Paid Members Lion_of_the_Midlands Posted April 8 Paid Members Share Posted April 8 Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga to be new parts of the Bloodline. Roman casting aside Solo and Jimmy for not getting the job done. Regal's lad getting a call up along with Ilja Dragunov from NXT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted April 9 Paid Members Share Posted April 9 6 hours ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said: Ilja Dragunov Good shot Mr, give yourself a goldfish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzExile Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 Very good Raw after Mania. Usually feel pretty deflated after Mania and all the storylines come to a close (despite what HHH told us last year) but it's so hot right now and genuinely looking forward to the upcoming PPVs. Give me three hours of Drew McIntyre every week please, that promo was brilliant. I was sad for Chad not getting a reaction, I wonder how they can heat him up again because something's there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted April 9 Paid Members Share Posted April 9 I’m not going to lie ; in recent years I’ve come to prefer a more muted “Raw after WrestleMania.” In years gone by it was usually a fairly organic thing - shit, we need to turn Shawn babyface, we better follow up if Bret’s a heel now, we need to reshuffle DX if Shawn’s going to be out for a bit, that kind of thing. Or if contractually you weren’t able to get Talent X signed in time to build a Mania match, you’d hold off until the night after. But it grew into its own monster where people just expect a big debut or return, NXT call ups without explanation, huge sweeping “end chapter” changes because Mania closes the book on much. It’s even been that SmackDown has been expected to have surprise developments of its own too in recent years. However, for every “Lesnar coming back in 2012” there are usually 2-3 that don’t live up to expectations so I think it would be better to dial down that these huge happenings are expected. Far happier to just have (examples) new champions celebrating and meeting their first challengers or anything that started at Mania continuing, and for call ups and debuts I’ve been much more a fan of how they’ve handled Jade and Bronn with backstage negotiations and the importance of signing a contract underlined rather than just people turning up without explanation. The Rumble lends itself to surprise returns too, I think the “Raw after Mania” thing has kind of ran its course. That’s creatively, mind. Nothing will change as it sells tickets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d-d-d-dAz Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 (edited) Only watched bits through Instagram this morning, but Punk's cheeky little dickhead face is the best thing he does. That smile when he's on top of the announce table and doing Jey's dance really made me laugh. Edited April 9 by d-d-d-dAz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScarlettChad Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 So Rock vs Cody is happening then? They certainly teased it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Healys Chutney Spoon Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 10 minutes ago, TheScarlettChad said: So Rock vs Cody is happening then? They certainly teased it. It'll be a Rocky Rhode to get there I feel.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snitsky's back acne Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 Underwhelmed by the thought of Jey Uso (who autocorrect changed to Jet Using) Vs Damian Priest but at least they are focusing on newer guys for main event slots. Has to be a Gable heel turn next week, surely? I wonder when Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu will show up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Lion_of_the_Midlands Posted April 9 Paid Members Share Posted April 9 14 minutes ago, TheScarlettChad said: So Rock vs Cody is happening then? They certainly teased it. Teased it? They rammed it squarely up everyone's arse with no lube. One thing we definitely saw last night was the TKO effect on ticket sales. The minimalist staging and screens to get more arses on seats is not something you would have seen pre-buyout. Vince loved the Titantron so much it probably has its own NDA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted April 9 Paid Members Share Posted April 9 (edited) Rock is still the best, on balance. For all the grief people (including myself) have given him for keeping certain parts of his schtick the same, "trailer park trash" still gets a rise out of me. Him affecting a slight deep South accent when he's saying particularly heelish things is great, and the seediness with which he says "Mama Rhodes" is great too. The belt-swapping thing was a bit different and I really didn't mind it. That I'm on the fence as to whether Rock was sliding into tweener territory or being heel disingenuous with some of his "respectful" statements to Cody, I'm OK with... there's plenty there to play up to with Rock looking to supplant Reigns as the man who looks for vengeance on Cody, if that's a route they want to go down. Especially the line "Your story with Roman Reigns is over." That Rock left without attacking Cody was also less vicious baddie than I expected. 25 minutes ago, TheScarlettChad said: So Rock vs Cody is happening then? They certainly teased it. Obviously. Though the way Rock suggest he's coming back for Cody probably puts paid to my thoughts of Rock vs Reigns inbetween and Cody vs Rock at Mania XLI. Other thoughts : Mami being this popular while still a member of Judgment Day feels like it will become untenable soon. I assume her and Bayley swapping brands so they can point Belair and/or Cargill at her and separate Bayley from Damage CTRL is inevitable. Cena popping up again was great, and always pleasing when he gets cheered. I don't mind Jey working his way to a title shot - he has momentum from beating his brother even if we didn't care for the match, and "Main Event" is a hollow moniker if he doesn't get there occasionally. Priest vs Jey is a decent distraction as the Drew vs Punk war of words continues before we eventually get (IMHO) Priest vs Drew in Glasgow. Personally, after the draft, I'd have him get murdered by Solo in the first step towards giving him a better win/loss record and fashion him into somewhat of an Umaga-level wrecking ball. Going to need some new heels soon enough, even if Seth does turn on Cody. Still questions - is Cody following his title to SmackDown or are they moving Priest and the silver medal? Tough one considering Punk vs Drew, Priest vs Drew and Cody vs Rollins are all RAW guys fighting each other as it stands. Although there's a ton of guys on SmackDown who will fancy a title match now we don't have to wonder if Roman Deigns to show up to work. Heh. Yes, I still hate that they've got me watching again. Bastards. Edited April 9 by air_raid Adrenaline, in my soul, improper grammar needs to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaitoRyo Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 6 minutes ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said: Teased it? They rammed it squarely up everyone's arse with no lube. That is The Rock's style tbf, especially if they shined it up real nice and turned it sideways. Rock/Cody could be really good, based on DJ's performance at the weekend. You'd think/hope it would be something for a SummerSlam or Royal Rumble, but I could also see it happening at the Autumn Saudi show. I guess it all depends on Dwayne's filming schedule and stuff, but I'm glad he's hanging around as there's a lot left in this Final Boss character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRooster Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 17 minutes ago, Snitsky's back acne said: I wonder when Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu will show up. Have they also signed Jacob Fatu? I imagine they’ll debut on Smackdown; where we’ll also, I guess, hear something from Reigns, or Heyman at the very least. The draft is going to be really interesting this time round; as they prepare for the Netflix era. It’ll be interesting to see if Smackdown goes back to being the B show, or if Triple H attempts to keep things relatively balanced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gaffer Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 Crying Era has got me again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted April 9 Paid Members Share Posted April 9 I think RAW after Wrestlemania is less of a thing now that Wrestlemania is two nights long anyway. As for the possibility of Tama Tonga in the Bloodline, I hope they don't go in that direction. He's not part of the family, even in the tenuous way that The Rock is, and I think that dilutes the selling point of that stable, and is a bit "well, Tongan, Samoan, all the same, innit?". Roman and Rock aren't going to be around for a while, so it's basically a soft reset if not the end of the Bloodline anyway now. If Jacob Fatu is really coming in, maybe he can team with Solo, Jimmy can be drafted to the opposite brand, and they can build eventually to an Usos reunion against them. If Fatu isn't coming in, have Tama Tonga in that spot, but don't make it an extension of the Bloodline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpykeDudlei1 Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 (edited) 28 minutes ago, Snitsky's back acne said: Underwhelmed by the thought of Jey Uso (who autocorrect changed to Jet Using) Vs Damian Priest but at least they are focusing on newer guys for main event slots. I’m ok with it as they probably need a popular holding challenger that offers a genuine threat but will ultimately fall short so they can hold off McIntyre getting his shot until the Glasgow event. edit: sorry @air_raid - replied to Snitsky before reading your follow-up post and basically made the same point as you. Edited April 9 by SpykeDudlei1 Giving air_raid his flowers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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