wrestling / Columns
411 Fact or Fiction Wrestling: Has WWE’s Use of Bayley Been Disappointing?
Image Credit: WWE
Welcome back to the latest edition of 411 Fact or Fiction, Wrestling Edition! Stuff happened, people loved/hated it and let everyone else know. I pick through the interesting/not so interesting tidbits and then make 411 staff members discuss them for your pleasure. Battling this week are 411’s Dino Zee and Jack McGee!
1. WWE Clash of Champions was a solid but disappointing PPV.
Dino Zee: FACT – Clinging hard to “disappointing,” and only because I had hoped for some changes, but they didn’t happen. And Rusev lost the US Title. I’m NOT complaining that Roman Reigns won the US Title – I just happen to think that Rusev is the best part of WWE’s roster, and just wish that he’d get that mystical rocket attached to his ass. More importantly, seeing Gallows/Anderson lose to The New Day so they could firmly not be a threat at all anymore was a bit of a bummer. Reminds me of when Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon came over from Japan so that they could lose to everyone on the roster. Ah well. The show was overall good, but I wasn’t feeling those two finishes, and so it was a little disappointing for me.
Jack McGee: FACT – “Solid but disappointing” feels very close to my feelings when the show was all said and done. I in no way felt that the show was bad, but when it was done I just thought to myself, “That’s it?” I liked the Jax squash, and it really felt that Gallows and Anderson should have won the titles with how they came out full of piss and vinegar and kicking ass. I thought the Cruiserweight Title match was good, but they needed a blow away match to really get the crowd into them and that’s not what we got. Sheamus vs. Cesaro felt like a top level G1 match, very physical and kick ass through out but the finish really hurt the match for me. I was waiting for this great climax to the match and series as a whole and was left hanging. Jericho vs. Zayn was good, and I didn’t even really mind Jericho winning, but I expected more. The same goes for the women as well as Reigns and Rusev; good but I was hoping for more. The main event fell completely flat to me, and that was even before the finish. Owens and Rollins are capable of so much more, and at times this felt like a house show match. At the end of the day, it was a solid show, but I came away disappointed because with the lineup I feel it should have really been a great show.
2. While it seems as if TNA has been building to EC3 winning the title at Bound For Glory, you would rather the company keep the title on Lashley.
Dino Zee: FACT – I really, really like Lashley as of late. I think he’s been a fantastic heel, finally able to deliver a promo. That said, I have not been feeling the Ass Kicking Machine gimmick of MY BOY EC3, and really hope it doesn’t culminate in him beating Lashley. A win for Lashley will absolutely cement his status as the dominant champion, while a loss to Carter just reinforces his placeholder status. It won’t be a horrible end if EC3 has the belt when Bound For Glory is finished, but yes, I’m hoping Lashley keeps it a little bit longer.
Jack McGee: FACT – I love EC3, he cuts a hell of a promo, has developed into a great babyface, and since Slammiversary has been set as the man that would main event Bound For Glory and defeat Lashley to become the world champion. And on many levels the plan still makes sense and I will not be upset if he wins the title on Sunday. But with that being said, there is a big part of me that wants Lashley to remain champion. Lashley is having the best run of his career, he superior to all men, give no fucks attitude has been spectacular, he’s having high quality matches and has been one of the very best of not the best world champions in all of wrestling. While I feel that there are areas that TNA needs to improve in, as do all companies to be honest with you, Lashley’s booking has been spectacular. As I said, the story makes sense for EC3 to win and culminate the story, but at the same time I feel there is a lot to do with Lashley as champion. Either way the title is in good hands, but I’d be lying if I said I wanted Lashley to lose.
3. Roman Reigns winning the US Title is a good first step to rebooting his character.
Dino Zee: FICTION – Maybe I’m entirely too cynical on this, but it really feels like WWE trolls the Roman Reigns fans with their decisions. One of the complaints we heard about why Roman wasn’t so popular was that he was pushed directly to the World Title scene without having won a secondary title (US or IC). So, after pushing him back down the card, WWE decides to give Roman the US Title. And you know they’re watching people react to the title change negatively (yours truly included), and then they go “SEE?! THEY DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY WANT!! WE GAVE HIM A SECONDARY TITLE, WHY DON’T YOU LOVE HIM NOW?!?!” And it’s like, well yeah, that was ONE thing that we didn’t like, but the main complaints for Roman usually have to do with his wholly unlikable character, which WWE has done absolutely zero to change. But hey, he’s got a secondary title, so we should be falling all over ourselves to cheer him, right? So no, I don’t think this belt will do anything in rebooting his character; I feel like changing his character will be a good first step in rebooting his character.
Jack McGee: FICTION – Roman Reigns winning the US Title is a good thing to keep him out of the top title picture for now, but Vince McMahon has no intention of “rebooting” Roman Reigns. Vince McMahon loves Roman Reigns. Vince McMahon thinks Roman Reigns is his next top guy. And there is nothing wrong with that, but more importantly, Vince McMahon doesn’t think anything is wrong with Roman Reigns’ character o the presentation of that character. Roman Reigns will be Roman Reigns, and Vince will sit there with his fingers in his ears going “LALALALALALALALALA” all the day long. Roman Reigns can be the next top guy if they want him to be, and the US Title win is one I can get behind, but to think that Vince will actually change anything anytime soon is foolish. Why? Because… well you know the rest…
SWITCH!
4. Ryback reportedly negotiating with Bellator for an MMA fight sounds like a horrible idea.
Jack McGee: FACT – Unless The Ryback can score a CM Punk style deal as far as financials go, this is a horrible idea. I get that the Big Guy wants to build his brand, but from the outside looking in, this screams mistake. The Ryback is 35, he has never competed in any legit combat sports, and only has some limited boxing and Jiu Jitsu training. This sounds all too similar to the CM Punk MMA debut. The advantage he has is that Bellator will find the most inexperienced bar fighter that they can in order to give him a chance to win, Dada 500 may be healthy by then. The worst part is that no matter how bad an idea I think it is, I will watch just to see what the hell happens. Best of luck to the guy if he can get paid though.
Dino Zee: FICTION – I watch a lot of Bellator. I love MMA. I’d argue that Ryback, as he is right now, wouldn’t even be the worst fighter to be on a Bellator card. I’d argue further that Bellator, in its current state, likes to have a couple “Freak Show Fights” on their cards, and this would absolutely qualify. Sure, if you’re a complete purist, this isn’t great. As long as a Ryback win wouldn’t get him into the title picture, I think this would be all for fun, and not detrimental to any of the “real” fighters on the roster. I’m definitely a fan who doesn’t appreciate how the UFC has basically ignored the sport side of things and focused solely on the entertainment side, but that’s because it has bled into how they book title fights. You want to give me CM Punk fighting another jerk? Feel free. Same thing with Bellator and Ryback. Let’s see what The Big Guy can do.
5. What TNA Bound For Glory match are you most looking forward to and why?
Jack McGee: Drew Galloway vs. Aron Rex – I really had to think about this one I love the main event and I think the GREAT WAR will be tremendous fun, but I am really looking forward to the grand Championship Finals between Rex and Galloway. First of all this is Rex’s big chance to deliver on PPV, and show that he is more than just an entertaining and fun guy, he has a lot to prove here. Secondly they are establishing this new title and style, and while the tournament matches have been good overall, this match needs to set the standard for what the division will be going forward. Finally, this is a match designed to allow Galloway to shine. His wronged man heel turn has been great, and this style will allow him to work closer to is Evolve style, which is way more aggressive and can possibly add some great drama to the rounds system. Add all of that together, and it feels like the most intriguing match on the show and the one I am looking forward to the most.
Dino Zee: A Title Match – I think it’s pretty obvious which match I’m looking forward to the most. We’ve been building to it for what seems like forever. We’ve watched as the principals involved have gone through major changes. We’ve watched as one tried to break the other. We’ve watched as a lust for torture and revenge turned into a desire for gold. We’ve watched as one tried to render another as obsolete. We’ve watched one ignore all rules and try to make their own. Finally, they do battle, with it all on the line. And that’s why, without question, I’m looking forward to the Gail Kim vs. Maria match the most.
6. WWE’s use of Bayley so far has been disappointing.
Jack McGee: FACT – For all of the waiting for her arrival, the WWE feels very unprepared for her when she arrived. I didn’t expect a push to the moon, but the fact that they have over simplified her character, had her lose so much already and also took away the keys that made her work so well in NXT is a disappointment. Bayley could be and should be a big star for the company, but she feels like a supporting character at best as WWE sees mush more in Dana Brooke, the women who can barely get through a match without some form of major malfunction. Almost everything with Bayley has felt off since the beginning, and right now it feels as if they have no clue what t do with her, especially after rushing to the Bayley vs. Charlotte vs. Sasha three-way. It could have been and should have been so much more than it has, but disappointment sound accurate to me.
Dino Zee: FICTION – I almost went Fact, but then I realized I was confusing my fan feelings of her character with her booking. She was brought onto Raw and immediately treated like a big deal, even earning herself a shot at the Women’s Title. That can’t really be considered disappointing, right? I just haven’t connected with the Adult Middle Schooler, even though I do think that, overall, she’s a fun presence. But yeah, I’m not going to say she’s disappointing just because I don’t think she’s intergalactic superchunk funky. WWE has done just fine with her so far, in my opinion.
7. What is your excitement level for the TNA Bound For Glory PPV?
Jack McGee: 6 out of 10 – Over the years I have learned my lesson and refuse to set overly high expectations for PPV events. I don’t care if it’s TNA, WWE, ROH, UFC; I have been burnt too many times. The TNA Bound For Glory card appears very solid and has a chance to be a good show. The main event interests me, as does the Grand Championship finals. Also I have really enjoyed the insanity of the Hardys and Decay. Last year’s Bound for Gold was garbage, so hopefully they learned their lesson, Moose and Bennett doesn’t interest me and neither does Kim vs. Maria. Also as of this writing, we have no X-Division match announced; I assume it will be a multi-man match as always, which are fun, but do little for the booking of the division. If the top matches deliver and the undercard I sat the every least solid, I will be a happy customer. And yes, I am buying the show because there is enough talent on the show that I enjoy and want to support.
Dino Zee: 9 out of 10 – TNA has been lots of fun this year, and all their work will finally come to a head at Bound For Glory. Many of us were 100% convinced that BFG was going to end with Matt vs. Jeff, but instead we get to see The Broken Hardys try to win back the tag belts that a dirtbike cost them. I do think EC3/Lashley is going to be a fun match, and I’m looking forward to the battle of “PROVING WWE BLEW IT” between Drew Galloway and Aron Rex. Plus, MOOSE! MOOSE! MOOSE! Yeah, I’m excited. I like wrestling.
