I'm shocked they didn't know some sort of screwy finish to keep the two titles. What a wasted opportunity to do a big match like this on a throw away PPV. I guess creative is more bankrupt than I thought.
If the Jericho match falls through (it would be a great match).... I'm thinking a Fatal 4 Way with Orton/Cena/Punk/Danielson. This has been set up for months and came to a head at the brawl at the slammys on raw last week.
Both belts on the line with a pin fall determining a winner for each belt, but not causing an elimination from the match. Once two falls occur the match is over. so you could have a unified title, or two guys with seperate belts.
It would be a great way for the WWE to create an antiWWE alliance with Bryan and Punk as champs. Then try to recapture the attitude era glory right as they get ready to renegotaite thier tv deal.
You are being creative far beyond the level of the WWE writing staff.
^THIS.
Having Orton win, and given the rather dubious shenanigans he pulled during the match, and then the close of the PPV just seem real confusing...Why go to all the trouble to tease some tension and descension in the ranks of The Authority in the last week or so, only to throw it all out the window at the last minute?
and yeah. WWE's creative is f**ked at this point, and i've been saying it for the past few years. I think one of the biggest problems they have when it comes to writers, is they're constantly hiring writers with little to no wrestling experiance, writers who aren't even familiar with the product. Everytime you see somebody like Santino out there being a schmuck (<spelled right?) it's because you've got five writers in the back, who lost thier jobs working for Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel for being unintelligible dicks. That's half the reason, IMO, that the mid-card is in the shape it's in, you can't write for something like a group of mid-card wrestlers if you're not familiar with the product, if you're not familiar with wrestling and how it's supposed to work.
The problem with writing for WWE has been well stated elsewhere. You are writing to keep your job, not to produce good television. That means writing material Vince likes, rather than material that might draw money. The quality of writing on WWE television is no reflection on the quality of writers, it is a reflection of the whims and fancies of Vince McMahon.
You can see this by looking at NXT, which Vince pays little to no attention to, and has much more coherent storylines (and thanks to Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville and Cesaro, often really good wrestling too).
Just watched two ROH dvds: Joe vs Punk II and Final Battle 2004. (discs 12 and 13 of 529 to watch)
The main events of both shows are GREAT! The undercards are your 2 star specials at least until the last 3 matches on the card.
The JvP dvd is ruined by multiple appearances of a tag team called the carnage crew - i believe they were involved in 4 matches. They were kind of like the Dudleys, without any of the talent or charisma.
FB04 is a solid show. Nothing bad but everything could have been better.
Camera/lighting issues plagued both shows. The steady cam for both shows had what i guess are white balance issues. Everybody looked washed out.
For FB04, The ringside camera had a better quality picture but because the ring lights were on each side of the ring instead of over it, the lights were almost always directly in the camera shot blinding you. Tough on the eyes.
I doubt these dvds are still in print but i am sure the Joe vs Punk match is on some Punk comp set still for sale. It is a must watch but the rest of the show can be missed.
FB 04's main event is a great moment of ROH history but outside of that, the production issues make this show skippable.
I bought a tonne of RoH stuff back in 2006 - 8 during their $5 sales, but have just started to have time to watch them. Those first couple of shows were ROUGH. Some good wrestling, but there was an aura of homophobia beyond anything I have EVER seen in wrestling, and it was uncomfortable to watch. Glad they toned that down quickly...must have been someone telling RF of RF Video to shut up in the booking meetings.
I really got in to ROH when Danielson was champ. There were a lot of good shows around then. I stuck with them until Final Battle 2010. Besides growing tired of the ROH product, i realized i had too many wrestling dvds. If i watch 2 dvds a week, it is going to take me slightly over 5 years to go through them all.
The only things i buy now are the classic stuff that WWE puts out like the Mid South set.
Finished the Randy Savage DVD set (discs 14, 15, & 16 of 529)
This set is gold and deserves a second volume. The WCW years are largely ignored (i am fine with that) with only 4 matches from that time,the last of which on the set is there for strictly historical purposes (his last title win) - only bad match on the set.
Lots of promos and great WWF matches. My favorite part is the Macho King Era. He went all in for the character and made it work.
I think this set is on Amazon for $5 or less - Buy!
So. Daniel Bryan is now a part of the Wyatt Clan. Interesting. I guess?
Follically appropriate if nothing else. But I dunno, it just seems more like a "we really don't know what to do with him right now, especially since Brock Lesnar is coming back and will push him even further out of the title picture as a result" move to me.
Also, I really, really, really hate Brock Lesnar, you guys. The lack of neck, the messed up ear, the weirdly high-pitched voice... the wife and I do our Sloth imitations every time he's on screen.
I've never been a Lesnar fan, biggest reasoning is the man is NOT passionate about professional wrestling, he doesn't care about the fans, doesn't care about the business. Lesnar's only interested in a check and that really bothers me.
Far as Daniel Bryan and the Wyatt Family is concerned...I'm all for it. The only way to get Bray Wyatt over as the sadistic cult leader they want him to be is to actually show the audience Bray 'converting' somebody, and making it a strong personality like Bryan makes it all the more effective. With Daniel Bryan in the throes of the Wyatt Family, and the Wyatts not explicitly working for The Authority, The Wyatts are in a unique position to become the opposing force against The Authority. The Authority is representative of business, capitolism, suits, etc. Bray Wyatt and his 'family' through his promos is trying to show us what's wrong with The Authority's philosophy, although again, Bray hasn't come out explicitly against The Authority, it is clear that the two groups represent very different ideals, and if booked right, The Wyatts could very well be turned into a face faction to take down The Authority.
What made a group like The Corporation work was you had other groups to go against it, The Ministry of Darkness, D-Generation X, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. While Cena is WWE's go-to guy, he can't fulfill the Austin role, because Cena's the farthest thing from unpredictable. Austin would just as soon stun his partners as he would help them, he was a dynamic force against The Corporation. D-Generation X was a group that didn't play by the rules and was a great force to push back against the authority figures. The Authority will only work if there's an equally strong protagonist(s) for them to go against.
Listening to it now. All pay-per-views will be included with Wrestlmania and this is for $9.99/mo! It will be on desk-tops, mobile devices, X-box, Roku etc.
I am VERY excited about the Network. I don't know if there will be a "scheduled" component, or if it is all just on demand, but $10 a month for the entire archive? Best Value Ever.
They are going to sell so many subscriptions for the PPVs alone. All credit to Vince and Company on initiatives like this... they appreciate that new technology equals new ways to get people's money.
The subscription idea is brillant and the price point is fantastic.
If it works and WWE makes Scrooge McDuck money, it could change the cable television industry. Why wouldn't other networks want to do this?
If it bombs, WWE is still going to probably make a ton of cash in the short term.
The schedule does concern me. At least for now Raw and Smackdown will be competing against the network (USA network cannot be happy) and some of the non PPV / off hour ratings are probably going to awful. But Vince is going to make so much money in 2014 no one will care.
If around half the RAW audience (lets just say 1.5 million) signs up for the first six months obligation, WWE grosses 90 million from just the network.
This sounds interesting but i am concerned about how they are going to fill a full schedule and generate enough revenue to stay in business.
I don't think people will much care about the schedule, but really, it won't be that hard. Raw, Smackdown, NXT and Superstars will all be repurposed, you'll have pre and post game shows, the monthly PPVs, the programing like Countdown, and then run them for East and West coast. Add to that the Monday Night War (there's 4 - 5 hours). old PPVs. old programming...and if they are smart, go back to what they did in the late 80's and show House Shows.
Still, I don't think people will watch the streaming as much as they will just dive into the archives and wallow in it. I am going to be watching ECW from day one in order, and the 80's NWA I didn't see because I wasn't into the product at the time.
I have a question. I was looking at the specifics (going live 2/24 boys) and it said my android needed a 2.3 OS. I have 2.2 on my nook is there a way to upgrade? Because I'll sign up for it in a heartbeat just to watch the ppvs and raw (no cable).
I bought the NBA league pass and watch the heck out of it.
What about ads? I know this is a paid service but so is basic cable. It would be attractive to have 1-2 million dedicated pairs of eyeballs and not generate ad revenue. Then if you don't want ads it's a premium service like Pandora or Hulu Plus.
But at the most I think the most they could do is ads at the end and beginning.
yeah, but that's what bugs me about Hulu. I pay for Hulu Plus. I shouldn't be inundated (<spelled right?) with ads AT ALL imo. If the ads are on the free, regular version of Hulu? Fine, but the way I look at it is, I'm already paying for this "Plus" service. I shouldn't have to deal with commercials. NetFlix generates a huge amount of income (moreso than Hulu/Hulu Plus, if i had to guess) and they don't have to push commercials into the available programming. I know i'm not the only one who's annoyed with the WWE app being plugged every thirty seconds on WWE programming. The worst part about it is, is when they do stuff like vote for so-and-so's opponents, ever since that scandal came out about them actually just rigging the results...it's so hollow. What the hell does my vote for something like that even mean if WWE's going to pick who they want anyways? Giving the fans some semblance of control and then not following through on it is just a dick move.
And i know. Who am i to complain about fixed results in an industry who's backbone is fixed results...but still...
As far as ads with the WWE network, and knowing that one will now be charged in six-month commitments (so it's a six-month commitment up front, and after that, you're billed every six months, but you can cancel any time, i'm sure), i wouldn't mind like a short ad before and even after a program. Like a bookend, but if i'm paying $60 some dollars of my hard earned money, then i really don't want to have to put up with a lot of advertising. Through the streaming library stuff (like old PPVs or what-have-you) especially, but on the original programming like "Legend's House", okay, that I can wrap my head around a little easier.
$60.00 is the price of one PPV; the WWE Network would be worth it just for that. Get a Ruku and stream it to the big screen. Dad just bought a 70 inch which is Rumble worthy.
I paid $200.00 to get NBA League Pass, and it has been worth every penny. This is a bargain when you compare content. $120.00 year is ridiculous even if there are limited ads.
Speaking of Old School RAW... My daughter was born Monday morning (1/06 @ 8:29am) and I got to watch it Monday night in the hospital. Jake the Snake looked amazing; I know his story and have seen all his update over the years. I had two things that made me happy on Monday. DDP saved that man's life.
Comments
I'm thinking a Fatal 4 Way with Orton/Cena/Punk/Danielson. This has been set up for months and came to a head at the brawl at the slammys on raw last week.
Both belts on the line with a pin fall determining a winner for each belt, but not causing an elimination from the match. Once two falls occur the match is over. so you could have a unified title, or two guys with seperate belts.
It would be a great way for the WWE to create an antiWWE alliance with Bryan and Punk as champs. Then try to recapture the attitude era glory right as they get ready to renegotaite thier tv deal.
Having Orton win, and given the rather dubious shenanigans he pulled during the match, and then the close of the PPV just seem real confusing...Why go to all the trouble to tease some tension and descension in the ranks of The Authority in the last week or so, only to throw it all out the window at the last minute?
and yeah. WWE's creative is f**ked at this point, and i've been saying it for the past few years. I think one of the biggest problems they have when it comes to writers, is they're constantly hiring writers with little to no wrestling experiance, writers who aren't even familiar with the product. Everytime you see somebody like Santino out there being a schmuck (<spelled right?) it's because you've got five writers in the back, who lost thier jobs working for Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel for being unintelligible dicks. That's half the reason, IMO, that the mid-card is in the shape it's in, you can't write for something like a group of mid-card wrestlers if you're not familiar with the product, if you're not familiar with wrestling and how it's supposed to work.
You can see this by looking at NXT, which Vince pays little to no attention to, and has much more coherent storylines (and thanks to Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville and Cesaro, often really good wrestling too).
The main events of both shows are GREAT! The undercards are your 2 star specials at least until the last 3 matches on the card.
The JvP dvd is ruined by multiple appearances of a tag team called the carnage crew - i believe they were involved in 4 matches. They were kind of like the Dudleys, without any of the talent or charisma.
FB04 is a solid show. Nothing bad but everything could have been better.
Camera/lighting issues plagued both shows. The steady cam for both shows had what i guess are white balance issues. Everybody looked washed out.
For FB04, The ringside camera had a better quality picture but because the ring lights were on each side of the ring instead of over it, the lights were almost always directly in the camera shot blinding you. Tough on the eyes.
I doubt these dvds are still in print but i am sure the Joe vs Punk match is on some Punk comp set still for sale. It is a must watch but the rest of the show can be missed.
FB 04's main event is a great moment of ROH history but outside of that, the production issues make this show skippable.
The only things i buy now are the classic stuff that WWE puts out like the Mid South set.
This set is gold and deserves a second volume. The WCW years are largely ignored (i am fine with that) with only 4 matches from that time,the last of which on the set is there for strictly historical purposes (his last title win) - only bad match on the set.
Lots of promos and great WWF matches. My favorite part is the Macho King Era. He went all in for the character and made it work.
I think this set is on Amazon for $5 or less - Buy!
Also, I really, really, really hate Brock Lesnar, you guys. The lack of neck, the messed up ear, the weirdly high-pitched voice... the wife and I do our Sloth imitations every time he's on screen.
Far as Daniel Bryan and the Wyatt Family is concerned...I'm all for it. The only way to get Bray Wyatt over as the sadistic cult leader they want him to be is to actually show the audience Bray 'converting' somebody, and making it a strong personality like Bryan makes it all the more effective. With Daniel Bryan in the throes of the Wyatt Family, and the Wyatts not explicitly working for The Authority, The Wyatts are in a unique position to become the opposing force against The Authority. The Authority is representative of business, capitolism, suits, etc. Bray Wyatt and his 'family' through his promos is trying to show us what's wrong with The Authority's philosophy, although again, Bray hasn't come out explicitly against The Authority, it is clear that the two groups represent very different ideals, and if booked right, The Wyatts could very well be turned into a face faction to take down The Authority.
What made a group like The Corporation work was you had other groups to go against it, The Ministry of Darkness, D-Generation X, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. While Cena is WWE's go-to guy, he can't fulfill the Austin role, because Cena's the farthest thing from unpredictable. Austin would just as soon stun his partners as he would help them, he was a dynamic force against The Corporation. D-Generation X was a group that didn't play by the rules and was a great force to push back against the authority figures. The Authority will only work if there's an equally strong protagonist(s) for them to go against.
If it works and WWE makes Scrooge McDuck money, it could change the cable television industry. Why wouldn't other networks want to do this?
If it bombs, WWE is still going to probably make a ton of cash in the short term.
The schedule does concern me. At least for now Raw and Smackdown will be competing against the network (USA network cannot be happy) and some of the non PPV / off hour ratings are probably going to awful. But Vince is going to make so much money in 2014 no one will care.
Still, I don't think people will watch the streaming as much as they will just dive into the archives and wallow in it. I am going to be watching ECW from day one in order, and the 80's NWA I didn't see because I wasn't into the product at the time.
I bought the NBA league pass and watch the heck out of it.
But at the most I think the most they could do is ads at the end and beginning.
And i know. Who am i to complain about fixed results in an industry who's backbone is fixed results...but still...
As far as ads with the WWE network, and knowing that one will now be charged in six-month commitments (so it's a six-month commitment up front, and after that, you're billed every six months, but you can cancel any time, i'm sure), i wouldn't mind like a short ad before and even after a program. Like a bookend, but if i'm paying $60 some dollars of my hard earned money, then i really don't want to have to put up with a lot of advertising. Through the streaming library stuff (like old PPVs or what-have-you) especially, but on the original programming like "Legend's House", okay, that I can wrap my head around a little easier.
I paid $200.00 to get NBA League Pass, and it has been worth every penny. This is a bargain when you compare content. $120.00 year is ridiculous even if there are limited ads.
My daughter was born Monday morning (1/06 @ 8:29am) and I got to watch it Monday night in the hospital.
Jake the Snake looked amazing; I know his story and have seen all his update over the years. I had two things that made me happy on Monday. DDP saved that man's life.