WingedEagle

Is Raw getting cancelled? Curious how they book the Universal title picture and Backlash with this move.

Where are the spreadsheets?

She is above Ziggler, if that aliviates things. Jinder in his miserable stinking life has never had a match as good as Nattie vs Alicia Fox. This is very true, but also quite the backhanded compliment.

Supposedly Joe was going to use a line similar to that in last week's promo but it was axed.

Drew Mac is that guy who's not at all one of your best friends, but someone you're always glad to hang out with. Dolph is the wife or girlfriend you absolutely cannot stand and the reason you never hang out with Drew.

No joke, while the camera was having a seizure there I first thought McIntyre was Jinder,then was sure it was Bobby Roode. Just a shame he's saddled in this gimmick.

That commercial was so strange. Alexa & Carmella were the only ones who didn't come across as overly awkward.

Well given that AJ Styles is still probably going to RAW it isn't that big of a slam He's WWE champion though. How will they manage that? Could conceivably have Roman win the title in Jedda after moving to Smackdown tomorrow. I know, I know. Or Brock shows up there. What makes less sense to me about an AJ move is that they just turned Nakamura to heat up that feud. It'd seem odd to squash it ahead of the big rematch.

Miz's promo would suggest he's a lock for Smackdown. Onto the next segment, please.

Jinder on Raw makes me hope the Fox deal pans out and the show is cut to 2 hours.

Jimmy's Mania takes were as fun and appreciated as expected, especially a week later. There's a great point about the main event on a 7 hour show there as well. I'm not sure The Rock headlining against anyone short of a returning Daniel Bryan (emphasis on *returning*, not regular DB) could keep a crowd happy at that point. Its too long for people at home on a couch, never mind those cooped up in stadium seating for an entire day & night and thinking about having to slog home. Just asking for trouble.

It was exactly a puff piece. The establishment media in the US is in love with MBS - NYT op ed page, CBS, etc. Like most stories this one isn't easily simplified to black or white if approached from a broader perspective. I think this article provides a more balanced profile than the stories that have been popping up as part of a recent PR push, but depending upon one's perspective there may only be so much appetite for nuance. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/09/a-saudi-princes-quest-to-remake-the-middle-east

The podcast was certainly interesting, and I think the match is terrific. But if a podcast 20+ years later is necessary to appreciate it than they didn't do their job that night.

To introduce Ken Shamrock. That was basically it. That worked out well. Though I guess given the cash they coughed up to compel him to ditch NJPW at the time, he was going to be a big focus. Still odd.

Its more than a valid point, especially with the Sharpshooter entrenched as a finisher for Bret. Always been an odd bit of booking. Was there even a particularly compelling angle to set up that stipulation? I don't remember one but not about to rely on that having not watched TV from then in ages.

That's enough for me to wish the worst upon him, his brother and the rest of the family.

They should promote it as winner gets a first-class ticket back to the states for a live Raw 72 hours later. Nothing like whirling through a bajillion time zones in a few minutes to clear your head.

Why the hype about Big Dave here? Haven't plenty of folks who use stars thrown a lot at what many here or elsewhere would consider questionable matches?

This. It was really cool to see his family. I have no idea who Shoemaker is, but he was basically useless, why would they even include him when you got Meltz & Laprade already ? Bullshit about WMIII (Hogan was shocked Andre didn't kick out of the legdrop, ya know) and chronology issues/WWE revisionism apart, I thought it was mostly really good. The end got me. I always find it fascinating when Vince almost looks like an actual human being. Flair's innuendo was pretty funny. It's too bad they didn't include the famous Beckett anecdote. Loved the Princess Bride stuff. Good stuff overall. He's the wrestling guy on Bill Simmons's site, which makes him an authority in the boss's eyes. But he's basically just Brooklyn Scott Keith without the asterisks. I'm looking forward to watching this weekend for this and other footage that should be really fun to see, but given the Simmons/Shoemaker dedication to wrestling history my expectations are otherwise low.

Jericho has replaced Rusev against Undertaker.

This was an absolute blast. I was concerned when the match was announced that it would simply be a backdrop for a Nakamura angle. While that eventually played out, they got a solid 12 minutes where Bryan showed some smooth, crisp mat work as a new addition to his game before building to a couple big spots without giving away the big match these two undoubtedly have in them. I really liked the spot where Bryan escaped the double wristlock by kicking away at AJ's arms, as well as the dragon screw counter to the windup Yes kick. No complaints on the finish or booking as it protected everyone while setting the table for bigger and hopefully better to come. ***3/4

I'm pretty sure their only matches in recent months to go longer than 9-10 minutes were 2/3 Falls against Gable/Benjamin at the Rumble, a 4 way at Clash of Champions, Cesaro/Sheamus at Survivor Series and New day at HIAC.

I've been wondering about this. If they actually work the GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE EVER like a Royal Rumble, you're talking over 90 minutes for that match alone, closer to 2 hours if its not rushed (which it will be). Going to be a late Friday night.