There are a lot of things I like about WWE, but one of my biggest gripes is their inability to follow continuity. Lately there’s been a few crimes against continuation of storylines or lack of any logic to their booking.
Now I understand that Roman Reigns was unable to compete due to a meningitis scare, so it’s only sensible to keep him off WWE television as well as TLC where The Shield would be making their hotly anticipated return. I get that.What I don’t understand, is why Kurt Angle filled in for him? Yeah, I get that WWE panicked and wanted a major attraction for the PPV, but what sense did that make? The booking beforehand of the 3 Shield guys against Sheamus, Cesaro, Miz, Strowman AND Kane was heavily stacked against the trio, which I don’t know why they did, because nobody would buy that all 5 of them could be defeated. Anyway, one ridiculous booking scenario at a time.
But look at that storyline wise, why would Kurt Angle, the RAW General Manager enter a match to wrestle against his own roster? Yes Miz had mouthed off at him a few times, but what agenda would he have had to lace up his boots to fight Sheamus/Cesaro/Strowman/Kane. Let’s not forget the repeated amount of times he warned members of his roster not to fight Strowman 1 on 1, now he’s willing to step in and face him in a handicap match? It defies logic.
We were given the explanation of he wanted to ‘step in and save the show’. Really? Well Matt Hardy wasn’t booked to do anything on the show, Jason Jordan his ‘son’ wasn’t booked (apart from throwing vegetables at Elias which, let’s all just choose to forget).
You could argue, well Shane wrestled Kevin Owens on the Smackdown Live side, but Shane had legitimate reasons, we were given a story and a build to that.
I think the big part of it all is now Kurt Angle’s big WWE in ring return has been given away in a meaningless match. I’m sure he’ll wrestle a few more times now, but I wanted his first match back to be in his original American attire, his theme music etc.
The other thing is, why pre announce it? If you were going to have a big shocking thing like that happen, why not save it for the pay per view? Have Dean and Seth say they’ve found a suitable replacement, then let the rumour mill go into overdrive.
Yes, announcing Angle would be wrestling did create a lot of social media buzz, but there were more questions on the reasoning and confusion as to why the previously mentioned Matt Hardy wasn’t able to even make the show.
They drafted in AJ Styles to face Finn Balor in what would be an excellent long term feud, with history and story behind it, yet out of sheer desperation they gave it away without any build. Could Styles not have teamed with Rollins & Ambrose? Then have Matt Hardy face Finn Balor. I know it seems like I’m desperate to have gotten Hardy on the show, but I see no reason for him to not be. Well actually, I see no reason to have a PPV without the Universal Title, Tag Team Titles OR Intercontinental Title defended, but that’s another major complaint for another time.
Staying with The Shield on continuity, I’m not sure if you’ve seen or heard but Rollins & Ambrose had somebody new teaming with them on the recent European tour, none other than Triple H.
Yes, THAT Triple H. The one who faced Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania 33 only a few months back in a heated rivalry which ended in Rollins causing Triple H to knock his own wife, Stephanie, through a table, something he never gained retribution for. All is forgotten now, right?
Or here’s the best one, the same Triple H that was the one responsible for breaking up The Shield in the first place! After months of feuding with The Shield, he convinced Rollins to turn his back on Reigns & Ambrose and join him as part of The Authority. The Shield’s big return, and that not only doesn’t get mentioned but it’s also apparently completely overlooked?
I don’t know if as WWE fans we’re just expected to brush this stuff under the rug, or simply play ignorance to it all, but as someone who loved longterm booking and plans, as well as ties into superstar history, it’s so damn irritating when this stuff gets ignored.
Same with the whole WWE Draft, great idea, but then apparently Kurt Angle can just sign over Jason Jordan to Raw? I mean there are probably technical things I’ve missed on that one, perhaps they did explain where Daniel Bryan allowed him to goin exchange for someone else, I don’t know.
Straight away though, John Cena, why was he suddenly just ‘a free agent’? Storyline wise why would it be the most popular superstar on the roster that was left with a contract that randomly expired?
Same as Kane’s big return to Raw recently, wasn’t he a Smackdown Live superstar?
Granted, some of these are minor details that don’t really affect the storylines, but I find myself bothered by unexplained heel/face turns or superstars jumped freely from show to show and it makes me lose all interest in the feuds and storylines when they don’t follow on and there are infrequencies.
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