General WWE Discussion: Roman Weeps, Taker Retires, MNK/SAM/RDM LFP

[Kang]

Good interview. I agree, WWE has a lot to do to put out this shitstorm lol

[Trigun]

Mercury's stock plummets as Punk declares he created two thirds of The Shield.

[Krandor]

An aside from the Punk situation, but just watched NXT and they had another Kevin Owens/Steen promo. He's keeping his exact same gimmick looks like.

[Doombear]

Damn indeed. Punk came out spitting some fire. That bridge is definitely burned to the ground. So long, AJ.

Ha, kind of felt AJ was heading out after losing that belt already again and then the line last week that she tossed at the Bellas. Something about talent 'not being sexually transmitted'. Well uh sorry but no shit AJ, or you could maybe at least run the ropes.

[Kalmado]

I figured it was only a matter of time. Between the two of them they could retire and live a reasonably comfortable life. They also can easily get jobs doing other things, as Punk has already shown us he's done. On one side it almost does seem like he's being a bit of a whiner. But on the other hand, he's really saying what many would like to say after either leaving a bad work environment or getting fired.

[Krandor]

It's definitely a half and half situation. Being paid seven figures a year plus all his benefits/perks and getting to go over Triple H at Mania should be more then enough for most people. But boo hoo it's not the main event so I'm leaving.

The staph infection and general poor status of the companies medical situation is inexcusable, but the original narrative of him quitting because he didn't get what he wanted is still there.

[arus2001]

Yeah, the staph story kind of scared me. Almost strikes me as workplace negligence. Fuck, some lawyer hardcore enough could maybe even make an attempted murder out of it since the doc(s) repeatedly refused to up treatment needs.

[Thoronas]

The Staph infection and getting fired on your wedding day were the worst. He's definitely disgruntled but he clearly had some goals he wanted to achieve that he never got to fulfill.

I also found the parts where he says he lost out on merchandise money because they made him go heel was interesting. The business side of wrestling is more interesting to me these days then anything in the ring.

[Krandor]

I also found the parts where he says he lost out on merchandise money because they made him go heel was interesting. The business side of wrestling is more interesting to me these days then anything in the ring.

This is the standard reasoning behind why Cena will never turn heel. Even though it's been shown multiple times in recent years that Cena actually hurts TV ratings/PPV buys, his merchandise sales are so dominating that WWE is afraid to ever do anything that would affect it.

[Thoronas]

This is the standard reasoning behind why Cena will never turn heel. Even though it's been shown multiple times in recent years that Cena actually hurts TV ratings/PPV buys, his merchandise sales are so dominating that WWE is afraid to ever do anything that would affect it.

I wonder what the last heel was that sold well. NWO?

[Krandor]

Some guys can sell regardless of face or heel status. I'd imagine the best examples would be Rock and HHH.

Cena is positioned in the Hogan role of hero to little children, so the nWo example is valid since it would take something huge that had a good payoff for WWE to ever actually do it.

[Anoat]

Punk was still the #2 merch seller behind Cena as a heel. He was #1 for a few months as a face. I think Rey Mysterio is still up there despite not being on TV for months and months. Those masks are a license to print money.

[Krandor]

It's worth noting that Punk had the nice situation of having his merch not be awful. The Best in the World shirt was something I would see people not even wrestling fans wear because it was just a cool shirt.

[Xno Kappa]

Hard to take Punk seriously when he starts to talk about his merch sales or somehow being held back. The stuff he brings up about medical issues though is pretty scary.

[Tomiko]

I can understand him being pissed about being held back since he was constantly being told "I owe you one" when he would do what he was asked despite his health. The staph infection incident is beyond fucked up. And getting fired by FedEx on your wedding day is a WCW bitch move.

For all the bitching in this thread about Lesnar being champion, I would think more would agree with his point about not seeing the point in putting guys over who leave the next day (Rock, Lesnar, Taker) when he's still there.

[Tomiko]

I just realized that WWE has a golden opportunity to cash in on the CM Punk situation. If Vince is going to address it at all, he needs to do it during the Podcast interview on Monday after Raw on the WWE Network (for only $9.99 a month!). The free trial will be over at that point and you know it will generate a huge buzz for the network.

[Snprphnx]

For all the bitching in this thread about Lesnar being champion, I would think more would agree with his point about not seeing the point in putting guys over who leave the next day (Rock, Lesnar, Taker) when he's still there.

I agree with this. I'm fine with older guys coming back for a one shot match, or a short run with a younger guy. But not to squash the younger guy. If the Rock comes back, I want to see him put over some new talent. He can still win the feud in the end, but having the person come close, and nearly winning by honest means would be great. Or something similar to when Taker wrestled Jeff Hardy, and Jeff never gave up, and kept calling him back to the ring, only to have Taker come in and raise his hand in respect.

Is what irks me about Lesner having the title is, he is never there. Even if he limits his title defenses to every 3-4 months, the WWE Championship Belt needs to be on TV. I don't care if Paul Heyman is carrying it, it needs to be seen.

[arus2001]

For all the bitching in this thread about Lesnar being champion, I would think more would agree with his point about not seeing the point in putting guys over who leave the next day (Rock, Lesnar, Taker) when he's still there.

Was kind of my logic for hating (B)Rock having the belt to begin with. Lesnar being a veritable no-show since winning has only worsened my disdain.

[NynJa]

I just realized that WWE has a golden opportunity to cash in on the CM Punk situation. If Vince is going to address it at all, he needs to do it during the Podcast interview on Monday after Raw on the WWE Network (for only $9.99 a month!). The free trial will be over at that point and you know it will generate a huge buzz for the network.

plot twist: punks in on it

[Krandor]

NJPW has just launched their own streaming service for ¥999 a month. Don't think it includes live ppvs though like the English one next month.

http://njpwworld.com