Agreed.Originally Posted by Mazer
Roman can keep the Universal, but this feud against Cody is the perfect opportunity to split the titles. Cody takes the L at Mania, Roman gives him one last chance to win the WWE title for his daddy, a third person (Sami/KO/??) weasels their way into the rematch and does the job.
Cody fulfills his dream, Roman doesn’t lose any of that massive juice, the main titles get split up again.
With this talk of triple threats, I hope no one gets the idea to book a screwy, two-ref, double-pin situation where the compromise is giving one of the winners one title, the other winner gets the other title.
I'd have Cody win at Mania and then on RAW the night after, offer to spit the belts in the spirit of opportunity and loosening the stranglehold Reigns has had on the top of the card. He can keep the WWE title in honor of his pops and then the Universal can have a tourny start up that ends at Backlash.
I wouldn't hate this.
With Dexter Lumis vs. Braun Strowman in the finals?
If it means Braun gets another chance with the big belt, I’m down…
It would've been smarter for Roman to defend each title on both nights. There seemed to be a moment where they might start splitting them up when they did that tag tournament where the winner challenged for the SMACKDOWN titles a few months back.
Now it feels like we're back to that 2014 era where we're carrying around both belts but they're unified so there is no splitting anything up. They had to create a new World title i.e the Universal title. I think if they had Roman defend both he could've retained the Universal, drop the WWE, still maintaining the long reign as it started with the Universal.
I like this idea. Cody breaking the chain and restoring order to the balance would be pretty cool.
But eh... I still detest the idea of having two "rosters" and world titles. I miss when there was only one mountain top rather than two hills.
I like that the IC and US title have kind of taken over as the brand exclusive champions. You almost never see those titles on a different brand these days. I think that was what Daniel Bryan wanted to do when he won the IC strap the first time, have that be the main title on Smackdown and Lesnar or whoever can be on Raw with the undisputed title.
Having two world titles is ok if the champions are world title caliber talent and they are exclusive. It works much better when you treat like the Ruthless Aggression Era with Cena on Raw, Batista on Smackdown. The problem is when you have John Cena as WWE Champion...and Jack Swagger as World champion. I hate the "testing the waters" mentality with the World title-probably why alot of MITB cash ins never produce very many quality title reigns.
That Lesnar-Omos standoff was wild, very few people have the ability to make Brock look small in comparison.
Pretty sure Omos botched throwing Lesnar over the top rope; we might see some legitimate contact from Brock at Mania because he doesn’t like it when people actually strike him. Case in point, that one time he and Braun squared off.
I thought Brock did a really good job of putting over Omos by retreating.
I agree 100% with this. I was surprised how well both were received by the crowd. When this was first put on the card I was thinking this was not something anyone really wanted. WWE and Brcok deserve credit for getting us interested in seeing the spectacle - will Brock be able to lift the huge man?
Brock retreating was executed perfectly. Anyone who's ever watched wrestling understood this was simply a "build the anticipation" and that Brock's character of the past would never back down from anyone, let alone Omos who can't even throw a guy over the top rope on the first attempt. Brock understood that the goal of this segment was that he has to get people excited for the spectacle.
I liked the way the handshake was executed, with Omos trying to get in Brock's head by not letting go, leading to Brock having to resort to a foot stomp. Simple, old school stuff and the crowd ate it up.
We all knew that Edge/Balor was going to go down, and I like them having HITC. They hinted that Demon Balor may appear. Edge should win this as the face, but I wouldn't mind if Balor came out on top. The JD vs Gargano/Lumis was a pretty solid match. Not sure what, if anything, Priest is doing at Mania - I wouldn't be surprised if he wins the ARMBAR, while Demon Balor wins over Edge, Dom defeats his old man, and Rhea beats Charlotte, for a clean JD sweep.
Cody's promo after his match with LA Knight was fire. He is owning the crowds and making us want him to succeed.
Bronson Reed squashing Elias was filler. Reed looks like he could be a long-lost Uso cousin.
Dawkins deserves better than being a jobber. Same with Ford.
Dom interrrupting Rey's segment about his HOF induction, then challenging Rey to a match at Mania, explains why the HOF announcement was done before Rey retires. If I recall correctly, the HOF ceremony is the night before Mania, so I wonder if they wait until then for Rey to accept the Mania match?
Dom has become 10x more confident on the mic, and is eating up the hate from the crowd. Kudos to the writers who came up with the line about how his friends got Mercedes while Rey gave Dom a BMW - not even an M series. Reminded me of the heat Shane 'O Mac and the Mean Street Posse used to get.
I wish they had come up with a better story for Bianca/Asuka. Asuka helping Bianca out, and the fans cheering both, feels like a Biance heel turn may happen. WWE rarely books face vs face, and they almost never book something without knowing how the fans expected reaction.
Owens vs Solo Sikoa in a Street fight had perhaps the most obvious outcome of the night, although Rollins v Corbin was never in doubt either.
As the resident Street Profits mark, I don’t feel the need to be overly concerned.
Neither of them have had much experience as singles wrestlers, they’re being used as vehicles to build up “The Future” of the company heading into the biggest match of his career against one of the GOATs.
I’m confident that post-Mania, one/both of Ford/Dawkins will be in the US title mix with Theory, potentially even taking the title from Austin as he moves up the pecking order.
Street Profits, individually, are fine. I think they're toast as a team but they've done nearly all they can as a unit that makes sense. As for now, they're not jobbers. They're being properly utilized to help cook up a talent in preparation for Mania.
I anticipate big things for LA Knight and Bronson Reed after Mania. I can see Reed eventually being a contender for Cody at some point this year. Definitely doesn't win when he challenges Cody, but that will speak well to how he's booked by the time that happens.
I don’t get the hype at all about Bronson Reed.
I can get behind LA Knight because his mic skills are top-notch, his charisma and blend of Ric Flair meets The Rock freaking works. I’m kind of worried that he’s already in his 40s, as he’s ~20 years in there might already be too many miles on that smaller frame. His mic skills are definitely conducive to him in a MVP-mouthpiece type role into his 50s and beyond.
Any of us who grew up watching the Hart Foundation's slow split knows that sometimes you just have to see how things go with tag-teams. $treet Profits are no different. Personally think they both have main event potential.
LA Knight has grown on me but I'm still waiting for that awesome Bronson Reed moment. He's cool but there's not much to him. I thought he was a lot taller than what he is but he still looks beastly. Top rope splash is a boring finisher when Usos are already doing it and doing it much better.
And then you got Montez Ford, who looks like he’s flying every single time…
I even think Tamina has a better top rope splash than Brodus Reed.
That Rhodes/Reigns promo was amazing.
Fun Raw. This time of year we get lots of promos and squash matches, but we got some really good stuff.
Smart opening with Sami/KO and Uso's. The storyline just works, from the challenge, to Jimmy saying they don't deserve a title shot, to Jey saying its their chance to put the KO and Sami problem in the dirt. The minimal physicality interrupted by Roman's late arrival gave us the match we have been expecting, but they've delayed it, for weeks if not months, making it that much sweeter.
Roman's discussion with the bloodline put more pieces together. Jimmy shared frustration about how he blames Sami for everything. Roman got his answer from Jey - but does he believe him? Everything leading up to the closing promo was terrific, and that topped off another chapter in this great story. Roman delivered as always, and Cody continues to match him. I loved how Cody's prediction that Jey will leave Roman, Jimmy will follow, and Solo is just not ready - so Roman will be a Chief without a Tribe - got into Roman's head enough for Roman to walk away without physicality. Solo stepping up in Cody's face, backing off to go follow Roman until Cody repeats that Solo is not ready - until Cody blocked the spike with a superkick - was probably a set up for Cody to hand Solo his first loss on the main roster next week, and perhaps give a reason for Solo to not be able to help Roman at Mania.
Austin Theory and Montez Ford delivered. Theory is really smooth in the ring, and Ford in singles matches makes me not so sad about the rumored breakup of him and Dawkins. Both guys came away looking better after this match.
Chelsea Green is making the best of her "Karen" complainer gimmick. I don't know how long they can keep doing it before it gets too stale, but she is getting heat for it, and Pearce is playing his part very well.
It was clear that Mustafa Ali was jobbing to Omos quickly, but I chuckled from his "positivity" comments to Omos, saying he will beat him with his smile. Ali flips around and sells better than most. Dolph's watching backstage likely means he gets to job to Omos next week.
Logan Paul giving Miz the hard pass almost got him a face pop, but by the time he came out to the ring to insult the local team it was clear he was a heel. I liked how they leaned into Paul saying he can hang with any of them, but and even though the crowd doesn't appreciate him, he doesn't care. He understands what he has to do to keep the crowd from liking him. Seth turning off Paul's mic wasn't particularly clever, but the long walk from the time "Burn it Down" started, with the crowd singing his theme until he got in the ring to attack Paul, seemed to be a good way to prevent the crowd singing over stuff we wanted to hear. I think they really wanted to lean into the "one lucky right hand" is all Paul needs. I thought Rollins looked bad jumping well after Paul had skipped away, but the dive was impressive. Rollins seems to be channellng Macho Man's gimmick of extravagant costumes and shades, but I think that works better as a heel.
Gargano/Dominik was way better than we have come to expect from any Dom match. Priest accompanying Dom makes more sense as Mami is getting face pops. Dom getting the clean win was expected, but this was another match where both guys come away looking good. Dom telling us that he will ask his mother for permission for Rey to face in at Mania is more storyline progression that works well and keeps us interested in the week-to-week stuff.
Edge's promo with the candles bored me.
Rhea on her own seems far more of a face than when she's with Dom. This was just her promo, well before Bayley interrupted her. I am not sure it was a full face turn, but I can not be the only fan expecting a huge face pop for her when she defeats Charlotte.
I enjoyed how Gable got Otis back on board - temporarily. I chuckled when Otis ate the cucumber. The Gable/Ricochet match was terrific, and I would not mind seeing more from those two.
Ridge Holland getting chest hair removed was stupid fun. If we hadn't seen Ridge shirtless recently, it might have seemed less fake, but I think they had fun with it.
Belair lifting Piper again is still impressive. Of all the matches at Mania, Belair v Asuka has had the worst build. Two faces usually doesn't work.
When the main event is a promo, I usually don't mind falling asleep early. Happy that I used the DVR because that was amazing.
Depending on how you present it. Macho Man's over the top outfits worked almost better as a babyface especially in the early 90's when he was rocking those neon colors. People want to dress up in all that gear, that's why it was so hard to boo Savage. He had to dumb it all down, go all black and white with the nWo. I think this is what turned Seth babyface. Those over the top suits, his persona was just impossible to boo because it was so ridiculous.
I had to go back and rewatch that Rhodes/Reigns confrontation from last night. So freaking good.
-Cody and Roman went toe-to-toe on the microphone and Rhodes absolutely held his own.
-Was that the first hint of doubt we’ve seen from the Tribal Chief?
-Joe Anoa’i’s acting lessons are paying immense dividends because I swear his delivery and mannerisms are infinitely better than his SHIELD days.
-“…and this man becomes an advocate again.” :mic drop:
-I need an explanation why Roman had Solo came to the ring with his proverbial work boots on, then called the dog off. A chance to soften up his opponent less than two weeks out and he punted? Curious move and a very rare mistake, that.
What is the next step for Solo, I wonder. Does he become the second half of the tag team after Main Event Jey super kicks Jimmy and costs them the tag titles? Can Solo work a 20 minute singles match and go for the US title after Austin Theory drops it?
Nash, I think Seth became babyface because of the crowd singing along to his theme, but mostly because Riddle got himself suspended. I don't think the suits made a difference.
Not completely sure, but I was thinking that Roman called Solo off because once he (Roman) had left the ring, he realized that he needed to reassert himself as the Tribal Chief. I think Cody's remarks started to get into Roman's head, which is why Roman left the ring, but when he heard Cody continue on to dress down Solo, a member of the Bloodline, Roman quickly got back into his Head of the Table role.
I wholeheartedly agree that Roman's acting class have paid off big time. Working with Heyman also helps. In his Shield days, Roman was pretty much a strong, silent type, but his mannerisms now are so much better. Just look at his 1-1 moment earlier with Jey - how he questioned if Jey was really back in the family - and then gave him the "I love you" at the end. I am not the only one wondering if Roman believes Jey or not, and the reason why comes down to how great a job they are doing telling the story.
Cody certainly held his own this time. He gets the often-missed, but important idea that guys should never diminish their opponents, else it doesn't mean much when you defeat them. I found this interesting especially in contrast to how Cena made a point that Theory is just not ready. Cena's comments stung Theory (and the crowd), in part because we've seen Theory deliver for pretty much most of a year now (since his loss to McAfee last year), so we don't really believe Cena. But Cody's comments about Solo not being ready felt fair to many of us, especially since Cody has talked about being Randy's protege and he knows now that he wasn't ready himself back then.
But when Cody mentioned that Solo is not ready, he talked about it from his own experience. I liked how Cody said he doesn't want to hear about Dusty of family because "this match is about me", but also I loved him talking about how his Cuban mom told him to take that boy down.
When I went back to re-watch it, a couple other points I almost overlooked but wanted to mention. Heyman's facial expressions are always fantastic. I also wanted to acknowledge how Solo has really delivered. They haven't asked much, if anything of Solo on the mic, but I think his facial expressions were spot on for this situation - look as his anger when Cody repeated that he wasn't ready, but also how he conveyed the shock when Cody's superkick blocked the spike. And as Roman talked him down, he got back in his role of doing whatever Roman wants. Some segments he's pretty much just been along for the ride. I like that they are finally making him more of the story, and look forward to what else they have in mind for him. I still think Solo will end up getting banned from Ringside after attempted interference, because it will pop the crowd, and will give Cody and Roman a momentary breath in what I think may be a really long match.
I don’t think Theory is ready.
Running rampant through the midcard for a year does not deserve a W over one of the GOATs at the premiere event on the pro wrestling calendar. I’m not sure I put the US title on Cena, given his extremely limited schedule; maybe have Theory freak out and get DQ’d because he can’t finish the job. The old coaching adage of “You have to lose one before you can win one”. Have Austin drop the title over the Summer so he can move up the ladder; revisit this angle in 2-3 years when John is ready to put his career on the line in a retirement match.
Agreed. Solo has been very good when required.
The Wise Man is absolute money, like always. If you were to look in the dictionary next to “Salesman”, Paul E’s photo would be right next to the definition; his WWE Hall-of-Fame induction needs to happen sooner than later.
You make it seem as though a Theory win here would automatically put him on Mount Rushmore. It doesn't have to mean that. Theory is much better in the ring than the Miz, and the Miz got a win at Mania over Cena. What Theory needs is the rub - give us a quality match with Cena, and maybe cheat to win. Since Theory doesn't have a valet or any friends to help him out, many of the classic heel cheat moves aren't obvious / easy options, but it doesn't take more than a handful of tights after a solid match to retain his title. I don't think Cena will be available long enough to put the title on him now, so use him to put over a deserving up-and-comer.
Theory has had the rocket strapped to his back like very few others - Randy Orton and Batista are close, but their accomplishments were as faces, and Theory is doing this as a heel.
It's easy to forget that Theory only had his first WWE open tryout 5 years ago, in February 2018.
Last year at Mania, Theory was jobbing to an announcer, and taking the Stone Cold Stunner. If it wasn't for Sami Zayn's rebound after last year's Jackass spectacle, Theory would be the easiest pick for biggest turnaround star.
@3puppies Those suits AND his persona. Yeah if we want to make a list of things I would put his theme song, the suits, and the persona. You said that his look is better suited for a heel and mentioned Macho Man-yet Macho Man was even more ridiculous with the costume when he turned babyface. Go back and watch his matches in 1992-joining the nWo.
Relevancy, your honor?
The Miz was the reigning WWE champion, won via an assist from The Rock; Cena, while fairly decorated at that time, wasn’t yet in the GOAT conversation.
At this point, Theory is getting enough of a rub by merely being in a competitive WrestleMania match with Cena; he’s not quite ready for that caliber of a win.
The prosecution rests…
Cena is good at inadvertently burying his opponents. Everyone that aims a cannon at him he comes back with nukes. It's hard to battle someone on a John Cena level, especially on the mic.
I like the story of Theory wanting to be the next John Cena. Everyone else is like "I want to be the first CM Punk!" but who is actively stepping up saying I want that John Cena role, not one like it, but the exact spot he has. If Cena was active more, I would put the belt on him and then maybe he drops it a few months later. Theory should get the win, but I wouldn't be shocked if John pulls it off. There are a few title changes that will no doubt happen that are a good predictable (Rhea over Charlotte, SZ/KO over Usos, Cody over Roman, maybe even Asuka over Bianca) I think if Cena wins, nobody is going to see that coming--but what's his schedule? Probably ridiculous.
- Iyo finally got some shine and she made the most of it. Looking forward to seeing a solo run for her post-Mania.
- Instead of the silliness and lack of effort they did, they really should've just leaned more into what they did here for the build of Asuka/Bianca. Just have everyone hype them up and make you want to see this match by everyone else anticipating it.
- Rollins probably had his best all-around segment in quite some time. The crowd made him feel like a super big deal, he made short work of Ali (good callback to the past and Positve-Ali is great), and his post-match promo was to the point.
- Simple but effective promo for Bálor.
- Really curious to see how Lesnar/Omos goes. They're telling a story here that Lesnar is going to have to play a different role in the match and just seeing him work faster and aggressively in a different way is more appealing and works in this setup.
- Men's showcase match is going to be a sleeper for quality because there's just too many good people in there.
- Good Theory promo.
- Dom's character is getting so good right now. The small hints of realism probably help play a big role in him getting more comfortable on the mic.
- Pace of the main event got too slow at the end but it served its purpose.
Wife had bookclub last night so I opted to watch RAW for the first time in forever. It was pretty good. Was surprised at the winners of the women's tag qualifier.
What book are they reading?
If it’s the same one she posted about a few days ago, it’s “How To Sell a Haunted House” by Grady Hendrix.
I agree with all of this. A few more thoughts -
I enjoyed the Miz segment and his line of questioning, and I found the ladies who got a chance to speak all did very well. Trish noticeably did not say much, and she's usually someone who owns the mic. Bayley was great with her comments.
Iyo reminded us that she can really go. It seems like it's been a long while since she got to be in a singles match.
I liked the way they used other talent to talk about looking forward to Asuka v. Bianca. I think the match may disappoint, however, because there's no story behind it that makes us want to root for one over another. There's no pure heel to hate, or struggling babyface who deserves a run. They've pointedly had them both on the same side for weeks, and neither has been dastardly/arrogant/underhanded etc.
I like Positive-Ali. He may be as good at selling as anyone not named Ziggler.
Rollins post-match promo made me wonder - I had been picking him because he should win, but since I read Paul signed a multi-match deal, Paul kind of needs a fluky / cheap win. Maybe Lashley interferes and attacks Rollins after 15 minutes to give Paul the win, then Lashley demolishes Paul as well.
Roman is kind of a funny guy, and I loved Heyman in the Ray Liotta role from Goodfellas, while Roman in the Joe Pesci role was even better. As a huge fan of Goodfellas, I will be rewatching this a few times.
Ripley's promo about her destiny vs Charlotte's legacy was solid. Less doubt than ever that she will have the crowd support.
Mixed feelings about Stacey Keibler in the Hall of Fame. Mostly happy for her.
Sorry to see Priest having to job to Rey - even if it is a DQ loss. Priest has no match at Mania, and is not in the ARMBAR. I wonder which match, if any, he comes out to support his JD pals. I still think he may come out for Dom's match, get caught attempting to interfere, and banned from ringside. Crowd will pop and Dom / Rey will get a needed breather.
Solo did very well despite the loss in the longest, best match he's had. Future is bright for this guy.
I want to chime in about this whole Asuka/Bianca no clear cut heel/face to cheer. It's simple. This is one of those matches like a sporting event. I'm a Celtics fan, I'm also a Bulls fan, but when they play I don't need to HATE the other team to root for the Celtics. And it'll be a great fucking game.
There are plenty of heel/face matches on the card. Asuka has always been someone that walks that line. This is the "if you are ready to sit back and watch a great wrestling" match. Two of the most dominant women in the modern era seeing who is the absolute best after fighting side by side the last year
Can’t say I’ve been a fan of the build-up but I have little doubt the match will rock.
Asuka attacked Bianca after the match last week, so she’s not squeaky clean here. Just because they’re both likable, I highly doubt that the crowd is going to sit on their hands for this. Even if you say they’re faces, I’m sure people like one more than the other. That’s just natural so you’ll lean a certain way as long as the match is good. They’ll be working and then you’ll be captivated.
I have hated the build up or basically lack of it going to this match. It is going to deliver but I wanted more leading up to it. Just kind of got lost in the shuffle it feels like
I'm going to say this without trying to sound like a dick but where are the suggestions of what they should've done? Make Asuka heel? Why? She's impossible to boo, Kabuki Warriors were cheered when they turned on Paige. When Asuka blasted Bianca, there was a good pro-Asuka section. Bianca's a great babyface, but she's getting into that "She's been on top too long!" stage most babyfaces hit. I also don't think at this stage it warrants a Bianca heel turn. She's still super over, people like myself just want to see her in a different situation.
When people talk about this build hasn't been good I'm just curious what would be a better route. Every option outside of what they're doing feels like it would be boring and fail.
I would say until recently it’s been a bit heavy on the mutual respect side. It’s just not been that exciting, maybe Asuka could’ve heeled it up a bit earlier.
I would've been fine with what they did last night but more of it. Would've stood out as different because it is.
But why? Why does Asuka need to heel up anything? That's the thing I don't really get. I think it's a weak argument for the sake of complaining. It's the only face v. "face" match on the entire card. My problem is I watch more than pro wrestling from the WWF in 1989. I'm watching MMA, I'm watching basketball, I'm watching all these other sports where we don't have to have a dickhead on one side and a cool guy on the other.
The build of two former allies and it all coming full circle at Mania where now after all they've been through, they have to put all that aside to be the best. None of that has been forgotten in the build, they've mentioned it many times. IMHO, trying to turn anyone or making one hated to avoid the other getting booed is a bad idea. It wouldn't have worked. It's not as bad as Charlotte v. Rhea where you have two heels going head to head lol.
Well I don’t watch sport’s entertainment the same way I would normal sports games.
It’s not complaining for the sake of complaining, just an opinion. If Asuka was being a bit dirty, Bianca could’ve been a bit dirty and vengeful back. I know they’ve talked about their history but up until lately it’s still been lacking a bit of something for me. If you disagree, fine.
Still looking forward to the match no question about that.
I am not sure what they could have done but it just seems like they are okay Asuka wins an EC and goes against Bianca and there is just not a lot of interaction or anything. It is going to be a great match and I am looking forward to it.
Bianca is very talented in the ring but dreadfully boring as a character, and as a result, she feels overpushed. So any option that includes Bianca staying as the face on top is destined to be boring. They didn't handle Alexa as challenger to Belair well either, but it was overlooked by many because that felt like a placeholder / filler challenge.
WWE generally books the women heels very poorly, Bayley being the biggest exception to the rule. They seem to think that women faces have to win and heels have to lose. They don't usually let heels cheat to win. It has taken a long time to restore Shayna Baszler as a serious threat. Nikki and Piper are heels who have been booked terribly, and a result they are off the card. Not sure what happened to Carmella - she's been MIA after starting something that looked promising with Karen / Chelsea.
But then Charlotte always seems to struggle as a face, where she is now, and Rhea, despite being a heel, will probably get a huge "You Deserve It!" face chant when she wins.
So when Iyo gets a chance to look really good against the top tier Becky, its a step in the right direction.
I grabbed a screen shot of the ARMBAR. Lashley seems like a slam dunk here.
I was also going to mention that Dom is the fucking best. I picked up bits of his Spanish promo, particularly "I am taller and more handsome than my father". What a king. I hope he stomps Rey into mush at Mania and takes his mask and becomes Prince Mysterio.
I just asked, it was called The Engineer's Wife but she didn't read it 'cuz it was boring. So she read Confessions by a Japanese horror author that was excellent (no one else wanted to read it due to the subject matter so only she and another person did)..
Two things. Love the idea of Prince Mysterio. The other thing, when your wife is done with the book, check out the movie. SUPER WEIRD but it'll make sense if she's reading the book.
Dom himself was talking about potentially becoming Prince Mysterio back when he was first teaming with Rey and folks were asking him about carrying on the legacy. Would be rad and a cool twist if he did but, in kayfabe, as a heel who stole the mask like an asshole.
I'll let her know about the flick.
I thought Lesnar was going to just dip into the background for a little bit. I'm all about Cody v. Brock. I knew something was off about Brock he was wayyyyy too into being tag partners with someone. I can't even remember the last time Brock Lesnar was in a tag-team match.
Did anyone think it sounded like they had some audio issues with the crowd noise coming through? It felt like nobody was getting a crowd response like they should have. Even when Riddle returned I was like, A-what the fuck is he wearing? and B-why can't I hear the people I see going wild?
Not a fan of Riddle coming back to feud with Miz. I'll let it ride out though as both guys can deliver I just don't know if I'm feeling it rightnow.
I noticed the audio issues as well
Riddle coming back to feud with the Miz feels like it was more sending a message to the entire roster - we kept this top guy on the shelf for Mania even though his suspension was well over - and now that he's returned, we will have him prove himself all over again.
Other thoughts.
HHH's opening promo was trying to reassure us that nothing will change under new ownership, but it really felt like Vince was in charge because we opened with a long promo segment. Stu deserved his crowd cheering his name.
Theory was good, again, both on the mic and in his match with Rey. I liked the interaction with Bad Bunny and Dom/Priest. I was worried about Bad Bunny taking that bump through the table, until Graves informed us about his "separated shoulder" at the local medical facility. Pencilling in Bunny/Rey vs Dom/Priest at Backlash in Puerto Rico.
Omos getting rebuilt, with a squash on Elias. I hope Elias gets to entertain us on his guitar next week with a song about Omos. Elias is booked worse than Corbin.
Positive - ALI is working better than anything Mufasa has done thus far. Brodus Reed got a chance to talk - I suspect he will be fed to the Almighty before Vince cuts him.
Ladies tag scene feels really unimportant. Lita is starting to remind me of how Moolah looked years ago. Admittedly, I looked a lot better myself years ago.
Seth getting the crowd to sing during the commercial break, then he walked away, was really off.
Damage CTRL without Bayley feels really off.
I liked Roman's strategy session with Paul/Solo.
Sami/KO vs Street Profits was fun. Nobody expects both these teams to be together next year.
Brock's turn was well done. He's a vicious heel when he wants to be, and attacking a face is the way to do it. I was mostly surprised we didn't get fans chanting "One More Time!"
Riddle's return seemed more like this year's designated "Big Superstar return on the RAW After Wrestlemania" than any other veiled message.... and Miz is a solid worker and could use the change-up himself after not doing much himself over the last few months. He hasn't had a decent feud himself (since Lumis in December, IIRC) for quite a while. They both could use the reset.
Someone on Facebook did a collage of all the times smiley, friendly Brock came out to shake hands with superstars just to F5 'em out of nowhere: Cena, Goldberg, Reigns, now Rhodes. I thought it was telegraphed a bit myself, but after the Yee-haw Jolly Brock we've had for the last few months, people still got swerved by it.
Lashley's gotten the raw deal out of this whole thing. Dunno what's going on with Bray Wyatt but all gimmicks aside they could have had a decent match at WM.
Lashley is someone who I honestly could give or take, if he retired tomorrow he would have a great career to look back on. He's someone who I 100% like to see because of how he looks. He doesn't do anything special, he can't talk to save his life, but if anyone saw him on the Broken Skull Sessions what a great guy. It's like when I was a kid and British Bulldog would come out. I wasn't a big fan but I knew he could deliver and he looked awesome.
With that said, Lashley v. Wyatt would've been a good match. Wyatt isn't Kurt Angle, but he can bump and the 7-8 moves he does are badass.
Lashley was the best when he had MVP talking for him.
Omos sucks, reunite The Hurt Business.
I've never gotten the love for Lashley. To me he's always been a boring plank of wood. No charisma, boring moveset, matches are forgettable... but he's got big muskels tho.
Lashley of the past 3-4 years is so much better than the first 18 years of his career. MVP brought out the best in him, but even after the split, Lashley seemed to "get it" more than he had done to that point in his long career. He had several really excellent matches with Drew, Riddle, Sheamus, and Rollins, but it was his work with Theory - where both guys came away looking better - that made me appreciate him more. Clearly, the booking is a part of it, but a lot of it has to be his experience in what matches are about - telling a story.
He has never been great on the mic, but he doesn't need to be, as long as he understands and plays to his strengths. Keep him away from stupid stuff like Lana or Lio Rush. He doesn't need MVP anymore, but I don't mind MVP continuing to try to woo him back.
Just like I didn't mind him tossing Positive-Ali around - because it worked for both guys on some level. Positive-Ali gets his character over a bit more, showcases his selling ability, while Lashley regains some of that Almighty glow. Reminded me in a small way about the Rock and the Hurricane. Guys on different levels, interacting in an entertaining way. I don't want to see 2 months of this on and on, but this will help when we next see Positive-Ali talk to Bronson Reed, and then maybe Positive-Ali gets a win over Miz or Corbin.
IDK about the first 18. He had that weird run in TNA where it was basically the Hurt Business. He had like 2-3 belts though. Everything good about his run since 2020 is literally what he did in TNA with MVP. Down to the modern era NOD.
RAW was very good this week. I'm not sure how much of the travel issues were a work, but I thought they all did well. The crowd was great.
Rey vs Balor was a lot of fun. I am amazed that Balor was cleared after that gaping wound only 2 weeks ago. Dom messed up his lines a couple times but I liked how he just kept going. JD vs Rey/Bad Bunny/LWO at Backlash will be good.
Women's tag setup - the attack on Lita will surely end up being revealed as Trish, who filled in under Freebird rules, and helped make Liv and Racquel look legit. Raquel had weird spots all over her back? Not sure what that was from. There were a couple sloppy spots where Raquel and Becky did not seem in synch, but the fact that they got a lot of time made this a lot better. Congrats to Liv and Raquel on winning the titles. Post match heel turn from Trish was done well - I had seem rumors a while back and wondered if they meant to build this a bit longer, but I am down for a Trish/Becky battle. When Trish retired years ago - on top - she never really gave the rub to anyone else, the way vets typically do. She did so tonight, and still looked great. Let this be a lesson on how vets can put younger talent over.
Lashley did a great job making us care about Bronson Reed. Reed looks more like a truck than a human being. I am not familiar with Bronson's NXT work, but he reminds me of "Big Swede Hanson" based on his power/slow style. Not sure if these two are heading for more next week, or if they wait it out until Backlash. Lashley deserves a PLE paycheck.
Cody's promo on Roman and Brock was terrific. Love his response to Paul saying Cody would have to earn it: "Earn it? I AM IT!" Cody also understands better than most that a promo where you also build up your opponent - in this case Brock - makes the eventual confrontation that much stronger of a story.
Alpha Academy vs Usos was also given a LOT of time, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Otis playing to the crowd, who were clearly enjoying the whole night. Several near falls and they got great responses from everything they did.
IYO getting a bit of build. Piper loses far too often, but I liked her in a 3-woman match. More story coming with Bayley.
KO and Solo was also really good. When they specifically mentioned Riddle and Sami not being there due to flight issues (Heyman's impression of both was a lot of fun) I immediately figured they'd be there for the main event. Solo continues to be booked really strong, and KO is among the best there is in telling a story about an injured body part. KO sold the leg the ENTIRE match - not just once or twice. I guess we should pencil in a 3-way tag match with KO/Sami/Riddle vs. Rikishi's 3 sons for BackLash.
Last night's show was done really well. Felt more like a two hour show. Some progression with Cody & Brock, Riddle (and Sammi) involved in the main event aftermath.
Looking like we might get a six-man tag of Sammi, KO & Riddle vs. Usos + Solo at Backlash. If not a surprise return by Orton and Reigns becoming involved.
The Trish turn was okay. She seems less clumsy of the two between her and Lita at their age, and infrequent time in the ring the last several years. Was expecting Shayna & Ronda to be responsible for the Lita attack segment but I'm okay with this.
Trish/Lita good friends but even better enemies. Remembering the last time this happened with heel Trish…
Did any of the dorks clock how much wrestling they had in comparison to last week? Last week felt like an ep from the Attitude Era. A lot of story, not much actual wrestling. This week. More wrestling, a little bit of a story. I felt like the women really had quite a bit going on with Damage Ctrl, the Trish turn, the new tag-team champs which is almost a joke by now with how often those belts flip flop on both brands.
Dom STRUGGLED with his verbiage on the promo haha. He's doing incredibly well with his overall character, though. Bálor is just a damn trooper: tearing his calf just before Mania, getting stapled up DURING the Mania match and still trotting along, not missing a beat.
I laughed at KO telling Zayn and Riddle that they need to travel the day before a show lol. They dropped Rhodes being involved with KO/Zayn fast, too. Riddle makes for a fitting competitor to side with those two for a six-man.
Really happy to see Iyo getting some shine. Curious to see how far they plan to stretch things out between Trish and Becky. That match...yeeesh.
Considering they had a really makeshift roster with the delays, the show came off really solid.
This is actually a thing? That's pretty fucking sad.
Last week was the Raw after Mania, and we have become accustomed to it being presented as a well-thought out show that kicked off new storylines, or gave fans a chance to chant "You Deserve It!". The disappointment fans felt with the Cody loss was still very ripe, because many of us fully bought in to the story that Cody was going to win at Mania, and instead we got more of the Roman-wins-after-bloodline-interference. The WWE Universe was definitely not satisfied. To top it off, the way last week's Raw was set up and played out, the titles don't really seem to matter in ANY of the storylines except possibly the men's tag titles.
When it comes to story progression, it seems too often that WWE forgets that they can use wrestling segments themselves to bring a story along. But this week's Lashley/Reed match is a good example of not needing backstage promos to get the crowd invested in a feud. Last week there was a very brief interaction between them backstage, but this week, it was the match between them, and how it ended unresolved, that got the crowd hot. A couple weeks ago most of us wouldn't have cared if these 2 got together, but now that they had a non-finish, double countout, and importantly how they kept going despite the gaggle of regs, now we want to see more of them.
I'm surprised people still watch RAW and Smackdown. You absolutely don't have to in this day and age, with YouTube clips being a much quicker way to find out what's happening.
Also, on any PLE, they show video packages for each match at least twice, so you know how we got to the match.
I mean, the night after Mania did anyone expect Brock to be there? Did anyone predict that the next step for Cody was wrestling the biggest draw next to Cena in the last 20 years? I don't know.
I have to disagree about Reed/Lashley as well. Technically their beef starts at the Andre battle royal with Lashley winning by eliminating Reed. But idk if the crowd was hot for it like OMG Bronson Reed is now a must-see talent. It's a sign that the WWE are high on Reed though. And it's also weird you pick Lashley of all people to talk about how you don't need a backstage segment/promo---no shit he sucks in that area especially without MVP. He has no emotion and Reed is pretty bad too so it's understandable.
But something like Lesnar turning on Cody didn't need a match first. It would've been sweet but it didn't need it like Lashley/Reed would.
You could literally apply that to any tv show. Just watch the first 2 minutes of every new episode it'll give you the recap of what happened the episode prior. But people don't do that in masses. Not real fans. Casual fans which in this day and age are people like yourself and others. Back in the day folks thought that meant just someone who was channel surfing but now it's wrestling fans who don't have the time/energy to bang out 2-3 hours of just one show (let alone the 10+ hours of wrestling on American tv if you count AEW and Impact).
I like the idea of a short-term agreement between the Bloodline and Judgment Day to try to take care of each other's problems. It presented two wrinkles to keep tabs on:
- continued push of Rhea to the moon (even at a small expense of Sikoa)
- acknowledging that Bálor really shouldn't be enthused to help the Bloodline
Presented a gang warz aspect to the show and that felt fresh and fun.
There were a lot of long matches on the show. Miz actually showed out in a decent way, but it certainly helps to have Rollins on the other side. That loss to Rhodes did nothing to slow down Sikoa's momentum. Lesnar is stealing Taker's swag at this point. It was a different approach with how they're going at Rhodes/Lesnar. I do like the idea of Rhodes jumping headfirst into the battle and even going as far to say Lesnar is a coward. Damge CTRL is definitely on its last legs, too.
About Damage CTRL they just never felt like they clicked. Their introduction on WWE programming was received well, though I just felt like 2 of the 3 are better off as singles (Bayley & Iyo). Whether it's blowing up the trio and them all going their own way in the draft or a surprise new leader it's left options out there.
They were just never able to sustain real momentum for very long. Yeah tag title run and all that for Iyo/Dakota but didn’t last that long. Plus Bayley had all those title shots against Bianca who came out on top every time because they’re still all in on the superBianca push. I really don’t know at this stage who’s going to be built up enough to beat her.
Opening promo by Heyman had its logic holes, but they took a chance and at least tried to explain it somewhat, instead of just throwing Solo and Rey out there when both are involved in other storylines. Solo had the same problem many others have had with Rey over the years - parts of their matches will end up looking sloppy, especially when they are asked to sell for a guy half their size.
Trish's promo was a great reminder of how much we've missed her as a heel.
Miz and Rollins was much better than any of us would have expected. Definitely the match of the night.
Priest handled himself well, and Rhea looks terrific. Rhea is getting strong face pops, unless she compliments the others in Judgment Day. No fear in stepping up to the male wrestlers - even Solo - and her switching places to once again be in front of Solo really popped the crowd.
Bianca is boring. I expected shenanigans and that Iyo would get a win, setting up a match at Backlash. This was a match where both came out looking worse after it.
The Cody segment did not work for me once the security guys showed up en force. I cringed a little when Pearce came out to let us know Cody "was not medically cleared" - if that was the case, they should tell us what's wrong with him. If they want to play up injuries he suffered 2 weeks ago at Brock's hands, fine, but don't use vague meaningless words. Then again, this is the company that pushed "anal bleeding". Cody taking on that many security guys - right in front of Pearce - probably deserves punishment.
I liked Bronson Reed causing a non-finish in the Lashley/Theory bout. I would like, though, for Theory to get a new storyline and a fresh competitor. Probably means Theory will get drafted to Smackdown, and GUNTHER comes to Raw.
Are they going to add a stipulation that the winner of Cody vs. Brock faces Roman and SummerSlam? Perhaps it's something Heyman would come up with,
Brock cannot face Roman again for a title match
So, Triple H's big announcement was that Reigns will be brand exclusive as a talent and that the other brand will have a World Heavyweight Champion and that individual will be crowned the new champion at Night of Champions. This does handle an elephant in the room, as Triple H addressed Reigns' absence in a kayfabe and logical sense. This is now a work-in-progress development for Triple H with whichever brand Reigns isn't on. I doubt the attempts were fully-formed, but they clearly tried to establish the US and IC championship as more prominent championships but there was still a notable void when Reigns wasn't around. It's going to take a while to make this something other than a consolation prize for the newly-crowned champion but they already took positive steps in helping working against that feeling within the same night of the announcement. That said, the odds of it feeling strictly as a consolation prize go up notably if it is someone that lost to Reigns recently.
It's going to take time and patience to establish this championship as we clearly know the more prominent person is going to be a bigger deal on the other brand so again, it's going to take time to make this feel as prestigious as they'll want it to be. From a kayfabe sense, this championship is climbing uphill because Reigns should easily crap on the significance of this championship and he's got validity to that claim. I expect Reigns to do this too, so we'll see how that plays out on TV. This does suggest or hopefully reinforce the idea that a brand split needs to be maintained because you're just painting yourself into a corner if the champions cross paths needlessly.
From a booking standpoint, they've really got no immediate pressure to stop this championship run for Reigns. Good for him, I guess lol. Big picture wise, lineage is another question regarding this new championship, so I'll be curious to see what is fleshed out in relation to this.
Whichever brand Reigns lands on, this will open things up notably, in my opinion, for the midcard on the opposite brand. You could see the likes of Knight, Gable, Ford, Reed, Priest, and guys like that step into the spotlight even more but with championship potential for the secondary title on that brand. Random guess: I imagine Reigns will go to Smackdown, this championship will be Raw's top prize. Another step, I think Rhodes goes to Smackdown and they double down and hope they can "finish the story" with Reigns. With that, Rollins (who did the early heavy lifting to help establish this new championship) sounds like a pretty notable favorite to be the top dog on Raw.
Again, it's going to need time for this new championship to take off but I tend to believe they'll make it work.
Too soon for something like that. Especially with draft.
I think they did a really good job of elevating the US and IC Titles during this time. I’m actually a bit nervous that that will lose steam due to this announcement. It seems like it’s going to continue the lineage of the previous championship of the same name, I don’t see why it wouldn’t. The only real question is are they going to deactivate one of Reigns’ titles? Feels like they have to, but I still hope they don’t. Then again, that would give them 4-ish World Championships on only 3-ish brands.
The new belt looks like doo-doo.
Having two world champions is confusing and dumb to me. Here's what I would do: you can have your brand split. But the WWE Men's Champion (and WWE Women's champion) is by definition not allowed to be claimed by either brand. They are floaters and can be challenged by wresters from either brand. This is not to say I would expect them to appear on both shows every week, but they could get into feuds with wrestlers from both shows. They could show up on any given night. Obviously if the main feud is Reigns vs a SD wrestler then he would appear on SD consistently for a while. In other words, the main title feud could be on SD or Raw depending on where the writers want to move it. Theoretically, it would make sense to have the Men's champion feud on one show, and the women's champion feud on the other show for balance.
This is how I would approach the tag team champions as well.
Saw the new belt and thought it was a fake. I’m all about new title belts and all that… but right off the bat that looks bad. Like a Toys R Us knockoff. Terrible design.
The belt looks beautiful and Fro and VHS, send me your PayPal information so I can send you some money to get your eyes checked.
I don’t want money. I want my son back!
New championship looks cool. I did like the brand specific colored belts of red or blue but got nothing to complain about this. Triple H is the right guy to sell this too, so smart move having him come out and talk everything he did.
I thought the Saudi show was also going to be KOTR/QOTR finals, plus you get a new champion. They're really doing a good job laying out some big pieces ahead of time. For the sake of consistency, splitting up the tag titles would be nice but the tag divisions don't have that depth unless they expand the rosters.
I disagree, they just don't use them.
The Usos
Street Profits
Hurt Business
Alpha Academy
Viking Raiders
Los Lotharios
Good Brothers
Maximum Male Models
Hit Row
Imperium
Brawling Brutes
New Day
LWO
Then you've got the makeshift teams such as the current champs and then Ricochet/Strowman.
That's more than enough. Use them, and make them matter.
I will admit the logo in the middle doesn't blend in as well as it could. It looks like at the last second they stuck that logo on there before Trips walked out there.
It's funny...I used to really dislike the belts that came after the Eagle. I actually really liked the belt design they had The Rock introduce after the spinner that they've been using. Looking back I can appreciate the Ruthless belt a little more that Hogan, Lesnar, Eddie, etc had. Someone on Twitter mentioned this belt looked kind of like the old AWA belt Bockwinkel had, I can see that.
Quality over quantity. BG mentioned the bodies, but who wants to see Hit Row? Who wants to see Los Lotharios? I'm even looking at SP like, when are you guys going to split up because you've done it all as a tag and you're not getting any younger.
There are at least 8 teams mentioned there that should either break up or do something else in another promotion. They have plenty of teams building in NXT, they have wrestlers they could pair up and see if there's some actual chemistry. IDK too many tag-teams who debuted in this business as a team. 99% were singles wrestlers who fell into the tag scene.
I mean it’s the Universal title innit? Can see why they carried on the tradition with the logo of the belt and the belts they have now.
I think it’s not strikingly handsome but fine and they’ll get used to it. Seen a lot garish and worse.
I think it’s like a beer that maybe a bit sharp and hoppy but after a pint or two it’s drinkable.
I forgot about half the guys on that list.
Usos are your clear #1.
I forgot about Los Lotharios, Good Brothers, Hit Row. And agree with Nash, quality over quantity. Always liked Gable in the Alpha Academy role. Liked MMM when it was Max Dupri. MMM feels like it's become a sidekick attached to other tag teams - them being involved in the Otis storyline doesn't interest me in MMM.
If we're going for quantity we should get Mustafa Ali with Matt Riddle to become Positively Bros.
Viking Raiders have been hot and cold so much that it's hard to take them seriously. They should be a force in the tag division, especially with the heel run they're on.
Good Brothers lost any momentum with AJ's injury but even then they felt irrelevant.
If I had to pick a group to build a tag division around the top tier would be Usos, New Day, Profits and Imperium.
Brutes (dependent on Sheamus' involvement or just Ridge & Dunne), LWO, Viking Raiders and Alpha Academy would be the second tier.
I could do without the rest because I find them forgettable and interchangeable. And I was a fan of Hit Row but they feel like they're circling the drain fast.
It's not a big deal but since you asked, the color contrast doesn't look good, specifically for the words "World Champion" which are hard to read. And the gold pattern around the logo is too busy. I can't tell what the pattern is trying to be.
Having said all that, some of this was just bad lighting. I didn't like how it looked on Raw. It looks better in the second picture below.
spoiled for size
The quality is non-existent because they really haven’t been used. Not everyone has to be a championship contender. Comedic teams in the ring still serve a useful purpose. A good way to figure out the actual quality? Use them and find out.
Not everyone can be a contender but people can get over despite shit booking. Bushwackers, they never won against any credible teams, no storylines, just some goofy 15 second promo and a fun entrance.
No. If you look at the new belt, and the belts Roman has and think they look the same in terms of the logo, stop drinking the hops lol. Don't get me wrong I do like it, but if I'm nitpicking it's the logo. The actual photo makes it look a lot better though, but live it didn't look as smooth.
Well yeah that literally is nitpicking.
Of course they’re not literally the same, the background gold to behind the logo is different. I just think we’re used to background red/blue colour which is maybe why the lighting made it look bad. The logo doesn’t look any worse IMO, just a bit of getting used to. Like opening the curtains letting in the sunshine after a hangover but once you adjust your eyes it’s fine.
Last edited by Badger; April 25th, 2023 at 6:00 PM.
This new belt thing is dumb. Its not as bad as handing the WCW title to HHH, but its up there. So, they made a belt because they know no one can beat Roman, which by the way, great way to bury your entire roster or Roman's title reign is a joke, because he doesn't defend it like other champs, so this thousand days thing is a total waste of all of your time and my time which is HHH's old theme. Either way, it does feel like Cody losing at Mania was a big oh fuck, we got nothing after this, so how about this for our Saudi friends and NBC who may or may not have fired our only friend at the network this week.
The logo on the Universal is much larger than the new one. I never said anything about the logo looking worse, I actually like this belt I just think again if I'm nitpicking the logo placement on Raw didn't look as good as the real pic. Now that I'm seeing a real pic of it, the logo blends in much better.
What?
Basically the silver medal belt.
I feel like the way to go is have Gunther win it. Then they can hold another tournament or whatever after for the IC title.
okay, thank you! I was trying to figure out what nbc firing someone had anything to do with wrestling and your dislike of handling the title situation.
The head of NBC has been a big fan of WWE programming and has been there for 19 years overseeing most of the deals. There are rumblings NBC is not a fan of Roman being on Fox being the big deal while USA does not have a big star. So, Fox wants to keep Roman and USA gets nothing which is not going to fly in the contract deals this year. HHH even stated its not fair to the fans for not having Roman defended the title on the show. However, it brings up the point if Roman is not defending it on TV now what difference does what show he is on. I know I will be wrong, but I get the feeling that the new TV deal will be big, but I am not sure if NBC wants to get involved in a bidding war especially since the reason they fired their boss was the same shit Vince pulled.
USA better have a hell of a plan if they feel like they can move on without Raw. Their in-house programming is in the toilet and would crater into oblivion without Raw and not having a enviable replacement.
So, I have absolutely no clue of the goings'on in WWE but I saw there was a new "world" belt being introduced. Is the new one supposed to be the lineal WWF/E championship while Reigns has the Universal title or how does it go? The last time I saw Reigns I believe he had two titles, thinking he was some kind of undisputed champion á la Chris Jericho in '01-02.
I doubt they bother trying to explain or work out the lineage here. That's been blurry since '01/'02. The WCW World Title was merged with the WWE title; the 'Undisputed WWE Title' that Brock took to Smackdown.
Although it looked the same, the big gold belt, the WWE World Heavyweight Title given to HHH in 2002, had no lineage at all to it.
Though WWE conveniently ignored this. Was easier and less confusing that way, to be honest.
Last edited by Murphy; April 26th, 2023 at 9:39 AM.
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