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Post by mistery on Apr 3, 2023 6:46:21 GMT -5
The funniest part about this entire thing is that when Bianca went over last night, WWE couldn't find a single crowd shot of people NOT booing/giving thumbs down about the result. So basically this could easily snowball into Version 2 of the Becky/Charlotte Summerslam debacle.
And it feels like at this point if they are going to try and get Asuka booed, its not going to work. The audiences have pretty much made up their minds on who they will side with, and to the shock of no one, it isn't the corporate picked Bianca.
I know when PWTorch got onsite reports from last night, they all mentioned that the moment Bianca won, the audience completely deflated and just started booing or giving thumbs down.
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Post by Susan "Poison" Candy on Apr 3, 2023 9:13:04 GMT -5
I f**king hate this female version of a Roman Reigns reign. Like what is the point of have year after year long reigns and the big question is WHO do you have that's credible enough to beat her.
Like here's how I would have done it of I booked it.
Pretty much have the match go the way it did EXCEPT for one thing. I would have booked it so that Asuka wins and have it look like a fluke so that way if they want me to make Bianca look good in defeat, which honestly she doesn't need then okay. So here is how I would have finished the match.
When Bianca is reversing the Armbar and gets her up and goes for her finish, as she goes to drop Asuka that's when I would have Asuka hit the mist. On the rotation when she is on the way down i would have had her hit the Blue Mist and then have Asuka get the Pinfall victory.
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Post by theironyuppie on Apr 3, 2023 9:35:20 GMT -5
I f**king hate this female version of a Roman Reigns reign. Like what is the point of have year after year long reigns and the big question is WHO do you have that's credible enough to beat her. Like here's how I would have done it of I booked it. Pretty much have the match go the way it did EXCEPT for one thing. I would have booked it so that Asuka wins and have it look like a fluke so that way if they want me to make Bianca look good in defeat, which honestly she doesn't need then okay. So here is how I would have finished the match. When Bianca is reversing the Armbar and gets her up and goes for her finish, as she goes to drop Asuka that's when I would have Asuka hit the mist. On the rotation when she is on the way down i would have had her hit the Blue Mist and then have Asuka get the Pinfall victory. The key difference is that Roman as the heel makes fans think the face is just about to do it until there's the inevitable ref bump and interference ending. (With variations last night like Sami/KO fighting off the Usos but Roman still kicking out.) Bianca just dominates and beats everyone clean.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2023 9:52:41 GMT -5
I see some say all they need to do is just heat someone back up.
Okay but here is the other part of that equation...this requires Bianca to KEEP RUNNING THROUGH THE ENTIRE DIVISION! but at the sametime you have to heat up her challengers so this is your chicken and the egg scenario...either Bianca has to start being booked far more vulnerable or you keep her as is and thus her challenger is just beating nobodies because Bianca is trouncing them three times over to maintain her cred as champion.
Something has to give.
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markymark
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
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Post by markymark on Apr 3, 2023 11:49:29 GMT -5
Pretend to be shocked, but even Asuka is f***ing pissed at her booking. She's asking fans to voice their discontent, but it's not like WWE will care at all. The woman they've booked like shit and made a paper champion any time she won it is pissed at her booking? I am shocked, shocked I tells ya!
Seems that she is now doing Dax gimmick of "Will I leave the company or not".
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Apr 3, 2023 11:52:27 GMT -5
The woman they've booked like shit and made a paper champion any time she won it is pissed at her booking? I am shocked, shocked I tells ya! Seems that she is now doing Dax gimmick of "Will I leave the company or not".
FTR Murder Clown
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XIII
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Post by XIII on Apr 3, 2023 12:03:42 GMT -5
If I have to guess they don't want Asuka to be the one to beat Bianca because she's likely on the downside of her career. It's of course stupid, because she's still better than a huge percentage of the women, but that's how these bookers think most of the time.
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06vwgti
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Post by 06vwgti on Apr 3, 2023 12:08:41 GMT -5
If I have to guess they don't want Asuka to be the one to beat Bianca because she's likely on the downside of her career. It's of course stupid, because she's still better than a huge percentage of the women, but that's how these bookers think most of the time. Which is dumb and sexist given how men in their 40s And 50s are still on top. Not to mention that brief showdown with iyo and asuka however short that was, showed much of on another level they are with their work.
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PKO
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Post by PKO on Apr 3, 2023 12:34:44 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.
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Renslayer
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Post by Renslayer on Apr 3, 2023 13:20:08 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
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Post by Ryushinku on Apr 3, 2023 14:14:30 GMT -5
I wish Asuka could've won that. No problem with Bianca, but it felt like a real good wave Asuka was riding.
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Sparkybob
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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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PKO
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Post by PKO on Apr 3, 2023 15:48:33 GMT -5
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. I really did think Wrestlemania was gonna be the first show where she got a more negative reaction but nope, still incredibly popular lol At this point it’s frickin incredible, I’ve can’t think of another face who has been pushed so hard and yet still had the crowd behind them.
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Post by HMARK Center on Apr 4, 2023 6:24:10 GMT -5
Ok, yeah, that Asuka tweet is definitely an "I'm turning heel for real now, let me lean into the real life anger my fans have about WM to set that up" thing, I don't think that's remotely in doubt.
That said, it's amazing how an interesting story can fall into WWE's lap and they can just kind of ignore it; I saw Asuka had tweeted at Charlotte recently how they, representing the current "old guard" of the women's division, need to hold the line against the upstarts, Belair and Ripley.
That's the kind of story you'll often see in Japan, and when it's done well it's fantastic; it allows for so much character work, allows older wrestlers to show how they've evolved or how far they're willing to go to retain their spot, allows the younger ones to really establish themselves or to show that they haven't learned all they need to learn just yet, etc. A storyline where a gimmick-changed Asuka, one who's leaning more into her violent past and pulling out tricks maybe she hasn't had to use for awhile, dethrones Bianca and gives her her first real taste of adversity as champion while playing up "you're good, but you're not on my level yet" gives Bianca fuel to improve, grow, and climb back up to show she can surpass the veteran who bested her before.
Like, this is basic Mitsuharu Misawa challenging Jumbo Tsuruta booking stuff: the young star wants to finally knock off the established top champ, but when they try at first the cagey veteran shows they're willing to fight dirty, if need be, to keep their spot...but in doing so reveals that they had to resort to tactics they wouldn't normally use, which in an of itself puts the younger wrestler over, then sets them on the road to fulfilling their destiny later on. Seems they didn't want to do it.
Ultimately, it kind of feels like they've never known what they want Asuka to be when she's near a top title: is she the protagonist of her story? Doesn't seem that way, since in most of her title reigns she hasn't been the storyline focus. Is she the chief antagonist? Doesn't seem so, since they haven't booked her as the division's top heel against the top babyface much, that I can recall. Is she the ace, the biggest obstacle, the "final boss" character who kind of transcends face/heel alignment? Again, doesn't seem so. For years it seems they put the belt on her because she's reliable, but not because they have any really interesting ideas in mind. It's too bad, if that's the case.
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Post by Hurbster on Apr 4, 2023 6:28:15 GMT -5
I hope this continues as I really enjoyed the match at Wrestlemania.
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Post by mistery on Apr 4, 2023 6:48:46 GMT -5
I hope this continues as I really enjoyed the match at Wrestlemania. It won't. Bianca cut a promo last night basically confirming she is basically completely done with Asuka. And the audience did not care for Bianca's promo because it felt incredibly fake. And with Vince back in charge, Asuka isn't going to get a main event push again, especially since she got a character change and got over without him being the one behind it, and he HATES that.
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Post by The Rick Jericho on Apr 4, 2023 17:23:58 GMT -5
So what if Asuka moves over to SD and feuds with Rhea?
Can she be redeemed here? Won't win the title, but look strong and away from Bianca?
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A Little Doo Doo
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Post by A Little Doo Doo on Apr 4, 2023 17:40:29 GMT -5
The victory laps when after 18 months of calling for it to happen, Bianca gets constant negative reactions will be something. I really did think Wrestlemania was gonna be the first show where she got a more negative reaction but nope, still incredibly popular lol At this point it’s frickin incredible, I’ve can’t think of another face who has been pushed so hard and yet still had the crowd behind them. I'd say Becky a few years ago.
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clc
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Post by clc on Apr 4, 2023 18:18:07 GMT -5
So what if Asuka moves over to SD and feuds with Rhea? Can she be redeemed here? Won't win the title, but look strong and away from Bianca? Rhea has already rag-dolled Asuka over and over again. Asuka has never even come close to a win over either Rhea or Bianca. With Becky and Charlotte beating her more often than not. She's not a credible threat to Rhea, and they wasted the character refresh to feed her to Bianca.
They probably don't care about redeeming Asuka, but if I had to do it...the program to run is Asuka vs Ronda. They could play on how Ronda stole Asuka's spotlight at the first Rumble, how Ronda was the one that caused Asuka's first Smackdown title win. This program could have Asuka pick up some wins over Shayna, then the ultimate pay-off is making Ronda tap. Not sure who they value more though. The shine on Ronda is almost completely gone, but she is still presented as one of the stronger competators. My theory is they keep her strong only because they are paying her so much. She doesn't seem to want to be there, and the fans don't really care about her. I think she'd be perfect fodder to rebuild Asuka.
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Post by Citizen Snips on Apr 4, 2023 18:28:23 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 For YEARS, there were posters screaming “Why do the Bellas even have jobs?!?” when they’d come out to a huge pop every week. People just make up their own realities now.
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