WWE/NXT/AEW/NJPW Thread

[DJTJ]

I have finally arrived at the point where I've realized that I shouldn't be watching WWE any more. I'm sorry, I just can't take it any longer, it's over. Even though they have cultivated wonderful breadth of talent unlike anything they have had in years, I have come to the conclusion that I just can't deride any worthwhile entertainment from it when they are so aggressively and staunchly hellbent on shooting themselves in the foot. It doesn't matter to me anymore that Nakamura and AJ may end up having a match for the title on ppv, or that the women's division is the healthiest it's been in literal decades. They always fuck it up, and I'm always left annoyed and frustrated at their booking of literally 95 percent of their angles. I have finally come the point that every self loathing wrestling eternally threatens with: I am unsubscribing, I am done. I will probably check in the cruiserweight tournament and the women's tournament but I just cannot justify giving that company any more money. They simply do not deserve it. Not after breaking me like this.

Since then I have been able to focus more on simply watching New Japan and I can honestly say that this is the happiest I've been as a wrestling fan since 1999 when I saw wrestling for the first time. The booking makes sense, the in ring product is sterling, and the schedule is forgiving enough that I don't feel like I'm wasting my time.

Please, please, please watch Progress.

 

[Jack Brickman]

If nothing else, NXT is still great even if the main roster is largely shit.

And honestly, Payback was a pretty solid PPV overall. No amazing matches, but everything other than Orton/Wyatt (which was complete shit) was good.

 

[Real Deal]

Only way the shit gets better is if the ratings start plummeting. I've been doing my part. I get updates from here or twitter.

 

[Jack Brickman]

Only way the shit gets better is if the ratings start plummeting. I've been doing my part. I get updates from here or twitter.

The ratings have been plummeting for years. Like four years ago they had almost double the viewers they have now. Until USA hardballs them on the next TV deal, nothing will change.

 

[Tornicade]

https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/wwe-news-205-live-pulling-in-cruiserweight-ratings-on-wwe-network

some changes in store for 205.

 

[Jack Brickman]

They really need to focus on making the matches more like the CWC. That was great, but guys like Dar and Daivari really kill the flow of fast-paced matches because they wrestle such a boring style. I still have no idea why Dar gets so much TV time despite never putting on compelling matches.

And where the fuck is Gran Metalik? He was one of the highlights of the CWC and he hasn't been seen since his debut. It's like he had one botch and so they decided to never give him another shot.

 

[Tornicade]

They really need to focus on making the matches more like the CWC. That was great, but guys like Dar and Daivari really kill the flow of fast-paced matches because they wrestle such a boring style. I still have no idea why Dar gets so much TV time despite never putting on compelling matches.

And where the fuck is Gran Metalik? He was one of the highlights of the CWC and he hasn't been seen since his debut. It's like he had one botch and so they decided to never give him another shot.

Raw has so many jobbers not getting any TV time.. why not let them job for some of the 205' ers.

you could then occasionally have 205 rivals interfere in the matches

 

[Jack Brickman]

Raw has so many jobbers not getting any TV time.. why not let them job for some of the 205' ers.

you could then occasionally have 205 rivals interfere in the match.

I also wouldn't mind guys moonlighting in the division for a couple of months for the duration of a feud. Xavier Woods is literally doing nothing right now. Why not give him a 205 Live feud that lasts for two months and have him put over one of the cruiser heels before going back to work with New Day when Kofi heals up? Woods would lose nothing from it, and the division would gain because he's a household name popular on social media.

You could do that with lots of the smaller guys on the roster, or as you said just bring them down for a couple of matches to provide some variety. Why not let Almas wrestle on an episode of 205 Live and have a ten to fifteen minute hard-hitting match with someone like Gallagher?

 

[Tornicade]

I also wouldn't mind guys moonlighting in the division for a couple of months for the duration of a feud. Xavier Woods is literally doing nothing right now. Why not give him a 205 Live feud that lasts for two months and have him put over one of the cruiser heels before going back to work with New Day when Kofi heals up? Woods would lose nothing from it, and the division would gain because he's a household name popular on social media.

You could do that with lots of the smaller guys on the roster, or as you said just bring them down for a couple of matches to provide some variety. Why not let Almas wrestle on an episode of 205 Live and have a ten to fifteen minute hard-hitting match with someone like Gallagher?

I think that would be interesting.

you get the 205 guys raw match , a 205 vs raw jobber or tag team match

Neville has props because he has wrestled the raw guys.

Lets see Austin Aires against Bo Dallas

Heath Slater,Curtis Hawkins, Enzo Amore,Mark Henry, Golddust, R Truth, Titus

and of course you got midcard and higher guys you can set matches for that don't get finished because a 205 rival interferes or in reverse.

Finn Balor vs Gran metalik for example then Bray Wyatt interferes

They could also do 50.50 booking where the 205 is just as likely to win as the Raw guy.

 

[blommen]

brace yourselves fellas, the build up starts now!

 

[Jack Brickman]

Oh yay...another Wrestlemania event that will get booed out of the fucking building. Can't wait.

 

[jlegg21]

brace yourselves fellas, the build up starts now!

If those clowns really think Daniel Bryan was on his way to getting booed the way Roman Reigns does, they're even more delusional than I ever thought possible. That's flat out comical.

Bryan was about as over when he got the title as any wrestler in HISTORY. That wasnt changing anytime soon. Just horrible injury luck.

 

[Jack Brickman]

Really good NXT main event from Wednesday with Itami facing off against Strong for the title shot at Takeover: Chicago. Strong has pretty quickly established himself as one of the best workers in NXT. He's three for three in big matches between the last two Takeovers (his match with Almas was fantastic and the eight person tag at the last Takeover was a hell of a lot of fun) and this week's match with Itami, and those vignettes they did on him two and three weeks ago really helped sell him as a guy they can push to the top of NXT.

Apparently those vignettes were a test to see if vignettes still worked, and Strong started getting better reactions at house shows following them. Not exactly shocking that giving fans a reason to care about a good guy helps get said good guy over, but apparently WWE needed affirmation. I'd love to see them do those types of things more often. They did them all the time in the Attitude Era and I think it really helped guys get over before they even debuted. I wish they'd start doing them for guys about to debut on the main roster, except for the rare surprise appearance for very high profile guys like Styles and Nakamura. Like, Apollo Crews could have used a couple of those fuckers before they threw him onto the main roster and promptly did nothing with him because the fans didn't give a shit.

 

[Jack Brickman]

It's NXT Takeover: Chicago preview time!

---

Roderick Strong Vs. Eric Young
I figured they'd add something like this to the card at the last minute. Can't say I'm disappointed. Strong is arguably the best worker in NXT right now and Young is a solid, veteran hand. I feel like they're gearing Strong up for an NXT title run in the near future, so I'd imagine he'll take this one.
Winner: Roderick Strong

---

WWE United Kingdom Championship Match - Tyler Bate (c) Vs. Pete Dunne
The last time these two faced off at a WWE event, it was an absolutely fantastic match, and I expect more of the same here. Both guys are fantastic performers. Apparently, the WWE Network will release the first UK series footage Friday night, which provides the set-up matches that led to this title match. While Bate hasn't really done much as champion aside from a couple of NXT appearances, I think it's the right time to give the belt to Dunne. Bate winning the UK tournament was a great story, and they built him up perfectly as a face over two days, but Dunne is the best performer on the WWE's UK roster. I think he can do for that division what Neville has done for the cruiserweights.
Winner: Pete Dunne

---

NXT Tag Team Championship Ladder Match - The Authors of Pain (c) Vs. #DIY
The stipulation really makes this one interesting. It seems like it would play to DIY's strengths, as they are smaller and more mobile, whereas the Authors are big and lumbering. However, I find it unlikely that DIY wins here. If they were going to give them the titles back, they probably would have done it at the previous Takeover. I think this is the loss that finally causes Ciampa to turn on Gargano, leading to a rivalry between the two that culminates at Brooklyn III at the end of the summer. Gargano is over as all hell, and Ciampa can play a great foil for him.
Winner: The Authors of Pain

---

NXT Women's Championship Match - Asuka (c) Vs. Ruby Riot Vs. Nikki Cross
It really sucks that Ember Moon got hurt, because she would have made this match a lot more interesting. That said, you've got three of the four best workers in the women's division here, so this should be a good match. Nikki and Ruby have had a nice little feud going, and Asuka has continued to destroy everything in her path. It's hard to see her losing the title before Brooklyn, and I can't imagine she'll lose it to anyone other than Ember Moon, Kairi Hojo, or Io Shirai.
Winner: Asuka

---

NXT Championship Match - Bobby Roode (c) Vs. Hideo Itami
Perhaps the most interesting factor in this match is whether or not Itami will hit the Go to Sleep in front of the Chicago crowd. You know they'll be teasing that move all night. The match itself, though, doesn't really interest me all that much. I just don't see Itami winning. He's spent most of the past two years on the shelf with various injuries, so I can't imagine they'll trust him with the NXT title heading into their second-biggest show of the year in August. It's also hard to see Itami being the one to take down Roode when they've got guys like Drew McIntyre, Kassius Ohno, Aleister Black, and Roderick Strong on the roster, not to mention the likely signing of Adam Cole (BAY BAY). The smart money right now is probably on Strong being the next NXT champion.
Winner: Bobby Roode

---

This is a really damn good card, even if the outcomes of the three NXT title matches all seem pretty predictable (the UK one is more of a toss-up...I could see that going either way).

Regardless, I'd pencil this one in as a must-watch.

 

[Jack Brickman]

View: https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/865208697521393664


Owens is the best.