AegonTargaryen
Championship Contender
By little things, I mean, the resurgence of the Squash matches/Enhancement matches.
Let me clear up a few things first though:-
For months throughout 2014 and 2015, I had been saying Raw sucks, this sucks, that sucks, and I wasn't the only one. Before the brand split, we'd been getting every Star on Raw, week after week, we got Quality matches, 6-man tag matches, plus we got the stories. Then the injuries happened and it really got bad between November 2015-June 2016.
The announcement that they were gonna split the roster into two distinct brands/shows once again led to both positive reactions and hope and probably much more pessimism from WZ/IWC. (You can go back and check this huge thread on the Brand Split, the number of posts and the amount of cynicism and text is staggering).
Now fast forward to today, everything is in effect as of now. We got the Universal title, the roster set, the new Raw format which according to most people in the comments section and forums really makes Raw nothing short o f "unbearable" to watch, especially 3 hours including the Ads. Also, most people say SD Live is completely coherent and watchable, and I agree with them. SD Live this week was amazing, and it has been so, DESPITE very little talent to work with, which ironically enough is probably one reason why SD Live has been so good (and that its 2 hours).
Now I'm not saying Raw is PERFECT or totally entertaining. If I could complain about the wrongs, I'd say :-
The NEW DAY and their act is not just stale but horrendous. The whole thing with The Club has made it unwatchable for me, and I haven't really been following it anyway, the New Day is a channel changer, as far as I'm concerned.
I find everything involving Enzo and Cass horrendous. So much that a few weeks ago, even Jericho and KO in the same segment didn't entertain me that much, and that whole show was nothing short of a debacle.
Three hours is still too long and as a result, most people are complaining that things seem to drag, for example the unnecessary 10-min in-ring segments with Foley and the women which opened up Raw this week, where only a 2-minute announcement would've sufficed. (I'm not complaining, but they need to fill 3 hours, right?)
What I intend to do however is DECLARE, that I'm enjoying Raw like never before.
It's bewildering because I did little else other than complain, before the brand split, as did many others, and I see others still complaining (Why should they watch Jinder vs Sami, or Braun Strowman Squash matches, etc etc..its unwatchable blah blah) and they're not trolls or anything, they're all reasonable fans constituting the IWC, just like I am.
Now I didn't enjoy Raw or WWE as a whole because the WWE was doing things wrong at so many levels that it was disgraceful. EVERYTHING WAS REPTITION. MECHANICAL.
Every week ,same multi-man matches, same pointless singles matches where wrestlers A and B exchanged victories.
There was some storyling development when it came to mainevents. But that was that. Plus the Authority/Stephanie schtick was incredibly boring.
But now, I enjoy pretty much everything on Raw, excluding the Female division, for which I am not accountable. That being:-
1)Braun Strowman's squash matches, especially the one against Sin Cara.
2)Nia Jax(I am not much into Female wrestling, but I follow Nia jax's squash matches).
3)Jinder Mahal's new "Peace" schtick, and his enhancement matches such as against Sami Zayn.
4)Bo Dallas' really short squash matches.
5)Sheamus. The same Sheamus I found intolerable 6 months ago. I'm actually interested in watching him progress as a character and wrestler now.
So all that, besides enjoying the MAIN stuff on Raw- the Seth Rollins face turn, him antagonizing Steph and Mick, Kevin Owens as a heel champion, Jericho being better than ever, Jericho and KO together, Sheamus and Cearo, AND Roman Reigns.
I have given this a thought- as to why I didn't really care BEFORE the brand split (with competitive multi-man matches week after week and every major star ) and why I care NOW.
I found that one of the reasons is that this new format really is the way a wrestling show should be. You get both the MAIN stories and competitive mainevents, and a chance to let wrestlers like Bo Dallas and Braun Strowman to grow on you. What you're getting is FOCUS, on everyone and everything, even when it's filler matches. What could be more absurd than the fact that just one week of Jinder Mahal introducing his "Peace" schtick has got me invested in him, that I actually connected and that I actually look forward to seeing him in the future.
So I'll end by simply asking:- Is it me or the WWE is finally doing things right following the brand-split? We already agree SD Live, with such a minimal roster is already creating compelling, must-see TV week after week. But I want to know I'm not the only one who finds Raw enjoyable, except a segment or two a week, especially stuff like Bo Dallas, Braun Strowman, Jinder Mahal, and perhaps the tag division slightly.
Let me clear up a few things first though:-
For months throughout 2014 and 2015, I had been saying Raw sucks, this sucks, that sucks, and I wasn't the only one. Before the brand split, we'd been getting every Star on Raw, week after week, we got Quality matches, 6-man tag matches, plus we got the stories. Then the injuries happened and it really got bad between November 2015-June 2016.
The announcement that they were gonna split the roster into two distinct brands/shows once again led to both positive reactions and hope and probably much more pessimism from WZ/IWC. (You can go back and check this huge thread on the Brand Split, the number of posts and the amount of cynicism and text is staggering).
Now fast forward to today, everything is in effect as of now. We got the Universal title, the roster set, the new Raw format which according to most people in the comments section and forums really makes Raw nothing short o f "unbearable" to watch, especially 3 hours including the Ads. Also, most people say SD Live is completely coherent and watchable, and I agree with them. SD Live this week was amazing, and it has been so, DESPITE very little talent to work with, which ironically enough is probably one reason why SD Live has been so good (and that its 2 hours).
Now I'm not saying Raw is PERFECT or totally entertaining. If I could complain about the wrongs, I'd say :-
The NEW DAY and their act is not just stale but horrendous. The whole thing with The Club has made it unwatchable for me, and I haven't really been following it anyway, the New Day is a channel changer, as far as I'm concerned.
I find everything involving Enzo and Cass horrendous. So much that a few weeks ago, even Jericho and KO in the same segment didn't entertain me that much, and that whole show was nothing short of a debacle.
Three hours is still too long and as a result, most people are complaining that things seem to drag, for example the unnecessary 10-min in-ring segments with Foley and the women which opened up Raw this week, where only a 2-minute announcement would've sufficed. (I'm not complaining, but they need to fill 3 hours, right?)
What I intend to do however is DECLARE, that I'm enjoying Raw like never before.
It's bewildering because I did little else other than complain, before the brand split, as did many others, and I see others still complaining (Why should they watch Jinder vs Sami, or Braun Strowman Squash matches, etc etc..its unwatchable blah blah) and they're not trolls or anything, they're all reasonable fans constituting the IWC, just like I am.
Now I didn't enjoy Raw or WWE as a whole because the WWE was doing things wrong at so many levels that it was disgraceful. EVERYTHING WAS REPTITION. MECHANICAL.
Every week ,same multi-man matches, same pointless singles matches where wrestlers A and B exchanged victories.
There was some storyling development when it came to mainevents. But that was that. Plus the Authority/Stephanie schtick was incredibly boring.
But now, I enjoy pretty much everything on Raw, excluding the Female division, for which I am not accountable. That being:-
1)Braun Strowman's squash matches, especially the one against Sin Cara.
2)Nia Jax(I am not much into Female wrestling, but I follow Nia jax's squash matches).
3)Jinder Mahal's new "Peace" schtick, and his enhancement matches such as against Sami Zayn.
4)Bo Dallas' really short squash matches.
5)Sheamus. The same Sheamus I found intolerable 6 months ago. I'm actually interested in watching him progress as a character and wrestler now.
So all that, besides enjoying the MAIN stuff on Raw- the Seth Rollins face turn, him antagonizing Steph and Mick, Kevin Owens as a heel champion, Jericho being better than ever, Jericho and KO together, Sheamus and Cearo, AND Roman Reigns.
I have given this a thought- as to why I didn't really care BEFORE the brand split (with competitive multi-man matches week after week and every major star ) and why I care NOW.
I found that one of the reasons is that this new format really is the way a wrestling show should be. You get both the MAIN stories and competitive mainevents, and a chance to let wrestlers like Bo Dallas and Braun Strowman to grow on you. What you're getting is FOCUS, on everyone and everything, even when it's filler matches. What could be more absurd than the fact that just one week of Jinder Mahal introducing his "Peace" schtick has got me invested in him, that I actually connected and that I actually look forward to seeing him in the future.
So I'll end by simply asking:- Is it me or the WWE is finally doing things right following the brand-split? We already agree SD Live, with such a minimal roster is already creating compelling, must-see TV week after week. But I want to know I'm not the only one who finds Raw enjoyable, except a segment or two a week, especially stuff like Bo Dallas, Braun Strowman, Jinder Mahal, and perhaps the tag division slightly.