Raw Is Bayley Booed in Bizarroland - 8/7/2017

[CastleVania Rey]

Great Braun/Roman main. As expected (and appreciated) at this point.

 

The awful douche holding up the misogynistic sign might have... let's say "lost it" because it disappeared pretty fast. He spent the rest of the segment talking and looking angry, then tweeting (possibly something about the "missing" sign) while not watching the segment. He held up a big crappy garbage can sign for the rest of the show, pointing at it repeatedly during Roman/Braun. Yes, I paid far too much attention to him. Maybe I'm easy to troll.

 

Interesting to learn during this show that DreamBroken is Canadian! We must discuss Canadian rock bands sometime.

[Matt D]

6 hours ago, Victator said:

Miz/Brock went exactly like it should have. Brock kills him instantly. 

I think the point is that it probably shouldn't have happened at all. They gain nothing from it.

[Jamal]

I liked what we got of the two qualifying matches although I'm not here for Sasha/Nia next week. Wish they had mixed it up and gone with a Sasha/Emma or Sasha/Mickie final. 

Poor Bayley. 

[RIPPA]

I didn't realize until just this minute that the Miz isn't defending the IC Title at Summerslam

[RIPPA]

Tozawa doing the Mike Rome dance killed me

[MADCAP]

Between her interview on Jericho's podcast and her match tonight, I'm seriously becoming a Nia Jax fan. That running clothesline to Dana Brooke was everything. 

[RIPPA]

Meltzer was claiming that "he was told" that the booing wasn't directed at Bayley but the "booking of Bayley"

And it was clear that this is at least the narrative he wants to believe (who knows if this is from folks just in the crowd or the WWE spin to Dave) since they then recapped all the shitty decisions the WWE made. (He also had a line like "these fans are smart enough to know what is right")

But since they weren't expecting boos at all - it threw her off and obviously Vince was pisssed because he fed Graves the "Bizarro Land" line

It is clearly gonna be a little from Column A and a little from Column B but yeah

[The Natural]

I felt for Bayley. Bad booking.

Great main event in Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns Last Man Standing. I'd say this was their best match followed by the Payback 2017 one with Braun's clean win. Didn't like the Ambulance match at Great Balls of Fire 2017 to the extent others do.

[Charlie M.]

I hope RAW is hoss fighting continues until Mania.

Cesaro got one hell of a match out of Dean. The tag match could be off the charts.

[(BP)]

Braun's getting really good, but someone needs to pull him aside and say something about shouting his spots half a foot from his opponent's face. 

Otherwise, Braun's been such a blessing for Roman. It's been clear since the Brock match that he thrives when he's working larger guys that can throw him around. 

[Michael Sweetser]

2 hours ago, RIPPA said:

Meltzer was claiming that "he was told" that the booing wasn't directed at Bayley but the "booking of Bayley"

And it was clear that this is at least the narrative he wants to believe (who knows if this is from folks just in the crowd or the WWE spin to Dave) since they then recapped all the shitty decisions the WWE made. (He also had a line like "these fans are smart enough to know what is right")

But since they weren't expecting boos at all - it threw her off and obviously Vince was pisssed because he fed Graves the "Bizarro Land" line

It is clearly gonna be a little from Column A and a little from Column B but yeah

This is the dumbest shit I've heard.  Do these people think WWE thinks in these terms?  Do they think they're booing the "booking" and not Bayley herself?  

[NikoBaltimore]

1 hour ago, RIPPA said:

Meltzer was claiming that "he was told" that the booing wasn't directed at Bayley but the "booking of Bayley"

Okay, let's assume this is true.  If the crowd was as smart as they feel they are then they shouldn't have booed Bayley.  I hate the booking of Bayley but if I wanted to voice my displeasure there's tons of avenues I can take.  Instead it sounded like they just didn't like her and I don't blame her for getting distracted by it.  And considering she's out for awhile that sucks that this was her last appearance for awhile and having to put up with that.  I'd also love to know how he knows for sure this was what they were booing.  Did anybody ask a bunch of fans to find out their intentions?

And I wanted to reach through the TV and punch the guy in the front with the trash can sign.  Stupid little shit and his stupid little signs, fuck that guy.

[Eivion]

1 hour ago, (BP) said:

Otherwise, Braun's been such a blessing for Roman. It's been clear since the Brock match that he thrives when he's working larger guys that can throw him around. 

Did you not like Roman's matches with AJ, Bryan, Seth, and Finn? He does well when he has people he can act like a cocky asshole against.

[MORELOCK]

1 hour ago, Michael Sweetser said:

This is the dumbest shit I've heard.  Do these people think WWE thinks in these terms?  Do they think they're booing the "booking" and not Bayley herself?  

This is arguably what has been happening with Roman. That said, I think Bayley's been getting booed because she's been terrible at promos and character work ever since the callup, and hasn't been anything special in the ring either. This hasn't stopped Creative from pushing her relentlessly at the expense of who the fans actually want to see (Sasha). I think it was only a matter of time before the boos started.

[Hagan]

Bayley's character is a goody two-shoes babyface who wants to be a hero to little girls and just loves her friends. On what planet is that cheered in WWE anymore, especially over a long term?

WWE is a promotion of cool heels and people that the fans think they're trolling creative by cheering for. You think a crowd full of dudes is going to boo Alexa Bliss?

Moreover, turn her heel. Her Austin interview revealed she knows her babyface run is running out of steam.

You know where smiling aw-shucks babyfaces end up? Main Event and Titus...WORLDWIDE.

I think Dave is insane with that observation. 'Hey guys I blew out my shoulder and am missing the third biggest show of the year but thanks to all my fans who got me through this awful week.' 'Booooo, we hate how they booked you with that kendo stick angle, booooo.'

That crowd did not give two fucks about her and popped huge for Bliss. Meltz is over-thinking it.

 

[JCM]

45 minutes ago, Eivion said:

Did you not like Roman's matches with AJ, Bryan, Seth, and Finn? He does well when he has people he can act like a cocky asshole against.

Roman is just a fantastic worker at this point regardless of the opponent. I would strongly consider him for the #1 spot in WWE right now.

[MORELOCK]

29 minutes ago, Hagan said:

Bayley's character is a goody two-shoes babyface who wants to be a hero to little girls and just loves her friends. On what planet is that cheered in WWE anymore, especially over a long term?

WWE is a promotion of cool heels and people that the fans think they're trolling creative by cheering for. You think a crowd full of dudes is going to boo Alexa Bliss?

 

That might be some of it, but there are lots of acts that are just acting like babyfaces that aren't getting turned on to the degree that Bayley is. I think because Bayley's NXT run was so beloved and memorable that people are reluctant to admit just how terrible her main roster run has been. To some degree that can be blamed on Creative, but there are also lots of acts that have to go out and make chicken salad out of chicken shit and are much more successful in doing so. Bayley just seems to not be very good at it. It lends weight to the theories about her NXT run/matches being a lot of smoke and mirrors.

[Michael Sweetser]

27 minutes ago, JCM said:

Roman is just a fantastic worker at this point regardless of the opponent. I would strongly consider him for the #1 spot in WWE right now.

I hate to compare Roman to Luger, but I'm comparing Roman to Luger - he works to the level of his opponent.  When he's in there with someone he can work against, he has really fun and even great matches, but when he isn't....

[(BP)]

1 hour ago, Eivion said:

Did you not like Roman's matches with AJ, Bryan, Seth, and Finn? He does well when he has people he can act like a cocky asshole against.

It's not really about his work. I'm actually probably in the minority that thinks he carried Finn to his best WWE match so far last summer. He's closer to the guy they want him to be when he's working underneath. 

[Infinit]

I was surprised at the empty seats last night...tv in Toronto is usually a sellout. I could see tonight being as busy if not busier with Cena there.

We were dying for Rollins and Ambrose to get back together. Keep teasing and no one will care anymore when it actually happens.

I was so happy that Brock was nice enough to keep the execution of the Miztourage to under a minute...made for a great instagram vid lol.

Roman/Braun was great. 

Overall, the show was ok...hoping we get a better SDL tonight.

[Eivion]

6 minutes ago, (BP) said:

It's not really about his work. I'm actually probably in the minority that thinks he carried Finn to his best WWE match so far last summer. He's closer to the guy they want him to be when he's working underneath. 

You make a good point, but it really only make sense when wrestling guys like Show, Lesnar, & Braun. Honestly, I prefer him when he is allowed to wrestle more like he does with smaller guys.

[Dewar]

Did anyone else hear someone chanting "We want pyro" last night, or did I imagine that?

[just drew]

I feel like the problem with Bayley is the same one as with Cena/Reigns, turn her heel and the crowd dynamic will be the same, just reversed. Kids will boo and grown ups will cheer. If she came back on Smackdown this fall and just jumped Naomi and kicked the living shit out of her, the smarks would dig it and the neon t-shirt crowd would boo. I think it could work if she goes nuts, like that TV trope you see sometime, where this cutesy entity has gone nuts and starts punishing people for not wanting to be their friend. Like, a match where she just snaps on Sasha Backlund-style and puts her in some devastating hold while screaming "why don't you want to be my friend?" while the announcers react by saying that Sasha IS her oldest friend in the business. Just deranged stuff like that. Like AJ mixed with Elmira from Tiny Toons.

[Nice Guy Eddie]

31 minutes ago, Dewar said:

Did anyone else hear someone chanting "We want pyro" last night, or did I imagine that?

I heard it also.

[Matt D]

25 minutes ago, just drew said:

I feel like the problem with Bayley is the same one as with Cena/Reigns, turn her heel and the crowd dynamic will be the same, just reversed. Kids will boo and grown ups will cheer. If she came back on Smackdown this fall and just jumped Naomi and kicked the living shit out of her, the smarks would dig it and the neon t-shirt crowd would boo. I think it could work if she goes nuts, like that TV trope you see sometime, where this cutesy entity has gone nuts and starts punishing people for not wanting to be their friend. Like, a match where she just snaps on Sasha Backlund-style and puts her in some devastating hold while screaming "why don't you want to be my friend?" while the announcers react by saying that Sasha IS her oldest friend in the business. Just deranged stuff like that. Like AJ mixed with Elmira from Tiny Toons.

The thing is, they haven't even tried it yet, not with Cena, not with Reigns, not with Bayley (who isn't the best choice of the three by far). I think the dynamic would be reversed, maybe, but eventually they'd come out of the other side with it, just like they did with Rock and Austin (and pretty much every other heel that eventually turned babyface in wrestling history). Of course at that point, they'd probably blow it by getting rid of everything that was making people cheer her (as a heel) in the first place, like how they gave Reigns the 1995 Diesel push after turning him.