General Pro Wrestling News and Discussion Thread Part Deux!

[Icemizer]

Hes probably going to threaten both GM's tonight for poor performance and then bring in Flair to run things.

[Sheep]

Icemizer wrote:

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Hes probably going to threaten both GM's tonight for poor performance and then bring in Flair to run things.

Isn't Flair still in limbo due to the TNA lawsuit?

I like some of the ideas I've read here but you guys are giving the WWE FAR too much credit in terms of shaking things up. In Cena's absence they're just going to over-push Mayonnaise Man instead (although I have to admit his match with Damien Sandow last week was top notch).

[indianatrekker26]

And they'll probably keep vince off the show until the last quarter hour/overrun. To keep the ratings going up through the night, so people tune in at the end.

[Mr Silver]

Sheep wrote:

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In Cena's absence they're just going to over-push Mayonnaise Man instead.

The way I see it, WWE will continue to tease a Ryback and CM Punk match for the next couple of weeks, until the Raw before HIAC. If Cena has sufficiently recovered by then, they'll do an angle where he makes his grand return. If not, they'll swerve on us and name somebody else as CM Punk's replacement.

I say that, because I honestly don't think WWE wants to end Ryback's undefeated streak, and putting the title on him at this stage would be a huge gamble. Not to mention, that Ryback is hardly the deserving choice to end Punk's near, year-long reign. Don't get me wrong, ending the reign would give somebody a huge rub, but the truth is, only one wrestler can succeed Punk as WWE Champion, at this stage. That wrestler (if you can call him that, given his track record) is John Cena - that's how much WWE has failed at making big stars in the last couple of years.

Sure, you could have Orton come out of no where and defeat one of them for the WWE Championship. But the problem with that scenario, is that Orton has a fraction of the credibility that he had in Spring/Summer 2011. His character is incredibly stale, worse actually, it's stagnant. He has no where left to go in his current persona and no one left to feud with. A heel turn may solve this problem, but it won't make him a suitable contender for the WWE Championship.

Let's take a look at everybody who has fought for the WWE Championship in the last couple of years:

The Miz: Credibility ruined by by booking following WWE Championship loss. Currently picking up the pieces in the mid card as Intercontinental Champion.

R Truth: Brief flirtation with the main event went no where. Was suspended for breaking the wellness policy and that was the end of that. Now works a mid-card comedy gimmick.

Wade Barrett: Main event push went no where, thanks to safe booking. Hasn't really stumbled upon "that" gimmick or character quite yet. Building himself back up.

Alberto Del Rio: Bombed as WWE Champion, was swiftly dethroned by John Cena and then booked in the typical cowardly heel role. Second WWE Championship run was also a failure. Spent most of the summer jobbing to Sheamus. Credibility is in pieces thanks to terrible booking.

Big Show: Creative can't seem to decide on whether he is a heel or a face. Everybody knows that he can be beaten, and creative makes no efforts to actually push him as an unstoppable force when they characterise his as such - as evident by his numerous clean losses following his recent heel turn.

Kane: See Big Show.

Hell, I'd actually take a Ryback main event push/title run if WWE would actually put him over the likes of John Cena and Sheamus. That's how you make a new star, even the most protected of characters (Undertaker - outside of Wrestlemania) has done jobs and put over the most unlikeliest of performers in an effort to build new stars. Triple H put over Batista, Randy Orton, and Sheamus. The Rock put over Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, and Brock Lesnar.

There are so many examples...

[Sheep]

Nothing about Punk clocking a fan? When I first read about it I thought the fan had to be a plant but after seeing the fan-recorded YouTube video, I'm convinced Punk just clocked the wrong guy after being provoked by some asshole fans. Can't say I blame Punk for reacting as he did among those overzealous marks, but at the very least he owes the guy he punched an apology.

I read people saying how this incident proves Punk's not ready to be a top guy in WWE and how he should be fired and think all those opinions are bullshit. Paying for a ticket doesn't give anyone the right to touch and push a wrestler, period. Punk reacted like a not small number of people would in defending himself. Hopefully there's not too much blowback from this.

[Mr Silver]

Sheep wrote:

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Nothing about Punk clocking a fan? When I first read about it I thought the fan had to be a plant but after seeing the fan-recorded YouTube video, I'm convinced Punk just clocked the wrong guy after being provoked by some asshole fans. Can't say I blame Punk for reacting as he did among those overzealous marks, but at the very least he owes the guy he punched an apology.

I read people saying how this incident proves Punk's not ready to be a top guy in WWE and how he should be fired and think all those opinions are bullshit. Paying for a ticket doesn't give anyone the right to touch and push a wrestler, period. Punk reacted like a not small number of people would in defending himself. Hopefully there's not too much blowback from this.

I thought it was a plant at first too. I started to think that this was maybe WWE attempting to really put the heel in Punk's character, perhaps to silence the vocal minority of the audience who are still cheering him.

Still, you can't blame Punk for reacting. Some douche in the audience was hitting him and so he reacted. The fact he hit the wrong guy was purely accidental and that should be taken into account when dealing with the situation. If I were WWE, I'd offer the fan some sort of compensation in the form of front row tickets for a PPV event and some merchandise, along with getting Punk to personally apologise.

It would be ridiculous to abort Punk's push and title reign.

[Mr. Adventure]

Was the guy putting on his shades inside? No wonder Punk pegged him. Unfortunately I bet it made that guy who did it's night.

Punk and VKM went at it pretty good last night, entertaining if silly. Punk's badass scale has really been nerfed since he went heel, he was top of the world before and now he really is a little punk. Hopefully, he can recover his standing at some point. I missed the beginning, I hope he didn't get slapped by Larry King or anything.

[Admiral_Young]

I actually watched two segments of Raw last night. First time for me in about three weeks...and I liked them both. The Vince/Punk promo and then the match. Did I hear fans actually cheer John Cena when he came down to confront Punk??? Also was it just me or have they muted pseudo-heel Michael Cole finally? He seemed "normal" for once.

[Gil T.Azell]

So was this part of RAW or real?

Remember this is Wrestling...

[Admiral_Young]

Yes that actually happened and was not part of the show, we've discussed it up thread.

CM Punk talks about what happened with the fan.

http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/W...le_65835.shtml

[Ghost Bones]

Besides the main subject of the video, the black guy twatting about at the front deserved a punch for being a complete fucking arsehole.

But seriously, Punk hits someone who he thought hit him when it was someone else. It's a mistake, but the WWE should compensate the guy quickly and quietly, and probably think through a little more how they do these kinds of segments in the future.

[Mr Silver]

One of the worst things to have come out of this incident is your typical IWC (I hate that term) people, talking like Punk has flown off the rails!

It's madness, one isolated incident, and suddenly CM Punk is either vilified or agreed with because people can't bear to say anything bad about him. I don't know Punk personally, so I can't comment, nor do I want to speculate upon his real life personality, but when you spend 300+ days on the road, working your ass off several times a week, only for fans to take liberties by smacking you about - it's going to be hard not to react.

Besides, this incident is nothing comparison to some of the things that the likes of Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan and even Vince McMahon himself, have got up to in the past.

[Ghost Bones]

Anyway that aside, is anyone else very unimpressed that the WWE Champion got his bollocks handed to him by Methuselah McMahon? Finally, CM Punk has the WWE Heel Disease. He is now but a weak coward.

[Admiral_Young]

That is what pisses me off about his heel turn, and what I've tried to explain before. This isn't anything new. He's essentially doing the cowardly heel gimmick right now. I really don't understand why they've done this. I understand a heel turn...but not this type.

[Ghost Bones]

Well it's the same as every heel. If you're not big enough to be a monster, you're a weak coward. Conversely, when you are big enough to be a monster, if you're a face you're a weak loveable loser. That's the WWE formula and it's despicably boring and predictable.