The biggest things I got out of last night were: -Gallows & Andrews debuting kickass. Now, how long until VKM messes this up? -Dr. Phil owns every single person on the planet by being able to "WOOOO~!" better that Flair can. -Ok, so, what exactly ARE they doing with Bray and The Wyatts? They just became interesting again. Faces? Tweeners? Enough to keep everyone on their toes. I like it. -Ambrose Asylum. A program with Jericho makes us all better people.
That's all I caught. Doing a bunch of work on the house and had it on in the background. When I heard "ANDERSON & GALLOWS~!", I don't think I've moved that fast in a long time, running from the one room to the other that had the tv on.
This was a good-great episode of Raw that wasn't helped by the nonchalant crowd. They had Owens-Cesaro, Zayn-Styles, a good Charlotte-Nattie match, the debut of two Guys Who Matter, and a fun main event, but nothing felt like a big deal because the Universe seems to have the attention span of a toddler. I knew it was going to be rough when the roof was still firmly attached during the Owens-Cesaro match. The rest of the show, they didn't disappoint my expectations of a disappointing crowd.
I never knew I would enjoy a Dr. Phil performance as much as I did last night.
I also never knew I would enjoy a Reigns-Wyatt team. That sequence at the finish where Bray had the pin, Roman comes flying in from across the ring, and just before the spear while still covering, Wyatt points, was awesome. That was a beautiful touch.
They are wasting and ruining and killing Owens's GODDAMN GORGEOUS frogsplash. He's doing some Van Dam work there, and it hasn't gotten the pin either time I've seen it. That's a finisher. It should finish.
Was Shane loopy on pain killers? He sounded awful last night. And his control of RAW is baffling. But OK. We're getting good action this week and last.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Originally posted by Matt TrackerWas Shane loopy on pain killers? He sounded awful last night.
Yeah, I thought the same thing -- he sounded like he was doing an impersonation of Christopher Walken impersonating a recovering-from-the-throat-injury Ricky Steamboat at times.
I'm just really happy that Extreme Rules is no longer the first post-WM PPV, and that they are no longer kicking off post-WM programs with stipulation-laden matches. Hopefully, this is a permanent change.
I'm also really happy that they appear to be keeping Reigns-Styles one-on-one rather than (subtracting by) adding more competitors.
That said, Payback is shaping up to be something special.
Those tournament bracket graphics though. Not booty.
(edited by Mr Shh on 12.4.16 1031) You askew my mirror. I askew yours.
Originally posted by lotjxWe had a Wrestlemania that really didn't matter and somehow the product got better. AJ/Sami is MOTYC.
This is pretty true. WrestleMania mostly stunk and almost nothing about the booking around it has made any sense, but this week's show was at least 66% good, which has seemed like an unfathomable idea for the last year. This show, in fact, was better than the traditional "please don't boo us for one night only" Night After WrestleMania show from last week.
Styles/Zayn was great. Like, really great. Charlotte/Nattie was (once again) really good, Owens/Cesaro was really good, but Styles/Zayn was better. If felt like an actual wrestling match, with real lockups and the two of them jockeying for position, something I can't remember happening in a WWE TV match in ages and something I would have forgotten completely as an important, basic element of a good wrestling match if I hadn't seen Nakamura putting on lockup showcases on NJPW AXS for the last year, which makes me wonder if his arrival isn't spurring the other superworkers to really step up their game. This would be a good thing. I don't want to oversell the match - it's not touching Cena/Punk as best free TV match of the last few years if only because the stakes and "moment" weren't there - but AJ seems like he's going at full speed now and Zayn seems like he's back up to full power and it was just a really great match between really great wrestlers.
Reigns seems like he had something last week with that "I'm not a good guy. I'm not a bad guy. I'm the guy" line, but it turns out that's his catchphrase now? And he says it anytime the crowd boos? Don't do that. Use that as the starting point, not a catchphrase. Come on.
No idea if Reigns and his new friends the Wyatts will make any sense, but it made for a cool main event. So, they seem to be putting the feelers in place that Anderson/Gallows will help AJ vs. Roman (since why else attack the Usos and not New Day?) as an AJ heel turn/Bullet Club tease. But they also have in place the possibility of doing what they failed to do with Cena and the Nexus and having Roman be tempted by the promise of the Wyatts helping him win. So you could, in theory, have one or both of a heel (AJ) pretending to be a face by denying that heels are intentionally helping him and/or a face (who the fans already hate) accidentally turning heel by taking the help of heels who have (accidentally?) turned face.
(Or they could do neither. They'll probably do neither.)
A nice little touch on Cesaro's entrance; him walking out mirrors James Bond's opening, complete with the gunsight. He's also got a new T-Shirt to go along with the new entrance, so it seems as if that he's getting a decent push.
Best show they've done in awhile. I love all the new talent being brought in and being allowed to work a style of their style. I wonder how WWE only fans feel about watching a show with so many different faces?
It feels like we are in an experimental phase where the company is at least trying different things just to feel out the reactions to them. Are they brave enough to go down this road or do they bail as soon as Orton and Cena return?
Bray will work well as a face, but The Wyatts should stay heels. It's just a shame their leader, Harper, is out for awhile.
The League of Nations shirts look like those dumb shirts that come with a matching shot glass that you find at Spencer Gifts.
The League of Nations shirts look like those dumb shirts that come with a matching shot glass that you find at Spencer Gifts.
I was thinking about that last night when they came out onto the stage. yeah, they are cheesy, but I think they did them so Barrett could have one more shirt to sell before he hit the road.
Originally posted by Dr UnlikelyReigns seems like he had something last week with that "I'm not a good guy. I'm not a bad guy. I'm the guy" line, but it turns out that's his catchphrase now? And he says it anytime the crowd boos? Don't do that. Use that as the starting point, not a catchphrase. Come on.
Let's dispel once and for all with this fiction that Roman Reigns is a good guy or Roman Reigns is a bad guy. He's not a good guy. He's not a bad guy. He's the guy.
I was there live. I don't know if they turned the mics down on the crowd on TV, but I didn't notice the crowd being all that bad tonight. It wasn't the hottest crowd I've ever been a part of, but it seemed to react well at the right spots.
When buying the tickets, I knew I was running the risk of a 30 minute Authority promo, but it looks like it was timed just right. This Raw was one of the good prizes in the box of Krusty-O's and not the "flesh-eating bacteria" that Raw usually was. Probably the best one so far in 2016. Even better without having to hear Michael Cole and JBL.
A big part of that is now we don't have to build to matches we don't want to see, and are instead building to matches we do want to see during the period where they're trying to maintain Network subscribers who all got the free month.
AJ vs Zayn was great, especially since they usually follow through on teases of triple threats, so I was worried they were going to job AJ again. No shame in Zayn losing here, much like there'll be no shame in AJ losing a competitive match to Reigns. Circle of life.
A while back, I suggested they use Cesaro as a Bond villain type, and they're now finally following through and using Cesaro as a European spy or whatever, and I think it'll work if Vince doesn't get bored of it. Anything to give Cesaro a hook that makes him "cool" to Vince and I'm on board.
Reigns got super-booed, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't see a few kids in Reigns shirts in the arena. But kids are dumb. Reigns was still overwhelmingly unpopular and an uncharismatic bore.
After the show, the Wyatts suddenly turned heel again to set up a 6-man dark match. AJ and Dean both came out and Dean got the pin with the Dirty Deeds, with his music playing them out. They also played Wyatt's music when he got the pin on Raw. They definitely know about Reigns. They don't care.
I was there in my Bullet Club shirt and decided to visit the concessions when I saw the next match was Usos vs Social Outcasts. Big mistake. Missed Anderson and Gallows entirely. They even walked by my section. Bummer.
EDIT: Oh, and Ice Cube's son walked by us. Really cool!
This was probably the best episode of RAW in years. Every segment, for the first time in a long, long time, felt necessary and like it added something to the show.
Originally posted by Dr Unlikelyit was just a really great match between really great wrestlers.
Maybe they don't always have to make it hard for themselves.
Did anyone else catch the ad that promoted a contest where you win a trip to Universal Orlando with Titus O'Neil, then Cole plugged the contest later and said it was with "a WWE Superstar?"
Originally posted by SKLOKAZOIDWhen buying the tickets, I knew I was running the risk of a 30 minute Authority promo, but it looks like it was timed just right. This Raw was one of the good prizes in the box of Krusty-O's and not the "flesh-eating bacteria" that Raw usually was. Probably the best one so far in 2016. Even better without having to hear Michael Cole and JBL.
Originally posted by GreymarchJust once I'd like to see Sami pin someone after that Blue Thunder Bomb.
He and his lifetime buddy/enemy both have non-finishing finishers.
I know, right? The Bullfrog Splash looks so killer, along with the Blue Thunder Bomb. I think it has more to do with the competition they are facing - Cesaro and Styles are overpowered right now. Put them against the Social Outcasts, and that would be another story.
Loved the last two weeks of RAW. Fantastic stuff, so glad to see the new blood getting entrenched.
Bray Wyatt was golden in that Main Event. I agree, that *bang* point and spear was beautiful. Ranked up there with American Alpha at Takeover: Dallas when Jordan tagged Gable, sprinted off the screen, then flew in from offscreen to just blast Dawson in half in the corner. Great camera work and timing from all involved.
"As you may have read in Robert Parker's Wine Newsletter, 'Donaghy Estates tastes like the urine of Satan, after a hefty portion of asparagus.'" Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock