SMACKDOWN LIVE SUPERTHREAD

SureYWouldntYa

Monokne wrote: »

Felt like a week too far for me. Story has peaked and we're past that point now. Everyone knows where we're going, let's just get there.

Thats what im not liking, its too close to Wrestlemania for DB to be doing anything

His latest challenger KO is hosting a ‘chat show’ as a vehicle for 2 of the women in the main event to get it on

There’s telling a story, there’s no faith in most of us for WWE to tell a good story, and there’s always odds to overcome

Lord TSC

Angle vs Styles announced for Smackdown this week.

SureYWouldntYa

I'd prefer to see even zombie Angle face up to the likes of KO or Cesaro, or any of the guys he's had little to no runs with as far as I know

We seen plenty of Angle vs Styles in TNA while both were in their prime, so it's a waste to see this really

J. Marston

It's just sad seeing Angle in his current condition trying to hang with the younger guys.

He went for the multiple German suplexes on Gable on Raw and after the first, it took him a good 10-15 seconds to go for the second. Either he was selling like a God or he was absolutely shattered.

Monokne

SureYWouldntYa wrote: »

I'd prefer to see even zombie Angle face up to the likes of KO or Cesaro, or any of the guys he's had little to no runs with as far as I know

We seen plenty of Angle vs Styles in TNA while both were in their prime, so it's a waste to see this really

Suspect the match will serve more as a backdrop for an angle with Styles and Orton.

Necro

Monokne wrote:

Suspect the match will serve more as a backdrop for an angle with Styles and Orton.

I see what you did there

martyos121

I see that Mustafa Ali is the latest to fall victim to having his first name scrapped. Goes by just Ali now, so utterly stupid tbh. Surely that goes down as the shortest name in wrestling history?

ThePott

Ugh.. of all WWE's annoying habits this one annoys me more than it should.
Ali, Andrade, Otis & Tucker... just some of the more recent ones. They don't have to use their whole name all the time but getting rid of a name altogether is dumb.

Totally unnecessary.

CastorTroy

His page updated already.
https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ali

Wasn't there some reason given before where it's to make it easier for fans to chant the name? Because fans are a bit too thick to not chant the whole name every time, apparently.

Will Aliyah have to change her name now so as not to cause confusion?

Pentecost

CastorTroy wrote: »

His page updated already.
https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ali

Wasn't there some reason given before where it's to make it easier for fans to chant the name? Because fans are a bit too thick to not chant the whole name every time, apparently.

Will Aliyah have to change her name now so as not to cause confusion?

She won’t make it to the main roster anyway so there’s not going to be any confusion.

J. Marston

CastorTroy wrote: »

His page updated already.
https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ali

Wasn't there some reason given before where it's to make it easier for fans to chant the name? Because fans are a bit too thick to not chant the whole name every time, apparently.

Will Aliyah have to change her name now so as not to cause confusion?

I mean, the US fans might be. Their chants are very uninspired compared to the catchy stuff that the UK fans come up with.

CastorTroy

Pentecost wrote: »

She won’t make it to the main roster anyway so there’s not going to be any confusion.

Was thinking that when typing it, but then remembered we got Dana Brooke.
Come to think of it, apart from Charlotte's brief dropping of Flair, have any of the women had their name shortened?

Pentecost

CastorTroy wrote: »

Was thinking that when typing it, but then remembered we got Dana Brooke.
Come to think of it, apart from Charlotte's brief dropping of Flair, have any of the women had their name shortened?

Hmm. Tamina Snuka -> Tamina maybe? I can’t actually remember what she’s called now.

CastorTroy

You're right. I guess Natalya as well. Maybe I should have asked Have any of the women that people actually care about had their name shortened?

Monokne

ThePott wrote: »

Ugh.. of all WWE's annoying habits this one annoys me more than it should.
Ali, Andrade, Otis & Tucker... just some of the more recent ones. They don't have to use their whole name all the time but getting rid of a name altogether is dumb.

Totally unnecessary.

This swings both ways though.

What's so necessary about "Mustafa" though? Vince clearly likes shorter, snappier names. Does anyone really feel in hindsight that the missing Langston, Antonio, Erick or Alexander have held back Big E, Cesaro, Rowan or Rusev? Of course not.

I have no dog in the hunt either way but I do think the shorter names look better on merch. You'll sell more RUSEV DAY shirts than ALEXANDER RUSEV DAY ones.

With most of them, I'm indifferent as to whether they've one or two names, but with Ali I actually think it's a marginal improvement.

2ndcoming

Missed opportunity to call him Chemical Ali and give him an Al-Qaeda gimmick.

ThePott

Monokne wrote: »

This swings both ways though.

What's so necessary about "Mustafa" though? Vince clearly likes shorter, snappier names. Does anyone really feel in hindsight that the missing Langston, Antonio, Erick or Alexander have held back Big E, Cesaro, Rowan or Rusev? Of course not.

I have no dog in the hunt either way but I do think the shorter names look better on merch. You'll sell more RUSEV DAY shirts than ALEXANDER RUSEV DAY ones.

With most of them, I'm indifferent as to whether they've one or two names, but with Ali I actually think it's a marginal improvement.

I didn't say it held them back but for me it bugs me and is unnecessary.

For one I think having everyone with just one name kills any sense of realism. Fighters have real names in combat sports, you don't have to refer to them by the whole name each time. Look at commentary for any other sport, they refer to them by one name a lot of the time, you don't need to essentially retcon their name.


For merch the names are unique enough and most stars have their own unique visual or text style, I'm not being as dogmatic as saying you need a full name on merch. It's not like any jersey has full names on it, so it's not much of a reason tbh. Mustafa Ali is a full name that suits the character. Wrestlers put thought into their name quite a bit.


Mustafa is one of the names for Muhammad and means chosen one, it shows his strong Muslim heritage and faith. It has significance and sure Ali by itself has meaning but it's also entirely generic. Andrade Cien Almas, works fantastically. Hell, speaking of merchandising he had a perfectly suitable logo which is now irrelevant as he only has one name. It was alliterative, it showed his Mexican heritage, it showed his cockiness 'he's a 100' and almost juxtaposes his previous persona of La Sombra (the Shadow) with the Soul (Alma). What I'm saying is it tells you all you need to know about a character right off the bat.



Maybe I'm reaching and sure there probably isn't meaning to all the names out there and I'm not saying I don't see reasons for it but it's mostly pointless and I don't think there's any real persuasive argument I've seen that makes it necessary to give characters just one name.


Sure there's cases where it works but are we gonna act like Big E Langston would be less funny in the New Day if he had a full name (They'd just refer to him as Big E anyway much in the way they do Kofi) or that Cesaro would be less impressive if his name was Antonio Cesaro, they can still call him Cesaro. They don't call out everyone's full name most of the time anyway. So I fail to see the point.

Monokne

ThePott wrote: »

Sure there's cases where it works but are we gonna act like Big E Langston would be less funny in the New Day if he had a full name (They'd just refer to him as Big E anyway much in the way they do Kofi) or that Cesaro would be less impressive if his name was Antonio Cesaro, they can still call him Cesaro. They don't call out everyone's full name most of the time anyway. So I fail to see the point.

That's the point.

It doesn't matter if they cut them to one name. And it doesn't matter if they keep two. It just plain doesn't matter.

ThePott

Yeah but the point is if it doesn't matter why do it at all. I mentioned the reasons why it is bad above already. Personal preference I guess but I don't think I'm the only one who dislikes it.

J. Marston

Apparently another promo between Becky and Charlotte tonight. Those two have talked each other to death.

seandotcomm

is this the last Smackdown before Mania? I know the Smackdown the week of Mania has traditionally been a recap show. Can't remember if it's changed now that it's Live

J. Marston

The gauntlet match has become a crutch for WWE.

brianregan09

Charlotte vs Asuka title match wtf

sky88

Ehh a title match with no build ehh ok this seems like shenanigans abound

J. Marston

Another unneeded plot turn coming in this story. Charlotte wins and undisputed champion crowned at Mania?

sky88

That’s absolutely is what’s going to happen isn’t it make the main event a bigger deal

J. Marston

"You're nothing anymore."

Why you gotta rub it in, Charlotte?

cian68

I think the mania match being first both titles is a fun idea but if you were basically any woman on the smackdown roster you'd be raging. Oh well they should have made themselves indispensable

Monokne

I wouldn't have done this, but I will add that long term, I don't think it's the worst thing for the title. If they keep the two together, that's best all around. But even if they unify them at Mania and then split them afterward, the title feels more important for having been in that 3 way. Asuka defending it in a multiple person match in the third or fourth match on the card that goes 5 minutes at Wrestlemania while Ronda Becky & Charlotte main event would just have highlighted how secondary it was.

Agent Coulson

So that happened.



Poor Asuka