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Prelude to Extreme Rules


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I feel like if they really care about rehabbing Reigns, he needs to be put with workrate opponents every single month with the agents trying to craft a MOTY. There's a (false) perception that he can't really work, and that's the type of thing that will eventually overcome everything else. It would create a groundswell of support around him if he was having a ****+ match every big show.

 

I fear WWE "smart" fans will not change their minds on Reigns, they have it stuck in there head someone isnt a good worker and it is hard to shake,

 

Then they should put Harper over Ambrose to build him up so he can be fed to Reigns and make him look good?

 

Man, WWE's a mess when it comes to this. If Henry hadn't come back as a quasi-face, they could feed him to Reigns and that'd probably be good.

 

They could do something with Henry and Reigns stemming from the fact that Henry said he believed Reigns could beat Lesnar and failed. One of the greatest qualities of someone like Henry being on the roster it only takes a week or two of squashes and some promo time for him to feel somewhat relevant again.

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WWE put themselves into a real bind by waiting so long to create new stars that now they have so many that are somewhat on the verge but there isn't enough to feed all of them so some (or hell maybe all of them) are going to wind up getting starved out.

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Reigns-Henry would help Reigns get over in the context of the show, but in today's climate, you also need a way to get wrestlers over in the subtext with smart fans who are more interested in the motivations behind pushes and backstage machinations.

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I feel like if they really care about rehabbing Reigns, he needs to be put with workrate opponents every single month with the agents trying to craft a MOTY. There's a (false) perception that he can't really work, and that's the type of thing that will eventually overcome everything else. It would create a groundswell of support around him if he was having a ****+ match every big show.

 

I agree, although I am not entirely sure who those possible opponents are in the short-term. Cesaro is tied up in the tag division. Cena and Rusev are possibilities after April, but Rusev will probably need a win by then and Cena/Reigns should be kept apart until a big show (WrestleMania probably). Bryan is a possibility in the future but it seems too soon for that.

 

Who does that leave? Ambrose? Harper?

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I just don't think winning matches is enough to rebuild him because of the perception that he's Vince's pet. He needs lots and lots of great matches, because it will seem more earned.

 

 

I agree I just think it will take a hell of lot to shake the "smart" crowd who already boo him, the hardcore WWE smart crowd booed the night after he had one of the best main events in Wrestlemania history. Once the know it all fans, get something stuck in there heads it is hard to shake, fans still think John Cena can't wrestle.

WWE put themselves into a real bind by waiting so long to create new stars that now they have so many that are somewhat on the verge but there isn't enough to feed all of them so some (or hell maybe all of them) are going to wind up getting starved out.

 

This is exactly what happened last year after Wrestlemania, with the rise of Cesaro, Rusev, The Shield guys and Wyatt all at the same time, the company had to give up on Cesaro and put guys like Ambrose and Wyatt on the back burner.

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It's amazing that the subtext of WWE television has become "Vince McMahon and The Authority hate you and are out to create the worst show possible for you to watch. The babyfaces are the ones that attempt to overcome or find a way to overcome that."

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On paper a lot of these possible match-ups for Extreme Rules could be good. Orton-Rollins, Cena-Rusev, Bryan/Ziggler/Sheamus/Barrett, Cesaro/Kidd-Lucha Dragons, Nikki-Naomi, and Ambrose-Harper all have potential.

 

The stipulations will be interesting. It looks like Ambrose-Harper will be a table match if they go that route. My guess is Cena-Rusev will be I-Quit which is terrifying for Rusev. I could see Reigns-Show having a LMS match. Orton-Rollins will likely be a Cage. They could make the IC four way interesting with a Falls Count Anywhere stip.

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WWE put themselves into a real bind by waiting so long to create new stars that now they have so many that are somewhat on the verge but there isn't enough to feed all of them so some (or hell maybe all of them) are going to wind up getting starved out.

 

This is exactly what happened last year after Wrestlemania, with the rise of Cesaro, Rusev, The Shield guys and Wyatt all at the same time, the company had to give up on Cesaro and put guys like Ambrose and Wyatt on the back burner.

 

And then to complicate matters it seems like everyone has their different supporters so who is getting pushed seems to depend on who was able to get in Vince's ear the most that week and the company rarely ever seems to truly commit to a guy. Even when you thought they were committed to Roman Reigns & Rusev, it doesn't feel like those guys are trending upwards at all now after Mania.

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The emergence of 'gimmick' PPVs really devalues the stipulations themselves. Instead of being the necessary blowoff to a violent blood feud they are just arbitrary stipulations added to the match because the show demands it. You would expect them to phase them out now they aren't relying so heavily on traditional PPV buys and the boost in sales from a unique match, apparently not.

wholeheartedly agree with this. And the worst part is that they have shows for their two biggest gimmicks (HIAC and TLC) and then Extreme Rules is a catch-all that covers everything else. There really is no gimmick match WWE can run these days that feels special because they are all seen at least once a year.

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I think a Rollins/Orton/Reigns triple threat would make more sense for this show. Both Orton and Reigns can argue that they deserve a shot at the title, and having 3 guys in the match gives them more options for who eats the fall. Assuming Rollins is going to keep the title, they could have him pin Orton after shenanigans and Reigns continues to look strong. And depending on your feelings about Rollins and Orton this potentially meets the criteria for giving Reigns good opponents to work with. (Though I can see smarks arguing that Reigns was carried anytime he has a good match).

 

As for the IC title, I'd really like to see them put more effort into how they choose challengers for the title. I don't mind a random title defense on RAW once in a while, but I think it also helps to make a big deal out of guys trying to become number 1 contender.

 

So i think at the PPV what I'd like to see is this:

Bryan defends against Barrett (invoking his rematch clause)

Ziggler vs. Sheamus (no. 1 contender match)

 

I think the logical direction to go with Bryan's title run is Ziggler taking the title from him somewhere down the line. So I'd like to see them carefully build to that match. There are lots of ways to keep Ziggler hot on his heels without having them have a million singles matches. Make a big deal out of Ziggler trying to get another title shot but getting screwed out of it each time. In this case Sheamus could cheat to beat him and that would buy them another month.

 

I hate the idea of a 4-way match already because I feel like it burns out all the possible angles with the 3 challengers in one match. I think it's a lot more compelling (and a better use of time) to have Bryan have to deal with all these challengers one by one.

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Don't think Roman Reigns needs massively rebuilding. He is coming off the best two matches of his career, and looked like a tough, cool badass at Wrestlemania until the horrible finish. He is always going to get mixed reactions, but as long as he is getting reaction it doesn't matter. Daniel Bryan is about unique as a modern babyface who gets universally cheered.

 

Reigns still has a huge role to play in the next few years at the top of the card.

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MITB is only 2 months away and I can't think of a sure fire logical choice to get the case. The mid card and upper midcarders have been treated so terribly that no one has any momentum going in. I assume Rusev is a possibility. Ambrose a long shot. Or maybe they have Reigns win it and give Rollins a taste of hs own medicine type deal

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Don't think Roman Reigns needs massively rebuilding. He is coming off the best two matches of his career, and looked like a tough, cool badass at Wrestlemania until the horrible finish. He is always going to get mixed reactions, but as long as he is getting reaction it doesn't matter. Daniel Bryan is about unique as a modern babyface who gets universally cheered.

 

Reigns still has a huge role to play in the next few years at the top of the card.

 

He'll stop getting mixed reactions once Vince and crew just let him develop naturally. He's going to need more Bryan style matches to help him grow and develop. Putting him with Kane and Show doesn't help him at all.

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Theoretically, Kane and Show are a good fit because Reigns works better with large guys that take most of the match. The problem is they both have a really light touch and Reigns needs to work a stiffer style coming off of Brock. Plus, the obvious go away heat they have. He should work Harper, but he won't.

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It is strange how mainstream wrestling has developed, to the point where having great matches is the catalyst to popularity, rather than the traditional booking tools of wins and strong booking.

 

A detailed thesis could be written on the impact ROH has had on modern western wrestling. Not only have they produced and developed a huge amount of stars who have dominated the top of the card in WWE, their metrics of becoming popular via incredible matches and an ambiguity pf traditional face and heel structures have been adopted on mass by the majority of live crowds. Obviously there have been other contributing factors, the ubiquity and speed of the internet turning everyone into a 'smart' fan and the trend towards smaller performers in the wake of all the premature deaths and mandatory drug testing.

 

In retrospect, has ROH been as influential as ECW in terms of showcasing talent and influencing the style of mainstream wrestling? A few years ago that would have been a laughable question, not any more.

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MITB is only 2 months away and I can't think of a sure fire logical choice to get the case. The mid card and upper midcarders have been treated so terribly that no one has any momentum going in. I assume Rusev is a possibility. Ambrose a long shot. Or maybe they have Reigns win it and give Rollins a taste of hs own medicine type deal

Personally I think the MitB gimmick is really stale and could use a major twist to keep it interesting. With that said, here's a really crazy left-field idea...why not have Brock win it? Brock could win MitB and then in typical "Brock smash" fashion cash in the very same night, destroy the champ and take the title and then you can go into Summerslam with Brock as champ.

 

A nice side effect is that we don't have to deal with goofy cash-in teases all year and it gives the MitB gimmick a rest until someone wins it next year.

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It something the WWE wouldn't consider, but would a Reigns and Ambrose tag title run work right now?

 

Let them run through Show/Kane, New Day and Ascencion to get a title shot. Give them long workrate matches with Cesaro/Kidd, Usos and Lucha Dragons so Reigns can get some smark cred and Ambrose can have focus and win matches again. Feud them with Sheamus/Barrett and Wyatt/Harper. Hell, just call them the Shield again. Then they can drop the titles to an upcoming team like Balor/Itami and be the final 2 in the Rumble, with Reigns winning. Reigns stays away from the world title picture for 10 months and a rematch with Brock or Rollins is completely fresh.

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