WWE SummerSlam 2025 Discussion

[RedTwoster]

17 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

I think describing Triple H as a "pathetic mouthpiece" would be unfair to what his role actually is, he's way more than some puppet for TKO, and lets him off the hook for his awful judgement and lack of ethics.

I don’t think it does - ultimately, if you’re Trump’s spokesperson, you're allowing him to happen and are therefore as culpable as anyone else is. Perhaps Mike Johnson is a better comparison than Leavitt - influential enough, but clearly not top of the tree - or, crucially, the ultimate root of the problem. I perhaps made that point clumsily.

There are multiple people who deserve criticism - including Triple H, and even some wrestlers.

Edited August 4, 2025 by RedTwoster

[LaGoosh]

5 minutes ago, theringmaster said:

Triple H really hitting self destruct, it's mad how much of an echo chamber he must have to create for himself to believe this is a good move for the company

That's something I was struck by in Unreal. Vince is gone but the key figures backstage (Hayes, Pritchard, Koskey etc etc) are all long time Vince guys. All people who have been in the WWE bubble for decades and completely detached from reality. Triple H didn't create the echo chamber, he just inherited it.

[tiger_rick]

1 minute ago, LaGoosh said:

That's something I was struck by in Unreal. Vince is gone but the key figures backstage (Hayes, Pritchard, Koskey etc etc) are all long time Vince guys. All people who have been in the WWE bubble for decades and completely detached from reality. Triple H didn't create the echo chamber, he just inherited it.

That was obvious from the minute he brought them out in the aftermath of Cody's win at WrestleMania. I don't know anything for a fact, mainly because there's no one serious to ask any questions, but my reading of the whole situation is that Triple H has been quite happy with Vince's removal from the position because he clearly always wanted to inherit it. But I don't believe that they see that anything was wrong with the company itself, it's decades of scandal, it's environment of misogyny and inequality and the absolute MAGAness of the place, which is why absolutely nothing has changed.

The cameras don't shake as much, Michael Cole doesn't get screamed at down his headphones, Vince Russo booked a John Cena heel turn and the rest is business as usual. That's been obvious the whole time. 

[BomberPat]

absolutely mental that there has been months of hand-wringing over whether to bring in Alberto Del Rio, to the point of almost certainly having him written off of the Triplemania card purely because it's airing on WWE's YouTube, out of (apparently) concern over what the negative reactions would be online, and then just bringing in Brock Lesnar anyway. Maybe Trips really hasn't read that lawsuit and has a nasty surprise waiting for him. 

It's shit, but on a purely cynical level I don't begrudge them showing footage of Triple H at the White House with Trump - it's the face of your company being put over by the President, and at the end of the day, he won the popular vote, so it's not like they're embracing some pariah hate figure. And they've obviously crunched the numbers and realised that whatever they stand to lose from cosying up more to Trump isn't worth worrying about. I don't begrudge them the Hogan tribute, they're far from unique in massaging a dead celebrity's reputation.

But bringing in a wrestler named in an ongoing legal case against the company for sex trafficking is surely about as beyond the pale as it gets? It's the biggest "fuck you, we got ours" message you can possibly send, and it's depressing that people will continue watching regardless, and that online grifters will continue trying to paint the two main companies as just as bad as each other, or that there will be more focus on the booking than on any of this. And the booking's shit too.

[Supremo]

Looking on Twitter is the most depressing thing ever. No wonder they feel confident in bringing him back.

I reckon if Chris Benoit killed his wife and son in 2025 about half the population would be defending him, calling the others a bunch snowflakes and virtue signallers. He won Royal Rumble 2004! Cry more!

[BomberPat]

There is, and always has been, a constituency of wrestling fans who think we should still celebrate Benoit because he was a great wrestler, and more than a few conspiracy theorists who don't believe he did it. Far too many wrestling fans will always prioritise "is the wrestling good?" over anything else, though these days it doesn't even seem like the wrestling needs to be good either.

Edited August 4, 2025 by BomberPat

[Gus Mears]

It was really Kevin Sullivan who Vince sent those tapes to.

[Callum1993]

I think unfortunately to watch the two big companies in 2025 you have to disassociate yourself with what goes on outside of their TV character. Both companies employ people full time with allegations whether it’s Lesnar, Darby Allin, Don Callis or Sammy Guevara. Both have given a platform to Mike Tyson and Ric Flair. WWE have just spent weeks celebrating a racist in Hogan. It’s a dirty, grim business like it always has been unfortunately. Does feel as if however WWE are going down a MAGA wormhole. I’d fully expect Trump to actually appear on a show in the near future. Ditto with Vince. 

[tiger_rick]

10 minutes ago, Callum1993 said:

I think unfortunately to watch the two big companies in 2025 you have to disassociate yourself with what goes on outside of their TV character. Both companies employ people full time with allegations whether it’s Lesnar, Darby Allin, Don Callis or Sammy Guevara. Both have given a platform to Mike Tyson and Ric Flair. WWE have just spent weeks celebrating a racist in Hogan. It’s a dirty, grim business like it always has been unfortunately. Does feel as if however WWE are going down a MAGA wormhole. I’d fully expect Trump to actually appear on a show in the near future. Ditto with Vince. 

Let's not get into a load of whataboutery to excuse stuff. Brock Lesnar is part of an active sex trafficking lawsuit against the company and it's former owner. That's on a different level.

I'd love to see the industry cleaned up. It seemed like there was a lot of progress for a while but that's long gone. Like most industry in the US. Highly likely when the actual President is a sex pest and LGBTQ+ rights, misogyny and racism are just "woke" shit to be rallied against.

AEW's mistakes in this area really fucking annoy me because they are very progressive in many areas. Hiring Ric Flair is still inexcusable.

[2Xtreme_lives]

Ugh...

[Justin Breeding]

Triple H inferred in the post-SS “press conference” that having Lesnar back for one last feud was on John Cena’s retirement wishlist.

Cena is, of course, one of the main Vince apologists post-lawsuit, so as gross as that is, it’s not surprising at all. Whatever Bald Patch John wants, he gets. And you just know he also wants a Vince cameo before December. Or failing that, to be inducted into the HOF by the octogenarian sex trafficker in 2026.

[BomberPat]

given they both had a reputation as being nice guys, it's fascinating to see Dwayne and Cena actively tanking their own goodwill over the last couple of years.

[wandshogun09]

I’d like to say I couldn’t believe it when I saw this morning that they’d brought Brock back but the depressing truth is I can believe it and I’m not even particularly shocked. Rancid.

3 hours ago, Supremo said:

I reckon if Chris Benoit killed his wife and son in 2025 about half the population would be defending him, calling the others a bunch snowflakes and virtue signallers. He won Royal Rumble 2004! Cry more!

The “cry more” thing is the worst. Just a pathetic reponse adopted by weaselly little friendless, incel cunts who have nothing coherent to actually come back with. And the ironic thing is they’ll say “cry more” but it’s usually them who’s getting all emotional and angry because you don’t agree with rape or defending sexual abusers or beating women or whatever other horrible crime they’re trying to excuse or play down.

And yeah they’re definitely bringing Vince back. And what a lovely message that (and Brock’s return) sends to the women currently on the roster. Nothing has actually changed since Rita Chatterton and Ashley Massaro.  

[BomberPat]

the only reason I don't think they bring Vince back is Triple H is probably happy to be shot of the cunt. I still wouldn't bet against him being part of Cena's farewell, though.

[WyattSheepMask]

8 hours ago, Supremo said:

 

A rough night for the Karrion Kross Krew.