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WWE/TNA/Etc Spoiler Thread

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-The Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show match at Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view is expected to be booked similar to what you would expect from the post-UFC Lesnar – a match that’s booked more as a MMA fight rather than a typical wrestling match, hiding their obvious limitations.

We noted before that Lesnar is expected to go over in the match and word is they’re planning a big F5 spot.

Regarding Big Show and WrestleMania XXX, word is that right now they have nothing planned for him after the feud with Lesnar and Show’s plans for the biggest event of the year are up in the air.

-Just like online speculation and odds at betting sites, the favorite to win tonight’s 30-man WWE Royal Rumble match internally is Batista. However, several key people have made a push for Roman Reigns, Big E Langston or CM Punk to win the match but they are not the favorites.

There was at least some talk of making Daniel Bryan a surprise entrant and he is the swerve people within WWE are hoping for. As noted here on the site, Bryan is suddenly the favorite to win on betting sites this afternoon.

-It’s no secret now that Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus is currently on the books for WrestleMania XXX. WWE creative has been working on ideas for a way to re-introduce Sheamus and one of the things that recently came up was to have Bryan want nothing but redemption against Sheamus for having beat him twice in three years at WrestleMania.

Speculation online is that Sheamus will return at the Rumble tonight and begin the WrestleMania feud with Bryan but his return from injury still hasn’t been confirmed by any sources.

-Social media is full of rumors that Sting has reached a deal with WWE but that stems from a blog on a Sting fansite. No source has confirmed the rumors but talks have been getting more serious between Sting and WWE.

-Regardless of what happens in the WWE Tag Team Title match between The New Age Outlaws and Cody Rhodes & Goldust on the Rumble pre-show, their feud is scheduled to continue after tonight. As noted, The Outlaws are the favorites to win.

Partial source: F4Wonline.com

dailywrestlingnews.com
 
Re: WWE Road to WrestleMania starts tonight!

-WWE officials did not plan on the negative fan reaction it received at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view last night, but it seems it was all part of their strategy.

Daniel Bryan not being in the Rumble main event match played into the storyline that he’s having to overcome “the machine” wanting to hold him down. This is why we saw him tweet last night that the machine wanted him no where near the Rumble. WWE is behind the idea of wanting the fans to be outraged that Bryan isn’t being pushed more.

(Source: F4Wonline.com)

-Despite everything that went down, or didn’t go down, at the Royal Rumble Sunday night, WWE is still planning on pushing Daniel Bryan in a big way, F4Wonline.com reports.

-As PWMania.com reported, Batista was involved in an altercation with the crowd on his way up the ramp after the Royal Rumble match Sunday night and was seen flipping the bird. There were some people backstage that were reportedly not happy about this.

pwmania.com

So... they still plan on giving him a big push.... to face Sheamus in a random, throwaway match at WrestleMania?

EDIT:

-Vince McMahon issued an edict this afternoon that the script for tonight’s RAW needed to be heavily tweaked due to the crowd reaction at Sunday night’s pay-per-view. Writers were still working on changes about two hours ago. One source noted that Vince was not changing the script because of the negative reaction to Batista and the John Cena vs. Randy Orton match, but “in spite of it.”

The new script reportedly is a vast improvement from the original direction.

-WWE NXT Diva Lana is backstage at tonight’s RAW. She’s the valet for Alexander Rusev but was not used at the Royal Rumble Sunday night. WWE creative has been going back and forth on whether or not Rusev will be on RAW tonight.

-Kevin Nash is not at RAW tonight and is not written into any plans going forward. His Royal Rumble appearance was a one-time appearance.

(Source: PWInsider)

Changing the script "in spite" of the crowd reaction last night? Oh boy....
 
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Hahaha Michael Cole and JBL ripped Cleveland, righfully so. It's one degrees and the teams suck.
 
-Steve Austin had some interesting comments about Daniel Bryan and the WWE Tag Team Titles during last night’s RAW:

“You heard it here first, folks… YESAMANIA IS RUNNING WILD!!! #beardpower #WWE”

“What in the Wide Wide World of Sports happened to the World Tag Team belts???”

-WWE is planning on turning Batista heel some time after WrestleMania XXX.

Partial source: F4Wonline.com

-Vince McMahon, Triple H and other WWE officials most certainly reacted to the negative crowd reaction at the Royal Rumble on Sunday but the impression was given that this will not change their WrestleMania XXX plans and Batista vs. Randy Orton will still take place. Early word also is that the reaction won’t change plans for Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus at WrestleMania.

Partial source: PWInsider

Hope they're ready for Batista/Orton to get booed out of the building. They better not end with that match..

-At no point did WWE consider putting Daniel Bryan into the 30-man Royal Rumble match on Sunday.

-With the returns of several part-time Superstars, the returns of recently injured Superstars and the new talents who are getting their first big WrestleMania push, Vince McMahon is said to be very concerned about WrestleMania XXX talents getting lost in the shuffle.

The word was recently put out to brainstorm about ways to feature more guys, whether it be having angles play out on live events or even go back to more of a brand extension type setting, WWE has reversed their problem of depth to kickoff the new year.

The bottom-line from Triple H’s prospective is that they are at too important of a time in the WWE’s history, with the launch of the WWE Network and their biggest show of the year, to be in a situation where they end up short on top guys due to injuries or people leaving the company for one reason or another.

-We have noted before how Vince McMahon is high on the Bad News Barrett character. Vince is said to be liking the character even more as each week passes and it’s reportedly “full steam ahead” for the gimmick for the immediate future. Barrett has also welcomed the gimmick.

- If Hulk Hogan does find himself in some fashion on the WrestleMania XXX card, it will make some people unhappy. There are still rumblings from full-time workers very critical of guys coming in for WrestleMania paydays and taking spots away from guys that are there all year long.

-The talk about giving Roman Reigns a major singles push started in mid-December, before his singles match against CM Punk on Old School RAW, when his name surfaced as a potential opponent for Goldberg at WrestleMania XXX, as we’ve noted before on DWN.

While Goldberg is not currently in the WrestleMania plans, the push for Reigns is still on. WWE has gone back and forth on what to do with The Shield, with cases being made to break them up or keep them together. The talk has spilled over to TV as the indecisiveness can be tracked by any fan paying attention.

WWE decided to start separating Reigns from The Shield in the 30-man Royal Rumble match by highlighting his work, allowing for him to be the final elimination and breaking Kane’s record of the most eliminations.

While WrestleMania plans for Reigns are unknown with Goldberg out, it’s clear he’s rose as the “top guy” from The Shield. The irony is that Reigns was considered to be the greenest of the faction and his work on the main roster has been better than anything he ever did in NXT.

And finally, the huge news:

-PWInsider has confirmed reports that negotiations are ongoing between Sting and WWE. Word is that a decision must be made within the next 2 weeks on whether or not Sting is going to join the company.

Several factors are being worked out right now including scheduling and what Sting is and isn’t willing to do creatively. This does not mean Sting is definitely coming to WWE and he could very well work another year with TNA but the impression has been given that Sting realizes if he’s going to have a run with WWE, this is the time.

The impression was also given, within WWE, that there will not be a match against The Undertaker, at least at this year’s WrestleMania event. However, the idea of Sting debuting at WrestleMania XXX with some kind of cameo or vignette has been discussed.

There’s also a feeling that Sting is the face of WCW and with WWE promoting a lot of WCW content on the Network, he could be an asset there. Sting is considered a fresh, unique face when they are used to using people like Ric Flair and Diamond Dallas Page to promote their WCW projects.

While it was believed on Monday that no deal had been signed yet, RF Video’s Rob Feinstein noted on Facebook this morning that he heard Sting signed a deal with WWE in the last 24 hours, for what it’s worth.

www.dailywrestlingnews.com
 
The Man Called Sting... I can't wait, I get my hopes up year after year when Sting's contract expires, WWE was close on a few occasions. This time I think Sting signs. They want him to be the feature of WCW on their network but not only that they want him to finish out his career in fashion. When Sting appears with his trench coat and baseball bat challenging Taker, it'll be one of the biggest pops ever. That's what WWE strives for too.

That's best for business.
 
CM Punk, who did not appear at last night's RAW, also did not appear at tonight's SmackDown taping in Toledo, Ohio, despite being advertised for the event.

WWE has since removed Punk from almost all of their upcoming live events and television tapings on the events section of their website, although he remains on the Elimination Chamber page. It is not known at this time if Punk is injured, or if something else is going on. The last tweet that he posted on Monday night stated, "Thanks for all the support. Keep being you guys, it's pretty cool."

Punk's contract is up in July, and he stated in an interview last week that he doesn't know if he will re-sign after it expires, and that "everything is up in the air."

UPDATE: F4WOnline.com reports that Punk apparently told Vince McMahon at last night's RAW that he was going home and left the show. No further details were available other then that he's been removed from all shows going forward.

Read more at http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news...-all-upcoming-wwe-events/#ZCjmSQAvbqv8oyq5.99
Click to expand...


Honestly, tough to blame him...they seem to have no real direction for him right now.
 
I read somewhere he's tired of part timers coming in and taking spots away from full timers

I don't blame him one bit, WWE giving Batista the Rumble win and main event spot at Mania after being away for 4 years isn't good for business
 
JMcCurry08 said:
I read somewhere he's tired of part timers coming in and taking spots away from full timers

I don't blame him one bit, WWE giving Batista the Rumble win and main event spot at Mania after being away for 4 years isn't good for business
Click to expand...

Maybe when the fans boo the main event of WrestleMania out of the building, they'll wake up.

Seriously, I have a feeling it'll be Lesnar/Goldberg esque, maybe worse...

Punk's been pretty vocal regarding part timers coming in. Batista winning the Rumble & going to headline WrestleMania probably put him over the edge.

Here's that report, courtesy of pwmania.com:

Word has come out that CM Punk has left WWE, according to several sources.

CM Punk reportedly told Vince McMahon personally that he was going home, and then got on a plane for Chicago. WWE.com has since removed Punk from all upcoming live events and house shows over the next few weeks including Monday Night Raw. He is still advertised for the Elimination Chamber PPV on February 23rd in Minneapolis, MN but it remains to be seen how long Punk will be gone for.

He did not appear at Monday night’s Raw, and also didn’t appear at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Toledo, Ohio, despite being advertised for the event.

Punk, who worked roughly 50 minutes in the Royal Rumble match was described as “pissy” after the pay-per-view, although that reportedly wouldn’t be an unusual description of Punk’s demeanor backstage.

As PWMania.com reported, Punk was scheduled to face Triple H at WrestleMania 30, but as seen on Monday’s Raw, early signs may have been shown that Triple H will be facing Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania instead. No word if the match change is what caused Punk to leave, or if the match was changed because Punk left. According to sources, Bryan vs. Triple H is indeed the new current plan for WrestleMania.

The belief is that Punk leaving is not due to an injury issue. In the past, Punk had been very vocal about “part-time” wrestlers returning to WWE and getting pushed ahead of guys who are there on a nightly basis, and that may be a reason for him being upset. According to reports, Punk’s final goal in WWE was to main event WrestleMania, and with his current contract expiring in July, and it becoming more and more apparent that he would not be main eventing WrestleMania this year, his failure to achieve that goal may be a driving force for his departure.

Punk stated in an interview last week that he doesn’t know if he will re-sign after his contract expires, and that “everything is up in the air.”

All signs indicate that this is not a work. PWMania.com will provide more information as we confirm additional details.

(Partial source: Wrestling Observer, ProWrestling.net, PWInsider)
 
I'd be pissed if I was Punk, too. He changes WWE, they reward him with a wonderful title reign, and then proceed to dump all over him and make him a midcard spot holder.
 
-As noted, CM Punk has been removed from WWE events going forward after reportedly informing Vince McMahon at Monday’s RAW that he was going home. Punk reportedly told Vince and other WWE officials this in a meeting before the show went on the air.

While Punk vs. Triple H was planned for WrestleMania XXX, word now is that Triple H will be facing Daniel Bryan in New Orleans this April.

While Punk is under contract through July, he is no longer factored into company plans. According to one source, the original script for Monday’s RAW had Punk losing to Antonio Cesaro after Kane interfered, allowing Cesaro to qualify for the Elimination Chamber. Another source denies that and says Punk was never scheduled to wrestle Monday night and was only scheduled for an in-ring promo at Kane. Punk was not backstage during RAW and was not at SmackDown last night. It’s believed that the late RAW re-write at 6pm on Monday was because Punk had just informed officials he was going home and wouldn’t be back.

Punk leaving is being described as a situation where he’s unhappy and burnt out with the overall direction of the company. There’s also a feeling among wrestlers that Punk has saved his money and just doesn’t need it any more, even the big WrestleMania payday that was coming up.

Following the Royal Rumble on Sunday, Punk’s mood was described as “pissy” but that’s not an unusual description of Punk’s demeanor backstage. One source believed that since Punk’s last goal was to work a WrestleMania main event, it may be a situation where he realized it wasn’t going to happen this year and with his WWE deal expiring in July, that may have weighed down upon him because he was so goal driven and this was one he couldn’t accomplish because of elements that were outside of his control.

Punk wrote the following on Twitter Monday:

“Thanks for all the support. Keep being you guys, it’s pretty cool.”

Sources: PWinsider and F4Wonline

-Prowrestling.net reports that CM Punk seemed very disinterested in the current WWE product at his Wizard World Q&A session in Portland this past Friday during Royal Rumble weekend. Punk was very upset about Batista getting the WrestleMania XXX main event. He said he is friends with Batista but he wanted to be honest and it was Daniel Bryan’s year.

Punk made the comment, “I show up. Someone tells me what to do and I just go out do it and leave.” He also implied his recent work was not good and that he was down to using two moves a match. Punk reportedly came off despondent and unhappy with WWE.

-PWInsider reports that WWE sources indicate CM Punk quitting WWE had nothing to do with Batista personally and it wasn’t Batista that caused the decision. It was more a collection of issues including being burnt out, injuries, a difference in what WWE saw as a big push for Punk and what he felt was one, specifically facing Triple H at WrestleMania XXX.

Onto other news:

-For what it’s worth, SportsRants.com writer Anthony DiMoro also reports that Sting has signed a deal with WWE. DiMoro wrote:

“I have heard it from a good source that Sting and WWE have actually agreed to a deal, including a WWE Hall of Fame induction. The Hall of Fame induction may not come in 2014, but possibly 2015 as WWE may want to feature Sting and get the fanbase familiar with him on WWE Television over the next year so that his induction is even more special. I anticipate a career DVD will also be in the mix later this year as well as a heavy presence of Sting on WWE Network.”

dailywrestlingnews.com
 
Poor Punk. The best on the mic and in the ring. WWE would rather have part timers like Batista, Lesnar and Goldberg headlining instead of quality ringsmen like Bryan, Punk and Ziggler.

Every time WWE takes a step forward with quality pushes they take two back
 
-Regarding the current CM Punk controversy within WWE, it’s said that Punk and Triple H haven’t seen eye-to-eye on Punk’s character in a long time. At the same time, Punk and Vince McMahon have formed a surprisingly great relationship. Punk does not have the same kind of relationship with Triple H.

Word is that Vince is not giving up on Punk and still wants him on the WrestleMania XXX card. Vince is said to be hard at work in trying to get Punk back and make this all into one big storyline.

While the Punk situation isn’t believed to be a work, it should be mentioned that given the nature of the business it could be or has the potential to become one big work if things are smoothed over between the two sides.

Come on, Vince, work your magic..
 
CM Punk is my favorite wrestler. I've followed quite a bit of the new wave of wrestlers that have come in from the Indies. This news isn't surprising. He's looked listless and hasn't been proud of his work in awhile.

I mean, back in 2011 during his infamous "pipe bomb" promo/shoot, he mentioned how disgusted he was with Rock being the main event and that was 3 years ago. His 2011 return to the company was wasted - he had a ton of hype and momentum, and it was wasted with the whole awkward Kevin Nash/Triple H thing. Yes, he was given a historic WWE title run, but he's been an afterthought for a significant amount of time. He was a lame duck champion for the month or so before last year's RR only to lose to The Rock at last year's RR (a part-timer), just for The Rock to put over Super Cena (again) at last year's WM. His work with The Undertaker leading up to, and at WM, was incredible, and by far, my favorite thing about last year's WM season. Look at where he's been since - the Heyman stuff was cool, but it got old fast. Adding scrubs like Ryback and Curtis Axel was a waste of Punk's (and Heyman's) time. This whole Authority angle has been clunky, poorly booked, and awkward. He could have had a fantastic opportunity to take down the Authority, but much like Daniel Bryan, the Authority is always booked on top. That's no surprise given that Triple H has a chronic history of burying people. It's like WWE has split the focus of someone "challenging the Authority" between Punk and Bryan.

All of this hotshot booking, complete with heavy focus on all of the part-timers for WM, is going to hurt the company in the end. It's like Vince/HHH cannot get past the fixation on the old greats, rather than grow up new stars. They've got a roster chock full of incredible talent, but they keep giving main event matches and opportunities to old school vets because some fans just can't get over their nostalgia. And hey, I love Brock Lesnar, so I'm somewhat guilty of this myself. I haven't even touched on Daniel Bryan. In addition to Punk and Bryan, The Shield, Bray Wyatt, Dolph Ziggler, Big E Langston, and Antonio Cesaro are all RIGHT there and I believe all of them can work in the upper mid-card to main event levels. I also hate the fact that the titles have been unified. Especially when they keep bringing more old school talent back for the BIGGEST events of the year. It shrinks the main event scene even more.

To sum: I'm disappointed if Punk is legit done, but I can't blame him. I've had my fill of Triple H and his nepotism. New Age Outlaws champions, Batista comes back to headline WM, Kevin Nash gets a spot in the RR, etc.
 
Dr. Gymbo said:
CM Punk is my favorite wrestler. I've followed quite a bit of the new wave of wrestlers that have come in from the Indies. This news isn't surprising. He's looked listless and hasn't been proud of his work in awhile.

I mean, back in 2011 during his infamous "pipe bomb" promo/shoot, he mentioned how disgusted he was with Rock being the main event and that was 3 years ago. His 2011 return to the company was wasted - he had a ton of hype and momentum, and it was wasted with the whole awkward Kevin Nash/Triple H thing. Yes, he was given a historic WWE title run, but he's been an afterthought for a significant amount of time. He was a lame duck champion for the month or so before last year's RR only to lose to The Rock at last year's RR (a part-timer), just for The Rock to put over Super Cena (again) at last year's WM. His work with The Undertaker leading up to, and at WM, was incredible, and by far, my favorite thing about last year's WM season. Look at where he's been since - the Heyman stuff was cool, but it got old fast. Adding scrubs like Ryback and Curtis Axel was a waste of Punk's (and Heyman's) time. This whole Authority angle has been clunky, poorly booked, and awkward. He could have had a fantastic opportunity to take down the Authority, but much like Daniel Bryan, the Authority is always booked on top. That's no surprise given that Triple H has a chronic history of burying people. It's like WWE has split the focus of someone "challenging the Authority" between Punk and Bryan.

All of this hotshot booking, complete with heavy focus on all of the part-timers for WM, is going to hurt the company in the end. It's like Vince/HHH cannot get past the fixation on the old greats, rather than grow up new stars. They've got a roster chock full of incredible talent, but they keep giving main event matches and opportunities to old school vets because some fans just can't get over their nostalgia. And hey, I love Brock Lesnar, so I'm somewhat guilty of this myself. I haven't even touched on Daniel Bryan. In addition to Punk and Bryan, The Shield, Bray Wyatt, Dolph Ziggler, Big E Langston, and Antonio Cesaro are all RIGHT there and I believe all of them can work in the upper mid-card to main event levels. I also hate the fact that the titles have been unified. Especially when they keep bringing more old school talent back for the BIGGEST events of the year. It shrinks the main event scene even more.

To sum: I'm disappointed if Punk is legit done, but I can't blame him. I've had my fill of Triple H and his nepotism. New Age Outlaws champions, Batista comes back to headline WM, Kevin Nash gets a spot in the RR, etc.
Click to expand...

Old school legends always get a spot in the RR, this is nothing new. I'm not sure why so many people are upset about Nash being in the Rumble. This has been going on for years.

It's proven the Rock is the WWE's biggest draw still. It isn't even close beyond that. John Cena is next, so as much as people complain about super Cena. People are watching and WWE knows that. After Cena, it's Lesnar and HHH. Hell Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon are before Punk.

Don't get me wrong, I think Punk is their best talent; but the casual fan might not.
 
I don't mind Nash coming in and being in the rumble, I don't mind NAO winning the tag titles. I like Batista but I don't think he should've won the Rumble
 
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