The Official UKFF RAW Thread...

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Shawn Michaels was a class brawler as well. His match with Mankind is a bout Ziggler could never have. The John Morrison comparison is completely spot on.

 

Raven said this years ago about people coming up in wrestling today. In that they take a look at Shawn Michaels, copy the moves and don't understand why his matches are better than a person who can do as many moves as he can. Michaels was a great brawler and a legitimate miserable fucker in real life. He could bring intensity to his matches. So he had no problem taking the aggression levels up, because that is him. I dont believe Michaels is a hard man in real life, but I do believe if you started on him he wouldn't zip his mouth shut. I couldn't imagine Ziggler not crossing the street if he saw two lads in trackie bottoms walking towards him. His noodle hair, his crap punches, his Miami Vice outfits and his lack of self awareness in the fact that he is 90% hype is what I dislike about him. He's a super overrated act. A good show wrestler, but he hasn't got the fundamentals or the star aura or the charisma to get over to the degree of a main event wrestler. He's Owen Hart.

Edited August 28, 2013 by IANdrewDiceClay

[King Pitcos]

I don't know about his brother, but Ziggler's doing stand-up now. Mostly at open mic spots.

 

"I've actually done stand-up a couple of times now. I go out to LA - maybe for one week a month I'm out there - just watching shows and studying things and trying to get up and get five minutes on a mic. But because it's not just something I wanted to do on a whim, like the way I make quick remarks on Twitter, I want it to be good. I've been a huge student of comedy for twenty something years. I love it. I want to know why people are getting laughs. Why this joke works and why that one didn't work. It all comes back to helping me be a better WWE Superstar. So I love it. And I actually was going to be on Mick Foley's show for SummerSlam. He was going to let me do five or six minutes. But because of how the show is scheduled - like, it's the night of SummerSlam - it may not be doable. But in the five nights I'm in LA, I will be getting up on stage once or twice. Of course, I'm not going to tell anybody where though. Not yet. Not yet. I have to get a couple more under the belt first."

 

His Twitter profile is "stand up comic. i wrestle to pay the bills. oh & former WWE World Heavyweight Champion (again) whatevs" and his background picture thing is of him on stage.

[ShortOrderCook]

A while back, shortly after Curtis Axel showed up on Raw and in a thread discussing Bobby Roode and his contract running out going unnoticed by TNA, I said that had he opted to go to WWE if they were showing interest that he would probably be in Curtis Axels spot. The more time goes on the more I think that. And it's a real shame that didn't happen t be honest. Enough people in the right places are high enough on Roode and he's talented and experienced enough that he may have been put right into a prominent position on the main shows and that would have only made him being a 'Heyman guy' all the more affective. And Curtis Axel is like an inferior version of Bobby Roode, like the wrestler you'd get on some unofficial TNA video game or action figure. Just a poorer version in every single facet. You could imagine Roode would carry the role well and it would be an ideal fit for him in WWE, plus a series of matches between he and Punk would actually be quite promising, as opposed to matches with Axel which hold zero interest. Bobby could have got himself a few neat years there I reckon, i'll forever be gutted he didn't make the jump.

 

On the Heyman angle - don't think I love it quite as much as most do. Clearly it's done wonders for babyface Punk and there's been some great moments. Pauls screaming and the content of it really took me out of the moment on this Raw. Where it should have added to it, it really did the opposite for me. I think Paul doing everything he did but without the words and becoming noticeably emotional as he laid into Punk could have been far more affective.

 

When the gauntlet was set for Danny B+ I feared they're risking going into overkill with how frequent he's going to be on the shows. But, luckily that was all handled really well. The build is going nicely thus far and like others have mentioned toward a great moment of Show and Menry joining forces with D-Bry. But I still think there's mileage beyond that where The Shield topple Show and Menry and then later on somewhere The Brothers of Destruction return to aid D-Bizzle and tackle The Shield which would be a great hark back to the post-Mania Raw. D-Bry is like some wonderful combination of Chris Benoit and loveable late 90's Mick Foley, with all of their good points and none of their bad.

 

Loved Maddox' Teddy Long bit, that was great. That was a tremendous promo from AJ, really enjoyed that. Foleys comments regarding the promo itself were pretty accurate to be fair. That was one of the strongest promos all year and there's been some truly top ones throughout 2013. Big Show is probably the best actor on the roster, he's so great in this kind of role. Good to see him back in it, his new threads are horrid though. And agreed with Supremo on Ambrose, I commented last week about him ditching the Bossman vest. What is going on there, is he just trying to keep things fresh by changing or does he have some of issue with the attire so he keeps changing it? The original, with black vest, black shirt, black tape looked great. Everything he's tried since looking awful. Which isn't good when he's already the shittest looking of the three. Ditching the vest looks doubly wank when Reigns and Rollins are still donning there's and looking awesome in the process. Still don't get or see the appeal with Ambrose in general but this just makes me like him a whole lot less.

[King Pitcos]

I think it's probably to set himself apart. He's the singles guy of the three.

[ShortOrderCook]

I had considered that. I don't like him being the singles guy either though personally and preferred them being presented as a solid unit, with no leader and no ego. Rather all 3 were tag champs. And anyway, it only sets him apart by making him look shit.

 

On the subject of horrible ring attire, I hope something is done with Bray and what he wrestles in when we next see him competing.

[Mr Butternut Squash]

Not seen his stuff in the last year then?

No, I learned my lesson with the "he's good now, I promise, I can tell he's good because the audience are Japanese" lies when Albert came back shit as ever.

 

 

Albert's always been shit and boring, don't know what he's got to do with it. Davey Boy's grown in confidence and personality. He's not Randy Savage but he's nothing like Curtis bloody Axel. His best stuff has come from outside of Japan anyway.

 

Don't get the Owen Hart comparison to Ziggler. Owen was never a main eventer but he was still a charming, likeable stooge mid card act and felt like a natural character. He was ten times better at wrestling than Ziggler.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Mr Butternut Squash

[ShortOrderCook]

Squatternut, what was it you enjoyed from Triple H in 1996?

[Mr Butternut Squash]

Yes, then and only then. (And now). I did enjoy him on that Raw in 2001(?) when he returned from the quad. Massive pop that was.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Mr Butternut Squash

[ShortOrderCook]

No, I mean what specifically was it about him/his work in 1996 that you liked and you that you haven't liked in the almost 2 decades since?

[King Pitcos]

Not seen his stuff in the last year then?

No, I learned my lesson with the "he's good now, I promise, I can tell he's good because the audience are Japanese" lies when Albert came back shit as ever.

 

 

Albert's always been shit and boring, don't know what he's got to do with it.

 

After he left WWE, people pretended he was good now because he had wrestled in Japan.

[Statto]

On the subject of horrible ring attire, I hope something is done with Bray and what he wrestles in when we next see him competing.

 

Out of interest, what would you have him in? I just can't picture him, in the current gimmick, doing anything other than what he's doing now - taking his shirt off and going at it in his normal clothes. He's like a Foley, in that aspect. Or a Cena, I guess.

 

To me, he's weird cult guy first, pro wrestler second. Not saying that's the way it should, just the way I perceive him.

[Mr Butternut Squash]

No, I mean what specifically was it about him/his work in 1996 that you liked and you that you haven't liked in the almost 2 decades since?

 

His character. He was more convincing and fun as a blueblooded lothario than the boring one in DX and The Game. He improved in the ring in the years since but not enough for me to be into him. Like I said, I enjoy him quite a lot at the moment as well.

 

On Show's new attire, I like the new aqua colours. Bit less bland than before. He looks in good shape too.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Mr Butternut Squash

[ShortOrderCook]

Statto - I really don't know what the solution is. I agree with you, it's character first, wrestler second. But that's the issue where he's going to fall down. So much of it works and comes together in vignettes, angles and promos but so much of it goes to shit when he has to wrestle. His non wrestling look is fantastic. I don't know if i'd just prefer him to simply keep the shirt on. I thought he looked great as Husky in tights and cowboy boots but that probably wouldn't work now as Bray obviously and he's lost so much weight he'd actually look much more average dressed like that. I don't know, but it's something that should have been considered and adressed before he was called up and wrestled on Raw and PPV. Was always a concern when he was on NXT but he could get away with it there.

[wh1007]

Loved Daniel Bryan Vs The Corporation again this week. It's great having smug prick Triple H back. Granted it was plain as day that Bryan was going to vandalise Orton's car the minute they brought it out but it was inoffensive and didn't slow down the feud in any way so it worked in that regard. Bryan and Rollins had a cracking match too. The German suplex spot from the top and Rollins' bump into the announce desk were particular highlights.

 

Paul Heyman was excellent in the angle witrh Punk. I know there's been some discussion on here about Bobby Heenan being the greatest manager of all time and it's not something I'll argue against as I haven't seen enough of his work to make that call. For me though, Heyaman with the possible exception of Vince himself, is the greatest non-wrestling performer ever. Heyman looking emotionally battered and as if he'd been crying whilst talking to the always terrific to see Renee Young was a lovely touch. The only downside to this whole thing is that Curtis Axel is still as bland as fuck.

 

AJ's "pipebomb" was brilliant too, mostly because it was all true. They keep having to find different things for Jo Jo to do, none of which she's been particularly good at. it reminds me of the time they had all those Diva Search losers running around as make up artists and backstage interviewers just to justify their positions. Naomi and Cameron are alright I suppose. Natalya hasn't done anything of note in years even if she was alright during Khali's brief run as an detective. The Bella's are THE absolute worst though. As AJ was delivering her promo they kept shouting "Say it to our faces" as if AJ wasn't standing mere feet away from them, proving they have absolutely no idea how to react to anything. Eva Marie appears to be turning into another Bella which is far from a good thing.

 

I thought Rosa Mendes had been binned after getting drunk as a lord during a European tour but there she was on Monday night, now aligned with The Miz for some apparent reason. The commentary during the tag bout was the pits too with all three of them trying to shoehorn in as many references to the previous nights VMA's regardless as to weather they were relevant or not.

 

Almost forgot, I'm glad Pitcos mentioned it as I too was thinking that Big Show had an iron clad contract.Mabye they'll bring it up next week.

[Max Power]

No, I mean what specifically was it about him/his work in 1996 that you liked and you that you haven't liked in the almost 2 decades since?

 

His character. He was more convincing and fun as a blueblooded lothario than the boring one in DX and The Game. He improved in the ring in the years since but not enough for me to be into him. Like I said, I enjoy him quite a lot at the moment as well.

 

That's mental. I know its all about opinions, but its a very, very strange one.