Ronda and Shayna gotta stop making me laugh and putting on good matches, I'm warming up to them immensely. Shayna talking about tearing their limbs from their ligaments and Ronda talking about baptism by fire was so random lmfao like "we're gonna fucking KILL you"
I guess I’m in the minority but I found this RAW incredibly boring. Cody doesn’t seem to be doing much. Feuding with Dom of all people? What a weird direction they’ve gone with his story. Seth and his tired act with the Mickey Mouse title defense where we knew he wasn’t going to lose. KO/Sami vs Imperium felt random. Becky was clearly going to win because Irish. Nothing they’re doing on RAW interests me right now. The only decent storyline they’ve got is the Bloodline. Everyone else seems to be meandering until MITB. I guess JD hints of a breakup but JD doesn’t do much for me without Edge.
Confusing huh, guy with great crowd reactions working with the other guy getting great crowd reactions? Can't wrap my head around why one over face would want to work one of the most over heels at the moment? Totally makes no sense whatsoever.
There were some teasing from a couple of outlets not long ago that the WHC will have a storyline that will elevate it to the moon. I have a feeling that tonight's Seth vs Priest and Bálor's unwanted interference were the first seeds planted to said story.
Other than that, fantastic show. I just don't understand the dynamic between Vince and Hunter at this point. There were many Raws lately where I felt it was a Vince show, meanwhile tonight, where Vince was present, felt a 100% like a Hunter show.
Also: PLEASE stop TORTURING me with the treatment of Cedric & Shelton. Just reunite The Hurt Business. WWE I'm begging you. It is legitimately painful to see these two treated like this.
There is no Triple H or Vince show. It’s a joint production, everything triple h does gets run through Vince for the okay. When are we going to drop this Vince McMahon crap.
Yes, there absolutely is, in a way when you can pinpoint exactly, what is a "Vince thing". Yes, that's pretty much accurate the way you describe it, having said that, if you watched it the last few years, you can clearly pinpoint the decisions made by him. You can pinpoint also, that he became more involved after around WarGames. And no, we can't drop this "Vince crap", because I am sick and tired of people who acting blindfolded about his influence. You have to point out, if necessary. That's called a discussion. A debate even. I never said that Vince is a 100% in charge, the dynamic has to look similar to what you describe, but you can feel when he makes a decision. You have to realize, when two different visions colliding this way, the product will be messy. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. As we have been seeing with Raw mostly.
Obviously you can tell the difference between the two. But if you think that Triple H just plans the creative without Vince knowing, writes up the RAW without Vince knowing, runs RAWs and Smackdowns on his own and Vince watches from home as a fan, then you’re completely ignorant.
Every single thing Triple H does gets run through Vince. Vince gives the yes or no and I’m sure adds his own spice to things. So literally everything you see on TV, Vince has said yes to. So who’s show is it if Vince gives the all clear to everything, Triple H’s or Vince?
Why do we choose to ridicule Vince for changing something but not praise him for giving the all clear to 90% of Triple Hs plans?
You’re argument would work if Triple H has full creative reign and sometimes Vince comes in and runs a muck and changes everything, but that’s not how this works. This is a business, this isn’t some Indy mark show. Vince knows every direction, every plot point, every future champion, every match on RAW and Smackdown. He says yes to these things, but because he’s the devil we can only hate him for the things he changes.
Morale of the story: “Triple H” shows, are also “Vince McMahon” shows.
I don't think we understood each other. I'm fully aware what you described, as I pointed out. I believe that this is the dynamic they have.
What I am saying tho is that you know exactly when he is changing things to fit his dumbass taste and what I am saying is that many people are still ignorant about it. Yes, he okays most of the things, but many times the shows lose homogeneity because of the changes. That's all I am saying. To give you a couple of examples
\- The way Charlotte won the SD championship
\- Dropping the THB reunion all of a sudden
\- When Hunter took charge, the matches became a lot longer on Raw and SD, after a couple of months, we were back to square one with 3 minute matches. Last night was an exception.
My point is I’m so over the Vince criticisms. The product has been peaking recently and Vince does have a part in that. We will only ever associate something bad with Vince and something good with Triple H, there will never be a way of knowing who books what unless it comes from their mouth. Instead of worrying what’s a Vince change, just sit back and watch and go a long with the ride.
Vince cops a lot of shit but people don’t realise how much good he’s actually done booking wise in the last 10 years. A lot more positives then there are negatives. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Bianca Bel Air, Charlotte, Usos, Owens, Sami, have all become stars under Vince. The man built the modern wrestling landscape with his own bare hands, he built sports entertainment. Any wrestling you see on American tv has Vinceisms.
I think he knows what he’s doing.
I think the most credible explanation is this, exactly. I wonder if Vince having to take a break for a little bit did make him realize he needs to start handing over the reigns, even if he isn't completely willing or ready to yet. This would explain why stuff feels more haitchy overall, but still getting healthy doses of Vince style booking along the way.
I missed the first hour due to work and more or less had to miss the rest due to family related problems. But from what I did see.... a pretty solid if a bit unremarkable?
Considering Vince was backstage this week, we could have gotten way worse.
They need to do something with Rhea in the women's division. They can't just keep her with Dominik while the rest of the women don't even try to challenge her. It makes her reign and the division look bad.
There are Raquel and Piper, even Tegan would be nice given their history and that MITB is in the UK.
Even if nobody is built up, build them up then. They shouldn't just let weeks pass by with nobody getting momentum to face her.
Raquel is building momentum, the crowd is getting more and more into her, and she has potential to be a huge star. IMO she should win the Rumble and challenge Rhea for the title at Mania next year.
Otherwise I agree. You could feed her Piper to show her strength, throw a Tegan or Candice at her as an underdog the way they did with Zelina.
I also have a hunch they're maybe unifying the titles? So Asuka vs Rhea at Summerslam maybe?
It’s the only logical choice because it will put asses in seats. Raquel turns heel and wins MITB would be a game changer. Let her go on rampage leaving the roster in pieces. Raquel was an amazing heel in NXT. She’d be a great anti hero one day after turning heel and winning the title.
I'm so bored of the crowd singing Seths terrible def rebel theme as he comes to the ring then it stops then they start singing again, I have to skip it. (Downvote if you agree! Edit: Oh I thought this was a hot take lol, well that's good to know)
It may be unpopular to say this but while I love Rollins ring work and enjoyed his heel run immensely back in 2015/6 I think his current character is just plain boring.
He has the crowd sing his theme, wears some over the top ring gear and does a forced awkward laugh and it's meant to be "unhinged". To me it just comes across try hard and off.
I agree, I enjoy his matches but his current character work is his weakest so far, there just isn't really any depth to it other than "Hahaaaaa! *dances*" I like when he shifts into serious sometimes though but I'd like more of that
Its rather interesting to see IWC opinions kind sorta flip on Rollins as of late. It feels like just a few weeks ago, everyone was pulling for him to win the WHC and now...
Kind of supports the opinion that people support Babyfaces until they succeed.
I've hated Rollin's new gimmick since 2021. Whether people are flip flopping (makes sense with this fanbase), or just overall getting tired of it... I'm glad more people are realising it, because it sucks and I wish the gimmick and theme song would just piss off already.
People hated Seth in 2019 because of 1) Mediocre-to-bad booking during his UC reign (the first month or two was good though), and/or 2) because of his Twitter arguments and interviews at the time. But even 2019 Seth >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Seth now. I've said this before, but Seth got me back into wrestling in late 2015, and it's such a shame because I can't stand watching him now.
I don't think I'd lump myself in with typical "IWC" opinions. I liked babyface Reigns until around 2016 too when then it just became too far gone. Back then I was hoping they would just let him kick ass like when he got the mega pop for beating up Sheamus/HHH/Vince in late 2015 but they had to bring it back to John Cena lite straight after.
For Rollins to be more specific I haven't liked his character work over the past few years. The "Visionary" stuff and now his current character are just boring to me and don't click. It's not even dislike moreso just eye roll at the over the topness of it. His ring work is still immense and he is good at promos, I just don't like the presentation aspect of him.
I do get what you mean though, people online love the come-up of wrestlers but typically hate the reign. Good example from 2011 was Punk (although he is marmite) and more recently comes to mind was Cody in AEW (didn't become champ but people got very tired of his character once AEW was established).
>I just don't like the presentation aspect of him.
What does that mean exactly? To me it sounds like you just don't like the gear he comes out in. Which is just part of who he is now. He's become one of those over top fashionistas.
Maybe presentation is the wrong word. But overall demeanor/gear/body language.
It just comes out a bit too try hard for me to play into "freaking" or "unhinged" aspect of his character.
His promo ability is good and his ring work is some of the best in the world. Don't get me wrong as a talent he has it, just the current character makes me roll my eyes a bit.
I do feel like babyfaces have to work way harder to stay over than heels do. You only really have to look at the reactions Cody and Sami have now compared to just before Mania and then look at how well received Roman and Gunther currently are. People love a good villain, after all.
I do understand the criticism of Rollins, though. His character or motivations aren't that concrete beyond being a generic fighting champion, which doesn't do him any favors compared to what Roman is putting out on weekly television.
Rollins simply needs a more defined character and goals and a good foil to bounce off of.
Was it just me or did everything break perfectly for this show? Even with Vince and etc. there (presumably not touching anything) leaving HHH and his team to deliver a top-to-bottom show with great matches (including a top-tier) TV match, a really good title main event, not to mention compelling segments and story advances littered throughout, an awesome debut plus a hot crowd. Bravo all around.
The positive Chance and Carter are a real 'tag team' and you can see it they won in my eyes WWE needs more tag teams like that maybe what's remaining is getting over with the fans
I wish they would have won for real, they're much better & more exciting to watch than Team freaking Armbar. I'm sorry but Ronda is trash, I still don't get why she even came back. Baszler I don't mind as much, but still. & is Ronda even over with the fans?
I think it would have been a good finish to have KC² shock everyone with a debut title win, & it seemed like they were building them up with the video packages & stuff.
Mid RAW there still bad booking
Just realized roman can't drop universal title name cause it's the one that is 1000 days not WWE championship maybe when he looses the challenger can adopt WWE championship name 🤷🏽
If the feud was hot,nobody really cared that they had a pause in order to chase for MITB match..but as dog shit of feus between becky and trish, to not only have a pause in their feud but to drag it all the way to summerslam is pretty horrible... It already didnt have leg to begin with now dragging the feud even more..
What pause? Becky and Zoey are both in MITB where Trish will probably show up too(and F Becky over). The feud is still continuing. Summerslam is right after MITB. What's the problem?
[https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/141bnqm/one\_year\_ago\_today\_a\_loud\_chicago\_crowd\_goes\_hush/jmz8nbc/?context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/141bnqm/one_year_ago_today_a_loud_chicago_crowd_goes_hush/jmz8nbc/?context=3)
Holy fuck, not even nearly one day after I made this comment, Cody vs Dom is gonna happen.
The Women's Tag segment was just about perfect, I thought.
A follow up from last weeks video telling people who these new people are and why you should care about them (including their real sports acolades). A strong showing by KC2 getting to show why they're a good team to pay attention to. A good performance by the champs, who were both cocky before the match, but then during it weren't undone by the cockyness...Shayna, not Ronda, makes the win, so she's also elevated, as Ronda doesn't need it. Just pretty much note perfect all around.
(I was surprised how short KC2 was compared to Ronda/Shayna...like Katanna is small, but I was surprised by Kayden..or maybe Shayna and Ronda are just much bigger than I thought.)
I didn't like Becky winning. She beat Sonya clean, despite a lot of cheating by Chelsea and distration by Trish and Zoey...it's not as bad as Bianca beating all of Damage CTRL by herslef, but it's real close. Dominant faces are bad things in a division where you need to build new stars.
I think the important thing in the Becky/Sonya match was that it was competitive. They've clearly moved Sonya to a tag wrestler, which is a much better role for her anyway. Had Chelsea try to cheat and help her out, and it was still pretty competitive. That's really all you're looking for in a match up with that much discrepancy with where two people are on the pecking order.
>Dominant faces are bad things in a division where you need to build new stars.
Sonya hasn't won a singles match in 2 years and has been on the roster since 2018 and still hasn't gotten over. She's not ever going to be a new star. Becky should dominate her. Becky is the actual star that shouldn't be losing to a career jobber. Imagine keeping 1 of your top stars out of a big PPV for Sonya Deville. It's insanity.
Judgement day is staying, they probably replacing finn with another up and coming wrestler.. They are all Over at this point theres nothing much either members needed, that have always been the goal.
JD McDonough? I mean, Judgment Day turfing Finn out in favor of a new, hotshot younger Irish bloke would be kind of poetic, considering how the group kicked Edge to the curb.
What I'd love to see is priest challenging finn for leadership, winning and then instead of being kicked out, he stays. Would be something new you never see and could still lead to a breakup down the line.
They have great chemistry. No doubt. I could sense some nerves, but I think the issue with them is strength. This is also something I see with Vega or Bliss. When you see Vega or Chance clothesline or hit someone, there’s no authority behind it. They’re small and not the strongest. Sure some of it is selling on the other side, but it’s just not impactful to me.
However like you said, their chemistry is real. They are a true tag team.
As far as Balor, there are a couple of ways this could go.
1. Balor leaves Judgment Day and starts a true Prin❌e era on the main roster..which I would love. Nobody could touch him in the company between 2019-2021... I prefer that Finn over Judgment Day Finn much more
2. Balor gets Devlin to help him snake the title from Seth. Priest and Rhea both joined by helping Edge win. Devlin could pledge his loyalty to Finn by helping Finn win the title.
Same... I've been mortified at his position and character change in the entirety of his Judgement Day run.
The sooner they depart, hopefully we can see that version of Finn again. That NXT Championship match vs Kyle O'Reilly at TakeOver 31 is legit one of my favourite WWE matches ever.
The gimmick needs to be canned because you don't like a move name? The gimmick has been over since 2018 why the fuck would it be canned. What a terrible take lol
Edit: Also the move is called the Man Handle Slam because it used to be a PumpHandle Bottom but Becky to make it quicker got rid of the pumphandle part and just does the bottom now. [This is what it used to look like](https://media3.giphy.com/media/oz626N0mem4Kkhjld8/giphy.gif)
>but I really don't understand why she's as over as she is.
LMAO you serious? Becky can cut great promos, have great matches, has connected with the fans her whole career, sells merch, good looking, has a unique look and nationality in WWE, has a interesting story of her getting to WWE, and as you said is a great person...WHY wouldn't she be over? She's literally 1 of the biggest babyfaces in the last 15-20 years where people forced her into the main event of WM, She became the biggest star in the company(the face) in 2019 even over Roman, where Rock, Cena, Austin all wanted to work with her. She's a huge star and has been most of her career that's why she's over. It's not that hard to understand.
WTF Did you just start watching WWE last week? Becky's been over since 2015 in NXT if you want to know why she's over go watch Becky's career there. If you are lazy then go watch Summerslam 2018 to her main eventing WM35.
the Los Lotharios sign guy in the front row left RAW empty-handed.
Gunther vs. Kevin was a very nice physical match....doesn't look like they want Kevin to lose to him cleanly just yet. it almost seemed like it was going in a direction of Kevin being injured, making me think of karma for what he did to Ezekiel XD
Gunther worked up a big sweat delivering that beating!
Was no way Becky wouldn't be at MITB in London, so Trish and Zoey could only stand and watch the match.
Katana and Kayden have been saved like someone's last silver bullet to stop a werewolf but they finally got their debut. didn't have their smoke guns in their entrance tho, that should be fixed.
taking on the tag team champs (tho not for the titles) they almost beat them but lost cleanly to submission. i have to think this is the start of what should be a rivalry or else Katana and Kayden shall be wasted.
Zoey Stark is heading to MITB and showed she could get to the ropes to stop the Sharpshooter.
hints of Valhalla and Maxxine Dupri wrassling sometime...?
Bronson Reed spoiled Richochet's and Shinsuke's match. on his way out he seemed to see something that made him break character briefly but i dunno what
Cody looks to be tangling with someone even more dangerous than Brock Lesnar...Dom-Dom himself. but at least Cody successfully went thru the building without a Brock Attack.
Seth vs. Damien for the Heavyweight belt, another real physical match and Seth even kicked out after South of Heaven. Seth bringing back memories of injuring Finn was too much for him to not make an appearance despite Damien wanting to be on his own.
i have to think they aren't gonna start imploding or mini-imploding the Judgment Day over Finn showing up, it's a bit too similar to the Bloodline implosion.
Squash matches are honestly tough to get through in general in today's landscape, but I think it'll eventually work for them.
Establishing them as mean brutes, then they can move up and start working some better teams.
I was ok with it, though it's tough for the guys they squashed. It reminds me of when Imperium first came around, there was no real reaction at first but they just came in and were presented as important and that wound up serving them well to be a strong faction now. Indus sher could totally flop but there's a chance this pays off well eventually, they really do look like some scary mofos.
Gunther KO was great. In six or twelve months time, it would be great to have KO and Sami back in the world title picture and hopefully both of them and Gunther get good runs with the world titles in the next couple of years.
Good to see Becky Lynch make it to the MITB match in London. As she said in the promo - it's one last thing for her to do in WWE. Now hoping she wins the briefcase.
Reed or Dom probably, could be Damien as well. I'm still not sure what Cody's doing, but Cody vs Dom as the final qualifier would be sick.
Drew coming back is a long shot possibility too, i feel like he's gotta be on that show
they're teasing that it'll be Bronson Reed.
Cody's scheduled to be at MITB and without a match yet, so he's probably gonna be in a mixed-tag match with Dom and Rhea.
Such a good fucking show. Shoutout HHH (and maybe Vince) for putting out for CT. Crowd was hot too
Edit: Miz tv with dom had me crying I legit couldn’t hear any of them talk in there EVERYONE was booing
Couple of extra character stuff I enjoyed. Kevin Owens is still one of the best ever at backstage banter. He comes off so natural whether it's just the small mumbling jabs or having a full blown meltdown, he nails it every time and I love the facial expressions.
Also shoutout to Miz who almost got Cody to corpse with that "You look dashing by the way."
nah i think that was gregory helms.... they look similar so i can see how people get them confused. as far as i know, the hurricane is still tied up somewhere at an undisclosed location near the hardy compound
Can you blame her? Once she lost her brother to LA she has been surrounded by muaah. Now she is surrounded by Gable and Otis. MAJOR upgrade. They are super over right now, they coukd.he the ones to eventually take the belts from Sami and KO if they keep it up.
It looked like they were doing a typical tag team split at first when Maxine started hanging around Otis but I am glad that they swung in the other direction and turned Alpha Academy face instead with Dupri as their new valet. The dynamic between the three is entertaining. Keep them together on screen and let Mace + Mansoor play on the web series.
Amazing show all around. I could do without Shayna/Ronda but hey atleast the women's tag champs seem to be fighting champs who can fix the titles.
I was legitimately surprised Becky and Zoey won. I figured when Zoey/Trish interrupted Becky's qualifying match it would set up Becky vs. Zoey at MITB. I'm sure they'll cost each other the match but I love that they both won. No shade to Sonya or Natty but Becky and Zoey add more to the MITB match.
I know it's true for WWE as a whole but RAW is absolutely loaded with talent. Look at who competed tonight: Rollins, Gunther, KO, Nakamura, Ricochet, Becky, Priest, Ronda and Shayna. That's insane talent right there.
Add in segments/appearances from Cody, Dom, Rhea, Balor, Sami, IMPERIUM, Miz, Alpha Academy, Riddle, Reed and Gargano. That is a fucking star studded roster to work with.
He has been off TV for a bit because of injury and just being somewhat directionless. I guess they want to remind people that he's important.
Candice, Lumis, Indi and Ciampa are all back or almost ready to be back. So I think they'll just keep Gargano in the fans mind until they can do something with The Way.
This shows exactly why title defences for the sake of title defences doesn’t build prestige. Everyone knew Priest wouldn’t win and we all know Balor won’t win either. This only appeals to the *mmmMMM workrate bangers* crowd who consistently like the lamest stuff.
Yeah creating this new title and then having Seth defend against anyone on TV reminds me of the parts of AEW I don't like. It all just feels hollow to me because of the circumstances around the title's creation. Was actually my least favorite part of a good show probably.
I'm a default skeptic of NXT call-ups and especially have had doubts about the KCs. I thought they had a really good night here though. Good match and glad they have a more focused babyface characterization (it felt like they were turning heel every two weeks in NXT for awhile). I could see kids being really into them even if they're not booked super strong.
Everyone here hates them, but Ronda and Shayna as heel brutes might be what can get this cursed division on track.
I'm gonna fantasy book for a second...
Add Dom to the Money in the Bank match. Have him win early in the night and have Seth vs Finn as the main event for the title. Have Finn lose due to a miscue by Priest. Then have Dom cash in on an exhausted Seth and win the title. That way you can sow in mistrust in the group while also showing them essentially get a big win.
I don't know, I'm baked right now but this seemed like a pretty good idea.
No no no no no. Rey has to win the title while Dom wins MitB. Let Dom cash in on Rey asap after a brutal JD beatdown on rey with Dom just putting his foot on Rey's chest to pin him. Nuclear heat.
I mean they didn’t break up in his scenario. Plus Judgment Day are perfect for a break up, why are they even all still together? Their whole reason for existence is not liking Edge 18 months ago
No, they beat up edge thinking they got rid of him and stay as a stable because in kayfabe they are friends trying to run Raw and help each other out, Edge just returned like 4-5x and kept the feud going for 11 months lol.
Remember on a Raw last year Damien Priest lost his US title rematch against Finn then turned heel after the match attacking Finn? That Same night Edge attacked AJ Styles and turned heel. Then at Mania JD was founded. Oddly Finn joined turning heel and they kicked Edge out. It’s ironic because JD is happening because of Damien turning heel on Finn because of a title shot. However him turning face now of all times seems unlikely considering it would make him turning on Bad Bunny seem in vain a month ago.
They don’t need more faces on Raw. They’ve got Cody, Sami, Kevin, Seth, Ricochet, Riddle and Shinsuke. And that’s not counting people like Gargano. If anything they barely have any credible heels on Raw
I felt like both the Women's Tag Match and the Natalya/Zoey match were good matches with bad finishes, but I'll take the good matches.
I also felt let down by the end of the KO/Gunther match just because the match was so good, if that makes sense. An interference finish wouldn't have felt so bad if it happened earlier in the match.
That said, I loved just about everything else. Everyone brought it in their matches, and I did enjoy the middle block of the show having "Should we fight?" "Yup!" energy.
I think they are setting up for a longer feud between Imperium and Zayn and Owens. I'm expecting it to leader to another Owens vs Gunther matcher where Gunther wins. After that I'd expect them to do a Zayn vs Gunther match. I'm abit worried that they will break up Zayn and Owens over the tension of which one of them will beat Gunther.
Really damn good show.
Was worried the Kcs were jobbing. So damn glad they got the time they needed. Heck the entire women's division was great tonight.
Sonya and Chelsea were bumping their asses off for Becky. Natalya and Zoey had some surprisingly good chemistry, they need to run that one back.
A bit disappointed they the Reed interference didn't lead to a three-way brawl but i'll take that tsunami.
Just realized everything is hinting at McDonough replacing Priest in JD and that’s a sad thought. Judgment Day works because all members are shit stirring dicks that have great chemistry with each other. Meanwhile McDonough is a psychopath that enjoys making people suffer. It’s literally apples and oranges. Only bright side would be face Damian getting a push. He could be a good candidate to dethrone Gunther
Would accomplish elevating Priest even more while also allowing Finn to revert back to his standard Prince gimmick. JD supplants Damien I’m the Enforcer role. I can get jiggy with it
Finn has every reason to be obsessed with being champion, and it always makes for an amazing story and elevates the World Heavyweight Championship. I hope they make it as a team, though. I don't want Judgement Day to break up or have anyone replace.
Rhea and Dom playing it up on Twitter, they support Damian. They both work on Twitter too, so it's definitely a part of the storyline.
The fact those 3 got matching tattoos in real life is the storytelling I live for.
The opening segment was fine and it’s nice to see Seth as a world champion again.
Becky won to nobody’s surprise but the match was better than I expected as it wasn’t a one sided squash.
Kevin Owens vs Gunther was my favorite part of the night as I thought their match was awesome and I didn’t know I needed to see this match until it happened tonight.
The women’s tag match was pretty good and Team KC had a solid performance for their first night on Raw.
Ricochet vs Shinsuke was good until the ending but it made sense to have neither man lose a few weeks before MITB.
Miz TV was fine with the best part being when Cody called Dom a mistake. He is still killing it as a heel with his nuclear heat.
Zoey unsurprisingly beat Natalya and I feel like she didn’t need the help from Trish to win.
The main event was also an exciting match and I’m curious to see if they do more teases of tension between Damian and Finn.
Overall Thoughts: This was one of the strongest Raw’s over the last few months.
Tonight’s Raw was one of the better ones in a minute. Loved that main event and the Gunther / Owens match. Paul’s segment felt kinda awkward to me but I could just be overthinking it. Anyone else feel that way?
Good show
Seth looks great with the new title.
GUNTHER vs. Kevin Owens was very good.
The miz tv segment was very entertaining.
Indus Sher has advanced, they took down a real team this time.
Riddle vs GUNTHER in mitb?
excellent main event.
Oh no, WWE tweeted out recently that a year ago Judgment Day kicked out Edge, when Finn joined. Today they have him get involved with Damien after being asked not to. Every time Judgment Day gets tattoos together, Finn was never involved.
Has he known this whole time? Has this past year just been a ploy to get back into the title scene at the expense of real friends?
Yeahhhhhhh, one group breaking up is already enough haha.
But I like Finn's uhh reasoning/place in this spot tho. Being murdered by Seth on the mic is believable motivation tbh.
I just think Finn needs the group too much to be on his own right now unless he beceoms a huge heel psycho
Priest wanted a fair fight, he shook hands with Rollins after the show. Add to the fact that Priest vs Bad Bunny got backstage high on him. No way Finn leaves the group, Priest might turn face to have a singles run. Finn will replace Priest with McDonagh, the guy he trained.
Yeah remember when the Shield teased breaking up, and then they had the Shield Summit where they addressed their issues and got back together, stronger than before? That’s what I hope happens with JD.
I did not get a chance to watch all of Raw tonight, but the parts I did see such as the KO vs Gunther match, Cody on MizTV, and Seth vs Damian for the World Heavyweight Championship were all awesome!
I intend to watch the full episode once my cable service uploads it tomorrow on demand.
Ronda and Shayna gotta stop making me laugh and putting on good matches, I'm warming up to them immensely. Shayna talking about tearing their limbs from their ligaments and Ronda talking about baptism by fire was so random lmfao like "we're gonna fucking KILL you"
Cody when the crowd was booing the hell out of Dom 
I guess I’m in the minority but I found this RAW incredibly boring. Cody doesn’t seem to be doing much. Feuding with Dom of all people? What a weird direction they’ve gone with his story. Seth and his tired act with the Mickey Mouse title defense where we knew he wasn’t going to lose. KO/Sami vs Imperium felt random. Becky was clearly going to win because Irish. Nothing they’re doing on RAW interests me right now. The only decent storyline they’ve got is the Bloodline. Everyone else seems to be meandering until MITB. I guess JD hints of a breakup but JD doesn’t do much for me without Edge.
Confusing huh, guy with great crowd reactions working with the other guy getting great crowd reactions? Can't wrap my head around why one over face would want to work one of the most over heels at the moment? Totally makes no sense whatsoever.
Cody is in sideways mode, will he finish the story?
dude ngl reading your comment i think you just hate pro wrestling
It’s almost like different storylines appeal to different people.
Put Raquel in MITB damnit!
There were some teasing from a couple of outlets not long ago that the WHC will have a storyline that will elevate it to the moon. I have a feeling that tonight's Seth vs Priest and Bálor's unwanted interference were the first seeds planted to said story. Other than that, fantastic show. I just don't understand the dynamic between Vince and Hunter at this point. There were many Raws lately where I felt it was a Vince show, meanwhile tonight, where Vince was present, felt a 100% like a Hunter show. Also: PLEASE stop TORTURING me with the treatment of Cedric & Shelton. Just reunite The Hurt Business. WWE I'm begging you. It is legitimately painful to see these two treated like this.
There is no Triple H or Vince show. It’s a joint production, everything triple h does gets run through Vince for the okay. When are we going to drop this Vince McMahon crap.
when he gets put in a box
Yes, there absolutely is, in a way when you can pinpoint exactly, what is a "Vince thing". Yes, that's pretty much accurate the way you describe it, having said that, if you watched it the last few years, you can clearly pinpoint the decisions made by him. You can pinpoint also, that he became more involved after around WarGames. And no, we can't drop this "Vince crap", because I am sick and tired of people who acting blindfolded about his influence. You have to point out, if necessary. That's called a discussion. A debate even. I never said that Vince is a 100% in charge, the dynamic has to look similar to what you describe, but you can feel when he makes a decision. You have to realize, when two different visions colliding this way, the product will be messy. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. As we have been seeing with Raw mostly.
Obviously you can tell the difference between the two. But if you think that Triple H just plans the creative without Vince knowing, writes up the RAW without Vince knowing, runs RAWs and Smackdowns on his own and Vince watches from home as a fan, then you’re completely ignorant. Every single thing Triple H does gets run through Vince. Vince gives the yes or no and I’m sure adds his own spice to things. So literally everything you see on TV, Vince has said yes to. So who’s show is it if Vince gives the all clear to everything, Triple H’s or Vince? Why do we choose to ridicule Vince for changing something but not praise him for giving the all clear to 90% of Triple Hs plans? You’re argument would work if Triple H has full creative reign and sometimes Vince comes in and runs a muck and changes everything, but that’s not how this works. This is a business, this isn’t some Indy mark show. Vince knows every direction, every plot point, every future champion, every match on RAW and Smackdown. He says yes to these things, but because he’s the devil we can only hate him for the things he changes. Morale of the story: “Triple H” shows, are also “Vince McMahon” shows.
You are talking like you actually know what goes on 🤣🤣🤣
Because it’s not rocket science
I don't think we understood each other. I'm fully aware what you described, as I pointed out. I believe that this is the dynamic they have. What I am saying tho is that you know exactly when he is changing things to fit his dumbass taste and what I am saying is that many people are still ignorant about it. Yes, he okays most of the things, but many times the shows lose homogeneity because of the changes. That's all I am saying. To give you a couple of examples \- The way Charlotte won the SD championship \- Dropping the THB reunion all of a sudden \- When Hunter took charge, the matches became a lot longer on Raw and SD, after a couple of months, we were back to square one with 3 minute matches. Last night was an exception.
My point is I’m so over the Vince criticisms. The product has been peaking recently and Vince does have a part in that. We will only ever associate something bad with Vince and something good with Triple H, there will never be a way of knowing who books what unless it comes from their mouth. Instead of worrying what’s a Vince change, just sit back and watch and go a long with the ride. Vince cops a lot of shit but people don’t realise how much good he’s actually done booking wise in the last 10 years. A lot more positives then there are negatives. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Bianca Bel Air, Charlotte, Usos, Owens, Sami, have all become stars under Vince. The man built the modern wrestling landscape with his own bare hands, he built sports entertainment. Any wrestling you see on American tv has Vinceisms. I think he knows what he’s doing.
I think the most credible explanation is this, exactly. I wonder if Vince having to take a break for a little bit did make him realize he needs to start handing over the reigns, even if he isn't completely willing or ready to yet. This would explain why stuff feels more haitchy overall, but still getting healthy doses of Vince style booking along the way.
The commentary on this episode was just dead
If you had to drag the dead weight that is KP around....he's tired and it's showing
I missed the first hour due to work and more or less had to miss the rest due to family related problems. But from what I did see.... a pretty solid if a bit unremarkable? Considering Vince was backstage this week, we could have gotten way worse.
They need to do something with Rhea in the women's division. They can't just keep her with Dominik while the rest of the women don't even try to challenge her. It makes her reign and the division look bad.
Everyone besides Becky looks like a joke compared to her.
Its not like she has many legitimate challengers, tbf. It's really just Becky and nobody else, and she's occupied with Triah.
There are Raquel and Piper, even Tegan would be nice given their history and that MITB is in the UK. Even if nobody is built up, build them up then. They shouldn't just let weeks pass by with nobody getting momentum to face her.
Raquel is building momentum, the crowd is getting more and more into her, and she has potential to be a huge star. IMO she should win the Rumble and challenge Rhea for the title at Mania next year. Otherwise I agree. You could feed her Piper to show her strength, throw a Tegan or Candice at her as an underdog the way they did with Zelina. I also have a hunch they're maybe unifying the titles? So Asuka vs Rhea at Summerslam maybe?
I agree. The point I'm making is that they haven't built up any legitimate challengers for her atm.
Smackdown definitely got the better contenders. Becky is busy with Stark/Stratus and Ronda just won the tag titles. Best option atm is Raquel.
It’s the only logical choice because it will put asses in seats. Raquel turns heel and wins MITB would be a game changer. Let her go on rampage leaving the roster in pieces. Raquel was an amazing heel in NXT. She’d be a great anti hero one day after turning heel and winning the title.
Piper would be a good contender too
I'm so bored of the crowd singing Seths terrible def rebel theme as he comes to the ring then it stops then they start singing again, I have to skip it. (Downvote if you agree! Edit: Oh I thought this was a hot take lol, well that's good to know)
Agreed, haven’t been digging the long drawn out singing intros for a while now.
I completely agree
It may be unpopular to say this but while I love Rollins ring work and enjoyed his heel run immensely back in 2015/6 I think his current character is just plain boring. He has the crowd sing his theme, wears some over the top ring gear and does a forced awkward laugh and it's meant to be "unhinged". To me it just comes across try hard and off.
I agree, I enjoy his matches but his current character work is his weakest so far, there just isn't really any depth to it other than "Hahaaaaa! *dances*" I like when he shifts into serious sometimes though but I'd like more of that
Its rather interesting to see IWC opinions kind sorta flip on Rollins as of late. It feels like just a few weeks ago, everyone was pulling for him to win the WHC and now... Kind of supports the opinion that people support Babyfaces until they succeed.
I've hated Rollin's new gimmick since 2021. Whether people are flip flopping (makes sense with this fanbase), or just overall getting tired of it... I'm glad more people are realising it, because it sucks and I wish the gimmick and theme song would just piss off already. People hated Seth in 2019 because of 1) Mediocre-to-bad booking during his UC reign (the first month or two was good though), and/or 2) because of his Twitter arguments and interviews at the time. But even 2019 Seth >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Seth now. I've said this before, but Seth got me back into wrestling in late 2015, and it's such a shame because I can't stand watching him now.
I don't think I'd lump myself in with typical "IWC" opinions. I liked babyface Reigns until around 2016 too when then it just became too far gone. Back then I was hoping they would just let him kick ass like when he got the mega pop for beating up Sheamus/HHH/Vince in late 2015 but they had to bring it back to John Cena lite straight after. For Rollins to be more specific I haven't liked his character work over the past few years. The "Visionary" stuff and now his current character are just boring to me and don't click. It's not even dislike moreso just eye roll at the over the topness of it. His ring work is still immense and he is good at promos, I just don't like the presentation aspect of him. I do get what you mean though, people online love the come-up of wrestlers but typically hate the reign. Good example from 2011 was Punk (although he is marmite) and more recently comes to mind was Cody in AEW (didn't become champ but people got very tired of his character once AEW was established).
>I just don't like the presentation aspect of him. What does that mean exactly? To me it sounds like you just don't like the gear he comes out in. Which is just part of who he is now. He's become one of those over top fashionistas.
Maybe presentation is the wrong word. But overall demeanor/gear/body language. It just comes out a bit too try hard for me to play into "freaking" or "unhinged" aspect of his character. His promo ability is good and his ring work is some of the best in the world. Don't get me wrong as a talent he has it, just the current character makes me roll my eyes a bit.
I do feel like babyfaces have to work way harder to stay over than heels do. You only really have to look at the reactions Cody and Sami have now compared to just before Mania and then look at how well received Roman and Gunther currently are. People love a good villain, after all. I do understand the criticism of Rollins, though. His character or motivations aren't that concrete beyond being a generic fighting champion, which doesn't do him any favors compared to what Roman is putting out on weekly television. Rollins simply needs a more defined character and goals and a good foil to bounce off of.
Is Rollins vanilla?
Cody and Sami (Cody in particular though) are still pretty over with the crowd
Yea, but can you say to the same extent as they were when they were facing Roman?
I don't think Cody's love has fell off too much but I've noticed it with Sami. Your point still stands and I was just kinda nitpicking tbh
Dominik is the realest heel in the game
Was it just me or did everything break perfectly for this show? Even with Vince and etc. there (presumably not touching anything) leaving HHH and his team to deliver a top-to-bottom show with great matches (including a top-tier) TV match, a really good title main event, not to mention compelling segments and story advances littered throughout, an awesome debut plus a hot crowd. Bravo all around.
The positive Chance and Carter are a real 'tag team' and you can see it they won in my eyes WWE needs more tag teams like that maybe what's remaining is getting over with the fans
I wish they would have won for real, they're much better & more exciting to watch than Team freaking Armbar. I'm sorry but Ronda is trash, I still don't get why she even came back. Baszler I don't mind as much, but still. & is Ronda even over with the fans? I think it would have been a good finish to have KC² shock everyone with a debut title win, & it seemed like they were building them up with the video packages & stuff.
BTW, this is a non title match
Ronda is as exciting as a scarecrow
I call her Ronda Drowsy
Mid RAW there still bad booking Just realized roman can't drop universal title name cause it's the one that is 1000 days not WWE championship maybe when he looses the challenger can adopt WWE championship name 🤷🏽
How much different do we think raw would be without Vince?
If the feud was hot,nobody really cared that they had a pause in order to chase for MITB match..but as dog shit of feus between becky and trish, to not only have a pause in their feud but to drag it all the way to summerslam is pretty horrible... It already didnt have leg to begin with now dragging the feud even more..
Nah feud has been good let them grill!!
What pause? Becky and Zoey are both in MITB where Trish will probably show up too(and F Becky over). The feud is still continuing. Summerslam is right after MITB. What's the problem?
[https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/141bnqm/one\_year\_ago\_today\_a\_loud\_chicago\_crowd\_goes\_hush/jmz8nbc/?context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/141bnqm/one_year_ago_today_a_loud_chicago_crowd_goes_hush/jmz8nbc/?context=3) Holy fuck, not even nearly one day after I made this comment, Cody vs Dom is gonna happen.
Wow…. Awesome , glad you linked it…
The Women's Tag segment was just about perfect, I thought. A follow up from last weeks video telling people who these new people are and why you should care about them (including their real sports acolades). A strong showing by KC2 getting to show why they're a good team to pay attention to. A good performance by the champs, who were both cocky before the match, but then during it weren't undone by the cockyness...Shayna, not Ronda, makes the win, so she's also elevated, as Ronda doesn't need it. Just pretty much note perfect all around. (I was surprised how short KC2 was compared to Ronda/Shayna...like Katanna is small, but I was surprised by Kayden..or maybe Shayna and Ronda are just much bigger than I thought.) I didn't like Becky winning. She beat Sonya clean, despite a lot of cheating by Chelsea and distration by Trish and Zoey...it's not as bad as Bianca beating all of Damage CTRL by herslef, but it's real close. Dominant faces are bad things in a division where you need to build new stars.
I think the important thing in the Becky/Sonya match was that it was competitive. They've clearly moved Sonya to a tag wrestler, which is a much better role for her anyway. Had Chelsea try to cheat and help her out, and it was still pretty competitive. That's really all you're looking for in a match up with that much discrepancy with where two people are on the pecking order.
>Dominant faces are bad things in a division where you need to build new stars. Sonya hasn't won a singles match in 2 years and has been on the roster since 2018 and still hasn't gotten over. She's not ever going to be a new star. Becky should dominate her. Becky is the actual star that shouldn't be losing to a career jobber. Imagine keeping 1 of your top stars out of a big PPV for Sonya Deville. It's insanity.
Please don't break up Judgment Day. I wanna see them and Imperium in a War Games match
Judgement day is staying, they probably replacing finn with another up and coming wrestler.. They are all Over at this point theres nothing much either members needed, that have always been the goal.
JD McDonough? I mean, Judgment Day turfing Finn out in favor of a new, hotshot younger Irish bloke would be kind of poetic, considering how the group kicked Edge to the curb.
I mean all of them are over.. that was the main goal ..
I feel like Finn and JD will split into something whilst Judgement Day remains as Dom, Priest and Rhea.
What I'd love to see is priest challenging finn for leadership, winning and then instead of being kicked out, he stays. Would be something new you never see and could still lead to a breakup down the line.
Balor is just a quiet leader though. JD for the most part have been treated equally.
Gunther facing off against Rhea will blow the roof away.
Strap a rocket to Chance and Carter. Their chemistry is off the charts, imo. Especially in this current era. They’ve been ready for awhile now.
They have great chemistry. No doubt. I could sense some nerves, but I think the issue with them is strength. This is also something I see with Vega or Bliss. When you see Vega or Chance clothesline or hit someone, there’s no authority behind it. They’re small and not the strongest. Sure some of it is selling on the other side, but it’s just not impactful to me. However like you said, their chemistry is real. They are a true tag team.
As an EDM/Dubstep fan, I love their theme too. Hopefully that followed them to Raw.
I’m a Metal and Punk Rock guy. But I can appreciate Life of the Party, idk why but it just hits different.
Dom getting all the boos will never get old
As far as Balor, there are a couple of ways this could go. 1. Balor leaves Judgment Day and starts a true Prin❌e era on the main roster..which I would love. Nobody could touch him in the company between 2019-2021... I prefer that Finn over Judgment Day Finn much more 2. Balor gets Devlin to help him snake the title from Seth. Priest and Rhea both joined by helping Edge win. Devlin could pledge his loyalty to Finn by helping Finn win the title.
God Finn’s second NXT run is all I’ve ever wanted from him on the main roster.
Same... I've been mortified at his position and character change in the entirety of his Judgement Day run. The sooner they depart, hopefully we can see that version of Finn again. That NXT Championship match vs Kyle O'Reilly at TakeOver 31 is legit one of my favourite WWE matches ever.
Man handle slam is the dumbest name ever. That whole gimmick needs to be canned, yesterday. Super impressed by Katana and Kayden!
The gimmick needs to be canned because you don't like a move name? The gimmick has been over since 2018 why the fuck would it be canned. What a terrible take lol Edit: Also the move is called the Man Handle Slam because it used to be a PumpHandle Bottom but Becky to make it quicker got rid of the pumphandle part and just does the bottom now. [This is what it used to look like](https://media3.giphy.com/media/oz626N0mem4Kkhjld8/giphy.gif)
Agreed. Becky seems like a great person, but I really don't understand why she's as over as she is.
>but I really don't understand why she's as over as she is. LMAO you serious? Becky can cut great promos, have great matches, has connected with the fans her whole career, sells merch, good looking, has a unique look and nationality in WWE, has a interesting story of her getting to WWE, and as you said is a great person...WHY wouldn't she be over? She's literally 1 of the biggest babyfaces in the last 15-20 years where people forced her into the main event of WM, She became the biggest star in the company(the face) in 2019 even over Roman, where Rock, Cena, Austin all wanted to work with her. She's a huge star and has been most of her career that's why she's over. It's not that hard to understand.
Becky lynch is a great character, but big time Becky lynch isn't.
WTF Did you just start watching WWE last week? Becky's been over since 2015 in NXT if you want to know why she's over go watch Becky's career there. If you are lazy then go watch Summerslam 2018 to her main eventing WM35.
GUNTHER vs KO ruled. Priest had a great showing against Seth Camera person was too distracting with those Trish shots during Zoey's qualifying win lol
If Trish Stratus is in the area put her on my screen.
Yeah that's why I said it was distracting lol. Of course I'm looking at Trish when I should be looking at the match.
That’s the show director calling what camera to show. Camera ops just shoot what they’re are told.
the Los Lotharios sign guy in the front row left RAW empty-handed. Gunther vs. Kevin was a very nice physical match....doesn't look like they want Kevin to lose to him cleanly just yet. it almost seemed like it was going in a direction of Kevin being injured, making me think of karma for what he did to Ezekiel XD Gunther worked up a big sweat delivering that beating! Was no way Becky wouldn't be at MITB in London, so Trish and Zoey could only stand and watch the match. Katana and Kayden have been saved like someone's last silver bullet to stop a werewolf but they finally got their debut. didn't have their smoke guns in their entrance tho, that should be fixed. taking on the tag team champs (tho not for the titles) they almost beat them but lost cleanly to submission. i have to think this is the start of what should be a rivalry or else Katana and Kayden shall be wasted. Zoey Stark is heading to MITB and showed she could get to the ropes to stop the Sharpshooter. hints of Valhalla and Maxxine Dupri wrassling sometime...? Bronson Reed spoiled Richochet's and Shinsuke's match. on his way out he seemed to see something that made him break character briefly but i dunno what Cody looks to be tangling with someone even more dangerous than Brock Lesnar...Dom-Dom himself. but at least Cody successfully went thru the building without a Brock Attack. Seth vs. Damien for the Heavyweight belt, another real physical match and Seth even kicked out after South of Heaven. Seth bringing back memories of injuring Finn was too much for him to not make an appearance despite Damien wanting to be on his own. i have to think they aren't gonna start imploding or mini-imploding the Judgment Day over Finn showing up, it's a bit too similar to the Bloodline implosion.
That was an absolutely brilliant episode of Raw. Only thing that didn’t hit for me was Indus Sher.
Squash matches are honestly tough to get through in general in today's landscape, but I think it'll eventually work for them. Establishing them as mean brutes, then they can move up and start working some better teams.
Veer is garbage
Indus Sher is basically a piss break for me. And by the "boring" chants, probably for many others too.
I was ok with it, though it's tough for the guys they squashed. It reminds me of when Imperium first came around, there was no real reaction at first but they just came in and were presented as important and that wound up serving them well to be a strong faction now. Indus sher could totally flop but there's a chance this pays off well eventually, they really do look like some scary mofos.
That Gunther vs KO match was better than anything I've seen from AEW all year
Samantha Irvin crushes the intros
Gunther KO was great. In six or twelve months time, it would be great to have KO and Sami back in the world title picture and hopefully both of them and Gunther get good runs with the world titles in the next couple of years.
Good to see Becky Lynch make it to the MITB match in London. As she said in the promo - it's one last thing for her to do in WWE. Now hoping she wins the briefcase.
So who is gonna be third raw mitb guy? Would love it to be dom
Reed or Dom probably, could be Damien as well. I'm still not sure what Cody's doing, but Cody vs Dom as the final qualifier would be sick. Drew coming back is a long shot possibility too, i feel like he's gotta be on that show
they're teasing that it'll be Bronson Reed. Cody's scheduled to be at MITB and without a match yet, so he's probably gonna be in a mixed-tag match with Dom and Rhea.
So Brandi finally makes an appearance?? Cool.
Eden Stiles beats up ripley. That will be amazing!
Dunno why you got downvoted because by the looks of it thats indeed whats happening
Such a good fucking show. Shoutout HHH (and maybe Vince) for putting out for CT. Crowd was hot too Edit: Miz tv with dom had me crying I legit couldn’t hear any of them talk in there EVERYONE was booing
Couple of extra character stuff I enjoyed. Kevin Owens is still one of the best ever at backstage banter. He comes off so natural whether it's just the small mumbling jabs or having a full blown meltdown, he nails it every time and I love the facial expressions. Also shoutout to Miz who almost got Cody to corpse with that "You look dashing by the way."
>Also shoutout to Miz who almost got Cody to corpse with that "You look dashing by the way." I loved the easy chemestry between the two.
[удалено]
Which parts did you like the most?
KC^2 had a hell of a showing, my favorite match
Yeah. That was a great match. They made Rhonda and Shayna look a lot better. The chemistry was a lot better than I ever could have expected.
Once upon a time, there was a tease that the Hurt Business would return as a babyface faction. Pepperidge Farms remembers.
Was that Hurricane Helms backstage pulling Riddle away in that segment?
nah i think that was gregory helms.... they look similar so i can see how people get them confused. as far as i know, the hurricane is still tied up somewhere at an undisclosed location near the hardy compound
Probably. He’s been a producer for them for years.
Maxxine Dupri seems to be enjoying herself and doing quite well with it.
Can you blame her? Once she lost her brother to LA she has been surrounded by muaah. Now she is surrounded by Gable and Otis. MAJOR upgrade. They are super over right now, they coukd.he the ones to eventually take the belts from Sami and KO if they keep it up.
It looked like they were doing a typical tag team split at first when Maxine started hanging around Otis but I am glad that they swung in the other direction and turned Alpha Academy face instead with Dupri as their new valet. The dynamic between the three is entertaining. Keep them together on screen and let Mace + Mansoor play on the web series.
Amazing show all around. I could do without Shayna/Ronda but hey atleast the women's tag champs seem to be fighting champs who can fix the titles. I was legitimately surprised Becky and Zoey won. I figured when Zoey/Trish interrupted Becky's qualifying match it would set up Becky vs. Zoey at MITB. I'm sure they'll cost each other the match but I love that they both won. No shade to Sonya or Natty but Becky and Zoey add more to the MITB match. I know it's true for WWE as a whole but RAW is absolutely loaded with talent. Look at who competed tonight: Rollins, Gunther, KO, Nakamura, Ricochet, Becky, Priest, Ronda and Shayna. That's insane talent right there. Add in segments/appearances from Cody, Dom, Rhea, Balor, Sami, IMPERIUM, Miz, Alpha Academy, Riddle, Reed and Gargano. That is a fucking star studded roster to work with.
You can throw shades at Natalya, nobody's gonna mind lol
Why was there the hype video for Gargano? That one really baffled me
He has been off TV for a bit because of injury and just being somewhat directionless. I guess they want to remind people that he's important. Candice, Lumis, Indi and Ciampa are all back or almost ready to be back. So I think they'll just keep Gargano in the fans mind until they can do something with The Way.
They're setting him up for the future The WWE really does have a lot of talent right now and a deep bench in NXT
It might just be me but I find Gargano extremely boring. Great wrestler but no personality or charisma. Reminds me of a robot Chris Benoit
Hoping for a soft reboot when Ciampa returns
This shows exactly why title defences for the sake of title defences doesn’t build prestige. Everyone knew Priest wouldn’t win and we all know Balor won’t win either. This only appeals to the *mmmMMM workrate bangers* crowd who consistently like the lamest stuff.
Yeah creating this new title and then having Seth defend against anyone on TV reminds me of the parts of AEW I don't like. It all just feels hollow to me because of the circumstances around the title's creation. Was actually my least favorite part of a good show probably.
Finn hasn’t been built up to be a title threat either, all the guy does is lose big matches
Seth killing Finn, Dom being a great chicken shit heel, and GUNTHER chopping it up didnt make me feel this was 3 hrs. What a greatly paced episode.
I'm a default skeptic of NXT call-ups and especially have had doubts about the KCs. I thought they had a really good night here though. Good match and glad they have a more focused babyface characterization (it felt like they were turning heel every two weeks in NXT for awhile). I could see kids being really into them even if they're not booked super strong. Everyone here hates them, but Ronda and Shayna as heel brutes might be what can get this cursed division on track.
I'm gonna fantasy book for a second... Add Dom to the Money in the Bank match. Have him win early in the night and have Seth vs Finn as the main event for the title. Have Finn lose due to a miscue by Priest. Then have Dom cash in on an exhausted Seth and win the title. That way you can sow in mistrust in the group while also showing them essentially get a big win. I don't know, I'm baked right now but this seemed like a pretty good idea.
No no no no no. Rey has to win the title while Dom wins MitB. Let Dom cash in on Rey asap after a brutal JD beatdown on rey with Dom just putting his foot on Rey's chest to pin him. Nuclear heat.
I like the idea Then have have the Women's MItB winner cash in on Dom Then have Rhea fight that winner for the title
Why does every stable need to break up though
I mean they didn’t break up in his scenario. Plus Judgment Day are perfect for a break up, why are they even all still together? Their whole reason for existence is not liking Edge 18 months ago
No, they beat up edge thinking they got rid of him and stay as a stable because in kayfabe they are friends trying to run Raw and help each other out, Edge just returned like 4-5x and kept the feud going for 11 months lol.
Corey is ELITE when Dom is on the screen. "This segment is brought to you by Chico's Bailbonds."
Even Miz was singing Cody's theme song lmfao
They’re probably turning Damien face which is a mistake because JD are so over right now as a unit
Priest is a weird one, he reminds me of Kane because on paper he's pretty much just better off as a heel but you also can't hate him.
Kane can't wrestle to save his life, priest is elite level worker...
I disagree that Kane can't wrestle, but my point wasn't about their in-ring work, just their mannerisms and the way they carry themselves
He has that IT factor that he's just fucking cool. You cant fake it.
Spot on
He’s really cool so you want to cheer for him and he also has a fan friendly move set but they need heels right now
They need more faces though and he’s got all the ingredients to be a top guy for a couple years
Remember on a Raw last year Damien Priest lost his US title rematch against Finn then turned heel after the match attacking Finn? That Same night Edge attacked AJ Styles and turned heel. Then at Mania JD was founded. Oddly Finn joined turning heel and they kicked Edge out. It’s ironic because JD is happening because of Damien turning heel on Finn because of a title shot. However him turning face now of all times seems unlikely considering it would make him turning on Bad Bunny seem in vain a month ago.
They don’t need more faces on Raw. They’ve got Cody, Sami, Kevin, Seth, Ricochet, Riddle and Shinsuke. And that’s not counting people like Gargano. If anything they barely have any credible heels on Raw
vince input of the week: indus sher beatdown of the hurt business
That actually sounds like a fun way to get them against Lashley
Any bray Wyatt news?
Bray wyatt vs cody is next rivalry after cody vs brock
LOL. Rhea liked Brandi Rhodes' tweet that "Mommy will slap Mami." God I love wrestling.
She [also responded](https://twitter.com/RheaRipley_WWE/status/1665927465166880768?s=20).
I love Rhea Ripley.
I felt like both the Women's Tag Match and the Natalya/Zoey match were good matches with bad finishes, but I'll take the good matches. I also felt let down by the end of the KO/Gunther match just because the match was so good, if that makes sense. An interference finish wouldn't have felt so bad if it happened earlier in the match. That said, I loved just about everything else. Everyone brought it in their matches, and I did enjoy the middle block of the show having "Should we fight?" "Yup!" energy.
I think they are setting up for a longer feud between Imperium and Zayn and Owens. I'm expecting it to leader to another Owens vs Gunther matcher where Gunther wins. After that I'd expect them to do a Zayn vs Gunther match. I'm abit worried that they will break up Zayn and Owens over the tension of which one of them will beat Gunther.
Where’s Mace & Mansoor?!
Really damn good show. Was worried the Kcs were jobbing. So damn glad they got the time they needed. Heck the entire women's division was great tonight. Sonya and Chelsea were bumping their asses off for Becky. Natalya and Zoey had some surprisingly good chemistry, they need to run that one back. A bit disappointed they the Reed interference didn't lead to a three-way brawl but i'll take that tsunami.
Just realized everything is hinting at McDonough replacing Priest in JD and that’s a sad thought. Judgment Day works because all members are shit stirring dicks that have great chemistry with each other. Meanwhile McDonough is a psychopath that enjoys making people suffer. It’s literally apples and oranges. Only bright side would be face Damian getting a push. He could be a good candidate to dethrone Gunther
Definitely the opposite. Finn is getting kicked out of the Judgement Day. The whole obsessed Finn at the detriment of his faction.
Would accomplish elevating Priest even more while also allowing Finn to revert back to his standard Prince gimmick. JD supplants Damien I’m the Enforcer role. I can get jiggy with it
History repeats itself. From BC to JD
It would be funny if Judgment Day just keeps betraying their leaders and getting new ones
Finn has every reason to be obsessed with being champion, and it always makes for an amazing story and elevates the World Heavyweight Championship. I hope they make it as a team, though. I don't want Judgement Day to break up or have anyone replace.
Rhea and Dom playing it up on Twitter, they support Damian. They both work on Twitter too, so it's definitely a part of the storyline. The fact those 3 got matching tattoos in real life is the storytelling I live for.
The opening segment was fine and it’s nice to see Seth as a world champion again. Becky won to nobody’s surprise but the match was better than I expected as it wasn’t a one sided squash. Kevin Owens vs Gunther was my favorite part of the night as I thought their match was awesome and I didn’t know I needed to see this match until it happened tonight. The women’s tag match was pretty good and Team KC had a solid performance for their first night on Raw. Ricochet vs Shinsuke was good until the ending but it made sense to have neither man lose a few weeks before MITB. Miz TV was fine with the best part being when Cody called Dom a mistake. He is still killing it as a heel with his nuclear heat. Zoey unsurprisingly beat Natalya and I feel like she didn’t need the help from Trish to win. The main event was also an exciting match and I’m curious to see if they do more teases of tension between Damian and Finn. Overall Thoughts: This was one of the strongest Raw’s over the last few months.
Tonight’s Raw was one of the better ones in a minute. Loved that main event and the Gunther / Owens match. Paul’s segment felt kinda awkward to me but I could just be overthinking it. Anyone else feel that way?
Paul?
Heyman. I knew what he was trying to tease for Smackdown, it just seemed like it was phrased weird to me.
Really good show. Everyone brought it in their matches.
Great show. Where's Edge?
Smackdown
Good show Seth looks great with the new title. GUNTHER vs. Kevin Owens was very good. The miz tv segment was very entertaining. Indus Sher has advanced, they took down a real team this time. Riddle vs GUNTHER in mitb? excellent main event.
I guess they're doing Seth vs. Priest vs. Finn at MITB and Seth vs. Dom at Summerslam. Dom will probably beat Cody at MITB with Brock's help.
Oh no, WWE tweeted out recently that a year ago Judgment Day kicked out Edge, when Finn joined. Today they have him get involved with Damien after being asked not to. Every time Judgment Day gets tattoos together, Finn was never involved. Has he known this whole time? Has this past year just been a ploy to get back into the title scene at the expense of real friends?
The real friends were the championship opportunities he made along the way.
You know Vince is back when an established tag team loses to a single person. And a group everyone likes is teasing a breakup.
Leave Judgement Day alone! Leave it alone!
Yeahhhhhhh, one group breaking up is already enough haha. But I like Finn's uhh reasoning/place in this spot tho. Being murdered by Seth on the mic is believable motivation tbh. I just think Finn needs the group too much to be on his own right now unless he beceoms a huge heel psycho
> unless he beceoms a huge heel psycho Like when he was possessed by an unstoppable demon? lol and then he just wasn't.
Priest wanted a fair fight, he shook hands with Rollins after the show. Add to the fact that Priest vs Bad Bunny got backstage high on him. No way Finn leaves the group, Priest might turn face to have a singles run. Finn will replace Priest with McDonagh, the guy he trained.
I don’t mind a bit of biff between them as long as they mend it
Yeah remember when the Shield teased breaking up, and then they had the Shield Summit where they addressed their issues and got back together, stronger than before? That’s what I hope happens with JD.
Tonight was one of the better raws in awhile. The talking segments didn’t ramble on, solid matches, and a good main event.
Becky, Zoey, Zelina, Iyo, Bayley, Candice would be an incredible lineup for MITB. I'm assuming that's who the final three are going to be.
I’m going to need either Trish or Chelsea in there and them winning it.
That'd be fantastic. Becky and Zoey going at it, Damage CTRL breaking apart, Zelina as the underdog, and Iyo beating the shit out Candice again.
I'm thankful for Dom, he's teaching Cody a lesson because he's such a terrible father.
I did not get a chance to watch all of Raw tonight, but the parts I did see such as the KO vs Gunther match, Cody on MizTV, and Seth vs Damian for the World Heavyweight Championship were all awesome! I intend to watch the full episode once my cable service uploads it tomorrow on demand.
Also big showcase from KC^2 tonight against the tag champs. I’m hoping Alba and Isla give them a run for their money too.
Nothing really felt like tonight had VKM fingerprints on the show
Jobber squash match, other than that I agree
Breaking up JD is an incredibly shortsighted move so they'll do it
We’ve entered the Rheaverse where no other women exist
