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

[FUM]

4 minutes ago, Arch Stanton said:

I have barely been following Raw in recent months, barely finding the time each week to keep up with my preferred SmackDown and a bit of NXT, so didn't realise what the New Day mourning gimmick was about... I tuned in and at first thought they were taking the piss out of Hogan!

They literally just had Chelsea Green and her pals do the same gimmick over losing the US title over on SmackDown. They’re all over the place at the minute.

[air_raid]

Just saw someone call Rollins’ crew the “Seth Riders” and now it’s all I can think about.

[Supremo]

Karrion Kross and Scarlett moved to the alumni section of WWE.com. At least all those people campaigning for him can go back and watch their numerous favourite Kross matches.

He’ll probably be back in three weeks using a really clever worked shoot angle that will definitely turn him into a big star.

It’s what they do.

Edited August 10, 2025 by Supremo

[DavidB6937]

Based on the way Heyman was talking about him, I'd definitely lean towards some worked leaving shit. 

[FUM]

1 hour ago, Supremo said:

Karrion Kross and Scarlett moved to the alumni section of WWE.com. At least all those people campaigning for him can go back and watch their numerous favourite Kross matches.

He’ll probably be back in three weeks using a really clever worked shoot angle that will definitely turn him into a big star.

It’s what they do.

All part of the show.

[d-d-d-dAz]

I'm not ready to cash this in, but I was widely derided for not seeing that Kross' big sweary promo was all a work and part of a massive push that Uncle H had ready for him.

If he ends up another spooky bollock in TNA, I'm coming for my apologies.

Can someone point me in thr direction of those 'banger matches'?

He doesn't half look like Triple H in that photo, though.

 

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

[Supremo]

Wild. I don’t think anything in pro-wrestling has aged quite like CM Punk’s line about, “main eventing Night Four of a buy one get one free extravaganza.”

That’s the documentary footage I want. Triple H and Nick Khan trying to come up with something that will please the Saudi Prince that doesn’t involve them bringing Yokozuna back to life.

Edited August 10, 2025 by Supremo

[SwayWays]

10 hours ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

I'm not ready to cash this in, but I was widely derided for not seeing that Kross' big sweary promo was all a work and part of a massive push that Uncle H had ready for him.

If he ends up another spooky bollock in TNA, I'm coming for my apologies.

Can someone point me in thr direction of those 'banger matches'?

 

Always liked kross, never thought I can't wait for him vs *insert name*.. 

But his current sean o'haire v2 character and his promos have me interested far more than the majority of the wwe roster at the moment. 

[jm29195]

12 hours ago, Supremo said:

That’s the documentary footage I want. Triple H and Nick Khan trying to come up with something that will please the Saudi Prince that doesn’t involve them bringing Yokozuna back to life.

"Now Jacob, we need you to go on a pie only diet and use your uncle's name for the next few months..."

[FUM]

This RAW probably summed up why modern wrestling isn’t really for me anymore. There’s too much wrestling in wrestling on the weekly shows and there’s no company offering an alternative to that.

I don’t even mean that more time should be filled with promos or storylines but, for me anyway, matches on a weekly TV show should be short and sharp with the PLE delivering the longer fight. In doing that, it allows you to feature and build more wrestlers as well as give them personalities that aren’t just “wrestler”. Being able to perform in a quick fast paced match and wanting to see more of someone is what gets a lot of people over. Seeing the same guys go 20-25 mins at full pelt weekly is dull as there’s nothing more to see.

I searched a random RAW from 2000 on the back of this show. 8 matches in a 2 hour show. Combined with mic work and angles, that’s chances for loads of people to get themselves across and they did. RAW now averages 4-5 matches on a 2.5 hour show because random matches are given a long time most weeks.

I’m finding it difficult to convey my point to be honest but hopefully somebody gets it.

[The Dart]

6 minutes ago, FUM said:

Seeing the same guys go 20-25 mins at full pelt weekly is dull as there’s nothing more to see.

 

Just had a quick look out of curiosity and apart from Gauntlet Matches, which you'd expect to be long due to the kind of match they are, the last time there was a 20 minute match on Raw was 6 weeks ago.   The last time there was a 25 minute match (apart from Gauntlet Matches) on Raw was January 2023.  I don't think it happens as much as you think it does.

And the reason there's less matches isn't because there's more long matches.   It's because of all the other crap during the show, like constant recaps, sponsorships, promotions, the wrestlers arriving at the building etc that they didn't used to do or did a lot less of.

You can look at a random Raw from 2011 and in the 2 hour show there may have been 8 matches and still 3 of them went over 15 minutes.

 

[FUM]

16 minutes ago, The Dart said:

Just had a quick look out of curiosity and apart from Gauntlet Matches, which you'd expect to be long due to the kind of match they are, the last time there was a 20 minute match on Raw was 6 weeks ago.   The last time there was a 25 minute match (apart from Gauntlet Matches) on Raw was January 2023.  I don't think it happens as much as you think it does.

That was just a random plucked figure on what they felt like - I didn’t time them. 17 minutes is too long too. There was 3 of those last night.

Edited August 12, 2025 by FUM

[Snitsky's back acne]

38 minutes ago, FUM said:

This RAW probably summed up why modern wrestling isn’t really for me anymore. There’s too much wrestling in wrestling on the weekly shows and there’s no company offering an alternative to that.

I don’t even mean that more time should be filled with promos or storylines but, for me anyway, matches on a weekly TV show should be short and sharp with the PLE delivering the longer fight. In doing that, it allows you to feature and build more wrestlers as well as give them personalities that aren’t just “wrestler”. Being able to perform in a quick fast paced match and wanting to see more of someone is what gets a lot of people over. Seeing the same guys go 20-25 mins at full pelt weekly is dull as there’s nothing more to see.

I searched a random RAW from 2000 on the back of this show. 8 matches in a 2 hour show. Combined with mic work and angles, that’s chances for loads of people to get themselves across and they did. RAW now averages 4-5 matches on a 2.5 hour show because random matches are given a long time most weeks.

I’m finding it difficult to convey my point to be honest but hopefully somebody gets it.

Yeah I feel like modern wrestling has passed me by too. Summerslam really emphasises it. So much was 'No DQ' or multi person matches - and this is not just a WWE issue, it's industry wide, even on the independents. 

Of course I'll still watch some matches and shows etc. I'll never truly be out, but I have found myself watching less modern stuff and much more stuff from the 80s and 90s.

Maybe I have truly turned into that middle aged man that goes 'Music sounded better in my day. None of this modern drivel. It's just sounds!'. 

[FUM]

22 minutes ago, The Dart said:

And the reason there's less matches isn't because there's more long matches.   It's because of all the other crap during the show, like constant recaps, sponsorships, promotions, the wrestlers arriving at the building etc that they didn't used to do or did a lot less of.

You can look at a random Raw from 2011 and in the 2 hour show there may have been 8 matches and still 3 of them went over 15 minutes.

Just to reply to the rest too.

It isn’t just because of all that other stuff because there used to be far more promos and backstage stuff that covered that time.

And 2011 wasn’t my barometer of good wrestling shows. I’d be surprised if it was anyones. The random RAW I looked at from 2000 didn’t have a single match over 8 minutes and that wasn’t uncommon.

Edited August 12, 2025 by FUM
I just like to edit to annoy people

[DazzM]

I've long said that the problem with modern wrestling is exactly as some posters above have said. Oversaturation of the talent, and having nothing to "look forward to" so to speak.

When I started way back when as a fan, the "Superstars" routinely only locked up with enhancement talent on quick fire matches. It meant that on the odd occasion that the "Superstars" locked up with each other, it was seen as a rarity and something that is truly exciting and unique.

By the time that talent has had a bundle of matches with each other in some combination, of varying lengths and quality, with the pay off being yet another match against each other, it just dilutes it. 

I'm not saying go back to loads of enhancement talent, but there should aboslutely be a way to make the "Superstars" feel like a big deal again.