**MERGED** McIntyre, Mahal & Slater: 3MB Discussion (Keep it in here!)

[Jack-Hammer]

A few minutes ago, I read a report on wrestlinginc.com stating that the three have taken to Twitter over the weekend. They've declared that they want to take over WWE, the typical faction stuff, and their name is apparently Encore.

The only thing I can think of as a reason for the name is if the group declares that they're all so good that you'll want to see them over & over again. You know, like a crowd screaming "encore, encore!" after a concert is over.

I dunno, doesn't sound like much to me. Then again, it's something that's completely brand new so it's not surprising that it doesn't sound like much. It'd definitely not something to get excited about as they might just turn around and feed all three of these guys to Brodus Clay or Ryback within the next week or so.

 

[Romantic_Rebel267]

I would like to see a big guy like Clay or Ryback join the group. They would have to stop the feud between Ryback and Mahal. But I can imagine a bodyguard will help their image.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal faced off on Superstars, and after a good performance from a obvious babyface McIntyre, WWE thinks that it's logical for them to create some sort of stable. I didn't see the point, and working against Brodus Clay isn't doing them any favors either.

Now if that actually works, which isn't going to, I think that they should have someone legitimate to lead them and not Heath FN Slater. I mean you could have made David Otunga the leader of said stable, but never ever Heath Slater. Only Drew McIntyre will stand out, now I don't think he has that amount of talent that some people try to make us believe but he does have an outstanding look for a babyface and he's that underrated that it "kills" all of us to see him getting feed to Zack Ryder or pretty much everyone.

I will support Encore for some weeks, and if I see for a reason that this all to legitimate Brodus Clay, I will be pissed.

 

[HBsam31]

I am just joking here, and I don't think this is actually ever going to happen. Just wanted to make sure I was clear about that, but what if Encore was the entity that finally turned John Cena heel. Cena is the 4th man, and he leads Encore to heights the NWO has never even seen lol. Anyway, this is a group I will keep an open mind to for a little while, but I can't really see much happening for them. Attacking Brodus Clay was not a great way to start IMO. I could easily see them starting out attacking different people only to all of a sudden being fed to Brodus and Ryback. I still would like to see Drew breakout, but other than maybe that my hope are not to high for this group.

 

[Kris Benwa]

I think that this stable by itself is awful but they can serve some purpose, to help Ryback. The stable can interfere in Ryback's title match against the Miz who the would align themselves with thus giving Ryback a victory so he's still undefeated. Then have Ryback destroy the stable over the course of say, a month until he gets the title shot again where Ryback will win the title. This way, the stable gets Ryback a fued and makes him look like more of a badass.

 

[TheLoneCharles]

I doubt much will be done with these 3 guys. Like some have said they could end up being food for Ryback especially since he was already fed Mahal and Slater.

Another possibility, which I doubt would happen but could be interesting...is if Wade Barrett is revealed to be the leader of Encore. First it's fitting because of the "en-Corre" and Nexus relationship he has with Slater. McIntyre is someone I think would be a nice fit because of the UK connection. I guess Mahal can give them an "all world" feel.

There, you would have a stable with a budding main eventer in Wade Barrett, the second coming of Honky Tonk Man in Heath Slater, and a tag team of McIntyre and Mahal can be thrown together. Even if the three current members are fed to Ryback, at least the big payoff would be a Wade Barrett VS Ryback match possibly for the IC Title.

 

[rge2010]

Please for the love of god dont put Wade Barrett or Ryback with these. Barrett and Ryback are just fine on their own. Putting them with these 3 misfits will destroy the momentum both have at the moment!!!

Its a very odd trio. Not sure what to think about it. I certainly think someone like Mason Ryan should be added to the group though.

 

[JBK2008]

This is without a doubt an odd pairing, but these are 3 guys who don't have anything to do right now other than job. They have probably had enough of it and will take anyone out who tries to hold them back. Let them wreak havoc on SmackDown. Add Mason Ryan, that way there's some real muscle there. Also, there's no way Heath Slater could be the leader of this group. It should be McIntyre.

 

[berlinbrawler]

They might as well call themselves the Legion of Losers.

But who knows, maybe 3 scrubs together can accomplish a little something. A midcard title for McIintyre or whatever. Drew may be the one to actually benefit from this. He is underrated and overlooked on the show and needs to make some sort of noise. He should be the boss.

 

[dotty_84]

For me this could be Drews last chance. Give him some relevancy and after new year he could be released. Jinder Mahal, i think they'll keep as he's good for the Indian market and Heath Slater is a decent wrestler for making others look good.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal faced off on Superstars, and after a good performance from a obvious babyface McIntyre, WWE thinks that it's logical for them to create some sort of stable. I didn't see the point, and working against Brodus Clay isn't doing them any favors either.

We won't know until we see what Creative has planned. Sometimes, this sort of thing works: witness, the Nation of Domination. The group had only a temporary impact, yet the joining of these guys enabled a couple to stand out and make a name for themselves. With the group effort, a guy named Rock was given a real chance to shine.

With Encore, we have three guys who were individually humbled by Brodus Clay coming together to take him down. There's a semblance of logic to the process....and for that reason, Brodus huge body was a good place for the group to start.

I think the group needs a leader and don't see any of the three emerging, although it would be great if one could take the reins. The three have been known as bad guy blowhards who haven't backed up their big mouths with anything of substance. Perhaps their actions will speak louder than words but I'd personally like to see a role for William Regal in Encore. He wouldn't even have to wrestle; just take the occasional shot from a pissed off good guy to keep things on an even keel. I think his snotty way of expressing himself would fit this alliance well.

Jinder and Slater have been featured in recent months and their notoriety gives this union credence. Heath has participated in a unique (albeit losing) series of matches while Jinder is known more for his anger than anything else, along with his mini-programs with Ryback and Khali. Banding together might be the logical step that takes them to the next level.

As for Drew, I'm just happy to see him finally get something. Since the "Chosen One" nonsense, he's had nothing except a nasty attitude, and it's been frustrating to read people saying he generates no heat while he's being given nothing to generate it with. Here's his chance.

How about a role for Regal, though?

 

[IHW]

Put Curt Hawkins with the group and I might care. Mahal, McIntyre, and Slater are three guys who really don't care much for. At one point, I really did like Drew, but that has faded. I have never like Jinder. And Slater is okay, but nothing that will make me want to watch this faction. The only reason I say add Hawkins is because I legitimately think he could be go somewhere in the WWE. This could be his break.

That's the first thing that came to mind. I may not even care then. I say, add on and add on to the stable. Put every heel that has gone absolutely nowhere recently in "Encore." Add JTG, Hawkins, Hunico, Camacho, Otunga, Curtis, Ryan, and Migillicutty. Then maybe turn some of the faces (E.I. Tatsu, Riley, Clay ) heel and let them add a little intrest to the group. After that, you may have a legit threat on Smackdown.

 

[iSTILLwatchNXT]

They could do with a manager, someone who you could believe could turn them round from past jobbers to fulfilling their potential and giving them the 'rock star profile' that seems to be part of the gimmick. Someone like Flair, but that's unlikely.

Most of us can see McIntyre is a real talent, WZ reported a month or so ago he was due some character development and a push. They should make McIntyre the leader of the group and push him into the upper card on Smackdown. Not necessarily the world title picture but give him some strong wins over recognised upper card competition. Remember how good McIntyre looked at Elimination Chamber before he had his rapid fall down the ranks? He really looked believable as a main event contender.

Mahal seems to be quite popular with WWE higher ups, didn't Triple H say he sees a big future in Mahal? Involve him in the US title picture.

Slater seems like the focal point at the minute which I am unsure about. He's a good wrestler but he's went too far down the jobber route to be viewed as a credible leader. They should add another member and put Slater in the tag team division. McGillicutty might be a good fit, he was another who was reported to be popular with Triple H and being someone who could have a big future.

As most of these guys are quite well thought of I'd expect them to be given some success with this, everyone loves a stable, I'd like to see them run riot for a few weeks and see how it pans out.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I'm very meh on this idea.

When I see Slater I mark out a bit, I love the guy. He sells well and is good at taking bumps, He makes his opponents look good, very underrated set of skills.

Mahal has "the look" physique wise, but he is fairly dull. He is a decent worker but he doesn't engage the crowd at all. I doubt he lasts much longer, he isn't even Indian, he is Canadian, so he doesn't have that appeal to said market that Khali has.

Drew, his ship sailed long ago. He has above average skills, the issue is that they pushed him way to hard, way too soon. It became obvious that he was out of his league at his age at the level he was being pushed, then the backstage issues happened.

If they are keen on pushing them I'm not sure this is the best way. Slater is over as a heel people want to get his ass kicked. Maybe team up Mahal and Drew, but the point of this stable, not really sure?

 

[Diet Soda]

I'd like to see how it plays out.

The good thing about mid-card stables is that instead of 3 or 4 guys struggling with each other to get TV time, you can get all of them in one go playing equal roles.

The bad thing is that they're a risk. Yes they could be 'the next' Nation, but likewise they could end up like X-Factor. (Remember them? Had their own song and everything.)

I agree with Sally in that this unit lacks leadership, but I'd much rather see someone more 'awesome' to take the reins.

 

[XXJJ]

Unless they do something really unique to stand out I dont see this group working. Stables work better when you have an established star as the leader. Perfect example is Legacy. No one cared about Cody and Ted at the time, but because of their association with Orton they became relevant.

I dont know how forming a group with these 3 guys will get fans to care about them.

 

[Dagger Dias]

These three are such a weird combination. Slater and Drew by themselves might have made sense although it would still have been a strange combination, but throwing Jinder in with them is so extremely random. They have nothing in common. With that being said.... I am going to give this stable a chance. It may look like a random throwing together of three guys who have nothing else going on, but WWE may have a plan for them. The success or failure of this group depends on the booking. They could be a success that leads to bigger and better things for all three, or a massive failure that leads to future endeavourement for some (or even all) of them.

It seems like Slater will be the leader and this could be his chance to finally prove the haters wrong. I've always thought he had the potential to make it far in WWE so this could be good for him. I'm a Drew McIntyre fan too so having him get time onscreen is rarely a bad thing either. Jinder I'm not a fan of but he is more tolerable while working with wrestlers I am a fan of such as Slater and McIntyre. The way I see it going at this point is that they keep attacking random people with Slater showing a more serious heel persona as time goes on, Drew eventually will slowly turn on him to jump start his face push. We did not get a face version of "The Chosen One" and he still claims to be just that. Jinder will just kind of be there during the stable's existence and fade back into obscurity after they split.

 

[prosenfi]

(MODS, if this thread was already made, I apologize).

So on Raw last night, we say more into the stable of Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, and Jinder Mahal, now known collectively as Encore. Even during the match, Michael Cole plainly stated that he doesn't know what these guys have in common. It got me thinking.

When I think Encore, I think about having a second turn, or second chance. Maybe Encore is for superstars who thought they were gonna hit it big, but then fell by the wayside. When Mahal debuted, he teamed with the Great Khali and really seemed set for a solid push. That fizzled out quick. Same thing with Drew. When Vince said that Drew was the "Chosen One", everyone was expecting drew to get into the uppercard level. Again, that failed. Finally, there's Slater, who has never had a substantial push, but he has certainly never been at a lower point in his career, since he debuted with Nexus, then began jobbing out to legends and such.

What do you all think the purpose is for Encore?

 

[DJS92491]

Job Squad 2.0

Three guys who were lucky enough to be called up to the main roster before Linda's campaign started, and are now being grouped because I think higher ups in the WWE may think that's funny.

I don't think WWE will ever: Book them as being intimidating, give them titles, or give them a serious storyline.

Basically, I just see three guys who WWE can't believe didn't ask for their release yet since they obviously can't fire them because Linda's a "job creator", and so they're pitting them together as a joke.

Hopefully the future of this group is a lot more brighter than what I picture it as, but I just see Job Squad 2.0

 

[UFOcalling]

To me, this new group (Encore) is just a vehicle for Heath Slater to get over as a comedic heel "leader". I don't think there has been an official "leader" named for the group yet, but it's obvious to me that Slater is the shining star of the group. As far as the other two go (McIntyre & Mahal), I believe they'll fall back into obscurity after this group fades away.

I see a LOT of potential in Slater, which surprised the hell out of me; I felt this guy was just a "vanilla midget" (thanks, Nash! LOL) who would never amount to anything, other than the great joke Cena made about him looking like the Wendy's girl. I first started to like him when he was doing his "wannabe legend killer" thing, leading up to Raw 1,000. I'm sure a lot of others jumped on the Slater bandwagon at that time as well, since Slater proved that he was willing to play the fool for the entertainment of the E's "Universe".

Last night's match between Slater & Santino had me laughing pretty hard, especially when they were doing the shoulder blocks and complaining about how much it hurt. Slater's guitarish windmill thing he does is HILARIOUS to me; the way he bends his one leg just cracks me up. I know it's possible that people find Slater annoying, but he will be the next great comedic heel for the WWE. I don't know if he'll be turned into a face by the crowd (like Santino was), but I feel that he'll remain a heel for a while. I wouldn't be surprised if Slater got a run with the US belt within the next year, but I really don't have high hopes for this group of his. I think we'll get some comedy sketches out of it, with Heath being the diamond in the rough. McIntyre & Mahal seem like the type of people who won't want to appear "foolish" on television, although that kind of thing might help their careers in the long-run. I hope to see McIntyre & Mahal elevated by Slater (that guy will be big in the future, mark my words), and I definitely don't see them weighing Slater down...but ultimately this group won't do anything substantial. It's just a way for Slater to have a "band", so he won't have to say "one man band" any longer. If anything, this group will showcase Slater's ability to be funny on the mic, and in backstage segments. I don't think there are many other positive aspects to the group other than that.

 

[Thepiedpiper]

For me this could be Drews last chance. Give him some relevancy and after new year he could be released. Jinder Mahal, i think they'll keep as he's good for the Indian market and Heath Slater is a decent wrestler for making others look good.

I doubt this is Drew's last chance, it's not exactly the best situation to be in is it?
After seeing him beat Mahal on SS, he can be a face, but I think they don't want that right now, so we'll see how the Band thing goes.

I have a feeling this is just a way to escalate Slater further up the ladder

 

[Da Solo]

In theory, it's a great idea. I'm a fan of all three guys, and would love to see them all succeed, but I have my reservations.

1. Heath should not be a leader. They should be like the Corre tried to be, every man as an equal. It looks bad when Heath, the frontman, needs help to beat Santino. And thats no knock on Santino, as they did build him up from being an absolute jobber (dont fight me on this: he almost won the Chamber), but that just should not happen. Period.

2. Creative if gonna fuck this one up like they have all of their stables in the last 5 years: great concept, shitty execution. It already feels so small scale to start: they have heat, but there's no mission or reason for their union, and Santino's such a "from scratch" kind of start. they could have at least took out Brodus instead.

3. They need more members, at least one to kill the contrast for Jinder Mahal. Don't get me wrong: I like Jinder and think he could be a star player in the future with the right angle, but he doesn't fit in with the group. Rather than cut him, add someone for some diversity so he stops seeming like the odd man out. Big Zeke, Hunico, International Assault and JTG are all great options.

 

[#hamler]

I laugh every time I see this pairing of three very undercard wrestlers on my television. I laugh even harder when I read on Twitter that they promise to take over the WWE. No, I don't like this team one bit. I would much rather see Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre do something as singles competitors while Mahal can fall in a deep hole. This team truly does nothing for me. It looks as if the WWE just threw them together for the sake of having them on television and I cannot see past that. Maybe that is what they had in mind but I don't think there's a need for a stable consisting of three guys who are very low on the card unless there is a significant reason for the pairing. There are other ways to save Slater, McIntyre and Mahal without making them look like pieces of meat thrown together for whatever reason.

With that said, since I'm huge on Ryback right now, I would love to see a feud between himself and Encore. It would probably take sometime to build this awful team to a non-laughable level but it seems simple enough. It would obviously be Ryback's first big challenge taking on three undercard wrestlers instead of the usual two jobbers. Once Punk chooses Cena to face at Hell in a Cell, both Encore and Ryback will need something to do. Put them in the ring together and see how well Ryback's popularity will earn these guys heat. I'm willing to give these guys a chance if the WWE is eager to put these guys together; at least they are doing something for that fat paycheck.

 

[ABMorales787]

Personally, I didn't think WWE could come up with such stupid ideas. We have two extremely serious foreign characters who's time on TV used to present them as being no-nonsense and perpetually angry. Now they come out and play air guitar with the guy that seems to enjoy taking naps in a tanning bed. Why the hell they show up on Raw is beyond me. I pray to God there's no push intended for these guys. Why aren't they in Saturday Morning Slam where they clearly belong?

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I literally have zero interest in any of those guys whatsoever currently or ever for that matter. Perhaps putting them together will help them all grow. Wrestling can be funny like that sometimes but I really don't see much coming out of this. I really don't see these guys meshing well together, I still have no idea what they will do. I often forget McIntyre and Mahal still are employed and the only reason I notice Slater is because of him getting beaten by Legends a few months back.

If anything it will get them some television time together but my guess is it won't last long. They will get destroyed and that will be the end of them. Slater will go back to flipping burgers at Wendy's, McIntyre will go back to having domestic disputes and Mahal will do absolutely nothing.