RAW Superthread

irish_stevo815

This whole Lesnar no show thing is actually working. I wanna see Roman kick 40 shades of sh1te outta Lesnar.....Ha.

Hopefully it's as good as their match at WM31

What is actually going on????

Why is Shane there.

PTH2009

ohhh giving away backstage secrets

Why is Shane there ?? Is he not SD Commissioner

sky88

This is kinda awesome

PTH2009

Roman is suspended

So how are we to believe Shane McMahon now when hes talking about how SD is his only concern when he was clearly shown bsckergwr at Raw

its really odd showing gorilla on live TV

sky88

Honestly think thats the best non match thing romans ever done

chatticusfinch

What happened?

xpletiv

missed the start...

J. Marston

God help Finn here....

PTH2009

what a disappointing way to announce the match but it's getting better

Hopefully this is a heel type Cena vs Taker. Cena can actually cut a good heel promo

this is a dream match and who cares if it won't be a classic in the ring and it's 5 years to.late, it's something we always wanted (well most of us wanted it)

xpletiv

Great promo by Cena there, very well done.

This should be Takers final match. Kane isnt going to go back that way with his politics, and i doubt that itll be a good match even if he did. But Cena? Makes anyone look gold when he needs to

Rock Lesnar

Shane was obviously there cos he's looking for an opportunity.

Enjoyed the Reigns segment.

Cena Taker is very meh to me, Taker basically retired last year, left his gear in the ring and hobbled away, now he's coming back, and for what, because Cena has no opponent, stupid reason, he should stay retired, wont get a better send off then he got last year.

Strowman wins a Tag Team tournament, rubbish, if he is the company's next big thing, it should be him who Cena should be facing and putting over at wrestlemania and put him on the next level.

SlickRic

So I'm supposed to believe that Roman isn't Vince's boy, and that Lesnar is?

For the love of Christ, fúck off.

HandsomeBob

Haha @ at the crowd popping at Roman's suspension. You're trying too hard again Vince.

Kinda cringey that they actually had Alexa mock Asuka's English and then have Alexa further no sell Asuka's responses when it was clear what she was saying. Scratch the kinda, it was UTTER CRINGE.

Hopefully Braun is forced to actually pick a team mate.

Unexpected moment of the night which had me in stitches was Finn's face when Miz called himself the workhorse of the WWE. There's hope yet.

Lord TSC

SlickRic wrote: »

So I'm supposed to believe that Roman isn't Vince's boy, and that Lesnar is?

For the love of Christ, fúck off.

I applaud the story and think it's interesting. It's just a little bit late. The cheers when Roman's suspension was announced summed up the underlying problem; doesn't matter now how well written the scenes are, or how good Roman's delivery is. When push comes to shove, the crowd will boo Roman.

Overall though, I enjoyed the show. Had read about the Strowman angle before I went to bed, but I love it. Speculation is Elias will become Brawns unwitting partner.

The Hardy/Wyatt package was fun. Cena promo was brilliant.

Loughc

Jesus lads Meltzer is an absolute chancer. This was posted before last nights Raw.

-- Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live speculated today that WWE will begin moving forward with setting up the John Cena vs. Undertaker WrestleMania 34 match tonight on Raw. Earlier in the day on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer suggested that it's possible WWE hold off on doing it tonight and instead shoot the angle on Smackdown or next week on Raw.

He’s literally covered Smackdown, next weeks Raw and left a possibility for last nights Raw too.

Not only is he stating the obvious but he’s also throwing shíte out and hoping it sticks.

I do believe at one stage he had a source in WWE but that well dried up a long time ago and he’s milking his reputation ever since.

gerrybbadd

I can see how this Cena thing is going to play out. Taker will say that while the legend retired last year, the man is still here. The Badass. The dead man gimmick gone...

Could tie in nicely with Kid Rock being inducted into the HOF too. Have him perform American Badass for Taker's entrance (and save us all a concert!)

The Nal

Taker wrestling as the American Badass or whoever, not the Deadman, is what they should do. The Deadman gimmick ran out of juice in the mid 90s.

sky88

as much as i loved the roman segment this is what he should have done for the mania 31 build.

loved cenas promo against taker

Bret Hart

Roman believes that Brock is Vince’s boy :rolleyes: . You are Roman. In fact you both are.

That pop when Vince announced his suspension :pac:

showpony1

gerrybbadd wrote: »

I can see how this Cena thing is going to play out. Taker will say that while the legend retired last year, the man is still here. The Badass. The dead man gimmick gone...

Could tie in nicely with Kid Rock being inducted into the HOF too. Have him perform American Badass for Taker's entrance (and save us all a concert!)

he came out at RAW 25 as the deadman so that removes the possibility that the deadman character died at Mania 33.

Lord TSC

The line about Taker posting workout videos on his wife's Instagram was one of my favorite shots in quite a while. And it perfectly set up a more "real" story between the two.

Of course, there's the issue that both Roman/Brock and Cena/Taker are basically running the "worked shoot" story at once...

martyos121

Lord TSC wrote: »

The line about Taker posting workout videos on his wife's Instagram was one of my favorite shots in quite a while. And it perfectly set up a more "real" story between the two.

Of course, there's the issue that both Roman/Brock and Cena/Taker are basically running the "worked shoot" story at once...

That’s the way you gotta do it these days, at least they’ve realised that in time for WrestleMania. Storytelling had to evolve given the age we live in, it might change pro-wrestling significantly but you have to do whatever gets a reaction and worked shoots tend to generate a lot of interest. CM Punk “leaving” in 2011 really got the ball rolling on it and there have been a few great ones since (Cena and Nikki vs. Miz and Maryse last year was one to remember).

ERG89

Strange that Reigns vs Lesnar and Cena vs Taker are leaning towards alternative reality worked shoots. In a world where I'm meant to believe Reigns is so rebellious to the WWE & Cena can't seem to find a match against anyone for WrestleMania

The Nal

So they "suspend" Reigns and nothing happens. :mad:

When they "suspended" Austin this happened.



And WWE wonder why they're struggling to get him over.

Rock Lesnar

The Nal wrote: »

So they "suspend" Reigns and nothing happens. :mad:

When they "suspended" Austin this happened.



And WWE wonder why they're struggling to get him over.

Are you sure?, i taught this was the night after taker and kane both pinned him and they were going to determine a new champion, not that it matters and i could be wrong but i dont think he was "suspended" for this.

Rock Lesnar

For me it doesnt matter if Taker is the Deadman or American Bad Ass, he had the perfect send off last year, main event, put over Reigns, walk into the sunset, perfect, and now because John Cena couldnt beat whoever to get a match at Mania, or makes a comment about him working out in a video posted by his wife, is the best reason for him to come back, im sorry, its not, he should stay retired.

johnnyryan89

Rock Lesnar wrote: »

Are you sure?, i taught this was the night after taker and kane both pinned him and they were going to determine a new champion, not that it matters and i could be wrong but i dont think he was "suspended" for this.

Yeah this was the night after Kane and Taker had both pinned him.

Have him show up on Smackdown next week and wreck the place while attacking Shane, blame him for being at Raw and getting him suspended. Have him send a message to Vince through beating up Shane. Have Brock return the week after seeing as Reigns is "suspended" and have Reigns crash the show and brawl with Brock.

Rock Lesnar

johnnyryan89 wrote: »

Yeah this was the night after Kane and Taker had both pinned him.

Have him show up on Smackdown next week and wreck the place while attacking Shane, blame him for being at Raw and getting him suspended. Have him send a message to Vince through beating up Shane. Have Brock return the week after seeing as Reigns is "suspended" and have Reigns crash the show and brawl with Brock.

I dont know, possibly, but he could do that on raw now that we know shane is there to, plus somebody from smackdown could/should be able to stop him, i actually dont know how they can drum up interest in this to be honest considering the outcome looks as predictable as night following day.

SureYWouldntYa

My biggest issue with Roman calling out Vince and everything that happened last night is how fake it is

Everybody knows that Reigns is Vince’s new favourite, he’s not Austin and he never will be and pidgeon holeing him into this role is really showing how deaf and blind they are

I mean listen to the cheers of the crowd when Vince said Roman was suspended ffs, in what world could WWE want that response when they’re trying to build him now at anti establishment hero. Punk or Austin wouldn’t have gotten booed.

SlickRic

the only option left for Vince, if he's actually serious about trying to get him over as a babyface star, is to turn him heel and see what happens.

these last 2 weeks have largely been written perfectly.

Reigns has been given all the big lines.
He's been given the right things to say.
They've found the only way they could potentially get Lesnar booed - which is by having him not show up.
They've had Reigns up against the establishment.
They've put Vince in front of the camera.
They've had Reigns suspended.

But Vince still got cheered.

it's not going to work. they fúcked it up years ago, and it has never recovered.

the moment he was quite brutally and overwhelmingly chosen over Daniel Bryan was the big turning point.
Bryan had just come back from an injury that robbed him of the championship run everyone wanted to see.
he came back as the underdog hero in the Royal Rumble.
he was eliminated by Bray fúcking Wyatt before Reigns even entered the match.
the crowd rejected the rest of the match, which Reigns ended up winning, where they even turned on The Rock.
The fúcking Rock, lads.

and that was it. there was no coming back. perception is reality, and from that point forward, Reigns was the embodiment of Vince saying 'fúck you' to the fans.

and they knew it almost immediately - booking the endorsement match between Bryan and Reigns. It didn't work.

Is it fair on Reigns? Probably not. he's an excellent worker, has great charisma, looks great, and was no doubt actually over before that Rumble. he'd never really been majorly booed on any show before that point as far as I remember.

but it killed him. and he was forever cast as Vince's lovechild. And you can't fight it.
No matter how many Shield reunions you have.
No matter how many times you have him overcome odds.
No matter how many times you get him to say 'bítch'.
No matter how many times you try to paint him as the working class hero.
It's not going to work.

The best thing they could do at Wrestlemania is have Vince help him beat Brock, and reveal that the two were in on this all along, and that Roman was always the chosen one.

but they won't.
because they don't have to.
because Vince has no competition and he can do what the fúck he likes, feeding his own private fantasies, without repercussions, and ignoring the wishes of the fans, knowing he owns the game.

why the fúck do I care?