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

[Chili]

Watched Punk's promo because when he's not genuinely upset and actually has something to bite into for an angle, he's great, and that was great.

I don't follow what Chad Gable is up to, but I saw on Bluesky, a clip of him wandering down a dark road in Mexico to meet some mysterious wise old man and just started laughing when I realised what the skit reminded me of. 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2025 by Chili

[SaitoRyo]

15 minutes ago, Statto said:

 

It's gotta be this for me, Clive. 

 

[mim731]

If the box Chad Gabel received contains anything other than the Gauntlet from Lucha Underground I will be disappointed. 

I am going to be disappointed.

[Supremo]

6 hours ago, tiger_rick said:

I've seen the Mania 16 comparison made for several weeks. I'm assuming they have too and think it's a compliment? 

My theory is that because Wrestlemania 16 saw Triple H become the first heel to ever leave a Mania Main Event as WWF Champion, he’s got a fondness for that show that absolutely nobody else has.

So whenever anyone online or in a production meeting says, “it’s feeling a bit like Wrestlemania 2000,” meaning it’s shit, Hunter just thinks, “Hell yeah! What a show! Remember when I kicked so much ass? I’m The Game! The King of Kings!”

In fact, I’ve put my theory to the test and concluded all the worst things about WWE’s current product is because Hunter is a massive fucking mark for himself and his career. Hear me out. I’ll show my workings.

The most natural Wrestlemania feud, Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn, is concluded early, on the wrong show, at the wrong time, under the wrong lighting, massively handcuffed and overshadowed by one of the biggest angles of all time, all so Randy Orton can come back and get the spot instead. Orton, Hunter’s protégé, Evolution stable mate, who he had a Wrestlemania main event with. Which was crap.

An absolutely humongous, marquee, Wrestlemania-Main-Event-Level singles match between CM Punk and Roman Reigns is diluted to fuck by adding Seth Rollins. Another Triple H protégé, who he built The Authority around, allowed to inherit The Pedigree as a finisher, who he then had a Wrestlemania match with. Which was crap.

And let’s not forget the Triforce of Dan Severns. The three coldest acts in the company. Ice cubes in a cup of boiling hot tea. All Hunter’s little kids from NXT Black and Gold, Gargano, Ciampa and Dunne. All shit. All getting no reactions. Somehow still featured regularly. With material written by fucking Road Dogg.

To conclude my experiment, I believe pro-wrestling could possibly feature slight hints of nepotism that could negatively affect the product as a whole. The worked nature opens up potential for people and concepts to get pushed more than they perhaps deserve, not based on merit. And Hunter’s a Hall of Fame loser.

Edited March 4, 2025 by Supremo

[Dr. Alan Grant]

We’ll know for sure if your theory is correct @Supremo if Rhea Ripley, the hottest woman on the roster (figuratively and literally) ends up facing Stephanie to main event night 1.

[Snitsky's back acne]

16 minutes ago, Dr. Alan Grant said:

We’ll know for sure if your theory is correct @Supremo if Rhea Ripley, the hottest woman on the roster (figuratively and literally) ends up facing Stephanie to main event night 1.

No, it's obvious.

She dropped the title so she can face Mick Foley in a deathmatch at Mania.

It's MONEY!! 

[Statto]

I'll be honest, I was kinda expecting Judgement Day to cost her the title and them to do the Rhea vs Dom intergender match at Mania. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

https://www.ringsidenews.com/2025/03/04/cora-jade-deletes-tweet-calling-out-becky-lynchs-weird-behavior-over-cm-punk-dig/

Oh Good.

Becky Lynch is getting involved, insinuating something about Punk and another woman.

Gooshy/Scorchers, warm up the AEW threads for me please. 

[Hannibal Scorch]

4 hours ago, Merzbow said:

How long was Otis just standing there in the ring? 10 minutes?

 

My absolute biggest bugbear with WWE’s production. I didn’t even realise how bad it is until going to a Smackdown taping. My first and only WWE event. They had Charlotte stand in the ring for 5 minutes standing awkwardly while her music played. The ensuing match also had a commercial which you only realised because they stopped wrestling and turned out the ring lights for 2 minutes. Baffling.

Good promo from Punk, although his fake title dig was rich from Collision’s former Real Worlds Champ (save your “but he didn’t lose it”). Good brawl, felt passionate. Didn’t care for anything else in the first hour before I went to bed though.

[SuperBacon]

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

https://www.ringsidenews.com/2025/03/04/cora-jade-deletes-tweet-calling-out-becky-lynchs-weird-behavior-over-cm-punk-dig/

Oh Good.

Becky Lynch is getting involved, insinuating something about Punk and another woman.

Gooshy/Scorchers, warm up the AEW threads for me please. 

This is absolutely pathetic from Becky to be honest.

[Merzbow]

If they turn Punk's former relationships with talent in to an angle they'll have to do it for months on end to get through them all.

[The Dart]

33 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

My absolute biggest bugbear with WWE’s production. I didn’t even realise how bad it is until going to a Smackdown taping. My first and only WWE event. They had Charlotte stand in the ring for 5 minutes standing awkwardly while her music played. The ensuing match also had a commercial which you only realised because they stopped wrestling and turned out the ring lights for 2 minutes. Baffling.

Good promo from Punk, although his fake title dig was rich from Collision’s former Real Worlds Champ (save your “but he didn’t lose it”). Good brawl, felt passionate. Didn’t care for anything else in the first hour before I went to bed though.

Curious which show this was, because I've been to absolutely loads of Raws and Smackdowns in the UK, France and the USA, some live, some recorded and have never seen anything like this happen, ever.  In my experience, yes, in the commercial breaks the pace may slow down somewhat, but they don't just stop and I've definately never seen them turn the lights off during a match for an ad break.

But yes, the entrance of one wrestler being followed by 5-10 minutes of ads/backstage interviews/recaps is irritating, especially when the wrestler just stands in the ring doing nothing - why don't they at least interact with the fans at ringside a bit during that time.

[Hannibal Scorch]

Just now, The Dart said:

Curious which show this was, because I've been to absolutely loads of Raws and Smackdowns in the UK, France and the USA, some live, some recorded and have never seen anything like this happen, ever.  In my experience, yes, in the commercial breaks the pace may slow down somewhat, but they don't just stop and I've definately never seen them turn the lights off during a match for an ad break.

But yes, the entrance of one wrestler being followed by 5-10 minutes of ads/backstage interviews/recaps is irritating, especially when the wrestler just stands in the ring doing nothing - why don't they at least interact with the fans at ringside a bit during that time.

It was Smackdown at o2 before MITB. My friend bought the combo ticket but couldn't make Friday so I used the ticket with the other friends going. It was nice to, after watching since 1991, finally say I went to a live WWE show, but it put me off considering a tv taping. Actually, I remembered I saw the NXT event at Wembley back around 2015, but this was full WWE.

On the flipside, Dynamite/Collision had none of that, nor did the TNA Impact shows at Wembley that I can recall.

[The Dart]

Well I was at that show and I don't remember that happening.

[TildeGuy~!]

Predicted it’ll be a Triple Threat at mania in the chamber thread but never expected Iyo to win the belt.

Probably the only way the booking team thought it could happen with Belair winning the Chamber and Rhea taking her rematch clause.