tonyschiavonesearring

[tonyschiavonesearring]

Great lil clip. Wrestlers' music used to be so tied to their character. I wish they mentioned the car wreck at the beginning of Mick Foley's music. Also, "Do you smell..? > "If ya smalllllll..."

#Youtube

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Remember WWE fans were like, "We want Dean!" then he went and became the face of AEW and they turned on him so fast. Almost like they its tribalism and not about wrestling at all.

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Jon Moxley is basically a knock-off Nick age now. I miss the Dean Ambrose gimmick. It seems crazy now that WWE fans hated Roman eigns because they wanted this guy in his place.

The whole "Finish the story" angle would've actually made sense if it was about Moxley leaving & returning from AEW to dethrone Reigns. Cody's story had zero emotional relevance to Reigns', especially throwing in Seth's annoying character.

#jon moxley #roman reigns

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AEW releasing the footage of Punk attacking Jungle Boy seemed unwise. His fans are defending it and pretending he's a bad-ass losing his temper talking to shorter rookies half his age. But I bet WWE's locker room are now more skeptical of Punk. He's a bully and a diva. HHH booked him against Drew because Punk won't pull that shit against a bigger guy.

My issue with AEW is they never do this stuff to make AEW look better. Tony Khan always throws surprises at the audience or hints at a surprise on social media maybe a week in advance, sometimes the same day. Its idiotic how Khan never hypes a big moment. WWE milk stuff for months or even a year, so fans stay tuned in. Khan doesn't know how to build any matches or storylines or debuts. Thats why they never make any kind of splash in ratings or even virally.

#aew #tony khan #cm punk #jungle boy

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Its clear now that WWE desperately took Cody and Punk back because they knew Roman was leaving and ratings would plummet. But the over-the-top job they've done at making Cody the new face of WWE will come back to haunt them. When Cody fails as a draw, WWE fans can't make any excuses. They demanded this guy as the new face and rioted when they were given alternatives. They can't turn on him because they will be admitting they were short-sighted. Once again, WWE has worked their fans.

#aew #wwe #cody rhodes #roman reigns #triple h #cm punk

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Cody Rhodes and CM Punk are Jesus to WWE marks not because they're great. Its because WWE know it hurt AEW for them to leave. WWE fans pretend there's no competition from AEW, but lose their minds when AEW talent jumps ship or AEW fails.

Cody sucks but at least he will be the one putting over Punk as champion instead of Reigns. Its disgusting Punk will probably get the same Wrestlemania moment next year. Dudes aren't organically getting over or being the best performers in the business anymore. They're just leaving when they don't get their way so they can negotiate WWE to make them champs to hurt AEW. Which is fucking stupid on Triple H's part because AEW didn't want Cody or Punk!

I say all of this as someone who isn't a fan of AEW or WWE. I'm a fan of older pro wrestling. But the bias and corruption of WWE is and always will be worse.

#wwe #cm punk #cody rhodes #triple h

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I really hoped Roman's run wasn't done. Seems like a giant waste of The Bloodline storyline to end it like that, especially without a Rock match. Blame the WWE fans. They're idiots.

I don't hate Cody Rhodes, but what a lame replacement. You take a genuinely cool wrestler like Reigns and replace him with the most generic, corporate CAW ever: "I love America!" "I love my dad!" "I wear suits and talk like a faux-intellectual". AEW rejected Cody. Because he's the most bland, wannabe John Cena talent ever. Just reeks of desperation and wanting to be the top guy. He couldn't get over for 10 years, with every gimmick imaginable. Vince forced him on fans for years. He had to go and steal "indie cred" with a few measly years in the Bullet Club, which every B-talent did to get over with smarks.

Cody is probably the most classic babyface WWE has. Thats sad. Their locker room is such shit. LA Knight, CM Punk, Seth Rollins. All these guys are so corny and over-the-hill and most are only relevant because fans hated Roman. Now WWE will get exposed as a bunch of aging vanilla midgets; what fans claim AEW is.

But I can finally say I'm done with WWE. Roman was the last wrestler I felt was a relatable, cool, realistic character and not just an idol for low IQ white trash. HHH will not improve that. Since he's taken over, the company buried black wrestlers like Bianca and Bobby Lashley and pushed lame ass Alt-Right type talents like Rhea Ripley, Drew Galloway and Gunther. Any super white wrestlers who resemble Triple H, Stephanie, Chyna or the rest of the Kliq. WWE has literally become what AEW was demonized as.

#roman reigns #wwe #wrestlemania #cody rhodes

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I only saw clips on Twitter and its only from Night 1, but... yeah... WWE is not for me anymore. The same ol' predictable spots and the same lukewarm characters. And fans trying to turn everything into a meme.

Wrestling used to = wrestlers telling stories and trying to do something original so you won't change the channel, because there were other wrestling shows on. Now its wrestling companies guilting you to like wrestlers, not based on matches or stories but who they are in real life. Their "story", which for 99% of them is not that interesting.

Roman has a story. Cody has a story. Rock has a story. But they aren't telling a story. Its just dudes wrestling and saying they should win because they have a story. That is not good wrestling. And Seth Rollins has no story. He's just forced on WWE audiences because he's HHH's boytoy and Becky Lynch's beard.

Things were bad with Vince, but they still were about storylines. The storylines were terrible, but they were still story-driven. Now the stories are match-driven... same as AEW. Everyone is copying the indies from 10 years ago. Thats what HHH did with NXT: throwing action and new talent at you so you forget there's no original story or gimmicks.

Yes, HHH is way more tolerable than Vince and even Tony Khan. What a low bar to pass.

I wish a real wrestling show would come along. Lucha Underground was the last great wrestling show. The in-ring action was innovative and the characters were totally new to American and even Lucha audiences, but the show was based 100% in over-the-top soap opera DRAMA that was goofy and fun. Wrestling an adult or a kid could enjoy.

I don't think anyone could give a shit about modern WWE unless you explained 10 years worth of backstory that is still not that interesting unless you watch the show twice a week. And thats fair. The diehard fans get a lot out of modern wrestling. But I don't. Because there's more important stuff to do with my life. You need to make me believe its real or forget that its fake.

#wrestlemania #triple h #hhh

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I saw this clip where Cena says Reigns is the GOAT because he's the most cinematic wrestling character ever. These docs are just promotional and WWE vets will say whatever the company needs them to say, but it really made me ask where does Reigns rank. I see Cena's point. Reigns is the most realistic and multi-dimensional wrestling character in a long, long time. Better yet, he demands anyone who works a program with him to be as realistic and serious as they can be.

But while I've been a Reigns fan since his NXT days, he has his weaknesses. I know he can talk. Find one of his heel promos from NXT and you'll hear talk better than he ever has in WWE's main roster. But his character has evolved into a guy who rarely speaks and uses a manager. And he's solid on the mic but never dropped a real powerful mic performance IMO, excluding the time he revealed he had leukemia.

But he makes up for it with some of the in-ring talking and acting he's done, especially feuding with Jey Uso and Sami Zayn. He's excellent in those segments and even powerful when he's trash talking in the ring. He's really popularized that in this era. No one was talking during matches and now everyone does it.

And he's not the in-ring performer he was just a few years ago. Catching COVID really made him a looooot slower and thats when his matches became infrequent and his physique declined. He can't train as hard and his stamina and strength are gone. But his matches have been great still because his psychology is excellent and his timing is so... dramatic. He really is one of the greats, especially at the main event level.

I'd put Reigns above the cliche "GOAT" wrestlers like Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, Ric Flair. Reigns is better than CM Punk's heyday too. But better than The Rock, Steve Austin and Hogan? I think he's just an inch below their level. You know who Reigns feels equal to? Sting. Also, Reigns reminds me a looooot of Raven. Scott Steiner too. And Scott Hall. Reigns is more like a WCW wrestler than an Attitude Era guy. But there are guys better than them. Randy Savage, easily. Misawa. Chris Benoit. Kurt Angle. And maybe John Cena. I hated Cena when I was younger, but now I respect him so much. He really played a tough part well and eventually became an incredible worker who made stars out of lots of guys... and gals. He could cut some great, emotional promos too. It means a lot if a guy can be great when its PG and the locker room is thin. Time has proven that Cena was just better than CM Punk.

#roman reigns #john cena #cm punk #wwe #pro wrestling #wrestlemania #Youtube

[tonyschiavonesearring]

I was a hardcore wrestling fan in different periods, but I'm just a very casual fans who only really watches WWE clips on Twitter and Youtube maybe once a month. I don't think WWE or AEW are any good, even if they're improving. They're not nearly as good as when I was a kid or even 10 years ago.

But I am invested in Roman Reign's story. I supported him from the start when it was trendy to hate him and I'm impressed whenever I see his matches and promos. He's the guy for the casual fans and Cody is the guy for the hardcore "WWE universe". WWE have that booking dynamic down to a science.

That said, I don't think Roman Reigns will lose and thats why I have no interest to watch Wrestlemania even tho people are hyping it up. It doesn't feel special. Its a rematch of last year. And while its not impossible that Cody wins, its even more unlikely than it was last year.

WWE has proven to fans that Cody doesn't need to be champion to be over. And its absurd to think WWE will reward Cody for leaving the company, forming a rival company, coming back with his tails & between his legs by letting him beat Roman. Understand Roman is a guy that took YEARS to get over. That was abused by fans and held the company down during the pandemic and won them over all while battling cancer. And now a family member has become boss of the company. Reigns won't lose until he retires and leaves. Because WWE want to thank him.

And the match with Rock, beating the Rock, will be the end to Roman's career in WWE. The Cody angle has no momentum or interest except in bringing in other people like The Rock. Cody doesn't need the belt nor is he cut out to be the champ right now. Who wants a year long babyface Cody run? When WWE has very few good heels and a bunch of babyfaces? They need a heel champion. Plus, a heel champ is the reason they've created these big babyfaces like Sami Zayn, LA Knight and Cody. It would be stupid to change that formula.

WWE fans will revolt when Cody loses again... and then keep watching. And then they'll move on to another star like CM Punk or Bron Breaker, whatever. The problem is WWE has no great babyfaces. They just have a great heel that people really want to see lose.

#wwe #roman reigns #wrestlemania

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#Youtube

[tonyschiavonesearring]

CM Punk - I generally dislike him as a person and most of what he's done since returning to wrestling, but he's unquestionably an important and influential figure in the business (for better and worse) and he was a big talent. The question is if he's somehow never received the credit or money he deserves. I think, at this point, he's gotten too much.

I know a lot of older male fans who missed CM Punk's original WWE run because they were watching other companies or weren't watching wrestling at all until AEW. Younger fans won't know this but "indie smarks" didn't like CM Punk. They saw him as inferior to a lot of indie guys who weren't big stars yet: Bryan, Steen/Owens, Generizo/Zayn, Omega, Devitt/Balor, AJ Styles. A huge list of guys who became stars filling in for Punk. So you can credit Punk for their success.

I was a big Punk fan. I was in the cult. I defended him and bought his side of stories over the decade of failures. But I checked out when he went to AEW. From the jump, I thought his shtick of helping the underdogs beat WWE was insincere. The politics he used to stay on top there made him the biggest hypocrite ever and destroyed the appeal he had in WWE. I'm not even talking about the 2 fights, which I think he deserves most of the responsibility for. But his unprofessionalism and Diva behavior in the Jon Moxley angle was just pathetic.

So now that he's in WWE again, WWE fans act like he's still the messiah of wrestling - even tho he's injured and in backstage drama again. One thing will never change about Phil Brooks: he's a natural heel. Since The Rock returned, I think its obvious that WWE doesn't need Punk. The only role he could've played well was Seth's role as Cody's backup. Punk has history with Rock and they're both on similar levels of health and athleticism. Both guys are talkers more than performers now. But Punk is missing the best angle that could've reintroduced him as a big star.

My prediction is Punk won't implode or do anything too stupid again, just because I don't think anyone is foolish enough to give Punk the diva treatment again. He abuses it every time. I think he will probably join HBK or take over for him as NXT's boss. He will stay in WWE's camp but won't ever have any real creative sway. The most positive effect Punk can make has already happened: he pushed HHH to prepare taking over WWE creative. And I think HHH is rewarding him for that alone. Punk will become HHH's "douchebag lackey Yes man"and thats really where he belongs.

#cm punk #triple h #hhh #wwe

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I've always loved this obscure match and someone re-uploaded it a year ago and it has half a million views. New fans, especially ones who only know WWE or AEW, need to see this. This is back when heels were HEELS. They were evil cheating villains who were sadistic and cowardly and unlikable. Abdullah the Butcher is one of the GOAT. Modern fans might complain that he's unathletic and repetitive. Thats how a heel was supposed to work. A heel shouldn't be impressive. They should be feared or resented. The match should slow down when the heel is on top, so the babyface's comeback is more exciting. If the babyface is limited in the ring, like LA Knight today, they need heels who make them look athletic and sympathetic.

#Youtube

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If you want to understand modern wrestling, indie wrestling and wrestling fans' current obsession with chants... it goes back to this.

Indie fans love making up absurd chants referencing this annoying wrestling fan in one of wrestling's funniest moments ever. He tried to create a "Lets Go Cena" type chant at an indie show and people were not having it.

PWG had some of the best fan interactions ever. One of the best was Roderick Strong beating Kyle O'Reilly for the tile. Kyle told Roderick he would kick Roddy out of his "shitty little boots". The crowd chanted "shitty little boots" throughout the match but it morphed from spot to spot. Roddy lost one of his boots and they chanted, "Shitty little foot!" and when he won the match they chanted, "Shitty little champ!"

#Youtube

[tonyschiavonesearring]

WWE crowds are super annoying. They copy AEW crowds, who were copying indie crowds from like 10 years ago. Whats troublesome is that it doesn't make sense for a packed stadium to act that way. It was organic for small indie crowds to engage with the wrestlers constantly with chants, they themselves started. In WWE, the company TELLS the crowds what chants to use. Its so corporate and forced.

Also, watching WWE on TV, its just annoying hearing the crowd chant "What?!" or those obnoxious English pub "Oh-Oh-Oh!" singalongs WWE gives to any wrestler they want to get over. Then WWE fans are like, "Wow, we made this person. They're got over organically and WWE held them back!" Huh?

I would prefer the indies come back in style. The pandemic totally killed the indies, but AEW and NXT had them weak anyway by raiding their talent. Now, guys who should be learning at indie shows and putting on classics for 30 minutes just work short, poorly booked matches at AEW. Someone like Swerve Strickland isn't great because of AEW; He's great because he started on the indies. Same for everyone who is currently mega over except for Roman Reigns. Even The Rock.

WWE is not cool and wrestling isn't great just because the 2 top companies make loads of money. Pro wrestling is hard to find in those two companies, even tho AEW is getting better talent and WWE is getting better booking. Support indie wrestling (if its good).

WWE crowds react this way to anything and it rarely makes any sense. Nothing surprising or innovative or improvised happens but they 're trained to act like it did. Again, because they mimic AEW crowds mimicking the indies. They don't even know the source.

#indie wrestling #wwe #aew #pro wrestling #professional wrestling #nxt #Youtube #puroresu

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Its crazy marks exist in 2024

#cm punk

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Sigh. There's nothing going today as cool as this. Jake the Snake cuts a better promo in 3 sentences than anyone in the last 25 years.

#Youtube