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

[Teh_Showtime]

So remind me again why people should pay for the network when the old content is lacking (and doesnt drive interest anyways) and the PPVs all have copout finishes?

 

Something is wrong with this company

[RKOwnage]

What an awful ending to an otherwise really fun main event.

[The Swanton825]

What a waste of three hours. I could have been earning Steam trading cards or playing Dragon Age or working on my novel.

 

Ziggler and Harper was the only really good match, I also learned that TLC matches don't work well for brawlers.

[Dawn]

Well, that PPV ties up with the Royal Rumble for the worst one of the year...Harper vs. Ziggler was a great opener, and the Main Event wasn't bad, but the booking and the finish were atrocious, rendering it unwatchable...everything else was pretty bad. I had high hopes for Cena vs. Rollins but it ended up being bad...I knew that J&J would interfere to help Rollins, but not that much, and that they would waffle it out so much...these three hours would have been much better playing or writing something.

[packerman120]

Someone remind me why I watch WWE anymore?

[Dawn]

Someone remind me why I watch WWE anymore?

 

We're hopeful...that's why we do it, but it is getting hard...

[Rone Rivendale]

The PPV was amazing, perhaps some of you should find another hobby.

[Teh_Showtime]

The PPV was amazing, perhaps some of you should find another hobby.

 

I think the live crowd should also find another hobby as well then

 

I think you need higher standards if that show is "amazing"

[The Swanton825]

The PPV was amazing, perhaps some of you should find another hobby.

 

He's right everyone. Pack up shop, a third-tier December PPV was the decider, we're done with all of pro wrestling for the rest of our lives. If you need me, I'll be trying out the Brony camp.

[shawnbill5000]

I think the live crowd should also find another hobby as well then

 

I think you need higher standards if that show is "amazing"

 

I agree in a less hostile fashion. The first match was good but the rest of the show was just lack luster. Cena v Rollins should have closed the show and what's the point of having a guy go 'yo man, I'm a monster man, I destroy man, I eat worlds man' only to have him spend 80% of the match getting his ass kicked? You had your heel win but only after looking weak (not in a chicken $hit heel way, in a easy to just beat on way)

 

So much not making sense tonight not to metion the longest 'stairs match' ever. I SO hope its the last one. Also what the hell is the point of a TLC match if you win by pinfall, doesn't that just make it ANOTHER no DQ match during the show, of which we had a ton of?

 

And now I'm ranting...grrr..

[rd_dbacks01]

Why would putting stairs over someone's waist prevent them from getting their shoulders up? And I'm pretty sure Rowan's shoulders were up.

[BHK1978]

Someone remind me why I watch WWE anymore?

 

Funny my friend invited me over his house to watch it and I had zero interest in it. Even though there was nothing to watch tonight (Everything I watch on Sunday night is either over with or on winter break.) I would still rather not watch anything then watch the WWE. As much as TNA sucks, and boy it does suck, I would rather watch that.

 

I just find myself not caring about anyone on the roster. I am not sure why or how that has happened but it has (Well the shows are not that great anymore). Even my friend who is a diehard WWE fan has now begrudgingly admitted that the WWE is not that good right now.

 

I hope the folks down in NXT can inject new life into the roster when they come up to the majors.

[milamber]

Tables, Ladders, Chairs, Stairs, Kendo Sticks, Guard Rails & Televisions Review:

 

Ziggler vs Harper (IC Championship) - Great match. I can't remember the last 2-man ladder match that had so many big spots. Given Ziggler's concussion history I'm surprised he took so many nasty bumps. Winning after all that made him look like a million bucks while also making Harper look like a beast. Harper's suicide dive head-first into the ladder was insane.

The Usos vs Mizdow (Tag Championship) - Fun match but the Usos have had enough title matches to last a few years.

Big Show vs Rowan - OK match, bad result. Rowan needed a big win before feuding with Harper.

Rollins vs Cena - Solid match, bad result. Surprise return for Reigns wasn't as exciting as it should have been given his imminent moon push. I really don't want to see Lesnar vs Cena Part 4. I don't want Lesnar to lose but Cena losing again is pointless. Lose/lose situation for me.

AJ vs Nikki (Divas Championship) - Solid effort and the hairspray cheating was a nice touch but Sasha vs Charlotte made this look like a developmental rookie match by comparison

Kane vs Ryback - OK match. Looking like a chump at Survivor Series and beating Kane is not a push for Ryback. The crowd are into him but he's treading water again.

Rusev vs Swagger (US Championship) - A pointless rehash of an old feud and it was no better or worse than their previous matches.

Ambrose vs Wyatt - Great match (for a spotfest) with a creative swerve finish. For me it worked because instead of going for Dirty Deeds and a pin Dean couldn't contain his crazy thoughts and it was his downfall. Rubber match at the Rumble I assume.

 

Verdict: After NXT R Evolution this PPV never had a chance. The opening and main event matches delivered but there were too many uninteresting matches in between. Even so the crowd were terrible.

 

[Mammoth]

I thought it was an okay pay-per-view; nothing more, nothing less. I don't know, for someone who grew up on ECW I found myself flinching and squirming more times watching TLC (and Stairs) than I did ever watching an episode of ECW. I can't figure out whether it was because I wasn't used to seeing these guys in particular (WWE guys) taking these sort of shots or because the matches were just totally over the top. Say what you want about ECW but their "extreme" nature nearly always followed a storyline but last night, it was like the wrestlers/bookers themselves knew they had a crappy show so thought they'd throw a lot of big spots in there to try and fool the audience into thinking it was a good show. I literally couldn't watch Luke Harper diving out the ring on the repeat because I seriously thought he'd broke his arm or something. Hell, there were quite a few spots like that like Big Show getting caught by the stairs off the ropes and Dean Ambrose not catching the Kendo Stick correctly.

 

Plus, for a company speaking a lot about the "future" right now, it seems they're not exactly prepared to make that next step. Ziggler - with the momentum he's on - should have lost his match against Luke Harper after a bona fide Main Eventer interrupted. Forget about the home crowd, the guy who interrupted would have huge jeers and Ziggler deserves another Main Event push at this point. The way the commentators tried to pass it off like "Ziggler is the future of the company and the Intercontinental Championship will be the tool to take him there" was just plain stupid. It's been a second-rate championship for far too long and it's just holding him back at this point and it's like they've just completely forgotten that he's a former World Heavyweight Champion. Then there's Erick Rowan being pinned by Big Show who at this point, should only be used to put people over. After the Cena Vs. Rollins match, you could say it was booked that way to make him look strong in preparation for the interference but you could have quite easily gave him the loss (allowing a stalling Erick Rowan to kick-start his career again) and pass the interference off as "an angry giant" as they so often do before feeding him to Reigns. If Rowan and Harper both got a win, I think we could have had a pretty decent programme between the two for the Intercontinental Championship. They're two of the better big-men in WWE right now and could have put on a brawl for the ages.

 

Overall? There was a whole lot of filler and not enough killer.

[RKOwnage]

Why would putting stairs over someone's waist prevent them from getting their shoulders up? And I'm pretty sure Rowan's shoulders were up.

 

I had the exact same thought. This was stupid.

 

Plus, for a company speaking a lot about the "future" right now, it seems they're not exactly prepared to make that next step. Ziggler - with the momentum he's on - should have lost his match against Luke Harper after a bona fide Main Eventer interrupted. Forget about the home crowd, the guy who interrupted would have huge jeers and Ziggler deserves another Main Event push at this point. The way the commentators tried to pass it off like "Ziggler is the future of the company and the Intercontinental Championship will be the tool to take him there" was just plain stupid. It's been a second-rate championship for far too long and it's just holding him back at this point and it's like they've just completely forgotten that he's a former World Heavyweight Champion. Then there's Erick Rowan being pinned by Big Show who at this point, should only be used to put people over. After the Cena Vs. Rollins match, you could say it was booked that way to make him look strong in preparation for the interference but you could have quite easily gave him the loss (allowing a stalling Erick Rowan to kick-start his career again) and pass the interference off as "an angry giant" as they so often do before feeding him to Reigns. If Rowan and Harper both got a win, I think we could have had a pretty decent programme between the two for the Intercontinental Championship. They're two of the better big-men in WWE right now and could have put on a brawl for the ages.

 

Overall? There was a whole lot of filler and not enough killer.

 

I honestly came into the PPV thinking that something to this effect would happen. I feel like it would have benefited Harper/whoever interfered (as long as it wasn't Kane or Big Show) much more than it benefited Ziggler. Harper had a meaningless IC Title run to further the Survivor Series storyline and now it's just strapped onto Ziggler, who seriously should be moving forward back into the main event as he is rivaling Ambrose for #2 behind Cena role right now. I guess Reigns coming back pushes both Ambrose and Ziggler down a peg, so Ziggler, if you look at him as the #4, makes sense as the IC Champion. It's just lazy booking though because they can't figure out anything to do with him long-term, I feel.

 

Rowan should not have lost to Big Show. No one will ever care more about Big Show than they do today, no matter who he beats. And I don't mean that in a good way, I mean that he's on, and has been on for a long time, a downward trajectory with the fans and no one is going to take him seriously anymore. This was a wasted opportunity for a guy that they are absolutely burying in Erick Rowan. The guy's not over at all and it's only partially his own fault. The majority is the stupid gimmick they're giving him, his stupid music, and this awful feud with Big Show. This was a frustrating PPV from start to finish, except for the quality of the opening match and watching how crazy Ambrose is.

 

Also I forgot that Rusev vs. Swagger even happened. What a waste.

[Dawn]

It's not even just because the pinfall was stupid - the whole match was. What is the benefit of having Big Show burying Erick Rowan? He won't do shit at WrestleMania anyways, and he should be a complete gatekeeper at this point. It was ridiculous, and the whole match made Rowan look stupid.

[crownsy]

It's not even just because the pinfall was stupid - the whole match was. What is the benefit of having Big Show burying Erick Rowan? He won't do shit at WrestleMania anyways, and he should be a complete gatekeeper at this point. It was ridiculous, and the whole match made Rowan look stupid.

 

Well, to be a gatekeeper, he needs to have some credibility. I think it's clear that the thought process (not saying I agree with it per say) was:

 

"We need show to destroy Rowan and look like the dominant Heel, because Roman Reigns is coming back tonight and his first fued is going to be vs. Big Show/Seth Rollins."

 

So they needed show to go over huge, so that he looks dangerous for the upcoming Feud against Reigns. I also think it's pretty clear from the booking since the "split" of Harper and Rowan that they think Harper is the star of that big man dou, not Rowan. I don't agree (I think they could both be UMC if pushed correctly) but it's pretty clear that's WWE's thinking.

[crownsy]

Someone remind me why I watch WWE anymore?

do what I do and just watch NXT and the Raw recaps on the network. NXT is the only thing they have going worth watching, likely because Vince is not involved screwing with the writers at the last second.

[crownsy]

The Ascension didn't look very interesting when I seen their one promo a while ago. Another jobber tag IMO

 

This is my fear. The vigennete made it pretty clear Vince has gotten ahold of them now, and sees them as some sort of quasi road warriors. That was not the Gimmick in NXT that they are so good at. That is some new dumb gimmick made up by one of the geniuses writing raw/smackdown or vince himself.

[crownsy]

The PPV was amazing, perhaps some of you should find another hobby.

 

Go watch NXT:REVOLUTION on their own network, then tell me it was a Good PPV.

 

TLC had a great opener, an ok match in Cena v. Rollins, and a really fun match between Bray and Dean which was ruined by one of the most dumb gimmicky endings of recent memory.

 

6/10, and that's me giving ALOT of credit to the book ends of the night.

[Dawn]

Well, to be a gatekeeper, he needs to have some credibility. I think it's clear that the thought process (not saying I agree with it per say) was:

 

"We need show to destroy Rowan and look like the dominant Heel, because Roman Reigns is coming back tonight and his first fued is going to be vs. Big Show/Seth Rollins."

 

So they needed show to go over huge, so that he looks dangerous for the upcoming Feud against Reigns. I also think it's pretty clear from the booking since the "split" of Harper and Rowan that they think Harper is the star of that big man dou, not Rowan. I don't agree (I think they could both be UMC if pushed correctly) but it's pretty clear that's WWE's thinking.

 

But the match just called for Rowan getting revenge against Big Show, who had turned on Team Cena, and was the bully on his mind. Big Show could have easily lost and attacked Rowan after the match to look dominant. Rowan had been pushed very well and the fans were loving him, but the loss killed all of his momentum, and like I said, made him look VERY stupid.

[CQI13]

That Ascension promo was terrible, my God. I didn't even mind them in NXT but this could get real bad real fast. It looked like they found some lost footage from the mid-90s. Which is never a good thing to say about anything <_<

 

Like their "TO-TAL A-NNI-HI-LA-TION" gimmick wasn't awful already.

[christmas_ape]

Rowan should not have lost to Big Show. No one will ever care more about Big Show than they do today, no matter who he beats. And I don't mean that in a good way, I mean that he's on, and has been on for a long time, a downward trajectory with the fans and no one is going to take him seriously anymore. This was a wasted opportunity for a guy that they are absolutely burying in Erick Rowan. The guy's not over at all and it's only partially his own fault. The majority is the stupid gimmick they're giving him, his stupid music, and this awful feud with Big Show. This was a frustrating PPV from start to finish, except for the quality of the opening match and watching how crazy Ambrose is.

 

Also I forgot that Rusev vs. Swagger even happened. What a waste.

 

I agree with everything you said but that... that's some cool music. Not like 'threatening oh shit he's a monster' cool... but still.

 

But yeah there wasn't anything in the PPV I despised more than the big show winning. Like someone pointed out, they are obviously building him up so Reigns can knock him down but it's just way too late for that. Big Show should be a stepping stone from (speaking in TEW terms) mid-card to uppermidcard not UMC to ME.

[Jaysin]

Am I the only one that dislikes Erick Rowan? I've never been impressed with him, other than his Booker T style side kick. He looks goofy to me.

[christmas_ape]

Am I the only one that dislikes Erick Rowan? I've never been impressed with him, other than his Booker T style side kick. He looks goofy to me.

 

I was surprised how much I enjoyed him being the surprise entrant at SS but I imagine he'll get old very fast. I just think to be a good 'big guy' you really need to be something special or the matches themselves I just find slow and boring.