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

[Daaaaaad!]

2 hours ago, Arch Stanton said:

I don't even think it's that. Take Cena off the card and it's looking like a total B-Show.

While I agree, I would suggest that taking Iyo and Seth off the card would actually make it look less like a B-Show - ignoring the fact that the former has the title of course.

[Supremo]

Really hoping they start drilling down into the history, lore and stakes of Roman vs. Punk vs. Seth. Make me care about the match and give me a reason for why it’s happening beyond, “Hunter didn’t have the balls to tell any of us, ‘no.’”

There is a lot of stuff they could call back on between all three guys. Punk bringing The Shield in. Roman spending a decade getting CM Punk chants as he was booed out of the building. Seth being a Punk fan as a kid. This photo was doing the rounds recently, supposedly of Seth in attendance for an early Punk match.

What’s most concerning is that I don’t know which lad in the background is Seth. It could be either of them, they look so alike! Does Seth have a twin? Seth and Jeff Rollins?! Double shit!

Spoiler for the supposed Intercontinental TItle match at Wrestlemania.

Spoiler

According to Fightful Select, a Fatal-Four-Way Match between Breakker, Penta, Balor and Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Title is the existing plan for WrestleMania 41.

 

Edited March 24, 2025 by Supremo

[Daaaaaad!]

3 hours ago, Supremo said:

Spoiler for the supposed Intercontinental TItle match at Wrestlemania.

Spoiler

So what was the fucking point of not giving Sheamus the title so often over the last few months? Fucking hell, Trips. YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING!

Raw wasn't very good. I do like the Cena angle at least but it feels a bit stretched out with them still having four weeks til the show. The rest was pretty dull. Felt like the bad old days of UK shows where they were almost non-canon events.

Edited March 24, 2025 by Daaaaaad!

[DavidB6937]

14 minutes ago, Daaaaaad! said:

  Reveal hidden contents

So what was the fucking point of not giving Sheamus the title so often over the last few months? Fucking hell, Trips. YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING!

Raw wasn't very good. I do like the Cena angle at least but it feels a bit stretched out with them still having four weeks til the show. The rest was pretty dull. Felt like the bad old days of UK shows where they were almost non-canon events.

I mean ill agree that it was fairly dull but the majority was building to Mania so it was a bit more relevant than the old days.

[I Bent My Wookie]

I was a fan of Punk mentioning that he brought Reigns and Rollins into WWE. It's always nice when they play back and remember old storylines.

[RedTwoster]

Is Sami Zayn injured or something? Given the sheer number of multi-person matches on this card, how has he not found himself in one of them? I’m absolutely baffled by his absence.

I actually really enjoyed Raw; maybe, being a Scot, I was blinded by the fact it was in Glasgow. But I liked it. 

That said, the crowd died a bit part-way through the show, and the fact a star the magnitude of CM Punk couldn’t wake them, perhaps shows a general apathy towards the triple threat. Punk trying to cut a promo on both men just felt awkward.

Cena’s promo really worked for me - his motivation and goal felt believable, and it sets them up well for a fun run with Cena as a heel champion, looking to retire with the belt. His character really clicked for me this week.

The Chad Gable stuff was a lot of fun, and using ‘the Gulf of America’ as a heel move is pretty smart. I reckon he’s going to end up getting this very over, and he’ll be cheered heavily before the gimmick runs its course.

I enjoyed the Iyo/Bianca/Rhea segment more than I expected I would, although it was still a huge mistake to insert Iyo Sky into the title picture.

I hope they put the IC belt on Dom at Wrestlemania.

Even though I enjoyed the show, I’m not looking forward to Wrestlemania any more than I was before it began. The Cena match still appeals, but everything else feels so underwhelming. 

[Hannibal Scorch]

3 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

The Chad Gable stuff was a lot of fun, and using ‘the Gulf of America’ as a heel move is pretty smart. I reckon he’s going to end up getting this very over, and he’ll be cheered heavily before the gimmick runs its course.

The fuck it was

[Daaaaaad!]

4 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

Is Sami Zayn injured or something? Given the sheer number of multi-person matches on this card, how has he not found himself in one of them? I’m absolutely baffled by his absence.

...

The Chad Gable stuff was a lot of fun, and using ‘the Gulf of America’ as a heel move is pretty smart. I reckon he’s going to end up getting this very over, and he’ll be cheered heavily before the gimmick runs its course.

Is there any chance this could be leading to the return of El Generico? If so, I'm torn between it being a fun move that gives Sami something different to do and being absolutely fucking furious that that's all they've got for him.

[Onyx2]

Why was Bianca getting so roundly booed in the very slow and painfully rehearsed mess at the end of their segment? 

And whomever just Jimmy up the ramp with no fanfare in that entrance needs shooting. Was it evident what was happening in the crowd for anyone who was there? 

Edited March 24, 2025 by Onyx2

[tiger_rick]

That John Cena segment is the most by the numbers stuff imaginable. Walking slowly, putting on the mean face, mundane delivery of some poor material blaming the fans for his actions. It's 100 crap heel turns old. Who wants to see John Cena doing this rubbish?

Cody tried. God bless him. Despite the mic sounding like the over 60s darts tournament at a working men's club, he gave it plenty. All so Cena could pretend he wanted to fight and then walk away. And then come back a bit, and then walk away. Heel 101.

From a complete outsider, the Mania card is a shocker. There's only one marquee match that would tempt me to watch (if I wasn't an obstinate prick) and it's this one. Cody v Cena should be a home run but it's the most uninspiring version of it, surely?

It's hard to fathom how they are where they are when, objectively, you could make any two singles matches from Cody, The Rock, Reigns, Cena and Punk and whatever pair you come up with sounds fantastic on paper.

Edited March 24, 2025 by tiger_rick

[digforvictory]

Yeah it's insane how utterly generic this Cena heel turn feels.

It should feel like the entire show, the entire company has changed. It should feel seismic, John Cena turning heel for the first time in 22 years. I know it was a different time and it's impossible to replicate but think about how momentous it was when Hogan turned heel in WCW.  

This feels like a Randy Orton heel turn or something. You people etc.

No mention again of The Rock from Cena or Cody. Been a month since Elimination Chamber and he's well and truly died on the return to his home planet Poochie style.

Wheels have well and truly come off now with this Mania build, up and down the show it's bad. 

Edited March 24, 2025 by digforvictory

[RedTwoster]

39 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

The fuck it was

Why isn’t it? It absolutely works with the daft nature of the character. 

37 minutes ago, Daaaaaad! said:

Is there any chance this could be leading to the return of El Generico? If so, I'm torn between it being a fun move that gives Sami something different to do and being absolutely fucking furious that that's all they've got for him.

I guess it’s possible, with Gable outraged that Sami is pretending to be a luchadore. I hope not though, as that would be defining Sami down quite a bit.
 

[AndyUK]

I’m sure Mania will be a good show in the end but yeah the build is a right mess outside of the main event. Multi person matches galore.
 

Looks like Breaker, Balor, Dom and Penta are going to have a fatal four way now too. I thought RAW was alright but the ending was shite. 

[FUM]

The shows are really dull just now and it’s as if we’re waiting on something happening to spark Mania season into life. I’m not convinced it’s coming tbh.

At this stage, I probably wouldn’t have minded had they just done Roman v Seth and CM Punk v Logan Paul. The triple threat has no heat at all and doesn’t feel main event whatsoever. As above, Cena v Cody is the only match feeling big time just now.

The IC title multi-man is pretty shit without Sheamus. Get him in there, give him the moment and he can drop it the next night.

I seen someone tweet that Triple H would have added Paul Orndoff to Hogan/Andre and it made me chuckle.

Have Jey/Gunther had the main event segment once since Jey won the Royal Rumble? The main event segment was always the one to make your matches and superstars look a big deal. Jey hasn’t gained any aura he didn’t already get from his entrance since the Rumble win as it stands.

[I Bent My Wookie]

Regarding Zayn the notes seem to be online that he requested time off and was granted.

It does make sense, doing a World Tour during the month of Ramadan when he could be at home with his family seems a lot healthier option than as he has done in previous years and try and do a full WWE schedule throughout it.

Ramadan I believe ends Sunday, so it'll be interesting if they try and place him into the title scene at short notice or find an alternative use for him.