WWE TV 7/20 - 7/26

[Zoo Enthusiast]

 

I don't have the numbers breakdown but I would put the blame on the booking of Rollins' title reign. He's given way too much time on the show, usually saying the same shit. He's not a guy who needs 30+ minutes of talking every show.

 

it's kind of funny because obviously the guy's strength is his wrestling. he was the workhorse of the Shield and yet since the breakup they've positioned him as the "architect" and he during his title reign he talks all the time and barely wrestles.

He's the reason I don't watch the show.

[Loss]

I still think that for all of their attempts to appeal to channel flippers, Kane and Big Show are the worst guys to be on television with that being a goal.

[goodhelmet]

Did they axe the Miz vs the Arrow?

[Johnny Sorrow]

Did they axe the Miz vs the Arrow?

I thought they did but apparently it's still going on. I can't remember who told me that they're still doing shit on Twitter and Arrow was talking about it at Comic Con.

[Coffey]

I still think that for all of their attempts to appeal to channel flippers, Kane and Big Show are the worst guys to be on television with that being a goal.

 

I honestly feel like more than 60% of the roster fits into this category. I can't imagine most people, if they're flipping around the channels, are going to stop for Big Show or Kane, no. I also don't think they're stopping for people like Mark Henry, any of the tag guys, Fandango, Slater, etc.

 

If you go to WWE.com and look at the Superstar page... it's as thin as I can ever remember it being. That's not saying that WWE doesn't have talent or there's not great workers there... but there's like an Erick Rowan, Fandango or Jack Swagger on every single page. Albert is still listed there. Jerry Lawler is listed. J&J are listed. It's a joke. A lot of the people on there aren't even active wrestlers or are hurt. It's just a bunch of expendable people & then like 5-6 guys spread thin throughout it. If Brock Lesnar left & John Cena got hurt, what the fuck would WWE do for the next six months? Because whatever the answer to that question is, that's probably what they should be doing right now. Cesaro, Rusev, Ambrose, Reigns, Wyatt...whatever. Losing to top guys & trading wins with each other helps no one.

 

I like some of the guys around. I think PTP is fine. I like New Day... but are people going to tune in to watch them? A big problem with modern WWE is no one has that superstar feel. That's why you get WWE thinking they have to bring back guys like The Undertaker to slap them against guys like Brock Lesnar. Or when they bring back The Rock to defeat CM Punk. It's self-fulfilling prophecy: no one feels like a star, so they bring back old stars, which never makes new stars, so no one is ever a star. When the old stars stop coming back, what are you left with?

 

They call-up a guy like Kevin Owens, make him look strong right out the gate, then spend the next couple months letting everyone know that Cena had it under control anyway. That's not how you make a star... but WWE is so worried about Cena losing his appeal (since then they would have nothing) that they just keep shooting themselves in the foot.

 

WWE is complacent. WWE doesn't feel like they still take risks with the TV show anymore to me. It doesn't feel like a wrestling program anymore because it all feels too by-the-numbers & forced. Like you could make a layout/guideline of RAW and it would follow that same page every week with very little difference. Starting with the 15-20 minute opening promo that could be done in 2 minutes. When a new feud starts, I rarely even get excited, my first thought is usually "how many months will this run and who wins the third match when it's tied 1-1 after the first two?"

[Strummer]

Meltzer on twitter just said that WWE and Hulk Hogan have parted ways

[cpst]

Meltzer on twitter just said that WWE and Hulk Hogan have parted ways

Someone on Reddit claims that it's because of a recording of Hogan using racial epithets that is part of the Gawker court case and is going to be released soon:

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/3eey7g/wade_keller_hogan_done_with_wwe_scrubbed_from/cteaj4o

 

It'll be interesting to see if his prediction pans out.

[Strummer]

yep just about to post that the Torch has pretty much confirmed Hogan is gone

[Jimmy Redman]

Hmm...awkward. He's supposed to be the 'Special Guest GM' on the Australian tour in a couple weeks.

[Cobra Commander]

so they'll bring the Bushwhackers aboard to be the guest GMs for Australia under the premise that the WWE logistics people forgot about the differences between Australia and New Zealand.

[Laz]

Right. Everyone of a certain tier are going to get the perks. In real life they gave Cena, Orton, Punk after the summer of Punk angle/contract renewal, and few others got tour buses. Everyone else goes in rental cars. They pretty much treat them exactly how they treat them on television. This is something that is completely accurately portrayed of real life. Sports stars (more than one at least per teams) get more than the nickel and dime guys. In UFC if they ever, god forbid, had a pullapart brawl, Dana is not going to have his top fighters involved. They make him money. So do the top tier guys of the WWE for Vince.

Yeah, but a nickel and dime NFL guy makes a touchdown after a surprise interception and/or proves that he's a leader and be actually gets billed as a star. Cesaro and Owens year the houses down and stay stuck in that lower tier.

 

Having a successful hierarchy only works when people move up and down based on results.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Best RAW Of The Year! Hands Down. Not even close. I meant to post this a while ago. I hated Battleground for them to come back with this was stupefying. I was really thinking of giving up on them and this RAW just blew me away.

 

Strong Taker Promo, Awesome Heyman promo (I thought he has been overrated, but this summer has been his best shit ever!) and then that brawl was just awesome chaos and raucous mayhem! Loved it!

 

Then get this, Show/Miz perfect squash like a great squash. An actually entertaining Matadores match THANKS PTP! Brie Bella vs Charlotte in a good match.

 

But it gets better, Reigns vs Harper in an absolute barnburner. WHO GIVES A FUCK WHO IS IN THE PULL APART BRAWL!!! ROMAN REIGNS IS MAKING A ONE ARM COMEBACK! Charles, you are awesome, but guys, seriously, great fight over here can we talk about the wrestling!!! Serious RAW Free Match of the Year Contender until the Ruiner of Matches fucks it up. Still awesome, awesome Reigns/Harper slugfest with great selling by Reigns.

Rollins/Cena OH HELL YEAH!!! Rollins was great in this setting. I wish he had a neck brace on while bragging about his accomplishments. Great shit!

Women's tag match was what's up! Between this and Reigns/Harper, I can't remember the last time there was this much great wrestling on RAW. Awesome, old school WWF formula tag match and I know tag wrestling (Tag Teams Back Again on PTBN WHOOMP THERE IT IS!)

The main event was just awesome popcorn fun. It was straight out of the 80s/early 90s playbook with the babyfaces just having fun and popping the crowd. The FU into the Swing into the RKO was the greatest thing ever. My Dad and I were losing our shit in our living room.

Damn for one week wrestling was fun again. Check out this episode of Raw!!!