RavishingRickRudo

I'd like to see what reaction Orton would get after a match without any hot finishes. Without all the run-ins, Orton would get a decent reaction at best. He'd be a heel in less than a month. Is it safe to say that Benoit might be considered for having bulletproof heat? The guy never gets the biggest reaction for his entrance, but he can get most of the crowd going with his matches. Benoit's efforts will always be praised, but I wouldn't call that bulletproof. They could have given him that superstar pop, if they treated him like a superstar. WWE lives and dies on the superstar pop.

Rudo...pandering to the crowd? Makes it sound like you think Batista should have been making sure not to elicit crowd reactions. Even though he's clearly being groomed for a push. Never said that. I agree with your point, but I didn't see the match so much as demoting Benoit as rather promoting Batista. To do one (promote), you usually have to do the other (demote). Especially when they set it up the way they did. In the HHH-age of wrestling, I suppose people get confused as what it means to do the job and what it means to put someone over. Benoit put over Batista, it was at his own expense. I really don't think it hurt Benoit that much either. He lost to a man being booked as his equal. And not in a squash match either, in a competitive match where Batista impressed. The lasting impression wasn't neccessarily Benoit losing, but Batista's victory. Benoit put over Batista. It hurt Benoit because the fans ended up cheering Batista over him in the end. That drops him down a spot (He's way down now, btw). As I've said many times before, if Benoit suffers from losing one match, then he must be in DIRE straights. This is what wrestling has become now. *shakes head*

What is wrong with Benoit losing it and going back to the lone wolf mode of when he came back from his injury. The intensity and ruthless aggression are what Benoit does best. What is wrong with him finally cracking, hijacking the show at saying I am the only person who HHH cant beat and you dont give a crap about me, so I dont give a crap about you. 1. Benoit has better matches as a face. 2. The crowd doesn't react to Benoit as strongly as a heel. 3. In other words: It. Doesn't. Work.

Benoit has got to turn heel and do so quickly, him and a face Jericho for the World Title at WMXXI would be off the chart. I swear, this and "he needs to go to Raw/Smackdown" are the standard responses when Benoit is stuck in limbo. There are more things they can do fer cryin out loud, it just takes some thought. You cant blame Batista for playing to the crowd. I'm not. I don't like they they are positioning Batista over Benoit, because Batista is not a very good wrestler and is getting insanely overrated, but I never once blamed him for playing to the crowd. If the objective is to put Batista over Benoit, then they did that last night. Ironic that Benoit can beat Batista 100x's in 2004 and get nothing, but Batista only needs to beat Benoit once to get put over.

Ortons still positioned as being greater than Benoit, and got a strong reaction at the later-stages of the match. He needs to go back to Evolution, though, IMO.

Is everyone forgetting why Benoit moved? Besides being another fresh face for Triple H to take on, his other purpose was to help out Batista and Randy Orton. Of course, I was saying that before Benoit even won the Rumble last year. That's part of the reason why Benoits "push" sucked and I hated it - they never intended on making him into anything . I didn't even complain after Benoit lost last-night because I enjoyed the match, but when someone says it was a "protected loss" then they are nuts. Benoit turns heel (he really needs refreshing). Oh god NO. There's way to refresh someone without turning him. Benoit works better as a face, fans appreciate his effort and cheer him with much more enthusiasm than they do when they boo him.

Did you even watch the match?!? Batista was going "GWAAAAAAAH!!!" and "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!" after, like, every move. That's looking for a crowd reaction. The powerspot at the end was made to impress people and JR sold it like that. ... is inane (They showed more Benoit signs including "I paid to see Benoit") and Keith saying "The crowd was deeply into Batista by the end of that one." SUPPORTS MY ARGUMENT. Jesus fucking christ. 1. Benoit came into the match a bigger fan favourite than Batista. 2. Due to Batistas pandering and power spots the crowd cheered him more. 3. The outcome was Batista being in a stronger position than Benoit, dropping Benoit down a spot. Thus hurting Benoit.

You're a mod, make him.

Are you even reading what I am writing?

Batista's got a pretty big face pop, another big one for dropping Benoit on the turnbuckle, and a third for powerbombing him. Odd, for a crowd that was (supposedly) pro-Benoit, no one decided to boo the guy he was facing. Looks, like you're a tad behind the times. The crowd was chanting "lets go Benoit", so they weren't supposedly pro Benoit, they were pro Benoit. You could hear the Batista cheers pick up throughout the match because of the aforementioned moves and pandering. I never said Batista was the heel in the match, he just went in less over than Benoit and came out more over. Batista gained something, Benoit lost something. This was clearly explained in my initial post. I'd think health concerns would keep HBK out of the title picture for at least a month after he returns. Jericho will probably never be a solo PPV main event challenger again. That leaves Orton (which doesn't make sense), and Benoit. This is working under the assumptions of (1)Edge winning, (2)HBK still being injured (3)HHH sticking his nose of out it, (4)Jericho not being involved despite being the last one to be in conflict with Edge. That's a lot of assumptions.

When Benoit is feuding with the Intercontinental Champion and wrestling Heat far too often, then he's being depushed. For one, I never thought much of Benoits initial "push" where he was made to look like a dolt for weeks on end and then became a lame duck champion. But even under the dumbass pretense that such a thing could be called a push, it ended at Summerslam when he put over Orton and lost his spot and started to show up on Heat. He has since been losing ground to where he's probably #5 face behind HBK, Orton, Jericho and Batista, now. What do you call that? Going from #1 or 2 at Wrestlemania XX to #5? Right now he's still neck and neck with the main eventers, it's just he's being passed over for World Title feud. It happens... even HHH took a few breaks from challenging for the world title last summer. HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!!! *board crashes under weight of Rudos laughter*

I would argue that Batista has ALREADY replaced Benoit as the crowd's favorite; if anything this is just WWE acknowledging it. You'd be wrong. The crowd that night was pro-Benoit and through the match decided to cheer Batista because he had cooler spots and played to the crowd. Hence the pop at the end. Besides, you don't see the WWE clearly putting Batista over Benoit as being BAD for Benoit? Quit being stupid. Plus, I don't see them demoting Benoit instantly either. if Edge wins the title, than benoit is the logical first challenger since they fought to a draw in the Triple Threat match. Ah, so it wouldn't be Shawn Michaels - whom Edge put out of action and was gunning for last night... or Chris Jericho, who Edge C2W against last night and who tried to get back at during the main event. It would be BENOIT, whom Edge has ignored... That's it.

But Benjamin got dropped after his wins over HHH, Batista is essentially taking Benoits spot (well, Orton took Benoits spot, so Batista moving up is putting Benoit down another notch). Batista was booked to get the crowd in his favour, to get him cheered over Benoit. I wasn't one of thoes calling Benoit a jobber, but if you don't see the harm this does to Benoit you're on crack. That was not protected at all. RAW showed the pecking order and Benoit was on the bottom of it with Orton and Batista as the favourites.

Section 320, Row 9, Seat 24 WhoooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOAAAA!!

Matt: Lita, my god, this man tried to RAPE YOU! Lita: Oh silly, Kane didn't REALLY rape it. It's a TV show. It happens all the time on CSI.

The Crossface has been countered similarly by Albert and Brock (and Batista) so I whatever damage it gets from big guys powering out, it already has gotten it. Daivari needs to be an opium dealer on the side.

That thought actually has crossed my mind.

Unless it's a Duggan match.

I think chanting "USA" at any time is bad.

Hassan: "Americans are Racist!" Crowd: USA! USA! USA! Are they... agreeing? Seriously, dumb crowd.

The Amazing French Arabians?

How long until Victoria gets put in a burka? They have nothing for her, so I figure they'll have Hassan degrade her and stuff. Cause we all know the Arabs will expand.

If not the carpet, the loaded turban.

And the Dudleys got over by putting women through tables.

Holy Shit, they should SO make Batista Mike Awesome. Where's his Judge Jeff Jones? I will never divulge my secrets.