Sparkybob
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Post by Sparkybob on Nov 28, 2023 17:05:32 GMT -5
It must be so easy being a dirtsheet writer. You can get clicks by saying the most obvious things that any random fan already knows. Big star you just returned is probably going to face the top star in the company at some point. You're kidding. I thought he was going to just have a bunch of midcard matches. Were you not excited or hoping for CM Punk vs Angel Garza???
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Sparkybob
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Post by Sparkybob on Aug 9, 2023 0:06:09 GMT -5
Yea whether you like something or not is perfectly fine but I fail to see an argument that the Uso/Solo/Sami are worse off with their association. It's kind of similar to me how some might minimize the business and the overness of the bloodlines stuff by almost implying that by giving other storylines more time they can draw at a similar rate. Which I find quite unbelievable tbh. There has always been a strong expression of this type of an opinion on the internet when it comes to wrestling. My favorite ones were probably the idea that anybody could have gotten over the way Shane McMahon and Jeff Hardy did if given the same high spots. This of course assumed that these spots weren't those performer's ideas and also that there were a bunch of people lining up to jump off balconies, get thrown off Titan Trons and suplexed through glass. Choosing Sheamus, as was done in another thread, as an avatar for this and making him the hero here for speaking out is a little odd, though. For one, I'm old enough to remember when so many people thought he was boring as hell and only had his spot because he worked out with Triple H. For real though, it's kinda ridiculous to think he could do the same business as the Bloodline if only given the time. Left to his own devices, Roman came back with the Head of the Table, elevevated a bunch of other people and gets entire arena to throw their fingers in the air. Sheamus, when given creative freedom, came out looking like a road guy for a 70s punk band and got a "You look stupid" chant. His current character is tough guy who has good matches. Sheamus could get a segment every week where he does his work out show (the most entertaining thing he's done, in my opinion) and he's not getting over or affecting business like the Bloodline. Someone said in one of these threads that people's individual hate of the story is clouding judgment. That seems accurate. I agree. As I mentioned before, fans don't have to care about ratings or overness to determine whether they like something or not. But some of the rating that the bloodline segment draw should be recognized as amazing accomplishments given the current TV landscape. As you alluded to, I highly doubt most wrestlers can pitch and lead an angle to draw this type of equivalent rating on their brand. So it is sort of like the WWE giving the fans what they want (Bloodline segments) it is just unfortunate some fans don't want that. But I think I can make the argument that the WWE is just responding to the feedback from a lot of fans that they are still invested in the angle.
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Post by Sparkybob on Aug 8, 2023 1:11:53 GMT -5
Do you think without the Bloodline Jey has key spots in the main events of Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, Night of Champions, Money in the Bank and Summerslam all in under a year? Do you think he's a bigger or lesser draw/merch seller than he was? Do you think Jey Uso (in real life not the character) thinks he was better off 4 years ago and isn't happy with the Bloodlone related stuff? I feel like I'm being gaslit here lol. Like some things are opinions and some are just facts. I didn't even think it was up for debate that Jey Uso is a much bigger star now than he was pre-Bloodline. Like he's going to be carrying Smackdown as the top face against his brother over the next few months ago when the same feud a few years ago would have been a midcard feud. The Bloodline is what took it to the point that it's hot enough to carry the show and draw numbers. Some people I feel like are letting their hate of the Bloodline story cloud their judgement Yea whether you like something or not is perfectly fine but I fail to see an argument that the Uso/Solo/Sami are worse off with their association. It's kind of similar to me how some might minimize the business and the overness of the bloodlines stuff by almost implying that by giving other storylines more time they can draw at a similar rate. Which I find quite unbelievable tbh.
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Post by Sparkybob on Aug 7, 2023 13:45:05 GMT -5
It's always going to be a problem when someone is pushed so fast to the top, you eventually run out of steam (sadly more of an issue for women than Men). Sheamus was able to hang around and find a niche outside of world title programs, women sadly don't have that.
Maybe a Flair/Lynch tag team run or smth is worth it.
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Post by Sparkybob on Aug 7, 2023 11:33:40 GMT -5
I don't think fans need to care about ratings (or even merch or fan reactions) regarding what they enjoy. There is potentially some sicko that probably wants a Jinder/Baron Corbin WM main event and that is cool. But I do think some people are underselling the investment fans in the bloodline (whether ratings, YT views, fan reactions, etc). Within the context of 2022-2023 TV, they are extremely strong and I can see why the WWE will keep milking them, even though I think Cody should have won at Mania. I thought it pushed the expiration day but fans are still invested so good on the talent and bookers.
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Post by Sparkybob on Aug 7, 2023 9:47:49 GMT -5
I am sure to be a wrestler you have to be your biggest fan so resentment is always going to occur in all companies. Especially when there is typically abstract reasons why person X is in the main event and person Y is in the mid card
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Post by Sparkybob on Aug 6, 2023 10:55:43 GMT -5
I also don't understand how this angle elevates Jey. Sure, you can call him "Main Event", but what use is he in it if he bottles it every time? Scott Hall said it best - If you are a babyface and don't win, you are f***ed, and WWE has enough faces that are choke artists (looking at you, Drew, Dolph and Shinsuke) It does seem to be a big issue with this title reign: yes, the Usos are now in a higher spot than they were before, but it feels doubtful that either of them are about to fully jump to the main event. Sami gave the whole angle new life after it’d already gotten very old, got over big, but the word is they don’t really view him as a main eventer, so he hasn’t technically been elevated given he’s been an upper midcard player the whole time. I think Sami Zayn getting a world title mania event with so much emotional investment from fans and then main eventing a Wrestlemania night counts as elevation to me. Certainly doesn't get that without involvement the bloodline stuff.
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Post by Sparkybob on Jun 10, 2023 13:07:29 GMT -5
Charlotte has to be the stalest character in all of wrestling. Has she ever had a feud that didn’t revolve around the title? When Lacey Evans tried to bang her dad
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Post by Sparkybob on Jun 8, 2023 14:21:58 GMT -5
There's a dickish asshole in me that would love to see WWE scramble if either Roman or Cody got injured and had to miss Mania this coming year. Kudos to them for miraculously not stunting Cody's momentum after Mania but you still tanked the biggest show of the year to push a nebulous future match that may or may not actually happen. They’ve kept a ton of characters strong enough that they’d be able to pivot to another compelling story/feud . Yea I mean no offense to Sami, but he was an upper mid-carder for years and because of his angle with Roman, got a PPV main event on a B show that felt like a Mania main event. I am sure they can build up Gunther or whoever by Mania time.
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Post by Sparkybob on May 28, 2023 23:24:10 GMT -5
It seems to me she gets the same backlash that Alexa Bliss had when after she lost her last singles title, many people wanted her to get a break from being the top champion. And that got their wish for the previous 4 years or so.
But I am sure for some if she wins the title over the next 18 months it will be too soon so shrug.
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Post by Sparkybob on May 7, 2023 0:38:39 GMT -5
I knew some people were smiling because they were finally right after a year and Bianca started getting consistent negative reactions on the show.
The focus should be on IYO as she proves she is worthy of giving a push up the card too. It wouldn't have made too much sense for her to win tonight until they can gauge how over/how well she can do in the spotlight. She passed that test today.
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Post by Sparkybob on May 2, 2023 22:20:02 GMT -5
Idk, I think if Roman randomly popped up on a Raw/Smackdown he would get a massive pop no matter if it's smark heavy town or not. You are more than free to not like the bloodline/Roman Reigns and find it boring but it seems the vast majority of the paying audience are still hyped by him.
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Post by Sparkybob on May 1, 2023 22:57:55 GMT -5
I mean older vets have more flexibility in missing house shows in stuff to stay home with family. It's probably a mixture of them enjoy wrestling+they will make less money with a Roman schedule + they don't have that leverage.
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Post by Sparkybob on Apr 25, 2023 7:08:43 GMT -5
I think the average wrestling fan has a shorter attention span regarding what they see on WWE television than the hardcore fan. If the wrestlers, announcers, bookers, and marketing team treat the title as important, it's going to be important no matter how it was introduced. The WHC in the WWE also had a bad introduction but by Wrestlemania 20, the majority of people understood why the royal rumble winner can pick the WHC over the WWE title.
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Post by Sparkybob on Apr 10, 2023 14:29:20 GMT -5
I don’t even know where to begin to start fixing all this. And I mean an actual division-wide solution, not just “My favourite should be champion, this person that wins too much should be jobbed out with prejudice, and f*** everyone else as long as I get mine”. One of the serious suggestions from previously was “More midcard storylines for the women”, which… You know, sure, but you have to figure out how to fit that within the overall show, taking into consideration the men’s midcard as well. Juggling all these balls, which ones do you allow to fall for the greater good? Well, I mention this in another thread but Vince's overall booking philosophy for women is that there are 4-6 women that matter, and no one else does. The benefit is you get matches that feel important because there is a lot of hype when the few stars start facing each other (like Becky vs Rhea for summer slam will be a big match). The downside of course is the rest of the time it's the stars beating up on the nonstars. So it depends on what you want out of a division. Vince's approach makes new stars (Bianca and Alexa Bliss way back when) but for some that harm the health of the division because they steamroll everyone to get there. I am less confident Hunter can make a star in that mold but probably will give more mid-card women some shine. For example, if both Vince and HHH felt that Raquel is a superstar in the making, I have more confidence that Vince can make her a star because he won't carry who he feeds to make her look good. Hunter seems to take a much slower approach to things.
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Post by Sparkybob on Apr 5, 2023 8:02:56 GMT -5
Sorry but I think the women's division was the only thing that was actually better under Vince. They had more time and more storylines. They were even main eventing RAW almost every week at one point. Remember that dumbass Naomi Vs. Sonya storyline? That was better than anything Triple H has given us, lol. Really, the only positive thing I can say is that he brought IYO and Dakota back. Edit: After some thinking in the shower maybe it's more the division just hasn't improved rather than it being worse. That Queen of the Ring tournament under Vince still keeps me awake at night, lol. I think it's a different booking philosophy. Vince might only book 6 women constantly so depth doesn't matter because it's about making your stars in the division look good. So realistically under Vince, it doesn't matter if your 8th best woman is Carmella or Emma, or Iyo Sky since they aren't going to get shine anyways. So weirdly enough if you just care about making stars Vince is no worse than Hunter for the women's division. But everything else I am less confident about so it's a matter of preference.
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Post by Sparkybob on Apr 4, 2023 22:51:41 GMT -5
I'll be honest, the only women with a lot of star power that you listed above to me rn is Charlotte (and she is gone all the time now so it's not a major shakeup) and Asuka. I don't think Bayley is going to be drawing main event numbers anymore.
And I like IYO and Dakota but they are just upper mid-card and no division dies because of that. Like is the difference between Piper Niven and Dakota Kai so significant that it will harm the division? I just don't see it rn.
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Post by Sparkybob on Apr 4, 2023 22:32:02 GMT -5
Bayley and Sasha both ending up in AEW would be wild and seems not so out of the realm of possibility now. And considering how seemingly close Dakota and IYO have become with her...she can no doubt get them to follow her once their deals are up. And WWE losing Charlotte to who seems more and more ready to just head for the exit considering how often she takes time off now. And then couple it with Asuka lookin like she is pissed off at the current state of the division. Boy that womens division is in a bad state but it may become absoloutley dire quicker than Vince's eyebrows. I think the women division will be fine even if the stalwarts start slowly leaving. I look at NXT and see a couple of women who can be title contenders on the main roster, not to mention current undercard women. When Sasha left and if Bayley leaves it will just be the next woman up and the conveyor belt of talent keeps moving.
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Post by Sparkybob on Apr 3, 2023 14:17:26 GMT -5
Hmm, shame I was hoping for Asuka to win. Crazy that the fans STILL didn’t turn on Bianca. As soon as she won they cut to three different crowd shots of them positively and enthusiastically responding. There’s also YouTube videos (super easy to find) showing the live reaction in the arena and the fans sound really positive too. I thought it would be a lot more mixed by now but she’s just undeniably popular. I feel like the "bianca is unpopular" messaging from some corners is the same as "cody isn't popular" stuff we kept seeing online in February. It doesn't make sense The victory laps when after 18 months of calling for it to happen, Bianca gets constant negative reactions will be something.
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Post by Sparkybob on Apr 3, 2023 12:09:26 GMT -5
Maybe there is money still in Seth vs Roman but I am not sure they want to back to the well of Seth being the number 1 babyface but that is an option.
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