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Raw is NXT - 2/18/2019


Dolfan in NYC

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10 minutes ago, SorceressKnight said:

Everyone says there was problems tonight, but I don't see it.

I mean, we had no problems with the US Open or Westminster Dog Show, we can deal with it when USA Network preempts Raw with a three-hour ASMR video, right?

How about three hours of "The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross"? 20 minutes and I'll be out like a light.

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10 minutes ago, Burgundy LaRue said:

I think they're hoping someone will step up and give a spark to the show. But for a multitude of reasons, that hasn't and likely won't happen.

Honestly, that's the problem.

I hate to say it because it's a hot take- but WWE needs Vince Russo right now. WWE's in a rebuilding period right now, and Russo's great with a rebuilding promotion with his style (Give the roster an enema and realize "Even if they may go to AEW or NJPW, it's worth it just to not HAVE THEM anymore". Give everyone something to do, good, bad, or otherwise. That way, if someone catches fire, you're prepared to run them into the endzone. While it happens, build around the IWC, they're the only people obsessed enough to stick around.")

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1 minute ago, SorceressKnight said:

Honestly, that's the problem.

I hate to say it because it's a hot take- but WWE needs Vince Russo right now. WWE's in a rebuilding period right now, and Russo's great with a rebuilding promotion with his style (Give the roster an enema and realize "Even if they may go to AEW or NJPW, it's worth it just to not HAVE THEM anymore". Give everyone something to do, good, bad, or otherwise. That way, if someone catches fire, you're prepared to run them into the endzone. While it happens, build around the IWC, they're the only people obsessed enough to stick around.")

Kill me if something like that happens.

Shane being a tag team champ. is more than enough already.

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7 minutes ago, SorceressKnight said:

Honestly, that's the problem.

I hate to say it because it's a hot take- but WWE needs Vince Russo right now. WWE's in a rebuilding period right now, and Russo's great with a rebuilding promotion with his style (Give the roster an enema and realize "Even if they may go to AEW or NJPW, it's worth it just to not HAVE THEM anymore". Give everyone something to do, good, bad, or otherwise. That way, if someone catches fire, you're prepared to run them into the endzone. While it happens, build around the IWC, they're the only people obsessed enough to stick around.")

No, that take is about as cold as a polar vortex. 

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21 minutes ago, Burgundy LaRue said:

I think they're hoping someone will step up and give a spark to the show. But for a multitude of reasons, that hasn't and likely won't happen.

I think the booking prevents that from happening. When someone gets over organically, their legs are cut out from underneath them. Vince wanted Roman and only Roman to get over, everyone else be damned. Promos are scripted and sound completely unnatural, and as we see from the youtube exclusives, most of the roster have personalities and would get over being themselves. 

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Aside from the bad crowd, it seemed like there was just SCADS of technical errors all night: Promos coming off awkward because the interruption was later than it should have been, camera work was shoddy (Missing Black’s feint into the cross legged pose should be a firable offence) and running overtime so my ending was cut off   

And the debuts were all dreadfully done

-Ricochet should have debuted as an IC challenger against Finn.  He Also shouldn’t have been booked like Lio Rush running away and bring scared of Lashley (Neither should Lio but that’s another matter ...).

-Ciampa should have debuted as a masked assailant taking out someone popular.  Then after weeks been revealed as the most evil man from NXT.  

-Gargano should have debuted against someone like Styles or Bryan in a lengthy match that showcased his ability.  

-Black should be treated as a sort of Undertaker figure.  Mysterious and evil.  Not talking a lot. 

-And Elias should have been interrupted by Velveteen Dream.  That would’ve been great.  

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50/50 booking and heavily scripted promos is something we've been complaining about for years.  Cutting legs out from underneath guys who weren't supposed to get over is another.  None of this goes away without radical changes in creative philosophy. 

This isn't yet another McMahon hate post. I just don't believe he is capable of overhauling the mindset this late in life. WWE can be very creative when their backs are against the wall but there still isn't that urgency. 

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Ciampa is a really good promo, and Gargano is one of those guys that is so good in the ring he'll win over crowds if they give him time, like back when Benoit used to come out to zero reaction, but by the ten minute mark the audience was going crazy. I think they both could be stars on the main roster, but I don't trust creative/Vince to make it happen.

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6 minutes ago, Cristobal said:

I don't care how "smart" (or not so) a crowd may be, if you can't get into Ricochet and Lio Rush going full speed with each other then you're not even trying to have fun. 

Speaking of having fun, somebody FINALLY brought it up. Cole said either Ricochet or Finn just love to have fun and Graves asked, "Who doesn't love to have fun?". That's the best line Graves has uttered in a while.

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The NXT debuts were random and pointless. Not really surprised the crowd didn't give much of a shit outside of Ricochet. The six they introduced last month are already faltering because WWE hasn't even committed to one of them yet so its hard for the audience to care much about even more new people. To an extent I get the issue. None of these people were really intended to debut until after WM, but ratings have them desperate hoping these introductions will somehow give them a boost or at least help present the show as fresh. Still without an actual story behind them there is no reason for the crowd to care. Its sad that the only NXT talent they had any real plans for is the one who hasn't debuted because of a nervous break down.

Despite the cold debuts I at enjoyed DIY/Revival and Ricochet's parts in his tag match.

Bayley and Sasha's promo was not good, but it at least confirms the tag belts will be defended all over WWE.

The randomness of Dean right now slightly amuses me.

Ronda/Ruby was the highlight of the show and what we should have gotten last night.

 

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1 hour ago, Eivion said:

The NXT debuts were random and pointless. Not really surprised the crowd didn't give much of a shit outside of Ricochet. The six they introduced last month are already faltering because WWE hasn't even committed to one of them yet so its hard for the audience to care much about even more new people. To an extent I get the issue. None of these people were really intended to debut until after WM, but ratings have them desperate hoping these introductions will somehow give them a boost or at least help present the show as fresh. Still without an actual story behind them there is no reason for the crowd to care. Its sad that the only NXT talent they had any real plans for is the one who hasn't debuted because of a nervous break down.

Even beyond the random, pointless NXT debuts, it seems likely this was a Halftime Heat related thing: for some reason, I could absolutely see this being "Halftime Heat was a big success; I want them on the main roster RIGHT NOW"...likely with the related corollary by Triple H "Adam Cole needs to come up with the Undisputed Era", if not the likely related "I either need to keep Gargano and Ciampa, or I need to keep Velveteen Dream- one or the other."  

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Felt like a weird and flat show which did virtually nothing to advance stories for Fastlane or Wrestlemania after it. The NXT debuts were in theory a nice idea but they should have waited for a smarkier city where fans might have cared, it was sad seeing DIY/Revival do their NXT Greatest Hits to so little reaction.  Ronda/Ruby was a strong match but also slightly undercut Ronda looking so dominant at Elimination Chamber the night before.  I think as a whole the show reminded us that NXT and WWE are very different entities, and the awkwardness of the Bayley/Sasha tandem promo was just more proof of that.

Next week should at least be a bigger story with Ric's 70th Birthday Celebration promising us Becky interrupting and/or Charlotte being a jerk to her dad about his never main-eventing Mania.

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3 hours ago, SorceressKnight said:

Honestly, that's the problem.

I hate to say it because it's a hot take- but WWE needs Vince Russo right now. WWE's in a rebuilding period right now, and Russo's great with a rebuilding promotion with his style (Give the roster an enema and realize "Even if they may go to AEW or NJPW, it's worth it just to not HAVE THEM anymore". Give everyone something to do, good, bad, or otherwise. That way, if someone catches fire, you're prepared to run them into the endzone. While it happens, build around the IWC, they're the only people obsessed enough to stick around.")

It’ll be the lethal dose of poison we need to kill this company for good.

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2 minutes ago, RIShane said:

The NXT debuts were in theory a nice idea but they should have waited for a smarkier city where fans might have cared

On 3/4/19, they'll be in Philly. That crowd would have went nuts for the NXT guys, most likely. 2 weeks after that would have been the perfect time, since they'll be in Chicago. Next week is in Atlanta, though, and that's usually a hot crowd if I remember correctly.

According to someone on Reddit who was there live, the crowd was actually pretty hot and loud, but for whatever reason, it didn't come across that well on television. Take that for what it's worth.

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I don't watch NXT anymore so none of that stuff did anything for me and this was a really boring show but Ronda/Ruby was awesome and made up for last night for me, loved that. Preferred Hideo Itami 2 yrs ago as Finn's one night partner from nxt.

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3 minutes ago, LoneWolf&Subs said:

Watching Raw clips on YouTube... Is Lacey going to be managing? If so, that’d be perfect. She can be a modern Colonel Parker, with a Stud Stable. I mean she’s already a friggin Southern Bell, and she can fake out Heavy Machinery by turning on them to manage The Revival.

She is an ok talker, but her worth seems more in the ring. I'm not sure why she isn't already on SDL being built as an opponent for Asuka.

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