**WWE Raw/Smackdown Viewing Thread**
This is now the Televised WWE thread, for RAW/Smackdown discussion.
Got home tonight after NYE party, I know I'll put raw on, wtf it's nowhere. Ohh that's not how time works. Fml.
Happy new year, when you finally join us.
Am I missing the big deal behind Andrade coming back to WWE? Outside of a great theme, I don't recall anything spectacular about him beyond solid mid-carder
Perhaps there's hope for him cutting promos in Spanish in pre-taped vignettes like Shinsuke, unless they actually pair him with Charlotte
After Rock's "Head of the Table" comment, gotta wonder what they have planned for Cody at Mania this year.
In order of least to most appealing:
1 - Multi-way Raw title match with Cody v Punk v Seth (multi-way with 3 babyfaces = yuck)
2 - Cody v Drew (Not sure how they can drum up enough interest in this. Maybe Drew gets involved in title picture or faces Jey Uso alternatively)
3 - Cody v Logan Paul (Could be slightly interesting w/ or w/o US title ramifications)
4 - Cody/Randy v Judgement Day (tag titles - but Cody v JD seems overdone at this point after SS War Games)
5 - Cody v Steiner/Breaker (Steiner makes his debut in Rumble, Cody eliminates in final 4 then gets attacked on Raw. They can play up the family histories)
Some other stuff I can see potentially happening at Mania:
Brock v Gunther (IC title)
Uso v Uso
Orton/(Knight/Cody/Styles) v Judgement Day for tag titles
KO v Solo for US Title
Rey v Santos
Cody/Styles/Knight/Sami v Logan Paul (or even Solo if Paul still has the US strap)
Knight v Styles if not Paul
The women's picture seems much more complicated. There's likely to be some kinda cluster**** with several teams for the tag titles.
SD title: Io v Bayley (unless Bayley costs her the title before this, then Bianca probably in title match or maybe a 3-way here)
Rhea....
- Do they trust Jade yet? She'd have to win Rumble & probably this match too. Not sure they're there yet.
- Any possibility of Sasha returning?
- Was thinking this would be Becky's spot, but Nia clipping her clean on Raw takes away some of that steam. Would assume they'd want to get Becky hot if this match were happening.
- Bianca wins the Rumble?
- PLEASE NOT Nia Jax unless Rhea is going to destroy her.
Is it just me or is Rock's current character WOAT level? Pro-USA anti-foreigner stuff in 2024? Getting the crowd to chant lame things? Just awful. At least the Head of the Table comment salvaged it from being a complete dumpster fire.
I'm not going to put any grand superlatives on it and claim that he's a worse character than, say, Xanta Claus, but The Rock is not an enjoyable wrestling character in the modern day beyond the nostalgia pops.
L.A. Knight may be a better Rock now than the Rock, but I'll give the guy a break. He's almost old enough to be a grandpa. This is almost certainly his last hurrah, should it happen. Just hope he doesn't kill himself. I mean he doesn't look nearly as flexible as he was in his prime and we remember what happened to a guy the same age (Shane) last year and even the Rock himself last time he wrestled.
L.A. Knight may be a better Rock now than the Rock, but I'll give the guy a break. He's almost old enough to be a grandpa. This is almost certainly his last hurrah, should it happen. Just hope he doesn't kill himself. I mean he doesn't look nearly as flexible as he was in his prime and we remember what happened to a guy the same age (Shane) last year and even the Rock himself last time he wrestled.
Yeah Rock vs. Cena Twice in a Lifetime was almost 11 years ago and Rock struggled. Can’t see it being much better more than a decade later.
L.A. Knight may be a better Rock now than the Rock, but I'll give the guy a break. He's almost old enough to be a grandpa. This is almost certainly his last hurrah, should it happen. Just hope he doesn't kill himself. I mean he doesn't look nearly as flexible as he was in his prime and we remember what happened to a guy the same age (Shane) last year and even the Rock himself last time he wrestled.
I mean I'll give him a break too, if "giving him a break" means hoping he doesn't get hurt. But him being around sure doesn't help make WrestleMania more appealing.
The story is already there. He really doesn't have to do much to hype people for it. Maybe the internet community won't be impressed, but the mainstream appeal will be massive if he just shows up and doesn't tear a muscle.
Yes, I understand why they would do it, but WWE isn’t remotely in a position to fold no matter what they do, so their business success doesn’t do anything positive or negative for me. I’d just like to see a good WrestleMania.
Looking forward to the “you still got it” chants
Just watched Jinder/Rock segment. Ugh. Cringe.
And the fact that the crowd went nuts over it makes me think that today's WWE product just isn't for me.
I'll still watch the Rumble though.
Just watched Jinder/Rock segment. Ugh. Cringe.
And the fact that the crowd went nuts over it makes me think that today's WWE product just isn't for me.
I'll still watch the Rumble though.
I mean I’ve largely arrived at the same conclusion, which has me barely ever watching new stuff, but I’m not inclined to conclude that much from the crowd loving The Rock. Regardless of what he now is, he’s one of the GOATs and people (in a wrestling context and otherwise) unfortunately tend to not want to revise their previously held views even when confronted with new data.
One of the things that drives me nuts about today's product, and it happened in the first match last night, is when someone who is supposed to be incapacitated enough for another guy to climb the ropes and jump on him, not so subtly moves himself into position to be jumped on. It just looks awful and should be the person performing the offensive move's obligation to put the guy on the mat where he needs him.
I had a lot of hopes for wrestlemania til
I found out it’ll be punk and the ****ing
Rock going over
No idea what I’m hoping for at this point
Got some good news for you. Though it makes sense, Rock will not be winning and we'll have another year of Roman.
Is it me or the build up for the women's Rumble hasn't been up to par with the one for the men?
Who are the credible threats to win it on the women's side?
I guess Becky, Bayley and Nia Jax?
Women's match probably has as many credible threats as the men's.
Is it me or the build up for the women's Rumble hasn't been up to par with the one for the men?
Who are the credible threats to win it on the women's side?
I guess Becky, Bayley and Nia Jax?
I'd say a returning Liv Morgan or (longshot) returning Sasha/Mercedes, along with those 3.
For men, Gunther, Punk, and Cody seem the main threats, so seems roughly equal.
Not likely to win it, but I'd also consider Bianca credible. Asuka. Maybe Alexa Bliss returns. Racquel Rodriguez. There are quite a few who can make it a show. And because the women's roster is smaller, there are generally more surprise entrants.
You are right, a lot of names that didn't pop OTOH. I don't think they promoted enough these women though.
I thought Bianca had a belt so I had discarded her, my bad.
I'd love Sasha to return, but I don't hold my breath.
Could Charlotte return or is she still injured?
Charlotte is probably out till summer. Unless they intentionally mis-reported her injury, which they do sometimes to make them look super human.
Drew McIntyre still doing the 3-2-1 countdown to his finisher when he's a full-blown heel is nonsense I'd expect out of a Road Dogg, not this guy
Also stop calling the avalanche backdrop goddamn White Noise
