It's Wrestlemania Season

[The Gaffer]

I probably shouldn't feel bad because he's a millionaire who goes to bed with Becky Lynch  - and I've spent months joining in the slagging on his characterisation - but I did spare a thought for Seth losing the title then having to shower, don his Bossmans and put the hair dye in just to get immediately sparked out as essentially set dressing in the main event with all the proper big stars. 

[SuperBacon]

Just now, FUM said:

What I really like is that Cody didn’t actually win because of any of these guys. They were there to protect him from The Bloodline and I think other than an AA from Cena which he recovered from before Cody was back up, Roman didn’t take any damage from them.

Yeah it was pure "this wrestler cancels out this wrestlers involvement" which is why I think we all thought Austin would come down to cancel out The Rock.

A minor quibble though.

[Devon Malcolm]

Pat McAfee's "shit" at the end reminded me of this:-

 

[garynysmon]

1 hour ago, FLips said:

I can’t claim to have followed his latest run, but even going from the glimpses that I have seen, Cody is so WWE isn’t he? 

You almost forget he played such a vital part in setting up AEW, everything about him fits the WWE style and platform like a glove. Some things are just meant to be.

[air_raid]

4 minutes ago, FUM said:

What I really like is that Cody didn’t actually win because of any of these guys. They were there to protect him from The Bloodline and I think other than an AA from Cena which he recovered from before Cody was back up, Roman didn’t take any damage from them.

I wouldn't have given a shit, I don't think, if he'd taken Rollins' stomp, an AA and a Tombstone as long as they all cleared out so he could do Crossrhodes and bring it home. Might have even been poetic for Reigns to finally get what he had coming to him.

It's one of those quirks of the notion of "the clean win" - in a no DQ match, if both sides are cheating, nobody's really cheating. I don't think anybody whined too much that Mankind won his first WWF title as a direct consequence of Steve Austin belting Rocky with a chair - because there had been a tonne of Corporation interference already. If everyone has their mates piling on, it's all fine.

Having said that... bollocks, you're right. Roman was still in the ascendancy until Cody stood up and put him down in the "reset to 0-0" fair fight, and it was beautiful. True fan service, as a lot of the last 6 months have been.

4 minutes ago, The Gaffer said:

I did spare a thought for Seth losing the title then having to shower, don his Bossmans and put the hair dye in just to get immediately sparked out as essentially set dressing in the main event with all the proper big stars. 

I think that was more fan service. He may be booked as a babyface - unless he's speaking to CM Punk at the time - but I think they know quite a lot of people think he's a wally and would find that funny.

[d-d-d-dAz]

4 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

Pat McAfee's "shit" at the end reminded me of this:-

Anyone wanting my thoughts on why I don't love Samantha Irvin can consult this video.

Still, yeah, the opening match and post-match chaos was superb.

Punk/Drew is so exciting.

[Devon Malcolm]

1 minute ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Anyone wanting my thoughts on why I don't love Samantha Irvin can consult this video.

She actually grew on me this weekend. I still think she's a bit much at times but her natural reactions in this match and the main event were really funny and wholesome. 

[tiger_rick]

4 minutes ago, FUM said:

What I really like is that Cody didn’t actually win because of any of these guys. They were there to protect him from The Bloodline and I think other than an AA from Cena which he recovered from before Cody was back up, Roman didn’t take any damage from them.

Saw a little back and forth on here over whether it should have been a dog and pony show or a one on one showcasing Cody and it was also mentioned on a pod I listened to last week. I think what they did will have delivered because the audience laps that stuff up. It's an audience who, to generalise, always seem to want more surprises in things like the Rumble and the post-Mania Raw. I read some tweets this morning from people who thought not enough surprise results happened. Their audience always wants more.

I'd have booked all the extras on the Saturday tag match and had Cody win clean as a whistle. An overbooked mess after a 3 year title reign isn't what it should be, I don't think. I accept I'm not their target audience though, completely.

[d-d-d-dAz]

Just now, Devon Malcolm said:

She actually grew on me this weekend. I still think she's a bit much at times but her natural reactions in this match and the main event were really funny and wholesome. 

You're just giddy because Priest won.

[Nick James]

Roman sliding the table back under the ring was a fantastic bit of heel work.

Tremendous.

[TheScarlettChad]

They better not turn DM Hunk face. 

[air_raid]

6 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

I read some tweets this morning from people who thought not enough surprise results happened.

They can fuck off, can't they? The right story being scrapped because it was "too obvious" is something Vince believed in and that those same people used to complain about. Was it predictable that Cody, Bayley, Sami, Awesome Truth and to my mind Ripley were going to win? Yes. Did that affect my investment and enjoyment of those matches? No.

9 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

An overbooked mess after a 3 year title reign isn't what it should be, I don't think.

I think it's rather

15 minutes ago, air_raid said:

poetic for Reigns to finally get what he had coming to him.

... after so many boring defences ending with predictable interference from his hired goons. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

Maybe I'm just glad it's over? Whatever people want to say about Reigns' determination, spirit, character, performances, that he's a lovely bloke in real life, it's been incredibly boring him holding the title for so long. About the only positive I can find is that they waited for the right guy to come round to beat him.

[SuperBacon]

19 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

I think what they did will have delivered because the audience laps that stuff up. It's an audience who, to generalise, always seem to want more surprises in things like the Rumble and the post-Mania Raw.

 

20 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

Their audience always wants more.

But surely "their audience" is everyone in here that watched this weekends event and watches WWE (aka the cunts)

Unless you mean the live audience?

[Hannibal Scorch]

4 minutes ago, air_raid said:

About the only positive I can find is that they waited for the right guy to come round to beat him.

The right guy was also there at Wrestlemania 39. In fact, you have to ask yourself why now in that case. Is it because they had to pivot? Because what did another year of Reigns as champ give us? A few forgotten defences and the Rock returning to face him and due to fan reaction, swapping sides. It almost feels the extra year wait did nothing much for Cody (don’t tell me the reaction last night was any better than what he’d have received last year).

Anyway, I hope Cody gets a good title run for at least a year, he’s earned it.

Also, delighted to see @d-d-d-dAz not only so happy, but also that we have mutual feelings about Samantha!

[Devon Malcolm]

Night 2!

Rollins vs McIntyre - everything it should have been and more. From Rollins' hilariously stupid entrance to the early Claymore through a really good match to McIntyre's trolling of Punk (who was superb on commentary obvs) being his undoing and then my boy Priest's cash-in - absolutely great stuff. A few too many finisher kickouts for me but chaotic in all the right ways. I just think Priest is fantastic and he's been booked like a knob so hopefully they'll turn him babyface and at least have him feud with someone good to elevate him again.

6 man tag - didn't allow Karrion Kross to suck all the good faith out of the stadium by being utterly ridiculous and overbooked, with Scarlett and B-Fab getting the best spot! Snoop Dogg was great on commentary too, which was excellent all night.

LA Knight vs AJ Styles - didn't care a shit about this but about as tolerable an LA Knight match as I've seen. AJ's got nowhere left to go now, has he? I bet Slim Jims are shit.

Logan Paul vs Randy Orton vs Kevin Owens - another Logan Paul banger, he's still got a 100% record. Ridiculous. I don't think anyone seems to be enjoying their job more than Randy Orton right now. He's having the time of his life and his stuff with IShowSpeed was so funny. I hope they keep his stuff with Owens going. Loved this.

Bayley vs Iyo Sky - so I finally saw a decent Iyo Sky match even if the whole thing was overshadowed by Dakota Kai's outfit. Really, really good and I think the crowd might have rioted if Bayley didn't win. They *loved* her and she's getting the reactions they always wanted for her. Better late than never.

Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reigns - it doesn't matter how good a match is, if you sit and think about it logically it falls apart. That applies to every match ever wrestled. So picking this apart for being overbooked or illogical is pointless. The chances are that match you prefer is just as stupd in a different way. It was the massive chaotic spectacle a win of this size should have been on a Wrestlemania main event. The storytelling was brilliant too. Reigns losing because he can't let The Shield breaking up go, like he's got PTSD from it. Reliving The Rock/Cena chemistry. Solo hinting that he could be taking over by ordering Reigns about. Rollins sacrificing everything to take down the Bloodline. Cody calling in some favours. It was everything the Bloodline story has been at its best the last several years and added a layer or two onto it. Fantastic.

So a cracking night. Next year they should try and make both nights as good as each other. I'm never staying up to watch them both again though. I thought I was dying when I woke up this morning.