WWE had another new Raw on Monday, what did the Pulse Wrestling crew think of the show?
Darren Paltrowitz
The New Day was part of the most entertaining segment, as usual. The trombone won’t be getting old anytime soon.
The Authority still bore me. I like the new smiling Kane, but I had forgotten how awful that storyline is. How many consecutive pay-per-views has Seth Rollins almost lost the title at?
Paige’s attempt at a pipebomb promo was enjoyable.
Big Show’s post-match promo was surprisingly good, although it doesn’t acknowledge that when he wrestled Brock Lesnar the last time, he was demolished by Brock.
Cesaro didn’t look bad in spite of his loss to Big Show.
Kevin Owens is still fun to watch.
Rusev is looking weaker each week, unfortunately.
Mark Henry is a jobber, which is a bummer.
The Wyatt Family looks too strong for a bunch of people not in a main event or a title picture. Brown Strongman should be selling — “I caught a snake once and drank its blood, it’s in a better place now.” Gee, what a great promo.
The Lucha Dragons did the best with what they were given, as did Neville.
John Cena was…surprisingly not booed.
Damien Sandow, where are you?
Pat Metalhead
Something different to start RAW for once. Short Wyatt promo immediately followed by a Wyatt/Reigns match, I thought that was refreshing, the change of pace I mean, not the match. Of course, it would soon become 3 on 1, of course Ambrose would come to the rescue before being overpowered and, finally Randy Orton would return from his (short) vacation to even the numbers. Which makes the Jericho appearance at NOC seem all the more perplexing and pointless. I’m just glad they did try something different, even if it was more of the same. If you catch my drift.
Demon Kane is back and Corporate Kane is also back in a storyline that would give us some amusing moments this RAW. No idea how this will develop but Kane did have some good lines, and everybody else seemed suitably befuddled. Triple H vs Demon Kane at WM32? Hey that’s how you gotta think now when watching WWE, older guys first.
Rematch from NOC time between Neville and the Lucha Dragons and Cosmic Wastel… Oh wait, no, it’s Astro Alliance now. Somebody at WWE headquarters is reading too many comics. Trading wins and changing names every week won’t do this feud any good.
Owens on commentary was the highlight of Ryback vs Bo Dallas. Loved how KO constantly mocked Cole and Byron. Great stuff.
It’s funny, on one hand I agree with everybody (including WWE) who says Charlotte can stand on her own and doesn’t need her father to exists as a wrestler. On the other hand it’s getting a bit difficult to argue with the naysayers when WWE wheels out dear old Ric whenever Charlotte appears. Diva Revolution finally shifted gears when Paige turned on Charlotte. I can appreciate they let Charlotte and Nikki have their match (and a clear winner) first before doing that. Paige said a lot of the things fwe (fans) have been saying about the Diva’s Revolution and the female performers individually. Segment was what it should have been, but I worry for Becky Lynch now, Flair called her Charlotte and Paige’s red-haired friend and Paige called her irrelevant. And, unfortunately, it fits, she was probably the most hurt by the Team formula. now they need to get her away from Charlotte asap.
Sheamus made quick work of Mark henry and cut a promo saying it’s only a matter of time as far as the WWE Title goes. This was what it should have been.
Natalya is back!!! … And promptly loses to Naomi. OK then.
Two NOC matches for the price of one as Rusev teams with the New day, and the Dudleys team with Ziggler. Remember what I said about trading wins earlier? Well it also applies here.
Ok I get that Big Show needs a couple of quick wins before facing Lesnar, but why Cesaro? The Cesaro thing is starting to get really frustrating because it seems that every time the Swiww Superman makes some progress, WWE gleefully sets it back. I simply don’t get it anymore.
Hey WWE, how’s this for an idea, instead of pushing The Big Show, who no-one wants to see against anyone, why not put Cesaro in his spot? Lesnar can still win and Cesaro will benefit for the simple fact he went toe to toe with “The Beast”. Wouldn’t that be better than forever putting “old guy” against part-timer? Because I’ve seen it all before, remember WCW?
Cena won of course, and then Rollins got dragged under the ring by demon Kane. Poor Seth. Ah well, at least Cena is now official away from the WWE Title scene again.
JT
1. Kicking off with a Bray Wyatt promo is a bit of a change from the usual HHH/Steph combo, but the moment Braun Strowman starts wresting I lose interest. Dude has zero charisma and is clumsy as hell.
2. So Orton is the third member of Shield 3.0? Seems like as good a choice as any.
3. I didn’t catch Night of Champions, but it seems like Rollins did an awesome job across two matches, and probably wasn’t responsible for the injury to the bump-happy Sting. But I don’t give a crap about Shamus vs Classic Kane.
4. On the the other hand, super-positive (possibly amnesiac?) Corporate Kane is hilarious. ‘You da man, Seth!’
5. I’m not really a fan of the six man tag, although Neville continues to entertain. Sin Cara took a long time to recover from a nasty botch, and later seemed to fly face first into the announce table. I wonder if Prince Puma would take the Sin Cara gig? Faces pick up the win without managing to kill themselves, and Cosmic Wasteland is not a great name for a stable, in my opinion.
6. So Bo Dallas has become the guy everyone likes to see her the crap kicked out of. Hey, it’s better than working for TNA… Owens continues the feud and solidifies his position as best dick heel in the WWE.
7. Paige heel turn – sweet. Charlotte vs Brie – not bad but nothing spectacular. Both are a million times better than Shamus squashing Mark Henry. Good to see Natalya back, and it would be good to see her in a program with Paige. Her match against Naomi would have been better if Sasha Banks had taken Naomi’s place, and that butt splash finisher is f#^king ridiculous.
8. And another six man tag. While I like the Dudleys from a nostalgia perspective and think New Day have potential if they can break the stereotype, the match was the standard spotfest that did little for anyone. Rusev gets the win by tromboner.
9. Can Cesaro pull a decent match out of the Big Show? The answer is almost, with the Swiss Superman bumping like a champ, throwing a bunch of stiff European uppercuts and eventually suplexing the fat bastard over the top rope before falling victim to a WMD punch. I would far prefer to see Cesaro vs Lesnar than the freaking Big Show…
10. Cena vs Rollins US Title rematch took its time to build, and almost broke the Super Cena mold with Rollins looking strong throughout the match – right up until the end, when Cena hit the AA and walked away with the meaningless title. Hilarious end to the show with Kane appearing out of the mat and dragging Rollins down into the depths, seemingly taking his pants off at the same time. I suppose that’s a new variation on the character…
Brittney Soban
While seeing a bit of the demon Kane was nice, this angle of “I don’t remember” Jekyll & Hyde style would be more entertaining if it was put off believable, rather than a comical “uh-oh Kane can’t remember, oopsie” storytelling style (I’m sorry, Kane’s encouraging voice is just annoying) would help make us take Kane’s continued ring presence more seriously. As it is, he feels like an inside joke, one the fans aren’t in on.
Check out my full 10 Thoughts on Raw!!
