Because theoretically you want to save your biggest matches for the biggest show, and they're running out of matches that could fill up the mega stadiums they run in.

True, but with tickets on sale and selling almost thee to four months before you have even one match announced (due to travel arrangements people make), how much of an issue would it be at this moment? In the long run it'll affect the luster of the event if the matches aren't up to the standards expected, but in the short term I don't think it'll affect it too much yet.

Every year there's stories of tickets not being sold out up until the last few days of the show, partly due to the giant capacities of the stadiums they run and partly due to them not always having the hottest card.

 

Brock-Braun seems like the hottest program they could run and Cena-Roman has a dream match aura that both could be used to anchor a WM but instead they're being used to headline a B level show. I realize WWE is past the PPV mentality but that doesn't seem the ideal way to maximize your booking options.

If you are going to argue that WWE needs to save big matches for Mania so they can sell tickets then you have to give Roman Reigns credit for the last 3 Manias making a ton of money. Considering that everyone has been saying Roman had nothing to do with it and that Mania sells itself, it would seem that WWE doesn't NEED to save the biggest matches for Mania. With their issues selling out the B PPVs lately I'd say No Mercy needs this match more than Mania especially with the amount of tweets I have seen from people planning to travel to see it live who previously had no plans to go to No Mercy.

Mania does sell itself to a degree, and Roman does deserve credit since among Mania type crowds he has Floyd Maywether heat where people will spend ridiculous money to see him get beat (and then get mad when he wins, rinse, repeat).

 

I can see shooting the load for one big match on a B show to improve the house, but doing two on one show seems like a waste IMO.

Glad they booked Lesnar vs. Braun. That is an actual dream match and could be the best singles match in the company since Brock/Reigns. Cena vs. Roman also sounds interesting. I'm guessing they will work it as a passing of the torch type deal where Cena gets overwhelmed and realizes his time as the ace is officially up.

Cena vs. Roman also sounds interesting. I'm guessing they will work as a passing of the torch type deal where Cena gets overwhelmed and realizes his time as the ace is officially up.

 

Which will get shit on. Again. And Cena will remain the Man in the company, no matter what.

I loved the bit on the fashion files this week where they held up what was a regular belt for holding pants up, and they called it a "title." Although I felt like the rest of the material wasn't as funny as normal. I don't think they really need to do the fashion files every week like this.

YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!

 

I lose it every week and yet I lost it more than ever at the belt bit. Holy shit. Frankly they need to do this forever.

I guess it doesn't really matter, but I'd put Cena over. There's no reason for Cena-Reigns to be one and done. When Reigns beats Cena, there's no reason to do more matches. They can probably get a three-match series out of it. I'm also not even sure Brock-Braun needs to have a conclusive finish. How does it benefit anything for either guy to lose to the other at this point?

Whatever they do, the key is to make it matter and have some weight. I think the idea that losing to Rocky started some sort of downward style for Cena wasn't actually born out in the text or the "selling" of it, but I like the general concept of it. Let's say Cena catches a superman punch attempt and turns it into an AA for a pin and it turns into some sort of actual character development for Reigns paid off whenever Cena gets back, great.

 

I just have zero faith for them to manage that, or even to attempt it.

I guess it doesn't really matter, but I'd put Cena over. There's no reason for Cena-Reigns to be one and done. When Reigns beats Cena, there's no reason to do more matches. They can probably get a three-match series out of it. I'm also not even sure Brock-Braun needs to have a conclusive finish. How does it benefit anything for either guy to lose to the other at this point?

I definitely don't think they are going to do a finish with Brock/Braun. They aren't going to have Braun win the title and I can't see them having Brock just beat Braun clean either.

The problem with the Roman promo is that "Cena buries people," "golden shovel," etc. is straight out of IWC 2010. Do most people still believe that about Cena? IMO, no. It's outdated, like most everything the WWE eventually embraces.

The problem with the Roman promo is that "Cena buries people," "golden shovel," etc. is straight out of IWC 2010. Do most people still believe that about Cena? IMO, no. It's outdated, like most everything the WWE eventually embraces.

Considering how many people were bitching about some very vague report that Cena "went off" on Corbin backstage at Smackdown and caused him to get "buried" I'd say a lot of people do still think that.

 

Cena vs. Roman also sounds interesting. I'm guessing they will work as a passing of the torch type deal where Cena gets overwhelmed and realizes his time as the ace is officially up.

 

Which will get shit on. Again. And Cena will remain the Man in the company, no matter what.

 

 

I mean it is likely he is eventually going to leave permanently like the Rock did in 03/04. They are going to have to do the changing of the guard type match at some point. Maybe not at No Mercy but eventually.

 

 

The problem with the Roman promo is that "Cena buries people," "golden shovel," etc. is straight out of IWC 2010. Do most people still believe that about Cena? IMO, no. It's outdated, like most everything the WWE eventually embraces.

Considering how many people were bitching about some very vague report that Cena "went off" on Corbin backstage at Smackdown and caused him to get "buried" I'd say a lot of people do still think that.

As recently as a few weeks back I got into it with a "Cena Buries Talent Worse Than Triple H Does" guy in a FB group who went on and on, despite the only ACTUAL burial Cena did was of The Nexus at SummerSlam, and even then he admitted he was in the wrong (those with histories of political burials rarely own up to things not being good for business)!

 

But the guy wasn't convinced, and made the Triple H examples out to be "no big deals."

And in regards to the Nexus, I believe the plan was always for them to lose. Cena just wanted that specific finish and then realized "Yeah, probably shouldn't have done that".

 

 

If anything, Cena seems to be more of a measuring stick for someone's success (i.e. determining if someone has "it" or not). http://www.pwmania.com/john-cena-was-allegedly-not-impressed-with-dolph-ziggler

Is Mike Bennett the fastest they've ever given up on someone?

I think Buff Bagwell still has the record.

They fired Kronik in 2001 because their one and only match was so awful. They lasted even less time than Bagwell.

Bennett was DOA from the moment he arrived on PPV. Worst debut ever. At least Gobbledygooker was memorable.

They fired Kronik in 2001 because their one and only match was so awful. They lasted even less time than Bagwell.

 

Was there a TV match before that?

One of my greatest moments as a fan was being live at the 2001 Unforgiven PPV. Not only did I get to see Angle and Austin brawl right in front of me, I got to see the Undertaker nearly have a full blown tantrum at how bad his and Kane's match was against Kronik. Even when everyone came out to celebrate Kurt winning the title, he was off in the corner the whole time boo-boo facing.

And in regards to the Nexus, I believe the plan was always for them to lose. Cena just wanted that specific finish and then realized "Yeah, probably shouldn't have done that".

 

 

If anything, Cena seems to be more of a measuring stick for someone's success (i.e. determining if someone has "it" or not). http://www.pwmania.com/john-cena-was-allegedly-not-impressed-with-dolph-ziggler

I've seen a Barrett interview where he says they were going over until it got changed the arvo of the show.

 

Cena also talked about it on the Jericho pod, from memory. Like the guy on the last page said he seems to have only realised in hindsight it was the wrong call.

Is Mike Bennett the fastest they've ever given up on someone?

 

Bringing back Curt Hawkins, giving him a decade old "Chuck Norris Facts" gimmick and debuting him in a loss on Main Event was a pretty weird one.

When the Brand Split first happened, I really enjoyed Smackdown. They seemed to make use of everyone on the roster well and the feuds all seemed personal and real without devolving into the whole 'worked shoot' territory, but this year the shows seems to have progressively fall off a cliff. I know it's not exactly a hot take, but moves like taking the title off AJ at the beginning of the year, losing The Miz who had a great run in 2016/early 2017 and then the awful Wyatt/Orton feud have slowly eroded what was previously a really fun show every week.

 

This week was really poor in my eyes. There were some small bright spots - I always laugh at the Fashion Files segments, even though I think they are running out of steam, and I liked the re-debut of Shelton as Gable's tag partner in a WGTT v2.0 and I thought the delivery in the Shane/Owens segment was good, even if it's building to a match I don't really want to see, but the rest of the show was really boring and uninspired. The idea of AJ doing an open challenge every week should be fun, but he beat Tye Dillinger in less than a minute when that could've been a good match. While I liked the Jinder push in that it was elevating someone new, i do find him pretty dull in the ring and he has essentially cut the same promo on every Smackdown for the past four months. Orton in the main event scene also seems to suck the life out of everything around him as well.

 

When Smackdown went live it initially was doing a lot of different things with the presentation that made it a really good show but it seems to have got stuck in a creative rut at the moment.