Rasslin is YES! YES! YES!

[Reaper16]

Last thread has well over 10,000 replies. Its body is breaking down like The Undertaker's. Seeing as we might have crossed the threshold into a new era in the business, here's a fresh new thread.

[Swanman]

For those that have the network, if you haven't watched NXT Takeover New Orleans, you need to. It absolutely blew away Wrestlemania in terms of in-ring product, as expected. The 6-man ladder match was amazing and a complete train wreck in a good way. The title match was extremely solid between Almas and Black. The Gargano/Ciammpa match might end up being match of the year in any promotion. It was an old-school blowoff to a blood feud and expertly pulled off.

[keg in kc]

Angry Joe? That was cocky joe.

[keg in kc]

Yeah, I meant to post about Takeover on Sunday. It wasn't the best takeover, but it had some really great stuff. Loved, loved, loved the ladder match, and, yeah, the Gargano/Ciampa match just ruled.

[Sassy Squatch]

Originally Posted by Mosbonian

Does nothing for me....maybe I have watched him for so long that the angry Joe act is getting old.

Agree to disagree, I guess. He stole the show when he had promo time with Reigns and Lesnar, and he hasn't missed a beat as far as I'm concerned.

[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by BryanBusby

Most of the hate is over his booking, but lets not overcorrect by rewriting history when giving Cena proper credit.

I get that people want to hate him because he was overused and never a heel after his original turn. But basically he was the only guy who hung around....now he will never bring the audience to the level that Austin and The Rock can just by showing up. But he has, at times, been the only guy who could set off the crowd....good and bad....all at the same time.

I grow tired of seeing Triple H....who should have retired and hung up his tights long ago. He could still do wonders as the new Corporate bad guy and never wrestle and still achieve the attention he wants.

And for all the Nakamura fans....I just can't get into the version of him they have in WWE.

Also...when are we going to see a Styles/Roode feud?

[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Angry Joe? That was cocky joe.

Angry Joe...cocky Joe it still looked stale to me.

[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by Superturtle

Agree to disagree, I guess. He stole the show when he had promo time with Reigns and Lesnar, and he hasn't missed a beat as far as I'm concerned.

That's ok with me....we don't have to agree that's what makes wrestling fun to chat about.

One man's superstar is another man's "meh".

Now I think we all agree the attempt to make us adore Reigns no matter the cost is wearing thin.

[keg in kc]

I'd love to see Joe/Lesnar 2. Much rather see than than Reigns in a cage.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by Mosbonian

And for all the Nakamura fans....I just can't get into the version of him they have in WWE.

Formation of a chaos 2.0 would be the best possible thing for him. Heel turn is a perfect start to that. Actually let him do Strong Style.

Find a way to slightly repackage Bludgeon Brothers (get rid of those ****ing fake hammers and the old Wyatt Family masks) and put them with Shin, and just have the stable brutalize everyone.

Then next week, send Finn and Gallows and Anderson over to Smackdown, have them reuinite with AJ into a legit stable of winners (stop jobbing them all out all the time...), and suddenly we have Chaos versus Bullet Club, and probably the hottest action on either brand.

[Swanman]

All In just got a bit more interesting:

[keg in kc]

Oh shit.

[mcaj22]

Originally Posted by Swanman

For those that have the network, if you haven't watched NXT Takeover New Orleans, you need to. It absolutely blew away Wrestlemania in terms of in-ring product, as expected. The 6-man ladder match was amazing and a complete train wreck in a good way. The title match was extremely solid between Almas and Black. The Gargano/Ciammpa match might end up being match of the year in any promotion. It was an old-school blowoff to a blood feud and expertly pulled off.

6 man ladder match at NXT Takeover was produced by HBK

[otherstar]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

The Braun thing was ****ing stupid. I get the cheap pop both nights, but moving the titles for a day just makes that division look so weak.

I would agree with you, but I think they used it to just re-boot the RAW Tag division. The Tag Eliminator gives the division a fresh start.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by otherstar

I would agree with you, but I think they used it to just re-boot the RAW Tag division. The Tag Eliminator gives the division a fresh start.

They could have done the exact same thing exactly the same way they're doing it now. Because The Bar is facing the team that wins said eliminator. Like they're still champions. Just with no belt.

I just think philosophically it's stupid to have one guy beat the top tag team on his own (with or without a ten year old). And then you multiply that stupidity by having him hand over the belts the next night.

I also have issues with turning the so-called monster into mister jokey fun guy, picking kids out of the crowd for matches, but that's a whole other thing. Maybe the goal there is trying to turn him into the new Cena instead of Reigns.

I just have lots of issues with that whole thing...

[keg in kc]

This is pretty awesome, from cageside seats. Newbie reactions to Wrestlemania:

I-C TITLE MATCH

“I was promised a man in paint.”

(nothing else of note, other than a few gasps, was said till the finish)

“Holy cow that was awesome. Everyone was so fast. That’s what the Cruiserweight fight should have been.”

“10/10”

SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S TITLE MATCH

“I remember watching a few times in the 90’s when women were just there to look pretty. Like UFC ring girls.”

“I need to go to the bathroom, can you pause it?”

(That may seem like an inconsequential comment, but it will come back into play later. He didn’t have a lot to say about the match while it was happening, so let me add a thought of my own: It’s amazing how far women’s wrestling has come on the main-roster. It’s gone from being a waste of time/filler just before the main-event, to the early Women’s Revolution matches, where they were thrown into a bunch of multi-woman fights that devolved into mere spot fests.

Now look what we have: A true one-on-one match with great psychology, happening early in the card when a fresh crowd can appreciate it. Women’s wrestling has finally reached the level of its NXT-peak, and the crowd was all in on it. I was fine with Asuka losing, even if it feels like they did it because it was the site of Taker’s loss and they wanted to hit another big shock-moment as well as build to next year’s presumed Ronda vs Charlotte main-event. Still, as an experienced fan it was shocking. On the other hand...)

‘I figured Charlotte would win since she had the knock-out entrance and everything.”

(That reminds me of watching Mania 30 and being in stunned silence when Taker lost, only to have my non-fan friend sitting next to me say “well of course he lost, look at that guy [Lesnar]!” Sometimes it helps to see things from an untainted perspective.)

“9/10”

US TITLE MATCH

“No pyro for these guys but at least they have their own caddies.”

“I don’t know what Rusev Day is...” (I explain what Rusev Day is) “...I don’t get it, but the crowd seems to dig it so that’s nice.”

(two minutes into the match he gets up to go back to the bathroom; he didn’t even ask me to pause it. The woman are no longer the bathroom break, even to casual-watchers.)

“Oh wow the only guy the crowd liked got pinned. You must hate that Indian guy.”

(You have no idea.)

“5/10 but I missed a minute or so of it” (No you really didn’t.)

MIXED-TAG MATCH

“I love Ronda Rousey, but I don’t know about this...”

“Ha ha why are they riding motorcycles if they’re only going to go 2mph? It’d be more fun if they raced down the ramp.”

“Oh wow Ronda looks like Brittney Spears in the Baby One More Time video. I love it.”

“Why are you crying?”

(Because Kurt Angle is my favorite of all time and was the guy who debuted right around the time I started watching and... [minutes of Kurt Angle talk later] ...just seeing him in his singlet with that music and all that jazz. Shut up we had onions with our burgers.”)

“He looks like he’s wrestling with a flesh-colored airplane pillow”

(violent assault occurs)

“Oh man, this place is going to come unglued when Rousey gets in the match.”

(Rousey gets in the match)

“Ha ha this is awesome. I mean it’s stupid and corny but it’s hilarious and I love it.”

(Rousey and Triple H go at it)

“This should have been the main-event.”

“10/10 that was a blast.”

SMACKDOWN TAG TITLE MATCH

There was a lot of laughter here for New Day’s shenanigans. Little people-based humor might be a bit dated, but it sells.

“Those guys with the hammers look like they’re from some generic Playstation Smash Bros knock off.”

“Wait that’s it? What was the point of that?”

“5/10”

There's more, all quality, but I'm not gonna post it all...