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OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012
With Daniel Bryan's amazing victory at WM30 and a plethora of talent in NXT such as Neville, Zayn and KENTA you just might be wondering about the best way to inorporate these guys into the main event scene of WWE, especially since they don't fit into the prototypical Big Guy mold.

Well Joe Babinsack has the the answer we've all been looking for: a new mid-card belt!

quote:

There’s an interesting accumulation of talent in the WWE these days, notably with the signing of Kenta Kobayashi and Prince Devitt; two world class, lighter weight guys joining an NXT already loaded with top US indie talent.

The WWE’s development promotion is championed by a guy nicknamed “The Man that Gravity Forgot” when he was known internationally as PAC, now Adrian Neville. Other worldwide and top United States indie talents in NXT include Sami Zayn (El Generico), Solomon Crowe (Sami Callihan), and Corey Graves (Sterling James Keenan).

This accumulation reminds me of the mid-00’s when Juventud Guerrerra joined a roster that included Brian Kendrick, Paul London, Super Crazy, Funaki and Kid Cash. There was also some guy named Jamie Noble, Nunzio and a lot of others that constituted the cruiserweight division. Low Ki was around at times, and while Psicosis blows up the theme of this piece, he’s a name to include. At the time, Rey Mysterio was clearly positioned for the “main” roster.

By 2007, the WWE Cruiserweight Title went away, which in many ways was too bad, but considering the WWE, and their often inexplicable hold on logic, it was probably for the best. The promotion has long had a “big man” focus. Over the years, that’s pretty much been held as “best for business”, but times have changed.

Those who follow my opining know that bringing up the concept of weight classes and separating out highly talented guys from being mere jobbers has been a cyclical argument. That time for the argument comes around again, but not just because of the high profile signings and accumulation of talent or because the argument for MMA/boxing/wrestling logic in weight classification always makes sense or because separating out rosters based on cable TV station/name has really failed.

Above all, the concept of having a lighter weight classification is a strong one, no matter what it is called.

It could be called middleweight (with a nod to Anderson Silva) or welterweight (with a nod to Georges St. Pierre) or cruiserweight (which would only be an unlikely nod to a failed WCW). But I’m not in the WWE’s creative department, and not paid to come up with ideas, so I won’t go crazy there.

I do want to tread into the ocean of fantasy booking, suggesting the lynchpin of a re-launch of a lighter division in professional wrestling is a guy that has defied all odds and earned a spot at the top of the WWE ladder through his sheer talent and determination. Even if I’ll get the hate mail, I won’t be dissuaded by throwing out the best name to headline this division: Daniel Bryan.

All things considered and all sub-plots worked, the WWE Universe has a place for Bryan, still on the shelf, injured, and with a not-so-obvious timetable to return. What’s interesting is that The Authority, in the names of HHH and Stephanie, are positioned in a bit of a corner with their treatment the former WWE Champion. Realistically, no one (including those two) really cares how they are portrayed, and I’ll be the last one to suggest babyfacing those two, but the creative impetus is there to make the most out of Bryan’s health situation.

There should be recognition that Bryan bumping for guys 50 pounds bigger (if not more) than him is not a good, long-term situation, as well as recognition that Bryan reached the pinnacle of the sport through his own efforts, despite having all odds against him.

From a sports logic perspective, isn’t it about time that the WWE notices that pitting monsters against smaller guys just causes bad dynamics? Especially considering that Sin Cara didn’t exactly pan out (yeah, there was a personality/culture/attitude issue. Attitude…. Imagine that), and especially considering the high profile signing in Japan.

And, from a worked/shoot perspective – one that acknowledges the long term health of the roster – wouldn’t it be interesting to have Dr. Maroon or others appear to tell The Authority that the cause of Bryan’s injuries was that he was battling much larger athletes?


That leads to an interesting positioning of The Authority as always looking out for the best interests of Bryan despite the heelishness of the approach, even if they do it on multiple layers of psychology and reality. I can hope that professional wrestling is as nuanced as I believe it is, and as nuanced as the WWE pretends it is, even when it isn’t.

Wrapping up a storyline around Bryan also puts legitimacy on whatever this division is called, because mainstream fans know that Bryan is the real deal. But in terms of drama and serialized entertainment, it creates opposition and emotion at a level where storytelling ensues. It is a mixture of good guy and villain, babyface and heel, when you have the corporate interest and the personal interests of Bryan clearly at odds with legit medical input as to say that “what’s best for business” is separating guys like Bryan from Kane, John Cena and others.

Also consider the debuts of the aforementioned NXT talents. Neville isn’t jobbed out, KENTA (by any given name) is a key title challenger, and there are a number of guys who can fill out that division.

Meanwhile, one key concern is the speaking role of Kenta Kobayashi. The other concern is that he is presented as a babyface, especially for the Japanese market, and that it's positioned properly. As I’ve learned from a guy who knows more about building a babyface reputation than anyone else in the world, that’s a hard thing to do. As I’ve learned from modern pro wrestling mentality, the best approach is to make someone a heel, and turn them at the right time.

The right time should be pretty obvious to those in the know. What better way to position him in the new division than to have some manager type, already well-established on the heel side, already well-familiar with international talent, already set as a force in the WWE Universe?

Sure, this could be some new figure, some throwback to the wonderful years of managers. It could also involve an “entourage” of handlers, translators and trainers. But why not go completely crazy and suggest Paul Heyman as the mischief maker, who quickly moves in and signs Kobayashi, Fergal Devitt and others so he can dominate this new division?

In the end, I’m not so sure what the WWE will do, but I’m sure it will all be WWE-riffic in a sports entertainment sort of way, but I do think my suggestion is better than the alternative.

OctoberCountry fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Jul 24, 2014

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OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Gonzo McFee posted:

Lance Storm is just doing what thousands of complete cunts have done before him. Refuse to give to charity while still seeking a way to make it seem like he's got the moral high ground.

Charities are expensive to run and the ALS charity in question does more than just research such as hiring people to care after people with ALS.

Would you rather have someone to help you live comfortably or a new, crisp Canadian $100 bill in your pocket?

Mm Hmm, I thought so.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Sanguinia posted:

a celebrity respected in many countries

Are we still talking about Lance Storm?

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012
Does that make MetsFan WWE's NomDePlume_?

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

rovert posted:

Prove NomDePlume_ is this guy:
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/
Then you may get your answer.

Why are you posting that guy's LinkedIn page?

Somebody fucked around with this message at 12:39 on Dec 17, 2014

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012
Thanks, but I was making a bad joke, not asking for you to post people's personal info.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

coconono posted:

he's currently faceplanting on twitter so if you wanna go run him down, that's cool.

Is he still going on about how he totally doesn't post "clickbait"?

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

DrVenkman posted:

Well to be fair the actual tweet is "Just found out The Internet thinks I tried to start a KENTA chant at NXT. I have never been so offended by Me-Related Gossip in all my life." He's hardly wallowing in self-pity here.

He also helps run a promotion, so it's not like Uproxx is the only thing he does. But then I don't get the hate for Stroud so what do I know.

I don't hate the guy, he's just a smug dude who posts dumb poo poo about wrestling on the internet like the rest of us.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

rovert posted:

He can be a bit more dangerous and ramble rousing than that.

lol

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012
Didn't he insist that Punk leaving WWE last year was a storyline for like 6 months?

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

WeaponX posted:

who reported Bryan winning? it certainly wasn't metsfan's source, betting odds

I don't know of anyone who did. I just love the idea that correctly predicting Roman Reigns would win proves his credibility.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

:vince:

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Brandon Stroud posted:

Worst: Dana Brooke

Oh man, if you were watching NXT and wished there were more 2006 Divas on the roster, you’re gonna love Dana Brooke. She’s tan, she’s blonde, she loves herself, she says things like “what you see is what you get” and can’t stop rubbing herself when she talks. At the NXT San Jose show on Friday she was so bad she just arbitrarily fell off the apron. Like, nothing happened to her, she just failed to stand still on the ring apron and fell off. But she sure looks good! I guess!

Of course this is NXT we’re talking about, and they can spin gold out of basically anything. They almost made Alex Riley a decent character. Dana Brooke could show up and be the greatest thing in the world, but right now she feels like a frightening reminder that the Bayleys and Sasha Bankses can be snatched away from us at any moment and replaced by Ashley Massaro and that there’s nothing we can do about it.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Holy poo poo he just keeps going

MetFan4EVER posted:

I know I am the reason. And let me be clear, I haven't fallen. You people drove me to this. The community let this happen. If it wasn't for me what would you be talking about all day? How John Cena keeps winning? How Roman Reigns' push is way too early? Boring. I bring the heat. I will keep bringing the heat whether you guys like it or not.

Even your holy God Dave Meltzer agreed with me today.

You see I don't read his stuff. But people here tell me his stuff when I report my information. See what I did there? His "news" is just stuff. My news is information.

I am the most serious thing in this community.I am the squared circle reddit poster of the year. I am in this communities hall of fame.

No I was nice enough to share my stories and information for free and not have a bunch of sheep shill out 10 bucks a month to pay for it. You all should be thankful that I am giving you something for free. I've been asked numerous times by many different sites to join them and get paid. I have declined because this community once had grace and thanked me for my time.

Who do you think wrote Punks promos?

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Bard Maddox posted:

is he taking credit for writing CM Punk's promos?

Yep

Junpei Hyde posted:

I like how he literally said "you people".

Yeah, I can't tell if this is him trying to do some ironic "heel turn" as a joke or if he's legitimately crazy. Probably both.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Blast Fantasto posted:

I love how it starts out as real examples of that trope, then after like 4 it just becomes descriptions of a thing that happened once.

tvtropes.txt

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012
http://www.tnamecca.com/2015/05/the-new-n-word.html

quote:

as a TNA fan I can certainly empathise with minority groups feeling unfairly represented by the media.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Fauxhawk Express posted:

Some dude on Twitter said Dave guaranteed an imminent TNA/WGN deal in the WON, Dave asked him to give the date of the WON he said this in, and he couldn't give it but Dave totally said it bro.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012


TNA forgetting to mail out paychecks is just smart business.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Sanguinia posted:

I think it's more the swap it with Shaemus/Orton thing that's meant to be outrageous. How one can complain about a match being devoid of hype and then say it should have swapped card positions with Orton/Shaemus is bizarre.

The Cesaro/Owens match would've gotten a much better crowd reaction had it been on first.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Great White Hope posted:

I believe that fanfic is among the top 10 longest written works in human history.

The longest running weekly episodic erotica in history.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Chris James 2 posted:

Him laughing at Bryan for 30 minutes, not asking a question, while Bryan gets progressively more visibly uncomfortable

It's half an hour of Vince coercing Bryan to eat tofu in the same tone he used to get Droz to vomit in a trash can in Beyond the Mat.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

DarkstarIV posted:

RIP BigDawg801. Never forget.

https://twitter.com/tnameccaquotes/status/888911631954182144

And I guess MisterTNA, but who cares about him?

:vince:

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

dsriggs posted:

I know, it's an easy target, but:

https://twitter.com/FrankWWEClown/status/955672324216410112

It'll be better next time, guys! The WWE will deliver!

lmao

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

HulkaMatt posted:

Chris Regal returning from faking his own death for over a year to dunk on someone else for doing it is AMAZING.

wrestling is art

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012
The best ban-me's are always the ones that read like poorly translated anime dialogue

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Defiance Industries posted:

I too love lego men ice skating on pre-rendered backgrounds while they spout incomprehensible dialogue.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

I Before E posted:

Twas the night before Vengeance, and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse
The Bowflex was set in the rec room with care
In hopes Kevin Sullivan soon would be there
The children were-okay I'm having second thoughts here

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Web Jew.0 posted:

Reddit thread about WWE false advertising Brock and Ronda

I remember a POST wrestling podcast from earlier this year where Wai Ting defended false advertising Brock and Ronda by saying it made the TV more unpredictable and the live audience should know that WWE does that.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012
That guy's still around?

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Mel Mudkiper posted:

wait that dude has a podcast just for talking about how he hates dirt sheets

I've seen him call out Dave for justifiable reasons but I've also seen him call out Dave for going out for a family dinner on Sunday instead of watching a Smackdown brand PPV live.

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Sydney Bottocks posted:

I'm still trying to comprehend the mindset of a person that feels compelled to Stan Up For Corey Graves. The man is truly unremarkable on basically every level.

Someone like that probably just walks around with an angry grimace on their face all day long

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012
Brian Gewirtz told that story on Jericho's podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJABNXoSKiM

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012
Racial frenzy? The gently caress is wrong with this guy?

OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

SamuraiFoochs posted:

I seriously don't even know who or what this buttnugget is talking about? Asuka?

Sasha or Naomi, I assume

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OctoberCountry
Oct 9, 2012

Jerusalem posted:

"Mr. Meltzer did not like being kicked in the balls, but you know what? If instead it was Manami Toyota wearing a roller derby uniform and giving him a handjob I bet suddenly he'd have liked it! :rolleyes:"

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