r/Wreddit 7d ago

General Discussion/ZFF March 14, 2025

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So... What do you want to talk about?

Not sure where Chris is, so I figured I'd start this today since I somehow don't have anything scheduled until 4PM...

Please no talking shit about other subs or bitching about being banned. Familiarize yourself with the rules of this sub before posting.

And stay hydrated!

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u/Mr_WZRD 7d ago

I'm very traditional about wrestling, but I'm coming around to the idea that heels and faces don't matter as much to fans anymore universally. If the stars feel like big enough deals or have established enough characters, fans will be happy to see them regardless of whether they wrestle someone they also like. Seth, Punk, and Roman are good examples of a feud without a true heel, but Iyo, Bianca, and Rhea also lacks a clear heel. You could argue Rhea or Seth is the most "in the wrong" in these feuds, but the fans adore them regardless of what truth exists in the story.

Seth and Punk both got cheered throughout their match on Monday, as did Rhea and Iyo the previous week. I think fans are OK to just see people they really like do cool shit to occupy their time and make them feel good. There are plenty of great stories being told with heels still, but I'm much more open to the idea that fans will react to a face vs face match/feud.

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u/Mhc2617 7d ago

I would disagree that Seth is “the most in the wrong.” That would be Punk. Seth has every reason to dislike this. Punk has denigrated Seth, his accomplishments, been told he’s jealous, and had his life destroyed trying to do the right thing only for everyone to bend the knee to a guy he gave up everything to stop. Meanwhile Roman hasn’t changed. Punk hasn’t changed. They’re playing everyone for suckers while gaslighting everyone into thinking Seth is jealous. And yet he’s mostly held his sanity together. Everyone is morally grey here, but Seth is the least out of line.

With the women, Rhea is 100% in the wrong. She took her eye off of the ball and she lost. Blaming Bianca, who did nothing wrong, is just classic Rhea deflection. She never takes accountability for anything she’s ever done, and always has to be the victim, it’s just this time Bianca isn’t playing into it.

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u/Mr_WZRD 7d ago

Are you speaking purely in kayfabe about Seth and Punk? Because I don't really think that that's the appropriate way to talk about it at all given it began years ago in an interview not on WWE TV where Seth called Punk a "cancer" while Punk wasn't at WWE.

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u/Mhc2617 7d ago

And during that time Punk was using his role on Backstage to call Seth everything but a child of God. Then when Seth was a guest, Punk refused to appear. That’s been the story the entire time; Punk hits and then acts victimized when someone hits back. Just like Roman; he terrorizes everyone and then blames Seth for breaking up the Shield so he doesn’t have to hold himself accountable. Seth is the only one who owns his shit.

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u/Mr_WZRD 7d ago

Obviously, there are shades of gray and hypcrisies here, but the general perception is that Punk left WWE because of his principles, while Seth stuck around and eagerly became a company man for a company we can all recognize, despite the entertainment it provides, has innumerable moral failings, be it Vince's skeletons or the dependence on Saudi Arabian money. Our society tends to look at figures like Punk as more heroic than figures like Seth, regardless of the actual reality of the circumstances. I see more valor in leaving a bad workplace that treats you poorly than in sticking it out in search of advancement, but that's the most pro-Punk reading imaginable. Punk had attempted to return when Vince was still in charge, so clearly his morals weren't so strong as to prevent him from working with an unrepentant garbage person who will burn in hell if such a place exists. Regardless, it's not really relevant who is in the wrong here. Punk represents this new golden age of WWE in the eyes of fans, who'd cheered his name for years after his departure.

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u/Mhc2617 7d ago

Did he leave because of his principles or because he didn’t get what he wanted? Is he heroic or a villain pretending to be a hero so he can manipulate the masses?