Jimmy Redman Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 I just caught Raw and had a few thoughts: When Bayley and Sasha go into their cute little backstage segments/wwe.com exclusive interviews with their friendship and playful bickering and secret handshakes a huge part of me wants them to just start making out and get it over with. Of course, the other huge part of me sees that Sasha is going to turn on Bayley and kick her fucking head in sooner rather than later, and that is also an acceptable development. I would totally love for Sin Cara to volunteer to wrestle Braun Strowman every week, and every time he gets one more flippydo move in, every time he gets that one inch further, until one day he finally gets the big shocking upset and we all jump out of our chairs. The CW debut was great before it even started because it featured the return of The Brian Kendrick's Entrance Music! "I'm the man with a plan!" Yes! Match was some fun flippydoing, and the main takeaway is that we need a proper Cedric/Swann match immediately. Ironically I'm not wild about Kendrick winning here, he works so well as the desperate underdog that already becoming #1 contender and getting a title match on PPV after like five minutes feels...kind of sudden. But I think this is a lesson to teach me to not have the same expectations of character development and long term storytelling when I watch Raw as I did with the CWC. Nia Jax vs Alicia Fox II is probably the first time ever that I will actively make sure I watch the pre show to catch a match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 I could see them blowing Kendrick vs TJ off over a few week span (starting with the PPV) as a way to launch the brand and help establish TJ, because they really want to move him over to SD, but then I think we want him on SD far more than they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakla Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 They need to do some quality control on who wears Connor pins on-air. Or balance it out. I think more heels wear them than faces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gutenberger Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 I can somewhat understand not wanting to keep the name "Bully Choke", at least from WWE perspective. But CAPTAIN'S HOOK??? This is just so, so bad. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 I can somewhat understand not wanting to keep the name "Bully Choke", at least from WWE perspective. But CAPTAIN'S HOOK??? This is just so, so bad. . . It fits with his gimmick sort of since he brings a pirate flag to the ring. I couldn't figure out why they didn't have TJP do commentary or at least come out to confront the winner after the match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 TJP not appearing on Raw is baffling and a bad, bad sign for the division. Raw should have opened with him and his monumental victory. The Bully Choke thing is also bizarre. I guess this proves Vince really had nothing to do with the CWC, as if we didn't already know that. I too understand it from a PR and PG perspective, but Captain's Hook is an atrocious substitute unless they're going full-blown stoner/tweaker with Kendrick's gimmick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Becky Lynch is really good at fiery babyface promos. She is the type of wrestler who probably should never be heel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmmnx Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Terrific booking once again in the SDL tag division. I'm amazed at how much better on the mic Becky is now than she was in NXT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrike02 Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Am I alone in really disliking Rollins in just about every way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Dragon Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I like Rollins as a babyface worker, but hate him on the mic and in ring as a heel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Wow Ambrose pins Cena clean in the middle. Cena doing jobs like he's on the way out of the territory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goc Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Am I alone in really disliking Rollins in just about every way? Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Dragon Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Smackdown just continues to completely outclass Raw every single week. The Bliss/Lynch segment made me want to see that match. The Usos/Alpha match felt like a really good match while leaving tons on the plate in the build. Miz's "Hey, I'm awesome and you should pay to watch me wrestle" tour continues strongly, and that was a very well done finish. The main left lots on the table for future Ambrose/Cena matches, while also trying to continue to show that just because Ambrose lost the belt doesn't mean he's just going back to the midcard. Smackdown is like the easiest show in the world to point out how simple booking works. Talent for talent it probably doesn't match up with Raw, but every segment feels like it has a purpose and direction without shoving in your face how super awesome it is which makes you roll your eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakeplastictrees Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I don't mind the fact that WWE kept TJP off of Raw. You want to see THE CHAMP? Tune in on Sunday. WWE needs more of that and less of the 'champion sitting at the commentary table during a match' trope. TJP already cut his "I'm glad to be here" promos in the CWC. The first induction of the champion should not be a weak sauce promo or embarrassing commentary. It should be him doing what he does best. Another thing that I liked about TJP not being there is that it helped keep everyone's attention in the ring and not thinking on what possible antics will go down pre/post match. SDL is just so solid. SDL is what WWE is when you combine NXT and the main roster WWE product in a sincere way and not in a "Let's under-mind this at every-step-of-the-way while pretending we are promoting it!" kind of way. More of this and less of whatever the hell we are seeing on Raw. Raw is filled with tons of stuff that makes sense, but I feel like someone in the back wants to make sure we are paying attention and tosses in some whacky stuff for 'entertainment' value (i.e. Sasha wanting a handicap match, etc.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Ewiak Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I don't mind the fact that WWE kept TJP off of Raw. You want to see THE CHAMP? Tune in on Sunday. WWE needs more of that and less of the 'champion sitting at the commentary table during a match' trope. TJP already cut his "I'm glad to be here" promos in the CWC. The first induction of the champion should not be a weak sauce promo or embarrassing commentary. It should be him doing what he does best. Another thing that I liked about TJP not being there is that it helped keep everyone's attention in the ring and not thinking on what possible antics will go down pre/post match. SDL is just so solid. SDL is what WWE is when you combine NXT and the main roster WWE product in a sincere way and not in a "Let's under-mind this at every-step-of-the-way while pretending we are promoting it!" kind of way. More of this and less of whatever the hell we are seeing on Raw. Raw is filled with tons of stuff that makes sense, but I feel like someone in the back wants to make sure we are paying attention and tosses in some whacky stuff for 'entertainment' value (i.e. Sasha wanting a handicap match, etc.). Well, I'm not saying this is all the reason for the dumb booking, it's the extra hour. With an extra hour of RAW, the WWE now has to fill an extra six months of RAW's with product every year. And since the fans don't want to see the same 1 vs 1 or 3 vs 3 or 2 vs 2 matches between feuding wrestlers every week, you have to do wacky crap since your roster is too thin to actually keep people off TV or at least out of the ring for a few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakeplastictrees Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 But the extra hour should mean more meaningful content and not just more warm bodies. With the 'extra Raw's', shouldn't that make WWE even more comfortable to step away from certain tropes? WWE has made sure the wrestlers are pretty video-gamey to such an exaggerated extent that I do not believe it would kill the viewers if they didn't see Rusev, Lana, Maryse, etc. for one week. Sometimes giving someone a week or two off, in this age of overexposure, can make someone feel some-what special. I realize the level isn't at the "Taker at Mania" level of special, but still. As for the 'whacky' stuff, perhaps I should have used a different word. I meant the Russorific stuff that just makes everyone involved look bad i.e. Sasha wanting a 2-on-1 match, Stephanie upset with Roman but putting him in the WHC match despite not wanting him to be champion, etc. That is the stuff that is Raw is doing and it ruins the flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alucard Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Smackdown Live is the best. I think Raw has gotten worse lately while SDL, which has been good since the split, has been absolutely on fire since killing it at Backlash. Of course, the other huge part of me sees that Sasha is going to turn on Bayley and kick her fucking head in sooner rather than later, and that is also an acceptable development. Can't wait for that to hurry up and happen. Going from heated rivals to lovey best friends has been the worst. Am I alone in really disliking Rollins in just about every way? I can't stand this attempted babyface turn at the moment. Nothing's changed other than who he feuds with, everything about his character screams heel to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Wow Ambrose pins Cena clean in the middle. Cena doing jobs like he's on the way out of the territory I'm not quite sure how I feel about that, personally. I think when a guy hits the John Cena level, he should do jobs sparingly and selectively, and only for people that they are about to shoot to the moon. It still feels to me like they purposely started phasing Cena down before his time was through. Maybe he didn't need to be the top guy anymore. I think in a way there wasn't much more they could do with him as the number one guy, and they needed start moving away from him. But I wish they'd made that transition a much slower one. It's like they didn't even consider the possibility that they'd have trouble replacing him. It's interesting how in the entire history of the company they have never once had a seamless transition from one top guy to the next top guy. That doesn't mean they still can't go back to Cena if they have to do that, but he just seems colder right now than he ever has. Maybe they are building a redemption story for him to get one last run. I don't know. I don't get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InYourCase Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Am I alone in really disliking Rollins in just about every way? Nope. This is the only time goc and I will agree completely. Rollins is no bueno, especially in this current incarnation. The main event scene with Owens is embarrassing. Owens could be THE babyface on the red brand. He has that talent and charisma. There's no reason that he shouldn't be the "it guy", but instead he's just a supporting cast member in the Steph/Triple H/Mick Foley vanity fair. Also, imagine thinking there's a political hit on Reigns when he's supposedly a #1 contender for a midcard title and he beats the World Champion. Good stuff, guys. The Cruiserweight presentation was dreadful. I didn't expect it to be anything like the CWC, which was top notch, but God that was bad. Swann is already just another black guy that likes to have fun. HOW, in THREE HOURS, do you not have time for TJP? Are there that many stories to tell? That's inexcusable. They didn't have English subtitles for the Metalik insert promo, which, again, HOW? I thought Kendrick look poor. He peaked with the Ibushi match, which isn't surprising. An entire crop of wrestlers have peaked with Ibushi. I love Spanky-era Kendrick, wish I could like this era of Kendrick, but it's not going to be pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I watched the Raw Cruiserweight segment on Hulu last night. Atrocious! (Not the match, which was fun, but everything else.) - Mick Foley looked like he was half-asleep when he was introducing the Cruisers. Didn't help that he had to read from notes. WTH? Just awful! - The commentary sucked (of course). - No TJP was a bad idea, despite fakeplastictrees's point: "You want to see THE CHAMP? Tune in on Sunday." That works for Hulk Hogan or Brock Lesnar. It does not work for TJP, who most of the Raw audience is unfamiliar with. We needed to see TJP on Raw. We needed to be shown what makes him such a big deal. If you didn't see the CWC, you're not going to be hyped for a match between Brian Kendrick and some random guy you know nothing about yet. - I agree with InYourCase: Rich Swann is already just another "dancing black guy." Sigh! The bloom is already off the rose. I wish Smackdown had gotten the division. My only hope is that Kendrick will put over TJP and then end up on SD in a non-Cruiser role. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotJayTabb Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Am I alone in really disliking Rollins in just about every way?Nope. This is the only time goc and I will agree completely. Rollins is no bueno, especially in this current incarnation. The main event scene with Owens is embarrassing. Owens could be THE babyface on the red brand. He has that talent and charisma. There's no reason that he shouldn't be the "it guy", but instead he's just a supporting cast member in the Steph/Triple H/Mick Foley vanity fair. After last weeks show, where Owens eviscerated Rollins so badly in that backstage segment that Foley had to tell him "That's enough", I thought they'd maybe seen sense and decided to have Owens as the face and Rollins as the heel, especially as he still did that annoying laugh. This week's show seemed to suggest he was turning face, despite the reasoning being "he's annoyed because he wasn't the one who got to cheat his way to the title". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goc Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I really wish Kevin Owens would turn, be forced to shave and become happy smiling babyface KO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hegs Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 If Raw was cut down to 2 hours I think it would stack up better against Smackdown. They have to throw some filler in to stretch the show to 3 plus hours. I still am dumbfounded by Ambrose. If this Cena slump is intended to go somewhere, I kinda get it, but to have Ambrose be the recipient? Have Wyatt avenge his Wrestlemania loss, kill the company's biggest hero and have Cena rebuilding himself. Turn Ziggler and let him do it. Instead, Ambrose with his nonexistent selling and even worse offense tearing through the whole roster. Ambrose should be booked like the Bushwackers not Hogan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 The intro of the Cruisers wasn't aimed at those of us who watched the CWC. It was aimed at the actual audience . Therefore a tag match where four guys get to have a sprint in order to impress the kids and regular people was what was in order. And it worked. And yes, you do save the first live appearance of the Champ at the big show. They did introduce TJ to the audience via the video package. It makes more dramatic sense to have him debut live at the PPV. And Swann being a dancing, fun loving guy? That's been his character since he arrived in NXT. It's kinda his thing, for Christ's sake. Now why they had Foley out there stumbling through the intros, I have no fucking idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Yeah, a four-way cluster with nothing in term of why the audience should care about any of them, already fighting for a shot at a title they have no idea about hold by a champion they don't know and have not even seen yet was a brillant way to introduce the cruiserweight guys, indeed. (and I haven't watched the CWC shows. So. There.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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