Post-Mania 32 Raw

[Strummer]

Yes that was an awesome show but it's tough to be optimistic about wwe

[Jimmy Redman]

All of that.

 

Still, super fun match. Cesaro rules. The endless uppercuts were awesome.

[Matt D]

I want a Cesaro vs Gotch exchange so much.

[Eegah]

I want a Cesaro vs Gotch exchange so much.

I initially though Karl and thought "Yeah, that would rule." Realized you meant Simon and yeah, thatd rule too.

[The Chief]

They debuted Enzo and Cass tonight.

Vaudevillains debut on Smackdown.

They're bringing back Primo and Epico.

 

In addition to all of the teams they already have. I can't remember the last time they had this many tag teams in the company at the same time.

[Jimmy Redman]

I also don't mind them moving onto Charlotte vs Nattie as a "first defense" feud. Give Sasha (and Becky I guess, but mainly Sasha) another feud where she can get some wins and look good, and maybe build her back up for Charlotte vs Sasha in Brooklyn or something.

 

In Brooklyn Sasha wins the belt and Bayley gets her call up. Sasha defends against Charlotte, Becky, Emma, whoever is around. Bayley is Bayley against whatever mean girls are around. In the new year Bayley becomes the #1 contender and Sasha turns heel like a motherfucker on her, Sasha vs Bayley for the title at WM33, Bayley wins, confetti flies, girls cry, men hug each other, snowflakes rain down, peace on earth, love is eternal.

 

Give me the book Vince.

[Parties]

People were saying as much on Twitter, but for "Shane's booking" this felt like a very Hunter-directed show. Or at least learning from history and taking a "This'll quell the smarks" approach to the post-Mania RAW.

[Codysseus]

I also don't mind them moving onto Charlotte vs Nattie as a "first defense" feud. Give Sasha (and Becky I guess, but mainly Sasha) another feud where she can get some wins and look good, and maybe build her back up for Charlotte vs Sasha in Brooklyn or something.

 

In Brooklyn Sasha wins the belt and Bayley gets her call up. Sasha defends against Charlotte, Becky, Emma, whoever is around. Bayley is Bayley against whatever mean girls are around. In the new year Bayley becomes the #1 contender and Sasha turns heel like a motherfucker on her, Sasha vs Bayley for the title at WM33, Bayley wins, confetti flies, girls cry, men hug each other, snowflakes rain down, peace on earth, love is eternal.

 

Give me the book Vince.

You forgot to mention Bayley vs Sasha being the Main Event of WM33. But yes.

[Jimmy Redman]

Thought that went without saying really.

[Ricky Jackson]

 

I want a Cesaro vs Gotch exchange so much.

I initially though Karl and thought "Yeah, that would rule." Realized you meant Simon and yeah, thatd rule too.

I thought he meant Frank haha. Now I'm imagining Cesaro going back through time challenging legendary wrestlers. There's an original gimmick!

[Cap]

Crews coming up didn't surprise me at all. I think I mentioned in the NXT Dallas thread that I bet they just bring him up without having him "graduate" NXT. he fits the main roster way better, like others said.

 

I cannot say enough how much I love Sasha doing the Eddie tribute stuff. The wrestling gods are kind sometimes... they are kind and they want you to be happy........ sometimes.

 

No one says "we are happy they are here" as much as JBL said it about the post-mania crowd and DOESN'T really mean "we hate you so so so so much.

[Jimmy Redman]

Well, it's been a fun weekend guys.

The main thing I've enjoyed more than anything else was the crowds. Mania weekend crowds are great. NOT because of a smarky, "let's watch them hijack the show!" kind of rebellious thing. I mean I've felt that at times, we all have, but the hijacking is really the least interesting and cool part of it. (And subsequent crowds have tried to ape the original Mania crowds by taking the most surface level part - the hijacking and "J-B-L!" type chants - and running it into the ground, without understanding everything else that went into making it special. Just like indy geeks aping AJPW by throwing bomb after bomb.)

The best part about these crowds is simply that they care. They really, really, REALLY care. Not always, and not always for the guys that WWE wants them to care about. But the things that they do care about...they really, truly care. And for WWE crowds, it's so damn refreshing.

 

I think my favourite single moment of the entire weekend was Sasha Banks' entrance. Not because of the song or Snoop Dogg or Eddie or whatever else, but for the POP when she came out. The insane, passionate, superstar-level pop. And the look on her face when she heard it. You could sort of tell by the look on her face, even as she was in character, that she was blown away and was thinking about how her dreams had come true and how she's never been as high as she was right then. I loved that. I could watch her come out at Mania a thousand times and never get bored of feeling that.

 

It's like that. My second most emotional moment of the entire weekend was Sami Zayn's entrance. Both at Mania and Raw. People EXPLODED for him. And hundreds of thousands of people were singing along to every note of his theme tune. It doesn't even have words, but people sang along to every single note. El Generico getting 100,000 people to sing along to his music unprompted at Wrestlemania. Yes fucking please.

 

That kind of response for someone who both deserves it and appreciates it is awesome to watch. To experience. In a weird way it's like we're experiencing it with them. It creates a connection between us and the wrestlers, an intangible bond of mutual appreciation. For all of the dead crowds, indifferent crowds, for all of the apathy brought upon by WWE's shitty booking and oversaturation and endless meaningless TV matches and their insistence on not pushing anyone new properly...here are 100,000 people who just fucking love you to death. Who will cheer their hearts out for you. Who will create the backdrop for the Wrestlemania Moment that you can treasure for the rest of your life. Zack Ryder has been dudded over again and again for years now. But when he's 60 years old looking back on his career, he can think about the moment when he won the IC TItle in a ladder match at the biggest Wrestlemania ever and 100,000 people went absolutely bonkers for him. He'll always have that. No matter what Sasha Banks accomplishes from here on out, she will always have the memory of walking out for her first Mania and hearing that fucking pop. No matter if Sami Zayn ends up swallowed by the midcard abyss or not, he will always have the memory of walking out at his first Wrestlemania and hearing that fucking pop. Hearing them all sing his song. No matter what Enzo and Cass end up doing, they will always have the memory of debuting on Raw and the people going fucking apeshit and chanting along to every fucking word.


I'm getting a bit preachy and WWEish now but my point isn't to commend WWE at all. I'm just thinking about the wrestlers. They must love these crowds, not because they're all smarky and cute, but because if they're one of the lucky ones whom they truly care about (and oftentimes they're the ones that might not be cared about by other crowds, through no fault of their own) they will get reactions that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

And for me, it's really fucking awesome to watch.

[JerryvonKramer]

 

 

I want a Cesaro vs Gotch exchange so much.

I initially though Karl and thought "Yeah, that would rule." Realized you meant Simon and yeah, thatd rule too.

 

I thought he meant Frank haha. Now I'm imagining Cesaro going back through time challenging legendary wrestlers. There's an original gimmick!

 

Quantum Leaping Lanny

[rvd356]

Damn I've never seen enzo and Cass before as my nXt viewing is small but these guys are great , damn I have really grown to love New Day these guys are money.

[goc]

Enzo definitely felt like the biggest potential star that's come out of NXT since I don't know when.

 

I like Baron Corbin and his anti-smark gimmick but he has a very unfortunate hairline that he will need to address sooner than later.

[rvd356]

AJ really needs Tobe featured like HBK 1995 all this year to build him to a title win next year . He can do it all MITB ladder and Chamber(except work old man Jericho which is so weird)

 

 

OK damn hold up Cesaro is like hell over fast.

[rvd356]

AJ Styles has by for the best punches.

 

AJ fuck yeah looking like money.

 

AJ vs Brock is my current dream match but all of the sudden there is so many with Nak in and so over

[Johnny Sorrow]

Mother fuckers hating on Jericho just cause his tights said GOAT instead of GWE..

[Jimmy Redman]

Should have fit "SNAPSHOT OF OUR WRESTLING VIEWING AS IT IS IN 2016" on there.

[Jaivl]

 

 

That kind of response for someone who both deserves it and appreciates it is awesome to watch. To experience. In a weird way it's like we're experiencing it with them. It creates a connection between us and the wrestlers, an intangible bond of mutual appreciation. For all of the dead crowds, indifferent crowds, for all of the apathy brought upon by WWE's shitty booking and oversaturation and endless meaningless TV matches and their insistence on not pushing anyone new properly...here are 100,000 people who just fucking love you to death. Who will cheer their hearts out for you. Who will create the backdrop for the Wrestlemania Moment that you can treasure for the rest of your life. Zack Ryder has been dudded over again and again for years now. But when he's 60 years old looking back on his career, he can think about the moment when he won the IC TItle in a ladder match at the biggest Wrestlemania ever and 100,000 people went absolutely bonkers for him. He'll always have that. No matter what Sasha Banks accomplishes from here on out, she will always have the memory of walking out for her first Mania and hearing that fucking pop. No matter if Sami Zayn ends up swallowed by the midcard abyss or not, he will always have the memory of walking out at his first Wrestlemania and hearing that fucking pop. Hearing them all sing his song. No matter what Enzo and Cass end up doing, they will always have the memory of debuting on Raw and the people going fucking apeshit and chanting along to every fucking word.

Poor Rowan

[Johnny Sorrow]

Should have fit "SNAPSHOT OF OUR WRESTLING VIEWING AS IT IS IN 2016" on there.

 

Should have fit "SNAPSHOT OF OUR WRESTLING VIEWING AS IT IS IN 2016" on there.

I don't get it.

 

 

BE MORE FUNNY.

[Gus_McCrae]

"If AJ was presented strong throughout, if he was debuted even more strongly, if he was protected in his first couple of matches (a showcase to debut, for instance, his offense not kicked out of so much so early), if he won at Wrestlemania, then this would matter even more right now." Matt D

 

I don't know if I agree. Sure, in another time that was right, but now? I don't know. When was the last time a prolonged push for a baby face resulted in a big time baby face?

 

The most over faces are the guys who overcome losses, and "bad booking". Maybe you can disagree with execution, but I get their theory.

 

Going into that match last night I didn't think AJ had a shot, and figured he'd take the pin. I was pissed. I played right in. I think that's what they were setting up. They "created us vs them" again.

 

All I have to say is well fucking done, and I'm going to enjoy being worked until they screw it up next week and piss me off again. (See what i did I there?)

[Matt D]

"If AJ was presented strong throughout, if he was debuted even more strongly, if he was protected in his first couple of matches (a showcase to debut, for instance, his offense not kicked out of so much so early), if he won at Wrestlemania, then this would matter even more right now." Matt D

 

I don't know if I agree. Sure, in another time that was right, but now? I don't know. When was the last time a prolonged push for a baby face resulted in a big time baby face?

 

The most over faces are the guys who overcome losses, and "bad booking". Maybe you can disagree with execution, but I get their theory.

 

Going into that match last night I didn't think AJ had a shot, and figured he'd take the pin. I was pissed. I played right in. I think that's what they were setting up. They "created us vs them" again.

 

All I have to say is well fucking done, and I'm going to enjoy being worked until they screw it up next week and piss me off again. (See what i did I there?)

AJ is the definition of "us" to everyone but the people who he needed to be presented strong for the most.

[goc]

I feel like you didn't get the point. "us vs. them" is the smart(?) fans vs. creative. If they had gone hard on an AJ push everyone would have got all apathetic that "they're just building him up to feed to Roman!" but now everyone is excited...that they are going to feed him to Roman.

 

It is how someone like Dolph Ziggler has somehow still managed to get good reactions for years despite being terrible at everything except cutting promos whining about how he's booked.

[Matt D]

It's April. Styles debuted at the end of January. If they had pushed him strong from the start, there'd be no backlash, not even "He's going to be fed to Reigns!" backlash. Those people would just think that he was on the right side of the HHH vs Dunn war or something, or that they'd successfully hijacked, or that the injuries meant WWE had gotten desperate, or something. And he'd be more over with the casual fanbase because he'd be a dominant winner.