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WWE RAW Rundown 6-1-15

June 1, 2015

From San Antonio, TX

Your hosts are Booker T, JBL, and Michael Cole






The show starts with the entire Authority heading down to the ring as the announcers talk about how Dean Ambrose has not been seen or heard from since leaving the Elimination Chamber show with the WWE World Title belt. Steph welcomes us to our champion, Seth Rollins, and how stealing a title does not make you a champion. She even talks about Dean Ambrose being a kleptomaniac for stealing the Money in the Bank briefcase from Rollins in the past as well. Steph then asked the crowd what they should do and maybe how they should get rid of him altogether. HHH then asks Ambrose to return the title so they can discuss what happens after that as the crowd starts a "Justin Biebe" chant aimed at Seth. HHH tells the crowd to shut up then screams for Ambrose to come out but instead we get Roman Reigns, who tells the Authority that they do not seem happy to see him but "San Antonio" is as the crowd applauds. Roman then tells then Authority that Dean wants a ladder match for the title at Money in the Bank. Steph tells Roman that they will not negotiate with a low-life like Ambrose or even himself as Roman reminds them all that Ambrose cleaned Seth cleanly. Seth flips out about how he was never beat as the crowd chants "you got beat" at him. Roman adds more fuel to the fire by reminding him that both Ambrose and himself have beat him then suggeests that Seth might be the worst WWE Champion ever. Seth wants Roman to tell Ambrose he has his rematch and then goes nuts as he tells the Authority that he will prove to everyone that he does not need anyone's help, even calling Kane a "seven-foot piece of crap," before walking off. When he leaves, Steph asks Roman who does he think he is but HHH interrupts and calmly reminds Roman that Seth ended his title hopes and dreams at WrestleMania by cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase contest and if he wants to stay in the MiTB match this year, he will have to win his match as if he loses, he will be out of the match as HHH orders Roman to stay in the ring for his match. Very good segment here. Seth was great at playing the pissed-off spoiled brat, Steph and HHH were awesome in their roles, and Reigns carried himself well and came off good here too. Plus, it was much shorter than last week's neverending opening segment.



Roman Reigns d. Wade Barrett with a spear (14:07) **1/2. 

Barrett took control early as he got two off of a suplex and grabbed a headlock. Reigns fought back with a boot to the face then hit a corner clothesline. Barrett rolled away from the apron kick but ended up getting clotheslined to the floor. Barrett catches him with a kick to the gut outside the ring as he regains control of the match. He poses in the ring as we go to break. Barrett has Reigns in a headlock when we are back from break. He switches to a surfboad but Reigns escapes then hits a clothesline. He drives Barrett in the corner and hammers away as the crowd counted along. Barrett catches Reigns with the Winds of Change for a nearfall then signals for the Bullhammer but Reigns ducks the move then powerbombs him after pulling him up during a rollup attempt then shortly after that puts him away with a spear. Solid match but after Barrett has been losing to everyone and having an unimpressive showing last night, Reigns should have plowed through him. Tough to buy Barrett as a threat here and as a result, the match didnt have the heat it should have.



Video stills of Kevin Owens beating John Cena last night at the Elimination Chamber



Byron Saxton is with Nikki Bella. Byron forgot to put the mic in front of her face at the beginning. Nikki talks about facing all challengers as Paige walks out and says that after winning a battle royal last month for a title shot and seeing that Naomi is now "out of the picture" she should get a match. Nikki said that Paige sounded just like Naomi, who lost, and then challenges her to a match tonight. Man, they sure buried Naomi in this segment. Both divas did fine here.



Ryback is welcomed to the ring. He tells the fans that no one wants to see him emotional but he is proud to be the new Intercontinental Title and how the crowd in San Antonio reminded him who he was when he returned from injury. The crowd reacted well to Ryback. This ends in a "feed me more" chant as we then learn that he will defend his title against the Miz. No idea what Miz did to earn a title shot here.



Miz vs. Ryback ended in a no-contest due to Big Show's interference 

This started after the break. Big Show made his return by walking into the ring and squaring off against Ryback but instead knocked out Miz with a punch. Show then walked over to Ryback and told him he has nothing on him when it comes to being a big guy. They had a staredown until Show walked away. Nothing memorable here and just a way to start a Ryback/Show feud. It looks like the IC Title is back to being little more than a prop.



Kevin Owens is in the ring. He goes over his NXT and WWE history to remind us how when he says he is going to do something, he delivers. He then says that he should be on top of the world after last night but he is not because after calling home, he spoke to his son. He said that like every other kid who is a WWE fan, his son is a John Cena fan. Funny moment as the crowd booed as Owens reminds them that his son is just a kid. Owens goes deeper into his frustrations, which is that Cena is portrayed as a hero with all sorts of colors and catchphrases and while honing his craft all over the country and world, his son grew up idolizing Cena, who became "Super Cena." The crowd starts the "Let's Go Cena, Cena  Sucks" chant as he reminds them he beat Cena last night. Owens then says that at their Money in the Bank match, he will make sure his kid watches the match and gives advice to all parents to do the same as they can see a real model, who does not rely on catchphrases and marketing, deliver.

Cena's music hits as he shows the "Never Give Up" towel to the camera and says that it is not a catchphrase. Cena hits the ring and says that Owens is a "jackass" and wants him to shut his mouth. Cena tells Owens to "act like he has been there before" and goes on about everyone praising Owens and their match last night as a mild "you got beat" chant breaks out. They really hammered home the idea that Owens debut was the best of all-time. Cena then says that he was going to hand him the U.S. Title but he does not deserve it as he is so concerned about being a role model that he cannot put jealousy aside. He then mocks Owens for saying how the "WWE Marketing Machine" influences his son by bringing up past failures. He says that his "catchphrases" were not that of suits in a boardroom but rather the words that define his life. Cena even pointed out a kid in the crowd with a sign that read "I'm Beating Cancer." Cena also told the kid later on to never stop fighting before focusing on Owens on how those words can effect people's lives and how instead of "Fight, Owens, Fight" it should be "Never Give Up" and in two weeks he will have to explain how a "really good wrestler" got his ass kicked by a "real man" but Owens walked off instead of fighting him as Cena fired up the crowd. Both guys did a great job here. The end I didnt care for much as Owens did not have a chance to really respond to Cena the way it was done. I dont mind that Cena used a poor kid suffering from cancer in his promo at all, it probably made their day and that is more important than any of this, but it also kinda proved Owens point he made about Cena in his promo. Some may only view that as exploitative but when it comes to a kid being happy, I cannot see it that way.  I love how they are treating Owens as a star. They want everyone to know that he beat Cena and did so in his debut. However, I dont love that they are doing a rematch in two weeks as that does not have to be rushed so quick. They can easily milk that feud for a while.



Dolph Ziggler w/ Lana d. Kofi Kingston w/ Big E & Xavier Woods with a rollup (3:15) 3/4*

Before the match, The New Day got heel heat by telling the crowd that Tim Duncan was old and should retire. Dolph did is usual stuff, which means running and jumping around for 90% of the match, until Kofi booted him down then grabbed a headlock. Dolph fought back with a neckbreaker then screamed in an attempt to get the crowd into the match but they did not care. Ziggler got a nearfall with a DDT as well. Kofi used a rollup but Ziggler reversed that for a win. After the match, Big E & Xavier ran in and beat on Ziggler until the Prime Time Players made the save. Match was heatless and Dolph just might be the stalest act on the roster. No one seemed to care about him. And his pairing with Lana has been a bust. They have no chemistry together at all. Its almost as bad as the Ted DiBiase Jr. & Maryse pairing.



Prime Time Players & Dolph Ziggler d. The New Day when Titus pinned Xavier with a pumphandle slam (5:33) *1/2. 

Match started during the break. When we came back, the PTP's were beating on Woods. Kofi tripped up Young as that allowed Big E to hit a belly-to-belly suplex then the New Day all beat on Young in the corner. They continue to work over Young until he fights back and makes the hot tag to Titus, who cleans house. The crowd reacted well to Titus here, who was tossing around Kofi and Xavier. Ziggler even hit a super kick on Kofi in a messed-up spot then Titus barked before getting the win with the pumphandle slam. As the guys were celebrating, Lana was shown smiling on the ramp. Speaking of Lana, she was an after thought in both matches. And Ziggler was an afterthought in this match. Shows you how great that pairing is doing at the moment. Also, the PTP's vs. New Day feud appears to be in the works and that is fine by me.



Roman Reigns d. Mark Henry via countout (3:46) 1/4*

Henry slammed Reigns early on for a nearfall then raked his eyes across the top rope as the announcers played up that Reigns had an eye injury that would jeopardize his standing in the MiTB match. Henry raked the eyes for a bit then Reigns fought back with a couple of clotheslines then a Samoan drop. Henry rolled outside the Reigns followed out and got rammed into the post but came back with the Superman Punch and rolled inside just in time to beat the ten count. After the match, Henry came in and hit Reigns with the World's Strongest Slam then a splash. Match was bad and the crowd was not invested. Henry seemed like he was unable to do anything in the ring.



After the break, Steph and HHH walk past Reigns, who is clutching his ribs. They sarcastically applaud him then say that he should lace up his vest real tight and "follow the buzzards."



We see the Mega Powers, New Day, and Big Showdoing outtakes plugging the new shakes at Sonic. Not bad and the New Day were hilarious.



Nikki Bella (c) d. Paige to retain the WWE Diva's Title (5:50) *3/4. 

Match started with Nikki talking trash. Paige pie-faced Nikki off of a lockup then Nikki took her down and worked the arm then shows off by doing some push-ups. Nikki got two with a suplex then put on a surfboard. Nikki then hit a slingshot suplex before stretching out Paige, who is able to reach the ropes. Paige then knocks her down but Nikki rolls outside then performs crunches on the floor. Back inside, Paige uses a knee smash that showed an awful lot of light to get two then they trade moves until Paige takes Nikki off the top with some sort of DDT but shortly after that, Nikki rolled outisde then Brie came from underneath the ring and went inside to catch Paige with a small package for the win. So, the Bellas are back to being heels again, despite doing nothing to turn face to begin with. And with Nikki and Brie not close to the same size anymore, this finish doesnt work quite as well. The Divas division remains a complete mess. As far as the match, they both tried and it had some rough spots but fine overall.



Randy Orton makes his return as he will be facing Sheamus tonight.



Randy Orton d. Sheamus via DQ (12:55) **1/4

Lots of stalling from Sheamus to start. This match is wrestled at a snails pace as neither guy can gain the advantage. Orton then clotheslines Sheamus to the floor and heads outside where he suplexes Sheamus on top of the announcers table then heads back inside as we go to break. Back from break, Sheamus catches Orton in a powerslam for a nearfall then stomps away in the corner. Sheamus gets frustrated as he cannot put Orton away then grabs a chinlock as the crowd rallies behind Orton, who breaks the hold. He catches Sheamus with a pair of clotheslines then a powerslam after dodging a Brogue Kick. Orton hits a T-Bone suplex after a reversal sequence then gets the draping DDT as he tries to fire up the crowd. Sheamus sends Orton to the floor with a knee to the face. They brawl outside until Sheamus gets DQ'ed for using a chair. After the match, Sheamus hits a Brogue Kick then beats on Orton until a few referees order him away. Sheamus stops, thinks for a bit, then runs over and hits Orton with another Brogue Kick. Not bad but more of a house show match than a TV match. The point of this was too build animosity between the Money in the Bank Briefcase match.



Saxton is backstage with Rusev, who is on crutches. He tells us that he has a broken ankle, crushed spirit, and no woman but he will get back all of what he desires. Good stuff from Rusev, who has been excelling in his role.



A plug for Kevin Owens, hosting the NXT Championship open challenge this Thursday on Smackdown.



Neville d. Bo Dallas with the Red Arrow (3:10) *

Before the match, a dejected Bo tells us that he now wants to hurt Neville instead of helping him. Dallas took control of the match to start as the crowd started to rally a bit behind Neville, who fought back with forearm smashes and kicks while showcasing his tremendous speed, then hit the Red Arrow for the win. The Red Arrow is one of the more impressive moves in the company, he always seems to hit it perfectly, and this win seemed to have ended his feud with Bo so he can focused on as a competitor in the Money in the Bank Briefcase match. The announcers also put over the Red Arrow as a deadly finisher too.



Roman Reigns d. Bray Wyatt with the spear (12:12) **3/4. 

Bray immediately beats on Reigns, who is selling his injuries from tonight. Seth, Kane, and J&J Security come out to the ring as Wyatt continues his assault on Reigns. Back from break, the Authority were clapping from the stage as Reigns was getting beaten down. Reigns came back with a clothesline then hit a DDT as both men are down. Reigns gets up and hammers away then knocks Wyatt to the floor, where Reigns hits the basement dropkick. Back inside, Reigns ran into a clothesline then Wyatt got two off of a senton. Wyatt starts slapping around Reigns, who slaps him right back. Reigns hits a Samoan drop then signals for the Superman Punch that awakes the crowd, who had been quiet since the Sheamus/Orton match. Wyatt blocks that and hits a chokeslam but Reigns fights back as the Authority now surround the ring. Reigns counters the Sister Abigail and shoves Wyatt into Kane, who was on the apron, then spears Wyatt off of the rebound and gets the win. After the match, the Authority surround the ring until Ambrose's music hits. Rollins looks at the ramp but turns around and sees Ambrose taunting him with the belt on the announcers table. Reigns and Rollins take out the Authority as HHH and Steph are on the ramp. Ambrose and Reigns then left through the crowd. Good match and a real good showing by Reigns tonight. If they built him up like this last fall it probably would have worked with him getting the strap at Mania. He is doing fine in his role and the partnership with Dean against the Authority is working well.



Backstage, Paul Heyman is shown walking backstage looking pissed as he enters the set of the Stone Cold Steve Austin Podcast



Final Thoughts: Not as good as the previous two weeks but still a solid showing. Reigns had a great night tonight and did well. It seems like they are building towards HHH vs. Reigns at SummerSlam too. They are doing good at building up their top feuds and the MiTB Briefcase match. However, the midcard stuff was forgettable and the Diva's Division is terribly booked. The Dolph/Lana stuff is just not working at all either. Nothing in terms of must-see matches but after Owens vs Cena last night, that is not a problem.


Comments

  1. Just because...

    #HOSSDANCE

    http://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/2014-04/enhanced/webdr04/20/4/anigif_enhanced-3730-1397982930-3.gif

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  2. Sounds like Somoa Joe put Tyson Kidd out with a major injury in his first match during a dark before Raw. Yikes.

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  3. He crushed Kidd with the muscle buster

    https://twitter.com/ericdbolton/status/605522697506988032

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  4. Anyone who doesn't think that Cena/Owens segment was great is an idiot.

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  5. Both guys did great on the mic.

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  6. Well hopefully they can make it an angle out of it or something. Cesaro v Joe would obviously be awesome.

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  7. HowmuchdoesthisguyweighJune 1, 2015 at 10:44 PM

    Liked it a lot. Cena did a good job with his retort. Owens is a bully. Cena called him on it and it's a solid story

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  8. "But he pandered!" Newsflash: Every top babyface in the history of wrestling pandered to the fans.

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  9. HowmuchdoesthisguyweighJune 1, 2015 at 10:45 PM

    Didn't look like anything out of the ordinary

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  10. Seems to me people were too busy picking nits about Adam Rose or cancer boy to hear what Cena was actually saying to Owens. It was a great bit of psychology.

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  11. The segment was good. Focusing on a kid with cancer in the crowd will always garner those comments. Most top babyfaces didnt do that either but most babyfaces didnt wrestle for corporations either. Its all in perspective. Was the live thread all over that or something?

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  12. Maybe he got a stinger or something.

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  13. My only problem would be if the Cancer kid was a prearranged "plant" for Cena's promo. That would be a bit tasteless for me if true. But it did seem legit that Cena just randomly spotted him.

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  14. HowmuchdoesthisguyweighJune 1, 2015 at 10:48 PM

    Rose thing was whatever... Cena is not a dick. Doubt he meant much by it.

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  15. HowmuchdoesthisguyweighJune 1, 2015 at 10:48 PM

    I don't think they would do that

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  16. Yes, it was insane. Dudes literally flipping their shit because of the kid with cancer getting a shout out. So embarrassing.

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  17. I would hope so, but You never know anymore.

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  18. HowmuchdoesthisguyweighJune 1, 2015 at 10:49 PM

    Hope he is ok. All around that would suck. Tyson finally got traction as a valued member of the roster and joe doesn't need that first night out

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  19. I bet that cancer kid was Lilian Garcia's friend.

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  20. Wait, work or legit botch?

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  21. Ugh. Just feel happy the poor kid gets to be on TV and a shout out from their hero

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  22. There's a good chance Cena met the kid before the show, and the kid could have asked if Cena could mention him during his promo or something along those lines.

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  23. I'm still trying to figure out how Sheamus, Ziggler, and Kofi got into the ladder match. Why isn't Ryback in the match since he WON his match at the PPV that involved Sheamus and Ziggler?

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  24. I think the rear naked choke would work better as his WWE finish.

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  25. Collarbone it sounds like

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  26. Ah, Dolph Ziggler fans... you guys are the best.

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  27. Kayfabe, champs have responsibilities. It's why Paige couldn't be NXT Women's and Diva's Champion at the same time.

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  28. But Owens beat Cena clean last night...why is Cena acting like that never happened and that Owens is just a shit talker?? Is it the way the video is edited that Im missing something? Or does everything have to make Cena look good?? Owens already WON why is he being run down here???

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  29. Probably. There's supposed to be a point where Cena says Owens was the better man and he would've given him the US belt if he weren't an ass.

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  30. If this was Ryback people would be losing their shit right now but since its Joe it gets a shrug and a "hope it works out for ya buddy".

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  31. I'm still trying to figure out how Paige can slip the letter "R" into "Naomi."

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  32. Seemed to me the kid wanted to be pandered to. Unless the sign and the Cena gear was all planted by WWE.

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  33. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!June 2, 2015 at 4:35 AM

    It wasn't as bad as cult is saying. There were maybe 2 guys in the thread saying that stuff.

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  34. I feel Cena should have acted more vulnerable, that would have been a great promo had Owens cheated to win, which he did not.

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  35. How is he a bully? He challenged him to a match and beat him both fairly and squarely.

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  36. The timing was horrible and it came off like "if you like Kevin Owens you like cancer". I would have no problem with that being a separate segment in the show.

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  37. Considering Cena mentioned that he was beaten by Owens, I am guessing it is the edit.

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  38. Big Show with some next level stiffness : https://38.media.tumblr.com/79c39a229ff4549e908b56322b75029f/tumblr_npali0El2K1rnjfjfo1_r1_400.gif

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  39. Extant1979 - Extreme SuperstarJune 2, 2015 at 6:26 AM

    I thought they did a great job with Reigns last night and was overall pleased with the show last night. Considering it's June, this is probably the best WWE has been at this time of year in a while. My only complaint is that the MitB briefcase match includes no one that I give a shit about outside of Reigns, and it's pretty clear he's winning.


    And with Owens doing an open challenge on SmackDown, I may have to actually watch that this week.

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  40. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!June 2, 2015 at 6:52 AM

    Honey Badger don't care. Honey Badger don't give a shit!

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  41. I don't think the kid knew it was coming at all

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  42. AverageJoeEverymanJune 2, 2015 at 7:29 AM

    Cena planted the cancer in the child!

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  43. Joey Jo-Jo Junior ShabbadooJune 2, 2015 at 7:31 AM

    I'll be honest, if it was anyone besides Cena I probably would have had a problem with it. But he gets a pass for that for obvious reasons.

    But he's still a dick for that slam at Rose. #WHITEKNIGHT

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  44. Joey Jo-Jo Junior ShabbadooJune 2, 2015 at 7:33 AM

    "If you like Kevin Owens you like cancer"

    I think the world is ready for a pro-cancer heel.

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  45. He hits so hard that even the AIR from his punches will knock your dick stiff. That's the kind of power you can only generate with frying pan hands.

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  46. Yesterday someone predicted that we'd get a "Cena moving the goalposts promo" last night. Looks like they were right.

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  47. And Dolph Ziggler's transformation into Tito Santana continues.

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  48. I for one am SHOCKED that Cult would exaggerate and/or create a strawman to make a point.

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  49. Joey Jo-Jo Junior ShabbadooJune 2, 2015 at 7:47 AM

    I blame Miz, but then again I always blame Miz. Because he's turrible.

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  50. I'm kind of curious if The Ryback is going to be one of those "weird chemistry with Big Show guys. It's never the guys you expect with him.

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  51. Joey Jo-Jo Junior ShabbadooJune 2, 2015 at 7:51 AM

    I think he works well with stiff guys because it's probably hard to hurt him. So he takes the shots and gives them in return.

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  52. Well, Ryback has a history of being sloppy and hurting guys. Can't the same for Joe unless I'm completely ignorant on the subject.

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  53. Half the live thread were slamming that Cena promo.

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  54. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!June 2, 2015 at 8:12 AM

    I was there too. It wasn't half. I agree that those that slammed the whole "kid being pointed out" thing were wrong, but it wasn't half the thread.

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  55. That's not fair. Tito had way better offense than Ziggler.

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  56. Disliking a heel? What a crazy thing to happen.

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  57. Ziggler makes we want to change the channel nowadays.

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  58. People were commenting about how split everyone seemed to be over it too. That wasn't some universally loved Cena promo. Unless it was just the same two people posting over and over again.

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  59. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!June 2, 2015 at 8:27 AM

    I think it was just the same guys over and over. Does it really matter though? I mean, I can see their point too. I believe they're wrong, but really, it's not like it's beyond WWE to do things in poor taste.

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  60. You mean to tell me I missed a Sheamus/Orton match!? If only there were 73,629,481 previous meetings from the two that I can go back and watch.

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  61. It's a match they haven't recycled 9999 times over the past three months, which makes it fresh by comparison.

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  62. Eh, that wouldn't be that bad I guess. Still kind of exploitative.

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  63. So, it's a kid that's battling death. Thrill of a lifetime for him > Exploitative to you.

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  64. Ryback probably forgot to sign up for the match

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  65. Dolph vs kofi and orton vs sheamus were 2 matches from summerslam 2010. And sheamus got disqualified in that one too I believe

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  66. Uh...world titles have responsibilities that the lower-card titles don't.


    It's why Lance Storm was allowed to hold three titles.


    Also...the Authority don't like Ryback, so they're going to manipulate precedent to get him out of the match.

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  67. Reigns-Barrett was a classic example of WWE's formulaic match structure making the product worse. The match should've ended when Reigns countered Barrett's finisher into a powerbomb. The crowd popped pretty big for that move, it was perfect for the story of the match, it would've been a start toward establishing the powerbomb as a important part of Reigns' moveset, the spear he ultimately won with was kinda weak and very predictable ... plus they knew Reigns had THREE matches that night and could've mixed it up with the finishes. Just lazy, no-thought booking IMO.

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  68. Sadly I have a memory span over two years and I remember how their matches were always mediocre to abysmal.

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  69. Did you know that that you can make cash by locking selected sections of your blog / website?
    Simply open an account on AdscendMedia and use their content locking tool.

    ReplyDelete

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