The deck maybe stacked, but I'm not sure Tony Khan knows how to play cards.
Seems the current theme is to chuck a load of dream matches together and little else
While on the other show you've got the 'final boss' getting himself over to the detriment of everyone else and wants cheers too much to play a heel
Then in a month he'll disappear and leave a bunch of nobodies behind in his wake. Passing the torch indeed.
This aged like milk.
Can't wait for the Rock v Cody Rhodes singles match.
Roman who?
Such a terrible take, which shows you haven't/don't want to pay attention to the story here.
The entire point of The Rock going in hard on Cody, instead of Reigns, is to help plant the seeds for later down the line. They can go so many ways with the angle right now.
1) The Rock gets too big for his boots in The Bloodline and Reigns takes umbrage with that, leading to a showdown between them.
2) Jey Uso returns to The Bloodline, furthering the story of Family Above All (Reigns' latest T-shirt slogan)
3) Reigns actually loses to Cody and they all move on to different things.
4) a new face debuts to screw over either side
5) Priest cashes in
You also have the other side, with Drew, Seth, CM Punk etc. which has tied into this story.
1) Seth loses to Drew because he was too focused on Reigns
2) Drew loses and leaves WWE
3) There is shenanigans with Punk that leads to a triple threat down the line
4) Priest cashes in
I haven't even mentioned how if Seth and Cody lose the first night and Bloodline Rules are in play for Night 2, how that could lead to Reigns' downfall as his past demons catch up with him, with any number of people coming to help Cody to take out The Bloodline, including Cena, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
The whole point right now of The Rock playing this final boss character is to help create doubt as to what will actually happen at Wrestlemania.
Meanwhile, I see the faction that managed to end MJF's reign and have a big payoff with Samoa Joe, vowing to run AEW from here on out are currently... ***checks notes***.... losing quarter final tag tournament matches to a guy who's character is based on not actually doing anything in the ring with any force.
Anyone else finding Rock to be very repetitive in his promos? He's still amazing on the mic but it feels like he's trying to fill a 10 minute slot with 8 minutes of material so he's just repeating himself a lot.
Also, just read that Rock is 2 years older now than Hogan was in their icon v icon match. Mind. Blown.
Face Rock, yes, a little but not Heel Rock. Regarding your second paragraph, that's the difference between shaving your hair when you're balding and not!
The Highlight of Raw for me was the CM Punk segment. I'm pretty sure they're not doing scripted promos anymore. The extra dimension of Drew taking his eye off and concentrating on Punk is fantastic. The belt was looking as a secondary mid tier worthless belt and now it's a match that has grabbed my attention. Drew has been superb on social media.
Can't recall the last time I've looked forward to a 'mania. Usually there are only 1 or 2 matches that I look forward to and I'll watch the whole thing (fast forwarding some stuff) as it's usually better than you'll expect. It seems we're entering another golden ear.
The deck maybe stacked, but I'm not sure Tony Khan knows how to play cards.
Seems the current theme is to chuck a load of dream matches together and little else
While on the other show you've got the 'final boss' getting himself over to the detriment of everyone else and wants cheers too much to play a heel
Then in a month he'll disappear and leave a bunch of nobodies behind in his wake. Passing the torch indeed.
This aged like milk.
Can't wait for the Rock v Cody Rhodes singles match.
Roman who?
Such a terrible take, which shows you haven't/don't want to pay attention to the story here.
The entire point of The Rock going in hard on Cody, instead of Reigns, is to help plant the seeds for later down the line. They can go so many ways with the angle right now.
1) The Rock gets too big for his boots in The Bloodline and Reigns takes umbrage with that, leading to a showdown between them.
2) Jey Uso returns to The Bloodline, furthering the story of Family Above All (Reigns' latest T-shirt slogan)
3) Reigns actually loses to Cody and they all move on to different things.
4) a new face debuts to screw over either side
5) Priest cashes in
You also have the other side, with Drew, Seth, CM Punk etc. which has tied into this story.
1) Seth loses to Drew because he was too focused on Reigns
2) Drew loses and leaves WWE
3) There is shenanigans with Punk that leads to a triple threat down the line
4) Priest cashes in
I haven't even mentioned how if Seth and Cody lose the first night and Bloodline Rules are in play for Night 2, how that could lead to Reigns' downfall as his past demons catch up with him, with any number of people coming to help Cody to take out The Bloodline, including Cena, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
The whole point right now of The Rock playing this final boss character is to help create doubt as to what will actually happen at Wrestlemania.
Meanwhile, I see the faction that managed to end MJF's reign and have a big payoff with Samoa Joe, vowing to run AEW from here on out are currently... ***checks notes***.... losing quarter final tag tournament matches to a guy who's character is based on not actually doing anything in the ring with any force.
Great storytelling from TK there!
Wrestling like films is story telling. People don't go to the cinema to see amazing stunts. The fight scenes in the Rocky films are horrendous but the films were blockbusters.
Joe beat Wardlow clean on TV. The stable is just another stable now. The would angle led to nothing. Maybe it'll be interesting when MJF returns but there's no heat on them anymore.
I really like the idea of the ‘Bloodline Rules’ stipulation being negated by the likes of Zayn, Jey Uso etc having roles in the main event. True long term storytelling.
Roman losing after all this time, and Cody finally getting the big one - both at the same time. It has all the potential to be the biggest Wrestlemania moment in years if done properly.
HHH’s booking is now in full swing, and the difference in quality is night and day.
Sometimes it matches with what the audience wants, but if he wants to have a large company to rival WWE, which is what we were hoping for, rather than a hobby, he needs to hire more experienced people and delegate. Perhaps be part of the booking process as it's not like everything has been terrible.
What a load of shyte WWE is these days. Caught it two or three times in the past few weeks because my son had it on. Blokes spend 90% of their time walking out to the ring and when they finally get there spend another 20 minutes chatting absolute bollox on the microphone.
What a load of shyte WWE is these days. Caught it two or three times in the past few weeks because my son had it on. Blokes spend 90% of their time walking out to the ring and when they finally get there spend another 20 minutes chatting absolute bollox on the microphone.
C M Punk was on Ariel Helwani last night and unlike Khan he didn't say 'That's a great question but i can't answer.' He has an NDA on the fights but is open about most things.
He's confirmed the internet narrative that Tony is a nice guy but not a boss.
Some fantastic matches last night, the storytelling WWE put on is absolutely fantastic, and they manage to get a good mix of highlight spots and narrative into each match.
Interesting that The Judgement Day (other than Rhea) were all losers. I think it foreshadows a Priest cash in either tonight or tomorrow, and the beginning of the end for them as a group, with him and Rhea branching off as singles stars.
R-Truth getting is Wrestlemania moment was lovely to see, that ladder match was insane in the end.
Sami Vs Gunther was an epic, they absolutely stole the show together.
The Bloodline match was overbooked, went on too long and was sloppy as hell at times (for someone who used to sell the hell out of moves like The Stunner, The Rock's sell of The Stomp last night was AWFUL) BUT it makes perfect sense, as now The Numbers Game will be in effect, and I'm fully expecting everyone who's been wronged by The Bloodline over the years to come out at some point and help Cody beat Reigns once and for all
I agree with the main event being overbooked. It's ridiculous how someone can take multiple finishers then minutes later walk about as if nothing had happened. Can also apply that to the IC match.
I maintain that Sami should have been Roman in Montreal!
Shame about the temperature, it really affected the crowd.
Only just finished watching it. Don’t think it lived up to my expectations tbh. Thought it was unnecessary long (Typical Mania). Both undercard tag matches added nothing IMO & USO’s match was poor.
Main event delivered, so you can argue the rest of the card doesn’t matter if the main event is great.
Slightly bitter about the IC result as wouldn’t have made that title change. Got to assume Chad Gable will be getting a push post mania to fued for the title.
The main event was really slow and dull for the first half of it, and finally picked up some good drama at the end.
The crowd did seem quite tame for a typical Philadelphia atmosphere.
Don’t recall any real twists or surprises throughout the night, which can make it feel a lot longer when it’s just match after match. But that’s one thing that’s been noticeable with recent Wrestlemanias. The builds have been good, but then the shows are just a bit long and arduous.
Confident they’ll deliver a good main event tonight though.
I maintain that Sami should have been Roman in Montreal!
Shame about the temperature, it really affected the crowd.
Only just finished watching it. Don’t think it lived up to my expectations tbh. Thought it was unnecessary long (Typical Mania). Both undercard tag matches added nothing IMO & USO’s match was poor.
Main event delivered, so you can argue the rest of the card doesn’t matter if the main event is great.
Slightly bitter about the IC result as wouldn’t have made that title change. Got to assume Chad Gable will be getting a push post mania to fued for the title.
I think i've said it before here, but i would have preferred Gable to go over Gunther, who is surely heading to the main event now. There's a PLE in Germany coming up and judging by the German fan cam he'll be super over there. Maybe him v Drew in the main event? Some German boxer can lay Drew out!
I don't think Sami needs the IC title, whereas it would give legitimacy to Gable just like Sami having the main strap for a month or so would have. Wish Gable would get away from the comedy stuff but i guess it's getting him over so i'll schush.
Not living up to expectations I put down to the lack of crowd. It was about 10°C and they were outside for a very long time. Sami and truth picked them up but they were understandably pretty flat.
What hapenned to cafc43v3r? I'll answer my own question. It looks like he stopped posting after a long running discussion on the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 thread, when he couldn't get a poster to agree with him.
Thought night one was a really mixed bag. Beck/Rhea was great (although not a fan of finishers being kicked out of in the opening match) as was Sami/Gunther. Apparently Sami was sick of people not finishing their stories so he went and finished Gables.
Liked the tag match but just looking at the winners I'd really question if you've got the depth to split the titles across two brands.
Jimmy/Jey was garbage. All the worst parts of the bloodline storyline - extended in ring dialogue and boring as all shit heat segment.
The Rocks awesome (hot take, I know). Always a danger of his charisma over shadowing everyone else but he's been such a fantastic arsehole that it's really worked so far.
I really enjoyed night 1 & think it sets night 2 up perfectly..
Found it interesting that HHH came out to the ring to announce that a new era has begun.
I've really enjoyed WWE again for the last few months. It's very watchable these days & think it will only get stronger under HHH
It does seem a new era is beginning now he is calling the shots and i guess 'mania is the best time to start a new era, like 'mania XIV and XVIII. Also distancing yourself from the last bloke is a good move!
Probably the first year this thread hasn't had 'NXT will be better than 'mania'.
Comments
The entire point of The Rock going in hard on Cody, instead of Reigns, is to help plant the seeds for later down the line. They can go so many ways with the angle right now.
1) The Rock gets too big for his boots in The Bloodline and Reigns takes umbrage with that, leading to a showdown between them.
2) Jey Uso returns to The Bloodline, furthering the story of Family Above All (Reigns' latest T-shirt slogan)
3) Reigns actually loses to Cody and they all move on to different things.
4) a new face debuts to screw over either side
5) Priest cashes in
You also have the other side, with Drew, Seth, CM Punk etc. which has tied into this story.
1) Seth loses to Drew because he was too focused on Reigns
2) Drew loses and leaves WWE
3) There is shenanigans with Punk that leads to a triple threat down the line
4) Priest cashes in
I haven't even mentioned how if Seth and Cody lose the first night and Bloodline Rules are in play for Night 2, how that could lead to Reigns' downfall as his past demons catch up with him, with any number of people coming to help Cody to take out The Bloodline, including Cena, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
The whole point right now of The Rock playing this final boss character is to help create doubt as to what will actually happen at Wrestlemania.
Meanwhile, I see the faction that managed to end MJF's reign and have a big payoff with Samoa Joe, vowing to run AEW from here on out are currently... ***checks notes***.... losing quarter final tag tournament matches to a guy who's character is based on not actually doing anything in the ring with any force.
Great storytelling from TK there!
The Highlight of Raw for me was the CM Punk segment. I'm pretty sure they're not doing scripted promos anymore. The extra dimension of Drew taking his eye off and concentrating on Punk is fantastic. The belt was looking as a secondary mid tier worthless belt and now it's a match that has grabbed my attention. Drew has been superb on social media.
Can't recall the last time I've looked forward to a 'mania. Usually there are only 1 or 2 matches that I look forward to and I'll watch the whole thing (fast forwarding some stuff) as it's usually better than you'll expect. It seems we're entering another golden ear.
Joe beat Wardlow clean on TV. The stable is just another stable now. The would angle led to nothing. Maybe it'll be interesting when MJF returns but there's no heat on them anymore.
Roman losing after all this time, and Cody finally getting the big one - both at the same time. It has all the potential to be the biggest Wrestlemania moment in years if done properly.
Sometimes it matches with what the audience wants, but if he wants to have a large company to rival WWE, which is what we were hoping for, rather than a hobby, he needs to hire more experienced people and delegate. Perhaps be part of the booking process as it's not like everything has been terrible.
Caught it two or three times in the past few weeks because my son had it on.
Blokes spend 90% of their time walking out to the ring and when they finally get there spend another 20 minutes chatting absolute bollox on the microphone.
https://x.com/JulianWks/status/1773755964501668164?s=20
He's confirmed the internet narrative that Tony is a nice guy but not a boss.
I maintain that Sami should have been Roman in Montreal!
Shame about the temperature, it really affected the crowd.
Interesting that The Judgement Day (other than Rhea) were all losers. I think it foreshadows a Priest cash in either tonight or tomorrow, and the beginning of the end for them as a group, with him and Rhea branching off as singles stars.
R-Truth getting is Wrestlemania moment was lovely to see, that ladder match was insane in the end.
Sami Vs Gunther was an epic, they absolutely stole the show together.
The Bloodline match was overbooked, went on too long and was sloppy as hell at times (for someone who used to sell the hell out of moves like The Stunner, The Rock's sell of The Stomp last night was AWFUL) BUT it makes perfect sense, as now The Numbers Game will be in effect, and I'm fully expecting everyone who's been wronged by The Bloodline over the years to come out at some point and help Cody beat Reigns once and for all
Main event delivered, so you can argue the rest of the card doesn’t matter if the main event is great.
😃
Unprecedented territory given CM Punk no longer works there
Smells like a bait and switch to amuse about 5 people.
Also Dustin is challenging Joe for the title...
The crowd did seem quite tame for a typical Philadelphia atmosphere.
Confident they’ll deliver a good main event tonight though.
I don't think Sami needs the IC title, whereas it would give legitimacy to Gable just like Sami having the main strap for a month or so would have. Wish Gable would get away from the comedy stuff but i guess it's getting him over so i'll schush.
Not living up to expectations I put down to the lack of crowd. It was about 10°C and they were outside for a very long time. Sami and truth picked them up but they were understandably pretty flat.
I'll answer my own question.
It looks like he stopped posting after a long running discussion on the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 thread, when he couldn't get a poster to agree with him.
Found it interesting that HHH came out to the ring to announce that a new era has begun.
I've really enjoyed WWE again for the last few months. It's very watchable these days & think it will only get stronger under HHH
Liked the tag match but just looking at the winners I'd really question if you've got the depth to split the titles across two brands.
Jimmy/Jey was garbage. All the worst parts of the bloodline storyline - extended in ring dialogue and boring as all shit heat segment.
The Rocks awesome (hot take, I know). Always a danger of his charisma over shadowing everyone else but he's been such a fantastic arsehole that it's really worked so far.
So many options, with:
Cody losing to Roman, yet again, to shenanigans from Jimmy/Jey/Solo/The Rock/someone else
Cody losing to Roman, clean
Roman losing to Cody, clean
Roman losing to Cody with help from Seth/Sami/Owens/Jey/Brock/Cena/Orton/someone else
Roman losing to Cody with The Rock turning against him due to jealousy/the spear last night, setting up Roman Vs The Rock for Saudi
Any of the above with a cash in from Señor Money In The Bank
What a terrible match that'll be.
Good main event, needed to be booked as it was to end Roman's reign.
Have my thoughts on this whole 'new era' business. But can be saved for after Mania dies down.
Probably the first year this thread hasn't had 'NXT will be better than 'mania'.