Bad News Barrett Vs Cesaro was wierd.

[MartialHorror]

Edit: Whoops, speaking of botched, I misspelled weird in the title. hehe...derp.

So Cesaro attempted to cut a pipe bomb-styled promo and botched his line, before drawing more attention to the mistake by awkwardly pausing and correcting himself. He then did one of those open challenges, even though they never seem to work out, which lead to the return of Bad News Barrett...who I think is supposed to be a face now.

Except it seemed like fans were oddly lukewarm. Honestly, he got stronger face pops as a heel. What followed was a pretty crummy match. Maybe BnB was just rusty or perhaps their styles don't mesh well together. But what was strange was how it seemed like they alternated face and heel tactics. Cesaro used his Cesaro Swing, which got the loudest pop from the audience. Barrett went for the eyes before using his finisher, which is a very dirty tactic. Unlike most challenges of this kind (Mark Henry/Ryback, Ryback/Bo), it wasn't really a squash but it didn't make either man look good. Cesaro lost...again, and BnB often seemed to be on the defensive and had to more-or-less cheat to win. As much as I would like for Cesaro to return to form, they probably should've had Barrett win with ease.

I thought this last RAW was excellent, but what should've been a high point ended up being a low point. Anyway, is BnB supposed to be a good guy now? Or will he be a heel and this was intended to be a 'heel vs heel' match? I hear that at a live show which just happened last week, he played the villain for the crowd. Did you like the match?

 

[L@RISANO]

I doubt Barrett plays a face given the return of the Authority. He was just a face due to his return more than anything.

I think that he probably aligns himself with the Authority once again as he was before injury and thus gets his programme vs Ziggler for the IC title which would firmly establish him as a Heel once again.

 

[Mustang Sally]

He was just a face due to his return more than anything.

Exactly. Good guy or bad, when a performer returns after a long absence, we're glad to see him.....so we cheer. Of course, he soon reveals his true colors and we proceed from there.

I think that he probably aligns himself with the Authority once again as he was before injury and thus gets his programme vs Ziggler for the IC title which would firmly establish him as a Heel once again.

That's harder to say. Wade Barrett is a case; since the last days of Nexus, his act depends less on his alliance (or rivalry) with other people as it does the type of character he's going to be playing. Ever a heel, Wade can come off as mildly evil or terribly evil; the company is apparently willing to let him travel on the strength of his individual gifts, which is certainly a privilege they don't allow many others.

Honestly, I'd like to see him play a face; he could still be the bellicose bully he's always been, yet I'd wager his snotty personality could be used to fight on the side of all that's good and proper. Might be fun to see, anyway.

He didn't look particularly good in the ring last night....and this was against a guy who usually makes others look good.....but that will all come back. Wade seems to be in good shape and he'll pick up where he left off, at least until the next crippling injury sends him to the sidelines.

 

[L@RISANO]

Exactly. Good guy or bad, when a performer returns after a long absence, we're glad to see him.....so we cheer. Of course, he soon reveals his true colors and we proceed from there.



That's harder to say. Wade Barrett is a case; since the last days of Nexus, his act depends less on his alliance (or rivalry) with other people as it does the type of character he's going to be playing. Ever a heel, Wade can come off as mildly evil or terribly evil; the company is apparently willing to let him travel on the strength of his individual gifts, which is certainly a privilege they don't allow many others.

Honestly, I'd like to see him play a face; he could still be the bellicose bully he's always been, yet I'd wager his snotty personality could be used to fight on the side of all that's good and proper. Might be fun to see, anyway.

He didn't look particularly good in the ring last night....and this was against a guy who usually makes others look good.....but that will all come back. Wade seems to be in good shape and he'll pick up where he left off, at least until the next crippling injury sends him to the sidelines.

I based his possible alliance on the fact that before his injury he had also become a bit of a stooge for HHH even as IC Champion and was fed to both Reigns and Ambrose on SmackDown! especially.


However, with Ziggler as IC Champion and increasingly unlikely now, to go any higher due to the returns impending and the clusterfuck of the Main Event scene, and also with Barrett never having lost the IC title in a match...coupled with the fact that Ziggler was the one who put the Authority out... it is pretty logical that Barrett will most probably be the one to be matched up with Dolph going into Mania.



I am of course, basing most of my comments on the Authority's return last night and the rumours in the dirt sheets about A BIG ANGLE that is supposed to be leading into Mania. Given the babyfaces available and set to return, I guess this is all going to be the final chapter of the Authority storyline which will end at WrestleMania 31 with the entire Authority vanquished once and for all, with no chance of a return thereafter.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

who I think is supposed to be a face now

He clearly was before he got hurt anyways. Now its wait and see if they neuter the character and have him telling poop and fart jokes next week (Hi, Sheamus!)

A lot of people are getting shitty about the fact the coupled BNB's return with Cesaro's supposed "pipe bomb" (can we please stop fucking using that. Nothing anyone uses that term to describe is even in the same realm as the one Punk did) but I thought it helped both guys. Wrestling isn't always as simple as "this guy won and this guy lost".....It was a physical, back and forth close match. Could Cesaro have been put over MORE? Sure he could have, but it didn't lower him more from were he started, and CERTAINLEY didn't kill him off.

 

[L@RISANO]

He clearly was before he got hurt anyways. Now its wait and see if they neuter the character and have him telling poop and fart jokes next week (Hi, Sheamus!)

A lot of people are getting shitty about the fact the coupled BNB's return with Cesaro's supposed "pipe bomb" (can we please stop fucking using that. Nothing anyone uses that term to describe is even in the same realm as the one Punk did) but I thought it helped both guys. Wrestling isn't always as simple as "this guy won and this guy lost".....It was a physical, back and forth close match. Could Cesaro have been put over MORE? Sure he could have, but it didn't lower him more from were he started, and CERTAINLEY didn't kill him off.

Not directed at you Norcal, but I find it amusing when people complain about the handling of Cesaro as it is clear he is being slowly pushed, but in a way that at this time, he is an enhancement talent that gets the odd good match here and there to keep him in the public eye, but still not enough that he can build up momentum to move up.


Given how much guys are being built up at this time: Reigns, Rollins, Ambrose, Wyatt, Ryback, Rusev, Ziggler... it is clear that Cesaro is down the pecking order biding his time slowly until a few of those mentioned reach a certain point that Cesaro would then get his chance as well to move up.
A guy not being pushed is like Titus, who is just there to do jobs and never ever gets to show what he can do, making it clear that WWE isn't interested in moving up whatsoever.

 

[OYDK]

Yes, it was a little weird. When I saw Cesaro sitting in the ring with the mic, I knew what kind of promo we were going to hear and I really thought this was the beginning of a big push for Cesaro... and I think the crowd thought so as well, which is why the reaction for BNB may have been a little lack when he came out. I thought Cesaro was doing well in getting himself over so I'll admit I was a little confused they would feed him to Barrett right after.

I don't think this is the end for Cesaro at all though. I think his promo was a good step in the right direction even if he did flub one line (which everybody seems to be doing nowadays anyway). I was a little more worried at the fact of how Cesaro looked after he took the Bull Hammer... It looked pretty brutal when Barrett hit it, Cesaro seized up right after, and the camera didn't pan back to him at all.

 

[cornerdon26]

I was personally a tad disappointed with Barrett returning as BNB. It was starting to receive natural pops but after 6 months or so it was unlikely to carry off from where it left off.

I would have brought back Wade Barrett, the bare knuckle fighter and book him very strongly. He could have said a few lines such as 'I have bad news, there is none' or something to that extent as reference. A gimmick such a BNB is hard to get much higher than the midcard and he has everything to make him a top star in my eyes.

It was a weird match as you point out. I think both are great assets and should be used much better. Last night could have been a change to really rebrand both of them. Cesaro with his shoot style promo followed by a convincing win against *insert random face*, make him an antihero of some form. Heel traits as he tries to 'reach the brass ring' yet remaining popular. Whilst Barrett returns as a viscous heel.

 

[MartialHorror]

I don't think this is the end for Cesaro at all though. I think his promo was a good step in the right direction even if he did flub one line (which everybody seems to be doing nowadays anyway). I was a little more worried at the fact of how Cesaro looked after he took the Bull Hammer... It looked pretty brutal when Barrett hit it, Cesaro seized up right after, and the camera didn't pan back to him at all.

The problem wasn't that he flubbed, it was the awkward moment afterwards. Like at TLC, if Reigns just immediately corrected himself and moved on, no one would care. But he had to look like he forgot his lines. With that said, I don't think it's necessarily the end for Cesaro either, but I don't think he will ever be a top guy now. Honestly, I still think Cesaro's more over as a villain than Swagger was before his surprising face turn and fans went crazy over that...until bad booking deflated Swagger's newfound momentum.

My biggest issue with BnB being a face is that they spent...forever...building him up as a heel prior to his return after wrestlemania. Now it all feels wasted.

 

[The Mattitude Era]

Cesar will be fine. No one cares that he flubbed his lines.

 

[kadroan]

Edit: Whoops, speaking of botched, I misspelled weird in the title. hehe...derp.

So Cesaro attempted to cut a pipe bomb-styled promo and botched his line, before drawing more attention to the mistake by awkwardly pausing and correcting himself. He then did one of those open challenges, even though they never seem to work out, which lead to the return of Bad News Barrett...who I think is supposed to be a face now.

Except it seemed like fans were oddly lukewarm. Honestly, he got stronger face pops as a heel. What followed was a pretty crummy match. Maybe BnB was just rusty or perhaps their styles don't mesh well together. But what was strange was how it seemed like they alternated face and heel tactics. Cesaro used his Cesaro Swing, which got the loudest pop from the audience. Barrett went for the eyes before using his finisher, which is a very dirty tactic. Unlike most challenges of this kind (Mark Henry/Ryback, Ryback/Bo), it wasn't really a squash but it didn't make either man look good. Cesaro lost...again, and BnB often seemed to be on the defensive and had to more-or-less cheat to win. As much as I would like for Cesaro to return to form, they probably should've had Barrett win with ease.

I thought this last RAW was excellent, but what should've been a high point ended up being a low point. Anyway, is BnB supposed to be a good guy now? Or will he be a heel and this was intended to be a 'heel vs heel' match? I hear that at a live show which just happened last week, he played the villain for the crowd. Did you like the match?

Yeah it was weird. I thought Cesaro was trying to do the same thing as Ryback, be a face and try to get fans to connect with him.

Barrett did come off as a face. The match did seem kind of random pairing.

I wish they would have just let Cesaro do his promo and have no match and just have Barrett face somebody like Adam Rose or Justin Gabriel.