WWE Raw 2nd April 2012 Discussion *SPOILERS*

[Cobra1000]

It does make me wonder how the populous of kids (who remember, are the future of the audience, not us) who put all their stock in Cena week after week after week feel after 48 crushing ours for him. I know I fucking hated it when Bret got served spoonfuls of shit at and after Wrestlemania 9 from a guy who just got a free pass because he'd been around before. (Obviously I know Hogan deserves free passes for infinity, but I think the analogy is fairly sound).

 

You know I love your posts, even though we disagree on this issue. What you're saying about your childhood views on Bret is understandable, but Wrestlemania 9 was less than a year into Bret's big push. His young fans hadn't had time to get sick of him, yet, but 3 or 4 years later many of them were willing Austin to kick the shit out of him. The kids who watch Cena may be the future audience for wrestling, but they're equally likely to fuck off from it altogether when they grow out of his schtick - unless they're presented with something to cater to their gradually maturing tastes along the way. Remember, Cena's been on top so long now that the kids who bought into him 6 or 7 years ago are teens now who, if they're still watching, are probably looking for something a bit edgier by now.

 

I agree that the crowd did spoil it at times last night - the audible 'We want Lesnar' chants ruined his eventual entrance a bit, for me - but overall I'll always take a rabid, passionate crowd like that for a wrestling show than the ones who sit on their hands for 90 minutes of the show and then squeal when Cena comes out.

 

I agree, you definitely have to take the rough with the smooth these days. If it wasn't that crowd we maybe wouldn't have got the "We Want Lesnar" chants but then again the pop wouldn't have been as huge as that one he got as well.

 

Decent Raw I thought, and I thought 'mania was rubbish so I'm happy Raw was good. That was the best Chris Jericho has been since his return, it doesn't matter about the 'botch' it was still good and the crowd ate it up. His delivery was top notch and the rivalry is gonna extend to Extreme Rules and they'll deliver a decent match again, perhaps more of a brawl.

 

Mark Henry vs CM Punk was class too, I'd watch that on PPV I would. Abraham Washington eh? I'm all for managers.

 

Ziggler took an awesome bump from that Brodus headbutt, can we start pushing Ziggler again?

 

Del Rio is back, hopefully he can entertain and not become a bit stale, i really want him to succeed, and wouldn't mind seeing him take the big Gold away from Sheamus soon unless they plan on DB getting it back. Still not sold on the 18 second Wrestlemania match, but its in the past and we move on, DB was maybe the star of the show, when people want to be vocal they can be vocal and the Yes, Si and Daniel bryan chants were superb. Reminded me of the Ryder stuff at MSG. I hope DB does well out of it all. Still think they should have had a proper match, it would have benefited both guys way more than what happened but whatever its gone now so YES! Team DB, win the title back sir.

 

Brocks return, awesome stuff. Shame they cut away after the handshake, but a great F5 and i'm looking forward to seeing where this goes. On the plus side brock won't spend 20 mins talking to the crowd, he'll just appear, F5 and go home which i reckon is what we need after 6 weeks of Rock and John Cena talking.

[iamtheman]

 

never drinks in excess

[Big Jock Knew]

There isn't half some bullshit in this thread. "The crowd can just fuck off with their Daniel Bryan supporting antics". Aye, how dare they react with a bit of enthusiasm to a wrestler? Daniel Bryan mistreats his girlfriend - so what? Stone Cold Steve Austin beat the fuck out of Lita with a steel chair for an extended period of time and he is their most popular worker ever. The Rock was basically telling Lillian Garcia/Trish Stratus etc to shut up and suck his cock during his promos in the early 2000s. Wrestling isn't exactly known for promoting women's rights. Bryan was on camera for all of ten seconds and said nothing yet was still the most over guy on the show other than Lesnar.

 

I loved Raw, personally. The "YES!" chant could get annoying but it makes such a difference in wrestling when the crowd is hot. I enjoyed the Punk/Henry match, Jericho was back to a bit of his old form and what can you say about that reaction for Brock. Top stuff.

[JLM]

By the way that wasn't a slip; I was imitating Punk the Drunk. I never make mistakes u wannabes...

[The Cum Doctor]

When the fans chanted "Daniel Bryan!" during Henry/Punk, I got a bit miffed as it was actually a decent match, but most of the way, the "YES!" stuff was good fun. Especially the Alberto Del Rio one.

 

I enjoyed RAW. Didn't think it was blowaway or anything. Thought Lord Tensai's squash was the worst squash I've seen in a long time. The Rock's opening promo had a good aura and he seemed to be having the time of his life which meant it was easy to enjoy. The US triple threat was good for the time it got, and Henry and Punk had a cracker.

 

Thought everything else ranged from iffy to poor, including the Cena promo, but the ending of that made it worth it.

[AndyUK]

Really good RAW. The crowd was hot. The ''YES'' chants did start to grate a bit by the end but they added a lot to the Punk and Henry match. I just hope Bryan's character doesn't get changed due to this because I love what he's been doing recently.

 

Brock Lesnar returning is obviously the main talking point, which again proves that you can never say never in wrestling. Pity it got spoilt for me but nevertheless, t was cool to see him back and a Cena/Lesnar feud appeals a lot more than a feud with Taker too. Will be interesting to see where they go with him as he's a completely different beast to The Rock. His strengths are definitely in the ring rather than on the mic. Was nice to see that after a generic promo from Cena too.

 

Other than that, Rock cut a nice promo and I'm looking forward to him coming back already, Punk/Henry was a very good TV match and the Jericho stuff afterwards was well done despite the slight botches. Pleased that the Punk/Ace feud looks like it'll continue too.

[Golden Eagle]

Nice to see Lesnar back, good segment there giving Cena the F5, kicking his cap away afterwards which was a nice touch.

 

The crowd lapped it up, as this was something that they wanted to see, Cena getting laid out.

[ShortOrderCook]

The Rock's opening promo had a good aura and he seemed to be having the time of his life which meant it was easy to enjoy.

 

Indeed. I think that could be an interesting point long-term, with Brocks return. Rock so often comes across that way and it makes it so clear he really does love all this shit, deep down, which is a big part of what made the Cena side of the argument so ridiculous for me. I love Brock but, he blatantly is and i s going to be the opposite of that. He certainly is a tremendous fit and dynamic to be brought in to oppose Cena following the Rock issue if you factor in all of that sort of stuff too though. Weren't the rumours that Raw was going to set-up next years 'Mania main events? So would this mean Cena vs Brock and Rock challenging for the WWE title? I don't expect to see Brock next week or for a few weeks on the live shows and frankly hope he isn't. I'd like lots of splendid video packages though, maybe some interviews and loads of the other wrestlers being asked about him and they're feeling on his return, etc. Could be very interesting. I can't see Brock being a clearly labelled heel or face at all, which i think is the best way to go.

 

I love Rock expressing interest in the WWE title. Great move, exactly the sort of thing the title needed. That and that start to the show in general just set the tone magnificently for the rest of the evening. Was a very well paced show indeed. Coming off that, the 3-Way US title and post match shenanigans with Big Funk where just absolute bags of fun. I was all over all of it. I bum Ziggler hard, he has got to be the most incredible bumper there has ever been. I do worry that he's almost too good for his own good though and it may actually prevent him from being pushed beyond his status because he's just so good at making everyone elses shit look so good.

 

The show had a really great vibe about it though and for the first time in a long time it felt like everybody was very much over. I don't know if that's purely down to the crowd or just how things generally are. People have been saying that WWE have failed to make any real stars in ages and that's why they are bringing back so many of these guys. Probably true but not as harshly true as it sounds. I think there's a whole bunch of guys who could easily be tipped over that edge and having some of these guys back to associate with them could be just the ticket. Feels like some exciting times are ahead though and feels like we are heading into a new age coming off WrestleMania.

[d-d-d-dAz]

My day is officially a write off, I'm going to spend the rest of it watching the skinny guy in the affliction shirt losing his shit to Brock's return.

 

I tell you why I love Lesnar, though. He's not the only guy who's ever looked like a genuine bad ass, I know that, but he's one of the few big guys who can be monstrous (Athletically, I mean. Not a tub ball) and I can look at them and not see their diet. Too many guys have been pushed as Lesnar-like, Batista for example or Mason Ryan, but I look at them and I see them in the canteen turning down white bread and trimming the fat off their steak or going to a bar and getting a round of beers but getting themselves a green tea. It's shit.

 

Lesnar looks like he's going to tear the gym a new arsehole then eat whatever bread he likes, have a man's steak and drink a Coor's light. That's right, a Coor's light. He might even get on top of his wife tonight.

[Max Power]

I'm torn over whether or not the live crowd made everything seem a massive deal, or whether they acted like Impact Zone Smarky This Is Awesome Wankers. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

The only gripe I have is that the camera panned to the ground during the Lesnar/Cena handshake. Pretty shitty IMO. Also, in an ideal world, I would have wanted the handshake to last for a couple 5 seconds before the F5. But these are two minor nit pickings in an otherwise excellent show.

[moofasa]

Here comes the pain, love it!

Can anybody else see this as the start of the build for next year. Rock announces He wants the WWE title , I wouldn't be surprised if at Mania 29 Cenas the man holding that title. As was said before the 28 match the belt should be in the match. It wasn't becasue Rock cannot win(and defend) it. It was once in a lifetime but if Rock wants the belt I think we will see it again. It's not in Miami this time, Cena wins and holds the belt aloft, Rock goes back to movies full time. I hope Brock's there to make Cena look strong again

[boshealecta]

Not seen RAW only clips but it sounds good. Agree with what some have said about the "YES" chants. It definitely brings a smile to my face that Daniel Bryan has done so well people are chanting his catchphrase as I think he plays a good character, but the problem is that if the fans get too behind him he loses what has made him so great and that is that he is a great and fun heel. I just hope the fans boo him to show their appreciation rather than cheer him, otherwise he will turn face and I feel lose his momentum

[RIDDUM_N_STYLE]

loved raw last night, knew there were rumours all weekend about brock signing but did it stop me marking out like mad when he come out? did it fuck. the f-5 looked a bit patchy but im sure that was rustiness from not doing it for a while, loved the set up for it though with brock holding his hand out then going 'fuck it' and dropping with the f-5 before booting that bloody baseball cap.

 

lord tensai looked ok for his comeback match, looks like he's keeping the baldo bomb as a finisher but maybe using the claw as a back up finish

 

the wwe title match was quality and made henry look like a bad ass, didn't like the lawler/roberts vibe from jericho's antics though even though i laughed when he slipped

[ShortOrderCook]

Well, he won't exactly be screaming 'YES! YES! YES!' any time soon will he? If anything if he's met with those chants he has great material to work with to be more heelish and be upset by them, take it out on AJ, etc.

[Up Chuck]

That, by a country mile, was my favourite Raw top-to-bottom since the one where Punk cashed in MITB the first time. Everything felt so fresh and alive. Albert's new schtick is great. Brodus doing something different was ace (helped greatly by Dolph's willingness to bump like a nutter for everything). Rock was great. Punk/Henry was a proper quality TV match despite the flat finish, which was instantly made up for with the great angle afterwards. The crowd was the best they've had in absolutely forever, just red hot for everything. Really made the show. And holy fuck, Lesnar actually turned up. While he's noticeably smaller than before, that didn't matter a jot as soon as he got in the ring. "Oh, you wanna shake my hand?" ... F5!!! Fucking excellent. Absolutely fucking excellent. Stunning show. So made up I can't manage any more coherent analysis than this.