Wasted

[Jon-Carr_92]

On 9 August 2018 at 11:06 AM, Accident Prone said:

Surely a case can be made that it's Neville at this point? WWE won't let him out of his contract and it's weird as it's not like he was some massive star to them. He wasn't even on the WrestleMania DVD! Seems so stubborn and selfish, he must have some dirt on somebody or there's someone in the office who has it in for him. In October it will be a year since he asked for his release. They let Aries go no problem, why do they deem it fit to waste a whole year of Neville's career? 

The preshow matches are on the UK pressing which begs the question why include them on some pressings and not others? From what I read, the US one is heavily edited and in particular cuts down quite a lot of entrances as well.

I can imagine with the contract freeze, they were trying to stop people doing the same trick CM Punk pulled when he walked out so they're not paying people not to work. But there comes a point it gets rather stubborn.

[Supremo]

The Revival and American Alpha were the two that immediately sprung to mind. Both were brilliant in NXT and I couldn’t wait to see them come up and start mixing it up with guys like The Usos, New Day and The Bar. And yet here we are and neither team were ever given a real chance on the main roster. I know the Revival were unlucky with injuries, but even when both of them were healthy it felt like they’d been firmly slotted as losers destined to feature on Main Event exclusively.

The mess Jordan and Gable have been left in is something to behold as well. I remember seeing them in Blackpool, so over that they couldn’t even start their match because the crowd wouldn’t stop singing and chanting for them. It was one of those great moments when you can see something suddenly clicking, with the guys involved looking absolutely delighted. And yet now look at them. Both dead in the water as singles whilst the Raw tag division in particular is filled with utter shit like the B-Team and Matt and Bray. What a waste. They should have been tearing it up for years and years before anyone even suggested breaking them up.

Finn’s a weird one. I think I’ve been more critical of him than most, but even I have to admit there’s something there that they’re not tapping into. Don’t get me wrong, the promos are awkward as fuck, the Demon entrance is about as inauthentic as anything I’ve ever seen in wrestling, the head dress made of belts is embarrassing and the way his hair sticks up when he pulls the head dress off always makes him look like a seven year old in Halloween makeup, but there’s no denying that he’s got no right whatsoever being as over as he still is. If the fans love him this much when he’s been treated as a complete dickhead, forever feuding with boring lankies like Corbin, imagine if he got a bit of credibility and legitimately mixed it up with the top guys?  Plus, he’s clearly a very attractive man. I think he’s the only wrestler not featured on Total Bellas or Total Divas that my wife could name.

I’m glad no-one has mentioned Bobby Roode because he’s proper rubbish.

[tiger_rick]

1 hour ago, Supremo said:

The mess Jordan and Gable have been left in is something to behold as well. I remember seeing them in Blackpool, so over that they couldn’t even start their match because the crowd wouldn’t stop singing and chanting for them. It was one of those great moments when you can see something suddenly clicking, with the guys involved looking absolutely delighted. And yet now look at them. Both dead in the water as singles whilst the Raw tag division in particular is filled with utter shit like the B-Team and Matt and Bray. What a waste. They should be been tearing it up for years and years before anyone even suggested breaking them up.

A great shout. I forget about them a bit because of Jordan's absence and Gable's current invisibility. The problem is now that putting them back together just feels like defeat. Like when the Dudleys tagged after that failed Bubba singles push and Reverend D-Von and it was never the same. It is a shame that with such a dire product on Raw most weeks that they can't find a place for Gable just to go on a mini-Goldberg run underneath showing his wrestling ability and getting people to notice him again. Don't build it, don't push it, just do it every week and see if it clicks with the crowd who always liked him.

1 hour ago, Supremo said:

Finn’s a weird one. I think I’ve been more critical of him than most, but even I have to admit there’s something there that they’re not tapping into. Don’t get me wrong, the promos are awkward as fuck, the Demon entrance is about as inauthentic as anything I’ve ever seen in wrestling, the head dress made of belts is embarrassing and the way his hair sticks up when he pulls the head dress off always makes him look like a seven year old in Halloween makeup, but there’s no denying that he’s got no right whatsoever still being as over as he still is. If the fans love him this much when he’s been treated as a complete dikchead, forever feuding with boring lankies like Corbin, imagine if he got a bit of credibility and legitimately mixed it up with the top guys?  Plus, he’s clearly a very attractive man. I think he’s the only wrestler not featured on Total Bellas or Total Divas that my wife could name.

Very much agree with this too. A lot of people say they don't get Finn and throw around some of the criticisms Supremo has but that misses the point that he's just a handsome, ultra-likeable dude that people give a fuck about. You can't get enough of them. It's like anyone stupid enough to bang on about Bret Hart's promos in the early 90s and such. It didn't matter that he wasn't a great promo or excuded charisma. It mattered that he was real, people believed everything he said and wanted him to better himself. Finn has that. Plus girls gush for him. he doesn't need to be Roman Reigns. You just look after him, don't shit on him and he'll always give you a run when you need a blue-eye.

1 hour ago, Supremo said:

I’m glad no-one has mentioned Bobby Roode because he’s proper rubbish.

Harsh. He's utterly lost in WWE and the days where he could have been a cosplay-HHH-cosplaying-Ric Flair are long gone but he's another good-looking talented guy. He's been part of a great tag team and going back to the Raw division being utter dogshit, surely you could put something together with Roode. Bobby as Elias's manager for instance.

[Supremo]

Love that idea of giving someone like Gable a subtle winning streak that the fans can notice and get behind naturally over time. With the amount of TV time they have to fill they’ve got no excuse for not doing mini-storylines like that. It’s almost a shame Brian Gewirtz isn’t around anymore. As I understand it, he as the perfect guy to write fun, goofy Kurt-Angle-style comedy that would’ve fit Chad Gable perfectly.

I never watched TNA, so maybe I missed his prime, but even in NXT Bobby Roode did nothing for me. Who knows, though. Maybe he just needs the right material or positioning. I thought the same about Drew when he was NXT Champion, wasn’t impressed at all, but for reasons I can’t explain I’ve thought he’s looked the business since coming to Raw. I can’t wait for the day he fucks Ziggler off. I want him to do a Psycho Sid and give Ziggler ten powerbombs in a row or something. 

I forgot the biggest waste of them all - Rusev! Never has a man proven himself so many times, getting super over with fans both as a heel and a face, essentially coming up with his own stuff like, “Rusev Day,” yet they seemingly refuse to ever give him a fair crack. He’s so great. Even when I give up hope and accept they’re never going to do anything with him he still manages to pull me back in. The other week when he was commentating on AJ’s match he was a genuine hoot behind the desk, a real rarity on WWE TV where I found myself genuinely laughing out loud. It breaks my heart that a talent as good as Rusev has been so short changed by the creative team. I’m sick to fucking death of him being in endless, “dissension,” angles where him, Lana and Aiden English tease splitting up for about six months, split up, then inexplicably get back together, rinse and repeat for literally years. 

[air_raid]

Roode looks good in his robe with a belt and he's a good hand, but his ceiling, based on everything I've seen out of him since Team Canada, is miles lower than people think, and the amount of nonsense I've read about him over the years is incredible. I shied away from the "overrated/underrated" thread because when it comes to subjective taste I'm not a huge believer in the concept of "overrated" - if a ton of people like something but I don't, that means it's not my cup of tea, doesn't make it "overrated." Well, actually.... nah, the amount of people convinced Bobby Roode has main event intangibles, blows my mind. When I think of "really good matches, would watch again" for Roode, I can list them on one hand after 14 years on my radar, and the only non-wrestling contribution to wrestling telly of his that ever really resonated with me or my circle was when he was illuminated by the reflected charisma of Gargano and Ciampa - draw your own conclusions. He's a better guy to have in that spot than a lot of other guys not signed, but he's not got what it takes to go further than that spot. You've seen it all.

[Supremo]

I feel like Roode and Tyler Breeze could make for a nice little “The Models,” heel tag team. Taking time out during matches to apply moisturiser and stuff. 

[Jazzy G]

Roode's great as part of a team. His TNA title run felt very poundshop HHH in his mannerisms, but he was pretty damned over alongside James Storm in Beer Money and as one half of the Dirty Heels with Austin Aries. He just lacks that "something" to take him to the next level. Or at least needs to try and prove that he can be his own man, rather than trying to be an imitation of somebody else. Or just stick him in tag teams with somebody who can do the charisma bit and let him be a solid mechanic in the ring.

[Mr_Danger]

I wouldn't say Brat Wyatt is wasted. I'd say he's far exceeded what his talent is worthy of. He was interesting for five minutes but those promos quickly become rambling messes and his work is no better than decent. 

[Loki]

On 8/11/2018 at 7:31 AM, Supremo said:

I’m glad no-one has mentioned Bobby Roode because he’s proper rubbish.

  How dare you!

I think Bobby's had a great WWE career so far.  He's established himself as a solid hand, had some runs with the 2nd tier titles.  If they choose to push him more I'll be delighted (particularly if they turn him heel) but seeing as I never thought he'd make it to Raw, I can't really say he's being wasted.

He did have some fantastic matches in NXT though.  I guess he's just my kind of wrestler - methodical, not flashy, a storyteller.  That's not a popular style nowadays.

I'll echo the sadness over Chad Gable.  So, so good.  I reckon he'll get cut at some point, and he will absolutely go over to Japan and tear it up.

[Supremo]

I hate ever saying “he’ll be good in Japan,” because I don’t want to sound like one of those goons who wrongly praised Albert or Anderson and Gallows, but yeah. If CJ Parker can go to Japan and genuinely turn himself into a star as Juice Robinson, then I think it’s pretty fucking likely that Chad Gable could become one of New Japan’s top stars. He’s so great.

As a performer, I don’t think Bray Wyatt is particularly wasted. He’s a solid promo but I think I can count the number of truly great matches he’s had on one hand. The character might be the biggest waste of all time though. I’ve said it countless times before but Bray is one of the best characters of the last few decades and it’s a crying shame they never actually went anywhere with it. He just did the same thing over and over until he became unwatchable. If they’d developed that character, took it in different directions, written some actual storylines, he’d probably be one of my favourites. Instead, he’s instant fast-forward material and has been for years. 

What TNA matches would Bobby Roode fans recommend? I missed his entire run.