nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
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Post by nisidhe on Jun 1, 2024 12:39:46 GMT -5
I swear to Jebus, if this involves the KSA, Vince's Convincted Felon Buddy, or worse still, both... Nah, I don't think this is 'bigger' in terms of real world scope. I think this is bigger in terms of what Vince has been doing in WWE all these years. I think there are more women like Janel Grant and also potentially a lot of wrestlers with accusations. If this takes down any people who aren't Vince, they're going to be within WWE, more people like Laurinaitis who benefited from and worked with Vince in his awful endeavors. My thought is that Vince has been using his pwoer and influence to treat WWE like a place he can freely abuse women in a very Weinstein kind of way, not that he's sex trafficking women to Saudi Arabia. He's just been doing this for years and all over the country. I'm not sure that it isn't a bigger-world situation; Vince might well have been involved in hiding other monies through NDAs or similar deals. If any of that money got filtered to you-know-who, that'd be a whole other level of chicanery.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on May 31, 2024 10:28:31 GMT -5
I honestly think she's going to see just how much she can draw from a new contract from _either_ side, before she makes the choice between giving Roux all her time and attention, or ensuring Roux never has to work a day in her life.
I don't think the money's going to matter anymore; the winning bid will involve fewer dates for the pay rather than a top-dollar contract where Becky's working 300+ days a year. If she were somewhat better on the mic she could stretch things out as an authority figure or doing PR tours. But Roux is absolutely going to be a priority, I think.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on May 30, 2024 15:33:50 GMT -5
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on May 25, 2024 8:55:54 GMT -5
I meant more “does the knowledge of this rejected plan skunk your interest for tuning into Cody’s run as champion”. Oh, absolutely not. Cody deserves a decent run with the title and I'm keen to see the matches with his challengers. I'm also more interested in seeing the rest of the card. I first got interested in WWE during Hogan's first title run and found that, with a steady face champion on top, the undercard was given some room to garner interest as well. I doubt, for example, that the Bulldogs/Hart Foundation feud or Savage vs Honky Tonk Man would have gotten more than a blip with the World title getting hot-potatoed or with a heel champion.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on May 24, 2024 19:34:38 GMT -5
So now my main question is: has your interest in the product (or faith in WWE having an exciting product) *really* been that lessened because this WM40 plan was put on the table (but not executed) a few months back? Honestly, it would have been. I'm sure that WMXL would have broke records and all that, but the TV ratings would have been no better for a Rock championship than for a Roman title run. The casuals would go back to whatever they do the other 52 weeks while a good number of the diehards would likely have walked away. The prospect of Rock vs. Roman, after a two-year chase by Cody is usurped, would not have appealed to me. Two heels headlining an event where the mission is to put smiles on fans' faces? That wouldn't be worth the hundreds or thousands Ticketmaster would have peeled from my hands, or even the subscription fee for Peacock. Such information also tells me that this is something that Dwayne and Gewirtz are likely to try again in the future - squirrel fans off a well-established arc in order to insert Dwayne as a hero. It tells me that Dwayne is a little too close to Vince in that respect, a connection he would do well to sever in short order if he values his legacy.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on May 24, 2024 19:22:49 GMT -5
I wonder if, between the Wyatt thing and now the time off for injuries/baby, the business and WWE haven't moved on from her. There's a lot of newer wrestlers on the roster that have picked at Alexa's presentation piece by piece and can be far more credible in the ring.
Besides, her gimmick as Mean Girl had always had a briefish shelf life - she was always going to grow older and, presumably, more mature and her gear style and in-ring style would reflect that growth. I think fans will be disappointed if she returns and there's no sign of growth or evolution in her persona. Being small was never an advantage (see Nikki Cross) but it particularly calls for close attention to the presentation. They've got to get her return just right - otherwise, I can see her getting lost in the shuffle.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on May 24, 2024 19:02:36 GMT -5
I honestly think that Dwayne was brought into the TKO board to act as Vince's proxy, perhaps not realizing that a) the timing links Dwayne to Vince in a less-reputable way and that b) questions would be asked about the entire shebang.
Dwayne could not serve on the board of TKO as actively as he publicly would be without _somebody_ asking questions about his Hollywood connections. Why would he return to "'rasslin'" when he's making F-U money at the box office? Nobody in this business or the other does what they do for the good of their health. The obvious answer would be that he's somehow managed to run afoul of the top brass in the movie biz and so he's rehabbing his image through his involvement in WWE. Lo, and behold, here come the stories about his behavior on-set and his weight-throwing in trying to take over the DCEU and making himself the Gary Stu. And what's he doing back in WWE? Throwing his weight around and trying to take over the WWE universe while thinking himself the hero.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on May 9, 2024 17:04:33 GMT -5
It's possible that Dwayne might try to wedge Gewirtz into the creative throne, but I'm not sure that Dwayne would have all that much sway on the board in the long run. He's not a significant stakeholder in TKO and the board may want to put some distance between the company and anyone with the stank of Vince on them. It's quite possible that HHH might hand the reins to one of his fave-raves, but in the end they still have to pass muster with the Board. It would be entirely up in the air.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on May 5, 2024 18:24:15 GMT -5
Drew vs Finn is such a wildcard, I think. Between Judgment Day shenanigans, CM Punk shenanigans, headcanon Wyatt 6 shenanigans, the chief potentially pistol-whipping Farva shenanigans, it would actually be a toss-up on who moves on.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on May 3, 2024 17:15:07 GMT -5
A lot of folks on the roster are suffering the aftereffects of Vinceism right now...and Paul Levesque's big test is whether he's willing to break completely from Vince and push them creatively in the meantime.
What Vince has done, in a lot of cases, is ensure that they're paid well enough not to want to leave, but creatively screw them over so they can never really reach their potential. A couple of contract cycles like that and one can get kind of settled into the rut created for them.
Sadly, it seems that Vince did a shit-ton of that during the last few years. It's partly why AEW became such a litmus test for fans. Those guys willing to take a walk on the wild side left for AEW; those who likely settled, including a few who absolutely would have been Faces of the Company over there, stayed put. And while we can empathize about the money and wanting security, it did hurt a bit when some stayed instead of leaving and pushing the limits of the craft again.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on May 2, 2024 17:48:56 GMT -5
It won't matter in the end how the trial plays out. Vince and Laurinaitis are bloody well through in any business or professional capacity.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on May 2, 2024 16:50:36 GMT -5
I think he still has the stench of "Internet influencer" on him, not helped by his brother's upcoming bout with Mike Tyson.
It's one of those things where you want a celebrity to come in and do well, but not be seen as "taking a spot" from someone who may have worked from the bottom up to get there. It's an even worse look when that celebrity tries to meld the two worlds together as though there's really no difference between what still has the trappings of a sport and what is purely performance art.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on Apr 30, 2024 18:59:56 GMT -5
I wonder how much is an attitude issue and how much is him having to f***ing much to do. Production company, Zoa, Teramana, Voss, XFL, Project Rock, Wrestling, working out/dieting for roles, and a family that includes two young daughters and another entering "the real world" and pro wrestling. Late 40s/early 50s you ain't responding to things like when you were in your 20s and 30s, could pop a bottle of trucker speed or a bump of Vince's secret booger sugar supply and keep going for a day or 12. I get it. I'm Dwayne's age, myself. We were 30 when we were in our teens, and a lot of the time we feel 30 in our 50s. Moreover, we're a sandwich generation, looking after both our aged parents and the young adults we produced that are now being crunched by an economy that has nothing for them. We're trying to be everything to everyone around us, and at our age some of those spinning plates are going to fall. But for Dwayne, there's the added spectre of Hollywood. After Weinstein, there are many, _many_ companies who are deeply sensitive about ensuring that cast and crew are treated well on set. Ill behavior by _anyone_ is likely a career-killer; certainly, it means you're working on DTV or art-house projects for the next few years. The major companies don't give two shits about Dwayne Johnson; if he's a PITA on-set, they can re-tweak the script, throw a 30-year-old in the spot and make _him_ a star. They're not going to risk a lawsuit from a grip who saw Dwayne piss in a water jug. They're not going to risk the hassle of reworking a project because they can't get anyone willing to work with Dwayne. Dwayne Johnson's seen as having made his money and not needing to work - so, why give him big-money offers when they can get the same or better work from someone younger and more eager not to be seen as an asshole on set... for far less, especially the movie isn't going to rely on star power to make it work.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on Apr 26, 2024 12:18:45 GMT -5
Smackdown better draft Fallon’s Bar and Grill where she i on some Dukes of Hazzard shit to keep the Business B Kiana James from foreclosing! What if Kiana calls in...THE SEA CREATURE?!
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on Apr 24, 2024 15:14:08 GMT -5
Why not use drones for a more controllable display?
Loved them when Lady Gaga did the SuperBowl that year.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on Apr 24, 2024 8:51:34 GMT -5
The "non-compete" clause accompanying contract releases in WWE are more of a layoff notice with severance rather than an outright release. It's not something that most other promotions can afford to do. Among those that can, it's as much to save money anyway or, as sometimes is the case, an immediate release is given to generate goodwill with talent who can then be free to perform elsewhere if they wish.
While we may give the WWE release terms a side-eye because of their perceived intent (to cool interest by other promotions in a talent), it's really not the same as a non-compete as we would see it defined legally. They're still under contract to WWE - they're just got going to be used regularly (if at all) for those last 90 days.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on Apr 23, 2024 15:21:59 GMT -5
Yay!
What if, and hear me out here, what if Damian and Finn pull a Guerrero and Benoit shtick and have _both_ end up with the big belts?
That MITB briefcase can be for _any_ title, right? If anyone deserves to hold the strap with the lineage, it's Finn.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on Apr 23, 2024 15:16:01 GMT -5
If Drew has not re-signed, he's not walking out of Glasgow with the title.
Mind you, a shock win could be the kind of development that leads to the Summer of Drew/Punk. There's too much speculation that he hasn't re-signed for WWE not to have re-signed him.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on Apr 20, 2024 18:52:54 GMT -5
They uh... they really released three desi men in one go and didnt worry about the optics huh? OK. It is rather problematic that all three were released at once. That said, it became clear rather a while ago that WWE's penetration into the subcontinental market was going to have a ceiling - WWE might be popular, but gaps in fan service (live events, etc.) were long ago filled by local wrestlers impersonating WWE superstars and wrestling shows with ticket prices on which WWE could not hope to match. The international fan reach for Jinder and Veer was likewise limited; Jinder and Veer were always heels without much scope for becoming babyfaces in any sense that North American audiences would appreciate. Neither were given much shrift while in WWE, either, apart from the world title run for Jinder, which always came off as pandering, and the entire Veer experiment which took too long to launch and didn't reach the heights it needed to reach.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,732
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Post by nisidhe on Apr 19, 2024 18:00:18 GMT -5
Make it a charity show in support of an OK group devoted to protecting and ensuring gender-affirming care to young trans people.
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