Raw 8-24-15 - Post-Summerslam Show

[w. josh]

I think the negative reaction to the Divas match and segment is exactly the same negative reaction guys like Sheamus, Orton, Kane, and Big Show have gotten over the past year or two when they get shoved into programs with the newer wrestlers that people actually want to see. The crowds have consistently given Charlotte big reactions, and there have been Daniel Bryan-level "We want Sasha" chants two nights in a row. It's not that the women can't get over on the main roster. It's that the fans want to see the NXT women tear it up against each other, not trading wins with the same Divas that they haven't cared about for years now. The crowd hijacked the match last night for the same reason they hijacked Orton and Reigns matches every time they thought Bryan was getting the shaft - they want what they want and they're not seeing any evidence that they're going to get it.

 

That said, doing the Wave and chanting JBL is obnoxious as fuck. They should have just kept chanting for Sasha and booing the Bellas mercilessly. Ignoring the match just gives the guys making the decisions they don't like too much ammunition to keep making those decisions.

[MoeCristyV.1.6]

But booing the Bellas would mean that they are perfect heels and the WWE creative team would have been proud of themselves.

[J.T.]

Highlight of the show, for me, was the 30 seconds or so of KO and Ryback trading blows.

 

Xavier playing Taps on the trombone during the pinfall was the true Highlight of the Show.  If you did not love the New Day before, you love them now or at least you do if you are not a dumbass.

 

Dudleyz and Sting are soooooo old and broken down.  Why do I mark like I am 12 years old when I see them when I know they can barely wrestle, much less stand up straight?

 

I am a mark being worked.

 

Thank you, Bo Dallas, for dying for my enjoyment and moving into the penthouse on the tallest building in Suplex City.

[Craig H]

So I guess we were due for even more backwards ass booking. I know some people really dug this episode and I was digging some of the actual action, but the booking decisions just left such a bad taste in my mouth.

 

For example, the whole Cena and Stewart thing. Yesterday, someone said that they couldn't imagine Cena beating up on little Jon Stewart. And when I read that, I thought, "that has never stopped Cena in the past." So of course, ultra babyface Cena beats up a little old guy who wouldn't even be able to defend himself.

 

That wasn't nearly as bad as the 8 man tag. Big Show getting punked out by the heels AND the faces was so fucking weird. Why would anyone think that makes sense? The only positive I could say about this segment is that it gave us the possibility of an awesome Owens and Rusev tag team/friendship. Such an odd combo, but I really like those two together. And Owens saying whatever to Sheamus was also great.

 

Others have mentioned this too, but WWE is in a weird spot right now. You have dudes who are the future and who you want to see, but then there's these relics that you've seen too much of or other guys who should have been bigger than they are. Owens and Rusev at least felt fresh because it was two guys important to the future of WWE telling a couple relics in Big Show and Sheamus to fuck off. I would totally love it if we got Owens and Rusev as two fuck the world type guys trying to take out the trash to cement a spot for themselves. And then, normally, I don't like it when actual good teams break up, but those two breaking up would mean some really hard hitting matches between the two.

 

Ziggler looks much better with the longer tights. I hope he continues morphing into Brian Pillman.

 

Also, WWE must use the cheapest paint. There's something about Sting's facepaint in WWE that just looks different compared to the facepaint he had in WCW or even TNA. I'm not sure if it's a different kind of paint for HD broadcasts or what, but it looks cheap as hell.

 

That said, I liked the closing angle. I would like it more if Sting would either shave his head or do something else about that bald spot because it continues to be really distracting.

 

Oh, and #WeWantSasha, so of course, we will not get Sasha. I do wonder if she's hurt from the match with Bayley. She looked noticeably hurt after the match, but I could swear it looked like Charlotte asked Sasha if she was ok and Sasha said she was fine.

[Craig H]

 

 

Dudleyz and Sting are soooooo old and broken down.  Why do I mark like I am 12 years old when I see them when I know they can barely wrestle, much less stand up straight?

 

 

I don't know man, the Dudleyz still look like they're in great shape. Sting on the other hand, looks like he has trouble getting height on the Stinger splash, which makes sense. 

[Firebreaker Chip]

I would like to see several weeks of RNN-style vignettes where Bo gradually Bolieves himself back to walking upright and eating solid food

 

WWE's cheerleading of their own Divas stuff also has a protests-too-much quality to it that unintentionally draws attention to the fact that they only need a 'revolution' because they're years behind the times and their women's stuff has been at best cringeworthy and at worst actively, enthusiastically misogynistic for years

 

I mean I didn't pay much attention but when UFC launched their women's division I assume they didn't spend months going "oh wow look at Ronda, so brave, she's going to try really hard to put on a fight that's just as good as the men!!", because she's self-evidently a badass with enough charisma to carry the build to a fight herself

[Brysynner]

So I much rather have Enzo and Cass  come out and interrupt the New Day celebration because why not have one of NXT's most over acts come out on a big show in their "hometown"? While the Dudleyz got a big pop, the lack of Enzo and Cass LIVE IN BROOKLYN is borderline criminal.

 

At the same time, I am 100% on board with WWE WHC/US Champion Sting defending the belt in a triple threat at HITC

[w. josh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euFZ-tgPav8

 

Here's an old clip of Braun at a strongman competition in 2013 talking about the possibility of signing with the WWE. He's definitely got the accent for the gimmick.

[GOTNW]

But booing the Bellas would mean that they are perfect heels and the WWE creative team would have been proud of themselves.

Like they think so much of women they'd bother to give them roles and characters other than "bitches be crazy".

[Cole Miner]

I guess that Bruce Jenner and Sting photo comparision someone posted here last time Sting was around no longer works. Wouldn't be surprised at all if the theory of the extra long promo as a rib on Sting is true. Might have missed it had I not had by DVR set to go 15 minutes past thanks to when the Rock returned.

People thinking the Dudleys are fresh rather than stale, and thinking nobody in Wrestling has used an Arm Triangle as a finish. It's like TNA never even existed.

 

Stale sure but on the brightside Bubba is fat again. So no need to worry about another main event push falling flat like the one in TNA.

[JonnyLaw]

 

 

 

So, who's the new Wyatt? Someone must know on here.

Braun Stroman is his ring name. Did strongman contests for several years, apparently.

The black sheep mask is scary as fuck.

Huh, I really thought it was an indie guy WWE hired but apparently they've had him under contract since May 2013, only had him in dark matches. So is this somebody they've been saving for the right slot, or the only guy they had under contract who looked like a Wyatt?

I don't know the answer, but he had been the gladiator in Rose's exotic express. Make of that what you will.

 

 

I feel bad for Adam Rose that his original Rosebuds have gone on to be part of the Diva's Revolution, NXT Tag Champs, the "Total Diva" and now a Wyatt.

 

Makes me think there's a secret room in the Performance Center where they hide guys they're training and don't let them out or get any sort of exposure until they actually debut, kind of like the guy in the cage in Lucha Underground.  At first I thought he was that guy whose name escapes me....was around 5 years or so ago and had a similar look and would cut promos talking about stuff from medical textbooks about ways he was going to hurt guys.  Then for a second I thought it was Snitsky.  

 

 

 

Now I'm disappointed Mike Knox isn't a Wyatt.

 

 

So I guess we're going to get HHH/Rollins vs Cena/Sting in the near future.

Which poses an interesting question: Can even John Cena resist the urge to turn heel on Sting?

 

 

Cena was going to confront Rollins when he got sidetracked by the Authority.  Who ended up confronting Rollins and will presumably get the next title shot?  Sting.  I'm just saying, Sting has been turned on for a lot less.

 

 

They also chanted for fuckin Blue Pants, so who knows what the hell the crowd wanted.

 

I ain't gonna allow anymore Nikki Bella bashing though. That's blasphemy.

There is a certain former board member who has a serious hatred of Blue Pants and was pretty much searching for any mention of her on twitter so he could rant at people calling her good or saying WWE should sign her. If she can make him meltdown like that she's ok in my book.

 

 

He also hates when anyone gives Sara Del Ray credit.

 

People thinking the Dudleys are fresh rather than stale, and thinking nobody in Wrestling has used an Arm Triangle as a finish. It's like TNA never even existed. What's next, is someone going to say Gail Kim never had a good match in her life?

 

What's TNA?

[RIPPA]

I am not going through the whole thread to check if someone mentioned this already (most likely yes)

 

Supposedly they added a commercial break to the West Coast feed to try and cover up the crowd nonsense during the Divas match

[Pete]

As hot as the Dudleys' return was, I wish they held it back a few weeks to help get Xavier's deal over with the trombone. That was brilliant, awesome and hysterical. If Dave Sheldon was still alive they could perform duets.

[Matt D]

I'm not sure what matters less in the grand scheme of things: the west coast feed or TNA.

[Liam O'Rourke]

Well, Dave Meltzer watches the West Coast feed and doesn't watch TNA anymore, so that's good enough an answer for me.

 

Giving these women live promos is death. There's a reason in NXT they used the UFC style video packages with the soundbites to get the stories across - the girls can't talk, and it's twenty times better for them than asking them to get over and tell the story in a live setting. Even Sasha, the most major league character of the bunch, bombed on commentary on NXT a couple of weeks back. And as has been pointed out elsewhere, if the guys cut promos that bad and had matches this average, they'd get the exact same treatment (and have done many times in front of post-Mania Raw crowds). Bayley and Sasha was fantastic, but the crowd reacted accordingly. Summerslam and Raw were absolutely not fantastic, and the fans aren't obligated to cheer them just because. The booking is making this difficult, but they aren't helping their own cause either.

[Nice Guy Eddie]

What's TNA?

 

Tits and Ass, of course. 

[Greggulator]

Bringing up the NXT girls with Steph's endorsement give this a chance. People take her seriously. Introducing any of the girls

Individually would have just been more of the same.

It is going to be a little at a time. They are starting to differentiate Becky (who hasn't been good at character work since she started in NXT) and have Charlotte talk a little trash. It is baby steps. I like Paige having a cocksure body language on the set of Miz TV.

But we really want The Bellas or Alicia Fox to try and act? Alicia's only character ever was when she poured soda on her head. Legitimately, that is the only nuanced performance she has ever given. A soda. On her head. She is awful.

[The Comedian]

Giving these women live promos is death. There's a reason in NXT they used the UFC style video packages with the soundbites to get the stories across - the girls can't talk, and it's twenty times better for them than asking them to get over and tell the story in a live setting. Even Sasha, the most major league character of the bunch, bombed on commentary on NXT a couple of weeks back. And as has been pointed out elsewhere, if the guys cut promos that bad and had matches this average, they'd get the exact same treatment (and have done many times in front of post-Mania Raw crowds). Bayley and Sasha was fantastic, but the crowd reacted accordingly. Summerslam and Raw were absolutely not fantastic, and the fans aren't obligated to cheer them just because. The booking is making this difficult, but they aren't helping their own cause either.

 

This is an excellent point. As much as the new generation of Divas have stepped up their in-ring game, they're all terrible on the mic. In the Summerslam thread I brought up the Divas title being held hostage until AJ's record is broken, and someone asked why AJ held the title so long in the first place. You just made me realize why: AJ is the only Diva they've had in years who could cut a promo without sounding completely wooden.

[JohnnyJ]

I really can't stress how tough those back to back divas segments were on the live crowd. People are digging the nxt call ups. Nobody is digging the 3-person faction feuds they set up. The audience at home doesn't realize the live crowd is just sitting there for 5-7 minutes while they set up  Then Miz tv wasn't all that much fun. Then the crowd had to wait another 5-7 minutes while they dismantled the Miz tv set and the divas were just hanging around. By the time the match started it felt like nothing had happened for 20+ minutes. By mid-match it felt like 45 minutes. Even before the chants, they had completely lost the live crowd. It was too much. 

 

You can certainly blame the crowd for being a bunch of morons, but just how long can you reasonably expect a vocal rowdy crowd to be respectful when they are stuck watching something they don't want to see? They should have really just put two divas the fans want to see in a match and brought the house down. It's not that hard. On the plus side, Alicia got a pin.

[Craig H]

Bringing up the NXT girls with Steph's endorsement give this a chance. People take her seriously.

 

LOL

[Greggulator]

Bringing up the NXT girls with Steph's endorsement give this a chance. People take her seriously.

LOL

Steph's an awesome performer. Is this even up for debate?

[Craig H]

And just to explain the LOL, I don't see how anyone can take her seriously. You can't play the heel in the vast majority of the segements you're in and then flip the switch to look like this quasi-face for the Divas division. So few are going to buy that and it's going to sound like bullshit because everything else she does makes her look like an asshole. How many are going to think, "oh, she's being sincere?" 

[Greggulator]

And just to explain the LOL, I don't see how anyone can take her seriously. You can't play the heel in the vast majority of the segements you're in and then flip the switch to look like this quasi-face for the Divas division. So few are going to buy that and it's going to sound like bullshit because everything else she does makes her look like an asshole. How many are going to think, "oh, she's being sincere?"

But her introducing the revolution resulted in a really hot segmet. It worked.

[Craig H]

That was weeks ago. Since then, the revolution has amounted to pointless tag matches that would do Teddy Long proud, keeping Sasha off tv, having Brie be the fall girl, and making sure Nikki beats AJ's streak.

 

So wow, weeks ago there was one hot segment and since then, it's been the same old shit. If it were a revolution, then they wouldn't be maintaining the status quo.

[Charro!]

I think as soon as someone gets called up from NXT there's a countdown before they either a) have a promising push but end up as a curtain jerker  (ala Adam Rose) or even get sent backdown to NXT (Emma), b) flounder in midcard (Neville) or c) against the odds they manage to be a break out star (Rusev maybe?). Unfortunately a & b are much more likely because NXT is more of a niche brand and not really part of the main WWE product as such. Therefore when like Emma gets called up and does the Emmaisms they kinda fall flat because outside of the NXT and the bubbles & the dancing most people would be like ??? because they don't know the backstory and IIRC there wasn't any vignettes for when they called her up (or not one(s) I can remember anyway). Personally I would have brought up Sasha only from NXT at the moment, where she could bad mouth Paige (who I'd send back down to NXT for a while to work on her promo's etc.) and feud with Sasha over the NXT belt then put Sasha over as the next big thing with promo's. As Snoop is her cousin, I'd have him turn up on Raw to debut her so she comes across as a star before she's even had one match on the main roster. Maybe have Tamina in the bodyguard role (ala Diesel) and then go from there.