Maybe there's lewds somewhere in here.

RP BBC pics driving traffic

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/fcuGZvHFlv">pic.twitter.com/fcuGZvHFlv</a></p>&mdash; Rob Naylor (@NINaylor) <a href="https://twitter.com/NINaylor/status/1748321127942775177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

For people who missed it, Nic Nemeth bypassed AEW and chose to go to TNA.

I saw a clip of Bryan Alvarez wearing a cap for his podcast. Is he also balding, or is he just doing it to help Dave cover up?

Every time I see this post I read it as "Nic Nemeth passed away"

Fucking wild week for WWE. Rock on the TKO board, huge! WWE to Netflix, massive! The turd Vince took on a staff member, immense.

Brock being implicated feels like it changed the Mania card. Frankly this coming out may change the Mania card by keeping Rock off of it.

Slim Jim aren't the only ones passing around meat sticks.

I watched some TNA recently. YouTube clips, since I’m not sure if TNA is any better off than AEW in terms of Australian exposure. It looked…good. Nothing blow-away, but I could watch more.

They actually try to work matches over there. It wasn’t just choreographed flips. They try and honor the basics. I’m not sure if they still do cinematic matches over music videos and have murder and all that on their show. That would turn me off.

Josh Alexander and Will Ospreay had a cracking match. They even tried to incorporate a table organically. And they made a point of the referee using their discretion to keep the match going.

I dunno, I’m rooting for TNA. More so than lazy AEW anyway.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ref usually don’t see anything. What are the odds lol 😂 <a href="https://t.co/9LtHHTFnvD">pic.twitter.com/9LtHHTFnvD</a></p>&mdash; RagingGirlGam3r (@RagingGirl88) <a href="https://twitter.com/RagingGirl88/status/1751448419170685081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Dolph Ziggler passed away. Nic Nemeth rose from the ashes.

Now that he's in TNA, there's still time to change to white gear, bring a bicycle pump, and have music that only plays while he moves (old "Dig Duggler" joke that nobody here even remembers).

In a sentiment I've stated elsewhere:

It's pretty wild that Naomi's return was bolstered by acknoledgement that she was, in fact, a former TNA's women's champion... and then a few spots later, CURRENT TNA ladies* champ Jordynne Grace shows up.

Just a decade ago, AJ Styles had to go to NJPW to wash the proverbial "stink" of TNA off of him before heading to WWE and any iteration of TNA and/or Impact was "persona non grata". Now, we just have folks from the promotion just able to show up on a PPV without a backalley trade (that thing where there was a one-night swap for Christian for Ric Flair) or pretending they just fell off the planet the entire time they were working there (up to and including the time RVD showed up in both places the same week).

*I actually accidentally wrote " ladie's " and considered not correcting it. Maybe might do it on purpose in the future.

I think the kids are saying that Triple H is "cooking." Perhaps that should have been his gimmick instead of The Rock.

That's in a parallel universe. The same universe where Owen Hart became The Game.

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I get the meme is "LOL TNA", but I've been tangentially looking that way through the years. They're trying. They're actually trying. It's been slow and steady and they've made a lot of headway since the whole "Broken Matt is keeping the corpse of the company alfoat" days. It took other people attempting (primarily NWA and AEW) for them to finally stop trying to out WWE the WWE. Their top stars - in spite of mostly technically being castoffs from elsewhere like MOOSE from RoH and Steve Maclin(Cutler) from NXT, and Josh Alexander growing from former tag partner of Ethan Page to quite possibly their biggest homegown talent since they days of pushing guys like Matt Morgan and Hernandez.

It has become a lot more tolerable while nobody was looking. There's still shit that is pretty "meh", but unfortunately that is everywhere anymore. Feels weird that rebranding back to TNA is, to them, a step forward... but aside from that, they seem to be doing more earnestly what AEW was supposed to be doing before TK decided to try to convince everyone that everything is great! :ding:

Yeah, nothing is really blowing me away, but it’s way better than AEW, which is so self-assured even though it is just white noise. And looking away for a long time has actually helped.

The rebranding is not something I thought I would be behind, but I guess there are young adults and wrestlers now who have known TNA their entire lives. It’s weird to think of it as having some sort of nostalgia value.

@Noid what do you think of The Rock now? Been interested to hear your thoughts on the matter and you haven't come to the new forums....

The Rock being back in any capacity is sort of surreal. You don’t get performers like him and we’re spoilt to have him back. I think it’s cute some fans still take wrestling serious enough that they’re invested enough to get this bent out of a shape of a perceived sleight against Cody not having the biggest match at Mania.

I’d have Cody cut a promo on Seth about their history and how Cody can see the moves if he chose Roman. Paul Heyman would call the same number Seth has always had and The Shield would band together at least for one night to make sure Cody doesn’t win the belt. So Cody has to give Seth his main event, and he kind of hates him for that.

As for Roman/Rock, I do hope the match over-delivers. I’d honestly be happy for Rock to win.

I have seen some non-rassling fans or casual rassling fans post on Facebook about how they are excited about The Rock, so I get it... but yeah, a lot of the more "serious" rassling fans are upset...

Personally I don't care about Cody being "slighted" because I still don't like the guy that much... but I do care about the whole Roman story and feel "so bad" that it was "so hot" last year and had a potential "perfect end" with Zayn beating Roman at WM.... but then Cody got the shot instead and didn't win, and then the entire Bloodline story and everyone involved was cooled down to the point where a potential Cody/Roman rematch was just "Ugh, just end it and have Cody win"

A Rock/Roman match does have the potential to get some heat back, but I honestly wouldn't be happy for a Rock win... would just totally derail any potential "star making moment" that beating Roman would have. Which, to be fair, has already been derailed a good deal by randomly making another World Title and cooling the whole story down.

Also, Cody/Seth really have to turn around their feud/match with some good promos. Rollins cut a good promo on RAW hyping up his phony title belt.... but then Roman quite easily (verbally) eviscerated Rollins and his title on SD... and Cody comes out and doesn't really disagree with him and says the title he wants is Roman's.... but now he will go away.

So hopefully on RAW Cody can actually talk up Rollins' title a little bit and at least TRY to make it seem like he actually does want it.

Very interested to hear how the "smarkish" WM crowd would respond to a Rock/Roman match....

Would be "cool" if out of all this we get heel Corporate Rock sticking around a bit

The video packages for Rock and Roman are going to be out of this world good. There’s a story there that people have been begging to get basically every year since this Roman stuff started. This is what the whole Bloodline thing was leading up to.

Cody was likely never going to get it. They’ll always find a reason to move past him. You don’t get to smash the throne and get away with it.

On Seth/Cody: I think they should make it about Seth and Cody’s history, going back to NXT when Dusty was there. Seth is obsessed with Cody and has something he needs to prove. If Cody chose Roman, Seth would have screwed him. “You’re goddamn right I would have.” It becomes about a match both guys feel they need to win — Cody to validate himself as the man who can be the business and establish a new belt for Netflix and the future. Seth because Cody just beats him constantly. Both men can use the “I need to beat you” line.

I don't really watch anymore and I think it's pretty stupid Cody gave up the shot for some reason.

Also Romans belt represents 2 belts right?

Why don't they have Roman defend the WWE title against Cody and the universal title against the Rock?

As someone who only tuned in to last years WM I was hoping after beating the Uso's Sami would win the Rumble this year and take down Roman.

I'm not a huge fan of Cody but this swerve doesn't make sense.

Yeah, I was hoping they would use the year to build up Sami as a "legit" contender.... instead they cooled him off to the point where he could enter number 30 in the Rumble and only last two minutes and no one would care.

Once CM punk was injured in the Rumble they should have called an audible to have him win it. Then he gives his speech on Monday.

Roman gloats on Smackdown and then the Rock comes out.

This is genius creative leading to a Triple Threat at Mania where fall one is for the belt and fall two is for the moniker of Head of the Table.

They’ve put Cody over more by “cucking” him than by any other booking choice they’ve made. Even fans that were indifferent about Cody vs. Roman II are on the #WeWantCody bandwagon.

Let’s go back 10 years to Mania 30 where they setup for Batista vs. Orton and we demanded Bryan.

10 years further back and we had HHH vs HBK but we wanted <s>Benoit</s>.

And another 10 years with the Bret/Luger/Yoko deal.

It’s a Mania tradition at this point.

I don’t want a Triple Threat. At least when it comes to Rock/Roman/Cody.

Zero chance they make it a triple threat. The Rock and Roman in a match will absolutely only be one on one. We won't really know if they're going to correct their mistake until the press conference on Thursday.

The Rock needs to challenge Roman for the Head of the Table at WM 41 in Las Vegas next year and also, say that when it comes to the WWE Championship at WM 40, that is Cody's story to finish.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="ro" dir="ltr">From WCW Pro in October 1995 - Dusty Rhodes convinces Chris Cruise &amp; Larry Zbyszko that he can translate Morse code during Cobra’s entrance. <a href="https://t.co/ZxHTKAnVil">pic.twitter.com/ZxHTKAnVil</a></p>&mdash; Deep Cuts - a WCW Tribute Account (@DeepCutsWCW) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeepCutsWCW/status/1754855821798699194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Rock raising Cody’s hand in Philly would be quite poetic given the finish to the 2015 Royal Rumble.

Would be perfect if The Rock's involvement is preventing Solo and Jimmy from interfering in the match, but nothing further so Cody's win is "clean." Thus kicking off the year long build between Roman and The Rock for Head of the Table at WM 41 in Las Vegas.

One positive from Smackdown is I think The Rock's new shirt is sick.

Cody to attack and injure Rock at the press conference and sign the contract himself.

Rock, as the People’s Champ, hears what the people are saying and what they want and gives the title match back to Cody. We get night one Cody vs Roman for the belt, Rock vs Roman for “Head of the Table”. Roman loses both, world collapses, goes on hiatus for 6 months. Seth doesn’t need to be in the main event, was only there for Punk.

Those are 2 different options, not one following on from the other.

If I could determine when Rock wrestles — something like that is ideal to me. If not Mania 41, you can boost Night of Champions, Money in the Bank or SummerSlam with Rock/Roman.

I think this is what they might do, minus the attack part. Rock listens to the people, Cody listens to the people. They’ve got a problem. They both want WrestleMania. Why not do both?

Cody challenges for the belt night 1. Rock raises his arm. Night 2 is Rock and Roman in the personal issue. That one breaks down and the finish sees Cody blasting Roman with the belt into a Rock Bottom.

WWE sends the message that both men are heroes and can pretend this was clever architecture to get both main events signed and delivered and not a messy wave they managed to somehow ride into shore.