• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

January Wrasslin' |OT| The Assassination of Daniel Bryan by the Coward Vince McMahon

Toki767

Member
If I were to read that letter in the voice of someone from WWE, the only voices that would fit are Cena and HHH. Maybe Big Show but "pretty big star" is debatable.
 
I like Mojo, but they're gonna have to do some serious work with that in-ring ability, cuz those 4 moves he knows ain't enough, especially when one of them is taken by a Total Diva. Rusev is a better wrestler but i like him considerably less. those are not gonna be the faces of the company at this rate

Go find some John Cena matches from UPW days or Leviathan matches from OVW. They're not pretty. Hell, Roman Reigns wasn't lighting the world on fire during the short time he was down in Florida. Some guys learn quickly. Some guys just click once they're on the big stage.

I'm not saying Mojo, Rusev, or even Reigns will be huge stars. But, they, unlike Punk, Bryan, Ziggler, or Sami Zayn, will be given every opportunity not to fail.

The WWE hasn't forgotten how to book people to get them over (see Orton's push as champ, in that as a heel, he still won clean matches or The Shield since they debuted), they just don't care a lot most of the time.

That letter makes no sense. People were booing Rey yes, but that was booing the company and not Rey. How can anyone, including Rey, think those boos were for him? Of course people know it wasn't his fault he was #30. Jesus.

Except they also cheered when he got thrown out.
 
D

Deleted member 47027

Unconfirmed Member
Batista and AJ were spotted late Monday night at the Dawg Pound, Cleveland strip joint.
 

Entropia

No One Remembers
L0XWTFB.jpg

So true!
 

Rapstah

Member
No way Cena wrote that letter. Cena tries so hard to stay out of trouble backstage. Writing a pissed-off letter to the Observer is Vince behaviour.

I would not assume that people cheered when Rey was thrown out for the same reason that they booed when he came in. Big audiences end up reacting unpredictably when you lose control of them.

Edit: Triple H makes sense too. There's a small group of people it could pretty much equally be, but the line about the network changing your life is either irony or one of the ultra-corporate guys.
 
I like Mojo, but they're gonna have to do some serious work with that in-ring ability, cuz those 4 moves he knows ain't enough, especially when one of them is taken by a Total Diva. Rusev is a better wrestler but i like him considerably less. those are not gonna be the faces of the company at this rate
Emma and Paige are the future of the company. Mojo is not.
 

Ithil

Member
Seems like the lack of communication and clarification over PPV bonuses and percentages of buyrates meant there was no financial incentive for Punk to stay for WM.

Really throws a wrench in there. Punk and HHH was supposed to be a co-main event, it's been built up for a while and it was meant to be the climax of the Authority storyline. You can put Daniel Bryan in there, and it would fit and be right, but then the WWE title match is going to die a painful death, you really need Bryan in there for a Triple Threat, but that leaves HHH with no opponent and it seems like HHH's match is a plot important one.

Meltzer suggests closing out the show with Bryan winning the title in the Triple Threat, then facing HHH in a singles at Extreme Rules in Seattle. But what HHH does at WM, I don't know.
 

Aiii

So not worth it
Seems like the lack of communication and clarification over PPV bonuses and percentages of buyrates meant there was no financial incentive for Punk to stay for WM.

Really throws a wrench in there. Punk and HHH was supposed to be a co-main event, it's been built up for a while and it was meant to be the climax of the Authority storyline. You can put Daniel Bryan in there, and it would fit and be right, but then the WWE title match is going to die a painful death, you really need Bryan in there for a Triple Threat, but that leaves HHH with no opponent and it seems like HHH's match is a plot important one.

Meltzer suggests closing out the show with Bryan winning the title in the Triple Threat, then facing HHH in a singles at Extreme Rules in Seattle. But what HHH does at WM, I don't know.

What I figure is they could do Triple H vs. Bryan at Mania and have the stip be if Bryan wins, he gets a spot in the main event title match. Obviously he wins both and the place explodes.

Other way, they could just do Sheamus vs. Triple H and have Bryan in the Triple Threat winning the title (place explodes).
 

Ithil

Member
Punk was heavily rejuvenated after only two months off last year, he came back looking five years younger and having regular good matches and then that great feud with Brock and Heyman for Summerslam. After that though he has had basically nothing creatively yet is working several times a week at TV and house shows.

Maybe something like six or eight months off will do him good.
 

Xater

Member
Punk leaving is a big deal. With him gone and all those old guys around though, I hope WWE finally wakes up and realizes that the young guys need to get their spot.
 

kiguel182

Member
Eh, the "oh no, they have to stop using part timers argument and start pushing Bryan and Ziggler and my other wrestling crush of the moment" isn't actually true. The Rock still has a few matches in him and he just drew a million buys against Cena. Lesnar's around for another year. Batista has signed for two years.

In that time, they can push the guys they want to push (Roman Reigns, Big E. Langston, Mojo Rowley, Alexander Rusev, etc.) to the top and keep Bryan, Ziggler, and such as upper midcard or midcard guys who occasionally get a main event push in the off months and work a good match.

In addition, the Network has made each individual PPV worth less. As a result, what the fans "want" means even less, since if you're hooked in by one PPV, you're now on the hook for six months, regardless if you hate the direction.

If anything, the Network means the WWE will be run more and more for Vince's and Triple H's benefit, not what the "fans" want, even though, to be blunt, if the fans want Bryan to be a top star, they should start showing up to house shows he's headlining, so he can start outdrawing the Cena house shows.

Yes, let's keep the most over guy in the company in the mid-card... what? That makes no sense...

Also, that letter comes from the fact the WWE doesn't have any real competition. "Enjoy the product they are giving you". Problem is, we are not enjoying it. We want something and they give us the opposite. Why would we enjoy that? Condescending crap.

We are their fanbase, their main goal should be to make us happy, so if we aren't happy with the product we will vocalize that. It's pretty simple.

I don't know where this idea that we should glad with everything we get comes, we are the ones giving them money and we need to be happy. That's how every product works, why would WWE be different? It's complete bullshit.

What I figure is they could do Triple H vs. Bryan at Mania and have the stip be if Bryan wins, he gets a spot in the main event title match. Obviously he wins both and the place explodes.

Other way, they could just do Sheamus vs. Triple H and have Bryan in the Triple Threat winning the title (place explodes).

Baptista was just a bad idea. It ruined a bunch of good matches that would've made sense and it would conclude the storylines that started at SummerSlam.

I still defend that HHH should take the title away from Orton and have Bryan beat him for it at Mania. Clean conclusion. Even if a ton of people would be mad with HHH as champion it's still better than Orton.

This storyline would be so easy to write it's ridiculous. But they had to promise all of that to Baptista and ruin it.
 
Punk was the reason I came back to watching wrestling 'properly' to begin with. :(

Despite being one of the most popular guys in the company anyway, he coulda been the hottest thing going, shoulda been the hottest thing going but they blew it with their moronicness.

I hope its a work, please be a work. :( But its not like hes on Twitter saying oh man The Shield beat me up this is just all too much *walks out* its stuff thats completely believable and a I agree completely with you so not surprised type situation. :(

Vince you are a dumb shit.
 

Hasney

Member
I was so hyped up for this as well:


Then this CM Punk news has really bummed me out. I was so happy that Christian was in the EC Chamber match as well but now I know why he's there it kinda sucks.

There's reports going around that on Raw, Punk was going to be booked against Ceasaro for the EC spot and would have lost anyway due to Kane interference, so Christian would be in regardless if that's true.

As he should be.
 

Showaddy

Member
There's reports going around that on Raw, Punk was going to be booked against Ceasaro for the EC spot and would have lost anyway due to Kane interference, so Christian would be in regardless if that's true.

As he should be.

Ah ok. Figured Christian being in was just a last minute panic replacement but that makes sense.
 

Showaddy

Member
I expect that tag team match will come down to Bray and Reigns, with Bray winning.

Yeah, I'm hoping the Shield win though and the feud continues till Mania. Cena not saying a word about the Wyatt costing him the belt has got me hoping their feud might be off...
 

Ithil

Member
Yeah, I'm hoping the Shield win though and the feud continues till Mania. Cena not saying a word about the Wyatt costing him the belt has got me hoping their feud might be off...

I doubt it, since the Wyatts attacked Cena again at the end of RAW. The Shield feud is to keep the Wyatts busy for EC since Cena is in the Chamber, and also because it's probably their last chance to do Wyatts vs Shield at a PPV.
 
This looks like the end of WCW but with better finances, aka this shit is just gonna continue. It'll be funny when Punk comes back to work his part time schedule in a few years. Maybe that's the key: get popular enough to make the fans upset that old guys keep taking your spot, quit and live off the money you made, then come back as an old guy and take a young guy's spot.
 
If that were true, they would have mentioned it Monday night. Instead, we didn't hear shit about him. They barely even spoke of the actual rumble match itself.
That's not always true. Wrestlers have gotten injured on PPV before and not had it mentioned until later. They don't always say so on Raw, especially if they don't go straight to surgery.
 
Its pretty obvious Punk is just leaving so he can come back as a part-timer and then finally headline that Wrestlemania. Its genius when you think about it lol.

Leave D-Bry in the main event this year and make Cena vs HHH. He can mooch of the Punk leaving hate and use it.

I'M DOING THIS FOR MY GOOD FRIEND PHIL, THE CROWD WILL TELL YOU HUNTER, WE'RE NOT TAKING THIS ANYMORE, NOW CHEER FOR ME!

Either that or HHH will take this chance to turn face and bury hated Cena and in turn finally get that cheering 'legend' farewell he always wanted from the crowd.
 

Hasney

Member
I wish #WCW wasn't WomanCrushWednesday on Twitter. If it pops up on my stream, I get all excited thinking people are discussing great old Nitros.

Its pretty obvious Punk is just leaving so he can come back as a part-timer and then finally headline that Wrestlemania. Its genius when you think about it lol.

Leave D-Bry in the main event this year and make Cena vs HHH. He can mooch of the Punk leaving hate and use it.

I'M DOING THIS FOR MY GOOD FRIEND PHIL, THE CROWD WILL TELL YOU HUNTER, WE'RE NOT TAKING THIS ANYMORE, NOW CHEER FOR ME!

Either that or HHH will take this chance to turn face and bury hated Cena and in turn finally get that cheering 'legend' farewell he always wanted from the crowd.

Book it exactly the way they booked Rey after Eddie died right down to the black arm bands that say CM on them. Next years Rumble, he dedicates it to CM Punk, draws #1 then looks up into the sky and just says "Oh Phil".
 

Ithil

Member
This looks like the end of WCW but with better finances, aka this shit is just gonna continue. It'll be funny when Punk comes back to work his part time schedule in a few years. Maybe that's the key: get popular enough to make the fans upset that old guys keep taking your spot, quit and live off the money you made, then come back as an old guy and take a young guy's spot.

Punk's attitude to part timers is that Jericho's way is good, but Rock's way is bad.
Part timers bring eyes to the product, but coming and going like Rock is what Punk hates.

When Jericho is back, he's back full time, wrestling on RAW every week, touring with the company, having feuds up and down the card, etc. The Rock was the WWE champion last year, and he appeared on RAW for about 15% of his reign.
 
Yes, let's keep the most over guy in the company in the mid-card... what? That makes no sense...

To you, he's the most over guy in the company. To them, he's Jim Duggan or Jimmy Valiant. A guy who gets a big pop from the audience, but who doesn't sell enough merch, doesn't move TV ratings, and the house shows where he's the top guy (Cena's tour (the former RAW brand) still outdraws Bryan/Punk's tour (the former Smackdown brand).

Also, that letter comes from the fact the WWE doesn't have any real competition. "Enjoy the product they are giving you". Problem is, we are not enjoying it. We want something and they give us the opposite. Why would we enjoy that? Condescending crap.

We are their fanbase, their main goal should be to make us happy, so if we aren't happy with the product we will vocalize that. It's pretty simple.

I don't know where this idea that we should glad with everything we get comes, we are the ones giving them money and we need to be happy. That's how every product works, why would WWE be different? It's complete bullshit.


This is what happens with a monopoly. After all, everybody hates Comcast? But, most people (the cutting cable percentage is stupid low (5% or so) still hand over the $100 every month because the pain of dealing with Comcast is worth getting HBO, AMC, and USA.

Same thing with wrestling. Most people, even if they may not like the direction, still like professional wrestling in their heart, so they'll deal with the bullshit. I'm sorry, but I've been on the Internet for way too damn long to believe people when they say, "unless company x does thing y, I'm not watching them anymore."

Current day WWE may be bad, but they're not 2000 WCW or anything close to it. So, much like the people who complained about the cruiserweights not being pushed, who complained when the Invasion was badly booked, who complained about Chris Jericho being buried, and complained about CM Punk being buried, most fans will stay hang around and as a result, Vince still wins.

When Jericho is back, he's back full time, wrestling on RAW every week, touring with the company, having feuds up and down the card, etc. The Rock was the WWE champion last year, and he appeared on RAW for about 15% of his reign.

I'm looking at the Wrestlemania 29 buyrate and I'm pretty sure Rock's the smarter guy. Guess who didn't wrestle on every show? Hulk Hogan. Guess who else? Andre the Giant. Attractions are attractions because they don't wrestle every week. CM Punk can be rightly upset if they're screwing him over PPV bonuses because of The Network, but to be blunt, every wrestler on the roster should thank Christ the Rock decided to come back, because he made their Wrestlemania check even bigger than it would've been.
 

kiguel182

Member
To you, he's the most over guy in the company. To them, he's Jim Duggan or Jimmy Valiant. A guy who gets a big pop from the audience, but who doesn't sell enough merch, doesn't move TV ratings, and the house shows where he's the top guy (Cena's tour (the former RAW brand) still outdraws Bryan/Punk's tour (the former Smackdown brand).

Did you watch the Rumble? We are past the point of "he just gets a big pop".

Cena is, obviously, a bigger star than Bryan. But that doesn't mean Bryan is a mid-card talent because he isn't.

About TV ratings, he is the guy with the biggest gains since his push so he clearly isn't ruining the business.
 

styl3s

Member
Work (which i believe) or not, Punk not being on TV is a huge problem for me because he's one of like 4 guys i really, really, really enjoy watching.
 
I haven't felt that Punk was the same since he came back after his quick time off after Wrestlemania. Maybe he needs a longer break to heal and figure out what he wants.
 

Kyoufu

Member
Reading PWInsider's story about him leaving does make sense.

Who would be happy with the direction of the company? Pushing part-timers over full-time stars? I don't blame him for leaving.
 
Did you watch the Rumble? We are past the point of "he just gets a big pop".

Cena is, obviously, a bigger star than Bryan. But that doesn't mean Bryan is a mid-card talent because he isn't.

About TV ratings, he is the guy with the biggest gains since his push so he clearly isn't ruining the business.

Again, I don't agree with them. But, to them, Bryan's a guy who is currently on a hot streak, but isn't a guy to build around long term. He's not their type, he can't talk (in their WWE approved way), he's not charismatic (again, in their WWE approved way), he's not the guy they want on Good Morning America, and so on.

To them, he's a good hand who can basically be the Chris Jericho for the 2010's. Occasional main event runs, build guys they're actually pushing hard, and so on. It's not the worst life.

As for TV ratings, his overruns are still under Cena's. He hasn't hurt ratings, but he hasn't been an obvious difference maker, according to Meltzer.
 
D

Deleted member 47027

Unconfirmed Member
Keep in mind folks that this doesn't mean Punk broke his contract. It could be a mutual understanding for now.
 

Hasney

Member
Keep in mind folks that this doesn't mean Punk broke his contract. It could be a mutual understanding for now.

Yeah, I can't remember ever hearing that WWE have refused to give someone a release. They're probably still talking right now before giving him an official release if they can't come to terms.

Remembered all the talk about The Rock "walking out" after WM, but it turned out he was just very hurt.
 

mouserat

Neo Member
I don't want to commit to an opinion about how or why Punk left, if and when he might be back etc, I'm just really gutted that he's not going to be around, work OR shoot. even when he's half-assing it he's miles ahead of most other guys in terms of personality, presence, mic skills, putting a match together, crowd reaction etc. this sucks.
 

BFIB

Member
I don't blame Punk for being pissed. Dude had to basically put Vince's back in a corner to even get an opportunity (MiTB 2011), then worked his ass off and was actually building credibility back into a title that had lost a lot.

Then Rock comes in, gets a big payday, Vince books him in a match with The Rock, who can't even keep up with Punk in the ring, because McMahon wanted "his guys" to headline WM.

And Batista coming back, its the same thing.
 
Also, I think it's important to remember. The WWE doesn't want to create superstars. They want to create an army of midcarders who are financially dependent on them. As we're seeing with Punk, a financially secure wrestler has leverage, and they hate that. I think it's also why they're hesitant to do anything with Bryan. They're afraid of creating something they can't control.

Thus, you create 'stars' like Reigns, Langston, and so on, who don't understand the concept of biting the hands that feed you.
 
Top Bottom