Random Thoughts III.

[AshC]

The match they had at the SummerSlam Spectacular against the Orient Express is even better, if I remember rightly.

 

 

[WeeAl]

Great idea for a thread Rick. For watching back as well it would provide some fairly fresh viewing material from the discussion. The main events always come to mind when thinking of something to watch, but the rest of the show doesn't always automatically come into your head. 

[Kaz Hayashi]

Yup, grand idea for a thread and yeah, 91 one was canny special after just going to have a look there.

If you do start it, can pre main show dark matches count? Or does it have to be whatever was advertised on the back on the VHS/DVD as the official opener?

Official openers is a good concept alone, but I bet there's also plenty of decent pre-show matches over the years to knock up a double disk compilation set.

Edited July 27, 2017 by Kaz Hayashi

[Abe Mikkel]

Who was the fella who done the every Kurt Angle PPV match thread? What if he (cheeky to volunteer you but I really enjoyed it) done a every WWF/E PPV opener thread? I'd enjoy it! Or if anyone else would like a bash? 

[HarmonicGenerator]

1 hour ago, Abe Mikkel said:

Who was the fella who done the every Kurt Angle PPV match thread? What if he (cheeky to volunteer you but I really enjoyed it) done a every WWF/E PPV opener thread? I'd enjoy it! Or if anyone else would like a bash? 

That was me. I think doing every PPV opener is a bit of a hefty task even for me! Saying that, I am watching the Summerslam 91 opener as I type, inspired completely by this thread.

You could always do it on a volunteer basis - people say 'I'm up for reviewing one' and you allot them a PPV at random. They watch the opener and post about it.

 

[WWFChilli]

Bagsy Slam 91!

[Abe Mikkel]

@HarmonicGenerator I liked your tallys 😁

[Statto]

Seen a couple of places suggest there are discussions underway to move some folks back to NXT from the main roster, as they're not intended for pushes and therefore are going to be placed as "big stars" (and presumably ticket shifters) on NXT. Think Meltzer might be the original source.

Anyhow, the sites I've seen it on are suggesting the likes of Curt Hawkins, Sin Cara, Dana Brooke & Aiden English as candidates, but to my mind -  Sami Zayn has got to be a prime candidate for this?

He's never truly gelled on the main roster, and the move to Smackdown hasn't been the roaring success people thought it would be when they were clamouring for it. In fact, he's pretty much in the same position on the blue brand as he was in the red.

There's an obvious angle there too, with the former "heart & soul" returning to NXT to defend it against the makeover Roode wants to give it.

Edited July 28, 2017 by Statto
Autocorrect fuck ups.

[King Pitcos]

Sami seems a better bet than Hawkins and English, who serve a purpose on their shows as cannon fodder. With Zayn having a higher ceiling than them, he needs more protection (and would sell more NXT tickets). Dana could really do with the extra time learning, she should never have been taken out of the understudy role.

[WyattSheepMask]

Nobody is buying tickets to see Curt Hawkins.

If English does go back it's got to be totally demoralising for him to be right back to where he was three years ago (maybe more than that, I don't know how long he had the Broadway star gimmick prior to the network launch). Not that I'm a fan of him or anything, but it must play on his mind.

Id send Tye Dillenger back too and have him as the lead babyface in NXT, he's done bugger all on Smackdown since coming up

Edited July 28, 2017 by WyattSheepMask

[Arch Stanton]

They need bodies to fill out the main rosters, both Raw and SmackDown feel thin on the ground as it is. If NXT need faces to sell tickets, there are plenty of names with a buzz on the indie scene. 

[BomberPat]

Yeah, unless people are getting shunted up from NXT to the main roster at the same time, that feels like a huge backwards step - the RAW and (especially) Smackdown rosters need fleshing out, not depleting.

But NXT as a touring brand needs names to sell tickets - the idea when they first brought in Samoa Joe was that he would work NXT, and not get called up to the main roster. That way they have someone down there with enough name value to shift tickets, enough experience for newer wrestlers to benefit from working with him, and no need to worry about what happens when he gets called up, because the danger of someone becoming a "big name" in NXT is that you lose your main event scene, and your drawing stars, when you call them up to RAW or Smackdown.

Obviously plans changed for Joe, but I wonder to what the extent the likes of Kassius Ohno are seen in that capacity now - no intention to ever use them on the main roster, but just want to bolster NXT with them.

 

I can't think of anyone on the main roster now that I'd want to see moved down to NXT that wouldn't feel like a backwards step. There are guys who were used well on NXT that haven't done a thing on the main roster, but sending them back just feels like an admission of failure. Then there's the likes of Ziggler who could probably do with something to freshen them up, but the prospect of seeing Dolph stink up the one WWE show I still watch every week doesn't exactly fill me with joy. I just can't think of anyone who would benefit.

I would say a better solution would be to find a few old-timers and past midcarders that can still go, and sign them up to part-time NXT deals. Kind of like what they've done with Drew McIntyre, I suppose, or maybe closer to Rhyno's weird NXT run. A couple of years back they had Too Cool pop up to job to the Ascension - if they need "big names" for NXT, I'd rather see that sort of thing; people we've not seen on telly in a few years brought in for a short programme, or even just one or two matches, rather than just people we're sick of seeing on TV on a Monday night now wrestling on a Wednesday night instead.

[JNLister]

I was in the Gold forum just now and noticed the thread on UK backyard wrestling documentary Lock Up Your Sons. I thought I'd look through and see if there was any fun to be had spotting the several members of the backyarding community (and associated forum) who are now among the top pros on the British scene.

Instead I found:

 

Yep. That's Grado, 13 years before 'World of Sport Wrestling' returned to ITV.

[garynysmon]

I happened to randomly watch Slamboree 93 while hungover on Sunday and had forgot how much I liked the 'legends reunite' feel of the shows. Its a shame there's nothing like that these days. 

I appreciate there's the Hall of Fame but with all the hoop-la of Wrestlemania, it kind of gets overshadowed. With the amount of Pay Per Views (well, network specials) there are these days, you'd think there'd be more than enough space for a similar PPV with maybe one or two 'legends matches' to boot.

 

A chance to bring back this classy piece of music too....

 

Edited August 1, 2017 by garynysmon

[BomberPat]

Yeah, I'm a sucker for old-timers popping up in wrestling, and always thought there should be more scope for it. Even when it was just Sgt. Slaughter having a throwaway match on Heat, I always loved it.

I loved the Gimmick Battle Royal at Wrestlemania 17, and wish we could get something like that every year. Just a fun throwaway match to get a nostalgia pop out of a few old faces, and to give people a breather between big, serious matches. I thought they missed a trick at Wrestlemania 30 not doing a "30 Years of Wrestlemania" themed battle royal, and when they first announced the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, I really hoped they'd mix in a few old faces to make it a bit more fun, but aside from Tatanka randomly popping up, they never did.

One idea I had years ago was that they should do a "Hall of Fame Showcase Match" at Wrestlemania - any of the Hall of Fame inductees that are still able to go, just throw them in a multi-person tag match, with the other inductees around ringside or involved in whatever capacity makes most sense, or with members of the current roster representing them. Doesn't need to go for more than a few minutes, just an excuse for a couple of old blokes to hit signature spots and make people smile.

Could easily this year have had the Rock N Roll Express have a quick match with a couple of scrubs on the main roster, have DDP get involved to hit someone with a Diamond Cutter and wrap the whole thing up in six or seven minutes, and I'd have probably enjoyed it more than anything else on the show!

 

The other thought I was throwing around a while back was a sort of "Legends League"/All-Star series; similar format to something like the Mae Young Classic, but for WWE veterans. The danger is how you present it without suggesting that these guys are over the hill, but I'm sure it's doable.

I think that might be part of the problem, actually, WWE seem reluctant these days to do anything to suggest that older wrestlers are anything less than as good as they were in their prime. Which is a shame, "older wrestler trying to relive past glories"/"veteran fighting to keep his spot against younger wrestlers" are great stories.

Edited August 1, 2017 by BomberPat