RAW - 3/5/2018 - Sing Us A Song, You're The Piano Man

[bink_winkleman]

I thought this was way better than last week, for whatever that's worth. Marked out big for the Hardy compound, loved Asuke/Nia and even the Bliss thing afterward (I do not share the board's enthusiasm for Alexa Bliss), the Mizzies and the match were fun, Cena/Golddust was cool if short, and while they should have done it with Sasha or about ten other people years ago, I'm fine with them running Austin/Vince with Rousey/Steph.

Only thing that was really lame was the Brock/Roman stuff, but whatever.

[The Green Meanie]

3 minutes ago, Rows said:

How, exactly? Kharma was gone right after she cried. Nia is being set up against Alexa.

We don't know that yet.

2 minutes ago, piranesi said:

Her angry face is already better than Cena's though, in the sense that she looks like an actually scary angry human person and not a painting turning into Gozer the Gozerian.

I dunno, dramatic Cena face is pretty good....

 

[Rows]

1 minute ago, The Green Meanie said:

We don't know that yet.

The "there's always next years Wrestlemania" from Alexa kinda confirmed it.

[Brian Fowler]

Unless Vince changes his mind, we know it.

But, you know, Vince.

[Shibata Is My Homie]

4 minutes ago, The Green Meanie said:

We don't know that yet.

I dunno, dramatic Cena face is pretty good....

 

I would be pissed if I had to talk to Josh Matthews as well.

[The Green Meanie]

Tazz had to do it for years!

[piranesi]

Crying in shame and pain while in a triangle choke/armbar/Asuka Lock for two minutes is a million trillion times more dignified than having to pretend to be aroused at the sight of that little rat shit Enzo.

 

Personally I would start crying on command if Asuka reached out in my direction while walking closer to her and holding my arm behind my back while screaming "UNCLE UNCLE UNCLE like Flick in A Christmas Story.

[CastleVania Rey]

Should've given the "pat-self-on-back" Mizzie to Barry Horowitz... But still definitely a great segment delivered well by our beloved Miz.

[Spritenaut 32]

Man, I know the WWE nearly murders people on a semi-regular basis, but Cory and Cole laughing it up and making jokes while Braun dropped a piano on Elias and he was stretchered off was odd.  Jonathan Coachman - Voice of Reason isn't a gimmick I want too often.

[piranesi]

Just now, Keep Calm, Akira Hokuto On said:

Man, I know the WWE nearly murders people on a semi-regular basis, but Cory and Cole laughing it up and making jokes while Braun dropped a piano on Elias and he was stretchered off was odd.  Jonathan Coachman - Voice of Reason isn't a gimmick I want too often.

Once they decided to have the announcers "get Braun over as a babyface GODDAMMIT" that means whatever he does is going to hilarious and just a big fun guy having fun. They includes both dancing and turning another athlete into a quadriplegic.

It's the Hip Hop Hippo Doctrine. Accept it. and Rue the day people start cheering your favorite wrestlers.

[Eivion]

I'm enjoying the stuff with Rhonda if only for Stephanie's reactions. I loved her stepping up only to break down and apologize last week, and I loved her "I fucked up" face when she struck Rhonda from behind tonight.

Nia/Asuka felt off with how light everything came across in the beginning. Thought it turned things around well after the break. The stuff with Alexa later in the night was great though I do think Nia still crying was a bit much. Her face at some point should have turned to annoyance.

Bayley/Mandy was easily the best Mandy has looked since she came up. I liked Sasha looking hurt after Bayley refused to hug her.

Revival should have beaten the Bar.

Strowman/Elias was a fun segment/match.

Not sure what was up with Heyman's promo. It was just weird.

16 minutes ago, Keep Calm, Akira Hokuto On said:

Man, I know the WWE nearly murders people on a semi-regular basis, but Cory and Cole laughing it up and making jokes while Braun dropped a piano on Elias and he was stretchered off was odd.  Jonathan Coachman - Voice of Reason isn't a gimmick I want too often.

Clearly Cole and Cory are sociopaths, but really Cory should be laughing because he absolutely hates Elias. No idea why Cole is.

[HumanChessgame]

I wish The Revival had one since they could put on a great match with Bar if given a longer amount of time and a good setup.  My guess is that we get Bar issuing an open challenge which is answered by all the teams on the roster giving us a 4/5/whatever way at Mania or an AoP callup.

[piranesi]

2 minutes ago, Eivion said:

 

I do think Nia still crying was a bit much. Her face at some point should have turned to annoyance.

 

I think it did start to shift at one point, but then Alexa hit her with "Like all your life since you were a little kid how people have stared at you like you're a freak and how all these years later you're still a fucking misfit" and she fully fell apart.

Seriously, fuck you, Alexa.  

Note I said that out loud and my Amazon Echo reprogrammed the microwave clock to spell "kill u soon"

[Beech27]

Dolph must’ve loved the Megadeath reference tonight. 

[Niners Fan in CT]

45 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I'm thinking we might get the AoP answering an open challenge and a Warrior/Honky Tonk Man style squash.

I'd love it. 

[caley]

Loved the Braun-Elias segment except for the shot they used to show Braun holding up the car because they were trying to work around him hot actually holding the car and shot him from the chest up and it looked like he was...mating with Elias' car which, I guess, would be a way to get back at him but seems more unpleasant for the car than anything else!

[The Green Meanie]

That reminds me!

How long was Braun holding the car up?

[Niners Fan in CT]

Just looking at the WWE YouTube channel and I noticed all the RAW related videos that went up have between 11K-30K views except one.  The Ronda segment.  134K views.  She's been worth it so far. 

[Brian Fowler]

Putting her at the top of the show before the audience melted away was probably a much better decision.

[Victator]

What does Nia Jax bring to WWE? I watched her basically try to kill Asuka's finisher for an eternity. She instantly got her heat back after losing to Asuka at the ppv. WWE killed the NXT Women's title to get Asuka over, but now they are using her to build up Nia Jax. 

I did initially support Jax as I like seeing less cookie cutter wrestlers ih general. But she has been on the main roster over a year and has not improved much. She does not have much in the way of charisma or ring presence. So why is she getting one of the few Mania women's matches?

[username]

I'm not much of a Nia fan either, but I think it is the time to pull the trigger on her as it feels like a legit "now or never" deal.  She's this big beast yet hasn't won the belt and seems to always lose the big match, at some point you either take your shot with her or risk her being damaged in a Bray kinda way.  Timing it for Mania is... unfortunate, and I don't think it is ultimately gonna work, but it's probably the right move to make.

[Brian Fowler]

She shows flashes every now and then, but she struggles to come off as mean and dangerous and as a monster despite her size.

I think she's needs a steady diet of 89-94 Vader matches, but, then again, she's probably turning face next week or the week after.

[Victator]

I never get the sense she cares. It seems like "Well can't have my real dream, might as well wrestle." 

Which might not be true. But she looks like she rather be anywhere else. 

[PetrolCB]

Dickhead Cena trying to shoehorn himself into a match is actually growing on me. I wish he’d do it with other matches that’ll happen at Mania, but start getting absurd. Like trying to enter the tag title matches, offering to fight alone. 

[Victator]

He takes Carmella's MITB case to cash in on Charlotte.