Originally posted by Amos CochranYeah, Jericho goes over at EC I think. Which, while I see how it works as a set-up, is a little irritating. Changing both world titles a month before WrestleMania just rubs me the wrong way.
You're assuming that they don't run with Bryan vs Sheamus or Bryan vs Orton vs Sheamus.
Originally posted by lotjxWelcome to Raw is video packages. Holy God, they are just limping into Elimination Chamber. Also no Cena tonight. An Ambulance match, really?
They probably don't plan on doing any build for the Elimination Chamber ppv, other than having the guys in the 2 chambers face one another in random combinations. And it's obvious they don't care about anything but those two matches, so there's no need to build anything/make compelling tv.
So that's where the video packages come in. And unless it turns out that the ratings drop without Cena (did they do that last time he wasn't there?) I say that not having him there isn't a bad thing. His presence doesn't change the fact that the feud with Kane has gotten pointless and downright embarrassing.
John Laurinaitis @WWERawGM Just spoke with the WWE Board re: my presentation. Can't share all the details, but, I'll say this: they are letting me keep this twitter.
Originally posted by Amos CochranYeah, Jericho goes over at EC I think. Which, while I see how it works as a set-up, is a little irritating. Changing both world titles a month before WrestleMania just rubs me the wrong way.
You're assuming that they don't run with Bryan vs Sheamus or Bryan vs Orton vs Sheamus.
I think the Triple Threat is most likely, and if they're putting Jericho over at EC then Bryan somehow screwing Orton over to get him in on the match would be ideal. But man, they don't make booking this stuff easy on themselves. Had Jericho gone over at the Rumble like he was supposed to the EC would practically write itself.
Man, huge comedown from last week. The only things I really liked were Otunga (who is kind of awesome right now) and HHH yelling "I KNOW WHO SHAWN MICHAELS IS!" at Big Johnny, which was genuinely funny and would have been the best thing on the show had it not been for Charles Robinson (I think?) specifically ordering Otunga's travel thermos out of the ring before the match with Sheamus like it's his enforcer/manager. David Otunga's Thermos: The Sensational Character Find of 2011!
I'll take a week off from harping on the fact that HHH/UT doesn't interest me, since they didn't bury anybody else to build the match this week, at least. Probably not the best opening segment to not kill off the crowd, though. HHH doing a double Wrestlemania Sign Point was good for us, and is that the first time we've ever seen Undertaker's pad? Not what I was expecting! If that place has a skylight, it'd make a pretty good sexy loft from an early '90s erotic thriller, especially with Theme From Aksana thrown in.
The vegan thing really is getting shoehorned in, like someone just explained what a vegan was to Vince or something. Can't they at least make it relevant by having Bryan bring up Show's old weight problems, and then maybe add in a "Daniel Bryan must consume an animal byproduct if he loses/Show can't eat meat anymore if Bryan wins" stipulation?
As I said last week, I'm firmly in the camp that Jericho was going to win the Rumble until they decided to swerve us, and Jericho's "I eliminated 28 other men!" (while funny) seems to point to that, as does the odd void Sheamus is in. 7-Up was dead right up thread: Punk and Jericho were clearly expecting the camera to come around and point out that Punk was intentionally throwing the back of his t-shirt in Jericho's face. Not surprised the commentary team missed it, but it's odd for the production team to miss that kind of thing.
Holy shit, Miz. I hope Truth is OK. The match after that was a complete mess, understandably, which is a shame since they had some good spots set up like the Jericho/Punk interrupted showdown and the dual pin spot. Man, who is the savvy ring general that they want to direct traffic in that Chamber? I love almost all the guys in the match, almost all of them has had some kind of weird, sloppy moments with the others in the past year, have they? I guess it's Jericho, but he's been mostly inactive for a year. If Truth is out, I'd just say screw it and throw Regal in there to make sure someone remembers to catch Kofi when he climbs up the inside of the cage to drop from the ceiling onto the rest of them or whatever scary spot they'll have him do.
Jack Swagger's new gimmick should be guy who has no interest in winning titles whatsoever, given the effect they seem to have on his career.
Originally posted by jerichofan717With the way this is being booked, I almost wonder if Jericho takes the title in the Chamber, since him entering last would make him look like a joke if he lost, and I don't think he came back to lose in his first two PPV apperarances.
You sure about that? Its Jericho. Dominance isn't his gimmick.
I have a hunch Jericho/Punk at Wrestlemania could just be an old fashioned grudge match with no title involved, ala Jericho's match with HBK at WM19. And really, I don't think it needs a title on the line to sell the match. It's just two guys vying for the title of 'best in the world'. They could easily have Dolph win the Chamber and do Dolph/Sheamus for the WWE Title, which leaves DB open for Orton (which I hear might have been the original plan).
I just hope Jericho remembers to kick Punk in the balls after Punk wins and they shake hands post-match.
Originally posted by Super 7-UpI have a hunch Jericho/Punk at Wrestlemania could just be an old fashioned grudge match with no title involved, ala Jericho's match with HBK at WM19. And really, I don't think it needs a title on the line to sell the match. It's just two guys vying for the title of 'best in the world'.
But wouldn't it help validate the "best in the world" battle (not to mention the prestige of the title being associated with such a match) to have the title on the line? If you've got two guys claiming to be the best in the world with no title on the line, it kind of makes the champion pale in comparison then.
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Nous ne nous pouvons pas sortir. Haven't any of the writing staff played EWR and seen what happens when you try to run more than a couple video packages in one show?
Originally posted by Super 7-UpI have a hunch Jericho/Punk at Wrestlemania could just be an old fashioned grudge match with no title involved, ala Jericho's match with HBK at WM19. And really, I don't think it needs a title on the line to sell the match. It's just two guys vying for the title of 'best in the world'.
But wouldn't it help validate the "best in the world" battle (not to mention the prestige of the title being associated with such a match) to have the title on the line? If you've got two guys claiming to be the best in the world with no title on the line, it kind of makes the champion pale in comparison then.
That's a fair point, but I think with Cena/Rock as the headliner this year and another Undertaker streak match as a potential semi, practically every other match on the show will automatically pale in comparison (in terms of hype and build-up; I have no doubt that Jericho/Punk could easily steal the show in terms of 'best match'). That's why I believe it'd be a great year to allow a couple of up and comers like a Sheamus and a Ziggles feature in a WWE Title match.
Originally posted by J. KyleHaven't any of the writing staff played EWR and seen what happens when you try to run more than a couple video packages in one show?
I got to the Cena video package - the same one I paid to watch during the Royal Rumble - and I shut the show off and never went back. I didn't feel like I was missing anything other than the hour or so I wasted watching the show up until that point.
This week's RAW Backstage Fallout from the WWE YouTube:
Daniel Bryan is pretty awesome, but the funniest thing is the question posed to David Otunga: "David, can you explain what happened out there in legal terms?"
Great work on HHH/Taker and Punk/Jericho. Don't blame them for selling Rock/Cena, but it really makes no sense when you are trying to sell Kane as TEH MOST EVILEST EVA! Cena should be obsessed with Kane, destroy him at EC, then we get Rock.
An Ambulance Match...talk about a gimmick no one gives a crap about (and I'm a mark for gimmick matches).
Originally posted by KJames199I got to the Cena video package - the same one I paid to watch during the Royal Rumble - and I shut the show off and never went back. I didn't feel like I was missing anything other than the hour or so I wasted watching the show up until that point.
I don't really know what I'd have them doing given the limited availability of The Rock, but yeah, it's strange how much the repeated, lengthy video packages have done so much to deflate any interest in Rock vs. Cena for me. It's just really unengaging.
At this point, I almost think they smartest thing they could do would be to have Kane dominate Cena up until The Rock's next scheduled appearance, and have Rock destroy and run off Kane to bail Cena out to "save" him for their match. A weakened Cena with a bruised ego would at least give them something to hang the last month on and give each fanbase something to rally around.
The way this year is shaping up you don't even have to go that low on the card to see all the people who aren't gonna be featured. There's Rikishi for example. What will Jeff Hardy and Test being doing? Or Hurricane Helms.