Define doesnt matter? Does it matter to Vince? Ya, probably not. Do I think it matters to fans who want to enjoy the product, yes.
From Cena to Roman to now Ronda, there is nothing more cringe to watch in wrestling then someone playing babyface while getting boo’d. Well, Cena was pretty good at it as he went with it, but Ronda is not Cena.
I dont disagree with that Ronda vs Becky is a big match, you are 100% right. I just dont think the timing is right because we are still in the middle of the Bianca feud.
Only way I think it works, is if you do something big for Bianca AND Becky goes over Ronda leading to a match between the two at Summerslam which would actually make sense since thats where it all started. My worry is that Ronda goes over, Bianca gets forgotten, and the Becky/Bianca feud just disappears.
I can very much see Bianca going forgotten because she isn’t who they are focused on. I have no faith in WWE to deliver anything for her.
It’s going to be challenging for Ronda to get babyface reaction, especially if she’s against Becky. If she gets booked against Charlotte the crowd will probably just do nothing.
It comes back to the point of Ronda not needing to win the rumble. She can show up and challenge whoever and it’s a big match.
Personally I always prefer the rumbles where someone new is given a chance. I would have went with Liv Morgan, she has a built in story with Becky and needs something like a rumble win to take the next step.
It’s also annoying how things happen in the Rumble and then are not acknowledged. The Bellas eliminate Morgan and it’s never mentioned. Same thing with KO being dumped by Shane. None of it matters
Forgive me as I don’t watch weekly but when is the last time Bianca and Becky really interacted furthering their feud. I just watched back to back challengers that weren’t Bianca on PLE
Ouch. I just saw. Well I assume a Mania Crowd will not be that dead. Maybe though.
As for stars not getting the right reaction, who cares! As long as there is a reaction and people feel strongly.
If the argument is crowd doesn’t feel strongly then why are they 2 of the 4 top women right now in consideration to headline.
I guess Alvarez would say that Vince has an idea and it has to happen no matter what.
I generally agree with you on Rumble winners. That said as much as Rumbles can be interesting the more I think about them I am not a fan of them as a way to pick challengers (same with gauntlet matches, the elimination chamber etc)as so much comes down to luck of the draw. Like from a logical standpoint how is it fair for someone to say start at #1 and go an hour before getting thrown out and then have the winner come in at 30 throw out one contender and get a title shot). It would be one thing if entries were seeded or something where better competitors have a better chance to win.
That said Ronda in the rumble ruins the excitement at the end because you know who is going to win. I just imagine if the booked it differently and you had a final 4 of Banks, Morgan, Charlotte, and Bianca where you could believe any one of them could win.
I don’t mind the randomness of the Rumble, but they basically told the same story in both the men’s and women’s this year. Give me something different.
I forgot she was a heel, and does it really matter? From what I hear in reviews, she still gets a decent amount of love unless she’s up against decent star power.
Well ya, that’s the problem. Becky as a heel vs Ronda as a face will be cringe. Fans will shit on it, especially in the build up. Only way it works if if Ronda goes heel.
Look, WWE doesnt exactly do the best when it comes to long term storytelling, you have to almost look at it on a curve. I’m not saying the story is great, but its being told.
To answer your question, when Becky won at SS the story started off by her using a cheap shot/turning heel to best Bianca and win the title back. Afterwards, they had a feud that Becky did “win” but her wins were all under nefarious means. Since, I believe Bianca has won every singles match that she has been in, the only loss I can think of was when Becky cost her the match and Doudrop won the #1 contender spot for the Rumble match. The story being, that Becky was scared to face Bianca. Also, in her promo’s, Bianca has made mention to how she wants to win her title back.
Now, has she told a passionate promo as to how she needs revenge on Becky? No. But she has been kept strong, and she has been mentioning Becky to keep that story alive. The natural end to the story is Bianca regaining the championship and being the first person to beat Beck 1 on 1 clean in years.
I dont want to see this story scrapped for Ronda, a babyface nobody cares about IF she’s facing Becky.
The issue I have with the randomness is that to an extent it can undermine my feeling of how worth a contender someone is. To me almost anyone entering in the last few slots that wins is probably also someone for whom a win isn’t really needed to get them a title shot. I feel like a lot of booking decisions that WWE has made really undermine the concept for me.
1.) People not needing to enter the ring when it is their turn- why does anyone get in the ring. It should be like you have 30 seconds to get in the ring or something.
2.) being able to leave the ring as long as it isn’t over the top rope. - why doesn’t anyone, or at least anyone who is tired just leave the ring and rest? It should be a count out or something if you are out of the ring.
3.). The 2 feet hitting the floor thing. I’m ok if you land on a barrier or in a handstand or get caught etc. but if you land flat on your back on the floor but your feet don’t touch, you should be out.
I’ll nitpick but I’d argue not. I can’t recall who she has been feuding with while Becky faced Liv and then Duodrop. If I can’t remember who your secondary feuds were with to stay hot as a challenger then I really can’t say she has been protected. She hasn’t been jobbed out but she has been a 3rd female story on a show with Becky and the Bliss promos which both stick out far more in terms of who I recall hearing about (or seeing) on Raw
I do like this and it does make sense, particularly on the Becky side of the story. Somebody should get a rub from being the first to beat her 1 on 1 or whatever, but will that even be part of the story? It feels like a line they hold back on til during the match, not making it a part of the challengers quest.
Let’s see. The first TV taping was bad. But the rating was good. This Friday, can WWE get a bump on Fox from having her. I’d say if the mass consumer interest is there then it may only be the Wrestling Fan that doesn’t want to see her and we are not who WWE is presenting WrestleMania for. They already got us.
I do think your points and logic are all correct. Love the passion behind wanting to see the Bianca story reach a peak. She is the WWE female equivalent of Hangman. The obvious future star for a very long time who is at the main event level but overshadowed by longer tenured more established names. They need to keep her in that mix the way Hangman was kept elevated and another run at the top will further solidify her as a top female star. Hope they do not let her drift back to the pack; something I think the’ve only really accomplished with Bliss via absurd creative (beyond the core 4)
I accept Bianca taking a backseat if Becky wins and then Bianca ultimately is the one who takes the title from Becky. In theory, it makes Becky stronger by beating Ronda, and then Bianca stronger by beating Becky. Obviously assuming the booking is decent.
To answer your question, Bianca’s TV feud was with Doudrop. They had a series of matches where i ended in her giving Doudrop the KOD which was a very cool visual. Was the feud riveting? No lol. But for WWE standards, it was decent.
You make a lot of good points. I especially cant argue that from a “drawing power” standpoint, Ronda isn’t the better choice. Its from a creative standpoint (and my emotional attachment to the character) that I’m arguing from when I fight for Bianca.
I love this. Then Doudrop got the title shot. It makes one chuckle.
Hey….I never said the booking as a whole was great 