Apparently WWE is Passing on Eddie Edwards

[Mr. Orange]

What I just said to a friend:

And the WWE "released" Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards after their trial period... effin christ. Im done with WWE. Ive said it before, but, I never had a real alternative since TNA sucked and I wasnt into ROH when I've said this before.. but.. Ive honestly enjoyed ROH far more in 2013 than WWE.. WWE is all about Lesnar and Batista and Orton and Cena.. this isnt ****ing 2003 anymore. Definitely just going to invest in ROH, as I have been most of the year.

I've bought Final Battle 2012, 11th Anniversary, Supercard of Honor VII, Border Wars, Best in the World, A Night of Hoopla, Death Before Dishonor XI, Glory by Honor XII, Pursuit Night 1, Pursuit Night 2, and Final Battle 2013 on either iPPV/DVD/VOD in the last 13 months compared to just Wrestlemania 29 on PPV and Summerslam 2013 on DVD for the WWE. It hasn't been intentional. I've just been far FAR more interested in Ring of Honor, and have changed from a casual fan to an investor willing to give them my money as much as reasonable and possible.

WWE has does everything opposite of what is good for business, refuse to push or put over new talent (Bryan, Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, Shield, Sandow?, messing up Ryback's entire push who was VIOLENTLY over at the Rumble) despite running an entire summer program on "what is best for business". That's why I haven't watched a single episode of RAW since the night they stripped Bryan after Night of Champions. I knew it was going to be a clusterfuck.

This entire rant has been the result of reading they passed on the Wolves. Davey may be hard to work with, but, they want guys who can main event Wrestlemania in the next 5-10 years? Yes, please continue to push 45 year old Batista and give R-Truth and Great Khali television time.

Yeah, I don't really follow WWE anymore as much as I used to anymore. I don't really enjoy a lot of what they do. I really only watch it to see what the guys I followed on the indies are doing there. I exclusively watch ROH for all my wrestling needs now. They have new content out every week with a roster that I like for the most part and their shows are always at least good. TNA is garbage and WWE is ok but I can't watch three hours of stupidness on Mondays but when a ppv looks good I will order it.

I kind of hoped the Wolves got signed to WWE because the tag division has been really good their in the second half of 2013. They would have only made it more awesome. TNA's schedule is probably really good for Davey. It's not a lot of road time and he gets to keep being an EMT because of the lack of traveling. But he gets to wrestle on a larger stage and who knows maybe he'll get an Aries like push there. Bad Influence vs. The Wolves would be so awesome.

[DieHard]

And the WWE "released" Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards after their trial period... effin christ. Im done with WWE. Ive said it before, but, I never had a real alternative since TNA sucked and I wasnt into ROH when I've said this before.. but.. Ive honestly enjoyed ROH far more in 2013 than WWE.. WWE is all about Lesnar and Batista and Orton and Cena.. this isnt ****ing 2003 anymore. Definitely just going to invest in ROH, as I have been most of the year.

Wow. Terrible.

I hope Davey signs with TNA only to see the reactions of Smile and The Dragon Sage here.

[AnythingButWWE]

Frankly, both guys are better suited for ROH. TNA is much closer to "sports entertainment" and requires more mic skills strong characters, and in-ring story-telling. Further, there is much less emphasis on actual wrestling.

Both guys are fantastic in the ring but neither really satisfies TNA's requirement. Same goes for WWE, which is likely why HHH passed on them. With Davey being a pain to work with, I'm kind of surprised TNA would be interested. Then again, it's wrestling, and stranger things have happened.

Regardless, both embody the essence of ROH, so it would be a shame not to see them return (if, of course Davey is even welcome).

[BalzOfHonor]

At this point, they might as well try their hand in TNA even though I'd rather have Eddie Edwards back, it doesn't look likely he'll be back.

[bik100]

And the WWE "released" Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards after their trial period... effin christ. Im done with WWE. Ive said it before, but, I never had a real alternative since TNA sucked and I wasnt into ROH when I've said this before.. but.. Ive honestly enjoyed ROH far more in 2013 than WWE.. WWE is all about Lesnar and Batista and Orton and Cena.. this isnt ****ing 2003 anymore. Definitely just going to invest in ROH, as I have been most of the year.

Wow. Terrible.

I hope Davey signs with TNA only to see the reactions of Smile and The Dragon Sage here.

Edwards signing with TNA would also provide funny reactions.

[bik100]

If they go to tna they probably get a small push then disappear off tv like Kenny king

While this is, unfortunately, the most likely scenario, it is entirely possible that TNA could bring the Wolves in, have them just kill Bro-Mans for the tag belts and they try to rebuild that whole division around the Wolves. Lagana is the head booker in TNA, isn't he?

Lagana is head of creative but Al Snow is the main agent backstage now. Lagana could do good things with them but I can't see Davey or Eddie being Al's favorites ever.

[burrhead]

I can live without Davey but would really like to see Eddie back in ROH. Especially with AJ making appearances now as well as London as those would be super matches.

[Jeremy]

What I just said to a friend:

And the WWE "released" Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards after their trial period... effin christ. Im done with WWE. Ive said it before, but, I never had a real alternative since TNA sucked and I wasnt into ROH when I've said this before.. but.. Ive honestly enjoyed ROH far more in 2013 than WWE.. WWE is all about Lesnar and Batista and Orton and Cena.. this isnt ****ing 2003 anymore. Definitely just going to invest in ROH, as I have been most of the year.

Considering Lesnar works only a few matches a year, Batista hasn't even returned yet, and Cena was out with an injury for a bit this year I'm not sure your point is valid at all. If we're going by that, then ROH is foolish for using Matt Hardy and AJ Styles?

It sucks WWE apparently isn't interested in them right now, but it's not like they don't have a lot of other guys on the roster that are similar. I'd rather them use Generico well when he gets called up and push Cesaro more than have some guys potentially get lost in the shuffle. A quick success like Punk and Dragon doesn't happen for everyone.

[Mattxx87]

Batista and Lesnar, and Orton and Cena,.. will be main eventing Wrestlemania.

AJ Styles and Matt Hardy will not come off the street and main event Final Battle, or Supercard. Nor will the main event be Strong/Davey, or Davey/Eddie, or Punk/Joe, or Nigel/Bryan. You can only go to the well so many times before it starts to severely hurt your product. They aren't even TRYING to tell a compelling story, they're just signing big names and having them come in for Wrestlemania. I'm almost afraid Dusty Rhodes is going to have a match with his sons. Or worse, Hogan. They want guys that can main event Wrestlemania in the future? Well then let Punk and Bryan main event the fucking show and MAKE NEW STARS. They've been saying this for ten years.

EDIT:

In a perfect world, the odds are stacked against a BABYFACE Bryan, who gets entered into the Rumble #1 from HHH. Bryan wins after a glorious run, and survives, setting the record for eliminations and time in the match. He's "too small", yet now he has the best Rumble appearance ever. We get Bryan vs Orton for the WWE Title in the main event. Bryan carries Orton to a ***** spectacle, which Bryan wins with a submission after 30+ minutes, reminiscent of Benoit at XX. The crowd loses their mind! And now you have a HUGE star.

Additionally, you book Punk vs Undertaker in a rematch. Punk, driven by the obsession to end the streak (similar to HBK and HHH in years past), challenges Taker once again, and this time wins in a big way. Something in the 23-25 minute range with a lot of nearfalls. Similar to HBK/Taker II or HHH/Taker II (unintentionally this would be the sequel as well). The streak is done, and there is another building block for a future star to step on. When Punk turns heel (eventually again), so much to use for heat. So much. What does losing give him to build on? Do we really want Lesnar/Taker? What's the point?

At the end of the show, Punk comes out to celebrate with an exhausted, perhaps even a little bloodied an bruised Bryan who has the WWE Title. Followed by a handshake, a hug, and confetti. I am not stealing this from Wrestlemania XX, but, the similarities between Eddie/Benoit and Punk/Bryan are just uncanny. This is how you build stars. This is what XX was *supposed* to be about, but, unfortunately we were just extremely unlucky that it was not meant to be.

I just did their job for them in ten minutes.

[Robareid]

Eh. Wouldn't want Punk ending the streak.

[Mattxx87]

I just had a very odd idea. I also know I'm very wrong about this, but hey, it's an interesting theory none the less.

What if Davey Richards actually signed a deal with WWE? It's almost Rumble time. He definitely could have been sent home. But to be fair, they did fire Bryan Danielson legitimately before bringing him back as a surprise. Few people, if any, cared about Bryan before that. Few people, if any, knew about or cared about Bo Dallas (OH AND STILL DONT) when he was a mystery entrance in the Rumble last year.

I mean, stranger things have happened. Have him be a rookie making his wrestling debut in the WWE. Have him Alarm Kick a few people, and get tossed while making a "rookie" mistake. Maybe he eliminates someone.

It would certainly cause a lot of buzz. The company knows he carries some merit in the internet community, especially overseas. At the very least, people are intrigued by it.

Who else would they rather use a spot on? Heath Slater? COME ON RATINGS BABAYYY

[Jeremy]

Great idea. You let a guy who severely needs developmental bypass it (Pissing off everyone in NXT), take away a spot from someone like those apparent rating killers 3MB (People who the crowd know and respond to), and give it to a guy who, let's be generous, and say *maybe* a thousand people in the building know, tops. What does it really accomplish? Why not just give that spot to Generico, or someone on the roster who could use the rub (Brodus Clay for his new heel turn, Cesaso, Sin Cara, etc)?

Also, the fact you say nobody cared about Dragon in WWE before is was fired is pure bullshit. He was the most over guy in NXT by a comfortable margin and the fans started responding to his feud with Miz before his release.

[supersonic]

Past stars get brought back because they tend to sell more buyrates. Had a conversation with a casual a few years ago, he says he'd pay to see HHH vs. Taker headline WM and laughed at the thought of Sheamus vs. Barrett being a top match on a card like that.

Also, Danielson's angle IS interesting. Those who can't see the potential show an incredibly inability to keep their expectations grounded. That turn, which the crowd in a stunned silence, reminded me of Foley walking out on Orton a decade ago. Foley was told that was a bad idea, but a few months later Orton was a made star as that feud of the year contender ended in an epic MOTYC.

[Mountaineer]

Batista and Lesnar, and Orton and Cena,.. will be main eventing Wrestlemania.

AJ Styles and Matt Hardy will not come off the street and main event Final Battle, or Supercard. Nor will the main event be Strong/Davey, or Davey/Eddie, or Punk/Joe, or Nigel/Bryan. You can only go to the well so many times before it starts to severely hurt your product. They aren't even TRYING to tell a compelling story, they're just signing big names and having them come in for Wrestlemania. I'm almost afraid Dusty Rhodes is going to have a match with his sons. Or worse, Hogan. They want guys that can main event Wrestlemania in the future? Well then let Punk and Bryan main event the fucking show and MAKE NEW STARS. They've been saying this for ten years.

EDIT:

In a perfect world, the odds are stacked against a BABYFACE Bryan, who gets entered into the Rumble #1 from HHH. Bryan wins after a glorious run, and survives, setting the record for eliminations and time in the match. He's "too small", yet now he has the best Rumble appearance ever. We get Bryan vs Orton for the WWE Title in the main event. Bryan carries Orton to a ***** spectacle, which Bryan wins with a submission after 30+ minutes, reminiscent of Benoit at XX. The crowd loses their mind! And now you have a HUGE star.

Additionally, you book Punk vs Undertaker in a rematch. Punk, driven by the obsession to end the streak (similar to HBK and HHH in years past), challenges Taker once again, and this time wins in a big way. Something in the 23-25 minute range with a lot of nearfalls. Similar to HBK/Taker II or HHH/Taker II (unintentionally this would be the sequel as well). The streak is done, and there is another building block for a future star to step on. When Punk turns heel (eventually again), so much to use for heat. So much. What does losing give him to build on? Do we really want Lesnar/Taker? What's the point?

At the end of the show, Punk comes out to celebrate with an exhausted, perhaps even a little bloodied an bruised Bryan who has the WWE Title. Followed by a handshake, a hug, and confetti. I am not stealing this from Wrestlemania XX, but, the similarities between Eddie/Benoit and Punk/Bryan are just uncanny. This is how you build stars. This is what XX was *supposed* to be about, but, unfortunately we were just extremely unlucky that it was not meant to be.

I just did their job for them in ten minutes.

I love your Daniel Bryan booking idea. The crowd is really indifferent towards Orton. I hope WWE can see that. When I went to a Raw a few months ago, Bryan definitely got the biggest reaction (even more so than Cena).

[LigerSword]

Bryan will be fine. If WWE really wanted to bury Bryan they would have turned him on Main Event or something a long time ago. In fact I'd say that this is even better than him having the title right now as it puts him in a very interesting program that isn't just him squashing the Wyatt Family. People tend to forget that Cena was once an IWC favorite too.

[Mattxx87]

Bryan will be fine. If WWE really wanted to bury Bryan they would have turned him on Main Event or something a long time ago. In fact I'd say that this is even better than him having the title right now as it puts him in a very interesting program that isn't just him squashing the Wyatt Family. People tend to forget that Cena was once an IWC favorite too.

You're neglecting the fact that the rumor has it as Batista vs Orton, and Cena vs Bray for the WWE Title in the main events of Wrestlemania. THis could all be red herrings, which the WWE has known to leak even to dirt sheets, but I severely hope these are not true. These are buyrate killers. There is NO heat for a Cena/Bray main event match on Mania. Maybe Rumble, or Summerslam- not Mania. No one will pay for Orton/Batista, unless you're banking on the ten year olds from ten years ago feeling nostalgia. Hogan/Warrior didnt main event Wrestlemania XVI. THATS the problem.

[supersonic]

"buyrate killers"

LAWL

[Sardonic Artery]

If they go to tna they probably get a small push then disappear off tv like Kenny king

I like TNA, but would hate to see the American [animal name]s go that way.

Of course, even if you make it in the E, sometimes they refuse to let you get over as top face champ, so I can't say I'd be happy for Eddy there either outside of the payday.

[dudelove]

I'd definitely take Eddie back in a heartbeat... I thought he should have been a regular main event player but his singles career in ROH was pretty weak after his title reign. Thankfully the American Wolves reunion gave him something to do but it also placed him back under Davey's shadow somewhat. I don't see Davey being welcomed back so that should give Eddie a fresh opportunity in ROH, I think. I would definitely love to see him return and feud with the Decade. Any combination of Eddie/Lethal/Styles/Hero against the Decade would be awesome.

I wouldn't mind seeing one more person join the Decade, but I'm not sure who it should be... maybe Lethal? He was notably absent during the beatdown at Final Battle. He could say he's busted his ass for ROH and the fans never respected him? I dunno.

In addition to that I'd like to see Eddie built back up for a major challenge against either Cole or Ciampa for a title bout.

[Northwoods_Nightmare]

If Eddie were to return to ROH, I hope it wouldn't be right away. They could wait at least until SCOH, and maybe longer. Then at his return make him a top star, and possible second title reign depending on what the main event players look like at that time.

It will be interesting to see where they eventually end up.