04-17-2014, 04:13 PM | #1 |
Taller than Adam Cole
Posts: 10,873
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Going to be a negative nancy here...
Alexander Russev is going to flop.
Granted, he can do cool things in the ring, and has an excellent look. But I can sum up the issue with him like so: He has no facial expressions. There's a difference between looking emotionless and looking bored. I get that he's supposed to be this ruthless destroyer. His power moves kind of add to that point. The big issue is the camel clutch. On one hand, its humorous that he looks bored while in the hold. On the other hand, not even looking like he's applying pressure makes the hold not look painful. If nothing else, have Finlay sit down and explain it to him. = "KARA-TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Question Mark.
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04-17-2014, 04:16 PM | #2 |
King K Cool
Posts: 28,472
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He's Kozlov V2.
Even Kozlov had only one facial expression when he debuted. He'll be teaming with Santino in no time though. |
04-17-2014, 04:17 PM | #3 |
King K Cool
Posts: 28,472
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Or maybe even Ryder, for more "Odd Couple lols".
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04-17-2014, 04:22 PM | #4 |
Best Poster
Posts: 56,901
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Rusev is awesome. Big fan.
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04-17-2014, 04:24 PM | #5 |
King K Cool
Posts: 28,472
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I've yet to come to an opinion on Rusev.
He is beginning to slowly grow on me though. At this point, my two favourite things about him are Lana and his theme. |
04-17-2014, 04:48 PM | #6 |
Grim Fandango
Posts: 5,192
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Was already beyond bored of Rusev before he made his main roster debut.
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04-17-2014, 05:00 PM | #7 |
Fire up Chips!
Posts: 27,456
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He should become a real American
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04-17-2014, 05:04 PM | #8 |
Loque Ja
Posts: 87,860
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His debut match in NXT against Dolph Ziggler was great. His best showing. Been downhill since then, but I still see potential in him.
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04-17-2014, 08:34 PM | #9 |
shisen sucks all the cock
Posts: 1,617
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of course he is going to flop, foreigner with no personality
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04-17-2014, 10:39 PM | #10 |
I'm a loner, Dottie...
Posts: 3,069
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I don't like to assume anyone is going to flop, but he does seem pretty meh. The emotionless thing really works against him. He should have gone with a bloodlust kinda thing like Umaga where he enjoyed destroying his opponents and constantly shouted in his native tongue during matches.
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04-17-2014, 11:11 PM | #11 |
TPWW's #3 Peep
Posts: 20,891
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This time next year, he'll be going by the name of "Rusev", will be doing comedy, and will likely be jobbing to the guys who's offence he isn't even selling right now.
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04-17-2014, 11:17 PM | #12 |
The Will & The Whey
Posts: 2,580
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The Rusev Roll is the new Flintstone Flop.
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04-17-2014, 11:32 PM | #13 |
Anger
Posts: 10,624
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04-17-2014, 11:49 PM | #14 |
EATER OF HOT POCKETS
Posts: 14,340
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It sucks because Lana is perfect in her role, and Rusev has skill, but he reminds me of an Eastern European Festus.
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04-18-2014, 12:20 AM | #15 |
Y2KoTF
Posts: 16,241
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I'm not a fan at all, just can't get into him.
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04-18-2014, 12:22 AM | #16 |
TPWW's HHH Mark Since '04
Posts: 29,886
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Scary/evil foreigner gimmicks are too shallow to work in 2014.
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04-18-2014, 12:47 AM | #17 |
I W C DEEZ NUTZ!
Posts: 10,137
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Speaking of his "bored Camel Clutch"... seriously, WWE? You guys can let the Steiner Recliner get yet ANOTHER name in "The Accolade", but can't come up with jack squat for naming The Shield's triple powerbomb with something catchy??
On topic: yet another "ooh, lookit the barrel-chested monster" wrestler that has been done to death. Even with the arm charm included in this version, he'll likely be flailing around and end up in a "random" tag team like Ryback did... *if* he's lucky. Unless he's got some powerful friends, he'll go the way of Big Zeke Jackson, or Luther Reigns. |
04-18-2014, 12:51 AM | #18 |
Best Poster
Posts: 56,901
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RybAxel are the greatest tag team of the past 30 years. Maybe since the Kangaroos. I'm all for more wrestlers like Rusev and less of these 205 pounds gas station attendants populating the roster.
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04-18-2014, 01:32 AM | #19 |
I W C DEEZ NUTZ!
Posts: 10,137
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Wasn't so much dissing RybAxel as I was pointing out that WWE expected Ryback him to be massively over as a multiple time world champion and a huge merch mover by now because he was the prototypical bodybuilder type. I actually like both guys, but wasn't on board that Ryback bandwagon when they decided to strap a rocket to his ass. Henning* has both size and nepotism on his side, and he hasn't really gone anywhere.
And I'd rather see the gas station attendants with personality and "dat workrate" than yet another generic big man who is just supposed to get over by osmosis... face OR heel. Hell, I still say it was too soon for Big E to be called up. Even more so since they didn't let him continue with his "5 count" gimmick from NXT which is partly why he was so over there in the first place. They have that habit of overlooking talented people they can use sooner than later if they'd play to their strengths instead of to trying to parade around the next big man simply on the "he looks like a superstar if you see him walking down the street" idea of marketing. That, to me, is like if Hollywood just started hiring supermodels (male and female) to fill out movie roles for huge buget, blockbuster calibur films simply because they look good and if they might can act a little bit, that's a bonus, passing up the Lliam Neesons or the Kathy Bateses because they're not "young and hot"... only to have those movies bomb, and the producers scratching their heads as to why. One of the unmentioned side effects of the rise of MMA popularity is the dismissal of the notion that automatically equates size with power. Being taller and larger automatically making you the stronger athlete just doesn't hold the sway it used to in the 80's. Back then, Khali would be a spectacle worthy of fear, not of jaded jest. |
04-18-2014, 01:47 AM | #20 | |
I'm a loner, Dottie...
Posts: 3,069
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It's great if you can find a big guy with charisma like the Rock or John Cena, but those kind of guys are 1 in a million. Big meat heads with no redeeming qualities are a dime a dozen and they all are boring as watching paint dry. RybAxel is a prime example of two guys that have the look, but aren't worth their salt. Both had chances to shine, and both failed miserably at it because they just don't have any personality. Watching Ryback is like watching a gorilla at the zoo. Sure it's entertaining for a few minutes, but once you've seen it you're ready for the next exhibit. As for Axel… Well, I still hate that beaver faced fucker with every fiber of my being. His only good quality is his theme music. |
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04-18-2014, 04:24 AM | #21 |
Resident drug enabler
Posts: 45,473
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Ryback was massively over when they actually pushed him as a legit threat to the bad guys. Then they decided to start jobbing him out out of the blue. It's all in the booking. When it was good, the crowd was nuts for the guy. When it turned to shit, they weren't. It's really that simple.
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04-18-2014, 04:33 AM | #22 |
Posts: 60,919
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Ryback should have gone over Big Show at WrestleMania XXIX in my opinion. But I also think the World Heavyweight Title match should have been Dolph Ziggler defending against Chris Jericho. Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger would still be on the card, but Del Rio would have been defending the US Title against him instead of the World Title. But whatever. I also think the time to turn Ryback, if they were going to do it, was back when he first emerged as a challenger for the WWE Title. Heyman should have gotten his mits into Ryback and convinced him to align with Punk instead of fighting against him.
When they turned Ryback heel, they really didn't help by giving him such a confused identity. He's finding his feet again in his niche role with Curtis Axel, who are starting to work in some weird sort of way. I think they need a bit more tuning, but something is there. I really wouldn't mind it if they volunteered themselves to try and stop The Shield once The Shield are done with Evolution, because Ryback still has issues from his old wars with them. |
04-18-2014, 04:39 AM | #23 |
Posts: 60,919
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I decided to talk about Ryback more than I did Alexander Rusev, because I just can't bring myself to care about Rusev creatively at the moment. The foreign heel thing just doesn't work anymore. Rusev should be beating up anybody, face or heel. No, I'm not going to call him a "tweener," but the WWE Universe should be conditioned to wanting to see Rusev crush. A monstrous heel on the rise is actually a very hard character to position right -- because either the guy you are meant to hate beats all your heroes, or the guy you are meant to hate loses and nothing changes.
I liked it when Rusev teamed with Scott Dawson the most, because then you had the interest-factor of a wormy heel benefitting from Rusev's path of destruction. Does the WWE have a Russian under contract? Anyway, as it stands, the most interesting thing about Rusev right now is his relationship to Lana. That's why the most interesting feud to me at the moment for Rusev is actually against Jack Swagger. Beyond that, it would probably be someone like Alberto Del Rio paying Lana to appear with him as well, leading to Del Rio and Rusev to be linked on the air. |
04-18-2014, 04:43 AM | #24 |
Posts: 60,919
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I guess they could just keep throwing Dolph Ziggler and have him constantly try to prove he can beat Rusev, only to always get caught and tap-out -- but once that establishes Rusev as much as it can, where to from there?
Actually, Rusev joining RybAxel in a hypothetical war against The Shield would actually make sense. Lana is a smart and savvy business woman, so she would love to strike a deal with The Authority. Of all the acts in the WWE currently, Rusev seems the most fitting to take the US Title from Dean Ambrose. Once The Shield are done with Evolution at Extreme Rules, and if they don't head to some sort of War Games clash, then having Lana offer up her man to crush The Shield would score her points, and allow Rusev future favor with The Authority. I can see the WWE staging some stare-offs between Rusev and Roman Reigns. |
04-18-2014, 07:44 AM | #25 | |
The black Corey Graves
Posts: 3,602
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Like, people weren't hot for A-Ry, as much as they hated Miz. Ryback had a catchphrase that people rocked with, but other than that, dude was pretty bland, imo. |
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04-18-2014, 09:17 AM | #26 |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,588
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Wouldn't be surprised if Rusev flops considering monster heels have a very limited use and right now Lana is the better one of the pair.
The emotionless stuff is a bit odd but also something that can be quickly fixed or once he starts to do stuff besides random squashes. Then again a lot about his character was stripped away into something really generic the closer he got to getting called up. |
04-18-2014, 09:45 AM | #27 |
Out Of Step
Posts: 12,059
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Until he's involved in a feud it's hard to say.
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04-18-2014, 10:15 AM | #28 |
Da Gif/Pic Pimp
Posts: 13,913
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I was thinking more next gen Umaga.
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04-18-2014, 03:15 PM | #29 | |
I W C DEEZ NUTZ!
Posts: 10,137
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They want badly to make the same mistakes with Rusev. No matter how many guys want Lana to ride thier baloney pony, it doesn't make Rusev less boring. Comimg out and simply refusing to speak in English doesn't draw the heat it used to back in the day... ask Tensai. For the successes of Brock Lesnar, how many Jackson Amdrews and Eli Cottonwoods and Bobby Lashleys have been in and out of Titan Towers? I believe Rusev is being set up to fail, then they'll discard him and move on to the next boring monster over and over until they eventually luck out and stumble on another hit, then go "see, we know what we're doing!" |
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04-18-2014, 04:14 PM | #30 |
Grim Fandango
Posts: 5,192
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McGillicurtis has never been over outside of Minnesota.
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04-18-2014, 04:23 PM | #31 |
Best Poster
Posts: 56,901
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RybAxel are the greatest tag team since Frank and Karl Gotch.
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04-18-2014, 10:33 PM | #32 |
I'm a loner, Dottie...
Posts: 3,069
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04-18-2014, 11:30 PM | #33 |
Posts: 60,919
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Love Curtis Axel. But I love him in the same way I loved Chavo Guerrero. I can understand the complaints, but it's just a personal bias I have towards the guy. For a guy who doesn't seem to possess the ability to sell himself on the mic at all, he's managed to stay main roster relevant for about a year now. Good on him. He and Ryback seem like they are poised for the next Tag Team Title shot. Why not? Axel is going to help Ryback get better in the ring, and it means Axel has a job.
One day there might be an appropriate place for Axel to plug himself into and change perceptions of him being bland. You never know -- Axel might discover something next week that gets so incredibly over that we can't even conceive how we ever thought he was boring and had no future with the company. Plus he seems reliable as hell in the ring. Triple H likes him enough that he wanted to work with him a couple of times. I think the feud with CM Punk killed Axel. It was hard to push Axel as a credible Intercontinental Champion whilst pushing Punk as a true main event talent and having them fight each other. I liked that Axel was a credible IC Champ while he had the title. He fought a little dirty and aggressively, but for the most part, he got the job done. Hopefully Axel is taking promo classes every week so that he can one day sell himself enough to make sure he can stand out in whatever situation. Dolph Ziggler and Cesaro have both been working on making themselves better speakers. If Axel can do the same, the brightest may still be to come from him. |
04-18-2014, 11:41 PM | #34 | |
MVP Mark
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04-19-2014, 07:00 AM | #35 |
Best Poster
Posts: 56,901
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They beat Los Matadores and The Brotherhood in back to back shows. things are looking good for the greatest tag team since Jack and Gerald Brisco.
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04-19-2014, 07:26 AM | #36 |
The black Corey Graves
Posts: 3,602
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I disagree. I think his catchphrase was over. But his character itself just got pops based off of who he was getting ready to go beat up.
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04-19-2014, 10:23 AM | #37 |
Rigged from the start
Posts: 35,417
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You’re wrong. The fans LOVED RyBack, and rightly so...it wasn’t just that they loved chanting “FEED ME MORE!” along with him.
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04-19-2014, 10:40 AM | #38 |
Resident drug enabler
Posts: 45,473
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If it was all about the heel he was going to beat up, wouldn't other guys be getting the same or better pops when they were pitted against the same guys? The guy was getting huge pops confronting CM Punk when Punk was getting face reactions against the rest of the roster. The character worked. The crowd was behind him.
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04-19-2014, 10:47 AM | #39 |
Best Poster
Posts: 56,901
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It's such a retarded argument against who half of the best tag team since Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson
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04-19-2014, 10:51 AM | #40 |
Resident drug enabler
Posts: 45,473
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They need to push the BFFs gimmick more.
And they need to start wearing matching singlets. This one: |