Re: The Official WWE Thread - Part 15

by Onyx Sat May 31, 2014 8:29 pm

At one point there was a plan for Cesaro to win the WWE Intercontinental Title, likely from current champion Bad News Barrett.

They switched programs and had him feud with WWE United States Champion Sheamus with the feeling that going for the Intercontinental Title would hurt Cesaro.

No word yet if this means anything for Sunday's Payback pay-per-view where both titles will be on the line.

by Onyx Sat May 31, 2014 10:08 pm

The last time WWE was in Chicago for a show, there was a clear plan in place to deal with CM Punk chants, what with the major Paul Heyman promo coming out to Cult of Personality and everything.

Don't expect anything like that this time around at Payback tomorrow night and, in fact, it's looking likely they'll simply ignore him completely and not acknowledge the situation in any way.

The one thing thrown around is the possibility of opening the show with Daniel Bryan's decision on whether or not he's going to relinquish the WWE world heavyweight title.

If anyone can distract from Punk chants and get the crowd focused in on the show at hand, it's Bryan, who is expected to be majorly over at the Allstate Arena.

by Onyx Sun Jun 01, 2014 3:24 am

Speaking of Bryan, the last word on the plan for him was that he wouldn't be dropping the title(s) because they expect him back sooner rather than later. Then again, there have been a lot of changes and this situation is so free flowing it's hard to tell.

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Roman Reigns vs. Triple H is still on the books for SummerSlam. If that's the direction, you would think they'll strongly hint towards it during the match tomorrow night.

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Internally, WWE is apparently pushing to talents working the Payback show that they need to work even harder now after how successful the NXT Takeover event was. You know, don't want to get out-shined by those developmental guys and all.

by M99 Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:01 am

I won't watch it live I guess. They show it in my TV around 12 hours after the airing, will probably watch that.

by Onyx Sun Jun 01, 2014 3:39 pm

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that independent stars KENTA, Kevin Steen and Prince Devitt will begin training at the WWE Performance Center from August.

WWE has to clear all their visas, medical tests and many other factors before allowing them to join the developmental roster.

by Onyx Sun Jun 01, 2014 5:43 pm

The current plan for WWE's June 29th Money In the Bank pay-per-view is to have just one multi-person MITB ladder match for a title shot at any time during the next year.

It's said that Cesaro is the front-runner to win the match and he has been discussed as the winner. At the same time, there has been no decision made yet on the winner.

by Onyx Sun Jun 01, 2014 5:46 pm

Hopefully Cesaro doesn't win it. He's boring, bland, has no character and he's no longer over either.

Would prefer Sandow or Bray winning it.

by Tomwin Lannister Sun Jun 01, 2014 6:01 pm

I do like Cesaro but he's not ready for the main event yet, needs to have more about him

I thought Heyman would be enough but more than half of Heymans promo work is still focusing on lesnar lol, he barely talks about Cesaro

by Onyx Sun Jun 01, 2014 6:53 pm

by Onyx Sun Jun 01, 2014 7:41 pm

Anyone watching Payback tonight?

by Tomwin Lannister Sun Jun 01, 2014 7:42 pm

by Firenze Sun Jun 01, 2014 7:57 pm

didn't know there was a PPV tonight, probably wont bother since I haven't watched a raw in 3/4 weeks. shield vs evolution again? what's the other big feud going into it?

by Tomwin Lannister Sun Jun 01, 2014 7:58 pm

Cena Wyatt again

Last man standing

by M99 Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:00 pm

Shield vs Evolution should be good. It's a No Holds Barred Elimination match. I won't watch it live, will probably only watch the Shield/Evolution match tomorrow.

by Onyx Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:16 pm

As noted earlier, Triple H is on the cover of the latest edition of Muscle & Fitness magazine, which is on newsstands now. You can subscribe to the magazine by clicking here. Here are a few highlights from the interview:

How he transitioned to into a creative position:

"In some ways, I've been doing it behind the scenes for years. Vince McMahon used to say to me, 'When are you going to stop playing around and come do some real work?' Once I had kids and was looking to be home more and getting a little older, I saw it was time to make that transition. Vince sort of baited me in, saying, 'Why don't you come in to the office once or twice a week on your off days?' And the next thing I know it's, 'I need you to take over this department and come off the road full time.' Vince likes to call me [to wrestle] in case of emergency. I'm a character they can pull in here and there. But honestly, the less I do it at this point, the better. Even wrestling once or twice a year is hard, and I have to prepare for it as if I'm Floyd Mayweather preparing for a boxing match. It's a commitment, and trying to do that with a full-time job and a wife and kids is very time-consuming."

How the Performance came come to be:

"WWE has had a development system for a long time, but I felt we needed to do more. So, from concept to development, the Performance Center was mine. And it was something that Vince, when I pitched him on it, said was phenomenal. I helped design it, and worked with the architects. I went to NFL and NHL training centers and saw what the best teams in the world had. I thought, 'If I were a 20-year-old today, what would I need to succeed?' And I put it all in that building. That includes everything from strength and conditioning, rings for [future Superstars] to work in, to promo rooms where they can work on their verbal skills. We train everyone from referees to announce teams there. That's the platform for the next generation of Superstars."

Advice for other business people to stay in shape despite hectic schedules and travel:

"I make sure I always have a body-weight routine on hand, or bands, so I can do something in my hotel room. Even if you do only 15-20 minutes of intense exercise every day, your life changes dramatically. The Rock and I have always had a rivalry. And even though he's one of the biggest movie stars in the world now, to this day, I'll still look at his Twitter account, and it says something like '4:30 a.m. in Bolivia filming a movie, about to hit cardio.' So when I have to motivate myself, I'll think about that and say, 'f--kin' Rock. If he can do it, I can do it.' He motivates me. He's not afraid of a hard day's work. If being successful means I have to miss sleep, that's what I'll do. And that's most people's problem. Most don't want it more than they want to hang out or go and see the new Iron Man movie. When I was in high school, I didn't hang out with my friends, I hung out with the guys from my gym. My friends wanted to go to parties and I didn't, because I was going to get up at seven the next morning and do a heavy leg day. That's just how I've always been. I hope that drive never goes away."

His favorite WrestleMania moment:

"Of all time, I guess it's that iconic moment at WrestleMania III, with Hogan slamming Andre. It represents that time and the explosion of the business. For me, personally, it would be WrestleMania 28, with me and Undertaker and Shawn Michaels as the referee. There was a moment I'll never forget, with the three of us standing at the top of the ramp - we were like the three guys of the Attitude Era left standing, after the Monday Night Wars and everything. Three guys who couldn't be closer or have more respect for one another. I have a photo of that moment framed at my house."

by zizzle Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:52 pm

Obviously the WWE put Heyman with Cesaro not to advance his career but to keep Brock Lesnar fresh. *bleep* bastards..

Not stripping Bryan of the title kills all the momentum he had in my opinion, now they're gonna drag that angle until he recovers and i have zero interest in it. Just take the damn title off him and let him fight for it when he returns.

by Tomwin Lannister Sun Jun 01, 2014 9:13 pm

Yes it's the most annoying, dragged out angle ever

Every single Week it's a 'will they/won't they' with no advancement

Take it off of him, have a champion or two and then build a Bryan return

by Onyx Sun Jun 01, 2014 9:24 pm

Yeh, I wouldn't mind if they stripped him. They need some proper storylines going. Then when Bryan returns he wins it and beats Lesnar at SummerSlam.

by Onyx Sun Jun 01, 2014 9:46 pm

It's said that the script for tonight's WWE Payback pay-per-view was fully written by this past Tuesday and no changes were expected to be made. However, a previously unadvertised match should be added at the last minute, possibly Erick Rowan and Luke Harper vs. The Usos for the WWE Tag Team Titles.

The Shield vs. Evolution will obviously be getting the most time in the ring. The John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt Last Man Standing match, which is planned to feature a lot of gimmicks and shortcuts, will also get plenty of time in the ring.