Coffey

I'm pretty confident that CM Punk is not going to be at All Out in Chicago. I know that's not exactly a stretch or going out on a limb to say that, but it feels like I'm reading daily that people are like "I dunno..." Before I learned that CM Punk is now apparently suing Colt Cabana, I had a little bit more faith. But now I just don't think it's happening. Punk has said he's not going from the get-go, but in the world of pro-wrestling, you get the "oh, well that means he's definitely going then" mentality. Last time I saw CM Punk he was... scrawny. He was fighting at 170lbs, right? I mean, I guess the roster in AEW isn't exactly swole, so he would probably fit right in looks wise but man. Maybe that's just my own personal dated mentality but it's hard for me to take guys seriously when I'm twice their size, as a fan. But yeah, I don't think Punk is coming & the foreseeable future for the TNT shows looks like it will be built around Jericho & Moxley while building up Hangman Page & Kenny Omega. It's weird because AEW is in this situation where they've not even ran a television episode yet, but wrestling fans are so excited that we all want to just speculate & talk about what if scenarios. Could AEW get Sasha Banks, or The Revival or Rusev? I'm more excited to see what they do with their current guys that I don't know anything about though. Like, I would care a lot more to see Luchasaurus than freakin' Tye Dillinger. Or what if AEW were to bring back people that fans know, that aren't fresh out of WWE. Like they did with Awesome Kong. That was a genuinely cool surprise at Double or Nothing. Maybe they could get someone like Carlito? But ultimately, it's the angles that are going to matter more than the roster.

The problem with Michael Cole is that everything out of his mouth sounds cheesy & corny. He's the antithesis of cool. It's been talked about before, but if he's the voice that's trying to get over your babyfaces, it makes you immediately not want to support the babyfaces. He makes them uncool. Michael Cole is the wrestling commentator equivalent to the middle aged white mom dancing to hip hop music in the audience at an Ellen taping.

I feel like the two things WWE need to do to make RAW feel different (and better) are get rid of Kevin Dunn & get rid of Michael Cole. They both drag the show down in different ways. The camera stuff kills the enjoyment of visually watching. The commentary kills the audible enjoyment of listening. It's a TV show that you watch & listen to where the watching & listening is not good. That's like having fire that isn't hot or that doesn't burn. This show felt like a better step into the right direction but they gotta get rid of those constants that have been hindering the show forever.

I'm not a fan of Mike & Maria at all but I love that they're trying different shit on this RAW at least. Try new things, see what sticks. I thought Cesaro looked like a beast earlier & all he did was have a no contest beating of a jobber. It was still effective.

Baron Corbin's promo compared to Undertaker's was night & day. Corbin came off as natural & relaxed. Taker came off as corny & aloof. And I'm not a big Corbin fan but that was one of the better things I've seen him do lately.

This promo is brutal.

Say what you want about old man 'Taker, the entrance is still cash.

I think they should get the title off of both Kofi & Seth. But I def. don't think Samoa Joe or Baron Corbin are viable right now.

Too bad the camera work is still horseshit & headache inducing. Kevin Dunn needs fired. Or shot. One of the two.

I can already read a bunch of people name-dropping Paul Heyman.

My biggest take away so far from AEW is that in Japan, Kenny Omega was a Superstar & Cody Rhodes was a geek. In AEW, Cody Rhodes is a Superstar & Kenny Omega is a geek. Again, it's only been two shows, but the role reversal has been insane.

There was a movie that came out in 2017 called 47 Meters Down. It was not received well by critics. It's about two sisters on vacation that get trapped underwater in a shark cage. No a-list actors. Director I've never heard of. Small, indie film. Reading reviews of it, the amount of people that compared it to JAWS was staggering. One of the greatest movies of all-time. By one of the most famous directors of all-time. From 1975, a completely different era for movies. It wasn't a fair comparison. That's how I feel when reading some of the AEW reviews. AEW is 47 Meters Down & people are trying to compare it to fucking JAWS. WWE just had Wrestlemania number 35. They've been around forever doing their thing. How many AEW fans are even 35 years old? This was the second ever AEW show. There's going to be some bumps along the way. I'm not saying that people should overlook the bad, or turn a blind eye to shit but the cynicism makes it look like some people are begging for AEW to fail (like Herodes) & I can't for the life of me figure out why. Why would you not want pro-wrestling in the United States to have more options & more competition? As a fan. For the workers. It's just better for everyone. It goes the same both ways, too. Like, why would anyone want WWE to go away? Maybe for political reasons as they're a terrible corporation with shady business deals, but as far as maintaining the health of the state of pro-wrestling, more options & more competition should make for better shows. But I guess AEW brought it upon themselves with the mocking of Triple H & all the people that were knocking WWE after Double or Nothing, so I guess you reap what you sow. AEW probably feel a lot of pressure to have to knock every show out of the park because if you fumble, it's going to be brutal. And this show definitely had some turnovers. That pre show was embarrassing. I would be OK with AEW building around MJF & Moxley. I can't wait for AEW to show up on TNT because I think the company will thrive with weekly TV because I think their strong suit is going to be in the story telling & episodic television. Which, if I'm correct in that regard, that is what will get them noticed & pull people in. When you have that compelling soap-opera TV that can grab people's emotions. Like Cody Vs. Dustin did at Double or Nothing. The Shawn Spears thing tonight I think would have played so much better on TV. Right now, I think they're being way too insider & cutesy & doing a lot of "tee-hee, get it?" nonsense & they need to start looking at the bigger picture. Sooner rather than later. You need to grab the casual viewer. You need a big cable television audience, not just the fans that watch the YouTube shows or that know Kenny & The Bucks from Japan. And they're doing a piss poor job of telling potential new viewers who ANY of these people are so far. The commentators are pretty damn good, but we need video packages & promos & motives. Maybe they're just saving it for TV? I don't know. But a lot of guys are just looking like dorks right now.

He's not wrong. A lot of us have been saying as much. Like, yeah, WWE needs change but is the change they need recycled angles from the Attitude era? Because that's what it feels like we're going to get. But maybe I'm underrating what Heyman & Bischoff could bring to the table. If Heyman had full control of RAW, Bischoff Smackdown & Triple H NXT it would be interesting to see who could make the most compelling show with their respective roster. Instead, I still feel like the shows will all feel like Vince McMahon shows with talent jumping to whichever show whenever Vince feels like it.

If ANYTHING happens that switches up the awful production style, I'm in. It's one of, if not the top, worst things about WWE. The constant camera cuts, the shaky cam, the zooming in-and-out. It's erratic, unnatural & headache inducing. How anyone could think that was a good look is beyond me. Even switching to HD, if you're that afraid of moves/strikes looking too fake... put motherfuckers in there that don't look fake! Stop trying to put buckets of shit like Lacey Evans on TV.

I like both Paul & Eric. That being said, it feels like... a show, more than anything else. It's two names that wrestling fans will recognize. That haven't really done anything in wrestling for about twenty years. It's bringing back more of the same. Plus, if they still have to get everything ran passed Vince himself still, what is actually going to change? It's fun & exciting news, I guess, but I'm not sure if I'm expecting a lot to change on-air. Maybe the first couple of months but if we're still seeing Baron Corbin in main events & Super Shane McMahon, it won't matter whose name they use on the shows.

So Samoa Joe loses the United States Championship and that makes him number one contender to the World Championship? How does that work?

Agree with El-P. Ospreay is better and I feel like he's done nothing but improve, while Ricochet has kind of stalled. Even before joining WWE. Also, until seeing this thread, I legit forgot RAW was even on. I don't think that has EVER happened before.

All the credit in the world to user SteveOMatt on r/SquaredCircle on Reddit for these. Figured they were so good, it'd just be easier to post 'em here for this thread.

Otis would be better if he could ditch Tucker, in my opinion. I see nothing in Tucker. Otis has potential though, at least as a comedy midcard act.

How many Seth Rollins matches will live crowds turn on until people stop blaming it on his opponents & instead put some of the blame on his boring ass too?

This show feels so different from other WWE shows lately. Like it's being done by completely different people or something. It's actually been quite enjoyable.

Joe has definitely put on more weight. And it's visibly effecting his performance, I believe. I mean, I know he's older & slower & more broken down but man. He's a shell of his former self, for sure. The rest of the show has actually been pretty decent so far. And this match might hit the next gear but right now, all I can see if how lethargic Joe seems. I mean, to quote Jules from Pulp Fiction, he's Samoan, what's he gonna do?

Putting the title on Drew Gulak is the right decision & they probably should have done that awhile ago. He was great when he was doing the no fly zone stuff.

1,700 votes. 87% "No"

How about The Great Muta into Keiji Mutoh? Talk about reinventing yourself & breathing new life into your character/career! And then I guess back to Muta, but with masks instead of paint. Good stuff.