Money in the Bank

[DavidB6937]

7 minutes ago, UK Kat Von D said:

But they literally had a character already in the match who would have suited the spot far better. 

Honestly I don't think anyone's going to remember anything about this match this time next year. Much like their weekly shows, the majority is a throwaway to just keep things ticking over. No one's going to suffer from looking stupid because none of this actually matters.

[tiger_rick]

18 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

Honestly I don't think anyone's going to remember anything about this match this time next year. Much like their weekly shows, the majority is a throwaway to just keep things ticking over. No one's going to suffer from looking stupid because none of this actually matters.

It's not one moment that made anyone look ridiculous. I don't think anyone has piped up with "NOW Daniel Bryan looks stupid". It's not Luger celebrating winning by fucking count-out at SummerSlam 93 or anything that will live that long in the memory. It's just symptomatic of their biggest problem which is that no-one is a star and no-one is cool. Not everyone has to be Steve Austin. That's not the point. But for crying out loud, stand up for yourself and don't let them book you to be scolded by your (real) Dad on national TV and just take it like a little kid who's been caught in Mum's knicker drawer.

They thought it was funny, so it's clearly something they wanted to do. But it's so easy to do it without Bryan having to look like such a dick. Just ask yourself what this guy would do in this position. For Bryan, it's so easy too because he's the last guy they got over from being true to himself, showing balls and standing up to the Authority.

I don't have a problem with Styles. He's a heel who has been battered for months. He'd kiss arse. It's fine. But protect your babyfaces from this shit. Then you won't have to wonder week up on week upon week why no-one is a draw, no one is a star and no one is cool unless they worked for the WWF or WCW in the 90s.

[BomberPat]

36 minutes ago, Supremo said:

He used the mask to trick Bray into letting his guard down, at which point he could hit him with his finisher and win. Why would it make more sense to do that at the start, when he was fresh, rather than at the end, when he'd be more worn down and more susceptible to both the trick and staying down for the three count off the finisher? The whole thing is shit, but you've picked the worst criticism possible. Off the roof, mate.

All of which would probably be fine if he hadn't spent ages doing it, then dramatically removing the mask to hit his finisher. It was an "only in wrestling" bit of daft melodrama, but it didn't work at all for me. Bray was stood there waiting for ages, at any point Strowman could have leathered him and hit his move, but instead he had to let Wyatt make absolutely sure that the audience got what was going on, then remove the mask - thus basically telling Bray "haha, fooled you!" - before hitting the Powerslam.

So many of the problems with Bray Wyatt down to "it's a potentially interesting character, but absolutely shits the bed when you try and translate that character into the context of a wrestling match". A lot of the match is just as much an extension of the post-Shawn Michaels "Sorry, I Love You" tell don't show approach as Gargano vs. Ciampa has been - the whole match was telling you what the story was supposed to be, often verbally, rather than relying on the physical storytelling of the wrestlers (i.e., how wrestling works) to do that job for them. It would be like if Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin had ended, not with Steve Austin defiantly refusing to submit to the Sharpshooter, but with Steve Austin screaming "HAHA, I'M THE HERO NOW, BRET'S THE BADDY". 

[Supremo]

Oh, of course. The slow execution with the mask was terrible and time standing still so every ounce of subtlety is pissed away is one of WWE’s worst traits. I’m just baffled as to why anyone would watch that bollocks and their main criticism could be “he should’ve done this at the start of the match.”

[Bellenda Carlisle]

The funniest moment of the show was R-Truth performing his whole theme song with no distractions. I don't know why it made me smile so much but I've watched it twice since.

[Vamp]

If it was a trick to let his guard down surely it would have made sense before he started fighting back?

"Now, I've got this trick with a mask that'll let this guy's guard down. I could do it at the start of the match, before he's hurt me and before I've hurt him, or I could wait till we've beaten each other up for a while." 

The impact is lost at that point. It needs to happen at the start of the match. 

Also, its Daniel Bryan. He's a guy who used the momentum from losing in 10 seconds to get over with the audience. He's a guy who got over going to anger management classes with Kane. He got over with "yes/no chants." He got over with a silly haircut. People loved him even after he named his first born after an annoying holiday camp disco song. If anyone can do a bit where he looks sheepish having burst into Vince's office its him. He is genuinely good at those kinda things, it always looks like he's enjoying the hell out of them and I think it's because of that that he's so likeable. 

[Briefcase]

5 hours ago, Bellenda Carlisle said:

The funniest moment of the show was R-Truth performing his whole theme song with no distractions. I don't know why it made me smile so much but I've watched it twice since.

Always loved R-Truth and one of the things that really bugs me with WWE is when on Raw they cut out his entrance or part of his entrance as I think he does it really well and the crowd seem into it.

Then he gets a PPV match and we get to the see the whole thing in an arena without fans. 

[Benoitmark]

On 5/11/2020 at 11:46 AM, C-Rock said:

Worst thing i have watched in life. Worse than any mid afternoon channel 5 movie. I couldn't wait for it to end and only watched out of sheer curiosity. Terrible acting, fake as shit. Daniel Bryan flinching before AJ hit him was dire! Everyone looked stupid just plain embarrassing. Not even entertaining in the slightest. Were supposed to believe that these are top athletes and sports men and a real danager to eachother yet they looked like comedic fools.

 

I absolutely agree.

Other than the odd little comeback, I haven't watched since 2005 but due to Covid I got the network and wanted to watch some good old wrestling. This was live, so like Mania I watched it.

Everything about it felt cheap, badly done, childish, it was like watching the worst of Vince Russo but in PG so without the edgyness or unpredictability that would come with dumb Russo moments.

It wasn't even filmed well like their movie matches, this made it especially jarring when they'd use slow motion or add music or whatever, which made look like a cheap student movie. The bad acting, Stephanie clearly not being their and AJ being under those weights but obviously not really, had me cringing. Food fight? Is this an episode of power rangers?

I really do fear for the future of WWE after that, wrestlers destroying Titan Tower? How does that not sound creatively bankrupt? Or a Fonzy jumping the shark kind of idea? This wasn't pro wrestling, not to be over dramatic but I felt like I was watching the death of pro wrestling. It saddens me Paul Heyman, AJ Styles, Brian Danielson and Rey Mysterio had to be part of that.

I know we're all entitled to different opinions and they all vary but I have a really hard time believing any of you actually liked that, I expected C-Rock's reaction from all you guys but instead you all say you liked it. The fuck happened to this place? Did all the people who actually appreciate decent pro wrestling stop watching? 

Ratings are down? Yeah no shit. I won't continue watching.

Edited May 13, 2020 by Benoitmark

[Chris B]

24 minutes ago, Benoitmark said:

Other than the odd little comeback, I haven't watched since 2005 but due to Covid I got the network and wanted to watch some good old wrestling.

If you're thinking of catching up on what you missed, I'd skip 2007.

[DavidB6937]

5 hours ago, Benoitmark said:

not to be over dramatic but I felt like I was watching the death of pro wrestling.

This was my favourite part.

[stewdogg]

6 hours ago, Benoitmark said:

 

AJ being under those weights but obviously not really, had me cringing.

 

I can see why that would annoy you particularly 

[tiger_rick]

8 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

This was my favourite part.

Depends whether you think wrestling is a business or an art form. People like Cornette have been having a coronary every week for twenty years about the lost art of working and booking. 

As a business, it's never been bigger. Every ratings funk, every worst new roster, every next retiring star means more money for Vince. Go figure.

6 hours ago, Benoitmark said:

I know we're all entitled to different opinions and they all vary but I have a really hard time believing any of you actually liked that, I expected C-Rock's reaction from all you guys but instead you all say you liked it. The fuck happened to this place? Did all the people who actually appreciate decent pro wrestling stop watching? 

C-Rock is an idiot.

But in short, yes. People who don't "appreciate" the current scene don't watch it. The ones that do make the best of it and enjoy some or all of it. Like anything else in the world. It's not that hard to understand is it?

[DavidB6937]

It just amuses me when people say wrestling is dying like there's never been weird hokey shit in it before.

There's always been a mixture of things in wrestling. And there's more options now than ever. It's easier to access other companies online than having to try and rely on tape traders etc. If you're into older stuff then that's out there too.

I get that MITB wasn't for everyone. It certainly wasn't something I'll be watching again probably ever. But I do appreciate them thinking outside the box and trying to make something of this current situation. It was harmless 'fun' in dark times.

[Wrasslin]

6 hours ago, Benoitmark said:

I really do fear for the future of WWE after that, wrestlers destroying Titan Tower? How does that not sound creatively bankrupt? Or a Fonzy jumping the shark kind of idea? This wasn't pro wrestling, not to be over dramatic but I felt like I was watching the death of pro wrestling. It saddens me Paul Heyman, AJ Styles, Brian Danielson and Rey Mysterio had to be part of that.

I know we're all entitled to different opinions and they all vary but I have a really hard time believing any of you actually liked that, I expected C-Rock's reaction from all you guys but instead you all say you liked it. The fuck happened to this place? Did all the people who actually appreciate decent pro wrestling stop watching? 

Ratings are down? Yeah no shit. I won't continue watching.

I’m starting to think you may actually be C-Rock.

Also he’s been Daniel Bryan for over a decade now.

If you don’t like the current product then feel free to go rewatch a murderers matches with a hard on. 

[The King of Old School]

I said in an earlier post, that yeah the MITB match was a load of crap, but would people really have preferred it to happen in front of nobody at the performance centre?

I'll never watch it again, but it kept my attention through out, and my 9 year old loved it. Had it been in the performance centre I would have probably watched two minutes of it before scrolling through twitter on my phone.