Elimination Chamber 2021

[Supremo]

I need to talk about that Daniel Bryan/Roman Reigns/Edge thing.

My goodness. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Batista in 2014 all over again. I can’t comprehend what they’re thinking. Beloved, plucky underdog Daniel Bryan fights for nearly an hour, overcomes all the odds, and then gets cheated out of his title shot by the cowardly bully. And this is supposed to make me want to see Edge vs. Roman? How can you not grasp the psychology of your own story that you’re writing yourself out of your own brain?

When Bryan quickly reversed the Spear into the Yes Lock that was the most invested I’ve been in anything WWE have done in months if not years. They got me. For as short as the match was, I was in. Then when Roman won I couldn’t wait to see the natural rematch at Wrestlemania. Top heel against top baby face. Arguably the two best performers in the company in terms of playing those roles. Imagine the match these guys could have on the biggest stage. Perfectly cast! In front of real human fans! And then Edge and his geriatric face turned up and pointed at the Wrestlemania sign. Fuck off.

They’re lucky they don’t have fans yet. I’m convinced this type of shit would’ve resulted in people turning on Edge just like it did Batista. He was already on thin ice being such a boring bastard since Royal Rumble, showing up everywhere with that hangdog look, the saddest eyes trying to hide how he knows this run isn’t working.

And all this for what? Why couldn’t we have Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns and Edge vs. Drew? Did we really need the inevitable Drew/Lashley/Miz Triple Threat? I wouldn’t even main event Raw with that shite.

It’s not surprising if you look at their overall judge of talent this past decade, but they really really don’t know what they have with Daniel Bryan. Never have. Never will. Guy had people crying their eyes out when he retired and then even more so when he came back. He’s the one guy who still feels like he has momentum and buzz in the empty arena era. The only guy in that company who somehow rises above the scripting and still feels like a real person you can relate to and root for. My fucking wife doesn’t even watch the shows and she’s always asking about him. And yet here we are, once again. Just watch. They’ll give Edge the Yes Chant next week.

Edited February 22, 2021 by Supremo

[FLips]

Watched the end of the main event this morning because Reddit was full of *MAIN EVENT SPOILERS* as if something massive happened. That'll teach me. Fucking hell.

[LaGoosh]

The fact that Bryan's first singles feud after he miraculously returned from career ending injury and retirement was against fucking Big Cass shows you what the people who run this company really think of him. No surprise they're pulling the same shit years later. 

[Lenin]

@Supremo has pretty much hit the nail on the head here. Likewise, they also got me. 

Not only was Daniel Bryan excellent in the chamber, Roman came across as the biggest dick ever in the title match immediately after. My disbelief went just long enough for me to think he was legit going to retire Bryan again, the savageness was something else. 

Now, when Bryan put the yes lock on I involuntarily stood straight up out my seat. I was all in in a Bryan victory. 

I'm not even annoyed retained because after that massacre Bryan could have been booked for a rematch - He goes after Reigns' family (Usos), he goes after Heyman, he does whatever he needs to do a-la-HBK did when he forced Undertaker into their Wrestlemania match. That I could totally buy into and it takes care of they story arc over the next few weeks.

But Edge just totally sucked the atmosphere and excitement right out of the moment for me. Now anyone who says wrestling fans are fickle etc. can do one because Edge, in my opinion, should've picked Balor and given him a Wrestlemania moment to remember by putting him over. 

Just because they couldn't use their "Spear vs. Spear" tagline and merch last year does NOT mean anyone wants to hear, see or but it this year. Tremendously bad booking. Roman doesn't need cementing as the top guy so presumably Edge is going over? If Roman goes over what's the point? Wheel geriatric Christian out on the post-Mania Raw to try and do what Edge couldn't? 

Honestly I'd even have bought into a Reigns/Bryan/Owens triple threat at Wrestlemania because Owens was equally impressive in the Chamber match. I can't remember the last time I've gone from such a high with anticipation to complete apathy. I'm 36 years old and feel completely mugged off. 

Don't even start on Drew and Raw. That is 100% dung. This is the guy that when he entered the Rumble match and squared up to Lesnar the crowd (various cell phone footage) are audibly gasping and commenting on the fact he's bigger than f"****g Lesnar! Absolute star. Believable, dominant champion who has one of THE comeback stories of all time after being annointed as the chosen one. He's already been mugged off by dropping the belt to Orton for WWELOLZ and they've done it again.

The first 12 month reign in yonks would've been something to talk about heading into Wrestlemania. Hell, they could've done Drew/Reigns again with that in the mix as a worst case scenario. But Drew and Bryan are made to look like numpties. 

Lashley has been excellent this year but why on earth are they pushing him for Wrestlemania? His matches with Drew last year were alright but he's going to be nothing more than a filler Champion surely? Are they thinking that after Spear vs Spear Roman and Edge edition they can have Spear vs Spear Bobby Roman edition!? 

I'm rambling. I'm annoyed. Those WWE scoundrels have done me again. Good grief.

Edited February 22, 2021 by Suplex Sinner
Spell check

[d-d-d-dAz]

Like I said in the Smackdown thread, if Reigns was just going to win it would be weird, jarring booking.

They should have had Bryan win. Surprise Reigns with Jey out of action, quick pin, everyone stunned. At fast lane Bryan gets Jimmy and Jey’d out of his title, and then at Mania the plucky, battered underdog has to try and get his title back with Reigns’ family ringside.

That’s the story with most natural arc into Mania.

This shit? Ugh.

I’ve made clear I love Edge, and I was digging the Reigns/Edge build but they’ve killed it by using Bryan like that. 
 

It’s mad they’ve used Edge like this, when the Raw side of the deal is so completely dead.

I never thought I’d say this, but the best I can hope for from Mania is that Lashley wins the title.

Lashley is tremendous, if a little odd faced, as the ball of anger he’s playing at the minute. That triple threat was booked beautifully, and as much as he’s a whopper, Riddle was great in it.

As always with WWE, the biggest takeaway for me was the matches were fine to good but the booking was just dead end.

Oh, and Corbin is so bad that that match improved tenfold just by him leaving it.
 

Edited February 22, 2021 by d-d-d-dAz

[RedRooster]

During the Bryan/Reigns match I’d assumed a rematch was where they were going for ‘Mania. I assumed Edge would step aside and let Bryan get his much-deserved rematch. Not so much though.

I imagine we’ll get Reigns/Bryan at Fast Lane instead, which is a massive, disappointing waste. I hope Bryan joins AEW when his contract expires, I’m fed up of being fed up with how WWE treats him.

[d-d-d-dAz]

Fucking hell.

They’re going to do Miz/Lashley/McIntyre at Fastlane and Miz/Bad Bunny at Mania aren’t they?

Thats 100% what they’re going to do after the press they got from Bad Bunny doing SNL with the 24/7 title. Almost like it’s been a dry run to see if the US press would care.

They’ll do press conferences and all sorts in the run up with Miz and Bad Bunny.

Thats the plan. I’m convinced. Whenever they need someone inoffensive and bland enough for a mainstream angle, they turn to Miz. He won’t offend anyone on Good Morning America or whatever shows hicks watch.

It would also explain the terrible, dead end booking recently if they knew one title spot was being taken up by a non-wrestler.

Bollocks.

Edited February 22, 2021 by d-d-d-dAz

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

Who the fuck is Bad Bunny anyway? Sounds like a shite knock off name from a crap fed!

[d-d-d-dAz]

3 minutes ago, Big'Olympic_Hero'Pete said:

Who the fuck is Bad Bunny anyway? Sounds like a shite knock off name from a crap fed!

He’s legitimately massive in the States.

When I worked in the States, normal people loved him. Particularly people with a Hispanic background.

His musics like Latin-enthused hip hop, and all in Spanish.

Not my cup of tea but he breaks every record in the book for Spanish language music.

It’s not really caught on in the U.K. for obvious reasons, but were he to headline Mania it would be ‘water cooler’ conversation over there.

[Yakashi]

38 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

 

It would also explain the terrible, dead end booking recently if they knew one title spot was being taken up by a non-wrestler.

This is incredible long term booking then. Starting this angle in 2015 to culminate 6 years later. And people say they don’t know how to book long term stories.

[Supremo]

Watching Reigns murder Bryan with those viscous strikes from the guard was incredible. I fully expected they’d do Title vs. Career at Wrestlemania and let Bryan retire on top, having a belter, and putting over Roman as the top guy he was always destined to be. Instead we’re getting Spear vs. Spear. What a colossal disappointment. 

With the talent at their disposal, The Miz and Lashley being anywhere near the Wrestlemania main event in 2021 is fully bonkers. I know they’ve tried to push Lashley as a top guy for a grand total of six weeks, but come on. A Wrestlemania main eventer? The closest he ever came to that was as Donald Trump’s surrogate thirteen years ago. I could barely tell you anything he’s done since then. And God Bless Miz, I’m sure the inevitable Network documentaries will talk about him clawing his way back to the top, but let’s be honest. Everything else just fell down to his level.

What a mad stat that Wrestlemania 27 and Wrestlemania 37 are both going to feature Title matches involving Edge and the Miz. It’d be like Macho Man or Ted Dibiase headlining Wrestlemania 14. Some developmental system they’ve got, eh?

Its funny. It was only the other day I was thinking that WWE’s obsession with pushing stars from two or three generations ago is ultimately going to catch up with them.  Eventually, when all those stars retire, you’re gonna be left with the following generation where no stars even existed in their heyday. A whole generation of just guys. The gratitude era. What I didn’t expect was for it to happen so soon. Literally weeks later and we’re already here. Wrestlemania season has hit, as is tradition they’ve checked Wikipedia for who’s over 40, and the best they could find was Miz and Lashley. Dear Lord. What a sad little Wrestlemania Vince.

Edited February 22, 2021 by Supremo

[d-d-d-dAz]

Don’t worry @Supremo, BadBunny is in his 20’s.

I’ve only been watching wrestling properly again since Christmas and it already has me in a fit of depression.

Stupid fucking wrestling.

[I Bent My Wookie]

Yeah the whole thing just was very meh for me at best. Quick running show though, made sleep easier.

On the Bad Bunny note, he's legitimately the biggest star they've had involved in years. Take Justin Bieber's popularity with generation Z, double it and you've got Bunny at the moment with Latin America. The most streamed Spotify artist worldwide last year, SNL have wanted him for ages, 7 billion YouTube views by 2018. It goes to show the fickleness of some that because he's not American or British and doesn't sing in English nobody gives a flying rats ass about him. If he was to headline WrestleMania there'd be more press than any WWE event in years.

 

[d-d-d-dAz]

1 minute ago, Shy Dad said:

Yeah the whole thing just was very meh for me at best. Quick running show though, made sleep easier.

On the Bad Bunny note, he's legitimately the biggest star they've had involved in years. Take Justin Bieber's popularity with generation Z, double it and you've got Bunny at the moment with Latin America. The most streamed Spotify artist worldwide last year, SNL have wanted him for ages, 7 billion YouTube views by 2018. It goes to show the fickleness of some that because he's not American or British and doesn't sing in English nobody gives a flying rats ass about him. If he was to headline WrestleMania there'd be more press than any WWE event in years.

 

Yeah, this.

It’s 100% going to be Miz vs BadBunny, with all the smoke and mirrors that comes with it.

It will be rancid, but probably serves a broader purpose than just doing Lashley/Miz/McIntyre.

[I Bent My Wookie]

If he hadn't won the title I'd have sworn Miz and JoMo Vs Bunny and Priest and the rub it would have given Priest could turn him into the rockstar Babyface they seem to see him as.

Honestly I could see them putting Priest in a title match with Miz with Bunny in his corner, maybe new theme music, just something bonkers. Priest could be used to crack the Hispanic market again for them, seeing as Rey's getting on, Andrade has been left out to dry and Dominic isn't really getting anywhere. Especially as they're still plugging along with the eventual NXT Latin America idea too.