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

[Fantabulous]

I don't see Morrison winning the WWE title, at least not this year. I think he's comfortably slotted into the position of secondary challenger, someone who can go for the title on Raw or the occasional 'B' level PPV. The WWE title is probably staying on Miz until Mania; WWE like the idea of a heel holding the WWE/World title for a few months heading into Mania where a valiant babyface can, usually, take it from him. WWE seem high on Miz so he's probably heading into Mania with the belt, maybe with the added heat of sneaking out of No Way Out's Raw Elimination Chamber match with the title by the skin of his teeth. Cena or probably Orton are best bets to take it from him so Morrison isn't seeing the WWE title for a while, if ever.

 

Del Rio is a lock to get the World title at some point. If Cena or Orton are winning the WWE title at Mania, then that leaves the World title free for a heel to win, or retain, earlier in the night. Maybe Del Rio gets it at Smackdown's Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out and keeps it for a while?

[lazorbeak]

I don't see Morrison winning the WWE title, at least not this year. I think he's comfortably slotted into the position of secondary challenger, someone who can go for the title on Raw or the occasional 'B' level PPV. The WWE title is probably staying on Miz until Mania; WWE like the idea of a heel holding the WWE/World title for a few months heading into Mania where a valiant babyface can, usually, take it from him. WWE seem high on Miz so he's probably heading into Mania with the belt, maybe with the added heat of sneaking out of No Way Out's Raw Elimination Chamber match with the title by the skin of his teeth. Cena or probably Orton are best bets to take it from him so Morrison isn't seeing the WWE title for a while, if ever.

 

Del Rio is a lock to get the World title at some point. If Cena or Orton are winning the WWE title at Mania, then that leaves the World title free for a heel to win, or retain, earlier in the night. Maybe Del Rio gets it at Smackdown's Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out and keeps it for a while?

 

While I don't disagree with much of this, the year does go on past Wrestlemania. Jeff Hardy never won a title at Wrestlemania (or even had a title shot). I could easily see Morrison in the title picture by May/June. But he's still more of a long shot I think than Del Rio. Morrison is still not totally comfortable on the mic and despite the beard he is still a little too pretty to be a top babyface. Del Rio is just an amazing prospect and I'd be really surprised if he isn't champion going into Summerslam.

[Fantabulous]

If Morrison does win the WWE title, that would require Cena and Orton to be busy with their own feuds to keep them out of the title picture. Cena and Punk is something I can see going for months, maybe into the Summer, so we'll rule Cena out for the purpose of this argument. What about Orton? I don't see a strong enough heel on Raw that Orton can feud with to keep him away from the title picture.

 

So I checked up the Raw roster, and as someone who admittedly pays cursory attention Raw, am I missing something or are there no strong heels on Raw apart from Miz and Punk?

[Teh_Showtime]

well Barret just moved to SD abruptly and Sheamus has taken the jobber to the Stars role

 

edit: These biblical references are starting to become more and more apparent and they even quoted something from the book of 'Zeke.

 

and lol at Cole's line at Barreta. Play as yoursel on SvR and you might actually win.

[Candyman]

I don't see Morrison winning the WWE title, at least not this year. I think he's comfortably slotted into the position of secondary challenger, someone who can go for the title on Raw or the occasional 'B' level PPV. The WWE title is probably staying on Miz until Mania; WWE like the idea of a heel holding the WWE/World title for a few months heading into Mania where a valiant babyface can, usually, take it from him. WWE seem high on Miz so he's probably heading into Mania with the belt, maybe with the added heat of sneaking out of No Way Out's Raw Elimination Chamber match with the title by the skin of his teeth. Cena or probably Orton are best bets to take it from him so Morrison isn't seeing the WWE title for a while, if ever.

 

Del Rio is a lock to get the World title at some point. If Cena or Orton are winning the WWE title at Mania, then that leaves the World title free for a heel to win, or retain, earlier in the night. Maybe Del Rio gets it at Smackdown's Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out and keeps it for a while?

 

I'd say pump the brakeson Del Rio...he may very well be a World champion some day, but that day isn't here yet and it won't be in the next month or two. The very earliest he'd win it is July, if he wins MITB and cashes in right away. He's far from winning the title in a legitimate match. Morrison's closer, but there's just now establishing him as somebody that can contend for the title...and it's a big leap from contender to champion. It's certainly possible that he wins the title sometime in the second half of this year, but it's not a guarantee.

 

(btw, the PPV is actually called Elimination Chamber now, not No Way Out, lol.)

 

If Morrison does win the WWE title, that would require Cena and Orton to be busy with their own feuds to keep them out of the title picture. Cena and Punk is something I can see going for months, maybe into the Summer, so we'll rule Cena out for the purpose of this argument. What about Orton? I don't see a strong enough heel on Raw that Orton can feud with to keep him away from the title picture.

 

So I checked up the Raw roster, and as someone who admittedly pays cursory attention Raw, am I missing something or are there no strong heels on Raw apart from Miz and Punk?

 

Sheamus. Conventional wisdom dictates he'll be busy fueding with Triple H at some point, but once that's out of the way, he could certainly fued with Orton. There's also the possibility of Triple H going heel when he comes back...I certainly don't expect him to be on Raw with Cena and Orton and all three being faces. And we're completely ignoring the possible changes a draft would bring...Morrison, Cena, or Orton could all end up on SD, or other heels could be brought over to Raw, or anything else could happen.

[MrCanada]

is it just me or does sitting through WWE (or TNA for that matter) simply not matter anymore? I mean, now all you need to do is watch the highlight bits they do after and before every commercial and you can pretty much catch all the important stuff.

 

Always makes me wonder when I watch 2 hours of RAW how it can usually be summed up in some sort of RAW Rebound on NXT the next night in 4 minutes. I think this is a huge problem no one really talks about, or at least if people notice they dont talk about.

 

Back in the day of WWF vs. WCW if you didnt watch the whole show from start to finish (sans a Mark Henry match or something) you felt you missed something. now I tend to just read results and watch highlights..... is it just me or is that all wrestling is good for lately?

[Teh_Showtime]

Yes the shock value of the 90s is non existant. Back then there was a true war for viewers, so the creative team had to do everything to keep their viewers interested.

[lazorbeak]

is it just me or does sitting through WWE (or TNA for that matter) simply not matter anymore? I mean, now all you need to do is watch the highlight bits they do after and before every commercial and you can pretty much catch all the important stuff.

 

Always makes me wonder when I watch 2 hours of RAW how it can usually be summed up in some sort of RAW Rebound on NXT the next night in 4 minutes. I think this is a huge problem no one really talks about, or at least if people notice they dont talk about.

 

Back in the day of WWF vs. WCW if you didnt watch the whole show from start to finish (sans a Mark Henry match or something) you felt you missed something. now I tend to just read results and watch highlights..... is it just me or is that all wrestling is good for lately?

 

Say what? Recaps and highlight packages were invented during WWF/WCW wars. Every WWF show from that era came with intro video packages that summed up the current major storylines, and anything important was talked about repeatedly during the midcard/minor segments. What you're talking about is pure rose-tinted nostalgia. I'm pretty sure girls were prettier and food was tastier in 1998, too.

[Wrestling Century]

I've missed the past two Raws and I missed the last Smackdown. Did I miss anything important?

[UkWrestleFan]

Way to go, Batista jr.

[Self]

is it just me or does sitting through WWE (or TNA for that matter) simply not matter anymore? I mean, now all you need to do is watch the highlight bits they do after and before every commercial and you can pretty much catch all the important stuff.

 

Always makes me wonder when I watch 2 hours of RAW how it can usually be summed up in some sort of RAW Rebound on NXT the next night in 4 minutes. I think this is a huge problem no one really talks about, or at least if people notice they dont talk about.

 

Back in the day of WWF vs. WCW if you didnt watch the whole show from start to finish (sans a Mark Henry match or something) you felt you missed something. now I tend to just read results and watch highlights..... is it just me or is that all wrestling is good for lately?

 

Ideally there should be some some of draw in seeing the matches, which I guess is lost nowadays. They're not important or satisfying enough in and of themselves, and the emotion of a seeing a good match unfold in front of your eyes is something a highlight package can only hint at.

 

I love the recap packages. I watched Superstars the other day which highlighted the RAW where Punk joined Nexus, and that video package not only caught me up to where I could conceivably watch the next RAW, but actually made me want to tune in next Monday to boot. Those guys in the production truck do good work.

 

In mainstream television, you don't want a situation where if a viewer accidentally misses an episode, they'll be lost the following week. If they feel lost, unable to catch up, they might never come back. That's why most dramas come with "Previously on Lost" or "Last Time on 24" packages. WWE do the same thing, albeit spread over their B shows. Ideally, the actual show should be entertaining enough where the bullet-point highlights are a weak alternative to watching the real thing.

 

P.S. WWE may not rock, but Wrestling as a whole is good for lots of things.

P.P.S. Barry Griffiths! Yeah!

[Self]

Watching a little RAW for the Morrison/Bryan match, and... Wow Punk's Nexus is lame. It's totally lost the flavour of the original group. Do they even call it Nexus?

 

Match was fine. Short, and nothing kills my interest in a match like a commercial break. Was a really nice series of reversals and packages though. Would love to see them in a PPV and/or Superstars match, although I guess they're both too high up the card for the latter these days.

[dvdWarrior]

Do they even call it Nexus?

 

I think they've been referring to it as "The New Nexus" - no idea if that's an official name or not, though I doubt it. I think they should call them Noxious myself, but that's just me.

 

They do seem to have lost something as a group, but I think Punk's pretty cool as their leader.

[juggaloninjalee]

Punk's Nexus should be called the Straight Edge Society again. I just don't feel like it is Nexus. Otunga is the only original member. That is what sucks. So who was the Batista look alike?

[Fantabulous]

Sheamus. Conventional wisdom dictates he'll be busy fueding with Triple H at some point, but once that's out of the way, he could certainly fued with Orton. There's also the possibility of Triple H going heel when he comes back...I certainly don't expect him to be on Raw with Cena and Orton and all three being faces. And we're completely ignoring the possible changes a draft would bring...Morrison, Cena, or Orton could all end up on SD, or other heels could be brought over to Raw, or anything else could happen.

Especially after last night, we clearly have a different idea of what a strong heel is. Sheamus has been pure midcard since winning KotR.

[juggaloninjalee]

Anyone have a feeling Sheamus is going to dominate the Royal Rumble only for Triple H to come out and eliminate Sheamus and then go out over the top rope after Sheamus?

[sebsy]

Apparently this years Royal Rumble is going to be 40-man instead of 30-man.

 

Really am not a fan of this, the Royal Rumble 30-man match is a tradition. Changing it in any way, for me, takes the biscuit.

[juggaloninjalee]

Apparently this years Royal Rumble is going to be 40-man instead of 30-man.

 

Really am not a fan of this, the Royal Rumble 30-man match is a tradition. Changing it in any way, for me, takes the biscuit.

 

Yeah, I don't like this either. Not sure why they are doing it either. 15 guys from each brand is more than enough. The 15 top contenders makes sense since you know only about 4 from each brand really have a shot. Why add 10 more guys who have no chance at winning?

[LoNdOn]

Apparently this years Royal Rumble is going to be 40-man instead of 30-man.

 

Really am not a fan of this, the Royal Rumble 30-man match is a tradition. Changing it in any way, for me, takes the biscuit.

 

Where did you hear this?

[20LEgend]

Where did you hear this?

 

JR is talking bout it on twitter

[LoNdOn]

JR is talking bout it on twitter

 

Just saw Miz mention it on RAW as well.

[Self]

30 man? 40 man? I don't see any difference. I guess with 40 you can give more people streaks of eliminations. Maybe break Kane's record.

 

At any rate, I've never felt it was "15 top contenders from each brand". I've always liked the Royal Rumble as the time when everyone has a shot. From your consistent main eventers to the lowliest loser on the roster. The past doesn't matter. All that matters is this one night. Normally Yoshi Tatsu could only dream of fighting for the title, but tonight he can win that match. A broken down, past-time veteran can throw caution to the wind and go all out one more time. A rookie can rise above his station. I love that. It's a powerful thing. For a Zack Ryder, he can go in there and fight like there's no tomorrow, because for him, there really isn't.

[Purple Cowboy]

Is it two minutes between entrances? That would be at a minimum almost an hour and a half right there. Seems like it could be a bit excessive.

[shawn michaels]

IMO even when he was World Champion he wasn't treated as a main eventer

 

I'm back! looool

 

I think you're right. I always got the feeling that punk was always an upper mid during his title reigns...that's a shame. hope we'll see him as a true main eventer soon.

[lazorbeak]

I'm back! looool

 

I think you're right. I always got the feeling that punk was always an upper mid during his title reigns...that's a shame. hope we'll see him as a true main eventer soon.

 

Yeah that's patently ridiculous. He was main eventing pay per views and you don't think he was a main eventer? Big Show is a main eventer and when was the last time he main evented PPV?