WWE had another new Raw on Monday, what did the Pulse Wrestling crew think of the show?
Darren Paltrowitz
I did the “unthinkable” and turned the show off early. In turn, I missed the segment with the Wyatts, but I saw enough of them and the Brothers Of Destruction via the vintage clips shown to lose curiosity. Ultimately, I think that Kane and The Undertaker are both interesting in small doses, so by showing their greatness from the past two decades every 15 minutes or so, you’ve overexposure them for me personally.
Some of the matches were good, but for me it was too much wrestling without a storyline. I don’t agree with Tyler Breeze losing in his first match, although Dean Ambrose is clearly one of the guys to build the company on. Cesaro was fantastic and over with the crowd, as always. Kevin Owens was great on the mic, as usual. Roman Reigns continues to be not over.
The Divas division is still pretty stale, although Paige’s promo was interesting and pipebomb-ish. Ditto the non-existent tag team division.
Wayne Rooney was a great celebrity “get” for WWE on an international basis, although I would argue that the majority of Americans don’t know who he is and don’t care. I think it’s an insult to the intelligence of long-time fans that Rooney can slap Bad News Barrett, who is a much bigger guy than him, and Barrett has to sell like that.
Ultimately, I think that Seth Rollins being away is a big loss to the main roster. I may have complained about his booking and his weekly segments being repetitive, but his in-ring talent can’t be disputed. He also gets a big reaction no matter what he’s doing. I envision that he will come back as one of the top babyfaces ever seen in the WWE, although for how long that lasts is debatable.
Funny — depending on one’s definition of “funny,” of course — how Batista gets a prominent mention and “congratulations” after bashing the WWE in recent interviews, yet Damien Sandow, Zack Ryder and some of the people who organically get themselves over remain buried.
Philly Phil
Brittney Soban
Bray Wyatt’s “Memorial” for the Undertaker & Kane: Bray Wyatt came out, spouting his lines about how he now owned the souls of the Brothers of Destruction. If he did own their souls they weren’t well controlled as The Undertaker and Kane came out to the ring, shocking Wyatt and the fans. Kane and the Undertaker fended off the entire Wyatt clan, without backup and brought back classic moves such as sitting up in unison, raising their arms at the top of the ramp and the double choke slam to Wyatt. It was the best end to Raw in a while.
Check out my full 10 Thoughts on Raw!!
JT
– this may sound harsh, but this horrific knee injury might be the best thing for Seth Rollins in the long run. As champ he has been booked to look weak more often than not, but he’s great in the ring (when given the chance) and solid on the mic. A glorious return in six to eight months with a harder edge could be just the boost he needs to become a legend
– while I’m not really a fan of Big Show, he works well as a monster jobber in the title hunt. If you can pull a good match out of the Big Show, you deserve a title run…
– Looking at the tournament brackets, there are a few good matches on offer and a couple that I’ll speed through. Even with 16 men starting, there are only three or four real contenders. Predictions for semi-finals: Owens vs Ambrose and Reigns vs Ryback. Just for shits and giggles, I’d like to see Kalisto go all the way.
– hey, it’s Titus O’Neill! Sorry, Titus, you’re just here to make up the numbers. If rumors are to be believed, Owens is on a fast track to the top, and is so hot that even Hulk Hogan is claiming to have discovered him. Sure you did, Hulkster.
– Paige is doing well in the heel role, and Becky Lynch continues to impress. Both of them are better than Charlotte in the ring.
– Miz vs Ziggler was one of those 30x speed fast-forward matches, but didn’t look too bad as Ziggler picks up the meaningless win. Back to normal speed for the Brothers of Destruction video package, which while cool only serves to remind viewers how old Kane and Taker are.
– It’s not that I don’t like Naomi, but I’d much prefer to see Sasha vs Natalya. The crowd seem to agree with me. Nattie gets the win followed by the inevitable beat down by Team BAD. Yawn.
– Cesaro vs Shamus raises the question; do I hate the latter more than I enjoy the former? It seems so, but only to the tune of 6x speed. Cesaro wins due to Wayne Rooney interference, which is not a sentence I thought I would ever type.
– Ambrose vs Breeze wasn’t a bad match, but made me realize that the wwe wellness policy may be finally having an impact, as there is no way that either of these guys have been on the juice. To nobody’s surprise, Ambrose goes through to the next round.
– New Day vs Neville and the Usos was as good as a six man tag can be, which is to say not very. But for some reason, Vince loves them, so they’re not going anywhere…
– is it just me or does the Undertaker look like George Hamilton? Sorry, England, but rolling Braun Strowman gently across the announce table does not deserve a ‘holy shit’ chant.
– To be honest, I’m more interested in watching the next episode of Breaking Ground than Raw tonight – and that’s even after finding out they’re focusing on Baron bloody Corbin again…
