Damage CTRL is lame (Iyo is champ now)

[Lizuka #BLM]

The name's lame. The music is lame. There's no real group aesthetic. Dakota and IYO have no definition as characters past being Bayley's random minions and even Bayley herself doesn't really seem to have a gimmick at this point that extends past, "She is mean and laughs sometimes." They don't at all come off as threatening because seemingly everyone on the roster is fully capable of kicking their asses unless they cheat. They just don't really seem to have much of any chemistry as performers. Their matches largely haven't been very good.

I do get that they're hampered by not really having a healthy division to antagonize, but that wouldn't fix any of the issues around how uninteresting and phoned in the actual presentation of the stable is or how little the members of it feel like they actually belong together. It really does just feel like all three of them are made weaker by associating with each other and like all of them would be doing better if they were free to do their own thing instead of being bogged down in this half-assed stable that doesn't seem to have any thought put into it past who the members are.

And for real though their music is just the worst.

[Deleted]

it really does seem like all they thought through was the pop for the three of them coming back when HHH took over and from there, it's all been pretty much trash

[mistery]

The issue isn't the group, but the booking. They are constantly made to look weak and like chumps every almost every single week. They had momentum during the tournament but it was completely killed by Triple H pulling one of the dumbest swerves of the year and having Raquel and Aliyah win the tournament. And even when Damage CTRL won the tag titles, they were punked out later that night by Bianca.

And then you had SHOTZI, a woman who has won TWO ENTIRE MATCHES THIS ENTIRE YEAR, punking them out like it was no big deal. And looking awful in the process (you could hear Cole and Graves go speechless when they saw how bad her offense looked). Yes, Iyo has looked rough, but she also hasn't gotten much actual in ring time going by the fact that she's had two singles matches since being called up, both of which were perfectly fine.

All WWE would need to do is make them look absolutely dominant. Have them decimate the lower card, and get decisive wins over upper card women until an actual major threat comes along. Right now they are getting ran over by everyone.

[asuka007]

They’re not being portrayed as a really serious threat. Iyo and Dakota especially.

They lose too much, get run off too much, get clowned too much, etc.

[theironyuppie]

Their booking is often brought up, but one issue I'd point to is that in some ways Bayley is still trying to do her 2020 heel character, and while it worked well in that context, I'm not sure it plays as well when leading a faction.

[asuka007]

Doesn’t help that they’re feuding with Bianca and Raquel, two women WWE is OBSESSED with hyper protecting, either.

[Deleted]

I said it in the live thread but my biggest issue is that everyone is required to cut a promo before they do ANYTHING and it cuts out all the surprise...I can't imagine if the Shield had to dialogue why they were walking through the crowd every week

[mistery]

Sept 23, 2022 21:41:04 GMT -5 asuka007 said:

Doesn’t help that they’re feuding with Bianca and Raquel, two women WWE is OBSESSED with hyper protecting, either.

Doesn't really shock me. I feel like Triple H really doesn't care all that much about Dakota and Iyo at the end of the day, especially if you saw how they treated Raquel after she won the title from Iyo in NXT. They had a big celebration with her, Bianca, and Rhea, while commentary was acting like Raquel elevated the division and saved it from a reign of terror where no one got over. Meanwhile Dakota sat in the corner pretty cross, and Iyo went on a break. I feel like the only reason Iyo got the title in the first place is because the fan demand was there, that was it. But she isn't a company chosen one.

[Jindrak Mark]

They have no chemistry as a group. And Bayley is basically a generic I’ll say something obnoxious then do an exaggerated evil laugh heel. I was kinda expecting at least a minor character shift after her long absence but it’s the same one I was getting bored of way before that long title reign she had ended.

MMM are literal jobbers and barely get a fraction of the TV time but they find a way to be entertaining and seem like an actual group.

It’s still early days obviously. Not every stable is The Shield and clicks from day one. Some groups take time. I remember Evolution taking a couple of months to start feeling natural. In the early days Randy and Batista were showing little chemistry and just looked awkward alongside HHH and Flair but they quickly found their groove.

[gl83]

Things ain't looking any better

[mistery]

Oh boy, I cannot wait for Bianca to make Iyo look absolutely terrible and way below her level. Because that's what is going to happen. There is no suspense when it comes to Bianca matches.

[XIII]

I thought that the only reason that Damge CTRL existed was to be a foil for a returning Sasha and Bayley but doesn’t seem to be much motion on that front either. So i guess HHH wanted the big pop and to bring back some people that Vince was running off to show that he was really in charge now. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[asuka007]

The way the last Bianca vs. Iyo match was booked (with Bianca dominating like 90+% of the match) and her actually getting laid out last week, does not make me optimistic about Iyo here.

[häšhtå.gdālėÿ]

Sept 23, 2022 21:45:04 GMT -5 mistery said:

Sept 23, 2022 21:41:04 GMT -5 asuka007 said:

Doesn’t help that they’re feuding with Bianca and Raquel, two women WWE is OBSESSED with hyper protecting, either.

Doesn't really shock me. I feel like Triple H really doesn't care all that much about Dakota and Iyo at the end of the day, especially if you saw how they treated Raquel after she won the title from Iyo in NXT. They had a big celebration with her, Bianca, and Rhea, while commentary was acting like Raquel elevated the division and saved it from a reign of terror where no one got over. Meanwhile Dakota sat in the corner pretty cross, and Iyo went on a break. I feel like the only reason Iyo got the title in the first place is because the fan demand was there, that was it. But she isn't a company chosen one.

HHH doesn’t care about Io is one of the most asinine takes I have ever read in my life.

That said. Ya, DMG CNTRL kinda sucks and that makes me sad. I love the parts of the whole, but it isn’t clicking.

[Deleted]

Sept 23, 2022 21:25:51 GMT -5 asuka007 said:

They’re not being portrayed as a really serious threat. Iyo and Dakota especially.

They lose too much, get run off too much, get clowned too much, etc.

See also: Judgement Day

[Carefree Beach Life Gritizen]

First things first, yes the name and music suck.

I don't think its been bad, rather just fine. Maybe expectations were too high because of how talented all three are. They are in this weird grey area where they are/aren't protected. They've taken some L's but they have had an excuse for everyone, yet they can't win clean. Like Raquel rolled up Dakota tonight off the distraction with Shotzi, rather than just hitting her finisher of it. The biggest problem I see is their mission statement is very vague, because they don't want to out right bury Vince. They talk about mismanagement of the division but never get into specifics.

Also the group is a little miscast, IMO. Bayley would be better off leading a stable of younger NXT women. People she helped inspire get into the business like Indi, Cora or Roxanne. They would have a reason to be together. (Yes, It's too soon for Roxanne and Cora and Indi has regressed in the ring. Just a general idea.)

Iyo is so much cooler as a loner, which was primarily her entire gimmick in NXT and Dakota, I like more as a face.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

It’s a shame that it’s not clicking yet, because of it being such a passion project for Bayley. They literally re-signed Dakota Kai just for this.

But surely there’s gotta be some other way to get these girls over than just “WIN EVERY MATCH AND NEVER LOOK WEAK”. F*** me, with this kind of attitude, I think people aren’t mad about Roman Reigns’s booking, they’re just mad their favourites aren’t getting the same.

[gl83]

Sept 24, 2022 1:12:31 GMT -5 Carefree Beach Life Gritizen said:

First things first, yes the name and music suck.

I don't think its been bad, rather just fine. Maybe expectations were too high because of how talented all three are. They are in this weird grey area where they are/aren't protected. They've taken some L's but they have had an excuse for everyone, yet they can't win clean. Like Raquel rolled up Dakota tonight off the distraction with Shotzi, rather than just hitting her finisher of it. The biggest problem I see is their mission statement is very vague, because they don't want to out right bury Vince. They talk about mismanagement of the division but never get into specifics.

Also the group is a little miscast, IMO. Bayley would be better off leading a stable of younger NXT women. People she helped inspire get into the business like Indi, Cora or Roxanne. They would have a reason to be together. (Yes, It's too soon for Roxanne and Cora and Indi has regressed in the ring. Just a general idea.)

Iyo is so much cooler as a loner, which was primarily her entire gimmick in NXT and Dakota, I like more as a face.

Well, they can't go all shooty because other than burying Vince it would also build sympathy for Dakota and IYO and would turn this Heel group into at the very least Anti-Hero Tweeners.

[theironyuppie]

Sept 24, 2022 1:20:04 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

It’s a shame that it’s not clicking yet, because of it being such a passion project for Bayley. They literally re-signed Dakota Kai just for this.

But surely there’s gotta be some other way to get these girls over than just “WIN EVERY MATCH AND NEVER LOOK WEAK”. F*** me, with this kind of attitude, I think people aren’t mad about Roman Reigns’s booking, they’re just mad their favourites aren’t getting the same.

I think it might be as simple as trying to add individual personality within the group. Even something small on last week's Raw like Asuka taking care of Lily throughout the entire match/beatdown added character.

[schma]

Sept 24, 2022 1:20:04 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

It’s a shame that it’s not clicking yet, because of it being such a passion project for Bayley. They literally re-signed Dakota Kai just for this.

But surely there’s gotta be some other way to get these girls over than just “WIN EVERY MATCH AND NEVER LOOK WEAK”. F*** me, with this kind of attitude, I think people aren’t mad about Roman Reigns’s booking, they’re just mad their favourites aren’t getting the same.

I think it's less that they can never look weak but that for now at least it should be rarer. For anyone who wasn't watching nxt, iyo and Dakota aren't as well known. With the bloodline, they were all established acts, pretty much future hall of farmers when they came together.

I would think that short term damage ctrl should be more dominant but once they're established as genuine threats, ease off a bit.

They could really play up the groups dynamics. Their matches feature a lot of great tag team stuff so play up that connection as a reason for them getting the upper hand in some instances.