Wrestling Thread 8: Follow The Buzzards • Page 1600

Probably worth noting that Cena nearly won the Rumble but got eliminated by Jey. Maybe there’s a little something there with Rock and the Bloodline.

“In the 23 years I’ve been in this business, I know there are different perspectives about my path. But the truth is I’ve never used my opportunities for a spot I haven’t earned," he began.

"Tonight, standing in that ring, I wanted this experience to be a tour of good will. I’ve openly admitted I don’t know how much I have left in the tank, and I just want to do something that would be nice for all of us to get together and have a good time.

"Unfortunately tonight, it dawned on me that that’s not best for business. What is best for business is I main event WrestleMania, and what is best for business is, for the first time, I confidently say that I’m gonna win a 17th championship."

 

That's a great story to tell *within the match* at mania; Cena realizes during it that he can't beat Cody and ultimately accepts Rock's help.

It's not a logical story to be telling moments after he'd just won the chamber.

 

...it wouldn't have mattered?

If Cena is hellbent on main eventing mania and going for 17, he makes the deal with the Rock. He wins? Great hip hip hooray and he has the rock on his side. He loses? Cool, whatever, the Rock makes it a triple threat and he's in the match.

He sold out for the shot. Simple as that.

 

Which he won because Seth illegally stomped Punk and he didn't even hesitate to take advantage of it (a far cry from stuff he's done in the past).

Again, this is so easily answered in a promo. He had the Rock as a Plan B if he lost, but the pettiness of all the other competitors allowed him to win.

 

Rock and Cena on the press conference now - I’m not gonna watch but I’ll be interesting to see what they say

 

I think we’ll get Cena telling the story that it was Rock who let him call his shot to be in the Chamber to begin with. Everyone else in there had to go through a qualifying match to get in first, Cena got to go film a movie and enter into the Chamber fresh and rested.

 

"Why turn on him a month out?"

Because that's what the Rock wants. The Rock wants Cody to suffer. And Cena knows if he doesn't do it the rock can always just say "meh, you're out of the match now" or whatever and make his path to 17 much much harder.

 

Ah well Cena said nothing lol

 

Hogan turn will always be the best one - the crowd reaction was gnarly whereas Cena’s turn while shocking resulted in cheers

 

He was already main eventing by winning the chamber.

Why would any deal he makes with Rock *not involve* helping him win the chamber to begin with? You can't get to step 2 without step 1.

 

I still like the Shield breakup as my favorite one.

 

Because he knows if he loses the Rock snaps his fingers and it's like he won anyway. Literally it's the exact same thing, just with more efficiency lol. That he happened to win is just a nice cherry on top.

 

That’s my favorite too but the bash at the beach undoubtedly is the most shocking one

 

When Rock returned recently, he held up three fingers.

When he did the throat slash, he held up two fingers.

What’s he counting down to?

 

Yeah, Hogans is the best but I wasn't alive for it and fuck hogan, so I kinda just don't care about it personally haha

 

Dave you were definitely alive

 

Didn’t Meltzer have the scoop before it happened?

 

Even the hand sign -turned-.

 

Dirt sheets were not as well known and everyone wasn’t on the internet in 1996. I also don’t think Meltzer called the one right out, but Hogan was listed among the possible 3rd men. Meltzers old newsletters were a lot more conjecture than the absolute confirmed rumors we have nowadays.

 

I mean maybe but I was also 10 years old watching it and I wasn’t logging online at that point lol

 

Fine, I was 7 and not watching wrestling yet lol

 

Being 7 when Hogan turned was wild. Hogan was my first exposure to wrestling and seeing him turn was just the craziest thing I’d ever seen. It was also one of maybe 5-10 PPVs my family ever ordered so it was a big deal lol

 

Man I'm so glad I got back into wrestling this year, that was a fucking blast

"Go fuck yourself" actually got a visceral reaction from me lmao, I did not expect that at all

 

Yeah, Seth is the best modern one for sure. And what followed was creating a star that WWE badly needed when Roman fucked it up.

Arguably Prince Devitt is next on the list in modern heel turns; how much of the current star power in the game is propped up by Bullet Club being the new NWO kinda cool. Balor in NXT is big. AJ being able to debut in WWE as a star. Bucks/Kenny/Cody creating AEW. WHich is a little funny cause he formed a group with 3 of the shittiest sidekicks known to wrestling.