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RAW is UNIVERSALLY AWESOME


Niners Fan in CT

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2 hours ago, Jerome Miller said:

Last month when he mentioned that house shows headlined by Roman as champ were doing horrible attendance.

Forgot about that.  In a way, it makes my point though.  Meltzer's barely mentioned house show attendance in a month whereas the weekly tv ratings get headlines on his website.  Also, Reigns would probably have gone over Balor last night if he hadn't been suspended, regardless of house show attendance?  Am I wrong about that?  I don't think Vince would give up on Reigns just because of house shows.  TV ratings are a different story, obviously. 

 

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I kind of hope the amazing heat Charlotte/Sasha had will convince them to let the past histories of people be more a part of their storylines, even if it's not WWE instead of trying to re-invent everyone when they push them.

I know I know....NXT is WWE, but that match was so much more dramatic given how clearly everyone knew that these two had history going back to "another show" and that for a long time Charlotte has known that Sasha was the one she couldn't beat.  So when Charlotte sneers "You'll never beat me." right before losing, it was a moment of true psychology and panic...the last defiant gasp of a heel who knows they are beat...that referenced a whole litany of moments in their careers leading up to this one moment where she is cornered and about to have happen the one thing she has been trying to avoid: A one-on-one match with her own personal Great White Shark.

I think this is a trend, but only sometimes.  Owens/Zayn they are doing it and it worked the same magic on Sunday.  Finn they are doing it a little at least in listing his titles.  But it seems like they could be more consistent.

Of course, to pay off on that history they also have to hold off on continuing that same feud forever.  They need to let Sasha's victory stand and make Charlotte go away for awhile until she comes back stronger or more evil somehow down the road....but I think we all know they are going to take that magic moment and run it into the ground over the next five or six months.

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2 hours ago, Vader does my taxes! said:

Which part.  I think he's somewhat right about the company beginning to cater to the IWC, but who else is the product for?  The WWE. at any rate, hasn't been about live audiences since the Attitude era.  Sure, house shows and show merch matter and provide a revenue stream, but Vince has been catering to TV ratings since... the Attitude Era.  And internet sales make live show merch sales a lot less important.

When was the last time we - or Metlzer - discussed live show attendance or revenue?  It comes up mostly when Smackdown draws a small crowd  and we promptly forget about it.  On the other hand, Meltzer reports tv ratings as soon as they are released and message boards like this one don't go a week without mentioning RAW ratings

Catering to the IWC is just a natural progression.  WWE has been mostly about the TV and PPV audience for the past 20 years and obviously the PPV audience isn't that important these days ($9.99!).

Of course, Russo had a hand in transitioning the product to being TV friendly, so I dunno how much room he has to complain.  I sometimes think Russo and Cornette can't get around because they're too similar (in some ways).

The one thing that I don't think these Russo and Cornette types really truly get, is that everyone has the Internet in their pocket now. The "IWC" Is way bigger than it was 17 years ago when Russo jumped to WCW. "IWC" covers places like here or PWO, but it also covers every banal Reddit post, cancerous YouTube comment section, and angry little Twitter egg there is.

This mythical casual fan is now just as much of a part of the IWC now as those of us who grew up prank emailing Dave Scherer in 1998.

So to say that Raw sucked for catering to the "IWC" is kind of silly to me, when I haven't seen a single bad thing about it on any corner of the Internet yet today. I'm definitely not shy about criticising WWE, but when your show is over with Yahoo commenters and this board alike, you know it was a good one with broad appeal.

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1 hour ago, Matt D said:

I felt actively bad for Jericho when whatever goofiness they were trying with the code-breaker counter into superman punch didn't work.

I dunno, it was a clear botch but I think they covered for it well. Jericho just slipped and they made it like he ducked and got hit when he stood up. I'm sure it'll look way worse on Botchamania though.

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None of the Shield guys are burning up the TV ratings.  To be fair, no one has in recent memory outside of possibly Vince. Ratings have been going down for years, anyone can see that.  But they really started tanking during Rollins' reign and Sheamus' short run was atrocious.  Roman didn't move the needle and so far, neither has Dean.

At some point, it's less about the workers and more about the overall product.  You have three guys who are perfect for what you're trying to achieve, but you haven't given them the tools they need to get results. Not to mention that wrestling is probably more of a niche artform than it has ever been before, despite decent media coverage.

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In an odd twist on the brand split concept, SD gets all the big names and titles, while Raw puts together a workrate roster and uses some solid old-school booking techniques to maximize the shit out of it.

I don't even hate the name "Universal Championship" that much. I would've been more annoyed if they went back to "world championship" after they just unified it a couple years ago. I'm interested to see what the belt looks like.

Corey Graves in the announce booth helped a ton, as expected. Cole's as good as whoever's around him, and Corey knows how to play off Byron's dorkiness without burying him like JBL. Byron actually felt like a contributor this week instead of a meek third wheel that just gets shouted down every time he tries to talk. There were a couple times I could tell Corey was being fed lines he wouldn't normally say, but for the most part, he sounded pretty much like he does in NXT. Such a vast improvement over the ever-shitty JBL.

The stage looked pretty decent, I thought. A little Bischoff era-ish, but definitely has more character than the sterile one they'd been using the last few years. The logo also looks a lot better in motion than the still-shot that was used for the announcement.

The show was booked very effectively and felt like a big deal. I loved the squashes, especially the chinless jobber who got a pre-match promo and everything. The 4-ways were alright and the right people went over. Sami winning would've been cool, but I think Roman made a better foil for Finn. Speaking of Roman, I think the Dolph/Cesaro "close but not quite" role is a perfect fit for him. Keep him there for a while and they might just get another chance with him. Count me in the group that's looking forward to Finn/Seth.

The women's match was great, probably the best those two have had together. Sasha's Eddie tribute was amazing, and I'm glad she got a big moment as a face where she could really soak up a good crowd reaction. If they're smart, she'll hold that belt until they're ready to bring up Asuka. Sasha could be a big money-maker for them if they keep protecting her like they have since her debut.

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14 minutes ago, Niners Fan in CT said:

Something felt different about Balor last night, he looked crisper then I've seen him in a lot if his NXT work. Maybe I'm just seeing shit but he totally came across as a bigger star for the future then he felt in NXT.

I thought the Nakamura match that aired a few weeks ago was the best he's looked in WWE. I think they realized he was a pretty lousy sympathetic babyface so they had him amp up the aggression which has made him a better worker.

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1 hour ago, Zakk_Sabbath said:

The one thing that I don't think these Russo and Cornette types really truly get, is that everyone has the Internet in their pocket now. The "IWC" Is way bigger than it was 17 years ago when Russo jumped to WCW. "IWC" covers places like here or PWO, but it also covers every banal Reddit post, cancerous YouTube comment section, and angry little Twitter egg there is.

This mythical casual fan is now just as much of a part of the IWC now as those of us who grew up prank emailing Dave Scherer in 1998.

So to say that Raw sucked for catering to the "IWC" is kind of silly to me, when I haven't seen a single bad thing about it on any corner of the Internet yet today. I'm definitely not shy about criticising WWE, but when your show is over with Yahoo commenters and this board alike, you know it was a good one with broad appeal.

He doesn't cater to the IWC as much as he caters specifically to the malcontents. If Roman had won last night, he'd have been talking about how they're tone-deaf and nobody likes Roman. "Shoulda gave that Bay-lor kid a shot, bro."

Edit: I misread your original post a little. But my basic point is still the same.

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2 hours ago, piranesi said:

I kind of hope the amazing heat Charlotte/Sasha had will convince them to let the past histories of people be more a part of their storylines, even if it's not WWE instead of trying to re-invent everyone when they push them.

I know I know....NXT is WWE, but that match was so much more dramatic given how clearly everyone knew that these two had history going back to "another show" and that for a long time Charlotte has known that Sasha was the one she couldn't beat.  So when Charlotte sneers "You'll never beat me." right before losing, it was a moment of true psychology and panic...the last defiant gasp of a heel who knows they are beat...that referenced a whole litany of moments in their careers leading up to this one moment where she is cornered and about to have happen the one thing she has been trying to avoid: A one-on-one match with her own personal Great White Shark.

I think this is a trend, but only sometimes.  Owens/Zayn they are doing it and it worked the same magic on Sunday.  Finn they are doing it a little at least in listing his titles.  But it seems like they could be more consistent.

Of course, to pay off on that history they also have to hold off on continuing that same feud forever.  They need to let Sasha's victory stand and make Charlotte go away for awhile until she comes back stronger or more evil somehow down the road....but I think we all know they are going to take that magic moment and run it into the ground over the next five or six months.

I agree with this post and just to add, any episodic show is much better when the actors have long term, developed characters. This is key for the WWE going forward because you can book a good show, but to sustain it the viewers have to relate to the wrestlers. This makes stories easier to follow and stuff like heel turns much more real and impactful. They own the entire universe, so why shouldn't NXT be part of this persons long term story?

And to add, booking people long term like that is how eventually someone pops up and all of a sudden becomes a star, see Steve Austin.

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1 hour ago, Infinit said:

I wonder if every time Reigns gets someone up for that Black Tiger Bomb, Cole is gonna be all "is he going for The Razor's Edge???". He did that twice last night.

WWE doesn't know that move as the Black Tiger Bomb, though.  They do know the Razor's Edge, especially with Scott Hall's DVD coming out.  Yes, it's not quite the same move, but close enough for WWE.  "Modified/sit-out Razor's Edge" would work fine, anyway.

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21 minutes ago, Michael Sweetser said:

WWE doesn't know that move as the Black Tiger Bomb, though.  They do know the Razor's Edge, especially with Scott Hall's DVD coming out.  Yes, it's not quite the same move, but close enough for WWE.  "Modified/sit-out Razor's Edge" would work fine, anyway.

Its been called the Niagara Driver & Splash Mountain Bomb as well by Graves & Ranallo. While the latter two are more correct they really need Cole, Graves, & Ranallo to actually agree on what to call it if only to not confuse the viewers.

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10 hours ago, Sammo~! said:

Bro, let me tell you something bro. I'm gonna tell you something bro and you WON'T believe it bro. People ask me bro, Vince, what would you do if you had Raw. Let me tell you bro, these fans? Bro, fans don't watch Raw for WREST-EL-ING matches bro, they want RE-AL-ITY bro. First thing I would do bro, I would have Rusev beat that Irish kid bro. Then the Irish kid calls in his buddies bro. The Irish Restling Alliance. The IRA. Get it bro? They say if Balor doesn't a US title shot, they'll blow up the building. Bro. Let me tell you bro, nothing says reality like a bomb scare bro. Bro, the main event happens bro, in a bomb vest on a pole match bro. Roman Reigns runs in. Cesaro runs in and stops him. Kevin Owens runs in but its a swerve bro, and turns on Cesaro bro. Then Rusev throws his US title in the trash bro, because the only real title is on Smackdown bro. It's genius bro. I guarantee bro the ratings would go through the roof bro. I would take Raw from a 2.8 to a 6. A SIX BRO! Do you understand me?

Replace bro with brother and you've got a promo that Vampiro could kill thousands with in the Lucha Underground drinking game, brother.

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11 hours ago, El Dragon said:

Clearly, Raw is Triple H's show and Smackdown is Vinces. 

I'm not even sure if that statement I just made was a joke. But it's a possible explanation?

We will see if this theory holds over the next few weeks, but Raw sure felt like a Trips NXT show. Squash matches, hugely successful debuts, matches with stakes....

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I think Finn being out before his music hit was a really cool visual with the camera angles they were using.  The wide shot of him standing there with his back turned as the anticipation builds was legit.

Not sure if they meant to do it or what. My first thought was that they expected the smoke machine  to cover him up more, but in the end he was just sort of standing next to the smoke.

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