Raw (Sept 13th)

[Dirty Eddie]

But Punk's stuff is meant to transcend traditional face/heel boundaries. It did when he was feuding with Cena. Triple H, as the WWE establishment (not to mention the "he was jobbing to Warrior til he shagged Steph lolz" factor), should be the perfect foil for CM Punk's character as well. Though the booking and focus of it all has gone to shit and it was always going to be difficult to get clear reactions from fans or coherently build to a match, there's no excuse for Punk to be so uninteresting and ineffective on a promo-by-promo basis.

 

 

Triple H and Cena are regarded entirely differently by the WWE fanbase.

 

You seem to be mixing up internet reactions to people from years ago with current actual fan reactions in Arenas each week. When half the crowd is booing Cena anyway, then Punk's anti-Cena material gets a great reaction. It isn't just "internet fans" sitting at home in their mother's basemeant who don't like cena, it's lots of the fans that attend live events too.

 

Triple H gets none of that. He was the internet's favourite guy to hate years ago, but that doesn't in any way translate to the current teaction he gets. Triple H is a super over face. Punk got great reactions from hardcore 'net fans AND regular fans who hate Cena when he was having a go at him. Triple H doesn't have that same love/hate thing from the crowds so Punk's stuff comes off as heelish and a bit petty.

 

I also think it's uinfair to say that Punk has failed promo after promo. He had a couple of awkward ones with Nash, which Nash deserves just as much blame for, and he did the silly vomiting gag, which fell flat completely. Otherwise, I think that the contract signing the other week was pretty good, and he finished strong (before the mics cutting out) on RAW this week. Not nearly as good as the first couple of weeks, but hardly total failures. Again, the weird dymanic and direction is to blame just as much as Punk perhaps dropping the ball.

[King Pitcos]

Punk never really had much of a go at Cena, did he? Even during that feud he was mostly moaning about WWE not putting him on cups and that. And as I've pointed out to you, there's nothing to say Punk's meant to be getting unanimous babyface reactions at the moment -- if he was, he wouldn't be feuding with Triple H at all. Being a tweener isn't an excuse for being shite though. Punk has been doing stuff for the last two years that came off heelish and wasn't crap.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Bad news for Raw

 

Rating was a 2.7 with the billed Raw Supershow with Smackdown. The first NFL game did a 10.6 against much of the show, and second game did an 8.2 against the last 40 minutes. Those are not monster NFL numbers. Not a good sign at all for fall, but 2.7 to 3.0 probably should have been the expected range.

[iamtheman]

there's bound to be a game as well next week (dont follow NFL so dont know)

 

and also there is the premiere of the new two and a half men and the charlie sheen roast which both start at 9

[Fox Piss]

I didn't mind HHH/Punk they got the crowd going and at the end they was wanting more what more could you ask for?

 

But yet there is little mention of the snooze fest which is Del Rio/Cena feud which as never really got started and isn't really going nowhere. Who takes the blame for that awful mess?

[The Invisible Boy]

I'm a little surprised at the dislike/hate for the Punk and Triple H promo, whilst it wasn't anything on the Punk and Vince promos I felt it was a step back in the right direction last night. I can't really understand why some are saying it's a bit stupid that he's gone from moaning about how he isn't promoted to how he was never given a push dispite grabbing the brass rings. In the initial rant, the one that started it all off, he did mention that he grabbed so many of Vince's brass rings but they didn't mean anything and what he was ranting about last night was a kind of continuation as he focused more on the big muscle men who get promoted over him, but then obviously Triple H called his bluff and mentioned guys like Michaels, Mysterio etc and then he went on to how he grabbed the brass rings but never got promoted, similar to how those guys grabbed the brass rings but they did get promoted. I think the argument did go on a bit and it could have been cut down a little but to make an argument seem realistic it's right that they repeat a few things, if you witness a real life argument between people some people do usually repeat things as they're getting worked up and carried away. I think the whole thing, with Punk saying some things that weren't true and Triple H saying some things that weren't true and repeating themselves made it seem a lot more realistic. I thought the mention of the real names was also pretty cool as we all know it's scripted and so on but it took away from that whole fantasy thing and made it feel like the two guys really do hate each others guts outside of the wrestling ring. Some fans say they watch wrestling for escapism and to allow them to get lost in the action and to me that mention of real names was a great way of having people escape into that fantasy of the two guys not hating each other just in the make believe scripted world of WWE but also in reality, behind the curtains. As Triple H said Punk made it personal and to have him address him as Paul and himself as Phil made it all that more personal.

 

The censoring of the microphone was a good way to finish it too as I love the idea of Punk being the guy who is showing up the dark secrets and the bad goings on and well, in a term showing all of the WWE's dirty laundry in the open and to have him being cut off makes it seem like he really is a dangerous person to have on that microphone. I feel people who moan about these things are possibly being a little over picky. If you watch it and pay attention to how the two guys seem to hate each other and the anger shown between the two, then the mention of their real names as opposed to stage names and then Punk being cut off (the little crotch chop after he took him out with the microphone was brilliant too) and actually allow yourself to escape into the moment between the two rather than thinking it's scripted and picking apart little things they say and thinking this could have been said better or they could have worded that differently, then I think it would be much more enjoyable.

 

I would like to know how some of those who are dead against the whole angle last night would have booked the final Punk and Triple H segment leading into their Night of Champions match as I thought that one was a great lead into it and as mentioned, it's got me hyped for it. Not as much as the hype the Punk promos leading up to Money in the Bank did but it's got me hyped up more than any other match on a PPV for a while (bar Punk and Cena at Money in the Bank obviously).

 

The people who are moaning about it do confuse me slightly as I thought it was a decent and entertaining promo and it's certainly hyped me up for their match at Night of Champions. I'm much more hyped up for this match than any other match on the card and those saying Punk has falled from a main eventer going for the Title down to an upper midcard feud need to think again. Was Austin and McMahon an upper midcard feud all of those years ago? The idea of Cena and Del Rio fighting for the Title seems a lot less important than thinking of Triple H and Punk fighting over who is in power of the company, ie if Punk wins Triple H loses his control and Punk will get a change, which is what he's wanted all along, whereas if Triple H wins he will keep his control and Punk will still be the angry employee desperate for change. If Cena wins he'll have the Title, if Del Rio wins he'll have the Title but the Punk and Triple H outcome will have a major effect on the company depending on the outcome, to me that's more important than the Title feud between Cena and Del Rio.

 

In other news I am enjoying the R-Truth/Miz tag team (Truley Awesome/The Awesome Truth) feuding with Air Boom, I'm sure I mentioned that I would like to see these two feud for the Tag Titles a few weeks ago and now it is happening which is cool and will hopefully bring a bit of importance back to the tag division and the Titles.

 

There wasn't much more on the show that I found amazing but I did enjoy it for the most part, Cody Rhodes using his face mask as a weapon to beat Orton was pretty cool and I hope he doesn't need the mask anymore now as his face has fully healed but he keeps wearing it and using the injury as an excuse so that he can take it off during a match and use it on his opponents. I'm quite looking forward to a Rhodes and DiBiase feud for the Intercontinental Title and maybe it could have Dusty and Ted Sr get involved at some point too.

[Devon Malcolm]

I know everyone's pontificating about the Levesque/Brooks segment (come on, the bit with the microphones was fucking great) but the rest of the show was absolutely shit. Last week was excellent. This week bollocks.

 

Bret Hart is only ever good on the mic when slagging off Americans and swearing. The funniest bit for me, though, was when he came out unannounced behind Cena and scared the shit out of him. He obviously was supposed to get his own entrance and botched that. Please, Bret. I love you, man. But the next time they ask you to do some telly, say NO.

 

The Del Rio/Cena stuff was abysmal and timed appallingly considering how well that had been building that up. Del Rio just doesn't make for a convincing cowardly heel at all, and I say that as someone who thinks he's great. Rodriguez is the oddest looking Mexican I've ever seen.

 

This Kelly Kelly/Phoenix stuff. What the fuck are they doing? Aren't they supposed to be presenting Phoenix as the diva killer? Then how come Kelly keeps kicking her head in? How come Phoenix didn't come out and take a shit on her when she did that Stinkface to Vickie? FUCKING BOLLOCKS.

 

The Swagger/Ziggler thing is okay but only because Ziggler is so fantastic. He's fucking brilliant - sharpen up his mic stuff and he's the all-round package. They need to end this feud at NOC though, and with a four-way that's not going to happen now, probably.

 

Couldn't they have found something better to do with Sheamus than feed him the World's Shittest Tag Team? He's fucking great at the moment, give him summat better to do. This WSTT storyline had better be going somewhere. It was intriguing at first and now it's just shit.

 

Orton v Rhodes was the only saving grace but Orton could have a good match with a copy of Family Circle right now. I bloody love Cody as well, but the win was really unexpected. I hope they build on it.

 

As for the last bit, well, I thought they were both fucking awful, to be honest. I didn't see HHH as a saving face in that segment at all, I saw him repeating himself and then just getting angry out of nowhere and it was just crap. I think any idea of a burial of Punk is ridiculous but I think everyone is to blame for this turning to shit. That said, the match at NOC could still save this storyline but almost every possible outcome I can think of would make no sense against what has gone before.

 

Did somebody already do the Vito gag about being done with WWE now? If not, I will. If they did, then I'll do it anyway and pretend when everyone's forgotten that I did it first.

[Arch Stanton]

The CM Punk storyline has gone to fucking shit and I don't see how they can salvage it anymore. Punk's current character is just infuriating, everything from his smarky references to his insolent mannerisms when being talked to seem to grind my gears. He's pandering to the mongs and only succeeding in making himself look like one in the process. Early 90's ice cream bars? Still?! Fuck off with that shit. Only cunts are popping for those references. I really thought Punk was smarter than this.

 

That end segment was awful. Talk about lack of direction- at one point HHH even admitted that they were going round in circles.

[The Total Package]

Bad news for Raw

 

Rating was a 2.7 with the billed Raw Supershow with Smackdown. The first NFL game did a 10.6 against much of the show, and second game did an 8.2 against the last 40 minutes. Those are not monster NFL numbers. Not a good sign at all for fall, but 2.7 to 3.0 probably should have been the expected range.

 

To add to that....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6pmRbJpzAo...player_embedded

 

I cant get over how empty the place looks, I guess thats what happens when you just dont give a shit about one of your brands.

[PowerButchi]

Some fans say they watch wrestling for escapism and to allow them to get lost in the action and to me that mention of real names was a great way of having people escape into that fantasy of the two guys not hating each other just in the make believe scripted world of WWE but also in reality, behind the curtains. As Triple H said Punk made it personal and to have him address him as Paul and himself as Phil made it all that more personal.

 

But it doesn't. If anything it just hammers home that Paul and Phil are playing characters on TV and it's all fake.

 

 

Otherwise, I think that the contract signing the other week was pretty good

 

The crowd didn't. They sat on their hands when Punk was talking all over the heads of the people of Wichita, Kansas. A character as established as Punk, who's had so much exposure on WWE TV and principal main event feuds over the past 3 months needs to create a reaction from the live crowds. If he isn't achieving that every single time out when that seems to be one of his "things", he's failing.

[Guest]

I think this weekend we see if sledgehammer> microphone

[ColinBollocks]

There are so many things wrong with this feud to simply put it down to one persons failings. The face v face dynamic means both men confuse the crowd and at worst, makes Punk less over. Austin would have looked like a right whining prick if Vince was as beloved as Triple H is. No wonder Punk gets little reaction in some towns.

Then you have this 'shoot' thing. For whatever reason (and there is a lot of speculation) it got shit when Nash/Triple H started to mix it up with Punk. Punk's material hasn't been good and it feels like he's 'shooting' for the sake of it, rather than picking his spot for the best impact.

 

I'm really interested to see what news comes out about this. The story goes, WWE sent Punk out there with the knowledge they were going to "hang him out to dry", I wonder what set Vince off?

 

The jaded fan in me has a feeling the Kliq were in full force with this one, given their lengthy previous. Nash disappeared because his mate Triple H beat him up and sent him packing, not Punk (who was Nash's target and the subject of a couple of Jacknifes). Then you had Triple H totally killing the Punk gimmick.

 

Don't get me wrong Punk hasn't been that good either but there are other forces at work. One man can't make a feud, after all.

[King Pitcos]

I know everyone's pontificating about the Levesque/Brooks segment (come on, the bit with the microphones was fucking great)

I liked the concept of the stuff with the mics as well. But the whole thing had been such a mess to that point, it didn't win me over. That was the first bit of the promo that really got my interest, though.

 

As for the last bit, well, I thought they were both fucking awful, to be honest. I didn't see HHH as a saving face in that segment at all, I saw him repeating himself and then just getting angry out of nowhere and it was just crap. I think any idea of a burial of Punk is ridiculous but I think everyone is to blame for this turning to shit. That said, the match at NOC could still save this storyline but almost every possible outcome I can think of would make no sense against what has gone before.

I thought Triple H seemed as lost as Punk. That crowd wasn't working for the stuff Hunter was saying at all, and it threw him but he persisted with the points he wanted to make anyway and they went over like crap.

 

Don't get me wrong Punk hasn't been that good either but there are other forces at work. One man can't make a feud, after all.

And yet in July, there were people saying one man did make a feud -- and not just a feud, but an entire show.

 

Punk's material hasn't been good and it feels like he's 'shooting' for the sake of it, rather than picking his spot for the best impact.

I think that sums it up perfectly. The things that actually build up the match are "you insulted my wife" and "I want change, so I have to beat you to get you sacked" but those things have been poorly communicated compared to the pointless shoot arguments.

[ColinBollocks]

And yet in July, there were people saying one man did make a feud -- and not just a feud, but an entire show.

No doubt his performances were very good and a lot better than he has been since Summer Slam. The reason it worked is because he had Vince and Cena to play off and both were excellent at selling for Punk and allowing him to get over. Anybody that says otherwise is foolish.

[Dashing]

The end segment did go round in circles a bit but the ending saved it imo. The mic cut off thing was excellent and like somebody posted earlier, really makes Punk seem like a very dangerous man with a microphone in his hand. Him just waffling HHH at the end didn't hurt either, it was about time one struck the other.