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

[digforvictory]

 Another horrible MAGA comedian on the show I see.

I wonder if there's a chance that we get Elon Musk or Trump himself sat in the front row during a show at some point ? Musk Sieg Heiling away in the front row as Pat McAfee and Michael Cole chuckle and promote Tesla or something.

[d-d-d-dAz]

8 minutes ago, Supremo said:

Genuinely sad watching Jey Uso realise he’s created the new, “What?” chant with, “Yeet!” and he’ll never be able to cut a heart felt promo again. Trying to deliver a genuinely dramatic piece and he’s got thousands of dickheads completely undermining it.

 

Apologies for bringing up the old prick, but there was a Vince story years ago - may have been a direct quote, or sources - where he'd said something like 'the problem is, people confuse getting something over with getting over; getting something over doesnt mean people care about you.'

I remember the world went mental at him, but he wasn't wrong. And whilst I was broadly supportive of them trying something with Jey, I think ultimately they've misread the popularity of YEETing with him having a real connection with the audience.

He could have been booked better, for sure, but going from London where - as good as it looked on TV - the angle was flattened by a crowd that just wanted to YEET with Jey, to last night where people didn't really seem to care; it just makes you think that this never had the solid foundations it needed for him to have this Mania run.

Now, Vince didn't always call them right either. If I remember rightly the quote surfaced around the time of the YES movement, where he thought no one cared about Bryan. So, his implementation was iffy but I think the theory was bang on.

Gunther should win.

Edited April 8, 2025 by d-d-d-dAz

[Lorne Malvo]

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

Apologies for bringing up the old prick, but there was a Vince story years ago - may have been a direct quote, or sources - where he'd said something like 'the problem is, people confuse getting something over with getting over; getting something over doesnt mean people care about you.'

Fandago's theme song comes to mind.

[Callum1993]

At least Breakker hit the greatest spear of all time:

 

 

 

[RedTwoster]

It’s the first time in a very long time that I didn’t bother watching the show, I just don’t care about what they’re doing right now. Some of the segments sound decent, but it’s hard to care about - for example - Jey Uso challenging for a World title that the company barely even treats as secondary on the show it’s assigned to. That match may not be main eventing, but at least give them a show-closing segment at some point and pretend that it matters if Jey wins.

I’m looking forward to getting Wrestlemania out of the way, so that we can move away from multi-person match madness and on to more focussed storytelling.

[air_raid]

4 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

I’m looking forward to getting Wrestlemania out of the way, so that we can move away from multi-person match madness and on to more focussed storytelling.

Still not too late to add Randy to Cena vs Cody! He's got ample history with both of them! Think of the LORE!!!11

[Snitsky's back acne]

Yeah, I'm not really feeling very amped for Mania, I have to be honest.

Agree with what was said about Iyo, Rhea and Bianca. It's been a complete mess that has done none of them any favours. Bianca v Rhea would have been more than fine on its own. Why add Iyo? She's been made to look like a fluke, putz champion not worthy of the spot she is in  this entire time. Did we really need another triple threat match?

Not feeling the IV title match at all. Again, Penta v Bron would have been fine on its own. It does feel like HHH is shoe-horning in people to thing un-necessarily. 

North American crowds suck. Punk got no reaction and his brawl with Seth was dead. Yeah, the constant chanting and stuff from the European crowds got annoying but at least they were alive and reacted to almost everything (except Zelina Vega).

Dragon Lee had his mask ripped off by Gable/El Grande Americano. He took the pin this week so the logical outcome is Mask v Mask - Dragon Lee v El Grande at Mania.

Instead we get Rey v El Grande....? 

It seems like Hunter is setting up for beyond Mania, which obviously is a good thing to do but they a stadium to fill twice and this is just not doing it for me, dog. 

[d-d-d-dAz]

You do wonder whether the Netflix deal has completely changed their business model.

Having TV and PLE separate in the Network era at least made it so they had to protect the PLE as if it was a PPV; it was still a major subscription driver. Having your PLE's and your flagship show available on the same platform (that you don't own), maybe the pressure is less on big, single hit subscription gains and more about spreading things out over the long term.

Maybe in the new world spreading Punk v Roman out so the match itself doesn't happen until later in the year is a more valuable option than treating Mania as 'special' and as something that needs huge matches either way.

[Callum1993]

It’s strange that the logical match seemed to be Penta vs Breakker but they’ve shoehorned Judgement Day into it but on the Smackdown side for the US Title that seemed ripe for a Fatal 4 Way with Knight, Solo, Jacob and Strowman but instead they are doing the singles with Jacob and Knight. 

[air_raid]

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

Having your PLE's and your flagship show available on the same platform (that you don't own), maybe the pressure is less on big, single hit subscription gains and more about spreading things out over the long term.

This definitely seems the route they're taking. In concert with the "less is more" approach to PLEs there are far more defences of the minor singles and tag titles on telly these days, you can't go a week without seeing the latest defence of one of the Raw tag, SmackSown tag, ICT, UST, WICT or WUST. Thankfully there are so many minor titles that they're reasonably spread out per title, too.

I don't mind them holding off on Reigns vs Punk until SummerSlam, which I think will happen, if it means we get Cody vs Punk and Rock vs Reigns at Mania 42.

6 minutes ago, Callum1993 said:

It’s strange that the logical match seemed to be Penta vs Breakker but they’ve shoehorned Judgement Day into it but on the Smackdown side for the US Title that seemed ripe for a Fatal 4 Way with Knight, Solo, Jacob and Strowman but instead they are doing the singles with Jacob and Knight. 

Not too late to invert everything. It's a swerve, bro! Watch them end up with Knight vs Penta vs Dom vs Balor for the ICT and Breakker vs Fatu vs Solo vs Strowman for the UST.

[WyattSheepMask]

Another Triple Threat that we’ve seen coming for weeks yet somehow still feels disappointing. All of them have been made to look like absolute chumps throughout yet somehow I don’t know who’s come off worse out of Io and Rhea. Io, the sodding champion, has been made to look like a complete afterthought while Rhea has whinged & moaned her way to a title match.

Has Finn Balor always been that bad an actor? I know he’s never been great, but he seemed particularly awful in the Judgement Day segment.

The Mariachi version Stars & Stripes Forever is absolute five stars.

[TheScarlettChad]

WrestleMania is filled a year before. The card doesn't matter anymore. They should book it well and they have the last couple of years but the ppv is the draw now. It's been that way since XX at least.

[Callum1993]

9 minutes ago, WyattSheepMask said:

Another Triple Threat that we’ve seen coming for weeks yet somehow still feels disappointing. All of them have been made to look like absolute chumps throughout yet somehow I don’t know who’s come off worse out of Io and Rhea. Io, the sodding champion, has been made to look like a complete afterthought while Rhea has whinged & moaned her way to a title match.

Has Finn Balor always been that bad an actor? I know he’s never been great, but he seemed particularly awful in the Judgement Day segment.

The Mariachi version Stars & Stripes Forever is absolute five stars.

When he turned on Damian Priest the ‘Mean face’ he did was one of the cringiest things I’ve ever seen 

[Mr_Danger]

3 hours ago, air_raid said:

Still not too late to add Randy to Cena vs Cody! He's got ample history with both of them! Think of the LORE!!!11

I’d be much more interested in Randy being Cody’s corner man than I would in a thrown together match against Aldis or whoever Aldis decides to give him for Mania.

[TheScarlettChad]

7 minutes ago, Mr_Danger said:

I’d be much more interested in Randy being Cody’s corner man than I would in a thrown together match against Aldis or whoever Aldis decides to give him for Mania.

My money's on Rusev