The
PG Era Rant for Raw, September 29, 2014.
Your
preview promises the following:
- Hulk Hogan is in the house!
- Miz, Cesaro, and Ziggler face off with the Intercontinental Title on the line!
- Everyone wears pink. This is your warning.
- Rusev will discuss Big Show's SmackDown actions.
- Wait, something happened on SmackDown?
- Set up on the Pre-Show: Mark Henry faces Bo Dallas.
Live
from... uh oh. Live from Chicago, IL. Getting the drinking game
ready.
Your
hosts are Cole, JBL, and Lawler.
We
review last week, first Ambrose's Houdini act on Raw, then the
briefcase hijacking on SmackDown.
Triple
H and Stephanie open the live show. And before we get any plot
development, TAKE A DRINK. Also, Chicago is full of quitters.
Stephanie hammers this point home, saying everyone just quits... or
steals. Like Dean Ambrose did. And it's an empty gesture, too –
Rollins is still Mr. Money in the Bank. But Ambrose's actions will
not be tolerated. The scar
briefcase is a symbol, and it will not be disrespected. No one
disrespects the business!
Ladies
and gentlemen, this interruptor is Paul Heyman. Disrespected, eh?
That's how Brock Lesnar feels. He's upset people claim John Cena
would've won at Night of Champions, and that Seth Rollins tried to
cash in on him. Hence, Brock Lesnar has sent word: is there a
problem here? Stephanie wants to know if that's a threat...
...and
hey, let's have Seth Rollins himself explain. He acted alone on
Brock Lesnar – both in the cash-in and the attack. And Rollins
thought Heyman would at least respect the chutzpah. He's trying to
build a career on opportunity. So from one opportunist to another,
that's all it was. Besides, nobody wanted Cena as champion, right?
Rollins wanted to beat the best, meaning Brock Lesnar. TAKE A DRINK.
Honestly, Lesnar should be flattered! But if he's upset, Rollins is
contrite.
Heyman
accepts a handshake and tells him never to do it again. But HHH
stops Heyman from leaving. He glares down Heyman... then also shakes
his hand. HHH turns around as Rollins thanks them for chastising
Dean Ambrose, but Ambrose won't listen to chastisement. It's not
funny, Dean! It wasn't just a briefcase – there was stuff in
there! Give it back right now or else!
Hey,
Ambrose is on the big screen. “Looking for this?” Seth used to
be a man, but now he's letting his parents fight for him. So if they
want the briefcase back, come get it. And they're off to get it
back. But before they can get up the ramp, John Cena bursts through
and attacks Rollins! Rollins escapes through the crowd and back to
the ramp as Cena fires the crowd up. The Authority mock Cena from
the safety of the ramp.
Hey,
they made the crowd cheer Cena over the Authority. I call that a
small win.
Moments
ago.
Backstage,
the Authority is telling Seth Rollins to stay put. HHH tells Jamie
Noble and Joey Mercury to get the briefcase back intact by any means
necessary. Noble asks if they can borrow the sledgehammers, but HHH
refuses.
Intercontinental Championship:
Cesaro (challenger) v. Dolph Ziggler (champion) v. The Miz
(challenger).
Flashbacks show us that everyone's a cheater when the title's on the
line. Dolph gets cornered to start, then pull each other away, so
Cesaro tosses Miz into Dolph and gets a Karelin suplex for two on
Miz. Dolph charges and gets slingshotted into the corner as Miz
steals a two-count. Dolph chops Miz, but Miz tries the Million
Dollar Move only to get tossed into Cesaro for a high-angle
backbreaker for two. Cesaro presses Miz, but Dolph with a dropkick
for two as we go to break.
Good
news: no stalling, no resting. Something is always happening.
Intercontinental Championship,
part two.
Cesaro has a cobra clutch on Dolph, but breaks to go for Miz. Dolph
gets a sunset flip for two, Miz cradles Dolph for two, etc., etc.,
etc. Dolph with a Sky High DDT on both men. Dolph with a Stinger
Splash on Miz, then Cesaro, into a Rude Awakening / DDT combo. He
covers Miz for two. Cesaro falls out of the ring as Dolph is tripped
by Sandow. Miz gets two. Dolph beats up Sandow, then returns with a
sunset flip on Miz for two. Miz catches Dolph off the second rope,
but Cesaro nails Miz with an uppercut and Dolph with a big boot.
Sunset flip try on Miz, but Dolph catapults Cesaro into Miz's trunks.
Ahem. Dolph gets the figure-four on Miz, but Cesaro double-stomps
Dolph to break. He covers Dolph for two. Twice. Miz avoids an
uppercut and gets his through-the-ropes corner lariat on Cesaro. He
goes up top, but flies right into Swiss Death. Superkick by Dolph on
Cesaro, and he covers Miz to win at 9:44. Would've been nice not to
have a commercial break, but perfectly good match. ***
Sandow imitates Miz's leg injury.
Jamie
Noble asks Adam Rose where Dean Ambrose is, but the entourage is
clueless. So are Big E and Xavier Woods. Great Khali pretends Noble
is too short to be heard.
If
this is Sandow mocking Miz subtly and getting away with it, I would
approve of a future face turn.
Bray
Wyatt interrupts to talk about how he found Luke Harper and fixed
him. “What do you give a man that has nothing? I gave him a
reason to exist.” Wyatt is setting Luke Harper free.
Mercury
and Noble report on how they can't find Ambrose yet. They've been
everywhere over the past 20 minutes, but Noble has mustard on his
face. So Stephanie ups the ante: find him or you're fired. Miz and
Sandow argue they want a rematch (Sandow speaking on Miz's behalf).
HHH finds the overacting hilarious. In the meantime, Damien Sandow
will face Sheamus. Isn't that FUNNY? Oh, and if Miz tries to order
HHH around again, he's fired.
Because
nothing gets a heel over with the fans like being laughed at by
another heel.
Layla v. Rosa Mendes.
Total
Divas' cross-promotion alert! Tyson Kidd is in Rosa's corner and
doesn't care. Slapfight to start, and Layla throws Rosa down as
Natalya tells Kidd to pay attention. Layla and Summer choke away and
pose for photos and stuff, and we have a sleeper by Layla on Rosa.
Does a Daniel Bryan chant count as a drink? Kidd once again tunes
out. Rosa fights out as Layla gets one. Rosa with a kneelift and
forearms, but Layla rips out hair extensions and dumps her. Natalya
checks on Rosa, Summer Rae comes over, and a catfight breaks out.
Crowd cheers, Tyson isn't even looking. Rosa has Layla on the ropes,
but Layla leverages her into the middle rope, and the Rude Awakening
ends it at 2:54. JBL: “Thank god.” -*1/2
Natalya
walks off with Tyson's phone as Layla and Summer take photographic
souvenirs.
Hey,
remember when Vince cared more about his product than what some NBC
synergistic suits thought of it? Me neither.
Okay,
Joey and Jamie, let's make your job easy: Dean Ambrose is headed to
the ring with the briefcase! First thing he does is set up a table
in the ring. He has his suitcase with him, too. If you're looking
for him, he was in the concession stand watching them eat a hot dog.
Anyway, while there he decided to one-up the Authority on running the
merchandise stands. Everything must go! Except the briefcase. Yes,
Ambrose found what Seth hid in the briefcase – and it creeped him
out. And in the suitcase... T-shirts! Quick! Make an offer!
Bidding starts at $1, who wants it?
And
Noble and Mercury head to the ring to interrupt. “They sent the
Cruiserweight Division out to get me.” They want Ambrose to throw
him the briefcase, but that's not happening. Ambrose tells them that
if they want the briefcase, cool, come get it. They... don't? They
walk off instead. Ambrose is amused, then says the heck with it and
throws the T-shirts to the crowd for free. Ambrose uses this to
stall for time until Seth Rollins' music begins.
Rollins
arrives with Mercury, Noble, and security. Ambrose is unamused.
“Busted.” But that can't be real security – weren't they
Rosebuds last week? Ambrose has had his fun, so fine, have the
briefcase. Come get it back. Ambrose rolls away and enters the
crowd as Rollins goes to the ring. Rollins – with one eye on
Ambrose – takes the briefcase and opens it. And gets slimed as it
opens. Noble and Mercury corpse on the apron. Ambrose feigns
innocence as Rollins fumes. Rollins chews out Noble and Mercury
while throwing a tantrum. Cole is cracking up at ringside.
I'm
pretty sure this is more or less what Roddy Piper would be doing in
today's WWE were he to come up nowadays.
October
10 – SmackDown's 15th
Anniversary show!
Moments
ago.
Orton
finds it funny as Rollins is complaining of eye trouble. Kane says
Ambrose is headed for John Cena, so tonight it's Cena/Ambrose against
Kane/Orton. Orton protests having to clean up Rollins's mess again
when a loud noise can be heard... from inside the briefcase. Rollins
grabs the briefcase... “It's an electric razor.” (Cole: “He
has a beard.”) Rollins takes it and runs off.
Mark
Henry is out. We review his losses to Rusev. Henry is about to
apologize again when Bo Dallas interrupts. Dallas tells Henry not to
apologize to anyone but himself. Henry is underachieving, so close
the Hall of Pain and enter the Hall of the Bo Lievers.
Mark Henry v. Bo Dallas.
Dallas attacks right away on the back and gets headbutted. Henry
throws Dallas into the corner and slugs him down. “You wanna
believe something boy?” A Hammer Throw foors Dallas. A big slam
follows. Henry with a series of headbutts, but the Vaderbomb
airballs. Bo Dog connects for the pin at 1:43.
So...
wait, were they... Rollins has a... implying he... was this Dunn's
idea or Vince's?
Moments
Ago.
Renee
Young interviews and congratulates Bo Dallas. But Mark Henry is
right behind him and angry, tossing him into everything he can find
and beating him down. He throws a steamer trunk into him twice.
What a hero.
Stardust
stairs into a Van de Graaf generator and talks about how his destiny
was written in the stars. Goldust makes it clear: the belts are the
Cosmic Key. But only the belts matter – everything else is science
fiction. They destroy the props and declare the belts science fact.
Just to
compare: Swagger loses by refusing to tap out to Rusev repeatedly,
then listens to Dallas' taunting and beats him cleanly 2 out of 3.
Henry taps out, loses to Dallas, and sneak attacks him backstage.
Henry will be pushed. Swagger won't. Harumph.
Brie Bella v. Wait
a minute... Nikki Bella is out to rub in the quitter quitting where
she quit. And it was all so Daniel Bryan could keep the belt for
another, what, week? (YES abounds.) Brie didn't quit for Daniel,
though; it was so people would care about her. But when Brie quit,
Nikki took the punishment while Brie stayed at home. Payback is
tonight, though, as Brie gets her own handicap match.
Brie Bella v. Cameron and Eva
Marie.
Eva Marie starts, but Brie throws her into the corner and gets an
armdrag and armbar. Crowd wants AJ. Brie kicks Eva, then sends
Camero off the apron, but Eva with a hairpull slam. Eva with a boot
choke, and Cameron kicks away. Eva back in, and the double-teaming
in the corner continues. Suplex by Cameron gets two. Crowd skips
chanting for CM Punk and chants for JBL instead during a chinlock.
Then for Lawler. Brie fights out, but Cameron tosses her into the
corner as the Cole chant begins. More doube-teaming as Eva grabs
Brie's hair, but Brie throws the two together and cradles Cameron for
the pin at 2:56. I've seen worse – like the Divas match an hour
ago. DUD
Brie leads a YES chant.
I
get the story and all, and the symbolism and all that, but couldn't
they find two better heels to do the fighting? The Bellas are the
type who don't add anything to a match quality-wise, but at least
they don't detract unlike Cameron and Eva.
Slater/Gator v. Los Matadores.
Adam
Rose and company are on commentary. Thankfully, only Rose has a
headset. Hornswoggle is dressed as an alligator. The Most Reverend
Jesse Jackson is at ringside. Epico and Titus start, and Epico gets
chops. He dives off the second rope into a backbreaker, then another
one over-the-shoulder. Slater tags himself in, but Epico escapes a
back suplex and hot tag Primo. Dropkicks abound. Primo with a
clothesline, and he goes up, but Gatorswoggle runs in and picks a
fight with El Torito. Slater uses the distraction to sweep the leg
and pin Primo with the tights at 2:06. Yecch. DUD
They pick on El Torito for a while post-match, with Gatorswoggle
doing the Gator Roll to El Torito, until the Bunny and Adam Rose make
the save. I wish I was kidding.
See,
it was tolerable last week because Memphis is the kind of crowd that
appreciates silliness in wrestling. But you can't escalate like
this. Comedy needs to be a one-off or it hurts everyone involved.
Tomorrow
night, the Main Event main event is Henry vs. Dallas in a rematch.
Rusev
and Lana are here as we review Big Show knocking Rusev out. They
lower the Russian flag pre-speech. The anti-American Lana does have
a pink pocket square to support Susan G. Komen, then speaks a lot in
Russian. We get their interpretation of the events on SmackDown.
Before Lana can have flashbacks to being cornered, here's Big Show.
Show calls them out on spin doctoring, saying their lines are crap.
“YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH! Sorry, I always wanted to say that.”
He
then plays his interpretation of what happened, including with Mark
Henry against Rusev and Big Show promising revenge, complete with
Murica background. Rusev now takes the mic and declares he will maul
Big Show in graphic detail. Big Show: “We don't. Speak.
Russian.” (Neither does he; he speaks Bulgarian.) Show heads to
the ring and Rusev bails out. Show decides to rip down the big
Russian flag as a consolation prize. Lana is half in tears as Rusev
charges and gets dumped right away.
A
recap of Dean Ambrose's night.
Renee
Young is with John Cena and his usual Chicago reaction. Cena loves
Chicago and their weird reactions, but tonight Chicago is unstable –
just like Dean Ambrose. So it's a good thing Cena's on Ambrose's
side... for now. The problem is they both want Rollins.... and
Ambrose is behind them. “Would you like to add something?” “Not
really.” Well, just that after tonight, Rollins belongs to HIM,
not Cena. But Cena wants Rollins too. Ambrose: “Right.” Nobody
takes food off of Dean's plate – including Cena.
Let's
just say it: what Big Show did was a gross breach of international
etiquette. JBL was furious when Old Glory accidentally hit the
ground at SummerSlam. This was intentional. I just kinda wish Vince
wouldn't go there, but I'm used to it.
AJ Lee v. Wait,
before we go there, here's Paige. TAKE A DRINK. Paige says people
mistook her kindness for weakness, and that's a mistake she won't
make again. So here's AJ Lee's opponent, Paige's new best friend...
AJ Lee v. Alicia Fox.
Staredown leads to TAKE A DRINK as AJ gets a running headscissors.
Clothesline in the corner and a heel kick and Fox bails. Paige helps
Fox up, so AJ dives onto both women. She skips to celebrate as TAKE
A DRINK. Back in, she grabs Paige and gets scissor kicked in the
back for the pin at 1:26. That's impressive – three gratuitous CM
Punk chants in 90 seconds. And didn't this crowd say they wanted to
see AJ earlier? Paige and Fox beat down AJ post-match.
A
replay of the Wyatt video from earlier.
So
to recap: during an earlier Divas' match, they demanded AJ take part.
They get AJ, and their response is not to cheer her, but to use her
existence to chant for CM Punk. Stay classy.
Sheamus and Ziggler face Miz and Sandow on SmackDown. And along
those lines...
Sheamus v. Damien Sandow.
Non-title. Miz is on commentary. Sandow insists Sheamus avoid the
face. Sheamus backs Sandow into the corner, and Sandow ducks out.
Sheamus with a headlock takedown, then another. Sandow escapes and
bails, then imitates Miz on commentary. Sheamus catches Sandow, who
drapes Sheamus on the top rope and kicks away in the corner. A punch
just wakes Sheamus up, and he goes to town on Sandow. Hiptosses
follow, but a charge hits the knee. Sandow with a DDT for one.
Sandow goes to the chinlock. Sheamus fights out before running into
a knee, then Sandow clubs away in the corner. Knee strikes and a
boot choke follow. Blind charge runs into Irish Hammers to cue the
comeback. Sheamus fakes a Popeye punch, then goes to the Ten of
Clubs instead. Miz checks on Sandow, so Sheamus tosses Sandow into
Miz. Brogue Kick ends it at 5:25, which is about four minutes longer
than I'd have it go. 1/2*
So
Henry/Dallas, which has a story, goes two minutes, while Sheamus
beating up Sandow goes five. Ambrose can only save the show so much.
Hulk
Hogan's big appearance is all about Breast Cancer Awareness and pink
and Susan G. Komen and so on. At least the survivors given front row
tickets were given YES chants, so there's that.
Meanwhile,
Orton complains to Kane about having to babysit Seth Rollins. Kane
sympathizes. But Stephanie tells them to do their jobs. The
Authority is family, you know. Tonight, Seth was embarrassed, and he
can't be there. Besides, don't you look forward to tonight given
last week's backfire? C'mon, man up. Squash what people say about
you. “Like what?” Like that the two of them have gone soft and
lack killer instinct. Kane: “Are THEY saying that or are YOU?”
“Kane, does it really matter?”
Orton
needs to walk away and come back when it's time to get what he's been
denied for a long time. It seems like every time he's around HHH, he
looks bad.
Next
week: Roman Reigns will talk to us! Plus, Big Show and Rusev
one-on-one!
Dean Ambrose and John Cena v.
Kane and Randy Orton.
Ambrose rather reluctantly lets Cena start against Orton. Orton
with a back elbow and he stomps away in the corner, but Cena with a
bulldog for one. Kane in, and the double-team continues as Kane
punches away. Cena floors Kane and goes for a quick AA, but Kane
collapses the pile and tags in Orton. Orton stomps Cena down and
suckers Ambrose in, allowing him a facewash. He chokes Cena in the
corner as we go to break.
The
odds of Mikhail Prokorov being mentioned next week have just been
taken off the board in Vegas.
Main event, part two.
Cena is fighting out of the corner, but he runs into a powerslam
(with pose) for two. Orton taunts Ambrose, then signals for the RKO
to Cena. Cena escapes, but Orton with the back-to-back backbreaker
for two. Kane in, and he boots Cena as Orton stays between Ambrose
and the action. It gets two. Crowd DEMANDS Ambrose. Kane goes to
the NERVE PINCH OF DOOM as we replay Rollins getting slimed again.
Cena dropkicks to break, but runs into a Dino Bravo Slam for two.
Orton in, and he and Kane work the arm. Ambrose is taunted into the
ring again, so Orton with the Garvin Stomp for two. To the chinlock
as the crowd “rallies” Cena. Orton switches to try the Draping
DDT, but Cena vaults him over the top. Ambrose is shaking with
anticipation. HOT tag Ambrose, and Orton and Kane get run over
repeatedly. Bodypress and punches by Ambrose to Orton, and he's sent
out of the ring. Kane stops a dive, so Ambrose does a slingshot
plancha to Kane, then the tope suicida to Orton. Rope-tangle
clothesline back in on Orton, and Dirty Deeds connects just as
Rollins runs in (conveniently) for the DQ at 10:41. **1/4
Kane
holds Cena back as Rollins and Ambrose go to war. Ambrose gets the
upper hand, so Rollins bails. Kane is low-bridged, and Ambrose dives
onto Kane... but not Rollins, who races away. Cena cuts Rollins'
escape off, and now it's 2-on-Rollins. He sends Cena outside, but
Ambrose goes nuts on Rollins. Orton stops it, so Cena tosses Orton
and goes to work on Rollins. Ambrose leaps over Cena and onto
Rollins, and now both men are pulling each other away to get to
Rollins (crowd wants it to be Ambrose). Ambrose wins the argument
and takes the briefcase with Rollins cornered, but Orton enters with
an RKO. Kane floors Cena on the outside, and it's 1-on-3. Chokeslam
to Ambrose from Kane, and Rollins wants a Curbstomp on the briefcase.
Kane and Orton help, and he gets it. But now Cena recovers and
tries to clean house, but runs into an RKO. Rollins calls more
shots, and it's a chokeslam to Cena. Orton eggs on the crowd as
Rollins is ready to do another briefcase Curbstomp, this one to Cena.
With Kane's help, he gets it too. Crowd thanks Rollins for
attacking Cena because screw logic, we need our anti-Cena cred.
THOUGHTS:
The
main event story of Cena and Ambrose not able to get out of each
other's way and paying for it was well-played, and Rollins as
cowardly heel hiding behind Orton and Kane is making fans want to see
Ambrose murder him. So the main story's fine, but the midcard is
meandering and disjointed. It's clear Vince runs out of ideas by the
middle of the third hour and just puts stuff out to amuse himself
(the “electric razor” joke was totally unnecessary if you ask
me).
On
top of that, there was just no actual wrestling. This show had less
bell-to-bell action than any I think I've ever recapped. I don't
know why they were so stingy with match time when they have three
hours to fill – unless they were afraid of the dreaded CM Punk
chant or open rebellion by the crowd. But they got that anyway, so
what good did it do them? Even with what little you had, you had
obvious filler like SlaterGator v. Matadores. Have longer matches if
that's what you're going to do.
Still...
there were good things on this show. Dean Ambrose looked like a
million bucks tonight. The three-way IC title match was fun and
didn't degenerate into the “three singes matches” formula you
often see. And Brie Bella is going to be a big star in the Divas'
division if this keeps up, just through being Daniel's Husband and an
Authority target.
Oh,
and before you go off to whine about my attitude...
AN
OPEN REPLY TO MATT PERRI ET AL:
Look,
yes, it's true I love wrestling. Perhaps too much. But when you've
seen rock bottom in WCW 2000, you begin to look for the positives in
a show. And when you've witnessed both the AWA and World Class at
their nadirs as a kid and wished for more, you know what's going on
now is still champagne compared to what people have seen. Hell, I'd
take this kind of mediocrity over TNA's disasters any day of the
week.
You
wanna know why I defend the good things to people? Because someone
has to fight. Because when people from outside this community say
“Wrestling is a waste of our time and you're stupider for liking
it”, I will stand up and defend it as a show, as an art form, and
as a part of my life. And the last thing I need is to have it torn
down from within.
Give
me Jack Swagger's logical character development from the ugly side of
America to the fierce side. Give me Sheamus kicking everyone's ass
because he can. Give me Dolph Ziggler flying around the ring to make
others look good. Give me Dean Ambrose scaring his enemies through
being so unpredictable not even Batman knows what's next. And yes,
give me Brie Bella standing against the world, keeping her husband's
good name in the news as she fights alone.
I
will stomach Big Show, stomach the Total Divas, stomach the bad
acting, stomach it all because each week I get the goods too.
Because three hours of wrestling means three hours where something
fun can happen. I come home from a Monday job, cranky, and I get to
tune out and be happy.
And
look, it's not because I have low standards. It's because I LOVE
THIS SHIT. I will watch a show over and over until I can memorize
the commentary on it if it makes me happy. I have this time, and
this time alone, to pay everyone back for giving me a dream that
someday, the big evil bully will fall before the forces of right.
That dream doesn't die. And neither does my love for wrestling.
So
mock me all you want for being verbose or being some Pollyanna or
claim I'm a WWE mark. Fine. Just know that when Monday night is
over, I'm happier at 11PM than I was at 8PM. That's what wrestling
is to me.
STATS:
MATCH
TIME: 36:55 over eight matches
BEST
MATCH: Dolph/Cesaro/Miz
WORST
MATCH: Layla/Rosa
NIGHT
MVP: Big Show
SCORE:
3. Below average show overall, but not the kind where I can't find
anything to like. Plus, with any luck, they'll go all out in
Brooklyn next week.
Matt
Perri will be back to hate on you during Main Event. Tommy Hall will
suffer through Impact and be rewarded with NXT and SmackDown. Miss
Danielle will be forced to watch Total Divas because it's not like
any of you will. Brian Bayless will continue booking BoD Wrestling,
our e-fed. Scott Keith suffers fools for the rest of us. And
Princess and I will be back to get you through Monday.
Until
next week, so long and thanks for all the fish.
Just to be clear -- this is not some kiss-my-ass meltdown. I still love you guys and respect that you don't like where the company's going. But I'll remain optimistic.
ReplyDeleteHHH should be the MVP of the night...burying his own company's film studios and an intercontinental title contender in one segment takes a special kind of man.
ReplyDeleteI was appalled at how bad that Sandow/Sheamus match turned out to be. They looked to not give one single fuck out there.
ReplyDeleteThis needs to be settled on BoD RAW. :)
ReplyDeleteNext week, bro. Me and Dock are taking you out!
ReplyDeleteI think you only need to look at the decline in comments for this column and BoD Raw to know how bad things are getting. Normally, we'd be happy to jump right over here and argue about all sorts of stuff. Now, most of us tend to either skip Raw or fall asleep before it's over. It hardly even angers people anymore. It's inspiring apathy.
ReplyDeleteThere are good things about Raw and about this show in particular (Ambrose, the 3 way for the IC title). This show went off the rails, though, with many, many failed attempts at comedy throughout the three hours. We could also go without 3 divas matches (I'm actually okay with 2, but not 3).
I can check the page hit numbers on the Blogger page and its down across the board for current WWE shows.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I agree it's not what it should be. What we need is for Vince to let the writers do their job, let the road agents do their job, and let the wrestlers do their job. When that happens, things are much better I assume.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't get me wrong or anything. The quality of writing on this blog is great and only continues to improve. You're all fighting the good fight. But it feels like the air got sucked out of the room after Extreme Rules and definitely after Summerslam.
ReplyDeleteA bad product drives people away. I'm sure more will come around Rumble time but at least last year at this time Daniel Bryan was a major focal point and people were watching and discussing him here.
ReplyDeleteWhich is odd, because last I checked, we got just what we wanted at SummerSlam -- Brock Lesnar beating the piss out of John Cena. Maybe it's not really what we wanted? Maybe there's still a little fan in all of us?
ReplyDeleteI get it a lot too. I grew up a WWE guy and often find the program somewhere between tolerable and decent while the masses seem to find it somewhere between a bad fungus and eternal torment.
ReplyDeleteA three hour wrestling show that didn't feature wrestling for two and a half hours.
ReplyDeleteJesus fucking Christ.
My site has been down too. Just like it has been every single September and October since I started it.
ReplyDeleteThis happens every year and every year the response seems to be "it's never been THIS bad". Things will pick up again in a few months and WWE will start trying. It's business as usual.
For me, at least, it was the fact that they maintained status quo almost immediately afterward. I was expecting something new and exciting with the Brock reign. Instead, Super Cena returned a week later and the Bella segments kept on going and going.
ReplyDeleteIt does help that we have WCW2000, AWA1990, and others to show people when they think they've seen shitty wrestling. Oh no, sir, you have NO IDEA.
ReplyDeleteYou have a point there. But I also remember people being enraged last Fall with the Authority angle. At least, they cared.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah. You can still tell what's going on in modern WWE. It may be stupid and reason to pound your head into a wall, but most of the time there's a clear story there. That puts it miles ahead of so many other shows over time.
ReplyDeleteTrue, but I wonder how much more that was over Big Show getting the push and believing Bryan wasn't going to get there.
ReplyDelete2002 TNA
ReplyDeleteIm not worried about a meltdown Andy, I just want to see how Vince Jordan will defend it.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that too, WWE is breaking everything.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Big Boss Man ride on top of Big Show's "father's" coffin once when Big Show was driving a hearse? Wasn't 't that in like October or November? That was pretty much as bad as it's ever been, right? Well, there was HHH having sex with a manaquin once, too....
ReplyDeleteThreadjack:
ReplyDeleteThe beginning of Gotham sees Bruce Wayne give out the girliest scream in the history of screams after the Waynes are killed. It rivals the goofy screaming kid Magneto gives in the beginning of X-Men: First Class.
The acting is really subpar in all honestly.
"THERE WILL BE LIGHT BRUCE."
Let me tell you something about subpar acting BROTHER
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to let you know that I read your recaps to find out whether Raw is worth watching. Thanks to you, I can skip to what I want to watch and ignore everything else. It's your verbosity (and nounosity, and adjectivosity) that helps me read in 30 seconds and feel like I've seen the segment instead of wasting 8-30 minutes on nothing. Thank you for saving me time, entertaining me, and continuing to do this week after week.
ReplyDeleteLate November/early December. It set up Armageddon.
ReplyDeleteKing Mabel main eventing a PPV has to be the nadir.
ReplyDeleteI don't even know if Vince Russo's Crash TV days could match up to that.
ReplyDeleteTJ: are you able to have a Blogger account and create a blog through Blogger for free?
ReplyDeleteI said it last week: an overacting ("lackadaiscal?") Donal Logue is by far the best actor on the show. The guy from the OC is just awful.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame, because the guy from the OC is a pretty damn good actor.
ReplyDeleteBlog
ReplyDeleteIn the span of two minutes, I've been introduced to Edward Nygma and the Penguin?
ReplyDeleteI liked the pilot but the second episode took a big step backwards. Donal Logue is killing it as Bullock though. And basically carrying the show. I still have no opinion on Gordon which is probably not good for the lead character. I'm digging Ed Nygma and Falcone. Fish Mooney, Barbara, and Bruce Wayne can all leave.
ReplyDeleteI hope they just drop Bruce Wayne as a regular character. I don't care to see Bruce listen to Death Metal and burn himself. And they also doubled down on making it patently obvious who each character will grow to become. We get it that Selina Kyle will become Catwoman! Just call her Selina not fucking "Cat"
You just watching the pilot now?
ReplyDeleteHey Andy, this was a good report. There was no way in HELL I was watching tonight and this told me everything I needed without any annoying commentary.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I had such a backlog of shows I was just getting to it now.
ReplyDeleteThanks. It's hard to get these right. Even after about 50-60 of them I'm still finding my range. And they're long, but I don't know at this point how to shorten them more.
ReplyDeleteSo someone explain the electric razor gag to me?
ReplyDeleteOh look, Poison Ivy just appeared as well!
ReplyDeleteI hated her introduction because they made it wayyyyy too obvious they were introducing her. Like they were afraid a red head named "Ivy" wasn't enough of a hint. They had to throw a thousand plants into her house as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure they were implying Seth Rollins owns a vibrator. For himself.
ReplyDeleteI know people like to bash Smallville, but man, that show was at least subtle with the way they introduced future characters.
ReplyDeleteThat's not PG
ReplyDeleteThe lack of subtlety actually makes me laugh now. I really enjoy certain aspects of the show and think it's been decent two episodes in but subtlety is not one of the shows strong suits.
ReplyDeleteLet me echo those who are saying that we love wrestling, but the shows are clearly not very good right now.
ReplyDeleteI love wrestling, but I don't need to be the Tina to Vince's Ike to do it. I love the rise of Ambrose, the rise of Rollins, Cesaro and other workers putting on good matches in the midcard. Doesn't change the fact that since Bryan went down, so did a ton of the momentum the company had coming out of WM 30. And they haven't done enough to compensate for that. Too much bad storytelling, too much stop and start with characters, just too much of what we already know objectively doesn't work.
And I know we'll all stay around. Because we love wrestling.
"Come on baby, I swear I'll change." seems to be Vince's motto, and it's nice to vent when we recognize that we've fallen for it, while at the same time still being there next week to do it again.
That's the problem. We know what it can be. And that keeps us coming back.
ReplyDeleteIt's why they get my $9.99 without question.
Right, but the question that we should be asking ourselves, seriously, is what incentive do they have to change when we're plunking our money down like fools anyway? Maybe we're just as much a part of the problem as people who love Cena are, because at the end of the day, we're just numbers on a balance sheet to the McMahon family.
ReplyDeleteWell, there's the real issue: Vince listens to Corporate more than to the fans, because he's ashamed to be a wrestling person. So he runs wrestling like a business, which has always (WCW), always (AWA), always (TNA) been shown to fail. The fans are the lifeblood of any wrestling show. I'm afraid it won't change until he leaves, but I'm going to stick around and keep this place afloat because Vince won't leave until he dies.
ReplyDeleteAnd the one time Vince did listen to the fans, it earned him his biggest profits ever, and his company was more popular than ever.
ReplyDeleteDon't shorten them at all. Just don't load them with too much funny haha humor (the "TAKE A DRINK!" is short and sweet) because the WWE humor is grating enough without reading more attempts at it.
ReplyDeleteI used to believe that, but now I'm not so sure. Vince doesn't hate wrestling, nor do I think he's ashamed of it; you can see it in the way he behaves in the various documentaries and the stories from the shoots. We've used that as an excuse, but I think that Vince DOES take pride in what he does in a lot of ways. Plus, I think you could argue that in the case of running wrestling like a business, Vince does it well because he used to give the fans what they WANTED. Fans wanted Hogan? Gagne ran him out of the AWA, Vince made him a star. Fans wanted edgier content? Vince gave us Stone Cold Steve Austin, WCW gave us Hogan after his sell-by date was clearly past. Hell, TNA could have presented itself as a viable alternative if they would have stayed on the Styles/Daniels/Joe train, but they wanted Hogan and Bischoff. The fact is, Vince in his own mind, thinks he IS giving the fans what they want. Cena still outsells every wrestler 2-1 on merch, house shows are up when he's there, so Vince gives us Cena, because that's what the numbers are telling him we want. Every time Vince does something to treat the WWE like a business, he makes money. Why would he change that? It's not as though he hasn't been lauded in the past for doing exactly what he's doing right now.
ReplyDeleteWWE TV is notorious the worst of the year from September to December. This is just the icing on the cake. Wait til the "Big Show turns down a lawsuit to get a title shot" / "Ryback as main eventer" / "Daniel Bryan beaten down every single week" type stuff hits in October or November that has come up the past few years.
ReplyDeleteWell, then something doesn't add up. There's multiple solutions:
ReplyDelete1) he's gone too far all-in on Cena.
2) he only cares about profit.
3) we're the minority here.
I don't know, but I'd bet on #2. Look at the numbers when Bret and Shawn were champion. Matches were great a lot of the time, right? Numbers were atrocious.
ReplyDeleteVince does well when he thinks he finds 'The Guy'. That's been true for both Hogan and Austin, and I think that he truly believes that Cena is 'The Guy' for this generation. It's hard to blame the dude for going with exactly what worked for him in the past.
If you put another way, since 'Mania 1, business has done best for him when it's build around a star. Hogan for the first 9 years or so, Austin from 14 through 19 (with liberal doses of The Rock sprinkled in) and Cena from 21 forward. He likes to have one dude on top for a long time, even with stretches where said dude might not be on top, but is the main guy.
Look, I think that Vince actually does care about artistry in pro wrestling. I just think it's secondary to his profits. THAT'S why he's outlasted everyone else.
And that's what's weird. Vince has a marketing machine that can make the fanbase love darn near ANYONE. If he sees someone has grassroots influence like with Bryan, he can MAKE the person The Guy. So why does he feel the need to sit on Cena?
ReplyDeleteDid I read that correctly? Harper being set free, meaning breaking up the team?
ReplyDeleteBecause if we accept that the timeline is as I put forth, it's about time for Cena to be moved off the top of the card; it's been 9 years or so. However, the other guys I mentioned: Hogan left. Austin had to retire. Rock left.
ReplyDeleteCena? Healthy as a horse with no sign of slowing down. In the other cases, Vince's decision was made for him. Now, he needs to be the one to make it, because there is nothing preventing Cena from going for another 5 or so years at this point.
To put it another way, how often has Vince ever been in a position where he has to be the one to move a proven main eventer away from the main event without either them choosing it or them being forced into it? Just talking about the tippy top guys here.
The only good PPVs I remember being in September was Mind Games in 96 and Unforgiven in 2001. Most of the fall seasons going back to the 90s are pretty bad.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's the big issue. He rides a horse into the ground and shoots it. To be fair, this is how all of wrestling is. But at some point, you need the past to build the future. HHH gets it, given how he handled Bryan at WM30. Cena and Orton... I don't know. Vince, I'm not sure he does.
ReplyDeleteBret Hart.
ReplyDeleteSure, I agree with that. I just don't think that Vince sees Cena as the past yet, and that's where the disconnect occurs. Again, it's never been in his nature to move a main eventer at the level of Cena down the card because he's never had to before; I think he still sees Cena as the present, not the past.
ReplyDeleteBret was never at a Hogan/Cena/Austin level, at least in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteIn a way, I'm not surprised. He can be. It's hard to say -- they're certainly not DONE by any stretch (and if Cena goes, Orton does too). I mean, how can you say CM Punk should be the future ahead of Randy Orton when Orton is younger? That said, Bryan and Roman need to be given a chance.
ReplyDeleteI don't really consider Cena to be at Hogan or Austin's level to be perfectly honest. Has he been on top longer? Yes, but that's because Vince had to go to him when guys like Batista, Orton, and Lesnar flaked out.
ReplyDeleteKind of similar to how Bret was the guy Vince kept turning to when Hogan left, Luger didn't get over, and Nash tanked as champion.
Sure, Cena drew a lot of money, but he's also been on top for almost ten years now.
Fair, but they've given Bryan a chance. The REAL test for him will be what happens when he comes back. If they keep him slotted in the main and let him try to keep his magic going, it could work. That will tell the tale.
ReplyDeleteAs for Roman.....I think he's not there yet. He can get there, for sure, but he's awhile away from being where he needs to be to be 'The Guy' like they want him to be.
That's fair; put anyone on top with Cena's push and he's probably making money. I would put Cena after Austin, Hogan, and Rock; but I still think he's top 5.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what they do with Rowan, but I don't like his chances of sticking around.
ReplyDeleteHope someone doesn't get fired/disciplined for this:
ReplyDeleteChicago just ain't Chicago if you don't see this guy. @ColtCabana. pic.twitter.com/lVNJx6Q7Vl— Sami Zayn (@iLikeSamiZayn) September 30, 2014
Good review. FWIW, I try to share the same outlook as you when it comes to WWE. Granted, the past couple of months have been pretty moribund for the most part, but there's always some saving grace. And for all of the (usually justified) criticism of the bookers and decision-makers, let's not forget that they also come up with really good stuff, like the current Rollins/Ambrose feud.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I'd like da Big Guy to have a short run at the top. Yeah, he's no good in the ring, but he's charismatic and still somewhat over.
ReplyDeleteTLC is occasionally good . . .
ReplyDeleteWhy would they? It isn't like Cabana's really in the WWE's bad books.
ReplyDeleteHe isn't great or even good but he's one of the few wrestlers I can think of who has steadily improved there entire career. He is better in the ring now than he has ever been before. He's also showing more charisma and character as he's being allowed to be his goofy silly self once more.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think he's really dedicated to trying to improve, and he's got a lot of natural personality that you wouldn't expect from a guy his size.
ReplyDeleteWas a rumor today that WWE on orders of Vince was going to make anyone with Colt Cabana t-shirts at the taping turn them inside out since Vince doesn't like Cabana.
ReplyDeleteReally? I didn't know that. Funny if true.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wrestlezone.com/news/515007-concern-over-cm-punk-chants-on-raw
ReplyDelete"Additionally, WZ has been told Michael Hayes, Kevin Dunn, and Vince McMahon himself really dislike Colt Cabana, and have informed the social media department to keep an eye out for any mentions of his name.
A few fans at the last Chicago show reportedly bought front row tickets and were wearing Colt Cabana t-shirts which security made them remove as soon as they were seated."
I liked Rowan as a decent big man, shame if he's dumped. But, who knows, I'm sure the writers have no idea what to do with them next week.
ReplyDeleteDidnt watch it yet, but.....BO DALLAS BEAT MARK HENRY???
ReplyDeleteMy brain hurts.
I remain cautiously optimistic as well. Right now there's no denying the shows just all around fall flat (with a couple of bright spots). That's very normal though for the fall season and as a long time wrestling fan I'm used to it. I'm thinking the beginning of January we will see a big upswing in quality. We will most likley have both Bryan and Reigns back. Ambrose and Rollins will be nicely elevated. Brock will be around more. And we may even get a couple of NXT guys called up. It'll also be the wrestling hot season when they seem to really give a shit and try.
ReplyDeleteI figure they'll have to do Bryan vs Brock at the Rumble to avoid upsetting the fans by him not winning it.
ReplyDeleteI think Dean Ambrose is becoming the Deadpool character of the WWE.
ReplyDeleteThink about it - last week there was the "The room had another door" moment, tonight he had two great lines - about the Cruiserweights being sent to get him, and the one about the security guards being Rosebuds last week.
He's breaking the fourth wall. Gently, admittedly, but he's doing it. I hope they ramp that up a bit - could be an interesting new direction for a character in the WWE...
They messed up badly turning him heel. He was totally over as a face, had a crowd-beloved catchphrase and, generally, had the audience behind him.
ReplyDeleteThen they turned him, for no real reason, and made the character - who up until that point had been an ass-kicking machine - into a cowardly douchebag with a beanie hat and a terrible new catchphrase "Ryback rules!"
He could still be saved and turned into a top-level face again if they wanted to. Just have him come out, being his (quite entertaining) "Da Big Guy!" persona, let him kick ass again, and then have him be the one who derails Rusev.
It's a 3 hour show. It's going to be a long recap
ReplyDelete"We could also go without 3 divas matches (I'm actually okay with 2, but not 3)."
ReplyDeleteNaaaaaah.
I only turned on Raw for about 5 minutes. . . Jesse Jackson was dancing with an Easter Bunny, I turned the game back on. The Sep - Dec always sucks argument holds no weight with me. Sep - Dec 97' was one of the hottest times ever in the company and got the tides turning in WWF's favor. They have had lots of great Sep - Dec runs historically. Maybe they shouldn't have writers from the fucking Rachel Ray show writing a pro wrestling show. You would think Triple H would get it, he used every trick in the book to get heat and get himself over. Same with Vince McMahon for that matter. Raw is unwatchable, I'm cancelling the network once the latest 6 months is up.
ReplyDeleteJesus Christ, stop ragging on the fucking audience for cheering for who they want. They paid, and you didn't and you're the one bitching.
ReplyDeleteFall 96 - Austin vs. Bret Hart begins
ReplyDeleteFall 97 - DX is formed and Austin is blowing up
Fall 99 - Raw is fucking with Monday Night Football's ratings.
Fall 98 - The Rock ascends to main event status, capped with an epic heel turn. Mick Foley wins the World Title
Fall 2000 - Great programming that sense and almost every show had a 4 star match of some kind plus very entertaining angles.
This argument about the fall being a dead time for the company is ridiculous.
Jesus, green sliming someone? Is Marc Summers producing the shows now?
ReplyDeleteFall 2008. Product is on fire and includes the MOTY. Recently I can't think of anything.
ReplyDeleteBeing younger in TV years than calendar years is more important.
ReplyDeleteI marked a little when Miz referred to HHH as "Mr. Chaparone" on commentary.
ReplyDeleteAt around 5pm, I was totally in the mood for Rasslin', and planned to watch the entire 3 hours. around 7pm, I changed my mind, and didn't force myself to watch something I was no longer in the mood to watch. Interesting concept, I know!
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, From what I heard, Mark Henry is a very sore loser! BOOOOO!!
Good question. I don't know. AW DAMN!!
ReplyDeleteYou're, you're not going to defend it?
ReplyDeleteI'm a firm BO-LIEVER. Mark Henry simply was not good enough to beat Bo. He should have shaken his hand. What a sore loser!!
ReplyDeleteWWF in 2000 was awesome cool. Austin returned with this vicious Edge and had a match on Raw with Benoit that was a fantastic call-back to his WCW days. Of course, save for that one display of mat-based skills he was back to trying to murder everyone, but that was cool with me.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that has grown on me is Austin vs Rikishi and Austin vs HHH from No Mercy and Survivor Series. The angle maaay be a little too over the top. But the intensity from the Characters is surreal. You actually believe watching Austin at No Mercy, that he wants to kill Rikishi. So, regardless of how contrived the setup is, I'll take that legitimacy in my matches any day of the week,
Or if you could go "glass half empty", 98 could be
ReplyDelete-Boring triple threat match with Kane/Taker beating up Austin for 30 minutes, then vacating the title
-Kane/Taker PPV main event where the title REMAINS vacated.
You don't try to defend the REALLY stupid shit, and that's all I ask at least. If it's good, say it is. If it's not, don't say it is.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to all go back to the CM Punk chants during the Bryan run and Andy talking about if Punk came back he would take Bryans spot and...its just gone on from there with this strange grudge against a very talented guy who didn't like the situation he was in and had the balls to tell his boss..I'm not enjoying this so I'm going to do something different. Why its ok for Bryan fans to tell Vince FU we want Bryan in the main event is ok and Punk fans saying FU we are pissed your crappy booking chased Punk out of the company isnt...is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteLove Ambrose, but my concern is that they don't have an end game in sight for his feud with Rollins. I'd like to see Ambrose given a chance to cut a money promo, main event a PPV in a singles against Rollins, and blow the feud off.
ReplyDeleteI was in the Raw thread last night, and left abruptly. The reason for this is because I quit watching the show about the time the second divas match started.
ReplyDeleteThere's only so much of this I can take. I guess maybe the "humor" and the way they "tell stories" has passed me by. Don't mean to sound like a curmudgeon because I really want to enjoy it, but yeesh....it was all bad.
Why would he defend something he didnt watch? He's not like many people here who have opinions on everythin wether they watch it or not.
ReplyDeleteIt was paint
ReplyDeleteNo matter how good or bad the product may be, I think it's impossible for it to be fascinating the entire time.
ReplyDeleteactually I'd say TLC is usually good. Last year when they decided to just have the one gimmick match it kind of was a bore but 2012 and before were mostly good stuff.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt....but I just couldn't take it last night. It was just the drizzling shits.
ReplyDeleteDon't let facts get in the way of newz!
ReplyDeleteYou're gilaroius
ReplyDeletelol
ReplyDeleteIt is if it's implied and not shown. Think a cartoon with jokes that go over the youngsters heads
ReplyDeleteWasn't tlc a spring ppv for a while?
ReplyDeleteHate to tell Ya buddy but skipping wrestling does not stop smarks from complaining about that. If that were true there'd be 50% less comments on this blog. Or they watch anyway and lie about it.
ReplyDeleteI think it's more smarks trying to prove they don't talk about what they don't watch. Plus some posters here are so caustic no one is interested in replying.
ReplyDeleteKids go to school, have no time. It's cool happens all over the net
ReplyDeleteYeah he doesn't defend you! Ho ho ho holarious!
ReplyDeleteYour reviews are long enough without the condescending tirades at the end of them.
ReplyDeleteHe only reads the 411 recap anyways. VJ has said many times he never watches the wwe.
ReplyDeleteSo now Dean Ambrose is sliming people and Seth Rollins is the butt of ass fucking vibrator jokes...nice
ReplyDeleteThree diva's matches ? What a treat !
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing Zayn will be staying in nxt until his hair turns grey.
ReplyDeleteMore like rarely. I have to be in the mood for it. Almost happened yesterday. But I am a firm BO-LIEVER in the concept that I won't force myself to watch TV when I don't feel like it. Sounds like an unpleasant experience.
ReplyDeleteYup. Watching the wwe definitely sucks.
ReplyDelete5 hours a week + PPVs/Specials is insane. Not even the best bookers/writers in the world could keep up a super compelling product month in and month out. It's a no-win situation for them. There's always a "AND THEN WHAT??" It just never ends, poor guys. Hope they get paid well.
ReplyDeleteI was only talking about September as being a low point.
ReplyDeleteWho else is getting super pumped for the impending "Pink Roped! Blood-Free! PG!!! HELL IN A CELL!!" "NO COUNTOUTS!! CHAIR SHOTS TO THE BACK ALOT OF TIMES!! AND IF ANY BIT OF RED ACCIDENTALLY APPEARS, OUR REFS PUT THOSE MEDICAL GLOVES ON REAL QUICKKKKK!!!"
ReplyDeleteThats how you sell a ppv
If that's true he has horrible taste in recappers. Csonka is like Keith but not entertaining, acero makes andypg look like mark twain and cook well I guess he can be decent.
ReplyDeleteI prefer my fake sports to be fake. They don't have to legit concuss and mutilate themselves to put on a good show.
ReplyDeleteI'd read Andy's recaps, but it would be quicker to just actually watch the 3 hours of Raw.
ReplyDeleteYea im at the point now where it's strictly just watch the PPV's and occasionally turn the last 5 minutes of RAW on. Sad cause I used to so look forward to Monday nights
ReplyDeleteThe Hell in a Cell match should be disbanded. It's pointless and ridiculous to still be carrying those matches on in the current environment
ReplyDeleteThey just had 2 hours a week, and Pandora's box was still in the process of being fully opened and explored. But once that happened and we got spoiled, it's just impossible to get that feeling again. Sadly, lots of people don't understand this, and still feel like WWE sucks just because they're not getting the same "Attitude Era" thrill. It's like drugs, you never get that original high ever again.
ReplyDeletethis show stunk....
ReplyDeleteNo it's not. There is no rule that Hell In a cell HAS to have blood gushers, or people falling off the top of cages. It's still a great visual, and the PPVs buyrates are usually higher than the September PPV.
ReplyDeleteWWE sucks cause they dont use the talent right, dont do the commentating right, give us awful storylines. Iv been a fan since 1991, that little era from 97-2001 (Attitude Era) was not my only base of judging the product
ReplyDeleteThe current state of Hell in a Cell matches are boring and heatless. You dont need to fall off the top of the cage, but the match needs to be brutal. THATS THE POINT OF THE MATCH
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're just cherry picking the good from the old times, and cherry picking the bad from today. Almost sounds like you want to hate the product. There are plenty of good things if you look hard enough.
ReplyDeleteI want to love it, I do.
ReplyDelete1) You shouldn't have to "look hard" to enjoy something in a three-hour show. Something should pop up at you quite evidently. 2) Just because someone doesn't like the current product doesn't mean they don't WANT to enjoy it. 3) I've been watching on and off since 1987. When it sucks, I go away. When it gets better, I come back. This is the same for every other form of entertainment I typically enjoy. There's nothing wrong with that.
ReplyDeleteEverything that you just mentioned occurred 14-18 years ago.
ReplyDeleteWwe sucks and its their own fault. The ppvs are still OK because sometimes the matches are good, but I'm with you about raw being unwatchable. Terrible terrible stuff
ReplyDeleteEdge/Taker was great.
ReplyDeleteHHH/Taker was not. Great matches don't need video packages the next day with everyone giving the match verbal blow jobs.
You know what other matches didn't need verbal blow jobs? The matches Bryan put on at Wrestlemania 30.
But you don't watch the product, you only read recaps from 411.
ReplyDeleteActually, he is.
ReplyDeleteWWE really knows what its fans want. Brie Bella vs. Cameron and Eva Marie in a handicap match after 5 minutes of Brie's sister prattling on with bad dialogue.
ReplyDeleteYAY!!!!!!!
*snif* You keep doing it right, Chicago [PLAYS "ILLINOIS LOYALTY"]
ReplyDelete"Plus, with any luck, they'll go all out in Brooklyn next week."
ReplyDeleteWhat would lead you to believe that will happen? Look at the show they just gave us in fucking Chicago of all places.
Raw felt long.. this review felt even longer.
ReplyDeleteI'm old enough to get that joke.
ReplyDelete