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July Wrasslin' |OT| All this G1 talk is making me Climax.

Hasney

Member
So you guys ready for Battlegrounds? This is going to be a complete shitshow, I can feel it.

Hopefully Styles/KO delivers. Their last match ended just as it was getting good.

Only reason I'm watching is New Legacy Inc. They'll make it entertaining.
 

Foggy

Member
In what way is WWE better at anything beyond accessibility for western audiences

The arc of a stuffed animal is more effective pathos than anything WWE has churned out since the Festival Of Friendship

And honestly look at how the Festival of Friendship paid off. A heatless match at Mania and an unnecessary blowoff the month afterwards.
 

Menome

Member
So you guys ready for Battlegrounds? This is going to be a complete shitshow, I can feel it.

Hopefully Styles/KO delivers. Their last match ended just as it was getting good.

I'll be watching it on the train up to Scotland tomorrow. Four-hour gap between London and Edinburgh is perfect for fitting it in.
 

Kornflayx

Member
WWE has nothing going for me at the moment. Not even the production value is all that great. 1997 WCW had better production value. Camerawork? Shit. Stages? Shit.

If WWE focused half as much attention on storytelling as they do on putting LED on stuff, they wouldn't be so shit.
 

Mahonay

Banned
I don't know what some of you are smoking. The overall booking in WWE right now is heinously bad. They can only manage booking maybe a single feud well at a time, and usually it's short lasting. The only main roster feud that is coming off really well right now is Roman vs Braun vs Joe vs Brock. Everything else is middle of the road or just straight trash. And after SummerSlam, you can sure as hell kiss any of that goodbye. WWE are extremely predictable now as to when they're going to push aside a good angle for their latest Roman push or whatever other stupid bullshit that is set in stone.

They've made AJ a midcarder, and Nakamura is nakaneutered.

NXT is still fairly solid, and you've got the Women's tourney coming up (seems to be good from those that were there for tapings?). Those are the bright spots. Not the main roster.

NJPW isn't perfect, but the main roster overall is being infinitely better executed. They take guys with talent and let them run with the ball. WWE takes guys with talent, takes their ball, and tells you to shut the fuck up and stop being a mark for yourself.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
So you guys ready for Battlegrounds? This is going to be a complete shitshow, I can feel it.

Hopefully Styles/KO delivers. Their last match ended just as it was getting good.

Nope. Gonna watch Game of Thrones instead.
 
WWE has nothing going for me at the moment. Not even the production value is all that great. 1997 WCW had better production value. Camerawork? Shit. Stages? Shit.

If WWE focused half as much attention on storytelling as they do on putting LED on stuff, they wouldn't be so shit.

WWE is about making brands so all the over the top production and LED boards make sense in that context. I still hate it, but it's clear they just want branding and marketing above in-ring.

I still think the overall product would be well served by, obviously, ditching Dunn and his atrocious camera work, but also toning down the excessive production.
 

Anth0ny

Member
And honestly look at how the Festival of Friendship paid off. A heatless match at Mania and an unnecessary blowoff the month afterwards.

Exactly. Nothing matters. Nothing pays off. Anything that seems cool or seems to have potential ends up being ruined somehow. You literally have to try to fuck up some of these things, and they do it every time.

It's burned me out, and millions of others.

New Japan isn't painful to watch like WWE is. Stories make sense. There's progress. There's payoff.
 
The only storytelling they know now is "first ever" and "streaks"

And they don't try to make them meaningful in story context majority of the time because it's far more important to pat themselves on the back and have the talent be grateful for the opportunity they've been given by the brand
 

Foggy

Member
I'm personally of the mind that workrate without story is much better than story without workrate. At worst I'm merely getting an entertaining match. The flip is getting a boring match with a weak story conclusion. I suppose that's the natural disconnect with my mindset.

But even accepting WWE on its own terms, they do a pretty terrible version of what they do. I don't know why most don't drop it for Progress. Maybe it's the weekly fix? Maybe it's the water cooler effect? Especially after the Jason Jordan silliness, I just wonder why people bother.
 

Beefy

Member
In what way is WWE better at anything beyond accessibility for western audiences

The arc of a stuffed animal is more effective pathos than anything WWE has churned out since the Festival Of Friendship

I didn't say the promotion/ production was good as in entertaining. But the standard compared to others is far better quality. Their website is good and easy to get around etc, the wrestling side is what is letting them down. The NJPW is the other way round.

I enjoy watching NJPW more, but the production etc pisses me off. I think it helps that I have never got so involved in something I have felt the need to defend it when people see flaws.
 

Mahonay

Banned
Yes WWE has some REALLY high points when they WANT to execute on what they know they can do well. When you have those extended storylines, with big matches and great soap opera moments. But Vince and co very deliberately choose not to, in favor of having total power of their roster and creative. It's more important to Vince that people say SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT and WWE UNIVERSE than to build talent and let them thrive. Also, remember a few months ago when people thought they were going to stop using the WWE Universe term? Lol. So much for that.

And when they have those high points, they immediately kill the feud soon after, and it's as if an epic battle never happened at all. Nothing matters.
 
Exactly. Nothing matters. Nothing pays off. Anything that seems cool or seems to have potential ends up being ruined somehow. You literally have to try to fuck up some of these things, and they do it every time.

It's burned me out, and millions of others.

New Japan isn't painful to watch like WWE is. Stories make sense. There's progress. There's payoff.

With NJPW I never come away thinking "WHERE WILL THIS GO". Matches just feel like natural progression and ranking through the ladder. It almost feels like boxing or MMA where you wrestle guys over and over showing worth. Obviously there are feuds like Tana and Naito, but even when they match up now I just think "well another chapter in that story" versus "So whats going to happen next?" I guess this comes from less heavier reliance on drama and soap opera promos
 
I didn't say the promotion/ production was good as in entertaining. But the standard compared to others is far better quality. Their website is brilliant and easy to get around etc. As I said the wrestling side is what is letting them down. The NJPW is the other way round.
Just keep in mind you specified "in-ring", which means the commentary, camera work, storytelling, etc would all be considered better in WWE

Yeah, as I said, they are far more accessible for western audiences. The product that is easily accessible is fucking garbage right now. They were in a better place last year

The sad thing is having half their roster injured last year forced them to make more interesting choices with a lot of things. Part of why I got back into it is because the people I was tired of seeing were sidelined and the better, newer people were getting their chance to shine. Since then they've come back and there's been far more damaging injuries (like Finn) and they seem to have just given up
 

Mahonay

Banned
The only storytelling they know now is "first ever" and "streaks"

And they don't try to make them meaningful in story context majority of the time because it's far more important to pat themselves on the back and have the talent be grateful for the opportunity they've been given by the brand
Yerrrrp.
 

Beefy

Member
Just keep in mind you specified "in-ring", which means the commentary, camera work, storytelling, etc would all be considered better in WWE

Yeah, as I said, they are far more accessible for western audiences. The product that is easily accessible is fucking garbage right now. They were in a better place last year

I count the wrestling part as the in ring stuff. It's why I said wrestling was better in NJPW.
 
I also hate how every time there is another re-match in WWE, ala Miz and Ambrose, they almost ALWAYS feel exactly the same. I know NJPW is just as guilty here, but for some reason the matches just always feel different. You have signature move spots, but there is more than just high spot, rest, high spot, rest, high spot, rest.
 

Mahonay

Banned
For a company that despises the word "wrestling", it's ironic that they run half their roster into the ground and into injury by making them wrestle 5 times a week.
 
As much as I hate the Authority garbage one of the most exciting things WWE introduced was Shane having dirt on the family. It got me interested, excited, and ready for some kind of actual feud. Then it just stopped. It ended with nothing. I'm ok with not having Steph & Hunter out there every week, but how do you build up that much ype and then just kill it with a handshake.
 

Mahonay

Banned
I also hate how every time there is another re-match in WWE, ala Miz and Ambrose, they almost ALWAYS feel exactly the same. I know NJPW is just as guilty here, but for some reason the matches just always feel different. You have signature move spots, but there is more than just high spot, rest, high spot, rest, high spot, rest.
It's a symptom of all the guys having their "WWE moveset". The talent are encouraged to give themselves a condensed move set, to the point they can work a match in their sleep. At the same time, they kind of have to with the stupid amount of house shows they have everyone work.

I don't know, WWE has done a ton of different things policy wise that gives you that "samey" feel for rematches. Also doesn't help that between those rematches usually nothing of significance happens. So it feels like they just feud with the same guys over and over again.
 

Mahonay

Banned
As much as I hate the Authority garbage one of the most exciting things WWE introduced was Shane having dirt on the family. It got me interested, excited, and ready for some kind of actual feud. Then it just stopped. It ended with nothing. I'm ok with not having Steph & Hunter out there every week, but how do you build up that much ype and then just kill it with a handshake.
They do this with most of their feuds.
 

Recall

Member
Anyway who says NJPW is unaccessable is truly a fucking idiot. Like the moron who complains about watching a movie from a different language "I don't like to read subtitles", fuck off you close minded prick,

Pro wrestling has zero complexities about it that you need English commentary to spell anything out. It's very clear by how it's presented and if you can't figure it out then it isn't for you.

NJPW should never sacrifice what makes it amazing just to keep a few morons quiet. A Japanese promotion should never change its roots, it defeats the point you moment you have western fans dictate everything.

Wrestling is easy to understand in any language.
 

Majukun

Member
I don't think you're wrong, just in the minority. Now if you want to talk about the Bayley to Bayley breaking disbelief, then we're brothers in arms.

well that move it doesn't break disbelief, it brings it into an alley and beats him to death with a lead pipe :p
 
Ultimately I feel like WWE doesn't know what they what they want to be as a promotion. I love the corny as hell stuff of New Gen and early AE because it was fun and exciting. Now just feels like a weird mix of that carny personalities (like Bray) or athleticism (like Seth).

It's a symptom of all the guys having their "WWE moveset". The talent are encouraged to give themselves a condensed move set, to the point they can work a match in their sleep. At the same time, they kind of have to with the stupid amount of house shows they have everyone work.

I don't know, WWE has done a ton of different things policy wise that gives you that "samey" feel for rematches. Also doesn't help that between those rematches usually nothing of significance happens. So it feels like they just feud with the same guys over and over again.

This is what ultimately kills them for me. There could be a clean ass win at a RAW/Smackdown or PPV which then gets blown into ZOMG REMATCH TIME.

They do this with most of their feuds.

I'm waiting for the Enzo & Cass feud to just stop, if it hasn't already, because they couldn't milk it out for longer or something. I'm actually shocked they've kept Braun & Roman going for so long.
 

Kornflayx

Member
Anyway who says NJPW is unaccessable is truly a fucking idiot. Like the moron who complains about watching a movie from a different language "I don't like to read subtitles", fuck off you close minded prick,

Pro wrestling has zero complexities about it that you need English commentary to spell anything out. It's very clear by how it's presented and if you can't figure it out then it isn't for you.

NJPW should never sacrifice what makes it amazing just to keep a few morons quiet. A Japanese promotion should never change its roots, it defeats the point you moment you have western fans dictate everything.

Wrestling is easy to understand in any language.

Calm down, Raging Recall
 

Menome

Member
So I've got them somewhere I can remember, and for those that missed it, the return of Menome's Predictions of Potential Injury & Death™ for Battleground:

Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton
John Cena vs Rusev
AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens
The New Day vs The Usos
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Baron Corbin
Charlotte for the Women's 5-Way
Sami Zayn vs Mike Kanellis
Tye Dillinger vs Aiden English
 

Beefy

Member
Anyway who says NJPW is unaccessable is truly a fucking idiot. Like the moron who complains about watching a movie from a different language "I don't like to read subtitles", fuck off you close minded prick,

Pro wrestling has zero complexities about it that you need English commentary to spell anything out. It's very clear by how it's presented and if you can't figure it out then it isn't for you.

NJPW should never sacrifice what makes it amazing just to keep a few morons quiet. A Japanese promotion should never change its roots, it defeats the point you moment you have western fans dictate everything.

Wrestling is easy to understand in any language.

I see a vein on your forehead dude
 

Mahonay

Banned
So I've got them somewhere I can remember, and for those that missed it, the return of Menome's Predictions of Potential Injury & Death™ for Battleground:

Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton
John Cena vs Rusev
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Baron Corbin
Sami Zayn vs Mike Kanellis
Tye Dillinger vs Aiden English
LOL @ this card
 

Mahonay

Banned
I see a vein on your forehead dude
tumblr_lvhxq1EYsm1ql2xqt.gif
 
I may not be particularly invested in whatever Battleground has going on but I'll be damned if I don't watch the hot mess that is a Punjabi Prison match.

Hmm, now I think about it, you can truly assess the fumbling of WWE this year with the fact they had a match of peak fuckery at the ready with House of Horrors and they still bungled it outside the amazing into of a spooky self driving Tractor.
Oh and Bayley as a whole, I'm still reeling and have been since she won the title, yes the moment which should've been the big one turned out to be a very curious decision that signalled the beginning of the disaster booking.

They've made AJ a midcarder, and Nakamura is nakaneutered.

Just letting you know that I love this.
 
I may not be particularly invested in whatever Battleground has going on but I'll be damned if I don't watch the hot mess that is a Punjabi Prison match.

Hmm, now I think about it, you can truly assess the fumbling of WWE this year with the fact they had a match of peak fuckery at the ready with House of Horrors and they still bungled it outside the amazing into of a spooky self driving Tractor.
Oh and Bayley as a whole, I'm still reeling and have been since she won the title, yes the moment which should've been the big one turned out to be a very curious decision that signalled the beginning of the disaster booking.

.

This is a damn good point and falls back into WWE caring more about production than actual wrestling. That match 10 years ago would have been somewhere in the arena, and culminated with battered and bruised wrestlers showing up in the ring. Not a 20 minute movie production with cheesy as hell music.

As I've stated, I have nothing wrong with the cheese but there's good cheese and bad cheese. House of Horror's is bad, Boiler Room match is good.
 
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