WWE Raw 10-27-14

[Dog]

Christ, Cena leaped up like he was going for gold in the high dive. This was clearly before Rollins murdered him with the turnbuckle bomb.

 

I imagined Rollins in the locker room, after, as: "sorrysorrysorrysosorryJohn butyou'rereallyheavyandihadtorun sorrysorrysosorry"

[steve]

Nah, after the beating he took in the Lesnar match, I wouldn't doubt if Cena told him to be extra snug.

 

Say what you want about Cena, but that dude bumps like a lunatic.

[Ace]

 

We get zero-content updates on Roman Reigns every three weeks or so, but Mr. Brie Bella is persona non grata.  Got it.

 

(OK, to be fair, he may not BE back...)

 

Rumblings say it's the Tommy John surgery for Daniel Bryan, when he finally decides it's time to stop relying on herbs and incantations. So Rumble 2016 would be a guess if that goes well.

 

 

According to Bryan, it's not his call. If he had his druthers, he'd have had whatever was necessary already.

[Dog]

 

 

We get zero-content updates on Roman Reigns every three weeks or so, but Mr. Brie Bella is persona non grata.  Got it.

 

(OK, to be fair, he may not BE back...)

 

Rumblings say it's the Tommy John surgery for Daniel Bryan, when he finally decides it's time to stop relying on herbs and incantations. So Rumble 2016 would be a guess if that goes well.

 

 

According to Bryan, it's not his call. If he had his druthers, he'd have had whatever was necessary already.

 

 

Contradicted by irrefutable Total Divas footage. Check and mate.

[JCM]

 

There's nothing going on that interests me right now. That Steph/Cena/HHH promo was the biggest waste of time this year(until Kane/Ziggler got twice as long as Cesaro/Ziggler). I have zero confidence they won't botch Bray and Dean's feud. Yeah this was just no fun for me, and I don't see it getting better. Rollins should've won the belt the last time they actually got Brock to bother to show up. Did I miss Rusev or was he a no show?

 

At least there's still NXT.

You might be best served finding another fed.  I mean it just seems like you're watching a company that's NEVER going to present something you're interested in.

 

It would be like me watching ROH and complaining because the wrestlers aren't jacked up, the entrances all sound the same and they don't do enough Kick-Punch WWE style wrestling (Which, to be fair, I might have done at some point before realizing the fallacy of expecting something out of a company they're never going to deliver).  

 

Just trying to save you some time.

 

I appreciate the advice, but on the contrary WWE does present things I'm interested in they just have no idea how to properly execute any of them. I was pretty excited for hitc, and everything on that show was a let down to varying degrees. It's got to the point where I can't even get hyped for an Ambrose/Bray feud because I have zero faith in it's execution.

 

So yeah a break until the Rumble may be in order. However, I enjoy NXT a great deal so when Zayn, Neville, and Breeze get called up I'll be interested in seeing what they do on the main roster.

[SolidGoldBomb]

Another awesome RAW!

Loved the opening promos w Orton's face turn, I thought he was gonna have a stroke the way he was saying his lines so fast.  And killer RKO out of nowhere.  Man, if Orton could only cut promos worth a damn he'd be one of the best ever.  I think he's already one of the best athletes WWE has ever had, his physical timing is impeccable and his in ring skills are incredible, but he still can hardly cut a promo to save his life.

 

And the Authority vs Cena promo was very well done, Steph is such a great hell on the mic.  The only thing it was missing was HHH getting a dollar for winning a bet w Steph again.

 

I laughed way too hard at JBL saying Cena's team would be him, El Torito, Hornswoggle &....Heath Slater.   Why Heath Slater?   ...because he's crazy?

 

Hell I even got a kick out of Hogan's promo for odd reasons.  He said JACK 3 times, he referred to Susan G Coleman at least twice, and i'm pretty sure he called everyone in the audience pigs.  Is that what breast cancer people call their group?

 

Great return for Ryback!  If the fat guy in the front row's enthusiasm for feeding him more represents the average IWC fan (and I think he does), then I think Ryback will be way over with the crowds again. I was wondering what the hell his tights said...LOL now I get what he was going for.

 

Crazy Paige is killing it right now, she is damn good as a loco heel.  Are they building to a 3way dance here?

 

Ambrose losing his shit and beating the hell out of Cesaro with the mic was awesome.  And the Bray appearance was spooky and ominous.  He's going to enjoy tearing Ambrose's mind apart, I love it!  There always has to be some kind of supernatural guy in WWE, so learn to love it guys.  I don't care what anyone else thinks, but I anxiously await a month of spooky mirrors, lamb children, surprise gift boxes, ghosts, hot dog carts, caskets, holograms and fireballs.

 

Henry's turn on Show was hilarious and well done.  Why you slapping me like you don't know me huh?  Did it hurt?  YEAH IT HURT!

 

And I laughed my ass off at Mizdow all match.  Cracked me up when he jumped on the floor next to Miz before the Usos did their dives.

 

Dat Naomi match....wowzers. It's kind of amazing hjow much time the Divas get nowadays.  We are getting 2 or 3 divas matches a show recently, when has that EVER happened?  I wonder if any of the undercard guys are bitching now like the divas were for so many years.

 

Great main event too, Cena & Rollins match up really well.  Is Rollins wearing CM Punk's lift boots now or did he magically grow like 4 or 5 inches in the last few months?  He damn near Shawn Michaels himself on the announce table after that tope also.  I love a good old fashioned locker room clearing run in show ending brawl.  It kind of reminds me of a Royal Rumble lead-in, but still gets me hype no matter when.

 

Another solid WWE show, this is why i'm a fan THAN NOW 4 LIFE

[Pete]

Missed the first half hour for a grocery run, so the only thing I saw was the Orton/Rollins schmozz. Dear lord, if everyone took the RKO like Rollins did that would be a fucking death move.

 

So many head-drops last night. What exactly is in the San Antone water?

[Playa Shunna Ver 3.0]

Missed the first half hour for a grocery run, so the only thing I saw was the Orton/Rollins schmozz. Dear lord, if everyone took the RKO like Rollins did that would be a fucking death move.

 

So many head-drops last night. What exactly is in the San Antone water?

I don't know, but if it is the water then I guess we know why Shawn Michaels was such a great bumper.  Maybe it is tinged with Soma??

[Matt D]

It's still surreal to me that during the Bella match, people in the crowd were shouting "Come on Trinity!"

[Niners Fan in CT]

One of my friends at work watches Total Divas but she doesn't know a damn thing about pro wres. This is becoming a thing. I know many women now who watch this show and know more about the lives of Cameron and Naomi than I do.

[evilwaldo]

Women love to watch other women act catty.

Now if they marketed to women it would be a goldmine.

[scraylo187]

Randy should just stop talking for a while. Just march down to the ring and RKO people to death, stand in a field of bodies and pose to his music. Leave. Cash checks. 

[OSJ]

RAW was way better than the PPV despite the Authority talking far too long... Two vets like that should know less is more, and there was really no reason to babble on for what seemed like hours.

 

Damn! I am interested in Randy Orton again, screw face Orton, Orton as vicious tweener is the way to go.

 

Winter, Spring, Summer of Ryback, I'm in!

 

I wasn't certain how well Cena and Rollins would gel, but it turned out excellent. Cena seems to dial it up whenever he's with someone that can really go.

 

As to the "hivemind" shitting all over Roman's promo, I thought it was just fine. He got his talking points across and came off as a credible badass. He doesn't need to do more than that. People used to crap on Benoit as a promo guy, but he was just fine, he made you believe that he was just there to fuck people up and did so without a lot of shouting or histrionics. Reigns does the same thing and while "believe that" is not a catchphrase for the ages, he's perfectly fine on the mic.

 

Also delighted that we are seeing a return of the House of Pain. When I think of all the years they wasted Mark Henry in comedy spots and trying to make him a face, I just about weep. The guy is one of the best if not the best monster heel since Dump Matsumoto. Higher praise than that cannot be given. We just need to have Henry and Rusev go on a rampage beating up one and all until someone (like Ryback) rises to the occasion. Unfortunately, it's the E so it will probably be SuperCena that stops the onslaught. However, we can dream, can't we?

[evilwaldo]

I have just three huge problems with stuffing instead of potatoes and last nights show showcased them both.

 

1.  Why does Cena care about the Authority when he has a title shot?  The WWE Championship has been devalued by having Lesnar in there which really sucks.  I hope Lesnar goes back to UFC because part-timers suck.

 

2.  The Authority has themselves over so much to the detriment of the heel side of the roster that they have to be hoping that Rollins does not get injured.  Having Bray join the Authority for Survivor Series is pretty dumb and goes against his character.  On the heel side right now there is Rollins and ????? at the main event level.  Don't say Lesnar because he is not around.

 

3.  If you want to appeal to women stop doing stuff like the Costume Battle Royal for the pervs and give the Women's Division something like a MITB purse.  Give us a reason to care about them outside of the TV show which shows them all as trainwrecks.  The wrestling might be the best ever for the division and they have some great talents and storylines.  Run with it.  Give us a reason to care about the division.

[SolidGoldBomb]

Costume Battle Royales are a time honored tradtion for WWE Divas, and I for one anxiously await the occasion every year.

[scraylo187]

shut the fuck up jerry lawler please shut the fuck up you are making this all bad

[Greggulator]

Wasn't the general argument for ages that there are too many title shots, so they don't mean anything more? Now we have a legit world class athlete on the greatest tear in recent (at least) WWE history (in kayfabe) defending the title sporadically on his terms.

That is awesome. The next title defense is going to feel absolutely epic. Best Sleazebag Since Edge Seth Rollins only having sporadic chances to steal the belt also adds to that crazy dynamic.

Also, as much as I love Heyman, not having him on the show to do promos means more time for other acts. Who does that come at the expense of? Ambrose vs. Rollins? Rusev and Lana? Orton's new turn?

Lesnar not defending like this is the ultimate case of less is more.

[OSJ]

As is often the case, Greg is spot on. The title should be special, we've been spoiled by years of hotshotting and anyone can win. Think back to the glory days of Harley Race and Ric Flair in the NWA. You didn't see the main belt defended on TV, ever. That's the whole reason that the TV title was created, you want to see the big belt defended, y'all go to the big show and buy a ticket. I would be perfectly okay with the WWE title being a PPV only thing. That would give them a chance to make the IC title important again. The IC title used to be for the #1 contender and should be again. You can still have MITB and whatever other wrinkles that you want to throw in.

 

The WWE has a great chance to pick up a LOT of new viewers and crap like a costume battle royal will only draw the sick little monkeys that they get anyway who tune in just to see rips in tights and fondle themselves. If they get smart and realize that there is a huge pool of women that are watching Total Divas who are just begging to be led to the main show, VKM might well become a billionaire instead of a millionaire. My wife (a long time viewer) isn't the target audience, but my niece who watches Total Divas religiously most definitely is. 30-something, disposable income, owns every techie toy known to man. That's the sort of person they want watching and buying stuff, not the Lawlerites that prowl eBay looking for used panties to bid on.

[Jiji]

Wasn't the general argument for ages that there are too many title shots, so they don't mean anything more? Now we have a legit world class athlete on the greatest tear in recent (at least) WWE history (in kayfabe) defending the title sporadically on his terms.

That is awesome. The next title defense is going to feel absolutely epic. Best Sleazebag Since Edge Seth Rollins only having sporadic chances to steal the belt also adds to that crazy dynamic.

Also, as much as I love Heyman, not having him on the show to do promos means more time for other acts. Who does that come at the expense of? Ambrose vs. Rollins? Rusev and Lana? Orton's new turn?

Lesnar not defending like this is the ultimate case of less is more.

You keep saying they are strapped for time and even if we ignore the fiver or six hours of TV they have outside of RAW that they don't push storylines, they still have a 3 hour show to work with every Monday night. Last night had a 15 or 20 minute Kane match. They have endless amounts of recaps and filler. Time is the one thing they don't have to use for an excuse. Who are they going to take time from? Hmmm, where to start? Hulk Hogan botching his lines every other sentence? Two lengthy Authority interview segments on top of the usual backstage segments they get? Kane being on TV in general? I think the Authority could get all their shit in in about a quarter of the time if they didn't feel it necessary to get their mugs on TV at the beginning of the show and halfway through the show for at least 10 minutes each time. But it's Trips, the guy that would have those never-ending promos back in 1999 and say nothing of value. I really like his work in the ring and he's smooth on the mic but boy can he say a lot of words that accomplish little. His stuff last night after Steph's attempts to woo Cena was fine but did we really need that segment to go into double digits?

I usually agree with your points but complaints about them being strapped for time is a bit much. Less is more for promos. Case in point: Ambrose talking on the announce tables for a minute or two and Roman being blunt and to the point.

 

Agree with you on the title being a special goal to reach instead of that thing that Cena gets every other month. I love it, it feels like the '80s or early '90s in that regard. If Brock keeps it until the Wrestlemania, getting a title shot is a big deal again and the importance of the Royal Rumble will be renewed.

 

Bummer to read about Daniel Bryan potentially missing all of 2015. I would love to see him work with the NXT guys when they come up. What's the hold up if he wants to get whatever procedure done already to start the recuperating process?

[Niners Fan in CT]

Where were Rusev and Lana on this show? It's not the same without them.

[Greggulator]

The WWE has a great chance to pick up a LOT of new viewers and crap like a costume battle royal will only draw the sick little monkeys that they get anyway who tune in just to see rips in tights and fondle themselves. If they get smart and realize that there is a huge pool of women that are watching Total Divas who are just begging to be led to the main show, VKM might well become a billionaire instead of a millionaire. My wife (a long time viewer) isn't the target audience, but my niece who watches Total Divas religiously most definitely is. 30-something, disposable income, owns every techie toy known to man. That's the sort of person they want watching and buying stuff, not the Lawlerites that prowl eBay looking for used panties to bid on.

 

Not just that, but any adult thinking male (i.e., employable wrestling fans) really doesn't need to see trash. I'm a grown ass man with a wife and a mortgage. It's hard enough to admit to my friends that I still watch play fighting. I was defending the awesome stuff in last year's WrestleMania build to anyone who would listen -- Bryan Vs. The Authority is an all-time great morality play, Bray Wyatt's religious-themed promos were the best monologues on TV, The Shield, Batista's douchiness hilarity.

But trotting out divas (and even calling them that) takes that all away. It's for garbage people.

[evilwaldo]

Wasn't the general argument for ages that there are too many title shots, so they don't mean anything more? Now we have a legit world class athlete on the greatest tear in recent (at least) WWE history (in kayfabe) defending the title sporadically on his terms.

That is awesome. The next title defense is going to feel absolutely epic. Best Sleazebag Since Edge Seth Rollins only having sporadic chances to steal the belt also adds to that crazy dynamic.

Also, as much as I love Heyman, not having him on the show to do promos means more time for other acts. Who does that come at the expense of? Ambrose vs. Rollins? Rusev and Lana? Orton's new turn?

Lesnar not defending like this is the ultimate case of less is more.

I will take the opposite side.  A well written chase paying off in a title win is epic.

 

Not defending it comes off as weak.  What good is the MITB briefcase if the title holder is not around?  None.  It would be more fun if Lesnar taunted Rollins every week with the belt telling him how weak he is or pushing him around the Authority while HHH looks on because they wants no part of Lesnar or telling Rollins that the briefcase is a waste since he can never pin Lesnar.

 

 

 

As is often the case, Greg is spot on. The title should be special, we've been spoiled by years of hotshotting and anyone can win. Think back to the glory days of Harley Race and Ric Flair in the NWA. You didn't see the main belt defended on TV, ever. That's the whole reason that the TV title was created, you want to see the big belt defended, y'all go to the big show and buy a ticket. I would be perfectly okay with the WWE title being a PPV only thing. That would give them a chance to make the IC title important again. The IC title used to be for the #1 contender and should be again. You can still have MITB and whatever other wrinkles that you want to throw in.

 

The WWE has a great chance to pick up a LOT of new viewers and crap like a costume battle royal will only draw the sick little monkeys that they get anyway who tune in just to see rips in tights and fondle themselves. If they get smart and realize that there is a huge pool of women that are watching Total Divas who are just begging to be led to the main show, VKM might well become a billionaire instead of a millionaire. My wife (a long time viewer) isn't the target audience, but my niece who watches Total Divas religiously most definitely is. 30-something, disposable income, owns every techie toy known to man. That's the sort of person they want watching and buying stuff, not the Lawlerites that prowl eBay looking for used panties to bid on.

 

Remember my post last week about Bayley bows and bright leggings.  

 

How many sets of pink yoga pants would they have sold in October.

 

I just came back from the gym and the women in the gym wore one or more of the following colors:  black, pink, orange.  They could sell pink yoga pants with DIVA written down one leg and make millions.

 

With the talent on the roster it is time to bring the women's division out of the stone age and into the 21st Century.

[Greggulator]

Where were Rusev and Lana on this show? It's not the same without them.

 

This is my point about time.

They have PLENTY of time. They're not pressed for time. But there are still only X hours of programming they have per week. Raw's the most important show and has three hours. They have to, in that time, tell a big picture story (which is Seth's ascent) with tiny stories that augment that (Orton giving him the RKO, Seth vs. Cena). And then there are the b-plots (Ambrose vs. Wyatt, The Bellas, etc.) And, oh yeah, there's wrestling on top of it.

The Kane match last night was a good match. I usually tune out during his stuff, but Ziggler put on a classic carry job last night. Kane's a kayfabe monster and it SHOULD take time to beat him, or else it looks like a fluke, which doesn't really help. But they took the time to develop a story where Ziggler used his creativity and wits against Kane's power (and Ziggler sold the hell out of everything) and finally found a way to beat the aging big man. That match told a solid, tight story because it had time to unfold properly. Everything was executed well, too.

(Also, Ziggler's triumph over Cesaro leads into him beating Kane and being Cena's first recruit and him being the number two face in the feud against The Authority. So they're building him back up with a few impressive wins in a row. That Cesaro feud DID lead to something.)

They crammed in a lot of stuff last night -- Henry and Show, Paige beating the hell out of Alicia. They also put Rollins in one of the best matches of the year against Cena, which does wonders for his credibility.

They didn't have time for Rusev and Lana, who are ridiculously hot (and got time against The Rock). They're obviously high on them. They're likely feeding Ryback into that feud, and they debuted him strong to maybe set up him meathook-ing Rusev into oblivion on Smackdown or next week.

They also didn't have time to redebut Harper or Rowan, who had a lot of promo time in their repackaging. They had nothing for Zeb and Swagger. Bo Dallas (who is great in his spot as the lame heel) didn't have time to really do his shtick.

They can use their time better. Like OSJ said -- less is more, and they can trim a few minutes here-and-there. But how much could they have trimmed from The Authority's promo? Two minutes? They could have trimmed more time if Henry only gave one World's Strongest Slam to Show or cut out his quick backstage promo. Maybe there were a few other things, too. But I'm hard pressed to think of anything.

But is that enough time to include anything really significant, like a Lana/Rusev gloating bit? Probably not.

Writing for television is HARD. It's exponentially harder when it's live. I was a TV Production major in college. The technology is changed a ton from when I did that stuff, probably. But they have to do the following:

1) Write an organized show for their narratives.

2) Have pyro and lighting effects and all sorts of those bells-and-whistles that they do better than anyone else.

3) Do constant camera switches during matches.

4) Incorporate commercial breaks into what they want to do. AND that have to do that during matches, which requires so much coordination between the guys in their production truck and the referee and the guys in the ring.

5) Roll tapes of different bits. (I'd imagine Bray's stuff is taped, since it has all sorts of visual effects.)

 

6) Probably 50,000,000 other things we can't even fathom.

The execution of the TV production side of Raw is almost usually flawless, to the point where we notice little stuff like a bad camera angle. Think of how many live shows they've had where all of the production stuff is absolutely flawless. (Like last night.)

Why do you think they have the lambasted TV writers? Those people have experience in writing plots throughout a TV show, incorporating creative beats into commercials, writing for special effects and camera changes, etc.

 

In terms of on-air talent we know, only Vince and Steph and probably HHH at this point know how to write with all the production stuff in mind. But do the wrestling guys in the back they have putting matches together and the like do? Not likely.

 

Putting Raw together is hard friggin' work. They deserve WAY more credit than they're ever given.

[Greggulator]

 

Wasn't the general argument for ages that there are too many title shots, so they don't mean anything more? Now we have a legit world class athlete on the greatest tear in recent (at least) WWE history (in kayfabe) defending the title sporadically on his terms.

That is awesome. The next title defense is going to feel absolutely epic. Best Sleazebag Since Edge Seth Rollins only having sporadic chances to steal the belt also adds to that crazy dynamic.

Also, as much as I love Heyman, not having him on the show to do promos means more time for other acts. Who does that come at the expense of? Ambrose vs. Rollins? Rusev and Lana? Orton's new turn?

Lesnar not defending like this is the ultimate case of less is more.

I will take the opposite side.  A well written chase paying off in a title win is epic.

 

Not defending it comes off as weak.  What good is the MITB briefcase if the title holder is not around?  None.  It would be more fun if Lesnar taunted Rollins every week with the belt telling him how weak he is or pushing him around the Authority while HHH looks on because they wants no part of Lesnar or telling Rollins that the briefcase is a waste since he can never pin Lesnar.

 

 

The only thing the WWE has EVER done since the late 90s (at least) is an immediate chase (and the customary rematches) after wards.

When was the last time they had a champion sporadically defend the title? Hogan? Does anyone ever complain about that? It was a different era, but those title defenses and matches meant a ton.

[evilwaldo]

For me, it would be more fun if he showed up and went uber heel even without defending since he is such a specimen.  

 

I just don't like the concept of putting the major title on a part time guy because it sends the wrong message to the guys who are working every day and on the road five days a week.