Caught up on a little WWE this week, and I'm really impressed with the push they're giving Daniel Bryan. When I started watching again recently, I was kind of bored with Bryan and his hobo beard at first and found the whole "I'm the weak link" bit a little tiresome, but he has grown on me over time. The whole "Vinny Mac doesn't think he's good enough" angle can be a tricky sell because now he really has to prove that he is, but based on what I've seen (and read about his history), I like his chances.
It's weird to see them trot out the "Vince likes 'em beefy" trope in an actual storyline, though, especially since they just came off of CM Punk holding the belt for like, what, nearly 500 days? Also, it's odd to see Cena be the heel in this scenario without him seeming like he's being that much of a heel. Is he pulling from the Nash 'Tweener Handbook here?
NXT continues to be my favorite WWE show, though. And I really dig Emma. In large part because her dance is easy to do, but still, she's cute and fun.
It's weird to see them trot out the "Vince likes 'em beefy" trope in an actual storyline, though, especially since they just came off of CM Punk holding the belt for like, what, nearly 500 days? Also, it's odd to see Cena be the heel in this scenario without him seeming like he's being that much of a heel. Is he pulling from the Nash 'Tweener Handbook here?
I love that that storyline because it is true if you forget Shawn Micheals, Bret Hart, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Beniot. That's just off the top of my head.
I'm about to sound stupid. I like John Cena. The man looks like a real life superhero and his character is beloved by kids. He is the 2000s version of Hulk Hogan; I think it's great. Do I want a bunch of Hogans? No, but I do think wrestling needs a Cena/Hogan face for the next generation of fans. Plus the "You can't see me" hand wave is the absolute most ridiculous/fun thing you can do to another wrestling fan, and there is not a much more fun position to take than rooting for Cena in a room full of older wrestling fans. It's like pulling for the Sheik in the 80s.
Daniel Bryan may be the wrestler that gets me to watch current WWE again. His work in ROH was great and I am glad that he and other ROH alums are getting a solid push by WWE.
I am not a Cena fan but i do respect him and his passion for the business. I would like to know how much weight he can bench. Even for a big guy he has pulled off some amazing feats of strength. you can't see me is just goofy fun. :-SS
:-SS i didn't even know we had a smiley for that. awesome.
I can't be the only person that still mentally calls him Bryan Danielson. Daniel Bryan just sounds weird.
He did an interview on Colt Cabana's podcast a while ago where he said that even he finds the name change weird and now he answers to people calling him multiple names.
I'm about to sound stupid. I like John Cena. The man looks like a real life superhero and his character is beloved by kids. He is the 2000s version of Hulk Hogan; I think it's great. Do I want a bunch of Hogans? No, but I do think wrestling needs a Cena/Hogan face for the next generation of fans. Plus the "You can't see me" hand wave is the absolute most ridiculous/fun thing you can do to another wrestling fan, and there is not a much more fun position to take than rooting for Cena in a room full of older wrestling fans. It's like pulling for the Sheik in the 80s.
I don't mind Cena. He seems like an alright guy. He certainly does a lot of stuff for groups like the Make-A-Wish Foundation, so that's awesome. He might have turned into what my friends and I used to call a "six moves of doom" wrestler (the sort of guy who, in the video game, doesn't require a lot of fancy combos... the A and B buttons alone will usually do the job), but a wrestler delivering more behind the mike than on the mat is nothing new. It's not the thing I tune into see, but it has its place, and as long as that keeps making Vinny Mac money (and from the looks of it, Cena isn't doing too badly, either), I don't see that changing any time soon. Heels don't usually show up with Fred and Barney on those Fruity Pebbles boxes!
The Darren Young thing seems legit... happened in the media, not on WWE TV, and there have been very supportive statements released from people like Cena, Vince, Stephanie, and Triple H. And good for them, too. WWE hasn't always had the best record with stuff like using words like f----- in public settings or resorting to the "gay panic" trope in storylines from time to time (like the aforementioned Billy & Chuck thing to name the most famous example), so hopefully this is a big step forward on many fronts.
I am SO irritated by the "shocking twist" on last night's PPV. yet another case of WWE building up a guy, getting the crowds to really pull for him, and then cut him off at the knees. When they did it to Orton, it killed his career for a couple of years. For Punk, it set him back in the midcard for MONTHS, and now....
...maybe they have a plan, but they had plans with those guys as well, and all the crowd knew was "He's a loser."
I loved the finish, and this finish compounds our love for Bryan Danielson. Vince loves this guy and has made him the 1b face of the WWE. Everyone is now pulling for Bryan to become the Champ. Think back to his 15 second loss to Sheamus that really placed him so far over the top he could have been sitting in the rafters (really it was the next night at RAW). Most wrestling fans, all the hardcore fans, love this guy; we can't wait for him to be champion. It's going to be so sweet to see him finally put that belt around his waist.
WWE has gotten fun over the last 2 years, and it's going to be a good year.
There were a couple of decent articles on The Bleacher Report today talking about how this is actually a good turn of events and I'm inclined to agree. Yeah, there's a long history of WWE burying hot talent at the expense of the established guys (just ask Jericho, who saw his debut turn into yet another Sing Along with the Rock catchphrase-a-thon and his Undisputed Champion run tied to a HHH/Stephanie storyline in which he was reduced to the go-fer), but I think this feels a little different. It puts the crowd pretty firmly on Bryan's side and gives some real heel heat to Orton (and... sigh... HHH), and it'll make the chase exciting for a while.
And Cena is out for 4 - 6 months for an injury...as much as I don't want anyone to get hurt, it might be a chance for some other guys to get a chance to step up and will keep creative from leaning on "Superman Cena" .
And Library Boy...I'm gonna disagree with those guys. They did the exact same story with CM Punk 2 years ago and killed all of the heat he had. I can't see this running much different. They already HAD Bryan chasing for the title, and the fans didn't get to savor it before he lost it again. It just proved Vince was right and Bryan beat an injured Cena and then laid on the mat motionless for 2 - 3 minutes after a single pedigree.
"Oh, he's great...can't take a single move from a retired guy...whatever...."
Haven't caught this week's Smackdown yet, but I'm wondering if it, too, ends with Daniel Bryan being beaten down by Randy Orton and the Shield while the Big Show looks on sobbing. I mean, the previous 3 (at least!) WWE shows ended that same way, so I'm kind of wondering if that's just how they all end now.
Not a visitor to this thread, but I saw this on Gawker the other day and thought it was interesting. I don't want to spoil the "theater of the mind" authenticity that pro wrestling has for some of you fans, but I thought this was an interesting look at those times when things don't always go as planned.
Oh, Botcharama has a LOT of these videos. It's amazing to me that they are able to communicate so much with one or two words. The training they go through to learn this part of it is one of my favorite "backstage" stories.
Mr. Jim Ross has retired. I grew up with Jim being the voice of wrestling. Jim was the best ever, and I'm so happy I got listen to him. I was fortunate to come up with Ross, Gorilla, The Brain, and The King. The WWF had some great announcers.
Not a visitor to this thread, but I saw this on Gawker the other day and thought it was interesting. I don't want to spoil the "theater of the mind" authenticity that pro wrestling has for some of you fans, but I thought this was an interesting look at those times when things don't always go as planned.
Watched the first disc of the randy savage dvd set tonight (again). Just fantastic stuff.
Isn't it amazing how that first match against the jobber isn't boring? You'd think a match back then that wasn't 2 known guys would be mind numbing but I think that's a testament to how good he really was.
Comments
It's weird to see them trot out the "Vince likes 'em beefy" trope in an actual storyline, though, especially since they just came off of CM Punk holding the belt for like, what, nearly 500 days? Also, it's odd to see Cena be the heel in this scenario without him seeming like he's being that much of a heel. Is he pulling from the Nash 'Tweener Handbook here?
NXT continues to be my favorite WWE show, though. And I really dig Emma. In large part because her dance is easy to do, but still, she's cute and fun.
I'm about to sound stupid. I like John Cena. The man looks like a real life superhero and his character is beloved by kids. He is the 2000s version of Hulk Hogan; I think it's great. Do I want a bunch of Hogans? No, but I do think wrestling needs a Cena/Hogan face for the next generation of fans. Plus the "You can't see me" hand wave is the absolute most ridiculous/fun thing you can do to another wrestling fan, and there is not a much more fun position to take than rooting for Cena in a room full of older wrestling fans. It's like pulling for the Sheik in the 80s.
p.s. Rey was actually smaller than the belt.
I am not a Cena fan but i do respect him and his passion for the business. I would like to know how much weight he can bench. Even for a big guy he has pulled off some amazing feats of strength. you can't see me is just goofy fun. :-SS
I can't be the only person that still mentally calls him Bryan Danielson. Daniel Bryan just sounds weird.
Though that came with the territories I guess.
I really hope that this isn't some stunt like the Billy & Chuck fiasco.
...maybe they have a plan, but they had plans with those guys as well, and all the crowd knew was "He's a loser."
Plus it avoids the possibility of him being a Sting - a face who people cheer when chasing the belt, but get bored with fast once they are champion.
As long as he's eventually victorious over Orton/HHH/McMahons, then this is a perfectly fine bit of booking.
WWE has gotten fun over the last 2 years, and it's going to be a good year.
And Library Boy...I'm gonna disagree with those guys. They did the exact same story with CM Punk 2 years ago and killed all of the heat he had. I can't see this running much different. They already HAD Bryan chasing for the title, and the fans didn't get to savor it before he lost it again. It just proved Vince was right and Bryan beat an injured Cena and then laid on the mat motionless for 2 - 3 minutes after a single pedigree.
"Oh, he's great...can't take a single move from a retired guy...whatever...."
NSFW for some language.
EDIT: So I had to embed the YouTube link into the above sentence because the video's thumbnail image was itself NSFW. :-??
I grew up with Jim being the voice of wrestling. Jim was the best ever, and I'm so happy I got listen to him. I was fortunate to come up with Ross, Gorilla, The Brain, and The King. The WWF had some great announcers.
Mostly I've been digging on NXT, though. It's consistently so much better than the "regular" WWE shows.