The Official WWE / NXT Discussion Thread *May Contain Spoilers*

[ThriceP86]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Anggur Merah" data-cite="Anggur Merah" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p> </p><p> ...and damn, Baron Corbin can go from calm to super intense on TalkingSmack.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> It was the best promo he's ever done and I hope it's not the last! Corbin is money and has serious potential as a main event star. Even more than *cough* Roman *cough*</p>

[Ayden]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="sabataged" data-cite="sabataged" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Talking Smack may be the best show they have at all. I read they let the wrestlers go out and cut promos on their own unscripted. They are given talking points and suggestions but cut things on their own.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> And you can see how much better they are for it, right? No pressure about botching lines, just go and be yourself and get your point across.</p><p> </p><p> Corbin, Alexa Bliss, Dolph, The Miz (although hes a good promo anyway) and others have proven that unscripted is the way to go</p>

[K-Nection]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="sabataged" data-cite="sabataged" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Talking Smack may be the best show they have at all. I read they let the wrestlers go out and cut promos on their own unscripted. They are given talking points and suggestions but cut things on their own.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Back in my day they used to let them do that on Live TV.....oh they had no problem getting ratings then cough*</p>

[Russelrules44]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="K-Nection" data-cite="K-Nection" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Back in my day they used to let them do that on Live TV.....oh they had no problem getting ratings then cough*</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Oh, go on; say it! You know you want to.</p>

[Blackman]

The Goldberg promo was better than I expected. Now we just need a date. Is Mania already confirmed? <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

[Russelrules44]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Blackman" data-cite="Blackman" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>The Goldberg promo was better than I expected. Now we just need a date. Is Mania already confirmed? <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I think it's already been confirmed to happen at the Survivor Series.</p>

[The Final Countdown]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Russelrules44" data-cite="Russelrules44" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I think it's already been confirmed to happen at the Survivor Series.</div></blockquote><p> Yep. Sounds like the plan for Mania is Lesnar vs. Shane, which is hilarious to me on several levels.</p>

[steesh07]

What do people make of Sanity? Good, bad or indifferent? I'm on the fence, I like the fact that Eric Young is getting a run as well as Nikki Storm but the group don't feel legitimately dangerous, something just doesn't fit within the group. But it has made me watch NXT for the past two weeks so I shall wait and see where it goes.

[Russelrules44]

What do people make of Sanity? Good, bad or indifferent? I'm on the fence, I like the fact that Eric Young is getting a run as well as Nikki Storm but the group don't feel legitimately dangerous, something just doesn't fit within the group. But it has made me watch NXT for the past two weeks so I shall wait and see where it goes.

 

The gimmick already sounds like a complete ripoff of The Wyatt Family. Only with an actual female competitor.

 

But then again, Eric Young has turned chicken garbage into chicken salad before so...Maybe?

[iruleall15]

It does the same for me. I always open in the Chrome browser and it never crashes.

 

I will have to try this. I use the Windows 10 WWE Network App and have constant problems.

[milamber]

What do people make of Sanity? Good, bad or indifferent? I'm on the fence, I like the fact that Eric Young is getting a run as well as Nikki Storm but the group don't feel legitimately dangerous, something just doesn't fit within the group. But it has made me watch NXT for the past two weeks so I shall wait and see where it goes.

 

OK so far. Looks like it will be a slow build against jobbers for now which is fine. Some good promos from Young in the near future would help them a lot. I feel sorry for Nikki. Her rabid dog gimmick is very high intensity and has a low ceiling, IMO. After the stable has run its course it might not be easy to transition her into a better gimmick.

 

Roddy Strong's debut was mishandled, IMO. He's stuck with the lazy "Smarks know me from the indies" gimmick and predictably got a mild pop at best. It might have been a timing issue with the Dust Classic and him finishing with ROH but he's no Nakamura or Styles so he's going to suffer without some character development.

[iruleall15]

OK so far. Looks like it will be a slow build against jobbers for now which is fine. Some good promos from Young in the near future would help them a lot. I feel sorry for Nikki. Her rabid dog gimmick is very high intensity and has a low ceiling, IMO. After the stable has run its course it might not be easy to transition her into a better gimmick.

 

Roddy Strong's debut was mishandled, IMO. He's stuck with the lazy "Smarks know me from the indies" gimmick and predictably got a mild pop at best. It might have been a timing issue with the Dust Classic and him finishing with ROH but he's no Nakamura or Styles so he's going to suffer without some character development.

 

I dont see Roderick Strong being anything on the main roster. Extremely generic looking guy who looks to be on the smaller side. Especially without a character as he looks rather boring at first glance.

[milamber]

I dont see Roderick Strong being anything on the main roster. Extremely generic looking guy who looks to be on the smaller side. Especially without a character as he looks rather boring at first glance.

 

Yeah, he's a Tyler Breeze/Tye Dillinger type of guy. Enhancement talent or midcarder with solid in-ring skills who can make others look good. But without a gimmick he is rather bland. Hopefully he'll be repackaged after the Dusty Classic.

[Blackman]

<p>He's the only guy apart from the Rock I got a DVD from. Sure, he's bland, like several of the "stuck in indy" guys, but he's got skills. Then again, I haven't seen him work in close to ten years, so he might've evolved since then. </p><p> </p><p>

But like milander says: being able to make anyone look good is a godly skill in NXT-style promotions.</p>

[kingjames]

<p>I was reading someone's take online and they noted that, in some ways, the blandness of Strong works...for Austin Aries. I mean, they have set Aries up as an arrogant jerk the likes of which may never be equaled, whose ego is so suffocating that it's incredible people don't asphyxiate when they're in the same ZIP Code as him. So, if you have Aries tagging with someone, in character, who does Aries pick? Someone that absolutely will not outshine him. Someone whose physical presence doesn't draw attention to Aries' lack of height. Someone who isn't going to chafe (at least for now) at being on a team named "Team Aries".</p><p> </p><p>

That someone is Roderick Strong.</p><p> </p><p>

It's why teaming Roode and Aries in NXT is something I at least want them to hold off on for now. Sure, they've got history you can refer to, but right now their titanic egos are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too large to let them work together - especially since neither's been portrayed as being particularly crafty or pragmatic in the way egomaniacs Owens and Jericho have on the main roster. Roode is too Glorious to share the spotlight, Aries is the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived and can't stand anyone suggesting otherwise. So at least for now Aries and Strong makes a lot of in-story sense for me.</p>

[Blackman]

<p>Good god, if you'd book that Smackdown in TEW, you'd be penalized so much... Bringing in the Spirit Squad and Elsworth temporarily to have them win their matches. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p>

That wouldn't even get you a C-show. Yet it was more than that imo. Like someone mentioned: master level booking. We'd need new booking roles in TEW to replicate this.</p>

[K-Nection]

<p>I just watched the latest NXT and I didn't get the blandness vibe everyone else had gotten???? Actually the guy was showcased to be on the same level as Austin. He just didn't get any mic time. Sometimes I feel fans just need to wait a couple weeks before judging something. I seen most of the board come down on him for being a surprise entrant in a 10 minute tag match.</p><p> </p><p>

Just because he is not a Shinsuke or a Bobby Roode or even an Austin Aries is not a reason to hate on the guy. I have to admit I haven't seen the guy wrestle since Samoa Joe was in ROH the first time but I didn't see anything at all wrong with how they presented him.</p>

[milamber]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="K-Nection" data-cite="K-Nection" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I just watched the latest NXT and I didn't get the blandness vibe everyone else had gotten???? Actually the guy was showcased to be on the same level as Austin. He just didn't get any mic time. Sometimes I feel fans just need to wait a couple weeks before judging something. I seen most of the board come down on him for being a surprise entrant in a 10 minute tag match.<p> </p><p> Just because he is not a Shinsuke or a Bobby Roode or even an Austin Aries is not a reason to hate on the guy. I have to admit I haven't seen the guy wrestle since Samoa Joe was in ROH the first time but I didn't see anything at all wrong with how they presented him.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> It's not so much how he was presented as concerns for what they do with him post-tournament. He certainly didn't get the pop I was expecting so they can't rely on him just being "another indy guy all the smarks know." They need to develop a character for him or throw him into a hot storyline. If they can somehow get people chanting Roddy during their last match together and have Airies flip out on him they could feud while Itami heels up.</p><p> </p><p> As to comparing him with Roode and Shinsuke: Shinsuke didn't need a new gimmick because he's awesome and Roode was given the Glorious gimmick.</p>

[kingjames]

If I gave the impression I was ragging on the guy - which I did because I didn't say what I'm about to say - then I gave the wrong impression. Every promotion NEEDS guys you can rely on, night after night, to deliver a solid product. That is an incredibly useful skill set! You can't have a roster of 30 Stone Colds. You need midcard guys who help develop younger wrestlers during victories, who can make others look legit when they beat someone like Strong. One of WWE's holes, I think, is a very poor midcard scene. Strong may not be WWE World Champion material, or even NXT champ material, but he doesn't need to be in order to be a good, valuable pickup - which I think he is.

[CQI13]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="kingjames" data-cite="kingjames" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>If I gave the impression I was ragging on the guy - which I did because I didn't say what I'm about to say - then I gave the wrong impression. Every promotion NEEDS guys you can rely on, night after night, to deliver a solid product. That is an incredibly useful skill set! You can't have a roster of 30 Stone Colds. You need midcard guys who help develop younger wrestlers during victories, who can make others look legit when they beat someone like Strong. One of WWE's holes, I think, is a very poor midcard scene. Strong may not be WWE World Champion material, or even NXT champ material, but he doesn't need to be in order to be a good, valuable pickup - which I think he is.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Or like Triple H has said in interviews, when asked about NXT call ups - it has to be the right time/there has to be a spot for them; you can't have 9 short stops. - to use the baseball analogy he uses.</p>

[jjohns44]

Haha they spent like 10 minutes walking around the ring trying to get the entire audience going with the GOLDBERG chant but instead backfired. You could just see them going "what the hell is with these people? Wheres the chants from last week"

[milamber]

<p>Raw started of solid in the first hour (for a go-home show), then the booking team took a steaming dump on the 2nd hour, then a forced contract signing (despite Foley's heartfelt effort) to sell the women's HIAC while not committing to it as the main event, then Vince wasted a ton of money on a terrible Brock appearance.</p><p> </p><p>

There's a rumor Raw might get a post-show like Talking Smack, as if 3 hours isn't already an hour too much.</p>

[K-Nection]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="milamber" data-cite="milamber" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Raw started of solid in the first hour (for a go-home show), then the booking team took a steaming dump on the 2nd hour, then a forced contract signing (despite Foley's heartfelt effort) to sell the women's HIAC while not committing to it as the main event, then Vince wasted a ton of money on a terrible Brock appearance.<p> </p><p> There's a rumor Raw might get a post-show like Talking Smack, as if 3 hours isn't already an hour too much.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Now if they just condensed to a 2 hour show and using "Talking RAW" as the third hour they would probably thrive.</p>

[jjohns44]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="milamber" data-cite="milamber" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Vince wasted a ton of money on a terrible Brock appearance.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><p> Exactly what I was thinking. In the middle Im like "what is this promo accomplishing other than filling 3 hours? Thought it was supposed to be addressing Goldberg's challenge" instead became like 10-15 minutes of them yelling at the crowd about what to be chanting.</p>

[crownsy]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="jjohns44" data-cite="jjohns44" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="25169" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Haha they spent like 10 minutes walking around the ring trying to get the entire audience going with the GOLDBERG chant but instead backfired. You could just see them going "what the hell is with these people? Wheres the chants from last week"</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Rumor is that Vince took a crap on the Fans for it backstage, pretty much a "what is wrong with these people!!!!" rant ended by pulling the plug on the segment early via Brock's music.</p><p> </p><p> Moron. As if Minnesota, of all places, is going to go full on heel mode for one of the most over local athletes after a solid year of him being booked, at best, like a "tweener".</p><p> </p><p> Brock hasn't been a full heel for awhile now, and to expect the people of his hometown to crap on him...how out of touch are you?</p>