Dave Meltzer stuff

[Mad Dog]

I think they are just incompetent when it comes to maintaining momentum. Look how fast they killed the Hardys.

[Migs]

I think they are just incompetent when it comes to maintaining momentum. Look how fast they killed the Hardys.

 

The booking is built to have very little momentum most of the time.

[NintendoLogic]

I'd like to believe that the fans won't allow Bryan to fall below a certain level, but I'm not at all confident. WWE tried to replicate the Bryan formula with Sami Zayn and Bayley and killed both of them dead. Even Cena hardly feels special anymore after losing too much.

[Mad Dog]

They had finally managed to damage him with the Reigns program right before he retired. I think it's only a matter of time. Working with Big Cass was a really bad idea on their part.

[Loss]

He won't be everything he can be for sure, but I just can't envision a scenario at this point where he's a lesser star than the top of the middle guys like Kevin Owens, The Miz, New Day, etc. I think it's nearly impossible for him to be viewed below them, even if he's booked at that level.

[Matt D]

You can't blame WWE for being conservative with him to a degree. They should really look at him as an attraction/bonus to cards/programs instead of someone to build around.

[Victator]

Could be they think he is leaving in September and want to try to taper his drawing power.

[Jmare007]

In his recent interview with Jericho he didn't say he had signed a new deal - and he did sound excited about working other places if WWE never cleared him - but it felt Jericho and Bryan were talking as if he staying in WWE for the long run was a given/formality. Makes sense tbh, I don't think the company believes he might be leaving.

 

BTW, he also revealed his deal expired/expires September 1st and talked about how he wasn't sure if he would've been able to work the All In show even if he left WWE.

 

RE: Dave's point.. I think it goes way beyond Bryan. If you really think about it, WWE has no real angles going on since Mania. Nobody has momentum because they have nothing to work with at the moment. Rollins got over because of his performances and they are now pushing him as the "hottest superstar in the company" but even he doesn't have a legit program waiting for him.

 

 

You can't blame WWE for being conservative with him to a degree. They should really look at him as an attraction/bonus to cards/programs instead of someone to build around.

 

I don't think they are being conservative at all. He's back to being a workhorse for them, 2 single TV main events and that 76 minutes performance at the GRR. In the Jericho interview he said that they never really got to sit down and plan out a special schedule for him and "all of a sudden" he's working every date on the European tour.

[Edwin]

https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON/status/994964918737633280

 

 

 

Yes

@davemeltzerWON do you want a report from the Eurovision show in Lisbon tomorrow? Lots of European talent on the card, as well as Rybak headlining

 

[Seabs]

I really dont think Bryan leaving in September would be a bad move for him. WWE havent made anyone a star since Cena and theyre just never going to get the most out of him. Hes a popular undersized babyface and their mentality with that act is always well we can beat them and theyll be fine and itll be great when they get that big win despite all them losses. And then they look at Mania 30 and that justified everything for them but Bryan got over in spite of their booking not because of it. Same for Punk. Same for AJ to a lesser extent. Just look at how bad theyve failed when they do to try to give guys the big protected push. Bryans already just another guy on the roster. He means about as much as Jeff Hardy does right now in terms of how theyre presenting him.

 

The main reason for guys to stay in WWE is job security, pay and fame. I dont think any of those things matter to Bryan at this point. Hes had the big WWE run, I cant imagine hes thrilled working at the level hes been at wrestling under WWEs limitations. Hed be a bigger star leaving WWE for sure imo. Hed be the hottest act in wrestling and hed be working on his terms having the matches he wants to have. I think theres likely a good chance he built the whole outside of WWE thing up in his head when it looked the only possibility so big that its much more than a wouldnt that be cool thing for him now. He must also surely know that hes one bad bump away from being back in the hellhole he was before and if he signs a new contract its not going to be a short term because WWE know what will happen the moment his contract is up.

 

The idea of a guy like Rollins or Owens or even Zayn leaving is silly. But Bryan, really not and thats what Daves point was, that hed be happier leaving and also be a bigger deal inside the wrestling bubble.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

I don’t buy that WWE would have cleared him if there was any possibility of him leaving.

[NintendoLogic]

Bryan also has a family to care for now.

 

In other news, Dave referred to Jumbo Tsuruta as "the Okada of his era" on Twitter today.

[...TG]

In other news, Dave referred to Jumbo Tsuruta as "the Okada of his era" on Twitter today.

As I posted on Twitter (paraphrasing Sparky Anderson), let's not embarrass Okada by comparing him to Jumbo.

[SirEdger]

I really dont think Bryan leaving in September would be a bad move for him. WWE havent made anyone a star since Cena and theyre just never going to get the most out of him. Hes a popular undersized babyface and their mentality with that act is always well we can beat them and theyll be fine and itll be great when they get that big win despite all them losses. And then they look at Mania 30 and that justified everything for them but Bryan got over in spite of their booking not because of it. Same for Punk. Same for AJ to a lesser extent. Just look at how bad theyve failed when they do to try to give guys the big protected push. Bryans already just another guy on the roster. He means about as much as Jeff Hardy does right now in terms of how theyre presenting him.

 

The main reason for guys to stay in WWE is job security, pay and fame. I dont think any of those things matter to Bryan at this point. Hes had the big WWE run, I cant imagine hes thrilled working at the level hes been at wrestling under WWEs limitations. Hed be a bigger star leaving WWE for sure imo. Hed be the hottest act in wrestling and hed be working on his terms having the matches he wants to have. I think theres likely a good chance he built the whole outside of WWE thing up in his head when it looked the only possibility so big that its much more than a wouldnt that be cool thing for him now. He must also surely know that hes one bad bump away from being back in the hellhole he was before and if he signs a new contract its not going to be a short term because WWE know what will happen the moment his contract is up.

 

The idea of a guy like Rollins or Owens or even Zayn leaving is silly. But Bryan, really not and thats what Daves point was, that hed be happier leaving and also be a bigger deal inside the wrestling bubble.

 

If WWE was really that worried about Bryan taking that infamous "one bad bump", they would've never cleared him in the first place. Like Zoo Enthusiast said, I'd be stunned if Bryan decided to leave. He got what he wanted, which is to be cleared to in-ring action. Why would he leave now?

[Loss]

All of this because he lost a TV match?

[NintendoLogic]

https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON/status/996424982468030465

 

The funny thing is, the tweet Dave was responding to was sarcastic and the three subsequent tweets were clearly defending Dave. Not a huge deal, but still pretty funny coming from Mr. Reading Would Be Your Friend.

[sek69]

All of this because he lost a TV match?

 

I think it's more that people had talked themselves into believing they'd get all the dream matches if/when Bryan came back, and instead WWE is booking him exactly how you'd expect them to.

[Matt D]

 

 

All of this because he lost a TV match?

I think it's more that people had talked themselves into believing they'd get all the dream matches if/when Bryan came back, and instead WWE is booking him exactly how you'd expect them to.

So far:

High profile Mania tag vs Zayn/Owens

Singles vs AJ

Tag with AJ vs Rusev Day

Nakamura dark match

Rumble Record

Singles win vs Cass on PPV

Loss to Rusev

House show tag w/Tye vs Miz/Cass

 

Looks good to me. Variety of opponents/settings/types of matches.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

BURIED~!

[sek69]

So L.A. Park (and his son) shot an angle at Friday's Arena Mexico show where they saved Volador Jr. and Flyer from a Los Ingobernales beatdown and he challenged Rush to a mask vs hair match. That would be the Anniversary show main event, and all usual asterisks about Park not getting himself fired before then aside, would be the highest grossing match in CMLL history.

 

Dave mentioned that the wrestlers in CMLL went to management and stated they all wrestle each other all the time and things are getting stale, and asked them to bring in guys from outside even if they were on Paco Alonso's famous shit list. The fact that they brought in Park, who is probably #2 on that list after Santo, is a pretty big shift in how they normally do business. Dave went on to indicate this probably won't be the only name to come back that you would think you'd never see in CMLL again.

 

I also wonder if a lot of the older guys in Mexico saw the payoff Dr. Wagner Jr got for losing his mask and deciding now might be the time to finally cash in. As good as the Friday Arena Mexico shows can be in terms of individual matches, CMLL has been pretty poor at creating new stars really since the first Mistico. Rush should be way bigger than he is, and Dragon Lee has to go to New Japan to do anything interesting. With AAA in another cycle of "things weren't working, fuck it let's bring Konnan back and give him the book", this would be a prime opportunity for CMLL to make some inroads to increase business.

[Matt D]

From the outside (and I mean FAR outside) looking in, I think it comes down to Sofia, right? That's the only thing that's changed between now and a few years ago. There have been these weird little hints of things shifting one way or another over the last two years, but in the end, CMLL remains CMLL. So we'll see. Either Park does something to get himself kicked out in a few weeks or he does something and DOESN'T get kicked out.

 

That's how we'll know.

[Victator]

Here is a what if from a strictly Kayfabe in universe point of view.

Over The Edge 98, what if Dude Love won the title and Vince successfully keeps Austin from getting a rematch. At this stage of the McMahon character, can he walk away?

[sek69]

From the outside (and I mean FAR outside) looking in, I think it comes down to Sofia, right? That's the only thing that's changed between now and a few years ago. There have been these weird little hints of things shifting one way or another over the last two years, but in the end, CMLL remains CMLL. So we'll see. Either Park does something to get himself kicked out in a few weeks or he does something and DOESN'T get kicked out.

 

That's how we'll know.

 

 

I think so, she seems to have quietly gained power behind the scenes. She even went to the Fantasticamania shows (and was visible on camera the the whole time IIRC) and seems to be the first person in a long time to actually give a shit about the goings-on of the company instead of using it as a money generator for the family.

[Grimmas]

LA Park in CMLL is the best thing ever, here hope it lasts long enough to get a few matches in or longer. Park is the fucking best.

[BrianB]

I don't care about it, but if Meltzer is showing up for all the Starrcast stuff, I'm surprised journalism ethics and other arguments aren't being raised against it.

 

Personally, I think all the Conrad related podcasts going after Dave is largely a work (there's probably a few times guys actually get upset at the reporting, but for the most part it's playing things up and looking to get shots in). This event seems like one of the clearest indications that despite all the negative chatter on boards, Dave looks at it as a work too, and may mostly care about how it helps his numbers.