The Official UKFF RAW Thread...

[Wrasslin]

5 hours ago, WeeAl said:

These three are 2017's version of Tensai. Overhyped and have under delivered. Gallows was more interesting as Festus. 

That episode of Raw was incredibly boring, but Joe and Reigns had a great match. It was helped by a clean pin as well, which aided the match as a whole, though I am surprised that they delivered that just now. Joe will likely be getting the belt from Reigns the next time he challenges for it, possibly the night after the Rumble, to clear Reigns up for his challenge of Lesnar at Mania. 

To be fair to Balor I don't think it was that it was overhype. It's just that since he's come back from injury they've given him absolutely nothing of interest to do. The Miztouarage, Elias, Curt Hawkins, Sister bloody Abigail. The one time they've made him look relevant again was when he beat AJ  and even that wasn't something they'd planned.

I actually think these three could be a fun unit.

 

[Lorne Malvo]

Balor actually looked like he was really enjoying himself out there on Raw. I reckon he'd love a heel run with the Club.

[PunkStep]

39 minutes ago, Wrasslin said:

To be fair to Balor I don't think it was that it was overhype.

I think it is. Even in NXT, long before his injuries, he didn't stand out as this almighty world class wrestler so many painted him as being. He's good, but I wouldn't call him great, and I think others that came via the NXT route are much better. For example Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Neville, Nakamura (and he can't be bothered half the time).

It'll be interesting to see him with the good brothers though. Hopefully they can enjoy themselves and allow that to translate onto TV.

Edited January 3, 2018 by PunkStep

[Supremo]

Something I think a lot of people forget is how much Balor struggled on the main roster before his injury.

Those couple of weeks leading up to his SummerSlam match with Seth Rollins, it was crystal clear that they (rightly) didn’t trust him to cut in-ring promos the way most main eventers would do. They were doing everything other than giving him a live mic, indicating that they were very aware of his lack of promo ability.

Don’t get wrong, he way he’s floundered since coming back from injury has tonnes to do with the booking and handling of him, but I think a lot of people are quick to ignore his flaws, or pretend everything was perfect before his injury, which simply isn’t the case. He’s good, but he’s definitely not lived up to the hype. I’m fine with them putting those three together and hopefully letting them relax and be themselves more, as there’s clearly something there if they can tap into it, but yeah, I’d very much agree that they’ve been a bunch of Tensais in WWE so far.

[PunkStep]

6 minutes ago, Supremo said:

Those couple of weeks leading up to his SummerSlam match with Seth Rollins, it was crystal clear that they (rightly) didn’t trust him to cut in-ring promos the way most main eventers would do. They were doing everything other than giving him a live mic, indicating that they were very aware of his lack of promo ability.

Absolutely, a good point. On a related note, do you remember WWE doing something similar (in fact, even more so) with Styles after his debut? They would even have Miz and Jericho cut him off before he could get a word in. By the end of the year he was one of the best on the mic!

[Supremo]

That whole first year of AJ’s was something to behold. Despite bringing him straight to the main roster you could tell someone had huge reservations. They didn’t trust him to cut promos and they were of the opinion that guys like Jericho should be beating him at Wrestlemania. You could almost pinpoint the moments when someone, presumably Vince, caught on and went, “hang on, this guy is brilliant at everything, give him the belt!” 

I often wonder if they regret not signing AJ earlier now. They passed on him for years, and now he’s the best on the roster.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Supremo

[CleetusVanDamme]

20 hours ago, AdamTH17 said:

Skimmed through the highlights on Youtube, and fucking hell, advertising "Brock Lesnar to appear!" is more or less now just advertising the "midcarders run out to pull Brock and his opponents" apart spot isn't it? I think the only guy he's fought as of late where they haven't pulled that one out is AJ. He did it with Undertaker (albeit, this was an awesome moment), Cena, Goldberg, Joe, Strowman and now Kane. 

Can they not think of anything else to do with him?

Don't make him out to be a one-trick pony. He can also do the thing where his music hits and he slowly circles the ring, but SWERVE doesn't get in it and walks away laughing. That's always compelling.

 

[BomberPat]

25 minutes ago, Supremo said:

I often wonder if they regret not signing AJ earlier now. They passed on him for years, and now he’s the best on the roster.

Honestly, I think they got him at the exact right time. I was very late in becoming an AJ Styles fan, in that before his NJPW run I never really saw anything special in him - I could recognise that he was talented, but never thought he had "it".

In NJPW, he really became the well-rounded worker that he needed to be in order to succeed in WWE, and built up enough of a reputation - helped along by the Bullet Club association - and at a time that the WWE's approach changed to accommodate a wider view of the world outside their own walls, that they pretty much had no choice but to bring him in as a top level guy with a ton of hype behind him, keeping his own name and gimmick, and giving him the platform to succeed. Any time before when they signed him, I honestly can't see him having progressed beyond the midcard Dolph Ziggler spot - not to mention that they probably signed him to a big enough money deal that they've felt more inclined to push him strongly in order to get a return on that investment.

[FLips]

Finn Balor is laughably bad at almost every aspect of the business aside from doing a cool entrance and having abs. 

His matches are average and forgettable, he's one of the worst promos in the company, he looks and sounds bored constantly. He has the audacity to call other people nerds, walking around in his crap leather jacket, playing with his Lego. A real shitehawk.

[ColinBollocks]

I think NJPW helped him refine his main event act and eradicate the bad habits he picked up in TNA. Thing is, towards the end of his TNA run he was proper stale. Wasn't it WWE basically giving AJ a jabroni contract that made him get his finger out and drive him to where he is? Whatever, he's the best they've got and it's not even close. I watched Smackdown live a year or two ago and it was quite apparent how much better he is than everyone - this was when WWE gave him bloody Ellsworth as an opponent for months, but it didn't matter, it's AJ Styles in the main event and he'll always shine up that spot.

Anyway, Balor has a good look and the face paint deal is a merch dream, but I've never taken to him week-to-week. His... long.... dull... drawn... out... Triple H.... approved... promos... saying.... nothing... interesting... will... always... create... a... disconnect. He's only a passable wrestler too, his best match was that last minute deal with AJ and we can all guess why that's the case.

[PunkStep]

5 minutes ago, ColinBollocks said:

his best match was that last minute deal with AJ and we can all guess why that's the case.

I completely forgot that match happened. It was a good match, but I think the internet fawned over it more than it deserved.

But yeah, Pat and Colin are right about WWE getting him at the right time I think. He was a different worker before and after his NJPW run. It was like finishing school for him.

[ColinBollocks]

5 minutes ago, PunkStep said:

I completely forgot that match happened. It was a good match, but I think the internet fawned over it more than it deserved.

Oh, I agree with you, but it's far and away the best match he's had on the proper show, which says a lot. 

[Loki]

Being on RAW has ruthlessly exposed Balor's weaknesses.  In particular, hotshotting the Universal Title on to him just seems like madness.  It created an expectation that I don't think he has a chance of fulfilling.  Outside of the cool entrance, he has NO character.  Now, if you book around that as NXT did, you can make it all about the entrance and his great wrestling.  But that won't fly on RAW.

Seeing as he's permanently dropped a few notches down the ladder, (re)forming the Club seems like the only decent option for him at the moment.  They'll have fun, there are some decent feuds for them and the fans will love it.

I have to admit to being smarkishly disappointed Joe didn't beat Reigns.  The idea that he was Reigns' bete noire seemed like it had legs.  Now he's lost to him clean that interest has gone.  It still makes sense to put the IC title on Joe though between now and the Rumble (or AT the Rumble).

Here's an idle question - what can WWE do to make me not skip the 205 matches?  I just have no interest.  Maybe it's just me but the purple ropes equals >>FFWD for me.

[AdamTH17]

52 minutes ago, Loki said:

Being on RAW has ruthlessly exposed Balor's weaknesses.  In particular, hotshotting the Universal Title on to him just seems like madness.  It created an expectation that I don't think he has a chance of fulfilling.  Outside of the cool entrance, he has NO character.  Now, if you book around that as NXT did, you can make it all about the entrance and his great wrestling.  But that won't fly on RAW.

Seeing as he's permanently dropped a few notches down the ladder, (re)forming the Club seems like the only decent option for him at the moment.  They'll have fun, there are some decent feuds for them and the fans will love it.

I have to admit to being smarkishly disappointed Joe didn't beat Reigns.  The idea that he was Reigns' bete noire seemed like it had legs.  Now he's lost to him clean that interest has gone.  It still makes sense to put the IC title on Joe though between now and the Rumble (or AT the Rumble).

Here's an idle question - what can WWE do to make me not skip the 205 matches?  I just have no interest.  Maybe it's just me but the purple ropes equals >>FFWD for me.

If half of their roster didn't wrestle in the exact same fashion as their cruiserweight roster, maybe there would be a shred of interest with anything they're doing. There's fuck all point banging on to the audience about how different, and dynamic, and athletic these lads are when you've got guys like Samoa Joe capable of doing the exact same thing. There's been numerous occasions where the 205 guys have had the slowest match on the card, which completely kills their purpose! If there's one aspect that TNA trump WWE in, it's that they allow their cruiserweight division go out and actually have mental, 100mph matches. There's fuck all that differentiates them from anyone else on the entire roster.

[King Pitcos]

The cruiserweight division is just way behind its time. Heavyweights have been doing that stuff for years now, and smaller wrestlers have been proper main eventers for years too. There was no need for it, its existence is purely a cynical ploy to try to get some extra WWE Network subscriptions from the "BRING BACK TEH CRUZRZ" lot. Which doesn't seem to have worked. But the blandness of it does allow the odd bright spark (Gallagher for a month about a year ago, Neville, Enzo, Gulak) to stand out more.

Edited January 3, 2018 by King Pitcos