John Cena's Open Challenge
I thought the match against Barrett was pretty good, I like the Barrett/Cena pairing- I'd hoped they'd play up the history between them on Commentary to make this more than a random open challenge match- but I think that was perhaps asking too much- the simple act of kicking out of finishers adds so much to a RAW match where it's a rare occurrence, and as soon as Barrett kicked out of the AA you could sense the switch from the crowd and they managed to suspend their disbelief (to an extent) that Barrett could actually win (They Should have Read the Spoilers).
I'm still not sure what specifically makes the Chains Russian for the Russian Chain match- and unless I'm mistaken it makes it lose-lose for Cena because if he is to win he has to sell his soul and use said Russian Chain; a cunning plan from the Russians who aren't actually Russians.
Divas Battle Royal
Now Give Divas a Chance doesn't seem like such a good idea. This was a trainwreck from start to finish- and it ended up with Paige missing a kick to the stomach by a mile and Naomi eliminating herself.
The beatdown after was more like it though, I've seen a thing on the Dirtsheets today saying that is how they were writing Paige off TV- so I'm not sure why they her win the Battle Royal (unless she's getting a day off filming for the PPV) and then Naomi's turned heel so she isn't a viable candidate for a Heel Champion. Overall this made zero sense to me- and with Paige off TV, AJ Retiring and Naomi turning I think the only babyface Diva left is Summer Rae- I'm counting Emma as a heel even though it hasn't been addressed).
Bray Wyatt Promo
I love Bray, I think I've made that abundantly clear- but I said it in my "Ending Taker's Streak being a Good Thing?" Blog a while back with regard to Heyman that they can do the best promos ever- but if it isn't backed up in the ring they lose credibility and people stop buying into what they're saying- and I think this next feud (I say it's Sting) is make or break in that respect for Bray because he's lost pretty much every big match he's been in.
The Lucha Dragons v The Ascension
With one of The Usos injured it seems for the time being that The Luchas are going to fulfill the babyface role to oppose KiddSaro- so why there was zero interaction between the two teams 2 weeks away from a PPV is beyond me, and having KiddSaro lose a Handicap match was the cherry on top of the Cake which doesn't have any rising agents or sugar.
Roman Reigns Interview
Every Promo Roman does at the minute has balls and/or bitch in it- in a desperate attempt to distance Roman from the uncrowned corporate champion mentality the crowd has had toward him pretty much from Summerslam against Orton. Unfortunately it's ridiculously see-through. I don't count using supposed "edgy" words as improving on the Mic, and he has a long way to go in my book before he's even slightly above average on the mic.
That said Roman isn't going to get people caring about him when he's facing off with Big Show every week- it's just tedious and considering Roman's beaten Show on multiple occasions I'm not sure how WWE thinks even the guys who think Wrestling is "real" would view Show as a legitimate threat. There's so much disinterest toward Show- as opposed to another old-timer who I shall talk about later that the "Please Retire" chants had some legs to them.
Randy Orton v Cesaro (KiddSaro)
I didn't like this to put it bluntly. Something just seemed off- and when Kidd is botching moves you know it simply isn't a good night for those involved. Combine that with the fact Orton has beaten the Tag Champs on his own has made KiddSaro look weak this close to a PPV- it seems as though now Bryan & Cena have the IC & US Belts they're taking all of their irrational "lets have the Champs lose" booking decisions to the Tag Division.
Seth Rollins, Kane Backstage Segment
I liked this, it set up the angle well for the match later on in the night- and the tease of Kane turning into h a monster again got the crowd to reinvest into his character, and got the crowd behind him again.
Dean Ambrose v Adam Rose
I lieu of reviewing this match, because it was average at best- I'm going to pitch you guys an idea properly that I floated on Twitter last night but it was in Tweet form so it was a bit disjointed. Firstly, Watch this;
I've made it pretty clear my affection toward the Leo Kruger character, and Rose is going nowhere let's be honest and WWE needs credible midcard heels- especially once Cena & Bryan get done with Rusev and Barrett. So picture this, Rose loses to someone (preferably someone who works stiff so it looks like he's actually hurt) and he's looking all dejected in the Middle of the Ring like he's lost- then the lights go out and you hear "They're Laughing at You" (You have to Watch the Video to get this reference). This'll happen for a few weeks, I'd have him job to Neville at Extreme Rules to give Neville a PPV win- and further this angle, and then on the RAW after Extreme Rules Cena's open challenge happens and Adam Rose comes out- he loses in about a Minute and he grabs the Mic and he cuts a Promo switching between the weird British accent he does and his natural South African one which ends with "Everything You Know, Is about to Change... Tata" and he walks out of the ring with the Leo Kruger theme (which I love by the way). He then goes on a Rampage over the next few weeks, and eventually gets built to the point he looks a capable challenger for Bryan- I'd keep him clear of Cena, just because I don't want them to do another America Sucks type feud, which'd happen if Cena was paired up with another foreigner i.e. Kruger/Rose. TELL ME THIS WOULD NOT WORK #HIRESAM.
Kane, Big Show Backstage
MAY 19TH, MAY 19TH!!!!
Stardust v Fandango
Again the match was pretty standard and quick, I like they for once planned something right by having Fandango turn in front of a crowd that got him over in the first place pretty much (also Stardust winning with the Disaster Kick was a nice touch) Cody gets psychology of a Gimmick/Feud to a T. I still don't like the Fandango gimmick, I don't see why they couldn't have just let him be "Lets Get Weird" Johnny Curtis and he chloroformed Saxton after the match (people who didn't watch NXT Redemption or heard about it will think I've gone off the deep-end with that last sentence). How great was NXT Redemption though, WWE just didn't care about it and it was basically their bastard step-child- but I absolutely loved it because of how mental it all was, me and about 8 other people watched it weekly- but we are the ones who shall take over one day- and you shall beg for mercy, and we will consider it.
Kane, Daniel Bryan Backstage
It wouldn't have happened, but I'd have loved it if Bryan tried to Hug Kane. I liked this because again it set up the angle well- IDEA ALERT- Literally just thought of this, Kane is teetering on the edge of going full psycho so The Authority brings in Dr. Shelby's star student to remind Kane to Hug It Out- that star student is of course Bayley; we've got a new babyface diva who'll be in a good angle from the start BOOM #HireSam.
Seth Rollins v Kane
The disinterest in Big Show was there for all to see- but when Kane did the sit-up and chokeslam etc. on Kane the crowd loved it, which is proof that Kane still has "it" he just needs a little direction and he'll be quality again, I'm not saying he'll be a Main Eventer- but he could easily be built to challenge consistently at a Midcard level- they've all but forgotten about the Bryan/Kane stuff which could be revisited especially with the backstage promo that preceded the match.
Mizdow v Miz
Again this match was pretty standard, I'm just happy they gave Mizdow the rub of finally winning and presumably Miz is being written off TV if Paige is so they could make up some bullshit about him going to a swiss spa resort to calm down- which then ends with Mizdow ambushing Miz in a Spa. Also quick side point, whoever told Eden to introduce Mizdow as the star of The Marine 4 is a genius.
Primetime Players "Thing"
This did make me laugh I'll admit it, I'm not sure where they're going with all the PTP stuff- but I do think they're entertaining and as long as they leave most of the talking to Titus I'm fine because he's by a long way the more charismatic of the two.
Ryback v Luke Harper
Screw all the Ambrose & Harper stuff... RYBACK WON A BLOODY MATCH! WHAT DAY IS IT BOY, WHY SIR ITS CHRISTMAS DAY!
Naomi Promo
This was the best promo I've seen from a Diva in a while, and its exactly what Naomi needed to get over as a heel- but we've got a Heel Champion so she doesn't need to get over as a heel in order to get a Title Shot.
Dolph Ziggler v Neville
I loved this, I said it last week that Neville doesn't need to win every week in squash matches to get over- and in the last two weeks he's been paired with arguably the two best in-ring workers currently on the roster, which has given him the opportunity to show a variety of offence and get over in front of the crowd with longer matches.
The Sheamus stuff was take it or leave it, I wanted to see Sheamus be brutal with Dolph- Dolph's just won a hard fought match did he really need to get in offence on a fresh Sheamus? Dolph is the perfect guy for this new Sheamus persona because he can sell stuff like he's been killed- and with the type of "superstar" Sheamus is he needs someone like that to get this new persona over.
Seth Rollins, Randy Orton "Extreme Decision"
When will the babyface learn that a Steel-Cage is in fact incredibly easy to breach when the heel has outside influences? The psychology behind it is good- but if J&J don't end up in the cage I'll deep-fry my Fulham shirt and eat it. SCREENSHOT IT. Although presumably after Rollins steals a win and goes for a Phoenix Splash off the Top of the Cage which ends up being an RKO I'll love it.
Thanks for reading as always, I hope you liked my booking ideas in particular and I'd love some feedback on them- Last Nights RAW was pretty flat in all honesty, I never like Pre-Taped RAWs- and this wasn't an exception; but we've got the go-home show for Extreme Rules next week so let's hope we see an improvement- Thanks again, and Remember #HireSam.
No comments:
Post a Comment