Some of Todays Wrestling News and Rumours (Possible spoilers) ***NO CHAT***

leggo

I'd be skeptical of any reports I hear about Bryan, unless we hear an official one from him directly or on Raw tonight. They'd want to keep his return as close to their chests as possible. As we've seen since CM Punk's departure, the 'not knowing' aspect of a wrestler being gone leads to people tuning in just in case.

rovert

WILLIE MACK HAS SIGNED WITH WWE

PWInsider

WWE has signed Willie Mack (real name Willie McClinton Jr.) to a developmental deal, PWInsider.com has confirmed with multiple sources. Mack has been a regular on the California independent scene since 2006, most notably wrestling for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Championship Wrestling from Hollywood. He's got a ton of charisma and is really entertaining. This is a great signing in my opinion.

Tinie

Palo Alto wrote: »

He's quitting the world of comedy.

(Please be true)

One does not quit something that they were never part of in the first place.

gnfnrhead

I'm pretty surprised by Willie Mack. He's a decent wrestler and easy to like but he is still pretty new and doesnt exactly have a great look either. He'll be in development for a while I reckon.

leggo

gnfnrhead wrote: »

I'm pretty surprised by Willie Mack. He's a decent wrestler and easy to like but he is still pretty new and doesnt exactly have a great look either. He'll be in development for a while I reckon.

He's distinctive, offers them something they don't already have. While a body is important, people (wrestlers especially) often get caught in the mindset that it's all just the bodybuilding look they want, when really they just want a guy that'll stand out from the crowd - and the bodybuilding look usually falls into that category. They want good raw materials with upside and real charisma, i.e. the type of person who can take over a room/building instantly as opposed to a normal bloke just posturing (think Ziggler, though I like him myself), is much rarer than a good body. Could be a good signing.

rovert

ProWrestling.net

ROH star Kevin Steen and independent wrestler Willie Mack are expected to be offered WWE developmental contracts, according to a well placed source.

Powell's POV: I was told that ACH and Rocky Romero will not be getting offers at this time. Roderick Strong took part in the camp that included Steen and ACH, but there's no word yet as to whether the company intends to offer him a deal. As always, the talent must pass WWE medical testing before the deals will be made official.

WWE seem to have a quota for fat/husky guys to fill.

gnfnrhead

I have a hard time seeing Steen making it. He will be the wrong side of 30 and isnt exactly known for being PG.

On another note, it fucking sucks when WWE rape the Indy scene like they have been in recent years.

rovert

Had my fingers and toes crossed for Steen. He's very confident and charismatic performer but in WWE he can't swear, will have to cope with reduced high spots & brawling on the floor, banned from interacting with the crowd. Nor can he stop in a middle of a match and do some improv on the mic or do some comedy spot with his opponent.

He said in his shoot interview with Kyle O'Reilly that he doesn't consider himself a good wrestler anymore after earning the nickname "Mr. Wrestling" in his local Wrestling in Canada earlier in his career. His act is a lot of schtick.

Riddle101

gnfnrhead wrote: »

On another note, it fucking sucks when WWE rape the Indy scene like they have been in recent years.

Why? indy scene is great for scouting talent. No different to years ago when they would scout for talent in ECW or WCW. On the otherhand, I would imagine that getting into WWE is in the back of every wrestler's mind when they come into the business. It's a good thing for them to be given an opportunity.

rovert

Rosa Mendes joining Total Divas for Season 3 in September is the news of the day.

Furious-Red

rovert wrote: »

Rosa Mendes joining Total Divas for Season 3 in September is the news of the day.

Is it wrong that im kinda looking forward to catching up with this season after my exams . Its just so scripted/bad but hillarious to watch

MitchKoobski

Jim Ross finally confirms why he was fired. We all figured as much, but if you've watched the talk it was one of the weirdest things I've ever seen that was entertaining but a bit uncomfortable. It was also a massive success and 2K loved it. Still a company man, but he makes a good point about Ric being there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E3xhJpQrqw

If you haven't seen the 'symposium' yet, it's required viewing. You won't see anything like it again, because when they most likely do one for the new game at Summerslam this year, it will be hosted by Josh Matthews.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ssFv9YgkOA

gnfnrhead

Riddle101 wrote: »

Why? indy scene is great for scouting talent. No different to years ago when they would scout for talent in ECW or WCW. On the otherhand, I would imagine that getting into WWE is in the back of every wrestler's mind when they come into the business. It's a good thing for them to be given an opportunity.

It sucks for the Indy scene. WWE are hoovering up everyone that is showing any sign of potential, just so nobody else can have them. It's bad for wrestling as a whole but it has been an incredibly long time since WWE cared about anything outside the fishbowl.

A Brad Maddox Guy

Furious-Red wrote: »

Is it wrong that im kinda looking forward to catching up with this season after my exams . Its just so scripted/bad but hillarious to watch

Haha not at all. I was bored last night and ended up watching an episode from season 1; it was the build-up to Summerslam. Between Eva Marie having 'fans' there just to see her, Natalya pissing herself in a match and the Bellas not liking Eva Marie because she's trying to make a name for herself 'outside the ring' it was 45 minutes of high quality car crash tv.

Itssoeasy

rovert wrote: »

Rosa Mendes joining Total Divas for Season 3 in September is the news of the day.

I saw Rosa tweeted it earlier. I suppose it gives wwe a reason to keep her employed.

leggo

A Brad Maddox Guy wrote: »

Haha not at all. I was bored last night and ended up watching an episode from season 1; it was the build-up to Summerslam. Between Eva Marie having 'fans' there just to see her, Natalya pissing herself in a match and the Bellas not liking Eva Marie because she's trying to make a name for herself 'outside the ring' it was 45 minutes of high quality car crash tv.

I love Total Divas. It's awful but great. This week's episode felt like they were doing an actual real storyline, with Eva upset about her drinking problem while on Brie's bachelorette party and not wanting anyone to know...until I remembered they'd discussed it in season one.

thebostoncrab

gnfnrhead wrote: »

It sucks for the Indy scene. WWE are hoovering up everyone that is showing any sign of potential, just so nobody else can have them. It's bad for wrestling as a whole but it has been an incredibly long time since WWE cared about anything outside the fishbowl.

I have to disagree here. Indie wrestling always survives when someone gets signed to the big leagues. There are a huge amount of super talented guys out there that will fill someone's spot as soon as they move out of it. Even if we say that both Steen and Strong have gotten signed, it stills leaves us with:

-Hero
-Cabana
-Styles
-Kazarian
-Daniels
-Cole
-Archibald
-Elgin
-The Briscoes
-The Younng Bucks
-O Reilly
-Ricochet
-Fish
-Jacobs

And that's just from the top of my head and without taking in guys visiting from Japan. The indies will always be fine; they survived Danielson, Joe and Punk leaving they can survive anyone leaving

leggo

thebostoncrab wrote: »

I have to disagree here. Indie wrestling always survives when someone gets signed to the big leagues. There are a huge amount of super talented guys out there that will fill someone's spot as soon as they move out of it. Even if we say that both Steen and Strong have gotten signed, it stills leaves us with:

-Hero
-Cabana
-Styles
-Kazarian
-Daniels
-Cole
-Archibald
-Elgin
-The Briscoes
-The Younng Bucks
-O Reilly
-Ricochet
-Fish
-Jacobs

And that's just from the top of my head and without taking in guys visiting from Japan. The indies will always be fine; they survived Danielson, Joe and Punk leaving they can survive anyone leaving

^^^

This. As long as pro-wrestling always has a good penetration in youth markets, there'll be new kids coming up learning alongside those who didn't make it huge looking for bigger paydays. In terms of indie products, that's more down to promoters with visions and fans getting behind them, of which there can be long stretches of relative quiet until someone good comes along. But there'll always be talent there.

Riddle101

gnfnrhead wrote: »

It sucks for the Indy scene. WWE are hoovering up everyone that is showing any sign of potential, just so nobody else can have them. It's bad for wrestling as a whole but it has been an incredibly long time since WWE cared about anything outside the fishbowl.

It's a smart tactic by WWE, The indies are a great source for scouting talent. If you were a wrestling promoter like Vince, would you not want the best talent on the indy scene?

I don't think they want them just so nobody else can have them either. Indy wrestlers make the best in ring workers. They are an assets in themselves and are a much better solution then the guys trained in WWE's developmental who only know one wrestling style, as opposed to indy wrestlers who have much more experience. But the fact that Daniel Bryan and CM Punk have done very well for themselves, and the fact that Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are also doing very well, shows that there is an opportunity for these guys to become big stars to a bigger fan base, as opposed to the indy scene where they cater to a small fanbase.

As for it being bad for wrestling as a whole. It's sounds more like you have a problem with indy promotions losing talent, and would rather see them stay on the indies and not go to WWE. Maybe it puts a sour taste in your mouth to see Ring of Honor lose so much great talents. But remember that it was the wrestlers choice to go to WWE. WWE gave them the opportunity to come to WWE and be made into stars, and they took it. It's a loss to the indy scene, but there will always be more young wrestlers out there looking to learn their craft on the indy scene, there's no shortage of wrestlers.

Palo Alto

I think the issue is that WWE is so big that it is starting to siphon talent off at too young or underdeveloped a stage, without them necessarily having the chance to benefit the big indie companies as much as they could, there's a balance to be struck.

A good analogy is how European football teams in recent years are signing players at the youth stage from South America, without them ever getting an extended run for the big clubs nor command big fees, a lot of the Brazil team for the world cup have never played top level football in their home country.

The signing of someone like Willie Mack at this stage of his career is akin to this.

Moneymaker

Palo Alto wrote: »

I think the issue is that WWE is so big that it is starting to siphon talent off at too young or underdeveloped a stage, without them necessarily having the chance to benefit the big indie companies as much as they could, there's a balance to be struck.

A good analogy is how European football teams in recent years are signing players at the youth stage from South America, without them ever getting an extended run for the big clubs nor command big fees, a lot of the Brazil team for the world cup have never played top level football in their home country.

The signing of someone like Willie Mack at this stage of his career is akin to this.

Sometimes maybe. But I wouldnt say DB, Rollins, Ambrose, CM Punk, Cesaro or El Generico were underdeveloped, would you?

Same with Kenta and Devitt.

Ape Lincoln

Mick Foley's announcement was that he is going to wear a bunbag/fanny pack again.

gnfnrhead

thebostoncrab wrote: »

I have to disagree here. Indie wrestling always survives when someone gets signed to the big leagues. There are a huge amount of super talented guys out there that will fill someone's spot as soon as they move out of it. Even if we say that both Steen and Strong have gotten signed, it stills leaves us with:

-Hero
-Cabana
-Styles
-Kazarian
-Daniels
-Cole
-Archibald
-Elgin
-The Briscoes
-The Younng Bucks
-O Reilly
-Ricochet
-Fish
-Jacobs

And that's just from the top of my head and without taking in guys visiting from Japan. The indies will always be fine; they survived Danielson, Joe and Punk leaving they can survive anyone leaving

Really scraping the barrel with some of those names, especially towards the end.

Hero is one exception.
Cabana doesn't wrestle all that often anymore. Outside of NOAH's tag league, he has had two matches in 2014. He's more concerned with his podcast.
Styles has just been signed to NJPW. He won't be making many appearances in the US Indy scene any more.
Kazarian is still signed to TNA as far as I'm aware. Even then, without Daniels his value plummets. He'll never be a top guy.
Daniels without Kazarian isn't worth a lot at this stage. His previous Indy run was pretty forgettable. He is worth only a little more than Homicide now.
Adam Cole is the second exception but WWE tried to sign him. Thankfully he had the sense to turn them down.
Archie is fun, but not a lot more.
Michael Elgin's value has really taken a hit in the last year. He fell flat on his face when he got near the top so I'll be very surprised if he ever becomes the top guy.
Briscoe's work almost exclusively for ROH now.
Bucks I think will eventually just be NJPW and PWG exclusives, which is a shame. But like Bad Influence they are pretty much worthless as singles wrestlers.
Kyle O'Reilly, despite his PWG push, is nowhere near ready to be a top guy. Likewise with Johnny Gargano.
The less said about Ricochet the better :pac:
Bobby Fish is pretty limited. If it wasn't for his team with O'Reilly clicking, he'd be nothing. Never going to be a top guy.
Jimmy Jacobs is well past his best by now and was never anything special to begin with.

Out of all those examples, there are only two real stars. Hero and Cole. Gargano is probably third and he is a long way behind the other two.

The problem isn't that someone is getting signed, it's that WWE are trying to sign everyone! WWE's main roster is massive as it is and most of them are given nothing to work with. The development roster will be even bigger at the rate they are going. There is a massive difference between signing a top guy like Punk in 2005 and signing everyone and anyone like they are now. Drake Younger, Sami Callihan, Samurai Del Sol, Willie Mack etc. have all been signed recently but it wasn't because they had a use for them. It was so nobody else could have them.

WinnyThePoo

I don't think WWE force any wrestler to try out. If you have a problem with WWE signing indie talent, perhaps it's the talent you should have a problem with than WWE instead.

leggo

"They (sob)...made...me...do...bumps...then...paid...me...money! "

rovert

Where Are They Now?: Joey Mercury: http://www.wwe.com/classics/wherearetheynow/where-are-they-now-joey-mercury-26309214

Interesting article. A lot of people think Joey will become the next Pat Patterson as they guy who lays out the Wrestlemania main event and such like.

spektorfive

gnfnrhead wrote: »

Really scraping the barrel with some of those names, especially towards the end.

Hero is one exception.
Cabana doesn't wrestle all that often anymore. Outside of NOAH's tag league, he has had two matches in 2014. He's more concerned with his podcast.
Styles has just been signed to NJPW. He won't be making many appearances in the US Indy scene any more.
Kazarian is still signed to TNA as far as I'm aware. Even then, without Daniels his value plummets. He'll never be a top guy.
Daniels without Kazarian isn't worth a lot at this stage. His previous Indy run was pretty forgettable. He is worth only a little more than Homicide now.
Adam Cole is the second exception but WWE tried to sign him. Thankfully he had the sense to turn them down.
Archie is fun, but not a lot more.
Michael Elgin's value has really taken a hit in the last year. He fell flat on his face when he got near the top so I'll be very surprised if he ever becomes the top guy.
Briscoe's work almost exclusively for ROH now.
Bucks I think will eventually just be NJPW and PWG exclusives, which is a shame. But like Bad Influence they are pretty much worthless as singles wrestlers.
Kyle O'Reilly, despite his PWG push, is nowhere near ready to be a top guy. Likewise with Johnny Gargano.
The less said about Ricochet the better :pac:
Bobby Fish is pretty limited. If it wasn't for his team with O'Reilly clicking, he'd be nothing. Never going to be a top guy.
Jimmy Jacobs is well past his best by now and was never anything special to begin with.

Out of all those examples, there are only two real stars. Hero and Cole. Gargano is probably third and he is a long way behind the other two.

The problem isn't that someone is getting signed, it's that WWE are trying to sign everyone! WWE's main roster is massive as it is and most of them are given nothing to work with. The development roster will be even bigger at the rate they are going. There is a massive difference between signing a top guy like Punk in 2005 and signing everyone and anyone like they are now. Drake Younger, Sami Callihan, Samurai Del Sol, Willie Mack etc. have all been signed recently but it wasn't because they had a use for them. It was so nobody else could have them.

Ain't AJ and Daniels both working for ROH now?

A Primal Nut

From f4wnline:
Wednesday, 21 May 2014 12:06

A new lineup has been released for 7/12 in Madison Square Garden. John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt is listed as the main event, plus Daniel Bryan vs. HHH is advertised as a street fight for the WWE title. Also advertised is Sheamus vs. Randy Orton for the U.S. title, plus Dolph Ziggler, The Usos, Mark Henry, Fandango, Ryback, Big E and Santino Marella.

Thanks to Mike Omansky

I've seen WWE advertise stuff for house shows in advance before and it ends up meaning nothing as plans change all the time and the card ends up changing. It gives an insight into their current plans though. I really hope Cena vs Wyatt feud doesn't continue till then.

Palo Alto

I'm really enjoying the Cena/Wyatt feud!

A Primal Nut

Palo Alto wrote: »

I'm really enjoying the Cena/Wyatt feud!

I liked it at the start but hasn't developed enough in recent weeks for my liking.