So… they’re just going to give us the inevitable (and incredibly stale) “Screw the top face out of his shot” gambit, followed by an absolutely predictable tournament where we all knew exactly who was winning the first round based on the pairings?
:dubious:
Seriously, how else could they go? They’ve been grooming RR to be the top face for months. Might as well follow through.
Maybe they’ll book a few upsets just to keep things interesting, but no doubt it’s going to come down to RR vs KO. KO became NXT champ in two months and it worked. He’d be great as the Authority Show Pony. When Seth returns, he’ll get Ortoned out of the dance and much whining will ensue.
Sheesh, just mix it up a little. Don’t completely lay out exactly where everyone knows these people stand in Vince’s eyes as if we don’t already know. They could have put Titus O’Neil against someone else and let him win the first round even when you know he isn’t going to win the tournament, something so last night’s show wasn’t so damned predictable…
“Anything can happen on RAW” hasn’t been true in way too long. Now you could just hand us the match list every day and we needn’t bother watching the show because we know how it ends.
The Brothers of Destruction are back. Closest the WWE has come to getting it right in a long time. Now they just need a storyline to have them face each other one more time.
I’m still going to predict Reigns vs. Ambrose for the title. The way the brackets are set up it’s blindingly obvious it’s going to be Ambrose vs. Owens in the semis, so it could go either way, but unless Owens is going to drop the IC title I don’t see him going into a world championship match.
And as much as Owens has the “I only care about what gets me more money for my family” thing going on, he doesn’t strike me as the kind to put up with the Authority’s BS either.
As for the inevitable BoD/Wyatts Survivor Series match, 'Taker’s going to need at least two more bodies. This would probably be the ideal time to call Finn Balor up to the main roster - 'Taker himself debuted as the fourth man in Ted Dibiase’s team back at Survivor Series 1990, so bringing in this generation’s demon would be a good way to commemorate the occasion.
I’m thinking they’re going to do just UT & Kane vs all four Wyatts. That way, Bray can win because UT had to be beat with overwhelming odds. Finn’s main roster debut doesn’t need to be under somebody else’s shadow. We should know by now that historical and logical patterns don’t always figure into WWE’s booking decisions. Case in point: furrener-hating Zeb Coulter is now paired with ADR.
So what’s everyone’s opinion on Breaking Ground?
I think it’s really good in theory, but there seems to be a bit too much kayfabe. I mean, what a coincidence Baron Corbin is a giant asshole! Apollo is a humble happy-to-be-there guy! ZZ is overwhelmed! Dana Brooke is cocky!
It seems just a bit too convenient
Just strikes me as kind of wrong that the NXT tag champs lose the belts and it’s not even the main event. Samoa Joe’s promo is more important. OK, Vaudevillains. See ya! (See, I said their gimmick would get tiresome, didn’t I?) This sets up an eventual Dash & Dawson vs Jordan and Gables feud, which is cool. Maybe D&D will punk out the Hype Bros to add gravitas. Enzo & Cass seem to have outlived their usefulness, so maybe a callup is imminent.
I marked out when Bailey gave the Bailey-to-Belly to Blake or Murphy. I’m telling you, the first NXT Diva vs Superstar event will be Bailey vs one of the Super Happy Fun Guys That Aren’t Hype Bros.
When’s Hideo due back? Sami Zayn too, for that matter. They’re at risk of being forgotten in the wake of all these new signings.
Brad Maddox finally gets back on TV. Video buffering taps out ftl.
I feel like you might be reading too much into a title change not happening in the main event, but YMMV.
Also: HEEEEY, WE WANT SOME BAY-LEEEEY!
IIRC, the Most Heterosexual Guys In the Room weren’t the ME on the episode when they won the tag titles either.
In any event, I’m fairly sure the actual main event for most of the audience was when the camera lingered on Alexa Bliss’ ass for like 30 seconds at the beginning of her match. 
At the beginning? Geez, through the entire thing she kept leaning over the ropes! 
I worked from home today and sat through all the Table For 3 episodes on the network. Really good stuff. Past and present stars discuss things going on with their lives and how they came up with their gimmicks. You can tell they all have a love for their profession and consider it important to develop close bonds with each other.
I think my favorites segs were R. Truth/Miz/Axel and Bo Dallas/Samoa Joe/Neville, but they were all good. Turns out Truth has 5 kids and his oldest is 24. He kept trying to convince the others women use bird poop to treat their skin. When they called him on it, he kept saying “it’s all scientifics.” Axle gave Truth pictures of him in a match with his dad. That’s how long he’s been in the business. Truth has got to be the longest career mid-carder ever, but he makes the most of it.
Longest career mid-carder ever? Well, I mean, if you’re only going to count his WWE run, I guess. Even then, you’d have to look at guys like Koko B. Ware first, I would think.
I thought Superstar vs. Diva singles matches were on the “not gonna happen under the PG policy” list.
Supergirl and female agents of SHIELD fight men all the time on the TV. This will happen.
Don’t forget his first WWE run teaming with Road Dogg. That was in 2000, though he was out of the WWE for awhile in between then and now. That said, Bob Holly spent 15 years firmly in the mid-card, making everyone around him miserable. That’s longer than Koko, who was around 8 years. Hell, Kofi Kingston has been mid-card about as long as Koko.
Smackdown “Bit the Bullet” report 11/12
Actual long matches and less filler crap.
Smaller guys Neville and Kallisto actually win! Turns out some of the bracket pairings didn’t have predictable outcomes after all.
Wade Barrett and Neville was 1st ten minutes all Barrett, he being much larger, louder and more tattooed. This discrepancy is repeated in the next match with Ryback vs Kallisto. This does make the bigger guys have to work more on their somersaults to contribute to the action output, but this is unpossible with Brawn Stroman. I think Brawn is good for spectacle, and he genuinely has the look and performs decent mike work, but he lacks mobility and his timing is a little off. He gets a submission win over Fandago and they still haven’t given the move a name yet.
Anyhoo, they also had a heel vs heel pairing as ADR took on Stardust in a winning effort. Although the two had a decent amount of back-and-forth, ADR clearly outclassed him. Cody seems to emulate Toad from the X-Men. He is a big comic book fan and admits to stealing material for his promos, but the consequence of this is he comes across just as two dimensional. Length, width, no depth.
But kudos to Kallisto. Looks like he’s bound for singles stardom and doesn’t have to be a gay barber to get over. There’s a Table for 3 episode with Ryback, Daniel Bryan, and Dolph Ziggler, theme being IC Champs, done before KO won the belt. Ryback hopes the IC title will lead to him headlining WM 32. Looks like it won’t. Ryback also calls DB a bully in that episode. Whuuuuut?
The evening closes off with a classic rematch of Luke Harper & Erick Rowan vs the Uwah Sowahs. I think they were all drunk. They just seemed to wobble a lot. Bray gets Brawn to storm the castle for the DQ and Bray delivers kisses of death to each Oos. Oh, the SS matchup will be two Wyatt members of Bray’s choosing vs the Brothers of Asstruction. Not 4 on 2, at least not officially.
DEPP!
Well COME ON! IT’S WADE FREAKING BARRETT!!!
Since when does he win anything? I figured Neville was a given on that one. But I was surprised at Kallisto going over. I guess there’s Vince’s answer to Ryback stepping up and saying he’s the guy to replace Cena. :rolleyes:
Watch the Dinner for 3 with Shaemus, Barrett and Regal. Regal seemed all about ‘it doesn’t matter where you are on the card as long as you work at it and entertain people’.
I remember in WCW, Regal was part of the Blue Bloods. His partner Bobby Eaton was actually from Alabama, and their manager was Lord Littlebrook, a midget. He somehow made it work. They showed vignettes of him teaching Eaton how to properly drink tea, what to say in front of the Queen, that sort of thing.
Gotta say I didn’t see that one coming.