SMACKDOWN LIVE SUPERTHREAD

JP Liz V1

Tiffany missed in that moonsault

Bayley's turn was done very well

PTH2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121714676#Comment_121714676

He'll pick Seth and then announce 'I know a guy'

Rock comes out

PTH2009

Ah **** off haha

PTH2009

Thanks Punk

JP Liz V1

I'm confused, way to kill rumble winner, the top face Cody's momentum

JP Liz V1

Poor Cody, it doesn't matter about your story

Agent Coulson

Man you genuinely have to feel for Cody.

The 10K fans in attendance didn’t care about him sadly once the Rocks theme hit.

RobbingBandit

As Hunter would say, it's best for business.

El Gato De Negocios

Wonder will they go the triple threat route.

Cody pins Rock to win the belt and get his Mania moment.

Roman goes after Rock for costing him his title and builds to a blow out at Summer Slam.

Roman beats Rock at SS then sets his sights on Cody - "I never actually lost my title".

Lord TSC

Cody looked genuinely upset as he left. If he was acting, fair play.

To me, it’s bad enough they’ve seemingly pivoted away from Finish the Story, which would have locked in the biggest babyface of the decade and finally paid off the best story of the last decade on the grandest stage of them all.

….it’s that they have made Cody, and Seth, look like bitches since the Rumble in order to pivot to this. Having Seth beg to be relevant. Having Cody slither away from Roman cause Seth is an easier match. Why have Cody do the whole pointing at Roman on Sunday if this was the direction?

Two amazing story payoffs and they’ll jettison both to have Roman fight a guy whose last match was a decade ago, and looked to struggle with wrestling even back then.

SlickRic

The stupid thing they did was Cody winning the Rumble.

If he'd not won that, I think people could stomach a pivot to The Rock. But the way they did it feels like they're screwing Cody. Nobody believes he wants to finish this anywhere other than Wrestlemania - especially after he basically called Roman out at the end of the Rumble.

I don't blame WWE for going to Roman/Rock. But they've made their top face look like an eejit in getting there.

The White Wolf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121714726#Comment_121714726

They popped spontaneously, but it will be interesting to see how the crowd will react once they realise that the run up to THE Main Event of Wrestlemania 40 is going to be carried by Heyman, while Reigns and Rock take turns ducking shows.

There's an image I can see in my head of Wrestlemania 40, a massive milestone, being closed by Reigns raising his 1 to the air yet again. What in the actual **** are they thinking?

Officer999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121714874#Comment_121714874

Nail on the head. Talk about making Cody look secondary.

Cotts72

Shite decision and buries Cody in favour of a part timer who's used his clout to satisfy his own ego

Only way they salvage this by Cody winning the raw title and challenging reigns to a unification match at SS...only issue there is Damien Priest then

Loughc

Ah lads what an awful booking decision for the regular wwe fan. For the casuals it’s the right main event but for anyone following Cody’s story it’s the ultimate slap in the face.

no doubt this will garner the headlines they desperately need to distract from the scumbag circus they have on at the moment but it leaves the non causals with no incentive to watch mania this year. Reigns isn’t losing to the rock. And rock will be gassed after 30 seconds. It’s just stupid.

HHH booking like a man who heading out the door….

Loughc

Cody introducing The Rock to take on Roman, felt like a dude introducing his wife's boyfriend to his own parents.

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121714874#Comment_121714874

Tbf at that point I don't think they knew Punk was hurt and going to miss 7-9 months. If Punk doesn't get hurt I don't think they would have pivoted but it is what it is.

It has somewhat dampened my enthusiasm for Mania though as we all know the end result and it ain't Rock ending the historic reign that's for sure.

Lord TSC

The only good piece of copium I've seen this morning was that the plan is Cody vs Rock vs Roman, but Cody has to go through a few weeks of insecurity (for some reason) first. Have Punk come back and tell Cody to finish HIS story, not someone elses. Have Heyman taunt him or something. And have Cody decide to reinsert himself back into that match.

But that feels a stretch.

They really needed to have a stronger reasoning than "Hey, Rock has told me he wants the match, and I'm a cuck for him, so bye". Have Seth attack Brandi or something extreme, you know?

Its just so bad. Cody ending the Bloodline's reign would have been the defining Mania Moment of a generation, and made Cody the biggest babyface since John Cena. And....they've thrown it away. Even if he wins it on a different show (like the Night After Mania), the whole build, the whole excuse for last year's Mania, was that this would be THE Mania moment.

Instead, we get Cody vs Seth IV, after Cody whooped Seth 3 straight times. Once in a HIAC, with one of his arms not working....

The White Wolf

I went easier on The Rock than others for his fumbled attempt to take over DC, but that very incident is an example of the blinkers he has on.

He believes in himself to such a ludicrous degree that he can't see when he might be the problem.

SlickRic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121715063#Comment_121715063

I kinda wonder what the plan was, and when things changed.

Was Cody always winning the Rumble?

When did Rock agree to WM?

What was Punk going to do if he hadn't got injured?

If Cody winning the Rumble was always the plan, then surely the Rock decision was post-Rumble, as why would you have him win the Rumble, as it puts you in booking hell?

SlickRic

Also, I guarantee you in their heads, they think Cody comes across sympathetic.

WWE are dumb like that. They think the Daniel Bryan booking formula works with anyone.

RollieFingers

WWE giving Cody the Lex Luger treatment is hilarious.

The White Wolf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121715155#Comment_121715155

I don't know, I think he did look sympathetic. The eyes don't lie and we were absolutely looking into the eyes of a broken man.

He has been absolutely shafted, the problem is that instead of going with it, they're going to try and make us forget about it on Monday.

CastorTroy

The decision must've been made before the Rumble because wasn't Rock implying he would face Roman with the "head of the table" remark in his last appearance?

Then it goes to show how little faith they have in their talent if they believe it was only between Cody and Punk for Seth. Is there no one else on the Raw roster that could face Seth?

On a brighter note, Bayley had a good segment. I guess Dakota wasn't there so as to seem like a neutral party going forward. Or maybe just couldn't make it. I enjoyed the look on their faces when Bayley spoke Japanese.

So Jade, Naomi and Tiffany are Smackdown with Bron still a free agent.

Logan Paul is good with the crowd. As soon as the "What" chants started he worked his promo around it, playing the crowd.

SlickRic

He was sympathetic to us non-casuals who are interested in the workings of the business.

To normal people, and if I'm to believe the character Cody Rhodes is meant to be a real person, then he comes across as nothing else but a cuck.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121715063#Comment_121715063

But Punk's injury should not affect Cody as Punk was going for Seth with Cody after Roman, plenty on Raw to take Punk's place against Seth, now who in the raw title chamber match plus for what? Drew, Sami, Jey, Gunther to name a few or take someone from Smackdown

I think WWE just killed their top babyface to get headlines away from sick pervy sex pest Vince imho

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121715588#Comment_121715588

Agreed. Seth vs Drew instead of Seth vs Punk makes wayyyyy more sense. Drew is playing a blinder as a heel at the moment.

J. Marston

They've done this stuff before. Threatening to take the popular guy/girl out of the big main event with Bryan and Becky. It's stupid.

If there is enough fan pushback the door is open for a triple threat but I don't there will be enough pushback since it's Rock involved.

At this point it's the best option since they're so adamant against doing the 1-on-1 again. A triple threat allows Rock to sleep on the outside for a while when he inevitably blows up after 4 minutes. And even though Reigns should be definitively vanquished, clean, 1 on 1 they'll still want to keep him strong and that allows Rock to take the pin instead.

Agent Coulson

As was so eloquently put in another thread "people go to a WWE event for the experience not the card".

DM_7

Rock won't be able to wrestle an even half decent match. They need Cody in it or else it will be a disaster.

Cody v Roman v Rock could be a great story to have into Mania and great way to get more casual eyes onto Cody.

With Seth injured, Roman part time and Rock not even part time at least they might have someone to build a match using Cody.

Cody v Seth is just not interesting.