Skip to main content

AVClub Reviews RAW


Apparently this is now a thing they do.  And yet they don't review Vampire Diaries anymore!  Sheesh.  

Comments

  1. Dude, change your blog theme. Is it wordpress?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting that Nexus was mentioned.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sting is a HUGE deal.



    The way they've booked Sting is the exact opposite of a huge deal.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Is Sting a huge deal though? I feel like a huge deal would have gotten a bigger pop for his entrance than Santino gets for putting on the cobra hand puppet.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Post-match,
    the crowd chants for Cody as Goldust just shrugs at Star and points at
    him, which I thought was illegal in WWE unless you were a WrestleMania
    sign.


    This was not funny.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It definitely seemed that way from the Fast lane crowd

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yeah, I was kinda tired and getting frustrated watching this angle continue. At the time, I thought it was hilarious.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Theberzerker, #HUSSAPPROVEDFebruary 24, 2015 at 10:36 AM

    And all that is a direct result of all these controversies...now they're so corporate and paranoid everything is watered down, safe, and lame.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Myles McNutt posted here once. Or someone pretending to be him.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I would've put "I respect you bookerman!" somewhere on that list but yeah pretty much everything else was covered.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love when good writers who are clearly into the product can express their opinions clearly like this. This was a fantastic read.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great read and he said something that can't be stressed enough, which is that fans have no reason to be invested in Reigns. The whole thing is so forced.

    ReplyDelete
  13. "Let’s Go Cena” / “Cena Sucks” is a chant that has existed for about a decade, but if you attend a live WWE event, you can see a child saying both sides of the chant just because it’s part of the routine"


    Great point.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Matt_INDEED is a GIANT PUSSY!February 24, 2015 at 10:52 AM

    Blame those damn fans when a guy has a blah gimmick at the beginning (Austin) or downright goofy (Rock)! Yeah, they were totally wrong!

    ReplyDelete
  15. "Yep Mode" Abeyance Brown ©February 24, 2015 at 10:52 AM

    Solid list, but I've never liked the Watch Mojo voice over person. Her starting off with saying right then and there that wrestling was fake just made it worse for me.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Two things: One, Bryan endorsing Reigns was not really accepted by the fans, it just wasn't AS shit on as Heyman's backhanded praise.


    And two, are people really clamoring for a Nexus reunion?


    Otherwise, it thought it was pretty good.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogFebruary 24, 2015 at 10:58 AM

    Vampire Diaries is the worst bag of shit on television, aside from reality shows

    ReplyDelete
  18. No arguments from me, unless someone wants to argue for RAW or SD. Whoever told Nina Dobrev she should be an actress is a goddamn troll

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wait wait wait. Didn't watch Raw, did Heyman really say Reigns could beat XYX in their prime but not Lesnar when, just a few weeks ago, Reigns lost to Big Show in less than 5 minutes? This fucking company....

    ReplyDelete
  20. Why are you surprised? Vampire DIaries is the lowest rated action adventure series on network tv. While raw is the highest rated action adventure series on cable

    ReplyDelete
  21. AV Club review RAW.
    Everyone in the comments talk about how NxT and Lucha Undergrounds are better

    ReplyDelete
  22. Yep. He said that if Reigns had faced Sammartino, Hogan, Andre, Austin, Rock, and HHH in their primes, his money would've been on Reigns.


    Between that promo and ECW, we know Paul E. is very irresponsible with his money.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Looks like he just got started but, yes, he needs to change it ASAP.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Actually they are reviewing TVD again.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogFebruary 24, 2015 at 11:44 AM

    Get in the Reigns stealth bomber, Jeffrey Dahmer!

    ReplyDelete
  26. A rebooted version of The Nexus is probably going to happen if NXT/WWE ever have their wrestlers collide in some kind of supershow. That said...they had their chance, and they blew it five years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogFebruary 24, 2015 at 11:47 AM

    The Taker loss really has not aged well and it's only been a year. Brock just wasn't going to be around enough to make it worthwhile. I get the logic: have an unstoppable monster end the Streak, kill Cena repeatedly, all in the name of puttig over the next Next Big Thing.....but Roman Reigns just has not become that guy

    ReplyDelete
  28. But then that next sentence--Independent wrestling shows can even get hijacked by that chant, and there’s no chance of ever seeing John Cena there-- Does that really happen? I know indy show audiences aren't 100% comprised of the Super Dragon guy, but...that can't really be happening. Granted, I haven't been to an indy show since the one at the batting cage place that Tito Santana no-showed and I bought an autographed pic off of Cuban Assassin....#6 because I felt sorry nobody in that crowd of 20 were buying ANY merch but still...

    ReplyDelete
  29. Creative spent three weeks writing that speech!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Endorsing Reigns sounds similar to when people tell HHH to his face how great he is.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Well since nobody knows when they'll be randomly thrown in a match they have to be dressed to compete.

    ReplyDelete
  32. A couple of times, though, it looked like it got edited down from what the writer submitted--where he starts off trying to make a couple of points, identifying the first part of his point...and then it ends, without there being a second point.

    (Best example is the last bullet point, but there are a few more in the main text as well.)

    ReplyDelete
  33. This Roman Reigns hate is ridiculous. He has no marketability AT ALL? Really? Are you daft? He's a giant Samoan. That's literally one of the most marketable and historically successful prototypes in wrestling history. Have him go out and destroy a top face and boom, instant credible heel that people want to see lose. Is the guy a legit star? Probably not, no. But to say he has no marketability at all is flat out false and flat out dumb.

    ReplyDelete
  34. "Despite the fact that Roman Reigns is Batista 2.0, despite the fact that Daniel Bryan is beyond over with the fans, despite the fact that that Reigns has three moves to speak of and gets winded after 5 minutes, despite the fact that he's dull and has no marketability at ALL, and despite the fact that the main event at WrestleMania is, possibly, one of the least-anticipated main events in the history of that pay-per-view (with fans cheering for Brock Lesnar by default), Vince and WWE Creative don't give a shit what you think and they're gonna make Roman Reigns the next big star come hell or high water."


    That about sums it up.

    ReplyDelete
  35. If it helps, I've never even heard of the show.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I agree. Something seemed off about that entire segment. I thought Bryan went over-the-top and the whole thing reeked of insincerity. I actually had a nagging feeling that it was leading to a heel turn (maybe a double turn in the main event with Show, Kane and J&J turning on Orton before the match started and beating him up- then when Reigns went to help Orton, Bryan starts attacking Reigns and decides to throw in his lot with The Authority).

    ReplyDelete
  37. They should maybe try a "Team NXT" type thing at Survivor Series? They can have matches on NXT to see who gets to represent them, then the 4 winners get to go to the PPV and have a shot and beating "Team WWE" and earning a call up.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Every wrestler should know that unless you're Goldberg, wins and losses don't really matter. What matters is heat. If you have heat, you have stroke. If you have heat, you have job security. If you have heat, you move needles...you sell merch...you put butts into seats.

    If you have heat, you can give someone the rub.

    Say what you will about the WWE not putting Daniel Bryan into a position where everyone can take advantage of his heat...they are at least acknowledging that he has enough heat to have him try to give Reigns the rub.

    This isn't the WWE being evil. This is the WWE being stupid.

    ReplyDelete
  39. "Is the guy a legit star? Probably not, no."

    And, then, your entire argument collapsed.

    ReplyDelete
  40. I've gone to quite a few indie shows and I've never heard it.

    ReplyDelete
  41. I agree that the Yes! Movement has run its course...but I don't think they need to send him down to NXT (other than it would be fun for us, personally, to have everyone good on one show...especially if DBry brings Paige back with him. But that's just selfish.)

    Daniel Bryan should be wrestling. That's what people like to see him do. Not against lugs like Big Show and Kane...but someone he can wrestle with...

    I'd take a serious Intercontinental belt feud with Barrett, Ziggler, Ambrose, Bryan, Neville and Zayn for the next six months please.

    ReplyDelete
  42. I have seen and been too tons of indy shows.

    Mo one has ever chanted for Cena. Ever.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Virgil's Gimmick TableFebruary 24, 2015 at 1:05 PM

    Basically it's Twilight: The Show.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Charlotte v Sasha Banks v Becky Lynch v Paige for the WWE Women's Championship

    (Yes, NOT the NXT belt...and NOT the Diva's belt... And the only reason Bayley's not in the match is because Sasha Banks injured her on the Raw before...which Paige vows to avenge. "You done messed up," Paige says, "Because Bayley is nice...and I'm not going to be...nice...")

    Hell, run Lesnar v Reigns out there first...give them five minutes. Let Lesnar destroy Reigns in a squash. Let Lesnar squash Rollins, Orton and Bryan too. Leave the whole building shaking. And then end the whole PPV with the Women's championship match.

    (Am I humoring you properly? :) )

    ReplyDelete
  45. "Seriously? You're telling me we need a theme song for Kwee-Wee?"
    --why Jim Johnstone now only does work on WWE Films

    ReplyDelete
  46. Yeah, the theme was piss alright. Changed it to something a bit more eyeball friendly. I actually had an older blog but it's more for straight up journalism work and portfolio stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  47. That was definitely some boo-flavored "accepting it" for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Triple H vs Sting

    Triple H is the heel. He's the main man in The Authority who has been making things unpleasant for many of the audience's favorites for a couple of years now.

    Sting is the face. He's the most popular wrestler who has never competed in the WWE before and the novelty of seeing him perform makes the fans want to see him.

    BUT...Triple H's promo work is making this a WWE vs WCW thing. And, like the InVasion, they somehow think that the crowd will think of the WWE as the heel? A crowd that has absolutely no loyalty to the WCW--loyalty, hell, they have very little KNOWLEDGE of the WCW.

    And Sting came back to stop save three wrestlers he's never met from getting fired due to Authority shenanigans...why? And what have they done to thank him for his efforts?

    What reason do we have to cheer for Sting other than to defeat Triple H? But Triple H can't lose because he's equated himself to the company that the fans support. (They've already pulled the "win this match and the Authority isn't in charge anymore" string once...and it lead to nothing, I can't imagine that they'd put Sting over at Wrestlemania and make HIM the Raw GM...so what's the point and why should the audience care?)

    Someone in an earlier comment in this thread said that "Undertaker & Sting vs Wyatt Family" would have made more sense...it certainly does.

    ReplyDelete
  49. That's a big stretch. Blaming a bad stretch of booking for someone's personal demons is a little ridiculous.

    ReplyDelete
  50. 1) Lesnar
    2a) Reigns
    2b) Big Show
    3) Hulk Hogan (first two reigns... hey, REIGNS!)
    4) Bruno (both reigns)
    5) Flair (first ten or so reigns)

    ReplyDelete
  51. It was the most memorable thing about Wrestlemania and it got huge mainstream attention. Why would it help Taker? People are going to buy Wrestlemania or they're not. Taker and the streak are not the main draw. I love how pissed off people are by the streak ending. Lesnar's whole 2014-2015 run has been made that much stronger by that win.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Roman reigns will beat brock lesnar at wm and turn heel

    He will then be programmed as the new heyman guy

    If brock leaves, heyman leaves
    Reigns cant talk, heyman can

    Heyman stays on tv to get reigns over on the mic.

    ReplyDelete
  53. See, if you really want to do this...it should first have a couple of precipitating factors. You can't just have a couple of NXT guys show up the night after Hell in a Cell and say, "We want the best the WWE has to offer." That probably won't work.

    I've actually thought about this, and I would love to see an incredible slow burn that eventually turns into a Civil War within WWE. It's the one battle left to grab audiences, because some of the last dream match opportunities are involving wrestlers in the 40+ club (ie Triple H vs. Sting). I know Vince loves to be part of the story, so this could be about Triple H vs. Vince (HHH leads NXT, Vince leads WWE). Trust me, I hate the family feud dynamic, but it's the only way Vince would do an angle like this.

    So you do something to instigate the war...for example, because of the popularity of NXT on the WWE Network, WWE announces that NXT will be featured on USA Network from 8-9 PM on Mondays, and Raw returns to two hours (from 9-11 PM, both Eastern Time). It can start with some of the WWE guys complaining that NXT is taking an hour of exposure away from them. From there, subtle seeds are planted that eventually lead to the two rosters fighting for supremacy. There might be some defections, and there might even be a Nexus uprising (as AVClub predicted).

    I think it's one way for the new guys to get exposure, but this is all a pipe dream and Vince wouldn't dare take a chance on something like this.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Theberzerker, #HUSSAPPROVEDFebruary 24, 2015 at 1:39 PM

    It's merely conjecture. My god, someone is so serious!
    You never know how things intertwine in life, and I said wouldn't have gone to shit AS badly...he sure as hell had more free time on his hands after leaving. And less confidence given why he departed, I'm sure.

    ReplyDelete
  55. So in this scenario, does Roman win the title as a Face? Or do they remake Wrestlemania X-Seven?

    ReplyDelete
  56. Theberzerker, #HUSSAPPROVEDFebruary 24, 2015 at 1:41 PM

    I'm not pissed off by the event, but I think we're going to find out that it's killed off a LOT of Taker's mystique, and combined with his obvious signs of age now, is going to really take a bite out of his annual appearance, helping fuel an already lame Mania with more disappointment.

    ReplyDelete
  57. But at least a Twilight movie is only two hours long

    ReplyDelete
  58. I loved how the crowd's Boos were getting progressively louder as he mentioned Hogan and Austin.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Why does Taker need help?

    ReplyDelete
  60. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogFebruary 24, 2015 at 1:44 PM

    1. I don't know, the Daniel Bryan stuff was pretty memorable.
    2. I don't care about Taker or his Streak. I probably would have had Cena end it in 2011.
    3. What "run"? He worked a handful of shows and was an absentee champion. It didn't add to his championship mystique, it just meant the champion wasn't part of any of their programming.
    4. They could have booked Lesnar like this from the start, without him even ending the Streak.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Why has that made it worse for you? Um...it is fake. Why does that bother you? It comforts me.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogFebruary 24, 2015 at 1:45 PM

    "Why would it help Taker?"


    Huh?

    ReplyDelete
  63. Was that PPV really "that" bad? Cena/Rusev and Bryan/Reigns were both around ***/***1/2 and the tag title match was around *** also. That alone makes it a pretty decent show. Some people are acting like it's Bash 91, and I just don't see it.

    ReplyDelete
  64. What a fucking joy. In the coming weeks we'll be lectured about wrestlings' misogyny, sexism, homophobia, toxic masculinity and every other culturally inappropriate infraction WWE commits upon our perpetually outraged hipster douchebag reviewer. AV Club sucks.

    ReplyDelete
  65. John Cena slutshames Lana! Shut up you beta-ninny.

    ReplyDelete
  66. LLO @ the latest Lesnar backstage drama story

    ReplyDelete
  67. "Yep Mode" Abeyance Brown ©February 24, 2015 at 2:22 PM

    Nope, and those things should be reviewed.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Totally. Plus the Sting v HHH stuff was at least a bit different and new.

    I enjoyed the PPV way more than Royal Rumble, TLC etc.

    ReplyDelete
  69. This should be fun
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qJeCeuzoj8s

    ReplyDelete
  70. I can remember even in my smarkiest of smark days, going to NWA-NJ shows during their ECW invasion angle (summer of 1998, when the invaders were Stevie Richards, Rocco Rock, Tod Gordon, and whoever else was not active in ECW at the time), even then whichever EC F'N W shirts crossed the Delaware, NOBODY hijacked the show and chanted "ECW" outside of the segments dealing with the big angle

    ReplyDelete
  71. I find it interesting that even as Raw's ratings slide, it continues to get more regular press from fairly mainstream sites like Grantland and now AV Club.

    ReplyDelete
  72. To beat Lesnar, I mean. To be 22-0 and then disappear for another year.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Wrestling fans are, by and large, geeks.

    Avenues to talk about geek hobbies are ever increasing, video games and comic books are more mainstream then ever.

    It follows that wrestling would be the same, the process is just slower since no one actually likes the product (except idiots, who are the other major stereotype of wrestling fans)

    ReplyDelete
  74. Bad show, and an even worse recap. Thumbs up all around.

    ReplyDelete
  75. The PPV continuing afterwards?

    ReplyDelete
  76. Heyman will turn on Lesnar during the match in order to help Reigns, just like he did against Lesnar for the Big Show in, what was it? Survivor Series 2003 I think? This pisses off Bryan, who just put over Reigns as the man who can take out Lesnar the right way, setting up a program between the two.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Adam "Colorado" CurryFebruary 24, 2015 at 3:32 PM

    WWE has completely struck out on every invasion angle they've ever attempted. At this point I'd rather they just stop trying.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Adam "Colorado" CurryFebruary 24, 2015 at 3:35 PM

    At this point I'd consider Raw a comedy series, it's so bad it's almost funny.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Adam "Colorado" CurryFebruary 24, 2015 at 3:39 PM

    I heard a Cena sucks chant at an indy show once. But it was because some guy in the front row was dressed just like him and doing all his poses, so that's probably a special case.

    ReplyDelete
  80. lol
    Look at this guy.

    ReplyDelete
  81. Incase you ever wondered if Chyna could twerk or not http://share.gifyoutube.com/v1qDQk.gif

    ReplyDelete
  82. Undertaker is ready for WM http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/JohnnyDA/right%20now/takar_zpscaec3b6a.png

    ReplyDelete
  83. The Amazing GamecockFebruary 24, 2015 at 5:09 PM

    I need Star Ratings!!!

    ReplyDelete
  84. No it didn't. He said he didn't believe Reigns had zero marketability. You can have some marketability and not be a legit star. Many midcarders made a career off of it back when the midcard was a real thing.

    ReplyDelete
  85. Yeah, I was thinking Pillman and the Curtain Call, but otherwise pretty good.

    ReplyDelete
  86. SS02 and yes.

    I velieve that heyman will either turn on lesnar ala ss02 or heyman picks up reigns as a client . A part of heymans promo was too engrossing and embellishing reigns to the point that it looks like its planting heel turn seeds if brock leaves

    ReplyDelete
  87. Except for that thing where he's dull and unlikeable and everyone wants that one guy with the beard instead...Reigns may be part of one of the most famous families in wrestling but he's about as interesting as a wood plank. Let me rephrase: he has a LOT of growing to do. Unfortunately, they're using him before he's ripe to be picked.

    ReplyDelete
  88. Haha, apologies for coming off overly harsh my good man, I tend to laugh at the over sensitivity of the av club more than I let on.

    ReplyDelete
  89. I'd be okay with this, maybe even more than if Reigns beats Lesnar and then lost to a cashing-in Rollins (but knowing how hard they're pushing Reigns, they would have him beat Rollins, probably).

    ReplyDelete
  90. Not being a major star does not equal having zero marketability. You don't need to be a major star to be marketable and able to make money for the company. To say otherwise is asinine.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment