The NEW ERA: a breakdown

[Kizzani]

Now I know some fan have half a brain and I know a few others have even more than that and they get it. This is not for you.

So now back to the morons who keep asking "New Era" what....what is new? Why is it new?

when they should be asking....Why a I so dumb I can't see it?

Main Event

Gallows, Anderson, AJ Styles, Roman.....all have been WWE superstars for less than 4 years. (fetus was crap doesn't count)
IC title
Owens, Zayn,Cesaro and the Miz (Again, less the Miz all of these guys have been in WWE main Roster 4 years of less)

Tag Titles
New Day, Enzo and Cass, Vaudevillains (Members of NEW day have been around longer, but as 1 single unit Under 4 years...same goes for the other 3)

Kalisto, Corbin, etc etc the guys currently being highlighted are all NEW to the WWE main roster. They are bringing new moves, new looks, new styles, new promos etc etc.

Then you look at the matches, restarting matches to find a definitive winner, Happens on smackdown, raw and PPV.

The women of wrestling. I recently watch a TNA women's match and was like Oh my is this where we were a few months back. It was god awful, botch after botch, slips and falls and it was pathetic they are still focusing on T&A vs Skill.
New Women's title and holy crap the talent they bring to the ring. This isn't the old crap this is the NEW diva's revolution and with pride they can now know that when they see their names on a card it isn't going to be a bra and panties match.
It no longer is a division with 1 or 2 stars in a group 10 or more bimbos.
Now was in the NEW ERA we have 6-10 stars in a group of 12, and they can actually wrestle...well most.

NEW talent, NEW titles, NEW programing, New Management, They even said they are bringing up more NEW talent.
Cruiserweight programing.

So NEW sounds like a good name for this era of WWE.

 

[Azane]

It would really be interesting if Cena and Orton got together with a few other of the older vets and started a new vs old faction.

I still feel like the "new era" is nothing as long as we still have generic LOLROMANWINS and false finishes don't change that. THe only sign of a new era is announcers not shutting up about it. Eras just happen, they should be natural. The Attitude era was never called the attitude era until years after the fact. Ruthless aggression was just a tagline added near the end of said era based on some promo buzzwords.

The Divas revolution , I do give some credit to, it's definitely the best womens wrestling has ever been. Lita/Trish was good, but having the dynamic of all the gals currently competing is better as a whole.

Again, saying New Era 50 times a night but changing nothing else isn't a change, if they want to reinvent the era, give us new announcers (PLEASE GOD PLEASE), some new lighting or ring/arena design... STOP MUTING THE CROWD MICS... Please?

 

[NotoriousWWE]

I don't understand your reasoning behind this thread but I'll roll with it.
Until we see the likes of Cena and Orton return and Triple H finally attempt to take back control from Shane, we really won't know if this an actual new era. Stating that new talent being positioned in certain spots within the roster determines whether times have changed is absurd. When the likes of Rhodes, Barrett and Punk debuted on the main roster they were positioned extremely high. Punk won MiTB within 2 years. Barrett main evented Survivor Series 3 months in.

Personally, I don't think we're in a new era. I think it's a marketing strategy to get more viewers and that's it. Shane being "in charge" is irrelevant, he's GM not booking the show. We still have the same creative that decided a Hornswaggle/El Torito feud would be interesting. Until I see a RAW that is creatively similar to how NXT is booked, I'm not buying it.

 

[kadroan]

I don't understand your reasoning behind this thread but I'll roll with it.
Until we see the likes of Cena and Orton return and Triple H finally attempt to take back control from Shane, we really won't know if this an actual new era. Stating that new talent being positioned in certain spots within the roster determines whether times have changed is absurd. When the likes of Rhodes, Barrett and Punk debuted on the main roster they were positioned extremely high. Punk won MiTB within 2 years. Barrett main evented Survivor Series 3 months in.

Personally, I don't think we're in a new era. I think it's a marketing strategy to get more viewers and that's it. Shane being "in charge" is irrelevant, he's GM not booking the show. We still have the same creative that decided a Hornswaggle/El Torito feud would be interesting. Until I see a RAW that is creatively similar to how NXT is booked, I'm not buying it.

Yeah I'm curious to see how WWE handles Rollins', Cena's and Orton's returns. For all we know, once this AJ/Reigns storyline ends, a lot of guys getting more exposure than usual (Owens, Zayn, Cesaro, Miz) would be fighting for time in the middle of RAWs.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

RAW still goes off the air with inane things like a jacket getting cut with scissors. Don't tell me about a "New Era" just because a few guys who weren't on WWE TV 6 months ago are in main spots at this moment. The presentation of the show is no different. No wrestlers have taken on any changes to their character or attitude.

Instead of Stephanie and Triple H running RAW, now Stephanie and Shane are. That's your new era. A storyline. It's in the same class as John Lauranaitis' "People Power".

 

[George Steele's Barber]

The last six weeks have been a huge improvement over most of the last five years. It has certainly been a huge improvement over the last two years. Everyone has their preferences and expectations. Personally I think having a potted plant broken over your head or someone destroying your jacket are good reasons to want to fight the other person. Some things are new, some things are the same, some things are different but not exactly new. The complaints are certainly the same.

Overall though I don't think we should be making more out of this New Era. I think it is just a simple tag line for a story. This isn't suppose to represent some defined era like Attitude or Golden.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

Sure the weeks following Wrestlemania have been a huge improvement as far as Raw is concerned. Even the buildup/booking/quality of Payback was pretty solid. I still have minor complaints like why was Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler not on the main card? It's the "New Era" and I like Baron Corbin. We still had New Day dancing like a bunch of idiots but Baron Corbin wrestled on the Pre-show, weeks after his main roster debut. Meh.

However, I agree with many others who say that it feels more like a "marketing strategy" than anything. What's the last time you had wrestlers coming out and instead of playing their own characters, or giving out reasons as to why they should be the one contending for a particular championship(with the exclusion of Kevin Owens, Owens is original, awesome, and damn near untouchable as compared to the rest), referring to the "new era" ? It's almost like they've been told to do that. So Michael Cole keeps referring to the WWE Network, and we have Big Cass and a host of others talking about the "New Era".

Also, what world is Shane McMahon living in? At payback he came out and said something like "This is how things might've ended in the OLD ERA, but not in the New Era. Restart the match". What!? Shane you idiot, this has ALWAYS happened in wrestling- controversial endings to a world title match has nothing to do with any Era. Matches in the past ENDED without a decisive result and been RESTARTED. So you're nothing special or smart. It's just a ploy.

So when it comes down to it, "New Era" is just marketing and BS. I agree that there are fresh faces and fresh matchups, which is quite palatable. But the booking sucks ass. The Chris Jericho-Dean Ambrose segment was one of the most awkward, protracted and atrocious segments I've ever watched AND IT ENDED RAW. For chrissakes. And people say Roman Reigns sucks. Dude, Roman Reigns and AJ Styles have been engaged in the most intriguing/exciting storyling/feud on TV on a consistent basis. I like Chris Jericho, but sorry, his feud with Ambrose has just descended into juvenile crap involving fucking Plants and Scissors and Jackets. So if this is your "New Era", I vehemently disavow it. Call me when Kevin Owens will be kicking ass instead of being placed with chumps like Miz and Sami Zayn and pretending to give a shit about Authority figures like Shane and Stephanie.

Also, it's just another way for the McMahon family to be on TV. It's the same old shit from decades ago- only they've grown older and the characters have slightly changed. Nothing else. If this is the "new Era", I want CM Punk and John Laurinaitis back.

 

[ShinChan]

SCall me when Kevin Owens will be kicking ass instead of being placed with chumps like Miz and Sami Zayn and pretending to give a shit about Authority figures like Shane and Stephanie.

I strongly disagree.

Sami Zayn and The Miz are chumps? I would like to know your reasoning behind this wrong statement.

Sami Zayn is a good in-ring worker. He has elevated RoH with the help of his great feud against Kevin Steen. He has given us damn good matches be it against John Cena, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe or Shinsuke Nakamura. He is nowhere near a chump.

The Miz is one of the great ol' traditional heels WWE has. You give him any guy and he would make audience cheer that guy by his promo skills. He has an great heel heat around him that would make audience cheer his opponent be it anyone. He is underrated at in-ring work. Nowhere near a chump.

As for Roman Reigns-AJ Styles feud being the most intriguing, I disagree. Intriguing feuds don't have same matches repeated multiple times. Like we saw The Family Vs. The Club for three straight times i.e Raw, Smackdown and then this week's Raw.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

I strongly disagree.

Sami Zayn and The Miz are chumps? I would like to know your reasoning behind this wrong statement.

Sami Zayn is a good in-ring worker. He has elevated RoH with the help of his great feud against Kevin Steen. He has given us damn good matches be it against John Cena, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe or Shinsuke Nakamura. He is nowhere near a chump.

Alright alright. I deliberately included Sami Zayn with Miz while I categorized them as "chumps". Even though I'm not a huge Sami Zayn fan, I do agree that Zayn is cool and a tremendous wrestler and I basically respect him. What that statement meant to convey was that Kevin Owens is just too good to be doing what he has been doing, with "smaller" guys like Sami Zayn and dorks like Miz. But he is just better than them both in every respect and thus needs to be booked like an ass-kicker heel and not like some chump victim of the whims of the Authority. I think KO is quite a lot like Steve Austin from 1997-98- in that even though he acts like a bad guy/heel, he backs it up, he has the charisma/mic skills and personality which almost endears him to me and the WWE Universe. So he definitely needs to be booked "stronger" and not like someone who has to engage in a verbal battle with Stephanie and Shane just to receive an IC title shot(one he is owed as per the rematch clause, at that). He needs to be badass and beat the hell out of wrestlers and not be subservient to Authority assholes like the Mcmahons. That's the KO I want to see, while also appreciating the athleticism and in-ring prowess of Cesaro and Zayn.

The Miz is one of the great ol' traditional heels WWE has. You give him any guy and he would make audience cheer that guy by his promo skills. He has an great heel heat around him that would make audience cheer his opponent be it anyone. He is underrated at in-ring work. Nowhere near a chump.

I dislike The Miz, and that was since day 1. I don't mean to say that I dislike Miz as a heel. I mean to say that the Miz- the actor pretending to be "cool" or "interesting" or "hollywood stuff" is MORE OVERRATED than underrated and is pretty much a disgrace to be holding the IC title, especially when Cesaro- clearly a far superior performer is around. As for Miz's in'ring skills, I am biased. I dislike everything about the guy and he is pretty much a channel-changer for me. I can at least agree that he is a smooth "talker" and has the sense of time and is thus able to control the crowd reaction and stuff.

As for Roman Reigns-AJ Styles feud being the most intriguing, I disagree. Intriguing feuds don't have same matches repeated multiple times. Like we saw The Family Vs. The Club for three straight times i.e Raw, Smackdown and then this week's Raw.

Whether you like the repetition of matches or not, Roman Reigns and AJ styles coupled with the Usos/Club is the most intriguing/intense storyline in the WWE right now, IMO. I agree that the same match being contested on Raw, Smackdown, and again on Raw(though with the Elimination stipulation) is a bit too much. However, I foresee that the reason why they're giving us the same match multiple times right now because IT'LL NOT HAPPEN AFTER EXTREME RULES. I think they'll finally turn Roman heel by having Gallows and Andersen attack AJ Styles and join him. So if anything, you might see AJ Styles and Usos vs Reigns, Gallows and Anderson after Extreme Rules. Hence they're throwing this match up while the illusion of the "Club" lasts. Either that, or the WWE is simply lazy.

Nonetheless, for me, the intensity is amazing. The chemistry between Reigns and Styles is palpable. There's passion. There's drama. There's CONFLICT. There's Suspense. Will Roman turn heel? Will AJ Styles use the Chair? If so many elements don't intrigue you, I suppose Miz pretending to be a hollywood A-lister does?

 

[ShinChan]

Alright alright. I deliberately included Sami Zayn with Miz while I categorized them as "chumps". Even though I'm not a huge Sami Zayn fan, I do agree that Zayn is cool and a tremendous wrestler and I basically respect him. What that statement meant to convey was that Kevin Owens is just too good to be doing what he has been doing, with "smaller" guys like Sami Zayn and dorks like Miz. But he is just better than them both in every respect and thus needs to be booked like an ass-kicker heel and not like some chump victim of the whims of the Authority. I think KO is quite a lot like Steve Austin from 1997-98- in that even though he acts like a bad guy/heel, he backs it up, he has the charisma/mic skills and personality which almost endears him to me and the WWE Universe. So he definitely needs to be booked "stronger" and not like someone who has to engage in a verbal battle with Stephanie and Shane just to receive an IC title shot(one he is owed as per the rematch clause, at that). He needs to be badass and beat the hell out of wrestlers and not be subservient to Authority assholes like the Mcmahons. That's the KO I want to see, while also appreciating the athleticism and in-ring prowess of Cesaro and Zayn.



I dislike The Miz, and that was since day 1. I don't mean to say that I dislike Miz as a heel. I mean to say that the Miz- the actor pretending to be "cool" or "interesting" or "hollywood stuff" is MORE OVERRATED than underrated and is pretty much a disgrace to be holding the IC title, especially when Cesaro- clearly a far superior performer is around. As for Miz's in'ring skills, I am biased. I dislike everything about the guy and he is pretty much a channel-changer for me. I can at least agree that he is a smooth "talker" and has the sense of time and is thus able to control the crowd reaction and stuff.



Whether you like the repetition of matches or not, Roman Reigns and AJ styles coupled with the Usos/Club is the most intriguing/intense storyline in the WWE right now, IMO. I agree that the same match being contested on Raw, Smackdown, and again on Raw(though with the Elimination stipulation) is a bit too much. However, I foresee that the reason why they're giving us the same match multiple times right now because IT'LL NOT HAPPEN AFTER EXTREME RULES. I think they'll finally turn Roman heel by having Gallows and Andersen attack AJ Styles and join him. So if anything, you might see AJ Styles and Usos vs Reigns, Gallows and Anderson after Extreme Rules. Hence they're throwing this match up while the illusion of the "Club" lasts. Either that, or the WWE is simply lazy.

Nonetheless, for me, the intensity is amazing. The chemistry between Reigns and Styles is palpable. There's passion. There's drama. There's CONFLICT. There's Suspense. Will Roman turn heel? Will AJ Styles use the Chair? If so many elements don't intrigue you, I suppose Miz pretending to be a hollywood A-lister does?

I nowhere said that Miz intrigues me. Roman Reigns-AJ Styles feud was going well for me and it still is. Only 1 complaint I had, The repetition one. I am glad that you agreed about it. I don't think that WWE would turn Reigns heel but they should though.

Well about Zayn and Miz, I am not a big fan of their either but i respect their talents and skills. I just like Zayn. Ok Ok with Miz. Miz can a great foil for a babyface to go over.

I am a big fan of Owens and Cesaro though. Owens should win the MITB this year. Cesaro should win the IC Title. Owens' booking has been questionable sometimes. Like last year, he was booked for leaving the matches in between which I disliked a lot. He being a dominant heel shouldn't have done that.

 

[mholly32]

I strongly agree.

I think that the 'New Era' signifies a change in WWE's mentality. They are starting to listen to fans, and although you could argue that they have been listening since Daniel Bryan/Mania 30, WWE is starting to go in a very different creative direction.

We are seeing talents being judged on their wrestling ability and charisma, not just their 'McMahon-pleasing' looks. We are seeing talented Indy performers who's backgrounds are being acknowledged and built into story lines (Owens/Zayn). We are seeing them elevate former stars of their rival promotion TNA such as AJ Styles into the main event picture, whilst we have Samoa Joe as the NXT champion.

Things are very much changing. The card is going to be stacked come August, if not so already. Not saying its brilliant yet, but programming is certainly feeling fresh. Now they need to change the set and give it a proper 'New Era' feeling.

 

[streicher187]

I think HHH will return and start a "New" era vs old school that will lead to a match with HHH representing the old school and Seth Rollins the New Era. Until then you can have guys like Orton or Cena trying to remain neutral before picking the old school and set up an elimination match at a PPV with

You can even have Cena finally turn heal by turning on AJ Styles and siding with the old school. Setting up Cena/Orton/HHH/Jericho Vs Styles/Owens/Reins/Ambrose that's when Rollins returns and turns on HHH joining the new era..

If done right it could make for some good TV and feuds but this is WWE so I don't have much hope