OO Nation: All discussion pertaining to RAW (airing September 26, 2011) should be done in this thread. It will remain pinned at the top of the
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Guidelines for TV Ratings/Discussion Threads.
Tonight on RAW: it's the middle leg of the 3-week Road to Hell in a Cell.... we know our main event will feature 2/3rd's of the PPV
main event, as John Cena's two WWE Title challengers -- CM Punk and Alberto del Rio -- face off... re-integrating Punk into the title picture was
a no-brainer of a move after how badly the Punk's foray into feuding with Nash/HHH went, but one could also take the side that the WWE Title feud
(in the eyes of the fans) is essentially Punk/Cena, and del Rio's gonna get lost in the shuffle again...
Either way, that's your #1 big deal of the night, and tied directly to the upcoming PPV main event... #2 big deal of the night will be Triple H
and Conspiracies, whether he's in on them, the victim of them, quashing them, or some combination there of... it's clear his control over
things is loosening, and one would assume that Johnny Ace is positioning himself to pick up the pieces, if necessary... where it stops, nobobdy
knows... the big pay-off last week was Miz and Truth getting fired, but we all know that won't last: those two bastards are too entertaining to
not be on TV, and plus, being "outsiders" who have to crash the party suits their gimmick quite nicely.... so we'll see where that goes...
There's no damned reason why Zack Ryder shouldn't be #1 Contender to the US Title right now, and there's no damned reason why Dolph
Ziggler shouldn't milk last week's antics to remind people that Ryder and Hugh Jackman are tight all while acting like a chickenshit heel
who needs a mouthguard to compete, now... is Zack really in position to get a PPV title shot? I hope so, I think there should be enough chemistry
there to make it work....
With Miz/Truth fired, Air Boom need new challengers, so let's get on that... Beth/Natalya have no trouble dominating on SD, but become comically
ineffective on RAW, so look for another winning night for Kelly Kelly... and there's always the crew from SD hanging around, to be used as needed
on the "supershow"....
The flOOr is yours, OO Nation. Let your voice be heard and your thoughts on Brand Supremacy be known. Don't wait till after 11pm to post,
either. Pre-show previewing and prognosticating is certainly welcome. So discuss, debate, and rate!
"Bruised Ribs and Anal Bleeding"? Has JBL come back to claim an announce table spot?
Anal bleeding? Better bring a towel...
quote:
Originally posted by knuckleballschwartz
quote:
Originally posted by TonyTH
I was amused by Khali in the lumberjack match looking back to Henry and the pile of people several times after Henry cleaned house. He looked silly.
yeah but did you hear that section of the crowd start chanting "Khali" at that point as though they wanted to see Henry/Khali go at it? Let's hope the writers were too busy looking at how stupid he looked to notice it and book it.
Mason Ryan face turn? I'll bite. Though I'm not sure where he'll fit in with Zack Ryder's burgeoning feud with Vicki's
two-man alliance.
"WHAT THE HAIL?!?" is rapidly becoming my new favorite Booker-ism.
That would be "Whatduhhayell."
I thought tonight's show was a pretty decent go-home effort.
The WWE is treading very close to TNA/Immortal territory with Triple H opening almost every episode, but I did enjoy the segment tonight. I like
what's brewing with all of the heels being unhappy with Triple H as COO (and Triple H telling Ziggler he'd beef up security for him when the
Muppets are on RAW next month was pretty hilarious).
Battle royal was pretty standard stuff. No shocker in Cody hanging on to the belt.
I was really hoping the WWE would have the balls to go through with a Mark Henry/Khali match, but oh well. The beatdown was effective for what it was.
Cena's promo didn't do much for me tonight, but the match with Christian was solid. Plus I was glad to see Christian not have to eat a pin
in the match. Oh, and is there a way we can clone CM Punk and have him both wrestle and be on commentary every week?
I liked all the Ziggler/Ryder and then Ziggler/Swagger vs. Ryder/Air Boom stuff. The Mason Ryan face turn was pretty out of nowhere, but I guess
we'll see where it goes. And I continue to really like the Ziggler/Swagger pairing...it's a shame the RAW roster is so stacked, as I think
those two would be awesome on Smackdown feuding with the likes of Ortona and Sheamus.
Dare I say this "legal expert" character for Otunga may actually work for him? And I'm curious to see where this seeming alliance between the
heels is going, especially with Miz and Truth having to come back at some point.
Really liked the main event between Punk and Del Rio. That ending was definitely unexpected, but I liked it. Kind of gave the sense that Punk can win
a match with a knockout kick at any time. And I'm also glad to see Punk being able to get clean wins on a more consistent basis, given that he
was jobbing in about 75% of his matches last year.
I also liked the hard sell at the end with the Cell coming down and everyone attacking each other (kind of reminded me of something from the Attitude
era). To me, that's how you sell a PPV.
I thought tonight's RAW was very good from top to bottom. The opening promo by HHH with his explanation, Christian, Dolph, and Cody possibly
starting an alliance? The Mason Ryan swerve (I think he'll make a good face - who was the last face Aussie wrestler? Outback Jack?), the short
and harmless divas match, with some good spots, thanks to Divas of Doom (hey, they won!), the battle royal (Sheamus vs Zeke was a nice visual), even
Henry and Khali was booked perfectly (I REALLY like Henry's current heel push, and say it's about freaking time), and the main event stuff
was good too.
There are some really cool potential storylines with Miz and Truth, I think. I can see a Miz/Truth/Nash/Laurenitis/Otunga conspiracy faction, maybe
adding more disgrunteled wrestlers (guys who can work good matches) like Christian or Cody. It could be really interesting
I'd be excited for the PPV this weekend if I wasn't out of town (and if I ever actually paid for them).
Granted, I missed the two episodes of Raw leading up to last night but I assume that Punk's issue with HHH is pretty much over and done?
Poor show.
And the Teddy Long tag match announcement?! You are kidding me now...
Punk pointing out that ADR had no reason to be out there doing commentary �half naked� was easily the highlight of the night for me. Though, again, as
with all the previous shows where Punk has come out and griped about stuff, I appreciate those moments, but would still prefer a show with less
gripeworthy things on it.
My patience is wearing thin. Might be wilderness time again soon for me.
If this is ANYONE�S idea of a �reality era� then I have no idea what a �lame cartoony intelligence-insulting era� might look like. Would probably lead
to explosions! For some reason. Actually, I do remember an Acme style TNT plunger on Raw a few years back, so guess this stuff is pretty cutting edge
compared to that.
I remember R-Truth getting blown up, but I don't remember if it was ACME branded. Speaking of which, I miss R-Truth already. God I love me some Mark Henry.
^^^
Jesus, Truth got blown up too? Must have missed that! But sure I'm better off not knowing about it(!)
The one I remember was from ages ago and involved Coach, Hornswoggle and, err, well, also involved lame props and the kind of lack of care re:
tone/logic that only a very misguided WWE fanboy/girl could ever tolerate or excuse.
quote:
Originally posted by salmonjunkie
The Mason Ryan swerve (I think he'll make a good face - who was the last face Aussie wrestler? Outback Jack?)
quote:
Originally posted by Wikipedia
Mason Ryan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barri Griffiths (born 13 January 1982) is a Welsh professional wrestler
I'm just hoping we get an interview where Booker says to Mason Ryan "Whut da hail?" and Mason explains, in his broadest welsh accent, that when
he was young someone once taught him "more weights equals more dates boyo so how could I possibly turn on Zach? WWYKI"
I really liked Cody talking his way into and then surviving his troubles.
Unlike the tna immortal stuff, I quite like the idea of an increasingly beleaguered HHH continually trying to open the show with a simple announcement
about what's going on only to be interupted and waylaid by evermore ridiculous allegations and complaints until he eventually completely loses it
and sledgehammers someone like heath slater all the way back to FCW
quote:
Originally posted by Arschclown
quote:
Originally posted by salmonjunkie
The Mason Ryan swerve (I think he'll make a good face - who was the last face Aussie wrestler? Outback Jack?)
quote:
Originally posted by Wikipedia
Mason Ryan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barri Griffiths (born 13 January 1982) is a Welsh professional wrestler
Better is debateable.
quote:
Originally posted by salmonjunkie
Welsh. So he basically a better Rob Terry?
And grows a psuedo-Brit-punk-mullet.
I don't know what it is but I have more faith in Mason Ryan than I ever did in Rob Terry. Maybe it's his Batista-ness. And he's also
not quite as insanely bulked-up and immobile as Terry.
Pretty solid show overall. I thought HHH did a good job explaining the basis of his firing of Miz and Truth. His interactions with Ziggler, Rhodes
and Christian were excellent.
The Mason Ryan turn was an unexpected surprise. Let's see where it goes.
It will probably turn out to amount to nothing, but seeing Otunga play legal eagle was interesting if not funny at the same time. Having Laurinaitis
on their side could make it intriguing.
Nice match between ADR and Punk. Kick to the head out of nowhere for the win. Those chair shots ADR was laying down after the match seemed
absolutely viscious.
[Edited on 9-27-2011 by Frank Lloyd Wright]
quote:
Originally posted by salmonjunkie
who was the last face Aussie wrestler? Outback Jack?
quote:
Originally posted by salmonjunkie
who was the last face Aussie wrestler? Outback Jack?
quote:
Originally posted by the goon
Battle royal was pretty standard stuff. No shocker in Cody hanging on to the belt.
* I know HHH opening the show every week might get tiresome, but if he continues to be that damn good, I might not mind it so much. Extra security
for the Muppets. Awesome. (BTW, don't forget to add ideas to my Muppet post.)
* I think Natalya's submission move on Eve is called the Crossbow (cross the legs and bow the back). I think you can easily add
some national pride to it and call it the Canadian Crossbow or the Calgary Crossbow and make it a full-fledged submission finisher. It's a
pretty awesome move.
* Loved that new camera shot for Mark Henry's entrance of his broad shoulders from behind.
* Great line from JR: "Hell In A Cell is like church... many attend, few understand."
Addendum: Natalya calling her move the Crossbow fits in nicely with her sharpshooting roots, pun intended.
[Edited on 9-29-2011 by Dominator]
quote:
Originally posted by Dominator
* I know HHH opening the show every week might get tiresome, but if he continues to be that damn good, I might not mind it so much. Extra security for the Muppets. Awesome.
Before I get to SKid's comments, let me just say that I was wrong about Alberto Del Rio. I was among those who thought his push came a little
too soon, but was willing to see what he could do with it. Turns out he was more than ready. The match with Punk was excellent, and could've
easily gone another 5-10 minutes with plenty of story still to be told. That said, I liked the surprise ending off the round kick to the back of the
head. I like it that you can have a match end on something other than a finisher or a triple-reverse-y pinning combination. But back to the point,
ADR has proven to me over the last couple months that not only is he not stealing the thunder away from Punk & Cena, but he's in fact a welcome
addition to the main event picture, and as I've said before, the main event picture is at it's best when there are as many qualified
competitors in it as possible.
Now, as far as HHH goes, his role is different now. Even though he's not as active in-ring, I consider him to be more like a player-coach out
there now. And if you're going to have a COO be an active and prominent character in that way, then he's going to have to show his power
and dominance in some way. Unlike Mr. McMahon, who'd pee his pants and take beer baths and get his ass kicked for the good of the business, HHH
is a different kind of COO. He isn't going to subject himself to repeated emasculation and be the butt of jokes on a regular basis. And HHH
isn't going to get unfunny or unargumentative or suddenly lose the knowledge of his career or the history of the business just because he wears a
suit the majority of the time.
Another thing HHH is not going to be is the diabolical consolidator and flaunter of power primarily because, right now, he can't be.
He's the guy new to the COO game (pardon the pun) who's unaware of all the machinations going on behind and around him. He doesn't
have a bunch of front office allies aside from his wife and as long as she remains behind the scenes, which she pretty much has other than an
occasional backstage snipe at Punk, he's not in line to become that. He's learning by the seat of his pants and it's something
he's not comfortable with. What he is comfortable with is dropping one-liners on douchebag heels and standing strong against Punk, Nash, and
others who try to make a mockery of him.
How HHH is NOT different from Vince McMahon as a COO is that everyone who's working with him in the ring has a chance at being a star.
Getting a push isn't always about winning every match or winning every scene or getting in every last zinger. Sometimes it's about being
the match, being in the scene, or getting hit with zingers. And as much as I like it when there are many contenders for the #1 spot (or 1A or 1B or
however down the alphabet you want to go), they can't all just pop in out of nowhere. Right now we've got
Cena/Punk/ADR/Henry/Orton/Christian and that's great. The next men up (Ziggler, Rhodes, JoMo, Barrett, Riley, even Miz & Truth right now) need
to build themselves up to that level and riffing with HHH is as big a test as there is right now.
So don't hate The Game. Hate the game. As HHH says, you've got to get over with us. And if you can hold your own on the stick with Trips,
that's going to be a big step towards that.
quote:Next week, Wade Barrett should come out and blame his botched arm tattoo on HHH.
Originally posted by knuckleballschwartz
Unlike the tna immortal stuff, I quite like the idea of an increasingly beleaguered HHH continually trying to open the show with a simple announcement about what's going on only to be interupted and waylaid by evermore ridiculous allegations and complaints until he eventually completely loses it and sledgehammers someone like heath slater all the way back to FCW
quote:Fantastic match. When was the last time you saw that much arm-related offense in a match? And the attacker's finishing move is arm-based so it made complete wrestling sense. I'd have liked it better if all that punishment on Punk's arm had come into play in the endgame (like Punk lifts del Rio for the GTS but his arm is too weak so only then does he revert to the high roundhouse), but just nitpicking. del Rio really is a main event player, in-ring and overall presence. Too bad his 1st Championship came at an inopportune/inappropriate time, in retrospect.
by Dominator
..let me just say that I was wrong about Alberto Del Rio. I was among those who thought his push came a little too soon, but was willing to see what he could do with it. Turns out he was more than ready. The match with Punk was excellent, and could've easily gone another 5-10 minutes with plenty of story still to be told..ADR has proven to me over the last couple months that not only is he not stealing the thunder away from Punk & Cena, but he's in fact a welcome addition to the main event picture..
quote:
Originally posted by joerizal
... del Rio really is a main event player, in-ring and overall presence. Too bad his 1st Championship came at an inopportune/inappropriate time, in retrospect.
To keep it short, I felt Punk coming back 2 weeks after leaving "Money in the Bank" as Champion was a waste after all the build-up and everything they
did right. And, in retrospect, seeing how everything played out, everything that happened after that upto now has been disappointing, including
del Rio winning and completely derailing whatever story they may have had with Punk and his "quest for change".
Mind you, Nash coming back and del Rio cashing in were both a shock at that time, but again, I'm giving my opinion after seeing how everything
turned out.
quote:And fuck Cena for namedropping Punk. Maybe not in this interview (he may have just been answering a question), but go back to that promo Cena cut on del Rio where he said, "there's only one guy that can hang with me, and that's CM Punk". Talk about riding the coattails of the hottest commodity of the company at that time.
Cena said in a recent interview, "Punk's so good, he doesn't need the title to be a top dog."
quote:
Cena said in a recent interview, "Punk's so good, he doesn't need the title to be a top dog."
quote:
Originally posted by Dominator
Before I get to SKid's comments, let me just say that I was wrong about Alberto Del Rio. I was among those who thought his push came a little too soon, but was willing to see what he could do with it. Turns out he was more than ready. The match with Punk was excellent, and could've easily gone another 5-10 minutes with plenty of story still to be told. That said, I liked the surprise ending off the round kick to the back of the head. I like it that you can have a match end on something other than a finisher or a triple-reverse-y pinning combination. But back to the point, ADR has proven to me over the last couple months that not only is he not stealing the thunder away from Punk & Cena, but he's in fact a welcome addition to the main event picture, and as I've said before, the main event picture is at it's best when there are as many qualified competitors in it as possible.
Now I wanna see WWE with UN style translator headsets going.
quote:
Originally posted by cloak and dagger
Meh. He can't talk. His in-ring technique is great, but he gets exposed when he needs to do some talking.
Oh, and that Mason Ryan turn has a bit of background, no? Didn't Dolph Ziggler make some snide remark about Mason Ryan and robots during his exchange with Hugh Jackman the previous Raw?
quote:
Originally posted by Jumbie
Cena said in a recent interview, "Punk's so good, he doesn't need the title to be a top dog."
Lost opportunity. Obvious followup question: "So, Mr. Cena, why do YOU need to have your manicured hands on the title 30 weeks a year?"
quote:
Originally posted by blackdragon
I remember R-Truth getting blown up, but I don't remember if it was ACME branded. Speaking of which, I miss R-Truth already. God I love me some Mark Henry.
quote:
Originally posted by theflammablemanimal
I mentioned it in another thread, but I don't like the crossbow. Natalya seems like she has a hard time putting it on, like she can barely remember how to do it, plus her shoulders are down through the whole move.
quote:
Originally posted by Dominator
quote:
Originally posted by Jumbie
Cena said in a recent interview, "Punk's so good, he doesn't need the title to be a top dog."
Lost opportunity. Obvious followup question: "So, Mr. Cena, why do YOU need to have your manicured hands on the title 30 weeks a year?"
Obvious follow-up answer: "I'm sorry, who's been better than me the last 6 years?"
Only guy who comes close is Edge.
Fun Fact: Cena's 10 WWE title reigns have totaled 1,058 days in length which works out to 25.2 weeks a year.