RAW Superthread

sky88

the only thing i think is really bad at raw at the minute is the constant jericho/owens/roman/ rollins combination of matches. we must have seen some form of them all wrestling each other for at least 2 months.

loved the double spear on braun.

Lord TSC

Steph says its a show that gives opportunities....and then announces yet another Jericho/Reigns and Rollins/Owens set of matches :rolleyes:

Strowman vs Sami was brilliant, but the main event scene is just killing the show for me Its nothing to do with three hours. It's just poor writing and lazy booking.

DM_7

The extra hour causes them to run through things faster and repeat them. It also means they need to feature more 'star' people twice (or more).

Rollins v Owens and Jericho v Reigns on the same show are part of that.

Lord TSC

DM_7 wrote: »

The extra hour causes them to run through things faster and repeat them. It also means they need to feature more 'star' people twice (or more).

I honestly feel thats just an excuse. The root cause, specifically with your second point, is they aren't bothering to create new stars to help the show.

The US title is being wasted on Reigns and achieves nothing for him; why not use it to actually elevate another feud somewhere else? Did it have to be Jericho again last night? Could they not book even a single title defense for Reigns against anyone else? One reason I am so, so loving Smackdown right now is that Styles isn't facing the same person week in, week out; the main event is fluid with feuds interlocking between Styles, Ambrose, Miz, Ziggler, Ellsworth, and Corbin, with each of them also pulling others into the feud as well. It feels less segmented.

The extra hour should simply mean slightly longer matches and more time to build more people. Instead, they have no interest in that, and just push the same small, small number of people into a dozen segments.

DM_7

Lord TSC wrote: »

I honestly feel thats just an excuse. The root cause, specifically with your second point, is they aren't bothering to create new stars to help the show.

The US title is being wasted on Reigns and achieves nothing for him; why not use it to actually elevate another feud somewhere else? Did it have to be Jericho again last night? Could they not book even a single title defense for Reigns against anyone else? One reason I am so, so loving Smackdown right now is that Styles isn't facing the same person week in, week out; the main event is fluid with feuds interlocking between Styles, Ambrose, Miz, Ziggler, Ellsworth, and Corbin, with each of them also pulling others into the feud as well. It feels less segmented.

The extra hour should simply mean slightly longer matches and more time to build more people. Instead, they have no interest in that, and just push the same small, small number of people into a dozen segments.

Smackdown has problems as well, that would be blown up more only the show is much easier put together and people are more forgiving.

Styles faced only two people for a couple of months (James E and Ambrose). Corbin has had stop start pushes with him vanishing from screen. Miz and Dolph had a feud that wouldn't end. They couldn't put together an interesting story for American Alpha. That is just a few items.

RAW is too long to engage an audience over that period even some of the good stuff is annoying because it takes so long to get to it. They could try to do better but I think they believe it won't work and could lose viewers as people are conditioned to only see a select few as real stars.

ERG89

In hindsight they should have broke up Jericho & Owens a few weeks ago. Their comedy, Enzo & Cass along with New Day is just tiresome to sit through now. Zayn & Strowman was a well performed series of spots but Zayn is going nowhere in the long run, the fans didn't care as Strowman beat him down.
Noam Dar looked like a child when he ran away from Cedric after calling Alicia sweet cheeks. I can't help but feel stuff like that & TJ Perkins gamer gimmick they are meant to purposely look immature.
Main event scene is dead. Owens got the title out of the blue & I can't take him seriously as a heel character when he is joking around with Jericho. Reigns isn't connecting but is probably a better face than Rollins who is floundering since his return. They have not done anything since Balor was injured to put anyone else in a main event slot. Strowman ain't ready while Zayn was at nothing for the majority of the year, Cesaro & Sheamus were in a never ending series before doing a buddy cop movie tag team, finally heel Rusev has been defending his wife against a guy wanting to have ride her. Goldberg has been booked superbly, about 15 years too late but I'll give WWE their dues.

J. Marston

Yep, the best friend stuff is getting a bit tiresome at this point. Jericho is still extremely entertaining though.

"You wanna put me in the cage of Jericho......and lock me in maaaaaaaan!"

JohnMarston

Anyone else catch Sheamus saying on commentary "Go on ya good thing!" when Cesaro was winning?

CastorTroy

So Taker appears on Smackdown and says he's back, thretening them if they lose Survivor Series as he's a Smackdown guy. Then he dispappears only to reappear on Raw next week?

Jerichoholic

CastorTroy wrote: »

So Taker appears on Smackdown and says he's back, thretening them if they lose Survivor Series as he's a Smackdown guy. Then he dispappears only to reappear on Raw next week?

He's back diggin' holes and takin' souls.

Taker should have bowed out after Lesnar, I have no interest in him anymore. There's no streak anymore, there's no point.

Agent Coulson

I really don't get the logic of not putting the US Title on Jericho last night the right stipulations were in the match so Reigns didn't have lay down for a 3 count.


Jericho winning and giving him the only belt he hasn't won would do the Championship a world of good and Jericho would make it a big deal.


Reigns didn't even come out with the belt in the closing segment and that's not the first time he has walked out without the belt making it a joke belt.


I'm guessing this is all leading to him winning the Universal tile and being a duel Champion which in itself is a load sh1t.

Agent Coulson

https://twitter.com/HulkHogan/status/816143775571574784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Lithium93_

Holy **** Mick Foley looks different.

PTH2009

So is taker going to announce he is entertaining the rumble match/he's going into the HOF or he is retiring ???

I thought he was a SD guy

Lithium93_

PTH2009 wrote: »

So is taker going to announce he is entertaining the rumble match/he's going into the HOF or he is retiring ???

I thought he was a SD guy

I'd imagine announcing his entry into the Rumble.

PTH2009

Lithium93_ wrote: »

I'd imagine announcing his entry into the Rumble.

Have a feeling him appearing on raw may signal he will could be facing Roman Reigns (who will win the WWE universal title cause of y2j turning on KO) at Mania ??

Cianan2

Extremely disappointed with the announcement of both taker and hbk next week. What's wrong with a good ol' pop, the ratings will sort themselves if you make it less predictable!

Does anybody else think a spear vs spear match would be great at wrestlemania?? Well... Maybe not the match, but the idea....

beakerjoe

I liked Raw more than most weeks.

The end segment was fine, it teased a lot and I liked the double spear moment. Can't really fault it.

Reigns v Jericho was decent, I assumed Jericho would win so it had an air of mystery about the finish.

I enjoyed Titus and The New Day. I like the idea of Titus being a wannabe NewDay member and if done right it could have some mileage.

Zayn v Braun was as good as it could have been and it was a decent watch.

Lord TSC

PTH2009 wrote: »

I thought he was a SD guy

Yeah, till SD beat Raw. Vince can't be having that :pac:

J. Marston

Reigns to defend the US title against Owens and Jericho in a handicap match on Raw. Someone on Reddit did the numbers and apparently Reigns has faced either Owens or Jericho in 15 of the 19 matches he's had since the brand split.

Raw is stale as fúck.

CastorTroy

Ah, but now he's facing both of them. I'm sure Rollins will not get involved in any way

Lithium93_

That time of the bastard week again..



Shawn Michaels & The Undertaker both confirmed to appear. Plus Roman Reigns defending his dust gathering United States Championship against Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho, shenanigans ahoy in that match :pac:

What do The Deadman and The Showstopper have planned?
When we last saw The Undertaker on WWE television, he was delivering an ominous warning to Team SmackDown before Survivor Series, putting the fear of The Deadman into Team Blue’s five-Superstar squad mere days before WWE’s annual fall classic. Given the grave circumstances, SmackDown LIVE won that 5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Men's Elimination Match.

Although SmackDown LIVE is The Undertaker’s chosen home, it’s rumored that The Phenom will make an appearance on this Monday’s Raw in New Orleans, the very city in which his iconic WrestleMania Streak came to an end at the hands of Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 30. Might The Undertaker’s potential appearance have implications for this year’s Show of Shows in Orlando? Or perhaps he’ll give us yet another reason to “Remember the Rumble” on Jan. 29 in San Antonio, Texas.

Speaking of San Antonio, Alamo City’s own Shawn Michaels is officially slated to visit this week’s edition of Raw. HBK, who stars in the forthcoming WWE Studios film “The Resurrection of Gavin Stone,” tends to shake things up whenever he drops in on Monday night’s hottest show. When his music hits, you won’t want to miss what comes next.

Can Reigns defy the odds against Owens and Jericho in a Handicap Match?
United States Champion Roman Reigns seems unstoppable lately, retaining his title against both Chris Jericho and WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens in recent weeks. However, live this Monday in New Orleans, The Big Dog will need to defend Old Glory against both Jeri-KO members simultaneously in a Handicap Match.

The notorious best friends already consider themselves co-bearers of the WWE Universal Championship — a title officially held by Owens — but they could very well also share the U.S. Title by Monday’s end if the numbers game works in their favor.

Additionally, this match comes less than three weeks before Reigns challenges Owens for Team Red’s crown jewel at Royal Rumble, when Jericho will be locked inside a shark cage and suspended above the ring to forestall his interference. It’ll be a fair fight for Reigns that night in the Alamodome. But this Monday, The Big Easy will be anything but for the indomitable Superstar.

Despite the circumstances, The Big Dog’s confidence seems to remain unshaken.

Who will declare for the Royal Rumble Match?
Last week on Raw, the Royal Rumble Match picture became much clearer when The New Day, Chris Jericho and Braun Strowman revealed that they will join Goldberg and Brock Lesnar in this year’s 30-Superstar over-the-top-rope classic. On SmackDown LIVE, 2016 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner Baron Corbin threw his name into the mix as well.

There is always room for surprises in the Royal Rumble Match, but there are also many more spots in the bout that have yet to be claimed by Team Red’s roster. Will more Superstars step forward this week?

Will Bayley dethrone Charlotte Flair?
Charlotte Flair has tried to keep Bayley out of arm’s reach of the Raw Women’s Championship, but after this past Monday night, The Huggable One is closer than ever to wrapping her arms around The Queen’s vaunted prize.

Thanks to a surprise distraction from the returning Sasha Banks, Bayley put away the formidable Nia Jax with a Bayley-to-Belly Suplex to secure a championship opportunity against Flair at Royal Rumble. The uplifting challenger has defeated Charlotte on multiple occasions already, so she has proven she can hang with The Queen. Is Bayley ready to fulfill her childhood dream and ascend to the top of the Raw Women’s division?

Is Neville our next WWE Cruiserweight Champion?
New Year, new Neville? It certainly seems that way, as the former fan-favorite continues his ruthless dominance of the Cruiserweight division on both Raw and WWE Network’s 205 Live, most recently defeating former WWE Cruiserweight Champion TJ Perkins this past Tuesday night.

Current titleholder Rich Swann has also felt the sting of defeat at the hands of “The King of the Cruiserweights,” but never when the title has been on the line. Will Neville soon earn a WWE Cruiserweight Championship opportunity? Perhaps we’ll learn more about Neville’s next move tonight.

Sky Sports 5 @ 01:00 am

Lord TSC

Oh God, I thought the Handicap US title match was a joke when I saw it "announced" last week

Lithium93_

Lord TSC wrote: »

Oh God, I thought the Handicap US title match was a joke when I saw it "announced" last week

Nope it's real unfortunately.

Neil3030

They could do something pretty cool with the handicap match. Like have Jeri-KO beat the snot out of him for an easy win, to really build the suspense going into the Rumble about whether he can do it, and how much of an effect it will be to have Jericho in the cage....

But lol, make Roman look strong. He'll kick out of three code-breakers and counter the Popup Powerbomb into a Superman Punch / Spear combo for the win.

ERG89

It'll probably end with a mix up between Jericho & Owens to tease that program for the 20th time. They should have broke that team up by now but I feel WWE insist on running anything successful into the ground so it can't be repeated again. Whether it's a catchphrase, tag team or a feud.
They should just do a 4 way with Jericho, Cass & Rusev. Have Rusev win it & branch off into the Cass feud and a possible feud with Zayn. Or just make it a Title vs Title match at the Rumble.

J. Marston

Neil3030 wrote: »

They could do something pretty cool with the handicap match. Like have Jeri-KO beat the snot out of him for an easy win, to really build the suspense going into the Rumble about whether he can do it, and how much of an effect it will be to have Jericho in the cage....

But lol, make Roman look strong. He'll kick out of three code-breakers and counter the Popup Powerbomb into a Superman Punch / Spear combo for the win.

I think he'll lose but it'll take a half a dozen finishers (probably each from Jericho and KO) and some underhanded tactics to win. Cole will remind us of this every 10 minutes for the next month.

Omackeral

Basically it will take two of the top stars on Raw, including the Universal champ, to get the belt off him and it'll still involve shenanigans. I miss Owens from when he fought Cena. Wasn't a clown, was a legit bad ass.

Itssoeasy

I wonder will there be an tribute of some kind at the start of Raw (even a in memory of black screen) to the kid that died today. He had cancer similar to Conor that got the warrior award a few years ago.

CastorTroy

Maybe I already asked this, but why is Charlotte using Flair again?