg in a "Loser rebranded as Gobbledygooker" match.

And they said it wouldn't stick!

30 minutes ago, andrew "the ref" coyne said:

I'd say fair enough, but what's really weird is none of the official wwe accounts are saying he's chose  Seth. Only he isn't taking on Reigns...

This is from wwe.com smackdown results:

"Cody Rhodes made his shocking decision, choosing not to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, allowing The Rock to step up to the Tribal Chief!"

Makes me think wwe are withholding his official decision to see how it goes... or they are going triple threat route.

 

Whether they change course or not, I think the original answer to this is boring. They probably just want(ed) three bites of the news cycle cherry.

1) ROCK MAKES SHOCKING WWE RETURN AS CODY DECLINES ROMAN

2) CODY VS ROLLINS OFFICIAL FOR MANIA AS CODY SAYS: "FIRST ILL PROVE IM AS GOOD AS MY DAD, THEN ILL PROVE IM BETTER WHEN I BEAT ROMAN AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE. PROMISE "

3) ROCK V ROMAN OFFICIAL FOR MANIA AS BIG EGG DEFIES CARDIOLOGISTS WARNINGS AT MANIA PRESS CONFERENCE

....Vince who?

Any concerns that this whole wretched affair might give Seth a new lease of life seem to have been put to rest.

Crumbling? Mate, the old guard have just consigned you, and particularly Cody, to presumably the middle of Night 1 of the four night buy-one-get-one-free extravaganza.

Funny how WWE cut an angle last night at a house show where Nakamura spat in the face of Cody Rhodes. Freud is tossing (off) in his grave. 

Woke up still angry at the whole thing. Load of shite. Hope Rock has a headache.

It sounds as if the complainant's lawyer did the morning TV rounds in America yesterday, whilst the Internet was all in a tizzy about Smackdown, and has said that Vince going 'isn't enough', the culture of harassment and abuse 'permeated every cell of WWE' and said that she's got an inbox full of people ready to go public with their own accusations against the company.

I like the bottle of this lawyer. She's the WWE's worst nightmare, someone with a moral code, actual unshakeable principles and isn't remotely scared of the McMahon's or WWE.

8 minutes ago, Loki said:

Spot on.

It’s such a collision of events.  They knew they fucked it last year with Cody (I still suspect that’s a Vince decision) so they spent a year building up to do it properly.

 Then Punk unexpectedly drops into their lap, so they have a rethink, tease a course correction.  Then The Rock decides he’s game for Wrestlemania which they just can’t ignore, and THEN the smouldering Vince story blows up.  Oh and Punk does a Punk.

 They’ve tried to keep all these balls in the air and in the process messed everything up.

 You’ve got fans upset about Cody, fans crying about people NOT being upset about Cody, wrestlers openly criticising the booking, The Rock acting like a teenager on Instagram.  All of which detracts from the interest that this dream match should have generated.

 There’s no Mr McMahon to blame either, this is on HHH’s watch entirely.

I’m not sure how exactly they could have tied all this together and pleased everyone, but this definitely isn’t it.  That last segment on Smackers has closed too many options.

 I may even cancel my The Rock Duvet Set order in protest.  I wonder if the Vin Diesel ones are still on special offer?

Great post.

The fascinating thing about it, and what makes it such a spectacular omnishambles, is that they've written it in such a way that there is no easy outs and everyone is just going to look more of a cunt were they even to try.

Even people saying 'Jey Uso can talk sense into Cody'... even if you accept that their history means Cody looks okay having a rethink, then what? Is The Rock really signing off on a triple threat? Does anyone win by them running both nights with Roman?

Like I say, the closest I've got to seeing an idea that would at least half check out from a logical perspective is someone convinces Cody to have a rethink, and in so doing he exposes that The Rock is actually working with Roman and they were planning their own fingerpoke of doom moment but Cody foils it and overcomes the Bloodline en route to Rock/Roman in 2025. But... The Rock isn't pissing about as a bit part heel is he? So even that's completely stupid.

I don't think they have an out. I just think they've fucked it. 

I hate him, but I hope Rollins responds by being utterly furious and actually becoming good and him and Cody steal the weekend, whilst The Rock has a funny turn trying to do a jog. Stupid steroid munching egg.

30 minutes ago, Supremo said:

I wonder what Cody’s doing whilst The Rock is re-posting positive videos on his Instagram, like a teenager trying to pretend everything’s going great?

Just giving blind people the best times of their lives, of course. He’s unbelievable.

 

This whole shitshow might be my own villain origin story. Furious.

The nice looking promo video they did for Rhodes/Rollins on smackdown, with the whole 'do you want to be ultimate warrior or ric flair? Do you want to be Hogan or Dusty?' Looked great, but fuck me it's completely the opposite of the point of Cody isn't it? His whole 'story' was proving that a Rhodes could be considered alongside the Hogan's and Warrior's, and could be the Champion in New York. Not that he could win an equivalent title to what his dad also won.

9 minutes ago, Vamp said:

They're not doing either but Cody/Seth and Rock/Reigns on night one leading to a Cody/Reigns unification match is better than the triple threat idea. I mean, the unification stip is meaningless because one of the belts is meaningless but the belt is dead either way and at least they can run both Reigns matches. Fuck knows how you'd get there though.

I'm guessing that conversation starts and ends with Triple H, Nick and Brian G sitting down with The Rock and saying 'so on night one you lose, and on night two...'

If The Rock is coming back to lose, I can't imagine he's coming back to lose in the semi-finals of the Retcon Cup.

@Supremo is right. There's no good fantasy booking here, and it isnt happening anyway. Every bit of fantasy booking i've seen makes someone, usually Cody, look an utter twat.

I think my favourite - though perhaps the maddest - is that just as Cody is about to challenge Seth, Punker returns and convinces Cody not to be talked out of his big moment, and also 'something doesn't feel right' about the way The Rock talked Cody out of it. Drew comes out attacks Punk, and Rollins fights with Drew somehow to make Drew/Rollins (with Punk on a Pole presumably) and then somehow over the coming weeks it comes out Rock is in cahoots with Roman/Heyman and it was a clever plan to keep Cody out the way (as Roman is scared of Cody) but Cody, inspired by Punk, foils the plan and then it's Cody vs The Bloodline at Mania and he has to overcome Roman as well as Jimmy, Solo and Dwayne to win the title. I guess it'd be the start of a year long build to Roman/Rock.

It's lunacy. But I'd take it.

4 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

Yeah I was thinking he was unusually active. Hopefully if he has been on the Teremana he'll do a Jericho at some point and start shouting at people.

Be mad if as well as breaking they're audience they've broke The Rock.

Turns up on Raw unannounced with a stinking hangover, chopper hanging out yelling at Cody 'it's all your fault!'