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

[DavidB6937]

57 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

It was a classic WWE "You People" post-heel turn promo - probably one of the best of the genre - but it shouldn't have been that, because he didn't turn on "the people", he very specifically turned on Cody, and sided with The Rock. But you wouldn't know it from this promo.

But Cody is the people. Cody is everything beloved that arguably Cena always wanted to be. Everything Cena always tried to be. Only the people welcomed Cody in and absolutely got behind him. The pure good guy that finally got cheered near enough universally and hardly had to change anything about himself.

And obviously that's the direction they should take it going forward when, like you said, they actually focus more on each other.

[Supremo]

1 hour ago, BomberPat said:

Mostly, I liked Michael Cole calling him a prick. I think that did as much to cement that this is a proper heel turn as anything Cena could have done. 

Yeah, this was the best part. Babyface commentators selling their disgust and hatred for heels is still so rare in WWE that when it happens it feels momentous.

Unlike in AEW, where Schiavone slags off all the baddies all the time, WWE commentators still feel like they spend half their time justifying the heels and explaining why their actions are technically legal. Was great to hear Cole go two-footed on Cena.

The way nobody mentioned The Rock, and the whole storyline seemed to shift away from him, it does confirm my suspicions. Seems they had this Cena heel turn planned all along and simply used it as a way to write themselves out Rock’s bullshit. Well played, Cody and Hunter. Placate Rocky, making him feel like he contributed significantly, when in reality this was always the plan whether he rubbed his fingers all over his face or not.

The Rock and Brian Gerwirtz, smugly thinking they’ve done something amazing, when in reality they were just thrown a bone to shut them up. Like giving your younger brother a video game controller that’s not even plugged in.

 

[FUM]

1 hour ago, Pinc said:

More than not mentioning Rock, I thought it was strange that Cena didn't say the turn was to help him get number 17. It's the perfect way to counter the 'why now?' plot hole after he's been cheered for half a decade. 'The clock is ticking and I need to break the record at my last Mania' explains the desperation and adds stakes to the match.

For me, that’s part of being a heel though. Your genuine reasons deep down are usually to get what you want and everyone knows it whereas you give a different excuse. Nobody should be like “well I had no chance of winning it without help”. That just weakens your Champion and title when he wins it. Other wrestlers should be the ones saying that to him and I’m sure it will be brought up on TV over the next few weeks.

I think some people expected too much given out on the first promo. They have 5 weeks to book, they need to hold some back. The Rock’s involvement won’t be just glossed over and we get left to accept Cena was just sick of some chants from 10 years ago.

[The Gaffer]

I thought the Cena stuff was pitch perfect and I can't think of a more impactful turn since Bret.

There was like a half dozen genuinely hilarious moments but it still felt totally justified and never comedy. His voice cracking into pure menace in a way we've never heard it before. People going with it and blowing the roof off the place when Cody - looking every bit Cena's modern equal - came out. 

Imagine a Cena heel turn in 2025 not only working this well, but having white meat babyface foil that works equally well and is gobbled up by everyone in attendance? I have no doubt my watching this in isolation has helped but this is still fantasy land stuff from this awful shower of bastards, despite any notion of it being a dodgy WrestleMania build overall. 

The rest of the card could be a D-Generation X watch along of The One With The Tank and it wouldn't matter. They'd have strung together their probably third and definitely second peak/boom WrestleMania. 

Edited March 18, 2025 by The Gaffer

[boshealecta]

I only read the results but decided to watch the Cena promo. I loved it and especially the fact that everything he said was true. In fact I started to turn against the crowd, because he’s right. At some point down the line they will probably start booing Cody and do the same to him. If you’d never seen wrestling before and saw that, the crowd definitely came across as the abusive partner! 
 

I know people talk about Bret vs Austin being the greatest double turn but I genuinely feel like I just saw a triple turn.  Cena just turned back babyface, the crowd turned heel and then so did Cody!

[Jazzy G]

I thought the Cena's promo was great. Cody's "I want to wrestle John Cena" opens up possibilities as well. Does he go back to ruthless aggression Cena and start bringing Thugonomics, does he go all the way back and start wrestling in "prototype" attire? I like how he even managed to stick it to the fans who were claiming to be his "supporters". The massive heat he got and all the singing of "John Cena sucks" over his entrance music shows how much the turn has been embraced by the fans. A friend messaged me after the initial turn telling me how upset he was about it while I responded by talking about what interesting new storyline possibilities it opened up. 

[WyattSheepMask]

Did worry at first that he seemed to heading down that old Vince trope of “You people, I don’t have to explain myself to you people”, but dodgy face/heel line aside I thought it was a very good promo.

Graves back on commentary, uh oh. 
“Do you know how many people have worn the American flag colours on their mask? That could’ve been Del Wilkes…”
I’ve got a feeling that it won’t be somehow, just a hunch.

I love a lively crowd that’s into stuff, but that fucking chant after every 2 count. Got mega annoying last year at Backlash in France, was like having a Vietnam flashback.

Breakker v Penta, if they go with it at Wrestlemania, could either be loads of fun or will be a complete train wreck. Absolutely no middle ground with that one

Edited March 18, 2025 by WyattSheepMask

[AndyUK]

I liked the Cena promo. The crowd were brilliant. Hoping we get more about his alliance with The Rock over the next few weeks. There’s certainly not much danger of this Cena character being cheered, which is probably why they’ve gone this route. 
 

It’s a good job they’ve got the intriguing main event build because the rest isn’t clicking yet. Especially Gunther/Jey Uso. It probably isn’t helping that they’ve got the main title feud on the same show, but that couldn’t feel any less like a Wrestlemania World Title match right now. 

 

[bbabba]

I was at the show last night. Crowd heat was fantastic for the Cena promo - only a Vickie Guerrero promo at a Raw in Birmingham (2012 i think?) rivals it for my own personal experience of attending shows. Saying that though,  about 30% of the crowd were in Cena merchandise, mostly his Brussles specific t shirt.

Special plaudits to the fans who organised a football style card display tifo of the Belgium flag to start the show. I've never seen that at a wrestling event before.

[WyattSheepMask]

5 minutes ago, bbabba said:

 

Special plaudits to the fans who organised a football style card display tifo of the Belgium flag to start the show. I've never seen that at a wrestling event before.

 

Yeah they looked really good on the drone shot that opened the show.

[Snitsky's back acne]

Thought Cenas appearance was a bit 'M'eh' if I'm honest. His reason for turning would have worked ten years ago but not now. 

Hopefully it was just a one off but, yeah, it came off a bit flat to me dawg. 

[lars85]

Really liked the reaction the Cena segment got. Especially the shot of the sad kid wearing the Cena T shirt.

But the highlight was obviously Cathy Kelley's saucy secretary look.

?

[thatvinylgeek]

Please say I am not the only person who thought of this:

[Mr_Danger]

That Cena heel promo is everything it should have been 15 years ago. I still enjoyed it a lot for what it was and the delivery was note perfect but what I really wanted was black hat Cena selling his soul to The Rock for one last go at the top without the justification. I did get a little giddy with his opening line of “When you’re grounded in life…” hoping that heel John Cena was just going to be him reciting his Twitter tweets. Still, Homelander vs Homelanders Dad should be a barnstormer come Mania.
 

I enjoy Penta, I like his charisma and he has some neat moves but he looks so awkward in the set ups and he moves so clunky sometimes. I fear for him once they lose a bit of interest in him. 
 

Jey and Gunther having mini feuds with bottom card acts is the fucking pits and there’s no way this match goes on last on any night now. Have they announced the Jey and Alpha Academy vs Gunther and A-Town Down under 6 man yet?

Seth coming out announcing what was happening in a different country on Friday then trying to heat the crowd up for the main event by getting them to hum his song was as shit as it sounds.

All in all I think there’s still some good stuff going on but they’re definitely fumbling a lot of the set ups for Mania. 

[Statto]

8 hours ago, lars85 said:

But the highlight was obviously Cathy Kelley's saucy secretary look.

 

?

Goodness me, yes.