GRcade

twitter.com/TheRajGiri/status/1755800893482557443

Heyman is so bloody good at his job. Even from behind you can tell that he's looking at rock and reigns walking together and is pulling a shocked face

That bloody “What” chant was all over SmackDown last night from the get-go. 2001!

More prolific than it’s been in ages. Got me wondering if some lapsed fans have come back, not just because of Mania, but because of The Rock.

Always wondered the mentality of people doing that?

Can’t say I’m a fan of the new blacker aesthetic on RAW. Making ringside darker is one thing, but I never will understand turning the lights out in a sold out or packed building.

nWo Souled Out vibe best left to a show like NXT.

KK wrote:Can’t say I’m a fan of the new blacker aesthetic on RAW. Making ringside darker is one thing, but I never will understand turning the lights out in a sold out or packed building.

nWo Souled Out vibe best left to a show like NXT.

I like it. And the last time i was at a Raw taping (2016 with Maf), it was really tiring dealing with the lights on our face the whole time.

I'm surprised by how much I've enjoyed Baron Corbin in NXT after some bad booking on the main roster. Great chemistry with Bron Breakker and I'd be quite happy if the two continued to tag after Bron gets called up for good - as a side note that flipping cutter that Bron breaks out every now and then is a thing of beauty.

Sad I missed out on NXT all those years ago when I really didn't enjoy what WWE were pumping out on the main shows.

Talking of set changes, AEW Dynamite is getting another overhaul:

twitter.com/tonykhan/status/1757921461702922730

The last few months it’s been sharing the same one as Collision, as for whatever reason they retired the new Dynamite set that debuted in January 2023.

They’ve been making various design alternations with the ring canvas, announce table, LED boards, glossy ramp and even the placement of the tbs logos throughout the past year or so - they’re no longer on the turnbuckles or barricade.

Needs to find a clear brand identity for each show.

I’m here for Hollywood Rock

I thought the waistcoat was a bit cringe but laughed at the 50 wives stupid mormons.

I hope Rock is here for many many months. This story line needs to be given time and not rushed.

He needs new music though.

A website has now been set up by Chicago law firm “Pintas & Mullins” asking for any victims or witnesses of abuse at WWE to come forward:

Vince McMahon and WWE/UFC Sex Abuse and Exploitation Claims

If you were sexually assaulted, made to feel uncomfortable, or witnessed sexual abuse by Vince McMahon or anyone from WWE/UFC, you may be entitled to significant compensation.

WWE Founder Vince McMahon Under Investigation for Exploitation and Sex Trafficking

Vince McMahon and WWE/UFC are under investigation for sexual assault and sex trafficking after former employees of WWE/UFC came forward with allegations of profoundly disturbing misconduct.

According to a recent lawsuit, the founder and other leaders forced employees to participate in sexual acts by threatening to terminate their employment and share intimate images of them.

This is not the first time Vince McMahon or WWE/UFC have faced accusations of sex abuse.

In 1992, Rita Chatterton, the first female referee, came forward with allegations that she was raped by Vince McMahon while traveling with him in his limousine.

In 2022, investigators seized documents and discovered nondisclosure agreements and multi-million dollar payouts covering up sexual misconduct.

Thousands of abuse victims are speaking up every year to receive the compensation and justice they deserve. Fill in the form above or call us today for a confidential and free conversation with one of our female attorneys.

http://www.WWEsettlements.com

Better Call Paul.

Had a playlist of the WWE matches to get 5 stars from Meltzer on in the background when working the last couple of days (not that I think Meltzer is the last word on this stuff by any means). I'm very aware that the current WWE match style is slow and predictable, but this is just emphasising it even further. I don't really keep up with the behind the scenes stuff and is planning the in-ring stuff, but they could really, REALLY do with freshening up whoever is doing that. Did a lot of people leave, even from just a few years ago? NXT matches from 2018 to 2021 make up the vast majority of the list. Also really hammers home how much they are wasting Gargano currently.

I remember thinking all this at last year's Mania, how most of the matches just seemed like the same thing you'd see every week. You'd think they'd want to pull out all the stops and be working on those matches for months before, making sure they were putting on the best performance they could. Not necessarily blaming the wrestlers, as I guess a lot of it is choreographed by someone else. I'm not the biggest fan of AEW's programming, but the in-ring stuff is way, way more exciting right now than WWE for me, but the WWE has plenty of guys that are capable of better.

I don’t think they’d change much, the company is on fire and the house shows and live shows are doing amazing numbers, it really is in another boom period.

Nice to see Punk show up last night

I find it interesting Rock is only appearing on Smackdown - it shows the star power and such they have now as in the past he’d have to be on Raw as the A Show.. I know he made one appearance on Raw but it seems since he’s almost Smackdown exclusive.

GrinWithoutaKat wrote:Had a playlist of the WWE matches to get 5 stars from Meltzer on in the background when working the last couple of days (not that I think Meltzer is the last word on this stuff by any means). I'm very aware that the current WWE match style is slow and predictable, but this is just emphasising it even further. I don't really keep up with the behind the scenes stuff and is planning the in-ring stuff, but they could really, REALLY do with freshening up whoever is doing that. Did a lot of people leave, even from just a few years ago? NXT matches from 2018 to 2021 make up the vast majority of the list. Also really hammers home how much they are wasting Gargano currently.

I remember thinking all this at last year's Mania, how most of the matches just seemed like the same thing you'd see every week. You'd think they'd want to pull out all the stops and be working on those matches for months before, making sure they were putting on the best performance they could. Not necessarily blaming the wrestlers, as I guess a lot of it is choreographed by someone else. I'm not the biggest fan of AEW's programming, but the in-ring stuff is way, way more exciting right now than WWE for me, but the WWE has plenty of guys that are capable of better.

WWE was for the last few decades run by someone who viewed wrestling as a dirty word while AEW is run by possibly the biggest wrestling nerd on the planet. WWE's focus when I was watching was mostly based around building towards big moments more so than big matches. The impression I get with all of this Cody Rhodes discourse is that is very much still the case. It's proven to very profitable recently for various reasons but it's not for me.

Based on Elimination Chamber it Looks like we are getting Cody & Seth V Roman & Rock, night one at mania.

Watching wrestling on a Saturday morning again has been a novelty but this EC show has had no flow to it whatsoever. Felt like I’ve been watching a load of elongated entrances, commercial breaks, tourist board adverts for Australia, and a promo segment that should have been on RAW or SmackDown. The tag team match was good though.

Calling it early, this will end up being the worst PPV event of the year from either WWE or AEW.

KK wrote:Watching wrestling on a Saturday morning again has been a novelty but this EC show has had no flow to it whatsoever. Felt like I’ve been watching a load of elongated entrances, commercial breaks, tourist board adverts for Australia, and a promo segment that should have been on RAW or SmackDown. The tag team match was good though.

Calling it early, this will end up being the worst PPV event of the year from either WWE or AEW.

Ever since they moved to peacock these events have been rotten with downtime for the ads for their ad supported tiers.