The Official UKFF RAW Thread...

[tiger_rick]

Pretty great show overall. Man there was some awful promo work though. Cesaro nearly cut a good one but went to pieces. Jey Uso sucked. Rollins was absolutely abysmal in that final segment until he started taunting Cena. Edge and Christian were awful too but I blame the terrible material.

 

The Ryback promo was good but utterly out of place in today's WWE. I hope this is the return to putting characters over on TV again. I thought it would have suited a series of vignettes or a sit down interview more but it was still good to see.

 

Reigns vs Rollins was really good. They need to do a Shield triple threat for the title next year. I'd buy it. Rollins is really good. If they stop trying to do those slimy promos that make him sound like a contestant on a game show then he can be the total package.

 

Glad Bryan is back. It would be horrible to see a guy who's worked as hard as he has to make it have his career cut short at his peak. Plus it adds some intrigue to the Rumble.

 

Also glad the Authority are back. They should have saved the big reveal though. Having your World Champion make a rare appearance to run away from John Cena and then end the show in the shadow of Trips and Steph was mental.

 

Usos win was an ace surprise. Harper and Rusev looked strong. Wyatt/Ambrose part 987 should be good.

 

Best bit was the return of BNB though. "This bullhammer will connect with your shiny little head!" Genuine lol.

[LaGoosh]

Good show. They gave a lot of the roster some decent promo time and it helped hugely. Except for poor Cesaro, he was doing so well until he said "those four ropes....er, sides". What a berk. Not sure if I'm a fan of Barrett coming back as a babyface. There's a really uneven heel/babyface divide in both the midcard and tag division.

 

Rusev is a wonderful heel wrestler. He shows enough arse during his matches that he comes across as a cowardly heel but his offence is strong enough that you buy him as a serious threat.

 

Big Show on commentary for Reigns/Rollins was fantastic. Saying that J&J Security were only out there to protect Rollins from female fans jumping the ring and trying to tear his clothes off got a genuine LOL from me. Enjoyed the match too, Reigns sunset flip into deadlift powerbomb was ace.

 

Daniel Bryan coming back is also fantastic obviously. Does kind of leave Reigns in the lurch as I was sure they were going for him vs Brock but with Daniel back there'd be mad to do it. This might work out well in the long run for Reigns, give him more time to work on his act.

 

The Ascension looked rubbish. They need to get rid of those fucking triangles on their heads for a start. And for a so-called powerhouse team they don't really wrestle like powerhouses. Their offence looks weak as hell.

 

While I liked the end angle and Rollins came off as a massive dick (in a good way) I'm really not happy about The Authority coming back. There act was already stale as fuck by Survivor Series and can't WWE think of any storyline apart from "heel authority figure". So boring.

 

My guess at a Wrestlemania card after tonight:

 

Bryan vs Lesnar

Triple H vs Sting

Rollins vs Ambrose vs Reigns

Cena vs Rusev

Wyatt vs Orton

Edited December 30, 2014 by LaGoosh

[ColinBollocks]

I'm glad I bothered with this. It's funny that as soon as the Rumble to 'Mania build happens Vince seems to turn off the awful auto-pilot writing and starts putting on good TV again. The past couple of winters have sucked really bad, and highlighted how decent TNA usually was during the BFG build, as it filled the void for exciting wrestling.

 

It was a pretty well thought out show (shock), with Edge and Christian adding some razzle dazzle to segments that could have easily sucked. Again, it was a shame it's three hours, as the end segment was all well done, but the crowd seemed a little tired.

 

The Daniel Bryan announcement was cracking. It's impossble not to route for the bloke, especially when he's whipping out tales about his old man dying. Like others have typed in this thread, Lesnar v Bryan is one of the few plausible dream matches left in the WWE. Bryan is the ultimate underdog, so seeing him trying to overcome a monster like Lesnar would make for some great moments - both men are so perfect working their respective gimmicks that you can see the match being something special.

I can see Bryan getting eliminated by Rollins/The Authority at the Rumble, which will get a massive reaction for Rollins (and probably Reigns, when he eliminates Rollins to win the Rumble) leading to a potential showstealer in Rollins v Bryan at 'Mania. Hopefully Lesnar is working the February PPV, as you would assume Bryan v Lesnar is the top match for that show. As a DB fan, I'd be up for all of that.

 

This show was slightly unique, in that they seemed to be giving mic time to the midcard lot to get their gimmicks over (grab the bass ring and all that). Some of it was good (Ryback and his scar/telling Punk to do one) and some of it was woeful (hey, it's Cesaro correcting a fan mid-promo that when he said "those four ropes" he meant "it has four sides"). As mixed as this was, I want more of it. What I took from Raw is Ryback is a war hero and Cesaro hasn't touched a tit before.

 

Lana is filth and Rusev is still the best damn thing going today, brother.

Edited December 30, 2014 by ColinBollocks

[Undefeated Steak]

I skipped through the show but enjoyed what I saw. I'll start watching most/all of Raw once we hit the Royal Rumble. I was impressed by Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins and Daniel Bryan's promos.

 

As for Lesnar vs Bryan, it's the best move IMO. It'll be the closest we get to a Lesnar vs Shawn Michaels match.

 

Fingers crossed that they do something special with Lesnar vs Cena at the Rumble.

[tiger_rick]

As much as there is a danger that you push Reigns and he gets overshadowed, there's a bigger risk that if they don't push him, it might never happen.

 

Wrestling isn't an industry where you get away with not striking while the iron is hot.

 

Beating Lesnar for the title is a star making opportunity. Daniel Bryan is already a star. I wouldn't waste it.

[Undefeated Steak]

As much as there is a danger that you push Reigns and he gets overshadowed, there's a bigger risk that if they don't push him, it might never happen.

 

Wrestling isn't an industry where you get away with not striking while the iron is hot.

 

Beating Lesnar for the title is a star making opportunity. Daniel Bryan is already a star. I wouldn't waste it.

 

This isn't the only way to make Reigns a star. The fans would likely cheer Lesnar over Reigns too.

 

Have Bryan go over Lesnar at Wrestlemania and then build up Reigns to beat Bryan at Summerslam or the following Wrestlemania. I still think they're making a mistake pushing Reigns as a face. 

[IANdrewDiceClay]

They've really put him in a bad position now. They're in a smart town and Daniel Bryan is returning Shawn Michaels 96 style in the Rumble. Anything other than a Bryan win will be a disappointment to those fans. Because simply put, Reigns isn't half as popular as Bryan. You get the sense Reigns is their hand picked star, where as Bryan is someone like actually like. If it comes down to a choice, Reigns isn't getting the polite Ultimate Warrior at Mania VI cheers. He's getting the Batista treatment. This is really going to be interesting to see how they dig themselves out of this one.

 

Reigns isn't ready for me. Not in the ring, definitely not on the microphone and if he beats Lesnar or Cena, there's a big chance he'll end up like Sheamus. Where he's pretty much peaked before his career gets going. The last thing he needs is for it to be cool to boo him.

Edited December 30, 2014 by IANdrewDiceClay

[Supremo]

As others have said, even though Cesaro made himself look like a tit it was still really refreshing to see a couple of mid-carders get a little time to actually say or do something. It's what this show has been missing for ages. Matches after matches after matches between guys with no storyline or character. Hopefully they do more of it because Ryback proved that it can definitely work.

 

Bryan in the Rumble is a weird choice if they haven't changed plans. The best scenario I've seen is for Cena to beat Brock for the title earlier in the show, have Brock cost Bryan the victory in the Rumble, have Reigns win the Rumble and then do Brock vs. Bryan and Cena vs. Roman for the title at Wrestlemania. At least that way you can bank on Reigns getting cheered at Wrestlemania, we still get the Bryan vs. Brock dream match and it would suit the current feeling of them giving up on Brock the closer it gets to his contract expiring, with the likelihood being that he's UFC-bound. At this point I'd be genuinely surprised if Brock goes into Mania with the belt. He was practically an after-thought on this show.

 

Reigns vs. Cena for the title

Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan

Sting vs. Triple H

 

I quite like that.

Edited December 30, 2014 by Supremo

[Undefeated Steak]

Reigns isn't ready for me. Not in the ring, definitely not on the microphone and if he beats Lesnar or Cena, there's a big chance he'll end up like Sheamus. Where he's pretty much peaked before his career gets going. The last thing he needs is for it to be cool to boo him.

 

This 100%.

 

Bryan in the Rumble is a weird choice if they haven't changed plans. The best scenario I've seen is for Cena to beat Brock for the title earlier in the show, have Brock cost Bryan the victory in the Rumble, have Reigns win the Rumble and then do Brock vs. Bryan and Cena vs. Roman for the title at Wrestlemania. At least that way you can bank on Reigns getting cheered at Wrestlemania, we still get the Bryan vs. Brock dream match and it would suit the current feeling of them giving up on Brock the closer it gets to his contract expiring, with the likelihood being that he's UFC-bound. At this point I'd be genuinely surprised if Brock goes into Mania with the belt. He was practically an after-thought on this show.

 

I like this idea. They could play on Bryan's injury and make Lesnar vs Bryan a career vs career match.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

 

As much as there is a danger that you push Reigns and he gets overshadowed, there's a bigger risk that if they don't push him, it might never happen.

 

Wrestling isn't an industry where you get away with not striking while the iron is hot.

 

Beating Lesnar for the title is a star making opportunity. Daniel Bryan is already a star. I wouldn't waste it.

 

This isn't the only way to make Reigns a star. The fans would likely cheer Lesnar over Reigns too.

 

Have Bryan go over Lesnar at Wrestlemania and then build up Reigns to beat Bryan at Summerslam or the following Wrestlemania. I still think they're making a mistake pushing Reigns as a face. 

 

 

I don't think Reigns as a face is a bad idea- he's got the cool look and high impact moveset- but the presentation has been a bit weak so far. He has looked far too vulnerable, and although you can't give him the Goldberg treatment, he should look stronger. It made sense that Show would dominate the majority of the match, but now Rollins is doing it as well. Roman Reigns isn't a believable underdog, he should be a cool ass-kicker.

[WyattSheepMask]

 

 

 

 

As much as there is a danger that you push Reigns and he gets overshadowed, there's a bigger risk that if they don't push him, it might never happen.

 

Wrestling isn't an industry where you get away with not striking while the iron is hot.

 

Beating Lesnar for the title is a star making opportunity. Daniel Bryan is already a star. I wouldn't waste it.

This isn't the only way to make Reigns a star. The fans would likely cheer Lesnar over Reigns too.

 

Have Bryan go over Lesnar at Wrestlemania and then build up Reigns to beat Bryan at Summerslam or the following Wrestlemania. I still think they're making a mistake pushing Reigns as a face.

I don't think Reigns as a face is a bad idea- he's got the cool look and high impact moveset- but the presentation has been a bit weak so far. He has looked far too vulnerable, and although you can't give him the Goldberg treatment, he should look stronger. It made sense that Show would dominate the majority of the match, but now Rollins is doing it as well. Roman Reigns isn't a believable underdog, he should be a cool ass-kicker.

Agreed about the 'Goldberg treatment', he can't smash through everybody, but they need to pick and choose who he looks vulnerable against. He was getting smacked about by Fandango the other week which is no way to be building anyone as the next big babyface

[Undefeated Steak]

I don't think Reigns as a face is a bad idea- he's got the cool look and high impact moveset- but the presentation has been a bit weak so far. He has looked far too vulnerable, and although you can't give him the Goldberg treatment, he should look stronger. It made sense that Show would dominate the majority of the match, but now Rollins is doing it as well. Roman Reigns isn't a believable underdog, he should be a cool ass-kicker.

 

 

Now Bryan's back, the top two stars are both faces (him and Cena). If Lesnar leaves after Wrestlemania then the top 2 stars in the company won't have any heels at their level. Let's say WWE get it right and propel Reigns into the top level as a face, you're then left with 3 faces at the very top of the card. At the very least, you want 2 heels to every face in the main events. 3 faces with no heels at that level is the last thing they need.

 

Pushing Reigns as a heel gives him more options and thwarts the potential backlash he'd get if facing Bryan or Lesnar.

Edited December 30, 2014 by Undefeated Steak

[Au]

Maybe have him take the US title off of Rusev at Mania then have him turn heel on Bryan or Cena at Raw the next night. Beating Rusev will make him look really strong and turning straight after should get him a ton of heat.

 

Although I have no idea where that leaves Cena for Wrestlemania if we're hypothesising that Bryan's getting the title shot against Lesnar.

 

And having Reigns in the main event with the US title would probably be a bit out of place, too. He could go the Austin route and throw it in a river but that'll just devalue it even more!

[SpursRiot2012]

Cena beats Brock at Rumble while Reigns wins the Rumble itself with Bryan somehow getting screwed by Lesnar in the Rumble to set up Cena/Reigns and Bryan/Lesnar at Mania sounds good except: why would Lesnar, in preparation for a title match, even have Daniel Bryan on his mind?

[Undefeated Steak]

Cena beats Brock at Rumble while Reigns wins the Rumble itself with Bryan somehow getting screwed by Lesnar in the Rumble to set up Cena/Reigns and Bryan/Lesnar at Mania sounds good except: why would Lesnar, in preparation for a title match, even have Daniel Bryan on his mind?

 

What are you suggesting, that we need to apply logic?