Post-Mania WWE TV (04/09 - 04/15)

[The Thread Killer]

Good lord, Coachman is awful.

 

"The Greatest Royal Rumble is going to be the best card since...Wrestlemania yesterday!"

[hammerva]

How long is this Greatest Royal Rumble show going to be with apparently 7 title matches and the 50 man Royal Rumble. It might be longer than Wrestlemania

[KawadaSmile]

"Fight forever" chants directed at KO/SZ. They are officially bad.

 

OK they are good again. TNA chants were pretty well done.

[Matt D]

That show should have probably ended with Elias.

[Johnny Sorrow]

The only time You deserve it has been good was when they chanted it at Ciampa after he took the powerbomb to the concrete Saturday night.

[TonyPulis'Cap]

I'm PWO's sole Ember Moon supporter, I think. I approve.

 

Hey, I'm an Ember supporter too, so lets make that two of us at least!

 

I think some criticisms of the gimmick she had in NXT were fair - I'm not sure quite what they were really going for, and probably neither were they - but as a performer, she has consistently been really good in pretty much all her matches. I thought in particular her match with Asuka at Takeover Brooklyn was fantastic. I love her selling as well - in the matches against Asuka and the one with Shayna at Takeover Philadelphia. Over the last few months they had moved away quite a lot from the whole mysterious part of the character to where she was basically just a fiery babyface.

 

For people that may not like her, I'd recommend watching the last NXT TV show of the year for 2017 which was more of an end of year review. There's a personality piece they do on her that was great and she comes across so well. I'm rooting for you Ember!

[TonyPulis'Cap]

I've also always quite liked No Way Jose. I think it is a valid point to say the character may not work on the main show, but he's fun, and deserves this chance. He'd work great in a tag team I think.

[El-P]

 

I'm PWO's sole Ember Moon supporter, I think. I approve.

 

Hey, I'm an Ember supporter too, so lets make that two of us at least!

 

I'm there. Ember is one of the better women worker they have. She run circles around most of the girls in the main roster. And she got a cool funky look. The whole "I don't know what her character is" is nonsense steeming from the overstated "character work" bullshit taking point that itself steemed from Post Benoit Workrate Guilt. What is Naomi's character for instance ? She's glowing ? People are overthinking pro-wrestling at times. Ember Moon's a terrific worker with a funky look. If that's not enough for you to care, you're watching the wrong show. Can't wait for the new matches for her now.

[Slasher]

 

 

 

 

I'm PWO's sole Ember Moon supporter, I think. I approve.

Hey, I'm an Ember supporter too, so lets make that two of us at least!

I'm there. Ember is one of the better women worker they have. She run circles about most of the girls in the main roster. And she got a cool funky look. The whole "I don't know what her chacater is" is nonsense steeming from the overstated "character work" bullshit. What is Naomi's character ? She's glowing ? People are overthinking pro-wrestling at times. She's a terrific worker with a funky look. If that's not enough for you to care, you're watching the wrong show.

I like Ember too. She has a look that stands out even in a division where everyone has weird colored hair or garish makeup. She is more than solid in the ring. She probably could work with any sort of opponent and adapt. The only thing for me is I think she'll ultimately settle in a Becky Lynch type role on Raw, the babyface character that should be pushed more but is instead a gatekeeper for girls moving on up towards the Sasha/Charlotte/Alexa/Ronda/Asuka tier.

[Gutenberger]

That TNA line by Angle was the highlight of the show, imo.

 

I like Ember, so I'm cool with her call-up.

 

I despise NWJever since first seeing him, his whole schtick s just awful to me, so... Screw him.

 

AoP much deserved their call-up, and I hope they get treated right.

 

And yes, Lashley is back. Couldn't care less, to be honest. I'll give him a chance, but he was never of any interest to me.

 

Final thought, is Roman's new gimmick that HE thinks teher's a political hit on him? If so, did they steal that idea from here?

[Cornette's racket]

You Deserve It is my least favourite chant ever

Well except at Takeover on saturday when Ciampa was powerbombed on an exposed floor and the crowd chanted it loudly.

[El-P]

That TNA line by Angle was the highlight of the show, imo.

 

Jarrett is a HOF, so it's ok to refer TNA now ? Like, this is where some of our best talent (Samoe Joe, AJ) comes from ?

[FMKK]

What pimped Lashley matches/angles from TNA would people recommend as a primer on where he is as a performer nowadays? From what I've heard/the little I've seen he's got pretty good.

[Viking Hall]

I still can't believe that Reigns excuse for not winning was that he was booked to win but that changed when Brock signed a new contract. Come on lads, play the game.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

What pimped Lashley matches/angles from TNA would people recommend as a primer on where he is as a performer nowadays? From what I've heard/the little I've seen he's got pretty good.

Seconded. I really haven’t seen any TNA since the EC3/Spud stuff.

[TonyPulis'Cap]

What pimped Lashley matches/angles from TNA would people recommend as a primer on where he is as a performer nowadays? From what I've heard/the little I've seen he's got pretty good.

 

Would recommend his match with Drew Galloway for the title at Slammiversary 2016, then any of the matches from the series he had with Eddie Edwards, again in 2016. I think that year he also had a fun match with James Storm where he was trying to hold all the titles at once. Not quite sure about last year, but 2016 was a really strong year for him, he was pretty much the MVP of the company that year.

[fakeplastictrees]

Final thought, is Roman's new gimmick that HE thinks there's a political hit on him? If so, did they steal that idea from here?

 

I am not sure even Alex Jones can explain what's going on with Roman. Roman Reigns as WWE's Harold Crick will make for a frustratingly wonderful angle in the most Russoific way.

[Mrzfn]

What pimped Lashley matches/angles from TNA would people recommend as a primer on where he is as a performer nowadays? From what I've heard/the little I've seen he's got pretty good.

 

This is one of my favorites, Lashley vs. DJZ from 7/26/16:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7J-VOuX7lw

 

A few other really good options, if you can find them. All matches from Impact unless otherwise noted:

 

vs. Aries 7/31/14

vs. Roode 9/17/14

vs. Roode 10/4/15 BFG

vs. Galloway 6/12/16 Slammiversary

vs. Galloway vs. EC3 6/28/16

vs. Edwards, Cage 7/21/16

vs. Moose 10/20/16

vs. Edwards, Iron Man 1/26/17

 

And some bonus content if you want to dig a little deeper:

 

vs. Aries vs. Eric Young, Cage 6/15/14 Slammiversary

vs. Jeff Hardy 7/17/14

vs. Roode 10/29/14

vs. EC3 10/21/15

vs. Aries 11/25/15

vs. Edwards 11/3/16

vs. Edwards 12/15/16

vs. Jeff Hardy 2/2/17

[SomethingSavage]

Yup. Ditto for Lashley's 2014. That was his big comeback year, wherein he suddenly burst back onto the scene and seemingly got really, REALLY good overnight. He just came back with incredible improvement all at once.

 

From that period alone, there's Lashley vs Jeff Hardy in the Manhattan Center. It's not a great match, but it has a super fun finish. And it probably marks the beginning of his impressive run. His best match that year is at the Destination X event (actually aired as a weekly Impact from the Manhattan Center, just labeled as Destination X) against Austin Aries. It's a banger and tells a great story of David versus Goliath. There's also the trilogy against Roode that runs from late October through early January on various dates. Then there's those already mentioned above. I feel like I'm still forgetting some, but I've covered alot over in the TNA mega-thread.

 

Make no mistake, the Lashley last seen leaving WWE isn't the same worker returning now. To judge him based on that body of work alone is really missing out.

 

As far as Ember Moon goes, count me in as another fan of hers. I understand some of the criticisms of her (lack of) character, but I don't necessarily agree with it. I mean, she's never really establishes that she's trying to be anything specific. It's basically just a unique look and nothing else. It's strictly gimmick for the sake of pageantry at this point. And sometimes, that's all it needs to be. They've never really tried to go further beyond that with it - at least not that I'm aware of, and so it fits fine as it is.

 

My issues with things like this arise whenever it tries to be more and fails. Finn Balor's whole "demon" shtick is a prime example of when it becomes bothersome. In his case, it's treated as more than just a look. It's hyped to be an aggressive extension of his personality, yet it's hardly handled that way. For awhile there, he literally became the Demon for every single Takeover event, regardless of whether it was warranted by a grudge or a blood feud. It was just done for a reaction. All the way, they continued to present it as something special. Meanwhile, he never did ANYTHING remotely different. His performances remained exactly the same.

 

Ember is just a chick dressing up. It's her look - nothing more, nothing less. Clearly she's a fan of Twilight or True Blood or some such shit. I don't know. But it's not something I take personal offense to or anything. It's just a form of her individual expression at the end of the day.

 

In the ring, her facial expressions & her body language are always on point. She's super expressive about EVERYTHING, almost to a fault. The shouting before a big move - and the "huffing and puffing" deep breaths - can feel a little over the top and borderline hokey at times, but hey. That's pro wrestling. It's meant to be big, so you take it. At the end of the day, it's a net positive in her favor. So yeah. She's athletic enough for outstanding spots. She's got a proven track record in telling cohesive stories in the body of her matches. And her reactions really level everything up in my eyes.

 

I can see the look being a distraction if it's not your thing or whatever, but it really shouldn't be anymore of a problem than say a Jeff Hardy's ridiculous ring gear. It takes some getting used to, but it ultimately sets them apart from the rest of the pack. And it should hardly be considered a strike against their work as performers.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

 

What pimped Lashley matches/angles from TNA would people recommend as a primer on where he is as a performer nowadays? From what I've heard/the little I've seen he's got pretty good.

 

This is one of my favorites, Lashley vs. DJZ from 7/26/16:

 

 

A few other really good options, if you can find them. All matches from Impact unless otherwise noted:

 

vs. Aries 7/31/14

vs. Roode 9/17/14

vs. Roode 10/4/15 BFG

vs. Galloway 6/12/16 Slammiversary

vs. Galloway vs. EC3 6/28/16

vs. Edwards, Cage 7/21/16

vs. Moose 10/20/16

vs. Edwards, Iron Man 1/26/17

 

And some bonus content if you want to dig a little deeper:

 

vs. Aries vs. Eric Young, Cage 6/15/14 Slammiversary

vs. Jeff Hardy 7/17/14

vs. Roode 10/29/14

vs. EC3 10/21/15

vs. Aries 11/25/15

vs. Edwards 11/3/16

vs. Edwards 12/15/16

vs. Jeff Hardy 2/2/17

Thanks for this. Going to try and track these down.

[sek69]

So I wonder if we're going to see any more callups on Smackdown, or if last night was it and they'll just get shuffled around in the don't-call-it-a-draft next week.

[Matt D]

So I wonder if we're going to see any more callups on Smackdown, or if last night was it and they'll just get shuffled around in the don't-call-it-a-draft next week.

 

I'm pretty sure we'll get a few more. I feel like Almas/Vega still need to let Gargano get his win back, and probably put over Black again, but they may still come up. Sanity's another possibility, and maybe the Iconic Duo. That's just idle speculation though.

[Richeyedwards]

 

So I wonder if we're going to see any more callups on Smackdown, or if last night was it and they'll just get shuffled around in the don't-call-it-a-draft next week.

 

I'm pretty sure we'll get a few more. I feel like Almas/Vega still need to let Gargano get his win back, and probably put over Black again, but they may still come up. Sanity's another possibility, and maybe the Iconic Duo. That's just idle speculation though.

 

Almas may just do one more set of tapings where he puts over black/gargano or both then comes up.

[fakeplastictrees]

I don't mind Ember's look. Its the mannerisms that really get me. It all comes off as cosplay and is far from organic. I feel like I am watching a really bad episode of My Babysitter's a Vampire. The Undertaker, even at his early 90's hokiness, came off as a guy who might have honestly believes he was dead/undead. It worked and got over so huge because despite the cartoony aspect of it all, it all somehow came off legit. It didn't appear Undertaker was actively thinking how he should portray himself or being too conscious in his movements. Undertaker's inspirations might have been worn on his sleeve in some respects, but its more of a generic and entirely fleshed out concept vs. Ember's extremely specific tapestry of inspirations. The over-the-top facial expressions is usually saved for 10 dollar Haunted Horrors where for one-night-only a typical soccer mom because a blood sucking vampire. Now of course baking snickerdoodle and wiping the smudge of her five year old son's face will not prepare her to be a Vampire. So what does she do? She binges season 1 of Darks Shadows and works on her best Bela Lugosi impression while he kids are asleep. The end result if a get-what-you-pay-for 10 dollar haunted house experience that is less scary and more in the vein of typical Middle-American main stream horror that is based more on half baked tropes than actual feeling. Its about tapping into the psychology. But what is the psychology of a vampire goddess warrior? I don't know and neither does Ember.

 

Less is more. Less is always more in my book. When Ember sticks out her tongue and bugs out her eyes I think she is, at the moment, thinking about what a generic demon in The Originals would do. Not a main character, but some random demon encountered on the side of the road. Ember is using side characters as main inspiration for her forward mannerisms. There is no rhyme or reason. Its just being done because 'that's what they do'. Much like Finn Balor's "Demon", as noted earlier, its presentation and nothing more. I can understand if someone wants to use Port Charles as a launch pad to a gimmick, but at some point in time that person will need to actually leave the pad. Hopefully a move to the main roster will shoot her into the stars because she does have the in-ring talent and by all accounts she seems like a nice person.

[Loss]

 

Final thought, is Roman's new gimmick that HE thinks there's a political hit on him? If so, did they steal that idea from here?

 

I am not sure even Alex Jones can explain what's going on with Roman. Roman Reigns as WWE's Harold Crick will make for a frustratingly wonderful angle in the most Russoific way.

 

 

You see, wrestling is fake and Roman Reigns was supposed to win the match on Sunday. No one would look at him before the match happened, and then when they got in the ring, Brock Lesnar started shooting on him to keep the title. He was baffled at first, then saw WWE announcing that Brock has resigned. He thinks it was a quid pro quo. Don't be concerned, though. The same boss that ordered his part-time seven-figure wrestler to shoot on Roman Reigns to avoid going with the planned finish has booked him in a rematch in a few weeks where he'll book him to win, and Lesnar will cooperate then. Or something.