The Smackers Thread

[Supremo]

Watching Raw on demand this week, I did notice that Netflix offered me a, “skip recap,” button, just before the Seth Rollins promo, when they played a video of what happened the week prior.

It only happened that one time (I like to think even the Netflix team think Seth is a shitarse), but imagine how quickly you could fly through these shows if that option was available for every recap video?  You’d get through the two or three hours in about forty five minutes.

[HarmonicGenerator]

6 minutes ago, Supremo said:

Watching Raw on demand this week, I did notice that Netflix offered me a, “skip recap,” button, just before the Seth Rollins promo, when they played a video of what happened the week prior.

It only happened that one time (I like to think even the Netflix team think Seth is a shitarse), but imagine how quickly you could fly through these shows if that option was available for every recap video?  You’d get through the two or three hours in about forty five minutes.

This is what I've been doing when I've tried Raw since the Netflix move*, and there have been several times it's come in at less than an hour. Maybe I'm just yearning for the days of The Bottom Line with Marc Lloyd, when they really did boil everything interesting from Raw into less than an hour.

 

*which hasn't been every week because (i) the times I've watched have shown me I don't really like what WWE are putting out and I'm definitely an AEW guy, or (ii) I've forgotten it was on, or (iii) the wifi on the train hasn't managed to stream it and if I can't get it watched on the commute I'm not devoting any actual time to it, or just (iv) it's just not very good and I don't want to?

Edited May 5, 2025 by HarmonicGenerator
I tried to watch SmackDown this week, it started with an LA Knight promo, I went 'no thank you' and switched it off

[Supremo]

Remember in the late 2000s when, “Hollywood writers,” was considered a dirty word? Nowadays, I reckon they should only hire Hollywood writers. It should be a pre-requisite for anyone applying for a writing position that they have never watched pro-wrestling before.

Just this week alone, we’ve had Pat McAfee mocking Gunther for, “Waltering along,” AJ Styles greeting Finn Balor with, “hey Prince,” Becky Lynch saying she’s the reason that Lyra Valkyria has a fiancé (??) and John Cena dunking on Randy for failing drug tests twenty years ago. There’s probably a dozen more.

For a company that, “doesn’t cater to the internet audience,” it’s seemingly written by the wankiest internet fans imaginable. It’s like Inception. They’re so many levels deep into this meta bollocks that they don’t even know what’s real or not anymore.

Pro-wrestling needs to catch the fuck up with itself. It’s not a coincidence that the best, most successful stuff of the last few years has been basic, surface-level, clearly-defined fiction. You can simply switch on the TV with no prior knowledge and fully understand the Rise and Fall of Hangman Adam Page or the misadventures of Sami Zayn accidentally joining a dangerous cult. That’s the blueprint. Not this bullshit that requires a Wrestling Observer PHD.

Edited May 10, 2025 by Supremo

[digforvictory]

I don't think anything sums up how underwhelming and downright shite this Cena heel turn has been so far more than him cutting a promo where he makes a snarky comment about Orton failing a drug test in 2006.

To a large portion of their current audience, he might as well be talking about something happening in 1976.  Referencing something behind the scenes from 19 fucking years ago is mental!

It really does feel like they have absolutely nothing planned for this heel turn and Cena just went into his loft and found a notepad with ideas for heel promos when he thought he was going to turn in 2012.  And he's just using the ideas from there regardless of how little sense it makes in 2025.

Edited May 10, 2025 by digforvictory

[Snitsky's back acne]

Yeah Cenas heel turn has been massively disappointing.

I was really amped for it after it happened and the promise of Cena showing up on Raw had me hooked but that first promo was the shits in my opinion and it has not got any better. 

'You people's is lazy. Yes, 5, 10 years ago that would be a valid reason but now it just seems... I dunno, am I the only one who thinks it writes itself that Cena hadn't won his last however many matches so therefore, in desperation, "sold his soul" to The Rock to get his last title? Cena even acknowledges he hadn't won a match in years when he came back! It was all there for them! 

Edited May 10, 2025 by Snitsky's back acne

[wordsfromlee]

9 hours ago, Supremo said:

It should be a pre-requisite for anyone applying for a writing position that they have never watched pro-wrestling before.

Wasn't that a rule that Vince brought in for hiring new writers about ten years ago or so? Around the time when he was saying that WWE's competition were show like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, not other wrestling promotions.

[Supremo]

On 4/26/2025 at 9:27 PM, Supremo said:

Cena has to hold the belt until at least Money in the Bank, when he has to defend against CM Punk. It’s too perfect.

I’m starting to wish for Travis Scott tours the same way I wish for Fozzy tours. Fuck off out of my wrestling show!

New plan; it’s Punk that wins the belt from Cena, saving pro-wrestling, blowing him a kiss goodbye. Might as well go out on the highest high. The only man Cena has proved to still have good chemistry with on this run.

Punk main events Mania as champion, against Cody. It is a singles match. Not a triple threat.

Edited May 15, 2025 by Supremo

[Merzbow]

On 5/10/2025 at 7:43 PM, wordsfromlee said:

Wasn't that a rule that Vince brought in for hiring new writers about ten years ago or so? Around the time when he was saying that WWE's competition were show like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, not other wrestling promotions.

But then weren't they hiring "hollywood" guys with barely any writing credentials, too? Plus it fucking sucked as it still all got changed an hour before bell time by Vince but yeah.

[RedTwoster]

Ugh, this Cena heel turn has been the absolute worst. The only positive I can think of is that we’ll never be left wondering what it would have been like had he ever turned. We now know - disappointing.

I’d like to see Punk/Cena again, but they’d have been better off turning Punk. Not only would that have led to a compelling Punk/Cena match, it would have given us a really compelling dynamic between Roman Reigns and Punk, and also Cody and Punk. I’m not sure how they’re going to get themselves out of the hole they’re in, especially after choosing to piss and shit in it after doing the digging. 

[BomberPat]

1 hour ago, Merzbow said:

But then weren't they hiring "hollywood" guys with barely any writing credentials, too? Plus it fucking sucked as it still all got changed an hour before bell time by Vince but yeah.

Yeah, they wouldn't (and presumably still don't) hire union writers, so they were limited to some real dregs who couldn't get work anywhere. 

[TheScarlettChad]

Fightful are reporting WWE are trying to 

Spoiler

Turn Cody heel, and The Rock thinks they can revisit the selling of Cody's soul

Jesus Christ, No.

[RedTwoster]

14 minutes ago, TheScarlettChad said:

Fightful are reporting WWE are trying to 

  Hide contents

Turn Cody heel, and The Rock thinks they can revisit the selling of Cody's soul

Jesus Christ, No.

I think you’ve possibly misread the story. Rock mentioned in an interview that they could revisit the soul plot line, but the story actually says - unless I’ve missed an update - that WWE has no plans to turn Cody heel given how good business has been with him as too babyface, and that Cody himself was against it.

That said, it might be a way out of the Cena debacle, doing some sort of double turn. 

[LaGoosh]

Forgive me, as I'm not a regular viewer, but I don't really understand the "selling his soul" thing regarding Cody. Cody Rhodes was the most company man corporate Champion they've had for years. Why would he need to sell his soul? What benefit does that give anyone? Have I missed something?

[RedTwoster]

11 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

Forgive me, as I'm not a regular viewer, but I don't really understand the "selling his soul" thing regarding Cody. Cody Rhodes was the most company man corporate Champion they've had for years. Why would he need to sell his soul? What benefit does that give anyone? Have I missed something?

The idea was, I think, that Rock could make his dreams come true outside of wrestling. The idea that Rock was stewing after last year’s Wrestlemania, knew he couldn’t beat Cody and wanted to prove that he could still control him wouldn’t have been a bad idea…but they never told that story, and didn’t do a great job with the story they ended up telling either. 

I’ve generally enjoyed Triple H’s booking, but they’ve really messed things up since the turn of the year. AEW recovered from a duff spell, and while I’m sure WWE will too, the signs aren’t there to suggest any recovery is imminent.

[air_raid]

51 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

The idea that Rock was stewing after last year’s Wrestlemania, knew he couldn’t beat Cody and wanted to prove that he could still control him wouldn’t have been a bad idea…but they never told that story, and didn’t do a great job with the story they ended up telling either.

Kind of falls at the first hurdle too, in that The Rock did beat Cody at last year's WrestleMania.