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Which babyface are you rooting for the most at WM?
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Who of the big three?
by VaderBomb » Mar 30, '19, 3:18 pm
To be honest the biggest one is Kofi for me, and he's up against my favorite wrestler of all time who is having the best run of his WWE career. I'd book Bryan to win it back at the next event but I want to see Kofi get his moment. If Bryan retains, I'll still be happy but I want to see Kofi take it.
I'm also rooting for Becky and Seth, but this Kofi storyline is my favorite of the three.
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Re: Which babyface are you rooting for the most at WM?
by prophet » Mar 31, '19, 5:15 am
Kofi for me as well.
They've done a magnificent job of taking a white-hot feud with Becky Lynch and cooling it down. Making her apologise to Steph and HHH, shoehorning Charlotte into it unnecessarily then making Becky earn her way back into the match despite her winning the Rumble...it's all been a bit daft.
The Kofi story is actually the exact opposite of that. They seemingly had other plans for Bryan but noticed the support Kofi was getting and built it up nicely.
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by The Legend » Mar 31, '19, 5:57 am
I would agree again, Kofi is the babyface whose story has made me want to cheer for him the most. I more expect Becky and Seth to win and would consider WWE stupid if they book them to lose, but for reasons outside the story. I'll be angrier if Becky and Seth lose than I'll be happy if they win. With Kofi it's the exact opposite, they have done a nice job of actually making me want to cheer for him and see him succeed out of a story that has grown much more organically than a forced "WrestleMania Moment".
Seth has to win, because WWE has to be done with this tired Brock Lesnar experiment. Becky has to win because she's the hottest act in the company (I'd still say she is despite all the damage they've tried to portray on her since winning the Rumble), but Kofi doesn't have to win, but I sure want him to win and I'll be honest, I hope it's not just a short bump in the road reign in the way of Bryan's story. I'd like to see Kofi hold the belt through the spring and into summer.
And, after Kofi, I'd probably say the faces I'm most likely going to cheer for and hope they win will be Miz and Kurt Angle, not either of the championship matches.
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by Ali » Mar 31, '19, 10:57 pm
Kofi is just such a perfect case of "right guy, right place, right time." Even at the Rumble, if you'd have asked me who would challenge Bryan at Mania, my top 3 would've been AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio, or Mustafa Ali. It seems that the Kofi reaction just fell into their lap, and they haven't gotten the chance to screw it up... UNLIKE...
Poor Becky Lynch. If Kofi struck at the right time, then we can say in hindsight that Becky got over at the exact wrong time, because WWE Creative is nothing if not unequivocally stubborn. The plan was Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey in New York. You know it, I know it, everyone and their grandmother knows it! But a heel turn for Becky totally backfired, and instead of fans getting behind The Queen for being attacked by her jealous former friend, they put all their cheers behind The Man, who had enough of playing second banana to someone who was already predetermined for success by her name alone. So they put the belt on Lynch hoping for the Champion vs. Champion match at Survivor Series to quell the fans. Rousey would win, then the Charlotte plan could continue... and then Nia Jax broke Becky's face. Now backed into a corner with no logical escape hatch, WWE has done all they can to take the wind out of Becky's sails by shoehorning their original plan in and making the story as convoluted as possible. Credit to Becky Lynch though, she's weathered the storm and the fans still seem to care about her... UNLIKE...
Seth. Freakin'. Rollins. Gonna be honest, I flat don't care about Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins. It's not Seth's fault, he's absolutely fine. He's a proven top guy, face or heel, has consistently good matches... but I just can't care about Brock Lesnar or the Universal Championship. It appears so infrequently that nothing about it matters. Maybe Seth wins, and the Big Red Belt gets to be built up as a Wrestling Prize again rather than a forgettable accessory. But if Brock retains, I'm not even gonna be mad. It's just another match.
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by The Legend » Apr 01, '19, 8:18 am
^^^ One note on Becky and timing. I think it goes a little beyond WWE being stubborn (although that plays a part), the height of Becky's popularity was in October/November and no matter what you do something being that white hot only lasts so long. The fact that WrestleMania was still six months away when Becky was at the height of her popularity meant that holding off her vs Ronda all the way until Mania was going to lead this match to be a bit of a letdown.
Now, WWE has unequivocally mucked the situation up much worse than it should have by butchering what could have been a really simple story about two white hot ass kickers that were simply squaring off to see who was best.
by Hanley! » Apr 01, '19, 3:15 pm
I disagree that someone can only stay white hot for a couple of months. WWE's biggest stars were white hot for years. There will eventually come a time when fans lose some of their enthusiasm for any main event name, but it shouldn't have been nearly this soon for Becky. Bad booking is what has cooled her off.
That being said, she's the only one of the three that I really care about. She's a great performer, she's been over beyond her push for years now, and she's finally getting the credit she deserves. And no matter how much the company actually like her, and regardless of whether or not they continue her push after this show, the fact that she's in the first women's main event of Wrestlemania and may win the first women's main event of Wrestlemania is a big freaking deal. Not only that, she'll also become only the second person to main event Wrestlemania who isn't from North America (the first being Andre the Giant). She's also just a really likable performer so it's hard not to support her.
Kofi is just such a weird situation. He's a really likable talent, and they actually seem to be telling a decent enough story with him. So part of me would like to support him, despite him being part of the irritating-as-fuck gimmick that is the New Day. But it's way, way, way too soon for him to be winning a world championship. He was mid-card for life like a month ago. That he could now win the championship that Hogan pinned Andre for is actually a little sad to me. It shows how badly the roster has been flattened out that it takes so little to become more popular than just about everyone else on the show. And he could go back to being just another guy just as quickly.
It would be easier to cheer for Kofi to win the title if it hadn't already been devalued so much by other midcard WWE champions in recent years like Jinder and Bray. If everyone else that won the belt had been genuine main event guys then the status of the title would lift Kofi if he held it. But now I think everyone would just see it as the throwaway reign that it's destined to be. Also, harsh as it might sound, he's not really good enough to be world champion. He's a great tag team or midcard guy, but not everyone deserves to be the champion. I do think him winning would be a nice moment, and I'd probably enjoy watching it, but I also kinda think that they shouldn't do it.
Rollins is the one I wouldn't care about literally at all. I don't watch the shows anymore, I just see the odd clip on my social media and hear results, but from the outside looking in it does seem like he's cooled off quite a bit. The Lesnar feud sounds boring, but that's nothing new with Lesnar. I also think Rollins himself seems a bit dull though. He made his name through his in-ring work, and frankly there are too many guys in the business - and in WWE itself - who wrestle that style better than he does. He doesn't have much to distinguish himself anymore.
For the fourth year in a row though, I have no intention of watching Wrestlemania anyway. I might catch the main event the next day if it sounds good, and if people are raving about anything else maybe I'll give it a look. But I just don't care about WWE enough these days, and the long shows sound torturous to get through. Besides, there are genuinely great looking cards the two days prior with NXT Takeover and the ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard from Madison Square Garden. Wrestlemania isn't going to compare and I'll have had my fill of wrestling at that point.
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by Ali » Apr 02, '19, 10:08 pm
The Legend wrote: The fact that WrestleMania was still six months away when Becky was at the height of her popularity meant that holding off her vs Ronda all the way until Mania was going to lead this match to be a bit of a letdown.
Again, that's why the injury before Survivor Series was so devastating to WWE's plans. They wanted to quash Becky's hype then. "She had a good effort against Ronda, but she just couldn't get the job done!" The fans get the match they want, and the WWE gets to tell the story of Charlotte being the conquering savior at the grandest stage of them all!
The moral of the story is, Nia Jax ruins everything.
by The Legend » Apr 03, '19, 12:37 pm
Ali wrote:
Except, it's not like WWE planned for Becky to get hot then. Hell, they tried to turn her heel instead of babyface. They wanted Charlotte vs Ronda at Survivor Series as well, or at least heel Becky vs Ronda.
Also, @Hanley!, In the Attitude Era, Austin and Rock were popular and over for years, but I don't think you can say they were consistently white hot for years. I mean nobody can get their biggest pop or have their most exciting story all the time. There were points where everybody cooled off some or an angle flopped a bit. Nobody stays at their peak - which was all I was trying to say with that.
As for Kofi, I just think you need to stop being a negative Nellie and embrace the POWER OF POSITIVITY!!!
I do find it interesting that you think Kofi shouldn't win because he's been midcard 4 life for too long, yet you value Becky for "overcoming her push" for years to be popular, when in reality she was less than midcard 4 life for a higher percentage of her career than Kofi has been. Their story is actually very similar.
The Legend wrote: As for Kofi, I just think you need to stop being a negative Nellie and embrace the POWER OF POSITIVITY!!!
The sad thing about the New Day is that there are elements of their act that I should really love. Their bright colours and their positive attitude should appeal to me. I really like the idea of a team that genuinely stands up for each other and has each other's backs over the course of years, without ever turning on each other. It's just a shame they're so fucking annoying.
There is a pretty pronounced difference between Becky and Kofi. For starters Becky has consistently been one of the most over members of the women's division for years, even when she wasn't being pushed. Every time there was a battle royale or a big ladder match, she'd get some of the biggest reactions regardless of what she was doing. Kofi has always been fairly popular, but never on that level outside of the couple of occasions where he's been seriously pushed.
Becky was also on a winning streak for the first half of last year, got her title opportunity at Summerslam where she was screwed out of contention, caught fire in her feud against Charlotte, was scheduled to be main event of Survivor Series, and won the Royal Rumble. For her this title match has been building for over a year. For Kofi it's been like a month. There's not enough credibility in the bank yet.
by Ali » Apr 03, '19, 2:41 pm
I understand the point about the WWE Championship being devalued by guys like Bray Wyatt and Jinder Mahal, but I don't take that away from Kofi. Primarily because the fans actually give a damn about Kofi. For that stretch in 2017, the title felt like nothing. No one cared about Wyatt because he was an obvious transition to Randy Orton, who didn't make the belt feel like it mattered before dropping it to Jinder, who's push was out of nowhere and undeserved and nobody bought it.
The lengthy reigns of AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan have actually restored the prestige of the championship enough that WWE can afford to take a chance on Kofi, who despite the general antics and shenanigans of The New Day, isn't nearly as big of a joke as Bray or Jinder. Bray's reputation was that he never got the job done when things mattered, and Jinder was a straight up jobber. Kofi's been a solid midcarder until this run, but at least he's won a lot in his time. We can't say he's failed in big matches, because he hasn't had a ton of big one on one matches. But in Money in the Bank, Elimination Chambers, and especially the Royal Rumble, Kofi can always be counted on to put on a show.
In fact, Kofi's push reminds me a lot of Jeff Hardy. Granted, Hardy's was slower, less of a rocket, but in essence it's not that different. Solid midcard and tag team guy finally gets a shot to break through after years of being a cog in the machine. Kofi's just happens to be at WrestleMania.
by The Legend » Apr 03, '19, 5:34 pm
I mean, to just call Kofi a midcarder because he's in a stable that has never competed for the world title is to undersell it. For better or worse, the New Day has been the most over act on SmackDown basically the entire SmackDown Live run, with the exception of sometimes AJ Styles. You can say that's a function of who has held the world title over some of those stretches, but it's true, the New Day, Usos and Styles are essentially the top draws on SD and have been for a long time, so to finally reward Kofi for that production isn't something that should be viewed as out of the blue.
by Str8Shooter » Apr 06, '19, 9:54 am
Kofi for me as well. I think at this point his popularity seems the most organic of any of them. Becky's rise was organic but the company is clearly super behind her at this point and I think there's still doubt the company feels that way about Kofi. I also think Bryan/Kofi has the highest possibility of being the best match of the three which will help the big moment at the end assuming he wins.
I've always liked Becky but something about the new character doesn't click the way it seems to be doing for most others. I feel like her old character was more like the real Becky and this new one is more of a stretch that just happens to be working better. I'm not sure I buy the "anti authority mean mugging" Becky Lynch.
I like Seth and I think he should win his match too. The fact is Brock has been around so long and and in and out so many times as champ that people just don't seem to care about him and Heyman much anymore. It would do them some good for Seth to win and Brock to disappear for the rest of 2019.
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by Messiah » Apr 06, '19, 2:32 pm
Kofi Kingston, easily. And I would be lying if I said a lot of it didn't have to do with him being African-American. Something that I never really paid as much attention to when I was younger (for obvious reasons - it isn't really something you think about as much when you are say, 12 years old) was the lack of representation my race had in the WWE. It's startling looking at the company not just back then but now how little we are presented in the company. It's a combination of a lot of factors, of course. There's a lack of black wrestlers in general, so I'm not saying it's all just an intentional thing by the company. But it still sucks.
Obviously Kingston is more than just that. He's always been a fun wrestler to watch. I used to agree with Hanley on the New Day but they have become a LOT more tolerable on SmackDown since the brand split. You still get a lot of the overly-cartoony ish, but they are a lot more serious than they used to (case in point: their feud with The Usos) and consistently put on some of the most entertaining matches on the show. And I like that they treat them as an actual brotherhood. It's easy to smile when they show up and there aren't many wrestlers/acts that do that for me anymore. They have done a good job throughout this storyline too. So beyond just being black, I think Kingston has earned this. They have done a good job writing this story and he's done a good job taking advantage of the opportunity and capitalizing on it.
But ultimately, for me, it is just going to feel so damn good to see a black wrestler win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Hell, even The Rock never accomplished that (and I'm definitely not one of those ones who say "The Rock isn't a black champion", but I do understand people's point - the WWE NEVER really brought up that side of him, right or wrong, but they were always more than willing to discuss his Samoan heritage, which I'm not saying is a bad thing or even the wrong decision).
I said it in the other thread but I care less about Rollins winning and more about Lesnar winning, which is how I'm sure most people feel about this point. And I agree with Hanley - Rollins is good in the ring, but there's probably a lot of other guys in the company who I wrestle his style and better. A lot of whom probably top him in charisma too. Not that I don't like Rollins though, he's just cooled off a lot.
As far as Lynch goes, I don't think the WWE did anything bad in the writing in the build-up to Survivor Series or Royal Rumble with Lynch. Lynch was still over as heck around then. The issue came when they put Charlotte into the match. This should have been a one-on-one match between Rousey and Lynch. The fans wanted that. The fans would have eaten it alive. And they ruined it. Adding Charlotte took a lot of the heat and anticipation out of the match IMO. I said it somewhere else but could you imagine if Hogan/Andre at WrestleMania 3 had Roddy Piper added to it? Or Austin/Rock at WM 17 had Triple H added to it? Or if Edge/Undertaker at WM 24 had Michaels added to it? Yeah, none of those guys are bad, but including them now dilutes a huge story. It's been a long ass time since the WWE had a huge, star-studded singles match at WrestleMania for a championship. Lynch/Rousey was about to be that... and then they screwed it up. That is what killed Lynch's momentum.
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