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My main takeaway from this show was how are Primo and Epico still employed? They’ve both seemingly been there for like a decade and have pretty much done nothing of note for that entire time apart from that great WeeLC match with 3MB. 

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12 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

in 2018 does anyone really care about Jeff Hardy vs Orton. In fact, does anyone really care about Orton? 

I had a similar reaction when I saw Orton turned on Hardy and they were about to get into a feud together, but I’m really enjoying it so far. Orton’s promos since this latest turn have been great, while Jeff is a rare case of WWE having a genuinely likeable babyface at their disposal and they’re bouncing off each other well. The fact they’re now going to have a cell match too actually makes it feel like a bigger deal as well. 

 

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Not quite up to the standards of recent weeks but still an interesting Smackers this week as we build towards Hell in a Cell. 

The Orton video package was the best thing on the show for me. Absolutely perfect way to present him. I think this latest heel run has totally reinvigorated him also re-established him as a cold-hearted bastard with a massive element of danger surrounding him. Hardy is a great babyface foil for him as well. I wasn't fussed about this initially - easy to look at it on paper and wonder why they are re-running a feud from ten years ago - but it's been great.

I wouldn't say the Joe/Styles and the Bryan/Miz rivalries picked up any steam, but they didn't lose any momentum either. Bryan/Almas was a cracking little TV match and I don't think Almas will suffer much from the loss at all - I still predict bright things for him. I know people are cooling off on Bryan a bit, but fuck it, I still love him. Miz and Maryse are just magic together though.

We may have seen the first signs of them switching things up with Becky/Charlotte. Looks to me like the seeds for this were getting sewn in that interview segment just in terms of the way Charlotte changed the delivery of her promo etc. Charlotte's an excellent heel and Becky can be an excellent babyface, so like virtually everyone else I hope that's the direction they go with it. 

One other quick thing to note - I'm really enjoying the simplicity of how they are presenting Paige on the show in her GM role. She isn't overbearing or taking over the show, and when they cut to things like backstage segments or have her come out and try to calm AJ down, she actually seems like she is...you know...actually running a show? She's making sure referees check on people, trying to calm down her workforce, organise the production, tweeting videos before the show about all the great things she has planned for it, etc - I can't put my finger on what it is exactly but she just comes across so naturally and like an actual, real-life person you'd actually come across in a work place in a management role. It feels like she's actually running something and working diligently rather than just playing an authority figure on TV who comes out to make an occasional tag match. I've probably not explained that very well and it's not exactly revolutionary, but hopefully I'm not the only thinking along the same lines. 

 

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It definitely looks like they've cottoned on with Beckie and Charlotte. Beckie seemed to be a bit more of a hardcase babyface and Charlotte felt a lot more like a cocky, dickhead heel. I'm glad that they've realised their mistake and are seemingly changing course, but they still deserve all the criticism in the world for not understanding their own storyline that they're writing themselves. Specifically, that week after Summerslam where they scripted Beckie to have a go at the fans looks really stupid in retrospect. As does Road Dogg trying to defend it.

image.png.0ff35172d6c58751430807d8b78c8af9.png

He's a moron.

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Almas is a proper star, it's ridiculous though, he don't need to speak, just let Vega carry him on the mic. It's win win, her words carry weight AND it saves him from dying on his arse every time he opens his mouth, suddenly the crowd start with the "WHAT" bollocks and it becomes a side show. Just keep that air of mystique about him and let her do the talking, but as pure Wrestling goes he is another level that guy. That kick into a back elbow, jesus.

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On 9/5/2018 at 10:18 PM, Supremo said:

It definitely looks like they've cottoned on with Beckie and Charlotte. Beckie seemed to be a bit more of a hardcase babyface and Charlotte felt a lot more like a cocky, dickhead heel. I'm glad that they've realised their mistake and are seemingly changing course, but they still deserve all the criticism in the world for not understanding their own storyline that they're writing themselves. Specifically, that week after Summerslam where they scripted Beckie to have a go at the fans looks really stupid in retrospect. As does Road Dogg trying to defend it.

image.png.0ff35172d6c58751430807d8b78c8af9.png

He's a moron.

He's always like that on twitter isn't he? Sometimes wonder if he's just trolling.

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Relatively uneventful go-home show, yet infinitely more effective than the jumbled mess that was Raw.

My main takeaway is this bit of, "leaked," footage they've released online, shot by those, "fans," before Stone Cold Beckie Lynch attacked Charlotte.

I absolutely love stuff like this. I wish they'd do so much more of it. The only time I can recall them doing it before was when Brock Lesnar attacked Dean Ambrose in a car park. It's so simple but it's awesome and gives them loads of opportunities to tell interesting stories in unusual places outside of the arena. A "fan," could release footage of Elias getting kicked out of a guitar shop for being a prick. They could, "get hold," of footage of someone slagging off their tag partner behind their back at a restaurant or something. They could've had, "fans," filming outside of the jail when The Shield got arrested, going to an advert break with the cliffhanger of them managing to leave the prison. Even something as simple as having someone pose as a TMZ reporter, getting someone's thoughts on an upcoming match as they're walking down the street like you get with MMA fighters. Super simple stuff that'd breathe life into the stagnant, boring formula they've developed. It's so frustrating that for a company that wanks themselves dry over social media and selfie promos they never actually do anything particularly creative in that realm. Like when Jericho got some random mate to Tweet him about Kenny Omega in order to kick-start their feud. That stuff is super cool and so easy to do if you actually think outside of the box a little bit.

Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

I also find it fascinating that the best feud on the entire roster right now is Beckie vs. Charlotte, a feud where they were absolutely tone deaf to begin with and completely fucked it up, but then listened to their fans and subtlety started adapting and playing to their reactions. Makes you wonder how great the character of Roman Reigns could be if they stopped being such stubborn dickheads.

AJ's jeans and pose during that promo though....

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Same with everything though, if they started doing stuff like that every week you would hate it.

I like that they only do the "fan recorded" shots rarely, it would all look a bit to convenient if it happened every week.

On paper HIAC looks good, looking forward to seeing how Becky/Charlotte pans out. I would like Becky to be given another run but I can't see Charlotte losing.

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11 minutes ago, The King of Old School said:

Same with everything though, if they started doing stuff like that every week you would hate it.

I like that they only do the "fan recorded" shots rarely, it would all look a bit to convenient if it happened every week.

Not really though, if the wrestlers are supposed to be "superstars" and a big deal then surely they'd be getting followed and filmed by fans on their smartphones all the time, like real celebrities do?

It's a terrific idea, and would blur the lines between reality and fiction in a modern way.

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Look at Conor McGregor. Hasn’t made an official UFC appearance in nearly two years and yet everyone still knows exactly what’s going on with him because there’s always a camera on him. Felice Herrig posting a Snap Chat of him smashing up their bus. CCTV and reporter footage of him entering and leaving court. TMZ quizzing him on the streets of New York about when the Khabib fight was going to happen. Obviously you don’t want to script a character to be a manic cokehead, but the point remains. There are interesting, creative ways to use the socia media they’re so obsessed with. It doesn’t have to just be those awful selfie promos with the crappy graphics over the top.

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