The PPV Discussion Thread

[Luke]

I also enjoyed the Cruiserweights but felt a bit sorry for the two guys as the crowd was completely dead for their match. I love TJ's entrance and I like him as a performer so dissapointed to see him drop the title so quick but do like the Kendrick last chance story so can see why it was done.

The ending did seem weird for the womens match it was a sort of oh is that it moment. I prefer Charlotte so glad she won but fucking hell how many title changes do they want between them two.

I am not a Roman fan (don't hate him though) and quite like Rusev so I thought I would give their match a chance and I actually thought it was a decent opener.

Owens/Rollins was probably also my man of the match Oaf.

Quite enjoyed the tag title match too, soon as I saw Xavier in there I thought he's getting pinned tonight. I wasn't a fan of Cesaro/Sheamus at first but I hope they keep it going.

Club/Enzo & Cass and Bayley/Dana I had zero interest in and didn't watch nor really care who won.

Overall not a fantastic PPV but probably one of the better served up this year, I'd give it a 7/10.

 

[Stevencc]

Owens/Rollins was my favourite match of the night, too. It was fantastic before Jericho got involved but tailed off a little after that.

Charlotte/Banks was enjoyable too - it felt momentous at the start but it wasn't quite as good as I'd hoped it would be.

 

[Luke]

4 of us commenting on a PPV on here, used to be a lot more.

Have the others had enough? Must say I haven't seen much Raw or Smackdown lately, just can't be bothered with it every week so might just stick to PPV's but obviously read up on Raw/SD with the odd watch some weeks.

 

[Libertine]

I really can't be bothered either. Sitting/skipping through Raw every week is a chore, even when it's decent it's just too much.

 

[RavenBish]

The WWE product currently is utter shite - people will use the argument it always is this time of year and always picks up after the Rumble but the roster is too talented to waste.

Raw is unwatchable and the diluting effect on the PPVs has been massive to the point their significance seems non-existent. Even NXT is trash at the moment. The only glimmer of hope is that they seem to have stumbled upon a decent formula with their Smackdown shows which are being sensibly booked.

 

[T.A]

I've lost interest. I sometimes enter this forum to see what's happening but I haven't watched Raw/SD for a few months now.

 

[Smally]

Thought this was a decent PPV. I don't have the time to watch Raw & Smackdown each week so stick to PPVs. Owens vs Rollins was great before Jericho's involvement, and like others have mentioned was my favourite match of the night. Also liked the Cruiserweight match and the women main event. Only match I thought was poor was Bayley vs Dana Brook.

On a side note, does anyone else hate the back stage segments that are played out without acknowledging that there's a camera there? The bit when Foley and Stephanie were talking together just reeked of awkwardness and just don't come across well at all for me

 

[G-Dragon]

Saw the Cards for Hell in a Cell....didn't bother.
Hyped for Goldberg vs Lesnar though

 

[Oaf]

Bloody hell. I remember the whole Rock vs Cena thing, when they called it "once in a lifetime" and then did it twice. And I thought that was stupid...

And now here's me. I went to Wrestlemania 31 in California and called it a "once in a lifetime" thing. And I really did think it would be... then I went to Wrestlemania 32 in Dallas. And now yesterday... I went and bought tickets for Wrestlemania 33 in Orlando...

So yeah. My once in a lifetime experience has now turned into a hat trick of Wrestlemanias. I think a large part of it is down to the fact that I just can't face the thought of experiencing Wrestlemania sat at home watching it on TV again. I pretty much consider the whole WM31 experience to be the best couple days of my life, and WM32, even though the event had it's weaknesses, is still in 2nd place. And now the idea of being able to do a Wrestlemania tied in with my first ever trip to Disney World? How the hell can I turn that down?

I've managed to get amazing seats as well this time. Got them on Ticketmaster the first time around... compared to last year's WM and various other shows where Ticketmaster has been shit and I've had to get them on stubhub. Genuinely the best seats I've ever had for a WWE PPV and possibly the cheapest as well as I didn't have to go through stubhub. In fact, I checked something out... I actually ended up paying £18 less for my tickets this year compared to last year and the upgrade in terms of where I'm sitting is amazing.

So... anybody else thinking about it? The presale started yesterday (use the code TWEETS to get in and get the best seats... by the looks of things, thats the code that everybody seems to be getting greats seats with and the one I used as well) and the general sale starts tomorrow at 3PM. If you've ever had any interest in Wrestling, even if it's dying out a bit as of late as it seems to be with a lot of people, I still can't recommend it enough. As high as your hopes are for it, it still manages to be more amazing than you expect it to be. The only issue is trying to stop yourself from becoming an addict like me where you end up wanting to go every year...

 

[RavenBish]

WWE booking rarely shocks you these days but that has blindsided me completely - even more-so than Lesnar beating Taker.

Fucking. Hell.

 

[Captain Scumbag]

First reaction was WTF. On reflection, I don't have a huge problem with it. There were two problems going into the match. The first was that Bill wasn't in great condition. He was quite open with the media about wanting longer to prepare, about suffering from ring rust, about having neck/shoulder problems after the segment on Monday. The second was that the guy had got over far too well for this to be a one and done, which presented a creative challenge vis-à-vis the finish.

How do you lay out a 10-15 match with Brock Lesnar when Bill is so rusty he can't throw a few fake security guards around how without getting hurt? And if you start with the assumption that Brock has to remain unbeatable, what the hell is the finish? They clearly want to do more business with Bill, so how you book him to lose on his big return while retaining his credibility and interest factor? When you look at it from that PoV, this might have been the most creative way forward.

 

[iesty wfc]

i really need to learn to turn off wwe push notifications on the app... well done on telling me who had won what matches when i woke up this morning

 

[RavenBish]

First reaction was WTF. On reflection, I don't have a huge problem with it. There were two problems going into the match. The first was that Bill wasn't in great condition. He was quite open with the media about wanting longer to prepare, about suffering from ring rust, about having neck/shoulder problems after the segment on Monday. The second was that the guy had got over far too well for this to be a one and done, which presented a creative challenge vis-à-vis the finish.

How do you lay out a 10-15 match with Brock Lesnar when Bill is so rusty he can't throw a few fake security guards around how without getting hurt? And if you start with the assumption that Brock has to remain unbeatable, what the hell is the finish? They clearly want to do more business with Bill, so how you book him to lose on his big return while retaining his credibility and interest factor? When you look at it from that PoV, this might have been the most creative way forward.

I said to someone at work last week that Lesnar only has one type of match these days and there's no way Goldberg is going to take 2 or 3 german suplexes let alone 10. So this seemed like, as you said, one of the few options they had left.

I have no idea what this means for Lesnar going forward though. Lesnar and Heyman were boring to me now (especially Heyman) and this forces them to be completely different.

I really enjoyed the whole PPV though. Women's elimination was horribly booked and had a lot of weird and weak eliminations - I thoroughly enjoyed the other 2 5 on 5 matches however.

Corbin's underlying anti-indy/anti-cruiserweight gimmick he's had since NXT is something they really need to push on with.

 

[Stevencc]

The PPV was OK - the only matches I really enjoyed were the Women's SS match and the Men's SS match.

The Miz/Zayn match was OK but I can't stand Zayn so that was as good as it was always going to get for me. The Tag SS match was again OK, surprising at the beginning with the New Day getting eliminated so early but nothing worth getting excited about after that. I do like Kendrick and thought his match with Kalisto wasn't bad. I had my eye on the clock as the Men's SS match was coming to a close thinking "the main event is going to be ten minutes max, damn". Turns out we got about two minutes. I'd assumed Lesnar was going to throw a few suplexes and get a dominant win. They'll just play it as Brock underestimating the old man in Goldberg and build a feud on it now but I was genuinely shocked at the time.

Overall, not as good as I was hoping for.

 

[ccfctommy]

That was a very good PPV. The SS match was nearly an hour long and was fantastic from start to finish. Not fussed at all that Brock-Goldberg was only two minutes.

 

[Luke]

I knew that Goldberg won ahead of watching it as opened twitter to check something and on one of the things you may have missed was a bloody tweet about Goldberg winning, school boy error. Thought it seemed odd how long was left when it started then it all became clear.

Anyway thought the opening women's match was decent enough, I'm in love with Alexa Bliss.

IC title match was okay, tag elimination was fine, shocked at new day going so quick though. Crusiers match was also fine.

Men's 5 on 5 I'm not really sure, my initial reaction watching it at times is that it dragged in parts then I've read here and other places and a lot seemed to enjoy it then I think about the various spots within the match that were good that maybe it wasn't that bad after all. Shane's elimination was a bit weird though, assume he legit got injured in the spear spot cos referee I'm sure didn't even count to three.

 

[Oaf]

My reaction to Lesnar/Goldberg is pretty much exactly the same as Captain Scumbags. Genuinely one of the biggest shocks I've ever had as a result of a Wrestling match... still doesn't rank above Lesnar beating Taker for me, but certainly up there for me with Lesnar thrashing Cena and Owens beating Cena on his debut.

But yeah, at first I thought, 3 years of build... beating the streak, dominating Cena, destroying Orton on his return and generally looking unstoppable... leading to that. I couldn't understand it.

But then, like with Scumbag, I realised that it was probably not too bad a move. In terms of the match, yeah, it was probably going to stink. Even if Goldberg was fit, let alone shaking off 12 years of ring rust. But with the result... I'm of the view that it can be brushed off as a one off for Lesnar. Back when Cena was destroyed by Lesnar there looked to be no way back... but one PPV later and Cena put up a real fighting effort and got robbed, and suddenly he looked like the typical CenawinsLOL we all know and love (?) again. I think Lesnar can do that. If he has a match against a top guy at the Royal Rumble and kicks their ass again, he looks like a badass again. Yes, he's had the one blip, but that it.

But now, with Goldberg... well, they've got the guy who destroyed Lesnar one night. So now they have two people who look like unstoppable beasts, instead of just one. And by the next time they have Goldberg in the ring, hopefully, he'll be a bit more in shape and able to last more than two minutes.

Or maybe they'll just do fucking nothing with it.

 

[Stevencc]

They'll definitely milk a feud out of it now. Brock will almost certainly go over at the end and Goldberg will always have that crushing victory over Lesnar at Survivor Series.

 

[Libertine]

So Goldberg's in the rumble. What's everyone think? Either going with Lesnar screwing him out of it then the rematch at WM or Goldberg winning and facing (and losing to) Roman in the battle of the spears.

 

[Oaf]

Ugh... please don't say that, Libertine. That'd make 3 WM's in a row that I go to that Reigns main events

I think the only match I'd accept for Reigns if it were to main event WM would be Reigns vs Cena. Not necessarily because it's the battle to see who the fans hate more but because the last 10 years have clearly been the John Cena era while the next 10 are clearly going to be the Roman Reigns era... it'd be historic in that respect.

But as for Goldberg? I don't want him in the main event, but I want him on the card somewhere. For one, it's another big name I get to tick off of my list, but also it helps him redeem himself somewhat in that his only ever match at the biggest show in Wrestling is also seen as one of the worst. I hardly expect him to go and have a classic, but he can at least do better than the last one...

For some reason, I totally see him facing The Undertaker. Being billed as some shit "two guys who had the best streaks in Wrestling" thing.

 

[RavenBish]

have people grown out of the idea Roman Reigns is bad yet? Because he's clearly very good.

That's not a response to Oaf's post, more a general comment. The 'beat Lesnar card' as CS put it seems perfect for Reigns and also perfectly believable - there's only really him and Rollins who have enough star power and are of the right age to benefit fully from it.

 

[Libertine]

Ugh... please don't say that, Libertine. That'd make 3 WM's in a row that I go to that Reigns main events

I think the only match I'd accept for Reigns if it were to main event WM would be Reigns vs Cena. Not necessarily because it's the battle to see who the fans hate more but because the last 10 years have clearly been the John Cena era while the next 10 are clearly going to be the Roman Reigns era... it'd be historic in that respect.

But as for Goldberg? I don't want him in the main event, but I want him on the card somewhere. For one, it's another big name I get to tick off of my list, but also it helps him redeem himself somewhat in that his only ever match at the biggest show in Wrestling is also seen as one of the worst. I hardly expect him to go and have a classic, but he can at least do better than the last one...

For some reason, I totally see him facing The Undertaker. Being billed as some shit "two guys who had the best streaks in Wrestling" thing.

I've thought that too, though I'm assuming they'll go with Cena v Taker as was originally planned last year with Taker retiring.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Consdering it's WWE's 4th biggest event of the year and a major tie between Summer and the new year, it was an awful event.

 

[Oaf]

have people grown out of the idea Roman Reigns is bad yet? Because he's clearly very good.

That's not a response to Oaf's post, more a general comment. The 'beat Lesnar card' as CS put it seems perfect for Reigns and also perfectly believable - there's only really him and Rollins who have enough star power and are of the right age to benefit fully from it.

Yeah, Reigns has been superb for years. Pretty much any time he's involved in a big PPV match, his matches tend to get "this is awesome" chants. And that's because, contrary to popular belief, the man is good at what he does. I say this as somebody who, two years in a row at Wrestlemania and the night after, has been actively involved in some of the most volatile crowds toward the guy

But then again, I guess the hatred isn't directed so much as toward him as the decision to push him despite him getting these reactions. Or at least it is from me, and I'd assume the majority of the rest of the people booing.

Like I always say when talking about Reigns, I think that a heel turn would be endlessly beneficial for everybody.

I've thought that too, though I'm assuming they'll go with Cena v Taker as was originally planned last year with Taker retiring.

Now that is something I'd take! Cena vs Taker is basically my most wanted Taker match left for WM. A dream match by any standards and it's amazing that they've avoided each other so far. And it's a match that I actually think may be enhanced by the fact that the streak is gone. If it happened with the streak still intact, you'd assume that Taker would win because surely the fans would riot if Cena were to break the streak... so while it'd be epic, the winner would be quite predictable. But now it'd be fucking hard to call. Cena being the second person to do it would be incredibly meaningful and you could see them going that way, but you also instinctively can't bring yourself to believe that Taker would lose at Wrestlemania...

Consdering it's WWE's 4th biggest event of the year and a major tie between Summer and the new year, it was an awful event.

I don't think it was awful by any standards. The womans SS match was good, the mens one was fantastic. Nearly an hour of action full of brilliant set pieces and it kept me hooked through the whole thing, despite the fact that I didn't really care if Smackdown or Raw would win. And the more time that passes, the more the Goldberg/Lesnar thing is actually something I'm not just not pissed off about... it's something that I actually think I'm starting to thing was a great move.

 

[Stevencc]

Oaf, do you mind if I ask you something, mate?

Are you going to Wrestlemania?

 

[RavenBish]

Consdering it's WWE's 4th biggest event of the year and a major tie between Summer and the new year, it was an awful event.

have you ever considered enjoying something for once?

 

[Oaf]

Oaf, do you mind if I ask you something, mate?

Are you going to Wrestlemania?

 

[Oaf]

TLC tomorrow then... Doesn't look too bad on paper.

AJ Styles vs Ambrose could be pretty great I reckon. Styles is always amazing, and I feel like Ambrose is at his most fun to watch when in these sorts of matches. The Miz and Ziggler basically stole the show last time out, so a ladder match between the two of them has great potential as well. The Bliss/Becky tables match, Nikki/Carmella No DQ and Slater/Rhyno vs Wyatts matches could all be pretty good...

My only doubt is the Kalisto vs Corbin chairs match. Because... well, "Chairs match"... and, you know, "Baron Corbin". Two things that don't exactly fill one with anticipation.

But yeah... quite looking forward to it really.

 

[Stevencc]

Yeah, well...

 

[Oaf]

I made a toilet on Planet Coaster and couldn't think of a name for it, so I called it "Baron Corbinland".

True story.