The DakkaDakka Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**A Town Called Malus**

Alpharius wrote:
A Town Called Malus wrote:
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Apparently……Vince McMahon has retired….

Stephanie and Nick Khan as co-CEOs. Hmmm, wonder how long that will last? Especially with John Laurinitis out and HHH back in as the talent relations.

This is encouraging...

Maybe Balor will finally get another shot at the top now!

Just needs to check the ropes first.

I cannot believe how they brought the demon back just to bury it in the same match...

**Mad Doc Grotsnik**

Might we hope to see folk well over in NXT, coming to the two big brands without being hollowed out?

**Sigur**

Absolutely. Can't wait for Balor, Walter and Ciampa being the main event in 6 months.

I think not all that much will happen within the forseeable future actually, but maybe there'll be a gradual change.

Hey, could it be that the latest Broken Skull sessions features the one and only Sami Zayn? He's been doing amazing work the past years. Now they just have to let him wrestle again proper (and more often, once he's healed up), and actually pretty good times are ahead.

**Dysartes**

bbb wrote:
Maybe... just maybe... maybe... we can get coherent booking and storytelling?

...nah.

Wasn't Steph Head of Creative until she stepped back earlier in the year (before stepping forwards again when Vince stepped down)?

We may see a slightly higher chance of advertised matches actually happening on RAW and SmackDown, though.

**A Town Called Malus**

Dysartes wrote:
bbb wrote:
Maybe... just maybe... maybe... we can get coherent booking and storytelling?

...nah.

Wasn't Steph Head of Creative until she stepped back earlier in the year (before stepping forwards again when Vince stepped down)?

We may see a slightly higher chance of advertised matches actually happening on RAW and SmackDown, though.

It didn't matter who was head of creative on paper, as in practice everything had to go by Vince and his whims ripping up scripts hours before the show went live.

**bbb**

A Town Called Malus wrote:
Dysartes wrote:
bbb wrote:
Maybe... just maybe... maybe... we can get coherent booking and storytelling?

...nah.

Wasn't Steph Head of Creative until she stepped back earlier in the year (before stepping forwards again when Vince stepped down)?

We may see a slightly higher chance of advertised matches actually happening on RAW and SmackDown, though.

It didn't matter who was head of creative on paper, as in practice everything had to go by Vince and his whims ripping up scripts hours before the show went live.

Exactly.

**A Town Called Malus**

To be clear, I still have no real hope in the current writing staff, as they had to mould their work to what they thought Vince would like and accept for a long time. That is a tough habit to break once you get into it. Vince set the company culture, and company cultures take time to change even when leadership is trying, and we don't really know if they are trying.

But we'll see.

**Sigur**

The whole wrestling behind the scenes stuff currently is AT LEAST as exciting drama as the in-ring stuff.

**Alpharius**

It is!

I'm also not really convinced that Vince is really retired...

**bbb**

HHH is now the head of creative. I thought he did a fine job with (black and gold) NXT, so it will be interesting to see what he does.

**Sigur**

One can but hope.

Hey, Dynamite was fun, wasn't it.

**Mad Doc Grotsnik**

So…how long do you reckon until we see any changes taking effect?

**Sigur**

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
So…how long do you reckon until we see any changes taking effect?

On the surface? Slow, gradual at best. I think for he next few weeks some people will interpret huge changes into every little thing, then they'll get bored and moan about NOTHING EVER CHANGING. Typical internet stuff. But I'm sure there'll be some changes. At the moment everything's open and rather exciting.

Apart from that, did you guys catch that New Japan announced an IWJP Women's Championship? That's pretty cool. Of course New Japan won't get a women's division (no point in that), but they said that the IWJP Women's Championship title will be defended at big NJPW shows, including a NJPW-Stardom joint event coming up. So that's pretty cool. Also of course: An IWJP title (next to all the Stardom titles, which stay as they are) mean somebody else could pick it up (Miyu Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki, Ryo Mizunami come to mind. In that order.). Or some AEW lady of course. Heck, at this point in time maybe we'll see Becky Lynch being the IWJP Women's Champ in 2 years. Anything's possible.

My swift predictions for Summer Slam:
McAfee vs. Corbin - Corbin
Lashley vs. Theory - Theory
Usos vs. Street Profits - Street Profits
Liv Morgan vs. Rousey - Liv Morgan
Belair vs. Lynch - Belair
Logan Paul vs. Miz - Miz
Mysterios vs. Judgement Day - Judgement Day, Mysterio turns on Dominik

**bbb**

Summerslam is good so far. I think HHH is starting to flex his authority.

**Sigur**

Ooh, I can't wait to see The Authority back in action!

Didn't watch Summerslam so far, the people I usually watch WWE things with are on holiday for a week. We agreed to watch on Friday or something when they return. That means I'll have to stay away from spoilers until then.

No idea how I'll manage. Sit in a box and just watch Japanese wrestling for a week?

**bbb**

Try to avoid spoilers. The main event is bonkers.

**bbb**

Halfway through watching Raw so far. Definitely feels like there is a difference. Will be interesting to see how things develop.

**Sigur**

bbb wrote:
Try to avoid spoilers. The main event is bonkers.

I made it through the week without a single spoiler. All I read was your comment above in passing, told my friends about it. We all agreed that the main event was indeed bonkers.

The week was interesting, without having a single look at the usual news outlets and so on. I made it by instead watching TJPW, Flair's last ride (wha a card.

The main event was ....well, it was something to be seen), The People vs GCW, RoH and I even watched NWA Powerrr for the first time in months!

Spoiler:

It was a really good show. Gives me hope for the future.

**Sigur**

Shayna Baszler in for a title match?

Kevin Owens back and being Kevin Owens?

I started watching WWE in 2015 and I'm not used to it being good! What's happening? What am I supposed to do? Does this mean I have to watch WWE weeklies again? Who's got the time!?

**Ghaz**

Sigur wrote:
What's happening?

It's more like 'Who's in charge'...

**bbb**

HHH is asserting his dominance over creative. Lots of Black and Gold seeping into the Red and Blue brands.

**Sigur**

....and I'm loving it. There go my plans of coercing my pandemic-WWE-PPV-watch friends over to different stuff. But WWE actually is pretty exciting now. Imagine - WWE being good? That would be really nice.

**bbb**

Sigur wrote:
....and I'm loving it. There go my plans of coercing my pandemic-WWE-PPV-watch friends over to different stuff. But WWE actually is pretty exciting now. Imagine - WWE being good? That would be really nice.

Imagine WWE being [consistently] good...

There were always glimmers, but logic, consistency, maturity... Vince craves not these things.

**Sigur**

Yeah, let's wait and see.

So there's rumblings about AEW PPVs becoming 2 days affairs. How do you feel about 2 day events? I'm not a huge fan to be honest. Takes away the event character. I'm not as keen on the 2 day wrestlemania because one day will always seem bad in retrospective. I'm not a fan of 2 days Wrestle Kingdom either. I'm good with 1 day PPVs. Makes'em feel more special.

**bbb**

Not a fan, but it's understandable considering how much stuff they try to pack into them.

My kids are crazy excited about WrestleMania coming to Philly in 2024 and are asking about going both nights, but... I don't even know if we'd be able to get affordable tickets for just 1 night.

**Mad Doc Grotsnik**

Sigur wrote:
Yeah, let's wait and see.

So there's rumblings about AEW PPVs becoming 2 days affairs. How do you feel about 2 day events? I'm not a huge fan to be honest. Takes away the event character. I'm not as keen on the 2 day wrestlemania because one day will always seem bad in retrospective. I'm not a fan of 2 days Wrestle Kingdom either. I'm good with 1 day PPVs. Makes'em feel more special.

I’m still something of a Wrasslin’ noob. But I’m not a fan of two day PPV. I want my spectacle and Frankly Stupendous Displays Of Choreographed Athleticism, because that’s what Wrasslin’ is. But? I. Want. It. Now. If like WWE and AEW you have Talent for days? Work smarter. Milk us smarter.

Whilst I don’t much care for a Two Day Wrestlemania or Summerslam? I’d be (probably inexplicably) down for three PPV’s in rapid succession. One for Raw, one for Smackdown, then a “best of the best” finale event where the champs from the preceding events knock seven bells out of each other. Because otherwise? What’s the wider point of the false brands?

**Dysartes**

As it pertains to Wrestlemania, the last one before they went to two nights was over seven hours long.

AEW's PPV events have been clocking in at 3-4 hours, so I don't know how they'd stretch to two nights.

Now, if you were to pair the AEW PPV with a ROH one, that might work.

**Ghaz**

It can be 'interesting' to watch the audience on Monday Night RAW after WrestleMania weekend as they can get a little bit loopy from wrestling overload...

**Dysartes**

Sounds like last night's Dynamite had quite a lot going on - and next week's should be interesting, too.

**Sigur**

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

I’m still something of a Wrasslin’ noob. But I’m not a fan of two day PPV. I want my spectacle and Frankly Stupendous Displays Of Choreographed Athleticism, because that’s what Wrasslin’ is. But? I. Want. It. Now. If like WWE and AEW you have Talent for days? Work smarter. Milk us smarter.

Whilst I don’t much care for a Two Day Wrestlemania or Summerslam? I’d be (probably inexplicably) down for three PPV’s in rapid succession. One for Raw, one for Smackdown, then a “best of the best” finale event where the champs from the preceding events knock seven bells out of each other. Because otherwise? What’s the wider point of the false brands?

Very much agree with you on the "milk us smarter" thing. I don't need to see everybody all the time. Okay with AEW and their much fewer PPVs I would like to see the top card guys though..

As for RAW/Smackdown-branded PPVs - careful what you wish for.

We had that a few years ago, with one PPV every 2 weeks, and it was exhausting and ultimately felt a bit unexciting due to the density of PPVs coming up. I agree on your point about the two brands. I don't get the point either. They should do away with the brand split (which I believe they pretty much do), because the two shows feel the same anyway. The height of the two brands silliness each year is Survivor Series. It's the ONE time of the year the two brands remember that there are two brands and get real angry about each other.

@bbb: Ooh, that should be fun.

How do you handle wrestling with your kids? Last week I had Jay Lethal vs. Orange Cassidy on whilst cooking and my niece (4) came in. She looked at the TV and asked "What are they doing?" - "They're fighting to see who's the stronger of the two." - "Are they fighting for real?". This put me at a moral crossroads.

Being a weenie, I murmued something like "half-way".

We watched for a few seconds, I tried to hype up the moves a bit, but she wasn't too impressed (because all those youngsters want to see is SPOTS and FLIPS and don't appreciate a man pretend-jumping on another man's ankle for a while, right?

) and we went on to play something.

@Ghaz: I bet! Two days of Wrestlemania, all the great shows taking place around it... but RAW after Wrestlemania is a must, because that's where the interesting things happen, right?

Just a general observation: I love Miro the Redeemer. He's so great. There's no funny business, no 'self awareness' (which lowers the impact of anything), they do that character so well. And it's such a clear, solid character direction as well. God, Redeemer, Flexible Wife. His interaction with the House of Black is great.

Also: Kris Statlander is out with injury again. That made me make a frustrated groany sounds. I'm not liking it.
Also: Mickey James apparently has retired. Good on her. She seems like a cool lady who's got things down and does things behind the camera, she can do commentary, she can do anything. Including getting back into the ring at any point.