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

[LaGoosh]

55 minutes ago, Snitsky's back acne said:

I was instantly reminded on RVD refusing to go to Iraq when the Punk/Cena match was announced.

I'll always love RVD for that but worth pointing out the reason he didn't want to go to Iraq wasn't political or anything. He just couldn't be arsed with the travel, didn't want to risk getting shot, didn't care about the troops and wanted to stay home instead. Which I can respect big time.

Edited June 10, 2025 by LaGoosh

[Chili]

12 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

I'll always love RVD for that but worth pointing out the reason he didn't want to go to Iraq wasn't political or anything. He just couldn't be arsed with the travel, didn't want to risk getting shot, didn't care about the troops and wanted to stay home instead. Which I can respect big time.

Still fucking great. I love how he tells the tale with Johnny Ace telling him it's not mandatory so he's like 'fuck it, cool with Me' and then he gets told without saying it that it's expected of him and Rob's having none of it and they were all right fannies about it. I think he might have been in the dog house for a bit, as if he gave a toss.

Edited June 10, 2025 by Chili

[LaGoosh]

Yeah Vince called him into a meeting to convince him to go and he was just like "nah, I'm fine".

[Arch Stanton]

RVD was pretty much permanently in the dog house throughout his WWE run, because he just didn't give a fuck. The above was just one example of it. What a guy.

[wandshogun09]

I watched an interview of RVD on about that before and he said he got to the point where he actually wanted to tell Vince to “pick a hand” he was so angry. Said something like regardless of him being his boss, he felt insulted that just, man to man, Vince thought he could make him go on the tour.

Also enjoyed him talking about how Jericho was such a “political bitch” when they were working together when RVD first came in for the Invasion angle in 2001.

Always had time for RVD. Seems much less of a puppet than a lot of wrestlers and likes to do his own thing. I guess being broken in by the Sheik and Sabu is a big part of the reason he’s like that. 

Edited June 10, 2025 by wandshogun09

[Supremo]

6 hours ago, BomberPat said:

Part of me honestly wonders if Triple H having taken the brunt of the "CM Punk" chants when he quit, and then being in the middle of the Daniel Bryan "Yes Movement" story, makes him anxious about ever opening that can of worms again - once you let the audience think they can dictate booking decisions by chanting, where does it stop? 

I think this is an interesting difference that’s presenting itself in the, “new,” WWE, with Nick Khan at the helm.

First with Wrestlemania 40, and now with R-Truth. They’re much quicker in reacting to backlash and pivoting to save face.

Five or ten years ago, I don’t believe for a second they react how they have done in recent times. Wrestlemania 40 is headlined by Rock and Roman, with Rock winning the belt and relinquishing it the next night on Raw. R-Truth gets sacked, we get a week or two of weak, “we want Truth,” chants and then everything settles back down.

I do wonder if they’ve opened up a can of worms again. Are we going to see more, “hijacking,” now fans feel like they can make a difference? What’s the plan when they inevitably release Karrion Kross? He’s mostly shit, but he has cultivated this weird cult thing online. It’s going to be funny if they feel the need to rehire and push him, too. The man is dog shit at everything apart from being a semi-ironic, Spooky Just Joe, muttering one-liners backstage. Gonna be funny if, “fans knowing best,” ends up with him stinking up Raw or Smackdown main events.

It is truly bonkers how quickly we’ve bounced back to the company being the heel and the fans chanting for change. Literally feels like only weeks ago they were this well-oiled machine, completely synchronised with their audience. It’s the most frustrating part. Gives morons like Bischoff even more ammo to say, “wrestling is cyclical.” No it isn’t, it’s just that bookers always loop back when they run out of ideas, with responses and trends following suit.

[d-d-d-dAz]

On Karrion Kross, when is the right time to go back and find all those people who said his sweary promo was obviously a work and the sign of a big push, and anyone who thought it wasn't was an idiot?

Because clearly, he just riffed himself and they barely paid any attention and are just waiting to kick him off a cliff.

[RedTwoster]

With Kross, it’s a bit odd that they didn’t at least try to do something with him - have him team with Miz, give him a try as a singles wrestler. If he doesn’t step it up, abort then - but he’s had decent matches in the past…it’s just that none of them have been in WWE. But even if he just ends up being another LA Knight, or even an entertaining lower card act, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Triple H persisted with the guy for ages when he wasn’t doing anything good, it’s just weird to give up on him as soon as people start enjoying his act. I mean fuck, even if he transitioned into a managerial role, that might be better use of him than just ignoring his cult following.

[Kfogg1991]

Yeah can't believe they went with jay uso winning the highest goal because of how beloved and ensured he became on his own which genuinely is such a achievement, only to have him drop it on a episode of raw with his son front and center not giving the respect to do it on literally any PLE. Such a awful move that's coming almost constantly after having such a resurgence and buzz after so many years seriously boggles the mind.

And punk selling out after being so passionate and calling others out for agreeing to go there and take blood money shatters everything he's ever claimed and said and this actually shocked me.

He was never sticking with that and missing the rumble next year but to fold and go against his statement when it's a main event for the title with John Cena is shallow and fucks his voice for the voiceless moniker cold dead 

[Hannibal Scorch]

12 hours ago, LaGoosh said:

Hey, I've got to hand it to the guy. Selling out when you're in your 40s is an incredibly punk rock thing to do.

Whilst wearing a Ramones T-Shirt. Chefs kiss!

As much as I’ve openly talked of my lack of fandom for CM Punk, I also respected him for using his platform for support Trans rights among other issues. But this is a slap in the face for those communities and more importantly his fans within them. It’s a shitty look all-round. The crowd reaction when they announced it would happen in Saudi was so bad I thought Zelina Vega came out.
 

Didn’t get the R-Truth segment. He had dreads as Ron The Truth Killings, so I’m confused by the statement of him cutting them off. Intrigued where it ends up though. Nothing else was too interesting other than of cause Big Daddy Gunther becoming champ again. Roman or Goldberg, whose facing him first I guess is the question.

[Merzbow]

It's throughly fucking disappointing, he's my favourite US wrestler of the post-WCW era but sadly I've found him to be come across insincere for a fair while now but I never thought he'd actually slap others in queer community in the face like this. This is going to make a lot of people even more wary of celebrity allyship during a time when good mainstream optics are needed more than ever to fight against the deluge of bigotry in the media.

[d-d-d-dAz]

20 minutes ago, Merzbow said:

It's throughly fucking disappointing, he's my favourite US wrestler of the post-WCW era but sadly I've found him to be come across insincere for a fair while now but I never thought he'd actually slap others in queer community in the face like this. This is going to make a lot of people even more wary of celebrity allyship during a time when good mainstream optics are needed more than ever to fight against the deluge of bigotry in the media.

I've been a Punk fan in the past, but I think in retrospect a man that can so easily use the F word probably should never have been believed as a credible ally.

It's really deflated me today to be honest, I thought I'd reached rock bottom with WWE this year but this has really shown me there was another level to sink to.

[SuperBacon]

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

I've been a Punk fan in the past, but I think in retrospect a man that can so easily use the F word probably should never have been believed as a credible ally

That's a load of  absolute bollocks in my opinion. People can learn, change and grow.

[TheScarlettChad]

56 minutes ago, Kfogg1991 said:

Yeah can't believe they went with jay uso winning the highest goal because of how beloved and ensured he became on his own which genuinely is such a achievement, only to have him drop it on a episode of raw with his son front and center not giving the respect to do it on literally any PLE. Such a awful move that's coming almost constantly after having such a resurgence and buzz after so many years seriously boggles the mind.

And punk selling out after being so passionate and calling others out for agreeing to go there and take blood money shatters everything he's ever claimed and said and this actually shocked me.

He was never sticking with that and missing the rumble next year but to fold and go against his statement when it's a main event for the title with John Cena is shallow and fucks his voice for the voiceless moniker cold dead 

Jey's utter shite though. Who cares if his son is in the crowd? Its not real.

[d-d-d-dAz]

18 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

That's a load of  absolute bollocks in my opinion. People can learn, change and grow.

I'd argue that if Phil is genuinely going to Saudi Arabia, he's done none of the above so the point stands.

If he'd learnt, changed and grew we wouldn't have to revisit his past sins calling people that word.

So I think in general, the argument is moot. You either never need to think about what's happened previously because their actions improve or, when things like this happen, you can revist past issues and go 'yeah, makes sense'.

Using that word as a generic insult showed he didn't understand the communites it offends, and going back on his Saudi word suggests he still doesn't. I don't think it's unfair to draw a throughline. 'When people tell you who they are, believe them' as the young kids say.

 

Edited June 10, 2025 by d-d-d-dAz