WWE SuperThread II *Spoilers*

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Is it just me, or does Emma look like WWE's version of "The Cleaner" Kenny Omega?

 

[Chief_Chujo]

You gotta feel for Bray. Hopefully the injury isn't longterm.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Evolve announced 2 WWE World Cruiserweight Series qualifying matches that will be on an upcoming PPV:

- Drew Gulak vs. Tracy Williams

- Fred Yehi vs. TJ Perkins

It would be interesting if Perkins qualifies, as that would be another long term TNA guy wrestling matches for WWE. (He was Suicide / Manik from when the character was relaunched, and Puma back in the very early days).

 

[Big Pete]

Yeah, TJ possibly did himself a huge favour by going under a different gimmick so he isn't branded as a TNA guy. Even so, the WWE have shown in the past year they don't mind promoting ex-TNA talent. TNA are knocking on death's door-step so the WWE don't feel the least bit hesitant to promote (in their eyes) a second class organisation.

It wouldn't surprise me if TJ won. He's undergone something of a makeover on recent Evolve shows and would certainly have his share of admirers.

I personally think he's a really underrated worker. He's versatile and unlike a lot of indy talent his matches aren't necessarily a series of high spots which can becoming numbing after the third or forth match.

 

[Misanthrope]

Is it just me, or does Emma look like WWE's version of "The Cleaner" Kenny Omega?

You need your eyes checked. No way I'd put it in Kenny Omega.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Yeah, TJ possibly did himself a huge favour by going under a different gimmick so he isn't branded as a TNA guy. Even so, the WWE have shown in the past year they don't mind promoting ex-TNA talent. TNA are knocking on death's door-step so the WWE don't feel the least bit hesitant to promote (in their eyes) a second class organisation.

It wouldn't surprise me if TJ won. He's undergone something of a makeover on recent Evolve shows and would certainly have his share of admirers.

I personally think he's a really underrated worker. He's versatile and unlike a lot of indy talent his matches aren't necessarily a series of high spots which can becoming numbing after the third or forth match.

To be fair, with the exception of some Mexican dates & HOH matches he did, Perkins for his TNA run worked the indy's and Evolve as either TJP or TJ Perkins. Suicide / Manik was a pretty bog ordinary gimmick once the TNA video game got out of the public eye, so I don't blame Perkins for preferring to work under his name.

And I agree, he is a very good worker, and equally home as a face or heel which is something not a lot of guys can do.

You need your eyes checked. No way I'd put it in Kenny Omega.

I'd say you would be the one getting something put in you Bushy...

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Here's something we haven't heard of in a while - Wellness Policy violations. Adam Rose & Konnor both failed for a 2nd time, so that's 60 days with no pay (and probably no new contract once it expires).

 

[Misanthrope]

I feel for Adam Rose. The guy oozes charisma and wasn't an awful worker, but they brought him up with absolutely no plan for him.

 

[Parra Pride]

It could've been worse, at least he wasn't Kizarny.

[youtube]IZWfyyUvgFw[/youtube]

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Evolve announced 2 WWE World Cruiserweight Series qualifying matches that will be on an upcoming PPV:

- Drew Gulak vs. Tracy Williams

- Fred Yehi vs. TJ Perkins

It would be interesting if Perkins qualifies, as that would be another long term TNA guy wrestling matches for WWE. (He was Suicide / Manik from when the character was relaunched, and Puma back in the very early days).

The qualifying matches to be held by PROGRESS in the UK are:

- Zack Sabre Jr. Vs. Flash Morgan Webster

- Jack Gallagher vs. Pete Dunne

I feel for Adam Rose. The guy oozes charisma and wasn't an awful worker, but they brought him up with absolutely no plan for him.

The problem Rose had was that, after being so popular in NXT with the gimmick, it just didn't translate into the bigger arenas. He was in OVW, FCW, and NXT as Leo Kruger in a gimmick that no-one wanted to get behind in WWE while liking the worker, so once the new gimmick got over he was hot shotted to the main roster. Same issue that Tyler Breeze is experiencing at the moment.

 

[Big Pete]

It's been a minute, but if memory serves, didn't the Adam Rose gimmick struggle to translate?

In our culture, it's easy for us to get behind a gimmick like Rose but it seemed like the US were cold on him the moment he opened his mouth.

I'm not sure what people were expecting with Breeze to be honest. He was always a JTTS (jobber to the stars) under that gimmick and in much bigger pool was a good chance of drowning.

He probably deserved a push, but it was always going to end up like this.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

There was a time where Breeze was actually the top heel in NXT, before the influx of TNA & Japanese talent. He built that gimmick up, and it suited NXT. But like the Rose gimmick, it suited the smaller smart crowd in NXT rather than the everyday audience at Raw or SmackDown.

The problem was that once Breeze got moved to the main roster, he became subject to being booked by a team (Vince) who debuted him on SmackDown with some of the worst pre-taped vinegettes seen in recent memory, and then made him a secondary character to Summer Rae in her feud with Dolph Ziggler. Not a great way to get over with the crowd.

 

[Misanthrope]

I'm talking about Rose's Leo Kruger days. Much more fun than the destined to amount to nothing party boy gimmick.

Breeze could have been huge if he hadn't been immediately treated like a jobber. He had the look, the in-ring ability, and the promo. He reminded me of Miz, but without years of frustrating booking to diminish his credibility.

 

[lafai]

So what was the point of Shane McMahon vs The Undertaker since Shane's been allowed to run Raw anyway? They really need to make Undertakers matches actually count since he rarely wrestles and next Wrestlemania could be his last.

 

[Big Pete]

I'm not knocking Breeze but by the time he was called up he was just putting guys over. He deserved better, a lot of guys do but he was never going to be huge. Not in the land of the giants at least.

I don't think the Kruger gimmick had any legs to it. It wasn't getting that strong of a response and he seemed to flounder in developmental. It's debatable whether it was a better gimmick than Adam Rose, all I know is that it seemed like the WWE were desperate to give him a shot. The Rose hype gave them that excuse and it burnt out extremely quickly.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

I'm talking about Rose's Leo Kruger days. Much more fun than the destined to amount to nothing party boy gimmick.

Breeze could have been huge if he hadn't been immediately treated like a jobber. He had the look, the in-ring ability, and the promo. He reminded me of Miz, but without years of frustrating booking to diminish his credibility.

The problem with the Kruger gimmick is that it floundered despite being a multi time FCW Champion (even losing the title to Mike Dalton - the future Tyler Breeze) before going on to that awful Truth Commission knockoff.

In the Rose gimmick they had something which was red hot in NXT, but had only been there less than 6 months before moving it to the main roster, so no-one knew how it would pan out long term.

 

[the_flight_of_the_magpie]

Bray Wyatt got injured during a house show in Italy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwFgdeYerak

 

[Misanthrope]

The Kruger gimmick needed refining, for sure. He had a great creepy charisma though that would have been fun if he'd been able to work out how to get it across.

Happy go lucky party guy might get drunk frat boys excited, but it was never going to spell another more than jobber.

 

[Big Pete]

Oh yeah he used to really get under my skin as Kruger. Even guys like Bray, Papa Shango and Goldust couldn't get that type of reaction out of me. The only guy who comes close is Kamala on some of the old Memphis and WCCW tapes I've seen.

Do any of these recent NXT call-ups have a chance? Where abouts should they be on the card?

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Enzo Amore & Colin Cassidy are probably the guys with the best shot. They have been over a long time in NXT despite never holding the tag belts there. They still have one member to debut yet in their valet Carmella. Most of all they are a unique act and can go when they want to.

The Vaudvillans, they're in trouble. It is a very niche gimmick, and it appears they are heels despite coming off a very successful face run in NXT. I can see creative having nothing for these guys quickly, much the same way as Los Matadores.

Apollo Crews - he's a bit of a wildcard. As Uhaa Nation in the indies, this guy could do it all. If you needed an early card spot monkey match, he was your man. If you needed a toe to toe brawl, he was your man. If you needed a 20+ minute heavyweight bout, well you get the drift. At the moment, they are booking him as the spot monkey and his gimmick has always been "he's just happy to be here". That really wasn't getting over in NXT, and without something serious he will probably turn into another Adrian Neville.

Baron Corbin I think will be given a decent push, since Vince likes big guys. Problem is, he has the personality of a sponge and comes across just as threatening. Unless something really clicks for him before the end of the year, he will probably either be back in NXT or full time jobbing.