If Reigns is moved to Smackdown and they manage to pull off a summer title program with Daniel Bryan where both of them get the desired reactions, that will prove that they haven't lost control of their audience more conclusively than anything I can think of.

15 minutes ago, KawadaSmile said:

Also, naming them Ivar and Erik is actually cool because Ivar, the Boneless and Erik, the Red were pretty big deals but damn if people are interested in the Viking tag team to be named after historical figures.

Yeah, not getting the hate about the Ivar/Erik part of it. Hanson and Rowe are atrocious names, but because they used them in ROH or wherever, people have to pretend they're awesome. The Viking Experience is a dreadful name though. 

30 minutes ago, Charles (Loss) said:

If Reigns is moved to Smackdown and they manage to pull off a summer title program with Daniel Bryan where both of them get the desired reactions, that will prove that they haven't lost control of their audience more conclusively than anything I can think of.

I though it was an inevitability that Bryan will eventually get cheers with this character so I'm surprised he hasn't by now. Tbf, he's put in amazing performances to make sure that he doesn't, as well as being booked against the right opponents at the right time. With Reigns, they've really not done enough to establish his character since he's come back. Now that they seem to be more comfortable with letting him speak 'as himself', they need to work on making come across as a badass who's also kinda cocky and easygoing. That's the vibe I get from him.

Have they ever attempted to explain how this shake-up process is supposed to work in kayfabe? Last year they kind of implied that it was trades I think. Really they should make it a month long process like a summer transfer window in football and kayfabe it that it's a contract negotiation period or something.

Roman vs Bryan for the title so soon would probably be taken by fans as "WWE screwing poor Kofi to shove Reigns down our throats agan!". Not sure they would boo the samoan out of the building like old times but a 50/50 reaction at minimum would be my guess.

 

I'd much rather see a Roman/DB feud not for the title ending in a big gimmick match at Summersam. With Rey gone to RAW, I can still picture Bryan being able to have an apuestas match and make a "hair vs hair" match work.

WWE is coming to my country (Finland) for the first time since 2009 in about a month or so, and with this draft, I was extremely scared that Bryan would get drafted to RAW & wouldn't be coming to the show, but looks like I don't have to be scared about that anymore.

Pretty gutted about Styles, Rey & Andrade switching brands though, when it comes to that. Would've loved to see them live.

1 hour ago, C.S. said:

Yeah, not getting the hate about the Ivar/Erik part of it. Hanson and Rowe are atrocious names, but because they used them in ROH or wherever, people have to pretend they're awesome. The Viking Experience is a dreadful name though. 

To me at least it’s because the names remind me of how WWF would name the members of their tag division in 1995. It just seems a little bit corny.

Billy and Bart Gunn

Mo and Mabel

Jacob and Eli Blu

Jared and Jason Grimm

Travis and Troy from Tekno Team 2000

Ivar and Erik...

1 minute ago, Downend2005 said:

To me at least it’s because the names remind me of how WWF would name the members of their tag division in 1995. It just seems a little bit corny.

Billy and Bart Gunn

Mo and Mabel

Jacob and Eli Blu

Jared and Jason Grimm

Travis and Troy from Tekno Team 2000

Ivar and Erik...

LOL, yeah, I see your point there.

10 hours ago, El-P said:

It is more, believe me. Some movies from Quebec are subtitled... in France.

Why the question BTW ? Was there some French on the Montreal RAW ?

(Yeah, really sucks for Notre-Dame. It's amazing it's one of the most famous monument on the planet... )

There was a few words spoken by a couple of people (like Shane's rough attempt at saying "Meilleur au monde") and stuff like that but nothing extensive. Kevin Owens should have more than his share of promo time tonight so he'll definitely address the crowd in French.

8 minutes ago, C.S. said:

LOL, yeah, I see your point there.

Everyone's saying "who cares it's just a name", but a name can absolutely make or break someone in WWE.  Rowe and Hanson were established names that were over, Ivar and Erik sound like geeks waiting to get beat by the Hart Foundation on an episode of Wrestling Challenge in 1988.

Luke Harper just posted he requested his release today.

So Luke Harper has requested his release.   An incredible talent that whether it was injury or the company not getting him was kind of wasted after the Wyatt Family became less relevant.   A lot of different companies should be out to use him

 

 

31 minutes ago, sek69 said:

Everyone's saying "who cares it's just a name", but a name can absolutely make or break someone in WWE.  Rowe and Hanson were established names that were over, Ivar and Erik sound like geeks waiting to get beat by the Hart Foundation on an episode of Wrestling Challenge in 1988.

A name absolutely matters, but as far as names go, Ivar and Erik are far less damaging than The Viking Experience.

7 minutes ago, sek69 said:

Luke Harper just posted he requested his release today.

Sad news.  

I'm not even worried about Harper's future. The Big Rig will land somewhere pretty fast.

Just now, SirEdger said:

I'm not even worried about Harper's future. The Big Rig will land somewhere pretty fast.

I can’t think of a guy who could literally land anywhere and fit like Harper. He would scream top monster heel type in Japan and could be a major player in any US Indy. Dude made his name originally in CHIKARA with the Big Rig character for perspective.

 

9 minutes ago, hammerva said:

So Luke Harper has requested his release.   An incredible talent that whether it was injury or the company not getting him was kind of wasted after the Wyatt Family became less relevant.   A lot of different companies should be out to use him

WWE not adding Harper to the Wyatt/Orton title match annoys me to this day.

8 minutes ago, El Dragon said:

WWE not adding Harper to the Wyatt/Orton title match annoys me to this day.

That match was pretty horrible though, with cockroach effects or whatever the fuck that was.

But yeah, I agree.

Not sure why he didn't request his release then and there. If the writing was ever on the wall, it was after that.

Super sad that Luke never got a big break in WWE despite having duelling chants with AJ Styles when AJ was having an absurd run.

 

I blame Wyatt.

It must be quite a shock for Vince to see guys going from being afraid of losing their jobs to the point everyone but the main eventers were on eggshells, to guys asking for their releases hand over fist. It's almost as if signing guys just to hoard them wasn't the best idea long term. 

Shocker (not).

I don't understand giving Bray fucking Wyatt a championship run, many segments with top tier players and not giving Harper who's by far the best worker of the Wyatt Family anything above the IC title. Is it because of his look? Swap his clothes with Bray's and boom, there you go.

In fact the roles were reversed from the beggining. Harper should've been the cult leader, and Wyatt the follower. One's a dude who can talk and has a nice voice and the other is Duke Rotunda. It's a no brainer. Plus Wyatt is a semi-decent brute so he could tag with Rowan without issue.

Fuckin' nepotism, man. 

I'm pissed off

 

On the other hand, Harper is so fucking good he can make it anywhere. AEW, NJPW, ROH, touring on the indies... dude's just great. Go make some money fighting Nick Gage or PCO, bubba. God bless.

31 minutes ago, KawadaSmile said:

Super sad that Luke never got a big break in WWE despite having duelling chants with AJ Styles when AJ was having an absurd run.

 

I blame Wyatt.

Blaming Wyatt for bad booking is like watching a pedestrian getting hit by a car driven by a drunk driver on a sidewalk and blaming the pedestrian.

Just now, El Dragon said:

Blaming Wyatt for bad booking is like watching a pedestrian getting hit by a car driven by a drunk driver on a sidewalk and blaming the pedestrian.

He should've seen it coming!

 

But I don't *really* blame Wyatt. WWE just didn't see anything in him other than a brute to Wyatt's dumbass character and it fucking sucks. The one time they did something engaging with him, the crowd responded and then they just dropped it. It's something I'll never get.

Not to mention there was a noticeable buzz when Braun and Luke had a brief face off in the WM battle royal. That should have been a sign to the company that folks still see something in Harper. 

9 minutes ago, KawadaSmile said:

He should've seen it coming!

 

But I don't *really* blame Wyatt. WWE just didn't see anything in him other than a brute to Wyatt's dumbass character and it fucking sucks. The one time they did something engaging with him, the crowd responded and then they just dropped it. It's something I'll never get.

You can say the same thing about Wyatt in the same feud, sadly. The main difference between them is Wyatt was a better talker and Harper fit into the intimidating lackey role better then almost anyone ever. But really, they botched just the entire Wyatt family thing from everything post Elimination Chamber against he Shield on. It’s so easy to write the Wyatts as a creepy cult. Have them run of with guys and have them come back as more Wyatt members. If a guy is leaving the company have the Wyatts assault him and have him never be seen again. Then have a member gain a conscious and turn leading to a Wyatt war. 

But, yeah, the end point for Harper and Wyatt was the Orton feud. Harper should have been in the Triple Threat, and Wyatt should have pinned Orton, and continued into Wyatt/Harper singles after that. Instead we got an Orton title run just for him to lose to mother fucking Mihal.

41 minutes ago, sek69 said:

It must be quite a shock for Vince to see guys going from being afraid of losing their jobs to the point everyone but the main eventers were on eggshells, to guys asking for their releases hand over fist. 

No shit. It's almost comical at this point all these people who straight ahead ask for a release after years of "don't move, don't talk, don't get fired".

@KawadaSmile, I love your positivity and eternal optimism at times, brutha. I really do. But defending shit like the unnecessary renaming of Rowe/Hanson & blaming Bray for the terrible booking of Luke is not a good look on anybody, man.

I was digging the War Raiders in NXT. But just like that - boom. They're the Viking Experience - suddenly looking a lot less like a Demolition 2k19 act and a lot more like a Bushwhackers 2k19 act.

Looking forward to Brodie Lee peacocking around the super indies for awhile. Here's hoping they get him for this year's BOLA. That'd be the bee's tits.