Dolfan in NYC Posted July 3, 2023 Posted July 3, 2023 For the first time in the 2020's, this happened: Well, I'd say that's the main event of SummerSlam sorted... (...or will Jimmy have something to say about Jey getting a(nother) title shot?)
Pete Posted July 3, 2023 Posted July 3, 2023 Bloodline has been their best, most cohesive storytelling I can ever remember. The stars have absolutely aligned for this one. 2
Norwegian Rudo Posted July 3, 2023 Posted July 3, 2023 5 hours ago, Dolfan in NYC said: For the first time in the 2020's, this happened: Well, I'd say that's the main event of SummerSlam sorted... (...or will Jimmy have something to say about Jey getting a(nother) title shot?) It was very obvious how Jimmy let Jey hit the splash and get the pin so I doubt that is what they're going for.
blitzkrieg Posted July 3, 2023 Posted July 3, 2023 You bring up Jimmy doubting Jey being named the right hand man, so you can then have Jimmy show his support for Jey being the one to be at Roman for the title.
odessasteps Posted July 3, 2023 Posted July 3, 2023 There's a part of me that expects one of them to turn on the other. 1
Chaos Posted July 3, 2023 Posted July 3, 2023 Just now, odessasteps said: There's a part of me that expects one of them to turn on the other. I'm thinking we're getting a fatal 4 way bloodline match at Survivor Series.
HumanChessgame Posted July 3, 2023 Posted July 3, 2023 3 hours ago, odessasteps said: There's a part of me that expects one of them to turn on the other. I wouldn't be surprised if Jimmy vs Jey is going to headline one night of next Wrestlemania.
Greggulator Posted July 4, 2023 Posted July 4, 2023 Didn’t see the whole show. But… Am I nuts for being blown away by Rhea/Nattie? I love Rhea but I think Nattie is pretty bad. But that match was just so good. It told a great story based off their recent interactions — Nattie getting the jump on Rhea, staying on Rhea as much as possible, only for Rhea to meet her with her overwhelming force. They got me really good with Nattie’s late SharpShooter. Loved how she just ran out of steam once Rhea broke out of the hold. That is a great way to make Rhea look like an absolute beast on par with the heavyweights of the division. Please someone else confirm for me that match was as great as I thought it was? 3
Dog Posted July 4, 2023 Posted July 4, 2023 Rhea definitely helped Nattie to the match of her career tonight. Kudos to both. I'm not an ardent Bloodline watcher, so I have to ask: if it took three and half years for Reigns to be pinned, how long has it been since one of his matches DIDN'T have a ref bump??? 2
Phantom Lord Posted July 4, 2023 Posted July 4, 2023 I thought this show was okay. Nothing special, but man that Rhea vs. Nattie match way over delivered. Great match by both.
Eivion Posted July 4, 2023 Posted July 4, 2023 Skipped around the opening segment tunil Cody and Brock came out. The fight was short but ok. The continuation with judgment Day coming out to set up Dom/Seth was more enjoyable. Priest/Nakamura built into something solid. The Shayna/Rousey segment was the best thing either has done in years. Was happy to see the crowd so into Shayna and getting behind her at every word. The eventual match should be fun. Tag Team Turmoil was fine. Was weird seeing Sonya and Chelsea start from the beginning and actually win. Felt like a bit of a mistake since it did nothing for the face teams they beat and the crowd didn't buy into them anymore than usual. Alpha Academy vs. Viking Raiders was super fun. Loved seeing the crowd so into every AA member. The final stretch with Maxxine finally getting in on the action was perfect for how they built her up. The Trish/Becky segment was fine. Kind of love Trish wearing the same kind of mask she wore when she "broke" nose years ago. A pity its probably more legit necessary this time around. Rhea/Natie was shockingly great. The beginning built well of the past few weeks of Rhea cheap shotting Nattie before their matches. Action was nice and a bit mean spirited from both. They did well managing to get an uninterested crowd completely invested by the end. Riddle/Vinci was short and decent while it lasted. Was good seeing Vinci get in a small showcase before it ended. Seth/Dom was fun with them playing off of the general heat Dom tends to have just by existing. Thought the ending with the beatdown and near cash in before Balor fucked it up was good. Raw was half a good show and half ok. Nothing was bad, but as always it drags at 3 hours. There is also so much work to do in fixing the women's division in general. Even the more over figures tend to have to work fairly hard for a good reaction at least match wise. Segment wise they do ok enough though it feels weird to see Shayna and Rousey have one of the more over segments in general after months of the crowd mostly not giving a shit about them. 2
peterien Posted July 4, 2023 Posted July 4, 2023 Soooo…… Priest was pissed because he couldn’t cash in because Balor attacked Seth which softens him up even more for a cash in? Right. Ok. Got it. The annoying part of all this is you can still do the “DISSENSION IN THE JUDGEMENT DAY THIS GROUP AIN’T BIG ENOUGH FOR BOTH OF US” storyline without the briefcase.
hammerva Posted July 4, 2023 Posted July 4, 2023 It is funny that Maxine Dupri with maybe 6 to 8 months experience is already a better wrestler than Valhalla who has about 6 to 8 years. I would like to say that the Maximum Models gimmick has actually worked for the completely opposite intended reason but I am not even sure if Mansoor and Mace is in the company
Jamal Posted July 4, 2023 Posted July 4, 2023 I enjoyed Nattie/Rhea. We all knew Nattie didn't stand a snowball's chance but they still drew me in. Trish feels to be back in her bag now. This was vintage heel Trish and Becky is her perfect foil. The reaction the crowd had for Maxine and their lukewarm reactions for the various women in the tag match just goes to show why it is so important to invest in character time and giving the crowd a reason to care. I was happy to see Chelsea and Sonya win but I agree that it was an interesting booking decision to have the most obvious heel team just blow through everyone. 2
Dolfan in NYC Posted July 4, 2023 Author Posted July 4, 2023 9 hours ago, Eivion said: The Shayna/Rousey segment was the best thing either has done in years. Was happy to see the crowd so into Shayna and getting behind her at every word. The eventual match should be fun. I know I'm the idiot for thinking HHH is in charge, but I'll just note... they clearly did a very quick course correction here. Cole & Graves reaction when Shayna turned was indicating they were turning Ronda face & Shayna stays heel. But they apparently listed to the crowd, and last night, Ronda cuts a heel "you're nothing without me" promo, and Baszler gets the face "I earned everything I got" promo. This is extremely not a thing that would have happened 2 years ago. 2
Iron Moose Posted July 4, 2023 Posted July 4, 2023 1 hour ago, Dolfan in NYC said: I know I'm the idiot for thinking HHH is in charge, but I'll just note... they clearly did a very quick course correction here. Cole & Graves reaction when Shayna turned was indicating they were turning Ronda face & Shayna stays heel. But they apparently listed to the crowd, and last night, Ronda cuts a heel "you're nothing without me" promo, and Baszler gets the face "I earned everything I got" promo. This is extremely not a thing that would have happened 2 years ago. they learned their lesson from the Becky/Charlotte Summerslam 2018 situation, I guess. 13 hours ago, Greggulator said: Didn’t see the whole show. But… Am I nuts for being blown away by Rhea/Nattie? I love Rhea but I think Nattie is pretty bad. But that match was just so good. It told a great story based off their recent interactions — Nattie getting the jump on Rhea, staying on Rhea as much as possible, only for Rhea to meet her with her overwhelming force. They got me really good with Nattie’s late SharpShooter. Loved how she just ran out of steam once Rhea broke out of the hold. That is a great way to make Rhea look like an absolute beast on par with the heavyweights of the division. Please someone else confirm for me that match was as great as I thought it was? ... general agreement, but ... when has Rhea ever not been on par with the heavyweights of the women's division? Rumble winner, Rumble finalist, Riptide on Nia, winning record against almost anyone you'd care to name, including Tozawa... I feel like her only kryptonite so far have been full-power Charlotte, Legend Beth and Black and Gold Era Raquel-plus-cheating, and it wouldn't strain credulity to have her as a favorite against any of them right now. 2
Eivion Posted July 4, 2023 Posted July 4, 2023 (edited) 4 hours ago, Dolfan in NYC said: I know I'm the idiot for thinking HHH is in charge, but I'll just note... they clearly did a very quick course correction here. Cole & Graves reaction when Shayna turned was indicating they were turning Ronda face & Shayna stays heel. But they apparently listed to the crowd, and last night, Ronda cuts a heel "you're nothing without me" promo, and Baszler gets the face "I earned everything I got" promo. I suspect they (Ronda, Shayna, HHH) knew, but I also think they waited for that reaction to convince the old man. I think HHH is generally in charge, but its clear they still get advice and direction from Vince to some degree and probably are afraid to ever really say no to him until/unless they prove they have something better. Edited July 4, 2023 by Eivion 1
For Great Justice Posted July 5, 2023 Posted July 5, 2023 (edited) Ok NXT Underground completely over delivered. That ruled. Creeds are going to kill it on the main roster. Edited July 5, 2023 by For Great Justice 1
Hail Sabin Posted July 5, 2023 Posted July 5, 2023 Brutus Creed Busting out a Springboard 450 shocked me. 1
Eivion Posted July 5, 2023 Posted July 5, 2023 Roxanne/Blair felt a bit clunky in execution at times but was generally solid. I like how aggressive Roxanne was here given the feud. I only wish someone like Meiko would trian he personally to better her strikes. Blair felt a little off. I assume that was do to facing Roxanne for the first time. Bate/Ali was damn good. Love seeing Ali work differently from his norm and getting to incorporate some what he has been learning submissions wise on his personal time finally into a match Corbin's repackage vid was good. I only wish it was for the main roster instead of NXT. Tatum/Jordan was an ok squash. Could have used a another minute or two to showcase Jordan. Kemp/Thorpe was way the hell better than expected and probably what they originally wanted out of these Underground matches during the pandemic. That belly to belly out of the ring was crazy. Only disappointment I had was Gable never explaining why he wanted to see his brother get his ass kicked. Lyra/Jacy was fine. Creeds vs. Dyad was damn good stuff with a completely unexpected result. Really did not think Creeds were winning, especially with GYV confirming months ago they are just letting their contracts run out. That was either bs, they were convinced to stay, or the powers that be played with that knowledge. Whatever the case they used it well here to shock the crowd. Creeds are probably ready for the main roster though I think they could have easily stayed another year. Ivy staying behind will feel weird. The Bron/Ilja brawl was fun.
caley Posted July 5, 2023 Posted July 5, 2023 19 minutes ago, Eivion said: Only disappointment I had was Gable never explaining why he wanted to see his brother get his ass kicked. Brother? They have different last names! That match was great. Mean, stiff, felt like a genuine fight. Best Thorpe has looked, now he just kind of needs a gimmick outside of earnest guy who works hard. Kemp is always good, despite never really winning his big matches. I half-expected a Kemp/Steveson tag team. Steveson was good in the corner, but looked like a doofus wearing his medal. The guy randomly getting into the ring to fondle his medal was even sillier. I figured out what my problem with Jacey Jayne is and that's that she's basically playing a hybrid of Tiffany Stratton (Pretty girl who brags about her looks) and Cora Jade (mean girl) but isn't as good at it as either of them. She needs some sort of hook: evil witch, vegengeful vegan, pirate... I missed the last stretch except the end of Creeds/Dyad. Is the guy in the mask just Gacy? Or are they introducing someone else into it?
J.T. Posted July 5, 2023 Posted July 5, 2023 (edited) Creeds / Dyad was great stuff. Totally did not end the way I expected it to. Bate / Ali may be my match of the week depending on what AEW cooks up. Moves, stiffness, psychology. It checked off all the boxes very well. Wow, does Bea Davenport still train with her boo, Will Osprey? She was nearly as botcherific against Rok-C as Will was at Forbidden Door against Omega. That steps spot looked way dangerous. I'd believe that the super sloppy Falcon Arrow and the awkward double knees to take it home was Bea trying to pillow Perez after cracking her legit on the outside with that running knee. Where is the Academy Award for Baron Corbin? That repackaging vignette was straight fire. The pathos, my God, the pathos. And after the pathos, the angry resolve. Edited July 5, 2023 by J.T.
worldcupfever Posted July 5, 2023 Posted July 5, 2023 7 hours ago, caley said: Brother? They have different last names! A friend and I were discussing the show as it went on and during the Underground match he said, "Kemp went so far as to get Gable's last name tattooed on his leg - now that's playing mind games with Thorpe." 1
EVA Posted July 5, 2023 Posted July 5, 2023 So Raw has its own slow-burn heel stable dissension angle now? Classic “Hollywood learns the wrong lesson from a success” decision.
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