I think part of it is the fear of what we’re seeing with Shayna Baszler in NXT, where there is some rumor of her having problems adjusting from the MMA “do moves that hurt people” to pro wrestling “Do moves that only look like they hurt people”.
Rousey needs some time to adjust and get used to it, not be thrown directly into the biggest show they have just because of the attention she brings. No one wants or needs her to injure Stephanie or Charlotte in front of millions because she ‘forgets’ in the moment and applies a move wrong.
And in all honesty, we don’t need another damned McMahon getting a spot on that card that should go to someone who has worked hard and deserves it.
He didn’t stick around for photo ops, unfortunately. If he’s serious about making DEFY his new home promotion though, I’m sure I’ll get a chance. He did “cero miedo” me on his way out, and I bought a shirt from him.
Plus, wouldn’t this be in the peak of Eddie’s roid use?
Meaning he wouldn’t be tall, but he would be build like a brick shithouse and puffy as all getout, so even then I doubt he looked too terribly out of place. Finn has a GREAT body and a toned one at that, but he’s no where near the Benoit and Eddy roid bodies. Finn would legitimately look small next to Brock.
Oh my god, this whole Booker T - Corey Graves thing. :smack:
Booker T comes across looking like the biggest asshole with a fragile ego, yet there are people on some boards going on about how bad it allegedly makes Graves look. :rolleyes:
No man, Booker T was shit on commentary. He was all over the place, not up on the current product and many of his comments went against the company’s narrative. He only lasted as long as he did because he’s a “Legend”. The man was a running joke and it was well past time they pulled him off the air.
And if you thought Cole or Graves were being mean to him, just remember that they would have stopped cold if Vince told them to stop.
As I’ve mocked some of them; they’d probably be whining about how mean Bobby Heenan was if he was still around.
That doesn’t mean that they weren’t out of pocket, though; the only thing it would prove is that their out-of-pocketness was co-signed by Vince. Not saying that they were right or wrong, just that, given Vince’s reputation, saying that “Well, Vince didn’t make them stop” is hardly a good defense.
Not that I really wish to take a side, but I think the issue is that Graves talks like he’s a tough guy and he has a ton of experience, sometimes at Booker’s expense. Heenan and Cole didn’t/don’t do that. Nothing wrong with wanting the mouthy upstart to show one the respect one has rightfully earned over the decades.
I don’t get that claim, RT. How was Heenan speaking to his peers but Graves isn’t?
Heenan always talked tough until you were in his face, then he became The Weasel. He did it with everyone. He insulted bystanders, extras, crew, everyone.
Graves was just pointing out Booker’s digressions from the company narrative or his obvious lack of knowledge about the product he was commenting on. Like saying people weren’t championship material when they’d previously held championships. Like claiming Graves wouldn’t know anything about being a champion when he’d been a tag team champion. Like not knowing move names. Like flip flopping all over fuck with Jason Jordan and never being consistent.
DEFY has been getting bigger and bigger. Turns out Friday’s show sold 700 tickets. I woke up at 10:15 today to buy tickets for the next show, which went on sale at 10, and the front row and all but one of the box seats were sold out, so I’ll be in a box seat this time. By the end of the day it was already standing room only. If it keeps getting bigger like this they’re gonna have to find a bigger venue.
Heenan was speaking to and about people who had, proverbially, ‘spilled the same blood in the same mud.’ Corey Graves is not on Booker T’s level. In fact, implying that Graves and Heenan are equals is pretty blatant disrespect, too. I liken it to a Second Class feeling himself too much, and thinking that he can just buck at a Warrant Officer.
There were plenty of legit criticisms against Booker’s commentary. IMHO, Corey Graves isn’t the one who gets to make them. Not in public, anyway.
It wasn’t just Graves. Cole was getting in some digs too, and he usually stays neutral and doesn’t deride his colleagues, but it’s hard to resist when Booker says something really stupid.
Booker’s taken a lot of shots to the head and his memory isn’t as good as it used to be. Plus, he’s behind the curve on current events and new concepts take him by surprise. I experience this frequently myself. For example, “What the fuck is Snapchat and why is it all over the headlines all the sudden? How come everybody else knows about it but me? I’ve never heard of Insight.com. How did it become a bowl game?” Booker was trying to fill his role as color commentary, but was often swimming blindly and got frustrated. I felt sorry for the guy while laughing at him at the same time.
I don’t find fault with Graves. He fulfilled his role as heel announcer. I would like for Steve Corino to replace him on one of the primetime shows however. That dude’s hilarious.
I don’t find “fault” with Graves, either; he was probably following orders. I just don’t like the optics of it. IMO, it was inappropriate for someone of Graves’ stature to make those remarks about a legend, on live TV. I don’t like it much better coming from Cole, but Cole’s at least been in the business for 20 years; maybe not as an in-ring competitor, but he’s put his time in, including nearly a decade as the WWE’s lead announcer.
Also, not for nothing, but between Michael Cole and Corey Graves, only one of them has worked a Wrestlemania, and it ain’t Corey Graves.
Because I think that whole argument is bullshit. “Only people at my level can criticise me” is nonsense. It’s like a couple of years back when some a-hole in WWE was complaining that people who have never wrestled have no right to criticise him. That’s cheap whiny bullshit, an excuse for not improving and its no surprise that he got shot down from within and without on that comment.
So, what then? Some “legend” goes to a local show, botches the fuck out of his match and no one there is qualified to tell him he fucked up? :dubious:
There’s no excuse for not doing your job well, and Booker T did not do his job well on commentary.
All Corey Graves did was point it out. Did it piss off the (coasting) Booker T? You bet it did, but it doesn’t matter where the criticisms are coming from if you don’t do your job well you shouldn’t do it anymore, and that’s where we find ourselves in.
The guy “qualified” to call him out, in that example, is the guy cutting the check.
Also, if anything, it’d be more accurate to call me a Corey Graves “hater” than a Booker T “stan.” I’m not making this argument because I ride for Booker T.
Fastlane will be in Columbus next month and I’m trying to decide if I should take my kid (he loves Shinsuke). I’ve never been to a WWE event in person. How’s the experience in the arena? I won’t be springing for front row or anything, but I don’t want to go with cheap corner nosebleeds, either. So curious to know if it’s worth it if you’re not right up front.
