Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.
Nice opening segment. I always loving hearing from Heyman. Brock/HHH III could be pretty good.
Years ago, Antonio Cesaro was considered one of the world's top wrestlers. People couldn't wait for him to be a part of WWE. After showing that he can hang with some of the most talented names the company has, he's been given a comedy gimmick and cast aside. They're really doing themselves a disservice here.
I don't dislike R-Truth, but I think Cesaro deserves better than losing to him. He could be a solid act (as he was months back) if the company got behind him.
Cool Shield segment. I hope they're in for something big tonight.
Thankfully Sandow got the win. I was about to rage. I wish hard work was rewarded more in the company.
Nice Dolph segment. I look forward to AJ feuding with Kaitlyn.
I'm going to mark out big time if The Shield take Taker out. Great promo.
Ziggler vs. Jericho was really impressive, as expected. It cracks me up that some people don't think that Ziggler is World Champion material. He's got pretty much everything you can ask a talent to have except for size. Anyway, good to see him get a win for once.
I can't be the only one tired of the Mick Foley comeback tour. I have a lot of respect for him; it's just that it's no longer "special" to see him.
Tensai vs. Rhodes was nice. I'm usually all about the young guy winning, but Tensai clearly still has "it" in the ring and Rhodes had a fine enough showing.
The Hell No segment was interesting. I think we're in for a treat in the 6-man tag.
I liked the Ryback segment. I hope something good happens between him and Foley.
Big E's pretty impressive. Yes; he's another "big guy project", but he shouldn't be written off just because of his size and build.
Now THAT was a kick-ass match. Everyone delivered. Props to Taker for letting the young guns get the spotlight: this could have easily turned into a moment that put him over at their expense.
Not a bad Cena/Foley segment. I just hope we're not in for another "This Is Your Life" rehash.
Glad that Fandango beat the (basically) semi-retired Regal.
Cool post-match. I'm guessing things go to a new level on Smackdown. Jericho's not advertised for anything past then.
Not a bad battle royal, but it was clearly just there to give AJ a win. I find Kaitlyn underappreciated, but Dolph and AJ as champs atop WWE is too good of a story to pass up.
I loved the play between Ryback and Foley. Foley can still deliver on the mic, though it's good that he's acknowledging that he's in no shape to compete. I was hoping Ryback was going to pay off The Shield to focus on Cena (maybe later?). I'd have Ryback get the better of Cena to look like a threat. Cena's already "Super Cena". It doesn't help him to stand tall as much as it hurts his opponent's credibility since it's pretty much assumed that Cena is going to be the one standing tall.
More wrestling coming up, including Blue Echo podcasting.
'Cause I'm so excited about it, I'll start with the "top story".
ReplyDelete*Fantastic* story between The Brothers of Destruction & D Bryan/Team Hell No & The Undertaker and The Shield of Justice, felt like a PPV here in the UK! Not just Monday but last week with the Shield's "He was scared to death!" promo, and equally good promo in Monday...these guys are hear to stay. I was laughing at D Bryan's "diagrams!" and him getting pinned was the right outcome. All that and Undertaker can still bring it, fabulousness! "Welcome to immortality!"
Poop Paul E. Dangerously, but he's doing his thing which is always good.
Perhaps this is his "test" like Nattie had with her farting. Is their any news of backstage drama for Cesaro though? fair dues, Truth is headed for the IC Title and should be on a winning streak to gain momentum but they could have used many more wrestlers.
Always good to see the Lord of Literacy win.
Ziggler's size? People are saying Dolph's not World Championship material? Let me use your:
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRcN42I2-hfuFL2VUyel5rya1GsiDls_vRVIVVnSH4HpU19cykIrg
Groovy seeing Regal in London of course but even Fandango get's his fair share of love across the pond. Anything that adds to the conflict, adds to the story is good stuff. I do miss Fandango's brunette dance partner though...oops did I say that out loud?
Kaitlyn *is* unappreciated but who's to say AJ gets a win first time at presumably EXtreme Rules? Of course I would have had AJ in Diva's Title contention last Summer (my fave Summer ever) when she was the most "over" wrestler in all of pro wrestling but AJ and Kaitlyn have history ,a ll the way back from NXT. Pardon the pun but these two could really light it up.
Ryback is now 100% heel, for me it didn't feel like it properly until Monday. Foley's mic work almost matched his "D'ya wanna be a statistic!? Or do you wanna be a Legend!?" with CM Punk.
Pay 'em off? Yes you're right, if he's gonna win out in the end he has to struggle towards that victory...especially in London.
Part of me thinks that it would have been more meaningful if The Shield got the win over Kane or Taker to protect Bryan. I think there's a real danger of him being seen as the weak link given how he's presented vs. how Kane and Taker are presented. Kane and Taker could easily be WWE or World Champions in a few months if WWE wanted to. It would take some rebuilding for Bryan to be seen as at that level.
ReplyDeleteThe story is pretty much that they just don't know what to do with Cesaro. I often hear the criticism that if the writers don't know what to do with someone, isn't that a sign of having bad writers and not bad wrestlers? It's their job to MAKE him worth watching.
Old-school fans in particular look to size a lot, growing up with seeing bigger stars. And yes, I have seen people who don't think Ziggler's got "it" for some reason, namely the anonymous commenter here. He compares Ziggler to Cena sometimes, saying they're not on the same level. Cena's been in a lot more main events and gotten a lot more chances (and worked with a lot more top guys), so it's pretty much inevitable that he'd be as good as he is.
I think his current dance partner might be here to stay since she's training as a wrestler in NXT.
I think AJ and Kaitlyn could do good things in the ring against each other. It would have been interesting to see AJ as champion then.
Foley's had some really good promos over his career. He can still pull out that old Foley magic on occasion.
Absolutely see your point but there's no mistaking D Bryan's in-ring prowess. He's compatible with CM Punk, he can be seen at World Champion level (as he deserves) but not a Legend like the Undertaker or Kane, considering Kane is also seen as one.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt about that, Daniel Bryan vs. a chicken - we all know D Bryan make a good match of that but you can only work with what you get, that's why I want the wrestlers to have a say in their storylines.
Dare I compare Ziggler to Mr. WrestleMania himself? Not a massively muscled guy yet very flamboyant, loves to talk the talk and magically athletic. One's own opinion but of course while Cena may be good at what he does, in my eyes; he's no Ziggler. Exactly right, the diversity of opponents, simply honing one's own craft.
*Shrugs* Y'know the old saying - don't cry over lost dance partners. But good for her, appearing on TV so soon from NXT, even if it's not wrestling yet.
There's no doubt, I can't wait! Tell me about it, but now that I think of it, would it have been the right thing to do? Perhaps not - she had the crazy momentum but the storyline didn't permit.
Too right! And Ryback worked with him well, like you said Foley stressed that he was in no position to compete and Ryback questioned his need to return "Is it to sell another DVD?" It was very "You're stealing my spotlight", good heel work.
There's a difference between in-ring prowess and how you're presented overall. Yeah, he's amazing in the ring, but he's generally the weak link in the team and loses fairly frequently (without being built back up). I'm pretty sure I've said it before (I'm almost certain I have on the podcasts), but I'd love to see his character get fed up with "yes" and "no" and "goatface" and hugs and all that stuff and go back to the ruthless, dangerous guy he was on the indie scene. I don't think his character needs to be switched just yet, but I think there's a great heel turn in him.
ReplyDeleteWrestlers do generally have a say. That doesn't mean the writers or Vince will go with what they want, and they might get labelled as complainers. Then Management could go out of its way to mess with them. Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and sometimes it can get you buried.
I've certainly seen HBK comparisons from Ziggler. I think Cena has some things that Ziggler doesn't that aren't easily identifiable or easy to have (the feel of a true top guy, appeal to non-wrestling fans), and in some ways he might put on better matches than Ziggler if he has the right opponent. He's a little more nuanced than Ziggler's frantic pace. It's like an Ace vs. a King or Queen, though. They're in the same tier for sure.
It sounds like she's doing good stuff in NXT, which is a pleasant surprise given her lack of experience pre-WWE.
While I think chases for titles should be important, I could argue that AJ's story was more important than the Divas' Title.
I once heard Al Snow say something like "if you give them a little bit of truth, they'll believe the lie". It was pretty believable for both guys to say what they said instead of it just being a regular scripted conversation. That's why I like Punk so much. He doesn't sound like someone just fed him a bunch of lines.
True, I wouldn't say he doesn't get the built up, he is often the one to finish the match with the "Flying Goat" as JBL and Cole call it but yep, it's the "when in doubt heel turn" deal for D, I agree with you on that and it'd be the ideal way to end Team Hell No.
ReplyDeleteAh. Not much more to say there.
I can see why. Yea, yes you're right Cena *is* super-marketable, very parallel to The Rock after all. No doubt about it.
Summer Rae, that *is* good, no complaints there, keep it up.
Yea, I can't agree more on that, I just hope she can gain the momentum she needs to make her match with Kaitlyn very important as well, given both women's charisma - should be no problem.
Aha I like it and it's true, it just feels more fluid, more natural.
It's bizarre to me that this guy who used to get chants to kick people's heads in and once wrestled despite having a detached retina (OUCH!) is being used as a comedy guy. He plays it well; I'd just like to see what he could do as a killer.
ReplyDeleteGeez that just *sounds* painful!! Argcch! Yes it's clear to see that he has a lot of fun, I'd be...I dunno, it'd be cool but I just dunno what I'd be like.
ReplyDeleteI don't really dislike his current character. I just think there's a lot of potential in him as a top heel. That said, they've got Ryback, Ziggler, and The Shield now so maybe they should hold off for a while.
ReplyDelete*Everyone* has potential as a top heel...okay maybe not everyone but *a lot*! And goodness D Bryan, but the great thing about D Bryan is, he's good at playing a heel and face, I can't ask for more than that.
ReplyDelete