Why AJ/Pope Really Bothers Me

[Krimzon]

It reminds me of HHH/Booker T. This may be a wild conclusion to jump to, but I'll tell you why I leapt.

1. White World Champion managed by Ric Flair.

2. Black challenger that overcame the odds to earn a title shot.

3. PPV match at the biggest show/2nd biggest show of the year.

4. Racially charged promo by Triple H/Ric Flair.

5. The challenger had an uphill battle.

6. The challenger is riding a big wave of momentum and has the fans behind him.

7. The match comes and it leaves fans with a bad taste in their mouths because the heel won, and in the case of Booker T, the challenger was left to twist in the wind with no satisfying payoff. The jury is still out on Pope, but RVD winning the World Title from AJ really kind of ruins Pope's storyline with AJ.

Pope busted his ass to get a shot at AJ. He went through hell. He had to wrestle 3 matches in one night and he got attacked before the final one backstage. His ankle is then injured after a racially charged promo by Flair. He then has to contend with Desmond Wolfe. Pope finally gets to take out all his frustrations on AJ in the cage, and he's the victim of a pen in the eye and a Styles Clash. The way they built Pope up, him losing would leave people feeling raw. Naturally, you'd think that in this day and age, the feud would continue for the belt, but the next night, RVD, who came out of nowhere, wins the belt from AJ.

If (big if) Pope and AJ keep feuding, the revenge Pope damn well better get won't be as sweet because AJ doesn't have the title. Pope wouldn't have climbed the mountain top. And if the feud doesn't continue, Pope fans, and fans that were invested in the storyline are left feeling sour.

Pope had the long, hard road in a feud with AJ. Pope had a bitter feud with him and Flair. Pope needed to be the one to upend AJ. For a big Pope fan like me, it makes me like RVD a little less. Yes that's quite markish, but dammit, that celebration belonged to Pope. He's the one that should've been hoisted on the shoulders of the other wrestlers. Against AJ & Flair, Pope has fought beside Joe, Abyss, & Hogan. When Pope's ankle was hurt, he hobbled out to help members of Team Hogan against an attack from Team Flair. He should've had the confetti. Regardless of what some people may think, it really does take a lot of wind out of Pope's sails. Yeah he'll still be over, but that huge wave of momentum that he was riding is shot to hell in favor of RVD, a guy that really doesn't need the World Title. He could come out and fart in Tenay's face and it would get the loudest reaction of the night.

I just can't help but feel like they cut Pope's legs out from under him, much like the WWE did with Booker T. The moment Booker's shoulders were pinned to the mat, you could hear the toilet flushing on his current push. Given how much the two angles have in common, I can't help but think that Pope may suffer the same fate.

And let's be real. TNA has done nothing in the past to make me think that they can remedy this situation.

[renzino]

You make some great points Krimizon.

I also would have loved to have seen the Pope be the one to end AJ's reign as TNA champion and I just hope he gets a rematch for the title when he comes back.

For the time being I'm going to play the wait and see game with RVD's title run and see what happens before I make anymore judgments.

[sjones]

Apr 20, 2010 2:15:44 GMT -5 Krimzon said:

It reminds me of HHH/Booker T. This may be a wild conclusion to jump to, but I'll tell you why I leapt.

1. White World Champion managed by Ric Flair.

2. Black challenger that overcame the odds to earn a title shot.

3. PPV match at the biggest show/2nd biggest show of the year.

4. Racially charged promo by Triple H/Ric Flair.

5. The challenger had an uphill battle.

6. The challenger is riding a big wave of momentum and has the fans behind him.

7. The match comes and it leaves fans with a bad taste in their mouths because the heel won, and in the case of Booker T, the challenger was left to twist in the wind with no satisfying payoff. The jury is still out on Pope, but RVD winning the World Title from AJ really kind of ruins Pope's storyline with AJ.

Pope busted his ass to get a shot at AJ. He went through hell. He had to wrestle 3 matches in one night and he got attacked before the final one backstage. His ankle is then injured after a racially charged promo by Flair. He then has to contend with Desmond Wolfe. Pope finally gets to take out all his frustrations on AJ in the cage, and he's the victim of a pen in the eye and a Styles Clash. The way they built Pope up, him losing would leave people feeling raw. Naturally, you'd think that in this day and age, the feud would continue for the belt, but the next night, RVD, who came out of nowhere, wins the belt from AJ.

If (big if) Pope and AJ keep feuding, the revenge Pope damn well better get won't be as sweet because AJ doesn't have the title. Pope wouldn't have climbed the mountain top. And if the feud doesn't continue, Pope fans, and fans that were invested in the storyline are left feeling sour.

Pope had the long, hard road in a feud with AJ. Pope had a bitter feud with him and Flair. Pope needed to be the one to upend AJ. For a big Pope fan like me, it makes me like RVD a little less. Yes that's quite markish, but dammit, that celebration belonged to Pope. He's the one that should've been hoisted on the shoulders of the other wrestlers. Against AJ & Flair, Pope has fought beside Joe, Abyss, & Hogan. When Pope's ankle was hurt, he hobbled out to help members of Team Hogan against an attack from Team Flair. He should've had the confetti. Regardless of what some people may think, it really does take a lot of wind out of Pope's sails. Yeah he'll still be over, but that huge wave of momentum that he was riding is shot to hell in favor of RVD, a guy that really doesn't need the World Title. He could come out and fart in Tenay's face and it would get the loudest reaction of the night.

I just can't help but feel like they cut Pope's legs out from under him, much like the WWE did with Booker T. The moment Booker's shoulders were pinned to the mat, you could hear the toilet flushing on his current push. Given how much the two angles have in common, I can't help but think that Pope may suffer the same fate.

And let's be real. TNA has done nothing in the past to make me think that they can remedy this situation.

I touched on this on a earlier post that I made about that match. TNA has two options for Pope. Either keep pushing him as a main eventer or push him as a midcarder and knowing Hogan it will probably be option B.

Even worse, Pope signed a long-term deal so he will definitely not have a worthwhile career in TNA. Him and Desmond Wolfe.

[kickassJP]

Apr 20, 2010 2:29:39 GMT -5 sjones said:

Apr 20, 2010 2:15:44 GMT -5 Krimzon said:

It reminds me of HHH/Booker T. This may be a wild conclusion to jump to, but I'll tell you why I leapt.

1. White World Champion managed by Ric Flair.

2. Black challenger that overcame the odds to earn a title shot.

3. PPV match at the biggest show/2nd biggest show of the year.

4. Racially charged promo by Triple H/Ric Flair.

5. The challenger had an uphill battle.

6. The challenger is riding a big wave of momentum and has the fans behind him.

7. The match comes and it leaves fans with a bad taste in their mouths because the heel won, and in the case of Booker T, the challenger was left to twist in the wind with no satisfying payoff. The jury is still out on Pope, but RVD winning the World Title from AJ really kind of ruins Pope's storyline with AJ.

Pope busted his ass to get a shot at AJ. He went through hell. He had to wrestle 3 matches in one night and he got attacked before the final one backstage. His ankle is then injured after a racially charged promo by Flair. He then has to contend with Desmond Wolfe. Pope finally gets to take out all his frustrations on AJ in the cage, and he's the victim of a pen in the eye and a Styles Clash. The way they built Pope up, him losing would leave people feeling raw. Naturally, you'd think that in this day and age, the feud would continue for the belt, but the next night, RVD, who came out of nowhere, wins the belt from AJ.

If (big if) Pope and AJ keep feuding, the revenge Pope damn well better get won't be as sweet because AJ doesn't have the title. Pope wouldn't have climbed the mountain top. And if the feud doesn't continue, Pope fans, and fans that were invested in the storyline are left feeling sour.

Pope had the long, hard road in a feud with AJ. Pope had a bitter feud with him and Flair. Pope needed to be the one to upend AJ. For a big Pope fan like me, it makes me like RVD a little less. Yes that's quite markish, but dammit, that celebration belonged to Pope. He's the one that should've been hoisted on the shoulders of the other wrestlers. Against AJ & Flair, Pope has fought beside Joe, Abyss, & Hogan. When Pope's ankle was hurt, he hobbled out to help members of Team Hogan against an attack from Team Flair. He should've had the confetti. Regardless of what some people may think, it really does take a lot of wind out of Pope's sails. Yeah he'll still be over, but that huge wave of momentum that he was riding is shot to hell in favor of RVD, a guy that really doesn't need the World Title. He could come out and fart in Tenay's face and it would get the loudest reaction of the night.

I just can't help but feel like they cut Pope's legs out from under him, much like the WWE did with Booker T. The moment Booker's shoulders were pinned to the mat, you could hear the toilet flushing on his current push. Given how much the two angles have in common, I can't help but think that Pope may suffer the same fate.

And let's be real. TNA has done nothing in the past to make me think that they can remedy this situation.

I touched on this on a earlier post that I made about that match. TNA has two options for Pope. Either keep pushing him as a main eventer or push him as a midcarder and knowing Hogan it will probably be option B.

Even worse, Pope signed a long-term deal so he will definitely not have a worthwhile career in TNA. Him and Desmond Wolfe.

You don't know that... no one does. Who knew RVD was going to win? No one. No one knows what the future holds so just wait and see where it goes. Too many are pissed off because the Pope isn't the champion... oh cry a river. I'm a big Pope fan, but I still don't mind that RVD got the title. There's sure reasons for what's happened so just sit back and enjoy it or go watch John Cena win his 892379487294 championship.

[AriadosMan]

It bothers me because TNA is still in the habit of having ANY face (not just Pope) unable to prevail against heels in the big hyped match on the PPV. Same 'ol depressing story and I bet RVD will make a heel turn of his own at some point, most likely while he still has the title.

So they had an exciting event on their regular TV show. Big whoop. I still don't want to order the PPV because I'm almost certain TNA will have a depressing ending somehow.

[sjones]

Apr 20, 2010 2:35:07 GMT -5 kickassJP said:

Apr 20, 2010 2:29:39 GMT -5 sjones said:

I touched on this on a earlier post that I made about that match. TNA has two options for Pope. Either keep pushing him as a main eventer or push him as a midcarder and knowing Hogan it will probably be option B.

Even worse, Pope signed a long-term deal so he will definitely not have a worthwhile career in TNA. Him and Desmond Wolfe.

You don't know that... no one does. Who knew RVD was going to win? No one. No one knows what the future holds so just wait and see where it goes. Too many are pissed off because the Pope isn't the champion... oh cry a river. I'm a big Pope fan, but I still don't mind that RVD got the title. There's sure reasons for what's happened so just sit back and enjoy it or go watch John Cena win his 892379487294 championship.

This is not the late 80s-early 90s where the babyface chases the heel champion so he finally gets the big win. This is the "go hard or go home" era of wrestling. Goldberg's title win on Nitro back in 1998 proved that and Sheamus proved that last year, but when someone brings that up, it always gets swept under the rug with that "go watch Cena" excuse.

Sad...but what's even sadder is all yall clapping seals acting like the RVD win was a good thing.......as Kid Capri would say, THE JOKES ON YOU, JACK!

[kickassJP]

Apr 20, 2010 2:52:14 GMT -5 sjones said:

Apr 20, 2010 2:35:07 GMT -5 kickassJP said:

You don't know that... no one does. Who knew RVD was going to win? No one. No one knows what the future holds so just wait and see where it goes. Too many are pissed off because the Pope isn't the champion... oh cry a river. I'm a big Pope fan, but I still don't mind that RVD got the title. There's sure reasons for what's happened so just sit back and enjoy it or go watch John Cena win his 892379487294 championship.

This is not the late 80s-early 90s where the babyface chases the heel champion so he finally gets the big win. This is the "go hard or go home" era of wrestling. Goldberg's title win on Nitro back in 1998 proved that and Sheamus proved that last year, but when someone brings that up, it always gets swept under the rug with that "go watch Cena" excuse.

Sad...but what's even sadder is all yall clapping seals acting like the RVD win was a good thing.......as Kid Capri would say, THE JOKES ON YOU, JACK!

RVD winning the title is a good thing. And i'm not talking about what wrestling era this is... It's a simple fact, wait and watch. People are talking about how it's the end of Pope's push... how in the world do they know that? Have they looked at Russo's notes or something? Do they have a time machine where they can go to the future and find out? NO. People just need to relax and enjoy the show. That's what it is... a show. So enjoy it or don't watch it.

[Cry Me a Wiggle]

Remember how long it took for Samoa Joe to win the title? For AJ to win it after his first NWA title win?

As much as I love Pope, I think RVD is the better choice at this moment because it gives TNA itself a shot in the arm. If they can get more people to watch, then it will potentially mean for Pope when he does win it.

[sjones]

Apr 20, 2010 2:59:11 GMT -5 kickassJP said:

Apr 20, 2010 2:52:14 GMT -5 sjones said:

This is not the late 80s-early 90s where the babyface chases the heel champion so he finally gets the big win. This is the "go hard or go home" era of wrestling. Goldberg's title win on Nitro back in 1998 proved that and Sheamus proved that last year, but when someone brings that up, it always gets swept under the rug with that "go watch Cena" excuse.

Sad...but what's even sadder is all yall clapping seals acting like the RVD win was a good thing.......as Kid Capri would say, THE JOKES ON YOU, JACK!

RVD winning the title is a good thing. And i'm not talking about what wrestling era this is... It's a simple fact, wait and watch. People are talking about how it's the end of Pope's push... how in the world do they know that? Have they looked at Russo's notes or something? Do they have a time machine where they can go to the future and find out? NO. People just need to relax and enjoy the show. That's what it is... a show. So enjoy it or don't watch it.

RVD is damn near 40. He doesn't need the title to be over.

Wrestling needs new stars badly, not guys who don't need the rub. They're just hurting the business.

[kickassJP]

Apr 20, 2010 3:08:21 GMT -5 sjones said:

Apr 20, 2010 2:59:11 GMT -5 kickassJP said:

RVD winning the title is a good thing. And i'm not talking about what wrestling era this is... It's a simple fact, wait and watch. People are talking about how it's the end of Pope's push... how in the world do they know that? Have they looked at Russo's notes or something? Do they have a time machine where they can go to the future and find out? NO. People just need to relax and enjoy the show. That's what it is... a show. So enjoy it or don't watch it.

RVD is damn near 40. He doesn't need the title to be over.

Wrestling needs new stars badly, not guys who don't need the rub. They're just hurting the business.

What about for the fans? What about for RVD's fans? The people who want to see him or Sting or Jarrett or Hogan for that matter... what about the fans who want to see their favorite wrestler win the belt? They aren't hurting the business. People like you who have to criticize everything are hurting the business rather than sitting back and enjoying it.

[sjones]

Apr 20, 2010 3:11:47 GMT -5 kickassJP said:

Apr 20, 2010 3:08:21 GMT -5 sjones said:

RVD is damn near 40. He doesn't need the title to be over.

Wrestling needs new stars badly, not guys who don't need the rub. They're just hurting the business.

What about for the fans? What about for RVD's fans? The people who want to see him or Sting or Jarrett or Hogan for that matter... what about the fans who want to see their favorite wrestler win the belt? They aren't hurting the business. People like you who have to criticize everything are hurting the business rather than sitting back and enjoying it.

Here's my thing. If you didn't wanna give Pope the title just yet, then how about extending the damn feud? That's common sense. Those wrestlers you already named DO NOT NEED THE RUB.

I'm no Crucial Crew moron, I buy the actual PPVs. If TNA does good, they get props, if they screw up, they deserve to get called on it.

You're just as bad as those TNA execs who can't take legit criticism.

[kickassJP]

Apr 20, 2010 3:21:20 GMT -5 sjones said:

Apr 20, 2010 3:11:47 GMT -5 kickassJP said:

What about for the fans? What about for RVD's fans? The people who want to see him or Sting or Jarrett or Hogan for that matter... what about the fans who want to see their favorite wrestler win the belt? They aren't hurting the business. People like you who have to criticize everything are hurting the business rather than sitting back and enjoying it.

Here's my thing. If you didn't wanna give Pope the title just yet, then how about extending the damn feud? That's common sense. Those wrestlers you already named DO NOT NEED THE RUB.

I'm no Crucial Crew moron, I buy the actual PPVs. If TNA does good, they get props, if they screw up, they deserve to get called on it.

You're just as bad as those TNA execs who can't take legit criticism.

I can take the criticism, but my thing is that people like you seem to complain at every stop and turn. You talk about all of this rub or whatever.... who are you to say who needs that rub? Just enjoy the freaking show rather than crap on it because you're guy isn't the champion.

[sjones]

Apr 20, 2010 3:37:58 GMT -5 kickassJP said:

Apr 20, 2010 3:21:20 GMT -5 sjones said:

Here's my thing. If you didn't wanna give Pope the title just yet, then how about extending the damn feud? That's common sense. Those wrestlers you already named DO NOT NEED THE RUB.

I'm no Crucial Crew moron, I buy the actual PPVs. If TNA does good, they get props, if they screw up, they deserve to get called on it.

You're just as bad as those TNA execs who can't take legit criticism.

I can take the criticism, but my thing is that people like you seem to complain at every stop and turn. You talk about all of this rub or whatever.... who are you to say who needs that rub? Just enjoy the freaking show rather than crap on it because you're guy isn't the champion.

And who are you to say that we should just sit back and enjoy the show?

Stop being naive and just be real.

[kickassJP]

Apr 20, 2010 3:43:18 GMT -5 sjones said:

Apr 20, 2010 3:37:58 GMT -5 kickassJP said:

I can take the criticism, but my thing is that people like you seem to complain at every stop and turn. You talk about all of this rub or whatever.... who are you to say who needs that rub? Just enjoy the freaking show rather than crap on it because you're guy isn't the champion.

And who are you to say that we should just sit back and enjoy the show?

Stop being naive and just be real.

Be real? I am being real. I am a TNA fan who is enjoying the show week after week. Sure, things happen that I don't agree with, but it's not to the point of pure anger towards the company because "i feel like i can't write it better"... seriously man

[sjones]

Apr 20, 2010 3:53:02 GMT -5 kickassJP said:

Apr 20, 2010 3:43:18 GMT -5 sjones said:

And who are you to say that we should just sit back and enjoy the show?

Stop being naive and just be real.

Be real? I am being real. I am a TNA fan who is enjoying the show week after week. Sure, things happen that I don't agree with, but it's not to the point of pure anger towards the company because "i feel like i can't write it better"... seriously man

Are you a fan or are you a sheep?

Because if you are a fan, you have a right to question some of the decisions about that company.

You act like that being patient and just enjoying the show can overcome everything. I'm sorry, but I don't live in that world.

[comahan]

Apr 20, 2010 3:21:20 GMT -5 sjones said:

Apr 20, 2010 3:11:47 GMT -5 kickassJP said:

What about for the fans? What about for RVD's fans? The people who want to see him or Sting or Jarrett or Hogan for that matter... what about the fans who want to see their favorite wrestler win the belt? They aren't hurting the business. People like you who have to criticize everything are hurting the business rather than sitting back and enjoying it.

Here's my thing. If you didn't wanna give Pope the title just yet, then how about extending the damn feud? That's common sense. Those wrestlers you already named DO NOT NEED THE RUB.

I'm no Crucial Crew moron, I buy the actual PPVs. If TNA does good, they get props, if they screw up, they deserve to get called on it.

You're just as bad as those TNA execs who can't take legit criticism.

That or he just doesnt share your opinions

As for the main post, I hadnt made the Booker/HHH connection at all, nor had I seen anyone mention it before now. But a lot of people thought that AJ was going to retain at Lockdown, including me. I dont know, maybe its because I expected the result, but its caught me off guard that anyone would be this up in arms over it. Thats not to say "oh well youre an idiot!" or anything, your opinions fine, I just personally dont get the connection, nor the passion behind it, as I never once thought if it as some racially charged feud or anything.

In terms of getting his legs taken out from under him or losing heat or what have you, again, i just dont see it. If anything, i think that people have more of a reason to cheer him than ever now after he was screwed out of the title following the path he took to the match. JB and Val were making a big deal out of it on the post-show about how he got the shaft at Lockdown, and as one of the biggest Pope fans here, I simply cant wait for his revenge promo. Which brings me to another point - to me, Pope is someone who you could bury like hell every single week (although I dont think this is one of those cases), but as long as he gets a microphone, he'll always be fine 30 seconds later.

And I cant help but point out the difference in that Booker T was hit with a regular move, then was pinned after HHH took like a full minute to crawl over to him - while Pope was jabbed in the eye with a pen and hit with the Styles Clash for an immediate cover.

Mid post-thought, and I dont want to delete the above, so Ill throw it here. If Lockdown were the PPV after against all odds, id agree with all of your points about riding the wave of momentum, etc, and him deserving the win. The promo he had and the faceoff with Flair and AJ he had the night after AAA was awesome, and the crowd was super hot. But from there, they sorta botched his buildup. They tried to build both he and Abyss at the same time, and to me, Pope sorta got shortended in their efforts to make Abyss look like Superman. Thats the reason that I never expected Pope to win - because I think they knew that they could have done a hell of a lot better on his Lockdown buildup. It seemed that he actually got less over as time went on because instead of playing to his strengths and letting him tear AJ apart on the mic, they tried to go the sympathy route with Pope, and to me it just didnt work that well. I understand where they were coming from, because with a typical babyface sympathy will usually work, but Pope isnt really a typical babyface to me, hes a trash talking anti hero almost. So I was fine with it after Destination X, because I figured "well, now theyll put Pope/Styles into hyperdrive and it'll be fine". But It just never happened. And for that, as a massive Pope fan, Im actually glad that he wasnt given the belt, because to me, he didnt have NEARLY the momentum that he could have had.

So I guess my point is that Pope came out of no where to be a top guy. He had momentum heading into Bound for Glory, and wasnt able to make it due to personal reasons. He didnt show up on TV for nearly a month after that, but he ended up fine. He lost to Desmond Wolfe and Orlando Jordan in a 2 day span, and everyone was saying he was done, but he ended up fine. Pope has the ability to - because of his gift on the microphone - overcome anything thats thrown at him. I might not agree with the fact that you think his legs were cut out from under him, but even if I did, I think id believe that it wouldnt matter that much with Pope, simply because of who it is and the fact that he can turn a crowd hot and make people forget about everything with 30 seconds on the stick.

[Fade is a CodyCryBaby]

Countdown till a Mod comes in and tells people to calm down in 3..2...1..

Anyway, I don't see a connection to Booker/HHH. Mainly cause Pope seems over.

[sjones]

Apr 20, 2010 4:08:55 GMT -5 comahan said:

Apr 20, 2010 3:21:20 GMT -5 sjones said:

Here's my thing. If you didn't wanna give Pope the title just yet, then how about extending the damn feud? That's common sense. Those wrestlers you already named DO NOT NEED THE RUB.

I'm no Crucial Crew moron, I buy the actual PPVs. If TNA does good, they get props, if they screw up, they deserve to get called on it.

You're just as bad as those TNA execs who can't take legit criticism.

That or he just doesnt share your opinions

As for the main post, I hadnt made the Booker/HHH connection at all, nor had I seen anyone mention it before now. But a lot of people thought that AJ was going to retain at Lockdown, including me. I dont know, maybe its because I expected the result, but its caught me off guard that anyone would be this up in arms over it. Thats not to say "oh well youre an idiot!" or anything, your opinions fine, I just personally dont get the connection, nor the passion behind it, as I never once thought if it as some racially charged feud or anything.

In terms of getting his legs taken out from under him or losing heat or what have you, again, i just dont see it. If anything, i think that people have more of a reason to cheer him than ever now after he was screwed out of the title following the path he took to the match. JB and Val were making a big deal out of it on the post-show about how he got the shaft at Lockdown, and as one of the biggest Pope fans here, I simply cant wait for his revenge promo. Which brings me to another point - to me, Pope is someone who you could bury like hell every single week (although I dont think this is one of those cases), but as long as he gets a microphone, he'll always be fine 30 seconds later.

And I cant help but point out the difference in that Booker T was hit with a regular move, then was pinned after HHH took like a full minute to crawl over to him - while Pope was jabbed in the eye with a pen and hit with the Styles Clash for an immediate cover.

Mid post-thought, and I dont want to delete the above, so Ill throw it here. If Lockdown were the PPV after against all odds, id agree with all of your points about riding the wave of momentum, etc, and him deserving the win. The promo he had and the faceoff with Flair and AJ he had the night after AAA was awesome, and the crowd was super hot. But from there, they sorta botched his buildup. They tried to build both he and Abyss at the same time, and to me, Pope sorta got shortended in their efforts to make Abyss look like Superman. Thats the reason that I never expected Pope to win - because I think they knew that they could have done a hell of a lot better on his Lockdown buildup. It seemed that he actually got less over as time went on because instead of playing to his strengths and letting him tear AJ apart on the mic, they tried to go the sympathy route with Pope, and to me it just didnt work that well. I understand where they were coming from, because with a typical babyface sympathy will usually work, but Pope isnt really a typical babyface to me, hes a trash talking anti hero almost. So I was fine with it after Destination X, because I figured "well, now theyll put Pope/Styles into hyperdrive and it'll be fine". But It just never happened. And for that, as a massive Pope fan, Im actually glad that he wasnt given the belt, because to me, he didnt have NEARLY the momentum that he could have had.

So I guess my point is that Pope came out of no where to be a top guy. He had momentum heading into Bound for Glory, and wasnt able to make it due to personal reasons. He didnt show up on TV for nearly a month after that, but he ended up fine. He lost to Desmond Wolfe and Orlando Jordan in a 2 day span, and everyone was saying he was done, but he ended up fine. Pope has the ability to - because of his gift on the microphone - overcome anything thats thrown at him. I might not agree with the fact that you think his legs were cut out from under him, but even if I did, I think id believe that it wouldnt matter that much with Pope, simply because of who it is and the fact that he can turn a crowd hot and make people forget about everything with 30 seconds on the stick.

You're gonna be waiting for a long time for that promo because he's about to go to the Midcard graveyard.

[Lance Uppercut]

Before this is inevitabley locked (what is the obsession with everyone not being negative being called a "sheep"), I just like to point out that this seems somewhat fitting seeing as he just did to the Pope and AJ what Lashley did to him and Big Show. In a weird stupid way, it's like things just righted themselves for RVD.

[V3rtigo]

Apr 20, 2010 4:12:24 GMT -5 Fade is a CodyCryBaby said:

Countdown till a Mod comes in and tells people to calm down in 3..2...1..

Anyway, I don't see a connection to Booker/HHH. Mainly cause Pope seems over.

You rang?


In all seriousness, though. Calm down people. a) It's day 2 after Lockdown, so wait and see. b) Don't make me search for my keys...