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Obvious problems aside, one practical, easy thing they could do right now to make the shows better? Get some of their WWE.com content on TV immediately. It's frankly ridiculous how much of WWE's best stuff is hidden away online (and not even on the Network). I was watching this Daniel Bryan segment earlier. It's 10 minutes long and it's just excellent. How they can produce stuff of this calibre and not be irresistibly compelled to put it on TV is beyond me.

For all the numerous disappointments that come with being an Arsenal fan these days, the one that makes me most consistently sad at the moment is our fans' refusal to embrace the 'Mah Nà Mah Nà' song for Aubameyang. We've always been one of the worst clubs in football when it comes to songs, we finally get gifted this great one - one that, by its nature, could help defuse some of the aggro, macho vibe around the place - and we throw it away. The true tragedy of the era.

16 hours ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

Enjoyed the Xia Brookside video this week. I haven’t seen a Zoella video before but they were going with a sort of Zoella thing, right? That’s something a bit different and I like it.

I liked this too. It was a little jarring at first because I'm a decrepit old man bemused by YouTubers and what they do, but once I clicked that's what they were going for, I thought it was quite cool. Only thing about it was that it did make Xia seem so, so young; like it's weird to imagine her getting beaten up because she genuinely came across like a little girl. Still, it's intriguing.

16 hours ago, WyattSheepMask said:

I’m skipping these at the moment until the tapings from Glasgow start airing. Last week had a match between Ligero and Ohno were I’m sure I heard someone in the next room cough. Id hoped they would have learn’t after they did the same at the Royal Rumble.

I agree about these tapings from PPV weekends and other events. They drive me crazy and make the whole show rough to watch for weeks. 

The crowd are dead and it also completely ruins my suspension of disbelief when it comes to timelines and story progress too. When NXT tapes a big block of episodes at Full Sail, the only real hint that these episodes aren't taped week-to-week like they pretend is that the crowd's energy occasionally seems out of step with the action, giving away that they've been there for hours. There are no real visual cues or other references: they hide it well. On NXT:UK, though, it feels so lazy. The commentators bang on about all this stuff that happened "last week" while showing you an event that was obviously taped a month ago at Wrestlemania weekend. Toni Storm even cut a promo a couple of weeks ago saying how great it was to be at Mania weekend while the commentators act as if we're weeks removed from it. 

Taping a weekly show in blocks isn't ideal, but it's understandable from a production point of view. If you're going to do it, though, at least try to maintain the illusion that it's a weekly show. At this rate, come December we'll probably be seeing Eddie Dennis beating up Santa in a Christmas themed episode taped in the summer sun at Download Festival.

Glasgow next week though, I think.

While I also long for better booking for Bayley, I actually don't mind what they've done with her on Smackdown so far. I think Bayley's blessing and curse is that she tends to match the level of her opponent. Put her in a ring with Charlotte, Becky or Asuka and you start to think, "she belongs in that mix". Put her in the ring with one of the less talented wrestlers - even an Alexa Bliss, say, let alone a Mandy Rose - and it can be a bit rough. I think she needs strong opponents she can play underdog to for any of her stuff to work. So, sure, she's lost to Charlotte and Becky already, but she's looked good doing it. Even with the losses, I feel like she already looks like more of a competitive threat to Charlotte or Becky than she might have otherwise.

The Smackdown tag division is suffering, right? Personally, I won't miss the Hardys, but it's the one area they're genuinely weaker than Raw right now. Somehow they managed to lose The Usos, the Bar, the Club, the New Day and the Hardys in the space of a month. Who's left? Heavy Machinery, The B Team, Rusev/Nakamura, Sanity and the Colons? Ouch. Something has to be done, surely. Fantasy stuff, probably, but it feels like it'd be the perfect time for a Moustache Mountain or British Strong Style (Bate/Dunn) introduction. The only other babyface tag team I can think of is the Street Profits and I'd say they need some more NXT time. Alternatively, some randoms are getting slung together. Chad Gable's singles dreams could be dashed again pretty quickly.

I can't enjoy watching the IIconics wrestle, but I'll have them on commentary for every women's match ever... toots!

12 hours ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Sami vs Wrestling.

Robert Roode’s moustache.

The Firefly Fun House.

In case you’re interested, i’m listing the best things ever and anyone who disagrees is clearly a cretin..

I submit to the court: The Usos.

A two minute backstage segment on a show filled with all the above good stuff and they still stood out. They are wonderful.

I think it looks like being an intriguing time on Smackdown.

Obviously Roman's there for their FOX deal or whatever, but I think it presents  fascinating opportunity for both him and WWE to see if they can find the right formula to get him the reaction they're looking for. Smackdown being a shorter show stacked with talent usually allows people to thrive. There's usually a bit more roster rotation week-to-week, talent are less exposed and it takes a lot longer for an act to go stale. With Roman they've really got an opportunity to take advantage of that. So much of the fans' resentment of him, I think, comes from that feeling of having a one-note act consistently forced upon them. He's a good performer, but he's a very limited character, so seeing so much of him is like being in a bar or a rock club where they play 'Sweet Child O' Mine' four times an hour. On Smackdown, if they play to his strengths - short, sharp bursts of action on TV, culminating in good PPV matches - I can see the fans going easier on him. Alternatively, if WWE have him sucking up all the oxygen on Smackdown every week, taking up a quarter of every show just because they think the big star needs all the airtime, I can see the fans getting even more savage. Either way, I'm very curious to see how it goes.

Similarly, I wonder what they'll do with Elias. I've said before, I feel like his only use on Raw has been to fill spare time they don't know what to do with. A dirty old sponge sopping up minutes. But Smackdown doesn't have that spare time, so either they'll keep his act the same and the show's going to suffer for his mediocrity, or he'll have to adjust and we'll get to see whether he has any legs as an actual wrestler. As a Smackdown fan I'm a bit gutted he's there - he was probably the worst case scenario in my draft hopes - but maybe he'll prove me wrong.

Contrary to most, I usually come out of these things thinking, "Smackdown have made out like bandits!". This year I feel a bit differently, like things are a bit more even, but it still looks like being the better show. Somehow WWE still haven't figured out that Raw needs almost twice the talent SD does, so while things feel even slightly even on that front, barring some spectacularly bad work on the booking/writing side, Smackdown's always going to be better.

It seems ridiculous and I don't agree on any level, but in Meltzer's defense...

I was just thinking about what I'd say if I was asked what my favourite era of wrestling is. So many people here seem so passionate about different times in wrestling, whether it's 80's or 90's or 00's, WWF or Memphis or Japan, but I think, for me, the answer is always "whatever's happening at the moment". I love wrestling but I tend not to look back too much. There's always so much that, for all the bad you may see, there are always parts you'll find to really love. It sounds to me like Meltzer's kind of like that too. And ratings may look like they're this objective, empirical thing, but as tiger_rick said, it's one guy's opinion, and there are a hundred reasons why he might have enjoyed Gargano/Cole more than Bret/Austin or Michaels/Taker or whatever else. Honestly, there's no right answer to what's best or better when it comes to art, just what affects you. If Meltzer was more affected by Gargano/Cole in 2019 than Bret/Austin in 1997, that's perfectly reasonable. All he's been doing for years with ratings is sharing his opinions of what he felt in a moment. It's up to everyone else whether they put any stock in it. Presuming he's being sincere and not just trolling people, fair play to him for having the conviction to say, "fuck it, I know this will annoy people, but this is how I feel", rather than trying to adhere to some kind of wrestling fan's orthodoxy about what's good and why.

I went for the lower bowl so I'm just slightly elevated above any tall people in the floor seats. I think I'm dead central, too, so it should be an excellent view. Now all I have to do is... erm... learn almost anything about New Japan! Well, beyond the stars. And even if I don't know exactly what's going on, I'm sure it'll be a great night of wrestling anyway. My one wish now is that Ibushi's announced at some point.

I may be in the minority, but up until that final line about it all being fake, I thought Michael Che and Colin Jost were playing a blinder. I mean, backstage skits and being in front of the crowd are two different things, but compared to how Jon Stewart looked in most of his segments over the years - and I was always a huge fan of his - I thought Jost was doing a great job. I actually look forward to seeing more of him as the dumb heel.

Almost everything else was pretty rough this week, except the fact that they didn't let Roman come in and take the shine off Seth. They played it safe and smart. I really do feel like, cancer survivor or not, the WWE live crowd are only ever a hair away from booing Roman. Having him get involved in the Universal title scene before 'Mania would have split them, I'm sure. Maybe not enough to be instantly vicious, but enough that, in the coming weeks, Roman's reaction would start regressing to the norm drip by drip. As much as the Raw women's title situation is an absolute mess, it feels to me like they've actually learned from it and want to spare Roman what's happened to Ronda and Charlotte. I mean, Seth isn't Becky popular, but he's popular enough that some people would kick off about him being screwed out of his big moment and half-blame Roman. Until 'Mania has passed Roman should be an undeniable, feel-good babyface. I can even see why people were saying he might be in line to face Corbin - because NO-ONE would cheer for Corbin. Put him in against other potential opponents - Ambrose, Strowman, Elias, Lashley, McIntyre - and I wouldn't be shocked if some in the crowd cheered against him.

40 minutes ago, Factotum said:

Lammy still is shit really. He's stumbled upon Twitter where he comes across well (not hard atm) but as a local MP I can't think of a single thing he has done for Tottenham. My parents vote Labour out of habit, but can't stand him.

I guess this is a separate subject than this thread is for, but I'd be interested to hear anyone who can genuinely identify good things their MPs have done for their constituency. My MP (Gareth Thomas) is largely anonymous and the area has suffered a fair bit with the government's constant cuts, but I'm not really sure what else I could expect of him in this situation.

Wow, I feel like the reaction here is pretty harsh. Maybe expectations are higher because it's Wrestlemania season, which isn't necessarily unfair, but while I thought this was a strangely slapdash show - almost as if a bunch of big stars missed their flights - I'm not sure it was any worse than your average year-round episode of Raw. Hell, the only matches I fast-forwarded through were Corbin/Braun and the LHP vs. Hawkins/Ryder. That's a pretty good ratio. Sasha and Bayley was a little rough, but it's nothing new: WWE have been sending Bayley out to die on her ass with overlong promos she's not cut out for since day one. All the NXT guys delivered, I thought, and there was a reasonable main event. It's hardly a strong defence of the show, but Raw was regularly much, much worse a few months ago.

It's frustrating. As much as part of me wants to think "good riddance" to MPs who have done more to hurt Labour than help it over the past couple of years, I'm already dreading the amplified voice they're going to be given. It's such a hollow pursuit - it's hard to believe they're going to achieve anything as a party other than propping up the Tories - but the media thrive on this sort of nonsense and they'll give them the consistent platform to snipe further, speaking out of both sides of their mouths as they criticise the Tories while diminishing and damaging the only actual alternative. So more Lib Dems, basically, but with enough fresh buzz to do damage at a time we can't really afford it.

I don't think it's sold as commonly over here these days - the one true reason to mourn the loss of Woolworths - but this was an occasional treat when I was a kid. It cost about around 80p-£1 back when most chocolate bars were about 30p, so I wouldn't get it all the time, but it was always what I considered the best chocolate I've ever had. So I ordered some from a specialist Scandinavian food shop recently and I thought, "I'm probably looking back on it with rose-coloured glasses, it won't be as nice as I remember" - but it totally is. Deliver some boxes of this around the country and the Brexit vote will be immediately overturned to rapturous scenes.

I think the use of Elias in this episode might be my favourite thing they've ever done with him. Admittedly I'm not a fan - I don't think there has ever been anyone on WWE TV who's taken up so much screen time without ever being in an interesting match or feud - but this I liked. Less is more with that guy.

Before the show I said to my brother I'd be surprised if Banks and Devlin had a match because it felt like too early in their feud for a proper Takeover match. I think that's all that happened here. They progressed an embryonic feud in a completely serviceable way, they gave the fans a big moment and they gave Devlin the spotlight that comes with being the guy who gets to wrestle the big import star. Honestly, I feel pretty positive about what they've done with Devlin so far. On day one in UK tournaments Devlin reeked of Balor Clone. On TV over the past couple of months, though, I feel like he's come into his own and stepped out of that, delivering solid enough promos and having decent matches. Through his performances he's far higher up the NXT:UK pecking order than I'd have guessed based on the tournament shows and it looks like there'll be more opportunities for him. It's hard for me to imagine that he wouldn't be pleased with how things are going for him.

Good show overall anyway. Great opener, enjoyable gimmick match, decent women's match and a reasonable main event. NXT:UK is obviously still finding its feet and I thought this was a good enough showcase to convince people there's a lot to work with.

32 minutes ago, Weezenal said:

If you're planning to get a Switch you must get Mario, such a good game.

Just to offer alternative voice - and I really do feel like an outlier here, because everyone else does seem to love it - I didn't really enjoy Mario Odyssey much at all. To me it felt less like an old 3D Mario platformer (64, Galaxy, even Sunshine) and more like a collection of little mini-games that might feel more at home in Mario Party. Admittedly my expectations were high because it had been since Galaxy that I'd gotten to play a big Mario title, but it just wasn't what I was hoping for. For all its traditionally good Mario/Nintendo qualities - graphics, personality, charm - I found it short, bitty and mostly unsatisfying. I have a fair few moons to collect and I'll be surprised if I ever bother.

The sale Nintendo are doing on some Switch games at the moment looks pretty decent. I'm going to take a punt on Octopath Traveler for £29.99 and, as terrible as it's supposed to be, £4.50 sounds like a pretty no-lose price to try out RBI Baseball 18. I don't have a ton of interest in Mario/Rabbids,but £14.99 for a Mario title is low.

I'm surprised the ending to the Gargano-Black match isn't getting more love here. Johnny and Ciampa are just magical together. Certainly there was a point in their feud where it started to drag a little - like a too-long chapter in a book, for a time it was just Johnny banging his head against a brick wall - but every moment where there's actual story progression, they execute like no-one else. I thought the performances here were wonderful. Ciampa, cautious, but confident, greedy and driven; Gargano, torn, frustrated and desperate enough to accept help from the devil he now knows in a way he never could before. I loved it. Wresting storytelling as it should be.

Ugh, you guys just broke my heart, In a season full of games I was pumped for (Tomb Raider, Red Dead, Fallout 76, Life is Strange 2, Walking Dead, Pokemon), I was most excited for Fallout. I'd never played any in the series before Fallout 4 but I loved that game. And I didn't read anything about 76 because I didn't want to be spoiled. If it's basically an online game, though, that's me out automatically. Games are for me to waste my hours alone unburdened by other people. If there are going to be representations of actual living people with their own wants, needs and desires on my screen, I can't be doing with it. Goddamn, Bethesda.

HBK's probably my favourite wrestler of all-time, but I've never wanted to see him come back. I always loved that he honoured his retirement match. But, man... that segment really got me excited for the idea of a one-off comeback at 'Mania in which he retires The Undertaker once and for all. I don't care if that's fantasist stuff that never happens, but it made for a corker of a segment when I was expecting another boring "HHH, be careful! The Undertaker's dangerous! You don't know what you're getting into!" type deal.

I looked at going but it seemed like it was their most expensive show yet. £40 for the cheapest ticket on the floor at York Hall, I think. And they hadn't announced many matches either, so it felt like you'd be paying top dollar for a hastily slung together, mostly meaningless card. I couldn't make it to Crystal Palace either but I think they did a good job of making that, and shows on the previous tour, feel like they were important.

That Lashley promo was pretty unbelievable, wasn't it? First of all, the video package was like some kind of insane person's revisionist history of his first stint - which, to a point, fair enough - but the interview was almost mind-blowing in how mind-numbing it was. You have this guy who looks as physically impressive as anyone on the roster, who's a former champion, who's recently been fighting MMA - and the first thing you have him say when he comes back to WWE is some rambling nonsense about how he loves his sisters? It was like having to politely listen to your senile grandmother tell you some boring family story she's already told you a hundred times, except you buy her as tough.

I'm sure a million people have said this before, but the frustrating part of the men's EC result and the Wrestlemania plan is that, in Strowman, they've finally achieved everything they've been trying for years to achieve with Reigns. You've got a charismatic, prototypical big man who screams 'main event attraction' to casuals and who current fans are completely behind. Him winning the title at Wrestlemania is the biggest feel-good moment available to them and it'd leave them in a great position going forward. It seems a great shame they're not willing to capitalise on that.

I don't know if this is accurate or not, but the Hardy/Bray promo repeat made me think about how so much of WWE nowadays feels like they prepare the show presuming that most people aren't watching every week or paying much attention. It's a weird model. I mean, obviously repetition and catchphrases are a core part of wrestling, but the note-for-note rehashes are strange. Most television drama, and certainly most wrestling in the past, was predicated on making every episode must watch, for fear of missing something good. Now it feels like they tread water, hoping word will spread and people will get on board before they bother kicking into gear.

The Raw women's division feels a bit odd at the moment. There's not a single over babyface, is there? Crowd loves Alexa, but seems to have turned on Bayley and Sasha in a pretty notable way, with no other useful faces available. It's crying out for an Asuka call-up to revitalise it.

I feel like I'm the #1 Smackdown fanboy at the moment but I enjoyed the show. Honestly, I don't think any match was as good as the Fatal 5-Way at the last Raw PPV, but I'd also say the average was better. There wasn't anything on it I thought was less than decent. Certainly nothing I'd choose an Alicia Fox or Kalisto match over.

The women's MITB match wasn't amazing, obviously, but I still liked it. After a million and one men's ladder matches, seeing the women do it was a reminder of what stuff like this felt like back in the day; there was a level of curiosity and sense of jeopardy that I haven't felt from a WWE match in quite a while. The finish didn't bother me except in that it could have been done better. Sure, have Ellsworth steal it, but maybe make it a bit more dramatic.

I thought the Usos/New Day match was very good, to a point that the count-out didn't bother me at all. I'm happy to see plenty more of this combination.

Naomi vs. Lana was pretty average, but I'd call that a success considering Lana's inexperience.

Jinder vs. Randy was fine. Yes, it sucks that Jinder's the world champ, but in terms of the SD card it's almost being treated as the midcard programme, and in those terms I'd argue it's not quite the abomination some say it is. I mean, as mediocre as Jinder is, as a match I'd still take this over watching Miz vs. Ambrose. Oh, and it always happens, but Jinder on Talking Smack afterwards is always more interesting than he is on the actual show. Renee and Booker both moved along very quickly when he bluntly and authoratively claimed "they (the American people) only boo me because of the colour of my skin". Hah. It's easy to imagine people backstage going nuts.

Seeing Maria back was nice, and I'd have to listen to it again, but their music struck me as a corker in an "awful (but catchy) music for awful characters" way. I'm not massively looking forward to Bennett as a singles competitor though. The Kingdom in ROH I could live with because the overall package was decent, but I think he might be a bit more weight than Maria can carry on her own. Maybe he's got better though. It's been a couple of years since I've seen him.

The Ascension have been hot garbage from day one in NXT but I'll sit through a Main Event level match for more Fashion Police at the moment.

Men's MITB was fine for me too. I was pulling for Sami to win it - I had this vision of him being all hesitant and neurotic about it, planning on cashing in then backing out a bunch - and Corbin winning it was a bit of a damp squib, but I thought the match had enough good moments. Nakamura's stuff was fine for me. I thought he still came out looking strong enough and that moment where he and AJ put the ladder to one side was pretty electric. I'm definitely curious to see how things shake out in the short term now.