Board 8 > All-Purpose Wrestling Topic 484: Paradigm Shift

(+) Yeah! (+)

Tough to hang the MitB briefcase with the Chamber hanging in the way
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Jakyl25 posted...

Tough to hang the MitB briefcase with the Chamber hanging in the way

There's a hole in the middle of the Chamber roof. It's made for just that sort of situation.
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SCARLET
Elim Chamber: *
Not really anybody I wanna see in 200X.

6-Man: **
Orton and the most boring version of Cody drag it down.

Tag Titles: **1/2
Fine.

MitB: ***1/2
Seems pretty midcard-y but I'd enjoy it.

Rock/DDP: ****
there's the good stuff

Austin/Lesnar: ***
I'm probably underrating this but oh well

Piven: --
Styles: +

Overall: **1/2

EDDV
Tag Ladder: **
wat evar

White Boy: ***
I have never seen Rodney Mack so I am going purely off the joke and the existence of Chavo

Festus: *
I feel like all parties involved deserve better, somehow

IC Title: **
I like the storyline but am pretty eh on the actual matchup

Taker/Cena: ***1/2
Would've preferred Deadman

Gail/Chyna: ***
Seems reasonable

Angle/Hogan: ***
Should be fine

JR: +
Heyman: +

Overall: **
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Simon Dean and Maven, son!
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Heyman has announced that Lesnar is cashing in on Monday on Rollins

Corey has issues with this

https://twitter.com/wwegraves/status/1134551653775040513?s=21

So, hes is cashing in because the boss was mad at him for not cashing in when he said he was, even though the point of the contract is to cash in at the holders discretion?

Wheres my new chair?

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Jakyl25 posted...

Heyman has announced that Lesnar is cashing in on Monday on Rollins

Corey has issues with this

https://twitter.com/wwegraves/status/1134551653775040513?s=21

So, hes is cashing in because the boss was mad at him for not cashing in when he said he was, even though the point of the contract is to cash in at the holders discretion?

Wheres my new chair?

Spoiler: He still won't cash in and this will just be another ratings gacha.
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Your commentators for the night are Michael Cole and Tazz, and we're coming to you tonight from The Houston Astrodome

Cruiserweight Championship Match
Tajiri vs. Evan Bourne vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Jamie Noble

A fast paced opener for the cruiserweight title featuring some of the best cruiserweights of multiple generations

US Championship Match
JBL vs. Kozlov

Continuing the fast pace here - okay maybe not but this is a fight, we probably get some blood and jbl waving a flag at the end

Un-Americans vs. Real Americans
Lance Storm and Val Venis vs. Jack Swagger and Jimmy Wang Yang

Storm and Venis have been disparaging America for months, and when Swagger stood up for America at first he thought he was alone, until the biggest proponent of the American ways came to his side - Jimmy Wang Yang is fighting for America's pride

No DQ Tag Team Match
Sheamus and Drew McIntyre vs. Raven and Rhyno

Should be a fun little plunder match, carried on Raven promos coming in. They all deserved better and I'm sorry

Women's Championship Match
Victoria vs. Mickie James

The token mid-00s WWE Women's match!

Tag Team Championship Match
Rob Van Dam and Sabu vs. Paul London and Brian Kendrick

London and Kendrick's epic tag team championship run has bungled along for months with challengers like Deuce and Domino and the Mexicools, but now they're getting some real competition in the form of two ECW legends

Unsanctioned Match
Cactus Jack vs. Mike Awesome

After Mike Awesome destroyed Mick Foley on his debut, Mick Foley wanted to get revenge so badly... But he knew he couldn't be the man to do it. But when Cactus Jack turned up to issue the challenge, Commissioner William Regal made it very clear he would not sanction Cactus Jack to compete in a WWE ring. And so, we get this...

I Quit Match
William Regal vs. Triple H (w/Ric Flair)

The culmination of the Regal main event run we were robbed of in 2008, the build to this featured Regal having to fight his way through Flair to get to Triple H, but even now he'll have to contend with both if he wants to finally put The Game away here

Main Event - WWE Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Shawn Michaels

A dream match that never happened between two of the best of all time, there's not much more I could say about this than just the two names say on their own.
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Well, those last 3-4 matches Steiner had are just unfair...
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William Regal as a main event level face I don't know

Or the build is backwards
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Lopen posted...

William Regal as a main event level face I don't know

Or the build is backwards

I waffled a lot on this. I kind of mailed in the build in the end because I was taking hours to piece it together and I just wanted to get it done. In the end I think I'd take pushing regal as a main event face over flipping the whole dynamic of the build but I definitely have the same reservations
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And he is commissioner as well.

Couldn't he just have given himself a match against HHH without going through flair?
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Maniac64 posted...

And he is commissioner as well.

Couldn't he just have given himself a match against HHH without going through flair?

ok now listen here
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Oh okay I get it.

Did Steiner draft the "WWE" company this time?
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we were all WWE!
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Steiner and Icon had the advantage of the wrap around picks which really helped their main events
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I dunno how much it helps Icon, his 2nd guy is the number 8 draft pick. we'll see what he does though!
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STEINER

CW: ***
Just fine.

US: *1/2
mehhhhh

MURRCA: ***
Yeah okay should be fun

No DQ: ***1/2
Seems fun but random

Women: **1/2
yeah ok

Tag Titles: ***1/2
Solid

Unsanctioned: ???
Never seen Awesome but isn't he supposed to be kinda crummy?

I Quit: ***
Approaching the limit of how hype I can get for a HHH match

ME: *****
I was thinking to myself "is there even a potential match I would rate five stars?" and well

Taz: =
2000s Cole: =

Overall: ***
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Tom Bombadil posted...

Unsanctioned: ???
Never seen Awesome but isn't he supposed to be kinda crummy?

i'll admit right now that I have seen exactly one Mike Awesome match, but it's the best match on one of the all time best WWE PPVs, vs. Masato Tanaka on the original One Night Stand.
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Unsanctioned: ???
Never seen Awesome but isn't he supposed to be kinda crummy?

I will fight whoever said this irl
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Tonight's action comes to you live from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is presented by Vince McMahon and Matt Striker

WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: Juventud Guerrera (c) vs. Ultimo Dragon vs. TAKA Michinoku vs. Super Crazy
Juvy claims he was the clue keeping Mexicools together - and hey, he's the champion, how can we doubt him? Well, Super Crazy has something to say about that, and both Ultimo and TAKA are free, so we've got ourselves a lucha/Japanese junior showcase to kick off the night.

Umaga & Haku vs. Goldust & Dusty Rhodes vs. Finlay & Dave Taylor
When Haku unleashed 'The Samoan Bulldozer,' nobody was safe. It didn't matter if there was a match already going on in the ring, if there was someone to hit, Haku ordered Umaga to make them hurt. Unfortunately two of those men happened to be Finlay and Goldust, who just so happen to have a couple old hands in their back pocket they can enlist and stop the unstoppable.

The Holly Family (Hardcore, Crash & Molly Holly) vs. The Hart Dynasty (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Tyson Kidd & Natalya Neidhart) & The British Bulldog
Bulldog made his return to the WWE to watch his son win WWE gold for the first time, as The Hart Dynasty quickly captured the WWE Tag Team Championship upon their debut. Unfortunately for Bulldog he met with the same fate every WWE Legend seems to meet: another dog looking for a fight. Hardcore and Crash, a couple of super heavyweights, are fixin' to put an old dog down, but the Hart Dynasty are there to have Davey Boy's back.

WWE WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP Beth Phoenix (c) vs. Trish Stratus
Before Trish Stratus walked away from wrestling, she gave the world the 'Glamazon' Beth Phoenix. But there's a hint of regret inside Trish. It's not about her protege Beth, who like Trish before her has dominated the women's division, cementing her status as the ace. It's the same regret any athlete has when they retire. They miss their old routine, they watch the new generation do what they did and they question if they still have what it takes. Trish is rejuvinated, and in her hometown of Toronto is about to see if the new generation has indeed passed her by.
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ECW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: Mark Henry (c) vs. Masato Tanaka
ECW has breathed new life into Mark Henry. Everyone looked at him and thought that once he put all the pieces together, he'd be unstoppable. Well, it took a lot longer to build the 'Hall of Pain' than he'd like to admit, but now that he's unleashed there's no stopping him. He's the embodiment of WWE's ECW experiment, so who better to tear it all down than Masato Tanaka, a former ECW champion himself? He's built to withstand punishment, and boy, does Mark Henry have a lot of it to give out.

CM Punk vs. Jerry Lawler
The mercurial CM Punk has been like nothing the WWE has seen for ages, blending together an exciting wrestling style with a mic that might be a little too hot. He's been able to back it up so far, but his constant demand of fans to "kill your idols" is the straw that broke Jerry Lawler's back. He's been in this business for a long time, he's seen every flash in the pan come and go, and he wants to see what makes Punk so special from all the other "darlings."

WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
Don't let the billing fool you. While it looks like a hometown crowd on paper, 'The Best in the World At What He Does' has made it explicitly clear that he's done what every great Canadian needs to do to find success - leave. He's synonomous with the Intercontinental Championship, and he's brought that belt to a higher stage than anyone before him. Mysterio knows this, and that's exactly why he needs this match. He's a former world champion - they both are - but there's a small part of Rey that's asking if he still has another gear in him after that moment of serendipity brought him to the world championship. He wants to climb that ladder one more time, and it starts with a match against 'The Best.'

TABLES, LADDERS AND CHAIRS MATCH FOR THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP: Edge (c) vs. Christian
While Christian was taking a break from the spotlight, Edge was stealing it. 'The Ultimate Opportunist' has taken every shortcut and blindsided every wrestler to get to the top and this cutthroat is not about to share this moment. 'Captain Charisma' meanwhile was worked tirelessly to earn this spot. He left the WWE to prove there's no moment too big for him, and he's back for a match of destiny. It's brother vs. brother in a match they made famous in front of their hometown crowd. There's no moment bigger.
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IIIIIIIICON

CW: ***
Should be good.

What even is this tag match: ***
exactly my kind of ridiculous

Families: **
It bugs me a lot that it's 3v4 and the team I percieve as higher card is the 4.

Women: ***
hey good job you booked a women's match from this era that surpasses "yeah sure" for me

ECW: ???
I am led to believe that this would be good

Punk/Lawler: **1/2
Seems kinda like a waste of both

Jericho/Rey: ****
Should be a good match.

Edge/Christian: ****1/2
That's the good stuff!

Vince: =
Striker: +

Overall: ***
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Tom Bombadil posted...

What even is this tag match: ***
exactly my kind of ridiculous

my entire life has been leading to this moment
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Scarlet
There's really nothing here that I don't like, but at the other end of the spectrum, the only thing I'd be super excited for is DDP/Rock. Elimination Chamber looks like it'd be a little messy and the Tag Title match is between two teams that I've always liked a little less than the average person. Maybe I just don't have the nostalgic feelings for some of these guys needed to fully appreciate the card.
Rating: 6/10
Favorite Match: Rock vs DDP

Ed
I said this in the Discord but this legitimately sent me into a laughing fit for about a half hour. Those first four matches all have something hilarious about them. Problem is, the only one I'd watch absent someone holding a gun to my head is the IC Title match. The last three are all pretty fun, though. Starts really rough but ends pretty strong.
Rating: 6/10
Favorite Match: Cena vs Taker, as much as I'm obviously tempted to vote for the America's Finest match

Steiner
Steiner managed to accidentally draft five guys that would make at least my top 25 all-time favorites in HBK, London, Awesome, RVD, and Raven. And they're all in really fun spots! There's some rough-looking things on this card (one of them is named JBL, who probably dropped this card 1 rating point out of 10 by himself), and I probably care less about that semi-main than anyone else here, but a workrate-heavy card with such an awesome main event is obviously going to rate highly for me.
Rating: 8.5/10
Favorite Match: I mean, take a guess.

Icon
The most consistent card in this draft. Nothing pops out to me as being especially exciting but it seems like it'd be a really easy watch. I don't really have a whole lot to say about it other than that, it's just a well-constructed card.
Rating: 7.5/10
Favorite Match: Punk vs Lawler

Good work by all involved, I think.
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I wanted to do this draft so I decided to pretend I did until I got bored. I tried my best to avoid looking ahead, and put myself at the end of every round, which I figured would somewhat offset that some of the real draft picks would now be empty. I didn't finish but

Your commentators are Striker and Taz.

Miz v. Flair
Swagger v. Hassan
Tag Titles: Hardyz v. Legacy
Kennedy v. Carlito
Elimination Chamber: Brock, Taker, Cena, Show, Batista, Book
Women's TItle: Mickie v. Natalya
WWE Title: HBK v. Edge
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Wade Keller is dropping an interview at midnight that by all signs on his twitter feed looks to be Jon moxley and there's already some interesting quotes
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Oh god...more GOOD SHIT!
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How hard is Vince McMahon working to scrub everything about the Shield?
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just heard the ambrose podcast thing with jericho (and yeah he will be ambrose to me for a while)

I dont think its nearly as damning as you guys made it sound

things sound bad but its all stuff we already knew/ assumed
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ScareChan posted...

just heard the ambrose podcast thing with jericho (and yeah he will be ambrose to me for a while)

I dont think its nearly as damning as you guys made it sound

things sound bad but its all stuff we already knew/ assumed

Haven't all of us said that it's not surprising at all? That's still damming
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Steiner posted...

Wade Keller is dropping an interview at midnight that by all signs on his twitter feed looks to be Jon moxley and there's already some interesting quotes

I hope this is Moxley. I don't know who Wade Keller is, but if it's Moxley I'm listening!
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An hour or so into this (it is moxley) and the most disheartening thing is to hear how it's not a rare occurrence for vince to tear into people for matches that were awesome athletic contests because he only cares about sports entertainment
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"you think roman wanted to say suffering succotash?"
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How can we listen to this Steiner?
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You can search any podcast app for the wade keller podcast, part 1 dropped already and part 2 over the weekend

If you don't have a podcast app you can listen here https://twitter.com/thewadekeller/status/1134697170584657920?s=19
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Oh shit, I didn't think it would be free.
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Looked at the cards

Icon's has good matches but a lot I've seen before in the higher spots. I've seen Edge vs Christian a few times and while they're a good match I just have trouble seeing in in a main event level program. Jericho vs Rey is fun, but again, have seen it a lot of times. It's usually good and probably is main event worthy but yeah. Punk vs Lawler is probably the most interesting match to me on the card. Probably the strongest undercard though which helps a lot.

Scarlet's has a weird set of stuff. The first two matches are anti-hype for me, and I'm someone who is easy to sell on a match with the Outsiders and Scott Steiner in the 00s. Not sure about the MitB composition either-- looks exactly like something out of Smackdown's mid 00s midcard which is okay for a cohesion thing but not okay for making me excited to see it. Also fearing that Lita will literally kill herself in the match. Like the other 3 matches quite a bit though.

Steiner's probably has the most consistent overall quality in terms of dream matches, but is hurt by me not being able to have good ideas for what good feuds or builds would look like. Potentially the best card at the top end but like, I actually do need to some help understanding why Shawn Michaels and Eddie Guerrero are fighting in a main event slot because it's not a natural build with their characters-- who is even the heel, if either, for example changes a lot in terms of match interest. And what was given for Triple H vs Regal is actively sabotaging interest in the match. Undercard might be the weakest overall too.

On the flip side, I think the builds to Eddv's seem best and easiest to imagine despite having possibly the weakest overall roster in terms of match quality, and brings back a lot of goofy tags and gimmicks that I liked. Hollywood Hogan vs Kurt Angle is something I really would've liked to see over the version of that feud we got actually. Also has the strongest commentary team by far.

Overall for me I think

Eddv > Icon > Scarlet > Steiner.

None of them are terrible or completely must buy for me though. Range here is probably like 8/10-6/10.

And for shame on none of you drafting MVP.
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and Tyler Breeze was never seen again
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I'm super happy for the Street Profits. Working Evolve shows let them really grow and finally getting rewarded with the tag titles is really cool.
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Steiner posted...

You can search any podcast app for the wade keller podcast, part 1 dropped already and part 2 over the weekend

If you don't have a podcast app you can listen here https://twitter.com/thewadekeller/status/1134697170584657920?s=19

Part 1 downloading now! Will start after the Brewers game is done. Thanks!
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Wow. 14 minutes in and the interview still hasn't started yet. Nothing but ads and plugs so far, so skip ahead if you haven't listened and are planning to.
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How was Gargano/Cole II?
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we have our first social media 24/7 title change

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1135304404137959424
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So does Jinder just go everywhere dressed to wrestle
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i mean he obviously came here with a referee with the intent to wrestle the title away from r-truth!
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Well yeah but I mean he didn't have to change for it!
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It feels really awkward to have people chasing the title outside of the shows dressed in the usual in-ring attire instead of street clothes or something to help them blend into their environment. Couldn't they have had Jinder dressed up as a golfer? I would have to imagine anyone not involved who's actually there to golf and sees a half-naked man running around would be worried.
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Being in your wrestling gear gives you optimal performance.
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If only he hit the Kalas on the grass

Seriously we gonna get any title changes that aren't roll up based

All that being said I do appreciate the idea of having title changes on Twitter. I still don't appreciate the title feeling more like something you don't want though.
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