Originally posted by CRZOh dear - nobody watched this show.
Unfortunately, I watched it. In the process, I developed a new rule - no starting Raw until at least two hours in. They took a show that I found hard to watch to begin with and stuffed it full of filler and replays and replays of replays. Did you know there was a fire?!?!
Originally posted by CRZThis was the #RAWactive match - based on tweets, "street fight" beat out "no holds barred" and "falls count anywhere" taking 73% of the tweets. (I didn't vote; they all looked like "no DQ" to me.)
I assumed that was supposed to be AJ sticking it to Bryan, but I don't know if that was the intent.
Originally posted by CRZAW made his own news by including a "Kobe Bryant in a Colorado hotel" reference in his ringside mic'd remarks
Not sure how this nobody kept his job after making a rape joke live on Raw during Linda McMahon's senate campaign. Good thing he didn't interrupt the national anthem at a house show.
Originally posted by Dr UnlikelyPunk's reluctant promo at the beginning was nicely done, but kind of immediately undermined. Kinda confused about where they think they're going with this. If Punk is indeed the heel, are we supposed to accept that his "the WWE champion should be treated as the most important Superstar" argument is wrong? It's an especially weird position for the company to book themselves into, isn't it? I mean, I know the spin will be "Punk is an egomaniac", but it's hard to get around the fact that he has a very rational point and that the title should be the ultimate goal and focus of everyone in the company.
I worry that the WWE's way to ensure Punk is treated as a heel when Cena's around is to drape him in stock-heel behavior. The guy who's addicted to competition freaked out at a triple-threat title match.
Then again, this is based on Punk's comments to AJ as the show ended, and I don't know how much we stock we can put in what we normally wouldn't hear. That's ramp talk with a camera mic. Might be utterly disposable.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
AW's comment was the best part of the show. If Vince and Creative were smart they would give AW a "Controversial Speaker" gimmick and ban him from all microphones. They take his headset away on week one, he tries to steal the ring announcer's microphone. He tries to speak on commentary the next week, security runs down to stop him before he utters a sentence (which PTP use as a distraction to win their current match). Then when they eventually win the Tag Team titles AW grabs a live mic and security runs to stop him, Titus and Young start kicking the crap out of the fodder to establish them as a dangerous tag team. Then Punk runs out to say "Pipe Bomb" and drops the mic.
Fantasy Booking is fun.
So now I guess AJ is not crazy because she got a promotion and traded her Chuck Taylor's for an altered Steph McMahon powersuit? They just killed my love of her character in one very long episode of RAW.
Bryan was entertaining as usual. I loved him yelling "Yes" at the psychiatrist. Is it too late to switch Bryan into the Summerslam match instead of Del Rio? Shaemus and my boy D-Bry have some of the best matches together, and Del Rio is so dull that his ring announcer is more entertaining than him.
I have nothing to say on the misdirection of CM Punk.....well nothing else, for now.
I just have to say, all the people who said RAW going to three hours was awesome because it meant guys like Ryder and Hawkins would have time to be on tv, and that the divas would have time to work long, quality matches were absolutely right.
Originally posted by Big BadPunk's tweenerdom officially died tonight. It's been said before and it's true --- when a guy is a whiner, it's officially a heel turn. Punk complaining about the lack of a spotlight cinches it. If only he'd carried around a few packs of creamer and said he was the cream of the crop and the spotlight should be directly on him. If Punk was supposed to actually be a tweener, he would've challenged both men for Summerslam himself and not been one-upped by AJ to end the show.
2011 Punk would have called out the cliche of the non-ending and triple-threat stipulation. Remember when he was mocking contract signings for always ending in fights? That's what Righteous Punk did. Surly Punk has to live out those cliches. And that's pretty dang boring.
I was really hoping Punk would have interupted AJ's announcement and said,
"Let me guess...a triple threat. Wow, this sure is a new direction!"
The depressing thing is, I think they know precisely what they were doing with Punk over the last year. And I read a great post elsewhere that really solidified what I'd suspected for a while.
As long as Cena is in the WWE, they'll be a ceiling for anyone else hoping to rise to the top of the pile. Orton and Punk both came near with their bad-ass persona's, however they .both. got watered down into near-oblivion (though they're thankfully trying to rectify Punk)
People thought Punk was slowly getting stale and the amount of times I've read on these types of forums that they wouldn't have cared if Orton hadn't come back was actually very telling in my opinion.
Rewind to 2010, and Orton was getting the loudest pops, was being portrayed as the ultimate take no prisoners bad ass, and was massively over. WWE then put the title on him and turned him into the most uninspiring, watered down baby-face with virtually no Mic time. All sound familiar? Punk's road to creative fuck-uppery is almost exactly the same.
In both Orton & Punks cases they put the belt on too soon, started limiting Mic time and putting them in matches with generic heel #468, whilst company man Cena got all the main events and big angles.
However, I'm hoping that trend was reversed last week.
Originally posted by steven87gillWWE then put the title on him and turned him into the most uninspiring, watered down baby-face with virtually no Mic time. All sound familiar? Punk's road to creative fuck-uppery is almost exactly the same.
I'll take issue with the mic time comparison.
Orton is horrible on the mic. Just dead flat. He has been kept from the mic during his face run because he: 1) has nothing to say; 2) because he has no motivation.
Orton's gimmick is allegedly quiet intensity. But he can't portray that. He's a limited actor. I'm no fan of his ringwork, but I suspect his repertoire has been scaled back to match the gimmick. If he went out there and busted out the high crossbody again, it would be incongruous with his persona. So we get a subtle-to-the-point-of-blank character who can't talk with a limited moveset. If not for his finisher, he'd have nothing the audience could react to.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
3 hours really exposes how much filler is on the show. If you cut out all the replays and recaps, you'd probably have about a two hour show stuffed with good stuff. The matches were longer, and actually pretty good. All the recaps just kill the momentum of the show, and they also send the wrong message to viewers - "Don't worry if you missed half the show, we'll catch you up on anything important, which can be condensed into a 3-minute clip." You want everything on the show to seem important, and make people want to be afraid of missing stuff if they tune in late or not at all. These recaps are especially inexcusable in the age of DVR. They're just a waste of potentially precious star-building, angle-advancing time.
Originally posted by Matt Tracker If not for his finisher, he'd have nothing the audience could react to.
Well, Orton also has his snap powerslam, his inverted backbreaker, and his DDT from the middle rope. That last move is pretty over.
Originally posted by Tenken347 These recaps are especially inexcusable in the age of DVR. They're just a waste of potentially precious star-building, angle-advancing time.
Cole: "In case, you missed it, let us take you back..."
Everyone at home: "WE HAVE DVRS!!"
(edited by John Orquiola on 31.7.12 1255) @CMPunk “@ZackRyder: @CMPunk She played me bro” I got your back.
Originally posted by Matt Tracker If not for his finisher, he'd have nothing the audience could react to.
Well, Orton also has his snap powerslam, his inverted backbreaker, and his DDT from the middle rope. That last move is pretty over.
Originally posted by Tenken347 These recaps are especially inexcusable in the age of DVR. They're just a waste of potentially precious star-building, angle-advancing time.
Cole: "In case, you missed it, let us take you back..."
Everyone at home: "WE HAVE DVRS!!"
(edited by John Orquiola on 31.7.12 1255)
The RKO is the one move that gets the massive pop though. I think for a lot of fans its so similar to the Stunner that its hard not to get a pop out of it. I am with Matt. Orton is not Punk. Punk can actually speak with emotion and tell a story in and out of the ring. Orton has been the same guy since he turned face against Legacy. An out of control good looking frat boy who the ladies like and the 15 to 20 somethings can relate to more than Cena. Now, that Punk is here, Orton is a bit passe, he either needed to develop more on the mic in his time off or have a sure fire storyline when he got back. Considering the fact he is one failed piss test away from the unemployment line, I doubt WWE is going to be investing a lot of time in him even with his long contract.
The Wee Baby Sheamus.Twitter: @realjoecarfley its a bit more toned down there. A bit.
Originally posted by John OrquiolaWell, Orton also has his snap powerslam, his inverted backbreaker, and his DDT from the middle rope. That last move is pretty over.
This is gonna sound snarky: That's his entire moveset. He uses the beautiful dropkick occasionally. But Orton's Five Moves of Doom are Orton's Five Moves Period.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Originally posted by steven87gillWWE then put the title on him and turned him into the most uninspiring, watered down baby-face with virtually no Mic time. All sound familiar? Punk's road to creative fuck-uppery is almost exactly the same.
I'll take issue with the mic time comparison.
Orton is horrible on the mic. Just dead flat. He has been kept from the mic during his face run because he: 1) has nothing to say; 2) because he has no motivation.
Orton's gimmick is allegedly quiet intensity. But he can't portray that. He's a limited actor. I'm no fan of his ringwork, but I suspect his repertoire has been scaled back to match the gimmick. If he went out there and busted out the high crossbody again, it would be incongruous with his persona. So we get a subtle-to-the-point-of-blank character who can't talk with a limited moveset. If not for his finisher, he'd have nothing the audience could react to.
It's probably no coincidence that Orton peaked in the first half of 2009 when they addressed his lack of motivation/things to say by just going with the idea that Randy Orton, the character, was insane and went into rage blackouts.
I don't think he ever recovered his steam as a character (as a worker, of course, he was kinda great for a good chunk of last year and even showed personality here and there) from inexplicably losing at Wrestlemania XXV. I remember him being really over as a lunatic in the build-up to that, and his momentum was derailed with that loss. If they'd actually gone with Orton as that chaotic island-unto-himself, they'd have had a much better chance of doing the Orton/Cena redux that they so clearly wanted the year after, and the idea of that Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett or going against conflicted Nexus Slave John Cena is considerably more interesting than what we got instead.
As it is, Orton vs. Bryan could still be a strong feud, both as a series of matches and to see recovered lunatic Orton vs. slowly deteriorating Bryan. And I think Orton vs. Del Rio might be a sleeper feud if they accept that neither Orton nor Del Rio should be getting extended mic time, that both do their best work being vicious/hateful on people in the ring. Plus, I want to see Orton/Ricardo segments. Only good things can happen.
I really wish Orton wasn't such a screw up because I really loved his feud with Punk from two years ago (when you took Nexus out of the equation). I always liked Randy and thought after he tried to kick Vince's head off that he was the anti-authority character the company has been looking for since Austin retired. Unfortunately his brittle bone syndrome and wellness policy failures over the years just make him too big of a risk in the eyes of the powers that be of the company.
I truly hope he gets himself together this time. I think his matches with guys like Ziggler, Christian, even Batista were fantastic. Plus the WWE is in bad need of promoting (and maintaining) some main event Superstars. This company is seriously becoming John Cena TV.
Originally posted by John OrquiolaWell, Orton also has his snap powerslam, his inverted backbreaker, and his DDT from the middle rope. That last move is pretty over.
This is gonna sound snarky: That's his entire moveset. He uses the beautiful dropkick occasionally. But Orton's Five Moves of Doom are Orton's Five Moves Period.
Say what you want, but Orton got a big pop for all of his moves.
As for Punk, I'm not sure where they go just yet. Punk basically played Stone Cold in the era of the Invasion. "I'm the champion, I do not deserve to be treated like this" Ì hope he's build up enough credit in the past year to give his own twist on the heel character, and that he doesn't have to turn into the generic chicken-shit heel.
AJ as GM. Meh. I guess her crazy days are over, which will quickly make her less appealing to the audience. Though when Punk yelled at her she did get that "This is hot" look in her eyes again.
I liked the longer matches, I hope they can keep that up. Not sure if they really had more "moments ago" or "last week" segments, because well..they already had way too many of that so I don't even notice those anymore.
On Orton: you want someone that injury prone to do more moves? Yeah, the guy's no Malenko, but you have to admit that all his moves look really good. Best power slam I think I've ever seen, good elevation on the drop kick when it happens, most everything I've seen is crisp, sharp, and smooth. He may never be the 'new Austin' we all want and the WWE has tried building, but he's a pretty damned good Orton.
As for punk looking weird, his haircut and the lighting made it look like he was grayling on the sides ala Mr. Fantastic.
"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Frown and the world laughs at you." -Me.
Originally posted by dMpAJ as GM. Meh. I guess her crazy days are over, which will quickly make her less appealing to the audience.
Was everyone watching a different AJ (Lee) than I was? The only difference from last week and this week was the business suit. Otherwise, she was still doing the weird head tilts, the wide eyes, and the unnerving smiles. The only thing missing was the skipping. The GM should skip to announce banal main events like triple threat matches.
@CMPunk
“@ZackRyder: @CMPunk She played me bro” I got your back.
Originally posted by Big BadIf there's a god, next week Sandow comes out to the ring accompanied by the Waltzadactls and they do a proper slow dance before his match.
OK, OMG
Originally posted by lotjxAJ just looks like Mini-Steph. I mean I think that was the same suit from 2002 when Steph was GM.
She talks like her too. Waiting for the first "each and every one of you." Mortifying! Franklin: "You've ruined the act, GOB."
Originally posted by TheOldMan
Originally posted by Matt Tracker
Originally posted by John OrquiolaWell, Orton also has his snap powerslam, his inverted backbreaker, and his DDT from the middle rope. That last move is pretty over.
This is gonna sound snarky: That's his entire moveset. He uses the beautiful dropkick occasionally. But Orton's Five Moves of Doom are Orton's Five Moves Period.
Can't forget the headlock. Maybe he gets an extra half for the Coil and Pound the Mat.
Have you guys seen a Randy Orton match since he moved to Smackdown? vs. Christian? vs. Dolph?
Originally posted by LexusAs for punk looking weird, his haircut and the lighting made it look like he was grayling on the sides ala Mr. Fantastic.
we talkin bout Punk or bout Del Rio. no play for Senor Gris!
Originally posted by Dr UnlikelyVery dismayed by the overall direction of seemingly everything if this is going to be the angle until the Rumble. I really want to watch Rock vs. Punk. I really don't want to watch the slog that will be getting there.
Samesies. Yeah, Punk is better as a heel. Guess what, so is everybody else in wrestling except for Rey Mysterio. It's more fun to be a heel. It's hard to be a top babyface. They had one. Now they don't. This turn is a year too soon, unless he's got Rock followed by Austin lined up as paydays.
Where was Rey, anyway? I'd rather see him as Charlie Sheen's Lashley than Kane.
Daniel Bryan is in full 2001 Kurt Angle mode. Have great match, lose, do great comedy, stooge.
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In retrospect, it seems that they found out Cena was healthy enough to wrestle and then decided to pull the plug on Jeff's push and make Cena the star of Raw again. The Royal Rumble match itself propped the show from thumbs-in-the-middle to thumbs up.