The Official UKFF RAW Thread...

[Brock Goldberg]

Very enjoyable Raw. It didn't feel like a three hour show which is a good sign.

 

Pleased with the new changes. I think going with a Universal Championship makes sense.

 

The four-way matches were excellent and the Sasha title win was a nice surprise.

 

Would have preferred a Reigns win but will be interesting to see what they have planned for him next. Balor/Rollins should be something special.

 

Holding bringing Lesnar back but promoting it through the show that he will be on next week was a smart move.

 

Above all I'm considering watching again next week when before the show I thought it would be one and out.

[Guest]

To be fair, you did also say that Kurt Angle was shoved down people's throats against their wishes. Which is nonsense.

 

 

Yes, if there's one statement where someone forfeits the right to have opinions taken seriously, it's this.

 

And dont worry, I'm a snarling cunt in real life too

[stevieg1980]

I really enjoyed this, for the first time in a long time 3 hours flew by.

 

One thing vexed me though. Does the name 'WWE Universal Championship' not sound like the result of a childish arguement?

 

"I have the World Championship!"

 

"Well I have the Universal Championship and it's bigger and better than yours coz it's the Universe."

 

With Steph's character I can see it. It just comes across as a little dumb. Maybe I just wanted the big gold belt back.

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

I know they are calling it the Universal Championship because of the whole "WWE Universe" shtick they insist on, but when they announced it I immediately thought of it as a homage to Bill Watts and the UWF. The old "What's bigger than the World Wrestling Federation, the Universal Wrestling Federation" but this time played out in belt form.

[WyattSheepMask]

It sounds like something a 10 year old would come up with in Create A Title mode on the computer game

[FLips]

Not watched Raw properly yet but I hate that new belt name.

[Brock Goldberg]

I like the fact they've gone with something different regarding the new title.

 

It further supports trying to make both brands unique.

 

The name may split opinion but in this current PG era I think it works.

[theringmaster]

I just want to know what it will look like, I'm guessing something that resembles the Undisputed Championship of the early 2000's.

 

I like the name, it's a break away from the 'Big gold belt', in 2016 people like Rollins and Ambrose are competing for world titles but you wouldn't call them 'Heavyweights'

 

[tiger_rick]

Decent show with four good matches, a fresh feel and some squashes!

 

I think they burned through the "tournament" to pick an opponents for Rollins at SummerSlam too quickly but I can see what they were looking for. An impactful, one-night gimmick to put Balor over huge and give the "new era" Raw a hot start. They could have stretched it to 16 guys or more as the people who weren't in the 8 chosen looked pretty fucking tragic just standing there looking awkward. The three matches were good though and did the job required. Annoyed Rusev lost, he should never lose but Reigns putting Balor over was surprising and it's clear golden balls has been downgraded to Elizabeth Duke sterling silver. His own fault.

 

"Universal Title" is a bit shit but I think what they do with it is more important than the name.

 

Sasha vs. Charlotte on Raw is madness. Not business-wise because SummerSlam will clearly sell anyway but in terms of telling a story and building to that huge, memorable moment it's a waste. Again, I understand it's to make Raw hot but they've wasted a big deal.

 

Fair play to them for making it big with the post match interviews. I like that gimmick and it was part of a decent facelift with new logo and music, moving the announcers and getting in Corey Graves who did a good job. I like his announcing, he's just a mega-cunt on those panel shows. The set didn't look any different to me at all.

 

Liked the squashes for Nia Jax and Strowman. Again, he looks a million dollars with the shirt off. Anderson & Gallows attack was good. And thank fuck it came because the New Day segment with that plant was absolutely tragic.

 

I don't think they can put a show this good on every week but with a few additions of some familiar old faces and some cruisers, I don't think the roster's looking that bad. I've said this before but they need to pick a handful of guys who are super protected. They don't fight each other on TV very often and they don't lose. Put them in tags, matches against the second tier guys and squashes but they never lose. For me, it should be (face) Rollins, (heel) Reigns, Owens, Rusev, Zayn and Balor. I don't want to see any of them against each other unless it's on PPV and it's for the Title. Otherwise, every Raw booking discussion should start with what five or six segments those guys are filling and where it stands on the long term plan for each of them.

[WyattSheepMask]

Agree with Rick about the women's title match being free of the telly. Like I posted in the Battleground thread, having Sasha get the tap out on the champion gives her a legit claim to having a title match, basic booking though it may be. To them do it the very next night, and have the title change hands, has taken away that big moment that you should be building towards happening on the big show that people are paying money to watch, whether it's buying it on PPV or subscribing to the network.

 

With only 4 RAWs between Battleground and Summerslam, they could have easily got to Summerslam without doing the match.

Last night you could have had Sasha issue the challenge which Charlotte accepts...if she beats Dana next week. One week later Sasha beats Dana and the match is on. Roll on to the following week and Dana jumps Sasha prior to the match and you have Charlotte and Dana doing the 2on1 beat down and have Bayley run in for the save, setting up a tag rematch from Battleground for the go home RAW were if Sasha and Bayley win, Sasha gets the shot at Summerslam. Have that tag match finish with Sasha tapping out Charlotte for a second time and then have Foley make the match for Summerslam official

Edited July 26, 2016 by WyattSheepMask

[ColinBollocks]

I guess you can call it a successful show when you rarely fast forward through it. Middling WrestleRock intro aside, all the new production changes worked a treat. In particular, replacing the Mark Lawrenson of WWE with Corey Graves improved everything. Saxton is still a dribbler, but Cole and Corey had decent chemistry on day one; thought both played off each other really well.

 

The Sasha match was brilliant. They clearly must have been delighted with the pop her win got.

 

Balor getting such a push and all this focus is exactly why I'm happy they're saving the other bigger NXT names for down the road. You can only push so many people to the moon and bringing them all up at the same time means some will fall into nothing feuds, in the grand scheme of things. Thought Balor appearing out of nowhere was class when they announced the 4 ways.

 

Reigns' post-match promo was a thing of subtle beauty. He's got a lovely heel beard now too. Can't wait for him to tell the fans they're all fat and ugly.

 

Anybody that likes the "Universal Champion" name is a pleb. Proper Geocities Xtreme Anarchy Wrestling stuff from them. Yuck!

[FUM]

Aye, I think some of the emotion they could have got out of the chase was lost but I think they wanted that big "anything can happen" moment.

 

Some people said the logo but was e-fed but fuck me, the universal title really is proper e-fed.

 

Did enjoy the show overall, great to see Balor look so good on debut - I honestly didn't see him making it on the main roster before but RAW changed my mind on that.

 

Braun looks cracking with the new hairstyle and the extra muscle he's gained recently really is out of this world - what a beast he looks. The return of jobbers was very welcome.

[RIDDUM_N_STYLE]

Beyond made up that Finn won but I think they could have done it better by NOT having Reigns and Rollins involved, they built it up by putting the blame on Roman for not bringing the title to Raw so put him in one of the 4 ways to earn his way to the title match, yet Rollins got the fast track to Summerslam despite having 3 cracks at the title in ONE WEEK and not winning any of them. Imo both of them should have been frozen out as punishment

[Jackpot]

Very, very enjoyable RAW.

 

I did think pushing the New Era and then having a match with Sheamus and Jericho in for their new Universal Title opportunity was a bit off though. Not sure who they could have replaced them with mind as Neville and Strowman were both given matches to help build them back up.

 

 

Was great to see Balor go over, him and Rollins is guaranteed to deliver excellence.

 

Nia Jax and Strowman's squashes did the job they were destined to. Even getting Strowman's opponent to speak before the match was a nice little touch.

 

Sasha and Charlotte delivered again. I like that it was on RAW, gives it the feel again that big title changes will happen on the show in the weeks/months to come to keep fans tuning in. Saying that, I can understand the sentiment to those wanting it kept until SummerSlam.

 

"The Irrelevant" Curtis Axel got a laugh out of me. As did the little segments with the Golden Truth throughout the show - despite not having the faintest interest in Pokemongo. Their involvement in the Shining Stars/Enzo &Cass was enjoyable.

 

Anderson and Gallows' attack on the New Day was very similar to the way they took out the Uso's on their debut. That's the side of them I want to see more of.

 

New set, logo and position of the commentary team gives it all a new feel. Promising start.

[Callum1993]

Definitely one of the best three hour Raw shows they have done. It pretty much kept me invested throughout which is rare these days. Interesting to see what they do with Roman now for Summerslam. A match with Jericho maybe?