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

[WyattSheepMask]

And apparently all the guys deserved better too...

 

[Snitsky's back acne]

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

 

Riddle’s entrance.

Riddle’s entrance is all that is wrong with WWE in one handy 30” piece of content.

There are birds now. Why are there birds now? ...Because there are birds now and everyone will respond like there’s always been birds. Fucking hell.

 

Shit they actually did that!?
I saw a video of that floating around and just assumed someone had done that to be 'cute'.

Holy shit, what the fuck has happened to WWE?!

[Merzbow]

1 hour ago, WyattSheepMask said:

I had to look to see what you were meaning. Never did I expect it to be whatever that was. 
For anyone else wondering-

 

Have they been watching Taz era TNA or something?

[Supremo]

The one thing you can say about modern-day WWE is that for as much as everything looks exactly the same, the three shows feel more different now than they have done in a long time.

Smackdown is a muddled but otherwise enjoyable show carried by strong performers. It’s no surprise at all to hear that guys like Daniel Bryan and Edge are on the creative team. It’s messy, but it still feels like a wrestling show written by people on this planet.

Now that they’ve calmed down and stopped panic booking against AEW, NXT is a solid show with clear directions and a couple of fun characters. Again, you can see the fingerprints of guys like HBK and Road Dogg trying to make the best pro-wrestling show in their vision, whether rightly or wrongly. They desperately need someone in their twenties or thirties as consultant, and ladders need to be banned from the building, but otherwise you can at least see what they’re trying to do.

Raw is fucking insane though. With each passing week it bears less and less resemblance to a pro-wrestling show. It’s a three hour window into the deteriorating mind of a mad man. I always think back to that Triple H celebration segment where Vince looked like a lost, confused old man, mumbling nonsense. If that’s what they allow on television can you imagine what he must be like on a day to day basis? Just going by what he airs every Monday he’s completely lost the plot.

Honestly, the only reason to even follow the Raw results or seek out clips on Twitter at this point is as a study of how far a senile man can be allowed to script a show before everyone else steps in. CGI birds flapping about and choo choo sound effects. I’m genuinely fascinated by where the tipping point will be. Will there be one? And if not, what the fuck is this show going to look like in six months to a year? Is he genuinely going to be allowed to scribble any old shit down until his dying breath?

Edited April 6, 2021 by Supremo

[CL Punk]

Strowman deserves better?

Nah, I don't think so. Especially with that bloody choo choo sound effect they started playing.

I mean who exactly wanted a Braun vs. Shane O'Mac match?

You know who deserves better? The fans.

[RedRooster]

1 hour ago, AshC said:

Modern day fans: 'We don't want 50/50 booking, give your stars a sustained push, full of victories'.

 

Also modern day fans: 'If you get a sustained push, full of victories, we will fucking turn on you'.

 

Anyone booing big Drew on Saturday needs to question what they're doing with their life.

To be fair, I'm not sure that's completely true - look at Jon Moxley in AEW or Becky Lynch. 

If the fans were to turn on Drew, it would be in favour of another wrestler who has had a sustained push over the last year. 

And in this case, I really do understand why that might happen - aside from the fact Lashley comes across as cool, and an absolute badass, in a world where there are hateful fucks dismissing the idea that "Black Lives Matter", he surely represents some level of hope to a large number of people. He's not presented as a stereotype, he's not presented as a joke, he's simply presented as a force to be reckoned with. 

In the context of world events over the past year, I can understand why someone might latch onto Lashley without attempting in any way to be contrarian. 

[WyattSheepMask]

15 minutes ago, CL Punk said:

Strowman deserves better?

Nah, I don't think so. Especially with that bloody choo choo sound effect they started playing.

I mean who exactly wanted a Braun vs. Shane O'Mac match?

You know who deserves better? The fans.

That’s a tweet from 2 years ago, when all the people mentioned were in Pre-show Battle Royales.

You are right though, he doesn’t deserve better now, nor did he then.

[d-d-d-dAz]

1 hour ago, Supremo said:

Raw is fucking insane though. With each passing week it bears less and less resemblance to a pro-wrestling show. It’s a three hour window into the deteriorating mind of a mad man. I always think back to that Triple H celebration segment where Vince looked like a lost, confused old man, mumbling nonsense. If that’s what they allow on television can you imagine what he must be like on a day to day basis? Just going by what he airs every Monday he’s completely lost the plot.

Honestly, the only reason to even follow the Raw results or seek out clips on Twitter at this point is as a study of how far a senile man can be allowed to script a show before everyone else steps in. CGI birds flapping about and choo choo sound effects. I’m genuinely fascinated by where the tipping point will be. Will there be one? And if not, what the fuck is this show going to look like in six months to a year? Is he genuinely going to be allowed to scribble any old shit down until his dying breath?

It’s like when my mum got WhatsApp and discovered emojis, her messages became an indecipherable mess of colours and shapes. 
 

All these funny graphics and tricks they’ve discovered in lockdown, he has no discipline in how to use them.

They could have used the freedom of not having fans to build some really special and unique programming, instead we’ve had Black Mirror-esque parodies of their regular shows but with magic tricks and birds and trains.

[CL Punk]

2 hours ago, Supremo said:

Honestly, the only reason to even follow the Raw results or seek out clips on Twitter at this point is as a study of how far a senile man can be allowed to script a show before everyone else steps in. CGI birds flapping about and choo choo sound effects. I’m genuinely fascinated by where the tipping point will be. Will there be one? And if not, what the fuck is this show going to look like in six months to a year? Is he genuinely going to be allowed to scribble any old shit down until his dying breath?

I do wonder if this is as bad as wrestling gets or if there is worse to come.

I mean, didn't The WWE rehire Johnny Ace recently?

The man who hired lingerie models and the wrong one legged wrestler.

 

[air_raid]

2 hours ago, DavidB6937 said:

The thing is about the women 'deserving better' - do half of them genuinely deserve better? I watch some of them and think they're fucking lucky to get what they do. If I had to watch some of them in longer matches it'd be horrific.

Yeah, some of the women can have great matches but the gap to those that can’t and yet regularly feature on TV is alarming, especially when they’ve never got over, which is of course probably the biggest factor in having great matches. I’ve been catching up a little on what free matches are on YouTube and this morning I watched the Elimination Chamber where to anyone with half a brain only Shayna or Asuka had even the slightest chance of winning a title match at a Mania. The other four were The Riott Squad - perennially making up the numbers - and the best never-was there ever was or will be, Natalya. Such a collection of “no fucking chance” wrestlers would never be allowed to contest a men’s Chamber.

Bang up to date, I see Natalya & Tamina will be teaming in an upcoming Turmoil? That’s just perfect. It’s borderline offensive how they talk about Nattie being “one of the best of all time” when she’s only rarely been the best in the ring during any particular match, and Tamina’s been so crap and such an afterthought for so long you forget she’s employed until they need her for a Survivors or Rumble, and I remember thinking “fucking REALLY?” when she was made one of Paige’s first challengers to the main roster belt and how many years ago was THAT? Kane & Big Show levels of “just fuck off”, that pairing, except without the multiple title reigns a-piece.

Quite a lot of the two women’s divisions are lucky they’ve got main roster spots and wouldn’t if there was only one division still.

Edited April 6, 2021 by air_raid

[Yakashi]

I could see them booing drew. He used to look cool as fuck. Now he’s been branded like every other geek and comes out with a stupid fake sword, stupid sound effects on his music and a kilt because, well, he’s Scottish don’t you know. WWE Superstar TM.
 

I think he’s really great though. Outside of Roman, he was the standout last year and one of maybe 3 people they didn’t completely destroy. And he still looks like he could batter the shit out of people in real life which is a bonus. But, like everyone, they have to fuck around with people and brand them with stupid shit (see riddle flying cgi birds my dog could do a better job making).
 

The reaction to the train sounds will be funny too. Pissing laughter, booing or ironic super pop. Who knows! Imagine in the heated blood feud cage match if they do them !

[Vamp]

I think the birds in Riddle's entrance is the result of a culturally disengaged crazed pensioner discovering TikTok. 

Maybe it's giving them too much credit but I wonder if they're just taking the piss with him at this stage. Whether that's because he's wound them up or because they know he's not going to be a star now is anyone's guess. 

I watched the final segment from the last RAW before Mania 19 the other day. Its a Rock concert with Austin sitting in a pick up truck outside the venue (he has a restraining order against him) where they've set up speakers so that he can hear it. Hurricane comes out, the police arrest him leaving an opening for Austin to run in and break The Rock's guitar. 

It's great (mostly because The Rock is on fire during this short run) but it struck me how if they did that as the final build for Mania now it'd either receive cynicism or apathy. 

It doesn't build the World title match. It puts the "old" (well, soon to be gone) guys on top. Austin listening to it in the parking lot doesn't make much sense. 

Obviously it helps that The Rock is great in the segment, that Austin and The Rock have a virtually unrivalled level of charisma and that everyone (including Ths Hurricane) is over but it also feels like there's still enough goodwill for people to relax and enjoy the show. Hell, there was still enough goodwill that everyone was shocked when Booker T lost to a racist HHH.

 

[PowerButchi]

It wasn't for a title though, to be fair.

[air_raid]

18 hours ago, RedRooster said:

And in this case, I really do understand why that might happen - aside from the fact Lashley comes across as cool, and an absolute badass, in a world where there are hateful fucks dismissing the idea that "Black Lives Matter", he surely represents some level of hope to a large number of people. He's not presented as a stereotype, he's not presented as a joke, he's simply presented as a force to be reckoned with. 

In the context of world events over the past year, I can understand why someone might latch onto Lashley without attempting in any way to be contrarian. 

It’s almost as if having Lashley win the title from a cretin like Miz, then divorce himself from his heel stable, wasn’t quite the right booking for ensuring unanimous support for Drew as undisputed top babyface on Raw.

I don’t think it will happen, but it would be JUST the WWE thing to do here to do a full blown double turn to cynically attempt to exploit the zeitgeist. “Look at our dominant black World champion! We’re progressive! Did you know McIntyre wanted to be a copper growing up??? #BLM”

[LWOLeN]

The state of Rhea Ripley. She looks like Sheamus in his weirdo phase.