Wrasslin'

[nickh0801]

Yeah I am surprised to see Braun Strowman given the high profile stuff he's been in recently. I wonder if there is something more to it. None of the others are really a surprise, I'm sure a few places will be going after these guys. Not sure who Santana Garrett is lol.

I expect Black and Murphy to end up in AEW or Impact. They have a lot to offer a company that will actually use them. Ruby would be nice to add to the very green crop of women's wrestlers in AEW.

Lana is definitely headed to AEW if she wants to stay in the business given Miro is there. She can talk for him again which would be a good thing IMO.

Strowman is the one I don't know where he lands. With his name value and size compared to the rest of the roster I'm sure TK is going to be looking at him but the problem is once you get him what does he do? The AEW roster only has a couple guys he can go against. To me he is too big of a name for Impact to bring in. Maybe Japan is where he goes.

There's a bunch of speculation that they are getting $ off the books so they can sell the company to NBC. Nick Kahn works for NBC and has had a big role in WWE since the Peacock deal and supposedly he has been running things behind the scenes to get the books in order for the buyout later this year.

Each one of them were told budget cuts were the reason behind their release.


I know I said not even CM Punk could get me to watch AEW each week, but IF they bring in Ruby, Aliestar, and Murphy I will gladly watch on a weekly basis. I will just skip the Omega and Young Sucks stuff. Lol.


I'm super pissed Riott Squad didn't get a title run.


That's the only thing I can see Lana doing is being Miro's manager should she stay in the wrestling business.

I agree, I don't know where Braun will show up. There's no way they could realistically book him in AEW other than winning the title and keeping it forever unless someone got a fluke win over him. No one on that current roster should ever convincingly beat him, unless Mark Henry or Big Show stepped out of the booth for a match, but then the same would apply to them.....

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[Ravensforce83]

I am absolutely shocked that they released Braun Strowman. I figured he would be one of the guys they hang on to just to keep him out of AEW.

[Don Frye's Moustache]

I am absolutely shocked that they released Braun Strowman. I figured he would be one of the guys they hang on to just to keep him out of AEW.

He had one of their most lucrative deals, so it made sense from a savings standpoint and what is AEW going to do with him? He already peaked. Fans have seen the unstoppable giant and didn't care. They say the monstrous hoss of the wyatts and didn't care. He's been a face and a heel and fans didn't care. Like Pritchard has said, guys like him are attractions. Use them judiciously and they will help your company. Overexpose them and create apathy.

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[Ravensforce83]

He had one of their most lucrative deals, so it made sense from a savings standpoint and what is AEW going to do with him? He already peaked. Fans have seen the unstoppable giant and didn't care. They say the monstrous hoss of the wyatts and didn't care. He's been a face and a heel and fans didn't care. Like Pritchard has said, guys like him are attractions. Use them judiciously and they will help your company. Overexpose them and create apathy.

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True. Can't disagree with any of that

[Don Frye's Moustache]

I am amazed someone like Paige still has a job. You let go of actual performers like the Iiconics, but keep a girl who can't wrestle and isn't on TV on payroll?

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[Forgettable1]

I never thought anything different with the Undertaker. He has always been another character wrestler but I've been watching since the late 80s and grew up watching all the different character wrestlers so he was a normal wrestler for me all along. Now, so many wrestlers are generic or using their real names or a name with no actual gimmick, that the one that have a character gimmick feel out of place or somewhat wrong. Once the Attitude Era faded out, the character gimmicks faded as well. Maybe even started to fade out during that time. But like I said, I grew up watching the character gimmicks so I'm still a sucker for them. Lol. I enjoy Abadon from what I've seen of her. It's nice to see some characters starting to make their way back into the mix. Luchasaurus is another one I like even if he isn't all that great at wrestling. Lol. He botches quite a bit too, but the dude's look and character are on point for me.



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Perhaps you know better, but aren't wrestler promos now scripted by the front office? Line-by-line; word-for-word.

If so, that would explain a generic feeling. How can you have a handful of people writing dialogue for dozens of characters and not expect that dialogue to feel repetitive, stale, and unnatural? When I tune in -- which is usually for about three minutes every three weeks -- I'll see or hear a wrestler who I don't know saying things that I don't think he believes.

It reminds me a bit of Randy Savage vs Lanny Poffo. Brothers. Both articulate. But when Randy spoke it felt authentic. The pace was natural. Lanny, by contrast, often seemed plodding, self-conscious, like he was thinking it through as he was talking. That extra layer created distance that allowed the viewer to suspend disbelief. When I tune in nowadays I see a lot of Lannys: talented guys thinking their lines; the audience aware of the production not immersed in the action.

[nickh0801]

Perhaps you know better, but aren't wrestler promos now scripted by the front office? Line-by-line; word-for-word.

If so, that would explain a generic feeling. How can you have a handful of people writing dialogue for dozens of characters and not expect that dialogue to feel repetitive, stale, and unnatural? When I tune in -- which is usually for about three minutes every three weeks -- I'll see or hear a wrestler who I don't know saying things that I don't think he believes.

It reminds me a bit of Randy Savage vs Lanny Poffo. Brothers. Both articulate. But when Randy spoke it felt authentic. The pace was natural. Lanny, by contrast, often seemed plodding, self-conscious, like he was thinking it through as he was talking. That extra layer created distance that allowed the viewer to suspend disbelief. When I tune in nowadays I see a lot of Lannys: talented guys thinking their lines; the audience aware of the production not immersed in the action.

I think it's a mixed bag where some have their promos entirely scripted and they have to memorize them and some of the actual vets/good promo wrestlers are given specific talking points that have to speak on, but have more flexibility in what they can say. The bit that was on live TV where Matt Riddle forgot his lines in the backstage thing with Asuka and said "I forgot what I was suppose to say" and drove off leaving Asuka there looking dumb was legit. I've read contradicting reports where some say it was a legit live mess up on the spot and others saying it was pretaped and they redid it but Vince thought it was hilarious and fit Riddle's character so he used that on the actual show instead of the actual segment lines....

Either way, scripted promos are absolute garbage and if a superstar can't cut a good promo on their own, pair them with someone that can or just give them a couple of talking points to hit on but let them speak their own lines. That's the only way they will get better at it and it not feel generically forced.

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[nickh0801]

Well, last night's Hell In A Cell PPV was the last one without a live crowd, so hopefully things start to turn around soon with the live audiences set to return.

We can only hope. I get it, they had to do something to try to keep entertaining us all with no live crowds and I appreciate the attempt. It wasn't all bad, but overall it has been hott garbage week after week after week with the same matches and no desire to change no matter how much fans complain or quit watching. I honestly feel they had the let's just get back to live fans mentality and coasted with the same stuff each week.

I also HOPE, but don't expect things to get much better with the live crowds. They promise change every damn year and end up doing the same shit over and over. I've lost count of the number of times the head honchos came out on live TV promising chance and shake ups, only to revert back to same boring shit so I'm not holding my breath thinking live crowds being back will make them change things.

Getting a few missing superstars back on TV will make it seem like its a change for the better out the gate, but that won't last and they will just fall in line with the normal crap week after week. Once that happens, I will probably legit stop watching altogether for awhile again. I've taken a break before for a couple of years after HBK and HHH were no longer a main stay and picked back up when the Shield debuted.

They don't have that 1 or 2 SUPERSTARS to keep me interested anymore. Reigns is an excellent heel, but there is no Babyface that's on his level to compete with at the moment. Rollins has been pushed down to a midcard talent ever since his HIAC match against the Fiend. Edge will be returning soon but he is limited and basically part time now, as is Cena.

Attitude Era had soooo many different wrestlers that were over every week and now we are lucky to have 1, maybe 2 that people actually care to see. When they do have a good thing going, it changes abruptly or they completely kill it and move on like it never happened to begin with. They break up legit tag teams only to pair them with someone random 2 weeks later.


I enjoy NXT for the most part but it too was getting boring for awhile. It just now seems like it is starting to pick back up

Smackdown is watchable at least, but definitely has issues

I only watch RAW for Bray, Bliss and Rhea, and they are making that harder and harder for me to want to watch as well


AEW can kick rocks. I like Hangman Page, but that's it and I'm not sitting through that shit show each week to see him wrestle. I get more entertainment listening to Cornette rip them apart and reading all the AEW Elite fans get butthurt and try to defend that garbage more than actually watching it.

At least football will be back soon. :)

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[Ravensforce83]

Speaking of promos... Who are your all time favorite promo guys?

Obviously Stone Cold was great as was the Rock which was a big reason for the heights of the attitude era but I'm interested in some of you guys' favorites outside of that.

I loved Scott Steiner's Big Poppa Pump promos from WCW in the late 90's. He doesn't get much credit (and yes some of what he said was outlandish) but his promos were interesting AF.

[nickh0801]

Speaking of promos... Who are your all time favorite promo guys?

Obviously Stone Cold was great as was the Rock which was a big reason for the heights of the attitude era but I'm interested in some of you guys' favorites outside of that.

I loved Scott Steiner's Big Poppa Pump promos from WCW in the late 90's. He doesn't get much credit (and yes some of what he said was outlandish) but his promos were interesting AF.

My early years of watching:
Ric Flair
Dusty Rhodes
Jake the Snake

Attitude Era time frame:
The Rock
Stone Cold
DX

Ruthless Aggression up to PG era:
John Cena
CM Punk

Currently:
Aliestar Black
Becky Lynch
Bray Wyatt
The New Day
Paul Hayman


I'm sure there are others I enjoy(ed) listening to but those are the ones that come straight to mind for me.

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[Bhcforlife]

I couldn't even finish HIAC. I watched to Alexa because Alexa but that PPV needs to be done away with at this point. It's pretty simple - if you aren't going to have blood or some ridiculous spot in a cell match then don't do a cell match. It's a meaningless match when the layout of the match is identical to something without the cell, maybe just with 1 or 2 lame spots. The same goes for Elimination Chamber.

Haven't really been paying attention to AEW the past few weeks. Friday night is video game night with the boys so I'll have it on my second monitor but I don't really pay attention to it. It's on Saturday this week and I think it goes back to the normal time slot after that, so I'll be back to it then.

[Bhcforlife]

I think any best promo list has to include Chris Jericho, regardless of where he's at now, he's been really good at it for a really long time, and has a couple of iconic promos that every wrestling fan knows about.

Current day is tough, I think my list would be Cody (when the material is good), MJF (also when the material is good), Britt Baker, and Eddie Kingston from AEW. Bayley, Kevin Owens, Miz, MVP from WWE. New Day is good for comedy stuff.