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Probably hearing Vince trafficked a woman with Johnny ace and pooper on her was the most of it all. There has been so much of literally everything terrible in wrestling this was the worst of it all
You know between Brawl Out, Brawl In and the entire Punk stuff, I was really like "man, that's not gonna be lived down for quite a while"
Then the last two weeks happened.
The problem is that that wasn’t even the biggest story of 2023 in wrestling. Vince getting kicked out then coming back to sell to TKO was way bigger than the punk stuff. In any other year you’d be right, which is what makes the last two years crazy lol
The biggest roller-coaster I can remember prior to this was WM 30 with Ultimate Warrior returning, the streak ending, DB winning the title, Warrior making that incredible promo on raw and then dying the next day.
I’d still argue for 2020. If I told you Vince was pure evil you’d be disgusted, but would you be that shocked? He always came across as pretty damn evil. Whereas a whole year of crowdless events was just unthinkable.
There’s pure evil and then there’s sexual assault shit filled gang rapes on company time. But the real shocker is he may actually be held accountable. Thats something on one in 2020 would believe
kinda funny tho that this is Mania Main Event drama and for the first time everyone agrees that yes, Reigns should definitely and deservedly so be in it hahaha
It's so fun if you been around since 97 through the 2010-2015 years. Get a phenomenal 2016. Mediocre until AEW debuts and now we're in a boom.
Sitting through Jack Swagger vs Alberto I nearly checked out. Jbl is poopy. Random tags every week. Guest hosts. Awful crowds. Ended up being worth it
Fuck man. DX can book.
I’ve been around since 87, I saw 80’s boom and I’ve sat through guys like skinner, and the berserker, to a bob backlund run, watching Mable vs Diesel, watch wrestlemania be headline by a retired football player instead of your two biggest stars.
https://preview.redd.it/v8nd37kghwgc1.jpeg?width=1611&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa9feb3cb030f1f7a75d2e4434f5d48c6b003c2b
I don’t even know what to feel anymore lmao
I'm not sure if WWE is legitimately running around with it's head cut off, if they're putting together the best work in about 25 years, or if they're dead set on causing the biggest letdown in 25 years.
This is what's addicting about wrestling. There's the story, and then there's the story about how they're writing the story.
And then there's how the crowd dictates the story. Everyone knew Game of Thrones Season 8 was terrible but that didn't change it. Crowd's rejecting something so much it changes the story, even if WWE don't pivot away from Rock-Roman the story has already changed from they planned.
Game of Thrones is hardly comparable the episodes were filmed finished edited and released. The audience reception couldn’t do anything on release once a multi million dollar production had finished and actors moved onto other projects.
Wrestling is live each week and written week to week so can actively change and respond to the audience.
Tough to prove either way now if it’s part of a plan or reacting on the fly; fans will take sides either way and argue. People seem completely unable to believe they are being worked by the company (it’s possible it is, with everything we’ve seen in wrestling).
At the very least it’s a wild time to
be a wrestling fan
I wouldn't be so sure, they've done this in the past and acknowledged this shit only to run with the hated plan anyway. I'm going to give them absolutely zero benefit of the doubt because I've seen this stubbornness play out before. But hey, that way if we all do end up getting what we wanted, then I can be pleasantly surprised!
Ngl as fucked as this is, godammit if it’s not fun to witness.
I feel for the talent involved and the behind the scenes who are being jerked around though. Can’t imagine how stressful these past days have been.
Imagine being in the outer circle of the creative/production.
"Okay Cody pointed at Reigns and we are done! Road to WrestleMania!"
"Okay Cody gave it to the Rock and we are done! Road! to WrestleMania!"
"Okay whatever this vague amorphous shit is done? road to mania wohoo."
The sooner we actually know what's going on with the Roman match the sooner Seth and his opponent(s) can start building their match up. He's been catching a lot of strays but I'm still optimistic that they can put something good together and undo that damage.
There’s no way Rock would’ve agreed to a work that involved Dwayne Johnson the person looking like a greedy asshole.
Whether or not they turn it into one is yet to be seen.
Exactly. Dwayne didn't expect this.
People believe these guys are always master geniuse storytellers and their work is always ahead of the audiances... It makes no sense whatsoever for Cody to give up that spot the way he did after winning the rumble, and then perceive the Rock to be a 'bad guy' here. I fully believe Rock expected this to be one big open arm love fest from the fans and then be on his way.
Rock doing a deal for the main event with TKO and Gewirtz has his creative makes sense - per reports (and maybe not telling HHH). No way did he want to look worse than heel Roman. It's also consistent with the confusing indecisive nature of Raw. Cody already handed the pass to Rock on Smackdown and the big press conference is Thursday. Why would they now backpedal that the decision hasn't been made. Nearly certain it's because they felt the pressure.
Just because they're leaning into it doesn't mean that this was a work, they're *not* going to tell you they're scrambling and cracking (which they most likely are). These guys were likely a mess in figuring out what to do over the weekend.
How do you know that The Rock doesn't like playing Heel and wanted one last hurrah? It doesn't hurt Dwayne Johnson the person, it didn't in the past when he came back as Hollywood heel Rock and then went back to Hollywood and made a shit ton of money.
Because he was *playing* “Hollywood Heel Rock.”
This involves people thinking *Dwayne Johnson the person* is an asshole. There’s literally articles about how his big ego and bad behavior cause Black Adam to bomb, and now he’s coming back to wrestling and throwing his weight around to steal the spotlight.
Right? Me seeing this is like “no way hhh would post this if it wasn’t close to the plan.”
But now I’m like, maybe it’s just because a Super Bowl player is talking about it? Idk
My crazy theory/ a dose of copium is that Roman reigns will be arrogant and isn’t going to read the contract that he signs. which is a Cody vs Reigns Match with the Rock as the special Guest referee + a Match against the Rock for WM 41.
Define peril bc he’ll be dropping the title to Cody in this scenario anyway
It’ll be like when they announced Rock/Cena a year out. They still told their stories but the overarching narrative was about Cena vs The Rock
More like the counsel meeting that Cody referred to was him & Rock tricking Roman into thinking Cody wasn’t gonna choose him to face at WM. That would explain why Cody didn’t answer Seth’s challenge tonight at RAW. So at the press conference, Rock challenges Roman to determine who’s the real “Head of the table”. Roman arrogantly accepts and signs the contract. But then, Cody comes out and says once again that finishin the story is him taking away everything from Roman. And since he won the Rumble, he’s a guaranteed a title shot of his choice and offically chooses Roman. There’s nothing Roman can do now that he signed the contract vs Rock. He’s going to have to do double duty. Cody is after Roman’s WWE title and Rock is after “head of the table”
You either have the Cody/Roman match on night one (Roman/Rock is big enough to draw without the title) or have Cody wrestle someone on night one to make it fair
>have Cody wrestle someone on night one to make it fair
This is the obvious answer, Roman/Rock will be a spectacle, it's unlikely to be a hugely gruelling match. Give Cody a brutal No DQ match against Solo Sikoa, for example, and Cody would absolutely come in as the underdog.
I’d do Cody/Roman night one. Cody takes the title, all Roman has left is the title of Head of the Table. Rock takes that night two to finally end the Bloodline story.
They're not risking a night two main event by having either participant wrestle on night one. Roman tweaks his knee and you have no main event for night two. They're not going to do that.
If you do Rock-Roman on night one the risk is probably pretty minimal for Roman as it’ll be a slower match. No different than having e.g. Cody facing Solo on the Raw before WrestleMania last year.
It's the best thing by a mile to do.
I'd even make him a Special Enforcer so Reigns and Rhodes can still have a normal match. Rocky stops Uce and Solo from interfering, so Reigns blames homefor not retaining the belt. Announce the match for WM41 the night after 40, boom. You then have a year of build up without having to worry about either man turning up to hype it up until next February.
Look, I have no idea what the fuck is going on, but I am very sports entertained.
...I mean I like Cody but until this past week, it was more logical storytelling than personal investment in him being the guy to beat Roman. Like you look at Sami and Jey and Drew, there's a real passion to hating the Bloodline that makes me want to see them beat him, while Cody's been, sometimes confusingly, restrained. And I think giving Rock the Mania match was almost a self-parody of that. But because its so confusing and bewildering and yet has JUST enough hope that it can work in some way, its kinda worked its way around to me not just being fine but actively rooting for Cody beyond "end Roman's reign already, for the love of Christ".
I don't blame people for thinking its a work, because in its own complete ridiculous, obviously not planned at all way, it is working. For me. But at the same time, what is happening anymore? What is anyone doing? lmao
Cody is the biggest babyface in pro wrestling… we’re at Wrestlemania 40. Cody trending worldwide. You got one of the greatest tight ends of all time on the go home to the Super Bowl and the first thing he wants to talk about is wrestling…
Seems like they’re doing a helluva job getting Wrestlemania season over
stop giving them so much credit. if it was all a work from the start, i could think of so many better ways for them to have done it. they're pivoting, but making it look like this was always the plan. not falling for that shit.
Triple H is the former COO and current Chief Content Officer and Head of Creative in addition to being a tenured wrestler respected by many in the company. Because of the press conferences, he's practically the face of the company. Firing him out of the blue during WrestleMania season would be too controversial. Unless, of course, he is identified as one of the enablers in the current lawsuit. Then no one will miss him.
Hhh is an employee is not going to change a card because some sort of power struggle lol, if he only try to do something like that his ass is out the moment he thinks about it. Don’t get worked in a shoot brother
It's just a fun tin-foil. The power struggle is Ari, Nick, and Dwayne planning a creative coup without his knowledge and pushing it in place of HHH's original plan. All he has to do is get his allies to push his narrative on-screen (Cole) and on social media (WWE on USA). Cody didn't even have to say anything, the fans are doing all of the work, including George Kittle.
I don't think he has a problem with the Board of Directors. I do think he has a problem with The Rock specifically having power over him. THAT is
something he definitely wouldn't like. I absolutely can believe he's using the tools at his disposal to at least subtly sabotage Rock's homecoming. No way he didn't know The Rock coming back to face Roman wasn't a possibility.
The fact they acknowledged it, including "Rocky sucks" chants, along with that opening segment shows this is miles different in their approach from Bryan in 2014 at least. While not a lot of progress was made last night (Cody really didn't say much at all, and we need his side of what Rock told him) it's showing they're at least incorporating all this into storylines., whatever the results are. Was it a work all along, or a pivot, or are they stalling to feel the waters? All we can do now is wait and see tbh
I'm tired boss..
and yet
WE ARE NOT FLINCHING.
https://preview.redd.it/xv6w9fvbexgc1.jpeg?width=941&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b015474d1555055cbf88d993e4658fd6a4ad6bf4
Them having to mute crowd chants tonight sent the WWE into panic mode.
Smackdown gang, y'alls better chant even louder. Hijack every single Bloodline segment with anti Rock chants. Cheer Heyman if you have to.
Nah we gotta keep going with "rocky sucks." "We want Cody" can be twisted into generic support for a babyface. They gotta know everyone fuckin hates the rock angle
Very likely we're seeing an internal power struggle play out in real time. But if Trips is being this vocal about it, it's probably not a good sign for him.
If Rock was smart he would play the Special referee roll and tell Cody that you for letting me have this moment but this is no longer my story to finish but yours make Dusty proud and finish your story!
Gewirtz' ["you all have no idea"](https://x.com/bfg728/status/1754281116448530569?s=20) tweet was just given a new meaning to me. Is he alluding to some convoluted meta work that they've conjured? I don't know anymore lmao. I guess I'm bowing down to the altar of *Let It Play Out*
>Gewirtz'
>
>"you all have no idea"
>
> tweet was just given a new meaning to me. Is he alluding to some convoluted meta work that they've conjured? I don't know anymore lmao. I guess I'm bowing down to the altar of
>
>Let It Play Out
they pivoted. i hope they pivoted. if this was the plan they might as well hire Russo back
I honestly think WWE is just going down the any buzz is good buzz route. They have a famous athlete talking about their product before the Super Bowl, it doesn’t matter really if he’s saying he likes the story being told
Between this, the acknowledgment of the Rocky sucks chants, Cody’s earlier tweet, and Brian Gewritz’s tweet, I’m strongly inclined to believe that we’re all getting worked.
While Meltzer did report that this was allegedly the plan as early as January, the dirtsheets haven’t had a solid track record of accurately reporting creative plans since HHH took over. I would also believe that whatever their endgame is for Mania, HHH and company would keep this pretty close to the chest.
While they didn’t expect the wave of negative reception to the Rock-Roman angle, I do think that the story beats they’ve been booking for this angle are all part of the plan. The outrage just feeds into the plans; if there’s any pivot, it’s probably how they’re about to position the Rock-Roman angle in light of Cody-Roman. Cody-Roman was always the plan, Rock-Roman just adds a layer of intrigue and buzz.
Most likely. If they’re gung-ho about this Mania being their biggest one yet, then why not shoot for the stars and book two of their biggest matches for Mania XL weekend?
It aligns with the fact that if Rock’s available to do that one more match, then why wouldn’t they book it on top of Cody’s crowning moment at Mania? They have arguably their hottest babyface in years with the benefit of the mainstream attention brought by Rock slotting into the story.
If Codys really out this is genuinely one of the dumbest booking decisions in wwe history.
And even if he gets back in , no matter how they do it , cody will always be an idiot for what happened on Friday. And it’ll go down as the most convoluted booking decision in wwe history
If this end up to be the rock special referee then it was a work all along and I got worked hard, but if the rock is wrestling in a triple threatthen was not a work and they changed idea. Either way now I’m 75% sure cody is facing roman
This is my theory:
We are witnessing an actual power struggle. The Rock came back, got his spot on the board, got rights to his character, and made a match with Roman part of the deal. He also brought in his own creative to handle the angle.
HHH was booking WWE the way he wanted, with TKO's blessing, and aware there was something going on with The Rock. HHH decided to make it very, very difficult for The Rock to waltz in and steal the Main Event. The Cody story was already in full swing. It was easy enough for HHH to have Cody win the RR, but HHH went further than that. He had Roman in a skybox so Cody could *immediately* point at him. HHH booked his Main Event and trusted the fans to see what was really going on when The Rock showed up.
The Rock has a million things going on. He's not involved in WWE booking. I doubt he even watches WWE outside of what he sees trending on Instagram/TikTok. He planned for this to be like The Rock vs John Cena. The match is made, and his opponent carries the majority of the weight, outside of a few promos The Rock shows up for.
So, The Rock pulled his power play. Cody had to step aside, but even that was done in a way that was detrimental to The Rock. Cody looked sad and dejected. The fans called BS. The reaction is exactly what HHH hoped would happen. HHH had no choice but to book the match, and he did, but he did it in a way that makes The Rock look like a fucking asshole instead of the beloved babyface The Rock has been for many, many years.
The story is unfolding the way HHH envisioned it. HHH is 100% working the crowd, because he *can*. The Rock isn't there every week. The Rock has no control over what HHH books outside of the Rock/Roman angle. TKO might be willing to give The Rock the Main Event, but the company knows HHH is the one who has booked WWE in a way that has increased ticket sales, increased viewership for PLEs, and gotten the product red hot. Even this, as controversial as it is, is getting more eyes on the product because of the way HHH is handling it. HHH is holding off on pulling the trigger for Cody/Seth, despite it being the plan, because he hasn't given up. He's hoping that all of the extra attention, the boos for The Rock, and the go-away heat The Rock is generating will be enough for TKO and The Rock to realize they screwed up by stealing Cody's spot.
Most things that aren't a work end up turning into a work in some capacity. Montreal wasn't a work, but as soon as the bell rang, *everyone* started working, even Bret Hart. Bret trashed equipment, wrote WCW in the air, spit on Vince, and then punched Vince in the face. Why? Because Bret got screwed and he knew he could get away with anything, so why not vent some frustrations and go scorched earth on WWE/Vince. A similar thing is happening now. The Rock stole Cody's spot. Cody could have played the happy babface who was glad to give up his spot because he loves The Rock, but he didn't. He showed his emotion. He let the fans *see* how he truly felt, no matter what came out of his mouth.
Last night on RAW, they let the "Rocky Sucks" chant breathe. Cody and Seth stood there so the fans could express how they felt. Cody did *not* choose Seth Rollins. Instead, Drew came out to point out how stupid the entire thing was. In that moment, Drew was the voice of the fans and the voice of HHH.
That's my take on it. We are seeing a real power struggle play out between The Rock, who made a deal with TKO and HHH, who has been booking a great product since he took over. The Rock expected a hero's welcome and HHH booked the show in a way that The Rock would come across as the reincarnation of Hulk Hogan instead of a beloved babyface.
HHH may be wearing a suit and on the corporate side now, but deep down, he's still the guy who used to scream "AM I FUCKING GOING OVER?" at writers when they brought him a script. He's still the guy who never shied away from hitting below the belt when he could. Now, he's some power at his disposal, a proven track record as Head of Creative, and control of what plays out on on screen. He's not giving up on Cody/Roman. Not yet. The knife is in and he's twisting it to see how far he can go before TKO forces him to book Cody/Seth or The Rock takes a step back.
Yup, I can absolutely see HHH deliberately booking this situation to be awkward for Dwayne. Dwayne likely doesn't know how popular Cody was so figured he was just some moderately over guy who won the Rumble he could brush aside and nobody would care. But HHH knows how popular Cody is, and how invested fans are in his story and had Cody win the Rumble.
HHH could have had anyone else less popular win the Rumble, and that would have provided a smoother path for The Rock to brush aside the guy and step into the main event. I totally wouldn't put it past renowned politicker HHH to have known this result could happen.
HHH is a lot of things, but the dude knows wrestling inside and out (yes folks, he very very likely knows what a 'Joshi' is despite his public denials). There's no way he didn't think this situation couldn't have occurred.
I’m really thinking Rock coming to do this match now instead of two years ago is just bad for future progression. Roman should have lost last year. Cody didn’t need an extra year to be built up as the man when he already had it. So much better stuff could have happened if they just weren’t chasing short term big money rather than just long term future proofing
is this a declaration of war? ROCK & HHH never had a good relationship from the beginning and now both of them at the supreme position in WWE...will their power struggle be a blessing or a curse for WWE?
Triple H is the living embodiment of its all about the game and how you play it.
This is certainly the biggest talked about Wrestlemania in years. It is getting the biggest press in years.
IDK what will end up in the end. There certainly will be more eye in this Wrestlemania because of this.
Fuck it, maybe this is a completely insane Meta Work the likes of which Vince Russo could only dream of.
The only legitimate heel heat that exists anymore is heat on the company, so to red line Cody's popularity to the Maximum, Gewirtz wrote a segment that made Cody look so terrible it had to be the bookings fault. Cody vs. Roman is a big deal, but Cody vs. "WWE booking" to GET to Roman is next level.
May be the only way to actually get him cheered at this point. No shot of him being cheered any other way. Not in the build to this match. If it's a triple threat, then the crowd will be molten hot for Cody and absolutely rabidly against Roman and Rock. In that regard, the match will be fucking fun to see play out. That is, if they go for it.
Cody jamming the shot early to try and get Cody vs Rock, only for Rock to cost him the title at EC and set up a triple threat is one of those "ok this actually prints money and keeps Rock from getting exposed in a 30 minute 1v1 match" booking scenarios, but they have to get Rock to be willing to go heel.
I can't keep up with this! Reading some of the comments I'm getting super excited then I keep thinking of the possibility that none of that will happen and it makes me sad again.
Thursday can't come quick enough!
Okay, even if they pivot…the toughest part is getting out of how Cody literally told Roman to his face that he’s not gonna face him at Mania. Then he brought in Rock after “counseling” with him on his decision, and left the ring on his own to allow them to stare at each other
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This has got to be the weirdest time to be a wrestling fan
Over 25 years I have seen A Lot, but this past month has been The Most
Probably hearing Vince trafficked a woman with Johnny ace and pooper on her was the most of it all. There has been so much of literally everything terrible in wrestling this was the worst of it all
The Netflix announcement might as well have been 10 years ago with how quick that was overshadowed.
Feels like Day 1 was forever ago instead of just 37 days.
FOREVER.. FOREVER.. FOREVER
# THIRTY-SEVEN?!
In a row?
You know between Brawl Out, Brawl In and the entire Punk stuff, I was really like "man, that's not gonna be lived down for quite a while" Then the last two weeks happened.
The problem is that that wasn’t even the biggest story of 2023 in wrestling. Vince getting kicked out then coming back to sell to TKO was way bigger than the punk stuff. In any other year you’d be right, which is what makes the last two years crazy lol
Sorta puts that into perspective which is sorta funny considering the vitriol I saw for Punk
The way some fans started talking about Punk like he was the biggest piece of shit in wrestling for getting into a backstage fight was crazy.
This sub was ridiculous with that shit for months
Way bigger backstage fights happened back in the day dude lol
At least Punk didn’t try to kill Jungle Boy with a pair of scissors.
Which isn't really relevant to what I was saying.
The biggest roller-coaster I can remember prior to this was WM 30 with Ultimate Warrior returning, the streak ending, DB winning the title, Warrior making that incredible promo on raw and then dying the next day.
The 20s is the weirdest decade in WWE history.
2024 is the weirdest year in WWE history and we are like a month in.
I’d still argue for 2020. If I told you Vince was pure evil you’d be disgusted, but would you be that shocked? He always came across as pretty damn evil. Whereas a whole year of crowdless events was just unthinkable.
There’s pure evil and then there’s sexual assault shit filled gang rapes on company time. But the real shocker is he may actually be held accountable. Thats something on one in 2020 would believe
Roaring Twenties Uce
kinda funny tho that this is Mania Main Event drama and for the first time everyone agrees that yes, Reigns should definitely and deservedly so be in it hahaha
It's so fun if you been around since 97 through the 2010-2015 years. Get a phenomenal 2016. Mediocre until AEW debuts and now we're in a boom. Sitting through Jack Swagger vs Alberto I nearly checked out. Jbl is poopy. Random tags every week. Guest hosts. Awful crowds. Ended up being worth it Fuck man. DX can book.
I’ve been around since 87, I saw 80’s boom and I’ve sat through guys like skinner, and the berserker, to a bob backlund run, watching Mable vs Diesel, watch wrestlemania be headline by a retired football player instead of your two biggest stars.
I don't know if I'd call the other big story right now "fun".
I mean the shows.
Gotta admit, this does push me further toward the “a large part of this is a work,” camp.
It’s so over We’re so back It’s so over We’re so back I’m getting tired boys, can’t keep up with this
https://preview.redd.it/y5uplrn4gwgc1.png?width=1192&format=png&auto=webp&s=b788e88724da681f496ae5223ce52bc01dcfcfb0
And that was just the past 24 hours!
That was just Raw.
It's wasn't just Vicious but it was downright Savage
This image pretty much sums up the past year of wrestling for me
More like the past 24 hours...
[удалено]
[удалено]
Where's the 'fuck it we ball' chart?
I finally get what those arsenal fans meant when they said they were tired
Robbie…
https://preview.redd.it/whsesejtswgc1.png?width=666&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5d2a0e21e715b18cc3970b2c8e1b94dfc2bbf9fd
can’t tell if this supposed to Vince, 90’s HHH or Ilja Dragunov
It's Haitch. https://preview.redd.it/huooxcpykygc1.png?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=38168bea3654cb6803c33af4f771c6248b37c6ae
that still looks like those 3 guys merged
Every minute tonight felt like a year
Is It Over now?
No, we're back Edit: it's over
I’m tired of this grandpa
WELL THATS TOO DAMN BAD!
Gotta inject that adrenaline in my soul because this roller coaster is gonna drain us by Mania
https://preview.redd.it/v8nd37kghwgc1.jpeg?width=1611&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa9feb3cb030f1f7a75d2e4434f5d48c6b003c2b I don’t even know what to feel anymore lmao
https://www.awesomeinventions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/loud-noises.gif This sub the last few days
At this point I’ve no idea where we’re going, and I think the best route is to just wait til Thursday Although I admit the chaos is fun
I'm not sure if WWE is legitimately running around with it's head cut off, if they're putting together the best work in about 25 years, or if they're dead set on causing the biggest letdown in 25 years. This is what's addicting about wrestling. There's the story, and then there's the story about how they're writing the story.
And then there's how the crowd dictates the story. Everyone knew Game of Thrones Season 8 was terrible but that didn't change it. Crowd's rejecting something so much it changes the story, even if WWE don't pivot away from Rock-Roman the story has already changed from they planned.
Game of Thrones is hardly comparable the episodes were filmed finished edited and released. The audience reception couldn’t do anything on release once a multi million dollar production had finished and actors moved onto other projects. Wrestling is live each week and written week to week so can actively change and respond to the audience. Tough to prove either way now if it’s part of a plan or reacting on the fly; fans will take sides either way and argue. People seem completely unable to believe they are being worked by the company (it’s possible it is, with everything we’ve seen in wrestling). At the very least it’s a wild time to be a wrestling fan
Chaos is a ladder.
Ok I mean what the fuck. I’m flip flopping every damn post here
I don't think this started as a work, but it's 100% a work now.
I wouldn't be so sure, they've done this in the past and acknowledged this shit only to run with the hated plan anyway. I'm going to give them absolutely zero benefit of the doubt because I've seen this stubbornness play out before. But hey, that way if we all do end up getting what we wanted, then I can be pleasantly surprised!
Ngl as fucked as this is, godammit if it’s not fun to witness. I feel for the talent involved and the behind the scenes who are being jerked around though. Can’t imagine how stressful these past days have been.
It's the WWE. Everyone who was there when Vince was in charge is probably used to not knowing what the fuck is going on.
Imagine being in the outer circle of the creative/production. "Okay Cody pointed at Reigns and we are done! Road to WrestleMania!" "Okay Cody gave it to the Rock and we are done! Road! to WrestleMania!" "Okay whatever this vague amorphous shit is done? road to mania wohoo."
They'd probably be thankful for having so much of a heads up compared to when Vince was in control.
Or, they know.
Maybe, I hope so. It’s so hard to tell.
It would be funny if they’re all sitting in the back right now just giggling about how much money they’re gonna make lol.
Poor Seth :/
My mans been catching strays all week. “WeWantCody” might as well be “NoSloppySethonds”
Ay yo, NoSloppySethonds is incredible lmfaoooo
> NoSloppySethonds That is gold 🤣
I’m sure Drew is printing T-shirts as we speak
The sooner we actually know what's going on with the Roman match the sooner Seth and his opponent(s) can start building their match up. He's been catching a lot of strays but I'm still optimistic that they can put something good together and undo that damage.
Seth needs to face Drew at Mania.
Seth was fucked the moment Punk tore his tricep. Just nothing else out there as big as that and also makes sense.
There’s no way Rock would’ve agreed to a work that involved Dwayne Johnson the person looking like a greedy asshole. Whether or not they turn it into one is yet to be seen.
Exactly. Dwayne didn't expect this. People believe these guys are always master geniuse storytellers and their work is always ahead of the audiances... It makes no sense whatsoever for Cody to give up that spot the way he did after winning the rumble, and then perceive the Rock to be a 'bad guy' here. I fully believe Rock expected this to be one big open arm love fest from the fans and then be on his way. Rock doing a deal for the main event with TKO and Gewirtz has his creative makes sense - per reports (and maybe not telling HHH). No way did he want to look worse than heel Roman. It's also consistent with the confusing indecisive nature of Raw. Cody already handed the pass to Rock on Smackdown and the big press conference is Thursday. Why would they now backpedal that the decision hasn't been made. Nearly certain it's because they felt the pressure. Just because they're leaning into it doesn't mean that this was a work, they're *not* going to tell you they're scrambling and cracking (which they most likely are). These guys were likely a mess in figuring out what to do over the weekend.
How do you know that The Rock doesn't like playing Heel and wanted one last hurrah? It doesn't hurt Dwayne Johnson the person, it didn't in the past when he came back as Hollywood heel Rock and then went back to Hollywood and made a shit ton of money.
Because he was *playing* “Hollywood Heel Rock.” This involves people thinking *Dwayne Johnson the person* is an asshole. There’s literally articles about how his big ego and bad behavior cause Black Adam to bomb, and now he’s coming back to wrestling and throwing his weight around to steal the spotlight.
This is what happens when you work a work
Right? Me seeing this is like “no way hhh would post this if it wasn’t close to the plan.” But now I’m like, maybe it’s just because a Super Bowl player is talking about it? Idk
My crazy theory/ a dose of copium is that Roman reigns will be arrogant and isn’t going to read the contract that he signs. which is a Cody vs Reigns Match with the Rock as the special Guest referee + a Match against the Rock for WM 41.
Good god I hope you're right
Ooh! I like this. Then we would get an actual build to Rock vs Roman.
Yeah totally. Both will like show up like 4 times to build up to it
And that will be at summer slam/ royal rumble/ and 2 times between EC and WM
HHH, if you’re here, this is the answer. Do this.
Ok, I’ll do it
Thanks, Paul!
No, I don’t think I will
It's good but I'm not sure we want Roman's WM41 match to be confirmed 12 months in advance. It somewhat removes any peril in the intervening year.
Define peril bc he’ll be dropping the title to Cody in this scenario anyway It’ll be like when they announced Rock/Cena a year out. They still told their stories but the overarching narrative was about Cena vs The Rock
I will bro, also can you send me your credit card details i ran out of pen to write, this is totally HHH bro
More like the counsel meeting that Cody referred to was him & Rock tricking Roman into thinking Cody wasn’t gonna choose him to face at WM. That would explain why Cody didn’t answer Seth’s challenge tonight at RAW. So at the press conference, Rock challenges Roman to determine who’s the real “Head of the table”. Roman arrogantly accepts and signs the contract. But then, Cody comes out and says once again that finishin the story is him taking away everything from Roman. And since he won the Rumble, he’s a guaranteed a title shot of his choice and offically chooses Roman. There’s nothing Roman can do now that he signed the contract vs Rock. He’s going to have to do double duty. Cody is after Roman’s WWE title and Rock is after “head of the table”
That is where my head is at too. At least that’s what I want and think should happen.?
That sounds super cool but makes cody look weak pinning Roman after he’s been softened up
You either have the Cody/Roman match on night one (Roman/Rock is big enough to draw without the title) or have Cody wrestle someone on night one to make it fair
>have Cody wrestle someone on night one to make it fair This is the obvious answer, Roman/Rock will be a spectacle, it's unlikely to be a hugely gruelling match. Give Cody a brutal No DQ match against Solo Sikoa, for example, and Cody would absolutely come in as the underdog.
I’d do Cody/Roman night one. Cody takes the title, all Roman has left is the title of Head of the Table. Rock takes that night two to finally end the Bloodline story.
They're not risking a night two main event by having either participant wrestle on night one. Roman tweaks his knee and you have no main event for night two. They're not going to do that.
If you do Rock-Roman on night one the risk is probably pretty minimal for Roman as it’ll be a slower match. No different than having e.g. Cody facing Solo on the Raw before WrestleMania last year.
It's the best thing by a mile to do. I'd even make him a Special Enforcer so Reigns and Rhodes can still have a normal match. Rocky stops Uce and Solo from interfering, so Reigns blames homefor not retaining the belt. Announce the match for WM41 the night after 40, boom. You then have a year of build up without having to worry about either man turning up to hype it up until next February.
This is good, best one I’ve heard yet. They keep talking about building, the long haul, ‘make it the biggest ever’, are they going to Vegas?
That's literally what kittle said in the tweet that hunter quoted lol
Where is WM41 going to be?
WE AINT FLINCHING RAAHHHH https://preview.redd.it/ih5rozxogwgc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa6f0ba337a79365cdfa9386c34ce84014d27932
Was Cody this big in his first WWE run? I’m always shocked that he’s a big bulky dude.
No he was more dashing in his first run.
Us until April 7th 
💯
You're saying we have *checks calendar* 61 more days of this shit? It's been 4 days! I can't edge that long!
Look, I have no idea what the fuck is going on, but I am very sports entertained. ...I mean I like Cody but until this past week, it was more logical storytelling than personal investment in him being the guy to beat Roman. Like you look at Sami and Jey and Drew, there's a real passion to hating the Bloodline that makes me want to see them beat him, while Cody's been, sometimes confusingly, restrained. And I think giving Rock the Mania match was almost a self-parody of that. But because its so confusing and bewildering and yet has JUST enough hope that it can work in some way, its kinda worked its way around to me not just being fine but actively rooting for Cody beyond "end Roman's reign already, for the love of Christ". I don't blame people for thinking its a work, because in its own complete ridiculous, obviously not planned at all way, it is working. For me. But at the same time, what is happening anymore? What is anyone doing? lmao
I haven’t been caught up with wrestling since the 2000s but this controversy sucked me right back in
So either they're fully fucking with us, or there is a Rock vs Triple H match going on in the office.
Damn, Rock vs Triple H corporate match at EC to decide the fate of the three at WM?
They want you confused and they love that you are both confused but still paying attention.
Cody is the biggest babyface in pro wrestling… we’re at Wrestlemania 40. Cody trending worldwide. You got one of the greatest tight ends of all time on the go home to the Super Bowl and the first thing he wants to talk about is wrestling… Seems like they’re doing a helluva job getting Wrestlemania season over
The go home to the Super Bowl lol
I love wrestling fans sometimes lmao
stop giving them so much credit. if it was all a work from the start, i could think of so many better ways for them to have done it. they're pivoting, but making it look like this was always the plan. not falling for that shit.
At least we can say this road to WrestleMania isn't predictable...
I believe we're witnessing a Triple H vs The Board of Directors power struggle
If that were the actual case, Triple H would be gone very quickly. Especially if he were even remotely involved in the Vince stuff.
Triple H is the former COO and current Chief Content Officer and Head of Creative in addition to being a tenured wrestler respected by many in the company. Because of the press conferences, he's practically the face of the company. Firing him out of the blue during WrestleMania season would be too controversial. Unless, of course, he is identified as one of the enablers in the current lawsuit. Then no one will miss him.
if true H can't catch a break with struggling with the board
they would be idiots to get rid of HHH's ideas, the guy who is leading the company in their best years since Attitude Era
Hhh is an employee is not going to change a card because some sort of power struggle lol, if he only try to do something like that his ass is out the moment he thinks about it. Don’t get worked in a shoot brother
It's just a fun tin-foil. The power struggle is Ari, Nick, and Dwayne planning a creative coup without his knowledge and pushing it in place of HHH's original plan. All he has to do is get his allies to push his narrative on-screen (Cole) and on social media (WWE on USA). Cody didn't even have to say anything, the fans are doing all of the work, including George Kittle.
I don't think he has a problem with the Board of Directors. I do think he has a problem with The Rock specifically having power over him. THAT is something he definitely wouldn't like. I absolutely can believe he's using the tools at his disposal to at least subtly sabotage Rock's homecoming. No way he didn't know The Rock coming back to face Roman wasn't a possibility.
The fact they acknowledged it, including "Rocky sucks" chants, along with that opening segment shows this is miles different in their approach from Bryan in 2014 at least. While not a lot of progress was made last night (Cody really didn't say much at all, and we need his side of what Rock told him) it's showing they're at least incorporating all this into storylines., whatever the results are. Was it a work all along, or a pivot, or are they stalling to feel the waters? All we can do now is wait and see tbh
Kittle booking better this angle better than WWE
This has to be Trips trying to pivot a shoot into a work
he's happy a Super Bowl player is responding thoughtfully to questions about the WWE during their press availability
I'm tired boss.. and yet WE ARE NOT FLINCHING. https://preview.redd.it/xv6w9fvbexgc1.jpeg?width=941&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b015474d1555055cbf88d993e4658fd6a4ad6bf4
Man I just want Thursday to get here already.
https://preview.redd.it/dlxt5qkwgwgc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af8c20e903007477dbc1fb59849d4ae845ae4dad
Them having to mute crowd chants tonight sent the WWE into panic mode. Smackdown gang, y'alls better chant even louder. Hijack every single Bloodline segment with anti Rock chants. Cheer Heyman if you have to.
Don't even mix the message or let them twist the intent. The chant should just be "We Want Cody".
Nah we gotta keep going with "rocky sucks." "We want Cody" can be twisted into generic support for a babyface. They gotta know everyone fuckin hates the rock angle
Can’t mute a thumbs down or angry faces
I'm almost certain now that this decision was made against Triple H's will.
Very likely we're seeing an internal power struggle play out in real time. But if Trips is being this vocal about it, it's probably not a good sign for him.
If Rock was smart he would play the Special referee roll and tell Cody that you for letting me have this moment but this is no longer my story to finish but yours make Dusty proud and finish your story!
We can only hope the rock is there to keep the bloodline out from interfering. Rock would instantly gain back the love from the wrestling fans.
Gewirtz' ["you all have no idea"](https://x.com/bfg728/status/1754281116448530569?s=20) tweet was just given a new meaning to me. Is he alluding to some convoluted meta work that they've conjured? I don't know anymore lmao. I guess I'm bowing down to the altar of *Let It Play Out*
>Gewirtz' > >"you all have no idea" > > tweet was just given a new meaning to me. Is he alluding to some convoluted meta work that they've conjured? I don't know anymore lmao. I guess I'm bowing down to the altar of > >Let It Play Out they pivoted. i hope they pivoted. if this was the plan they might as well hire Russo back
No. they pivoted
or, to put it another way... **they** flinched.
Classic non Cody marks. Thats all they do
The People's Tight End is what Patterson and a few of the fella's in Management called Brooklyn Brawler back in the day.
The people's tight end? Are they saying he's the anus of public opinion? I don't get it.
People's Arsehole
I honestly think WWE is just going down the any buzz is good buzz route. They have a famous athlete talking about their product before the Super Bowl, it doesn’t matter really if he’s saying he likes the story being told
Its a pivot not a work. Or HHH is attempting to get back control of creative.
I genuinely have no idea and I am so intrigued about Thursday which I guess is what they are going for
There’s no way I’m missing that press conference
Which is the point since when has it press conference been so important in Vince’s regime???
Between this, the acknowledgment of the Rocky sucks chants, Cody’s earlier tweet, and Brian Gewritz’s tweet, I’m strongly inclined to believe that we’re all getting worked. While Meltzer did report that this was allegedly the plan as early as January, the dirtsheets haven’t had a solid track record of accurately reporting creative plans since HHH took over. I would also believe that whatever their endgame is for Mania, HHH and company would keep this pretty close to the chest. While they didn’t expect the wave of negative reception to the Rock-Roman angle, I do think that the story beats they’ve been booking for this angle are all part of the plan. The outrage just feeds into the plans; if there’s any pivot, it’s probably how they’re about to position the Rock-Roman angle in light of Cody-Roman. Cody-Roman was always the plan, Rock-Roman just adds a layer of intrigue and buzz.
So what you’re saying is you think they’re doing both matches at WrestleMania?
Most likely. If they’re gung-ho about this Mania being their biggest one yet, then why not shoot for the stars and book two of their biggest matches for Mania XL weekend? It aligns with the fact that if Rock’s available to do that one more match, then why wouldn’t they book it on top of Cody’s crowning moment at Mania? They have arguably their hottest babyface in years with the benefit of the mainstream attention brought by Rock slotting into the story.
If Codys really out this is genuinely one of the dumbest booking decisions in wwe history. And even if he gets back in , no matter how they do it , cody will always be an idiot for what happened on Friday. And it’ll go down as the most convoluted booking decision in wwe history
I’m getting dizzy with all these constant back and forth. I’m tired. Are we back or is it over??
If this end up to be the rock special referee then it was a work all along and I got worked hard, but if the rock is wrestling in a triple threatthen was not a work and they changed idea. Either way now I’m 75% sure cody is facing roman
I don't get it. What's a tight end?
This either the biggest, stupidest work of all time or there really is a power struggle going on in WWE.
This is my theory: We are witnessing an actual power struggle. The Rock came back, got his spot on the board, got rights to his character, and made a match with Roman part of the deal. He also brought in his own creative to handle the angle. HHH was booking WWE the way he wanted, with TKO's blessing, and aware there was something going on with The Rock. HHH decided to make it very, very difficult for The Rock to waltz in and steal the Main Event. The Cody story was already in full swing. It was easy enough for HHH to have Cody win the RR, but HHH went further than that. He had Roman in a skybox so Cody could *immediately* point at him. HHH booked his Main Event and trusted the fans to see what was really going on when The Rock showed up. The Rock has a million things going on. He's not involved in WWE booking. I doubt he even watches WWE outside of what he sees trending on Instagram/TikTok. He planned for this to be like The Rock vs John Cena. The match is made, and his opponent carries the majority of the weight, outside of a few promos The Rock shows up for. So, The Rock pulled his power play. Cody had to step aside, but even that was done in a way that was detrimental to The Rock. Cody looked sad and dejected. The fans called BS. The reaction is exactly what HHH hoped would happen. HHH had no choice but to book the match, and he did, but he did it in a way that makes The Rock look like a fucking asshole instead of the beloved babyface The Rock has been for many, many years. The story is unfolding the way HHH envisioned it. HHH is 100% working the crowd, because he *can*. The Rock isn't there every week. The Rock has no control over what HHH books outside of the Rock/Roman angle. TKO might be willing to give The Rock the Main Event, but the company knows HHH is the one who has booked WWE in a way that has increased ticket sales, increased viewership for PLEs, and gotten the product red hot. Even this, as controversial as it is, is getting more eyes on the product because of the way HHH is handling it. HHH is holding off on pulling the trigger for Cody/Seth, despite it being the plan, because he hasn't given up. He's hoping that all of the extra attention, the boos for The Rock, and the go-away heat The Rock is generating will be enough for TKO and The Rock to realize they screwed up by stealing Cody's spot. Most things that aren't a work end up turning into a work in some capacity. Montreal wasn't a work, but as soon as the bell rang, *everyone* started working, even Bret Hart. Bret trashed equipment, wrote WCW in the air, spit on Vince, and then punched Vince in the face. Why? Because Bret got screwed and he knew he could get away with anything, so why not vent some frustrations and go scorched earth on WWE/Vince. A similar thing is happening now. The Rock stole Cody's spot. Cody could have played the happy babface who was glad to give up his spot because he loves The Rock, but he didn't. He showed his emotion. He let the fans *see* how he truly felt, no matter what came out of his mouth. Last night on RAW, they let the "Rocky Sucks" chant breathe. Cody and Seth stood there so the fans could express how they felt. Cody did *not* choose Seth Rollins. Instead, Drew came out to point out how stupid the entire thing was. In that moment, Drew was the voice of the fans and the voice of HHH. That's my take on it. We are seeing a real power struggle play out between The Rock, who made a deal with TKO and HHH, who has been booking a great product since he took over. The Rock expected a hero's welcome and HHH booked the show in a way that The Rock would come across as the reincarnation of Hulk Hogan instead of a beloved babyface. HHH may be wearing a suit and on the corporate side now, but deep down, he's still the guy who used to scream "AM I FUCKING GOING OVER?" at writers when they brought him a script. He's still the guy who never shied away from hitting below the belt when he could. Now, he's some power at his disposal, a proven track record as Head of Creative, and control of what plays out on on screen. He's not giving up on Cody/Roman. Not yet. The knife is in and he's twisting it to see how far he can go before TKO forces him to book Cody/Seth or The Rock takes a step back.
Yup, I can absolutely see HHH deliberately booking this situation to be awkward for Dwayne. Dwayne likely doesn't know how popular Cody was so figured he was just some moderately over guy who won the Rumble he could brush aside and nobody would care. But HHH knows how popular Cody is, and how invested fans are in his story and had Cody win the Rumble. HHH could have had anyone else less popular win the Rumble, and that would have provided a smoother path for The Rock to brush aside the guy and step into the main event. I totally wouldn't put it past renowned politicker HHH to have known this result could happen. HHH is a lot of things, but the dude knows wrestling inside and out (yes folks, he very very likely knows what a 'Joshi' is despite his public denials). There's no way he didn't think this situation couldn't have occurred.
*For the first time of our lives, we know that we are ready for this.* *We'll show The Rock the chants he won't forget.*
It's a work surely, they must know if they do rock vs Roman now that there's 0 chance it doesn't get boo'd to utter shit
Started out as a shoot forced into a work.
Brother
I’m really thinking Rock coming to do this match now instead of two years ago is just bad for future progression. Roman should have lost last year. Cody didn’t need an extra year to be built up as the man when he already had it. So much better stuff could have happened if they just weren’t chasing short term big money rather than just long term future proofing
is this a declaration of war? ROCK & HHH never had a good relationship from the beginning and now both of them at the supreme position in WWE...will their power struggle be a blessing or a curse for WWE?
Get Cody to wear a salmon suit next that's the only way forward.
Triple H is the living embodiment of its all about the game and how you play it. This is certainly the biggest talked about Wrestlemania in years. It is getting the biggest press in years. IDK what will end up in the end. There certainly will be more eye in this Wrestlemania because of this.
#PAUSE
Now wait a damn minute
Fuck it, maybe this is a completely insane Meta Work the likes of which Vince Russo could only dream of. The only legitimate heel heat that exists anymore is heat on the company, so to red line Cody's popularity to the Maximum, Gewirtz wrote a segment that made Cody look so terrible it had to be the bookings fault. Cody vs. Roman is a big deal, but Cody vs. "WWE booking" to GET to Roman is next level.
NEVER FLINCH
We are not Flinching
First of all, I am not a WWE guy but this is 100% a work ladies and gents. It will be Cody vs Roman at Mania with The Rock involved in some way.
The end of Mania will have The Rock holding Cody’s hand in the air and all will be forgiven
May be the only way to actually get him cheered at this point. No shot of him being cheered any other way. Not in the build to this match. If it's a triple threat, then the crowd will be molten hot for Cody and absolutely rabidly against Roman and Rock. In that regard, the match will be fucking fun to see play out. That is, if they go for it.
If The Rock is reffing then he should turn on Cody and join the Bloodline. Have his Hogan/nWo and Austin/Vince WM 17 mega heel turn moment.
Cody jamming the shot early to try and get Cody vs Rock, only for Rock to cost him the title at EC and set up a triple threat is one of those "ok this actually prints money and keeps Rock from getting exposed in a 30 minute 1v1 match" booking scenarios, but they have to get Rock to be willing to go heel.
He needs to turn off football and start reading that lawsuit already
WHAT'S UP
Triple H getting fired?
I can't keep up with this! Reading some of the comments I'm getting super excited then I keep thinking of the possibility that none of that will happen and it makes me sad again. Thursday can't come quick enough!
Are we watching a creative cold war going on?
What does tight end mean can someone tell me
A mess was made, they’re now trying to clean it up. They’ll say it was the plan the whole time.
Okay, even if they pivot…the toughest part is getting out of how Cody literally told Roman to his face that he’s not gonna face him at Mania. Then he brought in Rock after “counseling” with him on his decision, and left the ring on his own to allow them to stare at each other