The Official UKFF RAW Thread...

[BomberPat]

13 hours ago, King Pitcos said:

Triple H has often been clear in interviews that NXT has a very different audience and remit than Raw, presumably to manage expectations for when he takes over Raw and doesn't turn it into NXT.

Indeed - I'm not sure what kind of viewing figures NXT gets on the Network, but they did an NXT Special on the USA Network in December and it got 841,000 viewers, compared to RAW normally drawing upwards of 3 million. 

Even before you factor in the pressures of RAW being a live show (and, conversely, the relative security NXT gets from being a taped show), and all external stakeholders, just the difference in audience numbers speaks volumes.

I always think back to an interview with Mike Quackenbush, where he mentioned a survey sent to self-identified wrestling fans, in which they were asked what other wrestling promotions they could name - and fewer than 2% of respondents could name a promotion other than WWE. While I'm sure that number has increased in recent years, I don't suspect it's increased by much. It's always hard to see from inside the Wrestling Bubble, but whenever we talk about what "the fans" or "the audience" want, we have to recognise that we're talking about an incredibly small minority of the actual WWE audience.

[Supremo]

Man. At a time when my pro-wrestling fandom is at an-all time high, where I'm watching more promotions than ever and seeing fantastic stuff across the board, I don't think WWE's main roster could be any more uninspiring. There's just nothing here to get excited about at all.

Neither Bayley nor Sasha have the chops to pull off a Team Hell No tribute act. The only saving grace for this garbage will be if Daniel Bryan and Kane themselves do a cameo.

The character of Roman Reigns is such a miserable bastard. Even if you ignore all of the other ways that they've completely screwed up the writing of him, on this basis alone I can't imagine how anyone could want to root for him. That bit backstage where he was whinging to Seth about how Seth had an Extreme Rules match signed but he wasn't booked yet? Fucking hell. What a melt. At least when the crowds turned on Cena he still looked to be having a great time. Roman's TV time is now exclusively divided between cutting those awful promos where he gets shitty digs at people and looks a snide tosser, or moping around the backstage area like a sulky teenager. It's truly incredible the number they've done on him. You couldn't do better if you were going out of your way to sabotage him. He's cooling Seth down just by association. Like a miserable, emo older brother that Seth can't get rid of.

The amount of times people suddenly referred to Lashley as, "Bob," on this show, having never ever done it before, you can tell someone backstage has (wrongly) decided this will somehow make him more likable. Good old Bob. He's a great guy, our Bob. What's that? Smiles like a sex offender? Haunting, dead eyes? Can't cut a promo to save his life? Yeah, whatever. He's Bob. You've gotta love Bob! Bob's a brilliant guy. Everyone loves Bob. Bob.

The B Team would be so much more enjoyable if Vince McMahon wasn't writing for them. Those impressions with the silly wigs is so Vince and is by far the worst part of their act. All I keep thinking watching this feud is how much fun it'd be if Vince wasn't getting the final say. Imagine sending them to the Hardy Compound and letting them act like idiots. Chase them around with a drone or something. It'd be great.

 

[tiger_rick]

WWF/WWE Best promo guy:

1988: HULK HOGAN

1998: STEVE AUSTIN

2008: JOHN CENA

2018: MOJO RAWLEY

[Jacko]

I’ve just saw the “highlights” of the show last night after 22 years I no longer think wwe is for me 

[ThumpSquids]

NXT aside, I've not been turned on by a WWE project/product for some time. Up the indies! 

[C-Rock]

Wow from this reviews sounds like they could do with Ronda Rousey on the show to boost some interest. Won't save the entire show but I'm sure it would have helped.

[Onyx2]

I'm staggered by how dull that show is. Who is interested in Roman and Bobby not getting along? Hardly Austin and Triple H is it. And ooh! He said 'heat magnet.' What an insider. 

I couldn't even finish the YouTube highlights. 

[FourtyTwo]

Or just having the Champion there to give some focus? Without it, everything seems to just drift, until Lesnar turns up again. Not saying it would solve everything, but the’re missing (at a guess) 25% of what they should be putting out and having to replace it with stuff that just isn’t good enough.

[BomberPat]

4 hours ago, Supremo said:

That bit backstage where he was whinging to Seth about how Seth had an Extreme Rules match signed but he wasn't booked yet? Fucking hell. What a melt.

When he's not booked, he complains, when he's booked in a title match, he complains that it's a conspiracy that he's somehow a victim of. What does he want?!

[iMPACt!]

Take away the commercial breaks and I'm sure in roughly the first half hour of Raw we had seen Roman in about four different segments/match. And guess what, you are delightfully informed that Roman is in two matches tonight so you will be seeing even more of this moody guy who constantly fails to win the big one from the champion who has pretty much left the company. 

How anybody can seriously get enjoyment out of their weekly shows, in particular Raw, at the moment is beyond me.

[Keith Houchen]

8 minutes ago, iMPACt! said:

How anybody can seriously get enjoyment out of their weekly shows, in particular Raw, at the moment is beyond me.

So why watch it then?  That’s not just at you, we hear about cycles in wrestling but one thing that is the now as it was years ago is “This is terrible, here is where Vince is going wrong”. 

I know it isn’t like any other show but if I think something is shit or doesn’t entertain me, I stop watching. 

[boytoy]

11 hours ago, Keith Houchen said:

So why watch it then?  That’s not just at you, we hear about cycles in wrestling but one thing that is the now as it was years ago is “This is terrible, here is where Vince is going wrong”. 

I know it isn’t like any other show but if I think something is shit or doesn’t entertain me, I stop watching. 

You're right that Raw is slightly different to most shows. Raw is the only TV show I can think of that I actively want to be good which is quite unique. I'm currently in a period of not watching it but I always look forward to the times when it pulls me back in and there isn't another TV show that I don't watch that I would read a recap of to stay up to date...

[air_raid]

As a fan of the company's product to some degree since 1992, I've drifted in and out a few times. Sometimes this has had more to do with real life distractions/ease of viewing than other times, but I've always kept up with what's happening. Currently my viewing is reduced to a level it's never been down to before - I watch none of the television and even the PPV I only make the effort if a friend I trust tells me a match is really worth seeing, or if someone I really like does something notable. And I use the word effort because that's what it feels like.

Even things that should spark my interest, no longer do. I have complained on here about the treatment of Becky in the past, who is now winning every week, they brought up the Iconics who I love as detestable heels, Daniel Bryan is wrestling again... but I still can't bring myself to watch SmackDown. The interminable march to a Sasha/Bayley feud finally has some storyline development moving it along, I haven't seen any of it. My two favourite wrestlers in the company are Finn Balor who is booked in a prominent position on Raw and AJ Styles who has been champion on SmackDown since November, and I haven't properly watched a match either has had since Mania. The context of what might represent value to me, is a backdrop of stale, unimaginative TV that after about 16 years feels like things have almost stood still from a presentation and storytelling point of view. As a song goes, "It's all the same, only the names have changed."

If I wanted to cross-examine my own criticism, it IS fair to say my interest in current wrestling is massively on the wane and I spend less time on it than ever before, as probably evident by my posting rate here decreasing. And it's true that my time actually spent on wrestling is mostly gobbled up by BritWres in person, TakeOver when there is one, and everything important New Japan put on. You might say my falling out of love with WWE is more a reflection on my changing tastes. But it runs deeper than that. I feel like for ages I've been fighting to keep the flame alight but I'm just not getting enough back ; never mind having the time, even reading the recaps has become a chore and I can do that at my desk before work in no time. I've been consciously not bothering, at times, to read Raw until Tuesday evening or forgetting for days that SmackDown happened again. Even the build for AJ v Rusev, a match I'd have looked forward to, which I know will deliver in the ring, which I'll likely force myself to watch, has not been enough to make me watch highlights on the Tube.

I think I'm going through the motions because I just can't bring myself to admit that something I was invested in for so long has simply ran it's course. But honestly, WWE ..... it's not me, it's you.

 

Edited July 6, 2018 by air_raid

[HarmonicGenerator]

Excellent post, Raid. I feel very similar. There was a time when being able to watch every single PPV, at the touch of a button, would have been a wonderful joy I'd never get tired of. But these days it's a chore, and I even fast forward through parts of the matches involving people I like. There are so many good people on the roster and I don't care about any of them. Like you, I'm barely even remembering to read recaps of Raw and SmackDown, and when I do I wonder why I wasted the last 60 seconds, because nothing ever happens. I'm still watching 205 Live, out of habit more than anything else, and I've still got NXT. NXT is basically what's keeping me going as a wrestling fan, and even then, it's with a sad kind of reflection knowing that everyone I look forward to seeing there will be flattened and sapped dry of any interest when they get to the main shows. Remember how amazing Andrade 'Cien' Almas was from January to March? I couldn't give less of a shit about him now. AOP were that big man tag team where I'd love seeing them squash guys and anticipate their bigger matches. I don't care about them at all anymore. So even the thing I still like watching is sad because you just know this is as good as it'll get for Velveteen Dream and the like.

Most of my joy for wrestling these days comes from listening to Wrestle Me. I haven't the time or inclination (or money) to seek out other promotions. I'm not in it for workrate. I just want to love it again. But I don't think current WWE will ever do that for me again.

[Keith Houchen]

I wonder if as consumers, there are so many more ways to consume wrestling these days.  When most of us got into it ,WWF as it was seemed like the only or most easily available option.  Nowadays we can satiate our wrestling fix in so many other ways.