We're supposed to believe the Steel Cage was just waiting to be used?

[Hollywood Naitch]

I'm not sure if I explained myself well.

I don't mean they should physically set it up right before the match. I mean that the fact they even brought in a steel cage without knowing there would be a cage match (kayfabe) that night is the problem.

They had no idea Cena would challenge Riley to a cage match, but still there was a cage hanging about the ring.

I know I may be looking into this too far, but it's little things like that that make me stop and go, what?

Suspend your disbelief man, wrestling is predetermined, therefore the matches are predetermined. I know what you mean but as I said in my earlier post, they HAVE to bring the cage out before hand as there isnt time to set it up on a live show. If there was another way Vince would do it.

It has to be done.

 

[xsKiitz]

Is there really a point to this? I mean, really, other that the OP has nothing better to do than to pick apart everything he sees in a pointless attempt to make himself look superiorly intellectual to everyone else? I'm sorry to come across as harsh, but your point is, well, pointless. You put forth a complaint without a legitimate alternative.

In case you're not already aware: WWE is a television show. Period. The live audience, ring, cage, and everything else are nothing but props for the actors (wrestlers) to use to advance a story with the narrative (commentary) provided by narrators (commentators). This is all done "live" in real time and with a sole focus on the audience watching at home. That's why the television audience doesn't ever see any of the props hanging above the ring before they are brought into use.

Get over it, will you! Good grief!

I'm not sure how I'm attempting to make myself look intellectually superior to anybody.
I stated something that I noticed on RAW, and asked for thoughts. Not too sure where you got that idea of me from, but hey.

And thankyou, I was already aware of how the wrestling events function.

On another note, I have never actually seen a dark match, or have been to a live event. So info on that is all new to me.

 

[Thesage1989]

Thank you honestly just kick back and relax stop wactching for the little details and just let things happen and believe me if u dont think about the scripted aspect and let it flow it would be much more entertaining

 

[Kaneanite]

Wow are you serious? What do you expect them to do? Just say hocus-pocus and have a cage appear? Believe it or not they are only humans. The WWE wanted to give the crowd and those at home a cage match. I appreciate that as I'd much rather a cage match then a regular match. So the fuck what if I saw it before they announced the match? Tell me this genuis, when you FIRST saw that cage did you think for one minute that ALEX RILEY would be the one to compete inside it? If you say yes then you sir are full of shit. There was still a bit of a surprise factor to it. And guy, it's a gigantic cage, it's not that easy to just hide.

 

[GideonGodsend]

yeah it doesnt make much sense, why is alex riley in the main event anyway and daniel bryan does nothing every week... and where the hell was john morrison?!?!?! sorry to change the subject but i dont know how to make a post of my own so i put it on here

 

[RD_21]

Don't know if it's been said but first...

We're supposed to think that much? It's wrestling of course when you are there you see the cage and know there will be a cage match and they are not always announce week ahead.

Second the GM decided it would be a cage, so he could have ask for the cage to be there for the week. Of course he would have to count on the fact that Cena would challenge A-Ry, but still.

But of course they can't hide that cage, the only cage they were able to do it with was the blue cage. I went to a house show back in the day and the ME was The Rock, Austin, Kane and Undertaker in a cage match and they build it on the spot, but the big gray cage can't be build on the spot, it's too high and too big.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

So let me get this straight: You have no problem buying into grown men showing up in random cities, running around in their underwear, while all of that mayhem is being taped? It's pro wrestling, dude.

How can you buy into any piece of kayfabe, ever, and not buy into this? Wrestling promotions, today, are far more concerned about surprising the television audience than they are the live crowd. The cage hanging was necessary. This is so stupid, it hurts.

 

[IPodBoy91]

I pretty much dont know what you are trying to say really. But my thoughts that I didn't really mind the set up or the fact the cage was above the ring with no announcement. Ididn't care for the whole Cena-Miz-A Ry segment they weren't getting anywhere at all with the verbal back and fourth. Only thing that was accomplished was the Cena-Riley match being made, I thought the build toward Wrestlemania wasn't that in that segment.

 

[ABMorales787]

I don't see why they don't just tarp the thing before elevating it. It saves the trouble of having the fans wonder. In most occasions, dark main events are promoted in advanced. So if a cage is dangling above the ring and it's not advertised in any given capacity, people will know it ain't there for the hell of it. It really wouldn't kill them to tarp the thing. At least people won't actually see the thing hanging over the ring. I find it a bit funny. This is the second week in a row a spoiler hangs over the arena. The week prior, The Undertaker's symbol was weirdly dangling over the arena. Now it was a cage. Maybe people in lower parts of the seatings won't get the idea of looking up, but having the camera's show it, well... Is pretty damn stupid. I know it's a pretty bogus thing to get mad about, but it's sill a detail that can be avoided. Glove it if you love it.

 

[mrhexum]

I see the OP's point... but.... I read the spoiler right before RAW... anyways....

So, you see the cage... ok, so, you know there's gonna be a cage match? Why get all butt hurt about it? Be a real fan and let your wonder of "who will be in it" take over.

As I said, I read the spoiler prior and was kinda stoked... then I saw the HHH/Sheamus deal and thought "Ahh, the cage, great way to continue and finish the HHH/Sheamus feud"...then as the show went on I thought...."maybe it's just for the dark match since they're not really showing it"....or..."maybe they'll just lower it for a promo to build up a cage match at 'Mania"..... etc, etc....

Guess what I'm saying is... I don't think it's a big deal. Instead of looking for things and dwelling on things that bother you about the show.... just let yourself get drawn in and let your mind go... don't even have to "suspend disbelief".... just be a fan and have fun... it's entertainment not fine art or science.

 

[cboedeker2]

I agree that it spoils it for the live crowd. Like Sweep The Leg said, with live TV, you just don't have the same amount of time as you would to build a cage like you would at a live event. To give you an example, I went to the Smackdown house show in Chicago the day after Christmas this year, and the advertised main event was Edge Vs. Kane in a cage for the WHC. We got into the arena and didn't see the cage hanging over the ring, so we assumed they changed the match. Wrong. They took two 15 minute breaks throughout the show, one of which was used to set up the cage. So yeah, that would be pretty hard to do on live TV. Secondly, even with 15 minutes to set it up, it was still flimsy as all hell. So that's out of the question for live TV. Here, take a look at the picture of the cage used at the event...

http://goo.gl/xYrn5

I was honestly afraid a piece of it would pop off and fly into the crowd.

 

[themic59]

I just went to a Raw in Boston recently and they had advertised a cage match for the championship as the main event. There wasn't a cage hanging all night, it took literally 5 minutes for a team to come out and set it up. Its not that difficult to just throw a cage up, despite you obviously thinking otherwise.

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

I just went to a Raw in Boston recently and they had advertised a cage match for the championship as the main event. There wasn't a cage hanging all night, it took literally 5 minutes for a team to come out and set it up. Its not that difficult to just throw a cage up, despite you obviously thinking otherwise.

Yeah, but its still on live TV there is no way to put a cage up in 5-10 minutes without checking if its safe. Imagine if they did that and some part of the cage breaks and injure a wrestler and/or afan in attendance. For the wrestler, well its part of the job and they know they could be injured but it still looks bad for the company. As for the fan in attendance, well i imagine he/she would sue the WWE for every millions they got, i know i would.

 

[Decarow]

Listen OP, you're trying too hard. Just accept the fact that there was a surprise steel cage match and move on like the rest of us.

The Anonymous GM had a steel cage match planned. He was waiting for the perfect moment, and when (s)he saw the argument between Cena and Riley, (s)he jumped in and made the match.

And dude, you couldn't even see the cage on TV. I didn't even know it was there until the AGM said something and I figured it had to have been there in the first place.

Yeah, but its still on live TV there is no way to put a cage up in 5-10 minutes without checking if its safe. Imagine if they did that and some part of the cage breaks and injure a wrestler and/or afan in attendance. For the wrestler, well its part of the job and they know they could be injured but it still looks bad for the company. As for the fan in attendance, well i imagine he/she would sue the WWE for every millions they got, i know i would.

What is the difference between the safety of a wrestler/fan at a live event or in a tv crowd? I'm sure the WWE would be sued regardless. But not for "every millions" they got. Because it's worth over a billion, and it doesn't cost that much to pay for hospital bills, which is all they'd have to pay for, and maybe damages.

 

[Youngsleez]

seriously you nerds can't really be taking the cage hanging from over the ring that serious... what the hell do you nerds do for a living to really take the cage that serious? It's wrestling... meaning suspend reality for a short period of time and enjoy the show... sports entertainment... i.e. entertainment, be entertained nerds.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

I don't think the WWE ever intends for it's fans to analyze the production of an episode. Sure, judge the match itself, but I don't think their biggest concern is letting us know ahead of time that their ring crew is going to need to hang a cage. Unless you were at the show live (which is like 2% of the total fans that catch WWE programming), you would have never known there was a cage hanging from the ceiling.

On the flip-side, I am a sucker for the small details. Advertising a steel cage match a week in advance does nothing but help ratings, but they were able to advertise the match early enough in the show that it really doesn't matter. And they do have quick-cages now that are designed to be constructed in under 10 minutes. I can tell you that that wasn't the case in this scenario, but in general it's totally possible for the WWE to decide to have a cage match on the fly, and set it up during a commercial break tied to a backstage segment. So really, the only reason you can complain about the cage being above the ring before hand is because internet dirt sheets reported that there was a cage above the ring... Either that or you just assumed....

 

[PowerHouse]

Cena didn't challenge Reiley to a cage match the general manager of RAW said it would be a cage match to keep Miz from interfering. I dont get what the big deal is so the Cage was just hanging there. Maybe WWE wanted people to wonder just who would be fighting in the cage. Since when does a cage have to be announced in advance anyway??? Stop looking so far into it and just watch the show my god. Its funny how critical people here are of the WWE last i remembered the WWE is a multi billion dollar company they are doing something right and i think they know more about how things should be done than us wrestling fans posting messages on a message board at wrestlezone.com

Who are any of us to say that what they did isnt right!!!! As if anyone here could put together better storylines that people would actually wanna watch? Questioning TNA is one thing being that their ratings are in the dirt and their storylines are chaotic and lack direction. WWE knows exactly where they want to go and how they plan on doing it that doesnt mean we as wrestling fans have to know everything in advance as well.

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

Listen OP, you're trying too hard. Just accept the fact that there was a surprise steel cage match and move on like the rest of us.

The Anonymous GM had a steel cage match planned. He was waiting for the perfect moment, and when (s)he saw the argument between Cena and Riley, (s)he jumped in and made the match.

And dude, you couldn't even see the cage on TV. I didn't even know it was there until the AGM said something and I figured it had to have been there in the first place.




What is the difference between the safety of a wrestler/fan at a live event or in a tv crowd? I'm sure the WWE would be sued regardless. But not for "every millions" they got. Because it's worth over a billion, and it doesn't cost that much to pay for hospital bills, which is all they'd have to pay for, and maybe damages.

What i meant, its that at a live event wich i guess is not seen on TV they have the time to check if its safe. On live TV you have to consider commercial breaks and time constraints on the network, and those breaks are only about 5-10 minutes long. Imagine while watching RAW,seeing the crew setting up the cage checking if its safe then putting the cage up it would disrupt the flow of the show and it would look stupid.

 

[Azane]

Surprise cage matches have been a wrestling staple for decades. Its usually 50/50 if its announced beforehand, or if the night warrants it.
Being live in Buffalo, I can tell you, the live crowd was very excited when we noticed the cage hanging above the ring, and it created some buzz around my friends that I texted pictures of the arena with the cage ominously hanging.
How do you know the General Manager (Kayfabe) didn't have the cage match in mind before the event began? Even though his e-mails seem spontaneous as plot hole fillers, he still seems to have a method to his madness.

 

[Karaoke Superstar]

If you watched RAW this week you'd know there was a cage match between Alex Riley and John Cena. That's all fine and dandy, but what I noticed is that there was no prior organisation of that match.

As a viewer's point of view, the cage was above the ring before the match had even been announced. And a cage match isn't like a submission match where you can say;
"Let's have a submission match tonight!"
"You're on!"

Doesn't work like that. Cage matches are planned a week or more in advance, actually giving the WWE time to get the cage to the arena.
Watching the segment that Cena, Miz and Riley had, it was obviously not planned that Cena would face Riley in a cage that night. Which pretty much exposes the fact that the WWE is scripted (which we already know) otherwise they wouldn't have brought the cage in the first place and expected that much.

Having Cena just say, "Let's have a cage match" and BAM. There happens to be a cage above the ring :| Sort of makes me think less of the WWE in a way, not properly planning this.

I hope you understand what I mean by this, I'm not usually one to put a message into a thoroughly organised thread.

Thoughts?

It's a minor detail that I'm sure most fans ignored, and the ones that noticed didn't really think much of it. And it's not a blatant example of wrestling being fake either. Maybe the GM just felt like putting a couple people in a cage match that night, and picked the cage match for Cena and Riley because it was there. Plenty of ways to explain it away, and all and all a botched move is worse.

 

[therockiswwf]

Yeah I saw that too. But I think there is a reason.

Whenever they have a steel cage dark match, the cage is put together very quickly and (If you have seen one) you can tell it is really flismy. It is usually like tha because the dark match is usually really quick and the cage is not used that much. I don't think it could hold a full blown match, that is why I think they had to set it up beforehand. It really doesn't matter that much and I even went to a Smackdown once and they had a cage above the ring and it was never used (I found that even odder than this).

 

[Diamond Cutter]

Dude are you seriously gonna sit there and be that bold. Cena and Riley both knew they were facing eachother in a cage match and so did the gm. All (s)he had to do is ping in during thier segment.

 

[shafe_41]

Who cares? You're reading way too much into the situation. If that took away from the show for you, that's a sad sad thing. I too have gone to a Raw where there was a cage hanging from the top of the rafters which was never used either. I didn't read into it and think the show is a failure or they messed something up because it wasn't used. Big whoop. If they need to, they can bring a cage from the back and.... you know what? This shouldn't even matter.

 

[iamthegame]

No no you're not getting me. I'm saying the opposite of that.
Cages, cells, chambers should NOT be just waiting above the ring, like the cage was on Raw.

It removes a sense of 'believability' to the booking and leaves you wondering how WWE knew Cena was going to challenge Riley to a cage match.

Since the PG era has come in there has been absolutely no sense of 'believability' IMO, even before that the promos and stunts still only fooled kids under 12 but surely not fully grown adults.

 

[Shakin' Abe]

Come on guys, it not called sports entertainment for nothing! Do you also wonder how they can beat the hell out of each other and not get bruised? I mean, COME ON!!!!! it's all written in advance and they want us the fans to believe whatever slop they feed us and you either watch and enjoy or you switch the channel.