It’s skewed b/c he posts more than anyone. In summary it was good nxt talent got some spotlight especially Oba + everyone loses their last match that’s the nature of the business. It’s a show that served multiple purposes so of course that will be decisive in nature.
CI Wrestling Thread #56
- Thread starter CrimeDawg18
- Start date
Think they are doing Gunther/lesnar at wm.
Wwe is likely banking on Bron and Oba as well as some nxt folks to slowly build up to main roster and develop from there. Nothing is a certainty once you move to the raw/sd and it’s not hbk running the booking.
Everyone with a brain knew Cena was losing. Just thought it’d be more *spectacular* than a slow submission. Kinda like sittin down on the toilet anticipating to blow the back of the bowl off but all ya do is fart 4-5 times.
Another way to look at it is that I can watch and enjoy a television show without worrying about what a different tv show may or may not be doing.
That’s what I prefer. I like to focus on one and just pretend the others don’t exist.
I've been far more kind about it than many alleged WWE fans have been. Chanting "fuc* you baldie" at Triple H, chanting "we want Vince," posting on Twitter they wish Triple H had died as a baby and it has 48K likes in less than 24 hours (yes, I saw it with my own two eyes), etc.
There’s always fringe with every fanbase and a lot of them are keyboard warriors who’d never say that stuff in person or actually have their name/face behind it. Doesn’t mean it’s ok and should post it.
it’s just wrestling/sports entertainment it’s not some sort of life altering experience.
WWE wants reactions, not polite applause for a job well done and high marks on Cagematch. They should be criticized for a poor year creatively, including most of the Cena stuff, but this massive overreaction/meltdown online and there in person is a net positive...
- WWE created a mindset that Cena is actually the best wrestler who's ever existed and fans bought in
- They also did this with Taker. The best ever who should rarely lose...and then Reigns beat him and that launched him into another category. The Bloodline was next and now he's a legend.
- Fans bought into the Cena stuff SO MUCH that they were literally chanting 'Super Cena' last night. They chanted for the thing to happen that they've supposedly hated for decades. LOL.
- Afterward, fans whined just as they did with the Rollins injury swerve. We're in a time when fans believe they're experts and know what's best (just like people online now think they're medical experts) and complain when they actually get worked.
So yeah, don't listen to Dragon on this. WWE is loving this and played fans like a fiddle, which is what should happen in wrestling. Not to quote Rock, but it is a ride. We tear up when someone like Cody or Eddie finally wins gold and we get mad when a legend is finally put down.
Played fans into a fiddle of chanting for the competition and shitting on their top sponsor - Saudi Arabia - on WWE programming
I’d like to see Vince back just for the hilarity of it
They paid for tickets. If they want to be trolls and children over a match result we all thought would happen, go ahead I guess?Played fans into a fiddle of chanting for the competition and shitting on their top sponsor - Saudi Arabia - on WWE programming
What this thread hasn't really answered is what would've been the correct result then. Have Cena win? And then what? He's gone and Gunther is left looking like a putz for going through a tournament and losing to 'Super Cena.' Instead, Cena quietly taps, rides off into the sunset, and Gunther is a super heel with grown men pretending their lives are ruined. I think you and I could name several occurrences in recent years of adults having fits online and in public.
Bottom line, you'll be saying this was all a huge mistake as Gunther is booed into another dimension tomorrow night and WWE will be saying "Mission accomplished. We've got our super heel for 2026."
No. Just have an exciting finish and get the fans leaning on their toes and guessing. A simple choke out submission sucks.
At least he lost.
If you want to continue to not read when this has already been answered repeatedly by several people then go right ahead continue talking to the brick wall.
I know, an exciting finish. But what does that mean? You got multiple AA's, an STF(U), and two You Can't See Me punches. We weren't getting interference ala Cody/Roman because Gunther was going to win and we already got that (stupidly) in the first match. Gunther's an old school, drag you down and beat you with a submission or powerbombs wrestler. What we got is what he does best...and Cena still tried to get out of the hold for a few minutes. Gunther will never be Mr. Excitement in the ring and Cena isn't really known for that either.
Looking back, one thing we may agree on is with a proper build, Cena's last match should've been with Styles. Styles wins then next year has his last match but that wasn't in the cards I guess. WWE sees Gunther as a future megastar that should still be around for another 5+ years. Styles is done next year.
Well only roughly two weeks left in the year and to change the subject onto something completely different...
What were your favorite things in wrestling for 2025?
What are your predictions for 2026?
And what changes would you like to see in 2026?
What were your favorite things in wrestling for 2025?
What are your predictions for 2026?
And what changes would you like to see in 2026?
My favorite things - I'll make mine broader things as opposed to matches/events
- Tony Khan took back more of the reins on booking after delegating more of it last year. Some of these other people that took on more responsibility, whoever they may be, were clearly not well suited for the role
- The emergence of Bandido after he was out for a very long time with an injury
- Queen Aminata and Gates of Agony getting a push
- The Hurt Syndicate
- AEW women getting better opportunities and more attention - see Tag titles, Blood and Guts, generally getting featured more
- WWE buys Pro Wrestling NOAH
- RevPro and EVE (British promotions) officially join the AEW/ROH/CMLL/NJPW/Stardom alliance
- AEW runs a TV taping in Japan
- Jericho leaves AEW for WWE
- Kenny Omega announces his retirement will be whenever his current contract ends. Think it is sometime in 2027
- AEW overhauls their marketing department
- As Ron Swanson says, never half-as* two things, whole-as* one thing. So AEW and WWE either retire the titles they clearly don't care much about or they starting booking them properly
- AEW starts the C2 earlier so December TV isn't quite as dominated by it. I love it, but it does come at the expense of other things given how much tv time it requires.
- Women main event an AEW PPV
- TK puts ROH on YouTube and starts giving it more care
I just checked tickets for Smackdown at the YUM Center. They may want to rethink their pricing.$80 for the 3 sections they actually have open in the upper deck. Plenty of tickets left.
He did it last year but man these injuries are piling up just had Darby hurt and this and Jack Perry thought he was hurt but guess he’s alright
Hello friends..been traveling all weekend so finally got to watch SNME last night. I had no problem with Cena losing. Guess they are going for a "career ender" gimmick for Gunther now. Looks like he will have plenty of options in 2026.
Still waiting for the day when someone does the Samoa Joe "Nope" to Sol Ruca.
Reportedly WWE was very happy with the reception the finish got.
Oh yeah, if you haven't seen Kyle Fletcher vs. Mike Bailey from Dynamite go watch it, then watch it again.
Still waiting for the day when someone does the Samoa Joe "Nope" to Sol Ruca.
Reportedly WWE was very happy with the reception the finish got.
Oh yeah, if you haven't seen Kyle Fletcher vs. Mike Bailey from Dynamite go watch it, then watch it again.
Not sure if I buy Brock fully retiring next year, esp. with SaudiMania happening in '27 but WWE has wanted Gunther/Brock for years. I can see them making Gunther a killer of careers. Took out Goldberg, now Cena. Styles and Brock next? He really doesn't need it after Cena but I think that's a direction they may go in.
Eh unless someone is physically 100% incapable of wrestling, I never believe a retirement is official until a person is dead. I would not be the least bit shocked if someone "retired" comes out of retirement for any Saudi show since the Saudis will likely toss them whatever they want.
God bless, that Taker/Kane vs HHH/HBK match was embarrassing, and all for Saudi I believe. At least they laughed about it afterward but geez.
I do think Cena is done as far as actual matches go. Now will they trot him out every couple years at Mania to AA some poor fool? Probably because that's their MO and WWE can't help themselves. But having a program and matches and all that? I think he's done.
Oh he'll for sure end up showing up in NXT, probably on that Tuesday in October when AEW has to run that night because of playoff baseball, and give an AA to whoever one of their top stars are like Undertaker did and then nothing will come from it.
But no seriously he loved his time visiting down there and it was his idea, allegedly, to do the WWE vs. NXT matches at SNME. He'll definitely want to pop up down there.
Trump turned down the invite to attend SNME. No wonder Triple H got so easily rattled by the fans after the main event, must have been hard for him to deal with that rejection!
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Weird taping schedule for WWE for this week, according to Fightful. Tonight is a live Raw followed by a taping for next week's Smackdown. This Friday will be a live Smackdown followed by next week's Raw.
So the December 26 Smackdown is going to be taped before the December 19 Smackdown and the December 22 Raw.
So the December 26 Smackdown is going to be taped before the December 19 Smackdown and the December 22 Raw.
Wish I could pull up all the old tweets and message board responses from around 7 or 8 years ago where the internet wrestling community claimed Cena and Reigns were ruining wrestling because they never lost or put anybody over.
Page one begins in Feb 2016. Would be interesting to read a few pages sometime. I'd been reading the boards since the days of Tubby but didn't join until late 2020 I think. Most of us were probably on the same page as fans. We were transitioning from Cena to Reigns and Vince craved a new Cena. "How can I miss you if you don't go away?" is what Cornette always says. Cena just didn't go away until he finally did. Reigns I remember just looked uncomfortable. He was still in Shield gear with Shield music after they'd broken up and THE BIG DAWG gimmick was cornball for him. Things changed once he got Heyman.
When I heard it was going to be him after the masked man first appeared, the first thing I thought was "The IWC is really going to hate that." Wonder if that ends up being true.