Eivion

Jey/Finn was good. Dug the backstage confrontation between Pearce and Drew and how it bled into Punk appearing right after Drew left. The Punk promo right after was solid and fun even if it felt just a pinch long. Io/Nattie was pretty nice with the two meshing pretty well. Wouldn't have guessed this was a first time match. Was happy to see Io take the win. Ricochet/Ilja was great with tons of nice action and a wonderful showcase of what ilja is capable of to the main roster crowd. Zoey/Ivy was solid and decent showcase for both women. Reed/Gable was nice while it lasted before Sami appeared for the predictable non-finish. Would be annoyed normally, but this was the most sensible way to go with how this feud has been building. Glad they finally pushed for the triple threat officially. Sami's promo for it backstage was good. The Becky/Liv segment was solid. Dug Damage CTRL getting involved and how it bled into Lyra/Dakota which was pretty solid itself. Gunther/Sheamus III was fantastic. This echoed the brutal hoss fight like their first match with the two giving each other as good as they got, Sheamus having some good fighting spirits moments, and some great nearfalls before the end finally came. Didn't quite hit the level of their first match, but damn, was it close. Pretty good Raw with solid segments and some fine wrestling. All of the tournament matches were solid at worst with Ricochet/Ilja & Gunther/Sheamus really standing out as one might expect.

I liked the few bigger matches I caught of Tama the past few years in NJPW. They went longer than needed but were good. I think he will be alright as he likely will positioned for shorter stuff in WWE.

Supposedly he still has a Legends deal.

It was a separated shoulder injury that basically kept coming back. Don't recall Suzuki being the one that caused it, but its been years since then.

I just rewatched the first minute or so, and you are off the mark like I recall. It was clearly supposed to be a strike exchanging only for Yoshiko to start throwing live rounds after one punch or elbow (hard to tell from the angle). Act gets a few shots in during the first attack, but Yoshiko pretty much started off trying to actively hurt Act from the getgo. She even went as far as to take Act down so she had no way to defend herself from Yoshiko's punches. Even the restart is Yoshiko clearly gearing up for more with Act clearly just trying to defend herself. I liked both women a good bit (admittedly Yoshiko more), but Yoshiko was always the blatant aggressor in that situation, and I'm not sure why people try to downplay that. She may no be an asshole all the time, but she very much was there. I think its fine to acknowledge that though I do think the idea some people have that Yoshiko should be blackballed years after the fact is weird. The reality is that was nearly a decade ago, and both women have long moved on. Fans should as well instead of bringing it back up every few months like I have seen on reddit.

I don't recall Act throwing shoot punches at all. Mostly recall both throwing normal punches until Yoshiko clearly got serious. Its also hard to defend Yoshiko considering she was blatantly smiling after having beaten and bloodied Act. Yoshiko was not simply defending herself and going too far. And people did blame Wada for how poorly he handled the entire situation as ref back then. They also blamed Rossy and Nanae. Fuka took blame as well management were aware of the issues between Act & Yoshiko before then. People give Yoshiko the majority of shit still years later because its also well known Yoshiko and Nanae had been bullying roster members behind the scenes, including Act, due to a very pissed Alpha Female revealing this when she heard about the incident. The initial incident caused Act to retire early as it damaged her eye. She returned 6-7 years later, but that is still a lifetime of opportunity and chance in wrestling that was taken from her. She also isn't really wrestling the way she originally intended seeing that she has been focused on the side of AWG that isn't considered real wrestling by AWG and its roster themselves. Yoshiko wrestled for years after the incident having only disappeared seemingly because of an injury or personal issue.

This goes under the assumption they were aware. Supposedly Michaels chewed him out for one incident, but the post implies most were not reported because Gulak would intimidate his victims.

Saw this earlier. Going off of this I assume Ronda's comments were more of a last straw, and they just chose to let his contract expire since it was nearly up.

To be fair with Fale it may have just been that he didn't want to go. Supposedly Balor tried to convince him for years to come over. Well obviously no, but I would have at least tried to get Tama and Hikuleo first.

Tanga Loa. He is the worst of his brothers from what I have gathered and what little I have seen. Still befuddled how he made it to WWE before them or any of the other Polynesians in NJPW the past decade.

Orton/KO vs. Solo/Tama was good. Loved how it started with the big brawl and chaos pre-match before Aldis turned it into a street fight. Despite being the worst of the Tongans I did like how they screwed with expectations again and had Tanga Loa pop up here instead of Jacob Fatu. Makes me curious just what the coming Bloodline Civil War in the Fall will look like. Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany was good with nice action and everyone getting moments to shine. Finish could have been a bit stronger though it wasn't bad. Priest/Jey was surprisingly better than expected with crowd hanging on to everything going on and even buying into the nearfall from Priest's first chokeslam. They were ecstatic when Jey kicked out. Thought the Judgement Day interference was used well enough without getting in the way. Kabuki Warriors vs. Bianca/Jade was a little frustrating as it was gearing up to the best women's tag titles match in forever with the pacing, action, and build. Unfortunately someone screwed up and got lost late in during Jade's longer segment. The sad thing is I'm pretty sure it was on Kairi and Asuka based on how the ref acted. Things came back together well enough a minute or two later, but it brought this one down from a decent high. Cody/AJ delivered the big main event match you would expect with a fantastic crowd adding a lot to an already good match. Only wish it went just a few minutes shorter as you started to feel the length towards the end. The matches were solid-good even with the frustrating aspects of the tag titles match. The hot crowd added a ton and make me hope they hit up France again next year. Good show overall.

Was that arguably not their strategy when they were hiring random athletes and indy wrestlers? If the NIL contracts are cheaper than normal developmental contracts then WWE is probably saving money.

Wrestling is full of people who couldn't make it as pros or olympians. Love of the business doesn't always equal success or talent either.

Bayley/Naomi/Bianca/Jade vs. Tiffany/Dakota/Asuka/Kairi was pretty fun with some decent action and great crowd reaction. Dug Bianca & Jade's Dominator double team, and I loved Bianca clearly being at odds with Bayley during the match and even after in the backstage interview. Authors of Pain vs. New Catch Republic was good. The Authors were their usual monster selves with Bate and Dunne putting up a good fight with spirit, cleverness, & speed. Glad this got to happen in front of such a receptive audience in France. Knight/Angel was decent. Knight's promo with Santos afterwards was better. The RKO show was alright. I enjoy the revelation right before that Heyman hasn't actually spoken to Roman since Wrestlemania. Adds another nice wrinkle in the current Bloodline story. Street Profits vs. Theory/Waller was pretty solid. The faceoff between AJ and Cody was good and brought some decent drama to the table. Nothing here was great despite a good match in AOP vs. NCR. The crowd added a ton to the atmosphere with everything being made a bit better with their reactions. Hopefully Backlash delivers a show well worth this kind of hot crowd though I think it will be fun at worst.

Feroz was alright in the ring. but never showed much as a character. Wonder where she goes. Kind of surprised about Bearhill since he hadn't really been given much of a chance on tv. Shocked Boa lasted this long.

Loved the latest episode. Really curious to see where it all goes since I think they are pulling from multiple stories and combing facets of them.

That Trick/Lahs segment didn't really lead anywhere and was mostly just the two flirting on live tv. Wasn't super long so I didn't mind it. Oba/Ivar was a pretty solid meat slapping match. the return of Wes Lee post match was good to see. Didn't think he would pop up until September at the earliest. Thea/Jacy was solid. I particularly dug that neckbreaker counter to Thea's back senton. Was nice to see Thea get the win, and the post match angle with Fallon was interesting. Fallon doesn't seem fully turned yet, but I hope that is where they are going as she has always felt misplaced as a face. Good Brothers vs. Tyson/Tyriek was a decent showcase for the new guys. Spears/Ridge was decent though I wish they would stop dragging this out and move forward with this story. The setup for the Women's NA title match was nothing new, but I enjoyed it if only for Arianna Grace. Loved that she tried to stop the brawl as chaos erupted around her. AOP vs. Axiom/Frazer was pretty solid though it felt like it ended just as it was about to shift to next gear. I dug mostly dug Nattie/Lola. I thought the action was generally solid, and I dug how strikes were Lola's strength while ground game and submissions were Nattie's. The final stretch had some solid drama. The final segment with Roxanne learning Chelsea Green was her next challenger was amusing. A step down from last week's show as I expected but still solid with the title matches and the Underground match mostly delivering.

Opening segment with Becky, Liv, & Nia was alright. Gunther/Woods was good stuff. The finishing stretch in particular was some nice drama. The whole Logan Paul/Judgement Day/Jey segment was a pinch long and kind of dumb though an enjoyable kind of dumb. Jey's reaction to JD getting hit by the Super Bowl rings was kind of perfect. Dug Sami getting some vengeance on Gable before his match with Reed. The match with Reed was unsurprisingly good though it ended in another non-finish unfortunately. I assume we get a triple threat soon. Candice/Maxxine was an alright showcase for Maxxine before Candice cheaped her to another victory with Indi's help. The Drew/Punk segments were good fun. Liv/Nia II was good. The Tiffy/Naomi appearances were nice surprises and continued the feud well. Curious to see if the upcoming title match stays a triple threat or if Nia turns it into a 4-way. Awesome Truth vs. Otis/Tozawa was decent from what was shown. Dislike the match starting during commercials without picture-in-picture. Judgement Day vs. Jey/Ricochet/Andrade was solid. The Draft wasn't much segment wise outside of the Punk/Drew stuff, but I think the moves were generally good. Felt like both Raw and Smackdown got solid refreshes, especially the women's divisions which both needed. Apparently Dijak got moved to Raw post show so there is another NXT call up. Hopefully this run goes better for him than the last Solid enough show though too long. Highlights were easily Gunther/Woods, Liv/Nia, and the Drew/Punk segments.

You are correct. We were not on same page. I totally missed that you meant younger wrestlers. I'm all for more that. I dug the New Blood stuff specifically for that. Wish it was done more often.

If it becomes a norm it stops being special for both sides. That said, I did think it was more often than it actually was after doing a quick check so it would be nice to see it increase a pinch.

They have been working with Diana for two years now.

Everyone in Final Testament presents better than Kross. I feel like Kross and the group as whole would be better off if they had Kross shut up and let Scarlet or Ellering speak for him.

The contract signing was fine though easily could have been 5-8 minutes shorter. Rey/Dragon vs. Angel/Berto was decent while it lasted. This was more about the post match angle with Carlito being confirmed Dragon Lee's attacker from several weeks back. Dug the Bloodline vs. KO/Orton segment. Tiffany/Naomi was good while it lasted though I dislike the one women's match on the show getting a non-finish two weeks in a row. Cody/Hayes was a mostly good showcase for Hayes though there was definitely a dumb moment or two that may have legit left Cody injured. Hopefully that is not the case. The actual Draft was fine. None of the segments lasted long and it was nice to see older talent present. I dug the idea of Long and JBL actively helping Aldis and Pearce choose names. No big surprises beyond Kiana James getting the final pick. Kiana is solid-good ring wise, but her character has always left something to be desired even with the work James puts in. Its a lot like Tony D'Angelo where it good they have made it work for them in NXT, but it's not a character that feels like it will work on the main roster. Hopefully they do some changes so she can create something interesting for herself though I suspect Kiana moving up is more about adding fresh bodies to the main roster than an actual direction Kiana herself. The Hayes move was expected. Bron getting moved to Raw was probably a good idea with the IC division heating up now that Gunther is presumably done with the belt. I like Nia switching up as there are a lot more fresh faces for her to face, and with the run she is on it would be nice to see them run her vs. Bayley again after so long. Alright episode overall but also nothing here to really go out of one's way to see sans maybe Cody/Hayes.

They might not have been, but you can't really call the entire company Weinstein without damning those people as well. That is what makes his comment hypocritical. I'm sure it wasn't his intent, but he clearly didn't think about it before he threw it out there.

Not really as long as he keeps hiring wrestlers, production, creative, and office people from WWE. It just make him look like a hypocrite.