GeminiGarlord
Heel
Is it weird that as soon as I saw the fruit basket my first thought went to Ashley Remington? xD
Apart from that decent RAW, not as unwatchable as some of the last ones. although the feeling remains that WWE doesn't have enough interesting storylines to fill 3 hours + 2 hours of smackdown.
Apart from that decent RAW, not as unwatchable as some of the last ones. although the feeling remains that WWE doesn't have enough interesting storylines to fill 3 hours + 2 hours of smackdown.
So, what I thought was a really strong Raw.
The Authority is out, building up Rollins, pretty much ignoring Orton.
Rollins cuts a decent promo.
Orton comes out, doing a MUCH better Lunatic Fringe than Dean Ambrose (Dean should be watching).
Orton RKOs Rollins and leaves.
Great segment. Anyone that wants the Authority off of TV just doesn't like pro wrestling. This is as classic as it gets with a modern feel.
Show and Henry v. Dust Brothers
Henry turns on Show and squashes him.
This is always be entertaining filler, these guys are 20 year vets.
AJ v. Alicia Fox.
Like I've said on here before, AJ is phoning it in, probably because she's riding the contract out. This is as bad, if not worse, than the Bellas.
John Cena and Stephanie and HHH promo.
Pure gold. Cena cuts some face promos, Steph hits some nasty heel promos. She tries to bring Cena to the Authority, to get him to accept that half of the fans hate him. He'll NEVER give in to the Authority, etc.
HHH comes out and cuts a clinic of a promo about all of it. Great news - Team Cena v. Team Authority. HHH is going to SHOW Cena how much better it is on the Authority team.
Just incredible. I was excited the whole time, watching those three go back and forth, and do their thing.
The Usos beat The Mizes by using heel tactics and twin magic.
I don't understand how Damien Mizdow is a heel, or how the Usos are faces when matches end up this way. But all in all, mostly entertaining.
Hogan promo = fast forward on my DVR. I can't even tell you what he said, except I saw that he marched some women out there to flex in the ring.
Bo Dallas vs. ------RYBACK!
Ryback looked jacked as hell. He got a face return pop. And he could fit right into the main event. I've never been that big of a fan, but when FEED ME MORE hit, I marked out.
Cesaro v. Ambrose
No decision, since I don't know if it even started. Ambrose did his lunatic thing with a microphone, promoed on Wyatt, Wyatt appears on the Titantron, promos on Ambrose, that's it. ALREADY the build to this feud looks like shit. I can't stand the phoned in phony promos on the Titantron from "via satellite" or whatever when it pertains to currently running feuds. Wyatt needs to show the fans that he's been working on his ring skills, not working on his incoherent rambling on camera skills.
Nikki Bella v. Naomi
We get more Total Divas story line stuff here. Hey, at least it's not as bad as the current AJ and Paige stuff. So I guess that's a positive. Nikki looks decent in the ring, definitely much better than a few years ago.
Kane v. Ziggler
So, in true old school heel fashion, the Authority is trying to threaten and shake down all of the WWE talent so they won't join Cena at SS. Ziggler and Cena were seen talking, so now Kane is going to punish him. Kane looks TERRIBLE in the ring. Ziggler overselling for someone like Kane makes it look extra fake. Matches like this NEVER should happen.
Cena v. Rollins (w/ The New Stooges)
Really decent Raw Main Event. Good action, good drama, the New Stooges get involved, and Rollins calls in the goons when he's in a submission. All in all, this was decently booked.
I was impressed with the follow up Raw, my only issues were that Rollins/ Ambrose should have been clean, because Bray could do his cryptic for the sake of being weird promos could have been last night. Cena is just head and tails above the rest of the talent on the roster. Kane is useless. HHH still promos like the best.
For me, this was an A- Raw.
The Authority is out, building up Rollins, pretty much ignoring Orton.
Rollins cuts a decent promo.
Orton comes out, doing a MUCH better Lunatic Fringe than Dean Ambrose (Dean should be watching).
Orton RKOs Rollins and leaves.
Great segment. Anyone that wants the Authority off of TV just doesn't like pro wrestling. This is as classic as it gets with a modern feel.
Show and Henry v. Dust Brothers
Henry turns on Show and squashes him.
This is always be entertaining filler, these guys are 20 year vets.
AJ v. Alicia Fox.
Like I've said on here before, AJ is phoning it in, probably because she's riding the contract out. This is as bad, if not worse, than the Bellas.
John Cena and Stephanie and HHH promo.
Pure gold. Cena cuts some face promos, Steph hits some nasty heel promos. She tries to bring Cena to the Authority, to get him to accept that half of the fans hate him. He'll NEVER give in to the Authority, etc.
HHH comes out and cuts a clinic of a promo about all of it. Great news - Team Cena v. Team Authority. HHH is going to SHOW Cena how much better it is on the Authority team.
Just incredible. I was excited the whole time, watching those three go back and forth, and do their thing.
The Usos beat The Mizes by using heel tactics and twin magic.
I don't understand how Damien Mizdow is a heel, or how the Usos are faces when matches end up this way. But all in all, mostly entertaining.
Hogan promo = fast forward on my DVR. I can't even tell you what he said, except I saw that he marched some women out there to flex in the ring.
Bo Dallas vs. ------RYBACK!
Ryback looked jacked as hell. He got a face return pop. And he could fit right into the main event. I've never been that big of a fan, but when FEED ME MORE hit, I marked out.
Cesaro v. Ambrose
No decision, since I don't know if it even started. Ambrose did his lunatic thing with a microphone, promoed on Wyatt, Wyatt appears on the Titantron, promos on Ambrose, that's it. ALREADY the build to this feud looks like shit. I can't stand the phoned in phony promos on the Titantron from "via satellite" or whatever when it pertains to currently running feuds. Wyatt needs to show the fans that he's been working on his ring skills, not working on his incoherent rambling on camera skills.
Nikki Bella v. Naomi
We get more Total Divas story line stuff here. Hey, at least it's not as bad as the current AJ and Paige stuff. So I guess that's a positive. Nikki looks decent in the ring, definitely much better than a few years ago.
Kane v. Ziggler
So, in true old school heel fashion, the Authority is trying to threaten and shake down all of the WWE talent so they won't join Cena at SS. Ziggler and Cena were seen talking, so now Kane is going to punish him. Kane looks TERRIBLE in the ring. Ziggler overselling for someone like Kane makes it look extra fake. Matches like this NEVER should happen.
Cena v. Rollins (w/ The New Stooges)
Really decent Raw Main Event. Good action, good drama, the New Stooges get involved, and Rollins calls in the goons when he's in a submission. All in all, this was decently booked.
I was impressed with the follow up Raw, my only issues were that Rollins/ Ambrose should have been clean, because Bray could do his cryptic for the sake of being weird promos could have been last night. Cena is just head and tails above the rest of the talent on the roster. Kane is useless. HHH still promos like the best.
For me, this was an A- Raw.
Just about right.
The fact you missed out the Roman Reigns 'live satellite interview' shows how redundant it is. As I said on the Live thread last night, all they need to do is make Reigns return at the Most Opportune time to a huge pop. No need for the BS interviews they keep trying to do, though tbf, this time was much better than the last time they attempted it and failed spectacularly.
GeminiGarlord
Heel
Last raw was actually quite good.
Mcmahon did a great promo at the start. Rowharper small appearances hyped me for their return. We had not one but TWO, and I say TWO Rollins matches (altought the orton one was a bit of a headlock snorefest until the great ending beatdown). I also really like the survivor series build up.
Rusev was boring as always, but yeah, it was a good raw.
P.S, I'm also extremely curious about Woods return,
Mcmahon did a great promo at the start. Rowharper small appearances hyped me for their return. We had not one but TWO, and I say TWO Rollins matches (altought the orton one was a bit of a headlock snorefest until the great ending beatdown). I also really like the survivor series build up.
Rusev was boring as always, but yeah, it was a good raw.
P.S, I'm also extremely curious about Woods return,
Enjoyed Raw for the most part, Vince promo was great way to get SS stipulation put in as he made HHH and steph look bout 3 inches tall, the matches were solid best of which was Rollins v Dolph these two could have a great rivalry in years to come.
Only low point is that Rusev and sheamus had a huge title fight after the show instead of during as both their raw matches were average, and not having network in UK, meant i had to wait for match to be streamed on web
Good kick start for upcoming PPV needs to push on next week
B+
Only low point is that Rusev and sheamus had a huge title fight after the show instead of during as both their raw matches were average, and not having network in UK, meant i had to wait for match to be streamed on web
Good kick start for upcoming PPV needs to push on next week
B+
BloodworkKP
Dark Match Winner
So this is my humble opinion on tonight. One yeah I had seen the spoilers before but just like back in the day still watched because I had a feeling some stuff was going to be inserted in and I was right all the stuff in the spoilers didn't mention harper or the video of kofi in the newest video for a new day so glad I watched. And I have to say I actually liked what they did tonight with minor complaints one of which is harper is from around my way in new York yeah buffalo/ Rochester area isn't that far from my neck of the woods in way upstate NY so I was minor annoyed with the southern twang
I admit I was like dude you are from the upstate NY area we don't twang. Now with that said great ending with him literally throwing Dolph nearly into steph and triple h's laps. I don't care how much the iwc will rip me for this but I can't wait for big e to show up on the next a new day vignette. Loved the preacher/ James Brown esqe way of Xavier woods promo and I liked kofi's as well. These three are TALENTED athletes note talented in big capital letters they have a huge upside. Kofi has shown a great athletic background since coming in and I for one was quite happy when he dropped the fake Jamaican accent. He's better than that. Xavier woods is a talented guy seen him at an old TNA house show around a few years ago. Showed promise then still does. I for one am tired of the cultural cliche that a person of color has to do a nation gimmick or something yes like what they are doing with them but does it have a chance to work it really depends. And before anyone starts wondering I'm not of color I'm a white guy with some native American and some other stuff aka the average American but I see race as a past tense it should never be a factor. I grew up watching guys like steamboat, savage, muraco, hogan, tatanka, bam bam Bigelow, hbk, Nash, hall ,Jake the snake, rick rude, Mr perfect, Kerry von Erich and so many others and I love wrestling not sports entertainment as Vince and co love to call it so yeah I watched the ECW exposed special after raw and loved the honesty of it. Loved the pillnan story the most as I really loved that gimmick and respected the hell out of Brian Pullman. Now back to tonight Adam Rose and the bunny. I'm actually intrigued by this. I like the Adam rose gimmick I do think it works better in a small environment but love it anyway wasn't sure actually because I think the Leo Kruger gimmick was fantastic as it was almost very kraven the hunter esqe but ray leppan the wrestler behind both is a fantastic worker who can sell either gimmick sold me and where it gets interesting to me was I watched the video later on with byron Saxton asking him about dissention with him and the bunny and he says there was none then proceeds with the its party time all the time and kind of creepishly (yeah not a real word but its mine) gets the rosebuds to say it but it seems like its getting darker. I for one want to see where this is going.
I admit I was like dude you are from the upstate NY area we don't twang. Now with that said great ending with him literally throwing Dolph nearly into steph and triple h's laps. I don't care how much the iwc will rip me for this but I can't wait for big e to show up on the next a new day vignette. Loved the preacher/ James Brown esqe way of Xavier woods promo and I liked kofi's as well. These three are TALENTED athletes note talented in big capital letters they have a huge upside. Kofi has shown a great athletic background since coming in and I for one was quite happy when he dropped the fake Jamaican accent. He's better than that. Xavier woods is a talented guy seen him at an old TNA house show around a few years ago. Showed promise then still does. I for one am tired of the cultural cliche that a person of color has to do a nation gimmick or something yes like what they are doing with them but does it have a chance to work it really depends. And before anyone starts wondering I'm not of color I'm a white guy with some native American and some other stuff aka the average American but I see race as a past tense it should never be a factor. I grew up watching guys like steamboat, savage, muraco, hogan, tatanka, bam bam Bigelow, hbk, Nash, hall ,Jake the snake, rick rude, Mr perfect, Kerry von Erich and so many others and I love wrestling not sports entertainment as Vince and co love to call it so yeah I watched the ECW exposed special after raw and loved the honesty of it. Loved the pillnan story the most as I really loved that gimmick and respected the hell out of Brian Pullman. Now back to tonight Adam Rose and the bunny. I'm actually intrigued by this. I like the Adam rose gimmick I do think it works better in a small environment but love it anyway wasn't sure actually because I think the Leo Kruger gimmick was fantastic as it was almost very kraven the hunter esqe but ray leppan the wrestler behind both is a fantastic worker who can sell either gimmick sold me and where it gets interesting to me was I watched the video later on with byron Saxton asking him about dissention with him and the bunny and he says there was none then proceeds with the its party time all the time and kind of creepishly (yeah not a real word but its mine) gets the rosebuds to say it but it seems like its getting darker. I for one want to see where this is going.
GeminiGarlord
Heel
Watching last smackdown. Chris Jericho/Authority segment was quite awesome.
Also I'm really digging Wyatt.
Even the bunny-rose feud is actually coming into its own.
Also I'm really digging Wyatt.
Even the bunny-rose feud is actually coming into its own.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
From an overall perspective, last night's Raw was easily the worst of 2014 and I'm wondering if it was intentional as a means to represent what WWE will be like, kayfabe, without The Authority running things. With the return of the Anonymous Raw GM and a show loaded with "sports entertainment" themed matches & segments, it felt like an episode of Raw that was pretty common in 2009 when the product may have been at its all time worst. The one highlight of the night was Daniel Bryan unexpectedly appearing and heckling Trips & Stephanie with Yes chants as they were leaving.
Fillet Club
Occasional Pre-Show
Considering the Network has been free this month, you'd think the WWE would want the final Raw of that month to be one of the better and more exciting editions. That would certainly convince more people to pay for the Network from December onwards, perhaps a couple of surprises (maybe Sting could make another appearance). But no instead we tease that next week we'll be recycling one of the worst GM angles in recent memory (whether the Anonymous GM is worse than Mike Adamle is debatable).
Suddenly I'm glad we don't have it over here in the U.K.
Suddenly I'm glad we don't have it over here in the U.K.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
All things considered, WWE's probably pretty happy with the numbers last night's show did.
Overall, last night's post Survivor Series Raw drew an average of 4,246,000 viewers, though it was definitely mixed in terms of results breaking down the hours. The show started off very, very big with the first hour averaging 4,734,000 viewers, but then dipped dramatically during hour 2 which averaged 3,992,000 before rebounding lightly to 4,012,000 for hour 3.
Personally, I thought last night's Raw was quite possibly the worst of 2014 as it just felt dead after the first 30 or 40 minutes. However, the big drop off in viewership in hours 2 and 3 can legitimately be attributed to news coverage from CNN and Fox News of the announcement of the Ferguson, MO grand jury's decision whether or not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the August 9th shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. The announcement of said decision began right at about 9 pm, the start of Raw's 2nd hour. During that time slot, Anderson Cooper 360 drew 6,265,000 viewers with viewership reaching a peak of 6,302,000 during the 10 pm time slot. The Kelly File on Fox News averaged well over 7.2 million viewers during the 9 & 10 pm hours. Regularly, those shows don't deliver anywhere near numbers like that.
Coverage of the announcement and pundit commentary on Fox & CNN afterward even bit into Monday Night Football's audience with last night's game averaging a weak, for MNF that is, 10,872,000 viewers.
Overall, last night's post Survivor Series Raw drew an average of 4,246,000 viewers, though it was definitely mixed in terms of results breaking down the hours. The show started off very, very big with the first hour averaging 4,734,000 viewers, but then dipped dramatically during hour 2 which averaged 3,992,000 before rebounding lightly to 4,012,000 for hour 3.
Personally, I thought last night's Raw was quite possibly the worst of 2014 as it just felt dead after the first 30 or 40 minutes. However, the big drop off in viewership in hours 2 and 3 can legitimately be attributed to news coverage from CNN and Fox News of the announcement of the Ferguson, MO grand jury's decision whether or not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the August 9th shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. The announcement of said decision began right at about 9 pm, the start of Raw's 2nd hour. During that time slot, Anderson Cooper 360 drew 6,265,000 viewers with viewership reaching a peak of 6,302,000 during the 10 pm time slot. The Kelly File on Fox News averaged well over 7.2 million viewers during the 9 & 10 pm hours. Regularly, those shows don't deliver anywhere near numbers like that.
Coverage of the announcement and pundit commentary on Fox & CNN afterward even bit into Monday Night Football's audience with last night's game averaging a weak, for MNF that is, 10,872,000 viewers.
MartialHorror
Mid-Card Championship Winner
It wasn't much of a show, but it was still better than the last two sluggishly paced Raw's.
Wyatt_Promo_God
Wyatt_Microphone_Fiend
Seth Rollins is indeed the future of the company. With Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler he's a top three worker in the world. He sells better than anybody including Ziggler because he's more realistic. Now, his promo skills are even coming along nicely. I mean he will never be a great promo guy but he has a chance to be solid and this was a great segment. Sure he said John literally 35 times but it's the delivery and intensity that matters. Rollins stole the show on Raw this week and he's going to be a big fucking star. One of the biggest stars in the last twenty years. Once this heel run is over by his 30's they can push him as the second biggest babyface most likely under the talentless hack Roman Reigns. This guy should be John Cena's replacement.
If they are wondering why the ratings for raw are so low right, they really have the creative team to blame for that. Last night's raw was supposed to set the tone for the wrestlemania season instead it put the first roadblock in the road by putting together on of the worst raw of 2015 and that saying something since it's the first one of the year. The whole authority angle is becoming useless and boring and I want it to end quickly. Same goes for the ambrose/Wyatt feud. The rest of the show was just filling and really wasn't that good either. The best part of the show was the ascension squash match mostly because it didn't last long.
So that really was a bad way to start the road to wrestlemania and I hope they get the game together and figure out how to make this great as soon as possible because this is suppose to be the biggest time of the year for wwe and after last night raw, it just feel like business as usual and predictable.
So that really was a bad way to start the road to wrestlemania and I hope they get the game together and figure out how to make this great as soon as possible because this is suppose to be the biggest time of the year for wwe and after last night raw, it just feel like business as usual and predictable.
I don't even know RAW ratings were low. I thoroughly enjoyed the last RAW and Smackdown of 2014. As for 2015, I don't have much complains with RAW either. The matches are all pretty solid.
This week, we saw The Authority firing Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Eric Rowen. I wonder what they are up to this time. I personally see it as a bold and bad move IF (and that's a BIG "if") the WWE indeed plans on putting them on the sidelines...
Dolph Ziggler is really popular right now. And the strange thing with Dolph is, the more popular he gets, the better he becomes. Taking him out of RAW and Smackdown is an unwise move, I would think.
It's the same with Ryback. He's just gaining back his momentum -- he has improved tremendously in the ring; he has been developing his own character; he's shown that he can receive a great deal of abuse as well as dishing it out; and he's finally connecting back with the audience. To put him back on the shelf now is kinda counter productive, don't you think?
As for Eric Rowen... He is an attraction just by his size alone. Although his promo skill is seriously lacking, I still think it's premature to keep him on the side.
As far as other matches go, Big Show and Roman Reigns have shown that they can work well in the ring. It's their third match thus far, but this one is still as compelling and interesting as the previous two. So much for people who said that their feud would suck... Well, it didn't.
Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt had an ambulance match (yet another hardcore match between the two). I would rank this as their best match in this rivalry of theirs.
And then, there's the handicap match between Ryback and the team of Seth Rollins and Kane. It was again a pretty solid match.
The first RAW of 2015 has been pretty good in my eyes. I don't know how the plot (events) will unfold going forward, but I'm hopeful.
This week, we saw The Authority firing Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Eric Rowen. I wonder what they are up to this time. I personally see it as a bold and bad move IF (and that's a BIG "if") the WWE indeed plans on putting them on the sidelines...
Dolph Ziggler is really popular right now. And the strange thing with Dolph is, the more popular he gets, the better he becomes. Taking him out of RAW and Smackdown is an unwise move, I would think.
It's the same with Ryback. He's just gaining back his momentum -- he has improved tremendously in the ring; he has been developing his own character; he's shown that he can receive a great deal of abuse as well as dishing it out; and he's finally connecting back with the audience. To put him back on the shelf now is kinda counter productive, don't you think?
As for Eric Rowen... He is an attraction just by his size alone. Although his promo skill is seriously lacking, I still think it's premature to keep him on the side.
As far as other matches go, Big Show and Roman Reigns have shown that they can work well in the ring. It's their third match thus far, but this one is still as compelling and interesting as the previous two. So much for people who said that their feud would suck... Well, it didn't.
Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt had an ambulance match (yet another hardcore match between the two). I would rank this as their best match in this rivalry of theirs.
And then, there's the handicap match between Ryback and the team of Seth Rollins and Kane. It was again a pretty solid match.
The first RAW of 2015 has been pretty good in my eyes. I don't know how the plot (events) will unfold going forward, but I'm hopeful.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
Last night's Raw was a strong show, certainly the strongest of 2015 and for much of the last month or so of 2014. The legends weren't front & center for everything that went on and they were used well for the segments they were in.
Overall wrestling action was also solid, stronger than it's been for a little bit. Bryan & Wyatt delivered a good 3 star match, though don't think Bryan losing should send anyone into a panic. He didn't lose clean and we all know Bryan's top notch as an underdog.
Ambrose vs. Barrett was a very solid 2.75 star match, though I could've done without Barrett losing yet again. Honestly, what the hell is Vince's deal with burying the IC title whenever Wade Barrett gets it? Granted, the title hasn't been a massive deal in quite a while, but it just seems that Vince has no qualms about burying the IC title, especially when Barrett has it.
New Day vs. Cesaro & Kidd was a solid 2.5 star match that could've been really good had they given it more time.
Paige & Natalya vs. Summer Rae & Alicia Fox was a decent 2.25 star match. Again, it could've been better if given time, but it was nice to see that the match wasn't treated like a joke by the commentators.
Rusev vs. R-Truth was nothing, didn't even watch it to be perfectly honest.
The main event was a good 3 to 3.25 star match that told a good story and has a very memorable finishing sequence. It would've been nice if Ziggler, Rowan & Ryback were in the audience or at least came out to help Cena or cheer him on but, of course, Vince has to book John Cena as the big hero carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders all by his little lonesome. I do like that they didn't have Cena dominate the match and just run through Rollins, Show & Kane. Sting showing up on the big screen and walking out was a big moment, Sting got a huge pop as one would expect, and it moves him closer to his eventual match with Triple H. Lesnar looked like a beast, as one would expect of him, though I'm not all that crazy about them making Seth Rollins look like a trembling bitch.
Overall, the hype for the Royal Rumble was strong, there was consistently solid storytelling, good use of the legends, a memorable appearance by Sting and overall solid in-ring action. I give last night's Raw an A-.
Overall wrestling action was also solid, stronger than it's been for a little bit. Bryan & Wyatt delivered a good 3 star match, though don't think Bryan losing should send anyone into a panic. He didn't lose clean and we all know Bryan's top notch as an underdog.
Ambrose vs. Barrett was a very solid 2.75 star match, though I could've done without Barrett losing yet again. Honestly, what the hell is Vince's deal with burying the IC title whenever Wade Barrett gets it? Granted, the title hasn't been a massive deal in quite a while, but it just seems that Vince has no qualms about burying the IC title, especially when Barrett has it.
New Day vs. Cesaro & Kidd was a solid 2.5 star match that could've been really good had they given it more time.
Paige & Natalya vs. Summer Rae & Alicia Fox was a decent 2.25 star match. Again, it could've been better if given time, but it was nice to see that the match wasn't treated like a joke by the commentators.
Rusev vs. R-Truth was nothing, didn't even watch it to be perfectly honest.
The main event was a good 3 to 3.25 star match that told a good story and has a very memorable finishing sequence. It would've been nice if Ziggler, Rowan & Ryback were in the audience or at least came out to help Cena or cheer him on but, of course, Vince has to book John Cena as the big hero carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders all by his little lonesome. I do like that they didn't have Cena dominate the match and just run through Rollins, Show & Kane. Sting showing up on the big screen and walking out was a big moment, Sting got a huge pop as one would expect, and it moves him closer to his eventual match with Triple H. Lesnar looked like a beast, as one would expect of him, though I'm not all that crazy about them making Seth Rollins look like a trembling bitch.
Overall, the hype for the Royal Rumble was strong, there was consistently solid storytelling, good use of the legends, a memorable appearance by Sting and overall solid in-ring action. I give last night's Raw an A-.
d_henderson1810
Mid-Card Championship Winner
This is why I think the mods on wrestlezone are ridiculous.
I came here to comment, and have to go through over 200 pages, and people are talking about the Rumble back in 2006.
Yet I am not allowed to start a new topic, oh no, I have to post it here, and then go through over 200 pages to find if anyone responded.
I better talk about the Rumble, or I will get modded for being OT, so I want to say that I didn't mind the Rumble and the Triple-Threat is early MOTY. I also liked many parts of the Rumble match as well (even if others didn't).
If you don't hear from me, I have probably been modded for criticising how the modders do their job. So much for free speech.
I came here to comment, and have to go through over 200 pages, and people are talking about the Rumble back in 2006.
Yet I am not allowed to start a new topic, oh no, I have to post it here, and then go through over 200 pages to find if anyone responded.
I better talk about the Rumble, or I will get modded for being OT, so I want to say that I didn't mind the Rumble and the Triple-Threat is early MOTY. I also liked many parts of the Rumble match as well (even if others didn't).
If you don't hear from me, I have probably been modded for criticising how the modders do their job. So much for free speech.
An okay RAW last night. The main focus last night was on Triple H's announcement. The "announcement" was nothing earth shattering, but it served its purpose all right, a pretty smart and simple way to recover from the disastrous Royal Rumble PPV.
Roman was made to fight Big Show once again in a hard fought match. Roman lost the match, probably to garner some sympathy, advance the storyline, and end this feud once and for all. I think it's also WWE's way of telling the fans that Roman doesn't suck in the ring -- he can even work a match with a giant.
The Authority also setup a match between Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins where the winner will go on to face Roman Reigns at Fast Lane. Not only does this take the focus away from Roman Reigns for the time being, it also gives WWE a few more weeks to reassess their plans if they need to, and it also gives Roman Reigns a seasoned opponent to work with at Fast Lane. I think that's killing many birds with one stone, smart.
The match between Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins was good (as anticipated). Daniel Bryan won the match after some minor interferences on both sides. And that pretty much sums up last night RAW.
Roman was made to fight Big Show once again in a hard fought match. Roman lost the match, probably to garner some sympathy, advance the storyline, and end this feud once and for all. I think it's also WWE's way of telling the fans that Roman doesn't suck in the ring -- he can even work a match with a giant.
The Authority also setup a match between Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins where the winner will go on to face Roman Reigns at Fast Lane. Not only does this take the focus away from Roman Reigns for the time being, it also gives WWE a few more weeks to reassess their plans if they need to, and it also gives Roman Reigns a seasoned opponent to work with at Fast Lane. I think that's killing many birds with one stone, smart.
The match between Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins was good (as anticipated). Daniel Bryan won the match after some minor interferences on both sides. And that pretty much sums up last night RAW.
George Steele's Barber
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Bumped becaused none of my thoughts are worthy of their own thread and everything stems around Raw so here goes:
I only watched the last hour and a half. Shoot me. I don't care enough to spend a minute setting up a recording, there is other stuff in my life that needs to get done, and the first few segments are generally easier and more efficient to get through by reading about them rather than watching. I am kind of ticked that I missed the Cena/Rusev segment but nothing else seemed worthwhile. Oh well.
I'll start with the moment I found the most shocking of the night although correct me if I'm wrong - ROMAN REIGNS DID NOT GET A TELEVISED RING ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE MAIN EVENT! Was that my imagination? Was that an error? By the time I saw him in the ring there were crickets. I know The Rumble sucked and his winning doesn't seem right but have things gotten so bad that he needs taped vignettes to run to protect him from the embarrassment of a lukewarm crowd reaction?
That main event left me confused. Are we supposed to assume he was a lazy ass who let Bryan do all the fighting or did he really get that f'ed up by The Authority that his break was deserved? And what was the point of the surprise tag? Bad guys do that. Is Reigns a bad guy? Is he The Miz?
And what is going on with his spear? The last two weeks it is looking like he head butts people in the chest as opposed to striking the mid section with his shoulder. I must be seeing it wrong because it looks dangerous and awkward.
At least his short promo on Bryan wasn't that bad before their tag match. It showed some promise.
Bryan did fine, but he needs to lose the pony tail thing. It makes it look like he is trying to hard on his appearance.
New topic. The Sting stuff was OK. Putting HHH in Sting make up was kind of clever. The guy who slipped in to the ring did not look like Sting but it could have been him. It was kind of insulting to see HHH looking so smug in the main event despite him getting such a scare earlier but I guess that is true to his character.
It is bizarre but somehow The Miz and Ziggler have been my favorite people to see consistently over the past couple months. Miz with Mizdow and his Hollywood gimmick and Ziggler's matches have at least left me not disappointed. These are two guys that I have been so critical of in the past now at least giving me something to look forward to. Nothing great but at least well done.
I hope Wyatt's promos are a lead in to his brother Bo Dallas being the person he is talking about. It would be a great troll move and funny moment. Plus UT and Wyatt does nothing for me but I have become really jaded by WWE over the last 10 months.
Cody and Golddust is what it is. I don't remember there being a Divas angle. Oh, I liked the Usos tag match with Cesaro and Kidd. Naomi's ring attire bothers me though. Sandra has to do something about that.
Overall, Second Half Raw wasn't horrible but wasn't that great. I have no interest in Fast Lane but then again I can't ever remember being interested in a February PPV.
I only watched the last hour and a half. Shoot me. I don't care enough to spend a minute setting up a recording, there is other stuff in my life that needs to get done, and the first few segments are generally easier and more efficient to get through by reading about them rather than watching. I am kind of ticked that I missed the Cena/Rusev segment but nothing else seemed worthwhile. Oh well.
I'll start with the moment I found the most shocking of the night although correct me if I'm wrong - ROMAN REIGNS DID NOT GET A TELEVISED RING ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE MAIN EVENT! Was that my imagination? Was that an error? By the time I saw him in the ring there were crickets. I know The Rumble sucked and his winning doesn't seem right but have things gotten so bad that he needs taped vignettes to run to protect him from the embarrassment of a lukewarm crowd reaction?
That main event left me confused. Are we supposed to assume he was a lazy ass who let Bryan do all the fighting or did he really get that f'ed up by The Authority that his break was deserved? And what was the point of the surprise tag? Bad guys do that. Is Reigns a bad guy? Is he The Miz?
And what is going on with his spear? The last two weeks it is looking like he head butts people in the chest as opposed to striking the mid section with his shoulder. I must be seeing it wrong because it looks dangerous and awkward.
At least his short promo on Bryan wasn't that bad before their tag match. It showed some promise.
Bryan did fine, but he needs to lose the pony tail thing. It makes it look like he is trying to hard on his appearance.
New topic. The Sting stuff was OK. Putting HHH in Sting make up was kind of clever. The guy who slipped in to the ring did not look like Sting but it could have been him. It was kind of insulting to see HHH looking so smug in the main event despite him getting such a scare earlier but I guess that is true to his character.
It is bizarre but somehow The Miz and Ziggler have been my favorite people to see consistently over the past couple months. Miz with Mizdow and his Hollywood gimmick and Ziggler's matches have at least left me not disappointed. These are two guys that I have been so critical of in the past now at least giving me something to look forward to. Nothing great but at least well done.
I hope Wyatt's promos are a lead in to his brother Bo Dallas being the person he is talking about. It would be a great troll move and funny moment. Plus UT and Wyatt does nothing for me but I have become really jaded by WWE over the last 10 months.
Cody and Golddust is what it is. I don't remember there being a Divas angle. Oh, I liked the Usos tag match with Cesaro and Kidd. Naomi's ring attire bothers me though. Sandra has to do something about that.
Overall, Second Half Raw wasn't horrible but wasn't that great. I have no interest in Fast Lane but then again I can't ever remember being interested in a February PPV.
CyberPunk
The Show himself
According to reports, RAW last night drew just 3.658 million viewers which was a drop of 15% from last week's show. If this trend keeps up, it shows that the viewers are really starting to give up on what WWE is trying to serve them. Fast Lane is going to be crucial for WWE.
I think eventually it'll not matter if people are not watching. I mean there wasn't much on the TV except may be debut of a show, and this is Mania season, and ratings are not looking up at all. Plus, stop putting Big Show and Kane in main events already.
I think eventually it'll not matter if people are not watching. I mean there wasn't much on the TV except may be debut of a show, and this is Mania season, and ratings are not looking up at all. Plus, stop putting Big Show and Kane in main events already.
Mainly because the storyline sucks and has loads of dumbass plotholes that make no sense. Wouldn't be surprised if those who watch RAW purely as they would any other cable TV show, would tune out if served such crap that makes no sense whatsoever...
I'm going to hit the highlights, for me:
Ziggler vs. Rollins - Use this throw away at Fastlane. Zigler got the ZigZag on Rollins, which means that Ziggler went over on Raw. Tell me again that Ziggler is being buried.
Reigns heel turn - Damn, he's close to being full heel. Having him beat up Daniel Bryan after the main event is basically as heel as it gets.
Prime Time Players return - Really, I'm just a Darren Young fan, but if Titus and Darren can stay relevant for the next 6 months, they can add alot to the tag division.
HHH pushing Flair - Easily the most heat of the night.
Cena beating up Rusev - they HAVE to put the belt on Cena at Fastlane so Rusev can win it back clean at WM31.
Ziggler vs. Rollins - Use this throw away at Fastlane. Zigler got the ZigZag on Rollins, which means that Ziggler went over on Raw. Tell me again that Ziggler is being buried.
Reigns heel turn - Damn, he's close to being full heel. Having him beat up Daniel Bryan after the main event is basically as heel as it gets.
Prime Time Players return - Really, I'm just a Darren Young fan, but if Titus and Darren can stay relevant for the next 6 months, they can add alot to the tag division.
HHH pushing Flair - Easily the most heat of the night.
Cena beating up Rusev - they HAVE to put the belt on Cena at Fastlane so Rusev can win it back clean at WM31.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
The opening segment was really well done and I personally enjoy Cena when he's being aggressive. It adds such a fresh dimension to an otherwise, in my opinion, stale character. Cena getting the best of Rusev in the brawl made Cena look more dominant than he has in a long time, or I should say he looked more dominant than he has in a long time without the other guy being made to look bad.
Bray Wyatt's promos were good, as usual, and it's looking more & more likely that it'll be him against The Undertaker at WrestleMania. IF Taker looks as bad as latest rumors are suggesting, I thing this will be a bad idea.
Ambrose vs. Harper was a solid match, though it was much better during the 2nd half. Ambrose's campaign to get a title match has been really uninspired and I have a feeling the writers are just trying to crank out something to appease Vince at any given moment since his mind changes so drastically.
Ziggler vs. Rollins was another quality outing between them, at least a 3 star bout in my eyes, and these two could really tear the house down if they were given 20-25 minutes to really go at it.
Roman Reigns' backstage promo was okay, nothing great but nothing bad either. I did like that he added a bit more tension with his comment on Bryan not taking the loss at the Royal Rumble like a man.
Reigns vs. Kane was surprisingly decent and I like the notion of Daniel Bryan getting into Reigns' head a little. We know Bryan's a nice guy in real life and it's part of his character, but I'm glad that he's being a little bit of a prick here when you consider what's at stake.
The stuff with the Divas & The Ascension and the Prime Time Players was pretty lukewarm. The Divas are given the same juvenile nonsense as the foundation for their feud while The Ascension continue to struggle to make a connection.
Triple H & Ric Flair had a really well done segment, Trips pushing Flair down was unexpected but it added a nice touch to the storyline. Trips worships Flair, so pushing him down gives the impression that Sting's really getting under his skin, especially with Flair making a lighthearted comment, I think it was meant that way, about Triple H not getting knocked on his ass.
Barrett vs. Mizdow was a mess, though I expected that it would be. The stuff with Barrett being forced to sign a contract by Ambrose was laughably bad. I get that logic is something of a dirty word in some of WWE's writing, but this is just so obviously bad that it's a bit insulting really.
Bryan vs. Big Show was an entertaining match showcasing that Bryan really can have a good match with just about anybody. He & Big Show do the David vs. Goliath stuff extremely well and fans continue to rally behind Bryan's offense. Roman Reigns' "distraction" of Bryan was the worst part of last night's show. They didn't have Reigns on commentary as Bryan was earlier, which sends a message to me that the brass thinks the less Reigns talks, the better. I know the announcers were trying to somehow play up Bryan being "distracted" by Reigns taking pictures with fans & signing a couple of autographs, but it was pretty desperately pathetic. First, Bryan wasn't "distracted" unless the definition of distracted has changed radically. Bryan glanced over at Reigns a couple of times while he had Big Show in the sleeper and Show eventually powered out of it rather than Bryan losing focus. A few brief glances is as far as Reigns' "distraction" of Bryan went. It just came off as WWE desperately trying to make it seem as though Reigns' popularity is on a level with Bryan's and it was just so laughably bad. Reigns taking a couple of selfies and signing autographs with a half dozen fans is supposed to be a "distraction" on an even level with Bryan conducting huge Yes chant comprised of nearly 15,000 fans?
The post match brawl with Bryan & Reigns was extremely well done. It was intense and both men were all over each other. I loved watching Bryan take it to Reigns, he wasn't trying to "outwrestle" him, he was brawling with him like he was pissed off and that's the intensity that's needed in this feud. Personally, I wish they'd have done this a week or two sooner, but better late than never. Both guys were giving and taking some pretty stiff shots and it demonstrated the differences of them quite well. Reigns looked like a beat tossing Bryan around while Bryan was like an angry, rabid little wolverine as he kept coming back and giving Reigns all he could handle. Reigns definitely took a little damage because as the show was going off, you could see that Reigns' mouth & mustache were bloody. The way he was jostling around with officials, I couldn't tell if it was a split lip or a popped nose, though I'm leaning more towards a split lip as noses often bleed like a son of a bitch.
All in all, I thought it was a pretty solid show. The top three attractions for FastLane were well hyped and, let's be honest, the primary reasons for watching the show are Bryan vs. Reigns, Cena vs. Rusev & the Sting/Triple H confrontation. All in all, I thought the show was about a B-. Thus far, the build to WrestleMania hasn't been nearly as interesting as it was last year at this time but, hopefully, they'll get it in gear for next Monday.
Bray Wyatt's promos were good, as usual, and it's looking more & more likely that it'll be him against The Undertaker at WrestleMania. IF Taker looks as bad as latest rumors are suggesting, I thing this will be a bad idea.
Ambrose vs. Harper was a solid match, though it was much better during the 2nd half. Ambrose's campaign to get a title match has been really uninspired and I have a feeling the writers are just trying to crank out something to appease Vince at any given moment since his mind changes so drastically.
Ziggler vs. Rollins was another quality outing between them, at least a 3 star bout in my eyes, and these two could really tear the house down if they were given 20-25 minutes to really go at it.
Roman Reigns' backstage promo was okay, nothing great but nothing bad either. I did like that he added a bit more tension with his comment on Bryan not taking the loss at the Royal Rumble like a man.
Reigns vs. Kane was surprisingly decent and I like the notion of Daniel Bryan getting into Reigns' head a little. We know Bryan's a nice guy in real life and it's part of his character, but I'm glad that he's being a little bit of a prick here when you consider what's at stake.
The stuff with the Divas & The Ascension and the Prime Time Players was pretty lukewarm. The Divas are given the same juvenile nonsense as the foundation for their feud while The Ascension continue to struggle to make a connection.
Triple H & Ric Flair had a really well done segment, Trips pushing Flair down was unexpected but it added a nice touch to the storyline. Trips worships Flair, so pushing him down gives the impression that Sting's really getting under his skin, especially with Flair making a lighthearted comment, I think it was meant that way, about Triple H not getting knocked on his ass.
Barrett vs. Mizdow was a mess, though I expected that it would be. The stuff with Barrett being forced to sign a contract by Ambrose was laughably bad. I get that logic is something of a dirty word in some of WWE's writing, but this is just so obviously bad that it's a bit insulting really.
Bryan vs. Big Show was an entertaining match showcasing that Bryan really can have a good match with just about anybody. He & Big Show do the David vs. Goliath stuff extremely well and fans continue to rally behind Bryan's offense. Roman Reigns' "distraction" of Bryan was the worst part of last night's show. They didn't have Reigns on commentary as Bryan was earlier, which sends a message to me that the brass thinks the less Reigns talks, the better. I know the announcers were trying to somehow play up Bryan being "distracted" by Reigns taking pictures with fans & signing a couple of autographs, but it was pretty desperately pathetic. First, Bryan wasn't "distracted" unless the definition of distracted has changed radically. Bryan glanced over at Reigns a couple of times while he had Big Show in the sleeper and Show eventually powered out of it rather than Bryan losing focus. A few brief glances is as far as Reigns' "distraction" of Bryan went. It just came off as WWE desperately trying to make it seem as though Reigns' popularity is on a level with Bryan's and it was just so laughably bad. Reigns taking a couple of selfies and signing autographs with a half dozen fans is supposed to be a "distraction" on an even level with Bryan conducting huge Yes chant comprised of nearly 15,000 fans?
The post match brawl with Bryan & Reigns was extremely well done. It was intense and both men were all over each other. I loved watching Bryan take it to Reigns, he wasn't trying to "outwrestle" him, he was brawling with him like he was pissed off and that's the intensity that's needed in this feud. Personally, I wish they'd have done this a week or two sooner, but better late than never. Both guys were giving and taking some pretty stiff shots and it demonstrated the differences of them quite well. Reigns looked like a beat tossing Bryan around while Bryan was like an angry, rabid little wolverine as he kept coming back and giving Reigns all he could handle. Reigns definitely took a little damage because as the show was going off, you could see that Reigns' mouth & mustache were bloody. The way he was jostling around with officials, I couldn't tell if it was a split lip or a popped nose, though I'm leaning more towards a split lip as noses often bleed like a son of a bitch.
All in all, I thought it was a pretty solid show. The top three attractions for FastLane were well hyped and, let's be honest, the primary reasons for watching the show are Bryan vs. Reigns, Cena vs. Rusev & the Sting/Triple H confrontation. All in all, I thought the show was about a B-. Thus far, the build to WrestleMania hasn't been nearly as interesting as it was last year at this time but, hopefully, they'll get it in gear for next Monday.
The Fabulous Rougeau's
Championship Contender
The last half hour of Raw was amazing. Heyman's promo is probably going to be the promo of the year. And while the Rollins/Reign's match was nothing more than average, after the match Reigns looked like an absolute beast. I hope that won some people over because I really don't want to continue to hear all the boos for Reigns.
George Steele's Barber
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I only watched two segments last night. I had the new Survivor episode on DVR and wanted to catch up on that instead. Kind of glad I did. It doesn't sound like I missed much.
The only two segments I did watch were John Stewart and the main event. I'm a big John Stewart fan. I watch every Daily Show and think he is just a bright decent man. It is cool for me when he is open and acknowledges being a fan of pro wrestling for a long time and still today. I think he watches it with his kids. The segment did not disappoint. His segment felt like a combination of strong writing and clever ad libbing. He stuck to keeping it about Rollins and a wrestling theme but also entertaining and funny when he needed to be.
The main event was fine. Reigns' loss was surprising but doesn't matter. They really have the whole roster out there to push him. It is sad but necessary, hopefully for WWE it is working. It isn't working for me but I am not their core demographic. The heroics at the end were well booked and Rollins being willing to take that spear off the top rope was incredible. I thought he really smashed his skull until I saw the replay and saw that he was able to get his arms out to absorb the bump.
I wonder next week if Vince is going to send someone out to get themselves killed in the name of getting Reigns over. I feel like it has come to that.
The only two segments I did watch were John Stewart and the main event. I'm a big John Stewart fan. I watch every Daily Show and think he is just a bright decent man. It is cool for me when he is open and acknowledges being a fan of pro wrestling for a long time and still today. I think he watches it with his kids. The segment did not disappoint. His segment felt like a combination of strong writing and clever ad libbing. He stuck to keeping it about Rollins and a wrestling theme but also entertaining and funny when he needed to be.
The main event was fine. Reigns' loss was surprising but doesn't matter. They really have the whole roster out there to push him. It is sad but necessary, hopefully for WWE it is working. It isn't working for me but I am not their core demographic. The heroics at the end were well booked and Rollins being willing to take that spear off the top rope was incredible. I thought he really smashed his skull until I saw the replay and saw that he was able to get his arms out to absorb the bump.
I wonder next week if Vince is going to send someone out to get themselves killed in the name of getting Reigns over. I feel like it has come to that.