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

[Hannibal Scorch]

1 hour ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

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.

That isn't quite true.

Netflix have Raw (in markets where they no longer have a TV contract, including the US). They also have SD outside the US (Same rules apply, but in the US it is on USA Network) and NXT (US it's on The CW, other local contracts in some regions). The PLE's are on Netflix outside of the US. In the US Peacock (Universal who also own NBC, where Saturday Night's Main Event Airs, and USA Network) have the rights to PLE's atleast for another few years.

So basically it's a convoluted mess but the Netflix deal affecting PLE's is not a completely direct issue. At least not in their domestic market. And they have said they would like to renew with Peacock if they get the right deal because, and quite obvious if you look at all their deals including Evolve on Tubi, the more places that have WWE content in anyway, shape and form, is somewhere AEW cannot go.

[Mr_Danger]

17 minutes ago, TheScarlettChad said:

My money's on Rusev 

When Rusev or spooky bollocks comes back they should at least have a little dominant patch before they let Orton punt them to the bottom of the mid card.

They should have had him tell KO that after months of trying to end careers he doesn’t get let off that easily and he’s still gonna boot him in the head then have Sami save him becaue he even though Kev is a cunt, he’s his cunt and even though he doesn’t like him he’ll always love him etc. Have him offer to take Kev’s place, not only for Kev’s sake but for Randy’s because Randy is better than this etc.

Basically just use it as an excuse to get the best fucking baby face in the biz on to the biggest card of the year.

[AndyUK]

I didn't even realise the first two night Summerslam is literally right at the beginning of August. It's not even that much longer than the gap there was between the Rumble and Mania this year. Guessing that's the reason they're doing these multi-person matches now, and they're saving some of their bigger singles matches for there...

 

 

[FUM]

1 hour ago, TheScarlettChad said:

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.

The ticketmasters maps say otherwise.

It’s crazy how quickly things have fallen off the wagon from WarGames onwards.

One of the worst WM builds I can remember and that stands even through the last years of Vince.

[TheScarlettChad]

6 minutes ago, FUM said:

The ticketmasters maps say otherwise.

It’s crazy how quickly things have fallen off the wagon from WarGames onwards.

One of the worst WM builds I can remember and that stands even through the last years of Vince.

Could it be because Trips is going into the HOF and thus isn't as "hands on" as he would normally be? And I meant, Mania is the draw, not the matches. Which up until this year, was the case.

[d-d-d-dAz]

10 minutes ago, FUM said:

The ticketmasters maps say otherwise.

It’s crazy how quickly things have fallen off the wagon from WarGames onwards.

One of the worst WM builds I can remember and that stands even through the last years of Vince.

It's the worst since 35 at least, but i'd argue 35 had more purpose and felt less 'chuck shit at the wall' than this years.

Coming so soon after such a hot creative period, it's hard not to think they either have a new strategy/model focused around weekly retention of customers as opposed to monthly acquisition; or, more simply, they got arrogant and took their eye off the ball.

Either way, it's been very poor. They've found some diamonds amongst the turds in the last few weeks with some of the developments with Cena/Cody and, particularly, the Triple Threat but nowhere near enough to save what has been a turgid, messy, inconsistent build. 

I should be absolutely fizzy about Mania this year, falling as it does on a bank holiday meaning I can watch both shows. I'm not even sure i'll bother.

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

[tiger_rick]

There are quite a few posts saying (I'm paraphrasing) "get Mania out of the way and get back on track". Given how this Mania build actually fits nicely with most of their last 20 years, and the last couple of years really hasn't (if we all just gloss over the cock-up in the Cody "story" prior to Mania 40), hence the recent success, how confident are people that it will improve and the last couple of years are a sign that things have really improved in booking and storytelling, and were not just a result of the momentum gained from the Cody and Punk hires?

For all the "hotness" of the product, I'd argue that they haven't made any stars through their booking in the last couple of years, though if anyone wants to tell me Jey Uso is it (Yeet), feel free. They clearly acquired a star in Cody and their presentation has undoubtedly increased his star power, I give them credit for that, but has the booker of the year made anyone? I don't see it.  

[FUM]

4 hours ago, tiger_rick said:

They clearly acquired a star in Cody and their presentation has undoubtedly increased his star power, I give them credit for that, but has the booker of the year made anyone? I don't see it.  

He’s definitely made some midcarders hang a bit more in the big time. Guys like KO and Sami were floundering a little with many hopes and rumours they’d probably leave and realise their potential elsewhere. He’s raised the profile of some lower carders who you wouldn’t have been surprised to see released before his tenure such as Gable, Dom, Liv, Priest, LA Knight etc.

He’s not made anyone a Roman or Cody level star but that’s never been an easy task for any booker. Rhea, you could maybe argue on the womens side.

I don’t really know the point I’m making because I half-agree with you yet seem to be countering the point. The best storyline of this hot period mostly came from the pens of Heyman and Gerwitz rather than Trips. I guess Bron and Jacob are to be the acid test as to whether he can truly make a star.

[Hannibal Scorch]

4 hours ago, tiger_rick said:

They clearly acquired a star in Cody and their presentation has undoubtedly increased his star power, I give them credit for that, but has the booker of the year made anyone? I don't see it.  

It isn't their presentation. It's beat for almost beat of his AEW presentation (with additional pyro). In AEW he was a judge on a talent show, had a reality show. Since leaving he played himself in the Captain Laserhawk animated series and has a cameo in the new (good/shit delete as appropriate) Naked Gun. And even then, I am being generous because Captain Laserhawk was cast pre WWE.

But to your wider point, no. And this was something I bought up the other week, that no wrestlers are having the cross over appeal we say with Hogan, Rock, Stone Cold and Cena. Even to lesser extents people like Edge and Samoa Joe cast in recent TV shows is not as frequent as it used to be and no-one from WWE has been made a star outside of the WWE Universe. Joey Janella said (and I am paraphrasing it a bit) if you put Roman Reigns and Big Boom AJ in Central Park for a meet and greet, more people would be queuing up for AJ because his exposure on social media alone transcends WWE's reach as massive as that is in itself.

[d-d-d-dAz]

36 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

It isn't their presentation. It's beat for almost beat of his AEW presentation (with additional pyro). In AEW he was a judge on a talent show, had a reality show. Since leaving he played himself in the Captain Laserhawk animated series and has a cameo in the new (good/shit delete as appropriate) Naked Gun. And even then, I am being generous because Captain Laserhawk was cast pre WWE.

But to your wider point, no. And this was something I bought up the other week, that no wrestlers are having the cross over appeal we say with Hogan, Rock, Stone Cold and Cena. Even to lesser extents people like Edge and Samoa Joe cast in recent TV shows is not as frequent as it used to be and no-one from WWE has been made a star outside of the WWE Universe. Joey Janella said (and I am paraphrasing it a bit) if you put Roman Reigns and Big Boom AJ in Central Park for a meet and greet, more people would be queuing up for AJ because his exposure on social media alone transcends WWE's reach as massive as that is in itself.

Roman Reigns has 9.8mil followers on Instagram alone. I'm not sure how true the last point is.

*edit* I don't really know what I'm looking for, but based on a cursory glance it seems like Roman has multiple times more followers on Instagram than AJ has across all channels?

Acknowledge him.

 

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

[Supremo]

Finished the show.

Something I thought about watching Dirty Dom and Penta; remember when Kevin Owens hit that first Package Piledriver on Randy Orton and everyone was pretending it had some huge gravitas because unlike AEW, WWE had employed so much restraint when it came to Piledrivers and the like? Obviously it was bullshit even back then, but it’s extra funny now the Lucha Brothers are spamming Mexican Destroyers and dropping fuckers on their head like nobody’s business on Raw and Smackdown.

Bron with the best Spear I’ve ever seen. Just look at this! Art.

Credit where it’s due. Seth Rollins is really good at this exposition-heavy, “Previously in the WWE…” stuff. He’s regularly been tasked with delivering these massive history lessons that attempt to connect threads together and he always does a good job. Just a shame that the threads and the story he attempted to make work here only work in spite of him. Selling the deep lore between Heyman, Punk and Roman, seemingly forgetting he’s supposed to be one third of this feud too. A man simultaneously a part of this feud, and not. Schrödinger's Shitarse.

LOL at their attempt to make Seth relevant though. “I didn’t attack you, so now you owe me favour too.” I’m going to shock you, but I think they might be making this up on a week to week basis.

Credit where it’s due to Heyman, too. Genuinely impressive that he’s made himself the grand prize in this feud. Arguably one of the best workers in the business. For a man who hasn’t delivered a particularly impressive promo in decades, it’s amazing how well he’s done for himself. Always in the mix, at the top. Smelly prick needs to be careful though. We already have one too many participants at Wrestlemania in Seth. If this entire match is sold on who Heyman owes things to, we could be looking at a Fatal Five Hundred by the time the match comes along! Four quarters of the original ECW roster are probably owed a favour. And a couple of hundred thousand dollars.

Edited April 8, 2025 by Supremo

[air_raid]

33 minutes ago, Supremo said:

If this entire match is sold on who Heyman owes things to, we could be looking at a Fatal Five Hundred by the time the match comes along!

Good job Paul Varelans has already gone to meet his maker, I’m not sure even Netflix would appreciate that episode.

[Fog Dude]

8 hours ago, AndyUK said:

I didn't even realise the first two night Summerslam is literally right at the beginning of August. It's not even that much longer than the gap there was between the Rumble and Mania this year. Guessing that's the reason they're doing these multi-person matches now, and they're saving some of their bigger singles matches for there...

Where are you buying your calendars from??

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

47 minutes ago, Fog Dude said:

Where are you buying your calendars from??

The market based on that maths. 

[AndyUK]

1 hour ago, Fog Dude said:

Where are you buying your calendars from??

 

I mean there's about 4 extra weeks of TV (a month) between the Rumble and Mania and then Mania and Summerslam this year.

It's not much of a difference when you bear in mind there was roughly a 2 month gap between the Rumble and Mania and a 5 month gap between Mania and Summerslam once upon a time.