The Official WWE Discussion Thread *May Contain Spoilers*

[OldStingberg]

I think you guys are painting with too broad of a brush. Sure, there's some people who are genuinely angry at Jericho. But there's a lot of people who aren't angry but disappointed that the return wasn't more interesting or entertaining.

But whatever, people have different opinions. It would be cool, though, if people could express those opinions without denigrating others. Having a different opinion doesn't make someone a smark or not smart or a little Jimmy that likes hollow, generic crap.

[Fantabulous]

Originally Posted by OldStingberg

I think you guys are painting with too broad of a brush. Sure, there's some people who are genuinely angry at Jericho. But there's a lot of people who aren't angry but disappointed that the return wasn't more interesting or entertaining.

But whatever, people have different opinions. It would be cool, though, if people could express those opinions without denigrating others. Having a different opinion doesn't make someone a smark or not smart or a little Jimmy that likes hollow, generic crap.

Broad strokes paint a simple picture. Besides, there's more fun in knocking a different opinion than accepting it. How else are these people meant to get their jollies?

[OldStingberg]

Originally Posted by juggaloninjalee

1) Daniel Bryan - He is being billed as the complete underdog. I don't think his reign will last very long but he still is getting a run with the belt. I am still happy about this.

I'm not sure how good of an idea it is to use Bryan as an underdog. That role makes a lot more sense for Zack Ryder. Goofy guy, fans love him, no discernible talent, him being an underdog makes sense. Bryan, on the other hand, has very little fan support and has been booked, at times, as having legitimate submission ability. It's a weird dichotomy to try and portray Bryan as both a submission master and a fluky underdog who can barely beat a guy holding a demonstrably inferior title.

That's why I think his title reign is not gonna last long. The WWE doesn't know what they want him to be, and as such, they're not giving fans good reasons to get behind him. And, of course, when fans fail to get behind him enough, the WWE will blame Bryan and take the title off him and possibly shuffle him down to a Swaggerian level of wrestling hell.

[Tha Black Phenom]

Originally Posted by OldStingberg

I think you guys are painting with too broad of a brush. Sure, there's some people who are genuinely angry at Jericho. But there's a lot of people who aren't angry but disappointed that the return wasn't more interesting or entertaining.

But whatever, people have different opinions. It would be cool, though, if people could express those opinions without denigrating others. Having a different opinion doesn't make someone a smark or not smart or a little Jimmy that likes hollow, generic crap.

Be it noted I agree with all of that. And like I said earlier, I can get why people would be disappointed. All I wanna add to that is what everyone wished/expected for often ends up becoming the most predictable stuff ever.

The problem is when the IWC starts jumping the gun so much that the accepted potential scenario becomes the most predictable option. It's almost like it's a race to figure out how the storyline may entail. You mentioned people not finding the return interesting or entertaining(which I respect). I just wonder what they would've found entertaining, if it would've been Jericho just interrupting or attacking Punk and declaring his territory - which everyone and their mother, including everyone on his twitter page that day expected to happen.

That's why I personally dropped out of that "race" years ago, because I don't find it fun anymore. It also decreases the chances of me going on a exasperated rant as soon as a swerve happens.

I remember when Jericho told the fans to calm the hell down when Christian lost the title in five days, and surely enough I was one of those angry fans. Turns out he was right, and Christian became more established than ever before.

I actually believe WWE is more prone to mess up when a big storyline is unleashed right in the open(Nash texting himself...)


The funniest thing is because of things like this, certain people actually think that Vince is flipping the middle finger to the Internet? Now I don't think he's specifically catering to us either, but take a second look at how things are running now as opposed to five years ago.

[TheKenwyne]

Originally Posted by OldStingberg

I think you guys are painting with too broad of a brush. Sure, there's some people who are genuinely angry at Jericho. But there's a lot of people who aren't angry but disappointed that the return wasn't more interesting or entertaining.

But whatever, people have different opinions. It would be cool, though, if people could express those opinions without denigrating others. Having a different opinion doesn't make someone a smark or not smart or a little Jimmy that likes hollow, generic crap.

Just to note that I meant both 'smart' and 'smark' in the sense of someone who is 'in' on everything; as another word for IWC members like ourselves, not as an insult to anyone's intelligence, which, on reread, that inverted comma 'smart' could be seen as. If anyone took offence I apologise.

[bigtplaystew]

Anyone else find it humorous that Fantabulous is pointing out how wrong it is to knock other peoples' thoughts and opinions? LOL he's a funny guy.

It's a message board. We're gonna hit each other sometimes. The only real problem are those small group of people (and we're talking all over not just here) who CONSTANTLY insult people and almost never have a positive thing to say about anyone...

THEY are the ones that make boarding not fun some times...

[Wrestling Century]

Originally Posted by djthefunkchris

The "Sheep" (the IWC crowd, in other words "us") better get ready for this happening to them with him for a good while, because I think you're on to something... and the way the WWE has been lately, from everyone's comments that work for the WWE these days, I can see them letting Jericho do bassically what he wants right now.... Anything is possible. Him being the "Anti-IWC" person... I can see him doing terrible match's with the opposite of what people "want" to see him doing, just to get under their skin more....

Reminds me exactly of Mick Foley's Anti-Hardcore persona in ECW. He purposely put on bad, anti-violent matches and promos to piss the fans off. Were the matches entertaining? Hell no. Were the promos entertaining? Well, yes, but it wasn't what the ECW fans wanted.

[djthefunkchris]

Originally Posted by Wrestling Century

Reminds me exactly of Mick Foley's Anti-Hardcore persona in ECW. He purposely put on bad, anti-violent matches and promos to piss the fans off. Were the matches entertaining? Hell no. Were the promos entertaining? Well, yes, but it wasn't what the ECW fans wanted.

I never could stand Jericho in his early years, which is weird, because I now think the world of him. But yeah, I think you posted something like this before, and I kind of expect something like that. Someone to come along and do exactly the opposite of what "certain" fans want, and make it work, and tick them off in the meantime. People can blame whomever, but it's Jericho doing this stuff, I'd put money on it.

I also think it's Stephanie McMahan thats going to be revealed as the person "pulling the strings". I figured it was obvious to be Jericho to be coming back, just thought it was too obvious to be him... but I was wrong in that respect. To me it's too obvious that is Stephanie McMahan, but I'm probably wrong, so I'm calling that it's her now.

[milamber]

My fantasy booking:

Royal Rumble - Punk retains against Ziggler. Jericho finishes 2nd in the Rumble (just to be unpredictable). Barrett wins the Rumble. Bryan retains against Henry.

Elimination Chamber - Jericho wins. Bryan retains again to become the ultimate underdog.

WrestleMania - Punk beats Jericho. Bryan beats Barrett.

Extreme Rules - Jericho's woman (Steph McMahon, the person Johnny Ace has been texting for months) gets Ace to set up an Undisputed WWE Championship Match so Jericho can reclaim what was his: Punk v Jericho v Bryan. Punk wins and the Ace is forced to merge the titles.

[juggaloninjalee]

Originally Posted by OldStingberg

I'm not sure how good of an idea it is to use Bryan as an underdog. That role makes a lot more sense for Zack Ryder. Goofy guy, fans love him, no discernible talent, him being an underdog makes sense. Bryan, on the other hand, has very little fan support and has been booked, at times, as having legitimate submission ability. It's a weird dichotomy to try and portray Bryan as both a submission master and a fluky underdog who can barely beat a guy holding a demonstrably inferior title.

That's why I think his title reign is not gonna last long. The WWE doesn't know what they want him to be, and as such, they're not giving fans good reasons to get behind him. And, of course, when fans fail to get behind him enough, the WWE will blame Bryan and take the title off him and possibly shuffle him down to a Swaggerian level of wrestling hell.

I am not saying booking him as an underdog is a good idea. Just saying I am glad he is champ. He will forever go down as a World Champion now. He is a legit threat because of his technical abilities but against Henry, and Big Show in particular he is at a pretty big disadvantage (how it's been booked at least).

Originally Posted by milamber

My fantasy booking:

Royal Rumble - Punk retains against Ziggler. Jericho finishes 2nd in the Rumble (just to be unpredictable). Barrett wins the Rumble. Bryan retains against Henry.

Elimination Chamber - Jericho wins. Bryan retains again to become the ultimate underdog.

WrestleMania - Punk beats Jericho. Bryan beats Barrett.

Extreme Rules - Jericho's woman (Steph McMahon, the person Johnny Ace has been texting for months) gets Ace to set up an Undisputed WWE Championship Match so Jericho can reclaim what was his: Punk v Jericho v Bryan. Punk wins and the Ace is forced to merge the titles.

Interesting fantasy booking. Punk vs Jericho at Mania would be great!

I don't think Bryan will still have the title by Mania though. If I had to bet it would be Taker holding the title or winning it at Mania from a Barrett or some other heel like Henry.

[djthefunkchris]

I honestly don't see what else I could book Daniel Bryan as, besides an Underdog... at least where the main title is concerned. Tag Teams, or lesser titles, not so limited... but if he's going up against people like Big Show or Mark Henry... I don't care if he's billed as the best submission specialist in the world, he's going to be "the underdog" no matter what they do with that. Just like anyone his size would be. It's not that people don't think he can pull it off so much as they look at 7' vs. 5'2" (or at least he looks around that), and go... woah... I don't know if I'd want to be in there, if I were him. The weight difference alone is just plain scarry.... what if one of them slips and falls on him the wrong way?

Just saying.

[BurningHamster]

Jericho's jacket.

Also nobody should have to play underdog to Mark Henry. For a dude who is a failed weightlifter from like 15 years ago to still be billed as the strongest man in the world is a joke in and of itself. Why not bill Daniel Bryan as the fastest man in the world instead of an underdog? Makes about as much sense.

[codey]

Whoah, whoah, whoah! Henry may not have been the best weight lifter, but he was certainly not a failure! The guy was voted team captain in the 96 Olympics, and the only reason he placed low (is 14th in the world rally low?) was due to a back injury.

[BurningHamster]

Originally Posted by codey

Whoah, whoah, whoah! Henry may not have been the best weight lifter, but he was certainly not a failure! The guy was voted team captain in the 96 Olympics, and the only reason he placed low (is 14th in the world rally low?) was due to a back injury.

Nobody trains their whole life to be number 14.

To be fair, I do like Mark Henry and his latest run but psssssh, if WWE can get away with billing 1996's 14th best weight lifter as the world's strongest man then there is no reason for them to bill anyone else as anything less than super elite at what they do.

[jhd1]

Originally Posted by BurningHamster

To be fair, I do like Mark Henry and his latest run but psssssh, if WWE can get away with billing 1996's 14th best weight lifter as the world's strongest man then there is no reason for them to bill anyone else as anything less than super elite at what they do.

Didn't Henry win the Arnold Strongman...something or something similar in the early 2000s? Fairly sure that's where the nickname comes from, not the Olympics.

EDIT: Arnold Strongman Classic 2002, apparently.