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#521 |
I believe in Joe Hendry
Posts: 22,349
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#522 |
Taller than Adam Cole
Posts: 10,876
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I'm pretty sure I've won at least two Universal Titles back in my E-Wrestling days.
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#523 |
WOOOOOOOOO!
Posts: 12,237
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#524 | |
Wrestling Marks Rejoice!
Posts: 10,166
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Quote:
Unless the U.S. strap is over on SD. Then I just fucked that up. |
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#525 |
Wrestling Marks Rejoice!
Posts: 10,166
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#526 |
Let me talk to ya
Posts: 11,749
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I was only talking about the 3 main titles. The mid card titles would stay as they are. Universal Championship sounds like it's a mid card title, needs Heavyweight in there.
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#527 | |
Legit Jive Soul Bro
Posts: 372
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Quote:
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#528 |
quesque fuck?
Posts: 23,553
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If anybody is shitting on ANYTHING that happend tonight then you are awful. THAT is what RAW should be. That was awesome. Best RAW in like 10 years. I can actually watch that and not be embarrassed.
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#529 |
quesque fuck?
Posts: 23,553
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Title name kinda stinks though. Main theme is meh.
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#530 |
quesque fuck?
Posts: 23,553
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I'm awful.
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#531 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
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lol don't know how you can complain about Fergal Devitt, one of the best workers around the world for the past decade being given LEGIT shine on RAW.
Who gives a shit if it makes NXT guys look good. You know why they seem better than the main roster guys? Because Devitt is better than 98% of the roster. Not everything needs to be cookie cutter. it's not like Balor hasn't paid his dues for years and years. I'd rather they give him some god damned momentum before he's running away from Kane begging for his life. |
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#532 | |
quesque fuck?
Posts: 23,553
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Quote:
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#533 |
Posts: 61,533
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Universal Title is a stupid name. RAW itself sounds fresh.
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#534 |
Posts: 61,533
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At some point, you have to figure that the hammer will drop and The Club are going to either align with Balor or against him.
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#535 |
Reigning Tipsters Champ!
Posts: 2,088
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I haven't watched wrestling since the PPV after Mania (forgot the name). Am on vacation with nothing to do and decided to watch Battleground and the new Raw to see what was up after the split. I really thought it was so promising in almost every way.
A new main event star right out of the gate in Balor. A tag title feud with two teams that are both over. Still strong lineups for two 4 way matches for a world title, believable names in each match up proves they have the basis of a strong roster and won't need to mix them. Already people look and feel higher on the card and more important. Zayn and Banks for example, have been elevated more in two shows than in 2-3 months of work recently. People like Neville and Nia Jax had time and attention given to their debut/return. Both felt important and it wasn't rushed. It was quick and both looked strong, but the spotlight was vert much on them. It feels like individuals will have time and attention to shine. To go with that, we weren't treated to 2+ hours of McMahon skits and arguments. It was shorter segments that just served to give direction to the show and set up the story for the night. Also, Foley is so likeable to me and immediately feels fresher. Even people who were afterthoughts in the draft, like Curtis Axel, have something going on. It could be small and insignificant but am interested in where "Mr Irrelevent" will go angle wise. Hopefully a sign that writers can work with a smaller roster and have everyone doing something. I don't know how the future will be, but that was the best Raw I have seen in years and am definitely back to watching on a weekly basis. Really hope this is a sign of things to come. |
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#536 |
WOOOOOOOOO!
Posts: 12,237
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Balor being put in the title scene right away isn't anything new....let's not forget Santino won the IC belt in his debut match
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#537 |
President of Freedonia
Posts: 58,329
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When my only complaints of the show were the new theme song and the name of the new title (which again doesn't even really matter since I'm likely to just call it the Raw title)...I'd say that's a very successful night.
The presentation was largely great. It felt like I was watching something new for the first time in years. The commentary felt leaps and bounds ahead of what it had been now that Cole and JBL have been separated. Whether this means JBL was the entire problem or not won't be known until I watch SmackDown and see if he is just as insufferable with Mauro. Even the red ropes, while such a minor touch, looked a lot sharper than the boring white ropes they'd been using. The Women's Title match stole the show with the main event and both fatal four ways being excellent as well. Most of the other matches were squashes but watching it I didn't even care because it all made sense for what they were trying to accomplish. Loved Jax and Strowman going over local competitors instead of sacrificing members of the regular roster this early. The tag match was whatever but it wouldn't surprise me to see Enzo and Cass and the Shining Stars have a mini-feud, mainly because Enzo and Cass will need something to do while The Club handle their business with New Day. Neville looked good in his re-debut and they even seem to be trying to do something with Axel with the "Mr. Irrelevant" gimmick. Definitely on board to watch again next week. Hopefully SmackDown can churn out a strong show tonight as well. |
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#538 |
( ._.)
Posts: 14,250
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I think WWE was smart enough to know that if Roman won a lot of people would tune out next week.
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#539 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
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JBL and Cole together are probably just lazy. Corey Graves would likely force Cole to up his game a bit. The little I saw (the 2 Balor matches), Cole definitely was a bit better with his story telling.
I still found Byron Saxton mostly talks in fucking pitiful soundbites. The guy is a complete and utter tool. |
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#540 |
( ._.)
Posts: 14,250
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#541 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
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I honestly think it mostly has to do with the Wellness Violation. Up until that point, it really seemed Vince was going to sacrifice everything to get his pet project over. Even after he lost, the attention was still on him with that interview. He worked a really good match though and has been consistently quite a good worker, minus his shit performance at Mania this year. I hope he really amps up the character work, and by the time the company is ready to hand him the ball again (which I think will be sooner rather than later) he can kick it into high gear, and take off.
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#542 |
( ._.)
Posts: 14,250
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Yeah maybe.
I just got a text from CyNick stating that the best way to get Finn Balor over is to have him lose his next to matches to Reigns. It will get him over because he is working with the face of Raw. |
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#543 |
boop/bop/beep
Posts: 38,430
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lol
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#544 |
Cranky Kong
Posts: 78,671
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Raw was tight as fuck.
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#545 |
Let me talk to ya
Posts: 11,749
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That's great stuff. I'm a big fan of Finn Balor and love what he's done in NJPW and NXT. He is definitely worthy of being this Universal Champion. I just like to see a build to getting a title shot which seems non existent these days. Good for Finn he is deserving but not as much as guys like Owens, Cesaro, or even Zayn.
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#546 |
TPWW's #3 Peep
Posts: 20,903
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Good Raw.
I can understand the opening promo as an introduction to the New Era, but I really hope that's the end of the 20-minute McMahon promos opening every show. |
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#547 |
Large Marge sent me
Posts: 32,361
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Def a great show. Glad to see squash matches return. Like Vito said, gets someone unfamiliar over and you don't have to sacrifice multiple low to mid card talent just to build them up.
Kudos. I'm actually going to watch the Down tonight even though that Raw will be hard to follow and I like Raws roster better. Hope to see Little Miss Bliss. |
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#548 |
Posts: 33
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Really enjoyed the show. Says it all that my only complaint from the episode is the name of the title. Things just didn't seem as rushed. Hopefully it continues and I'm looking forward to Smackdown.
After this episode for some reason I really want to see Reigns with The Club. Have them approach him saying sounds like everyone is against him and they're used to that. Reigns can help get the tag titles off The New Day for massive heat and you've got a huge heel to feud with a face Seth Rollins. You could even put The Club's emblem on Reign's stupid vest. |
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#549 | |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,659
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Quote:
Even commentary improved by a lot just by refreshing up the teams. The biggest problem with JBL and Cole after a while was JBL becoming nothing more than just a mouth piece for Vince while Cole was way too lazy to call moves in matches. Only issue I have from last night was it seemed like Corey Graves was slowly getting into JBL territory with random insults to Saxton. He insulted other commentators on NXT but usually had a setup or a reason given to do so. |
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#550 |
Posts: 61,533
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I watched the show and it was better than I thought it would be. Everything had some kind of fresh aesthetic to it. Even the two Fatal 4-Ways to crown contenders was alright, because the blow was softened by Mick Foley, the matches were incredible (everybody came out looking better) and you ultimately have nine men fighting over this new title instead of eight as it would be in a traditional tournament. Plus it seems like they are creating a new star for potentially new viewers to latch onto.
We didn't even see the roster in full flight. Seth Rollins, The Club, Paige, Big Show, The Dudleys, Mark Henry, Darren Young, Titus O'Neil, Jack Swagger, Sin Cara and Bo Dallas were all left off the actual card portion. The result of the Universal Title match at SummerSlam isn't even predictable. We could see a clean finish with either Balor or Rollins going over. The Club could get involved on either side of the equation. Roman Reigns is still an x-factor. After seeing Reigns work heel against Balor (which he fucking owned, by the way), Reigns costing Balor the Universal Title and starting a blood-feud with Balor would be far from the worst thing they could concoct. The name Universal Title is also growing on me. They call their fans the "WWE Universe" and they're under the "NBC Universal" umbrella. It makes sense. |
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#551 |
RIP SABU
Posts: 35,541
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And years before that, Carlito beat Cena for the U.S. title in his WWE debut, then went to RAW, and on his first night there, defeated Shelton Benjamin for the IC title.
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#552 |
RIP SABU
Posts: 35,541
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#553 |
King K Cool
Posts: 28,472
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Overall, I enjoyed Raw.
It was probably the most I've enjoyed Raw in a long time. It actually felt like I was watching something new and fresh. Starting from the beginning, I've already said I like the new logo, but I also like the new theme and the new opening. I like that Raw has a metal factory theme to it. Along with the logo, it's a slight nod to Raw's history. The announce table being at the side of the set is good, but I'm not too keen on the fact that every time Cole, Saxton & Graves are on screen, they're standing. It comes across as somewhat awkward and more like they're presenters than an announce team. Also, I really enjoyed Graves on commentary. He's much better than JBL, but it's just a shame that Saxton is still there. I've never really been a fan of him. I was so happy to see the return of the red ropes. They are miles and miles better than white ropes. I really hope we never see white ropes again as they're just terrible. However, I am expecting to see them at joint PPV's, but if I had my way, I would prefer to see the return of black ropes for joint PPV's. I'm a bit disappointed in the set. I was expecting something completely different, but instead, we get an arch and a few more LED lights at the side. That's it. Another thing I'm disappointed in is the name of the new Championship. "WWE Universal Championship" is God-awful. It sounds like an eight year old came up with the name. It just reminds me of TNA's "Legends Championship". Both are really bad names for championships, but I've got to give the "win" (if you can call it that) to "Universal Championship" when it comes to awful championship names. I really hope the championship has still got to be created and Triple H and the rest of his crew are informed of the feedback for the championship's name and then they decide to change it. Now on to the matches and talent. The first fatal four way match was good. I enjoyed it, even with Kevin Owens in it, who I regularly skip. This was also my introduction to Finn Bálor and my first impression of him is not good, and I know a good few of you here won't like that. I just found him to be quite boring and plain. Everyone joked when Cody Rhodes debuted by calling him "CAWdy Rhodes", but Finn Bálor is like a CAW himself. Even his jacket is plain. He could have at least put something on the back of it. Speaking of his jacket, what was with him constantly pulling on his jacket during his entrance? He was coming across as some sort of greaser, like Deuce 'n Domino. His theme and entrance were pretty lame too and he takes such a long time doing it but I blame his theme for that. I can't say I was surprised when he won, but the way in which he won was pretty weak. One of his finishers is stomping on a guy. I can't buy that. A man his height and weight, winning by jumping on the stomach of a man bigger and heavier than him is just something I can't buy into. It's a boring move, but is treated like it's something devastating. All he is basically doing is climbing to the top and jumping off again and landing on his feet. Big wow. A move like that should be left as a finishing move or a signature move for guys like Spike Dudley. It worked for Spike because he was such a small, weak guy who had to throw everything he had at his opponent to win. A stomp is such a weak move and is only ever devastating if the guy who is doing the stomping is The Big Show, Mark Henry, Big Cass or is on a ladder. The move can be enhanced though. For example, if Bálor ran towards the ropes, jumped on the top rope next to the turnbuckle and turned around in mid-air and stomped on the guy's stomach, that would be so much better than what he does now. Hell, even if he kept it the way it is, but added a flip, that would be better. But enough of Bálor. Next up is Nia Jax and she's already caught my interest. Even though it was a squash match (which by the way, I'm happy to see that they're back), I did like what I saw. I see a Jax/Banks fued coming up after Charlotte fails at her rematch. The other fatal four way was also enjoyable but obvious who was going to win. The only thing we didn't know was who was going to take the fall. The New Day skit was entertaining and we can now look foward to seeing them face Gallows & Anderson at SummerSlam, where I'm certain they'll lose the Tag Team Championships. Next was Curtis F'N Axel. I'm always happy to see Axel in matches, even if he is just jobbing. Sure, I'd like to see him win, but staying positive and remembering that at least he's getting a match is always important. The whole "Mr. Irrelevant" thing is also interesting. I would like to see this continue, hopefully by Axel setting out to prove that he's not irrelevant. Maybe we'll see if the writers can actually focus on and create storylines for talent that's "lower down" on the card. I did like his short "saving the best till last" promo though. Seriously, the guy is great and he should be on TV more and winning more matches. I really miss the days when he was Intercontinental Champion. Let's not forget that he had a match against Triple H and won. I actually missed the Women's Championship match but I did catch the end. It's cool that post-match interviews are back along with pre-match interviews, as was seen before the Braun Strowman match. Speaking of which, I like his new theme and his new look is interesting. Also, what a jobber James Ellsworth was. Enzo & Cass vs The Shining Stars was ok. It was good to see Primo & Epico actually have a match on Raw, two months after they last had one, it was just a shame that they lost due to R-Truth playing Pokémon Go. Finally, Bálor vs Reigns. The big talking point is Bálor actually winning, but it wasn't really that match of a surprise considering what Reigns has been through recently. However, I am expecting Reigns to make it into the match with Bálor and Rollins. Overall, if it wasn't for the uploader of the copy of Raw I watched screwing up the Women's Championship match, it would have been the first Raw in about a year that I watched from start to finish, with no skipping. But I'll claim it as me watching 100% of it anyway. It was good that the focus was on the wrestlers and the matches, and not the McMahon's, along with promos and backstage antics being kept to a reasonable length. Last night's Raw actually felt like a wrestling show for the first time in a long time. I've got high hopes for Raw now. I hope this continues next week and beyond and now it's on to SmackDown, to see how that does. Also, two final things I want to mention are that I was quite surprised when Micheal Cole said "professional wrestling" during Bálor's entrance, and some of the new camera angles/shots were great. |
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#554 |
Wrestling Marks Rejoice!
Posts: 10,166
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Really, I'm sure that "Universal" will begrudgingly grow on people over time.
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#555 | |
Wrestling Marks Rejoice!
Posts: 10,166
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#556 | |
Let me talk to ya
Posts: 11,749
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Quote:
Smackdown could continue with the World theme and brand all their title as World titles with the exception of the Intercontinental Championship. It's in the same boat as the US. WWE World Intercontinental Champion just doesn't sound right to me. They already have the WWE WHC so they just need to create a WWE World Women's Championship and new WWE World Tag Team Championships. |
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#557 | ||
The black Corey Graves
Posts: 3,602
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Quote:
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#558 |
The black Corey Graves
Posts: 3,602
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this. but everyone has their opinions. I felt the nitpicking and complaining was overwhelming in this thread, but again, people can dislike what they want. I personally loved Raw. I look forward to next week.
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#559 |
Quark is Less Impressed.
Posts: 38,371
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Stroman vs. Reigns at SummerFest?
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#560 |
Let me talk to ya
Posts: 11,749
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I thought the show was good I just hate that they continue to hotshot these NXT call ups. It makes no sense to me why you would make your development brand seem more superior to your main roster. Balor just lost the NXT title and a #1 contenders match for the NXT title and now he is in the WWE Universal Championship match. If he wins it puts the NXT title above this new Universal Championship in my opinion.
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