The Official UKFF RAW thread (part 2)...

[Mr_Danger]

1 hour ago, WyattSheepMask said:

Does it matter if they done it at Wrestlemania before? They did Rock v Austin 3 times in the space of 4 years

That match was six years ago, both men are very different from that time. If the build is executed well and there’s a logical reason for it occur, then what’s the harm?

The reason I don’t want it to happen yet is that it should absolutely be the end of Drew’s hunt for vengeance and it should end with him winning the belt from Roman.

[d-d-d-dAz]

21 minutes ago, Mr_Danger said:

The reason I don’t want it to happen yet is that it should absolutely be the end of Drew’s hunt for vengeance and it should end with him winning the belt from Roman.

I've not seen any hint they're telling that sort of story with Drew.

He lost his feud with Punk, I suspect he and Rollins maybe will get beat by a reformed Uso's at Mania.

This board has always gone hard for Drew, but I think WWE see him as a main event guy who's not quite a superstar. I'm sure he'll win a world title again at some point, but it'll be picked up during the normal cut and thrust of their yearly programming, beating a Gunther or a Rollins or someone. I can't see a world where he gets a big moment dethroning Roman or Cody or anything like that.

[Mr_Danger]

52 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

I've not seen any hint they're telling that sort of story with Drew.

He lost his feud with Punk, I suspect he and Rollins maybe will get beat by a reformed Uso's at Mania.

This board has always gone hard for Drew, but I think WWE see him as a main event guy who's not quite a superstar. I'm sure he'll win a world title again at some point, but it'll be picked up during the normal cut and thrust of their yearly programming, beating a Gunther or a Rollins or someone. I can't see a world where he gets a big moment dethroning Roman or Cody or anything like that.

I dunno, it doesn’t feel imminent or like a Wrestlemania main event or anything but Drew bangs on about it a lot and has been working his way around Bloodline members. Could definitely be a Summerslam match or something. I say strap him up alongside our Kev. Two men who are right.

I don’t want him getting bogged down with Seth though. Get the IC strap on him and let Sheamus take it in a glorious bloody brawl at Mania.

[Callum1993]

Spoiler

Punk vs Sami in an Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match announced for Raw Tonight. Could potentially be great. 

 

Edited February 3, 2025 by Callum1993
Adding Spoiler Tags in case anyone hasn’t watched the Rumble.

[d-d-d-dAz]

He's not going to be happy.

[OzExile]

Oh my goodness, that Jey Uso promo was a thing of a beauty. one of the very best. I'm all in for that main event.  I'm backing Gunther to rediscover himself to tell that story. Would be good if they throw in a Gunther squash of Cena or Goldberg in the meantime to re-tell the Rocky story they rushed with Sami Zayn. 

[Supremo]

Quick thoughts before we get to the Meat and Potatoes.

- Netflix feed completely shat the bed. Constantly cutting out all night. I thought the Wyatt Six were traded to Smackdown?!  Won’t someone send them a VHS Tape and tell them to pack it in?!

- Charlotte Flair giving Chris Jericho and Hulk Hogan. Losers trying to palm off Go Away Heat as some type of meta win. I actually expected and wanted that reaction, actually, so I win, if anything. I’m sure they’ll just book through it, but that backlash was quite telling.

- Terrible new music for the New Day. It’s mad how long this has gone on for.

- Great match between Punk and Sami. Unlike Punk and Seth, which legitimately felt like two guys who don’t like each other having a bang average match, this felt like they were working their mutual dislike into it and it got really fucking good by the end. That Elimination Chamber graphic with Punk next to Cena! What a cocktease! 

- White hot angle to close the show. Sad to see Sami get killed, but he got everything he had coming to him. A real friend would have pushed Cody off the ladder. He brought it on himself.

Anyway, let’s talk about the real shit!

Thoughts and prayers to anyone who spent the weekend moaning about Jey Uso winning The Rumble, only to have to sit and watch the ABSOLUTE SCENES that opened this episode of Raw. Must have been pretty embarassing.

Jey’s the fucking man. Having him win The Rumble was one hundred percent the right decision. Who cares if he’s a bit shit in the ring. Everyone’s a good wrestler, nowadays. They’re ten a penny. You get a four star match every other week. Do you know what you don’t get, though? Emotion like this. An arena of thousands bouncing. A crowd chanting for an entrance theme encore. Cole and Pat banging on about how proud they are. Jey holding back tears. This absolutely fucking ruled. All-timer Raw moment. I’m all in. Give him the final match on Night 1. Yeet.

In retrospect, those final few moments of Saturday’s Rumble are quite funny. A true passing of the torch, from John Cena to Jey Uso. From one Megastar who’s a bit shit in the ring, to his heir apparent. Just wait until Cena trades Jey his PWG DVDs and we get Jey’s version of Cena’s 2015 WORKRATE RUN. Code Reds all over the shop. Code Yeet!

We’ve got to talk about Seth Rollins. Coming out of that Netflix debut, he felt finished. Completely out-politicked. Eat your shit, have your random nothing match at Wrestlemania, and try again next year. This is where The Big Boys play.

And yet somehow, out of nowhere, he’s pulled it back. He’s played his Royal Flush at exactly the right time. He’s done a Ricochet! He’s had a long, hard look in the mirror, he’s admitted to himself what an absolute whopper he is, and he’s decided to play into it and use it to his advantage. It started at The Rumble, when he really felt like a man trying to work himself back into something worthwhile, having that wild brawl at the end and busting out the most violent Double Stomp of Death on Roman’s head. And now here, you could sense he’s turned heel and it’s just on the fans to properly catch up. He was a right annoying prick, dressed like an absolute clown, but not in the way he normally is. This felt by design. He’s doing it on purpose.

Fair play. One of the best things about following this sport is not only getting caught up in the fiction, but watching the subtext of guys trying to work themselves into better positions on that meta level. I think Seth’s done it. I think it’s Seth vs. Roman at Mania, with Punk likely facing Cody. And most shockingly of all, I think I’m quite excited by it!

You can’t argue that they haven't put the work in. It’s genuinely impressive how they’ve reframed all The Shield lore. Seth turning on Roman is now presented as this crazy Nexus Event that created The Tribal Chief and The Bloodline Saga. It makes sense to go back to it and squeeze some juice out. Give it a few years and you can even bring back Dean Ambrose. Keep the gravy train running for years to come.

What an industry. I’m gleefully fantasy booking Seth Rollins singles matches for Wrestlemania! Anything can happen in the World Wrestling Federation.

Edited February 4, 2025 by Supremo

[DavidB6937]

That Jey promo. Sorry but you never got that with LA Knight. Yeah. The Yeet Movement has a little more of a genuine feel to it and allows Jey to be more real. It's easier for people to buy into him I think. Especially after all the Bloodline stuff.

Obviously he's not for e everyone and he'll never win an entire fanbase over but for moments like this? Absolutely the right call.

Poor Sami. If they hadn't just had a ladder match I'd have them absolutely kill each other at one at Mania for old times sake. Although not like it's a company that doesn't overuse ladder matches anyway..

[NeverYield]

Jey Usos promo and the crowds reaction proves again that what the Internet says and what people in real life think is very very different.

[d-d-d-dAz]

I was all for Jey Uso winning the Rumble and took the fight to people who said it was a bad decision. In doing so, I conceded that Jey Uso was a bad promo and a bad in-ring wrestler but he's over.

Turns out, I'm a fucking idiot. He's a belting promo.

[2Xtreme_lives]

Jey Uso, stuttering his words and breaking voice with emotion. As above what a promo, strap him up at Mania

[The King of Old School]

Surely they are doing Sami/KO in Canada at EC rather than Mania?

[OzExile]

14 minutes ago, The King of Old School said:

Surely they are doing Sami/KO in Canada at EC rather than Mania?

Give me both! 

[tiger_rick]

A little hard to judge fully from two 3 minute YouTube vids that were a bit cut to ribbons but that was some pretty great work. Felt like some outstanding character work and plenty of the real guy making it after all these years. Fair fucks, really good follow-up. Gunther looked outstanding too.

That "Yeet" stuff is worse that "What?" though.

Not sure where it ends up. There was a massive neon WrestleMania sign subtly popping into every shot so I'm wondering if that's a little clue? ?

[RedTwoster]

5 hours ago, Supremo said:

Charlotte Flair giving Chris Jericho and Hulk Hogan. Losers trying to palm off Go Away Heat as some type of meta win. I actually expected and wanted that reaction, actually, so I win, if anything. I’m sure they’ll just book through it, but that backlash was quite telling.

 

This was one of the strangest promos I’ve seen in a while, in that what she said seemed to invite the boos even before she explicitly told the crowd to boo her. And while I strongly suspect that wasn’t the intended reaction, I’m not 100% sure of that either. The fact she comes across as so unlikeable that people actively turn on her as she speaks is quite something.

Still, I think this might play in their favour if their pitting her against Tiffany Stratton; and it might help propel Stratton to becoming incredibly over as a babyface without having to change her character enormously. 

So the transfer window is shut…with Styles moving to Raw, I’m assuming Smackdown will announce one more deal on Friday. Drew McIntyre’s absence was pretty noticeable on Raw, so I suspect either he or Sami Zayn will be the one making the move. I really expected them to use the window to strengthen Raw and gut Smackdown, but if anything Smackdown has come out of this with the stronger roster. I’m disappointed that no one from NXT has been called up, but I suppose it’s an awkward time to do something like that. 

The Jey Uso promo was fantastic, and against my expectations, the interaction with Gunther made me really excited about that match, if it does actually happen. I’m not against Cody vs Jey either, and if Cody turns heel as a result of this, even better. If it’s Cody/Jey, I genuinely wouldn’t be able to predict the outcome; and a loss for Jey Uso wouldn’t mean the story has come to an end, far from it. 

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of Zayn/Owens. Has there ever been a rivalry in which wrestlers have faced off this much, that still feels this compelling?