Paid Members LaGoosh Posted June 1 Paid Members Posted June 1 Very weird that they didn't go with the obvious Road Dogg vs Billy Gunn final. Quote
The King of Old School Posted June 1 Author Posted June 1 4 ways can get in the bin. Why can't we just have a 16 man singles tournament for it? Anyway, clearly setting up Reigns vs Rollins at Summerslam this. Oba/Breaker semi final with Brock costing Oba is my guess. Quote
TheScarlettChad Posted June 1 Posted June 1 I had my bets on Oba winning and facing Roman but I don't know now. Last night really made it seem we're getting a rematch at SummerSlam. Oba retiring Brock for a second time is hilarious. Who'll buy that this time is for real now? Quote
thatvinylgeek Posted June 1 Posted June 1 Femi v Bron (tasty) and Keys v Rollins (yawn) in the semi finals I suspect. Then I guess we get Femi going over Seth, or Brock interfering to setup Seth v Roman...and the Brock rubber match. Oh god, that's the plan isn't it? I've written it into life Quote
d-d-d-dAz Posted June 1 Posted June 1 (edited) 3 hours ago, TheScarlettChad said: I had my bets on Oba winning and facing Roman but I don't know now. Last night really made it seem we're getting a rematch at SummerSlam. Oba retiring Brock for a second time is hilarious. Who'll buy that this time is for real now? I don't think rushing Oba to Roman and the title is right. It's a huge, global company. One of the most pre-eminent sports and entertainment (gross) businesses ever assembled. I totally get why they'd want you to get your reps in, and be stress tested in a prominent position for a while before they make you the face of the company. All it takes is for Oba to actually be someone who cracks under pressure, say the wrong thing, or be outed as something terrible once THE guy and WWE, ESPN and Netflix are in the thick end of a real shitshow. I remember at the time thinking they were mad for not going great guns for Ryback. But actually events would prove him to be someone uniquely unsuitable to be one of the major faces and ambassadors for the company. And they're a much bigger company now. It's not a wrestling decision (I mean, if I was being very unkind i'd say they're not really a wrestling company anymore), it's a personal one. Making someone your Champion (and a proper Champion, not a transitional one) and investing in them as THE guy is more like electing someone to high office these days. I think there issue is more that these days there doesn't seem to be much of an upper midcard/conveyer-belt-to-main event scene. You're either in a World Title feud or you're doing nothing. The Brock feud is obviously an exception, but the fact they haven't got another option is annoying. Get Omos back. Have Oba lob him about or something. At least it'll look good on the highlight reels once they've confirmed he's not a psycho nonce. Edited June 1 by d-d-d-dAz Quote
Paid Members RedTwoster Posted June 1 Paid Members Posted June 1 4 hours ago, d-d-d-dAz said: I don't think rushing Oba to Roman and the title is right. It's a huge, global company. One of the most pre-eminent sports and entertainment (gross) businesses ever assembled. I totally get why they'd want you to get your reps in, and be stress tested in a prominent position for a while before they make you the face of the company. All it takes is for Oba to actually be someone who cracks under pressure, say the wrong thing, or be outed as something terrible once THE guy and WWE, ESPN and Netflix are in the thick end of a real shitshow. There’s a difference, as you say, between winning the title and being ‘the face of the company’ though - plus, it’s not like he’s THAT fresh, he’s been in NXT for quite some time. Literally anyone on that roster could have a skeleton in their closet or say the wrong thing. And heck, if you think he might make an arse of himself during interviews don’t put him up for any, simple as that. There are plenty of people who can do that. As far as cracking under pressure goes, there really that much additional pressure placed on you as World Champion in 2026, particularly when there are two belts? If it all goes wrong, just take the belt off him. As far as skeletons in the closet go, it would be mad not to push a new wrestler hard for that reason. He’s no more or less likely to be outed as a wrong ‘in than someone who has been there for decades - case in point, look at Vince McMahon. Even if he that did happen, why would that leave WWE, Netflix and ESPN in the middle of a shitshow? Again, case in point - Vince McMahon. Obviously someone much more closely tied to the company, and what damage has it actually caused? Far less than it should have. If they had him win against Brock again and then put him against Roman, it wouldn’t necessarily be anointing him as the next Cena - it’s potentially giving yourself a new Brock, a monstrous special attraction with an aura about them. The reality is, you don’t need your champion to do media duties - there are plenty of people who are very equipped to do that. Oba isn’t fucked, but the opportunity to do something new and exciting is. Quote
d-d-d-dAz Posted June 1 Posted June 1 (edited) 3 hours ago, RedTwoster said: There’s a difference, as you say, between winning the title and being ‘the face of the company’ though - plus, it’s not like he’s THAT fresh, he’s been in NXT for quite some time. See, i guess this is where i'm weirdly more optimistic for Oba's future even though I don't want him sped to the top of the card right away. I think he could be the guy. Incredible promo delivery, looks the bollocks both in out-of-ring and in-ring gear; is just 28, can go in the ring. For me, he's lightyears ahead of anyone else they've got between the ages of 20 and 35. So, if they agree with me, i've no beef with them making absolutely certain before making him one of the biggest names in sports and entertainment - and all that comes with. I'm sure people could race to find a reason Triple H might not want to push him that far, though. Edited June 1 by d-d-d-dAz Quote
DavidB6937 Posted June 1 Posted June 1 3 hours ago, RedTwoster said: Oba isn’t fucked, but the opportunity to do something new and exciting is. Is it though? I'd argue putting someone new against Brock and pushing them as hard as they have done with Oba is pretty new and exciting. It's a very rare thing, especially the Mania match. I don't think Oba needs to win every single match for it to be exciting. I've said it before but it's as much about how the crowd reacts to you in defeat as it is when you win. If they stop caring about Oba after a loss like that then it's fair to say he isn't the guy you want at the top. Quote
Paid Members RedTwoster Posted June 1 Paid Members Posted June 1 23 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said: Is it though? I'd argue putting someone new against Brock and pushing them as hard as they have done with Oba is pretty new and exciting. It's a very rare thing, especially the Mania match. I don't think Oba needs to win every single match for it to be exciting. I've said it before but it's as much about how the crowd reacts to you in defeat as it is when you win. If they stop caring about Oba after a loss like that then it's fair to say he isn't the guy you want at the top. He’s still incredibly over, but I do think this loss has taken a little bit away from him. Not enough to completely derail him, but enough that he seems slightly less inevitable than he did before. Let’s say he wins KOTR, and goes on to face Roman Reigns for the belt - it’s a big match regardless, but Oba facing Roman after beating Brock twice is a far more exciting prospect. At that point, you’re not just looking at a bog-standard challenger - you’re looking at a challenger who seems unstoppable. And if he were to beat Reigns, the conversation would turn to who on earth can stop this guy - creating a genuine attraction, even if it’s just in the short term. I’m not (obviously) saying he should win every match forever, but I do think there was far more value in continuing to build that aura rather than proving he can survive a defeat, or that it takes a lot to beat him. It’s already clear that the crowd likes him, and I think it would have been incredibly interesting to see just how far they could have taken this before someone finally stopped him. I’d make a similar argument about having Gunther lose, even in a tainted fashion, incidentally - although Femi is clearly much higher value. Quote
TheScarlettChad Posted June 1 Posted June 1 Unless he retires Brock (again) at SummerSlam and he beats Roman at another PLE. Quote
AshC Posted June 1 Posted June 1 Brock should keep getting retired and showing up, like George Costanza. Quote
DavidB6937 Posted June 2 Posted June 2 All comes down to personal preference in terms of longer booking I think. Streaks can work but I also personally find them quite limited sometimes, as it often becomes the default for anyone that gets a call up from NXT or a new person with no real end goal or pay off to it. While it feels like what they're doing with Oba at least has the aim of getting him over and making him look strong. It'll be interesting to see where he is a year from now. Hopefully not another lost opportunity. Quote
Paid Members RedTwoster Posted June 2 Paid Members Posted June 2 4 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said: All comes down to personal preference in terms of longer booking I think. Streaks can work but I also personally find them quite limited sometimes, as it often becomes the default for anyone that gets a call up from NXT or a new person with no real end goal or pay off to it. While it feels like what they're doing with Oba at least has the aim of getting him over and making him look strong. It'll be interesting to see where he is a year from now. Hopefully not another lost opportunity. For sure, don’t get me wrong - I don’t think a lengthy streak was even necessary, I just think it was far too early to affect what was achieved by having him beat Lesnar as decisively as he did. Having said that, I think enough time has passed since Goldberg to make the idea of a new, seemingly unstoppable wrestler seem fresh and interesting. Quote
Paid Members Supremo Posted June 2 Paid Members Posted June 2 Of the sixty five new eras we’ve had this last year or so, this Bloodline 2000 run might be the flattest and most tragic. Not even that red hot Italian crowd could distract from it. The kicker was Roman discussing the King of the Ring tournament backstage, mentioning to Jey, “you’ve already held this belt, go and try winning the other World Title.” A real sense of telling on yourself. Saying the quiet part out loud. Shut up, Big Rome! We’re not mentioning the three year arc, where Jey Uso overcame your gaslighting, broke out of the murder cult and became his own man. We’ve gave all that a hard reset after he failed so spectacularly and we ran so thin on new ideas. Jey Uso was always a hired goon in The Bloodline. Jey Uso was at war with Eastasia. Jey Uso had always been at war with Eastasia. No greater example of them going back to the well on an angle they never truly understood in the first place than putting Jacob Fatu in the Sami Zayn role, in the hope that in six months time people will be clamouring for him to break free. Not a chance Jacob can recapture even half of that magic. He’s nowhere near as Ucey. Quote
DavidB6937 Posted June 2 Posted June 2 Well, at least they've moved on from Hogan documentary adverts to AAA Mask vs Mask overkill. And then had the lads appearing during an ad break too! In between that there was some other stuff. Actually thought it was a fairly solid show with decent matches if you ignore the Bloodline shit which is so nonsensical now. Just kill it. Anyway with all the Oba debate I thought they did him a solid last night with the best entrance since Kit Wilson: And then just let him smash people and win. Most interesting thing to happen to Solo and that tall bloke in forever. Quote
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