Read on for my thoughts on last night's Raw.
As much as I love Bryan and HHH, they shouldn't be competing one night after going through so much punishment. Bryan was good in his role here. As usual, HHH shrugged off the loss like it was nothing.
They're really getting things off and running with the post-Mania stuff. We barely have any time to digest what happened last night. I hope the Usos don't look like jobbers tonight, but it would be justified to rebuild Orton and Batista considering they couldn't beat a guy who was stretchered out.
An Evolution reunion works for me!
Jesus that match was insane! A lot of big stuff there. I hope they don't burn these guys out. At any rate, Wyatt got some momentum back with that win. I want him to beat Cena at Extreme Rules.
OH GOD YES I'M READY TO BOLIEVE. With the right material, I think he can really get over as someone people love to hate. He's still not amazing in the ring, but I think he's growing in that regard.
Well that one was quick! Fine little match to break things up.
I have a soft spot for "Emmarella". They're cool by me and both are talented.
Awesome Heyman promo! I was feeling it. Some would consider Brock ending the Streak something of a mercy killing given Taker's condition these days. Time for a new era.
OH YEAH! I'm ready for a new, fun gimmick like Rose has. This gimmick is REALLY over in NXT and I think it could translate well to the main roster.
That was probably the best way to do that match for Orton and Batista to look strong without beating The Usos. Orton and Batista will be fine without the titles.
Kind of an underwhelming return for RVD to not get a video package or segment or anything, but he's definitely still got it from an in-ring perspective! Enjoy him for the next 90 days or so.
#*$% YEAH! Glad to see Barrett get the win over Rey. The new order is finally rising. For now.
Rose's gimmick is definitely something unique. I'm glad after all this time in developmental he's finally made it to the promised land. It will be interesting to see what he brings to the table from an in-ring perspective after all that time working a completely different gimmick!
Dominant win by Rusev, but should we really expect anything else? It's Day 1 of him in the ring. His job was just to show dominance and he did.
Really kickass to see Warrior back in a WWE ring. I'm glad he was used in a way to put over the current locker room instead of himself or another non-wrestler/part-timer.
Pretty good segment between Paige and AJ. I know a lot of people have wanted to see them face off and that was certainly a cool way to debut her. AJ's promo was pretty Punk-esque.
Well, that was quick! Congrats Paige on winning. I hope this is kicking off a nice feud. There's definitely something to the two of them wrestling.
I'm ready to BOlieve, damn it!
Holy #$&%! I didn't see that one coming! I'm ready for the new pairing of Cesaro and Heyman. That was a pretty cool official breakup.
That was a pretty cool first match between Cesaro and Swagger. I have high hopes for both men, especially Cesaro. I really want a Swagger/Sandow teaming once this one's over.
That will be an epic contest on Main Event. They really moved on from Kane and NAO in a hurry, didn't they?
Good segment backstage with The Authority and The Shield. I guess that might be as an official of a write-off as we'll get for the Outlaws. Either way we're on to bigger and better things.
Big Show vs. Cesaro should be sweet!
They're really taking it to Bryan these days, aren't they? Damn. I hope we're not in for another ridiculous over-the-top comeback. I better hear complaints about SUPERBRYANWINSLOL...
That was a pretty cool ending! A new generation is stepping up.
More wrestling coming up.
I'm interested to hear your more detailed thoughts on Cesaro teaming with Heyman. I have mixed feelings on it. It's a situation where they're clearly behind Cesaro, which is good. However, if they're trying to give him a sizeable push and gain credibility, why not just have him do his own promos instead of give him a mouthpiece? He had some good promos when he was United States Champion, so it's not a "Khali-type" situation where he absolutely needs one.
ReplyDeleteAre you also surprised he's (seemingly) still a heel with the credibility he's gotten with the Cesaro Swing and his pure strength? I would personally prefer him being a face due to that reason combined with it being logical for one of the Real Americans to play the face character. Paul Heyman is always and has always been a fantastic heel manager, so I don't see any way Cesaro would turn face with Heyman as his manager, unfortunately.
I definitely think Cesaro could do well as a heel still - especially with Heyman as his manager - but I just see more advantages to him turning face with the fans clearly behind him at this point.
I'm a bit perplexed with the Paige/A.J. situation. Now, I've heard of Paige, but many fans have not, due to NXT not being on national television since 2010. Therefore, I'd definitely understand it if many fans 1) Got a bit perplexed how a virtually no-name diva whom has never been on the main roster became champion after dethroning the previous champ that was champion for almost a year and 2) When so many other veteran divas have been unable. I'm definitely not underestimating the potential of Paige, but it's just a bit odd due to those reasons.
Relating to our previous conversation here in the stance that 'Mania could be a sign that the younger superstars are seemingly being established as the future and the older guys are either moving off into the sunset or getting more "reduced" roles, I wouldn't mind that to come to fruition.
I agree with you in that many younger guys getting less air time and credibility due to some of the retired or older guys getting the air time is a bit perplexing. I do understand that WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and main roster shows would make sense to have a Hall-of-Famer appear every now and then and to have a veteran gain traction in certain circumstances, but WWE can really milk it at times. With only five hours of nationally-televised programming (in my area, anyway), it's really cut-throat. I definitely would like to see some of the younger guys (Cesaro, Rhodes, Sandow) get more shine. We'll see if it happens, but I wouldn't put it past WWE if they didn't get what they deserve, unfortunately.
I'm excited for the possibilities of Cesaro/Heyman! Heyman's an amazing talker and I think the pairing can only benefit Cesaro. Heyman was a face with Punk for a while, so it can be done. I think they might be going in that direction.
ReplyDeleteI echo the concerns of Paige being Champ on Day 1. I think their goal was just to give a talented performer a big debut. Honestly it was time for a shakeup in the division. Should it have been Natalya, Naomi or Tamina? Possibly so. I'm willing to see what they do with Paige as champ, though. Glad they have a good use for her.
I'm usually paying devil's advocate as far as WWE using older names. I think there need to be some veterans around, but it's a case-by-case thing and they shouldn't milk things too much. Right now things look pretty good with younger names getting their dues, but it's a long-term process.
I definitely think teaming with Heyman has its benefits for Cesaro. Heyman is arguably the top manager in the history of wrestling and he is a fantastic talker and promoter. The cocky foreign superstar is intriguing to me, but it's definitely been done before, though. One of the bigger concerns I have about going that route is that can Cesaro gain traction as an upper card guy sustainably when he has Heyman doing the talking for him? I know it's way up in the air with how fickle WWE is on the positions of its wrestlers, but I, personally, just would think it would make sense to have Cesaro turn face without a manager when it comes to having a chance at gaining traction as an upper card guy.
ReplyDeleteI also think, especially with that great heel promo he gave Monday, that Heyman is a great advocate for the heel characters. It would be a little odd for him to have him manage a face character in Cesaro (if that's indeed what will amount) and also manage a ruthless heel character in Lesnar at the same time. You get what I mean there? I mean, I understand why WWE may want to go the route you mentioned and believe it can work, but I'm just not convinced it's the best route to go with a talented guy like Cesaro.
I mean, take Curtis Axel as an Exhibit A. He is in a fairly similar role as Cesaro (heel character in the process of a push that has his own manager/mouthpiece) and now Axel hasn't won a singles match in months. I'm not saying that will be how things end up for Cesaro, I just think he's done enough to try to branch out on his own.
WWE kind of changes the rules to fit what they want to do, even if it doesn't make a ton of sense. It's definitely rather weird to have Heyman as a face and a heel manager if that's really what they're doing. It's like people love Heyman but also love booing him.
ReplyDeleteI think it might be a LITTLE early to see Cesaro as a top act, so they might be using this to just move him up the card as a singles act. They don't want another situation like Titus or Brodus just went through. I think this will turn out well for him and he can eventually branch out. I'd rather him succeed with Heyman than flounder without him, but I certainly see the concern of Heyman playing both sides of the fence. And maybe they're keeping Cesaro heel after all?
Also, some of it could be that Heyman needs "something to do" with Lesnar gone most of the year and Ryback and Axel not exactly making waves.
P.S. If you're not familiar with Dallas or Rose outside of Dallas' run last year:
Bo's gimmick now is reminiscent of Kurt Angle's milk-drinking days as far as being almost an over-the-top parody of a babyface. He's oblivious to what fans actually think of him. It's kind of a "so bad it's good" thing. I personally get a kick out of it. He's improved in the ring, but I wouldn't say he's great.
Rose has been in developmental for a number of years as Leo Kruger. Kruger was kind of his "Husky Harris" or "Johnny Curtis" as far as there being potential but there being something clearly missing from his overall act as well. He recently switched to this gimmick and it's getting over really well in NXT. The original gimmick was something of a South African mercenary. It wasn't bad, but it never clicked like they wanted it to.
It's always interesting to see new talents and how things will fare for them in the lion's den that is the WWE. When I saw that segment with Rose, I honestly thought it was some typical reality show or reality star commercial/vignette that I see way too frequently. It seems like an interesting gimmick many can get behind, so we'll see what amounts from it. One thing he definitely will have to grapple with is the amount of young talent that the company currently has. Hopefully both he and the gimmick will stand out in some fashion.
ReplyDeleteI was very shocked to hear about Warrior's passing. It's very unfortunate to know that he was just live on Raw - seemingly in good spirits - and now he's passed on very shockingly. I wasn't old enough to know much about him growing up with him peaking when I was either a toddler or not even born, so I don't know all that much about him. I do know he had some demons he head to deal with, so maybe some of his passing relates to that (as was a contributor to the reason Eddie passed). It is definitely unfortunate, nonetheless, and you don't wish that kind of fate upon anybody.
By the way, I've had trouble in the past deciphering the "real life" versus "planned" tweets from the roster itself. With Twitter being known as more of a way to get to know people moreso than it being a platform for superstars to build up feuds (even though it has happened before), I've had some tough times deciphering it.
ReplyDeleteHere is what I am referring to. I am assuming that, in this case, it's a part of a storyline:
https://twitter.com/WWEFandango/status/453656559025786881
Rose got something of a post-WM29 Fandango-like reaction in NXT where he's at least for now something of a cult favorite. I don't think anyone saw the sudden success coming. If they can capture what made it work there, it should be a hit.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like about Rose (and it took me a while to get behind it) was him bringing something completely different to the table. From what little I've seen of him in NXT, it's almost like his wrestling and winning matches is not as important as him having a good time and perplexing his opponents. Standing out is more important for him than having good matches given how many people are on the roster right now.
I literally didn't believe it when I first saw HHH's tweet. I assumed he had been hacked or something. I'll delve into the huge amount of news going on about it tomorrow. I also don't have many memories of him personally as a performer. I first really knew of him for a controversial comment he made years back. He really beat to the tune of his own drum; that's for sure.
It's almost a case-by-case thing of which performers use social media entirely as a "work" and who just uses it for saying they went to the gym, etc. It's just an angle. Thank goodness; that'd be REALLY unprofessional on his part if it wasn't.