Wrestling Entertainment - we know, you don't have to tell us!

[K-Hod]

Don’t watch it these days, but I have been watching ‘dark side of the ring’- very much an eye opener in some ways!

[DE.]

Yeah it's a very well put-together series. I think it's on hiatus now - from memory an increasing number of the series' regular talking heads were becoming annoyed with how their quotes were supposedly being used out of context.

[DE.]

Really disappointed with AEW as of late. It's just become a total mess. A bloated roster, bad booking, ROH encroaching into AEW programming like an unwanted fungus... 

WWE meanwhile has improved a lot since Vince quit. Hardly a shock considering how backwards Vince's ideas had become, but I genuinely prefer WWE to AEW now, and I never thought I'd say that. 

[J*B]

Logan Paul is a superstar

[DE.]

He's a total natural. It was clear from his first match that he just gets it, and has the natural athleticism to perform at the same level as the pros. Unfortunate that he suffered some pretty bad injuries at Crown Jewel. Not sure when he'll be back.

[Dreyski]

Reported as torn meniscus and MCL, and potential torn ACL. According to Paul himself, the injury occured halfway through the match. I couldn't imagine going 10+ mins on a busted knee. 

[Mike E]

Lots of really basic but obvious changes going on with HHH. Chiefly:

1. Fewer gimmick-based PPVs: Money In The Bank returning to Wrestlemania, and Hell-In-A-Cell being reserved for the biggest feuds as/when required (instead of contriving to fit a plotline every year).

2. Returning the King of the Ring tournament to PPV status.

I hope he also follows up by returning the old school Survivor Series 5v5 format to legit feuds rather than brand-vs-brand.

[Mike E]

Reports that SCSA is being approached to do another match.

Personally feel like the best opponent for him is Brock Lesnar, because the feud is rooted from 20 years ago when Austin walked out over a match with Brock.

[Dreyski]

So Vince McMahon returns as executive chair and Steph has resigned. Rumours suggest that Vince is looking to sell WWE to the Saudis.

Just when things are going in the right direction…

[DE.]

Most of the rumours are saying the deal is done. One assumes if it is the company will go private, ultimate control returns to Vince, and we are basically in the darkest timeline as far as WWE is concerned. Sami Zayn will almost certainly be unable to continue with the company, you'd have to think, which is a huge shame considering he's at his professional peak right now. 

Grim for WWE fans, but could be a big boost for AEW - unless the Saudis start throwing crazy money around to pay the wrestlers, in which case it could cause them some major headaches. 

Edited January 11, 2023 by DE.

[DE.]

CNBC now reporting the Saudi sale isn't happening and the rumours were never true to begin with. Makes you wonder what the purpose was of putting this out there in the first place - too much smoke for there not to be a fire somewhere, even if the actual rumour itself was a falsehood. Certainly drove the stock price up.

[Dreyski]

I'm quite happy to take this report with a pinch of salt, but surely not..?

Quote

-- Rumors of a WWE sale are rampant and while many expect the company to be sold within the next six months, there is no clear cut favorite on which entity will be the one to land the promotion with Comcast, FOX, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, Amazon, Endeavor, Liberty Media and Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund as all the names that seem to be in the mix. There may be another dark horse buyer interested.

-- Barron's, the sister publication to the Wall Street Journal which has been breaking/leaking WWE news over the last few months, reports that Shahid and Tony Khan, who own AEW, are also said to be interested in buying WWE. The story suggests they are in the "pool of potential buyers for WWE" but would look for a financial partner to acquire the asset rather than presumably purchasing it directly. Tony Khan had already gone record to say that he is paying very close attention to any potential sale for WWE.

As per Rajah.com

[DE.]

I mean, logically it makes sense for the Khans to be interested if their only major competitor is for sale. In fact it would be crazy if they weren't. I can't see it happening though - I don't think Vince would entertain them for a start. It would be incredibly ironic, though, if the same people that ended the wrestling monopoly in the US ended up becoming the monopoly themselves.

[Mike E]

I know WM is always fun, but the Rumble is the best event in wrestling. Always brings me back, no matter how god/bad/indifferent my feelings on WWE.

[DE.]

I feel the need to express just how amazing that final segment at the Royal Rumble was. Not even exaggerating when I say it may be the best segment WWE have ever produced, in any era. I never thought I'd say that about something from the modern product, but I was blown away by how well they executed Sami Zayn's excommunication from the Bloodline. 

The initial beatdown of Owens was brutal enough, with Sami clearly becoming more and more conflicted as it went on. Sami has been a heel for some time, but he's never been a truly vicious heel. Sneaky and willing to cheat, but never truly violent. When Roman goes to use the chair Sami isn't able to stand by anymore and gets between Owens, cuffed helplessly on the ropes, and Reigns - telling Roman that enough is enough, and there's no need to go any further.

Roman then hands Sami the chair and his final test has arrived - to truly integrate himself into the Bloodline, he has to shed his integrity and fully submit to the tribal chief. Sami protests, but Roman says he's come too far now and there's no turning back. He tells Sami that Owens is an anchor holding him down, and that Roman is one who really loves him and has given him everything. Reigns wants to break Sami's spirit and resistance in the same way he did with Jey. Sami can't bring himself to do it, as Roman screams at him that he was nothing before the Bloodline, doing "Jackass shit" and that without the Bloodline he'll go back to irrelevance. Reigns plays the gaslighting manipulator to perfection, a nasty, evil bully who toys with the emotions of those beneath him. 

There's a brief moment where Sami is behind Roman with the chair, and it appears like he might hit him with it. The crowd are audibly anticipating this, but Roman turns around and Sami looks away, lowering the chair and saying he can't do it (he could be talking about Roman or Owens here). Roman mockingly yells at Sami for crying, shoving him in the face until Sami very briefly goes nose-to-nose with Roman, then after a couple of seconds averts his gaze as he realises how close to the precipice he is.  

Sami appears to have been bullied into compliance, nodding his acceptance of what he has to do. Roman turns his back to Sami and there's a clear callback to The Shield breakup. Reigns knows there's a possibility Sami will strike him, but this is the ultimate test as to whether Sami will pledge his total allegiance or, in Roman's mind, prove himself to be a traitor. 

The pop when Sami strikes Roman with the chair is unbelievable, so loud it distorts the sound on the feed. There hasn't been a pop like that in WWE for years. Roman collapses to his knees, his face contorted in pain - some physical, but partially emotional as well, as to him this is another betrayal from somebody he feels owes him everything. Sami stares down at Reigns with a combination of defiance and fear, knowing that he's just gone past the point of no return, and that he's going to suffer some serious consequences. 

At this point he could have started attacking the rest of the Bloodline, but it's Roman he has the problem with, not the others. He does consider himself a part of the family, and he doesn't want to attack them. Nor does he have it in him to go further with his attack on Roman. Heyman stands on the apron in shock, with Jimmy wearing a stunned expression as well. Zayn throws down the chair and turns to Jey - the one person who stood up for him when nobody else would - and apologises. Jey's body is rigid with fear and shock, as he screams at Sami in disbelief, looking like he's on the verge of tears.

Jimmy, enraged, superkicks Sami and knocks him down. Roman is shown with his hands over his face, trembling with anger and vulnerability. Jimmy mounts Sami and hammers him across the head repeatedly. Solo shoves Jimmy off and for a moment there's a possibility that Solo will come to Sami's aid, but instead he drops Sami with the Samoan Spike. Reigns, overcome with rage, yells for them to "kill him". Jimmy and Solo comply as Roman screams furiously in Sami's face. 

Heyman, previously very animated, flinches uncomfortably on the apron as he watches. Jey meanwhile shrinks into the corner, frozen in position, perfectly encapsulating how a person who has been abused themselves would feel upon watching the same thing happening to somebody they consider family. The crowd begins to chant for Jey, and Roman glances over at him with a confused expression, wondering why Jey is refusing to join in. Jimmy asks his brother what he's doing, yelling at him that Sami isn't his brother, the Bloodline are. 

As Roman slowly stalks over towards Jey, he drops his head and then rolls out of the ring, causing the crowd to collectively gasp. Jey gives Roman a look of unfiltered hatred and resentment as he leaves the ring, and then breaks down in tears as he walks away - the crowd cheer loudly in approval. Roman's face is now twitching with anger, and he becomes incandescent with absolute rage as he sees that his family, the Bloodline he's built, is falling apart - all thanks to Sami.

Roman picks the chair back up, snarling "you broke my family" at Sami before repeatedly smashing him with the chair. Even Heyman struggles to look as Roman destroys Sami with a chair, looking terrified as Roman pounds Sami across the face with his forearms and tears Sami's Honorary Uce shirt from his body. There's a moment of reflection on Roman's face as it dawns on him that he has completely lost control of everything. He stares out at the crowd in shock as a "fuck you Roman" chant rings out. Jimmy tosses what remains of Sami's shirt on top of him as the Bloodline leaves the ring to a chorus of boos.   

Just a masterfully produced segment with every person involved doing an incredible job. Wrestling at its finest. 

Edited January 30, 2023 by DE.

[Mike E]

3 hours ago, DE. said:

I feel the need to express just how amazing that final segment at the Royal Rumble was. Not even exaggerating when I say it may be the best segment WWE have ever produced, in any era. I never thought I'd say that about something from the modern product, but I was blown away by how well they executed Sami Zayn's excommunication from the Bloodline. 

The initial beatdown of Owens was brutal enough, with Sami clearly becoming more and more conflicted as it went on. Sami has been a heel for some time, but he's never been a truly vicious heel. Sneaky and willing to cheat, but never truly violent. When Roman goes to use the chair Sami isn't able to stand by anymore and gets between Owens, cuffed helplessly on the ropes, and Reigns - telling Roman that enough is enough, and there's no need to go any further.

Roman then hands Sami the chair and his final test has arrived - to truly integrate himself into the Bloodline, he has to shed his integrity and fully submit to the tribal chief. Sami protests, but Roman says he's come too far now and there's no turning back. He tells Sami that Owens is an anchor holding him down, and that Roman is one who really loves him and has given him everything. Reigns wants to break Sami's spirit and resistance in the same way he did with Jey. Sami can't bring himself to do it, as Roman screams at him that he was nothing before the Bloodline, doing "Jackass shit" and that without the Bloodline he'll go back to irrelevance. Reigns plays the gaslighting manipulator to perfection, a nasty, evil bully who toys with the emotions of those beneath him. 

There's a brief moment where Sami is behind Roman with the chair, and it appears like he might hit him with it. The crowd are audibly anticipating this, but Roman turns around and Sami looks away, lowering the chair and saying he can't do it (he could be talking about Roman or Owens here). Roman mockingly yells at Sami for crying, shoving him in the face until Sami very briefly goes nose-to-nose with Roman, then after a couple of seconds averts his gaze as he realises how close to the precipice he is.  

Sami appears to have been bullied into compliance, nodding his acceptance of what he has to do. Roman turns his back to Sami and there's a clear callback to The Shield breakup. Reigns knows there's a possibility Sami will strike him, but this is the ultimate test as to whether Sami will pledge his total allegiance or, in Roman's mind, prove himself to be a traitor. 

The pop when Sami strikes Roman with the chair is unbelievable, so loud it distorts the sound on the feed. There hasn't been a pop like that in WWE for years. Roman collapses to his knees, his face contorted in pain - some physical, but partially emotional as well, as to him this is another betrayal from somebody he feels owes him everything. Sami stares down at Reigns with a combination of defiance and fear, knowing that he's just gone past the point of no return, and that he's going to suffer some serious consequences. 

At this point he could have started attacking the rest of the Bloodline, but it's Roman he has the problem with, not the others. He does consider himself a part of the family, and he doesn't want to attack them. Nor does he have it in him to go further with his attack on Roman. Heyman stands on the apron in shock, with Jimmy wearing a stunned expression as well. Zayn throws down the chair and turns to Jey - the one person who stood up for him when nobody else would - and apologises. Jey's body is rigid with fear and shock, as he screams at Sami in disbelief, looking like he's on the verge of tears.

Jimmy, enraged, superkicks Sami and knocks him down. Roman is shown with his hands over his face, trembling with anger and vulnerability. Jimmy mounts Sami and hammers him across the head repeatedly. Solo shoves Jimmy off and for a moment there's a possibility that Solo will come to Sami's aid, but instead he drops Sami with the Samoan Spike. Reigns, overcome with rage, yells for them to "kill him". Jimmy and Solo comply as Roman screams furiously in Sami's face. 

Heyman, previously very animated, flinches uncomfortably on the apron as he watches. Jey meanwhile shrinks into the corner, frozen in position, perfectly encapsulating how a person who has been abused themselves would feel upon watching the same thing happening to somebody they consider family. The crowd begins to chant for Jey, and Roman glances over at him with a confused expression, wondering why Jey is refusing to join in. Jimmy asks his brother what he's doing, yelling at him that Sami isn't his brother, the Bloodline are. 

As Roman slowly stalks over towards Jey, he drops his head and then rolls out of the ring, causing the crowd to collectively gasp. Jey gives Roman a look of unfiltered hatred and resentment as he leaves the ring, and then breaks down in tears as he walks away - the crowd cheer loudly in approval. Roman's face is now twitching with anger, and he becomes incandescent with absolute rage as he sees that his family, the Bloodline he's built, is falling apart - all thanks to Sami.

Roman picks the chair back up, snarling "you broke my family" at Sami before repeatedly smashing him with the chair. Even Heyman struggles to look as Roman destroys Sami with a chair, looking terrified as Roman pounds Sami across the face with his forearms and tears Sami's Honorary Uce shirt from his body. There's a moment of reflection on Roman's face as it dawns on him that he has completely lost control of everything. He stares out at the crowd in shock as a "fuck you Roman" chant rings out. Jimmy tosses what remains of Sami's shirt on top of him as the Bloodline leaves the ring to a chorus of boos.   

Just a masterfully produced segment with every person involved doing an incredible job. Wrestling at its finest. 

Presents an interesting dilemma for them re: Rumble winner (Cody) or Sami at Mania.

I feel like a good compromise would be Roman vs Sami at EC. Roman wins by interference from Jimmy and Solo. Beatdown continues after the match, with KO and Jey coming out to even the odds.

Sets up for Mania:

Roman vs Cody

Solo vs Jimmy vs Jey

Sami and KO team up for tag titles.

Future:

Solo eventually goes over Roman, and goes on a tear similar to Gunther's. Solo could then be the one to go over Rock at a future Mania or Summerslam.

[DE.]

I get the feeling WWE wasn't really expecting the groundswell of support that's built up for Sami over the past few months. He's gone from being a mildly entertaining heel to arguably the most over person in the entire promotion. The obvious choice here is to have Sami take the title from Roman at WrestleMania, but the plan is clearly for Cody to play that role. It's tricky as Cody has no storyline with Roman at this juncture, and it's going to be impossible to get close to Roman/Sami's level within a couple of months. There's a very real danger that the fans could turn on Cody at WM as he simply isn't the person they want to see dethrone Roman. 

The only way I can really think of getting out of the situation would be to have a three-way match between Roman/Sami/Cody where there are two falls - one for the Universal title and one for the WWE title. Once Roman loses his first title (to Cody) he becomes increasingly desperate not to lose the other one and goes to every conceivable length to retain, but somehow Sami is still able to pin him and take the other belt off Roman. Possibly with help from Jey. 

Idk, there's drawbacks to that too, but it's a tough one to call.

[Mike E]

2 hours ago, DE. said:

I get the feeling WWE wasn't really expecting the groundswell of support that's built up for Sami over the past few months. He's gone from being a mildly entertaining heel to arguably the most over person in the entire promotion. The obvious choice here is to have Sami take the title from Roman at WrestleMania, but the plan is clearly for Cody to play that role. It's tricky as Cody has no storyline with Roman at this juncture, and it's going to be impossible to get close to Roman/Sami's level within a couple of months. There's a very real danger that the fans could turn on Cody at WM as he simply isn't the person they want to see dethrone Roman. 

The only way I can really think of getting out of the situation would be to have a three-way match between Roman/Sami/Cody where there are two falls - one for the Universal title and one for the WWE title. Once Roman loses his first title (to Cody) he becomes increasingly desperate not to lose the other one and goes to every conceivable length to retain, but somehow Sami is still able to pin him and take the other belt off Roman. Possibly with help from Jey. 

Idk, there's drawbacks to that too, but it's a tough one to call.

Maybe they could pull the focus to Sami and KO. Sami has realised his truest friend is his oldest friend, and so the tags vs the Usos are where he goes.

Cody's storyline is all about the WWE title, so Roman could hold on to the Universal title and lose it to Rock (or something) at Summerslam?

[DE.]

Just now, Mike E said:

Maybe they could pull the focus to Sami and KO. Sami has realised his truest friend is his oldest friend, and so the tags vs the Usos are where he goes.

Cody's storyline is all about the WWE title, so Roman could hold on to the Universal title and lose it to Rock (or something) at Summerslam?

The only other logical place to go with this would be to have Sami & Kevin defeat the Usos for the tag belts. It'd still be huge in its own right as the Usos have held those belts for a super long time now. You'd need Jey to turn on Sami at Elimination Chamber, cost him the match against Roman and basically transfer the Roman/Sami heat all onto the Usos. It can be done, but WWE really have to nail that story and basically make Sami beating the Usos as desireable as Sami beating Roman. Then pray that the smarky crowd at WM still accepts Cody as the man to defeat Roman. I think they probably will, as Cody is really well liked by the fans at the moment, but it's one of those situations where you have to tread carefully.

[DE.]

Appreciate this thread is pretty much dead nowadays, but it's been a wild few days so posting my thoughts into the void regardless...

WM Night 1 - fantastic show. Logical finishes, well paced, great matches. Excellent job all around.

WM Night 2 - killed all momentum. Brock/Omos was actually alright. Women's tag sucked. Lashley appearing for 20 seconds to carry his pointless trophy was idiotic. Reportedly he and LA Knight were supposed to have a segment but it was cut at the last minute. I wonder who could have done that? Three way for the IC title was awesome. Bianca and Asuka's match was fine, but Bianca winning again is extremely boring. The Shane/Miz/Snoop segment was a car crash. HIAC match was good, even after Balor got busted open after Edge yeeted that ladder at him, but I question Edge going over. Main event was great until the ending, which was a complete joke and wrecked the story they've been telling. The Bloodline storyline peaked at Elimination Chamber and they weren't brave enough pull the trigger on Zayn. Momentum was still there for Cody but they passed on that too. Now I just don't care. 

WWE then announces it's been sold to Endeavour, UFC owners. Pretty much comes out of nowhere. WWE is officially no longer owned by the McMahon family - however...

Vince is now back in charge, fully. He most likely was the reason WM Night 2 sucked, and is conclusively the reason why last night's Raw was 90% shit. By all accounts it was back to the bad old days all around. 

It's been a good run for the past 6 months, for the most part, but that'll be me done with WWE again. AEW may not be great right now, but I appreciate that it's there. 

Edited April 4, 2023 by DE.

[Mike E]

Let me talk to ya.

The momentum picked up by a guy who has spent a lacklustre 20 years busting a gut and trying and trying and trying again has made a relatable legend in-the-making. He’s simply (but very effectively and entertainingly) a throwback to the attitude era, combining aspects of each of the Mount Rushmore of WWE, and it’s astounded me that he is actually an incredibly humble guy off camera.

He describes his character as himself at a party melded with himself in an argument, and turned up to 11. No wonder he feels so authentic.

I’m back into wrestling because of this guy, and I’ve completely bought in to the megastar. Who’s game is it? Well everybody’s sayin’ L A Knight, YEAH!

Edited July 30, 2023 by Mike E

[DE.]

I don't really watch wrestling at the moment, but I remember being really impressed by LA Knight when he was Eli Drake in the early days of NWA Powerrr. You could instantly tell the guy just had that "it" factor. 

As usual Vince didn't get it and nearly ruined his WWE trajectory by attempting to turn him into a campy manager, but thankfully he's been revived by Triple H. 

It's obviously a shame it's taken him this long to get to the position he's in, but I hope he stays clear of injuries and has a great few years. 

[K-Hod]

I don’t watch wrestling nowadays, but I’ve been following an account on Instagram called ‘pipe bomb news’ and they brought this back into my life:

 

[Silas]

What a guy The Rock is. Big heart:

 

 

[Mike E]

The People’s Champion by name and by nature.