**MERGED** All GM Discussion (KEEP IT IN HERE!!!!)

[FitFinlay4Life]

I'm not trying to fall out with anyone here but I just felt it was lazy and pointless, especially as it falls in the same time capsule as the Lesnar storyline were we're meant to embrace the realism of this UFC fighter running roughshod over the WWe Sports Entertainers (a mantle also being carried out by Big Show to a certain extent).

As I stated in my initial post, would it really have been that hard to make Bob Backlund the anonymous GM as his skewed sense of justice would have fitted in nicely with the frequently strange decisions of the laptop were it would regularly place both faces and heels in situations and matches that they objected too. Bonus point: one reveal and he's gone.

In theory, if we ARE to believe this, there are many guys and gals on the roster who'll be looking (at the very least) a word with Hornswoggle. This could mean that the plot shouldn't, therefore, be over yet. If it gets revealed that he wasn't GM, then we're back to square one.

 

[PSachkovsky]

I'm not trying to fall out with anyone here but I just felt it was lazy and pointless, especially as it falls in the same time capsule as the Lesnar storyline were we're meant to embrace the realism of this UFC fighter running roughshod over the WWe Sports Entertainers (a mantle also being carried out by Big Show to a certain extent).

As I stated in my initial post, would it really have been that hard to make Bob Backlund the anonymous GM as his skewed sense of justice would have fitted in nicely with the frequently strange decisions of the laptop were it would regularly place both faces and heels in situations and matches that they objected too. Bonus point: one reveal and he's gone.

In theory, if we ARE to believe this, there are many guys and gals on the roster who'll be looking (at the very least) a word with Hornswoggle. This could mean that the plot shouldn't, therefore, be over yet. If it gets revealed that he wasn't GM, then we're back to square one.

The worst show in history, is caring by the worst pay-off in history, period. I thought TNA sucked with Vince Russo, but last night's Raw was worst then WCW circa 2001-2000.

 

[Ol'Canucklehead]

The worst show in history, is caring by the worst pay-off in history, period. I thought TNA sucked with Vince Russo, but last night's Raw was worst then WCW circa 2001-2000.

That's your problem. Hornswaggle wasn't the payoff nor was he meant to be. Your gullible if you think so. They simply needed another former GM and it was meant to be funny. Which it was for 12 year olds. Now to say the shoe revolved around this is also way off base. The Punk/AJ/Bryan story I thought did well last night. I thought it was funny when Punk dropped the mic. The Tag match was alright too. Backlund showing up half normal was a nice surprise. I'm going to say you haven't liked a thing the WWE has done in a long time. If so, stop watching, they don't need you.

 

[GrandSword]

The GS 2 Cents

1. Creative never really had anyone in mind to be the Anon GM and were going to work on it and come up with something when the time came. I heard Stephanie was the front runner for a long time.

2. The Anon GM had Swoggle beaten up on several occasions..

3. Many online fans were complaining how the angle was just dropped.

4. Raw is for an audience of one. Vince McMahon

5. This was a middle finger to all IWCers who complained about no resolution to WWE storylines.

6. The angle is now complete.

7. Will this make people try TNA? Austin Aries is now World Champion after defeating the longest reigning and best heel champ the company has ever had.

8. Does WWE care about any of it's storylines or having fans invest their time in them? Could this be eye opening and detrimental to longtime WWE fan loyalty as this could be seen as that what they output really doesn't matter.

9. Are they putting all their energy into the 1000th episode and these shows really are just being negelected?

10. I can't think of a number 10.

 

[aliasv2]

I was so close to turning off my TV when that happened, the reason why I didn't was because of the ME after....It was just stupid, lazy booking by WWE creative, and a complete waste of time. No one in the crowd really cared, and it seems like it annoyed a lot of people aswell. They should of just left the Anonymous GM alone and forgot about it.

 

[TempestH]

There are some very forgiving people on this thread - who the anonymous GM was the main storyline for 13 months and was dropped never to be referred to again until very recently.

As frustrating as that was, last night's 'revelation' was even more irritating because they had the perfect candidate for the quick pay off moment. Think about it, the GM was self centered and, while a heel, did make a large number of edicts that disadvantaged heels - implying a warped sense of justice. Why oh why didn't they just reveal Bob Backlund (who exhibited all of these characteristics in his 90's tenure as 'Mr Backlund') as the man behind the laptop? This would have been quick, easy, believable and conclusive because, let's be honest, Hornswoggle could still be revealed to be a red herring and only playing the role for the night (which he was!).

The Anonymous GM was hardly "the main storyline" during his tenure. The Nexus, the rise of Miz, Cena/Rock and the initial rise of CM Punk all took priority over "who the GM is".

I do agree that Hornswoggle could've only been the Anonymous GM for one night. Sending emails to the laptop for Michael Cole to read would fit Hornswoggle as a prankster.

 

[IT Factor]

That was quite possibly the worst RAW I've seen in quite some time. The matches all sucked ass and having Hornswoggle as Anon GM was an easy out[though it makes no actual storyline sense]. Add in yet ANOTHER Michael Cole/Jerry Lawler match and you get simply awful programming. WWE are really in major trouble if this is what'll happen when RAW goes to 3 hours. And WWE usually pokes fun @ WCW before it closed? This was by far worse than just about anything Vince Russo or Eric Bischoff ever conceived of.

 

[The Ghost of Benoit]

I thought it was great. I was totally shocked. What a swerve!

Ok seriously it was stupid. I honestly didnt care though. At least we wont see this stupid angle anymore.

Does anyone find it funny how Cole or whoever always read from a piece of paper? When Matthews was reading it they even showed it on camera. A paper on the laptop and a blank blue screen. It must be really hard for WWE to make it look legit.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I thought this was a rather disappointing revelation, but I would rather have a bad ending to an angle than to not have one at all. Everyone was wondering who was sending the "emails" that Michael Cole read off of pieces of paper and we never did find out who it was, until now. Apparently it was Hornswoggle all along. Vince knows guys like us sit on here picking apart the product on a daily basis and likely picked Hornswoggle knowing he is not popular among the online fanbase. An unanswered question is taken care of at the same time as making the internet fanbase angry yet again, Vince was able to do both simultaneously here.

Could there have been a better choice? Definitely. It could also have been worse though. Had it been Vince himself all along I would have been livid. I'm so sick and tired of him onscreen. At least now we can move on with our lives finally knowing who was behind the annoying computer last year. It honestly would have made more sense for it to have been Johnny, but oh well. Had JL announced that he was the anonymous GM the whole time it would have gotten him even more heel heat and fit in with something his character would do. He was annoying, the computer was annoying, and we needed a real revelation that wasn't the big disappointment to purposefully anger the online fans that this was. At least we know who it was, unanswered questions are far more frustrating than Hornswoggle could ever be.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

As much as I think there was about 10 different, and better choices for the Anonymous GM than the utterly worthless Hornswoggle, I don't think its that big of a deal.

As long as the Anonymous GM angle remains dead and buried, and does not make a Cena-like comeback, it doesnt bother me too much.

At least the angle now has a "proper" ending, and the GM behind the laptop has been revealed, rather than just being dropped and forgotten about like so many other angles have been in the past. This looked set to be another of those, so I am glad in a way WWE found a way, any way, of ending it. I hope to God though, that Horny is not given a GM spot full-time, that would be horrendous.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I think it was a great idea for Hornswoggle to be revealed as the Anonymous Raw General Manager. It closed the open-ended storyline and added a little humor to the show. If anyone else were to be revealed as the one sending the E-Mails, there would have been more questions than answers. The way I see it, hypothetically, Vince saw what “danger” his “son” was in when he was Cruiserweight Champion. Making him anonymous “protected” him from disgruntled SuperStars who didn’t like his decisions. Plus, he’s Vince’s son. That’s how I think he got the “job”. I wish there was a site that listed all of the Anonymous Raw GM’s decisions while in control. I’d love to go back and try and piece it all together.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

You do realize that Hornswoggle was revealed to be Finlay's son over two years before the anonymous GM came into existence and that Vince had done in his power to completely destroy him? He wasn't given the role for any nepotistic reason.

 

[DDelaware2009]

Pretty straight forward - while WWE *seems* to be in this mode of having all Superstars available for both shows it is conceivable that if they wanted to re-institute the "brand extension" now would be the time.

- Alot of guys are coming back from injury (Jericho just returned, so did Del Rio, Mysterio is next, plus Orton, Barrett, Mark Henry, Ted DiBiase).

- With all those returners, there isn't alot of room for a few guys who are ready to push into that "upper crust" of the roster (Ziggler and Rhodes, to start)

- Plus there are some guys ready to be called up (dean ambrose leading that pack), guys who could use more TV time (Slater who is blossoming; also, Sandow, Cesaro, Ryder, and even guys like Kidd and Gabriel could blossom if their characters can develop - talent is there!)

- Not to mention there are some guys who could benefit from the fresh start that a draft usually brings (Miz, Swagger off the top of my head)

Please keep your pessimism to a minimum and tell me- which would you prefer? A united WWE roster performing on both shows under 1 GM? Or a competitive era under the Brand Extension?

 

[whoopin' ass]

no thought. it was a dumb idea but that is what wwe does when they create a storyline with no idea how to finish it. but did you notice something - even though he is supposed to be vince's "son", they were still trying to attack him in the ring. would they have reacted the same way if Shane was revealed to be the GM? but that storyline is more than 3 months old so it doesn't count.

 

[MattyB]

They ruined it to be honest, I was watching with my cousins and at the beginning of the show I guaranteed that it would be Hornswoggle. Not the best thing that WWE could have done but it definitely wasnt the worst either. It would still be great to figure out who actually was supposed to be the GM though.

 

[DirtyD79]

Actually I really wasn't all that bothered by it. The anonymous general manager thing was pointless and stupid so they might as well dump it off on Hornswoggle since he's the one guy who any stupid storyline is not going to harm his credibility because he's a comic relief character and it's all he'll ever be.

 

[ultramattman]

I groaned when I realized it was going to be Hornswoggle, but honestly, what name would have been a worthy payoff? No matter who they chose, the "real" Anonymous GM would have just been some random person with no real connection to anything.

The real GM during the laptop era was, obviously, MICHAEL COLE. Cole was the one reading all the emails and drawing all the crowd heat. Cole did all the actual GM stuff. He just got up from his desk rather than walking out from behind the curtain. So whatever, the 'real' identity was never very important to me.

 

[Mustang Sally]

After all this time, I was surprised the company addressed it at all. When the whole angle was going on, they made such a thing of it, didn't they? Many folks were wondering whether it was a current performer or someone coming in from outside the company. Personally, I was wondering whether they even had someone in mind while it was happening, or whether they figured they could address it sometime in the future.

Okay, the latter was apparently true, right? I doubt that two years ago, they knew it would be Hornswoggle and had plans to announce it someday. Instead, they just let the angle die, which seemed odd, but not unheard of in WWE.

Why the company bothered naming the GM now is unknown, unless they somehow plan to do something with it......but that it turned out to be Hornswoggle is neither here nor there. I think they picked him because the true identity of the Anonymous GM makes absolutely no difference in the scheme of things. If it wound up being someone else, there might have to be an explanation provided as to whom it turned out to be and why it was kept a secret.

With Hornswoggle, no explanation is needed.......because who cares? To that end, he was a good choice.

 

[#TGMTEL]

I was so happy when the guest host was the computer because it brought back Michael Cole's character in which people love to hate him even more. Personally I think Cole is hilarious. I felt that Cole was losing heat just because he was getting his old spotlight were he would interrupt matches to talk about him to the crowd or go to the computer where everyone could boo him

WIth addressing Horns as the GM, once Santino said underneath the ring everyone knew who it was and it was disappointing because it felt like they really had no plan so they just put him as it. Wasn't too happy

 

[The Third Man]

I think revealing Hornswoggle as the mystery GM was just WWE's way of admitting it was kind of a lame angle to begin with that got progressively worse until they finally just discontinued the whole thing with little fanfare last year.
And not a single f@ck was given that day.

 

[gasM]

Personally I thought it was funny in a goofy sort of way. Funnier than Cole vs Lawler anyway.
I'd like it if it turned out he was the anonymous GM for that night, but the person behind the emails last year was somebody else. If the WWE never revisit this then the reveal will always be an afterthought, but if they hauled a better candidate out for being the orignal anonymous GM it'd make for a pretty interesting story.
And hey, at least there was a resolution - even if the potentially explosive story became 5 minutes of fun.

 

[I am Mr. Excitement]

This just popped into my head. What if Edge returned and some how became the GM of RAW or SmackDown and turned heel shortly after by maybe screwing Christian over or someone else babyface. Not saying it should be soon, just somewhere in the future. Edge was one of, if not the best heel characters in history. I think he could deffinately pull something off. What do you think?

Discuss, Opinions, book it.

 

[IT Factor]

I think with the way Edge went out with the Hall Of Fame and all, that he would be a face GM. I'm doubting he would ever portray the heel again, with him being in tv shows[can't remember the name, that crappy Syfy show] and possibly in other WWE films, they'd probably keep Edge face for the fans. Plus, his comedy routine would fit perfectly into the GM role. The last little bit RAW GMs have been heel. It's time for a face GM and Edge would fit nicely.

Now, JBL as a heel Smackdown GM=Gold.

 

[DDelaware2009]

I think that's the beauty of Edge as a potential GM. Personally, I am having a hard time picturing him playing a "corporate" role. But, I'll get used to it. If he does get the job - he will start as a face for a few months - if Dolph (with Vickie) is chasing the World Title on Smack Down, theres a natural conflict with him and Vickie's history. Edge stays face for as long as WM 29 even, then he can turn heel which creates new possibilities for another 6 months, maybe more.

 

[BigThunder]

No more heel GMs, please.

No more handicap gauntlet lumberjack special referee matches. No more"let's book a deliberately terrible match just so the storyline can advance". I don't need to see Cena or Punk or Shamus overcome the odds. I don't need to see the office faves demolish the tag champs, or two upper mid-carders who are on a downward slump. It's been done. To. Death.

Let's have the GM be a Jack Tunney, impartial figure who occasionally impacts a match or card, but keep the focus on the competitors.

Edge, however, is always welcome on my TV screen, either as a friend to Christian or Jericho, a rival to Cena or Orton, or whatever capacity allows him to cut a good promo. Just not as a heel GM, please.