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Post by TWERKIN' MAGGLE on Jul 2, 2018 11:48:55 GMT -5
Vince: "Dave, we want to make you the biggest babyface of all time dammit!" Dave: "But, Daniel Bryan is right there, he'll still be here for months to come..." Vince: "I'm done with you forever." It actually feels like that given the news that Batista wants to come back again and WWE want nothing to do with him. I wonder if Vince actually blames Big Dave for Bryan "hijacking" the main event? I love the idea that in Vince's mind, it's anything other than "Bryan is the most over guy and the story needs a logical conclusion of triumph for the hero".
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Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Jul 2, 2018 12:02:37 GMT -5
It actually feels like that given the news that Batista wants to come back again and WWE want nothing to do with him. I wonder if Vince actually blames Big Dave for Bryan "hijacking" the main event? I love the idea that in Vince's mind, it's anything other than "Bryan is the most over guy and the story needs a logical conclusion of triumph for the hero". Vince is apparently a huge fan of Bryan, but its abundantly clear that there's only room at the top for one in his mind, and Bryan is a little too short, a little too skinny, and entirely not Samoan enough to be the one at the top.
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Post by thegame415 on Jul 2, 2018 13:06:54 GMT -5
Rico beat Ric Flair with no outside help.
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Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Jul 2, 2018 14:19:10 GMT -5
I remember a few years back, when Bayley was in NXT, folks discussing her like she'd rival or surpass Cena in popularity and merch sales once she hit the main roster. Yeah, I distinctly remember posts saying she’d either be the female John Cena or completely bomb. So predictably she landed somewhere in the middle of these two things. As for my contribution I’ll say Jack Swagger being a World Champ even briefly seems nuts in hindsight. Actually Swagger in general seems quite applicable to this thread. He got what looked to be a strong main event push that quickly fell apart after he pulled an RVD and got caught speeding while weeding. Then in his feud with Rusev though they didn’t last the whole match or anything his, “We The People” phrase was getting some of the biggest reactions some nights. I still think they should have ran with that.
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Shark
Hank Scorpio
The world's only Samurai Ninja Pirate
Posts: 7,045
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Post by Shark on Jul 2, 2018 15:16:11 GMT -5
One that still shocks me, Mark Henry: World Heavyweight champion and it worked and was awesome.
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Fauxnaki
Unicron
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Posts: 2,861
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Post by Fauxnaki on Jul 3, 2018 10:38:11 GMT -5
The Bayley being the new face of the company still makes me laugh. WWEs main target audience is not 10 year old girls and no ones buying her beating ronda rousey.
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schma
Hank Scorpio
Posts: 6,772
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Post by schma on Jul 3, 2018 11:17:08 GMT -5
The Bayley being the new face of the company still makes me laugh. WWEs main target audience is not 10 year old girls and no ones buying her beating ronda rousey. My understanding was that she had a buttload of fans who weren't 10 year old girls as well.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Jul 4, 2018 4:36:54 GMT -5
The Bayley being the new face of the company still makes me laugh. WWEs main target audience is not 10 year old girls and no ones buying her beating ronda rousey. Bayley was enormously over with people of all ages at the NXT shows, and there are people who are over at Full Sail who aren't as over at Takeovers due to their slimmer fanbase. Bayley had fans of all ages and genders, albeit on a smaller scale. This suggested the potential for scaling that up to the wider fanbase. It wasn't that ridiculous a thought.
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Post by Jedi-El of Tomorrow on Jul 4, 2018 5:57:50 GMT -5
At one time, fans hated the idea of a Braun Strowman push.
I admit, I was one of them.
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Post by theironyuppie on Jul 4, 2018 6:27:07 GMT -5
I remember a few years back, when Bayley was in NXT, folks discussing her like she'd rival or surpass Cena in popularity and merch sales once she hit the main roster. It was still talked about less than two years ago, even Mick Foley's introduction of her on the post-Summerslam Raw described her as "the hottest free agent of the New Era." Which of course made it harder to then try and run her underdog gimmick, but that's neither here nor there.
On this topic, Charlotte Flair has recently been describing her aspirations to one day become a female John Cena in interviews like the one she did for ESPN last week:
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Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
FANatic
Writer, Lover of all things Wrestling. Analytical, Critical, Lovable (hopefully). Lets all have fun!
Posts: 235,742
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Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on Jul 4, 2018 7:12:36 GMT -5
Cesaro got his teeth literally shoved into his skull and finished a match
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Fauxnaki
Unicron
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Post by Fauxnaki on Jul 4, 2018 7:42:50 GMT -5
The Bayley being the new face of the company still makes me laugh. WWEs main target audience is not 10 year old girls and no ones buying her beating ronda rousey. Bayley was enormously over with people of all ages at the NXT shows, and there are people who are over at Full Sail who aren't as over at Takeovers due to their slimmer fanbase. Bayley had fans of all ages and genders, albeit on a smaller scale. This suggested the potential for scaling that up to the wider fanbase. It wasn't that ridiculous a thought. She has a cult fan base but that's it. Outsiders would laugh at the industry with a non threatening, non believable face of the company who loves hugs and acting like a child. There's a reason brock still has the title people see him as a legit bad ass which he is. no ones sees Bayley as that. Cena may have been kid friendly but the dude was still stacked and picking up guys like khali and umaga with ease. Also Bayley proven she lacks in ring skills, promo skills, presence and seems to pull a botch every other match. Bayley lucky to have her role her role as the underdog of the women's division because there's plenty of other women out there that could do her job better.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Jul 4, 2018 7:52:17 GMT -5
Bayley was enormously over with people of all ages at the NXT shows, and there are people who are over at Full Sail who aren't as over at Takeovers due to their slimmer fanbase. Bayley had fans of all ages and genders, albeit on a smaller scale. This suggested the potential for scaling that up to the wider fanbase. It wasn't that ridiculous a thought. She has a cult fan base but that's it. Outsiders would laugh at the industry with a non threatening, non believable face of the company who loves hugs and acting like a child. There's a reason brock still has the title people see him as a legit bad ass which he is. no ones sees Bayley as that. Cena may have been kid friendly but the dude was still stacked and picking up guys like khali and umaga with ease. Also Bayley proven she lacks in ring skills, promo skills, presence and seems to pull a botch every other match. Bayley lucky to have her role her role as the underdog of the women's division because there's plenty of other women out there that could do her job better. Firstly, you're misunderstanding what I am saying. She now has a niche fanbase, yes, within a much larger fanbase. My point is that her appeal is not limited to kids. She worked in NXT's audience, which is also niche, but it's a niche audience with all genders and ages in and she was mega over. This isn't about appealing only to children. Outside industry opinion is totally irrelevant anyway. It's fake fighting. If outside opinion was relevant then wrestling shouldn't exist. And as far as a child friendly character being a top face... What too many WWE viewers forget is that it's a damn kids' show. It has been for years. Quite apart from which, something being kid-friendly doesn't mean it automatically sucks. Bayley's booking killed her, not her gimmick.
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Fauxnaki
Unicron
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Post by Fauxnaki on Jul 4, 2018 8:11:06 GMT -5
She has a cult fan base but that's it. Outsiders would laugh at the industry with a non threatening, non believable face of the company who loves hugs and acting like a child. There's a reason brock still has the title people see him as a legit bad ass which he is. no ones sees Bayley as that. Cena may have been kid friendly but the dude was still stacked and picking up guys like khali and umaga with ease. Also Bayley proven she lacks in ring skills, promo skills, presence and seems to pull a botch every other match. Bayley lucky to have her role her role as the underdog of the women's division because there's plenty of other women out there that could do her job better. Firstly, you're misunderstanding what I am saying. She now has a niche fanbase, yes, within a much larger fanbase. My point is that her appeal is not limited to kids. She worked in NXT's audience, which is also niche, but it's a niche audience with all genders and ages in and she was mega over. This isn't about appealing only to children. Outside industry opinion is totally irrelevant anyway. It's fake fighting. If outside opinion was relevant then wrestling shouldn't exist. And as far as a child friendly character being a top face... What too many WWE viewers forget is that it's a damn kids' show. It has been for years. Quite apart from which, something being kid-friendly doesn't mean it automatically sucks. Bayley's booking killed her, not her gimmick. By outsiders I shoulda said casual fans. Kayfabe still needs to be kept somewhat alive Thats what this whole business was built on. The NXT crowd overhypes so many people its hardly worth talking about. Yeah I know more then just little girls are fans of Bayleys but that is her main target audience. Its not a damn kids show. two years ago we had orton get busted open by elbow shots leaving him in a pool of his blood. Yeah its way more family friendly then it was but WWE is still trying to appeal to wider audience then just kids. Also hears some facts about the current WWE audience Age ranges: bleacherreport.com/articles/1040312-wwe-news-breakdown-of-ages-of-wwe-audience-shows-interesting-trend deadspin.com/study-the-median-age-of-tv-wrestling-viewers-has-nearl-1795864450www.forbes.com/consent/?toURL=https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakeoestriecher/2017/06/09/wwe-fans-are-getting-older-but-why/Also add in that Bayleys been poor in the ring and god awful in her promos showing no presence or looking like a star. I gotta ask you though do you think Bayley could of or still can be face of the company?
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Post by vinnysimmo on Jul 4, 2018 8:18:12 GMT -5
Lord Tensai beat Cena on RAW
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on Jul 4, 2018 8:54:41 GMT -5
Firstly, you're misunderstanding what I am saying. She now has a niche fanbase, yes, within a much larger fanbase. My point is that her appeal is not limited to kids. She worked in NXT's audience, which is also niche, but it's a niche audience with all genders and ages in and she was mega over. This isn't about appealing only to children. Outside industry opinion is totally irrelevant anyway. It's fake fighting. If outside opinion was relevant then wrestling shouldn't exist. And as far as a child friendly character being a top face... What too many WWE viewers forget is that it's a damn kids' show. It has been for years. Quite apart from which, something being kid-friendly doesn't mean it automatically sucks. Bayley's booking killed her, not her gimmick. By outsiders I shoulda said casual fans. Kayfabe still needs to be kept somewhat alive Thats what this whole business was built on. The NXT crowd overhypes so many people its hardly worth talking about. Yeah I know more then just little girls are fans of Bayleys but that is her main target audience. Its not a damn kids show. two years ago we had orton get busted open by elbow shots leaving him in a pool of his blood. Yeah its way more family friendly then it was but WWE is still trying to appeal to wider audience then just kids. Also hears some facts about the current WWE audience Age ranges: bleacherreport.com/articles/1040312-wwe-news-breakdown-of-ages-of-wwe-audience-shows-interesting-trend deadspin.com/study-the-median-age-of-tv-wrestling-viewers-has-nearl-1795864450www.forbes.com/consent/?toURL=https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakeoestriecher/2017/06/09/wwe-fans-are-getting-older-but-why/Also add in that Bayleys been poor in the ring and god awful in her promos showing no presence or looking like a star. I gotta ask you though do you think Bayley could of or still can be face of the company? But it is a kids' show. The demographic of the people watching isn't what makes it that, it's who the product is aimed at. The Lesnar shit is an outlier, there's a reason that kind of thing almost never happens on Raw, and that things get a bit edgier in January when they know the lapsed Attitude Era fans are showing up to see some violence. Why do so many people complain about the show seeming to talk down to its audience and insult them? Because it's meant to be for kids. This is why people wear their ring gear during promos and backstage segments when they're not booked to wrestle at all. This is why they don't do long-term storylines and constant recaps. This is why they treat us like idiots who don't remember previous angles even from just a few years ago. This is why they made Cena the face of the company because kids and women loved him. This is why there's an anti-bullying campaign. Have you ever seen an anti-bullying campaign from a TV show that's aimed at adults? Do the Walking Dead have one? Game of Thrones? Mad Men? Sex and the City? This shit is for children, and this is part of what's fundamentally broken about the product, because they're so determined to ignore what their actual audiences ask for. With the right booking, anybody could be the face of the company, including Bayley. In NXT she did some okay promos, none amazing, and had some phenomenal matches. I don't for a second think that Bayley herself is solely responsible for her failure on the main roster. She's been the victim of this weird 'they're new!'/'you know them!' shit that so many NXT people have, so she just arrived fully-formed with no explanation of her motives or anything, and then had a whole string of unimpressive matches. Any talent's overness would be sapped by that. The way they're writing Bayley at the moment, and the quality of her matches of late, I absolutely do not think Bayley could be face of the company. But again, with the right booking - anybody could be.
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Post by Cvslfc123 on Jul 4, 2018 9:42:48 GMT -5
Heath Slater has pinned Edge, Chris Jericho, John Cena and Seth Rollins.
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Sephiroth
Wade Wilson
Surviving
Posts: 28,939
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Post by Sephiroth on Jul 4, 2018 9:49:34 GMT -5
Stephanie McMahon had her shirt yanked off. And got put through a table. And kissed Eric Bischoff. And had implied incest with her father. And tried to hide her relationship with Trips. Seeing a pattern here?
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Cronant
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Posts: 17,556
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Post by Cronant on Jul 4, 2018 10:01:49 GMT -5
The Bayley being the new face of the company still makes me laugh. WWEs main target audience is not 10 year old girls and no ones buying her beating ronda rousey. The entire Cena comparison was ridiculous. Yes she has brightly colored merch, but good lord Cena is an all time talent.
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Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Jul 4, 2018 19:10:42 GMT -5
But it is a kids' show. The demographic of the people watching isn't what makes it that, it's who the product is aimed at. Bingo. Another example is My Little Pony, which wouldn't be the cultural phenomenon it has become without the mind boggling numbers of people watching and buying merch who fall way, way, way outside its females aged 3-9 target demographic. WWE is first and foremost a kids show, one which throws a few bones to its ageing audience, which also happens to be its largest audience. It can definitely be argued they're not catering to that larger audience enough, given the struggle to attract more new consumers than it is losing, but that is for another thread.
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