# Any WWE fans in the audience? (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** boxing-wrestling-mma\ **Created:** [June 5, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124 "2014-06-05T15:34:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 287
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5723 "2017-03-15T17:20:08Z")
If Bray vs RKOrton is supposed to be a main event match, there needs to be more aggression on Bray’s part. He’s been the victim, losing Luke Harper as a disciple and having his temple burnt down. All he’s done so far is rub his sister’s ashes on his face. He needs to do something truly despicable to get his heat back. ---
**Author:** ![Cell\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Cell\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cell_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5724 "2017-03-15T17:57:40Z")
AJ Styles has been moved the “alumni” section of [wwe.com](http://wwe.com), following up on last night’s angle. I like little touches like this–it shows that some thought went into it. Of course he’ll be rehired by Wrestlemania. They should put him in the front row at a ROH show to really sell it. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5725 "2017-03-15T18:00:25Z")
For those without the El-Rey network or the desire to use alternative avenues, _Lucha Underground_ seasons 1 & 2 are now streaming on Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5726 "2017-03-15T18:57:53Z")
I’m still asking why we need Shane in a Wrestlemania match at all. Just taking a spot from the full time guys, like, oh, I dunno, American Alpha, who aren’t on the card? ---
**Author:** ![Cell\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Cell\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cell_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5727 "2017-03-16T00:28:53Z")
Just when I’m ready to cancel the network they go announce the arrival of Southpaw Regional Wrestling on Friday. This is the holy grail to tape traders. A promotion so rare that most of you have probably never heard of it. Every wrestling promotion since 1983 owes its existence to SRW. Innovative booking, compelling characters and state of the art production values directly led to the rise of WWE, WCW, ECW, Impact, ROH, PWG, XPW, NJPW and every other promotion in the history of the world. Truly an epic event and I urge everyone to check it out on Friday. Okay, maybe I over exaggerated a bit there. It’s really a parody of 80’s era regional wrestling starring current WWE wrestlers. And it’s probably better booked than Raw. I’ll be checking it out. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5728 "2017-03-16T01:47:22Z")
Does that movie have wrestling nerds who know all the industry terms? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5729 "2017-03-16T02:29:13Z")
[Here’s the teaser.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaQPgu6HaVE) Looks like fun, though I imagine Jim Cornette is going to have some unfavorable things to say about it. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5730 "2017-03-16T04:27:29Z")
[If you like Jack Gallagher](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18oH_s4u2oo) ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5731 "2017-03-16T13:23:27Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > After two years of generic covers, WWE has gone back to putting wrestlers on the cover of the company’s Annual Report. > > This year’s push (and don’t try telling me that it was just “coincidence” that both Sheamus and Cena got pushes right after getting on the cover) goes to… > > **New Day!** (The subheading: “Extraordinary Entertainment”) And the 2017 push goes to… **Charlotte** ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5732 "2017-03-16T13:45:57Z")
Gotta say, maybe it’s because she’s closer to my age, but Mickie James is one hot mama. After watching Smack Talk, I think I’m looking more forward to the Smackdown Womens’ match than any of the others. Cena & Nikki vs Miz and Maryce should be good for some laughs, and AA vs Neville and JeriKO should be good, but the rest of the card has too many part timers and figureheads involved. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5733 "2017-03-16T13:55:56Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > [If you like Jack Gallagher](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18oH_s4u2oo) I need to pay more attention to Gentleman Jack, but is he that cut in WWE? Holy crap he looks really good right there. Never knew he had an MMA background. It’s also just sooooo him to immediately thank his opponent and the ref and everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5734 "2017-03-16T17:43:16Z")
> **[Jack Claffey | MMA Fighter Page | Tapology](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/122374-jack-claffey)** > > Jack Claffey (0-1-0) is a Pro MMA Fighter out of Manchester, England and the #112th ranked Pro Mens Bantamweight in United Kingdom & Ireland. View complete Tapology profile, bio, rankings, photos, news and record. Listed as an amateur with a 2-0-0 record, both by submission. His third bout was scheduled for August 20, 2016 but was cancelled - probably because of the WWE Cruiserweight tournament. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5735 "2017-03-16T21:36:24Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Gotta say, maybe it’s because she’s closer to my age, but Mickie James is one hot mama. > > After watching Smack Talk, I think I’m looking more forward to the Smackdown Womens’ match than any of the others. Cena & Nikki vs Miz and Maryce should be good for some laughs, and AA vs Neville and JeriKO should be good, but the rest of the card has too many part timers and figureheads involved. As someone who is something of a lapsed fan just getting back into it, I love the part timers. IF they can wrestle. If Goldberg was brought back despite not being able to work a match, then to hell with them. But I’ll admit it served its purpose. I watched all of that first Raw he returned on and all three PPVs he’s been on, and that’s exposed me to the current roster. Wrestlemania uses part timers because it gets people to watch, and hopefully what they see on the undercard interests them too. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5736 "2017-03-16T23:20:28Z")
Then Vince’s plans actually work? OK, I have to grudgingly admit they do sometimes, but I wasn’t even a fan of Goldberg back in his heydey because he was so megapushed, 1000 times worse than Roman. That being said, one of my favorite squash matches was Goldberg vs La Parka. Parka came to the ring with a chair while Goldberg was facing the crowd and lightly hit him on back of the head with it. He then turned around and did his victory dance, oblivious to Goldberg’s no-sell. Then SpearJackerHammerPin it was over. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5737 "2017-03-16T23:27:26Z")
I think part of what made Goldberg awesome was the contrast with the rest of WCW’s booking. All those potential dream matches they could have had, they pissed them all away with bad 80s-style booking screwjobs, only goofier and more nonsensical. Goldberg, on the other hand, his matches were usually booked to end decisively and realistically(at least as real as anything in wrestling is) and there was no screwing around. Just destruction of his opponents. In an environment where one promotion can’t book for shit and in another where they’d rather have storylines about 80 year old ladies giving birth to a hand or the bosses daughter getting crucified, Goldberg was what a lot of fans around that time were looking for. As for whether Vince’s plans work, that depends on what you think his goal is. From what I’ve read while I wasn’t watching much, he’s been trying to end the cyclical nature of wrestling by having the WWE itself be the draw, rather than individual wrestlers. Which makes sense, it’s hard to prosper, especially as a public company, if you have to wait for the next Hulkamania or Austin vs. McMahon, or NWO angle to drive up business. He’s succeeded in one respect: none of his current roster are really over. And he seems to have partly succeeded in the other: revenues are now pretty stable and the company is consistently profitable. So from the business part of it, he might know what he’s doing. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5738 "2017-03-17T12:39:58Z")
Yeah, I’m kind of wondering if a trapdoor policy has evolved in WWE. One performer is injured, and they’re instantly replaced by one of the many willing to jump on the grave of their predecessor for a chance at the spotlight. You never know who has the lightning in a bottle, like Blue Pants did in NXT for a while before disappearing. Speaking of NXT, last ep was the first time I’ve seen Kassius Ohno in action. He’s good, but the dude seriously needs to lose that beer belly and those cottage cheese thighs. Is that why they let him go before? Seems like a fair number of ex WWE stars have been called back and repurposed. Rhyno was only supposed to put over NXT guys for a couple months, but then they called him up and paired him with Heath Slater, and both their careers had a resurgence. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5739 "2017-03-17T14:02:49Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I think part of what made Goldberg awesome was the contrast with the rest of WCW’s booking. All those potential dream matches they could have had, they pissed them all away with bad 80s-style booking screwjobs, only goofier and more nonsensical. Goldberg, on the other hand, his matches were usually booked to end decisively and realistically(at least as real as anything in wrestling is) and there was no screwing around. Just destruction of his opponents. In an environment where one promotion can’t book for shit and in another where they’d rather have storylines about 80 year old ladies giving birth to a hand or the bosses daughter getting crucified, Goldberg was what a lot of fans around that time were looking for. > > As for whether Vince’s plans work, that depends on what you think his goal is. From what I’ve read while I wasn’t watching much, he’s been trying to end the cyclical nature of wrestling by having the WWE itself be the draw, rather than individual wrestlers. Which makes sense, it’s hard to prosper, especially as a public company, if you have to wait for the next Hulkamania or Austin vs. McMahon, or NWO angle to drive up business. He’s succeeded in one respect: none of his current roster are really over. And he seems to have partly succeeded in the other: revenues are now pretty stable and the company is consistently profitable. So from the business part of it, he might know what he’s doing. I can tell you from personal experience that I loved the shit out of Goldberg as a kid. I fit perfectly in the age bracket they were going for and thought Goldy was the bestest evar! He was huge, decimated his competition and was just really cool. I’ve been wanting to see him again for ever and I love that he’s back. I can’t wait to see him in April (even if he’s most likely going to lose) because it hits me right in the nostalgia. > [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Yeah, I’m kind of wondering if a trapdoor policy has evolved in WWE. One performer is injured, and they’re instantly replaced by one of the many willing to jump on the grave of their predecessor for a chance at the spotlight. You never know who has the lightning in a bottle, like Blue Pants did in NXT for a while before disappearing. > > Speaking of NXT, last ep was the first time I’ve seen Kassius Ohno in action. He’s good, but the dude seriously needs to lose that beer belly and those cottage cheese thighs. Is that why they let him go before? Seems like a fair number of ex WWE stars have been called back and repurposed. Rhyno was only supposed to put over NXT guys for a couple months, but then they called him up and paired him with Heath Slater, and both their careers had a resurgence. IIRC, Ohno has some sort of disease/condition that leads to him being as big as he is, and his weight is either what got him released in the first place, or contributed to it pretty heavily. ---
**Author:** ![Cell\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Cell\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cell_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5740 "2017-03-17T23:20:50Z")
Southpaw Regional Wrestling did not disappoint. Anyone who saw early '80’s Dallas, Memphis or Atlanta wrestling will find something familiar. Those too young will enjoy figuring out who is who from the current roster. There’s a bunch of funny stuff there but I’ll share my two takeaways: 1. My love for Lana now is probably unhealthy. 2. It’s not Ric Flair. Southpaw couldn’t afford Naitch. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5741 "2017-03-18T00:40:04Z")
I liked the short bit with Konnor and Viktor as the surfer dudes. Very cheesy 70’s-ish promo for what would have been a gimmick of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Cell\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Cell\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cell_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124/5742 "2017-03-18T02:32:23Z")
So I guess there’s a sex tape featuring Paige with Brad Maddox and Xavier Woods? No wonder Woods named his channel “Up Up Down Down.” Should make for an interesting Raw if New Day shows up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124.md?page=286) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-wwe-fans-in-the-audience-part-1/690124.md?page=288)