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

[Teh_Showtime]

pretty good PPV

 

Chamber match was plain awesome, and the 6 man was more frantic brawling that Shield does so well

 

Rock made Punk look like a trillion bucks with all of the finisher kickouts and a visible TWENTY count with no ref

 

Overall I thought they would end up putting young guys on the backburner in favor of the guys who come back around this time of year, but they showed that they have confidence in guys like Swagger and Shield when they defeated their biggest guys clean.

[Psycho Sam]

Now I regret not buying it.

[panix04]

yeah I thought it was good. disappointed with the lack of major air time for Ziggler in general recently, so it was kinda cool when he alluded to that fact on the PPV. The shield match was great, not only did they go over, but they looked strong doing so. I felt for sure they were going to be buried. I'd like to see the shield target somebody else now. Let it feel like they bested the best good guys in the WWE (can always revisit those feuds once they are more established.)

[milamber]

Show v ADR - Good opener with a rare Big Show tap out.

 

Cesaro v Miz - Great feud and a great match. The injury angle and DQ finish should pay off if Miz wins the US title at WM29.

 

Chamber Match - Predictable entry order, unpredictable elimination order. Balanced match until Henry came in and the **** hit the fan. Perfectly scripted with a few awesome spots. When Henry went I had a feeling Swagger would steal the win over Orton. US Heel vs Mexican Face!

 

Vince's Angels v The Shield - Almost as good as the Extreme Rules match. And they put the Shield over the WWE Golden Boys! Reigns (who many consider the weak link of the trio) totally killed it.

 

Ziggler v Kofi - Fun bonus match.

 

Tamina v Kaitlyn - Proves the Divas division doesn't need to suck. Give us AJ vs Kaitlyn at WM29 then call up the most talented NXT girls.

 

Punk v Rock - On par with their last match, with added storytelling thanks to the stipulation. Would have liked Rock to use a few extra moves instead of punching so much. Still, as Teh_Showtime said Rock's putting over Punk big time. The ending was overbooked but I'm hoping it leads to Punk weaseling his way into the title match at WM29.

 

Verdict: Good PPV all the way through. The results weren't as predictable as expected.

[Nathers7]

Swagger and the Shield winning was great, both were completely unexpected from my point of view.

 

Rock-Cena 2 would be an absolute letdown so I hope somehow Punk is inserted although I doubt it...

 

http://i47.tinypic.com/25kplqa.jpg

[eayragt]

A rare chance to watch a WWE PPV!

 

ADR vs Show - watched most of on 6x FF. Not interested, botch ending didn't exactly make Show look that clever, still think Ricardo Rodriguez was the mostover person out there

 

Cesano vs The Miz - 2x FF. Interesting in Cesano, not The Miz. Diabolical ending, and although I get it's a feud continuation, that's another 7 weeks until Wrestlemania

 

Elimination Chamber - solid. Would have prefered Kane and Bryan to work together for a little longer, and for participants to not break up so many submission moves. And that Swagger vs ADR should have been a post Mania feud not for the title.

 

Faces vs Shield - the logical result. That I was 50/50 on WWE booking, thanks to Cena's presence, but thankfully they did. Decent rather than spectacular, but put The Shield, especially Reigns, over.

 

Ziggler match - FF - I don't normallly watch RAW, so no need to watch a RAW match here.

 

Women's match - FF

 

Rock vs Punk - I'll admit, after the first five minutes I FF through the next 5 or so. I have heard someone said that Punk was once again buried. No way. If there had been a concious ref at all times Punk would have had the win. Still "overbooked" after that, could have done with less of that unless its a reason for Punk to be included in the title match at Mania. Not convinced it will though.

 

Decent, nowhere near as good as last years event, but that was a great event.

 

So, where does that leave Mania?

 

Rock © vs Cena

ADR © vs Swagger

 

Are booked. Punk could be added to the Main Event, but as I already said, I don't think so. Ziggler to cash in MITB

 

Triple H vs Lesnar

 

Is almost guaranteed.

 

??? vs Punk

 

Who is "???"? Hopefully, we'll find out tonight. I'll be annoyed if we get Lesnar and Triple H interaction with no hint at where Punk's going. There is another option which is Lesnar and Punk vs Triple H and ???, which would show the seeds for Lesnar vs Punk somewhere down the line. But still, who's "???"? in this scenario? There is no-one who is Vince's "go to" wrestler to step up to the plate to face Punk for him. In the tag scenario we could go with Sheamus tagging with Triple H, which would give him something to do. Else Punk whines to Vince about having done everything tonight leading to Undertaker's return, and him giving Punk the chance to do something no-one has done before - pin him at Wrestlemania. Not convinced 'Taker will be back though.

 

Kane and Bryan © vs The Shield

 

I don't think there's time for the Tag Champions to completely fall apart, but they could pass the title over to The Shield here before feuding all summer long. Who would The Shield be? I'd say Rollins and Ambrose, which would allow us to book:

 

Ryback vs Roman Reigns

 

And you know what? I wouldn't mind if Reigns lost (as long as his partners won the Tag Team Titles). However, post Rock leaving, assuming Cena has the title he needs challengers, and I'm finding it difficult to look past The Shield.

 

Cesaro © vs The Miz

Barrett © vs three other names who aren't doing anything

Kaitlyn © vs AJ

Orton vs Mark Henry

 

Huh, really need to find something for Big Show, Jericho, Ziggler (if you give him a match that they then have to be a Championship defence), and possibly Sheamus to do...

[Self]

Turned off the show as soon as Kofi was announced as Ziggler's opponent. It was gone 3am at that point. Had no patience for filler, and I'm far from a Dolph fan these days. I fast forwarded Punk/Rock the first time. Round 2 held no appeal. I was watching for the Chamber and the 6-man.

 

Really enjoyed the Cesaro/Miz match. The opening minute or so was fast-paced fun. I even liked the finish... although admittedly it might have been better on television.

 

Elimination Chamber was cool. Fun Kane/Bryan stuff. I was far from impressed by Swagger, and I'd have liked to have seen more Orton/Bryan stuff (never seen them interact, there's a novelty there for me) but liked it.

 

WWE should do more 6-man tags on PPV with main event guys. It's always a fun match type. John Cena waiting for a hot tag is gold. Finish was really cool. Roman Reigns impressed me too. Maybe it's because I already know the other 2 are good.

[Deamon]

I smell an angle were Swagger accuses Del Rio of being an illegal immigrant. I mean it just seems like something the creative team would do.

 

Shield beating the Super-Friends was the best decision they could have made and they way they did it was awesome too. Reigns is starting to turn into a monster.

[Tiberious]

Here's my Wrestlemania prediction, with matches I think will happen.

 

Rock © vs Cena - WWE Championship

 

Short of one of them breaking a leg, this is the main event. Crowds going to be 100% behind Rock, but I can't see Cena losing a second time; especially if the title's on the line.

 

HHH vs Lesnar

 

They're building to a rematch, and I'm really hoping HHH doesn't insist on getting his win back.

 

Taker vs Punk

 

If Undertaker doesn't show up tonight this probably isn't happening, but if he can't wrestle that leaves Punk without a clear opponent for WM.

 

Del Rio © vs Swagger - World Championship

 

Del Rio wins it here, but probably loses it to Ziggler cashing in his MITB afterwards.

 

Wade Barrett © vs Bo Dallas - IC Championship

 

Could well be a pre-show matchup. Either way I see Barrett winning clean here.

 

Cesaro © vs Miz - US Championship

 

Bit of a coin toss. I like Cesaro more, but I think Miz wins it.

 

Team Hell No vs Sin Cara/Mysterio - Tag Titles

 

Team Hell No are dropping the titles and splitting soon, could well be wrong about who they're dropping them too though.

 

Shield vs Sheamus/Orton/Ryback

 

Does Ryback turn heel, does Orton turn Heel, does Sheamus need to pick more reliable partners?

 

Ziggler vs Jericho

 

I'm probably going to regret betting on Ziggler ever winning a match.

 

Mark Henry vs Christian

 

This match probably won't happen, but henry needs a match and I've run out of faces for him to fight.

[Jaysin]

I really, really, really, hope we don't get Lesnar and Triple H again. It was awful the last time, we don't need a repeat.

[djthefunkchris]

I honestly don't get the appeal of Ziggler as a "Main" eventer. I certainly get his entertainment value, and I personally like his youtube shows, but I don't get the desire to make him the main champion of either brand. I love him as a side show, and a thorn in the side of any of them, but I can't see myself buying a PPV because he's in a title match, or defending one, unless I'm into the "other guy". I'd personally use him much the same way... build him up, make it look possible, the have him job (he's just to excellent not to) to who I really want to build up.

 

What's going on with Zack?

 

I've always been interested in Punk since he showed up on ECW/WWE. I honestly liked that show over the rest, and I believe him and people like Tommy Dreamer (and the "original" stable). I liked that Punk picked the Heel stable over the original, and I thought that show had a lot more to offer, had they stuck it out. Punk is one of the most refreshing characters I've seen, that can still feel fresh years later.... The way he's able to control the crowd is phenomenal. Reminiscent of Jericho. Able to shut out the "CM Punk" chants, that you know everyone wants to do, in one sentence. Able to get them back at any time, even after nailing the crowd with viscous insults. Just phenomenal, can't think of a better word to describe it.

 

Digging The Shield, see the same thing everyone else see's in them.

 

Don't really understand the Brodus/Tensai thing, but willing to see it through. IF eventually it leads to Naomi having actual match's, I'll be happy.

 

Daniel Bryan is so entertaining to me, but my wife hates to look at him. Perhaps if his hair wasn't so greasy looking and he trimmed the facial hair, he'd be bear-able to her.... As it is, I love it myself. I feel like it's all part of his character, and most of the appeal to him. The "I got carried away, I'm sorry, let's hug it out!" routine is hilarious.

 

Cena going over Rock has to happen, so not going to complain much on that. As always, Cena's character needs freshened up, but probably won't happen. If it did, I could easily see the crowd split for the match up.

 

I don't know why, but I don't see Taker vs. Punk... Perhaps because Taker hasn't shown up. I don't see Triple H vs. Brock either. For some reason I can't get Punk vs. Brock out of my head though.

 

I can't see Taker or HHH being left off Wrestlemania though. So something does have to happen.

 

I don't know why, but ever since Swagger appeared on ECW, he's been one of my favorites... would rather him get that look back though. The arrogant smile as he heads to the ring, the "swagger" in his walk, and his in ring performance was above average. Sheamus showing up, kind of killed his momentum back then I believe. I really don't like the current set up, "Redneck vs Mexican" thing going, but I guess that's one way to make me root for ADR over Swagger... about the only way though.

 

I would NOT have Punk in Cena vs Rock part II. I don't like the idea of a three-way, even a little bit. Let Cena and Rock sell Wrestlemania, let Punk come back this summer with another great "season of Punk" hopefully.

[jjohns44]

Wow, a Swagger match lasting longer than 5 minutes?! A great opponent to have in Daniel Bryan too. I've always liked Swagger myself, so gotta say I'm happy he's been given a second chance. Just hope they don't have another WHC throwaway match like the last few years and actually put effort into caring about the title.

[DaMegaFish]

RAW Spoilers in white

 

Rock wins me over by getting rid of Cena's WWE title. Finally.

[Jaysin]

[alphadraighon]

Honestly didn't think I'd like the new strap when the first unfinished pics were released some months ago. I honestly feared it would look like the NXT atrocity, but the finished product...I think it'll grow on me. Even if it's not the best one out there, it's still a lot better than the Spinner Belt.

 

Gotta say though...don't like the bull on the side plate. Makes it seem like a Rock-specific title, which it shouldn't if they're planning on using it long term.

 

Says something about the design though that the highest compliment for it right now is that it's not as ugly as the two worst belts in WWE history.

[Jaysin]

http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aaiw_prd/on/demandware.static/Sites-wwe-Site/Sites-main/default/v1361246792918/images/large/W05070.jpg

 

That's from WWE's website. That's a picture of the replica belts they're selling of the new belt.

[alphadraighon]

Interesting that there isn't a nameplate like most of the championships have.

[Jaysin]

Jason Powell from prowrestling.net is under the assumption the side plates will change depending on who has it.

[alphadraighon]

Jason Powell from prowrestling.net is under the assumption the side plates will change depending on who has it.

 

That...could actually work surprisingly well.

[Tha Black Phenom]

It's actually a very good initiative, gives each title holder each of their touch to the title belt.

[justtxyank]

Title reminds me of the AWA World title. And that's not a bad things...that's a good thing.

[milamber]

Best Raw so far this year. So many highlights:

 

Punk/Cena segment

Cesaro vs Miz (great chemistry)

ADR vs Ziggler (ADR's reverse suplex and the Ziggler's cash-in attempt were awesome)

Naomi hurricanrana on Epico

Zeb Coulter's PG racism and Swagger going over Bryan

The Shield wrestling an awesome TV match!

Sandow kicking Kofi's ass and Truth kicking Sandow's ass

Rock's new WWE belt

[jjohns44]

It's actually a very good initiative, gives each title holder each of their touch to the title belt.

 

yah, not like that crappy goofy looking spinner that was really for Cena only, but it was cool when Edge customized it for his Rated-R reign. I'm surprised for as long as Punk held it, he didn't think of throwing away that crappy title and getting one to look like Rock's new title, then again he probably wouldn't get the fans behind him to keep it around. They went crazy when Rock announced the new title haha!

[juggaloninjalee]

yah, not like that crappy goofy looking spinner that was really for Cena only, but it was cool when Edge customized it for his Rated-R reign. I'm surprised for as long as Punk held it, he didn't think of throwing away that crappy title and getting one to look like Rock's new title, then again he probably wouldn't get the fans behind him to keep it around. They went crazy when Rock announced the new title haha!

 

According to him on Colt Cabanas radio show he actually wanted to go back to the Eagle WWE Belt around the time Cody Rhodes brought back the old IC Title. So sounds like Punk did want to change the belt but was met with resistance to me.

[bigtplaystew]

That belt the Rock's holding... i saw pics of that belt or something extremely similar floating around the dirt sheets last year. For whatever reason, they didn't make the change till now.