WWE: Unreal Discussion

[Kamran]

21 minutes ago, wandshogun09 said:

I saw that Abyss and Prichard clip doing the rounds. Sorry if this is a stupid question but why did it matter that the match overran? It’s on Netflix, not USA Network or TNN. Streaming. There’s no show coming on after where it’s caused a schedule fuck up. Have I missed something obvious here? I don’t get why he was so arsey about it. 

I'm guessing there are still countries that air Raw live where it doesn't appear on Netflix so they still have to try and keep within their allocated time.

[DavidB6937]

It's definitely not a show that's going to win over the people that already have pretty negative opinions on HHH etc.

Would be interesting to hear about people watching it if they don't know much about wrestling.

[wordsfromlee]

I watched the first episode with my wife who's wrestling knowledge only really extends to being in the same room as me while I watched NXT during the glory years. She said the behind the scenes premise sounded interesting so we gave it a go.

We both found it so boring. It just seemed to be wrestlers congratulating each other and telling them how much they appreciate them. Beyond The Mat it isn't.

We have no desire to watch anymore. I don't think I need to anyway as I presume the other episodes basically consist of:

"You're the best!"
"No, you're the best!"
"No! you're the best!"
"Can I get a selfie with you?"

[d-d-d-dAz]

I don't know why I'm keeping up with this, particularly, but here we are.

Gerwitz and Nick Khan come across like a couple of wallies when it comes to the Elimination Chamber episode.

Nick Khan clearly thinks wrestling is shit and is just one of those starfucker executive types who just always wants celebrities involved, and christ knows what hold that idiot Gerwitz has on The Rock.

It's very funny they had to whip out the graphs to try and explain the booking. You know you've got a simple, slamdunk wrestling angle when you've got the graphs to prove it.

 

[Arch Stanton]

Against my better judgement I've decided to watch this too, I knew it would be hard work at times but there are little moments and insights from some of the guys and girls that make it worthwhile. The Chelsea episode was great, I'm even more besotted with her now than I already was.

That Heel Turn episode though, fucking hell. Might need to call in sick to work tomorrow with cringe strain. Absolutely hilarious watching them all backslapping each other and talking through the idea of the Cena turn like it was some incredible, groundbreaking story they were about to tell, knowing that it turned out to be a massive pile of badly thought out shite that they would completely abandon just four months later, without even bothering to pay off the biggest story they had tried to tell in years. Watching this now makes every one of them involved look like a right wally. Triple H is chief wally, of course. So smug about his big idea throughout this episode. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

10 hours ago, Arch Stanton said:

Triple H is chief wally, of course. So smug about his big idea throughout this episode. 

Thing is though, the man hasn't got an original idea in his head.

Of all the ideas presented in the show (Jey winning the Rumble, Seth winning the Mania main event with Heyman, even the Cena heel turn to a degree), they started with him thinking something completely different and then being easily swayed by the last person he spoke to.

"So Rock, I think you stay hands off with Cody."

"Cool, cool, but how about I beat the shit out of him?"

"Great. I love it."

[waters44]

Finally got round to watching episode four of Unreal this morning (Heel Turn) and I was completely floored by the incompetence of everybody involved, yet they sit there and think they're all geniuses. It boggles the mind

"I looked at Pritchard and he said lets turn Cena and I just lost it, what an amazing idea" says Ed Koskey (or words to that effect) as if its like Alan Turing cracking the enigma code

Then Triple H goes on about calling the five most important people (which includes Travis Scott) and they're all so shocked and excited. It's hilarious to see when you know what the end result was and how they just pivoted (again) but even at the time anyone with a bit of common sense should have seen what a disaster it would be. 

Thank fuck Punk is there because honestly he appears to be one of the only people there with a few brain cells still knocking around

Then the cherry on the cake at the end is that they didn't even tell the production truck what was happening so had to talk the Director through the shots as it was happening! I just couldn't believe that! They are so lucky it turned out well because it could have been an absolute disaster. Imagine any other live TV show purposely keeping stuff like that secret and chucking them in the deep end. Absolute clowns.

How these pricks keep failing upwards I will never know

[Chili]

25 minutes ago, waters44 said:

Finally got round to watching episode four of Unreal this morning (Heel Turn) and I was completely floored by the incompetence of everybody involved, yet they sit there and think they're all geniuses. It boggles the mind

"I looked at Pritchard and he said lets turn Cena and I just lost it, what an amazing idea" says Ed Koskey (or words to that effect) as if its like Alan Turing cracking the enigma code

Then Triple H goes on about calling the five most important people (which includes Travis Scott) and they're all so shocked and excited. It's hilarious to see when you know what the end result was and how they just pivoted (again) but even at the time anyone with a bit of common sense should have seen what a disaster it would be. 

Thank fuck Punk is there because honestly he appears to be one of the only people there with a few brain cells still knocking around

Then the cherry on the cake at the end is that they didn't even tell the production truck what was happening so had to talk the Director through the shots as it was happening! I just couldn't believe that! They are so lucky it turned out well because it could have been an absolute disaster. Imagine any other live TV show purposely keeping stuff like that secret and chucking them in the deep end. Absolute clowns.

How these pricks keep failing upwards I will never know

You should watch the recently uploaded final episode of Hey! Ew to see RJ City do an absolute on-point piss take of the calling five people skit. 

[jm29195]

18 hours ago, waters44 said:

Finally got round to watching episode four of Unreal this morning (Heel Turn) and I was completely floored by the incompetence of everybody involved, yet they sit there and think they're all geniuses. It boggles the mind

"I looked at Pritchard and he said lets turn Cena and I just lost it, what an amazing idea" says Ed Koskey (or words to that effect) as if its like Alan Turing cracking the enigma code

Then Triple H goes on about calling the five most important people (which includes Travis Scott) and they're all so shocked and excited. It's hilarious to see when you know what the end result was and how they just pivoted (again) but even at the time anyone with a bit of common sense should have seen what a disaster it would be. 

Thank fuck Punk is there because honestly he appears to be one of the only people there with a few brain cells still knocking around

Then the cherry on the cake at the end is that they didn't even tell the production truck what was happening so had to talk the Director through the shots as it was happening! I just couldn't believe that! They are so lucky it turned out well because it could have been an absolute disaster. Imagine any other live TV show purposely keeping stuff like that secret and chucking them in the deep end. Absolute clowns.

How these pricks keep failing upwards I will never know

I couldn't watch any more of this series after getting about halfway through this episode. 

It just came across as so patronising and smug - that what they thought they had was the absolute pinnacle of the industry - knowing that they just dropped the whole thing with a promo on Smackdown before Summerslam, and that before that both Rock and Travis Scott had basically just disappeared with no follow up months earlier - I wonder if they are even going to even address any of this in the next series, if there is one, if they are, what excuses are they going to come up with, or if they are going to completely ignore it...

I mean, some of the backstage stuff was interesting, as it shone a light on things even if it wasn't the message they were presumably trying to get out there (the Pritchard/Abyss/Regal interaction, for example), but the smug over explanation of the Cena turn was just too much for me!

[Chili]

34 minutes ago, jm29195 said:

I wonder if they are even going to even address any of this in the next series, they are going to completely ignore it...

 

If Tony Hayers gives them a second series then that's the answer.

[wandshogun09]

Read that season 2 starts soon and I saw some shite on Twatter earlier from Heyman saying he’s “not a fan” of this show because he “grew up in an era when you defended the secrecy of the business”. Says the man who constantly talks about how some in WWE deserve an Emmy for their acting performances. Does anyone talk more complete bollocks than this blob? If he told me grass was green I’d have to double check. 

[Supremo]

Season 2 Trailer on Raw looked horrendous. Whole thing seemed to be sold on how clever they were doing that worked injury with Seth. Except it was leaked within a few days that the injury was a work, no-one bought it, it elongated the worst feud of the year and then blew up in their face when Seth stupidly hurt himself for real doing that daft Coast to Coast headbutt. Belter, lads.

[Daaaaaad!]

That 2min trailer was worse than the entire first episode of ECW on SciFi. I’d rather sit through The Zombie than watch Heyman spout his shite. 

[Supremo]

You could feel it in the moment last Summer, but that trailer all but confirms my suspicion that loads of stuff that now happens on WWE television isn't to be effective or enjoyed on a surface level, and only exists as a backdrop for threads on Unreal.

The knots they tied themselves in to create the Seth injury angle. Ron Killings shaving his head and going SUPER SERIOUS for about two weeks before immediately returning to the original character. That weird, “shoot promo,” AJ Styles cut during the Raw ad break. John Cena waking up like Ebenezer Scrooge on the go-home episode of Smackdown. “Can I just shock you? I don’t want to ruin wrestling. Despite the last six months of storyline.”

Complete bollocks that’s incredibly unsatisfying as a weekly viewer, but hey, at least it gives Jabba The Heyman some material to explain why they’re actually really clever.

Clearest example yet of how much they’ve lost their heads up their own arse. Making their core product demonstrably worse to improve the supplemental material. The company that, “makes movies,” has decided it’s worth making a significantly worse film if it allows them to have a bigger wank on the DVD extras.

[tiger_rick]

Is it possible to like anyone who hangs around in the wrestling business? Is there a thread for it? Some of the wrestlers seem like good guys/girls these days but absolutely everyone who hangs around a couple of decades either outs themselves as an utter cunt or is just infected with the wrestling disease from working with all these sewer rats.

I used to like Paul Heyman. The less you know.