I don't know if any of you watched Raw last night and saw Shawn's farewell address but I did and I almost cried like three times. It won't be the same without him.
I feel like I'm in the minority, but I wasn't really a big fan of Shawn Michaels. Sure he was a good wrestler and all, but the man could not sell moves, punches etc and that's the same reason I can
not stand Ric Flair. The only thing I enjoyed about Shawn were promos and his stuff with Triple H. But yeah I get what you're talking about abut the farewell, I still found it sad.
^Is it true that he'll probably be going over to TNA? If so wow, what a drama show that'll be.
Nikki - I agree with most of what you said about the matches especially the last one ha.
Does anyone know how long Bret's contract was with the WWE? I heard it was a short term thing (4 months). He's definately ruled out ever going to TNA, so maybe he'll stay at the WWE.
^Is it true that he'll probably be going over to TNA? If so wow, what a drama show that'll be.
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^Just asking because I read that somewhere...Then again I have read in other places that he's not gonna wrestling again ever so. I hope it's not true but you never know. TNA not that great anyway but I do watch it from time to time to keep tabs on Sting & Jeff Hardy.
I haven't heard anything about that...I hope not.....he's been pretty loyal to WWE over the years so i don't know.
I think Bret's contract was only for a few months and I actually doubt that either of them will go to TNA. TNA ... meh, I'm weary about that. They focus too much on the "star power" and not the quality of the wrestling, you couldn't pay me to watch TNA even if a hand full of my favorite wrestlers were there I won't watch.
I also doubt that Shawn would go to TNA, I believe he's the type that if he says he's going to retire, he will. His speech was very moving and I've read in articles that he's been wanting to retire for a while to spend time with his wife and children, I doubt he'd go into wrestling so soon. Down the line, who knows. It also depends on if there's any time left in his contract as well, if he's got time left in the contract he won't be able to do anything for any other company and WWE basically pays him for sitting at the house doing appearances etc.
TNA will hire anyone in the spirit of thinking they can beat WWE's ratings
Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair ... and countless others. The only person I enjoy in TNA is Sting, been my favorite wrestler since I was 4
and trust me, TNA hasn't gained a big acquisition when it comes to Jeff Hardy.
Hardy faces a total of 5 felony drug related charges. So yeah they might have a big name for the time being, but once the court dates are finished ... it doesn't look very bright. On another note, I'm wondering what TNA's drug polices are like because looking at their roster, a lot of them have been fired/suspended from WWE for "breaking" the "drug wellness" policy.
- Jeff Hardy
- RVD
- Mr. Anderson (really you'd think he'd have a better gimmick) I'm glad that Vince McMahon fired him for botching a wrestling move, just in case you didn't know his first match back he did a suplex on Randy Orton and Randy landed right on his head.
- Kurt Angle
- Scott Hall
- Sean Waltman
- Shannon Moore (these were all suspended/fired for failing drug tests, how/why they're still in TNA I don't know) ... I'm not saying they couldn't have cleaned their acts up, Jeff is probably only clean because he's in court etc. But RVD has had videos on the internet which have shown him using drugs, so it's evident that he still does
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I wanted to know everyone's views on Randy Orton's face (good guy) turn! I can't say I really saw it coming, even as a heel (bad guy), he got more cheers than John Cena. I think it's an interesting change, maybe WWE thought it would be nice to have a face that was cheered by more than the women and children? :lol:
I have a couple thoughts:
- They turned Randy "face" just to fill in that void left for Shawn's farewell.
- Randy's going to be sort of like the "anti" hero, ala Stone Cold Steve Austin. Not good / not bad, maybe he'll feud with Vince and we'll get closer to the Attitude Era (just stay PG)
This article sums it up how I feel
The Risks and Rewards of De-venomizing
[spoiler="The WWE's Viper]
Tread softly.
Excited about Randy Orton's "face-turn"?
I'll reiterate, tread softly.
On the heels of Orton's victory at Wrestlemania XXVI , the professional wrestling community has been abuzz over the potential, and later eventual, face-turn of the industry's top heel.
It's different, I'll give you that.
Exciting, possibly.
But nevertheless, as excited as you all might be, the WWE has every reason to be concerned during a time in which I imagine them to feel confident in their creative direction.
After all, it worked out splendidly as every person in the arena (both at Wrestlemania and Raw ) was excited to see Orton dominate, conquer, and pose.
Shades of 2004?
Let's hope not.
Not so much because I take issue with Orton's 2004 face-turn. It's more to do with the reality that the Randy Orton who stalks the WWE Universe today is ages different from the living-evolution who dominated all those years ago.
He's not the "Legend Killer," he doesn't smile, and until last Sunday, he didn't pose.
But there is potential to be had out of this new incarnation of Orton. With a performer as talented as he is, there always will be.
But the transition from being the industry's top heel over the past few years to being an overwhelming fan favorite is a process that should evolve with great precision and thoughtful creative direction.
It's not hard to get the fans to cheer for Orton.
The guy could beat their heroes into the ground, insult them, put senior citizens in the hospital, and take all of that negative emotion away with one pose.
That's real power, not corporately fabricated.
There are a number of reasons why the WWE would push for such a radical change in Orton's character, and I can only hope to God that their primary motivation is not financial.
A likable Orton will sell you T-shirts, DVDs, and PPVs, and as nice as that must be for those whose primary motivation is the all-American dollar, the temporary fix will not evolve into a permanent solution.
This business needs quality heels; perhaps now more than ever.
During an era in which the product often places a greater emphasis upon the performance of B-grade entertainers who know nothing about the industry's history than the actual performers themselves, we NEED to care about our Superstars.
I could care less about who is "hosting Raw" so long as there is a quality creative story to be told.
And to tell stories, you need great villains.
For fans of The Dark Knight , imagine how the film would have been if instead of watching Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker, Batman simply beat up one bank robber after the another with absolutely no quality means of antagonism.
The movie would s*ck, right?
That's how I feel watching the mighty John Cena conquer one random bad guy after another each and every week.
When was the time we saw Cena in actual danger?
Not the danger of being roughed up at a few worthless Raw events, only to stand triumphant at the next PPV, and not the danger of selling for someone beneath you with the knowledge that he will soon become irrelevant as your road to Wrestlemania will be laid out for you on a red carpet.
I want to see Cena (the character) hurt. I want to see Cena beaten so bad that he doesn't have the strength to win his next PPV match. I want to see Cena cry.
Who's going to do that?
Batista?
It took Batista all of about one second to be done away with by the man whose position he inherited (that of the top heel).
And when Batista goes elsewhere, who's left?
The Big Show, and his great storytelling ability?
The Miz, with the fear and intimidation that he brings to the ring?
Ted DiBiase, who looks like Orton circa 2004, only without the ability to cut a quality promo, no singles experience, and no accomplishments to back him?
These "happy days" of seeing Orton team with his good friend Superman to take down whoever is assigned to be the bad guys in any particular week can last only so long.
But it might be, as they say, a necessary evil.
I do not think for one moment that having Orton turn face gives the WWE the best opportunity to utilize his character's full potential.
Orton has all of the potential to not only be the top heel in the industry today, but also become the greatest heel of all time.
Similar to how Triple H can be both marketable and entertaining as the fun-loving DX commander, yet can go years without truly being "The Game."
In Orton's case, it's a simple matter of necessary creative direction.
Much as was the case with The Rock years ago, the fans were waiting to be given any reason to cheer for him.
He was so talented, charismatic, and entertaining that the inevitable couldn't be avoided.
In The Rock's case, he became an entertainer so great that it was only logical to allow him to remain in the fans' good graces because it created a symbiotic relationship built to last for years.
Orton's abilities are different.
He is a much better in-ring performer; underrated despite continual positive recognition (most recently, winning PWI's 2009 "Wrestler of The Year" award).
He is also the best storyteller in the business today (especially given the retirement of Shawn Michaels), as his character can be used as a cocky blue-chipper, a Legend Killer, a crazed heel with the fixation of becoming champion, a viper, a destroyer of families, and now, a very likable "apex predator."
He can work with Triple H and make it look good, he can battle with Superman and make it look good, he can even work with Shane "kitten-punches" McMahon and make it look good.
The Rock came to the ring with a presence, whereas Orton is a viper-like force of nature with every bit of ability to end your career in the blink of an eye.
These qualities are best suited for what he has been (to a degree) and what he's destined to become.
That destiny being to become the greatest heel in the history of professional wrestling.
But before Orton will be given the opportunity to do that, he must give the fans what they want.
He must deliver that for which they have waited, begged, and pleaded for.
The fans can now have their wishes come true as they will be given every reason to cheer for Orton while he still maintains the semblance of a viper.
He might stalk and he might slither, but he will never truly be "The Viper" in the same way that, for years, Triple H has not truly been "The Game."
The good news for the WWE Universe is that most people won't notice the difference.
The same music and the same finisher will more than suffice.
This business has become more corporate, more marketable to people of all ages, and better suited for the Randy Orton the people want him to be.
Give it to them.
Allow Orton to thrill the fans with weekly exploits of his finest face-work, only to eventually tear their hearts out and deliver a true reason to be hated.
Sometimes things get worse before they get better.
To truly become the viper he is capable of being, his character needs to provide greater motivation to hate.
He's too likable to get away with simply defeating their heroes alone.
He's too likable to be loathed simply because he's been branded the bad guy.
Orton needs to make it personal.
Exactly when and how, I wouldn't be able to say because as of this moment, I've yet to see much of the new product delivered to us on Monday.
I'm excited for the potential of Orton's character benefiting from "babyface-favoritism," as it might be the only way to carry him to the top of the mountain where he belongs, anyway.
Heel or face, he's still the best in the industry.
He's great as a tweener.
He's great as a quasi-face.
But he's even greater as the villain.
So WWE, even though you've established an interesting creative direction, please don't forget exactly where your viper came from.[/spoiler]
Sorry for stretching
your screen, what area am I supposed to read in? I'm having a hard time finding that in the FAQ ... I have never seen a issue with spoiler codes having to be a certain width, I thought it was just pictures and such
