textonly Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 3 hours ago, tiger_rick said: It did have some of the same horrible tropes as everything else though. The opening segment with everyone coming out to say nothing. The Usos being lame babyfaces. The new 3 man Wildcard rule seeing five blokes from Raw turn up. Sami Zayn, who was great for three weeks, losing after being dumped in the rubbish on Monday. Fun while it lasted. Admittedly I'm a huge Usos mark, but I didn't feel this way. I was thinking, "wow, the difference between how Raw and Smackdown presents these guys is just unreal". I liked them here as I've liked them for the last few years. On Raw for the past two weeks they've been unbearable; an effortlessly cool, modern tag team transformed into a dated comedy act getting their material from a 1955 issue of MAD magazine Vince read when he was a kid. Looking forward to some new sustainably sourced Smackdown tag team belts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 It really is strange just how much better Smackdown can be even with the same talent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Pitcos Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 4 hours ago, WyattSheepMask said: What’s the point in a brand split if you’re just going to stick people on willy nilly. End it now and allow for a steady rotation week to week, they’ve got all these people on the roster yet some weeks you’ve got guys pulling double duty. I’m not saying put the mid card belt on Sin Cara, but use guys like him to show who your stars are rather than have the perceived ‘top guys’ trade wins. If they’re short-term trying to stop ratings decline, they’re not going to put the likes of Sin Cara against top guys - or at least, not in the main parts of the show. The key segments have to include conflict between the upper tier, but WWE’s insistence on that meaning wrestling matches results in it all being run into the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted May 8, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted May 8, 2019 7 minutes ago, King Pitcos said: If they’re short-term trying to stop ratings decline, they’re not going to put the likes of Sin Cara against top guys - or at least, not in the main parts of the show. The key segments have to include conflict between the upper tier, but WWE’s insistence on that meaning wrestling matches results in it all being run into the ground. There just seems to be a lack of imagination. If you told me every segment came from a (very small) template book, I'd believe you. Having Roman Reigns beat Sin Cara convincingly in a three minute match would actually feel ridiculously fresh at the moment. Have Elias attack him post match. Have Elias interupting to try and distract him from the task at hand. Put them weird lights on and have Elias do a switcheroo in a Sin Cara mask. Something that doesn't feel like three angles you saw last week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Pitcos Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 (edited) 15 minutes ago, tiger_rick said: There just seems to be a lack of imagination. If you told me every segment came from a (very small) template book, I'd believe you. Having Roman Reigns beat Sin Cara convincingly in a three minute match would actually feel ridiculously fresh at the moment. Have Elias attack him post match. Have Elias interupting to try and distract him from the task at hand. Put them weird lights on and have Elias do a switcheroo in a Sin Cara mask. Something that doesn't feel like three angles you saw last week. But they’re not going to book jobber stuff just because it feels fresh to the people who already watch and complain every week, unless the jobber’s already caught on like Ellsworth did. And we’d all moan anyway that it was just like the other mask switcharoo angles but not as good, and once the mask was off it was the same as every other Elias and Reigns beatdown. Edited May 8, 2019 by King Pitcos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted May 8, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted May 8, 2019 2 minutes ago, King Pitcos said: But they’re not going to book jobber stuff just because it feels fresh to the people who already watch and complain every week, unless the jobber’s already caught on like Ellsworth did. And we’d all moan anyway that it was just like the other mask switcharoo angles but not as good, and once the mask was off it was the same as every other Elias and Reigns beatdown. They're not going to do anything except further dilute the few stars they do have, I know that and so do you. They just should. Breaking things up with quick matches that give a guy a good win will help the tempo of the show, the establishment of a hierarchy and them get over the character and motivation of new talent. It shouldn't be every segment or even every week but they need to get away from the same formula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 They really need to be able to hype up appearances and matches without giving away the same combinations etc every week. You don't need someone in a singles match, then a tag match the week after etc. You should be able to have weeks where they're just being interviewed or on commentary as a guest spot or a highlight reel or something. There's no build up or anticipation or anything like that. Everyone is overexposed and we're never given a reason to look forward to anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted May 8, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted May 8, 2019 It feels like the people who book Smackdown know that. So you get a Roman Reigns video package, Balor cutting a promo on a beach, Randy Orton RKO'ing people in his trunks, Hardy & Truth in a backstage interview, Heavy Machinery sort of staring at someone, no Charlotte or Becky. It's so fresh compared to Raw where they just (have to?) throw everything out there and hope it lasts fucking ages so they don't have to book another segment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfoote Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 Has anyone else seen the "mockumentary" on ring announcer Greg? Or was it a fever dream? The difference between that and the current state of affairs is amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Hannibal Scorch Posted May 8, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted May 8, 2019 8 hours ago, WyattSheepMask said: USA Network have apparently had a word about why Roman Reigns was sent to Smackdown. As SD is still on their network until October it doesn’t really matter in the short term, but once the move to FOX happens, USA then wouldn’t have Reigns, the top baby face, appearing on their network for at least 6 months unless they do another draft or just kayfabe move him back to RAW. According to Meltzer (so take that however you want), FOX are expecting 3million week in week out for Smackdown, and if they don’t get it will “consider cancellation”. Whether that means they can just terminate the deal whenever they want or are just making it clear that they won’t renegotiate when the time comes, I don’t know, but when was the last time (if ever) that Smackdown did 3million? I would, at a guess, just see Smackdown moving to Fox Sports if that happens to see out the remainder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallicks Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 44 minutes ago, bigfoote said: Has anyone else seen the "mockumentary" on ring announcer Greg? Or was it a fever dream? The difference between that and the current state of affairs is amazing. Where's this at, network, YouTube? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Pitcos Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 57 minutes ago, hallicks said: Where's this at, network, YouTube? YouTube Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CL Punk Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QDplQJ4WxQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Butternut Squash Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 Loving the Rowan/Bryan tag team. Rowan is fun as hell to watch and big man teaming with conniving little man is always a good dynamic. I'll regret saying this like my every other optimistic WWE take, but this could be good news for the tag division. Finally the belts on a fresh team with heat and credibility. They've done a great job of keeping Rowan looking like an unstoppable monster and you'd think with Bryan involved they won't be jobbing every week. Hilarious that the only person in this company that consistently comes across like a 'larger than life' cartoon character is the former Bryan Danielson. I'd imagine he has some creative sway over what he's been doing since he re-signed. No way the creative manage to get him so right while continuously fucking up literally everything else. The Uso's for example. They were the only babyfaces on the roster that had some fucking cool about them. They had a genuine street edge, the type of act that actually appeals to the younger audience. Fuck that though, pettiness wins out . As hilarious as the 'Ucey hot' stuff is (I was rolling) it's hurting the Uso's way more than super troopers The Revival. It paints them as utter cunts, or even worse, dorks. Yuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Pitcos Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, Mr Butternut Squash said: Hilarious that the only person in this company that consistently comes across like a 'larger than life' cartoon character is the former Bryan Danielson. I'd imagine he has some creative sway over what he's been doing since he re-signed. Of course he does. All of the main event level talent do. But most of them seem to just be happy going out there doing workrate suicide dives. Bryan’s influences and pre-WWE experiences were a lot more diverse than the likes of Balor and Rollins had, weren’t they? It probably helps Bryan a lot that Vince and the audience can easily buy into the annoying eco-warrior villain gimmick, while most wrestlers might not have ideas that have a hook like that. Edited May 10, 2019 by King Pitcos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpeg.55e5547a252a5ad1a05f197973025167.jpeg)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.