OORick
We Run 
Posts 3656
Registered 12-27-2001 Location - The Birthplace of Aviation Member Is Offline Mood: Flyered Up
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| posted on 6-18-2017 at 08:34 PM |
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PPV DISCUSSION: SD presents Money in the Bank 2017
Looks like WWE is confidently running with a 5-match PPV card tonight, which means they have a pretty high bar set for the two titular Ladder Matches,
which essentially sucked up the brand's compelling male and female talent, leaving slim pickings for the rest of th show.
I mean, the tag title match is gonna be solid. But beyond that, you've got Jinder Mahal defending the WWE Title in what is the second-most
"must-not-see" title match of the last decade (trailing only last month's, where he was challenging for said title). And you've got Lana
in a Women's Title match, in what is right down there with Mahal challenging for a title last month (given both her absolute lack of in-ring
credibility, and the fact that WWE believes she is a heel, where as the low-brow rasslin' crowd just wants her to be the hot chick who is
slightly more naked than all the other ones).
Let that all sink in, and then let's all agree that the less said, the better; Ladder Matches make everything better! Here's the full
card:
AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin (MitB Ladder Match)
Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Carmella vs. Tamina (MitB Ladder Match)
The Usos vs. the New Day (Tag Title Match)
Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton (WWE Title Match)
Naomi vs. Lana (Women's Title Match)
Hype Bros vs. Colon Bros (Kickoff Match)
I have no clue who will or should win the main event, but I'm fascinated to find out, and am sure it'll be one hell of a match, to boot. I
think WWE is content to let this be a Summer of Experimentation with the WWE Title (Mahal vs. Cena? Orton vs. Corbin?), but the Briefcase will be the
chess piece that puts us back on a safe course to some sort of WrestleMania 34 awesomeness. Any one of AJ/Shin/Zayn/Owens would turn a cash-in into
instant return to relevance for the WWE Title, with any number of WM Dream Matches possible. Owens would be the most fun to watch be a dick about
having the briefcase, but Styles or Nakamura would blow the roof off the joint to a greater degree at the time of the actual cash-in.
WWE has danced around doing the Naomi vs. Carmellsworth feud to the fullest (Carmella holds wins over the champ, but it's never blossomed into a
whole big PPV-worthy thing)... the question becomes: if she's the STORYline nemesis to Naomi, does she need the briefcase to justify her
contender-ship? The MitB Holder is someone who continues to go about his or her business, until such time as they decide to cash it in, and NOT
someone who already has the attention of the champ. Personally, I think you can do Naomi vs. Carmellsworth for SummerSlam, already, and the Briefcase
should be somewhere else.... but I get it, if that's the way WWE decides to go (much like Owens, they'd be a heat machine just by bragging
on the briefcase every week).
If not Carmella, then Charlotte, right? That could be interesting, because the perception would definitely be "The Most Inevitable Successful Cash In
of All Time." And you could have all kinds of options if you do the opposite (Charlotte experiencing any sort of prolonged failure would break the
space-time continuum; would it humanize her and turn the current "cheers out of respect" into "cheers out of fondness"? Or just make her more evil
than ever?).... dark horse: Nattie, who could use the briefcase as a narrative hook that she's got one last shot to prove she belongs, and
anything short of a title reign is unacceptable. Depending on the precise presentation, that works both as a heel or as a babyface....
Usos/New Day will, indeed, both rock. New Day just cruising in and taking the belts seems.... anti-climactic. Obvious. There will be a title change at
some point (SummerSlam would be fine), and one more run as champs before you actually have to break-up the New Day, but that point isn't
tonight.
I'll roll the dice on Mahal to retain. I didn't think WWE was silly enough to put the strap on him just so they could point and giggle
"Gotchya" at everybody, but they did. And now that they did, they're stuck with trying to squeeze some -ade out of that lemon; anything else,
and they might as well send us all cards saying, "Sorry for wasting 2 months of your life with that, but we were clearly in the wrong." And WWE
doesn't do that.
Mahal will get till at least SummerSlam before WWE feels they have to do anything, and if they have any vague belief that it's starting to work
by then, they'll keep kicking the can down the road, hoping Mahal can JBL his way to
finally-no-longer-being-ratings-kryptonite-about-6-months-after-WWE-inexplicably-pushed-him. WWE is making a big deal about a bunch of legends showing
to support Randy in his effort to bring the title back to the USofA, or something. They're led by Randy's dad (Cowboy Bob), but will also
include Ric Flair, Sgt. Slaughter, Greg Gagne, and some other AWA-specific names. They should provide a few promos/etc. to fill up some time ont he
5-match card, and could play a role in the outcome of the main event (poor, emotionally-complex Randall forced to decide between protecting his dad
and winning a match? whatever shall he do?)...
Naomi should beat Lana. But will she? After last month, I'm only 98% sure. My guess is WWE feels good enough about Lana's in-ring work at
NXT house shows to turn her into more of an active wrestler, but they're miscalculation in terms of her character and presentation are mighty,
and until that is recalibrated, I'd really prefer they not try anything zany.
Hype Bros win on the pre-show. Short of a full-on Mojo heel turn against his little buddy, there's no other way. [Not that the opening
isn't there. Zack goes away, and Mojo wins the Andre Battle Royale, and has tangled with the WWE Champion, and now, his reward is back to the
tag division? Not cool, bro!]
In a mild deviation, Mike Bennett and Maria are skipping NXT, entirely, in order to debut on the SD brand this week. The debut was expected for
Tuesday, last I heard, but suddenly, a lot of people are talking about something happening with them tonight. We'll see...
That's all I got. Your turn.
Rick
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the goon
Sister Act 
Posts 6280
Registered 3-13-2004 Location Charlotte, NC Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-18-2017 at 09:00 PM |
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Cant's say I'm too excited for tonight's PPV outside of the MITB matches, so this may be one of those shows where I tune in later
and then fast-forward through the stuff I don't care about.
My picks:
Men's Money In The Bank Match: I think Baron Corbin is the obvious pick, as you can just go by process of elimination: AJ and Nakamura
don't need the briefcase, I doubt Owens will be US champ and have the briefcase at the same time, Ziggler will probably never be a threat to the
WWE title again, and Zayn, while maybe a dark horse pick, just doesn't strike me as being in the WWE's world title plans in the near
future. So I'm going with Corbin.
Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton: If the WWE wanted me to care even less about a WWE title feud than Orton/Wyatt, they succeeded. I just cannot get
behind WWE champion Jinder Mahal in the slightest, though I do think Rick is right that he's going to hold the belt until at least SummerSlam.
So I'm picking Jinder to win, with the bonus prediction of Rusev being the one to cost Orton the match.
Women's Money In The Bank Match: Hopefully the ladies come out and put on a kickass match here, as the talent is definitely there to make
it happen. I also like how wide open the field is, as I could see any of the five women involved winning. So you can flip a coin here, but I'm
gonna pick Carmella as the "surprise" winner (though I do like Rick's idea about Natty winning and would be fine with that).
The Usos vs New Day: I absolutely love the heel Usos right now (Bray Wyatt take note: this is how you change and evolve a character), but
it's kind of hard to bet against New Day in their debut Smackdown match. So I'll pick them to win the belts tonight, though I really hope
I'm wrong about that.
Naomi vs Lana: I haven't caught much of Lana since her return to TV, but it's kind of hard to imagine her capturing the Smackdown
women's title here. Which probably means it's going to happen, though I'm still picking Naomi to win.
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Gobshite
The Great One 
Posts 3383
Registered 1-30-2004 Location Right here, in Birmingham, England!! Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-18-2017 at 09:03 PM |
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The dirt sheets are reporting Bennett and Maria are in town, so an appearance at tonight's show is highly possible. I doubt they'll go
with "The Miracle" but having Maria return and introduce him might be used
To kill 10-15 minutes if they're short on time.
I'd open with Orton/Mahal here. Crowd will likely pop for Orton, and can say that they've done it so the MITB winner can't cash in
tonight. Even if it doesn't open, I'd have this before the MITB match. Mahal retains, he'll keep it till summerslam at least...
Lana/Naomi - I like that they're playing up "Lana doesn't deserve this". She occasionally had a female bodyguard in NXT, either the
bodyguard or Rusev return to help her get the victory, and we could move forward with a very undeserving champ vs the uncrowned champ in most
people's minds, Charlotte. I feel a little bad that Naomi doesn't get an extended title run as a result of this, but she got to win at
Mania, so my heart doesn't exactly bleed for her.
Uso's / New Day- Uso's retain. Hype Bros get the summerslam tag title match, and that's where Mojo turns on Ryder.
Lady Ladders: I'd have either Natalya or Carmella win it. An interesting story for either, you can have Ellsworth as the briefcase lackey or
Natalya usingnit for one last run of greatness.
Left field prediction: What if Charlotte wins it, and cashes in AFTER the advertised main event of Mania 34, thus technically giving us the first ever
Women's Main Event Mania? If they go with Brock/Roman everyone's going to shit on it anyway, imagine if as Romans celebrating Charlotte
storms out and demands a match right there and then? Doesn't have to be long, and you could do a mid show beat down of the champ so
they're already weak...
Mens Ladders: Sami Zayn. It's been 6 years since Bryan did the "won the briefcase, over thinks about when to cash it in, doesn't want to
do it in a sneaky way but ultimately does" thing. It worked wonders for Bryan, let's try it again.
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CM Crunk
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1675
Registered 7-20-2011 Location Unstuck frOOm Time Member Is Offline Mood: Unpresidented
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| posted on 6-18-2017 at 10:50 PM |
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Oof. I'm looking forward to tonights show not because I'm excited for it, but because I have nothing else planned besides watching Silicon
Valley and John Oliver. AND I'll jump on any excuse to stay out of the 115 degree heat. Not that I'm not jazzed for the ladder matches,
but this show and *ahem* Great Balls of Fire couldn't be hitting at a lower nadir in my enjoyment of WWE's mainstream product. I
haven't felt this ambivalent since Mike Adamle was GM. No vitriol about it, just a veritable pantful of meh. A metaphorical diaper full o'
dysphoria if you wheel.
Expanded upon from the Pick 'Em thread:
Jinder Mahal - If they're deadset on making Jinder Mahal a thing, then I don't see any reason why they'd just hotshot the
title back onto Randy. Barring any sort of brilliant and/or drastic change to his character, I don't think Randy ever needs the title again.
Jinder wins, because because, but what actually does pique my interest about this match (and Naomi/Lana) is their placements on the card to their
respective MiTB matches. Which leads me to...
AJ Styles - An excellent case (hiyooo!) could be made for just about every participant in this match. KO with the case AND the US Title would
be sublime; moody-ass metal lunkhead Baron Corbin would be entertaining as the big talk, finicky "right place, right time, and on my terms"
shithead; Gobshite hit the nail on the head in regards to Sami; Nakamura doesn't need the case; and then there's Dolph...
...
Not knowing the order of the card, I'm going with AJ and hoping for a same night cash in on Jinder Mahal. It's entirely within the realm
of possibility that the Mens MiTB could open the show to give the Womens MiTB some added prestige. Plus, you probably don't want two different
people running around with briefcases, and muddying the waters with tease cash-ins all the time. If Jinder and Randy are closing the show, we'll
have to expect some shenanigans. If it doesn't then I'm going with KO or Corbin.
The Usos I think New Day could take a loss here. They're practically bulletproof at this point right? I feel like we're looking at
some sort of inadvertent interference from The Fashion Popo. Maybe while tracking down a lead or some such enjoyable nonsense. Throw in American Alpha
as the perps and we can build to a 3 or 4 way Tag Title match at Summerslam.
Natalya I'm torn between Nattie and Carmella. I think if you want to get the most mileage out of your first Women's MiTB, then you
have to go with a heel winning. They're always the more compelling winners of these things (see: Rings, Kings of the) but whereas Carmella and
Ellsworth would probably be your best for obnoxious briefcase related hijinx, I think (or rather, would hope) that they'd give Natty the honors
of being the first winner.
I'm not looking forward to the inevitably terrifying moonsault that Charlotte's going to do off the top of a ladder. Fock.
Naomi I guess? Naomi hasn't convinced me as a top level performer, and Lana's just...well, we'll see if she has anything up
her sleeve besides the Natasha Fatale impression.
Hype Bros Sure, why not? I'm pulling for a Zack Ryder heel turn.
[Edited on 6/18/2017 by CM Crunk]
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First 9
The Rowdy One
Posts 2374
Registered 1-22-2013 Member Is Offline Mood: Doing the Emma Dance
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| posted on 6-18-2017 at 11:37 PM |
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Back when they had RAW and SD briefcases. They always had one stretch it out and the other cashining quickly. And most of the time they had 1 face and
1 heel.
So with that in mind, I'll go with Carmella winning the women's briefcase and quickly cashing in and Sami Zayn freaking everybody out and
winning but holding off on cashing in for a good while.
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DKBroiler
SpeciASSl CUMedian 
Posts 1515
Registered 1-25-2008 Location One Inch Right of Philly on a Map Member Is Offline Mood: Old
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:07 AM |
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Someone is gonna get maimed in this match. Good luck ladies!
Braun Strowman guy.
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CM Crunk
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1675
Registered 7-20-2011 Location Unstuck frOOm Time Member Is Offline Mood: Unpresidented
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:08 AM |
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Welp. Women's MiTB opening the show. Make of that what you will for the outcome of Naomi/Lana.
ETA:
quote:
Originally posted by DKBroiler
Someone is gonna get maimed in this match. Good luck ladies!
James Beauregard Ellsworth sends his regards. But seriously, I'm really hoping Charlotte doesn't do a moonsault off of a ladder. Shits
scary enough and potentially Sid-worthy even under the tamest of circumstances.
ETA2: According to Byron Saxton, Kamala has 2 victories under his belt against Charlotte. #TIL
[Edited on 6/19/2017 by CM Crunk]
[Edited on 6/19/2017 by CM Crunk]
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Flash
The Great One
Posts 3364
Registered 4-22-2005 Location Ontario, Canada Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:12 AM |
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Yeah, tonight seems underwhelming at best; and everything that is wrong with the current brand split at worst...
*I hope Owens doesn't win the MITB.... not because I don't love him, but because I do love everything that the guy does... The MITB has a
way of turning it's holder into a lame duck that doesn't shit or get off the pot, and I think it hurts guys to wait for so long to can in.
Corbin feels like exactly the kind of guy that the WWE would love to do that with, so he's my pick... but in saying that, the WWE does seem to
be trying some new things this Summer; so Zayn feels like the perfect guy to elevate a bit with the win, but also a guy that they can have fail at his
cash in without hurting him too badly.
*Charlotte is your likely lady MITB winner... I'd like it if the WWE could spread the love around a bit more, but they've clearly got a
lot of love for Flair's daughter, and she embodies that heel persona enough that while for reasons stated above I don't like the MITB
concept that much, at least with a lady holding it there might be a fresh feel.... If Charlotte wins I really hope she doesn't cry at the end;
that's getting old. Tamina could be a cool win too... that kind of I could destroy you at any point vibe she already has coupled with the now I
can do it legally bit could be fresh.
*Yeah... Jinder probably wins; just can't bring myself to care... I think if the WWE is smart they'd maybe start looking at ways to build
up a triple threat for the SD title match for Summer Slam... Jinder doesn't feel like he can carry his end of things as a draw, so a triple
threat would be a good fix.
*The tag stuff... The New Day have been hyped and coming in and taking the titles would put a WWE cash cow back in a prominent position, but I think
you can do the same by having them lose to the Usos as well; which would build some drama and make their win at say Summer Slam a bigger deal.
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Cherokee Jack
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1453
Registered 2-24-2009 Location New Orleans, LA Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:26 AM |
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god motherfucking dammit
I'm Cherokee Jack!
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janerd75
The Great One 
Posts 3766
Registered 1-28-2013 Member Is Offline Mood: Lantern kick'n
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:27 AM |
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Holy shit they fucking did it. Golly!
"Well, life's a bitch n' then you marry one. Alls you know now is you're goin' into the bar tonight to get just fuckin'
interplanetary." - Wayne (Letterkenny)
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Flash
The Great One
Posts 3364
Registered 4-22-2005 Location Ontario, Canada Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:28 AM |
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What the hell was that?!?
Even if they do a dusty finish and put the ladies out there again later in the night that's not a cool finish for the ladies first go at this
match type.
ETA: So basically a man winning, or handing the win to a woman is the finish at what is arguably a benchmark match in your whole Diva's
Revolution.
[Edited on 6-19-2017 by Flash]
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Cherokee Jack
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1453
Registered 2-24-2009 Location New Orleans, LA Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:30 AM |
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WOMENS REVOLUTION!
FEMALE EMPOWERMENT!
FIRST TIME THE WOMEN GO INTO MITB!
oh yeah btw its just gonna be a backdrop for the ellsworth comedy sideshow that stopped being funny months ago
I'm Cherokee Jack!
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royberto
Showstopper
Posts 615
Registered 2-27-2014 Member Is Offline Mood: Troll Detector
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:30 AM |
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Count on WWE to use the most retarded finish possible, disrespect the entire womens division, and make Shane look like the biggest moron on the planet
in one fell swoop. Bravo, WWE. It amazes me the rest of the women would agree to that bullshit.
[Edited on 6-19-2017 by royberto]
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DKBroiler
SpeciASSl CUMedian
Posts 1515
Registered 1-25-2008 Location One Inch Right of Philly on a Map Member Is Offline Mood: Old
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:31 AM |
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Braun Strowman guy.
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Ortonmustdie
Fella
Posts 264
Registered 6-30-2008 Member Is Offline Mood: Plotting
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:32 AM |
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So, this is how it's going to go today?? Really??
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DKBroiler
SpeciASSl CUMedian
Posts 1515
Registered 1-25-2008 Location One Inch Right of Philly on a Map Member Is Offline Mood: Old
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:32 AM |
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For what it's worth ... it was a really good match. But ... yeah ...
Braun Strowman guy.
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scott19buckeye
And I am AWESOME
Posts 104
Registered 12-16-2013 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:33 AM |
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So a dude just won the first ever history making woman's money in the bank? Odd booking, maybe the second one...but not the first. Hopefully DB,
makes it all better on Tuesday at the Nutter Center.
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Cherokee Jack
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1453
Registered 2-24-2009 Location New Orleans, LA Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:33 AM |
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also it was cool how while the referees were discussing whether that should have counted, ellsworth grabbed the mic and declared carmella the winner,
and all of a sudden the refs were just like "well fuck it that guy said she wins i guess she wins" and walked off
I'm Cherokee Jack!
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janerd75
The Great One
Posts 3766
Registered 1-28-2013 Member Is Offline Mood: Lantern kick'n
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:34 AM |
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James Ellsworth puts the men in women's division, amirite? Progress is a wonderful thing. Maybe someday the WWE will even let a female grab the
case.
"Well, life's a bitch n' then you marry one. Alls you know now is you're goin' into the bar tonight to get just fuckin'
interplanetary." - Wayne (Letterkenny)
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royberto
Showstopper
Posts 615
Registered 2-27-2014 Member Is Offline Mood: Troll Detector
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:36 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by scott19buckeye
So a dude just won the first ever history making woman's money in the bank? Odd booking, maybe the second one...but not the first. Hopefully DB,
makes it all better on Tuesday at the Nutter Center.
Or Shane could get off his lazy ass in the back and actually do his job instead of
allowing his womens division to be made a mockery of.
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Ortonmustdie
Fella
Posts 264
Registered 6-30-2008 Member Is Offline Mood: Plotting
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:36 AM |
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One small saving grace.... they haven't decided to have Ellsworth dress up in drag.
....yet.
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scott19buckeye
And I am AWESOME
Posts 104
Registered 12-16-2013 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:48 AM |
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This tag match has been awesome...but a little off.
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DKBroiler
SpeciASSl CUMedian
Posts 1515
Registered 1-25-2008 Location One Inch Right of Philly on a Map Member Is Offline Mood: Old
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:50 AM |
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So Vince Russo is booking tonight?
Can't wait for Viagra on a pole.
Braun Strowman guy.
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CM Crunk
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1675
Registered 7-20-2011 Location Unstuck frOOm Time Member Is Offline Mood: Unpresidented
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:52 AM |
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Whoa. That's two-for-two on stinky endings to fun matches so far. And that's on a 5 match card that still has Randy/Jinder and Naomi/Lana
yet to go.
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Flash
The Great One
Posts 3364
Registered 4-22-2005 Location Ontario, Canada Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-19-2017 at 01:56 AM |
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So now they've got Bryan saying he'll fix that MITB match on Tuesday... still not the way to go about doing it... just a dumb, insulting
finish.
Even the finish to the New Day match was the drizzling shits... the WWE is 0/2 tonight.
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