WWE Raw Discussion Thread

[Oaf]

Reigns has lost clean in his last three appearances. He's in the doghouse. I think it's a good thing for him, now he's not seen as the golden boy he's like everyone else that has to earn it.

That's true actually... I guess I didn't count Battleground because it was a triple threat and I forgot Seth beat him clean at MitB as well. Ha. No clean loses forever then 3 in a row

I feel like this can only help Roman Reigns. Maybe if he's not shoved down everybodies throat, some people will start to like him more...

Nah, ok, he's beyond that point. There is only one cure, and we all know it... HEEL FFS.

 

[Christian Slater]

They just need to do something interesting with him where he doesn't feel forced.

Is this Universal Title going to be considered a world title in the grand scheme of things, as in those that hold it will be referred to as a former World Champion? It doesn't sit right with me making a new belt and automatically giving it that prestige. I know they kind of did that with the World Heavyweight Title, but that was taking on the lineage of the WCW Title. When they unified the belts the World Heavyweight Title's lineage ceased and what is the WWE Title (formerly WWE World Heavyweight Title) is the route the history books are following. This new title feels really out of place, I'd have preferred one world title where the champ alternates shows.

 

[JoeJoeJoeJoe]

Spoiler: YAY

 

[Christian Slater]

Bit of a fuck up at the end of Smackdown. I think they finished too early and were scrambling to fill the time. It got my hopes up that something was about to happen, so it didn't only look stupid it was also a massive anti-climax.

I think they've jumped the gun pushing Ziggler straight to the main event. The stuff they'd only show on WWE.com where he was conflicted with himself but determined to grab redemption were great promos that should have been replicated over time, leading to a feel-good ending. Now it looks like they're going to rush that into a few weeks and then he'll lose and be back to where he is now.

The show overall still felt like the inferior show with the inferior talent, not good seeing as Cena, Orton and AJ all performed.

 

[SamScfc]

Not watched WWE for about 7 months, started watching it this week and they put Ziggler, who was one of the reasons I stopped watching, as number 1 contender. Goodbye

 

[Libertine]

Smackdown was a bit flat. As CS said it really felt like the B show. Kind of over Ziggler these days so bit nonplussed at that, 3 or 4 years ago yes. Raw kicked its arse this week, let's hope it ups its game next week.

 

[Luke]

What the fuck is the different camera angles about on Smackdown, please drop this it is horrible.

Raw was definitely better this week, in fact it was a very very good Raw. With all respect who actually cares that Rhyno is back? Shelton Benjamin is gonna be good though in fairness.

Also would anyone else be in favour of a separate thread for Raw & Smackdown on here now? I wanted to come on here at lunch and talk about Raw but couldn't incase of Smackdown spoilers.

 

[Christian Slater]

What the fuck is the different camera angles about on Smackdown, please drop this it is horrible.

Raw was definitely better this week, in fact it was a very very good Raw. With all respect who actually cares that Rhyno is back? Shelton Benjamin is gonna be good though in fairness.

Also would anyone else be in favour of a separate thread for Raw & Smackdown on here now? I wanted to come on here at lunch and talk about Raw but couldn't incase of Smackdown spoilers.

I think splitting threads would be a good idea.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Ironically, I've been planning/thinking on having singular threads just today at work. I'll set that up this evening. FWIW, I've seen reports that Smackdown was back to it's awful worst this week. I bet the rating is terrible too, 3 hours of PPV, then 3 hours of Raw, followed by 2 of Smackdown - 3 nights running, then an hour of NXT tonight?

WWE want people to do this twice each month for seperate brands? This won't go well.

 

[Luke]

Cheers just means don't have to avoid this thread all together until I've watched both shows and if only watched one for the time can at least comment, sure others will be in the same boat.

Also I must say I skipped quite a bit of smackdown due to seeing enough, I think like you say after PPV then Raw it's all a bit to much.

Nobody else disliking the new cameras on Smackdown, not seen much on the internet about it, I thought it was awful and put me off at times just didn't feel right... hopefully it'll grow on me.

Oh and Zack Ryder's botches in the Battle Royal, lol. (Totally missed a drop kick then slipped off the turnbuckle for anyone who missed it)

 

[Who Needs Mourinho]

Cheers just means don't have to avoid this thread all together until I've watched both shows and if only watched one for the time can at least comment, sure others will be in the same boat.

Also I must say I skipped quite a bit of smackdown due to seeing enough, I think like you say after PPV then Raw it's all a bit to much.

Nobody else disliking the new cameras on Smackdown, not seen much on the internet about it, I thought it was awful and put me off at times just didn't feel right... hopefully it'll grow on me.

I thought Smackdown was better than the tripe they have been serving up for the last few years but it did fall below Raw.

The camera angles were used on the old NXT so it's not something new, but they can be slightly off-putting I agree.

 

[Christian Slater]

I don't mind the camera angles, I thought they were dynamic to the action. They fucked up missing Kalisto hitting a frogsplash but that's about it. I think it adds to the action. I'm just glad they've moved on from that rigid hard-cam shot that dictated the position moves and pins were done.

 

[Luke]

You sure it was Kalisto, JBL seemed to think it was Sin Cara early on .

Didn't watch the old NXT (or the current one in fairness) so it was totally new for me, sure I will get used to them in time.

 

[Bluebird_Dai]

How have I not seen Alexa Bliss before?!

 

[T.A]

It was awful. Eva Marie's intro was interesting as was her outfit. I'd like the hardcore title to return to SD seeing as Raw have the cruiser weight.

 

[Christian Slater]

It was awful. Eva Marie's intro was interesting as was her outfit. I'd like the hardcore title to return to SD seeing as Raw have the cruiserweight.

Hardcore title is a good shout. Ideally Smackdown should have the Cruiserweights seeing as it's supposed to be the wrestling show that has no "glass ceiling", but it's clear they want to fill the 3 hours on Raw like Nitro. Smackdown could definitely do with an intriguing gimmick though.

 

[T.A]

Yeah. Raw has an incredible amount of talent compared to SD it really doesn't need the Cruiserweight too. SD needs a selling point. Whether that's the hardcore title or a tag team division ( yeah I know tag champs on raw) just needs something or else it's just gonna die straight away.

 

[Christian Slater]

They've given Smackdown some big names but I don't think it does them any favours, unless they're there to put new talent over. The problem is the bulk of the guys are bums like Ziggler that need intense rehabbing, and the new guys, bar American Alpha, have zero buzz. So you have four big stars in Ambrose, Cena, Orton and AJ and then this massive chasm of quality and star power to the next lot. It makes it feel forced when that gap is attempted to be bridged so quickly. They need fresh faces already, Rhyno and Shelton Benjamin aren't going to help.

 

[T.A]

I agree. There's hardly anyone who's actually exciting/good on the mic. Cena/Orton are boring. Ambrose is okay sometimes. Aj is decent but has no one to bounce off. Who else is there? Del Rio? Ziggler? Kane? All either past it or just dull.

 

[Christian Slater]

Unless they're going to resume The Club with Balor I can't help but feel they've made a grave error by splitting them up. This is a group you could make a big deal of and add members to that could run roughshod over Smackdown. That instantly creates a force at the top of the show. It would also be wise to have a strong faction in place to give The Shield a reason to reunite in time.

 

[Oaf]

Oh, fuck off with Ziggler.

So every year, Summerslam looks fucking amazing. Like, top, fantastic sounding matches. Last year we got Undertaker/Lesnar II, Cena vs Seth title for title and a cool Ambrose/Reigns vs Wyatts match. The year before we had an outstanding Ambrose vs Rollins lumberjack match and Cena vs Lesnar. The year before was a really cool Bryan vs Cena main event, with also Lesnar vs CM Punk...

So basically, after years of that, after doing 2 Wrestlemanias in a row, I get thinking "man, I really ought to do a Summerslam one year"...

And this is what I get.

Don't get me wrong, it's probably all going to be ok. But just on paper, for now at least...:

Lesnar vs Orton is probably the least interesting sounding Lesnar match since his return. It just... doesn't click for me. I don't know. I don't mind Orton and Lesnar is great, and I still think that they can have an amazing match but it's just not got any real buzz about it for me.

Balor vs Rollins is... at least interesting. As I said, I'm yet to be fully convinced by Balor if I'm honest, but he's doing an ok job of winning me over. My hope is that, if he's as good as everybody seems to say he is, this could be a match of the year contender. But just on Paper... Rollins vs a guy that I'm not really fully seeing as being worthy of the hype yet... hm.

Ambrose vs Ziggler, I think 3 or 4 years ago, people would have thought it's really cool to see Ziggler main event Summerslam. Don't get me wrong, I was a card carrying Ziggler fanboy like everybody else once upon a time. I went nuts when he cashed in against Del Rio. But in the last few years, with all of the great new talent coming through, I think that people are starting to realise that, actually, Ziggler isn't all that great. He's a very good wrestler and has a fair bit of ability, of course, but... eh. He's just not that interesting to watch anymore. And frankly, I just find his character irritating as shit now days. This whole "everybody knows I'm the best but GLASS CEILING AUTHORITY HOLDING ME BACK WHATEVS *insert shit joke here*" thing he's got going on. Honestly, if WWE released Dolph Ziggler tomorrow, I don't think I'd entirely care anymore.

And I don't really see an Ambrose/Ziggler face vs face feud being all that interesting either. As that 6 pack challenge went on, I started to really feel as if Ziggler would win it. I was hoping it'd be AJ Styles, but honestly I was more interested in it just not being Ziggler, Corbin or Crews to win it.

I don't know. To be fair, they're three matches that could be fantastic on any given night really. But in terms of appeal when just reading them... eh. Not that into it. I'm still going to go, I'm not going to sell my ticket or anything, but... I just feel as if it could have been a whole lot better. And it's the first time I've thought that since... well, what d'ya know, the last PPV I went to, WM32... :/

What the fuck is the different camera angles about on Smackdown, please drop this it is horrible.

Glad I'm not the only one. That battle royal made me feel fucking sea sick. AWFUL.

It was awful. Eva Marie's intro was interesting as was her outfit. I'd like the hardcore title to return to SD seeing as Raw have the cruiser weight.

I must admit, that was fucking hilarious. If they actually continue to push her in this way, I can totally see her being a "so bad it's good" type thing.

 

[Libertine]

Dude that's unlucky. I think they're gonna do a 4 hour SS again as well which makes it even worse when the main events are a bit flat. Totally over Ziggler as you say, just a wannabe HBK. It's like a Smackdown main event, hardly something worthy of the second biggest PPV in the year.

Happy to support the separate threads but guys can we please call it a thread extension.

 

[Oaf]

Dude that's unlucky. I think they're gonna do a 4 hour SS again as well which makes it even worse when the main events are a bit flat. Totally over Ziggler as you say, just a wannabe HBK. It's like a Smackdown main event, hardly something worthy of the second biggest PPV in the year.

Happy to support the separate threads but guys can we please call it a thread extension.

Ah, to be fair the extra hour can be nothing but a good thing. I remember everybody saying that Wrestlemania "went on too long" this year with it's silly 6 or 7 hours or whatever it was in total... but for me, it still wasn't anywhere near long enough Even if it's shit, I know it'll still be amazing being there and I won't want it to end.

 

[RavenBish]

Not been on here in a while but crikey, talk about classic WWE. Raw was a superb show, a fresh feel and little changes and tweaks that culminated in a show that focused on some decent wrestling and subtly pushing the #NewEra and then they dun fucked it up with that Smackdown. 'Howdy fellow kids, we're cool fo shizzle' opening with Bryan and Shane-O who took up more screen time than Steph ever has in a 2 hour period.

don't get me fucking started on Ambrose and Ziggler. You're absolutely fucked if your brand's contribution to the co-Main Event of the year's 2nd biggest PPV is those 2 stale losers. I genuinely believe Smackdown really would be the New Era, a bit like when Heyman booked Smackdown years ago but it's not they've fucked it and are left with a clear B-tier brand that no-one will want to watch unless they have an hour of Gable/Jordan and an hour of Styles every week.

Fully on board with Summerslam though, it's the stacked show they wanted Mania to be, so the extra time makes a lot of sense. You've still got to add Styles/Cena, New Day/The Club and then find spots for Rusev (Zayn v Rusev please!) and Miz to defend their titles. Cesaro/Owens/Reigns/Corbin/Wyatt will all be on the card in some capacity and then with their over-ness(?) Enzo & Cass will force their way into the mix. It's a situation that's hard to mess up.

 

[Stevencc]

I'm about to watch last night's RAW but I'm guessing nothing happened based on this thread...

 

[T.A]

Only watched 2/3 of it before work. It was alright. The main laugh was Roman Reigns.

 

[Libertine]

As much as I don't like the whole idea of Orton crossing brands that reaction was mental.

 

[Christian Slater]

As much as I don't like the whole idea of Orton crossing brands that reaction was mental.

I didn't like it initially but I thought they saved it with chasing him out of the arena. The match was also made in kayfabe before the draft, so after Summerslam I don't see this being an issue, hopefully.

I thought the opening segment was good but it made Sasha look incredibly bad, she was cringeworthy. Charlotte got all the big jokes in and looked composed.

Finn is as generic as it comes on the mic but the crowd still got behind him. He'll need to improve quickly because Rollins murdered him.

The RKO spot was fantastic and genuinely unexpected.

Nothing much else to really talk about.

 

[Bluebird_Dai]

Enzo & Cass potentially in a feud with Y2J & Owens is promo heaven for me, they don't even need to have a scrap!

 

[Libertine]

Jerichowens surely?