**WWE Raw/Smackdown Viewing Thread**

That match was all finishers! 7 / 10!

I saw two videos of Punk wrestling at house shows and am left confused. I want to see Punk and Gunther on Raw. Big stars should be carrying the shows.

Back in the day the intercontinental title was a mid card raw event. Finishing with it sucks imo.

back in the day the Intercontinental title holder was Honky Tonk Man 😇

You would have hated the early 90s.

My first live show was in 1982. I was there for Jimmy Superfly Snuka but ****ing Hogan vs Beefcake headlined. I have hated that man and his lackeys for a looooong time.

Hogan/Beefcake in '82?

Biggest thing I remember was at the end, guys stormed out of the locker room, and one of them, I think it was Tony Atlas, came out to make the save with shampoo in his hair. really sold the "empty the locker rooms" feeling.

CM Punk recently recreated this old school vibe at a house show.

Cena/Cody both cooked on the mic. Great to finally see a proper back and forth.

Still on the dump that scammer Logan Paul train. Fast forwarded through his segment and am sad they're wasting AJ with him.

I am never learning the lyrics to anyone's song except Cody Kingdom. I don't even know what they're saying in Cult of Personality other than LIKE MUSSOLINI

LOOK IN MY EYES

WHAT DO YA SEE

A CULT OF PERSONALITY

That's as far as I can go.

It's a great song so I should know more but yeah.

I only know the woooa parts of the Cody song too.

I hope the "PRIME IS 💩" chant from this crowd catches on in the States

Adrenaline, in my soul
What the ****, I’m Cody Rhodes

If that wasn’t cena’s best promo ever it was damn close. Wow

Cody definitely not as good but he was still fantastic. Still god damn cena was good

Charlotte needs to be moved down after she loses to Tiffy at WM.

Watching their segment made me feel uncomfortable.

In a weird good way because I like a train wreck.

Some people succeed in juggling kayfabe with irl stuff like CM Punk and clearly Charlotte cannot.

Don't be ****ing telling people Tiffy is dating Ludwig!

I watched the segment four times. Charlotte literally couldn't stand the heat.

Tossing the mic after "0 and 3? Woooo!" and Tiffy Time is already halfway up the ramp posing with the belt while Charlotte is hitting struggle bars and picking her Sonic Coins up off the mat.

I like Seth Rollins. He's who I'm hoping to win.

For the company! Reward for hard work etc.

I haven't been watching much at all over the past year+ but saw Mania was this weekend and set up plans to watch it. Then I looked at the card so here's a silly lapsed fan take on what we got going on:

Night 1:

1. Jade Cargill vs Naomi: I'm mostly surprised to see Naomi not just still in WWE but having a singles match at mania. Glad to see so many womens matches this year (def better than the way it used to be!) but I can't imagine anyone is clamoring for this one.

2. Rey Mysterio vs El Grande Americano: I have no idea who this guy is sorry. Not sure I'm excited for a Rey match in 2025 but hopefully it'll be fine.

3. LA Knight vs Jacob Fatu: Never really got the LA Knight thing tbh (always viewed him as Temu SCSA) but the crowd loves him and I know Jacob Fatu can go so this one should be entertaining.

4. War Raiders vs New Day: I always thought the War Raiders were better in the ring than their spot on the card but were held back by the silly viking gimmick (I blame Vince?). New Day are usually enjoyable enough so this should be a solid match?

5. Tiffany Stratton vs Charlotte Flair: I've never liked Charlotte - character or her matches really - and idk Tiffany Stratton so this will likely be my grab a second plate of food match.

6. Gunther vs Jey Uso: Ages ago when I still posted here regularly I mentioned that I didn't get Gunther/Walter cause he was just a big lumbering slow dude that chopped people. Then he lost weight and now he rules. Was he always great and I was a hater? Or did him getting in better shape help him move better and kill it? It's probably the first. He deserves a better match than Jey Uso (why did Jey Uso win the rumble wtf).

7. Rollins vs Reigns vs Punk: Clear cut Main Event and should be match of the night. Rollins is probably on this generations Mt Rushmore of wrestling, Reigns is a mega star, and people still like Punk (I thought he had clearly lost a few steps and was sloppy back in AEW and I can't imagine years have changed that ... father time catches us all I guess). Crowd should be hot.

Lapsed Fan Night 1 Excitement Grade: 4/10. Nothing here really making me think I have to be sure to be there. That said it's mania and it'll still be fun to watch.

Night 2:

AJ Styles vs Logan Paul: talk about someone who deserves better. Styles is incredible and I care 0 amount about Logan Paul even if he's good in the ring.

Priest vs Drew: Feels like the same thing as Gunther vs Jey. Drew is awesome. Priest is whatever.

Bron Breakker vs Dom vs Penta vs Finn: Conceptually this should kick ass. Breaker is a powerhouse, Penta has been sick for ages, Finn isn't my favorite but can bring it, and Dom is a great slimy heel. Expecting all 4 to bring it.

Liv & Raquel vs Bayley & Lyra: Bayley and Liv are good. Idk much about the other two. More excited for this than the womens matches on night 1.

Iyo Sky vs Rhea Ripley vs Bianca Belair: This is gonna be a banger. All three of them kick ass.

Cody Rhodes vs John Cena: Yeah I'm gonna watch this one for sure. Cenas last mania, potential record breaking title win, heel cena, idk how much nonsense will be involved but it should be fun af.

Lapsed Fan Night 2 Excitement Grade: 8/10. 4 way and triple threat will probs compete for match of the weekend and cody vs cena should be a spectacle in some capacity.

Now its time to learn from yall that the hottest feuds are actually ones i know nothing about!!

Only a little less lapsed than you and agree with pretty much everything.

Don't think I'll bother with much of Night 1, certainly not live.

Night 2 seems solid.

PS: El Grande Americano is Chad Gable doing a Lucha Libre gimmick, where he denies that it's him (like Mr America or The Blue Blazer).

Notes:

Naomi is married to Jimmy Uso.

Jacob Fatu is going to murder LA Knight. Logan Paul had the best take on Knight, he's just a gym bro with a spray tan and a catchphrase.

Big E will return to destroy The New Day

I just checked my watch and it is Tiffy Time. She's great! What more do you want.

Jey Uso won the Rumble because Yeet.

I am the only Logan Paul fan. Have you seen his new finisher? Holy ****. AJ time has passed.

They have been pushing Lyra to the moon and it's working for me, I like her attitude. Liv is the best, she's so full of herself it just oozes everywhere.

The Rock has to return I guess and cost Cody the championship. I don't see another way.

WHAT

I get why Chilltown hates him but I’m all for Logan Paul. Dude is nuclear Heat and super skllled, wouldn’t hate him holding the belt

I saw some random theory that el grande american is Sami Zayn and man I am 1000% here for it if so

Fatu is obviously gonna obliterate LAK, and that’s fine, but I’m curious where that leaves that other idiot

Unless Big E got an update that shows he won’t literally die no shot on his return. I hope he has that and delivers on that but absent that zero chance H et Al signs off on him doing literally anything

I tend to think Seth wins the night 1 main event but if ever there was a time for AJ to return getting punk over is the time

The reason why logan paul gets "nuclear heat" is because he is actually a huge ******* and a terrible person. It's not because he plays his "wwe-villain-role" well.

He's not playing a role or pretending - he's actually a ****ing scumbag in real life.

Yes - he's physically talented and good in the ring - that's not the point or the issue.

Paul is 1000% a scumbag POS, him and his brother deserve to both be buried under the jail and I wont ever say otherwise

BUT he is very talented at what he does in the ring and I as a wrestling fan can’t hate on his value as a performer

Objectively speaking Logan Paul is a legitimate main event heel. The morality of it is kind of the point

I have bad news about Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Paul Heyman, Vince, etc, etc, pretty much everybody except Mick Foley is a bad person.

I vaguely remember seeing some story about Foley being inappropriate with young women

Possible I’m imagining that