WWE TV April 18-24

[GOTNW]

Raw has been pretty good so far from what I've caught, anyone else watching it through, ahem.....unconventional means?

[...TG]

There's been far too little talk about this "Countdown" movie starring Dolph Ziggler as a bad-boy cop and Kane as his disapproving captain. Dolph has to solve some sort of mystery backstage at a Raw taping. There's a bit almost at the end of that trailer where Dolph superkicks a gun out of Rusev's hands. Needless to say, it's probably the greatest piece of cinema ever released.

[Matt D]

This may or may not be a thing now:

[Strummer]

the talking segments have been pretty damn good tonight. Miz and Maryse continue to shine. The opening promo segment at least had fresh faces and the crowd loved it. And the last 3 Raws have had great crowds. It so much easier to watch with the fans actually reacting to stuff.

 

 

also have this feeling that Anderson and Gallows are working for the Authority and not AJ. That would suck but they are making it too obvious they aren't with AJ (by implying they are with AJ)

[MikeCampbell]

I won't see it until tomorrow at the earliest. How did the crowd react to Gallows and Anderson attacking Roman?

[sek69]

Huge cheers.

[Loss]

the talking segments have been pretty damn good tonight. Miz and Maryse continue to shine. The opening promo segment at least had fresh faces and the crowd loved it. And the last 3 Raws have had great crowds. It so much easier to watch with the fans actually reacting to stuff.

 

 

also have this feeling that Anderson and Gallows are working for the Authority and not AJ. That would suck but they are making it too obvious they aren't with AJ (by implying they are with AJ)

 

If that's the plan, it's an infinitely fresher version of The Authority than Big Show and Kane.

[Alucard]

There's been far too little talk about this "Countdown" movie starring Dolph Ziggler as a bad-boy cop and Kane as his disapproving captain. Dolph has to solve some sort of mystery backstage at a Raw taping. There's a bit almost at the end of that trailer where Dolph superkicks a gun out of Rusev's hands. Needless to say, it's probably the greatest piece of cinema ever released.

 

Agreed, I definitely wanna watch it.

[anarchistxx]

I'm pretty much done with WWE again. They have no idea how to book anyone. Dean Ambrose opening the show and reeling off lame jokes is not only embarrassing to watch, but symptomatic with how out of touch the writers are. The jokes aren't funny, clever, they don't serve a purpose other than WWEs endless quest to promote every face as a fun loving, happy go lucky, amusing guy. Not only that, Dean Ambrose is meant to be a crazy, off the wall lunatic, not some dude who sits backstage writing bad stand up routines. It is arguable ehe shouldn't be hosting a talk show at all, however much they want to turn him into Roddy Piper. How about some originality in the booking - they have veered between booking him as Steve Austin, Mick Foley and now Roddy.

 

The WWE must be up there for the worst purveyors of comedy in history, almost everything they try and write as funny translates as cringe. The only laughs are unintentional, or the workers doing something off the cuff. They should know with John Cena, Sheamus and whoever else, telling jokes and grinning is not going to make someone over. Quite the opposite, in fact.

 

Going to plough through the rest of this since UK shows are usually fun, but fuck me what a terrible start.

 

There also seems to be no explanation why Shane McMahon continues to be in charge. If they were going to get rid of The Authority it at least deserved a cathartic finality with them getting comeuppance, rather than just tossing it aside.

[anarchistxx]

AJ Styles still needs a haircut. Looks horrendous. Up there with Survivor Series 2002 as the worst lid in company history.

[anarchistxx]

Well, even with the fast forward button in heavy rotation that was tedious. So much filler. Such lack of creativity when booking. Three hours is simply too long for the type of show they put out and the repetitive nature of the product. Kevin Owens going twenty minutes in the main event doesn't interest me. I'm out.

 

Feel like WWE has had three opportunities in the last decade to become an exciting, unmissable show again. The brief period after Randy Orton punted Stephanie when live crowds and the internet were both full of buzz. Then the period just after the CM Punk pipe bomb. And Daniel Bryan's title win and the Raw after that Wrestlemania where everything went right for them and it really felt like something special was happening.

 

They didn't capitalize on any of that momentum. Orton was soon his old, mechanical self, just another guy and jobbing to HHH in one of the worst main events in memory. CM Punk lost his buzz quickly, they quickly forgot about the maverick, unsigned champion element that had people talking and just booked him like a regular champion. And Daniel Bryan was put into a worthless feud with Kane, while all the people who were over and exciting on that Raw never really went anywhere and the chaotic feel was quickly lost.

 

You couldn't even call a lot of the output now actively bad - it is just so very, very boring. No creativity, no authenticity, it feels like the staid, dull, safe corporate product it is. WWE is lucky to have such a dedicated fanbase.

[SteveJRogers]

There's been far too little talk about this

starring Dolph Ziggler as a bad-boy cop and Kane as his disapproving captain. Dolph has to solve some sort of mystery backstage at a Raw taping. There's a bit almost at the end of that trailer where Dolph superkicks a gun out of Rusev's hands. Needless to say, it's probably the greatest piece of cinema ever released.

It looks like something they'd do for the JBL & Cole YouTube show.

 

Hey, maybe this is why they stopped that show!

 

Good fooder though for RiffTrax style podcasts about bad movies.

[Grimmas]

It's amazing how much better Raw is without a heel authority and with some talent that hasn't been ruined.

[anarchistxx]

It's amazing how much better Raw is without a heel authority and with some talent that hasn't been ruined.

 

Really? It felt almost exactly the same to me. Maybe having Shane make the matches injects some kind of freshness or positivity...but in terms of the way segments are booked, the way promos are written and delivered, the presentation, how feuds play out, how matches are worked, the usual issues with very few workers feeling natural and believable, the lame comedy, the commentary tropes, the boring stuff to kill time...nothing has really changed.

 

I know it can be hard to be fresh and interesting due to the nature of wrestling, but with all that money and talent behind them there is really no excuse for putting out the same dull shit year after year. So stale.

 

When was the last time they attempted a big, ambitious, left field angle that got people talking? The only feud for fucking Wrestlemania that felt it had any thought or creativity put into it was Chris Jericho vs AJ Styles and the wrestlers pretty much booked that themselves.

 

Give me a feud over a shampoo commercial or an extramarital affair or a stabbing in a bar or a hidden secret, or even some ridiculous necrophilia angle. Anything that feels remotely interesting and just isn't a lazy feud full of the usual tropes of random beatdowns, trading victories...give me some hate and anger and make it personal.

[Grimmas]

It's went from unwatchable to watchable. Big improvement

[anarchistxx]

It's went from unwatchable to watchable. Big improvement

 

It had the opposite effect on me. It sapped my hope that the product would improve at all in the near future. I was hoping the lack of The Authority would give it some stimulus and excitement, but it is like watching the same boring show just with boring, disheartening authority stuff replaced by something just as dull and predictable, albeit less disheartening.

[Jesse Ewiak]

 

There's been far too little talk about this "Countdown" movie starring Dolph Ziggler as a bad-boy cop and Kane as his disapproving captain. Dolph has to solve some sort of mystery backstage at a Raw taping. There's a bit almost at the end of that trailer where Dolph superkicks a gun out of Rusev's hands. Needless to say, it's probably the greatest piece of cinema ever released.

 

Agreed, I definitely wanna watch it.

 

 

Spoilers, but evidently other WWE people are only involved in the first half hour or so.

[...TG]

 

 

There's been far too little talk about this "Countdown" movie starring Dolph Ziggler as a bad-boy cop and Kane as his disapproving captain. Dolph has to solve some sort of mystery backstage at a Raw taping. There's a bit almost at the end of that trailer where Dolph superkicks a gun out of Rusev's hands. Needless to say, it's probably the greatest piece of cinema ever released.

 

Agreed, I definitely wanna watch it.

 

 

Spoilers, but evidently other WWE people are only involved in the first half hour or so.

 

Good to know, thank you. The trailer makes it seem like a rewrite of the Jean-Claude Van Damme classic "Sudden Death", set at a Pittsburgh Penguins game.

[Strummer]

Man, Dave and Bryan destroyed the Miz TV segment last night. Man I must be in the minority. Miz and Maryse were great. Also Dave implying Cesaro has a massive challenge in getting a good match out of Miz at the PPV. Ouch.

[Jimmy Redman]

They've already had a good PPV match.

[SomethingSavage]

Cesaro, as a heel, was able to work good matches around the Miz - as a babyface.

 

So yeah. I'm not too concerned about him getting something decent out of Miz with *this* dynamic now.

 

As far as the show goes, it has felt easier to get through since Mania. Nothing has been outstanding, but it doesn't feel so bogged down by the Authority. That only goes so far, but it's a start.

 

I'm not necessarily calling for more outlandish angles or anything just yet though. If they introduced one at some level of the card, then yeah. It could inject some energy into things.

But, until they invest some effort and equity into building CHARACTERS that people care about, then it's not really going to make a dent. You can introduce all the angles, all the love triangles, all the betrayals, and all the backstage skits you want. But it's not going to mean a thing if the audience isn't engaged and invested in the CHARACTERS themselves. It's got to start with that element.

 

They need to take some time and put some stock into their "superstars" as human beings - as people that embody specific traits and characteristics. That way, when one of them betrays their best friend or (GASP) refuses to buckle under the temptation of the almighty Authority, then it actually MEANS SOMETHING. It isn't just a pro wrestling trope. It doesn't feel like a copy & paste job of everything we've already seen from the Attitude Era. It stands a chance of resonating.

 

But it has to begin at the most basic level. They have to construct some characters that are worth caring about. They need to make some babyfaces that are likable and attractive to their audience. They've got guys like Sami Zayn, Cesaro, and Styles practically gift-wrapped and ready to go. All they'd need to do is put some time and energy into educating the audience about them.

 

The reason everything feels so stagnant and uninspired is because they'd just rather go the lazy route of booking endless rematches and letting these guys wrestle for 15 minutes every week. If they'd build these guys as CHARACTERS, then they wouldn't have to go out there and practically kill themselves every 7 days - in desperate hopes of maintaining their momentum and garnering SOME kind of reaction.

 

I mean, don't get me wrong. The show isn't absolute trash. The action is almost always worthwhile. But the entire experience just feels so tired & uninspired. They're constantly running in place - never really going places with their storytelling or their development. It's just an endless cycle of rematches on top of rematches, OCCASIONALLY flavored with a newly signed talent or an unseen dream match here or there to keep things from plateauing altogether.

[C.S.]

The reason everything feels so stagnant and uninspired is because they'd just rather go the lazy route of booking endless rematches and letting these guys wrestle for 15 minutes every week. If they'd build these guys as CHARACTERS, then they wouldn't have to go out there and practically kill themselves every 7 days - in desperate hopes of maintaining their momentum and garnering SOME kind of reaction.

Agreed 100%. But when Vince Russo says the same thing, and he has many times, he's derided mercilessly. Everything about his style is outdated and stuck in the '90s, but he's never been wrong about character building. Obviously, some of his characters left a lot to be desired ("Fat Chick Thriller/That '70s Guy," etc.) but at least he tried to give everyone - including the friggin' Jerry Flynns of the world - something to do. That's sorely missing today. When I remember and care more about Major Gunns than the majority of the characters in WWE today, you know something's wrong.

[anarchistxx]

 

 

But, until they invest some effort and equity into building CHARACTERS that people care about, then it's not really going to make a dent. You can introduce all the angles, all the love triangles, all the betrayals, and all the backstage skits you want. But it's not going to mean a thing if the audience isn't engaged and invested in the CHARACTERS themselves. It's got to start with that element.

 

They need to take some time and put some stock into their "superstars" as human beings - as people that embody specific traits and characteristics. That way, when one of them betrays their best friend or (GASP) refuses to buckle under the temptation of the almighty Authority, then it actually MEANS SOMETHING. It isn't just a pro wrestling trope. It doesn't feel like a copy & paste job of everything we've already seen from the Attitude Era. It stands a chance of resonating.

 

Agree with all of this.

[Goodear]

I saw Cesaro and Miz have the best match of a house show just before Cesaro went out with his shoulder injury. Dave has some of the worst taste in wrestling, I swear.

[Matt D]

They're bringing Bret in because he was so brutal in his commentary about the company in the last two months, right? What a screwed up company.