I was watching RAW last night, and I have to say this. I absolutely hated the cameraman and his handy work, and I suspect it's the same cameraman. He totally ruined the Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles match in Extreme Rules and he also ruined the AJ Styles beat down on Cena. The camerawork is so bad I actually felt nauseous watching it, and I wasn't even exaggerating. Do they (the WWE) not watch their own product. How do they expect the tv audiences to enjoy a show when the camerawork is so terrible, it literally makes one feel like vomiting. Terrible, just terrible!
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
It was cool to see Bray Wyatt back last night and the Phoenix crowd thought so as well. The feud with New Day seems a bit strange, though that can be a good thing given that the teams are so different and that this program seems so sudden. I'm not sure what the "trance" Xavier Woods was in last night was all about, though it brings up an interesting possibility of him turning on New Day due to falling under Bray Wyatt's "influence" and possibly joining the Family itself. Again, it's quite early on but I'm interested.
Natalya turning heel at MITB MIGHT turn out to be the best thing to ever happen to her as I'm long since tired of her playing the role of scolding Mother Hen and general guardian of the upright morality of the women's locker room. Again, it's early but I can't help but feel that it's a welcome change and Becky Lynch is believable as this plucky, trusting upright babyface and fans like her.
We also saw the long awaited return of Sasha Banks last night and she got one of the biggest pops of the night when she appeared after Charlotte defeated Paige. Maybe the idea for her to win the title at SummerSlam is still on, back on or never was off to begin with. I see a sort of threeway feud with Charlotte, Paige and Sasha for Battleground that allows Charlotte to retain so she goes one on one with Sasha at SummerSlam.
It looks like the actual singles aspect of the Zayn vs. Owens feud might finally be in the works after last night. Even though they've technically been feuding since the Royal Rumble, most of their attention has been focused on various multi-man matches like the Money in the Bank ladder match, the IC title ladder match at WrestleMania and the IC title fourway bout.
Cena vs. Styles has me more resigned than anything else at this point. I have little doubt that they'll put on another great match at Battleground, but they're going right back to the same formula of Cena being this ultra upright babyface while AJ Styles is the chicken shit heel who needs his buddies to run interference for him. The result will, by my guess, be Cena wins at Battleground to set up a rubber match for SummerSlam that Cena also wins to close the books on this program. In other words, standard operating procedure for most Cena programs.
Dean Ambrose came off great last night, especially when he was out there being serious, showing passion & intensity, touting how tough he is & what the title means to him. That, plus just hitting everyone in sight with Dirty Deeds last night gave me more of a Stone Cold vibe that I haven't gotten from him in a while. I like the more serious, intense guy as it just seems more in tune with Ambrose as this scrappy kid from the streets. I'm a little surprised they're going with the Shield triple threat so soon as it does seem like something that would have more of a SummerSlam feel. Still, as long as it works, I'm okay with it.
While I'm not overly thrilled with Rusev vs. Titus, they had a much better bout at MITB than I think most were expecting. I liked the fire from Titus last night as the notion of Rusev disrespecting Titus in front of his kids at MITB has an organic feel to it that potentially anyone can buy into.
While this wasn't part of what has me excited right now, how great did Big Johnny look in that suit last night?
I laughed my ass off when I saw him come out in that bright red get up and his spray tanned face.
Natalya turning heel at MITB MIGHT turn out to be the best thing to ever happen to her as I'm long since tired of her playing the role of scolding Mother Hen and general guardian of the upright morality of the women's locker room. Again, it's early but I can't help but feel that it's a welcome change and Becky Lynch is believable as this plucky, trusting upright babyface and fans like her.
We also saw the long awaited return of Sasha Banks last night and she got one of the biggest pops of the night when she appeared after Charlotte defeated Paige. Maybe the idea for her to win the title at SummerSlam is still on, back on or never was off to begin with. I see a sort of threeway feud with Charlotte, Paige and Sasha for Battleground that allows Charlotte to retain so she goes one on one with Sasha at SummerSlam.
It looks like the actual singles aspect of the Zayn vs. Owens feud might finally be in the works after last night. Even though they've technically been feuding since the Royal Rumble, most of their attention has been focused on various multi-man matches like the Money in the Bank ladder match, the IC title ladder match at WrestleMania and the IC title fourway bout.
Cena vs. Styles has me more resigned than anything else at this point. I have little doubt that they'll put on another great match at Battleground, but they're going right back to the same formula of Cena being this ultra upright babyface while AJ Styles is the chicken shit heel who needs his buddies to run interference for him. The result will, by my guess, be Cena wins at Battleground to set up a rubber match for SummerSlam that Cena also wins to close the books on this program. In other words, standard operating procedure for most Cena programs.
Dean Ambrose came off great last night, especially when he was out there being serious, showing passion & intensity, touting how tough he is & what the title means to him. That, plus just hitting everyone in sight with Dirty Deeds last night gave me more of a Stone Cold vibe that I haven't gotten from him in a while. I like the more serious, intense guy as it just seems more in tune with Ambrose as this scrappy kid from the streets. I'm a little surprised they're going with the Shield triple threat so soon as it does seem like something that would have more of a SummerSlam feel. Still, as long as it works, I'm okay with it.
While I'm not overly thrilled with Rusev vs. Titus, they had a much better bout at MITB than I think most were expecting. I liked the fire from Titus last night as the notion of Rusev disrespecting Titus in front of his kids at MITB has an organic feel to it that potentially anyone can buy into.
While this wasn't part of what has me excited right now, how great did Big Johnny look in that suit last night?
I laughed my ass off when I saw him come out in that bright red get up and his spray tanned face.
AegonTargaryen
Championship Contender
It was actually nice to see Bray return, quite a breath of fresh air, as I'd been totally bored and sick to death in the last many weeks of- the New day
and Enzo&Cass and their stupid jokes and same old lines week in and week out. I seriously thought "it was so much better when Wyatt family walked to the ring every week, at least Bray Wyatt didn't utter the same damn thing week after week" during their entrance.
The segment was enjoyable. LOL@ "trance". Xavier Woods was transfixed by Bray Wyatt, one would assume? This feud is going to be "interesting" is all I can say. And for the first time in a long time, I actually enjoyed what Bray Wyatt had to say, as cryptic as it was.
Probably both of them will be on different shows following the July 19th draft lottery episode. And it's good. This is when they will face each other for the last one or two times in the final match of their feud. I can sense that with two different shows, two guys can actually have a feud for 5 years on-and-off again, and this is what KO and Zayn would do- similar to Edge and Cena did between 2005-2010.
This has totally driven my interest in this program away. I have been reluctant throughout this program to be interested- because I ALREADY KNOW IT'S THE SAME DAMN SHIT that has been happening in John Cena's programs for years. However, I was intrigued by John Cena's expression from Raw when he stood onto the ring steps before his match with Karl Anderson began, for quite some time. I can't quite pin it down- was it "doubt" ? Either ways, as my repugnance for John Cena has been long-standing, but paradoxically enough, I somewhat enjoyed last night's segment.
I think we're going to have to agree to disagree when it comes to Dean Ambrose, now and forever. His entrance and whatever else followed for the next 5 minutes- was torturously boring. He was incoherent, rambled on, and the audience was literally alternating between enthusiasm and tedium. I seriously felt like time was passing too slowly. ONLY Reigns' arrival and Seth Rollins' arrival saved that segment. I also didn't enjoy Dean's commentary, as he sometimes tends to just ramble and babble things. However, the last 5 minutes of Raw with him executing his finisher on both Reigns and Rollins was good. I've been trying(literally) to see anything in Dean Ambrose, get invested in him, as most of the IWC and the audience seem to find the guy so interesting. Let's see what happens.
I like Titus O'Neil but doubt he'll be US champion any time soon, even though I wish it. He was intense last night, but it felt somewhat contrived and mechanical- and not nearly as good as what we would see or have seen from someone like Booker T back in 2003. He's still improving though.
While this wasn't part of what has me excited right now, how great did Big Johnny look in that suit last night?
It was hilarious, the entire segment. John Laurinaitis' presence and voice on Raw has always left me into a fit of laughter. I actually did wish he comes back full time- as a manager of whatever- Raw or Smackdown. At least for a year.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
This Monday's episode of Raw will probably be among the lowest drawing in the show's history, as was the last episode of Raw to air on the 4th of July, but it doesn't sound like it's going to be a throwaway show.
Rusev is set to defend the United States Championship against Titus O'Neil, though I'd personally prefer to see another bout between Rusev & Cesaro as they had a great outing on SmackDown.
There's scheduled to be another champion vs. champion bout between Dean Ambrose and The Miz. They also had a strong bout on SmackDown, though I wouldn't mind seeing Miz pick up the win here to sort of even things up as Rollins helping Miz of all people to score a win over Dean Ambrose might draw some heat.
There's also going to be a 16 man elimination tag team match on the show with the whole Team USA vs. Team International deal. They could wind up going with American wrestlers vs. foreign wrestlers or have Team USA contain wrestlers who're from other countries, yet who've made it to WWE and are living the "American Dream." This match will probably eat up a lot of time and will almost certainly result in Team USA winning due to Team International, being comprised of heel wrestlers, probably turning on each other. Team International will probably be made up of Sheamus, Rusev, Alberto Del Rio, Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho as the legit foreigners with the Club being included to sort of represent Japan given that their time in Japan has been so consistently hyped since coming to WWE.
Rusev is set to defend the United States Championship against Titus O'Neil, though I'd personally prefer to see another bout between Rusev & Cesaro as they had a great outing on SmackDown.
There's scheduled to be another champion vs. champion bout between Dean Ambrose and The Miz. They also had a strong bout on SmackDown, though I wouldn't mind seeing Miz pick up the win here to sort of even things up as Rollins helping Miz of all people to score a win over Dean Ambrose might draw some heat.
There's also going to be a 16 man elimination tag team match on the show with the whole Team USA vs. Team International deal. They could wind up going with American wrestlers vs. foreign wrestlers or have Team USA contain wrestlers who're from other countries, yet who've made it to WWE and are living the "American Dream." This match will probably eat up a lot of time and will almost certainly result in Team USA winning due to Team International, being comprised of heel wrestlers, probably turning on each other. Team International will probably be made up of Sheamus, Rusev, Alberto Del Rio, Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho as the legit foreigners with the Club being included to sort of represent Japan given that their time in Japan has been so consistently hyped since coming to WWE.
They will likely have the World Team self destruct thus giving Team USA the victory. I expect to see Zayn/Owens having issues during the match. You could toss Jericho into that plus the additional developments between individuals like Cesaro, Sheamus and Del Rio.
Would be cool to see....
Team World: Owens - Zayn - Jericho - Cesaro - Del Rio - Kingston - Sheamus - Neville (return)
Team USA: Cena - Styles - Big E - Enzo - Cass - Crews - Corbin - Todo Americano
Would be cool to see....
Team World: Owens - Zayn - Jericho - Cesaro - Del Rio - Kingston - Sheamus - Neville (return)
Team USA: Cena - Styles - Big E - Enzo - Cass - Crews - Corbin - Todo Americano
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
Last night's show could be viewed as a throwaway, but I didn't think it was a bad show overall. Aside from some idiocy regarding the booking of the main event and a few instances of holiday campiness, I found myself entertained by much of last night's show.
Rusev vs. Titus was a good match that had the live crowd invested. I dig that they kept the match serious even with Titus in the Uncle Sam garb in honor of the holiday. Given two decisive wins for Rusev, it's time to move him on.
Ambrose vs. Miz and Rollins vs. Ziggler were both good matches. While the crowd, and everyone else, knew that the outcome before the bell rang, they still appreciated the effort and that can only help a holiday show.
The promo segment with Charlotte and Sasha was well done and it didn't feel at all like it was scripted. It felt too organic to me and didn't come off catty like most female segments. Charlotte is coming into her own as a heel and is showing that there's more to her character than just Flair's daughter. This was one of the more significant times we've heard from Sasha on the mic and she put herself over really well.
The segment with Cena & the Club was also well done, at least I thought so, and I like that Styles touched, somewhat, on Cena being management's favorite and how that's been a detriment to the career of other guys. Internet fans eat that stuff up,after all. The beating and save by Enzo & Big Cass worked and I just hope this doesn't cost them some cool points as they're aligning with Cena to face the Club at Battleground in a six man tag match.
The 16 man elimination tag team main event had its moments, but there was a little too much camp and pandering to really be invested in it. Probably the most idiotic moment of the whole thing, even Michael Cole all but came out and said so, was Kane being disqualified for hitting Kevin Owens with a steel chair even though Owens himself had already gotten disqualified for hitting Sami Zayn with a steel chair. Big Show & Zack Ryder were the last two guys for Team USA and they wound up winning the match and overcoming a 4 or 5 against 2 deficit with Ryder's elimination of Cesaro leaving an especially bad taste in my mouth. So yeah, the 400 pound 7 footer that 75% of the audience wants to see retire and the penultimate mid-card jobber who's tossed a bone once in a blue moon scored the win for Team US.
Missing last night's show, which I'm sure many will and that it'll be one of the lowest drawing Raw's in history, didn't result in people missing anything major. It was also campy at times, but not remotely as campy as most holiday shows are.
Rusev vs. Titus was a good match that had the live crowd invested. I dig that they kept the match serious even with Titus in the Uncle Sam garb in honor of the holiday. Given two decisive wins for Rusev, it's time to move him on.
Ambrose vs. Miz and Rollins vs. Ziggler were both good matches. While the crowd, and everyone else, knew that the outcome before the bell rang, they still appreciated the effort and that can only help a holiday show.
The promo segment with Charlotte and Sasha was well done and it didn't feel at all like it was scripted. It felt too organic to me and didn't come off catty like most female segments. Charlotte is coming into her own as a heel and is showing that there's more to her character than just Flair's daughter. This was one of the more significant times we've heard from Sasha on the mic and she put herself over really well.
The segment with Cena & the Club was also well done, at least I thought so, and I like that Styles touched, somewhat, on Cena being management's favorite and how that's been a detriment to the career of other guys. Internet fans eat that stuff up,after all. The beating and save by Enzo & Big Cass worked and I just hope this doesn't cost them some cool points as they're aligning with Cena to face the Club at Battleground in a six man tag match.
The 16 man elimination tag team main event had its moments, but there was a little too much camp and pandering to really be invested in it. Probably the most idiotic moment of the whole thing, even Michael Cole all but came out and said so, was Kane being disqualified for hitting Kevin Owens with a steel chair even though Owens himself had already gotten disqualified for hitting Sami Zayn with a steel chair. Big Show & Zack Ryder were the last two guys for Team USA and they wound up winning the match and overcoming a 4 or 5 against 2 deficit with Ryder's elimination of Cesaro leaving an especially bad taste in my mouth. So yeah, the 400 pound 7 footer that 75% of the audience wants to see retire and the penultimate mid-card jobber who's tossed a bone once in a blue moon scored the win for Team US.
Missing last night's show, which I'm sure many will and that it'll be one of the lowest drawing Raw's in history, didn't result in people missing anything major. It was also campy at times, but not remotely as campy as most holiday shows are.
Fire Marshall Bill
Let me show ya somethin!!!
Last night was the first night I ever saw anything out of Sasha Banks that I really liked. I don't watch NXT, so I obviously didn't have the viewing history most around here have. But her time on the main roster has been largely forgettable.
But last night she showed a fire and swagger that really got my attention. Her match with Charlotte was awesome. A lot of credit goes to both of them. Great storytelling.
But last night she showed a fire and swagger that really got my attention. Her match with Charlotte was awesome. A lot of credit goes to both of them. Great storytelling.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
SmackDown was a solid show tonight, but it was nowhere near on the same level as Raw was last night. I'd have been extremely surprised if it had been, however, because Raw has more time and it has more of the wrestlers that fans are really into or just have a lot of momentum going for them right now like Rollins, Balor, Owens, Zayn, Cesaro, Rusev, New Day, Enzo & Big Cass, Anderson & Gallows, Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Paige.
SmackDown was more about establishing some basics whereas Raw jumped into things with both feet, but Raw is able to do that given that it has an overall stronger roster and has been a live show for many a year. SmackDown will be just fine once it gets everything lined up, a few more talents make their debut and when we're clearer on what the championship situation for both brands is ultimately going to be.
SmackDown was more about establishing some basics whereas Raw jumped into things with both feet, but Raw is able to do that given that it has an overall stronger roster and has been a live show for many a year. SmackDown will be just fine once it gets everything lined up, a few more talents make their debut and when we're clearer on what the championship situation for both brands is ultimately going to be.
Hard Hit Prince
Not really working as a
SmackDown Live! (8th September, 2016)
Last night's show was nothing to rave about, but it did gave time to develop the undercard and I am quite happy about that. Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin & Kane seem to be out of the Backlash PPV and I think that's a huge miss, but someone's got to play the secondary role to develop other matches I guess.
The matches didn't have the proper time for anything good, which compared to last week's was a big letdown. The segments were also incredibly lazy, specially with the Wyatt/Orton rivalry and the ending of the show. My "traditional wrestling fan" side loved that the climax of the World Title feud was just a low blow, but we've been programmed to pop for a finisher and a beatdown more so than a single blow. Change that in us please. Selling is such a big storytelling driving force. (Yes, I am saying give us the perceived bad climaxes more. It will make a run-in more special.)
The big thing coming out of last week was The Usos heel turn. Just think about all the potential they have to establish them as big villains. They are the guys that injured Chad Gable and put American Alpha on the shelf. They have an opportunity to beatdown the HypeBros and deny Heath Slater's contract. How can you despise them more in this tag division? You can't. Also, this will only put people behind American Alpha as the guys that want revenge for what they did. This could very well be the best tag team story since Rhodes Brothers vs. The Shield.
Believe me, this is my best effort to give them a thumbs up for last night's show. I was really mad about the whole Ziggler and The Miz's shtick. They had a fantastic promo last week. Even I wanted Miz to get in and start to brawl with Ziggler, I boo'ed when he didn't and it worked perfectly. This week, Miz has a nothing match with Crews, ends up shoving Ziggler and losing the intensity he's been giving as simply being the "coward" he was insulted for. That promo wasn't a lie, it was genuine passion and it should be perceived as that. He should've accepted Ziggler's challenge this week and brawled until someone came to break them apart. It would put Miz in a babyface limbo for sure, but at least the match would've seemed a lot bigger and he could still be an heel after the bout if done right.
Now let's go to the worst of the worst. The women's division. They all suck. They're all fake. There's no genuine character in there and so I don't care about them. Bryan brought the fact that people's reaction to them is now bigger than it was a month ago, but the fact of the matter is that they still have very basic characters and all really fake. Natalya being some sort of whining bitch actually seems genuine but that means I hate the fact that she's on my TV. She's probably working me, but for someone who has been proclaimed the best women wrestler for years now, I don't remember ever watching an amazing performance out of her in the main roster. Hope she wins the title as the babyfaces need a big villain to help them.
Last night's show was nothing to rave about, but it did gave time to develop the undercard and I am quite happy about that. Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin & Kane seem to be out of the Backlash PPV and I think that's a huge miss, but someone's got to play the secondary role to develop other matches I guess.
The matches didn't have the proper time for anything good, which compared to last week's was a big letdown. The segments were also incredibly lazy, specially with the Wyatt/Orton rivalry and the ending of the show. My "traditional wrestling fan" side loved that the climax of the World Title feud was just a low blow, but we've been programmed to pop for a finisher and a beatdown more so than a single blow. Change that in us please. Selling is such a big storytelling driving force. (Yes, I am saying give us the perceived bad climaxes more. It will make a run-in more special.)
The big thing coming out of last week was The Usos heel turn. Just think about all the potential they have to establish them as big villains. They are the guys that injured Chad Gable and put American Alpha on the shelf. They have an opportunity to beatdown the HypeBros and deny Heath Slater's contract. How can you despise them more in this tag division? You can't. Also, this will only put people behind American Alpha as the guys that want revenge for what they did. This could very well be the best tag team story since Rhodes Brothers vs. The Shield.
Believe me, this is my best effort to give them a thumbs up for last night's show. I was really mad about the whole Ziggler and The Miz's shtick. They had a fantastic promo last week. Even I wanted Miz to get in and start to brawl with Ziggler, I boo'ed when he didn't and it worked perfectly. This week, Miz has a nothing match with Crews, ends up shoving Ziggler and losing the intensity he's been giving as simply being the "coward" he was insulted for. That promo wasn't a lie, it was genuine passion and it should be perceived as that. He should've accepted Ziggler's challenge this week and brawled until someone came to break them apart. It would put Miz in a babyface limbo for sure, but at least the match would've seemed a lot bigger and he could still be an heel after the bout if done right.
Now let's go to the worst of the worst. The women's division. They all suck. They're all fake. There's no genuine character in there and so I don't care about them. Bryan brought the fact that people's reaction to them is now bigger than it was a month ago, but the fact of the matter is that they still have very basic characters and all really fake. Natalya being some sort of whining bitch actually seems genuine but that means I hate the fact that she's on my TV. She's probably working me, but for someone who has been proclaimed the best women wrestler for years now, I don't remember ever watching an amazing performance out of her in the main roster. Hope she wins the title as the babyfaces need a big villain to help them.
Hard Hit Prince
Not really working as a
Monday Night Raw (September 20th, 2016) - Clash of Champions Go-Home Show.
Another week and another bad show for Raw. It's abysmal the difference between Raw and SmackDown and when we look at it, SmackDown should be the one failing since they don't have a midcard division. Yet, it's Raw who's been the worst wrestling show on television.
Stephanie needs to go. Shane feels fresh and new, while Stephanie has dominated the whole scene since 2012. We've seen her act countless times, we are done with it. We've been tired of it since Daniel Bryan won the championship and we simply don't need to see her on television anymore. Mick Foley also needs to be set loose on the mic. He needs to give a small team the chance to get over just like he did with Edge & Christian. I'm tired of this motivational speaker Foley. I want the one who is creative and just wants to have fun.
Cesaro vs. Sheamus, the lack of direction for any of the superstars in the "squash" build and the midcard as a whole really drags the show. Three hours is tiresome, we all know that, but if you properly build the show, it will still be good television.
I needed a stipulation for Cesaro vs. Sheamus. I needed a segment with any of them and the Universal Champion to at least set up the match down the road. I needed to see them trade promos as well and not have the exact same match every week. They are great wrestlers, but the booking here was so lazy that I know for a fact that every single one of you could have done it better with less time.
The tag team division is a joke. Seriously, nobody cares for it anymore. Anderson & Gallows are the biggest flop in the New Japan/WWE transition. They had something to do while AJ Styles was with them, but after that, they were so poorly booked that I feel ashamed for them anytime they have to talk. This was a legit best team of the year contender since they got together and yet WWE failed miserably in understanding what made them work. At this point, I guess we are just waiting here for The Revival to come up and for Enzo & Cass vs. New Day feud. Whatever happened to R-Truth & Goldust?
Chris Jericho is the midcard MVP and I shit you not, I would rather have him with the belt than Kevin Owens. I know, it doesn't make sense because Owens is the young lion and what not, but Jericho is one of the most entertaining aspects of WWE currently. He's funny, he's intriguing and on top of that he's a good wrestler. His match against Sami Zayn could've been a co-main event, but they didn't give them the proper time to build that.
The Divas is easily the best part of the show, wrestling wise. Simple booking. A great heel champion. Two great contenders and a wildcard that's been impressing people lately with her own mini arc of "abusive" relationship with Charlotte. I fully expect Nia Jax to be involved in this in two to three months after she squashes Fox and probably Paige.
Roman Reigns vs. Rusev is uninteresting. Nobody cares about them. Turn Reigns heel after this is all set and done and maybe we'll be talking. Wouldn't mind a Reigns vs. Cesaro feud for the US Championship down the line. Reuniting The Shield probably at The Rumble is the big thing, I guess, so Ambrose and Reigns will suffer in the uninteresting babyface role for quite some more time, even though both of them have all the logical reasons to turn.
On SmackDown you probably have a three minute segment that sucks in two hours. On Raw, you most likely have a three minute segment that's cool on three hours.
Just to finish this up... The Cruiserweights. What a weak debut. First there is no championship and no champion and instead we have a fatal 4 way #1 contenders match with a bunch of nobodies that didn't even had the time on the mic to introduce themselves. Alexander seemed to be the best worker, while Swann was the most fun, but all in all, Kendrick ended up being the best decision because he can afford to lose at Sunday's PPV. It will be an exhibition match for Perkins, but well, there are worse ways to debut. I just get scared that 15 minutes is all they are willing to give to the division and therefore nobody will develop any kind of personality in the next month or so. It will be a tough challenge for Raw to come right up, because like I said, it is the worse wrestling show on the planet. Yes, I am counting SmackDown, NXT, Impact, ROH and Lucha.
Another week and another bad show for Raw. It's abysmal the difference between Raw and SmackDown and when we look at it, SmackDown should be the one failing since they don't have a midcard division. Yet, it's Raw who's been the worst wrestling show on television.
Stephanie needs to go. Shane feels fresh and new, while Stephanie has dominated the whole scene since 2012. We've seen her act countless times, we are done with it. We've been tired of it since Daniel Bryan won the championship and we simply don't need to see her on television anymore. Mick Foley also needs to be set loose on the mic. He needs to give a small team the chance to get over just like he did with Edge & Christian. I'm tired of this motivational speaker Foley. I want the one who is creative and just wants to have fun.
Cesaro vs. Sheamus, the lack of direction for any of the superstars in the "squash" build and the midcard as a whole really drags the show. Three hours is tiresome, we all know that, but if you properly build the show, it will still be good television.
I needed a stipulation for Cesaro vs. Sheamus. I needed a segment with any of them and the Universal Champion to at least set up the match down the road. I needed to see them trade promos as well and not have the exact same match every week. They are great wrestlers, but the booking here was so lazy that I know for a fact that every single one of you could have done it better with less time.
The tag team division is a joke. Seriously, nobody cares for it anymore. Anderson & Gallows are the biggest flop in the New Japan/WWE transition. They had something to do while AJ Styles was with them, but after that, they were so poorly booked that I feel ashamed for them anytime they have to talk. This was a legit best team of the year contender since they got together and yet WWE failed miserably in understanding what made them work. At this point, I guess we are just waiting here for The Revival to come up and for Enzo & Cass vs. New Day feud. Whatever happened to R-Truth & Goldust?
Chris Jericho is the midcard MVP and I shit you not, I would rather have him with the belt than Kevin Owens. I know, it doesn't make sense because Owens is the young lion and what not, but Jericho is one of the most entertaining aspects of WWE currently. He's funny, he's intriguing and on top of that he's a good wrestler. His match against Sami Zayn could've been a co-main event, but they didn't give them the proper time to build that.
The Divas is easily the best part of the show, wrestling wise. Simple booking. A great heel champion. Two great contenders and a wildcard that's been impressing people lately with her own mini arc of "abusive" relationship with Charlotte. I fully expect Nia Jax to be involved in this in two to three months after she squashes Fox and probably Paige.
Roman Reigns vs. Rusev is uninteresting. Nobody cares about them. Turn Reigns heel after this is all set and done and maybe we'll be talking. Wouldn't mind a Reigns vs. Cesaro feud for the US Championship down the line. Reuniting The Shield probably at The Rumble is the big thing, I guess, so Ambrose and Reigns will suffer in the uninteresting babyface role for quite some more time, even though both of them have all the logical reasons to turn.
On SmackDown you probably have a three minute segment that sucks in two hours. On Raw, you most likely have a three minute segment that's cool on three hours.
Just to finish this up... The Cruiserweights. What a weak debut. First there is no championship and no champion and instead we have a fatal 4 way #1 contenders match with a bunch of nobodies that didn't even had the time on the mic to introduce themselves. Alexander seemed to be the best worker, while Swann was the most fun, but all in all, Kendrick ended up being the best decision because he can afford to lose at Sunday's PPV. It will be an exhibition match for Perkins, but well, there are worse ways to debut. I just get scared that 15 minutes is all they are willing to give to the division and therefore nobody will develop any kind of personality in the next month or so. It will be a tough challenge for Raw to come right up, because like I said, it is the worse wrestling show on the planet. Yes, I am counting SmackDown, NXT, Impact, ROH and Lucha.
Raw this week wasn't as bad as last week, the opening segment worked and gave us a great opening match and a great main event. The cover up for sasha bank's mistake was well done. The rest of the show was just there and I felt like they could have done more to make the cruiserweight division feel special. At less have the champion be at ringside to see who will be the no.1 contender for the title.
I felt like they thought that everybody that watch raw watch the cruiserweight classic and they didn't need to make them feel special. They're match just felt like a throwaway match and that's not what you want to give as a first impression to fans that might not really know those guys. It felt like you had a really competitive match between 3 jobbers and brian kendrick.
Finally, I'm still wondering why bo dallas is getting a push all of a sudden, especially since the china show is over.
I felt like they thought that everybody that watch raw watch the cruiserweight classic and they didn't need to make them feel special. They're match just felt like a throwaway match and that's not what you want to give as a first impression to fans that might not really know those guys. It felt like you had a really competitive match between 3 jobbers and brian kendrick.
Finally, I'm still wondering why bo dallas is getting a push all of a sudden, especially since the china show is over.
Raw Hits:
Seth Rollins vs. Rusev: A strong opening match that protected both men heading into the PPV. Rollins size and offensive arsenal make him a natural face, and those skills were on full display here. WWE hasn't really committed to Rollins as a face as of yet, as he's missing that strong promo cements a turn. But he was over big time with the crowd last night and really carried the middle of the match with classic babyface offense. The ending makes sense as it keeps both men looking strong headed into Clash of The Champions. ***
Sheamus vs Cesaro:Hampering this match more than anything was the obvious outcome, but this was a solid match that benefited from having time. It's nothing that we haven't seen before from these before, but Cesaro showed good babyface fire in breaking the Cloverleaf, and the ending sequence was well-done for the most part(minus the somewhat botched Neutralizer). I never want to see these two fight again, but this was a solid match. **1/2.
The List of Jericho:Chris Jericho may truly be doing the best heel work of his career, and that was on full display here. both in his backstage segment with Mick Foley and when he was out in front of the live audience. He's so smarmy and arrogant and believable. I got a good chuckle out of Foley calling Jericho a stupid idiot, only for Jericho to respond with "Steals catchphrases. Add it to the list." His match with Sami Zayn on Sunday has the potential to be a show-stealer, and I fully expect Jericho to put Zayn over. The ten man tag that resulted from this was a disappointment, as I was hoping for Zayn to confront Jericho one-on-one. But it was an entertaining segment overall and Jericho is on fire as a heel right now.
Rich Swann vs. Gran Metalik vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Brian Kendrick:
My biggest fear regarding the cruiserweights was that we'ld hear Braun Strowman or Big Show's music during this match. Imagine my relief that Strowman squashed Sin Cara prior to this. This was an entertaining spotfest that benefited greatly from having 15 minutes. It was disapointing that the champion-TJ Perkins-wasn't on the show, but this was an entertaining re-introduction of the cruiserweight division. **3/4.
Raw Misses:
Overall Show: While the show did a decent job at times in being a go-home show for Clash of The Champions, it was plagued by some of the same issues that have been troubling the show recently. The lack of star power makes Raw unbearably long at over 3 hours, as sitting through the same Braun Strowman or Bo Dallas squash and the Shining Stars offering time shares week after week is channel changing stuff. Stephanie McMahon gets far too much TV time discussing a non-existent power struggle with Shane, and two authority figures makes for a disorganized show. Mick Foley has power but Stephanie can override him at any time, so what's the point. I like that Foley's shown a spine in sticking up to Stephanie, but I fear the day is coming where she emasculates him as well. This wasn't a terrible show, but it wasn't a good one either. C.
Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns:Steel cage matches aren't supposed to be boring, but this one was. There was no need for the cage here, and really no need for this match to exist. Be it by interference or not, Owens pinned Reigns in the middle of the ring, end of story. Even though he wasn't pinned this week, it's a booking mistake to have your top champion lose a match such as this six days before a title defense. I get wanting to keep Reigns strong headed into the PPV, so why not have Rusev cost him the match again? Instead, Reigns gets the big win and Owens looks like a chump. **1/4.
Charlotte and Dana Brooks vs. Sasha Banks and Bayley:The miss isn't for match quality but rather for booking decision. Bayley was brought to Raw and treated like a star both by the fans and by Mick Foley, only to lose on back-to-back weeks. It's as though WWE doesn't want her to get over the way she was in NXT, and losses like this make her seem like a secondary character to top dogs Charlotte and Sasha Banks. **
Brawn Strowman and Bo Dallas squashes:One can only watch the same squash matches week after week before eventually tuning out what they're seeing. It's sheer laziness to take this approach by whomever is booking this, as though that can't be bothered creating stories for these characters. If the ones booking these matches don't care, why should I?
Smackdown Hits:
John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose: A very good main event with a surprise ending. I was waiting on Styles to run in and interfere so that this match would wind up a no contest. Ambrose going over makes perfect sense with him getting his one on one rematch next week, and gets a huge boost going into it with a rare clean victory over John Cena. Cena continues his streak of very good singles matches, and although this was short, it had a big match feel from start to finish. Cena loses nothing from the loss and Ambrose gets some much needed momentum. Well done. ***
The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler: In terms of match quality this was the match of the night. It was longer then the Ambrose/Cena match and the nearfalls down the stretch had me buying into the notion that Dolph Ziggler would win the title. Thankfully, he didn't, and a different story can be told of him coming up just short over and over and losing it as a result. The match told that story with him getting some of the closest 2 counts I've seen in some time, especially off the Zig Zag. The spray in the eyes was a cheap finish as it's the same one they used at Backlash, but it fits with Miz' character and should further tell Ziggler's story. ***1/2
The Usos vs. American Alpha: A strong showing from Jordan and Gable and a nice furthering of this feud and the evolution of the Usos as heels. There will be time for Alpha to chase the Usos later after they(presumably) win the titles from Slater and Rhyno, and this match furthered the issue between the two teams. Nice follow-up as well with the Usos threatening Slater and Rhyno, only to back down the way heels should when Rhyno stepped forward. **1/2.
Becky Lynch/Alexa Bliss Contract Signing: A strong opening segment and a nice spot for the women to be in. Bliss was tremendous here on the mic and Becky was her normal strong self. Bliss should be nothing more at this time then the first opponent for Becky to overcome in her title reign, but performances like these will keep her relevant for a long time. I like that Bryan introduced the segment and then got out of the way, allowing the women this spot to showcase their talent. Becky was the right choice as first champion, and she continues to show strong babyface fire.
Overall Show: I look forward to Smackdown on a weekly basis much more than i do Raw, and this show typifies why. The time Smackdown is on feels like it flies by, while Raw just creeps along and drags. It doesn't help that Raw is three hours while Smackdown is only two, but SD is also making much better use of its talent. From the opening with the women to the main event with Cena/Ambrose, this show flowed seemlessly with very few problems. Issues were built between champions and challengers, and ongoing feuds were furthered. This show has me looking forward to next week's, which is a huge compliment to the booking of it. A-
Smackdown Misses:
Randy Orton vs. Eric Rowan:This was basically a squash with Wyatt cutting the same inane poem following Orton's dominant win. Fans are begging to cheer Wyatt and he's badly miscast here in this feud. The in-ring match when these two finally face off should be fine, but Wyatt's promos are really losing me here. Orton's concussion delaying the first match between the two has really hurt this feud.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
I thought WWE continued its hot streak with Raw last night overall. In the first 8 weeks of 2017, Raw has been a much more consistently booked and logical show than we saw for much of 2016. I didn't have many complaints last night, though a few things did stand out negatively.
For the 2nd week in a row, Roman Reigns made the Raw Tag Team Champions look like a couple of chumps. It's not remotely as bad as we'd have seen a handful of years back with John Cena where Cena would've not only kicked both champions' asses but scored a decisive pinfall victory over them, but it's still poor use of your tag champions. There are ways to make Reigns look like a badass without subjecting the tag champs to looking outclassed.
The various New Day segments are really getting ridiculous, though it's easy to see why WWE keeps them going as they garner enthusiastic responses from crowds each week. They seem as though they're having New Day spin their wheels dealing with the likes of Titus O'Neal, Bo Dallas and the uninspired pairing of Rusev and Jinder Mahal last night. The "formula" that Lana "hacked" into regarding New Day's ice cream venture was just plain stupid. New Day is still highly popular, so WWE looks to be keeping them together because of that popularity though it seems like WWE isn't at all sure what to do with them in the long run.
I felt the rest of the show was quite solid overall. I thought the Cruiserweight segments were well done and I'm glad that they used a little time to build Tozawa vs. Kendrick to save it for another time. The contract signing with Neville and Jack Gallagher came off well I thought, the characters Neville and Gallagher are portraying are so opposite that they play well off each other.
Kevin Owens is once again the cold, calculating, thinking man's sociopath that he was in NXT and for much of his time in WWE. I enjoyed his time with Jericho as a whole, the fact that Owens showed he could be so versatile probably cemented his status as one of the company's go to guys for years to come, though I'm also glad to see him get back to the more dangerous side of himself. While I still think Goldberg walks out of Fastlane as champ, I hope I'm wrong, the match no longer seems so dismal as it once did. Owens keeping us waiting as to his explanation of why he did what he did to Jericho was a nice touch as well and it was genuinely what I was hoping would happen.
Samoa Joe continues to do great work as Triple H's destroyer. I expect Zayn vs Joe to be added to the Fastlane card next week as Joe delivered another vicious assault on Zayn before his match with Kevin Owens could begin last night. Joe's verbal taunting of Zayn, the way he delivered it coupled with the assault, further establish Joe as a badass. Zayn gallantly telling the ref that he didn't want the match cancelled fits with his character and Owens taking advantage of his weakened state is another reminder of the return of the cold hearted Owens.
Some good stuff overall from the ladies last night. Nia Jax continues to look dominant and I thought the segment featuring Stephanie, Bayley and Sasha Banks was entertaining. For a bit, I thought that Bayley might actually surrender the title and I've seen some writers complain that she didn't as it would've really fit with her ultimate babyface character. At the same time, however, I can't help but recall various times I've read those same writers criticize babyfaces for being portrayed as idiotic and I personally feel that's how Bayley would've looked if she'd given up the title last night. Bayley's character is true babyface through and through, but there's a difference between someone that's pure of heart and someone who's just being foolish.
Sasha speaking up on Bayley's behalf didn't really seem necessary, but I think it'll be one of those moments that really fits when we look back at last night later on down the line whenever Sasha eventually turns on Bayley. Her match with Charlotte was solid, though I think WWE has diluted the meaning of scoring a win over Charlotte on TV by having her lose way to often on TV.
The sit down interview with Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar was really well done. Lesnar just staring into the camera, after running off Michael Cole, with Heyman flapping his gums was a fun way of setting this up. They mentioned Kevin Owens a lot last night, as much or even more than Goldberg, and I'm wondering if Lesnar makes his presence known at Fastlane.
Big Show vs. Braun Strowman last night was a very good super heavyweight bout, much better than I was expecting. Big Show was billed at 383 lbs. last night and that's easily the lightest he's been since he first started wrestling in the mid 90s. The fans were into this bout the moment it started, it even got some decent "this is awesome" chants a few times, and Strowman impressed me here. I actually muttered "holy shit" aloud when Strowman did a kip up as part of getting out of Show's armbar, I'd never seen someone as big as Strowman do a kip up, let alone do one that looked practically effortless. Strowman took Show's chokeslam and the KO punch and managed to kick out, which served to make Strowman look impressive. They had one clumsy spot where it looked like Strowman was meant to catch Big Show over his shoulder during the Vader Bomb attempt, but Strowman was a little too slow. Back in the old days, a veteran wouldn't help out a rookie perform certain maneuvers as a little means of punishing the rookie if a mistake was made and while I don't know if that was the case last night, it's just something that I thought might be possible. After the botched Vader Bomb spot, Strowman eventually managed to pick Show up over his shoulder for the running powerslam but it looked like Show wasn't helping at all, it looked as though Show was forcing Strowman to lift all of his dead weight in order to deliver the move, which Strowman did. At any rate, Strowman picked Show up once more, this time far easier, and delivered a more impactful slam to pick up the clean win. Given that Show is supposed to face Shaq at WrestleMania, I was surprised that he lost clean and that I expected some kind of shenanigans. Roman Reigns music hit right after the match was over and Strowman eventually left him laying yet again, which is exactly what should've happened. Reigns will almost certainly find a way to win at Fastlane, so Strowman looking all but unstoppable in the weeks leading up to the match can make Reigns' victory seem more monumental.
For the 2nd week in a row, Roman Reigns made the Raw Tag Team Champions look like a couple of chumps. It's not remotely as bad as we'd have seen a handful of years back with John Cena where Cena would've not only kicked both champions' asses but scored a decisive pinfall victory over them, but it's still poor use of your tag champions. There are ways to make Reigns look like a badass without subjecting the tag champs to looking outclassed.
The various New Day segments are really getting ridiculous, though it's easy to see why WWE keeps them going as they garner enthusiastic responses from crowds each week. They seem as though they're having New Day spin their wheels dealing with the likes of Titus O'Neal, Bo Dallas and the uninspired pairing of Rusev and Jinder Mahal last night. The "formula" that Lana "hacked" into regarding New Day's ice cream venture was just plain stupid. New Day is still highly popular, so WWE looks to be keeping them together because of that popularity though it seems like WWE isn't at all sure what to do with them in the long run.
I felt the rest of the show was quite solid overall. I thought the Cruiserweight segments were well done and I'm glad that they used a little time to build Tozawa vs. Kendrick to save it for another time. The contract signing with Neville and Jack Gallagher came off well I thought, the characters Neville and Gallagher are portraying are so opposite that they play well off each other.
Kevin Owens is once again the cold, calculating, thinking man's sociopath that he was in NXT and for much of his time in WWE. I enjoyed his time with Jericho as a whole, the fact that Owens showed he could be so versatile probably cemented his status as one of the company's go to guys for years to come, though I'm also glad to see him get back to the more dangerous side of himself. While I still think Goldberg walks out of Fastlane as champ, I hope I'm wrong, the match no longer seems so dismal as it once did. Owens keeping us waiting as to his explanation of why he did what he did to Jericho was a nice touch as well and it was genuinely what I was hoping would happen.
Samoa Joe continues to do great work as Triple H's destroyer. I expect Zayn vs Joe to be added to the Fastlane card next week as Joe delivered another vicious assault on Zayn before his match with Kevin Owens could begin last night. Joe's verbal taunting of Zayn, the way he delivered it coupled with the assault, further establish Joe as a badass. Zayn gallantly telling the ref that he didn't want the match cancelled fits with his character and Owens taking advantage of his weakened state is another reminder of the return of the cold hearted Owens.
Some good stuff overall from the ladies last night. Nia Jax continues to look dominant and I thought the segment featuring Stephanie, Bayley and Sasha Banks was entertaining. For a bit, I thought that Bayley might actually surrender the title and I've seen some writers complain that she didn't as it would've really fit with her ultimate babyface character. At the same time, however, I can't help but recall various times I've read those same writers criticize babyfaces for being portrayed as idiotic and I personally feel that's how Bayley would've looked if she'd given up the title last night. Bayley's character is true babyface through and through, but there's a difference between someone that's pure of heart and someone who's just being foolish.
Sasha speaking up on Bayley's behalf didn't really seem necessary, but I think it'll be one of those moments that really fits when we look back at last night later on down the line whenever Sasha eventually turns on Bayley. Her match with Charlotte was solid, though I think WWE has diluted the meaning of scoring a win over Charlotte on TV by having her lose way to often on TV.
The sit down interview with Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar was really well done. Lesnar just staring into the camera, after running off Michael Cole, with Heyman flapping his gums was a fun way of setting this up. They mentioned Kevin Owens a lot last night, as much or even more than Goldberg, and I'm wondering if Lesnar makes his presence known at Fastlane.
Big Show vs. Braun Strowman last night was a very good super heavyweight bout, much better than I was expecting. Big Show was billed at 383 lbs. last night and that's easily the lightest he's been since he first started wrestling in the mid 90s. The fans were into this bout the moment it started, it even got some decent "this is awesome" chants a few times, and Strowman impressed me here. I actually muttered "holy shit" aloud when Strowman did a kip up as part of getting out of Show's armbar, I'd never seen someone as big as Strowman do a kip up, let alone do one that looked practically effortless. Strowman took Show's chokeslam and the KO punch and managed to kick out, which served to make Strowman look impressive. They had one clumsy spot where it looked like Strowman was meant to catch Big Show over his shoulder during the Vader Bomb attempt, but Strowman was a little too slow. Back in the old days, a veteran wouldn't help out a rookie perform certain maneuvers as a little means of punishing the rookie if a mistake was made and while I don't know if that was the case last night, it's just something that I thought might be possible. After the botched Vader Bomb spot, Strowman eventually managed to pick Show up over his shoulder for the running powerslam but it looked like Show wasn't helping at all, it looked as though Show was forcing Strowman to lift all of his dead weight in order to deliver the move, which Strowman did. At any rate, Strowman picked Show up once more, this time far easier, and delivered a more impactful slam to pick up the clean win. Given that Show is supposed to face Shaq at WrestleMania, I was surprised that he lost clean and that I expected some kind of shenanigans. Roman Reigns music hit right after the match was over and Strowman eventually left him laying yet again, which is exactly what should've happened. Reigns will almost certainly find a way to win at Fastlane, so Strowman looking all but unstoppable in the weeks leading up to the match can make Reigns' victory seem more monumental.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
I thought SmackDown Live delivered another entertaining show that had a few surprises.
Naomi giving up the Women's Championship due to injury came off really well. She seemed genuinely emotional and really sold how much the title means to her. The fans were really supportive of her and I like how awkward Daniel Bryan looked out there given that he's been in the exact same situation before. Even though he only has the role of an authority figure, it was obvious that he genuinely felt for her. Alexa Bliss coming out after Naomi was leaving and doing her thing was great, she's a mean spirited little bitch and she's a lotta fun to dislike.
The match with Becky taking on Alexa for the vacated title was decent, though I was hoping for more. Alexa Bliss is capable of doing a lot more inside the ring and I wish they'd let her, she's a lot of fun as a character and she has the in-ring stuff to match that. I really wasn't sure who'd come out with the win, though I was pleased to see Alexa score the win without interference from Mickie James.
I felt the Usos really delivered a strong, energetic promo tonight and doing it from the crowd was a nice touch. Even though American Alpha are the champs, the Usos are doing the "we're gonna do this when we're ready" card.
The Falls Count Anywhere match between Nikki and Natalya was a fun brawl that ranged all over the place. I think that they could have made it more physical, you know that Sasha & Charlotte would have and already have, but I have a feeling that WWE doesn't want Nikki taking any major bumps if reports of her still having issues with her neck are true. The only part I didn't care for was how utterly fake the "pipe" that Maryse used to attack Nikki looked. Nikki had Natalya in the STF on the ramp with Nattie teasing a tap out when Maryse came out and attacked her. The "pipe" looked like it was made of cardboard and whoever gave that to Maryse backstage should be chewed out. After all, Nikki had to sell Maryse's attack, but the fact that the weapon looked so blatantly fake just made everyone look bad.
I thought the 10 man battle royal was quite entertaining, truth be told, I ultimately enjoyed it more than the Royal Rumble match. There was just a lot more energy out there and room to move around, though I do think WWE takes too many friggin' commercials. I know that bills have gotta be paid, but I also think that the commercial breaks could be scheduled to take place further apart than they do. The ending with Styles & Harper was sort of unfortunate; I'm guessing that the idea was always to have a no contest due to both of them hitting the floor at the same time, but it was obvious, even at the angle we saw on TV, that Styles hit the floor before Luke Harper did. After all, that's why they didn't show any sort of instant replay while all the discussions were going on, so that made it even more obvious that Styles hit the floor first. I kept hoping that they'd restart things with Styles & Harper but they simply didn't have the time to spare. It's possible that USA could've given them another 5 minutes or so but, at the same time, it's possible that they wouldn't. At any rate, I've no real issue with the cliffhanger in and of itself, I like being made to wait a little longer before a challenger for Wyatt is announced; it's just unfortunate that the planned finish was botched but shit happens sometimes.
Naomi giving up the Women's Championship due to injury came off really well. She seemed genuinely emotional and really sold how much the title means to her. The fans were really supportive of her and I like how awkward Daniel Bryan looked out there given that he's been in the exact same situation before. Even though he only has the role of an authority figure, it was obvious that he genuinely felt for her. Alexa Bliss coming out after Naomi was leaving and doing her thing was great, she's a mean spirited little bitch and she's a lotta fun to dislike.
The match with Becky taking on Alexa for the vacated title was decent, though I was hoping for more. Alexa Bliss is capable of doing a lot more inside the ring and I wish they'd let her, she's a lot of fun as a character and she has the in-ring stuff to match that. I really wasn't sure who'd come out with the win, though I was pleased to see Alexa score the win without interference from Mickie James.
I felt the Usos really delivered a strong, energetic promo tonight and doing it from the crowd was a nice touch. Even though American Alpha are the champs, the Usos are doing the "we're gonna do this when we're ready" card.
The Falls Count Anywhere match between Nikki and Natalya was a fun brawl that ranged all over the place. I think that they could have made it more physical, you know that Sasha & Charlotte would have and already have, but I have a feeling that WWE doesn't want Nikki taking any major bumps if reports of her still having issues with her neck are true. The only part I didn't care for was how utterly fake the "pipe" that Maryse used to attack Nikki looked. Nikki had Natalya in the STF on the ramp with Nattie teasing a tap out when Maryse came out and attacked her. The "pipe" looked like it was made of cardboard and whoever gave that to Maryse backstage should be chewed out. After all, Nikki had to sell Maryse's attack, but the fact that the weapon looked so blatantly fake just made everyone look bad.
I thought the 10 man battle royal was quite entertaining, truth be told, I ultimately enjoyed it more than the Royal Rumble match. There was just a lot more energy out there and room to move around, though I do think WWE takes too many friggin' commercials. I know that bills have gotta be paid, but I also think that the commercial breaks could be scheduled to take place further apart than they do. The ending with Styles & Harper was sort of unfortunate; I'm guessing that the idea was always to have a no contest due to both of them hitting the floor at the same time, but it was obvious, even at the angle we saw on TV, that Styles hit the floor before Luke Harper did. After all, that's why they didn't show any sort of instant replay while all the discussions were going on, so that made it even more obvious that Styles hit the floor first. I kept hoping that they'd restart things with Styles & Harper but they simply didn't have the time to spare. It's possible that USA could've given them another 5 minutes or so but, at the same time, it's possible that they wouldn't. At any rate, I've no real issue with the cliffhanger in and of itself, I like being made to wait a little longer before a challenger for Wyatt is announced; it's just unfortunate that the planned finish was botched but shit happens sometimes.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
I thought last night's Raw was a strong one. The lowlight for me was seeing the neverending story of Big Cass & Enzo involved with Gallows & Anderson. Other than that, I thought everything else ranged from solid to epic.
Alexa Bliss is a star, she may not be as great in the ring as some of the others but she's second to none in promos as she has the right amount of sass, nastiness and she knows how to play the crowd like a banjo.
The 8 women tag match that followed was also nicely done and having Alexa not only score the pin but score it on Bayley was the right decision. Bayley is at her best when she's the scrappy, sympathetic underdog and I think they need to keep her in that role for a longer period of time before she has another title reign. Personally, I think they should consider keeping the title off of her until WrestleMania next year in a match with Sasha Banks.
Nice to see Cesaro and Sheamus turning heel, they've had a solid feud with the Hardy Boyz thus far so here's to taking that to another level now that all the sportsmanship is out of the way.
Nice work overall by the Cruiserweight six man bout, though I honestly think fans will get more into them as a whole of Vince lightens up and allows them to incorporate more high flying into the mix because it's obvious that's what a lot of fans want. They don't want to see 160 pound men ground & pound, they want to see them soaring through the air or, at the very least, work at a faster pace ala Rich Swann.
Aries vs. TJP was a good effort, I especially enjoyed Aries emphasis on selling his knee throughout the match. Even when he did Last Chancery, he made a note to not hook in the bridge as deeply as normal and to even prop himself up using his one good leg to take pressure of the "injured" one.
Not really sure where they're going, if anywhere, with Titus and Apollo Crews, but at leas they've got Crews doing a little something via his association rather than just popping up to wrestle seemingly random matches.
Miz, Ambrose, Balor & Rollins all did well on the mic last night and I like the attention brought to the IC title as it got lost in the shuffle during WrestleMania season.
An epic 4+ star main event to close out Raw with Balor, Rollins and Miz all working their assess off. It had the crowd rocking with fast paced action that was filled with entertaining spots that weren't over the top and some great near falls. Samoa Joe showing up to screw over Seth Rollins was logical, though I forgot about Bray Wyatt addressing Finn Balor a few weeks back, so Wyatt screwing him out of an Intercontinental Championship shot. Miz picking the bones was, sorry to say this, vintage Miz as he's one a lot of these kinds of matches in similar ways. While we've seen Miz vs. Ambrose before, it's still a good feud and it was really the only logical choice right now.
I give last night's show an A-.
Alexa Bliss is a star, she may not be as great in the ring as some of the others but she's second to none in promos as she has the right amount of sass, nastiness and she knows how to play the crowd like a banjo.
The 8 women tag match that followed was also nicely done and having Alexa not only score the pin but score it on Bayley was the right decision. Bayley is at her best when she's the scrappy, sympathetic underdog and I think they need to keep her in that role for a longer period of time before she has another title reign. Personally, I think they should consider keeping the title off of her until WrestleMania next year in a match with Sasha Banks.
Nice to see Cesaro and Sheamus turning heel, they've had a solid feud with the Hardy Boyz thus far so here's to taking that to another level now that all the sportsmanship is out of the way.
Nice work overall by the Cruiserweight six man bout, though I honestly think fans will get more into them as a whole of Vince lightens up and allows them to incorporate more high flying into the mix because it's obvious that's what a lot of fans want. They don't want to see 160 pound men ground & pound, they want to see them soaring through the air or, at the very least, work at a faster pace ala Rich Swann.
Aries vs. TJP was a good effort, I especially enjoyed Aries emphasis on selling his knee throughout the match. Even when he did Last Chancery, he made a note to not hook in the bridge as deeply as normal and to even prop himself up using his one good leg to take pressure of the "injured" one.
Not really sure where they're going, if anywhere, with Titus and Apollo Crews, but at leas they've got Crews doing a little something via his association rather than just popping up to wrestle seemingly random matches.
Miz, Ambrose, Balor & Rollins all did well on the mic last night and I like the attention brought to the IC title as it got lost in the shuffle during WrestleMania season.
An epic 4+ star main event to close out Raw with Balor, Rollins and Miz all working their assess off. It had the crowd rocking with fast paced action that was filled with entertaining spots that weren't over the top and some great near falls. Samoa Joe showing up to screw over Seth Rollins was logical, though I forgot about Bray Wyatt addressing Finn Balor a few weeks back, so Wyatt screwing him out of an Intercontinental Championship shot. Miz picking the bones was, sorry to say this, vintage Miz as he's one a lot of these kinds of matches in similar ways. While we've seen Miz vs. Ambrose before, it's still a good feud and it was really the only logical choice right now.
I give last night's show an A-.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
Raw was just flat out lousy tonight. Aside from the opening segment with Joe & Lesnar, which was tremendously executed and actually bolstered my hope that Lesnar vs. Joe will be an actual match, the rest of the show was one long snoozefest with way too many talking segments, too much "sports entertainment" nonsense, no Balor, no Reigns, and just uninspired filler with no real build to Great Balls of Fire. They'd have been better off really not having a show than putting on stuff like this.
Yesterday, the wrestling world was talking about NJPW Dominion, Okada & Omega going the full 60 minutes and what do we get on Raw? The Miz fighting a man in a teddy bear costume. Vince McMahon should be embarrassed to put on shit like this as this is the sort of show that gives other throwaway shows a bad name. Watch the first 30 to 40 minutes of the show and skip the rest.
Yesterday, the wrestling world was talking about NJPW Dominion, Okada & Omega going the full 60 minutes and what do we get on Raw? The Miz fighting a man in a teddy bear costume. Vince McMahon should be embarrassed to put on shit like this as this is the sort of show that gives other throwaway shows a bad name. Watch the first 30 to 40 minutes of the show and skip the rest.
That N Word
Actively evolving
WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from August 14
I'm starting something similar to what Bleacher Report does, I'm grading both Raw and SmackDown weekly with my input. We're gonna start with the
SummerSlam 2017 go-home edition of Monday Night Raw
Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose Reunite
The former Shield brothers turned bitter enemies has had their issues over the last three years. One thing's for certain though, is if anyone is gonna
beat up a member of The Shield...It's gonna be a member of The Shield.
This segment for me was great storytelling, but the crowd wasn't as in to it as I felt they should've been until both put their fist in the middle. For
me, I felt this should have led to Rollins and Ambrose having one final match against one another to get it out of their systems after that brawl.
Ultimately it would see Dean Ambrose pick up the win and an emotional moment with Seth asking is he over it completely now. Before Dean can put his fist
in, Cesaro & Sheamus would've jumped both, Ambrose and Rollins working together again and taking them down. Then it would have been what we witnessed on
Raw with the fist in the middle, and Kurt Angle making his way out to make the match official for SummerSlam.
Grade
A-
No. 1 Contender's Match: Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax
Incredible action in this Women's division match. I honestly wouldn't change anything about it, as it made Nia look strong even in defeat. While I would
love to see Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss feud for the title, it makes more sense right now for it to be Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss. It explores the real
life heat between the two, as well as sets up for a story between Bayley and Sasha down the line. Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss should be saved for Survivor
Series or WrestleMania with Nia being the one to beat Bliss for the title.
Result
Sasha Banks defeated Nia Jax
Grade
B+
R-Truth vs. Elias
What did this really accomplish? How does Elias build momentum beating up R-Truth, who's been a joke for years? Ron Killings is a legend in the industry
and it's sad the way he's been treated over the years. He's an incredible worker and talker. but now that he's nearly 50 years old, it's time to go. R-
Truth putting people over makes no sense when he has no credibility. They don't even hype him up as a former World Champion, despite the promotion it
was in. They literally hype him up as a comedy act.
Result
No Contest
Grade
D
Big Show's Health in Jeopardy Ahead of SummerSlam
Big Cass promo seemed as if he was just playing to the hear for a minute, but after awhile it was clear he didn't know what he was doing. He get an 'A'
for effort, and trying to play his role well but he had plenty of slip ups in this long drawn out promo. He took forever to get to the point and his
voice doesn't help take him seriously as a badass. To me it felt like he was just waiting to be interrupted a few times. He came off as more of that
teacher saying "Knock it off or you're going to the office." Enzo came out, followed by Big Show and I still wasn't invested. For me, it wasn't until
The Club came out that this segment got interesting. The Club made his segment, and the "injury" to Big Show added some intrigue to earn this segment a
higher grade than it would've gotten.
Grade
C+
Cruiserweight Championship Match: Akira Tozawa vs. Neville
Akira Tozawa was someone that when he first debuted, I knew could put on great matches but I didn't really know who he was. Tozawa is some one that has
grown for me under the "Titus Worldwide Brand." This was an incredible match, one that probably should've been on SummerSlam. I feel like WWE should do
more matches like this, it get's people actually invested in the Cruiserweights when they let them actually WRESTLE!! That's what made people want the
division back in the first place
Result
Akira Tozawa defeated Neville to win the Cruiserweight Championship
Grade
A
Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
A pretty good match for Raw, this should've been the final bout before the melee at the end. At first, I was confused as to why they put it on Raw and
was hoping it was still happening on PPV as well. Now it's clear as to why they did and it just added to what has already been an incredible story. I'm
not going to lie, I lost all interest in both Balor and Wyatt until this feud. Wyatt got the clean win here, and Balor will get the clean win on Sunday.
Personally, I feel a loss will not hurt Wyatt as he's only lost one singles match on Raw clean in my memory since the shake up. A part of me hopes Wyatt
win to continue this story, maybe this leads to Balor becoming "The Demon" completely and following Bray Wyatt's leadership en route to eventually
regaining the Universal Championship. In a different turn of events though, Balor wouldn't turn on Wyatt like Orton, and Bryan. Wyatt would turn on
Balor after about a year leading to them clashing for the title. Back to what happened at hand, alot of people were complaining about this being given
away on free TV, same people would've been complaining about another needed segment on a show filled with segments.
Result
Bray Wyatt defeated Finn Balor
Grade
A
Mickie James vs. Emma
Clearly a filler match, but it got both on the show and furthered the Emma storyline. Emma should've have took head from others before her that bitching
on social media does nothing but get you in the dog house and not the "Push Emma, she's underutilized" storyline you're trying to get. I personally
didn't pay attention to this match as I was heating up my food for the big closer segment.
Result
Mickie James defeated Emma
Grade
Can't tell ya
The Hardy Boyz and Jason Jordan vs. The Miztourage
To me this hurt Jason Jordan more than it helped him. He was given an opportunity to show the world what he got and why they should be with him getting
pushed but he relied on the same moves repeatedly and the original match would cut too short. This was just an excuse to get The Hardy's a match on TV.
This should've been a 15 minute match that showcased Jason Jordan and what he's capable of in a good back and forth matchup rather than a short match to
set up this one. The above match could've happened earlier with more time, with Elias segment/ "match" being scrapped completely.
Anyways on to the match itselt, it was an eletric match but I feel like the fans were only going nuts because of The Hardy Boyz.
Result
The Hardy Boyz and Jason Jordan defeated The Miz, Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas
Grade
C+
The Four-Way Altercation
A pretty good promo from Heyman as he sold every competitor including Samoa Joe in this one. I do feel like there should've been more of Joe and Reigns
and it kind of did make Joe look weak being taken out so early without coming back into the fold, same with Reigns. I would have wanted to see all hell
break lose, but then again that would've given too much away. You would think neither Braun Strowman or Brock Lesnar would win the bout because of this.
The favorite seems to be either Roman Reigns, or Brock Lesnar, but how about a big swerve with Samoa Joe winning with the swerve of Paul Heyman. Braun
Strowman and Brock Lesnar taking one another out by beating the hell out of each other, Reigns getting the Spear on both and going for the cover before
being pulled out by Heyman. Reigns going after Heyman, as Joe steals a pin on Brock. This sets up for No Mercy with Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman
Reigns for the Universal Title. This would see Joe defeat Lesnar again with Paul Heyman by his side, Braun Strowman would take on the returning to Raw,
John Cena giving him a rude awakening of a return. At Survivor Series, you have Joe vs. Cena or Strowman for the title, and Reigns vs. Lesnar to finally
do that.
As for what really went down, This got me hyped for the PPV by not giving too much away. Enough to earn it a solid
Grade
B+
Overall, I felt it was a decent show with some pretty solid matches. However, as always with good comes the bad and there was some bad in this to earn
this Raw a 6.5/10 rating for me.
Winners:
Losers:
Not winners; But not losers either:
I'm starting something similar to what Bleacher Report does, I'm grading both Raw and SmackDown weekly with my input. We're gonna start with the
SummerSlam 2017 go-home edition of Monday Night Raw
Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose Reunite
The former Shield brothers turned bitter enemies has had their issues over the last three years. One thing's for certain though, is if anyone is gonna
beat up a member of The Shield...It's gonna be a member of The Shield.
This segment for me was great storytelling, but the crowd wasn't as in to it as I felt they should've been until both put their fist in the middle. For
me, I felt this should have led to Rollins and Ambrose having one final match against one another to get it out of their systems after that brawl.
Ultimately it would see Dean Ambrose pick up the win and an emotional moment with Seth asking is he over it completely now. Before Dean can put his fist
in, Cesaro & Sheamus would've jumped both, Ambrose and Rollins working together again and taking them down. Then it would have been what we witnessed on
Raw with the fist in the middle, and Kurt Angle making his way out to make the match official for SummerSlam.
Grade
A-
No. 1 Contender's Match: Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax
Incredible action in this Women's division match. I honestly wouldn't change anything about it, as it made Nia look strong even in defeat. While I would
love to see Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss feud for the title, it makes more sense right now for it to be Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss. It explores the real
life heat between the two, as well as sets up for a story between Bayley and Sasha down the line. Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss should be saved for Survivor
Series or WrestleMania with Nia being the one to beat Bliss for the title.
Result
Sasha Banks defeated Nia Jax
Grade
B+
R-Truth vs. Elias
What did this really accomplish? How does Elias build momentum beating up R-Truth, who's been a joke for years? Ron Killings is a legend in the industry
and it's sad the way he's been treated over the years. He's an incredible worker and talker. but now that he's nearly 50 years old, it's time to go. R-
Truth putting people over makes no sense when he has no credibility. They don't even hype him up as a former World Champion, despite the promotion it
was in. They literally hype him up as a comedy act.
Result
No Contest
Grade
D
Big Show's Health in Jeopardy Ahead of SummerSlam
Big Cass promo seemed as if he was just playing to the hear for a minute, but after awhile it was clear he didn't know what he was doing. He get an 'A'
for effort, and trying to play his role well but he had plenty of slip ups in this long drawn out promo. He took forever to get to the point and his
voice doesn't help take him seriously as a badass. To me it felt like he was just waiting to be interrupted a few times. He came off as more of that
teacher saying "Knock it off or you're going to the office." Enzo came out, followed by Big Show and I still wasn't invested. For me, it wasn't until
The Club came out that this segment got interesting. The Club made his segment, and the "injury" to Big Show added some intrigue to earn this segment a
higher grade than it would've gotten.
Grade
C+
Cruiserweight Championship Match: Akira Tozawa vs. Neville
Akira Tozawa was someone that when he first debuted, I knew could put on great matches but I didn't really know who he was. Tozawa is some one that has
grown for me under the "Titus Worldwide Brand." This was an incredible match, one that probably should've been on SummerSlam. I feel like WWE should do
more matches like this, it get's people actually invested in the Cruiserweights when they let them actually WRESTLE!! That's what made people want the
division back in the first place
Result
Akira Tozawa defeated Neville to win the Cruiserweight Championship
Grade
A
Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
A pretty good match for Raw, this should've been the final bout before the melee at the end. At first, I was confused as to why they put it on Raw and
was hoping it was still happening on PPV as well. Now it's clear as to why they did and it just added to what has already been an incredible story. I'm
not going to lie, I lost all interest in both Balor and Wyatt until this feud. Wyatt got the clean win here, and Balor will get the clean win on Sunday.
Personally, I feel a loss will not hurt Wyatt as he's only lost one singles match on Raw clean in my memory since the shake up. A part of me hopes Wyatt
win to continue this story, maybe this leads to Balor becoming "The Demon" completely and following Bray Wyatt's leadership en route to eventually
regaining the Universal Championship. In a different turn of events though, Balor wouldn't turn on Wyatt like Orton, and Bryan. Wyatt would turn on
Balor after about a year leading to them clashing for the title. Back to what happened at hand, alot of people were complaining about this being given
away on free TV, same people would've been complaining about another needed segment on a show filled with segments.
Result
Bray Wyatt defeated Finn Balor
Grade
A
Mickie James vs. Emma
Clearly a filler match, but it got both on the show and furthered the Emma storyline. Emma should've have took head from others before her that bitching
on social media does nothing but get you in the dog house and not the "Push Emma, she's underutilized" storyline you're trying to get. I personally
didn't pay attention to this match as I was heating up my food for the big closer segment.
Result
Mickie James defeated Emma
Grade
Can't tell ya
The Hardy Boyz and Jason Jordan vs. The Miztourage
To me this hurt Jason Jordan more than it helped him. He was given an opportunity to show the world what he got and why they should be with him getting
pushed but he relied on the same moves repeatedly and the original match would cut too short. This was just an excuse to get The Hardy's a match on TV.
This should've been a 15 minute match that showcased Jason Jordan and what he's capable of in a good back and forth matchup rather than a short match to
set up this one. The above match could've happened earlier with more time, with Elias segment/ "match" being scrapped completely.
Anyways on to the match itselt, it was an eletric match but I feel like the fans were only going nuts because of The Hardy Boyz.
Result
The Hardy Boyz and Jason Jordan defeated The Miz, Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas
Grade
C+
The Four-Way Altercation
A pretty good promo from Heyman as he sold every competitor including Samoa Joe in this one. I do feel like there should've been more of Joe and Reigns
and it kind of did make Joe look weak being taken out so early without coming back into the fold, same with Reigns. I would have wanted to see all hell
break lose, but then again that would've given too much away. You would think neither Braun Strowman or Brock Lesnar would win the bout because of this.
The favorite seems to be either Roman Reigns, or Brock Lesnar, but how about a big swerve with Samoa Joe winning with the swerve of Paul Heyman. Braun
Strowman and Brock Lesnar taking one another out by beating the hell out of each other, Reigns getting the Spear on both and going for the cover before
being pulled out by Heyman. Reigns going after Heyman, as Joe steals a pin on Brock. This sets up for No Mercy with Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman
Reigns for the Universal Title. This would see Joe defeat Lesnar again with Paul Heyman by his side, Braun Strowman would take on the returning to Raw,
John Cena giving him a rude awakening of a return. At Survivor Series, you have Joe vs. Cena or Strowman for the title, and Reigns vs. Lesnar to finally
do that.
As for what really went down, This got me hyped for the PPV by not giving too much away. Enough to earn it a solid
Grade
B+
Overall, I felt it was a decent show with some pretty solid matches. However, as always with good comes the bad and there was some bad in this to earn
this Raw a 6.5/10 rating for me.
Winners:
[*]1. Braun Strowman
[*]2. Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins
[*]3. Bray Wyatt & Finn Balor
[*]4. Sasha Banks & Nia Jax
[*]5. Akira Towara
[*]6. The Club
Losers:
[*]1. Roman Reigns & Samoa Joe
[*]2. Jason Jordan
[*]3. Big Cass, Enzo Amore, and Big Show
[*]4. Emma
Not winners; But not losers either:
[*]1. Brock Lesnar- Reason he's here is for the simple reason, while he didn't get beat up, he looked to be getting beaten down majority of the time the two competitors did land blows
[*]2. Adrian Neville
[*]3. Cesaro & Sheamus
[*]4. Mickie James
[*]5. Eilas
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
The highlights of last night's show were the opening six man tag team match, the overall storytelling of the show, Heyman essentially pointing out that Jinder Mahal is a joke of a champion and the closing segment of the show featuring SmackDown's invasion of Raw. I like that they're at least trying to move away from the "friendly competition" thing and I'm sure they'll generate some satisfactory results, but I think WWE should've been doing this over a month ago as part of the Survivor Series build, maybe skip October altogether from pvs and move HIAC & TLC to December.
I thought the low point was Kane squashing Finn Balor, it's just such a monumentally stupid booking decision. Balor just came off a great win over AJ Styles in what many are haling as a MOTY contender, they're talking of doing Lesnar vs. Balor at the Royal Rumble, yet they job him out like some scrub? It's truly, truly decisions like this that have so many fans praying that they wake up tomorrow to find out Vince McMahon no longer runs World Wrestling Entertainment. I know they want to build Kane up to be strong for his eventual match with Braun Strowman and there are ways to do that without making Balor look bad. Put them in a physical match where both of them give it all they've got, have them beat the crap out of each other to such an extent that things get "out of control" and the ref disqualifies them both only for them to keep fighting up the ramp, maybe back into the locker room, etc. where they're eventually broken up. Both men look good, Balor keeps his momentum while Kane gains some, the seed is planted for a possible rematch somewhere down the road but one that doesn't necessarily have to take place. But no, that'd be too logical, Vince just wants to see his next big ol' alpha male match so who cares if he has to make one of the best overall workers of the decade look bad to get it?
I thought the low point was Kane squashing Finn Balor, it's just such a monumentally stupid booking decision. Balor just came off a great win over AJ Styles in what many are haling as a MOTY contender, they're talking of doing Lesnar vs. Balor at the Royal Rumble, yet they job him out like some scrub? It's truly, truly decisions like this that have so many fans praying that they wake up tomorrow to find out Vince McMahon no longer runs World Wrestling Entertainment. I know they want to build Kane up to be strong for his eventual match with Braun Strowman and there are ways to do that without making Balor look bad. Put them in a physical match where both of them give it all they've got, have them beat the crap out of each other to such an extent that things get "out of control" and the ref disqualifies them both only for them to keep fighting up the ramp, maybe back into the locker room, etc. where they're eventually broken up. Both men look good, Balor keeps his momentum while Kane gains some, the seed is planted for a possible rematch somewhere down the road but one that doesn't necessarily have to take place. But no, that'd be too logical, Vince just wants to see his next big ol' alpha male match so who cares if he has to make one of the best overall workers of the decade look bad to get it?
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
Last night's Raw was pretty good overall, in my opinion. The first 2 hours and 15 minutes of the show featured some anticipated returns, good wrestling matches and focused build towards Survivor Series. Then, for whatever reason, Vince interrupted the positive flow that Raw had going for it by spreading his cheeks and crapping out the juicy turd that was the "Trick or Street Fight." This was so bad that even the commentators were embarrassed to be calling it and I couldn't help but feel bad for Gallows and Anderson; they're pretty overrated but they're still a decent team and this match basically crapped away whatever credibility they had left. Then the stuff with the Cruiserweights was on that nobody gave a damn about and by the time the Women's Championship match between Alexa Bliss & Mickie James came on, the energy was gone and the fans weren't interested; it was a shame as I thought they put on a solid match and I think fans would've been into it had they not been subjected to about 45 straight minutes of garbage. Things did pick up nicely for the final angle with Braun Strowman's return and his decimation of the Miztourage. If Strowman is now a babyface, then it looks like fans will readily accept it.
There was another negative on the show and it included WWE yet again sacrificing valuable young talent, this time being Seth Rollins, for the sake of building up Kane vs. Strowman. It wasn't as bad as last week as they at least protected Rollins a bit due to Cesaro & Sheamus being out there and beating up on Ambrose with Rollins going to his aid, getting distracted, etc. Still, Kane's a big star and has been for 20 years, he's a monster by definition and WWE's energy would be better spent trying to build these young stars up instead of sacrificing them to a 50 year old member of the roster who'll be gone soon anyway.
So yeah, the first 2.25 hours were quality while the next 45 minutes stuck up the place and the last 10 minute or so angle ended things on a high note. I give the show a C+, MAYBE a B- but that's stretching things pretty far as the third hour really stunk up the place in a big way.
There was another negative on the show and it included WWE yet again sacrificing valuable young talent, this time being Seth Rollins, for the sake of building up Kane vs. Strowman. It wasn't as bad as last week as they at least protected Rollins a bit due to Cesaro & Sheamus being out there and beating up on Ambrose with Rollins going to his aid, getting distracted, etc. Still, Kane's a big star and has been for 20 years, he's a monster by definition and WWE's energy would be better spent trying to build these young stars up instead of sacrificing them to a 50 year old member of the roster who'll be gone soon anyway.
So yeah, the first 2.25 hours were quality while the next 45 minutes stuck up the place and the last 10 minute or so angle ended things on a high note. I give the show a C+, MAYBE a B- but that's stretching things pretty far as the third hour really stunk up the place in a big way.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
I thought Raw was a really well put together show last night, for the most part. They advanced some storylines, had some really good, long wrestling matches and cut back on a LOT of filler.
There were four really good matches on last night's show:
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Jason Jordan - 3.75 stars
Sasha Banks vs. Paige - 3.25 stars
Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Tony Nese vs. Drew Gulak - 3.5 stars
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship - Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins vs. The Bar - 3.75 stars
It helped that all of these matches were given a good amount of time, the title matches both went past the 20 minute mark, the women's match made it to about the 16 minute mark while the Cruiserweights went to about the 13 minute mark. Also, for possibly the first time, the Cruiserweights came off like they were actually being presented on Raw as a relevant part of the format instead of being put in a standard 5 or 6 minute filler match.
I'm glad to see that they're finally going with Strowman vs. Kane next week and I'm hoping it's a one off; I like Kane, always have, but I've been really annoyed at the overabundance of love shown to him at the expense of so many younger, fresher faces, especially Finn Balor, just so he can lose to Braun Strowman in a way to make Strowman seem strong. It just seems useless considering how consistently strong and well booked Strowman has been over the course of the last year: he's been portrayed as literally superhuman by flipping over ambulances, surviving being crushed in a garbage truck, etc. he's dominated people like Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Samoa Joe & Roman Reigns in matches, he almost beat Brock Lesnar, so it's not as like he's ever been portrayed as weak.
Broken Matt Hardy finally made his WWE debut last night, much to the delight of the live crowd judging by their response. It doesn't do anything for me personally, but I'm perfectly okay with it as long as it's not overexposed and just all over the show.
The only things I didn't really care much about on last night's show, and these are relatively minor when you get right down to it. As of right now, I'm not at all looking forward to the comedic romance between Nia Jax and Enzo Amore; this has all the makings of a classic Vince clusterfuck in which he thinks its funny to put together the little guy with a big girl pairing in the hopes that it'll generate some cheap laughs. I just pray that whatever he comes up with for them isn't too tacky, classless or embarrassing. The other thing was Finn Balor's match against Bo Dallas, this match should've been over in a few minutes flat and further indicates that there are no relevant plans for Balor on Raw.
Other than that, last night was one of the best all around shows this year, in my opinion. Some good promo work, storylines were progressed and we had some really good matches that were given a lot of time. Why can't they use this sort of formula every week? I give last night's show an A-.
There were four really good matches on last night's show:
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Jason Jordan - 3.75 stars
Sasha Banks vs. Paige - 3.25 stars
Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Tony Nese vs. Drew Gulak - 3.5 stars
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship - Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins vs. The Bar - 3.75 stars
It helped that all of these matches were given a good amount of time, the title matches both went past the 20 minute mark, the women's match made it to about the 16 minute mark while the Cruiserweights went to about the 13 minute mark. Also, for possibly the first time, the Cruiserweights came off like they were actually being presented on Raw as a relevant part of the format instead of being put in a standard 5 or 6 minute filler match.
I'm glad to see that they're finally going with Strowman vs. Kane next week and I'm hoping it's a one off; I like Kane, always have, but I've been really annoyed at the overabundance of love shown to him at the expense of so many younger, fresher faces, especially Finn Balor, just so he can lose to Braun Strowman in a way to make Strowman seem strong. It just seems useless considering how consistently strong and well booked Strowman has been over the course of the last year: he's been portrayed as literally superhuman by flipping over ambulances, surviving being crushed in a garbage truck, etc. he's dominated people like Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Samoa Joe & Roman Reigns in matches, he almost beat Brock Lesnar, so it's not as like he's ever been portrayed as weak.
Broken Matt Hardy finally made his WWE debut last night, much to the delight of the live crowd judging by their response. It doesn't do anything for me personally, but I'm perfectly okay with it as long as it's not overexposed and just all over the show.
The only things I didn't really care much about on last night's show, and these are relatively minor when you get right down to it. As of right now, I'm not at all looking forward to the comedic romance between Nia Jax and Enzo Amore; this has all the makings of a classic Vince clusterfuck in which he thinks its funny to put together the little guy with a big girl pairing in the hopes that it'll generate some cheap laughs. I just pray that whatever he comes up with for them isn't too tacky, classless or embarrassing. The other thing was Finn Balor's match against Bo Dallas, this match should've been over in a few minutes flat and further indicates that there are no relevant plans for Balor on Raw.
Other than that, last night was one of the best all around shows this year, in my opinion. Some good promo work, storylines were progressed and we had some really good matches that were given a lot of time. Why can't they use this sort of formula every week? I give last night's show an A-.
#hamler
That's all folks.
It's not often that I disagree with you but I'm on the other side of the fence here. If (and that's a BIG if) we're not treated to some silly love angle, I love the idea of Nia being above the female division and actually being the foil to Enzo's Cruiserweight championship reign.
Since the beginning of the Women's revolution, WWE female stars are treated equally or even sometimes better than the male superstars. A couple weeks on Smackdown, Becky Lynch took on James Ellsworth in what was the first intergender match in wwe in quite a while. With the Raw women's title picture being so crowded by Alexa, Asuka, Paige and her new friends Nia could put an interesting twist on the 205 Live division. It was reported a few weeks back Nia wasn't exactly happy with the way her character was progressing. I can't imagine her being ok with a silly love angle with Enzo without there being a pretty decent payoff. Nia as champ fits here. I'm interested where this goes.
Also let's not discuss Nia's weight being above 205.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
I thought last night's show was also really solid, maybe not on the same level as last week's but I do like how they kept with the same general formula of keeping the focus on moving storylines forward, having matches that had a good amount of time and kept the filler extremely light. One significant difference is that they kept most of the bigger developments or happenings of last night's show in the final 2 hours of the show whereas it's been more common than not for most stuff to happen within the first 2 hours of Raw.
They're moving along just fine with Absolution, they're taking things slowly and not trying to bum rush this into something bigger before its ready. They scored a tag win last night and a logical step was all the other women of the Raw roster uniting against them.
The story with Bray Wyatt and "Woken" Matt Hardy continues to slowly develop. I've never been all that into the "Broken" stuff, but I don't really mind it as long as it's not shoved up our asses all the time and, for some strange reason, I find Hardy kind of endearing in this nonsensical character so that's something.
The Strowman vs. Kane match itself wasn't much to talk about, but the brawl afterward was fun and they should've just gone with a no DQ bout in the first place and had them tear shit up. I just think Kane is at a point in his life and career where he shouldn't be portrayed as being such a huge threat and near match for Strowman.
As for the top matches on the show:
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro - 4 stars
Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus - 3.5 stars
Cedric Alexander vs. Mustfa Ali vs. Tony Nese vs. Ariya Daivari - 3.25 stars
Dean Ambrose vs. Samoa Joe - 3 stars
Reigns and Cesaro put on a helluva match, one that was ppv worthy. Never at any point in the match did Cesaro come off like he wasn't on Reigns' level in terms of belonging in a top spot and Reigns didn't come off like the swaggering, big dick alpha male. It was a strong, physical bout and watching Cesaro work Reigns' right arm was a real treat.
As for Rollins and Sheamus, while we've seen both he and Ambrose take on Sheamus and Cesaro often in either tag or singles matches, which I agree is getting old, I still can't find a whole lot to complain about because they hit it out of the park every single time with one great match after another. Rollins did an excellent job of selling his knee last night, especially with the Superplex/Falcon Arrow spot.
As for the Cruiserweight Fatal Fourway, it wasn't quite as good as last week's match and that had more to do with Daivari's frequent use of the chinlock than anything else. Still, all of them worked hard in this "second chance" bout to find a replacement for the suspended Rich Swann and Cedrick Alexander winning was the right call.
Ambrose vs. Joe was good but it was also one of those matches where you kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. You know? What I mean is that you know something is gonna go down, some sort of interference, that you can just sense before the opening bell. Sure enough, Jason Jordan coming out solidified that and while it did take a bit away from the match, his presence down there worked to keep him in the midst of things. Given that he was a distraction to both me, he provided both of them with some protection for taking a loss.
For me, the letdown of the show was Finn Balor in that they seem to have absolutely zero direction or idea as to what to do with him. While I agree with some in that Balor's greatness has been exaggerated, I also agree that he's been the victim of some of the worst booking in WWE in a long while.
Overall though, I felt like last night's show was a B+; it wasn't quite as good as last week's show but still really entertaining with the good vastly outweighing the bad. I really like the formula they've used for the past few weeks: we haven't had multiple 20 minute promo segments, there hasn't been a lot of filler, focus has been kept on moving significant storylines forward, hype for the Royal Rumble is officially off & running and the top wrestling matches on last night's show were given a good amount of time.
They're moving along just fine with Absolution, they're taking things slowly and not trying to bum rush this into something bigger before its ready. They scored a tag win last night and a logical step was all the other women of the Raw roster uniting against them.
The story with Bray Wyatt and "Woken" Matt Hardy continues to slowly develop. I've never been all that into the "Broken" stuff, but I don't really mind it as long as it's not shoved up our asses all the time and, for some strange reason, I find Hardy kind of endearing in this nonsensical character so that's something.
The Strowman vs. Kane match itself wasn't much to talk about, but the brawl afterward was fun and they should've just gone with a no DQ bout in the first place and had them tear shit up. I just think Kane is at a point in his life and career where he shouldn't be portrayed as being such a huge threat and near match for Strowman.
As for the top matches on the show:
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro - 4 stars
Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus - 3.5 stars
Cedric Alexander vs. Mustfa Ali vs. Tony Nese vs. Ariya Daivari - 3.25 stars
Dean Ambrose vs. Samoa Joe - 3 stars
Reigns and Cesaro put on a helluva match, one that was ppv worthy. Never at any point in the match did Cesaro come off like he wasn't on Reigns' level in terms of belonging in a top spot and Reigns didn't come off like the swaggering, big dick alpha male. It was a strong, physical bout and watching Cesaro work Reigns' right arm was a real treat.
As for Rollins and Sheamus, while we've seen both he and Ambrose take on Sheamus and Cesaro often in either tag or singles matches, which I agree is getting old, I still can't find a whole lot to complain about because they hit it out of the park every single time with one great match after another. Rollins did an excellent job of selling his knee last night, especially with the Superplex/Falcon Arrow spot.
As for the Cruiserweight Fatal Fourway, it wasn't quite as good as last week's match and that had more to do with Daivari's frequent use of the chinlock than anything else. Still, all of them worked hard in this "second chance" bout to find a replacement for the suspended Rich Swann and Cedrick Alexander winning was the right call.
Ambrose vs. Joe was good but it was also one of those matches where you kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. You know? What I mean is that you know something is gonna go down, some sort of interference, that you can just sense before the opening bell. Sure enough, Jason Jordan coming out solidified that and while it did take a bit away from the match, his presence down there worked to keep him in the midst of things. Given that he was a distraction to both me, he provided both of them with some protection for taking a loss.
For me, the letdown of the show was Finn Balor in that they seem to have absolutely zero direction or idea as to what to do with him. While I agree with some in that Balor's greatness has been exaggerated, I also agree that he's been the victim of some of the worst booking in WWE in a long while.
Overall though, I felt like last night's show was a B+; it wasn't quite as good as last week's show but still really entertaining with the good vastly outweighing the bad. I really like the formula they've used for the past few weeks: we haven't had multiple 20 minute promo segments, there hasn't been a lot of filler, focus has been kept on moving significant storylines forward, hype for the Royal Rumble is officially off & running and the top wrestling matches on last night's show were given a good amount of time.