Tonight on RAW: WWE follows up on one hell of an eventful week, in which Dean Ambrose won the WWE Title and co-#1-Contender Roman Reigns was suspended 30 days (thanks to a 5-week break between PPVs, Reigns will be able to serve the entirety of the suspension, without missing the Triple Threat Main Event of Battleground)...

And yes, it appears set in stone that WWE's letting him keep that spot.... WWE knew about Reigns' failed test well in advance of the MitB PPV, so the title change to Ambrose may have been a necessary audible, but at the same time, they did the angle last Monday to create a Triple Threat knowing full well that Reigns would be missing 30 days.... if they didn't want him in there, they would have done an angle to set up Ambrose vs. Rollins, one on one... they didn't, and so the only real drama is what storyline reason is given for Reigns' absence between now and Battleground...

Ambrose/Rollins should be able to hold down the fort, though... they've got a solid combination of amble history AND appetizing freshness (since Rollins is still only 4 weeks into his comeback)... if you want a wild card in all this: my spidey sense tingled last Monday with regard to Chris Jericho and how vociferously he objected to Shane McMahon's decisions about Ambrose and the WWE Title... the Triple Threat was Shane's idea, but if we accept that now Stephanie will get a week of her own to run the show, Jericho could weasel into her good graces, or otherwise be a squeaky wheel who provides Ambrose with a foil to keep us distracted from Reigns' absence...

The other two big matches for Battleground look to be John Cena vs. AJ Styles/The Club, and Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens.... since the Draft and brand split actually happen 6 days prior to Battleground, the marketing is easy: you can simply talk about how these guys may all be drafted to different shows, and so, that makes Battleground the Last Chapter and Final Blowoff for each feud... it helps that all signs point to the matches themsleves being quite awesome, but it's always nice to have a bit of a story hook, too... another wild card: given last weeks events, the Usos could easily slot into the Cena/Club feud as needed, to keep things interesting between now and the PPV...

On the flip side, nothing is fresher than the apparent New Day vs. Wyatt Family feud... you also won't find two sets of characters more utterly opposite of each other than the goofy New Day and the deadly serious Wyatts, which could help draw entirely new dimensions out of all the perrformers... I could see this feud following something like this progression: New Day retain the tag titles in a 2-on-2 match against Rowan/Strowman, but just barely, then for SummerSlam, Bray joins the mix, and the Wyatts win the decisive 6-man match (I guess you could do it with the Wyatts winning the tag titles, but to me, that undercuts the "necessity" of Bray getting involved and would just seem like piling on)...

In the women's division, they're finally getting ready to run with Sasha Banks, as she's set up to be Charlotte's next challenger.... but you've also got a very fine Becky Lynch vs. Natalya rivalry in place... the question becomes: is Becky/Nattie a #1 Contenders feud, or will the brand split require a second women's title, with Becky/Nattie fighting for the inaugural reign?

Neither the US nor IC titles have much going on at this point.... Miz (the IC Champ) is making a movie, and would be best served showing up on his new brand the night after Battleground, and just making a fresh start by bragging about how he's gonna run this place.... Rusev seemed to have a bit of trouble with Titus on Monday (after the two kinda stunk up the joint the night before on PPV), so while that might be a short term issue, it's not something WWE can possibly think they can run with through Battleground (might I suggest Cesaro?)....

There's a bunch of other going concerns on the undercard, but I think I've hit all the main talking points that could possibly be of interest to you, so: That is all. End communication....

The flOOr is yours, OO Nation. Don't wait till after 11pm to post, either. Pre-show previewing and prognosticating is certainly welcome. So discuss, debate, and rate!

Well, I guess they're just gonna deal with it by.... dealing with it. Where's that "Bold Strategy, Cotton" meme when you need it?

No fucking shit. Good on the E. Steer into the curve. Righteous. Run with it Seth!

ETA: Zero. Point. Zero.

[Edited on 6-28-2016 by janerd75]

God damn, Seth.
Promo excellence right out of the gate.

You have my vote A.J.

ETA: All Canadienne Highlight Reel with Jerko, Zayn, and Owens. Best. Raw. Ever.

[Edited on 6-28-2016 by janerd75]

That was fun. Looks like they might be thinking of saving the pure Sheild triple threat match for another date.

I really hope they were trying to get Roman cheered with Seth's promo though. They were YESing the idea of heel AJ replacing Roman. So yeah.

[Edited on 6-28-2016 by TonyTH]

Welp, Great American Bash 2004 has been invoked on its anniversary, the End Times must now begin.

Edited for incorrect apostrophe usage. Also for saying something about having Sasha back. Because that's pretty darn nice. And also for hoping the upcoming Titus/Rusev match is fun. It COULD be.

[Edited on 6-28-2016 by Il Palazzo]

Oh, I'm up Lana don't worry aboot that.

ETA: Sooooo, A.J. costs Cena his opportunity in the title match, and Cena in turn costs A.J. his opportunity against Dean, and everything continues onwards towards the SHIELD threeway yes?

[Edited on 6-28-2016 by janerd75]

Huh, so Cena's TV debut was on June 27 also. I wonder how many other interesting/weird/horribly stupid things happened on this day beyond that, Undertaker murdering Paul Bearer in a plastic box, and Eddie Guerrero losing 75% of his blood in one night.

Edit: That was a very enjoyable missed frog splash.

[Edited on 6-28-2016 by Il Palazzo]

Rollins and Cena are tearing shit up.

Janerd, can you give me some lotto numbers, since you're in the accurate-predictions biz?

The way it was set up, I thought Gallows was going to pull Rollins out of the ring so Cena would lose by DQ. But that may have played more to the Rollins face turn that they're trying to avoid, so I guess that's why they went with the expected distraction finish.

quote:

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Originally posted by Count Zero
Janerd, can you give me some lotto numbers, since you're in the accurate-predictions biz?

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Can I get a large plate of jobber squash for table Zero Dimes?

Were all the other tag teams trapped in an elevator tonight?

... Guess not!

Edit: I keep forgetting Miz and the Social Outcasts and whoever else have been MIA for however many weeks due to shooting 12 Marines VII: See No Condemned Leprechauns. It's beginning to make me feel like there are going to be half a dozen other sudden returns of people I'd totally forgotten about.

[Edited on 6-28-2016 by Il Palazzo]

WTF.... We've had a jobber squash of epic proportions that lead into a talkie-segment squashing of epic hardness, and now a Not-A-Match Women's Division Match.

Maybe it's not just the tag teams caught in the elevator?

Hush now. Quit yer bitchin' and grab the poutine from the kitchen. It's Canada Time!!!

Sheep Mask Unicorn Horn.

The end.

ETA: And Kofi's padded the ass of his Erick Rowan costume. Cuz, y'know, that boy got a big ol' booty.

[Edited on 6-28-2016 by Count Zero]

I turned it on again just in time to see New Day spoof the Wyatt's. Very happy I did.

Edit: The crowd all going "WHO, WHO, WHO?" was something I've wanted for a long time.

[Edited on 6-28-2016 by TonyTH]

Eggsavier's a bit nervous. A bit too nervous...

ETA: Now hang on there Janerdiddly-iddily, don't grab the low hanging racist joke fruitiddly-diddly. So....hard.......not......to be..........a cunt.....

[Edited on 6-28-2016 by janerd75]

Tampa: *chanting and drowning out Bray*

Bray: "Go ahead and vilify me!"

Tampa: *Falls into a puzzled silence while they wonder what 'vilify' means.*

[Edited on 6-28-2016 by Jumbie]

Also: Kudos to Sheamus on the Zangeif cosplay tonight.

The Prophesy is fulfilled...

And another thing: Anybody else get the feeling Cena spent his time off in Jamaica?

Nah. He gwan doan near Milwaukee, mon. Right neeyar da beech. Boy-EEE!

Or Milwaukee

Not being American, I was not aware...

So, that's got to be a deliberate homage right?

I fully acknowledge that WWE just took the long-cut to get right back to the three-way.... but I appreciate the effort.

In an intellectual way, I "knew" the 3-way was unperturbed by current events (if WWE didn't want Roman in it, they wouldn't have put him in it AFTER they already knew he was being suspended).... but in a true-believer sort of way, I still kind of wanted them to at least address it in the storyline.

They had Seth introduce the possibility of a match change, they had ultra-compelling cases made by two guys, and fuck all if that Cena/Rollins match wasn't just outstanding on its own merits (regardless of context).

To me, that's a valid way to waste your time on a Monday night.

Highlight Reel was also tremendous on every level, and Becky/Nattie was sneaky-delightful, too (Nattie has clearly gotten permission to just do Owen's whole schtick, and Becky is taking her lass kicking very seriously which I love).

About Woods: if I'd had the ability to write something up last Monday, I was gonna point out how Eggsavier's weird "connection" with Bray was CLEARLY just a comedy moment, but maybe you could play it into something more if you really wanted to....

Well, WWE really wanted to. Now, there is a very compelling case to be made for Woods turning heel in all this... or, at least, turning "Wyatt" (depending on who ends up as the heels in the feud). The fact that he was purposely dressed as Harper tonight (who hasn't been on TV since March, and is still a couple months away from returning due to knee surgery), opens up a TON of options..... including the option that Woods -- a smarty pants PhD who actually UNDERSTANDS Bray's words -- joins the Wyatts, which allows them to score a short term victory over the New Day, only to have Harper return, and side with Kofi and Big E, and from there we play the long con (remember Woods is PH f'n D in PSYCHOLOGY, so this could have all kinds of layers where they are playing the Wyatts)....

This is what I meant when I said that this feud could actually help add depth and dimension to both sides, since they are so polarly opposite on the surface.... but New Day in sheep masks? Woods as a Wyatt? Harper as a New Day? This is now all on the table, and all 6 men (OK, 7 if you count Strowman) will benefit....



Rick

quote:

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Originally posted by janerd75
Nah. He gwan doan near Milwaukee, mon. Right neeyar da beech. Boy-EEE!

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jumbie
Not being American, I was not aware...

So, that's got to be a deliberate homage right?

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quote:

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Originally posted by CM Crunk

quote:

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Originally posted by Jumbie
Not being American, I was not aware...

So, that's got to be a deliberate homage right?

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Yup. PBR even hit WWE with a cease and desist just prior to Cena's return over the design which led to a less obvious design for a few weeks. Looks like everything's been settledon that end though. Curious if that interrim design might become a collectors item or if they're still selling it. I'm far too lazy to check Shopzone right now.

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I thought tonight was boring and extremely predictable. Cena and Rollins had a great match, but in the end, they used the World Title story line to further the Cena/Styles program while continuing to spin the wheels on the former. Granted, I think their hands are somewhat tied due to Roman's situation, and I tend to think that the way they acknowledged Reigns' absence was probably best, all things considered...but it still fell flat.

Also, I don't remember Alberto and Sheamus having an issue at all. Either they retconned that, or it wasn't compelling enough a few months ago for me to remember. That whole thing sort of left me scratching my head.

And of course, the age old question of whether it is best to be the jobber who gets pulverized in two seconds in a tag team match, or the jobber that never even got into it. We take your calls, next on Livewire!

The Wyatts/New Day aren't really doing anything for me, either. I like Rick's long con idea with Woods, but I am not sure if they will play that out the way I would like (more subtle, less sledgehammer-y)

I have zero idea what is going on in the women's division. They somehow managed to take extremely athletic, good wrestlers with great personalities, and turn them all into Candace Michelle.

Call me crazy, but I sort of like watching Kane as a suit wearing doofus that is confined to skits in the back, but occasionally dawning the mask to beat the poo out of someone. Seems to be a perfect role for him.

Big Show looked related to 3/4's of the kids on that stage...just sayin'

I am love that they are acknowledging the (temporary) blow off of KO and Sami. I feel like Sami flubbed his line about the draft possibly splitting them up though. I think he should have taken the approach that there is a VERY REAL possibility that they end up on different shows, so why not agree to lock up one last time, prior to that to prove once and for all, who is who in this relationship?

Also, Steph screwed up her line to The Miz and laughed at herself...which made me laugh...which made me fart...which made me laugh again.

quote:

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Originally posted by Sam Is Neat
Also, I don't remember Alberto and Sheamus having an issue at all. Either they retconned that, or it wasn't compelling enough a few months ago for me to remember. That whole thing sort of left me scratching my head.

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quote:

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Originally posted by punkerhardcore

quote:

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Originally posted by Sam Is Neat
Also, I don't remember Alberto and Sheamus having an issue at all. Either they retconned that, or it wasn't compelling enough a few months ago for me to remember. That whole thing sort of left me scratching my head.

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They were in The League of Nations together, which had an acrimonious break up a bit after Wrestlemania... so it did make sense that they still wouldn't get along.

Also, I noticed that they're now simply referring to Ambrose as the WWE Champion, and not the.WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Perhaps in anticipation of bringing back the Big Gold Belt for the brand split?

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Guys, Sheamus stole his car. That's not okay.

quote:

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Originally posted by Sam Is Neat
I know of the break up...but it seemed like sort of a dead issue since it really hasn't been explored for quite some time. Seemed more like a pivot towards a face Alberto more so than diggign up a non-issue that has laid dormant for weeks, if not months.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Count Zero

quote:

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Originally posted by Sam Is Neat
I know of the break up...but it seemed like sort of a dead issue since it really hasn't been explored for quite some time. Seemed more like a pivot towards a face Alberto more so than diggign up a non-issue that has laid dormant for weeks, if not months.

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I got a "face Sheamus" read out of that. Huh. Crazy.

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I feel like they whiffed sorta big tonight with The New Day. As much as I loved the bit, they could have (and should have) gone full on "DX dressing as/mocking The Nation" mode.

Sorta digging Xavier being kayfabe-legit scared of the Wyatts, though. People should be afraid of them, after all... and most they feud with aren't.

Hell of a promo by Sami Zayn last night! It just shows that if you give enough mic time to some the these guys, they can really surprise you.

Really like the slow burn on the Wyatts/New Day storyline. The Woods continuing deer in the headlights look is priceless! It was nice to see Bray Wyatt pick up on it in his promo.

quote:

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Originally posted by punkerhardcore

Sorta digging Xavier being kayfabe-legit scared of the Wyatts, though. People should be afraid of them, after all... and most they feud with aren't.

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quote:

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Originally posted by janerd75
Nah. He gwan doan near Milwaukee, mon. Right neeyar da beech. Boy-EEE!

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quote:

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Originally posted by SpiNNeR72

quote:

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Originally posted by janerd75
Nah. He gwan doan near Milwaukee, mon. Right neeyar da beech. Boy-EEE!

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I have no idea what what US dialect is but man that reads pure Glaswegian to me :-D

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quote:

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Originally posted by CM Crunk

quote:

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Originally posted by Jumbie
Not being American, I was not aware...

So, that's got to be a deliberate homage right?

---

Yup. PBR even hit WWE with a cease and desist just prior to Cena's return over the design which led to a less obvious design for a few weeks. Looks like everything's been settledon that end though. Curious if that interrim design might become a collectors item or if they're still selling it. I'm far too lazy to check Shopzone right now.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Sam Is Neat
I just assume that if you face kick a ginger in the face, that it makes you a...well...face.

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quote:

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Originally posted by TonyTH
Guys, Sheamus stole his car. That's not okay.

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