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

[mim731]

I still think they'll have Roman interfere in the chamber and cost Rollins, allowing Punk to get the win. Cena main eventing is way too early in his retirement story arc to get the belt anyway, so why not save that for a much more desperate Cena down the line. Maybe going for MITB. In the meantime, pair him up with Logan Paul, after he eliminates Cena in dastardly fashion.

Then you can have Punk/Cody, Reigns/Rollins (and Punk last eliminating Rollins allows them an easy route back to that story down the line), Paul/Cena and everyone gets what they want. 

The only other option I can see is some weird inconclusive finish to the chamber, with Reigns wrecking Punk and Rollins and there being no clear winner, and that gets crowbarred into a threeway on night one for the number one contender spot on night 2, but it's messy, convoluted and I imagine risks an awful lot of fan goodwill.  

Honestly, none of this sounds ideal, and it really feel's they have booked themselves into a corner by having Rollins *have* to be in the mix. 

[BomberPat]

My theory for the Cena story is that he wins the Chamber, but doesn't win the belt at Wrestlemania. Money In The Bank is framed as his last shot, so he wins that, and chooses to cash in at Ruthless Aggression, in his final match. He wins the belt there, and vacates it the following night on RAW, and the title is put on the line in the 2026 Royal Rumble.

Unless one or more of them do double duty, I don't see a way out of Reigns/Rollins/Punk as the match for those three.

[theringmaster]

The ironic thing about that triple threat is it's the sort of awful booking that Punk had a pig about and left years ago, fast forward a decade and wwe are under new ownership and direction and he is still getting put in filler matches at Mania, difference is now, that he has burned bridges with AEW, he is happy to go along with it.

Women's tag was a barn burner of an opening I thought.

I watch Raw about twice a month and I always feel the same-Take away all the padding out and it's a decent wrestling show, don't know how anyone watches it live though, i skip half the show every time.

[AndyUK]

Hope Punk/Cody, Reigns/Rollins, Cena/Paul is the direction. The idea of a shoehorned triple threat is a regular thing at Mania now and it needs to get in the bin. 

Thing with Cena v Cody is that Cena shouldn’t win yet and him failing to win the 17th title when the fans want it isn’t really the type of thing they usually like to end Mania either. I mean I guess they had Roman win the one before last, but that went down like a lead balloon. 
 

 

[TheScarlettChad]

1 hour ago, theringmaster said:

The ironic thing about that triple threat is it's the sort of awful booking that Punk had a pig about and left years ago, fast forward a decade and wwe are under new ownership and direction and he is still getting put in filler matches at Mania, difference is now, that he has burned bridges with AEW, he is happy to go along with it.

Women's tag was a barn burner of an opening I thought.

I watch Raw about twice a month and I always feel the same-Take away all the padding out and it's a decent wrestling show, don't know how anyone watches it live though, i skip half the show every time.

What filler matches at Mania has he been in? He's not even competed at Mania since he returned. No idea what you're talking about with that take.

[FUM]

Logan Paul actually had fairly recognisable music compared to the rest of the roster I felt. At least the starting chord anyway. Now you have CM Punk commenting that he didn’t know who it was coming out and neither did I. These rap themes need to go as much as the generic themes, they all blend into each other. No better than defrebel, they’re trying to replace a problem with a bigger problem.

[Supremo]

The one thing I hated on this show was that Tough Enough style clip of Gunther just being a prick to that female trainee. Whenever you think the business has moved forward, they manage to remind us that it’s filled with weirdo bullies.

Always loathe this stuff. People in power being an unnecessary dickhead, acting like it, “weeds people out,” and teaches them how tough the business can be. Fuck off. Proper Bill Demott/Hardcore Holly energy. Emotionally stunted twat behaviour. It’s bad enough that they still train people in this manner, it’s even worse that they think it’s a good thing to air on TV.

[TheScarlettChad]

Wrestling attracts utter weirdos. Even now when they're all supposedly nerds 

[RedTwoster]

12 hours ago, TheScarlettChad said:

As long as Logan/Punk doesn't happen at Mania, I'm sound. 

I’d prefer to see that over the rumoured triple threat. 

Styles/Breakker, Roman/Rollins, Jey/Gunther  and Punk/Paul would be a solid enough contribution from the men’s division on Raw. Whatever happens, I hope to god they avoid that triple threat.

[DavidB6937]

Wait are we slating Gunther for being a bully? Or that they've booked him to be one? I've always heard he's one of the nicest guys out there so I assume if they're having him make an appearance they're doing it in character no?

[Captain SlackBladder]

I fell asleep half way through and then when I woke up I saw Logan Paul and Rey have a bit of a shit fest and then rescue it at the end. 

I felt like there were some opportunities to build up for the road to Mania, but being honest, I couldn't see what I'd have done differently. 

They need to get the belt on Jey and give him a good run with it. Kids love him and he's growing on me. 

 

[Supremo]

10 hours ago, DavidB6937 said:

Wait are we slating Gunther for being a bully? Or that they've booked him to be one? I've always heard he's one of the nicest guys out there so I assume if they're having him make an appearance they're doing it in character no?

There’s probably an element of him being in character, but it still had all the trimmings of them at their absolute worst. Bellends like Bully Ray and Booker T in the background, delighting in a trainee getting spoken to like shit, didn’t help. Was Bob Holly not available?

If it was a work, it wasn’t an effective one. I didn’t come out of it disliking the Gunther character or wanting Jey Uso to triumph over him at Wrestlemania. It just made me feel a bit sad and grossed out, especially given both their history and current legal issues. Maybe it’s just me, but I would have suggested not airing the clip of a man in power ridiculing and humiliating a female trainee.

[simonworden]

Roman/Rollins just feels like an absolute damp squib of a match for Roman it's been done enough times and no matter how much they push the rhetoric on the 2014 turn by Rollins they've had more than enough times to smash it out. I genuinely can't even fathom they would go for it. 

For my money it's going to be Cena/ Cody and Punk/Roman. Nothing else feels as juicy as the other combo of Cena/Roman has been done. 

Rollins can be shoehorned in as a guest ref if he absolutely has to be but then they did that with Punk already so who knows. 

Only other thought was a 4 way, still no Rollins.

Logan Paul would be alright with someone like AJ I reckon 

[Vamp]

The advantage of putting Rollins or Punk in a triple threat is that when one of them inevitably gets injured you've still got a singles match. 

[Supremo]

The ultimate irony. Be careful what you wish for. CM Punk spends a career trying to get a Wrestlemania main event. Finally gets it, only to discover it’s the crappy multi-man Wrestlemania 2000 main event.