WWE Crown Jewel

[Factotum]

Indeed, saying 'well that's how its always been, WWE is a cesspit' is all well and good, but should that just be the standard its held to? Its own? Its tough. I don't really watch it any more, mainly because i find it turgid and have done for 2-3 years now bar the odd high point. If the show was great would I be so moral about not watching it anymore? I guess I wont find out that level of my own hypocrisy.

Do have to wonder though. The Saudi Arabia bad PR coupled with bringing back Hogan the racist at the SAME event, seems to be an odd thing all round.

[BomberPat]

In fairness, I suspect Hogan was always booked for this event, well before the current PR nightmare. I was frankly surprised he didn't show up for the Greatest Royal Rumble.

[Keith Houchen]

12 minutes ago, Gay as FOOK said:

Goes across the board, of course. Legends aren't worth shit nowadays. WWE is a living, breathing theme park to itself where it feels like they've never left, and you never really have to tune in for anything. They never feel real when they are there. It's like editing software is somehow bleaching them into those adverts-on-the-walls GM offices. It's honestly like you've just unlocked them in the videogame.

 

That’s an ace description! Arrows. 

[Pinc]

3 hours ago, Loki said:

Well I for one will be glad to see Hogan back in the E where he belongs, brother.  I know he's a bit of an old racist but you genuinely couldn't watch wrestling if you held the performer's actual opinions against them.  AJ Styles is a full on Trump loving gay hater, Ronda Rousey (who I love) is a fucking lunatic.    Pill heads, rapists, paedophiles, wife-beaters, murderers - and that's just the Hall Of Fame!  

And I'll also say this, although I respect the fact that people REALLY disagree.  I don't think Hogan is any more racist than the next average white American of his era.  I don't think he hates black people, or has ever held back another wrestler because of race.  I think he's an ageing biker who grew up using the N word and still thinks it's cool, and was busted showing off after shagging his mate's wife by throwing it around in private.  That makes him a dickhead, and worst of all in my opinion his attempt at apologising to the locker room was ruined by his massive ego making it about "not getting caught".  He still doesn't think he did anything wrong, and that's a dick move.

To say the guy can't make a living though, out of a company that gets its bucks from dubious sources like Saudi Arabia.. the guy has a back so fucked he has a shock pad surgically grafted to his spine, let the mad old bastard take the McMahon shilling and pretend he's a nice guy, like we do with AJ Styles.  Or Shawn "Jesus now" Michaels.  Or JBL.  Or Jerry Lawler.  Or Pat Patterson.  Or Steve Austin.  Or just don't watch wrestling, it's a horrible business.

Just wanted to say this post is an abomination. Christ on a bike.

[Loki]

4 minutes ago, Pinc said:

Just wanted to say this post is an abomination. Christ on a bike.

Thank you for your contribution, however slight.  Like I say, I respect that others have a different view on this and if people decide to boycott the WWE over this, that's absolutely a valid thing to do.  I suspect most will act all outraged and then pop back up in the Raw thread in a few weeks complaining about Finn Balor being held down though, let's be honest.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

2 hours ago, Gay as FOOK said:

Goes across the board, of course. Legends aren't worth shit nowadays. WWE is a living, breathing theme park to itself where it feels like they've never left, and you never really have to tune in for anything. They never feel real when they are there. It's like editing software is somehow bleaching them into those adverts-on-the-walls GM offices. It's honestly like you've just unlocked them in the videogame.

Oh shit! This is exactly how I feel as well. It really shouldnt be like that, but they've never protected their legends so they basically only mean something when it comes to selling old toys to long term fans. Austin came back in 2003 and his drawing power was so low that they had him on every show as if he was Teddy Long. This was 2 years after drawing the biggest buyrate in the history of wrestling. Burying him for the last year because he walked absolutely killed him. Whether its embarrassing them in their home town or giving them daft storylines like Bret Hart getting run over for some reason, they see their legends like Noel Edmonds sees Tony Blackburn (fuck you @Astro Hollywood , everything is a House Party reference with me now!) Even when Hogan came back in 2002, he should have disappeared after WrestleMania. Then return at SummerSlam. Disappear again, return for Mania. But instead, he worked everyweek and did a good job of fucking any value he had. And now as you say, he's a bit of a hologram that showed up. Arnold Rimmer with his hard light drive built in so he can shag Bubba the Love Sponge's wife on the VR machine.

But yeah, it is weird seeing them when they show up these days. X-Pac seems to be the biggest victim for me. When he showed up on that episode of Raw with the nWo, it looked like a downloadable character from Dig Dug put into GTA. You almost expected to see pixals all over Waltmans jacket and jeans combo that he's had since 1994.

[The Gaffer]

Realistically some of these guys should honestly never have made it to HD. Especially when you see them in the exact same get up they wore 20 years prior, only it's got that replica, ShopZone gloss to it. 

[tiger_rick]

Sorry this may be live chat but I saw a promo fro mthe show on Twitter (won't link or mention who for spoilers) but it contains the super awkward comment about flying "halfway around the world" to be "right here at the Crown Jewel". Do they think people won't notice all the Arabians in the 300 close-ups of the crowd they do every minute?

[Cannibal Man]

Might just be going with the Eddie Murphy RAW defense of "hey, wasn't me" for any future questioning and hoping it works out. Updated Encyclopedia hopefully lists it as being from 'A VERY MYSTERIOUS PLACE'

[DJM]

20 minutes ago, Cannibal Man said:

Might just be going with the Eddie Murphy RAW defense of "hey, wasn't me" for any future questioning and hoping it works out. Updated Encyclopedia hopefully lists it as being from 'A VERY MYSTERIOUS PLACE'

Without moving into live chat, they are apparently stating it is from "Riyadh" and try not to mention the words "Saudi Arabia".

[Winston]

Sweet Fuck. Crown Jewel was a ROYAL bag of shit.

[WyattSheepMask]

19 minutes ago, Winston said:

Sweet Fuck. Crown Jewel was a ROYAL bag of shit.

It’s never finished already has it?

[TildeGuy~!]

2 minutes ago, WyattSheepMask said:

It’s never finished already has it?

Main event is on at the minute

[Mr Kennedy]

Yep...

[TildeGuy~!]

Well that was a fucking shambles.

Braun got squashed, Shane won the World Cup and is now the best in the world.... I’m sure I heard CM Punk chants anytime someone mentioned best in the world, speaking of chants were they dubbing them in the whole night? This is Awesome and You Still Got It were ones I made out during the main event whilst cutting to the crowd looking silent. 

Kanes Mask falling off was hilarious.

Michaels looked good though, shame it was wasted here

This is winning worst show of the year for sure.