Claudio vs Dragon was terrific on Smackdown. It's the type of match everyone will give thumbs up to. If you want limb selling, than this is your match. Bryan's shoulder injury started by Kane looks to be a long term deal. I don't want to spoil anymore. Watch.

 

I'm confused -- I thought Bryan worked Swagger at the SD! tapings?

Bryan worked with both Swagger and Cesaro. I feel they're slightly overdoing these gauntlet things with him.

 

Who's Claudio and Dragon?

Bryan worked with both Swagger and Cesaro. I feel they're slightly overdoing these gauntlet things with him.

 

Who's Claudio and Dragon?

 

Cesaro (Claudio) vs. Daniel Bryan (American Dragon Bryan Danielson)

Yeah I know. I just don't get this thing where people call wrestlers by the less famous name. Names that haven't been used in years no less.

It's RE. there's no value in pushing it. The guy dances to the beat of his own drum.

Bleeping A I do!
Because I like those names. And also I was doing a minor psychology experiment on what the responses would be, why and how accurate my predictions to those results would be. This is something I am very, very good at and like to do. But mostly yeah, because I like those names. There are other reasons too but I'm keeping those to myself for now because I don't want to participate in that sort of discussion at the moment.
Bryan Danielson/American Dragon is a lot better than Daniel Bryan.
But man, just watch the match. Bryan Daniel and Castagnoli Antonio (Spellcheck, I say your're wrong and I'm right, I nailed it too!) nailed it. But watch the Jack Swagger match first because that makes the 2nd match better because of the extra sympathy put on Bryan.

Minor psychology experiments?

 

So you're a crap troll basically. Keep on marching to that beat.

Yeah, Hulk needs to come back home for 30. I just hope they don't get tempted to put him into a match. The thought of him battering Bray Wyatt in the main event horrifies me.

He can't pass a physical. Even having a heel run into his fist is questionable. I think we're safe there.

Naaah, I'm retired. Just like to focus on wrestling now. Like that Claudio/Dragon match.

I don't know what the word on the street or IWC is on this one but this is one of those times where I believe the limb work was really well done overall. If you're watching the match try to focus on what Daniel Bryan is going through kayfabe wise and the match really succeeds. Claudio was like a machine in there and just looks like the most dangerous/determined guy that can take anyone out in the whole roster. This arm injury is going to factor in the Elmination Chamber.

I got really caught up in it and I hope others can enjoy it as well.

It's RE. there's no value in pushing it. The guy dances to the beat of his own drum.

We can't crack on him for calling DB Dragon when we insist on calling him RE and/or Wild Pegasus.

 

For the record, I still call Cesaro Claudio.

I might be in the minority, but I'm glad he's back for 'Mania 30. It just makes sense.

 

It does. Especially since he wasn't there for 10 or 20.

Even WM23 made a lot of sense for him to be at, in Detroit 20 years after the Andre match, and it didn't happen. So this is pretty cool.

I'm totally excited. I'll be at Raw on Monday night.

Screw Hogan. He's a tool.

Great to see the Hulkster back in the fold. Hopefully he can keep on good terms with everybody now to see the rest of his days out. We don't wan't to see Hogan doing Australian tours in his 70's, the man deserves to go out with dignity in the big leagues.

 

Interested to see what he will be doing as a host of Wrestlemania. When Rock did it, bar the face to face with Austin backstage it was all a bit shit. The cringe opening segment was awful, and all eyes were on the ramp during the Cena match for him to make his inevitable appearance, making the main event of Mania seem like a set up for the next nights Raw. Hopefully the great man is booked better.

What great man? I thought Hogan was doing it??

Stanley W Hayter, I assume...

New William Regal interview from the Performance Centre:

[YOUTUBE]

[/YOUTUBE]

Swoon. He should be the next Doctor Who.

I always thought in WWE Hulk Hogan would be a great Jack Tunney style authority figure. He's still a great talker, even if he's a parody at this point. I mean, authority figures are apparently a staple in WWE that is never going away now & I would rather have one all-powerful match-maker than having Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon, Kane, Vickie Guerrero & Brad Maddox all doing it...

 

Plus, I mean, it's fucking Hulk Hogan. The man is the reason I started watching professional wrestling.

 

I would much rather see Hulk Hogan on WWE Monday Night RAW calling everyone, including the Divas, "brother" than see him doing Comedy Central Celebrity Roads of David Hasselhoff, Midget wrestling on the redneck channel, being in TNA, or doing Rent-A-Center commercials with Troy Aikman. This man was on Johnny Carson, on the cover of Sports Illustrated, etc.

I think that might work, but they would have to really go "Jack Tunney style" with it and have him only pop up once or twice a year to over rule the Raw GM or whoever is playing the big bad authority figure of the time. Kinda the same way they used Linda in the Attitude Era.

Just watched SD on the DVR. I thought Swagger's work on DB's arm was great but the ending came out of nowhere and made Swagger look like a jobber. It's amazing how a little tape can make a match much more compelling (see 6/9/95). The Cesaro attack on the arm was even sweeter with the corner attacks, the shoulder breaker, kicking DB off the apron. I have a sinking feeling that the plan will remain the same and by the time they get to Mania, Bryan will be right where he is now... fighting Kane and HHH.

 

Bummed they are positioning Goldust into jobber mode.

 

I still don't get the appeal of Emma.

 

Ziggler vs. Titus was nothing special but it wasn't built to be. WWE really missed the boat when the crowd was amped for Titus vs. Reigns.

 

When did the Usos start dancing after their matches? Also, the Outlaws have overstayed their welcome. Back to the shadows for these guys.

 

Christian vs. Sheamus was solid. Again, another match where the arm was the focus. I don't know if they should have had the same story in two different matches on one show but these guys are pretty damn good so it worked. Once they hit that stretch run, the crowd was hooked. I really wished they would have given Christian the win so he could have some momentum going into the Chamber but no complaints.

I think Emma is an example of the company convincing itself a gimmick can get over in the big leagues because it got over with the 400 or so college kids who go to NXT tapings every week. What sucks is from what I've seen she's actually pretty good in the ring, but saddling her with that gimmick is just instant death. At least they could have shown some video of the NXT crowd popping for her wacky dance instead of just having her be some random chick Santino pulls out of the crowd.

They have acknowledged her as an NXT star and I think Santino as her partner works but I don't get the appeal of the stupid dance and how it got over in the first place.

Emma should dress more like Santino.