slice_of_life
Pre-Show Stalwart
I don't like or dislike Santino. And I don't care that he has the belt. But the fact that he has it is just a sad reminder of how dead the midcard is and how meaningless the belts have become.
Here's Your Winner and NEW UNITED STATES CHAMPION!
- Thread starter The 1-2-3 Killam
- Start date
prestonluv
Occasional Pre-Show
Imagine if Santino had a reign as champ for a few months with most wins being legit and showing his in ring improvement.
This dude has the ability to be huge in the WWE. Seriousely...people dont care that he has been a joke for so long...they only care that he is likeable and can speak on the mic. All the smarks who think he is a joke will pleasantly suprised with him once the 'E' allows him to expand his wrestling capability.
I actually shed a tear when he won ffs.
This dude has the ability to be huge in the WWE. Seriousely...people dont care that he has been a joke for so long...they only care that he is likeable and can speak on the mic. All the smarks who think he is a joke will pleasantly suprised with him once the 'E' allows him to expand his wrestling capability.
I actually shed a tear when he won ffs.
I am very pleased with how WWE's been handling Santino lately. He's still goofy and fun, but they're letting him do more in the ring. I'm hoping they keep the belt on him for a bit.
On another note, I haven't seen my brother that excited about a title change in a while, especially a midcard title change. He literally yelled, "THE COBRA WON THE TITLE," ran around the house, and damn near gave the dog a conniption.
On another note, I haven't seen my brother that excited about a title change in a while, especially a midcard title change. He literally yelled, "THE COBRA WON THE TITLE," ran around the house, and damn near gave the dog a conniption.
Dmbfantomas
Bald Billy was Better
Why would it be Drew McIntyre? Seriously, of all people, how would that ever even make sense? People need to get off of Drew's D already, it's getting annoying.
Shoehorning in Zack Ryder or something like that would make more sense, as he has a history with Teddy and has worked a lot with Ziggler and Swagger.
Santino's US title reign will be more relevant to Swagger's WHC reign, I hate quoting Cole but "who remember's Swagger's title reign?"
I too think Swagger/Ziggler would be better off as a tag team, and maybe even Tag champs in the near future.
But Santino coming Sooo Close to winning the EC was awesome, and I think he's getting better all the time.
MattRhys20
Cena fan since Word-Life
Hang on, aren't we all forgetting that Zack Ryder gets his rematch as soon as he comes back from injury. Now he's out of his wheelchair and onto a crutch, give it the, uh, what is now (starts counting) 26 days until Wrestlemania, he could very well be back and fighting by then.
Maybe a Triple Threat match for the U.S Title in Miami?
Maybe a Triple Threat match for the U.S Title in Miami?
Delighted.
Can send Swagger packing to Superstars where he belongs. The guy is so bland that you can't tout him to be 'this generation's' someone, because no one in living memory has been as dull as Swagger is.
If Santino can beat Swagger clean in a rematch on Smackdown then boom, got yourselves a solid start to a title reign.
Can send Swagger packing to Superstars where he belongs. The guy is so bland that you can't tout him to be 'this generation's' someone, because no one in living memory has been as dull as Swagger is.
If Santino can beat Swagger clean in a rematch on Smackdown then boom, got yourselves a solid start to a title reign.
Santino deserves the title. He's incredibly over with the fans, is a very technically accomplished wrestler (something he rarely gets to exhibit due to his gimmick) and has ridden this goofy character for a long time and does so well. Did you hear the pop from the crowd when he won? It was immense, one to rival ryders when he won the belt. I have no doubt he will drop it soon, and that this is probs just done to keep swagger from being beaten by another heel, but im happy for the guy and would love to see a long run!
I fully expect Johnny Ace to try to screw Santino out of the title tonight while he is in charge of Smackdown, but I think somehow Santino is going to retain the title. I believe the US title was given to him because of the insane crowd reaction he gets, and taking it away from him 24 hours later would be a huge mistake. The screw job will be attempted, but I expect it to fail. Santino will carry the US title going into Wrestlemania.
AustinHartLesnarHBKTaz80
The Rock vs HBK can still happen...
considering the way its been treated lately, the ONCE prestigious united states championship should be renamed:
the comedy act / i have not much wrestling talent / but people seem to cheer me for some odd reason / tv championship.
i mean.....come on.......first, zack ryder....and now santino marella??!!!!
what a joke!!!!
ridiculous!!
bring some credibility back to the US championship for crying out loud.
now, i know that titles are used to reward talent, and also to elevate talent.
but seriously, IMO, the past 2-3 holders, have been unworthy.
i know the talent pool right now is nowhere near as good as it once was back in the attiude era, but still.
swagger, i could argue, could have been elevated had his reign been booked correctly and pushed more.
but this title has taken a backseat to other ridiculous tv antics.
if i had the power though, the miz would be my US champ. this would keep him relevent at least, instead of having him jobbbed out the past couple of weeks
the comedy act / i have not much wrestling talent / but people seem to cheer me for some odd reason / tv championship.
i mean.....come on.......first, zack ryder....and now santino marella??!!!!
what a joke!!!!
ridiculous!!
bring some credibility back to the US championship for crying out loud.
now, i know that titles are used to reward talent, and also to elevate talent.
but seriously, IMO, the past 2-3 holders, have been unworthy.
i know the talent pool right now is nowhere near as good as it once was back in the attiude era, but still.
swagger, i could argue, could have been elevated had his reign been booked correctly and pushed more.
but this title has taken a backseat to other ridiculous tv antics.
if i had the power though, the miz would be my US champ. this would keep him relevent at least, instead of having him jobbbed out the past couple of weeks
SacredMesa
Pre-Show Stalwart
idk what it was but for some reason I found myself actually enjoying this segment on RAW, and thats saying something as I have been a rather stalward anti-Santino guy since he went with this stupid comedy gimik. Not sure if it was the chaos of the moment, the way the crowd was in it but for once I actually was able to see past the hatred I have for his gimik and be happy for him.
Don't get your hopes up I still think he has a ridiculious gimik that has no business holding the title or in wrestling for that matter, but it at least says something for how this whole thing was booked/set up and how everyone involved played their parts, Santino included.
Don't get your hopes up I still think he has a ridiculious gimik that has no business holding the title or in wrestling for that matter, but it at least says something for how this whole thing was booked/set up and how everyone involved played their parts, Santino included.
Cats Pajamas
Serenity now!!!
Greetings forum goers from the unseasonably warm Northeast! Unfortunately, this Santino-nite missed this segment of Raw while finishing up the angriest game of Wii bowling ever played. Fortunately they replayed it for me later and I, for one, couldn't be happier!
In the outrageous world of pro wrasslin, the Milan Miracle still presents himself as somewhat of an anomaly as he defies "jobber" tradition and gets some of the loudest cheers of any superstar. This year has been a banner year for 'Tino; he's broke my personal fave five (as though you could give a shit) and he's easily got my vote for most enternaining on the roster (check out "Foreign Exchange"; I'm a grown man and I laughed my tits off).
While Swagger's reign may have only lasted for two shakes of a lamb's tail, part of the prestige of a title is in the pride its holder carries for it and you can't deny that no one will make as big a deal out of being U.S. Champion than the Sicilian Snake Charmer. He's one "sunnamagun" I could stand as champion for a good, long time.
Congrats Marella; I hope to hell you continue to bring the "Santino Heat" from shore to shore, internationally and more! Best regards, wrestling fans.
In the outrageous world of pro wrasslin, the Milan Miracle still presents himself as somewhat of an anomaly as he defies "jobber" tradition and gets some of the loudest cheers of any superstar. This year has been a banner year for 'Tino; he's broke my personal fave five (as though you could give a shit) and he's easily got my vote for most enternaining on the roster (check out "Foreign Exchange"; I'm a grown man and I laughed my tits off).
While Swagger's reign may have only lasted for two shakes of a lamb's tail, part of the prestige of a title is in the pride its holder carries for it and you can't deny that no one will make as big a deal out of being U.S. Champion than the Sicilian Snake Charmer. He's one "sunnamagun" I could stand as champion for a good, long time.
Congrats Marella; I hope to hell you continue to bring the "Santino Heat" from shore to shore, internationally and more! Best regards, wrestling fans.
TheJujuMan
Dark Match Winner
Did anyone notice the mega POP that happened when Santino won the match?? AMAZING. That is as big a Pop as ANYone on the roster! I was really shocked. Santino is VERY over right now, and knows how to work the crowd.
So he gets a well deserved title run. Doubt it will be a long one, but he will go into WM a Champion!
So he gets a well deserved title run. Doubt it will be a long one, but he will go into WM a Champion!
Mustang Sally
Sells seashells by the seashore
That's a fact. Having it held by a "No-Longer-Prime-Time" Jack Swagger and a clown act like Santino is proof enough of that. You might think that even a minor championship belt is worthy only of guys who present as championship level contenders, but these two guys are good indicators that it isn't so.
People like Santino and Zack Ryder getting pushes shows that anyone who pays their dues and hangs around long enough will probably get something thrown their way.
That's fine, I suppose.....but it doesn't do much for the prestige of the U.S. Championship, does it?
OR, that people who get bigger pops than most of the main eventers do get something thrown their way. Santino didn't get it because he paid his dues, he got the US Title because the powers that be noticed the incredible fan support he gets. He got rewarded for getting mega-over with the crowd.
Little Jerry Lawler
Sigmund Freud On Ritalin And Roids
I'm not a Zack Ryder fan but I did appreciate how he pushed himself and got himself noticed and once he won the title, that stopped. It was like Vince saying, "You got over without me so we'll give you the title and then get squashed week after week to teach you a lesson." There has been so much that could be done with the midcard titles through character progression and actually pushing someone without it being halted the next week and never to recover. I don't see any benefit in him winning the title and I'm not blaming him for that. It's just the way I've viewed the title for years. I don't care about how someone "deserves" to win a title.
LegendKiller_RKO
Occasional Pre-Show
Santino has really gotten to me. The guy is a great in ring technician and his gimmick (although ridiculous) isn't boring as all hell. I was at the show in Boston last night and he easily got some of the biggest pops of the night. When he got the 3 count over swagger I thought the roof of the arena would blow off it was so loud! I for one am happy for Santino.
Martin Gabriel
Pre-Show Stalwart
The way I see it.
Santino deserves it. Why? Only because he is over af! I'm not gonna bullshit and say he deserves it 'cause he's a good wrestler 'cause it's not like we get to see him actually wrestle in his matches.
So anyway, Santino deserves it but the fact that there was no build-up to this title match and subsequent victory just makes it meaningless. Yes, he got MAD POPS at EC and the shows prior to EC. But that doesn't warrant an immediate title match and subsequent victory. Now, if Santino loses the belt--either due to Laurinaitis stripping him of it or Swagger winning it back in a match--the hope for Santino winning it back is slim to none. Because it's like, "Well, he won it already and lost it so why should it matter?" And I understand, people will still want him to hold gold and become a mainstay. I'm just saying, though, WWE could've gotten more bang for their buck had they actually built it up, especially had they built it up the same way they built up Ryder's US title match and victory.
Santino deserves it. Why? Only because he is over af! I'm not gonna bullshit and say he deserves it 'cause he's a good wrestler 'cause it's not like we get to see him actually wrestle in his matches.
So anyway, Santino deserves it but the fact that there was no build-up to this title match and subsequent victory just makes it meaningless. Yes, he got MAD POPS at EC and the shows prior to EC. But that doesn't warrant an immediate title match and subsequent victory. Now, if Santino loses the belt--either due to Laurinaitis stripping him of it or Swagger winning it back in a match--the hope for Santino winning it back is slim to none. Because it's like, "Well, he won it already and lost it so why should it matter?" And I understand, people will still want him to hold gold and become a mainstay. I'm just saying, though, WWE could've gotten more bang for their buck had they actually built it up, especially had they built it up the same way they built up Ryder's US title match and victory.
Dmbfantomas
Bald Billy was Better
For the first time in a quite a while, this wasn't a great "almost" moment for Santino... it was a "He finally got it."
When he almost won the Royal Rumble last year, I marked like a small child.
When he almost got it done in the Elimination Chamber, I was not alone in being as excited as I was for MitB last July.
The man is just plain entertaining. I love it. I wish him the best going forward.
When he almost won the Royal Rumble last year, I marked like a small child.
When he almost got it done in the Elimination Chamber, I was not alone in being as excited as I was for MitB last July.
The man is just plain entertaining. I love it. I wish him the best going forward.
You can't honestly name a person who deserves that belt more than Santino. Besides, all people ever do with regards to the US title is say how useless it is. So by that standard, isn't it pretty perfect for Santino?
It may just be me, but Santino gets bigger pops than anyone on the roster right now aside from maybe CM Punk. They may have squandered it by giving him the strap -- he's not really such an underdog now, so will that sour the crowd a bit? But ultimately it's about connecting with the audience. Santino has been given a joke of a gimmick and done that in spades.
It may just be me, but Santino gets bigger pops than anyone on the roster right now aside from maybe CM Punk. They may have squandered it by giving him the strap -- he's not really such an underdog now, so will that sour the crowd a bit? But ultimately it's about connecting with the audience. Santino has been given a joke of a gimmick and done that in spades.
First thing first, santino will bring meaning back to that title just as Cody did for the IC title. Another thing, if they have santino lose the title tonight to anyone especially drew, than i'm completely done with the wwe because all hope for me for wwe getting back to it roots are gone out the window.
It makes no freaking sense to me for drew to win the title by being de-pushed all this time and makes no freaking sense for them to put it back on someone that only caries the title as a paper weight. So if they remove the belt from santino, i'm out.
It makes no freaking sense to me for drew to win the title by being de-pushed all this time and makes no freaking sense for them to put it back on someone that only caries the title as a paper weight. So if they remove the belt from santino, i'm out.
I was not sure what to think of this at first, but I think it was a good move by WWE to make Santino the United States Champion since it's obvious Swagger was never going to get anything done during his reign, which was unfortunate. Swagger's reign could have been SO much better and the list of reasons for why is endless, but that is a topic for another thread. Santino is over and the fans like him. Sure, he is a joke, but it's not like he won one of the world titles. He has held the Intercontinental Championship twice and the Tag Team Championship as well. This isn't his first title and it will not be his last. I look forward to seeing where they go with this angle and title reign.
The title might very well get lost after some sort of angle with JL abusing his Smackdown GM powers this week. I think having McIntyre getting rehired to win the title from Santino would be funny. Or they could let Santino have a legit reign. That would be a better way to have him step away from being a comedy act forever. Yes, he's hilarious, but if they are going to give him actual pushes then it needs to be believable for him to win matches. I can't take him seriously at the moment and neither can countless others. Give him a decent midcard title reign with a bit of his comedy on the side and he will get even more over. Then he can be believable to win more important matches, it could be a path for better things for Santino.
The title might very well get lost after some sort of angle with JL abusing his Smackdown GM powers this week. I think having McIntyre getting rehired to win the title from Santino would be funny. Or they could let Santino have a legit reign. That would be a better way to have him step away from being a comedy act forever. Yes, he's hilarious, but if they are going to give him actual pushes then it needs to be believable for him to win matches. I can't take him seriously at the moment and neither can countless others. Give him a decent midcard title reign with a bit of his comedy on the side and he will get even more over. Then he can be believable to win more important matches, it could be a path for better things for Santino.
The 1-2-3 Killam
Mid-Card Championship Winner
Santino is entertaining. Santino gets massive pops for EVERYTHING he does. When he won that World title battle royal on Smackdown before Elimination Chamber, the crowd went crazy! When he almost won the World title IN the Elimination Chamber, the crowd went crazy! And when he kicked out of the Swagger Bomb on Raw last night, rolled through the Ankle Lock and won the United States championship the crowd went crazy.
Having a champion that the crowd cares about and is willing to get behind, whether it be as a face or a heel, is always a step in the right direction. The midcard in WWE is stronger than it has been during the entirety of the PG era. They have established talents that are (mostly) all drawing some sort of reaction, and some of them can actually wrestle an entertaining match. Besides, I can see complaining about the Intercontinental title losing meaning over the years, but it's not like WCW or WWE have ever put a lot of focus on the United States championship. The last time I really felt like the title meant something was when Carlito and John Cena were feuding over it.
Pump the breaks, girlpants... I like your enthusiasm, but I wouldn't go that far. There is still a very real possibility that he drops the belt to Swagger on Smackdown, or even on Raw next week. As I've already said, it's a step in the right direction, but I wouldn't put all my eggs in the Santino basket just yet...
I think Santino has this weird ability to win people over. When he won the IC title for the second time, turned heel and went on that big Honkey Tonk Man streak I think most people hated him. But he grew on me and by the time he lost the belt I genuinely wanted to see him succeed (even as a heel...). He's also a lot more over now than he was four years ago - just give it a chance. You're going to watch the product regardless, so you may as well hope for the best...
This isn't necessarily a guarantee, but I wouldn't rule it out either. The title has already changed hands again, Ryder got involved in a different feud, and we really have no idea how long he'll be out with "injury". You'd think if he wanted his rematch he would have gone after it before getting destroyed by Kane a few dozen times... That being said, I could easily see him getting involved in the title picture again post-Mania.
I'm guessing he said McIntyre because he has the ability to watch things and see how they are obviously panning out... Long fired McIntyre, but Laurinaitis is running Smackdown this week. If Laurinaitis really wanted to do something to piss of TLo, it absolutely makes perfect sense. At the very least he could re-hire him to the Raw brand and let him job there. Rumor has it he's in for a gimmick change though, so...
This post is a joke. Don't ever compare Santino's wrestling ability to that of Zack Ryder's. Santino is everything Ryder is trying, and failing, to be. He's a goofy comedy act with good wrestling ability that can get over huge with the crowd. Ryder took the "rage against the man" approach and it worked for him...until the man started pushing him. HE is the joke in this equation, not Santino...
This isn't a bad idea, but I doubt they'll need to fill that much time. Rock/Cena and Triple H/Undertaker will probably take up an hour combined, and that's without entrances, pre-match promos, and anything else they do with it. I would guess that with the four "main events" on the card, that will take up at least 2 hours. You then have Cody and Big Show, Randy Orton and Kane, and likely a Divas match to fill another hour. With all the fanfare of WrestleMania they really only need to execute one match to fill that other hour.
That being said, I still like the idea. A 6-man tag is just going to end in a finisher spot-fest, so I wouldn't mind actually seeing something different. I think I would rather see a Best of Three series like this though:
-Jack Swagger & Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston & R-Truth
-David Otunga vs Santino Marella - battle of the personal assistants
-Mark Henry, Alberto del Rio, & Miz (or Christian if he's healthy) vs Mason Ryan, Brodus Clay, & Rey Mysterio (if he's healthy)
They could make a big deal out of the returns and builing up the Team Long vs Team Laurinaitis thing as "bigger" than a brand war. If they did go with a tag team match overall, which is likely, they could do a Survivor Series type deal with Swagger, Ziggler, Otunga, Henry, and del Rio vs Brodus, Mysterio, Santino, Kofi, and Truth... Just throwing ideas against the wall here, but that is NOT the point of this thread, so...I'm done.
anthonymclaughlin
Dark Match Winner
So anyway, Santino deserves it but the fact that there was no build-up to this title match and subsequent victory just makes it meaningless.
I see what your saying but I think that the fact that there was no build up added to moment. It wasn't weeks of back and forth it was "holy shit santino's champ!!"
I see what your saying but I think that the fact that there was no build up added to moment. It wasn't weeks of back and forth it was "holy shit santino's champ!!"