WrestleMania 34 - OFFICIAL hype and discussion thread

[wwe2222]

I thought it was a really good show overall. Started better than it finished but one of the better Manias recently.

[James Steele]

I don’t think any Manias have been “bad” since WM15. 32 just was too damn long and ended with a Reigns coronation nobody wanted. 33 was a damn good show, but ended with a Reigns coronation nobody wanted. Tonight, they bucked the trend but the problem was nobody wanted Brock either.

[Destor]

Match was 15 min of a crowd throwing a tantrum over lolromanwins and then it didnt hapoen

[BigCrippyZ]

Originally Posted by Destor reigns is easily the most talked about wrestler on planet earth. That match had the most interest, albeit the least ammount of hype. The business of the business is the business now.

1. That's not true, it's hyperbolic presumption by one fan, you, who happens to post on the internet.

2. Even IF the second point is true, that's just sad, and shows how far things have fallen in terms of interest. I'd be curious just how many people are actually interested in the business vs. how many people used to by interested in the stories and characters. I'd bet that the % change would be ridiculously pathetic and that honest folks in the business would admit to that reality and concern. If they could get it, I'd bet they'd gladly take people actually being interested in the characters/stories previously, vs. those interested in the business today,

[Destor]

Originally Posted by James Steele I don’t think any Manias have been “bad” since WM15.

You think 15 was bad?

[James Steele]

Originally Posted by Destor You think 15 was bad?

Other than Rock/Austin - yes. It doesn’t hold up well.

[Dark One]

Originally Posted by Destor It went over poorly because the crowd was mad over a finish that didnt happen

The crowd may have been dreading that projected finish but I think saying that’s the main reason is a gross over simplification.

[wwe2222]

I was not a fan of WM15 when it aired. Def one of the weakest.

[KIRA]

I wonder why this company can't see how well heel turns work
You think they would have learned with The Rock
Usos heel turn brought them back to
The new day's heel turn made them insanely popular
Sami Zayn well he'll worm his way into your heart with his obnoxious everything

[xrodmuc316]

I am a huge fan of Lesnar's run the last 4 years, but they have really backed themselves in a corner since tonight was the logical end to his dominance, regardless of your feelings on Roman. The way it has been booked the last 12 months, there is nobody to challenge him. He has already beat every big name on Raw, AJ on Smackdown, Shinsuke heeled so that wouldn't make sense, and there is nobody in NXT at the level say Finn or KO were when they came up.

Unless Vince wants to play the Demon King card like none of the burying he has done to Finn matters, or he wants to move Daniel Bryan to Raw and immediately go with him as the guy, which history would suggest otherwise, then he must be content on Brock keeping the belt for the foreseeable future.

Nobody else is over enough. They already fed Brock lots of guys just to make Brock look even stronger so taking the loss to Roman would be as meaningful as possible. Are we supposed to believe that guys Lesnar beat with one F5 like Braun or Joe are suddenly better equipped to Beat Brock than the guy it took SIX F5s to Beat?

Unless Roman somehow gets a rematch and wins tomorrow, I have no clue where anything is headed.

[BigCrippyZ]

Originally Posted by James Steele Other than Rock/Austin - yes. It doesn’t hold up well.

I thought Foley v. Show was good for what it was. It progressed the story and "impacted" the later match involved and gave them something "important" to do for their status, without taking away from their characters or needlessly FORCING them into the match as an actual competitor. More effectively than they've typically done in the last 10+ years at least.

[Emperor Smeat]

Originally Posted by KIRA I wonder why this company can't see how well heel turns work You think they would have learned with The Rock Usos heel turn brought them back to The new day's heel turn made them insanely popular Sami Zayn well he'll worm his way into your heart with his obnoxious everything

They even had a good example 2 matches earlier with Nakamura. That low blow to Styles was the most interesting thing to happen to him character-wise since he arrived on the main roster.

Doubt they will do the same with Reigns considering they see him as the next Cena and they've resisted the urge for over a decade to turn Cena.

[KIRA]

Originally Posted by Emperor Smeat They even had a good example 2 matches earlier with Nakamura. That low blow to Styles was the most interesting thing to happen to him character-wise since he arrived on the main roster. Doubt they will do the same with Reigns considering they see him as the next Cena and they've resisted the urge for over a decade to turn Cena.

It's doubly weird since he already has the makings of one he comes across like a massive cunt. And he has none of the things that make his shield Partners likeable.

[Fignuts]

Originally Posted by Dark One The crowd may have been dreading that projected finish but I think saying that’s the main reason is a gross over simplification.

I think the multiple f-5's hurt as well. That's around the point we started to hear the "this is awful" and "boring" chants.

By the 3rd F-5 kickout I think even a casual fan is going to roll their eyes at the transparency of it. Not to mention how much it slowed down the match, as Dale said.

I really don't think there was that much interest in the match to begin with, and I dunno how many people are happy regardless of the winner.

[xrodmuc316]

Originally Posted by James Steele I don’t think any Manias have been “bad” since WM15. 32 just was too damn long and ended with a Reigns coronation nobody wanted. 33 was a damn good show, but ended with a Reigns coronation nobody wanted. Tonight, they bucked the trend but the problem was nobody wanted Brock either.

25 was horrible, but gets overlooked because it did have the classic Taker/HBK match. The rest was terribly booked and pretty lame.

[Emperor Smeat]

Originally Posted by KIRA It's doubly weird since he already has the makings of one he comes across like a massive cunt. And he has none of the things that make his shield Partners likeable.

Yeah. Even though it did wonders for Rollins star image, Reigns should have been the one picked by Triple H to be his "Corporate Rock" during the Authority Era.

He looked really good in a suit and as a bad guy during his FCW days I believe.

[Fignuts]

Still really happy about the Raw Women's title. Charlotte was my pick to end the streak and you couldn't ask for a better stage. Again, match could have used a few more minutes, but they used the time they had tremendously. As far as pure ring work goes, that was match of the night for me.

Now Asuka can move on and enter storylines not based around a statistic.

[Fignuts]

I said in another thread that while I'm cool with AJ retaining because I like him as champ, my ideal scenario was Shinsuke winning the title and facing Bryan at summerslam. I think what happened is even better. Still have AJ as champ, but now that Bryan and Nak are on opposite sides of morality, you don't need the title to instigate a match, and you can make it a much more personal and intense feud.

[KIRA]

Originally Posted by Fignuts Still really happy about the Raw Women's title. Charlotte was my pick to end the streak and you couldn't ask for a better stage. Again, match could have used a few more minutes, but they used the time they had tremendously. As far as pure ring work goes, that was match of the night for me. Now Asuka can move on and enter storylines not based around a statistic.

Here's the thing her streak was the only thing keeping her from being a joke Vince does not have a really good history of treating people who aren't American well I'm afraid she's going to slip down the card and D like a Rosa Mendes or something. It would be nice if she retained her badassery and just went on to other things but Vince McMahon is a moron my other hope is that Triple H intercedes for her and keep that from happening

[Destor]

Originally Posted by BigCrippyZ 1. That's not true, it's hyperbolic presumption by one fan, you, who happens to post on the internet. 2. Even IF the second point is true, that's just sad, and shows how far things have fallen in terms of interest. I'd be curious just how many people are actually interested in the business vs. how many people used to by interested in the stories and characters. I'd bet that the % change would be ridiculously pathetic and that honest folks in the business would admit to that reality and concern. If they could get it, I'd bet they'd gladly take people actually being interested in the characters/stories previously, vs. those interested in the business today,

Originally Posted by BigCrippyZ 1. That's not true, it's hyperbolic presumption by one fan, you, who happens to post on the internet. 2. Even IF the second point is true, that's just sad, and shows how far things have fallen in terms of interest. I'd be curious just how many people are actually interested in the business vs. how many people used to by interested in the stories and characters. I'd bet that the % change would be ridiculously pathetic and that honest folks in the business would admit to that reality and concern. If they could get it, I'd bet they'd gladly take people actually being interested in the characters/stories previously, vs. those interested in the business today,

I wouldnt call me fan, i dont watch the product more than 6 times a year.

And its absolutely true. The anti Reigns camp is just oblivious to anything but their rage.

We've done this merry-go-round though. Every knows its a work. They get heat in very different ways now. You cant sell a product that everyone knows is a work to people that arent hardcore wrestling fans (like most here.) They know you know its a work. So whats the angle then? Turn the office heel. You think you know best so youre the baby in your own story now.

Crowd should have popped when lesnar went over but they're so smug that when he did they were stunned silent. They never considered they might be wrong. Pretty hilarious outcome tbh. They forgot that they were mad he was going to win and when he lost theyt forgot that it should have made them happy..raging against a machine of their own making.

Cena and reigns are the same blue print. Problem with reigns isnt that people boo him, same people bood cena. The problem is reigns doesnt have the merch potential cena had. You'll never have another steve austin though. That era was the last true boom. Too much hot shotting by bischoff and vince. The industry has never and will never recover.

Reminds me of a conversation with Dutch Mantell about when he took the book in Puerto Rico. He was able to go over there and do huge money because they hadnt seen everything yet. But after a few years there was no money. Its been said many times that every period of hot shotting is followed by a substantial drought. The fed surviving this long is a testament to how good they are at what they do.

But it has a shelf life..any event...getting side tracked

Changes are coming though with the direction the fed is taking. We'll revist that aspect later though. No point in arguing over what hasnt happened yet.

But if you think Reigns isnt the most talked about guy in wrestling just watch this forum for the next 72 hours.

But we'll keep popping off about how dumb the office is and how it should have been done until they push something else...and we'll shit on that too. Its our thing. We 0might get an elseworth over for the luls tho. Just to show how cool we are.

[BigCrippyZ]

Originally Posted by Emperor Smeat Yeah. Even though it did wonders for Rollins star image, Reigns should have been the one picked by Triple H to be his "Corporate Rock" during the Authority Era. He looked really good in a suit and as a bad guy during his FCW days I believe.

Yep, the guy has the look of a corporate champion. So make him that in whatever way best gets him over, corporate heel champ or corporate face champ. Clearly corporate heel champ is his ideal role, at least initially. Even Austin got over as a heel prior to his huge face run. It's like they're just trying to skip or ignore that step because they "know" better or think those days are somehow "behind" them.

[Anybody Thrilla]

What a great weekend for wrestling. And I guess for Nicholas too.

[KIRA]

Originally Posted by Destor I wouldnt call me fan, i dont watch the product more than 6 times a year. And its absolutely true. The anti Reigns camp is just oblivious to anything but their rage. We've done this merry-go-round though. Every knows its a work. They get heat in very different ways now. You cant sell a product that everyone knows is a work to people that arent hardcore wrestling fans (like most here.) They know you know its a work. So whats the angle then? Turn the office heel. You think you know best so youre the baby in your own story now. Crowd should have popped when lesnar went over but they're so smug that when he did they were stunned silent. They never considered they might be wrong. Pretty hilarious outcome tbh. They forgot that they were mad he was going to win and when he lost theyt forgot that it should have made them happy..raging against a machine of their own making. Cena and reigns are the same blue print. Problem with reigns isnt that people boo him, same people bood cena. The problem is reigns doesnt have the merch potential cena had. You'll never have another steve austin though. That era was the last true boom. Too much hot shotting by bischoff and vince. The industry has never and will never recover. Reminds me of a conversation with Dutch Mantell about when he took the book in Puerto Rico. He was able to go over there and do huge money because they hadnt seen everything yet. But after a few years there was no money. Its been said many times that every period of hot shotting is followed by a substantial drought. The fed surviving this long is a testament to how good they are at what they do. But it has a shelf life..any event...getting side tracked Changes are coming though with the direction the fed is taking. We'll revist that aspect later though. No point in arguing over what hasnt happened yet. But if you think Reigns isnt the most talked about guy in wrestling just watch this forum for the next 72 hours. But we'll keep popping off about how dumb the office is and how it should have been done until they push something else...and we'll shit on that too. Its our thing. We 0might get an elseworth over for the luls tho. Just to show how cool we are.

You can't be angry at a crowd for refusing to be manipulated though they tried to do the same thing in that one Rumble where they had the rock raised Romans hands and the fans booed even harder

[Poit]

Originally Posted by Frank Drebin lol....only reason crowd is booing is because they're ready to go home but don't want to miss any potential surprises.

Yes, clearly the only reason.

[Poit]

Originally Posted by James Steele LOL Reigns looks back for a pop at the top of the ramp and *crickets*

It didn't help that the crowd had started leaving. There was a while where we thought the show had just abruptly ended. Brock left, thew announcers left, and there was nothing on the screens to indicate the show was still going.

[BigCrippyZ]

Originally Posted by Destor Crowd should have popped when lesnar went over but they're so smug that when he did they were stunned silent. They never considered they might be wrong. Pretty hilarious outcome tbh. They forgot that they were mad he was going to win and when he lost theyt forgot that it should have made them happy..raging against a machine of their own making. Cena and reigns are the same blue print. Problem with reigns isnt that people boo him, same people bood cena. The problem is reigns doesnt have the merch potential cena had. You'll never have another steve austin though. That era was the last true boom. Too much hot shotting by bischoff and vince. The industry has never and will never recover.

1. Crowd never considered it because it was not ever realistically (or even suggested) as a possibility until it happened tonight, it made no sense. Especially with Lesnar supposedly "leaving". Everyone thought Reigns (as the obvious booked face for the past 3+ years) was going over as the face and Lesnar as the heel for the past 4+ weeks was to be the loser heel. Why would they expect any different? Nothing suggested otherwise, i.e., that Lesnar should be champ or a face (or would even stay) or that Reigns should lose (or be a hated heel) based on the recent booking, commentary, etc.

2. Everyone said the same about Hogan, etc., until the NWO and Austin came along and changed the game. The fact is the horrible writing/storytelling and lack of star power is what is preventing most from buying in. Most (90%+) fans actually still knew things weren't legit when Austin, etc., were at their peaks, but they still bought in because the storytelling and star power enabled them to do so. Everyone knows TV and movies aren't real but they still draw tons of people in because the storytelling and talent is good enough. WWE simply isn't currently.

[Poit]

Originally Posted by Fignuts I think the multiple f-5's hurt as well. That's around the point we started to hear the "this is awful" and "boring" chants. By the 3rd F-5 kickout I think even a casual fan is going to roll their eyes at the transparency of it. Not to mention how much it slowed down the match, as Dale said. I really don't think there was that much interest in the match to begin with, and I dunno how many people are happy regardless of the winner.

The crowd wasn't really into the match at any point. There was a reaction for some moves, but overall, no. The crowd chanted "you both suck" as the match started. Most of the cheers in the match were for beach balls.

The number of F5's and kickouts didn't matter. The crowd wasn't getting into the match.

[Fignuts]

Originally Posted by Destor I wouldnt call me fan, i dont watch the product more than 6 times a year. And its absolutely true. The anti Reigns camp is just oblivious to anything but their rage. We've done this merry-go-round though. Every knows its a work. They get heat in very different ways now. You cant sell a product that everyone knows is a work to people that arent hardcore wrestling fans (like most here.) They know you know its a work. So whats the angle then? Turn the office heel. You think you know best so youre the baby in your own story now. Crowd should have popped when lesnar went over but they're so smug that when he did they were stunned silent. They never considered they might be wrong. Pretty hilarious outcome tbh. They forgot that they were mad he was going to win and when he lost theyt forgot that it should have made them happy..raging against a machine of their own making. Cena and reigns are the same blue print. Problem with reigns isnt that people boo him, same people bood cena. The problem is reigns doesnt have the merch potential cena had. You'll never have another steve austin though. That era was the last true boom. Too much hot shotting by bischoff and vince. The industry has never and will never recover. Reminds me of a conversation with Dutch Mantell about when he took the book in Puerto Rico. He was able to go over there and do huge money because they hadnt seen everything yet. But after a few years there was no money. Its been said many times that every period of hot shotting is followed by a substantial drought. The fed surviving this long is a testament to how good they are at what they do. But it has a shelf life..any event...getting side tracked Changes are coming though with the direction the fed is taking. We'll revist that aspect later though. No point in arguing over what hasnt happened yet. But if you think Reigns isnt the most talked about guy in wrestling just watch this forum for the next 72 hours. But we'll keep popping off about how dumb the office is and how it should have been done until they push something else...and we'll shit on that too. Its our thing. We 0might get an elseworth over for the luls tho. Just to show how cool we are.

Absolutely right that reigns will be the most talked about topic. The problem is that doesn't really matter as much anymore. Wrestling is a weird hobby now, where tons of people stop watching regularly and stop subscribing to the network, but they're always willing to go online and chime in about how much it sucks.

So the "controversy" of roman reigns can get all the people talking, but if it doesn't build the numbers that matter, it's pretty useless.

[Fignuts]

Originally Posted by Anybody Thrilla What a great weekend for wrestling. And I guess for Nicholas too.

Yeah, not gonna lie and say I wasn't disappointed there was no surprise like Joe or Mysterio for the partner, but that they made that kid a memory he'll carry with him the rest of his life, and that's awesome.

[Poit]

Originally Posted by Destor Crowd should have popped when lesnar went over but they're so smug that when he did they were stunned silent. They never considered they might be wrong. Pretty hilarious outcome tbh. They forgot that they were mad he was going to win and when he lost theyt forgot that it should have made them happy..raging against a machine of their own making.

The crowd did pop for a bit when Lesnar won. Maybe the muted crowd mics didn't pick it up?

And, the crowd wasn't only mad at the seemingly inevitable ending that didn't happen. They were also mad at Lesnar for leaving to UFC. Hence, the "you both suck", "this is awful", etc. chants.

[Sixx]

So was the kid really just a fan or was this booked?

Also, wow, so stupid @ Cena vs Taker.

[Stickman]

Kind of a weird mania with few segments, no returning superstars from the good old days, no celebrities, no concert. Just a whole bunch of matches. It's fine I guess, just strange.

[Emperor Smeat]

Originally Posted by Sixx So was the kid really just a fan or was this booked? Also, wow, so stupid @ Cena vs Taker.

Seems he's the son of a WWE ref if F4W's Bryan Alvarez is correct.

I believe Nicholas is referee John Cone’s son #Wrestlemania

— Bryan Alvarez (@bryanalvarez) April 9, 2018

[Stickman]

I do like Lesnar but he has gotten lazy with what he does in the ring. But he can only work with what he's given, and RR is pretty bad in the ring. Suplex city has more moves than RR.

[Droford]

Originally Posted by Stickman Kind of a weird mania with few segments, no returning superstars from the good old days, no celebrities, no concert. Just a whole bunch of matches. It's fine I guess, just strange.

14 matches over 7 hours kinda needs that

[Anybody Thrilla]

I really liked the flow of the show. Just straight up matches, mostly good to great matches at that, and no stupid bullshit segments.

[Triple A]

Originally Posted by Emperor Smeat Seems he's the son of a WWE ref if F4W's Bryan Alvarez is correct.

Replies to that thread saying it might be Shane McMahon's son... hmm... Kinda looks similar but also not really

Nope! It’s Shane’s son. Far left in this picture. pic.twitter.com/o1LntHXtt0

— ToPWrestling.com (@ToPWrestling1) April 9, 2018

pic.twitter.com/mp4xU03vvD

— tdan (@toledodan1) April 9, 2018

[Fignuts]

Originally Posted by Anybody Thrilla I really liked the flow of the show. Just straight up matches, mostly good to great matches at that, and no stupid bullshit segments.

Yeah, was gonna make the same comment.

Could have done without seeing that fucking Paige clip for 87356872th time though.

Nobody who watched Mania, Takeover, and HoF is watching that movie now, out of pure exhaustion of seeing that scene along with Paige's melted face in her awkward intro.

[slik]

I had a great time and I'm glad I went!

I gathered the last half of the show came across odd on TV but the live crowd loved everything except the main-event. AJ/Shinsuke was a little odd but Nicholas was O-V-E-R!

[Sixx]

I only read the results so don't know how enjoyable the show was overall, but I didn't need to see it to know Cena vs Taker was completely unnecessary. A squash match, too? Stupid as fuck.