Jackpot

Jericho has repeatedly said he's gutted he didn't get a chance to buy WCW, I wonder if he's got his eye on this.

Jericho wouldn't touch.............................................................................................it

I was pondering the rope colour change earlier (came to the decision that it must be swapping sets [with purple-logo turnbuckle pads attached] rather than re-taping, but maybe not if PunkStep is right) and arrived at this thought - how would people feel if they officially turned an hour of Raw over to the cruisers? Made it a show-within-a-show, a semi-official 4th brand?

 

Call it "Raw Cruiserweight" using the logo they are now, keep the same purple theme, have Phillips & Graves call it, retain a core roster but use local indy guys as required to make up some numbers.

 

Might go some way to appeasing those who think Raw is too long, attract an alternative audience who'll then stick around for a seemingly shorter main show etc. etc.

I like the concept of the idea, but where do you put it?

 

First, second or third hour of RAW? 

It'll be interesting to see when Cesaro/Sheamus get their title match. 

 

They'll be known as Sheasaro in a couple of weeks.

If they had signed him in 2014, would he have been treated as much as a star as they have now?

Is Hogan back in their good graces?

 

Using his voice in showing what's happening on the network next month as well as him and Rock facing off in one of the clips.

 

Public Enemy against the Funk Brothers in a barbed wire match.

When was that?

 

Yesterday morning, just before me dinner.

Public Enemy against the Funk Brothers in a barbed wire match.

 

Owens could be a star and what's been shown over the past few years, is that an anti-American will still get booed and be hated. So turn him into a Canadian nationalist, just like Bret was. Get Jericho to be his second in command. Fuck it, throw Sami Zayn in there as well because he and Owens can't be kept apart and give Bobby Roode a call up from NXT.

Depends who they position as their top babyface. Rusev is cheered against Cena and Reigns, their two top pushed babyfaces of the last seven or so years.

 

Also, that stable is full of Indy guys that will get cheered. Even Jericho gets cheered because he's good. The whole cheer for people who are talented thing really fucks things up when you're presenting a fake battle between good and bad guys.

 

Rusev got booed against Cena. It's only now with Rusev losing the feud that people have a cob on with it but Cena was cheered because he was supporting the USA. As for Reigns, he's still getting booed because it isn't a Bulgaria/USA feud (thankfully). If it did, Reigns would receive cheers. Any babyface against an anti-America heel/stable would get cheered, just ask Jack fucking Swagger of all people.

 

Indy lads or not, if it's anti-American, they'll get booed. Bret, Owen, Bulldog, Pillman. Four of the most respected men during their time got booed out of every arena in America because of their anti-American stance. Owens has already shown he can turn the fans against him - from "you deserve it chants" to boo's within the same promo. Jericho can turn the fans against him because he's that good on the mic. Roode has a track record with his Canada stable in TNA of getting fans to boo him because of an anti-American gimmick. Zayn can just stand in the background and let the other three create the heat.

Owens could be a star and what's been shown over the past few years, is that an anti-American will still get booed and be hated. So turn him into a Canadian nationalist, just like Bret was. Get Jericho to be his second in command. Fuck it, throw Sami Zayn in there as well because he and Owens can't be kept apart and give Bobby Roode a call up from NXT. 

Jesus Christ, Foley was fucking useless wasn't he? And we see Seth going into Steph's "office", return from the break to just see them standing in the same spot that everybody else has stood in for the entire show. Is it really that difficult to put a camera inside a real room and make it look genuine? 

 

Rollins and Rusev was a decent match but for no reason. Surely Seth should be chuffed with Rusev for not allowing his Universal Title match become a triple threat at Clash of Champions. And the count-out finish could be seen a mile off. Also that stage looks about as high as Ronnie Corbett's (RIP) knee high socks, while they're trying to sell it as dangerously high. It's another thing from days gone by, where a fall from the stage looked high - maybe not as high as JR would call it though.

 

Strowman and Sin Cara again. Great! It seems a bit funny that they're advertising Hispanic Heritage month, while having somebody of Hispanic Heritage getting the shit kicked out of them.

 

Women's tag match was the same old stuff involving the girls. I wouldn't be surprised if they put the title back on Sasha on Sunday and build her/Bayley up for Mania.

 

The crowd chanting "Let's go jobber" was probably the most entertaining thing of the Bo Dallas/jobber match. Quite possibly the most entertaining thing on the entire show that didn't involve Jericho. I was expecting his list to turn into a parody of his "1004 holds" promo. Instead it turned into a cluster fuck of tag teams. And the subsequent match was just as shit, unfortunately.

 

Cesaro won to set up a seventh and final match between him and Sheamus. Nobody was expecting that were they?

 

Cruiserweights were ok. Surprised, and somewhat disappointed, that they've got straight to Kendrick. You could tell that he was the only most of the crowd knew though, so that's probably the reason. Also, to not TJP there on the debut of the Cruiserweights, was just fucking daft in my opinion. He didn't need to wrestle but he, and the title, should have been there.

 

Cage match was another disappointment. Good enough match but the ending was an embarrassment. Owens lying there waiting for Reigns to jump over the top before getting out of the door, just too late of course. Then Rusev getting battered by a fella who has just gone through a gruelling cage match. And the Rollins jump from the top of the cage while Owens and Rusev stand around like a couple of spare parts at a wedding. 

 

Really poor go-show!

I resent that last remark

 

Do we actually count Bootle as a nearby "town". I've always considered it part of the city and I wouldn't go and tell Jamie Carragher that he wasn't actually a Scouser because he's not from Liverpool, rather a "nearby town".

 

I was working in Widnes the other week and was offered a lift back to Liverpool but I'd have to get off in Bootle and cab it from there. So instead I just jumped the train to Lime St and walked the rest of the way.

 

If you are looking for hotels, that aren't gonna an arm and a leg, there's the Olympia Hotel facing the arena itself but it doesn't look much from the outside. The Manor Hotel on Edge Lane is about 20 minutes walk from the Olympia, Devonshire House a little further down Edge Lane or the Beech Mount, which is meant to be quite nice. Again, probably a 20 minute walk or a few quid in a cab.

Technically Bootle isn't part of the city its part of Sefton. Even the court there is Sefton Magistrates. But that's just me being picky. The amount of distance between the city centre and Bootle Town Centre is negligible. It takes about 7-8 minutes on the bus in the morning.

 

Same way Huyton is part of Knowsley but is still regarded by everybody as part of the city. 

 

Anyway, ROH, yeah should be a great show judging by the main event that has been booked.

Do we actually count Bootle as a nearby "town". I've always considered it part of the city and I wouldn't go and tell Jamie Carragher that he wasn't actually a Scouser because he's not from Liverpool, rather a "nearby town". 

 

I was working in Widnes the other week and was offered a lift back to Liverpool but I'd have to get off in Bootle and cab it from there. So instead I just jumped the train to Lime St and walked the rest of the way.

 

If you are looking for hotels, that aren't gonna an arm and a leg, there's the Olympia Hotel facing the arena itself but it doesn't look much from the outside. The Manor Hotel on Edge Lane is about 20 minutes walk from the Olympia, Devonshire House a little further down Edge Lane or the Beech Mount, which is meant to be quite nice. Again, probably a 20 minute walk or a few quid in a cab.

I've only ever sat in the first balcony (I'll be second row for the upcoming ROH show) but I actually quite liked the Olympia as a venue inside.  Scruffy as hell on the outside, and the walk up to the place from the city centre makes you question what you're doing with your life, but it had a certain charm.

 

That gave me a proper laugh that.

 

It could be worse though, you could come up from Shiel Rd end and really question yourself. They've reopened the mosque just up the road from the Olympia now, which at least gives the top end a bit of life. And the music shop at least looks nice but I don't think I've ever seen anybody in there.

Cheers mate, I'll have to try and get in there for a show at some point then. 

Is the Olympia any good as a venue? Whenever I've walked past it always look big but looks run down. 

 

Mind you, most of West Derby Rd looks run down, especially that "hotel" on the opposite side to the Olympia.

Team her up with Zeb and form the United State of Norwich.

 

Have her accompanied to the ring by Delia, Alan Partridge and Ed Balls. 

Women's match to open was alright, though surprised to see Bayley take the fall. Surely, with Dana in there, it made sense for her to be the one to lose. That would give Charlotte even more reason to berate her. 

 

Bo Dallas is beating jobbers - again. Is he eligible for the Cruiserweight division? Because they can't be building him for either the US or Universal Titles.

 

Zayn and Jericho on the highlight reel was ok. Nothing special and nowhere near as good as Jericho has been recently. Still, one of the more entertaining spots on a rather bland show.

 

Cesaro and Sheamus are still going at it, Cesaro is still wearing his dodgy tape on both shoulder and back. Sheamus can beat a fully healthy Cesaro three times, but Cesaro with a dodgy back can now beat Sheamus. It's going the full seven matches! And knowing WWE, they'll probably have the seventh match end in a double count-out at Clash of Champions so we can a definitive answer inside Hell in a Cell (RAW's next brand only ppv)

 

Nia Jax looked as good as here as she has since she made the jump to the main roster. Spearing Fox through the barricade was something different for the women, so that's a plus.

 

New Day against the Club was a decent enough match, the promo bit beforehand though went on an age. I don't know whether they're dragging the reign out to beat Demolition's but if they are, we've got another thirteen weeks (at least) of New Day as champs as they're currently 91 days behind Demolition. Not long after that though is Roadblock, a RAW exclusive PPV. Just in time for them to drop the titles and Big E to win the Rumble.

 

Jack Swagger and Jinder Mahal in the New Era. Good fucking god.

 

Enzo jobbing last week to the Shining Stars was bad enough, this week he had to do it again. Even if it was by outside help from the other one. Enzo and Cass have gone from Jericho and Owens to the Primo and Epico. What a fucking fall and by no fault of their own because they still remain the most over act in the company. Like New Day, it's amazing what crowd interaction can accomplish.

 

Main event saved the show from being a total waste of time. Happy to see Reigns lose - not because I hate him but because putting him back in the main event would do him no favours right now - happy to see Rusev, completely unexpected, happy to see Owens win and call out Rollins' "annoying" laugh. Happy to see no Steph, not so happy to see Foley here there and everywhere though. 

 

Maybe Sheamus will injure a different part of his body in the rest of the best of seven series until Cesaro comes out as a mummy.

 

 

He had matching tape for his back injury last week.

 

Maybe Sheamus will injure a different part of his body in the rest of the best of seven series until Cesaro comes out as a mummy.

Is Owens a good heel now?

 

The crowd were chanting for him and he got them all to boo him instead or is he still a shit heel because he might do a moonsault every now and then.

Rusev is off on a 23 day honeymoon with Lana, which keeps him out of Clash of Champions.

Sasha returning to fight Charlotte at Clash of the Champions, where does that leave Bayley - given she's just defeated the champion. 

Wasn't Owens flirting around the Authority for a while anyway without actually being officially a part of it? 

 

There were definite backstage segments of him and Triple H being quite pally and a few times him sucking up to Steph. Maybe all along he was "their" guy and it wasn't a coincidence that he was in the right place at the right time. Though I do hope we don't get any more Authority based stories for a few good years.

Cole called it a "suicide dive". (I think it may have been Bayley's)

 

That's gotta be the first in over a decade hasn't it? Usually it's just a "dive"

 

I thought overall RAW was enjoyable enough though. I enjoyed the opening with Owens, Cass, Reigns and Rollins. All four did well, even with Seth's laugh slipping into the equation. That, along with the individual video packages, made the main event feel even bigger. 

 

Jericho's interview backstage continued Jericho's excellent run of late. "no he isn't going to get it, that doesn't even make sense you stupid idiot" And his match with Neville was a good, fun opener. An old fashioned Walls of Jericho rather than just the renamed Boston Crab that he's been doing for years. Cole even called it the Liontamer.

 

Nia Jax against that other bird is an acceptable match because it gave us the chance to see Andrea D'Marco, who may just be the best the best looker on the roster right now. 

 

I didn't really get the Sami Zayn match against Mahal. It was there to play up Zayn's injured ankle yet before his finisher he's jumping up and down on it, after selling the injury so well for the rest of the match. The finish was just daft.

 

They've now saddled The Club with a shit gimmick and a shit "tag team" partner in Dana. I still like New Day though and given how over they remain, it makes sense to put Bayley with them to. Inside the ring, Gallows and Anderson remain quality though. They've gone from jokes about cock and balls to acronyms for old fart.

 

Much like their match at SummerSlam, Sheamus and Cesaro was fine if it's the first time you've seen them go at it. I hope that the Cesaro back injury is a work just so we're not getting these two going at every single week and it just breaks the routine. Also the way Sheamus handled the "what?" chants was excellent. Not very often do I praise Shemaus on the mic, so this a big well done.

 

Strowman is ace in this role. Eventually though it has to move beyond just squashing folk.

 

Heyman and Steph? Pretty boring in all honesty as was the Titus/Young match. I really don't know where that feud is going or why we're getting it in the first place. New Generation, throw Bob Backlund there. New Era, throw Bob Backlund there. I can't wait for the next "new" phase of wrestling so 90 year old Bob Backlund can be wheeled out again.

 

Main event was fantastic. The crowd were well into it and from booing Reigns, they turned to joining in with his roar. Owens looked like the opportunistic type. Rollins is turning face, it has to happen. And Cass again excelled but should not be getting a proper singles push any time soon. Keep and Enzo together. Triple H being made to look better than the rest is expected in today's WWE. Every past star is better than the current lot. They keep reminding us often enough. The stare off with Foley at the end and the look on Steph's face though, suggests that this is the start of a power struggle between Trips and them. 

 

Owens and Ambrose are our two champions. I'm happy with that.